Eating soup slowly

December 8, 2017 - 12:58pm - by Alyson Shane

I'm bad at rushing through my workday.

I try like hell to sit and sip my coffee, read the news, catch up on some articles, etc, before I start my actual workday, but even when it's stuff relating to my business or industry I still have a hard time sitting still in the AM.

There are emails to respond to. Profiles to update. Trello checklists to check-off. Copy to write, review, publish. Tasks upon tasks upon tasks.

Y'know, regular workday stuff.

I'm my most productive in the mornings and it often feels like I'm "wasting" my time taking things slowly in the AM.

Which is why it's nice to force myself to slow down for real, sometimes.

If I need to dive headfirst into work stuff in the morning I try and take a breath at lunch. Come up for air, peel away from my desk, go into the kitchen and make myself some lunch.

I try not to listen to anything; no music, no podcasts. Nada.

Just spend some time alone, clearing my thoughts, making something tasty.

Most days I just make a smoothie or a snack plate or leftovers so I can get back into the swing of things and eat as I work (told you I have a problem)

but some days I eat soup.

And soup days are the best days

because you have to eat soup slowly.

You can't rush soup or you'll burn the roof of your mouth, which means taking a little extra time to sit and enjoy it. Take slow sips. Wait for it to cool. Dig out the noodles or veggies or other goodies. Gauge overall heat. Repeat until done.

No music. No work.

Just me, my thoughts, and a bowl of soup.

Oh, and toast for dipping because I'm clearly not messing around.

---

It's Snoop Dogg's birthday

October 20, 2014 - 2:53pm - by admin

which makes me happy because it means that he's been around for another entire 365 days doing weird collabs, answering AMA's on Reddit, and otherwise continuing to ingrain himself in popular culture like nobody else.

To celebrate, here are some of my favourite Snoop gifs:

Snoop hanging with the yout

Snoop droppin' it like it's hot:

Snoop brushin' it off

Snoop channeling the power of the Lord

Snoop keeping the ladies in check:

Snoop and his crew:

Snoop on parole:

Snoop on The Price is Right:

and my personal favourite

Snoop Dogg evolving into Snoop Lion:

HBD Snoop!

---

Prom hair

September 10, 2014 - 6:26pm - by admin

is a song by Jaguar Knight that plays on CBC Radio 3 approximately every hour and a half

which I love despite how often I hear it and the weird video that reminds me of the visuals my ex used to make.

Because how could you not love an artist that describes themselves thusly:

For ten years, I was known as "A\V" and toured around Canada with a shopping cart full of synthesizers.

Then I got abducted by a horse flying a UFO and the horse made me change my name to "Jaguar Knight"

and posts YouTube videos of their tracks with artwork like this:

Oh, it's also catchy as f.

Enjoy!

---

Drunk girl in the Exchange

November 5, 2013 - 5:37am - by admin

I first saw you on Albert and McDermot

while Tyrone was taking photos of the storefronts of Rhymes with Orange and Tiny Feast

and I was standing by holding his papers and humming a song by The Weakerthans.

You were walking up the street in a tiny dress and a blazer

holding your phone in one hand

and a glass full of some sort of drink in the other

my hunch is a long island tea, but it's anyone's guess.

You walked by and kept stumbling on the cobblestone streets

and I felt compelled to say something to you

but I didn't because mostly we're taught to keep to ourselves

lest we bring trouble or interfere.

However

as I watched you stumble away down the block

and then across McDermot

almost falling twice

I thought "fuck convention" and started to run after you.

By the time I reached you, you were already a block away

by King and Notre Dame

and I sprinted around the corner and shouted EXCUSE ME at you.

I think I scared you but you stopped.

I asked if you were okay and you drunkenly said you were

even though your dress was half-tucked up and you'd lost that glass somewhere and I could smell the booze on you

and I thought to myself

that you would have looked really professional if your dress wasn't so short & your little boots were so high.

But that's besides the point.

I asked if you wanted me to call you a cab and you said no

so you said you would call your boyfriend and I said I'd wait with you and you said I didn't have to

but I did

and when he didn't pick up you got up and straightened out your skirt and said

I AM TOTALLY OKAY

and sprinted across the intersection and through an empty parking lot before I knew what was happening.

I yelled after you

where are you going?

and you said

HOME.

I hope you made it back okay

to wherever your home is

because I'm still worried about you

dashing around by yourself in your high heels in the cold.

So if you read this, please let me know you're all right.

---

Boyfriend at the time and I would drive around

October 10, 2013 - 1:04am - by admin

from his place
to mine
to the movies
to dinner somewhere
to the park
to our minimum-wage jobs

wherever

and we'd listen to bands like this

(so emo)

not because we were unhappy

but because we weren't.

Weird listening to it now.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

---

This is why we date

July 9, 2013 - 1:48pm - by admin

---

Slept in super late today

July 3, 2013 - 10:31pm - by admin

because I have the day off because I'm still rocking a fierce summer head-cold and my boss was all "your sniffling is gross please stay home for a day" which I did and as a result I cuddled the cats and slept will 11am. That equals over 14hrs of sleep since I dozed off halfway though that episode of Parks and Rec I was watching with Tyrone. Cray!

Even though I'm sick I had to keep my dentist appointment to get my chipped tooth fixed. It happened a few weeks ago while I was eating a taco from Modern Taco. My tooth felt kinda weird and I went to the bathroom and was like "well fuck" and since then it's been bothering me like hell but honestly? I'm busy and it took longer to look after than I'd planned.



I knew it was finally time when I mentioned making the appointment to Tyrone and he said

"I was wondering when you were going to do something about that"

which hurt my feelings a little bit. But whatever.

I go to this amazing dentist who doesn't fuck around. I'd tell you who but I don't want everyone going there and cramping my style, because he's always on time and is the fastest dentist I've ever been to. My chipped tooth was fixed in less than ten minutes and he ran off to see a million more patients that day.

Oh and did I mention that he billed my insurance company 100% of the cost so it was free? Oh yeah.

I made Tyrone come meet me for lunch and then drive me home, which was my plot all along because baby it's hot out and the busses were slow because there's construction everywhere and I'm sick goddammit and didn't want to deal with that nonsense.

Since then I've napped on the couch and watched 1/2 of The Hunger Games.

It's hard being productive when yr sick.

---

Ten minutes

June 21, 2013 - 9:47pm - by admin

is how long I'm going to write for because frankly I'm in a foul as fuck mood and would rather be sulking at home with a beer instead of waiting to be picked up to go to a family function and then who knows what else all weekend. This weekend has gotten under my skin in every way possible and I need to just chill. da fuq. out.

Sigh.

This week has just been so trying. I feel like I've got my life on hold for some peeps and I'm getting completely jerked around and it's really wearing thin. I don't like second-guessing people and myself and what I've said/done to people and have zero tolerance for it. Nothing makes me flip out like that kind of shit but flipping out doesn't do me any good. It will just work against me. So I have to sit here and wait which also drives me nuts because I'm incredibly impatient. If there's one adult skill I've never acquired it's patience.

Anyway Tyrone is going away tomorrow night to party it up with his coworkers and in addition to getting my hurr did I have BBQ and movie plans with friends but frankly I just wanna stay home n have a soak in the bath n a glass of wine (or three) n watch a movie by myself. Is that so wrong?

The main reason is that we're supposed to be seeing the new Superman and 1. I don't wanna see it without Tyrone because he's MEGA stoked for it, 2. I hear it's only "meh" at best so I'm not really that stoked anymore, and 3. it's much easier to stay at home and relax and honestly guys I need it.

Honestly I shouldn't even be in a shitty mood at all.

I had a great, busy day at work so it went by super fast. Yesterday I got to hang with cool peeps at the a United Way luncheon and my zebra shirt was a hit. Then I biked home and took a huge-ass nap and bought a bunch of thrift-store clothes that look amazing. Tonight once I get over myself I'll get to hang with my fam, who I love, and have BBQ and home-made wine and hang out with my Granddad who is probably the coolest old dude ever.

Oh and did I mention that had free sushi for lunch?

And I got to take the cutest dog ever for a walk?

If I wasn't so busy stewing in my own mental swamp I'd be in the best mood ever!

Okay Shane. Chill the f out.

I downloaded this stupid app a few months ago which is supposed to help you meditate which sounds completely stupid and it kind of is. But honestly having some nice music playing and a hot-sounding chick voice telling me when n how long to breathe really helps. It's helping right now, actually.

Because when I get stressed out I start breathing all crazy like
in
out
in
out
really fast and my jaw clenches which I can feel right now
and this chick is telling me to let go
calm down
and stop blogging FFS.

---

Yes we are eating popcorn in bed

June 20, 2013 - 4:23am - by admin

One of the great things about being an adult is getting to do what you want.

What I want at the end of most nights is to sit around in my underpants with the laptop in bed with my significant other and maybe the cats and usually tea and sometimes a snack.

Tonight for instance we are eating popcorn with sour cream n onion seasoning.

Which is wonderful for me because I was working on university stuff all night and forgot to have dinner and didn't realize till we were halfway through our evening when my tummy was all

wtf put food in me you dummy

and I was like

shit. I'd better get on that.

So here I am writing this drinking tea and eating popcorn with my significant other which is crazy to me because a few years ago I was dating someone who picked a fight with me over this very thing.

I've only ever really seriously cohabited with one person and pretty early on after moving in together I was reading a book having a snack in bed and he flipped out.

I was all

It's not big deal. Just some cheese n crackers and I'm holding the plate.

But he flipped the heck out and we had this big crazy fight and it boggled my mind because who doesn't have a lazy snack in their own bed once and a while?

The reason I thought of that was because as we were both reaching for more popcorn my hand hit Tyrone's and some popcorn got on the bed and instead of flipping out we cleaned it like it was no biggie

which it wasn't.

So now I'm sitting here blogging about it and he's reading and we're about to go turn the lights down

and I'm thinking about how funny it is that people can be so different

and how I really want some cheese n crackers.

---

Mitch Hurwitz just made my day

June 17, 2013 - 10:05pm - by admin

lefantome

Hi, Mr. Hurwitz

I want to download/buy the song "Getaway" by Mark Cherry to use it as a ringtone, how can I have it?

MitchHurwitz

We are really working on it, actually! It's tricky because 20th doesn't really have a record label, which a lot of the other studios do, so they don't have a mechanism in place, but all of David's music is so great and I really want to get it out there.

read the rest of his awesome AMA on Reddit here

---