2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,500 times in 2010. That’s about 8 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 33 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 91 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 131mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was February 19th with 105 views. The most popular post that day was Too close for comfort.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, bluetogrey.wordpress.com, digg.com, twitter.com, and sevendollarpants.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for young thoughts, mick jagger, brightyoungthoughts, young throughts, and bright young people quotes.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Too close for comfort February 2010
1 comment

2

About February 2010

3

No aisle March 2010
2 comments

4

Hangover cure March 2010

5

Ring, ma belle April 2010
3 comments

Weeknight Picnic

On Sunday, my friends Ashleigh and Lauren and I were sitting in Trinity Bellwoods enjoying the late afternoon sun and came up with what we thought was a brilliant idea:

We always talk about having picnics in the park on the weekends, but then someone always ends up having to cancel because of other plans, so we decided to have a picnic dinner on a weeknight.

Last night we went back to Trinity Bellwoods armed with food and drink and had a wonderful evening.

The best part was the sangria that Lauren made. It had lime juice with simple syrup, Five Alive, peach schnapps, white wine, a hint of tequila, and lots of yummy strawberries and pineapples. It was delicious!

I’ve been thinking about starting a picnic club ever since Joanna Goddard from Cup of Jo tweeted about it. This picnic has certainly motivated me to get that organized. Anyone interested in joining?!

Wonder X

A couple of Saturdays ago about 60 people boarded two school buses and made their way to Canada’s Wonderland wearing bright red shirts to participate in a photo scavenger hunt. It may sound kind of cheesy, but it was a crazy amount of fun!

Excuse the bluriness, it was a bumpy bus ride.

The white bus and the red bus battled it out everytime we passed each other on the highway. There were water guns squirting and more than one moon made an appearance. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of that.

My friend Brandon has been organizing WonderDay for ten years but unfortunately this year was probably the last. I was a WonderDay virgin though, so I was going to make the most of it.

We got to Wonderland and Jess, Jane and I teamed up to complete the list of 26 pictures and videos. We were determined to get everything on the list.

One of the first things on the list was “hang from the equator”. We had no idea what that meant until we saw this gigantic globe. One down 26 to go!

I won’t torture everyone with every photo and video, but here are a few of our best:

We teamed up with two other teams to get the longest game of Leap Frog ever played at Canada’s Wonderland.

This is our “what happens at WonderDay, stays at WonderDay” shot.

We had to take a video the entire length of a roller coaster, and since throwing a temper tantrum was also on the list we tried to kill two birds with one stone on the Mighty Canadian Mindbuster.

This picture was for “X’s & O’s” and as you can tell from my hair was taken after we got poured on.

One of the last things on our list was to get everyone in line for a ride to do the wave. We saved this one until close to the end because we were a little nervous about having to ask so many people to help us out with this crazy stunt. Luckily, everyone in line for the The Fly was totally into it!

This video is probably my favourite thing we did all day. It’s for “an X-tremely bad idea” and Jess just went for it.

Although we don’t know who won the scavenget hunt yet, with this being mine and Jane’s first WonderDay and being up against many Wonder Alumni, I don’t think we took the crown. We did manage to get every photo and video on the list though, so I think it was a valiant effort.

Considering how much fun we all had it’s pretty sad this is going to be the last one. Brandon, if you’re reading this, any chance you’ll reconsider?! 😉

Eight days a week

My social calendar was packed last week and I love that. It makes it feel like summer! Unfortunately though, I was too busy to blog and I actually really missed it.

My week started off with the Jays home opener. I sometime work in the executive suites in the 300 and 400 levels. It’s a pretty good gig, because I usually only have to take care of serving beer to around 20 people and I mostly get to watch the game or concert that’s on. (I saw U2 twice in September and get to see them again in July!) Unfortunately for me, on this night, I was stuck in a suite that fit 100 people and I couldn’t see the game from behind the bar. Factor in that the Jays lost, ruining their five-game streak, and it was my least favourite home opener experience in my four seasons at the Dome.

Last Tuesday was much better though as I actually got to go see the game – and what a game it was! Ricky Romero carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning only to see his former teammate Alex Rios ruin his perfect game chance with a home run. Nevertheless, Romero managed to get out with a win and a one-hit game.

My friend Cristina, who I met in Vancouver while working at the Olympics, was in town that night and had never been to a game. We bought tickets in the 500s, but were able to sneak seats in the 100s. Some idiot sitting behind us there said the taboo words “perfect game” about 10 minutes before the Rios hit. I’m blaming that guy for the outcome.

Because we snuck down to the 100s I was able to get a couple of fun shots of Romero getting creamed by his teammates for his near-perfect outing.

Wednesday we celebrated a friend’s last chemo session with some cake! She kicked cancer in the ass and got through it with grace and good humour.

Thursday I went to Thirtsy Thursday at Pauper’s Pub on Bloor. It’s a networking event for young PR professionals in Toronto. I’ve been going for a couple of years now and every event keeps getting bigger. Kudos to the organizers. I forget exactly what these pictures were about, but I don’t think it’s what it seems like.

Friday I started out with after work drinks on the patio at the Madison for a coworkers birthday. From there I moved to the El Mocambo to check out my friend’s bf’s new band’s debut. They’re called Lordy Lordy and you should check them out here.

Saturday I actually went in to the office for a couple of hours, bleh, then headed to midtown to feed Jane and Jeff’s cats again. I’ve never been a huge cat person, but these two are actually pretty cute.  This one’s name is actually Harry the Handsome.

Jane and Jeff, by the way, have been lucky enough to be stuck in England for an extra five days because of that volcano whose name no one can pronounce. No airport cots for them though, they’re spending their extra vacation days in a beautiful home in Cambridge. Can you tell I’m a little jealous?

That night Jess and I met up with Christine and headed out for another friend’s birthday at Clinton’s. This is probably the day that my liver started to really hate me.

I always have fun at that bar, but I do have one complaint about some of the patrons:

Dear sweaty people,
If you’re going to dance your ass off, please make sure you have enough deodorant on so that when you walk by me I don’t want to pass out from the overwhelming stench.
Cheers, Jess

Sunday Jess and I met up in the early afternoon for brunch at Lakeview on Dundas at Ossington. I can’t believe I had never been there before having lived just five minutes away for more than two years. The food is delicious, well priced, and they have $4 caesars until 5:00 pm. Bonus: it’s open 24 hours. Seriously, how have I never been there for a late night snack after partying on Ossington or Queen West???

After brunch we walked down to the Black Bull patio to enjoy the beautiful sunshine. You know it’s the place to be when there’s a line at 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon. We only had to wait for about 15 minutes though, so it was definitely worth it. A couple other girlfriends joined us and we all enjoyed our first coronas of the summer.

That evening we went out to the Beaches to christen Brandon and Marisa’s new BBQ. It took the guys so long to put it together though that we didn’t eat until 10:30. The food was great though, and of course we had to cook steak (my favourite!) and drink more coronas for such an important occasion.

Monday morning came way too early but that didn’t stop me from going out once again that night. After eight days my liver was probably screaming at me to stop, but my friends won their floor hockey league and Jess found out some great news at work so we had to celebrate. We went to the Fox and Fiddle on John St and did some karaoke. People were probably cringing hearing me sing, but it was fun so I didn’t care. Hopefully the fact that my friends are really good prevented me from getting pelted with chicken wing bones.

Last night was my first night at home in eight days and it was awesome. I got my chores out of the way, relaxed and watched an amazing episode of Glee.

Tonight, I headed back to Jane and Jeff’s to feed their cats… again… because they’re still relaxing in England… and I’m so not jealous.

Thanks for checking on this blog even though I haven’t been posting much. I promise to make more of an effort. 🙂

Spin spin sugar

I was at my friends Jane and Jeff’s place last night as they were packing for their trip to Scotland. I’m feeding their cats while they’re gone, so I was over to learn the ropes. Jeff was running back and forth to their laundry room getting the last few loads in and that’s how we got on the topic of laundry room etiquette.

Anyone who’s lived in a dorm, an apartment building, or a multi-apartment house has had to deal with the dreaded coin-operated laundry machines. But does anyone actually know the etiquette about how to share these machines with their neighbours? Are there actually a concrete set of rules?

There are a couple situations to consider:

• If someone leaves their laundry sitting in a machine when it’s done, does another person have the right to take it out?
• You have one machine, but need to do two loads; you come back to flip your laundry, but someone is sitting there waiting for an empty machine.  Is it the equivalent of putting money on a pool table to reserve the next game? Or is it yours because you’re already using it?

Personally, I hate when people take my clothes out of the machines, especially if they’re wet. That’s why I try my best to get back as soon as the spin cycle is done. However, I’m not against removing someone’s clothing if I’ve gone back five times to see it still sitting in the same place after an hour. One time I was so frustrated that I left a note telling the person how inconsiderate they were. Had I run into them reading it though, I would definitely have pretended it wasn’t me.

Jeff actually had to deal with the second scenario last night. He had two washing machines, went down with two more loads, but only put one in because an older gentleman was sitting, waiting for a washer to open up. I think this makes Jeff a good neighbour.

I guess all laundry room etiquette would be obsolete if everyone just waited patiently by their occupied machines, but who wants to do that when they could be relaxing on their couch?

This was kind of a weird post, I know, but if anyone has any laundry room advice, please feel free to share!

(Image credit)

Get over it

Today that’s for all the Duke haters. Get over it. They won! They played a pretty solid game too.

I have to give it up to Butler though; they played an amazing game as well. The number of turnovers they caused for Duke almost won them the championship, yet Coach K reigns again.

I heard an interesting stat while watching the game last night. While Brad Stevens, the 33 year-old coach of Butler (crazy that he’s only 33 eh?) makes just under $400,000, Mike Krzyzewski makes over $4 million! That’s got to be more than a number of NBA coaches.

Although Duke is not my favourite team I have a soft spot in my heart the Blue Devils. They were my Uncle Mike’s favourite team. He’s the one that introduced me to March Madness when I was a kid and I will be forever grateful. It’s just so much fun to watch! To this day I can’t hear the CBS Sports Madness jingle without thinking of him.

“Get over it” was his motto and he made sure everyone knew it. If you scraped your knee climbing over a fence, get over it. If you were mad at someone for something, get over it. If you were disappointed in yourself for some reason, get over it, and do better next time.

It really is a great philosophy to live by and one of the many reasons why I will never forget what a great man he was.
 

This grainy 80s pic is of my cousin Kevin, my Uncle Mike, and that’s me on the right. Miss him!

Ring, ma belle

I’m definitely not the most fashion forward of my friends and don’t take too many fashion risks, but a few weeks ago I came across an extravagant accessory that I just had to have. I bought this ring at H&M for around $10.

Now that I had this fantastic piece of costume jewlery I had to figure out somewhere to wear it. Luckily I had a pretty good excuse this past Thursday as we celebrated my friend Jane’s (author of blue to grey) 27th birthday at the Beaconsfield.

It’s always fun when you have a piece of clothing or an accessory that everyone compliments you on. My friends loved my ring so much some of them had to try it on.

It was a great night filled with lots of friends, fun and of course quite a few drinks.

Everyone looked great! Especially the birthday girl!!

And who doesn’t love a dance party to close down the bar.

Hope everyone enjoyed the great weather and had a fantastic Easter weekend!

April Flowers

Is everyone else as excited as I am for the fabulous patio weather we’re about to have?

The saying goes “April showers bring May flowers”, but after this weekend I think we’ll be seeing a little more bloom around the city.

Here are some pictures I took last year in Spadina Museum Gardens to start your Easter weekend off on a bright note!

No aisle

A friend of mine recently asked me and four other friends to be bridesmaids and I couldn’t be more excited!

We’ll take care of the usual bridesmaid duties – the shower, the bachelorette party – but the one major bridesmaid task that we won’t be doing is walking down the aisle in front of the bride.

Why you ask? Well, my friends are actually already married. They had a very small, family only, ceremony this past fall. But now they’re ready to celebrate their nuptials with their friends, and they’re planning a super fun reception/dance party at Berkeley Church to do so.

Now here is where I need your help. Since there will be no ceremony of any kind we, the wedding party, want to do something to make the day extra special for them. I need creative ideas! Thoughts? Please comment!

(Image credits: one, two,three)

Walk on

Yesterday I went for a walk with my friend Jess and I brought my camera along.

This picture of Mick Jagger was sitting like this in the alley behind my apartment building. I’m starting to regret not taking it even though I have nowhere to put it.

Is this sign new? I’ve never ever noticed it before. Exploring Kensington more is definitely on my to-do list this summer.

I love how colourful this mural is. It’s on Dundas West, just west of Ossington.

I walk by this store on Ossington all the time, but have never been in. I think the Barbies scare me too much.

This cute little pup was just hanging out and people watching in the window of Girl Friday on College. It’s one of my favourite stores and they carry quite a few Canadian designers.

I’m really looking forward to the warmer weather so I can go on a lot more walks and take a lot more pictures.