Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts

Book Talk: What to Look For 

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - Posted by Amanda Bast
I've been in love with books since I was a wee babe. To say I read constantly would be a vast understatement. I had my nose in a book at all times. I missed so many things because I had to finish my paragraph before I looked up*. My dream house as a child (um, still?) is the one right beside the library. Nothing beats the magnificence of a book.

I've had people call me from the bookstore asking what I suggest they buy for their kids. It's happened on more than one occasion. My friends call me because they know I have a wee bit of a problem. My children's literature library is extensive. I don't have any children, but I have books. Oh do I have books!

It seems these days anyone can get published. It's great because we see so many new authors, but it also means there is a lot of crap out there. It's hard to sift through the world of books when you don't know what to look for. Here is a list of things that I look for when I browse picture books in the children's section.

Quirky characters. Regular characters are boring. Children love characters that are imaginative and just a little bizarre. Think of the most interesting person you know. You would want to read a book about them. Now think of someone who is average in interestingness. You probably wouldn't want to read about that person, now would you? New, fresh characters are wonderful. Reoccurring characters are like visiting old friends.

Rich language. Look for language that is above the level of the kids you are reading to. Yes, kids should have "just right" text that is easy and accessible for them to read on their own. However, when kids are being read to, the language should be beyond their level. Have you ever met a kid that sounds like he's way older than he is? I can almost guarantee his parents have been reading to him ever since he was tiny. Even if you have wee babies, start reading to them now. Kids that do well in school and in life were likely raised in literacy rich environments. It's proven, yo.

Unique illustrations. Some illustrations are like your grandma's living room furniture**. Other illustrations are like furniture from IKEA. Some illustrations are simple. Some illustrations are incredibly detailed. Each serves its purpose. Some are more pleasing than others. In this case, you are totally allowed to judge a book by its cover.

Clean layout. My inner graphic designer leaps for joy when I see a crisp, beautifully laid out text. A picture with words underneath gets boring. I look for layouts that catch my eye (I'm a huge rule of thirds nerd, but we won't get into that today), and that add to the story.

Heart Singing Stories. When you read the book, did you laugh? Did you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Did you say "Wow!"? Did you want to do something because of the book? Did you start thinking about something you did when you were a kid? Can you relate the story to aspects of your own adult life even though it is meant for kids? If you close the book and are still thinking about the story with a smile on your face, it is probably a good choice.


Those are a few guidelines to get you started. If you have to buy a gift for a child, consider buying them a book (or several). And then sit down and read it with them. It's seriously awesome.


What was your favourite book as a kid?


*I missed a family of BEARS walking across the road in front of our car because I was reading. Not just one bear. A FAMILY. Of BEARS.
**Floral and covered in plastic?

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Life Goals 

Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
I used to hate making goals. Since I've altered my thinking from "goal setting" to "things I want to do before I'm a certain age" I have discovered that I have many goals. I have never done anything on this list, and I would like to accomplish all of them. I've also posted this same list under "Life Goals" over there ----->

Here are my 30 before 30 (in no particular order):


  1. See Sufjan Stevens in concert
  2. Eat lobster
  3. Live within walking distance of a coffee shop/craft store/fancy cooking store (any would do)
  4. Write a song other than ones I make up on the spot every day
  5. See the Rocky Mountains
  6. Take dance lessons
  7. Completely gut and renovate an old house
  8. Land a permanent contract job
  9. Take voice lessons
  10. Talk in an accent for an evening in order to convince a stranger that it’s real
  11. Take a fancy cooking course (or several)
  12. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert
  13. Be a part of a show where people pay $20.00 or more to see
  14. Sing in front of a crowd
  15. See a show on Broadway
  16. Hit up a jazz club in downtown Montreal (must be drinking a martini when this occurs)
  17. Fall in love
  18. Teach nieces and nephews a choreographed song and dance number
  19. See the ocean (any one will do)
  20. Adopt a Greyhound dog
  21. Publish a children's book (or three)
  22. Try my hand at some stand-up comedy
  23. Travel to the east coast
  24. Make flan
  25. Host an unnecessarily fancy dinner party (serve flan)
  26. Go scuba diving
  27. Babies! Birth, adopt, foster – any way they choose to come to me.
  28. Oh, get married (that first...then babies)
  29. Preach a sermon
  30. Change someone’s life (for the better)

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Music, Metaphors and Lots of Links 

Monday, December 6, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
If you're from the K-Dubs you might know that the local radio station that normally plays "today's hits and yesterday's favourites" (gag barf ew bleeding ears) now only plays Christmas music. Gross Christmas music. It's almost as bad as when they play that song by Soul Decision (you know the one. You knew it was sleazy when you were in grade five*).

I am not listening to this station. Instead, I am listening my very own Christmas playlist to end all Christmas playlists. It is comprised of the following:

1. Sufjan Stevens - Christmas Box Set
If you buy no other Christmas music, buy this box set. It is all you really need every December. My tall friend Kerry originally introduced me to this box set a few Christmases ago and I am constantly in awe of this beautiful piece of work (the box set, not Kerry...sorry bud). The genius of Sufjan plus traditional Christmas music equals pure audio heaven. He also does covers of some hymns and they make you want to sit in a corner and cry (happy tears). This is what I mean. Included in the box set is five discs, a lyric and chord booklet, short stories, a poster of Sufjan and his family, and stickers. Sufjan is quirky. But he is beautiful. I won't stop raving about this box set. Go buy it. Now. And then come back here to read about the rest.

2. Rue Royale - Christmas EP
I do believe aforementioned Kerry introduced me to this band as well. A husband and wife duo from the UK. They write beautiful songs and their harmonies are so lovely you'll wish you could turn it into some sort of...cake. That you could eat. Because it's delicious. And you would want to eat that cake every day. Their Christmas songs are like cozying up by the fire in your pajamas. Here is something exciting - you can download these three songs for FREES! Right HERE.

3. Adam Padfield - A Little Jazz for Christmas
Ok, so Paddy is a personal friend of mine and I'm giving him a little plug here, but he totally earns it. His Christmas album is so darn peppy, but it's not annoying peppy. It's jazzy peppy. It's like the parties his family throws. They're good solid fun and when you turn around, you see Paddy's mom standing on the kitchen counter taking pictures. Traditional, with a little twist. Check him out on Facebook.

4. Rosie Thomas - A Very Rosie Christmas
Thank you to Twitter friend MattyGFresh  for this gem. Apparently Rosie Thomas and Sufjan are friends which most definitely explains why I loved her right away. If Sufjan and Ingrid Michaelson had a love child, she would sound like Rosie Thomas. Listening to this album is a bit of a rollercoaster. She sings happy pretty songs, like Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year and then WHAM she hits you with Alone at Christmastime. Somewhere in between there is the coolest arrangement of Silent Night I've ever heard. My only complaint is her speaking voice. It makes me want to punch her in the face. But then she sings and I forget about the talking bits. And oh when she sings!


5. sleeper/awake - Indie Acoustic Christmas
OH WAIT. This album doesn't exist. Yet. But if it did, it would most definitely be on this list. Did you catch that, friends? Record! Record an album! In the meantime, I will just have to look forward to your yearly concert.

6. Et al
Here are some more delicious Christmas tunes to download for frees!
The Civil Wars - 2 free songs - enter your email on their myspace page
Madi Diaz - 4 free really great songs - again with the email entering here

The newer Relient K Christmas would also be on here if my computer hadn't crapped out and lost the files since last Christmas. Can anyone hook a sistah up?

Remember: Christmas is no excuse for crappy music. Happy listening.



*Speaking of songs you listened to as a child even though they were horribly inappropriate: Are those life preservers? What about a this song about...uhhh...well you know.

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What Community Theatre Taught Me 

Monday, November 29, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
From November 18th-20th I was in a play called "Altar Egos: The "I Do's" and "Don'ts" of an American Wedding. Besides the grammatically correct yet still awkward subtitle, the play was quite good. I played Colleen McMasters, a bride-to-be in her early 20s. Colleen is moody, bossy, spoiled and most definitely wears the pants in the relationship. She's nearly the opposite of the kind of bride I would want to be. This means it was an exceptionally fun character to play. I have never been on stage in this sort of capacity at all. Yes, we've done a bunch of improv shows but this was different.

This...this my friends, was community theatre. Not just any community theatre, this was Wellesley community theatre. You can read all about Wellesley here. The article is not very big but it mentioned Apple Butter, cheese and Noah Martin Summer Sausage, so all the bases were pretty much covered.

The first time I climbed the stairs in the historic library building, I never expected that Theatre Wellesley would turn into a blog-worthy event. But my goodness, did it ever. Here is a list of things that community theatre has taught me (with pictures!):

* Even though it may not be a high caliber show, it is still loads of work. I may not be a professional, but I still had to memorize a whack of lines.
* People will come to see your show based solely on a well written article in a small newspaper.
* Teenagers have an unbelievable amount of energy.

my co-lead and his adoring fans

* Teenagers consider 23 old. I'm no longer hip or with it.

See, totally cool!

* Old historical library buildings make me sneeze.
* You can find some really weird crap in old historical library buildings.

He was the understudy for my fiance

* Stage families are never believable.

I get my size from my Papa

* At first stage kisses are the most awkward thing on the planet. Then somehow they aren't significant.

This was the G-rated picture of this moment

* Yelling from my diaphragm does not wreck my voice and results in impressive decibel levels from such a little person.

I screamed in the poor boy's ear a lot

* Channeling my "inner Colleen" helps with substitute teaching in a rowdy class.

I don't think I ever smiled in this scene. In any scene.

* Things that you as a cast laugh about may not make an audience laugh, and things you never laughed about in rehearsal may cause an audience to bust a gut.

Her company will give you a FULL INCH MORE BALL

* It is much easier to act in front of a large/easily entertained crowd.
* Celery and Popeye Sticks is the perfect pre-show snack combo.
* Accidental comedic moments can never be recreated for the next show.

Gun. Being inserted into his pants. Not in script.

* Stage makeup can make anyone look trashy.


* You can get very attached to people you see twice a week for 2 1/2 months.

The sign mentioned in my last post

 * I love meeting people I wouldn't normally get the chance to meet. When else do you get to hang out with a chaplain, farmers' kids, an artist, a priest and a mental health worker all in one afternoon?

Family on the couch!

* I need to be involved in theatre in some capacity in the future.
* All of the hard work was worth it. This was one of the best experiences, and I can't wait to do it again!

Thanks for all the fun! See you next year!

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Sassie 

Monday, November 15, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Sweet Sassafras (aka Sassie) is our family dog. She is a two year old, cute, black and furry miniature Schnauzer. She wears a little coat and is spoiled, but not ridiculously so (no, we do not own one of these). She is also way too smart for her own good. I am extremely skeptical of peoples claims to have genius dogs. However, there are some things this dog does that I wouldn't believe unless I saw them with my own eyes. Here is a list:

1. She opens the front shutters so she can look outside. If she were to bat at them, they would flip around and close again. She opens them halfway so she can keep an eye on the neighbourhood.

2. She likes riding on the Seadoo with my father (the only excuse for this behaviour I will make is that it occurred before the birth of his first grandchild. Now, there are no excuses) and wears a tiny life jacket (again, no excuses). One time, as she watched my dad drive away from the dock on the 'doo, she ran downstairs. We heard rustling, then she came back upstairs WITH HER LIFE JACKET.

3. She has a tendency to leave toys in various places in the house. The next day, if you ask her where she put her (insert name of toy here) she will run away and return ALWAYS WITH THE CORRECT TOY.

4. She does not like to cuddle. However, when my sister-in-law was pregnant, she would lie on her tummy. Not really a big deal, but this summer, before my dear sister announced her second pregnancy, Sassie parked herself on Heather's tummy all weekend yet refused to cuddle with anyone else.

5. Likewise, when I am sick, she will cuddle. When I had Swine flu, she hardly moved from my chest for the whole month I was housebound.

My parents love her. My siblings and niece love her. Most people that meet her love her. My love for her is very conditional, as is hers for me. Here is a list of things that make me want to throw her out the window:

1. She once ate an entire Kinder Surprise Egg that she stole from a table. She even unwrapped the tinfoil without destroying it. It was kind of impressive, but still.

2. She likes to chew paper products. I often come home to find little bits of shredded toilet paper or kleenex strewn all over the basement floor. She chewed the contact info off of a business card today. Only the contact info.

3. Every morning I come up the stairs and she growls at me and then attacks my feet. Every. Morning.

4. When I put my coat on, she attacks the sleeves.

5. When I sit down to put shoes on, she bites the laces.

6. When I am eating, she pokes me with her nose and makes me spill things.

7. Her bark makes my ears bleed.

8. She steals socks and/or underwear out of laundry baskets and leaves them in the middle of the front entrance way. Doesn't chew them, just leaves them there.

9. She sleeps on top of sofas and chairs like a cat. When she stands up, she is high enough to stick her stinky face right in mine.

10. After she gets a bath, she tears around like an idiot. This is actually funny, but also supremely annoying.

11. If you have a cup of anything, she will jump up on the couch and drink out of the cup. Coffee, tea, water, anything.

12. If my parents leave when she doesn't think they should leave, she howls and yelps and cries. For hours on end.

13. If she wants something I won't give her, she will stare. Just stand and stare. It's unsettling.

14. She will lick books when you try to read them.

15. Before she lays down anywhere, she needs to dig. You can't dig the sofa, dog!

16. She attacks the drying rack/mop/vacuum/ironing board (Please see here)

16. Watch this video at 6:00 am. Enough said.

Excuse me. I need to go throw the dog out the window feed the dog.

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The Great Cake Experiment: Fondanteded 

Monday, October 11, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Tonight was the riskiest part of the experiment: fondant. Let me start off by saying that fondant does not look edible, and it's really not that great tasting. It tastes like sugar in playdough form. I felt like I was breaking some sort of school rule when I sampled some.
It comes in a brick and you are supposed to knead it (but not too much, or it gets sticky) and then roll it with a rolling pin. I decided to skip the kneading (why? I have no idea. I was getting a little cocky before I even started) and when straight to rolling. This here is the hard blob-o-fondant:


It worked fine, other than it made rolling it out into an ab workout. This either means I don't need to exercise today, or I should really start if mere icing preparation causes me to feel the burn. Now came a challenge. Move the large, flat piece of icing onto the cake. Hmm ok, HOW? The distance is too great!


I did figure it out but experienced some sticking and tearing. And then it looked like a ghost:


At this point in time I looked at my mother and said, "Um...how...?" and then attempted to smooth out the icing. The top is no problem, but the sides caused some trouble. The icing decided to fold and buckle in some places and tear in others. Observe:



BOO TO FONDANT. I admit that I almost had a little, "I tried my best!" moment. I then told myself that it was ok, and I can't be perfect at anything and everything artistic (although I will try my darndest). I think the biggest problem was that I overworked it, and it was beginning to dry out and crack. I will fix this by kneading first before rolling, to heat things up a little. Then came the fun part: colouring the remaining fondant!


A little pink, a little green, a little white, some really cute cookie cutters and some syrup to glue them all together and......


(scroll down...)







(down....)






(I'm trying to make this dramatic....)





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 TA DA!!!!! It actually turned out much much cuter than I thought it would, and I'm fairly happy considering it was my first go with the stuff. Some of the flowers were strategically placed in an effort to hide the flaws in the white fondant. This picture actually looks worse than the real thing:


 From another angle:


Bird's eye view:


Things I learned:
1. Kelly green colouring gel + a little bit of lemon yellow colouring gel = an ok lime green
2. Knead before rolling to avoid drying out
3. Even "big" mistakes can be covered up by extremely cute flowers
4. Cake boards covered in tinfoil look chintzy and will be replaced with a pretty glass cake plate for the real deal
5. Fondant sticks to itself using water or syrup. It also sticks to fingers that have water or syrup on them.
6. If you put the syrup away before you remember to stick the letters to the board, spit works just as well (EW EW I know that's gross, but no one is going to eat the letters anyway. Relax).
7. This was fun, and with practice I know it will be ridiculous amounts of fun
8. The Bean is way cuter than this cake.

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The Great Cake Experiment: Ganache'd 

Posted by Amanda Bast
Today is the day the poo pucks get decorated and hopefully turned into something that doesn't resemble a poo puck. I took pictures of what I did today:


Here are the poo pucks shaved down to make them flat and cut in half. You might notice that the insides of the poo pucks are GOOEY. I blame the faulty toothpick-in-centre-to-check-doneness method. Gluten free baking is also iffy most of the time. I blame that (because it couldn't possibly be due to my impatience).
I then brushed each layer with the syrup (the orange stuff). Then used this ganache:


 I spread ganache in between each layer and stacked those bad boys. I failed to take a picture of this step, but here is the cake with ganache on the outsides and top, just before "hot-knifing":

 The cake is has now been "hot-knifed" with a hot knife (ooooOOOoOooh, now it makes sense!):

 Cleaned up and put on a cake board, ready for fondant to be added later tonight!

Things I've learned:
1. Ganaching a cake is ridiculous amounts of fun. The cake starts off looking lumpy and gross, but the ganache fills in the cracks like putty, thus making the poo pucks look straight and perfect.
2. Anything smothered in chocolate and cream looks more appetizing.
3. Ganaching is messy but worth it. Going to be a lovely smooth surface for fondant!
4. The new countertops and backsplash look pretty with this cake!
5. Ganache is already a ridiculous word, yet saying it over and over only makes it more ridiculous

This is getting increasingly more and more fun. Am I delusional?

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The Great Cake Experiment 

Sunday, October 10, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Recently my sister-in-law asked me to make a cake for my niece's first birthday party. Actually after finding out how much a professional cake would cost, my sister-in-law asked me to make a cake for my niece's first birthday party. I do have cake skills[z] but they are nowhere near professional (but I'm cheap!). I am doing a trial run to get it just right before the big day.

I decided it would be a great time to teach myself how to use fondant icing. You know the really smooth stuff that looks awesome yet inedible? Yes. People make cakes like that all the time, right? Right! I'm creative, no problem, right? Right! PLUS, I have a book that told me how to do this. Simple! Here is what the book says (oh so easy, step by step!):

1. Bake the cake
2. Make ganache
3. Make syrup (ie boil some jam and water and strain)
4. Cut cake into even layers
5. Brush syrup onto each layer
6. Assemble the cake by putting ganache in between each layer.
4. Ganache the rest of the cake
5. "Hot-knife" the ganache to make it super smooth
6. Let cake sit over night
7. Roll out fondant
8. Place on cake
9. Secure edges. Smooth icing.
10. Smooth icing some more, this time using smoothers
11. Trim icing.
12. Use smoothers
13. Decorate
14. Massacre oops I mean cut the masterpiece into pieces
15. Watch everyone eat what you have worked on for endless hours

It is day 1, and I am on step 2. It took approximately 3 hours to get to this point.

Things I have learned so far:

1. Using a gross gluten free cake mix will turn what should be lovely, fluffy tiny cakes into dense, caved in poo pucks.
2. Ganache is super fun to make. Heat up some cream and pour it over chopped chocolate. Then whisk. It will be grainy and then all of a sudden, BAM! smooth velvety creamy cream and chocolate. I may have squealed with glee.
3. The term "Hot-Knife" is also a method of smoking cannabis.
4. I have no idea what I'm doing
5. This is not the first time I've undertaken huge projects I know nothing about
6. Each of the steps in this book have multiple sub steps that are not necessarily simple. That is many steps.
7. People who write books about cakes are LIARS.
8. I am easily influenced by book-writing cake-making LIARS.

It's a good thing this kid is cute.

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The Perks 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - Posted by Amanda Bast
My mother recently said, "embrace your singleness". I had a discussion with another single friend and this is the list of perks we came up with:

1. You always know what your plans are. You never have to confirm with another person.

2. Lots of free time.

3. Coffee dates with members of the opposite sex are always acceptable.

4. Guys love single ladies. Ladies love single guys.

5. You can sing and dance to that Beyonce song and not feel like a fake.

6. You can answer your Grandma's "do you have a special friend?" question with "actually, I have LOTS of special friends, Grandma".

7. Your Grandma will pray that you stop leading a sinful life and settle down and become monogamous.

8. As long as you don't have a cat, you can pack up and vacation in Fiji in less than a day's notice.

9. You only have to open your own car door.

10. Eating Kraft dinner directly from the pot is considered fine dining.

11. Flirting with the bag boy at the grocery store!

12. Cell phone bills are lower.

13. Farting. And lots of it.

14. I can sleep in a race car bed? (That's the last time Dillis gets to contribute to a blog post)


Feel free to add to the list!

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The Beginning 

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Today was the first day of my teaching adventures. I don't really know how true that is since I've already taught many lessons (I'm so very wise, you see), but we'll call it that anyway.

I am currently typing on a brand new spanking* laptop, and....well. Let me make a list or two.

Things I Like About New Laptop
-it's new
-Kid Pix plus other various kid-related programs
-built in webcam
-case that has many zippers and compartments

Things I Do Not Like About New Laptop
-huge
-heavy
-ugly
-expensive
-I have to bring it with me to class every day
-it's a Toshiba
-all of the neat programs get wiped at the end of the year

Awesome?

My first day of teacher's college taught me a couple of things. First, some teachers ask a lot of unnecessary questions: "Can we use our laptop to check our email when we get home after class?" or "Where do we buy books?" or "Where is the bookstore?". To me these questions are like asking plot-related questions within the first 10 minutes of a movie. Unnecessary, because you'll find out the answer if you are quiet and keep watching. Or in this case, if you commonly buy books in a bookstore.

Another thing I learned today was that the vast majority of teacher's college students are warm, friendly and lovely people. I think...this is going to be good, laptop and all.

Speaking of which, if you have a suggestion for a name for the new beast of a computer, please feel free to leave a comment.

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wedding bells! 

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - Posted by Amanda Bast
The other day, during our outside time, a few of my preschool girls helped me plan my wedding. These are their suggestions:

I will wear a white dress.
I will have three bridesmaids, and three groomsmen.
The bridesmaids will wear bright pink dresses.
We will carry white, pink, yellow and purple flowers.
The groomsmen will wear black suits with gray and pink striped ties.

I will walk down the aisle to either Ballerina music, or The Wheels On the Bus.

For dinner, we will eat chicken, rice, broccoli, carrots and beans.
For dessert, we will eat strawberry cupcakes and vanilla pudding.

The overall plan sounds really quite marvelous, and I was impressed by their wedding planning skills and flair. They even did my hair and make up for me. I'm totally set for my big day.

The only setback is that my groom-t0-be is three years old.

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things that kind of suck, but not really, and some helpful solutions 

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Problem: Starbucks ran out of soy milk
Why it kind of sucks: Milk makes you wheezy and irritable.
Solution: Buy a tea and complain loudly so they give you a free beverage coupon.

Problem: not being able to wear your clogs because they are getting repaired.
Why it kind of sucks: you are stuck wearing ugly running shoes. Clogs are much more stylish.
Solution: Socks and sandals (seriously, this is more stylish than my running shoes).

Problem: your prof wants to meet with you at Second Cup to discuss your paper topic.
Why it kind of sucks: Just plain awkward because it seems date-like.
Solution: sign up for a time in between migrating Sean and Quiet Craig, so the awkwardness of meeting the prof is outweighed by the awkwardness of encountering both of these two outside of a classroom setting.

Problem: you wear a new angora sweater to school
Why it kind of sucks: you discover that you are more or less allergic to angora and you are stuck wearing it for at least nine more hours. Also, it sheds it's pink fur all over your black backpack like nobody's business.
Solution: only wear sweater outdoors. As soon as you get inside a building, remove sweater and itch arms for the entire length of the class.

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Checklist 

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Lake: check!

New wakeboarding life jacket: check!

Board shorts: check!

Friendly neighbour boys: check!

Friendly neighbour boys that let me borrow their wakeboard: check!

Friendly neighbour boys with a brand new wakeboard edition Seadoo: check!

Friendly neighbour boys who will take me out on their new wakeboard edition Seadoo: check!

Athletic ability: oh crap.

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signs that say you probably shouldn't be on the road 

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
(Mom, you might not want to read this)

-you've just written two midterms and you feel like your brain is going to explode
-your contacts are dry and you feel it is necessary to blink every half-second
-well traveled city streets are coated in snow
-people are going 40 km/h on the highway
-when you turn on your high beams, it does nothing but light up the snow ahead of you and make things scarier
-the tire tracks you are following frequently swerve around the road
-it is still snowing
-it is dark and there are no street lights
-when the plow goes by, it seemingly does nothing because the snow is so packed into the road
-you don't see another car on the road for a good 15 or 20 minutes
-you can't remember if you charged your cell phone
-parts of the drive that normally take you five minutes, take 15 minutes
-no one from home knows what time you left the city, or if you left at all
-a 40 minute drive takes you an additional 40 minutes

Probably wasn't the best decision to drive home last night. I did it anyway.

Now that I'm home safe, I'm excited for MEXICO! I leave early early this Friday morning. If you wish to do so, here is a list of things you can pray for (I really like lists):

-safe travel, including no delays because of the weather
-the entire team gets all of their luggage, and we don't experience any bag searches (this is what I'm most concerned about, for some reason)
-arrival of the bus in Mexico City and safe transport to the orphanage
-food! That it is gluten free and safe, and doesn't make anyone sick
-safety while working (mixing concrete, etc)
-that God will keep our hearts open to whatever he wants to teach us
-my mommy back home - that she isn't enjoying her time to herself tooooo too much

The weather forecast in Mexico is up in the mid-twenties today :o)

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future ambitions 

Friday, February 8, 2008 - Posted by Amanda Bast
I've decided that it would be fun to be unnaturally creepy and outrageous for a day. Maybe two. The girls at school and I have started compiling a list of things to do if we were creepy for a day. Take a look:

-Stare. At everyone.
-Maintain eye contact with someone for unusually long amounts of time.
-Catch the eye of someone, and give a little half smile. The next time you make eye contact, make a bizarre face. If they laugh, you have succeeded.
-Find a table of people that you don't know. Ask to sit with them, but don't wait for the answer before you sit down. Begin to eat your food, completely ignoring the people at the table.
-Stand extremely close to someone in line and breathe on the back of their neck.
-Sit beside someone on the bus etc when there are empty seats (especially if there are empty seats)
-Walk around by yourself and sing on the top of your lungs. Dancing works too.
-Go to a bar, and when someone asks you to dance, either stand completely still in the middle of the dance floor, or bust out the Elaine dance.
-Say hello to everyone you pass. Everyone means e v e r y o n e.
-Ask someone for their autograph and tell them you are going to sell it on ebay.
-Announce to a stranger that you are wearing new underpants.
-Use the violation handshake whenever possible.

If you have any contributions, they would be appreciated

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things that have amused me this past week 

Monday, November 12, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
A firefighter almost started a fire in my house. I'm not joking. A magazine, a hot burner and a blonde are not a good combination.

Sweet potatoes and marshmallows are a very surprising combination. So are radishes and peanut butter, but no one believes me.

A guy I thought was gay (I was pretty convinced of this) is getting married. To a girl.

This conversation in kindergarten today:
"I'm going to be a ninja when I grow up."
"You mean for halloween?"
"No, for real. I'm going to be a real ninja."

Luke's doody story.

I received my first piece of jewellery from a boy. It's made of white pipe cleaners, but it is still special.

The Backstreet Boys song "That's What She Said".

A card I got in the mail that says: "Some days are hopscotch kind of days, some days are waiting to get nailed at dodgeball kind of days. I hope today is the hopscotch kind."


The kids who are most excited to see me and hang off of me at outdoor play are all boys, and all from another classroom. Yeah, that's right. Four year olds dig me.

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things that don't make sense 

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
People who post pictures on Facebook of themselves making out with their significant others. No one wants to see that. Just the logistics of the actual process don't make sense to me. Isn't it awkward taking a picture of yourself with your eyes closed? How many times did you have to kiss and click to get a good picture?

Why does a can of peanuts need to say "may contain traces of nuts" and why does a coffee cup have to say "caution, contents are hot"? Are we really this dumb, people?

Brett Favre is a football player. His last name is pronounced FAR-ve, even though the 'r' clearly follows the 'v'. Should it not be FAV-re?

It is illegal in Mexico to have a flag displayed anywhere. The only flags allowed are governmental.

Fergie, why do you spell in your songs? This is not Reader Rabbit, no one cares.

Adults who have Kitchener Rangers memorabilia and wear/bring it to games. These are skinny young teenage boys who play games on Friday nights folks. They are not superstars.

Celebrities - what's the big fuss? I just don't get it. I really don't. Also girls who leave comments on celebrity blogs. I just don't understand this. At all.

People who dress differently in order to be an "individual". There is a huge group of you "individuals" and you look quite similar to me.

Internet lingo, especially "ur". If you insist on using this, at least add a space. When I see "ur" I think "eeer" in my head. This is silly. It does not take much longer to type "you are" or "you're" or "your".

Oh, that reminds me. We learned the difference between "their", "there" and "they're" in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. It boggles my mind that UNIVERSITY STUDENTS still cannot distinguish between the three. I admit that I don't always have perfect grammar, but at least my writing is somewhat correct.

My dear people, I have to tell you that you did not "seen" me. You saw me, perhaps, or you may have seen me, but you definitely did not seen me. That is impossible.

Malt has gluten in it. Maltol and maltitol do not. Rice Krispies have malt in them.

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things to look forward to 

Saturday, October 20, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
Tuesday: The Golden Dogs with Kerry in London

November 23: The One of a Kind Craft Show in TO

December 10, 4:31pm: Official start of Christmas holidays

February 15-25, 2008: Mexico!

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things you need in order to dig to China from a sandbox in Guelph 

Monday, October 15, 2007 - Posted by Amanda Bast
-shovels
-rakes
-axe (to crush the rocks)
-light (we decided on mining hats)
-food AND CHOCOLATE AND CANDY!!!!
-robots
-robots made out of rocks that we crushed with the axe
-buckets
-wagon to pull the robot in
-a spaceship

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