Hostess, I hardly knew you.

Growing up in the 70s with a healthy obsession with comic books, I was no stranger to the ads for Hostess products. Twinkies, Snowballs, fruit pies, and the chocolate cupcakes (with their iconic squiggle of icing) were everywhere - even in ads disguised as comic strips. It was brilliant advertising; how could you not want the same treats enjoyed by your favourite superheroes and the gang from Riverdale?

The problem was, we didn't have them up here in Canada. And, if we had anything similar, I wasn't allowed to have them. All I could do was imagine the wonderful, sugary goodness and hope that one day, on a trip to the States, I would be able to catch my parents in a moment of weakness and finally get to try a much-coveted treat. 

Even though we took many car-trips to the US and stopped at countless gas stations and supermarkets, I never once had a Hostess treat. It's not that we didn't eat junk food; it's just that we didn't eat *that* junk food. Even today, at 40 years and 3 months old, I have never had a real* Hostess Twinkie, Sno Ball, Cupcake or Fruit Pie. 

So, with the recent news of Hostess' bankruptcy, I kinda feel like I've lost a little imaginary piece of my childhood. It's not that I loved Twinkies et al, I just loved the idea of them. Kinda like how I coveted Sea Monkeys, all the while knowing that I would never have any.

If you are like me and didn't get to try a Hostess treat before the curtain came down, or if you have eaten them all your life and loved them, check out my friend Annie's baking blog, With Sprinkles on Top. She has recipes for look- and taste-alikes of all the Hostess favourites. The pink Sno Balls look amazeballs!

*There was the time that I used the McSweeny's "cream filled cakes" to make dessert sushi for the Mascot's birthday, but I don't recall if I tasted them or not...

This.

Forget James Bond and the teenagers that sparkle. This looks way better.

This is 40.



And, yes, that is Paul Rudd.

Dungeons & Dragons Improv

Some kids play hockey; some kids join the football team; my kid has chosen improv as his "sport"... and I can't say that I am in the least bit upset about it. First of all, I'm not getting up at 4:30am to drive my kid to a freezing cold rink, or spending my Sundays watching him get tackled and knocked around. No, mine is a life of evening performances, cash bars, and general hilarity. (Plus, as a former drama-nerd and high school improv-er myself, I kinda like seeing that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.)

As part of his (ahem) educational development, I took him to a performance by the Dungeons & Dragons Improv group last night at the Gas Station Theatre. The crowd was young, hip, and wildly appreciative of the hijinks* on stage. The Mascot, of course, was generally horrified at the prospect of being spotted with his mother, despite the fact that he was quite happy to dine with me at Unburger just moments earlier. At one point he spotted a group of friends and tried to ditch me, but, alas, there were no empty seats up front... so he was stuck with his clapping, cheering, and giggling ma. Poor kid.

Based on the uber-nerdy role-playing game, the show was nothing short of hilarious. Like, beyond funny at times. The scenes were set by the Dungeon Master, and played out by a cast of characters that included a king, an evil doctor, a garden gnome, a minotaur, and a neutered cat (complete with protective cone), among others.

Just like the game, giant 20-sided dice were rolled throughout the show to determine the outcome of battles and situations. It was good vs evil, but, really, the audience didn't seem to be on either side. As long as the laughs kept coming and the blood kept squirting (yes, squirting), we were happy.

The show was 2 hours long, with the second half following the intermission "because it is scientifically proven to work better that way" and didn't lag at all. Even the awkward moments that can sometimes derail an improv show were handled beautifully. And, as every troupe worth their swords (or, rather, man-blades) knows, you can always throw in a fight scene or a dance-off vs the Rave Troll. I mean, why wouldn't you?

I can't wait to see the show again, and hopefully before next year's Fringe Fest. In the meantime, I'll be watching the group's website for upcoming shows (and resisting the urge to write fan-fic about Cosrow the Terrible).



*Nothing makes me sound older or less-hip than using the word "hijinks", amiright?

I got nothin'.

My writer's block and my nagging need to write a blog post are waging a full-on war in my head. So much to say, and yet, as soon as I sit down with my laptop, I got nothin'. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I've done all kinds of searches for "how to overcome a blogging slump" and "ideas for blog posts when you have no ideas for blog posts" and, well, I'm not gonna lie, "vegan baked donuts".

A couple of the ideas are fantastic...especially "curate existing content" and "have someone write a guest post", but that doesn't really solve my problem, now does it?

I suppose I could post a funny photo...

...or link to a post on one of my other blogs...

Framed! 

...or share a thought-provoking quote...

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" 

~ Mary Oliver

...or comment on current events...

Obama! 4 more years!

...or bite my tongue about current events...

Mmm hmm.

Yup. If I do all that, I'll have enough to hit "publish". It's not pithy or especially interesting, but you smiled when you saw the bananas, didn't you?

Another blog, another adventure!

Once upon a time, *this* was my crafty blog, but this past summer, during a little domain name purchasing spree, I decided to move all matters of paint and fabric (and wood and metal and paper and yarn) over to a fresh new blog. Updates are few and far-between at this point, but that just makes them special. (Or, at least, that's what I am telling myself.)

To read the story of Jenn's chalkboard, please pop over to Small Craft Warning. 

Ticketybook Club - Wild

Do you have to get lost to find yourself? Sometimes, yes.

Naively unprepared, alone, and burdened by an incredibly heavy pack and constantly injured feet, Cheryl Strayed set out from the Mojave Desert and, aside from a detour to avoid an excessively snowed-in section, followed the Pacific Crest Trail all the way to the Bridge of the Gods at the Oregon/Washington border; 1100 miles in total.

Mourning the loss of her mother, grieving the break-up of her marriage, and trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, Strayed endured the incredible mental and physical challenges of the journey, yet kept going, even when faced with the sudden reality of having to hike a section practically barefoot. The story that she tells is sad and funny, self-destructive and healing, tragic and inspiring. 

The story is so beautifully written, and with such exacting detail, that from the moment she steps into the bush for the first time, I felt like I was on the trail with her. And I think I found a little of myself while reading it, too.

Falling for Flavour Recipe Contest

Ever since the Falling for Flavour Recipe Contest was announced, I have been dreaming about this baby. It doesn't just mix, blend and frappe...no, this sucker COOKS your food, too. Can you believe it? 

Needless to say, I have to have it, much in the same way I need water and oxygen*.

Please stop by the contest page, peruse the entries, and vote for my Tuscan Vegetable Soup. If I could hand out samples, I would, but you'll just have to trust me; it's good. 

The entry with the most votes will be declared the big winner and one lucky blogger (me, please) will receive that beautiful Cuisinart love-machine.  

C'mon. Make my blender dreams come true...

*I don't know that I would actually die, but I can't imagine living another day without it.

Ticketybook Club - Every Day

Once in a while, a book will cross my lap and will be so familiar to me as if I had written it myself. The characters easily speak the words that are stuck on the tip of my tongue, their inner dialogue echos mine, and they make the mistakes that I have made (with exactly as little grace and as many dire consequences as I). 

In Every Day, I first saw myself almost right away. I won't say which character, but I was there, and when I recognized it, I cried. Right there in the Starbucks, clutching my tablet with both hands; I cried. And I cried again and again and again at the end.   

Had this not been a book meant for young adults, I may have felt just slightly less foolish connecting in the way that I did, but then again, maybe not. We are, after all, just a big bunch of 16 year olds pretending to be "grown up", aren't we? 

The story centers around A, a soul that begins each day in a different body. A wakes up as someone new every single day. He (or she?) opens his (her?) eyes and discovers that himself (herself?) inhabiting the body of, for example, a jock, a depressed teenage girl, a princess, a nerd, or a burn-out. It's up to A to seamlessly slip into his host's life; accessing memories, picking up on clues, and interacting with friends and family.

That alone is a fabulous premise for a book, but imagine what happens when a love interest enters the mix. How can you make someone love you, when you take a new form every day? Is looking past the form and loving only the soul even possible?

Read it and see.

PS - Fans of The Infinite Playlist of Nick and Norah will recognize David Levithan's name. 

Spin to Win

It's hard to believe that just a year ago, I had never taught a single group fitness class. 12 months and dozens and dozens of Group Power classes later, I'm an old pro. Well, half of that is true.

Last month, I took the leap and became a certified Spinning instructor. I have been a regular on the spin bike for almost 3 years, so it seemed like a logical step for me. (Logical, but still scary.) I took my training at the Rady JCC with a fellow Group Power instructor, studied hard, and aced the exam. A couple of weeks later, my card was in my hands and I took off running spinning! 

The best part for me (besides making people sweat like fiends) has been choosing music, making playlists, and figuring out the moves. Unlike Group Power, which uses its own music and choreography, Spinning instructors are free to do their own thing. It's great for me because I get to put my own personal stamp on my classes, and it's great for the participants because they can get a new experience with each class that they go to.

And I get to wear cool padded shorts! ;-)

Power to the People - Oct 2012

To keep the program fresh, every three months, BTS (Body Training Systems) "launches" a new Group Power release. To prepare, instructors, including yours truly, have to learn an hour of  brand new material - 10 songs' worth of squats, lunges, curls, presses, lifts and rows, all carefully arranged into a dizzying number of patterns and combinations.

We receive the new music and choreography about a month before the big launch day, but, inevitably, life gets in the way and we all end up cramming in the last two or three days. Granted, the more of these I've had to learn, the easier it has been to learn them. My first two releases were brutal to memorize, but now that I have learned a few study tricks, I can pick things up pretty quickly. (Interesting to note: my best memorizing is done in the car, so I spend hours driving and sitting in parking lots with the cd player on continual repeat.)

This weekend was the official launch of the October 2012 program. As with all new releases, we "team-taught", which always takes a little of the pressure off. With two instructors leading the class, each of us is responsible for only 5 of the 10 tracks. Then, once some of the pressure is off and we've each had a chance to run through the whole class at least once (three times, in my case), we're on our own to prepare ourselves for solo teaching all 10 tracks. (For some of us, that's the next day!)

The funny thing is, even with all of the pressure and stress we have going into it, launch weekend is always a lot of fun because it's one of the only times that all of us instructors get to work together as a team. Plus, we get to act silly and give away prizes. And wear matching outfits.

If my hands hadn't been so full, I would have taken a few pictures of the classes. Instead, I will leave you with the Group Power 2012 trailer. It's just a little taste, but it should give you some idea of what we do...