Sunday 28 February 2016

#OSCARSOWHITE

Like Will and Jada, I am boycotting the 2016 Academy Awards. And all Academy Awards from here on out if things do not change, because this year is no different than any of the years before it.

Let's take a spin through the best picture nominations since 2010, shall we? Disclosure - my source for the list of nominees is Wikipedia but it has never steered me wrong before. Or you know...not often. There have been 52 nominees for best picture since 2010. How many of these starred a person of colour or had what I would personally consider to be a diverse cast?

2010
2011
- The Help
2012
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
2013
- 12 Years a Slave
- Captain Phillips
2014
- Selma
2015

Of the FIFTY TWO nominees for best picture since 2010, SIX have starred a person of colour or had a diverse cast.

FOUR were specifically about slavery or the civil rights movement - The Help, Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, Selma.
ONE starred a Somali-American actor as the villain of the story - Captain Phillips.
ONE portrayed extreme poverty among mostly African Americans in the deep south of Louisiana - Beasts of the Southern Wild.

In 2016 as a black actor, the only Oscar worthy parts available to you are those where you must play a slave, a villain, or a person fighting for your civil rights?!?! Really?! Not to mention that none of these movies star Latino or Asian American actors!

What can you even say? So I am going to watch Chris Rock's monologue and then turn off the television (I just finished watching it and have to say - fantastic that he did not briefly mention the issue but just stared it in the face the entire time. And to me, even though it was Chris Rock, the monologue wasn't funny. Because it ISN'T funny).

Heaven help us. Sheesh.

Monday 22 February 2016

HOW TO BAKE THE BEST COOKIE

I am infamous for my cookies.

Okay. Maybe not. But I'd like to be.

Baking has always been something I enjoy. My parents have a photo of the first time I made cookies all by myself - no help from mom. During my teenage years I prided myself on the fact that my cookies were better than my mom's (HI MOM) - and she agrees. :)

Here is how to make better cookies than your mom.

1. Chill the dough. The more patient you are (when I'm trying to make a really impressive batch I keep the dough in the refrigerator for 36 hours) the better they will be. I discovered this by accident in high school when I started a batch late at night and realized if I kept going I'd be taking cookies out of the oven at 2 am. I swear by it.

2. Use bread flour and cake flour. All purpose flour is the enemy of "best ever" cookies. I stumbled upon this tip in this blog post from For Me For You. (And by the way, her recipe is literally the bomb.)


3. Stoneware is the only way to go. We have one piece of Pampered Chef stoneware we received as a wedding present and it so great. I really need to ask for more. The thing is...you don't use any nonstick spray. You cook something greasy on it the first time and presto! Nonstick for life, yo.

3. Don't overcook. I have discovered there is no tried and true temperature or time in the oven that works every time. Ovens are like relationships. Or fingerprints. Each one is different. My oven gets hotter the longer it's on so after the first batch I have to decrease the temperature. And always err on the undercooked side of life.

4. Leave them on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. If your cookies are slightly undercooked (remember - that's the goal), they need to sit on the pan a few minutes longer. After that, put them on a cooling rack so the air circulates around them and they cool evenly.

Take your cookies seriously, folks. This is a science.

Thursday 18 February 2016

SUNDAY RIVER, MAINE

Last month we had our first annual winter weekend getaway. Destination: Sunday River, Maine.

Sunday River is a ski resort and we stayed in a nearby town called Bethel. First of all, hubs and I are not snow birds (I have been "south" only once and it was with a Service Learning group in university. We went to Belize. It was May) and also...I don't ski. HA! Lucky for me, my friend J doesn't really ski either. So while our husbands hit the slopes for an afternoon, J and I went snowshoeing, read, napped, and had a tv marathon. It was a weekend full of doing a glorious amount of nothing in particular. And I highly recommend it.



When we travel we are going places, seeing things, exploring another part of the world. It's fantastic and that is how I like to vacation. However, a quick, inexpensive (split between two couples our accommodations were very affordable), relaxing weekend after Christmas when there isn't much to look forward to for a few months... I will be doing this again.

On another note, our "cabin" was fantastic. It was fairly isolated on a small lake, surrounded by trees. The bedroom hubby and I stayed in (above) has ruined all other naps for me. It is the thing dreams are made of. Waking up from my afternoon nap to see the snow covered trees outside my window? It has given me very unattainable and specific #housegoals. If #housegoals is a thing.

And you just can't beat making memories with friends. The way our guys like to rehash old stories we will be talking about this weekend for years to come.

Sunday 7 February 2016

PLAYLIST FOR THE NEW YEAR

Hello, party people!

I haven't done a music post in forever! Music is my favourite! Here are some songs I discovered in 2015 (mostly thanks to CBC Radio 2 - my new love). Some old, some new.


Bryan Adams - You Belong to Me.

This song makes me want to snap my fingers. Super catchy jam. Two things, though. You belong to me? Bryan, that's a little possessive. Second - why won't that girl just leave Bryan alone!? Can't she see he's trying to play guitar?!


Good for Grapes - The Ropes.

AAAH. This is it, guys. On repeat. And I totally recommend the whole album. Buy it. You know, if Canadian alternative music is your jam.


Sam Roberts Band - Don't Walk Away Eileen.

This is an 'oldie' (2003) but new to me. One time during my undergrad I was away with a bunch of fellow students for a conference and this group of super grungy teens cut in front of us in a parking lot. The guy driving our vehicle said, "Watch out, Sam Roberts Band," which still makes me laugh.


Joel Plaskett - When I Close my Eyes.

Advisory: if you are in a long distance relationship this will make you cry. But it's soooo good. The video is so simple and gives me all the feels. Joel's upbeat songs are great but his love songs are just on another level for me.

Hope you enjoyed these and found something new to listen to!

Tuesday 2 February 2016

MAKING IT RIGHT

Have you ever done the wrong thing?

I mean done something you knew was mean or spiteful or hateful or sinful and you felt guilty before you did it but you did it anyway? Sounds like a chapter from a CS Lewis book, right? Or a chapter from your (my) own life?


I had one of those moments recently. I felt guilty before my action and felt even worse after. I spent the next 24 hours pondering and trying to make it right when, in fact, I had known better in the first place. Sometimes it's hard to follow God. Some days I see myself for who I truly am.


My prayer for us all is that we more often stop ourselves before we take those actions. When we fail, may we try to make it right. Amen.