Try Something New!

Practising Barre Chords On One Of Jesse's Guitars

My Knitting Supplies!

My New Hobbies

The other day I was thinking about when I was a young girl. I would try new things all of the time and everything seemed so fresh and exciting. I really liked to dance and I chose that as my main focus, leaving the other hobbies behind. I always think about what my life would be like if I had picked a different activity to practice and excel in. There are so many interesting sports and arts in the world that I would like to try. 

My Mom, Aunty, and Cousin always came to all of my dance recitals to watch me perform, and they always gave me so much support. For years they would watch me tap dance and they would mention how they wished that they could take a dance class and try and learn some new moves. Now I am mostly just teaching dance and I don't get too many chances to perform on stage. This year I will be the one going to watch my family dance! 

My family joined a tap class this fall. They have class for an hour a week on Thursdays, and every time they come home with new steps to show me. It is really inspiring to see them continue to try new things and it is amazing to watch how fast they can learn. 

Their new hobby has made me decide to try and learn some new things. My boyfriend Jesse is such a talented guitar player, I decided he would make the perfect guitar teacher. A few months ago I purchased my first guitar and I started learning basic chords and a few songs. I was surprised at how fast I was learning, I guess the rhythm I learned being a dancer really helps with playing a musical instrument. 

It can be very challenging and frustrating to learn something new but I know that if I keep practicing, one day I'll be able to keep up with Jesse. My goal is to learn a few Christmas carols to play as a duet with Jesse for my family party. If you're not lucky enough to have a guitar player to teach you, there are lots of great places in the city that offer private lessons. Get out there and learn some tunes!

My second and newest hobby is knitting. At the beginning of the school year I met Meg. She was always busy knitting when there was spare time in class and it shocked me at how fast she could make such beautiful things! Then Kailey took a few lessons and now she is working on knitting projects. 

I had seen knitting become popular again in the last few years with books like Stich n' Bitch being best sellers. I always thought that would be too hard to learn and that it was too late to become a good knitter, but after seeing Kailey and Meg knit I decided I wanted to try. 

Yesterday I went to value village and bought a big bag of knitting needles. Then I bought some yarn from Zellers (there going out of business, so go check out the cheap deals they have right now). I also picked up a copy of Stich n' Bitch to help teach me the basics of knitting. I am so excited to try and learn how to knit, I'll keep you updated on how it goes!

Meg, Kailey, Riele and I are also starting a knitting club at school. Were going to meet Monday at lunch for our first knitting party. We may look like little old ladies sitting in a circle knitting, but just wait until you see what we make! I'm hoping that I will be able to knit some gifts for my family for Christmas!

So whether you want to learn to knit, play guitar or whatever suits your fancy, I highly recommend that everyone keeps learning and trying new things!

Zax Drive Inn

Eat

I love all things retro. The music, the fashion, and of course the diners! It's so fun stepping back in time and eating at a retro-themed diner. This week I decided to check out Zax Drive Inn on Portage Ave. for a quick and tasty lunch.

My boyfriend, Jesse, kept telling me how good Zax chicken fingers are so I figured I better put them to the test. They were made fresh right as we ordered them, with all white chicken meat. The coating was so crispy and delicious, and they had a really good crunch to them.

The fries were my favourite part. They were homemade and still had the skin on them. So good!

I really enjoyed my meal. Jesse was right, Zax is great! The décor is so cute. Vintage chrome chairs and tables filled the brightly colored restaurant, and the walls were covered in old signs and posters straight out of the '50s.

Zax has a really big menu with lots of variety. They have classic diner food like burgers, hotdogs, chicken fingers, and fries, but they also have pitas, wraps, salads, and sandwiches. The prices are pretty cheap, for just over $15.00 we got 8 chicken fingers, fries and a pepsi.

So if you want to have a blast from the past and some great food, go check out Zax Drive Inn!

Jesse Waiting For His Food!

Vintage Signs

Cute Chrome Chairs

Our Yummy Chicken Fingers and Fries!

Weird Al



My Night as a Weird Al Backup Dancer 

Last night I was lucky enough to get to dance on stage at the Weird Al concert for the second time. In each city the Weird Al tour goes to, they ask 2 local dancers to perform on stage as the "grunge cheerleaders" during the song Smells Like Nirvana. 

It was an awesome night! My friend Kayla and I were asked to arrive at the MTS Centre at 4:00 pm, 3 1/2 hours before the show started. We were greeted by Lloyd Fox, the Senior Manager of External Broadcast & Event Production, and he lead us to our dressing room. Lloyd provided us with a CD player and a copy of the song we were dancing to and we were asked to come up with a routine to do onstage. 

We practised our dance until we had it memorized and then we put on our costumes. We wore black bodysuits, black skirts and we had big red pom poms. The time went by fast and at 7:40 we were asked to come wait backstage. It was so exciting waiting for our turn to dance. The big screens played a video showing how much Weird Al is mentioned in pop culture. There were clips of SNL, Friends, The Simpsons, Family Guy and a few more, that all referenced the famous parodist.

Then the lights went black as we stood on the stage. Out stumbled a Kurt Cobain-esq Weird Al, wearing a blonde wig and grunge clothes. The guitarist played the beginning riff of Smells Like Nirvana and we started our dance. It was so cool being on stage and seeing the audience from the perspective of a performer. I have been in the crowd at so many concerts at the MTS Centre and now I was standing onstage, I was awestruck. 

When we were finished performing, we were allowed to watch the show. It was hilarious! You don't have to be a big Weird Al fan to enjoy his show because it is just so entertaining. Al had several costume changes including a tiger print suit, a fat suit, a Star Wars Jedi costume, and a giant furry peacock suit. The band that plays with Weird Al even wore different costumes to add to the comedy.

The song that the crowd was most excited for was Amish Paradise, the parody of Gangster's Paradise. Two fans even came to the show decked out in Amish style clothes with long fake beards.

The show ended with a 3-minute long song with lyrics that were literally gibberish. Weird Al, along with his bassist and guitarist sang the made-up lyrics while simultaneously doing arm and head movements. I found it amazing that they can remember the lyrics to the song when none are actual words, so I ask Steve Jay, the band's bassist, how much practice it took to learn it. He said the song started off as just a short few lines of gibberish and every tour they add more and more on to the song. He said that since he has been touring with Weird Al since the early '80s "it has become tattooed on his cerebellum".

Everyone that was a part of the Weird Al tour and that worked for the MTS Centre was so nice to us. They really made us feel welcome, like we were a part of their team. After the show we got to go backstage and take a picture with Weird Al. He is so nice in person and very different from his onstage persona. Weird Al is wild, crazy and exploding with energy. Al Yankovic is a kind, nice father and husband who just happens to be a successful performer and parodist. He was so friendly to us and thanked us for being a part of his show.

It was a great night that I won't forget. When I'm an old, wrinkly lady I can tell my grandkids about the times that I got to perform onstage with Weird Al!

 

 

 

 

 

MCC Thrift Shop

The beautiful mural on the outside of the MCC Thrift Shop

Shop

On a budget? Unemployed student? Lover of deals? Sometimes shopping does major damage to my wallet so when I get the itch to buy something but I don't have much money I go bargain hunting. One of my favourite places for finding great things for super cheap is the MCC Thrift Shop. 

The store has had a couple of different locations but for the last year they have been at 445 Chalmers Avenue. They have a large mixture of items including clothes, dishes, furniture, books and movies. All of the stuff they sell is donated by local people and businesses, and the proceeds go to fund the Mennonite Central Committee. Also, all of the staff at the MCC thrift shop are volunteers and they are all very friendly. 

Now that there are hardly any places left to rent movies in the city, I check out the thrift store to stock up on old VHS tapes and DVDs to watch at the cabin or at home. They have movies I forgot even existed but that are classics! 

The main reason that I like this thrift store is because there are so many hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. My mom and her co-workers usually check out the store once a week for a day they call "thrifty fridays". Her favourite item to buy is antique china. She has managed to find some pretty awesome stuff and lots of it has turned out to be worth way more than she paid! 

The best item I have seen come out of the thrift shop so far is a fortune telling teacup that was made between 1904 and 1920. My mom bought it for $0.25 and it's worth $125.00! There is a guide online that shows you how to use tealeaves to read your fortune with the cup. Around the rim it says "would'st learn thy future with thy tea this magic cup will show it thee."Such a cool find! 

You never know what kind of old treasures you can find in a thrift store so next time you're in the mood to shop and find a deal check out the MCC Thrift Shop!

The Fortune Telling Teacup