My week in Montreal...6 days convention center, one day site seeing

I went to Montreal.



They spoke French and English there.



I was greeted with "Bon Jour, 'Ello 'Olland!" because there are no "H" sounds in french I guess.



There was a lot of churches and strip clubs.



I was told it was wise to never visit during the winter. While I was there is was 70ish degrees.


I would visit again, and actually see more then the inside of the place below. Work...it allows me to travel but not do much site seeing.



I'm definitely not complaining, because a day in Montreal was awesome.

What's a Blog?

Over 5 months...that's a long time to not update something. It also makes me realize how long it has been since I had internet connection. When I do get computer time, I'm too busy doing other things to update my blog. What am I doing?:

Facebook Stalking
Seeing if there is any updates on my myspace page (and wondering why I have one in the first place)
Purchasing stuff of my wish list on Amazon
Rewatching my favorite Youtube videos ("kick his ask", "charlie bit my finger", "blooood")--children are funny
Reading:
Best Week Ever blog
If it is during any "Cycle" of America's Next Top Model, FourFour for the snarky recaps.
Celebrity Baby Blog (don't look at me that way!)---i love me some pop culture "news"
PostSecret
Found
FartParty
Passive Aggressive Notes
Overheard in New York
I Can Has Cheezburger
Cute Overload -- I like looking at cute things

So now you see why I just have no time to blog about how there are no updates in my life.

Found - The Parents are Moving Edition

So my parents are moving out of the apartment that they have been living in for the past seven years. Because they are moving into a smaller place, my mom asked me to help her go through some of my old things that she had been holding onto (to see if I wanted to keep them myself, if I wanted to throw/give it away, or if I wanted her to keep it).

Along the way, I found some pretty awesome things:

1. A candy dish I made in some art class. It is severely deformed, and an awful shade of beige with aqua colored flecks. Yet when I pulled it out of a cupboard I still said, "Awwwwwwww." I told my mom she could get rid of it, but I think she is actually keeping it (such a-pack rat).

2. Notebooks from college, including a page from my Journalism Notebook that had a page that simply read "This Lecture is Useless".

3. A sign that I had up on my door my freshman year of college. It was made by the only two people in my dorm I had befriended. It was shaped like a shield and said "The Antisocial Club Welcomes Hollie and Jamie" on the back it stated, "Removal of this sign will result in immediate termination of membership". These are the types of people I befriend.

4. Patches and medals from various athletic and academic accomplishments in my high school year. My mom saw them and said, "We could never afford those jackets that you are suppose to put those packets on but you would never want on anyway right?" I believe my answer was, "Really no."

5. And the best thing I think I found, an old box (that used to carry candy I sold for softball) full of cassettes tapes. These tapes have been collected since the early 90's. Here are some awesome examples of what is there: Madonna - Who's that Girl, Hammer - The Funky Headhunter, Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of...,Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell, TLC - Ooooooohh..On the TLC Tip, Xscape - Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha, Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet, Naughty by Nature, Domino, and Foreigner 4.

And now I will have this stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

The only good thing about moving is the nostalgia.

Sarah Palin, I learned about her in my sister's bathroom

This morning when we heard the news about Sarah Palin being chosen as John McCain's running mate, unlike many in America, my family knew right away who see was. We read about her in the Alaska Magazine that has been sitting around in my sister's bathroom.

I think I have to begrudgingly admit that this choice was kind of genius. But it could also be the worst choice in history. I'm hoping for the latter.

Sometimes my childhood memories sound sketchy

First sketchy memory...rolling cigarettes with Grandma...But I have discussed that one before. Another sketchy memory...Sunday Night dart leagues.

My parents played on a Sunday Night dart league with my Grandparents, and Aunts and Uncles. Every Sunday they would go to a different bar to participate in the league. Every once in a while, mostly when their team was playing at my "Grandparent's bar" (not a bar that they owned but a bar that they frequented...their version of Cheers) they would bring me and my sister and brothers along with them.

We would sit around, drinking our Cokes and watch my parents play while late 70's classic rock played on the juke box. I remember one night my Aunt serenading her brother to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (this was before it became big again in Wayne's World) and I'm pretty sure she wasn't drunk.

Reasons it's sketchy sounding to an outsider: Children in a bar.

Reasons it's not sketchy:
A - It was Sunday "Nights" (everything was done by 9pm at the latest), not a big party night
B - The people in the league were older adults, who rarely drank, if at all (like my Grandparents who didn't drink. "Why did they go to bars?" you ask. Because that was their people.)
C - The only bar we went to was a place were everyone knew us and was surprisingly a family friendly place.
D - In Sheboygan, every other social event is held in a bar (or the event room of a bar).

Aw. Sweet Sheboygan childhood memories.

The Best Story Ever

Read this story about people saving a mother duck and her ducklings. Makes me feel happy.

Marie Claire Says Milwaukee is Sexy

That thought you just had..."WTF"...yeah, I had that too.

I was reading it on jsonline.com when my co-worker came over. We chatted a bit about Michael Phelps and the Russia/Georgia conflict then we had this conversation:

Me: In more local news, Marie Claire voted Milwaukee the sexiest city.
Him: shocked face Like 90 out of 100?
Me: No, as in number one.
Him: Well, obviously they've never been here.
Me: Actually they did say in the article that they didn't send a reporter here. They just did some research about how there was a lot of stuff to do during the summer, like festivals and stuff.
Him: Well that's just because its so cold during the winter that people just want to get outside during the summer.
Me: Yeah, but they are also using the term "Sexy" wrong.

Now...don't get me wrong. I liked Milwaukee before I moved there. And I love it now that I live there. But "Sexy" it is not. "Easy-going", "friendly", "cool" are words I would use.

Marie Claire is "silly".

I'm Going to Try and Have a Blog Happy Weekend

So, I don't have internet access at my apartment. I haven't for 10 months now. For awhile, I grew used to not being able to write my random thoughts on this thing, but I have noticed that lately I have missed it.

Only on here can I talk about the following without having to see passive-aggressive smiles or eyes rolling:
How while on the bus in the morning I randomly look at the older people around me and wonder about their past sex lives. (Probably my attempt to be Amelie-esque in my thoughts.)
My love of everything pop culture and how I try to keep it underwraps and nod when people talk about NPR, even though I rarely if ever listen. (I'm shamefully proud of my obsession.)
How lately my actions have been contradictory from my feelings to a potentially career-killing way. (Has to be some kind of undiagnosised something or other).
My absolutely love and adoration of my niece and nephew. (I love those monkies).
Random news stories and video clips on YouTube I find.

So, those that love my posts (Mom) and those that love to snark at it (I don't think there is anyone besides Mom) rejoice because I will attempt to make a post a day during my weekend in Sheboygan.

Soundtrack to my life

Recently, when I completed a project at work, I started to hum the Final Countdown to myself (and pumping my fists in the air ever so slightly). Then I realized that I do this all the time. Final Countdown is my "Victory" song.

Actually, I find myself humming songs (or at least singing them in my head) when I am in a particular mood.

Happy Song: Walking on Sunshine
Sad Song: Charlie Brown Theme (you know that sad song that plays when he is walking around)
Angry Song: Down with the Sickness (I have no idea why)
Songs I sing to make others feel awkward: Pony by Ginuwine and Silk's Freak Me
Nostalgia Song: When We Meet Again by G. Love and Special Sauce

and so on...


And according to this, the number #1 song on the day I was born: Maneater by Hall and Oates. And my life's theme song: Independent Woman by Destiny's Child. So true. So true.

This Makes me Feel Awkward

You can get the context of this video here.

I love reading the Best Week Ever Blog. If I am ever in a bad mood, it makes me happy. And this video is no different. I was laughing so hard that I was tearing out of one eye.