Gearing Up for the West Coast!

Tomorrow I leave for my second West Coast Roadtrip! This time we tackle San Francisco up to Portland, and this time with even more fantastic company.  Collin and I, as well as my friends Michelle and Troy, are setting off to experience and explore the Northern California/Oregon Coast and I could not be more excited!  We'll be hitting SF, Napa, The Redwoods, Coos Bay, and Portland over the  next 2 weeks.  My goal is to blog at each location so stay tuned for updates.

San Francisco, Alamo Square aka. the Full House houses

I believe that it's super important to choose your travel partners wisely, as different people like to vacation very differently.  I, myself, like to pack my days full of activities, wake up early, and go to bed late (I can sleep when I'm dead).  I am so looking forward to travelling with my childhood best pal Michelle as I KNOW we both have the same travel style (and we can leave the boys to sleep in if they must).  Get ready for a wild adventure crew! WEST COAST HERE WE COME!

pic via sanfrancisco.net

Nerding out for Andrea

What comes to mind when one hears the word BACHELORETTE? Lots of pink and zebra print, as many phallic objects as possible, and one hot mess adorned in a "Bride to be" sash? This past weekend, I was faced with helping to throw the ultimate bachelorette for my dear friend Andrea...and I knew that the stereotypical last fling before the ring cliches would just not do!

So how does one plan a super unique, personalized bachelorette for her soon to be wedded friend? My first step was choosing a theme that was both fun, unique, and appropriate for the bride-to-be.  My friend Andrea recently earned her PhD in Neurobiology.  She's kind of a smart cookie.  The theme SEXY SCIENTIST was the perfect mix of sassy and nerdy that summed up Andrea perfectly.  Once you have a theme, everything else comes SO EASILY!  Costumes, decor, and snacks can all be pulled from the theme, which gives the whole night a personal and fun touch.

Next, you must decide on a location. This can be the trickiest part as you need to take into account finances, guest list, and distance you are willing to travel.  There's always Vegas, Miami, or NYC if you have time, money, and group of girls that are willing to travel.  More often than not, more girls will be able to attend if it is somewhat local and they dont need to drop an overabundance of dough.  As the planner, one must weigh out whether destination or company is more important to the bride.  With Andrea, we knew that she valued having as many of her close friends there as possible so we decided to stay local.  As we all met while away at UWO, we decided a nostalgic night in London, ON was the way to go.

Nerdy BFFs

 Finally, one must decide on what activities would make up the ultimate bachelorette party according to the bride-to-be.  Some girls would prefer a quieter, cozy night in at a cottage while others would feel shafted without a WILD night on the dance floor.  It's a good idea to check in with your bachelorette about what type of night she is looking for.  The last ting you want is to end up at a male strip club with a bride-to-be that wanted to play Cranium in pajamas all night.  For Andrea, we knew she expected a party and a party we did plan! Also, you must decide whether the night will be a complete surprise or if you are going to let the bride in on the plans.  We decided to fully surprise the bride and simply send her a list of things she needed to bring.  Feel free to add in items to throw her off the scent of what you are actually doing.  For example, I asked Andrea to bring bug spray, her passport, and something to secure an animal.  She was RIGHT confused. Mission accomplished.

We began our day picking up our guest of honor from her condo.  She was promptly blindfolded and led into a vehicle.  From there, we drove to Aradia Fitness, a fitness studio specializing in pole-dancing and burlesque fitness.  Andrea was pleasantly surprised to find herself surrounded by friends and brass poles to start off her day.  It was also nice to add exercise to the day of fun, and trust me, EXCERCISE is what we got.  The upper arm and core strength needed for some of the moves we learned was insane!

Doing the CHOO-CHOO!

The Bridal Party on the Pole

 We then continued to a hotel suite in downtown London, where everyone changed into their Nerd gear and we dressed the bride-to-be in her sexy scientist outfit we had ready for her.  Following the costume change, we proceeded to eat dinner and play various bachelorette inspired games to allow for adequate alcohol consumption before heading out.  The pre-party was chocked full of nerdy props and snacks which were great for photo ops.

Nerds, Photo props, and The Periodic Table of Cupcakes

Props put to good use.

 A pub-crawl to our favourite undergrad haunts seemed like the only appropriate way to spend the rest of our evening.  We began our night at Barney's patio, followed by the frog, jim bobs, and joe kools.  The theme was a hit (even if it garnered a few stares), and we danced until our feet hurt and we couldn't see straight.
 

Nerding out over Andrea

What we do best.

 Overall, the NERDETTE was a huge success and we are super excited to celebrate again at the wedding :)

Love you Andrea!!

Improv, Waterfalls and Rainbows!

Happy Belated Canada Day Everyone! Hope you had a fantastic first long weekend of the summer! While many were lucky enough to go to a cottage this weekend (jealous*ahem), I opted for a staycation in our vibrant city.  One of my goals for 2013 is to take advantage of what Toronto has to offer.  We have so many festivals, restaurants, shows, and landmarks in and around the GTA, it seems a shame not to stick around some weekends and experience them.

Friday night my friends and I attended the Improv Competition  "Beerprov" at Comedy Bar on Bloor west.  Twelve improv comedians dueled it out in a "Who's Line is it Anyways" style brawl.  We went in with absolutely no expectations and were blown away by the talent we got to see! The highlight of the night was realizing that Colin Mockery was not only at the bar, but participating in the competition! In the end, he was (purposefully) defeated by a legitimately funny girl.  The atmostphere at Comedy bar was fantastic as well, as all the comedians hung out and had beers after the show. 

Mobbing Colin after the show

Saturday, we roadtripped out to exotic St Catharines to check out the waterfalls my friends go to annually.  It was my first time there and they did not disappoint.  The waterfalls are a sort of secret that one would never know were there had he/she not been looking for them. After a short treck through the forest, we hiked through the river toward three waterfalls.  Beside two near death experiences (climbing behind a waterfall, and up the side of a cliff), the trip was a success and I can't wait to go back next summer.

Somebody needs a tan.

 

Before I almost fell off

Lastly, it was Toronto PRIDE festival this week which culminated in the famed Pride Parade down Yonge st.  It was my 3rd pride parade I've attended, and I have to say, it did not have as much POW as the last 2 I've been to.  There seemed to be an overabundance of clubs and groups marching in the parade, which is fine, but if you're going to be in a PRIDE parade, please dress the part!  Many of these groups had unimaginative/no costumes (t-shirts) with little more than a lei to accessorize. When you can't tell who is a participant and who is an onlooker that merely jumped the fence, it can get a bit boring.  The floats and people who were dressed up were fantastic! More drag queens, half naked trojan models, and people covered in glitter please! The celebrations on church street after were super fun, celebrating love and equality in our beautiful city :)

Moose and I, Pride Styles

 

 

 

THIS is how you dress for Pride Parade

Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

A Pretty Rad Weekend

If you're like me, your facebook wall has been inundated with filthy runners covered in neon corn starch.  I was one of those colour-laden folks who participated in this past weekend's Color Me Rad run supporting Big Brothers and Sisters of Toronto. A definite trend in the race world is the emergence of theme inspired runs; let it be running from Zombies or running in your underwear (See The 21 Most Incredible Themed Races here).

Color Me Rad is one of the many "Color runs" that have emerged over the past years.  The basis of the race is runners dress in white then run the 5K race, where as they pass each kilometre, they get doused in a different colour.  The race culminates in a colour bomb party where each runner bursts their colour bomb on command and everyone dances in a big rainbow cloud. Sound cool? It was.  Although the weather was less than ideal (it was pouring rain during our heat in the race), the temperature was warm and the rain helped to keep us all comfortable while being covered in corn starch.  We then rode home on the subway attracting some very confused looks. Anyone can run this run, children and seniors alike, so I suggest you go out there and get your colour on! Next race in the GTA is in Kitchener/Waterloo in October, click here to sign up :)

The Before Shot

Running through the final colour zone

The After Shot of House of Pain(t)

And to end off our day, we celebrated Col's birthday in style...in neon and short shorts.

Happy Birthday Collin!

Hope you all had a fabulous first weekend of summer!

Confessions of a Concert Junkie

I have an addiction to waiting for the curtain to drop, dancing until my feet hurt, and the aftermath ear ringing.  I have an addiction to singing along with 50-50,000 other people, dodging the tall guy in the crowd, and being doused in confetti. My name is Alexis and I have an addiction to concerts.

It's summertime, the best time of the year for concert junkies. With the seemingly endless supply of musical acts flooding the city, it's possible to go to a show each and every night.  Let it be the NXNE festival last week, Jazzfest this upcoming week (click here for shows), or the many other festivals and tours; there's definitely a show for everyone this summer in Toronto. I have been known to check out my fair share of bands, and I mostly owe that to my concert gaurdian angel Mark :) After meeting this man some 7 years ago, I have seen countless shows in various venues around the city.  He is also the reason I can justify spending the extra cash for good seats (after experiencing a show up close, you can't go back to the nose bleeds).

I've been asked in the past how I manage to snag such good seats to some high profile shows.  Here are a few tips I've learned throughout the years:

1. Learn about presales: Presales are usually through online fanclubs or ticket sites like Livenation.  Get on as many lists as you can for the acts you really want to see.  If all else fails, email a local radio DJ and beg for the presale password.  Trust me, this can actually work.

2.Go on the ticketmaster (or other ticket vendor's) website 5 min before and continually reload the page until the seats go on sale.  Although tedious, this usually helps to snag some of the best available seats at the on sale time.

3. If you dont get the tickets you want at the presale or general on sale, TRY TRY AGAIN! Venues often release blocks of tickets closer to the date of the show, so keep checking back! They do this to thwart scalpers (my mortal enemies) from snapping up all the good seats.

4. If I've learned anything from my concert guru Mark, its that tweeting and getting involved with the artist's team matters.  If an artist's twitter account offers free pit tickets to a lucky winner, TWEET THEM! I've actually seen this work multiple times, and it takes 10 seconds to do.

My most recent indulgence in my concert addction was last night at Taylor Swift's RED tour. One of the most popular tours of the summer for sure; the songstress sold out two back to back shows of 45,000+ people at the SkyDome this past weekend (I refuse to call it Rogers Centre). In true concert gaurdian angel fashion, Mark secured us PIT tickets to see Miss Swift when additional tickets were released last Friday.

Taylor during RED showing off her guitar skills

Balancing during Treacherous

Miss Swift put on the show of the summer (in my opinion) last night. Insane choreography, endless costume changes, pyro galore, and most importantly, a fully LIVE performance during which she sounded spectacular.   There's nothing worse then seeing a lip synched show (unless its Britney, because really, what did you expect), so experiencing Swift singing all of her hits perfectly was a treat.  She's received criticism in the past from critics with regards to her live shows, but WOW has she shut them up now.  Not only was her vocal performance flawless, she also came across very genuine and greatful; interacting with the crowd frequently throughout the show.  Swift appeared to be enjoying herself as much as the crowd was which really added to the joy of the show. Overall, if you ever have the chance to go see her live, even if you are not the biggest fan, just go.  She will win you over, one bedazzled outfit at a time.

Out of focus dance break

 The rest of my summer concert line-up is TBD...any suggestions?


 

Target...Worth the hype?

As most of you have probably learned (by the smattering of advertisements from Facebook to the sides of TTC Streetcars), Target has opened in Canada.  For those not familiar with the American retailer, think Walmart with style (at a similar price point!).  The excitement surrounding this move to the Great White North has been palpable the past few months.  Having made the trip to Target each time I've been in the States, I was ready to welcome the chain with open arms. The only hesitation surrounding the big reveal was...would the Canadian version live up to its American counterpart?  As Canadians, we are used to getting our hopes up about chains moving up North, then being let down when we see lesser quality, higher pricetags, or both.

 I made the trip on opening day to the Danforth location with hopes high and expectations low. What I found?  The Target that we know, love, and hoped for is HERE! From the clothing to the cosmetics to the home decor, everything was as I remembered from my visits in the States, and...brace yourself...the same price! (I even price checked on the American website following my trip...yeah, I'm that girl).  After spending 2 hours wandering the wonderland that is the Danforth Target, I can definitely say that the trip was a success (although my wallet would beg to differ).

                  
The verdict? If you get the chance, go check out your nearest Target (see link below to find yours!). Target, I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Welcome to Canada!

The final haul...Spring wardrobe complete? Probably not.

Find your nearest target here
Logo pic via target.ca

Meet Moose!

After years of fawning over puppy pictures, countless hours on petfinder, and a lifetime of planning, my dreams of being a dog owner came true last Saturday at 9am.  Col and I drove the 2 hours to pick up the new family addition, a cairn terrier named MOOSE!

Always the obsessive planner, I made sure to read Cesar's "How to raise the perfect dog", bought every dog accessory imaginable, and tried my very best to puppy proof our place. Turns out Moose would really rather lie on our couch/in our bed/at our feet...and sleep. Collin and I are so enamored with our new furry friend that all we want to do is parade him around but we are trying our best to let him get his beauty sleep.  We chose him because of his calm demeaner and he's really living up to his reputation.  He loves everyone he meets and comes running when he hears his name (that is, if he's not getting into trouble somewhere else).

But things aren't all roses and candy floss with a new puppy. Housetraining has become my arch nemesis currently.  Reading all the articles and watching endless tutorials on the internet cannot save me completely from this daunting task.  The busy street we live on (that, in the beginning, scared Moose half to death) doesn't help either. He's beginning to get it but I have a feeling it will be a few weeks before we conquer this beast. Any tricks of the trade would be appreciated all you dog owners!

All in all, we are so grateful for a healthy and happy puppy! Feel free to pop by to meet the little one :)