5 Lessons I learned on my first day visiting New York

1) Cities without lights are freaky. As we flew over the areas that were hit hardest by hurricane Sandy I felt like I was in some sort of apocalyptic movie. The only lights you could see below you for miles were flashing emergency vehicles. No window lights. No streetlights. Just emergencies. That is some scary stuff. As someone who has lived my whole life in a city where a foot of snow is the biggest weather deal we get, I have no idea what those people are going through but I feel for them. That experience must be terrifying.

2) Do not assume just because you and someone else are getting on planes to the same destination 15 minutes apart, you will wind up in the same place. You may, in fact, end up on opposite ends of the airport, miles apart. And then both think you’ll be the wise and helpful one and go to meet the other. Only to find yourself miles apart again. And to have to ask yourself the tragic question: “what did people do without cell phones?” is doubly depressing. I mean seriously, what did they do? Send a page over the entire airport? Continually journey 15 minutes back and forth between terminals until one of you catches up to the other? As much as I dislike some aspects of technology, I am glad I did not lose hours of sightseeing time busing around the airport.

3) Watching people walk through automatic turning doors at airports is hilarious. The device may be clearly turning when they get in it, yet still they feel the need to push on it with all their might. And the stronger they push, the slower it goes and the more loudly the automated voice says “please do not push on turning door”. But for whatever reason they aren’t listening and they choose to kick the turning door. But the automated voice does not stand for such nonsense and chooses to stop the rotation altogether. Oh people! I simultaneously love to love you and love to laugh at you.

4) Pushing your way onto a plane will not get you there faster. It may get you into a cramped, uncomfortable sitting position faster. But it will not get you where you’re going any faster. But hey, if you want to shoot out of your seat in the waiting area and jockey for position, be my guest. I will continue reading my brilliant book.

5) Which brings me to… Mindy Kaling is brilliant. Okay, I already new that. But if you need confirmation of that fact, just read her book Is everyone hanging out without me? (And other concerns). She is just too awesomely funny.

My tawdry love affair with the Kobo eReader

It’s official. I am in love with the Kobo eReader. I never thought it would happen. I’ve always said I love real books. I love the feel; I love the smell; I love the pretty covers; I love browsing the library to pick them up. But I now have a new love and it’s a little magical tablet that holds all my favorite books in a pretty little case that I can read anywhere.

The funny thing is I don’t even have one of my own. My mom lent me hers and I can’t get enough of it. It’s so easy to read it anywhere! While you walk, at the gym, lying in bed. I don’t get dizzy or lose my place or have my fingers cramp up. And I don’t even feel like I’m looking at a screen. It’s madness! If you have yet to experience its glory – you simply must – whether you have to beg, borrow or steal!

The Book of (Holiday) Awesome: Real Bearded Santas

Well, Christmas day may be over officially – but the joy lives on! For one: because my immediate family has Christmas with our extended family today so the x-mas cookies and holiday spread will be making a comeback. But also because my sister gave me The Book of (Holiday) Awesome. So even when Christmas may seem like it’s a million days away, I can flip to a page and smile over the thought of Real Bearded Santas. Cause let’s face it, who doesn’t love it when they walk through a mall and see a jolly old man who actually looks like the real deal? Some other highlights:

Just barely wrapping a gift with that tiny scrap of leftover paper. (A joy that can come at any time of the year even.)

Staying up so late that everything becomes funny. (Exhibit A: My sisters and I spent until midnight last night faux-bickering over who would get each item of my still-very-with-it mother’s jewelry box. Sounds morbid but I guarantee three girls decked out in rings that don’t fit and jewels the size of a big toe is purely comical.)

And, finally…

Eating anything with oil in it. (Although I would alter this to Eating Everything. Period. Because when else can you realistically justify to yourself that, yes, you do need that ninth Christmas cookie?)

So, Christmas lives on! And I highly suggest you get yourself a copy of The Book of (Holiday) Awesome because it is just too excellent to pass up.

Joining a Book Club

I am a recent university graduate which means a) no longer having to read massive quantities of literature in an itty bitty time frame and b) not having to memorize lines, metaphors and names in case they should come up on a test. It’s a beautiful thing!

Once I had gotten my fill of magazines and cheesy, easy reads I decided it was time to finally enjoy more serious literature because there would be no time limit and no professor quizzing me on the “significance of the foreshadowing effect”. It was as simple as typing in “Toronto book club” and suddenly I had an entire page of book clubs in my area to choose from! I found one that appealed to me, bought the book and got reading.

The book itself wasn’t my usual read but it was thought provoking and that’s always more fun to talk about in a group than something easy that everyone has only good things to say about. The people were incredibly friendly and entertaining and I already can’t wait for the next meeting!

And what’s so great about a book club is that there’s no pressure. If you don’t get along with the people, you don’t go back and find a different one you like better. If you don’t have time to read the book you can just go and listen to what other people thought and make your own opinion later. There’s only winning where a book club is concerned!