Some Glimmers of Hope.

I am very passionate about a lot of things, I have a strong tie to social justice and the rights of human beings, and while I didn't chose human rights as my career path, it consumes my extra curricular time as I spend it contemplating different things, writing long winded letters, and supporting those organizations who do such amazing work. As of late, I have been focusing a lot on mental health as it's a theme that I will be working closely on this coming year, but there are few things I am more passionate about than LGBT rights and freedoms.

I have a very strong connection to the LGBT community, they are my family, my friends, and some of the people I care most about. If you have read my blog previously, you will know my connection to LGBT rights runs deep, and if I could only pick one human rights area to put all of my energy into, it would be that one.

As I have been spending so much time working on the idea of mental health, it is in those times, when I am down and out, listening to music about suicide and depression, reading stats on how many people go undiagnosed for the variety of illnesses that are out there (not at the same time, as that would be too overwhelming), I seem to come across glimmers of hope for the LGBT community, which only bring a smile to my face (and maybe a couple of tears to my eyes). I thought that I would take a moment to share a few of those things with you.

I hope these glimmers of hope reflect the way the world is moving. One day, I hope not to fight for LGBT rights and freedoms, and that they will just exist as normal working parts in our society as a whole. I hope you feel this way too.

On a side note, it is World AIDS day today. I hope you went to Starbucks, bought some MAC Viva Glam lipstick, or did something else wonderful for the World AIDS Foundation. I know I did!

Blog, and be happy.

Kyleigh.

Holiday Hair! (My Shameless Promotion...)

So, I haven't blogged in nearly forever. I am clearly not participating in NaBloPoMo (or what ever that thing is called) I just haven't had time, and so I'm not really bothering with it this year. To those of you bloggers who have found the time, energy, and ability to blog every day, I applaud you!

This post is really shameless promotion. I'm sure many of you know, I graduated from hairdressing school October 28th! This was quite exciting for me, but I made the decision to step away from hair after being rejected multiple times by several salons (not because I'm not good! But because they had all already hired their winter help!) because of this, I decided the right move for me at this time was to take the full time job I was being offered over the Christmas Holidays in order to have Christmas money, and postpone my efforts of finding a salon space right away. My hunt shall resume in January, I haven't given up yet!

That being said, I know that Christmas is upon us, and that many people are in need of nice hair for various parties, shindigs and hooplas... so I have decided that the most reasonable thing to do is to spend my spare time helping out those of you who are in need of a make-over, and do hair in my living room (or perhaps your living room, I'm not picky!)

Because of my lack of salon space, and because it certainly is quite far from a tranquil salon experience, I am charging low prices.... my goal is to charge to make back my product costs, with hope that you may pay me a little bit for my time too! I have decided that I'm not going to set a strict price list, but try to do it on a fair pricing scale... it's Christmas, I know money is tight, so I figure the best thing to do is offer you all cheap services that aren't set in stone, but are a bit more flexible. I don't want to call it a "pay what you can" scale, but if I'm making back my product costs, I have no problem doing your hair!

If you (or a friend) need a new 'do' for the holidays, shoot me an email at ky.kyleigh@gmail.com, facebook me (or if you're a really good friend, I suppose a text works too!) and we can hammer out a deal that works best for both of us! I'm just waiting on a final work schedule, and then I will know what days, evening and weekends work best for this second endeavor! =)

Posted below is a rough sketch of what my "flexible price scale" looks like. These are my desired prices, but as I am employer-less, I have no problem working with you to find a price that works best!


Haircuts + Trims:
Cuts: around 15$ - my mom hates me doing cuts in the house, so I'm going to have to bribe her, thus this is a more a location cost than anything else! =)
Trims: Trims between 5-10$ depending on how much you'd like cut off!
Bang Trims: Free - I will do bangs all the time, any time. Drop me a toonie if you like, but I won't charge anything for a 2 minute bang trim!

Colour: (Will require a consulation)
Short Colour + Roots - around 20$
Medium Colour - around 30$
Long Colour - around 40$

Highlights - This is where it gets tricky.... (I may request you come in for a consultation before appointment, just so I have an idea of what you are looking for!)

Root highlights - around 35$ (partial sets slightly less, super blondes slightly more!)
Full length highlights - around 50$ (again, partial sets slightly less, super blondes slightly more!)
Toners- +10$

Any other type of highlights (peek-a-boo, crazy colours, ombre style) will have to be by consulation only, as I really can't gauge price without seeing your hair! =)

I'll also do styles and up-dos as well... styles around 10$, up-dos a little bit more!

My goal is to charge around half of what the average rate it in a salon for a stylist to do your hair
After doing some rough calculations, I figure these are pretty fair, but again, I'll work on pricing as it comes up!

So... yeah! I'm excited to try and fit in as much hair as possible! Again, if you're interested, email me, facebook me or shoot me a text or phone call! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Editorial Photo Shoot - The Goods!

There is nothing that I find more inspiring or motivational than working with people who genuinely love what they do. Throughout my rudimentary hairdressing education (which is quickly coming to an end), I have met some incredibly inspired people... people who love what they do, and love to share it with the people they teach.

This past weekend, I was blessed enough to work with two fantastically inspiring people, Alina Friesen, and her husband Kale Friesen. Alina is absolutely one of the most fantastic editorial stylists in Canada (As she is nominated for Canadian Hairdresser of the Year, BC Hairdresser of the Year, in the Contessa awards), and her husband is a truly amazing and well rounded photographer. Between the two of them, they are truly an art power couple - and I can only speak volumes about how motivating it was to work with them, even if only for one day.

At Vancouver Hairdressing Academy, we are blessed with the opportunity to do a final photoshoot... and while it was stressful (as it was a mere 3 days before our final exam!) it actually turned out to be an amazing experience, and one that I will surely hope to build on.

I thought that I would share some of my final photos with you. All of the photos star a very kind and patient friend, Devin Kim, who clearly loves me very dearly to sit around for 6 hours letting me do the following to her hair.

All the photos are copyright of Kale JF Photography, and any and all credit goes to him for the photos in this blog post.

I also must mention my make-up artist from Vancouver Film School, who's name is unknown at the moment, but of whom I greatly appreciate! When I have the information to give her proper credit, it shall be done!

They turned out pretty epic considering how little preparation I did, and I know exactly how much work I need to put in to get the result that I want.

All I can say is, I can't wait until the next shoot! =)

I've got a lot going on, but have a lot to blog about, so be prepared for a peppering of posts as soon as I have time! My life is getting exciting, and I can't wait to share my future plans! I'm excited to start a new chapter in my life doing fantastic hair! 

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

P.S. If you have any passion for editorial hair or editorial photography, you should explore the vast talent nominated in the Contessa awards this year! The Contessa Awards website on salon52.com has all of the finalists, and I know several of them (all of whom deserve to win big time!) I can't wait to see who takes home the prize, it will be VERY exciting! =)

Whistler: A Great Holiday!

The last time I blogged was really quite some time ago. I wish I could tell you that a lot has happened since the last time I blogged... but to be honest, I don't remember the last time I blogged, so I'm not sure.

I was thinking about this blog, and how my motivation for blogging pretty much went down the drain once school started. In all honesty, I think I could just be in a rut of routine. I do the same thing pretty much every week:

Monday: Work
Tuesday: Relax for a busy 3 days at school
Wednesday: School
Thursday: School
Friday: School
Saturday: Relaxing after a busy 3 days at school.
Sunday: Work.

As you can see, it doesn't appear as though I'm really busy at all, but those 5 days of school/work are actually crazy draining and make me SO tired. I have pretty much no time for anything fun or awesome... I'm also exceptionally broke, so fun and awesome things are generally not done because of that too, BUT for the last 3 days I got the wonderful gift of a holiday away from work and school. I got to go to Whistler with my wonderful boyfriend Alex, and it was awesome.

Believe it or not, I've never been to Whistler before this weekend. It's really rather close to home, but for some reason I've never made the time to go up there. It's possibly because I don't ski or snowboard, nor do I ever really plan to. I also don't mountain bike, camp in tents or have a crazy desire to party until 5 am, which are really the only things you can do up there. Never the less, we took a short holiday up, and I'm glad we did!

We stayed at the Aava Whistler hotel, which was really nice! It was close to the Village, within walking distance to pretty much everything, and had a really nice, modern style. We didn't spend a lot of time at the hotel, as we did a lot of walking around the village, but if you're looking for a nice and less expensive hotel to stay at up there, consider it!

While we spent some time wandering the village, the real reason we went up there was this amazing spa just north of the village.

This is the Scandinave Spa Whistler, and man is it beautiful. I give you a quick run down of how it works, and why you NEED to go.

The Scandinave Spa is a hydrotherapy spa, so it all revolves around water. They have several hot pools and cold pools, a dry sauna and a steam room, plus multiple solariums and relaxation areas filled with hammocks and comfortable sun bathing chairs. The idea is, you spend about 10-15 minutes warming up in a hot area, be it the steam room or a hot pool, from there you run and spend a few seconds in a cold pool, and then you spend 15 minutes or more relaxing. After that you start the whole thing over again. It's suppose to promote better circulation, help to detoxify your body and your skin, and of course help with lowering stress.

It's is so relaxing, and so invigorating... but it's exhausting. We were there for 5 hours, and it was just such a great way to spend the day. It would have been nice if it was a little bit sunnier, and a little warmer, but it was still amazing. Hopefully one day we'll get to go back!

Monday was kind of our "date" day. We went to the spa, enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Keg and went out for a few drinks later that evening. It was nice to get away and just enjoy the company of one another without the burden of work and school looming over our heads. We don't go away and do things like this often, so it was just nice to enjoy time relaxing time together.

I hope you have all been enjoying the summer. I know that with being so busy, I haven't been able to enjoy as much of it as I wish I could, but I'm only 2 months away from being finished school... and then hopefully I'll be on the path toward a career and a life. I've set some goals that I'd like to reach, so hopefully things pull themselves together in the next few months so I'm not too far behind on those goals!

Enjoy the sun, friends! =) It's almost fall! (My favourite season!)


=)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

A Mid-July Post & A Darn Good Book.

It's been nearly a month since I posted last, and not for lack of trying, just for lack of anything decent to blog about. I'm not sure what it is about the summer that's making everyone seem to shy away from their blogs, I'm sure it has something to do with the relaxing sunshine, the slushy alcoholic beverages and the desire to slow down and not cram your life full of exceptionally exciting things, which means less blogging! I'm okay with this, although I can't say 100% that I've been spending what we've had of summer just relaxing the days away. Being in school 3 days a week really takes it's toll on you, especially when you also work, and you spend what feels like an eternity driving all the time. I swear I spend more time in my car than I should.

I can honestly say that I have had a week from hell. Between being late for school twice in three days (once due to ridiculously out of control traffic, and once because I managed to sleep in 2 hours late), having a rather difficult Friday at school, spending most of my Saturday exhausted (although I had a great time at Summer Live, Vancouver 125 in Stanley Park! Free concerts for the win!), working Sunday and today, plus dropping my phone, smashing the screen and cutting my finger in the same place multiple times at work.... I'm being a giant complainer. Sometimes it feels like life just gets out of control, and there's nothing that you can do about it. That's how I feel right now, my life is spinning out of control, and I just don't know what to do to stop it.

On the plus side, school is working out quite fantastic for me (for the most part). As it turns out, I'm quite good at hairdressing... I get it, and I love talking with people, and working hard to make them leave feeling amazing. We started taking clients from the public this past week, and I've discovered that, being a very sociable person, and someone who works hard to please people, this job comes easy for me. As I'm still learning, it does take a bit longer than usual for haircuts, but if you're ever in Vancouver and have a burning desire to spend some time with me - book an appointment and enjoy some inexpensive hair magic! (okay okay... hair magic may be going a bit far. ;D)

Something else I've had to slightly sacrifice in order to maintain my sanity (and my sleep schedule) other than blogging is reading, which is highly unfortunate. I love reading, and for my birthday, my wonderful boyfriend got me a KoBo, and I adore it! I wish I had more time to use it, but eventually my life will settle down, and I will get some good use out of it on my days off (which I have occasionally). But, while I don't often have time to read, the past two days at work were exceptionally boring, so I did some reading of my own at work, and fell in love with a novel I think everyone should read.

As many of you know, I work at Three Dog Bakery. It's quite the place to work, and a lot of the time I see it as a job... a stepping stone on my way to the career I really want... and in some ways this is 100% true. I often lack the drive to really go to work and care about being there... that is, until I see the little faces who walk through the door, tails wagging. There is something in the face of a dog that people will never have, and it's 100% honesty. Dogs don't lie to you. When they are happy to see you, they let you know.

I always knew that Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff wrote a book about the founding of Three Dog Bakery, and I knew that we had it in the store, but in my 6 months working there, I had never even had the desire once to pick it up off the shelf and read the back, never mind devour it in less than 2 days. This weekend was extremely boring at work, and so I took it upon myself to learn a little bit about the company, and see where the place I work came from, and the story is for dog lovers and people who can appreciate a good non-fiction story alike.

I was unsure how this book was going to go, I know the basic idea of how Three Dog Bakery got started, and I will give you a brief run down. Two guys (Dan and Mark) wanted to start a business, but had no ideas at all. Mark had two dogs, Sarah, a lab mix, and Dottie, a dalmatian. Dan, who had recently lost his dog to old age, was talked into going to rescue a dog from a breeder, and he fund Gracie, an 8 week old, runt of the litter, albino Great Dane who was both deaf and blind in one eye. He fell in love with her. As Gracie grew up, she got sicker and sicker, and she stopped eating... after trying every food on the market, the vet told them they needed to start cooking for Gracie, or she would probably die of starvation. They needed to find something that she would want to eat. Dan, totally oblivious to the world of cooking and baking, started simple, and tried to bake cookies for Gracie adding different ingredients, trying anything to get this dog to eat - and eventually he got it right. People, through word of mouth, started finding out about his cookies and started to order them from him, and, well, the rest is really history. Three Dog Bakery was born, and because of them, I have a job.

Dan and Mark wrote a book called 'Amazing Gracie - A Dog's Tale' which pretty much tells the story of how Gracie was the inspiration for the start of the company that now has hundreds of locations all of the USA (and in parts of Canada). Because I knew that much about the company already, I figured this book couldn't tell me anything more - but oh was I wrong.

The book is not only exceptionally written, but extremely emotional... lets just say I looked like a fool to some customers when they came in to find me bawling over a book about the place I work. I know it sounds like this is a book that someone who works there would like, but no one else... and this couldn't be further from the truth. This book is beyond amazing - and it's only a little bit heart-breaking. If you're a dog lover, you have to read this book. Hands down one of the best books I've read all year... and I've read quite a few!

I hope that you are all enjoying this summer (or at least the little bit that we've had)! I know I wish that I had more time to lay around and enjoy life... but this year, I have discovered, is more about the journey to improving my life for the future, rather than having all the fun now. There are bound to be tiresome, boring and stressful times in one's life... and I just happen to be right in the middle of one of those times.

I hope to not leave you postless for multiple weeks ever again - but some promises are made to be broken!

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

The Aftermath.

I had a whole other blog post planned and written, but instead I will post this. The other post was about how happy my birthday was, how much fun I had the night before with my family, and how proud I was of the Canucks.

Instead, you get this.

I will start at the beginning. In order for there to be an aftermath, there must be a beginning, so that's where I will start.

October 2010, the Vancouver Canucks start a historical run to the Stanley Cup, winning trophies, awards, and working their tails off to slay the biggest dragons that haunted their dreams from years past. They were awarded the President's Trophy, won their division title and the Western Conference title. We have Daniel Sedin winning the league's top scoring award... The Canucks? The team to beat.

On June 15th, 2011 (My 20th birthday) at 5:20pm, the puck drops on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final - Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins at Rogers Arena in the beautiful city of Vancouver.

The city is electric. People are celebrating what was suppose to be the Canucks lifting the cup above their heads... celebrating a record breaking season with the NHL's most prized possession in the city who so wanted to see our team win. 


That didn't happen.


The Canucks lost, and just as the last seconds ticked down on the clock, I cried... and the rest of the city decided they would riot... light cars on fire, stab people and loot multiple large and small stores all around the city.

I spent much of my night watching CBC and CTV trying to keep up to date on what was going on. I go to school downtown, and I spent much of my night wondering if Vancouver will be a safe place to go this morning, or if the city will be in such disarray that they won't let anyone down there.

Buses aren't running, bridges are closed, and people are severely injured.

This is not how it was suppose to happen.

I have been a Canucks fan for a very long time. I live with the team, I die with the team. They are more than just a sports team to many people in Vancouver, they are our friends, our family, and our pride and joy for 9 months of the year. We put the Sedin's, Luongo, Kesler... all of the players up on a pedestal. They are beyond celebrities in the eyes of Vancouverites most of the year.

And yet, this is how we choose to show our support. The people who call themselves fans destroy the downtown core of Vancouver, burn it nearly to the ground, injure countless people and not only that, just make an already sour evening worse.

The 1994 riot is still a blemish on our beautiful city, and instead of being strong, supportive fans of a team who worked fucking hard for you by the way, who produced for you everything they could, gave you 9 months of awesome hockey... to show your support you destroy the city with their names on your back. If I were them, I would be horribly disgusted.

In fact. I'm not one of them, and I'm horribly disgusted.

If you see people on your social networking sites with photos, videos or ridiculous statuses implying that they were anyway involved in the riots after the game... it is your responsibility to this city, the real fans, and more than anyone else, the team you so horribly let down, to turn those people in.

No exceptions. 
No excuses.

Millions of dollars of damage done... I don't even want to think of the monetary amount of goods stolen from everywhere in Vancouver... how will you look at that new watch, that new purse, that bottle of shampoo and not feel like a piece of shit for stealing that?

I am in awe of how far this went.
It breaks my heart as a fan to watch the city I was once proud to call home destroyed by ignorant people who lack the ability to see anything but rage and alcohol.

I pity those low enough to participate. You have stooped to a new low.


Blog, and be happy.

Kyleigh.

A HUGE Update!

I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks (ouch!) but I have life to blame for that. My life has been so excessively busy, but I love it SO much! I'm also behind by 2 weeks posting on my other blog (whoops...) but I'm going to do a super post this weekend, so look out for that if you're interested in my progress at school these past few weeks! =)

I wouldn't have thought that school would consume my life as much as it does with it only being 3 days a week, but man does it consume my life. While school is only Wednesday-Friday, I generally spend much of my evenings studying, practicing, and in the last weeks I've spent my Tuesdays at the salon too, last week getting my hair done (and I LOVE it!). Next week we have a Bumble and Bumble work shop at Space Salon in Vancouver, which is affiliated with my hairdressing school, and I am REALLY excited about that too because we get lots of product knowledge and fantastic extra knowledge about what's in style, where it's going, and what Bumble and Bumble is doing to make those hairstyles easy for the consumer to have and make at home with their products. Super stoked.

Outside of my consumed hairdressing life, I've pretty much been working and sleeping. I get so tired so easily, as I have learned quickly that hairdressing is long days and there aren't many breaks. If you're doing it right, it hurts your arms pretty bad at first, but I can tell I'm getting stronger because blow-drying isn't as horrible as it was week one! Haha! Other than that, I'm spending time with my family and with Alex, catching up on TV shows and watching the Canucks kick giant butt in the playoffs! I'm pretty stoked about Round 3 - Go Canucks Go! #nowayjose

Pretty much, my life is busy as all heck... Thursdays are SO tiresome with choir and what not, but I DO have something I need to say in relation to choir:

I will not plug this anymore. If you come, you come, and I hope you do. It'll be a lot of fun, and we are quite a good choir. I hope you might consider this as an inexpensive night out, supporting a great non-profit organization I am so happy and proud to be a part of.

Lastly, I need to share this song with you. I'm sure you've all heard of Adele, she's freaking amazing, and her song Rolling in the Deep is on the radio near constantly. She has a new song that is slowly making its way onto the airways, and I need to share it, as it gives me shivers. Enjoy!




Maybe this update isn't quite as huge as I let it on to be... I thought a lot more had happened since the last time I posted, but I guess not. Perhaps I should change the title of this post, but I don't know what else to call it!

I hope you're all enjoying this month. I generally love May, although this may seems to be slightly colder and wetter than I remember May being. I hope that it gets brighter and warmer soon! =)

Until next time,

Blog, and be happy! (And Go, Canucks Go!)

Kyleigh.

Down to the Wire.

Today is Tuesday April 26th, 2011. You would be surprised at how quickly today has kind of crept up on me, and how nervous I am for tomorrow. Tomorrow, as many of you know, I take a leap of faith and start hairdressing school.

For the last few months, I've really been nothing but excited (well, I've been a little worried about paying for tuition, but that's been rather minor as I sorted that out recently) but now I'm starting to get that shaky, nervous, quite worried about starting school feeling. This feeling is what I call Kindergarten Syndrome. You know when you're 5 and you're so excited that you're starting school like the big kids, but once you get there you realize that your mom can't stay with you, so you get really scared? That's Kindergarten Syndrome. It's a feeling I had in kindergarten, when I started middle school, when I started high school, and espeically when I started at SFU.

Kindergarten Syndrome hit me a few days ago, and it's leading to some serious doubting. What if I'm no good at hairdressing? What if I've spent all of this money, and hate it? What if the big kids pick on me? (okay, the last one is a joke!) But seriously. The pressure is on, and I'm really just trying to calm myself down and not cry (again) about how stressed I am over this new school thing.

I didn't really think that this would scare me as much as it is. Starting new things, trying to make a life for yourself... it's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure, especically when there are thousands of dollars and a career on the line. So, I've made myself a set of motivational goals to try and get myself through the first few weeks of school, which I know will be the hardest part.

1. Take it one day at a time. There is no point on stressing about tomorrow when you haven't yet finished today.

2. Work as hard as you can, and put your best work forward. Half-assing this will not make you successful.

3. Do everything you can to be the best that you can be. If you're doing your best, then you know that you're trying your hardest and being all that you can.

4. Don't stress the small stuff. Work hard at the big picture, and spend time working on the small stuff piece by piece. It's not about every strand of hair, but the whole head at the end of the day.

5. Smile. Always.

I have written these on post-it notes and put them on my bedroom mirror so I can read them every day, and convince myself that this is a good idea still, and that I am working toward something amazing.

If there is one thing that I know I'm good at, it's getting stuff done under pressure. I thrive under a busy schedule of work and school, and while I typically run myself ragged, and will probably spend most of my off time sleeping, I know that, from past experiences, I will get through this, and come out the other side a better person better equipped to face the real world.

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter long weekend! It was beautiful in Vancouver on Saturday, but it's been a rainy mess ever since. Hopefully we'll get some sun back soon!

I will post more soon... maybe Saturday! And keep an eye out for my other blog Secrets of a Salon Student! Hopefully a first day/week response will be posted by Friday! =)

Blog, and be happy! (and Go, Canucks Go!!!!!)

Kyleigh.

A Much Needed Post (Updates, and a Special Event!)

So I've definitely been promising a blog update for several weeks, and as my life gets busier and busier, it seems like it's harder and harder for me to maintain one blog, never mind two. My other blog (Secrets of a Salon Student) is getting close to being started and ready for some great blog posts (as long as I remember to keep posting!) I figured that before I get all wrapped up in my other blog and my busy life, I should post about my April (since I haven't really posted like at all) and just get it all out of the way on this great day in Vancouver.

#1. The first weekend in April.

The first weekend in April was pretty great. It was, number one, my boyfriend's 27th birthday. I had lots of fun spending his special day with him, going downtown and having a yummy dinner at the Keg. Not only was it his birthday, but it was also our one year anniversary of being together! That is pretty exciting if you ask me, so we spent some time together for that too... and it was a great day filled with lots of fun stuff, some good shopping, and just an enjoyable date day as a couple, since we don't do those kinds of things too often! 

#2. My crocheting adventures.

I have been in quite the crafty mood, and I always love the feeling of accomplishing something, so I've taken up the art of crocheting. You may remember from a previous post that I was making a blanket, and that I didn't say a lot about it. Reason being, it was a gift for Alex for his birthday, and I didn't want to ruin the surprise if he happened upon the blog! So, since his birthday is past, and he has the blanket in his possession, I figured it would be an acceptable time to post about my blanket, and my favourite new hat that I made!

To give you an idea of how big this thing is, this is it on my love seat (which is huge)

This is it on my double size bed (it easily could be used as a blanket for my bed!)

And this is it. Just it. it's a good picture of it all finished. I actually love it.

And this is my hat! It's got a cute flower on the side that you can't really see.. but I like it! =)

#3 My clay Canucks.

Last week some time, the Canucks posted to their blog Fort Nucks about these little clay keychains that you can make that resemble Canuck players. As a bored Canucks fan, I decided to give them a try, and I came up with a few cute little Canuck players! I thought I would post about those too!

My Sedin Twin keychains! (I may turn them into earrings though..)

The Sedin's with Lou, Kesler and Burrows!

They even have numbered backs! =)

Yes. I am crazy. But they are really cute, and I had a lot of fun killing some time making them. Just need some good ol' varnish and they will be ready for the world to see! I have a few more made...Raymond, Samuelsson and Schneider (for my mom!).. but I haven't decided who else I'd like to make. I will say though, they are hard to make, but a lot of fun! =)

#4. Speaking of the Canucks...

Despite they're loss last night, are they kicking butt this year or what? Go Canucks Go! I call the series to end on Thursday... how about you?




So, here we are. Next wednesday I start school, and I'm getting really excited! Hoping that everything goes well and that I have a great starting week. Keep an eye out for my other blog for updates on how school goes (although I'm sure I will post to here regarding important updates too!)

I will leave you with one little thing. If you have a dog, or you know someone with a dog, Saturday April 23rd, Three Dog Bakery Port Moody will be having what we call an "Easter Begg Hunt" all around SuterBrook Village (which is in Port Moody, in case you didn't know!). For $5, you and your dog get to go around the village collecting some of 1000 eggs hidden around filled with little dog treats! It's going to be lots of fun, and you'll get some great treats out of it! We're hoping that we'll be able have a lot of great people and a lot of great dogs come down to take part in what we think is going to be a LOT of fun! I'm probably going to be there working in the store, or working the begg hunt, so I hope that you'll consider coming down! Here's a little more information for you if you think you might be interested, and share the word with other dog owners you know! Any questions, comments or concerns? Comment, twitter, or facebook me and I'll get you all the information I can! =) Hope to see you and your canine friends there!

Blog, and be happy! (and Go Canucks Go!!)

Kyleigh.

To The Vancouver Canucks:

To the Vancouver Canucks: 

I believe in blue, white and green,
In number one,
In the Sedins.
I believe in 30 hearts true
And in what a couple of green men can do.
I believe in Vancouver spirit
In the screams of the fans,
Can you hear it?
I believe this can be won
Our playoff dreams have just begun.
I believe we can win it for Manny,
Facing Chicago again, it's a little uncanny.
But towel power will prevail
We are the champs, we will not fail.
We have a team that's strong and true,
There isn't much that they can't do.
Round one, round two, round three, round four.
We have never wanted this more
I believe in the Stanley Cup,
and Vancouver believes in the Vancouver Canucks.

Blog, and be happy! (And go Canucks go!)

Kyleigh.

P.S. I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I promise a big long post by the end of the week! It's half written, really!

The Social Network (Not the Film)

If you half read the title of this post as some of you might have (I am guilty of doing this often) this post is not about the 2010 film The Social Network, although that is a great film, and I think you should see it if you haven't. I've been contemplating a post like this for quite some time, but have never really been able to put into words exactly what I wanted to say on the topic of social networking. I think I've come up with some things to say, and I hope that you might have some opinions on this topic as well.

As many of you know, I am an avid Twitter and Facebook user. I'm also, obviously, a blogger, an email user, an occasional IM user, and I'm also finding my way through the world of Groupons and online deals. All of these things have one main source of power - The Social Network. It is what feeds our ability as a technology consumed society to be able to use the internet to efficiently waste time. Sort of.

I have come across many a person who do not believe in social networking, especially on a platform such as Twitter. Many people boo Twitter as being a "narcissistic way of posting about yourself constantly, but no one actually cares". While for some people this is the reality of Twitter, I believe there is a much more complex use for the system.

I won't lie. Do I use my twitter feed solely for the purpose of networking? No. I'm not sure anyone can completely use their twitter feed for the sole purpose of networking. But, I do use my twitter feed for posting, retweeting and updating people on the state of the world, on different things going on around Vancouver, and on things about me or things that I am doing that may be of interest to my followers. By posting these things, I'm connecting people together through the words I post, finding people with similar interests to me, making important strings of people that at any time I can count on to supply me with information, news, events and other things that may concern me or the people that follow me.

In this way, twitter has a huge capacity for finding people who are able to answer your questions, supply you with different opinions and allow for you to get a broad spectrum of ideas that float around out in cyberspace and all over the world. The twitterverse in that sense is much bigger, and much more useful for practical networking than a site like Facebook which really only allows you to network your real life friends, and the friends of those friends. Of course, Facebook has it's uses too.

I will give you a few personal stats here, and maybe it will give you a real idea of how much social networking has changed in the last 6 years:

In 2005 I started writing my very first blog. I posted on that blog close to 100 times and decided to close it off in 2007. In the 2 years I posted to that blog, I had 200 page views. In the 6 years it has been on the internet, it has had barely 250 views. In the time of 2005-2007 I thought that this was quite successful. My blog had 200 views! For someone 14, that's some kind of accomplishment, especially since this was on the cusp of the invention of social networking websites like Facebook.

In comparison:

In October 2010 I started posting to this blog. Since October, I have had 779 page views, not including any views that may happen to this post. In the past month, my blog has almost surpassed ALL the page views of my blog from 6 years ago. If I actually put effort into networking my blog, imagine the number of views I could have... the possibilities are endless.

The reason? Social networking. My #1 and #2 feeder sites to my blog? Facebook and Twitter respectively. I can almost guarentee that you found this post off of my personal Facebook page or my Twitter account. If you didn't, I am truely amazed, and thanks for taking a look!
I opened my Facebook account in early 2007, and my Twitter not so long after that although at the beginning I didn't use them much. Now of course I am an addict, and I've pretty much resigned myself to it. I decided to post to my facebook and twitter about the blog you are currently reading, not only so you would read it, but as a bit of a social experiment. How is it that in 6 months I could have 3 times as many views as a blog that has existed in cyberspace for 6 years?

Social Networking. It is the reality of the world. My words on this blog get read because you are socially networked to me via some program or website or you searched a random phrase and happened upon me. Without this new network of chains of people to connect you to me, this blog might have no views at all. My last blog barely got 1 view per post. On this blog, every post has at least 5 views, and some of my posts have exceeded 50 views.

Not only have you embraced my blog as an entertainment source (as I hope you get a tiny bit of enjoyment out of reading my blog!) but you have also provided me with the smallest amount of interesting data that allows me to say that personally, social networking has changed my life, and the amount of people who hear my voice. You, the people in my social network, the people who read my blog as I post, are the reason that I post, and you are the reason I will continue to explore the interesting ways that social networking can provide you with interesting new ways of enjoying life.

As my post is about networking, I thought I'd do a little bit of it myself and share with you a friend of mine's new blog. Revive Your Life is the new blog of my friend Taren, who is on the road to changing her life and becoming a personal trainer. It's a career that I am so excited to read about, and I am genuinely looking forward to reading her new blog just as much as I love to read her personal one!

I would also like to say, coming at the end of April 2011, I am starting up a new blog. I'm calling it Secrets of a Salon Student. I plan on using it to document my journey through hairdressing school, the trials, tribulations and successes of a girl attempting to reinvent herself, her career goals and her life as a whole. This is the official invite to join me on my journey, and I hope that I might get just as many views on that blog as I do on this one. The blog of course is in a Coming Soon stage, but I will be sure to remind you of it as I progress through the stages of getting myself into something I am so excited about. 36 days and counting, and I will be posting to my new blog as well as this one.

I hope you take a moment to think about your social network and the people in it, and that you are using your network to it's full capacity, and not just for killing time. While I do use those websites for some time wasting, I am genuinely working toward having a strong social network! This is the way the world is going, and I have decided to embrace it and get everything I can out of it before they start implanting computers into our brains or what ever direction technology decides to take.

Blog, and be happy! (Oh, and Go Canucks Go! #WinItForManny)

Kyleigh.

Firstly, Secondly and a P.S.

Alright. I'm going to make this quick (although that usually means nothing, as quick usually turns out to be pretty long) I have a few things to share that I just want to get out there.

Firstly: I joined a new gym! I'm pretty stoked! Some of you may have heard of Club 16, Trevor Linden Fitness. It's the new gym that opened up in Coquitlam where the old Eagle Ridge Theatre was (for those of you who read this and have no idea what I'm talking about or don't care, bear with me. This post gets very exciting... but later.) Anyway, it opened up in February, and I was meaning to go take a look at it quite some time ago, but I really never got around to it, so my mom and I dropped in on Sunday, and ended up signing up. $14.99 a month people! I used to pay $40.00 to go to a Just Ladies gym down the road, and this gym is WAY nicer than that gym. In any case, I'm stoked to go use it tomorrow on my first day off since I signed up, and I'm hoping to be there for a while. If you live in the area and want to check it out, I'd really suggest it! Trevor Linden Fitness website talks a lot about the gym, and the partnership She's Fit, which is the ladies only side of the gym! Very cool!

Secondly: This is really the point of this post. I can't help but say SOMETHING about it. For those of you not on Twitter, I will get you up to speed. There is a girl who has been a trending topic for... well, I would guess probably 2 or 3 days now, and her name has moved progressively higher on the list until today I just couldn't help it any more, and I had to find out who the heck Rebecca Black was, and why the hell she was trending for so long. I figured she was someone stupid saying something really dumb - probably about something she has no idea about. To be honest, I was expecting what I thought was the worst, but I was wrong. SO WRONG.

Please see the following video, and watch it all the way through in order to understand my horror. You have to watch the whole thing though. Promise? Okay. Go.




When I told you this post got better, was I not right? I can't even being to explain how hilarious this is.
It starts off, and I'm thinking "oh, okay, it's another random teenager trying to get famous"
NO. I WAS SO WRONG. 
If she gets famous for more than this, I will seriously lose all faith in the music industry.

It's fun fun fun fun. I really wish today was Friday so I could say:
Yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterward.

Thanks Rebecca Black. You made my life so easy now that your song tells me the days of the week.

Is this what music is coming to? FML if it is.

Now to leave you with something AMAZING. If you don't watch glee, that's okay. This is still an amazing song, one of the first original songs they've ever done. I enjoyed today's episode so much I needed to post something about it.... although this wasn't the happiest moment of the episode for me. K&B forever!!! =)



Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth,
So everyone can hear.
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down,
Baby I don't care.
Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out,
You wanna be, you wanna be
A loser like me!

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying your week! Have a good laugh, enjoy who you are (yes, even you Rebecca Black. I mostly feel sorry someone made you sing that song - you look like a fool.) and try to spend every minute the happiest you can be.

Blog, and be happy! (and Go, Canucks, Go!)

Kyleigh.

P.S. Thinking of Japan in their times of struggle. I hope you are too, and that you're able to give a little bit to the relief efforts to try and save the thousands of people who are now homeless and trying to look on the brighter side of a sad, sad tragedy.
Donate from your cellphone, text:
REDCROSS to 30333 for 5$ or REDCROSS to 90999 for 10$ donations (on most major carriers in Canada & USA)
Or find a donation box. They are everywhere, and they would be glad to take that extra dollar in your pocket!

No Title. No Words to Explain.

I don't think it's possible to stress in life how important it is to take every moment that you have and use it to your fullest potential. I don't think I can say enough words to put into perspective how short life is, or how short it can turn out to be.

I find it incredible how intertwined the world is... how the loss of one person affects an immeasurable amount of people, and in a way that is really amazing. I think people have a way of touching each other without even knowing it... without ever even thinking they are making an imprint on the rest of that person's life. I hope one day you will think I left an impression, no matter how big or small, on your life.

With the loss of another young person taken too soon, another sad day engulfs my life and many others. Another friend is put to rest after a tragic crash ended her life last night at SFU, and while I will admit I hadn't seen or spoken to Autumn in quite some time, I think it's important to spend a small moment to remember someone. I spent much of my afternoon contemplating life, thinking deeply, and shedding a tear for a good soul taken far too soon from this world. Our world is a little worse now that she is gone.

As a distant friend, I can only imagine how those lucky enough to be close to her must feel. To her family: I am so sorry. There are no words to console a family who has lost a daughter, especially one as amazing as Autumn. To her friends: You do not feel your pain alone. There are many close and far who spent today in a somber mood, wishing it was anyone but her. I hope that no one forgets the impact, big or small, that she made on your heart. In the short time I knew her, I know that she made an impression on me that will remain with me even as the memories of her fade a little over time.

I was lucky to know her.

With this, I ask that you spend some time thinking of the people you care about, I've spent today in deep thought about who matters to me, and who I need to tell a little more often that I care about them. Anyone can be taken from you at any time. Life is too fragile to hate, to be mad... we must love.

It's raining in this city, this city who loved you. This world is a little worse than it was yesterday. A little less bright, a little colder, and filled with a little more pain.

Rest In Peace forever, Autumn. Your memory lives on in the hearts of the people who love you, in the lives of the people you touched, and in the thoughts of the people who were lucky enough to know you. You are a bright light blown out too soon.

And the world dims.


Kyleigh.

March - A New Start!

So I haven't posted much lately due to nothing exciting to post about. I've spent most of the last two weeks doing nothing, but I feel that lately enough has happened to warrant a blog post, so here goes nothing.

Most recently, and most importantly, I got a new job! This is exciting for two reasons. One: it gets me out of the house, and two: I get to make some money! God knows I could use a few extra dollars. Today (Thursday) was my first day, and it was pretty good. I'm overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, not feeling like I'll ever get the hang of it... but that's how I feel about all jobs when I first start, so this isn't unusual. I work 6 days in a row, and by the looks of things, the last two will be by myself, so I need to get the hang of things really quickly. This would be easy if I didn't have a painful knee and I wasn't feeling terrible. Ugh. I didn't even go to choir tonight because I felt so terrible and my knee hurt so bad. Hoping I feel better tomorrow so that I can go back to work and feel okay when I'm there.

Secondly, As of today (Thursday, March 3rd) Alex and I have been together 11 months. 11 months is actually a long time, sure it's not quite a year, but when I think back on the last year (and a bit if you include the random dates and hanging out that preceeded our relationship for a few weeks or months, depending on who you ask or when you start counting...) of our relationship, it really feels like it's been a lot longer, and a lot shorter at the same time! Next month will be the big 1 year - big deal? Not a big deal? I'm not sure.

Thirdly, I've started to crochet a blanket. For those of you unfamiliar with crochet, it's a yarn craft, kind of like knitting, but with a a hook rather than two needles. It's really easy, and I really like doing it! I'd post a picture, but it looks really stupid right now... I'm sure you'll hear more about it as the project progresses and I'll post a photo of it when it's a little more completed and looks a little less stupid. I am determined to finish this project as I have a really bad habit of starting things like this and never actually finishing them... so I'm really buckling down to get it done. I'm looking forward to having something of my own creation that I can look at and say "I made that!" I think that would be a really great thing.

Fourthly (fourthly?) There is less than 2 months till I start school, and I am getting stoked. I really want it to be here now so I can get myself all into it... but alas, I must hold out a little bit longer. Oh well. Instead, I will put myself into my work, my blanket and reading my books until my life is over run with the busyness of work and school and all the other things that summer will bring for me to the point of severe tiredness (which is generally what tends to happen when I bite off more than I can chew... or as my grandma says when I "burn the candle from both ends" as this is not unusual for me.)

Anyway, I felt like I should leave you with two things:

Firstly (or fifthly if you're keeping track from above.. I'm really not sure what happens with these words after thirdly) a photo for your amusement. VancityBuzz posted this to the VancityBuzz blog (if you have twitter, and don't follow @VancityBuzz, you should! He often has good contests and things going on around metro vancouver!), and I thought it was hilarious, mostly because it's down the street from where I live, and because I'm not the biggest fan of transit. For anyone who has ever taken the bus in PoCo, or in the tri-city area in general... or really anywhere in the lower mainland that isn't the downtown core of Vancouver, this is for you:

Secondly, the video. Some of you may know Sara Bareilles from that song "Love Song" (you know... ♪ I'm not gunna write you a love song, 'cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one ♪... I'm sure this is unnecessary.) She just released a new song called Uncharted off of her new CD (which is really quite good!) and the video was put out a couple of days ago. I saw it through a Facebook post from a Canadian band that I'm quite fond of, Tegan and Sara, who have some cameos in the video. Along with Tegan and Sara, there are cameos by Ben Folds, Josh Groban, Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland, that lipsync kid from YouTube, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, and Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic, along with a few other people I don't know but who might be of interest to you! I'm going to leave you with this great music video of amazing lipsyncing to an amazing song. Enjoy!




Enjoy the rest of your first week of March, and the wonderful weekend ahead. I know that I'll try despite the upset tummy and the hurt knee! =)

Blog, and be happy! (and Canucks, please start winning!)

Kyleigh.

Stylish Blogger Award & YourNextRead

So I went online this morning to find that my friend Taren @ Life of T had given me an award for my blog! I think it's great, and a cool way to show that you appreciate someone's blogging efforts, and if I could give it back to her, I would! Because I think I can't do that, I'm going to have to offer it up to someone else, and that person is my friend Emily @ Letters To The World. I have always adored her blogs, from her personal blog listed above, to her Olympic blog that she kept last year! She's an amazing journalist, and if you want to take a look at her blog, please do! =)

So apparently after I offer up this award to someone else, I must list 7 things about myself, so here I go!

1. I go through serious phases. I'm the kind of person who plays one song on repeat for WEEKS until I hate it, I read one genre of book until I've absorbed all the knowledge I can about it, I will only wear one colour of shirt for days or weeks... When I like something, I wear it out until I find something else I really like.

2. I am shamelessly addicted to my iPhone. When I don't have it on me, or in a place where I know it's close by, I feel like I might have a heart attack.

3. I play the guitar all the time. I love my guitar, and while I choose not to play it in public, I adore it - it's like meditation.

4. I love hockey. I am an avid Canucks fan, and I always will be. This means I don't like Calgary, I don't like Toronto, and I especially don't like Chicago. Go Canucks Go!

5. I hate doing laundry. If I could not do laundry ever, that would be amazing.

6. I'm addicted to body products, like exfoliates, body butters, lotions and body sprays... I have a tub of them.

7. I change the colour of my hair at least 6 times a year. It generally goes dark in the winter and light in the summer, with everything in between in the other months! It's fun, and I will always love to keep it fresh and different!

Part 2 of my blog post today is for people who like to read a lot, like I do. I'm sure that some of you  may have heard of this website, but I think it's the coolest thing that I've come across in a while. I always have a problem of finding a great author writing on a topic that I'm really interested in, and I'm not quite done with the topic when I run out of books by the author. This is the dilemma I've run into with Philippa Gregory, my recent reading addiction. In a previous post, I wrote about her book 'The White Queen' and since then, I've read 5 of her other books, and I'm in the middle of the 6th. Problem is, I'm running out of books on the eras that I'm currently interested in!

Your Next Read is this really cool website that gives you recommendations for books based on the books that you're reading now! You type in the book that you're reading now, and it gives you a mind-map of sorts that shows you books on related topics, by related authors. I love it, and I've managed to find a few different authors that I hope to pick up books from either at the library (as I just renewed my card!) or at the book store when I have a few extra dollars laying around (which will hopefully come soon!). It's really saved me a lot of time sorting through the millions of books out there, as there is nothing I hate more than spending money on a book that disappoints.

The website also shows reader reviews and give a synopsis of the book, and it allows you to 'save' books so you don't forget what books you'd found that you would like to read! You can also share the books on Facebook and Twitter, and view different things about it on Amazon.

I think this is a great website, I was on it a lot of Friday trying to find books that I might be interested in, and I think that I've found some to keep me busy for a while! =)

Enjoy the start to your week! Mondays can seem gloomy (espeically since they are apparently calling for rain and snow here in Vancouver!) but don't let it get you down! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Valentine's Day, OneMatch, and some other things!

So, Monday was Valentine's Day. Generally speaking, I'm not one to succumb to the craziness of holidays that are pretty much invented, but I love getting cards and chocolate, and I think sometimes you really need to spend a day to tell people how you feel about them (if it's nice of course... I don't really think that Valentine's day is an appropriate day to tell someone you hate them...).

I had a fantastic Valentines day for multiple reasons! Firstly, it started a day early when Alex took me out for a delicious pre-valentine's day breakfast at De Dutch, which I really enjoyed! I spent most of Valentine's day running around doing some errands, and then there was hockey. While the Canucks lost in regulation (very sad, very sad indeed) It was still a good game, and I enjoyed it. Alex and I exchanged Valentines, he got me some chocolate (of course!) and some very nice perfume which I wasn't expecting. Plus, my card had a puppy on it, so I would have been happy with just that! We went out for dinner to Pasta Polo, and the food was delicious, then we came home and watched some Valentine's Day themed episodes of some great shows! It was relaxing, happy, and just an all round great day.

Valentine's day was great for another reason too! I got a call for a job interview on Tuesday! This is a job that I think I actually stand a chance getting, so I'm really hoping that all goes well and that they may consider me for the position! Fingers crossed people, fingers crossed! Being jobless for almost a month is starting to get to my head. Boredom is really starting to take over. (Plus, there's this really cute top that I want to buy that I have no money for!) It seemed like it went really well, and I think that I have a chance to do a really good job there, so lets all hope that I may have a full time job for the next little while! *crosses fingers*

Also, I have somehow managed to severely injure myself despite doing absolutely nothing. My knee is is totally shot from yesterday, and I also threw my shoulder today. In other words, my body hates me. The only thing keeping me from constant tears is Advil and my heat pack which relieves most of the pain, but it hurts when I move and such... hopefully with some rest and another day of heat and ice I'll feel better.

I also have one more thing to mention. I was on facebook just now, and a friend posted a link to a video of a woman who is in desperate need of a bone marrow donation - I'd appreciate it if you'd watch the video below, it's very touching, and I hope gets you thinking!


Jenn needs a bone marrow match from FinePrints Wedding on Vimeo.

After watching the video, I found myself thinking that I don't do a whole lot for people physically. I've donated (or helped fundraise) a LOT of money for different causes. I've donated my time to different things, and I like to think that occasionally that good karma comes around and helps me feel good. What I don't always think about is that there are people just like me out there who are dying, and what I've always had a hard time with is that there is something in me that could save one of them. I've always wanted to donate blood, but I've never found the time... I'm an organ donor, but that really only helps someone after I'm gone. What can I do now? I've always been one step detached from actually helping people with my own hands by giving money for people to do the dirty work, so I took 5 minutes to change that.

I just added myself to the stem cell and marrow donor list. It literally took 5 minutes of my time to answer the questions and give them a little bit of information with hopes that maybe one day that 5 minutes might save someone's life. I really hope you might consider it too. www.onematch.ca offers a lot of great information, and answers all the questions you might have about the process. It's so easy, and if you're confirmed as a donor, maybe one day they'll call you up and ask you to help save someone's life.

I'm not doing it for my own self-satisfaction or good karma, who knows if I'll ever be called upon? I'm doing it because every life counts, and you never know who might need marrow or stem cells. It could be a friend, a relative, or even you.

Put yourself on the donor list.

Blog, and be happy! (And Go, Canucks, Go!)

Kyleigh.

My Rant & Rave - Craigslist.

I've spent a lot of time on Craigslist lately looking for a job, and I must say, I am disgusted by the extent employers will go to save a buck and ruin a good employee's chance of ever seeing the inside of even the interview room, never mind actually getting the job.

I like to think that I am a good employee. I do my job, I'm great with customers, I'm always on time if not early, I don't let my employers down. They're paying my wages and giving me something to do in the day, why wouldn't I try my hardest to do my work? I know that I'm a good employee, but will I ever be given a chance to prove that? No.

You want to know why? Employers are unrealistic in the types of people they want to hire. It's like employers think people are just born with experience, when in fact someone had to give them a shot in order to get that 10+ years that are demanded by all employers now a days. And why do they want that 10+ years experience? Because it saves them a buck not having to train you to do the job.

I was on Cragslist today and saw an ad that demanded the following:


"Office Assistant/Reception.

Must:
Be great with customers/clients (4+ years experience in customer service prefered)
Be highly organized
Do payroll & accounting (4+ years accounting experience preferred. Quickbooks experience a must)
Be able to communicate with all customers (2 or 3 additional languages to English a definite asset. Mandarin or Punjabi mandatory.)
Must be competent in filing, faxing, copying and printing.
Job includes occasional office cleaning (experience in cleaning industry an asset)
Job requires MS office experience (MS Office course or 3+ years using Word, Publisher and Excel in an office application a must)

Must have taken a 1-2 year office administration course no matter experience.
5+ years reception experience.
Must be available mornings, days, evenings and weekends as we need you.
Must have vehicle as we can call you in at any time. Must have celluar device we can reach you at at all times.

If you do not meet all of the above requirements, do not apply. We are only accepting resumes from people who meet the above criteria."


So, you're telling me I have to have taken an office admin course, have pretty much 16 years of experience doing everything INCLUDING cleaning toilets, speak upwards of 4 languages fluently, and be available to you every moment of every day? Did I mention they want all of this done for them for a whopping $14 an hour? Wow. Big spenders.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a job and aren't forced onto craigslist and other job boards every day, I will tell you this isn't an uncommon post. I see posts demanding all of this and more every single day. And the jobs that are more realistic than this not demanding ridiculous experience and pay a more reasonable wage than this... a job that I actually might have a chance of getting? They are taken away by the people who know that job posts like the ones above are unrealistic and almost disgusting. People who have that 5 years of experience always get the good realistic jobs because it means the employers won't have to pay to train me.

Honestly, this kind of enrages me as I have spent the last 3 weeks applying to job after job with not so much as a blink my way. I am a good employee with some decent experience, and no one will even look my way because it means they might have to spend 2 days explaining a program to me or perhaps answer a question or two at the beginning while I figure stuff out. HEAVEN FORBID.

I also wish employers would realize that we live in Canada, and that the office languages of Canada are French and English. Demanding that potential employees must speak ANY other language is actually against the law. If you want a bilingual employee, the two languages you can require by law are French and English. You may state that it is an asset for customer relations if you can speak another language, but you cannot demand your employees speak every language under the sun, and you can't refuse to hire someone with all the correct skills because they don't speak every single language in our multi-cultural city.

Employers. I only ask that you give some people an opportunity to prove themselves. If you give good employees like me a chance, you might see that there is a benefit to giving young people the opportunity and some training. I want to have a chance to prove myself, but instead I sit at home and my brain rots because you can't suck it up and offer me an interview, never mind the job.

I'm frustrated. Job hunting sucks. I just want an interview to boost my confidence a little bit. Is that so much to ask?

Blog, and be happy.

Kyleigh.

Spanakopita- Pretty Delicious Recipe!

So I have become a slave to my boyfriend. Not really of course, but because I'm so bored due to no job, I tend to spend my days bored out of my head either exercising or reading, and his offer of something to do is to make him delicious dinners. I will not say that I am a crazy good cook or anything, but I will say that my mom is (and my dad isn't too bad either!) so I come from a family with good secrets of the trade of cooking.

Alex asked me (or rather negotiated with me) to make him Spanakopita (or spinach pie) yesterday, and I obliged being the bored girlfriend that I am. I was reluctant for one reason - Phyllo pastry.

Phyllo pastry is seriously the most difficult food product I have ever had to work with - and I've dealt with some pretty difficult food products like fondant and modeling chocolate. It's paper thin pastry that, when cooked in layers with oil or butter between, lifts up and becomes deliciously flaky and crispy. When I say paper thin, I'm actually being generous. This stuff is SO thin and it breaks and cracks and rips at the slightest touch. Needless to say, it was a big pain in my butt yesterday, but after eating dinner, I ALMOST felt that it was worth my trouble! (haha!)

I'm going to leave you the recipe that I used yesterday for making it. While I would definitely suggest this meal to anyone because it's quite yummy (and vegetarian!) I don't know if I could possibly ask you to use Phyllo pastry unless you have the dedication and time that I had yesterday. Working with the stuff takes time, patience and a little bit of luck... and I think gets easier with practice, but it's not something quick and easy to say the least!

I hate recipes because I think I'm a better cook than I actually am, I am always switch things up and do stuff that other recipes might not call for or do... but that's the fun part of cooking- adding your own twist to things! This is a melding of several recipes I found, plus a little bit of my own skill and desire to make it my own! Enjoy!

Spanakopita - Kyleigh's Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots*
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped**
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 12 sheets phyllo dough***
• 1/4 cup olive oil, or as needed for use on the phyllo dough

* Most recipes called for onions, and you can use that too. I opt for shallots because it's what I have at home, and because they're smaller, so you aren't forced to cut up half an onion and put the rest in the fridge. Shallots are great for onion convenience! 

** Two pounds of spinach is impossible to really figure out. Two pounds is what EVERY recipe I found called for, so what I used was one full box of the triple washed spinach you buy at the store. I probably could have easily used more than that, because the spinach cooks down to nothing because of the water content. In fact, if I were to make it again, I probably would use 1.5 to 2 of those boxes, just to have more filling, but one box really isn't too bad.

*** The biggest mistake I think I made with this dough was that I didn't fully let it defrost before I used it. In my haste, I didn't read the directions perfectly and didn't let it thaw for the 5 hours it wants before needing to use it, so to make the dough easier to use, make sure you read the instructions on the box - most say something like "Defrost in refrigerator over night" or "Leave defrosting at room temperature for 5 hours"

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 inch square baking pan. 
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium to large bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. 
4. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with 4 more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan.
5. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 6 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

 So if you're feeling adventurous, try it out! It was really delicious, and while it was difficult to make, it was definitely rewarding at dinner time! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

My Shock of the Day.

So, I've kind of done nothing in the past month to raise awareness about a cause or problem that I've seen in the world, and I don't really know why. I've kind of been caught up in my own little world of little problems to really be able to focus on anything bigger than myself. I respect myself so much more when I can raise awareness about different issues, and this one that I heard about today (so is just barely on the cusp of January for my issue of the month) is something super important.

*I will warn you now, while I always try to censor my content as to not make it too sad or disturbing, you must know this is something quite sad, but something I need to bring up.*

I was on Twitter today, and a friend of mine posted a link to something terrible. I am actually horribly ashamed and disgusted by the Province I call home, and by the city just north of here that is such a tourist attraction to many people throughout the world.

Some of you may be familiar with Outdoor Adventures Whistler. They are pretty famous up in Whistler for being the company to go to for adventures in the community doing things like Snowshoeing, ATV, Horseback riding, Snow-mobiling and, probably most famously, Dog-sledding.

Now, Outdoor Adventures Whistler is a HUGE dogsled operation. They took over Howling Dogs, a different dogsled company just this past May. From what I read in several articles today, they say they have upwards of 300 dogs in their pack, claiming that with a pack that big, you get more time with the dogs, and thus you get more for your money. After the Olympics, when they had the biggest boom of visitors to Whistler wanting to do things like that, they realized that their 300 dog pack was draining more money than they were actually making. This winter has not been kind to the company as far as the dogsleds go, so their solution?

Kill the dogs.

No. I should rephrase this. Mass murder 100 of the dogs through brutal slaughter and then throw them into a mass grave. It was reported by the employee (who is now being compensated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) that they were asked to shoot the dogs repeatedly, and if that didn't work, to cut their throats or bury them alive.

As a dog lover - this is traumatic. I feel like I should be compensated for post-traumatic stress disorder just having to read about it.

I understand that there are certain situations where euthanasia of dogs is sometimes the only way out. The SPCA doesn't have the space or money to keep thousands of unwanted dogs in their facilities and have it be safe and sanitary. It's sad, but it's true. The humane (if you can call it that) way out of this situation is not to take the dog out back and slaughter it though. They take it to the vet and have it put down through drug combination. Hundreds of dogs go through this every day when people decide they would rather buy dogs than adopt them - another thing I'd like to talk about.

There are people who breed dogs. I get this. People breed dogs for their own reasons, be it for show dogs, more breeding, or what ever. And there are people who spend THOUSANDS of dollars on these dogs, many of them just to sit at home as some kind of statement of wealth in society. 'I bought a dog worth $5000." Congratulations. You could have saved 500 dogs from impending doom. For those of you unaware, many puppies at pet stores are from puppy mills, something you SHOULD NOT support - but that's a different issue all together.

The reality of the situation is that there are THOUSANDS of dogs that need homes. Thousands of puppies, young dogs, adult dogs and senior dogs that need loving homes with loving people to take care of them and just love them.

When I live in a place that allows dogs, this is my first move. For me, it's about making myself feel good and about giving something a home that needs it badly. To take an animal in and love it whole heartedly and have it love you right back... it's something that feels amazing. Every animal, dog, cat, bird... they need to be given a home with someone who just wants to love it.

February is all about the heart, and about love. Valentine's day is such a commercial product of our society, and while I may participate, I think I might do things a little differently this year. I'm going to donate a little time and a little money to show that I love the animals I can't take home and call my own. I'm going to have a puppy for a Valentine this year, and I'd like it if you would do the same. Take an afternoon or evening and go spend some time with the dogs and cats at the shelter, or if you can't, donate a couple of dollars to show you care. Even better, go adopt or foster a puppy who needs a safe home if you can!

While the situation with Outdoor Adventures Whistler is terrible, I think it raises a serious issue in the world about the ability people have to just look at animals as items that can be thrown away when they aren't wanted. Please do something to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Save an animal's life if you can, or at least help make sure their shelter life is as good as possible!

Some links for you:

BC SPCA - To learn about volunteering, donating or adopting through the SPCA
Pet Finder - A VERY cool website that shows you all the adoptable pets in your area!
Adopt-A-Pet - Another website that shows you adoptable pets!

Do what you can, and spread another kind of love to our furry, feathered and scaly friends this Valentine's day! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.