BEDA - Day Thirteen

Today I want to write about one of my favourite bands that no longer exist, The Runaways. I’m sure that by now most people has seen the movie, which isn’t so much about all The Runaways as it is about Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, but I don’t think that most people understand just how kick ass these girls really were.

I hate to admit that before the movie came out I had never heard The Runaways, I had heard of Joan Jett and knew the song I Love Rock and Roll, but The Runaways had never crossed my path. When I first saw the ad for the movie I was intrigued as to how I had never heard of this band. I did some research and discovered the limited discography that includes only three albums with the original members, one being a live album, and immediately downloaded them all. I was pleasantly surprised to find gritty guitars, unpolished vocals, and great drumming. The songs are well written and pure rock and roll, I still can’t believe that they were 16 when they recorded their first album.

The Runaways movie was really well done. It does focus more on Cherie Currie and Joan Jett then the other girls, but it was based on Cherie’s memoirs. The choice of Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie was perfect; she played the part so well and even sounds a lot like Cherie. I have to say that when I heard that Kristen Stewart was going to play Joan Jett I was sceptical, not liking her in some other really bad movie, but I ended up really liking her. I’m a little disappointed that The Runaways songs that they redid for the movie don’t really sound right. The songs sound a little bit too polished, not very gritty, and sometimes a little slower than the originals. I like the way the writers focused on Cherie’s journey through fame, and how she dealt with it. I didn’t really like the way the movie makes it seem like everything happened in a year. It actually took longer than it looked, and although in the movie things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows, I was shocked to find out that things were a lot worst.

In January I read Neon Angel: The Memoir of a Runaway by Cherie Currie. The first thing that I have to say is if you don’t want to become addicted to drugs or alcohol then read this book, because it will put any thoughts of using either out of your mind. When I was reading this memoir I couldn’t believe the things that happened to Cherie Currie, and I say happened too because not once did she ask for any of these things to happen to her. Once I got into all the horrible details of Cherie’s life all I could think was “no wonder she turned drugs, I would have too if all that had happened to me”. I won’t get into detail about what sorts of things took place, but they are the kind of things that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. The Runaways formed when they were 15 years old, and, even though they acted tough, they were pretty naive. The adult figure, Kim Fowely, they had around them at the time was someone who was trying to make money off the girls, and he did some pretty messed up stuff. It really is an amazing story, but not one for the youngsters; I found it really interesting and really heartbreaking.

I’m so glad that I have The Runaways’ music in my life, it really is awesome. I’m also glad to have watched and read the story behind the people who made that music. If you haven’t heard their music you should really check it out, you won’t be sorry. If you are already of the music and what to know more then watch the movie, they really did do a good job with it. And if you want to read a sad, and somewhat, disturbing true story about what it was really like to be in The Runaways then head out and read Cherie Currie’s memoirs. I have enjoyed all three, and they all have made my love for The Runaways grow.

BEDA - Day Twelve

I have been an avid reader my whole life, but never once have I ever counted my books. I just counted them, wondering how many I actually own, and I have 170 books on my shelf. I will let you know that they are not all novels, I own five Jamie Oliver Cookbooks, but I included everything that looks like a book no matter what it has on the inside. Now that I have come to realize that I have so many books all I can think is that I want to buy more books. I think that I am addicted to books.

My love of books began at an early age, my Mom is also a great lover of books and I think that this addiction is all her fault. My Mom use to read to read to me and one day I asked her to read with me and she said that she thought that I could read it myself. I don’t remember what age I was, or what book it was, but that she said that I could do it on my own. From that day I haven’t ever stopped reading. I have always had a book on the go, even during University when I didn’t have a lot of time for recreational reading. I probably love books more than anything else.

I have good memories of reading. When I was kid and I would sleep over at my Granny’s house and she would read a book or story to me before bed. I loved that time, because it wasn’t something that my parents did with me and it made that time really special. In the summer I would spend time at my Granny’s house laying by the pool reading. That is summer to me, lying out in the sun reading, I would go to Granny’s and we would sit together and read. I guess that if I got my love of reading from my Mom, then she got hers from Granny.               

I take a book with me everywhere I go. It has become such a habit that even if I am just going to the grocery store I will make sure that my book is with me. I have also gotten to point when I choose a bag or purse that I know will fit a book in them. My sister-in-law even made me a book cover so that when I put a book in my bag it won’t get destroyed.  I don’t take a book with me as a shield because I am unable to sit somewhere, like a restaurant, alone. I take books with me because I don’t want to be bored. I remember one time I was on a shopping trip with my parents and we were in a shoe store. My Dad was taking such a long time picking out what shoes he wanted, and if you know my Dad you will get this, and I pulled my book out of my bag and started to read. It was that boring, and let me tell you I was thankful for the book in my bag that day.

The cool new trend is to have an eReader and I have yet to fall for it. I love my books, I love the way they look, I love the way they feel, I love being able to turn pages, and flip through it to see how many pages are left in a chapter or the book. I understand the desire for eReaders, but I know that I will miss books to much. In the future I am sure that I will get an eReader, I held out for a really love time before I got my iPod, but I’m not ready to have to charge my books batteries.

Even if I get an eReader I know for a fact that I will never ever stop buying books. I realize that real books cost more money, but to me they are worth it. I love my book shelf; I love being able to look over and see some of my favourite places, and people. One day I hope that I can have a whole room devoted to books with big comfy chairs for reading.

BEDA - Day Eleven

Well, I hate to admit it but today was really boring and really uninspiring. It is almost 10pm and I haven’t thought of anything interesting to write about today. I guess that these sorts of days happen every once in a while, but I was hoping that it wouldn’t happen…so early in the month.

Since writing that last paragraph ten minutes have past. I just flipped to Jimmy Fallon on Much More Music and in the corner of the screen they have a little thing that tells you what is coming up next. I saw it and then thought most people have cable boxes now and you can see what is coming up next really easy. Then I thought about the old preview channel and how you would have to sit and wait for the channel list to roll around to see what is on. That was literally the only thought process I have had all day. I feel really sad right now.

Alright, another ten minutes has past now. OH! I can tell you about We Bought a Zoo! I watched it this morning and it was really good! The story was heartwarming and genuine. I thought that it was very well written and the characters came off believable. The acting was spot on, and the little girl that played the daughter was adorable. I was completely engrossed in the story and couldn’t believe that it was over so fast, even though it was two hours long. I also found myself smiling through most of the movie from pure enjoyment. It was such a Cameron Crowe movie, which will probably make sense if you have seen any other Cameron Crowe movies. He really has a distinct style, and he uses music really well. I definitely recommend We Bought a Zoo to everyone, it was that good.

 It is now almost 10:30 so I think that I will end this wonderful and brilliantly written blog right here. I don’t think that I have anything else to say, or at least anything that might be considered interesting. I feel like I should apologise for this awful thing that I am calling a blog. I promise to try harder for the rest of the month.

BEDA - Day Ten

While I have decided that since I was girly yesterday and talked about my hair that today I would flip things and write about sports. Yes, you read that right, I said sports. I can totally see my brother fainting right now. I am starting to take an interest in the Blue Jays, I am actually watching a game right now and the Jays are winning 3-1 at the bottom of the 6^th. I’m not really sure why this interest has started now, but I’m enjoying it.

I have never been a very athletic person. When I was a kid I took part in Tee-ball and then baseball, but I wasn’t very good at it. When I got a little bit older I started to curl. I will admit that I did love to curl, it is a game that is really complicated at first, but once you get it, it is brilliant. I was pretty good a figuring out the strategy that went along with curling and I was even a skip for two years, but in the end the girls in my small town that were interested in curling didn’t really get along with me and I decided that curling wasn’t worth the trouble. I don’t really watch curling, I never really have a desire to turn it on, but when I do watch it I enjoy it.

The only sport that I’ve ever actually been interested in is baseball, which people will think is strange because I never watch it or talk about it. I think that it has more to do with the fact that I have a soft spot for baseball; my favourite movie is A League of their Own. I have been trying to think of a way to explain how I feel about baseball, but I can’t, I just like it.

I can still remember the first ever Blue Jays game that I went too, I can’t remember how old I was but I was pretty young, and Roger Clemens was pitching. He was trying for a no-hitter, I actually can’t remember if he did it or not you’d have to ask my brother, but it was so much fun. My parents bought me a foam finger and I was having a blast waving it around in the air, so much that some guy behind us found it annoying and kept yelling for me to stop, my family still laughs about that. The next time I went to a Jays game was for my 24^th birthday, I share my birthday with my friend Travis and he really wanted to go the game for his birthday so I decided to join in the festivities. It was really fun and I had wished that I had attended more games that season. Last season I only got to two games, but each time I had a blast. I think that live sports are sort of like live music for me. You can’t help but to have fun when there is so much excited energy around you. I hope to go to more games this season.

I guess that it has come to the point in my life where I have decided that I should get into a sport and have a team to cheer for, and baseball and the Blue Jays are going to be just that. My favourite player, Escobar, just made a great catch and I cheered! The score in now 6-1 for the Jays going into the bottom of the 7^th inning, and I’m pumped! I think that is a good note to end this blog post on! GO JAYS!

EDIT: The Blues Jay won 7-3!

BEDA - Day Nine

Alright, I have decided to be a little girly and write about my hair today. I was born with curly hair, and I always get people complimenting me and telling me that they wish they had my hair. I am here to say it’s not as great as you’d think.

My hair is thick, and when my hair is long it makes me warmer. When long I need to tie my hair up during the hotter months so that I can stay cooler. The curls make my hair unpredictable, and I actually have to allow it to just do whatever it wants. When my hair has any length to it I don’t have any real control over it unless I tie it back. To me Curly hair looks messy and unruly all the time, but for some reason people still love curly hair.

Just this weekend, while visiting my family, I had compliments on my hair. Both of my female cousins came up behind me while I was sitting in a chair and started to play with my hair. I saw my Granny on Saturday with my hair tied back and then when I saw her again on Sunday with my hair down she said that I looked much nicer with my hair down instead of pulled back. I honestly cannot believe the intensity people have when it comes to my hair.

About two years ago I had had enough of my long hair and I cut it all off. I mean my hair was maybe an inch long; I like to refer to it as boy short. I loved it; it was easy to take care of, and never felt or looked annoying. However, everyone else seemed to have this huge problem with my having short hair. I just sighed and shook my head while remembering that time. Basically people just didn’t like the fact that I had cut my hair, and wanted me to grow my hair back out. At first I resisted, but eventually I gave in and grew my hair out. It’s true that I loved having short hair, but long hair does suit my face nicely; I wouldn’t say better, just different.

I think that the reason I never really enjoyed having long hair is because I never once had a haircut that I actually liked. I know that this seems completely ridiculous, but it is true. My haircuts have always been fine, but never great. That is until I found the greatest salon ever, Curl Ambassadors. Curl Ambassadors specialises in curly hair, and they have developed a way of cutting hair that, to me, is flawless. They cut your hair dry. I know right! It makes so much more sense to cut curly hair dry because then you are able to see where the curls will fall. They have also taught me about what hair products to use and how to style my hair. You should stay away from anything that has sulfate in it because it weights down your curls, and you shouldn’t brush your hair, even when it is wet, because it separates the curl families. Ever since going to the Curl Ambassadors I have enjoyed my hair a lot more.

I know that it sounds like I am complaining a lot about something that doesn’t really matter that much, but it is something that is a part of my daily life. I can also hear people asking why I don’t just cut my hair again if I like it short so much. Well, I probably will, but at the moment my hair isn’t long enough to cut. I see your puzzled looks about that last statement and it will make sense I promise. I want to cut my hair and donate it to Angel Hair an organization that makes wigs for kids that have cancer. I have done this before and I think that it is such a great organization. For a hair donation your hair must be 12 inches and my hair isn’t quite long enough yet. I figure that this way my hair is going to someone who will really appreciate it instead of just ending up on the floor.

I have recently decided that when it comes to my hair I don’t care what anyone else says, and plan on doing whatever I want with it. However, I have spent a long time growing it out and I don’t want to waste that effort, I want someone to really enjoy my hair when I decide that I want to have it short again. In the mean time I plan on tying my hair back whenever I can’t stand the feel of it on my neck.

BEDA - Day Eight

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. – John 3:16

I love the resurrection story; it is full of excitement, suspicion, scepticism, and joy. When we left off on Good Friday everything seem very bleak, and everyone that followed Jesus was downtrodden. Even though Jesus had took his disciples what was going to happen I can image that they still would have felt like they had just lost someone incredibly important to them. It wasn’t until the third day that things got really interesting

As per the custom of the day the women who knew Jesus when to the tomb with spices that they used to anoint the body. However, when they got there the stone that covered the entrance of the tomb was rolled away. The women went in and found that Jesus’ body was missing, later Jesus met them on the road and they knew that He had risen. The women rushed off to tell the disciples and some believed right away and some doubted. Jesus then appeared to the disciples and they touch His hands and feet where the nails had pierced Him and they knew that Christ, in fact, had risen.

I think that this story is so cool. It is interesting that when the tomb is found to be empty no one really knows what happened, but they are hoping that what Jesus had told them had came true. I love that Jesus appears to His followers and He allows the opportunity to have a little scepticism before he convinces them that it is true. That is kind of how I think about Christianity, at first you might be a wary of it, but once you hear the stories you know in your heart that it must be true.

 I love that God doesn’t expect anyone to be perfect, even after you become a Christian. Yes, there are rules for how you should be living your life as Christian, but mostly they are rules that, if you follow them, make you a better person Christian or not. God loves you no matter what, you can slip up and make a mistake, but all you have to do is ask God to forgive you for it, and God will always forgive you. In John chapter 3 after verse 16 it continues to say:

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in Him is condemned already because he has not believed in name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3: 17-18

The really great thing is that it is never too late to start believing in God. God doesn’t have a time limit, you don’t have to become a Christian before you are a certain age or anything, He loves everyone and wants everyone to believe in Him. Sometimes it just takes a little bit longer someone to really understand and accept God.

This is what I believe, and people can try to convince me otherwise, but no matter what I will always believe it. I know that I am a better person for what I believe, and it also strengths me and gives me the will to get through the really hard stuff in life.

BEDA - Day Seven

I have always love holidays; it is always great to get the chance to spend time with family and friends. Now that I am 25 year old I find that holidays are much different from when I was kid. When I was kid I would get so excited about holidays that I would barely sleep, and then I would spend the next day running around with my cousins until I was exhausted. Now it is more likely that the most activity I get is walking from the house to the car while going to visit people.

Easter was always seemed more low key then Christmas, and I guess that it still does. We had our traditions, egg colouring at Granny’s on Good Friday, and a dinner with each side of the family either Saturday or Sunday. There was always lots of playing outside because Easter weekend was usually one of the first nice weekends of the spring. We spent a lot of time with family, and I loved getting the chance to hang out with my cousins. My parents always did an egg hunt for my brother and I on Sunday morning before church, and John and I would try to see who would find the first egg and who had the most eggs. Being a chocolate lover I ate as much chocolate as my Mom would let me, and there was always a ton of chocolate. It is nice to think back on these the things that we used to do for Easter; I can’t help thinking that sure did have fun.

While things have changed over the years, some traditions have been retired, and sometimes I don’t get to see all of my cousins or my Aunts and Uncles, I still really love Easter. Mom still gets us a bit of chocolate, and we still have Easter dinner at Granny’s house on Sunday night, but things are different. Not to say that change is bad. I actually think that it is good. I like that on Easter weekend we can spend more time relaxing, not having to rush around to make sure that we get everything done, and everyone seen. We still visit everyone, and Friday was also my Grandpa birthday so we got to see a few members of the family that we have missed out on in past years.

Something else that has changed that is also nice is being able to spend more time with my parents. When you are a kid spending time with grownups can be a little boring, expecially when they start to talk about stuff you don’t understand. Now when my brother, sister-in-law, and I come home for visits we sit have long dinners together, go for walks, sit around the living room and talk, and stay up late playing games. It makes family time a lot more fun when you are all on the level.

I love spending time with my family, and for me that is what holidays are all about. When I have my family around I don’t miss the traditions that we use to have, in fact I’m happy that they are gone and we can spend more time together without having to make sure that we do a certain something. I hope that everyone reading is enjoying/enjoyed their Easter weekend, and the time they get to spend with their family.