5 things I love-

I decided to mix it up a bit today and post about things that make me feel happy. Because today I deserve to be happy. (Inspired by Joanne ...click on her blog in my links section on the side..."A Cup of Jo").

#5- Coldplay.

I love this band. No, they are not a cheap rip off of U2 or Radiohead. They have their own unique sound and arrangement. Check out this video of the song LOST featuring Jay-Z. This feels like my theme song lately.


#4- GOOP

Speaking of Coldplay, let me direct you to Mrs. Martin herself...Gwynneth Paltrow. Her site, GOOP, is my secret pleasure. I LOVE this site. It is nice to pretend, for just a few minutes everyday, that I could live a decadent life and go to posh hotels. I just find it far more enjoyable than I thougth it would be.

Watch her make a chicken. She isn't pretentious in her approach, and I find lately I've been exploring my culinary side, so this is what I would do! And she makes it seem like I could too.


#3- Matthew Goode

I first saw Matthew in the movie Leap Year. And boy did I see him. He makes my toes curl.




# 2- Chocolate pudding.

I swear I have become an addict. I will make a family size portion and just eat it right out of the bowl. This is gluttony at it's worse, but it tastes SO GOOD.

#1- Vampire Diaries.

It is hardly a state secret that I am in love with this particular genre, but I have cooled off somewhat (bored of Twilight, True Blood is in the off season). But from little ashes rose such a gem of a show, that I can't help but be madly in love with Vampire Diaries. I was skeptical that this show would do well and would stand apart from the others. But it has become significantly better as the season has progressed. And a large part of it is due to Ian Sommerhalder who plays Damon, so deliciously well. But the rest of the actors hold their own too.

So Small.

I think that sometimes there is a song that just FITS YOUR LIFE. Like the lyric Gods were waiting for you to listen to it.



This is truly my perfect song that sings...shouts...my life story from the rooftops.

So Small- Carrie Underwood.

What you got if you ain't got love
the kind that you just want to give away
It's okay to open up
go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
you want to shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
seem so small

It's so easy to get lost inside
a problem that seems so big at the time
it's like a river thats so wide
it swallows you whole
While you sit around thinking about what you can't change
and worrying about all the wrong things
time's flying by
moving so fast
you better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh it sure makes everything else
Seem so small

It's the little things.

Hi all. It is Miss Inconsistent here to share her thoughts. I'm sorry I don't blog often. I wish I did. I wish I blogged everyday. There really is nothing to stop me from doing so but myself.
I think the problem I have in blogging is the same thing I have in life, which nets the same results.

I fail to notice the little things that bring me joy or teach me something new about myself.

I get so wrapped up in the big things, that I forget to take time to embrace and live in the little things. Here are a few examples:

• Church: I get so wrapped up in my various obligations, that I forgot to take time to just simply sit, listen and pray.

• Work: I get so wrapped up in the big issues that I fail to see how the little issues are the ones that are chipping away at me. Further, I get so wrapped up in trying to succeed in the big projects, that I fail to take proper credit for the little ones.

• Family: I get caught up in the big life events as that compel us forward that I fail to be thankful for the joy of the everyday little things that my family does like watch reality t.v. together, which also moves us forward in joy.

• Friends: I share in the joy of my friends big events and focus on the awesome one time things they do for me, that I fail to truly show my appreciation for the little things they do. Like lend an ear. Or their heart. Or their time and talents.

• Well Being: I get so focused in this all or nothing approach to diet and exercise that I don't do the small things that will bring permanent change.

• Relationships: I seek an all consuming love that I don't focus on the other aspects that I want, like humour, trust, an ability to be there truly for me.

This leads to blogging. I sometimes get it into my head that I have to have a theme. That I have to have some sort of message. That if there is a topic that comes to my head, I have to post until the topic is exhausted.

When I look back at my posts, I loved the early ones. They were full of humour and joy. They were full of random thoughts. They were full of the honest to God things I think of every day. Not the convoluted themes that have seemingly emerged since. Did I honestly thing that I could write a full month on military tribute? Did I truly believe that I could offer a weeks full of advice on relationships?

It's not that I can't offer an opinion. But I must be able to blog what is in my head at the moment I think it. I need my blog to be the free spirit I wish to be.

I realized last week that the reason why I was unhappy is not because of the "larger forces" out there beyond my control (work, people, events). It was because of something so little: I lacked confidence in myself. I lacked confidence in my ability to just be me within the larger picture. Me, so small in this world.

But the world is made up of little things. It is the filler. It is the essence of life. It is the movement forward. Big events....big moments...they are just the curves in the world that move the small cars forward from one end to the other. In between the corners are the trees, houses, people. All so little, but without we cannot fully appreciate the anticipation that a curve will bring without knowing that it will surely bring something indeed.

So I will blog more. And I will blog often. I will blog what comes into my mind. Randomly. And with the true pleasure that I am giving homage to the little things that make me live a large life. It's the little things in life that truly give me pleasure and truly teaches me lessons about myself.

P.S. So why did I post the picture I did? Well someone told me I look like Renee Zelwigger. And I think to myself that I am much like Bridget Jones (a character she played). Deeply flawed, floating through life, making mistake after mistake, with the heart full of good intentions. I posted the picture because it represents the little things about me. My insecurities. My shames. My indulgences. My quirkiness. My love of sleeping in with a warm blanket and pj's.

After all..it's the little things that make me truly happy.

In a blink of a moment.

In a blink of a moment, your life can be turned upside down.
In a blink of moment, those that you hold most precious can be taken away.
In a blink of moment, the thing you though you could count on could fall apart.

My friend Theresa's mother, Pauline, was in a serious car accident today. Her very life is in danger at the worst. At the best, she might be paralyzed for life and have serious brain injury.

It's a constant reminder that we need to examine our lives. Do we live the best life we could have lived? Or did we hold ourselves back? Did we love like we should have? Or did we hate more than enough times.

I know one thing for sure. When the life of someone vibrant could be changed so drastically in a heartbeat, we need to start making sure that every heartbeat that we live is a life worth living.

Men are from Mars and Woman from a quaint English Cottage.

I was talking to my friend the other day and we came were talking about our favourite kind of subject: British Gentlemen and Jane Austen era manners. I swear it's like soft porn the way we gush...but anyways...

In our discussion, I pointed out how I wish that men were still gentlemen from that era. You know, opening doors, being chivalrous, providing for us with their good fortune. I know it's against everything I should want. But the reality is, that deep down inside, I want to be swept away and cherished.

Now I realize my though process is very nieve and am about to over generalize. However, that line of discussion lead to another thread that men now a days really only want sex and someone to do their chores. And the closest/easiest thing that will get them to point b is to do the bare minimum required.

Women on the other hand internalize things differently. Their wants are quite a bit different. Where men might be turned on by a hot chick, I'm turned on by an Enlish Countryside. Where men eventually want sex in a new relationship, I want a guy to open the door for me and court me.

Men, if you think that super hot barbie with the big hooters isn't being a sex kitten because she sees what you drive and sees where you live, then you are fooling yourself. There is a REASON why the guy taking a bus to his full time job at McD's is not dating a hot blonde with a killer body. When all things are equal in the looks department, women will instinctively gather around the percieved provider. I wish this were not true.

To quote Jane Austen: "it is universally known that a man with a good fortune must be want of a wife". But what is not said explicitely that a man of good fortune will most readily attract a wife.

The dream package of course is the provide who has all those manners, etiquette and courtship. But in today's society, I will gladly choose the gentlemen with the English cottage over the fly by night Johnny on the dole.

The bottom line is this: In relationships, men and women will want different things. And we will do anything that will get us to the end goal.

But I should add that if you find the perfect guy who has all the characteristics of what you want from a relationship standpoint, then it is a lot easier to gloss over the deficiencies.

Dating Out of Type- is it right to be judged for being judgmental?

So just as an update, I've decided to spend the next week talking about the complexities of the dating world. If you didn't get a chance, go post a reply. Yesterday, I wrote about the theme of missed opportunities and good intentions. Today I wanted to discuss the pitfalls of dating out of time.

We all do it. We all do that awful thing of going out with someone we have ZERO attraction or we know we have ZERO compatibility with. And we almost certainly regret it in the worst fashion. The question remains as to why do we torture our selves this way?

I have a friend, who I will call Angela. Angela has admitted that in her desperate days, she dated a ginger haired fellow who had stubby legs and no ankles who was slightly chubby and on hard times. Of course it was awful and akward for her to be with someone she had ZERO attraction.

Myself, I date a guy of a different race and religion who I was madly attracted to but we had ZERO compatability. The sex was hot, I won't lie. But the relationship was doomed to fail because we didn't connect on another level.

I think the problem lies in that we are afraid of being judged for being judgemental. Like in Angela's case, it wasn't a matter of just saying not. It was "i shouldn't say no because he is..." as if what he is was some kind of disease. It wasn't. It's just he wasn't Angela's cup of tea.

Or for myself, I did not want to be labelled a racist because he was an Arab Muslim. Many people are ok with those fundamental differences. I discovered that I was not.

I think what we have to do is stop feeling guilty for the choices we make and the people we like. No one thinks less of the rich CEO with the 20 years younger wife, or the hockey player with the blonde plastic barbie dolls. So why then should we feel that we need to gain anyones acceptance over our tastes?

I propose that we go forward and just be honest with who we are...and what we like.

Missed Opportunities and Good Intentions.

I had an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend...who may have had some "benefits" to go along with our friendship. And while our relationship was what it was, and it's clear where this person wants to go with our current situation, the feeling of a missed opportunity hit me hard. Not once when I knew him did I ever think he wanted anything beyond what we had. Not for the lack of want on my part, but because of the lack of want on his.

So while we were chatting last night, and it was great, he said something that gave me pause to think. We were having one of those "we should have done more while we were together" type of chats, and he said something that shocked me. He said that he tried on his part. And earlier he had said to one of my flippant comments about the nature of our relationship "is that only what you thought it was, a purely sexual relationship?".

I don't know why I was as floored as I was, but now I'm sitting here wondering if I truly missed a good opportunity because I failed to recognize the good intentions. If only I had been more mature to a) respond to his intentions and b) clearly state my own instead of just playing things off as nothing.

But the problem with reflecting on good intentions and missed opportunities is that it's something that can only be looked back on. And if I have learned anything in life, is that the passing of time has a tendency to make things better than it was and my memories fonder than what they were. I can look back and say "oh, I should have done such and such or so and so".

But the reality of our situation is that we were young, we were in a different spot, our maturity levels were not that high, and we are stating how we feel about something now and applying it to an event in the past as if that was what we felt then.

So to all those who struggle with missed opportunities and failed intentions, just remember that the decision you made was the best at the time and the only way to move is forward.

You never know what life will toss you and your experience in life can only be built on these type of foundations.

As for me and my friend, who knows where life will take us. I won't lie and pretend I'm not interested but as the French say... C'est la vie.

The Dani Award Nominations are IN!

The “Dani’s” Award Gala Nominees!

Welcome my pets to the first annual Dani’s! It’s the annual award blog where I bestow my whimsical wisdom on what I thought to be the best things that made me go *squee* in 2009. To hell with the Grammy’s and Emmy’s and golden globes and Oscars! Who doesn’t want a coveted Dani? Vote in the comments section and I will announce the winners next year. *note that your vote may not actually count because I’m a tyrant blogger* Without further adieu….

Best crap song of 2009 even though I liked them anyways award.
The nominations are:
Empire State of Mind feat. Jay Z and Alicia Keyes. I want to fly run to New York right now to get me some of that dream. I might not be a black hoe from the projects, but I have dreams damn it. But until then, can I hear this song one more time because the 5 times an hour just isn’t cutting it.
Meet Me Halfway- The Black Eyed Peas. Because who wants to meet at the destination point and save time, when we could just meet halfway?
Tik Tok- Ke$ha – This is clearly the whore anthem of the year. She is a complete hooch and you have to give props to a girl who likes the attentions of an older douchebag driving a trans-am.
Rain in Africa- Karl Wolff K, this guy is totally cheesy douche. He’s this decades Vanilla Ice. He oooozez manufactured cheese like no one else.

Best trashy reality tv moment that made me all giddy inside award.
The nominations are:
Kathy Griffen hosting New Years with Anderson Cooper on CNN: This was awesomeness on a whole new level. Seriously, she was funny as all shit, yelled at a person passing by on life t.v. and I think made Anderson’s tighty whiteys get all bunched up. It was classic. Youtube search it.
America’s Next Top Model has an offensive photo shoot: It was a beautiful concept in theory. Take some generic looking petite models and have them represent two blended cultures. The makeup had a bit of a white guy playing a black guy with big lips like they did in the oldie movies effect. Nothing screams sensitive like dressing up white girls in with ethnic stereotypes.
The Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper freaks out on Joelle: Bob is like yoga peaceful kabbahla loving teddy bear on a good day. But you get some lazy ass fat mo’fo that doesn’t “pull” her weight in the gym and he turns into a puritan freak show. Dude, it was hilarious. He like freaked out. All things well enjoyed while I munched on a bucket of ice cream. Good thing he wasn’t in my house.
Jersey boys generic looking Italian guy smacks the crap out of Jersy generic looking hooch girl. I have no idea what this show is or why they show it, but some guy smacked a girl in the face. She probably deserved it. (oh come on now…let’s not pretend that some girls don’t deserve a good wallop old school style).
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Read the title folks…do I really need to say more? This was my secret indulgence. It was a hilarious runway type show with drag queens competing for...um…I don’t know. Perhaps a romp in the sack? A free bottle of Neet? It was awesome and bitchy and I witnessed duct tape being used in ways I didn’t think existed. For that reason alone, this show made my list.

Best movie that Dani finally got around to watching because she’s cheap and won’t pay full price to sit in a theater award.
The nominees are:

The Hangover This show totally made my Christmas. So. Funny. Too-doo-loo and F*** you!

Best DILF of 2009. *DILF = Dad I’d like to F****!
The nominees are:

Jon Hamm from Mad Men….old school sexy
Hugh Laurie from House…british sexy
Colin Firth from pretty much any movie that Dani likes…british serious actor sexy
Robert Patrick from The Unit…rugged sexy
Daniel Day Lewis from Nine…artisitic sexy…
JJ’s dad on American Dreams (perpetual nominee selection)…the vintage sexy.

Sexiest Athlete that Dani has a passing interest in and yah, you’d do him too award.
The nominees are:
Dale Earnhardt Jr from Nascar (#88)…redneck sexy
Sheldon Souray from Hockey (The Edmonton Oilers)…smoking out of your league hot sexy.
David Wright from Baseball (The Mets)…earnest sexy
Adam VanKouverden from Rowing (Team Canada)…where the hell was this guy all my life sexy.

Worst Fashion Mistake of 2009 according to Dani’s taste award
The nominees are:
Snuggies ( I love them but I can see why others don’t)
Skinny boy jeans (No guy looks good in these)
Ed Hardy/Christian whatshisfacey shirts. (lame)
Ballet shoes as the only option when trying to buy black dress shoes. Or specifically, the ones that have the top go to close so that her toes are exposed.
Lady Gaga

Sexiest Vampire based on Dani’s weird 2009 paranormal obsession award.
The nominees are:
Eric from True Blood – I would actually want to turn vamp with him.
Bill from True Blood – Southern sexy
Edward from Twilight – Young sexy
Damon from Vampire Diaries – Dangerous sexy


How Dani knew she was a “real Catholic” award
The nominees are:
My baptism
When I had to recite the creed outside of Mass and realized I didn’t know all the words/proper order
When my mind drifts to other topics during the sermon
When I withheld the juicy stuff from confession because I didn’t want the priest to know and judge
When I passed judgement on a fellow parishioner and gossiped about it with my close Catholic friends in the spirit of one upmanship
When I secretly wished for the cute seminarian to avoid the priesthood and marry me instead after ruthlessly flirting with him while serving “apple” juice at a function that I participated in to make me look good and pious. Just call me Eve.


Get your votes in folks!

MI-5

Sometimes the television Gods smile down upon us and grace us with quality programming. With all the crap on the tele right now, it's refreshing when you stumble upon something so good it leaves you salivating for more. I must admit that I don't watch a lot of dramatic shows because the quality is ...well...just not that good these days. It's not that there there are no drama's out there, but I'm not wanting to watch dramatic shows that are a blend of comedy/irreverant satire. I just want good old classic drama shows that are smartly acted, written, suspenseful that make me sad when the hour is up and leave me wanting for more.

So imagine my surprise when I accidently stumbled upon MI-5 (a.k.a "Spooks" in the UK). I should have known it was going to be a gooder because it's British Drama and it's televised on PBS, my favorite channel for quality programming. But I had NO IDEA I would go all mad love over it.

Where do I even begin? First of all, and i'm not going to lie...the good looking guy sucked me in. I have hearted Rupert Penry Jones since his commanding (read: sexy) performance in the BBC adaptation of Persuasion. And in researching the show, it appears that the first couple of seasosn, the show starred Matthew McFadyen (see picture in post below), another Austen film alumni. How thrilling.

But sexy guys (and he his sexy), however tempting and enticing, are not enough to keep me glued to the show. And for the record, I'm not normally into suspense type shows involving secret agents and espionage and counter terrorism. I like happy romantic stuff or trashy reality t.v. But MI-5, based on the British Intellegence Organization, has challenged my notions of what I enjoy.

This show kept me glued to the screen, sitting on the edge of my sofa, holding in my breath wondering what was going to happen next. And the thing with this show is that it's not always as you predict. In fact, in one episode, it can result in a happy ending and they are the hero's of the hour. In another, it could all go wrong or a main character can die. You just don't know. And it's fast paced and intellegent, but not so that it swoops above your head in a cloud of confusion. And while it helps to watch previous episodes for underlying arcs, each episode is more or less stand alone and so it's not difficult to jump into.

So anyways, I needed to let the world know that great shows do exist and to watch MI-5 (Sunday's on PBS...and quite possibly on other stations like BBC or A&E but I don't know as I have peasent basic cable).

Most Romantic Picture Alert.

Is this not the nicest couple pic ever? S'rsly. I know it's just a movie promo (Pride & Prejudice) but still, this is really nice. When I get married, I want a pic just like this (and it would work since I want to have a fall wedding and a Jane Austen inspired regency wedding).

Squee.