Confession Time: I am a Farmville Hoarder.

They say that the first step to dealing with a problem is confessing the problem. So hear goes.

I am a Farmville Hoarder.

For those living under a rock, let me explain Farmville. Basically it goes something like this:

• You create a little farm utopia by plotting little squares of land, planting & harvesting crops (which have a coin, experience point attached), planting & harvesting trees, raising animals.
  
• Along the way, you gain coin and experience to level up to by "level" only items and gifts.
  
• The social aspect of the game means you send gifts, fertilize your neighbours crops, grab loot they post on their wall.
• To do any of the actions above, follow this sequence: click, click, click, click, click, click, oh..shiny thing, click click click, back to wall, click, click, click, back to game, click, click, click.
• It is a complete addictive time waster and just when you get bored, they introduce something new and shiny that you MUST have.
  

I'm cool and confident enough to admit I have a Farmville addiction. I know they signs. I see the symptoms, made worse by my stagnant unemployment. I see the folly in going to 7-11 to buy special Zynga items (and do so anyways just to get more items). I recognize that since I was laid off, I spend almost all day on Farmville instead of looking for a job. I get that this was made worse by "Mr. M" going to the States for a freaking month vacation (planned prior to relationship and my fault for not updating my passport sooner because I probably was wasting time playing Farmville). And I also see the folly in staying up all hours of the day and night to play this game. I notice my tendencies to talk about Farmville with my real life friends. I am cool with my addiction. * or at least until Mr. M. gets back and my life can revolve around him as is apt in new relationships.

But the most serious problem that is emerging is this: I am becoming a hoarder.

As I discussed, Zynga, the evil creators of Farmville (and it's equally nefarious cousins Mafia Wars etc...) keep coming out with shiny new things that I MUST HAVE. And therein lies the problem: I MUST HAVE every little item that I can get my greedy hands on. And now my farm looks like an episode of A&E's Hoarders.

This is very very bad. My want to have things I don't need on my farm, coupled with my attraction to shiny new stuff means my farm is a complete waste land. In real life, my farm would be condemned. With the shear amount of animals, I'm surprised my virtual horses haven't died from avian flu due to the sheer number of chickens.

And what is made worse is that I want a pretty farm like other people so I spend hours organizing my farm to look like this epic place of grandeur. I get hooked on buildings and spend hours trying to get enough of God knows what to get some exclusive item like the Eiffel Tower. I ask you: have you ever seen a farm with the Eiffel Tower? Nope. Didn't think so. But I must have it. To make an international theme. Have too many cows? Don't purge them, just buy more barns! My farm looks like a big old blahp of junk. The only thing missing are some virtual junkyard cars on in front of one of my 6 or so virtual houses.

Part of this stems from a bitter experience where I accumulated things and then not the day after I deleted them, they came out with something new that required the things I deleted. And I hate shameless wall post begging! *The wall posts are both a blessing (if you are receiving said gift) and a curse (if you hate wall clutter as a giver and your friends hate your page because it's all application related).

This is insanity I tell you! The fact that I am even blogging about this goes to show how deep my addiction is and how ashamed of how I have become such a hoarder! And I look to my left as I type this and I see the two piles of unfolded laundry and the three piles of clothes that need to be sorted for donation or keeping.... good gracious...this hoarding is spilling over.

HELP! I NEED AN INTERVENTION!

Eighties Song Saturday

Hey all! I know it seems that all I have been blogging about lately is eighties songs. And while that is true (based on the last three posts), I do have great blog posts up in my head. And it's not because I have been busy. Au contraire mes amis! In fact, I have had nothing but time. However, my general laziness and procrastination has taken an evil hold on me. I will post this week f'sure!

My 8o's song selection is a personal favourite of mine. My buddy Junior posted today about how difficult it has been for him to find a relationship. I too struggled for many years...the lone single in the group of friends. Thankfully God has granted my wishes and I am now gloriously happy and in a relationship with a wonderful man.

Hmm...I should nick name him something...hmm. Ok, for this blog we will call him "Mr. M".

Anyways, this is to all those out there searching for love! And Junebabe, this song is dedicated to you.

*PS, I totally dig the choir ensemble at the end...ah..the 80's...good times*.

I Want To Know What Love Is ~ Foreigner.

Eighties Song Saturday....one week later! LOL.

So I didn't post a song last week because I was on a HOT DATE WITH MY BOYFRIEND. (Jeez that sounds good to say!). So anyways, I found out last week that A-ha is on their retirement tour. RETIREMENT TOUR! Sob! I shall never get a chance to see one of my favourite bands perform one of my favourite songs! *SOB*

The song I am posting is my FAVE song from A-ha and my second fave song ever. It doesn't really make 100% sense, but hey..they are Norwegian and cute so meh! And if there is a way I can get my arse to Manchester England in November to see them and say goodbye to Paul, Magne and Morten.

So here is the song! (the quality of the video is crappy...but the good quality doesn't have an embedding feature).




But I did find a pretty good concert quality video.




Check back tomorrow!

Eighties Song Saturday

A day late..but whatever. Anyways, growing up in the Eighties in Canada, you can't escape the power that was Gowan. Lawrence Gowan was a fixture on Canadian radio. This particular song has a special memory for me. Do you ever have a song that stands out because of a childhood vacation?

Well when we went to Sparwood B.C. to visit family, this song was on the radio all the time. I particularly remember it when we would drive between Calgary and Sparwood, past the Buffalo jumps.

Anyways, I present this weekend's song choice: Moonlight Desires by Gowan.

The most romantic song I have ever heard.

O Sole Mio (which in English translates something to the effect of my sun).

I heard this at a funeral on Monday of my Italian neighbour. The grandson had made a video and this was one of the songs that streamed. It was a loving tribute of one man and his 78 years of life. It also had pictures of his 53 years of marriage, 3 kids, 8 grand kids. And although the video made me cry buckets, this song was imprinted in my brain. What struck me was just how loving he was, and how much he loved his wife.

That kind of relationship and love I can only dream. This song for me captures that timeless love the weaves through generations. If you think about it, the sun will always rise and fall, and will forever burn. That is symbolic of a relationship of true burning love. Sure you have your ups and down, but that love will forever endure.

I hope to one day dance to this song at my wedding.

Eighties Song Saturday: Human

This song has haunted my nights. Literally and Figuratively.

When I was working at Safeway, and I had to work night crew shits. When you work during the day, you only tend to hear the music during the quiet times. But at night, with no one around, you hear it all night long. Now if there was one thing I was grateful for was that Safeway didn't play musak. However, they did play a nice calming montage of easy listening songs from the 70's to the 90's. And if you all know me, you know that I LOVE EIGHTIES MUSIC.

This particular song would come on every night at exactly 1:12 a.m. and again at 6:12 a.m. I loved it, and I recognized it from a tune played in happier days. I would occasionally hear it in the car, usually when I was furthest away from a computer. I would lay there in the morning just before I had to get up for work, and Joe 92.5 would have it on. But of course, they never said after wards who it was (an annoying radio trend).

So last night, lying in bed, drifting off to sleep, I heard it on the radio. And I had enough! I had to run to the computer, log onto the radio, go to their play list and find out who sang this song that has haunted me for so many years. Well haunt me no more!

So without further ado, I present "Human" by Human League. (*And sorry, I can't embed the actual video)

Things that make me mad: Werewolves.

First let me put a huge geek disclaimer out there: I am an adult fan girl.
Let me disclaim one more thing: I love Vampire stories.
Final Disclaimer: This may very well be the lamest thing I have ever posted on my blog.

I am not going to get into why or how I am what I am. My theory is that it goes back to some young girl unrequited fantasy about Labyrinth. Every young girl born in the mid to late 70's had a tween crush on Jareth (played deliciously by David Bowie) and was crushed when Sarah did not end up with the Goblin King. But I digress.

So anyways, I am this huge geek of all things Vampire lately. It started off innocently enough with Twilight. I then moved on to True Blood. Then, just when I thought I was sick of the genre, out comes Vampire Diaries which blows my mind away each week.

But there is this trend that is starting to piss me off about this whole genre. It's not enough that this fictional town has VAMPIRES roaming the earth. But then they have to go in and introduce WEREWOLVES!!!! Why? Why does every single vampire movie/book/TV show need to include werewolves? WHY?

In folklore, vampires never had much interaction with werewolves and there was nothing to indicate that they even hated each other even if they interacted. Vampires were vampires. Werewolves were werewolves and the twine did not cross. Even in the 90's, when we were under the spell of all things Anne Rice, there was no mention of werewolves.

But lately (and I blame Twilight for this) it's Vampires vs Werewolves for the love of the human girl. In Twilight, there was not enough angst in Bella's life just liking Edward, a vampire. So let's just add a whole pack of werewolves! O.K. Fine. It was original.

But then True Blood, which survived two seasons without werewolves (although there were other mystical characters) is introducing a werewolf which is slated to be the new love interest for Sookie (who already has a Vampire boyfriend, is fantasizing about another Vampire, and whose boss that loves her is a shape shifter who turns into a dog, when she herself might be a fairy). Why? Why is this necessary? Is there not enough odd ball things on the show, then you have to go ruin it with a werewolf?

Then on Vampire Diaries, they are alluding to the fact that there are characters who are possible werewolves (or some hybrid of that and a vampire).

Can a bitch not just get a show with Vampires only? I don't want werewolves. Give them their own bloody show. Leave my vampires alone! And why do they have to be the "love interest" of the girl already with a Vampire?

And do you know how many times I have gone to the teen fiction or romance part of a bookstore, picked up a supernatural themed book, got all excited, only to read the description and see the world Vampire and Werewolf.

Enough already!!! And if they are including another "mystical" creature, can't they do something original? How about Vampire vs. Fairy? Vampire vs. Warlock?

So there. I ranted. I feel better that I got this off my chest. It's a good thing I still mad love two of the three shows mentioned (TB and VD) that I will tolerate this blemish on the show. But I swear on a pair of hooker boots, this has got to stop or I will be even madder. And goodness knows we don't want that. :P

Announcement: New Blog

Hey all. I have decided that I need to post more about my spirituality because I have so many things to say, and issues surrounding my faith need their own category. So from now on, this blog will be my generic blog, and all my faith/Catholic posts will be posted on Pray With Dani. (click on title to go to page).

I will also have the link to the other blog on the side.

Cheers!

Our God is An Awesome God.

After I was laid off from work, I started suffering from a spiritual dry spell. It's not entirely uncommon for someone after the first year to suffer one. And although I've had mini-spells in the past, that was nothing compared to the dullness in my heart of the last two months. From someone who is newly baptized (2009), who loves the Catholic faith with all her heart, this particular dry spell was painful.

Painful is an understatement. This spell tore at my heart. Nothing is worse than going through the motions of being a Catholic when the faith has given you unmeasurable gifts. What do you do when God, through his disciples, is giving you all these gifts on an open platter, and all you want to do is curl up and cry?

The answer of course is to keep going. And keep praying. It seems counter intuitive, but going through the motions is just what I needed to do. Even if it seemed empty. Even if it felt like my prayers were half baked or not being answered at all.

Because one day you go and it hits you like a ton of bricks. One day, you go and someone says something that switches the light bulb on. It's like all that misery get's swept away and the Holy Spirit fills your heart so hard, you almost fall over.

Last night was that night for me. I am blessed to live in an Archdiocese that really makes an effort to reach out to everyone for their every need. We have an Archbishop (click to read his blog) who has this amazing ability to take something so complex, simplify it, and then repose the issue into other aspects of your life that you never considered before. And my church in particular has so many wonderful priests that can make a homily apply no matter what your situation is.

Last night I got to experience something new. There was an all night prayer vigil for the sanctity of life, and the Young Adult group put on a prayer session for two hours that BLEW MY MIND AWAY. The music, although familiar from the radio, was unlike anything I have ever heard sing at a Catholic Church. It was upbeat, contemporary, inspiring. The whole service, especially the Archbishops' homilies made an issue that I have long since struggled with make sense. It takes a while sometimes to change your mind on something. But there was not one thing said last night that didn't make complete sense.

I left feeling a whole new person, with a new purpose and new sense of being. And in the moment of reflection when I got home, I realized that this was God acting when you need him the most. This was God at his absolute best - answering prayers and guiding his flock. And I am so thankful that two years ago, I said yes. Because the gifts of faith just keep on giving.

Our God is truly an awesome God.

Retro Post: War and the Bomber Girl.

Hello kittens! It has been a while so let's not waste time! It's RETRO week baby! *ETA: Retro WW2 Era to be specific. So think 40's! My favorite era! *

Today is Military Spouse appreciation day. Their contributions to the war efforts of today and years passed truly cannot be measured, and likely aren't as appreciated as it should be. If you want to read an excellent blog from a military spouse, I would advise you to read my friend Rebecca's blog, The Reluctant Homefront. She put into such eloquent words about the struggles and joy's of being a military spouse, and in my humble opinion, does the finest job anywhere on the net. So I will leave it up to her to do so.

But what I wanted to draw attention to was the contributions of the often overlooked and controversial girl in the war effort. That of the Bomber Girl in World War II.

The bomber girl began appearing on the nose of bombers and fighters during World War II. These "flying ladies" were painted on planes and served as aviators unique calling card and as personal escorts during missions of danger and uncertainty. They were created for a number of reasons: sexual deprivation, a battle cry, teasing the enemy, for good luck, etc. They were an extension of the pin-up girl, a connection home, but they became so much more.

Nose art made the aircraft easier to identify other than just simply using the serial number. This provided the plane a personality; it became an entity. For example, when you saw a certain "girl" returning from a bombing run you could immediately surmise what crew had made it back. While the military attempted to ban them on several occasions, but the art prevailed for its value in boosting morale for the crew.

The boundaries of decency were often left to the crew themselves. The bomber girls provided a signature for each unit and united the men together and felt a sense of belonging. Crews felt they were protected and had faith that they were coming back. Each bomber girl was an escort into the unknown, offering comfort in the face of mortality, promise of rebirth, continuity, renewal and salvation.

The act still continues today, although the hey day of using illicit images of women as nose art is most commonly associated with World War 2 and peaked at the Korean War.

Stay tuned for more retro posts!