Never leave home without it!

Giraffe at Busch Gardens, Florida
I love Photography. Though I don't get as much time to play around and experiment with it as I would like but I never leave home without a camera. You just never know when an exciting photographic moment might occur and you must be prepared! I was first introduced to photography in grade 11 when we were given the choice of taking photography or art. I thought....Cool! Photography, and I have loved it ever since. I even had my own darkroom at my house. I haven't had a lot of schooling in photography, mainly just two years in high school and my first year of college but I just love taking pictures, I can't say they are amazing by any means, but I could spend hours taking pictures and then playing with them on my computer. I do have a friend who is a photographer and she is amazing! You can take classes all you want but when it really comes down to it you have to have an eye for it and Boy, does she ever! So here are a few photos I have taken, a little bit of everything.

Cavendish, PEI

Ladybug

Flower

Banff, Alberta

Mission San José in San Antonio, Texas

Mission San José in San Antonio, Texas

Dante

Gloria the Duck

The Road to Iowa

Heroes in a Half Shell

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved reptiles and amphibians. So of course my favourite cartoon was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I had all the toys and movies and just couldn't get enough of those green fighting machines. I was never good at getting rid of things as I got older and as a result I have a pretty sweet Ninja Turtle collection. I often go to Toy Shows with my husband and am always on the lookout for anything TMNT I can find. The last couple years have been especially good for Ninja Turtle fans because 2009 was there 25th anniversary (we were born in the same year - how cool is that!), which means there are loads of anniversary toys and collectibles hitting the market.

One thing that I am extremely excited about is 5 statues that Sideshow Collectibles are creating to come out this year from the TMNT line. The first to be released is of Donatello it is expected to come out sometime in the first quarter of this year. The picture I have shown here is actually the exclusive that you can only get through the sideshow site. What makes this exclusive unique is actually the purple headband that so many people use to identify each turtle. In fact originally when the turtles hit the scene in their first Comic book by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman they all wore red headbands and the major distinguishing thing between the turtles was their weapons. It wasn't until the hit children's cartoon aired in 1987 that each turtle sported a different colour. They did this because they thought children would have a easier time identifying each turtle if they had a colour associated with them but when most people think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it is these ones they think of rather then the originals all in red.

The turtles have been re-vamped many times with new looks, new animation and new toys but my heart is mostly with the 1987 version that is most well known. My collection consists of mostly vintage action figures and collectibles. A lot of which I have had since I was young. I was even a Ninja Turtle for Halloween a couple times. The costume shown here is one my aunt made for me one year. It is very appropriate because my cousin use to call me "Raphael Rachael"

Unfortunately due to lack of space I am not able to have all my turtles out on display but here is a small part of my collection.

The villains of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles














Their leader The Shredder along with his right-hand men BeBop & Rocksteady


The Good Guys


Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael & Michaelangelo


Neca anniversary Turtles based on the Original Comic Series


Seasons of the 1987 Ninja Turtles Cartoon Series

This is just a small selection of my collection. I hope to one day have it all put on display. I also have a big collection of the Ninja Turtle Comics, a couple of them are signed and I even have a sketch in the back of one of them.

Notice the awesome stand I have for my Dvds. It is the Video Game stand for the new Turtles Game Smash-Up.

I am Feeling Very Olympic Today

I am finding myself more excited about the Olympics this year then I normally am and it isn't because they are in Canada, which I still find exciting, but more because I really have a reason to watch. My cousin's girlfriend Brigitte Acton is an Alpine Skier and has made the Olympic team this year and will be competing in both the Laides Slalom and the Ladies Giant Slalom.

It was touch and go for a while on if she was going to make the team because there were cutbacks on how many Canadians could be on the team but she made it! Turin was her first Olympics but these are the games she has really been working towards and we are very excited for her and can't wait to watch. The giant Slalom is on February 24 but her specialty is the Slalom which is taking place on February 26. If you happen to be watching make sure you cheer her on! Check out her Olympic profile here.

Go Brigitte Go!

Oh So Tasty!

There is nothing like going for your daily walk on your lunch break to stumble across a beavertail stand you didn't know existed. I am sad to say it wasn't a permanent stand, it was only up for Kingston's annual Feb Fest, but what a treat it was indeed. There is nothing like a big piece of dough that has been deep fried and covered in cinnamon and sugar. YUM! I will never say no to a beaver tail.

For those of you who don't have a beavertail stand close at hand you can always try making one at home! I have done it before and they are quite good. Check out this beaver tail recipe. Enjoy!

Aloha

Aloha is probably one of the most well known words in the Hawaiian language. It is also a very unique word in that it has many meanings. It can mean hello or goodbye, it can mean love or affection. The Spirit of Aloha means the "presence of breath" or "the breath of life" Aloha isn't just a word, it is a way of life.

About 3 years ago I was dragged to my first Hula class by a very close friend of mine. I say dragged because she had been after me for quite some time about joining her and I didn't really know what to expect. After a couple 'Amis, Kaholos, and Around the Islands, I was hooked, and I have been dancing ever since. It is something different, something fun and great exercise to boot! One of the best things about my hula class is the wonderful ladies I dance with every week. We range in age, I am the youngest and we have a couple ladies in there 70's! Isn't that wonderful. I love dancing with the different generations, learning from them and having something in common to share and love despite the age difference.

Hula is my happy place. It relaxes me when i am stressed and it cheers me up when I am down. We do a lot of shows for retirement homes and I love the reaction we get from everyone. The most rewarding part is at the end of our show we ask people to come up and we teach them a hula. There is nothing like being in a room full of seniors as you all wiggle your hips around and around together. It is just so much fun and a great way to end your day.

ALOHA!

The Lizard-Spock Expansion

I have recently become quite fond of a fun little show called The Big Bang Theory. So fond in fact I find I can't get enough of this show. I can put it on in the background and enjoy it over and over again and I just don't seem to get tired of it. In fact since December I am sure I have seen every episode of the first and second season at least 2 or 3 times. Call me crazy but this show just puts me in a better mood. I think it's important to have something that you know will always put a smile on your face and that what this show does for me.

One of my favourite scenes from the show is where Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons) explains to Raj about the expansion to the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors" which he now calls "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" Jim Parsons has an incredible gift of memorization. I don't know how anyone could manage the lines he has to say without stumbling or getting tongue tied but he makes it look so easy.



I really could go on and on about this show because it is just so much fun to watch but I will leave you with this instead. If you ever find yourself getting bored with the old "Rock, Paper, Scissors" I suggest "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" It's very simple - Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors.

Things that Freak me Out

There a are a few things in life that truly freak me out. Spiders are a big one. Though I am better than I use to be, if one catches me off guard you will be sure to see me running around shuddering and making a commotion.

Another thing that freaks me out is clowns. Though I think I can pin point where my fear of spiders came from, clowns I just don't know. So if you have ever seen the movie "It" you will understand why it freaked me out so much as a child.

The last thing that creeps me out, and this one is the real reason for this post, is dolls. Now don't get my wrong, not all dolls are bad in my books, but some of them just give me the heebie jeebies. Like this little fella I came across at Value Village today. Now some of you may think he is cute, which is fine. But if I had this little guy in my room while I was sleeping, i would be keeping one eye open for sure. I think maybe it is his shifty eyes. I just don't like them.

Let's Get Lost!

I am a HUGE fan of the show Lost and last night the season premiere started for it's final season. I must admit I slept in this morning because I stayed up too late watching it but it was totally worth it. I did make it to work on time too which is good.


Boy they sure know how to start of a season. The thing I love about the show is most of the time you really have no idea whats going on. There are always so many questions running through you mind and when they finally answer one question for you they leave you with about 20 more new questions.

While I am sad that this is it's last season I am happy that they are ending the show on their terms. I hate it when a show you love gets canceled and you are just left hanging. I also hate it when a good show goes bad because the writers just keeping dragging it on and on because Hey! they can, and it looses it's story and everything you loved about it.

For any other Lost fans out there you might find this a fun little read. Thanks to my good old friend the Scifiwire. Here is a list of 20 crazy things that nearly happened on Lost (but fortunately didn't)
I think my favourite one is where the props team put a Dharma logo on a shark as a inside joke not thinking it would show up on camera and when it did fans went Crazy trying to figure out the meaning behind it.