Thursday, September 23, 2010
It's About Time
I guess Canada Post took their sweet time deciding to charge me duty, but my long awaited parcel finally arrived today. Or rather one of those "Come pickup your shit" door hangy things did. Looky what I got!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Restaurant Review: Moe's Southwest Grill
Moe's Blows
I'm a huge fan of Chipotle, and fresh made burritos in general. After hearing good think about this restaurant and reading multiple reviews claiming that it was even better than Chipotle, I had to check it out.
When I walked in, my first impression was that the restaurant was dull and dingie looking. The florescent lights reminded me of a hospital room and the old, dirty floors and chairs made me think of a run down Swiss Chalet.
I ordered the Art Vandalay which is what they call the vegetarian burrito. I wasn't that hungry going in, so I was prepared for this to be way too much food, as Chipotle's burritos are massive, and rightfully so for the price. The prices at Moe's were pretty much equal to Chipotle, but the here the chips and salsa are free. Chipotle charges $2 for theirs.
My burrito was around the size of something you would order from the big bell menu at Taco Bell for $1.29 but it rang in at around $10 with a fountain pop and tax. I chose the black beans, which I was told were spicy, but was let down as they had no taste whatsoever. The rice was either undercooked or old and dried out because it was hard and chewy like aldante pasta. For me, the rice is the best part of the burrito. I love Chipotle's lime cilantro rice, but on top of being hard, Moe's was flavourless.
The only thing that gave my food any flavour at all was the chopped jalepeno peppers and chipotle mayonaise that I had them add. I should note that Chipotle doesn't offer a burrito sauce or jalepenos, but everything else there has such a great flavour that it isn't neccessary. The sauce tasted sort of like the southwest chipotle sauce from Subway. It was good.
The free corn chips tasted like something you could buy in a bag at the grocery store. They weren't particularly bad, but were nothing special and definately didn't compare to the fresh made chips that I've had at places like Mucho Burrito and Chipotle. I'd much rather spend the extra $2 and get something good. Also, Moe's salsa tasted like Old El Paso's jarred extra chunky.
All in all, this place was a major let down. The portions would not have filled me if I was hungry (and I'm a slender girl) and I could have, and should have walked around the block to Chipotle where I could have gotten three times more food, that was better quality for the same price, served in a bright, clean enviroment.
Side note: I was told that Moe's sings and chats with you and greets you with a big friendly "Welcome to Moe's!" That didn't happen. In fact, 3 out of 4 employees working the counter could barely speak english. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose.
Thumbs down.
I'm a huge fan of Chipotle, and fresh made burritos in general. After hearing good think about this restaurant and reading multiple reviews claiming that it was even better than Chipotle, I had to check it out.
When I walked in, my first impression was that the restaurant was dull and dingie looking. The florescent lights reminded me of a hospital room and the old, dirty floors and chairs made me think of a run down Swiss Chalet.
I ordered the Art Vandalay which is what they call the vegetarian burrito. I wasn't that hungry going in, so I was prepared for this to be way too much food, as Chipotle's burritos are massive, and rightfully so for the price. The prices at Moe's were pretty much equal to Chipotle, but the here the chips and salsa are free. Chipotle charges $2 for theirs.
My burrito was around the size of something you would order from the big bell menu at Taco Bell for $1.29 but it rang in at around $10 with a fountain pop and tax. I chose the black beans, which I was told were spicy, but was let down as they had no taste whatsoever. The rice was either undercooked or old and dried out because it was hard and chewy like aldante pasta. For me, the rice is the best part of the burrito. I love Chipotle's lime cilantro rice, but on top of being hard, Moe's was flavourless.
The only thing that gave my food any flavour at all was the chopped jalepeno peppers and chipotle mayonaise that I had them add. I should note that Chipotle doesn't offer a burrito sauce or jalepenos, but everything else there has such a great flavour that it isn't neccessary. The sauce tasted sort of like the southwest chipotle sauce from Subway. It was good.
The free corn chips tasted like something you could buy in a bag at the grocery store. They weren't particularly bad, but were nothing special and definately didn't compare to the fresh made chips that I've had at places like Mucho Burrito and Chipotle. I'd much rather spend the extra $2 and get something good. Also, Moe's salsa tasted like Old El Paso's jarred extra chunky.
All in all, this place was a major let down. The portions would not have filled me if I was hungry (and I'm a slender girl) and I could have, and should have walked around the block to Chipotle where I could have gotten three times more food, that was better quality for the same price, served in a bright, clean enviroment.
Side note: I was told that Moe's sings and chats with you and greets you with a big friendly "Welcome to Moe's!" That didn't happen. In fact, 3 out of 4 employees working the counter could barely speak english. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose.
Thumbs down.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Um... Canada Post, Did You Forget About Me?
It's Friday. Where the hell is the delivery I've been waiting for? Better question, why wasn't I given a tracking number. Grrrr.
Stuff Is Movin', Stuff Is Groovin'
Too much all at once? I don't know. I feel a little overwhelmed, a little excited, and very nervous. It seems like since my internship at Dine Alone Records ended in January, I've done nothing at all. Now I'm out of school and I do less than nothing. I am constantly nagged about how I don't have a job, I sleep too much, I don't help out at home and blah blah blah.
Well now all at once, in a matter of a week or so I have so much coming together that I can't keep track of it all and though nothing has happened yet, I'm stressing myself out pretty bad. It's a weird habit of mine. I stay pretty calm in situations when most people go ape shit (probably because I mostly just don't give a damn) but then all these little things pile up in my head and I think about them and think about them until I drive myself crazy. I lose sleep. I make myself literally sick to the stomach.
For the past month, I've been teaching guitar lessons privately. No big deal really, just helping some little kids learn the basics. I had a few students here and there, but as of now, I have one student on a regular basis- a little boy that lives a few blocks away from me. It would seem that this is a simple gig and the money is good in relation to the time I put it. But now that school is back in, I travel to this kid's house for the lesson. Looking at the weather forcast and seeing that it's suppose to rain on a day when I need to walk there stresses me out to the max. I don't even really know why. I hate the feeling of wet clothes. (Yes, I also hate swimming) Maintaining my hair is such a hassle, the last thing I want is for it to get wet and frizzy and have to straighten it all over again. The humidity that comes along with rain makes my face feel sticky and greasy. I am anal about my skin care. I wash my face more often and using more products than someone with OCD. I hate when it rains and there's worms and snails all over the side walk. Am I just being an overdramatic girly girl? Absolutely.
Today I got the thumbs up that I got the job I had applied for last week. I am now a Customer Serive Representitive at a music school/store in the lesson department. Ideally, it's a perfect job for me. I can wear whatever I want, I get to be around music all day, I get more than minimum wage and I'll just be sitting in an office, i.e. no scrubbing floors, making smoothies, dealing with illiterate moron managers *cough Freshly Squeezed, cough*. The only down side is that it's pretty far north of where I live. It will run me $4.25 in bus fare each way, and a decent walk in from the bus stop on Yonge street. Again, instant thought: "What if it rains?!?!" Now I'm caught between "I have too much on the go" and "I'm only part-time there, that's not enough money, especially if I'm not in school. I'll need another job too". STRESS!!!!!!
To add a cherry onto the sundae, I just got offered my first real gig. I was sent an email asking if I was interested in playing at a Super Nova Battle Of The Bands. To be completely honest, I signed up for the website after having a huge blowout with my mom about how I wasn't going to school because I just wanted to play music. She argued that I wasn't even making an effort with that. So I signed up online a while back and completely forgot about it. Then this email came in and my first thought was to laugh and delete it. I'm not ready for that. But why aren't I? Isn't it about time? SOMEHOW, I still have no idea how this happened, but I played guitar and sang at my high school's coffee house last year. To say that I'm not a singer would be a major understatement. I'm still convinced that the teacher who gave the thumbs up to my audition was either heavily intoxicated, or mixed me up with another student. Seriously. Well I played and sang the *easiest* cover song ever. 3 power chords and vocally, maybe 4 notes. I didn't bomb it, and I didn't make an ass out of myself but I only did OKAY at most. Keep in mind it was only one song. I was on stage for less than 3 minutes total.
To wrap up the babbling, I agreed to play this upcoming showcase at The Great Hall in Toronto and am now playing a half hour set. Great. I'm going from playing in front of 100 kids and parents that I've known for years to playing in front of god knows how many complete strangers. It will be a mix of originals and covers as I don't have 30 minutes worth of original material. Seeing as how I don't have a band, I will also mstly likely be the only solo performer at the event. It's more than a month down the road and I already feel like puking, but I know once I do this, assuming I won't get booed off stage, that it will be the best feeling ever. So now I have a meeting to attend downtown about this show and on top of it all, a dentist appointment somewhere in the middle of all this chaos. It doesn't help that I have no support at home about all this either. My family thinks I'm throwing my life away with music.
If you feel like watching me humiliate myself in front of hundreds of people, the show is at The Great Hall at Queen St. West and Dovercourt on October 22. Tickets are $10 and can be bought through me.
"When it rains, it pours."
"Don't stress the small stuff. The big things will figure themselves out."
Well now all at once, in a matter of a week or so I have so much coming together that I can't keep track of it all and though nothing has happened yet, I'm stressing myself out pretty bad. It's a weird habit of mine. I stay pretty calm in situations when most people go ape shit (probably because I mostly just don't give a damn) but then all these little things pile up in my head and I think about them and think about them until I drive myself crazy. I lose sleep. I make myself literally sick to the stomach.
For the past month, I've been teaching guitar lessons privately. No big deal really, just helping some little kids learn the basics. I had a few students here and there, but as of now, I have one student on a regular basis- a little boy that lives a few blocks away from me. It would seem that this is a simple gig and the money is good in relation to the time I put it. But now that school is back in, I travel to this kid's house for the lesson. Looking at the weather forcast and seeing that it's suppose to rain on a day when I need to walk there stresses me out to the max. I don't even really know why. I hate the feeling of wet clothes. (Yes, I also hate swimming) Maintaining my hair is such a hassle, the last thing I want is for it to get wet and frizzy and have to straighten it all over again. The humidity that comes along with rain makes my face feel sticky and greasy. I am anal about my skin care. I wash my face more often and using more products than someone with OCD. I hate when it rains and there's worms and snails all over the side walk. Am I just being an overdramatic girly girl? Absolutely.
Today I got the thumbs up that I got the job I had applied for last week. I am now a Customer Serive Representitive at a music school/store in the lesson department. Ideally, it's a perfect job for me. I can wear whatever I want, I get to be around music all day, I get more than minimum wage and I'll just be sitting in an office, i.e. no scrubbing floors, making smoothies, dealing with illiterate moron managers *cough Freshly Squeezed, cough*. The only down side is that it's pretty far north of where I live. It will run me $4.25 in bus fare each way, and a decent walk in from the bus stop on Yonge street. Again, instant thought: "What if it rains?!?!" Now I'm caught between "I have too much on the go" and "I'm only part-time there, that's not enough money, especially if I'm not in school. I'll need another job too". STRESS!!!!!!
To add a cherry onto the sundae, I just got offered my first real gig. I was sent an email asking if I was interested in playing at a Super Nova Battle Of The Bands. To be completely honest, I signed up for the website after having a huge blowout with my mom about how I wasn't going to school because I just wanted to play music. She argued that I wasn't even making an effort with that. So I signed up online a while back and completely forgot about it. Then this email came in and my first thought was to laugh and delete it. I'm not ready for that. But why aren't I? Isn't it about time? SOMEHOW, I still have no idea how this happened, but I played guitar and sang at my high school's coffee house last year. To say that I'm not a singer would be a major understatement. I'm still convinced that the teacher who gave the thumbs up to my audition was either heavily intoxicated, or mixed me up with another student. Seriously. Well I played and sang the *easiest* cover song ever. 3 power chords and vocally, maybe 4 notes. I didn't bomb it, and I didn't make an ass out of myself but I only did OKAY at most. Keep in mind it was only one song. I was on stage for less than 3 minutes total.
To wrap up the babbling, I agreed to play this upcoming showcase at The Great Hall in Toronto and am now playing a half hour set. Great. I'm going from playing in front of 100 kids and parents that I've known for years to playing in front of god knows how many complete strangers. It will be a mix of originals and covers as I don't have 30 minutes worth of original material. Seeing as how I don't have a band, I will also mstly likely be the only solo performer at the event. It's more than a month down the road and I already feel like puking, but I know once I do this, assuming I won't get booed off stage, that it will be the best feeling ever. So now I have a meeting to attend downtown about this show and on top of it all, a dentist appointment somewhere in the middle of all this chaos. It doesn't help that I have no support at home about all this either. My family thinks I'm throwing my life away with music.
If you feel like watching me humiliate myself in front of hundreds of people, the show is at The Great Hall at Queen St. West and Dovercourt on October 22. Tickets are $10 and can be bought through me.
"When it rains, it pours."
"Don't stress the small stuff. The big things will figure themselves out."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dear Post Office...
Dear Post Office,
Hurry the hell up. Where is my package (hehehe)? Tomorrow is Friday. If it doesn't arrive I will be very upset. This letter has no real purpose. I just want my stuff. K, thanks.
Nicole
Hurry the hell up. Where is my package (hehehe)? Tomorrow is Friday. If it doesn't arrive I will be very upset. This letter has no real purpose. I just want my stuff. K, thanks.
Nicole
Monday, September 13, 2010
Why Does Mail Have To Take So Long?
I'm expecting a package. It's coming from over seas. I've been searching for the contents for a while. I'm very glad that I have finally got a hold of them. The package should be here in 3-5 business days, which means earliest Wednesday, latest Friday. Pics to come.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I Could Put Rubbermaid Out Of Business
This is how I pack up leftovers.
Joey sure does love speghetti.
Joey sure does love speghetti.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Music Monday: Deaf Havana
I love these guys way too much. Think of them as the British Watch Out! era Alexisonfire. They write really catchy, melodic- yet heavy music. Their record Meet Me Halfway, At Least is kick ass all the way through. The guitarist/singer James Amadeus Veck-Gilodi has quite the set of pipes on him, dare I say reminiscent of a young Dallas Green. The screamer (who unfortunately left the band this past May) is brutal (in a good way). I think I wrote about DH in my last old blog, but like I said, I love them big time. Check out the video for their song Friends Like These from their 2009 release Meet Me Halfway, At Least. Bonus points because James is actually wearing an AOF Watch Out! shirt in the video.
Ping!
iTunes Ping. What is it? I don't know. Should you care? Probably not. I have no idea why, but I signd up for an account. Follow me.... if you want.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
My Wish List For My 18th Birthday
Today is September 4, 2010. In just 40 short days, on October 14, I will be 18. Every since I was a little kid, I had this habit of typing up a wish list of all the things I wanted for my birthday every single year. I would write how much it costs and where it could be bought and then I would print out 10 copies and leave strategically around my house. Despite the fact that I'm not a baby anymore, this year will be no different. Anyone who ever says "I don't want a gift" or "Really, there's nothing I want" is full shit. Everyone wants presents. It's your birthday, the one time of year when you can be as big of a glutton as you want. Since I'm turning 18 this year, I feel like I entitled to ask for bigger things than usual. 18 is a big deal. And so, I present to you, my 2010 birthday list.
1. A car. Any simple Corvette or Lambo will do. I'm not that picky. I just don't think that it's fair that all these kids on My Super Sweet 16 get a car before they even turn 16. I'm going to be 18 damn it. It's about time. Oh, and it has to have a vegan leather interior.
2. A Mac. I've been using the same old crappy Dell laptop since the 9th grade. And no, I'm not spoiled. I paid for it myself. But it's getting older and crappier by the day, and this time around I want a Mac. One of the big pretty desktop ones with the purple wallpaper.
3. An elephant. There are three good reasons I should get an elephant. Think of it as a multiple-purpose gift. It would be a pet, a vehicle and a bodyguard all in one. Seriously, who would mess with a kid on an elephant? I will name him Stampy as an homage to Bart Simpson. I will share my vegetarian food with him, so feeding him isn't an issue. And if I get Stampy, I will be okay not getting a car. It's a package deal. I don't want to be greedy or anything.
4. Rise Against. They're my favourite live band and I haven't seen them since July 2009. That's more than a year ago! I want them to play a show on the deck in my backyard. If they are not available, the Foo Fighters are an acceptable substitute.
6. George Clooney.
7. A tattoo. Actually I want a few. Joey's paw print, a music note, some lyrics, etc.
8. An LCD tv. I'm still using an old CRT. I want a BIG HDTV mounted to the wall in my room.
9. A trampoline floor and a velcro ceiling. You do the math.
10. A dumpster full of foam and a ramp of equal height. Again, I think this is pretty obvious. I want to ride my bike/skateboard/mom's minivan/anything with wheels up and off the ramp where I can then land in the foam pit.
1. A car. Any simple Corvette or Lambo will do. I'm not that picky. I just don't think that it's fair that all these kids on My Super Sweet 16 get a car before they even turn 16. I'm going to be 18 damn it. It's about time. Oh, and it has to have a vegan leather interior.
2. A Mac. I've been using the same old crappy Dell laptop since the 9th grade. And no, I'm not spoiled. I paid for it myself. But it's getting older and crappier by the day, and this time around I want a Mac. One of the big pretty desktop ones with the purple wallpaper.
3. An elephant. There are three good reasons I should get an elephant. Think of it as a multiple-purpose gift. It would be a pet, a vehicle and a bodyguard all in one. Seriously, who would mess with a kid on an elephant? I will name him Stampy as an homage to Bart Simpson. I will share my vegetarian food with him, so feeding him isn't an issue. And if I get Stampy, I will be okay not getting a car. It's a package deal. I don't want to be greedy or anything.
4. Rise Against. They're my favourite live band and I haven't seen them since July 2009. That's more than a year ago! I want them to play a show on the deck in my backyard. If they are not available, the Foo Fighters are an acceptable substitute.
5. A Smoke's Poutinerie location on my driveway. Poutine from Smoke's is my favourite junk food ever. I crave it all the time, especially in the middle of the night, but the closet one is more than an hour's drive away. That just will not do.
6. George Clooney.
7. A tattoo. Actually I want a few. Joey's paw print, a music note, some lyrics, etc.
8. An LCD tv. I'm still using an old CRT. I want a BIG HDTV mounted to the wall in my room.
9. A trampoline floor and a velcro ceiling. You do the math.
10. A dumpster full of foam and a ramp of equal height. Again, I think this is pretty obvious. I want to ride my bike/skateboard/mom's minivan/anything with wheels up and off the ramp where I can then land in the foam pit.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I'm An Apple Dork
I watch all the keynote presentations. Even for products I don't own, won't own, can't afford, or don't want. All in the same breath I can acknowledge how useless a product is and then confess how badly I'd like to have it. Once the products are for sale, I watch all the videos that demonstrate how to use them. You know, those loevly little videos with the white background, and the guy who has quite obviously had a manicure? I don't have a Mac or an iPhone or an iPad. Just a plain old iPod Classic. But if I was rich, I could drop a a dangerous amount of cash in the Apple store. Good thing I'm not. Does anyone have a link to watch the keynote presentation from this morning about the new iPods? I'm not going to buy one. But I'm dying to watch the video.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)