Car Commuter Tips (or how to live in front of a steering wheel)

Tending to work from contract to contract, I never seem to know where I will end up next. Sadly, I have to commute and while I do prefer public transportation (yay environment!) sometimes I don't have much of a choice. My current employment location is in a town that has a public bus come twice a day. That's right. Twice a day.
I have no choice but to drive.

Yah, I definitely do not drive a Peugeot. But this blog needed a pic.

Here are my suggestions to make your travel a little bit easier.

1. Always have Water in the Car
While I detest anyone even thinking of buying bottled water (seriously, buy a Britta and metal can it), you really should have a bottle within your driving reach just in case you are stuck in traffic congestion.
And if you are lucky to have that bottle of water in your car during the winter, you will be able to do this neat trick.

2. Emergency Car Snacks
I believe this is why your car has a glove compartment. It ain't for gloves. It's for snacks. I recommend choosing something that can last several months, something that can't melt and something that you will actually eat in an emergency. Granola bars? Seriously. They can turn into bricks. Try a soft baked cookie.

Emergency car food of choice: a soft baked cookie.

3. Car Shoes
Wha? you say. Something comfy on your feet works wonders. My shoes currently are sandals. I am not wearing my work boots in my car (that doesn't have air conditioning) during my commute. That is not going to happen. Tight work shoes or heels. Say no. Your feet will thank you and your drive will be much more pleasant. Where you stick your stinky socks when you are driving home is completely your choice.

4. & 5.  An Emergency Car Kit and CAA/AAA
If you don't have an Emergency Car Kit you shouldn't be on the road. Add mittens to your kit, you'll use them. CAA is a godsend too. They rock. And if you use particular gas stations, they can swipe your CAA card to save yourself membership fees next time it needs to be renewed.

6. & 7. Properly Filled Tires with Tire Gauge (and an aside on Winter Tires)
If I hear you whine about gas prices and you don't own a tire gadge, you deserve it. Properly inflated tires save you money on your car's gas usage. The pressure of your tires is listed in your car manual or on a sticker in the inside of your drivers door. If you don't know how to use a tire gauge or an air pressure pump, ask your mechanic. They will probably show you this info for free and this will definitely save you money. I am overly diligent about the air in my tires and criticize my neighbour's tires too.

You should have Winter Tires if you live in Canada. Don't give me that global warming excuse. It should be law and yes, I know they are expensive. But trust me, the first time you try them you will be shocked at the difference. Your car will drive through snow like a hot knife through butter. They are wonderful.

8. Pre-programmed Radio Stations
While radio is not what it used to me, you'll need it to combat your sanity. If you actually have the income to buy satellite radio, go ahead.

Additional Must Haves: Air conditioning in 40 degree weather would be nice (I can dream). Washer Fluid. Good wipers. Clean windows. A cellphone (turned off!!!).

Fishtail Braid

ooooh! I would love to try this fishtail braid. I don't know if my hair is long enough though. Hopefully, you won't have this problem!

Check out the video from the Globe and Mail here.

Japanese Trinket Love

There is something about how incredibly cute Japanese or Chinese stationary is. All the cute pens and paper with funny anime characters on it. I am such a sucker!

Heaven forbid if I come across a store that sells the stuff. I should just hand over my wallet.

Trust me, it is so difficult working in Chinatown. It is good I got contract in another location for awhile. I don't need anymore stuff. I don't need to spend anymore money.

But then I just happened to stumble upon a new store called Ka Ka Fa Fa. Looooove it. Cute overload!

Uh oh. I need therapy. This is what I bought: (this time, anyways)

Recycled post-it notes for my friend in Halifax with a little note saying "no matter how far apart we are, my thoughts always find their way back to you. missing"

I think the worm covers up the you in that sentence. As in all stationary purchases, if the English is bad, I love it even more.

This is for my pen pal in Taiwan who loves cats. I'm sending her a package soon containing a baby blanket I am knitting. This will match it purrrrfectly.

Two super pretty envelopes that can also serve as a single page letter note, depending if you write on the inside.

Yup that is teddy bear mushroom tape. Funky tape rocks and always impresses the mail clerk at Canada Post, let me tell you. I have a reputation I need to keep up you know.

Alice Adventures in Wonderland postcard....there were a few to chose from.

For two of my pen pals that love cats - keychains! OMG - while I'm allergic to cats, you gotta love these "cheese cats," so they are named. Soooooo cute!

OMG they have little paws! EEEEEEK!!!

Favourite Online Magazines

There are so many terrific online magazines now. Sadly, it makes you wonder how paper magazines exist.

Here are some fabulous craft, design, food and lifestyle mags and here are my top choices. All of these magazines have supporting blogs that are good to read too. Check them out and support them!

Covet Garden is a Canadian Magazine and blog that features a home of an artist/artisan/arts worker/designer every issue. It includes projects and recipes, really great finds and I especially like the pages about where the artist tells about their current reads, tunes and inspirations. Plus it is Canadian!

Sweet Paul is based out of New York. It is food based but has some crafty projects. It seemed for a while they had many activities based on children. The photography is terrific. Great party ideas. Very party centric actually. They also sell this magazine in paper at Anthropologie for $20 if you want to pay for it.

rue is a fashion/interior design/travel magazine. They have the biggest budget of all the magazines I read because they often travel to different locations to view homes. rue is not as hipster as my other reads but they do have neat finds. This mag also has d.i.y. projects and recipes, a necessity to all my online reading.

Leaf is a terrific gardening/design magazine from the States. While I haven't gone through all the back issues they have terrific outdoor projects. If you have a yard, or like to entertain, this is a must read. Or if you are like me and live in an apartment, it is nice to dream.

91 Magazine is based out of the U.K. and is full of retro, vintage. crafty, magazine with some food. It is a rather new publication and is pretty girlie. Actually that is the best word to describe this mag: pretty. Fun to browse through and has a good blog.

NEET is also a new find to me. Indie, hipster fashion and handmade crafts along with some music reviews and interviews. If you read Bust or Nylon and shop at etsy, you'll like NEET. Plus there are tons of back issues (all the way to 2009!) so you are bound to find something you'll like.

Samples: P&G BrandSampler

I like freebies and who doesn't? For a few years now I have been subscribed to P&G BrandSaver which is a fabulous way to get new products in your mailbox about every season/3 months. Sometimes they have special "male" samplers which are equally impressive (I have signed Mr. B on) so it is worth keeping abreast with their emails.

I was really impressed with my last box. Here is a pic of it:

Inside was a Febreze Car deodorizer, a Scope pack with a floss/mouthwash/toothpaste sample, Downey Un-Stopables and a man's Fusion Proglide Five Blade Razor along with coupons for more products.

I don't use Febreze because I can't stand the underlying smell it has that reminds me of a candy I ate as a kid ----yah, that concept is scary---- my Mom uses it. I was intrigued by the new Febreze Car fresheners though and I am excited to try it out in my car once the heat dies down a bit.

The Scope pack I have received before and they are super handy to carry with you if you are traveling.

The Downey is a bit scary. It is really, really scented. I can smell it even though it is vacuumed packed. I am going to try it out with my towels or my sock wash, in little bits though.

The razor is fab. Any free razor is fab. At $10 a pop, I hate buying razors. I have gotten more than one Venus razors (!!!) in the past and love the fact I don't have to buy them. Personally, I find it a good product, but find the razor overpriced and containing too much plastic that will later get tossed into a landfill.

What have I gotten in the past? I have received shampoo and detergent samples, teeth whiteners, food samples and great coupons. Pretty awesome guys! Definitely you should check it out!

The Sisters Brothers (and various thoughts about book critics and publishers)

Around Christmas 2011, there was a huge amount of hype about "The Sisters Brothers" by Patrick deWitt. The idea of reading a Western didn't really appeal to me and thankfully, my father was given the book by my aunt (saving me from buying it!)

While I thought I wouldn't enjoy it, I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend it! The book honestly reads like a short story and it is action packed, quick paced, and fun.

Maybe I associate Westerns with John Wayne and slow plotted movies that film dust storms and tumbleweeds. The basic plot is of Eli and Charlie Sisters traveling towards the west coast of California. They have been hired to kill a man (natch) and are notorious killers to most of the greater public. It really doesn't take much for them to pull a trigger, so expect a lot of blood.

I love the cover art on this book. The size is another story.

Charlie is a drunk. Eli is seeking a greater purpose in his life.  Together they get into strange situations (still trying to understand the witch thing), shoot a lot of people, drink and go to whore houses. It's really entertaining listening to Eli trying to make sense of it all.

Okay, now to a discussion on "funny":

All the critic quotes on and in the book talk about how hilarious the book is. This is not the first book I've read that has been deemed as hilarious where I don't laugh.

I have a sense of humour. This book was not funny. Whimsical, yes. Not, ha ha ha or LOL.

Who determines what is funny? Don't I have a sense of humour? David Sedaris is funny (I'm reading one of his works now). Why don't critics call "funny" works, "quirky"? Or "strange"? Or "weird"?

I think I am officially insulted.

And another thing: 

Is this why is the book is so friggin' big?!?!?!  The type is huge, .... , well, large. I threw this sucker in my purse one day and it practically took up the whole thing.

I am figuring the publisher probably thought that more men would read this book than woman. Do you think that they made the book bigger for "man hands"?

I'm insulted again!

The Sister Brothers is 9" in length and 6" wide.
(Stacked from bottom: The Sister Bros, Visit from the Goon Squad and Sons and Lovers)

Coming from a visual art background, I get the artsy-ness of a large paperback. It's cute. I get it. And I understand that sometimes a larger size lends it self to the story (I can't imagine D. Coupland's "Generation X" in a small format because it includes images, or any graphic book for that matter). And hardcover books tend to be bigger too.

But when novels are almost the size of a magazine, the publisher should consider that the reader may like to carry the book somewhere to read it.

Damn - I don't believe I actually measured it.

Dull to Shiny Rain Boots

Are your Wellies dull? Do they only look good in the rain? Here is a project you will be able to complete over the weekend.

The solution to make your booties shine is to use Armor All Vinyl Protectant wipes for your car. Easy Peasy!