Embarrasing Moment and a book review of I Like You Just The Way I Am - Jenny Mollen

For today's blogtober prompt, we are asked to talk about our most embarrassing moment.

 I get really flustered easily. And when I know I have to put myself out there I get major anxiety to the point where I just don't do anything. That being said, I can't really remember any huge embarrassments.  Major cop out hey?

Sure that time I got walked in on by parents. That sucked.  Or when I shit my pants. That hugely sucked. But I got over it. Actually no, it still burns in my mind... so  ya....  there it is.

So, speaking of embarrassing moments, this memoir Jenny Mollen wrote is full of them

This was another case of "I have no idea who this person is but lets read their memoir" 

And I'm glad I did. 

It was hilarious. I really don't know what else to say other than that.  Its a great, easy, laugh out loud read that I recommend for sure.

So, other than that stellar review what should I tell you? 

My favourite stories were the bachelorette party and the stalking therapist one. Again, you will just have to go and read them for yourself. She doesnt' hide away her crazy, and that's what makes it funny. And she is bat shit crazy at times.


“Something about having been with the same man made me feel especially close to her-like she and I had a shorthand that only people who'd had the same penis inside them could understand.” 


Also, go follow Jenny's twitter and instagram feed. Hilarious as well.


Synopsis: Jenny Mollen is an actress and writer living in Los Angeles. She is also a wife, married to a famous guy (which is annoying only because he gets free shit and she doesn’t). She doesn’t want much from life. Just to be loved—by everybody: her parents, her dogs, her ex-boyfriends, her ex-boyfriends’ dogs, her husband, her husband’s ex-girlfriends, her husband’s ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriends, etc. Some people might call that impulse crazy, but isn’t “crazy” really just a word boring people use to describe fun people? (And Jenny is really, really fun, you guys!) In these pages, you’ll find stories of Jenny at her most genuine, whether it’s stalking her therapist (because he knows everything about her so shouldn’t she get to know everything about him?); throwing a bachelorette party so bad that one of the guests is suspected dead; or answering the eternal question,Would your best friend blow your husband on a car ride to dinner if she didn’t know you were hiding in the backseat?

I Like You Just the Way I Am is about not doing the right thing—about indulging your inner crazy-person. It is Jenny when she’s not trying to impress anyone or come across as a responsible, level-headed member of society. With any luck it will make you better acquainted with who you really are and what you really want. Which, let’s be honest, is most likely someone else’s email password.- 

(received via netgalley for an honest review)

Dear Young Kendra

Dear 22 year old Kendra;

Why must you worry about everything and second guess every single freakin opinion?

You need to stop that. Your adult self will thank you for it.You need to pick a career direction. And do everything you can do obtain that. Volunteer. Take stupid part time and low paying jobs. Pay to work if thats what you need to do. Remember that sorority you joined? Use it to network. That was one of the selling points. 

Oh, and remember beer has a lot of calories. It will catch up with you.  Maybe, start doing some sort of exercise routine so you actually stay your size 4 shape.  Just saying.

Oh, and power to you for dating around. You just got out of a 4 year relationship, and well here's the time to spread your seed. Wait, thats not the right thing to say. Anyways. Be safe.  And that birthday party at a club called Snatch, that you will make every excuse not to go to. Go. You will meet your future husband there. 

Love, Kendra

Favourite Book

This prompt is easy. I mean this did start out as a book blog. So you can always go through that little tab at the top that says "book reviews' and see what I think of many books, if you want...

but....

My favourite book.



HARRY POTTER!  The series that defined my childhood, teenage, adult years.

I feel as if there needs to be no synopsis for the series. Because if you haven't read them, we cannot be friends.

and then if I was going the non-obvisous route;

I would pick The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover.

synopsis:The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preacher, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. To say that he and his family are woefully unprepared would be an understatement: "We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle," says Leah, one of Nathan's daughters. But of course it isn't long before they discover that the tremendous humidity has rendered the mixes unusable, their clothes are unsuitable, and they've arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congolese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. In addition to poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, and the hostility of the villagers to Nathan's fiery take-no-prisoners brand of Christianity, there are also rebels in the jungle and the threat of war in the air.

The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and the village to which they've come. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor's animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortune across a span of more than 30 years. - goodreads

beauty must haves

These are the things that I use every single day as soon as I have to get my face put together to look semi-decent.

beauty must haves by kznov featuring Maybelline

My Biggest Pet Peeves

So, I'm back. This new job, while it isn't busy, doesn't offer me quite the same freedom.

My biggest pet peeves:

- When people are late.

- Empty toilet paper rolls. When there are clearly ones you could replace.

-  Putting dishes in the sink when the dishwasher is clearly empty.

- Not utilizing the space in the dishwasher properly.

- Not signalling. Or when you signal when you are already in the lane. Thanks tips.

- #When #people #hashtag #every #single #thing #in #instagram #posts.  (that made me cringe)

- People who just cut their toe nails in the open.  

- When you think you have a glass of wine left, and the bottle is empty....

And on that note,  I'm going to end it on that one.

Word to the Wise...

I'm a little late for today. Guess that is part of having a new job...

Today's prompt asks what my favourite quote is and well, it's this one:

Just kidding, although it is pretty great. 

I was searching around pinterest trying to find one, and I think the one that struck a chord with me the most is this one:

Just do what makes you happy, something that I need to work on. 

Funniest Memory from My Childhood

My favourite childhood memory  I have is due to the wonderfulness of camcorders. It is also a family favorite. I’ve seen it multiple times and laugh so hard every time. I am only about 7 months maybe?  Just minding my own business playing on a blanket in the Prices’ backyard. The mom’s went inside to make lunch or something and the dads were busy trying to make ice cream. (note: they were suppose to be watching me)  All of a sudden Bradon (Kamieys’ brother) came out of nowhere and just pushed me right over. I started crying. Dads didn't come to my rescue. Bradon strikes again.  The best part is that the parents didn't know any of this happened until we watched the video some years later.  Which makes me want to go watch it again!

Other favourite childhood memories; playing with Rhiannon. Barbies, house, dressing Frisky up like a doll and pushing him in our stroller. Frisky was our poodle. I can’t differentiate a certain time, as they do just blend together. Probably because that’s all we did. I also remember vividly our trip to Tofino, BC where I was so upset that I couldn’t go on a beach walk to see the dead whale and where I complained constantly about sand being in my crotch and hated wearing bathing suits.  There are also ton of memories that include the Prices (which are my second family) and Kamiey. We spent pretty much every weekend together growing up and coloured. Coloured pictures, fashion designs, the cat. A lot of times while waiting for Bradon to finish his hockey games. 

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Officially.... Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, the #Blogtober14 prompt is my favourite recipe for  the fall, and with fall comes me wanting to try anything with pumpkin.

So I decided that I was finally going to try out something I pinned.  ( I know...weird)

Pumpkin Pound Cake

This is the picture I took:

This is the picture the recipe gal took, it makes it look much more inviting. Obviously she is a food blogger, and I am definitely not. Oh, I suppose I should mention this recipe is from Sing For Your Supper.

So how to make this delicious and not diet worthy treat:

The goods:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

The how to:

In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves and pudding mix; add to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.

Transfer to a greased bundt pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.

 Remove from pan and cool completely.

 Dust with icing sugar to make it look pretty.

Enjoy and don't feel guilty. Pumpkin is healthy right!

Be Thankful....Best Advice

This past weekend has been busy celebrating Thanksgiving!

So the best advice I can lend to you today is:

Give thanks. Be grateful for everything you have in your life.

 And that's all you get today, as I"m in a turkey comatose from Friday, and I have to go deep fry one now!

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

If I was President

(another Blogtober topic!)

I was going to write this out as If I was a Prime Minister because, well I am Canadian, and we have a Prime Minister instead of a President. But as I was thinking, the things that I would change, we have in Canada.

So yes, if I was President:

I would first things first, make all marriage equal. Love is love. And its an antiquated idea that it is only between a man and woman. Let everyone be married.

Secondly, I would make people care more about the environment. I was appalled when I went to Idaho and found out they couldn't recycle glass bottles! Are you freakin kidding me? I would make it so that there was a recycling bin right next to every garbage bin. You would use it, it would reduce trash.

Thirdly, I would shorten everyone's work week, to at least have 3 days off. I think this would make for a better work/life balance. This would be true for both PM and Presidential wishes.

Fourthly, I think I would make maternity/paternity leave a lot longer. Again, I'm not a mom but Im sure the ones out there would appreciate it. Yes a year (in Canada) is pretty good compared to a lot of other places in the world (the States), but I think longer would be beneficial to all...

Fithly, I would make coffee free. Well. One per day free. Don't want no coffee-oholic people running around.

(had to make the last one not so serious)

Good platform I think...

Best Halloween (costumes)

In honor of Blogtober, they asked my Best or Worst Halloween ever, and as it is ThrowBack Thursday, I decided to throwback to last year, and reuse parts of my post, Halloween of Pasts 

So, without further ado, some of my favourite Halloween costumes.

I can't even explain this one. This is from I believe grade 11 or 12, and me and my friend really wanted to go trick-or-treating one last time (we were that cool), so we went through the Halloween pile and put on everything.... 

This is by far my most favorite costume. MOOSE!  The only downside to this was my hooves, it made drinking really hard.  My counterpart was a hunter!

Technically this wasn't Halloween but for the porn star party.  I basically just wore red heels and a trench coat. It made it awkward when they wanted me to coat check- Its like dude, I only have panites and a bra on underneath here... this coat is my costume.  (in hindsight, I'm not sure why I didn't at least wear a tank top underneath.... oh university drunken days)

White trash! Look at those wicker shoes!

Batman(girl) and the joker

Last year I was a living dead girl. This was the first time I actually put time into my make-up.  And wow do Imiss my long black hair.

Not very creative to say the least.

And that's all the ones I could actually find on my hard drive. Probably for the best! 

Dear Future Kendra.

Dear Kendra;

I can't believe you are going to be 39 soon. I hope the past 10 years have been good for you.

I am writing this at work. You know, the place where you loathed going to for three years, but they promised security. So you stayed, you learnt how to make the most of your day. But then they took back that promise and now you are 4 days away from unemployment.  I know you were afraid of the unknown. That it stressed you out. You were scared that any new opportunity won't grant you the same freedoms.

Maybe now you are in your dream job. I hope you are.

 Maybe now you are a mom and pulling your hair out and covered in snot and shit f your little gremlins who you love with all your heart. I hope you are.

Maybe you and G are planning a date night that you haven't had in a long time. I hope you are.

If not, future Kendra... I hope that you finally accepted where you are in life. That you realize that  things happen for a reason. Where ever your life took you, if you are surrounded by the kids you wanted or if for some reason you and G could never fulfill that wish; know that its for a reason. Marvel in it. Look at the bright side. My hope is that in 10 years you have learned to put more of a positive spin on things. I know you had problems with that before.

I hope that you have found acceptance in your body. You battled so much with hating your body. That being said,  I hope that you are still active.  I hope that you are still working out, doing yoga, walking your (new) dogs, and eating healthy. I know it sucks. And that you are probably drinking a glass of wine right now while reading this, but I hope you haven't turned it into a dependency.

I hope you found a hobby that elevates you. That makes you so happy and complete. If it it is still reading, great. You need to keep that mind sharp.

I guess Kendra, I hope you have finally learned to take things as they come. There may be a bigger plan for you.


-Kendra

Best & Worst Vacation

The lovely Blogtober14 prompt for today is Best and Worst Vacations.

If you take anything away from me, other than my love of champagne and books, is that I love to travel. I will jump at any opportunity to go to another country, immerse myself in the culture, and live. I get some people think I am just a city girl, but how many of you can say you've showered in a bucket before? Exactly.

Without further ado....

My BEST vacation:

I think my best vacation would have to be my 3 month foray in Thailand/Laos/Borneo with G. It was the first time travelling together, and we were in paradise. The beaches. The ocean. The heat. The monkeys. The orangutans. The snorkeling. The cheap food.  Loved it.

then...

Ghana. I have always wanted to go to Africa, and the chance of going to Ghana came up while I was working on my primatology degree. Loved it.

My WORST vacation:

This is a hard thing to come up with. I mean. I love travelling. I just love getting out and about, and I can't pinpoint any vacations that are the WORST. There are some trips that definitely had some low points.


1) In Laos when I got extremely sick.  maybe. Lesson learned: be cautious of street food. (Still loved the rest of Laos though, just not that day)

2) Krk,Croatia. Not the country. Not the company, you were awesome Jenn! The host.  Definitely the worst host ever. Made the time there a little tainted, so I'm glad we realized that and moved to better things that Croatia offered.

3) Las Vegas trip #2. I love the Vegas don't get me wrong.  But when there are too many people to coordinate things, it makes it suck. Especially when you aren't staying at the same hotel and feel obliged to do certain activities.

Things I Told Myself When I Started Blogging

I kind of just started blogging on a whim. I had no goals to get rich and internet famous. I just liked writing. My first blog was just a bunch of random pictures and thoughts I found and wanted to share. Then it turned more into a travel documentation. Then it morphed into a book blog. Then this.  So I really don't have anything that I wish I told myself.  Just to keep writing what makes you happy.

I started this blog just to write. Its my hobby. If I don't have time for it every single day. Oh well. It's not my full time job (yes it would be great if it was...but, the lack of ambition I have to work towards things get in the way of that). If you got nothing to say, don't. Or just post a pretty quote picture.

However, I guess this was my thought process when I first decided to write.

- That I could get money doing this
- That involves putting a lot of effort into it.
- Writing about my life, sweet.
- You mean people don't care about my life?
- Follower's will come
- Oh, that requires me to comment and stuff.
- Ok
- Guess I am commenting and reading other blogs to compare
- Shit, my life is boring.
- Do I really want/need to share details about my personal life.
-- Write what you would want to read.
- Write how you talk.
and
- Never use comic sans as a font.

On a side note:
One thing that really irks me in the blogging community is how many posts there are about how blogging is so hard. .I understand it is a lot of work if you want it to, but it is a blog.  For the most part people started blogging out of interest. Yes, you have to put time into it if you want the internet glory and to have the satisfaction that you have more than 30 readers per post. But don't feel like its the end of the world if you have to take a break, go on vacation, not have any scheduled posts.... it's gonna be okay. People will come back and read your posts.

And cue the hate comments...
(please don't actually though)

Can't Live Without....

Woo, Day 3 on the #blogtober14 train.

This stop, what can't I live without???

Food.

Wow..  How lame was that answer.

On a more serious note....

The internet.



Seriously. Our lives are so interconnected with the internet (see what I did there).

I mean where else would we get these gems:

But seriously....


I don't want to sound pretentious or anything, but I really don't think I can't not live without anything. Maybe I am taking this a little to deep instead of being

Sure, there are things that I would miss terribly, like say if I said my husband suddenly passed away (heavens forbid).  I love him more than anything, but I know he wouldn't want me to just give up and not live anymore. Same with family. Same with the gremlins.

I could live without my phone, my internet access, sure it would be hard, but used to live without them, why not now? Sure I would be a loser and not know all the cool stuff happening, but....  ya...
the internet

Dream Job.

Another blogging prompt for #Blogtober14.

My dream job has been the same since I was a child.

I will take you back to Grade 2 when we had to pick an animal to do a report on. I picked the wonderful chimpanzee's. I always loved monkeys and apes, and the gorillas at the zoo and back then I had no idea there was a difference. So somehow Grade 2 Kendra picked what would influence her for the rest of her life. One of the books was about Jane Goodall.

Fast foward to university. I went into it with my mindset on Zoology. I was going to be Jane Goodall.  I was going to work in the zoo and rehabilitate and have a sanctuary of my own.  However, with a zoology degree, organic chemistry was involved. Which we didn't get along very well. But me and sociology did. So I switched majors. However, I still really loved primates. And I took every primate course. This led me to getting another degree. In Primatology.

This looks like I actually went after my dream job. That it was all turning out.

False.

It is still my dream job. I want to be in the jungle, and sit next to chimpanzees (or gorillas) (or orangutans)  (or any primate really) and watch them. To research them. To be part of the conservation.  I still want to be the next Jane Goodall. Unfortunately real life set it. So hey Jane, if you read this? Gimme a call!

If I Won The Lottery...

So there is a new little thing going around the blogosphere called #BLOGTOBER14- A Blogging Everyday  in October Challenge, hosted by Taylor for The Daily Tay and Helene from Helene in Between. While I can't promise that I will join in every day, I feel like this a good thing to jump on. 

Especially this topic, as everyone has at some point in their life have talked about it.  And it is my dream to win it, especially without buying a ticket...

"If I Won The Lottery..."

Well for one I would not be sitting here at work that's for damn sure.  I  can say with certainty that if if was a good chunk of cash, I would never ever work in my life again (beside the fact that nobody hires me :( ), but because I would be bored I would probably actually take my masters/phD and study some chimps

I would like to say that the first thing I would do, other than screaming like a crazy person while simultaneously not let anyone know that I won ( I mean, I don't want 'long lost friends' to come out of the woodwork's), I would like to think I'd be smart about it. Like to pay off the debts, the mortgage, things like that.

But lets be honest, that is not going to happen. I'm getting DUUUURUNK.  

Then  I will take a friggen amazing trip.  Maybe go to the Europe tour (as it is pricey and I wouldn't have to sleep in a hostel), then maybe end that with a week or two on the beaches in Thailand.

Then, once I get back home I would then pay off said trip, pay off the debt, the mortgage, probably buy a new house, or buy a cute (and by cute I mean awesome and huge) house in the woods next to a lake, stocked with a few elk for my hubby (aren't I nice...) or a beach home on the ocean.

Then I would go on another trip. TRAVEL ALL THE TIME!

Then to be nice I would obviously buy my dogs some new toys. I mean, I can't expect them to chew on toilet paper rolls all the time (although it would be at least 3-ply paper now). I would probably also get a few more dogs, I mean I'd have the property to have them now.

Then, I would start giving little gifts to family and friends. Not all of them, and I wouldn't just be like 'yo, here's 50,000 - have fun'. Cuz that would just be wasted with hookers and blow.And I ain't down with that. I'd be like "oh mom, here is that cabin you've always wanted", "dad, a new bike". I'd be like Oprah. 

Oh to dream....