Vegas, Twitter, Pinterest. Also known as ‘What All The Cool Kids Are Doing These Days’.

I’m often told that I should blog more, and I am always telling myself to blog more. At this point in my life, as I told my cousin Em in an e-mail this week, I feel like I have a lot to say but not enough energy to say it! Life is good, life is hectic, life is busy and I DRIVE A LOT. Silly long distance relationships, so very … well, so very long distance all the time. I’m still in TO and Tim is still at the farm. My job ends in May so I better enjoy the city while I can!

Tim and I recently went on an incredibly fun and amazing trip to Vegas which was a blast. It was the most amount of time we spent together since July! Hard to believe considering we used to live together and were practically attached at the hip heart.

I went to Vegas on a Bachelorette trip last May and I feel like you can’t really fully understand The Hangover until you go there and experience the craziness in real life. Altogether, I would approximate that the two weeks I spent in Vegas took six years off of my life. Those pictures? Stay hidden in a box for a very long time. I told Tim I didn’t take any pictures at  the Bachelorette because it was just safer that way.

Also, I’m back on the Twitter. I’m not a very good tweeter anymore but still, I’m there. I’m also on Pinterest, I have been for awhile but I am not very good at making boards – I just like to look at all the beautiful things. Everyday gMail tells me how many new people are following me and I never understand why they follow me because I am so boring on there. I started making some boards so I think they will enjoy following me now.

In the end, Tweet me, Pin me, squeeze me, ‘Like’ me, retweet me, friend me, hug me, LinkedIn me, follow me, do whatever. I’m back in  the game, yo.

 

 

Maybe because I just absolutely HATE the word itself.

I don’t know how many of you crazies even noticed that I deleted my Twitter last week. If you followed me, you definitely noticed because I spewed out some overly dramatic tweets about … oh, who the hell knows. And, who the hell cares, really. It’s funny, but my whole thinking behaviours have changed since I went dark – I didn’t even realize that I thought in 140 character sentences, then after I realized what I was doing I realized how insignificant it all is. It honestly feels nice and private to be  keep all of my thoughts to myself.

Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t regret all of the tweeting I have done in the past – Twitter has offered me some wonderful opportunities to make IRL friends and to learn about the new cities I have lived in. I also know many people who have found support and friendship through Twitter and I think that is wonderful. Recently, it had gotten all too political for me. I was following people I didn’t want to follow but I couldn’t unfollow them because it would hurt their feelings, I was screening my followers all the time because I was private and only wanted people following me who were currently also tweeting regularly, I thought people were spying  on me (a psychiatric problem also known as ‘Delusional Twittersitosis’), I had to highly censor my tweets due to the people that were following me, too many people were airing their dirty laundry in public which made me feel anxious, and Tim was really uncomfortable with the whole thing.

In a fit of rage (kind of … actually it really was) I oh so typically made a dramatic exit. I don’t know if I’ll go back to it, but until I do please leave me comments on this lil’ ole blog or e-mail me at fiveblondes@gmail.com or send smoke signals or morse code my doorbell. Okay, maybe that last one is a little creepy because then you’ll know where I live, but on second thought it probably doesn’t even matter because I seem to move every 3.5 days so I’ll be gone soon anyway. Also, my apartment doesn’t have a doorbell.

 

(On a more positive note, I’ll probably be blogging a lot more because I still need some kind of outlet to express my crazy.)

 

Because there's only so much Facebook Scrabble you can play before going absolutely crazy.

If you can believe it, even with four sisters and an entire farm at my disposal as I child I remember being bored a lot. I used to mope around the house whining “Mooommmmm, I’m booooooooored. What should I dooooooo?” (I was an incredibly annoying child) and Mom would usually respond with something related to cleaning the house, which I can assure you did not help the situation. In her defense, she was a pretty awesome mother and we did have a really fun ‘rainy day cupboard’ full of fun activities.

Today, even though I live downtown in a major city in a teensy (perfect) 500 sq. ft condo, I STILL GET BORED. Tim works pretty much the complete opposite schedule of me so I find myself sitting on the couch a lot, hating the tv, avoiding cleaning and moping around. I’m always on the hunt for new blogs to read so I often find myself scavenging my Twitter friends “Favourites” lists, in the hopes of finding cute or funny links, finding new friends, new blogs, etc. The only problem with this? There are SO MANY people on Twitter who don’t use this wonderful and entertaining function. Micaela wrote a post about her favourite tweets a while ago, and if you don’t understand what can be so fun about Favourite tweets, read it here.

If you are like @heylady33 or @regtiangha and are like “What? Huh? Favourites?” I’ll help you out – go to my Twitter feed (@leahblonde), find an life-altering tweet that I wrote and press the little gold star beside the tweet and presto bango, it’s in your life forever (or at least until you press the little gold star again and unfavourite it).

For example, let’s take this enlightening tweet from the amazing @ohmorgosh (are you reading her blog? Well, you should be):

See that little star in the top right hand corner?

Click it.

YOU’RE WELCOME.

Here’s an example of a tweet I favourited from a a fellow Canadian (and way cooler than I will ever be) blogger, Brandy.

Now I will have that link forever in my favourites (is that a threat?). And you can look at my favourites by going to my Twitter profile and clicking on “Favourites” which is found directly underneath the rather embarrassing number of tweets that have been written by me.

And now that I KNOW that you know how to favourite tweets, go favourite at least twelve immediately so as to entertain me when I am bored tomorrow night (it’s inevitable).

(How many times can I write ‘favourite’ in one blog post?)

(P.S. Thank you, @Aliceaveragelnd for humouring me!)

(P.P.S. HI BARB!)

#yyc4haiti

One thing I have really loved and appreciated since moving to Calgary is the wonderful Twitter community that exists here. Which is why I was not surprised when I saw a tweet formed into an idea which quickly turned into a plan of action with regards to the earthquake devastation in Haiti (all in a matter of minutes).

yyc4haiti

Coined with the hashtag #yyc4haiti (yyc being the airport code for the Calgary International Airport and also the common way for Twitterers to refer to the city of Calgary), the single tweet has become a huge fundraising event for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. All of the proceeds will be going to the Red Cross, and the Canadian government will be matching donations up to $50 million dollars.

Some of the women involved in the planning are @that_angela, @C_DIG and @alex_ruiz.

What you can do to help:

1.) Add a “Twibbon” to your twitter profile photo

Twitter Picture2.) Follow the @yyc4haiti account on Twitter

3.) Come to the actual #yyc4haiti event on Thursday, January 28 at Flames Central

4.) Visit the website for information

5.) MAKE A DONATION!! If you can’t come to the event, you are able to make a donation financially, or if you own a company or know of a company you think would be interested in donating a silent auction item go to the Facebook page or contact @that_angela

6.) Write a blog post, retweet on Twitter, and invite friends to the event.

Links and Articles

The Calgary BeaconCalgary media personalities use Twitter to organize Haiti relief event

Wild Rose PR blog – YYC4Haiti : Spread the Word!

The wonderful world of twitter.

Twitter has the “favourite” function, and I try to remember to use it every time I see a tweet that I think is funny/thought-provoking/charming. Looking through it today, there are a few that I seriously need to share. You can find my whole list here if you’re friends with me. If you’re not, send me a request and I’ll accept you, promise.

MarthaStewart: i have a very very serious question for all of you: HOW OFTEN DO YOU WASH YOUR SHEETS/CHANGE YOUR BED?? i would like lots of answers please

Oh gosh. Martha, both my wedding and I will be forever thankful for you for imparting upon me your tissue-flower-making wisdom, but your idea of what is “very very serious” and capital-letter worthy in this world needs some adjustment. I didn’t answer this on Twitter, but I’m sure my answer would have to be “not often enough for Martha Stewart standards.”

johncmayer: If you think “Party in the USA” is ironically awesome, go home. If you think it’s authentically awesome, let’s dance.

I find it hard to stop myself from favouriting every second John Mayer tweet. I just love the way he thinks and writes and sings and I could go on and on… instead I will just wait until the next time I am with Reggy to discuss these important matters further.

ericablonde: Not only is my husband the perfect man for me, he’s also the perfect brother for my sisters.

Aww! Love this sentiment. D-dawg really is the bestest (and he reads the blog so bonus points for him!)

whoorl: I truly believe a person’s essence can be summarized in their last 10-20 tweets. Me? Air guitar, lip gloss, making plans and happy joy joy.

Love again! I fully accept and appreciate that everyone has their bad days, but I have been known to unfriend people for constantly posting nothing but negative tweets. Happy tweets make me happy, and there are good moments every day. Tweet about that once in a while. Even if it’s just lip gloss!

CynGagen: RT @kathyireland “Whoever is happy will make others happy as well…” Anne Frank. Thank you all for such a beautiful adventure.

That sums up what I meant in my comments in the previous tweet quite well. Thank you, Ann Frank.

whoorl: “I’m not a really religious guy, but I do pray for opportunities to make fun of people.” HAAAAA. Doesn’t get better than that.

Now I don’t know who Whoorl is quoting there, but that just makes me laugh.

dooce: Me: “Leta, Katey is going to help you–” Leta: “Kate, Mom. Kate. I call her Kate.” Me: “NOTED, TOM CRUISE.”

hahaha! Enough said.

whoorl: Reverse psychology potty training is awesome. (Although, I’m a little disappointed that he’s actually falling for it.)

Apparently I love her tweets! I can totally imagine feeling the same in this situation.

burnace: Cruise Ships: Might as well just rename them “Drunken Maze”.

I’ve never been on a cruise, but this idea very much makes me want to go one one! Thank you, Laura.

nicolerichie: When asking my friend what she’s done on her birthday, she says “Well, I sent my mom flowers because she gave birth to me today”

Such a nice idea!

kasiafink: Last night at alumni dinner, met a funny, wise 95yr old man who told me the secret to a lasting marriage: don’t take yourselves too seriously.

And aren’t we all guilty of this sometimes? This could be my favourite marriage advice of all time.

jonoearle: Leah hasn’t tweeted for 16 hrs. I’m really worried about her.

Sarcastic of course, but hilarious to me! Leah loves her tweets (and I love Leah’s tweets too.)

fragileheart: loves saying things that she’ll regret later. I think it makes life more exciting.

To me this is usually what makes life horrible, but I like thinking of it as exciting. Thanks Reggy!

kylaroma: Sometimes my mom really makes me laugh: “I like spending time just with you, it reminds me of when we used to hang out in the 80′s”

Liiiike… when she was a baby/small child??? Love it.

PerezHilton: P.S. Just because you say “no offense” doesn’t mean it’s not offensive! Duh.

Yes! I hate that saying. When I hear “no offense, but…” I automatically get ready to hear something super rude and offensive.

nicolerichie: I’ve been at the airport for hours. I’m so bored. I think I’m gonna prank call my mom

Sooo randomly amazing.

wishcake: I’ve decided that I love the expression “rise and shine”. I never really thought about it before.

Me either! But now that I have, I’ve decided that I love it too.

taylorswift13: Leno, Access Hollywood, Hannah Montana movie premiere. That’s 5 dresses in one day. I love it.

And I’ve decided that my new goal in life will be to have a five-dress-day.

micblonde: “Be the spark, especially when it’s dark.”

So apparently I sometimes favourite my own tweets. I love this little rule to live by.

laurenblonde: @ericablonde You can make those so easily! It’s just like felt isn’t it?

laurenblonde: @ericablonde omg. I’m mom.

This is funny if you know our mom – her favourite line is “I could make that!” She’s not all talk though – she does go on to make it!

kateblonde: Just spit on Scott while brushing my teeth next to him…sorry hunny! hahaha

I think my love for this tweet is partially how Katelyn spelled hunny (I’ve been spelling it that way ever since), and partially the pure silliness here.

johncmayer: I just voted on People’s “Is John Mayer a Keeper?” poll. I clicked “Love Him” but “Lose Him” is winning at 63%

Guess what I voted??? I love the ability make fun of themselves, in people.

johncmayer: paraphrasing Paltrow on People.com, truly love this line: “You don’t really get it, because if you did, you would like it.”

johncmayer: And I love it without a shred of irony, because it’s so honest. And it’s sort of how I feel more often than not. Isn’t that how we all feel?

Ahh. Yes. I feel like this about so many things – my husband’s intense dislike of John Mayer, for starters.

micblonde: Tipsy Kent: “Baaaabe… why am I so blessed?”

Don’t you love it when your significant other says just the perfect thing? I do, apparently.

leahblonde: loving her girls weekend! Sappy movie, check. Next up – Martinis and babysitting. Not necessarily in that order.

Ohh Leah. You make me laugh.

The end – hope you enjoyed my favourites as much as I do!