Made in Canada: Aaron MacWilliam

There's a lot to say about freelance graphic design artist Aaron MacWilliam who specializes in motion graphics, illustration and design. I know most of you are dying to ask this Ottawa native some tough q's so I took one for the team and got five of his answers on paper.

What song best describes your work ethic?

A toss up between 'Sandstorm' by Darude and 'Wastin' my Time' by Eagles of Death Metal. Depends on the day.

Side note: Miley Cyrus was a close third with her hit 'The Climb'

Who is your favourite graphic designer and what would you serve them if they came over for dinner?

My favourite designer right now is GMUNK. If he were to come over for dinner I'd probably order in as the only vegan meal I can make is microwaved corn.

May I suggest creeping GMUNK's pinterest to find vegan recipes. 

Would you rather be cliche or redundant?

Neither. I'd rather be chopping wood.

Pretty sure this is code for something, but I've never been able to figure it out.

People often say their 'creative juices' are flowing. If yours were an alcoholic beverage, what would be in it?

Whiskey and Chocolate milk. 

Disgusting.

Lastly, I asked Aaron to design his version of the Canadian Flag and this is what he came up with. So damn polite.

Some quick facts about Aaron:
Before getting into graphic design, Aaron graduated from a tool and die program and worked as a machinist.
He's 6'7 but has never played on a basketball team.
His favourite letter is 'S'.
Aaron is deathly afraid of toasters and having his toenails painted in his sleep.

You can check out more of Aaron's work at www.macwilliamdesign.com.



Stay cozy,

Alyssa

The Dog I Didn't Want

Let's get one thing straight. I'm a cat person. Little balls of affectionate fur that clean themselves and shit in a box. Best pet ever! So when my boyfriend came to me saying that we needed to get a dog, I immediately went through all the reasons why this was a bad idea. We live in a condo, I don't want to pick up poo, I've been bitten by a dog,  puked on by a dog, they're expensive, and just, no. We literally fought whenever the subject arose and I referred to it as my 'one thing I will not compromise'.

We can all guess what happened next. My lovely and stubborn boyfriend got his way and we brought home an adorable, constant bladder emptying, little pup. At least I got to name him, and Bronson seemed to suit his hard-headed (literally, too) personality. I truly hated owning a dog though. For so many years I had convinced myself I would never get one and now here I was, chasing after it with carpet cleaner and paper towels. Not how I envisioned my evenings after work. I remained skeptical even though friends and family told me it would get easier the older Bronson got.

After reluctantly settling in to a new routine, we brought Bronson to the vet for his first check up with us. Which, I'll admit was kind of exciting as she weighed him and told us how cute he was. I was beginning to feel...proud? The next feeling I had can only be described as if I was frolicking in a field of daisies and then Chris Neil comes out of nowhere and checks me into one of those electric fences they had at Jurassic Park. What?

This is where we find out that Bronson was born with a severe heart murmur and without surgery, will likely die of heart failure way before his time. I cried all the way home. What do we do? How do we get the money to pay for the surgery? Am I actually feeling some love for this cinder block who chewed through my winter boots and then allowed me to pick it back up when he poo'd pieces of it out two days later?

It was a complete blow to our normal life, which hadn't been that normal lately. When I stopped crying, I started thinking. We could have a garage sale and raise some money. We could get prizes and have a raffle. We could tighten up our budget and save all our spare change. Friends, family and complete strangers donated their time, effort and money to make those things happen and before long, we had raised and saved almost four thousand dollars. Bronson got his surgery and has had an amazing recovery. You wouldn't even know he had a problem.

Bronson playing almost a year after his heart surgery.

It goes without saying that it was probably the most humbling experience I've been through. And when it was all over, I felt such a strong sense of community, compassion, and encouragement. I found myself in the 'dog lover' category (which is a fantastic group of people btw) I truly loved Bronson now. It took a crisis, all of my friends and family, my community, and my boyfriend to have this change of heart and I wouldn't have done a damn thing differently.

Something I fought so hard against, and then had to accept very quickly in order to fight for, made me see certain obstacles in life differently, more attainable and less scary. I still have to pick up poo, get up early to take Bronson out, and occasionally rip my shoes out of his mouth, but he's just so friggin' cute that I actually don't mind...and every girl needs an excuse to go shopping anyway ;)


Stay cozy,
Alyssa

Only got 20 dollars in my pocket...4 ways that help make and save you money

I'm a money hoarder. A cheapskate. I make my lunch every evening to take to work. I buy clothes at Giant Tiger. Yes, sometimes I even clip coupons.

I commend my parents for teaching me the value of a dollar at a young age. I had to do chores to get an allowance. I was told 'no' on a regular basis to things I wanted and when I turned 15, my dad drove me around Ottawa with a folder of resumes while I hopped out and tried to land my first real job. At the time, it seemed like the end of the world. While friends were sleeping in on Saturday mornings, I was at work for 8am getting ready for a long day of packaging raw meat and weighing out bacon. Glamorous. But at this tender age of 15, I gained a sense of pride about earning my own paycheck, a growing passion for staying on budget and of course, I learned every meat joke under the sun.

Being frugal and saving money is a really big part of who I am. Now don't get me wrong, I do spend money on things other than 'needs', I tip my servers (I'm not an asshole), and I can enjoy a nice evening out with friends or a new pair of shoes like any other girl. Recently moving out has put a strain on my money hoarding so I've had to dig up ways to satisfy that fiscal craving.

I've compiled a list of ways to save some cash and make a little money. None of them will make you a millionaire but it's a way less destructive habit than eating peanut butter out of the jar.

1. Airmiles. It's an obvious one. I have an Airmiles credit card and usually redeem my points for movie night vouchers (two passes, two drinks, and a popcorn) ie: Free date night. You can also sign up for their Airmiles Surveys which they send by email a couple times a week, earning you even more points for every one completed.

2. This awesome website called Women Freebies which gets updated several times a day with coupons, free samples, and travel contests. The best part? It's all Canadian. I recently won a free gift card just by tweeting them online.

3. Another awesome website called Opinion Outpost Here, you create a profile then they e-mail you online surveys and pay you for your thoughts. A friend told me about it a few years ago and it really works. You can redeem your points for Paypal credit, Amazon credit, Online games, or donate it to charity.

4. Viber. This is a FREE app for you Iphone users. It's probably one of my favourite apps in the whole world. It lets you talk and text for free with anyone else who has downloaded it. I'm able to chat with friends on the other side of the world for free which would normally cost a pretty penny. Wait, no more pennies. Did you know it was actually costing 1.6 pennies to make a penny? That's why they're phasing out.

Feel free to share your skrill saving tips or ask any questions about the sites I mentioned :)

disposable undies are seriously comfortable

Late last year I had my annual physical. During that physical, my doctor inspected me and did the usual 'lady-part' testing. When the results came back, it indicated something funky was going on with my cervix. It happens, but to be sure, she ordered me to come back for another lovely lady-part test. No problem, happens to lots of chicks! Round two results: yep, something funky is definitely happening with my cervix. So I waited about a month for a referral from a specialized clinic in Ottawa to call me with an appointment to get a better picture of what exactly was going on.

(Try not to read too much into it. It's probably nothing. It could be cancer. Cancer? Really? I'm a basically healthy 26 year old. Should I have eaten more spinach? What if I can't have kids? I've never faced myself for that reality before. Cancer can't happen to me. Cancer is not what's going on here. I should probably prepare though just in case. Let's just wait until I get the appointment and stop jumping to conclusions. Oh my god. I'm not invincible.)

These were some of the thoughts that ran through my head almost every day until finally I arrived at the clinic (with my mom of course) to hopefully confirm that it really was nothing at all. We parked, traveled through the maze of hallways in the hospital until I reached the door that read 'Dysplasia Clinic- Patients only' Sorry mom, I'll meet you in the waiting room when I'm done. Thank God I wore my big girl pants today.

I checked in and was given TWO of those beauty hospital gowns to change into (wear one tied at the back then the other one like a robe, so cute).  Also, I got a sweet pair of disposable undies. Really, not being sarcastic, these were probably the most comfortable underwear I've ever worn. Where can I buy a box?

Anyways, I wasn't waiting long when I was called in to the room with the nurse and doctor who would be performing the colposcopy (a very cool procedure where you get to see your cervix on a big screen TV). Deep breath. Omg is that my CERVIX? It looks like a round slimy tongue. Gross. Cool. Hmm I just finished my online Medical Terminology course, I wonder if I can throw out any impressive terms? .... Nah I got nothing. Wait, what's that patch of white?

updating a good friend after the colposcopy

The doctor (who was very down to earth and made me feel super comfortable) poked this white patch of cells with a Q-tip so I could see exactly what was causing my abnormal test results. Luckily, the patch was small, she wouldn't have to biopsy, and she could spot treat it with little to no side effects. At the start of the day I was wearing my big girl pants, then changed into disposable undies but let me tell you, it really didn't matter what I was wearing right then because I was invincible once more! That second hospital gown I was wearing as a robe suddenly looked more like a cape. I may, or may not have, done a super hero pose as I was changing back into my normal clothes.

The point of this story? An article was brought to my attention that everyone in Ontario will have to start paying for their annual physicals, saving Ontario about $29 million. Starting January 2013. Ya, two months ago. You can read the article in the Ottawa Sun here.

Now, I know I had a little close call that turned out to be nothing but I think about the people who can't afford an annual physical or those who are just plain discouraged and don't want to pay to sit and wait for an hour in their doctors offices just to be told, 'you're fine'. To me, having peace of mind is something I'm willing to pay for but I'm pretty sure I already was in my taxes? I thought preventative measures are people's best chance at living a longer, healthier life? (thus paying more in taxes)

I wanted to share my story with you to bring attention on what could affect decisions about your health in Ontario. I hope you take the time to vote, the time to take your health seriously even if you're young and invincible, and the time to eat more spinach.

Stay cozy,

Alyssa

What's your TRUE Canadian Name?

I decided to create this little chart to help you figure out your Canadian name. Combine your birth month and the date you were born to get your true Canuck colours.
Share with friends and comment below so we can all enjoy the cheese!
P.s. I'm a Moonshine Goose!

sad is bad but plaid is badass

This past week I got pelted in the face during our rec-league dodgeball game. Thankfully, I had already been hit out by another ball so I had the luxury of sauntering off to the sidelines until I could see out of my right eyeball. This is not the first time it's happened, and anyone who's played the sport knows that it's what you sign up for. I also managed to slip on ice while walking the dog warranting a pretty blue bruise I wear like a ribbon on my knee. And that cut you see on my lip is not herpes, it's from biting it during a violent dream. Seriously, in my sleep.

Lately it also seems I've been emotionally drained. Just when I think I've finally gained control of my mood, some small 'crisis' happens and I have a meltdown as if they just canceled all current and future seasons of The Bachelor. yikes. And no, gentlemen, I'm not PMSing.

Mavis is angry

I'm a klutz on any normal day but I honestly feel like my inside is matching my outside. Battered and bruised. C'mon though, I know I'm not alone.

Now, living in Ottawa during the winter is going to come with it's own set of obstacles, frozen fingers and toes, cars that don't start and a Facebook newsfeed reminding you how cold it is and to also shut up about how cold it is. These things are shitty. Shitty, but bearable. What's a little harder to navigate is something called the 'winter blues', medically known as S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Basically, in an acorn shell, you get damn depressed. That's it, I'm self-diagnosing this.

So how does one overcome such sadness?

I google'd this and wasn't surprised by the 'home remedies' suggested to cure S.A.D. Eat better, exercise, take a vacation blah blah bloppity blah. ah boom blop bah boom ah blop boom bah!

Sorry, got carried away there. But honestly, how boring. Let's go drink Earl Grey tea and sit in the parlor cracking algebra jokes.

Why can't there be any fun cures? You never read 'roll down a hill with your friends then have a cheese curd eating contest (RIP St. Alberts) in the treatment section of WebMD.  Or rotisserie a pie over an open fire then share stories with the hobos who let you borrow their flaming trash can to begin with. I'm pretty sure that would cure my winter blues.

Point being, I think those boring 'cures' (or routines) for some, are what might have landed us in this gosh diggly mess in the first place. It may take some time for my cuts to heal but I'm already feeling better thinking about which one of my friends would win the cheese eating contest, or which story I would tell to try and shock a hobo.

And since I'm already life's personal punching bag this week:
Slap me with some crazy and creative ideas of what you would do to get out of your winter tire rut. And it better not involve tea.

A Very Plaid Outlook

They always say the best ideas come to you in the shower. Man, have I had some AWESOME ideas in the shower. So awesome, in fact, that I've shampoo'd my hair twice because I've been too busy daydreaming about becoming drop dead wealthy, and sexy, from these brilliant bursts. I know you know what I'm talking about. Now, do you think I could remember any of these ingenious thoughts? Hah.

What I do remember though, is how these ideas made me feel. For whatever reason, the combination of hot water hitting my skin after a long day at the office awakes the right side of my brain, equivalent of washing down a beavertail with a nice hot chocolate. Delicious brain stimulating bliss. But how can I get this feeling outside of my steamy bathroom? I began to realize that one of my reoccurring fantasies was to have a blog. The very idea of being able to write, share, and connect with other strange ducks is the very creative outlet I have been longing for. This blog can be my very own Kilaloe Sunrise on demand. A catalog of mental jewels. And don't every girl love a diamond!

I'm still going to end up shaving my right leg more often than my left and I always seem to go through my shampoo twice as fast as my conditioner but now I'll feel like I'm not constantly letting the ideas go down the drain. Having a blog will be a reminder to constantly think a little outside the box, get weird, daydream up impossible scenarios and ignore the people who are staring, waiting for me to blink. If I can encourage someone to have a strange thought after reading my blog, then I've succeeded.

I've spent some time trying to figure out what my 'angle' will be. What will I write about? What makes me unique? What will get readers coming back for more? I'm not very artistic so you probably won't see cool pictures. (see picture below). I can't sing, dance, or make any sort of music besides blowing on a blade of grass. I fuck up most crafts I attempt and sometimes the garbage can tastes more of the dinners I make than my boyfriend does. But the one thing that I am, and can be really good at, is Canadian. I've gotta embrace it as there is no way I would be able to deny it, I'm such a goddamn Canuck. My parents are avid curlers, I own several plaid shirts, and after a pint or two of Labatt 50, the way I pronounce 'Food Basics' (think: Fude Bay-sics) even the U.S. border patrol would let me cross without a passport. I am that Canadian.

So stay tuned for ridiculous ideas, discussions about local happenings, and good ol' Canadian quirks that I hope most of you will be able to relate to. I welcome comments, suggestions, and open discussions.

Stay cozy,

Alyssa

                                                            (Based on a true story)