Arms race

I got some more new music last night, I must report. I downloaded Millencolin's 2009 album Machine 15, and it is AWESOME. 

I have always been a huge Millencolin fan since the days of being forced to listen to punk music by my brother. They've always clung to the edge of pop punk, while maintaining good old fashioned punk credibility and something a little better than the three standard power cords. Case in point on this album, are the two acoustic tracks, Machine 15 and Farewell my Hell (which I believe is from a previous album). Farewell starts with a beautiful acoustic riff that is reminicent of Greg Graffin's solo folk album. Beauty. I'm really into punk gone acoustic these days, speaking of Greg Graffin. Bad Religion's album from 2008 had a ton of awesome acoustic bits. 

Greg Graffin - He has a doctorate in awesomness.

I really loved Sorrow acoustic. It's first of all one of my favourite Bad Religion songs of all time, and second, the original punk track suits an acoustic one very well. The up and down kind of beat to the guitars is an amazing driving song, and Graffin's voice can really be repeated by no one. I discoverd its success as a driving song while journeying to Fairbanks and back. It kept me awake, which acoustic songs aren't usually known for. 

But back to Millencolin (I have the attention span of a hummingbird), this album is just awesome. Every track is classic Millencolin, they haven't strayed from their pop punk style one bit, as bands tend to do these days.

COUGH COUGH AFI! COUGH; sorry about that. Something in my, uh, throat....

Machine 15's single Detox does ply more into the mainstream crowd with its up-beat tone, but I forgive them because they are cute and Swedish. Although we all know I am a sucker for a good pop song, so who am I to call them out for trying to get a few more fans. All I'm saying, is that it's the only change from an otherwise steady punk rock album, and it's kind of refreshing really.

I hope the trend of punk artists adding a few acoustic tracks as extras on their album continues, because I love it. 

I got some Butch Walker on my iPod finally, so hopefully I will be able to advance past Letters and Sycamore Meadows in the next few days. 

Love,

Annalee.

Tell all your friends, that John Nolan sucks

So Kya ripped my screen out of my window during her first-week rampage. And I never really worried about it. But now open-window season has begun, and it has come to my attention that without a screen, my room will be infiltrated with probably like, forty-billion mosquitos if I'm not careful here.

I effing hate mosquitos. 

So last night the first bug of the year trickled into my room. I have no idea what it was - I didn't really want to know - but it buzzed around my head and seemed to find me whenever I popped a leg or an arm out from under my comforter for a bit of cold air. I can't not sleep with comforters, even when its a billion degrees out. I am a safety blanket-type person. 

So adding to my to-do list, is fixing that stupid screen that Kya wrecked. 

In other Kya news, because I seem to only have Kya-related stories to report on these days, I counted up my nickles and dimes and bought her a stuffed duck. She was going ape shit for it this morning. She has this tendency to get really super hyper every morning before I leave. Today I left the door open a crack while I was trying to find my kys, and she made a break for it. I acted quickly and pushed my knee in her way - and squished her head against the door frame in the process. She let out a sad little yelp indicating I had hurt her, and I was subsequently late for work because I felt bad and she turned on her super cute puppy dog eyes. You seriously can't say no to a Husky. 

Anyways, listening to some Tegan and Sara. I listened to Taking Back Sunday's newest album about three times through this morning. It is very good. Maybe not as good as Louder Now. TBS makes me a bit sad though, they got rid of bassist Matt Rubano and their new guitar player, and took back John Nolan and Shaun Cooper from the Tell all your Friends era. And while old school TBS fans are celebrating, I'm bitter. I loved Tell all your Friends, but I loved it with the knowledge that John Nolan has a terrible fucking voice, and just enjoyed Adam Lazzara's. Hopefully they don't let him sing too much on their forthcoming album, but they probably will. Ick. 

Josh has got me into Butch walker, as he says, "it doesn't rock, it coos." And it really does. I love it so far. I've only really listened to two albums, he has like a billion to get through, and that's not even including his time with the Marvelous 3. I like getting into bands when they are already established, because you get tons of new stuff to listen to. Newer bands, you just hope they put out something good soon after you've beaten the first album to death.

Love,

Annalee.

Ugh, bad dog

So yesterday I decided to go on an adventure. After getting some shotty directions out to Swan Haven, I headed towards the Carcross cutoff, and quickly realized I was not going in the right direction. Oh well, I thought to myself. This is the way to the desert!

I remember visiting the Carcross Desert when I was 18 with my Mom, Audrey and Lara. It was so cool, but we didn't walk around too much. So this time, I decided, with Kya in tow, I would take a walk on the sand dunes. 

We got there, and I released Kya from the car. She ran around sniffing things while I read the plaques about the Carcross Desert, which is really the remains of a glacial lake. But still, sand dunes, it's a desert in my books. I read this one plaque about how there are rare plants and animals in the desrt, so you should be careful. 

Then I headed off down the side of the little platform with the information. This is when Inoticed Kya zipping along to my right in hot pursuit of a little gopher. The poor little guy was no match for Kya's speed, and quickly lost the race. Kya then grabbed the little rodent in her teeth and violently shook him, as I screamed and screamed. My cries for her to stop fell on deaf ears, however, as Kya's sharp teeth ravaged the little animal. She finally began to listen to me, and dropped the gopher. He slowly tried to crawl away. It was

 at this point that I realized I would now have to kill the poor thing to put him out of his misery.

Being possibly one of the biggest animal lovers in the world, I just couldn't bear the though of having to break the little creature's neck to kill him. So I gave Kya my blessing and let her do what her natural instincts taught her how to do. She killed the gopher and began to snack on him. Ewww. I let out one last call to get her to stop, and she did. Her ears perked up, and her tail began to wag. She scooped up the carcass in her mouth, and trotted happily towards me like a little kid displaying a trophy it had just won. 

She was just so proud of herself. I, of course, was horrified and screamed and ran in the other direction. Poor Kya. She just wanted to kill something cute and bring it to me to show me how much she loves me. What a bad mommy I am. 

I managed to distract Kya from her kill finally. The sound of her munching through its tiny bones was just too much for me, and I secured her to a leash for our walk. 

So, it is with a heavy heart that I must say, rest in peace little gopher. I am sorry my dog is such a savage.

Now I know it is my dog's nature as a husky to do things like this, but I was truly horrified and shocked to see it. If I were my dad, I would have been proud of the skill and agility she displayed in her little hunt. She really kicked that gophers ass. But I find myself with a dilemma here, because gophers are so damn cute. I also worry, because if Kya ever meets my little Mollykins, she just so happens to be about a hair bigger than a gopher herself. It has come to my attention that if Kya really wanted to, she could kill my little puppykins. Not to mention Staci's puppy Cash. So I must discourage her hunting dog tendencies, unless they are done with my permission. And that would be a very rare situation indeed. 

Although the gopher killing is something my Dad could use in his back 40. He has already expressed interest. It is also kind of nice to know that Kya can kick some freaking ass if the need ever arose. I guess I have a little protector dog now.

But having said all that, I still must end with this: bad dog.

Love,

Annalee.

Hippo

I have become so damn good at living off the bare-minimum food that I need to survive. I now have money in my wallet but I can't bring myself to spend it even though my cupboard and the fridge is barren.

I have this ability now, to look into a shelf with two month old tace shells, soda crackers, pasta and some odd vegetables and come up with a meal that may not be delicious, but contains the proper amount of nutrients to keep myself alive. Sometimes its semi-delicious. Then there was my sheperd's pie experiment that was AWESOME. 

I have even given up cheese this month. I have a tiny chunk left (of the cheap stuff, I will add which is huge for me as it is!), that is just waiting to be used up. This is the longest I have gone without shopping I think. I can't remember the last time I went to Superstore other than to pick up a loaf of bread and some milk. 

This is all me trying to plan for Josh and my trip in May. I figure I should get used to eating less now while saving up for my plane ticket that I desperately need to purchase before the price goes up. The one that goes Las Vegas-Los Angeles-Calgary-Edmonton-Whitehorse. Jesus. All for a mere $475, I get to become violently ill from the brief jumps in and out of the air. Fantastic. 

Sarah brought me a macaroon from Baked. Yummy. I like those. But I really hate coconut, which is a problem if you like macaroons, since they are made out of coconut. I think my problem is that you can chew and chew anc chew on coconut but it never goes anywhere. It just breaks down and becomes chewier and there are simply more bits hanging around to chew on. It's a very frustrating thing to munch on. It's kind of like celery. I wonder if you burn calories eating cocnut, like you do when you eat celery. 

This is getting a bit rambly, so I will sign off. 

Love,

Annalee.

Perfect

I had an absolutely perfect weekend in Fairbanks with Josh. The only non-perfect part was that it had to end. 

I'm really excited that the next time I see him we'll be going on our adventure. I hate saying good bye to him every time, but when he gets to Whitehorse next month, it will be the start of the best trip since Europe! I think I can handle that. 

Love,

Annalee.

Tean?

I didn't sleep last night. I think I tossed and turned until well after 2 a.m. pondering things that could have been pondered at a more reasonable hour.

This all led me to hand in my teaser for the front page with 'teen' spelled 'tean'. Seriously, fml. Did I really just do that??? I sure did.

Love,
Annalee.

ANNALEE BARBARA GRANT

I'd like to review with you the list of weird names I have been called in the past week. That list numbers two, but I would like to dicusss them at length anyways, and perhaps provide an idea of who I think these people are. I was going to draw a picture of all of these Annalee imposters, but there are too many people milling around for me to use Illustrator.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

"Anna Maria" Grant – The bitch journalist

I got called Anna Maria by some crazy lady who was pissed off at me because I did not take a picture of her beloved grandson and put it in my sports pages. My bad. At the time her grandson was playing hockey I was half way up a mountain navigating a snow-covered slope in my skate shoes, sliding around and landing on my ass more times than I could count. It was a good day for photography – not a good day for said camera equipment as I dragged it around with me and used my camera case as a little mat so my jeans didn't get wet. 

– – –

I imagine Anna Maria has very thick eyebrow – no doubt a homage to her latin-American heritage. They are dark brown, almost black but not and they are thiner on the inside and thicker towards the ooutside, unlike a regular brow. What a weirdo.  She has a very fat squishy nose. Not like a pig, more button shaped. A bit like my own, but rounder at the nostrils. She has thin lips and a mole above her right temple. She is a brunette, but it's dyed. 

Her style is not really style. She enjoys frills and pink and lace, but doesn't know that some colours – like seafoam green – should be used with care.

As for her personailty, she's ditzy and a bit self centred, but generally a nice person. She can be a bitch though, which is why she didn't give a leaping fuck when that lady's grand son didn't get his photo in the paper. What a bitch.

"Annie Lee" Grant – The oblivious journalist

I got called Annie Lee about two days ago now, by some bank who want me to cover some cheque presentation. I remember covering something for this bank in the fall. They were a pain in the ass, and apparently trhey didn't give a flying fuck about pissing me off, because they have forgotten I exist entirely and made up some sort of identity for the person formally known as Annie Lee. I most likely will not be covering your stupid cheque presentation, bitches.

– – –

Annie Lee is a blonde. It's very stick straight and she likles to wear a purple head band with a bow, a la Blaire Waldorf. As all you upper east siders know, the bow must be on the right side of the head. Duh. She has a thin nose. Perfect really, and matching thin and perfectly peach-glossed lips. Her eyes are brown, and they are a stricking contrast to her platinum hair. The only flaw in an otherwise flawless appearance is that Annie Lee is missing a front tooth – an accident from taking a photo at a hockey game. Poor Annie Lee's hand eye coordination isn't great. She just couldn't see that puck coming at her. 

She dresses well. Feminine, with dresses and classic pieces. She enjoys fashion and attempts to keep up with the trends. Too bad she chose a career in journalism, because keeping up with haute couture on a reporter's salary is just impossible. Most of her clothes are lucky snags from Value Village. She does well for a thrift store shopper though. Annie Lee was arrested for buying counterfeit goods in Las Vegas on her 21st birthday. Not a great way to start off adult hood.

As for her personality, Annie Lee is clumsy and often forgetful. When it came time to cover the cheque presentation, she just simply forgot to show up.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

So these are my alter egos. Maybe they can do my job better?

Poison milk

My morning started off well. I got out of bed five minutes earlier, and I'm happy to report I made it to work on time this morning, with like a minute to spare. It didn't even kill me either. The only downfall of my morning was when I accidently sniffed a glass of milk in my coffee mug that had been there one too many days. I nearly barfed. That'll teach me to keep my nose out of things. And to maybe not leave milk in travel mugs for three days. Ugh.

I have streamlined my morning routine but I usually still end up late by a few minutes because I just have to have those final moments in bed every morning. It's so damn comfy! I'd never get out if it was the cloud bed. Oh how I miss my cloud bed....

No new stories about Kya to report. She's been very cooperative with my illness recently, and has gotten used to just going for car adventures. She likes those for some reason. I'll take her for a big walk with Sarah and Alvin this weekend to make up for it. 

Steph brought in a popcorn maker to work yesterday, and the Star is on popcorn fever. I heard a rumor that there is a hot dog roaster in the basement and I am encouraging a hot dog day, a la Meadowbrook Elementary. Hooray! I loved hot dog day. When you got to pick a juice box and a cookie. You did it on a little green slip of paper....eeeeee. It was the same with pizza day. I believe the choices were hawaiian or pepperoni, plus a juice box and perhaps a cookie again. 

You can never go wrong with cookies. 

I wish I had brought a bigger lunch. Perhaps a sandwich. I have so many ingredients at home for sandwich making but my bread is like a week past its due date, and although I only have a whopping 93 cents in my bank account, I am not yet that poor. I have a cheque to cash today, but its all going to getting my taxes sent off and an oil change. All boring shit. 

I remember back in the day when Dad changed my oil. Oh wait, that was in August. Things were good then. And when I was still in schoo, it only cost $25 to get my taxes done. Now it's a minimum of $66, if I want to see my cheque in 6-8 weeks. Which I don't. Stupid H&R block. 

Josh and I were Googling ourselves last night. That sounds absolutely terrible, but I promise, there is no dirtiness intended. I have pushed the other Annalee Grant well off of Google, but I am still not number one. There is a Dr. Anna Lee Grant who is dominating that number one slot, and I just must push her out. Clearly she doesn't belong there because she only has one pade. I have like 11 pages worth of Google-worthy fodder. Move over bitch, that's all I can say. My new quest will be to take over the world of Google, then the world. Mwahahahahahahaha! (Imagine me tossing my head back in a cackle)

Anywho, I'll be off. Perhaps I'll have more to write momentarily. 

Love,

Annalee.

Sheperd's Pie

So I made the most amazing Sheperd's Pie last night. i've been wanting to try it for awhile now but never got around to it/never found a recipe that I liked. So I combined two and came out with something so orgasimically delicious (that's right, I went there, it's THAT good) that I thought I should post my recipe perhaps.

Annalee's Super Fabulous Sheperds Pie!
- 2 large baking potatos (I think they're called Russets in some circles)
- two tablespoons butter
- dash of milk
- pound of ground beef
- half an onion, chopped
- three cloves of garlic (or more or less, whatever you like!)
- two tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 can of beef broth
- two tablespoons flour
- about three or more tablespoons of ketchup
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper (I didn't have pepper, but it was good without)
- frozen peas, corn, carrots and green beans (I had a mixed frozen veggie thing going on, very yummy)

I believe that's it.

1. Peel and boil your potatos (If you need help boiling potatos, I would recommend not continuing with this recipe, and go take some cooking classes).

2. In a large frying pan, brown your ground beef with the chopped onion and garlic. Cook until well browned. Your potatos should be finished by the time the beef is. Drain, and mash them, adding the butter, a splash of milk and about half the cheese. Set aside.

3. Add the Worcestershire sauce (all the while trying to pronounce Worcestershire), beef broth, ketchup and flour. I kind of added the ketchup to taste, but about two to three tablespoons should do. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on too. Allow these to simmer for several minutes until the mix starts to thicken a bit.

4. Add frozen veggies, and cook until they are hot.

5. This is usually the point when I'm cooking that I remember to preheat the oven. Do that now, to about 375.

6. Once the veggies are hot, layer the bottom of a casserole dish with the beef mixture. Adding the potatos on top can be a bit of a pain because the potatos are thick. Add dolops all over and spread out with a fork. Then sprinkle the top with cheese.

7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes uncovered. About five minutes before you take it out, set your stove to broil and cook until the top is crispy and golden.

8. Consume. It will be seriously fucking hot at this point, so be careful.

Enjoy!

Sick sick sick.

I have a cold. And two canker sores. 

But other than that, things are going fantastic. Nine-ish days till I see Josh. I'm all confused whether it's nine or 10 days because I will be arriving around midnight. I guess it technically depends whetehr I arrive before or after 12, now doesn't it. But at any rate I am very excited, and so is he. We plan to do very little besides eat yummy dinners and lounge. Which is fine with me, and upon my request. Bringing a bit of normalcy to our relationship is great. 

I wish. Too bad I am poor and already 6 feet tall. 

I am getting ever so excited for my trip home in May. And for the entire thing. March flew by, but so far six days into April it is TAKING FOREVER! At least I get three-ish days with Josh in between the wait. We can wait together. 

Kya has been delightful lately. She is really cuddly and soft. She has taken to spending more time on my bed snuggling, which is nice. It's such a hastle having her around, but she makes up for it by being so damn cute. I can never get rid of her now. I'm committed. 

I've been able to taste with this cold, oddly enough. I downed half a one-pound chocolate bunny yesterday and wish I had the rest right now. Nom nom nom. I love Easter. Actually I love AFTER Easter when all the chocky goes on sale and I can snap it all up to stock my little candy bowl. I bought some delicious Hershey's Kisses for only $1.50. My chocolate bunny was a dollar. I hope to stock up on Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs. Delicious.

I have a chocolate problem, okay?

I got to talk to Ally for a few minutes yesterday. I don't think I've heard her voice in months. It was nice. I miss her so  much. Dad is avoiding any emails I send him. Wtf? I haven't heard from him except for one email with a quick few sentences he sent me last week after I asked Jenn to make him. He is getting an F minus in his fathering this month. 

Anyways, I better be off.

<3

Love,

Annalee.

Weird.

<3