Packing List and Some Very Original Motivational Quotes That I Definitely Wrote. Myself.

I’m back by popular demand. As usual, I felt pensive in the jersey tunnel. I reminisced on an old blog post and my question about the tiny doors that line the walls. My curiosity was squashed as I learned pretty quickly that people likely didn’t come out of them - they just held brooms and such. Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy. That’s life.

Here's a picture I edited of C. Thomas Howell from the Outsiders (THE Ponyboy), warping time to show him in his 30s. I used a teen photo and one taken during 'middle age' to achieve this effect.

Celeste told me to squawk like an eagle while crossing the border. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity both on the way there and on the way back. Some say it was out of fear; some say I’m a perfectionist. (How do Eagles squawk?) (Don’t tell the Feds I said that).

Naturally, as is the expected reaction to hearing I took a bus, you might be wondering, “what did Violet pack with her?” Well, I’ll tell you.

I tried to pack as light as I could leaving Montreal, which was a good call because I had absolutely no space on the way back.

For my friends up north, though - I did not return empty-handed. One grocery trip and two stuffed bags later, I come in hand with not one but TWO packs of Trader Joe’s takis. Yeah, you’re welcome.

To this day, it’s weird to me that there’s neither Trader Joe’s nor Target here. Not that I go to Target. Ever.

Emo to leave the warmer weather, I brought my spring jacket back to Canada with me. Will it see the light of day? Probably not.

I am also bringing back some microwave popcorn (shoutout mom), so I can join Thomas in the popcorn grind. How do I know he makes popcorn? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. (I can smell it in the hallway) (and I’ve seen kernels scattered across the floor).

To take it back a couple of months, over winter break, as a last-minute addition, I brought my little digital camera. This time, while packing, I decided to bring the battery charger. Now, if your first thought after hearing that is that I’ve probably been using the camera, you’d be wrong. While it isn’t likely the battery will change much, I decided to take the chance on myself.

Hey - you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. One step for mankind, one giant leap on the moon.

[When putting this through Grammarly - you can't say I'm not classy - I was told that 'mankind' is dated and non-inclusive. In the spirit of accuracy, I'll keep it how it is, but I'll be sure to dm Neil Armstrong a complaint].

I can’t tell you all too much, though; my parents always told me a little mystery is the secret to success.

Still, I have more I thought I should share.

My goal was to watch the Last of Us’s new episode on the way, but unfortunately, there was no outlet in sight, and my phone had a scary low battery for an 8-hour bus ride. I took the hit and decided to watch it on myflixer later. As they say, God gives his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. It’s hard for the Last of Us (us being people without VPNs).

[Edit: I started the download at 5%, and it worked. There wasn’t much point in downloading it because my phone died, but at least I could watch it legitimately once I got back. One last slice of America, you could say… I have some thoughts, but no spoilers on here].

By the end of the bus ride, this one girl in front of me had reached up for her bag in the overhead bin probably twenty times. I made that number up, but all you need to know is that it felt like she was standing up, rummaging through her bag for longer than she was sitting down. I also made that up, but it was a lot. It made me wonder what was in there that needed such constant attention. A hamster? A small dog? Maybe a kombucha scobi?

I’m also curious about the carpets in buses, movie theaters, arcades, etc. Do the manufacturers specialize? In my mind, there are three generic designs, but I’m sure it gets more specific than that. I wonder who designs them. And why? Like how did it start? You never see those carpets anywhere else. Are there new releases every year that bus manufacturers and theater designers are on their toes excited about? It’s like the new Apple Watch for architects.

On the topic of monotonous design, I’ve deduced, after lots of research (stopping at at least three rest stops in my life), that all rest stops look the same. I wonder - have I only been to NY rest stops? Do outside states have different ones? Are they state-run? What do Canadian rest stops look like? Maybe one US developer took rest stop monopoly? Or maybe the type of person deciding to open a rest stop usually has a niche sense of architectural style; it comes with the gig. Who knows.

Another thought for you all - slivered almonds look like they taste how they sound. Slivered. Granted, I’ve never had almonds. Or slivered almonds.

And with that, I stepped off board the Excellence. (McGill Bus)

- Violet

Iron Chef Competition

The Insider Scoop, was it worth it?

Charlotte and I woke up at the bright hour of 9:30.

I started my morning by setting off for the kitchen (not the BMH kitchen, don’t get ahead of yourself). I prepared two (2) piping hot cups of coffee in my Moka Pot and finally got the attention I’d been craving - one of my neighbors stopped in to fill her kettle and commented on it.

After months of daydreaming, I finally made my Irish coffee dreams come true. It was a bit ad-libbed, but it was better than I expected.

As the clock ticked 10:45, it was time to head over to the dining hall. After some initial confusion, we were led down a looming staircase to the depths of hell. After months of questioning what the kitchens looked like, I finally saw them for myself.

We got a tour, and while I consider myself seasoned in organizing (my last job had a closet), the other participants had to be shown how to find what they needed.

Just like on Iron Chef, we were presented with mystery ingredients, which we had to incorporate into our dishes.

Unfortunately, unlike in Iron Chef, we weren’t cooking alongside Bobby Flay. (Do Canadians know who he is? If not, have they never seen Worst Cooks In America? To take it a step further - is Guy’s Grocery Games a thing here?)

Time flew by, and it went searingly well. Good one, eh? (Canadian cultural reference to make up for the Bobby Flay thing. Terry Fox. Grade Eight. Trying to knock them all out in one paragraph. The Annex. The Beaches. The Mapleleafs).

Also, I tried passionfruit for the first time, and damn.

As for what goes on in the BMH kitchen, that’s a secret I’ll never tell. XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Making the Cut: A Review. Did it Make the Cut, or Did the Cut Make it?

Since many of you understandably value my opinion quite highly on various subjects, I thought it was timely of me to write a review.

So, here it is.

Making the Cut, S1E1.

I first opened up myflixer and typed this show into the search bar in hopes of finding a modernized, updated Project Runway with fresh challenges and design constraints.,

Unfortunately, as they say multiple times throughout the episode, this show did NOT make the cut.

Naively, I thought to myself, "it can't be that bad; Heidi and Tim are running it." Boy, was I wrong.

After discussing the show with some of my peers and colleagues, I realized the overwhelming amount of Amazon shoutouts was typical of the platform's sponsored shows. You would think that such a big brand could afford to limit it to 5 sponsored lines per hour to preserve the integrity and professionalism of the show, but you would have thought wrong.

To make it worse, the shoutouts weren't even tasteful or well incorporated. In fact, they remidned me of my least favorite part of the OG Project Runway, the sets of 30 second spiels they repeat every episode without fail. I think my the finale I would remember who the judges were, and how elimination works.

Yeah, yeah, I get that they have to say the rules so that new watchers understand what's happening, but I say that after the first couple episodes, if you're tuning in, I'm sure you can manage to piece the rules together on your own, for the rest of our sakes.

Plus, the new show is design based, not seamstress based, but one, we never see the seamstress, and two, the designers leave fabric cut into pieces for whatever pattern they chose, and they arrive the next morning with finished garments. (Give credit where credit's due!) True, sometimes they aren't happy with how the seamstress does, but it makes the failures at the hands of some mysterious, invisible force, and allows the designers to remove essentially all blame from themselves.

Even with the mysterious seamstresses playing such a big role and causing so much trouble for some, the judges' harsh reactions were limited. While in project runway, their insults words would sometimes leave the viewer shocked; I was confused when they seemed to restrain themselves. Where are Nina's cutting and cruel remarks?

The reveal, post light insulting, is also removed from all of its drama. The fate of the designer is prefaced by Heidi asking, "judges, have any of you changed your minds?" which, in this past episode, was met with a stoic chorus of 'no's. She then says, looking intensely into the camera, "You made the cut." Or, for the unlucky few, "I'm sorry, you did not make the cut," followed by a spiel of how much the judges believe in them. Helloooo, this is the first episode, is it not? Where's the fire?

Despite all this, my least favorite part was not the script, but instead the score. The pilot of this show is filled with some of the worst, most Amazon feel-good music I've ever heard. While runway walks are supposed to create desire, making you want the clothes and enjoy the experience, the loud and bouncy music playing in the background made it hard to focus on much else.

Here, I'll attach them so you can listen for yourself. I recommend really setting the scene, and picture the montage attached to the clips.

This first song played as Heidi and Tim came on screen. Thankfully, it was pretty quiet at first. But, a fine-tuned ear could have been warned of what was to come. They unfortunately begin playing it louder, and we have to listen to the lyrics.

Paris on my mind, surprisingly, plays after the designers learn they are going to Paris, and while they make the trip. An L for the Belgian guy who went all the way to NY just to go back to his neighboring country.

This song played during the runway show. And while one of the characters shared a heartfelt story. Yikes.

This played after the show, to a montage of all the designers crying.

I couldn't find the credits song online, but the lyrics are as follows

Everybody say, it's okay

Everybody say, it's okay

It's a beautiful life

It'll be alright

x2

Overall, I give it the chop.

-Violet