Ottawa highlights, On Paper day and anew blender... My thrilling life!

Ottawa was what some May regard as rough - we only even placed for overalls in the novice category, walked away with no (equivalents to) platinum awards, only got a few awards the next level down and only received a handful of special awards. The kids were, at worst of times, extremely discouraged and it started to show onstage.

But at the end of the night, perhaps after we had determined that we had nothing left to lose, things perked up. We had some dance parties backstage, got all silly with one another and the girls just remembered the most important fact:  that they love to dance.

For me, Ottawa was a major success. I ate healthily (and got the kids into roasted chickpeas and chia seeds in their water, yay!), found a sweet vegan cafe where I could enjoy a quiet beer with some of the best tacos I've ever eaten, and happened upon some sweet galleries and gift shops. I just walked around Parliament Hill for awhile, dreaming of the day I'd be a journalist there. I'm seriously considering a move to Ottawa, when the time comes for me to move on from my current studio (and magazine).

Yesterday was one of my favourite days on the calendar - "On Paper Day." What is that? If you have to ask, you clearly aren't a fan of Hamilton's Arkells. They're pretty much inarguably my favourite band. I've seen them live six times now and have been obsessed with them since back in the Jackson Square days. "On Paper" is also one of my favourite songs by them (nothing will beat "Pullin' Punches" though!), so last year when my buddy Luis pointed out the date of May 14, I thought it would be nice to celebrate.

How does one celebrate "On Paper" day? It's really up to you. One mandatory act is listening to the song (I highly recommend the "In The Dark" remix as well). But then, what should you do beyond that?

Pull out a piece of paper. Draw a picture, write a story, make a puzzle. But I think whatever you do it should be a true expression of how you feel, maybe an outpouring of things you wouldn't normally be able to say.

So I did that. I've been trying to not only write more fiction these days but to write it out by hand instead of on my computer, where I'm far too distracted. It's actually been going well - I think getting over my own embarrassment at my handwriting was key.

In the most boring (but not!!) news of all, I am now the proud owner of a Ninja blender, after accidentally smashing my old blender and relying on my too-tiny Magic Bullet for months. I made my first smoothie this morning and it was the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience. Take me, consumerism and brand loyalty, I'm yours!!