BITS AND BOBS

FOOD

Ingredients Trivia
What are mountain oysters?

a) A walnut species
b) A type of sour apple
c) Fresh water oysters
d) Testicles

Keep reading to find out the answer.


Ben & Jerry's FREE Cone Day
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - One day only!
Time: 12:00pm - 8:00pm


Summerlicious is back!

The date has been set so get your day books out and pencil in some time during July 6 - 22, 2007.

Toronto once again shines the spotlight on its innovative hospitality industry with the fifth annual edition of the Summerlicious restaurant promotion. Every year residents and tourists alike enthusiastically celebrate Toronto's diverse and innovative cuisine with delicious prix fixe menus available at more than 100 of Toronto’s top restaurants.


Toronto Special Events

Summerlicious - prix fixe restaurant promotion
July 6 - 22, 2007

Fresh Wednesdays - live music and fresh farmers' market
July 11 - August 22, 2007

Tasty Thursdays - noon hour concerts and delicious food
July 12 - August 23, 2007

Winterlicious - prix fixe restaurant promotion
January 25 - February 7, 2008


LOOKING FOR BUCK A SHOT OYSTERS?


Biff's Bistro and Wine Bar from Monday to Friday - 4:00 to 7:00
4 Front Street
416.860.0086

Hit the Flatiron & Firkin on Thursday between 6:30 and 9:30
49 Wellington St. East
(416) 362-3444

Or the

Gull & Firkin on Wednesday @ 6:30 - 9:30
1943 Queen East
(416) 693-9337



Toronto Taste
Sunday, June 10, 2007 @ 6:00pm
Tickets $225 each (tax receipt for $125)



The answer to the Ingredients Trivia is D – Testicles.

Mountain oysters, sometimes called Rocky Mountain oysters, are the testicles of bulls, sheep, or boar, and are best when taken from a young animal. They are not highly regarded in the U.S., but in Italy and other places they are considered a delicacy. They are generally fried or sautéed.


EVENTS
EXTRAS AROUND THE CITY


Jays vs the Red Sox
Tuesday, April 17th @ 7:07pm
Tickets for $2.00 – arrive early!


HOTDOCS
416.588.8362


OPERA IN THE CITY
Canadian Opera Company
Opera Atelier
Opera in Toronto

Want to see great opera and music talent at a more than reasonable price?
Opera at UofT

What is Face the Musik?

Tafelmusik welcomes the younger generation, those people in the 18 to 30 range who think:

1. I would love to see Canada's Juno Award-winning, Grammy nominated baroque orchestra and chamber choir, but I simply cannot afford it.
2. I don't even know where/how to find out about Tafelmusik concerts.
3. What's a Tafelmusik?

Good news! You can experience our world-class orchestra and choir for as little as $15. You can check here and in NOW Magazine for information on upcoming concerts.

Call the box office at 416-964-6337 to order your tickets in advance of the concert.
Show up with your ID to pick up your tickets.


The Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Sign up for Tsoundcheck if you're between the ages of 15 - 29 for cheap seats that start from $10.00

Symphomoney
Introduce yourself to the TSO and save up to $90 per ticket!


Cheap Theatre Anyone?

CANSTAGE
$20 cheap seats
Current Plays:

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
MAR 23 to MAY 5 2007 - Don't miss it - Fantastic Show!!!


FANCY SOME FREE STUFF?

DISTILLERY DISTRICT
Galleries are always free, when opened.

ROM
Sadly no longer Free on Fridays, the ROM has reduced its standard entrance fee from $18.00 to a discounted $5.00 on Fridays.
Free the last hour of opening daily.

AGO
Free Wednesdays from 6:00 - 9:00

GARDINER MUSEUM
Free the first Friday of the month

BATA SHOE MUSEUM
Free on Thursdays from 5:00 - 8:00

FREE LUNCH TIME CONCERTS AT THE FOUR SEASONS

FREE TAFELMUSIK Baroque Summer Institute (TBSI) concerts

Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 8:00pm Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre (427 Bloor Street West, Toronto)

Thursday, June 7, 2007 at 12:00 noon Faculty Chamber Concert, Walter Hall in the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (80 Queen's Park, Toronto)

Monday, June 11, 2007 at 1:00pm TBSI Orchestra and Choir, Walter Hall in the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (80 Queen's Park, Toronto)

*Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 7:30pm Grand Finale Concert, Grace Church on-the-Hill

(300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto)

*The combined forces of the TBSI Orchestra, Tafelmusik Orchestra, TBSI Choir and Tafelmusik Chamber Choir in a baroque extravaganza! This event requires passes which will be available in spring 2007. Details available soon.


MORE FREE EVENTS


Framework Timeraiser
Saturday, April 28th, 2007
The Berkeley Church, 316 Queen St. East
Doors open at 7:00 pm

Getting involved in your community isn’t always easy, so we’ve made it simple for you to find relevant and meaningful opportunities that fit your busy lifestyle.

The Timeraiser is a charity art auction where, rather than money, you bid a number of hours you are willing to volunteer for an organization of your choice. Throughout the evening, meet with different representatives from different agencies, and match your skills to their needs.

Facebook

I've been sucked into the cult. What I once thought is no longer. I admit defeat.

Tasting facebook has been like having sex for the first time after abstaining for years .. not that I would know what that's like first hand of course ... Okay, maybe it's not quite the same but it's oohhh so good none the less.

I feel like a kid again. Having pure and simple fun.

Facebook Flora!

Photo Link of the week

Brilliant Torontonian Photographer: Top Left Pixel

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

This is far too funny for me not to share.
I have written none of it but wish I had.

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?
October 2002

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative besides reinforcing an important lesson, The Bible should be considered in totality

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24 :10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted fan,
Jim

sTuFf

I should have tons to say but the words are slipping from my mind. The past few weeks have been filled with back to back stuff. Good stuff and bad stuff, old stuff and new stuff, wild stuff and boring stuff, stuff.

I can't seem to figure out where my head is at. Worried ever so slightly about the future and trying to live for today - I'm a fish out of water, gasping for air and praying for someone to save me.

Grandma had a stroke in the first week of the new year but she's much better now. My aunt had an angiogram the week before to see if she needed a bypass but she doesn't thankfully. The parentals are healthy and well though some of their actions would make it appear as though they were off-kilter, but that's a trait I find with most parents of late - or maybe it's actually something to do with me ...

Had a great conversation with an old mate the other day who is in a similar boat. You'd think that there would be tons of us lurking around but since I've come home to la la land, I've come to terms that it's no longer the Toronto I once knew but a settled plot of land with a bunch of settled people that I vaguely recognise. Where am I?

It seems as though someone is getting engaged or married as often as I see people get on and off buses in the city. I found out about another three 'weddings to be' on Friday alone. Does this worry me? I am not too sure since I'm still grasping my surroundings and footing. It does worry my father - in a more obscure way - worried that I may be single for naught to do with man, but for the possibility that I may be a lesbian. I find that highly amusing and I reckon that he and my mother have been watching too much television.

To back track now, I would like to say grace for my friend Michaelangelo J.D. Montano who passed away at approximately 9 a.m., January 6th of this month and year.

A very spirited young man who enjoyed life to the fullest, a person whose outgoing and warm personality made friends where ever he went, Michael was a well loved man who will be dearly missed and never forgotten.

To everyone - cherish your loved ones now, and always.

Generation Who

This is oh so true.

How is it my fault that I don't know what goes on in imaginary peoples lives? - I don't know. At times I fancy sitting in front of the big flashing box so that I can be included in everyone else's conversation - but what a waste of my life that would be!

The Library

It's my new love.

It's free, like love should be, it doesn't expect much except that I spend time with it. I can go for quickees or long durations and it's even set up something online for those lonely nights when I just can't get to it in person.

We have a bond. I think this may be it. I see a future between the two of us.

Ding Dong
On a happy but sad note. My doorbell just rang and it's just before 2pm. I'm not expecting guests. Approaching the door I see a man and a package, more like a bouquet actually, and what girl doesn't adore the receipt of flowers?

Guy: Wendy?
Me: No, but I can be.
Guy: #Something# Communications?
Me: No, but I'll still take the flowers.
Guy: 231 R----
Me: Yes
Guy: Don't worry, I'll give them a ring on the number they left.
Me: *Sigh* Okay then. (closes door slowly in defeat)

Beautiful flowers and a cheerful delivery guy. But alas, neither was meant for me.

I wish my name was Wendy today.

Domi and Stronach

Too bad strange blondie is blocking the 'brunette' stronach.


Domi and Stronach sitting in a tree
Trying to deny the hypocrisy
Out in a club
Giving us a snub
If they wanted privacy
They should have gone somewhere else.

Hot

Jamie Lidell

Just saw him live at Lee's Palace last night and he is hot. Not as in dreamy ooh I want to get me a piece of him hot, but his voice and rhythm, charisma and sound surely make up for it.

Get a taste of him if you can.

Who's Life is it anyhow?

I can see it in her eyes. The sadness, pleading with me to end her pain. That in itself knocks the wind out of me.

THE PAST
My grandmother is 86 years young. I would love to say that she is strong and vibrant but she is not. The past few weeks have been emotional and tiring for everyone in this household.

'A-Pau', what I call her, has been struggling to keep up for a very long time. A few weeks back she felt intense stomach pain and was taken to the hospital and there she stayed for two weeks.

Kept 'in hospital' for observation, she was strapped to an IV without permission to eat or drink, not even water. Clear headed and able to walk prior to her trip, a week in at the hospital and she could no longer recognise people, forgot where she was, and became too weak to lift her legs or sit up on her own.

One begs to question what the hospital was doing to remedy my grandmother's health? Having worked via volunteer and co-op in my youth at the hospital in question - I fear I know all too well how the nurses treat their patients. This of course doesn't apply to all staff, but there are far too many employees that pay too little attention which makes it appear the norm, a very disgusting norm for an extremely care and service based industry. Nurses and staffing is another issue that I won't divulge into right now.

Shifted from one department to another, one nurse to another, one doctor to another, we were never given a straight answer or a direct person to contact until having been a week in at the hospital. Without knowledge or comfort, my grandmother lay in foreign bed, further in pain with hunger and thirst to add to her despair.

THE PRESENT
Finally having figured out the cause of her discomfort, A-Pau is back at home in the comfort of her own bed and room, but things are no longer the same.

A-Pau cannot walk properly on her own. She does not have the strength to sit for long durations and gets tired and out of breath from blinking it seems.

Yesterday she spilled water on herself whilst trying to drink in the middle of the night. In an attempt at keeping her independence she moved about her room to get a new shirt and change.

Taking courses which all end this month, I've been up nights finishing off assignments and studying for exams. In this case, staying up late had its silver lining.

3:00 am

Thump.
I distinctively heard a thump and ran upstairs.
Heading straight for my grandmother's room, I pushed open the door and found her lying on the floor half naked with blood streaming from her head. In a quiet whimper she looked up at me and said in Burmese "A-Pau dey bee bee" a few times. It translates to Grandma's already dead.

After waking up the house, we (parents, an aunt and I) tended to my grandmother's injuries. No severe damages but another shot at my grandmother's already torn confidence and self esteem - I could see that all she wanted was for the headaches to end. Using a group effort, we iced my grandmother's head, cleaned her up, changed her and tried to stay calm. Complaining about the pain in her head, she whispered that she was going to die. I could see the dagger pierce my mother's heart as she tried to comfort her mother and asked her not to say such things.

A-Pau is as well as she can be for now.

We are holding on to her for dear life - but whose?


Grandma, June 2005

Vegetarianism: Environmental Reasons

I don't eat meat - though that's not entirely true anymore.

When I was young I was like that of many other children, easily influenced. My grade 3 teachers were energetic, charismatic and environmentalists. We raised funds to help save the rainforest, learnt about the beluga whales and the perigreen falcons and we discussed ways to solve world hunger and other global issues. Our participation in World Earth Day and other events led us to be the newspaper numerous times, who doesn't want to see children trying to save the world? It boosts hope. All this goodwill sucked me in. I wanted more action, but at eight years old I didn't think I could do much, except - cut down on meat.

This led to the total removal of meat for most my life. Living through various stages of vegetarianism, I'm currently of the pescatarian branch after working in Japan in 2000.

I'm often asked for reasons why I'm a vegetarian. Here are some of the reasons that triggered the change in my dietary habits almost 20 years ago.

Environmental Reasons to be Vegetarian
With the obvious exception of humans, it's odd to think that any animal could seriously damage the environment. Beef cows, however, are giving it a go, and apparently they've been successful. Conservationists now refer to the animals as "hoofed locusts," and not only because they trample, pollute, and destroy all land they graze. Studies also show that cows play significant roles in deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcity, global warming, depletion of fossil fuels, and loss of biodiversity. Odd as it may sound, the environmental impact of the cow is perhaps even more calamitous than the automobile.

Of course, the problem is not really with the cows, but with eating them. Every time you swallow a piece of beef, you consume both food and natural resources twice. The same land, labor, water, and fuel used to raise, slaughter, package, and transport livestock is also needed to grow and harvest feed grain. And this double use of resources leads to a seemly preposterous statistic: while the average vegetarian consumes between 300 and 400 pounds of grain per year, the average meat-eater consumes over 2000. Of course, eighty percent of the meat eater's total is first digested by cows, pigs, and chickens. Needless to say, this process is both and extravagant and inefficient.

Given the above, anyone environmentally conscious enough to recycle should also consider reducing his or her meat consumption. Doing so is arguably more beneficial to the environment, and, in many ways, easier. While it's no picnic sorting and recycling trash, not eating beef requires little or no work at all. You only have to pick something else on the menu.

Finally, here's a modest proposal. Why not cut beef production in half and convert the cattle ranches of America's tornado alley into wind farms? Given the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, surely the plan holds enough economic potential to offset resulting job losses in the cattle industry. Until that happens, though, here are a few facts to consider about the environmental impact of the beef industry.

*
Nearly half of the total amount of water used annually in the U.S. goes to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and livestock.
*
In the US, 33% of all raw material consumption is used solely in the production of meat, egg, and dairy products.
*
The annual beef consumption of an average American family of four requires more than 260 gallons of fuel. The result is 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, or about as much as the average car over a six month period.
*
According to some estimates, supplying the entire world with a western, meat-centered diet would deplete the planet's oil reserves within ten years.
*
Cattle produce nearly 1 billion tons of organic waste each year. The average beef cow produces more than 47 pounds of manure every 24 hours.
*
From 1995 to 1997, more than forty animal waste spills killed some 10.6 million fish.
*
85% of topsoil loss in the US is the result of livestock production, with each pound of steak resulting in 35 pounds of eroded US topsoil.
*
260 million acres of US forests have been cleared for cropland to produce grain for livestock.
*
From 1960-1985 40% of the Central American rainforests were destroyed to create gazing land for cattle.
*
According to the US General Accounting Office, more plant species in the United States have been eliminated or threatened by livestock grazing than by any other cause.
*
In an effort to combat "nuisance" animals preying on livestock, in 1989 the US Department of Agriculture killed 86,502 coyotes, 7,158 foxes, 1,220 bobcats, 236 black bears, and 80 wolves. Four hundred pet dogs were inadvertently killed in the process.
*
Cows produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, three gases largely responsible for global warming. Through daily belching and flatulence, cows emit over twelve percent of the total methane released into the atmosphere per year.

Further articles and information can be found at: www.meatjunkie.com.

Oh Toronto!

Dearly Beloved,

For those of you that constantly whine that 'there's nothing to do in the city' ... I was in a sharing mood.

For those of you elsewhere in the country, head over for a visit!

For those 'temporarily' overseas, I'm pouting, I very much dislike you out of envy and jealousy, and I hope to see you soon.

Enjoy!
Ft


Looking for buck a shot oysters?
Hit the Flatiron & the Firkin on Thursday between 6:30 and 9:30
Flatiron & the Firkin


Care for some Jazz instead?

JAZZ VENUES:
1. Boiler House
2. Opal Jazz Lounge
3. Sopra Upper Lounge


Itching for a cheap performance?

WICKED - Canon Theatre
Wicked - Mirvish
Wicked, about the musical
Special deal (if you can get it)
Each day, 2 hours prior to show time, people who present themselves at the Canon Theatre box office will have their names placed in a hat and then thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for 20 box seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person.

The Canadian Opera Company
Opera for a New Age
Patrons under the age of 30 are invited to purchase $20 opera tickets. Available one week before opening night, Opera for a New Age tickets are available for all COC mainstage productions. Opera for a New Age tickets will be available in person at the Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., Toronto, or through COC Online* using the Promo Code "DEAL." Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m.

General Rush
Subject to availability, general public rush tickets are offered in the 3C/4C/5C areas at $20 each as of 11 a.m. on the day of a COC performance.

The National Ballet of Canada
Limited rush seats are available at $30 for every production. These can be purchased in person at the box office from 11am on the day of the performance.

CANSTAGE
Canstage
($20 cheap seats)
Current Plays:

Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
Directed by Dennis Garnhum
George and his simple-minded friend Lennie are outsiders trying to make a living in a difficult world that does not welcome abnormality. Of Mice and Men is a gripping classic tale of two lost souls struggling to find their place until "the best laid schemes of mice and men" go horribly awry. This is a timely survival story for a world that breeds and fears outsiders.

The Story of My Life
Music and Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
Directed by Michael Bush
Musical Director, Marek Norman
Alvin and Thomas met in Grade One. They shared the battlefields of childhood and adolescence, inseparable until one moved to the big city and their lives took different directions. The Story of My Life is a tender, musical celebration of lifelong friends and the power of a friendship that can tie two people together forever, no matter where they are.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Sign up for tsoundcheck if you're between the ages of 15 - 29.
Tsoundcheck
$12 cheap seats


FANCY SOME FREE STUFF?

DISTILLERY DISTRICT
The Distillery District
Galleries are always free, when opened.

ROM
The ROM
Sadly no longer Free on Fridays it is reduced from its standard $18.00 to a discounted $5.00.
Free the last hour of opening daily.

AGO
The AGO
Free Wednesdays from 6:00 - 9:00

GARDINER MUSEUM
The Gardiner Museum
Free the first Friday of the month

BATA SHOE MUSEUM
The Bata Shoe Museum
Free on Thursdays from 5:00 - 8:00

FREE EVENTS
Free Events

FREE LUNCH TIME CONCERTS AT THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE OF PERFORMING ARTS
Concerts by the COC and NBofC


LET LOOSE WITH LIVE MUSIC
NOW Listings
Toronto.com Listings
Where.ca Listings


WANT TO KNOW SOME OF MY FAVES ARE IN TOWN?

Opera
The Canadian Opera Company
Opera Atelier
Toronto Opera Repetoir
Want to see great opera and music talent at a more than reasonable price?
UToronto Music Department

Ballet
The National Ballet of Canada
Sleeping Beauty , the ballet (until the 18th of Nov)
National Ballet at the Four Seasons Centre of Performing Arts (just opened this fall)

Coming Soon ...
Yakudo
Taiko Drumming at the Glenn Gould Studio
Saturday November 18th

Ooo - soh?!#

Absolutely insane. Terribly funny.

Japanese Prank Videos:

massage chair

And just when you think it can't get any worse, it does ....

port o potty

Windy Tuesday Afternoon

Annual Rotary Fundraiser, 29 October 2006


RAMBLINGS

It's windy, but rather warm. It's a bit cloudy, but at least it's not raining. It's actually a rather nice day.

I'm not on prozac, though I've contemplated its benefits, yet I'm numb. I can't explain it.

Apart from all the name calling Stronach has received of late, the continual increase of deaths in Afghanistan - both of soldiers and of civilians - and the politics of Korea, Israel and the Environment, it feels like any other day.

On a brighter note, here is one lovely video that I've come across as follows. I hope you can help spread the word:
Click here to view the "free hugs" video

Cwch

Heading towards the dark?

Spiraling into a deep dark abyss. That's what happens when I think right now. To hide myself from life I close my eyes and pray, pray to the almighty potato that be or whatever super power there is out there, that the pain will just go away.

The pain of disappointment, of being lost and of lonliness. The realisation of change and the reality of life unemployed. My futile attempts and making myself pretend that I'm happy when I'm really not. The everything that makes my heart ache and chest weak when I know it's just in my head. That pain.

The past few days I've couped myself up and watched Grey's Anatomy back to back. I think I'm in love. It's taken me on an emotional roller coaster ride that I've been itching for - that I've been missing. How sad is that? I laugh to myself in a "hello, I'm crazy and my middle name is insane" type of way because I know it's sad, yet I continue to swim through its river.

Silence. With the occasional creak of the house, low humming of my computer and the sound of suburbia from the window. It's calmingly driving me crazy. I've had time to think, really think about what I want to do. Big Sigh. But with so many options and so much time, it doesn't get easy, but life is no fun when it's easy.

That being said, sometimes I wish that things were back to the way they were. Men were 'gentlemen', ladies were 'lady like', the choice of career was limited and you did what you had to do to get by and you tried, when you remembered, to appreciate what you had, not because of the imminent (or not so imminent but propaganda'd influence of threat) threat to your survival, but because you truly appreciated that piece of meat you had for the month because you never knew the next time you were going to have meat.

We're spoiled. We're an ingrateful, instant gratification wanting, screaming heathen group of wants over needs, lots of choices and options but we're picky kind of spoiled generation. And I'm no innocent victim. I truly want to change ... but how. That's the part I've been tearing my hair out over. That and what I want to do with my life. Because if it isn't 'society' and it's standards putting pressure on me, or my parents who do love me but don't know how to express it in the best way, or my friends, then it's me. And all that really matters in the long run is me. I'm not saying this in a selfish manner, but when it comes to my life, the decisions I make are mine and mine alone and I alone suffer and take credit for my choices and actions.

So, now it's time to hop off the fence and stand firm, something I was never great at doing.

Rah rah sis boom bah. I'm trying to find the light, I just can't get my hands on the switch.