Maybe you can die of a hangover.

I had the privilege of visiting a graveyard on a recent trip to Mexico. Wow. Talk about inspiration! Mexicans have a very different attitude towards Death - they even have a holiday to celebrate and remember the deceased. While we North Americans have little choice in our concrete slab, Mexican graves are beautiful, each being an original piece of artwork, representative to a life lived fully. This one made me smile:

Imagine if our lives could be captured and commemorated in such a whimsical artistic tribute.

Maybe it would make people live differently?

Either way, I hope Leon Corona is having a fiesta up in heaven.

I hear they have an open bar.

Protein Cookie Dough Globs of Heaven

Like 99% of the population, I'm resolving to eat better this year. I generally eat healthy, and I have a very loose definition of 'generally.'

I created these last year because protein bars are expensive. These cookie globs are high in calories, so don't eat more than one as a snack, but they are delicious and portable and cheaper than most commercial sugary processed protein bars.

Protein Cookie Dough Globs of Heaven

1/2 cup dried apricots (you can use dried cranberries or any dried fruit)
2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I guess you can use Vanilla flavour too)
1 large tbsp peanut butter
2 egg whites

Blend all of the above in food processor. If too thick, add skim milk, until it's a 'cookie dough' texture. Shape into 'cookies' on baking sheet. Bake in oven at 3:50 till semi-hard.

A decade in 30 notebooks

One day, if I am so lucky and so blessed, they will make a movie about my life. If they made a movie about my life, it would be called 'The Notebook.'


In 1999, one of my brilliant college profs gave some advice. She said. 'You never know when inspiration will strike. Get yourself a notebook, and keep it with you always. Whenever you have an idea, write it down.' I took her advice and after that class, I got myself a notebook. I started sketching stuff and writing down random thoughts. The random thoughts turned into quotes, phone numbers, ideas, song lyrics, guitar chords, many pasted photos of dachshunds, recipes, computer shortcuts, etc....


It's been 10 years since then and I never stopped writing. Today I filled my 30th notebook.

I often go back and read through the decade that was my 20's and I'm I feel grateful that I've kept up writing. My notebooks are like mental photo albums. I can go back and read a photograph of my 21 year old mind - what my priorities were. I have chronicled every milestone, fear, dream, goal reached and goal abandoned. I have noted names of interesting people that I wanted to meet - only to have met them a few years later (perhaps a little law of attraction action?)

Thank you Arlene Cohen, for creating an Inspiration Junkie.

I am excited for a new year, a new decade (my 30's) and especially a new notebook. If they ever made a movie about my life, it would be called 'The Notebook.' Something tells me the movie would do well.

I'm so over Hilroy.

Every now again I come across something I love so much and I wish I came up with the idea myself.

This was the case at the Christmas One Of a Kind Craft show. I came across these gorgeous, One of a Kind spiral bound notebooks. Those who are close to the Inspiration Junkie know that I never leave the house without a notebook - after all - inspiration could strike at any time. I will be posting more about my notebook collection next time.

The notebooks I discovered were created by Margi Laurin. Made from old books which were destined for a black future in a blue bin, Margi has taken a pair of scissors and some spiral binding and has reincarnated these gems into spiral notebooks.

"A lot of people were 're-purposing' or 'up-cycling' and I was already making spiral bound journals from another material. I wanted to use the pictures in the old books in a product that would keep them from being destroyed. One thing led to another."

Where Margi has succeeded is keeping the character of the book, retaining some scattered pages of original content, while filling the rest with blank pages. I purchased the two books shown above. Margi includes different genres in her collection, like 80's with Sweet Valley High covers, as well as the popular Babysitters Club.

Due to the uniqueness of each product, these notebooks are not currently available online. However, they are available through email: margilaurin@sympatico.ca or be sure to visit the booth at the One of a Kind Spring show (or Christmas show) in Toronto. Margi also sells her products at Kaleidoscope Books on Bank Street in Ottawa, and Whatever Lola Wants on Bayview in Toronto.

Ever the environmentalist, Margi tries to use every part of the book in related products, from mini note pads, greeting cards, spines become wall art, and even the holes in Christmas decorations.

Found: from the Inspiration Junkie Audio Vault

I often warn people to be wary of what they post on the internet. I give public presentations on creating a powerful online presence. Today I decided to completely ignore my own advice, and post something that may come back to bite me in the butt. I found an audio recording back in the vault. The same way they find early recordings of U2 from like, the 70's when they recorded demos in the shower and you hear their moms walking around in the background and stuff. Well, this was recorded by a precocious 7-year old, left alone with a tape recorder in the 80's.



Enjoy the heartwarming little tale, may your Christmas be merry and bright.



To listen, please click here: http://www.box.net/shared/uz78dleco8

New Years Resolutions for 2009

I've been thinking about this one. Why does it seem that every year, I make the same lame resolutions....lose ## pounds, save $$ dollars, achieve *** at work...yada yada...so uninspiring...

For 2009, the Inspiration Junkie is going to mix it up a little. Instead of the same old thing, I'm going to think 'out of the box' and come up with different things to resolve. Maybe then I can stick to them. And by sharing them on my blog, I will make myself accountable.

1. Get over my fear of ice. Yes. I'm the slow person that's holding you up in the winter. You may see my backside as I'm hunched over and shuffling along like there's poopoo my pants. Once you pass and realize it's me and I'm not 100, you laugh and swear. I'm walking like that because I tend to fall easily.

2. Learn to use my sushi rolling machine. Knowing how much we love sushi, my mother-in-law gave us a sushi-rolling machine. It looks great, but comes with an instructional DVD. That part is intimidating. Then again, my turbo hair straightner came with an instructional DVD too and that didn't stop me...

3. Stop watching so much trashy reality TV. And try to get on a trashy reality TV show instead.

4a. Get a cleaning lady. Can that be a resolution? or:
4b. Teach my dog to clean the house. She's at home lying around all day. What, you've never seen the show 'Dogs with Jobs?' - and if I succeed, I can get us onto 'Dogs with Jobs' and fulfill resolution #3. Multi-tasking we call it.

5. Stop sticking the little Chiquita stickers from fruit and tomatoes all over the kitchen counter and walls. It really pisses off my husband.

6. Learn to speak with a Trini accent. Trini accents are dead sexy.

7. Stop 'faking it' during the abs routine at the gym. Just because the instructor is on her back too, it doesn't mean she doesn't see me just laying there. As they said in high school 'you're only cheating yourself. Now do some crunches.'

8. Learn to turn my TV on and off. Ok, it sounds dumb at first, but it takes 5 remotes (TV, cable box, VCR, DVD, surround sound system). By the time I figure out how to turn the thing on, I've missed the show. And once I learn to figure out the TV, I can watch the instructional DVD to my sushi roller.

9. Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. With 14 floors, I can burn calories and kill valuable work hours at the same time. Multi-tasking we call it.

10. Post more often. Maybe then you'll visit more. I miss you when you're away.

Oprah's Fat Again.

I have missed an entire month of blog posting. The world economy is going to hell in a handbasket. Canadian politics is finally as interesting as the Young and the Restless and THIS is what I chose to write about?

Yes friends. News flash-Oprah's fat again. So many thoughts rushing through my head. One particular dislike that bugs me is when people comment about people's weight to their face. Like when someone tells you that you've gained a few pounds, or ask if you've lost weight. Even the most scalephobic people have eyes and/or wear pants. Um...they know their own current weight situation without other people's feedback, it's personal. Thank you very much.

Then there's the other extreme, Oprah, who has built an empire on many things, and her battle of the bulge being one of them. The reason I am writing about this on a blog that's mainly about inspiration, is because Oprah has been a leader that I've looked up to for a very long time. By publicly admitting that she's fallen off the wagon and gained weight back, it has made me admire to her even more. (an aside, I noticed a little more junk in Oprah's trunk for a while, and so has my mom, but who are we to comment...see paragraph above). I am proud of Oprah for admitting that she is human. The most powerful woman in the world turns into a blubbering mess, literally, when faced with rugelach just like us regular folk.

Lately I've been having conversations about how when certain people reach success, they disconnect. They become snobs and lose touch with their humanity. Oprah has never done that. This is her secret to success. She's real, and the relatability has kept her on top. I'm proud of Oprah for 'coming out' about her weight gain - not an easy thing to do, but I think it's made it easier for others to admit that we're all human. I love you Oprah. Come over to my place any time. I'll bake.