How To: Become An Internet Sensation

by Shannon

I highly recommend choreographing a kick-ass dance to Matt & Kim’s “It’s Alright,” and then posting it to YouTube. Let the internet dollars start rolling in!

How To: Make The Perfect Road Trip Mix

by Shannon

Rachel and I are going on a kick-ass road trip in July, and needless to say, WE ARE SUPER EXCITED.

Rachel just got a new car, one that has a CD player, and this is big news. It means mix CDs!

In highschool we both had tape decks, and spent long hours putting together the perfect mix. To this day, I can’t hear The Used’s ‘Taste of Ink’ without thinking ‘Train in Vain’ by The Clash is coming up next.

Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve created a mix tape or a mix CD, but I’d like to think I’m up for the challenge.

I like to start off with a big crowd pleaser. Nothing too expected, no Journey or anything, but something that gets everybody going, and everybody excited.

Following that, it’s good to switch up the pace. You can do this by decade, genre, or vibe. Sometimes slow, super sad songs are really fun to sing along to, and who doesn’t like ‘Summertime’ by Mungo Jerry, amiright?

And finally, the closer. It’s gotta be good, and of course, leave everybody wanting more. A solid Beastie Boys is always a good choice, or a sweet singalong song.

What’s your favourite song to throw on a mix, the one that you can’t live without?

Now, go forth, young lovers, and make those mix CDs!

How To: Go Back To Being 16

by Shannon

Just give a good old solid listen to those songs that got you through some mad heartbreak.

Might I suggest Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Work’?

BRB, g2g bawl my eyes out.

How To: Get In A Good Sunday Groove

by Shannon

No matter how hungover you may or may not be (but definitely are), just throw on this sweet, sweet jam and you’ll be just fine.

What’s Yo’ Beef #40

by Rachel

Oh my gosh, we almost forgot AGAIN about Friday beefs. Although, it never upsets me because it usually means I don’t have much beef. Always a good thing. However, I do have a bit if a beef today…

Rachel
When your husband turns down your music and turns on the TV. HONESTLY! Just f#%@cking turn it off… That would be less annoying than listening to music AND the TV at the same time. COME ON!

Shannon

It’s true, I just haven’t had a lot of beefs lately. I have been really jonesing to go to a good concert though lately, but there just haven’t been bands I want to see, so that’s kind of annoying. It’s like all my favourite artists are just on hiatus, or else touring Europe or something. Come back to Toronto!

What’s Yo Beef #34

by Rachel

Rachel
This is happening right now… When people wear leggings with holes in the butt…

Shannon

My beef today is sad moods. Not even bad moods – I’ll save those for another day. But sad moods, like when you just get in a funk that you just can’t shake. Maybe you’ve done something stupid, maybe you just have a shitty feeling, who knows. The point is, they’re like a succubus, and just drain you of all things awesome. Geeze, what’s the point!?

I did something stupid today, and now I just have this sick, sick feeling that I can’t shake, and I know I’m a mess to be around. It’s pretty ridiculous. Self, you need a margarita and an Usher dance party. Get it in gear, woman!

What’s Yo’ Beef #31

by Rachel

First of all, apologies for lack of posts lately… It’s like how-to writers block up in here. Secondly, our beefs.

Rachel
My beef this week is poor kijiji etiquette. It really grinds my gears when you email inquiring about something and no one EVER emails you back! Even if the piece is gone how difficult is it to write back ‘Sorry, its already sold’. Writing that right there took about 3 seconds. People don’t have an extra 3 seconds to be courteous to someone trying to help them out by buying their shit? On top of this, their ad will still be on kijiji! And its like, is it still available or did you forget to take it off? Also, if you don’t have a smart phone with your email on it, leave a phone number. Honestly. It is such a great website when used responsibly and respectfully, so lets have a little more courtesy kijiji world. Poor kijiji etiquette… COME ON!

Shannon

In honour of the Blue Jays home opener tonight, my beef is when you’re at a sporting event, and just really jamming to one of the songs playing, getting right into it. Then, the actual game has to start, and they stop playing the song, often right before the good part. Dude, I was listening to that! Why can’t they just play the music throughout the whole game?! It would really make the whole thing a lot more interesting in my mind.

How To: Rock Out

by Shannon

Is there anything better than a solid brass section in music?

Life is like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything into it, you don’t get anything out of it.

How To: Have A Great St. Patrick’s Day

by Shannon

With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Monday this, I did my main celebrating Saturday with Liam and some friends, and man, we had a blast.

I’m a strong believer that St. Patrick’s Day can be totally fun, without having to pay a $15 cover and cram yourself into a room that seems to have more elbows than bartenders and vacant bathrooms, with the former constantly being shoved in your face. Last year, Liam and I did a sweet College Street pub crawl with a friend that worked out awesome – non-Irish bars get ignored during this holiday, so we had great service, and the bartenders were fun to chat with. This year, we went for the same idea.

Once everyone found the place, we all huddled into Duke’s Refresher, which is a relatively new bar on Gerrard at Yonge. It has a great beer selection, the food was killer (as was my beer milkshake. What!?), and the band kept playing Beatles songs once they realized we loved them. We sat around, played Truth or Dare, ordered multiple Moosehead‘s, and the band even dedicated a song to me.

From there, we booted over to Jack Astor’s for some Woodchuck Ciders, then over to Beer Academy to wrap up the evening. By the time my facepaint was wearing off and Liam and I had demolished the Chinese food we brought home to devour during House of Cards, I was tapped, but I’d had one awesome St. Patrick’s Day.

In honour of my awesome day, I’ve put together a small list of rules that should help you have a wonderful holiday without being stupid.

1. Always make friends with the band and bartenders. They’re so often really cool

2. Ain’t nothing wrong with painting your face. Just ask my mom, who still faithfully does it every year

3. If you have to pay cover at a normally coverless bar, it probably isn’t worth it

4. Eat, eat! You’re skin and bones

5. Green dye will make you feel gross

6. Friends are better than no friends

7. Sing along, clap your hands, laugh loudly. If people can’t hear how much fun you’re having, you’re not having enough fun!

8. At the end of the day, make sure you curl up with a glass of water, a good book that you’re fanatically reading because it expires from the library in two days and you apparently can’t renew e-books, and someone who loves you (even if that someone is just a poster of Keanu Reeves)

What’s Yo’ Beef #18

by Rachel

Rachel

It’s been a “beef with everything” kind of week. MasterCard, online bookings, trip anxiety, snow, hating my job… And then I ran out of tape when I started wrapping gifts yesterday. COME ON!

Shannon

Dude, your beef just sounds brutal. The important thing to remember is that tonight, we’re hosting the most bomb-ass party ever. So really, my only beef this week is having to sit through a work day when I’m JUST SO PUMPED FOR TONIGHT. Like, listening to Styx all day and Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop” on one-hour repeat pumped.