Curious about some of the foods I mention here or on Live Journal or on Twitter that you’ve never heard of? Chances are, they’re only available in Canada but can be found on this site I just stumbled across: Canada Only!

Here are some of my favourite things…(some of which I didn’t even know were Canadian things)

From the Bakery:
- Ah Caramel (most commonly referred to as “caramel cakes”)
- Passion Flakie (most commonly referred to as just a “flakie”, when I was a kid they came in more flavours)
- 1/2 Moon (oh my beloved 1/2 Moons…like a Twinkie, only about a billion times better)
- Oakrun crumpets (toasted, with smooth Kraft peanut butter)

From the Beverages sections:
- Tim Hortons coffee (more for posterity, not the best coffee ever, but millions of Canadians seem to think so)
- Red Rose Orange Pekoe tea
- Five Alive!
- Orange, Pineapple and Cream Soda Crush (also available in grape and lime, but not on that site apparently)

Skipping the Breakfast section because there’s nothing spectacular on it and there are better places to get real maple syrup.

From the Candy section:
- Mackintosh Toffee (not my thing, but my toffee-loving mother-in-law swears by the stuff)
- Maltesers
- Sesame Snaps (which I think are nasty but my friend Alex is addicted to them)
- Maynard’s Swedish Berries (if you’re into gummi type things)
- Maynard’s Sour Cherry Blasters
- Maynard’s Fuzzy Peach
- Maynard’s Sour Patch Kids
- Kinder Surprise (not Canadian, but not available in the US)

From the Cold Cereal section:
- Vanilla Shreddies (Shreddies have been around forever and are a Canadian breakfast staple, but I prefer the new vanilla ones. In fact, that’s what I had for dinner last night!)
- Corn Pops (YES Corn Pops are technically American and available in the US, however, ours are totally different than yours. Ours are perfectly round balls, as opposed to oddly-shaped nuggets and having had both, I’d say ours are way sweeter.)

Hot Cereal is gross, so I’m skipping that section.

Cereal Bars:
- Quaker Chewy Bars (I personally like the s’mores and chocolate chip kind. I put these in my kids’ lunches sometimes.)

Skipping coffee because I don’t even drink the stuff…

Chips & Snacks, my specialty, broken into 3 sub-sections:

Potato Chips:
- Lay’s ketchup, dill pickle and salt & vinegar chips (ketchup chips are essential and the only brands I’d recommend are Lay’s, which are the standard and Hostess, which I didn’t even know they still made, they must be available in provinces other than mine)
- Miss Vickie’s Chips (original recipe is the only one I like, personally)
- Ruffles all-dressed and sour cream & onion

Salty Snacks:
- Old Dutch Popcorn Twists (I actually prefer a different brand of these (Cheetos), but the site doesn’t seem to have them and there’s not much of a difference anyway.)
- Hostess Hickory Sticks (these are fucking AMAZING, you’ve never had anything like them)
- Bugles, original (which I’m pretty sure you can get in the US so I don’t know why they’re on this site…unless ours are different, which is possible)
- Bits & Bites (cheese flavour, I’m addicted to the little Cheerios-like things in the mix)
- Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn (which I also think is available in some states in the US now, although it started out as a Canadian thing)

Sweet Snacks:
- Lucky Elephant Pink Candy Popcorn (!!!!! Holy fuck!!!! I didn’t even know they made this stuff anymore!! This was my absolute FAVOURITE when I was little, each box comes with a prize! If I had any money, I’d order some of this myself!)

And now onto Chocolate Bars, another one of my specialities. This one’s divided into sub-categories too, but we’re only going to bother with chocolate bars and chocolates:
- Nestle Aero Bar
- Mr. Big (I get these about once every couple of years or so, they’re good but almost too sweet)
- Flake (this is actually a British invention that we started manufacturing here a few years ago. The British version is 1000% better, but ours is pretty good too.)
- Caramilk (not my favourite, but definitely worth trying)
- Crispy Crunch (peanut buttery crunchy goodness, like a Butterfinger only different)
- Crunchie (sponge toffee covered in chocolate, good shit)
- Reese Peanut Butter Cups (yes, available in the US obviously, but ours are different and are filled with something more like ground peanuts. Unfortunately they’ve changed them in the last year or so and I don’t like them anymore…but you might!)
- Wunderbar (wonderful! probably my favourite)
- Coffee Crisp (I don’t like them all that much myself because I don’t like coffee flavour, but they’re probably the #1 chocolate bar in Canada)
- Kit Kat (probably my 2nd favourite, although once again, the British version is better)
- Smarties (like M&Ms only with a thinner shell and way better chocolate)
- Glosette Peanuts (chocolate-covered peanuts, also available as chocolate-covered raisins, but who the hell wants raisins?)

Mmmmmm Cookies:
- Peek Frean fruit creme & digestive (sort of a wheaty type cookie covered in chocolate)
- Dare Maple Leaf cookies
- Christie Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies (I haven’t had those in YEARS, didn’t even know they made them anymore!)
- Dare Wagon Wheels Cookies (when I was a kid, these were in my lunch every single day)
- President’s Choice Decadent Cookies (probably the best store bought chocolate chip cookie ever made)
- Pirate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies (Blake really likes these)

I’m kind of a cracker addict, so here goes Crackers:
- Bacon Dippers
- Swiss Cheese (my favourite)
- Vegetable Thins
- Christie’s Crispers Snack Crackers (ranch)
- Wheat Thins (weird, I was eating those as I wrote this)

Ignoring the Desserts section because I’ve never had any of that stuff…Also ignoring the Gum section because I’m pretty sure you can get all of that in the US (but maybe not in other places)…Ignoring the Home & Health section because who cares? Although Gravol’s an experience if you’ve never had it before. ;o) Ignoring the Hot Chocolate section because Swiss Miss isn’t that much different than my beloved Carnation.

Jams and Spreads:
- Nutella Hazelnut Spread (I don’t actually buy this stuff but people I know swear by it and it’s apparently better for you than peanut butter.)

- KRAFT PEANUT BUTTER (the greatest peanut butter on EARTH, Wes & I prefer smooth, Madison likes chunky, Blake likes both)

Skipping Juices because I already covered that under Beverages, above.

Just For Kids:
- Farley’s Biscuits (these are teething biscuits that are pretty much a staple for Canadian babies)

Skipping Magazines because…this is about food. Skipping Oriental Food because I’ve never really had any of it and what I have had, I wouldn’t recommend anyway.

Pantry:
- KRAFT FUCKING DINNER (ours is different than the American version and, in my opinion, BETTER. Canadians eat more Kraft Dinner than anyone in the world and I like to think we’ve perfected the stuff as a result. Anyway, get some. I like the “extra creamy” kind too.)
- Presidents Choice Deluxe White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Dinner (I hate this stuff personally, but it’s my mother’s favourite and everyone else I know goes batshit for it, so you’ll probably love it too.)
- Heinz Alphagetti (I wish they had Zoodles, Zoodles are way better.)

Skipping Pickles & Relishes because they don’t have anything I like and relish is relish.

Sauces:
- DO NOT BE FOOLED BY ANY OF THE POUTINE SAUCES ON THIS PAGE. THEY ARE ALL GROSS. (For poutine, you just want beef/brown gravy, white cheddar or mozarella cheese curds (cut up into small chunks) and fries. None of this “poutine sauce” crap.)
- Clubhouse Sauce and Seasoning Mixes (this is how I make shepherd’s pie)
- Keen’s Prepared Mustard (Blake and my dad live for this stuff, especially with ham)
- Diana Gourmet Sauces (I like the original BBQ and Rib & Chicken.)

Skipping Seasonings because I don’t really buy those. Also skipping Soups because there isn’t anything interesting there. (Although Habitant Pea Soup is a hugely Canadian thing…I can’t stand the stuff.) Annnnd I’m skipping everything else because they aren’t interesting either.

So there ya go. If anyone actually orders any of this stuff, I’d love to know what you think! :o)

I woke up this afternoon wanting to embrace my inner rockstar, so I threw on some Hole and some makeup and tried to do something with this mess I have for hair and then I took pictures.

This one, I took with my digital camera. Not the greatest angle:

The rest I took with the built-in webcam on my MacBook and they look like shit. Grainy, grainy shit.  But it’s the same lighting and the same chair as the pic taken with my digital camera, so what gives?

I don’t have a copy of Evocam for the Mac anymore, so I was using “Photo Booth”, which came with the Mac’s OS and it doesn’t seem to have ANY settings whatsoever, just stupid filters you can add. Does anyone know of any other Mac programs out there for taking pictures using the built-in webcam? Because that’s ridiculous. My old iSight seemingly took better pictures than this built-in piece of shit…except I know for a fact that people make high quality videos and pictures using the built-in cam, so how are they doing it or what am I doing wrong?

In other news, I need a haircut badly, but I’m waiting until it’s just a liiiittle bit longer before I brave the salon. I want chunky, piecey layers, like Courtney Love circa 1995, but without the bangs and it’s not quite long enough to pull that off yet, so I guess I have to wait. I’m also toying with the idea of dying it pink again, but truthfully, what’s the point when I so rarely even leave the house? Why spend the $20 for the dye? Might as well wait until the spring when I’m more likely to be out & about. And I’m hopefully a few pounds lighter.

Anyway, that’s enough vanity for today. Time to get some work done before the LOST premiere later tonight.

I just woke up, so I’m low on words, but wanted to post this before Blake gets back from Wal*Mart and I’m distracted all day by Wii goodness.

So without further ado, I present to you my latest commission:

Her veil was made using fine tulle and she has teeny tiny “seed beads” on her dress in an attempt to recreate the bead work in the dress of the person who commissioned the piece.

Anyway, it’s awesome, I rule. The end.

So I’ve made a decision. After I’m finished doing the commission I’m working on, I’m going to take a break from accepting commissions for a while because I’ve realized that as much as I appreciate that people want me to paint for them and I’m flattered by it, I really hate doing it.

When people ask me to write or paint for them for money, usually I start off stoked at the idea, like, “holy shit, this person thinks my words or art are actually worth paying for!”, it shocks me every time and I’m eager. But about halfway through the project, I procrastinate and get resentful at having to create someone else’s vision, particularly when my own are ready to come down the pipe.

Right now I’m about halfway finished this fairly simple commission and it is absolutely killing me that I can’t work on any of the 5 ideas I have in my head until it’s finished. I mean, I could, if I wanted to, it’s not like I have a deadline for this commission or anything, but the way I work, I want to get this finished and out of the way before I start working on something new, particularly when these next 5 pieces are going to be different than what I’ve been doing recently and the commission is more of the same.

(And I really hope the girl whose commission I’m working on gets this post and isn’t offended by it. It’s not you, it’s me. It’s like, this cycle that just happens that I never realized applied to art too, until just now. I thought it was only a writing thing and the reason I stopped doing freelance. Your painting will be finished post haste, probably by the end of this coming weekend. I don’t have much left to do and I’ll be kicking my own ass shortly.)

Anyway, I’m fucking angsty today, wishing I had more space to work, wishing I had more time, wishing I had a goddamn cigarette. I’m tired of painting pretty girls with pretty backgrounds, basically standing there just being pretty. It’s time to do something new. “Mermaid Bait” was a step in a direction, but not really where my head’s at these days. In fact all that’s been going through my head during the past week or so is “RAH RAH ANARCHY!” and that just doesn’t work when you’re trying to paint a happy bride whose wedding colours were “pink and pool”.

So I think I’m gonna be quiet for a while while I work, take a break from spilling my guts on the internet every chance I get. I don’t even know if that’s possible, but I think it’s what I need to try and do right now. Incubate.

And that’s all I have to say.

Tomorrow one of my favourite bands, Los Campesinos!, will be starting their US tour. If they’re playing near you, consider checking them out! Then tell me about it because they’re not playing any shows near me any time soon and I’ve never seen them!

Thursday January 15th, 2009
Ottobar
Baltimore, MD

Friday January 16th, 2009
Cat’s Cradle
Carrboro, NC

Saturday January 17th, 2009
The Earl
Atlanta, GA

Monday January 19th, 2009
Jack Rabbits
Jacksonville, FL

Wednesday January 21st, 2009
Club Downunder
Tallahassee, FL

Saturday January 24th, 2009
Exit / In
Nashville, TN

Sunday January 25th, 2009
Hi Tone
Memphis, TN

Tuesday January 27th, 2009
One Eyed Jack’s
New Orleans, LA

Thursday January 29th, 2009
Walter’s On Washington
Houston, TX

Friday January 30th, 2009
The Parish
Austin, TX

Saturday January 31st, 2009
Club Dada
Dallas, TX

Tuesday February 3rd, 2009
The Bottleneck
Lawrence, KS

Wednesday February 4th, 2009
The Gargoyle
St. Louis, MO

Friday February 6th, 2009
Der Rathskeller
Madison, WI

Saturday February 7th, 2009
Logan Square Auditorium
Chicago, Il

Tuesday February 10th, 2009
Ladies Literary Club / Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI

Wednesday February 11th, 2009
Wexner Center
Columbus, OH

Thursday February 12th, 2009
Swarthmore College/Olde Club
Swarthmore, PA

Friday February 13th, 2009
Paradise Rock Club
Boston, MA

Saturday February 14th, 2009
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Sunday February 15th, 2009
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

For more information on Los Campesinos! check out their site or take a peek at their Wikipedia page. Or just take my word for it and buy their albums, Hold On Now, Youngster… and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.

You can thank me later. ;o)

Sooooooooooooooooo….who wants to be my fan on Facebook? Anyone? *taps the microphone*

As much as it pained me to do so, I spent this afternoon creating a “Fan Page” (as opposed to a “group”) on Facebook for those people who follow my crap every day, but who I don’t know well enough to actually add to my friends list on Facebook.

Every few days I get a message from someone on Facebook that I don’t “know”, who says they’ve been “following forever”, who want me to add them to my friends list and I just don’t know them well enough to do so. I thought if this “Fan Page” came up in searching for me, people might join that instead of asking me for a friend request. That way I can still interact with them through Facebook, but there’s no awkwardness with the friend situation.

More than that though, I’m trying to be better at self-promotion, because everyone keeps saying that I’m never going to make any semblance of a living making art if I don’t self-promote, so this is me making a lame attempt at self-promotion.

Even though I spent all afternoon making the page, Blake had to spend half an hour talking me into making it public because I’m just not comfortable with this whole self-promotion deal. It feels so narcissistic and I’m afraid that people won’t want to join it and I’ll end up looking like a giant loser. :o/

Anyway, even if people don’t join, at least I made an attempt at promoting myself and that’s a step I haven’t been able to take before, so progress was made.

So like I said at the beginning of this post, if you’d like to join, join! If not, that’s okay too.

My friend Kat (whose LJ is friends only or I’d link it) is collecting pictures of her friends on the shitter to be used in a digital picture frame for her bathroom and Blake suggested I send her this one, which I took a long time ago.

I lost the original digital file a long time ago so I had to scan it from the only print of it I have and I figured that since I took the time to do that, I might as well share it here too for those who never saw it.

This is one of my favourite pictures I’ve ever taken and it actually spawned this crazy idea  (that borders on obsession) that I never ended up executing, but I still may one day.

Anyway, Happy Sunday!

In the last few weeks, a few people have asked for my address to send me things after coming here to confirm my address and finding that I no longer have a PO box. So I thought I’d make an announcement so everyone knows: I no longer have a PO box.

It came up for renewal right around Xmas and they raised the price to $120/ year and not only did I not have the money to renew it, it just wasn’t worth the cost. Yes, people send me stuff from time to time and I don’t like giving out my home address, but $120 is a lot of money and I could think of a million things I’d rather spend money on. So I let it lapse.

If you need to send me anything, just e-mail me (Sunny@SunnyCrittenden.com) and if you promise me you’re not a stalker type, I’ll probably just give you the house address.

Soooooooooooo that’s that!

Ugh. For some reason, right now when you go to my site a “Twitter API” keeps asking me for a username and a password. If this is happening to you too (and I’m assuming it is) just hit “cancel” and it’ll go away. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the Twitter plugin I have so tweets will show up under “Peep Show” to the right. I’ll have Blake take a look at it when he gets home from work.

Anyway, I’ve been a busy little bee today and I’ve added two new pages to my site, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Last winter I shut down my webcam after 7 fun-filled years of camming and I sort of did it on the sly, as quietly as possible, which left some folks confused and apparently a little hurt because they claim there was no warning. I think the fact that I shut down my site’s cam feed a year prior and the fact that I was only updating my Camwhores cam feed once every 30 days for about a year near the end was plenty of warning that shutting it down altogether was inevitable, but I can still understand where they were coming from.

Because I keep getting questioned about why I left Camwhores [NSFW] and stopped camming, I decided to put up a page explaining why, but also explaining a little bit about camming for the newer people that are coming to my site and have no idea of my “sordid” past.

As I was writing the page, I realized that an article on camming is nothing without pictures, so I asked my friend Kevin, who owns and runs Camwhores (the site where I did most of my camming) if I could have a copy of my cam archives, which was apparently impossible as the file format the cams are archived as is only readable by the server. After giving it about 2 minutes worth of though, I asked him to put my archive back up on Camwhores, both so I could rip pics from the site for my webcam page, but also because I’m actually pretty proud of my cam’s archives, there are a lot of good memories there, from doing Scratching Post shows in my underwear, to meeting Blake, to finding out I was pregnant with Wes and watching my belly grow. Not to mention the friends I made along the way, a lot of whose names appear on my naked body in Sharpie or in my cam’s caption in many of the archived images.

I’m not going back to camming, I think I should be clear about that – I think that ship has sailed – but I do plan on using my Camwhores account to chat on tag and post in the forums from time to time, so I’m sort of “back” in that capacity, but that’s about the extent of it.

Along with the webcam page explaining my departure from the cam world, I spent last night pulling images from my archives and putting them in an album in my gallery, the link to which is on the webcam page. But here’s an old school pic for the sheer hell of it:

The other page I put up today is simply a favourites page and it can be found by clicking here. It’s nothing special, just a few lists of favourite things from movies, to music, to books, to actors and artists, so people can get a better feel for me, especially if they’re visiting my corner of the internet for the very first time.

So that’s what I did today. I hope you’re entertained by some of it. :o)