Hi Friends!

it's Tuesday which means it's time for another Tune-eee Tuesday (duh)! I had originally planned to focus on musicians from Prince Edward Island today BUT I had forgetten that the Juno's were on ... so P.E.I is coming up next week. Promise!

I have chosen a few songs featuring Juno WINNERS from various genres -- songs that are great for the road!. Some of my favourite artists actually won but I didn't include them on this list because the majority of them have already been featured here before - it turns out I have SUPER good taste in music. Bwahaha!

1) Neil Young -- Harvest Moon -- (Winner: Artist of the Year)

2) Meaghan Smith -- If you asked me -- (Winner: New Artist of the Year)

3) Karkwa -- Echapper au sort -- (Winner: Francophone Album of the Year)

4) Deadmau5 -- Sofi Needs a Ladder -- (Winner: Dance Recording of the Year)

5) Elaine Lil'Bit Shepherd -- Likkle But Mi Tallawah -- (Winner: Reggae Recording of the Year)

6) Drake -- Over -- (He didn't win anything BUT he was a host & from what I saw, he was pretty good at it!)

Good ol' Canada! We have such a wide range of talent in this country. I love it!

Anyway, break time is over! It's 8:00p.m. and I must get back to work. It's a busy, busy week around here with a whole lot of stuff going on! I hope YOUR week is super fabulous. Please don't forget to keep VOTING everyyyy single day in Pepsi Refresh! 5 weeks, 5 spots! I appreciate your kindness oh-so-much.

Happy trails & travels...

Much Love,
-- Becky xo

Hi Friends,

As most of you are aware I attended the 8th Annual Toronto Timeraiser last weekend (March 19th). It was such an amazing evening. I seriously encourage you to check out www.timeraiser.ca to see if an event is coming up in your city soon! Go! Go! Go!

I put together a little "video" of the evening (below). I had some issues with sound (it's really time to get an external mic) and lighting and all that jazz but it worked out well enough-ish. I had actually edited 70% of the video on Saturday night and at about 12:30 a.m. the program crashed and everything was LOST! I had forgotten to save (ugh) and it turns out that this particular program doesn't autosave (ugh)...so I had to start from scratch. I was not a happy camper! Haha.

Check it out.....thoughts???

I have to send a BIG special THANK YOU to the lovely Deniz who accompanied me to the Timeraiser. She was responsible for clickity-click-clicking many of the photographs....and she was just super fun! I also have to send another BIG special THANK YOU to the other bestie (Ana) who provided us with her special camera for the evening. Love you girls!

That is all. Hope your Monday is spectacular. Don't forget to VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! in Pepsi Refresh Canada. We are in 9th place, with 5 weeks to go. FIVE weeks, FIVE spots. Your vote is more important now than ever before! Let's do it.

Happy trails & travels!

LoveLoveLove,
Becky xo

Hi Friends,

I was listening to Radio 3 (as per usual) this afternoon and heard Dave Shumka talking about some article that Shad had written regarding the Juno's. I checked it out and had some thoughts that I figured were appropriate for the blog. You might want to read the article HERE so that you understand what it is I am talking about...

If it has not yet been made clear, there are two very important things that you need to know about me - 1) I recognize & appreciate the people who 'devote their lives to building a better society' & 2) I am a huge supporter of Canadian music (especially music that is independent in it's nature) - so my immediate reaction to Shad's article was HELLLLLLL YES!!!!

I do realize that the Juno Awards will probably never take on Shad's suggestions - not because they're heartless people - but because the Juno's are meant to be a celebration for MUSIC and music alone. I do, however think it's crucial to recognize the hard work that is happening across our country. Shad even said in his article that "...a little recognition can be a nice consolation." and I think it's the same for many Canadians who are striving to make a difference in their community. It definitely helps with reducing the oh-so common 'burn-out', plus who doesn't appreciate a little positive feedback??

I was discussing the power of 'celebrity' the other day with a friend. Our conclusion is that they're in fact SUPER powerful and could do oh-so-much with that power if they wanted to. There are plenty of celebs that use their name (& money) for good, and there are others that do not. As Shad said in the article, he isn't even famous (he pretty much is) and he clearly sees that he can make an impact on whatever cause he chooses to champion. I only wish that every other celebrity would realize the same thing! I have been saying for many years that if some of the "super celebrities" took a pay cut (ya know 55 billion to 3 million!?) and used that excess money to do good, the world might be in a much better place. Am I crazy? Does this not make sense?
 
Now I can't sit here and pretend that I am any kind of angel when it comes to my money - I definitely enjoy unnecessary evening beers with friends, and I have been known to have a shoe obsession (at least they're TOMS?) - BUT when I look at people who are earning a BILLION dollars each year by starring in movies, it bothers me. Who actually needs a BILLION dollars when there are BILLIONS of people living in extreme poverty?! Everyone is always talking about how to fix the world and I think (part of the) answer is right in front of us. Is it not time to CUT these ridiculous salaries down and do something good with the money?! This is just something that I don't think I will ever understand about our society...

Anyway, I am ranting on and on here and it's dinner time. So I will conclude with -1) YES to celebrating Canadians who do good 2) YES to Canadian music 3) YES to celebrities who use their powere in a positive way ...

Hey SHAD, we should team up and plan some kind of awesome awards ceremony for the do-gooders. Hit me up!

Here's a tune from the man himself. Enjoy! 

It's time for another Tune-eee Tuesday - Nova Scotia addition! I had a really hard time choosing only 5 songs to feature because there are a ridiculous amount of incredible artists from Nova Scotia...so I chose 6! Talented with a CAPITAL T! Haha. I will absolutely be adding a whole bunch more Nova Scotian (?) songs to my grande list of Roadtrip with Reason tunes! For now, this is what I came up with...

1) Joel Plaskett -- Soundtrack for the Night

2) Buck 65 -- Paper Airplane (with Jenn Grant)

3) Amelia Curran -- Hands on a Grain of Sand

4) Old Man Luedecke -- I quit my job

5) Wintersleep -- Oblivion

6) David Myles -- Cape Breton

Next week I will be featuring songs from Prince Edward Island. I don't think I generally listen to many artists from P.E.I so this will be a fun discovery.

Thanks for listening!

Much Love,
-- Becky xo

P.S. Don't forget to get your DAILY vote vote VOTE vote vote in for Pepsi Refresh Canada. Our project is currently in 10th place - only 6 more spots to jump! We can do this!!!!!! Thank you!!

Hi Friends,

I am so pleased to report that things are picking up around here. I think this Roadtrip with Reason is actually going to happen! I always had faith but these days I am feeling especially positive about it. Over the next few months (prior to departure) I will be announcing some of the non-profit organizations that I will be hanging out with while I am on the road. Exciting. I have already learned oh-so-much from this experience and I haven't even left yet! 

Speaking of learning, I would LOVE to officially announce my very first non-profit organization ... *drum roll please* ...

----------

As soon as I read about their organization I was interested and am so pleased that they have welcomed my idea with open arms! They will be the first organization that I spend time with on the entire Roadtrip with Reason and I can't wait to meet these creative and passionate individuals who are striving to do positive things in NL!

I highly suggest you take some time to check out an old issue of their newspaper "backBEAT"  - it's pretty freakin' awesome!

Too.Excited.Too.Excited.Too.Excited.

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

P.S. Don't forget to 'LIKE' my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter so that you can keep updated on all the upcoming announcements!! Oh and KEEP VOTING in Pepsi Refresh!

Hi Friends,

Happy Sunday! I had the most amazing time last night which was spent at the Toronto Timeraiser event. It was inspiring, eye opening and oh-so-fun. Over 10,000 volunteer hours were raised! I can't wait to put all the footage/photos together and share it with you.

Last night was also the first time that I was able to use my Roadtrip with Reason business card. In fact this is my first EVER business card, which is kind of cool. I realize it looks nothing like your average card....but who wants to be average?

I really wanted the card to a) reflect my personality b) look like a postcard c) be way less expensive than printing actual postcards and d) tell my story .... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (I think). They make me smile!

You know what else makes me smile? Your support in the PEPSI Refresh contest. Yesterday we were in 10th place for quite a few hours which blew my mind! So exciting. I know that we can get back there. I just need you to keep up the daily VOTES until April 30th....and keep spreading the word! I appreciate it so very much.

Happy trails & travels!

Much Love,
Becky xo

Hi Friends!

Change of plans....it's Tune-LESS Tuesday this week. I have been quite the busy bee and haven't had a chance to really sit down and pick my Top 5 tunes from Nova Scotia yet. I pinky promise that I will return next week with a great batch!

So it's Day 15 of PEPSI Refresh. Yep, it's still happening! I think you are all getting pretty tired of the daily vote, eh? 
I get it. I really do!

Just HEAR ME OUT:

1) Your daily vote matters SO much. It takes two seconds to get your vote in and then you are done for the day. Please, please, please keep it up and don't quit! We're currently stuck in 12th place and we need to get movin'! Every time you miss your vote, my chances decrease! I watched a group in another category go from 15th to 8th last week - it IS still possible!

2) Your daily vote could change the outcome of the entire project. As I have stated many times before, I am committed to making the Roadtrip with Reason happen no matter how tough it might be but a $5,000 grant would make it a lot easier. It would allow me reach out to more non-profits, build a larger audience, increase the quality of the project, engage more Canadians in the idea of giving back, and grant more of the non-profits wishes ... among other things! The roadtrip has so much potential to grow and have a positive impact on various organizations and communities. I really believe that.

3) I appreciate your votes more than you know. Whether you are one of my dedicated friends who believe in my dreams, or just a kind stranger.... your support means so much to me!

Please VOTE!
Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! VOTE!

Now instead of a tune, I am going to leave you with this clip of my Cogeco TV interview. Eeek! Makes me nervous.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

Hi Friends!

Can you believe it's Sunday already? I really think weekends are too short. Anyone interested in starting a revolution? Let's work Tuesday-Thursday and enjoy weekends from Friday-Monday? Eh? Eh? No? Haha!

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I was contacted by 3 people on the CouchSurfing website who were looking for a place to sleep in Muskoka on Saturday night. I think I have stated before that to reduce my costs during the Roadtrip with Reason I had planned on couchsurfing throughout the entire journey. I had heard great things from friends who had couchsurfed before and I was really interested in it. What a great way to make new friends and get a local perspective. That being said, I had never experienced it for myself and wasn't exactly sure how it would work...

It was a success! I am so glad that Jessica, Francois and Thomas contacted me! I had such a great time hosting them last night (even though I feel like they were hosting me). As soon as I met them I felt pretty comfortable - they were cheerful and talkative and silly - and I was so relieved that we could understand eachother. (I learned later on in the evening that they were nervous about being able to communicate as well). Jessica and Francois have lived together in Toronto for about a year, and Thomas (Francois' brother) has been here for about 3 weeks and is just beginning his travels. I was amazed at how well he could communicate, even though he was so new to the language. There were many times when I would be chit chatting away (oops) and they would have to translate for Thomas. I felt badly but I also quite  enjoyed it because French is such a beautiful language.

They made me a fantastic meal of salmon and pasta, served with french white wine! It was delicious and the dinner conversation was great too. I had picked up some cupcakes from Sweet Aroma to serve in the evening as dessert and was so excited to find out that Thomas had NEVER eaten a cupcake before. I didn't realize that cupcakes were a North American thing...but they were enjoyed! I also had a chance to tell them about the Roadtrip with Reason and even got to snap a 'do your part & show some heart' picture. We finished the night off with big hugs and a little ukelele tune. It was great and I wish it could've lasted longer!

Now that I have my first couchsurfing experience under my belt, I am even more excited to be hosted while on the road. I also can't wait to host again - so if you're in Muskoka and need a couch, I am your girl (until July)!

Anyway, it's dinner time and I have some tasty leftovers to warm up. Lucky me!

Don't forget to get your Sunday VOTES in for the Pepsi Refresh Project! I think it's time for us to move on from 12th...

Happy trails & travels!
-- Becky xo

Happy Saturday!

I realize I didn't post anything up yesterday. To be honest, I felt guilty (still do) writing about needing votes when there are clearly things in this world that far more important.

Oh, Japan. I haven't been able to look away from the devastating news reports since it all began. It is truly unbelievable. Even in my wildest dreams, I just cannot imagine having to deal with such terrifying and life changing situations. I have said this many times before about natural disasters, political issues and lifestyles that take place around the world. It's shocking and scary and so sad.... it's also the exact opposite of my 'charmed life'.

Man oh man. I am such a lucky girl.

How would you even 'bounce back' after something so terrible?
I wish that someone had the answers on how to fix the problems of the world and the workings of Mother Nature.
I do not. The best thing that I can offer in these situations is to donate a little money, send positive vibes and continue to try to be a better person in hopes that it will make some kind of difference along the road...

All of this being said, the PEPSI Refresh contest has not paused and life must continue ... so please do keep your votes up! We're currently in 12th place and it would be great to get to 11th soon. I appreciate your support very, very much.
 
This evening I have 3 french(wo)men coming to stay with me for the night before they head off on a dogsledding adventure on Sunday. My first couchsurfing experience! I am excited. I hope you have an exciting Saturday too!

Big hugs, warm thoughts and lots of love to you & yours...
-- Becky xo