oscar fatigue

anyone else sick of the oscar's before they even begin? i am having flashbacks to last year, that hung over feeling at the end -- thinking that was just one marathon promotional commercial disguised as an awards show. easier to catch the red carpet highlights in the trash mags and the acceptance speech goofs on youtube. maybe it is just that none of the best pictures really have my vote, though many of the others i've seen in the race leading up to hype night were good. ah, long live the art house pic!

the year of the pig

happy chinese new year! let me look into your future, i see many a sweet and sour pork dish there. the year of the golden pig. supposedly, this golden swine is good luck. likeable even. however, because it is the year of the fire boar apparently we're in for some major climate or political struggle this year. they should have waited to release charlotte's web until this year. maybe charlotte would have wove a warning into her web. some fire pig! last night we had fun looking up our signs on wikipedia and learning about our inner and secret animals. they are determined by the month and hour of your birth. so apparently i'm an inner monkey and a secret ox. i had no idea it was at least a four part process. take that western zodiac... i do love the idea of having an inner monkey though. cracks me right up. oh the mischief that awaits an inner monkey in a fire year. all kidding aside, the more i think about it, the more i am beginning to see the chinese new year as a second chance on new year's resolutions. a fresh start, take 2.

rattle and hum

woke up this morning to hear the rattle and hum of something clattering about in the furnace room. landlord is on the case. went to yoga this morning and made a mental note to remember the lovely sunshine streaming thru the space. a yoga mum came to class and actually left her two boys in the basement to play while we tried our best not to hear them upstairs. i guess it was a PA day or something. right as we were about to go into corpse pose, one of the boys peeked his head out asking his mum if he could get his mittens - it's cold in the basement. she said, no, you don't need them. just 10 more minutes for relaxation. kinda funny really. i think that is an example of not being able to have your cake and eat it too. anyhow, the clatter in the furnace has now been silenced. it is friday, lovely friday. can't wait for saturday!

and best picture goes to...

The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. went to the vintage rep cinema, bloor cinema, last night. there is something perfect about the big band music booming before the show, the red curving walls, the worn theatre chairs, the heavy velvet curtains pulling up to unveil the picture. this is the way watching a movie should be, forget buildings shaped like space crafts or rubix cubes. perhaps it is that the theatre reminds me of castro theatre in san francisco which is even more dreamy, complete with wurlitzer performance and tons of architectural drama. anyhow, that is just the set dressing to tell you about the main attraction. the movie. so beautiful, heart-breaking, stunningly innovative. i can not believe it was not even nominated. obvious politics at play, damn you brad pitt. it is timeless. in fact, the movie spans 1000 years and examines love, death, the meaning of life, the boundaries of science and faith, the fountain of youth...it's amazing, especially because the visual effects were made on the cheap with magnified droplets of various liquids and substances -- makes you feel like you're traveling thru space as it has never been witnessed before.

bonjour bri-ROACH

one of the nice things about working for yourself, is that sometimes you get to have a little slice of saturday on wednesday. i had a breakfast meeting at bonjour brioche yesterday morning. this popular East end brunch spot is difficult to get into on the weekend, but mid week there is elbow room to spare and the same delish features like salmon scramble with rosti caviar, horseradish and creme fraiche alongside fresh baked bagette. i even treated myself to a cafe au lait, in a bowl no less. deluxeness. only one small problem. ok, two small problems. after i had cleared my plate, my meeting pal who was sitting facing the open kitchen leans in and tells me he just saw, wait for it... a roach scuttle up the wall. i quickly turn around to see one of the kitchen staffers spraying something on the wall in question with a paper towel. my meeting pal must have a stomach of steel because he still put away two pain au chocolat which he ordered from the pastrie window where he had spotted another roach nestled in the goods. insane! anyhow, i wish i knew about the bug problem before i ordered. i felt like it was my civic duty to alert my fellow foodies, to tell you to stay away until they have fumigated. yeesh.

pursuit of happyness

Martin Frohm: What would you say if man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?
Christopher Gardner: He must have had on some really nice pants.

watched this flick and felt inspired. the trailer doesn't do it justice. makes it seem cute-sy and hollywood when it is actually quite genuine with a good story. it was also set in SF which brought back lots of memories especially since our first days there were spent in the Tenderloin area where the Glide church is, Canadian dollar at an all time low. you actually feel the financial pinch alongside Chris; along with the shame. will smith's character is well drawn, he never blames anyone for his tough time and he never plays the pity card. brave, brave.

also saw Children of Men, clive owen is fabulous. i love the way the future isn't that different from today --just has a few technological advancements, different politics but it is believable because it is almost like today. you can feel the sorrow of a world where children no longer exist. this makes the film feel so vulnerable, it is very personal, yet the future of the human race is at stake. i have to say that i have been loving the oscar noms this year, haven't been disappointed yet. still so many to see.

perfection

still savouring the deluxeness of this perfect saturday. woke up, dN read some cool articles from Wired magazine aloud, then I ate homemade guacamole and corn chips for breakfast before jetting off to laughing yoga class. best laughing meditation yet, lots of crazy laughs chasing one another up into the sky. felt like my soul opened up and basked in the collective glow. next stop, chinatown for mother's dumplings. a slice of heaven, i tell you. wandered queen, coffee in hand with my pal audrey. came home all flushed and cheery from an afternoon of laughing punctuated by good stories & insightfuls -- watched xfiles with dN and my brother-in-law under cover of sleeping bags. leftover hot and sour for dinner. tonight? a night out at the movies. another oscar pick, children of men. (couldn't convince the boys to see dreamgirls, sorry zest...it is next on my list i swear) my apologies if this post is alittle catalogue-y but i felt i had to record it in the order of progression, almost like you couldn't describe a meal with the appetizer last. ahhhh...namaste.

notes on a scandal

One Woman's Mistake Is Another's Opportunity...

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh...this is one juicy flick. judi dench is killah in it, absolutely creepy and perfect, such a hard boiled, meaty role for her and she nails it to a T. good reco jP. so far, my vote is for her for best actress. cate blanchet was great too, easy to see why she had hearts a-flutter, though for an art teacher she seemed to do very little in the way of ...art work. kudos to the writers too because i was soooo tired in the theatre last night but couldn't bear to miss a wink of this drama. we also watched Pan's Labyrinth on the weekend, which was a "cover your eyes" gory "fairytale." the kind of movie that could give you serious nightmares if you weren't careful. not sure what to see next, any suggestions? working my way thru oscar noms.

it's 5am...

are you sleeping? i am not. the guy upstairs insists on loud, rowdy parties almost every friday and saturday night. last night's party just wrapped up a few minutes ago. i managed to sleep thru most of it but the pounding vibes woke me up at about 4am. all sorts of thoughts went thru my head -- pounding on his door in my pjs, calling my landlord and waking him up to have him place a call to the tennant, playing my music loud and obnoxiously at 7am-9am just so he can get a taste of what it is like to try and sleep thru a racket. of course, i did nothing. well almost nothing, i suppose this blog is an indirect something. i just don't want the bad karma. plus it makes me feel like a 90 year old crank who wants to end all the fun those crazy youngsters are having. ah, the dilema. any suggestions?

s l o w

the nice thing about January is it seems like the pace of life is a lot slower, measured. like everyone is still sleeping and sort of hibernating from winter. gives you time to think and try to do things the way they should be done. unhurriedly. without stress.

yesterday was the coldest day of the year. it was also the first day of a lululemon warehouse sale. took one look at the 'round the block line filled with freezing deal-seekers and decided that cheaper yoga pants weren't worth the pain. there is something very anti namaste in that picture. seems kind of cruel to host such a sale on such an icebox day. i think they should have served chai tea to the deal-seekers. this was one case of slow not being a good thing i guess. then again maybe they should have made a system -- appointment cards upon showing up. then again a long line is good PR so maybe they liked the idea of selling stuff so good you'd freeze your ass off to get it. the sale runs for 3 days so we'll see if i make it back.

good find: cereal for dinner

laughed at this song this morning and thought it was worth sharing. it's called Cereal for Dinner.

there is something deluxe about breakfast at odd hours, don't you think? this song is about the non-deluxe variety of breakfast at any hour, in that kind of sloth way. reminds me of life in university.

lucky number 7

i am having one of those moments. the kind where you know you are being too overdramatic and crazy but it happens all the same. wait for it to pass. count your blessings and laugh like it is going out of style.

return to senda

the week before Christmas we received a small envelope addressed to mimi maxwell. with all the pre holiday mail, we opened it up thinking it was a Christmas card for us - not seeing the mimi until afterwards. anyhow it was an invitation for drinks from an old friend, maybe even flame - norma jean. hmmm...upon further investigation it wasn't like they had the wrong address, everything was correct except the name. could this have been mail sent from the past, arriving late? what era is it from? is mimi maxwell a code name for a spy, artist or vagabond? it definitely sparks the imagination. i leave you with one question:

who is mimi maxwell?

all theories, evidence, and wild guesses accepted. gladly.

sugar plum fairies

may sugar plum fairies dance in your head and may your home be filled with laughter and joy. here's hoping 2007 is a lucky 7 kind of year.

absurdity witnessed: voice from within

went to the bank machine last night, couldn't figure out why there was someone at the outside one when the inside one was free. went in, pulled out my wallet, when a hand stretched down over the darkened screen from within. a voice said, Hey! i screamed and ran outside. i waited and used the outside machine but realized i needed a deposit envelope from inside. i finished up, went back inside and again - the hand and the voice. screamed again! and then i said, "just getting an evelope!" obviously it was a repair guy -- or maybe a robber! -- i didn't really stick around to find out, i will call the bank today just to be sure. the voice and the hand at that confidential moment really spooked me, i have to say. in hind sight, i should have asked more questions - after all he was pretty far away inside the machine and i am sure everything is on tape. maybe shouldn't have used the other machine. i wonder why they wouldn't lock the door when the machine was being serviced. an odd experience to be sure.

rooms with a view

here's proof our new windows are now blinking back at the street. check out them beauties. only the second floor so far.

[CM] Glico - Pocky Sesame feat. Satoshi Tsumabuki

had a pocky picnic today on the sunny front steps of our house. flavours du jour? milk+ honey and chocolate mouse.

brush with schmarminess: MUCH legend

so last night was a blast. went to a fabulous agency party hosted by Capital C, agency of the year no less. the theme was Sofia's Marie Antoinette meets chalkboard drawings as you can see from the invite. there were tiaras at the door and a tray of big flashy fake bling rings as you checked your coat at the door. welcome to fabulousness. anyhow the whole place was dripping with chandeliers, velvet curtains and amazing set design in the chalkboard sophisticated style. there were boas and silk dresses and waiters in costume. the food, one silver tray of deluxeness after another. i wish i could remember specifics, sorry foodies. i noticed this woman in a gwen stefani-esque outfit who wore her tiara well when i first arrived but we didn't chat much. anyhow, my gang convinced me to crash another party with them across town and i ended up beside the tiara girl once more. we both couldn't part with our tiaras so we bonded over the coincidence. i told her i had been eyeing her LAMB-esque get up at the other party with a fashion nod. she fold me it was one of those cheap fashion finds, not an original but she loved it too. turns out she runs a site called The Yummy Mummy Club. she handed me her card. i didn't look closely enough at the time. without missing a beat, we continued chatting about the web and yummy mummies in general. turns out, it was Eric Ehm herself.

another brush with schmarminess: bare naked

dN zipped into our local indie video store and who did he see with his wife and a gaggle of kids...Jim Creeggan, bass player of the barenaked ladies.

patience + prudence

fell in love with this charming little song from the 1950s called Tonight You Belong To Me by two sisters named Patience and Prudence. You can sample it here.

here are the lyrics.

I know (I know)
you belong
to somebody new
but tonight
you belong
to me.

Although (although)
we're apart
you're part
of my heart
and tonight
you belong
to me.

Way down
by the stream
how sweet
it will seem
once more
just to dream
in the moonlight...

my honey, I know (I know)
with the dawn
that you
will be gone
but tonight
you belong
to me.

Way down (way down)
along the stream
How very very sweet it will seem
Once more just to dream
In the silvery moonlight...

my honey, I know (I know)
with the dawn
that you
will be gone
but tonight you belong to me.
just to little old me.

another brush with schmarminess: metric

ate lunch at luna cafe next to Emily Haines from Metric. how cool is that? the whole time i kept admiring her lululemon yoga gear, didn't even know it was her! she was with this other dude who looked like a musician too but i couldn't place his face. the funny thing is they were playing some tunes from their first album and i was thinking to myself, this is the theme song for the cafe! this is the song i fell in love with last time i was here. in case you are a foodie and really don't care about the emily bit, but just what we had for lunch. it was divine. organic freerange chicken sandwich with sundried tomatoes and a side salad. dN had the pork sandwich special.

listen up

new fav, give it a listen. www.jimnoir.com

one man's trash

recycling day, garbage day, you know the drill. one week it's blue bin, the next trash. green bin every week. our neighbour, an older Portuguese gentleman had us cracking up this week. despite our efforts to clarify things for him, he is convinced there is a garbage conspiracy against him. every week he puts all his undivided trash out on the curb. every week he shakes his head when some of it is left behind. he noticed everyone's green bin was picked up every week. so he invested in 5 green bins and placed his trash in them, then placed them on the curb and watched.
so we witness him opening the neighbours green bins -- empty. and then opening his own -- still full of trash. couldn't figure out what the trash guys have against him. he looked accusingly at us, like we are somehow in on it.

now...chocolate?

first spinach, then carrots. now chocolate? i think i jinxed chocolate eaters with that first post. the convenience store on the corner was selling them 2 for 1. discount poison.

fortune teller: redux redux

again and again. pinged my friend about his baby, hadn't talked to him in ages. they are due in november but i had a hunch. anyhow, sure enough he messaged me from the hospital. his wife was in labour, they were due to have their baby within the hour.

a moment of silence

we observed a moment of silence at 11 o'clock for remembrance day today, it was the middle of my first laughing yoga class. it was such a contrast, the one moment everyone sat in stillness, reflection. the rest of the class was a comical succession of exercises meant to get people laughing, even fake laughter was encouraged because it leads to real laughter eventually. there doesn't have to be a reason. they even do a laughing meditation where the lights go down and people lie on the floor and then just laugh themselves silly, eventually ending in an ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. as crazy as it sounds it is oddly addictive, really makes you feel so great, full of happiness and appreciation for life. a lovely mix of people from all walks of life gathered, all united with the sole purpose of laughter. isn't that beautiful?

taxi cab wisdom: trinidad style

took another crazy cab ride yesterday, this cabbie was from trinidad. wild grey hair tucked under a ball cap, a blanket shawl coat, chucky e cheeze sketches of his grandkids and stories about his life in trinidad, divorce, friends lost over money issues, his flashy boat and time in prison. yes, it was a long cab ride but he had such a fire and wit to him i just had to smile and beg him to keep telling me stories. he went on and on about "people have no class" and how one of his friends who scrimped and saved to buy a house only to serve tiny, sour grapes when visitors came by. he said the greatest gift in life is contentment, whether you are rich or poor -- to be content in life, that's what it is all about. i've come to expect a dose of philosphy with every cab ride. sweet.

when a white cat crosses your path

is it good luck? well hopefully it makes up for the weekend. let's just say that it felt like the weekend gods were conspiring against us 80% of the time. though i met a friend for tea today and she told me about this yoga laughing class where people gather to laugh for healing. sounds new age-y but interesting. a social experiment. i wanna try it. apparently kids laugh 300 times a day, and adults only 19 times. she went to the class with a friend and felt so relaxed and happy afterwards. LOL X300, go ahead, I dare you.

if you carve it, they will come

(photo stolen from flickr) we went to fiesta and all that was left were the tiny pumpkins, so dN carved three crazed mini pumpkins, two were one eyed beasts with pointy teeth and we sat out on the front porch with our toques to hand out chocolate goodness to those who came looting.

this one kid said in mobster-style, hey what're you guys do-in? like we were up to no good or something, we said "renovations." the door was cranked open and behind us you could see our work.in.progress illuminated by construction lamps. the first crew had a cranky belle, who when asked who she was replied haughtily "Belle!" and stormed off. cranky belle, that is! it was pretty funny. there was one kid dressed as a bird, probably 3 or 4 years old. he happily declared "i'm a bird!" we also had cbc radio bellowing "the raven" by edgar allen poe for impact. quoth the raven, `nevermore.'


our street is a mix of over the top halloween houses with all the tricks, music, tomb stones, strange mood lighting and then the anti crew who don't turn their lights on, not even blinking at the parade in the hood.

trick or treat.

sopranos-athon

confession: we have been watching season upon season of the sopranos lately. everywhere we turn, we think we see mobsters. fugedabudit.

koco ny: the perfect card

koco ny: these are my favourite cards on the planet. art meets poetry = sublime

found this article about the company in my web travels today. how cool is that? i have a few friends that are anti-cards, but let me tell you...sometimes the card is the best part of the gift. long live the greeting card!

fisticuffs

fisticuffs - a fight with bare fists

on sunday i went to the movies in yorkville and there was a car stalled on the one-way street blocking car upon car with no end in sight. well, ok a two hour wait for a tow truck but almost no end in sight. apparently there were frozen brakes and the car couldn't even be pushed to the roadside. we found out the news from a fellow walking the sidewalk who told us some of the drivers almost got into "fisticuffs" over the issue. now, as rough and tumble as this sounds for us uber polite canadians -- i found the expression fisticuffs kind of sweet and old fashioned. i imagine two handsome gents getting into fisticuffs over some pretty lady. cartoon wounds, not real ones. the kind accompanied by Bam! Gadzooks! and a gigantic yellow starburst of some sort. as a lover of nostalgic words, i beg you to post some of your favs, pretty please. zesty, i know you have it in you.

a matching set

of twisted ankles! dN twisted his left foot at volleyball yesterday, he's on crutches. what a pair! unbelievable but true. hopefully the wicked winds of luck have blown thru town.

luck be a lady tonight

friday the 13th folks, beware the twists of fate.

first sight of snow

not even halloween yet and snowflakes were caught streaming across familiar skies. brrrrrrrrrr....feel the chilly.

water works

as we approach the luckiest day of the year, it seems every day there's a new catastrophe. yesterday, killer carrots. today, water fiasco. we had city water officials come by the office, two plumbers and my landlord camped out almost all day fixing some hairline fracture in a pipe. we were without water for about 4.5 hours. not exactly a catastrophe but still everything seems to be tending towards chaos lately.

what are you planning to do to ward off evil on friday the 13th? grab your clove of garlic and leave me a comment sharing tales of unluckiness near and far. i dare you.

killer carrots

first spinach, now carrot juice. who knew it could be so dangerous to be a health nut? i have bought this juice quite a few times and shudder to think if i accidentally, absent-mindedly had forgotten to refrigerate for a few hours. what kind of twisted world is it that millions of donut-eaters, chocolate addicts, & twinkie fans survived in true homer simpson bliss while the poor carrot juicers and spinach eaters suffer dire consequences?

such shocking symptoms:

Symptoms of botulism can include: double-vision, droopy eyelids, altered voice, trouble with speaking or swallowing, and paralysis on both sides of the body that progresses from the neck down, possibly followed by difficulty in breathing. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

unbelievable but true. sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

give thanks

here's wishing everyone a happy thanksgiving. turkey, pumpkin pie, fall walks with tons of colour - hopefully minimal drama with the family. here's thanking the heavens for good health, good friends, and the sweet moments in life.

oh, the dish

ok folks, the story begins. last weekend our neighbour installed this eye sore of a satellite dish, pretty much as close as possible to the dividing line on our semi. we called the home owner to let her know her tenant had done so and asked nice and politely if she would mind asking the tenant to please move it. she seemed not to care. still feeling that chilly retort.

in addition to being an eye sore the satellite blocks part of the view from our front tiny window.



now as much as we respect their right to do as they please with their house, would it have been so terrible to install it in a less intrusive place, let's say one that does not block the view at all from my soon to be office?

are we over-reacting? feels so unreasonable and rude.

a little slice of heaven

flashback: sept 2003, laduree on rue bonaparte. we slid a note beneath the latest "collection" of delicate macaroons behind glass in the chocolate shop. tasted as many flavours as possible on the pont des arts strewn with student artists and distracted parisian locals. a little piece of heaven. established in 1862, no less. the french are so damn cool.

more taxi cab drama

took a cab today and we got a flat tire, on the gardiner just before the jameison exit. you can imagine with my swollen ankle that i wasn't about to walk from there. so the cabbie offered to drive us to king. it was the lumpiest ride ever but i am just glad we didn't end up in an accident. the moment we got out of the cab, another car sped thru the intersection almost hitting a school kid playing chicken with it. crazy day, i tell you.

hairspray

john waters has been around town shooting hairspray with john travolta and queen latifah. recently spotted the proof on dupont near bathurst, on dundas near palmerston, on queen, in roncesvales. this shot is from roncesvales near the mack's gym. basically they were hard to miss. the retro cars, massive 50s make-overs of non-descript patches of street, tons of detail. hollywood north.

brush with schmarminess: kos

a craving for a drake burger appeared today and wouldn't die, so we ventured to the drake and indulged. half way thru, kos walks in and sits with a bunch of the hipper than hip staffers at the table behind us. i didn't even notice. dN filled me in afterwards. i had burger on the brain, completely. anyhow, now that i think back, i remember thinking hey -- that guy is cool, without really recognizing him. anyhow, there you have it. another brush with schmarminess. a bit ho hum, i'm afraid. i will say that i thought he was British because he was dressed much cooler than everyone else.

o happy day

flashback: three years ago today, we walked down the makeshift aisle of french cafe chairs at Balzac's and exchanged I dos at sunset. there was a small crowd of family and a few friends. we took over the gallery space in the loft with our own photographs and at the end of the night there were polaroids of everyone splashed across the silver coffee bar. my crazy grandma wore a j.lo-esque number and danced everyone to shame. we have known each other almost 10 years. he is still my mcdreamy of mcdreamies. makes me laugh, carries me when i've fallen, the list goes on for miles.

she slips...

she falls. down the stairs. twists her ankle. now the proud owner of a silver pair of crutches and bizarre goose egged ankle with matching bruises. on the mend though. don't even think of calling me hop-a-long.

hot wheels

if kit had a makeover, this would be it. this is a car worthy of tricked out super heros. spotted here in a moment of uncharacteristic calm.

flashback: northern exposure

two weeks ago we ventured north in search of ...wait for it, filing cabinets. inherited from my dad's office. they are moving to a smaller space and he wanted us to have something from his business. passing the torch if you will. so we jumped in the car, hooked up the trailer and ventured north to my hometown.

once we got there, it was nostalgia city. it has been quite awhile since i had been back and so every bump in the road and silly anecdote from childhood came rushing back. we went to Deluxe, a family run burger joint known for their fries and this crazy orange bbq sauce. they have been across the street from McDonald's for as long as i can remember and they have this hilarious sign with one golden arch. kinda like -- take that, you double arched corporate giants!

some of my parents' friends and coworkers were around to chit chat and soak in the collective nostalgia. while we were there we also found my box from childhood -- the one with random notes to friends, old report cards, gymnastic medals and the like.

after a lunch of wild turkey surprize and blueberry pancakes at Eddie's (surprize! no turkey) -- we made our way back to the big village. the French River Trading Post was our only stop. got some fudge for my friend Sally whose middle name should be Fudge, she loves it so much. anyhow, that's when i snapped this shot and it brings back the flood of memories that were lurking about in a dusty attic at my dad's office. kinda funny how junk food was part of the nostalgia -- but you know, you need alittle grease to fuel such a long journey. hungry bears, i guess.

absurdity witnessed: salt

crazy chinese lady next door is up to new tricks. first a pile of salt appeared on the sidewalk out front her house, en route to our office/crash pad. today, another pyramid appeared on the road about 2 paces away from the first one. at first i though maybe someone was cleaning up from a party -- someone had tossed their cookies and this was the clean up solution. now that there are two, i am beginning to wonder if it is tied into the brooms and the water and the music. the piles seem to be somewhat aligned with her front walk, is this a feng shui magic?

theories anyone?

face lift

before: red paint



almost after: no red paint

yes, we gave ourselves a face lift at the work.in.progress house. when i say almost after, i mean that we are still planning to redo the trim and we'll be installing new windows and a double door so it's more like an in-between stage...but still -- huge change! i love the details in the brick above the windows and along the edge of the house. it's coming along!

dream life: just add pork

no pork before bed for me, my friends. brings on the strangest dreams. last night i dreamed that i went on a road trip on a tour bus with scarbie and a gaggle of girls from highschool. i had sofia (coppola) on the brain and she was there -- asked if she could go with one of our parents on their super bus because it had crazy bubble pods in their bus that you could lounge in and she was prone to car sickness. everyone looked at her like she was a diva. i actually rode a rinosaurus bareback facing his tail and was kicking myself for not taking pictures of the bears and elephants i saw stomping thru the river.

care to analyze anyone?

e-spy

read a creepy article recently that g-mail uses ad technology that scans the text in your emails and serves ads up that relate to your message. so much for privacy. i think yahoo must use something similar because i've seen ads related to the content of my mail there as well. this is the equivalent of bell wiretapping your phone and sending you brochures related to that camping trip they overheard you planning or even worse, anger management courses for the fight they overheard. is that the price we have to pay for free on the internet? we should boycott!

remember, remember

the 1st of september. i can't believe august is officially over. happy long weekend all!

twin peaks

been watching the ol'classic on DVD lately. who killed Laura Palmer? back in the day, i yearned to be mistaken for Audrey. who couldn't love Agent Cooper? i am actually not a fan of the red room with the dancing midget, though my brother in law thinks it is kill-ah. we tried to get thru the movie, but found it reached a new low in movie history -- am i missing something? the log lady, though...knows no comparison. she is quirky goodness, no doubt.

here's a great quote:

Dale Cooper: Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee.

...makes me wish for a piece of cherry pie right about now.

flatiron

why is it called a flatiron? i was searching online but came up empty handed. a few weeks ago, we wandered and snapped in the st. lawrence market hood. the curves of the flatiron seduced me. what a beauty.

film shoot witnessed: chase scene

the Trailer Park Boys are in town shooting a movie. dN dropped me off at my office yesterday after i had been out at a meeting and called to say, "The Trailer Park Boys are on Northcote street -- go check them out!" i half walked, half ran to see the action and happened to look right and then i saw the trio. Bubbles, Julian and Ricky goofing around waiting for the director to shout Action. there were a gaggle of girls in cheerleading outfits standing across the street. when i asked if they were in the scene, one of the guys who looked to be managing them joked -- "It's in their rider. the Trailer Park Boys MUST have cheerleaders on set." when the director yelled, ACTION, the trio ran down the sidewalk with a gang of goons chasing them.

sunflower soars

flowers from the hood caught kissing the sky.

blackberry

raided the garden today at the work.in.progress house for a feast of juicy blackberries. the best ones about to burst with moisture. sweet!

road trip find: abandoned drive-in

sweet birthday o' mine. went to picton in search of a deluxe lunch at harvest. we explored the town before lunch, loved the old theatre and the bookstore. afterwards we sought salvation in the sandbanks provincial park which has perfectly blissful, velvet sand. it wasn't empty but it wasn't packed. so lovely. we parked ourselves on our mexican green picnic blanket beneath some trees and lingered over the newspaper and snoozed. afterwards, we took the winding road back home and found a few more barns and fields to photograph, a cool abandonned drive-in and an uber modern winery.

brush with schmarminess: degrassi style

had tea at the drake this morning with magazines as patsy cline sweetly played in the background. looked to my left, did a double take and said, hey were you on degrassi? i loved that show. snake nodded, a yes, and continued to smoke. totally brought me back to a time in highschool when we saw Joey Jeremiah at a retro diner in downtown T.O and the group of giggling girls we were, we sent over a cherry coke as a manner of introduction. rumour has it he even considered coming to our new year's eve party in sudbury.

the big village

ah...pizza. had a lovely pizza dinner on a colourful patio at teronni's on queen with my family tonight. we were reminising about days past and my dad remembered when i was a little kid, rolling into toronto in our corvette in the evening. apparently i rubbed my eyes and in a sleepy voice said, are we in the big village yet? so that is how, toronto became the big village to our family. it was so cute to see the twinkle in my dad's eye as he told that story tonight.

closing time

just a quickie to say that a year ago Aug 12, we closed on our work.in.progress house. we've come a long way, baby! tomorrow we are going on a day trip to celebrate my birthday. stay tuned...

photo shoot + harvest wednesday

dN and I wandered Liberty village this past weekend, snapping shots of a warehouse neighbourhood in progress, it is becoming a destination and we were fascinated by the angles, the nooks, the crannies. more photo shoots are in order.

in a bid to savour the summer and to eat with the seasons, we checked out harvest wednesday at the glad. there was a tasting, live music, a collection of hippies and urban hipsters wandering and munching. sadly, the kids ran off with the duck but everything else i tried was delish.

the tax man

this is how i feel this week. i am in the he-double hockey stick world of GST adjustments etc this week. it is just paper and just money right? calgon take me away!

brush with schmarminess

had a nice lunch at one of my favourite neighbourhood cafes and asked what was playing on the player because it was so good. (answer: Calculation Theme) sounded like a cross between feist and metric. i mentioned in passing that apparently broken social scene used to live in the neighbourhood and the cafe waitresses said that in fact, the lead singer from metric lived upstairs. cool. knew this neighbourhood was cool. ;)

*think pink

there is one corner of heaven that looks like this i am certain. for some reason, these fancy balloons dancing in this window makes me think of a genuine grin ear to ear. it probably tastes like raspberry or blackberry gelato.

absurdity witnessed

the next door neighbour is a chinese woman who is prone to listening to the radio LOUD and running water from her second story window. she likes to sit right up into the screen of her front bay window. sally thinks she may play the loud music to drone out the voices in her head. i have yet to see them, but apparently she posts brooms in the window as well. is she fending off evil or inviting it in?

style.in.progress

caught a glimpse of this poster on queen street and thought it was fitting for the blog. ah, saturday. the day you pull your head out of every day routine to enjoy life. spent the day lazing around and wandering near chinatown, stopped for dim sum at the kim moon bakery. tomorrow we are planning a city photo shoot early in the morning. note to self: savour the summer it is coming to a close. the best is yet to come.

don't be cruel

elvis sighting, x100 downtown collingwood last weekend. we watched the parade and savoured the cheese.

lost package

it is funny how you can try to speed life up sometimes, and then it finds a way to slow things down anyhow. we have been waiting on a package mailed out on July 19th. express. still have not received it. have not received one notice. now we will likely have to drive to bramptom to pick it up. numerous hours spent tracking it to no end. confirmed the address several times, no problem. same one on my driver's license. ah... has it entered the ether? we are not destined to receive this package. sometimes the tortoise wins the race, if we sent it Canada Post we would have received 3 days later.

midsummer night

inventive crowd of cools at the drake patio on this midsummers' night eve. there was a rowdy bunch of artists beside me. the lounge singing entertainer was strumming his guitar, singing his version of old Beatles tunes all night. he had shades on well into the evening, was he hiding something? lemons stacked on ice, spilled twice, once witnessed. good company. there was a cop on a horse named sarge. (the hors was named sarge, not the cop.) there was an obnoxious suv limo parked on the sidewalk. lost cat screamed the poster art on the pole. was it a dream?

they say it's your blog day...

happy blog day dear prudence, happy blog day to you...

its been a crazy year recorded here. i need to keep from stressing and slipping back into the insanity.friends it is harder than it seems. focusing on the positive, there were some good artifacts found, good stories to be told. here's hoping this is a good year.

side profile

work.in.progress house update: we've been looking at tile lately and slabs of rock for the kitchen counter. wandering thru the warehouse, stacks of rock with names like white fantasy and black galaxy line the aisles. it is funny how something natural becomes a marketing dodad. more soon, off to yoga....

saturday night

snapshot: bliss. hot saturday evening spent in lawn chairs beneath the umbrella tree with a discount pizza, bottle of wine, newspaper, flipping between the jazz station and cbc vinyl tap on the radio.

travelling elves

1 part sweet, 2 parts sinister. just plain wacky. reminds me of amelie. these are the elves that gathered around the corner from the red windows below. you could almost hear them whispering to you in the wind, urging the pranksters to go the extra mile. there is something about lawn ornaments that is quintessentially summer. no flamingos here. from elvis to elves, freaky friday courtesy of work.in.progress.

elvis sighting

caught on film. elvis in leslieville, toronto. a sign of things to come. the countdown begins for the annual elvis weekend in collingwood. happening at the end of july. return to senda, address unknown, no such numba, no such zone. stay tuned.

open wide

more proof of my windows obsession. this photo was taken in appenzell in switzerland. magical elves were just around the corner, i kid you not.

artifact found: vintage bottle caps

check out the latest discovery from the work.in.progress house. dN uncovered these while i was away. apparently there was a dairy just around the corner. an artist has taken over the property and street where it resided and he renamed the alley, milky way.

the cap on the left is fuel for the imagination. the magestic peacock, the regal china lady, so many stories you wish it could tell. the cap on the right makes milk seem like cola. DRINK ME, it screams. i love how it reads -- Tuesday, is that the expiry date or the date it was delivered? Tuesday milk, so very lovely, especially since today is...

wish you were here

(flashback)
found this cafe on a side street in the old town in zurich, perfect place to while away a saturday over a lemonade.

(flash forward)
today, after hacking away at our unruly amazon, some call a garden, i headed with my sis to city hall to check out art in the park. then we went for dim sum in china town. kim moon bakery has reinvented itself. gone are the electric orange tiles out front and retro booths within. the food, however, remains solid yum. we drank tea in impossibly small cups and pondered the future while giggling at the past. it was one of those days that was so hot, it is like the sky yelled -- I am SUMMER, hear me ROAR! flip flops were the only salvation. now, i am listening to my kitchen dancing mix and dancing about the house. vive le weekend!

finally: the house

you've been asking and asking. finally, a picture of the work.in.progress house. inside snaps upon request. she's a beauty. a labour of love.

gatekeeper

wandering the back alleyways of Zurich, this gate seemed to beg to be captured on film. i was very obsessed with windows and doors the whole time. what do you think that means?

smoking gun

the official Camel smoking lounge, at Heathrow. damn that's cool. almost makes me wish i smoked. ah, the irony.

fly girl

here's a snapshot over greenland via London, taken on Sunday.

stars

so many stories to tell, will have to catch you up soon. here's a snapshot taken from a chinese restaurant in St. Gallen.

blackbird

blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see. all your life, you were always waiting for this moment to be free.

blackbird
fly...

into the light of the dark black sky.

Ah...the Beatles.

the friday sky brimmed with humidity until it burst into a cathartic shower, just an hour ago. i am at a hospital in switzerland having more treatments for my eyes. it has been a good week, but a long, tiring one. two nights ago i snuck away into a small town nearby for a night walk past a church, nestled in the mountains. one of the other patients here was this svelte yoga guy in his 60s, total trip fontain material. it was a highlight of the week watching the dark sky fall, two nights ago. witnessed over a glass of red wine with the silohette of the onion shaped church top ofset by an almost full moon. there were four of us. a young opera singer age 23, a sporty dr. visiting from colorado, the yoga guy, and me

the last time i was here i could barely see my hand in front of me.

....take these sunken eyes and learn to see.

you were always waiting for this moment to arrive.

june bug

seems like life is permanently in fast forward lately. can you believe it is June already? note to self. don't let summer pass by without blinking. savour the moments.

saigon flower

late night chicken fried rice from Saigon Flower, the chinese place around the corner from the work.in.progress house. the sidewalks were full of party-ers from the Drake and the Beaconsfield -- that jubuliant, half drunk, stylish dance young 20 somethings do. i am happy to be almost done my damn taxes. (business deadline is the 15th of June) whatta week!

peonies in bloom

walked thru the hood and enjoyed the fragant deluxe peonies spilling over fences. a trio of birds swooped down on me from a rooftop above. the sun shone knowingly above. ahhh...summer is here.

trading spaces

first official post from my new office + crash pad up the street from the work.in.progress house. whohoo! the weekend was spent moving. ironically, the minute we had everything in the place, it stopped raining. on a side note, there was a dj hosted graffiti-athon in the alleyways in this hood on the weekend, in a full on thunderstorm, no less. complete with pot and toques.

artifact found: abandoned stereo

video killed the radio star and the bin killed the stereo kid. someone tossed an 80s boom box into the bin, complete with dual cassette feature for mixed master tape sessions.
posted by indigo herself @ 7:00 AM2 comments

m-eye o my!

check up: had my eyes tested today and the good news is that the inflamation and damage from January's madness wasn't permanent. they can't see signs of it in my left eye. my right eye is slowly on the mend from a similar attack two years ago. slowly, the big E is coming into focus. whohoo!

doors wide open

the drive-by...

to us -- means touring neighbourhoods checking out paint and window options on Toronto's loveliest victorians. we ended up meeting the director (must be a film-arty neighbourhood), two doors down today. bonded over our shared love of refurbished historic homes. he offered to let us come up to his house at any time to examine swatches and offered to give us a tour someday soon.

fortune teller: redux

she dreamed it, then it happened.

again.

i had a dream that my swedish friend messaged me and said "did you know already?" and in that moment, I knew she was pregnant again. anyhow, i woke up this morning and messaged her in real life about the dream. she asked what she knew, I said you were pregnant with your second child.

Then she wrote...

I am!

due in november!

two babies predicted and a first house. hmmm....now if only i could swing the stock market.

nicely is the new fugedabudit

did you ever see that scene from Donnie Brasco where Johnny Depp talks about the myriad of meanings when mobsters say "fugedabudit"? well, i have been crashing at my inlaws place all week and my father-in-law has about a dozen uses for the expression "nicely." he uses it to describe the way fibreglass is laid out in the attic, and to convey his enthusiasm for patio stones lining up just so. watch this space for more examples soon.

two slices in the same loaf

imagine going to your local phone book and inviting everyone with your last name to a cocktail party. a family reunion with extras. today, a friend googled me and i found another woman in a number of the top posts with my same full name. obviously that is the point, but still. it is a strange rush to wonder what her life is like, wonder who she is. we are two slices in the same loaf. a few years ago i stumbled upon her the same way, and actually sent her email. she is a professor or somehow affiliated with Penn University and never responded. i loved the idea of my name coming up in her inbox and for a split second, having her do a double take when she saw the from field. jinx!

a new lo

actually watched "Angel Eyes" with Jennifer Lopez last night. it was one of those bad movies that is oddly addictive-- you find yourself wanting to see what happens even though you think you know. sucked in by it. sad day for cinema, though definately not as bad as Gigli. there is this hilarious scene where she shows off her bullet proof bra. (she's a cop) in a trying to be seductive way. the vulnerable yet tough chick cop. puhleeze!

oh, j.lo what ever happened to you? did anyone else notice she is barely in the press any more? ever since Bennifer collapsed she is kind of old news.

o'elephant

look ma, there's an elephant in the yard.










he was the neighbourhood mascot. he voted for oliva chow. a small tea cup sat by his trunk. strangers left presents for him under the cover of night. one day he even sported a dr. seuss hat. i liked to imagine him with groucho marx glasses and a fake moustache. trying to go incognito. ah, the old hood, remembered.

the game

here's a taste of a recent road trip game that captured our imaginations for days.

would you rather...

have the ability to fly at the speed of light?

OR

have the ability to communicate in any language?

what about...

becoming famous for a mistake you made, but getting rich in the process

OR

winning the (insert meaningful award here for you) prize but living a life of poverty

ok, ok only one more...

would you choose to...

live a life without ever stopping in one place for more than a week

OR

live in a huge decadent mansion but never leave.

play along, if you dare.

director's day off

signs point to good that the director and his wife from next door have moved. they packed up a car and left more undesireables like mittens on their fence before driving into the sunset.

artifact found: script notes

the director next door, who is prone to depositing ash in his little pot of gold out the second story window left us some of his trash in our bin. along with random bags of dog doo, paint cans and sand paper, we found abandoned script notes, letters and papers from his film applications to various funding boards. along with a discarded pair of lace panties, ew., assorted recyclables like newspapers and bottles, and a bag full of ash. awhile ago we found an abandoned art history paper from his wife. never a dull moment. why did we inspect the trash? we have been trying to determine the culprit since every time we are away, the bin becomes a target for nasty surprizes. awhile ago, we had a mini war with the neighbours over garbage left on our curb that festered with bugs and old carpets. both neighbours played dumb but we suspected the film director since they were renovating their apartment under the radar. i guess we are sick of being dumped on.
posted by indigo herself @ 10:45 AM0 comments

wandering soul

three places to hang your hat. made the rounds this week as we finish up the new place with the basics -- like walls, floors and plumbing. i had the newly minted corner office with windows overlooking an old victorian beauty at the corner of ossington and queen, worked from a 2nd floor perch near Casa Loma and the starbucks in Forest Hill village. now we're in the wilds of bluewater beach. the sand dunes are calling. there were highs, there were lows, just need to keep on truckin'. words of encouragement appreciated.