kickin' it old skool

this has been our expression of the day for the last couple of days. i woke up the other morning thinking of that expression "work is a four letter word" and then i was obsessed with thinking of four letter words that i love, like love, live, soul, sale, walk, sing, save, calm, grin, fate, face, eyes, kiss, rain, moon, star, give, take, make, eats, skip, cure, heal, bliss, oh that one has 5...happy easter all, sorry for the pause in posts, life.in.progress.

open wide

in the spirit of spring here is a snap of our work.in.progress sun room.

lucky pink sweater

i call this my lucky pink sweater because within hours of the sweater coming into my life, two new gigs came our way. who hoo! this week is going to be so deluxe.

3 minutes

wandered off the street into a gallery on ossington where they were taking names on a sign up sheet for a three minute relationship. there were several people waiting and the incentive was simple, there's hardly a wait right now. audrey and i looked at each other, are you game? we were not. i must admit i was curious. what happens in a three minute relationship? speed dating gives you 7 minutes I think. they were capturing this art project on film so maybe we'll discover the mysteries in a documentary some day. it was a surreal moment.

artifact found: a safe + a pot

artifacts found: a safe + a pot
someone left a safe and an oversized pot (minus the tree) outside our garage at the work.in.progress house. we think it was our portugese neighbour with the garbage conspiracy theories. he has a habit of leaving random objects around the neighbourhood. It's an odd pairing though. what do you think it means?

the death of cool: facebook

join my anti-social network, ASSbook.com yes, i am nursing my inner bart simpson in response to the latest craze of webbies, facebook.lately it seems to be on everyone's lips, are you on facebook? like there is this world of 1000 thread count sheets and lush living if only you join, show your mug, share your contacts list. the answer is no. i am not on facebook. i will admit to being tempted to see what the fuss is about, but i woke up the other day thinking what if there was an anti social network. one called assbook. i checked, and sure enough it exists. gotta love the web. i think the problem with facebook is that we graduated from highschool,and there is someithing so very uncool about aching to relive it, to cheerfully fill out your form and feel proud as your friends rack up. how about connecting with your friends in the real world, over coffee and talking to their yes, face. am i wrong here? i think the best way to find out your friend's status has changed from attached to single is over coffee chat, a walk, a gallery hop. the very sentiment of you're missing out on so much fun, makes me want to head for the hills, embrace my inner bart simpson, call a friend, go for tea and cupcakes. never mind that facebook was cool to the people still in highschool, ages ago. touché.

hope springs eternal

there was a hint of spring in the air yesterday, warmer weather, melting snow, sunshine blasting. here's hoping the weather is a sign of good things to come. we'll weather the storms and arrive on the other side in sweet, savvory spring.

soul survivor

went to my first laughing meditation class tonight, it was the inaugural class with only 5 in attendance. we started with a cup of mint tea. there is no talking and a chime of this bowl from tibet signals change to the next exercise. there was this great gibberish exercise which was so fantastic. a cacaphony of chitta chatta non-sense, we were re-setting our brains, making room in the attic, messing with the pull of the brain into constant internal conversation and commentary. i imagined these wacked out faces in a cafe, speaking in a language i didn't understand, parts of their faces blurred, even a penguin appeared. we laughed a medition, hummed and there was an exercise where you were encouraged to be the kid let run wild in gym class; a wild animal of laughter with no rules, no eye contact. it was crazy but fun. it felt more soulful then our regular saturday class. there was one moment in the class, in the darkness and the stillness of silence that i felt -- this is the first time i've been truly alone. like i was floating in a black hole. it was like all emotions were on pause. i didn't feel scared or worried. i felt calm but outside my body and personality. it is like exercise for your soul. we ended with a quick cup of mint tea and headed back outside into the cold, dark night. the subway attendant let me thru with 5 cents shy of my fare, he was listening to "sitting on the dock of the bay" which seemed quite perfect. i also overheard 'eleanor rigby' enroute home and sang out loud with it. the soundtrack of my soul, perhaps?

bonnie + clyde

two pidgeons moved into our work.in.progress house via the chimney. they were trying to get out of the cold but once inside they tried to make a quick getaway and the windows baffled them. dN nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking he was alone at the house when all of sudden he heard them cooing. he chased clyde out and bonnie disappeared into the rafters. we left a window open to aid her escape. did i mention we are in a super chill out in TO these days, minus freakin' 30 with the wind chill. no wonder the birds needed to a place to crash. fly blackbird fly, into the light of the dark black sky.

out loud

finally bothered to fill out the profile for this blog. it's an odd thing, i like to fly under the radar most of the time but decided to see what life would be like on the other side. it was only mildly painful filling it out, feeling like i had to fit into the blank spaces, we'll see who finds me via the new profile. welcome if you are new to the site! i may have to mess with it abit. so far life out loud feels pretty quiet. ;)

after the storm

a high-as-a-house tree was struck by lightning and fell across our street, making mash of a parked car's trunk, blocking the street from traffic. the sidewalks alternates between skating rink and melting crunch. march definately came in like a lion, here's hoping she's out like a lamb.

snow day

there is snow and snow and more snow falling from the sky today. walked half a block and felt like i braved the elements at the north pole, my hat was covered in snow and my glasses fogged over. above, there was a huge clap of thunder then the street lamp I was walking beneath lost power. are these signs? i may need to stay inside for at least 24 hrs. all this fuss about the weather reminds me of snow days when i was a kid. growing up in sudbury, we actually had to dig out our front door occassionally from snow and we survived the odd bit of snow in june. then again, people i went to highschool with actually snowmobiled into school, parading their YAMAHA gear around the halls with pride. i used to make snow forts in the woods complete with ice couches made via multiple thermoses of hot water. it is funny because no one ever cancels anything because the weather is too hot in the summer, it is nice that we get these built-in excuses in our canadian winters. and it's officially march, spring - yeah right. long live the snow day!

elixir

shout out to elixir organic spa on king near bathurst. they offer food grade facials, synthetic free fabulousness! it is a small shop, but the vibe is good and the owner is really nice and very open to offering advice on other good health and wellness services around town. my skin seemed to say -- ahhhh. thank you, as it soaked in the aroma-filled goodness. so nice to know that eveything they used, i could eat. i went the day before valentine's day, it was a gift from my mum from christmas. very lovely.


Check out this gem: http://www.elixirspa.ca/

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.