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.