the irish diet - gone shopping

i was lying to me

2012-02-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

i really thought i didn't want an ipad. i did. for reals. i thought so.

but. i was wrong.

i do.

damn.

see, with all the time i spend sitting around on style.com (let's call it a LOT of time. as an understatement.) it would be oh so lovely-handy. and. photo-editing on the go! i would love to be working on my photos during my lunch hour, but bringing my laptop to and fro work every day seems a bit excessive. especially when my laptop is so big (and beautiful...).

so. sigh. i admit defeat. i want one.

and now, cause i realized that i want one, i have have done my usual thing and immediately decided all the details of my desire. so. for you, lucky readers... here's my newest (sigh) dream.

{it would be white, of course, to match my iphone. and it would be engraved as shown. so i would feel like a blogger for reals.}

{it would live in either the hedgehog case from kate spade ny or the monogrammed damask case from zazzle, which would have a lower case 'e' on it. although i think the kate spade is more practical, and also if it was the monogrammed one, i'd have to get a matching iphone case, and that's just getting crazy!}

woe is me! heavy sighs every-which-where! i hate wanting things. you'd think i'd be used to the feeling by now. but nay. i am not. it still hurts so. isn't my life hard?! sigh sigh cry.

bunny

2012-02-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

thanks to eug for pointing me towards this oh so adorable collection. cacharel makes me wonder why on earth i'm not knitting these days. come on erin! get with the program already! cacharel also makes me wonder why on earth it hasn't been nearly cold enough for giant face-consuming scarfs this winter.

toronto. you are doing winter wrong. completely wrong. fix it. this is embarrassing for everyone.

fine then. i'm just going to go around wearing shorts in february like a total asshat. deal with it.

cute cute cute cute CUTE cute cute. (hey look! that word has no meaning now!)

{pre-fall cacharel 2012, photos courtesy of cacharel by way of style.com}

the hybrid

2012-02-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

future space wool human comfort pods. a more dignified blade runner. a blacker fifth element. with, of course, sprinklings of star trek and battlestar. (tell me those shoes are not the shoes the hybrid would wear if she wasn't, you know, in that goo.) and orange. that is all:

{pre-fall antonio berardi 2012, photos courtesy of antonio berardi by way of style.com}

the agony i'd rather know

2012-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

eug and i have been having some great little twitter-chats lately. about fashion. it is so good to have a fashionfriend for real on the internet. one of those chats was about fur, and how we should always wear fur (she and i). and oh how celine prefall is catering perfectly to that desire.

and here's my quick little disclaimer. i love fur. a lot. i know i probably shouldn't. i know it is bad and i should feel bad about it, and i should just wear faux. but. i love it. and faux can be totally awesome, but as a rule it isn't the same thing. and. well... i don't feel bad. i'm sorry. god knows i feel bad about a million things always, and am a walking ball of guilty feelings - mostly for things that i have no place associating with myself and feeling bad about. so. the fact that i don't feel bad about fur is just tough luck. i'm not about to go around trying to make myself feel bad. even if i should. i can't be perfect and i can't fight every battle. so there. i love fur! fine!

eug and i also talked a bit about the somewhat disturbing grunts of painful pleasure and heartache that we make when spending time on style.com. it can be upsetting to those around. this collection is for sure a sliding-out-of-your-chair-cause-your-muscles-can't-hold-you-up kind of collection. a sighing and sighing collection.

boxy. woolly. furry. such amazing textures. what is even happening with those pants?! especially image 6 pants. and that white dress. with the black scarf. i want to get married NOW in THAT. i don't need anything else. and i would also love for all of my floors for all of my life to be covered in that lamb-shag. i know margene would destroy it. so i probably won't cover my whole apartment like that. but. i'd like to. love to. love. finally, every bag, please. but especially the giant carmel brown bag with electric blue detailing.

{pre-fall celine 2012, photos courtesy of celine by way of style.com}

holler back home

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

first things first. i realized today that i haven't had a link to malorie urbanovitch in the blogs-of-note section. this is being remedied right......... now. silliness. what a bad person i am. malorie is brilliant and i love her and you should too. buy her clothes gosh darnit. (also, nickol who does the makeup for her campaigns is a bit of a wizard. possible deals-with-devils type wizard.)

i was thinking of her because the row prefall reminded me of her line. the way it's shot, the models used... not the clothes SOO much, but the first look at least. and that connection made me like the row lots, and made my heart all warm and fuzzy. i think the dress with the cutout-sheer side panel is so mega-sexy. i was already thinking about getting a tattoo right about there. and now i am extra-double thinking about it. (sorry mom.) who wants to give me money to get a tattoo? and does that person also, maybe, wanna buy me that dress? jeeeepers! thank you!!!

{pre-fall the row 2012, photos courtesy of the row by way of style.com}

quickly quickly, i'd like to look at vionnet today too. there's something athletic about this model. the hair and clean-face makeup maybe. but also her stance and her jawline. i like that about her. the last look is my fave. so straightforward but so dramatic. (sheer.) and those great italianey boots. hard edged and functional yet feminine. i get a sense of womanly strength from these clothes. straightforward wit that allows for glamour without getting lost in it. yeah? wouldn't you say?

{pre-fall vionnet 2012, photos courtesy of vionnet by way of style.com}

break

2012-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

let us step away from the fall of our future, briefly, and look to the spring which is just right around the corner!

not that we've had winter at all here. lame to the max! although yesterday there was, at least, some snow on the ground for a short while. (note. toronto. if y'all don't stop salting everything and start shoveling or at least sweeping... we're gonna have to have some strong words between us. because you are being ridiculous.)

aritzia! sent me a 'check out our spring preview' email this morning, and i was all 'okay, but i have no monies with which to buy anything, so don't have any expectations'. sigh. if i did have monies, though, this is what i would buy:

because it is a)orange b)sheer and c)great. okay! that's all for spring for now.

arms want to carry, heart wants to hold

2012-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

warning. these models do look mega young. i wanted to look them up, but their names weren't listed. so i don't know how young they actually are. but. here's the thing. i love them. i love them i love them. because they look like amazing witch-lion children. they look otherworldy. the one who's lips turn up at the corners (image 1 etc.) so she is always smirking at least a little... the one who's lips are a straight line through the centre with an unbalanced downward arch on top (image 5 etc.) so she is severe and and skeptical and wise-looking... the one who is so indescribable except to say that she looks like camille cole just a little grown (image 4 etc.)... their eyebrows. yes. i am taken by them. they should all be in paintings. any one of them would make a brilliant re-imagining of my still-favourite painting of joan of arc by jules bastien-lepage. also, i do so love groupings of people. even if it is a grouping of one person. maybe even especially if it is a grouping of one person.

as for the clothes. rust and red earth and blue-black... it's like using the dead palette, just saturated a little more. the way the textures and patterns are layered, fur over pleats. smoothness over wrinkle. it's so structured but somehow quite wild - possibly because of the girls used. and, (say it with me) SHEER! lace. in such wonderful places. okay, enough with the words. look look.

{pre-fall giambattista valli 2012, photos courtesy of giambattista valli by way of style.com}

oooooooooooooooooooppps!

2012-01-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

well this is awkward... alexander wang used the same floor for both his lines this pre-season. oooof. what a faux-pas!

jokes!

this stuff is so ridiculous and stellar. completely absurd see-throughness, including the last boots. ah! haha! great. weird metalics?! weeeee! men's tailoring/suiting all just a little wrong? tralalalalala! yesssssss. and tucked in hair. of course.

and the models are sooooo good too. boyish grown out pixie cut? yes. how does that look so good? no one knows. and elise crombez? (images 5 and 8...) i think i love her. i do think.

{pre-fall alexander wang 2012, photos courtesy of alexander wang by way of style.com}

saved my life

2012-01-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

today was great! guuuys.

(whoa. one minute. kurt browning is on my tv selling red rose tea and canadian warmth... wha?! i love him.. sorry. back on track.)

i was gonna be all cranky at monday cause last week it stole my buspass, and this week it put a hole in my favourite navy tights right after i got in to the office... and THEN the woman at the bay who sold me new navy tights was a mega-downer... BUT but. but. then i went to a talk about fashion careers or some such. by sarah nicole prickett. (remember? from feministe friday? why i write like a girl? you remember.) i sort of snuck into this thing. part of a youth employment services series of courses. technically you're supposed to have done their classes to get perks like these talks. but it was all upons on twitter, and i got myself signed up. anyways. it was grand. a) cause i think snp is great. b) cause she's as genuine in person as she is in her writing, which is oh so nice to see. c) cause it reminded me about the scary insecurities of undergrad and art careers and even of working with sarah jay and wondering how and why and where and not being able to form a complete sentence about your feelings cause oh man there's a lot of feelings!

i still have a lot of feelings. (SHOCK AND ALARM!) but i feel oh so good about them, and about my choices and what i've done and where i am. hoooorayha! and it is good to have a scene like that, with all these young (or some my age, i suspect. okay. maybe one.) things who are so confused and excited and nervous and new. to remind me that i am exactly good where i am and i don't miss that feeling of insecurity or excitement at my 'boring' non-art job because i get to actually be creative and thoughtful now. weeee! right? also. how lucky was i to work with sarah jay? what a magical wonderful thing that i got to stumble into. people would kill for that job. and rightfully so. she's the greatest. truly.

but. sorry. monday keeps turning into the big-write post. the big unedited word-vomit post... and it's supposed to be about videos! SORRY! sorry.

here's your video! since i'm feeling all wonderfulgreatinspiredcomfy, why not return to our old friend who started this whole s.m.l. thing in the first place, and helped get me here.

your friend and mine. girlfriend to robots. robyn!!!

happy monday!

explodeexplodeexplode

2012-01-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

pow pow! graphic novels and comic books! pow!

here's what i like about phillip lim's pre-fall. squareness. comic/graphic. model being almost like a paperdoll-all-the-same. shoes in the second image (!!!). sheer skirt. sheer pants that remind me of myrtle&pearls. sheer long sleeved undershirt (and the hospital gown over top). mustard. hook-rug sweaters. and so much more.

{pre-fall phillip lim 2012, photos courtesy of phillip lim by way of style.com}

the leaves have lost hold of the branches

2012-01-30T04:45:00.000-08:00

prettyprettyprettyprettyprettypretty. pretty. light and trees and crispness.

in the continuation of 'things i want to wear to marc&mel's wedding', i would be just fine and dandy with either that black dress with the ruffles on the skirt OR the cinnamony silk number. okay? cool! THANKS! thanks, dior. i would also be happy if my face could always have that chilly-air brightness that the makeup artist has achieved so beautifully. le sigh.

{pre-fall christian dior 2012, photos courtesy of christian dior by way of style.com}

les random

2012-01-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

hey pre-fallers. here's a little pile of pieces from various collections that i wasn't really interested in writing about. but these pieces i like. so. here! lookat'um.

{pre-fall elie tahari 2012, photos courtesy of elie tahari by way of style.com}

{pre-fall azzaro 2012, photos courtesy of azzaro by way of style.com}

(i feel a bit badly putting proenza schouler in with the randoms, but i couldn't think of anything particular to say about the collection, and i know lots of people WILL have things to say about it. so. listen to them. enjoy these. jeeeeez.)

{pre-fall proenza schouler 2012, photos courtesy of proenza schouler by way of style.com}

helpless helpless helpless

2012-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

i have been sitting on the no. 21 collection for a while, and trying desperately to think of something to say that sums up the way it makes me feel.

i'm failing.

sigh.

i will say that i didn't know no. 21 (headed by alessandro dell'acqua) before this collection, and i'm gonna spend a lot more time and attention on it in the future. magical? magical. i give up.

and, of course, the shadows. the heartbreaking shadows.

{pre-fall no. 21 2012, photos courtesy of no. 21 by way of style.com}

jerk

2012-01-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

hey givenchy! remember last year when you were all 'check out my panther cats and irises! pretty cool, huh?!' and i was all 'OHHHHHHH YYYEEEEEESSSSS COOOOOOOLLL I WAAAAANNNNNTTT YOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!'. but then you were all 'i'm mega-expensive, and you can't afford me. silly!'

that was rough. when that happened.

but then, givenchy. then you go and toss out this little collection here... and you're all like 'hi again! i think maybe you love me! check out all my great equestrian sass!' and i say nothing back because i DO love you, and you can't keep doing this to me because i have FEELINGS, GIVENCHY!!! and also debt...

sigh. whatever. no big deal. i'm over it. i'm just gonna put up a bunch of sucky pictures of your sucky clothes that are suckilly shot in a sucky way. (unless, givenchy, you wanna give me any of the things ever for free. then i am very sorry for getting so worked up. sorry... everything is great! i love you!)

(pssst. notice a trend, please. that orangey pinky red. it's back. i'm calling it. blamo. hot for fall!)

{pre-fall givenchy 2012, photos courtesy of givenchy by way of style.com}

a talking to

2012-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

first things first! dean and dan? smoking is gross! come on... i know it looks cool, but it ONLY looks cool because we've been told for years that it looks cool by people like YOU constantly perpetuating it's coolness. kids? don't smoke. you might look cool, but probably not, and much more importantly you'll smell gross and your teeth will be gross and your skin will get gross, and oh yeah, you'll DIE!

which is gross.

okay? okay. but that being said. i do believe that this girl-character is a totally spoiled rebellious rich-kid type, who's super 'badass' and THAT'S why she's smoking. right? right guys? cause she's kinda a shitty stupid kid? that is what i will say so that i'm not annoyed at you.

also... the cigarette is just an awkward prop in many of the photos. so maybe MAYBE you're making a point about nicotine dependency, and how NOT cool it is that she's stuck with this cigarette in EVERY SHOT... which is very subversive of you. see? now i'm really quite over my anger!

also, great work on the toggle buttons. and awesome pop-y jewel tones. and i love a short pant with a pointy pump. so. all good there.

{pre-fall dsquared2 2012, photos courtesy of dsquared2 by way of style.com}

the grass was so green against my new clothes

2012-01-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

bahahahahaha! this is so great. so fun. just you wait... for the yellow outfit?! AHAHAHAHA! i love it. nicely done kenzo. way to be the most of the funs. also the all orange skirt-suite number? stellar. i would rock that so hard at the office. COLOUR!!!

we talked about wearing pattern-on-pattern, and we talked about wearing head-to-toe one colour. what about wearing head-to-toe one PATTERN?! yes. approved. go and do it please. and the heavy sorta oxford shoes that remind me of robyn? hilarious. and the last look that knocked me off balance a little and winded me a bit? oh so so yes. (and the casting! and the bands of colour/print on the top and bottom of the photos! and the purse straps!)

{pre-fall kenzo 2012, photos courtesy of kenzo by way of style.com}

and while we're feeling playful and colourful... here's some lacoste that fits in nicely. functional. wearable. sweet. (sorry, i didn't grab any of the boy looks, cause BORING! ha. not really. just. you know. less my thing...)

{pre-fall lacoste 2012, photos courtesy of lacoste by way of style.com}

ff

2012-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

time to take a break from fashion!

remember, it is important to keep a thoughtful head on those well-dressed shoulders.

and so back to life, back to reality, back to feminist friday and readings for all!!! and this week... we have teasers! snapshots from each article. check this out:

and then...

{links are, of course, below. but i don't want to go and NOT give any credits here,

so i'll say right away that the top quote is by agustin fuentes, and the bottom is by dov linzer}

i am quite excited about today's articles. first up. SCIENCE! this article is for dad. hey dad! you LOVE scientific american, right?

i, too, am a fan of science. (like bill nighy says, the great thing about science is that it is true!)

and so, this is also for all the morons (sorry friends) who say to me "but what about (blah blah blah) in 'men are from mars, women are from venus'?!" as a relevant counterpoint to anything i have to say (or link to) on gender-essentialism and its lame-o lameness! a) that's possibly the worst book ever in the history of time (maybe) and is anti-partnership, anti-cooperation, and encourages the out-witting of one's romantic partners, which is boooo... and b)

* BLAMO! SCIENCE, MOTHA-SWEARWORD!

sorry. sorry. i just get so excited about science.

and then. something about (shock!) sexism in other worlds than my own! because focusing on change in my little part of the world is super important to me, but there is so much more to this feminist movement than that. oh yes. of course. so.

* woe to the girl...

and there you have it. thanks for reading! (you better be...)

back to pre-fall posts!

happy friday!

razor

2012-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

this one is for emma. here are some nice sophisticated WOMEN models! who look like women, and not like girls. cause, you know... you're into that sort of thing. and also the clothes are pretty amazing. too. (the very very last dress in this post? posen... will BLOW YOUR MIND!)

{pre-fall lanvin 2012, photos courtesy of lanvin by way of style.com}

{pre-fall zac posen 2012, photos courtesy of zac posen by way of style.com}

thefuture is now is thepast

2012-01-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

in honour of blade runner which i just re-watched this evening...

and. the internet is forever... (just like 'criminal minds' told us.)

balenciaga, you and champion of fashion hilarity! what is the WHAT?! so funny and so great. i would for sure wear: bright red sweater with bright pink pants, black jacket with garbage-bag-y belt, copper shirt, yellow turtleneck with over shoulder bag, every piece of jewelery presented, every shoe presented... ALL OF THE HAIRS! bieu bieu bieu! lazer sounds!

{pre-fall balenciaga 2012, photos courtesy of balenciaga by way of style.com}

and is there not something a little bit starwars-y about this missoni collection? there is. brick-socks! too.

let it be known that i am ALWAYS convinced that i hate purple even though i don't. it is weird. anyways...

{pre-fall missoni 2012, photos courtesy of missoni by way of style.com}

sacred space

2012-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

remember how with thakoon things weren't black and white?

well. with roberto cavalli they are.

see what i did there? genius blogging.

this model (daphne groeneveld) makes me very very happy indeed. and i've decided, now, to wear my long black leather gloves over everything. seems like a good trend.

{pre-fall roberto cavalli 2012, photos courtesy of roberto cavalli by way of style.com}

and while we're in a rather black and white mood (please ignore the above leopard print...), let's look at some badgley mischka. oh how i wish i had somewhere particularly glamorous to go. these dresses pull on my heart a bit...

{pre-fall badgley mischka 2012, photos courtesy of badgley mischka by way of style.com}

under the pink

2012-01-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

prabal gurung. this collection. broke my heart open. it hurt me. achey ache ache ache. also it is important to say how much i love alana zimmer. the other girls are brilliant too. but i LOVE in capslock alana zimmer. (she is the first model. right here. below...)

{pre-fall prabal gurung 2012, photos from style.com}

you bought it, you're broke

2012-01-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

i have a plan!

i am stealing this brilliant idea from heart of light which she borrowed from simple lovely.

this year i will blog about everything i buy.

okay, no, not EVERYTHING (and y'all are all 'i can't WAIT to hear about whether or not she bought cilantro!' i did. i did buy cilantro...) just the non-normal-life things. anything 'special' or outside the norm.

this is an effort to think very carefully about how and where i'm spending my monies. since i know how much i love shopping, clothes, and THINGS! i love things. but i do have a lot of things already. and if i'm blogging about the things that are coming into my home, then i'm going to have to be completely comfortable justifying them to the internets. you see? accountability! in accounting!

unlike the version i'm stealing from, i won't be posting gifts i'm giving. unless i get something super-mega-cool and i'm extra-bigtime excited about it. i feel like i'll feel weird about posting about things i'm giving like 'check me out i'm mega generous yo!' which i am. but i'd like to PRETEND to be modest about my spectacular gift-givery.

i will also occasionally post about things i'd very much like. now is definitely a time for me to wait on purchases and consider them and be sure i'm getting the RIGHT ONE. so. before long you'll start seeing posts about boots i want. there are a lot of great-and-useful boots out there, and most of mine are falling apart. so i'll moon over some for a while. and then maybe one day you'll see some boots that i've bought thoughtfully, and we can all high-five and feel great about it!

okey-doke.

to start this thang off, we have a special sort of purchasepost. gift-card purchases! post-christmas-continuation-purchases! yayyeeee!

from lee-jim-and-kids i got a card from the bay. and with it i bought a solo cupcake stand!!! (picture to come when i make the below-mentioned vegan cupcakes this weekend...) the first in what will surely be a spectacular cake and cupcake stand collection. its first week it held one orange. this week it houses rubber ducky. soon it will hold one spectacularly decorated vegan cupcake at an engagement part for marc&mel. (assuming i pull it off... otherwise it will hold one disappointing and tragic vegan cupcake. but let's keep things hopeful, yeah?)

aaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnd. from chris&janice&declan i got a card for joe fresh and it was the BEST SCORE! hooray for season-change sales on everything i wanted!!!!

clothes clothes clothes! and SHOES! work appropriate adorable shoes! and. i love love love that shirt!!! it is ACES! also there is a pale pink-peach silky t-shirt, but margene bumped me and coffee got on it. so. no photo right now.

midspace

2012-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

things are not black and white.

no. things are grey. and beige. and cream. and peach. and dusty. and stone. and parchment. and dry earth. and cabled. and rug.

except that one dress... which is... black and white.

{pre-fall thakoon 2012, photos courtesy of thakoon by way of style.com}

this just in!!!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

breaking fashion news!

in for fall: embellished collars.
out for fall: VISION!

according to alberta ferretti, at least.

also worth noting: those shoes are freaking disgustingly good.

{pre-fall alberta ferretti 2012, photos courtesy of yannis vlamos/gorunway.com by way of style.com}

warming

2012-01-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

i'm not 100% sold on marni's pre-fall yet. i think that i will be, a bit more at least, with time. i think it is a collection that needs to be looked at a few more times before i start to connect with the bits and pieces. not to say that i don't like it at all. there's some greatness in there for sure. but i'm just less WEEEEEE for these shots on the whole... than i've been for other collections this pre-season.

anyways. what i DO love. those gloves and mitts! i like how prada did the wader boots a while back, and now marni is all 'know what else is super cool? electrical gloves! don't get electrocuted next fall!'. utility chic. or, falconer, i guess. also. and i have always wanted a falcon. falcons are so hot for fall 2012. you heard it here first.

the earrings/jewellery overall is KICKASS too. and i'm sure i'll kick myself in a few weeks when i suddenly have something totes awesome to say about the clothes. but for now, looking.

{pre-fall marni 2012, photos courtesy of marni by way of style.com}

emily jane

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

'the night is darkening round me,
the wild winds coldly blow;
but a tyrant spell has bound me,
and i cannot, cannot go.

the giant trees are bending
their bare boughs weighed with snow;
the storm is fast descending,
and yet i cannot go.

clouds beyond clouds above me,
wastes beyond wastes below;
but nothing dear can move me,
i will not, cannot go.' (brontë)

or, you know. anything by edgar allan poe... would do. otherwise, this victor & rolf collection pretty well speaks for itself. i think.

{pre-fall victor & rolf 2012, courtesy of victor & rolf by way of style.com}

set ope' the door

2012-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

balmain. this. is. tight. (both in terms of the concept for the collection as a whole, and, well... the garments and fabric-to-skin. generally.) i have never really wanted a leather jacket. now i want one so bad. particularly the one with the white denim (?) pants... TEAL!

and seeing as i will be learning to ride a small amazingly cool motor bike this summer, (sorry mom. i promise to be MEGA safe.) i should probably have that particular leather jacket. for safety.

meanwhile. so so ornate and yet somehow so dignified and maybe even almost quiet... pretty magical.

{pre-fall balmain 2012, photos courtesy of balmain by way of style.com}

no need to panic

2012-01-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

not to be hyperbolic, but, um, the casting for the louis vuitton pre-fall is THE GREATEST CASTING IN THE HISTORY OF TIME! except for maybe that girl for alexander mcqueen pre-fall... okay fine. i loved her a LOT.

pre-fall is sure making me capslock a lot this year. jeepers!

so. all three of these girls are just so bang on perfect. and. the hair! all tucked in. and the eyes! and the lips! you get my drift. well put-together from beginning to end. full concept fulfillment. good work.

and i think i might have actually thrown up just a little when i saw the second dress below. (thrown up with love.) with the grey and the sequin and the layers and the white. and the fading into yellow/gold. it is tears-worthy. museum-worthy. giving-up-your-first-born-worthy. (remember when i said 'not to be hyperbolic'? i think i've done a good job of that, yeah? perfectly non-hyperbolic, this post.)

finally. fur collars. that is all. look and love.

{pre-fall louis vuitton 2012, photos courtesy of louis vuitton by way of style.com}

so soft and so sweet

2012-01-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

a softer, pastel melancholy from erdem, and a little from t by alexander wang, too. peach.

{pre-fall erdem 2012, photos courtesy of erdem by way of style.com}

{pre-fall t by alexander wang 2012, photos courtesy of t by alexander wang by way of style.com}

backed into the corner

2012-01-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

prefall, tra la la. shall we some more? yes.

ooookay. chloé. i have the love, of course. first of all the models are so stellar-great. the one with her sort of charlotte gainsbourg-ness. and the other like a cat. these things are good things. and who (WHO?!) doesn't want an oversized easter-yellow blazer. i do. very much. also, emma, great news! it looks like gingham is hot for fall! i know how much you love the gingham. and finally i want all the shoes all the time. especially the second pair. (actually, if i could have that whole second look, please, i would be right thrilled.)

{pre-fall chloé 2012, photos courtesy of chloé by way of style.com}

and next up we have a little valentino. no big deal. i will say this: yes. and then i will say this: that saturated red-orange-pink coulour (which is pretty right on with my orange colourbug hair colour...) is sick amazing. and. velvet. the last dress below? it is brilliant. pure, simple, stunning, brilliant. also, i think i should really start wearing head-to-toe one colour more often. it is great. and an excellent counter to my sarah-caused pattern-on-pattern obsession. enjoy enjoy.

{pre-fall valentino 2012, photos courtesy of valentino by way of style.com}

saved my life

2012-01-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

well shit buckets. i'm cranky. which is a real shame because i was in the BEST mood this morning, and i was GONNA write all about how wonderful this weekend was, and how happy and great and wonderful life is and BLAH BLAH HOORAY!

but then somewhere in the 2.5 blocks between my apartment and the subway, my buspass fell out of my pocket. i immediately turned back, of course, and searched the streets for it. someone must have picked it up and taken it. (and no, they didn't turn it in at the station. i asked.) i KNOW that i had it in my hand in the elevator at home, and that i put it in my pocket in the lobby. (and no, it wasn't in the elevator or lobby or even on our hallway floor. i checked.) also. it was pouring rain. and i had been having a great hair day. but. i didn't have an umbrella. because it is WINTER in CANADA and it's not supposed to be freaking RAINING!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

so now i have to find monies in my extremely tight new cash-budget system to get myself to and fro work between now and february 1. effffff. i only, technically, have $27. left for this month. and i was planning on using that to eat, you know, dinner.

BUT, but, but... things could for sure be worse. i am cranky and sad, sure. but more sad/angry about em's bike being stolen (DIE STEALERS!). AND. i did have the best weekend ever. so. bleh. fine. life is not soooo bad, i know. punch the air, move on.

still. this first video works well for today. (i mean. i wasn't gonna kill myself, don't worry, but. you know.) thanks to emma for this one. she is a runner. and i do like a drummer. (me and my drummer!)

aaaannnnnnd. special bonus double-day! this one is for chris. because he is a runner. (CRAZY RUNNER!) and i am my father's son. (?????!!!!!!) (wolf parade!)

happy monday lovelies. may it only go uphill from this morning!

if i were dean

2012-01-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

this is what uni should look like. i don't discount that sweat pants are comfy and great... and loungewear CAN be fashionable if done well... but. oh, wouldn't you love to learn in a world that looked like this? i would. certainly. HOUNDSTOOTH FOR ALL!

{pre-fall jil sander 2012, photos courtesy of jil sander by way of style.com}

i'm about to be undignified here, and mix seasons to show you a little of jil sander's spring 2012 collection. because i meant to and never got around to it. and it is definitely worth looking at. gosh DARN it i love this design house (headed by raf simons. fyi.). wartime nurses?! brilliant. maybe my favourite collection from spring 2012... all that white on white. and then when there is colour it is so saturated and bang-on.

{photos courtesy of style.com}

this side of the blue

2012-01-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

{pre-fall sonia rykiel 2012, photos courtesy of sonia rykiel by way of style.com}

sorry, there are no words for this set. just tilty wonder magic.

soda pop

2012-01-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

{pre-fall opening ceremony, 2012. photo courtesy of opening ceremony by way of style.com}

fizzy fizz fizz fizz. but. with a whole lot of booze in there too. whiskey ginger anyone? yes. please!
(the shoes you are about to see? on the right-side girl of the first picture? SICK! sick. so sick. so good so so good. also the very last picture of the long dresses? i would like very much to wear one of those to marc&mel's wedding. if anyone wants to arrange for that...)

{pre-fall jonathan saunders, 2012. photos courtesy of jonathan saunders by way of style.com}

ff

2012-01-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

just because you look like a princess doesn't mean you can't be a kickass rapper.

so so true.

learn some lessons from these awesome little humans.

and remember to take a little you-time this weekend. cause there is nothing wrong with being self-sufficient and enjoying some alone time. fact!

(special thanks to roommate for sending me the above link and making me glad.)

and. a little something from my favourite feminist fashion writer and twitterer (tweeter?) sarah nicole prickett:

if i were to make a thing

2012-01-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

{pre-fall no. 21. 2012, courtesy of no. 21 by way of style.com}

i think i've decided that the pre-fall collections/campaigns are my favourite of all the seasonal shifts of fashion. of course i love the crazy crazy quantity and spectacle of spring and fall with their runway shows and big ad campaigns and so on. of course of course. but i don't get to SEE the shows LIVE, except for maybe a few here in the toronto, which would be the coolest best thing. meanwhile, pre-fall is quiet. simpler. it sort of sneaks up and in and out again. you can miss it completely if you aren't watching closely. i feel like the ideas that will be fully explored in fall are better distilled down to their essence in pre-fall. there's a tightness, i guess. and then there is the inescapable moodiness of fall. all this appeals to me.

also, the way that most pre-fall campaigns are shot really sits well with my personal artistic aesthetic. one or two girls, usually. almost a story. sometimes. quiet or stark or mysterious or closed spaces. non-spaces. yes. i would like it if i were making images of this kind. again.

alright. now let's look a lot. may as well start off big. mcqueen. mcqueenmcqueen. i am loving what sarah burton is doing. consistently, constantly. tim blanks, of style.com, says this is 'the kind of museum-worthy stuff that sustains the legend with its almost operatic lavishness.' yes. i do agree. i do very much so.
and this model? she is amazing. she is exploding my heart. who is this girl? i will find out and let you know. she is brilliant.

{all photos courtesy of alexander mcqueen, by way of style.com}

i want to go to there

2012-01-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

i know this whole 'me being a (not-just-family) blogger' thing is largely a joke, cause, um, seven to twelve people read my blog and no one comments except maybe two of them (AHEM!), and i'm technologically useless, but man i wish i was off and going to this this weekend!

alt looks sooooooo wicked cool! i bet the people there are gonna be mega crafty, arty, stylish doers of THINGS! i bet there's gonna be bunting EVERYWHERE! i could take that session 6 workshop about growing my readership!and who doesn't want to go to DESIGN CAMP?!?!?!?! I WANT TO GO TO DESIGN CAMP!!!!

next year, guys. next year i am going to alt. you try and stop me! (but don't. actually. try. please. cause i would really like to go. and i'd rather you did not, in fact, stop me.)

saved my life

2012-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

careful everyone. today is blue monday. the 'saddest day' statistically, what with the lack of light, length of cold still ahead, and christmas come-down really setting in. so take extra care of yourselves today. so something nice and special maybe. eat some candy.

but. for myself. i have to say i'm feeling pretty darned chipper this blue monday. maybe more of a bright cerulean than a tragic navy-grey... my radio-alarm was playing gotye when i woke up this morning. and i somehow managed to be super-early-ready despite staying in bed an extra few minutes, which meant cuddles with margene on the couch while i drank my coffee. a pretty great way to start a week.

not to mention yesterday was the first meeting of twin peaks club! we watched the pilot and it was rad. even though it's only been a year since i watched it, i was DYING to see it again. pumped.

and on to videotimes!

try and watch this and then not want to go out immediately and find yourself some pet sloths. just try.

and. let's not lose sight of obama and the fact that he's pretty great even though he didn't manage to do all that much because the US government is a mess of bureaucracy, and also he did sign that one really not cool bill about holding citizens... but. HOPE! remember? and lady gaga!

okay! happy saddest monday!

ff

2012-01-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

hey girl.

*listen to feminist ryan gosling.

hey boy.

*don't be a manarchist ryan gosling.

(and for some actual reading, cause y'all ain't getting off with only hilariously intellectualized eye-candy meme jokes...)

*'yes, but...' and learning not to. (me too, me too.)

**BONUS!

with my head so full of worry

2012-01-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

i am a heavy-hearted girl today.

{photo by kristina and borrowed from her beautiful beautiful lovely morning blog.}

saved my life

2012-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

oh lana del rey. you have stollen my heart.

also, i love tigers. and i really really want that white leather fringed jacket. very much. oh please!

happy monday! welcome back to real-life-legit!

iphone-d holidays

2012-01-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

sooooo many photos of so many good memories. starting things off with the iphone-hipstamatic-edition!

ff

2012-01-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

welcome back! since it's just after the holidays, and i'm way behind on my reading, there's just one reading for you today. (so, dad, you certainly can find the time to read it. it's even quite short!)

*smutty schmucks of media

now i think this one is really quite interesting, and a good conversation could come out of it. so. go on and read, and then let's chat! blogfolks. tell me what you think!

erinagain

2012-01-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

oh hmm. the tricky time that is the start of a new year. how do i go about writing about the new year without writing a NEW YEAR'S post? without being contradictory? shall i look back or forward, or both?

you'll maybe remember me saying, last year, that i hated resolutions. but then, of course, i went ahead a made a few loose, undefined ones, anyways. and now i look back at all those things i said i'd do (make art being the big one...) and didn't... and i'd be sad about it, except that i'm not. i wish i'd done more with last year. surely. sure. but. it wasn't for lack of wanting or trying. (not completely, at least.) it just happened that last year came along and kicked me super super hard in the teeth, and the eye, and stepped on my wrist, and took all my money, and spit on me... so... i had that to deal with. instead. of making art.

blah blah! see? sigh. new year's posts are gross! ugh. okay! but there is a point. a non-lament-y point. and it is a good one, so keep on keeping-on!

i could be looking back and thinking about all those not-done things. but. instead what i'm doing right now is i'm thinking: good gosh i'm happy. here. now. so happy. i made it through that beating and it was the worst that i've been through yet, and i'm hoping it will be the worst ever (fingers crossed i be so lucky), but really it is over and gone and i am happy. so. whatever! haha! sometimes i will live better and sometimes i will be lazy and cranky, but right now is good. (and compartmentalizing everything into little year packages with beginnings and ends is a bit silly anyways... what with the fluidity of everything and whatnot. as much as i love to compartmentalize.)

this is the first time since i started living 'away' i can remember being happy to come home after christmas. i miss everyone and it was grand. i wish we could do it more. but i'm not reeling in post-holiday-tragi-sads. i missed my life here. i am home here. i started taking down my decorations last night and even THAT didn't make me sad! because life after christmas is magic too.

and that is something new. so. new year! happy! there.

{also, because i have a real job now, i got a christmas bonus! most of it is going towards dept-repayment... but a little bit is buying me a chloe sevigny for opening ceremony monokini. because my old bathing suit got stolen and because it is the most awesomest replacement ever.}

{pictures from style.com and openingceremony}

ring in, ring in

2011-12-31T17:51:00.000-08:00

new year. new agenda... my beloved red moleskines. they've done me well for the last three years...

there is much to say about 2011: mostly bad, sure, but brilliant at the end. i will try to say those things in the upcoming days. meanwhile. i'm going to try and find something champagne-like in the parental's basement. ring in 2012 quietly and happily at home with these magic people. xo.

saved my life

2011-12-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

hey! i know this tune...

how creepy is that video?! awesomely creepy. light in the cheeks!!!

happy (HOLIDAYS!) monday!

ff

2011-12-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

* hey girl! you're a moron for getting raped!

sigh.

way back, when i was in munich, natalya and i went out (with a pile o' peeps from the hostel) to the hofbrauhaus. temple of beer and lederhosen. an incredibly tourist-in-munich thing to do. i had two of their giant-pints. probably somewhere around equivalent to 3.5 pints? maybe 4? a lot for me, but nothing too bonkers... especially considering the stomach-full of rich rich german food i was putting those beers into. sure, i was drunk. but i still had my wits about me. we had a nice time, and stumbled back to the hostel with one other hostel-er while the others continued to party into the night. we got a little lost, but made it home just fine. natalya went to sleep.

i went to the bathroom and cried for about 2 hours. i was sick with guilt and shame. because i'd been so irresponsible! because i had let loose a little, and therefore put myself and (much more importantly) natalya in danger. think of the horrible things that could've happened! how could i have been so stupid?!

it was not a good night.

and we all know i am a 'sensitive soul' and that i maybe feel things a little more deeply than most. but. what that night was was the product of years and years of being taught that it would for sure be my fault if i or natalya had been attacked.

anyways... the article above covers the topic of maybe blaming rapists from raping rather than blaming girls/women for being 'stupid/careless/slutty/naive'... it maybe isn't a 100% perfectly written piece, but it (and others like it recently) have made me think a lot about my own deep sense of guilt and fear, and how maybe i should start to redirect them... just sayin.

but... MEANWHILE!!!

here's something rather beautiful for you to read! about love and acceptance and gender-identity and growth and change and mothers and fathers and sons and daughters... there's some sadness in there, for sure. but if you zoom right in on the family? one of the best stories ever. wow. yes.

* i maybe cried a little at the end...

favourite mistake

2011-12-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

sometimes when i mean to go to tinyurl.com, i make a typo and i go here instead:

tinu

hi! i love tinu. i keep using tinyurl even though i don't have to, just so that i can, occasionally, accidentally, visit tinu.

saved my life

2011-12-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

it's a kimrup!
a mashra!

kimbra is back yo! mashup stylez.

i wonder if i am the leader in kimbra-blogging in north america? probably.

happy monday y'all!

pup around the village

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

margene post!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! she is endlessly hilarious. no jokes. (all jokes...) man i love that dog.

ff

2011-12-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

stereotyping is hilarious!

(okay. sometimes. a little stereotyping is hilarious. sometimes. and. actually, generally, i do have a sense of humour. i swear! sarah can tell you! this week i laughed at my own 'gary sinise' 'bless you' joke so hard i cried. twice. on different days. even though NO ONE ELSE found it even a LITTLE funny. it was. mega funny...)

but, sigh. i'm a bit put off by the trendy new viral video sh*t girls say. ugh. i kinda really hate linking to it at all... but. ugh. anyways.

i've seen a few friends on facebook post things like 'OMG! i DO say that! HAHAHAHAHA! best!!!'
but, um, dudes. almost every one of those lines can be said by ANYONE EVER! okay. anyone middle-class-y and western at very least...
and it's not that this video is the WORST THING and i'm SUPER MAD and it's MEGA SEXIST! it's just that i'm tired of the whole gendering of everything all the time to the maximum. i'm tired of the 'you are over there and we are over here, we're SO DIFFERENT HAHA!'.

gender-essentialism boooooo!

and on that note. here are this week's pieces for to think on:

* the brits are starting to get it?

* parents being jerks. **

*thanking bowie for his gender-bending rocking ways.

i do love bowie so.

read read read my lovelies. (because boys and girls can both be lovely... and feminist!)

** oh man. so many things about these videos that make me crazy. like. dude. your kids sure are horrid ungrateful little things. i wonder how that happened?! and. um. language, children! but. that's totes off-topic. so. shhhhhhhhh. nothing!

warm glow

2011-12-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

i've been hunting the last two weeks for a work gift-exchange challenge: a used copy of a favourite kid's christmas book. challenge indeed! see, most of the books i loved most are out of print and crazy hard to find... i had ordered 'morriss's disappearing bag' on amazon, but then instead of shipping it, the seller canceled my order after a few days. jerk. i was all in a panic.

but. oh! then! yesterday! just in time!

i found the greatest thing at seeker's books on bloor!

remember this gem?! i had forgotten. i loved this book so so so much. and the person receiving this book has a little boy and a little girl... and he's from winnipeg, so there's a bit of prairie in their blood. oh. it is perfect. i'm so so happy about finding it. i almost started to cry in the bookstore cause my heart got so big so fast...

i can't wait to be home for christmas. i can't wait. it is the most magical thing.

saved my life

2011-12-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

oh, the national. thank you thank you.

last thursday night jeff and i were lucky enough to catch the national live at the a.c.c. here in toronto. it was an amazing show. they put on a crazy good performance.

highlights included the lead singer wandering through the crowd, his long long mic cord being passed above the heads of all the people on the floor, and right up into the 'stadium' seats. he was singing at the same time, of course. walking on seats. and. them bringing owen pallet on stage to play a few tunes with them. chills... and. a killer pair of brass players - trumpet and trombone. such a great time.

so. here is one of their new songs. (the one owen pallet played along with... SOOOOOOooooo beautifullysadly!) and also an older song with a hilarious video. sigh. thank you.

happy monday!

around home

2011-12-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

some fall-times that happened before at bikini village.

{hey look! three of my favourite creatures!}

holiday times at bikini village

2011-12-10T09:49:00.001-08:00

finally! y'alls about to get hit with a few photo-posts. bikini village is in order! it is clean and decorated and photo ready! (or it was last weekend. it's a bit untidy again. maybe i'll do something about that today...)

{we had a little drop-in thang. there was food and drink and peeps.}

{sarah jay brought me this most wonderful magic little tree! nightmare before christmas meets the grinch. sooooooo fantastic. she's the best.}

i love my home SOOOOO MUCH! finally finally finally. i feel like i am home in this place and in this city. it is the best. love love.

ff

2011-12-09T08:31:00.001-08:00

straight into it kids! this week is exciting. we're gonna start with something pretty big.

*hillary clinton's LGBT speech

although it makes me sad that some of this even needs saying, it doesn't change the fact that it DOES need saying. and she's done a superb job of saying it in a kind, respectful, gentle way. although she is firm in her message, she allows room for the difficulties associated with great change. she doesn't just plow through with THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD THINK GOD DAMN! what a woman. thank you, hillary. thank you tahnk you for your wisdom and courage and conviction. (i know it's a rather long read, but please do give it a good going-through. this is so so so so so so important.)

and now! some fashion-thoughts.

this week there has been some buzz about models and weight in the fashion-land. coco rocha, canadian super-model-extraordinaire, gave a speech about the pressures of the modeling world. (read it! i think she's pretty great...) and there was some positive and some negative backlash. this is a good little intro into something i've been thinking about a lot.

along with this:

*h&m cyborg models

so jacob, canadian fashion retailer, has this add campaign featuring coco rocha. and the main premise of the campaign is that it hasn't been photoshopped. hoooray! this is coco as coco is!

and i think that's super. a great start. except. there's still a bit of a problem there for me. yes, i love coco, and yes she's a brilliant and smart model, and yes she is working towards some change in the fashion-land, and yes she looks fantastic not photoshopped and hoooray and gladness! but. she is still a MODEL. she is not the smallest in the world of high-fashion models, sure. she is 'older' for a model. (i think she's 25?) but MODELS, even the healthiest among them, are not what could be considered the average body. or even, really, normal. it's not that they're these broken sickly freaks, the lot of them. far from it! i've worked with lots of girls who i would consider to be incredibly fit and healthy and that is just how they are. they work hard, sure, but they're also genetically pre-disposed to be a zillion tall and a zillion thin. like my dear brother... same sort of build. (i've also worked with girls who are clearly unhealthy, and it's super sad and tragic to see up close... but that's a whole other post.)

and there's nothing wrong with that! these thin-magic-girls. i love that shape. i admit. i'm super into the model aesthetic. but to tell little girls (or women, frankly) 'look it's a real person!' but have it still be one of those super magical few... well... i'm not sure that that is necessarily sending a perfect message either. so i'm a bit weary of this campaign, for all its good intentions.

i guess, without getting too wordy about it, what i'd like to see is diversity. unphotoshopped. give me super models! sure! but give me, too, a girl who has hips. a girl who i short and petite. a plus sized girl. a girl in that average category BETWEEN 'model' and 'plus sized' (aka me! damn it!). a girl with a giant bosom. show me what your clothes look like on those bodies. that is the dream. i guess. because there are women out there making clothes look amazing on their bodies everyday. so you can too, fashion land. i know it's a different challenge. but i have faith in you! you can do it! you're mega-smart and powerful!

okay. glad we had this chat.

oh! and going back to the h&m thing. yeah! that's okay too... make a cyborg model. but honesty. be honest about it. and maybe try to diversify your cyborgs a bit too. and also. photoshop if you want! but TALK ABOUT IT! oh man. that's a whole can of worms i am too sleepy to go into, and i'm sure y'all don't feel like reading this for EIGHT YEARS! okay. done for today!

happy friday, feminist warriors! HAHAHA!

cph

2011-12-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

today is the day, 34 years ago, that my ma and my pa officially started the greatest family ever in the history of time. that sounds excessive, maybe, to some of you. but that's cause you haven't met us. we are unreal.

anyways. the family got a great start with the birth of the chris.
the parentals, they didn't know yet that he was going to grow up to be a super cool and supportive big brother. they didn't know that he would be a crazy talented athlete. and they might have hoped, but couldn't have been sure, that he would one day build his own greatest-family starting with a tiny-human-man who would be, no jokes, the most awesomest baby born.

all they knew, then, was that he had a funny-shaped head. but they loved him anyways. and thank goodness for that.

happy birthday big brother. thanks for everything ever.

{if you google image search brother's name, this comes up. a premonitional drawing made by some small pre-chris in scotland. he was born to love bikes...}

saved my life

2011-12-05T14:52:00.001-08:00

finally!

another gaga-fest of dance and costume amazement! PHEW! just in time for y'all to learn the dancemoves for grimas eve... dancing starts about 10 minutes in?

happy monday!

ff

2011-12-02T06:58:00.001-08:00

hi team!today is pretty busy, so i won't write much. mmmm. in fact. i can't think of anything in particular i HAVE to say.** so! just straight away to this week's mandatory readings:

* why the ladies be crazy?

* i told you, emma... spice up your life!

* happy great good news!

see? this week is pretty cheery, here in feminism. tra la la! light and fluffy and friendly! (except, maybe, for that first one... i suppose.)

** i actually have a LOT to say about siri's lack of female-related programming, but i think my brain might explode if i think too much about it. so i won't go into it. i won't talk about the sadness in my heart when i think about this 'female' 'assistant' who is made especially to cater to male needs like so many female assistants before 'her'... ... ... i won't say that it makes me sad to BE a female assistant, even though i work for awesome men, and i love my job... ... ... i won't say that i really wanna punch siri right in her beautifully designed interface... ... ...

i will simply say that if any of the people i assist needed an abortion, i would assist them in finding appropriate information. because as an assistant, assisting is what i do.

home

2011-12-01T20:24:00.001-08:00

you guys are gonna flip when you see how amazing mine and sarah's apartment looks!

we're finally having an open-house (warming) for the holiday season, which means i've finally done all the doings i had planned. and it is bonkers bread awesome. i never want to leave here ever. i want to live here foreverandever.

pictures soon!

saved my life

2011-11-28T08:35:00.001-08:00

this weekend ruled. hardcore. it was a champion of a weekend.

there was an 80's party. there was dinner at a fantastic AND hilarious german restaurant. there was watching of 'another earth', which is really great and you should see it. (that brit girl? she's impressive. wrote it and starred in it, and is... um... about my age. sigh.) there was lots of relaxing and good company. there was a hilarious video of a polarbear. (WATCH OUT!!!) there were eggs and there was toast and there was coffee (including eggnog coffee in the shower).

and this morning? this morning my boss brought in the leftover birthday cake his wife made him. carrot cake. with homemade cream-cheese icing. and it was a layer cake with MORE CREAM-CHEESE IN THE MIDDLE!!! how is that not the best monday ever? it is. it just is. i ate that for 11am snack instead of my usual half tea cup of almonds. i maybe also ate a second piece for my lunch... screw you pasta salad!

and this week is gonna be nutso, but in a great sort of way. planning and scheduling and organizing. all good things. much business.

okay. anyways. to the real point.

this week's video! is so smart! this is how i see music. pretty much exactly. reading music? bah! not a thing! it doesn't make sense to me like this does. if you gave me a starting note, and told me to play along with the viola part i could. no problem. pretty much first time. it's brilliant!

the soft edges around the brass?! AHHH! VISUAL! i love it. and of course this particular piece always makes me think of the funeral scene/opening of beethoven lives upstairs. so. also wonderfully nostalgic.

okay puffins! happy monday!

(HAPPY FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT! TOO!)

ff.

2011-11-25T16:03:00.001-08:00

guuuuuuuuuuuuuyyyyyyyys! guys. really. guys.

twice in the last few weeks i have gotten myself pretty worked up and shouting at friends. i'm not normally one for shouting at friends. unless it's about food. cause i do feel strongly about food. BUT. yes. the yelling.

first time was because i was having dinner with three friends - two ladies and a man - and the man was the only one who would allow himself to be classified as even a little feminist-sympathetic. um. wha? these girls. they are smart. fierce. funny. bold. sweet. passionate. driven. open. FANTASTIC WOMEN! and they, apparently, are anti-feminist. i tried to explain that, actually, i don't think they are. i think they just have an ill-advised notion of feminism. but nay. there was shouting and i got so mad and sad. sigh. LADIES!

second time i was shouting at a feminist man who said that any reasonable intelligent human would willingly classify themselves as feminist. right? NAY! i say! i mean, i WISH! but. see shouting-one! they don't. they don't because we are told that feminism is scary and gross and means having bad sex and being whiny and annoying and hateful and angry and blah blah. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

sooooooooooooo. the moral is. a) give your heads a shake, people! and b) friday is now feminism day.

you had better read these articles, blog-readers. i will be one mega-pissed blogger if you don't. THEY. ARE. IMPORTANT! so seriously. read them. READ THEM OR ELSE I WILL SHOUT AT YOU! (read them because these people are maybe better at writing about feminism without using so many CAP LOCKS! and being articulate is good. too.)

* why boys should be taught about feminism!

* hey penn state... what gives?

* secondary education... in sexism!

also, just, you know... to say. i have been getting cat-called and whistled at from cars since the age of 14 at least. probably earlier. and. in highschool there was a guy (who was one of the sweetest guys in school) who thought it was totes hilarious to slap me on the ass. one time he did it so hard that i was slammed forward onto a desk, bruising the crap out of my hipbones. he laughed, looking at his red palm, and said 'shit, that hurt!'. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! these are just a few examples of the CONSTANT displays of sexism that i have barely registered as being things because there are so so many of them being things all the time, and really they're nothing compared to the terrors of abuse that so many women experience. so. HOOOOORAY!

hip hip

2011-11-24T20:23:00.001-08:00

hooray!

i've had a job for three months! and that means my probation is over!

today i had my unofficial 3 month review-lunch. and it was great AND delicious.

and i love my job. and i love my life. and i am a happy girl. because.

i have health benefits!

i have a salary!

i have cool and fun and kind and reasonable co-workers!

i get to do little logistic problems!

i have room to grow!

i get to plan a christmas party for kids and go present shopping for TOYS!!!

i have a great dog! (that lets me do stuff like this:)

i had an awesome ladies date this week with some of my favourite ladies seeing an amazing movie!

i have been spending time with a really cool dude!

i cleaned my kitchen last night and it is a magical dream!

christmas is on it's way!

and this morning when i woke up, this is where i was:

{it's a rubbish photo, but come on! i couldn't disturb the puppy! my left arm was under her, too. awwwwwwwwwwww.

i stayed in bed an extra 20 minutes because it was just so awesome. and i still made it to work on time! blamo! hazah!}

fash on

2011-11-23T16:41:00.001-08:00

wooop woooop wooop wooooooooop!

i have so many magazines and journals and so little time!

how is a girl expected to read all these things and still walk her dog? i have subscriptions to: flare, elle canada, fashion, toronto life, canadian art, and the globe and mail which is giving me FREE WEEKDAY PAPERS! not to mentions the single editions i've picked up in the last while. love, zink, onethatican'tevenrememberthenameofwithgoldlettering... my style.com magazine SHOULD be here by now, but isn't. (grrrrr! arrgggg!) and i'm reading 1Q84. and my roommate just got her copy of worn in the post which i'm sure to peruse. i am not made for this much reading! but i do love it... sigh.

oookay. but. i did crack a few of those magazines this last week, and flare! may i say? two kickass editorials this month! check these out!!! (the scans are kinda rubbish... sorry. not doing the pictures full credit.)

{first editorial fashion edited by elizabeth cabral and photographed by chris nicholls}

{second editorial fashion edited by fiona green and photographed by chris nicholls}

yes yes YES yes! horses and eyebrows and birch trees! and crowns and texture and greyhound statues! yes please! yes! phew! i'm pooped from being happy about these.

saved my life

2011-11-21T16:04:00.001-08:00

don't ask questions. just go see this.

i want to see it again. and again. and again. but also not ever again. but then also everydayallday.

also i am feeling glooms this monday. so. it works. glooms monday!

the villain is gossip

2011-11-15T13:09:00.001-08:00

hey!

it's two of my favourite humans!

talking to eachother!

tavi interviews josh whedon for her online-feminist-for-young-women-magazine, rookie:

LLLLOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEE!

(seriously, though. best. ever. these two are champions. and. champignons. yay geometry!)

saved my life

2011-11-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

this week is a super special double birthday edition of s.m.l.!!!

first for papahoops! happy birthday on thursday! watch some sci-fi and maybe go for a run! eat some cake!

AND! for our very-soon-to-exhist newest hooper! BABY HOOPER! welcome to earth, baby hooper. chris and janice, i suspect you'll be watching lots of this kind of tv soon!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!

happy monday everyone! and happy births to all!

cedarvale

2011-11-13T06:53:00.001-08:00

my wonderful magical path this fall. i love my city. i love my hood.

the tragedy of me

2011-11-10T12:34:00.001-08:00

heavy sighs my friend.

things are rough.

see. here i am sitting at work. eating smarties. and i don't even really like smarties. i don't NOT like smarties, exactly... but they're pretty low on the list of candies that i'd go for if i had the choice.

i wanted to get a kitkat. from the box of leftover halloween candy that dale brought in to the work kitchen. i got up specifically to go get a kitkat. but when i got to the box there were only about 3 kitkats left. and maybe 2 coffee crisps. and, oh 3 or four aeros. and there were about 8 smartie boxes left.

and lame old emotional unhinged me... i thought:

'poor smarties!'

so even though i wanted a kitkat, i took some smarties. cause i didn't want them to feel bad about being the least favourite of the leftovers. being a leftover in the first place is hard enough, i'm sure, for a candy bar.

sigh. sometimes i think i'm broken.

meanwhile!

check out these tarts jeff and i ate the other night!!! they were from frangipane in my old dupont-hood, and they were FREAKING AWESOME!!! lemon meringue and what was supposed to be brandy-pear with frangipane, but we suspect was actually something-apple and frangipan. but who cares! it was delicious. the frangipane is really what mattered most. so. great work! eating is the best.

silver and sequin

2011-11-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

the december issue of elle canada arrived in my postbox yesterday, and i am rather excited about it. i love me a holiday magazine... and the cover is super-great. reminds me of one of my fave flare covers from wayback in 2009 with daria. looksee! (i think i like this elle one more, even. i do love alana zimmer...)

and also. here's me with my new glasses and also my new wallpaper and also margene liking my face.

saved my life

2011-11-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

oh heart.
explode explode explode.

happy monday!

just a little

2011-11-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

one of the biggest problems i have is that there is SO MUCH that i want to know, and there is just not enough time in the world for me to know all of it. so instead i watch tv...

well, the other day i remembered this brilliant series published by the oxford univeristy press:
very short introductions!

oh how i love these books! i own the ones on postmodernism and poststructuralism. and i can attest that although they are a short introduction, they are not a simple introduction... this shiz be thick, yo! i believe dad can say the same after wading through the modern art title.

these are brilliant in so many ways. one. there are a zillion titles to choose from! okay. not quite a zillion. i think there's just over 300. but more being published all the time! and the titles are all over the place! you wanna learn about kafka? sure! hinduism? okay! dinosaurs? chaos?! you betcha! or perhaps:

and then! also brilliant because they are BEAUTIFUL! what a fantastic and lovely idea for covers. i want the whole set and i want to fill one entire bookshelf just with them, and call it an art installation. sigh.

anyways. here are some titles i'm particularly interested in right now:

in other news, my cold is getting a lot better and i feel almost like a real girl again. yesterday i did all the dishes and cleaned my bathroom! best. saturday. also i got new glasses this week that i'm mad crazy about. pictures soon.

saved my life

2011-11-01T17:12:00.001-07:00

um, hello please?!

my sister made this.

like. all of it. the music. AND the video.

pretty amazing.

happy tuesday!

saved my life

2011-10-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

it's a little bit espooky... what with halloween a-comin'. but also celebratory on account of my booking my christmas-time flights today!

happy tuesday!

life with f.

2011-10-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

oh dear.

living with a very well-educated feminist as a roommate is dangerous.

{tank girl. of course.}

that is it's dangerous for all those peeps trying to keep women down. bam! see what i did there?! yeah. you see.

except for a brief period in high-school (let's say grade 10ish) when i knew that feminism was a thing, but totes didn't know what SORT of thing it was, i have considered myself a feminist for all my adult-nearadult time. most of that time i was a passive feminist. aka. not REALLY much of a feminist at all. like 'yay women yay!'. but not much for content.

then things officially shifted for REALS while at murrieta's on that fateful night when all them men-guests were so disgusting and all them ladies were so drunk-in-their-tiny-dresses-and-falling-over-and-giving-lap-dances-for-charity-and-livingdolls-and-and-and... and i was supposed to work there. through it all. and after too many hours of that something broke in me, and i was crying in the back hallway. and i was officially angry.

now when i say things like 'i'm lucky, statistically, to have never been sexually assaulted...' i don't get sad. i get angry. real real angry. and so on. about so many things.

and with the roommate's help, i am starting to learn the language of feminism. the context. starting. there's so so much to know. but it feels good to have a place to start to understand WHY the anger, and WHY the actions, and, and, and...

anyways. watch out. it's only just the beginning. and. go listen to this!

CBC ideas podcast 'the new revolutionaries' re: the power of women and girls.

and. go look at these things!

emma's blog about having feelings about empowering women. YEAH! yeah.

feministe. blog about stuff.

shakesville. blog about stuff.

tiny. article in the globe and mail. about size. (not alllllllll brilliant, but mostly pretty great.)

saved my life

2011-10-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

margene is like a baby dear, yeah?

happy monday!

wishes

2011-10-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

if you lot had a whole pile of money to burn, here are two awesome things i would want for christmas:

1) stella mccartney spring 2012 pantsuit. because it is awesome. (photo from style.com.)

2) painting by gordon harper (currently showing in edmonton at the peter robertson gallery). why is this painting so awesome? because it is of a house on 109th street that was gorilla-art-project'd by josée! in our installation class days back in 2006! i love that house! i love it i love it! with its mint green boards...

sigh.

saved my life

2011-10-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

live music... oh, sighing and swaying and maybe crying... i love love love live music.

last week i was lucky enough to get to see elbow perform at the sound academy. (same place robyn played!!!)

it was an awesome show, made even better by getting to watch brittish-joe glowing like a little kid on christmas morning. they're one of his very very favourites. and oh, he was giddy. wonderful.

so. elbow. thanks for the brilliant performance. (and good work telling off the lads.)

happy monday.

one

2011-10-02T16:29:00.001-07:00

lock us in a cannery

2011-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

montreal.
this past weekend.
was great.
it was too short, of course, and i was tired going in, and i am tired still and always (these days, sigh), but i'm so glad i went. thanks to ohmi for organizing the whole thing (like our adorable little apartment) and driving the whole way, both ways, even through the unpleasant friday-evening-getting-out-of-toronto bleh part.

i'll mostly tell the story through pictures, but here are some thoughts and things.

i got to see genevieve briefly at the puces pop craft/artizan/awesomes sale. so nice to see her. and her amazing amazing creations. i'm constantly lusting over her stuff on the internets, and it is so spectacular up close. look on her blog for the silver-turns-gold sequin dress. alas. it did not quite fit me... heavy heavy sighs, cause it is AMAZING. i did buy a kickass belt, though. see below. on the lamp... HORSE! if you can't own a horse, wear a horse. i always say... (sadly, i didn't get to wear wolfy on this trip. he came along. but then it was a million hot, and my outfit plans were completely foiled.)

the hoopers DO walk a whole lot faster than most other humans. like. approximately double-fast. i learned this. my poor travel-friends kept being so mad-and-tired at me when i'd be like 'come on! it's, like, an hour walk!' (and i was already adding time to what i thought it actually was...) and then it would be two hours. and i'd be all 'what the what?!'. oh right. hooper-legs aren't normal legs. sorry, everyone else.

seeing john. seeing john was the best thing. it has been about 5 years since he up and left edmonton and me-and-mads behind. i knew i missed him like crazy. i knew he was best ever. but. oh, how i had forgotten how best ever of the best evers he was. and still is. and, and... alan, too! but i've seen alan more recently. so... sorry. i must john-gush. it is so nice when that much time has passed (with almost no communication between us in our busy elsewheres) and it feels as warm and wonderful as ever. yes. and we had a lovely talk about the 'living beautifully/living now' thing. and the three of us together, johnalanerin, was a magic thing. don't even get me started on john's home and the preserves!!! you'll see. also. the yves st laurent rives gauches pink satin blazer that john had in his possession (on long-term loan). which fit me. very well. i thought, briefly, 'yes, this is great, this friendship... but. this jacket and i could be friends, too. and i could take it now and live without john, and that would be maybe alright? yes?'. but it wouldn't be alright without john, so i didn't. ALSO JOHN'S CAFE! oh gosh, go there. the coffee is best. BEST. best...

and then there was also brunch, and st joseph's oratory, and running into jeff on the street (?!), and drinks, and the atwater market, and macaroons, and, and... okay. go:

{our apartment, my outfit.}

{eating and drinking about. i want those dark wood floors...}

{don't worry. bigbang is back. and can you see? that girl's hair? best.}

{spotted around town.}

{puces pop. market. oratory.}

{oratory. a whole group of tourists were climbing under the 'don't go here' wire to get snaps taken with the pietapose. in the flowerbush. as you do?}

{my newest myrtle and pearls. love.}

{heavy sighs.}

{john. alan.}

{basil & lime. for example...}

{fall is best.}

{sunset on the road.}

{waiting for me when i got home}

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddddddd.... i got me a qr code today! for fun. check and see if it works!

crank shot

2011-09-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

so this is sad.

i have always been rather a fan of the sartorialist, aka scott schuman. he takes good shots. does the street-style thing well. there are a lot of his images in my 'inspirations' folder. and he doesn't tend to write much on the blog, but when he does it is usually pretty worth reading.

and i have heard nigh on a million times that he's a bit of an asshat, but hey. separate the art from the artist, right? right. but. oh, scott... this interview...

so scott has gone and done this little interview with the talks. and alas! what a cranky old man he comes across as! go on. give it a read. it's short...

he reminds me of a few of my art profs in university who were all bitter and cocky and out of touch... who were talented, sure, and smart and so on... but who seemed to think that the thing they started doing in 1972 was still the be all and end all, and that no growth or change since then was valuable, and none of us with our youth and ideas were valuable, and blah blah blah... and instead of trying to inspire us to work crazy hard and be prepared for the hard-hard world of art creation, they tried to discourage and discredit us. anyways.

scott. here are the major problems.

you don't read/follow any other fashion/style blogs? really? other than garance... well that's just irresponsible. imagine if anna wintour came out and was all 'oh, yeah, i don't look at magazines. blah! ugh! they're all dumb and irrelevant.'. or if any author ever decided that, you know, reading other people's books was pointless... or any artist stopped looking at art... or, or, or... new ideas, scott! diversity! this is your community. this blog-space. and there's a lot of great stuff out there. so there's that.

and. don't you get me started on tavi. rather than go on about what's shitty about mr. schuman, i'm gonna get going on what's great about tavi. i love tavi. lots. i've been reading her blog more consistently over the last few years than any other. and. i was, not so long ago, a 26 year old. older now, even! and i do find her blog inspiring and relevant. tavi is smart and insightful. she's a better feminist than i am, despite her youth, and she's unashamed to be honest, youthful, playful, naive, and so on and so on. that makes her valuable. i read her blog, and i'm reminded of the insanely passionate thing i was when i was first learning about this thing called art, this thing called fashion... i've lost so much of the tireless dedication that she possesses, and it is wonderful to be reminded how magical everything is. i remember staying up till 6am because i was FEELING so much about this or that painting, or colour, or idea... and then getting up and stumbling in to 8am studio classes and just being so immersed in this thing and having it be my everything and giving it my everything... oh. and. remember that online magazine for young girls she just launched? rookie. that is amazing and such a great way for girls to be looking at fashion? and gives girls a voice and encourages a lack of shame in using it? remember that?

oh, and. really? talking about the more-than-quarter-less-than-half-million you're getting paid from advertising? that just comes off tacky. and defensive.

anyway.

the moral is, scott, you look like a cranky old man who has a crap attitude about the world you work in. and that's just lame. so. stopit.

saved my life

2011-09-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

well, seeing as i was in montreal this weekend... this seems most appropriate. this song is perfect for sassy-walking-about. the video is a bit bonkers bread, and at times causes me to be frightened... but. great song. of montreal.

happy monday!

alas, alas, if thy mother knew it...

2011-09-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

there is a sister of mine. she was born on this day. i am so glad. because she is magic.

happy birthday, sisterwitch.

the girl i mean to be

2011-09-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

i talked about cupcakes and cashmere last week – the nails. i’d like to talk about it a bit more. and. also. two new blogs i’ve discovered, thanks to cupcakes. heart of light. and. rockstar diaries. click click, please.

i will admit that i am smitten. with these women. these blogging women…

it seems to me that they live life beautifully… or that they make the lives they live beautiful? which is becoming more and more important to me. i’ve always been interested in beauty and aesthetics… but most of that interest was filtered and focused onto particular endeavors. you know. your ‘painting’, your ’fashion’, your ‘creating of images’… but what of the day to day beautiful? and i don’t mean putting on a face-full of makeup. obviously. i mean dressing and living and eating and drinking beautifully because WHY NOT?! i have the capacity! why not live beautifully? it takes more energy, sure, than throwing on sweat pants and eating noodles (which i will never stop doing completely, don’t worry). but! ugh! agh! blarg! feelings.

there were these two adds in vogue’s september issue:

and maybe they’re cheesy. (probably they are cheesy…) but they’re also, actually, rather wise. and i am trying. to listen to them. to remember. to be.

and just to get specific on up in there for you… go see some of the things i love most. in these bloggerwomen’s blogs.

emily’s office.

emily’s five things.

rachel’s flowers.

rachel’s licorice.

taza’s family.

taza’s iphone.

and, here’s a little bit of the beauty around here. lately. and. montreal this weekend!!!

saved my life

2011-09-19T17:48:00.001-07:00

hey you. call your girlfriend.

oh no! sad. dancedancedance! best sweater. best dancing. best. sad.

happy monday!

home

2011-09-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

* i wrote this earlier on friday. but didn't get around to posting it yesterday evening. and i'm too lazy to go through and adjust. so. back in time we go! it is yesterday! go!*

the problem with life being awesome-and-the-best, is that it fills up very quickly. over the last few weeks i have started the new job, and moved to the new home (although not completely completed...), and gotten a new housemate, and had a wicked mom-visitor, and realized that maybe i have some new best friends here in this city... and there is just always something wonderful to be doing. it is magical and great and exhausting. i've lived alone for a zillion years. (okay. maybe 5... or so.) i spent the better part of the first year here in t.o. with pretty much only 3 friends. it was crazy lonely a lot of the time, but it also meant i had a luxurious amount of alone time. to do things slowly, or lazily, or however i liked to do them. now i am trying to fit more and more in to less and less time. because there is so much good. it's hard to find a balance that isn't all or nothing.

isn't my life hard? ha!

anyways. the point is. last night i took a night off to recharge a bit. i didn't do any work on the moving in-or-out. i didn't cook. (baguette and cheese for dinner!!!) i caught up on tv, and programmed the pvr for the new fall season. i had a bath and painted my nails. and it was great. and i thought 'this is great. but also. i'm glad this isn't all i do anymore.' tonight i am going to a blue jays game. vs. the yankees. and i'm super super stoked to be out with humans.

okay. enough thinking about things out loud into a computer... now. pictures!

i stole this nail-doing-style from cupcakes and cashmere. i am a huge HUGE fan. (of both the nails, AND her blog...) it totally makes friday at the office one million betters. (maybe it is my beat up hands, but i have yet to figure out how to take a picture of my own nails that doesn't look a little creepy... like a claw or a severed dead hand... anyways.)

{from cupcakes and cashmere. of course. {heycheckoutthesebrackets!}}

and. the new apartment. starting to come together. still lots to be done (like have my real bed arrive... ugh! impatient!), but i'm loving up a few corners hardcore. and margene seems really happy here, with all the space and light and windows and company. so. so. happy.

and, finally, go check out the city sage's exclusive look at club monaco fall stuffs. i want alllllllll of it. but most of all i want that silver pleated skirt. and the black leather-sleeved-fur-chested jacket. (is that all ONE PIECE?!) and the gold skirt... and. and...

oh, also. where are my fingerless glove-mitts? i'm gonna want those tonight. and i can't find them. boo.

alsoalso. bloggoal for this new time. take actual pictures with an actual camera erin. all this iphoneing must be stopped. ugh.

marriage is what brings us together

2011-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

sometimes when you are bored, or sad, you should just get married to the sea. then you will not be bored or sad. you will be so so glad.

for example:

or.

or...

thanks! thanks, married to the sea!

also, recently i have noticed that most of my favourite (non-family) blogs use {these} brackets a lot. seems like it is some sort of unspoken i-write-a-blog-about-fashion/decor/baking-that-is-pretty-and-also-i-am-pretty rule. so. i'm gonna maybe start using them too. maybe. {sometimes}.

saved my life

2011-09-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

mom is here and i love my new home. also my huge walk-in closet is the best. and. full..... so. yes. i am a 'mod'. as they say.

thanks to b draney for this one. i love how he shakes his head tooooo fast for the film to handle. awesome.

happy monday!

bloghelp!

2011-09-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

NEVERMIND CHRIS HELPED ME!

saved my life

2011-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

i am totally totally obsessed with this.

i will tell you all the reasons why, but first you should watch.

now here are all the reasons, in no real order:

1. they both have the best, biggest mouths. but different biggest. like. he's all wide and teeth and tight-lipped all at once. and she's all lips and pushed forward and open. and i love mouths. i love them. remember that collage i made of people who's mouths i love? i do. and if i re-made it, they would for sure be right there in the middle.
2. the way kimbra rolls her shoulders and then slides.
3. the line 'i told myself that you were right for me, but felt so lonely in your company...' oh. man. have i been there. oh.
4. the way his face goes when she's singing at him. and how he sings away, like he's flinching... defending... getting hit by her singing. pouting.
5. hey look, there's some hair on a mural. WAIT! THOSE ARE THE SINGERS! such a great concept.
6. in the chorus he sounds kinda peter gabriel-y, doesn't he? he does.
7. does his tongue get really pink at the end?
8. i think he says 'friemds'. like. 'you said we could still be frieMds...' pretty sure.
9. the pan out to reveal kimbra. ah man he looks awkward/sad/pathetic. and then the way he breathes deeply, like a shrug/sigh/clenching in response to her first line...
10. the almost nausea-causing base drone that runs under kimbra's verse, like there is something eating away at his perspective. it is falling apart a bit. like maybe the whole song should really be about her and he is an unsympathetic character... maybe. drone drone...

okay, so pretty much every second has some amazing tiny little thing in it. some movement that just makes me so sad/glad. so simple. so brilliant.

happy (holiday) monday!!!

shine on

2011-09-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

mel said she'd get mad at me if i didn't write a post about our pool party.

so mel, for you... here is a montage of hipstery photos of the most recent summertimes. since my return from edmo. good people and good food and good drink. this summer in toronto has been stellar.

mel, you are a very low maintenance friend. (jokes! get it? jokes on the internets!)

the sun shines brighter, two blocks east

2011-08-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

margene is losing it right now. she's going bananas. she's jumping all over my bed, panting and throwing around her tennis ball. she's berzerk. and i'm pretty sure it's because she is just SO FREAKING EXCITED about our NEW HOME which we get to move to TOMORROW!!!! or maybe it's because she didn't get out to run enough today...

but it should be because of the excitement. cause this is EXCITING! for the last, oh, four months, living here has been like getting punched in the face. over and over. every day. and once you've been punched in the face by your apartment what happens? you stub your toe. that's what. all day every day. every minute in this trap-box of awful-times.

but that being said, there were of course better times here. and i'm trying to think back on them, and be thankful and remember that i did love bits of this apartment. bits of the time. like, i do love that spot where the floor varnish is pooled and always looks like water is spilled. that spot makes me laugh. and:

remember when margene was a puppy here? and was terrible at walking? and hilariously filled with jokes? yeah. the apartment was good then. true.

goodbye trap-box. thanks for the good times. and also. go choke on a goat for the rest...

saved my life

2011-08-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

i know what you're thinking. you're thinking:

a) man, i want another kimbra video!
but you're also thinking
b) but there's no way another video can stand up to the other kimbra videos... so maybe i don't want another kimbra video.

well... you're right. and you're wrong.

BAMMO! KIMBRA'S BACK!!! (lead male played by grandpa(nobleotto)old?)

don't even freaking get me started on how happy this makes me. she makes me. PUNCHING THE AIR!!!!!!

happy monday.

cono for sure!

2011-08-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

sometimes i think this blog has an attention problem. or... a focus problem. 'i'm a travel blog! i'm an art blog! i'm a style blog? i'm a FASHION blog! i'm a complainey blog!'... and now, just for now 'i'm a wine blog!'. or. sort of.

i love cono sur wine. it is from chili, and it is cheap and all get out, but it is GOOD cheap. like. best by far of the bottles consistently under $10.00. better, even, than many of the $12-$15. bottles. if you're gonna be cheap about wine: drink cono sur. i am especially a fan of their viognier.

well! the other day i went to buy myself a bottle of wine at the local LCBO, as you do, and it was like a tiny miracle of wine wonderful when i found this:

first! i've never seen a cono sur 'reserve' label before... so. that's already exciting. i've also never seen a cono sur rosé. second. it was all by itself. in with the whites. from australia. there wasn't a price tag for it there (of course. this ain't italian!) or in the actual cono sur section. there wasn't a spot for it in amongst the 'vintage' wines... where did it come from? nobody knows. and the label is a bit battered. and a bit dirty. like it's been through some stuff, you know? like it really had to go through something to get itself out there, on that shelf with the australian whites. (yes, sometimes i personify the struggles of my bottles of wine. sometimes i personify every object i am near. sometimes i have a hard time controlling my emotions in response to inanimate objects and their hard hard lives.) ANYWAYS! battered. cellared? who even knows. third! check out that label! really look at it! how good is that picture?! the shadow of the bike being the primary image?! the 'actual' bike being the underline to the shadow?! brilliant. well played cono sur.

and fourth. i went to the till hoping it would not be a million dollars (or, over $15.)... and, lo! it was $9.99!!! steals of deals! mystery deals!

so. i haven't cracked the bottle yet. i have no idea if it'll be good or not. maybe it'll be sickly sweet and gross. but already it's the most satisfying bottle of wine i've bought. so. who even cares?! not me.

saved my life - extra special for real

2011-08-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

today was my first day at my NEW JOB!

which is pretty much the best thing, cause a) i'm pretty poor after a few months sans restaurant and b) THANK GOD I'M NOT RESTAURANTING ANYMORE!!! i mean. i maybe will never ever have to hustle for tips again! i am an executive assistant now. so there!

here's some awesome inspiring office (?) fashion for you and me.

photosare: donna karan spring 2010 campaign, aldo spring 2010 campaign, akris spring 2010 campaign, clean living shot steven klein in vogue march 2010, holts spring 2009 catalogue, coco sumner shot by rankin in elle uk may 2011, suburban girl shot by donat in zink fall 2009.

and. bonusimage! (did i mention my new boss has two italian greyhounds?!)

from elle canada august 2011.

AND. of course. what i wore on my first day.

happy monday.
(and in the continuation of less awesome, loving thoughts to jack layton's people. the canada people... heavy sighs. heavy hearts.)

for suze with love

2011-08-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

i just discovered that an old and dear friend past away yesterday. suzanne elizabeth abele and i sang in mads together way back.

it's hard to say much of anything and not say something that feels too trite or insignificant right now. she was 27, and everything the news and facebook is saying about her: funny, bright, kind, witty, talented, warm... she made me laugh so hard so often. i haven't seen her in years, but i thought of her often, wondering what magical things she was up to. she will be very very missed. readers of the irishdiet, please send as much love as you have to her family.

suze, the top head, at rob and connie's wedding, where she was a hilarious and awesome runway-walk student.

xoxoxoxo.

saved my life

2011-08-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

i was in saskatchewan where there is no internet. so. delay!

one day when i'm not bridemaiding maybe i'll upload the video margene and i made for this same song. but. this one is pretty good too. shoulders! the drums in this song make me REALLY GLAD!!!!!!

happy not monday. FRIDAY! even.

saved my life

2011-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

remember this one?!

there was a lot of gwen-talk yesterday, and this particular song came up twice. a classic, you could say.

happy holiday monday!