oscar night!

26 Feb

I’m spending the day listening to a classical station that’s playing movie scores and getting pumped for the red carpet. I really, really love the Oscars. The Globes are cooler, of course, but the Oscars are still the tits.

I’m mostly looking forward to seeing Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips be each other’s date again #bestfrondz

Predictions:

Best Picture: The Artist (Why is Descendants even nominated? And have you met anyone who enjoyed Tree of Life? It should really go to Hugo, in my opinion. It’s a movie about loving movies. But The Artist will probably win. Gimmicks, you see.

Best Actor: He won’t win but I thought Gary Oldman was awesome in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. If George Clooney wins, I might throw something at the TV. It’ll likely go to Dujardin from The Artist. Again with the gimmiks.

Best Actress: Meryl! I’m in love. Or Michelle Williams. Rooney Mara, don’t even think about it.

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer has it in the bag. Beginners was awesome.

Best Supporting Actress: I haven’t seen Albert Nobbs yet but I heard Janet McTeer was fantastic, so that’s my choice.

And Bridesmaids should win Best Original Screenplay.

My picks are in! Please let the show better than last year. And the year before that. Sigh.

 

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TFGIF – an understatement

24 Feb

source

A four-day work week has never felt so long.

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Family Day

20 Feb

I actually got to spend it with them. In Newfoundland.

Honest to god, going home is like plugging myself into a power outlet.

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day tripping: wine country

12 Feb

Last weekend I took a drive to Beamsville. The Niagara region town is a short drive from Toronto and home to some awesome wineries. It was a perfect day for February – sunny, not too cold and so clear you could see the moon in the daylight sky – and we really had just the best time.

Our first stop was Thirty Bench. There wasn’t any snow on the ground, but if there was we might have gone snowshoeing as part of their winter vineyard tour. They gear you up, take you on a tour of the vineyards and feed you samples of wine the entire time. At the end, you sit around a fire in blankets, eat soup and try more wine. It’s only thirty bucks! We just sampled wine instead. I tried a chardonnay that tasted like popcorn and some spicy reds.

Then was Angel’s Gate where I sampled (and purchased) a really delicious 2008 Pinot Noir Rose sparkling. I don’t get into rose wines at all but this was not too sweet and tasted a little bit like apricots. So yummy. The estate was lovely but not super cool or anything. I did think the ice on their pond looked like eyeball veins:

Am I right?

Down the road, we visited The Organized Crime (my friend’s favourite) and I fell hard for their amazing reds. The Download was great but the Cabernet Sauvignon was my favourite. This place really is the coolest. I kind of expected some hipster with a mustache to be behind it, but it’s actually owned by an older married couple (and guarded by their gigantic dog). Seriously, check out the website – it’s tight! These two are just doing everything right in my books. (although the wineries name is based on a story about amish people stealing a church organ – seriously – the wine corks have a message against downloading music. Oddest/Coolest).

I was starting to get tipsy and so we asked the owner where we should go for lunch. He recommended August restaurant and, in keeping with the overall theme of the day, it was perfect. You need to eat there if you’re ever in the area. SO good. We had some wine from the Malivore winery with our meal so decided to swing by there as a last stop before we hit the road back to TO.

We picked up a couple more bottles and then decided to take a little walk into the vineyard before heading out. Malivore offers a map for self-guided tours but honestly I had no idea and just felt like a walk in the sun. We trekked through the mud and vines and found a picnic table to sit at and take in the day.

Beauty of a day trip.

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as of late

9 Feb

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I got my tea cozy! Saltbox house cozy from Nonia.

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Piles of Newfoundland goodies from back home.


Cat-in-the-box

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Spice Girls tribute concert

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A vintage mini-lumberjack jacket for my favourite three year old (from Penny Arcade)

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A vineyard walk in Niagara

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Delicious antipasti from Black Skirt

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honey, no.

6 Feb

Let me start off by saying how much I love yoga. I love it. It makes me feel strong, focused and appreciative of my body. I’ve patted myself on the back after many a challenging Vinyasa session and I hope to again.

But I will never, ever again try to do this:

The headstand.

It looked so easy when the instructor demonstrated it. I have even managed to get up in the past without incident. But yesterday something went wrong. Something snapped. Afterwards, when I was home with an ice pack against my neck and tears in my eyes (what is it about neck pain that’s so emotional?) I did a bit of research and it turns out yoga headstands (or inversions) are quite controversial.

Need convincing? The neck is the most flexible part of the spine and was built to hold up your head – not the weight of your full body. Unless you’re a practiced yoga do-er, just don’t do them. Even then, you maybe shouldn’t (that’s what my RMT wants you to know, anyway).

I’m not preaching. I just want to save you from how I feel right now (like biting down on tinfoil but inside my neck). Lessons learned and shared for all. Be well. XO

I feel the need to reiterate that I think this pose is achievable with careful practice and supervision. I had neither of those things and should not have been at it. 

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TFGIF

3 Feb

Seriously.

(image source)

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clueless

2 Feb

I am in a huge makeup slump. I’ve never worn a lot, but I think I’m ready to learn how to properly dress up my face now and then. Especially my eyes – how beautiful is that whole look above? There are just so many brands to choose from. Which makeup counters give the best makeovers guys? Fill me in!

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new specs

1 Feb

The first time I had my eyes examined I squinted painfully at the letter chart, getting each letter wrong while my Mom sat by, horrified that her daughter was clearly going blind and she never noticed. When finished, the doctor had me leave the room and explained to my Mom that I was a filthy little liar – OK not in those terms but I was totally faking my poor eyesight. I just really really wanted glasses.

Payback is a bitch because cut to twenty years later and I’m practically blind. A -7.0 in both eyes. I’d be the first one eaten on a desert island because, like Piggy, I’m screwed without my glasses.

So when ClearlyContacts.ca asked me to try out their Virtual Mirror to test out some frames, I was totally game. Can’t have too many backup pairs of glasses!

But then…then I got lost in the virtual mirror. I tried on pair after pair and just couldn’t make up my mind. Was the mirror accurate? Could I trust that the image of me in the glasses was how I’d look in the frames themselves? The answer was, pretty much.

Yep. Looking totally dorky in all of these. 

Some of the things I learned when testing out this feature on the ClearlyContacts.ca site:

  • Make sure you take the picture in good lighting – the quality of light will affect how the frames appear on your face
  • Get an accurate PD reading – you won’t know how the glasses will sit on your face without this
  • Look at the frame width in millimeters. Objects in mirror may be bigger than they appear.

I finally decided on a pair of frames from Vancouver designer Derek Cardigan:

I placed my order on a Sunday and got the glasses in the  mail on Wednesday  - easily the fastest services I’ve ever had for glasses, or even contacts!

Mad glare but you get the idea

I will say that they were a lot thicker than I had anticipated, which is why I suggest you take those measurements into consideration before placing an order. Of course, now I’m addicted and want to order a bunch more. Thanks for the nerd glasses ClearlyContacts!  Loves em.

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get me away from here

30 Jan

We’re having a seriously mild winter here in Toronto. I’m not really complaining – I hate the cold – but I love snow and winter isn’t the same without it!  It’s also tough to find shit to do when you don’t really love winter sports.  All I want is perfect, snowy winter goodness– think: fireplace, wood beams, board games, knit socks, hearty stews, quiet music and endless piles of books. Kind of like the trip I took last October to Quebec. I need a getaway.

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