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

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.

Piles of Newfoundland goodies from back home.

Cat-in-the-box

Spice Girls tribute concert

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

A vineyard walk in Niagara

Delicious antipasti from Black Skirt

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. 

Seriously.

(image source)

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!

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.

]]> http://thevodkablog.com/2012/02/01/new-specs/feed/ 4 Stokes glasses2 derek-cardigan-7014-black-fr-XL Photo 69 http://thevodkablog.com/2012/01/30/3306/ http://thevodkablog.com/2012/01/30/3306/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:16:11 +0000 Vodka Blog http://thevodkablog.com/?p=3306 ]]> 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.

Enter The Old Fashioned.

My new favourite cocktail is so easy to make and delicious to drink. Instead of classic Angostura bitters, I used Orange Angostura – a trick I learned from expert mixologist Trevor Burnett.

• Fill glass with ice.
• Soak one sugar cube in 12 drops of orange bitters.
• Muddle cube.
• Squeeze orange zest (from the peel – not the white stuff) into the glass and let drop.
• Add 1.5 oz. of bourbon.
• Add 1.5 oz. of soda water.
• Give the drink a slow stir. Don’t “bruise the spirits”.
• Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Now to decide how best to drink the Aperol I bought…

Sources: ohbeautifulpaper, ohgo, eldoradobar, onthefourthfloor

OK first of all – these people are crazy. You are on TV!! And will be in magazines!! You. Be. Cray.

Guys even I know that satin is a bad idea. Even me! I feel like she wouldn’t let anyone help her get ready and all her minions gave each other the wide-eye-teeth-inhale behind her back. You know what I mean.

Tami Taylor nooooo. Actually, Tami Taylor would probably be really into this dress. Which means Connie Britton can’t let go of the character which is OK with me. Backing off.

Erin Wasson why did you do this? Did you really need the press? You made the Keep It Neil shirt for RVCA and you go out in public like this? Does not compute.

This was on a dare, right? You guys are SO FUNNY!

I don’t passionately hate this but I just want to point out that it’s pretty much identical to the dress my friend wore to Grad in 1998. Which is not at all long enough ago to be considered retro yet. I just expected more! She’s arguably one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, so why the poorly cut dress? Oh, because guys like her boobs in it. Right.

Some more snoozes that I didn’t hate or love:

Hi I love you, girl crush. Snoozy dress though. You look really comfortable though, which must have been nice. Yah yah yahhhhh so anyways….

Your BFF-ness warms my heart. When you won the Globe, Laurie (I call her Laurie – CT forever) looked like she wanted to tackle you but restrained herself quite nicely.

Last year, Mila Kunis’ Oscar dress was one of my favourites so I guess she decided to get one made just like it this year. Pretty but…boring.

Now the really likes:

Girl, you can wear anything and I’ll still think you’re the coolest-looking of them all. Did I say girl? I meant your High Excellence.

Stunning. Not risky or anything but I love this dress. Most coveted.

I really like this. The hair and matching earrings, I dunno, but the dress is different and looks like something special. That’s all I want to see! Really special dresses from now on only.

More special. Expensive! Expensive can trump special especially when your husband owns Gucci.

I know Rooney Mara is an asshole, but this dress is beautiful on her. Super waif and ethereal and dark.

Something happened later in the night and Biel’s dress started drooping like a third boob (bummer!) but I think it looks great here. I’m a sucker for a good doily dress, and her hair just looks incredible.

Well, that’s it.

Not it’s not.

You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?

hahahahahaha ahhhhhh she never fails to make me laugh.