for the spoiled and yet neat pet in your life...

...the pet Murphy Bed! I love this and everything that is just so wrong about it! They say it can support up to 200lbs of pet but I'd like to see a 200 lb dog in that tiny bed -- there's no way!! Still cute though...

why is everything small so cute?

I was just over at Tiny McSmall and had a moment of uterus pain after seeing some of their pictures. If you want to try to convince someone to have some babies, just direct them over there. That's a whole interweb of adorable I'd say. These are some of the real heartbreakers.

Hot Bunny Radio Playlist for November 29th

* denotes Canadian talent
italics denotes a new release

1. Link Wray -- The Swag -- Rumble!
2. Katie Moore -- Getting Older -- Only Thing Worse *
3. Luscious Jackson -- Beloved -- Electric Honey
4. The Replacements -- I Hate Music -- Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
5. Bettye LaVette -- You Don't Know Me At All -- Scene of the Crime
6. Bob Dylan -- Oh, Sister -- Desire
7. Andy Swan -- Maybe It's Love -- Ottawa *
8. Julie Doiron & The Wooden Stars -- Au Contraire -- Julie Doiron & The Wooden Stars *
9. Junction Creek -- Broad In Burma -- Twigs & Branches *
10. Will Gillespie -- Fireworks -- Fireworks *
11. Neil Young -- On The Beach -- On The Beach *
12. REM -- 7 Chinese Bros -- Reckoning
13. Dressy Bessy -- I Saw Cinnamon -- Sound Go Round
14. Modest Mouse -- Lounge (Closing Time) -- The Lonesome Crowded West
15. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion -- Talk About The Blues -- Acme
16. Corb Lund -- I Wanna Be In The Cavalry -- Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! *
17. Thurston Moore -- Blues From Beyond the Grave -- Psychic Hearts
18. The Candidates -- Shotgun Wedding -- Fame, Fortune & Free Drinks *
19. Jesse Harris -- I Don't Mind -- Feel
20. Luke Doucet -- Emily, Please -- Broken (and other rogue states) *
21. Beck -- Blackhole -- Mellow Gold
22. Islands -- If -- Return To The Sea *
23. Hawksley Workman -- When These Mountains Were the Seashore -- Treeful of Starling *
24. Christine Fellows -- Spinster's Almanac -- Nevertheless *
25. Volumizer -- One Chance -- Gaga for Gigi *
26. Elliott Smith -- A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity To Be Free -- From A Basement On The Hill
27. The Evaporators -- Where's the Butterknife? -- Gassy Jack & Other Tales *

Notes this week:

• Saddest lyrics: "The only thing worse than having your heart broke is having no one willing to break it."
• If John K Samson was my husband I'd get him to sing backup on my record too;
• Oh REM, remember when you were so good it was actually groundbreaking??
• I play a lot of Replacements just for Marc;
• Congrats to pal Will Gillespie for finally finding his band and letting us here the music the way it's always sounded in his head. You had me with the sleighbells...
• Thurston Moore you get to be on the list with Mike Ness;
• Elliott Smith, why couldn't you have just cheered up? Such a waste...

our (proud) mascot

They unveiled the mascots for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics the other day and these are the results. *giant long uncomfortable pause*
Really??? These are what teams of experts and "top secret research" have decided on? That is truly unfortunate. The deal is that Sumi, Quatchi and Miga are supposed to appeal to children all over the world while portraying ancient legends, modern trends and portraying the values and essence of the 2010 games. To me, these look like creatures from a Webkinz game or an avatar in one of those bad games they give away in cereal boxes. Miga is supposed to be a snowboarding sea-bear. What the frig is a sea-bear??? And Sumi looks a bit too much like the turtle king character from Super Mario Brothers. And don't even get me started on the lovable but shy sasquatch with the tattoo. I have to say, I don't like these at all. There's even a sidekick to these 3 mascots. Cuz 3 mascots isn't enough you feel you should add another one? Why not make a dozen that way you'll make even more money cuz you'll have 12 different stuffed animals to sell in the gift shop. I don't know guys....I get you're trying to tap into the youth market with your hip anime-like characters but I just think it's cheesy and think they could have done something a bit classier. These poor guys just look like a big mess of symbolism. Perhaps less is more...

RoboKatie

As you know, I'm a celebrity gossip fiend and therefore admittedly follow the Tom & Katie stories closely. I've especially enjoyed watching Katie turn from Hollywood cutie into a Robo-Hollywood Barbie doll. Check out this picture over at Lainey's. Have you ever seen her look less human??? It looks like Tom's hired a dominatrix for the night! She looks like a 45 year old woman and not a 28 year old girl. Oh Katie, I miss your crooked smile and Dawson's Creek ways. Now you scare me more than a little bit.

maidenlove

I have to post about this mobile from Maidenlove that I bought for our friends Craig and Erin and their new baby girl Nikka. It looked pretty in the picture but when it showed up in the mail I loved it so much I wanted to keep it for myself. The picture absolutely does not do it justice and it arrives in the loveliest of packaging with a little handwritten note in an envelope filled with loose dried flowers and stars and other pretty things. I love elephants and this little mobile just sent me over the moon with happiness.

i've never been more proud

Congrats to Marc who tied in his office mustache growing competition for "Best Redneck Mustache." As proud as I am of his impressive mustache growing abilities, I am thrilled to see the mustache go. It's much too Burt Reynolds-y for my liking. But it was all for the United Way so I suppose it's all for the best. I also am not sure what's going on with his hair in this photo. He looks a bit like a terrorist I'd say.

it's really all about...

...pomegranates. They're in season and therefore dirt cheap right now. Every night this week we've been diving into a glorious bowl of pomegranate seeds after dinner and they're just perfect in every way. Tart and sweet and juicy and lovely. I'll be sad when they come to an end. I think Bailey thinks they're popcorn seeds cuz he's been losing his mind everytime he sees us eating them. It's pretty funny to watch a dog eat a pomegranate seed actually. Especially Bailey cuz he insists on biting them in half. He's so dainty.

could this be it?

could my Christmas card display problem be solved?? I am at level zero of craftiness and honestly really have no desire to be any higher up on that scale. Some ladies live to be crafty. I, frankly, could not be bothered. That's why god created stores. Although I just remembered we made all our own wedding centerpieces and I did make my own bouquet. That's kinda crafty. These however I can totally do and since I can't find a card holder to suit my needs, I may have to roll up my sleeves and get all glue-y. This wreath is, of course, a product of Martha Stewart and her evil inhuman lab of overly creative ideas. I should have known the undead army of crafters she keeps locked up in a converted 18th century farmhouse would have something. Which one do we like better???

it's really all about...

...goosedown coats. Especially here in the North. I busted mine out today after our snowstorm last night. There really is nothing warmer. Thanks to all the geese who laid down their lives to keep me warm. You do good work.

owl love you

I'm so in love with this print from weandthebean's Etsy page I can hardly stand it! What a great picture for a kid's room. If only I hadn't already bought all my baby gifts for the seemingly hundreds of new babies in our life right now! I like it so much I think I'm going to just buy it anyway and have it in stock for future babies. Although I suppose there's no rule saying I can't just buy it for myself. Maybe hang it in the entranceway so everytime I come home from work I'll see it and smile cuz it's so damn adorable!

living art

I like this print at Groundwork cuz it looks exactly like my tree-loving friend Julie.

good dog good karma

for your socially conscious pooch check these out. SOCOCO (Socially Conscious Companion) has these super cute collars and leashes that not only make them look cute and fun but also tell their doggie friends they're more than just a pretty face. 10% of the profits from these collars go directly to help children in South Africa's Baphumelele Orphanage and Education Centre, a charity that gives permanent shelter and schooling to children orphaned or abandoned because of AIDS. The colours are great -- way better than standard pet store tartan (which we were forced to subject Bailey to due to lack of choice). And they come with a cute charm that says "I heart SOCOCO." Dogs with jewelery = fun.

eyes lips face

What fun this would be on Christmas morning! E.L.F is giving you the perfect gift for the cosmetic junkie in your life -- a customized make-up box stuffed with 25, 50 or 100 full-size products specially chosen to match their skin tone, favourite colours, or sense of style. And everything comes in at $1 each! And if you want to splurge, spend $100 and get the whole E.L.F line! Talk about a kid in a candy store!

Weekend round-up...

Talk about your mix o'stuff this weekend! I feel as though I did it all and that is not necessarily a good thing. Friday was a standard work day and after work I was finally able to take care of a silly errand that had been eluding me for about 2 weeks. Post-errand Marc dropped me off for tapas with the ladies at Envy, our local tapas haunt. A delightful evening was had with Brittainy and Karen and a couple of their friends who I had the chance to get to know over dinner and many, many bottles of wine. We pigged out, pigged out some more, dished on our husbands/boyfriends and did all that stuff that happens when ladies get together. Afterwards, we headed further into the downtown for some more drinks and merriment in sassy boots and shoes. Andthenoneoftheladieswantedtoslumitandweendedupgettingsmashedataseedyboobiebar. What was that? Hmmm I'm not sure. Probably nothing....

Saturday resulted in one of those sneaky hangovers that lulls you into a false sense of tummy security at the beginning of the day. Then at around 2:00 when you're at the grocery store happily running errands it sneaks up on you and punches you square in the stomach. I couldn't get home fast enough and spent 4 hours back in bed, jammies on and shades drawn. Thankfully, I woke up to Marc making homemade cheese manicotti, garlic bread and chocolate pots and it hugely helped to soak up any leftover booziness still hanging around. I even made it out to the Townehouse to see our friends Ryan Levecque and Cindy Doire wipe the floor with the Saturday night crowd. What a pleasure that was. I can't remember the last time I saw a chick holding court on the stage at the TH on a Saturday night. It's been far too long. Sudbury ladies, we should all be sending Cindy some flowers and trampy panties -- she kicked that much ass.

Sunday brought not one, but two wee girl birthday parties. One for my niece Melissa who turned 1 and the other for Marc's niece Livea who turned 5. Both ladies were adorable and it was a day filled with family fun and possibly too much birthday cake. Perhaps we consider these parties the kick-off for the holiday season to come? Well done my ladies!

I still didn't get my Christmas tree up nor did we put up our lights outside. I think maybe we are waiting for it to get positively freezing out so as to make the experience as painful as possible. Maybe next weekend?

you on the other hand....

...are adorable.

.

and then you do this...

...hmmmmm. The new stuff over at J Crew moreorless is gorgeous. But I'm really on the fence about the crazy graphic print sweater thing they've got going on. Are these really cool again? No word of a lie, I completely had a ski-lift sweater like that in elementary school. Complete with little plastic gondola on a zipper that you could pull up and down. What are our thoughts on these? Cuz I'm really not sure at all...

you cut right to the core of me jcrew...

...now you have a crewmutts line??? These pictures alone are enough to do me in!! My only complaint -- why must you ignore the big boned dogs? The sizes are only for the wee ones I'm afraid. Sorry Bailey. That top picture though...I seriously cannot handle that level of adorable.

just for mike...

This stocking over at Apartment Therapy is the most perfect thing for my friend Mike who, as a child, had to have monster everything. And since he's at home sick I thought I'd post him something fun.

Hot Bunny Radio Playlist for November 22nd

* denotes Canadian artist
italics denotes a new release

• Supersuckers -- How to Maximize Your Kill Count -- The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World
• The Evaporators -- Gassy Jack -- Gassy Jack and Other Tales *
• Sixty Stories -- Wet Cement -- Anthem Red *
• John Southworth -- Millionaires Everywhere -- Sedona, Arizona *
• Breeders -- Roi -- Last Splash
• Plants & Animals -- Trials & Tribulations -- With/Avec EP *
• Me First & the Gimme Gimmies -- Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) -- Love Their Country
• Elvis Costello & the Attractions -- Inch by Inch -- Goodbye Cruel World
• Dusty Trails -- Fool for a Country Tune -- Dusty Trails
• Frank Black -- Everytime I Go Around Here -- Frank Black
• The Love Machine -- Green Tea & Honey -- If You're a Bird *
• Loudon Wainwright III -- Father/Daughter Dialogue -- Grown Man *
• Johnny Cash -- On the Evening Train -- American V: One Hundred Highways
• Rufus Wainwright -- Shadows -- Poses *
• Alun Piggins -- Buddhist for a Day -- Balladesque *
• Gordon Lightfoot -- Red Velvet -- The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson *
• Eric's Trip -- Blinded -- The Eric's Trip Show *
• Torngat -- Mouton Noir -- It Could Be *
• Sleater -Kinney -- Entertain -- The Woods
• Feist -- The Park -- Reminder *
• Chris Mills & Deanna Varagona -- Last to Know -- Down to the Promised Land: 5 Years of Bloodshot Records
• Neko Case -- Guided by Wires -- Furnace Room Lullaby *
• Rebekah Higgs -- Apples -- Rebekah Higgs *
• Beatles -- Golden Slumbers -- Abbey Road
• The Jayhawks -- Ten Little Kids -- Tomorrow the Green Grass
• Elephant Band -- Song Called...Description of my love for a Flaca Loca -- Lessons In Songwriting *
• Metric -- Empty -- Live It Out *
• Minutemen -- June 16th -- Double Nickels on the Dime
• The Inbreds -- Turn My Head -- Kombinator *
• Moby Grape -- Omaha -- Moby Grape
• Parkades -- (you ain't heard the) 5.6.7.8's -- On Guard For Thee *

Notes for this week:

• I kinda wish I was friends with the guys from M.F & the G.G's;
• From Gordon Lightfoot to Eric's Trip....I love it;
• Oh Julie Doiron -- you kicked me in the ass in 10th grade, then Broken Girl made me want to learn to play guitar and you've been breaking my heart for over 10 years....I hope I die first;
• The Alejandro cover by Chris Mills really is that good.
• In case you've forgotten, the Breeders "Last Splash" record is also really that good. It's time to refresh your memory.

it's really all about...

...swedish berries. Little red bits of delicious that I crave daily. It's like a bit of heaven in a crinkly pink bag.

placemats....who knew?

who would have thought finding good placemats would be such a pain in the butt?? Here's my big dilemma when it comes to dining linens. Normally blue and green would be the last colours I ever picked for anything however I inherited my parents' dinnerware from when they first got married. They're stoneware and have this 70's geometric patter in a navy blue and a dusty green and I love them more than anything. My main floor is painted a curry yellow and the adjacent dining room is a shade of yellowy-beige therefore finding table linens that 1) match both dinnerware and decor 2) aren't boring beige 3) are fun and sassy has been almost impossible. Until I met these 3 options on Anthropolgie! Now I must decide on this one, this one, or this one.

Brit porn

I cannot even say how much I'm loving The Tudors! It's decadent, trashy, gossipy as all get out, and basically all that's great about the seedy underbelly of British monarchy that we all love so much. The art direction is outstanding, the costumes make you want to put on a corset and lay about the house and all the sexy affairs, lying and backstabbing is almost more than this gossipy girl can handle! And all the annoyed shooing away of the help? So snooty I love it! Jonathan Rhys Meyers is unbearably dreamy as a spoiled King Henry and this Natalie Dormer woman playing Anne Boleyn is just the prettiest thing to ever grace the small screen I think. Where did she come from? She's breathtaking! Although she really must stay a brunette I'm afraid. When she's blonde it all goes away. I'll be sad when this mini-series is over and I fear it might become the new BBC Pride and Prejudice for me --even though you've seen it a million times, whenever they run it in its entirety on PBS you gotta watch it.

Santa Claus Parade

As posted earlier, we had our annual Santa Claus Parade office get-together this past Saturday. The parade goes right past our 2nd floor offices so every year we like to invite our families and friends to come and watch in the toasty warmness and drink hot chocolate and all that other fun family holiday stuff. All 4 of my nieces came as well as some of our friends' kids. It was almost an overload of cute kid excitement. I took a pile of pictures and they are all up on my Facebook account for those who are interested but I thought I'd put a few up here too just for fun. Kudos to Dan and Lisa who braved the cold to capture the full street experience. You are not allowed to comment on my messy desk though -- last year I cleaned it for the parade since my office windows are prime viewing real estate, this year not so much.

Weekend round-up

This was a weekend of good old-fashioned family fun and watching Marc work on the house (which seems to be becoming a standard weekend activity). Friday I was thinking ahead and stopped at the Boulangerie before leaving work and bought an amazing Pane di Pomodoro (which we ate grilled and spread with ricotta cheese, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar as our Saturday snack) and 2 perfect tiramisu in gorgeous little pastry tulips (which we ate late Friday night). We made the final arrangements for our treadmill (yay!) and followed it up with a mediocre greek dinner at Stelio's. I doubt I'll ever go back. Talk about a time warp...

Saturday we decided to make use of Bailey's new painfully early morning routine and go out for a nice breakfast and kick the day in the face. Marc made me rake again which is always no fun but at least now it's all done and I don't have to rake again for 365 more days. Saturday was also the Santa Claus Parade which means our annual little office family party since the parade happens to go right by our office windows. I'll blog about it separately cuz there are cute pictures of the kids waving out the windows and being adorable. Big thanks to my mom who brought enough food for an army, Dennis for the space and thanks to Marc for surprising me with boozy coffee he made secretly at home and for the flask of Fireball he hid in his coat pocket. There were friends, family, puppies, babies and food and it was a great time. Post parade we headed home and I made my now famous specialty hot chocolate and we watched Reign Over Me on payperview. I have to say, I really liked that movie. It was poignant and touching, the best thing Adam Sandler has and will ever do and had an impeccable soundtrack right up until the credits started to role when they wrecked it all. I did not like Jada Pinkett Smith and her seemingly pointless storyline though -- every scene she was doling out life advice while performing mundane kitchen tasks. Other than that, for anyone who's ever had the bottom fall out of their life (although the scale in the film is much greater), you can completely relate to the urge to not want to see anyone who knew you "before." Sometimes the appeal of strangers can be irresistable. Overall, good film with an opening sequence so gorgeous you want to watch it over and over.

Sunday, we hit the cross-country ski trails with my parents early in the morning and tired out the puppies and then went for yummy breakfast #2 of the weekend. Followed by some Xmas shopping with my mom, a kick-ass nap in the afternoon, a fantastic dinner of chicken cacciatore on baked polenta, new Simpsons and Family Guy, finished my book and fell asleep faster than you can say pillow.

Monday started with a runaway dog AND a 9:30am meeting with FedNor??? And a flu shot???? This week better start picking up...

Hot Bunny Radio: Best Parts of Lonely

Here is the playlist for November 15th. It's Weakerthans in review show in honour of the Ottawa concert we saw on the 4th and therefore is made up of the entire setlist from that show. Yay! It's also got some new releases scattered throughout as well cuz that's the way it's got to be.
* denotes Canadian artist
italics denotes new release

• The Weakerthans -- Aside -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- Tournament of Hearts -- Reunion Tour *
• Cuff the Duke -- When All Else Fails & Fades -- Sidelines of the City *
• The Weakerthans -- Confessions of a Futon-Revolutionist -- Fallow *
• The Weakerthans -- Benediction -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Diableros -- Nothing Down in Hogtown -- Ain't Ready for the Country *
• The Weakerthans -- Sun in an Empty Room -- Reunion Tour *
• The Weakerthans -- History of the Defeated -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- Plea From a Cat Named Virtute -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Virtute the Cat Explains her Departure -- Reunion Tour *
• The Sadies -- The First Inquisition pt.IV -- New Seasons *
• The Weakerthans -- Left and Leaving -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Civil Twilight -- Reunion Tour *
• Black Francis -- Captain Pasty -- Blue Finger
• The Weakerthans -- Everything Must Go -- Left and Leaving *
• Dragonette -- Another Day -- Galore
• The Weakerthans -- Over Retired Explorer (Dines with Michel Foucault in Paris, 1961) -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Night Windows -- Reunion Tour *
• The Weakerthans -- My Favourite Chords -- Left and Leaving *
• Sondre Lerche -- My Hands are Shaking -- Dan in Real Life O.S.R
• The Weakerthans -- Reconstruction Site -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Exiles Among You -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- A New Name for Everything -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Watermark -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- The Reasons -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- Relative Surplus Value -- Reunion Tour *
• The Weakerthans -- Pamphleteer -- Left and Leaving *
• The Weakerthans -- One Great City! -- Reconstruction Site *
• The Weakerthans -- (Manifest) -- Reconstruction Site *
• Deborah Harry -- Two Times Blue -- Necessary Evil

Notes for this week:

• Any band that can artfully use the lyrics "hurry, hurry hard" and "oh ontario, oh Jennifer Jason Leigh" is one that deserves your respect;
• "Watermark" is one of the most powerful songs you will ever hear played live;
• Frank Black has the best voice in rock and roll. I would like for him to sing lead in my band;
• If Dragonette was the kind of music being played in dance clubs, I might start clubbing and never leave;
• Apparently "Dan in Real Life" has the curse of being an seemingly terrible movie with an amazing soundtrack;
• These are my new favourite lyrics: "My hands are shaking from carrying this torch, from carrying this torch for you."

ipods and onions for real???

OK, Dennis blogged about this video and I just have to share it cuz it's that unbelievable. Perhaps I will think twice about ever drinking Gatorade again if it can recharge a battery!! Whooda thunk it...an onion charging an Ipod...oh the things they can do.

tara- 2, christmas- 0

I started my christmas cards last night and this week many gifts purchased online have started trickling into my office. Keep dishing out your best Christmas! I'm still ahead of you!!