Tuesday, September 30, 2008

noodles with lime peanut sauce

As requested by Paula, here is the recipe for the great dinner we made on Friday night.  When your amazing hairdresser asks you to do something - you better do it!!  The recipe is another great one from my The Food You Crave cookbook by Ellie Krieger.  This book is quickly becoming one of my faves and I recommend it to anyone looking to eat a bit healthier without sacrificing any of your comfort foods.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce
(this makes enough for a family so feel free to cut as need be)

3/4 box spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps rice vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 scallion (white and green parts), cut into pieces
One 1/4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsps firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold running water.
While the pasta is cooking, put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam for 3 minutes.  Add the snow peas and snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more until all the vegetables are crisp and tender.
Toast the peanuts in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Set aside to cool.
Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, brown sugar and red pepper until smooth.
Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce.  Top each serving with vegetables.  Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables.  Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top, and serve.

We paired this with a side of those frozen spring rolls that you can get from any Asian grocery store and used the rest of the peanut sauce as a dip for them and it was brilliant.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Hot Bunny Radio Playlist for Sept.25

CKLU 96.7 FM

As I mentioned, last Thursday was my first day back from my HBR summer hiatus. Good news for all you far flung folks though. CKLU is now streaming on the world wide web!! That means you can log on and listen to HBR every Thursday from 6 -8pm should your little heart desire. Click here to link to the live streaming.

* denotes Canadian talent
italics denotes a new release

  • Otis Redding -- Respect -- Live in Europe (vinyl)
  • Woodhands -- I Wasn't Made For Fighting -- Heart Attack *
  • United Steelworkers of Montreal -- Union Man -- Kerosene & Coal *
  • Entire Cities -- Cop Song -- Deep River *
  • Winter Gloves -- Glass Paperweight -- About A Girl *
  • Calexico -- Dub Latina -- Feast of Wire (vinyl)
  • Statues -- No Time -- Terminal Bedroom *
  • Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds -- Today's Lesson -- Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
  • Wilco -- Either Way -- Sky Blue Sky (vinyl)
  • Fleet Foxes -- White Winter -- S/T
  • The Stolen Minks -- Bring It -- High Kicks *
  • Teenage Head -- You're Tearin Me Apart -- Teenage Head w/ Marky Ramone *
  • The Kinks -- Till the End of the Day -- Greatest Hits (vinyl)
  • The Stills -- Everything I Build -- Oceans Will Rise *
  • The Paper Cranes -- Laughing Sickness -- Halcyon Days *
  • Eric's Trip -- What I Meant (Belong Session Outake - March 1992) -- Bootleg (vinyl) *
  • Chad van Gaalen -- Bones of Man -- Soft Airplane *
  • The Violet Archers -- You and I -- Sunshine at Night *
  • Cat Power -- I Believe In You -- Jukebox (vinyl)
  • My Morning Jacket -- Highly Suspicious -- Evil Urges *
  • Fembots -- Good Days -- Calling Out *
  • Neko Case -- Andy -- Canadian Amp * (vinyl)
  • Sheesham & Lotus -- Lost John -- Everytime! *
  • Justin Rutledge -- I'm Gonna Die (One Sunny Day) -- The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park *
  • Tom Waits -- Red Shoes by the Drugstore -- Blue Valentine (vinyl)
  • Elliott Brood -- Write It All Down For You -- Mountain Meadows *

Notes this week

  • that Entire Cities record might be my new favourite record at the station;
  • new Statues stuff??? Yay!! Check them out, they're from Sudbury and they're amazing!
  • Marc brought me back that Eric's Trip record from Toronto months ago and this was the first chance I've had to listen to it as our turntable is stuck on 45....
  • Listening to that Cat Power album on vinyl while alone is really a shame.....
  • Please tell me the rest of that new My Morning Jacket record doesn't sound like "Highly Suspicious"....
  • I know I say it everytime but Day-um!! Tom Waits is sexy on the cover of that album...
  • New Sudburian Nathan Lawr is all over the new Fembots record and recorded a chunk of it in his very own basement! Good on ya Nathan!

the great shortage


So a few weeks ago Marc told me we were in the midst of a lemon juice shortage and I thought he was fibbing. Well this weekend the grocery store man confirmed this for me. Obviously a bad crop of lemons is the reason for this and as a result, lemon juice concentrate shelves around the world are empty. Shelves are expected to be restocked around late September. I like to call this The Great Lemon Juice Shortage of 2008.

weekend round-up

My weekend started early this week as I took Thursday and Friday off. I spent those glorious days trying to make sense of my house after the blurry week of Cinefest. Countless loads of laundry, house cleaning and tidying ate up most of those days along with a couple great walks to the lake in the amazing sunshine. Thursday did mark my return to Hot Bunny Radio though after a nice long summer break. I'll post my full playlist later this week so stay tuned for that. I haven't taken more than a few weeks off here and there in almost 7 years. I figured I was due.

Friday Marc and I made a super delicious dinner of lime and peanut noodles with broccoli and snap-peas and springrolls. So delicious!! It was great to cook together after what has seemed like weeks of eating like teenagers.



Saturday Marc put me in the car and took me out for a lovely walk at A.Y. Jackson falls just outside of town. It was a glorious summer day and we sat on the rocks and had a lovely couple-y chat about all kinds o'stuff, listened to the water, and soaked in all the sun we can. Saturday night on to birthday festivities for Lisa!!!! Happy Birthday Lisa!!!!! We busted out late night cannolis to celebrate everyone's favourite party guest.
Sunday started off to be just the coldest and most miserable fall day ever but thankfully turned sunny and lovely mid-morning. We had an early morning walk with the parentals followed by breakfast out and then went home and whipped up some great spinach and ricotta canneloni for dinner at their place later on with the whole family. It was a pretty great weekend all round and I could deal with another just like it.






Tuesday, September 23, 2008

jim and pam



Alright so all my celebrity gossip sleuthing has dug up some Jim and Pam kinda spoilers. And I say kinda because really, I want no part of spoilers and this doesn't really spoil anything. It's more some interesting info about my boyfriend Jim and his girlfriend Pam.
According to Lainey who is quoting from Ausiello, there is much ado about Jim and Pam this season on The Office. So here's the deal, Ausiello managed to corner Office writer Mindy Kaling (who also plays crazy Kelly on the show ) at the Emmy's and got her to reveal that the year not only has many ups and downs for our favourite couple and confirms that something "momentous" will happen between them in the rain. Will Jim propose?? Will he propose and she'll say no??? Will they break up in the rain????
Personally as much as I hate to admit, I suspect a break-up. Pam made a weird face last season when Jim said her proposal was imminent and for them to be all happier ever after just seems too easy. Lainey also seems to think that Mindy seems to be all too tired of the whole Jim and Pam thing and that since she's a writer that fact wouldn't bode well for the poor lovebirds. Minday also laments about poor Meredith and how nobody seems to care about her drinking problem. And she's right. I kinda don't.

love guru leftovers

So I don't need to be told Mike Myers' last movie The Love Guru was terrible -- one could have just pretty much assumed it would be based on the ridiculous trailers. But bad movie aside, here's some fun news for those of you that like a bit of Arabian nights mystique in your home. Style North reveals that the movie, filmed in Toronto, has tossed away much of its set into the hands of various Toronto area ReStores who are in turn selling all this fun stuff for next to nothing. And if you've ever looked the price tag of an antique Indian door you know how much these things go for. Scattered throughout Toronto now are various bits of decorative moldings, arches, pillars, antique doors and screens as well as bits of pretty jewel coloured glassware.



You can get these doors for $400, the screens for $200 at the Etobicoke ReStore and they can make cool headboards when done right. The planter below is $100 and the pretty glass things are priced from $2 - $30 at the East York ReStore. Also at that ReStore are the coffee tables below which I think look great outside.

Maybe don't buy it all though. Small doses.......small tiny doses.





lacy unmentionables

So after much hoopla Dita von Teese finally revealed some images of her much awaited line of lingerie from Wonderbra. Inspired by lingerie from the 40's and 50's, the collection evokes images of pin-up girls and femme fatales. Call me crazy, but this is finally a woman I'd buy lingerie from. That woman oozes sex appeal and has been quoted as saying she never ever puts on jeans or sweats. She'd always much rather look feminine and girly in pretty dresses, high-heeled shoes and of course, super pretty undapants like this stuff. I'm so all over this stuff it's not even funny. I also do not even have to guess what Marc's opinion on it is either.

You can buy it all over the UK and online at these places asos.com, debenhams.com, figleaves.com, next.co.uk, littlewoodsdirect.com, simplyyours.co.uk.

Shannon I say you pay a visit in person and give us the real lowdown.




Monday, September 22, 2008

weekend round-up

No more Cinefest. I've made it in one piece. One exhausted, sore-bummed, schmoozed-out, movie fooded out piece. Cinefest kicked my ass in a huge way. Friday brought no movies for this lady. Instead we had to make nice at another cocktail party with all the Fancy McFancersons. I smiled, sipped my drink, got cornered by the chattiest producer ever in the history of time and watched the clock so I knew when I could go home to bed.

Saturday we got to squeeze in a viewing of Bill Maher's documentary Religulous which was so worth it. Basically a documentary focussing on the questions "Can we be good without god?" "Is religion a calling or a mental illness?" "Were Jesus, Moses and Mohammed prophets and visionaries or crackpot nut cases who today would be put away?" "Is religion an obsessive-compulsive disorder?" It was hilariously funny and scary and a great way to spend the afternoon. If you can't laugh at religion, what can you laugh at?



Spent the rest of the night at our annual big, giant, super cool party we throw during the festival that translated to a bedtime just shy of 4AM and a wake up call of 9:30AM. Saturday kicked my ass followed by a Sunday asskicking as well. Well played Cinefest....well played. Somehow we managed to drag our sorry butts to a movie Sunday afternoon that I think we all napped through. A U.K film called A Deal is a Deal that really had its work cut out for it. Fed up with city life and driving tube trains Paul Callow longs to commune with nature and novels, but that's easier dreamt than done. The trauma of having two people fall under his train in as many weeks does little to impove his mood, until he hears the 'Three And Out' rule: three fatal accidents in a month qualifies you for early retirement with 10 year's salary - as a lump sum! All he needs now is to find his third 'victim' and make a deal.

Even the best movie ever would have been hard pressed to keep my attention at that point and this movie just didn't have the chops to stand a chance. Cute though it was at times.


After that the rest of the day is kind of a blur. I napped my face off, had pancakes for dinner and watched the Emmy's while eating the remainder of Saturday nights 3Am potato chips.

Friday, September 19, 2008

more cinefest

So here I am in between Cinefest gigs and with a bit of time to kill so I thought I'd continue on with some film reviews. I'm afraid that if I wait until Sunday I won't want to do it at all. Last night was finally the night I've been waiting for -- back to back stellar films. For some reason this year I'm having a hard time falling in love with anything and we actually joked that we had yet to find the Run, Fat Boy, Run champion moment of this year.

Started off the day by seeing a movie in the afternoon that I'd prefer to forget ever seeing. It was horrible so let's move on.

The gala for last night was Stone of Destiny directed by Charles Martin Smith. I mentioned yesterday that the director is here for the festival and seeing him you immediately recognize him as Agent Oscar Wallace from The Untouchables and Terry "the Toad" Fields from American Graffiti. Not to mention the million others things he's been in as a character actor. This film tells the true story of four Glasgow University students who plot to retrieve the 400-pound Stone of Destiny - the ancient coronation stone of the Scots that was seized by the conquering English almost 700 years earlier and kept in Westminster Abbey. This film was great and a lot of other movies could take their cue from this one. It was exciting, suspenseful, funny and clocked in at a perfect 96 minutes. This story clipped along at a great pace with nothing superfluous slowing it down and bogging up the plot. Simple characters, gorgeous scenery, and little to complain about.

From there we moved right into the screening of The Brothers Bloom starring Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Brody and Rachel Weisz. One great movie followed another with this one. Your standard con movie, these guys make a living off of swindling millionaires for all that they're worth with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. When Bloom, the younger of two notorious sibling con-artists, announces his plans to leave the business and go legit, his brother Stephen implores him to carry out one last swindle. Despite his plans to leave his criminal past behind, the reluctant scammer finds that his brother has masterminded one last scheme to claim the wealth of an eccentric millionaire (Weisz).

I liked this movie a lot. It was clever and unique, gorgeous to watch with characters you can't help but love. Me, I personally can't stand Rachel Weisz and wouldn't cross the street to see a movie of hers for free. In this movie however, I wanted to eat her up she was so adorable and likeable. Unlike the shiny, glossy, "look at us we're so clever clever" heist movies like all the Oceans 11 garbage, this film really remained quaint and different and actually had something to offer. If I had to pick something to complain about, I'd say this film started stronger than it finished with something said early in the film by a lead character giving away the entire ending (if you were paying attention). Even with that, I still thought this movie was great and I can't say the ending really took away from my enjoyment of the film. On a sidenote, the wardrobe in this movie is to die for and I thought Marc was drooling more than a little bit at the fine tailoring of all the men's suits.

Finally, last night offered the stand-out film moments we've been waiting for!!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

if you didn't hate her already...


...look at this photo. This is the worst photo in the history of photos. Like it's 1988 and she's trying not to take a crap on the red carpet.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

so far

Alright so here's an update of Cinefest so far. I'm taking tonight off in the hopes of shaking off some of this fatigue but I'm not holding my breath.


Monday the gala presentation was Happy Go Lucky and was my first film of the week. This was probably the film I was most excited about seeing. Unfortunately, it was bad. It was really, really bad. I likened it to a really long, really bad episode of The Gilmour Girls. The main character is supposed to be quirky and lovable like Amelie. For me, she succeeded in being only annoying and somebody I wanted to grab and shake repeatedly. Amelie she was not. Not in her wildest dreams. The plot goes nowhere, the characters are unlikeable, and the dialogue is far too staccato and painful to listen to. Some people loved this movie but I just couldn't wrap my head around it and if Sally Hawkins wins an Oscar for this I just might boycott.

Followed that by a cute little documentary called Just Say It which focused on public speaking - North America's #1 fear. For an early project it was pretty well done and had a good pace to it.


After that, a mockumentary called Let Him Be about a young couple off to discover if John Lennon is really alive and living on a farm in Northern Ontario. Not a great film but you can appreciate what he was trying to do. That and he got all weepy in the Q&A after the film and that was kinda cute.


On to the gala presentation of Fifty Dead Men Walking, a really really good film about the story of Martin McGartland who lived the double life of a secret agent to the IRA and the British goverment. This film was intense and hard to watch at times but moved quickly and did a good job capturing the rawness of that time in history. It also stars the handsome handsome Jim Sturgess who, even though he's playing this scruffy, dirty and grubby guy, you still want to smooch him up. And any movie starring Ben Kingsley has to be good. If I had to complain, it would be about some of the more graphic torture scenes which made me do the "Eeek!" and then arm punch to my boss sitting next to me, and the inclusion of Rose McGowan the most useless actress in the world.

Today we saw a movie about meth-addiction called Run Rabbit Run that sadly killed the buzz of the great gala the night before. This movie tried really hard to be edgy and graphic and succeeded in being only mildly interesting. The cast was here and we got to meet them and while they were lovely, polite and gracious, the movie itself didn't jive with me. It did make me never want to go anywhere near crystal meth though so maybe it did achieve its goal after all.

And that's it for me so far. There's some good movies playing tonight but I really can't go anywhere near them. I already took a giant nap right after work and I suspect I may have another before the night is done. Tomorrow I'm off to some other Northern Ontario stuff during the day and then perhaps the gala film of Stone of Destiny (who's director Charles Martin Smith is here at the festival -- he was in The Untouchables!!) and then The Brothers Bloom.





Monday, September 15, 2008

weekend round-up

Well Friday was a not so subtle reminder that I should not pig out in such epic proportions. We headed for Indian buffet after work with Dennis and, with Indian food being my favourite, I went overboard and spent the rest of the night paying for it. Why is being so full that you're in physical pain a feeling that you never remember until it's too late??? Add to that feeling me being the most exhausted girl ever and I hurt. I hurt bad.


Saturday was our teary goodbye with Cobe, our puppy for the week. He was a sweetheart and I was legitimately sad to see him go. I hope his foster parents either decide to keep him or that he finds a great family. He's not the right dog for us but really only by a tiny margin. I took a pile of pictures of him and will post them soon I promise. He's not a handsome dog at first glance but man, does he ever grow on you. He's overflowing with character and that more than makes up for his skinny legs, long face and tufty fur. My grandfather said he was happy we didn't decide to adopt him because he thought Cobe was "homely" to which I took great offense. I thought he was nerdy looking and therefore adorable.





Saturday night was the start of our annual hell-week and the reason why I'll likely be a bag blogger this week. Sudbury's annual international film festival Cinefest started Saturday with the opening gala party. It's the 4th largest film festival in Canada and basically means we spend the week schmoozing, eating solely hors d'oeuvres and movie theatre food, taking meetings (we work with producers who want to shoot here in Northern Ontario), staying out far too late and throwing a big party ourselves on the last Saturday. It's a busy week and I'll likely be paying for it next week in the form of some type of cold or flu. So Saturday we got all gussied up in cocktail party garb and kicked the week off in style.


Sunday I slept for what felt like forever, likely as a result of staying out far too late Saturday and spent the rest of the day lolling about on the couch feeling sorry for myself. Thankfully we had the tail end of a hurricane to help add weather appropriate for lolling. Sunday was also the opening film gala for Cinefest, Paul Gross' new film Passchendaele. Paul Gross was here for the film sending all the ladies into a flutter with his dreamy blue eyes. Me, I opted out for a few reasons. 1) I had a dinner with my folks who I haven't seen in a couple of weeks; 2) I had to take 2 naps in order to make it to that dinner and 3) as a rule I have a personal veto on war movies. I can watch a guy get chainsawed in half by a psychotic madman but show me war-movie violence and I'm haunted for like a week. I cannot handle them likely due to the fact that as Hollywood-ized as the violence still is, any of the things being showed actually happened to someone at some point. Somebody's son, somebody's husband, somebody's brother -- all of those people experienced that Saving Private Ryan level of horror and I cannot watch it. I tend to cry for days after those kinds of movies, I have nightmares -- it's horrible. So that year that S.P.R came out and seemed to be followed by that glut of similar movies I applied this personal veto to my movie-viewing future and I'm a better person for it.


There's a bunch of good movies here this week and I will attempt to give a full round-up at the end of the week. Tonight we are off to see Happy Go Lucky, the new film by Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake). It's described as being very Amelie-esque and that's all the push I need to haul my butt out to see it.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

lamp of canada


Here's a lamp for Kaili, lover of all things Canadiana. Style North is oogling over this light fixture from from Montreal’s Souvenir Shop. Designed by paper maker Frederic Guibrunet and origami master Didier Boursin for Ani+Lumigrane, the MapleMap pendant debuted at last year’s Interior Design Show. And at only $250, it's a completely acceptable price to pay for a bit of kitsch I say. If you want it though you better act fast as the webstore doesn't have many left from the original limited edition of 100.

i'm one!



Let's take a minute here at C.Y.G.T.S to wish ourselves a happy 1st birthday!! We trudged through an entire year of cute shoes, trashy television, great music, pretty dresses, lost puppies, and detailed recountings of my weekends. Thanks to everyone for being interested in my wee little musings!! I know it ain't always easy! And thanks to all my new bloggy friends for showing me other cute things and leaving such witty comments!
Happy Blogiversary to me!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

*shudder*


This picture terrifies me. She's like an alien come to get you in the night.
For the love of god eat a sammich!!!!

Monday, September 8, 2008

weekend round-up

The only thing worth mentioning about Friday really was the consuming of one of the best chicken-on-a-bun dinners of my life at Deluxe -- a local greasy spoon. I've always said I could eat a chicken-on-a-bun dinner any day at the drop of a hat and this particular one just cemented that for me. It. Was. So. Delicious. The rest of the night isn't even worth talking about after that.

Well maybe let's talk about it a little bit -- I stayed home while Marc went out to his friend's place where they spent the night canning 2 bushels of tomatoes. That's right. My husband spent his Friday night canning tomatoes with another man until 1:30am. I mock now but come February when I have lovely fresh tomatoes at my fingertips, I'll be mighty thankful.

Saturday we puttered about the house and waited for the arrival of our latest doggy ward. This time around it's Cobe, an Irish Wolfhound/Shepherd cross and he'll be spending the week with us. Cobe is ginormous, a huge baby, soft and furry and basically a big sweetheart. He's got a bark on him that would make the toughest man step back and he looks like a big black wolf but he's all softie on the inside. He moans when he lays down, walks offleash like a dream, and is all about the early morning cuddlefest. I think it'll be a fun week sharing the house with a small pony. Saturday night we laid low and watched The Science of Sleep which was just a lovely, charming movie. We both really, really liked it. To be the production designer on this movie would have been loads of fun I think. This mix of reality and dream worlds of knitted ski slopes and entire cities made from toilet paper rolls....so perfect. There's virtually no computer effects and most of the effects were done by the crew themselves and by hand. It was just lovely. Gael Garcia Bernal and Paris?? What a combo...

Sunday we further unravelled the mystery that is Cobe the dog (he's like an onion) and I made a yummy dinner of Turkey Meatloaf and Roasted Nutmeg Cauliflower all from Ellie Krieger's book The Food You Crave. I bought this book on recommendation from the good folks at 24 Boxes and it's been worth every penny. Basically it's a collection of healthier versions of all your favourite stuff and follows the rule of "often," "sometimes," and "rarely." So far everything we've made has been delicious. It was no chicken-on-bun dinner but......nothing is really.

.

Friday, September 5, 2008

eco-pooch





Who says being green is just for us humans? The good folks over at Sustainable Pet Design have created the Greenrroof Animal Home for you eco-minded pooch. They claim it smells good, attracts butterflies, filters water, insulates and naturally repels fleas. Dog houses start at $1000 (for the extra small dog) and are custom built and planted for your pet. Made from untreated red cedar, painted with VOC paint and beeswax waterproofed, you can have the greenest pup on the block! Save some money and do it yourself though I say. Or better yet, let your dog sleep in your house with you. Ideally on your bed.


Found by the lovely folks over at Apartment Therapy.


Also posted over at A.T - this picture of a doggy day-care in Pasedena, CA. These are the happiest dogs I have ever seen.





Thursday, September 4, 2008

diy jane

Here's a great and dead-simple DIY lamp from the lovely Jane over at Ill Seen, Ill Said - my fave Toronto blogger. Take one $30 Porfylit lamp from Ikea and one sheet of $10 Japanese Paper (I assume she got at the Japanese Paper Place on Queen West), wrap and ta-da! What a fun idea and one that is totally up my craft-crippled alley. Great for a bedside lamp, kid's room lamp or just a cute piece in a hallway that you could change up all the time!


crate&barrel

If you're anthing like me, you have a soft spot for beautiful kitchen things, great linens and pretty much all the creature comforts of home. Well get ready to go into overload as Crate&Barrel sets to open its first location outside the U.S in Toronto's Yorkdale Mall. And yes, you can totally shop online!



antiquing anyone?

Loking for something great to do this weekend? Well to all of you Southern Ontario folks, Saturday marks the annual Christie Antique Sale outside of Dundas at the Christie Lakes Conservation Area. Home to 300 antique dealers, you're bound to find something great. I can't make it that far south this weekend unfortunately but if anyone does, please look for an entryway bench no longer than 42 inches.

Ontario of course is home to a ton of antique sales -- check out the Style North page for a list of what else is coming up this fall.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

must I?

So with fall fast approaching, seems the blog talk lately has focussed on the fall "must-haves" for your wardrobe. Refinery29 recently added their take to the mix and I gotta say, I am not on board at all with most of it. If this is the trend, I plan on being very un-trendy this fall, with a few exceptions.

Here are their picks:


Zip Front Dress

Absolutely not. I am not a hooker and cannot separate the zip-front dress from that mental image.

Full Miniskirt

Unlikely. Beside the fact that this would look supremely stupid on me I just don't like it. I'll take a knee-length full skirt any day.

The rolled jean

Just because Katie Holmes wore this look for a week straight doesn't make it right. Besides, she looked like ass in it and that should say something. Just buy pants that fit you.

Slouch Blazer

This is another absolutely not for me. And a HUGE one to boot. I think I had that first blazer in 9th grade and I do not wish to relive it.

Ankle Length Trousers

No. Especially not that middle pair.

Floral Dresses

This is one I can live with. You can stay.

Pops of Orange

This one too -- although I hate all 3 of their suggested outfits.

Leather Pants

You would have to hold me down and drug me to get me to wear leather pants out of the house. I am not my 55 year old neighbour.

Plaid Jackets

This one can stay too -- but only in a super cute peacoat style.

Leather Jackets

I can get on board with this but only in moderation. That 3rd picture is pretty great.

Denim Shorts

This might be mainly a geographical thing but under no circumstances am I wearing denim shorts in a Northern Ontario fall. I do pretty much hate them all year long though. Look at that poor girl in the middle -- she knows she looks stupid and she's sad.

Plaid Shirts


Again, this one walks a fine line. Absolutely not the first one but the last two are alright. I'll wear a plaid shirt if it's close cut and fitted and cute -- not slouchy and dad-like. I've lived through that once already and am happy to let that go. Unless I'm raking leaves or hauling firewood. Us Canadians know how to really wear a plaid shirt...



So that's that -- mostly a thumbs down. I'll take Kaili's completely acceptable fall must-have's please and thank you.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

weekend round-up

Oh long weekend....why can't you be every week?? There is nothing more satisfying than waking up early Monday morning and thinking "that's right alarm clock, go F--K yourself."

Friday brought a lunchtime trip to our RibFest for pulled pork sammich lunch. Needless to say, the rest of the afternoon was spent holding my tummy and crying waiting for 5pm. Quick dash home and out to Windy Lake to meet the gang for campfire goodtimes. Alas, we couldn't stay overnight but even an evening trip to a provincial park is a good thing. Ahhh Ontario where a provincial park is a 20 minute drive away.....

Saturday I confess, we went back to RibFest and I had yet another pulled pork sammich for lunch. I can't help it!! And there were all these different vendors, you have to try them all!! I do think I need to spend the week on a meat hiatus though. That might be a definite.

Saturday night I stole Mina from my parents to keep me company while Marc played a gig in Sault Ste Marie. We went for a nice walk, napped on the couch and she occupied Marc's side of the bed with all 80 pounds of her furry self.

Sunday, Marc returns home just in time for me to show him our bear visit #2. No thanks to Mina for not alerting me to the bear that was a backyard length away. Onwards to BBQ #2 of the weekend thanks to the lovelyness that is Jen and Richard. They have pretty much the best yard ever for BBQ's and campfires and we spent the night chatting and laughing and being serenaded by a mash up of Jean Wells, the Havocs and The Statues. Yay!

Monday brought a lovely long morning visit with my folks and BBQ #3 at my brother's place with the whole family. Horseshoes, blender drinks, sunshine, 2 neighbourhood Golden Retriever puppies and walks. Seriously, long weekend you spoil me. Let's never break up.

.