the warm up

who else is getting SO EXCITED FOR THE OLYMPICS?!

{team u.s. diver thomas finchum from this great series}

i keep having dreams about divers and diving... i. can't. wait. let's get to know team canada, yeah?!

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be sitting down

i don't want to be all with the bragging about how disastrously stylish i am. but. not only was jessa on hbo girls wearing my pants in an episode:

{see? there on the far left? nice pants, jessa!} 

{here i am brunch-partying in those pants for kate's birthday early this year. tada!}

but. check out vogue's hamish bowles. such a charmer. wearing this stylish purple trench not long ago:

{captured by tommy ton}

AND LOOK AT ME AT NIAGARA FALLS TWO YEARS AGO!!!

{also remember how loooong my hair was then?! put my shortest-recent-hair and current glasses on and i AM hamish bowles.}

hot damn, people. you are reading the right blog. i am a force of fashion forecasting. you are welcome for my incredible generosity of spirit that allows me to share myself with you, the humble internets.

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saved my life

summer weekends are proving wonderful and wonderful and wonderful! another good one.

this weekend roomie-sarah's bestie laura was in town and staying with us! i had been sooooo excited to meet her all year long. she is awesome and was such a great houseguest. i hope she can be with us again next weekend (she's going to a conference out of toronto this week). i'll bring up laura more soon, too, cause we have some plans for her and this very blog! y'all are gonna love it.

friday was slutwalk, and we'll talk more about that later. first feminist event! weeee! then sarah and i got frozen yogurt. yes. saturday was extension room, of course, with erin toop. so glad we could finally coordinate a class together! she's aces. then, of course, laura's arrival and hangouts and dinner at banjara (our favourite indian spot). sunday was a massage that ripped into my neck and shoulders in the greatest way. hurt so good! then to tiff bell lightbox for the trevor anderson's film, along with 5 other short films screened for the inside out festival. first of all. seeing bryce and max. (twice cause we ran into them at slutwalk, too...) golden. magical. fairy dust and bunnies. and a whole row of oldentimey albertans (and the odd still-albertan). god i love my city, and god i love my hometown. second. this film, guys. this film. it's stunning. bryce! trevor! it is so good. the music is funny and charming and sad and full. the dancing is sweet and sad again and clever. it is a great great film. bryce's voice just breaks my heart into a million pieces. loved it.



the other short films were great too. a few of them i really loved. one scared the crap outta me. i can't stop thinking about it. funny and scary and absurd. great! such a great way to spend a sunday afternoon. and then there was fresh for dinner. and tv and internet window-shopping and drinks and sleep. weekend win.

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suspicious minds

whateves. margene and me? we're onto you. you can't fool us with your fancy tricks.

BAHAHAHA! what we do with our time when sarah isn't home. to entertain us.

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ff

haha! instilling in young men a sense of respect for women and girls = don't let them engage with girls, cause eeeeeewwwwwwww, real world what?!

* 2nd base will be a cooties fest!!!

these guys are sure to be well balanced and respectful when they realize that women might maybe want to be at the same jobs as them, in the same universities as them, etc. etc. right?! hoooray! another win for the religiously small minded!!! (or to quote my brilliant roomie on facebook today, re: another woman-targeted tragedy... 'something something postfeministworld AMIRITE GUYS?')

that's all for today folks. i have a europe vacation to plan and a slutwalk to attend. happy weekend!

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forgive me mother, for i have shopped

purchase post.

ugh. see. this is a confession. i fell off the not-buying wagon real bad the last month or so. i got excited cause i was actually doing well with my monies, and i had lots extra. and then i was online so much and there were so many great things. i fully admit that i have failed in my minimal-buying resolve.* along with the ipad case which i've already told you about, here's what else i bought online.

gap jeans that are oh so bright-yet-pale and springy. grey t-shirt which is comfy and casual.

blue plaid olden-timey bathing suit from modcloth.

and in real life, i got this red sweater because i love love love the way i look in red and it was on SALE*!

finally, this orange amazebox of a skirt from joe fresh, which, to be fair, i had every intention of buying from the moment i saw it on the runway. it is for marc&mel's wedding.

*the gap stuff was on sale. too. and i think it is fair to say that i am a sucker for a sale. yes. a sucker. a chump. for a sale.

i do have some purchaser shame for these things, but not remorse. they're all really great pieces, and the prices were good. i didn't need them. and thus the shame. the lack of willpower. the heavy sighs at having to disclose this all to you. i promise to be well behaved again. starting now.

and while we're talking purchases, i may as well cover some of the older purchases that i put off writing about cause they were kind of too boring for individual posts. these are from the last several months.

- a pair of navy leggings, and some socks (mostly grey) from the bay and h&m.
- that new iphone case you saw (did you? or was that just on twitter...) that is white with black instead of black with white to replace the broken one, as well as some earphones since margene had eaten both my old pairs.
- two used joan didion books. blue nights and miami.


*ha! i wrote this, actually, a while back, but took my time getting the pictures taken. (honestly, i'm pretty behind on this whole purchase thing.) and then today i was reading the very blog that gave me this idea, and look what happened to her, too! that makes me feel better. cause. ooooof.

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this is where i am

oh hey there! i finally cleaned my room AND took pictures! (sometimes i had one or the other covered, but. no. never both at once.) it has only been, what, 9 months since i moved in.

{dresserzone for the jewels and the purses}

{details, yo} 

{the reading corner along with snaggletooth} 

{to be read, and where to be read} 

{some bathroom deets} 

{the gem of gems, my walk-in closet}

and there it is, tour town usa. come visit, why don'tcha?

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saved my life

this long weekend (which was extra long thanks to my amazeballs boss-and-job) was maybe the greatest long weekend that did ever happen. maybe. very possibly. top 5 for sure.

i really never expected to love toronto this much. but i do. love it so so much. i am so happy with this city. friday i had an awesome workout at the extension room, where there was only two of us in the class so jenn worked us extra hard. (abs say owwwww.) then saw joel plaskett with jeff at the queen elizabeth theatre. i will come back to that. saturday was a mega sleep in, then a law-student bbq with sarah and her classmates in a great backyard not far from us. these law kids, they are funny and welcoming and a pleasure to be around. who knew?! sunday was more sleeping in, and watching a baseball game in christie pits followed by another law-bbq at another law-home. margene came. i ate three spectacular homemade burgers. (which is allowed, i figure, because i couldn't eat any of the buns or salad due to being so dietarilly complicated.) finally there was monday, and i woke up to phone chats with mel who was in ottawa for a bonkersbread conducting competition. after lazing about and waking up slowly, i found my way to the park (trinity bellwoods of course) for a good old park hang with my park people. with magazines. and fresca. and SUN FOREVER! when we got thirsty, we rolled on to ronnie's and made best friends with some great patio folk. newspaper friendship bracelets were made. twitter handles were exchanged. margene made friends with a black lab puppy who then stole her treat. haha! and then, you won't even believe it: there was ANOTHER BBQ at jeff's with ribs and steak cooked to perfection by his roomie.

holy cow! i am exhausted!

and now back to work and real life again. and blog posts about having my life saved. this week, obvi, by joel plaskett!!!



he was so so great live, guys. so great. and the audience was so into it. hilarious and grand. i only cried once, but i cried good and hard. ugh. dudes. he played 'beyond beyond beyond' which i knew was about someone dying, but it turns out it is about a friend of his who was violently murdered. sigh and sadness! jeeeez. so heartfelt. he was crying just explaining about how he doesn't normally play it live, but he recently saw a story on tv about another girl he knows who was a victim of violent death. so he was playing it for the two of them. so yeah. i criiiieeeeeeeddddd and held so still and it was so beautiful. hooray for music and tributes and love and all of this.

happy tuesday, friends! party on.

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summer skin

it is the time to be outside by pools or in parks or at very least walking the dog through the sunny sunny valley paths. and therefore it is time for a change in skincare and stuff! it is oh so humid here in this city, and my wintertime powders won't last a second with all the damp. damn.

so here is a list of products that i've been thinking of or dreaming of or already love.

{want}

{trying}

{favourite}

and here's a breakdown of what we've got!

wants:

* essie nail polish in geranium. (confession, i do own a few essies, so it could be in the 'favourite' category, but the real want here is the awesome red-orange colour. so. there.)

* catwalk by tigi, session series salt spray. for beachy beachy salty hair. mmmmmmm.

* stila one step correction. to make the face with the even-ness of tone. for the grass-itch blotchier times.

tryings:

* physicians formula organic wear mascara. for non-toxic eyes. it isn't waterproof, which is a problem, but i'm trying it all the same cause i love the idea of not poisoning myself.

* vichy labs ultra protection sunscreen stick. to carry in one's purse.

* aveeno positively radiant daily moisturizer with spf 30. i wish nivea made something higher than an spf 15 cream, because they are my favourite for skincare. but they don't. so we'll see how this works out.

* physicians formula eye-booster eyeliner. cause again less-toxic, and summer is for more defined eyeliner as apposed to my smudgy winter eyes. and it is supposed to have some magical eyelash saving potion in.

* vichy labs 60 mexoryl sheer lotion with spf 60. because it is nice and scent-free. and says it has a 'bare skin feel' which is a nice idea.

* maybeline dream matte mousse. a change-over from my favoured mineral powder. i'm nervous about having to use sponges to apply. i haven't got the slightest idea what i'm doing.

favourites:

* covergirl outlast lipstain. i actually lost my best lipstain, which is heartbreaking. but it is still tops, even if it is gone. especially if you're like me and MEGA STRESSED by real lipstick. also. cheap! (and look! it won an award from brides. brides love it too.)

* stila convertible colour. is it a cream blush? is it lipstick? it is BOTH!!! i use it almost always for blush, though. cause again. scared of lipstick. i have it in fuschia, but i would like to get it in the above gladiola. pretty rad. it is the perfect texture and goes on easily. low stress all the way.

* benefit high-beam highlighter. because being glowy but not sparkly is key to summertime. or. anytime. really. i looooooovvvvveeee this stuff. 

THIS WAS SUPER FUN!!! i buy almost all my cosmetic-stuffs at shoppers drugmart. or if that fails me, sephora. it is pretty rare that i go anywhere else. (okay, sometimes loblaws/superstore if they've got what i need...)

 

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ff

CANCEL ALL OF THE THINGS!

i had another post lined up. but this is TOOO FUNNY to pass up.

trigger warning for feminists having a sense of humor about themselves...

* is this feminist?!

well?! IS IT?! PROBABLY NOT! PROBABLY PROBLEMATIC!

HAHAHAHAHA! i love this tumblr. i love it unto forever.

and then on a more serious, but lovely note that i couldn't pass-up posting:

* dear daughter

for the record this made me cry. (...a lot of things make me cry. y'all know it. whateves.) it's a really wonderful yet sad letter to a young woman (girl). and i, being maybe more of a less-young woman (girl), needed to hear it too. the bits about determination and not giving a damn. because somewhere along the way that little girl in me got lost and a damn was given and i got smaller and beat down. maybe not a ton. but enough. to feel it. to wonder how i was ever so brave and so fierce and to want that back so badly. and i am coming back. i'm working on it all the time. and i've been lucky and loved and supported and all that. but it is still a forever process. and it is nice to be reminded. fuck 'em. 

have a good weekend, yo!

 {kickassedness borrowed from here}

(oh hey, ps. next friday, the 25th of may, is slutwalk toronto. nathan phillips square. consider taking part! because victim-blaming and slut-shaming is not cool beans.)

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as soft as chalk

i'm feeling a bit scattered. up and down and all over. soft yellow. dusty blue. sun-spotted melancholy.

{borrowed from here & here & here}

 {borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here}

{borrowed from here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here}

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trampampoline

new favourite thing! for sports-food.

BOUNCE! almond protein ball. it basically is like eating delicious almond cookie dough. which is, of course, the very best thing. you should try it, everyone.

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update

well it's just past two weeks into this food elimination thing, so i thought i'd give you a quick update. so far it isn't sooooo bad. i'm putting more time into cooking rather than just throwing some pasta on the stove. which is good. for my brain as well as my body. i forget how satisfying cooking something real can be.

i'm eating kale like a monster. oh man i cannot get enough of the stuff! kale in everything! kale forever!

generally, although it is early to say, i am feeling good in the stomachs. i find i feel like i'm hungrier, which i think has to do with feeling less disgustingly bloated-mc-pain-doubledover. so that is great!

the one thing that is killing me is dessert. dessert is haaaaarrrd to come up with, and i am missing the sugar-taste pretty much ALL THE TIME! all i can think about for probably about 82% of my waking hours is doughnuts.

{you can make these for yourself because you are not me. recipe here.}

ooooooof. when i am done this thing, and allowed to re-introduce, i will be on the doughnuts so fast. so i guess that means my first re-introductions will be gluten and sugar. i get 2 every 2 weeks, so hooooooray!

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saved my life

i blame suzuki.

generally.

for most things.

in the best way.

good ol' suzuki music made me the kind of musician i am, and also the kind of person i am.

and look! an old suzuki kindergarten friend has grown up and is making fashion about sound. or... yes, i guess that describes it. check it!



tala's work looks so cool. read all about what she is up to on her blog. pretty awesome and impressive stuff.

happy musical monday!

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and in between

shades of grey.
(please please please do not in any way connect this to 50 shades of grey cause, bleh it is totes ruining my grey-love.)

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here}

{borrowed from here & here}

 

{borrowed from here & here & here}

 

{borrowed from here}

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ff

fashioney week. fashioney thoughts. last friday, as i mentioned, roommate-sarah and i drove down to collingwood (in eug's kickass smart car, thanks eug!!!) to watch 'miss representation' with stylist-sarah, and a theatre filled with women and girls. (and, i think, somewhere around 5 men and boys.) a few things about that trip.

one! the screening was hosted by a group called girlfriends, an after-school program for girls in grades 7 and 8. this program looks just amazeballs, and i hope that there is something equivalent wherever i am raising my one-day-daughter(s). teaching girls to be inclusive and attentive to eachother, to be brave and have their convictions, to learn to voice those convictions... so so so necessary. especially at that tricky age where it is so easy to get lost. yay! so yay! and the young ladies of girlfriends were lining the entrance to the theatre, SOOOO excited to be hosting. they were handing out programs and flyers, telling us to stick around after for prizes. (i did win a shirt. woooot!) they were adorable and awesome. i'm so glad i went.

two! see 'miss representation' if you get the chance. oh man. it was great. there were some not-perfect points, but on the whole the message is concise and pointed. even though i feel pretty up on this stuff (women and girls in media, power positions, and so on) some of the facts and figures were staggering. i wish i had the money to arrange a screening, because there are so many people who i feel don't hear what i'm saying, and that film has some hard to ignore moments. but since i don't have those monies, at least watch the trailer, and maybe look out for a screening near you. we drove around 4 hours to and fro to see this movie. and it was completely and totally worth it.



 and then! for some reading this week.

* a breakdown of the points.

above, you'll find the 6-point pledge that all vogue magazines have signed on for. and here below are two thoughtful pieces reacting to the pledge (or 'health initiative', as they're calling it). this is a yay! for sure. but a wary, cautious yay. read on and think and all that. celebrate the steps that are being taken, but continue to demand ever-more. don't stop questioning! okay go:

* longing built into its very function.

* on the grounds of creative freedom.

(am i allowed to say i kinda sorta totally hate marc jacobs? ugh. whatever. i'm saying it. really? really, marc jacobs?)

{an all plus-size cover from vogue italia's june 2011 issue}

alrighty! good friday, everyone. love and puppies!

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winner

guys! i won a blog-giveaway contest! over at myrtle & pearls!!!

tada!!! horsehair keychain of amazing! i can't wait for its arrival. special thanks to emma for introducing me to kate bush's wuthering heights, cause that's how i won. guessing. that song. woooot! BEST FOREVER!

if you are a million jealous, which i know you are, you can buy one for yourself here. they are a steal of a deal, frankly. or you can buy any number of other fantastic things that genevieve made. do it!

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deerfly

 {emma cook for topshop deer sweater}

 oooooof. i thought about trying to make up my own equivalent awesome rainy day dream outfit, but i knew i'd be nowhere near as awesome as this one over on fash n chips. wowsers i want.

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try to remember

something i need to remind myself of regularly: we teach people how to treat us... sometimes we must correct the paths and let someone know they're doing it wrong... some good advice from the globe and mail column a few weeks back.

{david eddie}

and then sometimes there are people who cannot be corrected. and they must be let go. also a true fact. of life.

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saved my life

you'll never guess... ballet!!!!!!!





i CAN'T WAIT to see this film. can't. oooooooof. dancedancedancedance. it is going to be spectacular, i tell you. hard hard working kids.

happy monday!

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ff

(sorry this didn't post this yesterday. i drove out to collingwood to watch an awesome feminist film which i'll tell you all about later!!!)

with heavy sighing, i take back a goodly portion of my 'yaying' last week over the olympics. i do love them. i do. i love the bringing together of peoples and cultures. but that bringing together also tends to point out some of the great problems we have on this earth. for example, saudi arabia.

{jeré longman}

* put pleats on or else the ladies boxing might not be ladylike enough.

there's a lot in this piece that made my blood boil. like that saudi arabia is 'irked' by the attention it is getting for its women-athelete-isues. yeah. i'm irked too. so irked i want to go scream until i have no more voice left. until i'm retching and spitting and choking. so irksome. 

remember when we all shook out heads while watching 'a league of their own' when the women were made to wear such absurd little skirts to play their sport? and they were upset and horrified by it? remember when we thought 'that was a bad time for women... ooof! thank god we are not living such repressed lives now. thank god!'

i remember that.

i guess i should be glad that the women's volleyballers don't HAVE to wear bikinis anymore. and i guess i am. but it isn't enough. not nearly. none of it is enough. not for 2012. not even close.

not when this sport

has to looks like this so that women can play it in this liberal, freedom-screaming part of the world...

and everything else.

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tiny human soon

claire is gonna have a baby soon! and we had a parté for her and alex and it was great. i am pretty excited about this baby, because it is gonna be well-loved and probably a lot of awesome-cool.

the amazing hostesses did such a great job, and i wish i'd brought a good camera and captured all the lovely. like the homemade scones served with clotted cream and jam. and the tiny tea sandwiches (cream cheese and various... red onion, cucumber...) with their crust perfectly cut off. and even printed tea menus. so charming and delicious.

kate made this hilarious-creepy-frog-mouse-head pinata. we painted it together. sooooooo funny. claire managed not to injure herself or others, which is particularly impressive.

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