home sweet home

I love Alyson Fox's artwork & illustrations. But I think I love her house almost as much. Via Design*Sponge.

I am so hooked in

Oooh, Blogger is totally giving me the business lately. I'm having troubles signing onto blogs and leaving comments for those who have switched to the new Blogger format! Grrrrr!


But one thing I'm not having problems with...the absence of tv from my life. Cornelius thinks it's funny because tv isn't really gone from my life because I've got loads of tv on dvd from the library (right now I'm watching season one of Lost and last night we finished season one of Entourage) and last night's episode of Veronica Mars is already on my computer. I'm certainly not lacking televised entertainment at all. Also, before I cancelled cable, I picked up a sweet used tuner from Cragslist so that we could finally get radio on our stereo system...so besides listening to This American Life podcasts on my computer, I now can get all the CBC Radio One goodness I need.

Now I just need to set up new RRSP monthly withdrawls in the same amount as my cable bill and I will have completed my New Years resolutions...and it's not even February yet! Hooray!

oh, the lanes!

On Monday night it was back to our regular league play after a 2 week break due to the holidays. I was all excited to play and rode like a bat out of hell in the pouring rain just to feel the comraderie of our good ol' bowling team. Unfortunately for me, the first 2 games were a total disaster. I let The Gravy Frames down! I couldn't remember how to bowl and I certainly couldn't bring back my top flight skillz from last month. Thankfully, on my third game, it all came back to me. While the rest of my teammates were all hopped up on a delicate blend of Kokanee & Canadian, I eshewed malty beverages and kept my eye on the prize. My efforts paid off in full and I was able to kick bowling ass for good. So my +29 points over average on the last game didn't compensate for the -70 combined points of my first two games, they did end the evening on a positive note and made my chilly bike ride back home a little less cold.

post merry, pre happy

I hope everyone had wonderful holiday times because I sure did! Lots of games and friends, too much chocolate and a short little getaway helped to make the season bright. For the first time in a long time, our new years plans will rest on the quiet side. No dancing shoes for me tonight! It's a bit sad, but I think hanging out with friends and drinking fancy drinks will take my mind of the fact that my feet ain't moving.

Happy New Years, everybody! I leave you with some nice design crafts at Design Without Reach and an amazing painting via BoingBoing of Angelina Jolie as Mary and Walmart as hell. See you in 2007!

merry christmas!

I love the holidays...in fact, I'm a bit of a Christmas junkie. I've got all of my shopping and baking done. Gifts are wrapped and under the tree. Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, Cornelius and I will get all snuggly indoors and play board games, maybe watch the LOTR series and prepare a small feast for dinner. We'll open only 1 present at midnight and save the rest until Christmas morning. Then, on Christmas day, we'll head over to C's family for more gift opening, eating and definitely a few rounds of dominos. And laundry, did I mention laundry?? On Boxing Day, we'll have friends over for drinks, games and some 80's teen exploitation flicks. Good times, indeed! But what I'm looking forward to the most? Our 2 nights at the Ambrosia B&B in Victoria. Hello, relaxation! Hello, 4-course breakfast! Hello, 2 person jacuzzi tub! Oh my. In Victoria, we're definitely planning a stop by the Rebar restaurant because it's my favorite cookbook and I'm sure the restaurant will live up to the hype. I've only been to Victoria once, so if anyone has any Victoria to-dos, I'm all ears.

Happy holidays!!

hello, december!

Last night we put up our christmas tree. It's actually the first year that we haven't had a real tree due to space constraints in our tiny apartment (oh! I miss that fresh pine scent!). It's a silver tinsel tree and i love how sparkly it is and how all of our vintage and handmade christmas decorations seem right at home.


Last night, I also pulled out our Christmas stockings and fell in love with one I had made a few years ago out of an old pair of cords. That year I made stockings out of old cords for all of my friends. The best part, naturally, is the bum pocket as extra treats can be put inside...because everyone loves more treats on Christmas morning!

i ♥ hotel bars

Last night, Cornelius and I walked downtown for the third installment in our series of hotel bars.

The first was the tiny lounge at the Crown Plaza on Georgia Street. We both loved it and enjoyed 2 reasonably priced drinks and loved the little mix of nuts & other salty snacks. Great service from the friendly female bartender. A great comfortable room.

The second was at the Hotel Vancouver on Georgia Street. The lounge was too open and bright to be called cozy, but the seats were comfortable and there was a man playing piano. The service was very professional but the drinks were a bit pricier than the ones we had at the Crown Plaza. However, I did have the best martini ever. I can't remember the name of it, but it had Absolute Raspberry, Sourpuss Tangerine, freshly squeezed orange juice and cranberry juice. Delicious!

The third installment took place at the Four Seasons Hotel lounge. The room was wood panelled and cozy with a round bar in the centre of the room. While my drink was nice and strong, it was the complimentary nibbles that won me over. Wasabi peas, an assortment of herbed olives and salted nuts. Lovely presentation and everything from the little olive forks to the napkins were Four Seasons branded. But for all that presentation, the drinks were the most expensive that we've tried so far.

Looks like we've got a lot more drinking to do!

blue buildings

I love this! (via Life Fever)

The borough of Delfshaven, Rotterdam, asked Florentijn Hofman to come up with a plan for a block of derelict buildings, which will eventually be demolished. The agreement with the neighbourhood is that the block will remain blue as long as there isn’t a new plan for the area. This was once one of the most unseen blocks of houses in Rotterdam, and by applying a layer of only 2 micron of blue paint onto it, it became Rotterdam’s most photographed one. By redecorating this block, which was built in the first years of the 20th century, people start looking again at what was and is there, and maybe think about what they will get in return.
It also puts in perspective blocks of houses as such, architectural 'fashions' and demographic processes like city migrations, by making those blocks look like toy houses or archetypal buildings on an architect's maquette.

jack-o-lantern

Every year a form an unhealthy bond with my jack-o-lantern. When I was a kid, I'd spend the whole day planning out my perfect pumpkin face, drawing out various templates until I found the best one. After Halloween, I'd keep my jack-o-lantern in my room for a few days as a doll house of sorts, and then in the backyard to watch it decompose. I still have that strange attachment with every pumpkin every year.

crafty girl on a bike

My friend Kristen and her boyfriend Ryan are riding their bikes down to Mexico from Vancouver, BC. They have a travel journal at yeske.ca and on their short pitstop in Portland, OR, Kristen has decided to open an etsy shop, craftygirlonabike, to help fund their 6 month journey. My apartment has lots of quality, hand-sewn Kristen crafts and I love them all. You will too, so buy lots and help these 2 crazy bikers get to Mexico!

going rural

One of my favorite blogs is Going-Rural. Two artists, Tyler and Serena, leave Vancouver and head to small-town Saskachewan to start a new life. They are friends of ours and I read every word, struggle and triumph with envy. Start reading from the beginning and enjoy.

thanksgiving

Ah, I love long weekends...especially when they are filled with sunshine! This past Thanksgiving weekend was perfect. Documentaries were watched at the VIFF, a Thanksgiving feast was enjoyed, a corn maze was bewildering and a pumpkin patch was visited.

Thank you.

stupid human party trick

We're about to head to the Vancouver Aquarium so that we can see all the "kittens of the sea"...which is the strangely affectionate name Cornelius calls the sea otters. But during our morning coffee, I had mentioned to Cornelius a stupid human party trick that I had read about here. We tried it out and it didn't have the dramatic outcome of "ooohs" and "ahhhs" that we expected. So C decided to one-up the article and shared an old trick he tried out as a kid. It totally freaked me out and I'll share it here so that you can freak out your own friends and family. A stunt truely worthy of the stupid human trick genre.

1. Stand in a doorway and press your arms out so that the back of your hand is pressing against the doorway. Now press really firmly using all of your biceps and arm muscles for about 30 seconds or so (longer if you can).

2. Step away from the doorway and loosely drop your arms to your sides. Relax your arms completely.

3. Now, let the magic happen.

Your arms will slowly rise away from your body. It's freaky and makes you feel like some kind of zombie. Crazy Saturday morning fun.

seattle bound

I'm pretty excited when road trips rear their heads. There's not much more that I love than visiting new places. True, I've been to Seattle more times than I can count on both hands, but it's still a trip and it's a trip with a purpose. We've got tickets to see Lambchop at The Triple Door at the end of September! I've been waiting years and years to see Lambchop's eleven (maybe more?!) band members...and even better, they are touring with a full string section! I've never been to The Triple Door, but it looks fancy and lovely at least according to the venue's photos. Plus, this road trip guarantees a great breakfast at my favorite Seattle joint, The Dish. Biscuits n' gravy, here I come!

I should also point out that I'm also looking for any interesting shops, restaurants or galleries that we should poke our heads into while in Seattle. Basically, what's there to do in Seattle that I don't already know about? Probably lots! So lets hear about it!

riding the red wave

Whooo, menstruating sure can be fun! Ummmm, not. But things are much better now that I'm all signed on to using the Diva Cup. True! It's way better than using pads or 'pons and way better for the environment. The first 2 months I used it I was away camping and I found it to be perfect as I didn't have to worry about leaks or anything. Life was easy-peasy and I couldn't belive that I hadn't used it sooner. Now I'm on my third month and I've actually experienced leakage...not much, but I definitely have to use panty liners. Too much information? Too bad! But leaks and all, I still have to recommend the Diva Cup. There's an initial investment, but it's way cheaper than buying pricey pads & tampons every few months, since it lasts for years. I'm not going to wear the silly pin that came with my menstrual cup, but I'll declare my love in a public forum! Whoooo!

an abandoned city

A little while ago I found some amazing photographs along with the story of an abandoned Japanese island known as "Gunkanjima". Now, I've recently stumbled upon these very cool space-age homes in the outskirts of Taiwan. Once again, this housing project is totally empty and falling apart and possibly haunted! I love the photographs and I'd totally live in one. And if you can't get enough of these homes, there are more photos in this flickr set.