Golden Girls

You guys, I stayed up for the ENTIRE Golden Globes ceremony last night! I really can't explain how I managed to do that, especially since most of the show was mind-numbingly boring and cloying, but there you go! I think I partially have the hilarious live-tweets to thank for getting me through! (check out my recap from last year, if you're so inclined)

I have a love-hate relationship with awards shows - I kind of like how shallow and over-the-top they are and how everyone looks awkward most of the time (it's entertaining). And it IS nice to see someone who you think is deserving win. But I also hate the awkwardness and shallowness, 99% of the time the jokes and "banter" between the presenters is just terrible (seriously, who writes this crap?), and most of the acceptance speeches are devoid of originality and go on way too long.

But let's be honest - the main reason we all tune in is to see the FASHION! I HATE watching the red carpet (just read this tweet and you will understand what I mean) but I love looking at all the pretty dresses.

Let's start with the good news first, shall we?

My 4 Favourite Looks

Michelle Dockery

I just thought this was very regal and elegant, but also different with the ornate gold top. The styling is perfect too.

Naomi Watts

I absolutely love this deep wine colour! The dress fits her really well - it's form-fitting yet still covered up so it's a bit sexy but still elegant. I also love the neat little train in the back - adds a touch of glamour without going over-the-top.

Claire Danes

Another colour I absolutely adore. Although this dress is quite simple, it is cut really well and it fits her personality. Claire always seems to nail a great, electric colour with a tousled, casual, girl-next-door styling and I think it suits her and how people see her. Plus she just had a baby like a month ago - HELLO?!

Lucy Liu

This is very different and I could see a lot of people hating it, but I really loved it. There are so many monochromatic dresses on the red carpet that it's nice to see a vibrant, lively print for a change. The full skirt and refined print give it an old-fashioned air, but I feel like the acidic colours, fishtail braid and simple jewelry keep it modern and fun. 

And now for the bad news....

My 4 Least-Favourite Looks

Halle Berry

Oh Halle, you are so beautiful - why do you always wear the weirdest clothes? I feel like she tries way too hard. This dress has WAY too much going on - strange print, cut-out hip, super-high leg slit, elastic tube top. This dress looks like it cost $19.99 at Sirens (and the same can be said for most of Halle's wardrobe, imho). KISH (Keep It Simple, Halle).

Jessica Chastain

It PAINS me to put Jessica on this list because I adore her and usually she looks gorgeous, but I just can't deal with this loose top. There were many moments throughout the night where I thought her girls were going to make an appearance, and it's just not flattering. Her whole top half looks droopy and frumpy. I do love the colour and her hair, but the shape is just all wrong on her. I still love, you Jess.

Emily Mortimer

Ok, I officially do not like ANY part of this outfit. She looks like she's wrapped in tinfoil. While I like me some sparkly-ness, this is just too much with the sleeves and the severe high neck that looks like it's choking her. And the sequins look cheap to me and the grey shade is really blah. Plus, there is absolutely NO other styling. Her hair looks like she just ran a comb through it and left, and her black clutch is completely out of place here.

Tina Fey

This is another choice that pains me because I adore Tina as well, and there are things about this that I like. I LOVE her hair - it frames her face beautifully - and I actually don't mind the lacy print and the accessories. However, this reminds me of a bad bridesmaids dress with the white...boob collar (?) on the top. And I'm not sure about the cropped bottom - I feel like it would have been much more elegant in a floor-length style (and more flattering). Not the worst, but definitely not my favourite (Tina looked way hotter in the glittery green halter she wore for the opening of the show).

Other observations:
* Definite trends were all-over glitter and what can best be described as "boob keyholes".
* Many ladies who seemed imprisoned in their dresses (Lena Dunham looked like she might fall over as she left the stage!) - they did not look comfortable or like they could even move. At all. Weird.
* Most people looked very unimpressed in general (Tommy Lee Jones looked like he was going to beat up Jennifer Lawrence for her Meryl comment!).
* A lot of things won that I have never heard of (Game Change), don't get the hype for (Homeland), and there was a clear obsession with American politics permeating it all (Lincoln, Game Change, Homeland, Zero Dark Thirty, Bill Clinton presenting).

Highlights for me were:
* Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell presenting together (they were hilarious and they NEED to host next year!!)
* Tina and Amy inserting themselves into the audience in weird costumes and Amy canoodling with George Clooney
* Adele high-fiveing Bond
* Jodie Foster's acceptance speech (the first part did not make sense to me, but her comments about her mother were so touching and poetic - did she make that up on the spot?! If so, wow)
* Tina and Amy referring to Bill Clinton as "Hilary's husband"
* Ben Affleck's TWO wins (for Directing and Best Drama - take THAT Oscars!!).

Now, if you will excuse me, I have a bunch of movies to see before the Oscars!

Did you watch this year? What were the best/worst moments for you? Did any dresses, presenters or winners stand out for you?

Liberal Arts

The Atlantic Film Festival just wrapped up my fair city, and alas I only had the time and money to make it out to one film. Luckily it turned out to be a good choice.

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Liberal Arts attracted me because it stars and is written/directed by Josh Radnor, aka. Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother (one of the most original and funny sitcoms on tv, imho). I have also been hearing a lot about Elizabeth Olsen but had yet to see any of her movies, and I was attracted to the romanticized University setting since I work at a University and cherish my own time as a student. There is just something about University campuses and the mood and energy they impart - it's hard to explain but it's almost like there is a pulse of people learning and doing cool, innovative things that reverberates throughout everything. Although I am merely a secretary in one small department in one large institution, I feel this energy every day when I walk onto the campus to my office.

In any case, it seemed like a fun, quirky movie with some subject matter that would speak to me so off we went! This movie has been compared to Garden State a lot and I can see why - it has the same sort of twenty-something, "trying to figure out my life" kind of vibe but I found it was more intellectual than GS and had a lighter mood.

First of all, Elizabeth Olsen?? She is like freakin' ADORABLE! She's just so darn pretty and has such a great, grainy voice, plus she just seems really 'cool' and smart - like someone you would want to be friends with. I mean, look how cute:

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The film definitely had a slow pace (this isn't the Expendables, people) so some parts felt a little long, but for the most part I liked the pace. The quirkiness was actually verging on overkill at some points too, but again this is a small complaint. The random Zac Efron 'fairy-like' hippy dude character was sort of strange - like there were times where I questioned whether or not Jesse (Josh's character) was actually seeing him or not - but he was also pretty hilarious. I like to see actors who are somewhat typecast playing characters that are completely against their usual role.

I liked the conversations between Jesse and Zibby - one especially great bit was an ongoing argument about a series of "vampire books" (which are clearly meant to be representative of the Twilight series) and how they "empty your mind"...and whether or not that is a good thing. I also liked a part at the end where Zibby tells Jesse she figured she was using him as a kind of "shortcut" to adulthood. In fact, all the dialogue surrounding the strengths, weaknesses and fears about college and "growing up" all rang true with me - I think we have all been in that place where we are simultaneously excited about the next stage in our lives and terrified.

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Another actor who is awesome? Richard Jenkins. He has a relatively small part in this film but his feelings resonate across the screen so well. You really feel his retiring professor's depression, fear and loneliness at entering a new stage he was looking forward to for so long, but did not love as much once he got there. (If you haven't seen The Visitor, you really should. Like now. Now's good). AND as if that wasn't enough, Alison Janney has a bit part as another professor. She is another one of my favourite actors and she does NOT disappoint in this role. She's hilariously cold, snobby, boozy and insightful all rolled into one.

What about you??? Seen any good movies lately? What did you like/dislike about them? Do you yearn to go back to college or did you loathe your college experience?

Birds of Paradise

On Friday night, I took my sister to see one of the last performances of La Cage Aux Folles at Neptune Theatre. I had been hearing rave reviews, plus The Birdcage is one of my favourite movies (seriously, Nathan Lane is like my hero in this movie), so I was really looking forward to it.

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It can be dangerous to go into something with high expectations like that but in this case we were safe because the show was wonderful! I can't say enough about the talent of the main actor, who played Albin, Steven Gallagher. He is a great singer and has great comic timing - I just about bawled with laughter during the scene where Georges (played by Ian Simpson) tried to teach Albin how to 'act like a man' (also one of my fav scenes from The Birdcage, funnily enough).

I also couldn't get enough of David Lopez as "the maid" Jacob - his facial expressions and body language were just hilarious. I was quite amused by one tiny detail - that the Spanish 'chorus girl' was from Cadiz (my boyfriend's grandmother was from there - AND to my delight, Georges pronounced it the Spanish way, i.e. "Cad-eeth" - silly, I know but my boyfriend and his Spanish-fluency have trained me to pick up on such things).

Plus, these queens looked 10 times better in a dress and heels than I do (not that it takes much)! Speaking of dresses, the costumes were gorgeous - the six main dancers kept coming out in the most beautiful gowns covered in fun prints, sequins and sparkles. The makeup and hair were also great, as well as the sets - the entire styling of the show was very impressive, in fact.

This number was awesome. Source.

I honestly don't get out to the theatre much, but anytime I make it a point to take in a Neptune show, I never leave disappointed. I have said it a million times and I'll say it again - one of the things I love most about living in Halifax is the vibrant arts scene. You can literally be out every night of the week enjoying a concert, play, dance performance or art exhibit - it lends such an exciting and mind-expanding pulse to the city (and gives me things to do, which is an absolute necessity)!

Next season is Neptune's 50th and they have some really fun, surprisingly commercial offerings - I am looking forward to Elf: The Musical and Sweeney Todd. Eighteen sounds intriguing as well - sort of a cross between Big, Groundhog Day and Tin Cup? - although I'm not a golf fan (I mean who can resist the tagline "What if you had a mulligan for your whole life?").

The only downside to this play is that ever since I have had the opening song "We Are What We Are" running through my head non-stop...ok so that's not really a complaint (although any song gets annoying after a dozen repeats). 

Aren't musicals just the best?

It's Only the R-Word

Retard (as defined here): noun, a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way: e.g. a hopeless social retard.

I had an entirely different blog topic lined up for discussion today, and I threw it out the window the minute I read this post.

Rob's post further stewed thoughts that were already in my brain about the same subject ever since I caught the above PSA on tv last week (featuring Jane Lynch and Lauren Potter from Glee). The campaign is called Spread the Word to End the Word and I think it is one that everyone should be discussing. As the campaign website states:

"When they were originally introduced, the terms “mental retardation” or “mentally retarded” were medical terms with a specifically clinical connotation; however, the pejorative forms, “retard” and “retarded” have been used widely in today’s society to degrade and insult people with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, when “retard” and “retarded” are used as synonyms for “dumb” or “stupid” by people without disabilities, it only reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity." (from here)

I think it is safe to say that we have all, at one time or another, used the word "retard" or "retarded", either to describe a person or circumstance. I admit it - I have certainly used it in the past as a way to describe something as ridiculous. I am not proud of that. It is never a word I have been proud to use - I have always stopped myself briefly when I felt it getting ready to leave my mouth and sometimes would adjust my speech. But sometimes I would let it slip out anyway. It's not like I ever received retribution from anyone for using the word. It has become such a normal descriptor in our language that even I, someone who is intimately connected to a person with an intellectual disability, can say use it with barely a second thought.

That's right - I have a family member with an intellectual disability. My sister to be exact, and she has Down's Syndrome. Since my sister is five years older than me, there has never been a time that she has not been in my life, so to say that I am comfortable and supportive of people with disabilities is an understatement.

However, even if you are accustomed to living with Down's or a similar condition that closely there is this sense of discomfort. A sense that you are different from other people with "normal" siblings. That when you tell people about your situation, there inevitably arises a wall between you and them; a wall of misunderstanding, maybe mixed with a pinch of pity or perhaps even respect.

I don't want pity or extra respect because of my situation and neither does she. I just want to be seen like every other family. I want my sister to be seen as a person - a sister, a daughter, an employee, a human being - not just a condition. Not just a face or body shape, a voice or an attitude. Not an IQ level or a community services charity case.

When we go out to the mall or out to eat, I want the people (kids AND adults) who see that she is different but are not sure why to stop staring at her (newsflash: she notices and it makes her uncomfortable). I want to live in a world where she can have the things she so desperately wants - to get married, to have kids, to go to University - things that my mother and I know she will never have, but can't bring ourselves to admit as such. I want to live in a world where she isn't relegated to "special" groups (even though these groups provide wonderful support and resources for her that I am very grateful for), special times, special places, special tasks. A world where she isn't "special", she's just normal.

Sometimes I even want to live in a world where my sister is not so high functioning, so that she wouldn't know that she is different.

But we don't live in that kind of world. We live in a world where my sister is considered "different" and is treated as such by those who don't understand. We live in a world where the word "retard" is used for Hollywood punchlines that make entire theatres erupt into snorts of laughter. Racial slurs are no longer considered acceptable, so why is this? As Sue and Becky say in the video, it is hate speech no matter who it is directed to. It is just as shameful to refer to someone as "retard" as it is to refer to someone as "nigger".

This isn't a perfect world, and it won't be anytime soon. I don't necessarily want it to be either. But, we can make small changes. We can start to think about the context and true meaning of words before they leave our mouth. We can take a moment to stop and wonder whether or not the word we want to use is appropriate and change our language accordingly. I know that I am going to start doing this more, and I will encourage others to as well.

Think about it. A word may be a small thing to you, but it could be a very big thing to someone else.

I know one thing - I will NOT be going to see The Change-Up. Now, I am not some close-minded person who cringes at offensive movies - I am actually very open-minded, believe in pushing the envelope in culture, and am not very easily offended. But I also feel it is possible to go too far. It's too bad because the movie looked funny from the previews and I really like the actors in it, but call me crazy - I would prefer to not hear the comment "this one looks a little Downsy" in person (reading it offended me enough).

I also am not suggesting that you don't go see it - I am not about to start a "Boycott The Change Up" campaign or anything. But if you must, I will encourage you to do one thing - when you hear Ryan's character's comment about the baby, please don't laugh. I realize that might be tough, but think about how tough it is for someone who actually lives with Down's every single day. Then you might not think the comment is so funny.

As Rob says in his post: "'Downsy'"? That's vile. If you laughed at that, please go live in a hut somewhere, far far away from actual human people."

Learn more about the STWTETW campaign at r-word.org. Support the campaign by following them on Twitter or liking their Facebook page.

No, I'm a Weather-Girl

I have heard a lot of chatter lately about high school reunions - a couple of bloggers I follow have attended theirs, and I heard an ad on the radio the other day for the 30 year reunion of a high school in my area.

This got me thinking about my own high school reunion, which could potentially be coming up somewhat soon, considering my 10-year mark will be in 2013 (wow, hard to believe). I am really torn about whether or not I would want to go, as I assume most people are.

On the one hand, it would be really fun to see what everyone looks like, find out what happened to people that were such a big part of your life at one time, and reminisce about the past. It would be like taking a little temporary time-warp back to a time when life seemed really complicated, but was actually quite simple and carefree compared to post-high school standards.

However, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, I feel like I AM up to date about the lives of many people I went to high school with. Even though I don't talk  to them often (or at all - shameful, I know), I can hear about their major life events through status updates and photo albums.

Also, I would not say that high school was necessarily a completely enjoyable experience for me. I enjoyed it, for sure, and I had some great times but I also have painful memories associated with particularly the last couple of years because of some emotional problems I was going through. I would be lying if I said I didn't have regrets about that time - part of me feels that if I could go back in time and make different choices that I might be in a very different place in my life right now. Also, I was not one of the most popular people - I had friends and was involved in lots of activities, but I was also very shy and got good marks so most of the popular kids thought I was a goody-goody, if they even noticed me at all. I had a few core friends, but was sort of friends with various people in different groups, plus I tended to be friends with people no one else would be friends with because I felt bad for them. All of this worked together to make me a bit of an outsider.

But I have taken enough life experience under my belt in the last 8 years that I know that regrets are not really worth it, and there are no guarantees in life no matter what choices you make. Besides, even though I was a very shy, self-conscious person, there was also this streak in me that didn't give a shit about what the popular kids thought of me. Obviously I DID care to an extent, but for the most part I accepted and was happy with my position.

So, I guess in that way, part of me really doesn't CARE about my reunion. What point is there REALLY in getting together with these people for one night and then going back to our respective lives, nothing changed?

I feel like, in a way, reunions are way overrated. I feel like a lot of people go so that they can prove to people that used to make fun of them or that once said or did something mean to them that they are really awesome people now. I feel like a lot of people see it as a competition in general - Who is married and who is single (or *egads* divorced)? Who has the coolest job? Who is the richest? Who has the hottest spouse? Who has visited the most countries? Lets be honest - other people's misfortunes often make us feel better about our own lives.

All of that is SOOOOO lame and proof that regressing back to high school is not necessarily a good thing. So much about high school is drama and status and I feel like getting together with people you went to high school with could possibly transport you back to that environment again, wherein you all sort of morph into the roles you once played.

This all being said, I will likely go to my reunion (if they have one) if for no other reason than curiosity. And I am sure most people go to their reunions in a mature frame of mind and see it only as a chance to catch up, nothing more, and my wonderings above about the negatives of these events are completely silly. I wonder if it depends on the type of reunion it is - for example, I feel like the 10-year reunion is far enough away from the high school experience that you all have grown a lot, but at the same time it is still close enough that some of the insecurities are more likely to reappear (or still be there)? I don't know! What do you think?

Would you go to your high school reunion? Or, on the other hand, HAVE you gone to one? What was it like? What do you think about high school reunions in general? I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this subject...

Happy Hump Day!

PS: Have you seen Romy and Michele's High School Reunion? It's really dumb but funny. I love Lisa Kudrow so much - she's so good at playing the 'flake'. AAAAND did you know that they made a follow-up in 2005 called "Romy and Michele: In the Beginning", starring Katherine Heigl?! That's right, they went there. The funniest thing is they made it for ABC Family (? Yes, because I would want my young children watching scantily-clad, ditzy women stumble around?). I would love to watch that sometime just to see how BAD it really is (oh, you know it's bad). 

This is one of my favourite parts of the movie. I love two things very much about this clip: #1) That the girl in the peach suit standing next to annoying-weather-girl-that-I-want-to-punch-in-the-face  is Pam from True Blood, and #2) Michele's explanation of her Post-It glue recipe. Genius. 

I Hate You, I Love You

My mini recap of True Blood, episode 5 is now up on You Know You Love Fashion! Sookie wore what I would say is my FAVOURITE dress ever on last night's episode. Observe:

Umm, super cute, no? You can't see the back, but it ties with two bows and is possibly even cuter than the front. I had seen this photo around the interwebs and was wondering if this dress was ever going to appear on the show so I could get a closer look, and there it was on Sunday night! Just goes to show that you do sometimes get what you wish for. 

I am liking the turn of character that Eric is experiencing this season - I think he is realizing what an a-hole he has been in his life up until now and (maybe?) will honestly try and change that, even if he gets his memory back. I still think he's bad news for Sookie, but whatever. There wouldn't be a show if she realized vampire men were bad for her, now would there?

Anyhoo, um you guys I just realized that AUGUST IS NEXT WEEK?! What the eff? The good news is I have Monday off though (yay for Natal Day in Canada!), and therefore a 4 day work week next week. Besides, I had an awesome weekend:

*Friday: Unfortunately had a rather horrid day at work, but the evening made up for it with a haircut (god, I love Laurel at Flaunt in Halifax! She really knows what she's doing!) and the start of the Al Fresco Film Festival here in Halifax! In case you couldn't tell by the title, the fest is all about watching movies outdoors on the waterfront. So. Much. Fun. 

They have dubbed this year  "Summer of Murray" and are playing all Bill Murray films, which is awesomesauce. Friday night was Meatballs, which I had never heard of, but enjoyed for its silly humour and 70's hair-do's and outfits. Actually, a lot of the outfits the gals wore would work for today too, which was kind of cool!

See? Check out Miss Cute Checkered pink shirt + red shorts over there!
Camp Counsellor Chic if I ever saw it.

*Saturday: Saturday the boy and I roused ourselves before 10am (which is a feat for us on the weekend) and went for breakfast (post to come on that!), ran a couple of errands, then headed to the wedding of a friend of mine from University. Her and her man have been together for a few years now, and they have an adorable little 2-year-old daughter together, so it was really sweet to be able to share this special day with them. The three of them broke with tradition and walked down the aisle together, rather than Jenn's parents giving her away, and I thought that was really nice. Unfortunately they had to move the ceremony inside due to weather, but it was still lovely. 

Saturday night was spent on the boys couch watching Memento - have you ever seen that movie?! If not, you really should -  you have to pay attention because it is a tad confusing but such a neat concept! Christopher Nolan is seriously one of the most creative filmmakers out there right now. 

Guy Pearce is hot. True story.

*Sunday:  The boy and I went whale watching in the morning (again, another post to come on this!), which was "meh" - didn't see anything of note, but it was a beautiful day and being on the water was soothing. I spent the afternoon cleaning (yahoo!), cooking Greek-style meatballs with artichokes in the slow cooker (must have been in a meatball mood this weekend; read into that what you will), catching up with the bff in Alberta on Skype, getting writing projects done, and watching the newest episode of Auction Hunters. 

How was your weekend? Do anything exciting? 

Have you seen any of these movies?

Midnight in Paris

I saw the most delightful movie Sunday night. It's called Midnight in Paris.

This background is my most favourite painting - EVER

I decided that, if I were to live in Paris, this is the Paris I would want to live in. In fact, I take that back: this is the WORLD I would want to live in. A world of sparkling parties and dresses, lively dancing and conversation, intellectual and creative stimulation everywhere you turn. A world of genuises that think on another level from mere mortals, a world of wine and champagne, of moonlight and amourosity (and I don't even care if that is a made-up word, because it's the perfect one to describe what I mean).

Life would be one big artist's gathering by candlelight, and I would love it.

As I walked home alone after the film (yes, I go to movies alone - you should try it!), I found myself seeing this Paris everywhere I turned - a couple walking by me speaking in french, the smell of lilacs and the fresh, crisp feeling and dusky haze of a summer evening, the historic homes sleepily winking at me as I strolled past - hinting at the myriad stories and dreams behind their doors - a chalkboard on a front porch with an excerpt from a poem about death.

I thought to myself how much I love my city in so many ways. Sure, there are good and bad points, but there would be good and bad points to living anywhere! Even Paris. You still have to commute to work, you still have to pay taxes and run errands to the bank, and you still have idiot politicians who seem to practice kama sutra more than they practice, you know, ACTUAL politics. I was reminded of the fact that there is poetry everywhere if you only open your eyes...

...just then I looked to the left and saw an SUV careening towards me and heard a screeching sound as it stopped just short of the crosswalk I was standing in. Stupid moron obviously missed the two giant boxes hanging above the road with pictures of a crossing stick figure, most likely because he swerved out from behind a car that was apparently taking too long to turn right and therefore holding up his progress to what, I have no doubt, was a very important engagement (you know, like a frat party or something).

Aaaaaand moment gone. Ah well, I thought to myself...I'm sure people almost run over pedestrians in Paris, too.

And even if they do, I still wanna go, like, yesterday *Sigh*

We're a Couple of Swells...

This is a little late, but better late than ever...besides a musical is nice on any day of the year!

Hope everyone had a good Easter! To be honest, Easter isn't a big thing for me or my family - we are not religious and I am on Weight Watchers so I DEFINITELY didn't want any candy (well, I WANTED candy, I'm just not allowing myself to have it, that's all). Also, I've been super busy and stressed at work getting ready for a large Conference happening this week, so I just wasn't up for anything major. I really wanted to get away and have a change of scene, so when my boyfriend suggested we take a road trip to PEI, I was on board 100%! It was a lot of fun. We have a lot of fun together, and I'm very grateful to have someone in my life that makes me laugh so much and feel so good (as the risk of sounding cheesy). He pointed out to me that Friday was the 6-month anniversary of our first date! How cute is that?! And how bad of a gf am I for not even remembering? lol.

Anyway, one thing I do love about Easter is this movie. It's one of my favourites ever, and if you haven't seen it, you really need to watch it now. I love these old musicals - they are just so upbeat and fun. They just don't make movies like that anymore, as cliched as it sounds. I challenge you to watch one and NOT be in a good mood when it's over. Plus, the clothes are BEAUTIFUL. I sometimes wish people still got dressed up and paraded around - you know, spent TIME on their appearance! (I'm looking at you boys wearing jeans hanging down to your knees).

This is one Easter tradition that I always try to stick with...

Observe the awesomeness (a sample of a few of my fav scenes):

(#1 FAV! "Plum crazy for drums...")

I Say a Little Prayer for You

Wow, I've been slacking with the blogging this week. I have an excuse though - I was in New Brunswick for work all day Wednesday and Thursday and Friday was crazy busy between dropping stuff at work, taking the rental car back, blah blah blah. Went on another "so-so" date last night and wondered why I keep putting myself through meeting guys from these dating websites when none of them ever seem to go anywhere and tell myself to quit it and just sit back and let myself meet someone "organically" except don't really want to when it comes right down to it because then I figure I'll be alone a really long time. Ya know, the usual.

Anyway, time to get back into it! I've had a good weekend so far - had a meeting today about my best friend's bachelorette party, which is 4 weeks from today (man, where the eff does the time go?! Seriously, someone needs to find where it goes, fill up a ginormous truck and bring it back to me!). Not sure if I've mentioned it before but my best friend is getting married on June 5th and I'm her Maid of Honour and as such am responsible for planning the shower and stagette (ok, who uses the term 'stagette' and who says 'bachelorette'? I use both interchangeably but some have looked at me like an alien when I use the former so I don't think it's as common - is that what the British use? Just curious if anyone else says 'stagette').

I'm really excited because I think Nicole and Brad are a great couple, and even though she's young (24 next week) she's mature and level-headed. They have been together for 5 years, and because she was in school full-time out of the city, and he was in the military, they have been long-distance for a huge chunk of that time. I honestly don't know how they deal with being apart for such long periods of time. I could never do it! They are definitely committed and are one of those couples that's going to last (and I'm her best friend, so if I didn't think he was good for her, I would say so! Ya feel me, ladies??).

Nicole and I have been friends since we were 5-6 years old and grew up across the street from each other, so it's so wierd to see her getting married, and becoming a teacher - things we've talked about doing someday for, like, forever! I love her to bits. Though when I say love, I mean in a purely platonic way. But if I were a lesbian I would totally tap that...

What?

Anyhoo......

Seriously though, I can't wait. Though this wedding is rather bittersweet for me, both because she will be moving to Alberta within two days of the wedding so I have no idea when I'll see her again, and also because helping plan a wedding does (on some level) serve to remind you that you AREN'T getting married, and are in fact, ALONE. I mean I'm not one of those that sits at home and cries into her Cheetos about being single and stays at home every night wearing sweats and talking to her cat - I have a very busy, happy and fulfilling life without a man. Plus, in the words of Jamie Foxx, I can "buy my own bottles", thank you very much. But let's be honest here, the only real purpose that weddings serve for single people are to remind them that they are, in fact, single. I'm not looking forward to Nicole's grandmothers/great aunts asking me "how my love life is" and giving my sympathetic looks when I answer something to the affect of "I don't have one at the moment" as if they are looking down at a helpless little puppy shivering in the rain on the sidewalk. You poor thing; don't worry you will find someone someday too. Mm hm, yeah. Because, of course, there's something wrong with me if I don't. It doesn't help that I'm about a year and a half OLDER than Nicole is.

But I'm not bitter.

Seriously though, I can't wait....
I already said that didn't I?

Really though, I can't. It's going to be a great wedding, and I'm really proud to be in her wedding party and to be able to share her special day so close to her. Plus, I know the reception is going to be one rocking, East-Coast, drunken party (with an extra side of drunkenness) and who wouldn't be looking forward to that?! ALSO, since it's my best friend's wedding, I have complete artistic license to pull a Rupert Everett at the rehearsal dinner:



"Someday I knew it would end up like this...like some glittering Rock Hudson, Doris Day extravaganza". Haha, oh Rupert, how I love you. Perhaps he will show up unexpectedly at the reception just to surprise me?! Rupert, are you listening?!

Anyway, plans are mostly in place for the shower and bachelorette, plus I took my dress in for my first fitting today (had to have it taken out at the sides...depressing) so it's really starting to feel real. I can't BELIEVE it's only like 6 weeks away! We've been talking about it for 3 years and it seemed so far off, and now it's like, here! I really wonder where the time goes - I know I said that already too, but it's because I REALLY REALLY wonder it!

In other news, I'm on the job hunt yet again since my contract is up in June. Have a job interview this coming week for a job I really want, so fingers crossed. I also bought some hair dye that I'm going to try out today. Observe:

It's not really the best photo, but you get the idea. It's "medium golden mahogany brown", which is quite the mixture. I had been itching to dye my hair auburn for a while, and finally did in February, but it turned out darker and less red than I was hoping. This one has a bit more red in it, so I'm hoping it will be more what I was going for. Hey, as long as I don't come out looking like barney, I'm cool. I really should be cleaning, but I'm going to do this instead, just because I'm feeling productive.

Going to see Girl With The Dragon Tattoo tonight - hoping it's good! I've heard the story is kinda brutal in spots (including a brutal rape scene?!) but also heard good reviews. My dating habits would suggest that I'm a masochist, so perhaps this will be just my kind of movie!

Happy Weekend, all!

Howdya Like THEM Apples??

This is a very quick post to say that I will be AWOL from the blog until this weekend because *drumroll, please* I will be AWAY IN BOSTON!

That's right - I'll be chillin here:

Aaaaaand here:

And definitely here:

Heck, I'm just happy to be going SOMEWHERE! Let alone a place I've always wanted to visit. And best of all my mom's going for work so I get to crash with her at the Intercontinental on the waterfront for free! Shiibbby!!

Anyway, I look forward to sharing my photos and adventures when I return. But until then, I bid you adieu :)

*For the record I do realize my blog title is not a song, but for some reason when I think of Boston, I think of Good Will Hunting (and Matt Damon..mmmm yum). Plus this is one of the best movie lines of all time, so deal with it*

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I read a lot of magazines; probably 2-5 every month regularly, and that's not even counting all of the online content I read. It's not very often that I read an article that deeply touches me and makes my mind and heart race with countless feelings and impressions; good and bad. But once in a while, I do, and this is one of those times.

If you have not yet read the Esquire article on Roger Ebert and his fight against cancer, DO IT NOW! I actually knew nothing about this (even that he HAD cancer) until I saw him on Oprah yesterday. That interview prompted me to read the much-talked-about article today and see what the fuss was about.

Well, wow. Not only is the writing in this piece extremely engaging, the soul of the story and subject practically jumped off the page and grabbed my face. What a treat to get such an intimate glimpse into the private life and struggles of Ebert; to feel as though I'm at his shoulder as he writes and sitting next to him and his wife as they watch yet another movie in a screening room.

The tribulations that Ebert has endured throughout his cancer struggle are almost unfathomable - a body and face mangled by surgeries, almost drowning in his own blood after the sudden burst of his cartoid artery, the loss of the entire bottom half of his jaw, and to me the worst loss of all - that of the ability to talk, eat and drink. Ebert is almost unrecognizable now, a physical shadow of his former self. I would even go so far as to say that his "new" face looks slightly creepy and unsettling.

But underneath the physical deformity is clearly a warm, intelligent, insightful, brave soul. The article portrays Ebert as a happy, positive, hard-working man - no complaining, no tantrums. In fact, the only time he appears angry is when his loved ones are somehow slighted - which is illustrated in one of the most powerful sections of the article. When Ebert attempts to watch a video of his first "At the Movies" episode by himself (following the death of long-time "other thumb", Gene Siskel in 1999. Ebert embedded the video in his online journal tribute to his partner entitled "Remembering Gene"), he is greeted with blank squares that show the video content has been deleted. They assume the culprit is Disney (you'll have to read the article to get the connections here) due to terms-of-use violations or some bullshit. The account by Chris Jones of Ebert's reaction gave me goosebumps:
"This time, the anger lasts long enough for Ebert to write it down. He opens a new page in his text-to-speech program, a blank white sheet. He types in capital letters, stabbing at the keys with his delicate, trembling hands: MY TRIBUTE, appears behind the cursor in the top left corner. ON THE FIRST SHOW AFTER HIS DEATH. But Ebert doesn't press the button that fires up the speakers. He presses a different button, a button that makes the words bigger. He presses the button again and again and again, the words growing bigger and bigger and bigger until they become too big to fit the screen, now they're just letters, but he keeps hitting the button, bigger and bigger still, now just shapes and angles, just geometry filling the white screen with black like the three squares. Roger Ebert is shaking, his entire body is shaking, and he's still hitting the button, bang, bang, bang, and he's shouting now. He's standing outside on the street corner and he's arching his back and he's shouting at the top of his lungs."

I can't even imagine how frustrating it would be to be robbed of the ability to express emotions like this out loud. Although I love writing and it's a kind of catharsis for me, sometimes nothing compares to yelling or swearing at the top of your lungs. The feeling of the words and sounds rising up your throat, out of your mouth and into the room can be, in itself, a kind of salve for your anger and frustration. To never again be able to have a conversation in an easy, natural way or open my mouth and have words come out just as I think of them would be heartbreaking.

And to never again taste or enjoy delicious food and drink! To never again feel the creamy heat of a chocolate melting on your tongue, or the sweet bite at the back sides of your tongue as you bite into a ripe tomato, or the robust and tangy flow of a cup of coffee flowing through and down. I love food and drink so much I can't event imagine not ever enjoying it again, to be relegated to the bland and sad existence of liquid tube-food, and worst of all, to watch others around you enjoy such luxuries without even thinking about them. I honestly think this would be a kind of hell on earth for me.

And he's been doing it for THREE YEARS!

But I suppose the upside to all of this loss is that you would learn how to appreciate more. And it certainly seems that Ebert does that. At one point he writes to Jones on a post-it, "There is no need to pity me. Look how happy I am. This has lead to an explosion of writing". I was so inspired by this, by the fact that he is still happy after everything he has been through, and that he only sees the good things that have come out of his experience. Too many of us (me included) get caught up in the everyday annoyances and setbacks we encounter and completely lose sight of the good things in life. I have good health (extra weight on my bootay notwithstanding), I can walk, talk, eat and drink as I please, I can go where I want when I want, I have loving family and friends that I can count on, I have a good, stable job and funny, friendly co-workers, I have a closetful of clothing (and two dressers, and another closet and...well,you get the idea) and a fridge full of food. What exactly is wrong with this picture? Really, nothing, when you compare it to the pictures of some other people.

I was so inspired by the strength and courage of Ebert and his wife. The words of this article and of Ebert himself and his ways have opened my heart and my mind. I hope to keep this inspiration alive in the back of my heart and brain for a long time to come, and remember it when I'm feeling down about something that has not gone my way. Imagine what the world would be like if every single person did this too.

I'm giving Ebert TWO BIG FAT THUMBS UP!