Childhood Crush #2

Han Solo was definitely the man for me when I was 8. He was so macho and so cute, plus he had the best sidekick ever! I know that Chewbaka wasn't a dog, but what the heck was he? I know technically he was a Wookie, but that just means nothing to me... I'm not a Star Wars aficionado, that's for certain.
We watched the newest Indiana Jones movie tonight, which is what got me thinking about my childhood love for Harrison Ford. Sigh...

Sebastian Horsley

I heard this guy interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi on the Q Podcast, and oh my god... I was laughing out loud! He has written a book called Dandy in the Underworld. What's a dandy, you ask? Well, according to Wikipedia...
A dandy(also known as a beau, gallant or flamboyant person) is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. Historically, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century Britain, a dandy, who was self-made, often strove to imitate an aristocratic style of life despite coming from a middle-class background.
Sebastian Horsley is famous for staging his own crucification in the Phillipines in the name of art. He asked for no pain killers, passed out soon after the first nail was driven in and fell off the cross. Suffice it to say it was not a success. He's pompous, subversive and morally questionable, but very, very entertaining!

Gran Torino

I went and saw this last night with some girlfriends. What a great film! It was widely dissed at the Oscars this year, and didn't really get all that much attention in general. Maybe it hits too close to home for a lot of people?
Clint Eastwood plays such an interesting character in this movie. It's really a story of salvation, redemption and sacrifice, all on his part.
Two thumbs up for me!

Twilight

Oh my... I think I'm going through a teenage regression of sorts... I LOVED Twilight! It was one of those books that I could barely put down. I was looking forward to going to bed so I could read read read! I don't know what it is. I just love a tortured love story, which is exactly what this is. The book delves much deeper into the relationship between Bella and Edward. The tension, the intimacy, the emotions and feeling of first love. Stephenie Meyer has a knack for putting those feelings on paper, and making you, the reader, feel them right along with the characters. I've put New Moon on hold at the library and I'm picking it up tomorrow - yippee!

April showers...

I'm not sure what this tree is called, but isn't it beautiful? If anyone knows, let me know! I'm thinking maybe a Magnolia of some sort... It's still so cold, good thing I'm going to Jamaica in two weeks! So excited!

La Connor

We went to the tulip festival in La Connor, Washington last weekend. It's such a lovely spot, and the tulips were just beautiful! Overwhelming colour that made my heart sing!
The first field we found was a joint called "Tulip Town." There was a big parking lot with free parking, but $5 each to get in? Plus, there was this poster on the way in so we were so out of there... I don't need any propoganda with my tulips, thank you very much! We drove down the street for a while and found a free field to wander through, and no religious message to be seen, yay!
We had lunch in La Connor, which is a lovely little seaside town, then Trader Joe's for groceries. I didn't know you can bring groceries over the border and not have to pay duties! Trader Joe's is amazing. The prices, the quality of the products... I'm going to start working a trip in every couple of months... even with our dollar being a bit down, still worth it!

Henry 3 months old

The cuteness! I came across these old photos today and just had to post this one. He was such an incredibly cute puppy. And his personality shone through from the minute we met him, it was love at first sight!

Doing the Pigeon

It's nesting season, and the wildlife is trying to get in... That's if you can call pigeons wild. I think they must be one of the most well adapted birds in the world. Rats with wings, right?
To be honest, I kind of like pigeons. I like their tenacity, their brute survival skills... We left a window open overnight at the studio last Tuesday (by accident),and my employee phones me in a panic to tell me there were 2 pigeons flying around the studio. My reply was what did she want me to do about it? Cheeky, I know. She managed to herd them out the window, but it reminded me of a story from a few years back. The guy across the hall left his window open over the weekend, and when he came in on Monday, he found a nest with eggs in it. The pigeons had found a Jaycloth in his studio and shredded it to make a nest. They were gone when he got there, and he had no choice but to throw the eggs away. It was so sad, but was HE going to sit on the nest?

This guys likes pigeons too...

This Womans Work

This is such a beautiful song. I'm not generally a huge Kate Bush fan, but this one makes me cry! It doesn't hurt that it was in this movie that I loved loved loved when I was 15. Me thinks it might have been for Kevin Bacon??? Yes, I did adore him thanks to Footloose.
This was another one of those John Hughes movies that were so huge in the 80's. Is it just me or are teen movies not as good as they used to be? Maybe I'm just getting old...or maybe its the TRUTH! Hannah Montana? No thank you!

Sigur Ros

We watched this wonderful movie last night on our brand spanking new 42" flast screen! Sigur Ros are such a creative and inspiring band. They're Icelandic, and this documentary follows them as they return home to do a series of free concerts. Iceland is a country I'd love to visit. It's so barren, wild and beautiful. I was having second thoughts though when I saw the feast they were eating at one of the shows... sheep heads and jellied meats of all sorts. Not my cup of tea, but when in Iceland, I guess!
I also noticed an abundance of these sweaters, called Lopapeysa, or Lopi for short.

Yes, I had to google it... and yes, now I really have to go to Iceland to buy one! Perfect for camping!

The Garden of Last Days

I didn't like this book. I didn't hate it either, but it was just a disappointment. I loved The House of Sand and Fog, and was really excited when I saw this one at the library, but it just didn't live up.
The thing I liked about Sand and Fog was the way he told the story from both characters points of view, and the way he expressed The Colonels voice with the Iranian accent. He had a similar character in this book who was Arab,but it felt old to me, like since it worked so well with the other book, why not do it it with this one too?
This book just didn't feel authentic to me. It was mildly entertaining, but I found I was skimming towards the end just to get through it.

Eagles in the City

I love this city. I ask you... where else in North America can you be downtown, look up, and see a Bald Eagle soaring through the air? They are such majestic creatures. Every few years we'll go up to Brackendale for the eagle count. It's in early January when the eagles are in their greatest numbers at the local rivers, gorging on the spawning salmon. Brackendale also has a great little art gallery and tea house that's worth the trip. The food is awesome, and they sometimes have a live eagle in the house (usually an injured one waiting to be rehabilitated)
Click on the post title to look at their website!

***I'll also add that I didn't take these pictures, I found them on google images. If you are the photographer, please take it as a compliment that I liked them the best to be on my blog!

Childhood Crush #1 ... Fred Astaire.

Oh Fred. I remember from the time I was a very little girl I have always loved him! I've always loved to dance, but never realized how much until I was in my 20's. I took about 2 years of West Coast Swing, it was such a ball! One day I would absolutely love to learn how to tap dance. I envision heaps of humiliation and falling on my ass, but it looks like so much fun! And I could pretend I was dancing cheek to cheek with my Fred...

My silly boy.

I went for a walk with a couple of girlfriends today and took this wild and crazy mutt with us. There was still some snow on the ground a little higher up, so Henry started getting cold and doing his crazy ass running back and forth, running in circles, barking up a storm etc. etc. etc. He really has quite a distinct personality. My father in law insists that Henry smells the most bums at the dog park, and is the biggest humper as well. I unfortunately really can't dispute that...

Easter Cupcakes!

yumyumyumyumyumyumyum!
These cupcakes were so delish! Yes, they were made from a cake mix... every now and then I like a good old fashioned Betty Crocker and I'm not ashamed!

I love Ricky

The Fourth Hand

John Irving. A strange fellow, no doubt. I find I either absolutely love his books, or I'm rather indifferent.
A Widow for one Year. This was a fabulous example of his brilliance but I hated the movie version.(The Door in the Floor.)
A Prayer for Owen Meany. I thought I was going to love it but was just... indifferent. Haven't seen the big screen version yet.
Son of the Circus. Don't even get me started on this one! It took me over a year to slog through this bad boy! To be fair, I had it at work and was reading it during lunch, but man was it hard to get through. And long! I did start to like it towards the end, but it didn't make up for the hours sent toiling in the beginning.
The 158 lb Marriage was certainly interesting! It was one of his earliest books, and is about wife swapping... very interesting indeed!
The Fourth Hand. It was an easy read and kept my interest, but there was just something missing for me. The characters were not very sympathetic, and I found I wasn't very invested in them. The basic story is that this CNN type of news guys has his hand eaten by a lion while doing a story in India. He gets a hand transplant and the widow of the donor wants visitation rights with the hand. An interesting concept yes, but for some reason left me feeling a little empty. Still worth reading though, and I will continue my quest to read all of John Irving's work.

Careless Whisper

In honour of my 20 year grad reunion, I'm going to start periodically adding songs that were part of my high school experience. George Michael was a big one! Faith came out in 1986 I think, and Wham! was huge in the earlier 80's. I saw him live in the early 90's and still listen to him today. I really wanted to post Father Figure, but Youtube has all sorts of blocks up for certain videos. Just try and find a Prince video on Youtube that still has its sound, I dare you!

Sharp Dressed Man

I bought this Calvin Klein shirt in New York for my nephew a few years ago, and it just happened to fit Henry too. Warren took this video of him and put it to ZZ Top. My poor doggy does not look all that impressed with being our little dress up dolly, but the effect is so funny!

Open Mindedness

I thought this was an interesting video about having an open mind. As a non believer, I've often been faced with people telling me to open my mind to the unexplained. When you're telling someone who strongly believes something without any physical proof but just their belief, it's almost impossible to have a rational conversation about it. This video just puts it in good plain terms that makes it easy to understand. Open mindedness shouldn't just mean believe everything you hear! It's like Bill Mahr said in Religulous, "I'm not saying that god doesn't exist, I'm just saying I'm pretty sure he doesn't exist. The point is, I don't know, and neither do you."
Love him!