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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
He's Just NOT that into you
This is a great movie! This is a movie that is everything it needs to be. Fun, sad, scary... and it makes fun of how weird girls are.
OK, so I only watch a movie at a Theatre once every 3 years or so it seems. And, I dropped into the LUX this weekend in Banff to watch He's Just Not that Into You. The cast is famous-people heavy, and I it's great. If you want to take your 'fella to the show, but can't talk him into it -- bring him over to read this blog.
Guys - you're good, go to this. You'll relate to it more than you realize.
It's a little long tho... more than 2 hours. Wear your comfy pants.
OK, so I only watch a movie at a Theatre once every 3 years or so it seems. And, I dropped into the LUX this weekend in Banff to watch He's Just Not that Into You. The cast is famous-people heavy, and I it's great. If you want to take your 'fella to the show, but can't talk him into it -- bring him over to read this blog.
Guys - you're good, go to this. You'll relate to it more than you realize.
It's a little long tho... more than 2 hours. Wear your comfy pants.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Hint to your man...
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE ON MSN.ca
By Stephanie McGrath
Men need to pamper their lady loves on Valentine’s Day. That’s the rule. They also need to look debonair while they wine and dine their special gal.
It’s all about things being out of the ordinary when the calendar-sanctioned Day of Romance arrives. If you always dress down, put on a tie. If you spend every Saturday night watching Hockey Night in Canada, ditch the jersey for something trendy and go out together to support the arts. In other words, shake things up a bit.
It’s a hard-hearted woman who doesn’t swoon at the men who pepper movies like Bridget Jones Diary or Love Actually. So if you want this Valentine’s Day to be a hit, channel Colin Firth or Hugh Grant. First of all, take the U.K. stereotype to the next level. Think Tweed. You can have tweed blazers, vests, jackets and hats… but that might be overkill. We suggest going for a simple tweed blazer and tossing a cable-knit sweater underneath and wrapping a charming scarf around your neck. For extra bonus marks, pop either a tweed cap or L.L. Bean’s “Wicked Good Shearling Hat” on top of your head.
During your date, take your lovely lady for a drive through the countryside in the afternoon and stop by an intimate English-style pub for a late lunch and a pint of beer, before sweeping her off to a character-filled B&B for the evening. OH! Wait! If you really want to do this date right, spritz yourself with Gendarme or Creed cologne for men, which are both supposedly favoured by Mr. Hugh Grant himself.
You and your special someone are comfy in your sweats together. Every now and then, though, the occasion calls for us to class it up a notch.
First we’re going to need you to get a striped tie, which we’d like to see you wear with a black dress shirt (a white one looks a little too banker-esque for a Valentine’s Day date). If you want to be REALLY trendy, get yourself a skinny tie and a hipster black shirt from Energie, Diesel, Religion, G-Star or this Richmond X option.
Mix your top half with a pair of designer jeans and inspire romantic sentiments about high flyers with one of L.L. Bean’s Flying Tiger leather jackets. Next, remember that what goes on your feet is as important as what covers the rest of your body. If the weather isn’t brutal, opt for the tried and true Converse Chuck Taylors and if it’s slushy and nasty outside, put on a pair of trendy-yet-functional pair of Blundstones.
Now that you’re spiffed up, take your date out for dinner at the hottest urban eatery you can find and then out to see an indie rock show in a small, cozy venue. Make sure you’re channelling Leonardo Di Caprio (a good style guide for this type of occasion) and coat yourself with some Eau D’Hadrien, which is reportedly his signature scent.
Sweep your girl off her feet by hopping off the couch for once.
A romantic hike for two is just what the love doctor ordered. Remember layers are key for outdoor activities. Start off with a long or short-sleeved (depending on the temperature) T-Shirt in a good, breathable fabric. Next, add some high-end-yet-functional style to the ensemble with a cashmere sweater on top.
You can never really go wrong with a fleece jacket on a nature walk and corduroy looks rugged and appropriate, so pick up some corduroy pants to complete your outdoorsy get-up.
Finally, make sure you smell good and douse some Green Irish Tweed on your body. Apparently, that’s what rough-and-ready Russell Crowe wears.
Now, pass this on to your man... and you owe me one. OK, so you owe the author one...
By Stephanie McGrath
Men need to pamper their lady loves on Valentine’s Day. That’s the rule. They also need to look debonair while they wine and dine their special gal.
It’s all about things being out of the ordinary when the calendar-sanctioned Day of Romance arrives. If you always dress down, put on a tie. If you spend every Saturday night watching Hockey Night in Canada, ditch the jersey for something trendy and go out together to support the arts. In other words, shake things up a bit.
It’s a hard-hearted woman who doesn’t swoon at the men who pepper movies like Bridget Jones Diary or Love Actually. So if you want this Valentine’s Day to be a hit, channel Colin Firth or Hugh Grant. First of all, take the U.K. stereotype to the next level. Think Tweed. You can have tweed blazers, vests, jackets and hats… but that might be overkill. We suggest going for a simple tweed blazer and tossing a cable-knit sweater underneath and wrapping a charming scarf around your neck. For extra bonus marks, pop either a tweed cap or L.L. Bean’s “Wicked Good Shearling Hat” on top of your head.
During your date, take your lovely lady for a drive through the countryside in the afternoon and stop by an intimate English-style pub for a late lunch and a pint of beer, before sweeping her off to a character-filled B&B for the evening. OH! Wait! If you really want to do this date right, spritz yourself with Gendarme or Creed cologne for men, which are both supposedly favoured by Mr. Hugh Grant himself.
You and your special someone are comfy in your sweats together. Every now and then, though, the occasion calls for us to class it up a notch.
First we’re going to need you to get a striped tie, which we’d like to see you wear with a black dress shirt (a white one looks a little too banker-esque for a Valentine’s Day date). If you want to be REALLY trendy, get yourself a skinny tie and a hipster black shirt from Energie, Diesel, Religion, G-Star or this Richmond X option.
Mix your top half with a pair of designer jeans and inspire romantic sentiments about high flyers with one of L.L. Bean’s Flying Tiger leather jackets. Next, remember that what goes on your feet is as important as what covers the rest of your body. If the weather isn’t brutal, opt for the tried and true Converse Chuck Taylors and if it’s slushy and nasty outside, put on a pair of trendy-yet-functional pair of Blundstones.
Now that you’re spiffed up, take your date out for dinner at the hottest urban eatery you can find and then out to see an indie rock show in a small, cozy venue. Make sure you’re channelling Leonardo Di Caprio (a good style guide for this type of occasion) and coat yourself with some Eau D’Hadrien, which is reportedly his signature scent.
Sweep your girl off her feet by hopping off the couch for once.
A romantic hike for two is just what the love doctor ordered. Remember layers are key for outdoor activities. Start off with a long or short-sleeved (depending on the temperature) T-Shirt in a good, breathable fabric. Next, add some high-end-yet-functional style to the ensemble with a cashmere sweater on top.
You can never really go wrong with a fleece jacket on a nature walk and corduroy looks rugged and appropriate, so pick up some corduroy pants to complete your outdoorsy get-up.
Finally, make sure you smell good and douse some Green Irish Tweed on your body. Apparently, that’s what rough-and-ready Russell Crowe wears.
Now, pass this on to your man... and you owe me one. OK, so you owe the author one...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My little wine problem...
Because I feel better about how much wine I drink, if you drink more of it.. (is relativity everything?)... I hope this article from sympatico will help me talk you into it!
Do you feel a little nervous about serving wine to guests? Are you worried about seeming pretentious or are you just intimidated by the whole thing? Well, it's time to pop a cork and relax; wine is fun and here are 10 ways to be a part of the good times.
1. Wine is delicious!
The swirling, the sniffing, the sipping. All of the fuss about wine would be pointless if wine wasn't just plain delicious. It's true that wine can have tastes that you're not used to or that aren't so great the first time you try them, but there are lots of starter wines that are easy to like and even more that turn delicious when you have them with food.
2. Wine tastes best at the right temperature
Common "knowledge" about wine is that you serve white wine well-chilled and red wine at room temperature. Surprisingly, that's wrong. Room temperatures in North America are just too warm to serve red wines. Most drinks are unappealing at 22C (72F) so why should wine be any different? Refrigerator temperature -3C (38F) is too cold for anything that you really want to taste.
What to do? Try storing your red wine in the coolest part of the house or giving a bottle a brief cold water bath. Take the white wine out of the fridge 10 minutes before you serve it or at least let it warm up a bit in your glass.
3. It's usually better to air wine out
Any drink without bubbles tastes better if it's aerated a bit. Those decanters that you see aren't just decorative; they let you pour your wine out with a bit of splashing and get some air dissolved in it.
4. Make sure the (right) glass is half full
The best wine glass is shaped like a tulip and isn't much bigger. What makes it best is that the tulip shape helps capture the aromas of wine and transport them to your nose.
5. Your nose knows
Most of the pleasure that we call taste is really smell. That's why nothing really tastes good when your nose is stuffed up. So be sure to swirl the wine around in the glass, take big sniffs and enjoy!!
6. Take your time
Tasting wine is a dance, not a race. One of the best things about wine is that it invites you to slow down. If you haven't smelled the flowers today, at least you can smell the wine's bouquet. You'll have even more fun if you take a minute to enjoy the wine's colour before smelling it and maybe even pausing after your first sniff, before taking a sip.
7. Don't rush to judgment
There's nothing worse than premature evaluation. Once you decide if it's good or not, you stop paying attention to the taste. So try this: swirl the wine in the glass, look at the colour, smell the aroma, sip and swish, pay attention to the taste and don't decide if you like it or not. The last person to make up his or her mind wins.
8. Have a variety of wine on hand
It won't be long before you'll have preferences. You'll discover that you like this wine with chicken and that one with pasta. You may even find that you're suddenly ‘in the mood' for one of your favourites so it's a good idea to have a few different bottles available -- all stored in a cool place in your home.
9. There's no shopping like wine shopping!
Shopping for wine is fun. If you find something you like, you can ask the clerk in the wine shop for advice about finding something similar. You can pick a bottle at random (in your price range, of course) or you can surf wine websites, in search of stores that carry your favourites. If you look around, you may find wine-tastings where you can sample a few different wines and pick out ones you like.
10. Respect your tastes but try new wines
Remember that there are two things that count: liking what you
like and being open to liking something new. So relax and let the wine work its magic.
Along the way in your wine journey, your tastes will change, you'll probably make new friends and you'll definitely have a lot of fun.
Celebrate local flavours with a menu inspired by the red wines of Niagara.
Lynn Hoffman is the author of adventure-packed, woman-centred fiction such as Bang Bang and the wine book for beginners The New Short Course in Wine.
Now, go drink more than me so I feel better about myself!
Do you feel a little nervous about serving wine to guests? Are you worried about seeming pretentious or are you just intimidated by the whole thing? Well, it's time to pop a cork and relax; wine is fun and here are 10 ways to be a part of the good times.
1. Wine is delicious!
The swirling, the sniffing, the sipping. All of the fuss about wine would be pointless if wine wasn't just plain delicious. It's true that wine can have tastes that you're not used to or that aren't so great the first time you try them, but there are lots of starter wines that are easy to like and even more that turn delicious when you have them with food.
2. Wine tastes best at the right temperature
Common "knowledge" about wine is that you serve white wine well-chilled and red wine at room temperature. Surprisingly, that's wrong. Room temperatures in North America are just too warm to serve red wines. Most drinks are unappealing at 22C (72F) so why should wine be any different? Refrigerator temperature -3C (38F) is too cold for anything that you really want to taste.
What to do? Try storing your red wine in the coolest part of the house or giving a bottle a brief cold water bath. Take the white wine out of the fridge 10 minutes before you serve it or at least let it warm up a bit in your glass.
3. It's usually better to air wine out
Any drink without bubbles tastes better if it's aerated a bit. Those decanters that you see aren't just decorative; they let you pour your wine out with a bit of splashing and get some air dissolved in it.
4. Make sure the (right) glass is half full
The best wine glass is shaped like a tulip and isn't much bigger. What makes it best is that the tulip shape helps capture the aromas of wine and transport them to your nose.
5. Your nose knows
Most of the pleasure that we call taste is really smell. That's why nothing really tastes good when your nose is stuffed up. So be sure to swirl the wine around in the glass, take big sniffs and enjoy!!
6. Take your time
Tasting wine is a dance, not a race. One of the best things about wine is that it invites you to slow down. If you haven't smelled the flowers today, at least you can smell the wine's bouquet. You'll have even more fun if you take a minute to enjoy the wine's colour before smelling it and maybe even pausing after your first sniff, before taking a sip.
7. Don't rush to judgment
There's nothing worse than premature evaluation. Once you decide if it's good or not, you stop paying attention to the taste. So try this: swirl the wine in the glass, look at the colour, smell the aroma, sip and swish, pay attention to the taste and don't decide if you like it or not. The last person to make up his or her mind wins.
8. Have a variety of wine on hand
It won't be long before you'll have preferences. You'll discover that you like this wine with chicken and that one with pasta. You may even find that you're suddenly ‘in the mood' for one of your favourites so it's a good idea to have a few different bottles available -- all stored in a cool place in your home.
9. There's no shopping like wine shopping!
Shopping for wine is fun. If you find something you like, you can ask the clerk in the wine shop for advice about finding something similar. You can pick a bottle at random (in your price range, of course) or you can surf wine websites, in search of stores that carry your favourites. If you look around, you may find wine-tastings where you can sample a few different wines and pick out ones you like.
10. Respect your tastes but try new wines
Remember that there are two things that count: liking what you
like and being open to liking something new. So relax and let the wine work its magic.
Along the way in your wine journey, your tastes will change, you'll probably make new friends and you'll definitely have a lot of fun.
Celebrate local flavours with a menu inspired by the red wines of Niagara.
Lynn Hoffman is the author of adventure-packed, woman-centred fiction such as Bang Bang and the wine book for beginners The New Short Course in Wine.
Now, go drink more than me so I feel better about myself!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Roadkill gets a second life as art
Would you wear a deadthing? OK, Ex-boyfriend jokes aside, it seems like a neat way to recycle and not kill a cute'n'fuzzy being for a pair of earrings... But roadkill? Read on my friends...
This article is from
http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/canadianpressarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=859127
VANCOUVER, B.C. - When Amy Nugent sells her line Roadquill at craft fairs, she sometimes hears snarky remarks directed at her by overzealous browsers.
The 33-year-old artist uses the parts of dead animals to create high-end key chains, jewelry and accessories: Rabbit feet and turtle hands hang off small gold key chains, and moose and bear bones are carved into feathers and used as slides for a tie or velvet necklace.
The materials aren't knockoffs.
A quick inspection of her art leaves no doubt that the parts are real. The anger from certain onlookers often turns to confusion when Nugent tells the critics her pieces are completely sustainable.
Every part was taken from dead animals scooped off the highway.
The Pembroke, Ont., native became fascinated with roadkill in 2001. She had moved to the Algonquin Park region after taking three years to hitchhike across Canada, and play music in Montreal.
Having grown up near the Algonquin First Nations reserve, Nugent was intrigued by many of their traditions and was drawn to the animals in the region. In her time back in Algonquin, she couldn't help but notice the large number of dead porcupines that lined the highway and roads.
"I started realizing, God there's all those quills and I'd heard about people collecting them up there and making art," she said.
"Not knowing what I'm doing I just stopped one day and thought 'How am I going to do this?"'
She put together a kit of Tupperware containers and plastic gloves and started taking what she could from the dead porcupines.
She wanted to "resurrect this stuff that we just pancake out there."
"This is all about honouring the animals and recycling," she said.
Soon, she started using the quills as beads for cuffs made from safety pins and elastic bands.
She was wearing one when she attended a powwow in 2003 in Algonquin. She happened across a man at a booth who had a huge bag of quills. They started chatting and Nugent soon learned that the man was known as the Roadkill Warrior - his real name is Peter Schimanski.
His mission was to collect as much roadkill as he could and use the parts in any way possible.
"I mean, I was just getting the quills of porcupines, but this guy, if he sees a chipmunk, a little turtle, hummingbird wings - from the small to bear, deer, moose, he'll take anything," she said.
Nugent gave the Roadkill Warrior one of her cuffs and the two formed a close friendship.
When Nugent moved to Vancouver five years ago, Schimanski became her supplier. Every time Nugent is back in Ontario, she apprentices with Schimanski on customs like skinning and cutting up animal carcasses.
"Throughout the years, the bond has become incredible," Schimanski said from his home in Algonquin. "Some of the work she does I just find incredible."
(Schimanski distributes his material through word of mouth. He's created a network of people interested in using animal parts, that spread from across Canada to parts of the United States.)
Nugent's future plans are as vast as the Trans-Canada Highway. She wants to start a line of fastenings - buttons, zipper pulls - in collaboration with a local designer. She's also reading up on the history of the Trans-Canada and intends to use the iconic imagery of road signs on her jewelry.
But her most ambitious idea is organizing a children's play.
"When I do a table (at a craft fair), and have all the stuff out there, (children) go crazy," she said.
"(They ask) 'What is that? What's that from?' and you get into this whole discussion about modes of transportation, highway, spirituality, death. It opens so many doors."
This article is from
http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/canadianpressarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=859127
VANCOUVER, B.C. - When Amy Nugent sells her line Roadquill at craft fairs, she sometimes hears snarky remarks directed at her by overzealous browsers.
The 33-year-old artist uses the parts of dead animals to create high-end key chains, jewelry and accessories: Rabbit feet and turtle hands hang off small gold key chains, and moose and bear bones are carved into feathers and used as slides for a tie or velvet necklace.
The materials aren't knockoffs.
A quick inspection of her art leaves no doubt that the parts are real. The anger from certain onlookers often turns to confusion when Nugent tells the critics her pieces are completely sustainable.
Every part was taken from dead animals scooped off the highway.
The Pembroke, Ont., native became fascinated with roadkill in 2001. She had moved to the Algonquin Park region after taking three years to hitchhike across Canada, and play music in Montreal.
Having grown up near the Algonquin First Nations reserve, Nugent was intrigued by many of their traditions and was drawn to the animals in the region. In her time back in Algonquin, she couldn't help but notice the large number of dead porcupines that lined the highway and roads.
"I started realizing, God there's all those quills and I'd heard about people collecting them up there and making art," she said.
"Not knowing what I'm doing I just stopped one day and thought 'How am I going to do this?"'
She put together a kit of Tupperware containers and plastic gloves and started taking what she could from the dead porcupines.
She wanted to "resurrect this stuff that we just pancake out there."
"This is all about honouring the animals and recycling," she said.
Soon, she started using the quills as beads for cuffs made from safety pins and elastic bands.
She was wearing one when she attended a powwow in 2003 in Algonquin. She happened across a man at a booth who had a huge bag of quills. They started chatting and Nugent soon learned that the man was known as the Roadkill Warrior - his real name is Peter Schimanski.
His mission was to collect as much roadkill as he could and use the parts in any way possible.
"I mean, I was just getting the quills of porcupines, but this guy, if he sees a chipmunk, a little turtle, hummingbird wings - from the small to bear, deer, moose, he'll take anything," she said.
Nugent gave the Roadkill Warrior one of her cuffs and the two formed a close friendship.
When Nugent moved to Vancouver five years ago, Schimanski became her supplier. Every time Nugent is back in Ontario, she apprentices with Schimanski on customs like skinning and cutting up animal carcasses.
"Throughout the years, the bond has become incredible," Schimanski said from his home in Algonquin. "Some of the work she does I just find incredible."
(Schimanski distributes his material through word of mouth. He's created a network of people interested in using animal parts, that spread from across Canada to parts of the United States.)
Nugent's future plans are as vast as the Trans-Canada Highway. She wants to start a line of fastenings - buttons, zipper pulls - in collaboration with a local designer. She's also reading up on the history of the Trans-Canada and intends to use the iconic imagery of road signs on her jewelry.
But her most ambitious idea is organizing a children's play.
"When I do a table (at a craft fair), and have all the stuff out there, (children) go crazy," she said.
"(They ask) 'What is that? What's that from?' and you get into this whole discussion about modes of transportation, highway, spirituality, death. It opens so many doors."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Valentines in the Mountains
So.. it's Valentines coming up soon. And Feb 6th I have my monthly "First Friday" party that I DJ out at Aurora in Banff. I'm a bit of a sucker for that town, as I've been DJing there since 1999 now (getting old, I know...). So this Valentines, why not consider heading to Banff? My Bride and I will be staying out in Banff for Feb 7th for our "Valentines", as we have the Cupid's Ball the next weekend with Energy 1015... so we HAVE to have our night!
My personal fave places in Banff to go are Fabutan... for some strange reason, having a tan while in Banff just feels better! Also, a new place has just opened called EDDIES BURGER + BAR, which has the best Chicken and Beef Burgers. Go There. So probably there for lunch.... for shopping, check out the Silvercity Mercantile, or Rocks and Gems Canada! Maybe the Maple Leaf for dinner, or the Keg in the Banff Caribou! Early drinks downstairs at HooDoo Lounge. Then late night fun at AURORA Nightclub. Then back to the Hotel. My faves are THE FOX, BANFF CARIBOU and HIDDEN Ridge. Check out BESTOFBANFF.com for this company that has the best stack of hotels in Banff... and something for every budget!
Just felt like sharing some of my fave places to hit... the Red Earth Spa at the Banff Caribou is also SUPER awesome.
Happy Valentine with your squeeze! Come spend yours out in Banff!
Friday, January 9, 2009
No Sh!t
Can i say that on my blog? That's really all I can think of to describe how good of a singer Lady GaGa is! Enjoy Poker Face Acoustic!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
COOL SONG COVER - I'm Yours
When I was in Maui, I did everything I could to NOT listen to the radio. That may sound strange, because I am a fan of radio stations... but in an attempt to try to relax and "turn off work", it was worth a shot. Truth is it completely failed... but I managed to stay off of mainstream radio, and listened to Hawaiian radio only. It was a nice change! Here is a version of Jason Mraz's I'm Yours covered by Hawaiian group TEN FEET.
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