January 2009
33 posts
One of the resident peacocks of Beacon Hill Park - I swear he was actually posing for me.
Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.
— Paul Rand
Reviewed: Hot chocolate
I was recently given a box of Thomas Haas hot chocolate mix, and while I love a good cup of hot chocolate every now and then, I was a little bit skeptical given that my previous experiences with hot chocolate mix bring to mind cups containing watery liquid and little floating clumps of chocolate-esque powder. But since I was in the mood for some hot chocolate, I decided to give it a try. My...
Bree, a font by TypeTogether →
Decorative sans-serifs are my latest obsession.
This pillow is fairly awesome →
…And it would actually coordinate with the way I’ve decorated my apartment.
Dear upstairs neighbour...
… Was it just my imagination, or were you actually tap dancing above my bedroom last night at approximately 1:30 AM? I’m sorry that I might have disturbed your beauty rest when I accidently slammed into my closet door and subsequently knocked a very large, relatively heavy box onto the floor, but that kind of prolonged retaliation was kind of uncalled for. Let’s call a truce:...
Spotted at the coffee shop
A woman appearing to be completely engrossed in her novel, despite the fact that she’s holding the book upside-down
A girl in impossibly tight pleather leggings that creak ominously and strain visibly at the seams every time she moves
A man covertly perusing a copy of Cosmo magazine that he’s tucked inside a fishing magazine
This is what I like to think of as a sort of “lucky accident” — the silhouette thing just sort of happened.
Test kitchen
I would love to know why it’s so ridiculously difficult to find the perfect olive tapenade. In theory, tapenade and crackers are the perfect snacking combination: tasty and addictive, as all snack foods should be, but classy enough that you don’t feel too guilty as you’re shoving crackers into your mouth. In reality, though, the crackers are always too sweet or too crisp, or the...
“Help, I’m Alive” by Metric.
...
“NEW YORK (AP) - A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines … In the rare cases in which birds get sucked into an engine, ‘they literally just choke out the engine and it quits,’ Mazzone said”
– Full story here
Oh, this really inspires a...
Archeology of the fridge
It’s always a nice little surprise to pull a bag of food out of the back of the fridge — a bag you didn’t even know existed anymore — and discover some kind of unidentifiable rotting substance inside.
Further arms-length investigation revealed that the rotting substance was actually a handful of button mushrooms which had shriveled up into little pellets and then fused...
Sure, whatever.
An excerpt from a note someone posted on my building’s bulletin board, hand-lettered in bright red pen: “Please refrain from flushing your toilet, using your shower, or using your sink after 11:00 PM - I go to bed at 11:00 and get up at 7:00, and the sound of water running can wake me up. This is very stressful.”
Objectified: A documentary film →
Further proving that I can be ridiculously nerdy, I think I might be just a little bit too excited about seeing this documentary.
Eat this
I made banana-leaf-wrapped snapper with basmati rice for dinner tonight, and it was fantastic. I had a bit of trouble finding some of the ingredients (my requests for tamarind pulp — whatever that is — and shrimp paste got met with blank stares in my usual grocery store), but a quick stop in Chinatown turned up all the remaining ingredients at ridiculously low prices.
A few notes:
...
Shameless Self Promotion
I’ve just launched form + function, my new web design business. You can check out the website at form-function.ca, and if you’re interested in having a website created, feel free to drop me a line!
Note: There are several portfolio pieces that I’ll be adding within the next little while, check back soon!
Automatic response
On the street outside the apartment, a guy is having trouble getting the headlights on his jeep to turn on. First he tries turning on and off all the other lights, then he examines the headlights closely before turning the engine on and off a few times. Finally, he puts his hands on his hips, strides back to the front of the jeep, and gives each headlight a swift kick.
Overheard
Teenage girl, on cell phone: No, I told you I can’t meet you this afternoon… No… Because, obviously, it’s like really windy outside, so my hair will get, like, really messed up, duh!
Typographic Tea Towels →
So I know I’m a total nerd for saying this, but I find these tea towels pretty awesome.
Share the warmth
When it’s pouring rain and slightly dusky outside and I’m curled up on my couch with a mug of tea and a good book, my apartment feels like the coziest place on earth. This is when I purposely leave my curtains open; so that everyone walking by outside in the rain will have the opportunity to observe this coziness.
So ahead of the curve
According to the January issue of Canadian House and Home, the latest “it” colour in home decorating is a sort of muted, dusty, plum-like shade of purple. My living room walls happen to be painted that exact colour, but the kicker is that they were painted back in September, while all the trends in this article were just a spark in an interior decorator’s brain, or maybe a rough...
Found this double-strand rope chain necklace on molliedash.com, and I can think of so many outfits that it would coordinate with perfectly. Also, bonus, it’s not even very expensive — I just wish it also was available in a pewter or antiqued silver tone.
Crazy dance moves, catchy beat... →
“A Cause des Garçons” (remix) by Yelle
My hand lotion is “Vanilla Chai” scented, and it’s surprisingly realistic. This would be awesome if it weren’t for the way it makes me start craving a Chai latté every time I put some on.
Scouting NY →
Fascinating photos of interesting buildings and architectural features around New York City - makes me want to take a trip there to check things out.
Overheard
Old lady, to twenty-something guy with ridiculously long dreadlocks: Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you how many times a year you cut your hair?
Dreadlock guy: (blank stare) It self regulates.
Resolutions
The man sitting across from me in the coffee shop has a stack of glossy new books sitting on the table in front of him. They have titles like Knitting for Dummies, Conquer Your Fear of Capsizing and Learn to Kayak, Guide to Interpersonal Communication, and Cooking Revealed: 1001 Easy Recipes for the Kitchen Shy. He picks up the knitting book, opens it up to the first page, and starts to read.
During brunch at Mo:Le, I notice that one of the waitresses is wearing a clingy blue jersey jumpsuit that looks suspiciously like those one-piece pajamas that little kids wear. I’m not sure if this is some kind of new fashion statement or whether it’s just a testament to a New Year’s Eve hangover and the inability to locate anything more comfortable in her closet.
To 2008: You were an unexpectedly awesome, highly eventful year in which I graduated from university, took a few fantastic trips (Hawaii, San Francisco, Seattle, Banff), moved into my apartment, started and subsequently quit a job, and decided to start my own company.
To 2009: I have some big plans for you, so you’d better get ready to show me what you’ve got.