Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 3

I love Lissy Trullie. She looks like a cross between Liz from Degrassi Junior High and a Polly Pocket. Half androgynous rock 'n' roll rebel and half cupcake-cute fashion icon makes for one stellar lady.

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Did I mention that she makes sweet, sweet music? Even her cover songs are enjoyable:

Lissy Trullie - "Ready For The Floor" (Hot Chip cover)

Goodnight moon.

Tell me when you hear my heart stop

I just saw Twilight: New Moon and I'm feeling emo. Cheesy movie, but beautiful, heart-wrenching soundtrack. Bon Iver, Thom Yorke, and Grizzly Bear, oh my!

Thinking about Taylor Lautner's chiseled abs helps lighten the mood a little, though.

Are you there, Blog? It's me, Hilary

How many times has someone told you to just be yourself? And how many times has Nike told you to just do it? So just do it! Be yourself!

Much easier said than done and I know this all too well, but we just have to take it day by day and celebrate the small stuff. Extremely cheesy, but I only speak the truth.

"Better late than never" has become my go-to motto these days. Post-graduation has been a series of major ins and outs, but every day is a learning experience.

 

Sometimes I let my hair go wild and sometimes it pleasantly surprises me. 

I also enjoy a good banana. 

So be it. 

Don't write yourself off yet.

75% ____?

Sometimes security-enhanced websites require users to submit a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) before posting a comment on a blog, entering a contest, registering, etc.

One of the CAPTCHAs I had to type in today was 25% reggae.

I'll take that as a good sign. Any day with a 25% chance of reggae is a pretty decent day in my books.

Anyhoo, what I really came to say is...

Happy Birthday Jane!

 

photo credit: Sarah 

Time to bust out your best 25% reggae dance moves.

Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 2

Hot new concert venue in Toronto: The Garrison (Dundas & Ossington)

To read the National Post's feature article on The Garrison, click here.

Speaking of said venue, I caught the Two Hours Traffic show there last Saturday night. The crowd was a bit tamer than I had hoped, but the venue was a nice medium size with a conversation-friendly sit-down area in the front and concert room in the back. And the bar was well-stocked with Strongbow and Jager, which nevers hurts.

 

Two Hours Traffic

These melodic indie rockers are always dropping sweet ooh-ooh-oohs at all the right moments. And ladies, they're quite the handsome bunch.

Here are a few pics from the concert (please excuse the blurriness, I'm still figuring out my new camera...and Jager may have been involved):

I've been watching you
Dressed up and talking like you're all the news
I've been watching you
Two drinks from tumbling in those dancing shoes

-Two Hours Traffic, "Drop Alcohol"

Better not pout, I'm telling you why

Around this time last Sunday, my sister and I made it to Spadina and Bloor just in time to be showered with mini-candy canes. Sweet.

Here are some pictures from last weekend's Santa Claus Parade in downtown Toronto:

Sweet ride, Mother Goose.

Ronald McDonald waves to the children... 

 ...while straddling a pole. 

Oh, childhood.

My personal favourite, brought to you by Metro (grocery chain).

Happy fruits and veggies! 

 
Western represents!

No one seems too enthused about being on a Leafs float.

Mr. Peanut, looking as classy as ever.

Two hours later, Santa arrives. Anti-climactic. Bring back Mr. Peanut!

That's better.

Drip no more

Know those hand-washing posters that greet you by the sink in almost every public bathroom these days? Well, if you haven't been washing up on the lastest restroom literature, here's an example:

For the most part, these posters are all fine and dandy with me, but I can't stop thinking about those last two steps. I can't help but cringe at the thought of all that wasted water just rushing down the drain as one goes to dry their hands and then reach for a paper towel (especially since paper towels aren't always conveniently located beside each individual sink).

It seems just as wasteful as leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth.

Personally, I'd rather turn off the tap with my sleeve or take my chances and follow-up with some hand sanitizer than leave the water running.

Yes, I'm a major stickler for conserving tap water.

Yet regardless of how a person shuts off the tap, they should always check to ensure that the water is no longer running.

I find myself turning off the tap in the ladies' room at work about 2 or 3 times a week. Hearing that low hum of rushing water or that steady drip, drip, drip when I enter a restroom is like fingernails-scraping-against-a-chalkboard to my ears.

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

Needless to say, I am a big fan of sensor faucets.

But if I were to make my own additional poster that would adorn public restroom walls, it would include the following motto and two simple steps:

"Always look behind you!"

1) Before exiting the stall, check to ensure that everything has flushed down and that no 'trace of you' has been left behind on the toilet seat.

2) After turning off the tap, make sure that the water has stopped running. If not, give the tap a tighter twist.

Just turn your head and take a look. It's really that simple.

p.s! I would probably add some flashy 80's graphics and a cute mascot like Grimace to my poster:

He looks like he needs to use the bathroom a lot.

Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 1

In last Monday's post, I promised I would start posting inspiring lyrics every Monday to gear you up and get you through the weekly grind.

But since I'm such a music junkie, why not dedicate Mondays to anything and everything music-related?

Ladies and gentleman, I now present to you Muse-ic Mondays!

First up to the plate is the London-based indie rock band, Noisettes. Not only is their music fun, catchy, and powerful, but their music videos are quite gorgeous too.

And it doesn't hurt that frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa is always rockin' mad style.

So you if you like your musical salad tossed with a little jazz, a sprinkle of power pop, a pinch of punk, and a dash of soul all smothered in sexy, edgy vocals, then dig right in:

Bon appetit!

We've only just met

"She isn't my wife, really. We just have some kids. No, no kids, not even kids. Sometimes, though, it feels as if we had kids. She isn't beautiful, she's... easy to live with. No, she isn't. That's why I don't live with her."

- Thomas (David Hemmings) in Blow-Up

I recently borrowed the 1966 film Blow-Up from my local library. 

Maybe I picked it off the shelf because I faintly remembered it being recommended to me...

...or perhaps I was seduced by the come-hither video cover...

...or, in all likelihood, I just wanted to tell people I saw a film by Michelangelo Antonioni. 

Antonioni. What a deliciously rich Italian name. It just purrs right off the tongue. 

"Yeah, I just watched Blow-Up by An-toooh-ni-oooh-ni. No biggie." Bellissimo!

Anyway, the film follows a day in the life of eccentric and witty fashion photographer, Thomas (David Hemmings). He shots beautiful women, has his way with beautiful women, and comes across a beautiful woman (Vanessa Redgrave) and her lover in a park, where he begins to take photos of them.

The woman, Jane, becomes irked when she sees Thomas taking photos of them. She confronts Thomas and demands to have the roll of film, but he does not give in. 

"I'm only doing my job. Some people are bullfighters, some people are politicians. I'm a photographer. "

Thomas then takes a few more pictures of Jane in the park as she runs away alone.

Thomas later makes large blowups of the photos in his studio and notices a corpse lying underneath the trees and a man with a gun hiding in the woods.

And that was my sub par film synopsis. 

I am still wrapping my head around this fine gem of a film and I may never get around to doing a full-blown movie review, but there's just so much juicy political, cultural, and aesthetic meat to this film that only watching it could do it justice.

      "Sometimes reality is the strangest fantasy of all." 

Subtle humour and sexual tension at its finest.

Finito.

Orange you glad it's clemen-time?

'Tis almost the season for face-slapping winds, runny noses, parched skin, numb fingers, soggy socks, and sidewalk wipeouts.

Luckily, it's always warm and sunny somewhere in the world.

So while the farmers' fields here in Canada are just about to freeze over, a certain variety of oranges is just beginning to burst off the trees in Morocco.

 Drumroll please....

It's clementine season!

One of my favourite winter goodies is the clementine. It's bursting with tastebud-tickling flavour, it's loaded with vitamin C, it's portable, it's easy to peel, and it emits a pleasing citrus scent.*

[*The clementine's scent is a favourable factor in maintaining a respectful food environment at work- its aroma is much more popular among co-workers than other lunch items such as tuna or hard-boiled eggs. That being said, this fragrant fruit does not make for a stealthy snack in 'no eating zones,' i.e. the library. You know what I'm talking about.]

But eater beware: These seemingly innocent, pretty little things are highly addictive.

Yet who can resist such a cute little fruit in such a badass package?

So go ahead and enjoy a clementine (or four). Your taste buds and co-workers will thank you.

Monday ain't so blue

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

Sure, when Friday hits, I'm quite smitten too, but Mondays aren't so bad.

I feel well-rested from the weekend (I get to sleep in on Sundays), I am ready to be productive (after spending many a lazy Sunday hungover), and I generally feel like I'm starting afresh.

Forget New Year's, every Monday I make a resolution. Nothing too monumental, just little items such as the following:

1. Drink more water- down an extra glass in the morning and never leave my water bottle empty at work
2. Write a poem- or at least start one/do some stream of consciousness writing
3. Dust off an old item of clothing or an accessory I've barely worn and make it work- if not, give it away/donate it to a clothing drive
4. Compliment a stranger/hold the door open
5. Email/prank call family members (ok, this one's a given)
6. Discover new music (yeah, this one's a given too)
7. Find a song lyric that will inspire me throughout the week (I will start posting these every Monday, beginning next week)
8. Spot something beautiful/mysterious/intriguing and take a picture of it (I might post these once in a while as well)

Yeah, I still think Fridays are 'the bomb,' but I ain't singin' the Monday blues.

Happy Blue New Monday everyone!

How will you celebrate?

Great song, eh?

I'm feeling very Canadian this week. The leaves have hit the ground and I can't help but be reminded of the good ol' maple leaf.

And I can't stop listening to Canadian music.
 

So here's a little list of the très magnifique Canadian artists I've got stuck on repeat (categorized according to my ever-changing mood):

Chill the fudge out:
Both of the following folk groups have well-crafted, enchanting lyrics and charming vocals/instrumentals to match. I usually listen to these artists while writing, reading, or casually pondering the meaning of life.

Great Lake Swimmers: http://www.myspace.com/greatlakeswimmers

Olenka & the Autumn Lovers: http://www.myspace.com/olenkalovers

Carve a hole in the dance floor:
Electro music is still as steamy as ever, so get ready to shake the booty you never knew you had. Crank up the volume loud enough and you might just find me dancing on a table somewhere.

Thunderheist: http://www.myspace.com/thunderheist

MSTRKRFT: http://www.myspace.com/mstrkrft

Put on your best hipster plaid:
I've been listening to Still Life Still for a quite a while now and they always make me feel content with my weirdo self. And as for Chromeo, they make me want to snap my fingers and strut down the street like I'm the hottest neon tracksuit-wearer around.

Still Life Still: http://www.myspace.com/stilllifestill

Chromeo: http://www.myspace.com/chromeo

Trust me folks, the list goes on and I'm only scratching the surface here.

But if you're already drooling for more, I would suggest you head on over to !earshot and see what all the crazy university kids are listening to these days. Tons of great CanCon on there.

That's all for now, my friends, so stay fit, have fun, and keep your ears happy, eh!