Bring on the sunshine
Today is the first day in weeks that I’ve sounded less like Tom Waits and Kathleen Turner’s love child and more like myself. Between the wretched head cold and the now infamous Saskatoon food poisoning incident, it’s been a touchy couple of weeks in the health and general “feeling good” department. It rained and rained yesterday, so much so that I couldn’t even see across the street at my North Shore office at times. While I do enjoy the odd day of rain pounding hard on the roof incessantly, it would be lovely if the person who is stepping on spiders could please stop now, because I definitely liked that sunshine we had on the weekend better. That, and I’m ready to break out the flip flops.
Visions of summer have been dancing in my head for a few weeks now and the more
ideas that are discussed and plans that are made, the more excited I become about the upcoming season. I wish that I could start living in sundresses right now. Warm, sunny days at the beach, long walks on the sea wall and the bronze, glowing skin that results from a summer day outside are all things to look forward to.
Chatting with
Keira today got my mind wrapped up in fantasies about flowing summer dresses and perfect, pedicure exposing footwear. Being the procrastinating creature that I am (even at deadline time)- I spent a few moments googling shoes this afternoon. You better believe that these babies by Marc Jacobs are going on my wish list (along with several other more affordable pairs).
Photo: Marc Jacobs
The soles of your shoes are all worn down
There is an urgency; a need for something to really feel like it’s ended, or begun-in these last few weeks.
I’ve spent time bouncing from place to place.
I’ve spent time trying to hold on to something I believe in.
It is now time to let some slack come between me and the boat I’ve been tied to.
Finding a new boat on a new shore.
Or an old boat on a new shore. Both.
Why do I keep thinking of shores, and waves?
I keep thinking of coming home to something.
Or something coming home to me.
My arms are open in front of me.
Pretty Things
Photo: Sass A Frass
Yesterday I mentioned, once again, a band that I’ve been loving since the first listen: Le Rev. The front woman for this band is also the blogger behind Sass A Frass and the face of the new Quiksilver Women’s line. C.C. Sheffield is my latest girl crush and fashion muse. She’s both carefree and totally put together. I adore her willingness to experiment with her style. Punk, hippy, classic, tomboy; she can pull off any style without even trying. Plus, she’s got love for my boy Rob Dyrdek.
I was initially exposed to Le Rev because one of their songs is featured in the Quik Women’s vibe video. I loved the song Je t’aime immediately and was determined to track down more tunes by this Los Angeles band. C.C. Sheffield can downshift from whisper to scream in a drumbeat, alternately channeling personas as varied as a French chanteuse, larger-than-life diva and little girl lost to belt out emotionally-charged stories. Le Rev is the creation of Sheffield and guitarist Nico Chiotellis, who wrote all the songs together and created an incredible and unique sound.
If you haven’t checked out the blog and sound of this young lady, may I please suggest that you do.
Photos: csheffield52 on Flickr and Le Rev on Myspace
Happy Friday!
I feel like I’ve been quite the whiny, little Negative Nelly over the last couple of weeks. So today, I’m going to pull a Meg and shout out some love with my very own Friday love list.
Looking on the bright side (it’s been a while, I know…) here’s what I love right now:
- that I get to fly home to my own cozy apartment tomorrow
- my growing OZ dvd collection (and the awesome chica who got me hooked!)
- giant cups of green tea
- perfect ballet flats
- the fact that this hotel has a snack bar that’s open 24/7 with a full fridge of beverages and a neverending supply of Snickers
- Le Rev
- good hair days
- that I still have a sense of humour after a couple of the most stressful weeks of my life
- that I have the most amazing co-worker to travel with who somehow makes the hardest parts seem easier to handle (and manages to keep me laughing through it all)
- Habs playoff hockey
- comfy hoodies
- big hugs
- Advil liqui-gels
- this new Gap ad featuring the divine Ms. Hepburn: (courtesy of YouTube)
Not the best week of my life…
Life on the road has been less than fabulous this time around. I’ll be honest…we’ve been punched in the face with a whole lot of bad luck on this trip. The worst of which, found me huddled beside the toilet for most of yesterday. What I thought was a touch of the flu, turned out to be a gut wrenching case of food poisoning. I was literally vomiting between showings. It was awful. To be honest, it was the most horrible that I can ever remember feeling in my entire life. There’s not much worse than being sick like that when you’re away from home, either. I was writhing around on the bed in my hotel room for hours in pain. Not fun. Thankfully, it seems to have passed through my system now. Despite feeling weak and tired, the worst of it seems to be over. Only two more days to go until I get to go home to my own, comfy bed.
Having the opportunity to lay around last night, I finally got the chance to watch a movie that the lovely Shando has been on my case to see for eons. What better to do when you’re ailing than watch a no brainer flick? She kindly lent me her copy of
‘Because I Said So’. She warned me that Diane Keaton would be pretty irritating and that although it’s a rather cheesy romantic comedy, Mandy Moore plus her hair and wardrobe in the film would be cute enough to make up for it. I have to agree.
I have long loved Mandy Moore and this movie made me smile, even on the grumpiest and ickiest of days; so that’s saying something. In addition to the beautiful clothes, the set designs were also fantastic. Mandy Moore’s character in particular, lives in a gorgeously decorated loft. She has a rich velvet couch and warm coloured walls, lamp shades, lanterns, carpets and furniture. She also has the most amazing set of open-concept kitchen shelves I’ve ever seen! I must admit, I feel inspired to redecorate my apartment, curl my hair, put on a dress and do some baking after watching this movie.
Photos: Universal
It’s just that simple
I spent one night in Vancouver last night but otherwise, it’s been all awkward sleeps and crazy dreams. I’m not really here, it seems. Nothing is happening to bring me back to earth.
The last week has taken me from this:
to this:
New people.
I’m learning so much right now.
I miss my old friends.
I even miss my new friends…
I’m getting to know people, being open and laughing about our thoughts, our misfortunes,
and our futures. Talking about how thankful we are for people like us…
helpful, giving, gracious, funny, smart…
For the first time in quite some time,
I’m looking forward to the summer,
this new chapter.
All the disillusionment is gone.
I can, for once, answer Why. Where. Who…
So I will try my best to keep all the thoughts straight.
I will try my best to keep my head above water,
to keep everyone content (so hard sometimes!)
to keep phones ringing with good news,
to involve myself.
make room.
talk.
I will not take anything for granted-
especially spending time with amazing
and way too special people.
GO HABS GO!
Well hockey fans, the NHL playoffs are upon us and if you’ve watched any of the action recently, you know that playoff hockey is of an entirely different calibre than anything we see during the regular season. This time of year, it’s all heart, passion, blood, sweat and tears in the hunt for the prized Stanley Cup. Every goal is precious, every power play makes your breathing shallow, every spectacular save can alter sports history. It is non-stop, one thousand percent adrenaline.
Photo: Jimmy Lin on Flickr
Anybody who has known me since I was a kid knows that although I love our Canucks (and I support the home team ’til the cows come home), at heart, I am a Habs fan. It’s true, I bleed bleu, blanc and rouge.
It all started back in grade four when my class did a unit on the history of hockey. As I learned all about the ‘Original Six’ and the wonder that was Maurice Richard…a love for the game, and a team was born. At that time, the starting goaltender for the Montréal Canadiens was Patrick Roy. This was the man who really made me jump to my feet. I was completely taken by him and instantly became a super fan. Posters of my beloved Patrick covered my bedroom walls, hockey cards filled books on my shelves, and believe it or not, I had a full wardrobe of Montréal Canadiens apparel. Embarrassing as it may be, at that time, I could regularly be seen dressed head to toe in Habs gear. And I actually mean head to toe- I even owned a hair scrunchie and a sweet pair of shoes with logos on them. I had earrings and necklaces to go with my hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, pants and socks. Then there were those famous Habs boxer shorts that I wore underneath my basketball uniform, with just the fringe showing, to add some personal flair. That big “C” with the “H” in the middle appeared on everything that I did- test papers, assignments, after my signature. It was even on my birthday cake. I was obsessed. The boys in my class were evenly split in terms of the teams that they supported. Half of them were die hard Flames fans, and the rest were hardcore Bruins boys. The Flames guys never gave me too much trouble…but every year when the Habs came up against Boston in the playoffs (…and choked, as in those days they did quite often)…I would come into class after game four to find brooms adorning my desk, (courtesy of the boys) because my Habs had been swept.
Photo: Taken from here
Granted, the old red-white-and-blue have had their share of ups and downs this season, but in the pantheon of hockey lore, the club’s legendary status is unflappable. Why cheer for the Habs this year, you ask? First, they still hold the record for most Stanley Cups won (24 as of 1993) and most consecutive championship victories (five). Also, no other NHL team can hold a candle to the Canadiens when it comes to hockey drama. Québec fans expect a lot from their team, so famous dust-ups; notably Patrick Roy’s famous walk-off in 1995—often make the front page news. Then there’s that ‘Original Six’ factor. Along with Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago and New York, Montréal was one of the first cities in North America to adopt professional hockey, so know that when you watch them play, you’re watching hockey history in action. This is also a team that doesn’t f around with their uniforms. They’ve had the same logo from day one (unlike other, uh, more local teams, who change their whole colour scheme and logo on a regular basis). Finally, it doesn’t hurt at all that Carey Price is a total babe. (Ok, maybe I have a thing for goaltenders?)
Yes, it’s true that the Habs haven’t had much reason to stay off the golf course this time of year in recent seasons; however, this year, for the first time in ages, the Montréal Canadiens’ immense playoff expectations have whipped the city into a frenzy as fans dream of a Stanley Cup run that will raise another banner to the Bell Centre rafters.
I’ve been cheering my little heart out tonight. The Habs just pulled off a 1-0 win over Boston to put them up 3-1 in the series…going back to Montréal for game 5. My neighbours can probably hear me cheering: “GO HABS GO!” Hopefully they’ll be able to hear me through the walls for at least a couple more series. The drive to 25 is on!
Fresh air, new friendships, love is all around
The last week has been a tough one for me on many levels. It was clear that I needed to find a way to re-centre myself and put some balance and self love back into my life. On Saturday morning, I awoke under my comfy down duvet and took a deep breath of the spring air trickling in through my window along with the sunlight. I got up to go meet two incredible ladies, Keira-Anne and Phaedra, for a Hidden Language yoga class. It has been difficult for me to put into words just how profound this experience was for me. In the past, I had always had trouble allowing myself to get into a true meditative state. My busy mind has always had a tendency to wander. Yesterday, for the first time, I was able to shut everything else off and completely focus. I’m quite certain that it was the cocoon of love I felt around me in that room, which allowed me to be comfortable and relaxed enough to really connect with myself.
Photo: Keira-Anne on Flickr
Thoughts and epiphanies were coming at me like wildfire. At moments, I felt waves of intense emotion. At one point, I almost completely broke down in tears.
It occurred to me that sometimes when we close one book in our lives, it allows us the strength and courage to open another. There is freedom in choice. I want to be able to say that I’ve lived a life rich in experience. I want to be able to say I’ve done the things I’ve dreamed of doing. I want to try lots of things out, test the waters, find out who I am and what is going to make me happy. It dawned on me that thinking myself into a sad, sad place will not help me get out of there. I have to be the change I want to see.
I’m becoming more and more myself all the time. I’ve often said I believe that’s what grace is; the refinement of your soul through time. I have a responsibility not to be afraid of who I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve, I do. Although I stand on my own two feet, I have such gratitude for the passionate people who have supported me, touched my heart and impacted my life in such a profound way. People really do come into our lives for a reason. I have realized that you have to be careful of your heart always missing someone or someplace or something. I don’t want to spend forever trying to get back to some imaginary somewhere. That’s how life becomes one long longing. If one lesson has really jumped out at me, it is the importance of living and loving in the moment. Live. Laugh. Love. These are the important things to me right now.
A gentle confidence
“I believe that reality is a sublime comedy staged for my education and amusement, and that there is a benevolent conspiracy to liberate me from my ignorance and help transform me into the unique masterpiece I was born to be.”
That’s what my horoscope said that I should repeat over and over again.
Photo: rayvensmoon on Flickr
I’ve had a few pretty terrible days lately. Delicate emotional hurricanes have been plaguing me this week…
Today was the worst of it. I finally errupted this evening and the result was a sea of tears that felt like they would never end.
It’s finishing all the crucial stuff- all the critical stuff that I need to do before I go on the road. Stress. Pressure. Trying to protect my heart and my spirit.
And the time is passing so quickly.
I find myself being scared and anxious and lonely-
and with no one to share the other side of this with-
the nervous excitement and the tingling I feel in my fingertips.
I’m entering into this one with a gentle confidence.
Now who inspires you?
When I was a little girl, I would spend hours and hours going through magazines, clipping out photos and stashing them in boxes. I collected photos of, among other things, cute boys, interesting places, cool designs, stylish outfits, beautiful women, favourite celebrities, photos from movies I loved, or of hairstyles and makeup that I imagined trying to emulate. Every once in a while, when I’d collected a fair number of photos, I would make what I called “inspiration books.” I’d pull out the glue sticks and fasten all of the photos that inspired me onto the pages of scrapbooks. To this day, I collect random images that I come across, which (thanks to the miracle that is the internet) I can now store in folders on my computer rather than boxes in my bedroom. I save them for essentially the same purpose that I did when I was young. In many ways, this whole blog is an extension of that- I share all of the things, books, quotes, people, places and photos that inspire me on a regular basis here. But for the sake of tradition, because I was feeling nostalgic of that old practice, I present to you today, a modern, digital version of something I’ve been doing my whole life. This is the first installment of a new section that I’m going to call “inspiration posts.”
**Photos are not all property of Work In Progress. All images in this post have been taken from various websites and stockpiled in the archives. If your photo has not been credited and you would like it to be, please e-mail me.**
