Stories from Spain

I'm going to try something rather rare for this blog - the standard 'text and photo' format. It's occurred to me that I spent three weeks in Spain and haven't really told too many people about how wonderful my trip was. I took a good 500 pictures while I was away, and I hate the idea of them just sitting on my hard drive not being shared. I also have a lot of stories. I carried this notebook with me everywhere I went for the duration of my trip and made time to write in it every day about my experiences.

So here's an excerpt from my messy little notebook - complete with photos!

Today's story: The Palm Sunday Parade

Today is the beginning of Semana Santa. Spain being religious as it is infamous for being, this meant a PALM SUNDAY PARADE.

Mom, who had been standing outside the house enjoying the afternoon sun noticed a group of 30 people walking down the street. This seemed unusual for the small quiet beach town we'd come to know so she and I ventured out to investigate. As soon as we got to the main road - Calle San Sebastien - we knew somehting was happening. EVERYONE who has ever lived in the town of Conil was coming out in droves. Infants in strollers, babes in arms, teenagers, parents, grandparents, all dressed in their Sunday best [how some of those women navigate the steep cobblestone streets in those 5 inch stilettos is mind boggling].

Children were being herded along, elderly were being pushed in wheelchairs, and everyone was chatting as Spaniards do: loudly.

Mom and I lined up with the rest of the town, amazed at the sheer number of people, their age range, dress styles and excited voices.

Soon young children (maybe ages 5-8) dressed in blue and white shepperd outfits (for lack of a term) carried palm fronds down the street. They lined the sides, their mothers and supervisors walking with them, dolling out tostados and snacks to reward good behaviour.

After a slight (unnecessary?) pause the older kids came next; dressed head-to-toe in red velvet, pulling their hoods down so they could see through the eye holes.

Then played in by a Marching Band was the crown of the Parade: a giant silver float carried on at least thirty of the town's fit men. Atop - Jesus waving on a donkey while Mary watched from behind, a tear down her cheek.

YSL in B&W

via Impossible Cool

via French by Design

Have you seen this picture yet?

...I kind of think it's awesome.

So, I missed all the Royal Wedding buzz, slash photos and live feed on the big day so I'm a bit behind on the gossip. Funny that the pieces of information I did hear first were

a) Kate's dress was Alexander McQueen and she looked beautiful in a Grace Kelly kind of way

b) there were fighter planes flying a salute during the Balcony Kiss and

c) OMG Beatrice's Hat.

Just when I went online to write all sorts of blog-iful things, Blogger was down! What luck! For now let me just say that I'm Alexander McQueen obsessed (apparently) because not only do I wishwishwish I could go see this exhibit, but I love every single thing about these scarves and all I want is one (slash a few) to fabulous-up my wardrobe.

And then of course there's Sarah Burton's famous royal creation for one Duchess of Cambridge...

This ia what everyone told me about my trip. Travelling with my mother and sister raised a few concerns, but Spain is too wonderful. The sun is hot, the breeze is refreshing, the people are social, the streets are bustling, the flowers are blooming. We've drunk Sangria in plazas and cafe con leche on patios. Today we're venturing to one of the world's premiere museums to see some priceless art... Madrid is awesome. (And miraculously I can remember some of the feeble Spanish I picked up on previous trips to Central America and Andalucia!)

photo via yes and yes

Quote of the Day

Tu es un hombre muy bonito!

The above is perhaps the only complex sentence I can speak in Spanish.

With any luck I'll hook myself a sexy Spanish man with it though and then I'll have a Vicky Christina Barcelona time with a Javier Bardem-esque artist, but minus the crazy wife... or maybe not. I digress. The point is TODAY I LEAVE FOR SPAIN!!

Yes friends, I am going on vacation. And after a six-day work week, a sinus infection/cold, a family tragedy, - and really, let's face it, a craptastic winter - boy oh boy am I ready for a vacation. I am going to take lots of pictures to share, and even though I've been lagging in blog upkeep as of late, I shall try to check in, so to speak. Now I just have to do all of my last minute packing, hope I sleep on the plane and pray I make my next-to-impossible connection en route and HOLA ESPANA!!!

Holy Jumpin' do I wish I was this organized...

via tinywhitedaisies

First seen here.

...Awesome.

So I just got back from the National Theatre's production of Frankenstein. How you ask? Why because it was broadcasted live into my local movie theatre - heck yes technology! It was remarkable. The set was one of the coolest I've ever seen; Johnny Lee Miller's performance as The Creature was so physical and so heartbreaking I was truly amazed; Benedict Cumberbatch's Frankenstein was equally incredible in its' sincerity and relatibility; and the questions and comparisons posed about what it is to be Man vs what it means to be Monster were poignant. What resonated the most with me was both of the central characters' deep desire for companionship. During one scene the Creature implores Frankenstein to create a female to be his companion, and when Frankenstein asks why the Creature yells "Because I am lonely!" Ah to be lonely, what a sad fate indeed.

So I'm doing a little Spring Cleaning of my Favourites Bar and I see that I have been cultivating a collection of "Blogworthy Things I found on the Internet" for quite some time. Sooo here they are:

~ Spreading some love in Trinity Bellwoods
~ The most beautiful boardgame I have ever seen. But like actually. I want it so bad.
~ Great quote, adorable mug. (Did I already show you this? I do love it so...)
~ Super cute DIY
~ Crazy people
~ 10 Most Iconic Sunglasses of All Time
~ I want to go HERE and never leave. Ever.
~ I can't tell if this is real or fake
~ Lovely story, unbelievable photos

Happy Weekend!

Psst...

COZY

photo source

via Piccsy

QUOTE OF THE DAY

photo source

It's Spring! It's Spring!

I'm so happy that the sun is back, and warm winds, and smiles on faces, and birds and nature! (No leaves or cherry blossoms yet, but they are a comin' and I - along with the entire Canadian population - could not be happier that winter is "officially" over!!)

photo from National Geographic

My roommate is the bestest. She knew I'd had a bad week (partly because it was her who had to deal with my cynicism and sour mood) so when I got home from work yesterday she'd bought me a gift! It was the cutest little book that made me smile and brightened my day.

So in the spirit of passing on good deeds and kind gestures I'm gonna share some of the lovely thoughts encased within these charming pages with you:

It's been a long week and I'm glad it's Friday. Last night I couldn't sleep and so I put this song on to drown out the thoughts invading my brain. The video made me realize how awesome it would be to get in a car and go for a drive.



Instead I'm going to get on a streetcar and go to work. *sigh*

It's International Woman's Day!

New Music on a Monday Night

So this weekend while enjoying a post-brunch coffee at my cousin's house, he put Dan Mangan on the stereo. He might be my new fave - I mean the guy has a song about robot love! Truthfully I haven't listened to too much of his stuff yet, but everything I've heard so far is pretty swell so I thought I'd share. Also, I just love the opening to this music video.

This is a poster designed for children. I'm going to apply it to my Monday morning.

via Bohemian Hunter

Twitter, you've surprised me again...

WHY IS THIS NOT MY LIFE??!!?!?!?

via FrenchByDesign

Today spring came to Toronto.

The sun shone. The weather was warm. People were walking and smiling and the air smelled sweet.

It was perfect.

Chalk one up!

We're keeping score in my apartment.

Intellect and Romance VS Brute Force and Cynicism.

It's based on this, and the fact that Roomie is obsessed with Dr. Who. So far Intellect and Romance is up by two. Final score/photo to come.

photo source

Soo last week I announced that "February is the new January". I decided that this month is going to be the month where I start to get my life in order. I listed all of the plans I've made (plays, dinner dates, the opera) and all of the recipes I was going to start cooking, and all of the books I was going to read, and I woke up and did yoga and stretches every single morning of the week. I put effort into making my apartment neat and clean and vowed to keep it that way. February - unlike January when everybody says they're going to change their life/routine but never does it - is to be the month of getting my shit together.

Of course, that was last week.

Today, Day 1 of Week 2 of the awesome month of February, I slept in. I half-assed my stretches and did no yoga. I was tired and unenthusiastic at work. My pristine apartment looks like a war zone; as if at some point during the weekend a veritable team of sugar-high pre-teens ransacked the place leaving no counter space unsoiled, no dish un-dirtied, no item of clothing in its proper place. I ordered Thai take-out for dinner coupled with a tart taken home from work for dessert. I was too exhausted to do anything other than sit in the bath and drink tea. My body feels like it's been stuffed with cotton and my thoughts/brain resemble my apartment. [Have I expounded on the theory that the state of my bedroom always matches my mental state? Perhaps not, and perhaps here is not the time nor place to do so, but let me tell you that this is a true fact.]

Suffice it to say that I'm back in January mode. The 'it's 10 days into January and somehow I'm still eating turkey leftovers and my (over-acheiving) New Years Resolution has already been broken and I haven't seen the sun in days (weeks?!) and it's snowing again and it will never be spring ever and the only logical way to spend my spare time is in my pajamas' January mode.

True, I did go out a fair bit this weekend - being social, as per my 'Feb is Jan' referendum - but I think the real reason for my slovenly state is that changing one's routine is tiring. How do people do it???! Is it true that the only way to get out of a negative routine is to take it "One Day At A Time" ?! [Did I just use an AA reference?? Sorry if that is inappropriate.] These people who always get everything done - they must have a secret. Is there some sort of vegetable I should be eating? or perhaps I should actually be taking my daily B12? Or do I just have to suck it up, put in the work, and start by loading the dishwasher after doing stretches AND yoga tomorrow morning?

Ugh.

Ahh Monday...

I think I'd have a much easier time getting dressed in the morning if my closet looked more like this:

photos via {this is glamourous}

Quote of the Day

via French by Design

"New Zodiac" Blah Blah Blah

I don't care what anyone says. I'm a Cancer.

photo source

Confession:

This is a rather common occurrence in my apartment.

Also, I'm too tired right now to get up and go to bed. True story.

It got really cold in Toronto today.

Ice Queen photo by Cecil Beaton courtesy of Model's Own

Yes Please!

Can we focus on #s 1, 3, 5 and 6?!? DROOL.

via Vogue.com

Okay so all of last year I kept track of the books I read in the margin of this blog. Here is the list:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips
Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked WItch of the West - Gregory
Maquire
A Technique For Producing Ideas - James Webb Young
All My Friends Are Superheroes - Andrew Kaufman
Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
What Colour is your Parachute - Richard N. Bolles
The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammet
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Too Much Happiness - Alice Munro
Strengths Finder 2.0 - Tim Rath

It is not as long as I might have hoped however does average out to a book a month which is quite satisfactory. Actually, reading a minimum of one book a month might be a good goal for the coming year... hmmmm. I got a marvelous amount of books for Christmas so I've got plenty of delicious reads to sink my teeth into.



Of course if I had a swoon-worthy library such as this in my house, I'd likely be reading day in, day out. How cosy does that white chair look?!

Have you read any good books lately?

photo via Apartment Therapy

Radical dude!

Did I ever post these? I'm doing a little New Years purging of the files on my computer and I saw these amazingly cool photos of waves that my father sent me in an email way back in the summer. There is an actual person who takes these! I don't know how, and unfortunately I can't remember who but I just think they are spectacular. (And on a snowy January day, why not post some photos of sun and waves?)

Oh right, it's winter.

....of course the self-imposed hibernation of yesterday makes me feel compelled to leave the house today, which is kind of tricky because outside it looks like this:

Time to bundle up!

Sick Days are AWESOME.

So I took yesterday off work.

Tuesday night I got a dreadfully sore throat, Wednesday added a headache to the mix, and I decided that to fend off whichever illness was trying to take hold of me (Strep? MONO? I was imagining the worst) I'd better take a day to let my immune system do its thing.

Not wanting to bug my coworker to take my shift last minute I worked on Thursday (and was rather miserable) and then went home and didn't leave my house for what's now going on 42 hours.

Yesterday I woke up, sat in bed, went back to sleep, got up to take some vitamins and make some hot water with lemon and honey - a concoction which I firmly believe in during times of illness and which I drank constantly throughout the day - and do a crossword puzzle, went back to bed, went back to sleep, got up to eat some soup, read some blogs and magazine articles, went back to bed, went back to sleep, got up watched some bad tv, had some tea and a long hot bath, read a magazine, went back to bed and went back to sleep.

IT WAS AWESOME.

So this morning I awoke at the oh-so-reasonable hour of 8am feeling rested, refreshed, and 100% better. Huzaah! Take THAT winter cold! Victory is mine! I will never again try and 'work through' a cold. That is a silly notion that won't cure anything. I don't care where you work, surely you are not so important that your employer can't spare you for 1 day. Hell, even if you're not suffering from a cold giving yourself permission to do absolutely NOTHING for one whole day can only be beneficial in today's 'Go! Go! Go!' society. Take it from me, Sick Days are AWESOME.

Auld Lang Syne

Ah finally, a New Year's wrap-up with my kind of sentimentality: http://jezebel.com/5721528/fuck-you-2010

“We don’t need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and dont's; we need books, time, and silence.

--Philip Pullman

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone is happily recovering from their New Years' Eve celebrations. I am happily - if slowly - doing the same.

Cheers to 2010, what a year it was. And here's to the New Year, oh what adventures 2011 is sure to bring...

http://www.cbc.ca/day6/blog/2011/01/01/lets-go-around-again-by-tanya-davis/