Toronto Welcomes the World... or something...

Well I guess the G20 has started... I decided to take my mother (who is visiting) shopping at the Eaton Centre after work today. The TTC was curiously inoperable so we walked the 40 minute walk to the mall only to find that it was closed. It was then that I noticed that Queen and Yonge was oddly eerie so I suggested instead that we headed to Urban Outfitters. When we got there, it looked like this:




Soooo at that point I busted out my trusy 'Berry and googled "Toronto Yonge St Protesters" and immediately up came this article. Huh.


Walking home was very strange... streets empty with the exception of pedestrians and wannabe journalists snapping photos on cameras and cell phones (myself included) and broken glass. Here are the crummy photos I took:

...turn on any news station to see images of the clashes that are still going on...

What a terrible, terrible way to get across any sort of message. What a shame.

Ah well, at least the delegates are oblivious and dining in style... or something.

Sunday Morning Update: More pictures, a map, and news reports on what went on.

Thought of the day:

Glad to know I'm not the only one with chandelier love...

...or a secret desire to be in a Jane Austen novel

I heart FIFA

Did I say I heart FIFA? I meant I heart footballers. Good gracious there are some good-looking soccer players... ay me. Roomie jokes that the most heard chant in our house during the World Cup has been "lookudim lookudim lookudim!" and if I'm honest, its probably true. I can't help it! Some of these boys are just too cute. There's a decent list compiled here, but believe me when I tell you that there are many many more gorgeous men running around out there on that pitch. Namely the entire Spanish team, and most of the Algerians and 'All Whites'.

Saddest thing I've seen all day

Delicate patterns in the sea breaking on Orange Beach, Alabama, more than 90 miles from the BP oil spill

AP Image found on TheGuardian.co.uk

Please just stop pointing fingers and clean up this mess.

PS- A friend of mine turned me onto this site should you want to get a clearer picture of how huge this disaster is.

FYI

I love absolutely everything about this house.

Bits and Bobs

Polaris Long List was released today. I'm in the mood for some new music, and since it is becoming clear that I'm not going to get to any NXNE perhaps I'll steal some names from this list...

On another note, So You Think I Can Dance (possibly my favourite summer indulgence) is back on. Definitely came home from work and caught up on the opening performances - all of which were amazing. I mean, c'mon:



ALSO my Mama comes tomorrow! For a whole week! Now I just need to figure out what we're going to do the whole time... I may steal some of these ideas from my awesome friend Whitney, can you think of any other fun activities?



[Was about to click "publish" when I noticed how late it is... I hadn't realized it was approaching 10pm because it is still light outside!!! Holy Jumpin! and HELLOOO SUMMER!! ]

Confession:

Sometimes I feel like I’m missing something when it comes to the whole social networking revolution that’s going on. I’d like to think that I could be on the ‘up’ when it comes to technology and current trends, but truth be told I've never been that interested. Growing up I much preferred books and make-believe to video games... although I do recall a DOS-run computer game called Treehouse (or something) that was a fave for my younger sister and me. I was never a big fan of msn, in fact the Hotmail address I currently use is the one my roommate gave me when she signed me up my first year of university after being shocked and appauled that I wasn’t an avid online chatter. It took me a few years to get on Facebook as well, and I must admit that I enjoy going on that site less and less in recent months (I keep saying I’m going to desolve my account and am promptly talked out of it by someone or other). I just now went on Twitter for the first time, didn’t sign up, and I’ve got to say, I just don’t get it. I just don’t feel the need to provide the world/cyberspace/whomever with 140 character-long updates or witticisms on a regular basis, call me crazy. I’ve even been rather lack-luster when it comes to blogging as of late, something which I DO realize and apologise for. (Sorry!)

Am I missing something? Am I a traitor to my generation? I mean, I love the internet, don’t get me wrong (not as much as Roomie, who really actually has professed her love for it). I appreciate the ways in which online media and social networking has changed the way we interact with the world and each other, it’s just that sometimes I can’t help but feel like mobile phones and computer screens are replacing face-to-face interaction, and that makes me a little concerned. People need to be touched, need to be seen and I hope that people will be able to put down their iPads, Kindles and Androids long enough to place some importance on real, tangible interaction every once in a while.

I'm sorry, but how freaking cool is this dog? It must be so much more fun to come home when this is what you see when you walk into your living room!

via desire to inspire

found on weheartit

Library Envy.

...and chair envy too!

via we heart it

Oh hey summer wardrobe

Calypso St. Barth summer chic via Black Eiffel

photo source

Is it weird that I'm envious of this man's style?

Like seriously, where can I find a pair of those loafers...

photo via the Sartorialist

I WANT TO GO SHOE SHOPPING SO BADLY!

And images like these, from wit+delight, are not helping...

This is what was parked outside my house this morning:

You can't read it, but believe me when it says "Husband-for-Rent Home Repairs".

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended; so I took a picture.

Today is another grey and rainy day. I would love to stay in bed, but alas I must get up and off to work. (Did I tell you? I GOT A JOB!!)

In attempt to ward off any grey and rainy thoughts maybe I'll think of summer strawberries (the best of all the berries). I wonder when strawberry season starts in Toronto?

photo credit

via {this is glamorous}

Indulge me here...

I'm not sure if it has become apparent or not, but maybe a part of me wishes I lived in a different century...that or was somehow connected to a royal family. Why? I'm none too sure; but if either of these things were true than I would have such an amazing excuse to wear any of these spectacular fascinators:

The first and last one are my absolute favourites, because after all if you're going to be wearing ostentatious flowers, feathers and netting on your head, you might as well make it as large as possible.

These are courtesy of by Harriet, a UK outfit introduced to me by my Bride-to-be JMac. She might get a headband from them, and I kind of hope she does, just so maybe I can wear it for 5 minutes and pretend I'm en route to some sort of Derby or High-Society Event. Seriously though ladies, don't pretend you wouldn't feel capital "F" Fabulous wearing one of these millinery delights...

HOLD THE PHONE!

Topshop is coming to Toronto. Fashionphiles everywhere rejoice!!

Technically they're not opening a 'Topshop store' BUT once they've tested the market, so to speak, I'm certain some sort of flagship store will prop up on Bloor or Queen West. Bring it on. Nothing like more opportunity to spend money I don't really have on hyper-trendy pretty things...

http://www.thestar.com/living/fashion/article/815307--topshop-tests-toronto-market-with-ossington-ave-shop

My weekend away was sunny fun relaxing vacation time... I kind of wish I hadn't come home. But it's sunny and fun here in Toronto too, so I'm going make this little diddy my song of the day, and smile and dahnce dahnce dahnce.

I feel like if I ever opened up my own business, this is exactly what my Business Hours sign would look like.

via Model's Own

I'm going away for the weekend and I'm finding it very difficult to pack. Mostly because it's 30 degrees out and the only thing I feel like wearing is a mumu-like maxi dress or a towel... Hmmm

Confession:

I LOVE BREAKFAST.

I am a breakfast-a-holic. When I was in High School, I remember my mother forcing a Carnation Breakfast Shake into my hand as I ran out the door, for when I was a teenager I was "too cool" for breakfast (or something.) I don't know what I was thinking. Breakfast is amazing. There are so many options, most of them quick and easy, all of them delicious. I love cooking breakfast; I love eating breakfast at non-breakfast times - an omelet for lunch, crepes for dinner - and don't even get me started on brunch.

This morning Roomie kindly offered me half of the last slice of the banana bread she baked this weekend (breakfast baked goods = another fave) and a couple of hours later, I decided I was still hungry. I needed some protein to sustain me through what I am determined to make a highly-productive day, so I decided on an egg (I love eggs to the point where people I have lived with have felt compelled to comment on the amount of eggs I consume. I'm okay with it). Due to my love of breakfast, and my deep affinity for cooking breakfast, I am now sitting down to an egg scramble with baby spinach, mushrooms, spanish onion, and a hint of goat cheese. Delightful!

[Sidenote: Roomie, I stole a teaspoon of your goat cheese :) Love you! I'll pay you back double - that's 2 teaspoons of goat cheese people!]

For when it comes to breakfast, why have a scrambled egg, when you can have a scrambled egg with veggie goodness in it, and why have one breakfast when you can have two! Maybe I'll pour myself a glass of orange juice to wash down all of this breakfast excitement...

Oh! PS. Have I told you about my friend's glorious breakfast blog? If not, I am now. A Perfect Spread. Check it out... perferably on a full stomach because if not you may just get too hungry to bear it.

I think I need to start watching Mad Men. Because its set in the 60s, its all the rage, its won awards, blah blah blah... mostly, just because of this photo:

[via the Impossible Cool]

Good ol' Rich Terfry played this song this afternoon when I got home. It's going to be my Saturday morning song. I propose you wake up, turn up the speakers and shake your thang to start your weekend.

Oh hey,

I have been remiss in my blogger duties this week, and for that I am sorry. I have been thinking of things to blog about though, I promise! Have a peak at all of the pictures I saved on my desktop, just to share with you:

Okay, so first there was the time I was supposed to be on Craigslist searching for jobs, but was distracted by Net-a-Porter. I (naturally) gravitated straight to the shoe department where I found these Louboutins that would look friggin fabulous with my bridesmaids dress Sadly, these cost a cool $800 (or something) but due to the fact that I am half a foot taller than my Bride-to-be friend high heels have been outlawed anyway... I suppose it just wasn`t meant to be.

But maybe I could somehow, someway get my hands on these Pedro Garcia beauties, so that I could wear them ALL SUMMER LONG.Or these adoooorable Chloe flats, which I would just wear always, everywhere..

I also happened upon this beautiful Richard Nicoll number, which is just the most chic and comfy of summer dresses, that I would have l-0-v-e loved to wear to the opera on Wednesday night (I went to the opera on Wednesday night!)




But enough fantasy shopping! Look at all of the other pictures I found:

Bookshelf envy, courtesy of Mr. Lagerfeld (of course..)

And some more organized clutter:

and I found some adorable brogues (just when you thought I was done showing you pictures of shoes...)

and then, just because it`s Friday, how about some twirly fun:

Photos from Net-a-Porter, The Selby, Snippet&Ink, and Audrey Hepburn Complex

One thing I've discovered about living in an open-concept apartment is that any item out of place, or papers piled up, or dishes on the counter can be seen from everywhere. So even when my apartment isn't 'messy' by any stretch of the imagination, it quite often looks cluttered or disorganized. This leads to my second revelation: I don't like clutter.

This probably sounds rediculous to anyone who knows me, as I have a lot of stuff, and it does tend to spread out wherever I go. The thing is I like stuff, I would love for my apartment to be filled from tip to toe with a myriad of things...as long as there is some sort of (albeit mysterious) order to it. Kinda like this:

Song for the Day

It is 20 degrees out right now. Last time I recall a temperature of 20 degrees celcius at 9 in the morning was when I was in the south of Spain.

Today's forcasted high = 28 degrees.

Holler - it is summer.

I'm running out to do all of my errands now so that this afternoon I might find myself on a patio or in a park enjoying this beautiful, beautiful day; and while I bop around town in my shorts and sandals, I will be singing this song in my head:

Just checkin' in on a Saturday morning...

Aww what a sad day for Law & Order fans! (and who isn't a Law & Order fan, let's be serious.) How mean of NBC not to let TV's oldest cop drama turn 21!

Today I'm volunteering for an opera company that's putting on an outdoor event in the Distillery District (my FAVE part of town). Then it's off to the 'burbs for a backyard barbeque! What fun! Here's hoping the sun shines, and that you have a busy, happy Saturday too!

Roomie showed me this delightful video last night, and this morning I am going to show it to you. The song is pretty great (I am a sucker for ANY song that includes the cello) but the stop motion is super cool. Enjoy! Happy Thursday!

Just a couple of cool things that I discovered...

So on Tuesday, after picking out a bitchin' bridesmaids dress I strolled around the Danforth - a really cute part of town that I really must explore further. As I strolled, I perused a few boutique stores. Highlights were Drysdale & Co which was filled with great stationary, knick-knacks, and

this cute-as-a-button water bottle which I had to buy (it was on sale!)

Second fave was Bullet which housed a myriad of home and bathwares, all Euro-inspired, and all of which I want to own. One of the most fabulous of all of these fabulous houseware lines was Emma Bridgewater. She is British (so naturally I am drawn to everything) and she just makes the greatest pottery. I really, really, really like the "Black Toast" pattern.

I mean seriously, could these be any more darling?? I'm in typography heaven.

Oh hey, dream bedroom?

ThiI just think this is so serene, and chic and functional. And it's feminine, but not too "girlie". All it needs is a chandelier! (I'm obsessed with the idea of having a chandelier in my bedroom. Just ask Roomie... I talk about it All. The. Time.)

}Found on a new, fab blog I discovered today, Dress Design Decor

I still love you Julie Andrews!!

CBC News - Music - Julie Andrews concert slammed by critics, some fans

What a shame that her 'comeback concert' was so ill-received. Mary Poppins was my absolute favourite movie as a little girl, and whether she sings or "speak-sings", Julie Andrews will always rock my socks.

I'm pretty happy about being in the city for the Contact Festival.

All month long, downtown Toronto will be inundated with a myriad of photographs from all over the world. This year, "the 14th annual CONTACT will consider the ways in which photography informs and transforms human behavior. CONTACT 2010: Pervasive Influence will reveal personal and social consequences of the medium of photography, in a society devoted to the image " which sounds interesting.

All in all, downtown Toronto will be prettier, I'll get to see some cool photographic art, and I'm fairly certain most of it is free of charge - win, win!

Reasons why I love the Guardian:

I get to see well edited videos of pretty things, like this... and hilariously awful videos of sadly entertaining things, like this.

Plus, its British, which makes it inherently awesome, naturally.

I haven't been perusing my blogs very frequently lately - partly because I lost all of my bookmarks when my Dell kicked the bucket 10 days ago, and partly because its been suuuper nice out making me want to be outdoors soaking up sunshine...and partly because I feel guilty for looking at anything online that isn't a job posting. BUT since it is Friday and I'm a little discouraged I'm taking the time to reacquaint myself with the websites I so thoroughly enjoy. Like Design Is Mine. It's a darling site, and along with posting enviable interiors, she finds adorable things like this, which always make me smile.

What about the fishies?!

Okay so granted I have been less than vigilant in keeping up with current affairs recently, but I've been reading about the BP Oil spill and it seems to me as though every one is so concerned about the oil reaching various shores and no one seems to take pause and consider the effect this is having on marine life. Birds covered in oil is a bad thing, but birds eating fish covered in oil can't be good either. So here's hoping the giant dome thingy actually works, despite predicted odds of 1000:1. Here's hoping not just for all of the birds and land-bound wildlife, but for all the little fishies too. Having 210 000 gallons of crude oil gushing in your home must suck, so marine life, I'm pullin' for ya.

Did I tell you that I'm a Maid of Honour this summer?

It's very exciting, and while I have been slack in my duties (my Bride-to-Be is England, making coordination a little difficult), today and tomorrow I think I'm going to take a break from Job Hunting to hunt for the perfect green bridesmaids dress instead.

photo via krisatomic

Don't be jealous...

This afternoon roomie and I bought Twerpz, Cherry Blasters and two cans of Pringles in preparation for tonight's Glee episode - which includes appearances by Olivia Newton-John AND Molly Shannon, AND a 1980's musical theme. Sounds like a Rockin' Tuesday Night to me!

“It is through living that we discover ourselves, at the same time as we discover the world around us.”

—Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1952

via Ciao Chessa

Last night's party was just swell! The house is definitely warmed. Great mix of friends and acquaintances, both old and new; music, drinks, warm evening breezes and conversation. Our house doesn't look any the worse for wear either. With the exception of the balloons that are still taped up on the wall (because what's a party without balloons?) and a collection of empty bottles on the counter, its as if nothing ever happened. Hopefully this is the first of many fun evenings to come.

After a relaxing day with friends, a recouperative evening nap, (for lately I can't seem to make it through the day without a nap) and a few too many samplings of left-over party snacks I am greatly looking forward to a quiet Sunday evening filled with cups of tea, a tv show or two, and hopefully a thunderstorm. Have I mentioned that I love thunderstorms? Because I do. The forecast was for rain and showers all day, and although the bulk of the afternoon was sunny and hot, the sky has been taken over by dark grey clouds and the air is thick and heavy. Bring it on.

Hope your weekend was everything you wanted, and that the rest of this Sunday evening leaves you feeling ready to tackle the week ahead.

If this doesn't brighten your saturday...

...then I don't know what will.