Two people I wish I could marry

I'm currently reading Steve Martin's memoir about his stand up career, Born Standing Up. It is reminding me how much I love him (although his recent spot on 30 Rock did a lot for that, too). A throwaway line about Rick Moranis's Woody Allen impression (it was "so precise that it made Woody seem like a faker") made me remember how much I also love Rick Moranis (and spend a while tracking down a video; the quality of the picture isn't that good, but the quality of the impression is. It starts at 2:41. Also: another awesome Rick Moranis video. This one is especially good if you have an interest (or disinterest) in Canadian Cinema.).

(contented sigh)

Read read read read read read read

I wish I could do this.

Found via A Cup of Jo.

NYPL Menu Collection

Tunisian Nectar: Littleneck Clams, basement lingerie trimmings.

What??

The Miss Frank E. Buttolph American Menu Collection, 1851-1930. Thanks to Alex.

New York, New York (Public Library Digital Gallery)

Man oh man I love Information Studies sometimes. Today I am working on a critique of a digital library collection, and I have chosen the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. I'm always amazed by how much awesome stuff is out there in the world, just waiting for me to discover it. The Internet is so big. Slash awesome.

Almost yesterday

Tonight (/last night) was Nocturne - the Halifax nighttime art crawl. I missed it last year (adapting to a new city and getting used to my little corner of the city took all of my energy), but this year I really wanted to go. We wandered in and out of galleries, and saw a lot of (ahem) interesting work. My favourite moment, though, was when we walked into a (really rad) local store, Love, Me, and I realized after a moment that someone was sitting on a chair in the middle of the space, singing with a lovely voice. (This is her, Mary Stewart, below.) The moment (and her voice and songs) was so organic and simple and natural.

I also loved walking down Barrington, where two sets of shop windows on either side were set up to have rolling waves crashing down (in video format) on them. Ocean sounds were being played loudly. It sounds sort of ridiculous, and I don't know if I'm getting it across very well, but it was quite... Interesting? Evocative? Compelling? These were the "looking-at-art buzzwords" we were bandying about. I think most of them fit.

Movies ten (plus) years later

I watched the Truman Show again last night. That is one movie that really holds up well. All the more relevant given the tsunami of reality television that has since smashed over us.

Also, for some reason I've been really wanting to watch Fight Club again recently. This post reminded me that it's been 10 years since it came out. Weird.

Curly hair

My hair is currently the longest it has been in 15 years. For a long time, short hair was somewhat integral to the way I saw myself and my style. I was short hair. Then I worked in a hair salon, and got to see the ladies with their big, bouncy blow-outs, and I got a little bit envious. I remember talking with the salon manager, and her advice was to grow my hair out before I turned 30, and keep it long until I was at least 50. So I did. For the first time in my life I have had no real cravings for short hair, and I've really been enjoying playing with my hair: a flat iron, velcro rollers, and so on.

And today: a curling iron.

I've been wanting to buy one for months and months, and for some reason hadn't been willing to shill out the 16.99 (plus tax) for the Conair Instant Heat 1 inch ceramic curling iron... but one day, after gazing at it longingly, I decided to just buy it already. And today I started experimenting.

Things I learned: Don't use the tong part. I started out using it the way I assumed you were supposed to, clamping down on the bottom of the hair and curling up. No. The "new and cool" way to do it is to wrap the hair around the barrel of the curling iron, not letting the tong part touch the hair. You can see what the heck I'm talking about here.

In other news: I am craving good french toast.

Happy Thanksgiving

So Montreal has been fantastic so far. Today we had a Thanksgiving feast at Kat's; it was superb.

My favourite thing this Thanksgiving: Brussel Sprouts. I've been constantly devouring this recipe from Orangette. I double the recipe, and there are never any left. Highly recommended.

Things about Montreal so far:

The electric outlets are upside down.

I freeze when I should be putting my kindergarten through grade 7 French Immersion education to use. I feel slightly better about this when Sally (who is still taking french and particularly enthusiastic about her love for the language) is also hesitant when interacting with the cashier at the drug store: "Avez-vous une carte optimum?" Sally brandishes her optimum card, smiling silently. "Alors, c'est $12.47." Sally holds up her debit card. "Voulez-vous un sac?" Sally: "Non, merci." By this point the interaction was so adorable that I had to walk away. I go through long diatribes in my head (who's to say whether my grammar or vocabulary is correct - yesterday I decided that sac was the word for bed), but as soon as I am expected to open my mouth, English comes pouring out of it. Or I am almost mute.

I haven't fallen asleep listening to the sounds of a city underneath me in ages. I like it.

The feeling of all of the parts of the city I've been in is: eclectic. I love contrasts like the ones I see here.

Being in a place with a Chinatown is really nice and comforting.

Creativity

I'm taking a management skills development class this term. It's really great - we read about and assess our skills in relation to various management related issues (self-awareness, stress reduction, conflict resolution, etc.) and then talk about them in class. Today's class was centred around creativity, and according to the results of the self assessment, I was at the top of the scale.

This has me back to thinking about my career path. I want to make sure I get into a job where creativity and problem-solving is a major aspect. I have no idea what this will be.

So I loved Whip It.

I could feel the joy behind Whip It all the way through. You can tell that those wonderful women had an amazing time doing what they love, which is the whole point. I'm really proud of Ms. Barrymore. It's the kind of thing I wish I could have been a part of. Jubilant, exciting, funny, womanly, awesome.

Jim Henson

Jim Henson is very high up in my list of people I don't know personally but admire and love. Even though he's not alive anymore, I think he has left a legacy of awesome that will continue for a very long time.

I'm in the midst of planning my Montreal trip (T-minus four days and counting), so I've been checking out online links to Montrealy things. The Design*Sponge Montreal Design Guide led me to the Galerie & Boutique Headquarters blog, where I learned that September 25th was JHs birthday and was pointed to the Wikipedia entry on him, most specifically the section about his death and funeral - and warned that I would probably cry. And I did - but in the way that I usually cry, which is when I am reminded by how extremely kind people can be to one another, and how good, and how we can connect even when things are sad.

So: Be kind. Be good. Connect.

xo.

Also: Watch the Muppets Tribute to Jim Henson.

Two movies I've enjoyed this month:

An Education.


Tentative, amusing, alert.

The Boss of it All.



Absurd, droll, cool.



...I am feeling nearly wordless right now.