saved my life

thanks to old friend darrah for this gem. i'd been hearing this song lots on cbc in the mornings (shout out, tom power!), and this is a pretty solid live taping. there's one moment or two where the harmony doesn't quite hit, but not bad at all. and his awesomely lippy jowls face makes me so happy.



happy monday!

i'm sorry. for the next 6 weeks

 {this woman is on a cleanse. i will not be happy and in a field and cleansing like this woman.}

DISCLAIMER POINT TIMES A MILLION! THIS IS NOT A CLEANSE! THIS IS NOT A DIET! IF YOU CALL IT A CLEANSE OR A DIET I WILL LOSE MY MIND ALL UPONS YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN SO WARNED.

starting today i will not be eating a whole pile of things that i love eating. because a naturopath told me not to. because my body is all 'uuuuh, we don't know about these things. these things make us feel like bleeeeehhhhhhhh'. (my body is not very articulate.)

i am super excited about this and also very very not excited. for one thing, i will be one of 'those' people who can't eat a lot of stuff, and therefore can't eat at a lot of restaurants, friends' houses, so on. i will be difficult. and i hate that. also, i'm not so much with the super-strength will power. and i LOOOVVVEEE food and drink. and i hate to be so limited in what i can consume.

but. then again. i have been so doubled over so many times with mysterious mystery pain from eating and drinking. and if i can live life without having to leave parties and dinner tables to cry in the bathroom... well. it'll all be worth it. for sure. it'll be good to know that not being in pain is as simple as not eating such-and-such thing. i have to go full-tilt for six weeks. no cheats. and then i can re-introduce slowly, one or two items at a time. and see if it was a temporary negative reaction my body was having (over-consumption of the same things can apparently cause this) or a full-forever reaction. me and my body. trying to talk to each other.

but i'll say one more time, sans caplocks just to be nice. this isn't a diet and it isn't a cleanse. i'm not doing this to 'detox my system' or flush out water-weight or blah blah gross-dumb. i HATE cleanses and diets. this is not a vanity project. this is me trying to not poison myself anymore. this isn't some run of the mill list of thangs. this is a specific list. that my body chose. to eliminate. if i were allergic to bees, and decided to stop getting stung by bees for a while to see if i felt better, no one would say 'oh, you're doing one of those bee-free facial skin rejuvenation plans? my aunt did that!' because people would know that not getting stung by bees when you have a bad reaction to bee stings that is slowly killing you is a GOOD idea for your health. BLAH BLAH I HATE CLEANSES!

anyways! hoping you'll be super supportive of me, and accept my pre-apology for being difficult and probably pretty whiny. here's what i can't eat!!!

fruits: banana, cantaloupe, mango, strawberry, pineapple, watermelon, avacado,

veg: carrots, cabbage, corn, mushroom, eggplant, pepper (green & red),

dairy: cowmilk, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, 'american' cheese (ha! what?!), whey (cowmilk),

grains etc: buckwheat, malt (barley), gluten, gliaden, oat, rye, yeast (brewers), wheat bran, wheat (whole), navy bean, dill, hops, peanut, poppyseed,

fish/meat: clam, crab, lobster, shrimp, ham,

fun things: milk chocolate, MSG, superheated veg fat (deep frying), sugar (white & brown), beer, coke, wine (red & white)

 {goodbye, sweetest friends}

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! here goes. i realize that i've already messed up, cause i forgot oats were on the list and had oatmeal for breakfast. damn it! ugh. this is gonna be a hard time!

ff

YAY I LOVE THE OLYMPICS YAY!!!!!

*somali women running like wow!

isn't it great when there is great news?! IT IS GREAT! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE OLYMPICS!!!

i me

i have put together some small collections of photos from the iphone from this last while. here is some of my life.

and a bonus. some magic... however did we manage it?!

greytech

purchase!

i am super super super excited about this particular buy. it hasn't even arrived yet, but i couldn't wait to write about it cause it looks soooooo good. oooof. i have been looking around for a truly awesome ipad case ever since i got a truly awesome ipad for my birthday. i wanted something exceptionally stylish (duh) but also functional. i had found lots that fit one of the other end of those needs. but not both. until...

{photos and ordered from hard graft}

tada! amazing, right? so lovely. felt and leather and greeeeeeyyyyyyyy. everything i love. soft and hard and utilitarian and detailed just so... i cannot wait to see it and hold it. oooof again and oooof once more. i'll let you know how it works on arrival. pumped.

saved my life

i seem to have a sml block. i forgot to post this last week. and then again yesterday! booo, erin.

this video makes me think a bit of tim & eric (awesome show, great job). and a solid song, too. in my head a lot these days.



happy mon(tues)day!

nails and skin

purchases. toilettries style! nail polish (of course) and a facial exfoliating machine. whirrr whirrrrr.

rant

this is a non-friday feminist post because i had already written yesterday's post when something happened that made me foam at the mouth. and i don't feel like waiting till next week to talk about it.

here we go! let's look at this infographic of how sexism works, shall we?

{thank you, xkcd}

i saw this wee cartoon while reading melissa's piece about how feminism works. good stuff. 

and then i had a lovely example handed right to me! how lucky am i?! i was out with friends at a bar. i ordered a martini. a male friend - who as far as i know is a kind and caring and loving type of man - said to me:

'how on the market are you?!' with a sly, slightly condescending look and sassy smile. then explained to me that girls always order martinis when they're single and looking... he sees it all the time. a girl orders a cosmo and it's all a big show of being out there, available, looking for a maaaannnnn. (note. he's bar tended lots. so. he knows.)

here are some important facts. yes. i am rather-newly single. true. i am 'available' i suppose, and 'out there', although the idea of picking up at a bar makes me want to vomit a bit (a lot). i was drinking a dirty gin martini and not a cosmo... 

but. those things DON'T ACTUALLY MATTER AT ALL! because, actually, turns out, i like martinis. and i drink them. because. i like them. in fact, i drink martinis when i'm in relationships too! look at my instagram for proof. ask any of my exes. i ALSO drink martinis when i'm single but NOT looking. which is a thing which is possible, too. weird, right?

when i tried to argue those points, i was of course told that i was being defensive and (by a female friend, too) that that defensiveness was caused by the fact that i knew it was true. blah blah.

nope. that wasn't defensiveness. that was anger. anger that a girl can't drink a drink she likes without it being a big thing that girls do. you know. like sex and the city told us to do it. like shit girls say.

the man also asked me why i didn't just order a double shot of bourbon. and also argued that if i was drinking gin cause i liked gin, i wouldn't have ordered the 'bar rail' gin. my being frugal (or cheap, whichever you prefer) was not a thing, apparently. and. the fact that i didn't want bourbon... or beer, or wine, or vodka, or water, or sodapop, or or or... i'm not going to go into it.

know what tells you i'm on the market? asking my friends if they know of anyone who might be interesting. going on eharmony. going on dates with humans. my saying so. know what doesn't? WHAT I'M DRIKING. because actually, i am me. and not every girl/woman. 

now here's a picture of margene to diffuse some of my (and hopefully your) rage.

that is all. thank you.

ff

on tuesday of this week, equal pay day was celebrated. that sad tragic holiday that says 'hey! wouldn't it be nice if we could celebrate equal pay?! it would! be SO NICE! but we can't. sorry! we still suck at paying men and women equally. ooooops!'

or.

why i still expect men to pay for the first date, even though i'm a modern, feminist woman.

when we are equally rewarded for our work, i will happily let that expectation go. you're welcome.

{quote in a quote! david futrelle and hilary m. lips}

*david looks at numbers and more.

but also:

*a good point on people who don't get to be equal, too.

sure, this is american stuff. US, that is. numbers. but. you know. like always. we're really close to that country. think about it. think if there's anything you can do about it. (hint. maybe start with un-gender-essentializing. which is a new term i just invented! because women can totes be inventors.)

tunneling

oh man! making these little mood-based photo collages is rocking my world! i love it. i can't stop. this time is dirt and heat and earth and sun and anthills.

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

 {borrowed from here & here}

(as a background on what i do when i make these; i start with one idea/feeling, and find a picture that fits. this time it was the anthill. then i go searching and searching through the internets for photos that fit the colour, style, pattern, composition, balance, theme and feeling of that first photo. i collect a bunch together, and then i arrange them in little families. then i get real real excited and my heart hurts.)

i did grow

and here we are. at the me party! for, as you know, i recently had a birthday. so i had some lovely folks over. there were flowers, and two cakes (one made by me, one brought by marc&mel - vegan dufflet chocolate cake of magical-magics), and snacks, and candles, and bubbly! or. bubblé. tons of it. and new bubblé glasses to boot!

and the next day was relaxed and bright, with the flowers remaining and reminding. here we go, 28.

topped

with my current bang/fringe-situation, i have been thinking a great deal about floral-wreath headbands. yes, i think they are a gooood idea. perhaps i will make one to wear to marc&mel's wedding?

inspiration!

{borrowed from here & here & here & here & here}

ff

tra la la. i will never stop loving tavi genvinson. sorry! i won't! she's so much cool.



this comes at a good time, too, as sarah and i had a great little talk about tv and what happened to women on tv, yo? i'm talking mainstream tv. sarah is re-watching ally mcbeal. and she said she's floored how often they use the work 'feminism'. like. all the time. it isn't a dirty word or anything! and characters are shameful and embarrassed when they get it wrong. you know? when they DON'T get on board with the feminism. i cannot think of a show today that would dare do that. maybe maybe on hbo or showtime? maybe? can you think of any? on normal-tv? i can't.

what happened, dudes? another point on my 'sexism is back, worse, insidious, and we had better be aware' campaign. even from 15 years ago...

and here's a cool little thought piece. too. about tv. and wives.

*snp watches some 'real' housewives and thinks about beyoncé

happy friday, fighters. go rent some movies or tv shows from the 90's and feel empowered!

sleeps

the parentals left yesterday evening. sigh. how i wish they were closer to here. but it was great to have them for the long long weekend, and there is an abundance of candy and chocolate (and potato) in my apartment now.

and after i left the parentals on the train to the airport, i went home and watched criminal minds. (which had drucilla from buffy and becky from californication!) and then tried to read but was SO TIRED that i went to bed instead. at 8:43pm.

{borrowed from here}

and i had wonderful dreams where wonderful things happened.

saved my life

i was sooooo excited to get this posted today! and then the day slipped by so fast. i nearly didn't get it out! phew! here we go.

emma and charlie are basically the coolest or whatever. they made this and stuff. (and also this weekend chris ran an ultramarathon. so whatever, everyone else's families... sorry you're not us.)



happy (easter) monday!

perfume

e is for easter. which is here and now. with parents and puppies and flower smells. some beauty for you.

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

et tu brunchus?

there was once a beauty of a girl named kate, and she did have a birthday, and she did organize a ceasar-brunch-party for this birthday, and it was so great. there was amazing food and company and puppies and pajamas. and light. i made the baking powder biscuits from the purity cookbook. with cheese. in.

ff

aaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddd... we're back to the body!

i can't say enough how much, as a sorta fashion blorg, i feel it is my responsibility here to focus on issue of the body. to counteract, at least a little, all of those images which are so narrow in their scope. all of the damage this industry of clothes does whether intentionally or not. so. bodies. again.

* chloe talks body-hate

this week is not the best week of my life. and i am eating so so so much icecream and i am making it my number one priority to not even for ONE MOMENT feel badly about eating all that icecream because how ever could something that might make me feel a bit better in this not-best week be anything but good and allowed and right? i will not let myself get all upons with the stupid stupid guilt.

and as a general rule. although i am generally good about not dissing my body much, or at least not doing it out loud. i am upping my efforts. cause what the hell, my body rules. hey! so does yours! nice body! i like the way it has bones and organs and it make miraculous stuff happen all the time! i like the way it can keep being a thing even if someone takes its leg away! THAT IS AMAZING! GREAT WORK!!!

sparkling white

purchase post!

you know when you make a purchase that makes you feel mega sophisticated and grown up? like, say, white 100% cotton, 600 thread count sheets? feels good. and then. there are the towering sparkling purple heels you bought yourself as a birthday gift. and you think. this has balanced out nicely...

i am the envy of 12 year old girls everywhere. hey 12 year olds! being a grown up RULES! i'm gonna go eat marshmallows and pretend i'm a ballerina because i am the boss of me! okay? COOL!

afterall

hello april. here are some beautiful things that sort of fit with how i've been feeling. these days. this season.

 {borrowed from here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here}

{borrowed from here & here & here & here}

 

{borrowed from here & here & here}

 

{borrowed from here & here & here}