free!
Just when I think that the world does not care for me, and that nice suprises are just not my thing, FREE Ok Go tickets fall into my lap! Yay!
kezia and rory’s wedding
While we were in Thunder Bay this summer, we attended two of Liam’s friends wedding party. It was pretty much the best wedding of all time, but unfortunately I forgot to take pictures.
So, instead of forget about how awesome that party was, I decided to sketch it out from memory.
This particular drawing here started to remind me of that wedding portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, so I decided to go with it.
I’ve put a few more of my wedding memory drawings (as well as lot’s else from my sketchbook) up on flickr.
um… it’s raining… in my bedroom…
Our upstairs-neighbours aquarium broke at 7 o’clock in the morning yesterday.
Yep.
I’m hoping the gallons of disinfectant we dumped on the carpet will be enough to kill the dead fish smell. That won’t work on the ceiling tiles though.
It seems we’re the kind of people who these things happen to.
Last year an old oak fell onto our house, and totaled our car. It was on the front page of the local newspaper. We were staring out the window when it happened. I saw that tree fall towards me. The power was out for days. I was afraid the tree would pull off the front of the house and destroy everything in my room.
This episode also reminded me of when I worked at Starbucks last year. The dish sanitizer burst on one of my very last days, and I had to work sloshing around in a good 3 inches of water.
I’m sure there’s a right way to look at this stuff, to tell myself that I’m alive, and (most of) my stuff is ok, and we’re moving soon anyway…
But there’s a certain shock value to waking up to find foul brown sludge dripping from your bedroom ceiling.
I don’t think I’m having a very good life.
music mining
I need new music. I feel like somewhere out there, there’s a new band I have yet to hear of that would complete my life (if only I knew). I seem to be the only person in the world who has yet to figure out the internet when it comes to finding indie bands. I need more indie bands in my life! I’m tired of buying the same new albums from old, familiar artists. Bring on the new! But why, oh why can’t I find it?
I know it exists.
I think this goes back to working in student media. When I felt like hearing something new, I stole something… ahem, reviewed something from the free cd box. Record companies used to send us stacks of albums.
Every-week.
Boy were we spoiled.
So please, make my life easier! Someone, out there, recommend me a song.
There will be points awarded for free downloads and All Music Guide reviews.
choucroute
My newest hobby is sticking random things in the oven and baking them.
I think I was always scared of the oven because baking is usually such a big ordeal - mixing, measuring, blending, kneading, scooping… and cleaning up eggs and flour everywhere…ick.
But apparently, if you just stick your dinner in the oven, it usually turns out pretty good. I used to be a frying pan kinda gal, but I think I’ve been converted.
Today I found this recipe for choucroute, which is basically just French for sauerkraut. It’s Alsatian dish (the Alsace is the borderland between Germany and France).
Being French, the authentic recipe is a little involved.
Myself being North American, I simplified it a little.
I simply tossed a handful of drained sauerkraut with a handful of carrots, a chopped red pepper, a couple of red-pepper sausages, a bay leaf and some leftover pork (bacon or ham would work too) into a casserole dish. I covered the ingredients with equal parts wine and water, and a splash of gin (the original recipe calls for juniper berries, so I figured that gin was a suitable replacement). I also added a bit of duck fat, as I just happened to have some in the fridge. But with the juices from the sausage, I don’t think it’s necessary. Although it is more authentic. A teaspoon of butter would probably do instead.
Then I covered it, and let it bake for an hour.
After the hour, I took off the lid, and let it continue to cook until the juices were suitably concentrated and yummy (about 2o minutes).
Then I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and we ate it with mashed potatoes and beer (there’s a little beer from the Alsace called Boris, that’s really good if you can track it down, it would be excellent here - and has some awesome typography on the packaging).
Liam said he doesn’t even like sauerkraut, but he loved it anyway.
So if you’ve got a fear of cabbage, this might just cure you.
figures and life
Fall has pretty much begun, and things are picking up speed. I have fielded many crafting invitations, and I hope to get doing that again.
Liam is going to be gone A LOT, which I’m ok with because we spent WAY too much time together the last few months. Not that I’m ready to throttle him or anything, but we’re running out of topics of conversation.
On Monday’s he’s at the school being the hot young writing TA. The rest of the week, he’s the hot-shot young intern in Toronto.
We’re gonna try to move and find a place downtown. Nothing too soon, just keeping our eyes open.
The magazine is in that block of clubs, restaurants and new media firms found in between Spadina, Queen, King and University. If you know Toronto, you know what I’m talking about. So I’m hoping we find something around there (no farther north than Bloor). I hope we can find something that doesn’t involve the words: ‘waterfront’ and ‘condo’. I don’t think we could afford it any-ways, but I wouldn’t want it even if we could.
I just picked up a neat book: Jack Hamm’s Drawing the Head and figure. It’s a bit dated. But in a good way. All the girls have permanents and high heels, and the men wear suits and lack genitalia. I kind of love it.
I’ve been looking for a way to brush up on my figure drawing. It’s hard to find books that are actually helpful. Most of them assume by memorizing anatomy and staring at renaissance paintings you can learn it all.
This one’s a bit different. Not only does it have that awesome retro appeal, it actually tells you all the nifty little proportional tricks of the trade that all the pro’s know, and refuse to share. Best of all it was cheap.
I would still like to be able to track down (and then be able to be afford) a book of nudes for figure drawing. I’ve seen a couple, but they’re limited and expensive. I wish I could take my first year life drawing class all over again.
go-go super employment!
My boyfriend is an intern at the Walrus and yours isn’t. Nah-nah.
It’s, like, totally Canada’s hip, young version of Harpers. It’s all sophisticated and literary and political and stuff. Nah.
oh no
We finally managed to track down Ok Go’s new album. It’s funny, their first album was released with such fanfare, but this one has barely had any notice paid to it yet. It’s been hard to find. Hopefully that will change, because this one ain’t bad. I still retain a certain undying affection for their self-titled debut though.
Listen to this one in close quarters, cause it’s a bit distortion heavy (definitely a change from their rather slickly produced first attempt) and squeaky speakers make it sound unnecessarily sickening. It’s still the same peppy power pop, with a darker, lo-fi sound. It definitely proves these guys have got more up their sleeves than a couple of Cars and Queen albums.
For a treat, I decided to upload Liam’s interview with these guys from a couple of years ago (originally published in the Brock Press).
It’s an interesting portrait of a highly hyped and publicized bands view’s, of being highly hyped and publicized.
tedium, maki and falling leaves
Just when I whine for the summer to be over already, Fall hits me like a sack of leaves.
It’s Orientation/Frosh week hereabouts, so all my friends are either coming back from their respective homes to attend school, or simply quitting their jobs to allocate more free time to classes and studying (and indirectly, hanging out with me).
Last night we went out for all-you-can-eat-sushi. It’s not nearly as sketchy as it sounds. It is basically just a normal sushi place but instead of paying for each separate item ordered, you just order whatever you want off the menu and pay one flat price at the end. It was pretty awesome. It definitely made up for the influx of boredom that’s been infiltrating these here parts. My new favourite sushi rolls are mango and cucumber; salmon, avocado and cucumber (pictured); and crispy tuna.
It’s funny, after a long tedious summer, we cemented our desire to finally move to the city and get away from this stagnant university town, but now that school is back in session (even though neither me or Liam are students anymore) it really doesn’t seem so bad.
It’s probably a good thing it was so miserable around here the past few months. I will miss everyone, but this summer will make it a lot easier to leave this place behind this winter.
blah
Am I the only one who’s b-o-r-e-d? I want this summer to be over already. On the upside, my boyfriend has a job as a TA at the university (income is pleasant). On the downside he DOES NOT have a job at Toro magazine, or as Rick Mercers assistant.
Also on the downside I am still sooooo bored.