Sad and dejected passport

So I didn't lose my passport- as my previous post states- I accidentally threw it out- of course my passport doesn't know that -it just thinks I've summarily rejected it out of hand. Poor passport.
and in case anyone is wondering: Yes I feel incredibly stupid about it. I know mistakes happen: but the fact that I was taking a major trip in just a couple of weeks time didn't give me pause to treat this document with a little more care?! what is wrong with me??? I think it's just evidence that I need this vacation...
just some advice for anyone out there who is planning a trip and has a passport: guard it ok?!

Yes India...

I realize that Im going to India on Friday- and while many of my friends here in town know this- my friends reach farther and wider than this little dot called "T-dot" and lots of people didn't know I was planning this adventure.
Well my adventure was nearly waylaid yesterday when I realized I had lost my passport. I JUST had it two weeks ago so I'm convinced I threw it out on the weekend when I was cleaning my room in mad dash to get sorted for Fall. I distinctly remember picking up the pile of magazines (where I believe the passport was tucked) and thinking "I should go through these" and then countering with "no Sarah- you're such a pack rat! Just learn how to get rid of things you dont need! You will never read these magazines again- throw them out!" and I proudly threw them all in the trash- thinking i was taking a leap towards becoming a better, more well balanced person.
Then last night I prayed I would dream about where my passport was... and I dreamt that my passport was with my other passport stuff- stupid dreams.
Anyhow- I went today to get an emergency passport (thanks Kirsti and Jen for helping!). Tomorrow I go to see about an Indian VISA. (Which was tucked into the passport). Their website says they can do same day turnaround but need my passport- which I get Friday at 8am. So Friday at 9am I will be at the office applying for the VISA- and then picking it up at 3pm so I can catch my ride to the airport for 4pm. Good times. I'll find out tom morning if it will all work out as I've planned.
As for the trip- Im going with my friends Jane and Jason. We're all shot and ready to go. We're doing a GAP Adventure tour for two weeks- in Northern India. We land in Delhi and then tour through .... well I won't write it all out-if you want the dossier it's here: http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/AHJH Jewels of India.
When I get back I'll post pictures of the Taj Mahal...
I've been wanting to go to India since my first year of University- so this is a fairly long time in coming... It came about because Jane posted her trip on facebook and said others should come along. I don't think she thought anyone would take her up on it- but I did.
I've always thought I dont have enough time/money or anyone to go with. Well I can make those excuses forever and never have enough time/money etc... so I just said "I'm going." and off I go.
It should be amazing. I just hope I don't get dengue fever and die (kidding Mom!!!)
And it's a tour- but it's a GAP Tour... my good friend Laura has done one of those and she said it's way more independent. Basically you have a place to sleep at night and a way to get to difference cities- so it's less stress travel. I only have two weeks so that's good for me.
Anyhow- Signing off so I can do a bit of packing- I'll write when I get back and post as many pictures as I can! Think of me next week when you're living your boring hum drum lives and I'm living it up in "culturally rich full of change my life experiences" India! xo : )

Hiding passport

If you were a hiding passport- that was put in a 'special place' so that you were not lost when the time came to use you... where would you be?! WHERE WOULD YOU BE?!

Shower games

I went to a good friend's wedding shower Saturday night. I have been lucky enough to be a party to a number of weddings and thus a number of showers. This one was a bit different because a) it was in the evening b) FAR more cocktails were consumed than in previous showers and c) the game we played was actually on the bride Jen.
Most of us contributed money for the honeymoon as the present. However it's not that fun to open an envelope of money so our friend Bobby had this great idea to buy her of bunch of tchotchke with which to decorate her home and deliver it with a straight face. We didn't think she'd actually believe that her good friends would give her such complete crap- but most of us had believeable stories about where we found our gems, and why we thought they'd be absolutely perfect. And through it all Jen thanked us and conveyed enthusiasm. However you can see in the pictures that she's clearly thinking "what in the hell???"


I kept thinking "She must think we are the WORST friends in the world. a) we don't know her AT ALL if we're giving her this crap thinking she'd like it and b) we're giving her the CHEAPEST stuff you can find!!!" One was a vase from Patricia- and when we peeled off the price sticker- the paint came off with it. Robert then had to rub it under the sink to get more paint off thereby giving it a 'distressed' look. I gave her two 'handcrafted and handpainted' display eggs with a sheep and bunny on them. I supposedly got them in St. Jacobs at a Mennonite market a few months ago. (I actually got them at the dollar store for $2 about an hour before the shower).
Jeff got Jen a rooster clock... but one of the best was Robert who got Jen some "original pottery from the place in the Distillery District" she was so fond of. It was a gravy boat shaped like a TURKEY. It was so hideous but I screamed out "Thanksgiving!! That's PERFECT for Thanksgiving!!"


Jen was such a good friend for thanking us regardless!! So much fun.

Last celeb comment

And only because it's Clive Owen. I went with a friend to the Gala opening of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". The movie was only ok- with music dominating the show- orchestrating our emotions- and musical climaxes every two minutes. It would have been nice to see a story developing instead of 2 min increments punctuated by crescendoing music. But Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen were fantastic. Its not a great picture- but it's a pic of the cast on stage.

Go see "Lars and the Real Girl"

I heart Ryan Gosling. I loved him in Breaker High. I loved him in "the Believer". I loved him in Half Nelsen- and now i Love him in "Lars and the real girl". He's amazing- and the movie was phenomenal. It was funny, interesting, touching and sweet. I went to the opening tonight at the Ryerson theatre. My friend Kathleen and I waited in the rush line for over two hours! My good friends Bobby and Ian had real tickets and were able to save us seats in the fourth row- which is where I took these pictures from...



Who you see in the first picture is Craig Gillespie the director, Patricia Clarkson- so great. Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer- all wonderful in the movie. The second picture is just Ryan saying something funny. Go see this movie when it comes out... I bet it gets him another Oscar nod.

Stalkerazzi

Friday night after work my friends Kathleen, Jen and I went to the opening of "Rendition" to see if we could see any stars walk the red carpet. We weren't there to get great 'seats'- but we did manage to get some pictures of Reese, Jake and Peter Saarsgard (I think that's how you spell his name).




I also walked by Queen street last night to see if I would be on time to see Brad Pitt- I wasn't. It was madness though- with hundreds of people lining the street. They blocked off the street between Queen and Dundas- and had police blocking the barricade where the giant SUVs rolled through. Madness.

Where all the boys have gone...

I finally found out where all the guys are... its a place called "Grace O' Malleys" on Duncan Street. I went there last night for my friend Caitlin's birthday. Some of my friends were scared off by the Halifax band (I admit I don't like East Coast music either- but they did play a lot of covers). And OLD SCHOOL music too- like "kissing in the dark" "Livin' on a Prayer" and the like. I felt like i was in high school- maybe that was the intention.
It's a mix of a pub with a dance bar- the kind of place that would suit most- as long as you accept it for what it is- wear minimal clothing because it's HOT and throw yourself in. People were having loads of fun- I had a great time.
Oh and the boys... right. They were EVERYWHERE! And the kind of guys that I love- scruffy looking, casual and NORMAL. No metrosexuals or condescending assholes like at "Ultra" or uber trendy's like "Supermarket" (although I like supermarket). Just guys out having fun.
Though my friend did get a cheesy pick up line from a guy who wanted her to "give her dance lessons". She just danced away... : )

TIFF time

Must. not. get. sucked. in.

It's that time of year again- where Toronto is overtaken by celebrities... Last year I avoided it by going to Europe. Two years ago I sat outside the Roy Thompson Hall with my now roommmate Paul, to catch a glimpse of an incredibly (short) but good looking Marky Mark. (and get a picture-thank you very much!)




This year I thought I'd take a gander (two days before it starts) at the film list and see if there is anything that tickles my fancy. OF COURSE nothing is available. All the gala events are sold out. What sort of celebs, er I mean movies am I missing out on?

Well Jake Gyllenhaal is in town to promote "Rendition"- Brad Pitt for "The Assassination of Jesse James" and George Clooney for "Michael Clayton". Not to mention Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Street and Cate Blanchett!!! Me- the girl who reads (and is disgusted with herself for reading) blogs like "perezhilton" everyday... I really just want to see the celebs- not pay $40 for a movie that I can see in the regular theatre in a couple of months time. Let's be real. So maybe I'll find my camera and do some stalking this weekend- get some better pics. The weather is supposed to be nice...

Incidentally the TIFF website has spelled Assassination wrong- not to make Canadians look sloppy or anything.

When vegetable juice kills.

As we become a society of more educated consumers, more conscientious of health and what we are eating- marketers are taking notice and modifying their products accordingly. Some, willingly (eg. when Stouffers developed Lean Cuisine meals with lower fat options) and others not so much (when the government mandated that trans fat be labeled and then removed from all packaged good products).

Most of the product changes follow trends- and "Buzz ingredients" - "Whole grains" (Fruitloops?! Really?!?), "Omega 3", no trans fat, and one that is gaining more traction : low/reduced sodium. People are realizing that there are massive amounts of added salt to most packaged products-and it's salt we don't need.

I am very conscious of buying the low sodium version of products- we all know that too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which leads to heart attacks or strokes, which lead to death. So it makes sense to stay away from it right?
I love V8 juice- but the regular version has something crazy like 650mg of sodium per serving. So I choose the low sodium version- which has 75mg per serving. Amazing, And it still tastes great, Even more amazing. So aren't I doing the right thing for my body?! For my heart?

Well here's what I learned today... V8 has to put something in their drink to provide the salty flavour. Its not just a removal of salt, but a replacement. (The same as Diet Coke replacng the sugar with aspartame, which incidentally causes blindness when taken in large quantities!). So what has v8 added?

Instead of "Sodium Chloride" (salt) they have added "Potassium Chloride". What is that you ask? Well a quick search on wikipedia tells us this: <...is used in medicine, scientific applications, food processing and in judicial execution through lethal injection.> All in the FIRST paragraph!

It then goes on to say: "high doses can cause cardiac arrest and rapid death. A massive overdose of intravenous potassium chloride is used to stop the heart in execution by lethal injection." Yum. I'd like some more please.

Here is the link for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_chloride

note: It does also say that regular salt in massive quantities can also be toxic- and that Potassium is vital in the body and KCI (Potassium chloride) is a means to replace it- so I'm being a bit of a drama queen- but it still gives you pause to think.

I'm ready to start growing my own veg and grain...and live a "whole foods" life. It's scary what we ingest everyday without even realizing it.

Radar Magazine

If you're looking for a somewhat intelligent, yet scathingly funny and sarcastic, entertaining read- Radar magazine (has had a few starts and stops in its time, but now looks like it's around to stay) is for you. It's not just entertainment but also politics and general pop culture. The other great thing is that the articles are actual articles- and not just pictures with captions.

Heroin Chic

So I guess I live a fairly sheltered life. i mean I don't go wandering around the streets of Toronto late at night on a Tuesday or anything. But I also consider myself as a girl who has 'been there, done that'... type of person.
Howeer- today I was going to my friend's house for dinner, and I was late (for a change) and the cabbie decided to cut down some alleys in order to avoid traffic. One of these alleys (just parallel to queen street) was quite narrow, and we were driving a bit slow. and we passed quite close to a scene that was both shocking and not. Two guys, looking really worse for wear, were hunched over, crouching down against the wall of a building. The one guy leaning looked a little more together, but the guy leaning against the wall was a complete stereotype. Anyhow- they were getting ready to shoot heroin- at least I'm guessing that's what it was- as I don't know what else one shoots with a needle... anyone?
And it was about 8pm. In August- so really still quite bright out.
I guess it's good that i'm not so jaded and cynical that I can still be shocked by this. And thankful that I observed this rite through the safety of my cab window- only for a fleeting moment. That's really all i needed to see.

I LOVE this song TOO

A few weeks ago I posted a note about LOVING a new song from Rihanna ("Please don't stop the music")- which came on the heels of another song of hers "Umbrella".

Anyhow- I have a new favourite song- which is a cover by Mandy Moore (of all people).

She did a cover of "Umbrella" and it's AMAZING.

A different view of me

My friend Ivan (he's come up in these posts before) is a very talented artist. And I "commissioned" him (ie. text very nicely) to draw me.


I love it.

Oh what a night! pt 2

New York
Now to contrast my previous post: I went to New York City this weekend. I hadn't been for awhile, and I wanted to see some friends (I saw my good friends Rose and Randy- but missed out with Wendy and Jocelyn- next time!) I stayed with Rose again- and was overwhelmed with her freakin' generosity. I'm staying with her- and wanted to treat her to a dinner (not even expensive) to thank her- and yet she treated. It was such a great weekend- and I was totally spoiled!!!
Friday night Rose & I met Randy at Buddakan- a gorgeous place to have drinks. The drinks have uber trendy names like "Redemption" and "jealousy". The food- not so great. I don't recommend it for dinner. but for drinks and people watching it's great. Rose's friend Cindy joined us- and we literally laughed all night. It was just one of those unplanned nights that turned into great fun.


Saturday was filled with shopping around Union Square. I went to "Fresh" (one of my fave stores) and made a rash purchase decision I soon regretted. However they wouldn't return my purchase (from an hour earlier) but the girl felt so bad and wanted me to not regret my purchase that she heaped on piles of free stuff - so I definitely recommend going there! (Just know that their return policy is not as great as Sephora!).
Then that night Rose & I met some friends of hers (who I now feel like are friends of mine) at Gordon Ramsye's restaurant "This is London". I was excited because they happened to have my favourite vodka- Zubrowska- and we could start the night off with "apple pies". Food was beautiful and delicious and filling and expensive. But the company was great and the whole night was an experience- so very worth it. Plus it was Lindi's birthday so we had a reason to celebrate!


I also got to drool over Pauls iphone- I LOVE IT. Rose and I went to the Apple store on 5th (which I also love) the next day. I can't wait til it comes to Canada (IF it comes to Canada).

Then on Sunday Randy and I met at "the Spice Market" (I'll leave out the part where we wandered around for 2 hours before finally deciding on the Spice Market!) and had another incredible meal (samonas :awesome, Crab salad : awesome, Lobster- not really worth it). Then we were walking back uptown (or is it downtown) along the river, and came upon a heli-pad where they were doing city tours. So we went on a helicopter ride around the city- AMAZING!!! Another gorgeous cloudless day- and we could see everything. I was lucky enough to have a seat right by the window. So great.




So that brings us up to date- and back to work this week. It's a full 5 day week- haven't had that in awhile and not sure what to do with myself. work I suppose. And get ready for poolapoolooza next weekend. What is poolzpoolooza you ask? Well you'll have to wait for the pics next week to find out... : )

oh what a night! pt 1

Okay- that should be "oh what a series of nights" and should refer to that last two weekends... I've been meaning to post for awhile now but haven't had time as I've been anywhere but home the last couple of weeks. And when I am home it's just to do laundry and hit the road again.
So I will try not to overload this post with words, as I am prone to do, and let the pictures do the talking... : ) Ok- I've just read what I wrote and of course I couldn't limit the descriptions and have decided to break this out into two posts. It will be an exercise in contrasts- one of my camping adventure and the other of my jet -setting one. read on...
Algonquin Park
I went canoe/portaging for the long weekend. It's an annual trip that I missed out on last year- and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. This year was a large crew of 12 - including my good friends Ivan and Robyn, who while they have camped before, have never done the portaging in Canada bit. Of course the put us all to shame by getting up earlier then us and doing far more physical activity than anyone (aside from Jim- who is the type to chop trees for fun- thankfully!)

The trip started out promising enough- except that my ride up was 2.5 hours late- and we had to go it alone as the rest of the group wasn't going to wait. The first pic is me and Dave- about to embark on our adventure.


We got lost, and stuck in a sludge type bog- where Dave had to get out and drag the canoe in mud up to his thighs. It was awesome. (for me to watch. not so much for Dave). And then we were two hours late getting to the campsite.
Honestly- I have NEVER been so happy to hear a South African accent calling out in the distance as Ivan (and Erica and Paul) were waiting for us at the second killer portage- calling us to safety. The portage was so hard- and they'd already done it twice: and they did it again to help us.
As for the rest of the weekend, the weather was AMAZING! It was so hot but not unbearable. The water was awesome- and we went swimming several times a day.

Saturday night the sky was super clear and we went out in the middle of the lake to see the stars. We could see the milky way and shooting stars... it was amazing. You forget the enormity of the stars when you live in the city.
We played rummy cube and catch, and though my poor arms could hardly bear it, we canoed some more. And for anyone who has camped they know that a majority of your time is spent preparing food. I actually ate better on this trip than I do at home!

There is something so liberating about bathing in a lake, and not having any mirrors or make-up or anything around. It's awesome. I already can't wait for next year. And thank you to my friend Tania who organized the trip. It takes such a lot of work- and I hope she knows that everyone is very very appreciative!!

Cute joke for the long weekend.

My uncle Frank sent me this joke and it made me smile... so I thought I would share. It's also a good LESSON that it's a bad idea to screw with wise old people!
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A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.

One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost.. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says.

"Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

Summer madness

It's been a busy summer so far- with birthday parties, work parties, summer parties, and baby parties... Here's a sampling:

The first party has no pictures because I forgot my camera! But I went up to Bobcaygen for a family reunion with my Uncle Frank, Aunt Leagh and cousin Jo. It was a great weekend with family, a bbq and a gentle reminder of why I am glad to not yet have children!! (yes I love my cousin Noah- but when he's still up and screaming at 11pm- maybe not so much!! It's frustrating that gagging and tying up a small screaming child is considered morally reprehensible)

Work party - where we traveled around the harbour on a yacht, sipping martinis, and breaking a pinanta filled with booze, cigarettes and condoms. Even a torrential downpour couldn't dampen our fun. (yes- really bad pun intended).




Liang's 30th party was held at "Trevor" where we nibbled on mini burgers and gourmet mac & cheese- super yum. In the middle of the soiree- Bobby, Lisa and I went outside to practice our moves for the next cycle of CNTM. (Canada's Next Top model). Eric also dropped by to give me the final copy of Harry Potter. Jen was incredibly generous and treated all of us to dinner- so amazing!





Finally I just spent the weekend in Windsor for my other cousin's baby shower. (Other side of the family). Ross and Ashley are having a baby girl in October- and they came up from Alabama to celebrate. We had more bbq's where my cousin Elisa and I were surrounded by couples and raced each other drinking our Woody's coolers in an attempt at oblivion. The shower itself was a class affair at a country club- almost like a wedding- funny enough: wearing sunglasses indoors to cover up bloodshot eyes was frowned upon.


On Sunday after the shower we went to play in the pool to get some sun.




Next weekend I'm going camping in Algonquin park- I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Parting is such sweet sorrow

9 years ago (or so) my Mom said to me "sarah you should really read this book I just read. It's a children's book... (slight hesitation), but it's really good. It's called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". "Um. ok- sure Mom" I said. As though I was really going to read some kids' book that wasn't a classic like "The Secret Garden" or "Tuck Everlasting". But I love to read, I go through books like a fat kid through ice cream and I did need something new. So I read it, or rather devoured it. And waited with eager anticipation for each new sequel. The longest relationship I've had with a boy is the one I had with Harry.
I started the last book with the intention of making it last through the week, and of course I took only 2 days- all the while marvelling about the INCREDIBLE imagination of this author- and how she could possible spin something that was both so entertaining, imaginative and moving. It's brilliant. And I actually felt (along with the rest of the other 12 million readers) quite sad about the end. Not the ending- but rather the fact that there was an end- and no more anticipation, no more questions and no more Harry. sigh. It's always hard to say good-bye.

"Hair by David' is a big hair DON'T

I was recommended by a friend to a new hairstylist. I still go to my hair stylist in Calgary and was looking for someone in Toronto and I love my friend's hair- so it seemed like the right time to make the break. HOWEVER when I went to make the appointment the not so nice receptionist told me that "David only sees new appointments before 5pm during the week."
My reply? "I can't take time off of work just to get my hair cut. That's ridiculous." and she just said "ok". wtf?! Have you ever heard of anything so stupid?! Who are these people who can just prance around getting their haircut at 2pm on a Wednesday? I have a real job!!!
So anyone with another suggestion for a salon? Taking recos...