Memphis + Graceland = I'm all shook up

I'd never been to Graceland, or Memphis for that matter. But my Mom is/was a huge fan of Elvis and when I was in Memphis for research recently I decided to extend my stay and drop by. I remember when I was a young girl we went to visit a friend of hers- she had a hat or some sort of something that a friend of a friend had gotten from an Elvis concert- that Elvis himself had worn/owned/touched (I was reaeeealy young- hence the fuzzy memories).


This is the sort of passion that this man incites. I didn't appreciate his impact. The breadth of his work. How he has influenced and shaped modern day music and pop culture. For a man that never toured off of US soil- it's phenomenal he is one of the top selling artists- right behind the Beatles and ahead of Michael Jackson with hundreds of million albums sold. Keeping in mind a record goes gold when it has sold 1,000,000 copies. He has 100's of those. On top of this he did about 30 hit movies. A point of comparison? Leo DiCaprio has less than 30 under his belt.

Let's tour his home shall we?



The one thing that struck me about the main house is how small it was. We weren't allowed upstairs as that was Elvis' private area when he was alive. The main level was 5 main rooms, with the basement housing 3- with very low ceilings. He lived in the house for 22 years. I have to tell you- from the outside it was a stately southern colonial home, from the inside it was hideous. Like really seriously ugly. This was a house decorated by a man with a lot of money at the peak of the disastrous decade known as the 70s. Fascinating.

You're greeted at the entrance by what once was a grand lobby and staircase- I'm not lying when I say that I have a friend in Calgary, Alberta who has a house with a grander front entrance.

Next to the foyer is the main living room- in all of it's white and gaudy glory.


Beside his fancy dining room was the home's 'hotbed' - the kitchen.


"Down in the jungle room"- you had to go up a stairway that was wall/ceiling/floor green shag carpet to get to the jungle room.


The room where he used to play pool with his buddies was in the basement. It was literally covered floor/ceiling and wall with this pink/red paisley fabric. Where does the couch start and the ceiling/floor end?


He has a couple of gold and platinum records. TCB indeed.

I didn't really give Elvis much thought before seeing his home & estate. But now I count myself among the millions who call themselves fans. I'm going to have to ask my Mom again what sort of garment/thing we saw when I was younger.

This will change your life

A little tip :
When you go to hi-five someone else you should look at their elbow. And they should look at yours. And you will NEVER MISS.

Think of it- never again will you have the embarrassment of by passing that waiting hand, and slapping dead air. The blush that creeps up when you both look away and laugh about it -then try to forget it ever happened.

You will be hi-fiving everyone. Your friends, your colleagues, strangers on the street. You'll be hosting hi-fiving parties (ok- maybe not and if you are then you are a loser).

But really- for this little portion of your life this tip will be very helpful.

Go on, spread the word.

Purple Rain

When I was in Guatemala it was the rainy season. It would rain everyday at around 2pm- a torrential downpour that would flood the streets. It was like the heavens opened up and poured buckets of water down- for about 20 minutes- and then it would stop. Like a dam in the sky had slammed shut. The gutters would be full and people would be drenched. But then in an hours time under the hot sun things would dry up.

It's raining like that in New York city. Only we're into day 2. Accompanied by gale force winds that rattle cars as they're driving. I walked 6 blocks to the gym today and my pants were soaked from the sideways rain.

I suppose this is what it's like in Hurricane territory. But I kind of love the weather extremes, because I'm fortunate enough to still have power, not drive a car, and be able to stay in my cozy, sturdy, little apartment.

If anything it's the perfect excuse to stay home and read or watch movies. So maybe I don't want it to stop. I'd like it to stay until Monday morning. Then please clear up so that I can walk to work wearing my purple hunter rainboots and splash in the puddles like I'm 6.

Making a Difference

I've recently learned about an organization in Canada that provides scholarships to disadvantaged people for professional post-secondary education (such as engineering, law, medicine etc).

It was a very interesting concept to me, as I'd never thought about assistance for minority or low income students beyond University. I felt like that in itself was an accomplishment. Here's someone who overcame obstacles, worked hard, and triumphed. They have a degree- well done. It's still a story of success and who wants more than that right?

But why? Why couldn't or shouldn't that person go on to even higher education? Just because I never had such aspirations (sorry Mom!) doesn't mean that everyone shouldn't have the opportunity to realize their ultimate potential. And if the desire is there I'd hate to think of someone not being able to pursue it.

Maybe you feel the same way. And maybe you want to learn more about this organization. And maybe you want to contribute to their scholarship fund.

Maybe. (I'm going to make it easier for you to learn/read/donate by putting a link right here. Just click through. See how easy that was?)

Cape Scholarship

Meet Monty

Every year for Christmas my stepDad gets my Mom a piece of folk art. It's my favourite part of the morning as you never know what crazy thing he's going to come up with. We've got polar bears, penguins, ducks and one year a giraffe. His name is Jerome.

When Jerome first arrived we were all a bit shocked- he was 5 feet tall and carved of wood. But he soon found a home in the kitchen nook and has been there ever since. He's a great talking piece.


Yesterday I went to Pier 1 for an area rug- but instead fell in love with my own 5ft tall giraffe. My home is far too small to have a piece of art like this- I barely have enough floor space for furniture- but he came home with me anyway. He's black instead of brown. He's metal instead of wood. And his name is Monty.

Burning the Midnight Oil

It was my second year at Ogilvy. I was a fresh young innocent who had my whole life in front of me. I remember working late with my colleagues (and now good friends) Leigh and Eric. We were clustered around my desk laughing about something when my boss strolled in. She paused, and adopted a very proud expression: "Look at you guys... burning the midnight oil!".

It was 6:30PM.

Fast forward a few years (no need to call out how many) and I find myself again at the office, surrounded by take out boxes of poorly prepared Thai. I'm in a new city, a little less innocent, but with the same company, and again sitting with a bunch of colleagues, "burning the midnight oil".

Only it's nearing 10pm. And we'll be here later still.

Maybe I should move back to Calgary...

Go Canada - UPDATE

Today I'm reminded of a Sunday 8 years ago... in 2002. I met a friend at a bar called "Shanks" in the West side of Calgary- to watch the gold medal game between the US and Canada. We were there at 9am for a 12pm game. And we had to wait in line for an hour to get in.

We watched the game on screens that covered the entire wall, surrounded by hundreds of people wearing red. Every time we scored the place would erupt in cheers. There was so much passion and love in the room. Especially when we won 5-3. I remember singing the National anthem with 300 of my newest closest friends and being so proud.

I'd imagine it's no different today as Canada once again goes up against the US for the gold medal. Only this time we're on home soil- in Vancouver.

The difference for me is that I'm not. I'm in the states. In a country where hockey is a second rated sport. But it's the Olympics- and the Americans will still want to win. Luckily I'll be watching the game at a bar in the Lower East Side that caters to Canadians. So there'll be a mix of cheering. I'm sure it'll be tense and heated. And I'm hopeful that the outcome will be the same- with the bar coming together to sing the CANADIAN national anthem, bound together by our love for our home and native land.

UPDATE: We won. : )

It's my birthday

Cupcakes, friends, phone calls, Olympic hockey, more out of town friends, singing and balloons. Finished off with dinner at Rosa Mexicana.

It was a wonderful birthday.

I would write something more insightful or clever but am not feeling that inspired lately.

But I will say that I very much felt loved on my birthday- so was and am very thankful.

In this picture I'm wearing the Olympic mittens that my friends Barb and Olga gave me- which was an AWESOME surprise!!!

Old Spice Commercial

This is a GOOD AD. Good casting. Good copy. Good branding. It's appealing. It's engaging and entertaining and memorable. Brilliant.

LOST Theories

I think that the TV show Lost is like the book "Life of Pi" . The island is actually a metaphor representing the story of loss and redemption.

Season 6 is now going to be like the last chapter of Pi where we are shown the events we've just read/watched on the island- in real life- through the 'sideways' storyline.

We'll see how the characters are actually brought together, evolve and how they find redemption.

There is also an interesting theory I've been told- about how life will only truly happen once- with a bunch of other iterations being incomplete and imperfect progress. And the sideways story is the perfect iteration and thus final stage of life for the main characters.

ahhhh- so much to think about !!!!

One Week of Sun & Snow

This past week was a busy one as I spent the first part in LA for a photo shoot, the middle part in NY and the last part in Utah for a skiing trip.

I'd never been to LA before and while it was a good experience, I really think I'm not a West Coast person. Everything feels kind of washed out and bland. Everything looks the same, and is covered in stucco. Having said that, I'll admit that it was nice to go biking along Venice beach and to run outside in capris in January.

What was interesting was Venice Beach. In addition to the crazies that we saw along the boardwalk, we walked along the beautiful canals in the neighbourhood. I didn't know they existed, but it makes sense that's where the name "Venice Beach" came from.



After a quick trip home I headed to Park City, Utah with my friends Rose and Esther for a ski weekend.



I'd never been before, and thus far had been underwhelmed with the skiing in the states. This, of course, being that I grew up an hour outside of the Rockie Mountains and some of the best skiing in the world.

Well these were the same mountains, just farther south, and I was not disappointed. I preferred Park City to the Canyons (for anyone venturing out there) but that might be because we had fresh snow and the conditions were awesome.

The trip was not without fault though, as Rose seemed to be a beacon for tragedy. She started out the trip with a bout of random stomach flu and missed the first day on the hill. She was ready for the second day, and about 2 hours in she caught an edge and fell hard. She broke her clavicle in two places- seriously broke it.

The plus side to this is that for Apres Ski (she was bandaged up and pumped full of drugs by then) she was a hot target and the guys were literally stopping by our table all night.

Both experiences fun. Both very different. I am glad to have gone, but also happy to be home.

On-line all the time

I'm glad that I'm still not so cynical and jaded as to not get excited or amazed by the thought of being online 39000ft in the air.

Which I am right now. (Right above Kansas)

It's a bit of a mixed bag as the plane was the only place left really where one was completely cut off from communicating with the outside world (other than the deep wilds of Algonquin Park!) and now that has been taken away.

BUT the upside is that I can use my time productively and instead of watching bad movies, finish some work that is desperately needed before heading off to Utah tomorrow afternoon.

LA Bound

Off to LA this morning. I've never been. Last time I was in California was just before Christmas and unfortunately I was sick when I was traveling. This time though- I'm sick again and it sucks. I want to curl up in a ball and sleep for the next two days.

I know - poor me. At least I'm leaving -12C and heading to 20C.

Not sure what to do when I'm there. Venice beach? Rodeo drive? Curl up in a ball in my hotel room and sleep for two days? Ah yes- that last one sounds delightful.

What am I running from?

Early winter a friend of mine asked a bunch of us to join her for a half marathon in Miami next weekend. I started to train for it but took on too much too soon and ended up hurting my back.

After a few weeks off I started up again but not as intense, and not enough to be able to run next Sunday.

However I am still in 'training' and trying to push myself within reasonable boundaries. So on Sunday I decided to tackle a 10k and run the perimeter of Central Park.

It was hard.

I'm not going to lie to you.

And I stopped every couple of kilometers to walk for a minute.

And at one point I think I saw a child who was taking his first steps pass me I was going so slowly.

But I did it. And next time it won't be so hard. And I might even run more than 10k.

Weekend Update

I had a busy fun filled and packed long weekend. Friday was my friend John's birthday, Saturday was a productive trip to Target followed by Korean food in New Jersey. Sunday found me at a brunch, a dinner and the movie "It's Complicated" (good) and then the Golden Globes at a friend's.

Today I watched Avatar in 3D IMAX. I'd seen it with Stefan in Winnipeg in 2D and I have to say having seen both- I don't know why they even produced it in 2D (I mean I know logically why) but the movie jumps from a 7/10 in 2D to an amazing spectacular 15/10 in 3D. It's awesome.

Then I went for a run out in Central Park - thought I ran a 5 min kilometer for 5K until I went to 'mapmyrun.com" - my newest favourite site. It dispelled my notions that I suddenly was back up to my peak running speed by letting me know I'd only run 4.5km. Still- a 5.5min/km is not bad.

Back to work tomorrow.

This is Rose on the rooftop- it was pitch black out (2am) but for some reason the sky looked dawn-y. I got this new camera for Christmas (thanks Mom and Cliff!) but it's a new version of my old camera... and I have no idea how to use it!

Invictus vs garbage not worth seeing

I have a question for the world (or "People of Earth" as Conan would say).

WHY in the world would a movie like "The Ugly Truth" starring a no talent hack like Katherine Heigel, make $89 million in it's domestic gross, while a movie like "Invictus" - starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in brilliant performances, made only $34 million?

I went to see it last night with a friend (She's the BEST person to go to movies with because she just gets into it and you enjoy the movie that much more), with relatively low expectations as I'd heard not such great things. However I was, while not blown away, thoroughly moved. I would even hazard to say that I loved it. I'd even recommend it.

But what does that say about our society that a movie telling a touching story of a country coming together before the world- triumphing over the WORST adversity - does so badly, while a movie about a stupid girl acting stupidly makes almost $100 million.

It's shameful.

Black is White. Up is Down.

What the eff is going on?

Recently there have been a barrage of break-ups in the relationships surrounding me. And these aren't dating relationships, but serious ones. Marriages, long-term partnerships, co-habitations. Long term relationships imploding. Or dissolving quietly away.

The one thing in common is that they were all shocking and unexpected. Solid, strong, real relationships between two mature wonderful people- that just didn't end up working out. Heartbreaking.

And reinforcing the belief that you just never know what goes on behind closed doors. You just don't know.

Monkeys Monkeys Monkeys!

Before Olivia was born I gave her a little stuffed monkey. It was small and cute and super soft.

This quickly became her favourite toy- and it's now permanently attached to her. She actually gets upset if they take it away to 'bath'- which gets done quite often.

I love that my little contribution to her childhood will prove to be a pivotal one (much like my own childhood toy "rascal") and I don't want to lose that. The family was a bit worried that Monkey wouldn't make it through O's childhood as he's already a bit ragged so auntie Sarah went online to find more.


Though I do think O is a genius child I'm pretty sure she can't read yet- so feel confident writing about having to come up with 'back up' monkeys should anything happen to the original.

Deceptive? Yes. Necessary? Perhaps. Although I wonder if I would have been able to tell the difference to Rascal if anyone had tried to pull the old switcharoo on me back in the day...

UPDATE:
So I guess she is a genius baby. Apparently my sister-in-law was reading my post on the computer and O climbed into her lap to see what she was looking at. She saw the picture of the monkeys and pointed at it- the climbed down to look for the original. Such a clever little girl.

Human Contact

A good friend of mine made a keen observation the other day. An observation that, while I didn't like, I agree with.

She and her husband had called me to meet up with them to go to a movie. I didn't answer the phone- because I hate using the phone. He didn't leave a message as I openly pride myself on not listening to voicemail (case in point: I just listened to a message on Sunday from my brother that had been recorded Dec 15th).
I found out later that they'd gone to a movie and had wanted me to come.

"Why didn't you text?" I asked. "Why didn't you answer your phone or call us back?" they answered. (trying to prove a point)

However I'd text them to get together after the movie at a local pub. She replied at 1am saying she hadn't checked her phone. She later made the comment : "I was out with a bunch of friends having fun. Why would I check my phone to see if there are other things happening? I was paying attention to the people I was with."

And while I don't like it, that's the comment I agree with. She had chosen to be present in her immediate surroundings and not pay attention to that elusive "other" friend reaching out via bb/email/text/insert social media option here. And while there are those (me) that say technology helps people communicate better or more often I do recognize there are limitations or drawbacks.

How many times have you been affronted that your current company keeps a blackberry on the table during dinner? Or they check their text while you're talking to them? Is your company not good enough? Are you not engaging/entertaining enough? What is so freaking important that they can't put their bb down for an hour or two- and enjoy the company in front of them? Or sometimes when you do communicate via text, the correct meaning doesn't come across?

Now the counter argument is that we have these new methods of communication- which create new habits and behaviours. There is a large (maybe younger?) percentage of the population who are bred on these new methods and for whom it is the new norm to talk via twitter. To converse only via text.

And who is to say that the earlier adopter (me) is the one who should change her behaviour (stop texting) because others are holding onto the 'old ways' and not willing to jump on the train?! Does it come down to who is the most stubborn?

But maybe there is a halfway to meet? I can't give up texting altogether, nor do I want to. But perhaps I can pick up the phone a bit more often. And perhaps I can put away the blackberry when I'm out with friends- showing them that I value their company just as much as the person on the other end of the text.

I made one of my resolutions/goals to reach out via phone more. Though it's form of contact some may perceive as archaic, I admit that it still trumps the electronic contact in many ways. Though I'm still not listening to voicemail.

Movie Reviews

I've been to a few movies this holiday season. And have some thoughts about movies I haven't seen. Here they are:

Avatar - go and see it in 3D. As a 2D movie it's visually stunning but not blow your mind unbelievable. And the storyline is just so-so.

The Blindside - Sandra Bullock steps into the skin of a southern woman and she's fantastic. You even manage to forget it's Sandra Bullock. The story is heart warming and thoughtful and well told.

Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie is a very, very good storyteller. The movie is visually rich and interesting. The acting interaction is fun to watch. The mystery is mildly captivating. But I forgot about the movie 5 minutes after walking out of the theatre.

Up in the Air - review to come

New Moon - soooo bad. But Team Jacob all the way.

Nine - Heard it's really good and want to see it. I loved "Chicago" which bodes well.

Invictus - I really wanted to see it. But I heard so many bad reviews that I ended up not going. I was disappointed at the thought of it being bad and didn't want those fears to become realized.

It's Complicated - Does anyone else feel like they saw the entire movie in the trailers?