And

I'm here.
Already getting a great introduction to the service here in nyc... basically the people who work in the service industry here are bitches. And they are all struggling actors/singers/models/comedians.

I'll write the stories later about what happened. For now I must find food.

Welcome to New York.

Freaking out...

I only have six days til I'm supposed to move. There is still SO MUCH TO DO!!! ARGH!!!!! aepoiha;ira;cljvawjerkanesfaksnd.... that's my brain freaking out right now....

Uber relaxed

I want to thank my dear friends Patricia and Lisa for treating me to the most amazing experience today! We went to the Elmwood Spa for an afternoon of rest and relaxation. Between the three of us with new jobs, engagements, and moving, we've all been stressed out and not able to hang out as a trio of girls. This was our chance to spa and get caught up.

We started with some water therapy, which included steaming, steaming and more steaming. Then we had our treatments.

I went for a seaweed wrap...which involved an infared light sauna, full body exfoliation, scalp massage and then getting covered is a seaweed gel (Honestly- it smelled like a california sushi roll!) and then wrapped in bandages, plastic and a heated thermal blanket. It might sound a bit weird but it was AWESOME!!!!! I didn't want to leave. I wish I was there right now.

Thank you girls- I love you!!!

I need your help!- actually I don't.

UPDATE: Ok- nevermind. My friends have all told me that these couches are marking me as the country bumpkin I am. I need to find someone more sleek and from this century. So I will continue looking when I get to the city.

sigh...

I'm thinking of buying a new sofa in new york. It's my first sofa purchase and I'm finding it a bit daunting. I know what I want style-wise but am stuck on fabric choice. It's a big purchase and a big commitment. I mean- I'm going to be staring at this sofa everyday for the next couple of years!!! The other question I have is... do I buy the matching chair and ottoman? Or should it be a different colour? It doesn't come in an accent colour- just solids... so I think it should be the same no? I REALLY like the matching chair because it's a chair 1/2 which is what I've been wanting.

And the sofa is a sleeper... perfect for all those wanting a place to stay in nyc!!!

Anyhow- I'm attaching the two choices ... one is a honey coloured (neutral) velvet and the other is a basil chenille...which I find to be warm and inviting fabric. If not the velvet (which I actually think might be a bit cheese, I could go with a micro-fibre...)

Thoughts???

Guys are retarded.

Seriously.
Except for brothers. and Dads (incl. second Dads). and maybe gay boyfriends. or married friends. or colleagues. but the single & straight ones? Mentally retarded.

and uncles. Uncles have their shit together. Just not single straight guys. like seriously- WTF?!

Hello good-bye.

I said my first Toronto good-bye today... to my dear friend RV. She has been (and will continue to be- just a few hours away by boat as she mentioned to me today) a steadfast and true friend- completely solid and uncomplicated, fun and funny and wonderful. Sharing my love for nutella (what our friendship was founded on), teaching me about art (I didn't think Winnipeg had any attractive qualities until she drew my attention to the beauty in it's starkness), providing an ear for all my crazy uber over- thinking rants, and always having the right mix of mulled wine, baileys & hot chocolate, or various ports in her home (hmm... I sense a pattern here).

She's heading out on a cross country journey tomorrow- driving to Tofino and back capturing the countryside on film. It's just her and her puppy/bear. She's going to be staying with various friends/family of friends across Canada. (It's amazing how many cities we can cover through 2 degrees of separation.) Many people have been incredibly kind and gracious to welcome this perfect stranger (and her dog) into their homes. This just reinforces that the people I'm lucky enough to have in my life are equally awesome for opening their doors to her.
I will miss my friend- but having been through this before- and having been able to retain my friendships through visits, phone calls, emails (and yes facebook)- I know that this is not good-bye... but see you soon. xo

It's out

I gave notice at work today so I feel as though I can freely talk about the worst kept secret. Everyone knew that I was quitting and moving to NYC but no one could talk about it in front of me as I swore everyone to secrecy. Earlier this week people I hadn't told were mentioning it to me- so I knew I was in trouble.

Well not trouble exactly... but I was in a bit of an awkward position. But the good news is I got my VISA yesterday and I was able to give my two weeks today. I'm leaving Sept 27 for the darker doorways of New York and am starting at the hallowed halls of Ogilvy NY Oct 1.

Two weeks. Man I feel as though I've been waiting endlessly and now it's here and it's only two weeks away. Everyone said when it happened it would happen fast. And everyone was right.

so close

I'm almost ready to share my news. Almost but not quite.

I had no idea what to buy. None

So my brother and girlfriend are having a baby. (as everyone in my life knows) Tanya has been pregnant FOREVER and I know the baby is going to be here any day now.
We don't now if the baby is a girl or boy- and I admit it's kind of exciting to not know... there are so few real surprises left in the world that it's nice to have something like this to look forward to.
I was talking to David the other day, asking how it was going, were they ready etc... and he said they had everything to go (mentally and materially, as much as they could) except not a lot of clothes. I think people are waiting to hear if it's a girl or a boy before they purchase clothing items. (I know when my Mom and I went to the baby GAP to find some 'gender neutral' clothing, we might as well have gone in looking to buy a unicorn. It doesn't exist.)

Anyhow, a very dear friend of mine gave me some advice and said that when her daughter was born she went through onesies like I go through peanut M&Ms. And that a good place to pick them up was Sears. There's no need to spend piles of money on an 'outfit' that the baby will wear two times, and the stuff at Sears is the same quality etc... just costs waaay less than Baby GAP or Baby "insert brand name here". And who needs to pander to "marketing" ?!

So having had that conversation with David about needing clothes, and having had that conversation with JD, on my way home from work I stopped by the Sears. And spent 25 minutes wandering around the baby section a) looking for gender neutral stuff/unicorns and b) not having ANY idea what to get.
I had thought "onesies. done"
But no.
It's not that easy.
Do I get onesies (I like that word) with feet? Without? long sleeves or short? With hand mittons? Or buy the hand mittons separately? What about short legs but long sleeves? Or no legs (they look like a baby gymnastic leotard) and long sleeves? (I'm assuming so you can put pants on over top?!). I don't know!!!

And everything was in a million different racks with no rhyme or reason or order. There were a million different colours and fabrics and designs that all kind of looked the same but shades of difference (maybe?). Half the stuff says clearance but isn't and has by the pound sizing instead of size sizing. It was very overwhelming and impossible to navigate. I ended up walking out of there with nothing. And walking into a Zara - where I went to the "Baby" section and bought some really cute, probably overpriced, days of the week onesies. They were easy to find and smartly packaged up all nice and market-y for people like me. Me- Me who needs to pander to marketing. I admit it.

And you know what? I'm the aunt- so it's okay.

Slumdog Millionaire

This is the title of Danny Boyle's newest film. I saw it last night at the Toronto Film Fest. It was AWESOME! It comes out Nov 28, 2008 and I recommend everyone to go and see it.

It's about a kid (Jamal) from the slums of Mumbai going on the game show "Who wants to be a millionaire?" The game show becomes the device through which we learn Jamal's life story. It's a love story set in the most heartbreak of backdrops- yet there is still hope. If you've ever been to India you will be aware of the poverty and utter despair that exists there, and yet this shows a second side to that story- one of the happiness and a triumph of spirit. Ok- it sounds cheesy as I write - but trust me when I say it's not.

I mean it's Danny Boyle. The movie is worth it for the soundtrack alone.

On set

Some of the fun parts of my job include shooting commercials. I'm on set today for a spot for VH cooking sauces. It's new Indian sauces- I tried o get them to do the ad in India... but no luck. Of course it's a bazillion degrees in the house (can't run fans or AC because the camera will pick up the sound) so we might as well be in India.

learning from lyrics?

*Look at the earth from outer space
Everyone must find a place
Give me time and give me space
Give me real, don't give me fake
Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Give me time, give us a kiss
Tell me your own politik
And open up your eyes

And give me love over, love over, love over this, ahhh
And give me love over, love over, love over this, ahhh*

**************
Yes this is part of the Coldplay song "Politik". And it is my favourite song. The lyrics (specifically the last stanza) mean something to me.
I find myself sometimes making choices (usually regarding guys- okay mostly regarding guys) that lead me down the path of unhappiness and/or frustration. I know there are choices i can make that will net me joy and love, by choosing to be with people who value me & want to be with me. But instead of choosing to be with those people- I choose the one person who doesn't give me that.

(I'm not the only one.. so many of my friends do the same thing. In fact I will start to use the pronoun "we" so as to not feel as though this is only my weakness) It's the prodigal son syndrome, the wanting what we can't have, the search for the elusive Talented Mr. Ripley... the ultimate high of getting the thing we wanted - even for a few minutes- when it doesn't last and it doesn't really mean anything anyways. Someone who chases after me? No thanks. Someone who can't give me the time of day? Hello!!!

Why why why choose to chase after that person? Why are we so blind to the cause of our own unhappiness and our control over it?!?! We do actually have control over it!!

Instead of choosing that which you can't really have, choose love. Choose that over the frustration and unhappiness. Choose to surround yourself with people who love you instead of the one who doesn't.

The greatest thing in my life

Have I posted about my iphone yet???

Ok the greatest thing in my life are my friends and family.... obvio... BUT I do LOVE my iphone!!! I use it everyday for a thousand different functions beyond the phone. Saturday I was in the chair at the hairdressers and loving a song that was playing (loudly) in the salon. What song was it? I didn't know. Well... let me just get my iphone and it will tell me. One little button, it listens for 20 seconds- boom - tells me the song, the artist and provides me a link to youtube or itunes to see or buy (hah!) the song.
Friday I was biking in a newer part of town (Leslieville). I wanted to stop by a Starbucks but given this isn't Vancouver and there isn't one on every single solitary corner (yet) I didn't know where one was. What's that? I can just use my iphone's GPS technology to find a bucks?! and it's just down the street?! how fab!
Last night I went for dinner with two good friends of mine- the bill came- how much should we tip? What do I owe? type of conversations ensued - until I pulled out the iphone and used the function to figure all that out of us.
Ok- so you get it. It's actually a bit brutal because I am now letting my iphone do all of my thinking for me... In 5 short weeks I have become utterly dependent on it and a slave to it's gentle "ding" when I have a message or email or update or ... maybe I need to put it away for a little bit.
Maybe I need to find something else to love...