Quickie, shorty, baby

Many of you don't know her, but one of my very closest friends in Vancouver had her first baby today! Miranda (ok, you might know her as Jen K) brought a baby boy out of her body into the world. I have no more details, but I have sooooo much excitement and happiness for her, Mike, and David! YAHOOOO! Jen's going to be an amazing mom. Just you wait and see!

I'm drinking a margarita in celebration, possibly because it sounds a little like Miranda. Might get to visit the new tyke tomorrow if mom is up for it. Gosh, baby bums! Within reach! Can't wait!!! Oh, AND you'll get to meet them all at the wedding in August! So many babies will be there. Tarrooo tarray!

PS. A cow has apparently moved into our neighbourhood. Last year Dan the Hoarder bought a duck phone and it took us weeks to figure out where the quacking was coming from. Today the moment I heard an anguished "Moo-ooo" I was pretty certain I could blame the same culprit. But I haven't put my finger on it yet, and it still could be the moo of a suburban cow gone rogue. I'll keep you updated as I find out more. I love my neighbourhood!

Ireland 2011

Ireland trip March/April 2011

Here's a link to some photos from our recent trip to Ireland. Shane was best man at a friend's wedding in Dublin, then we chilled for a few days with his folks in Carlow. The following weekend was super busy with parties thrown by both of our families to celebrate our upcoming wedding. Totally fabulous to see everyone, a little odd to be at the centre of attention, and the kind of wonderful holiday that you still need a holiday to recover from once you're home. Hooray!

Canadiana, now comes in Rocco

Rocco at his seat in the throng of 400 new Canadians sworn in at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver yesterday.

Rocco flanked by the presiding judge who granted him citizenship and the Mountie in red serge who oversaw the ceremony.

Post surprise party, trailing balloons that hid in the trunk of the car the night before. Rocco didn't have a clue that we'd been planning the party for three weeks. He was surrounded by friends and family who are proud to count him among our nation's members. As the judge said during the ceremony to all the new citizens, "You enrich Canada remarkably." Hooray!

And my own accomplishment yesterday, besides pulling off a wicked surprise, is that I wore these stunning shoes all morning and managed to not look disabled. Double hooray! Oh boo, the colours aren't really coming through in the picture. They're shockingly bright, I promise!

Another walk in the city

More pics from wandering on Granville tonight.

Excuse, but how amazing is it that someone had the genius notion and the follow through to type, print, and packing-tape secure this banana bread recipe to a random streetlight? I kind of want to say "only in Vancouver" but in reality I have lots of hope that you would find this beauty in any other city. People are fabulous.

Maybe Ouisi Bistro was inspired by this week's Glee episode where Will and Coach go down to the local honkey tonk to let off some steam, are invited to perform on stage (as one is), and belt out this John Lee Hooker classic to great acclaim (btw, the episode is about the perils of underage and binge drinking, and Will pretty much shows up his Glee kids to that effect), but whatever the motivation, I personally find $13.75 Cdn to be a damn good deal for a whole lotta liquor. Pity I couldn't find a soul willing to join me in an adult beverage this Friday evening! L-Boogie, I MISS you! So instead I went home and made up one of these amazing grapefruit bourbon sours. And damn, it is gooooood. Plus it's grapefruit season so it's the smart choice.

Have a fulfilling and surprising weekend everyone!

Cute things adorning cozy spaces

Bad girl! Posting from school when you should be working and when you might get caught by one of the more dedicated (read: anal) students! Oh well, all in the name of funky home design.
Check these out!

What?! Too freakin cute. Scrabble tile pillows available here. Oh, and in honour of this week's meaningless Hallmark holiday, these by the same artist:

Bit over the top for me, but definitely high on the cute meter. Like the Cute Things Falling Asleep site that you wouldn't want to admit you visit.

A great Saturday

Two wonderful things happened in my life today! Early afternoon I finished a full draft of the CIRCUITS paper. Yes, friends, the beast that has been on my back for four years and on my desk for eight months has finally been tamed! I sent the draft to John and expect there will be many revisions, so it's not completely off my desk yet but it is so, so much easier to do ANYTHING once you have a draft. I can't believe it, in many ways, but I'm oh so glad. I believe the appropriate comment here is FUCK YES!

Then Rocco and I went to the next event in the DanceHouse dance series. We have season tickets (expensive but very worth it) and always look forward to the next event. Well this one was incredibly special. Doug Elkins (choreographer) and Friends presenting their piss take on The Sound Of Music, called Fraulein Maria.

Yep, the image does show multiple Marias bum bopping with some of the Von Trapp kids wearing curtains to the "Do A Deer" tune. The piece is a fabulous mix of stellar contemporary dance and breakdancing, true to Doug Elkins' style. Many liberties were taken, like the eldest child who is a woman in the movie, is played by a tall, gangly, and very creepy man in drag in the dance show - which of course means "I am 16 going on 17" turns into a whole new ballgame! The show opened with an emcee conducting the audience through "Do A Deer" in sections, and this kooky emcee kept appearing at odd moments throughout the rest of the show. Including a hat dance he performs with Doug Elkins on a bench - somewhat tangential to the other dances, but so clever and engaging. "Climb Every Mountain" was the most brilliant dance of all. Elkins comes out in a hoodie, basketball shorts, one long black sock and sneaks, and b-boys his way through the piece in grand style. Phenomenal, hilarious, relevant, and captivating.

Ok, actually, I think there aren't enough positive adjectives to describe Fraulein Maria! Oh, and the nuns! Oh my god! I can't possibly do it justice. You'll just have to keep your antennae up in case the show is coming anywhere close to where you live. Doug Elkins and Friends are a New York company but they're touring this show pretty extensively, so you might be in with a chance to catch it. God, it was a great night last night. Yes indeed.

Happy weekend!

Ahahahhahahahhahahahhahaha!

We love to mock! We love to mock poncy design! Can't wait for the ungulates mock video!