Some good tunes out there these days. I've come across a few good news bands lately, just thought I'd share.
Zoot Woman
A little bit Cut Copy, these guys are seriously growing on me. Super catchy tunes, upbeat, the guy has a great voice and it's perfect music to walk to work with. I've been listening to this album a lot lately. It always seems to find it's way onto my car stereo as well.
Tiger Baby
It took a few listens before I fully appreciated this group for some reason. They're like an edgier Morcheeba. I really like 'In your Heart' and 'Moved Me'. I still haven't even listened to the album as much as I would like, but I'm already hooked.
Electric President
A more mellow group, I especially love the song 'Safe and Sound'. Again, I haven't had much time to really listen to this album, but what I hear so far is really great. They'll stick around my ipod for a long time to come.
James Figurine
This music reminds me of one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver - Subeez. Great background music for a casual party. Lately I'm listening to this when I need to mellow out and get something down on paper at work.
What are you guys listening to lately? What is on your ipods that will never come off? What have you just removed?
Isn't it a sad thing when a wallet dies? I've had this wallet for years now and it finally died a couple weeks ago. I had to draw the line when my credit card finally fell through the bottom.
(Umm...yeah, Ziggy is in the photo for scale.)
When I met Rawbean we even bonded* over our wallets. We didn't have the same wallet, but they were made by the same company.
Wallets are such a personal item and it's hard to find one that will really work for you. I was dreading the search until I remembered Etsy.
I found this shop right away and instantly fell in love with my new wallet. I put a heart next to it and looked some more but couldn't find anything nearly as nice. Taking that step to the larger style of wallet was a big one for me, but in the end I'm completely in love with my new wallet - check it out!!
He buys all of his leather from a boot maker, and let me tell you - this thing is going to last me forever. It was a splurge but is well worth it. Here is a shot of the inside before I jammed it with all my wallet gear.
Plus, he's Canadian! So I didn't have to worry about the dreaded duty charges.
*Actually it was more like me exclaiming "Our wallets - they're the same! It must be a sign!"
I bought some fabric from my new favourite shop about two weeks ago and it arrived today. I think it's the best fabric I've ever bought. (Although I say that after every fabric I buy....)
I was planning to use the one on the bottom for the bag I'm planning, but I've changed my mind. I'm going to use the one on the top for the outside of the bag and the middle one for the lining. The top one is super heavy weight so it will make a gorgeous durable summer bag. Woo hoo!
What should I make with the bottom fabric now?This is the other project I have on deck....but I don't think it's the right fabric.....
I have this red and blue ball, I don't know where it came from but I know I picked it up somewhere because it's the same ball from my favourite scary movie - The Changeling.
Seriously - check out this clip from the movie - it's the scene with the ball!
So, here is my ball. (sigh)
Ziggy has obviously gotten his teeth and claws into it.
But here is the interesting thing - he doesn't pay any attention to it when we are around so I don't know what he's doing to it. Sometimes he'll walk past it, look at it and bite it a little. Then he will see that I'm watching and get up and walk away.
Lately, almost every day when we come home from work the ball has moved from the living room onto the floor mat in the kitchen. One morning I woke up and the ball was lying in the middle of the bedroom floor.
It's like he KNOWS how that ball scares me to death and he's playing mind games with me!! See? He's a Bad Room Mate!!!
The other day I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Holy crap was this ever an amazing book. From the storyline, to the writing, to the depth of characters....at one point the book took a turn that I wasn't expecting and it was genius. I was sitting in a coffee shop when I finished it and nearly, nearly cried in public.
I had to put down the book I was reading at the time (The Mysteries of Udolpho) to take a break and read something else. Now that I'm finished, and I have another book on hold that I will pick up on the weekend - hopefully. For now I have gone back to Udolpho - I have 38 more pages left.
(sigh)
I picked up right where I left off. *SPOILER ALERT* Emily is in peril, she thinks her lover is dead, but he comes alive and she is kidnapped and then her servant is kidnapped, then he reappears, then she escapes and finally goes home, and she sees ghosts and has to travel dark roads with murders and her lover shows up, then there is a sword fight and now her friend was nearly murdered.....oh, it just goes on and on.
Tonight I realized something - Mysteries of Udolpho is just like LOST!!
Every week it's something new. Kate is rescuing somebody and ultimately getting everyone caught in the process, Jack is marching off into the jungle, Claire has gone crazy, John is the evil black smoke, Jacob is talking to Hurley from the grave, Widmore is planning an attack from a submarine and Sawyer is a cop in a parallel universe......
It's the same thing!! Will it just END for the love of God?! I just want to know how it ENDS. What do the numbers mean? Will Emily fend off all of her attackers and marry Valancourt?!
Lost and Mysteries of Udolpho? I need you to just END. Please, I need to move on with my life.
I was bored the other day and took this test that will tell you what career you're best suited for based on your favourite colours. I realize these things are not exactly accurate, but sometimes there is something to them.
Holy CRAP was it WAY off!! Don't misunderstand me - I would never put a lot of trust in a tool like this, but it seriously couldn't have been more wrong. Here is what it told me:
An Organizer?! AS IF! I am seriously one of the most unorganized people I know. Practical? Precise? HA!!
Here are a few of the careers they suggest for me: Accountant, IRS Agent, Banker and Statistician!!
So Brad went snowboarding this weekend - overnight. He left early this morning and will likely be gone until tomorrow night.
So I have the house to myself! There has been a lot of sleeping in, cinnamon buns, sewing, Jane Austen movies and hangin' with Ziggy today.
I'm planning to put five (yes, five!) new bags in my shop. I was going to do it today but realized Brad took our camera. Four of them are really 'spring' themed, I'm excited to see how they will be received.
In other news, I got this book as a birthday gift.
There are so many projects I can see myself completing that I'm literally at a stand-still. Do you ever get that way before starting a massive project? It happens to me at work too, I'm like a deer in headlights when about to start a big project.
So I think this will be my first project - you guessed it - a bag! Why not start easy, in familiar territory?
My favourite online shop is having a sale, and with the Canadian dollar sitting where it is, I splurged and bought three metres. I think I'll use this one for the bag in the photo above.
These are the other two fabrics that are on their way to me. What do you think?
T-Minus 3 months until I can use this Beach Bag. Seriously, can you handle the perfect beachy fabric?!
I totally copied Rae's beach bag - right down to the pleated pockets. But the inside I changed - I used one of my favourite fabrics ever - Heather Ross, Mendocino - Swim Class.
I put pleated pockets on the inside too - in case I ever want to use it with the fish on the outside. It's the perfect size for a beach towel, book, sunscreen, wallet etc.
Now I just need to buy a new bathing suit. (shudder)
So the card game Killer Bunnies was given to me as a gift over the weekend and it has been played a few times over the past few days. Actually, a few years ago a good friend of mine (One Ugly Monkey) bought it and we went mad playing it - it's so up our alley.
Basically the object is to acquire and maintain as many bunnies as you can. You can kill your opponents bunnies with weapons (like Loose Stalactites)....
...or Green Gelatin (with Evil Pineapple Chunks of course)....
or your bunnies can suddenly die by a Terrible Misfortune....
The other thing you have to do is collect carrots. When the last one is picked, the game is over.
Any game where you have a chance to attack your opponents using a mini version of The Monolith, have them abducted by aliens or use a kitchen whisk as a weapon is top notch in my books.
Oh how do you win, you ask?
Remember how I said you collect carrots? Well, I won't give it away, but the way you win is completely by chance and makes the entire game seem completely meaningless - which is somehow the best part!
It took a few listens before I fully appreciated this group for some reason. They're like an edgier Morcheeba. I really like 'In your Heart' and 'Moved Me'. I still haven't even listened to the album as much as I would like, but I'm already hooked.
A more mellow group, I especially love the song 'Safe and Sound'. Again, I haven't had much time to really listen to this album, but what I hear so far is really great. They'll stick around my ipod for a long time to come.
