a manicure-all

It would appear I am having a bit of a week where I have lost count of the days, track of the hours and a general film has settled over my brain. I need a pick-me-up and fast and since I can't get to my salon to address my roots - can you still call them roots when they are nearly half the length of your hair? - a manicure should do the trick. Debating between a dark purply , sexy, vampish hue or an innocently pink, demure, virginal paint. I'm straddling both worlds which makes me quite boring and uncommitted.

Decisions, decisions...

P.S. I opted for Siberian Nights, a nearly-black shade of purple, which elicited "Oh dear, Carly - BLACK nail polish? How interesting." from my boyfriend's mother, who is just too adorably sweet. Maybe I'll buy her a bottle on my next round!

things I learned: Tuesday

It's Tuesday again and that means it's time to share things I learned today. Truth be told, some of these things I learned on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but lets just pretend I learned them all today, okay?

Today I learned that:
- Sometimes the critics are right. Even with mayjah star-power like Kidman, Cruz, Day-Lewis, Dench, Nine was a 4 at best (source: Me)
- I also learned that a small movie popcorn without butter at Cineplex-Odeon theatres actually isn't as bad for you as I thought. A small (55 gram) bag of popcorn brings in a modest 275 calories and just 0.2 grams of saturated fat (source: National Post) This is good for me because that is what I am having for dinner if I can get out of the office in time to make it to the 9:30pm movie.

And the award for the creepiest fact of the day goes to this one:
Frozen lobsters can come back to life when thawed. (source: Sweet Spot Sweet Fix) Wonder if it will work for Walt Disney - anyone know when he's expected to be thawed?

TGIFF

That stands for Thank God it's (F-ing) Friday. This week has kicked my ass between work, after work and after-work-work. Weekly routine is as follows: wake up, press snooze, wake up, press snooze again, wake up turn alarm off, shower, makeup, dress and work, meetings, put out fires, after work meeting/social/event, followed by a little TV, wash face, pj's, read book, go to bed. Repeat x5. There's got to be a better way but I can't seem to get out of this routine that leaves me utterly wiped by the time the weekend rolls around.

I am aware of the fact that it is now nearing the end of January and I have yet to go an entire week without driving to work in spite of the fact that I live a mere four (good shopping) blocks from the office. I've also driven each time with my gym bag conveniently located in the back seat of my car but every morning convince myself it looks so cozy nestled on the floor behind my seat that I would hate to disturb it. Did I mention there is a gym on the second floor of my office that is basically free? For shame.

Next week, a new regime? More time for me? Take more control? That may be a stretch, but admitting you have a problem is the first step in the road to recovery, non? As if I had somehow telepathically sent my SOS, my dearest girlfriend Marisa sent a note expressing the same sentiments and our collective desperate need for some "me/us" time and what better place to do just that than in the hydratherapy pools at the Scandinave in Collingwood, Ontario? Girlfriends always know what you need! So do sisters and tonight, mine is joining me for a girly dinner and movie.

See, this is why TGIF-ingF!

I never did get an Easy-Bake Oven

For a kid who sure loved to eat (and eat, and eat), I can only imagine it was my mother's proactive, outside-voice worrying that ensured her chubby little girl would never get her hungry little hands on an Easy-Bake Oven. Surely, those little cakes wouldn't have stood a chance against my need to feed as a stout little five-year-old. So that may explain why my eyes nearly welled up when I saw this today on Twitter (thx to @Skripper)! Yes, if you're on the same wavelength then you must be thinking the same thing: An Easy-Bake Oven for Adults! In just five minutes, this magical dream-maker whips up seven sweet little cupcakes. Seven in five! That's my kind of math. And, since they're bite size, you can eat all seven and it's basically like eating one regular cupcake.

God Bless America.

things I learned: Tuesday

I think this may become a recurring theme on the blog that only just two weeks ago proclaimed it would promise no themes. But I do think it's important not only to learn something new, but to share said new-found knowledge with total strangers. So here goes.

Today, I learned that:
- coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in a North American diet (source The Rebel Diet by Melissa Hershberg)
- the street lamps in Hershey, Pennsylvania are shaped like Hershey's Kisses (source: SweetSpot sweet fix)
- former president George W. Bush and Hugh Hefner are cousins (source: Sweet Spot sweet fix)
- my entire family is "impatient" for me to get married (source: my mother)
- the new Orange Blossom tea at Starbucks taste suspiciously like ass and nothing like the old yummy tea (source: Me)

Oh, and lastly, if you eat two cups of Mini-Wheats dry and then drink water, you may actually burst. No... not really.

are fanny pack's back?

I saw this post today on new blog-crush jomygoodness and I might have to agree - these waist purses (fanny-packs in disguise!) by Kinnies are kind of sweet. While I am not certain I need any more ruffle near my derriere, I admire a stylish new take on an out-of-style idea.

Audrey makes me Hopeful

I was reminded today of one of my favourite quotes of all time, which is by Audrey Hepburn. Now there is some debate as to whether or not she wrote or merely quoted it, but for argument's sake, I like to read it imagining her saying it. Audrey makes me hopeful.

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."

A very wise woman. She also said "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!"; "There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion"; and my ultimate life credo "Paris is always a good idea."

Cheers to Audrey and to wishing you a happy and hopeful Thursday

site interruptus

As you may have noticed (yes you, my lone reader), I can't quite manage to get the font consistent on this site. As I am not planning on doing anything about it, I'm not certain why I felt the need to share other than I had the urge for YOU to know that I also know.

Phew... that took a load off my shoulders!

Wicked Good Arrival!

Hurrah! They arrived! My cozy, L.L. Bean Wicked Good Moccasins landed on my desk today and they are every bit as cozy as I had imagined. I wish I could wear them right now, alas I am on duty for an evening event where these snuggly slippers are not on the guest list.

resolutions continued

This post was originally going to be titled a wine-ing weekend but then I realized that was lame.Spent the weekend in the always-pretty town Niagara-on-the-Lake in celebration of a dear friend's birthday. In our vast imbibing experience, we have come to know that five couples can consume a frightening lot of drink in a very short period of time, which is why Mrs. Birthday Boy, the clever gal she is, suggested no DD's would be required on what would be an ambitious five-winery tour Saturday afternoon. Instead, ten winos packed into a white stretch SUV limousine and headed to Beamsville to tour the likes of Fielding Estates, Tawse, Thirty Bench and No. 99 Estates Winery.

By the end of the tour, we were rosy-cheeked and giddy and definitely over-shared with our sommelier at our last stop about the previous night's antics, which had included a series of vigorous, physical challenges and gluttonous over-eating by a load of optimists with not one empty glass in site the entire night. A big thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Birthday Boy, Katie and Mark, for being Divine hosts as always.

Based on the above, here are a few things I learned this weekend:

• 2007 was a great year for Ontario wines (but Ontario reds still taste like swill no matter how pretty the label)
• You can buy an oak barrel (French oak, even) should you have the need for one for about $60, which sounds like a deal until you try to get it in your car
• Planning a weekend with a teacher will almost always feature "activities" that I don't win
• and Games that are called cornhole and swingin' dick require stretching before playing

I also learned that it is best to start your diet on a Monday after a really big weekend so it takes your body a few extra days to realize that you actually did throw away all the junk food in the house. No cause for panic, though as I consumed enough nachos and beer this weekend to keep me full until at least Thursday. Hope I don't run into you then. Probably best to carry some candy in your pocket in case you do run into me. I'm sorry in advance.

mad for macarons

It was a little over a year ago I spent ten glorious days in Paris. We rented a flat on the third floor of an apartment on Rue L'Arbre Sec in the 1st Arrondissement. We traversed the city on foot, exploring the cultural and culinary delights that have made the Paris famous for centuries. And it was in Paris that my obsession with les Macarons first, albeit fittingly, began.

One of most most exquisite of tourist destinations in Paris is Laduree. Laduree is like being Alice but instead of waking up in Wonderland, you wake up inside a Faberge egg and every gilded creation is made of colourful sugar. And then there are the actual Macarons. Arguably the most famous Macarons in the world, these petite, delicate clouds are too refined to be called just cookies and the presentation of rows on rows of pastel colours and perfect packaging literally takes my breath away.

And this week, I was inspired again by one of my favourite blogs is Sweet Designs, by Amy Atlas. As her profile says, NY-based Amy is an event planner specializing in high end dessert tables. My heaven is made up of a series of Amy Atlas dessert tables. This week, she made me a fan for life when she featured her take on Macarons and Laduree. Take a look and check out some of her other designs on her web site amyatlas.com. Oh, and be sure to eat before you read. This site is guaranteed to leave you salivating!

a nerd at <3

In my former life as a PR agency gal, I spent most of my time with technology clients. This, in part due to my former former life as a technology reporter, eventually made me decently-versed in gadgets, gizmos, apps and tools. Decently-versed is a far cry from decently-practiced - I can tell you why you should hook up your HDMI cables to your HD TV but don't ask me how to do it...ever.

What brings me to this reflection on all things geek today is that it's January 6th and CES officially jumps out of its Star Wars cake tomorrow. The Consumer Electronics Show is the annual trade show that brings together more than 100,000 people from all parts of the globe to Las Vegas who spend the week traversing more than one million square feet (yes, one MILLION) of show floor space, bearing witness to the future of personal technology, talking fridges and housekeeping robots a certainty. It even brings in more people than the porn show, conveniently held about a week later in the same spot - true story.

Having spent time as the PR rep for a major international technology brand, I attended a few CESes and I gotta say, I kinda miss the buzz of big brainpower. Slightly less do I miss the Jersey Shore sales jerks who puff out their chests while ogling the assets of giggling booth babes, but it is Vegas after all and what happens in Vegas, yada yada yada...

Maybe it's just that... Vegas. The only place on earth you can order a turkey club on a waffle from room service at 4:30AM and it's not only acceptable, it's expected. If all the world is a stage, Vegas is where they design the sets.

I don't think I'll go back anytime soon, though. There are myriad destinations on my bucket list before I hit the reruns. Instead I'll observe with slight longing from afar. Maybe I'll make waffles for dinner...

In short

I am really bad at commitment. Okay wait, that didn't sound right. Let me be clear, I am the most loyal girlfriend, dedicated friend, sister, daughter, niece, boss, etc. But when it comes to follow through on personal goals I set, I'm more of a waffler.

Lets take this blog for example: I debated an entry today. Seriously. Two posts in and I already made excuses for why I was too busy, too tired, too uninterested (more like uninteresting) too late, too whatever to write.

So here I am. Blaming lack of inspiration in part on the overwhelming coverage of the Google Nexus on Twitter (oh CES, I still carry a torch for your nerdy Vegas love) rather than the tweets I so enjoy like 140-character recipes from Every Day Food and the wedding DIY amazement that is StyleMePretty. Normally I am DI WHY?? but I am in lust with this site. (don't mention to my boyf... key message: I'm looking for a friend).

Another full day over and a full evening begins with the Canadian World Juniors. I realize this will now be the second time I mention the World Junior Hockey championships in as many days and I feel the urgent need to caveat the rest of this thought with the following context: I don't watch hockey. I never watch hockey. I don't own a pair of skates, wasn't a puck bunny in high school (or there afterward, no judgement) and surely will not be a hockey mom when the time comes and now it's in writing. But something happens when the Juniors play. My bf will say it's because of 15-year-old superstar Taylor Hall, who is indeed dreamy, but that would make me a total perv/cougar, or would that be a cougert? The truth? The World Junior Hockey championships allow me the unabashed privilege of the excuse to fill my face with forbidden delicacies like cheesy nachos, chicken wings, french fries and beer and have it be socially acceptable.

And, yes... diet starts (again) tomorrow.

A Brave New Year

Year over year, with every stroke of midnight each December 31st, the world symbolically sheds the past year's struggles, hardships, heartaches, fears and doubts. And in so many ways, January 1 does feel like a rebirth - an opportunity to call a cosmic mulligan to "do over" or "do better" in the areas you've failed to master the year prior. (argued considerably by my dear friend Lindsay who absolutely despises this concept on the basis that society has made up this ridiculous concept and a date doesn't change anything... but this is not about her.)

This year, I haven't yet made any resolutions. I didn't quite feel ready for the new year to come so quickly. I didn't organize, I didn't purge, I didn't prepare or even count down. Before I knew it, somewhere between the World Junior Hockey game, my third glass of red wine (okay fourth or fifth) and multiple servings of dinner, my relationship with 2009 was over and I was rebounding immediately, toasting champagne, sharing a sweet moment with my bf of three years and congratulating friends over roars of "happy new year!" My house still needed to be cleaned, my bills paid and the work I had left on December 29th would still be waiting for me in three days' time. In a nutshell, my breakup with 2009 had been messy with many loose ends and the shiny newness of 2010 only temporarily made me forget. Now I need closure.

That is probably what should be my 2010 resolution: get over 2009. I'll spend the first month of this brave new year resolving, reflecting, renouncing and reviving - really start to take good care of me. Then, I'll cut myself a little slack and restart the year again... slightly delayed but for the better.

Okay, here goes. Day 1 is half over and I'm feeling only slight anxiety. Good sign. And to reward myself for being so mature, I think I'll buy these. Seriously cute and are perfectly in line with my NYR. You can't make any decisions with cold feet!