Quote of the Day

"There is nothing wrong with change, 

if it is in the right direction."

-Winston Churchill

The Resentment of Change

Change. I know it is inevitable. Time ticks by, things change, the world moves on. I understand that with change there is progress and without that we wouldn't live in the amazing world we live in today. But why does progress sometimes come at the cost of good? I hate change sometimes and it sickens me  to see things I love being ruined and taken away for the purpose of... nothing. This may sound trite but all I see around me sometimes is greed and money and commercialism taking over. 

When I was little we lived on a street and at one end of the street was a fence. On the other side of that fence was a big, undeveloped lot with an ancient farmhouse and cows grazing in the grass. The neighbourhood kids would walk along the top of the fence and wiggle through a loose board to romp in the huge, wildly overgrown field. It was heaven for a child. Our own kingdom, to explore and play and dream in. I still drive through that neighbourhood to look at two of the houses we lived in there and where I grew up but the farm yard is long gone. Pavement and cookie cutter houses stand in its place. 

Yesterday brought back the sadness I feel whenever I see the over developed neighbourhood of my childhood. There was this house that stood on the corner of the neighbourhood where I went to school. It stood behind huge columns of trees and an imposing gate at the front so that you could barely ever get a good look at it, but I used to babysit two doors down and would walk the kids by it whenever I got the chance. It was huge and dark and dramatic, a house out of movies rather than the bland suburban neighbourhood it stood in. I always wondered what it looked like inside. Was it bigger than it looked from outside the gate... or was it much smaller, like re-visiting a place you loved as a kid and realizing it is, in fact, tiny. Was it as grand as it looked, or just ordinary? I worshipped that house and everything it represented to me 

as a child. 

Yesterday I drove by. In the passenger seat of my mom's car, I was gazing out the window when I saw... the emptiness. It had been torn down. I gasped. It made my stomach clench in repulsion. That beautiful house gone and for what? So that, like the rest of Richmond, it can be developed into three tiny, stupid, generic townhouses cramped onto one lot. I have witnessed the constant over development and changing of my hometown with a fair amount of ambivalence up until now. I, for the most part, understand (if not embrace) change. But this was too much. This was the destruction of a dream, the tearing down of a mythical palace from a little girl's imagination. I can't truly express how much it saddened me. Why do things that are so beautiful get torn down? How can the city allow that to happen? 

Today I hate change. And the developers that will stick up those ridiculous townhouses. Shame on them. These are days when I am proud that money doesn't mean everything to me. 

Today I hate change. 

(Photo via Paper Tissue)

Sur la Rive Droit (and that's the only French you're getting from me)

When I was searching for places to rent in Paris a few years ago I found only one I fell utterly in love with. I still look at this picture regularly and dream of staying in this one bedroom apartment in a three hundred year old building on the Right Bank. It combines everything I love about heritage styling~ gorgeous and substantial crown moulding, stunning herringbone wood floors and an amazing stone fireplace mantle. Most of all I love the soothing neutral palette (mostly dreamy white) punctuated with the one, vibrant blue armchair. 

The TV on the floor is a different story. That's weird.

Still, I love to look at this photograph whenever I need a reminder of how I want my apartment to feel. Or when I need to dream of places to stay when I visit Paris next.... (this year??!!)

Quote of the Day

"Life is better with company."

-Up in the Air

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Beautiful Blogger Award

Thank you so much to my thoughtful and lovely (and I think, a little partial) friend Chloe of My Favourite Things for passing on the Beautiful Blogger Award to me! As a writer of such a wonderful blog, I am honoured she has chosen me and in such talented company, as well. 

Here are the rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

-Copy the award & place it on your blog.
-Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
-Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
-Nominate 7 bloggers.
-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

Here are 7 (hopefully) interesting things about me:

1. I am a complete Anglophile. I adore anything out of England~ music (Radiohead, Coldplay, Oasis, The Beatles naturally), movies (I've watched Pride & Prejudice no less than 40 times), literature (my degree is English Lit), fashion, culture. I've been to England three times and can't wait to return. I think this has much to do with my grandmother being born there and I wish to live there at some point in my life. 

2. I'm a sugar addict. Anyone who knows me, knows this. Sugar sugar sugar. I'm all about it. Candy, dessert, you name it, I love it. 

3. I'm a left handed redheaded. I believe that this is pretty rare. 

4. My brother named my cat Lulu after Lulu Island (now Richmond) where we grew up. At the SPCA, where I adopted her, she was named Kahlua. No way was I calling my cat after a liqueur. But at least Lulu is close enough. 

5. In my wildest dreams, if I could do anything I wanted I would be a photographer, write novels or be a ballerina. Or all three. 

6. I hate bananas more than anything in the world. And eggplant. I used to hate avocados and now I'm obsessed with them. 

7. My only (other) addictions (besides sugar) are coffee and red nail polish. 

And now I nominate these amazing blogs

(in no particular order)

The Wild and Wily Ways of a Brunette Bombshell

My Angle of Repose

Making It Lovely

Five Months in Paris

Obnoxious Owl

Erin Ever After

Daddy Likey

Thank you, Chloe! 

Dress Perfection

Sarah Seven still manages to astound me with her beautiful couture cocktail dresses and gowns on Etsy. Though she still sells the designs 

I profiled before here, these two new designs took my breath away. The ivory cocktail dress, Tea For Two, is ethereal perfection, both innocent and flirtatious, sweet and subtly sexy. The navy and red gown, Midnight Stroll, is incredibly dramatic and would catch any eye in a sea of black dresses. This young designer's talent continues to grow and flourish and I can't wait to see what her future holds. 

I pray for one of her designs for myself someday! 

(Photos via etsy)

Valentine's Day

"Love is the only shocking act left on the planet."

Perhaps this is true. After so many people get their hearts broken or lose love, isn't it surprising that the majority of people still want to fall head over heels? Ummmm.... no, actually. Love is the most amazing thing on Earth. Valentine's Day, however, is not. No, this is not "the lady doth protest too much"~ I genuinely dislike Valentine's Day. 

I've never had a good one.

Nevertheless, this movie looks ridiculously cute. Brought to life by Garry Marshall, the director behind Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day surrounds over a dozen plus characters on this one very special, Hallmark card holiday. With such cast members as Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Eric Dane and Ashton Kutcher~ how do you go wrong? That is a lot of talent for one movie.

It is released, appropriately, on February 12 but humor me and
watch the minute and a half trailer here.
If you don't laugh out loud like I did... well, then maybe I'm just a love geek. Seriously. Watch. Adorable City. Warm fuzzy feelings beware.

Need I say... Bradley Cooper, major swoon. 

(Photos via IMDb)

Advice For The Boys Part I

I don't know much about the intricacies of men (what goes on in those minds?!)~ but hey, I know what my girlfriends and I like. We've had fifteen years of dating them, after all. I know what we look for, what we swoon over and what turns us off in a microsecond. Sometimes, we wish we could make a list and hand it out to all the boys we meet and date, a sort of To Do/Not To Do list. Dating and love is a funny thing but here's a girl's point of view...

1. Let's start slowly here. Own a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors. Girls love those shoes (and I love them most of all). Don't get them in a juvenile pattern or colour. Navy, black or grey will suffice. Invest the $50. They are low in price and high in style. Pair them with nice jeans and a button down shirt or edgy tee. Effortless cool. Nice dress shoes are also incredibly sexy. Swoon.
2. For that closet with your nice jeans and Chucks, invest in a gorgeous coat. This will preferably be a classic navy pea coat or a duffel coat (toggle front, hooded, camel, grey or navy only). A good quality coat will set you back a few hundred dollars but will remain in your closet for years. Plus, girls love a good coat. Trust me, we notice. If you come to pick us up for a date in a nylon windbreaker...? Just don't.
3. Know how to chit chat. Yes, it seems impersonal and lame but we need to know you can sustain the conversation without bringing up the weather. Seriously, it's a skill to make small talk but small talk often turns into genuinely getting to know someone and what they're about. We also need to know that you can ask us about us, ask good and insightful questions and are interested in something other than talking about yourselves. Trust me, being inquisitive about who we are goes a very very long way. Major points scored this way.
4. Be sweet without being creepy. Be thoughtful without appearing overbearing. Compliment a girl genuinely. We appreciate it. Hugely. A $10 bouquet on a fourth date? Just do it. Know how to romance in the 21st century. We all want a romantic guy... but don't act like a girl. It's a fine line. If you're thinking of making a romantic gesture for a girl you're dating, ask a girl friend. And ask for the truth. Bottom line, girls seriously crave romantic gestures. That's why we date in the first place. Come on, guys, step up.
5. This should go without saying, but sadly, it doesn't. Don't criticize (even if joking), don't make us feel self conscious, don't talk about your exes (ever ever ever, unless we ask and only then, mention very little), don't text or talk on your phone while with us (it's rude), don't ignore us if we're meeting your friends for the first time and try very hard not to look at other girls when we can catch you. Oh, and don't say to our face that you hate cats/dogs if we have said cat/dog. Just keep your opinion to yourself.

Like I said, I'm not some dating or relationship guru. (I could laugh at that thought for days) All I know is what I like and what my friends like and the boys we naturally gravitate to. No guy we date has to be perfect but if you're a jerk, trust me, we'll walk away.
Hey, a little advice can't hurt, right?

Stay tuned, boys, for more posts on a girl's point of view.

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Clocktower Apartment Love

I want to live here so badly I can feel it in my bones. Wouldn't it be amazing to wake up every morning under the glow of this beautiful clock? But only if it ticks very very quietly. This converted loft in Brooklyn, New York is as magical a place as I can imagine living. It reminds me of the giant clocks in Paris's Musee d'Orsay (below)~ which is probably why I love it so much. I adore pretty much anything that reminds me of Paris. I am definitely meant to live somewhere heritage and full of character. Isn't this place inspiring?

(Photo 1 via Vi.sualize, Photo 2 via Google)

Wedding Inspiration for Leah and Greg

For their upcoming 2011 wedding my best friend Leah and her fiance Greg are considering having their reception in a beautifully rustic barn in the Okanagan. Though unconventional, this idea is both charming and romantic~ much like the couple themselves.

For inspiration and tips (part of a MOH's duty of course) I have been visiting the amazing blog Once Wed to view the weddings of other couples across North America. The wedding of Ryan and Laura particularly stood out for its rain soaked beauty, romantic elegance and especially for the magical barn setting! I love the idea of taking something incredibly earthy and natural and transforming it into a place of unexpected glamour.

I can't wait to see what Leah and Greg choose. No matter what, I know it will breathtaking!

(all photos via Once Wed)

Taking a Break

Well, this morning I had a little minor knee surgery. Bad news~ this means being on crutches for a week, no showering for five days and basically being all around inept. Good news~ seven days of forced relaxation, endless movie marathons and cozy afternoons under a blanket on the couch. This also means quality blogging time so expect a few fun posts this upcoming week.

Right now, though, my weird morning has taken it out of me so nap time is beckoning.

MOH Chalkboard Evidence

The bride and me, only moments after she asked me to be her
Maid of Honour!

And Thus My Mascara Started To Run

I have had the loveliest honour of my life. Last night we were celebrating on the town and I have to admit there were quite a few cocktails involved. So when my best friend Leah made some flippant comment about going to look at a chalkboard, I shrugged it off and thought it was only a random remark. When she mentioned it again I had to go explore. I found the chalkboard on the other side of the restaurant and it took me minutes to see what I was meant to see. There in pink chalk read

ALLYREDHEAD MOH

Naturally, I burst into tears. I am going to be Leah's Maid of Honour! I'm so overwhelmingly excited and so incredibly moved she has asked me. I can't wait to be the best, most steadfast and loyal MOH, because that's exactly what she deserves.

To the most beautiful bride to be, I love you and it truly is the most lovely honour of my life.

I Believe

I have to believe in this. It just will be. 

Resolutions II

Here are a few more resolutions for our newly born 2010...

1. Go see more concerts (this sadly lacked in 2009)

2. Do things outside of my comfort zone ie. see movies I wouldn't normally choose (foreign, documentary) or go out for cuisine I wouldn't typically select (Indian)

3. Go out more instead of staying home and hibernating (see above comfort zone)

4. Encourage new friendships

5. Pay bills on time (ugh!)

6. Learn to master at least a few dishes in the kitchen so I can cook some semi decent meals

7. Watch every episode thus far of Mad Men

8. Cut down on Starbucks~ let's say every other day instead of everyday, twice daily (this one will be haaaaard)

9. Visit my grandparents more

10. Read more (not just blogs, not just Vogue)~ return to books (and good ones)

I've let some things that I cherish slip by the wayside in the last while~ good music, beautiful literature and long visits with loved ones... but I'm determined to regain what has been temporarily forgotten. 

Happy New Year, everyone, and here's to a long, eventful, fun filled and memorably happy 2010. 

ee II