hungry?

These pillows are making me hungry. I have a weakness for food, and a soft spot for pillows - and these finds satisfy both cravings.

When I was little, I loved playing with "fake" food. These are the grown-up version of that, although I'm not convinced they're much more practical.


I can envision myself getting carried away and turning my couch into a buffet. Yum.

fridges don't have to be frigid

While checking out Design*Sponge today, I came across a fridge covered with wood grain shelf liner. I love the idea of messing with appliances, because they can be pretty damn ugly and can often distract from any cute decor you've got going on around them. But this is brilliant!

Finally they can blend in, or stand out for the right reasons. I also love the idea of covering things in chalkboard paint, like the fridge below. I'm glad I've never bought a can of it, I think I would get carried away. I already entertained the idea of chalkboard floors. It's a terrible one by the way. (Chalk + socks + shoes = impossible to clean).



Another bad idea: fur covered fridge. I think I would lose my appetite before even opening it. Especially if I was after a glass of milk or a bit of jerky or something.


I think I'll stick to magnets for now since my landlord may not appreciate the aesthetics of a painted fridge.

cottage style

This morning sun's lazy persistence has got me thinking about fall and my favourite place to be when the leaves crisp. The answer comes without a second-thought: the cottage. It's so cozy when the lake's breeze pushes the lace curtains in the kitchen, and on the nights before it gets too cold, the stove is the only thing you need to keep warm. Although the seasons change, cottage style is timeless. Things bought years, even decades ago, still hold their place at the cottage, lifted only momentarily to dust their underbelly or when a curious visitor inspects. Here's a rundown of my favourite things at the cottage.

The bird. As kids, we could direct it towards others and not get in trouble. It's smooth, wooden and makes the ultimate conversation piece. It's display on the microwave is questionable, although if you're going to microwave food at the cottage, you probably deserve getting flipped off. (Popcorn should always be Jiffy Pop anyway. Even though that never seems to work.)
This stool is upholstered in a robin's egg blue vinyl with hints of gold sparkle throughout. It looks like an old melamine countertop. The simple structure of the black legs is sleek, but a little bit nerveracking when it comes time to sit my adult self down to dinner and balance after a few glasses of wine.
The base on this lamp is bulbous and fun, the tip provides the perfect fire hazard: a hat rack.

Bringing the outdoors in is inevitable at the cottage. But it sometimes can be quite beautiful. As long as we don't find the homeowner of this abode.

The view from the kitchen window. What's not to love? This is the reason we fight over who gets to wash at the cottage.

Cottage style is easily obtained since there's no focus on matching. Comfort is the main concern, because the most important part of staying at the cottage is the people you are with, being fed and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.

moderation

Everything is supposedly better in moderation, but what about the days where you indulge yourself in everything you want?

I spent the afternoon with my parents. We shopped, went to the pub (where I had greasy pub grub and beer) and went on a drive - the kind that takes you out of the way.

I love days like these where the sun hits the blinds in the living room just right, where I can find my cat in the same spot several hours later and can find Dad in the kitchen for the entire afternoon creating condiments and adding garlic to everything. One thing always burns but there's nothing to worry about. As long as it's not the apple pie.

'Going on a Drive' Playlist

1. The Only Living Boy in New York - Simon and Garfunkel
2. On the Hood - Matt Mays and El Torpedo
3. Atlantic City - Bruce Springsteen
4. Wait for It - Annabelle Chvostek
5. XOK - Nq Arbuckle

funeral blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
- W.H. Auden

Dad wants me to read this at his funeral. He also wants everyone to drink heavily. I told him I could write something better but I wouldn't let him down about that last part.

my sunday playlist

for lazy afternoons that smell like laundry soap:
1. The Air that I Breathe by The Hollies
2. Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
3. You Make Loving Fun by Fleetwood Mac
4. Avalanche by Wintersleep
5. Wild Wild Life by Talking Heads
6. The King of Carrot Flowers by Neutral Milk Hotel
7. Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
8. Legs Away by Mother Mother
9. Cleaning Windows by Van Morrison
10.Friday I'm in Love by The Cure

bee's knees & bachelor degrees

Sometimes I get really frustrated with the quality of my education. I am told, over and over again, by journalists, editors, professors and colleagues that I am recieving a top-notch journalism degree. Finding a job should be a breeze, and with the hands-on component Ryerson is known for I am getting experience that is completely transferable into the real world (should I decide to enter it).

However, I have to wonder, if this degree is really the bee's knees, why am I continually enrolled in mandatory courses that teach me how to search Google? I don't need to pay thousands of dollars to learn this skill.

Some say, "Why are you complaining that your assignments are easy?" I wouldn't be upset if it was free. But it's not. We pay a lot for this supposed "quality" education - and I want to get my money's worth.