Like It Is

Perhaps because I’d blogged about Valentine’s day I was more acutely aware of all the Valentine’s day trappings and interesting little things people were doing… So I thought I share what I noticed today going to and from work. Had to grin to myself.

1. 1. The Hallmark card shops were packed… mostly with guys. I have never seen so many guys in a card shop before! Looks like they’d nipped in to get that card for The One at the last minute. Just like Christmas… (heh)
   2. All the nice classy cards went very quickly. Spotted quite a few empty display holes and lots of leftover cards
   3. Even the crappiest simplest cards were bloody expensive!
   4. I happened to spot the prices of a bunch of flowers in one of the flower shops near where I work. Nearly $CDN40.00 for a smallish bunch!? So.. for an acceptable bunch we’re looking at say $CDN80 and up. But the alternative? Turn up with no flowers? On Valentine’s Day? Not worth the risk
   5. There was a queue (line) in the flower shop. Mostly guys.
   6. Flower wrapping services were available. Mostly guys in these lines.
   7. I did get wished Happy Valentine’s day – to which I replied “same to you.” It hadn’t occurred to me to say it first, because although I’m reminded of it, I just never remember it! Except when I blog

Wow! I don’t know about you, but I always get excited about a brand new year. I say goodbye to the outgoing year that will soon be no more – with thanks for having come through it, and not too much dwelling on the fact that now we’re a year older – at the same time as I look forward to welcoming in the brand new year.

At work today, we left early, with everyone saying “Happy New Year and “See you you in 2007!” Then there’s the one minute before midnight, doing the countdown when we step from one year into another…

Being a Brit abroad, with my family in England I mark the start of the new year twice. At 7 pm in Canada it will already be 2007 in England and we’ll have wished everyone there a happy new year, before we celebrate the new year here in Toronto.

The New Year brings to mind those things.. called Resolutions. I don’t make new year resolutions because somehow I never ever managed to keep them in the past. For some strange reason fwhenever I made new year resolutions the action set up a corresponding and immediate invitation to break them. By the time March came around they’d be abandoned and forgotten them.

But I do review the year, what I’ve done, become, achiieved, what I’ve learned (or not) and set goals for the year, which I write down and review at intervals through the year.This really works for me. I’ve been doing this for several years now and have found that I achieve most of the goals I write down. It’s actually pretty amazing to look back during the year and see the goals I have achieved - that of course means I set new ones. The key for me is not merely thinking them, but writing them down and setting a time around them. There is something very powerful about writing down goals and intentions. I believe it sets in motion the elements of what is needed to bring the goal. And the journey is always interesting!

So what about you? How was 2006 for you? Did you have a high point? A low point? Surprises? Are you looking forward to 2007? Do you set goals? Or do you make resolutions? If you make resolutions, how well have you kept them? What works for you?

Wishing you a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!

The Skinny Jean that is. And, I have to say that on the right person they look pretty darn good. On the right person. With the right shape.

And what does this shape look like?

Errm… well. Super slim. But you aren’t surprised at that at all are you? Not at all. I’ve spotted a few people wearing them and, just as I said in my previous article the skinny jean has to be the most unforgiving pair of jeans ever. Except for their 80’s predecessors.

The women I saw wearing them Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine watching some of the most powerful planes in the world fly right over where you live. Imagine having a ringside seat to watching the F22 Raptor performing acrobatics in the skies right over your head, or the CF19 Hornet or the CP140 Aurora or the marvellous Canadian Snowbirds! Not quite breaking the sound barrier (as they are not allowed to exceed Mach 1 which is the sound barrier) but extremely loud nevertheless. That’s the Canadian International Airshow, one of the best airshows in North America and a huge highlight of the Labour Day weekend in Toronto.

If you are as fascinated with planes as much as I am, you’ll probably agree that seeing these planes is pretty cool. If you’re not, take it from me – it’s pretty cool. Last year the weather was perfect sunshine, we sat on our balcony sipping a beer and watching the fantastic acrobatic performances of the pilots in the Canadian Airshow. The year before we skated down to the Canadian National Exhibition and watched the airshow from a great vantage point in the stands. Watching the show, all I can ever seem to say is “Wow!” “Amazing!” Words always fail me. Because these birds are amazing. Last year we saw the awesome USAF B52 among many other amazing planes.

This Labour Day weekend we’ve had low cloud and rain all day so far so the Canadian airshow wasn’t as long as it normally is on its first day, Saturday. But we still saw the CF18, F22 Raptor, the F16 Viper and the huge C17 Globemaster.

We’ve got Sunday and Monday though, so I’m looking forward to the great 2006 lineup – The F16, the F15 and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and more. Weather allowing of course.

I love my jeans. All eight pairs of them. It’s been said that I may have a jeans fetish. Perhaps. But I can’t resist them.

Outside work I practically live in jeans.  They’re comfortable, go with practically anything, and always in fashion. My favourite way to wear them is to team with a white tee or white shirt, a jacket with heels or sneakers.  Or with a cosy sweater and boots on colder days. They are the ultimate in cool casual that you can dress up at your will. Can’t imagine my world without them.

Believe it or not, Nudie jeans recommends waiting 6 months before washing your jeans for the first time to create your own custom worn look. (Of course, you knew that didn’t you?) Well worth doing. Wearing jeans should be like saying hello to an old friend, they should fit your form perfectly.

For the past couple of years my favourite jeans have been Levi’s Low Boot Cut 545s in Worn Black. I love the Levi fit so much that I never really bothered investigating other brands, just bought the whatever suited me – as long as it was Levis. This year however, acting on a tip from my style guru Geekigirl I shall check out Diesel, but only in the sales. I consider $200–$300 pretty steep for a pair of jeans, even if they are Diesel. Ouch. True Religion are on my list too, again, waiting for the sales. Time to try a new style and see.

The skinny on jeans is that the skinny “drain-pipe” jeans are in this year.  They are everywhere in the shops. Trying them on is a hoot. You need good balance (on one leg) or a good friend and a large changing room. All three if possible. You may not need help getting them on, but you’ll almost certainly need help peeling them off. They’re skin tight, moulded to you and look like they’ve been  painted on. Now I am slim, but even on me they were bordering almost on the indecent. Maybe I’d picked up leggings by mistake…

You’ll also have to point your toes to the utmost to get your foot through the leg. They also feel like they’ve been painted on you as well. There is supposed to be a skinny style for every girl… that might help sell them, but I’m not so sure it’s true. They may be trendy, but they show every single bump and curve, so some are going to have challenges if they are going to claim then as their latest must-haves. Should be interesting.

They may be called the “new skinny” jeans, but they are suspiciously like the 80’s “drain-pipe”  jeans, recycled. I didn’t like them then and I dislike them even more now, maybe because they are being touted as “new”.  I prefer a little more room to breathe so my style is a little more relaxed.  Meanwhile, I’ve heard that some are thinking that the narrow skinny jeans are going to be as popular as they were in the 80’s. I’m not holding my breath on that one. But even if they are, as long as there are some alternatives around, they can be as popular as they like.

High waist jeans and trousers are also back in. I tried on one of the “new” high waist styles and it felt…odd. Constricted.  That meant back to the rack with them, with the thought that maybe I’d  better stock up in case I can’t get my low rise, sit on the hip styles again.

I am going to Montreal later this month. I’ve heard of a great place for jeans on Rue Sainte-Catherine W… but I am being strong…I must… resist…

Toronto - Downtown, originally uploaded by TownieBrit.

Do I just love taking pictures of my adopted city or what? Amazing from above, I took this shot from my favourite vantage point, the top of the CN Tower…

Downtown Toronto, originally uploaded by TownieBrit.

My Totonto. Busy, buzzing, cosmopolitan and on the move. I just love Toronto! It’s more than the Downtown of course, but I remember the “wow!” feeling I had when I took this photo - from the top of the CN Tower. The photo still has big a big “wow!” factor for me… and evidently I’m not the only one!

Toronto Skyline, originally uploaded by TownieBrit.

Are words necessary? Toronto is wonderful by night. Many people leave the Downtown after work and head for the suburbs, but not me! I’m definitely a Townie (a Downtowner at that). This is one of the many photos of Downtown Toronto that I love. I was thrilled to be able to take this photo, because it’s one that you’d normally only see on postcards. It’s actually impossible to get this view again - because now more condos have been built in the space you see in front. We got this breathtaking, uninterrupted view of the Downtown skyline from our condo roof.

CN Tower, originally uploaded by TownieBrit.

The CN Tower is the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world. When I first came to Toronto I was quite awed seeing it so close.
Every time I look at this photo I am amazed. I don't know which is more awesome - the clear September night sky or the majestic CN Tower. How'd I get this photo? From our condo roof!

The Callous Transit Drivers. Toronto Transit Commission drivers to be exact. Who all went on strike today, Monday 29th May out of the blue. At least for commuters. They callously left commuters, all 800,000 of them, who depend on them more or less for their livelihood well and truly in the lurch this morning, as they called a “wildcat” strike and just walked off the job. No warning, no nothing. No chance for workers to plan an alternative way of getting to work. Just what we needed on a Monday morning.

I was one of the fortunate ones. Not only did we happen to turn on the t.v. on Sunday night and hear of a possible shut down of the TTC, but I also live within walking distance of where I work. So, with my comfy walking shoes, it took me only 25 minutes to walk to work on a sunny, but hot morning. My only complaint was that I was very hot and sweaty when I got into work and it was even hotter walking home along with the current bad air quality and temperatures hovering at 30 degrees Celsius. Other colleagues and workers weren’t so lucky – it was impossible to get a cab and when you live a great distance a way far from easy to get into work when no transit service at all is running.

“They don’t care about commuters”, I fumed to my husband when I got home. They practically have jobs for life, pensions, benefits, the lot – and all they do is walk of the job like petulant children taking their ball back and refusing to play.”

As my husband said – this isn’t about commuters. They could care less about them. It’s management’s job to care about the commuters; they are collateral damage. It’s about the Transit Unions proving to their management they they’re prepared to take action, not just talk about it. So now, management will take them more seriously and give them what they want. Perhaps that’s why the striking TTC drivers couldn’t even agree on why they were striking.

Makes me think of London Underground, when they go on strike and it causes even more widespread chaos because the system is so much larger in London. Or Paris. Or, for that matter New York. They are just the same. They already have it very good job wise. But they still hold us to ransom on our public transport or transit systems.

Because they can.