One Liners: simmering summer

Sorry for the lapse, life has been connected more by trains, planes and automobiles than the Internet these past few weeks. A whole lot has been ingested, here's my best recap...

[Geek Chic]
If you want to become president, here's your chance, (with this toy, you get a video to pass around - fun times!)

Something for the ladies - say goodbye to landfill and leaks...

[Creatively speaking]
Vancouver art gallery has some good shows on including KRAZY! and a collection of still images from Zhang Huan called Altered States.

[Read/ing]
Work on your top five!..I've got lists to post and they'll be up soon.

[Travels]
Colorado here we come...

[Up Next]
LOVE via YSL

[Yum]
Since my own city still has an odd bi-law about selling cooked food streetside, I get oddly excited by the prospect of 'street food' including hot (veggie) dogs. So, while in Vancouver I happened on upon a vendor who gave me my goods in a whole wheat bun(?!) That's just going too far in my books - bun is essential to a good dog and whole wheat just can't deliver on texture let alone taste. *sigh*.

[Rants & Raves]
People close to me shared some thoughts on our friendship recently, waking me up to the danger of looking for validation in all the wrong places (like work over, uh, life). Their words were inspiring and touching - no wonder they have seats at my last supper.

One Liners

[Geek Chic]
Gmap Pedometer :

[Creatively speaking]
Do you get aroused from squeezing balloons until they explode? Do you quiver with delight as you watch popcorn pop? Have you ever been patient enough to stand in front of a ripe flower bud for hours to witness its slow explosion into full opening? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you're in for an orgasmically pleasing week, Aries. Lots of things are going to change into something else through the process of eruption or sprouting or bursting forth. I bet you'll dream of undersea volcanoes spurting.
[how can you not love freewill]

[Seen]
Bella,
The Counterfeiters
(and Batman - but I don't think the summer blockbuster needs more hype)

[Pages]
The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison [take 2]

[Passages]
"[transported] vegetables have come to lack two features of interest: nutrition and flavor. Storage and transport take predictable tolls on volatile plant compounds that subtly add up to taste and food value...a trade-off that amounts to 'Give me every vegetable in every season, even it if tastes like a cardboard picture of its former self."
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver

[Yum]
Griffintown café has re-opened and offers Friday night jazz and brunch on the weekends...

Top Five - the game(s) begin

The latest "project". email yours [miswitlife@gmail.com] if they aren't listed below (and any corrections) -(yes, fiction and non)...

NF
100 years of solitude
Confederency of Dunces
A Fine Balance
Children of the Circus
Fugitives Pieces

JC
Zorba the Greek
The Enormous Room
The Sun also Rises
Jules et Jim
Being and Time

HM
Big Sur
Like Water for Chocolate
Fall on your Knees
Fugitive Pieces
Amazing Adventures of Cavalier & Klay

One Liners

[Geek Chic]
Summertime in Paris - a mix of painting, sculpture and photography currently at The Parisian Laundry

[Creatively speaking]
Who are you? What's your Type?

[Seen]
My Blueberry Nights - simple, well-acted story about longing.

[Passages]
"If every product containing corn or soybeans were removed from your grocery store, it would look more like a hardware store. Alarmingly, the lightbulbs might be naked, since many packaging materials also now contain cornstarch."
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver

[On the road]
My first "clip" pedal ride took me from the south shore, to Fort Chambly, along the Richelieu river, through the farms of St. Phillipe and back across the escalade bride 6hours later in the pouring rain. A long, somewhat exhausting ride, about 125 KM in total, a new level in endurance for my aging self :-).

[Up Next]
La fête Bio Paysanne at the TOHU

[Yum]
The summer round of dinners now includes Lafayette's - a classic on the edge of the Village, "gooey" pizza and possibly the largest plate of poutine I have seen (all at one table ....ooph) was the pitcher of beer really a good idea gang?? Here's a great description from an older CTV piece:
"LAFAYETTE'S RESTAURANT HAS BEEN HERE AT THE CORNER OF STE-CATHERINE EAST & CARTIER FOR 30 YEARS. IT'S A GREASY SPOON IN A GRIMEY AREA OF THE CITY. AND A SURVIVOR."

'nuff said.

One Liners

[Geek Chic]
So, do you LOVE our iphone to DEATH?

[Creatively speaking]
Who doesn't love balloons? (and the ensuing discussion is funny too)

[Seen]
Borderline - amazing role by Isabelle Blais and with some similar struggles over love and self, a moving film from China/France, Summer Palace - both the director and film were "banned" by the Chinese government.

[Offline]
Putain par Nelly Arcan

[Up Next]
Les Francopholies, with a nice summary of possible shows here

[Yum]
Les Havres au Glace - need I say more? there's even a thread on Chowhound of devotees.

Lundi, latin style

So, my weekly dance lesson was moved to Mondays for now, and after a somewhat scarring experience at a club this weekend, I didn't do my teacher proud - but he's a patient guy and will eventually get me to slow down :-)

[Geek Chic]
Last time I worked in an ad agency, I kept a jar of Chuppa Chups on my desk to woo and sooth creative teams into agreeing to tight timelines and budgets. Shameful, but we all enjoy candy so let's celebrate turning 50!!

[Creatively speaking]
Discovered Steven Klein and Julian Wolkenstein recently - wow.

[Seen]
Be Kind, Rewind - as much as like Jack Black and love Mos Def, AND, enjoyed 'eternal sunshine of the spotless mind', I didn't get this.

[Offline]
What is the What [struggling] and Putain [possibly a struggle]

[Up Next]
Shakespeare in the park, hopefully no tempest for the The Tempest

[Yum]
Had an amazing experience this past weekend in a few forested enclaves of the eastern townships picking mushrooms - came home with a bag of chanterelles that were pretty and tasty. Accompanied by three french men who know FAR too much about mushrooms, cheese and apple cider - I felt like a foodie princess.

[Heard]
In an effort to learn how to count properly, this week is all courtesy of the
Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

Back in the Saddle

A month offline!? There is so much going it gets overwhelming, need some time to let it all sink in. The summer's theme is turning out to be 'non-fiction'. I even ran across David Sedaris (who was in town promoting his new book). It was weird and timely and despite all the craziness in my life these days, it all seems to work...

[Geek Chic]
The only thing that will get me out of bed tomorrow is a lovely number by Stacey Zhang, newcomer to the boutiques that surround me. In her words, "fetching!".

[Creatively speaking]
Finished Common Cents, and learned a lot in the process like spray paint gets everywhere, pennies don't stick easily and next time, the canvas will be painted white...

next, (inspired by a spontaneous catchphrase at a dinner this past weekend) a piece called "soul bits".


[Seen]
from the jazz festivals caught Laila Biali Trio, Bran Van 3000
Zaki Ibrahim, Way out West, Nate James.

[Offline]
Magical Thinking - Augusten Burrows...This gets my vote for creative non-fiction. If you even have a slight interest in advertisting, this is guaranteed to make you laugh and if not, enjoy his absurd take on/life.

What it Is - Lynda Barry...hot of the press, a graphic novel exploring the creative process and asking many questions that can fill drunken nights with rants. excellent.

[Up Next]
Just for Laughs - Eat my shorts
Sophie Calle's Prenez soin de vous at DHC/ART

[Yum]
Wonderful food, atmosphere and experience at Banu in Toronto, my only advice is to go easy on the generous vodka based experiments from the bar :-)