Friday, December 31, 2010

reminds me of the ad

"have you any grey poupon?" or perhaps they say "do you have any grey poupon?" I ought to youtube the damned commercial but I'm feeling rather lethargic at the moment. I leave at 8am tomorrow morning for Miami...home of the Heat, Dexter, and Vice. But even more wonderful is the vintage shopping! Below is today's outfit. All of which is thrifted except for the knee high socks. those were a winners buy!







Sweater- thrifted - value village
Lace up boots - thrifted - value village
jeggings - thrifted - good will store

Thursday, December 16, 2010

double-headed coin

When does diplomacy take the back seat to humanity? When does one's government stop acting as an international representative of its political position and start being a representative of its citizens and their rights. Seems an obvious answer: Always. But the reality remains a utilitarian ideal. What's best for most, is what's best...period. So when Canadians are stuck in foreign countries where our government assumes diplomatic loyalties our state upholds its vow and respects alien law, even at the expense of one of its own. And for what? Just to "keep the peace?" How juvenile is that?

We've witnessed this regressive and backward practice over and over and over and over and for the love of Allah, Jesus, Moses, and Tom Selleck's moustache, please make it stop. We've seen it with Omar Khadr, we've seen it with Nzzia Quazi...and we continue to see it with 26 year old Nathalie Morin. Ladies and gentlemen the Conservative government has responded in a most delightfully-rightfully-totally useless and inexplicably ignorant fashion, stating "When a Canadian is on foreign soil they must respect foreign law and policy." Whoa whoa whoa. Hey, Tories, mind if ya park the horse for a moment and answer me this: If one of your citizens is mistreated and this treatment is not only acceptable but legal in another country, why don't you get down from that saddle and head for the front lines of the moral battle? When the question of repatriation was raised with regards to Nathalie Morin, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the Minister of International Cooperation responded as such: "Mr. Speaker, this is a very complex family dispute with no easy solution."


Alright, ladies and gents, here is what Deepak Obhrai considered to be a "complicated family dispute."

the meat of it:

Nathalie, a Montreal born Canadian, married a man she understood to be a Canadian attending Concordia University, or at the very least an international student with a visa. They had a child together, also Montreal born. When it was discovered her husband was in Canada illegally and thus deported to Saudi Arabia, he insisted she visit him. She did so, twice, and returned safely, twice. After having been persuaded to keep the family together and move to Saudi to be with her husband, Nathalie gave birth to a second child. And it's around this time, folks, that things seem a little bit prickly. It became clear to Nathalie that something had changed inside of her husband. He began to abuse and rape her, and thus, forcing her to bare a third child. It has been five years that she's stuck in Saudi, facing abuse on a daily basis, on constant lock down, and unable to leave the country. Her husband has assumed a house arrest policy over his family, keeping them locked in an apartment 24hours a day, seven days a week, with no plumbing or telephone for the most part. Under Saudi law, wives and their children are not allowed to leave the country without permission from their spouse. Nathalie's husband has been oh so kind to allow her to leave Saudi without her children. Oh, thank you Saeed, how fucking humane of you....you jack ass. But Nathalie refuses to leave her three kids behind with their physically and psychologically abusive father.

I don't care what your colour or creed or political stance, this is NOT a "complicated family dispute." In fact, it's really quite simple. Spousal and child abuse is wrong, whatever country you're in or planet you're on. So tell me, Mr. Secretary of I-don't-give-a-shit-foreign affairs, what's so god damn complex about that? Sure, Saudi has their own idea of human rights. Sure, they're a sovereign nation and thus practice their own laws and policies and so on and so forth. Sure, they don't have to accept our concept of basic human rights. Sure, they're an absolute Monarchy and their constitution is the Q'ran, thus practicing no separation of divinity from state. But, as said over and over, a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian. And more so, a human is a human is a human.

But what can be done? And not just for Nathalie, but all people who are subject to unjust treatment and a lack of human rights? Whether in the middle east, Africa, Guantanamo, or right here in the Great White North, what can anyone do about it? The only solution practiced in the past has been war. Jump in and "fix" their government and turn them into a true "democratic" state where women are given the right to vote, travel, and abstain from sexual activity if they so choose. And thus, give children a safe place to call home, since it is not the children who decide where to live. Is there no better way to help Canadians, and all humans, abroad? Okay, Saudi, you may be the largest oil exporter in the world, but since when does that make you invincible? And as for you Stephen Harper, pull your balls out of your stomach because there are more important things in life than money. Aren't we all born from a mother? Aren't we all born somewhere without choice? Nathalie may have chosen to reunite with her husband five years ago, but her three kids didn't. If the only remedy is war, I don't blame the Canadian government for tip toeing around Nathalie's unfortunate circumstance. But I do blame them for not having adequate foreign affairs policies or consular services available to Canadians abroad. I blame them for being too polite.

Mr.Speaker, a human is a human is a human.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

style muse: anna karina, head-dresser

anna karina, godard's most prized starlet of the french new wave era of cinema, is not only stunning but also very chic...in the timeless-yet-vintage kind of way.



Straw hats were huge this past summer season, but did they ever really take a spot on the back burner? not in my eyes! I wore my straw hat allllllll summer long.

Always a well dressed head, even sans hat.



Bows bows bows! They're everywhere. If one isn't so inclined to purchase head accessories at the marked-up prices that American Apparel sells them then check out thrift shops. I've had so much luck!Vintage shops also tend to carry them at reasonable prices. I found a navy blue clip-on bow for 6$ and it's made of lace. Sterilize them first though, you don't want soemone else's scalp cooties (ICK!).

And don't forget the chiffon floppy hat as a super chic accessory. These have been coming and going for decades but have made an aggressive come back the last few years.

Damn You Auto Correct!

for fellow iPhone users...
this is probably my fave one on damnyouautocorrect.com so far.

Friday, December 10, 2010

three courses for confidence

I'd like to run into someone in my head space. We'd collide and stroll through the vastness of ourselves and of each other. I'd like someone in there...just to see my insides. Maybe they'd rearrange a few things and bring some light into this place. They could design a whole new floor plan and I'd suddenly find myself at home. And I'd dwell there and it would be healthy instead of self destructive. We'd enjoy the newly acquired furnishings and decor. We'd sip tea topped with philosophy and a teaspoon of insight. We could even bake a cake made entirely of good intentions. We could cook dinner and stir in some optimism and wash it down with a pint of pride and then move onto a salad mixed with self-awareness and peace and when our cake is warm and ready, we'd devour that too. We'd become the perfect people. Completely uninhibited. Completely morally just. Completely...complete.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

la terreur CHOUINARD!

During filming of "The Perfect Roommate" I went to visit Chloe-La Terreur-Chouinard in Montréal on my two days off. We met at Sweet William. A newly operating rad-doubling as a photography studio- hair salon. Bernie Fernandez, part owner, is a friend of Chloe's who I've met a couple of times. The dude is splendid company. Plus, check the wall paper, is it wicked, or is it wicked?

I was having a bit of a laugh-attack and Bernie jumped in.


what salon would be complete without the most adorable vintage sitting chair?


Or the most comfortable hair washing station EVER?


We hopped along to the Sparrow for a small dinner then to le Belmont to check out a DJ Terreur digs. Chloe and I fell in love and took photos.
See the love? It's coming out of our noses.


When Chloe visited Ottawa her, D, and I, went to value VEE! Andrew is a goof. And this photo proves such.

afraid of everything.



I'm a chicken shit. I really am. and now it's time to get over it.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

don't stop turning just for me

Tonight Franca and I are chatting about the reality of ourselves versus the way others see us. I sit here and speculate about myself and my behaviour. Everything I say and do is a representation of who I am. But how accurate is that representation and how much of myself is lost between my mind and my outer self?

Franca asked me why we can swoon over a man we have known for a few minutes and continue to fall deeper into him as we learn more about who they are and recognize their mannerisms and all the things that make them different from us. And my answer was simple: the universe may present us with all sorts of incredibly passionate and inspirational connections. the universe may place someone in our lives for us to encounter. but it is not in the universe's nature to stop everything and make sure that that person stays ours forever. in short: the universe is massive, why would it stop moving to guarantee us a lifelong relationship?

So yes, we may meet someone with whom we feel a great bond. And this bond may last the length of time that it takes to drink our coffee, or fight cancer, or even the quick few hours of a one night stand. The connection may stand the test of resentment and entrapment. Or it may be too frail. It may have been released into your world prematurely. Malnourished, neglected, under grown. It may be too weak to handle your long working hours, your unrelenting standards, your clingy manifestations of what a relationship ought to be like. It may fail to live through all of these things and you may be left wondering what the point of it was. That is the reality about romance that many of us struggle to accept. The reality being that the impermanence of life does not impair the connections we make or lessen their value, but that romance is in fact finite. Perhaps it's important for helpless romantics like Franca and myself to learn to embrace the finite nature of these deep romantic connections we share with others.

When couples spend the entirety of their adult lives together it isn't the romantic connection that continues to seal them. The truth is there's a lot in life. And all of those other things in their lives outside of their relationship works with their companionship. It's not the chemicals that churn their unit into something durable. It's everything. Their ability to be in the right place and right time, ready to work and commit to one of the hardest things humanity attempts to do: be together.

I believe the only way to be with anyone is to be the most accurate representation of yourself. which brings us back to the original discussion. Exactly how much of ourselves is brought to the surface? It's difficult to say. Are my actions a representation of my true self or are they a portion of what I wish I could be? And when do we know what to put forward and what to conceal?

I'll have to get back to this at a later time so I can discuss it with Franca further and perhaps take some time to ponder it with a clearer head. that's all for now!