Grey Gardens

I wanted to watch the original documentary before diving into HBO's Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange telling of it.



This is the trainwreck/cult classic of a documentary from the 70s that captures the lives of Big Edie and Little Edie, a mother and daughter duo who are relatives of Jackie Onassis. They live together in squalor in a big ol' house called Grey Gardens, chatting nonsensically, screaming from floor to floor, arguing, eating, and laughing. The two need each other but the two get on each other's nerves, too.

I actually barely paid attention to what these women were yapping on about as I was too busy staring at Big Edie's crooked bat glasses and Little Edie's clothing, with her insane/genius sense of fashion, making headscarves out of old towels and sweaters and wrapping sheets around her as makeshift dresses. She's fabulous in her own world, especially when she's in the atic dumping out a bag of Wonderbread and then pouring a box of cat food all over it, in an attempt to feed the wild raccoons that nest up there.



Big Edie spends much of her days laying in bed and eating ice cream or cooking corn bedside, while her daughter flips through old photos of herself when she was a model. She states that she moved back home to take care of her mother, and my future suddenly flashed before my eyes. Heck, my present flashed before my eyes.

The true stars of this film for me were the cats! So many cats!! Whether it's the one meowing on the banister, the one standing on the plate staring at the liver pate, or the one taking a leak behind the giant portrait, I was delighted to see all of them!

Blame Dottie!!!

OMG i love these!! I know it's not really a laughing matter, but check out these public service announcements from 1976 about the Swine Flu!!! That Dottie sure got around!!

Thank You, India

So last night I bought myself a pound of Indian sweets.



If you've never tried burfi or jalabi or gulab jamun, then you simply must dash out to the closest Little India neighbourhood and get a box of these delicious treats that are bound to satisfy your sweet tooth.

So last night, I bought myself a box for a mere $6 and went home to go through my assortment while watching the final episode of the second season of Skins.



I am sooooo going to miss this talented group of young actors. This is like the end of Degrassi. (Degrassi Gone Wild, mind you.) Goodbye Tony, goodbye Maxie, goodbye Michelle, goodbye Anwar, goodbye Chris, goodbye Cassie, goodbye Jal, and goodbye Sid.

I know, there is a third season of Skins that has completed since, and they will be filming a 4th season this summer, but how does go from watching Degrassi to watching Degrassi: The Next Generation? I will definitely need a bit of a break before jumping back into this series, with its brand new cast of schoolers.

Fitness Challenge, Anyone?

I am currently getting a group of people together to take part in a fitness challenge. This is not about losing weight, but about overall health and well-being. The last time I did this was with work, back in the Fall, and I ended up losing 10 pounds from it!

The cost is $20, and if you're not in Vancouver but want to participate, you can mail me your money or send it via PayPal. The winner of the challenge will win half the pot of money with the other half going to the winner's charity of choice.

This challenge is about getting points for doing things. For instance, if you manage to eat 5-10 servings of Fruits and Vegetables today, you'd earn 5 points. If you did 20 minutes of cardio exercise today, you'd get 5 points. If you did 20 minutes of strenuous exercise today, you'd get 10 points. If you did something "green" for the environment today, you'd get 5 points. And so on and so on.

Are there any takers?

You Sit There In Your Heartache...

I love this version of The Killers doing When You Were Young live at Abbey Road.



And this is the same song performed last Friday in Vancouver as the closing song, in all its madness. This was pretty much the same view I had as well. It pretty much drove the entire building to a frenzy.

Momma's Moving

My Momma is moving away. It makes me sad. He's off to pursue new adventures and to live the glamorous life. He doesn't want to disclose on the internet which city he'll be in, but suffice to say it won't be here in Vancouver anymore. He's off to do his PhD, which is awesome, and congratulations!! So he's gone for at least 4 years. After that, will he come back to Vancouver? I'm placing my bets on No. He's grumbled about this city for as long as I can recall, so I doubt he'd want to come back.

It's weird for me to be at an age where friends move away and you no longer live in the same city as them and if you want to meet up, you have to travel to do so. I will definitely miss having him in the same city but he's gone away so often I think I'm almost used to it, but this time it just feels more permanent.

Like, what's gonna happen when I turn 40? Where will our lives be? Will he be working in some amazing job, gallavanting across the globe? Will I still be answering the fucking phone and telling people to fucking restart their fucking goddamned computers? Will he have met someone and shacked up with them? Will I be bitter and single and trolling the online ads for random hookups still?

Blah. I was feeling awesome this morning, still riding high from Friday's Killers concert, but once I got to work it's like all that "good" got sucked out of me.

Anyway, I'm a bit excited about the future. Hopefully it will bring good things for all of us.

Like a Virgin

I made it through the wilderness...



...somehow I made it through...



...didn't know how lost I was...



...until I found you.

Workin' on My Night Cheese

I love this because this IS me.

Happy Sunday!

Hope you all had a good weekend!! Here's another Barbie photo shoot. Looks like this Barbie got the lesbian-chic haircut given to her. Also, please note the homemade dress! It appears to be crocheted!!



And aren't those little yellow shoes so precious!?

Why Can't I Meet Someone?

Sigh.

Will I ever?

Let's Go See The Killers and Make Out In the Bleachers

Lady Gaga really said it best, didn't she?

Last night's Killers concert was well, Killer. Brandon Flowers rocked the house. He was so high energy, so damn adorable, and we were all putty in his hands.



Brandon's actually a thin guy, not to mention tiny. So, my dreams of him sweeping me off my feet have been a bit dampened, but not much. His singing voice is swell, and he's quite the talent, jumping from guitar to piano to keyboard, all while singing and running around the stage like a child hopped up on candy. Standout songs included the opener "Human" and their new single "Spaceman."

They did all their hits and then some, which had the entire floor flowing like an ocean wave and jumping in unison. We watched as one girl crowd-surfed her way to the front not once but THREE times. It was a mosh pit I'm glad I wasn't a part of! It was nice to sit right next to the stage and stare at Brandon with no one jostling me! It was a great crowd - everyone was into it, nobody chattering away during the show (though it was so loud I probably wouldn't have heard them), and I even forgave the pot smoker in front of me who asked me to take his photo, cause he was nice and he was cute, but mainly cause he was cute.

The Killers put on an electrifying show!! Complete with pyrotechnics and falling sparks!! Brilliant!

About a Boy

I haven't blogged about The Guy for awhile, but that wasn't intentional. I guess I haven't been THAT obsessed with him these days? Or maybe I'm just ashamed and hiding the fact that I am indeed still obsessed, lol.

Either way, I do still love him a great deal. I'm not reading my tarot cards every night like before though, and asking "Does he love me too?" I do talk to him more regularly and even went out for dinner with him a few weeks back. He keeps telling me how much fun he had that night and I was thinking to myself, "Yeah, I know. We should do it more often and give it a name. Like, DATING."

He was recently in Las Vegas for the Miss USA pageant. (Did I tell you that he loves beauty pageants?) So he was there and witnessed the whole Miss California debacle first hand. He said there were lots of boos in the crowd and a near-riot almost broke out and that during the commercial breaks, people were yelling, "Fuck you California!" and before they announced the winner, people yelled, "Anyone but California!" If you haven't heard about what happened, just head on over to Perez Hilton's blog, as he was the judge who asked the question about legalizing same-sex marriage, to which Miss California replied that in her country, and in her family, she believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

It was so cute talking to The Guy about it, hearing his take on the whole thing and sharing his excitement and enthusiasm, which is infectious.

I did hook up with someone this past weekend and it was loads of fun. So that helps in trying to get past The Guy. Unfortunately, this weekend romp was with someone who is in a relationship (it's open), so no hope of me transferring my emotions to him. But, perhaps we'll keep in touch and be regular fuck buddies, I don't know. It was nice to feel that affection and to feel wanted.

At the end of the day though, The Guy still owns my heart for the time being and I'm just fine with that. Even though I have naysayers telling me to give it up, get over him, he's just not that into you, I think deep deep deep down inside of me I still have that little tiny sliver of hope.

They Call Her Dusty

And here we have Dusty, who is a larger gal in comparison to our dear Barbie. Made in the 70s, she competed not on the runway, but on the playground. In an effort to set her apart, she was deemed the Sporty Spice of the doll world.



I don't have any of her sports outfits but managed to find this coat that fit her. Of course I couldn't resist putting her in a trampy pose just for kicks.



You can read more about Dusty here.

Lady Gaga Does Coldplay

So you may or may not have heard that Lady Gaga is doing the rounds in England right now, donning a fake British accent, a ridiculous hat, little lips, and carrying around a teacup with her everywhere she goes. And while in cheery ol' England, why not do a cover of a Coldplay song?

Movies: Fighting

Went to watch Fighting last night starring Channing Tatum.



It is what it is, so have little expectations. Actually, aside from watching Channing put an Asian guy into a sleeper hold (which will feed my fantasies for weeks to come!), the best part of the film is its flaws. The number of times you can spot the boom mike coming down from the top of the screen is so frequent, one can turn this into a drinking game of sorts! Channing has done some good acting (see A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints).



Okay, fine, he plays a street thug of sorts again but at least this street thug has more depth than the street thug he plays in Fighting! Anyway, the movie was blurry and the storyline was thin so at best, if you want to see Channing give the beat down to some guys, your best bet is to rent this one.

2010 Olympics Volunteer

I hummed and hawwed for months about becoming a volunteer for the upcoming 2010 Olympics. I went so far as to sign up and fill out the form but then things kinda fell to the wayside. I guess I lost my enthusiasm/energy, which is a problem I have.



Anyhow, today I finally completed my application and hope that I do get the chance to take part in such an event. I didn't sign up for the lottery to get tickets as I don't think I'm that keen on watching any particular sporting event, though figure skating would be fun! Maybe I'll get to see some action as a volunteer on the sidelines?



I hear they're still looking for people to help out, so check out the website!

Hair Happenin's Francie

This here is Hair Happenin's Francie. This is her original outfit, and I discovered she is quite collectible. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that I had not one, but TWO of her!! So, I decided to sell one on eBay.



The response I got was beyond what I imagined. I ended up selling her for a cool $50! Not bad!! She is pretty flawless, comes in her original garb, and even has the wigs to go along with it (she's got 3 different wig styles, hence her name!)

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with the other one. I'll probably put her up for sale too so that a real doll collector can appreciate her more than I could. I just think it's cool to have this wonderful doll from the 1960s around, in perfect condition, and actually be worth something!

So This Is What Happens When You Invite Kylie To Your Party

Hold On To The Memories...

Richard Marx was a treat last night. He played all his hits, and a few new songs that actually sounded pretty good. It was unfortunate to see that the venue (the size of a lecture hall at a college) was only 3/4's full. Ah well, everyone seemed to have a good time, including Richard.

He sang Hold On To The Night and Right Here Waiting both on acoustic guitar, rather than piano. Guess he was trying to keep things interesting for himself, since I'm sure a lot of people were expecting him to do these songs on piano.

There's something about Richard Marx' voice that just makes me feel...sad/nostalgic. It makes me think of the poor kid in class who you later found out via the 6 o'clock news died in some horrible death. The kid who wore high tops and ripped jeans and was just a bit on the dirty side. Why does Richard Marx conjure up those images for me? I don't know. But THAT'S how sad his voice makes me feel sometimes.

Anyway, he spoke quite a bit to the audience which was great, making cracks about Billy Bob Thorton, poking fun at his old mullet, and talking about his hit song Hazard, which he almost didn't write but ended up finishing to spite his wife, who told him it was the coolest song he'd ever written.

Here's an acoustic version which is what he did last night, of his biggest hit, Right Here Waiting:

Wherever You Go, Whatever You Do...

Guess who's gonna be right here waiting for you?

Richard Effin' Marx, that's who!!!



And on a last minute whim, Momma and I are gonna go to his concert tonight when I discovered they were selling tickets 2 For 1!!! That really makes me "Satisfied"! I'm definitely gonna "Hold On To The Night" but I hope all the hockey game traffic won't pose much of a "Hazard" in us getting there! It's not like we have an "Endless Summer Night" to work with, you know? Oh well, I guess if we're a bit late, it "Don't Mean Nothin'!"

TV: Skins

Am loving this teen drama from BBC that makes America's Gossip Girl look like an episode of Leave It To Beaver. It's Degrassi gone wild! It's got tits and ass and ball sacks galore! Sex, drugs, and alcohol permeate these kids' bloodstream but behind each one, there's an amazing tale to be told, even though at first glance they all seem like one-dimensional characters. Whether it's Tony the Stud, Sid the Virgin, Cassie the Anorexic, Chris the Party Boy, Max the Gay Guy, Anwar the Muslim, or Jal the Musician, there's already more diversity in this cast than any other teen show out there.

It stars the kid from About a Boy, who grew up to be quite a looker!



And before a certain movie by the name of Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel can be seen on this show as well!



Plus, it's edgy, well written, and fun to watch! Season One just came out on DVD so check it out if you are so inclined! Here's the official Skins website on BBC America.

The Time Has Come to Lip Synch FOR YOUR LIFE!

The rumour mill is spinning. It's pretty much secured that for Vancouver Pride this year, we will be graced with the presence of the one, the only, Miss Nina Flowers - Loca!!!



Apparently, she'll be performing at the annual Rapture party, held at the Commodore, for Pride. But that's not all. Organizers are scrambling and trying to land another drag queen whom Rupaul told to "sashay...away!" Keep your fingers crossed because we just might also be getting the one, the only, ONGINA!!!



What I need to know, is why the fuck they haven't tried to get us Miss Fuckin' Fabulous herself, Tammie Brown, goddamnit!!! Excuse You Me???



"I had a nightmare and I didn't wake up."

Baby, One More Time

ITIL'ed!

So I mentioned that I was in training for most of last week. I doubt anyone will know what I'm talking about unless you're an IT guru or geek, but it was for a course called ITIL, which is a set of concepts and regulations for the IT infrastructure. Anyway, it was dry and boring and the exam was bloody hard, I wasn't sure if I was going to scrape by or not. One needed a 26 out of 40 to pass, and I managed to score a 35!! Yay!! So now I officially have my ITIL certification (not sure where that'll lead me, but we'll see I guess)!

Just What NYC Needs: Another Cool Neighbourhood

Great. As if they don't have enough, New York City has revitalized and reinvented the High Line district and given us yet another reason to visit. Toted as an "abandoned railway turned park in the sky," the High Line runs through Lower Manhattan through the Meat Packing district and West Chelsea, above art galleries and chic boutique shops.



Opening this June is The High Line :

Fruit

I just finished reading Fruit by Brian Francis. Set in Sarnia, Ontario, it's a story of a young overweight gay boy whose nipples talk to him. It's amusing and simply written since the narrator is the young boy, who is still in the eigth grade. It was classified as Young Adult, which I thought was pretty cool considering the subject matter. I never dreamed when I was a young teen that I'd get to read a book like this, so it's nice to see it in existence and hopefully it will help reach out to some young kid out there who is just starting to figure things out.

A Taxing Sunday

I spent this rainy afternoon doing taxes. Not the most pleasant of activities but definitely made easier by this free tax software, StudioTax! I had bought some software from the store when my coworker chastised me for paying for tax software when there is a legitimate and even endorsed by Revenue Canada software package available online!

So, if you haven't done your taxes yet, check out StudioTax for all your tax needs!

Kylie cameo on Horne & Corden

Kylie Minogue makes a very brief appearance on the new BBC sketch comedy show, Horne & Corden. I'm watching Horne & Corden right now and as with all sketch comedy shows, it's hit and miss. So far, I'm finding it falls somewhere between being not as good as Little Britain but a bit better than The Catherine Tate Show.




And I guess since Mathew Horne appeared on her special The Kylie Show by playing her personal assistant, Kylie has returned the favour by doing this teensy weensy skit:

No Doubt - Stand and Deliver

And now, ladies and gentlemen, here's a new tune from No Doubt for your listening pleasure!!

No Doubt - Stand and Deliver.mp3



On first listen, it's not bad. The original song is done by new wave group Adam and the Ants, which I haven't heard. Judging this song on its own merit and not having anything to compare it to, like the original, I'd say it's pretty fun and catchy and a nice welcome back for No Doubt!

Cheese, Please!

So the whole cheese and wine thing is such a luxurious and gluttonous spoil that it's kinda surprising that it's totally taken off here in Vancouver. I mean, when Salt opened up in Blood Alley, who knew it'd be such a hit? Admittedly, walking past rats and druggies and the homeless only to arrive at a chic and sophisticated cheese and wine bar does have its charm. Maybe that's why I prefer Salt to most of the other wine and cheese bars that have cropped up since. Like Soma off Main Street, for example, which has now closed its doors.

A friend I know has opened up his own place out by the water over in Steveston, called Gudrun and is toting itself as a "fromagerie"! Definitely will need to make the trek out there to check it out! If you're out in the Steveston/Richmond area, do stop by and see how it is and report back!

The latest cheese-ery to open is from the owners of the cheese shop Les Amis du Fromage, with another French-titled place - Au Petit Chavignol.




WhippetSnippets and I went to see what this was like earlier this week, and already I've gone back for a second helping!! She took these great photos of our evening there, where we sat at the bar and dined on a plate of cheese, drank wine and sparkling pear juice, and noshed on some delicious mac and cheese!





Upon my second visit just last night, I opted for their amazing Croque Monsieur sandwich, sampled some charcuterie, downed some rose wine, and even sampled the dessert!

Overall, this place is FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!!! The service is friendly, the food excellent, the space small but fun, and just a great way to spend an evening with a friend or two. I do love Salt, but the parking situation is better near Au Petit Chavignol, though the neighbourhood is still a bit on the sketchy side (johns and prostitutes meet just around the corner), but as long as no one's hurting one another, right?

Plus, I felt more comfortable here than I do at Salt, just because Salt has become hip and trendy and has attracted all the beautiful people whereas Au Petit Chavignol has more of that community, all inclusive vibe. In one corner sat some lesbians, while two old ladies took the window seat, two gay men sat at the other end of the bar, and everyone in between mingled and took up the rest of the seats. I even ran into several people that I know and have only been twice!



They don't take reservations, and seating is first come first served, so expect a line-up if you're gonna go during prime dining hours. They close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which I think is pretty smart since a lot of places are closed Sunday/Monday, and those of us who do venture out on those days now have somewhere cool to go!

Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?

I don't know who this doll is, but she is a Mattel and comes from the year 1963 according to her markings.



She came in this outfit, which is drag queen glamorous and I love it. She's so regal in it, like a beauty pageant contestant or something.



The outfit is a "Francie" design, i.e. it says Francie on the label inside. So, I wonder if this is Francie with different colour hair, since the other Francie I do have is blonde.

An Evening With the Legendary Miss Britney Spears

Yes, I went. Don't judge.

The story goes like this: I bought tickets for my niece, they were too expensive and she didn't want them, I planned to hawk them on Craigslist but Ticketmaster wouldn't release them to me until the day of the show. Erego, I found a friend who wanted to go so we went.

Now onto the good stuff.

We arrived late so we completely missed the Pussycat Dolls opening!! I mean, really, it's Vancouver, and no one ever starts concerts on time here! We strolled in at around 7:30 and the PCD were pretty much done their set.

We found our way to the floor and ended up being literally right next to the stage. It was insane! But not as insane as a club night concert with Lady Gaga (i.e. no drunk ho's rubbing their crotches into our back). But then again, this was a stadium and not a nightclub, and tickets were not $30 each. Maybe that's the way to see concerts from now on? Pay for the highest priced ticket you can find in order to avoid all the riff-raff?

You've most likely heard about the clusterfuck that took place at the show last night. Britney doing 3 songs and then disappearing for 30 minutes leaving the audience bellowing in the dark, only to get an announcement that the show would not continue until everyone put out their cigarettes and joints.

I for one applaud her for doing it! I mean, even at the Madonna show, Madonna had to say to the audience, "Please don't smoke near the stage." Why does this shit only happen in Vancouver? I don't understand why people feel they have to toke up at concerts. I mean, if you want to get stoned, go ahead, but maybe do it outside or before the show? I just find it inconsiderate to light up during a show with everyone around you. I'm not uptight, I'll smoke a doobie with you if you want, but let's not do it in a stadium full of people and then blow it into the performer's face. It just makes me embarrassed for our city, having people think we're inconsiderate and a bad audience, therefore possibly turning off other acts who might want to come do a show here...

Anyway, the show itself was fun. I mean, yeah she lip synched her way through, her dancing was not on par with what she used to be, but it was pretty awesome to be THAT close to her. We screamed out "Merry Christmas!" to her a few times hoping she'd hear us. I wasn't very impressed with the setlist. I mean, she didn't do Gimme More or Break the Ice, let alone Toy Soldier!! I would've much preferred those songs over some of her choices i.e. Hot As Ice, Breathe/Touch of Your Hand, and Ooh Ooh Baby. Like, she's lip synching anyway so really what does it matter?

Overall though, entertaining and a great night out!

I'm Going to Britney, Bitch

It's a long boring convoluted story on how and why I'm going to the Britney Spears show tomorrow night, but I am and it's gonna be fucking awesome so there!

I've been in training all week and have a huge exam tomorrow (before the concert) so wish me luck and I'll be back to blogging soon, thanks for visiting!!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No it really is a BIRD!!

I watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds on the weekend and it was fantastic! I love the time period (60s) so that had me hooked right away. And the fact that I've actually been attacked by a crow made me have a soft spot for all the people getting their eyes poked out by these birds gone wild!!

Un-Conventional

The new Vancouver Convention Centre opened its doors this weekend to the general public for an open house and I was lucky enough to be in the area and took a quick visit. First off, the place is GIGANTIC. There was room after room after room, on several levels. The "Green" roof they've got going is cool, with grass/gardens growing on them. One thing I didn't know is that they also set up a mini bee colony on one of the roofs, so that should be interesting too. Otherwise, it should be a great addition to the city and function as a great gathering spot during the 2010 Olympics!