triptych

They each sold for $60 each.

Somedays I feel like a little tiny toy soldier.

tiny soldier army, originally uploaded by smoooch.

You can imagine how hard it is to walk when your feet are glued to a little green platform.

validating the valuable

Two photographs were sold. The first photographs I have ever sold.

A friend who's feet are pictured in the lower photo decided she wanted the print. And then when she saw this little collage, a little inspration hit and another print was chosen.

And there you have it. My little photos are all grown up and have been launched into the big bad world to be seen by potentially millions of people.

Because that's just how popular my friend is.

simplicity

Michael, Todd and I were sitting around yesterday and Todd brought up an excellent point. We, as a society are quickly reaching the saturation point of shock value. Things that were once considered taboo are no longer shocking. People say condom and penis on the radio. I remember when that was freaky. Now 'Girls Gone Wild' videos are advertised on prime time and swearing is laughingly bleeped out. It will get harder and harder to shock the general public. Harder and harder to get our attention.

We wondered what would happen. Will we have death row inmates making customer satisfaction endorsments?

This video is a classic example of where we might go. Go bare and basic, almost back to childhood sensibilities and simplicities. Hand shadow puppets shows like the ones your father entertained you with when you were a child. A bed time story displayed magically on the wall with a flashlight. Black and white. No longer will we be captivated by the garish, overblown, excessive, and revealing displays so common in today's media. I predict a return to old fonts, old classic magazine ads, displaying simple ideas and highlighting the 'handmade' or 'homemade' quality.

What do you think?

These feet were made for walking.

let's make a blackout

Hi everyone,

I'm not usually political.. but this is a worthy message (and one I believe in) and it just arrived in my hotmail inbox from a dear friend of mine (who I happened to meet at Lush) I've pasted it word for word here becuase this seems like a good place to get the word out...

"Please pass this around. It's a French initiative that is just arriving in North America.

The 1st of February 2007: Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming! The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet.

http://www.lalliance.fr/

People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm
in New York, 18.55 for London, and 19.55 for Paris, Bruxelles, and Italy. 1.55pm in Ottawa, 10.55am on the Pacific Coast of North America. This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.

Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that global warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in political debate.

Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate change will come out in Paris. This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.

***Please circulate this call to your utmost ability to your network."

Cheers,
Jill

fangs

fang, originally uploaded by smoooch.

a rose by any other name smells just as sweet

a rose by any other name smells just as sweet, originally uploaded by smoooch.

mighty travel notes

Mightygirl has mighty ideas and she also likes to shop. Big time. I heartily enjoy reading her blog and checkin out the Mightygoods. She was reading my mind on this one!



The Moleskine Small Info Book for Travel- This DIY travel guide is divided into five sections: bed, food, people, sights, and facilities. Tuck in some tickets to your destination city, and try your hand as travel writers.

I'm a little bit excited.

I'm leaving on a jetplane except I know when I'll be home again.

I'm leaving Vancouver International Airport on Friday, March 23 at 6:45 pm due to arrive in London, Heathrow the next day at 11:25am local time. Ever since I arrived in Paris at 11 o'clock at night and had a terrifying journey from the bus station to the only hostel I could find in a Portuguese area in North Paris, I vowed to never arrive in a strange city at night.

(I remember walking down a deserted street with my backpack (read bulls eye) on my back and realizing 3 guys walking slowly behind me. I started silently chanting 'don't show fear, don't show fear'. By the time I found the hostel, booked my room and dropped my backpack I was freaked out. I got into a shower and as soon as the water was on I started to bawl. Everything I have ever done since has been measured against that day. "If I can find my way to a hostel at midnight my first night in Paris, I can do anything.")

I'm leaving London, Heathrow on Sat April 14. I thought about flying home on Friday but its Friday the 13th. Umm. No thanks. I love this part.. even though its a 10 hr flight, I leave London at 12:30 pm and arrive in Vancouver at 2:30 pm on the same day. Funny how that works. Rest up for a day and back to the grind.

Did you count the days? I did. I'm coming home a week early. I'll be in Europe for 3 weeks instead of 4 due to the crazy Euro exchange rate. Thanks to the Canadian Dollar, one Euro will cost $1.57 Canadian and with the most basic hostel room running 25 Euro a night, I figured I could get in, get my shots, see the things I want, and get out without going broke. Plus I'll be missing wages and need to pay rent when I get home. How fun it is to be an adult.

One thing is for certain. In 1997, I travelled across Scotland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Morocco for 6 months on 6 grand and I'm glad I did because it's nearly impossible to go to Europe for 3 weeks for under 3 grand now. If only I took pictures back then or knew what the hell I was doing.

Oh, that squandered rail pass with three days left haunts a dark spot in my wandering soul...

a reason to go to Brussels

huntress interuptes

huntress interuptes, originally uploaded by smoooch.

evil scandanavian creations

We went there just to replace a bowl that broke. We planned it. Only 10 minutes. In and out. Ok? We braced ourselves against the splashy displays, cheap prices, utilitarian design and simplistic form. We steadied ourselves for the As-Is room. No amount of self talk can prepare you for Ikea. You get vacummed to the bins of rag rugs and shelves of glimmering glass containers with latch closers. Shiny pots and pans and bed sheets in a dizzing array of colors. Before you know it you are buying a garlic press and considering remodeling your kitchen and hall closets with matching storage containers. We went in for one bowl and came out with 4. Two bags of those itty bitty candles, a package of hooks, left over containers, a picture frame, 2 post with lids (to match the other one), and the best thing of all....

A small duck down travel pillow with its own removeable pillow case and matching storage bag. You know for those late night train rides to the next European destination or those cheapo hostel rooms with the lumpy mattress. Soothing comfort from home in a bag.

cry baby

Had she lived, Janis would have turned 64 today. Can you imagine that? What would she be doing now? What would she have done? She'd probably be running a tattoo parlor in Brooklyn. Ha. Here's a few things you might not have known before.

- oldest of 3 children, has a younger brother, Michael and a sister Laura.

-before she died, founded a corporation call Fantality, Inc, which is a combination of two words: fantasy & reality. Michael and Laura manage Fantality and her legacy to this day.

-She came from a comfortable middle class home. Her father was a cannery worker and her mother was a registrar for a local business college.

-She had 2 tattoos. One an ornate bracelet on her left wrist and a small red heart over her heart.

- She joined many high school clubs and was a member of the Glee Club and The Future Teachers of America club.

-She was a prolific reader throughout her life. She studied philosophy and sociology at Lamar State College and once aspired to be a key punch operator. She dropped out.

-Before she was a singer, she painted. Often staying up late throughout the night to finish her paintings. Many of them hand now in the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, Texas.

-She studied Art at the University of Texas in Austin. She played the auto harp and sang in the bars. While she was gaining some notoriety singing at Threadgill's, she was also voted "ugliest man on campus" by her fellow classmates. She once said, "They laughed me out of class, out of school and out of the state and I've been suffering ever since. It's enough to make you want to sing the blues."

Follow some links and see some photos..

nudie dolls from Dallas Texas

nudie dolls from Dallas Texas, originally uploaded by smoooch.

Strange yes. But for $3.50 a pair I couldn't resist. They hang in my bedroom as somesort of voodoo good luck thing.

tips on avoiding the monster

I'm not one of those people to heed warnings. I don't have 3 months worth of non-perishable food items waiting in case a natural disaster hits. I don't wear clean underwear in case I'm in an accident. Sometimes I forget to wear underwear at all. Like that time I was hit by a car crossing the street on that darkening winter day(tip: if you are going to get hit by a car, for thr love of god please make sure you are on the right side of the law. I travelled Europe on the settlement I received because I was in a pedestrian crosswalk. Driver's make note). My legs mangled, barely conscious and an ambulance attendant with a pair of scissors asking if they could cut my pants. I came to enough to say a definitive NO.

I should really be more prepared. Note to self: please equip yourself with a medical survival kit with enough bandages to handle a shark attack and enough rubbing alcohol to disinfect myself for days. Don't forget that claw hammer to make knocking sounds when your walls crumble from the Big One. Maybe I should publish a will on my blog??

And then there are those natural disasters that come with air raid sirens and loud and blatant warnings like the one in the press for months about the need for a passport to cross the border. Did I listen? No. Did I think it applied to me? No. Did I have any plans to travel to the US? Not exactly. I didn't think work would say yes to my plans. But they did. And then I had to tackle that monster known as the passport office. And just before the whole country decided to get one as well since you'll need one after Jan 23 if you are going to fly over the border into the US. (If you walk, crawl, drive, or dance over the border, don't worry, you don't need to be carrying a passport- yet.)

Well, I survived the process and it wasn't nearly the nightmare people have made it out to be. Here's some tips:

1.First thing you do is apply on line. This puts all your info straight into the system without them doing a thing. They like this. The program is finicky and seems to want to block you. Just hit continue and you're fine. It's like a juvenile obstactle course.

2. Print it off and get a good night's sleep. You're going to be up early.

3. Provided you have your proper ID and proper photos where you aren't smiling, showing teeth or refecting an human qualities at all, and everything has been signed by some sort of professional authority, get to your local passport office early. As in before it opens. Other people will already be there. Some as early as 5am. Bring a magazine, a book, a ball of yarn and a crochet hook, a laptop, anything to pass the time.

4. Get to the back of the line fast and stay positive. I got to the local Vancouver office at 7am. the office opened at 7:30am. There were about 150 people in front of me. It took 2 hours to meet my first Passport Canada employee. I was given a service number and I was expediated through the system because I had applied online. I waited another 1/2 hr and my number was called, which brings me to #5.

5. Be very polite and friendly. You will catch more bees with honey than you will with vinegar and this person will help you in your last leg of the stretch. Do not piss them off.

6. Pay your fees and wait patiently for your passport. Mine is scheduled to mail out on Jan 30.

Good luck.

Kerouac- 21st century style

Time Lapse Video of Guy Driving Across the Country

forget about it popping up

Very cool. For the family who thought they had everything.

breaking the hinges

Let's get a few things straight, Aries. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Facts are in the eye of the beholder. Logic is the opiate of those who are afraid of their feelings. Sorry if that sounds anti-intellectual. I'm exaggerating slightly in hopes of encouraging the free flow of your naked intuition in 2007. I want to prod you into cultivating so much emotional intelligence that you'll be able to out-argue your cynically reasonable friends. I want to help you rip off the locks on your doors of perception so you can see the magic that's just below the surface everywhere you look.

You can read yer own if you want.

miliner majestic

miliner majestic, originally uploaded by smoooch.

I snapped this photo in a local cofee shop. She stood out in the room in a regal way. I couldn't resist. She looke dup at me right after I took it and I just put my camera down and turned away. Normally I ask people permission but sometimes, you just have to take the photo.

swirl

swirl, originally uploaded by smoooch.

cringe worthy?

Feb 26, 1999

I'm here. I'm in London, England. It's all strange and almost unreal. I still feel as if I should still be on that plane. The flight was good and I slept. I even saw an episode of Bewitched. I found the tube and made my way to the Palace Hotel exit at Nottinghill. I'm scared and confused. I have butterflies and nausea. I feel as though I'm gonna collapse. I'm sick and it's raining. Everybody else feels cooler and multitudes more aware than I. If only I didn't feel so vulnerable and unaware. Scared. What am I doing here? Why did I come here? Please Gawd don't let me fall apart. Please alow me to be brave and secure. What do I do next? Where do I go from here? Please let me be good enough-strong enough to make it for 6 months. The only solace I have now is myself. I have only me now. I must protect myself and survive. I must be adaptable to changes. I will cope. I will survive.

I make it sound as If I've been shipped off to a survival obstacle course in England where I am competing against the fashionista of the European jet set. Actually thinking back.. that's sort of how I felt. It's the first entry in the journal I kept while I backpacked through Europe for 6 months. I had never been alone in a foreign country. I had barely travelled alone before that and I was clueless. I was also incredibly boring. The rest of the journal is filled with grocery and bus receipts and play by play commentary of what I did. Or more of the above- trying to talk myself into not feeling so scared or lonley. If I remember correctly, I felt that way for about 4 months. What makes me cringe is that I was 25.

The best grafitti reason to live in Edmonton, Alberta

Best Ever! continued, originally uploaded by Sara The Knitter.

The Listen Bird grafitti is one of my favorite things in the whole world and I keep finding new versions that some one has photgraphed and gratefully put on the internet. I first discovered the Listen Bird when I went home to Edmonton last August. I snapped this set of photos. By the looks of things there are lots more. Apart from seeing my best friend Vince Gasparri, this is a pretty good reason to go home.

The coke side of life?

CELEBRATIONS

I asked for a month off from work this spring so that I could go and photograph the Art Nouveau architecture of Brussels, Paris, and a side trip to Prague.

THEY SAID YES!!!

my nostrils flare in the memory

A few years ago (1999) I took a little road trip with my then boyfriend, Alfred. Alfred was much older, German, and coincidentally a baker. Thus, I was able to greet him in the morning with a hearty "Gluten Morgan". One late August day, we loaded up his bakery van with implements of torture (a mattress, curtains to hide our presence, a cooler, and a stack of reading materials) and took off headed for the birth place of Janis Joplin in Port Arthur, Texas (see this and this for some sort of explanation.). Texas- in the dead heat of summer. Did I mention that part? Naturally, once we got there and having sweated out any common sense left, noticing our proximity to New Orleans, we made the dash. I kept a journal for the whole trip.

Brousing through it, I did find this choice quote I recorded:

"You're a nutcase, and I'm your Savior."- Alfred, 08/31/99, 4:19pm

This is 5 pages in. Clearly, the trip was off to a good start. I hope I wrote some embarassing and ludicrous entry the time I was marching off down a side road after Alfred and I got into a heated argument. I must have been red in the face from either my seething fury or the heat and was approached by an Oklahoma State Trooper who asked me in a thick southern drawl if I was getting hit. Yikes. And do remind me to tell you about the time we went to Mexico for lunch. That trip was a barrel of monkeys, I tell you.

Here's one of the only photos I have from the trip.



Do you have those memorable moments recorded somewhere? Do you remember those times when you scribbled down something in a journal thinking it was poignant and worthy, almost surpasing your own current intelligence? So eloquent on print that you amazed yourself at your stellar intellectual abilities? Did you grab a beret, snap your fingers, go to a coffee shop and gaze at your belly button?

No- me either.

But did you write something that now makes you wince in reflection. Does it make your stomach tighten at the thought that it could land in the wrong hands? Like your enemy in high school who might still have a mysterious power to destroy your life in one fall swoop? Good. You should submit it to this chick.

I'm looking for my cringe worthy written down musings now.

Mom- If you're reading this..open that box I keep in your basement and feel free to read the pages of the half filled journals looking for some juicy tidbits written during those painful adolescent months where I obsessed about one bad apple or another or some other equally embarassing entry and feel free to enter it on my behalf. Email it to me and I'll post it here.

time goes by fast

striation's, originally uploaded by smoooch.

my how she's grown

Wow! How the time flies by! It's been one year today since myfirst post !! celebrations are in order!

WTF

The dome of BC Place Stadium collapsed at noon today after a heavy storm or wind, rain and snow. Seriously? We just had some of the feircest wind storms on the coast in recent history that brough down 1000 old growth trees in Stanley Park but did nothing to the dome. I guess today was the tipping point.

Weird weather people. It snowing in Vancouver and people are golfing in Toronto. Serioulsy, we need to lessen out ecological footprint on the planet. More on this topic latter.

I always knew Hepburn and I shared a bond, and George was always my favorite Beatle.

cleaning the gutters

A year's worth of wheat, dairy and sugar clogging my vital organs and arteries is about to get vacummed out. Vacummed out? Maybe rinsed out? Dispersed in some manner, yes. It's that time of year again when I decide to change the oil. This time I won't be chronicalling each day like a dietary diary though. But I do need to rave that today I was able to successfully maneover my way around a box of Krispy Kreme donuts that arrived in the office*. Nice front page on the donut site...Really? who do they think they are kidding?

*just so no one gets any bizarre visual of me sitting in a cubicle or "traditional" office setting, it's far from that. I sit at a desk, with a computer, near other people but everything else is probably a bit unusual, unconventional and I am unlikely to find it in any other work environment ever again.

flight

flight, originally uploaded by listen1.

This took me back. The winter grey trees with no leaves against the blue skies of an Albertan winter day. And the ever present cawing of a magpie nearby. We have crows instead of magpie's in Vancouver and this was snapped by someone in my hometown of Edmonton. They're probably also for enriching the grafitti in Edmonton. I talk about it here. Also very beautiful.

happy happy joy joy

Happy New Year!!!

Make sure to click on the link. It's a lot of fun.

I hope everyone had a excellent New Year. I'm excited about twenty 07. It's Year of the Pig which is the sign I was born into. Doesn't that mean something? And I'm also excited because for some reason at exactly 12 o'clock I decided to hurl my dinner and then dry heave in to the new year. Obviously I take this symbolically to mean that I have purged myself of all evil doinings and have released myself into the new year with an empty slate to be filled up with much healthier things.

My resolutions:

- to eat healthier with less sugar, dairy and wheat
- to exercise a little bit everyday
- to be kinder, gentler, and more patient
- to take great photos
- to learn new things and challenge myself more often
- to make more things and sell them for huge amounts of money at local craft fairs. Ha. maybe just make more things.

What are your resolutions?

whaddya know

I saw and bought the recently published biography of odd ball photographer, Diane Arbus. Did you know that her husband Allan, the one who introduced her to photography, who nutured her talent and when they divorced, her new freedom became the catalystic moment that pushed her to follow her urges to photograph the subjects she became famous for was none other than Dr. Sidney Freedman, the psychiatrist on MASH?

How curious.

looking forward to the new year

aspirations 1, originally uploaded by smoooch.

I haven't forgotten your goodies

A while ago I posted a little something fun where I encourgaed my fearless readers to leave a comment and thus win a prize. Surprisingly only 3 people responded and pone of them was my sister. So, the lucky receipients of something fun are:

Majicj: You'll have to get in touch as you're blogger profile is not shared. 5 words that describe you would be helpful.

Mary-LUE- thanks for the 5 words too.

& Catherine

Last but not least, I held a contest in November to encourage people to leave comments. I drew a name and awarded a prize but decided to award a secondary prize for the person you commented the most. Darlene was the big talker and she has been waiting an insane amount of time for her winning item which she voted for something handmade..

Well this weekend, I will devote my time to sending off these last gifts before the new year strikes. If you are Majicj or Mary-LUE please make sure to get in touch with me via justajill@hotmail.com

hook me up

A little hobby of mine has grabbed my attention again. A little hook thing called crochet (that I tend to spell crotchet by accident a lot!). I recently aquired the really popular addition to the Stitch & Bitch collection of Debbie Stoller (thanks Todd!) called The Happy Hooker.

That actually makes calling it crotchet even funnier.

Apart from that I will occasionally look at crochet links, whilst trying to avoid granny squares and other geriatric activities in search of inspirational projects, ideas, and knowledge. While brousing Crochet Me, I stumbled upon the project to end all projects..

The 40 grand white crochet chair. The crotchet work has been dipped in epoxy and then molded to create an open airy form. Click on the image to see it bigger.


Seriously, wouldn't you just get monstrous if anybody walked near it with red wine or say a bucket of navy blue paint?

More on my crochet projects later.. I'm off to get white cashmere yarn to make a hammock...

don't forget the young'ins

Well, I hope you all had a fantastic and enjoyable Christmas with your friends and families. I hope you found new things to enjoy in each other rather than new things to hate. I know I did. I hope you all received shiny pieces of silver wrapped in pretty blue boxes with white ribbon or received shiny new gadgets of fun and amusment(some of which may brew the perfect coffee for one and can be set to do so in advance.) Maybe some of you received many fragrant baths, one of a kind mugs and matching honey pots for hot tea on cold nights, or warm woolen scarves or sweaters made of the finest quality fibers. Some of you maybe received good basic and ever useful cold hard cash. Whatever Santa brought you, I hope you had a very happy holiday. Now for you, members of sovereign nations of the commonwealth (and the rest of you), I present you the Queen's Christmas Speech...

"I have lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long. One of the things that has not changed all that much for me is the celebration of Christmas. It remains a time when I try to put aside the anxieties of the moment and remember that Christ was born to bring peace and tolerance to a troubled world.

The birth of Jesus naturally turns our thoughts to all new-born children and what the future holds for them. The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins. It is a process that starts within the protection and care of parents and other members of the family - including the older generation. As with any team, there is strength in combination: what grandparent has not wished for the best possible upbringing for their grandchildren or felt an enormous sense of pride at their achievements?

But the pressures of modern life sometimes seem to be weakening the links which have traditionally kept us together as families and communities. As children grow up and develop their own sense of confidence and independence in the ever-changing technological environment, there is always the danger of a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding.

It is worth bearing in mind that all of our faith communities encourage the bridging of that divide. The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly. Christ himself told his disciples to let the children come to him, and Saint Paul reminded parents to be gentle with their children, and children to appreciate their parents. The scriptures and traditions of the other faiths enshrine the same fundamental guidance. It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens.

And there is another cause for hope that we can do better in the future at bridging the generation gap. As older people remain more active for longer, the opportunities to look for new ways to bring young and old together are multiplying.

As I look back on these past twelve months, marked in particular for me by the very generous response to my eightieth birthday, I especially value the opportunities I have had to meet young people. I am impressed by their energy and vitality, and by their ambition to learn and to travel.

It makes me wonder what contribution older people can make to help them realise their ambitions. I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little grand-daughter the other day "Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?" Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable. Such advice and comfort are probably needed more often than younger people admit or older people recognise. I hope that this is something that all of us, young or old, can reflect on at this special time of year.

For Christians, Christmas marks the birth of our Saviour, but it is also a wonderful occasion to bring the generations together in a shared festival of peace, tolerance and goodwill.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas together."

And for more monarchy musings check out the Queen's other Christmas speeches. like this choice quote from 1952. Shows how much the Christmas speech has changed.

"Each Christmas, at this time, my beloved father broadcast a message to his people in all parts of the world. Today I am doing this to you, who are now my people.

As he used to do, I am speaking to you from my own home, where I am spending Christmas with my family; and let me say at once how I hope that your children are enjoying themselves as much as mine are on a day which is especially the children's festival, kept in honour of the Child born at Bethlehem nearly two thousand years ago."

santa came early

not for breakfast but a wee bit earlier, originally uploaded by smoooch.

reflections in red blue and gold

reflections in red blue and gold, originally uploaded by smoooch.

go on get elfie

Go visit this link provided by Ally G and get elfie

died and gone to the soupbowl heaven

Just what I need: a whole blog dedicated to soup.

just in time for the holidays

This may be one of the more bizarre and unusual websites I have come across recently and naturally I thought I would share it with you dear faithful reader and Sonia (remember that day at Dress Sew?) who drops in from time to time. Don't worry. It's OK. Don't be ashamed to admit you have lagged behind on your Christmas gifts. Fear no more. Tampon Crafts is here. And if you don't celebrate Christmas brouse through the ideas. You might find something that tickles your fancy. Like this. Complete with a very clever how to.

Congratulations! You have been named Time Magazine's person of the year!

Yah you heard right. It's you and me, baby.

Instead of the big gun, the hero, the agitator, or the mighty and the powerful, the person of the year, this year, is the rest of us. The everyday day people playing knock knock who's there with an internet connection. The people blogging, posting, lurking, devising, sharing, connecting, and learning, commenting and conversing with other people. If you are reading this then you are Time's person of the year.

Three cheers for you!

gaggle of elfin

gaggle of elfin, originally uploaded by smoooch.

to live by

A few days ago I posted a link to Leslie Harpold's Advent Calander. I think I first found them a few years ago through Heather Champ's photoblog and before I had internet in my home. Back then, I'd bundle up from the cold December wind to walk the few blocks to the closest connection. I'd pay a buck for 15 minutes and go see the new days that were "opened" up along the calender. There was always something fun to do, something interesting to read and a cool link. I always ended up walking home with 5 dollars less because I would stay and look through everything. I noticed this time the new posts weren't yet up, it'd been a few days too. People get busy, I thought. Sadly, it turns out Ms. Harpold passed away suddenly. I didn't know her, but I loved her Advent Calenders.

I found this quote while reading some of the tributes on the net, from a letter that she had written to herself during a difficult time..

"My advice to you is this: make something you love. You love to make things, feel best when you're creating something you feel has value, even if only to you. Tap into the vein again, as many tries as it takes. Find that place where the world blurs by, and it's just you and and your project in pure creation mode."

Words to live by and I hope her friends and family make it through this difficult time.

goodies for you

Grabbed off this lovely website.

"The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of art made by me. The only catch, of course: as with most memes, if you sign up, you have to put this in your own blog as well."

I will hold you to it if you have a blog. If you don't, well what can I do, but please keep the giving going if you can. Tis the season. What will it be? One of my limited edition photocards. tell me 5 words that descibe you and i'll pick a card especially for you and mail it off.

how odd.

paper cuts scare me

Are you all thumbs when you're faced with a sheet of paper and a roll of tape? Does your heart palpitated and blood pressure rise when it comes to tying ribbon bows? Does the thought of wrapping presents wrap you up in a cold sweat. Here's help. Just get a peice of cloth and call it a day.

Don't forget to check out Leslie Harpold's annual Advent Calender.

Merry Merry

variations on squash

This recipe taken from this website is much better when you alter it slightly:

Ingredients:
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (change this to 1 1/2 cups of butternut squash and sweet potatoe)
2 Jonathan or Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
Add 1 tsp of minced ginger and a dash of pepper.
Serve with fried fennel sausages and onions.


Directions:

Stem squash and sweet potatoe for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from steamer and set aside.

Combine apples, cranberries, ginger and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Add apple mixture to squash and potatoe. Cook 4 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Stir in melted butter and pepper & salt to taste and toss. Serve with sausages and onions.

all squashed out

I know exactly how she feels.

more uses for squash alternatively titled "my skin might start to turn a shade of orange."

Come and kill me.

I have a whole butternut squash to eat minus the 1/4 of it that went into yesterday's soup. Exactly what nutrient requirements are being met by eating so much. Vitamin C hopefully. Please god let vitamin B be one. I could use that one. How bout some iron? Mom, can you confirm?

Today's recipe was found randomly off the internet by googling 'squash recipe'. and I found it here . And you'll see that the squash's dancing partner, the apple, is also making a return.




Ta da.

veganlicious

Taken from one of my favorite cookbooks, "How it all Vegan" by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer. They also wrote the intriguing and enticing, " In the Garden of Vegan".

Those clever girls with their clever cookbook names. Tanya has a website for further info.

Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium onion chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable stock (actual recipe calls for 2 but I think it was a typo as 4 worked much better)
2 cups butternut squash*
2 cups sweet potatoe or yams, peeled and diced
2-3 medium apples. cored, peeled and diced (I added 2 ripe pears and 2 apples)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large soup pot, saute onions in oil on medium high until translucent. Add stock, squash, sweet potatoe or yam, apples, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Book says to take 2 ladles worth of vegetables and 1 ladle of stock and blend together in a blender or food processor until smooth, but I blended it all. Makes 4-6 servings. I might go back and add some carrots and ginger or adjust the seasonings. I kind of like pepper. A lot.

Yummy yummy on a rainy wintery Vancouver Sunday.

*But really what do you do with the left over butternut squash?

you derserve a thanks

Thanks to everyone who decides to spend some part of their day with More Kisses Please. We all should have more kisses and I'm glad you're getting some visiting this little blog.

Thank You!!

making marijuana (read: catnip)mice

Supplies:
peice of felt
table, cutting board and cutting wheel
pattern peices
sewing machine
later: catnip, peice of thin cord, embroidery thread and a sewing needle.

Cut 1- bottom, 2-sides, 2-ears.
Get ready to sew.






Sew ears about a 1/3 of the way across the body. Sew both ears on and make sure you have them on the right side of the felt. Longer and more slender side of the side peices is the nose. I personally enjoy a zig zag stich with low stitch length on this project.



Sew up the top seam of the 2 sides. leave a one inch space on the top (see where my finger is poking in?). You'll need this for stuffing later.





Sew the "body" to the base, lining up the edges as you go. Careful when you get to the "bum".






Insert tail of slim cord and sew over. Backstitch a few times for strength. Continue to sew base completly.






Stuff poly-fill in the nose and tail and body. Leave a little bit of room for cat nip.






I know this looks like marijuana (mom, I swear it's not). Put a little bit in a bit of stuffing and roll up.






Insert rolled up bundle of marijuana, oops catnip into the mouse. If you need to put more stuffing on top, please do.






Sew up the stash entry port.







With a little bit of embroidery thread, stitch on some eyes and thread loops through the nose. Tie off and cut for whiskers. Immediatly entice you cat into a frenzy with the pleasing aroma of herb emiting from inside.




Ruby, my lovely cat and part time model becomes quickly aquainted with her new toy.






They become fast friends and live happily ever after.

"Wasn't she in Lord of the Rings?"

We met on the church's cold stone steps at 5. A small gaggle of people gathered nearby. The heavy wooden doors blocking our entrance. As time passes, more people gather down the steps to the curb and then streak down Burrard like an art school admissions parade. The door opens at 7 and we're determined to get good seats.

At about 6pm a man comes out to inform the crowd to not smoke on the church steps and that the other door would be the one opened. Access to this was of course hindered by a steel railing. You could hear the hipsters suck in their breath as the thought that their space in line to see the harp playing elf creature known as Joanna Newsom, might be lost in the mad scramble to move from one side of the railing to the other. Lucklily, the no smoking man and his booming voice intervened.

However, that didn't stop the subtle and casual inching and manouvering towards the door. Even from me. Being determined to keep my spot and thus eventually score good seats, I was gently reminded that I was going to go see someone who played a harp. But isn't Anthrax opening? I asked.

Once inside and safely seated in our front row pew, we than began the tedious wait for the elfin creature to emerge. Hipsters and art school afficiandos and various stages of in betweens surrounded us. A diminutive Liza Minelli and her Foxy Cleopatra companion repeatedly walked past us. With the observation of stylish accessories, scarves that matched the boot and barrets to match the earring and cell phone combo, I secretly concluded they must have just left fashion design classses to attend tonight's perfomance. A few other observations were made and finally our long wait was beginning to show sign of being over.

A man dressed in the fashion faux pas of white jeans (after labor day, really!) and a blue check shirt. He had a lovely voice but damned if I know who he was. So we sat and politely listened. Cramped in our little wooded pews, bored into glancing through the hymn book, we endured for the spritely songbird to appear. And then he said he had 39 more songs to go. Clearly he could also hear the polite but strained applause and the shifting of figedity bums.

After he left without ever announcing his name, I began to wonder if he was a lovely busker found on the city streets and invited to come down. We endured the wait once more. And I openly wondered if Ms. Newsom wasn't out shopping on Robson. Packed like lemmings into tiny little tin cans we sat. Mumuring amongst ourselves, silently passing judgement on our fellow brethren. Then without a noise a wee little mouse dressed in a strange little costume possibly borrowed from an art school fashion drafting classmate friend sat down behind her harp. Her pointy elfin ears covered by long wisps of golden flax for hair. The crowed hushed and then clapped and the concert, long awaited began.

joanna newsom, originally uploaded by sushiesque.

My only regret was that I didn't bring my camera. I assumed it wouldn't be OK.

rock out

Just sitting here eating my oatmeal and blueberries this morning when I found the funniest thing I have seen in a very long time. Click on the little video and prepare to be rocked.

memories from last night

"It's like there is a whole generation of kids that are saying, 'I just HAVE to have an individual identity, or I'LL DIE.'"

"I don't get that comb to the front- Ceasar thing, you know. Sometimes I see these styles and I think to myself, 'What are you fucking thinking?'"

in the inbox

Jill of morekissesplease.com, you have been randomly and scientifically chosen to receive a prize for completing NaBloPoMo '06!

I'd also like to list you with the other prizewinners on Monday, but let me know if you'd rather not be mentioned.

Thanks for sticking with it, and thank you both for helping to make the very first BloMo challenge the brain-addling experience that it was.

Hooray!


Yah!! I hardly ever win things. Whoo hoo!!

Janis Joplin - Ball and Chain

Need no introduction..just wow.

the first day in December means

It's only 30 days until the new year.
Only 24 days till Christmas.
And NaBloPoMo is officially over and so is my contest.

Otherwise known as National Blog Posting Month. And I survived it. Accomplished it. A blog posting for everyday in November. And this was no small feat when you travel to Dallas and stay in a hotel with a very weak wireless signal!! It was all started by a blog called Fussy. You can see the list of participants here..I'm in there somewhere under M. I also held a little contest of my own to encourage comments.Congratulations to Ally. She happened to stay in my apartment while I went on the little excursion to the the Big D and posted a little comment on this post to thank me. But I have decided to give a 2nd consolation prize to the person who posted the most comments and that was Black Daisies. Ironically, she lives in my hometown of Edmonton.

Thanks to everyone else (you know who you are) who left comments. I hope you come back and leave even more..

Bono's message for World AIDS Day


Make red your favorite color