a Ruby blessing

brush your teeth in style

I love these toothbrushes. I saw them one day shopping in one of the local organic grocery shops. I thought it might be some sort of good karma to brush my teeth with a toothbrush made of recycled dollar bills. I also really liked that I could recycle the bristle head and keep the handle over and over again. That totally solves my 3 month dilemma in choosing a color/brand of toothbrush.

So yeah, I recommend them. They're cool. They're ergonomic. My sister saw them and made me mail her 3. You'll see them and fall in love with them too. Then there was the day when I used my boyfriend's old toothbrush that was lurking in a dark bathroom corner to scrub the bathtub grout.. you so wouldn't do that with one of these. But they're also kind of pricey. But you know what, the world is being filled up with thrown away "conveniences" which is not exactly convenient for the planet though.

Not sold on them just yet.. if you can't find them where you live and don't want to order online? I'll send you one. You can send me a money transfer.

If not yet convinced.. Here's some interesting facts.. Now go brush your teeth.It's fun with a handle made of recycled dollar bills. Trust me.

a rogue pink

IMGP0072, originally uploaded by jilly71.

IMGP0032

IMGP0032, originally uploaded by jilly71.

I hung my first photography exhibit  the other day. Naturally, I documented it.  

You can see the rest of the set here .

mood: excited

I'm off to go hang my first photography show.

IMGP0057, originally uploaded by jilly71.

Skagit County

IMGP0060, originally uploaded by jilly71.

. I went to the Skagit County Tulip Festival yesterday. It's an incredible thing to see these vast tulip fields. You can see the whole set here .

If I had a Penny- an exhibition of photos from Cuba

There will be an exhibition of images I captured from my travels through Havana and Cuba, running from 21 April to 19 May.

Hosting the show is Pane Vero- a lovely little bakery/cafe in the Commercial Drive area, located between Parker and Venables.

There won't be a gallery opening or an artist in attendance night, but please go down and take a look and say hi to the proprietors, Kelly and Claudio.

link to the photos
link to Pane Vero

Vaisakhi

On Saturday, it was the annual Vaisakhi celebration in Vancouver. Vaisakhi is a Sikh celebration of spring and a new harvest year. One of the things I like most about it, is that mopst women wear the traditional sari. The colors are always so rich and vibrant. It didn't hurt that it was also a beautiful spring day in Vancouver. It was also incredibly busy.. so I snapped a few photos and didn't stick around. It was impossible to move or get to the many many booths of samosa, dahl, rice and chai. But it was fun. I like all Spring festivals.

visitors..

So.. I'm driving down the street with Michael and i get a call from a Alberta phone number I didn't recognize and I almost didn't take the call, but did.. cuz you never know..

It turned out to be my uncle Ken.. one of my 3 favorite uncles, son of my beloved grandfather and all around terribly wonderful human being.

He likes to blow into town unexpectantly. He left Alberta at something like 9am and burned his way over here with my mother's husband, and my cousin (his son) John.

"Where is my mother and Jane (my aunt)?" I asked.

Sorry you couldn't be here too... 

I snapped this rather poor image on my phone to commemorate the event. Now.. back to bed.

where have you gone?

Dear immune system... have you taken a leave of absence without notice? Maybe you went on a holiday and didn't tell me? Please come back.

I'm sick again with chest congestion, sinus, headache, aches and I have a fear of the plague of balck mold in Vancouver. Could it be the reason I've been sick since New Year's Eve?

Blogging will resume shortly.

45 things for 39

I just got back from spending a few days on the other side of the country. I went to Ottawa to see my lovely sister, Catherine and she took me to Montreal where she has a friend and we stayed at her very sweet and tiny apartment. Astrid was kind enough to let me camp in her tiny kitchen. 

In her equally tiny bathroom, she had a sheet of paper taped to the wall. I glanced at it quickly, but long enough to make a mental note to look up the author. I did and today..it seems fitting today to post these 45 things..

I don't agree with them all (#8, 34 & 38..) I kind of needed to hear a few of them.. (#13, 29 & 41) and I can tell you for certain.. #14 would have been really useful to hear when I was 15 and 21. 

What's your favorite?

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift..

Is it all smoked meat??

Montreal.. I wish I had more time here. Time to visit all the famous delis and bagel shops. Seriously, they make a lot of bagels here. We went to St. Viateur's and the Fairmount Bagel  places.. but more so than beigels.. Montreal is known for their smoked meat. Like at Schwartz's Deli. We went there last night for the famed Montreal Smoked Meat (I'm sorry.. it's better to my tastebuds, at least.. in Vancouver. I think because it's cut thin and steamed hot.)

Here's a little video I made at Schwartz's.


I'm here with Catherine, my sister and her friend Astrid who has been lovely to let Catherine and I camp on her kitchen and living room floors, saving us from a stinky and non private hostel. As I only have a few hrs left.. best to get going...

trippy

I'm on a train.

Somewhere in Ontario.

If I squint, I can pretend it's Europe and my sister lives in Paris.. not Ottawa.

T to the dot.

Hello Toronto,

I like your wind turbines on the way into downtown. I wanted to let you know. It seems like a giant alien art project in motion. Sometimes when I feel big city-ish I also enjoy all the blinking lights, car horns and arteries of cars pumping humanity in and out of the city core. It reminds me of New York City a bit. You and all your skyscrapers! But you know.. I don't really enjoy your big city ways. You have some pretty impressive freeways and commuter belts. Not to sure who's pants they're holding up though. It feels like the city is lying down and snaking through the city like a black river with confetti lights. 

But.. you have these great little nooks and crannies. Once I found a butter dish that was all hand painted Art Nouveau. It was 50 smackers but I had to have it. I hope I find that little place again. I'd buyt another one. I also love your little independent restaurants and shops especially. You feel all sorts of optimism when the one-off business is thriving. (Big box stores and malls make me sad. I bet they do it to you too but you don't know it because Coca Cola and Gap ads are so full of jump around joy).

You have a love for food too. Great freaking food. All over the place. Butcher shops thrive here. We shut them down in Vancouver. Cheese shops too.. great legendary cheese shops. One of my favorite paces is my destination tonight.. FRESH.  Everything is raw and fresh and healthy and ridiculously made from vegetables and fruits and ya.. it's like a massage for my vitamin deficiencies. You make a crazy nut and chocolate shake too.. and well you are 5 blocks away.. I know it will be good.

Thanks Toronto. We might have fun before I leave ON A TRAIN. Ya, you've got that too. You can go to a train station and get on a train that chugs out of the city on a track and goes places and has wifi and dining cars. There's something so civilized about a city that has a train that will take you to another city. I really like that about you Toronto. For some reason Vancouver plays the train game only part of the year or it costs a zillion dollars to contend with the road block known as the Rocky Mountains.

One last thing.. please don't snow. I didn't pack for it.

Thanks,
Jill

it's been awhile..

Techy things are happening.. I can't talk about it.. it's all hush hush.. but the ransom is cookies.. maybe.. postings have been halted in the meantime.. sneaking one in.. maybe..

stay tuned..

in the name of art

This was a lot of fun... Michael and I went for a ride through Vancouver and all around Stanley Park. I made this little video while on my bike. It was  slightly dangerous. The part with the rollarbladers is kind of whoozy but then you get to the part where Michael runs me off the bike bath.. in name of art..Too funny.

Saturday afternoon..

The Ipod video is sooooo much fun. I walked down Commercial Drive in Vancouver today. The weather in Vancouver is Canada's best kept secret.. by the way. Here's my little video..

I ate some cheese today

I just woke up from a dream..

I was on an episode of a talk show. I was wearing a blond, dusted bouphant wig and a straw hat with a ribbon, pedal pushers and a cardigan sweater set. I had a small yellow typewritter on my lap that I was recording the "activity" for my blog at home. I don't remember what I wrote.

Also sitting there was Mightygirl. I don't remember what she was wearing, but at one point I handed her a sequined cloth bathing cap and matching vest. She told me a story of how she and her sister were wearing matching bathing caps in Amsterdam and the staff told them that because of them they would always wear rubber boots (apparently an avantegard item of fashion not normally seen.. like a cloth sequined bathing cap)

We were accompanied by two friends, one of which was a friend of my fella- Todd- who has the retro thing going on already. I don't remember the 4th guy.

We were seated to the far left of the stage on Retro chairs. The host was Stephen Colbert, I think..but I can't remember. Apparently we didn't have anything to say as a group at all and we were waiting for a vote results to come in??? At one point the host said.. 'The audience has to go home, we need the internet to go home.'

There was an intermission and the lights went up and I looked down at the audience ( we were on a high school like stage/ auditorium except the drop to the audience was much bigger). The audience was all decked out in 50's ball gowns, sequins, tiaras, skinny suits, gloves, etc.. and I thought to myself.. wow..this is where you can come if you want to be in the past.

Mightygirl took a photo of us and that's when I first realized, I was also dressed in clothes from the past.

The intermission had a musical act which was like Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video.. all women who were dressed similar- except in my dream.. all slightly different and they all wore white face makeup, heavy black eyeliner and red lips. Some had gold tassel, some wore suits with gold ties..

I got up and saw a pair of silver strap shoes lying on a mantel.

I sat down and was wedged in beside a wall and a very large man who I joked with to move so "I could be seen".

A man in an orange suit sat down next to me instead. I don't know where Todd and Mightgirl went to.

What does it mean??

Happy Birthday Catherine

Things to do today..

1. wake Up
2. deny your age and immediately assume preferred age
3. make cinnamon toast, pour a big glass of milk
4. rub sleep from eyes
5. Load up golden ipod from loving sister
6. dance
7. get dressed