bye bye bush, come to mama obama

With tomorrow being Obama';s big day I was snooping around and found some interesting stuff. There are heaps of 'Bye Bye Bush' themed things buzzing around. I've seen a few that really were quite good. The winner is surely Ritual Spa on King West. They sent out the following clever promotion:

In order to celebrate the inauguration of the new President of the United States of America, Barack Obama , Ritual is offering 20% off all Brazilian bikini waxes on inauguration day, Tuesday January 20th 2009. So say farewell fuzz, and bye bye Bush!!

I send it to a friend and we had a good chuckle over it. Thought you might enjoy it also! I found a 'Bye Bye Bush' game here that was kinda fun to play for about 15 seconds. You get to throw your show at Bush. There is also a site counting down to inauguration day titled byebyebush.org. It's ugly.

acting like a macro, tasks in sequence

Do you ever feel like the day is just passing by, slowly? You are going through the motions yet not really taking anything in? You smile, think, laugh even, yet you feel little to no emotion. You are not excited. You are floating and acting like a macro doing the same tasks in sequence as if you are programmed that way. Your output is routine, open your email & browse, plan the day, check Facebook, Twitter a bit, read a news article, send email, make phone call, check voicemail, walk to the kitchen, get a drink, send email, work on document, eat something; it all seems a blur.

I watched this video and felt a bit lost, peaceful and weightless. It is beautiful and creative. It inspired this post.

lost in a moment from dennis wheatley on Vimeo

put the ketel on ice baby

I went to a Ketel One sampling event last week. It was fun. Thanks Ketel One. Here is the story, I wrote it down.

I arrived at Kultura as the
clock struck six.
I tiptoed to the top
and entered a door
starred 'special'.
I was sure
this was going to be
a great experience...

i'm bangin' obama!

Aha!! Got you with that one. Has it gone to far with yet another 'Obama' product? The condoms say 'use with good judgment', as if he is happy to have you banging and reaching for a condom with his face on it. I wonder if the laytex itself has an Obama face on it?

The Chicago Tribune published an article saying the 'the amount of Obama-related goods for sale is unprecedented, historians say. No president has seen so many people sell so many things so shamelessly: collectors' coins and plates, bath towels, bobbleheads and buttons just about anything that can have an image applied to it.' I think it's hilarious.

hey yo its cold outside ( a rhyme for you chilly willys)

hey yo, i woke up to sunshine, but the weather's on decline
put on my white tights an' pulled 'em up so high
keepin' me so warm and safe from the cold storm

the wind chill is freezin' and my cold's got me sneezin'
wanna stay in my hot bed with my hat on my cold head
don't wanna get frost bite, if i go out i just might

put on my snow shoe, grab a cup of a warm brew
time to huddle together and brace for the weather
its winter in the city but I ain't feelin' shitty

enjoy. stay in. make love ♥

weather report: minus smiles across the city & negative winds

I went for a walk today at lunch. I was wearing my earphones even though my ipod battery was dead. Hold your thoughts. They keep your ears warm and I also have a strange pastime of eavesdropping on other peoples conversations. Yes, it is true. It's more fun on the subway then walking, but whatever. Anyhow, what I did overhear was all kinds of people 'cryning' as my Dad calls it (crying/whining) about the weather. We are going to have damn cold days coming, so what, deal with it, stay inside, hibernate, read books, learn something. I love summer, I do not like being cold, however I do really, really not like complaining. It is not good energy for yourself OR anyone around you. Whether you mean for them to hear you or not.I got back to the office and thought, I need to ditch this bad attitude. I dove into my work and managed to knock off a few hours. Then the sun came out and I was smiling again. ♥

thanks to tweetdeck...

I'm able to Tweet the fuck out of my day while multitasking and be in touch with all kinds of people. If you are not on Twitter yet, sheesh, get with it. I know I'm pretty hardcore Internet compared to most people, but Twitter is good for learning about things and being 'in the know'. My friend told me last week that less than 20% of the population is blogging. This is good, less people writing = more people reading. I saw this card today created by a user at someecards and thought, how appropriate now that Twitter has taken over the place Facebook and any other social networking site.

It's funny, but also, sadly true ♥

who said Monday's are bad?

In just a mere short eight hours I will be experiencing something great...tasting and trying Ketel One vodka!! Yahoooooooooo! I've been invited by Matchstick to attend a vodka sampling event this evening.

Don't know the Ketel?

Ketel One Vodka is distilled from 100% wheat and made at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Holland. It is distilled in alembic copper pot stills, filtered over loose charcoal, and rests in tile lined tanks until ready. Ketel One Vodka is named after the original, copper pot still, “Distilleerketel #1,” and is handcrafted in small batches. The alcohol content of this spirit is 40% (80 proof). The Nolet Distillery also makes Ketel One Citroen and Ketel 1 Jenever Gin. [Wikipedia]

who is responsible for the red tea commercial? it's gross

Have you seen the new commercial for Tetley Red Tea? It is not nice to watch, it is gross actually. There is only one thing that I can think of when I watch this commercial. If you are a man, you may not get it, right away. If you are female and have your period, you will get it right away. See for yourself...

I know who is responsible. The commercial was developed at john st., Toronto, by creative directors Stephen Jurisic, Angus Tucker, art director Donald Vann, copywriter Gerald Kugler, agency producer Dale Giffen. Please note their names, it sounds like they are all men. The first time I watched it I was in shock. It's almost as bad as thew Campbell splashing soup commercial. I highly recommend doing focus groups guys, any woman would have said 'No, I don't like this ad."

the good word? the beats are sweet

I’m definitely digging the poetic lyrical stylings of wordPEOPLE. Lead singer Missy C passed over their newest album ‘The Peoples Eatery’ for me to check out and I am impressed. I have a love for well written lyrics and lust for beats with rhyme and style. There’s a common sound between older Black Eyed Peas or Roots albums that is positive & uplifting, makes you bob your head while you listen.

Missy C has a soothing voice that makes me wish I knew the lyrics so I could sing along. I also know that she has wicked style, looking forward to seeing her on stage! The emcee ape.X can rhyme the way I like, quick but clear. Makes you want to listen to it over and over. My favorite tracks are ‘Just Don’t Know, ‘People’ cause of the fat fast pace and the album title track ‘The Peoples Eatery’. The track ‘Swinga Things’ has a really light beat that’s super catchy; reminds me a bit of Lilly Allen. I love it.The sound of this entire album is kinda R&B, funk, rock, with some old school flava; an eclectic mix of music to my ears. I can see myself dancing at their next show or on a sunny summer afternoon with pints and friends (same thing). I’m looking forward to their next show. They just played in Guelph last week. I’m keen to check out the live performance for stage presence, seems like they have a lot of energy, and well, that is exactly what I like.

on the burts bus, summer bees

Not too long ago I received a gift package from Burt's Bees that contained a bunch of products to try out. I put aside my Aveeno the past two weeks and I've been using Burt'sBees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Shea butter Body Wash. I like it because it's 98.5% all natural and not tested on animals. It is really soft on your skin and doesn't leave it dry. I would have liked if it was a little more foamy for the loofah but that aside, I really like it. It makes my skin feel lovely like on summer days. The sun is shining bright today and it makes me happy.

this shampoo is great if ...

you like a burning itchy head

For the past two weeks I've been using Dove Advanced Colour Therapy shampoo for light hair and I'm officially ready to toss it. My hair feels pretty normal, its short and low maintenance, however, my head, it feels like I have a sunburn. I stopped using it but it absolutely made my head itchy and hurt. If this is something you like, try this shampoo. If not, try Aveeno. I usually use Aveeno Skin Relief body wash on my hair, makes it nice and soft.

hey universe, i need a new camera!

I've had bad luck with cameras. I've been through a few. However, that was when I used to drink and go partying all the time. A text book alcoholic, I could say, you couldn't say that without pissing me off. It's just not nice. The Toronto Police have a checklist and you could be one too. so don't judge me.

I've been taking so many pictures and I really need a new camera so I can take better ones and put them here and make videos so you can see how funny I really am. I believe in the powers of positive thought and I am asking the universe to send a camera to me.

You know my address uni, we've been friends a long time.

mail is great, especially when it has style

I love getting mail. Makes me happy. I mean real old fashioned snail mail. The kind mum sends in the summer when she's sailing on her boat and abandons the internet. The kind with stamps.

The only people who really send me mail are mum and companies that want me to test out, chat about, review their stuff. I get all my packages delivered to my office because I love when they get dropped off at my desk and the girls go 'oooooooh what did you get this time' and it makes me feel even happier to get it. This year I have been given subscriptions to Wired (totally love the most) and Flare (props to Canada). Flare arrived this week. Getting mags for free and delivered is much more fun than buying them. I like this section on of stuff. I buy alot of vintage stuff and this is 'stylespiration'. Yes, that is a word, I just added it to the Urban Dictionary.

put on that ruskie baby

I'm love my ruskie hat, plus, it is warm as hell. It's winter in Toronto and the wind is once again whipping at my windows. There's something about Russian girls and theses hats that is super hot. I keep thinking to myself 'each day is one closer to summer' hoping it will keep my spirits up. I usually get the S.A.D.ness this time of year and I'm tryna fight it. Taking vitamin D and B50 complex helps alot.

2009 ArtVenture: The AGO (Ontario Art Gallery)

Last night I had the pleasure of going to the AGO, again. TGFFW (Thank God For Free Wednesdays). I love it there. So many inspiring ideas which arouse my wild & creative mind. I decided to make my own art and snuck a few shots in. Please don't be mad my dear AGO or Mr. Gehry for it is so lovely I just could not help myself. This is my favorite. You know I love Andy.I really enjoy some of the modern stuff and photography. I was looking at some of the pictures and I saw this total stud, I don't know what it is about him. I have a thing for nerdy dudes.I love the staircase. How is winds around and shows beautiful views of the city lights. It makes me happy to dance around the stairs as they twist and turn and travel higher.Its is super busy on Wednesday's since it is free. The gallery opens at 6pm and closes at 8:30pm. This is not enough time to get around the whole place. There are many nooks and cranny's of artistic expression. Coat check is $1 and you have to check your bags. You are allowed to sketch in pencil, but not in pen. I like to write.

the power of a post: social media with love

Want to see something amazing? I witnessed something happening tonight on Twitter. Right before my eyes. If you tune in, you can see for yourself!

I follow David Armano on Twitter. He has a friend in need and decided to reach out to his community on Twitter to help her family out.

Here is an excerpt from his blog post earlier this evening:

"I've been at this blog for nearly 3 years now and have never asked for something like this—I hope I've earned enough trust to be able to ask something back from you. Above is a picture of Daniela and her family. Brandon, age 6, Daniela, age 9 and little Evelyn age 4. Daniela recently divorced her husband after years of physical abuse. In recent years her mortgage went unpaid and she's lost her house.As of this moment, Daniela's family is staying at our house and we are trying to help her find a one bedroom apartment for her family to live in. With Evelyn, her youngest having Downs Syndrome and Daniela herself being a Romanian immigrant with very little family support she literally has no one to turn to. Except us (all of us)."[read more]

As I wrote this post there there were 211 MORE ReTweets in response to Armano on Twitter. His goal to help out Daniella was $5,000. There have been, at this moment 208 contributors and over $,7,000 dollars raised anonymously to help her give her children a home. I suggest you check it out for yourself.

If you didn't believe in the power of a post or social online media, now you will.

UPDATE: Over $12,000 in 24 hours raised! Check it out!!

stick it to the aussies like that, eh

Air New Zealand has great food
and also has a sense of humor...

I saw a deal selling a trip to NZ for $1,278 with a stop in Sydney for free. First of all, this is a great price and secondly, an amazing idea. I think of the Aussie/Kiwi relationship in the same way I do the Canadian/American relationship. They are funny and nice (and good looking) and the Americans, well, you get my point. I mean, no offense to anyone from Australia or the US, just a good laugh.

The Kiwi's have the piss taken out of them more than necessary the Aussies and my friends make fun of me. Here's a laugh I found...

A pregnant Aussie and a pregnant kiwi are sitting on a park bench knitting jumpers for there unborn babies, the Aussie says to the Kiwi lass

"I hope mines a boy, cause I'm using blue wool" the Kiwi has a think about it and a few minutes later says,

"Hope mines retarded, I just fucked up the arms."

the tall tower is timeless, technology takes us higher

I look out my window and stare at the tower all the time. I was thinking how crappy their website for the unit was several months ago, they must have heard me say that because they updated it. Every night at the top of the hour there is a crazy laser light show that I absolutely love. I have been studying it (its right out my window OK!!) and it seems to be getting more complex and adding more colours & designs all the time.

Here are my favorite facts:

• Millions of colours and infinite effects

Microprocessor controlled, each fixture can produce 16.7 million colours. Intelligent digital control makes the system programmable from a single computer console. Each fixture has a unique “address” that can be programmed individually to create an infinite variety of lighting effects

• Directional lighting

Unlike conventional light sources, one of the unique benefits of LEDs is that they are directional; light output can be controlled and precisely directed. Therefore the resulting lighting will illuminate the Tower while ensuring light output does not “spill” or interfere with nearby hotels, office towers or residences.

• Low maintenance

The LED technology installed at the CN Tower is designed to achieve excellent performance standards and with its intended use is expected to last in excess of 10 years, requiring minimal fixture replacement and maintenance. Unlike conventional lighting systems, the new system will not require frequent replacement and disposal of light bulbs.

Find out more information including how you can get the lights programmed for your event by visiting the site.

leon me, when you feel strong

My dear pops and sister have been listening to the Kings of Leon album 'Only by the Night'. Dad gave me a copy and I very much enjoy listening to it. The sound is music to my ears, literally.

Something I really enjoy is the Rorschach ink blot style cover. I first learned about these things in high school for Mrs. Weidinger, my marketing/entrepreneurship teacher. She was one of my favorites. I remember having very unique answers to those other kids in my class group. Looking back, totally not surprising. I now call it borderline artistic. I've always been the crazy weird one, even though I was well liked in school. That was probably because I had big boobs back then.