Circles of Influence

Link via Lapham's Quarterly.

Blog to follow: Cognitive Media

Stimulate the mind, motivate the soul....fantastic site. Visit it here.

Just read...

So, I recently finished reading an amazing non-fiction book called "The Professor and the Madman" and my god, it was amazing! My bester and I had planned on reading together for a while, and since I had wrapped up my book club read early this month (I read "The Help" by Katherine Stockett, which coincidentally was also quite good), it seemed like the perfect time.

It is an interesting story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the unlikely collaboration between a Scottish lexicographer and an American intellectual who also happened to be confined to a lunatic asylum.

It is a sad story; it makes you feel for Dr. Minor, for the pain he suffered because of his illness. What is infinitely more sad is the way that such illnesses were treated then. This lead to a very interesting discussion between my best and I.

Angles...

The Strokes are coming out with their 4th album entitled Angles this March 21st! That's right, both Radiohead and the Strokes are releasing new albums in only a matter of days; my 19 year-old self would be beyond excited. Hell, who am I kidding? I am probably just as excited now!

Here's a sample: "Under Cover of Darkness"

And check out the "making of":

Bon Voyage...

It's bittersweet, my beloved sissy Ander is leaving us this Family Day Monday. She is moving to Australia, and although I am excited for her, I will miss her!

Here's a random sampling of things I will miss:
-Her silly grade-school humour (SSPPF...Ander, can you work out the acronym?), who opened the fridge door?
-Her dancing to a modified (aka perfected) version of Chingy's "Dem Jeans".
-Playing the "Lame Game" on commercial breaks.
-Fighting over who looks more like Jesus; the correct answer, by the way, is me.
-Creating chew mountains.
-Zellers shopping sprees!
-Bieber & mom neighbourhood excursions.

...good times!

Here's the video....

I would like to preface this post with an ode to Thom Yorke, i love him... I wish I had something intelligent to say to back up fondness, but alas, I do not...he's just fabulous.   Who other than Thom could pull off such dancing?  ...and dare I bring up the museum photo bomb (look it up)? The man has charisma.

King of Limbs...

The New Radiohead album is almost here... so excited!

The Hood...

I love seeing the historical photographs of the places where I live. It really puts things into perspective, to see somewhere so familiar transform into a former reality. Below is a picture of my current neighbourhood, Roncesvalles Village in Toronto, specifically the intersection where King Street West, Queen Street West, Roncesvalles and The Queensway converge.

Photo of King, Queen, and Roncesvalles, looking southeast, by Alfred Pearson, April 17, 1923. City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 2014.

Although much has changed in the picture, you can still see the bones of this intersection today. Many of the storefronts and apartments remain structurally unchanged. Today, you can find a McDonald's, convenience store and coffee shop at the intersection, still it's so odd and somehow sad to think of the lives these streets or, perhaps more so, our homes had before us.

For an interesting then vs now look at our beautiful city check out Lost Toronto.

Coasting...

Man About Town starring Kilian Martin | Autumn/Winter 2010. 

Slick...

I love these guys.

The Sartorialist...

This has already been posted to death, but I couldn't resist; he's fabulous!

Envy...

This is Karl Lagerfeld's personal library.

Soon to be acquired...

The sisterhood sweater 2.0! I have this very sweater in the now unavailable violet colour and absolutely love it. It satisfies a number of my sartorial criteria in that it 1: is borderline work appropriate and 2: it covers my bum. Plus, it is on sale!

It is actually called the Wilfred Cocoon Sweater (available @ Aritzia). See, my best and I have a number of items in our wardrobe that are named for a very magical pair of pants from a very cheesy tween movie...why you wonder? Well, she and I often find ourselves enamored by each other's clothing, so much so that we'll frequently go out and purchase the exact same item. It's kinda like an item other clothing shared between friends...I know, it's strange.

New Year's Resolutions...

So, I am a little off my game; usually I have my resolutions planned out and ready to be tackled way before the "ten, nine, eight..." but I've been lazy, which I hope is not an omen of how this year will be... To be honest, I feel my laziness is soooo 2010, and I vow to be more diligent and driven this year. I want 2011 to be about tying up loose ends, doing those things that I told myself I was going to get around to, but for some reason never did. I will divulge these items to you as I identify them (there's the laziness again).

Item number one (identified in 2010, surprisingly): finish the half-read books on my bookshelf. That's right, I'm talking about you "The Hickory Staff". Nerdy confession: In my preteen years I had inherited a book from Piers Anthony's Xanth Series called Demons Don't Dream.... and loved it! I decided to give another novel from the Fantasy section a try, so I picked THS, but, alas, made it only 158 pages into this 737 pager.

Blog to Follow: A Continous Lean...

...for lessons on how to be my ideal husband. Visit the site here.

 

Thirty Days NY Artist Series: David Coggins from Thirty Days NY on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night!  I wish I owned this dude's get up; he looks pretty slick.