de facto redhead

Nope, not going to Louisiana for Christmas Day, but I have been listening to Aaron Neville’s Christmas album a lot, and thus learning what to do and expect if I was ever in the deep south for the holidays. Fay do-do, anyone? Mama, I’ll find a way.

I have been alternating Aaron with my other Christmas CDs while taking care of Christmas business this week. Here is what I looked like while shopping for Darcy today:

Just had a little lie-down on the bed, and called a few friends. No big deal. I even wore heels!

In reality, I have been baking, cleaning, and wrapping like a madwoman, and now my back and neck hurt…so maybe I really do deserve a lie-down…or maybe I just need what I’m holding here:

Caitlin, Susie, Erin, Me, Andrea, and Leslie.

My friends and I went to Bryony’s Christmas party last Saturday night, and what I have in my hand is my good old standby drink of cranberry juice and vodka. What I have on is the skirt I just bought at Forever 21. What I have in my hair is a frustrating hat piece that needed constant adjustment. What I had the next day started with an “h” and ended with me not being mobile until suppertime. But look-y here, something to make all my holiday woes disappear – Santa Claus, arriving at my apartment with everything I just listed on Dear Edna‘s blog as guest poster for her “Fifth Day of Christmas.”

Tim Allen, are you out there? Take that weenie whistle back from Judge Reinhold and give me my Louboutins instead.

Me, circa 1986.

It’s December 8, my friends, and by my count, that leaves a mere 16 days until Christmas. I thought I was doing pretty well with my Christmas shopping, but when I actually wrote everything down yesterday, I had more gaps than I realized. I went to an iRewards event at Chapters last night hoping to fill some of them, but all I bought was presents for my niece and nephew – who I “thought” I was finished shopping for! It’s so easy to buy for kids, and when a certain something-something is 75% off $25, well, I would have been a fool to turn down that deal!

Have you done your Christmas decorating yet? Darcy and I put up our tree this past Sunday, and I did the rest of the decorating around the apartment. I had fun placing everything while eating Christmas M&Ms (peanut kind ONLY, thank you). It was place, stand back, eat M&Ms; place, stand back, eat M&Ms… a very enjoyable way to pass an afternoon! Here are some of the results:

Not very fond of the extension cord, but those shelves are bolted to the wall, so absolutely nothing can go behind them. Just pretend the cord isn’t there. Can you see our Christmas lights out on the balcony? I love them! This picture is like an “I Spy” game at Carla’s place!

In this picture, I now expect you to ignore the too-long curtain tucked into the rod. Darcy and I took a complete and utter break from home renos, and this curtain is one of the things in a coma for now. On the bright side, do you like my under-the-tree Christmas friends? Burl Ives came to me in a dream and told me to place them this way.

Doesn’t the fake tree look SO REAL up close? Our building doesn’t allow real trees. I guess they don’t like people to share fires. Here is a shot of our homage to Alberta – this is one of my favourite ornaments!

The second Christmas Corner. That Snoopy decoration lights up, but I forgot to buy an extension cord yesterday, so it remains unlit tonight. Other things here are my Christmas records and CDs below the shelf, and some of my Christmas books between the record player and the light. And isn’t that capless pen particularly Christmasy? I noticed it when I uploaded my pictures, and I didn’t feel like taking another shot. Besides, our desk is just to the right of the shelf, so there IS a plausible reason for a pen being there!

I’ve read two Christmas books so far, and I plan on writing about them…sometime…one day…maybe…

OK, I had three people weigh in on the question of whether to grab-bag blog or not (thanks Ami, Caroline, and Joanne!), so I am going to go ahead, twist the math, and consider them a true representative sample of my readership. Data-man Darcy would not approve! But enough about him and more about me! Let’s go way back, like old-school back, to the Thanksgiving weekend…

The Reaper’s Realm bus!

Yes, this bus is cut in half, and yes, it is amazing! Vrooooooom! Off you go into the woods on a Halloween adventure that consists of creatures crawling onto the bus and down the aisles, things popping out from the trees, and huge 18-wheeler cab trucks chasing you alongside a corn field. Wheeeee! This thrilling ride that makes me feel like a kid again (and that was the finale after an extremely giddy ride to the Reaper’s Realm site) is out in Lambton County, near where Darcy’s dad and sister live, in the Sarnia/Petrolia area. We went on the ride a few years ago, but then Darcy and I moved away, and that was the end of that tradition. Until now. Reaper’s Realm 2011 already has Darcy, his sister Candice, and I making plans for mid-to-back-of-the-bus seating positions for optimal spooking chances. We sat at the very front for Reaper’s Realm 2010, and we were annoyed by the surly and unenthusiastic bus driver. We wanted him to cut a jugular or something! Anyway, I still screamed at the actors who caught me unawares, and I was laughed at mercilessly. But when we’re this happy afterward, it had to be good:

This shot is blurry because it’s from a camera phone (I still like it, Danielle!), but you can see the sheer Halloween joy on our shining, earnest faces. [Me, Darcy's dad's girlfriend Sue, Darcy's dad Gary, and Darcy (in his University of Alberta colours).]

Darcy’s sister Candice, mine and Darcy’s nephew Ethan, and Me preparing to go up to the top.

So, obviously I spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Sarnia and Petrolia with Darcy’s family, since here we are at the Brigden Fair. I can’t remember the last time I was on a ride, so this was so much fun. Darcy and Joe (Candice’s beau) didn’t go on the ride above, and both found it quite funny that I screamed (again) when this mini-Drop Zone gave way. Needless to say, I was not holding Ethan’s hand at that point – I was gripping the seat handles like death was imminent. But I enjoyed myself, and ate the kettle corn I bought within, oh, a day. Good times! *Side note: I spotted a true Nanny McPhee front tooth on one of the carnie workers. Fascinating!*

The Thirty Bench winery in Beamsville.

Besides working at home, my job definitely has its perks, such as complimentary events like this one – a winery tour last Friday! I was there for business, of course, to interview the winemaker for the website I write for (check out ontario.mydestinationinfo.com here!), but I had also never been to a winery, so this was much more than just work to me. In fact, it barely felt like work at all! I got a great interview, and submitted my article today. Writing it was easy after seeing the vineyards, the wine-tasting room, and the cellar, where I got to sample two merlots that had been barely fermenting for more than two days. The wine came out of huge oak barrels with little spouts on them that reminded me of Disney cartoon casks, and it tasted so good – like juice! There were little pieces of grape skins in the wine, too, which just added to the authenticity of my experience at Thirty Bench. In fact, you can watch this video and hear me talking to the winemaker. Haha! I told Darcy we have to go back and have a full tasting with a wine consultant. Here is another picture from Thirty Bench, of part of its vineyards:

So pretty! So idyllic!

Don’t you wish this was your house?

Here I am, last Saturday morning, the day after the winery excursion. Yes, you’ve seen this outfit before, but I don’t care because I like it! Anyway, the outfit is not the focal point of this picture – it’s the house in the background! My good friend Peter works at Canadian House & Home magazine, and its pros (including Peter!) are behind the design of the Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes for Cancer lottery home in Oakville. Lucky Susie and I were invited by Peter to go to what was a ticketed event that let us sit in the house’s AMAZING kitchen with Lynda Reeves and food editor Amy Rosen while they demonstrated how to cook a “Cheese Strata” and sticky buns. Afterward, we toured the house, which took forever because it was so big, and because Susie and I had heart attacks just about every time we turned a corner. *”Ooooh! Ahhhhh! Look at this!!” they squealed.* Moving along, we were eventually ushered into the garage, where samples of the cooked food was waiting. I discarded of the gross raisins in the sticky buns, but other than that, it was time very well spent! Not to mention the welcome acquisition of a pretty good gift bag. “Why, yes, I’ll take this bag for free,” I said calmly before doing a lunatic’s leprechaun dance in the driveway.

After we left the lottery home, Susie and I stepped back in time, and I had horseshoes made for my nag.

OK, not true. But we did go to Starsky, which is a wild time in a grocery store. You might not think that’s possible, but, oh, it is. I dare you to go here and not be awed by the dessert, deli, and cheese counters. If you aren’t tempted by at least one free sample, well, you must be dead inside.

Happy 30th Birthday, Mike!

Last Saturday was a really busy day (and night). After I got back from roaming around Oakville, I only had a few hours before it was time to get on the road again – but this time to Hamilton. Erin‘s beau was celebrating his 30th birthday, and Darcy, Caroline, and I made the trek out to the Hammer together. Here’s a picture of Erin, Caroline, and I before we left for Gallagher’s:

I look a tad slit-eyed, but we all look happy and well supplied with drink, so the photo was a keeper. What isn’t pictured here is us, still up at 4 am, eating crackers, meat, and cheese. Let’s leave that one to the imagination.

Me and Susie out at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

And here we are, finally into this week! October has definitely been my month for free events, because on Tuesday night, I was Susie’s date to Ballroom With a Twist. She had obtained tickets through work, and I was happy to oblige and take one off her hands! This particular production was created by Dancing with the Stars‘ Louis Van Amstel, which I thought gave it immediate potential to be a great show. Um, not so much. By the end, Susie and I were in agreement that it was a 2.5- or 3-star show at best. Dancers were out of sync, and there was an odd interlude during which amateur dancers who had won a local contest had the opportunity to dance onstage. There was then a Q&A with the Dancing With the Stars pros who were in the show, after which the audience was led through a hokey dance routine. Why? Why? Apparently a lot of other people had the same thought, because about a third of the audience in our section began inching out the doors at this exact moment. Oh, but wait! The show isn’t over! That’s right – the whole production started up again and went for about another 25 minutes. So bizarre.

From left, clockwise: Bryony, Kristy, Caroline, Me, and Susie.

All right, last event of the week! On Wednesday night, the ladies and I went out to Milagro on Yonge Street in Toronto to support Susie in her job at the Canadian Cancer Society. The event was called Feast for the Fight, and a portion of our dinner tab was donated to the cancer society. The restaurant we went to is Mexican, and I’m not a big lover of this type of food, but as I said to Darcy when I got home, “It’s always nice to see my friends.” And Susie’s pick of the Holy Grail of cheese pots (the “Queso Fundido”) was pretty friggin’ good, so that counted as a plus, too. I love being back in Ontario!

The scene today in Edmonton.

Hi, it’s me, winter. I wasn’t very pleased when you showed me the door as soon as May arrived, so I decided to come back for one more bitter kick to the head, hmmm? I don’t care that you were wearing shorts two weeks ago. Really, eff you for disparaging me from November to March. I like to see you wear gloves, a scarf, a hat, a winter coat. It’s especially funny to see you rummaging around in your car for the snow brush and getting your jeans soaked because you had to sweep off a foot of snow from the roof of your car. But, don’t you see? I hurt because I love.

My holiday shelf in Easter mode.

Yes, I call this my holiday shelf, but it’s not as if I have something holiday-related on display at all times. Christmas, Halloween, and Easter are lucky enough to find a place on my holiday shelf, and during the rest of the year, this is my antique shelf. If you want a closer look at what’s on display here, all you have to do is click on the picture, and a larger image should pop up in a new window.

Anyway, not much happening here this weekend because Carla gots to get paid and is working all weekend. The boyfriend and I did take a nice walk yesterday, late morning, though, through our neighbourhood, which was all hustle and bustle on the long weekend. Highlights for me: vanilla-bean hot chocolate from Second Cup, a cupcake from Flirt, three rolls of fancy Christmas wrapping paper marked down to 75% off at Chapters (total: $3.15), a $2 vase at Dollarama, and two bunches of lavender tulips for the kitchen table.

Yes, tulips. Spring has officially sprung! Happy Easter, everyone!

Me with the precious cargo; the precious cargo.

This year the boyfriend and I decided to go low-key with Valentine’s Day – no cards or gifts, just a day of doing little things together. First up was a visit to Flirt Cupcakes on Whyte Avenue for free goods. It was Flirt’s one-year anniversary on Sunday, and in honour of it, they were giving away cupcakes to the first 100 people in the shop. I almost got in a car accident trying to read the sign in the window that advertised this promotion a few weeks ago, so it’s pretty obvious how excited I was about getting my free cupcake.

The reason I was so excited is because Flirt cupcakes are honestly the best cupcakes I have ever tasted. Their competition down the street, Fuss Cupcakes, has nuttin’ on Flirt, yo! The cake of the cupcakes at Flirt is so dense and moist, and the icing is so thick and sugary (but not in that bad grocery-store cake way) that the whole package leaves you wanting more, more, more, even though one is probably enough to make you feel full and satisfied. But, I am never one to stop eating junk before I’m just about ready to throw up, so I would willingly and easily eat more than one Flirt cupcake if I was, you know, “forced.” So in love with Flirt am I that once, when the boyfriend went away for a few days this past summer, my first stop after he was out the door was a trip to Flirt to buy a half-dozen cupcakes as part of my alone-time indulgences. Mmmmmm…luxury!

So, for all of my readers who don’t live in Edmonton – c’est domage, mes amis! For all of my readers who do live in Edmonton – what in heck are you waiting for? Aye! Flirt-ward, ho!

Anyway, after the morning’s excitement of the Flirt expedition, for which I was up at 8:30 am and for which I showed up way too early (the store wasn’t open yet, and there was no one in line but me and the boyfriend, so we had to go for a walk about the block), we went home to eat our cupcake and relax for a couple hours before I had to get down to work on some editing projects I have on the go right now. But, what better way to relax than to start catching up on this season’s Project Runway episodes? And so, between work and taking breaks during the rest of the day, I did manage to get five episodes in without becoming a complete vegetable and having my body’s bones fuse to the couch. The boyfriend and I don’t know which designers are our favourites yet, but I do know that I felt inexplicably sympathetic for Ping and thought her partner on the team challenge was a big a-hole. And then, when she got the boot, I actually teared up during her closing commentary. Why was I so emotionally invested in her?

The latter part of the day/evening was spent eating a heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza (thanks for the gift card, mom!). And no, we did not stand over the pizza box and hold hands, gazing at the heart. More like, we complained that the heart didn’t really look like one, and did the pizza seem soggy? Thus, the conclusion to Valentine’s Day 2010 – cupcakes, Project Runway, and pizza.

Note to Boston Pizza fans: If you sign up for the Boston Pizza e-mail newsletter, you will get a coupon in your inbox for a free appetizer!

Note to Fashion and Me fans: I finally got an (almost) full-body shot of my special outfit from my surprise visit to Ontario last weekend. You can check it out below.

Skirt, tank, and hat/hair piece, H&M; necklace, Forever 21.

(Skirt and tank from this shopping trip.)

Happy New Year, De Facto Redhead readers! I took a little hiatus from blogging while I went home to Ontario for Christmas, so please forgive me for the lack of posts over the past two weeks! One good thing about not blogging for that long, though, is that I have stored up quite a few things to write about, so check back in the coming days and weeks for the first posts of 2010!

Going back to my vacation in Ontario: it was wonderful! I hadn’t been home since August, and I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more. First off, however, I had to get out of Edmonton. I left on Christmas Day, and rather than take a taxi to the airport (which costs $50 from where I live), I booked the Sky Shuttle to pick me up at one of their curbside locations. Their cost for a one-way trip from anywhere in the city to the airport is a comparatively measly $15. Sure, I had to get to the pick-up location, but I will lug my suitcase for 5-10 minutes – even pull a muscle or put my back out – to save on a trip to the airport that should be cheaply serviced by Edmonton transit in the first place!

Once I got to the airport, I found out my flight was delayed about an hour, which did not bode well for my connection in Toronto. I had to catch a Greyhound bus after my flight landed, and by the time all was said and done, I had about half an hour to make it to the bus station. Two friends picked me up in Toronto (thanks PP and NB!), and it was like a raucous Cruella De Vil ride from hell as the three of us hightailed it across rain-soaked highways to the bus station. We made it with about 10-15 minutes to spare, and I thought I was home-free. Au contraire!

I had ordered my Greyhound ticket online a few days previous to my ride, thinking it would save me time. Well, it didn’t because I wasn’t given the option to print my ticket, only to “will-call” at the station. You can’t pick up your ticket at the regular window, either – you have to deal with a special Greyhound representative. My particular Greyhound representative got angry with me the instant I gave her my ticket receipt because I wasn’t at the station the requisite hour before the scheduled departure of my bus. I tried to explain that my flight was delayed and I was coming from Alberta, for god-sakes, but she was having none of it and proceeded to attend to her other business even though my bus was already boarding. I stood in line with my luggage while everyone who had their tickets passed me by. Soon, my forlorn feeling turned to frustration, then annoyance, then anger, and I stormed over to where my “service” rep was checking the passports of people going to Detroit. I admit I was less than friendly this time, but when I’m frantic and stressed and going home for Christmas, didn’t I have at least a little right to turn out some attitude? I finally got my ticket without so much as a cursory glance from the Greyhound rep. I was the last one on the bus, and I had to face down the accusing eyes of the other passengers waiting for me to get on. Eeek!

Notice the “last min.” notation.

My parents and brother picked me up at 6 in the morning on Boxing Day, after which we went home and had a 24-hour delayed Christmas morning. One of my favourite (and standout) gifts was two felt-covered foam boards of vintage jewelry that my mom scored on an eBay estate sale. Every piece is amazing! I also received a boxful of old jewelry from a friend of my mom’s (thanks, CB!), so I was completely inundated with jewelry this Christmas, and I love each and every bauble. Storage of said pieces is going to be a problem, though. Forget clothes – I need a jewelry closet!

Keep in mind this is a picture taken immediately after four hours on a plane and then five hours on a bus.

While at home, my family and I also got into the Olympic spirit with T-shirts my mom bought for all of us. Beforehand, though, we went to see the Olympic torch pass through town. We saw it go by quickly, and then … nothing. It all felt kind of anti-climactic, and after analyzing the route of the torch through surrounding towns and cities, it didn’t really seem possible that the torch could have been everywhere without a duplicate torch in there somewhere. Suspicious torch-fraud alert on behalf of the Olympic committee? If there isn’t one true torch that passes through each stop on its route to Vancouver, the whole idea loses its lustre to me. Does anyone out there know the real ins and outs of the famed Olympic torch relay?

Left: Olympic torch relay. Right: My family celebrating Vancouver 2010!

My New Year’s Eve was pretty low-key – some wine (“some” is vague enough – I don’t need to reveal everything!), board games (Partini Mixers – has anyone played them? They’re pretty good!), and chatting with friends. I did choose a new outfit to wear that night, and it wasn’t complete until I decorated myself with many of my new jewels. Wheeee!

The long purple necklace was good in theory. In practice, it got caught on a lot of things.

My boyfriend and I started a new tradition this past summer, and that is to buy a used book whenever we go on vacation, and we’re supposed to read that book no matter what, even if it ends up being horrible. I got three books this trip, and two are from my youth: an R.L. Stine and a Christopher Pike. I have read them both already, and will be blogging in the coming days as to who won the Stine versus Pike head-to-head match-up. Creepy stuff. In the meantime, though, who out there has any memories of these authors and their books?

That pretty much concludes my journey to Ontario. I was all over the place, from five hours north of Toronto and then back down to four hours south of Toronto (and even into the U.S.!). It was a flurry of family, friends, and pets. Two weeks went by in a flash. A lot of it was spent playing board games with my parents, and we tried (multiple times) two newly acquired word games: Word Rummy and Take a Letter. Both challenge the mind to manipulate various letters into words, and then add on, in various capacities, to the words of other players. If you’re fan of Scrabble, Boggle, or any other word game, these two are definitely worth checking out!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas break, and I look forward to all of your comments in 2010!