mgmt and beirut are models in vogue

Check out the full photo shoot with other musicians here

A cozy neck warmer

I crocheted this (that word looks so weird). it was very easy and i'm happy with how it turned out. now my neck will be nice and warm! I actually kept thinking i would wear it the other way around but that ended up looking really funny, so i flipped it upside down and i think it looks a lot better...

Project - 05/06 A Retrospect.

I came across a fat little notebook that I had with me all of the time my last year I lived in Lethbridge. I was looking through it and decided there is some pretty funny stuff in it. It spans from Summer 05-Summer 06 and mostly consists of hundreds of T0-Do lists I made, man I has a lot of tasks back then! and on many occasions those tasks were to pay parking tickets! I'd also just write notes with people in class (ie. Bre) and record grocery lists, recipes, things I was into, things i wasn't into, cds i wanted to buy....all sorts of stuff. so i compiled a collage below:

I love Terrariums!

I found this here...I thought it was sold out but then I checked again and there was 1 left so i bought it!!

I've been wanting to make one of these for a long time now...I need to gather some miniature animals and little things to make an enchanted forest in a jar. Here are some of the best ones I've found....

This right here was the site where I first learned of Terrariums back in the spring...there's instructions on how to make them too!

and here is a blog that featured a whole week of Terrarium stuff! She even made a terrarium picture frame which is pretty funny.

Cool Tea Set!

“One warm spring afternoon on the garden table she sees more than her own tea set. She discovered that its shadows could not be separated from the shapes of the set and that they constantly played their own game with them.”

Aniek's blog

Cantos Music Foundation

The first Thursday of every month there are free tours of the collection of pianos and other piano-like instruments. Definitely check it out! There were some of the coolest or oldest or weirdest instruments I've ever seen! And Cantos is building a new building to host the National Music Centre of Canada. I think its so great that Calgary is going to have something like this and can't believe one doesn't already exist somewhere in Canada! Especially to house all of these crazy instruments.

The architecture and design concept look pretty incredible. You can see he architect explain his design here.

The Halloween Tree!

I used to watch this every halloween!! its never on anymore :( i miss pip!
thank god for youtube!

you can watch the rest here, but part 1 is posted below!

foodbuzz

I stumbled upon this site while looking for a good recipe for roasted tomatoes and it looks pretty cool!
I signed up for the daily special and flavour of the month. I may even become a foodie! there are some really good recipes posted like Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Pumpkin Bechamel look super good. And the Fiery Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce pictured above! Click here to check out the site!

BlakRok

patiently waiting for this collaborative album to come out.11 Artists, 11 Days in the Studio, 11 tracks. Coming on November 27th this is a bunch of artists collaborating with The Black Keys. http://www.blakroc.com/
The website has a series of webisodes featuring the artists trying out lyrics and recording tracks in the studio.

Check out the trailer for the CD:

Where the Wild Things Are

Soooo good! I saw the movie in the Imax theatre and I just loved it. Everything came together really nicely, the little boy Max, the wild things, the soundtrack, the amazing fortress and Carol's diorama of his little world. man oh man. It made me laugh, made me teary, made me want a cool wild animal outfit and listen to Karen O screeching all night....and if you feel the same way you can listen to the soundtrack here!

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

Winding Ruffle Boots

I love love love these boots....

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=940061&catId=SHOES-BOOTS-TALL&pushId=SHOES-BOOTS-TALL&popId=SHOES-BOOTS&sortProperties=&navCount=90&navAction=middle&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=020&colorName=BROWN&isSubcategory=&isProduct=true

My First Pie!

I made my first pie yesterday and it was so easy and so tasty!! It was cranberry & apple since I had a bag of fresh cranberries in my fridge that I forgot to bring home to make with turkey on thanksgiving!

So here is the recipe:

ok i can't take credit for the crust, i cheated and bought the frozen pie crusts(they come in packages of 2) and I wasn't sure how you made one of the crusts into the covering of the pie, but you just let it thaw for like 20 minutes, flatten it and then when your filling is in you just spread it over top!

For the filling I just added the package of cranberries and 2 granny smith apples chopped up, 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbs flour, sprinkle of cinnamon and nutme

g. You just stir them all together and then put them in the pie. I was supposed to add dabs of butter before putting the top on but i forgot and it still tasted good

so if you want it extra buttery you can add that too...

and then baked it at 425 for about 30 minutes and voila!

and now I have filling left over so i have to buy another crust to make another one! yay!

Girls Rock Camp

So I was in Vancouver on the weekend, and while hanging out outside of Michael's shop waiting for them to clean it for their show and shine...I met a girl outside who had brought a group of girls to the studio space which is housed in their shop to rent it for the afternoon and let this group of 11-17 year old girls jam together in their newly formed band! So I started to ask her about what this was and its very cool. She helped put together Girls Rock Camp Vancouver in August which was a week long camp for girls 8-18 to come and learn how to play instruments and then form a band and perform in front of everyone at the end. It sounded so powerful and amazing to be part of. She told me about the website girlsrockcampvancouver.ca and said to also check out the podcast life after radio that her friend created which had an episode highlighting this camp. So i looked it up and its awesome! it very much has the feel of This American Life and is put together very well. I think now that I am moving to Vancouver I might just have to get involved in this next summer!

check it out:


http://lifeafterradio.ca/mp3/2009/10/Episode_8_ROCKCAMP.mp3

and if you'd rather download it, and the other Life After Radio podcasts you can go to the website and subscribe to it on itunes!

http://lifeafterradio.ca/category/podcasts/

Final Fantasy!

I saw Final Fantsy at the Knox United Church on Monday and it was amazing! it really gave me chills. It was even the third time I've seen him and it just gets better and better every time. I think seeing it in the church with the stained glass window lit up behind him and the rest of the church totally dark with the sound so rich and clear in the church. it was so great.
this video is not from Monday night, but I wanted to post his greatness...



Oh the opening band was really good too. Very haunting sound and i love his voice...

Reader's Rock Garden

While I'm in that neck of the woods, I will highlight another cool thing in that section of Calgary- on 25th avenue just after you cross the train tracks, if you turn right you will be in the parking lot of the Reader Rock Garden. A man named William Reader created this garden in 1914 and brought in a lot of exotic plants and created a rock garden down the slope of cemetery hill-opposite the stampede grounds. But then he died and the garden became overgrown with weeds and no one took care of it. Just a few years ago the garden was restored and I went there a few weeks ago and its pretty cool. You walk up the hill through all these really neat stone paths and there are little trickling waterfalls and bridges and very pretty flowers, trees, foliage. at the top of the hill there is a little gazebo and a cafe which looks out over downtown and the stampede grounds. My friend Bre and I had lunch and tea there and our BLTs were super good-on sour dough bread with really good bacon, aged white cheddar cheese and yellow tomatoes! yum. They also have a porch on the little house and I think it would be a lovely thing to do at this time of year when the leaves are so colourful to go sit out there in a warm cozy sweater and have a pot of tea.

Calgary Water Centre

I went to an event at this building last night for the "Calgary Architecture & Design Week Gala" which was disappointing....

but the building is very cool. very eco-friendly and follows this sustainable building policy called LEEDS-Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Its good to see Calgary starting to adopt some green building policies. Even the office furniture is made of recycled materials and they use non-toxic cleaners, improved air quality and you can actually open the windows for fresh air!!

Here are some of the facts:

Private buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of the world's total energy use. By taking advantage of natural sunlight and installing the latest technologies for heating and cooling, the Water Centre will use 58 per cent less energy than a conventional building, saving taxpayers $108,000 per year.

*The Water Centre's thin shape and southern exposure lets the sun help warm the building during the winter, while the roof overhang keeps out the heat of summer. Employee work stations are placed away from direct sunlight along the north side of the building, allowing temperatures to be maintained at a lower operating cost.

The three-colour glass curtain wall balances the amount of visible light and heat entering the building.

Under-floor heating and radiant ceiling slab cooling will save energy and provide a more comfortable work environment.

Bright ideas

Abundant windows and an open plan mean all employees have access to natural light, reducing the need for electric lighting. Daylight and occupancy sensors ensure lights are only on when they are needed. The Water Centre will save an estimated 1,250,000kWh per year on lighting – or over 1,100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Green roof

In 1875, Fort Calgary used prairie sod to keep out the rain, making it Calgary’s first office with a green roof. The modern version incorporates a high-tech rubber membrane topped with a layer of soil. Native flowers and grasses help cool the summer air by releasing moisture as they grow. The soil and roots insulate against winter frost.

Water-wise landscaping

The garden uses drought-tolerant native plants in groupings that evoke different prairie habitats around Calgary. Saskatoons and other shrubs act as wind breaks, retaining moisture for the grasses and wildflowers. Plants in the constructed wetlands help filter water from the roof and parking lot.

The Water Centre is located on 25^th Avenue S.E. and Spiller Road, the Water Centre is home for The City of Calgary’s Water Resources and Water Services’ professional (460) and field (314) staff.

Calgary Garden Path Society

A big highlight of my summer was joining the Garden Path Society and learning a lot about gardening! It is so cool and great to be a part of. Its run by volunteers and the best part is the half acre of vegetables that is grown to give away to charities and allow the public to come in and harvest. By volunteering there I have been able to take home fresh organic vegetables that are so pretty and colourful. Today was the last harvesting day and I got a bunch of potatoes, some carrots, rainbow chard, some padi pan squash, and a little pumpkin! I've been introduced to vegetables I never knew I liked and had an excuse to spend many of the beautiful sunny days outside among great people that all wanted to get dirty!

Calgary Garden Path Society!

The Garden Path Society of Calgary is a local, non-profit organization that is focused on providing garden space for Calgarians. We strive to overcome the urban obstacles that prevent people of all ages and cultures from participating in growing food and plants. With the help of supporters, the Garden Path Society has a positive effect on the health of the city by raising funds to help grow food for charity and to provide spaces for citizens to grow their own abundant harvest in an earth-friendly way.

http://calgarygardenpath.ca/Main

Vitamin Daily

This is a site I came across one day and so I subscribed to it and it sends me an email everyday with stuff about Calgary which is kind of cool. It has told me about new restaurants and stores, recipes, new styles, etc...

it's pretty neat!

http://vitamindaily.com/calgary

My first Blog...

This is my first blog, I've decided I need a way to keep track of everything I've been interested in lately and wanting to remember because I like it so much and want to share it with everyone else! so I decided it was time for me to start a blog...i think its going to take me a little while to figure this thing out so i'll take it a day at a time, but stay tuned!