Once it was someone's job to press these buttons, to take us where we wanted to go. That's something I think about in elevators. Up or down. B M 2 4 6. Now we to do it ourselves, make it there on our own.

Dev.

Llama Love

Dear Madewell,
I know we met only a few weeks ago, but I have fallen head over heels in love with your "Llama love" sweater. I have never yearned for a specific sweater so much, and am incredibly agitated that it is sold out. It seems the rest of the world was also unable to resist its camelid charm. Please restock it. Soon.
Love,
Bets.

Home

I miss home today, less than a month till I'm there once again.

I have absolutely no idea why a song about how much Winnipeg sucks is set to a Toronto photo montage..Oh well. -Bets

21 hours ago I fell in love with Gotye.
I'm not entirely sure how to say his name, but I think we're getting married.

Dev.

Bones

Sometimes I find bones and take pictures of them because I think they're cool. -Bets

Holocene

The ever lovely, Bon Iver.  

Take a look at the video by Floto + Warner here.

Image by Floto+Warner

-Bets

high tea.

chillin'

End of the weekend = cozy sweaters, tea and these tunes.

Chill:
1. Sad Song - Peasant
2. Beijing - Patrick Watson
3. Home and Somewhere Else - Mimicking Birds
4. We Burn the Leaves - Lost in the Trees
5. Two Doves - Dirty Projectors
6. Sea of Love - Cat Power
7. Flume - Bon Iver
8. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
9. Sing me a Song - JP Hoe

Give it a listen here
-Bets

Captive

                          -Bets

India Song

Karen Knorr uses beautiful images from sacred sites in India along with photos of captive animals all over the world, to weave a story of the caste system and femininity. These photographs display India's rich cultural heritage and close ties to mythology and fables. All photos from here. -Bets

Dinner's on the table

End of midterms = no more canned food (Alphagetti anyone?)

Whipped up some red curry and apple crisp. Hurrah!

Had a nice visit with an old friend this weekend. 

Tea. Stirfry. Wine. Music.

A most excellent time.

-Bets

lines.

nitty 

gritty

life in the city.

 

Dev.

cake.

Grandma turned 90, I turned 20.
We all ate cake.

Dev.

big blue

  Rockwood. Old Baldy. Winnipeg. Winnipeg. -Bets

an older man.

A conversation I had this evening got me thinking about my numerous "celebrity crushes" on the veritably elderly. These are five older men I adore, admire, and aspire to emulate. 

Peter Mansbridge (63) - What's not to love about this long-time CBC news anchor? The intelligence; the passion for journalism; the rich, articulate voice; the sharp suits - and have you seen the way he blushes like a schoolboy when flirting with Claire Martin?? *swoon*

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (92) - As my favourite favourite favourite poet, and one of the fathers of the Beat Generation, there are few men I admire more than Mr. Ferlinghetti. His bookstore (City Lights) was, and is, an arts mecca in the Bay area. He was arrested for publishing Allen Ginsberg's Howl. He is a left-wing activist. And, as mentioned, he writes some damn fine poetry. 

Maurice Sendak (83) - While I've always loved Maurice's work, it was only recently (after watching a documentary by Spike Jonze) that I found myself obsessed with the man behind the picture books. What's not to love about this crotchety old Brooklynite? He is a true artist with a deep, obvious compulsion to create. Inspiring in the most intriguing way. 

Paul Simon (70) - Rhymin' Simon is the greatest songwriter of our time. That's all that needs to be said. Disagree? Go give Graceland a listen and get back to me. 

George Whitman (98) - Of all the names here, this might be the least well known. Whitman founded Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore (technically Shakespeare & Co. 2.0, Sylvia Beach ran the first one in the 20's,  but that's a different story), which has served as a meeting place and living space for writers abroad in Paris since 1951. I highly recommend this documentary and this book to anyone wanting to learn more about George, his store and his literary legacy. Wow, a man who owns a bookstore. Do I detect a pattern here...?

Dev. 

soup du jour.

winter means soup. 

lots of soup. 

Dev. 

niege.

I live in a town where winter is one half of the year, where we wait in annual anticipation of the first snow fall. If it is after Hallowe'en, it is late. This year, it was.

Almost more beautiful than the first smattering of snowflakes is the following morning, looking out the window at a crisp, cool world of white. By the afternoon it will be dirty, grey and melted. But for a few short hours, everything is perfect.

I walked to work on such a morning in a big red coat and cozy mukluks, Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah in my ears. It was nothing short of magical.

Dev.

Just Dance

Dance your worries away:

1.Midnight City- M83
2. Shuffle- Bombay Bicycle Club
3. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance -Black Kids
4. Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics
5. Sprawl of Glass - Arcade Fire Vs. Blondie
6. Kids- MGMT
7. Camilo (The Magician) -Said the Whale
8. A-Punk -Vampire Weekend

Give it a listen here.

Fluid.

-Bets

Scapes

Guelph. Cape Croker. Bruce Peninsula. Lake Huron.

-Bets

Knife

This song. On loop. Best without accompanying video.
-Bets

"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you"

The words above are by the great A.A. Milne. 
I read these lines over the summer, curled up with The House at Pooh Corner in the coziest cottage imaginable. They've stuck with me since. They make me think of this place - a magnificent Thoughtful Spot by the river where Hums find me most often.  




Dev.

My frightening habit of youtubing past Eurovision entries for hours on end led me to Norway's Alexander Rybak. This song is much too catchy and the dresses much too pretty. -Bets

Dear Photograph

 "Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present." 

All photos from Dear Photograph. -Bets

listen.

listen here.