Happy Birthday Sista!

Happy Birthday, baby sister!

Video Luv: Ninja Cat

I saw this and had to watch it again. And again. And again. It's Awesome!

Product Lust: Bonne Bell Lip Smackers Jell-o

It's un-PC, but I love Lip Smackers by Bonne Bell. I don't care if they are petroleum-based and don't stay on my lips long enough to moisturize. The flavours are tasty and they make my lips have a sheen without being shiny. I dare say I'd take the mighty Dr Pepper Lip Smackers even over my beloved MAC Lipglass.

I just found out they offer Jell-O flavours. Holy crap, that's awesome! Must have, especially Lime! After all, who doesn't love Jell-O? That bouncy. shiny, tasty stuff.

As kids we played with it constantly, and didn't get in trouble, which made it better. It was sort of the point! It was an inexpensive treat when times were tough, and we could stuff ourselves full without Mom worrying about us overeating.

We made homemade Jell-O with extra gelatin mixed in to make Knox Blox at sleepovers. We bounced them off walls, each other, and the basement floor. Don't worry, we didn't eat those ones!

My first cooking experience was with Jell-O. It had heating, mixing, timing and serving, so it was cooking to me. I made layered Jell-O with fruit for a tea party. What can I say, I was ambitious. I was going to be the Julia Childs of Jell-O!

The first recipe was an unmitigated failure. The first layer hardened too much. Some of the fruit juice from the canned fruit cocktail dropped in the pan, which made the second layer too watery, so it didn't harden enough. The result was like trying to eat spaghetti sauce off a waterbed.

Still, I never lost my taste for it. I even liked to lick the Jell-O powder like homemade Lik-M-Aid (remember those?) while I read late at night in my bed. So bring on the Lip Smackers!

Video Luv: Pantomime

I've been kind of crazy for pantomime lately. My sis, who lives in London, UK, gets to see lots of really good panto, making me jealous.

Pantomime is not to be confused with mime performances, as in white-face and trying to get out of the box. Pantomime is an old musical-comedy theatre style dating back to Greece and Rome.

There's traditional themes like gender-swapped roles (men playing women and girls playing boys), the pantomime horse (two-person costume), and mixing of traditional songs with new lyrics. Think community dinner theatre on LSD.

Celebrities, especially grand old actors, love to do guest appearances in London pantos. It's a great way to ham it up and have a ball with the traditions of old theatre.

Here's a fun pantomime society that can give you a good idea of what a panto is like.

P.S., the pantomime dame in the photo is Sir Ian McKellen from a panto in 2004. Go Gandalf!

Link Luv: The Story of Stuff

Did you ever wonder how you can get electronic accessories for a buck? Or why your shirts and pants lose their hems so fast? Or why you swear you take out more trash every week than you did growing up at your parent's house?

Take a look at this website. The Story of Stuff is a website by Annie Leonard that has some great ideas and some really interesting links. I love the video on the homepage. It's only 20 minutes long, and it is fun to watch.

I'm a reduce/reuse/recycler from way back. I have very little trash at the curb, even in the winter when it's two weeks between pick-ups. Our recycle bags are always more full than the trash bins.

Still, it always bugs me when I look at how much I have in my little house. Really, it's not a little house. I have friends with smaller houses, but it is cramped because it's full of stuff. If I could get rid of half my stuff, I'd have a cozy home. Sweetie and I talk about it all the time, and we plug away as a team to reduce what's in the house.

The trouble is that we're both packrats. I try to reduce how much I buy and I keep trying to unclutter. It seems impossible and ridiculous at the same time. I know that I don't need half the stuff I have, and yet I can't bring myself to get rid of things. I've reduced a lot and have a lot to remove, but it seems like trying to climb up a down escalator. I

I recycle a lot, and I try to reduce, but I know I can reduce even more.

Link Luv: Lagerfeld on Twitter!

Okay, I read this today and am giggling my little butt off! Karl Lagerfeld, as in THE Karl Lagerfeld, is blogging on Twitter.

I have no idea if this is really Karl. Would Karl use the word "persnickety"? I would, but would he?
I'm rather persnickety, but I like disorder at work. I'd freeze at a tidy desk.
5:11 PM Feb 28th from web

Then again, some of these are soooo Lagerfeld:

On this day each year, I soak the previous year's calendar in my mother's favorite perfume and then set it ablaze. Here's to a fresh start.
12:13 PM Jan 1st from web.

Here's hoping it's him. I'd love to know that he secretly loves rap.

Thanks to the boys over at The Sword for the tip! Here are some non-Twitter Lagerfeld quotes to brighten your day.

“I’m sorry. What I say is only applicable as I am saying it.” (This should be my disclaimer.)

"Elegance has nothing to do with fashion."

“Coming out after a show is good discipline for me because I have to watch out that I don’t look like an old garden gnome next to all these 20-year-old models.”

Video Luv: Animation Time!

I love all things stop-motion animation, except for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I think it's the voices; like nails on a chalkboard. But the Peter Gabriel video for "Sledgehammer" is still incredible, and Ray Hammerstein movies were always great fun.

Of course, the best of those has to be Clash of the Titans, which I've seen a couple of hundred times. Mom used to use it in her Grade 8 Language Arts class to test students on how much they paid attention to Greek mythology. She showed them the movie and had them write essays describing the errors in the plot and character interaction. Some of those kids could probably still tell you who Cassiopeia and her boasting really pissed off. That was one of the few videos we owned and I watched it a lot!

Here's an awesome stop-motion video that made me smile.

Pretty Kitty!

This kitty is adorable. Listen to it really nom-nom.

Calling All Canucks: Vitamin D Drive

Check it out! February is Vitamin D month, and GrassrootsHealth in the US setting up a campaign to solve vitamin D deficiency. Daction is a program to generate awareness of the problem and testing. The program will involve testing twice a year over five years to study the effects of Vitamin D levels on the body.

Okay, so I've been accused of being a bit of an earth muffin. But I'm a big believer in the effect of what you ingest affects your overall health. I include vitamin D supplements in my personal battle with seasonal affective disorder.

Vitamin D is the fat-soluble one called the "sunshine vitamin" because it's produced by your body when UV rays contact the skin, and it's not commonly found in foods naturally.

I'm fair-skinned, so my daily use of an SPF 8 reduces vitamin D absorption by 95%, and since I live in Edmonton, there's not enough UVB here for me from October to mid-March. Interestingly, that's when my SAD hits and recedes every year.

There are several diseases which have strong links to vitamin D deficiency. Rickets is the original deficiency disease, but a lack of vitamin D increases risk for high blood pressure, chronic muscle pain, osteoporosis, periodontal disease, type 1 diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis and some autoimmune diseases.

Oxford University released a study this week showing that a form of vitamin D triggers an immune system gene linked to multiple sclerosis. This is especially important to me because a dear friend was recently diagnosed with MS.

Think this doesn't affect you? 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient at some point in the year, according to University of Calgary research.

The cost to join the Daction project is USD30.00, which includes a health survey and at-home vitamin D blood spot test. The test results will be shipped directly to you, and you are able to make our own changes. This is a really reasonable cost for a five-year program that could make such a big difference to your life. It's a great chance to see what changing your vitamin intake can do to improve your health.

What can you do? "Participate in the study, get tested, get your serum levels to the 40-60 ng/ml range and learn all you can about Vitamin D," said Dr. Vieth of the GrassrootsHealth sponsored testing.

Remember to take your vitamin D supplement with a calcium or magnesium supplement for maximum absorption. Don't worry about overdosing on it; toxicity requires taking more than 100 times the RDA amount for months.

Please join the campaign and tell at least two friends about it.

Props to BodyBeautiful.ca for sending out a call to action for Canadians to join the campaign!

Product Lust: Avon Clearskin® Professional Acne Treatment System

Salicylic Acid* OTC active treatment to clear, reduce & help prevent acne blemishes.
*Scrub & Lotion only.
Glycolic Acid An effective skin retexturizer.
Exclusive Zinc Hexapeptide-11 Designed to help control surface oil in oily-prone skin.

Beauty Girl: Dakota Fanning

I have to say (even if it makes me sound, like, so OLD) that it's soooo refreshing to see a teenager dressing like a teenager. Let's all give a big ol' HUZZAH to Dakota Fanning.

How nice is it to see a 15-year-old dressing like a really cute 15-year-old and not a little over-sexed wannabe?

I love this dress, with the architectural details and the asymmetric lines. I even like the colour, because its not beige, but it's demure. And the shoes are wicked too!

Don't get me wrong, I believe that kids are completely overprotected these days and infantalized by their parents (I say confidently with my dried up little vay-gay). Still, just because I think kids should be brought up in an atmosphere of awareness, it doesn't mean they should run around like a modern Miss Kitty.

Dakota's aging well, which is something you always worry about with child actors. The teen years seem to be so cruel to so many. Nobody wants to be the one who used to be so cute.

Kudos, kiddo!

50 Things To Say Before You Die

My first meme! I saw this and thought it was a nice way to brighten my day.
50 Things to Say Before You Die

1. Thanks for everything you’ve done.
2. You’ve changed my life.
3. I need you.
4. I’ve only got one life to live.
5. Nothing can stop me.
6. I love my life.
7. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.
8. I can change the world.
9. I will change the world.
10. I have changed the world.
11. I’m rich without money.
12. I’m doing what I was meant to do.
13. I conquered my biggest fear.
14. Glad to help you.
15. I have all the money I need.
16. I don’t care what people think.
17. I’m honest.
18. I’m going for it!
19. I’m proud of myself.
20. I’ve failed.
21. I’ve learned from my failures.
22. I have no regrets.
23. I don’t like my life.
24. I’ve never had more fun in my life.
25. You hurt me.
26. There’s more to life than this.
27. I love you no matter what.
28. I’ve accomplished a lot.
29. You’ve been successful.
30. I’m listening.
31. I’m here for you.
32. Words can’t describe the way I feel.
33. I’m not giving up.
34. I don’t have any worries.
35. There is no place like home.
36. It was a pleasure to talk to you.
37. I have all the time in the world.
38. I need a hand.
39. You’re my best friend.
40. I’m glad you were here.
41. I’m just gonna go for it.
42. I can’t thank you enough.
43. I’m trusting my gut.
44. I follow my own path.
45. What a wonderful world.
46. I take full responsibility.
47. I’m not sorry.
48. I came, I saw, I conquered.
49. I haven’t said enough.
50. I’m not afraid.

I've said quite a few in my life, but I have a few to go, I think.

Today was a bit of a rough day, and I let life's rougher bits get me down. It's tricky when you wake up in a bad mood because your day always feels like it has a limit on how good you can feel.

After reading this, I started to to think. This is a much nicer set of goals than "get a bigger house" or go to the gym more." I'm probably one of those people who needs a reminder every now and again to just lighten the hell up.

How many on the list have you said?

I can't think how to make this about beauty, but the geek in me loves it. Maybe it's a Bob-&-Doug-MacKenzie kind of thing, "Beauty, eh?"

For those of us who love Paper Rock Scissors, here's the ultimate geek upgrade. What's not to love?

Product Review: Rimmel London Lash Maxxx Waterproof Mascara

In my quest for the perfect long, thick lashes, I'm always testing out new mascaras. Because my lashes are long and sparse, I find that the thickening mascaras are trickier for me to use. They tend to give me spiderlegs instead of lashes.

I decided to give Rimmel London Lash Maxxx Waterproof Mascara a try. It claims to multiply lashes three times. The wand is a one-sided brush instead of the standard spiral brush. I find that the formula isn't too thick, but it does seem to thicken up the lashes a bit.

Still, like most volumizing mascaras, I find that after three weeks the formula thickens up in the tube. I don't pump my mascara, but this happens a lot with volumizing mascaras.

Hail To the Chief

As a neighbour watching our friends to the south, I've been cautiously optimistic that the new government would enact some change. But listening to the inaugural address U.S. President Barack Obama gave today did fill me, for the first time, with a sense of hope.

Watch the address. There is beauty in his words, and he's a great orator by any standard. This gave me the same feeling that the inaugural address JFK gives when you watch it.

Goals for 2009

It's good to set goals for yourself, right? So here we go: in 2009 I will...

1. Post three times a week. I'll try for a combination of observations, product reviews and the thing I didn't post in 2008, Hollywood trivia.
2. Preparing the house for sale: getting rid of 30% of knick-knacks and souvenirs in the hospital, repairs to washrooms, upgrade lino flooring.
3. Get a dog. Sweetie says this is contingent on goal 2, so apart from the great feeling upgrading the house will give me, I'll finally have a dog again!
4. lose 10 inches by improving tone in arms, legs and waist. I'm not really sure what change this will cause in my weight, but it's the muscle tone I'm interested in.
5. Finish five courses in my Public Relations program. When I pass my current courses, I'll take two courses in the spring session and one in the autumn.
6. Increase my charitable donations. Not just our monetary donations, but my time and effort. I will make more clothing drives happen, and I will enter the MS Walk, which I haven't done for years.
   
7. Continue to develop the communications plan at work. Specifically, I want to develop and implement a recruitment communications plan and the overall communications plan. This is especially important with the recent drive to find new work, and will be challenging with the limitations we'll have on our resources.

What are your goals for 2009?

Product Lust: Molten Magic Heat Packs

Wow, where did the time go? Three weeks vanished in a blur of moving school and offices.

I thought I'd show you one of my favourite items that I keep beside the bed. Molten Magic Heat Packs are reusable exothermic heating pads that are safe to apply directly to skin and have been a treasure for me over the years. I bought a pair of the small ones ($8) at the Klondike Days Exposition two years ago, and last year I bought two more in the medium size ($10 each).

These pads work by encasing a metal activator disc and a sodium acetate solution in a high-grade vinyl pouch. The metal disc is "popped", and the metal reacts with the liquid solution, heating to 54 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit). This is very warm; almost too hot to stand against your skin, but not quite. The heating effect lasts for 20-30 minutes, and they are recharged by simmering in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.

The small packs are perfect as handwarmers in cold weather. All sizes of packs are great for theraputic use too. I use them at night when my back feels stiff, and they are perfect for placing on your tummy to deal with menstrual cramps.

I find that they recharge quickly, and I recommend buying them in pairs. That way, when you have used one and are charging it, you can use the other. I also use them while they are cooling down after I boil them, so I get double the heating effect.



They are available at local fairs, keep an eye out for them!

MAC has just released an awesome set of metallic cosmetics in Metal Urge. And this weekend, you can order online with free shipping.

7 shades of Brushed Metal-X Eye Shadow:

• Gilded Ash - dark charcoal grey with pearl
• Gold Spice - metallic coppery gold
  
• Forged Rose - Reddish copper with gold pearl
  
• Verdigris - Dirty deep green with silver pearl
  
• Metalblu - Navy blue with silver pearl
  
• Pink Platinum - Light blue/pink with silver pearl
  
• Material Gold - Pale peach/beige with gold pearl
  

3 shades of Pigments:

• Cocomotion - Dirty gold with an olive undertone and a gold sparkle
• Spiritualize - Yellow green with silver and gold pearl
• Gold Mode - Tan gold
  

4 shades of Glitter:

• Reflects Bronze - Rich sparkling gold
• Reflects Blackened Red - Sparkling burgundy
• Reflects Purple Duo - Rich sparkling purple
  
• Reflects Very Pink - Sparkling fuschia pink
  

Liquidlast Eyeliner:

• Dress Khaki - Khaki green with yellow pearl
  
• Molten Sol - Rich gold with intense metallic
  
• Powerplum - Deep plum with red pearl
  
• Inskpill - Deep green with green pearl
  
• Inky - Navy blue with low-level pearl
  
• Visionaire - Clean baby pink
  
• Classic Cream - White gold
  

Looks great, and I can't wait to buy a couple!

Cleopatra Eyes

I'm home sick today with a beaut of a headcold. I tried to sleep as late as possible, and it's peppermint tea for the throat and Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup for the tummy. For the soul, it's Days of Our Lives and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra (1963).

I haven't watched DoOL in ears, and its just as cheesy-good as ever. Someone is a murderer, and someone else nearly married him, and someone is secretly very ill, and someone is pregnant, and so is someone else, but keeping it a secret from the father... It's comforting that even when the names change, the plots stay the same.

Cleopatra, a four-hour epic, was considered a box office flop because of the cost overruns, but it's a lavish slice of 1960s hubris. I love that the Egyptians are wearing fitted bullet-bra garments. And let's face it; any excuse to see Liz Taylor's remarkable cleavage is worth it. She's sexy, and totally covered up.

I grew up in the generation where Liz Taylor was either a lush or frail from an illness. But this movie reminds me that she was the queen of Hollywood, and at five-foot-two, no one could touch her.

It also reminds me that of the reason she married Richard Burton twice. He was a vital, handsome man back in the day. I always picture him from the interview he and Liz did with Barbara Walters in the 1970s, and it seemed to me that he was a drunkard and kind of sad. But once he truly was a lion among men.

It also makes me thing of the cat-eye makeup look, and how this movie had such an impact on the fashion of the era. It had such impact that it continues to be an iconic look that is adapted every decade. The eyeliner flair may change, and the colour or use of eye shadow differs, but it's always there in the fashion realm.

Admit it, you've rocked the cat-eye in your day!

Teal Time

For some reason, I'm crazy for teal this year. I don't know why, but it's my favourite colour right now. I've been obsessed with finding the perfect shade of teal; not too blue and not too green. I found a mohair sweater that came close to perfection. I even found a ginormous leather satchel that was a lovely shade that evokes images of deep Caribbean waters.

Imagine how excited I was when my LouLou Magazine Special Edition arrived yesterday, I was stoked to see that some of the handbags for the fall in glorious shades of teal!

Longchamp has "Légende" ($900), a patent calfskin leather bag in "DuckBlue" with a large interior and two outer pockets. The bag has a patent leather handles and wrapped around the base, and shiny, crinkled leather for the main material. There are metal feet on the bottom, so the bag is more protected from dust and dirt. The main bag of the interior contains two zippered pockets and a leather key holder. The overall size is 18 x 13x 8 inches, so there's lots of room for all your goodies.

Coach has a beautiful handbag called "Amanda Satin Mini Satchel" ($298) in Brass/Teal. This a a smaller bag, only 11 x 5 x 4 inches, it has leather wrapped handles and a removable shouder strap. Inside, there's a zip pocket and an open pocket.

There you have it. Two very different shades of teal in different materials. Simply lovely!