Goodbye, Liz Lemon
January 30, 2013 § Leave a comment
After seven years of making me laugh on a weekly basis, 30 Rock is ending. Tina Fey’s masterpiece (yes, I think it deserves that title) and my blog’s namesake will have a one hour season finale tomorrow night. Only a few TV shows have made me laugh in a way that 30 Rock did; including Arrested Development and The Simpsons in the mid-90s. I will really miss this show.
There’s nothing left to do but drown your sorrows in some classic 30 Rock moments on Youtube, and join me (physically or via text message) tomorrow night in watching the series finale at 8:00.
Chocolate chocolate chocolate ack!
Happy Valentine’s, no one:
Jerry Seinfeld:
Night cheese:
P.S. did anyone else almost tear up last week when Kenneth became President of NBC and Liz adopted mini Tracy & Jennas? No? Just Me? G.D., I love that show.
Jay and Julia
January 26, 2013 § 1 Comment
The Deakin-Gordon wedding may have happened four months ago, but their fantastic wedding photographer (and I mean seriously talented) Rick O’Brien just posted a summary of the events on his blog with photos yesterday. When Julia showed me his previous work, I knew the photos would be great, but seeing them finished yesterday blew me away. It’s great to see that Rick managed to show the absolute beauty that radiated through this entire wedding with his photos.
Tina vs Twitter
January 17, 2013 § Leave a comment
I don’t hate Twitter, but I do agree with Tina Fey that having to get a license to have a Twitter account ain’t a bad idea. And yes, please hire her to be the one to grade the tests when she’s finished with 30 Rock (sad face).
Also for you Twitter n00bs:
Memory Lane
January 14, 2013 § Leave a comment
When I moved to New York, I gave my parents about five boxes to store. Those boxes included irreplaceable things that I didn’t feel comfortable shipping to myself, including my collection of photo albums from the pre-digital camera days. I wouldn’t look at those old photos too often when I had them, but thinking about something happening to the only physical copies of these memories gave me so much anxiety! So this Christmas, while I was visiting my parents, I managed to scan about 300 old photos.
It’s so funny to see how I’ve changed throughout the years…
A New Years Trip To Paris
January 9, 2013 § Leave a comment
To top off the busiest travel month I’ve ever had, Nick and I flew to Paris on an overnight flight on the eve of December 28th. We had heard that it was a great place to celebrate New Years Eve and thought “why not?”.
We decided to splurge on a nicer, more comfortable hotel since we wouldn’t be spending quite so much time outside. We settled on the wonderful Hotel Relais Saint Germain, located in the 6th arrondissement of Saint Germain. There was a view of a tree with books hanging from its branches from our room (above) and even free wifi!
Like Stockholm, we crashed as soon as we got to our hotel (red eye flights are awful) and woke up later that afternoon to get some dinner and walk around a little.
We were both obsessed with Shakespeare & Company and decided to see Notre Dame again since it looked so pretty at night.
The next morning, we got up in time to enjoy our hotel’s free breakfast. This is no Best Western continental breakfast. We were given a basket of very fresh croissants and baguettes, fresh juice, a cup of orange slices, amazing cheese, and ham sliced right off of a pig’s leg on display at the bar. And of course, amazing coffee. After this deliciousness, we walked along the Seine to Musee D’Orsay.
This museum is made from an old train station and is so beautiful. Unfortunately, a gazillion other visitors to the city had the same plan as us, so we didn’t spend too much time inside. It was very cool to see some Van Goghs, Monets, and Renoirs in person though!
It’s hard to tell, but this room was absolutely PACKED. You’re not supposed to take photos here, which I just don’t think is right, so I did anyways. Someone was poking me on the shoulder to scold me as I walked away. But look, that guy’s doing it too!
Walking down along the left bank, we found more visual treats, like some Arago Line markers. AKA Rose Line, if you’re a Dan Brown fan or a conspiracy theorist.
I guess I was supposed to stop in here, but didn’t!
The view of the Louvre from across the river.
I see you, Nick!
One place I wanted to make sure we went was Les Deux Magots, a cafe that used to be an old literary and arts hang out. Hemingway, Wilde, Camus, Picasso, Sartre. Think: Midnight In Paris.
Nick The Coffee Hater even drank a cappuccino here!
This visit, we spent most of our time in Saint Germain and didn’t even get on the subway. It’s such a great neighbourhood with so many shops, cafes, restaurants, etc, we didn’t even have to. On another note, look how generously they fill your glass of wine in Paris!
Of course, we also had to go back to curiosity and taxidermy shop, Deyrolle!
And see the Louvre at night.
Such a beautiful place.
The following day included a visit to Saint Sulpice church and much more cheese, bread, wine, and coffee.
That night, we had New Years Eve dinner reservations at Pinxo, so we got dolled up to celebrate right.
Our prixe fixe meal was 5 delicious courses, including my favourite, dessert with macaroons!
After dinner, we walked to the river so we could watch the Eiffel Tower’s light show for the countdown to midnight.
Once, it was 2013, we walked back to Saint Germain over the Pont de l’Archevêché bridge to add our love lock. This was by far the most romantic New Years Eve I’ve ever had!
We spent New Years Day, our last day in Paris, with more walking and eating. A walk through Jardin Du Luxembourg was absolutely beautiful on this warm, sunny day.
We spent our last night in Paris at the movies! We’d been meaning to see Argo for months and it was playing around the corner from our hotel. Who would have thought we’d finally see this American movie in English with French subtitles?
Thanks for a lovely time, Paris! Such a magical city that we hope to return to someday for more coffee, bread, wine, and cheese!
More Paris:
2012: A Year In Review
January 3, 2013 § 1 Comment
2012 was “The Year Of Yes” for Nick and I. We wanted to make it the best possible, doing what we wanted when we wanted, within reason, of course. This attitude led to some pretty great moments and incredible experiences. I also fell even more in love with yoga, specifically Ashtanga, and turbocharged my practice into a 4-5 times a week affair which led me into new poses I never expected to be able to do. There were sad moments this year too, especially in February, but overall, 2012 was the best one I’ve had in years.
JANUARY
– On Friday the 13th, Nick & I went to see/experience the incredible Sleep No More.
– That same morning, I danced my heart out before 10am at Creative Mornings with Girl Walk All Day.
– Filed for an LLC and made my business official. No more freelancing for me!
FEBRUARY
– The beginning of the month, my family faced a tragedy. Jenn’s nearly full-term baby suddenly passed away a week before her due date. We’ll always remember Everett, even though we didn’t get to meet him.
– Nick and I met my parents in Jamaica for a sunny vacation.
MARCH
– I flew to Canada for a week-long visit, where I stayed with Jenn and her family. This included lots of playing with their new puppy, Biscuit.
– I tried an incredibly challenging Soulcycle class – right after Jake Gyllenhaal worked out in the same room.
– Mad Men season 5 premiered and I fell in love with the show all over again.
APRIL
– Flew to London for a long weekend. We got to see Nick’s client Frank Turner headline his first arena show and Abbey Road!
– I helped set a record at the World’s Largest Rainbow Parade RecordSetter Event.
– Finally bought a bike worth more than $100. What a difference!
MAY
– Spent a weekend in Ohio for Alex and Erin’s lovely barn wedding.
– Started a subscription to Lancaster Farm Fresh weekly vegetable share and farm fresh eggs. Best decision of 2012!
– Had a quick trip to Toronto to see Frank Turner and Baroness, along with some friends and family.
JUNE
– Saw an amazing Radiohead show in Newark.
– My sister Jenn came for a weekend visit!
– The first Long Island beach visit of the year with Kate.
– Gave a sweaty-faced testimonial in a video for my favourite yoga studio.
– Went to the Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island solo, but met up with many ex- & current TAG friends and my good Torontonian bud, Travis Bradley!
JULY
– Took a weekend road trip to Baltimore with Kate and Bryan. Survived the worst thunderstorm driving conditions on the way there so that we could see fish in their aquarium, go to a baseball game, and eat at a Brazilian steak house.
– Celebrated our second wedding anniversary with Nick by getting massages. So goooood.
– Rewrote my NYC + Brooklyn City Guide, complete with different categories, to appease all the NYC visitors!
AUGUST
– Went to Massachusetts to visit Nick’s best friend Mike, but we also went WHALE WATCHING! I saw humpback whales for the first time and it was one of the coolest moments of my life.
– Finally upgraded from a Blackberry to an iPhone.
– Collected a ton of paperwork and “proof of relationship” to renew my green card and have the conditional status of my permanent residency removed. Filed it myself and felt very accomplished.
– Flew to Toronto for a 10-day visit that started with a Bachelorette Party Cottage Weekend for Julia! Was so incredibly happy to spend 4 days in a cottage with some of my best friends that I only get to see a few times a year.
SEPTEMBER
– Julia and Jay got married! I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them and stand up for Julia as a bridesmaid. I was also pretty happy to partake in the best dance party in years at their reception.
– Finally succeeded in doing headstand in the middle of the room! I have still never fallen (knock on wood).
OCTOBER
– Celebrated a great 31st birthday.
– Helped Nick celebrate his birthday and had our first joint birthday dinner ever with some of our best friends.
– Went to Chicago to see Smashing Pumpkins in their hometown!
– New York got hit by Hurricane Sandy. We hunkered down, but were very very lucky to not have any damage.
NOVEMBER
– My parents came to visit us for the first time since we got married!
– Went to a special Creative Mornings talk by George Lois at the Met.
– Kate and Bryan got married at city hall!!! They were engaged for over 3 years before finally tying the knot at Manhattan’s city hall and now they are pregnant!
DECEMBER
– Saw Neil Young & Crazy Horse with Patti Smith at Brooklyn’s new venue, Barclay’s Center.
– Nick and I flew to Sweden for a long weekend to see his band Ghost. We were so happy about this opportunity, even though it was a whirlwind trip!
– After a few months of practicing, I was finally successful in doing a real Ashtanga back bend!
– Celebrated Christmas with my family in Oshawa and Fenelon Falls.
– Flew home from Canada on Boxing Day then flew to Paris less than 2 days later! Celebrated New Year’s Eve by adding a love lock to Pont de l’Archevêché. Romantic!
If you finished this post, I applaud you! How was your 2012?
My Favourite Movies Of 2012
January 2, 2013 § 2 Comments
Ahhhh! It’s already 2013 and I have one lingering Top List of 2012 left! I’ve also had just four hours of sleep and just flew in from Paris, so without too much witty banter and commentary, here is my list of favourite movies of the past year.
The Dark Knight Rises
Nick and I have been waiting for this movie for four years. FOUR YEARS. Although it wasn’t quite as good as The Dark Knight, it was really good with the best ending of a movie I can remember.
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
I loved this book so much that I was a bit nervous to watch the movie. (After last year’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close disaster, I had every right to be weary!) But happily, they did a great job turning this story into a film. It also helped that I went with two great girls who were also fans of the book.
Moonrise Kingdom
I love everything and anything Wes Anderson does. I practically have an entire part of my blog dedicated to his work. While Moonrise Kingdom didn’t compare to his last movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, it was still a great departure into a beautiful vintage island world.
Argo
There’s a reason this post was late – I was waiting to see all of the movies I had a feeling would be fantastic and Nick and I just saw Argo last night in Paris! While Argo made me so anxious I had to remember to breathe during the more suspenseful scenes, it was thoroughly enjoyable and a seriously interesting true story with a great shout out to Canadians. I wish I would have learned about this in school!
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino is another one of my favourite directors who I think can do no wrong. Django is seriously violent, with paying homage to his older movies like Kill Bill (swoon), but with a bit less exaggerated long dialogue (unlike Death Proof). I’m so glad he gave Christoph Waltz another role so he could play the good guy this time.
Goon
Definitely the oddball of my movie picks this year. Nick and I got tickets to the opening of this in NYC, which sounds like a big deal, but was pretty small and intimate. A few of the actors were there, along with parents of the producer who actually helped pay for the movie. They spoke about shooting it in Manitoba before the movie and Nick got to have a fanboy moment over Seann William Scott. Really though, this one is just great for some dumb laughs, while also feeling very patriotic ;)
Also:
I want to go to there 