THINGS I LOVE FRIDAYS

BOYFRIENDS CLOTHES since we've been packing for the big move, jesse's been finding some really cool things amoungst his countless drum cases and closet boxes. a lot of tour passes, news paper clippings and other things that suggest my jesse is more of a rock-star than i gave him credit for. none the less, whilst cleaning jesse found this amazing guns n'roses shirt that he bought off of ebay years ago. doesn't fit him; so what does that mean? mine. mine mine mine. oh, i also love a tim horton's breakfast sandwich occasionally.

THE FIRST SNOW FALL OF THE YEAR maybe if today wasn't so depressing in terms of the grey hue of the sky it would've been a lot sweeter, but today was the first snow fall of winter! it usually gives me a fuzzy feeling; like christmas is right around the corner (which it is. fuck.) but the wool blankets and knitted booties i wear around the house keep me nice and warm. so i'll just sit here with a cup of hot coffee and watch the snow, thank you very much.

JAMIE AT HOME one of my favorite foodnetwork shows with one of my favorite celebrity chefs. i used to have a big crush on jamie oliver; i think it might've had something to do with his wild blonde hair and british lisp. not so much anymore. but jamie at home is an interesting take on a traditional cooking show; all of his ingredients come from his backyard and most of the show is shot with him digging through the dirt, pulling out fresh berries and vegetables. cute, right? 

MY NEW VINTAGE LEATHER BOOTS i found these babies at dennis's house of vintage (571 queen st. west) for 40 bucks. totally worth it considering they're in great shape, and the owner personally cleaned and treated the leather before putting them on the floor. they're oh so sexy and vamp up any boring outfit with a pair of black jeans.

DJ'ING PRIVATE EVENTS lately my partner lindsay and i (bangs & blush, hello!) have been busy as bees djing all over the city of toronto, and included in those parties have been a few shopping events for the gap. last week we were djing at the gap on bloor st. and it was lovely; finger foods, champagne and a secret sale to all in attendance! i love champagne. did i mention i love champagne?

song of the day

not only is this song one of the saddest i've ever heard, but it's very dear to me. and the video for it is amazing, so please watch.

blue skies - noah and the whale

AU REVOIR, SINGLENESS

in less than a week, i am making the big step of moving into not only my first apartment ever, but moving into an apartment that will be also shared with my boyfriend; i think i've written about this for a while now... i'm sure it's boring you all. deal with it. anywho, moving in with a signifigant other is raved to be such an insanely huge step in a relationship, but really at this point it seems like pure logic. we've been together for a short time, in terms of serious relationships, but we both agree that it feels like way longer (in the best use of the term). as the excitement of frequent ikea furniture splurges fades slightly, i start to que into how intense sharing a living space can be. in no way, shape or form would i rather live with anyone else but the best boyfriend in the world (jesse!), but i start to dig a little deeper and think a little harder about some of the sacrifies and comprimises that need to be made in order to live with another human being. here are some fictional examples:


PRO: splitting rent in half.
CON: no farting outloud and making a big spectacle of it.

PRO: having someone to keep you company day and night.
CON: having to wait until the house is empty to do your best mariah carey impression in the shower.

PRO: someone to cuddle, spoon and keep you warm.
CON: random limbs flaring about and smacking you in the night and bear-like snores that barrel out of your significant other like a fucking dump truck.

PRO: sharing chores such as cooking dinner, doing laundry and washing dishes.
CON: having to cook for someone else, do someone elses's laundry, and wash someone else's dishes.

PRO: having someone to stay in on the couch with a movie; who needs to go out when you can stay in!
CON: arguing over the movie selection. what will it be, pee-wee's big adventure or rambo 2? sigh.

PRO: buying new furniture and other little things that newly moved-in couples do
CON: "the floor mat is mine." "NO, the floor mat is MINE." etc.

PRO: walking around the house naked really isn't that big of a deal anymore; college room mate and parental advisories are no longer present.
CON: "honey, i'm home! oh...you... you tenderize meat in the nude? i guess you learn something new every day."

PRO: holding adorable little dinner or wine and cheese parties so we can host to our close friends and family.
CON: "hey babe, the boys are coming over in 20 minutes. can i have the entire apartment to host our illegal gambling circle?"

none the less, i am incredbly excited to be finally sharing a cute little nook with my cute little boyfriend. and no, he really doesn't host an illegal gambling circle... uh, that i'm aware of.

FEATURED EVENT: BITCH SLAP

written and photographed by brittney townson

i got slapped around like a bitch (psychologically) last weekend at the all-female art exhibit BITCH SLAP showcasing established and emerging artists from toronto, new york and abroad. these ladies have fucking got down.


taking place at my favorite queen st. art gallery thrush holmes empire in toronto and sponsored by such toronto staples like carte blanche, she does the city and cosmos records, the show had a sure taste of "girl" without being overly feminine or preachy. the fact that it was curated by a male, derek mainella, seemed to give it a perfect balance.


i'm a girl, and i love to celebrate things glitsy and girly, but i've always been one to be super turned off by power-house female imagery and the pushiness of it. this show was complete opposite, which really had no theme to it at all except the fact that all the artists were women. the artists involved had their own flare and flavor when it came to their style; sculptures, paintings and prints with colour, darkness, humor and drama. one artist who stood out for me was toronto-based artist (and old highschool friend) anna pantchev. call me biased, but even not knowing her i would've been drawn to her paintings like a moth to a flame. her large paintings explode with colour, and her choice of hue combinations blow me away. she sticks with a theme of line, shape and graphic art; she should slap her designs on t-shirts and watch them sell like hot cakes. i sat down with anna to ask her a few questions.

anna pantchev

SHIRK: How did you get involved in the Bitch Slap show?


ANNA: Derek (manilla) actually approached me and asked if i would like to be a part of it. derek and i are friends and know eachother from the toronto art-world, so i knew it'd be a good show.


SHIRK: I've been to a few of your exhibits and i can walk into a gallery and instantly know which piece is yours; you definitely have stapled your own style. So what made you decide on the piece that you're showing tonight?


ANNA: Thank you, that's really great for me to know that people can recognize my work. It was a collaberation between derek and i; he happened to see this piece that i was working on and said he wanted it in the show, and i agreed!


SHIRK: What's your take on being a Toronto-based artist?


ANNA: Well, i obviously don't want to pigeon-hold myself; there's a lot of artists like myself who are taken as a "fresh-out-of-o.c.a.d." kid and the truth is i've been doing this for a while and feel like i've established myself and my style. it's a hard living being an artist as well; sure, a lot can happen based on who you know, but it's really all luck when it comes to trying to make a living in toronto as an artist.


SHIRK: What do you take away from being a part of this show?


ANNA: The opportunity to showcase my art, and be in a show with my friends and share that experience together is always fun. It's definitely a good feeling at the end of the day after all the long hours of painting and creating and then the stress from putting together a show!

makeda marc-ali pears at one of anna pantchev's pieces, "lady cyclops"

not like i had ever lost it, but my faith in toronto artists after visiting the BITCH SLAP show has reached new highs. the amount of talent in this city, especially with our female artist friends, continuously blows me away. one big high-five to derek mainella, his crew, the amazing artists and the visitors who made this one hell of a solid show. 

this really happened.

BANGS & BLUSH

the awesome ladies of SHE DOES THE CITY never fail to make the girls of Bangs & Blush blush (without the brush)! here's a little write-up of their Gap event that we were lucky enough to DJ for!
(click on the image to read)

song of the day

ON A SEARCH

FOR THE SOUL

and no, i'm not referring to the music; i already found that years ago. this morning, like every other morning when i arrive in the office, i grab three different morning papers and immediately read them with my coffee and raspberry muffin. thursday's are always nice because it's a) usually the end of my working week, and b) when the new issue of now magazine arrives. being a dedicated follower of all things astrology, i find that the now magazine horoscope can be pretty hit or miss; sometimes the writer just throws in some big words and quotes from unknown literature with little meaning. today was different.

Taurus Apr 20 | May 20 What is the “soul,” anyway? Is it a ghostly blob of magic stuff within us that keeps us connected to the world of dreams and the divine realms? Is it an amorphous metaphor for the secret source of our spiritual power? Is it a myth that people entertain because they desperately want to believe there’s more to them than just their physical bodies? Here’s what I think: The soul is a perspective that pushes us to go deeper and see further and live wilder. It’s what drives our imagination to flesh out our raw experience, transforming that chaotic stuff into rich storylines that animate our love of life. With the gently propulsive force of the soul, we probe beyond the surface level of things, working to find the hidden meaning and truer feeling. I’m bringing this up, Taurus, because it is Celebrate the Soul Week for you.

usually a horoscope doesn't inspire and grab me the way this did. i can't even really pin-point what even grabbed me at all. i think i am READY TO CELEBRATE THE SOUL. and when i think about what the soul means to me, it's really nothing spiritual whatsoever; my soul is everything that i value, love and look forward to in life, all combined into one big ball, and how it molds me as a person. to me, my soul is music, my boyfriend, my friends and my family. i've been working like a compton gun-wound unit nurse the last few months, barely having time to go out and see my friends and barely even seeing my boyfriend (and i fucking live with him). i've been eating horribly the last few days because i just haven't had the time to actually sit down somewhere or actually go grocery shopping. i never ever see my friends because i dj all weekend (no complaints) and during the week i'm too tired and getting too old to get trashed on a week day. i haven't seen my family in almost too long because, fuck, when do i have the time?

i need to take some me time. and by "me" time, it's actually me wanting to be around the people i love. i need a vacation.

although, i did have the strangest experience this past weekend. on friday, i was out and about buying things for my new place. i don't drive, and it was such a lovely day, i was out enjoying the beautiful weather walking around for hours. i got a little carried away in the kitchen section at dollarama and honest ed's, and for some reason left the house with my hard-cover copy of keith richards book "life" in my purse. it was really weighing me down. so here i am, at bathurst and bloor, with 6 or 7 bags, heavy as fuck. why i didn't hail a cab is beyond me. when i got home, i dropped the bags, and then dropped to my knees. the worst pain i've ever felt in my back. ever.

needless to say, i couldn't move. the following day, it only got worse. i had to dj that night so i took a lot of advil, but it really wasn't cutting it. the following day, WORSE. finally, jesse offered me an oxycotin that he had from a past surgery. popped it. jesse then scrubbed down his footed bathtub and poured me a nice hot path, lit candles throughout and practically carried me to the bathroom. that's got to be one of the nicest things anyone's ever done pour moi. it was the first time in nearly forever that i actually felt 100% relaxed. jesse sat outside the bathroom to make sure i didn't drown in my medicated state. afterwards, most likely BECAUSE of my medicated state, i suggested that jesse and i go to barbarian's steak house; only the best (and perdy expensive) steak houses in toronto. jesse's eyes lit up like a little boy during hanukkah. i put on a pretty dress and jesse put on a button-up dress shirt and jumped in a cab. we both seemed nervous; like it was a first date. needless to say, without having to get into too much detail, it was one of the most loveliest, romantic and decadent evenings i've ever had.

funny how it took a near-broken back for my desperately needed relaxation.

every once and a while, you need to stop, or at least slow down. you need to take a deep breath and weigh out what the things are in your life that are most important. or at least weigh what makes you happiest, because really, that's what's most important.

it's the only way you'll stay sane. and it's the only way to keep your soul alive.

BANGS & BLUSH PRESENT: ONE HELLUVA PACKED WEEK!

the excitement never fades when saturday rolls around for the city of toronto and my dj partner lindsay darling and myself are able to bring you another insane edition of our 60's rock and soul party, shake, rattle & roll at clintons. voted as the best dance party in the city by the writers of she does the city, us girls work hard to maintain giving you a saturday night out that you and your friends will always remember.

come party with us, dance to the music and don't be shy to come and say hi! see you tonight and remember: drink, dance, get messy.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT BJORK

bjork, one of my most favorite and respected human beings, is nearing 50 and it seems while the world goes to the kardashians to give a fuck about what those fully-loaded credit carded bitches wear on the red carpet, i'm constantly in awe to how we're not turning to bjork to inspire ourselves fashionably. i'm contemplating kidnapping her personal stylist.

i hope to one day have hair like you.

When you come across a Taurus female, the first thing you will notice about her is her undefeatable emotional strength. She is capable of handling the severest of problems, without shedding even a single tear. She has the infamous Taurus temper, but it is seldom displayed. Atleast not until the provocation is too much to digest. She is as feminine as any other female, without the unnecessary tantrums. A Taurus woman has no desire of dominating her husband. She will let him handle the reins, infact this is what she secretly desires.

A Taurus woman wants a real man, who can make him proud of himself as much as she is proud of herself. However, if he fails in his role, she will take the control in her own hands. Neither will she act like a mewing kitten, nor like a roaring lioness. She is independent and has a mind of her own, but she does not want to dominate in the relationship. Taurean women do not see social status while making their friends. They want to be friends with people who do not hide their true nature and come across as they really are.

Their friends may be a little weird, but they will not be phonies or hypocrites. A Taurus girl doesn't fight with people she dislikes, she simply ignores them and becomes indifferent to their presence. However, she will be loyal to her true friends and they will remain with her throughout her life. In return, she will expect them to stand by her when she needs them. A Taurean woman also gets jealous, but only if you exceed the limits of casual flirtation. Everything has a limit and this also does. It's better not to provoke her anger or you will be very sorry.

She is brainy, but not too much interested in intellectual subjects. She is practical in her thinking and does not feel the need to indulge in mental gymnastics. She is balanced in her approach and you will hardly see her in a restless disposition. A Taurean girl hates anything artificial, be the flowers in her vase or the friends in her life. She has to feel the fragrance of real roses and the presence of real people. The beauty of Mother Nature especially pleases her.

Ugliness of any kind makes her miserable and repulsive. She loves to be amidst colorful surroundings, like gardens blooming with flowers. A Taurean female has a good taste, so please be very careful before taking her out. She is a very good cook herself and you will always be treated to excellent homemade food. She is also very much interested in the art forms, like painting. She is a tomboy at heart and will enjoy many guy-things like horse riding, going on a roller coaster ride, fishing, etc.

All this makes her feel close to nature. She dresses simply, yet elegantly and her fabrics are always feather-soft. Taurus female is very strong and above the usual female insecurities. However, she demands loyalty and will never compromise in this area. She is beyond hypocrisy and has an undemanding and easy-going manner. She wants her man to take her side, especially in public. If he contradicts her in front of other people, expect the temperature to reach beyond the boiling point.

When pushed too far, she loses her cool demeanor quickly. Taurus women make excellent mothers, except for the fact that they cannot tolerate disobedience or defiance in kids. Laziness and carelessness also makes them angry. Otherwise, they will be more of a friend to their children than the typical mommies. A Taurus woman will also teach the kids how to be strong and will protect them from the big bad outside world. She never shirks from or whines about her responsibilities. Her man will be expected to do the same.

She can also bear endless pain and stress, without complaining for a single minute. She is good with finances and knows how to maintain quality in a reasonable budget. She is a very good host and will be there to help her man in any and every way she can. A Taurean woman will care for you when you are ill, will back you in your new business venture and let you take over the control of the home. And, you will always be treated to a warm, cozy home when you come back from office!

http://www.wornjournal.com/html/

song of the day

BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME IN TORONTO

photo by andrew krysciak

THINGS I LOVE FRIDAYS

FUR HATS recently got myself my 30th furry hat; i am obsessed. they look great on anyone, and you can wear them with your winter coat OR with your regular outfit. they're a bit large, yes, but they sure make a statement. the statement that reads, "I'VE GOT FUCKING TASTE." once again, BAM:

TAKING MYSELF OUT FOR BREAKFAST the last month or so i've been working at my new job, which i love, but every week my hours are different. on a day like today, i have it off and most likely when i have a day off i am taking myself out for breakfast/brunch/lunch. i bring a book, take my time, order what ever the hell i want and enjoy it solo. i don't think it's weird to be seen eating alone. fuck it; all i want is my sneaky dee's 3-egg omelet with cheese and guacamole. 

THE EXCITEMENT OF MOVING OUT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER Jesse and i finally make the big move just less than a month from now! we've met our landlords, who are awesome, we need to buy furniture and pick paint colors... this is a female's wet dream. fuck, and i haven't even bought anything yet. just being able to hear "honey i'm home" is something awesome enough on it's own. yay, adulthood!

SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL bangs & blush's dance party that started mid-last month at clintons has been insane for my partner lindsay and i! packed dance floor, great music and wonderful friends. if you haven't been to our party yet, you're missing what the girls of now magazine's rated best blog, SHE DOES THE CITY, are calling their favorite dance party in toronto! come party with me. i promise you'll have a blast.

THIS SONG

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

song of the day

song of the day