French Chefs and Faux Fur

And how do we feel about ANTM this year so far? I’m anxiously awaiting the grand entrance of ALT!!! (And any new expressions he may use!)...wait - I started this post earlier, and now I've watched the 2nd episode of ANTM and of course ALT didn't disappoint! For example...instead of just saying "spine" he said something like "columna vertebraa" (Ahhhh!) And while we are on the subject of judges on reality shows, can I just say that Chef Eric Ripert (one of the judges on Top Chef) is H.O.T??? (As far as chefs go) I mean, for years all we had was (boo) Tom Colicchio who I'm sure is an amazing chef.  However, he is no Eric Ripert, who IS the quintessential French man that all women who fantasize about French men, fantasize about! (Did that make sense?) No seriously! He’s got that perfectly coiffed silver grey hair goin on, with the impossibly full French lips, those piercing eyes and the accent that doesn’t sound awful, but exactly how a French, nay, a Parisian accent should sound! He could discuss fish and make it sound like the most romantic thing ever. (If my husband is reading this, love – you know what I’m talking about! We love Eric Ripert!) I mean, come on. Look at this dude.  

"and I can cook!"



Anyways, because I'm on a rambling post today, I'm also going to show you that faux fur vest that I was dying for, from Zara:

Did I lie to you about how AWESOME this vest was? I personally don't care for the dress they've paired it with, but this vest is total perfection and I am SO getting it.

I think Eric Ripert would enjoy it too.

An explanation...

Sorry dudes. I know I'm kind of dragging on the posting again. It's not that I don't want to post. It's just that sometimes I start writing posts, then something happens and I can't finish it. I currently have about 3 posts that I'm working on. Sometimes its just that I want to add pictures to it and I can't find the perfect picture...I don't want to half-ass it! This is your precious time I'm wasting here!! I do have another post but it's turning out to be a novel. I'm not kidding - so far its 2 full pages long! I may have to break it up into "parts". Maybe make it into a mini saga. Sometimes I write something which I think is brilliant at the time, but then re-read it and find that it's utterly stupid. Granted, not everything I write is bursting with intelligence, but sometimes stupid is just stupid. Other times, I write something (like a sentence) that I thought of to get me started then when I come back to it later, I forgot what I was going to say. Perhaps I should write more than "contests" for example. 

So yeah, that's my reasoning for not writing so much. When I look back at my previous postings I get wistful. I musta had a lot to say back then, posting everyday minus weekends! But fear not! I will continue to write, once I find that perfect picture, once I finish my novel, once I remember what I was going to say. Some of it may be stupid. But sometimes stupid is funny.

But she has a nice personality...

Looks do matter. Have you ever watched "Dating in the Dark"? The premise is to meet people in the dark and judge them by their personalities and not their looks. They go on "dates" which all take place in the dark. It's supposed to get them past their shallowness and look through to the core of the person. Unfortunately, during the big "reveal" at the end when the light shines on each person (while they can't see the other's reaction...) that's where the "I love their personality" gets thrown out the window, the shallowness comes out, and we sit there uncomfortably (though probably not as uncomfortable as the "dater in the dark") waiting to see whether the person they thought they had a connection with, will come through the terrace door or run screaming out the front door, never to look back again! It's kind of awkwardly funny (I guess for those of us who watch this frivolous summer fare) but mostly, it's kind of sad. Just another way to get rejected, but worse because apparently your personality is not sparkling enough to carry you through. Oh, there are some rare occasions where the girl or the guy will deign to date someone "that isn't usually their type", but most of the time, someone is sitting out on that terrace rejected saying "Oh, I'm so disappointed." (wiping away tears....)

 Anyways... I think I've decided to get veneers.

90210 - Yesterday and TODAY!

So my sister called me this morning and told me that today is 90210! That's pretty cool. (For anyone slow on the uptake...Sept 2, 2010. Thanks). Anyways, she suggested I blog about about how this was pretty much the coolest show on tv back then, what with the drama of Brenda and Dylan, Kelly and Dylan, Kelly and Brandon, Donna and David, Andrea and Brandon, Valerie and Brandon, Dylan AND David, etc. I was SO in love with Dylan. So James Dean, "rebel without a cause" cool, with his white t-shirts and jeans and bouffant hair. (Pretty much the original "Edward" hair - no?) He was a skinny dude, but (sigh) when he took off his motorcycle helmet, and cracked that smirk with his scarred eyebrow, WOW. Brandon was cute but he was too goody-goodyish. Brenda was just kind of annoying to me. Kelly was cool, but she had a lot of problems, didn't she? I guess my fave couple was David and Donna and their whole drama of should we do it, should we wait, etc...(until of course, David did DO it with Ariel in the car and Donna caught them or something and oh no! her world was shattered). Steve was a goof but pretty funny and Andrea of course, was the requisite nerd. (Though she was the first one to get preggers! Slut! haha, just kidding). My favorite episode (or actually, the episode I remember the most) is the one where Color Me Badd is there for a concert and they all go to the hotel to try and see them, but Donna sees that her mom is a bit of cheats on her dad and oh no, Donna's world is shattered!! Speaking of parents - weren't the Walshes just THE best parents ever? Teaching you life lessons but still maintaining the niceness if you got in trubs. I just got into a bbm conversation about Steve and Brandon's habit of doing the "2-eyebrow" comb with their fingers. There is just nothing cooler than that. And talk about influence? Finn just did that on an episode of Glee. Thank you very much.

Anyways, so let's discuss 90210 fashion. I mean, who hasn't been influenced by the oversize blazer and tight black dresses that our favorite heroines wore? In fact, that was my criteria for parties in those days: tight, short black dress with black tights, pointy flats and big hoops. I never had a bod like Miss Donna Martin, but with the right oversize blazer,  yeah, I was SO "I'm hangin out at the Peach Pit".  What about short, floral print dresses worn with leggings, or long ones worn with jean jackets (obviously worn with hiking boots or the like). The fashion only got better as the years rolled on and they went to college and Kelly & Donna opened their own boutique (Brenda long since forgotten as she "moved to Paris") and Donna became a fashion designer and had her own runway show. Such is life as a princess of Beverly Hills. Everyone was just effortlessly cool then. Even Andrea with her "specs" and her "we need to write this article for the paper!!" outfits of rolled up pants with suspenders and folded sleeve t-shirts. Oh, the 90's. Nothing compares to you...until of course the 2000's which brought us the O.C. (But that's a whole 'nother post on its own. Another day my fab friends.)

So for all you ORIGINAL 90210 fans, here's a little something to celebrate today. I'm gonna go dust off my jean jacket and look for a floral print dress.

Sorry...it takes awhile to load. but be patient. It's totally worth it. Watch it again.

My Fall Fab 10 Wishlist...

So I was just sitting here thinking about clothes (yes, what else is new?) and I happened to see an email regarding a major fall trend: fur (Or at least faux fur!). This reminded me of Zara in Edmonton where I saw this faux fur vest and I was hard-core coveting it until I showed it to my sister, who totally kaiboshed it. BOO. She took one look at me and said "Really?". But now that I'm thinking about it...I really want it. I mean, who knows when or where I would wear it, but I believe that we all need at least one outrageous piece of fashion in our closets. Don't you? And now that I know that it's going to be big for fall, I'm just kicking myself for not getting it!! It was actually pretty nice, it had kind of a flowy cut-away vibe to it and I swear if I see it again, I'm SO getting it. Damn it!

Anyways, so scouring my favorite fashion blogs and shopping websites, I've come up with my own Fall WishList.

1. That fur vest from Zara obvi...I think it would look good with everything from jeans, to dress pants. Yes.

2. Oxfords. And not those flimsy, ballet-ish ones. I want nice wing tips. Menswear-ish inspired, but still lady-like and fashionable. I know they're out there.

3. A camel coat/jacket. Preferably in a swing/peacoat type design. This over some slim black pants and black top (or dark grey monochrome outfit). Very sleek!

4. Red driving gloves. I just happened to watch this show called Gok Fashion Fix or something or other and he made up this outfit which I totally got inspired by and now I want red gloves.

5. This YSL clutch.

6. Anything gunmetal grey (or pewter): pants, sweaters, tops, etc...

7. Leopard print something. (a good leopard print though, not the cheapy-cheapy kind, if you know what I mean?) I'm thinking either a shoe, scarf or gloves and preferably something with texture. Garance Dore said she loved her leopard print flats because "since they go with nothing, they go with anything..." So true. (PS. I ADORE Garance Dore and her blog. She's totally my idol).

8.  Those teal boots from a previous post.

9. This Hermes bag: (and it's even my FAVE color Perpel!)

10. Nail polish in taupe-ish, khaki-ish, brown-ish, mauve-ish colors. I'm digging Merino Wool and Chinchilly from Essie and Metro Chic and Already Famous from Sephora by OPI.

I just talked to my sister. She still thinks I'm ridiculous for wanting that fur vest. Perhaps I am.

But then again, it's MY totally fab life. So there.

A delicious end to our vacation...

After Edmonton, my husband and I were picked up by my other cousin Jeff and his fiance, Tracy (from Calgary) and we chilled in Calgary for 2 more days! We checked out Southcentre mall - where (yay!) they had a Cassis, and I was able to pick up 2 more tops. We also went to Cross"Tron" Mills - which is Calgary's answer to the Primm outlets of Las Vegas. A half mall/half outlet mall type of deal. It was also good to me. I got a couple more tops from H&M and a couple tops from Gap Outlet. I also got these "neck-injury inducing" necklaces for 50% off. Seriously fab, but I need an appointment with a good chiropractor now. Still, I've been telling everyone that one must suffer for fashion! hehe.

Anyhoo...we also had some very good eats in Calgary! We checked out Milestones for lunch. I had a delicious "Grilled Shrimp California Benedict" with avocado and shrimp and yes, it tasted marvelous!

Then for dinner we went to this placed called Mercato. OMG it was so good. We had a caprese salad and the cheese was so soft and smooth - it was like a pillow of goodness, along with the sweet tomatoes and salty olive tapenade...it was seriously to die for.

For our entree we ordered "Bistecca" (Steak) and "Tonno" (Tuna) with "Fagioline" (green beans) and they served it "Family style" (that is - they put it in the middle of the table and everyone just digs in)...Delicioso!

It was on to Cheesecake Cafe for dessert! My husband had the Red Velvet Cheesecake and I had the Turtle Cheesecake...mmmm...

The following day, we hung out in Downtown Calgary (we even took the bus AND train!) but the highlight was going to "D" Haute (actually it was called QHaute, but I couldn't stop calling it D Haute) for lunch. This was a gourmet french restaurant, that was fancier than I thought it would be (only because, my cousin's fiance, Tracy kept saying that lunch was only going to be $15 and it included a starter AND an entree!) For that price I kept thinking that we were not going to be eating much, especially at a fancy restaurant like this...well I was wrong.

 We all ordered the soup of the day which was the Carrot and Cardamom soup.  We were thinking it would come out in a little cup (considering the price). Nope. It came out like this:

Our entrees were also quite good. I had the linguine with shrimp in a white wine butter sauce.

mmm...

My husband and Tracy both had the duck confit. (Duck Confit for $15.00!! I never heard!)

fancy shmancy!

Since the meal was only $15, my husband decided to order one more meal so he ordered the Caesar salad and Saffron and Tiger Prawn Risotto which the 3 of us shared.  I'm serious when I say that this tiger prawn was THE most flavorful piece of shellfish that I have ever eaten.

risotto done right...

rum baba w/ strawberries and gelato

And of course we just HAD to have dessert...We chose the rum baba ( which I think we chose because of the name) and the espresso brulee that came with some kind of tart that I don't recall the name of and some vanilla bean gelato. Wunderbar! All in all, definitely good eats and a great time in Calgary as well. I lived there for 4 months and I never knew. Craziness!!

espresso brulee w/ tart and gelato

PS. Thanks to all my family in Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary) for the wonderful time! You guys are the best! 

"Reunited and it feels so good..."

So it's been about a week since we got home from our family reunion, and I've had some time to compose my thoughts (read: get over the hangovers, sleep deprivation and shopping highs). As always, we had a great time partying, and hanging out with my cousins (from my mom's side)! Our reunions always mean: good food, staying up late, and most of all: DRINKING. Now you all know (and I've said it many times) that I'm a cheap drunk. But our rallying call was "Shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot - EVERYBODY!" Once you heard that, you knew what was up. However, I was able to get through 3 nights of this, by drinking Pellegrino and OJ (w/ the tiniest hint of vodka) as my regular drink. As you can see by the picture, there was a LOT of "rallying calls". LOL

after 4 nights...

But there was always some kind of shnackeroonie (ie. snack) that we could munch on too. Karaoke also helped. We spent half the time singing and the other half laughing! It was really fun. My cousins Ed and Julian were the emcees (and frequent singers) and they kept us entertained along with an occasional aunt who would climb up on a chair to dance to the tunes! LOL. Or someone's girlfriend who was woefully out of tune. (Seriously, could she not hear herself?)

We also had the famous "US vs. Canada" B-ball Game that is played at every one of our reunions (Canada has won the last 4x! Sorry Seattle...maybe next time!) They are however, getting older now, so there were slightly more "injuries" than in previous years. It was seriously hilarious to watch the guys all come down the stairs one by one, limping or holding on to their backs, and groaning in pain.

We never went to sleep earlier than 4:00am but we were always up and ready to go... shopping! And boy did I shop. When we first arrived in Edmonton, we went to South Edmonton Common (I was the winner. I bought a sweater and 2 tops right off the bat at H&M and a pair of pants from the Gap Outlet.) Day of Lucky indeed! At WEM, I picked up another sweater at H&M and 4 tops from a new fave store I discovered called Cassis. I love shopping when it's "My Day of Lucky".

But the best thing was re-connecting with my family, my cousins again. It always seems that no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, we always have a good time. We may be older, but we still know how to partay!! Also, our family has grown (what with everyone having kids) and soon we won't be the "youngs" anymore! Though I refuse to let us be thought of as the "olds" - our parents are still the "olds"!!! (Then again, after seeing those guys after the b-ball game maybe they are the olds...hahaha!) Seriously though..when I see the new generation of youngs - my nephew and my other cousins' kids - it warms my heart to know that  they too will eventually grow up, grow closer and re-connect with each other at future family reunions. I know they too will have just as much fun as we do! A never-ending cycle of fun times...

I hear our next family reunion might be in Hawaii...can't wait!!