Monday, February 16, 2009
#35: Finish decorating the living room (wherein the author 'branches out')
Okay, so I've always loved learning about decor, architecture, interior design, etc. Except, my ability to actually apply this love to my own apartment has always been lacking. I have serious trouble actually translating the creative ideas I have in my mind into an actual decor scheme.
But since we have quickly fallen in love with our new Boston apartment, it seemed only appropriate that I try to finally apply myself to bringing my ideas to fruition. The apartment is just lovely; we've often remarked that even without a lot of furniture, and at times very little actual lighting, this apartment has felt more like home than our apartment in Ottawa ever did. The Ottawa apartment always seemed great on paper, but was never cozy or homey the way this place feels. We're lucky to have a south-facing position and a wall of beautiful windows running along one entire wall of the apartment, from the living room through the kitchen and bathroom to the bedroom. All the rooms have beautiful original hardwood and original plaster moulding, and the entire effect is one of an airy, light, slightly-deco cloud.
My recent decor obsession has been focused towards mid-century modern basics updated with some Edwardian architectural touches. I have a very clear idea of how I can combine these two seemingly disparate styles in this apartment, inspired by many hours skulking on Apartment Therapy. For a specific idea of what I'm going for, see here and here.
Here's a sampling of where I'm drawing my inspiration from:
In the spirit of trying to slowly gather pieces that will fit into this style, I convinced Nate to come with me on a hunt through some local used furniture stores. After suffering through a few disgustingly-odoured glorified junk yards, we stumbled across "Cheap Chic" on Harvard Ave. I think we will be spending many a Sunday afternoon here in the future, as both Nate and I got lost in the treasure trove of amazing antiques, old-school electronics and funky furniture. And we certainly did not leave empty-handed on this first visit, as I managed to convince Nate to let us add these two glorious new additions to our family:
They obviously need some cleaning up and some new shades, but I'm very excited to begin planning the living room around these two works of art (which were only $10 each!). I'm thinking a plain, oval drum shade for the wood and tin lamp (something like this) and a graphic drum shade for the brass candlestick (maybe like this but in a different colour).
I've already picked out a few new pieces of furniture for the far-off day when we actually have money again:
I'll keep you posted!
But since we have quickly fallen in love with our new Boston apartment, it seemed only appropriate that I try to finally apply myself to bringing my ideas to fruition. The apartment is just lovely; we've often remarked that even without a lot of furniture, and at times very little actual lighting, this apartment has felt more like home than our apartment in Ottawa ever did. The Ottawa apartment always seemed great on paper, but was never cozy or homey the way this place feels. We're lucky to have a south-facing position and a wall of beautiful windows running along one entire wall of the apartment, from the living room through the kitchen and bathroom to the bedroom. All the rooms have beautiful original hardwood and original plaster moulding, and the entire effect is one of an airy, light, slightly-deco cloud.
My recent decor obsession has been focused towards mid-century modern basics updated with some Edwardian architectural touches. I have a very clear idea of how I can combine these two seemingly disparate styles in this apartment, inspired by many hours skulking on Apartment Therapy. For a specific idea of what I'm going for, see here and here.
Here's a sampling of where I'm drawing my inspiration from:
In the spirit of trying to slowly gather pieces that will fit into this style, I convinced Nate to come with me on a hunt through some local used furniture stores. After suffering through a few disgustingly-odoured glorified junk yards, we stumbled across "Cheap Chic" on Harvard Ave. I think we will be spending many a Sunday afternoon here in the future, as both Nate and I got lost in the treasure trove of amazing antiques, old-school electronics and funky furniture. And we certainly did not leave empty-handed on this first visit, as I managed to convince Nate to let us add these two glorious new additions to our family:
They obviously need some cleaning up and some new shades, but I'm very excited to begin planning the living room around these two works of art (which were only $10 each!). I'm thinking a plain, oval drum shade for the wood and tin lamp (something like this) and a graphic drum shade for the brass candlestick (maybe like this but in a different colour).
I've already picked out a few new pieces of furniture for the far-off day when we actually have money again:
I'll keep you posted!
#9: Read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (wherein the author becomes apoplexed)
I have wanted to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for ages. Although I started it from the beginning on many occasions, I never seemed to be able to get past the middle of the first book, as I found the complex and dense 'world' of Middle Earth, with its various names, adjectives, languages and geographical locations, to be very hard to keep straight and thus hold my interest.
So at the end of November, after having watched all three movies over the course of three days (thank-you Thanksgiving movie marathon channel!) I decided that if I was ever going to be able to get through the books, it would be best to do it when the characters and general plot outline were fresh in my mind from the movies.
Last weekend, I finally got to the end of the trilogy, having been reading the three books sporadically over the last two and a half months. While I greatly enjoyed the books (more of that below), I need to begin this post by expressing my extreme outrage towards the publishers of said trilogy.
Internet, I present you with Exhibit A:
If you guessed that the photo above is of the very last page of the 1,350 page trilogy, then you would be correct. Moreover, you would be correct if you guessed that the strategically placed smudge is located in the very last sentence of the very last page of the 1,350 page trilogy. Finally, you would also be correct if you guessed that this smudge made it impossible to know what were the final words of the best character at the end of the 1,350 page trilogy.
Internet, am I wrong to be outraged by this? Am I wrong to feel that, in exchange for having invested two and a half months of my time, the publishers owe me, at the very least, the confidence that at the end of such an investment, I can count on being able to read the final words of the book? That I need not spend hours after the fact wondering about the elusive message of the great J.R.R. Tolkien?
Anyway, once I had recovered from my aneurysm, I was able to actually reflect on the books themselves, and decided that I actually enjoyed the movie more than the books. This is quite unusual for me, because most of the time books are able to conjure a much more detailed and deep reality in which I can lose myself and my consciousness over the course of the reading. While I did enjoy the books, I found them to be overly complicated and long-winded, with some parts that seemed to be included merely for the sake of making the book longer.
The movie however, seemed to do a good job of streamlining the most important elements of the plot, without losing the underlying spirit and purpose of the book. Moreover, and I find this to be a rare accomplishment for movie-adaptations, I feel like the characters were much more fully developed and realized on screen than on the page (the only exception to this being the characters of Merry and Pippin).
While there were definitely some parts or characters that I wish had played a larger role in the film, or any role at all in the case of Tom Bombadil, I think Peter Jackson made all the right decisions in deciding how to pare down one of literature's most notoriously rambling and densely-packed books.
Now, if someone could just tell me the last words of book three, I would be much obliged.
So at the end of November, after having watched all three movies over the course of three days (thank-you Thanksgiving movie marathon channel!) I decided that if I was ever going to be able to get through the books, it would be best to do it when the characters and general plot outline were fresh in my mind from the movies.
Last weekend, I finally got to the end of the trilogy, having been reading the three books sporadically over the last two and a half months. While I greatly enjoyed the books (more of that below), I need to begin this post by expressing my extreme outrage towards the publishers of said trilogy.
Internet, I present you with Exhibit A:
If you guessed that the photo above is of the very last page of the 1,350 page trilogy, then you would be correct. Moreover, you would be correct if you guessed that the strategically placed smudge is located in the very last sentence of the very last page of the 1,350 page trilogy. Finally, you would also be correct if you guessed that this smudge made it impossible to know what were the final words of the best character at the end of the 1,350 page trilogy.
Internet, am I wrong to be outraged by this? Am I wrong to feel that, in exchange for having invested two and a half months of my time, the publishers owe me, at the very least, the confidence that at the end of such an investment, I can count on being able to read the final words of the book? That I need not spend hours after the fact wondering about the elusive message of the great J.R.R. Tolkien?
Anyway, once I had recovered from my aneurysm, I was able to actually reflect on the books themselves, and decided that I actually enjoyed the movie more than the books. This is quite unusual for me, because most of the time books are able to conjure a much more detailed and deep reality in which I can lose myself and my consciousness over the course of the reading. While I did enjoy the books, I found them to be overly complicated and long-winded, with some parts that seemed to be included merely for the sake of making the book longer.
The movie however, seemed to do a good job of streamlining the most important elements of the plot, without losing the underlying spirit and purpose of the book. Moreover, and I find this to be a rare accomplishment for movie-adaptations, I feel like the characters were much more fully developed and realized on screen than on the page (the only exception to this being the characters of Merry and Pippin).
While there were definitely some parts or characters that I wish had played a larger role in the film, or any role at all in the case of Tom Bombadil, I think Peter Jackson made all the right decisions in deciding how to pare down one of literature's most notoriously rambling and densely-packed books.
Now, if someone could just tell me the last words of book three, I would be much obliged.
Monday, February 9, 2009
#66: Make a quilt (wherein the author considers abandoning her current profession to take up a career in textiles)
I love fabric stores. I could spend days in them. I love turning a corner and having a new fabric catch my eye and instantly inspire in my mind a fantastic creation. The only thing more passionate than my love for fabric stores is my wish that I could do justice to even one tenth of the projects that I dream up.
Fortunately, quilting is a fairly easy way for me to get my fabric fix, as it doesn't require too much skill and allows for the pairing of multiple fabrics in one go. Picking these fabrics out, comparing their various tones and patterns to find the perfect combination of harmony and contrast, is my favourite part of the whole quilt-making process, and may go towards explaining why only a small portion of my quilts ever get finished.
This 'thing' will definitely take close to the full 1001 days to complete, as my aim is to produce a fully functional, queen-sized 'real' quilt. I'm super-excited about it and think that, as long as I don't hold myself to any unrealistic expectations of its final form or quality, it will turn out quite well.
The pattern for the quilt that I've chosen is here and looks to be fairly simple, although time consuming.
Unfortunately I couldn't seem to capture the fabrics on film to properly do them justice, but here is my best shot:
I've found (through frustrating trial and error) that the best way to keep my quilt pieces organized over the course of the process is to clearly label the various sizes/shapes and keep them in baggies:
While I have gotten a little more diligent and thorough about following all the proper steps in quilt-making, one habit that I doubt I'll ever break is cutting enough pieces to start the first block and then diving right in. The feeling of sitting in front of so much beautiful fabric and then being told to spend several hours painstakingly cutting tiny squares instead of getting to actually put needle to cloth is, in my mind, much like being told to carefully fold and put away wrapping paper before being able to see what present you got.
So instead of taking the time to cut out 320 3.5" x 3.5" squares, 100 2.5" x 2.5" squares, and 80 4.5" x 4.5" squares, I only cut what was necessary and went to it. Here is the first corner of my first block:
This is less than 1/4 of 1 of 20 blocks that will be needed to create the final quilt. A full bear-claw block looks like this:
I'm hoping that I can average 1 block a week, meaning I'll have all the blocks in about 20-22 weeks. Add in another 3-4 weeks for sashing and binding and the quilt top will be ready by sometime around August. And then, my friend, the actual 'quilting' can begin. Ack!
Fortunately, quilting is a fairly easy way for me to get my fabric fix, as it doesn't require too much skill and allows for the pairing of multiple fabrics in one go. Picking these fabrics out, comparing their various tones and patterns to find the perfect combination of harmony and contrast, is my favourite part of the whole quilt-making process, and may go towards explaining why only a small portion of my quilts ever get finished.
This 'thing' will definitely take close to the full 1001 days to complete, as my aim is to produce a fully functional, queen-sized 'real' quilt. I'm super-excited about it and think that, as long as I don't hold myself to any unrealistic expectations of its final form or quality, it will turn out quite well.
The pattern for the quilt that I've chosen is here and looks to be fairly simple, although time consuming.
Unfortunately I couldn't seem to capture the fabrics on film to properly do them justice, but here is my best shot:
I've found (through frustrating trial and error) that the best way to keep my quilt pieces organized over the course of the process is to clearly label the various sizes/shapes and keep them in baggies:
While I have gotten a little more diligent and thorough about following all the proper steps in quilt-making, one habit that I doubt I'll ever break is cutting enough pieces to start the first block and then diving right in. The feeling of sitting in front of so much beautiful fabric and then being told to spend several hours painstakingly cutting tiny squares instead of getting to actually put needle to cloth is, in my mind, much like being told to carefully fold and put away wrapping paper before being able to see what present you got.
So instead of taking the time to cut out 320 3.5" x 3.5" squares, 100 2.5" x 2.5" squares, and 80 4.5" x 4.5" squares, I only cut what was necessary and went to it. Here is the first corner of my first block:
This is less than 1/4 of 1 of 20 blocks that will be needed to create the final quilt. A full bear-claw block looks like this:
I'm hoping that I can average 1 block a week, meaning I'll have all the blocks in about 20-22 weeks. Add in another 3-4 weeks for sashing and binding and the quilt top will be ready by sometime around August. And then, my friend, the actual 'quilting' can begin. Ack!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
#92: Start a cooking blog (wherein the author discovers her potential addiction to searching for blog templates)
(Before I start, I want to point out that if I were a truly committed and vigilant blogger, I would have taken the time to manually change all of the numbers on the list so that any new additions from the 'Things to be Decided' section would move up to their appropriate category. Internet: I am not such a committed and vigilant blogger. Deal with it.)
A few people have mentioned to me in the past that they would like to get a few of my recipes or see photos of my more creative culinary experiments. So, I figured, what better way than to set up a blog, to serve not only as a new 'thing' but also to make it easier to complete #25, self-publishing my own cookbook.
So after several hours searching for the perfect template (which, to be honest, I still haven't found) I've set up Barely Barefoot, an homage to one of my favourite TV chefs and also a dig at some of my friends who enjoy joking about my fast descent into a trailer-living, barefoot-and-pregnant lifestyle.
Feel free to come on over and take a peek! I promise I won't be cooking moose, rabbit or any other kind of would-be roadkill!
A few people have mentioned to me in the past that they would like to get a few of my recipes or see photos of my more creative culinary experiments. So, I figured, what better way than to set up a blog, to serve not only as a new 'thing' but also to make it easier to complete #25, self-publishing my own cookbook.
So after several hours searching for the perfect template (which, to be honest, I still haven't found) I've set up Barely Barefoot, an homage to one of my favourite TV chefs and also a dig at some of my friends who enjoy joking about my fast descent into a trailer-living, barefoot-and-pregnant lifestyle.
Feel free to come on over and take a peek! I promise I won't be cooking moose, rabbit or any other kind of would-be roadkill!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
#12: Start a journal (wherein the author takes pleasure in small victories)
Okay, so this one is a bit of a 'gimme'...the original list only said 'START a journal', so after having completed two entries, I'm calling this one a success.
I have to thank my mother for making this one possible, because if she hadn't so serendipitously purchased me a journal for Christmas, this probably would have lingered for months in the 'Easy things that require very little effort to complete but somehow aren't getting crossed off' pile.
I was hesitant to add this 'thing' to the list, because my forays into personal journaling as a child were so painfully self-aware and self-impressed; I remember very clearly sitting on my bed at age 11, chronicling the very torrid events of my middle-schooler life in such a way that, if ever my diary were to be found by future generations, I would be remembered on-par with Anne Frank. I don't think anyone had really explained to me what actually happened during the Holocaust, or else I was just so wrapped up in the daily goings-on of play-ground romances that I thought they were of equal importance. Not sure which.
Anyway, this go-around has already has proved interesting; yesterday's entry was a summation of my thoughts about President Obama's innauguration. Again I found myself slipping into a style and metre that was way too self-conscious of who might be reading my 'prophetic prose' in some distant future, but I'm working on that.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
#58: Watch all of AFI's Top 100 movies (wherein the author begins to doubt herself)
So, here it is, a few weeks after my first post, and I have completed a grand total of one 'thing'...which was making list and posting it. Hmmm...this may prove harder than I first imagined.
In light of my need to begin crossing things off my list, I started reviewing some of my 'things'. Luckily, there are many which I believe I can complete in the coming few weeks, although undoubtedly there are some that will take months, if not the 1001 days to complete.
One of the 'things' that I am most looking forward to is #58 'Watch all of AFI's Top 100 movies'. Some of you may know that I am an amateur-amateur-amateur film buff, and really enjoy watching movies and retaining the useless array of trivia associated with them. I consider myself to know a fair amount about mainstream American cinema (and a tiny bit about its non-mainstream and non-American counterparts), so I was surprised to find that I had only seen 26 of the top 100.
Here now is the list of top 100 films that I have not seen, arranged in alphabetical (ie. not ranked) order:
12 Angry Men
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
A Night at the Opera
All About Eve
All the President's Men
American Graffiti
Annie Hall
Apocalypse Now
Ben-Hur
Blade Runner
Bringing Up Baby
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
Do the Right Thing
Double Indemnity
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup
Easy Rider
Goodfellas
High Noon
In the Heat of the Night
Intolerance
It Happened One Night
Jaws
King Kong
Lawrence of Arabia
M-A-S-H
Midnight Cowboy
Modern Times
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Nashville
Network
On the Waterfront
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Platoon
Psycho
Raging Bull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window
Rocky
Shane
Some Like It Hot
Sophie's Choice
Spartacus
Sullivan's Travels
Sunrise
Sunset Blvd.
Swing Time
Taxi Driver
The African Queen
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Deer Hunter
The French Connection
The General
The Gold Rush
The Graduate
The Grapes of Wrath
The Last Picture Show
The Maltese Falcon
The Philadelphia Story
The Searchers
The Silence of the Lambs
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Wild Bunch
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tootsie
Unforgiven
West Side Story
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
As I watch these films (and I have already set about my research assistant, Mr. Meneer, to downloading as many of these as possible), I'll post my thoughts and update the list of "seen/unseen". I'd love to hear comments from anyone who has seen any of these films and any recommendations as to which I should watch first.
For the full AFI Top 100 list, see here.
In light of my need to begin crossing things off my list, I started reviewing some of my 'things'. Luckily, there are many which I believe I can complete in the coming few weeks, although undoubtedly there are some that will take months, if not the 1001 days to complete.
One of the 'things' that I am most looking forward to is #58 'Watch all of AFI's Top 100 movies'. Some of you may know that I am an amateur-amateur-amateur film buff, and really enjoy watching movies and retaining the useless array of trivia associated with them. I consider myself to know a fair amount about mainstream American cinema (and a tiny bit about its non-mainstream and non-American counterparts), so I was surprised to find that I had only seen 26 of the top 100.
Here now is the list of top 100 films that I have not seen, arranged in alphabetical (ie. not ranked) order:
12 Angry Men
A Clockwork Orange
A Night at the Opera
All About Eve
American Graffiti
Annie Hall
Apocalypse Now
Ben-Hur
Blade Runner
Bringing Up Baby
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
Do the Right Thing
Double Indemnity
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup
Easy Rider
Goodfellas
High Noon
In the Heat of the Night
Intolerance
It Happened One Night
Jaws
King Kong
Lawrence of Arabia
M-A-S-H
Midnight Cowboy
Modern Times
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Nashville
Network
On the Waterfront
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Platoon
Psycho
Raging Bull
Rear Window
Rocky
Shane
Some Like It Hot
Sophie's Choice
Spartacus
Sullivan's Travels
Sunrise
Sunset Blvd.
Swing Time
Taxi Driver
The African Queen
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Deer Hunter
The French Connection
The General
The Gold Rush
The Graduate
The Grapes of Wrath
The Last Picture Show
The Maltese Falcon
The Philadelphia Story
The Searchers
The Silence of the Lambs
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Wild Bunch
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tootsie
Unforgiven
West Side Story
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
As I watch these films (and I have already set about my research assistant, Mr. Meneer, to downloading as many of these as possible), I'll post my thoughts and update the list of "seen/unseen". I'd love to hear comments from anyone who has seen any of these films and any recommendations as to which I should watch first.
For the full AFI Top 100 list, see here.
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