Wednesday is hump day

Wednesdays in the summer are great because of the famer's market at Nathan Phillips Square. I usually go over there on my lunch break for a cob of corn and a few bags of produce. I've been surviving on grapes, peaches, pears and string beans for a few weeks.


Between the meds I'm on and the harshness of summer, my skin's been needing some help so I spent a chunk of change at Aliviar this week, it's a vegan spa (!) on Queen West. Got a facial and some pretty blue bottles filled with skin care products free of whey and beeswax. Everything smells and feels nice, so hopefully peace and love will shine through my pores real soon!

A new version of Hairspray is being filmed just steps from my place. No star sightings yet, but they're busy at work on the set, transforming local businesses into businesses in the film:

Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine yet? I saw it for the 2nd time last night, and still laughed myself silly.

ETA: According to my Slingshort Organizer, Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit during a canoe trip on this day in 1979.

memorial quilt

The Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display in the CBC Atrium this week during the International AIDS Conference. It's hauntingly huge and beautiful and sweet and sad. You can look through the panels here. There are photo transfers, poems, clothes, blankets and mementos sewn in to honour the memories of people who died of AIDS. The original AIDS memorial community quilt started out in San Francisco.

vegan junk food!

I've heard of these but didn't see them and eat one til now!

2 groovy places in Chicago

There is a magic place in Millenium Park in the form of two large brick structures, all lit up.



When you get closer you can see a face in the bricks. There are many different faces that change every few minutes. Here's one of them.



After a minute or so, she forms an O with her lips and water flows out!! Squeeeee!!!!!



What fun! Kids and adults were splashing around and having a nice time.



Our last stop in Chicago was the much-anticipated Quimby's, a zine and comic book store chock full of radical goodness. And we made a 32-page half-size zine about the weekend:

Chicago loves full vegan bellies!

Vegan ice cream sandwiches handmade with love by the good folks at the Bleeding Heart Bakery and sold at the Lollapalooza food fair. More than a handful of yumminess!



Chocolate-blueberry shake, Blue Velvet Smoothie, Chocolate Sin Cake and Messy Black Bean Burger from Earwax:






Guacamole and corn chips from some booth I can't remember at Lolla. A simple but delicious treat that really hit the spot:



Vegan reuben at The Chicago Diner, with a side of mac and non-cheeze:



And the produce at Whole Foods was so nicely presented. We got lots and overstocked the little fridge in the hotel. Who can resist such pretty stuff!?

Lolla-day in the Sun

Hiya! I just got home from a weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza. I managed to see 33 bands! My favourites were Broken Social Scene, Stars, The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, the Mates of State, Nada Surf and Sleater-Kinney.

eta: also loved Patti Smith, Feist, Ryan Adams, Of Montreal....

It was *so* hot all weekend but the mild dehydration was treated easily with expensive bottles of water. I felt bad for the musicians, suffering in the heat. The Flaming Lips had dancers in Santa suits, who must have been very, very hot!

Couldn't see the forest for the Weezer tshirts!

Good night Lollapalooza and thanks for the memories!

blueberry pie

The Noble Vegan Sisters served up some homemade blueberry pie with spelt crust, and sent me home with some in a retro pie slice Tupperware, how cute and delicious!!