la la laaaaa!

Today is UNESCO's International Music Day, so sing a glad song, make a joyful noise and all that. I'm celebrating later at the CBC Radio 3 + Bandepart show.

Hug a Vegetarian Day!

Hug O' War

I will not play at tug o'war.
I'd rather play at hug o'war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

Shel Silverstein
from Where the Sidewalk Ends

pretty red carrots

gonna shine up my pleather boots

I'm gonna shine up my boots

I'm gonna go into town

I'm gonna scrape up twenty dollars

I'm gonna throw it around

Stood in the rain and waited for a ticket for the Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans show at Lee's Palace to free up. It was worth the wait. Can you tell how cute his dimples are? I've never been surrounded by so many (presumably) 905ers. A guy walked by me *barfing* while he kept walking! Projectile vomit, and he kept walking. g-r-o-double-s gross! Gross, but also amazing, because when I barf I can't multi-task enough to walk.

Went to a clothing swap on Sunday and took home almost as much as I deposited!

This handsome little guy watched us sort through clothes and eat vegan ginger cookies:















Walked through Kensington Market, it was a Pedestrian Sunday and some folks were playing a giant game of Scrabble in the street:















Then went to see the Kensington Hilllbilly/ies, it was their 10th anniversary show. Giddy-up!

Powerful Wrist Protection

Isabella and I did a 1x1 swap. We made each other a wrist cuff from the Powerful Wrist Protection pattern in SnB Handbook. The pattern was designed by Catherine Stinson, who used to be co-minister for the Toronto Church of Craft.

Isabella made mine with 2 stars (bonus! the pattern only calls for one star). The colours are great, camouflage background with purple stars!

I made hers with Mission Falls cotton. Instead of the star or the word "geek" from the pattern, I made an "i" for hers. And I made it way longer than the pattern suggested, because I have trouble conforming to patterns, just like recipes!

Thanks Isabella, I love it!

I actually do still knit

I do actually still knit, even though I haven't posted about knitting for a long time. I'm slowly stitching away at the top-down raglan cardigan, in pink Manos del Uruguay cotton. (Can you see the old school "sassoon" embroidered on my cuff?)


Check out these super-cute yarn needles, they're kinda sparkly and come in pretty colours:


You can do some marvelous cyber-loitering here. And hey, I got a mini-mention on ThingsAreGood today for emailing them about some changes in Spain for micro-thin models. One small step for healthy body image. They were already hip to the story when I emailed, being the info-savvy types that they are.

p.s. If you live in Parkdale-High Park, remember to vote tonight! Go Radical Reverend!

and we left our love in our summer skin

Summer closes for me after the Vegetarian Food Fair. Fine by me, because I love everything about the fall! Knee socks, soup, hot cocoa, crisp air, a new season of The Simpsons....

The Food Fair was pretty good. Did you see the new flavours of Tofutti Cuties!? I love the Chocolate Wave, when-when-when will they be in the stores?

I got a new tattoo, it didn't hurt a bit! ha ha

The only lecture I went to this year was "Calcium Without the Cow." It was ok, but I've already educated myself on calcium so there wasn't much new to me. I do supplement calcium, with this stuff, which has no gross gelatin, oysters or crushed bones.


Went to a party where all the snacks were vegan, but not all the guests. I saw an omni gushing about how good the brownies and cupcakes were. Then he pulled a face when someone said "they're vegan." It was as if he was disappointed that vegan desserts tasted good, or that he got tricked into eating something he didn't want to.

A message came to me from Wayne Coyne. Isn't he lovely? (I sadly didn't get to his show at V-fest this weekend.) It was a misheard lyric actually, and it's way too corny to repeat, but valuable to me. Speaking of sexy men with salt and pepper hair, Siue sent me this super David Suzuki appreciation zine:


ETA: Ended the weekend seeing Krissy's man's band, Soft Copy, at Wavelength. Soft Copy is lively and raucus, kinda like Sonic Youth!

Hope you all love the fall as much as I do!

is it Thursday already?

Mary hurries to finish her halter top in time for the weekend.

Thomas and Elsie

Once upon a time there was a cat named Thomas who was made of vintage wool and buttons. He lived with me. Later he had a denim friend named Elsie. They were cramping my style so I evicted them more than 4 years ago. Last known address: the Goodwill.

baker's dozen vege-versary

It was a rainy day in Centretown Ottawa, 13 years ago, I'd just read Why You Don't Need Meat and ate some for the very last time. Got a sick tummy and the switch was easy! I don't remember the exact date, but it was Labour Day so I celebrate on Labour Day.

Last year I celebrated with Stagflation, we marched in the Labour Day Parade then had brunch at Fresh. We were sitting at the table next to David Usher + fam. Remember, dude?

This year I had brunch at Maggie's with some omnivores. I, of course, had the tofu pesto platter, the only thing I've ever ordered there. Maggie's is one of few restos I know of that serves meat but actually has a vegan menu. Long line ups at the brunching hour, but worth the wait. The portions are huge and there's always lots of fruit on the side.

Yesterday I went to a potluck, I made trusty potato salad and also pretzels dipped in chocolate. I tried to spell out "pinkvegan" in alphabet pretzels but couldn't find any Ns!








All the dishes at the potluck were labelled with ingredients, and someone, I didn't find out who, brought "enlightenment." You might not be able to make out the red writing, it says "ingredients: true love."















The lecture schedule for the TVA Food Fair is finally up.

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!!