Splitting Hairs

I got my hair cut this week. I know, not a really exciting blog topic. But the results are quite nice and I got to enjoy that "fresh-out-of-the-salon" feeling. I also get fabulous hair for two days. Then it becomes my styling issue and all the salon-goodness disappears.

Every woman understands the challenge of trying to get salon-done hair at home. So we (as a gender less-inclined to brush cuts) often resort to magazines to help us with tips, secrets and explanations on how to maintain our "best" looks. This prediliction extends, obviously, beyond hair care to a full array of beautification rituals. (Men really have NO idea! I don't subscribe to a 10th of the dictated grooming expectations and I feel overwhelmed sometimes.) My glossy of choice is In Style. The cover of which promised "56 Beauty Tips that Work" for the month of June.

My problem? There are limited stars and models that look like me. Now before you go all: "uh yeah, cause you're normal" - I'm not talking about height or weight or finances. I'm talking about basic colouring. There are very few celebrity (celebrated?) women who are dark brunettes with blue eyes. Think about it... The brunette beauties have brown eyes. The blue-eyed babes are blonde. So who can my beauty icons be? Which eye-candy ladies can I look to for style (lets not even get into why I care!).

A further frustration is the proliferation of once-brunette blues who have been blondified to success. Yes, these are women who naturally possess brown manes around lapis lenses but who have bleached, streaked, and highlighted that darkness away. This trend only signals an unspoken belief that brown and blue together do not make star beauty.

Well, lucky for me I have a couple of women who have the right look. And even better, none of them appear to be overly vacuous creatures!
Why? Because the pale brunette is the non-threatening girl that you never consider to be hot. She's your best friend. Your shoulder to cry on. She is never a temptress or a whore. She does, however, know how to "work it" at times. So I guess, in the end, that's a good thing. I just wish there were more of us. (Oh, and my new haircut? It looks pretty much like Courtney's ... but on me.)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

"I remeber promising myself that should I live
I would prove myself deserving of life."

On this day, 24 years ago, at 4:35am, Terry Fox left our world. I wanted to take a moment to remember this incredible young man who's Marathon of Hope is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this summer. Terry Fox has always been an inspiration to me.

He was my pick for the "Greatest Canadian" because I can't think of him without getting weepy. His memory makes me cry for a number of reasons. First, I am blown away by his perseverence, commitment and strength. Second, I am moved by the tragedy of youth stolen at its prime (he was 22). Lastly, I am sometimes ashamed to think that I could never have his courage or determination in the face of such challenge.

For me, Terry Fox is a living memory. I was five years old during his Marathon and I distinctly remember the television coverage of his race. That moment when he dunked his leg in the salty Atlantic ocean and began his journey westward. I was living in Saskatchewan at the time, and I was waiting for his arrival in our part of the country. Sadly, it never arrived. Three years later, as my family drove the curving highway along Lake Superior, we stopped at the memorial statue outside Thunder Bay. If you have ever driven that particular highway, with its slow rolling hills, you can't help but be impressed at his accomplishment.

Recently, Douglas Coupland (one of my favourite authors btw) released a special memoire of Terry Fox. With the blessing of the family, the book is an intimate and moving portrait of the man. All royalties earned from the book's sales are being donated to the Terry Fox Foundation. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy.

Three Generations & Me

A recent pic taken in Brampton while visiting my brother, his wife and son. We had a fantabulous family weekend that included lots of time with little Taggart. He is the most amazing person. He is only three months old but has grown to 17 lbs and can hold his own head up high. He is very active and can roll over already. Everyone says that he's developing really fast. I like to see his big smiles, bop his button nose and tickle his tummy. It really is incredible how much you can love someone who just appeared (as a person!) in your life three months ago. My mom's happiness and my brother's pride are obvious. I'm just lucky to be part of such a good, growing family.

Batman Begins - movie review

Batman gives flight to the summer movie season by offering up a full-grown action/drama of impeccable presentation. For the first time, the Dark Knight is finally filling out his sombre boots without any cartoon trappings. I had moments of actual glee watching this prequel-version.

Why so fantastic?
Because...
...everything gels in a strong narrative.
...Christian Bale acts his way out from under the latex rubber with gravelly purpose.
...the supporting cast is character driven not charicature drivel.
...the villian is scary and the threat is huge.
...the reality of Batman's vigilante identity is both explained and explored.
...visually the experience is dark without being murky.
...Nolan crafts the film as a drama and positions it for adult enjoyment.
...Bruce's humanity and fatal flaw are present - necessary elements for a true hero.
...it sucks you in and doesn't let you go for 2-plus hours.

The film is being celebrated as the obvious best of the series - but this is not a stretch and therefore not much of a compliment. Other comments include criticism of a slow opening third. These feelings can only be coming from people with no attention-span because the film is well-paced to tell an evolving story. Likely this flick will be the best constructed action film of the summer and definitely makes my list for one of the year's best.

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things

A nod to some of the things that I am thoroughly enjoying these days...

1 = Cadbury's Dairy Milk bars. I eat them constantly. The FULL bars. I tried to downgrade to the mini-100 calories only-bars but had to eat two of them to be satisfied. It has been said that you should by stock in a company you support. Without reservations I support Cadburys. Today I tried the new Cadbury "Delight" bar which claims to have 80% less sugar. Let me just say, that's NOT a good thing when eating chocolate. So bring on the regular 18-square confection. Mmmmmmmmmm.


2 = The joy of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in syndication on the Space Channel. My parents recently got satellite TV and my greatest enjoyment has come from watching the 3pm showing of Buffy each day - I'm unemployed, I can do these things. And, serendipitously for me, the series has reached the Riley year! Riley has always been my favourite Buffy man. Corn-fed Iowa boy that he was. My crushing on Marc Blucas began at this point and it's a summer treat to be able to watch it all again.



3 = The arrival of my new sunglasses had me smiling in the sunshine all day long. Although I will never look as cool as ms. trinity here, I can now drive without that pained squinty look in my eyes. For the first time in my life I have prescription shades. Thanks to Sears for the extraordinary sale that got me two pairs of glasses (one for the sun) for a mere $200. That's a good deal. So bring on the spectator sports, the afternoon concerts and the roadtrips - I can finally see it all!

Fishy Thoughts

Recently I've been struggling with thoughts about life, love and my place and potential in it all. I have been spending my days combing through my possessions at my parents' place trying to determine what I will keep in my life. Today I came across a horoscope page that I had chosen to tuck away in a random box of collectables and rememberances. Upon reading it again, it is clear that sometimes you find that stellar description that just makes sense.
We see ourselves with a fractured view that is part reality and part hope. We have friends and family that help us to see those things to which we are blind. In a conversation with my dearest friend, a number of "truths" about myself were discussed. I am notorious for not conceding or admitting these things. But this scrap of astrological wisdom does capture many of them - at least to me.

Fears & Anxieties
"You often feel more vulnerable than you are willing to admit and tend to build a wall to hide your frailties. Being the sign of secrets, you keep your fears locked deep inside of you. When your heart and imagination are touched by love, you become shy and frightened that your feelings will not be returned with equal intensity."

Strengths
"You are a romantic with exquisite sensibilities and extraordinary imagination. When inspired, you can create the most romantic atmosphere to encourage a deep attachment. Your only problem is that your longing for magic is usually greater than what any living, mortal man can satisfy."

Ideal Match
"You resonate to men who can transform the grind of the mundane into a multicoloured extravaganza. You adore sponteneity and the sense that by being in love you are suspended from all the boring things in life that seem confining. Therefore, a man with a colourful imagination not only to match yours but to inspire it is most definitely your ideal."

How to Be Your Best
"You have a nature whose creative genius needs inspiring. Unfortunately, this sort of love is not easy to find on planet Earth. However, you also possess the power to create magic from you mind. Therefore, hold on to your dreams and make the most of your imagination. Be your unique self and create your own world from your visions. The one area you need to work on is your propensity to create false princes. Blinded by your need for fairy tales, you often project your dreams onto men who ultimately cannot meet your expectations. Maintain a vision of your ideal soul mate locked in your imagination, but be realistic about those who possess enough flair to play the part - if only for a few moments."

Wedding Bells on Labour Day Anyone?

It's official. News reports confirm that Tom Cruise has finally proposed to Katie Holmes and she has accepted. And he did it all romantic-like atop the Eiffel Tower. Does anyone else need a bucket yet?

Frankly I don't get these two. Least of all the fact that Ms. Holmes got engaged (to a man she's "dated" for two months) less than 6 months after a broken engagement (to a man she was with for 5 years). I mean, that doesn't seem like very solid ground to me. Further, I would be skeptical about putting my life in the hands of Mr. Cruise. He obviously likes strong women, he just has a hard time staying with them, not that Katie shows evidence of being strong as she continues to be steam-rolled into matrimony, so maybe it is a good fit. The age thing is another point. It normally wouldn't bother me (I like Angelina, 29, and Brad, 41, just fine thank you), exept that Katie doesn't really seem to be that grown up yet. There is just an icky vibe there that I can't quite explain.

Oh well. It's gonna happen. Cruise has to nail down this romance and prove that is was love destiny and not a mid-life crisis. Katie gets to play house with the most powerful star in Hollywood. But no matter how hard they try, this twosome will never be a golden couple, they just don't have it. Good Luck to them both.

Blue-Eyed Boy

As the spring flowers grow, my nephew is growing like a weed.
I love this recent pic of him in all his chubby-face-smile glory.

When the Topping is Really Gold (Plated)

Cheers to MTV for another year of juvenile hijinx that remind us just how empty and entertaining hollywood can be. In its annual celebration of fan-picked favourites, the 2005 MTV Movie Awards have long been an unassuming, casual, almost frat-party style affair. This year was no exception (save the fact that the best picture was harldy mainstream - but I'll get to that). So to review...

Jimmy Fallon hosts and I gotta say - can we just have the real deal back and have Sandler host? Cause really, cute as he is, Fallon ain't no Sandler. He's useless as a host as he is obviously reading the TelePrompTer. I'd say: "It's called rehearsal Jimmy" but since he never knew his lines on SNL, I can't expect him to deliver this script any better. So, he wastes my time trying to outdo the Chris Rock (who is sitting next to Sandler in the front row btw) monologue from the Oscars but he only looks rude and subpar. Lucky for us, the host duties are limited. Jimmy still manages to push 5+ clothing changes into the show and massacres a number of satirical movie-scene re-edits (way to steal Letterman's bit) before the s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d 2 hours ends. On to the best bits...

Best Castmales
Although I give the feline props for recognizing the necessary career trajectory for Miss Jessica Alba, I gotta say the woman can pick a script. As the cast for The Fantastic Four enters, I can't help but notice that Jess has smuggled her way into an all-male dream cast. Hanging with Ioan Grufford (welsh accent man), Chris Evans (love him), and Julian McMahon (aussie hotness) is hardly a difficult job. Just had to say it.

Best Father Figure
Winning for his comedic performance as Ben Stiller's dad in the-movie-that-shall-not-be-named lest it make MORE money, Dustin Hoffman reconnects with the MTV generation. His display of humour and attention to the fans in the "pit" proves once more what a class act he is - even if he was grabbing himself in the process.

Best Pre-Record
Owen and Vince grease the wheels of their upcoming Wedding Crashers vehicle with an enoyable riff on teaching losers how to crash parties. As the two expound on their methods and abuse Justin Long (who really deserves an abuse break as his career thus far has included co-staring gigs with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan) the giggles are there. It's not as strong as Owen and Ben's Oscar telecast schtick, but it'll do.

Best Acceptance
Hands down this goes to Team Canada (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams)for the Best Kiss award. This acceptance offered up:
...two amazingly beautiful people
...one political message (Ryan wore a plain white Tshirt with Darfur written across it)
...one reenactment of the celebrated kissage
...a very succint and gracious speech ("it was my pleasure")
...and the cementing of these two kickass Canadians as romantic powerhouses.

Best Nostalgia
I gotta say thanks to my parents for actually having cable the year MTV decides to celebrate The Breakfast Club. As one of my all-time favourites, it was wonderful to see this iconic flick get its due. Sadly, the entire cast was not there but Molly proved to be classy, Micheal has a sense of humour, and Ally is just whacked. And although I enjoyed Yellowcard's re-imagining of the theme, there can be only one version of "Don't Forget about Me".

Best Musical Interlude
Funny that these things happen at movie awards at all - but whatev. For this year the golden corn goes to the Foo Fighters for bringing a real-live rock concert to the stage. The new double album? Half acoustic, half rock? I think I'm sold.

Best Ensemble
The other Jessica. Jessica Biel. (I'll put my order in for her body now.) But her dress takes my top marks this time around. A tight, geometric-patterned affair it had the potential to be all wrong. And it wasn't. Not an inch.

Best Voice
Uhh, has any one else noticed that Paul Walker's charm increases exponentially when he opens his mouth? (this would refer to the sound only not what he's actually saying)

Best Famewhoring
Katie Holmes (damn! girl needs to be fed!) introduces the Generation Award for Tom Cruise (Please just have your mid-life crisis love affair and leave us out of it.) Enough said.

Best of the Best
Top honours in three categories (including Best Picture) go to Napoleon Dynamite and at least it wasn't for Garden State (which wasn't a nominee but whatever). See, I'm okay with a loser flick taking the top honours as long as it is an ironic film and not a navel-gazing disenfranchised depression trip. As well, I must comment that Jon Heder is a good-looking guy, chompers aside, who had the decency to thank his wife (a good-looking guy who can commit). This reality proves the point that a haircut and proper duds go a long way to making a man attractive.

Oh and then the show ended. But not before Fallon (who, I repeat, is not funny)ends the show by stealing fan-thanx sentiments directly from Leo Dicaprio. Man, think for yourself Jimmy!

A Little Friendly Promotion

This is Justin.
(aka: Jman, aka: Pritch).
Justin has ALWAYS wanted to write about cars. And, because he's not so bad at it, I recently set him up with a blog to do just that. Right now, his site is the link page for the reviews he also writes for other sites and a local newspaper but I'm sure it will expand to be full of car stories.

Justin is my pipeline to performance automobile information. It's a rather fascinating, complicated, and highly contested (as in - no one ever agrees!) area. But it's helping me to move past "i like this colour" as my sole contribution to a car discussion. He's also going to teach me how to drive stick in that nice black car of his. Eventually.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - movie review

It is said that if you find a pair of pants that fit, then you should buy mutiple pairs. If you happen across a pair of magical pants, then you should take them travelling. And so the premise of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants is established as four diverse friends face their first summer apart and use the sharing of a pair of jeans as the link to each other.

I was not originally interested in seeing the Pants as I had not read the book and was unsure about the level of teenness that might pollute the picture. However, with a free pass to spare and a series of good reviews, I took the chance. Like that article of clothing that you bought on a whim and now it is your favourite, this sisterhood flick is surprisingly satisfying.

The majority of its charm comes from a core ensemble that is well constructed. The most notable members are TV regulars Alexis Bledel (from "Gilmore Girls") and Amber Tamblyn (from "Joan of Arcadia") who play esssentially movie-ized versions of their small screen personas. In other words, they have elevated their respective prime time characters into strong film heroines. And as the shy beauty (Bledel - whose eyes are incredible!) and detached alterantive (Tamblyn - with fabulous blue hair streaks!), both girls provide solid anchors to the quartet both in the script and in performance.

Blake Lively tackles the challenge of a lost young woman wrestling with fear and inner spirit with inspiring naturalness. And I reckon it will not be long before the tall and toned gal with the golden mane will be gracing Maxim and FHM covers. The final element is a true gift in the talented hands of America Ferrera (who came to notice first in Real Women Have Curves - which I have not seen but am now inspired to watch) who is required to deliver some of the more emotionally-charged scenes. She is a perfect fit that never rings false.

I will not go into details of the various story arcs that are woven together to build a tale of growth, love, faith, awareness and friendship - part of the joy of the film is seeing them develop. But there are boys and romances, families and heartaches, introductions and losses. The movie is an adaptation of the best-selling teen novel of the same title and is capably translated to the screen by the less famous Ephron (Delia), thereby safeguarding it from schmaltzification (common with her sister Nora - i.e. Sleepless in Seattle!)

In the end, the tailoring of these Pants is guaranteed to fit a wide audience.

Class of 2005

Today was my university graduation. I have officially been granted "all the rights, privileges and honours" pertaining to an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree. I also happened to achieve cum laude status - of which I am quite proud. (Reminds me of an evening at Jodi's when she asked which distinction I was planning to get before I commenced my studies!)

Today was the end of undergraduate odessey. I have finally joined the ranks of the post-secondary educated and that is satisfying in a very personal way. My parents gave me an absolutely fabulous (and, for me, expensive!) watch that I love. It was such an unexpected and generous gift that I cried when I opened it.
So now I will have a cold beer and revel in my accomplishment. Can you hear the sighs of relief?