It wasn't all about the shopping....

I actually came to TO to visit with my friend Olivia. Long overdue. I got to see her apartment, which is a totally grown up apartment with really nice stuff in it, which is funny because the last place of hers I was in was a futon / Ikea picture type of affair and most of the stuff wasn't hers. So its cool to see a place that is entirely her style and all the stuff she's collected in the years since I was in a place of hers.

We had a great time on Friday night splitting a bottle of wine and chatting about life and the future and how we got here. Our friendship is one that has been able to evolve through alot of life (and geographical) changes. Conversations range from books to cooking to the environment to kids and and the old rowdy days at Cowboys and men and love and kids and whatever else Liv is 'obsessed' with (her favorite expression). We talk until our eyes are sagging and we're yawning and barely able to stay awake.

On Saturday after a full day of shopping we went out for dinner at at a Thai place and then off to a movie (Music and Lyrics - wait for the DVD) and then to a late night bookstore where I bought a book with a short story about a woman who takes a belly dance class and it kind of opens her middle aged third eye in a way that is similar to my belly dancing awakening.

I practiced my belly dancing moves in the big double mirror in the spare bedroom here for awhile before walking / taking the subway downtown. I'm not too shabby at it now.

There is something about being able to find my way around a big city that I find satisfying. It makes me feel a little more metropolitan, coming from this small place where I never needed a map for anything and directions go something like 'turn left at the Tim Horton's - the one by the store that Jimmy's uncle had his store (20 years ago). East and west, north and south.

I'm glad I came down. I'm not sure why I don't come more often. I think sometimes it seems easier to just stay put when I'm tired after a long week, but there is something about a little change of scenery that fills up the tank a little bit.

Placed end to end the weekends reciepts would be the same height as the CN Tower...

Let's just say right off the bat that I"ve spent too much money this weekend. I"m in Toronto and I just sat down to total up all my great deals and treasures and its funny how after you spend $50 a few times with $20's in between the $50's it all adds up to be an astonishing amount.

But I got great stuff.

I eased into it with a trip to the sale rack at Banana Republic. I found an irresistible soft sea blue turtleneck and a navy peasant skirt. They were so on sale they were practically free. I topped up on underwear at American Eagle Outfitters, a store where I have to pretend like I'm shopping for my nieces because I feel too old to be in there, but they have great underwear.

Then the next day we went to Vaughn Mills which is the creme de la outlet malls. Liv and I were having fun playing with this flouffy pouffy dress with all kinds of ruffles in the Holt Renfrew Outlet when we noticed the price tag was $10,000. On sale half price. We backed away and headed off to a place with a few less zeros in the prices.

I found a few things in LaSenza, a couple of nice robes that might not be husband repellent - its been cold and Andrew's been looking at alot of fleece and wool this winter. Also a very pretty turquoise silk scarf for $10.

I found a couple things at the Esprit clearance center for summer - I picked up a black linen turqoise and green shirt and a funky t shirt.

Then I hit the shoe outlets.... A beautiful pair of burgundy suade round toe heels and a pair of silver sandals later I was down some clams. I felt a little guilty at that point so there wasn't much more shopping - oh except for a couple of books from a second hand store and the stuff from Keihls. (the best freaking skin cream on the planet...) and some almond bark from Purdy's. Whoops.

You can blame the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) for Sunday. I went expecting to stay the whole afternoon there but half the exhibits were closed for renovations. It only took me a couple hours to see what was there. So I decided to wander around and aw crap, wouldn't you know it there was an Aldo outlet. 50% off the last sale price. I bought a BEAUTIFUL pair of oxblood leather embroidered cowboy boots for $40. (reg: $250) When I get home I'll post a picture of them, they're incredible - practically heirloom quality made in Brazil. There was a magazine and a couple of pair of socks since I forgot to pack some and a shower gift for next weekend...

I don't have buyers remorse over anything, I love it all. Hopefully when Andrew sees those boots and the LaSenza bag he won't even care what I spent. When he goes shopping he gets two shirts and spends the same as I do on six bags of stuff so he doesn't usually say much unless everything is black and then he complains because he hates when I wear black and tells me to take it all back.

That said, I will not be shopping again for awhile. We're planning on going to NYC in April for a long weekend and I've told myself that instead of spending the time cooped up in stores bargain hunting. I want to spend the time seeing and doing stuff. I'll be calling on God and Allah and Buddha and Santa Clause to give me strength to stay out of the stores for that one.

Oh how I love a good makeover.

Anyone who has stood in front of the wall of haircolor at Shoppers Drug Mart at 8pm on a slow Sunday night knows what Britney was thinking. Anyone who actually goes home with a box at least 2 shades lighter or darker knows the excitement of a big unknown hair change while you scrub the dark purple flecks of dye off your shower curtain waiting to rinse compares to nothing. Those of us who have gone (almost) all the way and come home with (intentional) crew cuts know the thrill of the clippers buzzing at your nape.

Britney just took it one more step and played into the fantasy that every woman has had at least once in her life: I hate my hair I'm going to shave my head.

I say go Britney go. Why not. Her hair looked like shit, I bet it felt like shit and hurt to have all those little pieces of hair glued to your head. I bet she hasn't run her fingers through her hair in about 8 years. Not to mention how creepy it is to have someone else's hair glued to your scalp.

I think everyone should go for it once in their life. It grows back. You learn something when you've had super short hair. You see the direction your hair grows in (I have swirls and cowlicks). You have nothing to hide behind. Its 100% you. I didn't feel 'conventionally' pretty with really short hair, per se but I felt extremely feminine and distinctive and attractive. When my hair was medium I felt invisible. I'm on my way to super long hair now. When I'm older I'm going to hack it all off again and let it all grow in grey.

Anyway, I hope Britney sticks to a natural look and doesn't get anymore fake hair glued on. In a month she'll have cute soft Teddy Bear hair and I bet they will be trying to glue something on to it and wreck it.

Good bye little yellow school bus....

Andrew sold his Jeep today. He is not a happy camper. Wheels are special to him, I think the first thing he saw when he entered the world must have been a wheel and that's why he's so DEEPLY attached to them. It borders on irrational but he gets offended when I say that and rips into all the justifications for it. Its his thing. Letting go of a vehicle for him is ripping out a little piece of his heart. You could have traced a perfect unhappy face on him this morning.

I tend to fold like a ten dollar tent when he's unhappy about things. I hate when he's unhappy. I can picture him as a kid so clearly. I bet the bait and switch didn't work on him, I will have to be careful if we breed and produce a "collector" like him. I hate clutter. Driveway clutter is not something I expected to have to deal with. For me its just a vehicle and its simply not logical to have more vehicles than you have asses to go in them. It can't be just me who thinks this - some people only have one family car and its a sensible Honda.

As for the Jeep. A very nice couple are buying it, they live in the country where it will have lots of room to roam free, and they are nearly retired so the man can take it to the park and play with the other Jeeps. Right now it mostly sits in our yard without any real lovin. I feel bad for it. Its going to a good home.

What am I running from?

I made my debut on the treadmill yesterday. I ran 2km and it took me 30, sweaty, gasping minutes. I thought my brain was going to explode and ooze out my ears.

I spent the first 15 minutes chanting in my head 'lots of people do this, humans run marathons, I can do this!' I spent the last 15 minutes thinking sometimes there are nice things in the window at Addition Elle, maybe I should just get off now and go get a cookie.

What keeps me going lately is I was thinking the other day that at 33, I may have only lived 1/3 of my life. Shocking. Despite what we may have seen on TV, you dont' get old at 40 and dissapear. I'm only 1/2 way to retirement. That's a long time, and I dont' want to be all used up and boring when I get there.

Pantyhose = Torture.

I hate them I hate them I hate them.

Today its -18 c and you just can't do bare legs in Ottawa in February. Besides that the glare from my super white legs would blind someone - if the winter stubble didn't grate them to pieces first. Today I'm wearing an outfit that necessitates hose (very cute grey flannel cropped pants, a teal sweater and black boots) .

I thought I had it beat. I went out and found the biggest friggen pantyhose I could fine. Plus size 3X-4X - promised to fit up to 325lbs. I figured a good solid 150lbs buffer had to make a difference, I should be able to get a whole other person in there with me. I opened the package and *sigh* once again, they looked like toddler tights. The desire for warmth and style won over comfort.

So I begun. I wrestled one foot in, fell off the bed (I'm not used to silky feet on hardwood) You could almost try to be sexy putting on the first foot/calf part but then it gets real ugly. I crammed my other foot in.

I've got them to my knees. And at this point I'm thinking there is no freakin' way someone heavier than I am could cram themselves into these tights, my knees are bound together tighter than a catholic nuns' at confession and I"m a little tippy. I had to do a few leg extensions to stretch them out before hauling them up to the top of my legs , which are shaped like upside down triangles and freshly moisturized so its about as easy as it was to get tight pants on Barbie's rubber legs back in the day. Like an olympic heavy weightlifter, I hover at the 3/4 mark, take a deep breath and 1, 2 HUP! haul them over my ass. The waist actually stretches up to my ribs.

Then the adjustments begin.

I have to do the 'cellulite dance' to get them arranged so the control top isn't cutting off circulation to my femoral artery, and I don't have a big bulge where the waist cuts me in two. I always either pull them up too high, which makes my toes curl, or not enough and the crotch isn't high enough.

Today, even though the waist was tucked into my bra, the was a crotch not high enough, so I went in for another adjustment and as I hauled them up a little more my finger poked right through the fabric and a bloop! a little blob of fat tried to escape like the air that gets sucked out of the cabin of a plane when the pressure changes.

I though screw it, after all of that I'm wearing them anyway. The waistband is starting to roll down now and I can feel the hole in the leg getting bigger which is like having one shoelace tied tigher than the other. But my legs are warm and my outfit is cute.

Which leads me to my next gripe about pantyhose. The cost. Because I'm not delicate pantyhose last about 10 minutes on me without a snag or run. I've bought expensive ones, cheap ones, high denier, low denier. So everytime I wear a skirt it costs me at least $3.99.

Welcome to my world of pantyhouse dread. Oh how I long for spring and free legs and no more pantyhose jail.

My husband is going granola with me...

He's always been good with recycling - better than me, actually. But then we saw 'An Inconvenient Truth" and he was totally sucked in on a new level.

He's feeling guilty about his big V8 Nissan Titan pickup and says he's wants to switch to an ethanol or flex fuel vehicle. He visited the website for ideas on how to reduce our CO2 emissions. He also bought the twirly energy saver lightbulbs this week and agreed that we don't need to eat as much meat. (although we ate less last night and he was hungry a few hours later). I got him on organic milk and hemp seed granola and just added veggie weiners last week.

He draws the line at patchouli smelling things but he likes Sandalwood without knowing exactly what he's smelling.

I think this is huge, especially from a big hunk of Alberta beef, a man from the land of great big oil sucking trucks and no municipal recycling programs and eating animals until you get the "meat sweats". Its all voluntary too.

And last night he was out canvassing for March of Dimes and raised about $200. He's such a do gooder.

Just wait. I'll have him in birkenstocks by spring.

My Next Big Thing....

I feel like a juggler.

First, I kicked the diet coke habit kicked, (juggle juggle juggle), then I added in belly dancing (jiggle jiggle jiggle), then I added the Naturopath / Detox extravaganza (juggle juggle juggle) and Weight Watchers (juggle juggle juggle). Now that I've got all this going, I'm going to add in another ball.

I'm going to try and run a 10k in May. http://www.ncm.ca/ My sister in law seems to think we could do a half marathon but I'm thinking a 10k is about all my stumpy little out of shape legs can do without hurting myself. So I have signed on at the gym in my office building, loaded up my MP3 player with Fame and Rocky songs to begin my journey.

Last year I walked the 5k race. I didn't take it too seriously, my walking buddy (avid runner) was totally disgusted that I was going to do it in flip flops, but the plastic thing used to strap on the chip irritated my toe so I wore sneakers. It seemed silly to get all decked out in workout gear to go for a walk.

Mostly I was thrilled to find out that everyone gets a medal at the end of their race. I've never had any sort of commendation for anything related to athletic acheivement in my life, so it was a big moment for me and its still on my fridge. However, this year I will earn a 10k medal instead of just flip flopping my way through the piddly 5k with the old fat ladies and families.