kissing in the museum

these images are from a marvelous photo essay entitled k-i-s-s-i-n-g in the museum. see more here.

34 things to do in my 34th year

so last year, just after my birthday, i came up with a list of 33 things to do in my 33rd year (as inspired by Hula Seventy), not expecting that i would finish them all, but hoping that i might. this morning i calculated my completion rate to be about 42%, which, although none too impressive, is still something, i suppose.

so here sits i, at the dawning of year 34, in creation of a new and equally as lofty list. with any luck, i'll get to 50% this year :)

(pink = done)

1. drive Route 66 from beginning to end and make a book of all the photos i'll take

2. stand on the edge of the grand canyon

3. improve my energy level and flexibility (yoga, perhaps?)

4. get a bike (and ride it)

5. learn to master my new DSLR (or at least come close to mastery)

6. go someplace spooky and abandoned and try to communicate with ghosts :) - no real attampt at communication, but i did visit "the ghost road" in Port Perry, Ontario

7. live like less of a slob (try to keep my house a wee bit cleaner)

8. illustrate a children's book

9. photograph at least two weddings

10. complete at least 5 more pieces in my loose leaf film stills series [giveaway to come]

11. go to a drive-in!

12. spend more time with ma ladies

13. spend more time in the sunshine (with the appropriate spf, of course)

14. dip my feet in an Ontario lake

15. sing songs by a fire pit

16. find a more fulfilling day job (finished in 35th year)

17. rid my life of needless junk (i.e. ruthlessly clean out my closet & cupboards)

18. draw things

19. call my mom more

20. publish something, anything

21. use lots of photobooths

22. have a picnic with my husband

23. go to a farm and pick something (fruits/veggies)

24. save up for a used car

25. shop at farmers' markets

26. cut down on my smoking [i'm quitting at 35]

27. do more good turns (revisit the girl scout in me)

(and now: a few roll overs from last year's list)

28. read two new authors (completed this one last year, but bringing it back for an encore)

29. go to a museum by myself

30. repaint my apartment

31. lose 40 pounds (last year's list said lose 20, but i gained 20, so now it's lose 40 *sigh*)

32. send postcards to my friends

33. drink more water

34. win the lottery there. written in stone. we'll see where the year takes me. wish me luck :)

i am 3(4)

above is a picture of my brothers and i on my third birthday, back in 1979 in Kenilworth, England. it's difficult to see, as the photo has seen better days, but i am wearing a big red button that says I AM 3 (which i still have, incidentally). today i turn 34. on a winter monday. and though i may be tired, cold and hungover from my weekend festivities, i still feel like a three year old at heart, and if someone made silly buttons for 34 year olds, i'd be sporting one as we speak :) here's to another year young, and may you all keep the children inside you as close to the surface as possible! xo

hall of dames # 16 - anne bancroft

born Anna Maria Louise Italiano, Bancroft chose her new name from a list presented to her by the producers of Don't Bother to Knock in 1952, who felt her birth name was 'too ethnic'. Anne studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and began her acting career in live television. her first foray into Hollywood resulted in several forgettable films, prompting a return to New York to concentrate on stage acting. "The studios wanted to give me the Monroe-type sex buildup", she later said, "[but] I wanted to develop my acting, not my body."

on Broadway, Bancroft won Tony awards for Two for the Seesaw with Henry Fonda, and The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke. she would later win her only Oscar playing Anne Sullivan, teacher and mentor to Helen Keller, in the film adaptation of The Miracle Worker. best known for her Oscar nominated performance as the seductive Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, Anne also received nods for her performances in The Pumpkin Eater, The Turning Point, and Agnes of God. other noteworthy films include Lynch's The Elephant Man, and 84 Charing Cross Road. Bancroft wrote and directed Fatso, an underrated film starring Dom DeLuise as a man wrestling with obesity, that features Anne as his sister, urging him to lose weight.

Anne's first marriage to Martin May in 1953 ended in divorce just 4 years later. in 1961, she met Mel Brooks at a rehearsal for the Perry Como variety show. Brooks bribed a studio employee to find out where she was having dinner so he could meet her again. once Bancroft met Brooks, she went to her therapist and told him they had to conclude the therapy as fast as possible because she had met the man she was going to marry.

the couple married on August 5, 1964. they had one son, Maximillian, in 1972, and were together for more than four decades, until Anne's death in June 2005 of uterine cancer. her death surprised even friends, as she was intensely private and had not released details of her illness.

this sh*t just blew my mind

what if i told you that the landscapes you see in these photographs are not landscapes at all, but careful collections of cottonballs, fun fur, paprika and other such bits n bobs? does that not blow your freakin mind?! these incredible worlds are created by the extraordinarily talented artist Mathew Albanese, using forced perspective techniques to fool the eye. in the photo above, for example the fields are made of faux fur, the clouds are cotton, and the mountains are sifted tile grout (!). you can see more of his fascinating work, and how it comes to fruition, here.

above image: paprika, cinnamon, thyme, chili powder, charcoal

above image: steel wool, cotton, ground parsley and moss

my boyfriend's back

sequin boyfriend blazer

single button boyfriend blazer

hooded boyfriend blazer

herringbone boyfriend blazer

wee boyfriend blazer

i've died and gone to bathroom heaven

The Water Monopoly combines exquisite restored antique English and French bathroom pieces with select reproductions. they do tubs, toilets, sinks, showers and accesories, and it's all absolutely gorgeous. the Paris bath, pictured above, is a faithful reproduction of an early twentieth century French fireclay bath.

this teak bath is handmade by a boat builder in the highlands of Scotland *sigh*

a French double ended copper bath, circa 1880

and this awesome contraption is a reproduction of a traditional Needleshower, thermostatically controlled, which has four circular spray bars to hit you from all angles. awesome.

loose leaf musicology

hello my darling readers,

my apologies for not having written much in the last two days. i was struck with a wee bout of blogger's block, in light of which i have decided to make a few additions to my daily postings. the first of said additions will be a weekly playlist, generally themed but periodically random. i am a passionate lover of music and am excited to share some of my favourites with you! if nothing else, these posts will give you some music to read by :)

given that Valentine's day looms, here are 10 beautiful tunes i've entitled Our Way to Fall: songs in the key of love. the tenth is a video, cuz i couldn't find the version i love on the site i was using (playlist.com)

i'd love to take your requests as well! please leave a comment suggesting a theme for a playlist (anything at all, it could be a random word if you like) and i'll post one for you. whadaya think?

R.I.P. J.D. Salinger (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010)

all the king's women #17 - stella stevens

born Estelle Caro Eggleston in Hot Coffee, Mississippi in 1938, actress Stella Stevens was discovered while modeling in the tea room of Goldsmith's Department Store in Memphis, Tennessee. by this time, Stella had already been married at age 15, given birth to a son (Andrew Stevens) at 16, and divorced at 17 years old.


in 1959, Stevens signed her first contract with Paramount Pictures. she shared the 1960 Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female, with Tuesday Weld, Angie Dickinson and Janet Munro. during the 60s, Stella was one of the ten most photographed women in the world, and her Playboy centerfold became one of the magazine's most popular issues.




in 1962, Stevens starred opposite Elvis in Girls! Girls! Girls! (not one of Elvis' best, to say the least, all though it does contain one of my favourite performances -Return to Sender- in which Elvis delivers an impressive homage to Jackie Wilson). Stella plays club singer Robin, one of two women between whom Elvis' character is torn. reportedly, Stella did not want to do this film and her protests nearly had her suspended by Paramount. she has stated several times that she refuses to watch it.

(above and below with Girls! Girls! Girls! costar Laurel Goodwin)

Stella worked with some of the biggest names of her day during her movie career, including Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Glenn Ford and Bobby Darin. the 1970s would see her moving to the small screen with numerous appearances in TV movies and roles on General Hospital and Santa Barbara. Stevens has also produced and directed two films: The American Heroine (1979) and The Ranch (1989), and published a novel, Razzle Dazzle, whose main character, Johnny Gault, was inspired by Elvis. for more on her continuing career, visit Stella's official site here.

(with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor)

romper room

on the off chance that you haven't already seen the soft and seductive styles of Alexandra Grecco on a thousand other blogs, you simply must have a peek.

jenny scobel

Ohio born painter Jenny Scobel uses graphite and oil paints on wood panels to create stunning, often somber portraits against peculiar and fascinating backdrops. j'aime.

erwin olaf

pretty pretty portraits by Erwin Olaf. see more of his work here.