Jacquie Severs

2014 was a big year for me. A year ago I was moving to a new (tiny) town, starting a new job, and moving in with my boyfriend of a year and a half and hoping for the best.

When I type the headline to this post I hear the song in my head. Sadly, I've been well marketed-to because I also picture parents dancing through the aisles of a popular office supply chain picking up back-to-school supplies. Clearly that advertisement worked.


I've always loved Fall. For the most part, I loved school. I love wearing sweaters. I especially love Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday (October), and Oktoberfest. And this year, I've added my first vacation in Las Vegas to the Fall calendar and I couldn't be more excited. Look for a blog post on that in late October!

While it seems conventional thinking assigns life re-invention to January, I have always felt the Fall is the best time to reinvigorate personal projects, re-evaluate goals, and to focus on things like healthy eating, exercise, and sleeping well. So in this post, I decided to take a moment to consider the past 8 months and look ahead to 2015.

If you're a regular reader you already know that 8 months ago I quit my job, found a new job, and relocated to small-town eastern Ontario...for love. It's turned out to be a great decision. While I certainly miss some friends and old haunts (a particular pho restaurant comes to mind), the new life I'm building more than makes up for those losses. Friends and family can be visited, there's plenty of new restaurants to be discovered in Ottawa and Montreal, and I'm constantly experiencing new things.

I realized over the past few years that trying new things is essential to my happiness. I'm not alone in this, psychologists agree that new experiences are one key to feeling happy. Once I realized this I found myself able to thrust myself into new experiences with a greater passion. The fear sometimes associated with new experiences is easy to overcome if I simply remind myself of how happy I will feel in the moment.

Some new things I've done in the past 8 months, in no particular order:

• Picked hops at Old 4th Hop Yard.

Organic Local Hops

• Learned Zumba.
• Travelled to Edmonton and saw the Rockies (well, from the airplane)
• Worked at a trade show...partly in french. (and spoke more french than I realized I knew!)

New tattoo by Wes Pratt

• Got a tattoo (actually my second, but the first was at 18 and it was very small, so this felt new)
• Ate an arepa sandwich
• Visited a new brewery in Halifax (North Brewing)
• Learned to work from home. (OMG I love this, no wonder everyone wants to do it.)
• Learned how to administer the 'back end' of an app.
• Bought my first pair of high-waisted jeans since the 1990's.
• Started "Walking Wednesdays" with some local friends. It's not complicated, but to paraphrase Mean Girls, "On Wednesdays, we walk"
• Played softball (To brag; I got a hit at every at-bat. To self-depricate; I never caught a ball.)
• Visited Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge
• Ate a Lancaster Perch roll
• Caught a show at the House of Targ in Ottawa
• Visited the ruins at St. Raphael's

Ruins at St. Raphael's

In the next few months, I want to:

• Learn more French!
• Do more art
• Get cross country ski equipment and try out the trails
• Blog more...always, blog more.
• Try as many new things as possible

In my blog post about moving 8 months ago I listed five things I wanted to be doing more of:
1. Blogging more often (see above, a perpetual goal)
2. Going to Zumba (check!)
3. Fermenting Things (check...ish. I fermented sauerkraut but it's exceedingly salty and inedible. Will try again.)
4. Making Art. (see above...I'm thinking Christmas gifts will be my motivation yet again)
5. Community Involvement. I've been in touch with the Arbor Gallery and plan to join their board. I am still in the initial stages, but it looks like I will be a volunteer graphic designer with them in the next few weeks.

In closing, I set out in writing this post because yet again I was feeling cruddy that I've neglected my blog. I always enjoy making time for it, because it helps me review my life, and acts as a living diary of places I visit. Recently I got to thinking about the kinds of posts I used to do, about colour, trends, or illustration, and realized that the blog has become less about general topics and more about me. I'm ok with that, because when this blog started it was mainly to establish some of my writing on these topics on the web to help my career move forward. But as my career progressed, and I became published more often on other platforms, this blog became anything I wanted it to be as it struck my mood in the moment.

That said, I want to develop some new direction for my writing in this space and that's on my goal list for the coming months. (Side note, if you are aching for more of my writing, be sure to follow the blog over at Pottery Lane Imports where I talk fashion trends and colours on a regular basis.) What should this space be? What kinds of articles do I enjoy writing most? This is for me to contemplate, before aiming for a blog re-launch in the new year. Feel free to let me know in the comments, what do you like about my blog? What do you want more of? I'd love to hear from you.

Here's something I've never blogged about before, but I get asked about all the time. I don't know why I'm asked about this topic often, but it seems people think I have good advice to give. And to toot my own horn a bit, I have helped a lot of people along the way with how to improve their resume, how they should handle their social media lives during job searches, and have given loads of interview tips. I even was the ghost-writer of a resume for someone who had been jobless for many months who shortly after landed a great job. I don't know, I don't have any hard evidence it was my re-draft of her resume...but she was very pleased. So it seems I know a bit about the topic.

I was giving advice again recently and typing out a long-winded email to a former intern on the hunt for a job, when I decided that maybe I should post this to my blog, so that the next time someone asked, I could just give them the link.

This is geared towards people looking for their first "adult" job after university, or people looking to change careers.

1. When searching for work, I would suggest being persistent and following up your dropped off resume, and if you get an interview, send a thank you card afterwards no matter how it went. Don't burn any bridges and say thank you often. You never know when you'll need those contacts down the road. And people LOVE getting hand written notes.

2. Always write a resume customized to the job post. Take key words from the job post and include them on your resume, in case they digitally review them, but it also helps for old fashioned review styles. Make sure you take the job post point by point and reference all items between your cover letter and your resume. I can't stress this enough...be very specific to the job you are applying for, a general resume will rarely work.

3. Don't write a novel. Ideally, a resume should be 1 page, 2 pages if you have loads of relevant work experience or you need to include published articles and so on. Don't list every task at every job you've ever had. A resume is an advertisement that gets them hooked -- leave things to be discussed in an interview. Just include interesting and the most relevant experience you have.

4. Write a custom cover letter for each job. Don't tell them what they are going to read in your resume, instead let your personality shine through, and tell them why you want that job in particular. Be honest and be fun to read.

5. Never say you are "responsible, reliable, punctual, hard-working" or any of those other general words on a resume or cover letter. If you are applying for the job, it's assumed you can handle it if you are applying. Talk about your skills. Managing multiple projects and deadlines is a skill; being a hard worker is not a skill.

6. Before the interview research the heck out of the job and the employer. Read their entire website. Google them and read articles about their industry. Then if they ask you if you have questions you will have questions to ask specific to the company, and it will show you have done your research. It's ok to ask questions you already know the answer to. The point is to show them you know what you are applying for.

7. On the day of the interview, dress conservatively, even if that isn't your style day-to-day. I never wear nude nail polish....except for job interviews and sales meetings with new clients. Once they love you, you can get away with wearing more crazy stuff. The exception to this is if the job is at a fashion company or somewhere else where dressing with flair is encouraged.

8. Know the answer to standard questions and practice them. What is your weakness, what is a challenge  you've overcome in a workplace, how do you handle stress, how do you organize your time, where do you see yourself in 5 years....your answers can be only vaguely true (especially the 5 years one) but practice them and know the answers in advance so you don't have to sit there thinking about it.

9. In the interview don't be afraid to ask them to repeat the question mid-answer (to make sure you are on track) and don't be afraid to tell them you are nervous-if you are. This is an interview, not a contest at being perfect. At the end of the interview, try to find a way to ask for the job. Either ask if they will be doing second interviews, or what their timeline is for hiring. This gives them the impression you're hungry for it, and gives you a chance to tell them you're really interested and can't wait to hear from them.

10. Bring things to the interview. If the job is creative, bring a portfolio of some kind. Don't email them a link to a website, or ask them to download a pdf, or to read your blog. Print stuff out and bring it, or bring an ipad loaded with samples. Always take a copy of your resume and cover letter to an interview in a folder. For one, it's good if the person doesn't have it handy, and two, it gives you something to do with your hands so you don't fidget.

11. Be early. Sit in the waitiing room, or use the washroom, or walk around. Eat a healthy meal with protein beforehand. (This tip in particular is one I've mucked up before and it was a disaster. I was so hungry I got blubbery in the interview...not good).

12. Be aware that the employer may have googled you. Especially if you work in any social field (communications, social media, pr, design) you need to know what your google results say about you. If you don't like what they say, get working on fixing your google results so you do like them (sidebar, should I do a post on how to do that too?) so that you are proud of what the results say. If they google you and there are no results...that is bad, possibly worse than embarrassing results. Put up a LinkedIn page at the very least.

13. On the topic of social media, do NOT say you have "social media" as a job skill if you only use it for personal reasons. Having a facebook or twitter account is not a job skill, unless you have done it for an employer in the past, or to promote something specific other than yourself. Instead, focus on the software you use, for example you might say that you are comfortable in both a Mac or PC environment, and are skilled in using a wide range of software including...

14. Lastly, in my view, little white lies are ok, so long as you will do the work needed afterwards to make it a truth. For example, I was once asked in an interview if I had used Excel before. I hadn't. I had used Lotus 123 (a very old spreadsheet program on my parent's computer as a child) and I understood Excel was a spreadsheet program in the Windows suite. I said yes. In the meantime, I learned how to use Excel and taught myself to write formulas and other basic skills. When the time came to use it I was ready to go, because I'd worked hard to get there.

Let me know in the comments what you think, are my job search tips useful?

I woke up this morning thinking about this long-neglected blog. But my blog isn't the only thing I've been neglecting in the past few months. I thought perhaps getting a post up here is a first step to the next phase of my relocation.

I decided over a year ago now that I wanted to move to the small town where my partner lived and start fresh. This wasn't the easiest thing to tackle. I liked where I lived, where I worked, and my community. To make it happen, I needed to find a new job, sell my condo (which involved staging it as well) and wrap up a number of different projects and organizations I was involved in. I essentially wanted to tap the reset button on my life. I`ve lived a few places but never outside of the greater Toronto area. I now live in a town whose population is less than half the size of the high school I went to.


Looking back on the whole year of projects to make this happen it doesn't seem that bad, but there were times in the thick of it when I definitely melted down. I was sick in November and again in December, and again during my actual move on New Year`s Eve. Being that I'm a person who rarely gets a cold, being sick so many times in quick succession told me it was time to slow down and settle in. As such, following the move, I've decidedly done very little, save starting my new job, and focussing on that, as well as settling into my new apartment and nesting (read: cooking and eating, watching Netflix).

But now that February is wrapping up and it feels like Spring might actually come this year I think it's time to start to put together my plan of attack.


Some things I want to start doing

1. Blogging more often. I miss writing creatively. Plus, I went to Edmonton for work, and should write about that. Plus this weekend is a trip to eat sandwiches and see art in Montreal, so I will  need to make notes on that too. I'm working in the fashion industry now and I haven't blogged about fashion or trends in ages! Must do that too. In general, I want to pick up this habit again.



2. Going to Zumba. I need to get out of the house more, now that I'm working from home. Working from home also means no healthy walk to work in the morning. So, I'm going to try out zumba. I'll keep you posted on how the drinking of the zumba kool-aid goes for me.

3. Fermenting things. I got into the idea of fermenting right before xmas and asked for a book about it. I read the book cover to cover and I'm even more convinced that this is a good thing to know how to do. Further, it's a way to eat completely delicious savoury things and also contribute to my health. I started my first sauerkraut this week, and I want to get good enough to make my own yoghourt.


4. Making art. I've really let this part of my creative output slide over the last few years, oddly enough, especially during the time I worked at an art gallery. Short of Christmas gifts and a few assignments I gave myself I can't seem to finish a painting. I'd like to improve that. Not sure how. I've been thinking I might just need to start sketching more, but I include writing in this category. I have started and stopped many writing projects, and I'd like to try to see one through.

5. Community involvement. I know this is part of the satisfaction I have in life. I want to make some time to volunteer and get involved here, especially in the arts community. Some research is needed, and I'm sure opportunities will find me eventually. This is a longer-range to-do item.

I`m considering this post to be the first of a new string that tells my readers a little bit about my new life and its ups and downs. While for the most part, it`s all going very well (job is good, living arrangements are good, massive reduction in stress is good) but there are challenges. Being away from friends and family, feeling a bit fish out of water, reading menus in French, those sorts of things. Speaking of fish, here`s one short tale of getting to know rural eastern Ontario life...

In the next town over there is an Independent grocery store, which to me is as good as any Loblaws in Southern Ontario...it even has a Joe Fresh section. This has become something of a favourite haunt of mine, because of course I`m loving cooking at the moment and also because it feels a bit more like home than any other place to purchase food here. Recently as a treat to myself I bought some grocery store sushi. This is something I`d occasionally do in Oshawa, and though it's not very good, it's passable for the most part and good in a pinch when I'm hungry and don't want to make two stops.

While out at the Independent I decided to treat myself and picked up the special pack that isn't just california rolls, it's also the other style with the fresh raw salmon across the rice. This comes at extra cost but it always worth it as it is the best piece in the box. At Independent in this rural area though, it's not raw fish. It's smoked salmon. Sushi lovers will surely understand the range of emotions....the sheer disappointment....followed by the harsh lesson learned. Next time I crave sushi, I'll have to drive to Montreal to get it.

I realized today I've neglected to blog about two recent road trips! For shame...

In April, I drove to Halifax. Not to worry, I wasn't alone. It was two happy couples in one big rental car, and it was quite an adventure! Some highlights:

Garrison Brewing, photo from my instagram

Garrison Brewery
Garrison is located at Halifax harbour. We visited and were able to try a number of their delicious beers. Needless to say starting to "taste" beers at 1pm leads to 4pm naps, but that's ok when you're on vacation. I really enjoyed something they called the PB&J, which was their Nut Brown Ale mixed with a Blackberry Wheat variety. It definitely had a peanut butter and jelly taste happening, but it wasn't overly sweet.


Here's Jordan tapping a cask:

I loved the art by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg.

Photo from my instagram

Chris and Hendrika are graduates of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, but now live and work out of Brooklyn NY. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in planning a mid-career retrospective for the duo, however the date is TBA on account of their recent closure due to unexpected renovations.

MadLibs
What does one do to pass the time on a more than 12 hour drive? MadLibs! We obsessively played this fun word game 'till our ribs hurt from laughing. At one point, when trying to read our resulting story, tears in my eyes and unable to breathe, my boyfriend, who was driving at the time said to me, "You can do it. You can finish it, please finish it!" through is own heaving laughter. Good times.

Other places in Halifax I enjoyed:

Tom's Little Havana - dark and velvety, perfect for a rainy spring evening. They were very friendly and had a decent beer selection.

Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market - beautiful building and interesting vendors. Had possibly the best smoothy of life there.

Phil's Seafood - 4Square suggested I try fish and salad instead of fish and chips for a change...the menu suspiciously said the same. I took this to mean I should really try the salad. I wasn't disappointed.

from my instagram

Eastern Passage -
This is my second time in Halifax. The first time Rosie and I went to Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove. This time, we picked up Rosie and took her (the local!...well, sorta) somewhere she'd never been, the Eastern Passage.

I can't say it better than Wikipedia:
Located at the southeastern edge of Halifax Harbour, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Passage derives its name from the narrow strait separating the mainland from McNabs Island and Lawlor Island, both of which lie several hundred metres west of the community. 

This "Eastern Passage" into the harbour is not the main shipping channel due to its shallow depths; the main shipping channel lies west of McNabs Island. The Eastern Passage is largely used by small recreational boats and fishing vessels during inclement weather as the island affords shelter from prevailing winds.

Personally I'd recommend going here when it isn't cold and rainy, but we still had a great time.

check out my other blog signaftersign.tumblr.com

A hotel I snapped for my sign blog in Saint Louis du Ha! Ha! which is the only city in the world with two exclamation marks in its name, and also is not named for the Just for Laughs festival as you might expect.

















Last weekend I went on another road trip, this time a much shorter one. Sharbot Lake is located about an hour north of Kingston.

The area is known for great fishing but we went to go to the Day of the Pig food festival at Seed to Sausage. 

Eddy at Seed to Sausage

Seed to Sausage is a small artisan salami, sausage, smoked meat, and pancetta maker located at the entrance to Sharbot Lake, and they hold a yearly festival celebrating their success, and giving a fun time back to their community. We were able to drink beer, soak up the long-weekend sun, eat raw oysters, steak tacos with chimichurri, pulled pork, and more, listen to live music, and meet the owner of this totally hands-on company. What a perfect day!

We spent the night in Sharbot Lake at an inn that I suspect does big business with the fishermen type. It was charming, the lilacs were blooming, and we had this view from bed. (Seriously, I took this photo laying down, in bed)

Sharbot Lake Country Inn

We spent the morning eating pancakes and driving back to Kingston for another evening of the weekend to be spent by the side of Lake Ontario.

Kingston has become special place for me, as it is halfway between home and where my boyfriend lives. We've gotten to know the town well and meet halfway for a night once in a while.

We ate dinner at the famous Chez Piggy, on their wonderful courtyard patio. Following, we  had gelato and walked along the waterfront, trying to work off some of the duck confit poutine appetizer we'd started the evening with. Though delicious, Chez Piggy wasn't the most memorable meal of this trip to Kingston, instead it was lunch at Atomica Pizza.

Though I like to start most weekend mornings with eggs and bacon, we slept in extra late and wandered around the downtown, stopping in at an open air antique market. So it was decided to skip ahead to lunch, and Atomica was our choice. Sitting outside on a sunny patio, we tried their deep fried gnocchi (zomg) and oven fired namesake Atomica pizza, which was super spicy! The Atomica pizza even featured Seed to Sausage calabrese salami.

We wrapped up the weekend with The Great Gatsby in 3D.

This is a the second post in a series. The 2011 list can be found here.

This list is in no particular order, and is not scientific in the least. It's about trends and observations, so I'd like to hear if you agree or disagree.

#10: Songs that sound like they could be Police songs.




Right?

#9 Barack Obama
I'm Canadian, but we canucks love watching a good ol' American election. The drama! The huge budgets! The far right wing nuts! It's all really much more exciting than our own political environment. Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012 and also had the most re-tweeted tweet of all time. He's a political rock star and everyone (well, everyone in Canada at least) loves him.

















#8 Memes
I mentioned the Hey Girl meme in my list last year, and memes get a broader mention this year, because I've witnessed a tipping point in 2012, largely due to how facebook has allowed images to be shared. Last year your mom joined facebook, this year she shared a meme for the first time. I teach social media classes and I started using popular memes in my lectures with students. They love it. They help us connect. Perhaps most people don't really know what memes are, but a meme is defined as a style or idea that spreads from person to person within a culture. It could be a song you get stuck in your head, a gesture, a familiar pattern. But what I'm talking about are internet memes. It seems that in 2012 internet memes hit a tipping point and now you, your mom, and someone you barely knew in highschool are making visual image memes and sharing them on facebook. I remember a few years ago I could make reference to the Deal with It meme in casual conversation and rarely would I meet someone who knew what I was referencing, unless they were as big an internet nerd as I am. Now everyone knows popular meme references, and memes create celebrities. Angelina Jolie's leg was a meme instantly while she was on the red carpet at an awards show. It's been suggested her "people" informed her and she played it up later that evening while on stage, to encourage discussion about her leg. And who could forget Binders Full of Women, which was perfectly timed to be a halloween costume meme?
Read more: Know Your Meme

#7 Going to McDonalds for coffee
They gave it away free a bunch of times and now I know how great their cups are with the fun little lids and double walled sides and now I go to McDonalds just for coffee sometimes. Many locations are now McCafe locations made to look like coffeeshop/burger joints. Obviously this is a strategic move by the company, and it's totally working.

#6 Proper Men's Haircuts
The whole manly-men Mad Men trend of a properly tailored suit has been around for a few years. Lumberjack shirts and beards and proper boots and pants that fit at the waist have become fairly mainstream. And the proper men's haircut has been around for a few years as well, but I saw it hit mainstream culture in 2012. Almost entirely gone are frosty spikes and heavily gelled coifs styled for height. Men's hair is all about a good cut, a respectable style, and smooth finish. Even on big punk rock dudes with lots of tattoos and bikers and gay men. It's across the board. Thank goodness.





#6 Weird weather
Are people still denying climate change? Because I wore socks and long pants until August and then it was warm until mid-December. Check out some of the record temperatures this year.

(Probably a bad choice of image. I'm sure Jon Stewart was making an astute and clever observation.)

#5 Old media sources talking about new media sources
This is more of a pet peeve than anything, but I need to take a minute to rant about this. Have you watched a news cast lately? They love to talk about twitter on the news. They reference twitter on a regular basis for breaking news stories, obtain quotes, get "feedback" from their "viewers" and ask you to follow them constantly. This annoys me to no end. Want to know why newscaster? Because if I wanted the news from twitter I'd be on twitter. Nothing says "your format is dead" than you constantly talking about that other media format all the time. For another example, check out the internet sensation -come-radio hit Gangnam Style.

#4 Sharing: Being inspired by lies/Marketing on Tragedy
Those stories on facebook attached to a picture that are totally made up, but tug on your heartstrings and have 250k likes. Politicians and news anchors just blatantly making things up and calling them scientific facts. Companies selling products and donating "10% of profits to victims of...", capitalizing on your guilt, and other snake oils sales tactics. (Like this one and this one.) Gosh, the world was really gross in 2012. Since we have smart phone technology and ipads every 50 feet, perhaps we should all take a moment to review the information in front of us, and find out truths before we make snap judgements. With a world of information rushing at us constantly, it's important to investigate and think critically about what we think we know. Just because sharing has been made easier doesn't mean we should think less about what we share. Better sharing includes research. I often start at snopes, a classic website that helps you to investigate things you read on the internet and urban legends. And while people criticize wikipedia, it's actually been found to be highly reliable. Well, according to this article on wikipedia anyhow. So take that as you will.

#3 The overuse of the words Amazing and Awesome. 
No, everything isn't amazing and/or awesome. I'm very guilty of this. Can we either increase our standards of what qualifies as "amazing" or decrease our use of the word? It would really have a lot more meaning if we could do that.

#2 Chia Seeds
What the heck are these little delicious things? Are they the same things as are used on Chia pets? Who knows, but I do know they are healthy and I saw them on everything this year, and before 2012 I'd never heard of them before. Now they're the new superfood and they're in everything. I keep thinking the growing popularity of superfoods like acai, chia or gogi is a combination of our collective excessive boredom with having millions of foods to choose from, combined with a generalized fear of all existing food options thanks to the industrial farming industry and the documentaries and books that have revealed it to us. Whatever, I'm going to eat up all the chia and feel better for it. It's probably because I spent all of 2011 eating bacon on everything.


#1 YOLO
Or, You Only Live Once. An excuse to do something stupid, because, you know, you're young and you don't live forever. Oddly enough there's a part of me that isn't entirely opposed to this philosophy, because in spirit it's very similar to carpe diem, or "seize the day". Unfortunately, it's become a phrase associated with doing really stupid and irresponsible things, feeling like an invincible teenager, and then shouting YOLO! after as an excuse.  The phrase is currently connected to the Drake song "The Motto" but is also attributed to Mae West and has been used for over 100 years, including as far back as (the German equivalent of) "one lives but once in the world" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the play Clavigo in 1774 and as the title of a waltz Man lebt nur einmal! ("You Only Live Once!") by Johann Strauss II in 1855. It really goes to show, everything old is new again.



Prediction for 2013? DONUTS. Hot food trend.
Happy New Year!

Most yearly roundup lists focus on a particular topic: newsmakers, albums, events, and so on. My list is going to attempt to round up things about 2011 that stand out to me as defining for the year as a whole. I'm staying away from politics and world issues because you know, I care about that stuff, but it isn't what I blog about.

I've been very busy lately. I know I've been saying that a lot on this blog but it is the truth. I do want to have some more time to blog but I love being busy (best kind of problem to have) and with so many birthdays, events and social occasions in October, it is no surprise that I've not had a lot of time for my writing here.
November keeps rolling until mid month when things slow down ever-so-slightly. At that time I think I'll blog a bit about some creative projects I'm hoping to work on in the coming weeks as Christmas gifts.

Meanwhile, here's a few things I've been up to lately.

I filmed an interview recently talking about what the Art of Transition means to me, and what creative community building is all about.


It's weird to watch yourself on camera! I don't think I'm this serious in real life. I don't seem like the goofy gal that lives inside my head. Being involved in the Art of Transition project has been a lot of fun and has introduced me to loads of interesting people. The video speaks for itself, but if you want the quick answer to what I'm talking about, come to the Durham Tourism Summit & Creative Awards, November 25th. It's all day and there's going to be all sorts of interesting people there, from speakers to craftspeople, dancers to food samples to arts orgs and other interesting things.

As a little side writing project I published a piece about Douglas Coupland's new sculpture in Oshawa in a new grassroots publication called SlowCity. Here's an event page for the launch of the issue.

My newest  column in the Oshawa Express is out, and it's about supporting your cultural community by participating in art classes and getting to know your peers. It's not only important for beginners, but also for emerging artists, people who want to network, or even people that want to get involved but are shy and don't know how.

Speaking of being creative, I've just come through my favourite time of year, Halloween. Costume parties are the best things ever! I also enjoy the few days following the holiday when everyone posts their costume pictures online, and I also make a point of checking out the celebrity costumes. Celebs have much bigger budgets than us, so I think expectations should be much higher.

My favourite celebrity halloween costume this year is from Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and his girlfriend who went as Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour, a nod to her dress in the November Rain video.

I think it's a funny costume because it's a pop culture costume in the genre of Amy Winehouse (the pop culture costume that just won't go away) but relevant to pop culture more than ten years ago. Hilarious!

This year I needed three costumes, and had a very limited budget. For the first event, I dressed as the new Douglas Coupland sculpture at the RMG. For the second event, I was a lawn gnome. For the third event, my own party, I dressed as the paper bag princess! Grand total expenditures on these costumes was under ten dollars.

This is the Paperbag Princess. She's very angry in the book so I tried to look angry in photos...though I'm not much of an actor and have a very hard time holding an "angry" face...I think I'm half angry in this photo and half laughing.

The Paperbag Princess is a character in a children's book of the same name by author Robert Munsch. I loved the story as a child and have loved reading it to my niece as an adult. I think it tells a much more positive story to little girls than most of those horrid misogynist Disney princess stories.

Here's the synopsis:
Princess Elizabeth plans on marrying Prince Ronald, who is practically perfect. However, a dragon arrives who destroys her kingdom, kidnaps Ronald, and burns all her clothes so that she has no choice but to wear a paper bag. Elizabeth follows the dragon and Ronald, and seeking to rescue her fiancé, challenges the dragon to burn forests with fire and to fly around the world. The dragon completes the tasks but after flying around the world a second time becomes tired and falls asleep. Elizabeth rescues Ronald, who is ungrateful and tells her to return when she looks more like a princess. Elizabeth realizes that she is better off without Ronald and sets off into the sunset to live her own life. 


I also had a pretty great idea for my costume for next year. Since I normally have a good costume idea this time of year and then forget it when I need to think of one a year later, I'm going against my personal rules of keeping costumes a secret and posting it here.

Wouldn't it be fun to be Red from Fraggle Rock?

Red is another strong female character. She's exuberant and athletic, she's cynical and teases her friends and wants to be in control. Yep, this sounds like a perfect costume for me! Also, it gives me an excuse to shop for a cute little red dress...just 11.75 months to go!

I like stronger female characters, I really feel like there is a lack of them in children's (and adult's) entertainment and media. So often strong female characters have negative portrayals. I've been wanting to catch a screening of the documentary Miss Representation.

There's one this week but I'll have to miss it due to a prior commitment. It is a documentary film about women and how they are portrayed in media. From their own website, "American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths. Miss Representation.org believes that all people should be equally represented in our media, that our voices should be heard and that we should all be valued for our talents, capacity as leaders, and ability to contribute to the world at large."

The org behind the film created a great tumblr featuring positive, strong female halloween costumes. You can check them out here. 

I've been keeping so busy this summer. I know I've said this before but it's true. I've had two columns published in the paper since my last post, and have started a new blog at work, which you can check out here. Column one was about a local artist and column two is about collaboration and community.

I checked out a production of Macbeth recently. I've really been on a Shakespeare kick. Maybe it has to do with getting older but I feel like I have more patience and understanding now than I did when I had to read it in school. Now I get a stronger sense of the story just from the words (no need for those handy Coles Notes) and am becoming more interested in the universality of the themes. The production of Macbeth I saw was put on the Driftwood Theatre troupe and it placed the story in a post-apocalyptic setting. The costumes were very Mad-Max meets Medieval England.

The witches were terrifying! They were in costumes made with gas masks and army capes and writhed around the stage with a sort of interpretive dance style that was truly mesmerizing. It was a great way to spend a summer evening. Out damn spot! Out I say!



I recently checked out a band called White Mystery. They were a rocking two-piece band from Chicago made up of a ginger-haired brother and sister team. They were pretty bad-ass performers and also super sweet people, which I know because I got to thinking part way through the show of those Airheads White Mystery flavour candy. I spoke to them after the show and it turns out, they are named after said candy. This is good with me, cause boy, do I have a sweet tooth and these are one of my favourites. A worthy namesake I do say.


It has to be tough to me a two-piece band made up of one male and one female these days. The comparisons to the White Stripes are unavoidable. I've recently seen The StandStills perform, who also suffer the comparisons (though, really if you cover Black Betty and play a lot of blues, are the comparisons that unfair?) and opening for White Mystery was a group called Skirt Chasers, also a female/male duo.


I'd have to say White Mystery had the least-comparable-to-the-White-Stripes-thing going on , in spite of the name. Probably because of the female lead vocalist. Ballsy to go with that name though, I still say. Even if their last name really is White. What comes to mind is questions about my own sexism. Would I compare a duo, if male, to the White Stripes? Possibly, if they played a garage blues sound but it is definitely less likely than if one half of the duo is female. I need to knock that off. It's not fair.

In other arts-related news I'm working on a committee that is helping to put together a new awards program called Durham Art of Transition Creative Awards (or DATCAs). It's an interesting project that will honour creative collaboration between the arts and business and it also encourages the development of creativity in the region that I live. You can check out more about that project by visiting the Art of Transition website.

I've been working on some guest blogging for a few other spaces, so stay tuned for posts about that. Speaking of staying tuned, my friend Eddy Earwigg has created a satirical newspaper called The Revision. I may or may not have had something to do with an article or lent my expertise in other areas. Regardless of if I did or not, you should check out the paper, because it is pretty funny and a light summer read.

Other things to check out:
My recent obsession: Naomi Elizabeth , performance artist.
Fashion brand Complex Geometries who make crazy awesome street wear.
Arts blog Hype Lighter.
This song by the White Stripes, because no matter what kind of mood I'm in, this song makes me want to nod my head and bounce my knee.

I was having a conversation recently with a coworker who is relatively new to the Oshawa area. Having lived in Toronto in the past, she'd become spoiled with the selection of delicious and multicultural take-out foods. I could relate. After moving back to Oshawa from Toronto I really missed my local haunts like Gazale's on Bloor Street near the cinema and the Salad King on Yonge.  I could relate to her feeling that she was in a cultural wasteland in Oshawa, but in the past couple of years, I've made an effort to seek out some ethnic restaurants and they do exist here. Selection is not nearly as limited as you might assume, and it seems to be becoming more varied all the time. So, I shared my tips for Oshawa, and she was amazed at number of places I had suggested that were of the non-fast-food-slash-chain-restaurant variety. As a result I've been inspired to write this post.

Firstly let me say there are a lot of places I didn't include - there are three thai restaurants downtown and I'm only covering one. I'm just listing places I know and like and will eat in again. Also, I'm not including non-ethnic foods. It's not that Teddy's isn't an Oshawa institution, or that Fazio's doesn't make the great fresh pasta, or that Avanti's doesn't offer yummy stone hearth pizza, because those restaurants are good at what they do and I've never had bad service or quality there. They are just pretty 'normal' for what you'd expect in this town, and I'm looking for things a bit more unusual. Perhaps Indian food doesn't seem overly adventurous to you, but my sister-in-law recently confessed to me she's never tried it, so I have been inspired to forge ahead with this list.

Finally, I am not a restaurant critic. What you can figure out though, from reading this blog, is that I love to try new things and eat food, in general. I make it a goal to try something new often so I think at the very least you could say this is coming from a non-professional, highly experimental enthusiastic eater. So take that as you will.

typical sushi menu

First up, Sushi. Osaka Sushi is in the heart of downtown, just north of King Street on Simcoe Street. I'm a big fan of sushi in general and feel as though I'm some sort of expert in this area, since I worked in Markham for 6 years and ate sushi enough that I actually decided to cut back after that whole Jeremy Piven "I've got mercury poisoning" scandal.  I mean, really, eating raw fish in copious amounts twice weekly probably isn't wise, even if it is delicious. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm a fan of the Chirashi Don and generally eat that when out for Sushi. This is a test of any sushi shack's quality, and Osaka Sushi delivers. For around $11 including tax I get the Chirashi Don which includes soup and salad. I've never been disappointed. It is a large amount of rice, veggies and fish. My friend usually gets less-fish oriented food like tempura or teriyaki and is also always pleased. I've never done their All-You-Can-Eat or happy hour menus, but if that's your thing I think this place is a good bet for quality, and a good bet for service. This is a better-than-many sushi joint with reliable quality and flair.

tandoori oven

Next up, Indian Food. After many years of driving to Whitby I finally tried the Curry Club on Simcoe Street. I think this restaurant has survived years of a city less interested in multicultural foods by advertising "Canadian" foods on the sign. I've tried the Dinner for Two, which gets you a huge amount of food for $25. For two people, who are both more than healthy eaters, this meal is really 4 - two dinners and two boxes of leftovers for lunch the next day. It includes Vegetable Pakora, Meat Samosa, Butter Chicken, Lamb or Beef Curry, Mixed Vegetables, Peas Pilau and Naan. They make their Butter Chicken with Tandoori, which, I'm not even sure is the normal way but ads a nice spice to the Butter Chicken standard. It seems different to me anyhow. Their Samosa, though greasy, are super delicious, perhaps the best I've ever had.The service here is friendly as well.

roti, likely stuffed w/ chicken,beef, or goat & a curry potato mixture

If you're a curry fan but are looking for something different, try the West Indian food at Miranda's Roti on Simcoe Street, just south of John. My aunt is Guyanese, as are the owners, so this food tastes like her home cooking to me (which is a good thing!). Fresh roti bread, delicious curry, and when you order 'spicy' it is still edible. I go for the goat roti which is about $9 and is huge, very filling and is enough for dinner on it's own. They also offer a selection of other treats like the Grace drinks in white cream soda (that taste like butter), beef patties and plantain chips. It's take out only.

typical koobideh

My favourite restaurant of the moment has to be Cyrus Persian Food on Ritson Road. Now this is a place for cheap eats! I get take out dinners with extras and for two it is very easy to buy a load of food for under $20. It's just outside of downtown, but worth the trip for either dine-in or take-out. They even have a patio and you can smoke the hookah if you're interested. Their koobideh is yummy and cheap, as is their shwarma, which is *always*  on special it seems. You could easily eat for lunch for closer to $5 and be full, and the food is fast, fresh and healthy. I love the roasted tomatoes that come with the koobideh. The service is also always great and super friendly, the owner often comes to the till to thank you for your order. The decor is actually cozy too and you could definitely eat here comfortably.

just found this when i googled 'chorizo'

Mexican Food is becoming pretty common in the Downtown area. At last count there were four options, Mexico Lindo, Santa Fe, Viva Burritos and a new licensed pub/mexican joint going into the old Thirsty Monk. The one I'd recommend for takeout would have to be Viva Burritos, though they have a much smaller menu then the other places. I don't want to say anything negative about the other joints (and surely if I want a margarita I will go to one of them), but Viva Burritos is my favourite for take out. It serves basically just burritos, but they offer a wide selection of meat options including Chorizo, my favourite. I get mine stacked "spicy non-dairy" and it's divine. Chorizo is ground pork cured as a sausage and then cooked slowly in a sun -dried sweet bell pepper sauce which is spicy, but not hot-spicy. It's super yummy. They also have quesedillas and home made guacamole for takeout. They make the guac fresh while you wait, and it's not expensive at all. I believe last time I was in the side of Guac was $3, which honestly shocked me since buying an avacado will run you $1.29 lately. The service is great, it's family owned and operated. Their apple empanadas are also yummy, if you have room for one after your burrito. It is under $8 for the large burrito and I don't think I've actually ever been able to finish the whole thing. As for authenticity, well, I've never been to Mexico but I've been told this is the real deal by a reliable source (except for when I get whole wheat wraps. That is, as I've been informed, very unauthentic, however, I love having the option).

spaetzle and schnitzel

One odd dark winter evening, I was craving spaetzle. Have you ever had spaetzle? I think once you've had it cravings just come randomly. Spaetzle isn't only fun to say, it is also this funny little pasta in the gnocci family - well, a distant cousin anyhow. It's a potato pasta that is served alongside things like goulash and schnitzel. I hadn't ever had it until my sister married an Austrian and I was lucky enough to eat his mother's cooking. At Euro Chef in Oshawa you can get a weiner schnitzel and spaetzle dinner for a great price and the serving is huge. I've also had their delicious perogies. The restaurant classifies itself as "Hungarian" and had an interesting menu of things to try if you are up for a gut-warmer.

thai spring rolls

For Thai food I've eaten a few times at Golden Thai Cafe. Was it the best Thai food I've ever had? Well, that would be a tough crown to take from the Salad King or Green Mango in Toronto. So, no. I thought their Pad Thai was passable, but what really got me was their great lunch and dinner specials. You can easily sit for lunch with a drink and walk out having only spent $10 and being more than full. Most recently I had their lunch yellow tofu curry special, which started with a spring roll (actually really good and apparently made in-house), a mango salad, and a delicious spicy curry with tofu and veg served on a bed of rice. I had it with iced tea and it was under $9 including tax.
Editor's note: There's a new Thai restaurant downtown called the Bamboo House. It has fantastic lunch specials at $6.95 that I'm hooked on. I've also had the dinner take out. I've eaten their Pad Thai, Mango Chicken, Basil Chicken and Yellow Curry. All were delicious, though I'd say the Yellow Curry was a little on the salty side. A very solid Pad Thai though if that's your thing - a coworker claimed it was the best pad thai they'd ever had. Of note, the ambiance is lovely and the service is very fast and friendly!

Things I'm leaving out and why:

• Chinese Food. Does this really count as ethnic food anymore? I don't count it, but there are options downtown.
• Pizza/Burgers/Pasta/Fish&Chips/PubFood- these aren't what this post is about but if you want these foods, you'll find them downtown
• Korean Food. Found a new Korean place on Simcoe south of Bloor. Have eaten there once. It was not Korean BBQ. Seemed very un-Korean in fact. Will try the Kimchi next time. Jury is still out.
• Editor's note: I've discovered Sushi King on Ritson Road South. Yes, it's called "Sushi King" and has japanese food, but it's owned by Koreans and has a great Korean menu too. And it's SOOOOO good. Ate there last week. Had traditional Korean BBQ with Kimchi as well as Korean Sashimi. Both were great. Scratch it from the list!
• Anything Upscale - there's a new restaurant going into the RMG, there's Fazio's. But these aren't take out joints. I'm not counting them.
• Cultural Halls. As I've covered before on this blog the local cultural halls open up, and you can buy home cooked Polish, Italian, etc foods. All are great, but the hours aren't regular.
• Falafel. I didn't think there was a good pita/falafel joint in downtown Oshawa but writing this post has taught me about Oz Pita. Haven't eaten there yet, so the jury  is out. Is this place good? Or does it deserve to stay on the wish list?

Places on my wish list:

• Ethiopian. Yummy and social. 
• Greek. No Greek food in the heart of downtown. No non-chain establishments
• Korean BBQ House. Again, so yummy and social as well. 
• 24Hr Chow Joint like Mel's Diner in Toronto. Mel's isn't really ethnic unless you consider Montrealers ethnic. They have awesome greasy breakfasts and montreal smoked meat and bagels. Also a good spot for Poutine. Editor's note: Mel's has since closed up shop. Sad face over here.
• My friend insists downtown needs an ice cream shop. I inform him this isn't exactly what I'm blogging about. He says, "Ok, gelato then." Mmm. Gelato.
• Dim Sum. I went for Dim Sum for the first time as a you-aren't-working-in-Markham-anymore treat. Sold! So good. Would be nice to have some more authentic Chinese food options.

So, did I miss anything?