Archive for March, 2011

living
media
March 29th, 2011

David Sedaris is Worth It

Late this afternoon, I got my dirty little paws on tickets to see Mr. David Sedaris (!) tonight at the National Arts Centre.

But really, the timing couldn’t be worse … our house is torn apart and we’re in the middle of painting it, the kids have stuff going on tonight that requires taxi-driving, and I can barely think straight from the insomnia I had last night.

In case you are wondering who he is, which I suspect you might be, because when I wrote a post on Sedaris titled “I’m in love with a gay man” eons ago, I didn’t receive a single comment. Nope, no endless streams of “me too!” and “yes! I adore him too!” Same for this post, and even in this post, where I included quotes from Sedaris that I thought were just so witty and hilarious … the response from you my dear readers? Silence again.

So, let me guess — if you were me, you’d pass on the tickets, put on your jammies and curl up on the sofa, eh? I know, it is kind of tempting. (Especially since Glee is on tonight.) REALLY tempting, in fact.

But hubby has shown his true colours and valiantly insisted that I go — timing be damned. And he’s right.

Off I go …


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media
March 25th, 2011

An Ottawa Giveaway! Tickets for two to the National Arts Centre

EDITED TO ADD:  WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! The winner for this giveaway was determined using random.org and it was PB Addict. Congrats to a fellow peanut butter lover and I hope you have a fabulous time! (Come back and tell us all about it!) Warm wishes, Julie

Great news! The National Arts Centre has generously offered two tickets for Coffee with Julie readers to see a really interesting show that’s coming to town.

The performer is Patricia O’Callaghan:

And here’s why I say she’s interesting:

  • She’s a Canadian (I love to support Canadian art!), born and raised in Northern Ontario.
  • When she was growing up she wanted to be a nun and a rock star — tough decision. So, she became an opera singer instead.
  • Although a classically trained opera singer, she mostly does contemporary stuff …  as diverse as Leonard Cohen to Pearl Jam.
  • She’s billed as a cabaret act. So she sings, but also puts on a fantastic, almost theatrical, show.
  • She gets rave critical reviews.

So … sounds like a good night out, doesn’t it??!!!

AND since Chef Blackie has been doing such an unbelieveable transformation of the NAC’s in-house restaurant Le Cafe, you can indulge yourself with a delicious dinner because you didn’t have to pay for the theatre tickets! (Like how I justify expenses? I’m good that way.)

If you’d like a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Patricia O’Callaghan, just do this:

  • Make sure you are free and/or can get a sitter for Friday, April 1st. Show starts at 7:30pm.
  • Leave a comment below that includes a valid email address (your email does not show publicly when you comment).
  • That’s it … easy, peasy! (No retweeting, joining facebook or any of that nuisance.)

Good luck! :)

I’ll do the draw on Tuesday morning around 9am.


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travel
March 22nd, 2011

#Blog4NZ: New Zealand never leaves you

Blog4NZ is a grass-roots effort on the part of the international travel blogging community to promote all that is good about travel in New Zealand from the 21st to 23nd of March — the one-month anniversary of the quake. Tourism makes up approximately 10% of New Zealand’s GDP and it is essential for the world to know that New Zealand is open for business.

So … New Zealand! Where to start? Well, it was 1993, I had a one-way ticket and a one-year working holiday visa for Australia.

But before landing in Australia, my girlfriend and I were planning on taking advantage of the free stop that came with our plane ticket. We landed in Auckland, New Zealand with plans to spend one month travelling from the North Island all the way down to the South Island, where we would fly out of Christchurch. And what a month it was!

I have such exceptional and fond memories from our time in New Zealand. The combination of spectacular scenery with the genuine kindness extended to us from every Kiwi (code name for a New Zealander) we met … from a sweet older lady who invited us to stay with her at her home in the town of Rotorua, known for its geothermal mud pools and boiling crater lakes, to the countless strangers who picked us backpackers up on the side of the road and gave us a lift on our journey.

Honestly, if there is one place you must go visit before you die, it’s New Zealand.

 

Check out all there is to see in New Zealand — seriously, you’ll be amazed that one small island can offer everything from glaciers to beaches to rolling green hills dotted with sheep — at this site: http://www.newzealand.com/travel/Canada/.


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living
media
March 16th, 2011

Are you guilty of labelling people?

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been guilty of labelling someone — consciously or subconsciously — according to a stereotype or just simply out of ignorance.

So it’s precisely for this reason that I found this video created by Mabel’s Labels so valuable. It gives me that reminder to constantly challenge labels … of those that come to mind when I meet someone as well as those that I place on myself.

In the video, which was made in honour of International Women’s Day, employees from Mabel’s Labels share the labels that they get stuck with. I like how the video begins with a label, like “religious,” and the associations or connotations that go along with it, like “judgemental,” and then moves to ripping off the labels by letting the women characterize themselves for who they actually are.

Check it out … let  me know what you think ….

p.s. I know the size of the video is not right by my toddler is desperate to play Mr. Potato Head, so I’ll have to fix it later. Forgive the look of it in the meantime!


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family
March 14th, 2011

Dragons

Dragons

A Poem by Stella

 

Sometimes I see something

that makes me think:

“Was that a dragon

or a blue bellied skink?”

Some people say

they are not real.

But when I see something like that,

it’s not the way I feel.

Maybe when I grow up,

they will be known.

But right now, as I said,

many people think they’re dead!

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