Ava

I've always been a fan of this sultry beauty but had never seen "The Barefoot Contessa" with Humphrey Bogart and beautiful Italian scenery and gorgeous gowns. It's the story of a movie star told from the viewpoints of three men who knew her best - including her director and husband.

One of the rare gifts of Miss Gardner is that not only is she a divine glamourpuss but that underlying vulnerability. I advise you to check out this flick sometime if you can. A wonderful escape. She has no equivalent today. Also for a double dose of steaminess - watch her in "The Killers" - a great film noir that also has the wonderful Burt Lancaster - double eye candy.

Did you know that when she was filming "Showboat" the studio stupidly decided to dub her wonderful husky voice? Check it out.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHYLJVnsrs&feature=share&list=PLLjNW9qjiVMZF5tbSb8y1eSX13H7thdGs

Nostalgia Jukebox

I was in my favourite neighbourhood coffee shop yesterday and what came on the radio but this Beatles classic. In no time I was singing along sotto voce and tapping my foot. What is it about this tune that makes one so happy? Is it the comforting feeling of a neighbourhood its' people and routine? Say what you want about Paul McCartney - he does write a fine pop tune.

By the way - we did seek out this spot while in Liverpool.

I'm not one of the negative nellies who feel he doesn't have the depth of John Lennon. So what? What is so wrong about being happy and feeling good? I'll answer that..nothing! Shortly thereafter another blast from the past came over the stereo system - Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" and I was transported back to my teenage self singing into a hairbrush in front of the mirror listening to Casey Kasem's "American Top 40"...yes I certainly am dating myself!

I guess that's why I love music so much - it can lift you up, comfort you, inspire you and transport you.

Later on today as a respite from the chilly weather I'm headed to an aromatherapy class to be transported by another sense  - the nose.

A Glimpse of Spring

As I write this the temperatures are in the minus territory and there is a light dusting of snow on the ground here in Toronto. So you might forgive me for a little fantasy as I received a hint of warmer days to come this morning in my inbox - an email from Yves St. Laurent Beauty featuring the gorgeous spring colours...I am posting them down below so you can start salivating too.

I realize perhaps this company is not politically correct - not sure where their stance is on animal testing so 40 lashes with a wet noodle for me - thank you Dear Abby. However,what cannot be denied is the innate style sense of the French - their cosmetic companies also produce such gorgeous palettes and to die for packaging. These days who doesn't want a bit of affordable luxury, to purchase a little je ne sais quoi? I particularly love the nail polish colour and GREEN mascara! Green is apparently the new "it" colour, particularly in emerald shades for spring. I have found the Faux Cils mascara quite frankly to be the best mascara I've used and I've tried many, many mascaras high and low end. There are lovely shades of peach and rose in lipsticks and blushes as well.

Enjoy. Dreaming is free as Blondie said.
 

I am currently on the Joyous 10 Day detox - created by the lovely Joy McCarthy - check out her website www.joyoushealth.ca to join and get delicious recipes, hints, coaching and much valuable nutrition information courtesy of this sparkly nutritionist - she really is a great advertisement for her services and comes from a place of dealing with her own digestive issues. I have taken a couple of workshops of hers as well at 889 Yoga.  You can catch her on the Global Morning Show on occasion too.

And now I will slip back into World War II era Britain while reading "Princess Elizabeth's Spy" - the second in a mystery series featuring the intrepid Maggie Hope of "Mr. Churchill's Secretary" - I can't tell you how exciting it was to visit the Churchill War Rooms that Susan Elia Macneal was writing about in London itself.

Evolve and Resolve

Ah yes, the New Year's "To Do" list or is that to be or not to be, the time to exercise every day, eat healthy, put bad relationships behind you, stop smoking, drinking, complaining etc etc.

I confess I am guilty of making my own list of "intentions"...but as my pilates instructor said last night - it's all well and good to make resolutions you have to follow them up with ACTIONS. So true, and there in lies the rub...

For myself one of my endeavours is to write every day and hopefully that means this blog. The eating healthy and exercising are also in there of course as well as meditation, singing, de-cluttering and more daunting - think of learning to drive and to get some meaningful employment - well, if not meaningful initially at least somewhat lucrative - so I can pay for things like singing lessons, driving lessons and whatever else strikes my fancy. With the time left over - read inspiring books and do some more volunteer work.

One of the major tasks ahead is not to be too hard on myself - or for you to be too hard on yourself. I understand some 50 per cent or so of people who start out with great guns in January...fall off the wagon by February...thus why this month is so lucrative for gyms and organizations like Weight Watchers.

I will keep you up to date on my progress of course - tonight I'm off to a Law of Attraction evening which hopefully will newly inspire me as I certainly seem to need that of late...could be SAD or just being 50ish. I'm looking for something hopeful on the horizon. Happy New Year everyone.

Samsara

I won't begin to try and describe this film - an incredible documentary covering everything from Buddhist monasteries and the pilgrimage to Mecca to sex dolls to sand dunes to food factories to African tribes and lots of gorgeous cinematography with a haunting soundtrack. It made for an interesting afternoon viewing that's for sure and for cause to reflect on how privileged or over-privilieged we are in this part of the world. The Sanskrit word means "the ever changing wheel of life" and so it is...like the tarot card, the Wheel of Fortune can be at the top or bottom.

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In a weird way it had me check out "Samsara" perfume again at Shoppers Drug Mart..a weird non sequitur I know...I also have this strange dream or fantasy or walking through those beautiful windswept sand dunes - "Tea in the Sahara" anyone?

From the sublime to the very ridiculous as in ridiculously funny I went to the Second City Christmas show on Boxing Day - kudos to the cast for a fast paced and hilarious show. The sketch about the young Christmas tree being harvested - as a horror film reference while the clueless family sung "O Christmas Tree" was great. No worries - her "dad" got his revenge later in the show. Oops..did I spoil it? The battling snow shovellers a la Matrix was also great. I can't really separate out any cast member since it was a great ensemble effort as it  should be - witness the numerous re-tellings of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" - or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Of course our secret fear is always being chosen from the audience as a "volunteer" ..whew, escaped that!

As New Year's Eve approaches we have plans to dine at Fressen. The venerable high end veg spot on Queen is closing for a few months for a drastic re-vamp - can't wait to see what Mr. Gardiner was in store for us.

Cleaning house

I decided to get rid of a few things today, on the advice of my friend Richard and feeling that purging myself of old items makes way for new and better things.

A few of the items I purged were old journals and yes, I know you should hold onto those for posterity - for when you become a celebrity...:)  However, these many journals chronicled a time in my life a few years ago when I was unhealthily obsessed with someone - is an obsession every really healthy? I agonized over their every word and action, feeling like a teenager...I consulted friends and advisors and psychics to give me insight into his very soul. Would that I had paid attention to a couple of friends who had his number from the get go..a self absorbed individual who liked the ego strokes my attention provided. Lesson learned and therefore why I chose to clear the area of those painful writings. Yes, I do feel better ,lighter, wiser, wealthier.

I also cleared out some cookbooks I hadn't used in a while. I read some de-cluttering advice which I found very helpful, in essence, ask yourself "Do I Love It? Do I Need It? Do I Use It?" Wise words.

I had a couple of very fun experiences as of my last writing. Last night I went to hear Mboya Nicholson, a wonderful pianist from Edmonton, who studied with Ellis Marsalis at a cozy room in St. Paul's Church on Bloor. This was presented by Keita Hopkinson who operates Toronto Jazz Buzz - contact him - you can Google if you would like this salon experience in your own home. We were treated to Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake and Mboya's own composition in the hour long concert. Cozy.

I also attended a book reading by my yoga teacher Luba Lechyshyn - "Theft by Chocolate" at Choco Sol Traders. I got a chocolate high as I'm sure many others did - lots of samples of their delicious chocolate, raw and roasted cacao beans (loved those), hot chocolate and delicious readings by Luba. We had a great turnout and learned about chocolate. Luba's book - a mystery but without the murder of course deals with that intoxicating substance - her heroine is a bit of an addict and takes place at a museum which strongly resembles the ROM - Luba used to work there.

Tomorrow night is an RBC event in honour of "Jazzology" and their sponsorship of our show - there will be music of course from a few of our guests..I'll let you know how that turns out....

Un petit peu de Paris en Toronto

Checked out this charming cafe this morning - so lovely. It's tucked away at 9 Clarence Square overlooking the park a block east of Spadina and south of King. The staff are wonderful, warm  and efficient and I practiced a bit of French - un cafe au lait avec soya.

There are all manner of gorgeous looking pastries, daily soup and salads specials, quiches, sandwiches and sur le weekend - crepes et galettes. Formidable!

As you will note from the photo they even have a cozy patio for the warmer weather and gazing across at the park one can almost imagine being in Paris (if you block out the construction cranes and tall buildings). I love how the French serve coffee with a little square of chocolate..so civilized. It's alway fun finding new independent cafes which have their own personality and bien sur le style!

Which is an appropriate segue - knowing just the right touch in decor and food can also extend to musical arrangments - in most cases less is more.

Last night we attended a concert called "Tapestries" highlighting the music of James Taylor and Carole King. After the bombastic first 3 numbers I was toying at leaving when intermission came around. There is such a thing as being too clever for one's one good - to the detriment of such fine music...luckily the show was salvaged by the appearance of Arlene Duncan and a great rendition of "Where You Lead" followed by Kelly Holiff and "SteamRoller" and a sublime "You Can Close Your Eyes" with Jake Epstein and Amanda Le Blanc. Jake Epstein did a lovely version (accompanying himself on guitar) on "Something in the Way She Move" in the second half and Arlene Duncan et al on the uplifting "Shower The People". "So Far Away" was poignant and perfect courtesy of Amanda LeBlanc. Jarring tunes? "Fire and Rain", "Your Smiling Face" and "I Feel the Earth Move" ...too bad. It was my husband's birthday last night so it was a mixed bag. I was much more impressed with the "Tapestry" tribute we saw at the Cabaret series at the Young Centre a couple of years back, which featured Jackie Richardson ("Way Over Yonder" - incredible), Don Francks and a stellar cast.

Keep it simple when you're dealing with great music - that's a great part of the appeal of those two performers - just great melodies, lyrics and arrangements...like a warm hug.