stone cold fox

i need these shorts. now.

also currently in love with:

clove-spiced soft serve ice cream
armistice*
bust magazine

*

hook line and sinker

Source: onefabulousday.wordpress.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: appleday.tumblr.com via Lena on Pinterest

Source: crazywithitcrazierwithout.tumblr.com via stitchlily on Pinterest

one of these please

Source: flickr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

and all the clothes on it too.

thanks!

tales of a scorned receptionist

dear universe,

i heart my job.
for the most part.

but let's just be honest.

some people are flipping insane.

i have took the pleasure of "grouping" them into certain categories.
it should go, without saying, that to be grouped in these categories.
is not a compliment.

1. the victim.
basically. the world is against them. and no one will ever understand. ever.
the victim usually requires immediate care.
they have fleeting moments of confidence where they decide they must seek help now. when you offer your next available appointment (usually 2 days later), they become angry. they often heavily rely on and overuse the sentence "you just don't understand" to which i reply "i do understand. i don't think you understand. this is not an emergency clinic and i do not have the availability to book people in last minute. my earliest opening is thursday at noon. take it or leave it".**

** i have developed what i like to refer to as the "receptionist b!tch alter ego" but for the most part, i am a super pleasant person.

2. the world revolves around me.
if you book an appointment..it is your responsibility to be at that appointment. such is life. if you need to cancel an appointment..that is really fine by me. however. do not call and ask me to personally call every person that week and see if anyone will switch appointment times with you. that is quite possibly the most ridiculous and selfish request anyone could make. i only give you props for having the gusto to make such a request.

3. the you know what i need.
i do not spend my days studying your file. in fact, that would be illegal. so when you stroll in here off the street and request a supplement refill by using the words "it's what i got last time", i am inclined to stare at you blankly and respond with "i need exact names and potency if need be". apparently this is a problem for the you know what i need individuals. they become angered yet they cannot say much. what could they really say? "you mean i am expected to know what kinds of supplements i am taking?!" maybe they should say that. it would become evident how ridiculous they are being. i imagine they would stop mid-sentence and then trail off into a world of embarrassment.

4. the best friend you never had wanted.
do not under any circumstances call me and tell me in great detail about your entire cycle. i do not care what color your discharge is. i have my own cycle to worry about it.

5. the i have to write a paper and cannot possibly do with a headache.
this will not get you an appointment at 5:30 pm once all the nd's have left. and it certainly will not get you sympathy from me. i write papers all the time. on no sleep. with headaches. and no general interest in what i am writing.

6. the my kid just did something bad and i could care less.
how lovely. your little sweet pea just locked the bathroom door and then closed it. it happens. kids are kids and that is cool by me. however. you are not a kid and, therefore, should not approach the situation like a child. no, we do not have a key. this house and that door knob are ancient. the only reason you are concerned is because he left his empty lunch bag in there. the only reason?! no need to worry about the trail of dancing people at the bathroom door.

7. the i screened your call and didn't listen to the message but called back to see what you needed.
really? really!? listen to your messages!!

and my personal favorite:

8. the i called to make an appointment but do not have my schedule
why are you calling me to make an appointment and then replying with "oh, i don't know my schedule" think about how ridiculous that is. and then call me back when you know your damn schedule.

yours truly,
brittany's alter ego: receptionist b!tch

i could figure my life out in 24 hours

a feat i have been postponing for 3 months
if i hired

this boy:



and this girl:




i think it would be the best investment i have made all year.

welcome to my world..

a world of treasures

and reclaimed trash

a crafted headboard

above it hangs a woven garland

flying dragonflies above my bed

an antique dresser

refinished

painted white

and adorned with off white floral

complete with vintage-inspired crystal knobs

a pile o' brittany

bust magazine

journal

list of goals

and knitting projects

(oddly, part of the list of goals!)

lotta designs

dancing up my wall

vintage chair

repurposed as a bedside table

painting from italy

inherited lamp

ganesh

candles

and a fabulous hat

more to come....

perhaps.

help! i'm alive

i realize i have been absent.
i thought of it everyday.
then the thought left my mind just as quickly...

fleeting moments.

i have had plenty of them this past while.

i set goals in these fleeting moments
important goals.

the most important one:
come up with a life plan
because fall 2011 semester
is the make it or break it time of your career.

i was supposed to make this decision
approximately 5 weeks ago.

fleeting moments.

aside from procrastination
i have been up to the usual...

hoarding library books
and video rentals
(i think i was a thief in my past life
or a very selfish bookworm)

playing in the kitchen
getting my fair share of protein
booking appointments
cancelling appointments
starbucks runs
weeding
seriously contemplating a pug purchase
seeking out pretty pictures
to preoccupy my mind

and a little of the not so usual as well...
hospital visits
bar hopping
and thinking a lot about eating olives (odd, i know)

oh.
and also making *every attempt to save my eggplant.
i will harvest an eggplant.
mark my words.



* we have crafted a nice greenhouse for said eggplant.
now thrive eggplant! thrive!

if i loved you, i would tell you this

by robin black

my first attempt at promoting this novel
went something like this:

"is it about...death...kind of..life..."
to which i received a raised eyebrow and a polite rejection.

fair enough.

here is the second attempt:

black dedicated ten years to the series of short stories
found in if i loved you, i would tell you this.
time well spent.

each story is a beautifully detailed tale
each with a specific purpose
each focusing on one (or more) of life's mysteries:
love
death
loss
birth
joy
and sadness.

to say it is a deep read
would be accurate
but not nearly enough.

it is through black's book that we familiarize ourselves
with the many beautiful, sometimes challenging, facets of life.

on (never) failing

sometime ago i woke up at 3:30 am
and found myself at the airport a short while later
tired
groggy
and anxious.

two airplanes
one book
and one soy latte later
i arrived at my destiation:

hamilton, on.

as i said before, i was in hamilton for an interview
for a chance to score a seat at the mcmaster midwifery program.

after weeks of baited breath
i have the results.

i am not in
but i am not out.
i am on a waiting list.
spot # 9 on the mcmaster midwifery program wait list belongs to me.

should 9 people forgo their coveted position,
i will be offered a more official spot.

according to some people
i have failed.
i did not make it into the program.

but.
i do not believe in failure.
i believe in learning experiences.

i believe in this quote:

"there are no failures.. just experience​s and your reactions to them" -unknown

oddly enough
one of the many questions i was asked during my series of interviews
was a question of failure.
how do i conceptualize it and what does it ultimately mean to me?

i boldly answered that, in my opinion, failure does not exist.
everytime we "fail", we have learnt something.
if we focus on failing, we completely and totally miss the lesson.
and life, my friends, is all about lessons.

so did i fail?

absolutely not.
i travelled out east by myself (something i thought i could never do).
i threw myself into a very tense and scary situation. just to prove i could do it.
i answered questions to the best of my ability.
and i answered them honestly. there was no filter.
i found a wonderful farmers market.
i made friends with 3 cab drivers.
and i encouraged and supported my competition (not an easy feat).

and now i can sit and relish in the sweet feeling of being number 9.
of giving it my all and learning life's lessons along the way.

the particular sadness of lemon cake by aimee bender

i was disappointed in this book
for two reasons:

1. i mistakenly took it for a memoir. it is, in fact, a novel.
a novel that includes a family with some sort of otherworldly powers
which left me muddled and utterly confused.
once i realized that it is a novel,
it made a lot more sense.

2. although i was introduced to several intriguing characters,
bender really just skimmed the surface of each character.
and i needed more.
it was irritating
and proved the importance of detail in books.

it seems like bender was on to something really great.
magical, even.
powerful.
but it was not executed how it could have been
i am left with the impression that bender rushed through the creative process
leaving out minute yet crucial details in plot and character.

however.
it was not all bad
i did finish.

rose, the main character, has the ability
to taste people's feelings in the food they prepare.
i.e.
she tastes her mothers affair.


now you see why i was so confused with this "memoir"
i really just thought it was a fresh take on
the complexity of mother daughter relationships.
until the revelation that looked something like this...

"what is going on....how can this be...
aimee bender..
i should google aimee bender..
wait.
aimee bender? the main character is rose..."

at which point i studied the cover
and saw

a novel

yes, the font is true to size.


i do enjoy the title.
in fact, it is the reason i picked this book
off the too dusty shelf in the library.

i really recommend you read this novel.
and then please
oh please
call me so we can discuss what the heck happened to joe.
(is that intriguing enough for you? i hope so)