Lately I've been dreaming more and more of sunny beach days.
Jones Beach, NY during my summer 2009 trip.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Film Friday - LCA+
It's grey, rainy and coldish today in Vancouver. A lot of people warned me about the rain causing depression out here. It doesn't do that for me, I just don't really like it (but then, who does?).
Lately I've been dreaming more and more of sunny beach days.
Jones Beach, NY during my summer 2009 trip.
Lately I've been dreaming more and more of sunny beach days.
Jones Beach, NY during my summer 2009 trip.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
This day in history
January 25, 2010. Save On Meats on Hastings.
Adam mentioned the other day the sign hasn't been lit up lately. It closed about 2 years ago, I keep hoping it will open back up, or at least whoever gets the building leaves the sign up.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Low tide
I decided to make a resolution this past new years, to get down to the seawall once a week. Since we got Minnie, that impeded my free time a bit, so I haven't really kept it (out of the last 3 weeks I went once). But! I did get down there today.
I live next to the ocean, and I haven't been taking advantage of that as I should. I'm not going to be here forever, and I know I will miss it when I'm gone.
Today I walked the bit (8.8 km worth!) that goes around Stanley Park.
I live next to the ocean, and I haven't been taking advantage of that as I should. I'm not going to be here forever, and I know I will miss it when I'm gone.
Today I walked the bit (8.8 km worth!) that goes around Stanley Park.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Film Friday - picture of a picture edition
Taken by my pal Monica about 6 or 7 years ago. A day of shopping in Toronto, inside one of my favourite antique shops on Queen.
In true pack rat form, I still have the slip, sweater and necklace that I'm wearing (and actually do wear all 3 pretty often).
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Fred Herzog
My second month living in Vancouver I got a job working at a stall in the Public Market on Granville Island. My commute to work saw me taking a bus to Granville and Broadway, and then walking down Granville Street to get to the island. That particular stretch of Granville is a pretty ritzy area, and so has loads of antique stores and galleries.
One morning while walking down I was struck by an image in the front window of the Equinox Gallery:
Family, 1967
The paisley, those earrings, that glove and cigarette..I just loved it all.
The entire time the exhibit was on I would walk a little slower by that window and take in the photo every morning. I was too shy to go into the gallery and see what else he had done.
Months later at my first trip to the art gallery I found a book of Fred Herzog photographs and was exposed to a Vancouver I had no idea about.
While there is a lot about Vancouver I love, the overall feel of the city still is lacking for me. Everything is so much newer here than in Ontario, and it's one hurdle I can't seem to get over.
Herzog's photographs show a Vancouver that I would have loved to experience.
Hastings at Columbia, 1958
Bookshop Main, 1963
Hastings & Seymour, 1961
Granville St, 1960
Hub & Lux, 1958
One morning while walking down I was struck by an image in the front window of the Equinox Gallery:
Family, 1967
The paisley, those earrings, that glove and cigarette..I just loved it all.
The entire time the exhibit was on I would walk a little slower by that window and take in the photo every morning. I was too shy to go into the gallery and see what else he had done.
Months later at my first trip to the art gallery I found a book of Fred Herzog photographs and was exposed to a Vancouver I had no idea about.
While there is a lot about Vancouver I love, the overall feel of the city still is lacking for me. Everything is so much newer here than in Ontario, and it's one hurdle I can't seem to get over.
Herzog's photographs show a Vancouver that I would have loved to experience.
Hastings at Columbia, 1958
Bookshop Main, 1963
Hastings & Seymour, 1961
Granville St, 1960
Hub & Lux, 1958
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Cuba Beach Fashions
About a year ago I was in Cuba celebrating my 19th friendaversary with Mary. I've been to Cuba twice, both times in resorts.
A dream of mine is to get my license, learn meagre Spanish and drive around the country. Get to know Cuba properly, and all the lovely people within it.
The sun and warmish weather today had me dreaming of beach days, and these pictures fit the bill.
Pre-revolutionary 1950s Cuba.
Photographed by Gordon Parks, famously known as the director of Shaft.
A dream of mine is to get my license, learn meagre Spanish and drive around the country. Get to know Cuba properly, and all the lovely people within it.
The sun and warmish weather today had me dreaming of beach days, and these pictures fit the bill.
Pre-revolutionary 1950s Cuba.
Photographed by Gordon Parks, famously known as the director of Shaft.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Tortilla pizza
Years ago Adam lived near The Staircase in Hamilton when it was open as a theatre and restaurant. We would go often-ish, I probably ate there about 5 times in total, and my favourite thing was their tortilla pizzas.
The other night I was dead tired after a day of work and running on little sleep (thanks Minnie).
I wanted something fast with relatively little work, and this turned out to be perfectly that.
The day earlier I had been reminded of those tasty pizzas for some reason, and so picked up some tortillas and other toppings that I imagine might be tasty - and boy howdy were they!
I'm a huge fan of cheeses, all kinds, though blue cheeses rank particularly high. And I love them even more when accompanied by something sweet, so naturally blue cheese and pear is a favourite of mine. Running with this theme I present to you,
Blue Cheese, Pear and Caramelized Onion Tortilla Pizza
yeesh.
Complete with JP2 peeking through
Ingredients
One large sweet onion
One Bosc pear
A good chunk of blue cheese
Olive oil
Honey
Balsamic vinegar
2 big flour tortillas
Cut the onion in half, and then slice thinly. Heat about a tbsp of butter in a heavy pan over medium heat and add onion. I cooked it on medium just until it started to soften, then turned it to med-low and cooked it about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the onions to get good and dark, sticky brown but not burn.
Meanwhile, put your tortillas on the pan you're going to cook them on and pour about a tbsp or two of olive oil on each tortilla and brush it around.
Preheat your oven to 400.
Once the onions are done, spread them evenly over the entire tortilla. Remove the core from the pear in whatever method you prefer and cut it into quarters, then slice each quarter thinly. Arrange the pear slices on top of onions, then crumble as much cheese as you want over everything. Finish it off with a drizzle of about a tbsp of honey for each pizza, and about a tsp or two of balsamic vinegar.
Put the pizzas in the oven for 7-8 minutes, then turn on the broiler and leave them in another 2-3, watching to make sure they don't burn.
Take them out, slice 'em up and devour.
The other night I was dead tired after a day of work and running on little sleep (thanks Minnie).
I wanted something fast with relatively little work, and this turned out to be perfectly that.
The day earlier I had been reminded of those tasty pizzas for some reason, and so picked up some tortillas and other toppings that I imagine might be tasty - and boy howdy were they!
I'm a huge fan of cheeses, all kinds, though blue cheeses rank particularly high. And I love them even more when accompanied by something sweet, so naturally blue cheese and pear is a favourite of mine. Running with this theme I present to you,
Blue Cheese, Pear and Caramelized Onion Tortilla Pizza
yeesh.
Complete with JP2 peeking through
Ingredients
One large sweet onion
One Bosc pear
A good chunk of blue cheese
Olive oil
Honey
Balsamic vinegar
2 big flour tortillas
Cut the onion in half, and then slice thinly. Heat about a tbsp of butter in a heavy pan over medium heat and add onion. I cooked it on medium just until it started to soften, then turned it to med-low and cooked it about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the onions to get good and dark, sticky brown but not burn.
Meanwhile, put your tortillas on the pan you're going to cook them on and pour about a tbsp or two of olive oil on each tortilla and brush it around.
Preheat your oven to 400.
Once the onions are done, spread them evenly over the entire tortilla. Remove the core from the pear in whatever method you prefer and cut it into quarters, then slice each quarter thinly. Arrange the pear slices on top of onions, then crumble as much cheese as you want over everything. Finish it off with a drizzle of about a tbsp of honey for each pizza, and about a tsp or two of balsamic vinegar.
Put the pizzas in the oven for 7-8 minutes, then turn on the broiler and leave them in another 2-3, watching to make sure they don't burn.
Take them out, slice 'em up and devour.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Film Friday
Very old webcam picture of a picture of baby Adam and me. I'm 18 here, this is before we were together, at a house party in Hamilton. Obviously he was a charmer right off the bat.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Puppy Love
Oi vey.
So I've had loads of ideas of things to write about. Neat stores, cool artists, interesting web finds...you know, the meat of all good blogs.
But then, on Monday, this happened:
Miss Minnie Pearl. She's an English Bulldog, and she is wonderful. But boy oh boy is she a handful.
Well, maybe an armful.
So I've had loads of ideas of things to write about. Neat stores, cool artists, interesting web finds...you know, the meat of all good blogs.
But then, on Monday, this happened:
Miss Minnie Pearl. She's an English Bulldog, and she is wonderful. But boy oh boy is she a handful.
Well, maybe an armful.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Film Friday
In an effort to keep me posting, I figured I could use a weekly post, so if at times I'm leading a horribly boring life, at least I'll have something to share.
Over the past year and a half I've gotten back into taking film photos, which was greatly spurred on by my lovely friend Kristin working at the Lomo store in NYC.
In the summer of 2009 I visited her and picked up an LCA+, which unfortunately broke a few months later and costs the same as a new one to repair here. This past summer I picked up a Holga and have been using that.
I also have loads of photos in albums around so hey, why not show some of those off too.
For today, a photo from my LCA+.
This is an Elizabeth Peyton painting I saw in the MOMA. I was turned on to her from reading the wonderful Kris Atomic blog.
Over the past year and a half I've gotten back into taking film photos, which was greatly spurred on by my lovely friend Kristin working at the Lomo store in NYC.
In the summer of 2009 I visited her and picked up an LCA+, which unfortunately broke a few months later and costs the same as a new one to repair here. This past summer I picked up a Holga and have been using that.
I also have loads of photos in albums around so hey, why not show some of those off too.
For today, a photo from my LCA+.
This is an Elizabeth Peyton painting I saw in the MOMA. I was turned on to her from reading the wonderful Kris Atomic blog.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Cozyin' up
So as I mentioned in my intro post I've recently acquired a sewing machine. My fella got me a lovely Elna machine from nearby Spool of Thread for Christmas and I'm thrilled about it!
Since I work on-call I can have a lot of time off during the week and I would rather not spend all that time on facebook and watching the Food Network (which I can, all too easily). So bring on the projects!
So far I've mostly used the machine to piece together a bunch of patchwork squares and to fix Adam's jeans and underpants. All worthwhile causes, but today I finished my first proper project - and what a traditional one it was. Cozy time!
My lovely, if cluttered, work station.
The floral material for the outside of the tea cozy was a fat quarter I scored over at Spool of Thread, and the lining material is an old pillowcase. I used these instructions, which include how to draw your pattern (the red piece).
For batting I went the thrifty route, and used an old towel we had laying around. It made it a little trickier to sew and turn, but hey, it's eco-friendly ;)
Nothing is complete without a little embroidered embellishment. I drew the letters on free hand, which is fairly obvious.
Et voila! It turned out to be a little small for my teapot, so I split the one side open so the spout could peek out. It wasn't the neatest alteration, but I'm okay with that.
Since I work on-call I can have a lot of time off during the week and I would rather not spend all that time on facebook and watching the Food Network (which I can, all too easily). So bring on the projects!
So far I've mostly used the machine to piece together a bunch of patchwork squares and to fix Adam's jeans and underpants. All worthwhile causes, but today I finished my first proper project - and what a traditional one it was. Cozy time!
My lovely, if cluttered, work station.
The floral material for the outside of the tea cozy was a fat quarter I scored over at Spool of Thread, and the lining material is an old pillowcase. I used these instructions, which include how to draw your pattern (the red piece).
For batting I went the thrifty route, and used an old towel we had laying around. It made it a little trickier to sew and turn, but hey, it's eco-friendly ;)
Nothing is complete without a little embroidered embellishment. I drew the letters on free hand, which is fairly obvious.
Et voila! It turned out to be a little small for my teapot, so I split the one side open so the spout could peek out. It wasn't the neatest alteration, but I'm okay with that.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Edward Hopper
While over at my pal Alison's house she showed me her goodies from Christmas, one of which was a 2011 calendar of Edward Hopper's paintings.
I had no idea who he was, until I saw the one painting he's most known for, Nighthawks:
Right? Of course I know Edward Hopper!
Anyways, I was really taken with his other work. The light and shadow in his paintings are so lovely, and there's just something about all the ladies in his work - I immediately want to know everything about them.
I had no idea who he was, until I saw the one painting he's most known for, Nighthawks:
Right? Of course I know Edward Hopper!
Anyways, I was really taken with his other work. The light and shadow in his paintings are so lovely, and there's just something about all the ladies in his work - I immediately want to know everything about them.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hi.
I love to cook. I watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books. Well, not a lot of books lately, but I'm working on that. I just got a sewing machine which excites me greatly, and I love to embroider but don't do it enough. I spend a lot of time online looking at interesting stuff. I like to talk about all of these things. I also want to take more photos and keep a record of things.
All of this seems pretty conducive to starting a blog. So here I am. Guess I can add one more resolution to my list.
Harwinder Singh Gill
All of this seems pretty conducive to starting a blog. So here I am. Guess I can add one more resolution to my list.
Harwinder Singh Gill
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