Simon & Garfunkel in the summer

Is there anything better?

Pfft, that would be a rhetorical question.

Ok, there may not be anything better but this video I found while searching is a very close second. The Muppets PLUS Simon and Garfunkel. Yes please.

Ghost World anyone?

So, I recently got a giftcard for Chapters for my birthday. Giftcards are simultaneously genius and evil because one always exceeds the limit on the giftcard buying many many wonderful things from their favourite stores (coughbookscoughmanymanybookscough). So I shopped around online and scored some great deals but none as amazing as the deal I found the very next day at the library.

Not 24 hours after I placed my order, I walked into the library and perused the used books for sale. Among them was Ghost World - for one dollar. Which I had just ordered the night before. For fourteen dollars. Gah.

So, I certainly have no need for two copies of Ghost World so the shiny new one is up for grabs! Just comment before Sunday night and I'll pick someone at random!

Venezia

First Germany, now Italy! I was doing a bit of research the other day and stumbled across these incredible paintings by Clive Lavagna. I think his history in theatre and television costume design really shines through in his painting style, resulting in these incredibly rich and tactile mixed-media works. Love love love them.

I want to go to there

My friend Victoria is in Germany right now and she posted a few pictures from her trip. Look at how gorgeous and colourful all the buildings are!

And look! I felt so inspired that I actually drew something. That's right, I'm getting back on the bandwagon. And that would be a list of all the German I know. Aside from Rammstein song titles. (Sorry my scanner is a piece of crap).

Relator

I like this pairing. I like it a lot. I have been listening to this song on repeat for the last few days. It's so damn catchy. I like Scarlett Johansson's voice but I find pretty much all of her solo work dreadfully boring. And Pete Yorn is just amazing (my eternal gratitude to Abi). Can't wait for the full album of this collaboration. Break Up will be available on September 15. More details here.

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• Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson - Relator

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Good good free music

Both the American and Canadian iTunes stores have some awesome singles of the week. Go download them for free. Right now. Do it.

Seriously, scram.

Channeling Remy

It was way way too hot to turn the oven on in the house today (37˚C/98.6˚F) so we hooked up the extension cord and stuck our toaster oven outside. For dinner I really wanted to make ratatouille for some reason and make it all purdy like in the movie. So I did. And it was good good.

(I also made a couple cakes in the toaster oven. Pictures later)

The sauce needed to be lit on fire. Funnnnn.

When it's all fancied up it gets a fancy name: confit byaldi.

But "ratatouille" is just more fun to say, in my opinon.

I served it with couscous

(which I realized I don't really like. Such a strange texture).

I used this recipe that I found on Chubby Panda.

Sucker Punch

I am beyond stoked for this movie from director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Dawn of the Dead) starring Emily Browning (love her). Here's the synopsis:

Set in the 1950s, SuckerPunch follows Babydoll (Emily Browning) who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.

It costars Vanessa Hudgens (yeah, from High School Musical. I guess it will be interesting to see how she handles a non-Disney role. Apparently Zac Efron also really wanted to be in the film), Abbie Cornish (love her), Jamie Chung (had to google her. Looks like she's mostly done small TV bit parts), and Jena Malone (love her). The promotional image above is done by the awesome Alex Pardee. I'm not such a huge fan of this image and much prefer his other more twisted and colourful work like that shown below, but a post needs a (relevant) purdy picture to accompany it.

UPDATE: You know, the more I look at it, the more I like it. There's a lot of really awesome detail and I like the way the image and text work with each other. I think it's just her squashy nose and giganticus lips that drive me nuts.

Artinis logo

I was recently commissioned to design a logo for a benefit that my aunt helps to organize. It's called Artinis and Appetizers and it's a benefit for the arts in Ottawa. I was really excited because this was my first real commission. Here's the logo they decided to go with:

And here is my favourite out of the logos I designed:

Just has a little more shazam doesn't it? Oh well, final decision's not up to me and from what I've heard they are happy with the final design they decided to go with so that's what really matters.

Matcha cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

I seem to be baking things lately that turn my dishwater strange colours. First the red velvet cake that made it look like I was trying to wash evidence of murder down the drain and now these cupcakes that made it look like I was washing my dishes in swamp water.

I picked up some matcha powder at T&T a little while back. I love mixing this stuff into vanilla ice cream but I have never tried it in cupcake form before. If you've never tried it, it can be kind of bitter on its own but when mixed into dessert has a really nice subtle flavour. (I want to say "earthy" because I've been hearing that word thrown around the Food Network like it's going out of style as of late).

You can buy matcha powder (green tea powder) at pretty much any Asian grocery store. T&T is amazing (and just sold to Loblaw's for a whopping $225 million! Note to self: start a grocery store chain)

The dark chocolate ganache is a nice rich complement

to the subtle green tea flavour.

MATCHA CUPCAKES

This is a half recipe because I only had a 1/2 stick of butter. I got 9 cupcakes from it.

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash salt

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon matcha powder

Preheat oven to 350˚.

Beat butter on high until soft. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg plus egg yolk, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add to creamed mixture and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine milk and matcha powder and whisk until smooth. Add to batter and mix until combined.

Spoon into cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

3/4 cups heavy cream

10 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into small pieces with a food processor

In a saucepan, simmer heavy cream for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Refrigerate until firm and spreadable.

You only see him when you're very young

A magical adventure for you!

I found these awesome Totoro cupcakes while I was searching for a matcha cupcake recipe (recipe and pictures later. I just went to soften my butter quickly in the microwave and accidentally melted it so now it's chillin' in the freezer). These seriously made my night.

Monday Mix #9: Covers

When it comes to cover songs, I like it when an artist puts their own spin on a song or makes me love their version even more than the original. So this week you get double the tunage - I've posted the original and the cover.

MONDAY

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights

TUESDAY

Britney Spears - Oops I Did It Again

Richard Thompson - Oops I Did It Again

WEDNESDAY

Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed

Jem - Maybe I'm Amazed

(Sans Marissa professing her love for Ryan)

THURSDAY

The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl

(This video is so cool)

Joss Stone - Fell in Love with a Boy

FRIDAY

Kanye West - Heartless

Kris Allen - Heartless

SATURDAY

Panic at the Disco - That Green Gentleman

Julia Nunes - That Green Gentleman

(I love pretty much all her cover songs. Check out her youtube channel here)

SUNDAY

Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower

(I always think of Watchmen when I hear this song now)

Picture from here

Three movies I am waiting for

NYT Screen Tests

I found this series of interviews while traversing the internets the other night. Some of my favourite actors and actresses are included in the bunch. Here's Matthew Goode because a) he's pretty, b) he's funny and c) accent, hello-o, d) he's Goode Goode!

Check out the rest here.

My spots

I took the quiz that Chelsey posted on her blog to see where my ideal cities to live in the United States would be. It asks you a bunch of questions about your preferred climate and community elements and all that jazz. It's pretty accurate.

portland, or

(I would love love love to live here. Just for Powell's alone.)

+

eugene, or

(Never heard of it, but Oregon's alright by me)

+

little rock, ar

(This would just give Abi even more of an excuse to visit Arkansas! Although, to be honest,

I forget that AR is a state half the time. Not sure how I'd fare living here.)

+ +

seattle, wa

(I'm surprised this is so far down the list.

This is right up there with Portland as far as I'm concerned.

Although, I've never been to Eugene or Little Rock

so I guess I should withold judgement)

bellingham, wa

(This is actually right across the border from where I live.

I probably wouldn't move here.)

+

honolulu, hi

(I just had to include this one even though it's not in the top 5

because I wanted to show some of these purdy pictures)

+ +

Where's your spot?

Scrubbing day is a holiday

Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint

Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking is the bee's knees.

Owl spoon!

I really really wish I had made this.

We're off to see the wizard

Day one of the Celebration of Light kicked off yesterday night. The theme was Wizard of Oz and it was spectacular. They handed out these so-called "3D" glasses to "enhance our fireworks experience". They were just these cheap prismatic things that weren't that fun to watch fireworks with but were a lot of fun to stick in front of camera lenses.

No assembly required

IKEAfy yourself here

Marcela Restrepo

Mmmm architecture and other goodness from Marcela Restrepo.

Monday Mix #8: Festival tunes

Spent the weekend outdoors listening to music. This week's mix features some of the artist's that were the highlights. I put a couple Joel Plaskett tunes because he's just that awesome.

MONDAY

Joe Pug - Nation of Heat

TUESDAY

The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight

WEDNESDAY

Said the Whale - Curse of the Currents

THURSDAY

Iron & Wine - Boy with a Coin

FRIDAY

Jon and Roy - Little Bit of Love

SATURDAY

Joel Plaskett Emergency - True Patriot Love

SUNDAY

Joel Plaskett Emergency - Fashionable People

Good good weekend

Hit up the Vancouver Folk Fest and Surrey Fusion Fest this weekend.

Lots of good food to be eaten and music to be heard.

Friday night at Folk Fest

Joel Plaskett and the Emergency

perform Saturday night at Fusion Fest

I still cannot believe this show was free

Sunday night at Fusion Fest