On the Reading List: The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith, purchased at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris—I'm only 30 pages in and already she's rivalling John Irving and Tom Robbins for favourite author!On the Playlist: a conversation with a new friend this week reminded me how much I like Aqualung, so I dug Strange and Beautiful out of the itunes archives.
Current Obsession: Convincing our Scottish friends to visit us in Vancouver :) Every time I think about home these days, I smile, and having them come hang out there would be even better.
Design of the Times: A host of original work by Scottish designers and artisans can be checked out at Papa Stour. They're dang expensive, but I’m a big fan of the textiles. Have an ’Art: Spotted the work of Brazilian artist Vic Muniz in the pages of Living Etc. and thought it was pretty amazing. Check out the Rebus Collection from 2003.
Blog Log: My new favourite spot for gastronomic inspiration: Chocolate & Zucchini, tales, advice and recipes from a Montmartre kitchen.Hipsters on the Web: (okay I stole this one from Dean) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has a selection of new tracks for the sampling on their myspace page!
Crisp of the Week: We're stuck on Somerfield Salt&Vinegar. When you find something you love, why look for anything else? [bumped up to 5 out of 5 stars]
Scot Slang of the Week: well, it’s not really slang, but among other British affectations Dean is trying to work into his vocabulary (joining the ranks of “chuffed,” “gutted” and “mingin’”) the latest is “just now” at the end of sentences. I, on the other hand, am perfecting the art of when to add “a wee” before nouns (“a wee cup of tea” is perfect usage).
Insider Scoop: Hogmanay is New Year’s Eve in Scotland. Edinburgh has a Hogmanay celebration to rival times Square. It starts on the 29th and doesn’t stop for four days: film fests, ceilidhs, candlelit concerts, street parties, fireworks (launched from 7 sites), rock shows, theatre, a morning polar bear swim (here they call it the “Loony Dook,” triathalon and dog races! This year’s entertainment even includes the Petshop Boys and Scotland’s newest musical darling, Paolo Nutini.Countdown To: TWO days until our first trip to Edinburgh and my fifth visit with Lorah Styer in one year. Looking forward to soaking in some history, seeing stunning sights and window-shopping my little heart out.
To Do List: find a flippin’job in Vancouver!
Lastly: Saint Nicholas was good to Dean and I yesterday: I got yet another lovely orange penguin classic and Dean received Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs (thanks Verity!)
6 comments:
I love the papa stour 'toques' for eggs.
Some more Scots slang 'stour' means dusty or musty as in "ye shuld a seen the stour oan tap a' the cu'board'
HA HA. I love it!
ermm...you say 'just now' quite a 'wee' bit
note: i agree, 'wee' to Canadians means small; however, to the Scots, wee is also used for larger quantities....i just thought i should clear that up!
nice bookish gifts! 31 songs is a fun lil read for those who love music and reading - parfait!
ps - will have to borrow your zadie smith... have definitely heard all the buzz on her and haven't experienced it for myself either.
one of clap your hands say yeah's songs was my roadtrip song for June 2006. I loved it but everyone thought i was crazy. can't remember the name but it was one of the wierder ones.
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