"I don't give a damn about your yellow buzzards"

In honour of the Man in Black's would-be 78th birthday, Flavorwire kindly shared 78 things you didn't know about Johnny Cash.

Some faves:

7. When he was a child working in the cotton fields, Cash used to eat young cotton buds, despite his mother’s warnings that they would give him bellyaches.


15. During his stint in the Air Force, Cash learned to translate Russian Morse code.


25. When Cash first moved to Memphis, he enrolled in a radio class at Keegan’s School of Industry, hoping to become a DJ.


32. After an oil leak from Jesse James set the Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge on fire, Cash became the only person ever successfully sued by the U.S. for starting a forest fire.
33. The blaze Cash’s camper started killed all but 9 of the endangered condors at the refuge. When questioned about the birds at the deposition, Cash replied: “I don’t give a damn about your yellow buzzards."


65. He used to carry around a jar of instant coffee and ladle spoonfuls of it into the coffee he ordered in restaurants.

Read 'em all here.

Advanced Style

Think 'the Sartorialist,' and then add 40 years and you'll have a pretty good idea of what Ari Cohen is doing at his blog, Advanced Style.

I got such a kick out of this blog, passed along to me by my very stylish (but not so advanced) Auntie. Thanks Renee!

I love the photo below, not only because of the awesome overcoat, but also because it depicts a different kind of 'style' icon, Willian Zinsser, author of the authoritative writers' text book: On Writing Well.

Lonny #3

If you haven't already drooled your way through the entire thing, you'll be interested to know that the third issue of Lonny (the online salvation of Domino fans) went up last week! The best thing about having all the style and substance of Domino in an online format is seemingly limitless photo pages—though I should warn that it's not advisable to drool on your keyboard while viewing.

I especially loved the cover feature showing how two sisters interpreted identical floor plans in the same building. Both apartments are spectacular but I gravitate towards Antonia's vintage + modern mix and utilitarian kitchen.

And since I am currently on the hunt for a great pendant light for our dining room, this photo caught my eye in particular.

And if you love Lonny as much as I do, you'll probably love its editor's blog and her apartment. Check out a tour of Michelle Adams' adorably small NYC home right here.

point blanket dilemma

Watching all the Olympic footage has made me a very proud Canuck (and Vancouverite!) this past week. I get the same feeling when I stroll by the current window displays at the Hudson's Bay Company—alongside all the Olympic paraphernalia are stacks of thick woolen Point Blankets and like-striped clothing that make me drool and feel a certain Canadian-ness that swells the cockles of my heart.

And lucky me: a couple years ago I inherited a genuine vintage multi-stripe Point Blanket, in all its dusty, smelly, scratchy goodness. I love this blanket dearly but at the moment it is collecting even more dust in our linen closet while I figure out just what to do with it—and for that matter, how to clean it!

It looks great as a bed spread, but is just too heavy to sleep under, so I've been thinking about other uses for it besides emergency-car-blanket.

For starters i love love love Smythe's hooded swing coat. But this might be beyond my sewing ability.

 

[via pretentiousbitties.blogspot.com]

Likewise, if I'm feeling uber ambitious I could use it to reupholster our cheapo/aging Ikea Klippan sofa.

Slightly less work would be to convert it into a bunch of throw cushions and maybe even a sturdy tote.

[image via faffaround.blogspot.com]

But the question I keep coming back to is: is it sacrilege to cut up a vintage Point Blanket? Am I destroying a valuable piece of Canadian history? And, I'm not kidding, how does one un-dust an 80-year-old wool blanket?!

what type are you?

After supper on Saturday, our very first Toronto dinner guests, Rodrigo and Sahra showed us this brilliant test from the geniuses at Pentagram. Follow the link to let an Austrian shrink 'analyze' your type.

What type are you?

my diagnosis: I am Van Doesburg. Yes, I suffer the orange cream first so I can save the hazelnut for last, but surely I'm not this rigid?

history of winter olympic posters

 I loved flipping through this collection of old winter games posters at NBC sports. Cool to see the design evolution over so many decades... scary to see what the Calgary team put together in '88, but otherwise mostly classic design!

pickles! (and other grocery related thoughts)

Last night I did my second big grocery run since we've arrived in Toronto/Canada. I'm still amazed at how much I can buy for so little moolah, an how HUGE the items are. But frankly, when presented with two bottles of lemon juice (one miniscule and one giant) with a 60 cent price difference, how can you refuse the big-ass bottle?

In three years of grocery shopping in the UK I always sensed that my options were reduced, but I could never pinpoint why - the supermarkets were just as big, after all. I realized last night that this is because UK supermarkets have entire aisles dedicated to things like pre-packaged cakes, frozen potato products and prepared meals. By contrast, Canada has massive fresh produce sections, in-store delis and a much better meat selection.

What surprised me the most were the items that set my heart aflutter after a three year absence:
+ pierogis
+ the selection of healthy cereal
+ Asian goodies like rice crackers and sushi rice
+ real prawns (not shrimp!)
+ and delicious garlicky, dilly pickles! We polished off a giant bottle last week and have already started on a second.

other surprises:
+ popsicles. We Canucks must really like our frozen treats on a stick - the selection is huge!
+ Canada has majorly beefed up its cheese selection, definitely comparable to any in Europe.
+ the few items that are cheaper in the UK: dried apricots, chicken (when it goes on sale) and soba noodles!

[image via nataliedee.com]

in defense of Quatchi

Just in time for the opening ceremonies, my latest article is up at Curator magazine.

The sad irony has not been lost on me that we moved back to Canada just in time for the Olympics, only to set up camp 4,300 kilmetres away. We are experiencing the festivities vicariously through friends' facebook and twitter feeds, but today while watching the torch relay I got those first pangs of "oh shoot. We should have BEEN there."

Instead we're coming to the end of a two week stay-cation... one that involved lots of sitting in government service centres, unpacking and breaking down about 50 boxes, walking and street-car-ing all over this giant city to get our bearings, and even spending a night at the hospital (thank goodness we knew where it was - and we're both fine).

Beyond the convenience at the familiarity of living in a Canadian city again after three point five years abroad, I am really LOVING our little Queen East neighbourhood. There are no less than four independent coffee shops within five minutes' walk, a perfect balance of dodgy and trendy restaurants and wonderful conveniences like an open-late Korean supermarket and two 24 hour street cars just off our street. Can't wait to show you all soon!

avatar and the dreaded papyrus font

Last night Dean and I caught up with the rest of the world and saw Avatar. While waiting a month to see the show means we've already heard ALL OF YOU talking about the film, it also meant we could show up only 15 minutes beforehand and still get the best seats in the house (we even indulged in the popcorn/pop combo to mark the occasion).

I liked the movie, yes. It was beautiful, yes. The acting and writing were mediocre, yes, but the effects second to none. You've said it all before.

But in all your cinematic discourse, I'm shocked that only one of you mentioned the ridiculous font choice for the Na'vi subtitles! I'd all but forgotten that conversation, but maybe it is what prompted me to play a game on our cross-country road trip last week: counting how many tasteless usages of the Papyrus font I could spot on the drive (note: any use of the Papyrus font counts as tasteless - I have addressed the topic before). Average was five sightings/day, emblazoned on ads promoting everything from real estate to a pig farm. eeeek!

The debate we had with our friend Trevor when he mentioned it two weeks ago was whether the font choice was an ironic move by a cheeky animator (a wink-wink, only understood by those in the design world) or whether it was just chosen by someone who thought it looked 'earthy' and 'pretty'.

I have my own thoughts on the matter, but what do you guys think?

stuff!!!

As of three days ago, we live in Toronto! And as of a two hours ago, so does our stuff!

It's a monumental night: I have been dreaming of sleeping in my very own bed ever since we put it in storage three years ago. After years of British beds, guest beds, futons and air beds, tonight Dean and I get to curl up in our very own pillow-topped pocket-coiled mattress, and we are excited.

The drive out was smooth and fun, with stops in Winnipeg, Minnesota and Indiana. Receiving our belongings tonight was a bit more eventful—the police made an appearance after our moving truck had been blocking traffic on the street for nearly an hour :)

Toronto is crisp and bustling. We've been schlepping all over it, picking up essentials like drivers licenses, car insurance, new phones, warm coats, and long underwear.

Our home and our neighbourhood are as great as I'd hoped. Can't wait to share them with you all, as soon as all these boxes are unpacked!

Who is Mukmuk?

While doing some research for an upcoming article about the Olympic mascots I stumbled across this little teaser for the late-addition Olympic 'sidekick' Mukmuk, created by those heralds of cuteness at Meomi Design.

It had to be shared.

If you, like me, were confused by the sudden appearance of a fourth mascot, allow me to fill in some gaps. Mukmuk isn't an official mascot, just 'virtual' one (ie. another toy to buy, but won't be making a live appearances at a mall near you). He is a Vancouver Island marmot who, apparently, hopped a BC ferry to cheer on the Kokanee hockey team. Watch for more details in the near future!