Miss Tracey Nolan

My Favourite Parts of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

2012-02-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

My love affair with my Kobo continues. Once I finished Then Again by Diane Keaton I jumped head first into The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. What kind of student of comedy could I call myself never having read any Twain? Now I finally have, and the kicker is it was FREE. So many great classics are free through e-readers. It's a brave new world, kids.

I love how Twain reminds us that childhood isn't all fun and games...sometimes it's just plain hard work. And more than a little weird. Aunts never change either, for the record. We're the same as we ever were.

These are my favourite parts:

“Oh come, now, you don’t mean to let on that you like it?” The brush continued to move. “Like it? Well I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a touch here and there—criticized the effect again—Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said: “Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”

---

Tom was a glittering hero once more—the pet of the old, the envy of the young. His name even went into immortal print, for the village paper magnified him. There were some that believed he would be President, yet, if he escaped hanging.

---

Huck Finn’s wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas’s protection introduced him into society—no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it—and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow’s servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed…. He had to eat with knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn his book, he had to go to church; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; whithersoever he turned, the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.

Women, laughing together, with Coffee.

2012-02-02T11:52:00.002-05:00

This ad popped up on some website I was looking at this morning. I can't even remember what website it was, because I was so captivated by this ad. I'm not even kidding. Target demographic, party of one! These women look so happy, so well groomed, so...caffeinated.

Am I ashamed that this actually worked on me? Yeah, a little. But what can I say? I love my lifestyle.

My affinity for this ad brought to mind this particular piece of internet memery from 2011, which while inspired, didn't hit me where I live. I'm not who the women laughing alone with salad people want to target. I'm aaaaall about women laughing together, with coffee.

We are SO well lit! Hilarious!!!

They are having so much fun she had to just hop up on the counter and take seat! What says fun more than sitting in inappropriate places?

Are these ladies Air Traffic Controllers or something?

She knows exactly what you mean.

She really loves her friends.

To further illustrate my point, this woman, alone, drinking coffee? She's not laughing. She's alone. Hell, I bet she's not even drinking coffee. I bet that's herbal tea. Nope. Do not want.

And this guy? Um, take your stupid "blue steel" and go drink that coffee at another table. And here, here's a breath mint.

Reverse the Curse.

2012-01-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

Nothing of substance tonight, I'm afraid. I'm beat. And I'm medicated. Thank Jebus! With that said, please enjoy my three favourite vintage Midol ads.

Lenny Visits the Butterfly Conservatory

2012-01-27T15:48:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Tuneday

2012-01-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

Now that we've watched the POTUS knock the State of the Union out of the park, how about a little musical interlude?

I could watch that all day long.

Here's my favourite Al Green tune, performed live in 1973.

Peace, Love and Soul, my babies.

This Week In Social Media

2012-01-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

It's been a BUSY week on the interwebs, you guys! Read on...

SOPA is essentially dead, and we killed it.
via Venture Beat

The biggest story of the week!

Who You Are on Facebook Is Probably Pretty Much Who You Are
via The Atlantic

"But digital spaces -- Facebook and all its counterparts -- allow us to ask in ways we couldn't previously: How portable is personality, actually?"

Google+ Now Lets You Create Memes
via Mashable

Yeah, I don't know, Google+. Still not sure who they're hoping their core user group will be.

Facebook Promotion of Timothy's Coffee Brews Social Media Backlash
via The Toronto Star

Starbucks would never let this happen. Take note, Timothy's.

Should the CEO also be Chief Social Media Officer?
via The Social CMO

Yes, The most effective leaders throughout history have been great communicators. But I don't see many CEO's embracing Social Media yet. Do you?

Brand-Jacking: Social disaster or the highest form of flattery?
via Stumleupon

It's a fact of digital life, if you ask me. Besides, if loving the Elizabeth Windsor Twitter account is wrong, I don't want to be right.

moo.com Facebook Cards
via Facebook / MOO

Did you know that MOO translated the new Facebook Cover Photo concept to the MOO Business Card format - mirroring the fonts, layout and iconography of the new Facebook Timeline? They gave a bunch of them away to kick start the initiative and mine arrived in the mail last week! As you can see, Finger-Puppet Obama was as excited by this turn of events as I was (and yes, that is my newly shellac manicured thumb holding the card)! I've always been a big fan of MOO and they just keep getting cooler and cooler. I can't see anybody getting my printing business away from them.

Saturday Zen

2012-01-21T20:49:00.001-05:00

Snapped this last night at the arcade on Clifton Hill. We're having a "mini break" in Niagara Falls this weekend. Lenny's having fun. She loves hotel rooms as much as I do. I think she could spend hours flipping through the Gideon Bible and banging on an empty Starbucks cup like it's a drum. Hope you're all having a great Saturday too!

Recipe: Pot Roast Pasta Bolognese

2012-01-19T15:26:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, in an attempt to utilize my slow cooker, we had Pot Roast and Veggies for dinner. While it is always thrilling for me to come home to a slow cooked meal (I love feeling a sense of accomplishment after doing very little work) and it was a decent meal, Pot Roast isn't exactly the kind of thing I feel like eating for days and days. It's just not that exciting. And man, were there ever leftovers.

I wondered if maybe I could utilize all this leftover meat into a pasta sauce but really didn't want to just dump it in there and had no idea where to begin.

Enter Emeril!

What you'll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 sprig fresh thyme (I used about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme)
3/4 cup dry white wine (I just used what I had in the fridge, I have no idea if it was dry or not)
1 1/2 pounds leftover cooked pot roast, shredded
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juices
1 cup leftover pot roast gravy or reduced beef stock (I used the stock)
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used table cream)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fettuccine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, nutmeg and thyme, and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the wine, stir to deglaze the pan, and cook until the liquid is nearly all evaporated, about 3 minutes.

5. Add the shredded meat, tomatoes and gravy and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Stir in the cream and parsley, and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Verdict:

We all loved this one. I'll be making Pot Roast again really soon just to make this sauce with the leftovers! It was really flavourful and tasted quite fresh and homemade. Which makes me sound like a moron. Cause it was homemade, so why wouldn't it taste homemade? But sometimes, homemade sauce doesn't taste that homemade and I'm left wondering why I didn't just open a jar of Classico. You know? Not this time. Oh, and also? BAM!

Emeril tested, Lenny approved.

This Week In Social Media

2012-01-15T10:34:00.001-05:00

Comedy Central App Lets You Program Its Friday Night Line-Up

Mashable fills us in on CC Stand Up an app attached to Comedy Central’s official Facebook page. Once users Like Comedy Central, they’ll be given access to the app which lets them vote for a series of comedians by watching short clips of their performances. Me likey! What do you think?

The Art of Social Media

Akimbo's Social Media Director, James Fowler, offers an overview of the art world's social media landscape, blogging from the corner of ART+TECH.

DKNY Girl Interview: How To Build A Social Brand With Style And Grace

DKNY Girl is one of my faves on Twitter, and she's probably one of yours too. Fashionably Marketing had this great convo with her earlier in 2011.

10 Tips For New Community Managers

From August 2011, via Social Rant, a post that I have found myself revisiting time and again. Thanks for the touchstone, Social Rant!

Saturday Zen

2012-01-14T10:19:00.000-05:00

My Favourite Parts of Then Again by Diane Keaton

2012-01-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, the Robeau got me a Kobo. I'd been eyeing e-readers for a few months, mostly because the subway is so crowded there's no way to read on my commute. Can't hold the handle, the book and turn the pages at the same time. Can't do it. The e-reader has really solved that problem. I've read more in the last three weeks than I have in the last year. I feel like I'm rekindling an old relationship, one that used to mean a lot to me. I mean, I still read all the time, even when I'm not reading books. There's a constant stream of newspapers, magazines and blogs in my life. But books. Books are special. It took Lenny and her love of reading books and this little Kobo to remind me of that. 2012 is going to be the year of the book! I'm planning on recording my impressions of the books I read here. Not reviews, just the bits that I want to remember, so the experience of reading isn't too fleeting. Like a book club for one.

The first book I read on my Kobo was Then Again by Diane Keaton. I've always admired her as an actress (being a nut for Woody Allen) and as a personality. Her memoir is singular and unique, just like she is, as it weaves together her life story and her mother's using excerpts from her mother's many journals. The photography in the book is just great too.

These are my favourite parts:

Beet Head,

Humans are clean slates. There are no qualities indigenous to men or women. True, there is a different biology, but all defining choices in life affect both sexes & a woman, any woman is capable of defining herself with total FREEDOM. Therefore women are anything they choose to be & frequently have chosen & defined themselves greater than men. Don't be fooled by THE ARTS! They're no big deal; certainly no excuse for people acting like jerks & by that I mean, so what if up till now there were very few women artists. There may have been women far deeper than, say, Mozart of Da Vinci but contributing their genius in a different socially circumscribed context. Note how I switched from pen to pencil at this moment because in Lelouch's film, A MAN & A WOMAN, he switches from color to black & White - So I underline my point using the same symbolism - Very clever? OK, then, very stupid.

- Woody

Grammy didn't say much when George got skinny. The morning he keeled over and died, Grammy didn't cry. "He never gave me a dime. Not one dime." That's all she said. I thought of the money-tree cards. I wished I hadn't spent all those dimes. I would have given them to Grammy so she wouldn't be so angry about George. After all, he died. I was sure George meant for her to have as many dimes as she wanted. And even if he didn't, he always tried to pay his rent on time. Grammy's response was hard for me to decipher. Why wasn't she sad? It wasn't nice. What it was was cold and unattended, like her duplex on Range View Avenue.

When Mom and the kids joined us we built sand castles. Riley taught me how to make them correctly. She'll end up in management. She's your kind of girl, Dad.

I can't remember the day Dexter stopped saying "Member." "Member how Josie threw up in the car?" "Member the bird's nest we found?" No more "members", Dexie. There was the afternoon she didn't want to dive for plastic elephants at the bottom of the pool. Goodbye, elephants, and crocodiles too. There was the day Duke stopped watching Kipper and Thomas the Tank Engine videos, and the day he forgot to beg me to play "Come into my house." Goodbye, little cardboard house. There was the last day we sang "Gillies Mountain" as we tooled along in my big black Defender. That was the day I cranked the volume high as it would go, so we could scream out the words "I took a trip up Gillis Mountain on a sunny summer day." Goodbye, Gillis Mountain. Goodbye. You'd think the accumulation of so many little goodbyes would have prepared me for the bigger ones, but they didn't.

These are the days of derelict debris and a mounting stockpile of nonsense.

I asked Dexter and Duke if they thought their grandmother might have been seeing something she'd never seen before. They both agreed she must have been looking into something on the other side of new.

Elsewhere: Year in Review at Tracey Nolan Studios

2012-01-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

All of my favourite images from 2011 are in one place! Hurray!

Current Obsession: 1950's Italian Graphic Design

2012-01-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

Specifically, these amazing works by Giovanni Pintori for the Olivetti Lettera typewriter.

I would love to have some of these framed.

Happy New Year - from all of us, to all of you!

2011-12-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

The tradition continues...

Happy 2012 you guys. We love you all to bits!

Lenny's A-HA Moment: Christmas Stocking Edition

2011-12-30T17:30:00.000-05:00

Last year was a little different.

What Christmas looked like at our house this year.

2011-12-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

Lenny's take-over of our home made it clear to me that I would not be able to put up our Christmas tree this year. Or, come to think of, probably not next year either. I did not want to have one of those trees that was bare on the bottom two feet. I missed it, but I think I managed to come up with some pretty charming seasonal alternatives...

Things I want to remember about December in New Orleans...

2011-12-28T16:27:00.002-05:00

Everyone is just as friendly as ever. Having Lenny around just emphasizes the natural warmth of those who call New Orleans home, those that were born there and those that chose it. To choose New Orleans as your home requires a certain amount of insanity, I think. But the best kind.

Countless trips to Cafe du Monde in the cooler weather. Well, cooler than it is when we're usually there in April, but downright tropical compared to Toronto in December. Is there anything better than coffee with chicory? Is there any other place on the planet where people walk around covered in powdered sugar, looking as though they've been baking in a commercial kitchen for hours? I love how much the Robeau loves it at Cafe du Monde too. It's fun to see him really relax and enjoy himself.

One morning over breakfast at IHOP Lenny got her first crayon. Does she not look like an old pro already?

All the storefronts in the French Quarter were so festive and beautiful.

General Russel Honore led the carol singing in Jackson Square with Jingle Bells. And damn, can the man sing.

Stopped for a cocktail at Parade, my favourite gay bar in the Quarter. Struck up a convo with Duane and Lenny (yes, Lenny!) who, when they learned I was from Toronto wanted to talk about a TV show that's shot here called 1 Girl 5 Gays. When I told them my friend Yerxa was on that show they properly flipped out. Who knew he was a celeb? That little encounter pretty much made all of our days, I think.

Best. Santa. Ever.

Meeting Sasha the cat who makes her home at The Court of the Two Sisters, where we enjoyed a beautiful jazz brunch, on a Monday. Only in New Orleans. Lenny meowed at her and we revelled in her genius...

...then she mooed at a horse or a donkey or whatever that is pulling that carriage...soooo...I guess we shouldn't get too amped about the genius thing.

Lenny got to hang with Louis...

...and we all spent a couple of tranquil hours at Congo Square which was really, really special.

Two big lesson I learned on this trip: Packing light is totally worth it and it was wonderful to vacation and then come home and be thrust into the Christmas hullaballoo. Lenny remains a marvel. A delight and a joy to travel with. I can't wait to take our next adventure!

Gone Fishin'

2011-12-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

We're in New Orleans. I will post something soon...when I have time between (fresh, hot) beignets and river boat rides.

Tuesday Tuneday

2011-12-13T11:55:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Jimmy Smith's Christmas Album. This is Holiday music that's great all year round...

The Men In My Life

2011-12-12T14:07:00.000-05:00

Anniversaries are strange things. I don't go in much for observing or celebrating them, but today I'm sort of backed into a corner on that one.

25 years ago today my Dad died. I remember the old man fondly, his love of baseball, big bands and us. But my memories of him have grown weak with time. I guess that's to be expected. I've done a lot of living in the last 25 years.

I think my fondest memory of my Dad is that when Glenn Miller's version of The Anvil Chorus would come on the radio he would run around and turn up the volume on all the radios in our apartment. Loud. Loud and Joyous.

In a pure coincidence, 10 years ago today, I threw my lot in with the Robeau. I didn't know then that we'd stick together this long. That our future would hold so much happiness and a wonderful little girl. What I did know is that he made me laugh and he liked me. And really, isn't that what it's all about?

The other day the Robeau and I were watching Step Brothers on TV. There's a scene when Will Ferrell and John C Reilly's characters come to realize how much they have in common:

Dale Doback: On the count of three, name your favorite dinosaur. Don't even think about it. Just name it. Ready? One, two, three.
Dale Doback, Brennan Huff: Velociraptor.
Brennan Huff: Favorite non-pornographic magazine to masturbate to.
Dale Doback, Brennan Huff: Good Housekeeping.
Brennan Huff: If you were a chick, who's the one guy you'd sleep with?
Dale Doback, Brennan Huff: John Stamos.
Dale Doback: [stomps foot] What?
Brennan Huff: Did we just become best friends?
Dale Doback: Yep!
[they high five each other]
Brennan Huff: Do you wanna do karate in the garage?
Dale Doback: Yep!

I looked at him and said, "that's kind of what our courtship was like." It really was. Except we were talking about jazz music and The West Wing instead of dinosaurs and John Stamos.

High Five.

I'm a lucky girl to have had such wonderful, loving men in my life.

This Week In Social Media

2011-12-11T23:30:00.001-05:00

It's that time again...the biggest story in Social Media this week was, without a doubt, Twitter's big redesign. What do you think of it?

Twitter Launches Major Redesign

via Mashable

So...this happened...

Canadian Regulators Issue New Social Media Guidelines for Advertisers

via The Wall Street Journal

Some year-end stuff...

Six Social Media Lesson from 2011

via mycustomer.com

Marketing's Biggest Social Media Blunders of 2011

via Advertising Age

While not a new article, a timely one, now that Winter is really starting to settle in. Aren't these touch screen gloves cute? Nice to know you can stay stylish and in touch at the same time.

Best Touch Gloves

via Fashion Hippo

Have a good week, everyone!

Saturday Zen

2011-12-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Today, my version of Saturday Zen meant sleeping in, napping, napping again and taking Lenny to go see the Mall Santa. Vacation begins in T minus 4 days. Bring it!

Saturday Zen

2011-11-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

Our dining room all decked out for the holidays...

This time of year, for me, nothing beats twinkle lights. I wish I could drape my whole house in them all year round, but sadly (?) I do not live in a dorm room. What's your favourite Christmas decoration?

Confession: I'm too cool to Scrapbook.

2011-11-23T01:05:00.001-05:00

Thank you to LiveOn for this sponsored opportunity to blog about storing and sharing my most important memories with those closest to me. Although story ideas were provided, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every parent has that one thing in their arsenal that can calm, amuse or distract their child. That one trick up their sleeve that can get you out of a tight spot. A cookie, a song or a favourite toy. Ours? Showing Lenny pictures and videos of herself on our phones or laptops. (Speaking of laptops, I'm typing this on The Robeau's because mine had a run in with a toddler and my first cup of coffee yesterday morning. Lenny: 1, Macbook: 0).

Anyway, it works. It always works. Like a charm. She also loves the photo gallery that I've got on the wall in our little hallway of old family photos and new ones (in black and white). She points at them and identifies the people she knows. The thing is, she doesn't know most of them. And some of their stories are so many generations away, I'm worried she won't ever know them.

Lenny enjoying the wall of family portraits with her Uncle Garry and Cousin Janet, at her first birthday party.

Needless to say, the joy she takes in seeing these pictures is pretty heartwarming and makes me want to do everything I can to preserve those memories for her in an organized and meaningful way. So much so that I once flirted with the idea of taking up scrapbooking. When I confessed this to a couple of girlfriends over coffee one morning I was roundly chastised. Which I totally deserved. I even may have deserved the snarky emails sent my way about sales on glitter and photo paper (coughGAILPACKWOODcough!) because my friends knew and I knew that scrapbooking is not for me. We are not scrapbooking people. It was never going to happen. And if it did? Certain disaster. And then the shame. Oh, the scrapbooking shame.

That's why I was so intrigued when I was asked to review this brand new website LiveOn which promises to basically supply you with everything you need to make that scrapbook you're never going to make online. That? That I can handle.

When I first started tooling around on the site I was unsure. Slideshows? I can make those on a dozen different platforms. Voiceovers? No biggie, I can do that on iMovie. I wasn't sold. What truly got me on board with LiveOn was two things. First, their promise that they will preserve your memories forever. In their words:

We promise to keep your memories forever. Not 100 years, not 500 years, but forever. We have an intricate backup system of servers that will act as your personal vault, ensuring your stories are here for all future generations to enjoy. This promise of memory preservation is the number one focus of our company and we will do everything in our power to keep this promise to you.

One less thing to worry about grabbing when you're having that nightmare about your house burning down can't be a bad thing, can it? Just me? Never mind.

The other thing LiveOn is offering that I just love is the "Life Question" feature. Imagine if you could go back in time as your great-grandmother her favourite song? Or ask your dad what his favourite grade in school was? If you truly take the time to answer a bunch of these questions you could practically come up with a memoir. Without the pressure of having to decide to what to write about. Who doesn't like that?

I'm happy to offer my readers an opportunity to try LiveOn Rewind, a service that converts your old photos to digital. Just use code cgc34 when you sign up. It's a wonderful idea for the holidays. I hope you can check it out. Let me know if you do, I'd love to know your experiences with the service.

Thank you again to LiveOn for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about storing and sharing your most special memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective.

All opinions expressed here are my own.

Tuesday Tuneday

2011-11-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

This song has been in my head the last few days, so it's what I've been singing to Lenny at bedtime. Needless to say, much to everyone's disappointment, I do not sound like Sarah Vaughan (duh).

What's cool about this is that we showed her this delightful little bit of Muppet history (see below) and she totally lit up with recognition when he quotes Lullaby of Birdland.

My child is a genius (duh).

A Friendly Monday Morning Reminder to Myself (after a weekend that was far too short).

2011-11-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

This Week In Social Media

2011-11-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

Getting my round up in just under the wire this week! Had a very busy weekend with Mary Poppins opening at the Princess of Wales last night and then today was my mom's 76th b-day (happy b-day mom!)

Now, Lenny's in bed and dinner is done, so let's get linking!

How To Set Up a Google + Brand Page

The biggest story this week was the launch of Google + Brand Pages. Here Mashable gives you a tutorial on how to set yours up. Do you have one yet? Will you be creating one?

Newspapers' Digital Apostle

My New York Times boyfriend David Carr (not to be confused with my PBS boyfriend Charlie Rose) profiles John Paton:

Mr. Paton has heard all about how choosing digital revenue over print revenue is like choosing dimes over dollars. He points out that the print dollars have dropped by more than half in the last five years and perhaps it is time to start “stacking the dimes.” He also notoriously proposed that real transformation would happen only if the industry were willing to “stop listening to newspaper people.”

How One Company Saved Thousands of Dogs Using Social Media

Thanks to Mashable for this warm fuzzy story.

via Mashable

Twitter users most generous charitable donors on social media

Speaking of warm and fuzzy...The Telegraph cites research that says Facebook users give more often, but Twitter users are more generous. I gotta say, this doesn't surprise me. Like they say, Facebook is like Walmart and Twitter is like a Boutique.

The Unreasonable Customer

Seth Godin blogs about when it's ok to fire a customer.

And then, there's this:

Don't we all, kitteh, don't we all..

Saturday Zen

2011-11-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

"With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die." - Abraham Lincoln

Photo courtesy crystal-drops' via Flickr.

Tuesday Tuneday

2011-11-08T14:53:00.001-05:00

From his 1970 album of the same name, here's Freddie Hubbard with "Red Clay". I can really get lost in a tune like this.

Smokin' Joe.

2011-11-08T12:58:00.000-05:00

This Week In Social Media

2011-11-06T22:58:00.001-05:00

There's never any shortage of social media shop talk online. Here's what piqued my interest this week...

How This 23-Year-Old Used Tumblr To Land A Book Deal

Business Insider's War Room brings us the story of Gaby Dunn and her Tumblr 100 Interviews. A good primer for thinking about ways you can maximize your impact online, even without a background in branding and promotions.

"No Tweeting!" How Restricting Social Media At Work Affects Productivity

Media Bistro tells us about a study that says employees who engage in “workplace internet leisure browsing” such as watching videos and keeping up to date with friends while at work are 9 percent more productive than those who don’t.

Offline Meets Online

Interesting Q&A on DX3 Digest with LinkedIn's Nicole German.

Via Twitter Stories

This week, Twitter launched a new site, Twitter Stories to highlight not just the humanity behind the tweets, but the huge impact individual tweets can have. The website itself is beautiful to look at and incredibly inviting. I could spend hours there.

My favourites so far are from Roger Ebert, Maureen Evans and Dr. Willy Mutunga. Use the hashtag #twitterstories to share your own.

In other news: Jesus is Trending right now! Oh, Louis CK...I love you.

Saturday Zen

2011-11-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

I took this photo a few years ago, when coffee and the paper in the morning was not a luxury. It is now, oh boy, a delicious luxurious luxury. Hope your Saturday is filled with a touch of luxury.

Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetables with Poached Eggs

2011-11-03T23:13:00.002-04:00

Last night I roasted a whack of yummy root vegetables for dinner. The Robeau and I both a plate of them topped with a small minute steak that we split for a tasty bit o'protein. Len went to town on the veggies as well. Roasting yummy veg in the Fall is just thing to do, don't you think? This time I threw together some Yukon Gold Potatoes (with the skin on), some Sweet Potatoes and whole bag of Parnsips. I tossed them in some Olive Oil along with a few Onions, lots of Garlic and some Cajun Seasoning. After about an hour in a 450 degree oven those bad boys were caramelized and deeeelish. I can't bring myself to write this one up like a proper recipe because, come on now. This is way too easy.

The thing is, we had lots of leftovers and I wanted to serve them tonight but in a new and yummy way. While ~~thinking~~ obsessing over this on the subway ride home tonight, it hit me. I needed to reheat those root vegetables and top them with poached eggs! Only one problem. I've never been able to poach an egg. Oh, I've tried. I've tried and I've failed. Over and over and over again.

I've read one too many articles about how your eggs had to be no more than 2 days old or you needed to use champagne vinegar in the water, or your slotted spoon had to be titanium, and, and, and...let's face it, I choked.

So today, I went in there, boiled some salted water, stirred it to created a whirlpool of sorts and slid an already cracked egg into the whirlpool of water in the middle of the pot. I waited 3 long minutes and...VOILA!

Perfectly Poached Eggs atop a mess of Roasted Root Vegetable served with fresh ground pepper and a wee bit of Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated on top.

Conquering your kitchen fears feels GOOD!

Verdict: Oh. My. God. You. Guys. If there's something stopping me from making this 7 days a week for brunch and dinner alike, I do not know what it is. Let me know if you try this one out, I really think you should!

12 Things I Love About Autumn.

2011-11-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

Going for a long walk in the sunshine and crisp air.

Curling up with a book and a big mug of coffee on a rainy day.

Chunky scarves.

Blazers.

Dark Nail Polish.

Watching the leaves change colour in the Don Valley from the window of the subway every morning.

Roasted root vegetables.

Apple Crisp.

New TV shows.

Flirting with the old vets selling poppies on the street corner.

Dinner parties.

Making plans for the holidays.

Tuesday Tuneday

2011-11-01T18:08:00.000-04:00

John Coltrane - Alabama

One of the finest performances ever captured on film, if you ask me.

BOO!

2011-11-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

LenBot had a great time last night. She spent a lot of it standing at the door watching the big kids Trick or Treating. Every once in a while she'd let out a high pitched shriek when I opened the door, much to the delight of the kids and their parents. I think she's getting the hang of this Halloween thing nicely. Next year? Candy!

Recipe: Pasta with Butternut Squash and Pecans

2011-10-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

Fall is really starting to settle in and I wanted to make something for dinner last night that embraced that. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, it looked simple and yummy so I thought I'd give it a try.

What you'll need:

1 pound tubular pasta, such as strozzapreti or penne
1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup, fresh ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Fill a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket with 1/2-inch water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place squash in steamer basket and cook, covered, until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook butter, stirring, until melted and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add pecans and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add squash and stir gently to combine; season with salt and pepper.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add olive oil and parsley and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

4. Divide pasta evenly between 4 plates and spoon squash mixture on top of pasta. Sprinkle over parmesan and top each with a dollop of ricotta. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Verdict:

You know what? It was just...kind of...meh. All of the elements on their own were lovely, especially the butternut squash and pecans in the brown butter. But the finished product was underwhelming. I can't see this working into my regular repertoire but if I did attempt it again I would probably add some shallots to the squash and perhaps some red pepper flakes to perk the whole thing up. Sorry, Martha. Maybe we'll have a winner next time!

This Week in Social Media

2011-10-30T13:58:00.001-04:00

What are people talking about online this week when it comes to the world of Social Media? Read on...

Twitter quietly launches new timeline

We Are Social has compiled all the available info on Twitter's upcoming major redesign. Many feel these changes are long overdue, but I appreciate that Twitter takes its time with these things. I get the sense that they wait until they're sure that it's time and that works in their favour.

15 Ways to Use Twitter for Business

This piece from Social Fresh is a great starting place if you're wondering how Twitter can help your business.

Youtube announces new channel lineup

Social Times brings us the scoop on the regularly scheduled programming coming to Youtube in 2012. This is truly going to change the way we watch television. And where we watch television.

5 Ways Journalists Are Using Google +

Mashable proves that Google + isn't the wasteland full of tumbleweeds that you think it is.

Fairly certain Chapters couldn't fit any more copies of the Steve Jobs book in the store if they tried.

Bill Gates Responds to Steve Jobs attacks

Bill Gates was super classy this morning on ABC's This Week, if you ask me.

Have a tip about something you think should be included in the next instalment of This Week in Social Media? Tweet me @misstraceynolan.

Saturday Zen

2011-10-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

This is another one from our visit to the Andreae farm. How's this for a big, deep breath of fresh air? I'm off to take a walk with Lenny down to the beach. This is my new favourite ritual on a Saturday afternoon. We hit Starbucks, the playground and the boardwalk. It's so nice just to take the time to be.

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

Recipe: Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-26T21:40:00.001-04:00

One of the perks / downfalls of working in an office is the constant parade of treats making their way to your desk. Sometimes we get sent gift baskets brimming with treats, usually around the holidays or an opening night. Yesterday we were sent one that was filled with chocolate. Including a bag of chocolate chips. Which, to be blunt, seemed pretty stupid to me. I mean, those are meant for baking (and PMS desperation) not gift baskets. It just seemed odd...until I realized that the gift basket was sent to us from the good people at Hershey's. Ooops. Sorry Hershey's. You are NOT stupid.

The only logical thing to do was to take the chocolate chips home and bake cookies with them using the recipe printed on the bag. We all have a chocolate chip cookie recipe in our arsenal, but I, for one, had never tried the one printed right there on the bag!

I am bringing said cookies to work tomorrow because, well, we never have enough treats, do we? Maybe I can convince my coworkers to join me in a chorus of "Get Well Soon".

What you'll need:

3/4 cup butter or margarine
175 mL1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Hershey's CHIPITS® Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional) - I used pecans.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until creamy.

3. In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Stir in milk chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Verdict:

They're chocolate chip cookies. Do you really need to know more? Nom, nom, nom.

Tuesday Tuneday

2011-10-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

The Lies of Handsome Men

Written by Francesca Blumenthal, performed by one of my favourites, Blossom Dearie.

Just because.

2011-10-24T12:22:00.005-04:00

The internet is just awash with Toby Ziegler goodness.

Saturday Zen

2011-10-22T10:02:00.000-04:00

Took this last weekend at part two of Emily and Marc's wedding celebration that was on the Andreae family farm. I had been there on a visit with Jen in 1994 and while I enjoyed myself, I found the wide-open spaces...unsettling. I've evolved. I didn't want to leave!

In fact, just looking at this hammock that their brother Nick set up gives me a nice big dose of zen.

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

This Week in Social Media

2011-10-21T23:42:00.001-04:00

It's Friday, which means it's time for my roundup of the best reading I've found on the topic of Social Media on the web this week. If you have any links you think I should share next week let me know in the comments or tweet me @misstraceynolan.

Jim Clayton's Have you Met...?

New blog alert! The Robeau's bringing you profiles of the people behind Toronto's upscale corporate events (a thing he knows a thing or three about). I suggest you bookmark this one...

Welcome to the Stream

Adweek claims Web 2.0 is dead, eclipsed by data-driven content and 'live' feeds. They ask if media and marketers adapt to the Net's next phase? An interesting read...

Kobo Enters the Tablet Market

That's right, Canadian e-readers. It's colour, you can surf the web and it's only $200. This one's going to be hard to resist if you ask me. The Globe and Mail has more details for you.

The new Kobo will be competing with the latest Kindle (picture via Globe and Mail)

The New Facebook Insights Explained in Plain English

Confused by your new page insights? The non-profit Facebook Guy explains it all for you. Straightforward and easy to read. I found this super helpful.

The Other Zuckerberg

Randi Zuckerberg has got personality, y'all, and the New York Times thinks you should know all about it. This dishy article talks about karaoke and stock options, but it's in the Fashion & Style section so you can guess what the focus is.

And finally, in your viral video of the week, Johnathan Mann sings a duet with Siri

Get out of my brain, Adam Koford.

2011-10-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

Cartoonist Adam Koford has somehow crawled inside my brain, circa 1983, and summed up my childhood in one perfect panel. What would be your perfect pop culture mash up?

Lenny's Book Club

2011-10-20T22:33:00.002-04:00

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill is Lenny's favourite book of the moment. Her reactions to the animals hidden behind the flaps in this colourful little charmer are (I think) priceless. She especially loves the monkey in the closet.

But then, who doesn't?

Recipe: Green Bean Quinoa Salad

2011-10-20T15:26:00.001-04:00

In the Fall, my thoughts turn to braising and bread and crumbles. I think Fall is my favourite season for cooking (and eating). There's something so cozy, methodical and comforting about all of it. But sometimes, you need a break from all that comfort. Sometimes, your palette needs a refresher. When I feel like I need a little Summer, this is my go-to.

I discovered this recipe this Summer when I was looking for something to make-ahead for a BBQ. Thanks to the wonderful website Everybody Likes Sandwiches for bringing this one to my table.

What you'll need:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into bite sized peices
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cup fresh corn or thawed frozen corn
handfuls of fresh chives & parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juiced & zested
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt & pepper
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. In a dry pan, toast the quinoa until it gets golden and start to jump around. Remove from heat and rinse well under cold water. Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot, add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa to the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is dry and fluffy.

2. In another pot, steam the green beans until bright green but still crisp. Rinse well under cold water to prevent further cooking.

3. Mix the lemon juice, zest, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper into a dressing. Place the quinoa, green beans, corn, red onion and fresh herbs into a serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Chill until cool. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

Modifications:

I've done this without the corn and it is still lovely. When I did use the corn, it was corn that we had charred on the BBQ. Once you eat corn that way, there's no going back. I also use the kind of quinoa you don't have to toast and rinse first.

Verdict:

Fantastic, super, super yummy. This is a great dish for entertaining and it is also a wonderful stand alone lunch. It keeps well and in fact, I think it might taste even better on the second day.

Thanks again, Everybody Likes Sandwiches. I like you guys!

Water, Helen!

2011-10-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

Leaps and bounds, I tell ya. This kid, she beeps my nose, plays on her own tiny laptop and says THANK YOU! Well, "ank ooooo", but wow, right?!

I've made some progress, too. Tonight, I put Lenny to bed at a reasonable hour and there were no tears.

From either one of us.

Happy 50th Wynton!

2011-10-18T20:56:00.002-04:00

Sunday Offerings

2011-10-16T22:46:00.000-04:00

This morning we took Lenny to Chapters and let her wander around the kids section. They have it set up like a giant playroom with books and toys at baby-eye level. She was totally in her element. Everyone was smiling at her and saying hi to her. Well, everyone except the 4 year old boy crying in his stroller. She waved at him, pointed at him and yelled "baby!"

Hey, she said it, I didn't.

He gave her the stink eye and she toddled on. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks, stared straight ahead and let out a high pitched squeal. Like a deer in headlights, there she was staring at a picture on the wall, about a foot off the floor, of the one and only ELMO. Who she still calls "Melmo". After the squeal she beamed at his picture and sort of sighed, "Meeeelmo!"

The next five minutes consisted of Lenny taking toys and books off the shelf, carrying them over to Elmo, showing them to him and then placing them gently on the floor in front of him.

Then I lit some incense, threw some oranges on top of the pile and bowed.

Elmo, he was pleased.

Saturday Zen

2011-10-15T11:23:00.000-04:00

Snapped this a few Summers ago during a long walk the Robeau and I took through Old Montreal. There's something about this image that I find very soothing. Hope you're all having a very relaxing Saturday.

Miss Tracey Nolan 2.0

2011-10-14T23:21:00.000-04:00

I just sat on my couch and watched Kris Jenner get her face lifted on television. Gruesome, totally gruesome. You know what was a much less painful process, but with equally glamourous results? Having my blog redesigned by the wonderful New Jersey based illustrator and designer Kate Gabrielle. Now, I think Miss Tracey Nolan looks refreshed, well rested and ready to walk Kim down the aisle.

Wait...what?

Seriously. I should not be allowed to watch E! on a Friday night. I can literally feel my brain cells dying.

The sad truth? Feeling your brain cells die is super relaxing.

I hope you like the new fresh look around here. I had lots of suggestions for Kate about what I wanted and she ran with each of my ideas and made them look even better in reality than they did in my imagination. The new look around here really reflects where I feel like I am in my life right now. Kris Jenner would call that "my brand". Let's not be so gauche about it though, OK?

You'll see a lot of familiar content here like stories about our days with Lenny, recipes, photos and jazz talk. In addition to that you'll see more coverage of Social Media, which I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for sticking with me and my corner of the internet for the past eight years, you guys. It's been a wild ride and I think the best is yet to come.

If you are interested in working with Kate, check out her Etsy Shop, Slightly Terrific. You'll be glad you did!

This Week in Social Media

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Part of my job @Mirvish is to stay on top of all the trends and takeaways happening in the vast, ever-changing online landscape. As a longtime blogger, it's always been good, nerdy fun for me. Don't you love it when your passions and your job intersect? Sometimes I can't fathom my good fortune.

Starting today, and every Friday going forward I'll share my roundup of the best reading I've found on the topic of Social Media on the web. Hope you find this new feature useful and interesting.

As always, I encourage your comments. If there's one thing I'm sure of it's that the best way to wrap our heads around this 2.0 world it's through conversation and collaboration.

Social Media News Site Gains Clout
Great article in the New York Times about Pete Cashmore and the evolution of Mashable - my favourite (and everybody else's) place to get social media and tech news.

Speaking of Mashable, here's their How-To on filling in your new Facebook Timeline

The True So-What of Social Media
The smarty pants at Harvard Business Review lay out the six core principles of Social Media.

Photo courtesy Starbucks

My favourite story this week is about the new Starbucks in Times Square at the corner of 47th Street and Broadway. It's designed to look and feel like one of the nearby Broadway theatres. There are giant screens outside the store displaying real-time conversation about Starbucks from Facebook and Twitter and photos from Instagram. There's also a photo booth set up inside so you can have a keepsake from the store, that Starbucks will send to you via email or directly to your phone. The future is now, folks. Can you get me a Quad Grande Latte?

You can read the whole story here, via Starbucks' own blog: Real-Time Starbucks Updates in Time Square

The morning after the news broke that Steve Jobs had passed away, this image was snapped outside the Apple Store in Tokyo. Could this be any more perfect?

via the New York Times

Speaking of Steve Jobs, another cool thing taking place to honour his memory is Black Turtleneck Friday. The organizers are urging everyone to wear Job's customary uniform today, Friday, October 14th. Why not? If you join in, let me know and share a photo here!

And, finally, to this 1 year old, a magazine is simply an ipad that doesn't work. I'd say Steve Jobs' legacy is safe.

See you next week when we'll see if there is an answer to the question "is RIM dead?" yet. I'm guessing they're not, but recovery might be an uphill battle. I know I love my Blackberry too much to give up on them just yet. Have a great weekend, everyone!

New Look!

2011-10-13T13:27:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gents, Miss Tracey Nolan is about to get a brand new look. I'm very excited. Stay tuned for the big unveiling and for all the information about the wonderful designer I've been working with.

Anxiety Girl

2011-10-12T20:42:00.003-04:00

This is part three of a three part series about my experiences with the aftermath of pregnancy. Here are part one and part two if you'd like to go back to the beginning. If you find stuff like this unsettling, come back some other time when I'm talking about something else, OK? OK!
------

"Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy" - Nora Ephron

I'm sitting in my basement, with my headphones on, blasting some tunes and drinking some red wine. All that's missing is the bong and the lava lamp. Lenny is sleep training. Again. She slept through the night at 3 months old. In her own crib. 10 months later, something has gone wrong. We've backslid. Partly because of teething, partly because she's so damn cuddly and partly because it was easier just to let her fall asleep on the couch. The Robeau is upstairs with her right now, letting her cry it out. I assume. Seriously, I can't hear a thing. The fact is, when she is in the kind of distress she's in right now, just listening to her cry the way she does throws me into, well, a bit of a state. I have a visceral reaction to it. It's physical. Just knowing that I can solve all her problems by picking her up? Well, just try to stop me. My heart won't listen to my head telling me this is for the best and for everyone's own good, especially Lenny's.

Mommy wants to fix it. And when she can't? Cue the panic attack.

The panic attacks started when she was a newborn. I felt so at ease, so happy with my life that I had no clue I was even having panic attacks. Denial, party of one. My inner monologue went something like this:

"That's weird, I wonder why my face is numb? Maybe I had too much coffee..."

"Huh, my throat's closing over and I'm having trouble breathing. I hope I haven't developed an allergy to eggs."

and

"Everyone has nightmares like that when they're sleep deprived. No biggie."

and my personal favourite

"HOLY SHIT, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!"

If you Google Image "anxiety" you'd think that all women who experience anxiety (postpartum or otherwise) spend a lot of time furrowing their perfectly maintained brows, or biting their perfectly manicured fingers. The internet wants you to think that this is what anxiety looks like:

That's not what my anxiety looked like. Mine was a little more like this:

When I was feeling more cheerful it was a little more along these lines:

Festive, huh?

Eventually, after a couple of months of sleepless nights, crying fits at the same time every night, numb face (seriously, what is that about?) and thinking that every time The Robeau went out for a loaf of bread or some milk I'd never see him again (I'd be like one of those women before the credits on Law & Order, left only to rock my crying baby and tell the sympathetic cops that I didn't know anything), after all this I admitted that something was indeed up and maybe, just maybe I wasn't allergic to eggs.

I got myself a shrink, who was, by the way, disturbingly attractive. Seriously, the woman was like a cross between Natalie Portman and Giada De Laurentiis. It's hard telling your problems to Giada Portman and her giant diamond ring and tiny cashmere sweater, especially when you don't really know what your problems are. But I guess I'm pretty typical after all and after a few sessions and a little Ativan to help with the numb face we started to realize what was going on with me. A nice case of postpartum anxiety / post traumatic stress disorder (on account of what went on when Lenny was born) and an existing case of PMDD. What's PMDD, you ask? Basically, PMS on steroids. It's real, kids. It's real and I've got it. Some girls have all the luck (3 - 8% of us, to be exact).

I had a bit of an epiphany about PTSD one day listening to the John Legend / Roots cover of the Bill Withers tune I Can't Write Left Handed. This guy gets shot in the shoulder in Vietnam, and he thinks he's going to die. I had a C-section, a procedure they perform so often it's like getting a teeth cleaning and I think I'm going to die...and my whole family is going to die. Did I mention, "HOLY SHIT, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!"?

Once we figured out what the problems were and started working towards managing all of these crazy hormone imbalances I started feeling a lot better. I feel a LOT better. I feel better.

But every once in a while a simple task like sleep training the baby sends me pretty close to the edge again. So I have to take my numb face down to the basement with a bottle of Shiraz and my headphones. I still can't write left handed. But I'm working on it.

Counting my blessings.

2011-10-09T23:01:00.000-04:00

Fortunate, lucky, blessed...call it what you will...but I'm it. It has been a wonderful year. I am full of gratitude (and, incidentally....turkey). Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

Elsewhere: Sir Tim Rice at Tracey Nolan Studios

2011-10-09T13:05:00.000-04:00

So...yeah, I got to take Sir Tim Rice's portrait. I'm as surprised by this turn of events as he is!

See more at Tracey Nolan Studios.

Saturday Zen

2011-10-08T20:34:00.000-04:00

We're having a warm streak this weekend, which is certainly something to be thankful for. Nice to see a little more green before we jump head first into the reds and golds of Autumn. (Photo source)

Emily and Marc's wedding day in 3 minutes and 10 seconds!

2011-10-05T15:11:00.000-04:00

To see more pictures from this lovely wedding drop by Tracey Nolan Studios.

Vocabulary

2011-09-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

Everything is a phone to this kid...a lego block, a cookie, a banana...they all get held up to her ear and then she yells "LO!"

Here's an ever evolving list of Lenny's Vocab. I wonder what's next?

Baby!

Ma Ma

Dadeeee

HiLO! (variations: Hieeeee and LO)

Bow (as in Bow Wow Wow)

CockaDOO (as in Cock a Doodle Doo)

Duck

Mo Mo (as in the little red, furry muppet)

Ah, Love!

2011-09-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

Shot my first wedding yesterday. More on that later, but in the meantime, how lovely are Marc and Em?

Saturday Zen

2011-09-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

Happy 75th birthday, Jim Henson. Thank you for making me happy for 37 years. Thank you for making my daughter happy for 1 year.

Saturday Zen

2011-09-17T20:10:00.002-04:00

On Thursday I took a seminar at University of Toronto. My pal Jen, who is a genuine smarty pants wearer, was working in that very same building and walked me to the subway at the end of the day via a lane way that houses all kinds of hidden treasures including this amazing bit of unexpected art carved into the pavement.

One hand in the air for the big city...

2011-09-11T08:14:00.000-04:00

Drive In Love.

2011-09-10T13:27:00.000-04:00

Toronto has gone TIFF mad! My office is right next door to the building where most of the screenings and press conferences are happening, the red carpet for the big galas is set up in the park across the street where I usually eat lunch. We're even hosting screenings at one of our theatres. It's chaos and gridlock on King Street. Yesterday Clooney, Pit, Jolie, Gosling, Giamatti, Tomei, Bono, The Edge and a whack-load of other A-listers were in attendance. It's bigger than ever. It makes me feel old that I remember when it was called the Festival of Festivals and took place in a few square blocks in Yorkville.

Many years ago, I used to do the festival right. Get a pass, see three or four movies a day. Living on lattes and by the end of the movie marathon, sheer will. Lately, it's been difficult to even get to a second run movie between work, social commitments and having a baby. I did take Lenny to one of those "movies for mommies" screenings once but she laughed at a crying baby right in the middle of a very tense scene in Blue Valentine. Which was, actually, a pretty awesome moment come to think of it.

Last night, we had a family date night and went to the movies in a different way. We piled into the car, packed a blanket and drove out to Oakville to go to the Drive In.

The sun was setting and couples were sitting arm in arm on picnic table benches and kids were running around the playground at the foot the of screen. Everything felt so idyllic and retro. Duke of Earl played on the radio and we bought popcorn for dinner. They even played the National Anthem before the movie.

Then we all snuggled up in the front seat and watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. Loved the movie and loved the feeling that we had gone out minus all the pressure of actually "going out". I don't think I could have had a better time. I wouldn't have traded that big old parking lot for all the red carpets in the world.

Saturday Zen

2011-09-10T10:22:00.000-04:00

South of Houston, NYC, April 2010

Elsewhere: In Case You Missed It at TNS

2011-09-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

Being back to work at Mirvish full time and trying to find the balance between my wonderful new position there and family life with a baby who is suddenly a toddler (!) hasn't left me much time to focus on Tracey Nolan Studios. That said, I do have a few posts up over there that I think you might enjoy. I'm also really excited about some upcoming shoots this Fall including my first official wedding shoot!

Emily and Marc - Engaged!

Lenny's formal 1st birthday portrait session

Sharron Matthews in the UK

It is so gratifying to see the portrait that I shot of Sharron a few short months ago be transformed into a great show poster on display right next to Marget Cho's show poster in London, England. Sharron is really taking the world by storm. I'm so proud of my wonderful clients!

Round Up: my take on the Kennedy Center Honourees announcement

2011-09-07T12:43:00.001-04:00

Sonny Rollins got a nice 81st birthday present today when it was announced that he's joining the Kennedy Center Honourees this year. Having seen him in concert a couple of years ago I can state unequivocally that Sonny still sounds like Sonny, which is to say just great. Even if you're not wild about the current configuration of his band (which I'm not) his personal sound is untouchable.

Also on the list this year are Barbara Cook, Yo Yo Ma, Neil Diamond and Meryl Streep.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Barbara Cook perform live twice now and she remains a true (inter)national treasure.

Yo Yo Ma is the nicest world famous genius that I've ever had the pleasure of making a cup of tea for. Besides, he was on The West Wing. Bonus points for that.

I saw Neil Diamond in concert once too. Remind me to tell you about that some time and the woman he mauled in the front row. Let me just say this: if you are going to a Neil Diamond concert, bring PURELL.

Meryl Streep? 'Nuff Said.

Congrats, Sonny, and Happy 81st!

Tradition

2011-09-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

Labour Day means the last day of the Canadian National Exhibition, which, to everyone in Toronto means the official end of Summer. For as long as I can remember I've been attending the CNE and for just as long my sister has been taking pictures of me at various landmarks at the CNE. It's a nice tradition, even if some years I was more awkward looking than others. One spot is the Princess Margaret Fountain (which the Princess herself unveiled in 1958).

Here I am at four or five years old, in the late Seventies.

Here again, in 2006, on a rainy visit to the grounds. There are twenty-odd years worth of photos that bridge these two together.

Here I am, in that same spot this year, with Lenny, ready to start a new tradition. Passing the torch feels good!

Pop over to Tracey Nolan Studios to see some of my favourite photos from the CNE over the years.

Remembering to Remember New Orleans, Six Years Later.

2011-09-04T21:02:00.003-04:00

A week ago, there was a lot of talk online about the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I can't bring myself to commemorate the Hurricane on August 29th. Because a week later, on September 4th the evacuation of the Superdome had just been completed. People sat, in the heat, hungry, in their own filth...helpless for a week. In their own country. I still can't believe that happened. This time, six years ago, people still sat on their rooftops in the Lower Ninth, hoping to rescued. It's going to take more than another six years to recover. That's another sad truth. But Nola's spirit is strong. And there are many, many ways we can help.

If you have a few minutes, please read on to learn about my pet project, a hands on approach to providing musical supplies for at risk youth in New Orleans.
This is Liese Dettmer, one of the first residents of The Habitat for Humanity Musicians' Village in New Orleans.

When I first met her she had just finished giving a show on her front porch (she's a great singer / songwriter).

While giving me a tour of her new Post-Katrina home, she told me about the free drum lessons she had been giving, on her front lawn, every Saturday morning, to the kids and teenagers living in and around the Musician's Village in New Orleans 9th Ward. Some of those kids had been getting up to no good, she said, and they needed something positive to focus on.

When I spoke with Leise again, less than a year later, she said there is no more "kid crime" in the Village. The program is working.

This is strictly a volunteer, community building mission for Leise, and she has plans to expand the program. She is hoping to add more teachers, move indoors to the Ellis Marsalis Performance Centre (once construction is complete) and even march her kids in an upcoming Mardi Gras parade.

When I held an exhibition of my New Orleans photos in February of 2010 in Toronto, I knew that I wanted all the proceeds to go towards helping Leise with her mission. That April I was able to hand-deliver over $500 worth of drumsticks, practice pads and other gear to Leise for her students. It was Easter Weekend so there were no regular classes being held, but once we hauled some drums out on her front porch a few kids came by to see what all the fuss was about.

It was incredible to see them get so excited about the music...and each of them agreed to come back the next weekend and start taking lessons "for real".

Thanks for taking the time to learn about this project. If you would like to make a donation or purchase one of my New Orleans photographs ALL of the proceeds will go towards helping this wonderful grassroots program. To learn more, please contact me at info [at] misstraceynolan [dot] com.

Saturday Zen

2011-09-03T11:17:00.000-04:00

This was the view from the office of an organization I did some work with a few years ago in the Distillery District. I love the contrast of the flowers and the highway. Makes me think of Carol King singing, "I always wanted a real home with flowers on the windowsill..."

Hope you're all having a lovely, peaceful Saturday.

Etsy is Dangerous: Mike Oncley Edition

2011-09-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

I just found some incredible prints from Long Island based artist Mike Oncley on Etsy. Now I'm going to spend the whole weekend scheming about how I can justify purchasing everything in the Annie Hall Collection and how I'm going to have to redecorate the entire house to accommodate them all. I love the use of colour, the typography vibe and how I can just feel those beloved characters jumping off the page. Mike does Woody real justice here. Which one's your favourite? Do you have a favourite Woody Allen movie that you'd like to see given this treatment?

Jack

2011-08-31T21:22:00.001-04:00

When I remember Jack it is never just Jack, it is always Jack and Olivia and everything they did for my city, Toronto. The Federal politics and the big win a couple of months ago, while energizing, weren't where my head and heart went last week. It was the early 90's. It was Queen Street West. It was when they were the poster children for badass lefty's all over the city. I miss those days sometimes and I know I'll miss Jack in the days and years to come. The funeral left me with an almost frantic sense of "what's next?" - how do we move forward with his vision? All I know is that if we can harness even a fraction of the energy that I felt at Nathan Phillips Square last week we'll be in good shape.

Here are my photos from my visit to the chalk memorial in front of City Hall last week. I'll never forget the way being there made me feel. Proud, sad, in awe and hopeful. Thanks for everything, Jack.

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup

2011-08-31T00:13:00.001-04:00

Our neighbours are a lovely older Italian couple with a veritable farm in their backyard. One of the reasons they are utterly charming neighbours is because they will, on occasion, share with us some of the bounty from their beautiful vegetable garden. Trust me when I say that you've never tasted tomatoes like this. They are so tomatoey! And look, gorgeous and crisp banana peppers too!

We could have consumed all of this produce fresh, in salads quite easily. But when you've got a bunch of the best produce you've ever tasted, that was given to you free of charge, you want to improvise a soup and risk losing it all, right? Spoiler alert: it was delicious. Thank goodness, I would have been filled with such regret if it wasn't.

What you'll need:

8 medium / large size Tomatoes
1 medium Red Onion
6 cloves of Garlic
1 large carrot
1 large or 2 small Peppers (banana or red bell)
Olive Oil
1 small can of Tomato Paste
1 carton Vegetable Stock
2 Bay Leaves
Fresh Basil
Sea Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rough chop all of your veggies

2. Peel your garlic, but leave it whole

3. Toss the whole mess with Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper

4. Roast on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for approximately 1 hour

5. Take your roasted veg and toss them into a large pot with the tomato paste

6. Incorporate the tomato paste with the veggies, cooking it out for a while to "wake up" the flavour of the paste. That stuff can get almost musty tasting sitting in the can, but once you stir and heat it up it tastes full bodied and tangy

7. Add stock to the pot, just enough to cover the veg

8. Add the bay leaves

9. Bring to a boil over a medium / high heat

10. Simmer for 30 minutes

11. Take off heat and let cool slightly, remove the bay leaves and blend with an immersion blender

12. Stir in some chopped or torn basil

13. Taste and correct seasoning

14. Serve with a chiffonade of basil on top and a grilled cheese sandwich (DUH!)

Verdict:

The first attempt, with the bounty from our neighbours' yard was, I gotta say it, perfection. I tried making this again, with grocery store tomatoes and red bell peppers instead of the banana peppers and it was a little lackluster. You can't beat home grown, I guess. This also works as a Gaszpacho so if you're looking for something different to bring to a BBQ Labour Day Weekend, this might just be it!

I miss her face.

2011-08-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

What I wouldn't give to kiss that nose one more time...

Turning One: Part Three

2011-08-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

You knew when I said that I'd be back tomorrow with more pictures from Lenny's birthday party I actually meant four days, right? Le sigh. Being back to work has been wonderful, but it really has cut down on my ability to keep up with things like blogging in a timely manner, returning emails...ever...and various other things that make me, I'm sure, a rather frustrating person to deal with. Mea culpe. Thirty lashes with wet noodle. When I get home from work all I really want to do is hang out with Lenny. Can you blame me?

So, to sum up the birthday party, which was a week ago now (!) I'll just say that it's the friends that make a party great. Hell, it's the friends (new and old) that make life great. We are blessed beyond measure in that department. Lucky, lucky us. Thanks for the photos Aunt Mo!

Year two...here we come!

Turning One: Part Two

2011-08-24T18:29:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, we celebrated Lenny's first birthday with family and friends. We wanted to keep the gathering informal. It was, after all, a baby's birthday party. That said, The Robeau did a lot of work getting the backyard in shape and I cooked up a storm. Some of the decorations are homemade, but most are from Dollarama, every mother's best friend.

I wish I could tell you that we spent a lot of time lounging under that lovely canopy in the back garden, watching our younger guests chasing each other and blowing bubbles. But, no, there was a MASSIVE thunderstorm as evidenced by this picture of my mother, the drowned grandmother rat...

Now I ask you, is that a dedicated grandmother or WHAT?

The rain was so heavy I assumed that most of our guests wouldn't make it. I thought the power was going to go out and that the six of us that were there would be sitting by candlelight, brainstorming uses for the obscene amount of potato salad I was sure to have left over. But NO, our friends and family are a hearty bunch and they all showed up to celebrate Lenny and her birthday. It was so lovely!

On the menu, we had a picnic-style buffet with all the staples and few new ideas to keep people guessing!

The Robeau's ever popular bbq chicken!

Super yummy Pulled Pork Sliders (recipe to follow)!

A new favourite of mine, Green Bean Quinoa Salad (recipe also to follow)

Tomato Watermelon Salad

The obligatory Potato Salad

Later in the afternoon we stuffed ourselves with cake and cupcakes, which were prominently displayed on this amazing Elmo cupcake stand that Annette sent us for the party. Don't you just love it? Lenny sure did!

I was worried that it might all be a bit much for Lenny, having so many people in her house wanting to spend time with her and all the noise and fuss that comes with parties. She took to the whole thing like a fish to water though. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my little leo is a social butterfly.

I'll be back tomorrow with some photos of our lovely guests, snapped by Aunt Mo, the official family photographer.

Turning One: Part One

2011-08-18T00:06:00.000-04:00

The big day = cake, Elmo and a visit from Ma. Not too shabby!

Birthday Girl!

2011-08-16T13:42:00.000-04:00

What a difference 365 days makes!

This time last year, I was lying in a hospital bed, my newborn lying on my chest. I was drowsy, perhaps from being awake for 24 hours, but more likely from the IV bag of Benadryl they were pumpng into my system to keep me from scratching off my own face on account of the morphine they'd pumped into my system earlier. I was like the old lady who lived in a shoe. Except instead of a fly and a spider, they'd sent narcotics and antihistamines down inside me.

For the record, I did not, like the old shoe lady, know what to do.

The first day with Lenny was a blur of cuddly naps in our sun drenched room and visits from friends and family. Everyone remarked on how alert she was and on how beautiful she was. Pink and perfect. Just because everyone says these things about every baby ever born in the history of babies being born, I thought, doesn't mean they aren't true this time.

I knew I would love my kid. I was fairly certain I'd like her too. What I didn't realize a year ago is that I'd want to be like her. In my life, I never imagined that somebody could spread so much happiness and joy in 365 short days. Every day I find myself trying to be more like her. Freer with a smile, a laugh, a hello. Open to everything life has to offer. I find myself thinking that if we were all a little bit more like Lenny - resilient, fun, accepting - then the world would be a much better place.

Thank you, baby girl, for the most wonderful year, filled with your laugh and your smile and thank you for the lessons you teach me every single day. I love you, birthday girl. And I always, always will.

Bernie

2011-08-13T18:43:00.000-04:00

My friend died yesterday. An integral part of our family. Don't roll your eyes at me please, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. In the past, when I've lost someone, I've found the act of eulogizing them on this blog has been cathartic and helped give me comfort and a sense of closure. I don't want any kind of closure just yet. I want to stay exactly this sad for a while. Anything less would feel wrong.

Saturday Zen

2011-08-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

Cherry Beach, September 2, 2010.

Baby Ava!

2011-08-12T09:10:00.000-04:00

Introducing Ava Izabella Baldassini! I'll share more pics of this young lady soon, but for now, enjoy her pretty, sleeping, one day old face. Annette did good!

Little Stan

2011-08-11T18:01:00.000-04:00

This is exactly what Lenny looks like every time I say "no". You try not laughing!

So far, so good.

2011-08-04T18:10:00.000-04:00

I've been back to work for three whole days now and I have to say, the thing that has surprised me most is how seamless the transition has felt. I've enjoyed seeing all of my friends and co-workers again and I'm loving tackling my new job. On that front, I wanted to encourage you to "like" Mirvish Productions on Facebook and ask you to follow us on Twitter. Now that I've done that bit of pandering I should let you know that I won't be talking about work too much here for two reasons. For one thing, I actually like what I do and who I do it with so that makes for some pretty boring blog content (natch) and two, I would live in constant fear of getting dooced.

I'm a little bummed out that all the thought and prep work I put into menu planning for our dinners and my lunches the next day has resulted in me doing nothing. I haven't cooked since the weekend. I really do need to get on the right track with that stuff. Once I get my ass in gear I will share my successes and failures here. If I can manage to find the energy to do anything but sit slack jawed in front of the television this evening I'll be making a Green Bean and Quinoa Salad that will knock your socks off. I'm not kidding. So good, people.

Also to be filed in the "bumming me out" category is the fact that the morning commute remains truly, truly awful. The TTC is just the worst. The only thing keeping me from cutting a bitch is Marc Maron's WTF Podcast. So far his conversations Patton Oswald and Dave Foley have done a nice job keeping my mind off the B.O., the lack of common courtesy and the fact that at 9am all of Scarborough is already on the subway by the time it gets to my station.

Lenny remains utterly unfazed by my absence and is having a grande old time hanging with The Robeau and her Aunt Wa. I have her smiling face looking at me from a frame on my desk all day and every evening, there it is to greet me when I get home. And that's just as lovely as I knew it would be.

Trying my wings...

2011-08-01T01:56:00.002-04:00

Lenny's first birthday fast approaches. Too fast. Way too fast. Knowing that this milestone is just around the corner has me in "this time last year" mode. This time last year, I packed up my desk at the job I had been doing since 2004 and ~~walked~~ waddled home to spend two weeks eating popsicles, watching endless episodes of Ru Paul's Drag Race and trying not to think about childbirth.

It was just as fun as it sounds.

Suddenly, it's a year later and my maternity leave is at an end. That's right, American friends, we get a year of paid leave here in Canada. Every time I think about the fact that you guys get six weeks maternity leave I think about how I was still sleeping on the main floor of my house because I couldn't yet handle stairs after the c-section six weeks after Lenny was born. Then I stand at attention and sing a chorus of The Maple Leaf Forever.

I have had the most wonderful year. It's been filled with cuddles and spit up and crawling and cruising. It's been filled with diapers and bottles and board books and playpens. It's been days of sleeping when the mood strikes us and spontaneous mid-afternoon walks. It's been lunch dates and coffee dates and our mid-week Rainbow Songs class. We've taken the time to just be and it has been nothing short of magnificent.

I'm going to miss it.

Like, a lot.

Tuesday, I go back to work. Same office, new exciting job. I'll be working in Social Media, helping to promote an institution I'm really proud of here in Toronto. It's an incredible opportunity. To quote my boss: See what happens? You don't come to work for a year and you get a promotion!

I'm excited.

Really, really excited.

It is bittersweet though, the idea of flying out of this nest I made. I know I will shed some tears when I leave Len's smiling face in the morning. All I can say is, thank god for giant sunglasses. The last thing I want is sympathy from subway riders.

Right now I feel like life is all shiny and full of possibility. I have my family, my health, a beautiful home, amazing friends and a career. Just typing that makes me anxious that I'm going to, to paraphrase Miss Ru herself, FUCK IT UP. I want so badly to achieve balance (or something close to it). I want to make sure I'm doing right by my daughter. I want to give my all at work. And I still want to find the time to read The New Yorker and get a manicure. Most of all, I hope I can look back on "this time last year", next year, and know that this was the beginning of a great chapter in our lives.

Hitsville USA!

2011-08-01T01:27:00.000-04:00

For real, this is the best place ever. Worth the trip to Detroit for any music fan. Standing in the famed Studio A was an incredible experience!

Some Facts About Breastfeeding

2011-07-31T01:37:00.001-04:00

This is part two of a three part series about my experiences with the aftermath of pregnancy. If you find stuff like this unsettling, come back some other time when I'm talking about something else, OK? OK!

The care we received when I was pregnant and when Lenny was born from the midwives, nurses and doctors at Toronto East General Hospital was exceptional. They did their job. It wasn't an easy one, and in the end she was safe and healthy and really, that's all that matters. Except that's only partly true. Because in order for me to do my job and be a good mother to her, I was going to need a little help from them. The mother matters too. Unfortunately, everything that happened to me during my postpartum stay at the hospital would indicate that these health care professionals (with the exception of my wonderful midwives) thought of me as little more than a pair of walking boobs. Modern day health care practitioners in a "breastfeeding friendly" hospital are, in a lot of ways like a lecherous boss in a Benny Hill Sketch.

I'm pretty sure I heard this every time they wheeled in the breast pump.

Fact

When you have a c-section, which is major surgery that involves cutting through eight layers of muscle in your abdomen, it's going to hurt. When you're in that kind of pain, you're going to need some serious pain killers. I've got friends who have given birth via c-section in other Toronto hospitals who were given narcotics to help them through the pain. If they were being brave, the hospital would allow them to then downgrade to Tylenol 3. Since I was in a "breastfeeding friendly" establishment I was offered my choice of Regular Strength Tylenol or Regular Strength Tylenol. I should point out that Regular Strength Tylenol won't even help me when I've got a headache, so you can imagine how effective it was after major abdominal surgery. If I took anything stronger, I was told, there was a risk it would travel through my breast milk and poison the baby. That's right, stronger drugs would travel through my breast milk that wasn't coming in and poison my baby who refused to latch on. Just a thought, but if that really is the case, don't you think someone should mention it to all the other hospitals in town handing out the good stuff like it's Smarties?

Fact

They refuse to feed your baby any formula until they've tried breastfeeding for at least 24 hours. Lenny got nothing to eat until they realized she was straight up refusing to breastfeed on day two. At that point we had to feed her formula from a tiny plastic cup (the kind used to dispense pills) to avoid "nipple confusion". From that point on, every time we attempted to breastfeed, she tried to sip from my nipple like it was a cup. I had the song Ball of Confusion stuck in my head for weeks. "Nipple Confusion...that's what her world is to-day, hey, hey!!!"

Fact

Seeing this from my vantage point of my (really uncomfortable) hospital bed was little to no comfort.

Why is that baby on the left only a head? Whyyyyyyy?

Fact

Sometimes, the people who are supposed to be there to help you, will act like pre-programmed breastfeeding friendly robots.

Me: Is it OK that she just spit up like that?
Nurse: Skin to skin contact is really important.

Him: Am I swaddling her correctly?
Nurse: How's it going with the breastfeeding?

Doctor: If there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know.
Me: I need stronger pain killers.
Doctor: Would you like me to make an appointment with the Lactation Consultant?

Fact

The Lactation Consultant was about as helpful as a bag of wet socks.

Fact

When you go home and spend all kinds of time hooked up to the electronic breast pump, trying desperately to squeeze that precious colostrum out of your swollen breasts while watching Quantum of Solace, you will realize just how truly bizarre your new life is.

Fact

Everybody and his brother feel that it is acceptable in today's society to ask a new mother if she is breastfeeding. Strangers on the street, cashiers at the grocery store, a random woman next to me in the gyno's office (when I didn't have the baby with me)! Note to everybody: It's none of your god damn business.

Fact

If you are unable or unwilling to breastfeed, you will catch hell from your friendly neighbourhood lactivist. I've given this some serious thought. I've tried to put myself in their shoes. They are passionate about children and health and aren't they just trying to help? Yes, I've given it lots of thought and it is my personal opinion that they are narrow minded and full of shit. Be gone, breastfeeding nazi. No. Soup. For. You.

Fact

If your baby refuses to latch on but can still smell her food through your skin, being around you will frustrate her. The day you realize that you and your milky smelling breasts are making your baby cry you will ask her father to return the electronic breast pump to the drug store, buy a case of formula and never look back.

Fact

I knew this was the right decision, but I still couldn't watch as he took the breast pump out the front door. I felt so guilty and like such a failure, it was as if he was taking any chance I had of being a good mother right out the door with that breast pump. I only got through it by averting my eyes and singing a chorus of "Nipple Confusion" to my angry, hungry baby.

Fact

Formula feeding was always presented to me as a worst case scenario. But you know what? It has worked out great for us. Lenny is thriving. She has never been sick and we had no problem bonding without the aid of the breast, thankyouverymuch. I have had more freedom than a breastfeeding mom and her dad has had the opportunity to get more involved that he would have otherwise, especially in those difficult early days.

Formula feeding isn't the end of the world. And that's a fact.

Elsewhere: Caribana Memories at Tracey Nolan Studios

2011-07-30T17:42:00.000-04:00

Come on over here to see more, and to find out what else is going on at Tracey Nolan Studios!

Saturday Zen

2011-07-30T13:12:00.000-04:00

This beauty was in the backyard of our old apartment. I loved that garden. The best part about it was that our landlady (who was our upstairs neighbour) wanted to do all the gardening. It was my first time having a yard to call my own (having only lived in apartment buildings) and it felt like such a luxury to have a tiny bit of nature right here in the city. Not too much nature, just enough. I have the fondest memories of that place.

Hope you all have a great long weekend and if you have a garden you love, you get to spend hour upon hour of leisure time there.

Detroit Day Trip: Tiger Stadium

2011-07-29T23:55:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the radio silence this week. It was my last full week of maternity leave and I was spending more time hanging out with Len than I was online. Also shopping for back to work stuff, dreading menu planning and fighting City Hall. But more on all that later. In the meantime I wanted to share some pictures with you from our whirlwind trip to Detroit last Friday.

First stop: Tiger Stadium! What's that, you say? They stopped playing baseball at Tiger Stadium in 1999? Why, yes. They did. However, it took 10 years for the stadium to be demolished and since then, the lot has remained. An overgrown, empty, haunting relic.

Here it is before:

Here's what the space looked like last Friday:

The most surprising thing was how small it looked. And then I checked and the gates were open. So I walked right in and stood where I imagine the visitors dugout was and thought about how this is the spot where Lou Gehrig benched himself in 1939 (when it was still called Brigg's Stadium). Here he is, in that moment, in that place, all quiet dignity.

I stood there and I looked at home plate.

It was incredibly moving. In baseball, we know, the ghosts always show up eventually.

The flagpole is still there. I imagined thousands of Tiger fans standing up and singing their national anthem.

The most amazing thing about all of this is the fact that recently neighbourhood activists and baseball fans have started cleaning the field up, getting rid of some of the weeds and dusting off home plate. And every Sunday they come and play ball. They've named it Ernie Harwell Park.

Talk about a Field of Dreams...

Back soon with some more pics from our busy day in Detroit!

Music Monday: Father and Daughter

2011-07-25T21:14:00.002-04:00

When I heard the sad news of Amy Winehouse's death the report mentioned that her father Mitch Winehouse heard the news when he landed in New York where he was meant to be making his debut at The Blue Note. I didn't follow her life closely, but I enjoyed her two albums very much and remembered hearing that her dad was a cabbie in London. Turns out he worked as a cab driver to support his family, putting his dreams of being a singer on the back burner. It's obvious when you listen to Amy's catalogue that she had not just an appreciation for, but an innate understanding of soul, R&B and jazz. Seems to me that Mitch did a wonderful job instilling a love of music in his daughter.

Her success allowed her to help her dad get another shot at his dream and he has released what I think is a very pleasant collection of standards. It's obvious that Mitch has listened to a lot of Sinatra and that unlike his talented and troubled daughter who brought something completely new to the table, he is happy simply recreating and paying tribute to the music he loves.

I found this video of him live at Ronnie Scott's quite enjoyable. I hope he's able to get through his tragic loss and have the career he's always wanted. I'm sure there are people who will say he is simply riding on Amy's coattails, but I can't help but think that she'd be nothing but pleased for any success he might find in the future.

Here's my favourite track of Amy's from Back to Black. Her effortlessness and authenticity are almost shocking. It's a crying shame that her death wasn't.

Saturday Zen

2011-07-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

The beautiful Michigan sky shot yesterday after a rain storm, which gave us all a little relief from the crazy-bananas heat wave we've been living with for the past few days. We're on a mini road trip for the weekend, I'll have more pictures and stories to share soon. Have a great weekend, stay cool!

Thank you, Mr. Yost.

2011-07-22T02:08:00.004-04:00

I can safely say that this, and Elwy Yost were as big a part of my childhood as The Muppets and Dr. Who himself.

If you're over the age of 30 and aren't familiar with Elwy then there is simply no way you grew up in Ontario. The Nolans are all movie buffs and we loved Elwy as if he was a member of the family.

Back in May, my sister, the popular classic movie blogger, Caftan Woman wrote this beautiful tribute to Elwy. I'm sad to know he's no longer with us. Thank you for everything, Elwy.

Caftan Woman, her daughter Janet and Elwy back when he was still a fixture on TVO

Saturday Zen

2011-07-16T11:04:00.000-04:00

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody - Bill Cosby

I snapped this photo not far from home, on the water's edge, just before Spring really settled in. It was warm and sunny, but there was still snow on the ground. I love moments like that, don't you?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend...

Elsewhere: Preview of the Beaches Jazz Festival at Torontoist

2011-07-15T18:07:00.001-04:00

Jazz festival season is definitely upon us. Check out my preview of the Beaches Jazz Festival for Torontoist here. Once again, I have to say that I'm thrilled to be working with Torontoist. What a great website! Their coverage of the recent debacles in Toronto city council has been just wonderful. If you're interested in local politics, or how Rob Ford and friends are trying to make their mark on this city, you'd best be keeping updated on that shiz.

Anyway, onto happier things like summer weekends and free music! Let me know if you take anything in at the Beaches fest this year. I'd love to hear about it!

Jake Wilkinson, seen here in a photo of mine from 2008, performs next weekend.

A Children's Treasury of Weird Ass Postpartum Symptoms

2011-07-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

This is part one of a three part series about my experiences with the aftermath of pregnancy. If you find stuff like this unsettling, come back some other time when I'm talking about something else, OK? OK!

I had a baby and a bunch of my hair fell out. All over the house. Everywhere. Many, many, months later, it all started to go grow back. So, now? Now I have weird, fly away baby bangs framing my face. While this is a small price to pay for the joys of parenthood and it goes without saying I'd do it all over again if I had to, it's still kind of...gross. Don't worry though, there's PLENTY of gross to go around...

My head wasn't the only thing losing hair

There was, in the first couple of months after the birth, a lot of short, dark hair that was presumably left behind by the baby ummm...evacuating itself from my lady bits. It's weird peeing hair, you guys. Make no mistake. This went on for what felt like forever. How hairy was she in there? Do all fetuses look like little thumb-sucking yetis? Why doesn't that shit show up on the ultrasound?

While we're talking about peeing...

There is something very freeing about not having to pee every second like you did when you were pregnant. The thing is, for several weeks after the birth, instead of a normal peeing experience it kind of felt like I had a trap door down there. A giant trap door that would slam shut once I was done peeing. It was...roomy down there. The kicker? I HAD A C SECTION. What happens to your lady bits if a baby actually comes out of them? I shudder at the thought.

Control Freak

You know those Whoopi Goldberg ads about peeing your pants? Let's just say, she ain't lying.

Shoe shopping isn't fun any more

My size 10 feet have spread and are now wide size 10 feet. Tragic.

A word about the boobs

Breastfeeding was a challenge and never really happened (just assume that's cause I'm heartless, careless and lazy - send your hate mail NOW). Once I stopped producing foodstuffs, my breasts took on the consistency of bean bags. Remember those little bean bags that they always made you toss around in elementary school gym class? Now that I'm thinking about it, elementary school gym class was the last time I had to live through a series of events as unthinkable, uncomfortable and as seemingly random as being postpartum.

The Groban Effect

I used to have a visceral reaction to certain things in our pop culture. I knew, when I was four months postpartum, sitting in a Starbucks practically in tears over the sheer beauty of a Josh Groban Christmas song that I had been changed forever. I watch a lot of Food Network and E! now. Crime dramas (I'm looking at you Law & Order SVU!) are a thing of the past. The news often makes me yell. Like, out loud.

Hot Flashes

I sweat a lot more than I used to. I hope I get some sweat-free years between the hormonal rages of being postpartum and the hormonal rages of menopause.

Just when you think you're out...

When I was a FULL TEN MONTHS POSTPARTUM as in, I'm actually planning my baby's first birthday party, I came down with a postpartum hormone related skin infection. Allow me to say that again. A skin infection. See? I told you there was plenty of gross to go around. I'm currently on antibiotics and considering wearing oven mitts all day to keep myself from scratching the skin clean off my body.

If you think all this sounds like fun stay tuned for parts two and three where I'll fill you in on bizarre hospital practices and the weird ass things that happened to my brain! Really.

I really need to get some sleep.

2011-07-14T21:21:00.002-04:00

If this recent bout of insomnia has taught me anything it's that every single episode of The Girls Next Door, and I do mean every single episode involved one of the girls' dogs holding a meeting with either:

A) a dog trainer
B) a dog psychic
C) a dog talent agent

And you thought I had learned something about not drinking caffeine after 3pm or something "useful" like that. Well. You must feel like an asshole now, huh?

Next stop: terrorist first bump.

2011-07-12T22:27:00.001-04:00

Lenny learns how to high five just in time for the MLB All-Star Game. Give her some skin!

A Living Tribute

2011-07-11T02:57:00.001-04:00

Apparently, David and Victoria Beckham have named their newborn daughter Harper Seven Beckham. I only have three questions:

Are they Mickey Mantle fans?
Are they George Costanza fans?
Is this a joke?

I'll say this, either one of these answers will give me a new respect for this couple. Welcome, Seven. You are a living tribute.

Mommy's little narcissist.

2011-07-11T02:11:00.000-04:00

For the past several days, Lenny's baby talk has consisted primarily of variations on the word...baby. Late last week, the Robeau was sitting with her on the front porch when our elderly neighbour Tony came to say hello. He asked her how she was and apparently she replied, clear as day, "BABY!"

This morning I was giving her a little cuddle as she woke up. She lifted her head, rubbed her eyes, blew a raspberry and then started in:

bay bay

baaaaaaayb

baaaaaaay baaaaaaaay

ha ha!

baybaybaybaybay

It's a little bit weird, potentially a little bit narcissistic and a little bit the cutest thing ever. And so is she.