raves
Mobstr and The Buffman: A street art story
Feb 10th
Mobstr is a British street artist well-known for his smart, sarcastic, and sometimes bitingly anti-consumerist stencil graffiti.
If reading Thorstein Veblen in your second year communication studies class got you all riled up, as it did me, (a more universally relevant example: If you really enjoyed Naomi Klein‘s NO LOGO… or *sigh* Banksy stuff) you’ll dig his work.
The buffman is Mobstr’s nemesis: an anonymous, omnipresent city worker who pops up unannounced and at random intervals to destroy Mobstr’s work. Grafitti is every bit as illegal in Newcastle as it is in Toronto, you see.
Scroll below to watch them dance:
All photos by Mobstr, via Vandalog. Great interview with mysterious artist here.
I’ve got lots of things to write about, but I don’t feel like writing about me today. Not here. You’ll live. After all, this is just a blog. Real life beckons… and also Space Jam.
Introducing TRILLBERT (+A Tuesday night linksplosion)
Feb 5th
Ayo, I have a new friend for you guys to meet; His name is AJ Colores, but he goes by TRILLBERT. Alors:
I didn’t use the word “alors” properly at all just there, but sick gif eh? That’s on his Trillbert website, which is also blogworthy (hence the blogging-it-ness.)
Watch this music video for “Chicken Head.” You’ll get what I mean.
That genre of music is called Trillstep, which I assumed was the same things as trap until I Googled it and saw that it is something (slightly) different.
Urban Dictionary defines Trillstep as “A new genre of music coming out of Houston, Texas. Consisting of dirty south raps with hard dance floor dubstep. Badbwoy BMc was the first to coin “trillstep” on his mix cd for Swisha House entitled “Welcome 2 Trillstep”.
Wait… ISN’T that trapcore? ISN’T YOU TRVPPING ON TUMBLR?!
Somebody explain it to me in the comments if you know or care. TRILLBERT gives good gif, and that’s really the most important thing to me. I don’t know who made this gif but I kind of need to work it in somewhere”
At the risk of sounding creepy, here are a few more things I like about Trillbert / AJ Colores (I’m too new to distinguish where one ends and the other begins. Heck, I can’t even figure out O’Neil and O’Nizzle yet.)
- His Instagram bio says “I enjoy long walks on the Internet”
- The mad ToeJam and Earl references within that Chicken Head video
- The URL on his Trillbert website that contains the string “?_escaped_fragment_=went-to-photoshop-and-told-em-makle-me-a-grill”
- He is a legit OG Internet kid, like me.
- His taste in Tumbles — look at what I just found:
DOOBLEH META BAUCE.
Now for that Linksplosion…
This is a spider who sounds like a motorcycle.
One time, Creed performed a show so bad that an entire audience launched a class-action suit against them — which should not shock you at all, really, because they’re Creed.
The web is NOT THE INTERNET (Thank you, Motherboard)
Grade 2 students learn grammar and spelling by correcting NFL player tweets, and it is good
Chop Chop, Karlie Kloss gets a cute new haircut that I think I’m going to copy.
Remember that Applebee’s server who posted a picture of the receipt with some snarky note from a pastor about not tipping because of God and stuff? Yeah, Applebee’s fired her, and the Internet is mad
Bang With _____: Why the DTF app genre’s got potential
I just found out about the B?s?zoku Japanese youth subculture. Pretty cool Wikipedia entry if you’re into that.
Clever website of the week: Things you can bake with a Penis cake pan that aren’t penis cakes.
These deer antler bicycle handlebar concepts are awesome. So dangerous. So awesome.
THIS COVERLETTER (I’d hire him.):
PORN STAR IN SPACE, PORN STAR IN SPACE
Beyonce does an impression of Sweet Brown.
Ironic Sans Quiz: Can YOU tell the difference between Arial and Helvetica?
13-year-old girl sends Hello Kitty to the edge of space
Jezebel hates that atrocious ‘Guyet’ beer campaign too! HA!
Seriously, f*ck this sh*t.
Disabled goldfish gets underwater ‘wheelchair’ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Overkill, Thy name is this tiny, tablet-cleaning, Roomba-like robot
The Last Supper, as Told Through Instagram
Nice one, Hanksy.
That’s all for now… I know it’s already Tuesday, but I do have a weekend wrap on the way. It was a big one. HANGTIGHT PR FOLK I LOVE YOU I’M JUST BUSSYYYYYYY WITH MY JOBBBBBBBB!
POKExFASHION: Where Miu Miu meets Mewtwo
Jan 25th
Some things fit together so naturally, so logically, that you don’t even need to think about them — they just kind of go, like socks and feet, bread and toasters, gumzy and keebler 3…
These things are boring.
I wear socks in my hair, mmkay? And as for bread, I ball that ish up, dip it in hot sauce and toss it into my mouth like a soggy little timbit of FIRE.
Gumzy and keebler3 are actually just awesome and not boring at all. I stumbled upon that older adults from Virgina dater hookup thread while searching for “pairs of things that go together.”
Either the whole lot of characters there is inadvertently hilar, or I’m just severely overtired. Whatever the case, it’s greatest thing I’ve stumbled upon in the past half-hour.
Found this gif there, too. GOLD, JERRY, GOLD!
Anyhoo, this Pokémon x Fashion blog is also great, because unlike all of the things I mentioned above, Pokémon and Fashion aren’t the likeliest of combos. And yet it works, so very very well.
Turns out I’m not the only human out there who loves both Clefairy and Céline, Tentacruel and Thierry Mugler, Diglett and Dior (Not sure if the pokexfashion artist actually made any of these combos, I just like alliteration)
WHO KNEW? Facebook, probably. Also, all of the fashion webzines. Stylecaster first reported on pokexfashion back in July of 2011 and Refinery29 had it in December of that same year.
A whole bunch of outlets came along like “hurr durr lookit so cool” last week and now I’m like “HURRRRPDUURRRP I M COOL TOOOOO,” but like, I actually do like both fashion and Pokémon very much.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit Ugh, this isn’t about me. I’ll stop. Throwback Thursday, woo!
Wow, Sir Snarksalot up in here eh? I’ll tone it back. Hecka stressed out right now. Sometimes it comes out in sonnnnng! But not now.
Here are a few more cool posts from pokexfashion, which Internet tells me is run by a young man in ONTARIO (just like me!) called franny pack. FRANNY PACK, WHO ARE YOU? LET’S BE FRIENDS! DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR POKEMON CARDS? I’ll steal some from my brother.
Go check out the rest for yourself right here right meow!
Night night.
Sparks Salon in Liberty Village + Liquid Keratin Rules: Because gorgeous hair is the best revenge, BWA-HA-HA!
Jan 22nd
I’ve spent countless hours, JILLIONS of scalp cells and thousands upon thousands of dollars in my long and emotionally fraught quest to find “the one.”
You know what they say, gals — a good salon is hard to find.
Thus, I was intrigued when Sparks (they of the beautiful hot-pink signage that catches my eye every single day on the King West streetcar) opened up a new location in Liberty Village, just steps from where I live.
It's too cold outside to go over and take a photo of the shopfront, so here's a screenshot of their website.
I was even more intrigued by all of the stylish model-types and hot hipster boys hanging out around front during their opening party. I totally would have crashed it, had I not been walking by straight after hitting the gym.
Instead, I waited until my roots needed some dire emblondening to check it out all proper-like. I’m a gentlekid like that.
First off, Guys, I am smitten.
Sparks Salon in Liberty Village is the closest thing in Toronto I’ve found yet to that perfectly girly yet modern salon of my Barbie-loving dreams (that isn’t rife with snooty betches and costs me half a month’s rent for a cut, that is.)
I mean, really, this as all every girl who grew up in the 90s is really looking for in a salon:
The staff at Sparks don’t sing while they do blowouts and they didn’t try to teach me how to get my boyfriend to pay my bills bills bills (maybe next time? Anybody?) but one time they all wore pink just like Bey and the gang in that video so it stands to reason that they’re every bit as cool.
They’re also friendly, fun to talk to, reasonably priced and super knowledgable when it comes to what they do, which is actually what every girl who cares about her hair is looking for.
It’s a good sign when the people working at a beauty salon are genuine babes, as opposed to dead-eyed cake-faced chain-smokers with asymmetrical two-toned everything (sorry, the entirety of Southwestern Ontario.)
Pictured above is Nicole, hairstylist (follow her on Instagram @Hairby_Nicole!) Ophelia, manager, and a Hello Kitty FREAKING CALCULATOR! I raved on and on about Air Hello Kitty when I saw that. Pretty sure I sent them a link. One day, homies, I’ll be blogging from the Japanese sky.
Anyhoo, this is supposed to be a review and not a weird Destiny’s-Child infused Laurant (what can I say? I spent ALL DAY surrounded by inauguration coverage and replays of Queen Bey ripping out her IFB) so let me rev.
I wish Beyoncé had performed a modified rendition of “Bills Bills Bills” at Obama’s inaguration. “Can you pass these Bills?…” #Inagu2013
— Lauren O’Neil (@laurenonizzle) January 21, 2013
1. Atmosphere: Awesome. (See cool wall-text above.) From the gleaming white floor to the brick backdrop against the pedicure wall, the space is stunning. I particularly enjoyed the fun words of wisdom written on the walls.
Dont mind if I do!
Because Sparks is a nail salon too ( one of the only places that specializes in Japanese 3D Nail Art in Toronto, I’m told) there were some really cool Japanese nail art magazines and examples of cool designs around.
Kid in a candy store, I tells ya. If I had 400 fingers and a cheat code for infinity moneys IRL I would have dropped a cool zillion dollars that day.
!!!!!
2. Actual hair services. As i mentioned before, Nicole is the name of the hairstylist who colored and cut my locks, PLUS gave me my first liquid keratin treatment. HAVE YOU TRIED LIQUID KERATIN YET?!? It’s miraculous. More on that below.
As hard as it is to find a good salon, it’s even harder to find a good colourist. Blondes know what I’m saying.
“Where do you usually get your hair done?” they often ask me, a glint of everything from pity to contempt to disgust in their eyes, depending on who emblondened last.
“I get around…” I joke. “I’m a bit of a salon ho.”
Don’t get me wrong – not every colourist I’ve ever been to in Toronto has been a dud. Many, I’ve seen multiple times with great success. The only problem is that they’re kind of salon hoes too.
“Hi! I’d like to make an appointment with Monique, please…”
“I’m sorry she’s no longer with us. She moved to Calgary.”
“Hi! I’d like to make an appointment with Marissa please,”
“She’s a little booked up. Can I pencil you in for next March?”
“Hi, I’d like to-
“*beep beep BEEP* the number you are attempting to reach is no longer
in service…”
GRAH!
And for every great stylist I’ve loved and lost due to my own moving around to different cities, there have been 3 that simply don’t meet my high standards (Leave peroxide on my head for 3 hours because my hair isn’t ‘lifting as fast as usual?’ Thanks for the the irreparable dammmaaaage superstaaaar!)
What can I say? I want the best for my blonde.
But uh, enough about my hair issues, back to Nicole. She’s awesome. Talent minus ego desirable and marketable and SO FREAKING RARE in Toronto, across more industries than I could ever explain right now while still holding fast to my agressive sleep debt repayment schedule.
If you need a thoughtful, well-educated hairstylist who knows her colour and undertands that a TRIM does not equal 1798576 inches (Why do so many people not understand this?) hit her up.
3. Product
Kevin Murphy and Moroccanoil. Nuff said.
Everything else in the salon is of equal high-quality (and Eco-friendly, says Internet. Sparks is a Certified Green Circle Salon).
And here’s where I’m going to dish about that liquid keratin treatment:
Liquid Keratin is the reason I held off a good three weeks after my experience at Sparks before writing this post. Well, that and my aforementioned hardcore sleep / work / not so much blogging January schedule
Based on the results, I wondered if it might be too good to be true and I wanted to make sure that my hair didn’t get all gross again after a few weeks of washing. Rest assured, it didn’t. This stuff is legit.
A before and after of my own hair, after one of 3 steps, before cut or colour, no straightener, courtesy of Nicole:
Insane difference already, eh?
I wasn’t kidding when I said that my hair was damaged. Be careful who you trust to put peroxide on your head is all I can say… and like, ease up on the everyday ponytails / hair straightener / etc.
To rip some copy from the company’s website:
“Liquid Keratin Professional Restorative Smoothing Treatment is an exclusive new certified Formaldehyde & Aldehyde Free system developed to promote hair straightening, smoothing and relaxing waves while repairing damage caused from other chemical processes. Because of its ability to penetrate the hair fibre, Liquid Keratin Professional Restorative Smoothing Treatment, provides more shine, conditioning, strength and resistance to hair fibers damaged by other chemical processes.
The 3-step process is intense, but only for the poor stylist who has to wash your hair with special stuff and then put more special stuff on your hair and then rinse it out to put more special stuff on it. You just sit there and chill while your hair turns from straw into silk, curls into pins, or whatever you desire to get out of the treatment.
For me, it worked wonders. It actually made my hair feel better than it has in years. Soft and silky and smooth, like it was when I lived in cities that didn’t have Toronto water in the pipes. Mmmm, clean water…
I’m not going to lie — it’s a pricier treatment, but it lasts for months if done well, and you can get just your ends done for a lot less. If your hair is in serious need of some TLC, I woud recommend it. I haven’t had to use my straightener all month and my natural frizzwave is nowhere to be found.
That’s all for this kid tonight. Hit me up in the comments if you’ve tried Liquid Keratin. I’d love to know what other people think!
And because I can’t leave you without at least one SOLID SOLID lol on a post, THIS:
Night night homies 
The 2012 Holiday Party Report Part 2 + Scumbag Car and Good Guy Tweeps
Dec 24th
Yesterday was one of those days — the highly memorable kind that you could totally call “a rollercoaster” if it had been anything other than stellar for the first 80 percent of it… Or if I had spent it at Cedar Point or Wonderland or something.
It all started out dreamily with some DIRELY needed hair TLC at Sparks in Liberty Village (full review of that adventure coming soon, but long story short: Sparks Salon = beauty heaven and Liquid Keratin = gorgeous hair in a bottle.)
Then, I spent some quality time with the boys…
Did some last minute Christmas shopping…
Hit the gym, computed a little, packed my car and hit the road to head home for Christmas.
Vinyl Tap was on the radio, my coffee cup was full, and I was only 4 hours away from SLEEPING IN MY SWEET BED IN CHATHAM!
Or so I thought.
Scumbag car strrrrrikes again! WHY MAN? WHY? Just as I’m getting on the 427 you decide to overheat? Why are you so hot? IT’S FREEZING OUTSIDE!
I called my dad who advised me not to drive four hours West with the gauge at full H and the check engine light on. My boyfriend, his brother, and everyone else I talked to agreed, and since I couldn’t get one person to give my bright idea at the very least a “meh, you’ll be okay,” I did the next best thing.
I Tweeted.
Anybody know a 24/hr auto repair shop that’s open 24 hours? Right now?
— Lauren O’Neil (@laurenonizzle) December 23, 2012
It was a long shot. I’d already pulled over and started Googling shops in the area on my iPhone to see what time they’d be open the next day, fully resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to make my family Christmas today.
And then this popped up on my screen:
@laurenonizzle Apparently Bento’s on Dundas 416-533-2500
— Tania (@tania) December 23, 2012
“Huh,” I thought. “Worth a try.”
30 minutes later, this:
IT WAS A FESTIVUS MIRACLE!
Not only were the guys at Bento’s able to take me in right away, they got me back on the road within an hour — All because Tania took the time to reply to my tweet.
She didn’t have to do that. She could have let the tweet pass by and clicked over to something more entertaining, but she took the time to find and send me that number instead.
Scumbag car overheats on the highway; Good guy Twitter followers help me locate a 24 hr mechanic within minutes.
— Lauren O’Neil (@laurenonizzle) December 23, 2012
That little gesture made a world of difference to me — the difference between making it home in time for my extended family Christmas in Windsor and having to catch a train home the next evening with four huge bags of gifts in tow.
Thank you, Tania. You saved my Christmas with your simple act of kindness, and that does not deserve to go unrecognized or un-paid-forwarded.
So here; I donated a mango tree to a school in Africa through Plan Canada in your name (which I wrote as @tania since I don’t know your last name and wanted this to be a surprise.)
Just a small token of my appreciation that I hope makes someone’s life a little better, like your speed-Tweeting that shop’s number did for me.
Now for the Holiday Party Roundup Part 2 (Y’all can see Part 1 here) complete with 140 character party reviews once again — enjeezy!
Last but not least, this:
Don’t read the comments. Just believe…
Modern Seinfeld, Classic Rap Memes and The Full Body Sweater
Dec 13th
Hey, Hi, Happy Humpday!
Would you rock a full-body cable knit sweater like this guy for reasons other than to get yourself plastered all over the geekblogs?
I would not. Even just looking at that noise makes me itch all over like there are botflies under every inch of my skin, which I’m kind convinced of anyway after I saw that thing on the Discovery Channel about botflies 5 years ago. This sweater makes me feel like my botflies have botlfies. IT’S A DOUBLE BOTFLY SWEATER.
Actual serious warning though: Don’t Google “botfly.” For real. Don’t.
You just Googled it, didn’t you?
Anyhoo, this is what I wore today:
The leggings are liquid. The shoes are wedges. The vial necklace is by Wildfox — one of my favourite (if not the most ridiculously overpriced) Australian fashion brands ever. I bought it as a birthday present to myself
It reminds me of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s cross in cruel intentions, minus the drugs. I think I’m going to fill mine with perfume and pretend it’s loooove potion. What’s life without whimsy, eh?
GET IT?!? The Ice Cube Ice Cube button is one of my favourite old rap memes. Microsoft WORD is another, as well as all of the Wheelchair Drake and Joseph Ducreux archaic rap macros in existence pretty much.
I’ve had both of these kicking around in my “Images I like” folder on various laptops and hard drives for years along with hundreds of other timeless viral photos that seem to keep popping up on Tumblr and the like every now and again, which is why I was stoked to find this hilarious “Rap Memes” Facebook page that I followed for about a week. It disappeared before I could blog about it. Ain’t that the way? Google “rap memes” for some free-roaming lulz and remind me not to trust Facebook anymore.
Here’s something every bit as hilarious — if not more so — and a little bit more permanent than the Rap Meme Facebook page, I hope.
Follow Wednesday Modern Seinfeld. If you’re a hardcore fan of the show, you’ll appreciate these 140 character show pitches for a contemporary audience. It’s gold, Jerry, gold!
Elaine thinks an @nymag sex diary is about her. Jerry dumps his gf for being obsessed w/ Kate Middleton. Kramer spoils a TV show for George.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 11, 2012
Jerry’s beautiful girlfriend (Kelly Macdonald) dumps him after Jerry, on George’s insistence, uses an emoticon in a text.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 12, 2012
George “accidentally” sends a “reply all” e-mail in an attempt to get fired. He is promptly promoted for his gutsy attitude.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 12, 2012
Jerry has to stop using Google because he is dating Lydia Mapquest, heiress to the Mapquest fortune. Elaine waits for a Starbucks bathroom.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 12, 2012
Kramer gives Ted talk full of nonsense words, gets a standing ovation. George discovers that there’s a gay porn star named George Costanza.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 11, 2012
Elaine yells at her co-workers for loving Pinterest. Kramer becomes an @uber driver. George opens actual jerk store on Etsy.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 10, 2012
@seinfeldtoday Kramer gets into Weird Twitter. Jerry obsesses over his stand-up special’s AV Club grade. Elaine hates “Girls.”
— Brendan (@oneillb1) December 10, 2012
Kramer runs into Crazy Joe Davola, learns he’s not crazy just autistic and mis-medicated. “He’s on the spectrum! The spectrum, Jerry!”
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) December 11, 2012
My gosh, just read the entire feed. I could go on for minutes and minutes — it’s one of the best uses of the medium I’ve seen in months. It’s the best, readers, THE BEST!
Last but not least, here’s Die Antwoord’s video for Fatty Boom Boom. It isn’t even close to new but it’s been in my backlog of things to blog about for months and I can’t stand not to post it any longer! So many drafts back there right now… you have no idea.
I’m really starting to miss the days when I could just blog about what I wanted to blog about every day. I should just put ads up and “monetize” the easy way already, eh?
I lied though. THIS is the last thing:
Hehe. Talk to you real soon, frands!
That one time I won $375 in a Dodge Dart with my GIANT RANDOM BRAIN
Nov 25th
Homies, I have a confession to make: One time, when I was 18, I hit a possum with my car on a dark country road outside of my hometown and it died. On impact. Splat.
When I arrived to the party I was headed for, I tearfully announced to everyone that I was a murderer – A MURDERE-HUH-HUH-HUH-HURRRRRR *wipes eyes*, though really, it was more of a manslaughter than a murder… and more of a marsupialslaughter than a manslaughter…
To find out what that dark confesion has to do with the animated gif above, or the 375 bones I won WITH MY HUGE BRAIN from Dodge Canada in Episode one of their Road Test trivia series, please watch this video:
Wub wub wub wub wub BAM!
Cash Cab, where you at?!? I would play that game with Dodge every day if I could! Money aside, winning at trivia just feels great.
You can take the Dodge Dart trivia challenge yourself on Dodge Canada’s Facebook page for a chance to win a $50 gas card or “48 hour urban adventure for 2,” whatever that means. Flights, accommodation, helicopter tour and wine tasting included. Sounds good to me, mang.
The new 2013 Dart is pretty bomb. Dodge Canada actually let me borrow one for a few weeks after that video was filmed, and this is what I can tell you about it:
- KEYLESS ENTRY: How many times have I rooted around in my purse looking for a key in the cold? This feature is stress-busting and potentially even life saving. The car simply detects that you’re close by the fob in your bag and BAM. You’re in. I love it.
- Push button start: Just feels cool.
- The massive 8.4. inch touchscreen on the dash feels pretty next-level, like having a tablet built into your car. They said it’s the largest screen in its segment, and you don’t even need to touch it while driving thanks to the integrated natural language voice recognition technology. You can even hook it up to your iPhone and control THAT hands-free while you drive with voice commands. I was swooning.
- The model I drove had satellite radio, which is the greatest thing in the history of things. This isn’t the first car I’ve driven with SiriusXM, but I did do the long haul home with her for Thanksgiving and the drives (both there and back) simply flew by with all of the great talk radio options. The wee jaunts in between were great too. Nothing like driving to the grocery store with the likes of Dance Mix 96 blaring
- Leather interior > Whatever’s in my car right now. My word was that a comfy interior. Spacious too.
- She’s a head-turner. Blondes look great in red cars, or so I was told about 12 times (okay, 3) during my time with the Dart. My mom even went so far as to say “that car looks great on you!” as if it were a dress or something. Hey, I’ll take it.
- SUNROOF. Why would anybody ever have it covered? Even when closed, that roof window lets in so much light during the day. I dig that.
You can learn more about the car’s specs / safety features / awards on Dodge Canada’s website here. Apparently, it’s got some fun under the hood too. I didn’t poke around because I’m a gentleman.
Alas, the car is now back in its rightful media fleet but it was a blast to drive such a smart, pretty whip for a little while. Big ups to Dodge Canada for my car-cation and, of course, an outlet for the pool of useless random knowledge in my head.
Y’all should go play too.
A little bit of advice to you first though, from me, the MASTER OF ALL TRIVIA EVER IN THE WORLD: Watch Jeopardy, read compulsively, and when you’re curious about something, Google it. Also, pull over when your car thuds against something on your way to a cottage party late at night. It might come in handy to know what that creature was some day in the future (but probably not.)
Good luck
Pride 2012: I’m not really a dancing organic baker, I just play one in parades
Jul 6th
This past Sunday, I shook my groove thang for over a million people in little more than red hot pants and a baker’s toque (Yes, Toque. I just Googled this extensively.)
I also wore a bathing suit top, much to the chagrin of my mom.
“I’m glad you had a good time at the Pride Parade, but WHAT were you WEARING dear child? Is that underwear”
Imagine if I’d been on the float in front of us! Thatshcray.
image via raymitheminx.com
That wouldn’t have happened though because… well, for so many reasons.
I DID manage to land myself a dancing spot on the (award winning, TYVM) ShaSha Bread company float in Toronto’s 2012 Pride parade, though, thanks to my girl Rayyyymboooo.
It was ridiculously fun, save for the parts where I got water-gunned in the face by parade watchers, bwahaha.
I don’t think I’ve danced in front of so many people before in my life! The crowds had us all flying high.
The water he’s spraying is infused with vanilla and the people loved it. It made the parade smell like cookies!
That’s ShaSha (THE ShaSha), by they way. He’s hilarious and kind and very, very cool. He gave us so many yummy things.
The other blog-dancers were April Wozny, Barbora Simek Raymi and Rebecca.
All cool as heck and a blast to hang out with — even if their dope dancing made me look derpish.
Jul 1, 2012 | Dude, @BarboraWrites is putting Lady Gaga to shame right now. #PrideTo @Shashabreadco by laurenonizzle on Keek.com
So, why did Canada’s leading organic artisan bakery have a massive float in the pride parade? I don’t know. I didn’t ask.
Why did Canada’s leading organic artisan tofu microwaver dance on a float in the pride parade? That, that I do know. And it all comes down to this:
a) Parades are awesome.
b) Pride is awesome.
c) Toronto’s Pride Parade is one of the largest (AND BEST) of its kind anywhere in the world.
d) I haven’t been in a parade since highschool – and even then, I was merely crammed into the back of a wagon with every other niner on the RedFeather spirit committee who had spent hours blowing up a bunch of yellow & blue balloons the night before that all ended up popping in the heat anyway. *sharp inhale*
e) PARADES ARE AWESOME
I’ve always really liked Toronto’s Pride celebrations — especially the parade. This is my 4th year attending.
It’s all so colourful and happy and wild. Like a massive outdoor daytime rave with a myriad of political undertones.
This little girl wins at life.
Pride always reminds me of how lucky I am to live in a country that grants equal rights to all adults, no matter who they love.
MOST importantly, Pride reminds us that it wasn’t always this way. Many have fought long, hard battles to secure the rights of people my age, LGBT Straight or otherwise inclined.
Furthermore, people still struggle both in our own country and abroad due to the unwarranted hate of others.
When gay seems so normal that you don’t even think about it anymore, these issues become easy to forget. But they’re important to remember. You know?
Shade break
So, when Raymi asked if I wanted to be in this year’s parade with her I said yes. Yes, of course. Because Pride is awesome. Pride is important. And also, YOLO.
You can find more photos from our adventure in this Flickr set, on ShaSha’s Facebook Page and on Raymi’s blog. There are tons out there.
An American couple actually got MARRIED on a float during the parade this year and the University of Toronto cranked out a freaking NYAN CAT FLOAT! How could anybody not love this shizz, seriously?
Bed time for this little lady. Huge things popping. Huge, huge, huughzzzz… zzzz…
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7512661184_ae708de05e_z.jpg
Heterochromia and the ESPF personality type (+Lil Bub)
Jul 1st
The title of this post makes it sound like there’s some sort of causality between those two things.
There’s not. At least, not that I know of. Maybe I’ll commission a research study on people who have both or either of these traits to find out. I’ll call it “Heterochromia and the ESPF personality type.” Genius!
See the part of my right (your left) iris that’s a different colour from the rest of it? The orangey bit. That’s called “sectoral heterochromia” and I recently learned that it’s not some sort of freak mutation exclusive to me and Kate Bostworth, but an actual thing that lots of people have.
It was more prominent when I was younger. People who get close enough to actually study my eyes are usually taken aback – almost afraid to ask about it. “Wait… are your eyes two different colours? Like, it’s cool… I mean… Yeah.”
They’re not exactly two different colours – I don’t have straight up Heterochromia Iridum, like a Husky – but over the years that little orange patch has grown to become the thing I like very most about the way I look. My eyes aren’t “pretty,” they’re COOL, and to me, that’s way better.
Old photo. I like it though. I was so healthy then. Ridiculously healthy, like, I could run for 5 hours and barely even needed to take vitamins. University, man… so much extra time. To cook. To work out. To sleep.
Uh… anyway, earlier this evening, I took an online Meyers-Briggs Type personality assessment after reading about a whack “MBT and social media” study on the Daily Dot.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a psychometric questionnaire based on the work of Carl Jung. It’s designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions and yadda yadda yadda, says Wikipedia. It’s a long test, but can provide a person with loads of insight — especially when you’re looking for it.
The test said that I am an ESPF (The Entertainer), along with an estimated 8% of humans.
I didn’t think much of the results, but decided to click on the “ideal career choices for your personality type” link anyway. For curiosity’s sake. Not only was “reporter/journalist” on the list (bingo!), several other jobs I’ve had or considered were on the list too (Actor, comedian, advertising shill.)
My interest was piqued. If this test could predict my career so accurately, what else could it tell me about myself?
I got to Googling.
25 tabs later, I realized that I’d stumbled upon quite a bit of share-worthy material. So, instead of annoying all of my Twitter followers I decided to copypasta the few paragraphs that stood out to me on my blog, because really, it’s MY blog and it’s supposed to be about MEEEEEE right?
I was designing a new Twitter avatar. It didn't pan out.
Take all of this as you will — with a grain of salt, preferably.
- “ESFPs love people, excitement, telling stories and having fun. The spontaneous, impulsive nature of this type is almost always entertaining. And ESFPs love to entertain — on stage, at work, and/or at home. Social gatherings are an energy boost to these “people” people.”
- “Several of my ESFP friends jump from thought to thought in mid-sentence, touching here or there in a manner that’s almost incoherent to the listener, but will eventually cover the waterfront by skipping on impulse from one piece of information to another. It’s really quite fascinating.”
- “New! ESFPs are attracted to new ideas, new fashions, new gadgets, new ______.”
- “ESFPs love to talk to people about people. Some of the most colorful storytellers are ESFPs. Their down-to-earth, often homespun wit reflects a mischievous benevolence.” (I don’t really know what that means, but it sounds great.)
- “Almost every ESFP loves to talk. Some can be identified by the twenty minute conversation required to ask or answer a simple factual question.”
- “ESFPs tend to avoid conflict and may have trouble being serious, preferring to move on with their active lives rather than have an uncomfortable discussion.”
- “ESFPs usually like to feel strongly bonded with other people, and have a connection with animals and small children that is not found in most other types. They’re likely to have a strong appreciation for the beauties of nature as well.”
- “ESFPs take a hands-on approach in most things. Because they learn more by doing than by studying or reading, they tend to rush into things, learning by interacting with their environment”
- “Traditional schools can be difficult for ESFPs, although they tend to do well when the subject of study interests them, or when they see the relevance of a subject and are allowed to interact with people.”
- “An ESFP is unfailingly warm and generous with their friends, and they generally treat everyone as a friend. However, once crosesed, an ESFP is likely to make a very strong and stubborn judgment against the person who crossed them. They are capable of deep dislike in such a situation.”
- “Generous, optimistic, and persuasive, they are good at interpersonal interactions. They often play the role of peacemaker due to their warm, sympathetic, and tactful nature.”
- “ESFPs love being around people and having new experiences. Living in the here-and-now, they often do not think about long term effects or the consequences of their actions. While very practical, they generally despise routines, instead desiring to ‘go with the flow.’ They are, in fact, very play minded.”
- “ESFPs get a lot of satisfaction out of life and are fun to be around. Their exuberance and enthusiasm draw others to them. They are flexible, adaptable, congenial, and easygoing. They seldom plan ahead, trusting their ability to respond in the moment and deal effectively with whatever presents itself. They dislike structure and routine and will generally find ways to bend the rules.”
- “They may have trouble accepting and meeting deadlines. They may also become hypersensitive, internalizing others’ actions and decisions.”
“They live in the moment and trust that tomorrow will take care of itself.”
“The potential ways in which an ESFP can irritate others include taking criticism personally and over-using humour.”
- “ESFPs have a very well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty, and an excellent sense of space and function. If they have the means, they’re likely to have to have many beautiful possessions, and an artfully furnished home”
Looking for more on the ESFP personality type? Click here, here, here here here, here or just Google it. Duh.
Eeeeenteresting stuff, but I don’t buy all of it. Sure, I like to entertain, but I’m not as much of a people person as this profile might indicate. I am, in fact, quite reclusive at times. I mean, sheet, it’s Saturday night on a long weekend and I chose to stay in… to rest up for tomorrow’s parties
I’ll be dancing on ShaSha Bread‘s PrideTO parade float for the first part of the day, and then it’s off to a white party at the Thompson. Happy Canada day! Happy Pride! Happy Caturday! Have you seen Lil Bub the toothless, extra-toed, most precious Dwarf cat ever yet? You really should. Brace thine heart, for it shall melt…
Right?!?!
Beauty and the BEAT: If Disney’s Belle lived in the hood
Jun 28th
I don’t even… I can’t even… *fans self with hands* hoooo!
I know I’m a hysterically hyperbolic like, 4 trillion per cent of the time, but I’m not even exaggerating when I say that this is the best YouTube video I’ve seen this year.
Parody? Check. Hilarity? Check. Clever lyrics, nostalgia factor, nice shots, fun characters, Antoine Dodson cameo, weave jokes, childhood icon / contemporary pop culture mashup? 5 million checks.
If this video were human, I’d marry it. Sheet, I’d marry it anyway if humans were legally allowed to marry YouTube videos.
Then again, if humans could marry Internet videos, they’d probably be allowed to marry more tangible things too — in which case I’d already be engaged to my iPhone.
But I digress.
Big ups to Todick Hall and everybody who helped him create this fantastic re-imaging of the opening scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
She really is a boogie girl, that Belle.
Love always,
