wallpaper wednesday: doctor who edition

I was never really a Doctor Who fan before Matt Smith became the eleventh doctor.  But these past two seasons have been incredible.  So, in honour of the latest episode, I've put together three Doctor Who wallpapers.  They aren't the best I've ever done, partially because screen caps are rarely perfectly clear, but I hope someone enjoys them!

original screencaps for 1 & 2 courtesy of killcolor 

original screencap for 3 courtesy of sean whitton

FanExpo Canada: the Adventure Begins

This past Thursday and Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to FanExpo Canada.  It's basically like ComicCon, but in Toronto.  It's that special time of year when you can get your geek on, and no one will judge you for it.  I've been three times now; the first two times my roommates and I went as chick Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.  I was Kirk, and it was totally rocking.  We even had the opportunity to meet Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, and this year Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) was there, but not on the days that I went.  But I hung up my Star Trek this year in lieu of going as movie Rogue; aka, Anna Paquin as Rogue.  The thing is, my boyfriend agreed to go as green shirt Kirk last year, so the trade off was I had to be an x-men character this year.  All in all, I was pleased with the choice.  Luke went as Wade Wilson (Deadpool) on Thursday, and Wolverine.

I'm splitting up this post into two, because there are really a lot of pictures.  We saw so many amazing, creative, unique costumes, and unfortunately I wasn't able to photograph a lot of them.  For instance there was a great Assassins Creed costume, which I have to say I'm coveting a little bit. 

 Enjoy!  Look forward to some more great costumes later this week!

in memory of a good man

I will be the first person to admit that I don't follow politics very closely.  I didn't read everyone's platforms during the last election.  I will even admit that I didn't vote for the party I believed in most, because my first priority was trying to make sure that the Conservatives didn't win a majority government -- even though that strategy didn't work.  But today is the NDP leader, Jack Layton's, funeral, and I felt like it was prudent to mention it because he was one of those rare politicians that really cared about Canada.  I mean, he was just a good person, who wanted to do good things in this country, and it didn't have anything to do with the title on the plaque on his desk.  There is a reason why everyone is just heart broken over this.  I'm not here to preach about Canadian politics.  I just wanted to commemorate a really good and kind person who had his heart in the right place.


image courtesy of CTV News

modern jane & more

I've mentioned this before, but I am an obsessive Jane Eyre fan.  I relate to her in a way that I haven't related to a book character, possibly ever.  But I won't get into that here; I'll leave that one for another post.  Nevertheless, after I watched the new adaptation with Mia Wasikowska (who is my perfect Jane, by the way), I was inspired, and I particularly wanted to recreate the shot of her standing in front of a window at Thornfield, when she glances over her shoulder at Mrs. Fairfax (played by the ever outstanding Judi Dench).  Thus, I endeavored to find my perfect "Jane" outfit to match the shot.  I tried a few, but there was something off about them.  Then, a revelation: the tops I was pairing with my high waisted skirts were too billowy -- Jane's bodices were very form fitted, emphasizing her tiny corseted waist.  I have no corset to aid me in that respect.  So instead of donning my button down shirts and tucking them in, I put on a new cardigan of mine, and it did the trick, I think!

Photo taken by my lovely mom

The cardigan looks more gray than it is; it's actually navy blue.  I wish I had a cute lace collar to wear (I am presently on the search for an affordable option), since Jane wore a few that I fell in love with, but it turned out quite well anyway.  You can click the image for a larger version if you'd like to see a bit more detail.  Also, I was wearing a lace skirt from Forever 21, but it didn't make it into the shot, and I'm rather glad; I think the stark contrast between the blue and the cream would have been too much.


If you're wondering, the shot was taken at another pioneer village, this one a bit closer to my home.  I took a number of shots, and I'm including just a few below.  I didn't process any of them (only one shot I edited the contrast just a touch), because the natural light cast such lovely tones.  Enjoy!

I plan on making one of those Mennonite dolls in the first shot, once I get to a fabric store to buy some suitable cotton.  Also, look forward to a few geeky posts about FanExpo (Toronto's version of ComicCon), where I may or may not be dressing as Rogue from X-Men.

Cheers all!

wallpaper wednesday: floral edition

Hi folks!  Welcome to our second Wallpaper Wednesday, this time -- floral edition.  Also decided to play around with some textures, which I don't typically do.  Perfectly girly, and slightly ambient.

Voila!

how to be a jane austen heroine

I'm going to be 100% honest with you here.  I tried desperately to read Jane Austen's works.  I bought the books, cracked them open more than once apiece, but in the end, I resorted to just watching the movies.  I think they make terrific films, but for some reason, I just can't get through her writing.  I still have a deep respect for what Jane Austen accomplished.  But I could't help but notice some common themes, so I decided to write my own list of "How to Be a Jane Austen Heroine."  Feel free to add any you may think of!  I'd be happy to add it to the post.

1.      Be the Black Sheep

Jane Austen’s heroines tend to be the outsider, whether in their families, in society, or both.  Aim to be different so that you may observe and pass judgment on everyone who comes your way.

2.     Be well versed in witticisms

If you are to be a proper leading lady in the Austen tradition, you must have a vast repertoire of clever comebacks for when you are slighted by other women, or flirting with your Mr. Darcy.  No true Austen heroine would ever be caught dead in an awkward silence.  She always knows what to say, so you must too.

3.    Fall in Love with an Unlikely Man

In order to find yourselves in a whirlwind romance filled with irony and melodrama, decide which young man in your life you hate most, and pursue him with a vengeance.  Of course, you mustn’t let anyone know that you truly love him, even though he is everything you dislike in a man.  You must wait until a crucial moment to reveal your true feelings.

4.   Adopt a Strict Moral Code

As a Jane Austen heroine, it is important that you adhere strictly to a suitable moral code.  Never compromise yourself for any man, or even your friends and relatives.  You must be suitably self-righteous in doing so, or else you may find yourself a secondary character.  And we wouldn’t want that.

5.     Be Related to a Gold Digger

Obviously, being the leading lady, you are too good and too clever to care only about what’s in a man’s wallet.  But that doesn’t mean that everyone around you feels the same way.  It is absolutely necessary that you be related to someone (most likely a sister or female cousin) that cares more about money than about a person’s character.  They will contrast with you nicely, making you look even more wonderful by comparison.  If you have no gold digging relatives, then I’m sure you can acquire a close friend of the sort.

6.     Have One or More Sisters

Unfortunately, this comes down to genes.  Don’t have any sisters?  Well, you’re out of luck.  I guess there’s no sisterly bonding by candlelight for you.  

my big fat italian family reunion

On Saturday, I drove up with my family (excluding my older brother, who stayed behind to watch our two dogs), and my boyfriend, to the annual family reunion.  As I'm sure you've guessed from the title, it was for the Italian side of my family -- more specifically, my dad's mom's side, seeing as my grandfather's family is still in Italy.  Regardless, as it happens, I know just about as many of my own family members as my boyfriend does.  Kind of awkward, but it had its moments.  And it was a good photo op, most certainly.  So here's just a few shots from the day.

From top left: Aunt Vivian and my dad with my Nonna photobombing in the background, my Nonna posing on a boat, my dad fishing, and my younger brother being unaware that I was taking pictures of him.

From top: my Nonno, my boyfriend, Luke, Uncle Frank with his best catch of the day, and my cousin Nico's sun fish.

From top:  The young 'uns, some of the drinks consumed over the course of the afternoon, my brother's legs (random, I know), and my cousin David.

I'm afraid from these pictures, you don't really get a sense of how many people were there.  But trust me when I say there were more than a few!

wallpaper wednesday

A good friend of mine suggested that I turn some of my photos into wallpapers.  I thought that was a good idea, plus it gave me the opportunity to make a clever alliteration out of it.  The images are not cropped to typical wallpaper size, but they are pretty big, so it should work for anyone's screen.  I mean, they work for mine, and I'm a tough critic.  All you have to do is click the reduced image in the post, and save.  Please credit if you post them on your blog!  Just drop a link back here, if you would be so kind.

Enjoy!

pretty simple things

Ever since I can remember, I've been obsessed with what is commonly called the "family heirloom".  I think it might have to do with the fact that my family doesn't really have any, unless you count my Nonna's diamond ring, which she gave me on my sweet sixteen (ie. the point in my life when I really had no appreciation for diamonds or jewels of any kind). So in the past few years especially, I've taken to snatching up little trinkets here and there that I think could eventually be considered an heirloom.  Provided I have any daughters or granddaughters, or even nieces I suppose.

I went thrifting with my boyfriend on Saturday, and picked up these two little brooches.  I also grabbed a couple button down shirts of varying styles, and a skirt that I'm sure will appear on here eventually.  In any case, I particularly love the rose brooch; it's suitably girly, classic, and subtle.  The black stone brooch has a slightly more austere look (or is that just me?) but I thought it had a Victorian vibe.  And I love anything that is even remotely Victorian in style.


I also happen to love old books, so I was super excited when I was able to finally pick up a hardcover copy of Jane Eyre from the '50s.  Jane Eyre is perhaps one of my favourite books of all time, and I'm currently obsessed with the newest film version.  After I started re-reading my new copy of it, I decided it needed to have a suitable bookmark.  So I painted some lavender (another obsession of mine) with watercolours, and voila!  A bookmark.

And if you noticed the jelly roll of fabric above, I bought all of it specifically to rip off strips to tie in my hair.  Maybe a bit excessive, but...it's pretty?

My boyfriend bought me that bracelet.  I love it.  And it matches my Green Lantern t-shirt. 

first caturday ever?!

So, as I've read through blogs for the past few years, I have often come across this phenomenon called "caturday".  I thought it was clever, but lamented the fact that I had no cat to post about.  Of course, I could have gone and found pictures of other cute cats, but somehow, that didn't seem quite as interesting or endearing to me.  Then, it struck me.  Why, my boyfriend has a cat...I could just post about her!  It was, to say the least, a revelation.  As I'm writing this, I have to admit I am feeling somewhat legitimized.  I have entered into the sacred arena of caturday posts, from which I may never return.  Are you hearing the same epic soundtrack in your head as I am?  No?  Ah well.


 Without further ado, here are some pictures of Tigger I've taken in the past few months.  She's cute, and small, and she loves food almost as much as my dog does.  I also happen to be very allergic to her, but I can't resist cuddling and/or playing with her when I'm over...even though my throat gets itchy, and my nose runs, and my eyes turn red.  But can't you see why?

third time's the charm

So, I'm determined this time to actually dedicate time to this blog.  I love blogs.  I read dozens of them.  I've always wanted to write one myself, so perhaps the third time will really be the charm.  I'm hoping all you cyber-spacians find the new set-up interesting.  This'll be a bit more of a "daily diary" sort of thing, mostly photo centered (whether the photos are taken by me or linked from somewhere else on the web).  For all you lit-freaks out there, I'll hopefully be doing some fun, satirical posts on books, and there'll be a fair share of geekery to be had.


For now, enjoy a few choice shots taken at the Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto.  For more, check out my flickr.