Dodgeball Champions!

This past weekend was one of the best I've had in a loooong while! S and I play in a charity/birthday dodgeball tournament called "The Budd Cup" put on by a few of our good friends. This year the tournament benefited the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, and it also went to promoting artistic endeavors for at-risk children. We had so much fun, and I really improved my game...our team, The Harlem Globedodgers (aka the American Apparel team...just look at the photos and you'll see what I mean), even went on to win the tournament! I've got a few of the 445 (yes, 445) photos that S took of the day. I have mostly included photos of myself, not because I'm narcissistic, but because I don't want to share photos of people on my blog that haven't given me permission to do so...No one likes getting in trouble with the law.


Ready to play...looking sufficiently deceptively innocent, complete with a Stephanie Tanner-worthy side ponytail.


Catching turned out to be my new-found skill. I even caught two balls at once...but as cool as it looked, it technically meant I was out, because you can only handle one ball at a time...


Throwing was certainly NOT my skill...the ball weighs nothing, and I was trying to throw it like a baseball.


S and I relishing the big win.


Snuggling the cup.


The Harlem Globedodgers...a damn good team!


Things got a little silly at the after party, as they are wont to do.

S and I also won some excellent raffle prizes...tons of CDs and a Flip video recorder...which has already become an integral part of our lives...Needless to say, I see some video blogs in the near future!

On My iPod: La Roux!

Have you heard of La Roux? Since the release of their first album this past summer, I have been listening non-stop and I am totally in love! My current band-crush hails from Brixton, England and is headed up by the adorable (and self-described androgynous) Elly Jackson. Their sound is a distinctive mix of synthpop, folk music and Britpop...hence the fact that they cite such influences as David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Joni Mitchell and Madonna.

La Roux literally means "red-haired one" in French...although grammatically speaking it should be "Le Roux" (don't worry, I'm not going to get all "French teacher" on you!) Apparently Elly chose the name on account of her red hair, but she chose to mix the feminine article (La) with the masculine noun (Roux) to further illustrate her penchant for the androgynous...Pretty clever, but also pretty obscure :)

I've included the original single off their self-titled debut album, which was released in Canada on July 28, 2009. The song is called "In for the Kill" and I'm loving the Night Rider feel of the original video, but you'll have to click through this link to view it on YouTube as their record label has disabled embedding abilities. You may have also recently heard a remix of this song on a video game ad for Bayonetta.



There are so many awesome songs on the album, it's well worth picking it up on itunes...plus it's a steal at only $10!

What's In Your Bag?

Several of my fellow bloggers have done "In My Bag" posts in the past, so I in no way take credit for the idea...I just love it. I openly admit I am weirdly interested in seeing into the lives of random women...On more than one occasion I have zeroed-in on a person idling in her car at a red light, examining a nutrition label while grocery shopping, or performing some other equally-mundane task and thought to myself "I wonder what her life is like..." I suppose it's why I read blogs with such fervor...It sates the voyeur in me. With the rampant popularity of blogs, I can only assume I'm not alone in this guilty-pleasure.

I really do think that the contents of a woman's purse reveal a lot about her, and mine is no exception...Take from them what you will :)



Let me break it down for you:

Bag: Roots- Olivia Bag...I had been coveting this little girl since last year...I guess I mentioned it *once or twice* to S because I got it for my birthday this year...

Hand lotion: Shea Butter by L'Occitane...This stuff smells so good, and it really keeps my chalk-parched hands soft.

Lip balm(s): ~100% Shea Butter from L'Occitane...Best.Hands.Down.
~Burt's Bees...Love the pepperminty flavour, also love supporting honeybees
~Sephora Gloss...Free B-Day swag...I'm indifferent, but I use it.

Wallet: "Coach" (read: New York)

Datebook: Buck or Two...Covered in my wedding paper, to remind me of our "Big Day" everyday.

Pen: Ahhhh, Papermate?

Hair clip: Goody...Essential for those days I ambitiously wear my hair down, then wind up wanting to shave my head my noon.

Keychain: That pretty glass bead one was handmade by my Mama...I'm working on getting her to open her own Etsy shop for her glass work...perhaps someday you too could own a Liliana original. You should be so lucky :)

ipod: I'll show you some of what's on it in tomorrow's post.

Mirror: So cute...a stocking stuffer from last year ('08 that is)

Perfume Samples: Currently I have Madame Jean Paul Gautier, Idole by Armani and my old standby, J'Adore by Dior. It seems I have a very Rachel-esque (Friends Reference Alert!) talent for acquiring cosmetics samples.

iphone: Merry Christmas to me...Loooove this baby. So many features I didn't know I couldn't live without! How did I map my runs, book my dinner plans and navigate the streets of Toronto before Dec. 24, 2009? I can't even remember.

Gum: I know, I know...it should be mints, but they never last long enough because they always leave a bad aftertaste, thus prompting me to take another and perpetuate the cycle.

Also in my bag, but didn't make the cut: Tide to Go pen, H&M sunglasses and rabbit skin gloves.

There you have it...A mini-window into my life.

On another note: Four more weeks until I am finished at the job I left...trying to "grin and bear it." In order to get me through, I am planning my future "free time" like a madwoman.

You know I'll keep you posted.