I spent so much time playing with Anja’s camera when I went to Portland, I think this is the only photo of me from the whole trip.

Good thing I picked a cool focus.

Photo from Clever Nettle.

Anja always sends me amazing packages. Recently she sent me a lovely summery dress from Modcloth and included a vintage postcard of Beacon Hill Park here in Victoria that she found at an Antique Fair. In honour of this, I went to Beacon Hill Park and took some photos in my new dress!

I could never do these photo shoots on a regular basis. It’s too awkward! I don’t know how Anja does it all the time– she’s a real pro! Plus I am cursed with the inability to make a “serious” photo face. I tried to do it once when Anja and I were taking photos at the Grotto in Portland and I kept getting frustrated at how bad the pictures were. We came to the conclusion that I just can’t do it– I always have to smile or look goofy!

Some people are still slogging through snow in other parts of the world, but spring came to Victoria a month ago already. There are streets all around my neighbourhood where the blossoms have come and gone on the trees already and Cook Street, lined with enormous chestnuts, is bright and green.

This was the first ukulele I bought. It’s really crappy and never stays in tune but it’s also purple and sparkles. Looking at this photo now it makes me think of Edward sparkling in the magical field of flowers in Twilight. I hav a really nice one from Hawaii now. I’ve been taking a ukulele class for the last eight weeks or so and Monday night is our recital!

I almost had an embarrassing moment after I took this photo: I was putting away my stuff into my bike basket and was about to ride home and I ran into a girl from my work. I was so glad she hadn’t arrived ten minutes earlier or I would have been posing like a total idiot for the camera. Not to downplay the amazing self portraits most bloggers take!

These strange and expensive Swedish clog sandals are gonna make me do awesome things.

Considering the devastating weakness I have for Victorian Gentle-Scoundrals, making a movie such as “Sherlock Holmes” is bound to produce weak-kneed enthusiasm.

This movie actually returned me to the former throes of my Jude Law era (See: “Enemy at the Gates”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, “Gattaca”, “Wilde”) mostly because that man can wear a spry mustache with aplomb.

Sometimes period-movies and TV shows can set off a wave of era-related trends, such as the mid-century modern of the 1960s as a result of “Mad Men” or the fancy trappings of French revolution, as seen in “Marie Antoinette”. If club collars, handlebar mustaches, henleys and suspenders start appears on the streets, I will not complain.

The Pilau, upon exiting the theatre remarked, “I think I need more tweed in my life.” I hastily agreed. (I think he’s more of a Watson.)

(Robert Downey Jr’s comedic timing has put “Chaplin” on my to-watch list.)

Although becoming a distant memory already, the amount of calories consumed this past weekend will no doubt continue to linger with me for some time. But hey, that’s the price you pay when you decide to splurge on an over the top French meal at one of the best restaurants in town like we did on Friday night. Lucky for me Amanda enjoys white wine as much as I do, so armed with a bottle recommended by our server (whose colourful language made me think perhaps he was relieved to see some 20-somethings in a sea of Oak Bay wives) we embarked on a journey beginning with oysters and fancy frites, which led to truffled tagolini pasta and boeuf à la Bourguignonne and was capped off with, of course, crème brulee. I can’t resist the damn thing after watching Amelie declare that one of her favourite pleasures is cracking the caramel coloured shell. Of course, as the classic Seinfeld episode taught us all, heavy food and wine equals instant bedtime and by the end of our meal I was ready to head home and pass out. Thanks to Doug and Amanda for being the most charming of dinner mates, by the way.

My foul mood on Saturday morning matched the bitterly cold weather and I should have trusted my gut instinct to stay inside and start a Top Chef Masters marathon. Instead, after finally watching the Project Runway finale (meh), I ventured downtown to meet Jordan at Habit. Huge mistake, it was crowded, chilly and attempting to manoeuvre my bike along the sidewalks full of people was absolutely agonizing. When walked, my bike is as savage as Calvin’s evil bike, you know, the one waiting in his closet to attack him, but rather than beating me with tires it instead mercilessly stabs at my kneecaps with uncovered spokes, resulting in knees dotted with scars and torn nylons. As a result of this, my tulle polka dot tights met an untimely fate last week; my screamed obscenities echoed down Fort Street as I mourned my loss. Tearing tights is like throwing away money!

Things improved in the evening when we went to Castle Fireball for a birthday/welcome home potluck. The theme was childhood favourites, so I decided to attempt a classier version of my beloved tuna casserole, replacing the Campbells soup with a basic cream and chicken stock base and adding some gruyere cheese to spice up the cheddar. It was pretty delicious at home but mysteriously tasted like burning once I heated it up at the potluck. It all made sense when I realised I had charred a good three inches of macaroni on the bottom of the pot, I guess the old stove at Castle Fireball had a little more oomph to it than expected. Menu items at this potluck included Hamburger Helper, chow mein cookies, meatballs, rice krispie squares, and tempah sticks with sweet chilli sauce from someone obviously raised by hippies. It was a lovely evening of straight up socializing and eating until you felt sick (rice krispie squaries are weirdly not filling and can result in eating way more than necessary, by the way).

On Sunday I resisted any crazy urges to “go out and get some air” and spent a good portion indoors until I was struck with a desire to go thrifting and headed down to ValuVillage. I resisted the $24 sequined dress with the outrageous shoulder pads (could have been a good New Years frock) and the knit Pug sweater (it was kinda grody but otherwise you know I’d be on that shit) and came away with some skirts, couple dresses and a striped turtleneck which I am still not quite sold on.

Rest of the day was spent hanging out with Kevin, watching District 9, making the world’s most delicious red curry to ever come out of a can, and choir practice.

Now I’m mired in a Tuesday, waiting for the next weekend to start. It should be a good one, what with Jim and Al coming for a visit, and possibly the parentals as well. Onwards, to Friday!