A confession: I hate eggs. I cannot for the life of me fathom how people can eat eggs like any other type of food. Sure, I can handle an eggy crepe or egg cooked in stir fry. But the smell and sight of a hard boiled egg makes me gag something fierce. A plain fried egg? Disgusting.

I’m making teeny tiny baby steps into the world of eating eggs. It started with eggs benedict (what better way to learn to enjoy eggs than covered in hollandaise?) and I discovered that maybe, just maybe, I can do a poached egg. Jordan has learned to perfectly poach an egg and I’ve learned that eggs, fresh salsa and toast can be a surprisingly delicious combination.

On the other hand, loving rock operas has always come easy to me and that is why I am still so blown away by the production of Jesus Christ Superstar I saw last night. The entire show was basically a group of friends (including members of local bands such as Slam Dunk, Immaculate Machine and Aquitania) who thought “Hey, let’s put on a play” and next thing you know, two sold out shows. I can’t get over how talented my friends are — the singing, the incredible live band, the dancing, the costumes — it was amazing. Not to mention Jesus Christ Superstar is just a rockin’ musical in general.

If you are in Victoria, see if you can get tickets to their closing night at the Event Centre tonight. The tickets are all screen printed and the program folds out into a poster — there’s three different ones, so it’s fun to see which one you get.

(Listening to “The Hazards of Love” to sate my thirst for more rock opera now!)

Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions…

Recently my good friend Alana and I decided to combine her undying passion for classic rock and my slightly obsessive foray into the world of music biographies (just finished Patti Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight) to host a dazzling soiree celebrating women in rock for our closest female friends (and Jordy, but that really goes without saying).

The evening was dubbed Crystal Visions (in honour of Stevie Nicks) and with the help of some fierce, confident women, we transformed the Clarence living room into a sensual den of hanging crystals, draped scarves, afghans, throw pillows and, of course, an abundance of candles.

We drank wine, read the tarot, poured through inspirational books (“Sex in Rock” by Sara McOustra, what a gem!), danced and sang to an incredible soundtrack compiled by Alana of favourite female classic rock songs.

No offense to all the men in our lives, but there is a undeniable vibe when a bunch of sisters get together and enjoy each other’s company. On top of it all, Crystal Visions shared the weekend with the SUPERMOON! Coincidence? I think not.

This peachy confection was a real hit– after spending the evening in my Stevie Nicks-inspired black chiffon and lace, I announced my plan to “change into something more comfortable” and came out in this fabulous frock with matching overcloak (it’s definitely a cloak!). Thanks to Leif and Sam for giving me a quick but showstopping makeover.

Alana was the subject of many photos from the evening — she totally epitomized the foxy, confident babe that was the theme of the night, and she was an amazing co-host. Plus, Katie feathered Alana’s hair!! I thought feathering was a lost art. So much talent.

I’m so lucky to have so many righteous babes in my life. Thanks to everyone for sharing crystal visions with me!

After reading the thoughtful and wonderful Wolf Hall, I was in the mood for something dramatically different. The Nardwuar vs. Best Coast interview got it in my mind that I was to read some wacky rock biographies. Namely, I wanted to read about Stevie Nicks and did she or didn’t she get coke blown up her ass?

I was delighted to learn that the Vancouver Library does in fact carry rock n’ roll biographies — they just hide them up on the 7th floor. I checked out Storms: My life with Lyndsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac by Carol Ann Harris, Faithfull, the autobiography of Marianne Faithfull, Stoned by Andrew Loog Oldham and Electric Ladyland: Women in Rock Culture by Lisa L. Rhodes.

So far I’ve read Storms and Faithfull, two girlfriend-of-rock-star-bios. Carol Ann Harris  (above, right) dated Lyndsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac for eight years, starting right before Rumours went big. Harris’ book is pretty fluffy. Her presence really only serves as a means of relating numerous scenes of Fleetwood Mac snorting all sorts of stuff.

Faithfull, however, is a bit more of an exotic creature. Daughter of an aristocrat, ancestor of the guy who invented S&M, her appetite for self-destruction and honest accounts of her drug addiction are alternatively engaging and devastating. It’ also a fun and unflinching glimpse into London of the 1960s and its fashion, music and drugs.

I still have to find Stevie Nicks’ biography though! Harris’ experiences with Nicks (the ex-girlfriend of Buckingham) were pretty funny– “crystal visions”, anyone?

Some of my pals have just started VCAM (“Video Challenge Awareness Month) 2, a month-long project in which participants create a new short video every day. There’s also various themes to be covered, such as documentary, foreign language and horror.

Some of my favourite shorts from last year were Kingdom of the Sea by Duncan, Liquor Store by Aaron and Look it’s a Cat! by Geoff (from which the above screen shot was taken).

There’s new videos updated daily in February at VCAM 2. I can’t wait to see what comes up!

When Prince Charles and Princess Diana came to Vancouver in 1986, they rode the SkyTrain! Just like I do every day! I wonder if they had to stand wedged in someone’s arms too?

Images via The Buzzer blog!

I bought new shoes (above). What is with my never-ending attraction to grannyesque petit point florals? They were satisfyingly on sale.

I saw True Grit and Tron and now I have a minor obsession with Jeff Bridges in vaguely kimono-inspired robes. I also watched The Town and thought it was an entertaining but shallow effort. Blake Lively was LOL.

I went to Deer Garden in Richmond for noodles on Saturday and it was very good. I went to Hapa Izakaya on Friday and it was also good but not necessarily better than Guu, where I believe my allegiance still lies.

I am going to dance my face off at The Twelves! So excited. I love their mixes.

I finished the year in reading with Diana in Private by Lady Colin Campbell. It was a perfect example of tawdry tabloid sensationalism, written before Charles and Diana had even divorced. You’ll note the author is a bona fide Lady– my favourite part of the book was actually her rambling asides on being a member of the titled class.

Carrying over into 2011 was Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey. I wish Carey would just focus on Terre D’ange, I get pretty bored of her tired “reimagining” of other cultures. Also, if you’re going to feature a magical talisman of deadly seductive powers, then someone better get seduced, damnit.

Now I’m reading Dune by Frank Herbert. I never had any interest in the book until Sean mentioned it contained “courtly intrigue”. Hello!

Here’s some things I learned from David Bret’s Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr:

Joan Crawford started off as “taxi girl” (call girl), she slept with a lot of men (and women!) to make her way in Hollywood but also just because she wanted to, she successfully made the transition from silents to talkies while other screen greats (like Clara Bow) fell out of the spotlight, she was known as a quintessential flapper, she was perpetually surrounded by gay men, she adopted some kids but some of them turned out to be brats (see: Mommie Dearest).

She had a bunch of husbands, most of which were gay, her and Bette Davis were total frenemies, she had a room installed in her house that had unflattering, super bright light so she could check if her make up was doing its job, she was Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbank’s reviled daughter-in-law for a while, she seemed to be really fond of seducing people by having them show up to her house only to find her sunbathing naked or something, when she was nominated for an Academy Award she thought she was going to lose so she stayed home “sick” and then preened for the press with her Oscar in bed when she won (see below, she looks so cute!), and she was sassy and clever and drop dead gorgeous.

Pictures from here, here and here.

I’m going to see Heart in February! My Mom got us tickets for their show in Kamloops.

(Above two photos by Chandler Keeler. He’s got some more great 1970s Vancouver concert photos too.)

I love Heart because Ann and Nancy Wilson are undeniably fierce women who happen to shred an amazing epic rock song. They rocked some serious 70s hair and some outrageous 80s perms. They have roots in Vancouver too — Ann Wilson hitchhiked from Seattle to Vancouver in 1971 to be with her boyfriend who was dodging the Vietnam draft. Heart released their first album, Dreamboat Annie, on Canadian label Mushroom Records (with whom they later severed ties after the record label placed a suggestive ad in Rolling Stone) and the band played a lot of small shows around the city before hitting it big. The girls (with a continually rotating band) went on to write some of the best rock ballads of the 70s and 80s.

“Alone” is my karaoke jam. “Magic Man” is good but the guitar solo in the middle is just too long unless you have a beer to slam or something. You’d have to be nuts to attempt “Crazy on You” unless you’ve got pipes like Ann — check out this live performance on The Midnight Special in 1976. So hot! I love “Dreamboat Annie” too.

Best use of Heart in recent pop culture? Undoubtedly “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You” in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides.

Whether you surreptitiously hid the cover of Flowers in the Attic in public back when it was controversial or if you’ve read enough books to know the love interest is always the brother she didn’t know existed, there’s no denying the draw of the front of a V.C. Andrews novel. In particular, the early series, with their “keyholes” revealing stepbacks of frightened looking girls and their leering adversaries, are eerily beautiful. I’ve always loved the cover of Ruby and I’m convinced it would look amazing blown up and framed on my wall (I’ve never found someone who agrees with me, but I know I could make it work).

More covers, new and old, can be found at The Complete V.C. Andrews Library.

Things keeping my attention these days include:

The colour peach: Hence the new shirt.
Minnetonka moccasins: I wore grey tights with moccasins five out of seven days last week.
The new Blitzen Trapper album: “Laughing Lover” is the new summer jam. I told Jessica it made me want to run through a sun baked field of grass, gather wildflowers in the skirt of my sun dress and tumble down a hill.
This remix by The Twelves: Thanks to Jordy for always having the best beats on hand.
The mirror function on Photobooth: See above.
These shoes: Cursedly unaffordable
The Vampire Diaries (the books in addition to the show): I like the show way better. I find Elena to be so unlikeable in the book, unlike the spunky version on the show, played with good natured Canadian sensibilities by Nina Dobrev.
On a related note: Ian Somerhalder.
Picking every song I know on the guitar: It started with Landslide, moved onto Blitzen Trapper and Sufjan Stevens and now it’s just anything I get my hands on.
Melissa’s birthday dance recitals: I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. She punched a light fixutre on the ceiling!!
Life: As narrated by David Attenborough of course! Every episode made me yell “WHAT THE FUCK!” multiple times.
My “Armor Jeans” denim jacket: I bought this jacket right after I graduated from high school and it’s STILL AMAZING.