Shopping in the Rain - and a Book Blurb

I met Cat and Caro downtown for a quick shop - I also had to get going on some of my Xmas shopping (I'm kind of doing it in dribs and drabs this year) out of the way.

Unfortunately, as I learned from my run/walk this morning, it was pouring out. So I had to dress for the weather:
Combat boots! Like the funkadelic stylings of Rad over at The Cohabiting Closet and Ann at Fashionable Academics, I love the boot/skirt look too. And it turns out, these babies were pretty close to being waterproof (I shouldn't have stepped in that big puddle). They were last worn here.

I last wore the dress here.

I hate carrying an umbrella - I'd rather have my hands free - so I dug through the chest to see what hats I had. I grabbed this fuzzy cream cloche (I picked it up about a year ago in a thrift store) and my cashmere scarf for a fun pattern mix.

I'm also wearing long nylon gloves.

Tossed on my red wool/cashmere coat and I was ready to go!

I did get a bunch of little things, but I need to still do more. Gah! It never ends!

Dress (Papillon), belt (NYC), boots (Penny Loves Kenny), coat (Planet), scarf (Club Monaco).

I have been good and read a book! It's "White Witch, Black Curse" by Kim Harrison:

It's the next one in the series after "The Outlaw Demon Wails" (blurbed here). I was in the mood for some escapism.

Stats: 504 pages, hardcover (I bought it second-hand for $5.50). Started November 21, 2010, finished December 12, 2010.

Blurb: These are currently my favourite vampire, sorta-sexy, sorta-funny, female-driven adventure novels. I've read a bunch of Anita Blake books (by Laurel K. Hamilton), and a few of the Sookie Stackhouse books (that "True Blood" is based on). Harrison's books have a lot of heart - the characters are tough, but struggle with love and relationships; they swear and beat up bad guys, but sometimes the bad guys are...not so bad - it's not all black and white, in life or in magic. If you ask Megan nicely, she might show some of the awesome doodles she's done of the characters.

Crazy Saturday - Weekend Wear (and a Book Blurb)

Saturday was a nutty day! I had to get to my WW meeting early to 'shadow' my mentor, then meet up with Elaine for lunch and an afternoon of thrift shopping. Then I had Winesday!

Unfortunately, the bus came early and I was late to WW (nice way to start, Sheila!), then my meeting/mentoring went way longer than anticipated and I was 45 minutes late for lunch with Elaine (ack! I bought her lunch), then of course, our shopping took longer...and I still had to get home to prepare for Winesday, and my mp3 player's headphones broke! You'd think it was a full moon or something! Fortunately, everyone (including my husband, who I ranted at for several minutes) was very understanding and nice about it. I hate being late for anything!

Anyway, after Saturday, I spent today watching football. Ah...

Clothing considerations: the forecast called for snow (yikes!), I had to weigh in, and shopping conditions (see my post here for how I put together a shopping outfit).

And here's what I ended up with: My recently-purchased sweater dress (layered with thick tights and a cami underneath for added warmth), first seen here. My belt is easy to take off, as are the boots (no zip, they pull on and off).

I can't stand dealing with a huge bulky coat when I shop, so I wore accessories that I could fold up small and tuck in my purse when shopping:

My new short coat did the trick, as did my fuzzy beret, black thin pashmina scarf and insulated velvet gloves.

Dress (Eric Alexandre), belt (Shi Studio), coat (Mario Serrani), boot (Miz Mooz).

I finished my last Book Club book this weekend: "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.Stats: Paperback, 288 pages. Started November 7th, finished November 17th. Karen's pick for Book Club.

Blurb: I enjoy autobiographies, and this is easily one of the best I've read. Jeannette Walls is able to write about her "free spirit" parents' behaviour and choices (like moving a family of 5 to a shack in the desert, or deciding to become homeless in New York City) in a way that is matter-of-fact and many times heartbreakingly sad, but avoids blaming her parents for their decisions. It's hard not to condemn her parents for her childhood, but her own attitude of "this is how it was" avoids placing blame - the reader is able to see where the parents were coming from and understand them, even if you don't agree with their lives.

This was an easy read. Anecdotes are told in short bites, usually no more than 3-4 pages (making this a great reading-in-bed book), but are succinct and poignant. I strongly recommend this. Great book. I plan on reading Walls' other book "Half Broke Horses," about her grandmother's life.

Fancy Outfit, a Casual Outfit and Book Blurbs

We went to a special event at the Art Gallery on Friday night. As usual, it was full of arty types (many being obnoxious twits) - I enjoy wandering through the Gallery and checking out the exhibits, but my favourite thing is checking out all the outfits. I spotted 12 pretentious hats and one hat worn non-ironically (our friend Ross, who wears his ball cap everywhere).

I decided to go with black, even though 90% of the women there also wear it. Last time, I wore a very bold outfit, but the time before I did black as well. This is my 3rd wearing of this dress in 3 years (last time here, with pants). That's pretty pathetic, but it's a tricky dress to wear. You can't do a necklace because of the funnel neckline, it's REALLY short, and its's 100% wool, so no stretch. Not exactly versatile.

I do regret walking the 3 blocks to and from the Gallery. My feet really hurt by the end of the night, and no amount of fancy cocktails numbed that.

Dress (Studio Holt Renfrew, consignment), shoes (JLo), earrings/ring (Lavishy).

What I wore to Weight Watchers yesterday: I also wore it out for lunch and for a wee shop around town with L (I bought my winter supply of tights). I wore my black leather jacket overtop.

Sweater (Press), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment), tights (Hue), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, gift from Cat), scarf (Metrowear).

I finally finished my book yesterday, and read another comic: Magic Teeth Dailies #37 by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and "Farewell Summer" by Ray Bradbury. Magic Teeth Dailies #37
I have been collecting Gareth's daily comics pretty much from the beginning (I bought issues 1-4 at the same time, and have been picking up the rest since they've been published). I am a big fan of the Perogy Cat, and of Gareth, who is a nice guy (as is his lovely wife and mum, both of whom I know, although I have not yet met his daughter, Enid). All of my copies are signed by Gareth when I buy them, and a few of them have personal inscriptions to me. Someday, they'll be worth something!

Stats: Read this in about 30 minutes November 7, 2010.

Blurb: Same as the other MTDs, the cartoons are typically one-offs. Hilariously foul, inappropriate and funny as heck. Love.

Farewell Summer
I have been a fan of Ray Bradbury since I was a kid. I have 25 of Mr. Bradbury's books and love most of them.

Stats: Hardcover, 210 pages. Started Oct 19th, finished Nov 7, 2010.

Blurb: This is the 50 years later sequel to "Dandelion Wine" the now-classic coming-of-age book that Bradbury is probably best known for. It's a pretty slim sequel (apparently it was originally part of "Dandelion Wine" and his publishers told him to drop this section), but as viewed as part of DW it makes more sense than if read alone. Although I love the feel of his books, this was not his best.

I fall into Bradbury's language and cadence very easily (he is a big influence on my own creative writing), and blasted through this in about an hour yesterday. The only reason it took me so long to finish is that I have been doing crossword puzzles before bed instead of reading.


**************

As I will be officially out of work next week, and not dressing up on a daily basis as much, I'm open for questions, suggestions and requests! Tell me what you'd like to see, throw some questions at me, and I'll do my best to create an outfit, answer your request or address your burning questions in a post!

Weekend Wear and Two Book Blurbs

We had a nice quiet weekend - I only went out to Weight Watchers, lunch and a brief foray into one of my favourite thrift stores (new-to-me outfits coming this week!). I like picking a dress for WW - they're nice and light!
I last wore this dress here - but the tights are the scene-stealer for sure.

It was a little chilly in the morning, so I loaded up with my beret, fingerless gloves and cashmere scarf, as well as my leather jacket:

I didn't need the beret or gloves in the afternoon at all.

Dress (Gap, consignment), tights (Trasparenze), boots (Aldo, consignment), jacket (online auction), scarf (Club Monaco), beret (Jacob, consignment), gloves (Parkhurst).

I finished a couple of books this week: "How to Be a Budget Fashionista" by Kathryn Finney, and "Going Solo" by Roald Dahl.

"How to Be a Budget Fashionista"

Ruth gave me this book for my birthday, with a note inside: "Read it, then write your own, Sheila-style!" I have to say...I could do better.

Stats: 218 pages. Started around October 10th, finished early last week.

Blurb: This how-to guide seems to be intended for fashion lovers who have no idea how to shop, don't know their own style and are completely clueless when it comes to fashion. I feel like it missed out on its real target audience: women who already know all that stuff, but who now want to be fashionistas on a budget. Crucial difference there.

I already know my style (I don't need pointers on how a white blouse and an LBD are essential to any woman's wardrobe) and are there really that many women out there who don't know a bargain when they see one? Do they really need tips like "Shop the sale racks" and "The importance of undergarments"? I don't.

What I would have liked to have read about is more along the lines of "How to find the treasure in a pile of junk at the thrift store" or "How to know when consignment items are overpriced" or even "How to negotiate better deals from stores." There are only 5 pages dedicated to second-hand shopping!

This book is so light it practically floats, and there's a lot of filler like charts (this column is expensive vs. this column is cheap) and little somewhat amusing anecdotes that don't really relate to shopping on a budget. Even the "case studies" are thin - someone looking for ideas on what to wear to a high school reunion is told to wear an LBD and pumps. Um, yeah.

"Going Solo"

Most people know Roald Dahl's children's books ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach", for example), but he was also an amazing writer of adult fiction ("My Uncle Oswald" is one of the funniest, raunchiest novels I've ever read). He also wrote several collections of short stories, which have just been reissued - they are wonderful and well worth looking for. Dahl brings his slightly gruesome and comic touch to everything he writes, and I've collected nearly all of his books over the years.

Stats: 210 pages. Started and finished within the last 2 weeks (early to mid-October).

Blurb: "Going Solo" is the sequel to "Boy" - they are the two autobiographies of Dahl. "Boy" covers his childhood and "Going Solo" covers his experience living and working in Africa before learning to be a pilot and fighting in WWII. His tales are absolutely amazing and are not at all tedious or boring - he is an expert at seeing what is the most interesting in a story and at evoking that experience for the reader. I'm not usually a huge fan of books about war, but this one is superb. Loved it and devoured it quickly.

Late Weekend Edition and a Book Blurb

I had a really busy weekend, following an exhausting week. I need another weekend!

Getting some catching up going on here, this is what I wore to Weight Watchers, brunch out, and to Winesday with my wonderful gals:
It was still a little chilly on the legs but not too bad. That's my corduroy skirt that I last wore here.

Long-sleeved top (Mexx), t-shirt (BCBG Max Azria, consignment), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment), socks (Hue), books (Aldo, consignment).

Yesterday I had "Day with Auntie Sheila" - I do this for my nieces (the two eldest ones) every year on their birthdays. I had my day with Hannah (8 years old) a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday was Zoe's turn (11 years old).

We did High Tea at a local swanky old hotel, so of course, Crazy Auntie had to get her funk on:
My fab Betsey Johnson dress getting a daytime workout (previously seen here, here and here).

I had fun adding the double-layered tights with it:

They were a little on the warm side later in the day, though.

Dress (Betsey Johnson), t-shirt (SportMart), belt (gift from Ruth), boots (Aldo, consignment), necklace (The Bay).

I finished another graphic novel a few weeks ago and forgot to write about it (I've been "off" reading the last little while and have been doing crossword puzzles to make myself dozy before bed. I go in cycles this way).

Kelly lent me this one (he's been reading my Sandmans) after he read my Jeff Loeb Batman titles. It's "Arkham Asylum: Living Hell" by Dan Slott and Ryan Sook:

I enjoy the newer Batman series (much like the new series of "Batman" movies, they are darker and not as campy as the originals). This one actually barely features the Caped Crusader.

Stats: Uh, it's a graphic novel, so about 4 comic books' worth of pages. Started around October 1st and finished a couple nights later.

Blurb: As I mentioned, this novel really doesn't feature Batman (he makes a token appearance near the end). It takes place almost entirely within the walls of the infamous Arkham Asylum, which is where all the psychotic bad guys in the Batman universe end up if they have good lawyers (if you saw "Batman Begins", the Scarecrow ends up in Arkham). The plot of this story revolves around a rich tycoon who decides that pretending to be insane is going to be easier on him than going to jail, after he's caught as a criminal. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

I found the story interesting and full of little twists and turns - but be warned, it's violent. The illustrations are very well done and evoke the minds of the madmen; slightly warped and askew versions of reality. If you enjoy the re-booted Batman, this is a fun side-story.

Purple Pops and Some Catching Up (and a Book Blurb)

Okay. The Dolphins are playing right now, so this is going to be fast! My birthday is this week (Saturday!), and so I'm going to be wearing some of the my favourite things this week, as well as some gifts.

Today, I wanted to wear these purple shoes that L got me for my birthday last year (well, a gift certificate - I bought them):
Eeee, purple goodness! I'm also wearing a new purple cami under this wrap top - it's getting its second wear (last seen here, also with purple - ha!). And I do love this skirt.

I've worn the skirt a couple of times since I got it (here and here). Both it and the top were thrift store finds - a total of $20 for them.

The stuff:

A bit of a drool over the shoes when I first got them here (have you been doing your push-ups?).

Top (Talbots, thrifted), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), cami (InWear), shoes (Friis and Co., gift from L), earrings and bracelet (Fossil, gift from L).

What I wore to Weight Watchers:

The belt weighs a ton - it's glass beads and is all hand-sewn. Of course, I took it off before I got weighed! It velcros together in the back so you can adjust the length. I paid $20 for it on consignment in Feb '09.

L and I had a memorial service to go to for a gentleman whom we were acquainted with, so I wore a jacket so that my sparkly belt wouldn't be too much:

L wore a suit. When we went to our usual diner for brunch after WW (but before the memorial), our waitress was stunned to see us in "grown-up clothes". Heh, I love messing with peoples' perceptions, don't you?

Very sombre here.

There was a "no snivelling" request in place (the gentleman was quite a funny guy), but of course, I cried. I always cry.

A close-up of the belt:

Pretty awesome.

Dress (BCBG Max Azria, gift from Ruth), jacket (Mac & Jac), shoes (Fluevog), belt (Birks, consignment).

And I finished a book a couple of weekends ago! It's "The Crazy Years" by Spider Robinson:

I've been a fan of Spider's science fiction novels for years (he's a huge Robert A. Heinlein fan, as am I). I've read most of his Callahan novels - they're a lot of fun.

Stats: 294 pages. Started July 12, 2010, finished September 25, 3010.

Blurb: As you can see, this one took me a long time to finish. It's a collection of Spider's short essays that he wrote for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper from 1996 - 2004. The essays are grouped by theme (there's a chapter on computers, one on Canada, one on space), and are nice and short - good bedtime reading. Spider is a "small l" liberal, which I like. Although I enjoyed reading these, I read them very slowly, to let them sink in. Hence, the long time period.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction - I like my books to be escapist - but since I love his novels, I thought I'd give his non-novel a shot. I'm glad I did.

My copy is a publisher's advance copy, before the book was for sale. It has a letter in it from the publisher. Cool.

The Bare Face and a Book Blurb

I mentioned on Friday that I was going to share my bare face, following the inspiration of Sal at Already Pretty (who was in turn inspired by Rabbit Write).

Well, cover your eyes, kiddies, here I am: Fresh out of the shower, with wet hair. I've got SPF 15 moisturizer on, and nothing else. I think I look pretty good for my age (I'm almost 43) - I've been wearing sunblock daily since I was 17 years old (when Oil of Olay was the only company that made a moisturizer with SPF 15), and it's paid off. I'd also like to thank my mom and dad for the good genetics.

This is all my make-up. I don't use most of the potions on the top shelf (they are super-duper night cream and eye cream and some hair gunk for when I do my hair spiky).

I clean out my make-up annually and toss anything I haven't used in a while (I save all my MAC containers for trade-in).

Here's the face with base:

I have cover-up under my eyes, on my lip scar, and on any zits (arg, in my 40s and still get zits!).

These are my usual base materials: I start with the MAC tube of Select MoistureCover and the sponge and tap that on. Then I use my big fat brush and swirl on the MAC Studio Fix. This gives a really sheer powder base (I have super oily skin, so I can't use any kind of liquid base or it'll be melted off within a couple of hours). I can also apply the base with a round sponge (that comes with it) for more coverage, like for a party or special occasion where I want to look more "done".

Another powder base I use is L'Oreal True Match Naturale mineral powder base (with SPF 19). It gives a very smooth base with high coverage (it's in the lower left corner of the cabinet in the above picture). I like that for evening or times when I won't be wearing make-up for very long, as it tends to settle in the wrinkles after a few hours.

I follow either base with a light dusting of the Mineral Wear Translucent Glow (the stuff with the flecks in it above) to pick up a bit of highlights around my cheekbones.

I do blush and the eyes next:

I don't like really noticeable make-up during the day, so although I wear a lot of make-up, it's not the first thing you see when you look at me.

My tools:

1. My brown eyeliner (I also have black, navy blue, dark purple and olive green). I usually use Rimmel's Exaggerate Full Colour Eye Definer because I don't have to sharpen it. The brush beside it is my smudger for blending the line. As I get older, I find that smudgier is more forgiving than a sharp line.

2. My eyeshadows. The two pots are MAC: the under-brow highlighter at the top (Shroom) and the lid colour below it (Woodwinked) - both are pearl finishes. The darker colour in the two-shadow compact is my crease colour - it's one of the "no show taupes" by Clinique. I like a non-frosted/pearl neutral in the crease.

3. My blush. It's "fresh bloom all over colour" by Clinique in Almond Blossom. I like this for daytime, to give a titch of colour with a bit of sheer highlight along my cheekbones. I also have a MAC blush that I use for evening, which is a solid peachy colour. In the daytime, I tend to have a constant flush on my cheeks anyway from all the walking I do, so I don't like a heavy blush.

4. My brushes. From the top: highlighter, crease, eyelid and blush brush.

Here's my face basically finished - mascara and eyebrows are done:

I like a little extra definition in my brows (which are starting to come in white - oh thank you, Gods of Aging). I do extra mascara when I'm going out, including wearing it on my bottom lashes. I never wear it on the bottom during the day, as I'd end up with big racoon eyes (even with waterproof - it's scary).

Right now, I'm using Maybelline's Great Lash in black (the waterproof formula).

That's my favourite brow pencil: Clinique's Brow Keeper in Honey. I hate sharpening it, but the colour is perfect, and it lasts, and I love the little brush for grooming my brows.

Face without my cheesy grin:

Oh, and I finish with some sort of gloss usually. My glosses:

The two on the left are those permanent paint-on types of lipsticks (one in red, one in a brick/brown shade). I also have a couple of Rimmel glosses and two of Cliniques plumping glosses (they last forever). I see a Clinique lipstick as well (green tube), a tube of yummy Rimmel gel gloss and that leopard ball is a beeswax gloss.

With lips and glasses:

I think it's a nice, subtle look that is appropriate for my age. I enjoy putting on make-up (I always have), and this full routine takes about 10 minutes.

I'm not going to be doing a "No Make-up Week", nor will I be going to work with no make-up. It's just not my thing - make-up for me completes my look, like the cherry on top. However, I have no problem going out without make-up on...I just prefer to wear it.

This is what I wore to Weight Watchers and out to lunch with friends:

Super casual and comfy! Wow, I can't believe I haven't worn this skirt in over nine months (last seen here).

It was a little chilly earlier, so I wore my jean jacket:

Jean jacket (Ann Taylor Loft), t-shirt (TMT), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Miz Mooz).

I also finished another book this past week: "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.

I became a Sedaris fan after reading "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" and continued with "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" (blurbed here).

Stats: 272 pages. Started September 15th and finished September 20th.

Blurb: More of the same from Sedaris; hilarious, sad, touching and silly stories about his childhood in the first part ("One") and in the second part ("Deux") about his move to France and his attempts to learn French. I actually barked with laughter while reading the short essay "Big Boy". I made L read it right away and he nearly cried he laughed so hard. I really can't resist his books and will hunt down the other ones.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Weekend Things, Including a Blacksmith

Did you all have a good weekend? I had a very relaxing one - I spent all day Sunday watching football (for me "watching football" means I am up and down and doing things while I keep an eye on the game. I only actually sit through about 75% of the game).

I also went out for lunch and a bit of a shop with my gals. I wore this dress:
Previously worn here (and I noted that it would be too short for bare legs, but obviously, I'm over that!). There's a bit of coolness in the air now, so I have to dig out my boot collection from the depths of the closet. Anyway, this was nice and light and comfy to wear.

Dress (Papillon), cardigan (Express, consignment), boots (Aldo, consignment).

I read another "Walking Dead" (last one was back in January):

This volume is "The Walking Dead: Vol. 12: Life Among Them" by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn.

Stats: It's a graphic novel, so it took about 40 minutes to read. I started and finished it on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Blurb: If you've read any other "Walking Dead", you know the basic plot: zombies have taken over and a rag-tag group of people are trying to survive and find safety. Lots of people (and zombies) die, in gruesome ways. The series starts out like the movie "28 Days Later" (which L and I just watched again recently), but continues on, and on and on (hey, we are at 12 volumes, after all). This particular volume is a change of pace and brings in a large new set of characters...but the "to be continued" at the end is frustrating, as I've been accustomed to how each of the graphic novel volumes wraps up neatly at the end. I can see several key bits that will be playing out in the next volume (due for release in November, so maybe I'll get it for Christmas, hint, hint, L!).

Part of my 25% of non-football watching yesterday was spent doing some painting. I've taken quite a hiatus from my painting over the last few years - I used to spend several hours a week on it, completing 1-2 figures a week. These days, it's months between them. I've also been working on a very large project that I hope to get finished soon...it needs about 6 more hours of work, though, before I'm done.

Anyway! This guy has been sitting patiently waiting for me to finish him for some months:

He's about 1.5" tall. I paint most of my figs with brushes ranging in size from a 4/0 to a 10/0 (the smallest; used for eyes). Here's a close-up of his eyes: The eyes are the hardest to do on these figures! Neither L nor I use a magnifier to paint, so this is all done with the naked eye. I had to redo this guy's right eye once, as I blopped a gob of black paint when I tried to do the pupil. Arg. That's the worst - you're so close to finishing and you have to redo!

Side view:

Hammer, tongs and anvil - all set for some smithing.

Back view:

I like how his pants came out.

Other side view:

He will make a good addition to our Christmas village this year. I can't wait to get it set up and take some pictures of it.

Front view again:

This figure probably took about 6 hours total, from start to finish. If you're interested in seeing some more of my painted figures (I've posted lots of them over the years), click here.

Mondo Weekend Edition! Vero's B-Day, the Fair, and Some Books Blurbed

I always know that when things get you down, there's only one solution: GO DANCING!
Saturday, ten of us got together for Vero' (and Tracy's) birthday. We had drinks, then went for dinner, then went dancing.

I did a lot of walking (to town, from place to place) and then did a whole lot of shakin' of the tailfeathers. These shoes were wonderful! I had no sore feet the next day...although my head was another matter...

Wow, I haven't been out dancing* since my 40th birthday (nearly 3 years ago, in case you're counting). It was so fun!

It was a great opportunity to showcase this awesome dress again (worn twice, here and here). It had many admirers throughout the evening.

I also had compliments on my outerwear:

Just right for keeping me warm on a cool summer evening.

*Actual dancing is much groovier, thrashier and punkier. I'm trying to look sedate here (stop laughing, L).

Dress (Desigual), shoes (Tsubo "Erebus"), bag (Ollie & Nic), jacket (The Gap, consignment), cuff (thrifted), gold hoops (gift from L).

After a full day of doing nothing, I was ready to go to the Fair today. The Fall Fair is an annual Labour Day tradition. I used to enter all kinds of art, home-grown vegetables, sewing, and baking into the competitions at the Fair when I was a kid. It was cool to hang with my Mom, my bro, Dave, and my nieces, Zoe, Hannah and Sidney...and even cooler that Mom, Zoe and Hannah all won prizes! Well done!

Because the Fair is outside and there's dirt and animals and tractors all over the place, I have to go ultra casual:

My poor Vans are on their last legs. I'm going to take them to the consignment store soon, I think. Aw...sad...

I thought I was prepared for the weather:

Just like last year, it poured rain the whole time we were there (both outfits are a lot more casual than what I wore two years ago! I've learned my lesson). I was freezing and very, very happy for this scarf. I only wished I'd brought gloves and a toque!

I had a blast going on rides with Zoe and Hannah (and Mom on the Tilt-a-Whirl)!

Someone was not very happy that we spent the day at the fair, though:

See him on the side of the two pictures above?

Look at the cuteness!

Sitting on my coat and hoping we don't go.

Coat (B.U.M. Equipment, thrifted), tee (Plum), striped tee (Majestic, gift from Caro), jeans (Seven7, gift from Caro), belt (gift from Ruth), shoes (Vans), scarf (Club Monaco).

So! I read a lot this weekend and finished off quite a few things, including my latest batch of Magic Teeth Dailies:

Perogy Cat rules! Gareth is an acquaintance of ours - he's a great guy and knows more about comics than pretty much anyone. Yes, that much.

Anyway, loved these ones. If you're in my neck of the woods, you need to buy these.

I got the next graphic novel on Gareth's recommendation:

"The Unwritten: Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity" by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. It took a really cool idea (what if a child who inspired a Harry Potter-like literary character grew up and sort of lost the boundary between himself and the character?) and turned it around and went in an unexpected way. If you like graphic novels like "Fables", you'd probably like this.

And I finally finished this Book Club selection, Steig Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo":

Everyone and their dog (and cat) is reading this book right now. I saw the movie last year in the theatre and recommend it (please rent the original movie before they remake it...yes, it has subtitles). The movie follows the book quite nicely, although the book has a lot more plot around the corporate intrigue - I kept thinking the book would be over when the thriller part wrapped up, but no, it went on for another 80-odd pages. Note: the movie gives away a key point that I think is going to be revealed in the 2nd book.

Stats: Speaking of pages, there are 841 of them. However, this is one of those new-fangled brick-shaped paperbacks where the text is centered on the pages with huge borders. Feels like you breeze through it. Started August 23rd, finished September 5th.

Blurb: The two main characters, Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, are fairly thinly sketched. Lisbeth is really the central character over the trilogy (I plan to read the other two books), and you can see that the author wants to hold back a lot of her background, and not put it all up front for the reader, which is nice. I expect that we'll find out more about Mikael as well as the series goes on. Anyway, I had read a couple of reviews of this and had expected it to be worse, so it was a pleasant surprise. It's a fairly light read, and there will be lots of second-hand copies in the bookstores soon, I'm sure, so I'd recommend it.

Hope you all had a fabulous long weekend!