I think this is the item that surprised my friends the most; I mean, I’m mostly a pacifist, I don’t condone violence, I argue vehemently for strict gun regulations, and I have absolutely zero interest in hunting. And yet this was an experience I absolutely wanted to have, partly before it scared me, partly because you should really understand something if you’re going to argue against it, and also because after watching hundreds of action movies throughout my life, I just wanted to know what it feels like.

And I have to admit, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it – a mix of sheer terror at the amount of power in my own hands and absolute exhilaration from feeling the gun kickback as you pull the trigger. It was a complete natural high.

A friend of mine from high school has his gun license and so he was able to take Jessi and I to the gun range where he’s a member to shoot in a controlled environment. And while I definitely don’t see myself becoming a ‘gun person,’ I’m really glad I chose to have the experience and get a little bit of insight into why someone would even want to be – it would be hard not to get hooked on that rush!

Have you ever shot a gun? Would you ever?

Here’s to adventure!

The post The Birthday List // Shoot a Gun. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

I’ve had a rather luxurious morning – sleeping in until 9, waking up slowly with a large mug of coffee and reading the Manhattan issue of Acne Paper while downloading files for work. It’s days like this that the stress and hustling of freelancing are worth it – the luxury of being in control of your own time is a great blessing.

I actually have a DIY post scheduled for later today that I’m super excited about. I just need to take a few shots of the finished product and then I’ll put it up. First, I thought it would be fun to share a few shots from yesterday’s antiquing adventure at the Brydges Street Market. Jessi and I went with her mom and her mom’s best friend to see what treasures we could find.

I complain about this city a lot, about its lack of character and overly conservative nature, but it does have its saving graces and the Brydges Street Market is one of them. Previously unknown to me, tucked away in a big old building in the east end of the city, the market boasts 17,000 square feet packed wall to wall with great old stuff from a wide array of vendors. Here’s a peek at what we saw…

I went over my self-imposed $20 budget to pick up a faux-crystal chandelier for my bedroom and had to very firmly force myself to pass up dozens of vintage leather purses and charming tea cups (including one with a lobster that I can see myself going back for).

I love rooting through flea markets and antique stores, thinking about ways to repurpose old treasures and wondering about the past life of each item.

Have you picked up any vintage treasures lately or discovered any hidden gems in your city? I’d love to hear!

xx S.

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We sipped on Starbucks, ate beer battered onion rings and giant salads at a funky diner, danced with a rocking grandma (my new hero), took pictures of our pinup inspired dresses (look for a new “what i wore” post soon), giggled over gin & sodas, cooled down with ice cold beers, hollered at drunken cads, tapped our toes to the twang-infused tunes, and visited with the coolest lady I know (my mom). At the end of the day we loaded up on Tim Hortons and candy and drove back to the city, totally exhausted from all the fun. Here’s a peek at our shenanigans …

While we missed a few of the bands, thank you to Mr. Rick and the Biscuits, Hey Loretta, The Rizdales, and The Millwinders for entertaining us all afternoon.

What adventures did you have this weekend? I hope the Monday blues haven’t gotten you down. ;)

xoxo
S.

P.S. Thanks to Andrea Dineen and Elyse Moland for assisting with photography ;)

The post a rockabilly roadtrip to my hometown. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

bodies have this funny way of forcing us to give them what they need. so, that’s what my body did yesterday. it forced me to sleep. a lot. this was probably the best thing for me, after the hectic week (month, year!!) that i’ve had. but i felt out of sorts this morning after realizing i’d basically lost an entire day of my life. so i did my best to wring every drop of weekend that this day had to offer. and it was pretty great. here are a few of the highlights as captured by my instagram shots …

1. i bought myself a few brightly-coloured stems at the grocery store. it’s amazing how much cheerier a few flowers can make a room.
2. i typed up a couple of my favourite poems and wrote letters to new friends. i’ve been really inspired by melly’s 30 days of letters. so much is missed in the briefness of e-mail and text messages. and so i continue to play my small part in keeping letter-writing alive.
3. lately my eyes have been reopened to how full of possibility and wonder the world is, so i’ve spent a lot of time daydreaming and planning in my journals. do you like my new key/pen necklace?
4. i tried soygo (vegan yogurt) for the first time this weekend and made this yummy parfait. now i’m even more excited to make my own yogurt from nut milk!
5. coffee with elyse at the commons this morning. much planning and talk of the adventures on the horizon.
6. their stained glass window reminded me of the house i grew up in.
7. bed picnic with my favourite snack as of late: PC white bean dip + rice crackers. i swear the roasted garlic and sage make it even better than hummus! i’ve been going through a pack of each of these every few days since january.
8. three-ingredient vegan turtles. recipe coming at ya tomorrow, but we warned, these things are addictive!
9. pink blossoms heavy with rain as i walked home from the market.
10. i’ve had grapefruit soda on the brain since this post on miss indie. after trying it this weekend, i’m totally hooked! i didn’t follow the recipe exactly though. use equal parts grapefruit juice & sparkling water, a big squeeze of lemon, serve over ice and it’ll be delicious!

what were the highlights of your weekend? i’d love to hear!

xoxo
s.

The post moments from my weekend. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

Fast forward to 2012. My iTunes library contains everything from Jay-Z to Cole Porter, but Hanson has been notably absent since I hit puberty. Over the years I strayed away from the bubblegum pop music of my youth. I went through a long punk phase in high school before settling into the more varied tastes I enjoy today. However, through a seemingly random string of events, the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma MmmBopped their way back into my life this week.

For a number of reasons, I’ve been pretty sad these past few weeks, but especially over the past couple of days. I’ve felt powerless over the things that are making me sad, but worst of all, I felt as if I’d lost myself in this sadness. A close friend of mine suggested that I try on pants. This might sound strange, but I think what he meant is that when you feel like you’re drowning in something, it’s important to purposefully undertake actions that take you out of that, even if it’s only for a moment, instead of letting yourself sink. I hate trying on pants and felt incapable of finding my way out of this grief, so needless to say, I didn’t head out to the nearest American Apparel to pull on a pair of skinny jeans. But, when I was walking down Queen West, wishing desperately for some sort of relief, I saw a poster for a Hanson autograph session at HMV the following evening and I thought, “This can be my pants.”

With media passes in hand, my best friend and I made our way past the lineup of devoted Hanson fans and into the store. The band gave an intimate performance and although I’d probably insist that this isn’t my kind of music, their songs were absolutely infectious and I couldn’t stop myself from swaying my hips to the beat as I snapped shots of my teen idols. Afterward, we had a chance to meet the band (who are all incredibly sweet!) and have our photo taken. It was truly my fourth grade dream come true. I’m not going to lie, my knees melted a little.

Later that evening, I was back at the Bachelorette Pad, blaring Shout it Out, and twirling around in my favourite party dress when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I belted a lyric out into my toothbrush and thought, “Oh hey, Sarah. There you are. I’ve missed you.”

So, while I can’t claim that my sadness has disappeared completely, at least I feel like myself again and that makes all the difference, because I’m strong and I know I can get through anything. And I didn’t even have to try on a pair of pants.

What do you do when you’re feeling sad? Have you ever gotten to meet one of your celebrity crushes? I’d love to hear!

xoxo
S.

The post still an mmmbopper at heart. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

I wasn’t about to take my brand new DSLR (!!!) out with us and my point-and-shoot ran out of batteries early in the evening, but I can say that it was an event to be remembered.

I hope that however you celebrated, you were surrounded by people you love and that the night set a great tone for the rest of the year. I know mine did. If you’d like to leave a comment, I’d love to hear about how you rang in 2012.

Don’t I have good looking friends? ;)

xoxo
S.

The post happy new year. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

“I was left with my mouth gaping as the dancers, their costumes, and the wondrous sets brought my childhood dreamscapes to life. All in all, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on stage.”

Last weekend, my mom and I were lucky enough to attend the opening performance of The National Ballet’s The Nutcracker. You can read my review on womenspost.ca.

The post holiday magic. appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

My brother and I were the oldest kids lining up with their mom for the chance to hold a tiny yellow chick at the fair this  year. I had to. As soon as I saw the farmer passing them out, I wanted to get in on the action.

When I was in Junior Kindergarten a farmer had brought in an incubator of duck eggs and we got to observe them in the classroom as they hatched. However, we weren’t allowed to touch them, despite how cute they were. How cruel is that? As a young animal lover my fingers had itched to reach out and touch those soft, downy feathers. So call this a childhood dream coming true. And all it took was letting myself look a little silly and admitting that I’m still young at heart.

What little thing has made you the most happy recently?

xoxo
S.

The post dreams can come true … appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

When I heard that the Alberta Ballet Company was coming to Toronto to perform Love Lies Bleeding, a contemporary ballet inspired by the music of Elton John, I instantly put out a call on Facebook to see who was crazy enough to want to come with me. Only J. and her mom responded in the affirmative. I’m so glad they did, as it would have been a shame to miss out on such a unique event. We even managed to score discount tickets to the opening night through GroupOn.

Artistic director of the Alberta Ballet Company and choreographer Jean Grand-Maître opened the evening by explaining “this isn’t a stuffy event” as he encouraged the audience to clap their hands and sing along while envisioning themselves at a rock concert. Appropriately, the audience reflected the untraditional nature of the show, including everyone from regular ballet-goers to the most impressive drag queens I’ve ever seen, and all of us in between. We even spotted Rex Harrington across the aisle. However, he appeared to have left after intermission.

Upon seeing his empty seat, I couldn’t help but wonder: did an emergency come up or was the Canadian King of Ballet unimpressed? Perhaps the heightened camp factor didn’t appeal to an avid dance enthusiast like Rex. As someone with no background in dance, there were times when even I felt disappointed by the lack of impressive ballet feats as show girly antics stole the stage. And if I could notice the occasional lack of coordination, perhaps these flaws was too much for his expert eye.

Despite these shortcomings, I remain firm in my belief that this is not a show to miss. The dancing was unconventional, the special effects outrageous, and the costumes out of this world. Through fourteen songs the dancers wove a story about fame, drug abuse, repressed sexuality, love, and HIV/AIDS.  My favourite number was a kitschy rendition of Rocket Man. The song opened with a black stage. Dancers dressed all in black and dotted with mini LED lights were carried by their partners as they floated across the stage, living embodiments of constellations. Lead dancer, Yukichi Hattori, finished the dance by rocketing across the stage on space age roller skates with sparks flying out of his skintight, glittery blue briefs. This is not your grandma’s ballet.

And as the entire cast took the stage for the closing number, an energy-filled rendition of Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting), we couldn’t help but rise to our feet and clap along.

But the all-important question still remains: what did I wear?

 
I didn’t manage to get a decent photo of my outfit (sorry, mom) but here it goes:

Blouse – vintage (not pictured)
Skirt – Forever 21, Rory Beca Collection
Turquoise pantyhose – H&M
Shoes – Jeffrey Campbell, “Raid”
Lipstick – MAC, Chatterbox

Love Lies Bleeding is running in Toronto until November 12 at the Sony Centre for the Perofrming Arts. You can buy tickets here.

xoxo
S.

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