Rock of "Aged"

This week marks the 37th anniversary of the release of The Ramones first album, the self-titled "Ramones". The Ramones are an influential band in my life. I tend to use The Ramones as a yard stick to the aging process.  Although aging is inevitable and I accept it, I hope that I never get "old".  The moment that The Ramones sound silly to me, I will know that I took a wrong turn and have gotten old. I hope this never happens - I want to be a 90 year old who still has the urge to jump up and down whenever I hear one of their songs--even if my body is no longer capable of it.

I didn't actually discover The Ramones though until I reached high school and was opened up to the whole punk and new wave scene. Prior to this, a period I like to refer to as B.R. (before Ramones), I grew up in Hamilton and didn't have any older siblings to introduce me to any underground music.  The only frame of music reference kids like me had was CKOC AM radio. So let me confess something to you...Hello, my name is The Lassie and I love late 70's/early 80's AM radio bands. It was the music that I listened to in junior high and it takes me back to those years and will forever be dear to my heart.

Last summer The Fella and I headed to Rock the Park, an annual festival held in London, Ontario. The line up last year was a retro AM radio fan's wet dream--The Romantics, REO Speedwagon, Prism, The Steve Miller Band & Boston--pretty much the entire 45-record collection that I listened to in the basement of Michelle Taylor's house circa 1979.

As a rule, my outdoor rock festivals days are over.  You are pretty much guaranteed to have that "old" feeling that I spoke about when you are surrounded  by twenty-somethings at a festival headlined by bands that you have never heard of, or worse, bands that you don't "get" which typically leads to the old person conversation trap "music isn't like how it was in my day!"   Nope, Rock the Park concert goers are in their 40's and 50's-- people who can hold down mortgages and their liquor.  There is something to be said about being silly amongst your peers.  "Can't fight this feeling" by REO Speedwagon was one of the first songs that I ever slow danced to -- when they played it live, The Fella and I slow danced and smooched in the park.  Something like that would never fly at Coachella amongst a crowd of people who could quite easily be your kids.

REO Speedwagon

The Fella and I after our smoochy junior high dance

The Romantics

In my twenties, I had a tank style, cast iron bladder and could drink beer all day long and maybe only visit the washroom once or twice.   Yep, not any more.  Not only is there a need for frequent visits to the Port-O-Lets, but they have to be timed accordingly; a lesson that was learned on the Friday night.  The trick is to head to the lines during the last song of the set, or else you risk massive line ups with a bursting aged bladder.   After a long walk to the toilets in torrential rain and a long wait to only get to the middle of the line up,  I knew that I wouldn't be able to wait any longer.  Desperate times call for desperate measures my friends.  I ducked behind an equipment truck and unleashed the wrath of Coors.  Thankfully the rain drowned out the sound of my personal monsoon or else I would have drowned out the the band that had just taken the stage.  To add to my humiliation, when I finished, I was caught doing up my belt by a young employee who chastised me with "Hey we have bathrooms for that you know!"  to which I responded "Hey, I'm in my forties and dignified - you think I chose to do this??!"  Seriously, go work at Burning Man with peeps your own age.

It was shortly after this "water"gate incident that we ran into The Fella's mate, Shaun, who works in the music industry.  My embarrassing public urination was eased when he presented us with backstage passes.  It was a thrill to watch The Steve Miller band side stage from the monitor board and out of the downpour.  It was also a junior high thrill to be chatted up by the drummer from one of the bands!  I still kid myself that even though:

a) my clothes were soaked;

b) my makeup was smudged; and

c) I probably had trace amounts of pee on my shorts, 

that I still had what it takes to be chatted up by a drummer from a band that I love.  In reality, I probably looked more like a rock of aged skanky groupie....

Rock the Park will be held this year from July 25 - July 27.  For more information visit http://rockthepark.ca

Backstage watching The Steve Miller Band.  How many mullets do you spot?

Kitchen Botox

Happy Friday!

The on-going task of making my aging, tired abode look hip & young continues. I figure that if I can do this to my own looks without looking like mutton dressed as lamb then I should be able to transfer this skill to the world of home decor. 

Luckily the kitchen just needed some cosmetics and accessories. The paint job and drywall patch was like Botox!  It solved all the fine cracks & took years off the appearance & it no longer frowns. 

When it comes to accessories, I'm not ashamed to admit that I have faked it before. Judge me if you will, but I have visited Canal Street in Manhattan to purchase fake Prada bags. So why not fake some accessories in the home?  After unsuccessful attempts at trying to find replacement cupboard handles that I liked and were the right  size, I decided to paint the existing handles. They turned out OK--not a show stopper, but very passable. And to be honest, although I have no qualms about buying shoes that cost the national debt of Bolivia, I have a hard time justifying spending $10 and over per handle when I need 17 on them in a rental unit. 

I used Benjamin Moore Blackberry on the backsplash wall and Benjamin Moore Decorators White on the cupboards.  Pablo somehow heard "cheese" and miraculously appeared out of nowhere.  He likes the idea of a kitchen where he is camouflage.

The two colours make a good contrast. And the handles...not half bad.

On the opposite side, I used Benjamin Moore Dove White on the walls against the Decorators White on the cupboards for some white on rice action.

So all in all--not bad.  I'm a little jealous though because the kitchen is more put together than I have been lately. The drywall patch and paint is not at all flattering on my cuticles. 

Mex-I-Can

What does one do after a day of dealing with pricks? Why, you eat cactus.

The Fella & I headed to Mex-I-Can on James Street North. Don't let the dive-y appearance of the restaurant fool you--they serve the best, most authentic Mexican food this side of the border. I love that their vegetarian option is cactus instead of the usual blend of peppers and onion (and caulifower & broccoli that some resturants throw in--yeah, that's authentic). It is really tasty- the texture is like a pickled jalapeno and it tastes somewhat like green beans--and it is packed full of antioxidants.

Then there is the margueritas...oooh the margueritas. Authentic & full of tequilla-y goodness! And a bargain at $7 for a super-sized glass -- $24 for a pitcher. Go big or go home I say!

Imants

When it gets to this time of the week I always get excited about the upcoming Saturday. Although this Saturday is no exception, and even as I anticipate a perfect day filled with a much needed sleep in, no commute and catching up with friends, I know this day will be bittersweet. Yes, I will be enjoying all of these aforementioned activities, but it would only qualify as perfect if I were able to buy my friend Imants a pint for his birthday.

Imants was pretty much a fixture in my life for twenty-five years. I can't think of a wedding or a party or a show when Imants wasn't there. I remember him at Leslie & Dan's wedding when he gave me a ride home in a freak snowstorm and I can still hear him laugh at me walking up my front steps in a dress & heels with snow up above my knee. I remember him at Liz's 25th birthday laughing when we all dressed up and she squirted him in the face with silly string. I remember him laughing at me when we went to see The Cramps and I held on to Imant's shoulders while I jumped up and down to check out Lux Interior who had spontaneously stripped naked and I wanted to get a better look.

Yep--that laugh. That goofy laugh. How many times in twenty five years did we try to mimic it? How we miss it so. How we miss you so. We took you for granted. You were the mate who was always there. Now that you are gone, your missing presence is palpable.

I'm not a person who believes in an after life, but it gives me comfort to think that if we are not buying you pints on your birthday, you are somewhere having pints with Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer & Lux Interior...and they are all trying to mimic your laugh.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Although the blog posts are slowing down, things have been super busy on the home front.  There have been all sorts of home improvement activities on the go.  The new abode is a bit like me – old, but with some cosmetic touches and some accessories it doesn't look bad.   However, although the abode is slowly starting to look spiffy, my hands have gone to shit.  Manicures have been put on the back burner and my hands and nails have been constantly covered in drywall patch compound and latex paint.

The biggest decision was what colour to paint the living room, dining room and hallway.  I have become a big fan of the whole Swedish/Finish décor trend of the white with black accents colour scheme.  I think that it looks chic, funky and modern.  Plus, picking a nice, crisp white paint is easy-peasy, right?  No, not so much.  There should be a book called “500 Shades of White”.  If you choose something too yellow, it will look like you are living in a jar of mayonnaise.  Then there are pink based whites – which were the colour of the walls when I moved in – and although freshly painted they looked dingy.  I didn’t want a stark white either – you know the kind of white that would look like you were living inside an Osmond family member’s mouth.

After reading umpteen décor blogs and decorating magazine articles, I decided upon White Dove by Benjamin Moore - a nice, soft shade of white that was recommended for complimenting oak coloured floors.  I used Benjamin Moore Ashley Grey on the accent wall - just to mix it up a bit.  Whatcha think?

Before shot - the paint actually had a pink undertone although it doesn't show here

 

After

 

After

As per usual, Pablo likes to lend a paw by brushing against freshly painted walls

So far I have just finished the hallway.  The living room and dining room are still pending.  This old gal sure is slowing down - twenty years ago I would have had it all done in a weekend. 

Happy Easter folks.  Here's a little Procol Harum to get the long weekend rolling.

 

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

I know that I am Scottish and I know that St. Patrick’s Day is more of a North American celebration in honour of a saint that I know nothing about because I am a heathen…. but I do love preparing a corned beef and cabbage dinner at this time of the year.

The Fella was working, but my ma came over on Saturday for dinner.  The Fella is lucky that we saved some for him – he is not so lucky that Saturday night concluded with an evening of beer consumption on top of the cabbage which made for some nasty Dutch ovens at his expense (nothin’ says lovin’ like a Dutch oven).

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

1 package of corned beef brisket

1 can Guinness

3 onions – quartered

1 head of cabbage - quartered

1 dash of ground cloves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Water

Quarter onions & place in a large stock pot.  Open the package of corned beef and place on top of the onions.  The package directions on the corned beef instructs you to boil it in the bag - but then you miss out on the Guinnessy goodness.   Be a rebel and thumb your nose at those who tell you what to do.  

Pour in the can of Guinness  and then add enough water to cover the top of the corned beef.  Add cloves, salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 50 min per pound.  Skim fat from the top of the stock every hour. 

Add the quartered cabbage during the last hour of cooking.   I put the corned beef on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for the last twenty minutes of cooking.  Serve corned beef, cabbage and stock over mashed potatoes.

Forgo the usual green beer and try Well's Banana Bread Beer - it is not sweet tasting as it sounds - it is a full body beer with notes of banana and nut.

Pisces Palooza

Is it OK to say “Happy March” when we are almost halfway through the month?  Can’t believe how long it has been since my last blog post.  I have been so preoccupied with turning the new abode into a home.  Luckily all the lovely Pisces in my life have provided a much needed distraction.

I am drawn to Pisces peeps.  Pisces have been described as “fish going in two different directions”.  I am a typical Gemini twin, so our dualities bode well together.  No big surprise that my bestie, Vivieen and The Fella are both Pisces with birthdays only four days apart.

In keeping with the dual theme, this past weekend there were dual celebrations – Friday, the girls and I got together to celebrate Vivieen’s birthday and Saturday was reserved for The Fella’s celebration with his family.

Friday’s festivities began with dinner at Capri Ristorante http://www.capriristorante.ca.  Capri has been in business since 1963 and the décor has not changed much since then; it looks like the restaurant is a set design from the Mad Men series.  The food is fantastic, which is a testament to their longevity. 

Afterwards, we took advantage of the mild temperatures and participated in Art Crawl on James Street North.  We then ended up at James Street’s newest addition, The Stowaway (no website yet) – which literally opened its doors for the first time hours before our visit.  It definitely had some hiccups on their first night, but I would be willing to try it again.

Birthday girl Vivieen pointing towards where the cocktails are!

Fellow Art Crawlers on James Street North

Sarah, Robin & Diane at The Stowaway

Saturday’s celebrations took us to The Powerhouse Restaurant http://www.thepowerhouse.ca in Stoney Creek – also a historic landmark.  The Powerhouse is located in an historic building that provided power to the electric rail lines in the 1890’s.  Here is another duality theme comes into play – The Powerhouse is gorgeous inside, however their food is mediocre – not bad, just same old, same old pub fare.   

The gorgeous interior of The Powerhouse

The Fella and the complimentary cotton candy

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend – food, drinks and laughs with two of the most important people in my life.  Love you both loads.

Robin's Birthday

Not only do I love a celebratory night out with my fav galpals, but I also love an opportunity to check out a new restaurant. 

When we got together for my lovely friend Robin’s birthday earlier this month, we made the trek out to Burlington to have dinner at Eatalia http://www.eatalia.ca. 

I have to be honest.  I was sceptical about the choice of venue.  I have driven by Eatalia a few times and always thought that it was a chain restaurant on par with the likes of Eastside Mario’s (blech!). However, this could not have been further from the truth.  Eatalia is an independent, stylish restaurant with a warm and welcoming staff and inventive menu. 

We could not decide on an appetizer so our server put together a meat and cheese antipasti plate for the four of us to share (more like devour!).  

I ordered the Bucatini Alla Matriciana which was tossed in a sauce made of tomatoes, basil, smoked bacon, pancetta and chilli peppers (you had me at bacon!!).  I literally wanted to lick my plate it was so good – sometimes couth is an overrated virtue.

Diane and birthday girl Robin had the quail with roasted mushroom and fig sauce served on a bed of pancetta polenta.  I have to be honest – I can’t for the life of me remember what Vivieen had.  Let’s just say A LOT of wine was consumed that night.

We refrained from having desert at the restaurant as we were heading back to Robin’s house for more wine and cake.  (Note - cake is not shown -- see too much wine note above).

I love going to Robin's house...not only because there is wine, but because her home is absolutely gorgeous!  Robin is such a creative talent.  I mentally made decor notes to use in my new abode. 

Like all of us, she is also a huge rock n roll fan, which reflected in our choice of birthday prezzies.  I'm hoping to borrow the Marc Bolan biography from her when she is finished!



You Light Up My Life

Well, the move happened.  I am settling into my new abode.  I forgot how much work is involved in moving and I am exhausted!  I have a lot more work cut out for me.  Although I lucked out in getting such a large space (hello, you had me at walk-in closet) that is located downtown in a clean, quiet building, it is an old apartment and it does require some cosmetic T.L.C.

First order of business – the dining room light fixture.    The lighting fixture looked like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit all the branches on the way down.  This eyesore lasted a total of 48 hours in my domain. 

I trekked off to IKEA to purchase a fixture that had caught my eye on a previous outing.  Although I am quite a handy chick, when it comes to plumbing and lighting I draw the line.  Luckily The Fella has electrical acumen and lovingly offered to swap out the fixture for me. 

The light fixture came with an extremely long chain - The Fella shortened it for me to hang at an appropriate height.

The Fella - You Light Up My Life

Hmm...could re-purpose this for naughty things....

 A world of difference!