I'm sitting in a coffee shop with wooden beams and a high ceiling, floating on a caffeine high and feeling like there's something profound hooked at the back of my brain and I can't quite reach behind and pick it off and see what it is.
It's five o'clock but already dark and so I guess it's winter now.
Lately I've been itching to go shopping, to run into the salvation army and buy an armload of sweaters in every color, to storm urban outfitters and carry off every eternity scarf and those fun fingerless gloves that you can never have too many of. Like a viking marauder of knitwear, but I'll pay for it and I won't be wearing a silly hat.

Because I want to include more Ryan McGinley, here's some of his Olympic photography. Remember the Olympics? Almost a year ago already, but it was fun.





I like his photos because they inspire me to get off my ass and go do something. Right now I really want to go snowboarding. Nevermind that there is no snow yet. It will come.

sticky

Is it just me, or is so much happening lately? And it's February. Nothing interesting ever used to happen in February, until this year - my first year for caring about both the olympics and fashion week. Sadly, fashion week is not quite so close by... and so my focus is a little shifted at the moment.
My usual internet rounds have been rerouted - instead of the morning blog circuit and flipping through style.com, I watch downhill skiing, speed skating, halfpipe, even biathlon - I'm a sucker for it all. Speed skating is still my favorite, though I'm not sure if the main reason is the pretty Dutchman or the fact that it's practically Canada's medal bank.
I may also be jealous of their badass leg muscles.

After watching other people's great feats of endurance and technique, I putter around with a little bit of exploring downtown, little bit of painting (badly), a little bit of cooking at a little (a lot) of eating. So far my main success was these 90 min cinnamon buns. So bad it's good.

fun and games

In all the hype leading up to the Olympics, I was a little bit unfazed. Woo hoo. Curling. Hockey. Whoring ourselves out for corporate sponsors. Feeling the pressure to be 'Canadian.' But UBC did give us an extended reading break, which is nothing to whine about. And as soon as the Olympics began, I realized...

...this is actually one big two week party...

dude.

Walking downtown, there's spontaneous dance parties, the restaurants are packed, every third person is wearing those coveted olympic mittens, it's drizzling as usual - and the propaganda is seeping into my bones. I can't help it.
In Gastown I shared lobster ravioli with Laura, watched speed skating, and made the obligatory trip to the Olympic torch and all of the other tourist traps. I didn't have my camera, but I'm sure there's no shortage of good pictures around.
I have a new appreciation for skating.


(Picture from Licht Leven)

okay, maybe it's because of the pretty Dutch boy Sven Kramer.

After, we had a house party. The aftermath was kind of fun to take pictures of.





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