Happy Birthday Aly Feirest. I love and miss you!
(sorry I've been bitching about marriage - I'm pumped for yours)
-Love Sydney & She Ra
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Engagement Hiatus
Receiving the news of my friends Aly and Baker's engagement in September, and finally receiving the actual wedding invitation in the mail a month or so ago, served as a brusk confrontation with my looming status as adult. You may recall.
Hearing about friends getting engaged births all kinds of contradictory emotions in me. I'm surprised: my utter lack of marriable qualifications (boyfriend, job, parent-free residence) just leaves me operating under the assumption that no one my age is considering marital bliss as a viable life choice - at least not right now.
Then I swiftly realize that everyone is not me, and that this is fabulous news - I'm ecstatic that my friends have found someone they love and respect and can spend their lives with.
I'm super jealous that they don't have to date anymore. They never have to hear their grandmother lament how she would like to see all of her grandchildren married before she dies, so what is wrong with you and your brother? Cough.
I'm a little scared of what it potentially means for our friendship: the plot of many crappy rom-coms features the incompatibility of married friends with single friends. Half go out clubbing and on shitty blind dates while the other half stay at home perfecting their ossu bucco recipe and watching Castle on the sectional. Is that going to be me and my friends??? I hope not. I don't think I'm friends with anyone who would watch Castle. Only my parents watch Castle.
And, I'll admit it, selfishly, hearing about friends getting married makes me feel like crap about myself. Just for a second. I realize how far away I am in my life to anything like that. I've always been a bit ahead of the pack for my age - when I was in grade one I read at a third grade reading level, and damn it, I was young for my grade. I don't really take well this feeling of emotional and social stuntedness. Like I'm getting lapped by Bowser in Mariocart. This feeling is amplified, I've had the misfortune to find out, when you hear former boyfriends are getting married. I usually rouse myself out of this ridiculous ennui fairly swiftly. Since, you know, I have a cat to cuddle and bars to go to. And because my life is really not so bad.
So, this is to say, it's kind of emotionally exhausting to hear about friends getting married. And since the first of my friends announced their intention to wear a white dress/suit and kiss in front of a bunch of us, I have had three more friends get engaged. One has already been married.
So, dudes, can you please stop proposing. Ladies, don't be feminists and do it yourselves. Just for a couple months, so I can settle into law school a little more stress free? Thanks.
Amendment: Sydney would like to encourage women to be feminists. Just not women proposing to boyfriends. Just for a couple of months please.
Hearing about friends getting engaged births all kinds of contradictory emotions in me. I'm surprised: my utter lack of marriable qualifications (boyfriend, job, parent-free residence) just leaves me operating under the assumption that no one my age is considering marital bliss as a viable life choice - at least not right now.
Then I swiftly realize that everyone is not me, and that this is fabulous news - I'm ecstatic that my friends have found someone they love and respect and can spend their lives with.
I'm super jealous that they don't have to date anymore. They never have to hear their grandmother lament how she would like to see all of her grandchildren married before she dies, so what is wrong with you and your brother? Cough.
I'm a little scared of what it potentially means for our friendship: the plot of many crappy rom-coms features the incompatibility of married friends with single friends. Half go out clubbing and on shitty blind dates while the other half stay at home perfecting their ossu bucco recipe and watching Castle on the sectional. Is that going to be me and my friends??? I hope not. I don't think I'm friends with anyone who would watch Castle. Only my parents watch Castle.
And, I'll admit it, selfishly, hearing about friends getting married makes me feel like crap about myself. Just for a second. I realize how far away I am in my life to anything like that. I've always been a bit ahead of the pack for my age - when I was in grade one I read at a third grade reading level, and damn it, I was young for my grade. I don't really take well this feeling of emotional and social stuntedness. Like I'm getting lapped by Bowser in Mariocart. This feeling is amplified, I've had the misfortune to find out, when you hear former boyfriends are getting married. I usually rouse myself out of this ridiculous ennui fairly swiftly. Since, you know, I have a cat to cuddle and bars to go to. And because my life is really not so bad.
So, this is to say, it's kind of emotionally exhausting to hear about friends getting married. And since the first of my friends announced their intention to wear a white dress/suit and kiss in front of a bunch of us, I have had three more friends get engaged. One has already been married.
So, dudes, can you please stop proposing. Ladies, don't be feminists and do it yourselves. Just for a couple months, so I can settle into law school a little more stress free? Thanks.
Amendment: Sydney would like to encourage women to be feminists. Just not women proposing to boyfriends. Just for a couple of months please.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Regime
A year in the service industry has meant a year spent chatting with other 20-something girls about their grooming habits. Let's face it, half of what a server can do to ensure a quality dining experience is make sure that they look groomed, professional and put together - the other half is to not fuck up. This may sound superficial, but it is true of most professions where you spend much of your time interacting with other people, and the pressure to make sure you don't look like you crawled out of a recycling bin is amplified in an industry where the majority of your profit is based on how much strangers like you. For this reason, conversations around the hot window or the computer systems over where to get the best shellac manicure, whose ombre has turned out best, and what products everyone uses were commonplace. This led me to reflect on what I realize is my rather intensive skincare regime. That said, I have pretty good skin. Sure, I suffer from the occasional breakout, but I take care of my skin and it shows. So here it is - my skin care regimen.
Ok, so I use a lot of Kiehl's, you may note. I really do find most of their products to be very high quality for just shy of luxury brand prices.
I have recently been converted, during my stay in Paris, to Bioderma's sensitive skin cleanser. I use it primarily as a makeup remover, and for that, it is phenomenal. Bioderma is available in Canada, though it is much more expensive (I bought two of those 500ml bottles for €14.50, or $18.02CAD - Shopper's Drug Mart sells a 250ml bottle for $22.00CAD). However, if you're looking for a quick and gentle makeup remover, it is one of the best I've ever used. However, I don't use it as a substitute for my regular cleanser.
I use an exfoliating pad and either Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser or their men's line's Facial Fuel. The salesperson may have hesitated when I told her I needed the Facial Fuel - their men's line is, after all, specially formulated for men's skin, which, on the face, is supposedly thicker - but the menthol and caffeine in the face wash is irresistibly refreshing. I usually use the Facial Fuel if I desperately need external stimuli to wake myself up.
The scrubbing pad was a gift from my mum, who has picked up a whole array in varying sizes, and after at least 5 minutes of internet research, I discovered the brand: SpaCells, by Supracor. One side of the pad is soft enough for daily use, and the other side serving for a firmer
exfoliation. It may or not provide the stimulating massage it's website claims, but I find it to be a lot simpler to use than facecloths.
Post cleansing, I tone. I know a lot of people find toners to be unnecessary, but the older I get the more prone I become to breakouts (my mum suffered from pretty severe adult acne, so it's in the genes), so I opt for the extra step. And because my concern is blemishes, I use Proactive. I loathe Kiehl's Gentle Facial Toner. I've used it many times, but I find that, rather than leaving my skin with the tingly clean feeling of most toners, I feel like there is a film of milk left on my skin.
Post cleansing, I use my anti-aging battalion. Too young to be concerned about aging? Exactly. I am doing everything I can to preserve my skin's current condition. I know that many people find anti-aging serums to be at odds with blemish prone skin, but I haven't found a correlation between anti-aging creams and breakouts personally.
I use Kiehl's again, this time their pricier dermatological line's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate. It boasts the highest concentration of vitamin C found in any over-the-counter [read: dermatologist prescription free] face cream. I love that it is lightweight and even warming. And the texture it leaves my skin is just lovely. I follow that up with their best-selling Midnight Recovery Eye treatment or Creamy Eye Treatment; the former is an anti-aging treatment I use at night, the latter, strictly a moisturizer applied in the morning.
Final step? I wait a couple minutes and, in the morning, slather on the SPF 45; at night, apply a liberal amount of moisturizer to seal everything.
And Carmex - because lips are important too.
 |
| The Products |
I have recently been converted, during my stay in Paris, to Bioderma's sensitive skin cleanser. I use it primarily as a makeup remover, and for that, it is phenomenal. Bioderma is available in Canada, though it is much more expensive (I bought two of those 500ml bottles for €14.50, or $18.02CAD - Shopper's Drug Mart sells a 250ml bottle for $22.00CAD). However, if you're looking for a quick and gentle makeup remover, it is one of the best I've ever used. However, I don't use it as a substitute for my regular cleanser.
I use an exfoliating pad and either Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser or their men's line's Facial Fuel. The salesperson may have hesitated when I told her I needed the Facial Fuel - their men's line is, after all, specially formulated for men's skin, which, on the face, is supposedly thicker - but the menthol and caffeine in the face wash is irresistibly refreshing. I usually use the Facial Fuel if I desperately need external stimuli to wake myself up. 
The scrubbing pad was a gift from my mum, who has picked up a whole array in varying sizes, and after at least 5 minutes of internet research, I discovered the brand: SpaCells, by Supracor. One side of the pad is soft enough for daily use, and the other side serving for a firmerexfoliation. It may or not provide the stimulating massage it's website claims, but I find it to be a lot simpler to use than facecloths.
Post cleansing, I tone. I know a lot of people find toners to be unnecessary, but the older I get the more prone I become to breakouts (my mum suffered from pretty severe adult acne, so it's in the genes), so I opt for the extra step. And because my concern is blemishes, I use Proactive. I loathe Kiehl's Gentle Facial Toner. I've used it many times, but I find that, rather than leaving my skin with the tingly clean feeling of most toners, I feel like there is a film of milk left on my skin.
I use Kiehl's again, this time their pricier dermatological line's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate. It boasts the highest concentration of vitamin C found in any over-the-counter [read: dermatologist prescription free] face cream. I love that it is lightweight and even warming. And the texture it leaves my skin is just lovely. I follow that up with their best-selling Midnight Recovery Eye treatment or Creamy Eye Treatment; the former is an anti-aging treatment I use at night, the latter, strictly a moisturizer applied in the morning.
Final step? I wait a couple minutes and, in the morning, slather on the SPF 45; at night, apply a liberal amount of moisturizer to seal everything.
And Carmex - because lips are important too.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Pet Peeve #4: Bathroom Etiquette
I preface this with the promise that I am not going to talk about bowel movements.
I was just reading an article about things people get too wound up about, which prompted a moment of reflection, followed swiftly by the realization that I had to pee. I know - I am profound. While in the restroom, I used the last of the toilet paper. Shame on me. So I reached under the sink, grabbed a new roll, and replaced the empty tube. I even put it on so that the paper comes up over the top!
So, basically, I am the spitting image of courtesy and consideration.
No. Wait. That's wrong. Is it just that I'm doing the bare minimum of what is considered reasonable, given the utter lack of time and exertion required? Yeah, that sounds about right.
Granted, I may go above and beyond by endeavouring to do this even when in public restrooms, peering around for back up rolls, or by informing staff when it needs to be done by someone with access to their toilettery stock (restaurants don't generally appreciate finding patrons squirreling through their dry storage, funny enough), but it just seems not only courteous, but logical. I mean, I don't have abundant faith in my bladder capacity necessarily - I could very well be the next person in this stall which, abhorrently, has no toilet paper.
Especially in restrooms where the toilet paper is visible from the toilet, how much lazier and self involved could someone be to just peace out post toilet paper erradication? I mean, you're already sitting down.
I was just reading an article about things people get too wound up about, which prompted a moment of reflection, followed swiftly by the realization that I had to pee. I know - I am profound. While in the restroom, I used the last of the toilet paper. Shame on me. So I reached under the sink, grabbed a new roll, and replaced the empty tube. I even put it on so that the paper comes up over the top!
 |
| I do really hope that people get this. But most apparently don't. |
No. Wait. That's wrong. Is it just that I'm doing the bare minimum of what is considered reasonable, given the utter lack of time and exertion required? Yeah, that sounds about right.
Granted, I may go above and beyond by endeavouring to do this even when in public restrooms, peering around for back up rolls, or by informing staff when it needs to be done by someone with access to their toilettery stock (restaurants don't generally appreciate finding patrons squirreling through their dry storage, funny enough), but it just seems not only courteous, but logical. I mean, I don't have abundant faith in my bladder capacity necessarily - I could very well be the next person in this stall which, abhorrently, has no toilet paper.
Especially in restrooms where the toilet paper is visible from the toilet, how much lazier and self involved could someone be to just peace out post toilet paper erradication? I mean, you're already sitting down.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Vacances
Bonjour mon amis. Have you missed me? I have taken an extended sojourn from blogging to finish up my tenure at Earl's Tin Palace and enter some indulgent unemployment, riddled with travel and wine.
That is to say, I have whisked myself away to gay Paris (because I am my own hero in the so-called fairy tale that is my life). It has been an interesting trip, and is, sadly, almost at its close. I have done all the requisite tourist activities; I have toured the Louvre, enjoyed a picnic on the Sienne, dined in Montmarte, soaked up the beauty of the Musee D'Orsay, and picnicked at the Eiffel Tower (yes, ample picnics - baguette, cheese, sausage and wine abound). I was courted by a French man, walked the canal and sipped noisette in cafes. I have shopped. No where near as much as you would probably expect - my French diet has not instantly granted me a French figure, surprise surprise - but I have wandered kitschy Colette, briefly perused the enormity of the Galleries Lafayette and dug through the Friperies (vintage clothing boutiques) of the Marais.
It has certainly made the prospect of going home less than appealing. Going home only to move, again, and start in on intensive education for a career path which will not allow for any 10 day trips to Europe until I've earned at least a few years hard-worked tenure? Prospects look downright grim. Hopefully I can take some of this amour de la vie I have acquired in Paris and import it back to Canada with me.
That is to say, I have whisked myself away to gay Paris (because I am my own hero in the so-called fairy tale that is my life). It has been an interesting trip, and is, sadly, almost at its close. I have done all the requisite tourist activities; I have toured the Louvre, enjoyed a picnic on the Sienne, dined in Montmarte, soaked up the beauty of the Musee D'Orsay, and picnicked at the Eiffel Tower (yes, ample picnics - baguette, cheese, sausage and wine abound). I was courted by a French man, walked the canal and sipped noisette in cafes. I have shopped. No where near as much as you would probably expect - my French diet has not instantly granted me a French figure, surprise surprise - but I have wandered kitschy Colette, briefly perused the enormity of the Galleries Lafayette and dug through the Friperies (vintage clothing boutiques) of the Marais.
It has certainly made the prospect of going home less than appealing. Going home only to move, again, and start in on intensive education for a career path which will not allow for any 10 day trips to Europe until I've earned at least a few years hard-worked tenure? Prospects look downright grim. Hopefully I can take some of this amour de la vie I have acquired in Paris and import it back to Canada with me.
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