Funny for Friday

Yay!  It’s Friday!  I’m away today on our little long-weekend “Art, Architecture and Outlet Malls” trip, so you know I’m having a good time.

But if you’re still stuck at work, perhaps a little pick-me-up is in order.  Here’s a very funny video from Will Ferrell and Adam “Ghost Panther” McKay (seriously, it says that in his profile).  It’s a few years old, and you’ve probably seen it before, but it’s a classic.  Worth a revisit.  Have a good laugh, and enjoy your weekend!

Tips & Tricks: TripIt

[Note: if you subscribe to my monthly email newsletter, you would have received this tip last week.  No pressure.  Just saying.]

As you probably already know, I’m heading out of town tomorrow for a 3-day weekend.  We’re going to hit up some serious shopping and also see Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater.

When I booked my hotels, I thought I’d try out a service I’d heard good things about – TripIt. Here’s how it works: go to the TripIt Website, and sign up for a free account. Then, whenever you get a confirmation email for an upcoming trip (plane tickets, hotel bookings, dining reservations, etc), forward that email to TripIt. Then, voila, TripIt takes all the important info from the emails, and makes a very comprehensive and easy–to–read itinerary for you.

Really, this couldn’t be any easier. I just forwarded my email confirmations from the hotels*, and there it all was, in my TripIt account. And then I downloaded the TripIt app for my iPhone, so I have all my trip plans on there as well.

*Oh yeah, and speaking of those hotels I booked – we got amazing rates through Hotwire.  Nice digs for 50 bucks a night.  This really is going to be the weekend of deals.

Rock Out: Broken Social Scene

It’s been 5 years since their last album, so I couldn’t help myself from pre-ordering the new Broken Social Scene album, Forgiveness Rock Record.  I probably would have ordered it anyway, but when their website told me that I’d also get a digital version of Lo-Fi for the Dividing Nights (a bonus 10-track EP) if I preordered.  So that’s like getting 2 albums, all for 12 bucks.  I can handle that.

Want to give it a listen before buying?  You can hear the whole album on the BSS website here, or on NPR.com here.

Yep, I know it’s a total hipster cliche to like Broken Social Scene.  But I really don’t care.  I like the music.  It’s not my fault that they’re the most uber-cool band this side of Montreal.

Hide the Credit Cards: Target

When we head out on our little long-weekend “Art, Architecture and Outlet Malls” trip on Friday, I’m going to make sure we pop into at least one (if not more) Target locations.  Ooops, I mean “Tar-jay”.  (sidenote – I get the joke, it’s a cheap store with amazing deals and designer stuff, but seriously, the “Tar-jay” thing is getting a bit old)

I’m going to be on the lookout for this red dress for my friend Jen from the newly launched Zac Posen line.  But mostly, I’m super-pumped for Dwell Studio.  I’m hoping to get a new duvet cover for our bedroom – but which one to choose?  Look at all those choices (and there are many many more than just in that picture up there).  And maybe even a new rug for our dining room, since Isabel chewed our Pottery Barn one when she was a puppy.

I hope I can find some of the Liberty of London collection too.  How cute would these pillows be on the couch in my office?

Road Trip: Fallingwater

fallingwaterhouse

Ian and I are taking the day off on Friday and heading out on a little long-weekend road trip.  The Canadian dollar is basically on-par with the American dollar, so shopping in the States is a really good deal right now.  And it works best if you stay away for 48 hours, so your limit on what you can bring back into the country is much higher.

We’re going to hit up the Grove City outlet mall near Erie, Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania doesn’t have sales tax = amazing deals).  And then we’ll also hit up Tar-jay and the Walden Galleria in Buffalo.  But 48-hours of shopping is a LOT.  So what to do in between our sprees of rabid consumption?  See some art and architecture, of course!

On Saturday, we’ll head to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece.  It’s just south of Pittsburgh, and really not that far a drive.  I’m surprised I’ve never been before.  Built for a private family between 1936 and 1939, the house is now a National Historic Landmark.  We’re going to take a tour through the inside and outside of the house, and I’m so pumped.  The house is built over a 30 foot waterfall.  It is so gorgeous.  And Wright designed everything, right down to the furniture.

The Fallingwater website is awesome – especially their multimedia “explore” section.  You can learn all about the house, the family that commissioned it, and Frank Lloyd Wright himself.  And check out the Fallingwater webcam!  If you look between 12 and 1 PM on Saturday, you might just see me standing there.

Designers I Admire: Blair

Before I became a print & web designer, I worked in the Toronto theatre industry.  When I tell people that, they usually say, “oh, that’s interesting” or “how did you make that transition?” or “what a unique career path”.  But I’m not alone!  There’s another theatre-administrator-turned-designer in town… Blair Francey of BFdesign.

Blair is a great designer.  Especially logos – he really excels at brand identity.  So I have a lot of respect for him, because creating logos is not my strong suit. And I admire Blair’s restraint in his designs – his layouts are always clean, simple, and elegant.

Blair is super-cool, fun to hang out with, generous with his advice, and he laughs at my stupid jokes.  So he’s a-okay in my books!

Stolen From Others: Jason Schwartzman Crush

If you couldn’t tell from the last post, I’m catching up on my blog reading this morning.  I came across this awesome post from Janine at UPPERCASE Mag all about Jason Schwartzman.  Just like Janine, I LOVE the Schwartzman.  Ever since I saw him in Rushmore (sidenote – I just googled Rushmore so I could give you a link, and wow, he looks really really young).  And if you haven’t seen Schwartzman in Bored to Death, you haven’t lived.

Stolen directly from Janine’s post – those photos over there and this video below.  Oh, you didn’t know that Schwartzman is in a band?  Check it out.

Eatin’ in the ‘hood: Chick ‘n Joy

Last night, Ian and I walked over to Chick ‘n Joy to pick up some fried chicken.  Yep, fried chicken.  Just like KFC, but actually home-made.  And much better tasting (although, probably not much better for your health).

We had walked by Chick ‘n Joy for years, always thinking it looked a bit shady.  Or, maybe not shady, but not worth stopping for.  Then we read this article about Chick ‘n Joy on BlogTO, and thought we had to try it.  The writer is correct – the bright yellow gravy was a bit off-putting at first.  But it’s real (made with corn flour), and it tasted amazing.

Next time you have a hankerin’ (yep, I said hankerin’) for fried chicken, skip the KFC and go to Chick ‘n Joy instead.

Bullfrog Power

I’ve been a Bullfrog Power customer ever since we bought our house a couple years ago.  What’s Bullfrog Power?  And how does it work?  Check out this cool video that they just released:

It’s pretty easy.  I’m a Toronto Hydro customer, and I pay my normal bill to Toronto Hydro, and then I pay a monthly bill to Bullfrog Power.  It works out to about 25 bucks a month.  And that’s for my 3-bedroom house.  It might be even less for your place.  Yep, it’s more money.  But I think it’s worth it.  Like they explain in the video.

If you want to try it, Bullfrog is running a promo right now – sign up by April 30 and get $25 off your bill.  For more info, click here.