110| dress to impress.

found. one very lovely, well-priced dress, unique and ideal for the following:

• 3 weddings
• convocation
• countless brunches
• reading under trees.

hurray. now, if only they can special order my size!

105| cities, old.

i can't help but thinking that it's strange that ontario, canada has a paris. it's near toronto, and not very big, and not particularly parisian. but there it is {there's also one in texas, for you american folk}.

my friend's family is from waterloo, ontario...which used to be known as new berlin before the war. it hosts the largest oktoberfest outside of canada, which is something to brag about {if you're me.}

new york used to be new amsterdam. and at one point, america considered german as its official language. wie interessante waere die welt denn? {what an interesting world it would be}.

just something to consider in light of globalization, history, nomenclature.

104| quiet post, new york.

less than two months.
i hope there are balloons.

94| grateful, yet busy

i have five job interviews between thursday and monday. five! i'm not complaining. i really think this is the greatest thing that could happen to me right now: to have a job lined up before my contract is completed!

but, i also recognize that between now and tuesday, my life is going to be consumed with things that are important, but not necessarily what i want to be doing. that is, if what i want to be doing is blogging, cooking, colouring {things other than maps}, planning my trip to new york over sushi, drinking with my teammates, and doing any sort of exhaling.

what i will be doing is researching, writing, editing, writing, editing, researching, writing, editing. and polishing: my resume, my shoes, my hair.

exhale. and go.

85| here comes the sun

it's beautiful right now. and i'm stuck inside the office for another 15 minutes. at which point, i'm giving myself permission to leave early.

do you blame me? it's bright and sunny out, and a marvelously warm day. and i'm wearing my new. spring. clothes.

this calls for a celebration: a quick afternoon of coffee, shopping in the market, and finding trinkets for friends {and family}. i can hardly wait!


image sarahseven

42| quiet post, chicago.

just a few reasons, why i'm excited to go.

41| to recreate us.

one of my dear friends, mikael, and i have decided to make a road trip this summer, mostly because holy-crap-i-have-cabin-fever {and i'm jealous that my better half is going to boston for his bachelor party, most likely}.

i haven't been travelling in the states since i was twelve or thirteen--i was with someone from grand rapids for a part of a summer, but that's a long story {which hopefully no one will tell at our wedding}. new york. boston. washington. these all seem like really wonderful cities.

but, really, i want to go to chicago.

it seems like a really wonderful, well-cultured, but not snobby city. an industrial city, with a lot of history and wonderful architecture. kind of like america's edinburgh.

plus, there's the complete opposite of italian pizza. and the 609m Spire. and they're bidding for the 2016 olympics.

| credit jaunted |

33| a most miniscule glimpse.

every morning, i get off the bus at bank and albert, grab an americano from my favourite coffee shop and schlepp my stuff three blocks to my office. about two blocks in, i was stopped by an rcmp officer, a mountie if you will.

and so it began, ottawa's circus maximus, the preparation for the arrival of american president obama. for the past three days, there has been an nbc van outside my office {which is across from parliament hill}, and the crowds this morning have been building around the building. i think about this in terms of a miniscule glimpse, both in terms of glimpsing at the president {not likely} and also a somewhat satirical glimpse into what a security state in canada would look like. the mountie stopped me and asked me what my business in the area was. i shook my head, told him i worked in the chambers building, and moved on. but by no means could i take this attempt and state control seriously, even as the officers were stopping every vehicle on the road, because vehicles are much more likely to harbour terrorists.

either way, i think {no matter how much i adore obama} that this visit will further a post-colonial {read: americanized} canadian identity, and will remind me why i really can't stand canadian media.

yes, we can {overdo it with media coverage of obama's visit}

credit hankins

24| quiet post, toronto

i took a marvelous day trip to toronto last summer. i didn't get a chance to edit my photos until this evening. it's a little like revisiting the city all over again.

19| {february} thaw

usually, for about six months of the year in ottawa there are sandwich board signs on the streets which read danger: falling ice overhead. on the other hand, i feel as though today they should have read beware: lots of water splashing from overhead.

the temperature today was a balmy +10, celsisus. 50 farenheit {one day i'll learn to do this without using google conversions}. i could have gone out at lunch and never come back for the rest of the day. except then i wouldn't have a job.

today is one of those days where the air feels so fresh, and welcoming. i wore my spring jacket and running shoes to work, because i could {and i must say, it looked pretty damn chic}. tomorrow will be a day for wellies. perhaps i can get away with looking like paddington bear?

| credit jchangk |