Monday, January 31, 2011

Another crazy week!...

Sorry again for not posting for a bit as it has been yet another busy week in Nymph land!

 Monday: I went to the Ween concert with my man and his best friends, and got so superbly hammered that by the time 9:30pm rolled around, I had to sober up and roll my love home in a taxi cab :) Ive never been on the opposite end of having to take care of someone whilst they are drunk as a skunk. It was actually quite a pleasant experience for me as I really love this gentleman of mine, and really had no problem with taking him home to bed and feeding him glasses of water, whilst rubbing his sweet little noggin. The most ironic part was that the lead singer Gene Ween, also got so plastered during his performance that his band left him on stage to finish the concert by himself...


Tuesday: I went to my friend Daniel Chai's Burlesque and Improv show at Cafe Deux Soleils, which was a lovely combination of tits and wits. I also found out that I am for sure performing at the next Show us your Wits which is very exciting as my alter ego "Rita Rockette" hasen't performed in quite sometime and has been itching to take her clothes off on stage ;)

Wednesday: I had a lovely date with my best friend Karina! We ordered pizza and scrapbooked for hours, it was amazing ! I truly love that girl and I am getting very addicted to having craft nights like these, and hope that in the future I will be able to start my own craft club at my home!
*Side note : I also finished my huge UK trip scrapbook! So yet another check off my goals for the new year!

Thursday: I helped my man deliver the Georgia Strait around Granville Island, and enjoyed the day fiddling around art stores with him till we went our separate ways. Then I did my weekly stint at the Pacific Cinematheque where I watched yet another amazing Charlie Chaplin film! I am loving these films as Chaplin is a genius of the silent film era, and I love diving into 30's with his masterpieces. The first one I saw this week was a short called "Sunnyside" which was just a comical short about a day in the life of a  daydreaming working man who falls in love this woman, who he then has to try and win the affection of from this new man in town. The second was a different type of film from Chaplin as it was a drama called "A Woman Of Paris" about a woman who leaves the engagement she has for marriage behind, to find a life for herself in Paris. And what a life indeed she finds as she is courted by a handsomely rich suitor, and finds that her past then catches up on her. Charlie actually doesn't appear in this film and actually tells us that at the starting of the film so that we are not to be confused by the genre and character switch from his normal films. Both are certainly worth a watch!


Friday, Saturday and Sunday : I spent the weekend in Victoria where we .....

Went to the BC Royal Museum 
Left my bra at Big Bad Johns Pub (and got a tshirt to prove it)
Went to the acclaimed Pagliacci's for dinner
Checked out the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral for Sunday Mass
Learned how to sew dishcloths and now am hooked! Almost finished 3 of them!
And overall just relaxed with my lovely mother and sister! 


Hope you all had a lovely week too! and p.s. I am lonely for mail
so if there are any penpalers out there in blog land 
just let me know if you want to be snail mail buddies :)
I would adore that :)
Love Nymph xoxoxoxo etc


Sunday, January 23, 2011

Wacky Week!

There was too much going on this week to do individual posts for each event, so instead here is the highlights of my week...

Monday : I went to Poetry Slam with my best friend Karina 
and new friends Chris and Annelis!

Tuesday : I took a much needed night in and went to bed early...
Wednesday : I met up with my friend Shev for a 
much needed coffee catchup and then went home and made
gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with my man!

We used :
roasted garlic and cheese bread
diced onion and tomatoes
 Tillamook Cheddar cheese
 And a Happy Plant combination 
of their Tuscan sunrise tomato soup
and their red pepper, paprika and cayenne sauce! 
(with grated cheese too! )
We have started having cooking date nights 
every Wednesday! Last week we made fresh ravioli and went 
and saw "Psycho" on the big screen! 
Thursday : I met my Great Uncle Al for the first time in my life!
The occasion was his 81st birthday, and we all met at his daughters pub 
(who I also had not met before), and threw him a surprise party!
I was really nervous before we got there because 
I knew that I wasn't going to know a lot of the people there, 
and I also hate answering that age old question "And what do you do?",
but really the evening couldn't have gone better. 
There were so many people there who had not met before, 
that every one essentially was new to each other.
(Featured Above : My Nana Lynn, Auntie Barb, and Uncle Al)
I really got to see were my mothers humor comes from, 
and it was really nice to see all the similarities and patterns through 
the generations of family members.
I feel like I gained a whole new family this week!
Friday :  I had another coffee catch-up date with Keirstin,
and then proceeded to get loose with my man and loved ones, 
at my friends Vanessa's birthday party.
I love this girl alot :)
And I love this guy a lot too :)
Then Saturday : I went to my folks for an early Robbie Burns day dinner!
There was Haggis... (which I didn't partake in...)
There was drinking... (which I DID partake in..)
Funny hats...
Tartans...
 And Kilts!
I also got to finish my first knitting project which is a collar for my sister!

I'm very proud!

And well today Sunday : I started my UK trip scrapbook (which consists of over 277 photos!),
went for brunch at the Templeton (50's diner downtown with amazing veggie poutine),
went clothing and book shopping with my man,
took in a couple of Charlie Chaplin films on the big screen by myself ("Payday" and "Gold Rush"),
and went to Value Village for some costume pieces 
for my Circus themed birthday that is coming up on Feb 12th!

All in all a absolutely delightful week and end to a weekend! 
Hope you all had a lovely one too!

-Love Nymph
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo etc...

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cat to Good Home

New news in the life of Nymph is that there is a cat named Kati living temporally at my home. My roommates just started fostering cats from the SPCA, which means that we take in sick cats for 2 weeks at a time and nurse them back to health, so that they can go back and get adopted sooner.

When we first got her last week she was a complete grump. She had infections in her ears, eyes and sinus, and she would just sit there and growl when you tried to pet her. But you could tell there was something more under this sick and tough exterior, as she would come up and rub up against us with pained little cries.

Two days later she was almost completly a new cat, as her eyes cleared up and she wanted to cuddle and sleep in our beds (not mine though cause my man is mildly allergic).

She is just over 6 years old, very very cuddly, and sweet with a lot of love in her. And well I guess what I am saying is that she needs a home so if you can find it in any of your homes to adopt and beautiful, cuddly, pudgy kitty just let me know, so we can find her a loving home.

Over our time fostering I am going to post all our cats to my blog in the off chance that one of them might catch your fancy and you might want to take them home with you!

Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday!
And Give your pets a cuddle for me!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Merry Sunday To You All!

Sundays are my favorite days of the week... especially when they are rainy, with small spurts of sunshine!

I got to sleep in this morning next to my man-friend after much pouting on my part last night for the alarm not to be set... suffice it to say I won and happily got to lay in bed till our tummy grumbles could no longer be pacified.
There is something to be said about living in a walkable community where your favorite coffee shops are just a mere skip down the lane and your favorite breakfast joint is just a nice 10 minute walk down the bustling Sunday morning street. I love Commercial Drive! Everything about it from its Cheers like quality of recognition, to its abundance of culture and spirit.
We visited the coffee shop my man works at with his adorable co workers for some pre-breakfast coffee/tea warms ups (I can't get the hang of coffee), and then continued down for a stellar breakfast at Cafe Deux Soleil which is always filling and delicious, even if we had to wait in a line up that went out the front door...

Afterwards we wandered slowly back down the street, linking arms, buying gourmet chocolates and taking photos..
Whats exactly is coming soon?
Plants trying to escape apartment?
Is the phone to God really located in a cafe bathroom?

After coming home and decompressing for a bit, I headed out to my favorite coffee shop conveniently located a block away from me, for some crafting and reading times...
Here's the book I am reading right now for book club, called "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave. The inside cover tells me not to tell anyone what it is about but I will tell you this... even just being 40 pages in, I am glued and I love how the content matter of the story is serious but it is told in such a comical fashion, that it is both heart wrenching and light at the same time.
For crafts I recreated a pin wheel pin that I learned how to make at a recent craft fair, when Spool of Thread graciously taught a free workshop on how to make these adorable brooches.
All you need is :
- felt cut into 4 x 4 squares
- complimentary fabric squares cut 3.5 x 3.5
- needle and thread
- safety pins (preferably on the smaller side of medium)
- larger buttons of your choice
- fabric scissors

Then you...
Fold the felt diagonally and cut two small (emphasis on small) slits into the fabric like so to slide the back of a safety pin through.
Turn over and place the cotton fabric on top of the felt patch and cut in from corners to the middle being mindful of the slits you have made for the safety pin so that you don't cut too far!
Then fold every second corner into the middle and sew them down being again mindful of being able to still open your safety pin so that you have pin it to your lovely lapel :)
The final step is to sew on your button!
And Voila!
You have a beautiful pin wheel brooch,
that makes perfect pen pal presents, 
and that you are going to want to fasten safely to
all your favorite winter coats!
But be prepared to get many 
compliments from crafty connoisseurs! 

Hope you all have a wonderful sleep into your Mondays!
Love - Nymph
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox etc...

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Littlest Birds Sing The Prettiest Songs

Today was a day of much needed rest...

I traded my daily routine of treadmills and weightlifting for breathing and asanas.
I rolled out my yoga mat... prepared my space with fresh air and temple incense...
and put a cd that my love made for me last year (featuring this song which I love..)

I continued to turn my room into the space for my heart to rest...
I bought new plants, put up more pictures, and organized my closet into a clutter free zone...
I love this room more than I ever have any other space in my life... and feel so ultimately drawn to it, to the fact that I make excuses to come home on my break just to sit on my bed <3
I promised you all an review on Spool of Threads amazing sewing classes, so here it is :
SPOOL OF THREAD is AMAZING! Need I say more? Their classes are small (with only max 8 people to each one) so that there is tons of one on one teacher time. You can buy all the supplies that you need there before class if you have trouble finding something or have questions about the best materials to use. The teachers are super informative and helpful, making it easy to ask them stupid questions. And you get to walk away with a beautiful product, that you could ultimately sell it looks that good :) Here's one of mine! (The other one is already one its way across the world in a letter <3)
And it has lining and interfacing too!

I had alot of fun making it even if I did get a little frustrated with it at times... and I would totally recommend their classses even if their pricing is a little on the higher side... 

Well I think that is all for tonight as I just got home from my movie theatre volunteer shift (watched "Taxi Driver" for the first time and wasn't expecting it to be so gruesome!), and am now nestled in infront of the fire and going to start my book for book club next month :) 

Much love from your Nymph
     oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox etc

p.s. Just wanted to share as well that I was so lucky last week to have recieved at least one letter or postcard every day for 5 days straight! I am so truly blessed and I love my pen pals very much :)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

The New Year So Far

I am proud to announce that I am on the highway to success when it comes to New Years goals so far!
So far I have :

- Continued to take my vitamens daily and maintained my daily workout at the gym! Whoot!
- Finished my New Orleans scrapbook and now just need to print out my UK pictures in order to get that one done too
- I've set up a craft corner in my livingroom complete with sewing table, to help make my crafting easier! As well as attended Knitting and Pen pal club this week as well as a Sewing class
- I have a friend who is going to meet up with my and go over my school credits with my for my degree for Douglas

And I have also added a couple of goals to my list :
- Arrange the appointments I have been putting off like going to the Dentist and Physiotherapy for my shoulder
- Create a beautiful garden in my backyard and on my fire escape the spring! Very excited about this one :) I am even going to put together a raised garden bed for all my veggies too!

The goals that I need to work on are :
- Work on writing some kick ass poetry
- Plan my trip for the Naked Bungy jumping in Feb
- And try to fit yoga into my life again (hopefully I will be attending a yoga class tomorrow morning). Even if I just start going on Sundays it would be better than not doing it at all :)

Thanks for all your support lovely cyber friends!

    - Love Nymph
p.s. This is a picture of my crafting station so far!

Friday, January 7, 2011

The Benefits of Being One

I am slowly but surely learning the benefits of being alone...
You get to go where ever you want,
Do whatever you want,
See what ever you want,
And be whatever you want.

Granted I am not single.
I am far from being single actually, and very pleased by that :)
But I am in a loving relationship that gives me the freedom of choice and encourages the independence I need for me to become more into my own.


I love him :)
Even though these are the very things that used to scare me.... the idea of being one single unit, making decisions as one singular unit, and not a coupling, scares me to the core. 

See I have never been single.
Well for as long as it is relevant I have never been.
Since my first boyfriend Stephen at the age of 14, I have gone from one lover to the next and not been on my own for more than a week at a time. And this has definitely shaped me, and given me the definition of "Britt" that I have become and love.
This characteristic of my personality has caused me to love with such intensity  that most of the time I cannot look at my partner without wanting to be all over them. Which can then lead to them feeling smothered by the rapture that is my adoration.

Now for the first time in my life I am finding my own, which is made mostly possible with the fact that I am now living "on my own" (I live with 3 wonderful roommates). I don't have the responsibility to call, to come home at a certain hour or to run all the little errands that a relationship entails. Granted I love those responsibilities but it sure is a nice break to not have to worry about them for once in my life. Its like when you move out for the first time and you come to the realization that you can now buy which ever cereal you want, all because you don't have to run it by someone else now.

I really felt this tonight as I attended my monthly pen pal writing club, and as I left and walked down Main street alone, I realized that I had the ability to wander into the next open cafe and read my book for hours on end on a work night, and no one would be there to tell me otherwise.
So I did. And it was wonderful.
And I realized that being alone ain't so bad, and neither is being in a relationship that sometimes gives me more freedom than I am comfortable with.
Because in the end, I believe that I'm on the right path in life that is going to lead me into being the person that I am meant to be. As corny as that may sound. Its the truth.
Also that I am really looking forward to the coming of my 24th year on this earth. The prospect of ageing intrigues me.

Well that is all for tonight folks, thanks for wandering with me
    
  - Love Nymph

p.s. Just want to share with you guys the book I'm reading, that made me want to find a coffee shop tonight, as it is just simply amazing!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Found Pleasures

I stumbled into the art of Knitting this weekend... and it may be safe to say that I am now 
thoroughly addicted. 
Knitting has always been a close friend to my family so I cannot say I had never dabbled into it before, but this weekend was different. 
My friend Sarah (featured below), invited me to her knitting club, full of sci-fi nerds and gamers alike, who delight in knitting for hours on end, and then follow up their crafts with episodes of Doctor Who. Can you say heaven in a cafe?
So my obsession for finding rare gems in this city continues, as the Cafe Fontana on Hastings and Broadway creates a safe haven for the geeky misfits of Vancouver to share in their nerdy hobbies. If you aren't a fan of knitting, sewing or creating, you can pull up a board game, or share in a friendly battle of Foosball. There are also other themed nights at the cafe to attend like the oh so popular Glee nights on Tuesdays for all us "Gleeks" out there. 
Now back to my overbearing knitting obsession... 
Yesterday I had a beautiful surreal moment whilst toting around my needles and yarn. I ran into my favorite customer at work, who I then began to present my new treasure, "Look! I just found out I love Knitting!" I exclaimed.
"Funny that! I just found out that I hate Knitting", she giggled. "Would you like all my needles and yarn?"
No sweeter words were spoken.
I followed her back to her place just a mere 2 blocks away, and not only got to dive into her amazing wool collection but fall into a deeper friendship with this amazing woman. 
What a treat to be invited into someones home. To be trusted. To be treated. To be loved so much by a friend. 
This week has show me a lot of that. 
The love of friends.
- Worshipping at the Hare Krishna temple Sunday night and eating a divine feast with golden aura bursting beauties
- Teaching the art of Origami to candle lit table of new friends at Poetry Slam
- Attending a sewing class with my beautiful sister and mother tonight (more on that later)
- And tomorrow hosting my first craft and board games night in the comfort of my own hearth, with only my dearest loves

I am truly blessed.
I really am
     -Love Nymph 




Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Years Goals


As corny as it might be, I still believe in making goals for the new year. For what better a time than the beginning of year to look upon all you have accomplished in the last.

So here is my list of hopes, dreams and goals for the year ahead :

-Continue to work out at the gym every day except Sundays (with exceptions for pain, crunched time, and holidays)
-With that try to fit yoga back into my life again and create a new regime for myself
-Take Vitamins daily (however insignificant this one may sound, its really important to note)
-See an academic advisor at Douglas College to see how many courses I need to finish my degree
-Try again to register for the Sign Language course at VCC for their Summer semester
-Go NAKED BUNGY JUMPING in Feb!
-Get up on the Vancouver Poetry Slam stage at least once this year
-Finish my travel scrapbooks (New Orleans and UK) before I venture on new trips around the globe (Mediterranean and San Fran)
-Get my hot air balloon tattoo!
-Attend more classes : Sewing, Pottery... etc
-Attend more clubs : Books, Pen pal, Knitting... etc
-Make more crafts : Bath Bombs, Wine, Blogging ;)... etc

Well there's a start at least! Lets see how I do :)

  - Love Nymph