Shopping in...BUFFALO

Last weekend I went to Buffalo to go shopping for the first time (that I can remember anyways) with Amy and our moms. The night before I could barely sleep because I was so excited - weird right? So we got up early and departed around 8am. We got across the border no problems and made our way towards the Walden Galleria Mall. We were hungry so we decided to look for a Denny's. We took a detour to a Danny's (funny story) and then found a Denny's. We had a yummy breakfast then hit the mall by 11:30am. We shopped til our arms hurt, making various trips to the car. By 7:30 we were tired and needed food. So we went across to the Olive Garden (!) and had to wait an hour (during this wait we went to Borders across the street). We had our meals with salad and breadsticks (amazing!) and then headed to our hotel to enjoy a drink or two. After an interesting nights sleep we had breakfast at the hotel and headed out to do some more shopping. By 3pm we were DONE, like couldn't walk anymore DONE. So we headed home, sitting in line at customs for 2 hours (Amy had GG episodes on her iPod thankfully!) but we didn't get pulled over which was good. I'd definitely go again, there were some good deals to be had.

Top 5 Songs of November

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Yes I will admit I like Lady G. Her new song took awhile to grow on me but now I like it. It sounds cool like this or unplugged on her piano too. Not really sure who would WANT a bad romance, but the song is catchy.

Love Long Distance - Gossip

This song reminds me of a roller rink...oh maybe because I saw the video. I really like the lead singer's voice. It does sound similar to their song Heavy Cross...maybe that's why I like it.

Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian

This song reminds me of something in an 80's video game.

You've Got the Love (XX Remix) - Florence and the Machine

I just love this song. I love the XX. The end.

Airplanes - Local Natives

I have to give props (who says that?) to my sister since she had the song first. I found out about them and saw them all in one day. They opened in Toronto for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. I really liked them. This song is good and so is Sun Hands.

Make Up Box of Love

So some of you may seen the glory of the make up box in person. I don't want to even venture at how much the contents are worth...but it's worth it. I love playing with makeup and get giddy every time I set foot inside a Sephora. Pretty sure I have enough to keep me going for awhile now though...

White Lies - Rounds 2 and 3

So as part of my trip to NYC we decided to include a concert. Well it just so worked out that White Lies (one of my favourite bands) was playing back to back shows in Manhattan and then in Toronto. So we scheduled our trip around that. It was cool to see the difference in the crowds. At Webster Hall in New York the crowd was more mature, maybe 25-45, and they were pretty chill. The band played a straight set no encore. Then in Toronto at the Phoenix (which was an early show) the crowd was much more rowdy - mosh pit? crowd surfing? fist fits? and definitely younger. People were getting on the stage and the band thought we were nuts. They said as much at the end. Here's a shot from the New York show of Harry and his shiny guitar...

Top 5 Songs of October

So not all of these are new, some are older but rediscovered:

Wait - Alexi Murdoch

You may recognize this from the movie Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudoplph. If you haven;t seen this movie yet my only question for you is: Why? Anyways this song is amazing - if you are in a reflective kind of sad mood I'm pretty sure you will cry.

Horchata - Vampire Weekend

I finally took the 2 seconds it takes to find out what Horchata is. It's the name for several kinds of traditional beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley or tigernuts. Sounds gross. Nevertheless, the song is good.

Animal (Crookers remix) - Miike Snow

Yes this song was on Gossip Girl but that wasn't the first time I heard it. It's kinda jungle sounding but not so much that it's annoying (at least in my opinion). I particularly like this version. If you like this one try Plastic Jungle - I love driving to that one.

Velvet - The Big Pink

This has 90's feel mixed with a melodic space-y-ness that will probably be used in a car commercial.

Moth's Wings - Passion Pit

This has a harpsichord thing happening at the beginning and it's fun to TRY and sing-a-long to.

NYC = LOVE

So I'm pretty sure NYC changed me. It was MAJOR. I could have just stayed. Like as soon as we got out of the cab we started to acclimate. Our hotel was great, perfect location. We did so much despite or sore feet, the heat and general exhaustion. That was all part of it though. There were so many highs. Shopping at Henri Bendel, Brooklyn Bethel, Times Square, Lunch at the Palace Hotel, Jimmy Fallon, the Russian Tea Room, dinner at STK...I could go on and on. Even the moments that weren't so great are still good memories. I'll never forget my first time and it won't be my last...

Fall Is Here

Yep it's official. I was in denial for awhile but I am now embracing the season. So I've but away my shorts and tank tops and gotten out my hoodies and scarves. I'm looking forward to some hot apple cider and crunching leaves under my feet. I love fall when it's sunny and crisp, so hopefully we'll get some of that. Lately it's just been damp and rainy, not so hot. Last year this time I was in the Muskoka's at my uncle's cottage. This year I will be in Grand Bend. Looking forward to some good laughs and big meals!

This is now the second year of no "back to school" and I don't miss it in the ways I thought I would. It's more random when it hits me. You adjust and move on.

Fall also means more concerts! 2009 kind of became the year of concerts. A really exciting one is coming up...my friends (The Pretty Faces) from Florida are coming to play a few shows in Toronto at the end of November. Definitely looking forward to that :)