Toronto Travels
I spent a lovely holiday weekend in Toronto (my third visit there) in order to see my pseudo little (6'2) brother graduate from Upper Canadian College. He just received the honor of being dubbed the #1 high school drummer in the whole country (Canada). As a result, paired with his many academic achievements too, he's received several scholarships. Everyone was very proud.

Since I've been to visit the very clean city before, I didn't do the usual tourist stuff that I did before like go see a show at Second City or ride up the CN Tower and visit the Blue Jays stadium, but rather I was hanging out like a real Torontonian (Yeah, I made that term up). I even went disco bowling and scored a 113, which is high for me since I haven't played in at least several years. I did some bragging as a result, yup I'm that girl. Being an observer of the city once again, I couldn't help but be reminded of some unique things that make the city in fact in another country like the large English, French and Asian cultural presence, the fact that bathrooms are labeled "washrooms," and that there aren't just liquor stores but large beer stores, which are operated by the government. Another highlight that I noticed the last time and again this time was the fun sidewalk art that's throughout the city. I don't mean art that is on display on the sidewalk, like Central Park/China Town style, but actual chalk pictures drawn on the sidewalk a la Mary Poppins. It's all very charming, although I can't say the same for the many punk looking white kids walking around with spiked colored hair and numerous piercings, who just looked like they stepped out of an 80s video instead of menacing or displaying angst as I'm assuming is their intent. Also during the graduation ceremony I was able to actually hear the words to their national anthem beyond the repetition of "Oh Canada," but it obviously didn't pack the same punch for me being a "foreigner."

The bad news though is that I missed Fleet Week in New York City. Ah well, maybe that was a blessing in disguise...lead us not into temptation ;)

Here are some photos from the trip:

A dress named Tara
I just came across a very expensive dress online from Ralph Lauren that has my name, Pintucked Cotton Tara Dress. It's very pretty but there's no way--even on sale--that I would pay that much, no matter how obsessed I am with my own name! Too bad though *sigh*.

Oh and I've been meaning to mention that I walked by Paul Rudd on 8th Avenue just below 14th street on Sunday and my friend saw him the day before on the Subway. He was dressed in jeans and a jean jacket. It had just started raining again and he unfortunately didn't have an umbrella. I'm not sure if it was my stare, the rain or both, but he was booking it. I was heading in the opposite direction to my apartment, otherwise I would have shared my umbrella. Rudd is currently on Broadway in Three Days of Rain, but I'll still think of him has "Mr. Crap Bag," Phoebe's husband on friends.

Currently in: Toronto, for a friends graduation. Be back after the holiday weekend!

My DVD Review: Rumor Has It

Drinks and the Fortune Teller

After sharing a bottle of Cabernet Sauvingon and then sipping down another glass over dinner, my friend Stef and I giddily decided to go get our palms read on Saturday night.

There's a place on the corner of my street that I've passed for the last two years but had never gone in. I often look at the people inside, the many little kids that the palm reader always seems to be watching, plus at the cute black cat that stares at me as I walk by. The woman & co. obviously live behind/above the store front which has a tacky neon palm sign on its window.

Anyway as I sat down on the leather chair, she took my hand and told me in a soft voice that I am good at making friends with lots of types of people. She also said that I have a long life line and have many past lives (I've often been told by spiritual friends that I'm an old soul, so that wasn't new to hear) and saw me previously as a lawyer, photographer and a teacher (all professions that I've been interested in). Meanwhile she didn't mention to my friend her past lives during her reading that followed. She also said that I'm a creative person and that she sees a lot of paperwork in my future for the month of June (great!). She then asked if I had a creative job and I said yes, I work in PR and write a lot. She then said, still holding my palm that she sees that I'm at peace with the choices I've been making lately and that my aura is very light and lavender right now. Also out of the blue she says that she sees the West Coast as a positive place for me and that someone with an M in their name will be a good influence career wise out there. No bells rang on that, but the idea of moving has been on my mind. She also said the years 2000 and 2003 were difficult years for me--the first year yes the latter no.

My friends' reading had a very opposite take and focused more on relationships, but was also pretty accurate on some points especially over the fact that she'll be making a career change and that the guy that she has been sort of seeing isn't her soul mate. I swear I would have paid the woman to have said that to her, thankfully I didn't have to ;) She also focused more on her energy but didn't mention the colors. I just thought it was interesting, true or not, the different and eerily relevant readings she gave for us.

Three Turtle Doves
A few weeks ago when there was actually sun and not all this rain, I went out onto my balcony (fire escape) for some rays. As I was lying on my back, I spotted upside down a pretty beige dove laying on a nest underneath the iron fire escape step. I guess NYC birds have to settle for fire escapes instead of trees. Usually they nest underneath air conditioners too.

I've been leaving bread out for her these last couple of weeks but she'd always look at me so cautiously that I'd try to do it as silently and as unobtrusive as possible. Today though when I went out on to the escape there were two baby doves next to mommy dove. They look pretty big already too and they can't be more than a week old. Here's a birds eye view of them, yes I love using puns.



Hmm what should I name them? I wonder how long they will stay there.

Link: You can check out the beauty products that When Tara Met Blog voted for in Glam.com's beauty awards and vote for your favorite hair, makeup and beauty products here. Go Mac makeup!

You Scratch My Blog...
Don't you just love networking? I don't mean in the salesy or fake type of way, I mean just meeting people of similar interests and introducing yourself to strangers at social gatherings and learning about each others professions and passions. Well, I do. I always find it thrilling to meet new people in general even if it's just for a night.

Let me explain the reason for my above tangent. Last night I went to a launch party for Coutorture, (cute name, but I get tongue tied trying to say it) a new fashion blog. The party was sponsored by Glam and held at the unpretentious Lucky Jacks bar on the Lower East Side, but in the downstairs room where the bartender was serving Peanut Butter and Jelly Martini's, pretty weird no?

While there I spoke with Lesley Scott of Fashion Tribes who I heard speak in a panel back in February at the Blogging is the New Black breakfast. She was super friendly. She also has podcasts that can be downloaded on iTunes, which I plan to start loading and listening to while on the subway to work.

I also ran into Pamela, the very cute founder of Bag Trends who happens to be the very same person who sent me my kick ass Kooba bag and she remembered. In fact, she said it killed her having to send the bag away, but I said hey, at least she got to see it again since I was wearing it that night. Oh and another thing we had in common is that we both studied journalism at NYU and are now doing PR and blogging. It's a small media world after all.

Being a fashion event, every one of course was dressed very chic. I was complemented on my necklace several times and given the sources it made me even more elated.

The party also allowed for me to be introduced to a new blog Clothes Pin and its writer Karen whose site's motto is "hanging style out to dry for the whole neighborhood to see." She features emerging fashion talent and was very nice to meet. As was another woman, Conlyn that I met who is a lawyer by day and an image consultant on the side, which means she remakes straight men. I'd like that job but I doubt I'd be very good at it.

There were of course a few people there who were working the crowd a bit too hard, but that's with any networking event, right? So that was my night, well that and then watching the Will & Grace finale on my DVR. Check out the Boston Globe article Series finale had plenty of will, lacked grace.

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