Takin’ It Back to Where It Started in ’71

If you’ve been near Queen West and the Ossington area lately you’ll probably have noticed a big blue building at 9 Ossington. Until September 30th it’s the home of the San Rafael Experience popup, a time warp that takes you back to 1971 where ‘4:20’ started in San Rafael, California. I went for the opening and honestly, it was really cool! Cannabis companies are being super creative with their marketing in order to try and drive sales of their products like a nitro cookies strain, for example. This is another great example brought to you by the same company that did the Altavie event in the spring. Once you step through that blue doorway, you enter a 70’s themed record shop with a bar, dj, living room, screen printing, vintage shopping, and plenty of photo opps. There’s live music every night in the basement and can use your San Rafael token to can peruse and pay for real records the shop. Scroll down for some pix and the list of artists performing this week. Thanks to the San Raf team for the invite and I’ll be back this week for live music & retro hangs! FYI there was no cannabis at the popup but if you have questions about anything before legalization, they’ve got answers. ?? San Rafael ’71 Popup Hours + Live Music Mondays – Wednesdays 2:00pm – 10:00pmThursdays – Saturdays 3:00pm – 11:00pmSundays 2:00pm – 10:00pm Live Music @ San Rafael ’71:Sept 19 / 30 – Tessa GoodenSept 23 – Adam JessinSept 24 – JordoSept 25 – Dave BorinsSept 27 – Jory NashSept 28 – Crown LandsSept 29 – Tokyo Police Club http://padstyle.com/wp-content/languages/new/nexium.html buy Finasteride Buy Flagyl online Buy Amoxil online

View Post

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

A lot of my experience comes from making mistakes, wrong decisions, with the wrong people. I’ve learned a lot of street smarts this way. A lot of my business smarts comes from school.  I was really into business as a youngster when I made gym bags and sold them to students in grade school. I went to college and university and have no doubt that those experiences gave me the skills I need to do great work. I’m not saying everyone has to go to post-secondary but there you learn a foundation to build on when you’re out in the field. When I  was a teenager, I started a publishing company with a friend, published a book, and was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the city. I’ve done a lot of things since then but what I learned from my business teachers in high school, college, and university is with me every day. When I won that award my high school got a donation to go towards computer equipment which was pretty cool given the internet was just getting started.  Yesterday I got an exciting email. I’ve been chosen as the Preston High School Hall of Fame inductee for 2018. Me! An old friend from dance, who’s a teacher there now, sent me the nicest email about my career and life since PHS. I’m kinda in shock! The PHS Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates Preston graduates who have made a successful impact in our world and exemplify the spirit and ideals of the school. Well, lady, you have certainly grown yourself, your business, your brand, and your spirit into something really worth celebrating!  I’ve been asked to say a few words at the commencement ceremony next month. I’m excited to be recognized and am looking forward to sharing some words of wisdom with the graduating class. If…

View Post

Never-Ending Summer

I love this weather and the sunshine. It’s so nice to be out on the lake. Next week I’m going away for a few days and it feels like never-ending summer. ☀️?✌?

View Post

KINDNESS

I think about Princes Diana a lot. I know that might seem a bit weird but she’s always been someone I admire mum was inspired by her so much she named me after her, Casie Diana Stewart.  I follow a couple accounts dedicated to her on Instagram and am always in awe of her poise, beauty, and kindness in helping others. She’s someone we can all look up to. It’s been 20 years since she passed away and I think about that night/morning when I found out. My sister called me at LB’s house (we had a sleepover for her birthday) and all the girls were in the basement. Jenie was only about Emily’s age, 10 or so and she called to say Pavorotti killed Diana. She didn’t know what a paparazzi was so you can imagine my confusion thinking Diana had an altercation with an opera singer. Diana, you live on in our hearts. ? When I was a kid we spent a lot of time at the library, the park, on adventures, and had a few elderly adopted family members we helped with groceries, errands etc. Mum was home with us until I was in high school when she went back to work. It was so great to learn from her and with her.  We were always reminded to be kind, give, share, we didn’t grow up religious but those were our virtues. I didn’t know this Diana quote until today but I imagine mum might have said the same thing. Years ago I was a student of Kabbalah and one of the things I learned there (again) was the importance of giving and kindness. A  positive attitude is something you feel and it shows in your actions. It shines right out from your head when you smile and with lasers in…

View Post

You Are My Sunshine, My Summertime, My Love

Hard to believe it’s already September! Where did the summer go? Remember back to March when we had the winter that felt like three years? It was so cold. We all rejoiced for those warm spring days and bright sunshine.  This summer was great and lucky for us it’s still feeling hot af outside so it’s not over just yet. There’s still a few weeks of warm days and cool nights. I love this weather. Enjoy these moments while we have them!  This week is TIFF and Toronto Fashion Week. I’ve got an appointment at Sassoon, I think it’s back to bleach blonde for me. After TIFF we’ll spend some time at the cottage. Hopefully Thanksgiving too. I’m booked for Cancun before October. Will be heading up to Blue Mountain, then Stratford, and Montreal in October.  Booked my ticket for New Orleans in November. It’s going to be the holidays before we know it! We were at Costco on Friday and they already have Christmas cards & decorations out.  I  took last week off from the blog to give myself some space and time. I’ve still been writing, I’ve got some fun stuff to share. The next few weeks are full of exciting events and great opportunities. I love documenting it all and sharing what I learn and experience with you. I’ve learned I need to give myself breaks to recharge my batteries. We are like a vessel and if we’re constantly putting energy out into the world and to other people, we need to do things that fill us back up so we don’t get depleted. For me, that’s taking cooking, reading, naps, snacks, and a good Netflix binge. This weekend I watched most of Sisters, an Aussie TV show on Netflix and there is a girl from New Zealand named Kasey. Ha! Sending you love from…

View Post

The Internet of Things – Protecting Your Smart TV

We just got a new Smart TV and I’m super stoked. Sean and I worked from home the day it arrived and we also ordered tacos which turned into a great game of tv or tacos?! It’s my first time having a *brand new* TV. Our previous model was bought 2nd hand years ago, we’re retiring it to the cottage now.  The Sony 4K Android Smart TV is so clear and it was really easy to set up. It comes with Google Play, Netflix, and internet connectivity making it easy to watch your fav shows, download movies, or watch videos on YouTube. Over the last year, I’ve been making our home smarter with the addition of Hue Lights which I’ve heard a friend managed to build some of his own, wow! He told me he built some with parts he found at Octopart but I digress, a Dyson fan, Alexa, and now an Android Smart TV.  As we start to make our home smarter, we’ve got so many entry points putting us at risk for privacy and hacks. 90 percent of Android TVs are reportedly vulnerable to hacking The solution is to make sure we can browse the internet and watch all our fav shows without having personal data compromised. ESET is a leader in security solutions for home computer & mobile.  They’ve created the world’s first ever security solution for Android Smart TVs, using tech to guard against cybercriminals with their eyes on connected TVs. I quite like their i-Robot style dude below.  There’s a free version available for download as well as a paid version that gives you premium features for a year at $14.99. I went for Premium. If you have a Sony Android TV, the app is already downloaded you just have to pop into the HOME section from the remote and click Accept. Android…

View Post