Went to an event after work tonight with San Rafael, a brand by Aurora Cannabis. You might remember the San Rafel events I went to quite often when legalization was first introduced. Heaps of good memories with this brand so although I hardly go out anymore, I was keen to see what they’ve been up to.
I sat down at Mrs Robinson on College for a menu tasting of food & drinks curated to match the terpenes of their new strains. The food was delicious and the drinks too. My fav part was when I felt anxious and sat by myself, then the most lovely two people joined me, Luna & her friend. They made my night! We laughed a lot and it was kinda funny bc Luna and I were both wearing cute pastels, many rings, and both have tattoos. It’s like they knew to sit her beside me.
Met some really lovely ladies thanks to San Rafael! We all hung out on patio chairs after the event and had a great chat. Overall, super fun time. I shouldn’t be scared of going out, people are a-ok!
Had a relaxing weekend at home. We tore up a bunch of the carpet in my room and it’s mostly concrete floor now. I’m into it, looks cool. Have wanted to do this for a while and after we had a leak from the rain, it was time.
I’ve mentioned my love for propagating plants a few times and I am so proud of my latest creation! I have successfully propagated two different types of Monstera.
I took a few cuttings from my biggest plant, Monstera Deliciosa, the most common variety of monstera. I grew the cuttings in water for about 2 months and planted them in rich soil today. They’re flourishing!
The leaves seen here with the holes are Monstera Adansonii, a plant I picked up a few weeks ago from The Urban Gardener. This beautiful plant was healthy and primed for cuttings from the day I got her. I grew the cuttings in water + root hormone and they grew had 1″ roots in about 2 weeks.
I can’t wait to share these plant babies with friends and build my little jungle at home!
It’s been ages since I went out and tonight I went to a party in the neighbourhood. It was fun! A bunch of us got together at April’s then took an Uber over to Geary Ave. Ran into a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in ages. I’m still a little weird about going out but it’s really nice to see people and laugh together. Most of the night was outdoors which was good, hoping these warm temps hang on a few more weeks.
I know it’s been a little while and if anyone reads this in the order years later, they’ll never really understand. Living through a pandemic is weird, some days it’s like everything is normal and others, it’s like you don’t really what’s going on in the world.
I’ve mostly been updating in batches since August when I had a crazy week that threw me off my game. I’ve started using WordPress mobile again and forgot how convenient it is. I’ve been tracking the days since the pandemic started and even though I don’t always publish on a schedule, I keep notes and photos to remember the days.
I don’t like getting too behind, documenting this experience is important to me. I started blogging in 2005 as a way to keep more memories and I know that looking back on pandemic life is something I’ll want to do. There are so many things that happen in a day it’s hard to remember details, even a picture and a couple of words helps to bring back the memories of the moment. A picture truly is worth a thousand words!
Now that salons are open again, I was so excited to get an appointment at Sassoon Toronto. I’ve been going to Sassoon for almost 5 years and they’ve seen me through every hairstyle from a shaved head to long hair. I absolutely love the team there and always leave feeling fabulous.
It had been nearly a year since I had my hair done and I’ve grown to quite like my natural look. I had bleach blonde hair for over a decade and hadn’t seen natural hair since I was about 12. I didn’t really know what colour my hair was!
I’d been cutting my own hair for months and was certain I’d done a good job, well…I WAS WRONG. Look how lopsided my hair was! First two photos are before, second two are after my cut/colour. Tricia asked if I was left-handed, she could tell by how I’d cut my hair. Ha! Won’t do that again.
Since my hair was a bit of a mess, I asked what kind of things they’re seeing from other people post-lockdown??? Turns out, a lot of people opted to grow out their natural colour. During the first lockdown, they had a bunch of clients who turned to drugstore products, then had to have their hair fixed when salons opened. During the second lockdown, a trend emerged to not go the DIY route and wait it out.
If you happen to have roots and you’re not sure what to do next, give Sassoon a call or bookanonlineconsultation. There’s heaps of low maintenance options where you can brighten your look and still keep it natural.
During the lockdown months when SassoonToronto was closed, they took the opportunity to do some upgrades to the studio and their online presence. They now have a revamped website atsassoontoronto.ca with online booking, cancellations, info about each stylist, and the ability to buy products.
I’ve been using a few items from the Blonde Absolu line by Kérastase lately, the line is made specifically for blonde hair. The hair masks keep my highlights from going brassy between salon visits.
After a consultation with the team, I decided to go with a bit of balayage (first time!), keep the natural roots, and even out the ends. I love it! Turned out so good. My colour was done by Tara and the cut was done by Tricia.
I’ve developed a slight obsession with colourful cardigans and cute collars. Looking forward to switching over my closet this weekend and rediscovering fall/winter clothes. It’s been a pretty great summer, spent lots of time at the cottage, biking through the city, and meeting friends outside.
I was reading an article this week about ‘cave syndrome’ that people are developing after bring home for so long. I’ve really learned to love being at the house and have no shortage of things to keep me busy. I don’t imagine I’ll be doing much over the next few months and tbh, not mad about it. I used to be out soooo much and can’t imagine going back to that life. I feel so much more at peace without the pressure to go places with people. I make time to see the people I care about and that’s about it. I do have a couple of events coming up but nothing like the large in-person events we used to frequent.
It’s Election Day in Canada and we voted first thing this morning. Had a good day at work. Went for a bike ride after to get some movement and sunshine.
The Harvest Moon is tonight and I’ve got a few things planned to summon the good vibes. I like to put a big jug of water outside to charge in the moonlight with my crystals.
I usually have a nice bath with essential oils and set a few intentions. I always go outside on a full moon to make my 6 wishes (like Mum!) and say a mantra. It may seem silly but if it makes me feel good AND there’s a chance it helps bring good things my way, I’m here for it. If the moon can move the ocean, it can move me. ?
Sending you good vibes and energy through the internet. I hope the next few months bring you heaps of joy. You have everything in you to create the life you want to live, go get it! ?
We had such a lovely time this weekend. I finally caught up on blog posts and took some time to relax. Sean had his last wakeboard rip of the season before we took the boat out. I finished my book and soaked up the sun on our new outdoor lounge set. It was so hot out!
We watched a bunch of shows this weekend and finished Tell me Your Secrets on Prime, and on Netflix, we watched On the Verge, The Chair, Untold: Caitlyn Jenner, and Nine Perfect Strangers. Overall, pretty productive considering relaxation was my goal. ?
Heading back to the city early tomorrow morning to vote and get to work. Feeling refreshed and gonna try and carry this vibe with me as long as I can!
Hit the open road after work and headed up north. I can’t wait to be back up there and sit by the lake, read, relax. I’d gotten a bit behind on the blog and feel good to have caught up. Keeping this diary is very therapeutic and although I’m not doing much, it feels good to keep memories.
We’ve been in this pandemic for over 500 days and without documenting, they all kinda mix together into a blur. When I started blogging 16 years ago, one of my main goals was to keep more memories. Now looking back, I’m so glad to have this archive of my life.
Here’s to a wonderful weekend and soaking up the last lovely days of summer!
Took myself on a little date after work and biked down to Queen West. Felt inspired by this post from Olivia Herricks Design, she posted a reel where you screenshot to get your mantra for the day. I love the idea of ‘sit outside in silence with no agenda’. See the post here to get your own!
TIFF 2021 looks a little different than past years! We went to the Visa Skyline Drive-In at Ontario place to see Lakewood. Thank you Proof for hooking us up! The movie was pretty good but I think our fav was the local food trucks.
I thought sean would enjoy this film as it’s called Lakewood and was shot in northern Ontario. It follows Naomi Watts as the main character and she spends most of her time running through the woods and dealing with a tragedy at her kid’s school. We both left thinking about what we could shoot up and around the cottage with a couple of cameras and the drone.
Got dressed up and went over to Brock & Lauren’s after work. He did a surprise proposal! I’m so excited for two of my BFFs to be getting married! They’re so great together, congrats guys!
Sean and I also attended the TIFF premiere of the Triumph film ‘Rock & Roll Machine’. It was nice to be out for an event but to be honest, it was also weird. I’m so not used to being inside an event venue with a large group. Didn’t stay long and went back over to celebrate with Lauren & Brock.
Lauren asked me to be her Maid of Honor. I’ve never been involved in planning a wedding before. Ahhhhh! Blondetourage wedding ftw!
Had a nice bike ride after work and then met Michelle in a park. It was so lovely out, hanging onto these last summer days. Absolutely love that evening sun, magic hour.
I’ve been wearing this cute smiley ring from Santa Isla all summer and it makes me happy each time.
