This happens every year so we shouldn’t be surprised! Still, every spring we hope, we truly hope that warn sunny days will arrive by May. The long-term weather has us above 10 degrees next week and into May, so I feel pretty good about that. My birthday is Saturday, May 8th and I would love to tan outside. Just throwing that out there to the universe!
Today is pandemic diary day 404, in website owner/internet terms, a 404 error is when a website doesn’t load. It indicates that the server is reachable but the specific page is in error.
You’ll most often get a 404 when the page name has changed or the URL was typed in wrong. Since we had snow yesterday, ‘Spring Not Found’ is an homage to a 404 error where you’d get a message like ‘Page Not Found’ or ‘Server Not Found’. I thought it was funny. ??
April is rainy and cold, we know this. Like winter, spring can be a sad season but if you have the right thing to wear, it’s not so bad. ? I wrote about my love for Transitional Coat Season (spring moody temps!) last month on Day 374 and my love for ‘coat season‘ back in October (Day 205), another transitional month. Remember, in the worst of weather dress appropriately, layer, accessorize and wear the right shoes.
When it rains, I have two fav coats depending on humidity. One of my favorite raincoats is a rubberized cotton number from Stutterheim in Sweden. It is easily one of the most $$ things I own and cherish it! (I found out I’m 10% Scandanavian shortly after getting this jacket so maybe that makes me love it more?)
My ‘Stockholm Red‘ jacket was a gift via my friends Leslie & Lindsay of WRG (What’s Really Good Studios) in Montreal back in 2015. This coat is MADE TO LAST and only gets better with age. If it’s realllllly raining and I have to face the elements, I also have cute rain boots and a nice umbrella. A wild weather day is an outfit adventure opportunity, or a reason to stay home, you decide.
This is a photo from 2015 on the bridge near our house. It’s crazy to go back and read my own posts, memory is weird. I look at the photos and I read the post in my voice, but I don’t really remember the moment. The title of the post that day is “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”
“I dunno what it is about this time of year of this weather but it’s really got me down. I was feeling so meh today I could have just crawled into bed and played on my phone for 2 hours until I fell asleep.“
The thing I really love about Stutterheim is their motto ‘Swedish melancholy at its driest‘, my coat is called ‘the melancholic heart of Stutterheim‘. Maybe I’ll start writing more stories about my clothes like Worn Stories on Netflix. Good show if you haven’t watched it yet.
A 16th birthday is a coming of age year, you’re a bit more mature and figuring out who you are. You’re in high school, you can get your license. I can hardly wrap my brain around the fact that I’ve been writing this for so long. And for 400+ consecutive days of a global pandemic. I would love to have had a post written with all kinds of favorite moments in blog history: travel adventures, red carpets, film festivals, tweetups, and events, but that life seems so incredibly far away right now. I didn’t have the energy but now thinking about it, going back in time seems kinda fun.
This was my first blog header design in 2005 at casiestewart.blogspot.com
Looking back, the thing I’m most grateful for is all the people I’ve met through this blog. Nearly everyone I know today is somehow connected to my blog, by way of social media, work, or events. It’s changed my whole life. I changed my whole life.
THE ORIGINAL BLONDE BLOG GANG: THE BLONDETOURAGE Lauren, Raymi, Carly, Keri, and me
The thing is, if you want to achieve something, or be something, you have to work at it. You need to do something each day that brings you closer to that goal. You get up early and work on it before your job, you think about it on your run, you stay up late, you work on it. You skip going out with your friends to learn HTML and use what little extra money you have to make stickers and cards with your name on them. You do something each day to bring you closer to your goal. You take a step forward each day.
A couple of things I’m pretty proud of are being recognized by the Canadian Academy of Film & Television as an innovator & pioneer, receiving an Alumni of Distinction award from Conestoga College, and being recognized by Ontario as a nominee for the Premiere’s Award for Creative Arts & Design. I walk past these daily in my room but I don’t think I’ve ever shared them here. It’s important to recognize your success because you can easily get caught up in the hustle of moving forward.
When I started blogging, social media wasn’t invented yet and I made casiestewart.blogspot.com as a way to keep more memories. I was in my 20’s and figured a diary was the best way to keep track of the things I did each day. I kept forgetting details with my 20-something, somewhat reckless lifestyle. I always loved writing and the fact that I could put my thoughts down and publish them FOR FREE was exciting. One of my fav quotes from mum is “Just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you can’t compete, you just have to be more creative”. So that’s what I did.
If you want to create something YOU CAN. Just start, do it today. Time goes fast and if we have learned anything this year, each day is precious. Don’t hold back. Do the damn thing.
Thank you for reading and following along in this adventure of my life. Here’s to many more years and hopefully a party one day!
Side note: A couple of years ago, I did a 23andMe genetic test to find out that I am at risk for Alzheimer’s, it’s like I can tell the future or something.
What day is it again? Feels like that sometimes now, eh? It’s Monday and I always like to dress up but today I went a little casual and put on a Canadian Tuxedo.
Got a new chair for my desk recently and it’s pretty nice. Not as comfortable to sit on for long periods but that’s ok. Need to stand up and walk around more tbh. One thing I love about my Apple Watch is the reminders to stand each hour. I’ve been meaning to write a review on it because there are so many great features that I now use every day.
Pretty sure I got this chambray top from a clothing swap and these jeans are old ones from Cory Lee. I never used to wear jeans but I kinda like them now. Took a nap in my jeans the other day. Can’t wait to have clothing swaps again one day.
Hope you have a great day & week! Tomorrow is 420, the start of Taurus Season, AND my blog’s 16th birthday! BIG ENERGY COMING THROUGH.
How you doing? I’m feeling the weight of everything this week and it is heavy. My new job is great but adjusting from 6+ years of freelance to work 40 hours a week has been tiring. Watching the news and seeing things get worse is extremely draining. Not being able to see family when they’re going through their own things is heartbreaking. We’re not even allowed to meet friends in the park anymore.
Each day this week I opened my blog admin to write something and ended up writing the title and staring at the screen. I couldn’t find the words to document the day. I try to appreciate something good each day like the sun, a call from mum, a good outfit, or laughing over DM’s with a friend. It’s hard to stay motivated/positive right now. Things are pretty bad.
We can only hope things will get better but perspective is hard when we’re stuck in the middle of a storm that’s been going on for 13 months.
Today I woke up thinking about work and excited to get things done. My motivation slowly declined when I checked my phone, laid back down in my fully made bed, and stared at the wall for a while. Do you find yourself staring at the wall too? Next, I watered my plants and moved some around, grabbed some snacks, made coffee, and turned into the couch.
In other news, keeping this pandemic diary is surprisingly therapeutic. Despite some days where I’m completely exhausted, there have been a lot of good days. I find myself looking back and remembering park hangs in the summer, bike rides, cottage life, and great meals we made at home. Thankful for friends and family, also Netflix/Prime, good wifi, and snacks.
Saw this on a walk today. Made me think of this song. We all make mistakes, it’s how we learn. You can’t be too hard on yourself. Take inventory, move on. Don’t let a mistake define you. We are always growing & changing, it’s important to constantly innovate.
Inhale, exhale. Look around. Assess the situation. Feel the feelings. Check your surroundings. Take inventory. Reality check. Determine what’s real. Accept how you feel. Set boundaries. Cover your back. Protect your heart. Be kind. Clear your mind. Walk it out. Have a talk. Take a deep breath. Breathe.
inhale, hold, exhale, hold
How to Do Box Breathing
Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose while counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.
Hold your breath inside while counting slowly to four. Try not to clamp your mouth or nose shut. Simply avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Begin to slowly exhale for 4 seconds.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 at least three times. Ideally, repeat the three steps for 4 minutes, or until calm returns.
I didn’t make this up but I use it quite a bit to keep myself calm or relax for sleep. More info on it here or give it a Google to learn how it helps with stress & anxiety.
Took a walk in the rain. Had a massage after work. Ordered takeout. Called some friends. Took an edible. Watched The Circle. Melted into the couch. TGIF. ?
Sending you a little love today. We’re going into a strickter lockdown and it will last until at least May 20th. Urghhhhhh! It feels like this is neverendinggggggggg.
Spent the whole day working at my desk and decided I really needed some fresh air. Put on a cute outfit, aka dressing up my hoodie with a blazer, and took a tour around the neighborhood. The sun was out but the air was cool. It’s only Wednesday but I’m looking forward to the weekend.
Sending you some sunshiine in a set of smiley photos. Hang in there my friends, we will get through this sh*t show!
I was thinking about seeing friends and how much I miss events. Before the pandemic, I wasn’t going out as much, I was making myself a priority and spending more time at home. Now, I’d love to be in a packed venue, drinking a specialty cocktail and eating canapés. When it comes time to go out again, she ready.
Today was a busy day and by the time I finished my last meeting, I was almost ready for a nap. Here’s today’s smoothie bowl, I’m still obsessed. Tonight’s activities include watching Wheel & Jeopardy then getting ready for bed. Ya girl is tired, not sure if it’s the weather or general anxiety about the state of the world.
We had out contractor Lindsay over to do some work on the bathroom reno and it’s slowly but surely coming along. We still have a sink & some fixtures in the living room from American Standard ready to be installed. Covid has really put a damper on this whole thing!
In other news, a few packages arrived today including two new bathing suits, new boots from L’Intervalle (yes, again!), and this cute sweater from Made For The Lake Co. in Muskoka. On the back it says ‘Smore’s Club’ and it’s from their kid’s section. Will be perfect for summer nights at the cottage. ?
Sean is up north this week with Emily for April Break. Today the government announced kids will be doing virtual classes indefinitely until the panini calms down. Ontario is reporting some of the highest numbers since this whole thing started and the different Covid variants are affecting younger people more and more. Watching the news is pretty depressing and there is really no end in sight.
I’m trying to stay positive and focus on things that bring me joy but it’s hard sometimes. I really miss seeing my parents and I haven’t seen my sister in weeks.
Hang in there my friends, we will get through this. Stay home, wear a mask when you’re out, and make sure to check in on loved ones.
I know it’s hard to stay positive with everything going on but I encourage you to look for joy where you can. Go for a walk, call a friend, organize your cupboard, do a workout. Keep your spirits up! This will all be over one day and we’ll look back at how we’ve grown from it.
Feels so good to be outside now that it’s a bit warmer. Looks like we’re gonna have a lot of April showers next week. Gonna try and find that sunshine in the little things each day. ☀️
Today was another super sunny day! I went to the Canadian Tire garden center to pick up some new plants in the morning before Sean and Em went up north. Last night I decided to put on a bunch of fake tattoos because why not? It’s not like I’m going anywhere where I need to be ‘professional’ and tbh, I don’t think anyone would really mind. I originally had a tiny moon tattoo on my face but I took it off before heading out into the world. Neck tattoos were ok but it felt too out of character to have one on the face. I’m not that badass!
Went for a nice bike ride in the afternoon near Trinity Bellwoods. The park was so busy I decided I didn’t want to hang out there. One day last year, I was in the park when it was busy and it was all over the news about people breaking the rules. I was there alone and not in a crowd but I still felt bad just being near the scene. I learned my lesson that day and if I go somewhere with too many people, I won’t stick around. I do NOT want to get covid or god forbid, get caught anywhere with too many people.
As I was biking my friend yelled ‘she’s like sunshine’, I carried that thought with me all day. Found so many bright & fun summer clothes when I switched over my closet. Felt great to try everything on again!
Had a great week and was ready to close my computer at the end of the day. It felt like summer outside so I hopped on my bike for a cruise around the neighbourhood. I forgot how much I love bike riding! I’ve been drinking less lately but with the sun on my face and wind in my hair, I decided it was a great day for a beer.
I stopped into Henderson Brewery just down the West Toronto Rail Path and cracked a can on the wooden platform. I love sitting there at the end of the day to watch the sun go down.
Emily came back to our house after school today after being with her mum for the last two weeks. It’s official, we are the same height now! She is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday she was a little 8-year-old girl who didn’t mind me doing her hair or wearing dresses. They’re heading back up north for March April Break next week and I’m staying in the city for work.
