CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
LIFE TORONTO

Day 416: Toronto Lockdown, Locktown

Day 416: Toronto Lockdown, Locktown

Feeling much better overall today after a good 8hr sleep and a run this morning. This lockdown is really weighing on everyone. Even the most positive people I have been feeling down lately. It’s great to see more and more people being vaccinated but everything is still closed and cases are high. Today I heard that two people I know have Covid and two others are recovering. It’s all around us and doesn’t discriminate. Life before covid seems so long ago. I’ve love to hug my parents or laugh with friends but it doesn’t look like that’s anywhere in the near future. I keep seeing photos of people in other cities and countries out living their best lives while Toronto lockdown lingers on. This weekend is my 2nd covid birthday and hopefully the last. Today I went to the dentist for the first time in ages! I’ve had a sore tooth that hurts every now & then for about four years. Now that I’m a full-time employee, I have benefits! Feels so luxurious to go to the dentist and finally have my tooth fixed. I’M A NEW WOMAN. Ok, same woman, new-ish tooth. Getting my tooth fixed today, finally. — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) May 4, 2021 Sean and I ordered sushi for dinner and started watching Them on Amazon Prime. Good show so far but scary! It’s a horror-themed series about a black family that moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood in 1953. I hope I don’t have nightmares. In other news, this week my blog was awarded Best Website by The Good Estate. ? Toronto Lockdown, Locktown

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LIFE TORONTO

Day 411: The Low Down

Day 411: The Low Down

Today we have good news about vaccinations, finally! Looks like next month anyone over 18 in Ontario will be able to book a vaccine appointment. This is a relief! Sean got his last week and since we’re don’t live in a Hot Spot area, I’m not eligible for mine yet (still under 40 ?). This is the first step to this whole thing being over-ish and finally getting back to some kind of normal. Who knows what post-pandemic life will be like, but I am dying to get back to doing things and going places. I miss my friends, family, especially mum and dad. I also miss influencer events, random friends, acquaintances, and loud, packed spaces. Can’t wait to go to concerts, fashion shows, and media launches again. In other news, I ordered myself a birthday present, Apple AirPods! I’ve wanted a pair for ages and finally pulled the plug. I had them engraved with ‘CASIE IS THE BEST’, a reminder, and self-care, lol. I felt like getting my initials was too common so I went for something a little more personal. My Zoom meetings and workouts are about to level up. My over-the-ear headphones have been great the last two years but they’ve been taped up with duck tape for a few months and I was due for an upgrade. Please send me good vibes that I don’t lose one or both.

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2021 TORONTO

409: Like Plants, We All Grow

409: Like Plants, We All Grow

This week has been hard, I feel so drained and tired. Maybe it’s the rain, or the lockdown, I’m not even sure anymore. Work is good and I look forward to laughs with colleagues. I’ve been going to bed early but skipping my morning run to catch a bit more sleep. I’ll get back to it next week. A new month always feels like a new start and May is my fav month. My birthday is May 8th and I think Sean and I will be sending the weekend up north. In other news, my plants are FLOURISHING. I love tending to them and watching them grow. I’ve got a bunch of cuttings growing in water. Like plants, we all grow and I’ve changed heaps over the last year too. I trimmed my Monstera about a month ago and the new roots are about 2″ long already. Hang in there, we’ll get through this NEVER ENDING LOCKDOWN.

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2021 TORONTO

Day 404: Error Spring Not Found

Day 404: Error Spring Not Found

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. ??

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LIFE THE INTERNET

Day 402: My Blog is 16 Today

Day 402: My Blog is 16 Today

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. 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 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…

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2021 TORONTO

Day 401: Put on a Canadian Tuxedo

Day 401: Put on a Canadian Tuxedo

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.

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2021 TORONTO

Day 390: Follow The Rainbow

Day 390: Follow The Rainbow

Today April and I met up for a socially distanced photoshoot at my fav rainbow wall on Orfus Road. Cory Lee and I shot here a while back before Covid started. It’s always a bit nostalgic to back to this area, my first ever job in Toronto was on Orfus Road at the YM Inc. head office. I was blogging on MySpace back then (2004) and casiestewart.com was born while working there in 2005. We totally underestimated how crazy the wind was but it made the experience even more fun. It’s amazing how spending a bit of time with a friend can lift your spirits. We laughed our asses off trying to get the right photos and I had a few dress mishaps à la Marilyn Monroe. ? See my video on Instagram here. I hadn’t posted anything on Instagram in a few days so it was nice to shoot some colourful photos. Before Covid, I always had places to go and things to do but over the last year, well, nothing has been happening. In other news, I’m really excited for warmer days & spring outfits. This weekend I’m planning to do the seasonal switch over and pack away my wooly sweaters for summer. Crossing my fingers that doesn’t jinx me and we end up getting snow again lol. Last year we had snow in May on my birthday! My thought for today is to try and follow the rainbow, you might find some gold when you’re there.

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Fashion TORONTO

Day 379: BTS w/ HSG Furs

Day 379: BTS w/ HSG Furs

Walk, walk, fashion baby! A couple of weeks ago I was a model for HSG Furs. I absolutely love being on set and in front of a camera. Here’s a little sneak peek of some of the looks behind the scenes. I’ll share a few of the campaign photos once they’re out. Herman Sellers Gough Furs has been Toronto’s full-service furrier since 1880. Thank you Jaq Darling for inviting me! I would love to do more modeling this year. My sister and I were teen models in our younger years and both won the Miss Teen pageant in our hometown. I did my first commercial in high school, it was for an electric toothbrush. ?

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LIFE

Day 364: One Full Pandemic Year

Day 364: One Full Pandemic Year

Sometimes it feels like, is anyone out there? You’ve been following my year but how has your year been? How are you doing? I’m here if you want to talk, text, email, or Tweet. It’s me on the other side of your screen. Some days I feel good like I can handle this, I got it, I’m doing good. Other days I melt into the couch in loungewear wondering when the hell this will be over. I binge-watch shows and eat too many snacks. Then go to bed early, in my same clothes, and wake up hoping for a good day. Day 1: Social Distancing was published on March 14, 2020, it’s been one full pandemic year. My biggest accomplishments have been growing my hair out, writing this blog, and surviving. Getting through this has been hard and just making it to Day 364 is an accomplishment, so man people aren’t with us today. Although our old ‘normal’ seems a lifetime away, there are things to look forward to. As vaccines continue to roll out, and stores start to reopen, we’ll get back to some kind of normalcy. Yes, you still have to wear a mask and it might be sometime before we’re all vaccinated, but the days are longer, patios will open, and things will get better. One thing we can all take from this is the joy of slower living, the hygge of having a space that feels cozy. How important it is to have best friends, or how a call from someone can turn your day around. Some of the best times I has this year were long walks with friends or hanging out in the park. I have great memories with our cottage friends and spent lots of time reading on the dock. I’ve talked to…

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2021

343: Sunday Self-Love

343: Sunday Self-Love

After a great sleep, I woke up energized and motivated. I ran 5k as part of Amy Shio‘s birthday run challenge in Nike Run Club. I am so grateful for her inspiring me to run since January 2020. Running has changed my life and I look forward to it now! In the afternoon, I got through another season of  Younger while making white bean soup w/ cilantro & jalapeño and a fabulous quiche with leftover roast vegetables. Around magic hour I went for a nice long walk, it was brisk but refreshing. I had a full day of doing things that make me happy! Had some soup for dinner, a nice bath, a face mask, and went to bed early. ? Nothing quite like some Sunday self-love!

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2020 TORONTO

Day 307: Love & Laughter

Day 307: Love & Laughter

I swear I’ll never have a ‘live, love, laugh’ sign at our house or the cottage, but, it’s really, it’s important to do all three!! OK? Mum if you are reading this, there’s a meme about it…see more here. These days it’s harder to live (with a lockdown), love is so important, and laughter will brighten your day. One of the things I really love about Sean is that he makes me laugh every single day. I call mum (at least!) once a day for a little love, laughter, and lots of inspiration I went for a nice walk with my sister and we laughed our heads off. Seeing friends for distanced walks truly gives me SO MUCH LIFE. Monday is her birthday so it was nice to spend some time together. I miss my friends but I am thankful for my sister, friends who live close, and technology for bringing us all together. Here’s to a nice weekend at home and getting some rest!

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2020 Muskoka

Day 251: Synchronicity. Greenlight.

Day 251: Synchronicity. Greenlight.

Sean went to the city after sunrise for a meeting. I spent the morning working until lunchtime. It was so lovely outside I decided to put on my gloves and get to work. 13 degrees in November, I’ll take it! I’m sure we’ll have snow in no time, so I wanted to make the most of the warm air. I started stacking all the wood that had fallen down from our first attempt a couple of weeks ago. I put away most of the patio furniture for winter, got the shutters on the front of the cottage, and a few of the big ones on the windows facing the lake. I was listening to Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey on Audible and it was great motivation. I really love this book and I’m thinking about getting a hardcover copy of it so I can look back on his notes, poems, and quotes. Ok, this is kinda crazy. I looked it up on Amazon and found this page. That quote about style on the right is from a daily quote calendar from the ’90s (maybe ’80s?). I know this because we had the same one at our house. Mum still has one of the pages in her fridge today. I know I have a photo of it somewhere but I will ask her to send a photo so I can update this post. I think it’s a sign I should get the hardcopy, who knows what else I’ll find in there. In life, I like to think small similarities like this are a sign I’m on the right track. Synchronicity. I am certain mum is going to ring me when she reads this because you won’t believe what happened next. The following page I looked up has a poem on it, look…

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Food TORONTO

Day 201: Dinner Date – Kibo Secret Garden

Day 201: Dinner Date – Kibo Secret Garden

I had an incredible dinner at Kibo’s Sushi’s newest location, Kibo Secret Garden, an intimate, high-end omakase and sushi house in Yorkville. They have 23 locations in the GTA! Kibo Market in the Junction Triangle (near our place) is definitely a local favourite. I was excited to hang out with Natalie and attend my first dinner event in a LONG TIME. We wore masks and were socially distanced from other diners & staff. We sat at the omakase bar and had a great view of the dinner served by Chef Jin, with barriers between us and other guests. Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I leave it up to you’ that describes the traditional Japanese dining style where the culinary experience is left in the hands of the chef. We also enjoyed their selection of Japanese sake and beer. ? Dinner Details The menu highlights the highest-quality fish, seafood, and premium-grade meats. Bo Seo, CEO & Founder, takes pride in only serving fish within 24 hours of its catch. We had the 20-course dinner omakase, starting with Kobacka Soup (sweet pumpkin & rice), Hirame nigiri (Japan), Kurodai (black seabream, Turkey), Kanpachi Nigiri (Japan), Madai Nigiri (red snapper, Japan). Next, we had a round of sashimi with king salmon, fluke, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, and amberjack. Honestly, it was so good. Other items on our menu included bluefin tuna belly, ika (squid), oyster, Wagyu Beef, lobster, prawn, black cod, and sea eel from Japan. I haven’t had much sushi the past few months and everything was an absolute treat. The presentation was also incredible. I reckon it was the fanciest sushi dinner I’ve ever had. “Everything from the location to the design, to the menu has been thoughtfully chosen to create a luxury sushi dining experience. I can’t wait to welcome people in!”  Simeon…

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Cannabis TORONTO

Day 145: Best Buds! Superette Shop Store Visit

Day 145: Best Buds! Superette Shop Store Visit

Today Miche and I went to the Superette Shop. You might remember I went to a party here around the anniversary of legalization and was in Superette’s bowling tournament in February. Well, this cannabis store like nothing you have ever seen before. IT’S SO CUTE. I absolutely love the ‘flower’ display where they have containers in the flower display allowing you to see & smell each type of cannabis. It’s such a creative way to display the buds. ? The massive store has everything from dried flower, to oils, drinkables, edibles, accessories and merch. Miche and I both picked out matching pink hoodies and I purchased a few goodies for Sean’s birthday. There are heaps of really rad accessories. Back in the day, I remember making a bong similar to this water bottle using things around the house, however, this 2020 version is GLASS. The merchandising is so creative, they have these little banana pipes in a banana basket. Love it! There’s a really neat menu where you can place orders that resembles an old cigarette-style vending machine. If you need a hand with what to purchase, they have colour coded baskets at the entrance to show that you have questions or you’re good on your own. Watch My First Instagram Reels Video Here: I felt like such. dork because I kept saying ‘omg so cute‘ whenever I discovered something new. Miche and I got these little 10mg THC shots from Aurora and enjoyed them when we got home. The new Superette Shop is located at 1073 Yonge St, Toronto, and they’re open 10 am to 8/9 pm most days. See store details here and follow them on IG @superette_shop for updates. Thank you Thaomy @ Superette for the shop tour! ILY and can’t wait to come back!

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