Post-choreography. So hot.

Fact: In my younger days, I took 5 years of jazz dance classes. We’re talking sequins, spandex, and hair with enough AquaNet to withstand a tornado. The whole nine.

Last night, yours truly was thrust into the dancing world once again, as part of The White Hot Happening at the National Ballet’s White Hot Gala. After some incredible performances by newly promoted members of the company, as well as retiring dancer Chan Hon Goh, it was time to grab a martini and bust a few moves of my own.

And how on earth did I manage that? Like most of my crazy adventures, it was sort of by accident…

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Has it really been a week since I went to The Hour? Time is seriously flying by. I mean, June? Really? How did that happen?

Anyhoo, back to The Hour. If you live in the GTA and want a great way to spend a few hours one afternoon, I highly recommend checking out a taping. Tickets are free, which makes for one very budget-friendly outing. George and Bradley Cooper in the same room, and I didn’t have to sell a kidney to be there? Life is good.

If you’re not familiar with Bradley Cooper, here is a sampling of his resume: Guest appearance on Sex and the City, “Will Tippin” on Alias (<3), The d-bag boyfriend in Wedding Crashers, The d-bag husband in He’s Just Not That Into You, and most recently, part of the hilarious cast of The Hangover (which opens June 5, and I can’t wait to see it.)

Highlights from the taping: Yours truly made it just in time, thanks to some stunning performances by the TTC. (Tangent: Why is it so hard to get a damn bus out here? I mean, really. Nothing comes for 20 minutes, and then? TWO buses going the exact same way show up simultaneously. I like a good surprise as much as the next girl, but not when it comes to public transit, thankyouverymuch.) So, being the last one in the studio, I got a chair right on the end of the aisle, meaning that in the intimate setting that is The Hour, Bradley Cooper (who my friend Sarah has dubbed “very lickable”) could have easily tripped over my purse on his way to the stage. Wouldn’t that have been lovely? “Random Girl Trips Will Tippin, Breaks His Handsome Leg.” Thankfully, that did not happen. Totally charming, very funny… Great interview. (And if you missed the awesome interview, you should absolutely check it out here.)

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Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

It’s been a busy week, friends. Between my web-tastic new gig and personal schedule, there is a lot going on. I’m still getting the hang of my new job, as some of the stuff I’m working on is very technical and totally new to me, but I’m also loving every minute and every new thing that I get to learn. Ahh learning… Where would this nerdy girl be without you?

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to accompany my friend Heather to UofT for the Toronto leg of Chuck Palahniuk’s Pygmy book tour. It was my first time at a Chuck Palahniuk reading and let me tell you, he did not disappoint. The man is quite entertaining and I spent a good chunk of the evening laughing my butt off. Here are a few highlights from the night…

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Photo by Linda Nguyen (@L_Nuggie)

Alright, I know I promised a post-concert review in yesterday’s post, but after getting home and relaying the awesomeness of the evening to B-rad, it was pushing midnight and I was one tired (though happy) girl. I decided to sleep on it and return bright-eyed and bed-headed to gush about the evening.

But first, let me share a little gem from my subway ride, because I do love a good TTC tale. I was on the train heading to Queen, quite engrossed in my Metro crossword, when suddenly there was a woman sitting on my lap. Literally. I’m not totally clear on the details, but it seems that a somewhat elderly lady had gotten on the train with a friend, and when the train took off, she hadn’t quite made it to her seat and lost her balance. So there she was, sitting on my knee, holding on to a centre pole and trying to pull herself back up. With some help from another rider, we got her to her feet and into a seat where she said…nothing. Not “Thanks,” not “Hey, sorry about the mall Santa routine back there,” nothing. She didn’t even respond when I asked if she was okay. At first I thought, “Well, that’s odd…” but there are plenty of reasonable explanations for it, ranging from embarrassment to the fact that I’m a notoriously quiet talker. Bygones.

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I’ve just purchased a ticket for a concert this evening at Massey Hall. The artist? Adele. If you’re thinking, “who?” then you need to hit up iTunes right now friend, because there is a reason this girl snagged the Best New Artist award at this year’s Grammys. Trust.

I’ve been an Adele fan since I heard “Hometown Glory” on So You Think You Can Dance of all places (something about that moody piano intro gives me goosebumps every time…) so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see her at a venue like Massey. And while I’m hitting the concert solo this evening, which will be a new experience for me, it’s one that I’m definitely looking forward to.

Check back later this evening for thoughts on the show! In the meantime, check out this great interview with Adele from Tuesday’s Globe and Mail.

Update: Thoughts on the show are here!

Attention Toronto magazine lovers: It’s time to party.

This Magazine is celebrating its colourful new makeover with a sure-to-be-fabulous bash at Supermarket on March 10. Music, cheap mags and a cupcake bar with CMYK icing… What more could a girl ask for?

Need more details? You can get ‘em here.

If you find yourself in a state of panic because Christmas is but days away and you haven’t finished your shopping, I have only one thing to say to you:

Welcome to the club.

While B-rad and I are frantically hitting up the stores this weekend (assuming we can get out of the house, thanks to “Snowmageddon” here in Toronto), you can rest easy with a few helpful shopping tips from yours truly, which are being featured right now as part of Canadian Family’s Holiday Survival Guide. 

Until next time, bust out the hot chocolate and stay warm!

If you’re endlessly optimistic – like yours truly – then the news has certainly not been your friend as of late. The constant stream of stories about political shenanigans, massive job cuts and the global financial crisis compete with the cheery sounds of Christmas carols, making for one very confusing trip to WalMart. Do I get the special edition copy of The Dark Knight? Or the very frugal – yet timeless – ball in a cup? WWPMD? (What Would Peter Mansbridge Do?)

There’s no denying that we’ve run into some tough times. But we’re not alone. I recently had the opportunity to read a great piece by Yuki Hayashi in the Winter 2009 issue of Canadian Family that delves into a side of this financial meltdown that we may have overlooked – the global food crisis.

While many Canadians find themselves fighting to make ends meet this Christmas, for those who already struggle to provide food for their families every day, our current economic reality is even more of a crushing blow. And it’s not just here – it’s everywhere. Global food prices are skyrocketing. Staple foods like rice and grain are harder to come by. It’s a dismal truth that even the sunniest optimist can’t deny. Dismal, but not hopeless. (more…)

I’ve come to an important conclusion: I either need to swear off Jen Lancaster novels, or stop being so nice to total strangers.

Kicking my Lancaster habit is unlikely to happen any time soon, as all three of her novels are on my Summer Reading list. It’s just toting them around in public that seems to get me into trouble… and by “trouble” I mean “hopelessly awkward situations with random men I’ve never met before.”

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Fact #4689542 about me: I loathe public washrooms.

When I was in high school, I refused to use the school washrooms. I knew that they were cleaned daily, but it didn’t matter. After witnessing countless numbers of female students standing on the toilet seats to adjust their kilts in the giant bathroom mirror, I decided that they’d never be clean enough. (This often meant “holding it in” for seven or eight hours a day while I was in class… How my bladder survived, I may never know.) Fast forward to the present. In our shiny new office here in the west end of Toronto, amidst rooms with lavish leather chairs, multiple kitchens, and pristine boardrooms, there is one major problem: We only have one Ladies’ Room.

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