My current obsessions

Rockabye Baby - Lullaby renditions of...

I came across this amazing series while searching Itunes for something with a "tinkly music box sound" for Owen to fall asleep to (that I wouldn't have to wind up again every 25 seconds). Rockabye Baby has compiled some of the greatest rock music around and made "tinkly music box sound"ing renditions and I can't get enough. I immediately bought songs by U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, No Doubt, Nirvana, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, and Metallica! Metallica!  Since so much baby music makes you want to pull your own hair out, this is the perfect solution. My baby falls asleep to sweet lullabies and I get to enjoy some relaxing, and darned-good versions of some of the greatest rock songs. It makes bed time so much better for all involved. 

www.rockabyebabymusic.com

David Suzuki: The Autobiography

I bought this book after seeing it on a Facebook friend's booklist. As a Canadian, I think I share with most people a soft spot for David Suzuki, plus I had a giftcard to Chapters, so I set out to find a copy to see if I could learn more about the man behind The Nature of Things. 

I knew Suzuki was an environmentalist and a nature show host, but what probably most vividly stuck out for me for the years was - fairly or not- that he is cute in a way that has always reminded me of my dad. I wanted to know more, and I'm getting that ++ by reading this book. I've learned that he spent his teenage years in my hometown of London, ON (how didn't I know that?), that -as a Japanese-Canadian- he suffered through forced racial segregation into the bush of British Columbia during WW2, and that until his wife, Tara Cullis, pursued the undoing of a seemingly archaic law in 1972, women were not legally allowed to keep their maiden names! 

He has had such a life, it really is incredible and I'm only a third of the way in! I cherish every free moment I have reading this wonderful book and I recommend it, obviously, very highly.

You can read more about David Suzuki at

www.davidsuzuki.ca

Dear Frankie

This is such a great little movie, staring Gerard Butler (before was so Hollywood and beefed-up, therefore waaaay more appealing) and Emily Mortimer. 

In short, a single mom doesn't want her son to know his dad is a dead-beat so she makes up this elaborate story about him being aboard some ship that travels all over the world. Pretending to be his father, she writes her boy letters so that he never has to know the truth. Then, one day she is forced to supply a face-to-face meeting between her son and his "father", so she hires a stranger to play him for one day. 

The character of Frankie is so sweet and the relationship between all the characters just makes you smile. Plus, the ending is satisfying without being obvious. 

RIP makeup site

Today I took down my professional website - or rather had it redirected here. Considering I haven't done a paying makeup job in about a year, I figure it's time to let it go. Plus, it probably looks bad to have such an out-of-date CV and portfolio - makes me look lazy or something...

Anyway, I somewhat reluctantly accept that my days as a makeup artist with high hopes and a few cool credits to her name are over. I stopped pursuing makeup work, oh 2 years ago, in favour of a stable 9-5 working for an investment banking company, and ultimately, motherhood. I will always remember that period of my life as an exciting one, though. I met amazing, creative people (plus a few lesser-known Canadian celebrities to impress my family with :)), did some work I'm super-proud of, and got to experience the festival circuit on a few occasions. A career in makeup, like any creative field, should not be attempted by anyone without an incredible drive and willingness to slum it "until". A career certainly can be had, but my goodness, it is hard work and ultimately I just don't have it in me - I probably never really did. Plus, true to my genetic code (thanks Dad) I get bored way too easily, and I just can't do something because it's what expected of me. Trust me, I've tried. I turn into a shrew.

So, I wanted to post a few of my favourite images from my makeup days. A glimpse into what was a special time for me... 

Next task will be to have a makeup kit clearance party with the girls!! Now that's a way to honour the end properly - just in time to head out to Gay Pride festivities tomorrow. Glitter anyone?

Enjoy!

Michael Richards is still an a@* hole

I was sent an email forward last week from someone close to me. Apparently Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) is pissed off at the response he has received since his racist tirade at a comedy club last year. I've attached the email, where Richards basically says that if minorities get to have Black History Month, or Gay Pride celebrations, then why can't we be proud (and vocally so) about being white - why don't we get White Pride Day? I thought I would post my reply to the email I sent to my loved-one (who, by the way, was not agreeing with Richards, just thought I'd find the whole thing interesting. She was right.), as it pretty succinctly relays my point-of-view. It's the purple text following the Richards stuff...

> Proud To Be White

>

> Someone finally said it.

> How many are actually paying attention to this?

>

> There are African Americans, Mexican Americans,

> Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.

> And then there are just Americans.

>

> You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.

> You Call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,'

> 'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... And that's OK.

>

> But when I call you, N!gger, Kike, Towel head,

> Sand-n!gger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink .

> You call me a racist.

>

> You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you,

> So why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

>

> You have the United Negro College Fund.

> You have Martin Luther King Day.

> You have Black History Month.

> You have Cesar Chavez Day.

> You have Yom Hashoah.

> You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.

> You have the NAACP.

> You have BET.

> If we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.

> If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.

> If we had White History Month , we'd be racists.

> If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance'

> OUR lives we'd be racists.

>

> We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber

> Of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.

> Wonder who pays for that?

>

> A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American

> Pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.

>

> If we had a college fund that only gave white students

> Scholarships you know we'd be racists.

> There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges

> In the US . Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT

> Would be a racist college.

>

> In the Million Man March, you believed that you were

> Marching for your race and rights. If we marched for

> Our race and rights, you would call us racists.

>

> You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and

> You're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce

> Our white pride, you call us racists.

>

> You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a

> White police officer shoots a black gang member or beats

> Up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a

> Threat to society, you call him a racist.

>

> I am proud.

> But you call me a racist.

>

> Why is it that only whites can be racists?

>

> There is nothing improper about this e-mail.

> Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on. 

The issue with Michael Richards' comments is that when you are a visible minority (which - still in these liberated present days - includes anyone who is not white), every day is white pride day unless you specifically carve one out for yourself. In our education system, political system, beauty pageant system (hee) whites still by FAR out number any other race. We have more opportunities because of our skin colour. Remember how I said that I was lucky to be a white, accent-free woman when applying for temp positions? I got placements that others would've struggled to get.

Yes there is MLK Jr. day, and black history month, etc. but truly so much of our life (flip on the television and count the ratio of white to "minority" actors) is still overwhelmingly aimed at Caucasian people. Minorities have to stand up and take an outspoken pride in their race/culture so as not to get left behind. They still fight every day for the equality we whites think exist. We do not live in an equal society - as much as our arrogance wants to believe we do.  They need individualized and specific support, because whites have a blanket of opportunities over all of them.

However, I do not believe that this should give anyone the right to use racial slurs - ever. No person has the right to call me a honkey or a cracker etc. Although, in some warped way I do understand why some people are angry enough to do it anyway.

See you soon,

Kate xox

Waitress loses job after shaving her head for charity

I came across this article on Perez Hilton, of all places. This woman, living (and until recently working) in Owen Sound, ON. shaved her head to support a cancer charity (Cops for Cancer) and when she showed up to work the next day she was fired!!! 

My husband's parents, who live in Wiarton, ON (about 40 minutes outside of Owen Sound) were just at this restaurant, Nathaniel's, to celebrate their wedding anniversary and they've raved about it on more than one occasion. They're both very disappointed, and surprised at this news, not only because the woman was unjustly "laid-off" (ahem, bullshit, she was fired), but because apparently this head-shaving ritual is really popular all over the area up there. My in-laws listed off a number of people they've come across who participate, some shave their heads every year, and it seems that the whole thing is quite supported by the public. So, it's not like the owner of Nathaniel's could claim that people would think he had hired a skin-head or something. Customers see this all the time and embrace it. 

This is sexist and ridiculous (I've attached the article which details this point well, so I won't bore you by rehashing it here...), and I just had to comment. 

Follow the link and read all the details.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080605/canada/canada_shaved_head

Words

These aren't new, but I wanted to keep better track of them, so up they go...

Audrey

Sweet little girl.

She squeezed my finger,

And melted my heart.

Jeff’s lips, Dashka’s cheeks,

Long limbs and expressive eyes.

This perfect baby,

A dream fulfilled.  

In Times of Struggle

We may ask politely for answers,

but we must also learn

to find comfort where we can,

without them.

Warm Winter Days

Before you I dreaded

The coming of winter days.

But now I wait for them eagerly,

Knowing that once the chill sets in,

And the snow starts to fall

You will be here keeping me warm. 

Stars and Strollers

Today was a big day for Owen and me. After mulling it over for several weeks now, I decided that today was the day I would try and take Owen to the movies for the first time. My baby, while being the absolute love of my life, has not been the most adaptable kid in the world, so I was nervous about taking him before he was ready, even though I've heard of other moms taking part in Stars and Strollers regularly with no trouble by this age (5 months). But, I know my boy, and I needed to wait until I felt confident (confident and less petrified are synonyms, right?) that we stood a chance at getting through 2 hours being in the same place, without crying - much. The potential was certainly there for it to be truly awful for both of us, not to mention the other poor movie-goers, so I took my time psyching myself up for this day.

I timed it all out last night. His feedings and naps had to be scheduled in just so in order for this to work. I needed to get him to the theatre a little on the hungry side, so I could give him a bottle during the movie, thus occupying approx. 20-25 minutes where I was guaranteed a happy fella. He also had to be a little on the sleepy side, so that I could get him to nap after his bottle. However, he couldn't be too sleepy, otherwise the grumps come out, it makes it really hard for him to calmly drift off, not to mention just making him cranky in general.  Anyway, so we started off well. He watched the previews happily and took his bottle like a champ. He continued watching the movie for a bit, and started to show signs of tiredness. The drifting off to sleep part, however, didn't quite go the way I hoped. He wanted to sleep; the poor guy was rubbing his eyes and would look at me as if to say, "Mama, why is it so loud? I can't sleep like this." I felt for him. It didn't last long before he gave up trying, and he proceeded to throw a bit of a tantrum. Not wanting to make a scene (despite the whole nature of the Stars and Strollers supposedly being inclusive of babies' ways), we stepped outside to work it out. After some coaxing he relaxed and fell asleep in my arms, so we ventured back inside, this time going way up to the back corner of the theatre where it was considerably quieter. 

This is when I made note of my one mistake: I picked an action movie, instead of a dialogue-heavy drama. During the quieter scenes Owen was able to sleep well, but then the guns and tanks come out, the music swells, the soldiers and sidekicks start screaming... and well, you get the idea. Not good. In my defense, though, there were only 2 options for the baby show, Sex and the City, and Indiana Jones 4 (you can guess where I was). The thing is that I'm going to see SATC with my girlfriends on Friday, and I didn't want to ruin the excitement of that, so it was Indy or nothing. I suppose I had been hoping that when the website info claimed "reduced volume" at these screenings that they really meant it. They didn't. Not enough for babies to stand much of a chance to sleep through anyway. *shrug* Anyway, I'll know for next time. In the end, Owen woke up with 15 minutes to go in the movie, so I turned him to face the screen and he made it to the end without another peep. Then I packed him up and when we got home he immediately passed out.

All-in-all a good experience, I'd say. We will definitely do this again - maybe even next week! And the best part is I now have this romantic vision of Owen looking back on his childhood with fond memories of movie dates with his Mama, starting all the way back when he was only 5 months old. As I head off to bed, that's better than warm milk, I tell ya. 

Good night. :)

The Orphanage (movie)

You all have to run to your nearest video store and rent The Orphanage. If you liked Pan's Labyrinth (another movie I raved on and on about last year), this is produced by Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan's Labyrinth and the two are similar in feel, effect and stunning visuals.

By the far one of the best, scariest, most moving films I've ever seen, Luke and I spent the first half of it trying to decide whether or not we could handle continuing to watch it; it's that intense and suspenseful. But, unlike typical slasher flicks made these days, the scares conjured up by this team (director is Juan Antonio Bayona) are in what you're afraid is coming, rather than what actually does. It's like they played on our assumption that a gruesome death or flash to a scary screaming face is imminent after every long silence - but the trick that makes The Orphanage stand out is that scares don't come cheap. At one point my heart literally pounded for almost 40 minutes straight, but I think I only actually jumped once or twice. The fear just builds and builds and BUILDS until you think you're certainly going to explode. 

The story revolves around a woman who decides to move back into the orphanage she lived in for a time as a child, whose own child ends up with "imaginary" friends. The awful things that take place, and the intertwining pasts of characters that unfold create an amazing world where you are heart-broken in one moment, and terrified in the next. This a touching, devastating, beautiful movie and I can not recommend it enough. At the end of it, Luke and I just sat there, blown away at how effectively this movie shook and entertained us, without pandering to obvious horror movie expectations. 

You will love this movie, but be warned: Do NOT watch it alone. 

Woman lived entire life in an iron lung

I just read this article on one of my favourite sites, Momlogic.com, and had to repost it here. It's so heart-breaking and mind-boggling! Check it out here:  http://news.aol.com/story/_a/woman-who-spent-life-in-iron-lung-dies/20080528140809990001