My birthday is a national holiday in Canada*

{Day 74: Birthday Cupcake, originally uploaded by • Sandra •.}

Well, maybe not this year, but quite a few times in my life, Victoria Day, a Canadian holiday celebrating Britain's longest-reigning monarch, has fallen on May 23.

I feel this is fitting for two reasons: it befits my royal demeanor, and it is a reason in some countries* to take the day off. I myself am taking the day off today and I suggest you do the same. Perhaps if we all take the day off, the government will recognize what an important day May 23 is, and acknowledge it with official decrees, parades, fireworks and some form of economic stimulus.

Cupcakes for everyone!

*Victoria Day is also celebrated in Scotland and the Cayman Islands. In case you were wondering.

I don't get the connection

Dear Coldplay, Jack Johnson, Fiona Apple, Eric Clapton, Jamie Cullum and Duran Duran:

I'm sorry, but you have to go. I'm afraid I can't listen to you anymore. It seems that since I subscribe to Cottage Living, I'm supposed to like country music. I know there was that time in the early 90s when I said I would leave my husband for Garth Brooks, but I was young, and I thought he was cute. And then he went and left his wife for Trisha Yearwood, and, well, you can't trust a man like that, can you.

I like the cottage aesthetic, and the idea of living in a small space vs a McMansion. I guess that means I am supposed to want to see what the country stars' houses look like. I'm sure that they all live in cottages, not mansions at all. And I'm sure going "backstage" with them is going to be very realistic and not staged, and they'll show their little craft area on the tour bus and where they like to hang out with their dog and the organic farmers market that they stop at whenever they're in town. I'm sure none of them have a small army of personal trainers, chefs, hairdressers, masseuses (masseusi?), voice coaches, interior designers, assistants, managers and psychics to help them get through the trials of daily living. In their cottage.

ps - I have nothing against country music, and in fact could sing you most of Patsy Cline's catalog, although not as well as she could. I just don't get what is the connection between "cottage" and "country music".

New bird on the block No. 13 has been tagged

{Blue Bird Gift Tags from Ashleybug's Etsy shop}

This tag is cute, cute, cute, and so cheerful. Now, on to the other tag, sent by my best friend ML, whose birthday is tomorrow!

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. (Unlike ML, I follow directions.) Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

1998 - I was freaking out at turning 31 (30 did not bother me, but for some reason 31 did). I was working as a corporate event planner and contract rep in the commercial natural gas industry (i.e. the kind of company that supplies Your Local Gas Co), and since this was in the pre-Enron days, I had a huge budget and carte blanche to spend it. I was living in Litchfield County in a 1921 Craftsman Colonial whose charm still outweighed her monstrous reno needs (remember the Haney Place on Green Acres?), with a (soon to be ex) husband, two beagles, three cats and possibly a ghost (according to my friend Josephine). I was lead alto in my church choir, was avidly quilting and crafting, and was driving a 1990 Volvo 240DL station wagon with 100K miles on it (and adding 70 more miles a day with my commute).

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Well, I took the day off since I worked all weekend at my friend's winery (I will have a huge post about this, with great pix, come back later), so this will be my day today:

1. Clean apartment, as it hasn't been done since before I left for Chicago and Cape Cod.

2. Go to new Penzeys Spices store to stock up on saffron and curry and whatever else tickles my fancy, and get inspired about what to cook for my Birthday Dinner Party on Friday.

3. Buy and plant annuals and herbs for window boxes on balcony.

4. Read Board pre-meeting package for Condo Association meeting tonight (yeah, I am the Queen of Procrastination).

5. Have BF come over and fix whatever I screwed up on new HDTV that makes the HD channels have a big black border around them, effectively turning what should be a 42" widescreen picture into a 32" widescreen picture (yes, I measured).

3) Snacks I enjoy:

1. Cheese. Any kind of cheese. Goat cheese, cheddar cheese, brie, swiss. Melted, sliced, grilled, shredded on garlic toast and popped under the broiler. Mixed into mashed potatoes. Cream cheese with spicy chutney. Fondue. Gorgonzola crumbled in a salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Cold ricotta spooned on hot elbow macaroni with peas and caramelized onions in chicken broth. Um, I guess I've digressed from "snack" to "entree"...

2. Chocolate

3. Olives. I used to hate them because I had been exposed to only canned black olives and green salad olives with pimentos. Then I tried kalamata olives and I was hooked on all kinds of olives. I love them as a snack, in salad, on a cheese tray (see above), or skewered on a pick and bathing in a Ketel One martini, dry, up.

4. Cherries, which are just coming into season. Mmmmm....

5. Ice cream. Between this and the cheese if I ever become lactose intolerant it will be the end of me.

6. Wine. I know it is not a "snack" but I do enjoy it!

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Quit my job and open my own business. Take Italian lessons in Italy. Rent a villa there for a month and fly my family over to enjoy it with me. Donate more generously to the charities that I think can actually effect change rather than just employ lobbyists and pay their CEOs monstrous salaries. Hire a personal trainer. Take painting lessons. Buy a cottage on a lake (or possibly the ocean, can't decide). Invest.

5) Places I have lived:

in order:

Bridgeport, CT

Milford, CT

New Rochelle, NY (college)

Milford, CT

Plymouth, CT

Hartford, CT

I did work in Manhattan after college, but I took the train...

6) Who I'm tagging:

First, I am miffed that ML tagged LittleByrd and Mrs. French before I could, but my list is so long it was hard to pick just 5 or 6 anyway.

1. Robin at A Little Bird Told Me. She is an amazing young woman who has lived a lot of years in a short period of time. She writes beautifully and pairs her posts with lovely and unexpected photos, and has cultivated a wonderful circle of friends.

2. Diana at Please Sir. She has a great sense of style and I always love her finds, her photos, and her comments.

3. Debby at She Knits by the Seashore. I first met Debby in real life at a bike event - her husband and my dad are biking buddies (she also bikes). Then I re-met her via my blog and in subsequent emails we found out how much we had in common, especially with regards to books and movies (particularly those of the British variety). I'm not a knitter, but she is prolific so she is picking up my slack.

4. Stacy at La Boudoir, and not just because I won a prize on her blog. Mostly because I think she will have some interesting answers to this tag, but after her trip to London & Paris I think she will have some really interesting answers to this tag, specifically Question 4 (that being said, Stacy if you do this tag you have to clarify the answers that are L&P inspired!).

5. Julie at Hooked on Houses, because I just found her blog and it is a great way for me to fulfill my need for voyeurism (of the "looking at other people's houses" variety) and want to share the joy.

6. My Mom, aka "Mumsie" in my comments, because she is wise and fabulous and one of my best friends. She doesn't have a blog but she likes to answer questions like these, so I will post her answers as a guest blog.

It's The Lush Life for me & Simon LeBon

Stacy over at La Boudoir held a little contest in honor of her forthcoming trip to London and Paris, and yours truly won! I never win anything! She asked her readers to name their favorite UK band. Naturally there were many votes for the Beatles, but I had to stick with my first love, and the group everyone (at the time) said were the new Beatles: Duran Duran.


You have to remember I came of age in the 80s -- people, I was there when MTV launched. I went to my friend Kim's house every day after school (she had cable, we didn't) to watch MTV for hours. Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Flock of Seagulls, The Clash, Men At Work, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benetar and of course Michael Jackson, back before he became a weirdo. But Duran Duran was the best. They were cute, they had cool videos and they had great hair.

The prize from La Boudoir: a gift certificate to Lush, a yummy UK-based bath and body shop that specializes in using fresh, organic ingredients. I've been to their store in Banff, and they just opened a store in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun (ginormous Indian Casino), so I will get to go and smell everything in person.

When she's not counting down the days to London & Paris, Stacy blogs about design, fashion, art and other lovely things, with the occasional funny rant (I love the post with the Office Space still). Hop on over and say Robin (and Simon LeBon) sent you.

New birds on the block Nos. 11 and 12

{Robin's Egg Soaps by Gianna Rose, available at PT Bunny & Co.}

While technically not birds (yet) these egg soaps are adorable and smell great. They also come in a sweet little lotus bowl or an apothecary jar. I bought the jar version last year at a boutique in Roscoe Village (Chicago) while visiting my friend Julie. The jar had an unfortunate run in with one of my cats, so I now display them in an empty Bath & Bodyworks candle jar (recycling!).

{Nest Key Keeper from Room Service Home}

I like the mix of metal and wood, but I wonder if it would look as cute with my big black plastic car key/alarm and my jumble of office and home keys as it does with these vintage skeleton keys...