I Spy ... Unpaid Debts

Alright, alright ... I admit it. I made a promise and I didn't keep it. Forgive me please. Know that it was completely laced with good intentions but it seems these days that time slips through my fingers faster than the beautiful red sands of my dear Prince Edward Island that I miss so much. My promise of more frequent posts was laced with good intentions ...

As a peace offering I give you a string of thoughts I jotted down a few months ago after a surprise phone call from my brother. My personal embarrassment seems an appropriate punishment for a broken promise and should serve as the proverbial kick in the pants I require to stay on top of this blog 'cause the threat of ever having to post my "writing" again as space filler is more motivating than anything.

Homesickness

It’s a pain you don’t even know you have
A silent ache that becomes so familiar
It goes unnoticed
Like a crack in the sidewalk
Slowly slicing
Silently spreading
Until
That voice
That smell
That song
That picture
That foggy memory
Rips through
Your concrete heart
And releases
the sharp pang
Of regret
And longing
And melancholy
And desire
And the overwhelming sense
That you are not
Where you should be.

Oh Hi There ...

Hey! Heeeelloooo! Howdy!
Sooo ... My name's Megan. You may remember me from such posts as I Spy ... Pit Bull PR (give them a chance people), I Spy ... Responsibility (leggings are NOT pants) and I Spy ...Experience (work that street-style Granny!).
However, you probably don't remember me because I haven't posted anything since April.
That ends today.
I can offer a myriad of excuses: new internship requiring excessive use of social media (one can only tweet corporate jargon so often before banning laptops in the home), followed by a new "real" job which has resulted in a decrease in free time and an increase in body mass.
Whining aside however, this journey’s been quite fun and now that the gym membership has been purchased, the 9-5 routine (or 8-7 as it often pans out) has been established, it's time to get back to what I enjoy most -sharing my thoughts with anyone who'll listen.
So cheers to all of you who haven't given up on checking this page from time-to-time.
I'm glad we had this chat, let's do it again soon.

I Spy ... Experience

You've all heard it before, "with age comes experience." According to fashion blogger Ari Seth Cohen though, "with age, comes style." In the world of fashion and entertainment, the golden years are experiencing their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

Cohen's blog: advancedstyle.blogspot.com is, if you will, a more "mature" take on the ever popular Sartorialist blog written by Scott Schuman. Advanced style features the street fashion of the 50-plus set with a preferred focus on those in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Trust me; you've GOT to check it out. Even if you don't get a buzz from the amazing style that these grey-haired fashionistas have been cultivating for years, you can't help but smile at how adorable they are! Honestly, the characters depicted will leave you inspired and without the intimidation you sometimes feel when looking at the 17 year old, unsmiling, waifs of other fashion blogs.

But don't take my word for it. Look at what's going on in Hollywood at the moment.

Betty White is so hot right now, a successful Facebook campaign was launched to land the 88-year-old on Saturday Night Live. Europe, the fashion capitol of the world, is also embracing the trend. In Paris, the club kids are dancing to beats supplied by a 69-year-old DJ named Ruth Flowers. As the Globe Life Style section announced a few weeks ago, "the new face of trendsetting is decidedly wrinkled."

So don't complain and resort to sulking when your parents drag you to Easter dinner at Grandma's this weekend, but see it as an opportunity to further develop your personal style.

Granny's bridge group might be the hottest thing in fashion this week.

I Spy ... Viral Videos

A few weeks ago we spent our Online Public Relations class discussing viral videos.  What is a viral video you ask?  Once again let's ask the genius that is Wiki.
"A viral video is a video that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through internet media sharing websites."
I'm a fan of viral videos, particularly those involving humour.  My personal favourites though, are brought to you by the creative minds at Saatchi and Saatchi and their guerrilla marketing tactics for T-Mobile in the UK.
See what happens when thousands of people receive the message to be at Trafalgar Square at 6 pm on April 9, 2009 or what would be a pleasant surprise during your daily commute through Liverpool Street Station at 11 am on January 15, 2009.
Enjoy!

Trafalgar Square Karaoke

Liverpool Street Station Dance

I Spy ... Responsibility

For a company who offers such wares as gold lamé boob tubes and body suits, lace dresses and thigh-highs, American Apparel has actually taken some responsibility in protecting my eyes from people who think these items are appropriate day wear. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Don`t get me wrong, I`m all for the tights as a layering option. They are comfy and as a girl blessed with a rather lengthy set of stems; they make my almost-too-short dresses appropriate for public appearances. That being said, as you pull those lovely leggings from your dresser and begin to build your outfit let us look to the wisdom of American Apparel and repeat after me:

THESE TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS.

The eyes of the general public will thank you for it.

I Spy ... a Fact

The other day, I attended a presentation by Elmer Soto of Facebook. I often take Facebook for granted as a social media tool because it just seems like such an ingrained part of my daily life. Whose pictures can I creep? Who's commenting on my status?


What I did take away from Elmer's presentation, was that in the United States, Facebook now receives more internet traffic than Google.

So where does this leave us? Maybe you're thinking "umm gee, thanks for the random factoid Megs," or "that's great, now on to something important." But think about what this says about how people are gathering their information these days and just what kind of information we are now finding valuable.

Our curiosity now lies in what the people in our lives (or in some cases, on the fringes of our lives) are up to. We'd rather get a friend's opinion or advice then perform research.

Such is the trend with social media. We want to know what the people who we trust and admire are thinking or doing, not what the "experts" have to say. We don't want to read a book, we'd rather read status updates. I don't need to learn about the outside world, everything I need to know or am interested in learning is streaming through my Facebook homepage.

Welcome to the world of online learning friends. Watching the news now has nothing to do with politics but with whose relationship status has changed and who's posted a new album.

And we have the audacity to wonder why reality TV is so popular?

I Spy ... Creepers

Foursquare is creepy. I’m sorry people. It just is. It is also silly and worst of all, could potentially eradicate the need for any actual human to human contact.

The basic premise of this newest social medial tool is that you use your mobile phone to “check in” to your current location to let people on your network know where you are and what you think of the place. Over time, you accumulate points for revisiting places and can achieve “Mayor” status by visiting a place more than anyone else.

So here is what concerns me. First of all, is my life so exciting that people need to know where I am at all times? Am I such an expert on food and drink “hot spots” that I should be telling people the best places to hang out? Bless the heart of the poor individual who becomes “Mayor” of the free clinic ... why does no one else see this as a recipe for disaster?

My primary concern though? Each new social media tool puts another nail in the coffin of the casual visit. When was the last time you sat down at someone’s kitchen table with a pot of tea or curled up on their couch with a cold beer? Note: exchanging text messages, following someone’s twitter stream, or writing on their wall doesn’t count (even if you’re on the couch and beer is involved). You are still alone; your phone is not a person!

Foursquare describes one of its major benefits as follows:

“We’ll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go and things to do nearby ... You’ll find that as your friends use foursquare to check-in, you’ll start learning more about the places they frequent. Not only is it a great way to meet up with nearby friends, but you’ll also start to learn about their favourite spots.”

Again, THIS IS CREEPY. Now foursquare will have your conversations with your friends for you! You will never actually have to speak to them. Forget face-to-face (so 2001) you won’t even have to call them.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, or maybe it’s the small town, east coast, girl in me, but if the tradition of social house-calls is dying I’m blaming social media, so forgive me foursquare for not jumping on the bandwagon.

I Spy ... Practical Fashion?

I have long held a special place in my heart for the wellington. It started with two beautiful pairs, one red and one blue. I can’t remember which were mine, as being the younger sibling I no doubt was lucky enough to wear my sister's as well. Those boots were amazing. The highlight of course was the smiley face on the bottom. That, and the fact that a could stomp that smiley face into any and all puddles within a 5 foot radius of the path I was walking and still keep my socks dry.

Less fondly remembered, Sorel winter boots still have a place in my heart. I remember “snow days” off from school and watching my dad step in to what wear impossibly large boots (I know because I had a thing for putting on other people’s shoes, what kid doesn’t?). Anyways, seeing those boots go on meant there was enough snow to require shovelling which would inevitably lead to an afternoon of building snowmen, snow-forts and my personal favourite ... the snowhorse.

Regardless of childhood memories, both these styles of footwear have made a cross-over from practical necessity, to trendy fashion. Of course this means having the correct brand (Hunter Wellies, and the original Sorel winter boot) and styles have been modified offering a wide range of colours, laces, no laces, patterns (whoop whoop plaid!) and of course the thick wool or fleece socks to line the suckers.

So here’s where I start to wonder. Have we finally grown up? Are we responsible, adult Canadians that realize that the climate within which we live dictates a practical take on footwear? Winter is cold, rain and snow, wet. I don’t care what the footwear looks like as long as I’m warm and dry. My optimism bubble tells me yes! This is the new wave of fashion! Practical geek chic! Whoo hoo!

Logic and past precedent burst that optimism bubble. I’m betting it’s a fad and come spring, impossibly high suede (obviously not waterproof) stilettos will be tip-toeing around the puddles I am happily jumping into.

Sigh.

I Spy ... Hotness

Hello friends!  This weekend, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a piece of fashion genius that is nothing short of a feast for the eyes.  Is it from the pages of Vogue?  Is Tavi blogging about it? Is it a Fashion Television feature?
The answer is a resounding "NO!"
It was brought to my attention by the lovely ladies at GoFugYourself.com and it is so delightful that keeping it to myself would be just plain wrong.  So, in the interest of nostalgia, high-end fashion and a few giggles I present to you:
Third and Delaware a website devoted entirely to the fashion of "Roseanne."  Ah-may-zing!
Happy time wasting!

I Spy ... Secrets shhhh!

For those of you who are not yet fans of postsecret.blogspot.com ... go there.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just go there.  With new secrets posted every Sunday, these once-a-week updates are well worth the wait.  All at once funny, sad, thoughtful and inspiring Wiki describes PostSecret as "an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard."  This Sunday, we were treated to a special PostSecret Valentine video.  Watch it here and Happy Belated Love Day to you all! xoxo

I Spy ... Pit Bull PR

We had a very heated debate in class today regarding Ontario’s legislation banning pit bulls. Having known several lovely pit bulls (both pure bred and cross bred), I must preface this entry with the statement that I am extremely biased. I love pit bulls.


So here’s what we discussed ... do pit bulls need better PR?

I most certainly think they do! So how do we go about this? Make some warm fuzzy public service announcements about how cute and lovable pit bulls are? Maybe use “true life” stories about pit bulls saving the lives of others and achieving other heroic feats?

Here are the breeds that are on the naughty list:

•  Pit bull terrier
•  Staffordshire bull terrier
•  American Staffordshire terrier
•  American pit bull terrier
•  A dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics substantially similar to any of those dogs

And there it is folks! My favourite part: “an appearance and physical characteristics substantially similar.” Yup, we can seize your dog because we feel it looks like a “dangerous breed”. Let’s for a moment transfer this genius rationale to humans. Attention gentleman with an affection for fur coats, shiny alligator shoes and gold teeth ... time for a wardrobe change cause you’re gonna be arrested on the grounds that you are a suspected pimp. Beware all ye young ladies leaving the club this Saturday night. Pull down those hemlines! Cover that cleavage! You want to get arrested? Imagine the round-up that would occur in the entertainment district on the weekends! Phew! The OPP would have their hands full!

So back to public relations strategies for these adorable dogs. If it’s all appearance based, is it safe to suggest we start dressing our pit bulls in little pink sweaters? Perhaps we should force them to wear impossibly tiny hats? Little hats on animals are always funny. Tutu’s for everyone! Scratch the public service announcements. We can save pit bull owners time and money if we just invest in a wide variety of ridiculous and degrading dog costumes.

Problem solved.

Pit bulls of Ontario: you may have lost your pride (sorry about the tutus) but at least you can keep your lives.

I Spy ... Ignorance

The following conversation takes place on almost a daily basis in my life. It is had with complete strangers, on the subway, in the grocery store, at the pub and on the streets. It is also a major pet peeve of mine:

Stranger: "Wow, you're really tall."
Me: "yup"
Stranger: "No seriously, are you wearing heels? How tall are you?"
Me: "No seriously, are you wearing lady’s underpants? How much do you weigh?"
Stranger: "wha ...?"
Me: "Let me just interrupt you here and save you some time. Yes, I play basketball. Yes I play volleyball. Yes, both my parents are tall. How do you think I turned out like this? Are there any other overly personal inappropriate questions you'd like me to answer for you?"

Please don't think me rude dear friends, but seriously?! I understand these strangers think they are paying me a compliment but honestly, it isn’t any of their business how tall I am. It is rude to approach an overweight person and ask them how much they weigh, you do not ask a little person for their height, so why me?

My favourite part is how people think they are imparting great knowledge on me. Really? I’m tall? Are you sure? I thought everyone had to special order pants with a 36” inseam online!

Lastly, for those of you out there who think this is an acceptable icebreaker in approaching a potential romantic interest, consider this:

If your romantic interest is in fact quite tall, they have already had a conversation about their height in the last 48 hours. This conversation was most likely with a complete stranger whom they found rude and annoying. It could have been with an elderly person, a child, the creepy guy on the subway ... do you want to be associated with these people? No, I didn’t think so. Pointing out the obvious will get you nowhere, originality and whit will take you places.

Ignorance, in this case, is NOT bliss.