My big screen debut, a contest, Female Trouble, and more

Bing. I'm back!!

I'd show you holiday photos if I'd actually been on a holiday in the last month, but all the travelling I have done lately has been in my head - and I know that if I showed you photos of that, you would all get motion sickness. 

So here I'll show you what I've been wearing since I last wrote.

Kids loved those sunglasses. So did I. Especially with my space-age helmet hair.

The sweater in the next photo was a gift from British brand HADES, pure virgin lamb's wool, hand-made in Scotland. HADES offers several sayings, but this is my fave of the bunch. The retro font is reminiscent of the zany '60s movie Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows with Rosalind Russell. I didn't even know there was a John Waters movie by this name from 1974. Oh woe. I must see it.

In this outfit I felt like I was on a movie set. That's my script beside me (not really, it's my Glitter Barbie sketch pad I bought in Greece, which I use as a clipboard when I attend press events).

And more stuff.

I don't know how that greenie-brown XXL boiler suit made it into my closet. Secret interloper! Maybe it seduced me with its huge baggy sloppiness in a moment of weakness. I'm sure that's it.

Sleuthing aside, I did something very terrifying in my absence. And I failed at it really, really badly in a good way.

I entered a video in a competition by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) called Next Up for amateur standup comedians, un-agented and previously unpaid. Except I'm not quite stand-up. I'm more La-Z-Boy really. I only did two takes because otherwise I would have chickened out. That's my excuse; I'm sticking to it. I could have hidden this, but there is misery in numbers. Right?

Rules for viewing:
Don't feel guilty or bad if you don't like it. For feck's sake, please don't be happy if you don't like it. And don't laugh either. Well, you can laugh but not in a mean way. If you start to feel mean, go to Suzanne's blog here; she's the one who told me about the contest. Hahaha. Now I'm laughing.

It is extremely painful to try to be funny alone in one's room, without music or a laugh track. Ask Sherry at Petite Over 40 because we made a mini Laugh-In show called LOL 40-Up. "Total fecking silence," to quote a line from Steve Buscemi in one of my favourite movies, Fargo. See the scene here, with Russian overdubbing!

Ten finalists have been selected, excluding moi, but including lots of women. Right on!! Have a look and a laugh. Finalists. You can browse all the entries here #CBCNextUp. Clearly my piece is more monologue than stand-up, but I was happy just to get my video out there. I figure that was a 10 on the experiential freak-yourself-out-for growth chart.

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AND, I made a sponsored video for Talize Thrift store which I posted on Instagram. My friend Elizabeth Zvonar helped with camera work. Lots of fun. I am not under any obligation to post it here, but click the picture if you want to see it.

AND, finally, the real movie I was in, the documentary Keep It In The Streets, written and directed by Everett Bumstead, is now playing on YouTube, 70 min. Everett and Sam, who was also instrumental in the project, are awesome. Experimental art film. I am honoured to have been a part of this. I hope you get a chance to watch. Their heart is in every scene. Click the photo to go to YouTube.

And that's it from me for now. I'm going to have a fun mini meetup tomorrow! Can't wait.

I'll link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for #iwillwearwhatilike when they come up next.

Keep cool, my friends.
As always, thank you for visiting!!

Pinky tea with a parasol

Oh dear, I think it's time for pinky tea at the country estate again. It's on my mind on account of the Royal Wedding. Did you watch it? One of the major thoughts I had when flicking through footage the next day was, that woman, the now-Duchess of Sussex, will never have to vacuum again, which is a good thing because her new digs are ENORMOUS, a perfect venue for pinky teas.

I'm featuring my new parasol this week wearing three different outfits on different days. There is something elegant, almost regal, about a parasol. It works hard in tough conditions but always maintains its composure, whether it's with man-pyjamas, above in Outfit 1, or a Moschino suit, later. 

I call this black shirt-dress man-pyjamas because I found this piece at Talize thrift store in the men's nightwear section. (Never overlook other sections in the thrift store.) And of course I'm wearing my magic loupe that O made for me. You can buy one too at his Etsy store, OSK Micro-Art Studio. 

Outfit 2 below features everything upcycled: my Marni for H&M pants with added side stripes, from Vancouver high-end consignment store Mine and Yours, chest-cooler T-shirt, graphic vintage handbag, and scribbled-on sneakers. And my magic loupe.

I seldom wear hats on account of my tower hair, and my pores choke when I put on lotion, so this parasol is perfect: it maintains the do, protects my skin, and keeps me cool. A special coating on the fabric blocks 98% of UV rays.

I almost bought a paper parasol last summer thinking a parasol would meet my needs. Glad I didn't because Lily-Lark asked if I'd like one of their designs. Wow, yeaaah!

Finely crafted in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from bamboo and wood, with ultra-soft, durable fabric in divine arty patterns. It's lightweight and comes with its own carry case. See how it's made HERE.

It's like a mega-brimmed hat but better because I control the roll, pitch, and yaw with a flick of my wrist.

Below I'm standing next to Elizabeth Zvonar, an artist friend, with the parasol closed.

I'm also wearing very cool tights that Zohara "Art on Tights" sent me. They are super soft and opaque at 120 denier, just the way I like them. Vancouver can be cool in the spring and summer, so I'll get to wear these tights year-round. I have more pairs I'll show you later.

Lily-Lark parasols come in large and small. This is a small - I thought it would be perfect for navigating busy city sidewalks. It is.

The pattern and drama of the parasol inspired me to make a short video on a whim. That day, I was wearing Outfit 3, my Moschino plaid suit, which features men's ties on the jacket and skirt. I bought it last year at the West Vancouver United Church Flea Market on a tip from friend Yvonne.

With the suit I'm wearing my cat/dog sticking-out-its-tongue T-shirt tucked in. But you can see the eyes when I don't wear the jacket. I got it on a tip from friend Sandra.

All that parasoling, I'm tuckered out. It's an Olympic sport now, did you know?
Then it's nap time on the concrete steps. Aaaah.

Give a lady a little privacy, would ya!?!
So many uses.

And that's the carry bag you can wear over your shoulder, which I do. It's almost like a samurai sword. Almost. Always at the ready for solar emergencies.

You wouldn't believe all the conversations I have with interesting people when I carry this parasol. Several men have commented on the quality - I'm not making this up. I'd love to see men carrying parasols - that would make my day!

Note to Lily-Lark: how about some canopies with monster trucks and stems that look like steel rods? Our skin is important and some guys can't stand lotions either, let alone large-brimmed hats. Good luck with that, hahaha! But why not?

I didn't remove the tags right away because I was always getting asked the brand. Now I won't forget. This design is called Taco.

Before, on sunny days I'd have to skulk awkwardly from light standard to light standard, like Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther, very undercover. But now, porting my own shade, I can walk wherever I like - what a concept! It's very liberating to choose my own path.

I met another woman today who also has a parasol - her skin is sensitive to lotions too. Are sun parasols a new trend? Rather, the revival of an old trend? Would you carry one?

That's all for this week, friends. I'll link up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her Visible Monday and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for her #iwillwearwhatilike.

Groove on!

Breaking the ice. Danger!

I'm going to pictures this week. Yeah, like the headline says, I'm breaking the ice! Action shot.

You may have seen other photos from this shoot earlier on my Instagram. They were taken by my artist friend Elizabeth Zvonar. You can read about her at Wiki HERE, her website, and Daniel Faria Gallery, which is located in Toronto. AND she's on Instagram. Whew.

I'm wearing my upholstery-fabric pants, so wondrous, with my spirography-turtleneck top, both of which coordinate nicely with my dotted wheelie cart and trailer-park-motif lunchbag handbag. Graffiti camouflage wear. My beast coat is trying to escape from the wheelie cart. And it's growling.

And look! It's Turnip Head with Princess Kitty. We're exploring an old tunnel. I was wearing my deluxe burgundy pants from Oska, my mustardy-muppet coat, a longish ombre blue/cream T, and a favourite scarf from the brand HADES. Plus my red beret, because, duh, nobody goes tunnel-exploring without one, or without sunglasses, vintage ones.

Still in that cartoony frame of mind, I went through my photos - and also because I didn't have anything new yet to debut, heh - and found my JLo workout velour onepiece that I painted my alternate body on, which took FOREVER with layers and layers of acrylic paint to get it just right. I'm happy with it now.

And I tried to add a little bad-assery, good-assery, mediocre-assery to the onepiece with this faux-leather biker jacket, which, after being stored in a space bag, is now flaking apart! The bag cautions, no fur, no feathers, but nothing about fake leather. Grrr. That company owes me big-time now, at least $5 !!!! That's okay - I can actually work with this flaking mess - I have a couple of ideas. I bought both of these pieces at My Sister's Closet.

That's it for now. I just did this little prairie-dogging pop-up post for a quick look around before going underground again. BUSY!!!!!

May you all be well and merry and well-fed and hydrated - including your skin.

I'm linking up to Patti at Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine at #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb.