Jun
2018

What I Read: Phoenix Edition

categories: Books

Between the flights and pool-side lounging, I had a lot of reading time crammed into my 4-day vacation to Scottsdale – which was good and timely, considering how large my TBR pile had grown. I ended up bringing 4 books with me, and that number wasn’t greater only because I wanted to leave room in my suitcase for vacation shopping loot. In no particular order …

The Rise of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen

I “treated” myself to this, brand new, on Amazon because I love Petersen’s writing. I hesitated between this and her book on classic Hollywood scandals; the latter is my reading catnip, but also well-known territory for me at this point. I was intrigued to read Petersen’s take on some of the “unruly” women profiled in this book, and I’m glad it was my ultimate choice.

Each chapter is devoted to a famous woman who personifies some aspect of “unruliness” that’s challenging current social/cultural norms. I strongly identified with Petersen’s intro where she talks about herself and how she **. I enjoyed every single chapter but my faves where probably the ones on Serena Williams (too strong), Melissa McCarthy (too fat), and Lena Dunham (too naked) – though Lena is problematic in other ways, which I wish Petersen had a chance to address.

Heavier than Heaven by Charles R. Cross

Although I am on the cusp of being a Millenial, I have always considered myself a Gen-Xer. (Growing up in a Communist country, we were about 10 years behind on pop culture stuff until the early 90s, so this actually tracks; I remember watching Dallas one year, and then Twin Peaks the next.) By the time I had moved to the West, I missed the peak of the grunge movement, but still got to experience its tailwinds. Which is by way of saying that I feel oddly nostalgic about a decade that straddles my least favourite time of life: my early to mid teenage years.

I was super into Pearl Jam back in the day, and am still not a big fan of Nirvana; nevertheless, I enjoyed a documentary on Kurt Cobain that I happened to catch on TV a few months ago, so I thought this book would be an interesting follow-up. Actually, I was more interested in reading about Courtney Love than Cobain, to be honest, but I figured the book would have something to say about her as well. It does, but it left me wanting to read more about her specifically. As far as Cobain, my takeaway is that in addition to being a talented artist (still not a fan of the music but I can appreciate its significance), he was also a deeply troubled person. Also kinda weird. I am deeply interested in people’s weirdness – I think as an antidote to the hyper-sanitized version of reality presented by IG – so I found the book engrossing as a window into that.

The Loves of Charles II by Jean Plaidy

I’m pretty sure I’ve written about Plaidy before, but she is one of my favourite old-school historical (romance) novelists. I put the “romance” in brackets because while her books inevitably feature romantic plots, they are definitely of the PG-13 variety; also, the stories are centered around various historical figures – with varying degrees of artistic license being called upon in service of the narrative – so they generally don’t fall into the happy-ever-after category. I grew up with Plaidy’s books, so I find them comforting to read. For what it’s worth, I think she is a better (and more historically accurate) writer than, say, Phillipa Gregory – but we are talking the same genre here.

Anyway, this was a collection of several 3 separate novels, all of them about Charles II and his various paramours. Charles II is one of my favourite English monarchs because, though he doesn’t have a reputation as a strong kind, he knew how to have fun and wasn’t a massive prig (relatively speaking). Plaidy writes him as a very sympathetic character, but approaches the women in his life – even the controversial Barbara Palmer – with equal sympathy. The book has made me want to dig up Plaidy’s other novels, particular on the Stuart monarchs. Mary and Anne are often overlooked queens, and I want to read more about them. I did re-read Antonia Fraser’s biography of Charles, which I recommend if you want a more scholarly view of his reign.

What have you been reading lately?


May
2018

Recent Non-Fashion Purchases

categories: Shopping

Time for another round of reviews on my Amazon purchases. Whooo-weeee!

Magnetic Tiles

I am telling every parent I know about these; in my opinion, they are the best value-for-money toy, hands down, for ages 4 and up. Our Houston friends’ kids had these, and the entire junior cohort (ages 4-7, mixed gender) played with them constantly during our visit. I actually love playing with them as well – insert joke about my maturity level here – which is a bonus because I can’t say that about at least 80% of my kids’ toys. They are way more fun than regular building blocks, and you can build much cooler structures and 3D objects with them. I think they are great for stimulating imagination, and teaching kids about geometry.

The original brand, MagnaTiles, is very pricey. On Amazon, a 100-piece set retails for about $170CAD. A hundred pieces might sound like a lot, but you need at least double that to really get creative/adventurous. I did some research and found this much cheaper version; the reviews suggested that they were just as good as the MagnaTiles and, in my experience, that is actually the case – they seem identical, looks- and quality-wise. These cost under $70CAD for a 100-piece set; 32-piece packs are about $30CAD. Still not inexpensive, but the tiles seem pretty sturdy and I expect my kids will be playing with them for a while. They also take up less space to pack up when not in use as compared to regular blocks, which is a bonus. My house has a tendency to look like a toy graveyard at the best of times.

Mario Badescu Rose Water Facial Spray

This is one of those bougie skin care things that no one actually needs, but I saw Samantha Irby post a photo of it on her Instagram, and I am susceptible to the influence of women I want to be friends with, okay? I also have a vague threshold of about $25 for impulse/useless buys, and this cost just under than on Amazon, so. It was bought.

Was it any good? Well, yeah. It feels really nice. I still maintain that it’s not something you need, and I can’t speak to its magical, skin-transforming powers because my skin is having none of that transformation business at this point – but! – it’s a nice little pick-me-up if you’re into that sort of thing. I would say it’s akin to a sheet mask, minus the looking like a drugstore version of a serial killer part.

Edited to add: I bought the large size, which naturally I can’t find as of my writing of this post, and I think it will likely last at least 2-3 months. When I was in Phoenix, I found the small size (linked above) for $5 at Nordstrom Rack, so I purchased the purple and green versions as well. I’m basically addicted to the spraying action at this point. Fawncy!

Pom Pom Maker

This is another item that might have a very niche audience, but I had to mention it because I get a kick out of it. I initially found this on Amazon while looking for something else related to my knitting adventures, and I bought it in hopes that I would, someday, successfully knit a beanie. Beanie + pom-pom = legit hat. That, and the fact this gadget cost under $20CAD, was the extent of the thought process that went into this purchase.

Once I figured out the instructions – which were almost certainly written by a non-native English speaker – the thing was pretty easy to use and does make a decent-looking pom pom. I have only used the largest size so far, but I plan to dive into pom crafts at some point.

Have you found some cool bargains or gadgets on Amazon (or elsewhere) lately? Share everything in the comments 🙂


May
2018

Scottsdale, AZ: What I Wore

categories: Uncategorized

After trips to Mexico, Palm Springs, Houston and, now, Scottsdale in the span of just over a year, I like to think that I’m an expert at packing for a hot vacation. Needs obviously will vary a bit from destination to destination, but not much in my case; I am basically a sloth anytime, anyplace I’m on vacation. What matters more than location is whether the kids are going to be there or not; for kid-free trips like this one, I do tend to over-dress a little. YOLO, right!? Even so, were it not for the fact that I have an extensive skin care regimen (which is not precisely compatible with carry on restrictions) and plans to bring back quantities of US-exclusive candy, I probably could have done this trip without checked luggage. That is a Peak Minimalism moment for me, you guys.

Here’s a list of what I took with me (including the clothes I wore on the plane):

– 3 dresses – only because I like to “dress up” for dinner, even though I am not a “fancy dining” kind of person. I’m complicated, ok?
– 3 tops
– 1 pair of pants
– 1 pair of shorts
– 2 sweaters/cardigans
– 1 cover-up
– 1 bikini
– 4 pairs of shoes
– Pyjamas and unmentionables

I feel like I need to explain the shoes. I always wear closed-toe shoes on the plane because my feet get cold otherwise. On this trip, I knew I wanted to do a little bit of hiking – definitely not my norm and, as it turns out, not something my husband was feeling either – so I decided to bring along some runners. But the runners didn’t go with my plane outfit so … 1 pair of shoes became two. Similarly, I usually only bring one pair of sandals (and one would have sufficed here as well), but I had just thrifted some Rebecca Minkoff thong sandals, and they barely took up any extra space, so … 1 pair of sandals became two. Two plus two … well, you can do the math.

Anyway, here is what I actually wore.

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This was my plane outfit, and what I wore (minus the vest) until we checked into the hotel. It was the most comfortable. I wore the same thing on the way back except that I subbed in the black floral top I wore on Day 2.

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I wore this for dinner on our first night. This is one of my fave dresses and it was nice to be able to wear it without a sweater for once.

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Day 2, and a trip to the botanical garden. I always wear this hat in the summer when I’m outside, so it pays for itself in no time. It’s under $40 at Aritzia, and I believe they sell it every year. My first one got smushed in a suitcase once, but the hat is good quality and wears well otherwise; this is the second summer for this hat and it still looks great.

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Evening outfit for Day 2. I recently got the necklace at J. Crew Factory. It was a perfect accessory for another one of my favourite muumuus.

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Outfit for Day 3. I switched to the shorts in the afternoon for a quick shopping trip, post-poolside lounging.

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Last but not least, I had to bring out this recently thrifted Corey Lynn Calter dress. I hunted this dress on eBay, in and off, for years without ever finding the right deal; a few weeks ago, I found it at my local Goodwill for $8.50. Paired with my Aritzia belt, it was a lovely outfit for a lovely last dinner in old town Scottsdale.