retail therapy.

new scarf.
new boots.
tomorrow, i hit brunswick street. carved owl ring! :: douglas & hope ::

HDR photography

when i finish school, i really want to experiment with cameras. TS just sent me a link to this site about :: HDR :: and the pictures look like they have been photoshopped to high heaven. but apparently, no, it's just the beauty of a sweet camera, triple exposure and some skills. i need to get me some of those. skills that is. and a sweet camera.


* image of :: Casablanca in LA ::

world's scariest man?

or sort of endearing?... nah.

Louis Theroux.

I really like documentaries, and BBC's Louis Theroux produces some of the most entertaining pieces of work I have seen. He gets right into the lives of some sick sick people, weird people, 'interesting' people... and does it in a way that makes the subjects of his docos feel like they are able to be themselves in his presence. He is very unassuming, very sweet and plays naivety to a T. His series follows him while he hangs out with British men purchasing Thai brides, pickets American soldiers' funerals with the Westborough Baptist Church family, goes on safari in wildlife farm enclosures in South Africa with big fat white Americans hoping to shoot a zebra and chills with some Nazi families, talking to them about raising children... and that is only to mention a few of his classics!

you slanderous trolls.

is this for real? and what is that accent? texan or dutch? thank you TS, you sending me this link provides me with great comfort... you are a bigger youtube searching time-waster than i am.

little kids with pipes.

when he kicks in with the MJ, i immediately burst into tears. goosebumps.

:: shaheen ::

The Hallway.

this is so amazing. i mean, judge for yourself, but to me, this just resonates - it is very 'me right now', probably a lot of people right now. or maybe not just 'now', maybe it is 'us always'. confused? watch this. pretty amazing how some people can sum things up so concisely, represent it visually and just have this great impact on a complete stranger, who relates.


The Hallway from The Hallway on Vimeo.

* :: miranda july ::

who are these guys?

flight of the conchords except americanised, with swearing, explicit, crude lyrics and high profile celebrity music video appearances and collaborations? the first song sounds like inner city pressure. it makes me miss jemaine and bret.

spun rivals. new stuff.

:: everything i took for granted ::

way to go boys!

* photo via fb, tagged photos of clay and rich, by kate griffin :: here ::

lighten up, mom, it's magic.

k, last 80's toy/movie/cartoon post but holy - toys were so flippin' scary back in the day. i mean seriously, look at these things! they are the stuff nightmares are made of and yet i had like 20 of them.

the hugga bunch movie.

i have been helping some friends look up 80's cartoon characters, trying to come up with costumes for the party our irish friends are having in a couple weeks. so, one thing leads to another and i end up starting to watch the rainbow brite movie 'star stealer' (as one does... ahem.) suddenly, i sit up in my bed and gasp. i could search for my absolute favourite movie from when i was a kid on youtube!... i actually still look in blockbuster's kids section for this one and it is never there. one time, at some tiny little movie store on rebecca in oakville, next to that ufo dinner, i found a copy. this was back when i was in grade 11? anyway, i was so excited i forced my friend jay to sit through the whole thing with me, i'm pretty sure he luuuuuuved it.

if you have a spare hour or so (and i know some of you do), this is the best kids movie EVER... and uh wait, actually, as i am watching it now, it is extraordinarily creepy and it is pretty much freaking me out.








* kudos to 'cb82fan' who uploaded this in such high quality.

truly truly truly outrageous.

cartoon party - we can't help ourselves, have to go as my idol from when i was four...



costume will be some variation of this:



my back-up option is to dress like this guy... thundercats - hoooooooooooooooo!

dear T,

('til i get there, actually)
luuuuuuvv brennie.

* i totally copied, go see this girl's cute blog :: sara says awesome ::

i love blackforest HAM.

i've had some wine tonight. it's around 4am. where do thoughts come from? i just had a flashback to one of the best weekends i can remember - em, zman, carly and me in my volkswagen gulf, westbound to Illinois. and on repeat, cranked - sandwiches. simcoe. are you kidding me? these dudes are so talented it hurts my head just thinking about their greatness. just shut up and go listen:
:: sandwiches ::
this song became an anthem in my office for about 7 months in 2006.


*photo cred: benpobjoy.com

oh wait, here are other inebriated people enjoying simcoe as much as i do:

dear facebook.

i am slowly deleting you. with little bursts of will power, i have gone on erasing frenzies over the past two days and have managed to complete the following steps towards my ultimate goal of a facebook-free existence:

- went from 420 or something tagged photos to: 308 (still too many)
- went from 20 photo albums to: 0
- inbox/outbox, every message i had ever sent or received on there to: 0, emptied.
- went from 70 profile photos (holy shit!) to: 39
- went from a member of around 70 fan pages to: 0
- went from being in 50 or so groups to: 5 (one of them being the Beautiful Men's Appreciation Society, I couldn't bring myself to un-join that one)
- interests, likes, dislikes, fave books, fave movies, how are you, who are you dating: cleared all info except university and high school history and current city.
- wall posts?: no.
- view photos of Bren?: no.
- iLike?: not anymore.
- causes?: lost the causes.
- links, posts, 'boxes with stupid apps' from a few to: 0.
- deleting things and clearing personal data from facebook?: priceless. i mean, cathartic. and oddly unsettling at the same time.

the scariest part of it all, other than the fact that i listed the above as 'accomplishments', is that it is really hard to just sign off. 'but how will i network?' 'what if i burn a bridge?' - holy. it is not NORMAL to know what everyone you ever met is up to at all times! ok, so then the debate of what normalcy is ensues... but seriously, i followed the creators of facebook into this whole thing without thinking through the long-term effects of what dragging your entire history of acquaintances through your life with you will be. is there a reason we detach from people? a reason we only keep people in our lives for a certain amount of time, then move on, grow, evolve?

i was at work today and two 50-somethings women were having a discussion over red wine: "oh, you know, he isn't on facebook, so he'll never know." what?!?

oh, but hold on. i did meet up with long lost friends over the holidays that i never would have had it not been for fb. i do stay in touch, even via the exchange of little wall post to say 'i'm thinking of you' every couple months between old friends and some of my family is on there now too... and i DO have impromptu chats on that piece of garbage chat program that cuts out every three minutes and doesn't send messages and then all of a sudden it sends the same message like 30 times... and i really like looking at pictures of people - even the ones i have never met - because some people are really good photographers, or have really cool shoes...

woah. i think this whole exercise, re-reading my list, and reminding myself that i am not being forced to stay on this site... i think i just need to learn moderation. oh god, its not fb's fault... it's mine! * gasp *

i don't know. i had a huge rant about this on my drive home today to TS and i guess i have to blame it on a 14 hour day, 7 or so cappuccinos, delirium and too much time on the internet. facebooking. but wait, what about blogging? oooops. i guess i will just have to pick my tech battles for now.

and on that note - here's a song i like and a video that reminds me of a-ha with a title that accurately describes my state of mind as i try to shut my laptop and go to sleep...

luuuuuuuuuv. brennie. (xoxo, ha.)

gordie said i had to.

actually, he didn't really say i had to put this up, but he made a general request to anyone to repost. so i did. if you are in the appropriate 'hood, on the appropriate date, at the appropriate hour, go check some art out...
gb takes a :: mean photo. ::

oh, and:

dear. gordie.

you'rrreee welcome.

luuuuv. brennie.

me too lady.

:: found while fb-browsing through an album that my friend Heidi was tagged in...taken at Club Club in Sydney ::here ::

can somebody please, remove these, cutleries, from my knees.

best lyrics ever in the whole history of music in all of life. for serious.

oh guilty pleasures.

With T away, I have had to find something to fill the long lonely nights... and I have reached the end of the episodes available online of that void-filler and am feeling a blanket of anxiety wrap itself around me... need... more... chuck...nate... I can't believe how ridiculous it is, but I'm infatuated with this show all over again. I guess it is back to re-watching season one until the last four episodes of this season get uploaded so I can watch them all in a row - don't you hate waiting a week in between episodes? How did we live through years of Dawson's Creek like that? Never again. Waiting until there are several seasons of a show out there for the watching in one gigantic viewing session is totally the way to go. Also, a new show for me (that has 4 seasons online, hooray!), weeds, is super addictive, so get into if you aren't already.

get outta here, accoustic version.

in my dreams i'm as cool as emily haines.

officially my favourite right now.

do it.

playlist.

i think the guy at the pub we had dinner at tonight stole one of my mix cds from early 2000's. jimmy eat world, something corporate, 'one more time' by daft punk... flashback city, an old friend home from overseas and a tasty veggie burger made for a nice evening.

addition to the 'australians are good at naming things' post.

T pointed out that I neglected to include the Golden Gaytime. Great name for a very delicious ice cream treat.

:: stolen from here ::

also, here is the commercial that is currently running for this product, the jingle gets stuck in my head quite often...

b&w film

picked some film up today. i had dropped it off weeks ago, and had taken the rolls on my diana months ago... they only put one of the 4 rolls on the cd, so here is a mixed bag of what developed...

three musketeers - mtl new years 2009


zy & g - mtl new years 2009


ma man costa - mtl new years 2009


muskoka - jan. 2009


Ohn the neighbourhood puppy - phuket feb.2009


T & his mama - phuket feb. 2009

T at the beach - phuket feb. 2009

all of a sudden i miss everyone.

last february, corner hotel in melbourne, with T, and my heart pretty much lost it at this song. best show of my life.

:: your hand in mine ::

* another link disabled by request. lames.
** couldn't find a live recording of the one i actually saw... but this german one is pretty much the same deal.

oh hello.

updating a blog when you are kind of feeling blah, or maybe numb from being so overwhelmed it's like you'd rather just freeze and drop everything because it is too much to handle? not in an 'end it all' kind of way, no, no, no. in a way that you take a look at where you are, what's up and go 'shit, how the hell did i end up here, doing this? its too late to turn back now, isn't it.'

this is not a post of regret. this is a post of assessing the 9 months i have ahead of me (no, i'm not pregnant) and just taking in how massive they are. i guess it can be like that with most things when you look at them as a whole, instead in small, manageable pieces (or day by day in my case).

i miss T and he has been gone for like 3 days.

i have lots going on... good things, random things, horrifying things, frustrating to the point of being laughable things... none of which i feel like detailing for you here at the moment.

i just felt like i had to post an update (sad?). and also - publicly declare that i will never ever need to know about something or someone sooooo bad that i will twitter their every move. that's just messed up.

on a final note: i don't think i have any spare hours in my life anymore, but i need to make some money. so.... send some. or loan some, i'm good for it. in like a year.

xx

last night in no particular order...

T's go-away party, we pitched in and got him a 120gb iPod classic... he was surprised, overwhelmed and very thankful (cheers guys for donating). still hasn't sunk in that he leaves tomorrow. best person i know.

and to all my lovelies last night, i had a very nice time with you cute people and feel super lucky to have such a sweet group of friends to help keep the smiles coming.

what the hell is twitter.

i learned all i know about this phenomenon in this handy video clip:



* thanks jen for posting this on fb. wow, internet rules my life.

i'm learning swedish.

it is official, i have to learn to speak, read and write the language if i want to stand a chance of getting comfortable and fitting in over there... my plan of attack consists of some teach-yourself-swedish podcasts that T downloaded for me this week and to read the abundance of great swedish blogs i've come across... what is it with this country and cuteness and style? found this one today, written in swedish with a handy english translation underneath!
:: elikan ::

miss teasa's first vid (umm, NC-17?)

my girl carly and a couple of her friends formed a girl group a few years back, making dance-pop-erotica-novelty jams... i actually don't know how to describe the genre, because they are crazy. saw the ladies live in january and they are true performers, expert in the art of seduction, stage talk and winning crowds over. and it was a tough crowd, i almost got in a cat fight for saying 'sorry!' when i snuck by this chick to go sit with some friends. she turned and glared asking me, dead serious, 'yeah but are you really sorry?' and i said, 'uh, yes.' 'good.' it was gangstaaaaa.

i'm so embarrassed for this guy, oh man.

and he ends this jam with a 'Seacrest, outtttt'. i bet he goes to western.

australians are good at naming things.

examples of wicked product/store names that i tried to describe to a few of you in december and was met with a barrage of yeah rights and no ways:

ok, so you are racist AND you are telling me how good i think your cheese is? tasty? i'll be the judge of that, thanks.

they make an attempt at a poutine with 'the french canadian', but if it doesn't have cheese curds on it, it just doesn't cut it for me... wait, does alto's use curds? who cares, they put more topping than fries in that shit.
* image stolen from flickr

my favourite.

i still love ya...

* saw it and snapped it... reminded me of gb : randoms : and
ba : another one :... been noticing them everywhere, people are pretty cute.

my deer.

dee dee ramone - funky man

(shit quality, but wooooow.)

because life said so.

sometimes you plan things. if you are like me, most times you plan things. and then life says 'uh, 'scuse me, but i run this shit' and things change.

T's gotta head home, his mama is unwell, and home is where he needs to be. i am not sure how life works here without him, because it's been awhile now that he has been a major part of my everyday... but it looks like i am moving to the land of vodka, abba, the nobel prize and tanned blonde people in november. i thought montreal was my next stop - but as they say, home is where the heart is... and mine's leaving in a week.

oh deer.

* think this was from :: Face Hunter ::

new and oh so amazing.

he is magic.

i'm seeing ghosts in everything i do.

remixes stuck in my head.

circle city.

when i was home and it snowed for 27 days straight and i was barricaded in my family home with my mom by a 4 foot snow bank in front of every possible exit, i learned to knit. and now that i am finished with beach adventures and tropical weather, i can finally wear my very first knitting accomplishment, a circle scarf, to school today.

on the other side of the planet...

it's already march 17th, so happy 16th birthday to my cousin Shanley and happy day to Patricks everywhere.

acoustic versions, quit killin' me.

raro on a scooter

i took 600 pics on a shitty digi cam... i love the effect of the drive-by, fun!

oh MAN.

finger monkey.

another drive-by...

hi ladies and boys.

i have another series from a drive-by shooting (of the photo variety) from our most recent trip - rarotonga in the cook islands. now the only reason i had ever heard of this place was because it was the host for one of the 'survivors', i don't know, number 49 or something. T and i attended his good friend's wedding there last week (where T was the groomsman) and well, this place was absolutely ridiculous. it is so lush and beautiful, we just drove around on our scooter with our jaws dropped repeating "holy shit, it is sooooo nice here". i went scuba diving for the first time in 5 years, which was awesome. oh, and the wedding was amazing, really makes the whole beach ceremony thing seem like the best way to do it.

i am currently too unmotivated to go through the process of uploading some of the better shots of the island/wedding, but i felt the need to post a petit update since it has been a while.

also, montreal, thank you again for the sweet phone messages i received when i arrived home today - i love being included in the poutine parties. and please tell Trevor that even though i have never met him, he too seems like a darling.

nite nite!

and you're all getting one for christmas!

coach and four.

this night was one of my top 5's from my home trip. oh how i've missed karaoke and A & A. note that the really great videos from the after-party which included a mess of red wine (actually a mess all over the kitchen, oops), amazing cup holders and some serious American Idol sing-offs (where suddenly any sign of singing ability vanished completely) will not be shown due to the high embarrassment factor for those involved.

miss you chicks.

oh, and props to big A on her sideways filming technique!

me - something to talk about


nica - little bird

i'm a runner now.

i've been at it for a few weeks, which is a world record for me.

spotted tonight on my way to the dreaded westgarth hill of death, listening to attack in black for a little added motivation: a 5 year old boy and his 3 year old sister, in their pj's and bathrobes (his was a spider-man one and hers was bright red) on their bicycles with their cute young dad walking along beside them. looks like bike rides are the new bedtime stories, peeps.

also, i just heard a new term, used to describe people who hang around and make it difficult for other people to gossip about them/and or others: 'talk-blocking'. used in a sentence: man, i wish G would get out of here, he is TOTALLY talk-blocking me!