I am not a morning person, and nor have I ever been. But mornings like today's make me think there is more to life than enjoying a good sleep-in. When I can fit this many things that I love doing into a four-hour period, it's a good morning. I had to drop Dev off at his friend's to go snowboarding for the day, and I had a hair appointment downtown. So we were up at 7:40am this morning, dropped D off, and Cam and I headed out.
I have been going to Morgan at
Storm Salon for the past 16 years. I often think it's time to start seeing someone closer to home, but everytime I walk in, I know I can't do it. For example, the last time I was there, it was a Friday night the week before Christmas, and when I sat in the chair, Morgan asked, "would you like a glass of wine?" So while he did my hair, I enjoyed a glass of red with a stick of chocolate. Does it really ever get any better?
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| Storm Salon, 77 E. Pender Street |
We were early, and Morgan hadn't arrived to open the salon yet, so Cam and I went next door to
Everything Cafe for some breakfast.
Cam was thrilled because they had cereal and milk ($3.00) with the mini-cereal boxes. She picked Fruit Loops. Most of the items offered were special coffees, desserts, muffins, sandwiches and wraps, as well as a daily soup. I am cutting down on carbs and sugars, so the only thing I could really have was the breakfast sandwich, ($4.00ish?) which had cheese, scrambled egg and bacon, but it came on a grilled bread. (I didn't think to ask for no bread, but whatever. -1 for me, I guess.) It was delish - I could actually taste everything in it, and the cheddar was sharp - yum!
The sun was coming through the window and we enjoyed our breakfast, the first people in the cafe.
Afterward, we walked down the street to one of the Chinese shops (we were in the heart of Chinatown) and poked around all the trinkets. We saw some pretty paper lanterns, and Cam was trying to decide if she wanted a Chinese fan or a lantern, and if the lantern, what colour - dark pink or lime green (her two favourite colours)? I suggested we decide after my appointment, and we go see if Morgan was there yet. She ran ahead, and when she looked in the window, she turned back to me and gave me the thumbs-up.
Morgan and I had had a great chat as usual. He and I were in the same French class in grade 9, and when I ran into him after high school when we both lived in Vancouver and he told me he was doing hair, I made an appointment and was so happy with what he did I never looked back. Today was no different. After two hours of chatting about
Mad Men, his new home, and catching up on what's new, my hair looked much better. Cam and I went back to the shop and she picked the Chinese fan. (A black fabric fan with a cherry blossom branch embroidered on it, very pretty.) We were done so early that I had time to head over to
Moe's.
I love Moe's. I bought my white leather dining room chairs there at Christmas time, and the staff member I dealt with, Gene, was awesome. Long story short, I got great customer service and I was able to get a something that I really loved for my new home. The purchase of the chairs also entitled me to a $100 gift card under a promotion they were running at the time, and I haven't been able to make it back to take advantage of it, so today was perfect. I got an email the other day saying they were having a no-tax sale this weekend too.
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| I love this slipper chair. Thinking about adding it to my bedroom. (Check out Cam's fan.) |
I spent about an hour and a half in Moe's, and ended up getting a print for the house.
I liked this piece because I love art that depicts cities. It doesn't even matter what city, or whether I've been to the city. I'm drawn to the look of buildings, skyline and their surroundings. I also like the colours in this one - it had a little touch of turquoise in it, one of my favourites.
During the drive home, Cam fell asleep and my iPod played a clip of the
Ricky Gervais Show - Best of Series 1. This is my favourite podcast, and the only one that makes me laugh out loud. I heard a particularly hilarious clip as Stephen read from Karl's diary, as Karl related his trip to Gran Canaria. His observations are so absurd, and Ricky and Stephen's incredulous responses and howls of laughter are half of what crack me up.
"There was a really fat bloke on the plane. He was playing on his PSP. While I waited to go to the toilet I looked to see what game he was playing. It was darts. He's that fat and lazy he can't even face playing a more active game on a games console."
The sun was out, and I'd spent the past four hours doing things I love doing! A pretty good morning in my book.
I grew up listening to The Beatles. My mom was a superfan, and when I listen to albums like Rubber Soul and Revolver, I am taken back to our living room in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in the late 70s. I can see the red carpet and red crushed velvet curtains, our brown velour furniture, the shale rock on the wall flanked by sections with mirrors that had gold designs over them. In front of the rock and mirror wall was our huge brown wood console stereo that contained a built-in 8-track player and turntable, where my mom would play her Beatles vinyl when my sisters and I were kids. 
Anyway, last night I happened to overhear Girl, one of my favourite songs by the Beatles. I suddenly had a hankering to get a little nostalgic, and I downloaded Girl, Across the Universe, Something, Come Together, and A Day in the Life. My favourites. Listening to them, I was taken back to my childhood, with cousins and grandparents living down the street, Sundays at Nana and Grandad's house, playing in my cousins' backyard, my green swing set by the side of my house (I always wished it had a slide), my Mr. Turtle pool (that my next-door-neighbour, Karen, stepped in with her sandals on and cracked it, and I never forgave her,) and so much more. 
