Bernie

My friend died yesterday.  An integral part of our family.  Don't roll your eyes at me please, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet.  In the past, when I've lost someone, I've found the act of eulogizing them on this blog has been cathartic and helped give me comfort and a sense of closure.  I don't want any kind of closure just yet.  I want to stay exactly this sad for a while.  Anything less would feel wrong.

Baby Ava!

Introducing Ava Izabella Baldassini!  I'll share more pics of this young lady soon, but for now, enjoy her pretty, sleeping, one day old face.  Annette did good! 

Thank you, Mr. Yost.

I can safely say that this, and Elwy Yost were as big a part of my childhood as The Muppets and Dr. Who himself.

If you're over the age of 30 and aren't familiar with Elwy then there is simply no way you grew up in Ontario. The Nolans are all movie buffs and we loved Elwy as if he was a member of the family.

Back in May, my sister, the popular classic movie blogger, Caftan Woman wrote this beautiful tribute to Elwy.  I'm sad to know he's no longer with us.  Thank you for everything, Elwy.

Caftan Woman, her daughter Janet and Elwy back when he was still a fixture on TVO

Serenity Now.

Sorry, I should say Serenity Now Then.  Serenity Then.

In the days since I returned from my Girls' Weekend at Ste. Anne's Spa I've been faced with what I like to think of as an onslaught of unpleasant.  No tragedies, just a lot of ick.  Looming deadlines, writer's block, a teething baby.  Bernie the Wondercat having a health scare, Bernie the Wondercat being on steroids and antibiotics (and therefore, me pacing the floor and suffering crying jags).  My period, a sore throat (ongoing) and just in the last hour or so I've been dealing with extremely itchy skin.  Like, I want to tear my skin off, itchy skin.  See? Ick!

So, now that I've just crapped all over my corner of the internet with my first world problems, let me tell you about the two straight days of pampering I just had!

I know, right?  I hate me sometimes too.

Cut to:  A Sunday morning in June.  Five thirtysomething moms leave their men folk, children and electronic devices* behind and head for the hills.

*Excluding Blackberrys. Obviously.

The car ride is uneventful.  No traffic, homemade sandwiches and a road trip coffee discovery for the ages: McDonald's coffee is both cheaper and waaaaaaaay more drinkable than the dread Tim Hortons.  I'm positively thrilled that I am now armed with this information.  This is EPIC.

When we arrive at Ste. Anne's it's everything we had imagined.  Rolling hills, well appointed gardens, beautiful buildings and people in white terrycloth bathrobes.  The notion that we were about to be one of the bathrobe people was very exciting indeed.

Here I am, taking in the landscape and Lake Ontario in the distance.  Le sigh.

We are ready to transform into bathrobe people!

Doesn't Yvonne look relaxed in her robe?
Don't ask her about the guy who was at the spa with his mom, though.
That would be a waste of a perfectly good hot stone facial.

The transformation is...complete!  Yes Annette and I are in wagons.
No, we can't pass up a silly photo opp. 

Chelsea is reading the newspaper!  The whole thing!

Rachel slept in!  Well, sort of.  Close enough! 

Frankly, that would have been enough for me.  A bathrobe and a chaise lounge.  That's all I needed.  But it wasn't all I got.  No sir.  I got the Caribbean Therapy.  Want to know more?  Yeah, you do.  Just reading this description makes me instantly more relaxed.

Your Caribbean Therapy treatment begins with a soothing foot soak using Aveda’s Caribbean Body Cleanser, complete with a sea salt scrub. While your feet are soaking, your therapist will perform a sensory journey with essential oils in order to customize the aromas of the treatment specifically to you. After choosing your preferred aroma, the therapist will leave the room while you undress. Once you are comfortably on the table, your therapist will re-enter the room and begin the body exfoliation portion of the treatment. Your therapist will add a few drops of your chosen aroma onto a pair of exfoliating gloves and exfoliate your entire body. This helps to slough off any dry, flaky skin to allow the the Caribbean Therapy products to penetrate better. Next, your therapist will apply the seaweed body mask, add wrap you in warm linens. Your therapist will then perform a face and scalp massage to help relieve any stress and release any tension. Following the wrap, you will shower off the remaining seaweed and once again relax back onto the massage table. The treatment ends with your therapist applying Aveda's Caribbean Body Cream to your entire body, to leave your skin soft, smooth and moisturized. The Caribbean Therapy treatment is 75 minutes long and is a great choice for anyone looking to pamper themselves.

Yep. I'm pretty sure just reading that has healing properties.

We stayed about 1km off site in the Innkeepers Cottage.  A spacious, quaint farmhouse that we had all to ourselves.  When we wanted to head back and forth between the spa and the Innkeepers all we had to do was call the front desk and they'd send someone over in a minivan for us.  The service, I should add, struck that perfect balance between pampering and cloying.  It never felt like too much.  Nobody was pretentious, but nobody ever denied a single one of our requests either.  Get a load of our house!

Monday morning coffee on our front porch = happy place.

Our days were filled with wonderful meals (including afternoon tea), a little bit of wine (you bring your own and there's no corkage fee), lazy hours poolside and sessions in the grotto hot tub and the steam room. There were long walks, yoga classes and overstuffed armchairs and biscotti.  Beautiful gardens, sunshine, cool breezes and most importantly time spent with great friends.

This is the view from the table where we had our afternoon tea.  Scones, clotted cream, compote, oh my!

At first glance I thought this guy was a cow.  Don't judge.
They talk a lot on their menu about the free range beef raised on site...

We've all know each other for well over twenty years.  That kind of history and connection can't be underestimated.  I'm so grateful to have these vibrant, wise, fun-loving women in my life.  I'm so glad that we found this peaceful, beautiful place to celebrate each other, our achievements and our friendships.  I'm so glad we still know how to relax and just be goofy and have fun together.  

We're simple girls, with simple needs and probably would have had just as much fun spending the night at the Super 8 up the road with a bottle of cheap wine and some Cheatos, for real.  

But, yeah, I'm glad we did this instead.

Breathing Space

I spent last weekend at Ste. Anne's Spa with my girlfriends.  The place is widely regarded as Canada's best spa.  Now I know why.  I'll share a few photos and stories from our foray into relaxation over the next couple of days.  

In the meantime, get a load of this beauty from their gardens, take a breath and enjoy and your Saturday! I'm off to get a much needed second cup of coffee...

GOOD Friday!

We leave for New Orleans tomorrow morning (hooray!) but today was not a quiet day spent packing and wishing tomorrow was already here, on the contrary, so much fun stuff went down!

First order of business was lunch with not one, not two, but ALL THREE of my sisters in Kensington Market to celebrate Caftan Woman's Birthday.  Check out how badass these ladies are...

Kensington Market is such a special part of Toronto and it just comes alive in the Spring.  I can't wait to take Lenny to this part of town when the weather warms us.

Forgive the poor quality of this camera phone shot from a bakery on Baldwin, but for someone as Sesame Street obsessed as I am, this was important to share.

After a great lunch at Fresco's (the Fish & Chips joint that plays Beatles music exclusively) where we got the one and only table (yay!) we browsed around Blue Banana where I stupidly did not buy this:

I should have bought it.  I have nothing to wear with my PJs while I watch the Royal Wedding!  Also, look how nicely it compliments my parka (natch).  Which I have to wear in late April in Toronto.  Have I mentioned how excited I am to be spending some time next week in a warmer climate?  ENOUGH already with this behaviour, North East.  Enough.

I know some of you were acknowledging Good Friday today and some of you were celebrating Earth Day, but to me, April 22nd will always be Caftan Woman Day!  I love you Sis, I'm sorry about that one time, when I was a teenager and I bought you a tote bag and a porto-mug for your birthday because it fell on Earth Day. I shouldn't have bitched about the paper plates we ate your cake on either.  I roll my eyes at my teenage now if that's any consolation.  Who did I think I was putting the fate of the panet above cake?  Kids are so dumb sometimes.

Then when I got home a bunch of my best girls came over for dinner with their families to celebrate the long weekend and the fact that Yvonne, Robb, Liam and Norah are visiting from Ottawa.  I miss those guys so much and wished they lived closer to home.  Every chance we get to spend quality time together is really, really welcome.

Look at all these kids!  Two members of the class were absent today too.  We need a reshoot in the Summer with this gang and Sam and Maggie.

Just the girls!  Sorry Liam and Gabby!

And the Mamas!  Weirdest thing about this shot is we're lined up the same way the little girls were, which is a total coincidence.

It really was a Good Friday.  Soon, we'll be in Nola, just the three of us.

I can't wait to see this guy.  He's everywhere in New Orleans, which tells you everything you need to know about the place.

Capturing Families

A couple of weeks ago I had a photo shoot with my old friend Rachel and her family. Her husband Ramon is a brilliant cook with a great sense of humour and her two year old Sophie is a spirited little girl who lights up a room with her smile...if she decides she wants to smile. It's totally up to her, you guys. And you can't make her. Believe me, I tried. I caught up with them them on a hot Saturday in August, the day after Rachel started maternity leave for her second baby.






The very next day Miles Gabriel made his appearance. They are calling him Gabriel because they think it suits him more. Sophie calls him Smiles Gabriel, which is so sweet it might just rot your teeth. Sorry about that, I should have warned you!





Welcome to the gang, Gabe. Thanks for letting me take your picture. I'd suggest you get used to it.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

So this past weekend I took off and spent an entire two days with my girls. Vonster was visiting from Ottawa and we took the opportunity to talk (too much), drink (too much) and eat (too much). We don't get enough quality time together now that we're all grown up and have come to realize that these occasional times together are vital, not just to our relationships with each other but to our own well being. Fun matters, people! Embrace your friendships. Make the time.


I was pretty much stalking my girls with my camera all weekend (some touristy shots made their way in there too - nothing like vacationing in your own city). The moments not documented include crazy spa times (how much did I love swimming in a heated outdoor pool in FEBRUARY?!) and midnight chip truck visits. Some things, like poutine, are often better left to the imagination...

Brace Yourselves

This weekend will be a red wine-fueled, spa and fancy restaurant attending estrogenfest. Vonster is visiting from Ottawa and we're having an honest to gosh girl's weekend! I'll be back when it's all over to share, if I've got the energy...

Photo shoot with Gail Packwood.

Gail Packwood is a Toronto based writer, theatre producer and exceptional brunch companion. The inspiration behind this shoot was the aesthetic seen in Alfred Hitchcock's early British work. Gail posed for me at The King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto and completely owned the Secret Agent vibe I was looking for. What a pleasure to work with this talented and beautiful subject!

Hutch is a Brew-Gooder!

Check it out, Bloggy McBloggerson! My good friend Sarah Hutchison, co-founder of World Playground Project is being recognized for all of her good work by Breakfast Television and Maxwell house. Watch the video here. She's a "brew-gooder"!

I'd also encourage you to take a look at the website for WPP and consider making a donation, or spreading the word about the project in your own way. People like Hutch actually make me believe that together, we can make a difference.

May 15th
Note: The video only seemed to be up for a week. I'll see if I can find an archive somewhere. Meanwhile though, DO check out WPP!

Her Mother thinks she looks like Bradley Whitford.

I totally see it! Wouldn't it be awesome if her first word was a cranky, yelled from another room "DONNA!"?

Check out all the pictures from Noix and Lauren's office visit this week here .

Caftan Woman and her boy.

Sound the trumpets! Alert the media! Caftan Woman, frequent clever and witty comment-maker here at my little corner of the intornet (and incidentally, my big sister) has started her own blog! Are you as excited as I am? I knew you would be. Check her out over here and stay a while, won't you?

I think you'll find her current post about her son Gavin insightful and poignant in its simplicity. Today, being World Autism Awareness Day, would be a good time to give some thought to the subject. You can learn more here .


Yours truly with Gavin when he was still a wee thing. Photo by another Nolan girl, Mo.

9/11

The evening of September 8, 2001 I was sitting on a patio at a coffee shop in downtown Toronto. I was pondering the week ahead and not looking forward to it. My sister was scheduled to go in for surgery and the outcome was not expected to be positive. Trying to wrap my brain around the possibility that she might never get well, I was enjoying the solitude. In fact, I thought I needed the solitude. Right then, the silence was broken. “Hey Sweetheart. What’s your name?”. It was beyond obvious that this man was not from here. He was too brash, too forward, too...New York. Even if I don’t want to talk to someone I find it difficult to ignore them completely. It is one of my great flaws. “Fine” I said “just enjoying the quiet”. “Quiet” he said “is over fucking rated, move over”. There he was, Hampton Phillip Stevens III. Not only was he from New York, he was New York. He poccessed all the infurating and wonderful qualities of that great city.

Turns out my new friend was in town to cover the Toronto International Film Festival for the New York Times online edition. But he hated going to movies, so he decided to hang out in this coffee shop instead to meet the locals and see what this “polite, clean city” was really all about. We talked about New York and how much I loved it. We talked baseball (he liked my Roger Clemens is a savant theory), we talked theatre (he agreed that Sondheim is a “freaking national treasure”) and we talked food (coffee should be a food group). He couldn’t understand why everyone in Toronto was so rude. He had spent three hours trying to talk to people before he got to me and nobody would bite. I told him that we weren’t rude, we were quiet. We were gaurded. And then, Hampton Phillip Stevens III uttered the words that would echo in my mind a few days later “Life is too short to be gaurded.” It didn’t seem like anything but foolhardy advice until later that week. After the events of September the 11th, that statement would somehow become profound. I excused myself and told Mr. New York that if he was still not going to movies by the end of the week, I would be performing at The Second City at the Midnight show on Friday. I thought he might enjoy a taste of Canadian comedy.

Two days later, like so many others, I sat slack jawed in front of the television and watched the unthinkable happen. The hours turned into days and suddenly it was Friday, September 14th. The day my sister went in for her surgery. It was going on for hours more than it should have and I started to prepare for the worst. I may as well go on and do the show, I thought. Better to keep my mind off all the death that seemed to surrounding me. Do like Mr. New York says, put yourself out there. Life is too short to be gaurded.

Shaken, but determined that the show must go on, I got out there did some rather mediocre comedy. When I came off stage, there he was, a little torn around the edges, dark circles under his eyes and a black arm band around his arm, Mr. New York, Hampton Phillip Stevens III. We hugged like we were old friends and over a beer he told me about his attempts to reach friends and family. About his feelings the last few days. What struck me the most was that this man seemed hurt and angry but he did not seem defeated. He was ready to move on and he could not wait to get home. I admired his strength, his fortitude. My sister should have been out of surgery 12 hours ago and I still hadn’t heard anything. I told him her story, told him how scared I was. Told him how guilty I felt for dumping my personal fears and anger on him so soon after his home had been attacked. Before he could respond my phone rang, with good news from the hospital. Once again, the unthinkable had happened. She was going to have another chance.

I brokedown and wept in Mr. New York’s arms. “I never cry” I whimpered “not even at movies”. “Sweetheart, this isn’t a movie” he said “this is life. I told you I hate movies.”

I have always loved New York. The energy it has and the way it has of making you feel so alive when you are there, immersed in it. I know that every September 11th, I will remember my own experience that week and my brush with the man as tough and warm as the city itself.

Ottawa Bound!

Well, I’m flying the co-op. Heading out of my downtown apartment and taking a good old fashioned road trip to visit friends in Ottawa. I’ve yet to visit the nation’s capitol so I want to take in Parliament Hill and The National Gallery. Other than that it should simply be some long awaited quality time with some really great people.

Had a great time at The Laugh Resort last night as always. Such a fun, intimate little room.

For those of you that will be home tonight, NBC is rerunning the Law & Order that Gregory Hines guest starred in last season. Definitely worth a peek. But you knew that, didn’t you?

The Maid of Honour Diaries

Dear Diary,

My oldest and dearest friend is getting married! And I am going to be her Maid of Honour!

Despite my usual distain for matrimony I am thrilled. I love her to death and this wedding is going to be a gas! Mark this date on your calendar…July 24, 2004.

Yes, it seems like a long engagement. But these things take time. Does our Primeminister really need to prepare to leave office for over a year? No. But he wants to do it right (way to make an exit, Jean! That’s what I say).

It’s the same idea with this wedding. They want to do it right and I want to help.

I am worried though, yesterday while in the Vera Wang boutique in Yorkville I tried to convince my best friend to buy shoes that cost more than $400.00. My advice to help justify this purchase? “But they’re so cute…and besides, they cost less than my rent!”

Was I smoking crack? Was I?!?!?!

Must come up with some sort of a foolproof technique to keep this kind of behaviour from reappearing. Daily trips to Honest Ed’s. Use of “In Style” magazine for fire kindling. Procure a fireplace so I can use “In Style” magazine for kindling without causing damage to my apartment or myself.

The wedding is just under a year away. What’s next?

Sigh,
MOH