hoo ya!
a little more cleaning up to do here at work, and
then i'm OUTTA here for a five day weekend!
AND it's payday!

who can handle all these capital letters and exclamation marks??!!

heading out kayaking tomorrow on bowen island, which i'm super stoked about.
tonight i'm going to a wine and craft night, just like if i lived in, say, saskatoon.
thursday is going to be a super rad bbq for canada day, which can be summed up by the large sheet cake resembling a canada flag that sheree and i are making.

welzers,
why am i typing????
i need to get out of here!!!!!

smooch.

oh ya, garance dore has this great post on elegance beyond clothing. it's really nice. what we can all strive for as humanity. maybe. i like it. hmm. go and read it.

i brought my computer home from work this weekend
because as of late i've found an internet signal from my bedroom,
better yet, my bed!
so yes, at 4 on saturday afternoon,
i'm in my bed.
i have not travelled far from it in the three hours i've been awake.
last night i hosted a back alley bbq, behind my apartment building.
last night was really fun.
last night i drank too much.
now i'm not feeling well.
for the first hour i was up
all my thoughts were consumed with getting coffee,
and is there anyone who i can manipulate into bringing me some?
the answer being no,
i ended up doing a weird version of the walk of shame to the coffee shop on the corner,
shielding my eyes and shuffling as upright as i could manage.
then i fell down on the couch and watched real estate shows on tv.
my head is still pounding!

last night was a hoot though.
we emptied my apartment into the back alley
and created a living room with couches and cozy chairs.
i had only two short stools to use as tables,
so skinny tim went up the alley and came back with
a huge piece of plywood that we lay across,
et viola, a more than big enough table.
along the same vein,
chris did the same when we found ourselves short of chairs later on.
it's a good alley, this alley of mine.

until early this morning,
i had two belgians staying with me on my couches,
and they were in raptures as this was the only day and evening they were able to be in vancouver.

my head is still pounding and i have to go and get clean,
chris will be here in about 20 minutes and we will go to mosaic and do the music thing.
oh man.
advil, advil, advil.

love julie

i would like to tell you about the very best sandwich in all of vancouver.
and as i type this,
i feel you should know my hands are absolutely black.
they are covered in chalkboard paint and i cannot get it off.
but the wall looks great.

so, the very best sandwich.
it can be found at little nest on charles just off the drive.
prepare yourself though,
this place is insanely kid friendly,
and i just about went insane waiting for my sandwich. shudder.
i don't know how to lead into this with a verbal drumroll or something,
so,
its salami, roasted heirloom tomatoes, basil mayo and boconccini all of it served warm on toasted baguette.
swoon.
it's unbelievably savory, large, and gorgeously presented (to go that is. i afformentioned why i could never eat there).

go get it!
i only get it about once or twice a year, because for some reason i forget about it,
and also when i want it, i've got the work car and then i give up because its impossible to find parking.

but i had it today.
and now i'm telling you.
go forth.

hey i finally beat my seven year old in chess!
thanks bryan at jj bean!
taught me a few things such as the dutch defense.
booya. the seven year old went DOWN.

my beloved (in very platonic, fair weather way) spain,
lost this morning to fucking SWITZERLAND.
whaaaaaaaaa. you're the reigning euro champions for heavens sake. where was your defense?
and that is all i have to say about sports.

now back to shoes for a minute.
remember those gwyneth paltrow wonders i showed you last week,
well i saw them in the store and let me tell you,
they are not so nice up close.
and the maggie's, i feel like they are just
a little bit too nerdy.
so after i had dinner with chris,
who's back from ottawa (yipee!),
i left the store empty handed.
what am i going to do?
maybe just replace the birks. boring.

i'm going to hunt down a good tailor to patch up my black skinnies that i blew out.
and then i will say,
WELCOME BACK LOVERS!

a rough start to my weekend,
had me scrambling around looking for the best and greatest cathartic options.
and oh my, cartharsis there was.
friday was nachos and beer and coffee and whatnot with b-heeb,
followed by smoked salmon and salad and birthday cake with great people.
saturday was a late start, deacon's breakfast, and a movie, followed by a bbq with brand-new friends that i met the night before at smoked salmon.
then sunday was supposed to be julie and courtenay day until julie remembered that she was supposed to be at her grandma's house for dinner. oops.
then it was julie and courtenay go to grandma's house and eat and eat eat.
and julie does free laundry! yipee!
and also i got every soccer pick right on sunday! six points! wahoo!
i currently am sitting in the middle of the pack, which ain't too shabby.

ok and before i go,
who remembers this??
thanks to mandy for this gem, which has had me giggling all morning.
SIZE SMALL!!

ok so i'm in fairly desperate need of summer shoes.
every now and again checking out the gravity pope website to see whats new.
well, today was KA-CHING. BULLSEYE.
i found two, very different, but both probably neccesary, pairs of sandals.
i call them
"the gwyneth paltrow side of julie"
and
"the maggie gyllenhaal side of julie"

ok , ok, wednesday, here we go.
yep, its raining something fierce.
but i've got a large cup of coffee, albeit slightly cold at this point.
but i would argue that's what makes a good cup of coffee.
whether it remains good even though cold.
i lie, that's not my argument, it's kathleens. i'm in agreeance.
and speaking of coffee,
i laugh everytime i think of this,
but in order to prevent spilling whilst driving,
according to kenton,
holding your coffee mug in the air,
"cushion the coffee tsunami".

major laundry on the go,
i've brought some of my own over to sneak in.
a combination lack of time and money to get it done chez moi.
tonight i'm going out with the cool kid parents from the kids' school.
we're going drinking on the drive! ya!
i'm the only single, and the only non parent.
being a pisces is sure fun. you can make friends with anyone!
except for people i don't like.
there's a few of those.

downloaded my visa application for france the other day.
my lord there are a lot of factors required of you.
4500$ in the bank,
travel insurance, personal liability insurance, whoa.
plus a round trip plane ticket, (for over a year?? that freaking pricey)
some sort of advance address and job.
i'm wondering if there is not a way to fudge some of this.
this is not a good way to be thinking.

anyways.
happy hump day.

I CHANGED MY OWN BIKE TIRE TUBE YESTERSDAY!!
IT ONLY TOOK ME THREE HOURS!!
at the end though i had to call in the big guns for getting the tire back onto the frame properly.
seth. love ya. see you tonight. thanks for the plastic tire prong things.

Mavis Staples Tells All About Her New Album With Wilco's Jeff Tweedy

this morning i turned into a swimming pool as i walked the kids to school.
very much downpour.
it's going to be a fun day for most of these kidlets,
benjamin has his first triathalon. what??? he's seven.
and it's raining.
in my books that warrants calling the whole thing off and drinking hot cocoa and watching cozy movies.
thank god its my boss whose volunteered to do the driving and the cheering on.
nanny mcjulie is drinking hot coffee and reading fantastic mr fox to the four year old.
and said four year old has her kindergarten orientation this afternoon.
the third annual kindergarten orientation.
she could not be more excited.

i went to the states to buy pants last night.
i bought a hat instead.
then coming back met up with most of my favorites for pizza in surrey.
hilariously we've all vowed to try and get in to the same nursing home later in life.
rook, skip bo, dutch blitz, coercing henry eisenhauers kids to sneak us in some booze.

and i felt so much joy and peace.
for if i can keep these guys until the end of my life,
a happy life indeed.