Beauty: essentially speaking

Skin.Hair.Nails.Bath.Candles...these are some areas of the body, places and objects used to put essential oils.
Scent is powerful and important. I’ve made no secret about my love for essential oils and for mixing them up to create some outstanding allover skincare products. It helps to know what works for what area but by trial and error you can always experiment yourself.

If you haven’t already been introduced to aromatherapy, think of it as a cross between your new favorite candle and a cure to all your most annoying ailments along with the best scents nature has to offer. One of my favourite mixes to add to a diffuser is Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Orange sweet & Vanilla – it’s called “Hawaiian Escape” and it really smells like an exotic vacation. Essential Oils will trick your senses to help you escape for a little while.

Here are 5 EASY WAYS to incorporate essential oils in your daily routine. Warning: Once you start experimenting with them, you won’t be able to stop.

Jasmine: The Happy Scent

Put a few drops of jasmine, ylang ylang or rose in your hand and rub into your scalp. This awakens the senses and increases feelings of optimism and joy. I use jasmine in my facial spray.

Mint: The Pain Reliever

Add Peppermint essential oil to your lotion and rub on your feet at the end of a long day. Enjoy increased circulation and the natural analgesic. Fresh and Stimulating. Great for headaches too so if you feel one coming on rub a bit onto your temples.

Lemongrass: The Pick-Me-Up

Add lemon or lemongrass essential oil to a spray bottle filled with water and mist the carpet before you vacuum. Citrus is uplifting and invigorating. On another note it helps to relieve stomach aches if you use it as a tea. I learned this while living in Brazil. – just pour hot water over fresh cut lemongrass. Works like a charm.

Lavender: The Sleep-Time Scent

Add a few drops of Lavender essential oil to your bath to unwind, or spritz on your pillow for a restful sleep. I use lavender bath salts for a relaxing before-bedtime bath. There is nothing to do but crawl into bed as I can hardly keep my eyes open after that.

Basil: The Feel-Better Blend

Combine rose geranium, basil and sandalwood and diffuse into the air when you are grieving, stressed out or overwhelmed. Diffuse or apply topically to promote clear breathing (warning; it will make you hungry for caprese).

On a heavier note – a bitch of a spray:

A perfect blend for when you’re irritated, annoyed, tired, peeved, frustrated, enraged, or have an overall bad attitude! Spray near co-workers, friends, and relatives as needed. Try to use sparingly!

I love to help!

Which essential oils are your favourite?

Photos: Pinterest

STYLE

La Parisienne – Famous French Style

Oh I think you know where I’m going with this…PARIS fashion week kicked off yesterday so right now is a good time to brush up on that French je ne sais quoi in all its forms.

To honour Fashion Week here are some Frencheccentric trendsetters of yesteryear and today worth taking note of. Starting with:

Josephine Baker

Nightclub performer Josephine Baker might have been American by birth, but she came as close to being a proper Parisian as a foreigner could get, becoming a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur after World War II. (Charles de Gaulle himself bestowed the honor upon her.) Baker first arrived in Paris in 1925, gaining acclaim for her sultry dances at the Folies Bergère. Her costumes were as famous as her moves, too—her banana skirt ensembles inspired a Prada collection, while her sheer crystal dresses were a reference for Rihanna’s unforgettable see-through CFDA look. Today, you’ll find traces of Baker in some of Spring’s more soigné slip dresses.

Anouk Aimée

French actress Anouk Aimée is perhaps most famous for her Golden Globe winning role in Claude Lelouch’s 1966 A Man and a Woman, but her offscreen style was just as noteworthy as her career-making role. In her ’60s heyday, Aimée preferred sultry yet simple pieces like cropped sweaters, fitted dresses, and flats. She was never one for accessories, choosing to complement her looks with a flick of winged eyeliner and expertly arched brows.

Sylvie Vartan

Chanteuse Sylvie Vartan rolled with the right crowd in ’60s Paris, calling Yves Saint Laurent one of her closest collaborators. That relationship bore some of the decade’s best outfits, like the two pairs of crystal-studded jeans Vartan and her then-husband, Johnny Hallyday, wore to perform a duet. Off the stage, she favored minidresses with girlish collars, Mary Janes, and plush furs, helping to define France’s nascent yé-yé girl movement. (Think of yé-yé style as the French equivalent of mod.) A just-released book on her taste, Le Style Vartan, chronicles her outfits in immense detail—all the better for re-creating them today.

Sonia Rykiel

The name Sonia Rykiel might conjure up visions of thin, patterned knits, but the wardrobe of the designer herself is much more varied. As one of Paris’s Rive Gauche trendsetters of the ’70s, Rykiel built up a reputation of being the woman with the best—and biggest—coat in the room. Underneath the voluminous outerwear, you’d find a mix of gamine pieces like jumpsuits and mannish trousers, styled with some of her namesake knits. There was a Sonia Rykiel store for years in Vancouver on Burrard Street but sadly it didn’t make it and closed shop – it did not appeal to the Vancouver crowd.

Niki de Saint Phalle

Sculptor and artist Niki de Saint Phalle made some of the most vibrant works of the ’60s through ’80s, which have just been honored in an exhibition in Paris’s Grand Palais. When she wasn’t wearing a caftan that rivaled the colors and patterns of her artwork, De Saint Phalle preferred simple, neutral pieces that she jazzed up with bold accessories like berets, pendants, and armfuls of bracelets.

Vanessa Paradis

Today’s runways have made a habit of applying highbrow taste to thrift store finds—something Vanessa Paradis has been doing for decades. The singer has been sporting slip dresses with shaggy furs, bohemian maxi skirts with boyish blazers, and skinny jeans with blouson tops since the ’90s, and continues to hone her eclectic style to this day. No wonder her daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, has such good taste at only 16.

Aymeline Valade

Model-turned-actress Aymeline Valade’s Saint Laurent tuxedo at the Cannes Film Festival was the stuff of red carpet dreams. Valade’s off-duty style is just as memorable, making everything from a Lacoste polo shirt to a dainty Chloé dress look all her own.

These women are all fine examples of how to embody personal STYLE

Photos: Getty Images

Source: Vogue Runway

Girl Who Would be King

Eat.Drink.Dance.Listen – Blue Martini Jazz

my first (not completely) unhappy review – and hopefully my last

Last Saturday I went with a friend to the newly opened Blue Martini Jazz Café to listen to live music – the wonderful Dawn Pemberton and her band were performing and they were excellent; a mix of R&B, Jazz, Funk and World Beat music which I love. The ambience was reminiscent of a true dinner/jazz club which is lacking in Vancouver. I can also walk to this place from home which is a big plus.

The friend I went with had been there for Dine Out Vancouver and said the food was great. Here’s the complaint:

We only wanted to order one glass of wine and share some appies while listening to a few sets. I only complain when necessary and hate to do so; but I became that woman for the duration of the evening. And I believe that it only helps for the owners to know when a customer is not satisfied.

So we decide to order a glass of red wine each, a salad and an antipasto platter for two.

The waiter tells us the wine we want (which is on the menu) is not available (they just haven’t yet taken it off the menu) but he can bring us a comparable one in its place. He wasn’t planning to tell us that the one replacing it will cost us each $4 more – something made me ask (I must have felt suspect because I do not normally ask the price of something that should be a given). We order a glass anyway.

He brings the bottle and starts to pour directly from bottle to wine glass. It looks like a taster. Which brings me to question how many ounces they serve. He says six. I say it looks more like four. I finish in five sips and decide not to order more wine. Maybe should have gone with a martini. Waiter comes back and says “sorry, my mistake, we pour five ounces only.” I still think my pour (like how would he really know since he didn’t measure and the pours were not even) was less but don’t want to start complaining as the company and music are perfect.

We order a zesty Caesar salad to split. It was good even though the croutons were from a box. It should be noted that this place charges $4 to split orders although that either does not count for salads or they decided not to charge us.

The shared Antipasto Platter was a different matter – it was a total disappointment. Why? Because the menu reads: Italian Cheeses, cold cuts, pickles, smoked salmon, artichokes, olives, arugula and buffalo burrata. At $16 per person (total $32 for the platter) Sounds great right?

It came with no bread. We had to ask and they brought us 4 little pieces. It came with no cheese that we can recall (remember we were not the least bit tipsy on 4 ounces of wine) except for two teensy tiny slices of mozzarella (believe me when I tell you there was no way on earth it was burrata – it was not the least bit creamy) on a slice of tomato. One slice was double the size so we had to flip a coin for fun to see which one of us would be the lucky one to have it – I won. There was a pile of arugula in the middle of the plate with a few pieces of artichoke underneath, a few of the tiniest gherkins we’ve ever seen, 4-5 regular sized green olives, two slices of smoked salmon and an assortment of rolled-up deli meats (mortadella, pepperoni, the usual where I can’t pronounce the names) but it didn’t even out with the rest of the plate.

I ask the waiter to see the menu again just to make sure there was mention of other cheese or cheeses in this case. Sure enough the first thing mentioned on the antipasto platter is Italian Cheeses (see, it’s even plural which suggests more than one kind). So I question him – where was the cheese? He tells us there was a little shaved parmesan on top of the arugula (there may have been but neither of us noticed). I asked about the burrata. He said it’s buffalo burrata. I say it’s a way of misleading customers – it’s just another word for regular mozzarella cheese – of the plainest kind. The couple sitting across from us said the same thing – “why would they write cheeses on the menu when they only give you three little pieces?” I said you got three pieces, we only got two?” They only complain to us that they’re not satisfied.

We ask for the bill. We’re still hungry but don’t want to order anything else.

Because it was obvious we were not satisfied we got a piece of dessert on the house to share – which was tasty. We laugh it off to an unpleasant experience – like something crazy out of a Seinfeld episode or Sex and the City.

We go back to my place and my friend asks if I have any food so I go into the fridge, take out some stuff and we sit on the sofa and watch an episode of a 4-part documentary series on Netflix – Chelsea Does on Racism. It lightened up our evening.

Will I go back to Blue Martini?

I really wanted to love this place. I understand that rents are high and there is no cover charge but please do not take advantage of good customers who may become regulars. I like to support live music and buy CD’s. I’m crazy enough to go back at some point, sit at the bar, order one martini and just listen to the live music….maybe.

What do you think – Am I nuts?

Art & Culture

Art of the DANCE & DEGAS – two beauties

A STRANGE NEW BEAUTY – at the MoMA

“Degas’s focus on dance is part of his engagement with depicting the subjects, spaces, rhythms, and sensations of modern life,” says Jodi Hauptman, senior curator in the department of drawings and prints at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where an exhibition that explores Degas’s extensive work in monotype, “Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty,” opens up next month. “His vision wanders and focuses, taking note of what usually is overlooked and honing in on what best reflects the conditions of his time.”

I found the article below INSPIRING. It encompasses the perfect ménage à trois of Style: Art, Dance & Fashion.

As she channels the artist Edgar Degas’s most famous ballet works ahead of this new exhibition, dancer Misty Copeland opens up about what it feels like to make history.

Ballet dancers, Misty Copeland says, like to be in control. It’s something about ballet itself—the painstaking quest to achieve the appearance of a kind of effortless athleticism, fluidity, and grace—that makes it hard to let go. “I think all dancers are control freaks a bit,” she explains. “We just want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies. That’s just what the ballet structure, I think, kind of puts inside of you. If I’m put in a situation where I am not really sure what’s going to happen, it can be overwhelming. I get a bit anxious.”

Copeland says that’s part of the reason she found posing for the images that accompany this story—which were inspired by Edgar Degas‘s paintings and sculptures of dancers at the Paris Opéra Ballet—a challenge.

Copeland re-creates Degas’s The Star; Valentino dress, $15,500, 212-355-5811; Wilhelm headpiece, $495, and corsages,$135, wilhelm-nyc.com; Mokuba ribbon, $11 per yard, 212-869-8900.

“It was interesting to be on a shoot and to not have the freedom to just create like I normally do with my body,” she says. “Trying to re-create what Degas did was really difficult. It was amazing just to notice all of the small details but also how he still allows you to feel like there’s movement. That’s what I think is so beautiful and difficult about dance too. You’re trying to strive for this perfection, but you still want people to get that illusion that your line never ends and that you never stop moving.”

Copeland as Degas’s Dancer; Carolina Herrera top, $1,490, skirt, $4,990, 212-249-6552; Hatmaker by Jonathan Howard headpiece, $750, hatmaker.com.au; Mokuba ribbon, $11 per yard, 212-869-8900; Mood Fabrics fabric (worn as a belt), 212-230-5003.

It should probably come as no surprise that Copeland would have trouble conforming to someone else’s idea of what a ballerina should look like; she gave that up a long time ago. At 33, she’s in the midst of the most illuminating pas de deux with pop culture for a classical dancer since Mikhail Baryshnikov went toe-to-toe with Gregory Hines in White Nights. Last June, she was named a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, the first African-American woman to hold that distinction. She was also the subject of a documentary, Nelson George’s A Ballerina’s Tale, which chronicled her triumph over depression and body-image issues, as well as her comeback from a career-threatening leg injury in 2012. The story of her rise from living in a single room in a welfare motel with her mother and five siblings to the uppermost reaches of the dance world has become a sort of 21st-century parable: the unlikely ballerina, as Copeland referred to herself in the subtitle of her 2014 memoir, Life in Motion, who may be on her way to becoming the quintessential ballerina of her time.

Copeland as Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green); Oscar de la Renta dress, $5,490, 212-288-5810; Mokuba ribbon, $11 per yard; Hatmaker by Jonathan Howard headpiece corsage, $70,hatmaker.com.au.

Degas’s ballet works, which the artist began creating in the 1860s and continued making until the years before his death in 1917, were infused with a very modern sensibility. Instead of idealized visions of delicate creatures pirouetting onstage, he offered images of young girls congregating, practicing, laboring, dancing, training, and hanging around studios and the backstage areas of the theater. Occasionally, portly men or dark figures appear, directing or otherwise coloring the proceedings. “People call me the painter of dancing girls,” Degas is said to have once told his Paris art dealer Ambroise Vollard, the Larry Gagosian of the day. “It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes.” It’s an unsentimental place, Degas’s ballet, and his representation of the dancers is far from sympathetic. But it’s a space where he discovered not only a freedom for himself as an artist but also a kind of beauty that existed behind all the beauty of the performance and in the struggle of his subjects to become something.

WHEN: 26 Mar — 24 Jul 2016 at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York

Not to be missed if you’re in New York City

Source: photography by Ken Browar & Deborah Ory of the NYC Dance Project. Written by: Stephen Mooallem; Fashion Editor: Michelle Jank Magazine: Bazaar Edited: by d. king

Girl Who Would be King, Health + LifeStyle

Health: Tea Talk

“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can’t take more.”
“You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
“Nobody asked your opinion,” said Alice.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

I’ve been planning to have a ladies tea party for the longest while. Mostly because it’s a good idea (nobody does that anymore), I have lots and lots of bags (but I’m more of a loose women when it comes to tea) and a large box of beautifully mismatched china cups and saucers from my Irish grandmother sitting in storage waiting to be useful. And I can make little fancy sandwiches. A grown up tea party on the deck when the weather gets warmer…whenever that happens. And I don’t have to worry about them getting home safely.

Which brings me to….

Have you been down the tea aisle lately? Doesn’t it seem that there are more assortments than ever before to choose from? Crazy considering there are really only five basic categories: white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh (a variety of fermented and aged dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China). And all types of traditional tea begin with a tea leaf from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.

What about Rooibos then which is red? Turns out that Rooibos is not a true tea, but an herb. I just found that out. (There are hundreds of herbal teas – too many to be discussed in this post, for another time). You learn something new every day – even something as basic as a tea fact.

We’ve all heard about the many health benefits of drinking tea. Apparently all kinds of teas even black tea is good for us to drink, although some are more potent than others at fighting off disease…so we are told. In any event it’s always nice to enjoy a cup of tea.

It seems that almost every country you visit has their own kind of specialty tea with claims of medicinal benefits and the custom is usually to welcome you with a cup of the hot stuff.

Tea is taken seriously in most countries you know.

The English love their black tea, in Peru it is mate de coca (or coca tea made from the leaves of the coca plant), In India it’s Darjeeling, in Africa it’s Rooibus, in the Orient it’s types of green tea and in Egypt it’s Hibiscus. I’m sure there are others but these are the most common kinds.

What about the health claims?

There has been less research on herbal blends than on traditional teas, but one study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that drinking three cups of hibiscus tea daily could help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension. And evidence suggests that chamomile tea may promote sleep and that peppermint tea may calm the stomach.

I’m focusing on Hibiscus right now because the red flowers are so pretty, the scent is sweet and floral but not overpowering….and I have several jars of the stuff brought back from Egypt. Good thing that dried tea keeps for a long, long time.

Hibiscus also goes by the names Sorrel and Roselle. It is said that that the properties can help ward off major diseases due to it’s high content of polyphenol antioxidants.

Other health benefits of hibiscus tea include relief from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as digestive, immune system, and inflammatory problems. It helps to cure liver disease and reduces the risk of cancer. It can also speed up the metabolism and help in healthy, gradual weight loss. Hibiscus tea is rich in vitamin C, minerals and various antioxidants, while also helping in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety.

A cup of hibiscus tea is a simple, effective, delicious way to increase your antioxidant intake! I better get those jars out of the cupboard and into the pot.

So a tea party is in store!

“In Ireland, you go to someone’s house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you’re really just fine. She asks if you’re sure. You say of course you’re sure, really, you don’t need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don’t need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn’t mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it’s no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting.

In America, someone asks you if you want a cup of tea, you say no, and then you don’t get any damned tea.

I liked the Irish way better.” – C.E. Murphy, Urban Shaman

What’s your favourite cup?

Art & Culture

Art/Culture: OPERA – Madama BUTTERFLY

“INSPIRATION is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements.” – Giacomo Puccini

My inspiration for the week: the Vancouver Opera‘s opening night performance of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly; a beautiful story of love, honour, heartbreak and sacrifice.

This famous opera which was composed by Giacomo Puccini in 1904 (and remained his personal favourite throughout the remainder of his life) is based on a short story “Madame Butterfly” (1898) by John Luther Long. In brief it’s about a pleasure seeking American naval officer based in Nagasaki, Japan who leases a house and weds a young geisha. He is only briefly enchanted with her (his “Butterfly” – oh you know what some men are like; they profess their love only to lose interest when they want to move on to the next) while she in turn, gives herself wholly to the marriage. He abandons her and then returns to claim their child. Butterfly is devastated and dishonoured and makes an ultimate sacrifice to honour her family.
Having spent some time in Kyoto when I lived in Japan, I was fascinated by the beauty and elegance of the mysterious geisha. I followed them around but never quite knew where they were going. I wanted to learn their secret but maybe it was best not knowing. For me, at the time it was a different world and an escape from the norm. They had a reserved, otherworldliness unlike other women which was refreshingly appealing. They gave the illusion of being faithful and trustworthy. I loved reading Memoirs of a Geisha (surprisingly it was written by a man; Arthur Golden).

“Why, in the Peking Opera, are women’s roles played by men?…Because only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act.” – David Henry Hwang (Tony-award winning creator of the beloved play M. Butterfly).

Some TICKETS are still available at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Only 6 performances from March 5 – 13, 2016.

Purchase Tickets:

https://www.vancouveropera.ca/whats_on/2015-2016_season/madama_butterfly

I’m so looking forward to seeing this!

Girl Who Would be King, STYLE

Style: the Travel Jacket – more function than fashion

Don’t think I’m going off on a tangent here just because I’ve been posting lately about glamping. Mind you there is something freeing about not having to second guess your outfits while spending time in the great outdoors.The main thing about getting ready for a trip (be it by air or road) is the packing and deciding what to bring and a big part of that is your go-to jacket because you don’t want to carry so much bulk. You need something to cover up in that will keep you warm, be comfortable and at the same time go with pretty much everything except your dressy wear. Something you can throw in the washing machine and not worry about it falling apart too.

My gore-tex jacket is something I never leave home (for any length of time) without. It’s light and folds up easily to fit in a suitcase or under the seat of the camper, it’s totally wind and water proof so will keep me dry when need be and if it’s super cold outside then I can always wear a fleece underneath (which zips right in). It has a hidden hood & pockets. I don’t know how many times that jacket has saved me from the elements. I even skied in it once.

We all know that air travel can be miserable depending on your seating arrangement. Aside from all the hassles of getting on the plane, once you’re in your cramped little economy seat it becomes difficult to do anything but sit upright, elbows tucked and wait for the journey to be over.

But it seems that long-distance love has paid off for the designers of a travel jacket that has now attracted a record $9m from would-be buyers on crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

Last summer, Chicago-based startup BauBax launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for its new self-titled travel jacket.

The BauBax Travel Jacket is equipped with 15 features that makes it perfect for those traveling. The jacket’s retail price starts at $160 (plus taxes/shipping). It comes in four different styles—sweatshirt, windbreaker, bomber, and blazer—and boasts 15 features targeting the varied torments of air travel, though they’re useful for any kind of travel really. Among them are earphone holders, an iPad pocket, a drink pocket that fits a can of soda, gloves that extend from the sleeves, a telescoping pen built into the front zipper that doubles as a stylus, a passport pocket, and a hood that includes an inflatable neck pillow and sleep mask.

I think it’s a pretty damn good all around solution. Genius right?

http://baubax.com/

Girl Who Would be King, Health + LifeStyle

Travel: On the Road Again – Part Two

Remember the post where I declared my love for the Vintage Airstream Trailer? That was 10 days ago although it seems like months now.

I found out that many travel companies are getting on board the vintage trailer bandwagon: In November, rental company Airstream 2 Go partnered with Texas boot-maker Lucchese (love them too – bought a pair in Nashville) on a custom itinerary through the Lone Star State, which includes a trip to the factory and a pair of custom boots.

Airstream says it’s selling five times as many trailers as it did in 2009, spent $6 million on a new office space, and recently hired 130 new employees. Sounds like the making of a major comeback story.

CHECK THIS OUT:

If you’re not the road trip type but want to experience the Airstream lifestyle for a night or two, here are five firmly planted and beautifully decorated hotels for your next vacation.

El Cosmico, Marfa, Texas

El Cosmico Photo: Courtesy of El Cosmico — **El Cosmico**
**Photo**: Courtesy of El Cosmico

There is probably no place more appropriate to situate a trailer than Marfa, the art-centric, holistic desert oasis of the Southwest. El Cosmico offers tepees, yurts, and, most important, several models of trailers that are sparsely decorated but seriously cozy. There’s a minibar in each but, intentionally, no Wi-Fi.

AutoCamp, Santa Barbara, California

Autocamp Photo: Courtesy of Autocamp — **Autocamp**
**Photo:** Courtesy of Autocamp

This tiny Airstream-based hotel is made up of five vintage trailers, some of which come equipped with flat-screen TVs, large bathtubs, and Malin + Goetz products. Each trailer also comes with two beach cruiser bikes for getting around the camp.

Hotel Daniel, Vienna, Austria

Hotel Daniel Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Daniel — **Hotel Daniel**
**Photo:** Courtesy of Hotel Daniel

Nestled in the garden just outside the boutique hotel, one silver Airstream trailer is available as a room option for guests. The 172-square-foot space was created by interior designers specializing in yachts and has a sleek, minimal feel. It nods to the experience of being out on the open road, but is in the middle of a busy urban center.

Italy Airstream, Venice, Italy

Italy Airstream Park Photo: Courtesy of Italy Airstream Park — **Italy Airstream Park**
**Photo:** Courtesy of Italy Airstream Park

The website touts this as “the first Airstream park in Italy,” and it’s certainly the first of its kind on the Adriatic Coast. Recently opened in April, the six Airstreams each sleep up to four people, with a shaded canopy bed outside. It’s 30 minutes to Venice by car, or you can take a longer two-hour ride to reach the Dolomites. There’s also a beach just outside the park.

Caravan Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Caravan Tokyo Photo: Courtesy of Caravan Tokyo — **Caravan Tokyo**
**Photo**: Courtesy of Caravan Tokyo

For those looking to skip the Ritz or the Park Hyatt for something a little more low-key, Caravan is the place to stay in Tokyo. It’s a single trailer that sleeps two, parked near the bustling Harajuku neighborhood in a mixed-use office complex. It’s a fantastic example of innovative, smart Japanese design, with a gray exterior, modern pendant lamps and paper stools inside, and a wooden outer deck and lounge area.

I know this is not the same thing but….

It's what I have for now — *It’s what I have for now* and it’s more easily transportable. I’ve made many meals in this rig including *once in Texas* a fully-cooked Christmas dinner. It’s true! **Coffee anyone?**

Source: Vogue Magazine Article (by Brooke Bobb) 5 Airstream Rentals That Trump Traditional Hotel Rooms

Modern Furnishings — Sleek, Modern, Comfortable Style

Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

Food – back to basics

40 days and 40 nights – that’s how much time I spent eating in restaurants while away over the holidays and beyond.

Maple Dijon Pork Chops seved over rice with side of crispy oven-baked kale. Photo: d. king — **Maple Dijon Pork Chops** served over rice with a side of crispy oven-baked kale. **Photo**: d. king

That’s a lot of eating out, and more than I’m used to because I normally prefer to cook at home and eat out only on occasion.

A relatively small fridge in a hotel room can only hold so much. It’s great for juice, coffee cream, breakfast stuff like yogurt and snacky items but since there was nothing to cook on I got to try out all sorts of restaurants. So if anyone is going to Palm Springs or Las Vegas I have a whack load of recommendations.

What’s funny about all of this is that when I told my friends, I found out that most of them thought it was great. Turns out they’d prefer to eat out in restaurants rather than have to cook. At first it was fun but then it felt a bit strange not having to do anything. No shopping, no preparation, no cleanup, no nothing. I started to miss it. I ended up going to grocery stores, buying what I could that would be easy to assemble in a hotel room which was mostly salad items. And picking up ready made stuff for picnics – which is another way of eating out~~side~~.

It was a good test. I got to try a lot of good restaurants and miraculously ended up gaining only a few pounds which could have been a lot worse but I’m reversing the damage – I’m just about back to where I was. Luckily I did a lot of walking, swimming and some running while away.

So when I got home 3 weeks ago I decided to cook all meals at home (except for when a friend took me out for a belated birthday celebration and vice versa). I decided to stick with simple, wholesome feel-good, healthy (mostly) comfort meals. A lot of steamed or oven roasted vegetables, fish, chicken, lasagna, soup and I brought my slow-cooker (crock-pot) out of hiding. I’ve been making a whole lot of stuff in that.

Here’s a recipe which is easy to make, rich in flavour and simply delicious.

Slow Cooked Maple Dijon Pork Chops

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 bone-in (preferably) pork chops

1 large yellow onion, chopped

6 tbsp pure maple syrup

4 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Heat up the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the pork chops and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sear both sides of chops over high heat (about 2 minutes per side) then transfer to your Crock Pot.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the onions. Cook until onions are just starting to soften then add the cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes and then pour sauce over chops in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve chops drizzled generously with sauce.

Time:

active time ~ 10 minutes

total time ~ 7 hours

ENJOY!

Art, Architecture, Culture, Girl Who Would be King

And the winner is: my Oscar 2016 Predictions

EACH YEAR it’s the same story; I plan on watching ALL of the OSCAR Nominees up for Top Picture (at the very least)…but that only happened once. Before this year that is.

Tom Hardy - Mad Max — **Tom Hardy in Mad Max Fury Road**

I can’t believe I watched ALL the contenders in the top five categories. It’s not that I had nothing else to do in my life ~~okay, I had nothing else to do~~ it’s just that this time I was determined and it became my mission. I think the academy should make me an honorary member of the board if only because I sat through some movies I otherwise would not have desired to watch and that’s putting it kindly. Even though they were all amazingly well done. Have a little sympathy, all this watching is time consuming guys!

It was hard to keep my eyes glued to Mad Max, The Revenant, The Hateful Eight and some scenes in Creed. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the astounding special effects of Mad Max and the astonishing scenery surrounding The Revenant and seeing Sylvester Stallone again after all these years, it’s just that I don’t like gratuitous violence, crazy non-stop action with mostly (except for one) raggedly looking ugly men and seeing someone eat a raw liver when I can’t even stomach cooked liver (apparently Leonardo DiCaprio did this). He deserves the Oscar for this alone. So yes, they should make me a certified member.

The Martian (semi-comedy) — **The Martian** – not a comedy but **Matt Damon** is funny considering his circumstances

This year they were all really remarkable pictures. Mostly human interest, real life stories or stories based on factual incidences. And they were heavy...the financial housing crash, a spy capture during the cold war, accusations of communism among the entertainment industry, a sex change, a deranged kidnapping, child molestations within the catholic church, an irish immigrant in the 50’s, a lesbian relationship in the 50’s, an inventor & technological wizard, a girl who founds a family dynasty, a secret that unfolds on a 45th wedding anniversary, a trek through cold uncharted wilderness, a mission to Mars gone wrong, *post civil-war bounty hunters and a man claiming to be sheriff and the collapse of civilization with the craziness surrounding that. I took a break in between to watch Train Wreck out of lightness & curiosity.

It would put me in a very awkward position to have to make choices for “best” this and that from what I’ve witnessed. There are not many years where so many movies are this great. I didn’t say enjoyable, I said great. And there were a few surprises. There was a common theme: Compelling, All Absorbing, Angry, Unbelievable and Shockingly Sad. And beautiful! Every single actor was just….perfect in their role. It’s so unfair that only one of them gets to take home the golden statue when they’re all winners.

Here is WHAT picture and WHO I think deserves to win out of the BIG FIVE (and then be able to negotiate more $$$$ for their next picture).

Here Goes:

Best Picture: On all accounts “The Revenant” will probably win an Oscar (they were filming in extreme weather conditions and I hated Tom Hardy’s character so much). Cinematography should go to The Revenant, but my personal choice for best picture (and cast ensemble along with The Big Short) is “Spotlight” because it’s just unbelievable how a small group of special reporters took chances to take on such a powerful deity as the Catholic Church and not let up. They were passionate and successful in uncovering a time bomb. Empowering!

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Here’s where it gets dicey but Eddie Redmayne did a believably beautiful job in The Danish Girl. But he’s up against Leonardo DeCaprio who’s always amazing and hasn’t won yet and has deserved to win in the past (can’t they tie for this one?). Oh but; Eddie it is! Powerful!

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

OMG please don’t make me choose. I love them all. Okay, Brie Larson for Room. No, no, it’s going to be the Irish Girl Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn because (light shades of Bridges of Madison County) it really makes you question or consider the decisions you make in your life. Bittersweet!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Just by the fact that I could have killed Tom Hardy’s character myself in The Revenant, it should go to him. But I feel Sylvester Stallone for Creed deserves it for sentimental reasons and the fact that even though watching guys beating up on other guys is not on my high list, his boxing movies are sheer entertainment. This one was more enjoyable than I imagined and well Rocky Balboa; he’s just a likeable guy.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

This one is easy (even among the other talented nominees) – Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl. Sheer Raw depth and Emotion – Loved her!

We’ll see how I make out with the predictions on Sunday, April 28.

*I have a question for Quentin Tarantino re The Hateful Eight. How come the stagecoach road in a movie set in the 1800’s was constantly plowed? How was it plowed? This is important. Did anyone else notice?

I want to start a category for best dressed at the OSCARS and also one for sheer entertainment (not acting, not directing, just an all around FUN movie). What do you think?

Any thoughts? I can’t wait to watch something stupid. SISTERS & Zoolander next!