Stuff I Like - Fun Friday Edition.

It's FRIDAY! I mentioned yesterday that this is my FAVORITE day of the week! I didn't lie. It is. And so far, this day has lived up to all expectations, and it's barely noon.

First of all, it's finally raining. Don't get me wrong...I have absolutely adored the weather we have been having. Our September and October have been gorgeous and I soaked up every last sun drop I could, to try and ensure the freckles would last well into the dark days of winter. HOWEVER, our rivers are dry and the fish are not healthy and we need the rain for a healthy and balanced ecosystem. I say BRING IT!

One of the many reasons I love living in Victoria is the diversity of seasons. Each one brings me distinct joy. I especially love the transition seasons - Fall, and also Spring. Not that I don't love summer or winter, I just marvel at the burst of new life that spring gives us, and welcome the beautiful decay of the autumn. These two seasons are the most colourful, and I do love me some colour.

This  Fun Friday edition of "Stuff I Like" (formerly known as "Unsolicited Product Endorsements", just slightly more awkward sounding, like me) is brought to you by the letter Autumn.

I'm abnormally excited to wear my Tretorn rubber boots. I got these last year when  Rainbird Boutique opened in my neighborhood. Rainbird is a store that sells 98% rubber rain boots (and coats, and umbrellas) all year long, and 2% flip flops in the summer. I LOVE this store, not only because I love boots, but I really admire the niche she has created for herself.

{ Sidenote: I was curious about the extremely specific nature of this store, and wondered how well it would actually do, selling primarily rainboots all. year. long. I bet she is EXTRA happy it's finally raining again. When I looked into the rental space costs when I thought about opening a Blo Hair Dry Bar for about 2 seconds last year, it was $47/square foot to rent. To open a Blo, they recommended you need about 1000 sq feet {which is larger than my condo by 300 whole feet squared), which would be an ASTOUNDING $47,000 per month. So. Obviously that was not going to work out. }

These boots are like tiny angels kisses to your feet. They are lined with faux fur, so they are cozy, and I find them to be INCREDIBLY comfortable. Unlike my Hunters, which are cold, uncomfortable, overpriced  and don't fit around my calves as loosely as you see them on all the anorexics (I blame Kate Moss and her cute Glastonbury Festival look) . My calves are NOT fat - they are average sized calves. My ankles on the other hand.....

Anyways, I picked these babies up for $44, on a sale. And they are delightful. I highly recommend them for all of the reasons I listed above, but if that didn't grab you, I have more words for you: "Slip On"

Sweet, Sweet Tretorn Boots. Source

Autumn and new music go together like beans and cornbread. I have some pretty good stuff on rotation these days. I associate the Fall with Mumford & Sons. We received their first wide release album "Sigh No More" in 2009, as birthday gift to James. I then also gifted it to my brother because I had never heard of them, and loved it so much myself. Their most recent release is called "Babel", and it's SO satisfying. My English folk rock craving is being satiated. I think EVERYONE would love this album (Dad, I'm lookin' at you). It's fantastic, as is their last album. 

Here's a wee taste:

I recently gave up my full membership on Audible.com, because I couldn't keep up with the amount of audiobook credits. I have three and a half audio tomes to get through, so I downgraded to a "light" membership, and can certainly upgrade again, if I am actually able to justify the $15/mth membership fee, which I currently cannot. 

I'm listening to Michelle Moran's Nefertiti, which is TOTALLY my thing. I love historical fiction so SO much. I really enjoyed her novel Madame Tussauds, which was about the young life of the wax sculptor in France during the revolution, and the close relationship she had with the royal family. Nefertiti is told from the perspective of her younger sister, and chronicles her life as sister to the Queen of Egypt. I'm really liking this so far.

Next up I will be listening to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, of which I have heard nothing but great reviews, and hopefully James and I will get to finish Part 1 of Ken Follet's Century Trilogy: The Fall of Giants. We started that on our annual summer roadtrip to the lake and back, but it's 22 hrs long, so we didn't quite get through it! We should be able to finish it when we make our other annual roadtrip to Tofino in November.

Audio books are awesome if you like to go for long walks, like I do. One of my favorite hobbies is to take a long, solo walk and listen to whatever book I am making my way through. Since I barely ever drive, this is the only way to do it. And, while I'm out and about listening, I like to stop and take pictures of whatever catches my fancy.

As you know, I use my iPhone as my primary camera, because someone once said "the best camera is the one you always have on you". My photo app of choice is Camera+, but I have also recently gotten back on the Instragram train, but only because I only recently discovered it's take on social media. I didn't really "get" that it was the best of both Facebook and Twitter - people's pictures. Isn't that what we're really all there for? Pictures? Maybe just me. Instagram removes all the endless garbage like Farmville, and let's you just peruse people's pictures.

It's a lot of hipsters taking pictures of their food, every sunset, and every remotely interesting scene you could think of. I am one of those people. I, however, like to use Camera+ and THEN run it through Instagram, because I'm super savvy like that. And, if I feel like getting REALLY fancy, I might run it through Diptic, the app that allows you to create photo montages, such as the one I made below:

This was our non-traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. 

I for one, love knowing what you had for dinner. And I like that people are posting visuals of whatever moment they are experiencing. It's a serious visual of the carefully constructed human existence. I often wish social media had been around when I was minoring in sociology, as it would have made for ENDLESS round table discussions on the state of society.

On the other hand, there was something pure about the fact that I was the last University generation where it was not the norm to have a laptop or a cell phone. I didn't get either of those things until 2003, and that was only because my job gave them to me. I didn't get a smart phone until 2010, and yet it seems tough to remember life without them. Better or worse? I'm not sure. Worse, in a lot of ways. But better in the fact that you all get to see what I had for dinner. Observe:

The best soup you will EVER HAVE. 

There are many cynics, and those who consider themselves purists when it comes to photography. You know, the people that use "real" cameras. But my iPhone takes better pictures than my first digital camera. So, it's really just perception, and a rather elitist attitude towards photography.But that's just MY opinion. And I can't even tell you the last time we dusted off our weighty Nikon D90 SLR. It weighs more than my dog.

Last but not least, I am in the process of selecting a new company car. Happy Friday indeed! It's a fun process, weighed down only by the choices themselves. Not that I am one to look a gift horse in the face, mind you. I am very grateful for this job perk, and it's certainly fantastic. I'd just knock a few of the options off there and replace them with other things in the same price range. But, perhaps I'm just watching too much Top Gear. Is it weird that I would like to call Jeremy Clarkson up and ask his advice? Perhaps I can get the Hamster on Twitter.

I know what I'm leaning towards, and really, in the end, it's the only option for me and my lifestyle. And I'm excited by this one option. I just wish it had been a harder decision. First world problems alert!

Welp, it's looking like it's "watch Netflix in the bath-o-clock", so I'm going to shut it down and bid you all a very happy weekend!

xh