Yellow Owl Workshop Award

Always playing my own boyfriend, I ordered this award to hang on my bulletin board over my desk. 

(photo kidnapped from yellowowlworkshop)

The Bamf is Back!

I mean, how can one receive an email like this and not sign up for tickets??

Dearest Hard Candies and Tobacco-Scented Candles:

If you are not otherwise occupied and have $15, come to my show with Jackie Kashian on February 27th at 6PM Pacific. If you don’t have $15, just email me at ariamaamfordba@gmail.com and I’ll get you in the day of show.  

Onward to balloons and French horns!

Maria B. for Bamford

Show starts in almost 20 minutes and I've been so looking forward to tonight.

ps - Such fun as always! I was wondering how Maria was handling things after her mother passed away and she seems to be doing really well and even mentioned Mama Marilyn. Funny bits were when Maria said that "she's been cremated so now she's below her birth weight" (Mrs. Bamford was a Weight Watchers junkie). Maria did her impression of Marilyn talking about Heaven and how there's trillions of people and "there's a real housing problem here." I cracked up most when she said during the Q&A that Journey is her fave band and how her hubby made her a t-shirt with Journey written in puffy paint. Maria then went to make Scott a shirt that said The Clash (his favourite band) and had all the names of the members. The only problem was that she messed up the one guy's name and wrote Nick Jonas (poor Mick Jones...). Oh my Lord, too freakin' funny.

Vintage America with Ginger

I think it was Anne that told me about this series (crazy short series) on Amazon. I finally watched it today, all three episodes, and it left me wondering why there are no more. Vintage America with Ginger had a very PBS feel and it was really wonderful to see Ginger visit places and see things that celebrate the past and keep things alive. I especially liked that she made sure to ask the people she spoke with how they could be reached, then posting their .com on the screen. In keeping with that, here's Ms. Ginger Pauley's Facebook page. I wish we lived on a planet that cared about the past and didn't dismiss it.

(photo kidnapped from vimeo)

Holland Taylor

Bishop sent me this post from actress and singer Lea DeLaria's Instagram page about an article on Reductress.

Having absolutely adored Ms. Taylor since childhood when she was the sassy and elegant boss Ruth Dunbar on one of my favourite TV shows, Bosom Buddies, I can absolutely see why Lindsey Berger turned to her for therapy. Holland Taylor has always come across as a phenomenally genuine person who has the ability to effortlessly execute her every role. She is glamourous in a very real, likeable way, carries herself in interviews as royalty, and everyone envies the sweet and loving relationship she shares with her partner. Holland Taylor is a Philly girl with class and verve and if anyone fits the bill as an ideal imaginary friend and therapist, she does. Without question.

Grief

As a lover of all things stationery, Emily McDowell (now Em & Friends) is my go-to site for unique cards for pretty much any occasion. This empathy card by author Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the best and sums up exactly what I would want to hear if I were grieving the loss of a loved one. That's what I think when I'm sending a card - what would I want to receive? I never send anything that would come across as self-fulfilling in any way or that would ring false. When my father died the one card that stood out was from a distant relative who clearly wanted to come off as holier-than-thou and speaking of my father as though they had a genuine connection, telling us that they look up to the heavens and know that he's an angel with God. (Barf.) It was clearly sent with the intention of making the sender feel better, rather than the ones who were truly suffering. It enraged all of us. This card, though, is pure perfection.

The Wilds

I bumped into my hot neighbour last week and we chatted a bit about shows we have been binge-watching. He mentioned a show about a bunch of teenage girls stranded on a deserted island called Wild something or other. I Googled it and found that it's called The Wilds and is streaming on Prime. A bunch of young girls didn't really thrill me. They would more than likely all be super stereotypical and have everything they said be written by men, but I decided to give it a try. I was very much mistaken! An interesting premise with good casting, and very well written. Can't wait til tomorrow when I can finish the last five episodes during work!

(photo by Matt Klitscher/Amazon Studios kidnapped from variety)

Wyeth Letdown

Growing up, Amy and I both lived in homes with Andrew Wyeth prints hanging on the walls. When I saw this dreadful postcard at Baldwin's I had to get it to send to my bestie. The fact that it's by Andrew Wyeth is just this side of perfection. 

Fave FaceTime Selfie

I found this on my phone recently and can't believe I haven't shared it already. I was in Edinburgh in Fall 2017 and one night called over to chat with m' lil' bro. Jackson popped in to the room and while Xavier was looking something up on the computer, Jax made this silly face and I just had to capture it. I love the sort-of photo bomb by Chris Farley on Xave's shirt. 

Saturday Splurge

Since January I have been keeping a low profile and trying to stay on track with my biggest goals - eating right, exercising every day, reading more, getting my place organised and clean, and watching my spending. Today I decided to drop thirty bucks on an old-ish Nat Sherman humidor. My favourite cigarette company is no more and I've scoured the tri-state area trying to buy up as many Black & Gold packs as possible. Once they are gone, that's it. I started smoking more last year due to all the stress (and by more I mean I was smoking roughly one cigarette a day) but I hope to, by the end of this year, go back to smoking only a handful a year. Having this cigar box as a reminder of all the good times I had smoking Fantasia Lights outside of the café and when travelling will be really special once I have to quit for good.

(photos kidnapped and item purchased from EclecticMamaShop on Etsy)

Grandad's Scrapbook Featuring The Babe

Flipping through the pages of the baseball scrapbook I only recognised two players, one being The Great Bambino! Here are some unknowns with Babe Ruth mixed in.

The Mars Doughnut Has Landed!

Woke up to an email from Krispy Kreme alerting me to a new Mars doughnut. Instantly I thought it would have Mars bar cream filling. Then it mentioned something about a Perseverance Rover. "Oh...they mean the planet Mars..." Then I Googled it and discovered a bit about what was to happen today. Leave it to Krispy Kreme to keep me in the know for space missions!

(space.com had an article that was really interesting and gave a decent overview of what the Perseverance Rover is all about. This bit was my favourite: At the time of Perseverance's landing attempt, Mars will be about 127 million miles (205 million kilometers) from Earth, NASA said in a mission description. (The planet's distance from Earth changes as the two planets revolve around the sun in their respective orbits.) 127 MILLION miles?!!? So cool.)

Vintage Video!

Here's a very silly video I made with Ashlee on May 4, 2008. The sound effects are from my adorable SpongeBob SquarePants flashlight that also makes noise when you open his mouth to use the light. This was my attempt at forcing Ashlee to do performance art. She was clearly super uncomfortable but she's a true champ and did as I bid her!

Unforgotten

After the let down of Bridgerton I needed a good series to dive in to and Unforgotten did not disappoint. I really liked Nicola Walker in Last Tango in Halifax and she was equally good in this show. I liked her partner, Sanjeev Bhaskar, and they worked really well together. Definitely looking forward to checking out season two and three later this week!

(photo kidnapped from imdb)

Fashion at the National Museum

The fashion section at the National Museum in Edinburgh was very eclectic. These were some of the coolest pieces that stood out for me.

Out with My Gal-entine

I've been laying low since January 1st; avoiding social situations because Corona is getting scarier. It used to be you knew someone who knew someone who had it and now it's creeping closer and I know several people who have been sick. Plus it's freaking cold as hell out. I'm thinking I may keep this going til the end of March cause I don't wanna go outdoors if I don't hafta! Today I broke my self-imposed isolation and took Kayla out for sushi bowls at MOM's Naked Lunch and then shopping at Baldwin's Book Barn. Her and Danny split up last month after two plus years together, so I wanted to do something special with her for Valentine's Day. It was great to catch up and eat yummy veggies and rice, plus the bonus of finding new books and seeing adorable, lovely Fred at Baldwin's. We even stopped at Birmingham Hill for some photos. It was so nice to catch up and just be together. 

Bonus - check out this freakin' adorable Post Secret postie:

My Ideal Town

Kate Gabrielle has done it again! Look at how she has captured my four great loves into one spectacular town AND it's snowing so I would get to wear cute sweaters and scarves and boots every day in this imaginary Valentine village where I truly belong. I can live in a bright and cheery apartment above the (vegan) bakery, work at the library, dine with my paesanos at the pizza joint, put in some part-time work at the Cinema so I can see movies for free and chat with my fellow film enthusiasts, then pet the local kitties on my trek back home. What a perfect existence.

(I am trying SO hard to not buy frivolous things but you can believe I am at least adding this to my cart until my Bday, for this is one print that I simply must have, if only to hang on my wall and feed my daydream...)

(pps - I lasted all of 34 minutes before realising I do have enough in my checking account to cover the cost of this darling print...so I decided to be my own boyfriend and buy this for me as a Valentine's gift. At least I didn't add to my debt by putting it on a credit card, so I don't feel too guilty...)

This Year's (best of the) Batch of Valentines

FaceTime with Bella

Just finished a three hour FaceTime session with Isabella. Got the scoop on her V-Day plans with Jacob, job hunting in advance for when she graduates (!!!!!!) in April, plus her Dad's health, TV shows she's watching and all that good stuff. We've decided that in March we will be driving to Goldie Falafel for takeaway falafel, fries, and Tahina shakes! True to form, I snapped a selfie with this super adorable gal.

Snowy Antwerp

Michel posted these photos on his IG page and oh how I long to go back to Antwerp and walk these streets again!

Bound in Love