My Life, Your Entertainment

The second day of this month marked my one-year anniversary of living in LA – the official festivities began last August (what better month??) – but the initial bicoastal beginnings commenced June 2, 2009.  A year in, I’ve learned a lot about many MANY things – starting a business, Ecommerce, html, Photoshop, blogging, web development, living in LA and the US, and a lot more that won’t make it into the public pages of the internet… but in the interest of focusing on revenue generating efforts for WHAT ARE THEY WEARING and personal styling, I’ve decided it’s time to stop profiling my adventures (at least for now), sparing you the details of my daily life and experiences.  I may revisit the blog at some point in the future – but for now you can always get a regular (daily!!) dose of my stylish-anecdotes and writing weekdays at: http://www.whataretheywearing.com/  - in case you weren’t reading everyday already☺ Thanks for all your love and support!!


“The bar is where you set it.” – Uknown

k

GST®

I’ll admit to being too tough for my own good at times, and despite my 15-year love affair with running and it's amazing benefits, this fall I finally admitted it was reeking havoc on my body, and I stopped.  Due to chronic SI, hip, hamstring, IT-band injuries resulting from breaking my ankle at 19, and walking on it for two-weeks before casting it - my body isn't exactly designed for the track. Or the treadmill, hills, roads etc. I’d taken weeks off at a time in the past few years – and in the months leading up to Everest base camp, I was getting ultra sound and electro current therapy a few times a week, but nothing short of stopping actually did much for the pain. Finally, last fall it got so bad I was waking up in the night in pain, and couldn’t sit in the car or at my desk for more than half hour without being near tears. So I stopped, and I started intense physiotherapy. After a few months the pain subsided, and we started working on rehabilitation. I missed running, and I still do – but thankfully I’ve fallen in love with a new workout. GST®. 

Being Canadian, to me GST used to mean Goods and Services Tax – but in my LA life it stands for “Grace Somatomorphic Technique”.  Created by my instructor, body-awareness-guru and fitness extraordinaire Anna Rahe, I generally describe GST® as a combination between pilates, dance and intense stretching.  The best of what’s best for your body.  It’s revolutionary and transformational because in Anna's words... "it teaches you how to change the musculoskeletal relationships that make your body look and feel the way it does".  I started GST® in January.  I discovered it when my PT suggested pilates as part of my rehab – I tried a few classes, but didn’t love it – or my body’s reaction to it.  Thankfully at the same time I came across GST® and Anna… and fell into arm and leg springs, ballet bars, straps and more.  The classes vary from an intense stretch to faster paced dance-type classes, but it’s always a great workout.  For anyone that's ever tried Cardio Barre, Tracy Anderson's technique or power yoga, it's basically a better version of what those classes are trying to achieve. The focus is on your core – which GST® methodology divides into four “quartiles” - but it goes beyond, so you really feel the movements and understand how to create change in your body. You REALLY focus on the actions, and eventually your body starts responding and looking how you’ve always wanted.  Genius!  

GST™ Body from GST Body on Vimeo.

So even though I’ll always try to run at least once every few weeks (even if it’s just for my body to remind me why I’ve stopped…(GST® and Anna's body work help my body tolerate the pavement) - I've grown to LOVE my new routine of GST® classes, hiking and uh – walking – who knew?!

I’ll finish with a quote from one of my favorite people and mentor in MANY ways – GS.

“Sometimes you have to slow down to become efficient.” 

k

SURPRISE!!!!

Last weekend was the US Memorial Day long weekend, kicking off the start of summer... for LA that means more daylight as we're lucky enough not to have any weather that I'd ever classify as winter - aside from the daylight hours getting shorter.  So in honor of the three-day weekend, I made an impromptu short trip home for a VERY special someone's 65th birthday - I was able to see a few familiar faces in two short days in the city.  It'd been five months since I'd last set foot on Canadian soil for the holidays, and it felt good to be back.  One of the many highlights was a day trip to Muskoka - where we saw a buck who maybe have been as captivated by me as I was it...  And once he caught wind of our inukshuk it was game over - Clearly Canadian!!

And yes, Mmmuskoka's still heaven.  Can't wait to be back SOOOOON.

k

Happy B to My #1!

Today is the birthday of the most important person in my life, my favorite person, my #1 - forever and always.  Most people who know me know who that is as his actions, thoughts and advice pop up in many conversations in my life… and today this VERY important person turns 65 years young!!  He has been a complete rock of stability, compassion, honesty, and every other amazing characteristic a person and parent can have since he came into my life at age four.  This man has it all.  He gives more than he’ll ever get, and he takes from no one.  He is the rock of my family, everyone depends on him. He’s cheered me on, kept me in line, challenged and supported me in all of the ways I’ve needed the most since I was a young and somewhat bratty (oops) child. I’m forever grateful for everything he’s done and continues to do for me everyday… 

L - I can never thank you enough for all that you’ve given me…
but I can say - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Love, 

k

Dress for Success

Words to live by, especially in the world of fashion.  Although I’m not referring to this somewhat self-righteous slogan in the interest of vanity – but instead as the charitable organization promoting “suits to self-sufficiency.”  I started volunteering for the West Coast - Los Angeles chapter of Dress for Success early this year, only to find out that Robert Half International is a proud “success partner”.  RH sponsors the Career Center in the office I visit one afternoon a month, which is ironic considering that's not how I came across them.  The program I participate in suits disadvantaged woman in an effort to help them become healthy and independent.  The women we work with are either going for a job interview, in which case we put together their interview outfit, or they’ve recently got a job, so we put together a week’s worth of office appropriate outfits.  All the clothes are donated by community donors and local retailers – Tommy Hilfiger created the “Something to Share” scarf and necktie (available for $30) where 100% of the net proceeds benefit Dress for Success – and Dress Barn is a major donor of new clothes.   I work with the “clients”, finding new and gently-used clothing in the "boutique" to put together outfits they good feel good in – so they can get jobs, and ignite/reignite their careers and lives.

Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl’s XOXO) has stepped out in support of Dress for Success as shown above at their NY charity fashion show.  It’s great to see people in the spotlight raise awareness for a great cause.

Because sometimes we all need to look great to feel better!!

k

Are you living your best life?

Oprah loves this question. And it's not as condescending as you might think - she admits to not always living her best life, saying she's recently read her "Gratitude Journals" from a few years back thinking - wow, I was happy then.  But it is a great question to ask yourself from time to time... and maybe for an entire New York City weekend.

The "Live Your Best Life Weekend" offered too much to go into in any detail - "O" Magazine's May issue does a great job summarizing most of the content.  As does: "10 Best Things We Learned at O's Live Your Best Life Weekend".  Highlights were the following:

Carrie Bradshaw's SATC brownstone walk-up in the West Village (SJP herself lives only a few blocks away).  It's such a popular tourist stop that there's a "no trespassing" sign at the base of those famous stairs.

I'm still getting over the fact that I didn't meet Ms. Winfrey, but being 10 feet away from her twice was incredible...

"Eat Pray Love"'s Elizabeth Gilbert made a surprise appearance in Oprah's opening remarks, telling the crowd that while living your best life is great - doing the best you can is better.




Oprah narrating her OWN autobiography at Radio City Music Hall - and Hugh Jackman as the finale.  YUMMMM.

Thousands of die-hard O fans braved a cold windy Sunday-May morning raising money for 10 charities. Celebs in attendance were Jennifer Hudson, Bette Milder, Mary J Blige, Elizabeth Banks & Dr. Oz.

AHA.

k

Oprah in NYC

If all goes well this weekend I might meet my ultimate hero – Ms. Oprah Winfrey.  I’m heading to New York very early tomorrow morning for her “Live Your Best Life Weekend” in celebration of “O” Magazine’s 10^th anniversary.  A good friend of mine (and ultimate New Yorker), her mom and I will be joining Oprah, Gale King, Dr Oz, Suze Orman, Nate Bercus and the rest of the HARPO team (and a few thousand other people...) for a three-day ALL-THINGS-Oprah celebration.  Starting with a “Welcome Reception” tomorrow night, followed by “Lifeshop” seminars with Oprah gurus all-day Saturday, an Oprah evening event at Radio City Music Hall (where she “brings her auto-biography to life), and a charity “Live Your Best Life Walk” Sunday… it promises to be an AH-mazing weekend. 

I'll admit that I've been Oprah-obsessed from a very young age. There are worse things than living your best life.

O-tastic. 

k

I dream in Louboutin

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Parisian Designer, Mr. Christian Louboutin. Known to many as a shoe God - the creator of the infamous red “GO” sole that dons the LUCKY feet of women everywhere, Christian made an exciting appearance for Los Angelenos fans at his Hollywood boutique. The event was scheduled from 4-7pm and loyal followers (myself included) waited upwards of three hours to have the master sign his works of art. Christian spent a few minutes with every guest, taking his time while autographing the arch of his shoes – greeting you by name.  He called me “Kat” which I let less than five people in my life get away with, he’s now one of them.

Christian Louboutin (pronounced KRI-shtaan Lu-bu-THAN)’s designs aren’t for the faint of heart, or wallet... Some pairs could finance a vacation. I avoided this level of shoe-lust for as long as I could for many reasons. A lot of his designs are sky-high (heels upwards of 5 inches) and standing at 5”10 barefoot I don’t need the extra lift. But the weekend before last I went to Saks on my first operation CL. I tried on a reasonable heel height  (3 1/4”) in a style I fell in love with, and was pleasantly surprised that they were as comfortable as some other favorites in my shoe emporium. It took me a week to go back and pull the trigger; they aren’t a purchase to be made lightly. But in anticipation of last night’s event I found myself back at Saks last Saturday letting the love affair begin. Yesterday was my new “Simple 85 Nude Patent Pumps” debut, and fittingly I took the left shoe right off my foot for Christian to sign. One fashionista friend (love you J ♥) rightfully said they're now an heirloom... agreed, I will definitely have them FOREVER. 

GO!

k

“The Happiest Place on Earth”: Adult Disney Land

If you’ve spent a good amount of time in LA, you’ve likely been to, or at least heard of The Grove.  Outdoor malls are amazingly common in Southern California (one of my most exciting discoveries when I first visited LA), and this one stands out from the rest.  Mainly because it’s across the street.  But aside from being 5 seconds from my door – both a blessing and a curse for a major consumer – The Grove is somewhere that makes you smile.  On a good day the shops and boutiques provide easy access to shopping (aka “research”) – and because I always knew I was destine to live within walking distance of a J.Crew, it feels like home.  Favorites Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Victoria Secret, Michael Kors and Barnes & Noble are all conveniently nestled between the fountain, park, statues and the historic Farmers Market (celebrating it’s 76^th birthday this summer). It also doesn't go unnoticed when I walk through Nordstrom's shoe department to get to Starbucks.

My favorite part about The Grove is when I have visitors.  It provides easy access to shops, restaurants, and a movie theatre without getting in the car.  My brothers were big fans of Apple and Nike – they enjoyed breakfast at The Farm and a very special 13^th birthday celebration at Maggiano’s.  I also may have made them ride the double-decker battery-powered trolley that runs from one end of the shopping centre to the other.  Few other riders were over the age of 5, but it brought back some found memories of Santa’s Village for me and I know they loved it.☺

I love “The Grove” at Christmas.  Every November marks a ceremonious tree lighting ceremony where a 110-foot Christmas tree is lit.  Rockefeller-style (and The Hills season 1).   The entire centre is COVERED with lights and holiday decorations.  It’s magical.  They even have fake snow, which is highly entertaining for us non-California natives.  No shortage of the real stuff in Canada!

Many celebrities visit The Grove – so far I’ve only seen Steven Baldwin (who’s guest role on Gossip Girl starts this Monday) and Emily Blunt at a Question & Answer after a showing of her movie "The Young Victoria"(sorry I forgot to list both of these sightings in last week’s post) – but I see press highlighting regular sightings and I'm all eyes. 

I definitely won’t live across the street forever, but for one reason or another I’ve got a few more months in me.  Come February it’ll be time to head West (in closer proximity to the Ocean), so for now I’ll keep appreciating “The Happiest Place on Earth” being right at my doorstep.

Visitors welcome!

k

What are you, famous?

One of the most common questions I’m asked when I say I live in LA is, who have you seen? Here goes – in no particular order of amazingness:

• Jennifer Aniston – at a taping of Chelsea Lately AND at the table right beside me at the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel

• Malin Akerman – Swedish bombshell from “Couples Retreat”, “The Proposal” & “27 Dresses” - walked by me in Beverly Hills

• Joshua Jackson - Pacey from “Dawson’s Creek” - crossing the street on Rodeo Drive. Canadian!

• Jason Bateman -“Juno”, “Up in The Air”& “The Hogan Family” - having brunch with his wife and daughter at M Café. Yummmm

• Kings of Leon  – “I could really use somebody” - at the Sunset Marquis Hotel on my birthday

• Orlando Bloom – Pirates of the Carribean - with Kings of Leon 

• Lauren Conrad – reality star – at the Thompson hotel, met her 

• Los Bosworth – reality star - at the same event at the Thompson

• Carmen Electra  - “Scary Movie” – also at the Thompson 

• Jenna Dewan – “Step Up” (married to Channing Tatum - they met while filming) - also at the Thompson

• Jessica Lowndes – at the Thompson and LAX  - met her - Canadian! 

• Tayee Diggs – "Private Practice" - dining with his wife and friends at Angelini Osteria restaurant. He's my ultimate. 

• Jamie Foxx – "Ray" (Charles) - at a Jay-Z concert

• Lucy Hale – “Privileged” - my neighbor at the Palazzo

• Ashley Newbrough – same as above 

• Jeff Perry – Meredith’s dad on "Grey’s Anatomy" – hiking Runyon Canyon

• David Sutcliffe – played Kate Walsh (Addison Montgomery)’s boyfriend on "Private Practice" – numerous times on Runyon

• Chelsea Handler – at a live taping for her show “Chelsea Lately”

• Trainer Bob (Harper) from "The Biggest Loser" – at Starbucks

• Alfre Woodard – "Desperate Housewives" - at my Pilates studio 

10 months and going strong... It's a good thing I don't get overly excited and show all my emotions on my face - or this could get embarrassing.

k

“Wait till you see my smile."

- Alicia Keys

This past Tuesday, I saw Alicia Key’s perform at The Staples Centre. This was my first time at the home of the LA Lakers (and the Clippers and Kings) and I won’t say it’s the best concert venue - but Alicia did not disappoint. She put on a phenomenal show. Her “Freedom” tour promotes her latest album (released December 15, 2009), “The Element of Freedom”. If you don’t already have it, buy it – you’ll love it. “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart” might be the best song of all time.

This is the second time I’ve seen Alicia live. My sister and I saw her in Toronto a few years ago, another incredible show. Her songs and lyrics are fresh and inspiring - and she’s one of those artists who sounds even better live (listen to her live tracks on the album). She’s tied with Beyonce for my #1 - with Rihanna as a close second for favorite female artist.

Born and raised in New York her 2009 collaboration with Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” tore up the Billboard charts. If you've heard it, you love it. It’s also the theme song for the Sex & The City 2 trailer “Carrie On” – in case the song alone wasn’t enough to give you chills…

“Sometimes you just need to start over in order to fly.” – AK

k

Happy Easter!

“There's nothing better than a good friend, 
except a good friend with CHOCOLATE.” 
- Linda Grayson

Living in the US you could easily forget about Easter, especially in the wake of more widely recognized holidays like Passover here in LA.  Easter isn't a commonly recognized American holiday from the traditional sense for us Canadians (aka time off school or work).  Few people get to take either Good Friday or Easter Monday as holidays - even less get both - with the exception of some offices, libraries and schools that will be closed Friday.  And for the schools that do close, it’s called a “Midsemester Break” in an attempt not to involve religion.   

It's been rare to find me in Toronto for Easter for a while now.  I used to take the long weekend (adding Monday to the Canadian recognized Friday corporate holiday) and head to New York, Boston (watching a special someone run the Boston Marathon… M!) or LA.  This year is no exception as I won't be in Toronto, except that now I’m the one with visitors coming to me.  My little brothers!  I’m not entirely sure what our weekend will entail, but I've got SEVERAL ideas of how to entertain a 12 and 16 year-old here in LA.  I just hope they can keep up.   

Happy Easter to YOU and YOURS!

k

PS.  It's April 1st... RABBITS!  Wishing everyone a month of good luck.

She's LIVE

After an eventful morning (with a slight failure to launch... mon dieu) - HERE SHE IS!!

http://www.whataretheywearing.com/

Weighing in at 18 characters (w-h-a-t-a-r-e-t-h-e-y-w-e-a-r-i-n-g) – after 10 months of somewhat excruciating labour – my baby’s live.

Starting Monday she’ll be updated with new content weekdays, and like a true LA baby she'll be receiving a few cosmetic enhancements and improvements in the next few months.  Stay tuned…

Get excited!!

k

My first quake

After an uncharacteristically long stretch of 7-days of dining out with friends and visitors (miss you K!), I had a friend over for a drink Monday night – leading to an equally rare uninterrupted long stretch of nights involving red wine. So when I woke up with a jolt at 4am to everything shaking, I'm not totally surprised that it took me a second to figure out what was happening. My first thought was why is the full-length mirror in my bedroom (weighing a good 50 lbs) shaking? Then I realized, everything was shaking. Not just my room, or my building, but the ground. The world was shaking! It felt like the sky was falling. In total, it probably lasted less than a minute, but it felt like longer. I remember thinking, “oh.... this is it, this is the big one!!” It wasn’t like I had enough time to think of what I should do, or that I would have had any idea what to do... So when it ended I did with every other Los Angeleno also jolted out of bed likely did, I went back to sleep. 

A few hours later I woke up to a message on my blackberry asking if I was OK (thanks J!), a friend had heard there was an earthquake in LA. Yes there was, and thankfully yes I was. Most of my close friends out here hadn’t woken up or felt it, and I was able to alleviate any concerns before the news really spread East. I'll admit it’s a weird feeling to wake up and google “earthquake today in LA” to find out what had happened to you the night before... It was reported as a 4.4.  Not large by Haiti (7.0) or Chile’s (8.8) recent and utterly devastating standards.  But if I’d ever wondered what a 4.4 felt like, I now know.  And let me tell you, I can’t even begin to imagine the shock of a 7 or above. No thank you. 

There are almost 10,000 earthquakes every year in Southern California. Nearly everyday there's a quake. And although most of them go undetected in the 2 to 3 magnitudes, the fact alone is hard to ignore. 

So I’ve survived my first notable quake.  The “first-responders” were put on alert but news reports have no one reportedly injured, and aside from part of a freeway caving in (no surprise, with the horrific road conditions out here that could happen on a good day) all seems to be find in the city of la la.  Let’s hope it was my first, and LAST shake.

And shhhhhh, please don't tell my mom...

k 

Still Gorgeous

The week before last, I went out for dinner with close friends in Beverly Hills, and we were LUCKY enough to spot Jennifer Aniston sitting at the table beside us.  It was a good hour into our meal, when I looked over and after a few good takes (double, triple, quadruple…) I turned to my best friend in utter disbelief saying “uh, is that who I think it is?”  She said, yes, she’d even noticed “Aniston” on the reservations when she checked in with the maître d' - but hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up.  Smart thinking, I don't take a top five sighting lightly...

It was a Tuesday night at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills hotel.  A hot spot for celebrities, because similar to the Sunset Tower (another one of Jen’s favorite venues where she reportedly enjoyed their gourmet cookies and fries with girlfriends just days before presenting at the Golden Globes, looking better than ever - true story, see below), they don’t allow paparazzi and discourage photos.  Excitingly, Jen was actually sitting at the same table we’d been (with another close friend) six months earlier.  Pretty sure she was in my seat. We were practically hugging. Ahhh-MAZING.

It’s undeniable that Jen is gorgeous.  She’s charismatic and possesses an infectious star quality.  But she also has something more than your classical good looks.  She glows.  She radiates.  There’s something about her that leaves you staring...  And I guarantee that’s what I was doing for the hour she was there with us (for a drink with a young male, someone I’d put as a member of the media if I had to guess).  You just can’t take your eyes off her.  So I didn’t.  My friends were highly entertained at my over-the-top reaction (although surprising?  No).  They wanted me to go say hi, introducing myself and the site, but I just couldn’t bother her at a place where she goes to not be approached.  Jen and I will have our moment, and you loyal readers know this isn’t the first live LA spotting so far.  We ended up walking out at the same time as her.  She left on her own, heading in the direction of the rooms and probably a private exit.  I stood watching in shock with an ear-to-ear smile.  Numerous text, PIN and BBM reports soon followed.

Supporting Jen’s fantastic glow was the perfect outfit.  Her legendary golden-blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, with her long layers swept behind her ears.  She wore a casual pale blue tee, with a medium weight gray (assumed to be cashmere) scarf, faded blue jeans, and boots (think Fryes).  On her right wrist was her signature large gold Rolex (see top pic) that she often wears (rumored to be a gift from ex-John Mayer) paired with a thick black leather cuff (no studs or detailing) giving her a classic yet current and edgy look. Perfection. 

Friends?  Yes, please!!

k

“Don’t tell me what you’re going to do, tell me what you’ve done.”

I love this saying. I consider myself a person of action – a doer, not just a talker. Yesterday marked 10 months to the day that I started my extended trips to LA to get whataretheywearing up & running. Last month marked a year from when I first formally put this bold life-changing plan into motion. And if all goes well, this Monday, March 8^th will mark the much-anticipated soft launch of the site. T minus four days & counting. Not to mention it’s also the return of new Gossip Girl episodes & Oscar Boxing Day. An exciting day I don’t mind sharing.

There are a few more t’s to be crossed and i’s to be dotted in the next few days, so in the interest of no more over-promising and under-delivering, I won’t say that Monday is set in stone. But things are looking good. Finally. It’s been a long long road together…

For anyone interested in a preview, this is essentially what's going live:

WHAT ARE THEY WEARING

I'll be starting daily posts next week. And although I’d give the site a 7 overall in my own unrelenting perfectionist ranking, there are more development projects in the works to make it a 10. She's getting there.

If you do have a chance to check out the staging site in the next few days – any & ALL feedback is welcome. Thank you to those of you who have already been a great help so far. It’s much appreciated. Every bit helps.

Ready!

k

Lesson Learned

A few days after returning to LA from the Christmas holidays, I picked up a friend (and fellow Canadian) from LAX. Her flight got in ~ 10pm. I’ve done the drive to and from the airport MANY times. I have a quick route I usually take, but with all of the excitement of her and her dog (Thumps), I missed a turn and we took the freeway. Not a big deal, it’d be quick at that hour. We were catching up, I was driving – navigating our way home – when all of a sudden my worst fear in LA (aside from being deported!) came true. There were red flashing lights behind me…

There are few things I fear more in life than the police in countries outside of Canada. In Canada, men in dark blue make me feel safe & protected. Anywhere else, they do just the opposite. This might be less surprising in developing nations like African countries – but the US is also high on this list. Blame Rodney King, Crash & Changeling, but I am petrified of the LAPD. They have a lot of power, & I just don’t like it.

In disbelief, I said “Are we getting pulled over?” My friend laughed and said, “What? No!” Well, yes we were. My surprise lead to a delayed reaction time, so the officer actually got on the loud speaker, “Take the next exit and pull over. Pull over at Culver City.” So I did, but I guess I didn’t stop soon enough because then I heard, “Stop the car, pull over and stop the car NOW.” Uh, ok. I’d never been pulled over in my life, let alone on a 6-lane Los Angeles freeway. Awesome. I stopped the car.

The officer was nice enough, he said I’d made an unsafe lane change and cut someone off. I didn’t notice, but I wasn’t one to object. He did a test asking me to follow his finger with my eyes (I had to stop myself from saying anything, clearly I hadn’t had a drop of any alcohol, but he wasn’t asking). Then he went back to his patrol car, for what felt like forever, and came back with a ticket telling me I had to go to the Santa Monica Courthouse February 22, at 8:30am. So I did this past Monday. I waited in line for two hours (in a full suit, not required to say the least) and decided not to contest the ticket. That would have involved coming back another day, going in front of a judge, and proving that I didn’t make an unsafe lane change. I wasn’t sure how to go about doing that, so instead I paid the $215 fine and opted to take online traffic school for another $60. I have until mid-April to complete an 8-hour online course, after which this incident will be completely removed from my driving record. No points, no insurance penalties, no record... Yes please. I had never even heard of traffic school, the man at the kiosk kept asking me if I’d been to traffic school in the past 18-months. I had to ask what traffic school was, his reply was “I think you’re good.”

I've since learned that it’s very common to get pulled over in smaller LA areas like Culver City. Large enough to have it’s own police force, but relatively small geographically, there’s no shortage of police looking to pull people over. I guess the key is not to give them a reason.

So yeah, drive safe and check those blind spots.

k

Olympic Pride

There’s nothing better than seeing Canada in the spotlight. And as expected, Vancouver’s proving to be a fantastic host for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. From KD Lang's show-stopping performance of "Hallelujah" in last Friday's Opening Ceremonies - to the electric energy of the Canadian fans cheering on our hometown favorites - I'm completely addicted to anything, everything, & ALL things Olympic.

Some personal highlights so far are the following – of course the celebs & fashions are front & center in my book:

• Wayne Gretzky (The Great One), Steve Nash (NBA allstar), Catriona Le May Doan (speed skating icon) & Nancy Greene (skiing legend) lighting the Olympic Cauldron.

• “You Gotta Be here” - commercial airing throughout the Olympic coverage encouraging traveling to BC in 2010 – proud Canadian British Columbians Michael J Fox (amidst some of Canada’s biggest & best trees), Sarah McLachlan (donning black Hunter Wellies & admist orca whales), Ryan Reynolds (“laid back”… mmm - always delicious), Erick McCormack, Steve Nash, & Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall. “We call it home, my home, our home." Click for the TV & Unedited versions. So worth a watch.

• “We Are The World 25 for Haiti” (click to watch) - 25 years ago Michael Jackson cowrote this song with Lionel Richie to raise money for Africa. Today, several A-list stars gathered for a remake with proceeds going to Haiti earthquake relief – available on iTunes (you can also download “Hope for Haiti” songs from George Clooney’s telethon).

• Canada’s first gold on home soil – Alexandre Bilodeau (above) – Men’s Moguls Freestyle Skiing - AMAZING.

• Canada’s first women’s snowboarding gold (& the first Canadian Women to earn a gold on home soil!!) - Maellle Ricker (local West Vancouver girl) – Ladies Snowboard Cross. I physically leapt out of my seat for that one.

• Other gold, silver and bronze Canadian medals have been earned in Speed Skating, Men’s Snowboard Cross & Moguls Freestyle Skiing. The medal count continues... loving metallics.

• US figure skater Evan Lysacek (Los Angelean) debuting his feathered costume in his short program, designed by Vera Wang, fashion icon & former figure skater herself. His second Vera outfit can be seen in tonight’s long program. You go boy.

• Evan’s US teammate Johnny Weir marching proudly into the figure skating arena with a black studded Balenciaga bag – ok, it was a full on purse. Ever the fashionista, his costume had pink accents as well. Go big - go gold - or go pink.

• US downhill skier, Lindsey Vonn, overcoming a devastating shin injury, to take gold. Teammate Julia Mancusco, wearing a tiara over her helmet as a good luck charm, takes silver. No joke. Look closely...

• Shaun White taking a victory lap (after winning gold in his first run) & introducing his double McTwist 1260. This Big Bear California native is called “the flying tomato”. He proudly defended his gold from Torino, & was incredible to watch.

Thankfully we still have more than another week of the games to enjoy – I just can’t get enough.

GO CANADA!!!!

k

It's going to be a white Christmas...

Antarctica will mark my 7^th and final continent, a goal I have to complete by my 30^th birthday. Funnily enough this endeavor wasn’t as well researched on my part as my previous expeditions to Africa, South America & Everest (or at all really). I know a few brave souls who have ventured to the Arctic, and we’ve discussed it in passing, but I failed to start properly researching this expedition until last month. I had it in my head that I’d head to the South Pole this spring – figuring once the site was launched I could get my act in order and take a 10-day hiatus…

Hmmm. Well for one – I learned the continent freezes in March every year – not thawing until the following December. This posed my first problem for my finite August deadline. So likely not surprisingly to most of you, I started looking into the trips that were still available this season in an effort to meet my cut-off. My travel agent even asked if I could leave for 3 weeks in 4 days from our first conversation? Aggressive. Given the site's delay, and my insane thirst for continent chasing, I probably could have swung it... but the trips left were not my ideal. I want an active trip, on a comfortable ship, with other travelers close to my age - far from what was left. I was now seeing why most people plan this trip of a lifetime about a year in advance. It’s a sizable

investment to undertake without getting the trip you really want (I’m set on sea kayaking with penguins - circa March of the Penguins 2.0 - and I’m really not willing to compromise on this...). I also thought I could do a 7-day trip, adding a day or two for travel on each end. But considering you’re going to the tip of the world – they don’t run trips less than 10 days in length. You also need to give yourself 2-3 days on each end to properly accommodate the required travel (after missing my flight from LA to Singapore & starting Everest two days late, I can appreciate why this is the case) - I'm not sure a ship with 100 passengers would be waiting...

So in the end I’ve booked my perfect trip (this is my actual ship below) & I've allowed myself a few months grace on my August deadline. I’ll be leaving LA December 15^th, flying to Ushuaia

(the Southern most city in the world) via Buenos Aries – leaving December 18^th on a 12-day expedition – and returning home to LA via Santiago (happily ringing in 2011). My trip is called the “Antarctica Cruise – The Peninsula (Active Adventure) 2010” – it’s on a Russian Ship called the “Marina Svetaeva” and aside from sea kayaking with penguins; it offers glacier camping, healthy meals, a gym, and hot stone massage. There are day hikes and zodiac rides. It’s described as “a casual & active environment”. Perfection.

If I don’t include countries where I haven’t actually left the airport (Japan & South Korea), I’m at 25 for my related goal of 30 countries also before 30. I’ll count Argentina and Chile as 26 & 27 – leaving 3 more to hit in the next few months. Cabo anyone?

Seven!

k

Team Canada

As much as I LOVE living in California and consider it my forever home (Muskoka will ALWAYS have dibs on my summers) – I could not be more excited for the Olympics to start in my native country. And of course, to ferociously cheer on Team Canada. Always. I can’t wait to experience the balance of watching the US media coverage – with Canada being the host. Vancouver is one of our best cities, and will surely have Canadians beaming with pride, as the rest of the world (the few that don’t already love and respect our country), falls head over heels with everything British Columbia has to

offer. Isn’t it about time Americans learn what a toque is? Not to mention an “Inukshuk” – I can’t wait to watch the world try to figure out that one... And if the city of Vancouver isn’t spectacular enough – there’s Whistler. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Whistler in the summer - enjoying their running & biking trails, and in the winter – enjoying fresh tracks & the best boarding of my life. It’s incredible. Such a small town it feels like high school - there’s a homey feel to it that welcomes you right away. Admittedly it’s not somewhere I’d want to spend more than a few days at a time, but whatever your reason to visit – it promises to offer you an incredible few days at that.

So as the torch continues to cross the country en route to Whistler (the 106 day relay has passed through every province & territory, with torchbearers including teenagers, senior citizens, athletes & politicians), tomorrow marks one week till the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. Athletes from across the globe are gearing up for their competitions of a lifetime. It promises to be an exciting 17 days, hopefully resulting in many Canadians taking gold on their homeland.

The last year of my life (& admittedly the 28 before) comes back to one question – what are they wearing? This applies to athletics – so to answer anyone else’s beaming curiosity, the US team will be donned in Ralph Lauren attire for the Opening Ceremonies. Sadly Team Canada’s HBC gear’s not looking as chic – gaining points for function over fashion it's cozy & comfy - which might help in the medal department.

It’s too bad lulu wasn’t honored with the task – being one of Canada’s largest retail success stories – starting nowhere other than… Vancouver. At least we’ve got their “cheer gear”. LOVE.

It’s on.

k

Rumor has it...

I’ll have a website soon.

After MUCH delay, my developers are working out some (hopefully) final bugs and we’re actually getting close to a launch. There have been more than a few bugs, changes, revisions, etc. over the last three months, but they’ve really stepped up recently and we’re finally getting somewhere. In a matter of a week or so, I hope to be sending out the final stage version to some of you lucky readers and strong supporters (get excited!) asking for some last thoughts, after which we’ll go live...

To answer my beloved friend and family’s number question of the last seven months, I still don’t have a specific launch date. I’ve made the mistake of committing to a date too many times now – let’s all remember the first “coming soon - July 2009" placeholder, which has since been changed to “Fall 20009”, “Winter 2009” and finally “Winter 2010”. There’s nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering – it’s my biggest pet peeve in life, so it’s been a tough pill to swallow that we missed our July deadline, and every month thereafter until what’s now looking like February 2010. That'll mark nine months since I've been working hard, and hardly working on the site - and with all of the time, money, and sleepless nights - she's definitely my baby.

I appeased myself by starting a facebook WHAT ARE THEY WEARING fan page (linked to our twitter whatRtheyWear and WHAT ARE THEY WEARING Linkedin groups) last fall. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you 178 fans so far.

It’s not that the site involves some form of rocket science, or is highly complex - (although I do think she is starting to look gorgeous) – but it’s common for web development to take what feels like forever. And I can't say I've been perfect in the process - I've learned A TON about things I didn't know existed. But everything happens for a reason right? Let's hope she’s worth the wait.

Stay tuned…

k

"If you want a rainbow...

... you have to put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton.

Yes, it rains in LA. Actually, I should say it RAINS. Right now California is RAINING. LA’s been hit with hard rain since Sunday of this past Martin Luther King long weekend - and it’s predicted to stay strong until Friday. Day 4 and counting… 3 to go!

Growing up in Canada, I’m used to the elements. I’ll admit to becoming fair-weathered temperature-wise since moving to Southern California, but rain and snow still don’t phase me. Living in San Francisco, I couldn’t believe how the state shut down with a bit of rain. People forget how to drive (those who knew how to begin with) – and everything slows right down. If something takes you 15 minutes when it’s dry, it’ll take an hour with California rain. I’m lucky to have my trusty SUV with all-wheel drive, so gratefully I feel just as safe in wet conditions as dry. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I took the rain here seriously… things shut down because as a usually DRY place, California is ill-equipped to handle abnormal amounts of rain – which is anything more than a light drizzle. The mudslides (winter’s answer to summer’s fires) are as dangerous as avalanches, not to mention the floods, and most recently a tornado hitting Long / Huntington Beach and Orange County so strong it flipped cars and threw boats in the arena 30-50 feet in the air. Not just another day in paradise.

There were small breaks of sunshine Monday and yesterday afternoons – my friend and I actually saw a rainbow in the Hollywood Hills as we walked threw knee-deep puddles. But a flood warning remains in effect for Southern California, freeways have been shut down, and after an appearance of hail late this morning, this afternoon we’re gearing up for more heavy rain (up to 1.5 inches per hour) and high winds (50 -60 miles per hour). It’s advised not to leave your home if you don’t have to – OK, home office!

We might be prepared for earthquakes (some of us more than others - I promise to FINALLY buy my “earthquake kit” this weekend) – but this amount of fog, wind and rain can in fact be DISASTROUS and isn’t to be taken lightly. It’s a good thing I have three pairs of Wellies.

Stay dry!

k

Martin Luther King Monday

There are a few things American’s have right – a long weekend in January is DEFINITELY one of them. This weekend marks the first US holiday weekend of 2010. It’s excitingly followed by "President’s Day" next month (oddly "Family Day" hasn’t come south of the border). My best friend interestingly pointed out that January is when a new President's inauguration happens, and February is “Black History Month” – yet "Martin Luther King Day" is in January, and "President’s Day" is in February. Hmmm. Like I said – they have a few things right.

In honor of Dr. King’s memory, I’ve included a link below to a 17-minute video of his “I have a dream” speech. It's worth a watch.

http://www.mlkonline.net/video-i-have-a-dream-speech.html

I wonder if he ever dreamt of having a black President... "Free at last!"

What’s your dream?

k

So Type A…

I recently became obsessed with finding out my blood type. Mostly because I didn’t know it and I think this is a VERY important piece of valuable information for everyone to have, but also because a month into my vegan-macrobiotic transition, things aren’t going so smoothly. I haven’t had any animal products or byproducts for four weeks, and my body doesn’t seem to be reacting very well to this significant change. A few wise people asked about my blood type, explaining that some types need animal protein more than others. So I set to find out. My Toronto doctor said she couldn’t run the test unless I was pregnant (no!!) or needed a blood transfusion, but I could find out by giving blood. So I tried to donate blood in Toronto the next day, only to find out you can't within 24 hours of a dental cleaning. That ruled me out as I’d just seen my dentist. Back in LA, I contacted the UCLA platelet centre and after passing the initial prescreening, set up an appointment to donate. Unfortunately after explaining to a young technician that Nepal is a country, and Mount Everest is in fact a Mountain – I was denied as a donor until January 2011, because Nepal has a high risk for malaria. Explaining the elevation of Everest didn’t help, but at that point I wasn’t sure I wanted her putting a needle anywhere near me. I then ordered an online typing kit and put my grade 11 Biology skills to work, only to get an inconclusive result. Awesome. My last resort was to see my LA doctor, who happily did the typing test right in her office (sorry but I love US healthcare). Two days later she called me to let me know I’m Type A (negative). Classic.

Anyone who knows me, or who has read this blog, likely knows I’m a typical type A. It’s a funny coincidence that this now has more than one meaning for me. Not surprisingly, the A blood types are described as having fragile digestive systems – again anyone who knows me, knows this is an understatement, primarily thanks to my fantastic global travels (worth it!). It’s actually recommended that I have a vegetarian diet – but in adopting a “Eat Right for Your Type” diet, there are all kinds of other things it suggests I eliminate. A negative is a rare type outside of Africans (which works out well for me as I’ve always wanted to be African) – and is only prominent in about 7% of Canadians.

Dare to be different right?!

k