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For many, this weekend was the weekend of sex… Sex and the City, that is.
I actually am not one of those gals who have loyally followed SATC four years as they negotiated the waters of life and love (and yes, that ‘s’ word too). It’s not for lack of interest—I’ve fully enjoyed the few random episodes I’ve caught here and there but I could never really figure out when it was on and on what channel and it just seemed like a really big commitment I wasn’t ready for at the time.
But I get why SATC is more an obsession than a hobby for some.
For those people, having another chance to gorge themselves on the exploits, riotous conversation and drool-worthy Manolos of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte after they (the fans, that is) had been forced to say their tearful goodbyes for—what they thought would be—ever at the series finale, it must have been too exquisitely joyful for words.
At least, that’s the kind of reaction I was expecting from the hard-core SATC fans in the audience on Friday night.
As we lined up outside the theatre doors I had my misgivings.
The theatre we ended up at (Cavendish in Montreal… hey, tickets were really hard to come by and Katie and Jenna—or was it Mark?—were desperate) was pretty ghetto and didn’t exactly attract, ahem, girls for whom SATC was a style bible, ifyouknowwhatimean.
But once the lights went down and the first few notes of the SATC theme song came bouncing out of the speakers, I got the reaction I was looking for. The theatre heaved with a collective gasp and a few girls couldn’t hold back their squeals. The true appreciation of these fans was obvious.
I must admit, it was quite cute. Heart-warming, almost.
As the movie rolled along, it was punctuated with our reactions—bursts of laughter (that Charlotte scene is forever etched in my mind), groans of despair (don’t worry, I won’t ruin it for you) and—I couldn’t see but could FEEL it—tears of anguish and of joy.
It was a great movie, even for a non-SATC addict; maybe especially for a non-SATC addict. Since I didn’t have any preconceived notions as to what should happen or expectations as to its fidelity to the TV series, I could enjoy it for what it was: a fun story with endearing characters who delivered witty lines with panache, both metaphorically and physically (some of those clothes really were to die for)… and who made a lot of girls very, very happy this past weekend.
I totally envied them.
Now can someone please magically unearth a ninth book in the Anne of Green Gables series so I can experience the same delicious thrill?
I’ll definitely look back on 2008 as the year the plastic bag died… and the year re-usable tote bags exploded on the scene.
It all started with that silly cloth bag:
And then the retail sector caught onto the hotness and started churning out their own versions. The first one I got was from Lululemon and I thought, wow, this is really cool.
Then Jacob had them and I thought, awesome, this is the perfect size to bring my lunch to work every day. But now EVERY store is handing them out like crazy–I have a Capers one and a Bay one and a TELUS one and probably more but I can’t remember. Everyone’s doing it. It’s not so neat anymore.
But I have to say, these new Commercial Drive banner bags bring the funky back to non-plastic bags.
Almost every year the Commercial Drive Business Society prints 256 32″ x 60″ nylon street banners which help create a festive, colourful atmosphere for this unique shopping neighbourhood. Eventually each edition of these unique designs must be retired, so rather than sending them to the landfill they’ve come up with a very green idea — transform them into reusable nylon shopping bags!
Now that is clever.
The banner bags are are available in 2 sizes ($9.95 & $14.95) and 10 different colours. Info on where you can get your hot little hands on one of these babies here.
This brought to mind those iconic banners that Calgary splashes all over the city each year for the Stampede–you know the ones…
Wouldn’t I love to get my hands on a bag made of one of those! (Yes I am both cheesy and nostalgic. As if you didn’t already know that.)
I know it seems like I’ve been talking a lot about shopping lately but hey, there’s a lot of shopping involved when you’re planning a wedding – dresses, shoes, makeup… and that’s only for the girls. So lately, things that pop up that I normally wouldn’t pay attention to suddenly become interesting.
Like the email from Sephora I got the other day:
Judging by this, it looks like Sephora is NOT coming to Vancouver anytime soon, contrary to popular belief.
So let me get this straight.
Ontario just opened another Sephora store and has another opening in May. This brings the total to SEVEN Sephoras in Ontario and THREE in Alberta. And oh, this is really rich: there’s going to be not one, but TWO in Montreal’s suburbs.
All this and there is not one Sephora in Canada’s third largest city, Vancouver???
I don’t get it.
I like free stuff. I mean, who doesn’t? The thing is, free stuff isn’t easy to come by – the good free stuff, that is.
I saw an Oprah episode about 10 years ago that stuck in my head, about this woman who entered every single contest she got her hands on. It showed her in her garage completely surrounded by all this stuff she’d won – cars, bikes, food, toys, clothes… you name it.
With this in mind, I sometimes enter the odd contest. My personal rule is that I’ll enter only if it’s something I’d actually be elated to win (and if it’s a reputable source). Granted, I’m starting to get a bit of email clutter as a result of this despite the fact that I always check the little box to opt-out of “future mailings from us or our trusted affiliates that may be of interest to you”. I can only imagine how much junk mail that other lady gets.
But I still haven’t won anything.
Maybe that’s partly why I am so pumped over my newly discovered tactic of getting free stuff – store openings and product launches!
See, I subscribe to a few email newsletters that interest me and a couple weeks ago one of them was advertising a Mavi store opening event here in Vancouver’s Gastown.
Normally I’d never attend something like this but I was enchanted by the magic words: “goodie bags”. Especially as those words followed “one night only discounts” and “chocolate tasting”.
So I convinced a friend to meet up with me for pre-goodie bag martinis followed by the main event. And you know what? It was totally worth it! Not only did I snag a pair of new jeans for 25% off (regular $88), but I got a whack of free stuff: bag, chocolates, Estee Lauder mascara, Lou Lou magazine, Parissa wax strips, spa discount coupons, underwear and, my personal fave, Mariah Carey lipgloss and purse-sized perfume!
Ok, ok, I know what you’re thinking… Mariah Carey lip gloss?? But wait–the lip gloss wand has a light in it which shines on your lips when you’re putting it on!! And even though I’m aware of the irony of that (if you need a light to put on your lip gloss, doesn’t that mean it’s so dark that no one would see it anyway???), I still dig it. And I didn’t pay money for it, which makes it cool even if it’s not cool.
Let’s see if we can go two for two – I’ve conscripted a couple more friends to hit the Bombshell Bargains Event this Friday, May 9th in Yaletown. One of them really needs a pick-me-up (her twin just moved away and I can’t imagine how tough that must be!) and nothing says happy like swag. The website claims: “These highly anticipated sales will feature best-selling products, special discounts, giveaways and lots of fun.” And of course, it includes those sparkly two words which are music to my ears: Free Gift. Ahhhh….!
If want to get in on these scoops, subscribe to I Love Sample Sales (for cool stuff in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, NY, LA), The Style Spy (for hip chicks in Canada) and Vitamin V (for Vancouver vixens; Montreal mavens, check out Vitamin M and Toronto gals- Vitamin T).
Still no news on when (if?) Sephora will open in Vancouver but there IS one thing that I CAN confirm:
H&M finally opens at the Pacific Centre on May 22nd at noon sharp!
I drove by the other day and saw the sign with my very own eyes. If this is going to be anything like opening of H&M at Centre Rockland in Montreal, I think I’ll let the crowds die down a bit before venturing over there. It’s either that, or start growing my nails–all the better to fight my way in! Girls get nasty when there are hot clothes at amazing deals to be had. Not to mention the jewelry and shoes… oh, the delicious, delightful shoes…
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