Shout-outs

I've had a bunch of new blogs and websites on my radar lately-- god, I can't even say the word radar anymore without immediately hearing Britney and the correlating gay-dar spin-offs in my head. You see what you're doing to me, Britney??!

ANYWAYS. The radar, yes?

A Canadian girl goes to China, conquers all

A friend of mine is embarking on her second adventure as a teacher in Asia. First in Korea and now in Shanghai, China, Ms. Clare is an unbelievably funny and insightful blogger... when she gets around to it. She's the first to admit that her original Korea blog sort of fell by the wayside after awhile, and anyone who read it back in those days (three years ago? How time flies when other people than myself are traveling the world) is crossing their fingers we'll get to hear more from her now. Nobody else makes a Korean kindergarten classroom seem quite so bewilderingly hilarious.

People who look more like my mother than I do

Another blog begun by one of my brilliant and beautiful cousins. She constantly inspires me and makes me see ordinary life events in new ways, while also reassuring me that I'm never the only one thinking something neurotic and bizarre. As if that weren't enough, she has awesome taste in music, takes incredible photographs with my uncle's old non-digital camera (are cameras called analog when they're not digital, like clocks?), and has her own unique and whimsical style with clothes and everything else that just makes me want to hang out with her all the time, so that I may be cooler by proximity.

Real women eat cheese, enjoy sex and rock their careers

I've posted about doll magazine here before, but it bears repeating since the mag is still new and very much evolving and growing. It was founded and is edited by one of my classmates from journalism school, and since I've only managed to contribute one piece so far, I don't think it's conceited for me to say how awesome it is.

As someone who grew up reading JANE magazine and plotting with my best friend to move to New York and become an indie music, literature, fashion and pro-women columnist, I can't express how excited I am to see young women in my own city and country taking the initiative to create a source of positive and healthy information and entertainment for other young women.

Sadly, JANE folded in 2007; the founder, Jane Pratt of Sassy fame, had left in 2005 after personal tragedy and after that, the mag's quality and vision started to slip. (Witness the choice of Lindsay Lohan as cover girl in a 2005 issue.) Since then, there are few magazines in the US that cater to women who don't want to be told how to look, what to buy, and who to look up to, especially when those marching orders are shaped by an industry driven by corporate profit and invested in women's insecurity and constant need for self-improvement. Some American mags like NYLON and BUST do a better job of valuing real women for the amazing creatures that we are, but there's nothing similar in Canada -- nothing mainstream, anyway. And unto the breach comes a new doll.

Who says you can't love where you live AND what you do?

I love taking photos. Since I was about 15, I've been known as the paparazzi among my friends -- aka, the annoying one who's always making them smile and get together, when all they're trying to do is be drunk and belligerent in peace. Thanks to my digital camera, most of the pictures I take turn out relatively well. But it's nothing compared to Chris Levesque's photos.

Chris is one of my oldest friends, and a multi-talented one. He makes films, he takes gorgeous photos, he snowboards. Right now he's living the life in Whistler, BC, doing all three and probably a lot more. (I've heard rumours of hot tubs and trampolines, and I'm really hoping they don't get used together, especially when the apres-mountain booze is flowing.)

In any case, check out the portrait section of his site for some amazing photos. And if you happen to be in Whistler this season, look for the dude in the yellow coat taking pics on the mountain and tell him I say hi.

The Twitterati

Some of my recent follows:

@jaredleto -- yes it's really him, and yes he talks about his band 30 Seconds to Mars a lot.

@blogTO -- good for finding out what's going on in the city, what people are talking about, etc.

@bradTTC -- the communications manager for the TTC. His level of engagement with the Toronto Twitterverse is pretty impressive, even if their service isn't. Hope it turns out to be a useful way for him to gather feedback from the public.

@HalfPintIngalls -- someone impersonating author Laura Ingalls Wilder of "Little House on the Prairie" fame. It is painfully funny, especially if you've read the books and/or used to watch the TV version and get the finer points of the jokes. I hope the author posts links to any other writing s/he does, because they're damn good.

@therealzooeyd -- as in Deschanel. I found her feed after seeing "500 Days of Summer" and falling in love with the soundtrack, including and especially Zooey's recordings with M. Ward under the band name She & Him. So pretty.

Obligatory shout-out to all our RTP offices with Twitter feeds: @RightToPlayNL, @RightToPlayUSA, @RightToPlayCAN and @RightToPlay_UK, and to our intrepid CEO @JohannKoss.

@theteganandsara -- no explanation necessary, they freaking rule.

@shitmydadsays -- if you haven't heard of this guy or read his stuff yet, go now. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200, just do it now.