5 Podcasts Worth Listening To

I've discovered a new fondness for podcasts. I'm an artist and what I love about my work is that often I can throw on a movie or show while I do my planning for paintings, but when it comes down to actually producing a piece, I need to focus into what I'm doing visually. And this is where I find the perfect opportunity to listen to something interesting while I'm working. I'll usually either throw on some music or delve into a new episode of my running list of podcasts. There's something about radio, too, that just feels old and nostalgic. The lack of visuals allows my imagination to run just a bit further which, in turn, adds to the creative process. These are my absolute go-to's for interesting or amusing listening:

1. Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids- I discovered this and listened to all the episodes of this entertaining show within a week. It's an actual laugh-out-loud program that brings back all the hilarious (and embarrassing) moments of childhood. Each show focuses on a different city in Canada where a live program was held for readers to read anything and everything they wrote as children. Diaries, stories, letters, notes, and speeches are all included during each 30 minute episode. I found myself relating to most journal entries and thinking, "Wow. Everyone really is the same at 13..."!

2. Artisan Church Podcast- I have to throw this one on the list because this is our home church! It's very rare that we miss a sunday because we really do love going. But on days when we do have to miss, it's nice to catch up during the week and listen to a sermon while doing chores. We're part of the Mount Pleasant parish, so Lance is our pastor, but really any speaker embodies the core of what Artisan believes which often includes a lot of storytelling.   

3. Vinyl Cafe Stories- You'll probably find a lot of CBC podcasts on my list (as I'm a bit of a CBC nut when it comes to radio). Vinyl Cafe Stories is one for the list. The host, Stuart McLean, tells amusing, but heartwarming stories of Dave and his wife, Morley whose interactions with friends and neighbours make relatable tales for all ages. This one is good for any activity, but you can most often find it playing in our car on road trips. 

4. After the Jump- This is a great podcast for all you design/blogger/maker nerds out there hosted by the lovely Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. Every episode has something to learn whether it be about business, social media or meeting new people, programs and product. I've found it to be incredibly inspiring as a creative individual working from home. And it's all about finding inspiration when you're not physically working alongside others!

5. Honest Home Podcast- As my most recently discovered podcast, I haven't had too much of a chance to listen to it. But I can already tell from the episodes that I have listened to that it is quality! One of those was an interview with a blogger, Erin Boyle, whose posts on small-space living have always intrigued me. And all of Honest Home podcast focuses around content on living simply and sustainably- something that I am also quite drawn to. I believe that it's important to think about how we're living and you'll find so much inspiration for that here. 

I hope this inspires you to expand your listening horizons and try something new as you go about your daily activity!  

Reading, Watching, Listening: The Immigrant

 I'm writing this confined to my bed as I've been for the past two and a half days. It's definitely not a whole lot of fun being ill. I mean sometimes it's nice to be able to give yourself a break for a day and watch movies in bed, but when it turns into two and then three...well, it's not so nice anymore. It all started this past Saturday evening, after M and I went on a date to see The Immigrant in theatres. Now, I'm hoping it wasn't the movie that made me sick, because I actually did enjoy it. (Minus the $11 snack of popcorn and m&m's. How did I not realize beforehand that movie popcorn is ridiculously overpriced?!?)

I hardly feel qualified to write decent and comprehensive reviews for films beyond personal opinion, but I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts for you today. As soon as I saw the trailer for this film, I was intrigued. I'm a huge sucker for historically based pieces- they definitely draw me in. I think it's something about the aesthetics. I'm such a visual person and history displays a beautiful aesthetic in so many ways.  

While this film is beautiful, it is not lighthearted. It's a historical drama in the purest sense about a Polish woman, Ewa and her sister immigrating to America. Upon arrival, the sister is diagnosed with Tuberculosis and deemed not fit to enter the country. They confine her to an infirmary for 6 months before her suggested deportation. The basis of the film is Ewa's struggle to find the money to buy her sister out so they can make a life for themselves in a new country. The story also follows Ewa's relationship with her new-found employer Bruno and his cousin, Orlando. 

The film deals with heavy subjects and complicated relationships. Bruno has both charmed and manipulated Ewa into a life of prostitution and self-loathe. Orlando has a different outlook on life, but lives in a tangled web of both love & loyalty and his need to earn income. Although Ewa is a strong willed, intelligent woman, her desperate love for her sister allows her to fall prey to Bruno's ways in order to buy her sister out. The story follows her need to survive and her discovery of self in a new land as she develops complicated relationships with each of the characters. 

While I enjoyed the film and found it interesting, I found it difficult to understand the relationships that were formed between Ewa, Bruno and Orlando. I think that part of it was the fact that I have no context for what it was like to be immigrating to America in the early 20th century, let alone having been forced into prostitution. Despite this, the way it was portrayed did end up giving me a better understanding of the hardships that immigrants faced in that era (and still face, today!). Also, the imagery throughout the film made it fascinating to watch and made me question what the purpose of each shot was. The images created seemed to relate directly to the inner emotions of the character, which I appreciated. 

Overall, I found this to be an incredibly interesting and thought-provoking film. I think that it's something that I would find enjoyable to discuss with others and hear their opinions on the outcome. So, if you get a chance, go watch it, come back here and share your thoughts on the movie in the comment section below (but just don't buy movie popcorn slathered in butter and salt. It really isn't worth it)! It might just make my day a whole lot better as I lay here helpless in bed.

-Jenni

Reading, Watching, Listening: The Young Victoria

Happy Victoria Day, to all you Canadian readers! As some of you may know, Canada has a deep rooted history with the British monarchy as our country was eventually founded by the British empire (even though this is still a disputable topic!). Even today we recognize Queen Elizabeth as our queen and perhaps some of you even have memorized and sung God Save the Queen on various occasions! So today, we honour Queen Victoria and all the work and achievements she accomplished in her lifetime along with her husband, Prince Albert (Or, you relax and go camping...who am I to judge?). I've always been a bit fascinated with royalty and I take no shame in it! My late grandmother had scrapbooks filled with clippings of queens, kings, princesses and duchesses of all kinds so somehow I feel connected to her even without ever having ever met her. But before I get too sidetracked, I want to talk a bit about a movie we watched this weekend and the woman behind the story. 

M and I popped in a movie from the library on Saturday which happened to be The Young Victoria. I've seen this one before, but it only dawned on us halfway through the film that we were watching it on the same weekend that we were meant to honour the figure portrayed on screen! Now this is coming from a true Romantic who likes a girly love story from time to time...but I am in love with this movie. I find it to be incredibly beautiful, heartwarming, lovely and every other word that comes to my head relating to the fulfillment of delight.  

Even with all of my love of royalty, I had not read much on the story of Victoria, so I was not aware of the happenings in her life or the love between her and her husband. And if she was indeed how the film  portrayed her, she seemed to be a strong and independent woman with incredible determination- a true heroine of our time. And the way this movie portrays her and Prince Albert's love story...oh my heart! Such a romantic story filled with beauty and valour. I have to admit, I have a bit of a crush on Prince Albert, now (sorry, M). I really don't want to spoil too much of the movie for you if you haven't seen it yet, but Prince Albert's love for his lady is accompanied by admiration, respect and strong companionship. 

If you are not all that familiar with Queen Victoria, here are a few facts and tidbits about her life so that you may know a bit of why we celebrate her today*: 

-Victoria became queen at the age of 18 upon William IV's death in 1837. She reigned for almost 64 years until her death in 1901 and remains the longest reigning British monarch, to date! 

-She is associated with Britain's age of industrial expansion and economic progress. She and Prince Albert both also turned more of their attention toward those with less financial means. She was supportive of many charities involving education and hospitals. 

-Between 1840 and 1882, she was often threatened with attacks on her life, but she displayed a strong and courageous attitude that widened her popularity in Great Britain. 

-Prince Albert took a very active role in progressing arts, science, trade and industry and helped to establish the South Kensington museums complex in London. 

-She and Albert had 9 (!!) children together which helped to establish monarchy in multiple surrounding nations.

-Albert died in 1861 at the age of 42. Victoria was so deeply attached to him that she sank into deep depression. He had been not only a devoted husband but a trusted advisor in state affairs. For the rest of her reign she wore only black and had Albert's outfit laid out daily until she died. 

-She was buried in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum in Windsor beside her husband. Her epitaph is inscribed with her own words, "Farewell, best beloved, here at last I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again". What beautiful and truthful final words!

So take a moment today to think about this figure in history, even if just for a small moment. Her accomplishments helped to develop the country we call home today. She also lived such an honourable life filled with devotion that I now feel inspired to follow. 

*all facts adopted from The Official Website of British Monarchy.

Reading, Watching, Listening: Suits

Netflix is such a wonderful creation. We don't have cable TV, so when we want to relax and watch a show, it's usually Netflix we turn to. The favourite as of lately is the show, Suits. Have you seen it? It's a really good show. Can't wait for the next season to come out! 

Suits is based on a young guy named Mike with a photographic memory who previously made money by writing exams for other students. He gets hired by Harvey Spectre, an extremely successful lawyer, by default, not because of skill. The entire show is based around winning cases, politics between law firms, and hiding Mike's lack of experience.

                                                                                    image credit: Joy hog

Here's a few things I like about the show.

1. It's clever.

I love when I can't tell what a show is going to do next. These guys are determined to win cases, and the rules they attempt to get around in order to do that are insane! The politics between the law firms are ridiculous, but oh so entertaining. 

2. It has a great, relatively unknown cast. 

I haven't seen most of the actors and actresses on much before, but they are super talented. And Donna. Oh Donna. If you watch it, you'll know what I'm talking about. She's my favourite. Any Lewis fans out there? He is so hilarious. 

3. Well-written dialogue.

If you like shows with a lot of good dialogue (Gilmore Girls, anyone?), this is a great show. I love it when a dramatic show gets a little more real-life with some good humour. They take themselves seriously, but not too seriously. 

Has anyone else seen this show? What did you think?

Kristen

Reading, Watching & Listening: L.M. Montgomery

I don't know about you, but I was obsessed with Anne of Green Gables when I was young. I watched all of the movies, had a braided yarn hat, a pop-up paper doll set, and was hopelessly in love with Gilbert Blythe. I traveled to Prince Edward Island, made sure to buy a bottle of Raspberry Cordial and kept the bottle as a memento for years. And while some phases last a short while, I'm not sure this phase ever really passed... Granted, I can't say I still play with paper dolls! And I've expanded beyond just the story of Anne of Green Gables. If anything, my love for the writer behind the story has grown deeper and I consider Montgomery to be my favourite author. 

If L.M. Montgomery and I had lived in the same place and time, I have a feeling that we would have been "bosom friends". She writes in a way that I connect with so strongly. She has a knack for seeing the beauty in everything and describing that beauty in words that drip with Romanticism. As I've mentioned before, I am very much a Romantic. I love the way she writes so descriptively about each setting, allowing my imagination to run wild, as though I'm experiencing it with her. She gives great life to each thing she describes along with the characters she creates. I feel as though Montgomery was able to articulate the things that people feel so deeply about place or people but aren't necessarily able to describe.

Now the funny thing is...I have only read (fully) two of her books! How can I even claim her to be my favourite author?! I hadn't really thought about it until I came across a few old copies of some of her novels at a thrift store. I continually read poems by Montgomery, so I guess that it satisfied my thirst for word beauty for the time being. But if I really declare her to be my favourite, I think it's about time I dig into each one of her novels! And so, my reading through of every novel she wrote begins. I'm starting with Anne of Avonlea, the second novel in the "Anne" series. And I'm very excited to dig into the Romanticism of it all! More to come on this in the future...

Now if you haven't read any Montgomery, I suggest starting with her singular novel, The Blue Castle. It is highly recommended by me! But to get a taste for her language, here's a small poem that is perfect for this day that is beckoning spring.

Spring Song

Hark, I hear a robin calling!


List, the wind is from the south! 


And the orchard-bloom is falling


Sweet as kisses on the mouth. 



In the dreamy vale of beeches


Fair and faint is woven mist, 


And the river's orient reaches


Are the palest amethyst. 



Every limpid brook is singing


Of the lure of April days; 


Every piney glen is ringing


With the maddest roundelays. 



Come and let us seek together


Springtime lore of daffodils, 


Giving to the golden weather


Greeting on the sun-warm hills. 



Ours shall be the moonrise stealing


Through the birches ivory-white; 


Ours shall be the mystic healing


Of the velvet-footed night. 



Ours shall be the gypsy winding


Of the path with violets blue, 


Ours at last the wizard finding


Of the land where dreams come true