Tuesday, May 12, 2009

g and i prefer spring

Bear with me, I slept 4 hours last night thanks to inexplicable insomnia. Perhaps it's spring fever. Because, in ref to my subject line, I say we prefer spring because May has so far been like a pleasant Montreal July and reminds me and the furry one what a humid hell Tokyo will be come August.

Anyway, I started with a warning because this post promises to be a bit of an all-over-da-place ramble. Partly due to the lack of sleep and maybe also thanks to the "Japan via Poland" I just drank. I think I missed my calling and shoulda been a bartender as I often invent awesome cocktails. Case in point tonight: 1 oz Zubrowka vodka (awesome stuff which i thank Jose for introducing us to), 1/2 oz ume-shu (Japanese plum liqueur), tonic, rocks. Stir. Enjoy.

Okay, so first I wanted to crow about a coup accomplished by a couple of my brilliant colleagues at OW2.0. A recently shot (and not yet posted on our 'zine) video of theirs got picked up by TreeHugger, is getting a lot of views and will hopefully generate $ome action for the indigenous folk of the Carteret Islands (Papua New Guinea) who are being chased off their homeland by the effects of climate change. Check it out.

Then, on a lighter note, I plan to tonight try my first kimono mod and was thinking maybe I could test the waters for a side-business. I'll post pictures soon and then let me know if ever you'd be interested in one. You could even tell me what color scheme to keep my eyes open for.

See it's not hard to find beautiful second hand kimono at flea markets and thrift shops here. However, the affordable ones tend to be smaller sizes. Now, if you're not intending to wear kimono in the traditional way, small is not really small except the sleeves are too short. This is because putting on a kimono involves a very complicated process of folding and arranging what is actually quite a bit of cloth. (Hmm, this is hard to explain, just trust me! Or watch a video.)

The important thing is that this will not be a problem with my modified version, where I'm going to cut off the draping part of the sleeves, sew them (and the side openings) into normal mid-forearm sleeves. Presto, a gorgeous lounge robe, for about twenty bucks! Of course my version will not be intended to wear with an obi, even if you or I could ever figure out how the heck to do that, but I could cetainly pick you up a less extravagent belt called an obiage and/or and obijime.

And now, off that subject and back to work talk: my Transition Towns article was published today. Check it out (and comment there please) and start considering it, why don't ya? I think there are already some mullers in Montreal and I'll be hooking up with them in the near future. So excited!

In the meantime, don't you think Canada should be doing this?

Comments:

hey C,
Love your idea for the mod-kimono; yes, I'm interested! My fav colors are red, green, & purple.

Enjoyed your latest great article about such an interesting new thing.

Hope you, A, & G-dog are doing well. Q for G-d: what's a Bran Van?

xoxo
MM
 
May is rain rain rain here in Ottawa this year, but it brings out the prettiest flowers so we can't complain! :)

Ooooh, I'd *love* a kimono that was actually wearable around the house! You could sell them on etsy - I bet they'd sell like hotcakes! And if you sold them at a good price you could donate some of the proceeds to an environmentally friendly organization. I know when I buy products I like to see things like that (added incentive to buy).

Keep me posted! :)

Jacelyn
 
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