vive magazine issue 4.1

I'm going to have to toot my own horn today because I'm feeling pretty proud of myself: the digital version of vive is now online. The mag looks even better in print, but if you missed our launch party, don't live in Toronto, or are an online-only mag sort of girl, then you are now in luck. 

READ IT HERE!

All I'm allowed to share with you here are teasers of the two major shoots that we did, the first by Dan Epstein and the second by Alan Poon:

So much hard work went into this mag, from the editors on the masthead to the photographers, writers, stylists, models, copyeditors, everyone—not to mention the bake sale buyers and party goers who helped us raise the money to print this baby. It was not easy, nor did I expect it to be. But the experience of putting this mag together with so many talented people has been invaluable and a lot of fun. We've already started on the next issue, due out in the spring.

vive has a very similar look and aesthetic to what we do here on Burgundy Girls, so if you love us (or love our blog) then you'll enjoy the mag as well. And, if you zoom in just enough, you'll see an article written by Amanda! (And seriously, it's a good one.) We'll soon post a list of the shops and cafes in Toronto where you can find vive, so check back on the blog if you want to get your hands on an issue!

We are always looking for new contributors—writers, photographers, illustrators, bloggers, etc., so please get in touch at sayhi@vivemagazine.ca if you are interested.

Oh, and one more thing. I love working for a print magazine, but the digital version is very special to me, because—let's be real—it will be able to spread faster, be seen by more people, and generally be able to go further than print can. This year, we will be releasing an online-only version or two, and I'm excited to take advantage of the digital platform and push the envelope a bit.

Sayonara 2011

Sorry things have been a bit quiet over here at Burgundy HQ for the past week. Laura had her birthday on Tuesday (happy birthday, doll!) and has left our fair northern soil for a trip to Stateside, while I have been alternating between playing the busy bee catch-up and lazing with my dog in bed watching the Kardashians. We were both in need of a thorough break, so we'll be back with lots of fresh jazz for y'all in 2012.

But I just wanted to pop in and say, have a really wonderful new year's eve, guys. Don't get too wild and crazy, or do, and take lots of messy photos. Don't forget to celebrate National Mic Check Day either (1/2/12 – snicker). I hope you're out using up the last of your benefits for the year, and get your party nails on, for god's sake.

I'm wearing three coats of American Apparel's "Supernova",
which is a pretty dope dupe* for that Deborah Lippman Birthday shit everyone lost their minds over.

I love you guys, and I can't wait to grow a little bit older with you.

*Is it an actual dupe? Pfft, beats me.

Dispatches

There's too much cool stuff in the world today for me to keep it to myself.

via the Examiner and NASA

There's been a rad new planet discovered! Called Kepler-22b (for now), its 1.6 times the size of Earth, features temperatures similar to southern California's and has a calendar year of 290 days (about 2 months shorter than Earth's). So, essentially, there's a retirement planet nearby where you get old faster but live like a king. It probably never rains either. Before you pack your bags, know that they're still trying to figure out if it's made of rock, gas or liquid. Fingers crossed it doesn't go all Melancholia on us.

The New Yorker posted this cool little story about fear and writing—how writing can calm fears, or exacerbate them. I fall on both sides of the divide, in equal measure. Writing! What a curse, what a joy! (Oh, also, if you're excited about The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, as I am, David Denby's review has caused quite the uproar by going against the studio's embargo on reviews of the film published before December 13. The producer Scott Rudin and director David Fincher have both decried his actions and banned him from future screenings, even though the review was very positive. Oh Hollywood, you DO go on.)

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These Maryland convicts have been transformed by a program called Knitting Behind Bars, which does exactly what you'd think it does – teaches hardened criminals how to knit. I've long extolled the benefits that I think knitting has on me personally (besides the warmth of knitted goods, that is), and I totally believe that it would have a really positive effect on someone in prison. The inmates all seem to have a really great attitude about knitting, and it even helps them reach parole more easily, due to the calming effect on their demeanor and that they're giving back to the community. Knit on with yo' bad selves, guys. (It also really reminded me of a great TAL episode, Act V, where prisoners perform the last act of Shakespeare's Hamlet.)

I thought this was a really cool local news story: a teacher in the middle of a first-aid lesson on CPR and defibrillators actually had to USE it when a student's heart stopped in a nearby class. Now he and the other teacher who helped restart the kid's heart are up for Emergency Medical Services Citizens' Awards. Talk about good timing (and heartwarming? Ohhhh...)

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I saw The Skin I Live In this week, and let me tell you, it was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. Beautiful, lush photography, gorgeous people and performances, and a melodramatic, twist-filled plot that kept me absolutely hooked. And looking back, the trailer makes perfect sense. I'm still trying to parse out what all the complicated layers of meaning suggest, but all I can say is, the less you know about this one going in, the better.

And also this week, I read the first book of The Hunger Games in less than 26 hours, with about 6 hours of actual reading time. Talk about a fiction hurricane. I'm getting the next two books this evening, and I expect the rest of my week to be detonated, with me curled up in bed, furiously flipping pages. A serious ton of fun (and I was impressed by the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation—they only cover the introductory third of the book.)

A Moment of Quiet for Steve Jobs

I don't pretend to be a tech geek. I'm not. I'm not a luddite, but I definitely have to be spoon fed to be kept on the curve.

But I was on Twitter when the news hit of Steve Jobs's death. I saw how it trickled into the public consciousness, and then poured. I couldn't really think of anything to say then. I still don't really think I can now.

source

And this morning, I woke up to a full-on monsoon. Feeds filled with quotes and pictures and videos and messages, people trying to grasp what they can out of this tragic loss. Stories of people going to Apple stores around the globe and leaving flowers and apples and candles.

I'm tired of writing these things. I'm tired of writing them because too many great people have been dying. But I guess that is the way of the world. I guess that what it means to grow older and to have heroes – it means having to outlive them.

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There is not much left to say but this: Here was a man who saw a vision of the future and had the talent to see it to fruition. Here was a man who believed so strongly in human life and ingenuity that he wanted our technology to reflect us, to intuit us, to help us create. Here was a man that didn't want to just give us the means to get things done, but who wanted to inspire us to do them, who wanted to make it easy and a joy to interact.

Perhaps the biggest testament to his work is in the collective outpouring of the global community, wanting to share everything from inspirational quotes to personal statements to "I hate cancer" to #iSad. People want to tell other people how this touches them, even if trivial, and they're doing it on the networks he helped facilitate, on devices he helped engineer. He pushed us further into the bold future of technology than perhaps anyone before him, in an all too brief 56 years.

So yes. I hate cancer, #iSad, RIP Steve Jobs. You were a visionary in a time when they feel in short supply, and you will be missed.

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Just to add: If you're an Ontario resident, don't forget to vote today! Info on the who, what, where, how can be found here.

In Memoriam: Jack Layton

We're going to take a break from our regular scheduled programming for a moment of silence.

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Jack Layton, the leader of the NDP and Canada's official opposition, passed away this morning at the age of 61. He had recently taken time off from politics to fight with an unspecified cancer, and he passed away this morning in his home.

It was hard news to wake up to this morning, not only because Layton was progressive Canadians' best hope of representation, but because he seemed like a truly great man. He went by the nickname Smilin' Jack, and it was fitting—he was a true optimist and a community man, rarely seen without a smile. His wife, Olivia Chow, is also a federal politician (and in fact, represents my riding of Trinity-Spadina), and they always seemed very happy and in love with one another.

We here at Burgundy Girls are shocked and saddened by the news. We celebrated Layton and the NDP's historic win during the last election (they more than doubled their highest amount of seats), and hoped this meant there was a reversal of the conservative tide in Canadian politics. Regardless of your political leanings, there was no denying that Jack Layton loved Canada, loved Toronto, and did his job admirably—providing a voice to a huge portion of the Canadian population.

Now, with Layton's passing, we can only hope the mantle of hope and change will be taken up by other politicians. He will be sorely missed, and we're glad we got to experience some of the joy and optimism he brought to the political table.

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For a taste of what Layton was like, enjoy this fun little spot from the Rick Mercer Report from last year, where Layton shows Mercer around his eco-friendly home, right in the heart of an old Toronto neighbourhood. He also speaks Cantonese with his wife and mother-in-law, and pokes some fun at himself.

He also modeled for Prada and Gucci back in the day—what a babe, right?

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Here's to a great man whose legacy, spanning all party lines, will never be forgotten.

Layton's last note to the Canadian people, written two days ago, can be read here. It contains his advice for the future of the NDP party but also the future of the country. We should take solace in his final words to us. We should use it as a new opportunity to live with intention and stand for the change that we want to see in how Canada is governed.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.