Our House (in the middle of the street..)

It goes without saying that upon taking possession of our home (rental) Wednesday, I have been humming Madness's 'Our House' as I go about my daily life. Since I only know the chorus, it has really just been a lot of repetition and annoyed looks from those around me. I can understand, it isn't the most endearing song to have stuck in one's head for a full day --although I'll take it over Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' any day.

Usually, there is a lot that goes into house rentals - days of searching, viewing, and applying for tenancy. Moody landlords and real estate agencies, bargaining rent, and all the while still trying to find a place that meets your needs can get pretty tedious. At least, this is what I've heard.

A close friend of mine, who is moving to the city in order to do her Masters degree had been looking for a place since April, and was only approved for tenancy this week. She takes posession September 1.  

What I still fail to understand, though, is how it is that we found this house. There is no downside to any part of the tenancy. Allow me to explain:

Back in June my friends and I had decided, a bit on a limb actually, that we wanted to live together in the fall. I had no concrete plans after graduation, but was already planning on moving to the city with my other friends. Liz then decided that she was unhappy at her former University, and applied for a transfer. Becky wasn't returning to her college program, and decided that she needed to work for a year. Candace was looking to transfer her nursing program, however when her admissions was declined, she began looking at other programs. She will now be working as she saves up to fund a new program which she desires to be in. 

And so, back in July, the four of us (plus Jenny) made a trip down to see a house. But it was not this house. The house we went to see was located a block away, and when the landlady answered the door, she looked us all up and down and said in an unimpressed and condescending voice, "Wow."

While the house was nice enough, she was wretched. She was rude to us, and basically had her mind made up about the four of us before we even walked in for the showing. 

Admittedly, scheduling only one viewing for a day when we drove all the way down from the Muskokas was a bit of a blunder on our part. So we did the only logical thing we could: sit in McDonalds and hope we could find some other house which could do a showing that afternoon. We called a few places, emailed a few people, and had nearly come to the conclusion that we would have to make another trip to the city another day. 

So there we sat, hoping that there was something else we could look at while we were in the city. We heard back from one ad, which Becky found while we scoured the internet at McDonalds, and had a few calls which resulted in the need to return to the city. We had agreed to go to Candace's parents' house for dinner that evening, and so we headed off for some food, disappointed that our day hadn't been more productive.

Well, sometime between leaving the McDonalds and finishing dinner, we had arranged to see one more house before heading back to Muskoka. So we drove back to the city where we pulled onto an older street with older houses. We all sniggered when we saw a giant orange and black 'FOR RENT' sign on the front lawn. The five of us all looked at each other and figured we'd just humour it, since we weren't expecting much. The neighbourhood looked a little sktechier than my Redeemer townhouse parkinglot community, and compared to the sub-divisions located in the rich Ancaster suburbs, this older road looked like a ghetto pit. The front door was missing the bottom screen.

Then we walked in. 

We opened the first door to find ourselves in a well decorated and renovated mud room, where a little white golden-doodle dog came out and greeted us. Soon after, we were shaking hands with a stylish and funny young woman. She took us around the house, laughing with us and reassuring us that any mad parties we had --and our idea of a mad party is watching Lord of the Rings and drinking wine -- would not affect the flooring because it was new and stain and scratch resistant. 

She took us upstairs where we saw a bedroom with a juliet balcony. She took us downstairs where there is a 2 person jacuzzi bath in the bathroom. She took us to the dining room where there was a gorgeous chandelier that she wasn't planning on taking with her when she left. I am fairly sure all of our mouths gaped open as we were walking through. Original hardwood door and window frames and baseboards, a staircase to the attic, and high efficiency washer and dryer pretty much had all of us daydreaming about our year ahead. 

Well, less than a week later, this 30-something-urban-developer-engaged-to-a-mechanic-and-moving-to-Toronto landlord sent us the good news: We had been approved for tenancy. The rent per person is phenomenally low, and she left us a whole host of furnishings for the house. 

So this week we picked up the keys and sang Madness's 'Our House' as we moved our vintage plates (purchased at the Salvation Army in Huntsville), the dusty Brita water pitcher (been in storage since April) and some bowls (left over from Redeemer days) into our home. We then proceeded to run some utility hook-up errands, and took Liz to get her OSAP processed. On the way home (sounds so right!) we found a Chinese Take-Out place where we ordered food and returned to consume it on the living room floor.

Now despite the fact that the fortune cookie gods know nothing, and practically failed at their fortune jobs, the day was a success. We picked up our keys which the landlord had made for us, individualized with colour and design (cite ladybug key photo earlier up), and thanked her for being so kind to us. She even left us a basket full of welcome goodies --including jam, perfume samples, lip chap, tampons, and body oil from Bath and Body Works, and a little card which went up on the fridge beside the fortune cookies and the Chinese Takeout menu (new favourite!). 

The City already felt like home, and the place we are renting has so much possibility and imaginative scope. There is a backyard which is pleading for a little exterior design, a front yard that will get a nice facelift with flowers, and maybe a tire swing (I can dream). 

I think, though, that my favourite part of the house is the hidden closet we noticed while doing a walk through again this week. It's painted blue, leads up to the ceiling, has enough space to turn into a reading nook, and stairs which I can start my seedlings on --because there is a huge window letting tons of light into a very very small space. 

It's going to be an adventure. It is a good adventure though. I feel peaceful about the move, and I know that God will be faithful and provide me with a job. He has a funny way of being involved in these sorts of things. I just feel blessed. So overwhelmingly blessed, and I'm not sure what I did to deserve such incredible friends, an incredible landlord, and an incredible house. And even if the job isn't incredible, it will be a job that will allow God to work incredible things through. 

And though our house may not be a Maxwell House, fueled by Madness on loop (for fear of driving the neighbours and Becky crazy), it will be a home built on the Rock, and that is blessing enough. 

Blog Redesign and Social Networking

Admittedly, I'm skeptical when a new social networking site comes out. My first reaction is usually a mix of concern and exasperation that everyone doesn't need to be interconnected, that the government is trying to steal my information in a new way (alas, my Facebook privacy settings have been changed to about as stern and restricting as they can be), or simple disapproval that social-networking sites are just plagarizing each other because they can.

It took me a year and a half to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. I just didn't see the point of a social networking site that is entirely status updates all the time. I mean, that's what Facebook was like, back in the day, right? Twitter, I thought, was just a call-back to a world with underdeveloped (and better designed, I might add) Facebook. But when I started a little over 8 months ago with my very own Twitter account, I was impressed to see that there were legitimately good reasons for its use. It's an easy way to get quick updates from just about anyone on any subject. When my Digital Editor for The Crown was stuck in Vancouver with the rest of the NASH 74 journalists and the flu epidemic, I was able to quickly check out the status and tweets of many of those affected. It was quite handy. Most startling is the media's ability to recount the "last words" of murder victims. I was amazed that the CBC pulled in Twitter Feeds from the victims of the recent 'Dark Knight Rises' shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

Image from www.modernseoul.blogspot.com

Twitter, for me, solves all my social networking problems. For starters, I have all of my social networking sites linked through Twitter: Facebook, Instagram, my blog, and even Pintrest (which I'll get to in a minute). Effectively, Twitter makes it easy for me to do what I always loved doing with Facebook in the beginning - update my status. Remember the days when you had to be creative with Facebook statuses? They narrated your life, starting your day off in the third person, and required a little bit of intelleigence on your part. For many of my friends, their statuses would look something like,

"Ashley is so happy today."

Whereas my statuses would be something more akin to,

"Brittany is pleased to announce that today she had the wonderful chance to relive her childhood in the comfort of her grandparents' home. Nothing beats Grandma Soup and Grandpa money (insert smiley face here).

Seriously. I was that kind of teenager.

Well, now I've discovered Pintrest. As with all the rest, I was skeptical about indulging my creative spirit into this particular site. It just seemed so pointless. Really, what could be more inexcusably useless than a sight where you 'pin' (or post) pictures of things you like to a virtual board so your friends and family can send their accolades your way for your stellar ability to turn your life into a cyber polaroid website? I thought Instagram and Facebook already accomplished that.

As it turns out, I was incredibly wrong. This week I gave in. I created myself a Pintrest account (username: brittknapper. Pincount: 0). While I am still working out the details, I was impressed to find that these pins took you directly to their host website. For things like recipes and gardening and DIY how-to's, it is a really useful tool. Hopefully, once my summer up in the Muskokas is finished, I will be able to start blogging some of these 'how-to's' that I am so eager to try. I mean, really, whoever the genius was that realized you can create a winter greenhouse by planting seeds in toilet paper rolls and placing them in a clear plastic container deserves some sort of home-maker's award. I digress..)

The moral of the story is this: I am trying to bring this blog into adulthood with me. As you can see, the design has changed significantly. I may still do a little work with the header, because I'm not sure that I am entirely pleased with it yet, it has come a long way from looking like this:

To looking like this:

...I still feel like there is work to be done.

In the coming months, the BK Lounge (as it seems fitting to finally give the blog a name) will host a variety of living experiences: Sewing projects, girl outings, thrift shopping and fashion, my reflections on faith, and even some gardening and recipes. I hope to unite my social networking with a single purpose: practical application and inspiration for the young adult. I look forward to feedback and conversation.

Now all I need to do is find a job.

+ Brittany +

The Thrifting/Fashion Blogosphere

Recently I have been enthralled by what seems to be a growing middle-class online phenomenon: Thrifting/Fashion Blogs.

Now, as my own blog as been eluded by my presence these last few weeks, I feel compelled to introduce you to a few women who are a little bit more purposed in their little corners of cyberspace.  Unfortunately for my blog, time which could be spent developing the BK Lounge into a vibrant and exciting place has been spent nursing my growing addiction to the blogs of thrifting middle class fashionistas around the globe. I've tuned in to faithfully-blogging and under-recognized fashion icons (sort of) in places such as the USA and Austrailia, and I have to admit, I wish my style was as developed as some of these cool cats. Then again, I wish I had the motivation of some of them as well.

So I feel as though it is time for me to introduce some of my favourites to you, my readers - not that they need the help, but I feel as though their life + style + thrift type adventures will offer you the new horizon of websurfing that you've so adamently been searching for.

First up is Julie from We So Thrifty.

 WeSoThrifty. 

Julie is a graphic designer hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Her blog is a mesh of thrifting and style comically explained through the day-to-day inspirations of her 90s pop-culture and art infused world. Julie finds dresses with an 80s infused UNO game brand name, and proceeds to give a history of the UNO label. She crosses Dawsons Creek and Saved by the Bell references with Betsy Johnson dresses and room renovations. She has even been so generous as to give a brief educational post on CMYK to RGB colour formatting (and how that inspired her latest thrifted outfit). She has even given a post on the early 90s celebrity three word names and their possible 2012 comeback. It might be worth noting that I eagerly await Julie's posts not just for her photos, but also for her witty way around our media-infused world.

Sophie is the vintage loving host of Her Library Adventures.

HerLibraryAdventures.

Her sweet inspirations have combined to make a lovely visiting place for regulars and strangers alike. She highlights many of her interesting and eccentric Flea Market Finds in a weekly exhibit, and loves showing and pinning the things that make her smile. Sophie's vintage inspired life is filled with books and shoes, tea and beauty. Her style reflects her kind and gentle but adventurous personality, and her ability to pull off any shape or style makes her blog a treasured place. She's also from Austrailia, which is pretty cool.


Ally's place, The Vintage Valley, is both her boutique and blog.

TheVintageValley

Filled with everything vintage, Ally models her universe in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, where she reinvents style and gives fresh life to secondhand clothes. She collects and resells gently used vintage clothing, in the hopes to give it a new home, and possibly a second chance. While her fashion sense is exquisite and her photographer is very talented, Ally presents 21st Century Australian suburban life with a vintage flare. Her outfits never fail to impress.


Verokina is the writer of Girl and Closet.

GirlandCloset

Incidently, I came across Girl and Closet (sidenote, closet is a strange looking word), through Ally and the Vintage Valley...and I came across Ally through Sophie, and Sophie through Julie (notice the trend?). Veronika's style is a little reminiscient of my own. However, while I may not have the patience to actually follow through on my style, she is the epitome of what I wish I could wear... even while being at camp. Veronika resides in a coastal town, and runs a handmade jewelry store called Oh Poppy! Someday, when I have a job, money, and followthrough, I would like to model my style after Veronika...minus the beanie.


Lastly, I would like to introduce you to Emily, at Life, etc.

Life, etc.

Emily's blog is a joy to read, and its name suits it perfectly. Her blog encompasses all the special moments in her life, her fashion, and her family. She brings together a combination of her children, her style, and her home in an informative and whimsical place. And while her 'What I Wore' segments may not be entirely vintage, she does post tutorials and tips for hairstyles and quick how-to's for make-up. She has even been known to sneak a few personal creative projects and cooking into the mix.



These stylish women have been fun to follow. Their adventures and blogs make me wish I had the know-how and photography skills (new camera?) to bring my own blog out of college and into adulthood. It may be time for me to redesign, to reinvent, and to post about things that matter. While my fashion sense may not be documentable, and my recipe book wanting, the next chapter of The BK Lounge may have some role-models. Should I ever desire to fashion-ize, repost Pintrest photography, or cook something delicious, I will be sure to have my endeavours make a cameo.

...Beannies and CMYK tutorials omitted. Seriously.

The Middle of July

Summers at MBC seem to mean that my blog gets neglected and I forget to update the world on my wanderings. I suppose it is about time that I do that again. There is a ton to outline, so this might take a while.

First off, I graduated. I might have mentioned this before, but this is a pretty big deal. Now that my time at Redeemer is finished, I'm looking forward to doing what God has set out for me next. Currently, that appears to be working (again) at Muskoka Bible Centre, ministering to the youth who are part of the SteppingStones discipleship program here. Just like last year, the summer has been full of challenges, but good ones...I've felt myself grow and mature in ways Redeemer didn't always allow. The people I am surrounding myself with have made me a better person through their testaments to the love of Christ. And that, dear readers, is blessedly encouraging.

In the fall, I plan on moving to Kitchener-Waterloo with several of the girls I am working with here at MBC. Two of my housemates will be attending school, and another one and myself will be working (Lord willing), to pay back debts. We have been offered a lease at a cute little home about a 2 minute walk from downtown Kitchener - century home, completely renovated, original hardwood around frames, and very cheap - and thus will be heading to the city when I have finished my time here at MBC. It's a scary and exciting thought - knowing I will truly be on my own this year. There is no fall back or OSAP supporting me this year. There is no university life to prompt my days along. I have to be an adult now. It's exciting. It's scary. And by golly, paying back my debts is going to take a while.

I think that there are going to be big changes coming into my life now. Gone are going to be the days when I have to operate on a University Life schedule. Now, I will be able to get a job, hopefully one that works relatively normal hours, and develop a sleeping schedule that's a little more consistent. None of this 2am-3am business, and waking up at 9 or 10 or 11am because I don't have class. I'll get to eat healthier, and develop a consistent routine. I can cook meals that aren't ingredient restricted by Redeemer's grocery store...or deep fried like MBC's staff meals.

More than anything though, I cannot wait to find a church I can attend on a regular basis, one in which I can volunteer in, and become a part of. While I loved Redeemer, my schedule didn't permit me to actively be involved in any one church as a member of its family. Redeemer was the community I desired to give back into, and God blessed me and kept me through that, but now, it is time for me to reintegrate myself into a church, that I can be apart of the Church.

And honestly, I want to grow herbs in pots on the window sill. I want to finish my quilt. I want to grow sunflowers in the backyard of our house. I've been transplanted so many places in the last 4 years, and while I love my family, my parents' house isn't really my home anymore. I want to put my roots in soil somewhere and stay there.

Now for some photos.

Butterflies inhabited MBC's grounds in June when the flowers were brought in.

God's Creation in the form of cool green bugs.

Reinstituting fishing with Melissa.

Summer nights.

Chapel services at Camp Widjiitiwin.

Nathan Symons has the best Onsie.

Word of the Day: Peace

Quote of the Day: "God would love into being wholy superfluous beings.." C.S. Lewis

A Fitting End

It's strange that it is all done. But it seems a fitting end to note that my final Redeemer related post is one not of melancholy but joy. I'm done. The degree is mine only in that it is God's to use. Truly, there is no better use of such an honour.

Word of the Day: Graduate

Quote of the Day (but also a prayer): Be thou my vision oh Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me save that thou art. ...Still be my vision oh Ruler of all.

Last Saturday Night at Redeemer...

That terrible moment when you yell at your dormmates because someone called security on them because of their noisy dance party... and they broadcasted it on Facebook.

Word of the Day: Montanas

Quote of the Day: "I think that's what it means, I looked it up on Urban Dictionary." *Facepalm*

Tuesday.

New favourite TV passtime: Futurama.
New favourite food: Sushi

Just in case you were wondering...

Word of the Day: Study

Quote of the Day: "Redeemer students are always so much friendlier than Mac and Mohawk students.." Bus driver

A melancholy sort of day

I am pounding out my last two final papers of my university career (minus my Thesis paper for Lewis and Tolkien), and editing my final Crown editorial.

It's been quite the ride, and its quite the melancholy day.

And I don't know if I ever plan on walking these halls again.

Word of the Day: Sanguine

Quote of the Day: "Been reading a great book about Alexander the Great's younger brother, Carl the Mediocre.." Tim Hawkins' Tweet

Awakening

This afternoon, I sat at my parent's kitchen table working on notes for an upcoming paper I'm writing on Salman Rushdie, Christianity, and the Magic Real (which also may end up being the paper's title). As I was reading through Rushdie's collection of essays, released in 1991, I found myself lost in my literary thoughts.

Rushdie's essay, "In God We Trust," paints religion as a dream; first as a creation of a reality that suits us better than the reality we experience (which tends towards Plato's Cave and the Philosopher King), and ends with a discussion of the dangers of religion. As a Christian, I find Rushdie's views to be incredibly interesting, frightening, and a product of the actions of fundamentalism in a postmodern world.

Context: Salman Rusdie, for those of you who have not paid substantial amounts of attention to literary world news, is a writer who was educated in England with ethnic roots in the Muslim world. His experiences with religion have shaped his writing most profoundly. Rushdie's book, 'Satanic Verses' was read by the Muslim world as a parody of Mohammad, and thus, in 1989, a fatwa (or death sentence) was issued by the Islamic world. Rushdie was forced to go into hiding, since Islamic fatwas are recognized by the greater Muslim community, and so he took refuge in England. For the next 8 years, the UN worked to end this death warrant, and in 1997, the fatwa was finally lifted.

But Rushdie still lives in danger. For those practising radical Islam, a fatwa is a lifetime decree, and so still hold this death warrant over his head.

A religion has done this. For Rushdie, his writings are a reflection of his experiences. And that makes them even more difficult to contend with. I adhere to the Christian faith, meaning I find my identity within the greater narrative that God has written. My history has been created, and I don't belong to the socio-political ideology of 'make my own history' that drives Western consumerism and cosmology. My religion is one that leans toward the mysticism of love and goodness that modernism rendered untrue.

I do believe that my meta-narrative has given me a distinct purpose. This, I'm beginning to realize, is where I feel most awakened and inspired. I find myself thinking back to moments in elementary and high school when I would write instead of producing math equations, or grappling with the writings of John Barth at age 17, while normal teenagers played basketball, or planned weekend parties. These were the moments when I felt a profound vitality in my soul. That vitality is what causes me to interact with the philosophical implications of writings, evaluate popular culture, and critique social movements like Invisible Children's Kony 2o12 (to cite something recent). I'm an academic. I'm a writer. It's a calling that has been placed in my soul by the God I serve.

My literary thoughts love conversing with the critics, writers, and thinkers of my time. I love being a part of the academic sphere studying postmodernism as we live it. Perhaps some way, I'll be able to be of some use. And above all things, may I strive to do it all in the name of God, no matter what dangers that may lead to.

Word of the Day: Concord

Quote of the Day: "When you're shopping on Madison Avenue, you don't want to skimp on the swank." Seinfeld