Travel Tuesday: Quebec

Quebec City, also known as Ville de Québec in French, is the capital city of Canada's Quebec province, located in the southern part of the province on the St. Lawrence River, about 3 hours east of Montreal. Settled by the French in the 1600s, Quebec has maintained its ties to France in that the official language is French and its culture continues to be very European. Quebec City was the first city in Canada to be established with goals of being a permanent settlement instead of a commercial outpost like St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador or Port Royal Nova Scotia. In 1535 the French explorer Jacques Cartier built a fort where he stayed for a year. He returned in 1541 to build a permanent settlement but it was abandoned in 1542.  On July 3, 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City and by 1665, there were over 500 people living there. In 1759, Quebec City was taken over by the British who controlled it until 1760 when France was able to get back control. In 1763 however, France ceded New France, which included Quebec City, to Great Britain.   During the American Revolution, the Battle of Quebec took place in an effort to liberate the city from British control. However, revolutionary troops were defeated, which led to the splitting of British North America, instead of having Canada join the Continental Congress to become a part of the United States. Around this same time, the U.S. began to annex some Canadian lands, so construction of the Citadel of Quebec began in 1820 to protect the city. In 1840, the Province of Canada was formed and the city served as its capital for several years. In 1867, Ottawa was chosen to be the capital of the Dominion of Canada.   In 2002, Quebec City annexed several nearby towns and because of its large size, the city is divided into 34 districts and six boroughs (the districts are included also in the six boroughs).  The climate is ever changing, but most of the city is considered humid continental. The summers are warm and humid, while winters are very cold and often windy.

Sources:

All pictures from Bing.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec

http://wikitravel.org/en/Quebec

Manic Monday

Manic Monday

Six o'clock already
I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissin' Valentino
By a crystal blue Italian stream
But I can't be late
'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days
When you wish your bed was already made

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it were Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
My I don't have to run day
It's just another manic Monday

Have to catch an early train
Got to be to work by nine
And if I had an aeroplane
I still couldn't make it on time
'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on the train
But the boss is already there

It's just another manic Monday
Wish it were Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
My I-don't-have-to-run-day
It's just another manic Monday

All of the nights
Why did my lover have to pick last night
To get down?
(Last night, last night)
Doesn't it matter
That I have to feed the both of us
Employment's down
He tells me in his bedroom voice
"C'mon honey, let's go make some noise"
Time it goes so fast
(When you're having fun)

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it were Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
My I-don't-have-to-run-day

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
It's just a manic Monday

Most of you know this song was made popular by the Bangles in the 1980’s but there more to it than that.  The chart topper “Manic Monday” was actually written for a band called Apollonia by Prince in 1982. Prince decided they were wrong for the song and pulled it off Apollonias album.  Two years later, using the pseudonym Christopher, he offered the song to the Bangles.  Manic Monday released with positive reviews from the critic and the rest is history.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Monday 

http://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Bangles:Manic_Monday

Thirsty Thursday: Friday Edition

Paul and I are going to a club in the financial district tonight called Julep.  In honor of this little outing I am going to introduce you to one of my favorite cocktails.  The Mint Julep.  There are tons of variations to this classic cocktail but my favorite is the original.

The Kentucky Derby has been serving it's loyal fans the Mint Julep for the past 75 years.
According to cocktailtimes  in 1938 The Mint Julep became the sinature drink of the derby.  Back then, they were served at Churchill Downs in a souvenir glass for 75 cents. 

Mint Julep Recipe

Photo Credit: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

• Three Ounces Bourbon (I suggest Woodford Reserve)
• A few large sprigs of mint
• 2 tablespoons of simple syrup

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker and poor over crushed ice

Garnish with an additional mint sprig, take a sip, and enjoy!

Fashion Forawrd Friday: Project Runway Season 10 Finale

Season 10’s Project Runway winner is crowned as the last 4 finalists take on NYFW.

Our guest judge this week is Jennifer Hudson

On the Runway

Christopher: ( I would wear the whole collection)

 He would have won if I was judgeing. I absolutely loved this collection his final gown was beautiful and I love the different shades of purple he used throughout the dress.  The blue trench coat was beautiful and perfectly tailored.  I loved the slit in the front of the black skirt, so sexy.  The maroon blouse of distressed fabric strips was so delicate and beautiful. 

Melissa: (I would wear the whole collection)

Her collection showed a feminine edge. She was my runner up.  What was with the white dress that forced her model to inch down the runway, as it walked, you could see the audience react, and not in a good way. However, I had to agree with guest judge Jennifer Hudson that, at least standing still, the look was hot. My favorite piece was the blood-orange leather dress with the scrunch collar. I also love the white leather jacket and the obsidian dress.

Dmitry: (I might wear a few pieces from this collection)

 I loved the geometric shapes and modern silhouettes he created. I also liked how he played with different textures and volume. The fitted cocktail dress with a sheer paneled center, the fringe-bottomed skirt, the metallic draped dress, the feathery bottomed gown with fitted sequined bodice and that black cocktail dress with a fan-paneled bodice were beautifully crafted but not my style. My biggest problem was the models eyebrows it was hard to concentrate on anything else.  To quote J. Hudson, “It’s rich, honey, it is. It’s everything.”

Fabio: (I wouldn't wear any of this collection)

I’m so glad Fabio decided to leave the bowl-cut wigs at home! I loved the soft colors and effortless draping of his layered looks. There was a sense of movement to Fabio’s looks even when they were still. The white organza top added sophistication to the collection. However, very few of Fabio’s garments seemed to find beauty in the female form — unless beauty is defined by making skinny models look fat. Heidi said she “loved, loved, loved it” and Michael started to translate it to something that could work with a wet-haired gal at the beach. I don't get it.  I didn't like it that much.

Eliminated first: Christopher
Eliminated second: Melissa
Runner-up: Fabio
Winner: Dmitry

Do you agree with the results?  Who would be your first choice?  What was your favorite Piece from the designers collections? 

Wildlife Wednesday (Thursday this week): The Wonderul World of the Starfish

I have always had a fascination with starfish, and every other creature in the phylum Echinodermata.  When I was younger I would get so excited to go the tide pools and spend hours investigating this other world in the rocks. Before I changed it to Political Science I was set to major in Zoology with a minor in Marine Biology.  To this day my marine biology classes with all the field trips to local beaches and aquariums hold my fondest memories of any college course.    

Starfish come in many different sizes and colors but the one thing they all have in common is their star shape.  Even though starfish live under the water and are known as starfish.  They are not fish.  They differ in many ways.  Fish have gills and scales, and they swim through the water with their fins.  Starfish lack gills, scales, and fins; instead they use their tiny tube feet to move along the ocean floor.

Starfish are classified in the Class Asteroidea. All asteroids have several arms arranged around a central disk. Asteroidea are known as the "true stars.

Because they are symmetrical by five points, just like sea urchins, they are also in the Phylum Echinodermata.

If you have ever encountered a starfish and turned it over, you will find hundreds of projections on its underside. These are known as tube feet, which serve two basic functions - one being able to move around in the water, and the other to open up scallops or clams.

An interesting fact about the starfish is that it has two stomachs. The cardiac stomach can help the starfish engulf food outside its body. When the cardiac stomach comes back into the body, the food in it is transferred to the pyloric stomach.

Have you ever tried locating the mouth of a starfish? It is located on the ventral surface, underneath the upper surface.

The sea star with five arms is the most commonly spotted one. However, there are species that have 10, 20, or even up to 40 arms!

The starfish has an eye spot at the end of each arm; although not much detail can be seen, the eye spot enables the starfish to view movement and differentiate between light and dark.

Most starfish have a spiky or leathery surface, depending upon the species. The crown-of thorns starfish is known for its thorny spines that are present all over its body. This tough covering on the upper side of the body acts as protection from its predators, as it is made up of calcium carbonate plates with tiny spines.

In addition to no brain, these sea animals do not have a single drop of blood in their body. Instead, they have a water vascular system, and sea water is pumped into the body through a sieve plate.

Amazingly, in case a starfish loses its arm, it is capable of regenerating the same in about a year! This is extremely useful when the sea star feels threatened by a predator, as it can lose the arm and escape. Sometimes, an entirely new starfish can grow from one arm. This phenomenon takes some time and occurs as most of the vital organs are stored in the arms.

The anus of this invertebrate is located on top of its body.

These marine animals have a unique way of feeding on their prey. To be able to eat a prey that is larger than its mouth opening, the starfish wraps its arms strongly around the clams or shells, and then jerks it open. Then it pushes the stomach out into the shell and eats up the prey, and finally retracts the stomach back in through the mouth.

Another interesting fact about starfish is that they can reproduce sexually and asexually. Eggs and sperms are sent off by the females and males respectively, in the mating season.

A female starfish is capable of producing around a million eggs at one time.

An unbelievable yet amazing fact is that starfish can change their gender whenever they want.

Sources:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/starfish/

http://www.ehow.com/info_10066912_starfish-information.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish