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Seeking Style & Life In Ottawa - Resolutions 2009 (Part Two)
Ottawafocus.com Special Contributor, Katharine of Girl About O Town
Earlier this month, I shared a short list of some Ottawa-related personal objectives for 2009.

Here, for your consideration, is part two of that same list!

While browsing through this month’s Cookie Magazine, I was struck to learn that while 75% of moms are most often their family’s photographer, 66% wished they featured in more snapshots. As it turns out, I am not alone! Since discovering the wonders of digital photography, I have been very busy documenting life in all of its colour, but I too have noted my pronounced absence from the pictures. Apparently, control of the camera leads to a serious lack of visibility in the context of your own personal history.

Haven’t we all gazed wistfully at photographs famous and not-so famous people engaged in their regular lives? Whether you notice or not, pictures of families in action are prevalent everywhere - online and in print, and most often, moms are present and accounted for. While these photo spreads might be entirely staged and shot by professionals, they do serve as a reminder to us all that sometimes we really should be a part of the bigger picture.

I am at a point in my life that I would like to look back on fondly. While there is always someone who can take a passing snapshot, these aren’t always the most flattering, and someday I’m sure I will really want to remember how great I feel now. So, this year I am resolved to have some pictures taken. Rather than wait for an occasion, I want the expert eye of a photographer to capture life as it is, and to help me see myself within it - for posterity.

There are tons of great photographers here in Ottawa, and many will take headshots or portraits either in studio or on location. Don’t forget Rémi Thériault, subject of one of this girlaboutOtown’s Courage City profiles. He is fabulously talented and conveys a ton of personality in the portraits he takes. For more on Rémi and his work, you can follow his blog.

Also on my mind is the strong possibility that I’m going to have to get serious about wine. I’m a grown up now, and at the very least, I really should have a better idea of what to bring to a dinner party. I used feel comfortable with a couple of tried-and-true varieties that were once characterized as "very ok" by a good (and honest) friend of mine who considers herself a connoisseur. However, these brands have become a little too common and predictable for Ottawa’s increasingly sophisticated palate. Worst of all, these selections betray my ignorance, which never makes me happy….

There seems to be no end to the opportunities to learn the grapes. This town is seriously wine crazy. In addition to Algonquin College's respected Sommelier Program and Wine Recognition Certificate, Ottawa-based company Groovy Grapes serves up all kinds of wine tasting events and also keeps a running list of wine related events in the region. Of course, there is always the LCBO run wine appreciation courses at both the Rideau St. and Nepean locations, as well as local blog Cheap Eats Ottawa which regularly posts their picks on a LCBO Vintages Value list.

Girl About O Town - Wine

Anyway, I confess I’m not totally into it, and I probably won’t ever want to know more about wine than I do about say…vintage clothing, antique furniture or old world textiles. That said, I do feel somewhat compelled to step it up a notch. So, in the spirit of enhancing my understanding of spirits, I should probably take advantage of one of these upcoming intriguing learning possibilities.

February 7 - Groovy Grapes at the Urban Element: How to Match Wine with Cheese
February 18 - Taste of Winterlude: Ontario Winter Wine Night Out - Wine Show Tasting
April 1 - The Westin Ottawa: California Wines in Canada Fair 2009

You may have missed it, but in the past year, Ottawa has gone upscale when it comes to the beauty biz. There are the swanky new Beauty Boutiques popping up at a Shopper’s Drug Mart near you and famous international retailer SEPHORA has settled in to some prime real estate at the new and improved Rideau Centre. Add to this scene Murale, a new player that has just set up shop in Orleans. This exclusive beauty destination sells over 200 luxury brands and offers specialized services.

Girl About O Town - Sephora No more excuses ladies. While it may be a ways off, I am determined to age gracefully and I’m not too proud to depend on a little product to help. I have come a long way in recent history - due in part to a watershed visit to Holt Renfrew - but I do accept that skin care can get complicated. It may finally be time to get out and explore the crowded world of beauty products, and to learn learn all that I can from the pros!

Images: Cookie Magazine , Rémi Thériault , LCBO , Wine Council of Ontario , and SEPHORA .

Want to read more from Katharine?
Check out Girl About O Town and bookmark the Girl About O Town page right here to catch Katharine's upcoming exclusive posts for Ottawafocus.com!