A long long way from home, stop wherever you find yourself.

Self-Interview--
space: my livingoom
time: as the sun dips and night slides over everything
sounds: simon&garfunkel
eats: dark mint chocolate
liquids: licorice tea, ice water


DESCRIBE YOUR CHILDHOOD IN A SINGLE WORD:
Warmth.

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A LITTLE GIRL?
Inquisitive. I asked a lot of questions, or so I am told. Shy. Playful. Wild imagination. Heavily into books. Wide-eyed and hopeful. Free; I remember feeling very free most of the time.

DID YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE BOOK OR FAIRYTALE?
I read my copy of "Anne of Green Gables" until it was in tatters. "Harriet the Spy" was an obsession for a few years straight. Anything by Roald Dahl. "Charlotte's Web." And when I was tiny, "The Growing Tree" (still one of my favourites), "Red is Best", "Rebecca's New Blue Shoes", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Fish is Fish", any and all of Russell Hoban's "Frances" series. I could go on...I was a fierce reader.

AND HOW HAS THIS CHILDHOOD AFFECTED YOU AS A GROWN-UP?
These elements all meshed together to form the organic foundation of who I am. They are the little things, the subtleties, but they are everything.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ITEM OF CLOTHING?
Tony Chestnut fitted black stretch dress with the sleeves that go on forever--that piece carried me all over Europe. Black leather jacket from Paris. Paper-thin exboyfriend T-shirts. Plaid stolen from my brother. Hobo-esque gray cardigan with the sleeves now worn through.

DOES CREATIVITY COME EASILY TO YOU?
Yes. No. I find it elusive, inspiration that is. I am also often guilty of reaching for a magazine, phone, computer, snack, book and so forth before hunkering down with pen and paper. In the vein of honesty, I really believe that creativity is raw and shouldn't be forced, but I think that there is also definitely something to be said for making it a conscious choice. Unpredictable yet intentional, that's it. Or something.

WHAT DID YOU LAST DREAM ABOUT?
Parasitic worms infesting my bed. It wasn't a happy dream.

WHERE DO YOU CONSIDER HOME?
These days, my apartment would be the first answer off my lips--its messy, humble and lovely. I am thankful for it and in love with it every single day. Home is still also my parents' roost in the country, and a little sliver of my heart continues to linger in St. Boniface in that old red brick house.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR?
A settled mind and a heart that is alive. Joyous days and smooth nights. Simplicity. Satisfaction. Love that doesn't disappoint. A cat winding at my feet. Coffee in the morning, tea through the afternoon and red wine at night. Laughter that comes effortlessly. Inspiration like water streaming rain-like over my body. Continual growth. Copious amounts of silence but also the sound of voices.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
A ballet teacher, HA. I think also a nurse for a while. And a writer, always a writer.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?
By the ocean or on a rooftop in Paris.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG TO GO TO SLEEP TO?
I usually fall asleep to the sound of nothing more than my own breath, but if I would have to pick...then I would probably choose something by Iron & Wine or Sufjan Stevens..."Borderline" maybe? Mmmmm yes that one. Or anything Leonard Cohen.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG TO WAKE UP TO?
I think that I would choose something happy and energy-giving. Still something with an edge of softness, though. Charlotte Gainsbourg or Beirut. Page France could be nice in the morning too.

TELL US A SECRET:
I spent $80 that I don't have to spend on perfume today. Eeeek. Its gorgeous though. Totally worth it.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST, SCARIEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME EVER?
I don't know about scariest, but my best was probably Holly Golightly, Audrey Hepburn's charater in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" a couple of years ago. It took the cake. As a kid I remember falling back more than once on the princess-wearing-purple silk-gown-with-shoddy-homemade-crown look. Predictable but classy.

BAM, YOU HAVE FIVE CHILDREN. NAME THEM.
Magnolia Jade (christened after the sweetest slash wildest cat ever)
Audrey
Annick
Isaac
SImon

On that whimsical note, goodnight and goodbye.
XOXO and all that jazz,
R.Louise B.