After going to Woofstock last week, I have come to realize that there is simply no better accessory a man can adorn then having a dog with him. Obviously dogs were on my brain and I was noticing the startling amount of men with their furry friends on the subway and streetcars. And every single one suffered an onslaught of inquisitions from me. Conversations generally would go as follows:
Me – “Oh my god! He is soooo cute. Can I pet him?”
Guy (startled by my enthusiasm) – “Uh…ya.”
Me – “What kind of dog is he? Are you going to Woofstock? You should be.”
Guy (confused) – “Where? What? He’s a _________(fill in the blank)”
Me – “Ohhh such a good boy, such a good boy! Hello, hello baby, yes you wanna come with me? You wanna be my pet at Woofstock? Ok, let’s go. Soooo cute.”
Now charmed by my love for your pet or not, if you are going to walk around with a big fuzzy creature, I’m going to talk to you. And I know there are some men out there who fully realize how much of a chick-magnet their dog is. If you are well dressed and respectable looking, don’t worry about over-accessorizing with designer finishing touches. Add dog and the women will come.
That is one of the reasons these poor folks at Gotstyle can’t seem to get rid of me. Have you met Hector, the gorgeous Burmese Mountain dog that acts as Gotstyle’s mascot? He just hangs out there all day. I would too, if I could. And now another dog has been added to the Gotstyle family. Little Elliot sleeps all day in the corner by the cash. Of course I want to hang out there. I know it’s a men’s store, but man, it certainly has the “chick-magnet” factor as well. Word of advice, Gotstyle. Lose the dogs and the hot guys and the cozy couches and the awesome parties and only then will you get rid of me.
Follow Valerie on Twitter (@ValTorontoGal) and on her blog: I’m Charming You



On the 2-4 weekend, 6am in the morning, I was woken up to my neighbour frantically screaming that there was a fire in her apartment. So I shot out of bed just to see what the hell was going on, not actually thinking there was a fire. As I caught my bearings, I started to smell smoke and got worried.
As the twelve (!!) fire trucks arrived they quickly entered the house to try to get control of the blaze. And tried salvaging what they could of our apartments. Luckily they got the fire under control and saved most of our possessions from going up in smoke (not to mention my extensive Gotstyle wardrobe).
With Mexico tying up the first match of World Cup 10 minutes from full time (what a memorable goal by Siphiwe Tshabalala for South Arica!), the city is buzzing in excitement. For those who are interested in the World Cup but haven’t had the time to really break down the who’s who in the tournament, here’s a guide to get you started.




















