Living

WHEN did we start to live so loud? What made us decide that attention was the ultimate commodity? Maybe it's another unfortunate modern phenomenon that we can blame on Madonna.

Last time in this column, I featured a profile of the seniors population in North Vancouver.

B.C. wine laws move in mysterious ways. Just when the Hired Belly thinks things are getting better, we wind up scratching our head . . .

AS I sat on the deck of my girlfriend's place sipping an ice cold, um . . . lemonade, we watched her ailing senior dog nap in the shade of a maple tree.

- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. By Joan Palmer. Chartwell Books; $14.95. THERE is a wealth of information on various dog breeds in this book.

THE anticipation of this year's B.C. Bike Race was huge for me. I've been involved since its inception five years ago when Dean Payne (dressed in a suit) hosted a mini meeting for prospective sponsors and people close to him.

Chic Mid-Summer Soiree: Unity Clothing Inc. will celebrate the opening of its Lower Lonsdale boutique with a party on Thursday, Aug. 18, 6: 30 to 9: 30 p.m.

- 1 Brief, 50 Designers, 50 Solutions in Fashion Design, by Natalio Martin Arroyo (Rockport Publishers, 384 pages) $44 FOR anyone who is interested in how fashion designers come up with their creations, this book will give you a view into that world.

DEAR Mattie: Can I wear summer clothes in the fall? Savouring Summer in Dundarave Dear Dundarave: Now that summer is almost over, creating the right transition wardrobe can be challenging. I say hold on to summer as long as we can.