London's Fog

Obsess Much?

2012-01-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

I had every intention this week to write a quick quirky post poking fun at the fact that it seems all I talk about these days is food, food, and more food. And posting pictures of said food. It hasn't happened for various reasons and I make no apologies. I like food. Its yummy. Its gorgeous. It goes in my belly. And today, yet again, I'm talking about food. Or rather our collective obsession with eating, not eating, dieting, excessive exercise, and attitudes towards weight. How did we get here, to this place? A culture that bombards us with unrealistic ideals of beauty, where you can belly up to an all you can eat $4.99 buffet (Tuesdays, kids eat free!) and then be chastised everywhere you turn for being too fat. TV channels filled with infomercials on the latest and greatest diet and exercise fads, celebrity endorsed lifestyle plans, and quick fixes. What is wrong with us?

Today was one of those moments where you look yourself in the mirror and ask "What are you doing?". You know what you have to do to lose weight but you're not doing it; snap out of it. Those kind of moments. And then, I realized something. I don't want to be skinny. Or buff. Or ripped. Whatever the cool kids are calling it these days. I asked myself "Do I want a lean mean fat burning machine for a body?". The answer I gave myself when I really really put some thought into it ... NO. Sure, I would like to be slimmer, have a flat tummy, higher, perkier breasts and and ass you can bounce a quarter off of but I don't want a six pack, bulging biceps, or buns of steel (ok, maybe the last one).

Like millions of my fellow North Americans, I put a half hearted attempt into working out. I hop on the treadmill a few times a week. Sometimes I even walk up the big hill to my office rather than taking the bus. And I try to go for a short walk on my afternoon break. I could join a gym; I could use the weights I have in my apartment; I could do a lot of things. I don't want to. I like that I have breasts and hips and curvy bits. I don't want to lose them. People's bodies shouldn't be rock hard and 1% body fat. Its not natural. That's not to say I can't lose a few pounds but the minimal effort that I DO put in has been paying off slowly but surely and I'd be positively peachy if I only slimmed down by another 10 - 12 lbs.

My mother doesn't have the lean body of a marathon runner but I've never considered her fat. When she hugs and squeezes me tight, it feels comforting that there's a little bit of squish (on both of us). My sister in law has a beautiful figure - strong, confident, curvy - and she's popped out two amazing kidlets. Guess what? She's not a size 2. I want a body that gets me from point A to point B without breaking down (sounds like a car). A body that will last me into a healthy old age (but not too old - finish me off by 80, 83 at the oldest). A body that I love. A body that is curvy and yes, slightly squishy.

This obsession we have with spending hours of our time in a gym and working out is crazy. We should be leading more active lifestyles on a permanent basis rather than struggling to find the time to do pilates, powerlift dumbells, or hop on a stairclimber. We don't even climb real stairs. I'm going to do something which might seem a bit whacked to some but it makes a lot of real-life sense to me. I'm taking a clue from my European friends and will be walking more. That means NOT taking the bus up the hill to the office unless I'm carrying something heavy or awkward. Walking to the grocery store whenever possible. Walking to the library. Going for a walk, just because. Yes, I'll still be using my treadmill - I live in Alberta for Pete's sake! We have something called WINTER!!

I recently wrote about finding the time to cook. And I know I've talked about eating "real" foods in the past (althouth I'm too lazy to try and find the post). My big focus will be on food (yes, that means more food posts and a lot of food pics!). I'm not going to obsess about counting points, calories, fat grams, or sugar content but I will be making a concerted effort for real, fresh foods. I know I've said this before and I've made some great improvements but I still need to work on it. We've become too focused on eating a certain amount of calories, limiting our intake of fat (even the good stuff), banning all the deliciousness that we love, just to lose a few pounds. No more I say! Real food for real people.

On a sort of related note, I started rewatching the Supersizers series (Supersizers Go... and Supersizers Eat...) on YouTube this past weekend. Oh how I love Sue Perkins and Giles Coren together! My favourite episode I think will always be the Supersizers Go ... Wartime. Not sure why but I love it. While watching it again this weekend (and getting a coworker hooked on the series!), I heard something that I really didn't pay attention to the first time around. Both Sue and Giles were healthier after their week of ration books and deprivation. You see, they ate a lot of vegetables (these weren't rationed during the war), less meat, and miniscule amounts of fat and sugar, both of which were strictly rationed. They ate real food, became healthier and lost a few pounds. I'm currently enjoying watching the two of them try to become completely self-sufficient in Giles and Sue Live the Good Life.

Shut the Fork Up

2012-01-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I know that people everywhere will scream in horror and outrage when I admit this but ... I eat my pizza with a fork. Yes, it's true. I'm a forker.

It all started when I was a kid. You see, we almost never had take out pizza or went out for pizza. We grew up on small military bases around Canada and frankly, the options were severly limited. The only pizza place I really remember from my childhood is Pizza Delight **, a restaurant in Chatham (now Miramichi), New Brunswick. They had amazing pizza and at the time we were out east, it was square. OMG delicious. Other than that, we made our own pizza at home.

When I say we "made" our own pizza, I have to admit, it wasn't from scratch. It was the 70s and 80s, and convenience boxed and frozen foods were the norm. Make it from scratch? You must be mad! My parents were big fans of Kraft's Pizza Kit; a box which included the dough mix, a can of unbelievable delicious sauce (I could stick a straw in it and just drink it like gravy), a little sachet of herbs/spices and a package of grated parmesan cheese. Dad was the master dough maker and us kids piled it high with toppings which at any given time included hamburger (which should never go on pizza), bacon, salami and pepperoni, pineapple, and canned mushrooms (eeeew grossy gross).

Perhaps my parents made me eat with a knife and fork but I doubt it; I have images of my family picking up and eating their pizza with their hands. I found it easier to pick off all the toppings and eat them first before tackling the flavour filled crust. This was my favourite part. I've always been a bread girl so its really no surprise. Crust and sauce - pure and simple. Like a margherita pizza with the cheese removed. Does this make me a freak? Perhaps but before you judge me, let me give you further insight into my pizza madness...

Take out and frozen pizzas are a whole other ballgame. I do NOT eat all the toppings first and then the crust. A bite of non-homemade pizza includes cheese, crust, sauce and toppings. However, I still eat it with a fork and knife. Why? I don't like messy fingers when I eat. Dripping grease, cheese, and sauce from my fingers or having it slop all over my face? No thank you. All of my senses cry out against such a horrific, uncivilized way of eating. While it means I can never show my face in New York (or share a slice with Jon Stewart), I proudly admit that that I eat with a fork and knife.

Now, shut the fork up and enjoy these pictures of the pizza I made (from SCRATCH) today for lunch. I used this recipe for the crust, and made my own sauce (tomato paste, water, spices), and topped with zucchini, sauteed onions and peppers, pineapple, and mushrooms on Mom's half. Why does anyone bother with take out pizza anymore?

The crust was disappointing. I wondered about the instructions when I first read it - 350 degree oven? That seemed very low. The pizza mixes we used to make were always baked at 425 for the same length of time. Needless to say the crust was undercooked so back in the oven it went, at a higher temp. Sadly, even that couldn't save it - it was very light and airy, fluffy even. Too much like bread. WTF? Why can't I find a pizza dough recipe that works for me? Oh well, the search continues.

Restaurant Review - Ruth's Chris Steak House

2012-01-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a good steak? I certainly do! In the fall, Mom and I planned on making a trip to The Keg to celebrate both of our birthdays. However, I won a gift certificate for Ruth's Chris Steak House at our office's annual Christmas party so we changed our plans. Definately what I'd call a high end steak house, its not a restaurant we would likely have visited without the gift certificate so we were feeling pretty lucky (and excited).

Comfy Couches

The interior was subdued but classy - muted colours of cream and beige with wood panelled walls and a huge fireplace we were lucky to be seated beside (sorry no picture). It would have been nice to be able to see the fireplace while we were dining but the spot was cozy and near the windows which was quite nice.

Lots of Light

In addition the large windows along two walls, the lighting is provided by these bad boys hanging from the ceiling, offering a muted yellowish hue that simply added to the overall ambiance of the restaurant.

Bloodshot

First up was a complimentary dish of cheesy breadsticks. I'm not a big fan of cheesy garlic toast but these were nice and light. Perhaps a few too many for two people but would have been a perfect size for four. Of course, that didn't stop us from polishing off the ENTIRE plate of breadsticks.

Oooey Gooey Garlicky Goodness

The bread was followed by caesar salad. At first taste, a bit disappointing. I was really hoping for bacon but alas, there was none. And the dressing was not very garlicky. However, with each bite, I slowly fell in love with it. The dressing, while creamy, had the zip of a vinagrette with a slight citrus undertone which took a while to develop on my palatte (listen to me!). Ruth's Chris, please consider bottling this!

Why one little half of a grape tomato? I don't know either but it was cute.

Our server (waiter? I don't know the PC term anymore...), David G, was absolutely incredible: charming, polite, helpful. When I asked for my steak well done, he recommended having it butterflied as they were quite thick. Wow. They don't do THAT at The Keg. Kudos to him!

The timing of each course was fantastic. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and the entree arrives while you're still working on the appetizer? Or it takes forever between courses? Not at Ruth's Chris. They seemed to time everything based on our speed not on that of their kitchen. Perhaps its just because Mom and I don't tend to eat at places that are overly "fancy" but it was nice to feel as though we were controlling the pace of our feast.

HOT HOT HOT!

My plate arrived still sizzling! Apparently I was warned that it was hot and to be careful but I was far too excited to dig in that I missed it. Instantly, I reached out to move the placement of the plate and singed my fingers. Oooops! Whatever, I couldn't care less. I wanted to try that steak.

If you've ever ordered a steak welldone (I know, I'm in the minority), you know that when you try to cut into it, its often a bit tough. Not at Ruth's Chris. In fact, I was worried it wasn't cooked through because when I went to slice into it, the centre was slightly squishy. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the most perfectly moist, perfectly cooked, perfectly charred piece of beef I have ever eaten! With every bite, I raved to Mom about how delicious it was. THIS is how steak is supposed to be cooked. I guess the kitchen was worried though because even the restaurant manager stopped by to make sure it was ok. Everyone seemed surprised when I told them how overjoyed I was with their efforts. Divine!

The side dishes - broccoli and Lyonnaise potatoes

We had a choice not only of starch to go with our steaks but the veg as well. I opted for steamed broccoli with fresh black pepper and fried potatoes with sauteed onions. The broccoli was fresh and light with almost no butter (YAY!) and the potato/onion combo was heavenly with just a hint of salt. Mom's sides (background) were sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes. She was so full (yes, Mom ... full!) that she couldn't finish either of her side dishes. And she absolutely loves mushrooms.

Despite feeling absolutely stuffed by the time David cleared our plates, we decided to split a dessert.

Trio of birthday treats

When I initially made the reservation, I had completely forgotten that I had indicated we'd be celebrating both our birthdays. The restaurant though remembered and surprised us with this lovely trio of treats. Top to bottom, a sampling of their bread pudding with whiskey sauce, berries in cream, and a chocolate cheesecake mousse (VERY rich).

And the dessert we decided to split? The caramelized banana cream pie. Oh yeah baby.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...and he made this.

Fresh sliced bananas topped with little bits of crunchy sugary bits overtop of a banana/white chocolate custard in a light flaky crust. OMG. I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this. The custard was far too rich for one person to eat the whole thing so I was very happy we split it. The bananas were perfectly ripe and the sugar reminded me of marshmellows burnt over a campfire. If nothing else, I would go to Ruth's Chris JUST to have this again.

My recommendation? This was easily the BEST meal I have ever had in a restaurant. I cannot stop raving about how incredible this experience was. Every aspect of the meal tied together perfectly, the food was cooked to perfection and the service impeccable. If you get the chance, go to Ruth's Chris. You won't regret it. And if you can, ask to be seated in David G's section. Trust me...you'll thank me.

129. The Codex (Douglas Preston)

2012-01-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Once again, my brain refused to concentrate on anything that required much mind power so I reached out for something action packed, adventurous and slightly silly to read next. I found it in Douglas Preston’s The Codex.

After a lifetime of tomb raiding, looting, and treasure hunting, Maxwell Broadbent amassed a huge fortune and a collection of rare art and artifacts. When he and his entire collection suddenly disappear without a trace, his three sons are left baffled and the police are clueless. While searching through what little was left behind, they find a video tape (the book was originally published in 2004) with a last message from Broadbent to his sons. Disappointed with how their lives have turned out, Maxwell Broadbent has set his sons one final, seemingly impossible task. He’s buried himself and his entire collection in a tomb somewhere in the world and, if they want their inheritance, they’re going to have to find it.

The brothers set off on their own to find the treasure, each for their own reasons, but things turn from bad to worse as they’re mercilessly pursued by Broadbent’s former partner, a private investigator without a conscience eager to seek revenge, corrupt soldiers working for the highest bidder, and hostile natives. And don’t forget all the creepy crawly jungle creatures hungry for their next meal. Throw in a Mayan text with all the medicinal knowledge of the rain forest which everyone wants to get their hands on, and you’ve got the makings of a great adventure.

The Codex reminded me a lot of James Rollins’ novels but with a tongue in cheek, “I know this is cheesy but you love it” vibe. A blurb from Entertainment Weekly on the cover reads “Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Amazing Race!” is not far off. One of Preston’s solo novels (he often teams up with Lincoln Child), The Codex was a fast, fun filled read. While the book isn’t written to be funny, it definitely had the feel of the action adventure comedies of the early 80s including Indiana Jones movies and Richard Chamberlain’s Allan Quartermain.

The Year of Living Dark Chocolate

2012-01-25T05:48:00.001-07:00

Time for bar #3. After a mild disappointment with the Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar from Lindt, I decided to go back to the drawing board and stick to just plain (dark) chocolate. The selection was slim at the store I stopped by yesterday but I had to get something since I was completely out. This little baby caught my eye....90%?! Indeed.

Occupy Chocolate Street

I figured if the 75% Ecuadorian chocolate was fantastically delicious, the 90% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar sould be all that much more delightful to my palatte, no?

NO.

Wow. Ick. Ack. Gag. I've crossed the line. This is TOOOOO much cacao for me. There was absolutely no pleasure in eating this whatsoever. My tastebuds revolted at the first bite. Slightly bitter, not even a hint of sweetness, 90% was just too overpowering. The description of the bar says it included "a gentle buttery texture and light vanilla notes". I didn't get any of that in this bar. Remember how I said I wouldn't waste decent chocolate? Yeah, I think in this case I will be. I'll try and struggle through until I can grab another bar but this was just not edible to me.

The Great Cracker Conundrum

2012-01-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had one of those light bulb moments and I wasn't too pleased with myself. I've been trying to track my food just as I did while on Weight Watchers in the fall, entering the points for food, writing down what I've been eating, etc. For snacks to take to work, I had bought myself a box of Sour Cream and Chive crackers. I knew they weren't going to "low" anything but it was a treat and I was going to stick to the suggested serving size. Well, the serving size is only eight crackers and they're smaller than your average saltine. But I did it. I tracked them, wrote down my points, and ate them. Then all of a sudden, after a week of snacking on them, I realized what I was doing. Those measly eight crackers cost three points. Doesn't sound like a lot, right? Well, it is when you're only allowed 29 points each day.

Why on earth was I wasting my precious points on EIGHT crackers? It was so not worth it. For the same points I can have an english muffin. Or a mini can of Coke. Or a small homemade apple cinnamon scone I made this weekend. All would provide me with more enjoyment, more mouth pleasure (don't be sick) than those eight crackers. I was chatting with a coworker about the cracker conundrum this morning and it just kept hitting me how much I'd wasted on those little bite-sized crackers. Is this the whole point of WW? Those light bulb moments that make you realize what an absolute tool you've been? If so, then I'm a convert. The remaining half box of crackers? In the trash.

But now I'm in a pickle, so to speak. What do I do about snacks? I already take veggies and fruit. I'm looking for something starchy, crunchy, carb-y, salty. The Salt and Vinegar Crispers are still staying in my repetoire (I get twice as many as the crackers for the same points) although in moderation. However, I'm taking suggestions for other ideas. Note, I have a sensitivity to many nuts so I don't generally eat them.

Pop, pop...pop, popcorn

Today, I made airpopped popcorn. With a little drizzle of saltfree margarine and a sprinkle of salt (this way I control the amount), it seemed like the perfect snack. And when I made it, it was. However, by the time I ate it three hours later, it tasted a bit ... dry. Not quite old but not fresh. I'm considering getting one of those shakers of popcorn seasoning to put on it instead of butter and salt but that runs the risk of ingesting bucketloads of sodium; not a good idea considering this is the year of heart health.

What do you snack on?

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

2012-01-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

The birthday surprises continue! Today I came home to an unexpected parcel from Amazon. The always generous Alun sent me a couple of birthday books to start my year off right.

Keeping me reading through February

Yeah, you read that right - The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. I don't remember how I came across the title but when I read the blurb about it, I added it right away to my Amazon Wishlist. I don't tend to read a lot of fiction but it sounded fun. I'm sure my brother and sister in law will enjoy it when I'm done. Justinian's Flea? This has been on my list since it came out a few years ago. It combines two of my fave things in nonfiction: history and death by pandemic. Yeah I'm a bit freaky like that. Its how I roll.

Frozen but Fabulous

I love brussels sprouts but frozen sprouts tend to be mushy and bland. However, I'm a big fan of the Green Giant Simply Steam Brussels Sprouts with Butter Sauce. I don't know how they do it and I don't really care. All I know is that I love them. And yeah, I eat the whole box. Two servings of veggies - done! Now, the butter sauce does have quite a bit of sodium in it but I try to to scoop the sprouts out of the sauce so there's just a thin coating of sauce on them when they hit my plate.

Yeah, I'll be gassy tomorrow

Once again, your eyesight isn't fading - that's fish on the far side of the plate. Deep fried and battered but its there.

The mailbox surprises didn't end with the lovely present from Alun. Amongst the junk and bills, there was my annual statement for my workplace savings plan. I almost didn't open it because the amount I expected to see really wasn't anything to smile about. However, while waiting for my sprouts to steam, I ripped open the envelope. WTF?! The amount I saw was more than double what I expected. It's nowhere near enough to, say, retire but it is enough to make the equivalent of almost two payments on my student loan. You see, I forgot that I had changed my payro mind was made upll deductions from once per month to once per paycheck - that means I went from 12 deductions a year to 26. A BIG difference. Woot!

You know what it also means? I'm buying a bicycle in the spring. I had planned on buying one anyways but I was starting to think responsibly and felt like I should be putting the money towards a bill payment. With the surprise I received in the mail today, my mind was made up. I'm doing both. The REALLY responsible Me would skip the bike and make two sets of extra payments but at this point in my life, I think the bike is important. I need something to get me out of the house, a new form of activity, a new lease on the life I want to have. Besides, I've been good about making extra payments every month so I feel justified. Green Cruiser ... here I come.

Friend Makin' Mondays

2012-01-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

Once more, courtesy of Kenlie at All the Weigh, its Friend Makin' Mondays. If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here and at All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Short Answers

Mac or PC? I've never used a Mac but I`d like to switch.
Do you paint your own nails? No, I have terrible nails and would fail horribly as an esthetician.
Beach or mountains? Mountain - I hate the beach.
What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading? The Codex by Douglas Preston and 1000 Years of Annoying the French by Stephen Clarke
Do you dance? Yes, and I'm damn good, if even in my own mind.
CNN or Fox News? Of those two choices, it'd have to be CNN but I normally watch CBC.
Do you ride a bicycle? No but I want to buy one this spring. However I should spend that money on bills...
Do you get a yearly flu shot? Never and I've only had the flu 2x in the past 10 years.
Best movie you’ve seen in 2012? I haven't seen a single movie this year. Very strange for me.
Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym? I'm self conscious so I prefer at home. If I had someone to go with, I'd probably like the gym more.
Last airport you were in? Edmonton International in 2009 when I returned from my trip to the UK.
Married or single? Single.
iPhone or Android? I don't have a cell phone.
Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures? To take them.
Favorite brand of sneakers? My last two pairs have been Saucony's but my first REAL pair of running shoes were Brooks and they'll always be my faves.
Do you like snow? Mos def.
Do you have/want to have kids? No / No.
Summer or Winter? Both but if I have to chose - winter. I like the cold, solitude, wind.
Do you know how to swim? I don't know if you can call what I do "swimming".
Do you prefer to shop in store or online? In store because I like to feel, see, try on but online 'cause I hate pushy sales people and other shoppers.

Wanna hear something funny?

2012-01-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

I hate mushrooms.

Ok, that in itself isn't all that amusing. What is though is that while I hate mushrooms, I quite enjoy mushroom soup gravy. You know what I'm talking about - you cook up a piece of chicken, pork or some hamburger and then use a can of mushroom soup to deglaze the pan, picking up all those yummy, crispy burnt bits? Yes, I most definately pick out the little chunks of mushrooms in it but the soup part of it? Quite lovely on mashed potatoes.

Mini meatloaf with mushroom soup "gravy" and jasmine rice

Those that know me are completely baffled by it. And to be honest, I can't explain it either. Mushrooms are gross - the texture is all squidgly and squeaky and spongy; the taste? Well, there isn't one which is just plain wrong. Food has flavour; if it doesn't, its not food. End of story.

It doesn't bother me that mushrooms are grown in shit. I'm ok with that. Manure is a great fertilizer. Nope, its all about the taste and texture. And maybe the appearance. That weird fan-like underside of the cap? Creepy.

Cheese-a-licious

Give me almost any other vegetable (minus olives and asparagus), and I'm happy to stuff it in my (veggie pot) pie hole. Peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, even eggplant (within reason) - I'll eat 'em up. Mushrooms, in my humble opinion, should stay in the forest for the fairy creatures to sit upon and work their magic. Go ahead, I'm ready for your arguments in favour of the fungi. I realized long ago I'm in the minority when it comes to these edible toadstools. Yes, Mr. Anchovy, you may have first dibs ... (*wink wink*).

Missed a Day!

2012-01-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ooops! I had every intention of blogging yesterday and never got around to it. Oh well, one missed day this month isn't too bad. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Its just blogging after all!

I started taking Flaxseed oil yesterday. No noticable difference in my skin yet but hey, its only bben two days. After I bought a big bottle of pills, a coworker said that he had just talked to his local health food store about it the day before and was told not to bother with the pills - he said its more beneficial to use the oil. Crap on a cracker. Oh well, we'll see how this goes anyways. Anyone else out there take Flaxseed? Notice any benefits to your skin???? Anyone?

Ever want to increase the viewers/visitors to your Flickr site? Easy peasy - join a group. Or 6. Yesterday, feeling a bit "non-busy" at work, I started looking up groups, joining a few, and adding some of my own photos to their lineups. Within seconds (not kidding!) people were viewing my photos, favouriting them, and commenting. A LOT of people. Holy schmoleys.

I'm currently working my way through the entire series of X-Files, including the movies, and I just finished season 2. How could so many weird, life threatening, bizarre things happen to the same people! Surely any sane person would have given up long ago. There are a few episodes that I've seen before but most are completely new to me. One thing I remember most was how much I had a crush on Alex Krycek (played by Canadian actor, Nicolas Lea) towards the end of the series when I actually started watching it semi-regularly. Now? He looks so young. I'm actually noticing how hot Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is... Jody the Non Blogger probably already realized this long ago but Mitch Pileggi played Horace Pinker in the 1989 horror flick Shocker. OMG. Memories come flooding back. Mainly about how bad that movie was and what a terrible actor Pete Berg is.

Big Brother, Super Duper Sister in Law, and Mommikins took me for a belated birthday lunch today. Original plans were to make our first visit to Padmanadi, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant here it town that always gets great reviews. After being seated and checking out their brunch menu, I was all set on ordering their banana coconut french toast. However, both the kids couldn't find anything on the menu they wanted and were already having a bad day. Big Bro didn't look too excited about it either but would have stuck it out. We all decided however that we'd go somewhere else where we could all get something to eat. A bit disappointing but completely understandable. I'd rather have a mediocre meal with smiling, happy family, than a fantastic meal with a couple of mini grumpy gusses. The venue change was just what the doctor ordered - we ended up at Boston Pizza. The food? Mediocre but the company? Wonderful! At various times, we were all dancing in our seats to the eclectic mix of 80s, 90s, and early 00's music blaring out of the speakers. True to form, Mom, niece and SIL ALL ordered the same seafood laden pasta dish. I was surrounded!

Afterwards, we parted ways and Mom and I ended up at the mall. I had a big list of shopping I wanted to accomplish and we made a valiant effort. I didn't come away with any new shirts (I wanted at least one-, possibly two) but I snagged a sports bra (with underwire, yay Addition Elle!), new pillows, new shoes for work (yay Clarks!), a foam thingy for my bed, and yarn for a hat I'm knitting.

Its been a long day - I am exhausted. Pretty sad considering its just 730. Perhaps I'll try and read for a little while before testing out my new pillows and foamy thingy. Night night y'all.

The Chobani has Landed

2012-01-19T18:04:00.001-07:00

For some time now, I've been hearing nothing but great things about this magical brand of Greek yoghurt - Chobani. Its been all over many of the healthy living/fitness blogs I read and I've been dying to be one of the cool kids who gets to eat it. Sadly, it was only available in the USofA (booo). Then, one wonderful day a few weeks ago, I discovered (quite by chance) that Chobani is now available in Canada (Yay!). My dreams were quickly dashed once again when their website taunted me with the news that it was available only in the Greater Toronto Area (boooo).

I was not going to give up that easily. I fired off a quick overly enthusiastic e-mail to the Canadian part of the company and ~~demanded~~ begged them to let me try their yoghurts. Not even 24 hours later, I received an equally enthusiastic response from Ashley in their "Digital Communications" department saying they'd "love to send a sampling of our 'gurts to review". Wow. I asked, I received. Kudos to Chobani for their great service!

There was a delay in the shipping and I was supposed to receive an updated delivery date when WHAMMO! I came home to find mom stocking the fridge with half a shelf of yoghurts! Originally Ashley and her manager, Emily, had mentioned four flavours that are available in Canada: black cherry, pomegranate, peach and strawberry. I said I'd take whatever I could get. I was hoping they'd give me one or two of each to try but when it arrived, they only flavours included were the pomegranate and the black cherry. No worries - I'm not going to complain when I'm getting it for free!

Since I'm not a huge fan of pomegranates, and Mom wasn't too keen on the black cherry, it was an easy decision about who got to sample which ones. First up, Mommikins and the Chobani Pomegranate:

Free food? Yes please.

We had a lot of fun seeing who could outdo the other when it came to making the weirdest faces. Yes, put a camera in front of us, and this is what you get.

That Mom, what a kidder.

Don't worry Chobani, Mom actually quite enjoyed the pomegranate. See?

Oh yeah baby...yoooooooghurrrrrt.

This was one of the tamest photos I could include of her and her 'gurt. Mom wins the creepiest yoghurt eating face contest, hands down.

Mom gives the pomegranate the thumbs up.

I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of the pom. Nothing wrong with the yoghurt itself, just not a flavour I would eat. But now it was my turn to sample the black cherry.

Not just cherry - BLACK cherry

While Mom's yoghurt seemed to have the fruit mixed in a bit, I discovered a treasure trove of cherry chunks sitting on the bottom of my cup just waiting for me to whisk into the creamy soft yoghurt.

Yoghurt CAN be sexy, no? Uh...probably no.

And the weird faces contest continues...

Oooooh CHERRY!

Black Cherry Chobani? A thumbs up from me.

Just like I didn't like the flavour of the pomegranate, Mom didn't like the black cherry - she said it was too sweet?!

Overall, we both liked Chobani's greek yoghurt. However, we both agreed that we prefer our yoghurt with a bit of fat in it (Chobani's are fat free). One thing I really appreciated was that, unlike most big brand name fat free/low fat yoghurts, Chobani doesn't use aspartame, Splenda or any other artificial sweeteners. Would I buy it in the store? Good question. Given the choice between the no-fat Chobani and a Greek yoghurt with fat, such as Liberte, I think I would likely choose the other yoghurt. This is just a personal preference - I like the fat. Honestly, neither of us could find any other fault with the Chobani. The taste, texture, serving size - all great.

In fact, the serving size is actually a plus for Chobani compared to the individual Liberte yoghurts and other brands. The Chobani containers are larger although not filled to the top with product. This allows plenty of room to swirl/mix the fruit and yoghurt together or to add in some crunchy cereal or granola as we did after the initial test. Chobani has put a THOUGHT into their packaging for sure.

A HUGE thank you to the folks at Chobani Canada, especially Ashley and Emily, for their help and their generosity. I am happy to give their Greek yoghurt a thumbs up from both Mom and I, and would gladly recommend. The Chobani folks generously gave me 6 of each flavour so I'll be able to share with my family when I see them this weekend. I'm looking forward to the day when Chobani goes on sale in Western Canada and we get some more of the flavours that our American cousins get to enjoy: Apple Cinnamon, Lemon, Raspberry... Mmmmmm.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review and my opinions (and those of my mother) are our own. Chobani did not contact me, I contacted them. Is there anything else I need to declare?

Alberta is Oil Country

2012-01-19T05:36:00.058-07:00

Well, it wasn't food poisoning. Or it could have been and maybe I got up in the middle of the night to be sick without remembering but I don't think so. Looks like I was wickedly exhausted and a bit dehydrated. Feeling better this morning. Its definately going to be a watery, healthful eating day today. Here are a few pictures to prove it:

Remember this?

Yeah, I tapped that again this morning.

While toasting my muffins (why does that sound like a Lady Gaga lyric?), I made lunch. Here are the contents of my lunch bag:

LUNCH TIME!

STARTER SALAD - Romaine, asiago, bell peppers green onions, slivered almonds

ENTREE - Pierogies with fried onions, steamed broccoli

DESSERT!

Yeah baby. I'm excited just thinking about getting to eat it later! My indulgence for today is a small container of Salt and Vinegar Crispers. They're like potato chips but thicker and baked. The pieorgies? Cheemo - local company. And the apple? You'll notice it comes from British Columbia, just one province over. Much better than cucumbers from Mexico or fruit from Chile (not that I have anything against either country).

Kenlie, over at All The Weigh, recently published a post on Vitamins. Go on, check it out, I'll wait...

Ok, welcome back! Now, I'm of the opinion that, for the most part, you should be able to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat. It makes me a bit of a hypocrite though since I tend to not eat all that well "some" days (*cough cough*) and I take a daily multivitamin just in case. Anyways, Kenlie wrote about how, when she used to take flaxseed oil pills 3x a day, she never had dry skin. When she stopped taking them, her dry skin returned. Sure it could be coincedence, a result of the change in climate when she moved or some other factor but its piqued my interest.

Alberta has notoriously dry weather, especially in winter - despite subarctic temperatures, the air is as dry as the Gobi Desert, leaving skin parched, scaly, flaky and amazingly itchy. Lotions only offer limited relief and no matter how much water I drink, my skin still begs for help. I'd like to know if any of you out there have tried flaxseed oil and if its had any effect on dry skin. I'm going to experiment with it myself and see what happens. It couldn't hurt - flaxseed oil has lots of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, good for your heart, blood pressure, cholesterol and all sorts of other good things.

Wimpy Wednesday

2012-01-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

Its been a long, bad week. I have ingested the weight of one of my cats in salt over the course of a day and a half and slammed back very little H20. Yeah, I thought I'd mummify myself in my spare time. The emotional eating continued all day yesterday which may or may have resulted in a fast food lunch and possibly pizza for dinner (and breakfast today...). Needless to say, my body and brain have felt a little on the crappy side as a result.

At the office today, we finally hosted an event our department has been planning and organizing since before Christmas. It involved almost 200 of our fellow co-workers traipsing through our area all morning. Considering how much I hate crowds and people in general, I did quite well. I joked with my boss that I'd like the afternoon off and ended up being told I could take it if I wanted to. No need to ask me twice. I was so exhausted by the time I left, I decided to (once again) stop off and pick up lunch on the way home. I hit up a sub shop (sounds like Wiznos) near my office where I got a sandwich and a soup that might have been just a tad bit off. I didn't stop eating it but wondered if I'd get sick as I downed each delicious bite.

Fast forward 6.5 hours later - I feel headachy and nauseous. This could be food poisoning but it could also just be the dehydration process I've been subjecting my body to. All I know is that I don't like it. On top that, one of our neighbours is blazing up with some of the stinkiest weed I have ever had the displeasure to be exposed to. The green haze is flowing into our apartment like fast moving lava down the side of a volcano. Our poor kittehs (and Mom and I) are getting a secondary smoke high from it. We complained to the office earlier in the day but they started up again just as I got off the treadmill (hoping exercise would help me feel better - it did but didn't).

Anyways, I guess I'll find out sometime tonight if its food poisoning (although I doubt it is). I'm off now to suck back as much water as my bladder will allow me to before I head off to bed. Its going to be a much needed early night tonight.

Tuesday

2012-01-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I treated myself to an indulgent breakfast - pancakes. Smothered in syrup and a bit of butter. Definately a response to how upset I was last night. I even started thinking about pancakes as I tried to fall asleep. I have to make a confession though - they weren't homemade. Yes, they came from a box. And I don't care.

Oooewy Gooey Goodness

Ever since the weekend, I've been waking up later. Both days this week, I haven't dragged myself out of bed until at least 4:45 am. It feels fantastic but cuts into my morning routine.

All my pictures lately seem to be of food, even when I went out with Mom on Friday. It was all centred around food. To be fair though, the Telus World of Science didn't allow pictures to be taken in the Titanic exhibit but yes, its all about the food. My super duper sister in law keeps telling me how good my food pics are - I think for her, I'm going to put together a calendar of just food pics as a Christmas present. I love taking pictures of food, I love food. Perhaps that's why they turn out so well. I'd like to be able to take better photos of other things - scenery for one thing. I can take pretty good shots of the kittehs. This is one of my faves:

Sunny Snoozefest

And so he's not left out, this one too:

Fluffy Fatboy

This year, you're going to see a lot of food. And a couple of cat shots thrown in for good measure. I am going to work on the portraits and the scenery shots but the majority will be stuff I shove in my food tube. What can I do?

What kind of things do you normally photograph?

What type of camera do you use?

Family Ties

2012-01-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

I cried today. Not in a good way but because of my family. You see, last week I had a birthday. And, until today, I had not received a card or a phone call from my father. Not really surprising, he's late every year, and every year it upsets me.

You should know that my parents are divorced. It was not amicable, especially in the first years following the divorce and my parents do not speak to one another. When my father does "call", its my stepmother who telephones and then, after we chat a few minutes, passes me on to my dad. I'm a bit surprised that my parents can't at least be civil to one another, saying a couple of sentences "Hello / Is Karen there? / just a minute, I'll go get her / thanks" but I'm willing to get past that considering the reasons for the animosity between them (I'm not going to get into it). It could be a lot worse, I suppose. At least I'm getting that phone call, even if it is late.

This year, it bothered me yet again that I didn't get that once per year call on my actual birthday so I wrote on Facebook how it bothered me. Well, not even 5 minutes later, the phone rings. Its my stepsister who lives with my dad and stepmom. She's clearly a bit annoyed. A quick "Dad asked me to call you" and she passes me along. Dad's even more annoyed and accuses me of slamming him on Facebook. I should be more considerate of the fact that my stepmom was out of town for the past week and he's been working nights. "So there's your birthday phone call". Suddenly, I'm the one who's done something wrong and is getting in trouble for it, feeling like I'm 5 years old again. We exchanged small talk for a few minutes and I gave him my toll free work number; he can call me during the daytime to make things easier and avoid my mother altogether.

I get that birthdays at my age maybe aren't all that important to a parent. But how am I supposed to feel when the only reason I get a call four days after my birthday is because someone told my father what I wrote on FB? It would have meant a lot more if he'd actually planned on calling tonight rather than because he was angry at me.

Every year I tell myself next year I won't care. And every year, I shed yet more tears over a stupid fucking phone call that never comes when it should.

Savory Sunday

2012-01-15T17:27:00.001-07:00

Its Sunday. My lazy day. The one day I try to do as little as possible. Today was no exception and I started it all off by not getting out of bed until 6:37 this morning. Newcomers to London's Fog will think I'm crazy for thinking that's a great way to start off a slow Sunday. However, when you realize I get up most days (including holidays) sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 am? This was sleeping in! I didn't think I was THAT tired after going to the hockey game last night but my body and brain would likely disagree. I woke up around my usual time, cats bouncing excitedly on the pillows beside me but for some reason, I refused to get out of bed. The only reason I eventually dragged myself from under the covers when I did was because my darling fluffball, Nero, wouldn't stop meowing and it was starting to annoy me.

What was left of the morning was spent watching a couple of episodes from season 2 of the X-Files (Scully's been abducted and Krycek disappears when suspected!!!), knitting, a long walk on the treadmill and overall slothiness. Is that a word? It is now. For the rest of the day, I plunked my tookus in front of the television and watching playoff football. The Houston/Baltimore game was on first and it was a good one. Nice and close with a a lot of great plays. Tensions were running high and I half expected a few punches to be thrown before the end of the game. The Giants are currently beating the Packers (Yay!) in the 4th quarter, 30 - 13. Fingers crossed...!

I've been a very good girl today, food-wise. Yesterday, not so much, but today - definately on point and within my points (trying to track this week). Lunch was a HUGE salad with plenty of fresh veggies, topped with Greek dressing, and a side of pieirogies. Mmmmmmm. I was stuffed. I snacked on a gorgeous granny smith apple and a few salt and vinegar crispers mid-afternoon. And dinner? See for yourself:

Gravy should be a food group

Remember my post on not having time to cook? Well there you go. One of the standard meals we had growing up: Shake'N'Bake chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies (in this case, peas with a dot of unsalted butter). Simple, healthy, filling, and ... it was on my plate in 40 minutes (I like my chicken dry). And, since I'm a single gal, I have enough potatoes for three more meals (yay, lunch tomorrow). Easy peasy. AND I made gravy from scratch. Simple, flavourful, yum. Gravy is almost as easy to make as cranberry sauce! On a side note, I'm embarrassed to admit that until this weekend, I didn't realize that "savory" is not just a flavour like sweet, sour, salty, etc. Its actually an herb and its what I used in my gravy (I should also have added sage but forgot). Kick me out of the kitchen now.

Not sure if anyone's noticed but I've been blogging more often than I used to. One of the goals for 2012 I had mentioned earlier this month was to blog more and take more pictures. A mini goal that I set for myself to start with (but didn't share) was to blog every day for a month. I tried this once during NaBloPoMo but forcing myself to do it was a disaster. This month, however, has been going really well. Its half over and I've posted 16 times already. Sure, not everyone who reads my blog care what I've eaten for breakfast or how pumped I was after my latest treadmill outing but the act of writing something every day and taking time to put it out there has been a great exercise for me, especially mentally. God knows, we need to exercise our grey matter as much as our muscles.

Another of my goals was to read more and I'm sad to say that I've not been nearly as successful on this one. I currently have two books on the go but I've been focusing more on knitting, exercising and blogging and leaving not much time for reading. I haven't even been picking up one of my books during my lunch hour at the office; there always seems to be something I need to do at lunch that's more important than getting through a chapter or two. This is going to change. Hopefully I'll be pestering you with posts and reviews of cheesy adventure novels and history books most would find dry and boring. Tough nuts, I say.

What did you eat today?

What are you currently reading?

She Shoots, She Scores

2012-01-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Mom and I headed out to use the hockey tickets I gave her for Christmas. The 1st place Edmonton Oil Kings were taking on the 3rd place Kootenay Ice. Its past my bed time, the Broncos/Patriots playoff game just ended, and I'm beat so I'm going to keep this simple and tell you the story of our evening through pictures....

Forgive the quality. I took my old Sony digital camera and it keeps flipping back and forth between settings as if it is possessed; I never know how things are going to turn out.

The Great One welcomed us to Rexall - yes, we finally have snow!!!

The Hanson Brothers from Slapshot were there for the ceremonial puck drop.

Plenty of upclose action, great seats, terrible overpriced food. Fast paced hockey!

1st intermission - The Hanson Bros vs. a visiting kids team. Ended in a 3-3 tie.

Zamboni - this guy was moving!

Not one but TWO zambonis on the ice at the same time.

FIGHT!

Same Fight

Yes, same fight

Yes, still the same fight - right at the start of the 2nd period.
Both players got 5 minute penalties and the Kootenay player left the ice, his face bleeding profusely.

Oilers Legends

I have to say that unlike football which I prefer watching on TV, hockey is one of those sports that (for me) is much more exciting live. Its been years since I've been to a hockey game - the last two ended badly. The NHL game I went too resulted in us sitting with my mother in the emergency room as she got treatment for food poisoning, and the University of Alberta Bears vs. Junior Oilers game I saw when I was a student there? My friend got hit in the head with an out of control puck.

If you love hockey but can't afford NHL prices, check out a junior league team near you. The Oil Kings are part of the WHL and the hockey was outstanding. Support your local team today. FYI, Edmonton won 3-2.

A Full Friday

2012-01-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Since both Mom and I were working yesterday, we chose to "celebrate" my birthday today, Friday. First up, lunch! Our original plans were to go to Boston Pizza but we decided to stop at Earls instead. Since it was only eleven-ish, there was almost no one else in the restaurant - I think one other table was occupied when we arrived.

Interior

I'm not sure why but with almost the entire restaurant empty, they sat us in the corner only two tables from the other diners. Whatever, we had plenty of lovely natural light and could watch people walking by.

Lovely Mommikins

Notice the windows to the right of both these photos? We actually switched seats JUST to take photos of each of us. Behind my seat was just a plain brown wall which looked horrible when Mom tried to take a decent photo. Good thing there we were practically alone!

More windows

Ice Cold Rhino?

Both of us really really REALLY wanted pasta for lunch - why would we choose Earls then? Go figure. However, we managed to each find a different item on their menu that sounded like the perfect solution for our present pasta passion. I love alliterations! My tastebuds were looking for an alfredo sauce but the word was nowhere to be found on the menu. However, I found the fettuccine alla pana which was fettuccine noodles with parmesan garlic cream sauce, 18 month aged prosciutto, peas, cracked black pepper, and Grana Padano parmesan. It sounded delicious even with the prosciutto, something I'm nomally not a fan of at all. I also added chicken.

Bland and boring

Sadly, this was an epic fail! The best part of it were the peas and the toasted herb bread. No flavour, very little sauce and I should have skipped the prosciutto which was extremely chewy. The caesar salad that we split had more flavour and pizzazz to it than this sad dish. I've made better pasta dishes.

Mom's meal? Whole different story! She went for the spicy seafood linguine.

Winner winner seafood dinner

The linguine included San Marzano tomato sauce, garlic, crushed chilies, scallops, prawns and seasonal white fish, and topped with herbed bread crumbs. She cleaned her plate. She loved it but would have preferred it without the whitefish which she found to be a bit distracting. The seafood alone would have made it perfect. I even tried a bite (without any fish/seafood) and the sauce was yummalicious.

Remember that salad I mentioned? We asked for it to be a starter but had to remind our server about it after she dropped off our entrees so it ended up being eaten with our meals. We weren't too pleased about that however it DID allow me to actually taste something during my meal. While essentially just a generic caesar salad (but not a hint of bacon! Tsk tsk), the sauce was wicked garlicky. Mmmmm.

Heavenly

We finished off our meal with dessert (it IS my birthday, after all). While I tried to get her to say yes to the banana chocolate cake, we ended up ordering the cheesecake. According to the menu, the topping was supposed to be blueberries but our waitress gave us a number of options. We got creative and mixed their raspberry puree with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Sweet dessert perfection. The cheesecake itself was the perfect texture - not too heavy but not that light fluffy cheesecake that some places make. The crumb crust could have had a tad bit more brown sugar but went well with the not too rich filling. And the toppings we chose? The sour/tart raspberry puree was offset lovingly with the sweet chocolate. If I'd been at home, I'd have licked the last drops off the plate when we were done.

After we had finished feasting, we headed over to the Telus World of Science and had a wander around before visiting the Titantic Artifact exhibit. When you enter the exhibit, a staff member hands you a boarding pass with the name and details about an actual passenger on it. The idea is to imagine yourself as this passenger while you explore the exhibit and then at the end you can find out whether or not you/they survived. Neither of us were expecting it to be so emotional but we were each finding ourselves a bit overwhelmed by the connections to actual passengers the exhibit. While there are a lot of artifacts such as random bottles, dishes, wall sconces, etc, there were also items from specific passengers and details about their lives and their fates posted nearby. Most dramatic for me was learning that a number of passengers hadn't even booked passage aboard the Titanic but on other smaller ships making the crossing. Due to a coal miner's strike though, the smaller ships were docked and the coal (and passengers) were transferred to the Titanic instead. The rest, as they say, is history. Who knows what would have happened to many of those who died if their original ships had transported them instead...?

If you get the chance to view the exhibit (which was a bit smaller than I'd hoped but still fascinating), I highly recommend it. You can also learn more by visiting the official website.

FYI: My passenger was Lily May Futrelle (nee Peel), wife of Jacques Futrelle, both novelists, and Mom was Sylvia Mae Caldwell (nee Harbaugh).

Simple, Delicious, Yum

2012-01-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said this year was going to be a "heart healthy" year? One of my strategies is to eat a square (yes, just one!) of dark chocolate every day this year. I began the year with Lindt's Ecuador 75% Cacao dark chocolate bar. Mmmm, dark chocolate-y goodness. Simple but oh so satisfying. Next up on my list of bars to try was Lindt's "A Touch of Sea Salt" dark chocolate. Ever since trying Purdy's line of Himalyan Pink Salt chocolates (dark and milk), chocolate has never been the same. I was REALLY looking forward to bar #2.

Disappointment.

There was barely any hint of the saltiness I expected from a salted chocolate. On top of that, with only 47% cacao (according to their list of ingredients on the back of the packaging), it tasted more like milk chocolate than the other dark bars Lindt puts out. I'll finish the bar since I'm not about to waste decent chocolate but its not one I'll be purchasing again.

Simply Delicious

Since I'm going to be out and about today, and treated to lunch (possibly Boston Pizza's perogy pizza), I wanted to eat a light breakfast. I settled on something so simple yet so incredibly delicious: a toasted English muffin with melted cheese and sliced tomato. I toasted the English muffin under the broiler so the tops was crisp but the bottoms were still soft and chewy. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and you've got one of the easiest, simplest yet satisfying breakfasts.

What did you have for breakfast today?

Happy Birthday to Me

2012-01-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Au Natural

Its my birthday. Today, I am 39 years old.

Here I am, sans wig, stubbly noggin, bushy eyebrows. Me, in all my glorious wonder. Enjoy.

I Ain't Got Time To Bleed ... uh, Cook

2012-01-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

A lot of people claim they have no time to cook. Forgive me but ... horseshit.

Everyone has time to cook; we just convince ourselves that we don't because of soccer practice, work, getting the kids to school, time at the gym, visiting with friends and family, sleeping, chores, shopping, etc. I say again...horseshit. Its my blog; I can swear if I want to. Now, before anyone gets all pissy with me and starts to go off on how they are, in fact, far to busy to cook, I admit that there are occasions when we all find ourselves short of time so we grab something quick, convenient and, typically, unhealthy. I'm not talking about those one offs; I'm talking too busy to cook most of the time.

There's a ton of time in your day / week to get some cooking in. No one's asking that you create 7-course French dinner, fold your napkins into elaborate shapes, and make sure everyone's got the right fork for appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. Heck, growing up, our dinners consisted of either Shake'n'Bake chicken or pork chops, some form of potato, and a vegetable (sometimes frozen or from a can). Simple. And ready in 1/2 an hour.

Tick Tock, Make the Clock Stop

The reason I have some pretty great lunches and dinners (if I do say so myself) is that I plan ahead. I'm not talking about a set menu for the entire week or making up a weeks' worth of meals in advance. I make full use of my time. Once in a while I make a bit pot of soup, spaghetti sauce, chili, or a casserole and that lasts me a few days. While I'm getting ready in the morning, I have a piece of chicken in the oven baking, possibly veggies steaming on the stove. I might make extra food for dinner the night before so I have leftovers for lunch the next day. When I get home from work, I throw a potato in the oven and then hop on the treadmill while its baking. Double duty. Hee hee, I said doooodee.

What's brough on this sudden rant, you ask? Two words: Biggest Loser. Now, I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I find it both inspiring, hopeful and fun to watch but also infuriating, unrealistic, and, at times, dangerous. The other day, a coworker and I were discussing the show and how they only seem to focus on the exercise aspect of weightloss and only touch on "nutrition" when they have to plug a sponsor's product or it ties in with a challenge involving food (generally a temptation where at least one contestant gorges themselves on donuts, pizza, or deep fried anything). Last night's episode however promised to be nutrition-centric with a visit from the show's dietician. Disappointment. Other than a trip to the supermarket, there was little substance to what they had to offer. I was hoping for an episode where they discussed proper portion size, packaged foods vs. fresh (instead of hawking their meal plan), healthy recipes, and the benefits of eating regularly. Nope. None of that. So frustrating. America is learning that as long as you work out 5 hours a day and eat ready made 'diet' meals, you'll be thin and fit. Grrrrrr.

It takes no time at all to whip up a simple meal for you and your family. To help ourselves manage our time during the week, on the weekend my mother and I cut up a container of onions, peppers, and various veggies. When you need some, grab a handful and throw it into whatever you're making. Fresh sauteed onions for pierogies, a quick salad or stirfry, soup fixin's. Its there and ready to go, you've just saved yourself 10 minutes of chopping time!

Do yourself a favour and try a little harder. There's no such thing as "I don't have time..." when it comes to cooking.

Pasta Tuesdays

2012-01-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why but I've had very little energy for the past two days. My legs have also been a bit achy since my last treadmill session. I figured a day off was in order - give the old stems a chance to rest, recover and repair themselves so yesterday I relaxed and watched four episodes of the first season of X-Files. Did you know, I was never a very big fan of the series when it was on? I don't know what it was but it just didn't catch my attention. Typical me. Always years late to the party. Today however, its back on track. Biggest Loser is on this evening and I'll be watching while walking my little buns off.

Nom nom nom

Today's been a pretty good day - healthy lunch, healthy breakfast, decent snacks. Pretty proud of myself. I even walked up the hill to work and to the library at lunch (although that's only a couple of blocks). Dinner, as you can see, was colourful and delicious! Steamed broccoli (yum!) with a smidge of melted jalapeno Cheez Whiz, and farfalle pasta with sauteed onions and peppers, chopped up leftover chicken breast and some jarred marinara sauce. Oh my sweet bejeebus! I wish I had made more because I wanted seconds.

Friend Making Monday

2012-01-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

At this time last year, we had a couple feet of snow and temperatures were hovering anywhere from -20C to -30C. I snapped this photo exactly one year ago today.

What a difference a year makes

Now? We've had one, maybe two significant snowfalls which have amounted to a whole lotta nothing thanks to daytime temperatures staying on the plus side of zero and barely falling below zero overnight. Whatever snow we've received has mostly melted and it feels springlike outside. One local gardener is even harvesting greens! In January! In Edmonton! WTF is going on? Stupid global warming. Hrmp. I know most people would think I'm crazy but I miss winter. I want snow. Cold weather. Blizzards. Weather that requires scarves, mittens, parkas and heavy warm sweaters. I shouldn't complain, right? It'll happen soon enough...I hope.

I'm trying out something new - a regular feature over on Kenlie's blog, All The Weigh. Its called Friend Making Monday. From what I can tell, its designed to get to know your readers, make new contacts, let your readers learn a bit more about you, etc... Since I was looking at ways of increasing my readership, I figured why not. So, without further ado, here I go.

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?
Curled up on the couch, under a cozy blanket, with a cat on my lap, watching a great football game, listening to the wind/snow/rain whipping against the window.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.
A tough one: Real Time with Bill Maher, Project Runway, Big Bang Theory

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?
I prefer to take them. I like my self portraits but its rare for someone else to take a photo of me that I think makes me look good. Besides I don't want to look at photos of myself.

4) Why do you blog?

There are a lot of reasons. To keep myself accountable, as a record for myself of what's gone on in my life, to share useless bits of internet gossip and time wasting videos of cats playing pianos, etc. I also like thinking what I have to say is important enough for a few people to want to read regularly.

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

Blogs, blogs, blogs

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

Just one? It would be a toss up between @lectio, @wanderingcoyote, and @badtemperedzombie. These ladies are three of the most interesting and entertaining people I've ever had the pleasure to know. They're my oldest blog buddies and I haven't met either of them.

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

An ice cold Coke and a bowl of popcorn is right up there. Sliced granny smith apples and a chunk of cheddar is pretty nice as well. And I'm not one to turn down a decent pastry.

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

Two cats - Anubis and Nero. However, we always had a dog when I was growing up and I miss having a big pooch to walk and cuddle on the couch with.

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

An underwire bra, my toothbrush, extra soft toilet paper.

10) What’s your favorite drink?

Alcoholic: Strongbow Cider / Non Alcoholic: Coca Cola

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

Have you read my blog? Indeed I do. Not a great baker but I love trying new recipes and experimenting. I'm usually accompanied by on my mini-Lego men who are always getting in the way and demanding treats. Yes, I'm an adult who gives toys personalities and voices. Don't judge me.

12) Do you have children?

Nope. I love kids but I have no plans on popping anything that big out of my hoo-hoo.

13) What are your favorite hobbies?
Reading, movies, knitting, photography. LOVE watching sports on TV, just about anything really, and the occasional live event is nice too.

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?
Definately shy around new people but as soon as I feel comfortable, I'm saucy, sassy and sarcastic.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

It would definately be a life without PCOS and one with hair. Alas, what can you do. Things could be a lot worse.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

I don't really have any - I don't care that much.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

Its only Monday - I was supposed to do something cool already?!

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

A bit of both. Half of my immediate family lives in the same city, the other half live a few hours away. The extended family however is on the other side of the country - that's what you get for growing up in the military.

19) List three of your talents.

I give great hugs/snuggles, can bake killer banana cranberry bran muffins, and am not a bad photographer.

20) What is your greatest attribute?

Possibly the world's best listener.

If you'd like to join all us cool kids, answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Feel free to invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen and heard.

Swim Forward, Hurt Back

2012-01-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

In case I'm the only whacko that got the title, its supposed to be a play on the "Spring Forward, Fall Back" time change thingy. Ok, the fact that I have explain my title means its no good but honestly, I can't be bothered to come up with something wittier. Moving on.

The reason for the not so witty title? I woke up this morning (bright and VERY early) with one of the worst back pains I've ever experienced, short of one of my gall bladder attacks. The swimming was definately the culprit - my form during the breast stroke is terrible and my back is likely arched so much it would make a chiropractor cringe just watching me. It wouldn't be so bad if I had been keeping up with the weekly swim sessions. However, our absence at the pool has made my back forget what I used to ask it to do.

To top it off, I had flipped over my mattress yesterday and slept on the bottom side. Bottom side, you ask? Yes, I have one of those Serta Back Logic, pillow top-type thingies; the kind that aren't meant to be flipped. However, after a few years of being forced by the felines to sleep in the exact same spot (i.e. the middle), its developing a sag. So, I flipped it. I've done it before with no problems so I figured it would be just what the doctor ordered for a good night's sleep. Yeah. NO. The overly firm underside of the mattress and the swimming the day before made for a very uncomfortable sleep last night. Ack.

Mom helped me flip it back this morning and I spent part of the day with a hot bean bag on my back. Ahhhhhhh...

The rest of today was spent watching football (the Broncos/Steelers are tied with less than 2 minutes in the 4th!), playing on the interwebbies, and knitting. Before starting any new projects (like the 12 pairs of mitts I want to knit this year), I'm trying to use up my bits and pieces of old yarn. They're getting mashed together into soft, squishy blankets for the cat's beds.

Despite the back pain earlier in the day, I managed to hop on the treadmill for an hour and a round of upper body free weights - something I haven't done in a long time. Like the swimming, my muscles voiced their displeasure at my lack of consistency but I stuck to it, took my time and finished my two sets.

Feelin' da burn

I'm gonna have awesome guns. Some day. I'll probably have to try and eventually lift something heavier than my 3lb girlie weights if that's gonna happen.

A Swimming Saturday

2012-01-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

You cannot believe how incredibly happy I was this morning. Mom and I went swimming for the first time in just over a month. The smell of the chlorine, the splash of the water as the teams practiced all around us, the cool shock as you slip into the pool... So familiar and yet it all seemed so long ago. Our absence took its toll though; we only managed 3 laps each (2 aqua jog, 1 swimming) before we were wiped out. Certainly not a failure by any means. Considering where we started? This is still great!

And, yes, I'm convinced the dizzy spells I was experiencing sometimes when we go is caused by my attempts at actual swimming. I'm fine if I leave it at jogging and breast/side strokes but as soon as I attempt a forward crawl or backstroke, my brain forgets how to breath resulting in me getting wobbly.

Our "swim" was followed by groceries, 5 loads of laundry (and that's just mine!), some knitting, a hot bath in the middle of the afternoon (ahhhhh). I'm finishing off my jam-packed day with 2 playoff football games (the Texans are currently trampling the Bengals) and a Big Salad: romaine, spinach, grape tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, croutons and feta.

No comment on the badforme Caesar dressing its drenched in...

Terrible picture. Stupid new camera is not easy to take self portraits with while holidng with one hand...and of course, crappy lighting in my kitchen.

Yep, I'm now officially wiped out. The return to swimming (and a belly full of veggie goodness) has made me very sleepy. I'm ready to bed and its only 5:35 pm. Egads. Pretty soon, I'll be going to bed at lunch time and waking up at dusk. Doubtful that I'll make it through the Lions/Saints game starting in an hour. Heck, I'll be lucky if I make it to kickoff!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Slooooooow Friday

2012-01-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot happening today - just a fairly slow day. My morning went by fairly quickly - I was busy; after lunch though, things took an abrupt turn and I found myself fighting to (a) find something to do; (b) look like I was actually doing something; and (c) stay awake. Normally, I'd go for a 10 minute walk mid-afternoon but it never even crossed my mind this afternoon. I blame it on the coworker who's not here and that I would normally walk with. Yeah, that's it.

Since I don't have anything substantial to share with you (oooh, a coworker's pregnant and another's getting a divorce), I bring you the joy of adorable kittehs to fill the void. Mom's cat, Rocky, hates getting his picture taken and for some reason, Nubi the camera hog was not having any of it. So, you get a double dose of Nero the enormous fluffball.

Seriously, how adorable is this guy?

I'm trying to think of new things I can do to spice up the old bloggy blog - maybe some video posts, a contest, nude photos ... uh, wait ... scratch that last one. Something to encourage an increase in visitors, followers, and readership in general. Any suggestions? I already use Twitter to promote the blog, linking to new posts and using the "hashtags". I'm starting to comment more on blogs that I read regularly and finding a few new blogs to follow myself.

I'm not looking at being one of those bloggers who quit their jobs and make a living blogging (although if it happened, I wouldn't complain) - just to become a bit more popular. Yes, I want to be one of the cool kids ... Anyways, drop me an e-mail or leave a comment with suggestions or features you'd like to see on London's Fog.

Well, that was a bad idea

2012-01-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm an emotional eater. I know it. Its no secret. I eat if I'm upset, angry, happy, sad, bored, ticked off, and to celebrate just about any lame-ass excuse I can come up with. Yesterday, I had an "issue" with the copier in our office and as it got worse and worse (a 10 min job took me 2 hours!), all I could think of was an ice cold can of Coke out of the vending machine in our office kitchen. I resisted and resisted, even nibbling on my cucumber slices and staring at the container, telling myself "you're an emotional eater, you're an EMOTIONAL eater, focus on the cukes, don't get a Coke, mmmm, yummmy, ice cold soda...". Can you see where this is leading? Bet you can't!!!

I got a Coke.

And then a bag of Cheezies.

After lunch I ate 3 GIANT donuts (one of which was smothered in chocolate). And I really mean giant. They were probably the size of 1.5 regular donuts.

We ain't see no Donut (willycoolpics via Flickr)

I don't know why I ate the donuts on top of the chips/pop. Or why I didn't stop at 1. Or 2. Needless to say, I felt horrible. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I promised myself that I'd hop on the treadmill last night AND do some upper body weights to try and counterbalance some of the damage I had done. When I arrived at home after work, I made dinner as usual but didn't have much of an appetite. Hmmm, no idea why that was...

I sat down to relax and watch the news, giving myself time to start digesting before hopping on the treadmill. Within half an hour, I was ready for bed (this was 6PM!). And it wasn't a good sleepy either. I felt ... yucky. Not that I was going to be sick but just ... yucky. After a day and half with little sugar, no soda, and eating relatively healthy, I had OD'd on sugar, transfats, and just about every other bad thing out there. It came as quite a shock though at how totally gross I felt. I've binged before and never felt like this. And it wasn't guilt over what I had done (although, yes tht was there too). My head was wonky, my body felt bloated and not right (no other way to describe it), and I was falling asleep way earlier than even I usually do.

It was definately the wake up call I needed in terms of what all that crap can do to you in such a short amount of time. And what I've been doing to my body over the course of my lifetime.

My Love / Hate Affair with Broccoli

2012-01-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I love broccoli.

The answer is no - I could NOT fit the whole thing in my mouth.

But it wasn't always this way. Way back when, I only ate the stalks. Yep, its true; I was one of those weird folks who ate the woody stems and would ditch the leaf-like parts. Everyone thought I was a freak but they just couldn't understand that I detested the texture of those yucky florets. Texture is important, don't you know? In fact, I detested them so much, I considered just ditching broccoli altogether. Don't even get me started on raw broccoli (*shudder*).

I started reading Janae's blog, The Hungry Runner Girl, and I started to rethink the whole broccoli situation. You see, along with being a candy-crazed, wickedly funny, super duper running machine, Janae is a bit bonkers about broccoli! She can go through one of those giant sized Costco bags of broccoli in nothing flat. I was amazed. Perhaps I hadn't given broccoli the college try it deserved. So ... I did.

Not as gross as I thought. It certainly helps if you don't overcook it.

I soon discovered that florets were actually pretty good. Sure, the texture still took some getting used to but I began to experiment. Now? I'm in deep deep deep veggie love with broccoli (just don't tell cauliflower or I'll never hear the end of it). Most of the time I steam it (NEVER boil it...ugh!). Its a toss up though as to my favourite way to serve it. On the one hand, its melted Cheez Whiz - don't judge me - with sprinkle of chili pepper flakes for kick; on the other, its tossed in a light Italian-esque vinagrette with a sprinkle of freshly grated parm, asiago or romano cheese. Around the blogosphere, a number of people are roasting it but I haven't had any luck there yet. Raw is still out of the question (sorry Janae).

A while ago, a couple of commercials came out in Canada (not sure about the US of A) promoting the miracle that is broccoli. They make me giggle and not just 'cause the florets are tickling my nostrils.

According to Wikipedia, the knowers of all things everywhere, broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and "Since the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among Italians". I don't know if that last part is true but I like it. However, I'm not Italian so I can't speak on behalf of an entire nation of people. This green delight is full of Vitamin Cm which is not just found in oranges! It also contains much needed fibre (healthy colons are a must!) and calcium - you don't have to drink tons of milk to get calcium; it's found in plant sources too! And Mommikins and the cats can certainly attest to the statement "Broccoli consumption is also associated with malodorous flatulence". I'm sorry but its true.

Broccoli (photo by David Ng Photography via Flickr)

Have you had your broccoli today?

2012 - A Heart Healthy Year

2012-01-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last year, I did a big push for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, taking part in their October race and raising over $300 (thanks to your generosity) in much needed donations. This year, I'm making it my mission to raise awareness of HEART HEALTH. For those of you who've read my blog over the past couple of years, you'll know that heart health is a pretty big deal in our family. My dad had a heart attack 2 years ago this past Christmas. Mommikins has high blood pressure and so do I. On top of that, my father's side of the family has a very looooong history (amongst ALL his siblings but 1) of heart problems - heart attacks, angina, strokes - and it seems that they're coming earlier and earlier (one cousin had a heart attack at 42). As you can see, having a healthy ticker is something that is near and dear to my ... um ... well .... my heart.

Don't worry, I'm not going to spend the next 12 months hounding you to make a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation (but if you'd like to, click HERE). It certainly will be my charity of choice for an upcoming race (to be determined) but for now, I'm just looking at raising your awareness and helping you to take a few steps to improve your heart health.

There are certain factors that are out of your control when it comes to your risk of having a heart attack or stroke: age, gender, family history, ethnicity. For example, First Nations people and those of African or South Asian descent are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes and therefore, are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke than the general population. And men, over the age of 55 years, and women after menopause are at greater risk of heart disease (source).

However, there are a number of things you CAN control: maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, avoiding stress, not smoking (or quitting if you're currently a smoker), avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol, and having your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly. Smoking is THE biggest risk factor for having a heart attack for women of ALL ages: your risk is increased by 2 - 5X. If you're a woman over 35, taking birth control, AND you smoke? The risk increases even more (source). My doctor couldn't be happier that I haven't had a single cigarette in over 3 years.

I'm doing it for my heart ... really (and yes, the lighting in my apartment is horrible!).

One of the things I'll be doing for myself this year, is having a bite of dark chocolate every single day. According to the Dieticians of Canada's website (and a gazillion news reports over the past few years), the flavonoids in dark chocolate and cocoa powder may have a beneficial effect on your heart health, and may also help improve your mood. Moderation is key though, as with all things. So, just one one-inch square each day is all I need. First up: Lindt's 75% Ecuador Dark Chocolate bar. I'm a BIG fan of the Lindt dark chocolate bars and will be working my way through most of them over the next 12 months.

I will also be having the occasional glass of red wine. You know the drill "studies have shown". Another example of how something, which in excess is terrible for you, in moderation can be good for your overall health. Suggestions for wines are appreciated; just make sure that its reasonable priced, tell me a bit about the taste/history, and why you like it. The only one I've found previously that I really enjoyed was an Australian Shiraz. Not a fan of overly sweet / dry wines. Something not too strong. Yeah yeah, I'm a picky eater.

So, 2012 is the year of Heart Health. I hope you'll join me and do what you can to ensure you have a strong healthy heart for years to come.

Breakfasts are a B*tch

2012-01-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of you but for me, breakfasts are the most difficult meal of the day. Don't get me wrong; I have no trouble eating!! That's never a problem, any time of day. The problem for me is what to eat.

You see, I get up and before I've even walked the few feet from my bedroom to the bathroom, I'm thinking about eating. Nothing new there. But I'm not thinking of healthy homemade granola with soy milk, chia seeds and a sprinkle of flax. My thoughts are filled with how tasty those leftovers from last night would taste right now. Mmm, leftover pizza, mashed potatoes, cold pierogies. All washed down with an ice-cold Coke. Yeah, breakfast of champions baby.

Monday's Breakfast

I've never been a big "breakfast food" person. Cereal, toast, eggs? Meh. I want a big, hearty, stick to your ribs meal first thing in the morning. Its taking everything I have as I write this to not go and heat up the leftover pasta I made last night and eat it now rather than saving it for my lunch as originally planned.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, or so all the experts constantly tell us. Why shouldn't I have something more substantial for my first meal and kick my day off with a bang? Ok, so the pizza and Coke might not be the best choice (sigh, fine...or the pierogies and mashed potatoes), a larger meal first thing in the morning might be just what the health gurus ordered. Its a question though of ensuring you get all the things you need: carbs, protein and, of course, VEGGIES! You'll notice I didn't write dairy in there anywhere - I'm not one of those who claim you have to have dairy to be healthy. In fact, I think the opposite is true. Doesn't stop me from cramming my face full of ice cream and cheese whenever the opportunity arises. Uh oh, shiny object....

My actual breakfast today

Where was I? Oh right, getting all the things you need. The pasta I made last night (see? I'm convincing myself its a good idea!) fits the bill: extra lean meat, peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, shell-shaped pasta. Mmmm, tasty and nutritious. Oddly enough, as much as I'm craving it right now, I'm going to pass. I'll have it for lunch. Breakfast instead will be more traditionally "breakfasty": oatmeal with a banana and some dried fruit. I have a feeling that I'll need that energy boost to make it through the afternoon on my first real full day back at work since Dec 23 (I "worked" the 29 and 30 but I didn't do much both days so it doesn't count).

First Recipes of the New Year

2012-01-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets finished off the 2011-12 season with ... a loss. They played horribly, I'm sad to say. Could Mark Sanchez have thrown any more interceptions?! And seriously, how many times can a Jets player trip over (1) his own feet, or (2) a clod of loose turf, and fumble the ball? Oh well, Pittsburgh looks to have made the playoffs (yay) and there's a good possibility that the NY Giants could make it. The Giants/Cowboys game tonight should be exciting at least. Now, who to cheer for in the post-season? We can safely rule out New England (hissssssss Demon Spawn!).

I made dinner again for Mommikins and I this evening. Three times in one week? I think that's a new record! One of these days, I'll make her cook for me... As I mentioned in my previous post, I was cracking open my new Cooking Light cookbook and trying a couple of recipes that sounded appealing. First up, the lemon and oregano rubbed chicken. As we ate, I could not stop raving about this chicken!!! It reminded me of chicken I've had at a number of Greek restaurants here in town but especially a dinner I remember from my university days at Yianni's Taverna on Whyte Avenue - one of the best meals I've ever had. The rub is a mixture of lemon zest, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic. Simple but oh so beautiful. My only complaint? Next time I'll have to double the rub recipe as it certainly was not enough to rub on 4 chicken breasts! Try this recipe. Now. Go on. You'll love it.

I need better lighting in my apartment...

The carrots? Just tossed in a bit of Italian salad dressing and then roasted. The other recipe I tried was the Orzo Salad with chickpeas, dill and lemon. 'Cept I substituted couscous for the orzo. This was the first recipe I saw in the new cookbook and my mouth began watering as I read through it and stared longingly at the photo. Yeah... it didn't really live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad; it just sounded and looked better than my version. To be fair, I think the orzo might have been the right choice. I've never tried it but I think the texture would work better than the grainy goodness that is couscous. Also, my dill was very old. It called for fresh but since I had dried dill at home, I wasn't about to go and buy more. And the quality of lemons in northern Alberta in January? Yeah, you can just imagine. I would have been better off probably using jarred lemon juice instead.

Mom, to my surprise, said it was "quite an interesting salad". From her, that's a big compliment. Yes, she generally likes and appreciates anything that is made for her but she really seemed to enjoy this. You knew she was sold on it when she starts talking about how good it would taste with salmon. The recipe makes quite a lot (probably 4-5 cups using the couscous with serving suggested serving sizes of 1 1/4 cups) so we'll be having left overs tomorrow. While I didn't hate it, I'm not sure if I'll make it again. If I do, it will be a summertime BBQ event at my brother's place most likely and I'll definately use fresher dill. And orzo.

A New Year Begins

2012-01-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

2012 has officially begun. Yee haw. Wa-hoo. Meh? I'm looking forward to a new year full of possibilities. Just having trouble finding much energy at the mo'. No, I was not whooping it up with crowds of drunken revellers last night. To be honest, I was (in typical London's Fog fashion) asleep by 8PM. Didn't even wake up to the sound of fireworks downtown. Before going to bed last night, I did manage to take my last picture of 2011...

Goodbye 2011 - you won't be missed that much.

Sorry for the shot of my pathetic clothing collection in the closet behind me. I was too tired to think of closing the door before snapping the photo.

Anyways...

The new year started off EARLY! Cats and I were awake at 3:15ish this morning. Ugh although I'm getting used to it which scares me. Headed down to the mini-gym in our building just past five and had a great 40 minute bike ride. I tried to use the weight machine (honestly, I really did!) but it seems that someone's busted one stack of weights so you can't adjust the amount lifted - essentially all or nothing. I'm no weakling but I don't think I'm ready to bench press more than my own body weight. I resigned myself to not lifting any weights this morning (awwww....bummer). However, I might invest in one of those resistance band thingies to use at home.

Healthy-ish breakfast: fried 'tatoes with peppers and onions, topped with salsa and some shredded cheddar. I took a picture although its not very good - my camera keeps shifting between 2 settings although the knob is set to the one I always use. The result? A crap shoot when it comes to whether or not your picture turns out.

It tasted better than the picture makes it look

You know how I set myself a bunch of goals (non-resolutions) the other day? Well, I took the first step to meeting one of them this morning. I signed up for an online dating site. One of my Twitter/Blogger buddies, @FatGirlvsWorld, uses it and it doesn't cost anything, so I figured what the hell, why not. Maybe I'll make a new friend. Maybe I'll find Mr. London's Fog. Maybe I'll have my heart crushed and my fragile ego destroyed forever. You don't know unless you try, right?!

Speaking of goals, I said I was going to avoid Jack Lalanne's list of 11 "foods". Um...I fubar'd that this morning without realizing it when I had a couple of the absolutely amazing M&S shortbread cookies that the lovely Paola sent me for Christmas. Oops. However, after looking over the list again, I realized I don't really most of the foods on his list. At least not regularly. The one exception, as I'm sure you all know, is soda pop. So, that is my goal for this week: no Coke! I pity my coworkers. By Wednesday, I'm liable to rip someone's head off if they ask for a paperclip! On a serious note, that should be a big sign to anyone out there! If you have a massive mood change when you don't get a regular dose of your favourite vice (coffee, sugar, soda, chips, fast food, etc), that should be a wake up call that those foods really aren't good for you. Sadly, I know soda's no good for me but I loves it anyways. Damn, I want one right now...

Making dinner tonight for mommikins and I, putting my new Cooking Light cookbook to use. On the menu? Orzo Salad (substituting with couscous) with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon, and Lemon and Oregano-rubbed grilled chicken. Should be delicious. Or not. You don't know unless you try, right?! Hey, why does that sound so familiar...?

I'm adding two more small goals to my list: blogging more and taking more photos. These two go hand in hand. I'd like to increase my readership and I've done some reading on how to accomplish this over the weekend. Main points? Blog regularly/be consistent, blogs are a visual medium as well as a written one so use images/pictures often, and plenty of linkage. That's not to say that I should link to a page on the history of the paperclip because I mentioned it above, or to the Coca Cola website because I'm very obviously addicted to their product and wouldn't turn down some free stuff (here me, Coke folks?), or basically insert a link to every other word I type. Thats excessive, ridonkulous, and idiotic, and will quickly turn readers off. However, make sure to link to other blogs that you talk about or mention, and by all means link to people you should be crediting for certain information. For example, I need to link to Monica over at Run:Eat:Repeat. It was her FitBloggin presentation on Blogging 101 that inspired me to try and increase my readership. You can also find her on Twitter.

That's it for now. Must run - time to take down the Christmas tree and pack it away for the next 11 months. Hope you have a great start to 2012!

Looking ahead to 2012

2011-12-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am not making any "resolutions" this year. They don't work. And why do we feel the need to only make them at the turn of the calendar? Is there something magical about the flipping from December 31st to January 1st that ensures promises made will actually come true? Bah! Humbug.

This is not to say I don't have goals for myself for 2012. Yeah, yeah, I hear you ... "Its the same thing, London", you're yelling at me as you read this. Perhaps to some but not to me. Just using the word resolution gets my back up. It signifies promises to myself that are made to be broken. I will not do that this year. Instead, I have some general guidelines that I want to live by over the next 12 months.

BE SOCIABLE

Its no secret that I don't have many close friends. Plenty of acquaintances, sure; a few friends; 1 or 2 people I consider "close". If the recent end of my friendship with Former Friend (FF)1 and FF2 has taught me anything, its that everyone (including myself) can use some improvement. I'd like to let go of some of my selfishness (I freely admit, its all about me!) and find someone to hang with with whom I can truly be myself - open, honest, warts and all. Someone who will add something to my life in a positive way. As much as I love her, its a bit sad that I'll be 40 in just over a year and I hang out with my mom (wuv you Mommikins).

GO ON A DATE OR THREE

Speaking of new friends, I'd like to have a date. Its been a while since I've had an actual date and I'm embarassed to mention how long its been since I've dated someone (as in see them regularly). I'm not looking for Mr. Right or the future Mr. London's Fog; it would just be nice to out for coffee/a movie/dinner/a walk/etc. with a member of the opposite sex who I'm not related to...

READ MORE

Hey look...I'm reading!

Too much of my time is spent mindlessly staring at the television or kicking some serious ass in Civilization IV. Not very productive and I'm sure its wreaking havoc on my brain, my posture, my waistline, and my social life. I have a library card; I should start getting my $12 worth each year! I have a specific goal in mind for the year but I'm keeping it to myself (relax, its nothing exciting) so as to not put too much pressure on myself. However, I'm going to encourage myself to read everyday, and not just for work or the credits on the screen.

KNIT MORE

Along with the reading, there'll be more knitting in my future. I have committed to making a pair of mitts for our work football pool (if someone's team wins the Superbowl) but on top of that, I'd like to do a pair for Big Brother, Super Duper SIL, and then a bunch for charity. Twelve pairs total should be doable. And, if I have the time and resources, I'd like to make a blanket. Nothing super fancy but something I can either give to a friend or donate to charity.

TREAT MY BODY LIKE A TEMPLE (and learn to pray!)

If I hadn't been able to figure it up to this point, the recent holidays certainly made it crystal clear that I have not treated myself well. Sure, we all indulge at this time of the year but I've gone off the deep end. Those pounds I managed to lose during my short time on Weight Watchers? Back on and then some. No idea of the amount as I'm no where near a scale but I can tell by how I feel and how my clothes fit that I've not been a good girl this year. I won't be rejoining WW as I just can't afford it - my spare $$$ needs to go towards paying off bills - but my goal is to be more conscious of what I eat. Whether this means tracking daily or just eating healthier options (more real food), or perhaps both, I'm not sure just yet. What I am sure of is that I need to be kinder to myself, be grateful for all the things my body is able to do, and push it to try things I didn't think it could.

Mom and I have already registered for the St. Patrick's Day walk/run in March, the race I was supposed to run with FF1 last year but couldn't because I broke my big toe (again). We've set ourselves a goal for this year and this race is step 1. No fund raising for us for this race; I'll be saving my requests for later in the year. Along with eating better, we're both going to be increasing our activity levels. The swimming hasn't happened for most of December due to holiday commitments but we're going this weekend and I'm sure we'll both realize very quickly how lazy we've become. As I had mentioned in previous posts, I've started "running" again. Its going very slowly which I'm perfectly fine with but I'm still doing it and that makes me feel good.

While aimlessly searching the interwebbies yesterday, I came across a blog where I found this video of Jack Lalanne in which he compares sugar addicts to alcoholics. My Coca-Cola addiction (and it is) could easily be compared to that of a crack addict.

Seems not a lot has changed since he first made this video. Lalanne advocated eating natural, unprocessed foods, exercise, and healthy living. In this video, he encourages viewers to abstain from 11 "foods" for just a week and promises they will feel better. Seeing as how I've set myself a goal of treating myself better, I'm going to follow his advice and avoid his 11 "foods" for a week beginning Sunday. Now, yes, I realize that Sunday is New Year's Day, the day most people start their "resolutions". However, its also the start of the week which is why I'm choosing that day.

I'm warning you...number 11 on his list is Soda Pop. Withdrawl could be a bit of a bitch so if I start ranting and raving like a lunatic somewhere around day 3, please be patient.

A Merry Christmas chez Londons Fog

2011-12-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh. The holiday festivities are almost over and the sense of peace and relaxation have started to settle in. Last night, Big Brother, Super Duper Sister in Law and the kidlets came over for a light dinner - veggies, shrimp, meat/cheese/crackers, assorted pickles, spring rolls, etc. Simple yet hearty, not to mention yummy! The kids opened their prezzies and seemed very happy. Probably the result of ingesting copious amounts of chocolate and sugar throughout the course of the day. I received a present as well: this fabulous camera bag! What a perfect gift!!! I was so excited. And the pattern? LOVE IT! Definately my sister-in-law's influence, no doubt. Absolutely lovely! And now I can pack my camera around to more places which means MORE PHOTOS!

An early night for mommikins and I, both of us were in bed before 8PM. We were exhausted after a day of cleaning, chopping, and cooking. However, that also meant we were up very early this morning; not because we were overly excited about the fat man's delivery of presents but because we had slept too much and the cats were bouncing off both our heads. We had our presents open, coffee in hand, and snacks being munched on by 6AM. Now, we're both spending the rest of the morning doing a whole lot of nothing - watching movies, playing video games, reading, and (of course) napping! We're off to Big Brother's for turkey dinner tonight. I'll finish off the evening watching football.

Mom was SOOO excited about her calendar; she almost cried as she flipped through the pages. She squeeeee'd with delight over the hockey tickets and absolutely adored her little Toronto Blue Jays garden gnome. He'll likely stay in the box until "spring training" and then he'll take up his position on the balcony. As for me, I lucked out! A great cookbook, windpants for walking outside in the winter, a new indoor grill (this time with removable, dishwasher safe plates), a set of Eggies, and a new book from the kittehs.

I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. May the new year bring you and yours prosperity, good health, and peace. Now, if you'll excuse me, its time for nap number 1 before I begin eating again...

128. The Medicine Cabinet of Curiosities (Nicholas Bakalar)

2011-12-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

I first came across this book on Barb’s blog when she reviewed it last year. Since my Christmas knitting is finished, my baking complete, and all my presents bough and wrapped, and I have little else to do in my free time, I figured it’s about time I started reading with a vengeance again. So, I finally got around to picking up a copy from the library.

The cover claims the book is “an unconventional compendium of health facts and oddities, from asthmatic mice to plants that can kill”. In my mind, that just screams READ ME! Coming in at a mere 195 pages (not including the footnotes), with sections ranging in length from a few sentences to a few pages, this seemed like the perfect pick up/put down book; easy reading whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Barbara said that it was the perfect book for, someone who “can generally only stay awake for a few paragraphs”. For me, it was the perfect book for where most of my reading happens – the bathroom. Whether its enjoying a nice hot soak in a bubble bath or contemplating the meaning of life as a furry feline weaves his way in and out of my feet, the bathroom is the perfect place to read: a locked door to avoid interruptions, quiet, solitude … Ahhhhh … Oops, I’ve digressed.

I too enjoyed reading about the rare, deadly infectious diseases I hope I never have the misfortune to contract but also about why body odor can be so … odiferous. Not to mention all the horrible things that can happen to the human body both at high altitudes and deep below the ocean’s surface. The only part that bothered me was learning about how companies that supply lab mice breed them for specific medical conditions or deformities. That’s right, not to eliminate those sorts of genetic predispositions but breeding them to ensure they have them (including: asthma, epilepsy, rashes, etc). Now that’s truly horrific.

Other than the plight of mus musculus, the book was a great, fun, easy read. Perfect for taking away any holiday stress and letting my mind wander into the odder side of medicine. Pick up a copy (or give a copy as a present this holiday season) and get reading!!!

127. The Murder of the Century (Paul Collins)

2011-12-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

At the turn of the century, in New York City, a gruesome crime has been committed and body parts are popping up all over the city. A group of kids playing on a pier fish a headless torso out of the river. Neatly severed limbs are discovered in an overgrown ditch miles away. A duck pond has turned red with blood. A convoluted love triangle and a murder involving a corpse who's identity is a mystery sets off a media frenzy amongst New York's major newspapers with reporters often uncovering more evidence than the local police. Dismembered bodies, jilted lovers, trashy tabloid journalism. It sounded right up my alley!

Given the sensational subject matter, I was disappointed with Collins' dry, boring style of writing. While his descriptions of the main players paint them as a motley collection of over the top personalities - flamboyant, heartless, diabolical - the lack of passion in his writing about the events they're involved in makes it all fall flat.

Sadly, while this book had potential, it just didn't make the front page. Don't necessarily give up on it altogether but move it to the bottom of your "I might read eventually if I ever find the time" list.

Books 124, 125 and 126

2011-12-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Where on earth do I begin? George R.R. Martin's fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, is epic. And not just in the number of books in the series (currently 5 but scheduled for 7) - each one of the books clocks in around 800-1000+ pages each. I first heard about the series from Wandering Coyote but dismissed it; I'm not a huge fantasy fan although I have read some Robert Jordan, about a third of the Discworld series by Terry Practchett, and the Myth series from Robert Aspirin when I was in high school. Other than The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, when it comes to fantasy novels, I could care less. However, once HBO made the first novel into a 10 part series, it seemed like everyone was reading them. A coworker practically threw me to the floor and beat me about the head and shoulders with the first two books until I finally caved and decided to read them.

I finished the first two books in the series, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, a few months ago and have been meaning to do a review ever since. I never got around to writing it and now that I'm about to finish the third book, A Storm of Swords, I don't have the mental energy to go back and try to remember what happened in which book. That shouldn't be taken as a sign that the books aren't worth the effort - they certainly are. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is one of the best I've read. Even if you're not a fantasy fan, check them out. Sure there's magic and dragons but the books are more about political intrigue, the struggle for power, and the complicated relationships of the major (and minor) players that weave in and out of each book.

For any other series, I would probably recommend watching the made for TV version first to give you an idea of what the series entails. However, watching the series after I finished the first book, I was dismayed at all that was left out and the weird jumps the story seemed to take. While you'd probably never notice if you haven't read the book, I still recommend reading the books (or at least A Game of Thrones) first. If you're a fan of a great story, even if you're not a fan of fantasy, you'll enjoy this series. Give it a go!

Gingerbread!

2011-12-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the start of the family festivities this holiday season. Mom and I invited the niece and nephew over for the afternoon to make pizzas, decorate a gingerbread house and watch a movie. Not only did we get to spend a wonderful afternoon with the kidlets, their parents got a break to do some shopping and spend some time sans children.

Cannnn-deeeeeeeee

Thankfully we opted for a pre-made house with icing and a few fixings included. Of course, these sorts of packages always come with crap candy so we rounded out the decorating options with M&M's, blue raspberry gummies, silver balls, and sour jujubes in holiday colours.

I was responsible for the pretzel fence.

The kids LOVED it so we will definately do it again next year. Pizza was also a big hit although the kids like theirs plain - cheese only. Mom and I, however, loaded up on salami, pineapple and zucchini. Mmmmm.

Next up, movie time! We went with Home Alone as it seemed age appropriate with lots of physical comedy the kids would enjoy. The nephew however wasn't feeling too festive and asked us to call Mom and Dad to take him home early. The niece stayed for another couple of hours though and really enjoyed the movie. While we waited for her dad to come and pick her up, the three of us watched a special on the Ironman Championships. The niece was fascinated and had a lot of questions about everything from why they do it, how long does it take, and where are they ... to ... how can that man run when he's got no legs,why are they falling down, and how do they know what flag to give them?

Yes, it was a great afternoon.

Next up? Mom's birthday lunch next Saturday.

Thursday

2011-12-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Woke up at the usual time (a time some people go to bed...) today and discovered one of the little kittehs had gotten sick beside the Christmas tree. None of the furry little babies owned up to it so I have to assume it was this guy.

For some reason, after taking care of the mess, I had a huge amount of energy so I decided to get a quick workout in. Hopped on the treadmill, popped in the earphones and off I went. Another day of trying to run - 7 sets of run 1 minute/walk 2 minutes. Awe-some. I almost blew it though; I started off by running too fast on my first set and was sure that I had over-estimated the amount of energy I actually had. However, I slowed it down for the next set and all was groovy. Interestingly enough, I seem to gain more energy as I go along and my speed increased a little with each minute of running. I don't pretend to understand the how or why; I'm just going to accept it. Today's workout was 30 minutes (I added on a few minutes of walking at the end) for a total distance of 1.52 miles. Slow and steady.

The renewed interest in running has been partially fuelled thanks to reading a number of my fave running blogs, the authors of which ALL seem to have spent the weekend in Vegas running the Rock'n'Roll half marathon. As you know, I didn't finish my first half marathon (walking) attempt and its something I want to achieve. Reading all the great race reports has inspired me to try once more. Mom and I already have potential plans to possibly attempt the Edmonton Derby Half once again but deep in my heart, some day I'd like to run one (and finish!).

After my "run" (I love saying that) and a much needed shower, I was famished. Lunch will be a buffet at our staff Christmas party so I didn't want to go tooooo overboard. I settled on what I like to call "apple-pie oatmeal". I thought I had blogged about it before but a quick search revealed nothing. Quick cook oats buried under a layer of Granny Smith apples sauteed in cinnamon and brown sugar. Finish it off with a splash of cream and I'm in oatmeal heaven.

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun. Well, it actually began for me a while ago but the luncheon this afternoon kicks off the festivities. The niece and nephew are coming over this weekend, I'm delivering cookies, cards and presents to the work folks on Monday, the following weekend is Mom's birthday, then my work team's holiday lunch and gift exchange and finally ... the jolly fat man drops off presents under our tiny tree. The kitties have already got me to purchase a gift for me from them, and then made me wrap it. Not sure what it is but it feels like a tennis racket disguised as a bottle of booze.

And I Ran, I Ran So Far Away...

2011-12-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

That's not entirely true. I didn't run very far at all. But ... I ran. This is the first time in almost a year that I've attempted running on the treadmill. Remember last December? I tripped over my mouse cord and broke my toe (again). My big plans of finally becoming a runner were dashed. And I told myself that I will never be one. I'm OK with never being a "runner" per se but the dream never really died. The arthritis means my feet are more susceptible to fractures than your average Joe so I think really long distance running will forever be a just-out-of-reach fantasy. I'm not ruling out shorter distances sometime in my lifetime though - 5K, maybe 10.

That's a long way off though.

For now, I'm pleased that I did 7 sets of run 1 minute / walk 2 minutes. I felt fantastic not only after I was done but WHILE I was running! I didn't feel overly out of breath or like I was going to pass out. Losing even a couple of pounds seems to have made a difference...

We'll see how things go. Please feet. Don't break on me again!!!

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2011-12-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

As if on cue, it was snowing when I woke up this morning and it continued to snow most of the day, turning Edmonton (once again this season) into a winter wonderland. That makes me a happy camper.

See? Happy...although I'm not camping.

Swimming is off for the rest of December - next week the niece and nephew are coming over for the afternoon to decorate a gingerbread house, make pizzas and watch Home Alone. The following week, mom's birthday. And then...whammo! The fat man arrives. So, since I was up early (big surprise) anyways, I hit the "gym". 60 minutes on the stationary bike. Not a lot of calories burned compared to some other activities but it felt great. Grocery shopping and then we were home to put up the Christmas tree and stockings. All before 9 am. Yeah, we're efficient.

O Tannenbaum - 2011 version

Our tree is covered in gold, green and red ornaments this year, along with white lights that are attached to it. Prelit trees? Brilliant Idea. Next year, we're hoping to get a larger tree - one that doesn't need to sit on an end table! And we're thinking we'll do blue and silver ornaments but that's over a year away...

Things have been good lately. Work is going well. The baking is on schedule. All that's left is M&M cookies for the kids' Christmas presents, which I might do tomorrow, and pie crust cinnamon rolls but those get baked right before I need them. One batch before I hand out cookies at work, another on Christmas Eve so I can give the entire batch to Big Brother, and another batch on Christmas morning for mom and I to enjoy. Also on Christmas day, a devil's food cake with Baileys to take over to Big Brother's for everyone to enjoy after turkey time. And if I feel overly energetic, I might whip up another batch of the pumpkin raisin cookies that everyone seemed to love. We'll see. That's a lot of baking. Good thing I started in November...

Former Friend #1 and I have spoken on the phone a couple of times this past week. No, we're not reconciling or begging for each other to be friends once again; she's moved and has no internet access yet. She's in the football pool I'm overseeing and needed to give me her picks. It was all very cordial, almost friendly. Its strange; I got off the phone with her and realized that people listening to our conversation would have no clue that we'd had a major falling out. After having some time to reflect on what happened, I'm very grateful. Not that I'm no longer friends with her or FF#2; I'm grateful for what the whole situation has done for me. Looking back on what she said about me and I said about them, it occurred to me that neither of us seemed to feel we could be honest with the other. A friend should be someone you share things with without feeling judged, attacked, or questioned. For whatever reason, I felt I couldn't honestly tell her that I didn't want to go out or do certain things just because I didn't feel like it or want to. And she couldn't tell me that she thought I was being selfish. We both did things over the course of our friendship that we convinced ourselves were to spare the others' feelings but in the end it was only more hurtful when it all eventually boiled to the surface. Going forward, I don't want that type of relationship. With anyone. Sure, its ok to tell a little white lie for the small, unimportant things: why yes, I did enjoy the dinner you made; fake vanilla scented candles, what a thoughtful gift. That sort of thing. But if you find yourself making excuses as to why you can't go out or not speaking up about the relationship feeling one sided? That's not healthy. At least in my opinion.

Anyways, enough of soul searching!

So, one more week of WW. I won't be continuing with the meetings/weigh-ins. Firstly, I can't afford it. Secondly, it feels a bit odd to pay just to get weighed once a week. I'm not attending the meetings as I don't feel I'm getting anything out of them and I find the group leader to be self-centred, loud and a bit annoying. In the 12 weeks I've been "on the plan", I've lost a total of 5lbs. Not great but not bad either. I wasn't as strict as I probably should have been according to their philosophy but life happens. I'm still going to keep track of what I'm eating and make a concerted effort to ditch the soda 'cept for special occasions (dinner out / movies). Over the last year and a bit, I've lost a total of 19lbs, 3/4 of which was on my own. If I can just get off my butt now and then instead of playing around on the interwebbies after sitting on my butt at work all day... I might actually lose a bit more!

One final Yippee - I went shopping for pants yesterday. Not normally a big deal for most people but I hate clothes shopping. However, all of my pants fall down even with a belt and I needed to try and find a pair that fits. So, I headed to the mall. Not only did I find numerous pairs that fit, the pair I eventually settled on was on sale for twenty bucks, no alterations needed (as far as I can tell), I don't need a belt AND they were a size smaller than all my other pants. I haven't worn this size of pants since I was in high school / first year university. I almost cried. So yes, that deserves a big YIPPEE if I do say so myself.

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend.

Sunday Morning

2011-11-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

I love Sundays. I get so much done, so early, which means that I can spend most of the day relaxing. I wish all days were Sundays! Before 8 am, I had done 50 minutes of cardio, had breakfast, whipped up a banana bread and threw it in the oven and set a pot of chili to stew. Yeah, I'm awesome!

Today is Grey Cup Sunday here in Canada and that means two things: football and chili. This year, I'm not having my Girls Only game day get together. As you know, I've had a falling out with a couple of them but mom also asked that we keep it quiet this year so she can rest. I'm surprised that I'm so excited to be having a quiet Grey Cup this year - I don't have to make sure the furniture is completely free of cat hair, or that the floor might not be spotless, and I get to stay in my jammies all day long. Refreshing!

Mom requested a veggie chili this year, packed full of yummy goodness. The last few I've made have had meat in them so this was a nice, lighter change. First step, chopping veggies! And, naturally, I had some help...

CHILI! I WANT CHILI!

For veggie chili, I sauteed onions, carrots, celery, and yellow pepper.

Mirepoix + 1 ?

Add a dash of garlic and our house smelled divine before the rest of the building were crawling out of bed.

Mon amour...

Throw in a can of diced tomatoes and you've got heaven in a pot. A sprinkle of cumin, some chili powder, oregano, basil and a dash of red pepper flakes for flavour and heat!

Gorgeous colour

Once that's done, toss in a can of kidney beans (rinsed to remove some of the salt), half a can of baked beans and a generous helping of frozen corn kernels.

Where have you BEAN all my life?

I forgot to pick up jalapenos this weekend so that extra bit of heat will be missing this Grey Cup. The chili's slowly simmering for a few hours and then I'll drop in a big handful of spinach shortly before serving. Scoop over a bed of jasmine rice and add a slice of garlic toast --- good to go!

Almost finished project.

What are you having for dinner this Sunday

Pumped!

2011-11-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Edmonton is currently under a winter storm warning - 15 cm (6 inches) of snow expected by tomorrow morning and strong winds blowing it all over the place. Please don't think me too much of a freak when I say I'm in heaven! I loves it. Now it really feels like November. October should be windy, cloudy, and have multicoloured leaves floating all over the place and crunching under your feet. Come November though, bring on the snow... Its a wonder really that I have any friends at all with an attitude like that.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...in my cubicle.

"Braving" the wintery weather, I headed over to my WW meeting after work tonight. I missed last week (long story) and have not eaten as well as I should have for the past two so I was not looking forward to this weigh-in. Sure enough, the lady before me had a big weight loss so my results were going to look even worse when I stepped onto the scale. As the numbers stopped changing, all I could say was "SHUT UP". I lost almost 2 lbs. Apparently its a good thing to throw in a Big Mac, a slice of pizza, and a few too many sodas now and then!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

I'm chalking up this week's happy loss to my activity level. Starting last weekend, I had a huge surge of energy (from where? I have no idea) and started using the bike and elliptical more regularly. Also, one of my coworkers and I have started going for a short mid-afternoon walk. Just a 10 minute stroll in the area near our building but that little bit of fresh air does wonders for my energy level the rest of the afternoon. Plus it helps work off the licorice you gulped down earlier!

On tap for this weekend (I have a 4 day weekend!), a mix of swimming, treadmill, bike, and elliptical; trying to finish knitting Christmas mittens for both Mom and I; and baking. I had to set up a schedule for my holiday baking otherwise I'd never get it done. This weekend will be lemon shortbread and pumpkin raisin cookies. Mmmmmmm.

What are your plans this weekend?

Lunch

2011-11-11T03:04:00.001-07:00

Today, I finally got to have lunch with the lovely Kasia. We've been making plans and having to cancel or postpone our lunch date for about 2 months (!) so this was a treat. Settling on a date/time was the easy part; trying to find a half-decent spot that was approximately midway between both of our offices? Almost impossible. However, we eventually settled on Boston Pizza, a family restaurant chain that we knew would be quick despite the huge lunchtime office crowds.

I'm not normally a fan of the restaurant but knew I could find something on the menu. The pasta was out - everytime I've had it, its been mushy and unappetizing. The pizza? Not bad but overpriced in a city where you can get a superior pizza for next to nothing. I was tempted by the Buffalo Chicken sandwich but the meat was breaded and deep fried and I didn't feel like attempting to get them to change it and risk having it come out wrong. I was torn between their Baja Salad and the Chicken Stromboli. After seeing the state of their side sized garden salad with the wilty inedible looking lettuce, I'm glad I went with the stromboli.

Stromboli or Calzone? You decide.

Now, I'm not sure what the difference between a stromboli and a calzone is; they seem to be the same thing to me but just with different names. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me?? Anyways, this pizza-like sandwich was filled with cheese, peppers, onions, chicken and a bit of sauce and wrapped in a whole wheat, crispy crust. I enjoyed it more than I expected but there was very little sauce inside making it very dry. I ended up asking for a side dish of it for dipping. Perhaps that's the difference - calzones have sauce (more pizza-like) while the stromboli has more filling/less sauce? Either way it was pretty good and filled me up nicely.

Kasia went with one of BP's signature dishes, the Perogy Pizza. Its been on the menu for as long as I can remeber, going back to my university days. Its something I've always wanted to try but was wary of - perogies and pizza? Those two things just don't go together, right? Wrong. OMG this was one of the most heavenly dishes, combining two of my favourite foods into one heart attack-inducing meal. Pizza dough, thinly sliced potatos, cheese, sour cream, onions and bacon. Kasia gave me a slice to try but I wish I had waited until my stromboli was finished. After the small slice of perogy pizza, my stromboli just didn't measure up. I highly recommend you give the perogy pizza a try if you ever find yourself in Boston Pizza.

2011-11-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Now that the cool late fall winds have picked up, at times howling loudly outside my window while I try to sleep, the urge to get outside more has hit me once again. Funny how I tend to avoid going outside in the summer with the sunshine and daylight but come winter, I'm eager to run around in the cold and darkness. Unfortunately, with mom working nights and me days, I'm not about to go out by myself when I get home. Thanks to Daylight Savings Time, the sun is setting just as I leave work and while I'm always happy to promote the joys of our River Valley trail system, I will not walk in the dark by myself. Paranoid perhaps but better safe than assaulted and left for dead in the bushes. I'm looking forward to long walks on the weekends once more though... I just wish we had snow so I could hear the crunch crunch crunch under my feet.

So, during the week, I relegate myself to our treadmill on days I work out. Typically I'll walk at a brisk pace (3/3.1 mph) for 50 minutes to an hour. If I'm feeling especially energetic, I'll throw in a bit of hill work. In any other circumstance, I hate sweating. Its icky and I feel gross. But when I'm walking, riding the bike, or on the elliptical? Bring it on! Sweat is good.

Preworkout - sans sweat. I apologize for my shaggy sides, time for a head shave.

This hasn't been a great week for me; it hasn't been bad but points wise, I've used up everything as usual. I have a few activity points yet but I'll probably use those up as I'm having lunch with Kasia today. Since I left my last job and she's moved on to a better position, we don't see each other often. This makes me a bit sad - she's good people. It should be an interesting lunch as I'll be catching her up on all that's going on in my life these days.

Speaking of not having a great week, I'm an emotional eater. I've said it many times. And yet, I had no desire to eat chips, order pizza, or oink out on chocolate despite given the drama involving FF#1 and #2 last week and this past weekend. It was so refreshing. And it re-enforced the feeling that it was the right decision. However, work was another story. Beginning on Monday with a frenzy of activity, the downward office spiral continued with piles and piles of urgent requests piled up on my desk. Yesterday, I started at 7:20am and worked straight through until noon without even a bathroom break. I'm hoping today will be a little quieter but I'm not going to hold my breath.

As a result, I have not eaten very well. Not terribly but all those little things tend to add up after a while. Thankfully I've eaten some really great dishes too - the mini balsamic glazed meatloaves, chicken with tomatoes and spinach over couscous, and one of my favourite ways to eat veggies: roasted!

Roasted carrots, nugget potatoes, onions, grape tomatoes and green pepper with Greek herbs. I DO NOT SHARE.

What's your favourite way to eat your veggies?

Sunday Dinner

2011-11-06T16:58:00.001-07:00

It may not be your typical football fare but tonight I had a hankering for a hunk of meatloaf. My folks made meatloaf a few times when I was a kid but my mom's not a huge fan. Dad? Oh yeah baby. Guess who I get most of my taste buds (and just about everything else about me) from? So, while watching the first half of the Giants/Patriots game (damn you New England), I whipped up the hearty (and delicious!) dinner you see pictured below.

Steamed broccoli with just a teaspoon of melted Jalapeno TexMex Cheez Whiz (yes, I realize its probably closer to plastic wrap than actual cheese but its yummy!), 2 small nugget potatoes with a dash of butter and dill, and an individual balsamic-glazed meatloaf. I've made the meatloaf recipe before with great results but I felt like I outdid myself this time... the key? Extra balsamic in the glaze. Just saying...

To make the mini/individual sized loaves, I scooped about half a cup of the meat mixture into a jumbo muffin tin (the one with 6 muffins) and cooked it for 25 minutes, added the glaze and then another 10 minutes.

Excuse me now; must give in to the meatloaf coma that is threatening to overtake me....

Inspiration

2011-11-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday morning, another swim. Last weekend, Mom and I tried Aqua Jogging for the first time. Awesome. We both loved it so much! Our Saturday morning swims now involve 2 laps of actual swimming (various strokes) and 2 laps of jogging. Its a great way to get in some exercise without feeling like you're really exercising (until you get out of the pool, that is!). Plus we can jog side by side, talking and joking as we make our way very slowly from one end to the other. First thing on Saturdays usually don't see a lot of individual lane swimmers at our pool but this weekend there were a few other women in the lanes to either side of us. They all had great form; excellent swimmers. It made me want to take lessons to improve my stroke and figure out how to breathe.

Today, after a whirlwind morning of vacuuming, laundry, and banana raisin bran muffin baking (delicious!), I hopped on the bike in our building's exercise room to log a few miles. I had intended to watch one of the football games that seem to go all Sunday long during the late fall/early winter but the particular game I was hoping to finish watching (NY Jets vs Buffalo Bills) wasn't on the channels available (we have digital cable - the workout room has basic). Instead, I flipped on the New York City Marathon coverage. I watched as Mary Keitany of Kenya slowly lost her lead to, and then was overtaken by, a couple of Ethiopian runners, Firehiwot Dado (1st) and Buzunesh Deba (2nd). No record breakers on the women's side this year but it was an emotional ending for all three. On the men's side? A fantastic finish - the top three men all broke the previous men's record (1st and 2nd - Kenyan's, 3rd - Ethiopian). If you're interested, you can check out all the results on the Marathon's webpage.

I wasn't really interested at first; there was just nothing else on that I wanted to watch. But I figured what the heck, if I get bored, I'll pop on my earphones and listen to music. Within a few minutes I found I was focused so much on the race that I had slowed my pace on the bike! I'm in awe of people that have the focus, determination, and will power to train for marathons. Watching the women cross the finish line, I was almost in tears. No, I'm not having an emotional breakdown thanks to the events of the past week (although Mom was worried); I cry when I watch the Olympics as well. And sometimes professional sports. I'm a wimp, what can I say?!

Watching the Marathon this morning certainly inspired me to think seriously about my walking. I don't have any races planned for the immediate future. I have thought about doing the St Patrick's Day race although I'm sure that FF#1 will be there. We'll see. However, I am seriously thinking once again about trying to finish the Edmonton ING Walking Half Marathon. The flat course should nix those pesky knee problems brought on by the ups and downs of the river valley during my 1st attempt. I'm not committing to anything at this time but I will definately be giving it a LOT of consideration.

An Update

2011-11-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Although I mentioned it, I want to re-iterate that I kicked off the whole situation; I'm not blameless. And, because I'm one of those folks who just HAVE to have the last word, I rose to the bait and responded to their snarky accusatory comments with equally snarky (although I believe less finger-pointy) comments of my own. When the situation resulted in the receipt of an email from Former Friend #2 on Friday which was so out of control that it made me laugh, I decided it was time to stop responding. It was over, quits, kapoot. Call it taking the high road if you like; I just realized there was no point in responding to any of FF #2's further accusations and name calling. If I did, it was going to get extremely ugly and I honestly don't care enough anymore about either of them to bother going there. Thinking the situation over and done with, I went on with my life. For all of about 12 hours. When I awoke on Saturday and checked my email, I saw that Former Friend #1 had sent me one of the longest bitchiest outrageous emails I had ever seen.

Without going into detail, it basically outlined how horrible of a friend I had been for most of our friendship, that I was the most selfish** person she had ever known, and that I was essentially a big fat liar. My first reaction was to respond to each of her detailed examples and fill in the details that she conveniently forgot or left out. Instead, I sent her a short message wondering why she hadn't bothered to discuss any of this with me over the course of our relationship. How did she expect me to change or fix the problem if I didn't know there was one? Heck, from the sounds of you, you'd think they'd be grateful I am no longer part of their lives. It sounds like I was one of the worst people ever to walk the streets of Edmonton.

The only other comment I made to her was in response to her (and FF #2's) accusations that I'm a liar. True, I lie. Most of us do. But if you're going to call me a liar, make sure its for something I've actually lied about. The situation I supposedly fibbed about was, in fact, not a lie at all. I made sure to point this out to FF #1. Ooops, there I go - trying to get the last word in again. It was a very short response, especially given the one I received from her. I ended by telling her she could reply if she wanted but that I was done and would likely just delete anything further from her.

Unfortunately we still have one small tie - a sports pool I'm running that she's taking part in. I've told her to send me her mailing address and I will return her money as I felt this was for the best. Yes, that's right I don't know her address. You see, in the approx. three years we were friends, I was never once invited to her apartment. Hmmm, that's interesting.

**For the record, I'm the first person to admit I'm selfish. I say it all the time, including numerous times to her and FF#2.

Fat and Friendless ... but Free

2011-11-03T18:33:00.000-06:00

Tonight was my weekly weigh-in. Last week, I lost almost a pound which I was pretty happy about. This week? I gained it back again. However, considering the week I had, I'm thinking that's pretty good. It started off with a snack/treat Halloween potluck that I helped organize. I told myself I'd just have a few veggies and a bit of pita and tzatziki. This ballooned into a cookie, a square, a cupcake, a couple of taco chips and salsa and some cheese and crackers. All after having stopped at the McD's drivethrough at lunch with a coworker where I picked up some fries (small fries but still...).

Tuesday was lunch with a couple of former coworkers at Red Robin. Gawd how I love their Blackened Chicken Burger with Fries. However, trying to be a good girl, I made myself choose either fries or a soft drink. I wanted the drink more so I ordered the side salad instead. To my surprise, I LOVED it. Yes, I've had salad before but it was the combination that was so great. I finished it all and didn't have the heavy sluggish feeling I normally walk away with after a trip there. And that lighter feeling continued into the afternoon - I didn't go into a carb coma around 2ish like I normally would have. See London? Smart choices are SMART for a reason. Duh!

Wednesday? I had made pasta for lunch (tomato sauce with veggies and farfalle, my favourite shape!) but while out for a break, I was lured by the sweet smells of teriyaki and grabbed a small stir fry and rice. Dang nabbit. It tasted divine but was so incredibly salty that I felt myself shrivelling up while I was eating it. Needless to say, I'm sure my body is retaining a ton of water today (yeah, that's the REAL reason for my gain this week...).

I'm definately an emotional eater and this week was a rollercoaster when it came to my emotional wellbeing. I'm not going to go into the details but I've had a falling out with two close friends. Its not the loss of the friendship that's did me in but the circumstances on how the whole thing came about. After a somewhat snarky comment on my part (purposefully designed to elicit a response) and the follow up email I was requested to send to one of them in particular, I spent three days waiting for some type of response. Any response. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Needless to say it re-enforced my realization that I was at the bottom of the totem pole when it came to our so-called friendship.

I can't say that it makes me sad. As I said, I had pretty much come to the realization on my own. What hurt though was that (1) they were apparently oblivious to how their slow exclusion of me might upset me, and (2) they didn't consider including me in an event for one of our close friends but expected that I would offer suggestions regarding the event.

Family and coworkers have asked in the last few weeks why I was friends with these two - I only seemed to complain about them. Sadly, when I looked back upon my relationships with both of them, I realized they were right. There always seemed to be things about each of them that annoyed me more than the good times we had together made me want to hang out with them. I wonder if I didn't cut my own ties with them sooner because of my lack of close friends. I don't mind that I don't have a BFF like I did in high school or a close girlfriend I can call up and chat for hours with about nothing (gawd that annoys me). For some reason, I felt a need to have someone close that I could call friend and confide in. Truth be told, I have a great time with my mom (well, MOST of the time). And my superduper sister in law? She's an encyclopedia of offbeat knowledge that makes me laugh and am glad to not only call her family but friend as well. BFFs had their place in high school but I don't need that anymore. So....I let go.

And I felt amazingly lighter this week. Relieved. Free. Peaceful. For the first time in months.

I felt lighter this week but knew that it wasn't going to go well on the scale. The combination of somewhat out of control eating and the ups and downs of so-called friendships were a recipe for weightloss disaster. However, I've recommitted myself to staying on track this week and paying attention to what I'm putting in my mouth. Michael Pollan was on The Colbert Report last night and he said something that stuck with me.

If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry.

An evening in Provence

2011-10-26T17:42:00.001-06:00

I was doing some more research for my Christmas Eve menu when I happened upon a delicious looking recipe on For the Love of Cooking, one of my favourite food blogs - Vegetable Tian. It had everything: potatoes, onions, tomatoes, zucchini...and cheese. All things I love! It sounded delightful. And its a French recipe (from the region of Provence); the more French inspired recipes I try, the more I'm enjoying French cooking. Mmmmmmm. Having today off, I figured what the heck. Time to give it a try.

Not as pretty as it could be...

I sliced up zucchini, roma tomatoes, and a potato, and layered it overtop a sauteed red onion and garlic. And we all know that Chef Karen can't follow a recipe without adding a few of her own touches. What did I do differently, you may ask? On top of the onions and before the sliced veggies, I added about a 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Oh yeah baby.

...but it looks divine when finished.

I wasn't sure how it would taste but I went for it. It did NOT disappoint. O.M.G. This was so delicious. The addition of the tomato sauce? This dish went to a whole ... 'nother ... level. This is definately a recipe I'm adding to my repetoire. I'll be making this again and again and again and ... Mmmmmmm. I had to restrain myself from going for seconds as I'd promised to bring some for a coworker to try and I wanted some for lunch tomorrow.

I'm also keeping this in mind for the next time I have a dinner party to go to. It would be great with BBQ chicken or steak in the summertime as well. Mmm, I'll be dreaming about this tonight.

The Thing 2011 (The Prequel)

2011-10-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

This afternoon, after a a morning swim and the weekly grocery shopping, Mom and I watched The Thing (2011). Surprisingly, it didn't suck as much as I excepted. Rather, it was more of a let down. The knowledge that it was not a remake of the original but rather a prequel held so much promise. While this would never eclipse the original (find me a remake that ever does), it could be a fitting accompaniment to John Carpenter's cult classic.

We all know the story of the original movie with Kurt Russell and an always fantastic Keith David so I'm not going into the details. If you don't, I'm not sure we can be friends. The 2011 movie, interestingly also called The Thing (sure to make many fans think this IS a remake), tells the story of the Norwegian research camp and their discovery of the alien space craft and whatever the heck it was that crawled out of it to be frozen in the ice. The Norwegians cut the alien out of the ice and cart it back to their station, planning to defrost it in order to study it. However, the creature has other plans, escapes and begins replicating various members of the research team. It takes a little while but they eventually figure out what's going on and set about trying to destroy it. Pretty much the same essential plot of the original but set in a different camp, with different characters, and with the addition of the a few scenes by the space ship.

I know that, realistically, the same chain of events would happen at the Norwegian camp as happened at the American camp. When you really start to think about it, is there really any point then of a prequel? No, there isn't. The actual discovery of the space craft took only a few minutes of the total run time (2 hours) - the rest of the film felt like an updated remake. What else could they do? We know what the outcome was going to be and for those of you who've seen the original, you can deduce pretty accurately from the scenes at the destroyed Norwegian camp what had happened.

One thing I will give the filmmakers credit for, they paid attention to details from the original. As I watched the prequel, I kept picking out little tiny details that I recognized instantly from Carpenter's film: the view of the block of ice behind the railing as the camera entered the storage room; the photos on the wall; the radio operator's hand hanging frozen and limp beside his dead body, blood from his slit wrist frozen as it flowed from his body.

The original was far more terrifying, the alien easily scarier, and the tension far more palpable. Even the music, that instantly recognizable "bump bump", was more prominent in the original, creating a mood, an atmosphere that had you on the edge of your seat for the entire film (thank you Ennio Morricone). It had a bleakness, a sense of isolation, of real fear. You believed the characters far more than in the 2011 prequel. I'm glad that I checked it out but deep down, I wish they hadn't bothered to make this film. It wasn't necessary. It didn't share anything knew with fans of the original. Likely just a chance to cash in on the current round of remakes of films from the 80s.

Do yourself a favour, avoid this film if you're a fan of the original - save yourself the cost of admission and snacks, and go rewatch your old VHS grainy version. Its far superior.

If you DO go and see the prequel, make sure you stay through the credits. Otherwise you'll leave feeling like they've missed the big connection between the two films.

Its been awhile

2011-10-14T20:30:00.000-06:00

Has it really been a week and a half since my last post? I thought it had only been a few days. I guess time flies when you're having fun. After a slow start at the "new" job, I'm really getting into the swing of things around the office and enjoying my job. The people, as I've mentioned before, are great and I have far more freedom than I've experienced in the last five years. Its incredible to go from a totalitarian regime to a free and open mini-society. Being able to have a wee whenever I feel the urge, get a cup of coffee, or take a break whenever I need to and not have to get permission from anyone first is life changing. You think I'm exaggerating? You should just ask my former coworkers who've also moved onto to better climates - they'll tell you the same thing.

One of the wonderful things about my current office? There is great sense of fun. A genuine recognition that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Working in the healthcare industry now, its also refreshing to have an employer who genuinely seems concered about the health of their employees and provides opportunities (during work hours) to get exercise and promote healthy lifestyles. Next week, in fact, my office is offering times both in the morning and afternoon to try out all sorts of fun and healthy activities: bellydancing, yoga, brisk walks, etc. Have I died and gone to office heaven? I'm getting more and more convinced each and every day.

Christmas Party Preparation

When I first started here I was "volun-told" that I was going to be my branch's representative on our office social committee. Sigh...here we go again I thought. At the old office, I had quit the committee they had because they refused to listen to new ideas, no one wanted to do anything, and it was all about raising money to put on the same old events year after year. Was I in for a surprise. We've had more (successful) events in the few months I've been here than we would do in an entire year at the old office. Case in point, I'm in the process of putting together the activity for our annual Christmas luncheon. And I get to use work time to do it. Where else (other than perhaps Santa's workshop) would I be allowed to spend an hour or two googling Christmas Trivia and searching for cute cartoony reindeer?

You want it? Come and get it!

I'm so content with my work life right now, that I'm throwing myself into the whole "fun" atmosphere. Even though its far from my favourite holiday (ranking only slightly higher than Valentine's and a smidge below St. Patrick's Day), I've embraced Halloween this year. I'm baking cookies for our potluck, I've decorated my office in spiderwebs and creepy spiders, and I've put out the obligatory (and well stocked) candy dish guarded by Ratsputin shown above. If he likes you, he won't bite. Try to take too many though? You might have trouble typing tomorrow.

All in all life has been fairly good these days. Mom and I have gone swimming 4 weeks in a row now and we're loving it! Mind you, we won't be going tomorrow - mom's feeling a bit poorly and we have to rest up for the football game that evening. Edmonton is playing Winnipeg!!! Should be a great game. Edmonton, I believe, has guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs but a couple more wins would be a great way to end the season.

Another 4 week milestone? I've stuck with Weight Watchers and am seeing some success. Over the past 4 weeks, I've lost just a touch under five pounds. A drop in the bucket yes, but a damn fine start. I'm really having fun planning out what I'm going to eat each day - why did I not have this much fun on my own??? Money well spent, I say.

The only thing I'm not thrilled about lately? Having to miss (again) Barb the Bad Tempered Zombie's 2nd annual blogger convention taking place in Vancouver this year. Grrrrrr.

Race Day!

2011-10-02T18:45:00.000-06:00

The Team: Me, Chelsey, Jenn, Mommikins and Alicia

Well, it finally arrived - race day! Here's our team, loaded up with coffee and, for some, an Egg McMuffin. No Chelsey's not angry; she's just cold and hungry and really really wants to eat her McD's. She may or may not also be hung over. No comment. And yes I'm also wearing my run shirt - its just hidden under my coat. It was a wee bit nippy out this morning, possibly around 5 or 6 degrees with the threat of rain. Thankfully the skies started to clear as we neared start time.

My magic race socks, my giant feet, and my odd shaped knees.

There were over 9000 participants at the event in Edmonton this year. Not too shabby. Canadians raised over $30 million this year in support of breast cancer research, education and support programs. Congratulations to my fellow Canuck runners/walkers. We are awesome. Magic race socks help make some of us even more awesome. Are you in awe of my awesomeness yet?

Alicia the Trini Princess and Jenny Jenn Poo Poo Pants

Chelsey, Jeff the token male, and more Alicia (she's everywhere!)

We didn't check out any of the booths prior to the start of the race - there were just tooooo many people crammed into a not quite big enough space. Plus we noticed that everyone was dressed in much the same outfits: white shirt, a splash of pink and black pants/shorts. It was easy to lose track of the other team members. However, some folks really stood out. Take this guy for example...

Dude doesn't quite look like a lady

I'm guessing it was some sort of dare or a promise made in order to get more donations. Good for him. And he wasn't the only man in a dress although he gets top prize for being the best dressed and best looking.

We are family.

Start Line

The runners took off around 10ish (bye bye Jenn!) and the rest of us were supposed to head through the Chinatown Gate at 1020. Half past and we were still standing there. However, a few moments later the fire engine sounded its horn and we were off (some races have bells, we have hot firemen sending us on our way...yummm).

Is there any better reason?

Along the way we were cheered on by fantastic volunteers, people living along the route who came out to wish us well, the UofA Cheer team, an all-female pipe band and what had to be the entire student body from one of the local schools. We also saw about the half the people around us sporting these bags but couldn't sort out where the had picked them up. Not that I really wanted one but I loves me some free stuff. I also like that one of the big sponsors this year was the Egg Farmers of Canada encouraging people to eat real food rather than energy bars, sports drinks, or fruit rollups. Granted not everyone agrees about the health benefits of eggs but its a nice change.

A Crackin' Bag

I hope the rest of my team enjoyed it as much as Mom and I did (Jenn ran by herself and Mom and I lost Chelsey/Alicia before the race even began). One step taken is one step closer to a cure.

Motivation

2011-10-01T18:07:00.001-06:00

I went for another swim this morning. Why is that an important piece of news? Because I almost didn't. You see, this week was not a very good week for me in terms of staying on my plan; there was a lot of indifference on my part regarding what I ate and how much activity I got. Thursday finally showed its face and I was dreading going to my weekly meeting. I was pretty sure that I hadn't lost anything or, if I had, it would be minor. I had almost made up my mind to just go for the weigh-in and then make an excuse why I couldn't stay for the meeting. However, after finding out I had in fact gained about half a pound, I dragged my depressed self to the seating area and plonked my tookus into one of their extremely uncomfortable seats and waited.

I'm so glad I stayed.

This week's topic was motivation. Most of the meeting I sat there counting the minutes until it was over, feeling sorry for myself and wishing for a giant pepperoni, pineapple and banana pepper pizza. However, with a few minutes to spare, the meeting leader said something that caught my interest. She said that motivation for sticking with it isn't tied to the number on the scale. We're all going to have bad weeks but not to let that get us down. Focus on the smaller, non weight based goals: eating healthier, not giving into temptation, trying a new activity, etc. My mood instantly changed and I pushed all those negative thoughts from my mind. So what if I went up slightly? I can't be dropping huge numbers each week; its not realistic. I became re-motivated and changed my thinking to focus on what's really important in this journey - becoming healthier.

I had also been waffling about going swimming this week. The schedule said that the competition pool was the only one open and its one giant deep-end! Not to mention its the Olympic length, 50 metres. The pool we swam in last Saturday? 25 metres. I was also worried that the University's swim team and the other teams that were there practicing last week would hog the whole three lanes that were scheduled for public use. Mom left it up to me and, to be honest, on the way to the meeting I decided to skip it. After my meeting? I walked home and told her "We're going swimming!".

Again, I'm so glad we did.

We arrived just before the Kinsmen opened and, just like last week, the University team and the other teams were all waiting too. Sigh. However, after a quick change into our suits and a shower, we headed out to the pool to see what was available. Guess what? We had a whole lane to ourselves (the "slow lane"). It was fantastic! Sure, the double length of the pool was a challenge - we both tired out quickly - but we swam 3 laps for a total of 300 metres despite my new goggles sucking my eyeballs from their sockets. An improvement over last week! It still only took us about 20-25 minutes but we definately felt it in our muscles by the end of the short swim. The other major difference was that rather than getting dizzy when I got out of the pool, I started to get dizzy at the end of each length. I'm not concerned - I'm not used to doing such a full body workout; I'd get the same reaction I'm sure if I was in a gym. However, if it does get worse rather than better, I'll let the fabulous Dr. H know. In the meantime, we're going back again next Saturday!

Tomorrow is the big "race" day. Thank you once again to all those who sponsored me and donated $$$ to the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation. Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera and have some photos to share with you.

The Week That Was

2011-09-24T10:21:00.000-06:00

It's official - I have completed one whole week on Weight Watchers (don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a WW blog; its just what's going on with me at the mo'). Despite thinking I didn't do so well sticking to the plan this first week, I was surprised and thrilled that I ended up losing 3.2 lbs. Woooot for me! Its amazing what eating healthy (and not overeating) will do. And don't think I was depriving myself for the past seven days in order to lose those few pounds - I had a soda almost every day, I ate popcorn one night while watching movies, and I nibbled on some chocolate at work. And still ate enough to fill myself up, nourish my body and not feel deprived.

Exercise was not big on my priority list this week as I was trying to focus on making sure I was keeping track of what I was eating and making good choices. However, I did hop on the treadmill three times for my usual hour. I came to the conclusion that I'm in desperate need of new workout music... On a positive note, Mom and I FINALLY made it to the Kinsmen this week and went swimming.

Oh. My. God.

I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

Let me just say that I don't believe I've been in a public swimming pool for about 15 years. I was a bit worried about how comfortable I'd be especially since some of the university's swim team were practicing in the same pool as the public lane swimming and there was also another team practicing in the other pool that was open. Surrounded by athletes....eeeek! However, I changed into my fabulicious new suit (I still look awesome in it) and slapped on my swim cap. I felt like a tool. I'd come this far, why not go all the way? I took one look at Mom and said fuck it. Off came the swim cap and I threw it in my locker. All I said to mom was "Is my hair even?" (I have a tendency to not do a great job shaving my dome). Off to the pool we went.

We may have only swam 5 laps (1 lap = there and back), about 25 minutes of swimming, but felt great afterwards. When we climbed out of the pool, I got dizzy. By the time I got showered and changed into my clothes, I was sweating. Still slightly dizzy. Wow, what a great workout. I wish I had started swimming years ago. My shoulders and upper arms were not sore but they definately felt like I hadn't used them in a loooooong time. I'm sure tomorrow my arms and legs are going to remind me just how tough of a workout that was this morning. I loved it.

Today was a HUGE step for me. It wasn't just about wearing the swimsuit in public although that was certainly a hurdle I had to overcome. It kept me outta the pool for years. Nope, it was the swim cap. I was more paranoid about people seeing my big fat stubbly semi-bald head and judging me. I had taken so many steps to get to be in that changeroom, bathing suit on, spandex clinging to every inch of my curvaliciousness, I decided in that moment to not care for the next 1/2 hour. Sure it helped that I can't see a foot in front of my face without my glasses on on but I knew people would likely do a double take or stare. Pffttttt. The old me would have cowered beneath that swim cap as it cut off all circulation from the eyeballs down or made an excuse to not go out to the pool, or just sit in the water with my wig on, not getting wet or getting any exercise. No longer.

Like the tagline says, I'm a big, bald, bitchy, book-loving blogger babe. And you love me.

Now, I love myself just a little bit more.

The First Weekend

2011-09-18T12:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I did it. I joined Weight Watchers on Thursday. As I knew I probably would, I had thoughts after that first meeting that now that I had the materials, I could just go it on my own. About 6 years ago, I had joined WW and did that exact same thing - went to two or three meetings and then stopped. I would try every once in a while to follow in my book but I was never disciplined enough to stick with it. I think the meetings do actually make an impact. I'm not talking about what they discuss necessarily or some of the comments that arise at these meetings that annoy me (use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, always go for the "low fat" versions...) but rather knowing that you have a set appointment each week where you'll be weighed in. Having that weekly accountability, for me anyways, will be my constant reminder to stay on track.

So, how did I do over the course of the first three days? Not bad. And I even had a coke and a small sub while staying on track. Knowing that almost fruits and veggies (not including the starchy ones like potatoes and corn) are free - i.e. eat all you want - has meant an increase in the number of real foods that are showing up on my plate. That's not to say I agree they should be "free". Heck, if you eat too much of any food, the calories begin to add up. However, I like that it encourages me (and other women at my initial meeting) to eat more of them.

Speaking of veggies, I made another giant pot of my chili-ish veggie soup this weekend. Packed full of hearty deliciousness (alas no kale at the grocery store this week), it fills me up, satisfies my hunger, and uses up almost none of my daily points allowance (I added kidney beans, corn and potatoes to my soup so there's a couple of points per serving).

Fall flavours and colours! And garlic toast "grilled" on my mini George Foreman!

This time around, I used celery, onions, red pepper, carrots, potatos, corn, tomatoes, and kidney beans (along with stock, spices, tomato paste and 4 whole cloves of garlic). Spices were chili powder, basil, and oregano. I had originally decided to try adding some paprika but no matter how much I added, it seemed to have no flavour whatsoever. WTF? I thought it was supposed to be spicey and slightly smokey but my paprika (which we bought last week)? Zippo. Whatever.

So, all in all, I've been doing pretty well. I've used some of the "extra" points that they give you each week to allow for a treat here and there but I'm not even close to half of those and the first week's almost half over. Yay me!

The Final Countdown

2011-09-17T06:45:00.000-06:00

Its just 2 weeks now until the big 'race day'. I'm not overly excited yet but its building. Once I pick up our team shirts a few days before, then it will kick in. I had originally said that the contest would run until September 30th but since I'm no longer hounding y'all and the donations have dropped off, I'm cutting it short. Realistically, I think I've hit up just about everyone I know. I found a random number generator on the interwebbies, entered the number of donations I received ($50 donations received 2 entries) and clicked the button.

And the winner is...

The gift box goes to ... my very generous coworker "C". He's getting a pair of my homemade mittens, a giant bag of licorice (he's a Twizzlers addict), probably some sort of Winnipeg Jets paraphernalia (his favourite team), some chocolates, a CIBC Run for the Cure notepad, and a gift card for one of the coffee shops near our office (yet another of his addictions).

I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you out there who donated to this cause by sponsoring me. Your generousity has been overwhelming. Thank you.

Sunday!

2011-09-11T18:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my superduper sister-in-law's 40th birthday. Yep the big 4-0. That means I'm a mere year and a half away from the big day myself. Apparently there was some big BBQ at their house but I guess the invite for mom and I got lost in the mail (ahem). From the sounds of it though, I wouldn't have had a very good time - too many people (most of whom I don't know or have only met once or twice), too many kidlets, and too much sitting outside in the blazing hot sun. Therefore, I'm not bitter...much.

Family Ties

Mom and I planned on taking SIL out for a girls' only brunch this morning but it evolved into brunch with the immediate family, which then morphed into brunch with the immediate family and her mother, which eventually mutated into brunch with the immediate family, her mother, and her sister. There was rumours of brother in law and girlfriend showing up as well but it didn't happen. I can't say I'm disappointed - not because I don't like BIL or his girlfriend (they're both lovely people) but I had wanted a nice cozy quiet brunch. I should know better by know! Brunch was lovely and we had a great time visiting with each other; however when you combine 2 kids under the age of 10 with rows of all you can eat food (including a chocolate fountain), your gathering is anything but cozy and quiet. I did however get a great snuggle from my niece.

Chandelier

I chose Tom Goodchild's Moosefactory - they offered a reasonably priced brunch and it was a restaurant no one in the family seemed to have eaten at before. The decor is slightly rustic country hunting lodge with only a few moose heads stuck to the walls. Nicer than your typical family restaurant but not overly fancy that we couldn't wear jeans. The kids also seemed quite at home running back and forth to the bathroom, faces and hands coated in the free flowing liquid chocolate.

The Nephew - sans chocolate

And while yes I did wear jeans, I wore a nice blouse and sweater. Heck I even brought a purse. And I hate carrying a purse. It helped that my "dressy" one is black on the outside but inside...fuschia with adorable white polka dots. What's not to love about that??? As you can see, I have so little in there that it's almost pointless to bother with it.

The inner depths of my girlie purse

We all ate FAR too much - isn't that always the way when it comes to buffets? I easily could have skipped eating for the rest of the day. However, I did treat myself to a bottle of cider this afternoon as I lazed around, enjoying the suddenly cool, breezy, wet weather (thank goodness!). Its not Strongbow but it'll do in a pinch.

Where's the golden archer??? Oh wait ... wrong bottle.

And finally, it wouldn't be one of my blog posts without the obligatory cat photo. So, here you go. Nero wasn't thrilled that we didn't bring him back any leftover ham or roast beef and gravy. I'm going to pay for that later tonight I'm sure...

Really? Not even a scrap? I'll get you for this...

Saturday

2011-09-10T16:52:00.000-06:00

I was all set to go swimming this week. So excited to take the new bathing suit out for its first test drive this morning but Mom broke the news to me last night that the pool was out of service until the 19th. The 19th? Yes, that means no swimming next weekend as well - not really sure why, probably just routine maintenance but I'm completely bummed regardless. Grrrrrrr. Oh well.

The New Suit

Since we didn't have to leave early to head over to the pool and we were both up before the sun, we decided to head out for breakfast. Nothing fancy just a diner (chain restaurant) for some bacon and eggs before going shopping for groceries. After our weekly shop, we stopped at home, put everything away and headed over to the Kinsman. Although all the pools (except the outdoor one - I don't do outdoor pools) were closed, I still had to get my photo taken for my pass. So, we slathered ourselves in suncreen (always protect your sensitive skin!!!) and headed over to the Kinsman.

The Walterdale Bridge

The lady who helped us was fantastic - I asked her if I was allowed to smile and make silly faces while she took my picture and said "sure!". You know I just had to do it then. Goofy smile and two thumbs up. Yep, that's what my official swim pass picture looks like! A quick peek around the pool area and then we were on our way again - Saturdays are soooo busy!

Next stop - movie! We caught the bus outside the Kinsman and headed back into downtown to see Contagion. Thank you Airmiles for the movie tickets!

Bus Stop, Bus Goes, She Stays, Love Grows...

The movie was ... meh. Not very exciting, no real connection to any of the characters and overall a bit boring. If your looking for a virus gone mad sort of movie, I suggest you rent Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman. Afterwards we walked home, going past the farmers' market. It was just closing up for another week but we managed to snag some yellow beans (me) and limas (mom) from Khulmans.

Bug Eyes and Smiley Pants

Mom and I are both feeling lazy, unmotivated (in spite of the urge to swim) and like the pounds are piling on again uncontrollably so we've made a few decisions. Aside from not buying a fresh baked pie at the store this morning like we desperately wanted to, Mom has signed up for Curves, a women's fitness centre, and I am going to join Weight Watchers come next payday.

I've been thinking of joining again for some time now (I had gone to a total of 3 meetings about 6 years ago). Seeing my dietician 3 or 4 times a year is just not incentive enough and to be honest, as much as I like her, she's not hard enough on me. I need some discipline. I refuse to do one of those programs that make you buy/eat their processed food. A lot of people have great success on them (including J2P3) but how many people fail when they eventually go back to real food? And what are those prepackaged meals going to do to your health in the long run? No, I just can't do it. I'm giving WW a try for 2 months to see if I can stick with it, what the new program is like, and if I have any success. I had considered the online version which is cheaper (always trying to save a buck) but I need to have the responsibility of going to meetings, weighing in and being accountable each week.

While looking around the interwebbies for some inspiration and healthy, delicious recipes, I came across Sheryl Yvette's blog. Turns out she's on WW too. And had great success. Not to mention she's uber-cute!!!! Like a 1940s pinup. I love it. On top of it all, she's funny and she rides around NYC on her Hello Kitty bike while wearing 4-inch heels. What's not to like??!!

123. A Darker Domain (Val McDermid)

2011-08-29T15:58:00.000-06:00

As you know, I don’t read a lot of fiction but every once in a while I get a hankering for a great story to sink my teeth into. A fan of crime dramas, especially those from the UK (they’ve got the murder mystery down pat), it was only a matter of time before I came across Wire in the Blood. Having enjoyed following the sleuthing of psychologist Dr. Tony Hill, it was to creator Val McDermid’s novels that I looked to recently when I felt the urge for a little slice of fiction. I wanted to experience something one of her stand alone novels so I opted for A Darker Domain.

DI Karen Pirie, head of the local cold case squad in Fife, Scotland, receives a visit from a daughter who wants to report her father missing. Nothing overly unusual or out of the ordinary, except that Mick Prentice went missing 20 years ago, during the height of the Miners’ strikes. Always interested in trying to solve a cold case, DI Pirie dives into the investigation. At first it looks like the man headed south to work as a scab at a mine that was still open but the deeper she looks, the less likely it seems.

When an investigative journalist uncovers new evidence in the mysterious death of a beautiful Scottish heiress, Pirie is assigned to look into the case. The woman was killed in a botched kidnapping attempt and her infant son disappeared along with her captors. The only obvious connection between the two cases? They occurred within a month of each other.

It won’t surprise many readers to learn that the two cases are intertwined, but there are still plenty of twists and turns along the way. Flipping back and forth between Scotland and Italy, as well as switching flawlessly from the present day to the 1980s, McDermid’s story is entertaining and intriguing as the stories slowly merge together. I came across the following review which summed up my thoughts on the novel as a whole:

The first two-thirds of the book are gripping. Val McDermid is a superb storyteller and her account of the miner's strike is harrowing, moving and authentic. The novel is unfalteringly sure-footed with the many switches between the cases, time, and people's perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that in the last part of the book the tension was not maintained quite to the pitch of the earlier parts, perhaps partly because I had guessed what was going on in both stories, and the ending is a little rushed. However, there are a few surprises still in store …

It all fell apart for me when one of the main characters conveniently leaves behind a letter explaining … well … everything. While it makes some sense, in terms of what was happening in the novel at the time, it just felt sloppy and too easy. All in all though, I really enjoyed the book and would gladly pick up another of Val McDermid’s novels.

This, That and the Other

2011-08-26T10:48:00.000-06:00

Summer colds are the worst. You expect them in the winter but summertime? The sniffling, phlegm, coughing, aches and pains…I’d rather be taken out behind the barn and shot. There’s been a nasty cold/flu bug going around the office the past couple of weeks, leveling some of my hardy co-workers for 4-5 days at a time. In a cubicle farm, it’s like a domino effect and you just have to wait and see where you fit in the big line of falling pieces.

I haven’t been sleeping well lately thanks to the hot weather which finally arrived. Most Edmontonians thanked all the gods for answering their prayers and bringing forth sunshine and stifling heat. I, on the other hand, sat in front of not one but two fans grumbling about how much I was sweating. Anyways, the lack of sleep meant my immune system was not operating at full capacity. As the week wore on, I woke up each morning feeling worse and worse. Yesterday, I had enough. I awoke far too early once again, full of phlegm and feeling ache-y all over. I called in sick, hoping to nip this little bugger in the bud. It seems to have worked, somewhat. I rested yesterday, curled up with the laptop and the second half of season one of Carnivale and my knitting. Plenty of sleeping kittehs and things looked promising. Today I was only slightly mucus-y and the aching had gone. Fingers crossed – back into the lion’s den today. Beware germs!

This weekend I’m off to buy a bathing suit. Gasp! The horror! Yes, me stuffed into spandex is like a too full sausage about to burst its casing but I’m going to do it. I’m eager to try swimming again (I haven’t been in ages) and I definitely need a new suit. Anyone in E-town have any comments on swimming at the Kinsman vs. the downtown YMCA? I have called both places and we decided on the Kinsman to start simply because the staff at the Y were, well, simple. They seemed to have no clue what they were talking about, what we were asking, or even what day it was. Sad, so sad.

I’m almost finished Game of Thrones, the first in George R. R. Martin’s series, A Song of Ice and Fire. I was pretty sure that I’d like it before I actually began to read it but I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying it. A coworker who’s currently on the second book, and I have daily update sessions on what I had read the day before, character discussions and ideas of what will happen in the later books. I haven’t done that in years! Mainly because none of my friends seem to enjoy reading the same things I do, especially all the nonfiction I tend to prefer.

Speaking of books, I finished a novel a couple of weeks ago and started a review of it for the blog but still haven’t finished it. One of these days, I’ll get around to it. I could understand my lack of energy for writing the review if I didn’t like the book but I quite enjoyed it – a murder mystery set in Scotland by Val McDermid, the mind behind Wire in the Blood, a crime drama from the UK.

So so so happy its almost the weekend…

Christmas Baking - The Planning Stage

2011-08-22T12:15:00.001-06:00

So, I’m still thinking about Christmas. Yes, yes, I know; it’s only August. Yesterday it was 30C. What can I say? I’m a Capricorn; I like to plan ahead! Besides, the holidays are only four months away! That doesn’t leave a whole lotta time. And I’m not the only one. I mentioned the idea of holiday baking to a coworker and that sparked a half hour conversation about cookies, squares, presents, etc. I loved it!

I think I have a pretty good idea of what I am going to be baking although I’m completely open to suggestions and the list below is not set in stone. Heck it might be pared down quite a bit if I find funds getting too tight but this is the plan as I see it…

One loaf of banana bread for Mom and I to snack on Christmas morning while opening prezzies. We’ve been doing this in our family for most of my life. Banana bread, mandarin oranges, and coffee/tea for the adults. When we’re done with all the unwrapping and playing with the kittehs as they go ape over the crinkly paper, we sit down for a big breakfast (I still haven’t decided on this yet). Anyways, I digress. So, banana bread – 1 loaf.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the niece and nephew will be getting passes and baking for their present this year. I thought they’d like some M&M cookies, piecrust cinnamon rolls, and some shortbread. The difference this year? I’m going to make lemon shortbread!!! Just add some lemon zest to the recipe and whammo! Your shortbread recipe is taken to a whole…’nother…level. I’ve never made it with lemon before but I’m guessing this is going to be awesome. Heck, any citrus fruit would be wicked: orange, lime, grapefruit. Ok, maybe not grapefruit.

If I can find the recipe, I’m also going to make something called Spice Gems that Jody the Non-Blogger gave me years ago. I think they’re from her… Anyways, they’re like a soft gingerbread with a drizzle of icing, similar to some pumpkin cookies I made last year. Ooh, pumpkin cookies. Now I want pumpkin cookies. Not for Christmas, I just want them. Now. For me. I won’t share so don’t ask.

In the “maybe” column, I have cake pops, chocolate bark, some sort of blondie/brownie, and some other type of cookie (perhaps these). All of this of course depends on whether or not I have (1) the time, (2) the money, or (3) the energy. Last year I spaced out my baking over a couple of weekends, freezing the cookies until it was time to take them out and spread the cookie love. Definitely a smart idea. I think I’ll start at the beginning of December and bake at least one item each weekend – that gives me three weeks to get everything done. No problem, right???

What, if anything will you be baking this holiday season?

This Friday Feels Like Wednesday

2011-08-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

Another gorgeous start to the day - I spent part of my early morning before leaving for work outside on the balcony breathing in the air which held the promise of cooler temperatures in the not so distant future. Wool socks, a big comfy sweater and a very furry puddytat to cuddle with while watching the sunrise. Life really doesn't get much better, does it? Well, if this was taking place on the deck of a cabin in Jasper with the sounds and smells of a newly started campfire swirling about us then yes it would be better. I'll still take a city centre balcony in Edmonotn without complaining.

Nero doesn't get nearly enough blog time. Probably 'cause he sleeps on the cabinets over the fridge or on top of his new high rise cat condo or out on the balcony away from everyone else.

Soft kitteh, warm kitteh, little ball of fur ...

And I haven't made an appearance for a while either so I figured what the hell. Since I was enjoying myself out there, why not share it with the rest of you. YIPPEE! Autumn is coming. Well, it's going to get up to almost 30 on Sunday (kill me now) but September is just a short time away and then things will really start to pick up weather-wise.

Yes, I'm a morning person

Wow, I look incredibly orange. Or sunburned. Or I've been standing in front of the microwave again. And no, I did not process the image to make it turn out that way, its just the way the camera took the shot. If you notice the scenery behind me, its all normal. I think I had the reflection off of the window... gawd I hope I had the reflection off of the window.

Mommikins, the superduper SIL and I are going to the movies tomorrow. We're going to watch the Conan the Barbarian remake in 3D. Half nekkid sweaty hot men wielding swords and kicking ass. What's not to enjoy? Well, the lack of Arnold for one. Part of me secretly hopes he makes a cameo but we all know that won't happen. Its really not going to be the same or have the same feel as the original did. Heck I even remember where I was the first time I saw it. We lived in New Brunswick and our neighbours had gone somewhere on vacation. They had loaned us their Betamax VCR and a tape on which they had recorded Conan when it aired on the original Super Channel. Yes, I AM that old. We were sitting on a beige flowered couch with TV trays eating BBQ'd chicken. No idea where Dad and Big Brother were. Yeah, I have a beautiful mind, don't I?

I'm going into the movie assuming it will suck. Presumably it can't be nearly as bad as Van Helsing was. Nothing can be that bad. Not even Season of the Witch. And that was baaaaa-aaaaad. I will enjoy it for what it is - a carefree romp through fantasy land with some great oiled up eye candy. Lots of laughs, I'm sure.

What is your favourite action/adventure/fantasy movie?

Its (not quite) Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-08-18T14:49:00.000-06:00

Hey world. Some of you are going to think I’m completely insane but I’m already thinking about Christmas. No, not the ginormous pile of knitting I need to get done…ok, yes, I am think about that…but I’m almost beginning to think about presents for mom. The tradition for the Edmonton-based family has been to only buy for your spouse, significant other, the people you live with. Anyone can buy for the kids in the family but generally we’re not expected to exchange gifts with everyone (thank god, our extended family/friends list has grown a great deal over the last 10 or so years). That means I only have to pick up/make something for my mother and the niece/nephew. Big Brother and I split something for our dad.

The kids should be (fingers crossed) fairly easy – I was thinking a free pass for each of them to the Telus World of Science and maybe some homemade cookies/squares. Sugar and Science? Awesome combination. I love the idea of homemade treats. Put a little love in your gifts I say. Wandering Coyote has sent me a cookie care package for the last few years and I must say its one of the highlights of my holiday season. Another bonus? No wrapping paper, no Styrofoam popcorn strewn about the living room, no clean up. Suh-weet. The kids will get the sugar high, the parents will get a less messy house.

Dad will be no problem – he likes DVDs and is very fond of crime shows. Law and Order, CSI, that sort of thing. He also loves British comedy; when we were growing up he thought Benny Hill was hilarious and he’s recently “discovered” Doc Martin. One of my favourite British programs/series was Doctor Finlay which I think he’d enjoy or perhaps Foyle’s War (I haven’t seen it yet but I've ordered it from the library and I think it might be right up his alley). The possibilities for appropriate presents in his case are endless. The stepmom? Whatever you get, just make sure it’s purple.

Mom’s a bit different though. I have a number of possibilities in terms of gift certificates/cards that I could get her but I’d also like to get her something she can open. Ideas so far: gift card for a massage (she LOVES massages), tickets to an Edmonton Oil Kings game in the new year, a homemade calendar (this is a definite as is one for Dad and wife), possibly new pyjamas. Maybe a paperback for her stocking. I know that she’ll love whatever I decide on but I’d like to get her something she won’t be expecting. Any suggestions?

And yes, I’ve started on my own list as well. A pedicure, an annual membership to the Alberta Art Gallery, movie tickets; nothing too extravagant. To be honest, I can’t think of anything that I want which I’d want someone to buy for me. I really want a watch but I’m very particular. I could use clothes but I want to pick them out. Picky eater? Definitely but to be honest, I’m picky about everything. And I like getting gifts but I get far more excited about the giving!!! Hence the giant knitting list.

So, if any of you have any suggestions, I’d be delighted to hear them. Just don’t suggest things like diamond rings or new cars. I’m on a budget.

We are going on a summer holiday

2011-08-17T18:45:00.002-06:00

I took a holiday today and it felt wonderful. Not that work has been overly stressful; it just was a much needed day off. Despite what you might be thinking though I did not spend the day reclining in front of the telly, eating salted caramels from Purdys. I would have LOVED to do that (mmmm salt + caramel = love) but there were things that needed doing.

My morning was spent cleaning the bathroom and knitting. I was not looking forward to the cleaning but once I got started, I became possessed by some type of domestic demon and went on a cleaning rampage. To be honest, around our apartment, this Exorcist-inspired cleaning fit really should happen more often. I scrubbed, sponged, soaked and soaped. My tub and shower are now spotless. Afterwards I "relaxed" by getting a jump on my Christmas knitting list. It's bigger than I had originally thought and figuring out when I'd find the time to get it all done before the holidays has been causing me to panic just slightly. There's a reason I don't commit to making things for people who ask me to!!! However, I went against my better judgement and agreed to make 2 pairs of plain mittens for a coworker without really considering how much time was left before I needed to have everything finished. However, I'm thinking I should be able to get them done (they'll be the last thing I do) but barely.

Morning Clouds

Having said that, I outdid myself today and doubled the goal I had set myself yesterday. It helped that I was watching/listening to episodes of Boardwalk Empire while I stitched away. Have you seen it yet? Its not jam packed full of action like some other HBO shoes but its a great look at prohibition-era Atlantic City and its ties to some of America's most famous gangsters. I love that Steve Buscemi has his own series and that it also includes Michael Kenneth Williams from The Wire.

More clouds

After lunch I tackled the balcony, throwing away dying plants, moving furniture around and sweeping up dust, dead flowers and leaves and the occasional ciggie butt from the upstairs neighbours. I wanted to sit outside later on to read but there was a very persistent hornet or wasp that would not leave me alone. Little striped bastard.

All in all a pretty darned good day. You can keep your Mondays or Fridays off to make a long weekend; give me a day off in the middle of the week anytime!

Fall is Coming

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

Two mornings in row now, I have not crawled out of bed until 4:30 a.m. For the majority of you, that’s an insane time to be awake at unless you’re still up partying from the night before. However, for me, it meant the cats have finally stopped thinking I’m having a major crisis and are letting me sleep a few minutes longer. I can’t begin to describe what that extra half-hour to forty-five minutes means to me.

When I made my way to the kitchen to give the little furballs their daily treat of crunchies, I noticed a distinct change in the usual early morning temperatures. Having distracted the kittehs with food, I opened the balcony door and stepped outside. Crisp and cool. My feet had to stay on the mat as the concrete was too cold to step on! Fall is definitely on its way!!! Checking the local news an hour later, I was rewarded with the news that it was a mere 9C in our fair city this morning. I gave a little “Squeeeee” at this news and headed back outside again to sit for a few minutes and relish the change before the sun completely rose and the temperatures began to rise once more.

As I’m fond of saying, small things can bring great joy.