Amber of the Moment

Happy Birthday Matt!

2010-11-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

I wish I had gotten you this cake. Anyway, I love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday. Now let's party it up with some seniors! (No, literally- it's the Eldercare Christmas party tonight and we're going.)

Oh, and people, I did it! I blogged every day in November. Man am I stubborn!

Highlights from Matty's Bday

2010-11-29T21:59:00.007-07:00

As promised!

We had an excellent time with our excellent friends. Much pizza, ice cream cake and beverages were consumed. I was exhausted (notice my red eyes in every picture- I was the D.D.) but it was fun.

The best part? Pregnant friend! She is due one day before my birthday. I told her she has to have her baby on my birthday. Also if it's a girl, name it after me. It's just logical. *Note-Matt is not pregnant.

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-11-28T22:48:00.005-07:00

I know I said I was going to blog about Matt's party but I lied. We put up the Christmas tree today after I pestered Matt for 2 weeks until he gave up with trying to make me wait until after his birthday. Isn't it beautiful?

It wasn't quick or easy, but it was worth it!

The Force is Not Strong With Us All

2010-11-27T13:53:00.004-07:00

What kind of things do my friends do on the weekend? Well, not everyone has seen the Star Wars movies so Steve is hosting a marathon. I'm not even a huge fan but I do like popcorn. Oh, and my friends. I think we're only doing the original ones- I can't handle Pinocchio's, I mean, Hayden Christenson's, acting. So wooden and unnatural, if you didn't get that.

But stay tuned for pictures from Matt's 13th, errr 31st, birthday party! There was pizza, games and a guest appearance by an adorable baby bump!

Where I spend a lot of time...

2010-11-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

You can see my cute Christmas tree and all of my art. I love my office! I should fix my crooked pictures though...

It's a short post because today is going to be busy. It's Matty's birthday party tonight! Yay!

Pier One is a Dangerous Place

2010-11-25T21:27:00.006-07:00

On Monday the sista and I went on an evening shopping odyssey. I had things to get (like an ipod stereo thing with wireless speakers that's going back because it sucks) and she was desperately looking for hooks for the mantle to hang their stockings on.

This lead us to the danger zone, aka Pier One.

I seldom go into Pier One. I rarely think about Pier One. Most of my memories have to do with Cindy coming home with outrageous Christmas ornaments after shopping there. Like a pickle. I figured, they must have what Steph's looking for. Then I proceeded to buy one of everything in the store.

I am so excited for Christmas though! And they have so much lovely Christmas stuff. I have to decorate my office, right? And we need something to keep the drafts out anyway- we're in a house that's over 100 years old! An adorable reindeer is an essential. I am weak and can't resist. And now they have my email address. Great.

What haven't you been able to resist lately?

These things come in threes, right??

2010-11-24T22:13:00.003-07:00

When I was driving home from my very long work day I was thinking to myself, "Hmmm... what do I blog about tonight?". Well Universe, this isn't what I had in mind.

I want to start this by saying I am okay and my Kiaster seems to be okay. But seriously- 3 people hitting my car in ONE year. For effin heck sake! So I was driving home and I go to turn left, pull in behind the car in the left turning lane, signal light on, stopped a safe distance away, waiting at the red light. There is an accident and lots of police cars blocking the way we were going to turn. So what does car in front of me decide to do? Oh yeah, REVERSE into my car. WTF!?! I just about peed my pants. I took her information (she "didn't see me") and will check things out in the light tomorrow but things are looking all right. I just want to sob myself to sleep. What did I do, Universe? Whatever it is, I'm sorry. Enough with the machines running into me already! Is this some twisted car-ma? Probably with puns like that, I suppose.

I hope your commute home was more successful. And hey, I guess I should look on the bright side- at least I wasn't involved in the serious accident across the street.

Must Reads?

2010-11-23T20:58:00.003-07:00

I think this is the BBC list. I'm copping out tonight since I am exhausted. Matty and KB also did this recently. How many have you read?
x= read

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling x (well 5 out of 7)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible x (not all)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Total so far: 3

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare x (most)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger x
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

Total so far: 4

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald x
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams x
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

Total so far: 2

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen x (over half)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen x
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini x
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

Total so far: 5

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood x
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding x
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

Total so far: 3

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel x
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon x
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Total so far: 2

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold x
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x

Total so far: 1

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt

Total so far: 0

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry x
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

Total so far: 2

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery x
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare x
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Total: 2

Grand Total: 24

Pretty sad actually... Which ones would people actually recommend, you know, instead of just reading because they are "classics".

Quite Contrary

2010-11-22T23:16:00.003-07:00

I've always said I have a black thumb but someone that I work with gave me a few plant clippings. They didn't die! So of course the next logical step was to start growing things from seed in my kitchen, right? I searched online for Korean perilla (sort of like sesame) and found some on eBay. So I bought two packages. Clearly I have never done something like this before since it turns out two packages could grow me a field of the stuff and all I needed was a few seeds. Aka one thousandth of what one package held. Crap. Oh well, anyone want to grow some perilla? You eat the leaves and it's great for making gimbap!

The next step was to grow the herbs. They are looking pretty good but the oregano just didn't make it. So this weekend we cheated and bought a little oregano plant and stuffed it in with the others so we're good to go! Someone with more growing sense than me said this is working because we have a south facing window? Excellent! All I know is that it makes me smile, especially considering it's -31 Celsius outside and I get frostbite walking to my car.

What did I achieve?

2010-11-21T22:36:00.004-07:00

So I made a list on Friday of what I wanted to do this weekend... Let's see how I fared.

Clean the apartment- bathrooms, floors, kitchen

Finish reading my book- Falling Angels by Barbara Gowdy

Give myself a pedicure

Floss

Grocery shop

Cook and eat something nutritious

Write out a Christmas list (both for what I want and what I need to buy)

Get Matt a birthday present

Put our new mixed CDs on the computer

Things are messy again but I did clean. I'm 60 pages from the end of the book... I clipped my toenails (progress!). I think I flossed at least twice. I sort of cooked (does peeling and chopping potatoes for the food Matt was cooking count? I think it counts!). I also managed to go to both Margaret Atwood events, tried to get into the art event (I'm pleasantly surprised that it was sold out. Hmmm... I guess there are more cultured people in this city than I suspected) and bought a space heater. It's adorable and I love it and have named it Rudy.

All and all a pretty productive weekend! How was yours?

2010-11-20T19:34:00.004-07:00

Listening to Margaret Atwood speak, not once but twice, was thrilling! She's exactly as I imagined her- pint sized, well spoken and feisty! I was too chicken to ask a question but Matt prepared and asked one. She was gracious enough to take a picture with me! I tried to take pictures while she was speaking but I will spare you all from looking at those- they are all either blurry, grainy or there is a microphone blocking half her face.

This makes me think- jeez I really need to attempt to read "The Blind Assassin" again. It's her only book that I haven't loved. In fact I've tried to read it a few times but gave up after a few chapters. Ironic since it's her Booker Prize winning novel.

I'm working on my list of things and made great progress this morning. Now I'm waiting for a friend to come by so we can see if we can get into the art museum Refinery party. The advance tickets are sold out but there are some saved for sale at the door. DJs, dance performances and Matisse- how can you go wrong?

Relieved it's Friday

2010-11-19T06:38:00.003-07:00

November is crazy. It's going by in about 4 seconds. I am constantly exhausted, I have been eating terrible, sleeping terrible and barely exercising. What is going on? Maybe I'm booking too many fun events in? Nah, that can't be it! I haven't cleaned my house properly in ages. Things just seem to be sliding. I need to give my head a shake and get things back on track. I think I need to cut out my computer time and force myself to do other things. It's tough when you're tired though. It's so easy to just zone out and look at the screen.

So besides going to see Margaret Atwood, I want to do the following this weekend:

Clean the apartment- bathrooms, floors, kitchen

Finish reading my book- Falling Angels by Barbara Gowdy

Give myself a pedicure

Floss

Grocery shop

Cook and eat something nutritious

Write out a Christmas list (both for what I want and what I need to buy)

Get Matt a birthday present

Put our new mixed CDs on the computer

Okay, I will check back on Sunday and see what I managed to accomplish. Hopefully this will motivate me and keep me accountable.

Photos From Dan Mangan

2010-11-18T22:42:00.009-07:00

So I spent a lot of time trying to make this and there isn't that much to show since the computer hates me today and kept erasing my work. If you want to see my other pictures from the concert you can check them out here.

Here's a couple Dan Mangan videos for the road. You all should be fans. He's super talented, humble and adorable. What more can you want?

Even more excitement but with a side of UNBELIEVABLE!

2010-11-17T22:14:00.004-07:00

I took about a million awesome pictures at the Dan Mangan show last night but this one was likely the best. I told you we were going to be best friends. Plus he signed my cd and the t-shirt I bought is super cute, fits amazing and has excellent fabric. Yeah, I'm talking about fabric.

I mean, look at how happy Dan looks getting to have a picture with us. Not surprising. I am sure he was watching us in the second row all night. And one of his opening bands (The Burning Hell) featured a ukulele. Coincidence? I think not.

Likely I will make a slideshow or collage of my best pictures soon but I am too tired tonight. But! There! Is! One! More! Thing! To! Say!

Holy cow, I am going to get to cross an item off my bucket list this week! My hero, Canadian literary goddess extraordinaire, Margaret Atwood is coming to Edmonton. She is speaking at the U of A on Friday evening (so going) and will be doing a reading and book signing on Saturday at the Garneau (would rather die than miss this). The craziest thing? Tickets for the book signing (and likely the lecture) are still available and for the book signing they are only $5!! This blows my mind. Seriously. The kids are NOT all right if they aren't flocking to this. She is a Canadian legend and a national treasure. I will likely pee my pants when I meet her so I will need to stock up on depends beforehand. 2010 is the year of dreams- first Our Lady Peace and now Margaret Atwood? If I can somehow squeeze Tori Amos in next month I can basically die happy. Now the only questions are- what do I say to her and what book should I get signed???

Things to be EXCITED about!

2010-11-16T06:50:00.004-07:00

Tonight I get to see Dan Mangan!!! I think it's going to be a mighty fine show! Plus since I left for Asia they started letting people take cameras into concerts. Holy crap that is exciting! Seriously, I remember the days when people tried to smuggle their Kodak disposable camera in their pants and the best picture you would get off the roll would vaguely resemble a humanoid Rorshach blob. But I digress...

What I am pretty sure will happen is that we will sit in the front row and then Dan will realize halfway through the show how cool we are and invite us out for beers afterward and then we will become best friends and he will finance my ukulele lessons and I'll tour the globe with him as his opening act. How do I know this will happen? Man, have I told you how cool, calm and collected I am around celebrities and quasi-celebrities. Perhaps one day soon I will tell you about how Raine Maida fell in love with me in May.

In other news, the sista is BACK! And look at the sweet Vegas swag we scored. Modeled by Matty of course.

The "satchel" is mine and the shirt is all Matt. Look how coy he is. He's going to look sweet wearing that to the show tonight. The purse is from Cirque du Soleil's O which Steph didn't get to see (she saw a different Cirque show) but she knows I really want to see. Hahah.. Sista is the best at presents!!!

What I have to show after a four day weekend...

2010-11-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Not a lot, unfortunately. I did a lot of playing on the computer. Some standing in line to buy shoes (hey! There was an exciting outlet sale!). We ate Indian food with a friend, went bowling (I won) and played video games until my brain started oozing out of my ear. I also baked some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and did so by improvising my own recipe after screwing up the recipes I looked at online. They still taste good.

Oh, and I finished my next mix cd for my mix cd group. Shhh... It's a secret though because my partner hasn't gotten it yet. Unfortunately I can't find links to a couple of the songs... What do you think??
Sometimes It's Sunday
November 2010 Mix

1. Road Regrets- Dan Mangan
2. We'll Make Time (Even When There Ain't No Time)- Hawksley Workman
3. Go On- Basia Bulat
4. I've Been Asleep for a Long, Long Time- Hey Rosetta!
5. Da Da Da- Holly McNarland
6. Careful What You Wish For- Raine Maida
7. Face of the Earth- Joel Plaskett Emergency
8. Far Away- Martha Wainwright
9. Palmistry- Great Lake Swimmers
10. Our Hell- Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
11. Heavens to Purgatory- The Most Serene Republic
12. In the Road- Weeping Tile
13. Madeleine (I Want to be Brave)- Sarah Slean
14. Personal- Stars
15. Where and When- Hayden
16. Weighty Ghost- Wintersleep

Blog Design

2010-11-14T12:04:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to find a new template for the blog... Spruce it up a bit to help inspire me to post. I look at people who are great at making actual templates (you know, not just having to make due with the default ones) and am supremely jealous. There are at least 3 people on my blog roll who come to mind who have lovely personal blogs (Simone, Danielle and Sara).

What do you think about the new layout?

Adopt a Word!

2010-11-14T09:00:00.004-07:00

I got this idea from my friend KB. I've always lamented my sub par vocabulary so this is a great remedy. For those of you who are concerned when they hear someone actually use "lol" in verbal conversation, this is for you! I think it's for everyone else too. Adopt your own word here!

My first little word baby is sparsile- (adj) of a star not belonging to any constellation. A little sad but pretty. What word do you wish was used more often?

Make a Joyful Noise!

2010-11-13T14:03:00.007-07:00

Being an adult when my parents divorced was tough but it has been great being old enough to see them meet and remarry new partners. Mom remarried a few years ago and Dad has been with Sharron forever but they just decided to take the plunge. It was a lovely, personal ceremony. Congratulations you two, I love you! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

October was my lucky month...

2010-11-13T13:05:00.003-07:00

I probably told everyone about this already but last month I managed to be caller 9 on a local radio context and won some money. It was one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me. For someone who loves winning, I don't often win contests or draws. This contest had nothing to do with skill or knowledge- you just had to know when to stop. I am the queen of restraint....... Well, with money anyway. So I ended up winning just over a grand. I'm saving most of the money (well, using it towards my car, really) but I did have a quick splurge and got a really nice Mat and Nat wallet.

Lame Blogs

2010-11-12T18:58:00.002-07:00

I'm keeping up with this blog everyday thing but my blogs are getting suckier and suckier by the moment. I promise the next couple are going to be great but now I have to go bowling. I am trying to distract myself from being jealous of my sister who is vacationing in Vegas right now.

Tomorrow...

2010-11-11T23:33:00.004-07:00

I have to return a book to the library unread for a second time. Dammit. And it looks interesting. I really need to get a handle on this library stuff. Anyone read The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas? Is it worth a third try? (I have to return it because I am not allowed to renew books that are on hold and requested by another lender.)

I will be stealing- ummm... borrowing this...

2010-11-10T22:15:00.003-07:00

Look at what my Mom gave Matt for his birthday!!! Holy crap is it cool!

Tea and Ukuleles

2010-11-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

I've been a bad friend. I admit it. I am terrible at initiating contact. I loathe talking on the phone and I easily get caught up in silly online games. But, I am lucky that the friendships that I have endure despite my friendship faults. I think this is because I am good at choosing friends (but bad at calling them). So my friends, I am sorry. I may not get better at this but please know, I love you all and it isn't that I don't want to hang out. In fact, if you were to call me and ask or email me or comment on this blog... I would be very likely available and most definitely eager.

Tonight I got to spend time with a lovely, lovely friend who lives very close by but that I do not see nearly enough. We sat on her futon in her lavender apartment and ate lavender cupcakes (the taste, not the color) and drank peach apricot tea. We talked, caught up and watched ukulele videos on youtube. I secretly wish I could play ukulele- I think it's the happiest instrument in the world! Plus, I have tiny hands so it's impossible for me to play the guitar. Anyway, here's some ukulele for your listening pleasure!

Insomnia Non Sequitur

2010-11-08T22:04:00.003-07:00

Monday nights Matt has class until 8pm. Usually this means I get lots of time to do whatever I want and yesterday I got all geared up for the awesome blog I was going to do. It was going to be major-epic-off-tha-chain-yo! And then I inexplicably woke up at 4am. WHAT THE FRUITLOOPS? Actually, I have been having trouble going to sleep for about a week but thought that daylight savings time had solved my problems. Alas and alack, this was not the case. And Mondays tend to be busy at work. Especially today Monday.

There's no reason why I should have insomnia, at least that I can put my finger on. I've had sleep issues in the past but I could always immediately pinpoint the problem. Oh I'm stressed about this or worried about that... Or I'm sick/in pain/addicted to playing Bejeweled. This time there really was no good reason. I'd even taken a melatonin to help me ease my way into sleep.

Admittedly, I am tired but not zombie tired. Still, this can't be old age? I mean, I know you need less sleep the older you get but 4 hours seems a bit extreme. I'm really crossing my fingers I can get some quality sleep since I've got things and stuff to do and lots of it.

So there you have it. You missed out on the blog of a lifetime all because it's all "exit" Sandman at my place. Dang-nabbit.*

*Let's hope I get some sleep. Apparently tired Amber is totally uncool and says weird things.

October "Mixed Tape"

2010-11-07T21:58:00.006-07:00

I'm in a group on Facebook where you get randomly assigned a partner and make and send them a mix (complete with cover art). Last month was my first and here's what I came up with. What do you think?

Sheela-na-gig October 2010 Mix
1. Queen Of The Crime Council - Julie Dreyfus
2. Sheela Na Gig - PJ Harvey
3. Tape Song - The Kills
4. Kiss With A Fist - Florence & The Machine
5. I Know What I Am - Band Of Skulls
6. The Waitress - Tori Amos
7. Doll Parts - Hole
8. Pauline - Eleni Mandell
9. Dimestore Diamond - Gossip
10. The Garden - Mirah
11. Napoleon - Ani DiFranco
12. Phenomena - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13. Trigger Happy Jack (Drive By A Go-Go) - Poe
14. Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole - Martha Wainwright
15. Your Honor - Regina Spector
16. Where Is The Line - Bjork
17. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush
18. Save Me - Aimee Mann

*Being that the videos are from youtube not everything is the original. There is a smattering of embarrassing fan made videos mixed amongst a few live recordings. You get the idea though! Any thoughts on what my November theme should be??

A Sweet Surprise

2010-11-06T11:51:00.005-06:00

Look what we got in the mail yesterday!!! Thanks Sharron! The cookies are delicious and it really made our day.

Review: Little Bee

2010-11-05T07:39:00.004-06:00

I could hardly put down this book. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (also known as The Other Hand) is probably the best book I've read all year. It was funny, touching, endearing, heart-breaking and thought provoking all within the same chapter. It's the type of book that as I am reading it I can't wait to start re-reading it.

What is this book about? Well, here is how the inside cover of the dust jacket summarized it:

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it you will want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds."

Go. Read. It. Now.

Steph's New Bling

2010-11-04T06:42:00.003-06:00

Look at my beautiful sista! Things were getting a bit blurry and so she decided to get her eyes checked. Low and behold she needs glasses... Taking after her gorgeous, intelligent, magnificent older sista in yet another way! Although she has fancy schmancy name brand stylish specs...

She doesn't need to use them all the time- mostly to read far away things. Of course we all had to try them on. Oh and then I figured out that Photobucket has added new features since I stopped blogging and so I spent a ridiculous amount of time playing with them.... (and ended up creating something every 9 year old girl would be proud of...)

Boo-humbug!

2010-11-03T18:07:00.001-06:00

This year we copped out and didn't celebrate Halloween. Crazy, eh? Maybe we're getting old or maybe we're just lazy? Last year we went all out. This year we didn't even carve a pumpkin or buy any candy. Hmmm. Anyway, not to worry, we didn't stay in and count our wrinkles. A friend of ours was born on Halloween so we went to his birthday party instead. What do you get someone turning 30 to help soften the blow?

How about a beer tower?!
Everyone contributed and the goal was to get 30 different kinds of 'beer' (not all were the alcoholic sort). I think we ended up with closer to 45 though! Many I had never heard of- I wonder if that Pumpkin Pie Beer is any good?

*Note, our friend did not drink all of these on his birthday.

Let's Go Oilers!

2010-11-02T17:40:00.001-06:00

I am going to make this post short and sweet because I have to get over to the local watering hole to watch tonight's game with Steph. I've always liked hockey but since returning from Asia I've been paying more attention. I think it helps that Steph likes it too so I don't have to watch the games alone. Matty's come a long way too (when I met him he used to ask me questions like, "What's a hat trick?" and "Who's Gretzky?") and the benefit of creating an adult hockey fan is that they automatically cheer for your team. I have hopes, not high but still hopeful, for our team this year. We've got a lot of great rookies and plenty of potential. Now we just had to get some experience and consistency going. Oh, and keep beating the current Stanley Cup champs 7-4. Heck, and everyone else too, please! Cross your fingers that one of us wins the draw for tickets!

Adventures in Domesticity

2010-11-01T20:34:00.001-06:00

Now that I have a day job and Matt's a student again we have settled into a routine. It's funny; when I was younger I balked at this kind of predictability. I was all, "I'm going to stay up all night, sleep all day and then eat Slim Jims dunked in cream cheese frosting because I'm an adult and there's nothing anyone can do about it!". Now I look forward to coming home and watching reality TV or maybe curling up with a book and watering my plants. I think the difference is that I know I can still do all that silly irresponsible stuff but that I don't really have anything to prove. Plus it's sort of nice to get a respectable amount of sleep and take the time to exfoliate.

Anyway, Sundays seem to be our most relaxed day. Usually filled with housework, grocery shopping and a home cooked meal. Yesterday was no exception and I was feeling ambitious so I tried a new recipe for supper. (Off of Smitten Kitchen, no less!) Behold my mushroom bourguignon! I feel like Julia Child or something! It was pretty easy to make (except for those annoying pearl onions- thanks Steph for doing my dirty work!) and really delicious. It's even vegetarian! (Side note- I wish I was able to take better pictures or learn how to edit better so that my food pictures actually looked appetizing.)

After supper I watched the Amazing Race and Matty decided to bake up a storm for the bake sale fundraiser at school. Weird. But it did make our house smell heavenly! So how was your Sunday?

Taking the Plunge...

2010-10-31T20:22:00.000-06:00

Well, I was successful once before but that was when I was living in Korea and had a lot more free time on my hands. What better way to get into the habit of blogging more than to BLOG EVERYDAY! Yep, I signed up for NaBloPoMo! (National Blog Posting Month) That means I am going to do my very, very best to post daily for the entire month of November. Booyah! Take that inactivity! So wish me luck and leave me lots of comments so I know people are trickling back in. ^^ Happy Blogging everyone! Oh, and Happy Halloween!

My Sentiments Exactly...

2010-10-30T16:11:00.000-06:00

This made me laugh today.

Memory is Fading...

2010-10-29T01:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's almost been 2 years since we were in Korea. I have forgotten so much! I am really thankful that I kept a blog through that experience otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to remember anything. I forget that I am forgetting sometimes- like today when I was trying to talk to a coworker about patbingsu and couldn't remember it's name. I was just like uhhhh you know, uhhhh red bean ice cream?? Everyone will be relieved to hear that I am maintaining my curse words and insults.

I am such a Korea nerd now. I wish I had some Korean friends here. Whenever I hear Korean or am in a Korean restaurant or grocery store I perk up. It's sort of the opposite of how I was in Korea where I would almost give myself whiplash trying to find the English speaking source.

Unfortunately here Korean folks seem to stick together and don't really seem to care about my interest in their language, culture, food, etc. Another instance of me being just regular in Canada.

Matt and I have figured out to make some Korean food at home- there's some chamchi kimbap that Matt made. I make a really spicy gimchi jjigae and we have figured out galbi and bibimbap as well. I wish we had some hot stone bowls so that we could make dolsot bibimbap. We've even managed to grow some perilla from seeds I bought off of Ebay! I should take some pictures of that since I've always been terrible with plants but in this new adorable apartment I have found my green thumb. Maybe it's my landlady rubbing off on me? (She has an amazing garden.)

Kiaster 2.0

2010-10-28T22:10:00.000-06:00

Like I mentioned, I was rear ended shortly before starting my [new] job. My poor gold Kia received a lot of damage and as a result the other insurance company refused to repair it and paid me out. Which actually really, really sucked. I don't understand how one day you can have a perfectly good car that is reliable, looks good and is mechanically sound and they can give you such a measly amount because it's "old". Needless to say, my joy of being debt free was shortlived and I went straight back into debt buying the Kiaster 2.0. I do love it though, especially the heated seats. Seriously, I wish all of my seats (except for my toilet seat because that creeps me out) could be heated. I've never had a car this new (it's 2009) so that is a novelty. I am cheap though so I would have rather kept that money and waited a few years to buy a new car. Oh well. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me since the woman that hit me didn't even see me and probably was going 60 km/hr while I was at a complete stop. The impact was so jarring that my cigarette astray thing popped out completely! Luckily it was full of change and not cigarette butts. I'm just glad I wasn't seriously injured.

Now my car is pretty awesome since I have a GPS (trust me, this was a valuable investment for work) and automatic windows and doors. Basically I have arrived into the 21st century! Now all I need are some fuzzy dice.

Our Adorable House

2010-10-27T21:54:00.000-06:00

When I last left this blog there were a lot of big things happening. I got a new job, we moved, someone rear ended me (and thus caused me to have to write off my car and buy a new one. Frick.), lovely Leah decided to return to BC. Big things.

I had great intentions and took a bunch of pictures of our new abode and then did nothing with them. Well, I put together a crappy slideshow so those of you who do not live near us can see where we hang our hats.

I have to say, I am in love with this place. I will be incredibly sad when we leave it. It's quirky, unusual, spacious and is just 'home'. We haven't lived here for very long but it was meant to be, as cliche and cheesy as that might sound. Our landlady is so precious, the price is right, the location is fabulous. It just makes me all warm fuzzy thinking about it. This house feels like happy. There is an issue that the downstairs tenants smoke inside but they seem to have stopped that since we moved in and asked them to stop. The real test is coming though, since it's getting colder outside. I am really, really crossing my fingers and pleading to the Universe that they continue to smoke outside because I don't want to move and the smoke (besides being gross and ruining our furniture, clothing and other belongings) really affects Matt's health.

We welcome visitors and like I mentioned, have a spare room. I haven't invited over scads of people but if I like you you can come over. My home is my sanctuary. I hadn't pictured my sanctuary to have such hideous curtains, but I guess it is my fault since I have been too lazy to replace them. I seriously can't wait until I can put up our Christmas tree in front of that bay window. Nesting much? Haha...

A Small, Ginger Step...

2010-10-25T21:52:00.000-06:00

...back into blogging? I know, it's been a long, long, long time. And even when I blogged last things were sporadic at best. I've almost forgotten how to use this thing (and don't get me started on my typing skills...)!

What am I doing back here? Is it for real this time? I guess we will see.

I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and I really enjoyed it. I feel like my 20s have been spent searching- searching to figure out who I am and what makes me happy. Pretty self centered, but important I think. The only thing about this book that has made me feel unhappy is that there was such a long waiting list to get it from the library and that it's due back tomorrow so I can't go through it and make notes and re-read parts I especially liked. Maybe I should buy my own copy? Hmmm...

Anyway, I will possibly do a full review a little later. The point was that while I was reading this book and the author declared that her first commandment was to "Be Gretchen". That is great and brilliant. I am much happier when I follow the "Be Amber" rule, even if it's not always easy to do. Part of being Amber is that I do like to write, but that I don't always write the most perceptive, cerebral, thought-provoking subject matter. But this is okay. I like doing it anyway and I like sharing my day with people and receiving feedback. I love comments and I like having a record of things since my memory is appalling. My blog is like the penpals I faithfully wrote to when I was growing up except I get to keep the letters.

So baby steps it is, but hopefully I will get my readers back and have something enjoyable happening over here again. And the picture? I wanted to share something that made me ridiculously happy and excited today- my new official job I.D.! It even has holograms and everything. How cool is that?

Review: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2010-04-27T15:19:00.001-06:00

The second book choice for the Brazen Bookies (my book club) was The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. This book centers around Oscar who is nerdy, overweight and unlucky in just about everything. It goes through his family history and the curse that they have endured and also throws in a lot of history about the Dominican Republic.

I personally liked the book and found it humorous and interesting. The biggest complaint at the meeting was all the Spanish that was used in the dialogue but I didn't find it too distracting. I know a bit of obvious Spanish and a number of cuss words so that was pretty sufficient to help me translate. I really didn't know anything about the history of the DR and it was pretty interesting to learn about it since we visited it a few years ago.

I don't really have too much to say other than it's a good book and if you speak English and Spanish you will probably really enjoy it (but if you just speak English it could be harder for you to get into). Also, Matt is a terrible book club member and didn't finish the book. Just want to get that out there. Boo Matt!

Our next choice is another nonfiction (I think we will alternate) and I am looking forward to it! We're going to read The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett. I have already decided that I am going to envision the man as Johnny Depp in his role in The Ninth Gate. Every rare book hunter/thief looks like Johnny Depp, right?

Visitors

2010-04-26T14:11:00.000-06:00

If things weren't busy enough, we just had some visitors from far, far away. Matt and Leah's mom, Ali, came to visit and she brought her lovely friend Mary along too! It was really great seeing them both. Ali lives extra far away in Thailand and so we only see her once a year or so. Mary is a bit closer (at least she lives in the same country!) but we don't see her that often either.

I had to finish up work for a few days and we were in the midst of packing but we still managed a pretty good visit. Matt and Ali went to Elk Island Park for a hike one day and another day I took Ali and Mary to the Art Gallery of Alberta. They just reopened it after making some big changes and it was pretty cool. My favorite part was the Degas sculptures and the Yousuf Karsh exhibit. You could even take your own "Karsh style" picture and email it to yourself. I hate both of the ones taken of me but I think these ones of Ali and Mary are cute. What do you think?

Mary and Ali were good sports about helping us pack things and move. Mary left a little earlier and while Ali was here I was rear ended. My poor little Kiaster!!! At least $1500 of damage and the other person wrote their vehicle off. I'm sore and it was really frustrating to not be able to lift anything or help with the move. I held a lot of doors open and put lunch together. I'm lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life that are willing to help me out. I hope my car gets fixed soon but I think it's going to be a hassle. Ugh! Not fair- I was doing everything correctly and I have to do all this running around. This is the second time I've had to get her repaired this year (a family friend backed into my door and messed it up on Boxing Day). Anyway, the good outweighs the bad so hopefully it will all be resolved soon.

We had lots of laughs and good food and their visit went by too quickly. Hopefully we can get together again soon and things won't be so chaotic! I wouldn't mind going to Thailand again- it's our turn to visit, right?

New Place!

2010-04-25T13:51:00.000-06:00

We are moving this month! We happened upon our new abode through chance and circumstance. Stephie found it but then the girl she was going to room with backed out on her the day they were supposed to pay the DD and rent. Poor Steph couldn't afford it on her own and they couldn't take the place. So we scooped in and took it. It's a great find- 10 blocks from where we lived before so still a great location, lower rent, more space, quieter, funky and has the cutest landlady. She's this old Polish (I think) lady with a crocheted purple hat and she up keeps everything with the help of her grandsons. There's a huge garden in the backyard and I think we might get to cash in on some fresh veggies! For now you'll have to settle with this pictures of the outside since the inside is way too messy! Once things are unpacked and organized I will post some pictures of the inside. We have the top floor (the house is split in 3). I love the bay window, funky attic bedroom and the separate toilet and bath rooms. I hadn't wanted to move and start a new job at the same time but sometimes you just can't avoid it.

Oh and other big living situation news- Matt's sister Leah is moving back to B.C. at the end of the month so we will be living alone. We have lots of room for guests though so you should all come and visit us!!!

Lots of Changes!

2010-04-24T13:31:00.000-06:00

Big news- I got a new job! It's possible that you've heard this already but I'm officially telling the world today. It wasn't an easy process either since it's with the provincial government. I actually went through a lot of the process back when I was initially applying for jobs. One of those "oh I'll apply but I doubt I'll hear from them" things. Well, I heard from them. Then I wrote the test (yeah, there was a test and that was used to determine who got an interview) and figured that was the end of it. There were tons of people writing it and I'd heard from colleagues that the fail rate is pretty high (70% or something). But they called me for an interview! So I went in and was grilled by 3 people for about an hour. Apparently things went well because they were calling my references. Then the government laid the hiring freeze smack down and that was the end of that. Or so I thought... Since they called me a few weeks ago and I had to jump through a few hoops but now I've got a shiny new job and I start on May 3rd! Only took them 10 months!

I'm excited and nervous and proud of myself. I'm worried that I won't be able to cut it since it's a tough job. I'm happy that I get a regular schedule and will be able to see Matt more and maybe take a class or something (hard to do that when you're working shifts). It's got a 12 month probation period (whoa!) and I am hoping I get my own office. Haha. Things like that make me happy. My family has been really excited for me and my Dad even got me a cake to celebrate. I'm really hopeful that this will be the break I have been looking for. I have a career! When did that happen? My degree is starting to pay off! Now Matt just has to get through law school and maybe someday we can afford to buy property and start a family. First things first though, have to survive my first day of work!

DEBT FREE!!!

2010-04-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

I started university when I was 17 years old. Since then (and I just turned 28) I have been in debt. Luckily I was never one of those people who used credit cards or bought new cars or vacations that I couldn't afford so all of my debt was student loans. Today, almost exactly 7 years after I graduated with my BA, I received my tax return and was able to pay off my personal debt for the first time in my adult life. Everything in my bank account is mine now. It's an incredible feeling. I realize the timing of this (April 1) may be suspect, however, this is no joke. I did it! I did it myself too! I am so proud! If I didn't work tonight I would have to go somewhere and celebrate. Oh well, celebrate with me in cyber space!

Is Anyone Out There?

2010-03-29T15:35:00.000-06:00

I guess I should start this off saying that I am not dead. This blog isn't dead either, just on hiatus. I am hoping that this hiatus will be ending soon. What happened? Life. I think I underestimated what repatriation was going to be like. Things were going lovely and then life hit. Nothing bad, just busy. There were hockey games to go to (someone has to cheer for the Oilers, right?) and bills to pay, shifts to work, beer to drink. Then there was Christmas and MY BIRTHDAY (Yeah, I turned 28! If you missed it, I am accepting belated birthday gifts up until my next birthday. No worries.). I thought a lot about writing and about what writing means to me. I'll never be Anne Bronte, Anne Frank (fingers crossed!) or even Anne Rice and I don't have any professional literary aspirations, but I do like writing things down. It's nice having something to look back on because I have a terrible memory.

I want to stress, things here are good. Matt is doing really well, possibly better than I am. He was officially accepted into the law school of his choice (and rather early on in the process, I might add) and has already attended the Dean's welcome. I'm pretty sure he and the Dean be tight now. And he really likes his job which he'll work at until school starts in September.

Me? This has been a big year for me. I didn't even know it. I thought, hey, repatriation during a recession- piece of cake?! And it's been actually pretty good. Change is my mantra and I am trying to take deep breaths and scoop up as much of it in my arms as I can. This is a confusing time and I am re-examining everything. Career- check (I somehow got one of those.) Living situation- check. Friendships- check. Dreams- check. Money- check. Everything is going at lightning pace. I can't say a lot because I don't want to jinx anything but I may have some big news soon.

Oh, and I have a book club again! We've met once and are reading our second book! My reading progress has been abysmal but I'm not illiterate yet. I had a lot of high hopes but life is in the way again. I am going to keep trying. We're reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao right now by Junot Diaz and I am really liking it. Good thing all the Spanish I know is swear words!

So don't delete me from all of your bookmarks just yet. I know there are lots of blogs out there and I am not trying to become number one on everyone's blogroll, but I think I have a few more things to say. I am just finding the time. Love you all!

Our First Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a little bit blue so I decided it was time to snap out of it and get into the Christmas spirit! I just love Christmas, probably because it makes an excellent precursor to the most important holiday of all; my birthday!

Anyway, I digress (but my birthday is coming up so I hope everyone is ready!), Matt and I went on an epic trip to purchase our tree and decorations. I am picky and this was a hard decision for me. I over-think things and took this quite seriously. I suppose I can always switch the ornaments up later on. I was firm that I wanted a big, fake (I've never had a real tree) tree with multi-colored lights already on it. We had to go to a few places but I finally found what I was looking for.

When we hauled it home Steph was waiting for us (she was studying at our apartment). We had a moment of panic because it looked like the tree was going to be TOO BIG and not fit in our place. However, it is just perfect! Yay! So now we have a tree and I like to think that all the people waiting at the bus stop across the street can see it and admire it.

Unwinding

2009-12-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

With all this rage and stress it's comforting to know that I have my beautiful sister best friend to de-stress with. What would I do without her? (And what would I do without martinis?)

Cell Phone RAGE

2009-12-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

Something that has been stressing me out for awhile is my cell phone. You may remember that Matt and I got matching LG Rumor (1) phones in June. His phone is fabulous- peachy even! My phone, however, started doing this "cute" thing where it would shut off for no reason. Initially it happened once or twice when I slid the QWERTY keyboard out to text something. This started happening about 3 weeks after I got it but I sort of shrugged it off because it didn't happen often. I stopped by the place we bought it and they told me that if I wanted to get it fixed I needed to call Virgin Mobile and they would send me a loaner phone. This sounded like a lot of work for a problem that didn't happen often.

Well, it started happening often. Like 10 times a day. And not just when I was sliding the text keyboard out. It would happen when I was talking on the phone regularly or if I was at the end of writing a massive text message. The phone could be fully charged and fresh off of the charger and it would do this. I would also like to add that I am incredibly careful with my belongings- I have never dropped this phone or had it anywhere near water or done anything to damage it. This is clearly a flaw with the Rumor phones (I know someone else who had a similar problem with their day old Rumor phone).

Finally I bit the bullet and decided that the annoyance of calling was less than the annoyance of living with my malfunctioning phone. So I called customer service and told someone about the problem. They listened carefully and then told me I needed to speak to another department and transferred me. I explained again and this person told me that I needed to call them back on a phone that wasn't my cell phone. Apparently I had to remove my battery and do a bunch of tests. I explained that is was my ONLY phone and no, I didn't have a landline or a friend handy. I eventually broke down and used Skype and was on hold for almost half an hour. Awesome start.

When I finally spoke to someone they didn't ask me to take out the battery or do anything so I didn't need to Skype after all. They said the loaner phone would be there in a week, at the most.

Fast forward to a month and a half later! Yes, that's how long it took the loaner phone to get to me. My phone had stopped shutting off (as much) and I'd figured they forgot about me so I was just continuing on. The phone shows up and it's hideous. I hate it. Maybe you think it doesn't look so bad but trust me, it's the phone devil. You know it's a bad sign when you turn a phone on and someone has programmed it to say "F*ck this Phone" on the background. Yeah.

I was conflicted about what to do at this point. If it took that long to get the loaner phone, how long would it take them to actually fix and return my phone to me? I called them up and they were not helpful. They made excuses. I procrastinated. Finally I had a nervous breakdown and had Matt help me figure out how to package my regular phone and hook up the loaner. This took more time than it should have! Also the first person screwed up which led to my phone and Matt's NOT WORKING AT ALL. So we had to call them back (put on hold even longer) so they could fix this. Not cool. Supposedly this is supposed to take maximum 3 weeks. It's been over a week and I'm not holding my breath.

Oh loaner phone, I hate you. I hate your crappy ring tones. I hate your screen. I hate texting with you, especially since you keep finishing my words with the wrong word and that this auto feature cannot be turned off (I've asked many people to help me with this.)! I should be able to answer "No" to someone but instead I have to write "Nope" because when I type "No" you understand it as "On". Leah's name is Leag because you won't let me write unfamiliar things. Abbreviations don't exist and you tack extra words that make no sense on the end of my sentence after I hit send! WHY!? I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! What good is unlimited texting if writing a text is a battle? Ugh. I hope they send me my regular phone back soon and that it's working or this is going to be a long, long phone contract.

Review: Bel Canto

2009-12-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

This is the second novel I've read by Ann Patchett and I have to say, this one was much better than the Patron Saint of Liars. The plot was interesting- a famous opera singer is hired to perform at the birthday party of a wealthy Japanese businessman in an unnamed Latin American country. There are numerous wealthy and important people invited from around the world. At the end of the party everyone is taken hostage.

Reading this book was such a treat. Her descriptions were beautiful and moving. It was romantic and I found myself frantically scribbling quotes that resonated with me every other page. It's a wise and compelling novel and I enjoyed everything except the ending (I guess nothing is perfect?). The ending was okay but a few things seemed a bit unnatural and forced.

Quotes to Remember:

"If what a person wants is his life, he tends to be quiet about wanting anything else. Once the life begins to seem secure, one feels the freedom to complain."

"The kind of love that offers its life so easily, so stupidly, is always the love that is not returned."

"She prayed that God would look on them and see the beauty of their existence and leave them alone."

"A kiss in so much loneliness was like a hand pulling you up out of the water, scooping you up from a place of drowning and into the reckless abundance of air."

"It didn't matter that he didn't understand the language, he knew what it meant."

"Love was action. It came to you. It was not a choice."

Read this book!

Murder of a Very Fine Gentleman

2009-12-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

For Matt's 30th birthday party we hosted a murder mystery dinner party at our apartment. Matt wrote the mystery himself and spent a really long time making up cards and games. He sent out character sketches to everyone invited and even made up a fake newspaper! We invited 10 of our nearest and dearest to participate and everyone really got into their roles. The costumes were fabulous! Steph was pretty silly- hopefully no one is offended by her "black face". It was in good fun- she put cocoa powder in her foundation and smelled delicious all night!

We spent the whole morning cooking. We decided to take a very organized approach and chop and measure everything out and label it before it was time to cook. Sort of like a birthday cooking show. This worked out pretty well since it's tricky to have everything ready at the same time. Here's the menu:

Beverages:
Lassi
Chai Tea

Victuals:
Naan
Nariyal Chawal
Garden Salad

Butter Chicken
Aloo Gobi
Sambaar
Palak Kofta
Palak Paneer

It all turned out great (except the sambaar) and everything was made from scratch except the naan and the palak paneer. Oh, we also didn't make the butter chicken sauce from scratch, but we did pretty good!

The story goes, Mr. Pagels was an extremely wealthy man, but loathed by many. He came into his money through marrying his poor Indian wife (me). I have to take care of his blind sister (Alisse) and my only friend is the maid (Laurie). I am tied to the kitchen- this was not fun. Also invited were the Madame (Bryn) from the local brothel, Mr. Pagels' war hero brother (Sev), a Nun (Leah) from an orphanage Pagels plans to bulldoze to make into a bar, a gangster interested in becoming a bar partner (Steph), an unwed mother (Kasia) who claims the child is Pagels, a fortune teller (Tia), a gambler (Dylan) and a doctor (Steve). It was so much fun!

After the dinner party we met up with some more friends at a local pub and helped Matt forget he's turned 30. He decided to stay in costume and ended up looking like a Hutterite! Haha. We stumbled over to Steve's to play Rock Band and have some birthday pie and then it was time to call it a night. If you want to see all the pictures (in a non-slide show format) click here.

Meet Lydia!!

2009-11-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Matt hit a milestone birthday this year (3-0) and so we celebrated by spending a ridiculous amount of money. We have a new laptop! Not just that, but a new printer, fan thingy (apparently all new laptops need this because they overheat? WHAT THE HECK!) and the Spore game he wanted forever (he tracked the creation of it). Look how excited he is. Of course, this is a present for me too and I even named our laptop Lydia. Isn't she lovely?

While I have been enjoying her I have to say she has contributed to the lack of blogging since I have had to set up all my bookmarks, links and programs and this takes FOREVER. I am enjoying how quickly she uploads pictures and that I can remove red eye.

Now that we have a new computer an interesting thing has happened. We used to bicker about who got to use our old laptop, Mr. Roboto, and so we foolishly believed that getting a 2nd one would solve this problem. Now we just bicker about who gets to use Lydia. Sigh. Poor Mr. Roboto.

Honest Scrap Award

2009-11-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

I've never won an award before for blogging and since I've been such a terrible blogger lately, I don't really expect to win any more in the future. My lovely friend Simone over at skinny dip bestowed it upon me ages ago. Sorry it took me so long!

Once you've received the Award, you need to complete the following responsibilities:

1) List 10 HONEST, personal (or bizarre? interesting?) things about yourself that you wouldn't normally tell people (except maybe a therapist who is paid to listen to this kind of stuff?)

2) Pass this award on to 10 other bloggers that you love to read & think others should too.

3) Tell your friends to check out the award giver's blog--In this case Simone- it's like Canadian Sex and the City (without the annoying characters). Remember to tell the giver that you've completed these steps so that they can go read your lists.

My Honest Facts:

1) I have a slight phone phobia. I'm not sure when this developed (sometime after high school, clearly) but I am not crazy about talking on the phone. I also hate making phone calls. I love email though. Maybe this helps explain why I haven't called you lately. Sorry!

2) I try not to start playing too many games because then that's what I do all day. Nowadays it's online quizzes and Facebook stuff but in the past I was addicted to all sorts of Nintendo games. This list is starting to make me sound like a real psychological mess!

3) I love Friends. I always have and always will. I have seen every episode multiple times and own them all on DVD.

4) I have never used a lawnmower. My parents always mowed the lawn at home and since then I've never lived anywhere with a lawn.

5) I don't like cooking but I can cook and have a decent amount of cooking knowledge. It's easier to tell people that I can't though so they don't ask me to cook.

6) I can't dance. I have no rhythm at all and I get cold sweats when I think someone is going to ask me to "partner dance". I took dance in gym but I still can't two-step, jive or waltz. Don't even mention more complicated things like salsa. I took a hip hop exercise class once and it was one of the most mortifying things I ever experienced.

7) My memory is terrible. I really think it's worse than most people's as far as personal memories and events. Don't be offended if you try to reminisce with me and I give you a blank look.

8) I am a horrible pack rat but I am trying to reform myself. It's tough. I am always convinced that I will want the item later on.

9) I've never done illegal drugs of any kind. It's just never interested me. Yes, this includes marijuana.

10) I'm a really nervous passenger (in cars/trucks). I was in a bad accident when I was 16 and still haven't shaken my fears. This makes me a horrible backseat driver. Again, I apologize, I am a freak.

Ten Blogs I think are great:

(Most of these are on my blog roll. There are some blogs that I love but they are private ones so that's why they aren't mentioned. You know who you are!)

1. Wonju Wife/ChubbO Chubbington- I love Danielle's writing style. Some of her entries have moved me to tears. She just gets things and is able to express them which is incredibly special.

2. half girl- Young takes amazing photographs with her many cameras. I could only dream of being as skilled at photography as she is. She makes the every day look extraordinary.

3. From Wonderland with Love- Sara's blog makes me nostalgic for things I've never experienced. Everything is pretty, interesting and smells of cinnamon and sugar in Wonderland.

4. Naked Without Books- Susan is my reading hero. She read 100 books last year and is going to hit atleast 100 this year! Plus she is hilarious, delightful and clever.

5. Little House in the Big Woods- KB is a long time friend. Her blog is filled with hilarious antics and stories from her students and copious pictures of her adorable dog.

6. Time Enough- I've been friends with Jo for awhile too and her blog is filled with tidbits from her life in the UK. Oh and she takes fab pictures too!

7. Living on the Flipside- If you've ever wondered what it's like being the only female, foreign,(Western) professional boxer in South Korea then Amy's blog is a must read. She just got engaged to her beautiful Korean beau too!

8. Ask a Korean- The Korean's blogs are always well researched, thought provoking and relevant. Even if you're not interested in information about Korea this blog is something everyone should check out. He also makes me feel ashamed since he is writing that well in his second language!

9. Stuff Korean Moms Like- Hysterical, but only because it's true. Start from the beginning and work your way up.

10. Jennipa l- Another lovely K-blogger who I haven't met in person. She makes me homesick for Korea and I love seeing what she is up to!

I guess you've noticed my Korean bias. I really got into blogging when I lived in Korea and now I am so homesick for it!

YOU: Go forth and read blogs!

BLOGS MENTIONED: I gave you 10, now you have to give me 10 more.

Review: The Door

2009-11-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Margaret Atwood is my favorite. I've written about her before and one of the things I must do before I die is meet her. Well, at least see her in person. Heck, I'd even settle for the LongPen (she's such a genius- is there anything she doesn't do?).

I'm not a huge poetry reader. I find that most poetry is too muddled and pretentious or possibly I am just too thick and lazy to appreciate it. I love Atwood's poetry though. The Door strikes me as being one of her most personal poetry collections. It's also quite political, however, that isn't surprising since Atwood tends to be fairly political. Here's one of my favorite poems:

Nobody Cares Who Wins

Nobody cares who wins wars.
They care at the moment:
they like the parades, the cheering;
but after that, winning diminishes.
A silver cup on the mantle
engraved with some year or other;
a hoard of buttons cut from corpses
as souvenirs; a shameful thing
you did in white-hot anger shoved
back out of sight.
Bad dreams, a bit of loot.
There's not much to say about it.

That was a fine time, you think.
I've never felt more alive.
Nonetheless, victory puzzles you.
Some days you forget where you've put it,
though younger men make speeches about it
as if they had been there too.

Of course it's better to win
than not. Who wouldn't prefer it?

Losing, though. That's different.
Defeat grows like a mutant vegetable,
swelling with the unsaid.
It's always with you, spreading underground,
feeding on what's gone missing:
your son, your sister, your father's house,
the life you should have had.
It's never in the past, defeat.
It soaks into the present,
it stains even the morning sun
the colour of burnt earth.

At last it breaks the surface.
It bursts. It bursts into song.
Long songs, you understand.
They go on and on.

If you've never checked out her poetry before I suggest you do it!

The Creation of Kathleen's Queef

2009-11-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned, I'm on a Name that tune team with my sister and Bryn. We have a pretty unfortunate name (Team Queef) which you can thank Steph for. It was her nickname. What? That doesn't make things sound better? Haha...

If you know me you know I am fiercely competitive. Think Monica from Friends competitive. (Unfortunately we share more than a competitive spirit- that is totally my hair with humidity.) People who say winning isn't important clearly have never won anything. I love winning. It's seriously one of my favorite things. I mean, remember my victory coupons? Best present ever!

Something I do believe in is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". There is an insanely good team that often plays. Somehow they know even the most obscure musical references. We're a decent time but it would take a lot of hard work to aspire to beat KTO. Their name is even clever! KTO, you know, sort of like BTO. It stands for Kathleen Turner Overdrive. Funny, right?

What we lack in musical prowess we make up for in charm and charisma. It's lucky I have no shame. We totally seduced KTO into combining with our team. The ultimate Kathleen's Queef. It's pretty epic. I'm not sure if it will be a permanent marriage but it was nice meeting some new people. They are really funny and fun guys (I mean, check out Justin's mustache!) and Tyler reminds me of my fab friend Curtis since they both love music and study radio broadcasting. I wish I had a job that allowed me to have Tuesday nights consistently off!

Galbi Buffet with Stephie!!!

2009-11-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Steph and I scheduled in some sister time and decided to go out for dinner. I had a hankering for Korean so we checked out the Korean Village. It's in a strange location and seems to be a family operated business. They have a killer (although a bit expensive) buffet with many of my favorite dishes. There were even grills built right in the table! It was like being transported back to my favorite restaurant in Seoul. I wish I had some Korean friends here... Anyway, we had a great time and ate until our bellies hurt. I'll definitely have to return with a group. I was too shy to use my Korean though.

Review: The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

2009-11-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

If I had to review this book in six words I'd say, "I bought this book for $2". I had high hopes though. Joshua Braff is the brother of Zach Braff after all! You know, the guy who penned Garden State and is on Scrubs? That guy is adorable, talented and hilarious! It seems this didn't run in the family.

I'm not sure how unthinkable Jacob Green's thoughts are- they seemed pretty much what I would imagine a teenage boy to be thinking about. Possibly this is unusual or especially scandelous for Orthodox Jewish teenagers? Perhaps someone needs to explain to Braff that there is a difference between the reader not wanting to know about what a messed up, horny Jewish teen is thinking and his thoughts being unthinkable.

The book has good reviews on other websites but I can't imagine why. It was easy enough to read but it was filled with gross, clunky, unnatural prose. "He's about as lonely as a tube sock full of semen", seriously!? I wonder if that's how lonely Joshua Braff was after people read his book. Don't recommend this one but if someone wants to take it off my hands I wouldn't even charge you the $2 I spent. I should have known better.

Jacqueline's Visit

2009-11-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

It might come to a surprise that I have another sister. I spend a lot of time with Steph since she lives nearby but I do have a sister that lives far away. Well, she came to visit us. This was excellent because we went out to eat at a lot of yummy places (oh and it was nice to spend time with her too! Haha!). My heart is through my stomach.

Dad and Sharron brought Venus along to visit and we brought her up to the apartment. It's a no pets apartment but I figured that having her there for an hour wouldn't kill anyone. She loved the carpet! They have hardwood in their place so she hasn't really experienced carpet before. I really miss having dogs around.

We went to Olive Garden with Dad and Sharron the first night and then to Chili's with Mom the next night. Delicious! I did have to work on Remembrance Day but managed to hang out with Jac a lot afterward. We had some amazing sushi (in a HUGE boat) and then saw The Box (which was disappointing). I was pleased to learn that my non-reading sister has been reading a little because she has a lot of time on her hands at work these days. I immediately lent her three books in hopes that she will continue with this and become hooked on reading. I was able to do it with Steph in the summer and as a result she finished 10 books! I gave Jac a few "sure things"- The Lovely Bones, Midwives and Helpless so hopefully the reading bug will bite her too!

Volleyball

2009-11-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

I went to a U of A volleyball game with Steph and Bryn. Bryn saved my bacon with her quick thinking- it was $15 for an adult to go! Students paid only $5. Bryn bought me a ticket. Otherwise I probably would have just gone home. Since when was college volleyball exciting enough to warrant spending more than a movie ticket price?

I spent most of my time trying to ignore the Golden Bear mascot. He was seriously irritating! I think it has to do with his eyes. Also, part of me wants to be annoyed that the girls' and boys' have separate mascots. Why is this necessary if they represent the same school? Doesn't that confuse things? The only saving grace is that the girls' mascot is way cooler and fiercer. It turned out that this was the case for the games too- girls won, boys lost. It's strange attending sporting events at the U of A considering I never watched them at my own university. It was fun though.

Mouse Attack!

2009-11-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

We live in a third floor apartment. You would think that this would mean that we would be spared from mice. I mean, they aren't getting in through the windows! Unfortunately we seem to have attracted a number of the little bastards. Matt was the one who first noticed one peeking out from behind the TV stand in the living room.

From there we bought some traps (mice like peanut butter more than cheese) and tried to contact our building manager. It took a long time for him to get back to us which was incredibly frustrating. We caught 7 mice in total (in a week) and four in one night! What the heck!!!! One of them died less than a foot away from me while I was checking my email! Seriously not cool.

When we managed to talk to the manager he said that they would have pest control come to our apartment and check things out. Of course, this conversation happened at about 9 pm at night and the manager said that "maybe" the guy would come the next morning and if he hadn't arrived by noon to call and let the manager know.

Needless to say, I was skeptical that anyone would arrive. So what did I do? I tempted fate. I woke up, sat around in my pajamas, didn't brush my teeth, hadn't showered (I didn't work until 3 pm), well you get the picture. This guaranteed that the pest control guy would arrive! And he did! Immediately I began shuffling around, concerned about the appearance of my apartment. Why didn't I expect him to come!? He is going to judge me!

For the most part our place is pretty clean and he must have seen a lot worse... Right? I'm sure all the other mouse infested homes looked like the one in the picture. I awkwardly made small talk with the pimple faced exterminator (see, I can judge too!) and he got to work looking for entry holes. He said it was pretty clear that if our apartment on the third floor was having issues then there were issues in other apartments. The mice were traveling around through the radiators.

I never know what to do when service people come to my place. Am I supposed to sit and watch them? Chat? Let them do their work unattended and risk them stealing something? Call a therapist and speak to them about my paranoia that an exterminator is going to steal something? What do you do? I have the same problem when the cable guy comes. I decided to wash my dishes because I would still be a presence and able to see and hear what he was doing but at the same time I could impress him with my cleanliness. See! It's not MY PLACE that is the true problem. It's the guy next door with his toxic waste collection!

Since the guy left we haven't seen any more mice in our apartment. I think he was pretty successful with blocking the hole. However, I do occasionally hear them scritch scratching and trying to get in. Or is that my paranoia again?

Review: The Hour I First Believed

2009-11-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

Wally Lamb is the author of one of my favorite books: She's Come Undone. Obviously I couldn't resist buying his newest novel. I think I like his novels because he writes about people who have real problems. This novel is quasi-fictional and deals with two fictional characters dealing with the very non-fictional massacre at Columbine high school.

The main characters are a teacher at Columbine and his wife who is the school nurse. He is away dealing with the death of a close relative when the massacre happens and his wife is one of the people who was in the library but managed to survive by hiding in a small cupboard. The rest of the book details the aftermath of this event on their lives and those around them. His wife develops chronic long term post traumatic stress disorder. They decide to move. Therapy is involved. He works numerous jobs to try and keep up with therapy costs and the loss of her income since she is no longer capable of working.

I have to say that I liked the book but it's a tough read. It was a bit hopeless, sad and futile. I also didn't really care for the ending it. I had one of those, "Really!? That was it?" moments. I also wasn't crazy about the subplot about the husband's family history. I have to say that a lot of research went into creating this book and probably someone more interested in American history would enjoy it more.

It's a long book so there were definitely a few quotes that caught my eye.

"Religion's just a well-oiled, profit-driven denial of the randomness of it all."

"It reminded me that they were more than just their scholarly shortcomings and gripes about the workload. Each had a history, a set of problems. Each, for better or worse, was anchored to a family."

"Our ancestors move along with us, in underground rivers and springs too deep for chaos to reach."

"A woman who surrenders her freedom need not surrender her dignity."

If you've never read a book by Lamb I would recommend you bypass this one and read one of his other novels instead. It seemed like he probably put the most work into this one, however, it seemed to lose some of it's heart in the process. Or maybe there is such a thing as too much tragedy happening to good characters.

Halloween Night!

2009-11-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

It might be a cop out but I did another slide show. There are just so many pictures though and this makes it easier to show them all. I couldn't find a nice background for it so even though the candle doesn't really have much to do with Halloween, it will have to do.

Party Preparation

2009-11-03T14:00:00.001-07:00

Through some sort of miracle I had Halloween weekend off. Since it's possible I haven't complained to everyone in the world, my work schedule sucks a lot. Need proof? I work until 11pm on Christmas and then I get New Year's Eve off but work at 7 am on New Year's Day. Yeah.

Anyway, I don't want to open that can of rage right now. Asia doesn't really celebrate Halloween (other than in a watered down, bastardized form) so I was pretty excited this year and decided to go all out. Steph and Alisse hosted a party at their place and I helped with a lot of the preparations. I carved a pumpkin, helped decorate, decorated a gingerbread house, helped make a million orange and purple (they looked black) jello shots and I made a spooky Halloween themed appetizer for the party. Here's a slide show of all the hard work.

Name That Tune Triumph!

2009-11-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I had the evening off so I was able to participate in Name That Tune. Matt opted out (probably since he isn't very helpful but also because he was busy filling out law school applications) so it was just us four girls. We had a big plan to seduce the team that usually wins first place, however, they didn't show up. This forced us to use our other talents besides our feminine wiles.

As it turned out, we are pretty awesome. We got 2nd place and 2nd place gets a prize! More importantly, we kicked our rivals butts! I really felt like I contributed this week. I was able to instantly identify this obscure song:

But we did need Matt this week- there was a Forrest Gump Soundtrack category and he loves that cd. If he'd been there we might have won first! Next time... Next time! (BTW- I got my haircut that day. I don't think I like it but I usually hate my haircuts.)

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T17:03:00.000-06:00

We are doing some epic Halloween type things- stay tuned to see all the ghoulish stuff we created. My costume is almost finished and it's time for our Halloween party!! What are your plans for Halloween?

I'm not dead...

2009-10-29T14:25:00.000-06:00

I have just been really busy. My schedule for work is a bit unbalanced so I was working a lot last week. I've had some time off and that has been used to frantically prepare for Halloween. I am really excited! Asia doesn't really do Halloween so it's been awhile since I really celebrated it. Steph is hardcore into stuff like I am so we're being pretty ambitious. Maybe it will backfire? Anyway, look forward to some updates about our Halloween tasks soon!

Missing Korea...

2009-10-22T16:10:00.000-06:00

It's my only day off this week so I decided to use it to the fullest and try my hand at making gimchi jjigae at home. I trucked off to the Asian supermarket in order to find some of the ingredients and managed to come home with all sorts of goodies. In this picture: lots of gimchi, gochujang, ssamjang, red pepper flakes, Pocari Sweat, 2% peach drink, Lotte choco pies, sticky rice buns, galbi marinade, green onions and tofu.

Korea has been on my mind a lot. I feel like a torn person. I love being in Canada and that my family and friends are here. However, I loved being in Korea too. There was adventure, friends and a pretty sweet job. I had lunch with Diane this week and she asked me about jobs and I said that I wished I could have my job in Korea here. No, I don't want to be a teacher- I want to be an EFL teacher to adorable Korean children. I couldn't handle the lack of respect and all of the extra work that actual teachers have to do (much respect to them!). I liked the fact that the parents and I didn't share a common language and I loved how industrious, curious and dedicated my students were.

Lately I've been talking a lot about Korea to a particular client at work. He seems honestly fascinated about Korea and can't wrap his mind around the differences between there and here. He was shocked to hear what the population is and how most people live in apartments. Almost every night he asks me questions and so I talk and talk and talk and miss and miss and miss. I haven't been keeping in touch with my Korean friends as well as I should. I think I am avoiding it because it makes me sad that I can't be there with them. I look back at my Little Brown Blog and I get really sentimental. Sure, things weren't perfect there but nothing is perfect and it was really awesome. The jjigae tasted really authentic and was even better with some chamchi (tuna) mixed in. Another culinary success!!

Dreams

2009-10-21T15:46:00.000-06:00

I read an interesting article about the purpose of dreaming in Psychology Today not too long ago. It was by Jay Dixit and was called "Night School". It talked about a new theory which says that we dream in order to rehearse and prepare ourselves for situations. "Dreams are a training ground in which animals and people alike go over the behaviors that are key to their survival."

This actually makes sense to me, more so than any Freudian or Jungian theories. It also explains why the vast majority of my dreams are frightening. I shall be the most prepared person if a psychopath starts chasing me with a knife since I've been through that dream a million times.

I always thought that dreams gave your brain an opportunity to sort things out. Which is why someone I'd been thinking of or something I watched would show up in my dream that night. What about people who don't remember their dreams? Do they still get the benefits of the rehearsal? I suppose it would be subconscious.

What do you think? Do you remember your dreams? Does dreaming help prepare us for real life crisis? What about those dream books that tell you what a certain item in your dream is supposed to represent?

Under the Weather

2009-10-19T13:27:00.000-06:00

I haven't been really sick but I've felt run down for almost a week now. Sort of like I have a constant sleep deficit even though I'm sleeping a lot. As a result I stayed in most of the weekend. Lucky for me, Mom made some of her world famous chicken noodle soup and some homemade buns to go with it. It was perfect timing! I've got a hard work week coming up so hopefully this will sustain me!

Celebration Dinner!

2009-10-19T13:07:00.001-06:00

On Saturday night we went out for dinner with Mom, Tom and Steph. We'd already planned on going out earlier in the week but since we'd just found out the good news about Matt's LSAT score, it was more like a celebration dinner. Being the classy, sophisticated lawyer-to-be he is, Matt ordered a cheese burger and a huge beer. The ladies shared a really fabulous bottle of shiraz and a good time was had by all! We also shared a massive dessert at the end of the meal which was yummy but terribly difficult to eat. Somehow we managed. We're just that determined.

A Dirty Little Secret

2009-10-19T09:51:00.000-06:00

I think it's time that I came out and said it. I hate Family Guy. Pretty much everyone I know seems to like this show but I just don't get it. I have never liked it. I remember the first time I watched it I was in university and some friends had it on. Besides being totally obnoxious and offensive, the writing is sloppy and it's just loud. It's the epitome of an "American cartoon", if by American you mean the stereotype that all Americans are loud and ignorant.

It turns out that I'm in good company for hating this show. Apparently the creators of the Simpsons and South Park also hate it. I can tolerate those shows but they aren't my first choice when I'm watching TV.

I think what it boils down to is that I'm not really crazy about TV. I just got out of the habit of watching it when I lived in Korea. I will watch it but I am usually not the person who turned it on. It just seems like a lot of noise to me. I like watching game shows, reality shows (Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, So You Think You Can Dance mostly), Friends, Lost... But I don't really follow any closely and I'm not sad if I miss them. I guess this is a good way to be although it usually means I just spend more time surfing the internet.

Anyway, I just had to let it out. I hate this show. It goes beyond irritating me and I now have started to refuse to watch it. Even hearing the theme music makes my skin crawl! Open your eyes people! This is a substandard excuse for entertainment. You can do better!

CONGRATULATIONS MATT!!!

2009-10-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to quickly shout out to the world how brilliant my honey is! He received his LSAT score back this weekend and scored in the 95th percentile! He worked so hard and there is no one who deserves it more! I knew he could do it! Now let's just cross our fingers that it's enough to get him into the U of A so we don't have to move. Mainly we need to hope that they will consider this score instead of the first score (which wasn't terrible but wasn't this good). Most places take the highest score, however, the U of A averages them. Grrr! Anyway, raise your glass and join me in a toast to Matt!

A Special Gift

2009-10-18T21:17:00.000-06:00

Look at this cool present our friend Donna brought Matt and I back from Iceland. It's a stone egg! If I can't be traveling then the next best thing is getting presents from people who are. It was made by a really famous Icelandic artist. Here's their website.

The story behind it is that Icelandic people believe that there are little "trolls" lurking behind the scenes. This egg has a couple of those trolls on them. I guess the trolls could be compared to fairies or angels. Since Matt and I are definitely angels (or trolls, if you prefer) this egg reminded her of us. Isn't that just the coolest?!

Review: The Year of the Flood

2009-10-17T20:42:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I love Margaret Atwood. She is my favorite author and I collect everything that she has written. I've read pretty much everything (including poetry) she's written (well, not the new economic book or the book about writing). I was ridiculously excited to hear she had a new novel coming out and I bought it the day it came out.

I liked it. I didn't love it. I think I would have liked it more if I had reread Oryx and Crake first (which I loved) since the two books are connected. I also didn't know they were connected and since I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to literature it took me half of the book to realize that the books were connected. Yes, I know this is pathetic. So what ended up happening was me reading this book having a nagging sensation that I'd read it before and then realizing that was because it was connected to Oryx and Crake.

In case you haven't read Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood is a dystopic novel that shows us a future where a horrible disease has wiped out most of humankind and the people left behind are in rough shape. It also shows us what things were like before the "waterless flood" (what the religious group God's Gardners called the plague) and things were not good. It's a world where genetic splicing, cloning and plastic surgery are favorite pastimes and the environment is a mess. A new fast food chain, Secret Burgers, is popular since meat of any kind is fairly rare. The burger is meat but it's tough to say what kind. Basically it's a hellish, sad place and yet, so many of the details aren't that big of a stretch from where we're at now.

If you've never read an Atwood book, you need to. Maybe start with Oryx and Crake before you tackle this one. Now I just need to sit down and read her new poetry book!

Another Attempt at Cooking

2009-10-16T20:32:00.000-06:00

I had the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving weekend off from work so I decided to try using the crock pot again. This time I tackled beef stew and made some baking powder biscuits to go along with it.

I had fabulous ingredients since Mom had loaded us up with fresh potatoes, carrots and beets from her garden. I bought some nice beef and trimmed it carefully. The stew turned out pretty good- it tasted nice. I should have added the potatoes later so they weren't annihilated and the beets made the whole thing pretty red. Oh well. The biscuits were nice but pretty filling. I used half whole wheat flour and half regular when making them. I also substituted skim milk for regular and margarine for butter.

It was an especially good idea since the weather was crappy outside. I am glad that the snow is finally gone but I am sure it will be back soon.

Thanksgiving...

2009-10-15T20:08:00.000-06:00

This is really late and I have been slacking in the blog department. I am not sure what my problem is but it's possible I have been fighting off a cold. This has resulted in me feeling extremely run down and unmotivated.

Thanksgiving weekend was fantastic. We went to my Dad's on Saturday and had a massive ham dinner and played a lot of Balderdash. Leah finally got to meet my family (I mean, I've only been with Matt a decade so it was about time). On Sunday we went to the local fire station for a pancake breakfast. It was probably the nicest pancake breakfast I've ever been to since it included eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage, a fruit and cheese platter, numerous kinds of juices and Tim Horton's coffee. I think Leah was charmed by the small town atmosphere.

After the pancake breakfast we headed over to my Mom's house. She did the turkey meal this year with all of the Ukrainian food favorites. To clarify, we actually aren't Ukrainian, we just like the food and there are a lot of Ukrainian people in our area. As usual, the crowning glory was the pumpkin pie! I'm drooling a little thinking about it.

We played more games at Mom's house and watched some TV. Basically we just relaxed a lot. The next morning she made this amazing cinnamon cake thing and had a bunch of fresh fruit for breakfast. So delicious! How did everyone else spend their Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-10-10T10:55:00.000-06:00

Up here in Canada it is Thanksgiving weekend. I was browsing through my massive list of channels (having TV is so weird sometimes) and I found this little gem. I know they have them (with just the fireplace) around Christmas but I didn't realize they did it for other holidays too. Isn't that turkey dangerously close to the fireplace?!

Anyway, I have taken a couple days off work (which means I have 4 days off in total with my regular days off) and I am headed to see my family for the weekend. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Take the time to reflect on all the fabulous things in your life. Oh, and eat a lot of pie!

Busy

2009-10-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

I need to update some more. Life has been getting in the way. Matt is busy using up the desk space in our room on a new art project. I've been working, reading and catching up with friends. It's been tiring but mostly positive stuff. Expect some more posts soon. I finally finished one of my half finished books! I'm getting discouraged though with my reading progress...

Noraebang Pictures!

2009-10-04T21:43:00.000-06:00

I made a really quick slide show because my computer is acting up and I am lazy and should go to bed. It's a bit cheesy (the theme) but we had such a good time singing! I can't wait to go again!

New Necklace

2009-10-03T18:38:00.000-06:00

Here's the necklace I bought. Isn't it pretty? It's an old locket revamped by Blue Tree Studios. I also picked up a pamphlet about Stitch & Bitch. Maybe I should learn how to knit? I am sure everyone was desperately wanting a scarf for Christmas, right?

Friends, Farmer's Market, Fun!

2009-10-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

I love this time of year and I really love how my life is coming together these days. My job is going pretty good, I adore my apartment and the people who live with me and I have old friends resurfacing daily. Lucky, lucky me!

Friday was a long, busy, fantastic day. I worked from 7-3 and got a lot accomplished. Then I immediately went shopping and bought some things I really needed (like pants since it is getting pretty cold). I went home and picked up Bryn on the way. We hung out while Matt cooked us an epic Indian feast from scratch (Steph ended up over and had some too). With the kitchen in shambles we rushed out to the Princess Theatre and caught the late showing of the Invention of Lying (Hilarious! Love!) and then came home, cleaned up and fell fast asleep.

Saturday we got the burnt out headlight fixed on the Kiester before heading over to the Farmer's Market to meet up with Carole and Severin. I can't even remember the last time I saw Carole. She's doing fabulous and I really missed her. I loved all of the fall colors and foods at the market. We bought some amazing spanakopita, butter tarts, blackberries, gimchi and kettlecorn. There was a craft show going on so we explored that and I picked up a pretty, new necklace. We checked out an open house for a new wellness clinic and enjoyed some free juice and snacks. Finally we had a bite to eat at the Artisan's Resto-cafe. Excellent!

After saying goodbye to Carole, I decided to bake some peanut butter chocolate chip cookie s. Donna came by for a visit and offered some moral support. The cookie dough was insanely amazing but the cookies ended up burnt, despite all my efforts. I have a few theories as to why this happened- I used natural peanut butter (which is a lot more oily), the temperature/time instructions for the recipe may have been off or maybe my oven is insanely hot? I don't know. The last couple pans were less burnt so I did try to fix the problem. I seriously baked one pan of them for 5 minutes! Insanity!!!

Later in the evening we started watching the season opener for the Oilers. They fought a mighty battle but lost at the last minute to the Flames. I was so sad!! We watched the last half of the game at a noraebang (Korean karaoke) place. It was so much fun but the song selection was a tad random and we had to write down all of our requests by hand. This led to us forgetting what we'd chosen (which was sort of hilarious) and meant we had less control overall. Apparently there are two other noraebang places in the city so I intend to check them out at some point and figure out which is the best. I have to say that this place (Now & Us) has huge rooms and an adorable owner! Basically Saturday was also awesome! I love my time off so much!

We have nothing but great plans for Sunday, also. We're going to see some more friends and Bryn is making us chili and cornbread. To be continued!!

Name That Tune!

2009-10-02T15:09:00.000-06:00

Tuesday nights at Room at the Top (a bar at the U of A) they have a Name that Tune contest. Steph has created a team and has been going pretty consistently. I work a lot of Tuesday evenings so I'm not usually available but I was this week! She had really talked me up which turned out to be an epic fail but it was a lot of fun. I did contribute (a lot more than Matt or Sev did!) but I learned that my musical knowledge is pretty selective. I know a lot of music but most of it isn't mainstream and therefore probably won't turn up as a question. Hahah! I did get the Hawksley Workman song right away though! Our team put up an admirable fight, however, we were thwarted with a few terrible categories and ended up in 4th place (out of 7). The saddest part was that we lost to our rivals! Curses! I vow to brush up on Top 40 stuff and redeem myself after Thanksgiving weekend (when I have another Tuesday night free). We're always looking for new team members (even on a casual basis) so if you're interested let me know!

Saying Goodbye...

2009-09-30T17:00:00.000-06:00

This cartoon from a softer world made me tear up a little. When I first returned from my Asian travels back in May/June, my dog, Venus, had just had four puppies. Since I was an unemployed bum living with my Dad, I was the one taking care of the puppies all day so I grew pretty attached.

Naturally one emerged as my favorite and I secretly called her Lola, even though we weren't supposed to name them since we were selling them. She was so calm and sweet (which says a lot when you're talking about Jack Russell terriers!) and fell asleep on me on a regular basis. I desperately wanted to keep her but unfortunately I am just not at a stage in my life where I can have pets. It would be a nightmare finding a suitable rental and we're just not financially able to buy property now. Plus we are out a lot so it just isn't fair or responsible to own a pet right now.

So the puppy was sold (she was the last to go) and named Duchess (ugh! ugh! ugh!) and yesterday she died. The woman that bought her didn't tie her up or put her in the house/garage or take her along when she decided to go to town for something. This resulted in Duchess chasing the truck and getting hit and killed. And I am angry, really angry at her. I know it's not my dog, but I loved her anyway. She did a stupid, irresponsible thing and I am angry. I know she is sorry and I know I am sad and should work on being sad instead of angry but today I am angry. Hug your pet today and please, please care for them responsibly! They are permanent babies and need you! Goodbye Lola, I love you.

What Inspires You?

2009-09-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Maybe you've noticed I've been trying to write more. Since returning from Asia I'm really making an effort to set goals (even if they are small), learn, search for happiness and stand up for myself and the things I believe in.

I've already mentioned my love for stationary and so I'm showing you my new Inspiration Journal. I'm writing quotes, blog ideas, funny anecdotes and interesting information down in it. I bought it when I was traveling in Thailand and decided I should use it instead of save it (like the other 10 journals I have in boxes). I'm not really a "dear diary" type so this seems like a useful application for it.

So this is where I'm at. I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life long term and keep doing what makes me happiest. I'm not sure where this blog is heading but it will probably continue to be a record of things I'm doing and stuff I'm thinking about. I like things to be interactive so if you're reading and have hesitated on commenting in the past I would like to encourage you to comment. It really makes my day and I do write back!

What about you- do you set specific goals for yourself? Do you journal? What do you think of my new blogging direction?

Speaking of goals, to give an update on my reading goal, it's slowed down a lot since I've been working full time but I'm going to keep going and see where I get. The important thing is that I'm reading, right? I'm in the middle of three books (Wicked, Look Me in the Eye and The Year of the Flood) so hopefully I'll finish them all up soon. I figure reading should be about relaxation and enjoyment rather than numbers. Saying that, I still covet the reading numbers of some of my friends. I just don't know how they find the time to read that much though!

Shut up about the Swine Flu already!!!

2009-09-29T15:41:00.000-06:00

I have to say, I am so sick of hearing about Swine Flu. I wish there was some sort of vaccination I could take that would save me from all the catastrophizing and media hype about this. This reminds me of all the SARS and Avian Flu (bird flu) garbage in the past few years. People, this is nothing to get crazy over. All of these actions that I've been seeing to help protect yourself and your loved ones from swine flu is likely just going to make things worse.

What do I mean? Well, let's look at the new additions of antibacterial wipes and Purell dispensers that are gracing the entrance of public places. This seems like a good idea but the overuse of antibacterial products is one of the things that is contributing to drug resistant strains of microorganisms. These products are helpful but you shouldn't be slathering them on all the time. Regular soap and water will do the trick. Also, it's okay to be a bit dirty sometimes, in my opinion, because it helps your body build up its immune system. Anyway, this is just one small example of a change I've noticed since the swine flu was classified as a pandemic.

I did a little bit of research and as I suspected, many more people die from influenza (aka the regular flu) yearly than have died from the Swine Flu. The symptoms for both are pretty similar and for the vast majority of people the swine flu is fairly mild. Unless you fall into one of the more vulnerable groups (very old, very young or very sick) you are probably going to be just fine. I'd like to point out that those vulnerable groups are the ones that are vulnerable to just about every illness as well, not just Swine Flu. Shouldn't we be focusing our energy on AIDS or cancer? Aren't these things bigger threats to public health and well-being? Probably but they've been covered before therefore the scare factor has worn off so the media isn't reporting on them. Until new and frightening information is gleaned (cancer is airborne!?! you can get AIDS from fast food!?!) those topics won't be making the headlines.

I can see why people are freaking out. Historically speaking, H1N1 has killed a lot of people. However, that was in 1918 and we've become more medically and hygienically advanced since then. Plus, the Spanish Flu was given a '5' on the Pandemic Severity Index and right now the Swine Flu is rated as a '1'. I think everyone really needs to chill out about this. We're a long way from here:

Before I get a bunch of comments telling me to take Swine Flu seriously, let me say this- I don't think we should ignore it. That being said, we need to be more sensible and exaggerating about it will only cause panic and panic solves nothing. I was reading an article online today that seemed to have a little bit of common sense. It's called 7 Better Ways Medicine Can Beat Back Swine Flu. Probably my favorite tip for swine flu prevention was to make sure you're getting enough Vitamin D. It's easy to do, there are no side effects involved and you are probably Vitamin D deficient anyway. You don't need a shot or a round of antibiotics, you don't have to drown your children in Purell; just use common sense. Get enough rest, eat well, exercise, take a vitamin, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands with soap and water.

To sum it up: if you're concerned about Swine Flu I suggest you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, shut off the latest emergency Fox News bulletin and go outside to get some Vitamin D.

Sushi, Sushi, Sushi!

2009-09-28T23:15:00.000-06:00

My supper date with Steph and her friends was a lot of fun. We met at Maki Maki and ordered a lot of sushi! Everything and everyone wasn't photographed but here's a little peak at a few of the delicious dishes! I would go there again since the prices were okay and the sushi was yummy! I think I need a plate of tuna sashimi all to myself though. I miss the sushi place we went to in Korea with it's included miso soup and cheaper prices. Maki Maki does have a better menu than that place though. Does anyone else love sushi like I do? What's your favorite kind?

24 Hour Film Contest

2009-09-27T10:57:00.000-06:00

After working a 12 hour shift I was greeted by these silly boys. Sev decided to enter the 24 Hour Film Contest this year and recruited Matt to help him. They entered a few years ago but had been unable to finish their film in time. They decided to use a stop animation tableau style since it cut down on budget expenses, made reshooting scenes easier and they didn't have to worry about giving recognition to actors or getting permission to shoot at various locations.

The theme was "romantic western" so they had some sort of space cowboys thing going on. They also had to include some chocolate coins as props and have the words "reel" and "fabulous" somewhere in the dialogue. I'm not sure when they find out if they won anything but it's an accomplishment that they actually managed to make the whole thing (and not stay up all night doing so). I haven't seen the film yet but I'm looking forward to it!

Sustainable Shopping

2009-09-25T19:32:00.000-06:00

I came across the Uniform Project recently and thought it was a pretty interesting idea. I'm not really that fashionable but I try to look nice. I definitely admire people who have a strong sense of style and are willing to take risks (and not look like a total idiot in the process). In the Uniform Project the creator is wearing the same dress (she has 7 identical dresses) everyday but styling it completely differently using accessories and other clothing pieces. If you click on the monthly viewing of the blog you can see how successful she is. It's astonishing how different she looks each day!

This reminded me of the Little Brown dress (that I once featured on my Little Brown Blog) although that woman actually wore only one dress for the entire year (and did add a few things to it but just for warmth purposes). Both these women are doing/did similar projects with different purposes. The former is trying to raise money for children in India and the latter is trying to raise environmental/anti-materialism awareness. I think both are worthy causes.

It makes me think of a post made by my lovely friend Simone, at her fabulous blog Skinny Dip, on how she is striving to makeunder her life and wardrobe. I have to admit that I am a serial shopper- I especially love things on sale and often buy them without thinking about if they are worth any money at all or if I really like or need them. This bad habit has meant that my drawers and closet are bursting. Living in Korea was a nice exercise in sustainable shopping since I literally couldn't wear 95% of the garments they sold there (I talk about their "free size" over here). This really cut down on what I bought and it made me learn to be creative and to choose wisely when I was purchasing a new piece.

Needless to say, once I returned to Canada my bad habits have reared their ugly heads and I find myself shopping just because I can. I am doing a bit better I suppose because I do think twice before buying something and I am much better at purging my closet. I should probably purge again soon but maybe I will do that once the cold weather sets in and I can gauge what I am wearing a little better. Does anyone else have trouble letting go of clothes? Is your closet minimalistic or out of control? What's your biggest shopping weakness?

Sometimes all you need...

2009-09-25T16:24:00.001-06:00

...is some good company and all your stress just melts away. I love these girls! I am also ridiculously excited that it's the hockey pre-season. I can't wait to cheer for the Oilers this season!

Weird Soaps

2009-09-24T16:01:00.000-06:00

I check up on the news online and I somehow got redirected to this article. Who is buying this stuff? Specifically the creepy baby hand soap or the soap that smells like bacon. People are freaks!

Review: No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children

2009-09-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

I read Corinne Maier's book over a couple days in Chapters. I mentioned this to Stephie and immediately was met with, "Oh no!!! Does this mean you're not going to have kids!?!". I thought this was amusing but I reassured her that I do plan on having a child or two sometime but that the book is interesting and important (not to mention hilarious!) anyway.

Before anyone gets too excited, one of the most fascinating things about Maier is that she is a mother herself. Yes, that's right. She loves her kids too and isn't some crazy, ultra feminist, baby eating monster. She's just willing to admit something that the vast majority of mothers would never dream of saying- she sometimes regrets having children and misses her former child-free life.

Should she feel ashamed about this? Is Maier afflicting major psychological and emotional damage on her children by sharing this; especially writing a book about this? I don't really know. What I do know is that society is way too fixated on traditional lifestyles and should really keep their noses out of other people's bedrooms. It's natural for a culture/species to be self preserving and obviously reproduction is a huge part of that. However, not everyone is qualified, able or wants to have children and that should be okay. Instead of being criticized by everyone they meet, they should be supported in their decision. Why does everyone have to have a baby? When you consider what a state the environment is in and all of the children that are starving, being abused, neglected, etc is growing rapidly every day it might not be a terrible idea to abstain from adding to all of that.

So the next time you hear someone say they don't want kids, please don't patronize them with "Oh, you'll change your mind!! Children are the most precious gifts in all the universe and everyone should have a gang of them!!". Imagine if the same rude attitude was presented to an aspiring parent! There would be outrage! It's important to remember that not everyone has to have the same life. It's a good thing that everyone doesn't aspire to be an Octo-mom, an 18 kids and counting, an Angelina Jolie or a Jon and Kate + 8. Otherwise there would be no more room for new programs on TLC and we would probably run out of resources a lot faster.

I definitely recommend this book for the giggles (how can you not chuckle at chapter titles like, "Labour (child birth) is torture" and "You won’t have to use that idiot language when talking to kids"?) and the thinking it produces.

Peanut Butter Pork

2009-09-22T15:19:00.000-06:00

So I decided to try and be domestic and made supper the other night. I used the crock pot since I love that you can dump stuff in it and leave it alone. I decided to try an unusual sounding recipe that had great reviews: Asian Peanut Butter Pork. Overall it turned out pretty tasty. The pork was moist and tender and the sauce wasn't really that peanut buttery, it was more like an unusual sweet sauce (but not in a bad way). I went all out and even picked up the recommended garnishes and I'm glad that I did since the lime really helped add some lightness to the dish. The sauce is really heavy. Everyone liked it, however, it's not really the type of thing you'd want to eat everyday. The website I found the recipe on looks pretty interesting. The writer made all of her family's meals in the crock pot for an entire year and blogged about it. Lots of good ideas! Does this mean I will be cooking all the time? No, sorry folks. I still dislike it immensely!

Name The Countries

2009-09-17T11:30:00.000-06:00

Besides being ridiculously busy at work and trying to balance life otherwise, I have been playing online games. My current obsession is trying to name all of the countries in the world in 15 minutes or less. My best score is 166 out of 195. It's hard though! And some of these countries are spelled so strangely! Another problem I am having is that I am starting to get obscure countries but then I forget obvious ones. Give it a try and tell me your best score! That website has lots of fun quiz games that really make you think.

Le Papier Finds

2009-09-15T01:04:00.000-06:00

There's a store on Whyte Ave called Le Papier which I love going to. It is full of pretty cards and stationary! It also has inspirational art that isn't tacky. I especially love mary anne radmacher's work. If I ever get a job with an office I am totally buying some and having it framed to display. Here are a couple of my favorites. I got Matt one of her greeting cards for our anniversary this year.

I also picked up a couple of these journals and gave one to my Mom and the other to my Dad. I've been eying them for years- since I lived in Edmonton before I went to Korea, actually. Now I finally got around to buying them and I asked them both to fill them out and give them to me at Christmas time. I am really looking forward to their answers! I think it's a neat idea, even if some of the questions don't totally fit. I suppose if someone was really motivated they could create their own books with their own questions. I have a terrible memory (hence why I blog so much) so I think these journals will be a really special gift that I can keep forever. Have you seen anything pretty or inspirational today?

Strange Happenings

2009-09-14T13:03:00.001-06:00

Our weekend had a couple of strange/irritating events. When we returned to Edmonton after visiting my Mom there was someone parked in our assigned parking stall. Matt and I took some deep breaths and tried to calm our rage and then parked on the street in front of the building instead. It was a really nice car too, much nicer than ours. We wrote a polite but firm note and left it on the window and then Matt proceeded to jump in the shower and start getting ready for our movie date. About halfway through his shower the water shut off completely. His hair was full of shampoo and the only rinsing option came from the Brita water filter in our refrigerator. Poor Matt.

We shook it off though, it was our anniversary after all! We set out and on the way to the movies we noticed a NORAEBANG!!! Yep, that's right, they do exist (well one does anyway) in Edmonton. We went in and chatted with the nice owner, looked at the rooms and the song lists (he updates them with current English songs!), grabbed a business card and vowed to return soon. Seemed like our bad luck was improving.

The movie was okay and gave us something to talk about since we've both read the book. We get home and the person is STILL parked in our spot and the note hasn't been touched. At this point they have been parked there for at least 6 hours (probably longer though since we were gone all day). We park on the street again and go up to our apartment. The water is still off. We go out and purchase bottled water so I can wash my face and brush my teeth. It's an interesting exercise in water usage. Hmmm...

The next morning there still is no water. Apparently a pipe broke and so they are trying to fix it. Leah and I need a shower in a desperate sort of way. Steph is still visiting Mom so I text Bryn and Alisse. They both say we can come over and we head to Bryn's (it's closer). Bryn is a total sweetheart and makes us banana chocolate chip pancakes! I proceed to get syrup all over myself. We return to the apartment and the same person is still parked there. We get them towed. Our water is fixed shortly afterward and normalcy resumes.

Now and Then: 10 Years of Us

2009-09-14T12:39:00.001-06:00

I could make this really mushy but that's not really my style. It was our ten year anniversary this weekend and we had a nice day. Nothing really monumental happened but I suppose you should be recognizing the important relationships in your life every day, right?

We went out and saw the Time Traveler's Wife (you can read Matt's review of it over here) and then bought ourselves a present.

I've always wanted to have nice things. That may sound really materialistic but let's face it, we need stuff to run a household and I am sick of owning a bunch of crap that is falling apart. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on new pots and pans and they are just gorgeous! Now that I'm staying in one place I want to make my living space as comfortable as I can. My parents have already helped me in the right direction with the fabulous living room furniture and TV and so now my goal is to keep that up and invest in quality things that I will love for a long time. You can see what we were cooking with before and our beautiful new cookware in the second picture. What do you think?

I think the next thing we need to save for and invest in will be a new table and chairs. What are you saving for? Have you made any big purchases lately?

Anyway, to get back on topic- Happy Anniversary Matt! And thank you to everyone that recognized our special day!

I Love My Dogs

2009-09-13T12:31:00.000-06:00

I wish I could see them more often! I hope that Zeus stays healthy. I was teasing Dad about Venus gaining weight. I wish I had a house so I could have a pet. Aren't they adorable?

A Weekend Filled with Celebration

2009-09-13T11:26:00.000-06:00

I was able to get Friday off of work so I could go to my Dad's house and celebrate his 56th birthday with him. It was a fabulous meal (as always) of BBQ chicken, pork chops, salad, roasted potatoes and fresh buns. We also had the traditional DQ ice cream cake which Sharron added even more Reese Peanut Butter Cups to. Like it wasn't fattening enough already. It was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves. After supper we played Balderdash (which we call Bangladesh after Sharron slipped up and called it that years ago) and it was really hilarious. Some highlights included Foumart (An unsuccessful chain of grocery stores run by Mr. T) and Fingers (A movie about a gang of fingerless pirates who are unable to cut open their lemons and ultimately die of scurvy). Jules won for the first time too so that was nice for him. In case you're not familiar with the rules of Balderdash, they give you a word, movie title, name, etc and you have to make up a fake definition and then hope people choose yours as the correct definition. If you look closely at the picture you will see that we are all idiots and accidentally played from finish to start. Oops!

The next morning we had a fabulous breakfast and spent some more time visiting before heading off to see my Mom. Her birthday is on the 15th and so we wanted to see her and enjoy her fantastic cooking. She made ham, scalloped potatoes, fresh garden beets and carrots with rhubarb pie and ice cream for dessert. Basically that was the end of eating for the day. Haha!

We returned back to Edmonton and Matt and I spent the rest of the weekend together. Why? Well, it was our anniversary. September is busy! I will blog a bit more about our anniversary soon. I can't believe it's been ten years! Oh and if you want to see all the pictures from Dad's birthday you can go over here.

Your Tipping Point?

2009-09-12T10:41:00.000-06:00

Since returning from Asia I have thought a lot about our mandatory tipping policies in North America. Everywhere I go I am being accosted by tip jars, tips being added into my check and being outright asked for a tip. Asia has a pretty strict "no tip" policy (although it's definitely catching on, especially in tourist frequented areas) and in fact they will chase after you to return the money if you do leave a tip! Needless to say, it's been difficult to adjust to adding on that extra 10, 15 or 20 percent again. Frankly, I'm getting a little annoyed.

Before I sound too much like a miser, I don't mind tipping if there is something to tip for. If someone has really done an exceptional job or if they have done a good job and are clearly very busy (I am talking about waiters/waitresses here). What I object to is the attitude that tipping is mandatory and expected. Isn't tipping a bonus or a reward? If so, why do so many people feel entitled to receiving one? It's getting worse too. In the past I was only expected to tip my server, my bartender, my pizza deliverer. Now everyone has a jar sitting in front of their cash register! I feel bad for the fast food workers but really, should I be tipping you? How about the people at the cupcake shop- sure you served me my cupcake in a timely fashion but does it really merit a tip? Should I be monetarily thankful to you too? I was under the impression that you were already getting paid to do your job and that it was coming out of the money I paid for the product.

The argument here is that these sorts of jobs have poor salaries and that these workers are depending on their tips in order to make up the difference and survive. Why are consumers picking up the slack for employers who refuse to pay a decent wage? I think that's the real issue here. With inflation rising and wages staying the same, especially for unskilled work, it is getting harder to make ends meet. I can see the appeal of trying to get a few extra bucks but it feels a bit like begging. Also, what about the jobs that deserve tipping and don't get it? When was the last time you tipped the poor furniture delivery person? These guys just carried your new couch up 4 flights of stairs and maneuvered it into your labyrinth of an apartment and all they get is a smile and thank you? How is that fair when you just handed the pizza guy an extra $5? It just doesn't make much sense to me (which is why I often don't tip the pizza guy and I do tip the furniture delivery guy).

I think that we should question tipping. What is it's purpose and is it really helping anything? Maybe if we only tipped when it was really deserved then there would be more pressure on some employers to increase their crappy wages. Possibly I am just really out of touch and cheap and should go back to Asia? What do you think?

The Cupcake Phenomenon

2009-09-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

After hanging out with Diane I did a few errands and then decided to succumb to the "new" cupcake trend that seems to be going on. I realize this isn't that new, since they have had cupcake shops in Vancouver and Calgary (and who knows where else) for a number of years now. In fact, a few years ago Leah bought make a cupcake birthday cake (it was just a CAKE though, so I didn't really understand what they were trying to pull with that)! Now it seems to be exploding a bit and cupcakes are everywhere! Have you seen all of the complicated cupcake cookbooks you can buy now? Of course, no one can forget the awesome hamburger cupcakes that I made last month.

There are two cupcake shops in Edmonton within a few blocks of each other: Fuss Cupcakes and Flirt Cupcakes. Is this really sustainable? Are cupcakes here to stay or will one (or both?) of these businesses be collapsing in the next while? Is a cupcake really worth $3.10? Why are cupcakes so popular these days?

I decided to find out and went to Fuss Cupcakes and tried their Soul Mate concoction. The Soul Mate has chocolate cake infused with vanilla butter cream frosting and then is dipped in chocolate ganache. The cake itself was nothing special- dry actually, but the presentation is really fun and whimsical. The whole shop is quite the novelty and that's my opinion of all these cupcake shops. We're in a recession and $3.10 seems pretty inexpensive for something fun even though it is actually quite expensive for the product itself. I am sure that all of the cupcakes are tasty but it's a silly expense when you could just bake your own at home.

Maybe cupcakes are for the weight conscious? It makes sense- you just have one and put the rest away. Cupcakes are adorable and as a result, their size makes you think that you're not really indulging. The problem with baking them yourself is that rarely does anyone just eat one cupcake and give the rest away. When you bake you end up eating a lot of the batter, icing and then a number of your creations (or is this only me and my zero willpower?). Really you would be better off making a cake since it is less time consuming and you'll probably only eat a piece of it. Or have a cupcake party with a bunch of people so that the decorating work and the eating is more evenly distributed.

What do you think? Have you noticed the increased cupcake popularity? Are they worth the hype? I just keep thinking about how ridiculously popular they would be in Korea (are there cupcake shops there now? I miss Korea!!).

Catching Up

2009-09-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

Before I went to Korea I was struggling at a job that didn't make me happy. In fact, most of the time it made me pretty miserable. One of the few things I loved about that job was getting to work with my friend Diane. It's been too long since I've seen her but we finally managed to meet up. It was so refreshing to hang out with someone who understands my sense of humor and holds so many of the same interests as I do.

She's interested in joining a book club and I have been trying to find one/get one started. I met up with Catherine from my Bookleaves book club (in Korea, yeah she lives here now) and she has a book club with some friends. Also a friend from university messaged me about a book club and so now I think I just need to get off my butt and call people.

Aren't Diane and I cute? It took me a lot of convincing to get her to let me take her picture. People can be so funny. We had a yummy brunch and basically talked until we were just about hungry again.

Oodle Noodle, DQ & SYTYCD

2009-09-09T23:05:00.000-06:00

I'm not so sure of this season of sytycd canada. I've been pretty underwhelmed so far. Can it be that the first season spoiled me? Or that they are playing too many dance shows back to back? Maybe. I do enjoy Emanuel (they fixed his hair... hmm... no surprised) and I love Melanie Mah. I'm not really attached to any of the contestants like last year and what is with all of the falls and mistakes!? Sloppy stuff. I keep hoping that it will pick up or maybe the new American one will be better?

The major downside of my job is it's schedule. Ultimately I want to find a day job like Matt so I can do fun things in the evenings. Like host sytycd nights at my house! I had Tuesday off this time so I had these guys over (Sev and Leah came too) and we all watched it together and made hilarious comments and heckles. If the show isn't good at least the company makes up for it. It's just not the same when I watch it alone the next day after Matt tapes it for me.