6 bits and bobs

thanks to the fine lady behind this blog, i now have to tell you 6 random things about myself.  this couldn't have come at a better time as i haven't been in the writing mood much this week.

get ready for SIX PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN THINGS ABOUT ME!

1 - i recently got another, my sixth, tattoo.
2 - when i get stressed, i like to bake.  i baked a toffee/butterscotch square tonight.
3 - i spend far too much time on facebook and i don't think anything productive comes of it.  i need to cut back on my wasted online time.
4 - i like to grocery shop.  but i think the grocery shopping more enjoyable in the uk.
5 - i love a good cheeseburger.
6 - i was invited to a wedding today and i am really looking forward to it.  it'll be in a restaurant on a friday evening and full of interesting people.

i don't really know many of the people on the www, so i am going to skip the part where i have to tag other people.  if you feel like doing it, please do and leave me a comment so i can come and check out your 6 tidbits!

a mid autumn night's update

i have wanted to post all week, but somehow life kept getting in the way. i promise a post that does not include bullet points will be forthcoming.

here are things that are new since we last spoke:

• i have put together more furniture and loved the problem solving of it
• i rid myself of a boyfriend that i had managed to acquire these past few months
• during and after the Break Up, i felt absolutely ok about it all. my life did not crumble. my spirit did not take a hit. i was a little disappointed so i took a nap.
• then i scheduled 3 dates for this week. because i can. 2 down, 1 to go.
• i went to a luncheon where $60,000 was raised to open a shelter for victims of human trafficking (but none of that was my money as i didn't like their world vision-y style of fundraising)
• i made a delicious dinner for my first dinner guest at the nest - salmon with caramelised leeks was the centrepiece and i invented a berry crumble for dessert
• my company is a major sponsor of the honen's piano competition and i had the pleasure of spending over an hour today listening to a previous winner play a grand piano at my office (and i love the design of this year's programme so go over and take a look)
• i was given tickets to tonight's flames game, but couldn't find anyone i wanted to spend a few hours with who wasn't already busy so i gave them away to a summer student who then asked me if i wanted to go with him. the guy's got guts!
• one of my closest friends invited me to her wedding. it will be in england. in december. i hope i can wear a hat!
• i obtained a lucky lady deal from the shop where i bought my bookshelves and i will now have them delivered for free. yay for not having to find someone to carry them up the stairs to my front door!
• speaking of that front door. it happens to be right beside the front door of a rather dapper young gentleman. i know nothing about him, but my friend did suggest that i look at his mail and see if i can find out his name and then i could google him. because that is totally not crazy at all!

on my birthday...

• i was gifted organisational tools. organisational tools!
• i tried my new underwear on over my sweatpants and chased my future brother-in-law around the house (oh yeah)
• my bestest friend made me pepper and leek quiche for brunch
• i ran nearly 7km
• i waited in a queue for an hour to have dieter washed
• my mama made me lasagne for dinner
• i got a kitchen aid mixer! and a martha stewart cookie cook book (bake book?)
• i had a latte (with real milk!)
• i listened to some cbc podcasts while making mexican dip
• i got this shirt from someecards.com from my sis

and that is what you call a good birthday.

back to essentials

(january 15, 2008)

there are more rallies scheduled for nairobi tomorrow. since the two sides can still not come to a power sharing agreement. i am not sure how i feel about the rallies. i support the democratic right of the opposition to hold peaceful demonstrations but the government and police pretty much enforce a police state every time they announce they are having one. on the other hand, if people are going to be injured and there will be more displaced people, then why hold a rally? what goal will it accomplish? and i think kenyans are tired of all of this and even those opposition supporters don’t seem as interested in public demonstrations. but they could prove me wrong and hold a sizeable protest.

which is why our offices are going back to only essential staff again. and in my new role as emergency operations extraordinaire, i am still essential. but that means a quiet office for me to make a dent in my To Do list. i have been thinking that my office needs a tidy and a reorg. i need some organisational devices but because of our ridiculous procurement system, i can only spend so much money per month and it has to come off a project. is the private sector this ridiculous too? or are projectised systems more lenient in that world?

the illness seems to be clearing with a small dose of antibiotics and antihistimines, which are making my nose run at the moment. the good old doctor did not disappoint in his prescription for antibiotics and steam inhalations. i think he would prescribe inhalations for people with sprained ankles.

i became a grown up this past weekend when i purchased my first Piece of Art by a kenyan artist. it is pretty fantastic but i am not sure how much you pay for art. i guess it all comes down to what you think it is worth. and yet, i will argue with any taxi driver that tries charge me even $1 more than i want to pay. i will even call my old stand by drivers and will wait until they can arrive rather than pay a dollar more. but my Piece of Art is fantastic and i love it so i guess that is how you decide whether or not art (or anything) is worth it. sadly, it does not have a name and i believe all art should be named so i will have to brainstorm on this one. i also baked bread this weekend too. but i am afraid i did not knead it enough. i have nothing to base this on besides my fatigued arms and the texture of the bread. but i made bread. and bought art. ergo, i am an adult.

oh glenda

last night i became my mama - i came home from work, took off my work clothes and put on yoga pants and my runners to go grocery shopping. then i came home, threw on an apron (kept my runners on) and whipped up some granola bars.

not that my mom has ever made homemade granola bars as far as i can remember, but she always wears her runners in the house and until last night, i don't think i ever had unless i had just come from a run.

my sister is a genius

'heart burn from stress is in our genes. it is right next to the baking gene that relieves stress.'

'i met a guy who looks like david grey. is david grey black?'

3 words: taylor & mom's pants

it just made me laugh out loud again, the kind where you try not to let it out. love that.

workers of the world, unite

(march 1, 2007)

today is a holiday in kenya and i couldn’t have needed it more after the past weeks i have had. working evenings and weekends has taken its toll on me, i am fighting a cold and forgot to eat on friday; sometime in the early evening i realised that i had not had a bite to eat all day and nibbled on some almonds before heading home at 8:00pm to watch grey’s anatomy and bake muffins with a friend. i’ve been busy but i have enjoyed it and i am learning heaps (finally).

to celebrate labour day i decided to go for a morning run with my trainer/friend and then hike up a volcano. i am not sure that running and hiking up a volcano on the same day was a good idea. lately, i haven’t been as active as i would like and pairing that with trying to kick this illness and being overworked, it was tough. and not tough in the good way but tough in the way where i had to give each leg a little pep talk at each step on the steep inclines. but the views of the great rift valley are always amazing and it keeps me coming back for more. something about the birthplace of humanity or great company and the opportunity to pack a picnic. i managed to make tuna, guacamole, and bake muffins before we left this morning.

my sister has posted a wee synopsis of our trip and since i have yet to do the same, i will kindly direct you there for a quick read about how fantastic the two and half weeks travelling kenya together were.

i received some distressing news recently. my friend is in the hospital in toronto, far away from family and friends, because he got hit by a bus. hit by a bus! until his broken hip heals we won’t be able to do this anytime soon:

i have got my hands on the first half of the 3rd seasons of grey’s anatomy up to the 17th episode, the one where meredith spends the entire episode under water and mcdreamy swoops in with his helmet-like hair to pluck her out of the pacific. um, ok. i just don’t know about that but i do know that i need to locate the next episode to find out what happens because that was way too intense. and i hate to devote too much brain space to television considering i don’t even own one, but i really hope that izzie is still a character next season and they agreed to give katherine heigl more money or whatever the dilemma was. and keeping in mind that i live in a vacuum of pop culture, forgive me if this is yesterday’s news.

i went on a second date with the hunter – meh.

a question to the internet – how much would you pay to see the mountain gorillas in uganda?

a) nothing, you are crazy for even considering it

b) $50

c) $100

d) $200

e) $300

f) $400

g) whatever it takes, hurry up and book your trip now before you miss the boat and the opportunity to see an endangered animal and one of human’s closest relatives in its natural habit.

but seriously, i would like to know.

ginger snap!

i baked ginger snaps last night and they were truly delicious. this baking kick i am on lately makes me want to open a bakery. those crave ladies are really on to something and i think it would be so much more rewarding to work for yourself. but international development isn't really welcoming to the entrepreneurial spirit. actually sometimes i think it kills your spirit instead of inspiring any new ideas.

whoops, let a bit of frustration slip out there.

my answer to the question Should HPV vaccinations be extended to young men? is yes. i understand the reasons behind not approving a vaccination without first testing it among the population that will use it, but how does anyone expect to stop the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease if both genders are not targeted? just seems silly. and why do women have to be the ones who have the vaccine? we get another poke or cancer, just doesn't seem fair. but a vaccine for hpv, which causes cervical cancer, i give that two thumbs up.

i am wearing linen pants today for perhaps the first time in my life. and how is it that i have not discovered the beauty of linen before now?! they are like pyjamas. at work. pyjamas at work!

this past weekend i went horseback riding. thought i should mention that. loved it. want to go back. i forgot how much i love being on horseback. when i am rich and famous or marry someone rich and famous, i will spend my fortune on horses. and eradicating guinea worm. it would be a nice existence.

cookie crumbs

(march 20, 2007)

i have been in the baking mood lately. i have had 2 butternut squash(es?) sitting in my pantry (or larder as we discovered people from that other commonwealth country in the northern hemisphere call it) and i really wasn’t sure how much longer they would keep so i had my housekeeper cut it up today so i could make some cookies with it. i was trying a new recipe and it did cross my mind that cookies with squash in them might not turn out so well, but i think the existence of squash on the list of ingredients was the least of my worries. the cookies flattened out too much, got stuck to the cookie sheet, and crumbled when i attempted to remove them.

cumbly cookies are not such a problem. the real problem lies in the little known fact that there are actually no calories in crumbs. i know, perhaps you had not heard this before and you are right now questioning everything you thought you knew about the universe, including doubting those other well-known theories like gravity and relativity. but ‘tis a fact long acknowledged that there are no calories in crumbs.

of course the problem i faced tonight is not that there are no calories in crumbs but that when you bake dozens of cookies that are all crumbling, that leaves A LOT of calorieless crumbs to be eaten. and eaten they were. but even if cookie crumbs don’t have calories in them, they still make you feel really gross after eating so many. yuck.

and the worst part is that i am still wondering what went wrong with the cookies. why would cookies go so flat and crumbly? i will pass this one over to the resident baker for her contemplation and assessment.

but those crumbs sans calories? delicious. really too bad they didn’t stay in a more stable form.

if i being honest, i am quite alarmed at the wealth of words i could come up with tonight to discuss my baking mishap. i sound like an old gran. a hip old gran sure, but still an old gran. does it count that i was drinking a beer while i was baking? cause i was. so there.

hearts and thoughts, they fade

valentine's day in kenya is pretty intense. shops give specials, the hospital excused fees for some people, and there are little kiosks set up selling the cheesiest bunches of red roses (i really don't like roses, i don't know why, seem too artificial - but tulips or calla lillies and i'm yours). everyone wishes you a happy valentine's day and i had totally forgotten until this morning. normally i like to do something valentine's-y for my friends. last year i baked cookies and packaged them in handmade bags with cards. this year, my efforts have fallen short.

to celebrate this valentine's day i watched The Last Kiss. i liked it. the older i get, the more grey relationships seem. not as black and white as i once naively thought. and the movie reflects that in the most sad and painful way. but it is also hopeful, i think. it reminded me of The Breakup. are movies reflecting reality more these days or am i just seeking out the movies that represent life a little better? it was funny, in The Last Kiss, the person i thought i would be rooting for at the beginning totally wasn't and i found myself hoping for a different outcome. i guess you could say the movie made me think. and those are the best kind.

ok, i lied, to really celebrate this valentine's day i am going to zanzibar, which really ain't so bad. i leave in just a few hours and i haven't even packed yet, but i think it will a great time as long as i remember my bikini, my kikoi, and my sunscreen (no sunglasses since i lost one pair and broke the other). how can you argue with a beach, tropical ocean water, swahili culture, and a few good books?

the happiest hour

i had my first after-work-happy-hour-special drinks yesterday and the 3 (or 4?) cosmopolitans were enough for me to be feeling pretty happy and sober again by 9:00pm. and the best part of it was that i was in bed by 11:00pm then up feeling fresh and chipper at 7:00am. all of sudden this whole happy hour thing makes so much sense! where have i been all these years between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on a monday night?

when i got home last night i was warmly welcomed with a new oven (previous to this glorious moment, i had been sans oven) which has left me dreaming of apple crisp, chocolate chip cookies, and raisin bran muffins all day at work. that dream was interrupted long enough for my boss to bring me a mars bar which i gobbled up as i rethought about giving up chocolate for lent, still without any decisions.

can i put a request out to the universe to post me some mini eggs?! but not the british kind (suz, wait til you try them, not nearly as good as the ones from the great white north). i know beggars can't be chosers, but really, they just do not compare.

interested in an update on the birthday celebrations? well here you go: i give the evening a 7.5 out of 10. too many sugary shots, great showing of different groups of people, free drinks and free rides, appearances from my full social calendar (but only a text message from the coup), and some friendly reprimands for sending messages after i'd had some red wine (but don't worry, none to 25, that jerk).

i hope to improve on my rating this weekend, however, when my flatmates and i host a cocktail party (or just a party, i still don't know the difference) as a late-birthday/going-away/it's-february-and-i-am-not-wearing-mittens-or-a-toque party. the invite list is sitting at 50 but sure to grow. i've got to represent over here in africa as my parents have become known to throw the best parties in the neighbourhood and that is a reputation that needs living up to if i have ever heard one. although it might difficult without hockey parents, tequila grandma, and the velvet painting.

an abundance of tumeric

anyone need any bran, raisins, or a cupboard full of spices? i seem to have a lot of these things and cannot make enough muffins to get rid of most of it in the next 4 weeks.

it is coming to that time again, where i have to pick my life up and relocate it somewhere. less than a month left in my little room and since i am so focused on getting my thesis done, i am not even thinking about how i will go about moving my life again. maybe i am subconsciously avoiding it.

i am sick of moving around and yet i think if i were in the same place for too long i would get antsy and bored. then again, i am craving stability and a steady schedule. it seems as though i cannot know where exactly i will be living for a little while yet and where i was entirely certain i was ready to settle myself somewhere, that might not be the case anymore. but while i sit around and wait in the meantime, what do i do with a cupboard full of spices?!

rolling, brewing, steeping, baking, cleaning, eating, typing.....oh and thinking

i finished one of my three papers today and it felt great! i also sent off another job application so i feel like i am rather on a roll. and i would like to take advantage of this situation of wanting to work and not procrastinate, but i think i am all tuckered out from the exertion of the first paper (ha! if you consider baking cookies, cleaning my bathroom, making and then consuming copious amounts of tea and coffee, eating loads of toast and cereal for snacks, talking on msn for hours, making iTunes playlists, and getting a pedicure hard work!) my eyes are slowly closing and it is only 1am, much earlier than my recent 4am bedtime.

but i am trying to work hard (well, apart from the time i waste doing god knows what in this tiny room) because my parents come for a visit in 3 days!

a home

i have spent a weekend away, eating. whenever you stay at someone's house they always insist on feeding you! and i am feeling really quite unhealthy at the moment, so that doesn't help. and then i couldn't get myself out of bed this morning to go for a run so i am going to try and fit it in later today or tomorrow. i gotta get a schedule!

leeds for the weekend was fantastic. i had my first starbucks chai latte in the uk and it only cost me about $6, what a deal. it is so nice to wander around shops, stop and have a coffee at a coffeeshop, and spend the evening on a couch watching a movie. sounds a bit strange, unless you've ever lived without a cozy spot to curl up or in university residence. and a home-cooked roast beef dinner is pretty great too.

yesterday we walked around a Very Old abbey in the yorkshire dales, and it was nice to be outside even with all the mud and near-falls down slippery hills. there was snow on the ground that crunched when you walked and i could hear all the newly born lambs baa-ing in the farmer's fields and it was a perfect way to spend a sunday.

i feel refreshed and ready to finish this semestre. speaking of which... i have three more papers awaiting my attention. should really get to those this week. but i have to do some more baking for my weekend visit with my auntie. at least i can say this whole grad school experience was multi-dimensional even if i don't always get as much reading done as i'd like.

inspiration and rejuvenation

i managed to make espresso with my new italian coffee maker and now i just need those tiny little espresso cups to drink it out of! i always thought they were the cutest but until this time have not had any use for them. one small trip to italy and my whole world has changed...

so what is it that you are supposed to do when you go to italy? besides spin on your heel on the balls of the bull inlaid in the floor of an arcade in milan, you might ask. (because yes i did that, apparently it is for good luck and there must be a lot of lucky people walking around because that poor bull's testicles were nearly non-existent from many years of heel spinning).

if buying italian leather boots and a hand bag is what comes to mind then i have succeeded at having a truly italian experience. these boots are simply divine. cowboyish but rather pointy and probably far too fashionable for a simple canadian girl such as myself. but they sure are fun.

the kindness and hospitality of the people i met in my short time in italy and at the olympics was fantastic. my friend with whom i travelled speaks italian and lived in the country for a few years and i felt privileged to get to know her friends and to stay with people in every city we visited. going out for dinner is a wonderful experience in italy and i was glad to be doing it with people who could translate the menus and make great conversation. we laughed a lot, especially when we met a group of italians at a pizza restaurant and one of them taught me how to do 'skeleton' on the table top while sharing a bottle of wine and playing practical jokes on an unsuspecting japanese couple.

and now i know that i love anchovies! delicious fishy goodness.

the olympics were understated and not overwhelming and although some people might complain about the lack of atmosphere, i quite enjoyed it. i felt that the olympics had not entirely taken over the city. and if it weren't for all the roots paraphernalia, team canada jerseys, and maple leaves you might just think there was an international conference in town. but by far i saw more canadians than any other nationality and even met a bunch of cowboys from calgary as well the men's curling team and catriona le may doan.

it was nice to come back to lancaster rested and rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of the semestre. amazing what time away can show you. i am feeling quite inspired to continue with research and have let go of some of my frustrations. i also was reminded to make the most of my short time here because i will truly never have this opportunity again. getting up in the morning, going for a run, tidying my room, meeting a friend for coffee, spending the afternoon in the library, and coming home to sit and chat in the kitchen with friends really is unique to this particular situation.

tonight i have found loads of muffin, cookie, and bread recipes to make in the coming weeks and i am beginning to realise more and more why my mom bakes. such a relaxing and rewarding experience. perhaps because the best part is sharing the finished products with other people!

i had an invitation by my friend who is older than any of my parents to have picnics this summer and i got all excited thinking about what i could bring and if i could find a basket (and it is not until the summer!) and she said she was happy to find another 'foodie.' now if you knew my history in the kitchen previous to arriving in lancaster this would be a huge shock. but i think i really can hold my own and am excited to keep trying.

a bright green scarf

how does one go into town to shop for tin foil, paper towel, a birthday gift, and face wash and come home with all that AND two pairs of shoes?! well if i knew how it happened yesterday i would tell you. but neither of them were very expensive and both quite cute, if i do say so myself.

i also came across the most fabulous little soup bar yesterday during my alone time. i had carrot and lentil soup and fresh bread and don't think i have eaten something quite that healthy or fresh that i haven't made in a long time. and the company of the woman running the shop was just as nice. i love a woman who wears a bright green scarf.

inspiration struck last night and i crafted little valentines packages and filled them with homemade cookies to give to people in my classes today. i felt rather good doing something for other people and it reminded me that when you are having a bad day that often the best way out of it is to do something nice for someone else. it really does work.

i had a class today where it was so incredibly theoretical that my brain is still trying to unravel itself from the confusion it managed to get into. but i did walk away with this quote, which i quite enjoy although i do not know for certain who said it: you are obliged to inhabit that which you critique.

and on a lighter note, someone outside my window is singing some sort of opera aria and it is not exactly what i want to hear when the sun has just peaked through the clouds on a tuesday valentines afternoon. maybe i should request something a little more upbeat?

grinding my beans and counting my freckles

i think working at a library might actually be sort of nice. apart from the reshelving, the job seems like something that i wouldn't mind doing. the librarians at my university apparently do not feel the same way because they all (except for that one pleasant one who helped me find a book once) are rather miserable and really not nice to interact with. makes my frustration with school in general that much more irritating.

i have spent my friday evening at a coffee shop studying, reading the newspaper, and baking banana bread. very nice way to spend a friday night in february if you ask me. the weather here is great though, i went for a wonderful run this morning and could have actually used a pair of sunglasses!

so far the first day of my lent has gone well. not an ounce of chocolate has passed my lips. only 39 more days to go.

cabbage rolls and aprons

someone recently said that i was 'home-y' and my first reaction was to say 'absolutely not!' but then i realised that it is all relative and that i grew up surrounded by women who kept warm and cozy houses, kitchens, and families and made an environment that welcomed guests. i have distinct memories of my grandma, my mom, and my sister all wearing aprons - my grandma making cabbage rolls, my mom baking cookies, and my sister with pizza dough or cinnamon buns. i suppose you just absorb those 'home-y' skills and the ability to make a warm and welcoming environment. but i still compare myself to them and these women put me to shame!

i think i am getting a sore throat, right now it is just that prickly feeling on the right side of my throat, but i can sense it. best to treat this one with tea and a good night's rest. the tea is easy, it is the good night's rest that seems to be the problem lately.

the spirit is in the air

the cookies turned out marvelously and i even ran some down to my canadian neighbour in my slippers to spread the christmas baking spirit. sometimes i love living in residence.

i even had an assistant baker who helped me whip the butter and sugar by hand, as that gets tiring if it is a one person job.

and i had more than enough chocolate chips, so i ate the leftovers because what else do you do with a few handfuls of chooclate chips?

the dollar hit a new high yesterday, 2.02 dollars to 1 pound!

london fog

today was so foggy, i don't remember fog like this since i was wee (that is scottish for little!). sort of nice.

since when did i age rapidly and sit around and talk about the weather with such regularity?!

but really, the fog deserves a mention.

so does the lack of chocolate chips in this one horse town. is "one horse town" a canadian phrase? sounds rather western now that i think about it. it is what my sister and i call cochrane cause there really is this one statue of a horse.

when i attended a jann arden concert once she mentioned how ridiculous it is that alberta has a town called cochrane AND one called balzac, which really is quite funny when you think about it.

but how is a girl expected to make chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips? that is like a pb&j without the pb.