everything is ticketyboo

Day two - Words

2012-02-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

The theme for today's photo challenge is "words".

As I was trying to come up with an idea for a photo–no word (ahem) of a lie–these words fell right into my lap. I don't know that I necessarily agree with them, but I certainly like the font in which they are written.

This picture also gives me the chance to show off my new Benefit lipstick. I didn't set out to buy a lipstick today, but was free with purchase!

Free is a word that I can definitely agree with.

Day one - My View Today

2012-02-01T12:15:00.000-06:00

Today's blog challenge topic was an easy one for me. I am lucky to work in one of the coolest buildings in one of the coolest neighbourhoods in town, so it was a no-brainer that I would choose this to be "my view today".

The Exchange district is one of Winnipeg's oldest neighbourhoods and has even been designated as a National Historic Site. Nestled in the heart of downtown, it is literally a living movie set, which often doubles as other major cities at the turn-of-the-(20th)-century. I am constantly finding new, surprising vignettes and vistas as I venture out and make my way around the 30-odd blocks that make up the Exchange.

The view you see here is what I see every day from my desk* on the fifth floor of the Crocus Building. It is quite foggy today, so the taller, more modern buildings that sit just outside the exchange are obscured. As much as I like seeing the juxtaposition of new against old, I love this picture for its gritty, industrial, from-another-time appearance. If it weren't for the newish cars in the parking lot, I probably could've convinced you that it was from another era.

*Well, if I stand up and walk 7 paces to the window, that is.

Lights, camera, plank!

2012-02-01T08:30:00.000-06:00

Well, it was close, but I survived my big photoshoot unscathed!

After working one of the shortest days in recent history (2 hours), I raced to the Reh-fit for the shoot. Traffic was definitely on my side, so I had lots of time to primp and prep before my 11:45 appt. I am sure that the other ladies in the locker room were surprised to see me get dressed in workout clothes and then start putting on mascara and lipgloss (and my secret-special hair glosser). One I was fairly satisfied with the "look"––somewhere between "ready for the treadmill" and "ready for the catwalk"––I packed up all of my tools and, using my spidey senses, found them getting ready for me in Fitness Studio A.

While the photographer, Brian Gould, was getting the shot set up, I sat down and did a little interview. The questions were pretty standard "How long have you been coming to the Reh-fit?", "What brought you here in the first place?", "Why do you work out?". I don't know that I gave the most interesting answers (and I made sure not to mention my bizarre addiction to group fitness classes), but I am sure that they'll craft it into a nice, little piece.

Once the gabbing was out of the way, it was time for me to get in front of the lens. One of my gym friends had warned me that I would have to plank and, boy, did I ever. Straight-arm side planks off the BOSU, to be exact. Kinda like this:

I don't know if I was as elegant or focused as the girl in the picture above, but I was certainly smilier. And, yes, even while trying to balance on that crazy thing. Brian was great, though, and made it lots of fun. I think we managed to get the shot after only three times up into position, so my form (and my arm) didn't suffer. In fact, it might have even gotten better. "Legs straight...feet stacked...arm up...higher, higher...reach for it...look up..." All of that, plus my internal monologue "Tummy in...tummy in...tummy in...smile...tummy in...", and before too long, we had a winner.

I got a little glimpse of my picture on Brian's laptop, but I won't see the final result for a few weeks yet. The magazine is scheduled to come out in April and I still have to OK the story before it goes to press, so I am hoping to see proofs of the pics by the end of next month. If I can post a sneak-peek at that time, I will definitely get one up!

February Photo Challenge

2012-01-31T17:50:00.000-06:00

Uh, oh. It looks like I've gotten myself into another photo challenge!

For those of you that remember the last one I did, you'll recall my frustration with a few of the assignments. The list was both exceptionally vague and overly specific at times, which led to more than a few tense moments. (Yeah, sure. I can pull a rainbow out of my ass.) I did manage to finish it though and that gives me all sorts of bravado heading into this one. Like last summer's challenge, Lisagh will be snapping right along with me.

I found the list over on the Fat Mum Slim blog and it looks like it'll be good times. I am especially looking forward to #24, so that the world can see how incredibly dull* I really am. All you're going to see in there is a toothbrush, paste, floss and a few neglected exfoliating products. Like I said, this is going to be a gooder!

I'll be posting all of my daily shots on the Instagram and here on the blog. Feel free to comment, cajole and commiserate as I make my way through 29 (yes, twenty-nine - it's a leap year) days of thematic photo fun. And, here's the list, should you wish to play along...

*I once had a guest at my house comment on the surprising lack of prescription drugs in my bathroom cabinet. I was too dumbfounded to comment on his surprising lack of decorum.

Pattern Play

2012-01-31T08:30:00.000-06:00

As much as I like to rip on certain style bloggers, I simply had to take a picture of this outfit. Wearing it gave me so much joy for so many reasons. Here are five off the top of my head:

1. Like I said to the girls at work, "I couldn't decide which colour to wear, so I wore all of them." Green jacket, red sweater, purple/red/mustard skirt, purple tights and brown boots? Why the heck not?

2. This is one of my favourite vintage blazers (from MCC on Sargeant - $3) because it supports my theory that windowpane plaid goes with everything. Even flowers.

3. Even though it is January, the weather has been nice enough to wear flippy little rayon skirts. With tights, of course, but still.

4. Speaking of skirts, this one (from Forever 21) was too small for me a couple of months ago. Ha! Take that, scale.

5. The whole thing started off with the tights, which makes me think that purple may be the new black.

Does this mark the beginning of a new feature on the blog? You can bet your Anna Sui fishnets it does.

Heavy Metal

2012-01-30T08:28:00.000-06:00

My fitness bestie*, KK, gave me the most wonderful present to celebrate our passing Group Power certification. It's a little silver barbell charm (which, if were full-sized, would weigh 37.4lbs!)

Love!!

It's perfect for so many reasons, the least of which is my obsession with all things miniature. I will wear it with pride, both as a token of our friendship and as a reminder to stay strong and rock hard**.

*...and my late night texting bestie (and, let's be honest, my all-day texting bestie).

**I am using "rock hard" as both a verb and an adjective.

Pretty up!

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, in addition to my usual Saturday work-out and errands/grocery shopping, I am going to spend a little time getting ready for my photoshoot.

First of all, I have to find something to wear to this thing, and then I am booked for a haircut at Rouge on Hargrave, followed by a manicure and a little brow-maintenance at the spa. You know, nothing over-the-top. (The whole idea is to make it appear that I look great all the time, despite my busy schedule.)

I don't think I they are expecting Heidi Klum, but god forbid I should show up on Monday morning with my usual bedhead... although, really, I'm sure the gang at Reh-fit is so used to seeing me like that, they wouldn't bat an eye. (And I love them for it!)

It'll be nice to be pampered for a couple of hours, though. I have a gift card from Urban Oasis Mineral Spa that has been burning a hole in my purse since Christmas (as if I need an excuse), and I am going to take full advantage of the mineral pool before heading in for my services. I'm sure it will make me extra photogenic. Or something.

Have a gorgeous weekend, peeps! Do something lovely for yourselves.

Pal o' Mine

2012-01-26T08:15:00.000-06:00

For the past 3 weeks or so, I have been using an awesome app on my iPod Touch called MyFitnessPal.

It's basically a food and fitness journal that tracks and analyses everything you eat and all of your physical activity*. You start out by entering your stats (age, sex, height, weight), set it for weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance and it does all of the calculations for you. You get to decide how fast or how slow you want to see results, but it will warn you if your goals are unsafe or unreasonable. (From what I can see, it won't set my daily minimum calories at less than 1200, no matter what I put in.)

Once it is set up, all you have to do for the food portion is to add the items that you've consumed, and it will give you a running total of your calories consumed, plus protein, carbs, fibre, fat, etc. It's a great way to see where you're at as you are going along, so that you can make better decisions on the fly. (ie: eat more fibre today or watch your salt intake.) It also lets you budget your calories for the day, which is great if you are planning a night out, getting together with the gang for brunch, or simply deciding between the medium or the large popcorn at the movies.

One of my favourite features is within the food diary section. In addition to adding single food items, you can create recipes and meals. I use the recipes feature if I am cooking something that I might make again, or something that has multiple portions and I want a more accurate count of what is in each serving (like a soup). I use the meals feature to organize combinations of foods that I might eat on a regular basis, such as my go-to Subway lunch (6" egg white on honey oat with extra veggies and a bag of Baked Lays) or my lunchtime serving of raw veggies (aka the "vegelanche" - carrots, snap peas, cauliflower). When it comes time to log my food, I can easily add a serving of either a meal or a recipe in just one click, as opposed to, say, 12 clicks.

The fitness portion allows you to enter your cardio or strength training activities, and adds your calories burned to your daily calorie "allowance". So, for example, if my daily goal is to consume 1400 calories and I burn 400 in a spinning class, I now have 1800 to eat. And, conversely, if I don't work out, then I have to stick to the baseline calories. The database has hundreds of physical activities - from auto repair to Zumba. (Ok, they technically don't have Zumba, but they do have high-impact step-aerobics.) I don't bother with stuff like "light housekeeping", but I do make sure that all of my spinning, Group Power, running, and even yoga get logged. (I've even bought a heart-rate monitor wristwatch to make my entries more accurate, but more about that in a later post.)

At the end of each day, you click a button to complete your entry and then it gives you a little message that tells you where you will be in 5 weeks, based on the current day's data and your progress. At any time, though, you can check your stats, update your current weight, or change your goals. I review my nutrition stats pretty much every time I log in to make an entry, but from time to time I like to take a peek at the little pie chart which gives me a visual of my carbs/fats/protein, just to see if I am getting the balance right. And it's all about balance, right?

I've been doing it for 3 weeks and I have already lost 3.5 lbs, so there must be something to it. Or, maybe it's just making me think before I cram stuff into my mouth... "Sure I can eat that cookie, but do I really want to have to add it to my diary?" A few people I know are using it, so it's been kinda fun to compare notes and stuff. I'm only trying to lose about 14 more lbs, but I can see sticking with it, if just to be more aware of how I am fuelling my body and to help me make healthy choices on an ongoing basis. Getting fit is hard work, yes, but I think staying fit takes just as much vigilance and commitment.

What I love - the barcode scanner for entering packaged foods.

What I don't love - the database is largely crowd-sourced, so you have to be fairly knowledgeable when you are choosing items.

MyFitnessPal is available for iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone, or online at myfitnesspal.com

*Well, the activity that you choose to share with it. ;-)

Curly Girl

2012-01-25T12:05:00.000-06:00

After giving it much thought*, I have come to the conclusion that having long, curly hair is not unlike owning a small to medium sized pet.

I just wish they had some sort of obedience class for tresses like mine. "Sit" and "stay" mean nothing to my locks. "Roll over", on the other hand, we have mastered.

*I have a lot of time to ponder things while I am conditioning and detangling.

(Getting) Ready for my Close-up

2012-01-24T16:58:00.000-06:00

Please, clear skin and good hair gods, be kind to me for the next 6 days. I have been asked to participate in a photoshoot at the Reh-fit Centre next Monday afternoon and I need to look my absolute glowing best.

The photoshoot is for the Reh-fit's annual magazine, called (aptly enough) "Power", featuring stories about members who use the centre and have been successful in getting (and staying) fit and healthy. I am beyond thrilled to be this year's featured "fit 35-45 year old "!

In addition to the photoshoot, I will also be interviewed by a writer who will write the story about me, my active lifestyle and my journey towards health and fitness... and, I'm sure, will somehow make it sound interesting.

Like I said, I am so, so excited and honoured to have been asked to be a part of this publication. I consider the Reh-fit more than just a gym - it is a top-notch health and fitness facility and, in a lot of ways, for the past two years the members and staff have been like a second family to me. After all, they get to see me with bed-head more than my fella and the mascot combined! (A dubious distinction, but a distinction nonetheless.)

I don't know when the magazine will be published, but you can rest assured that I will share the piece with all of you here on my blog and on my Facebook... and via Twitter... in an email blast... and/or by carrier pigeon... maybe even door-to-door in a neighbourhood near you.

What I am trying to say is that when it comes out, you will know.

Hell on Wheel

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl named "Spinny". It wasn't her real nickname, of course, but that's just what the other kids called her. To this day, she doesn't know why, but let's just assume it had something to do with her...uh...exuberant attitude.

Fast forward 27 years or so. They don't call her Spinny anymore, but if they did, they would have a perfectly good reason to. On Mondays and Fridays, she can be found channeling her exuberance during the 6:15am spin class at the Reh-fit Centre.

Full disclosure: I am talking about myself.

I first tried spinning at my old gym in Surrey, BC. I think I lasted exactly 6 minutes before throwing in the proverbial towel. It took me 4 years before I could summon up the courage to try again. My second class (at a new gym) went much better than the first, although I didn't manage any "jumps". I stuck it out for the full 45 mins, though, and two short weeks later, I was hooked.

That was two years ago and I am still spinning away twice a week at 6:15am. Some days are pure torture, but the music, the instructors and the camaraderie of the group always keeps me coming back.

Plus, not only is it fun, I think that it is one of the most-efficient workouts out there. 45 hot and sweaty minutes is all it takes to blast an average of 400 calories...and all you need to know how to do is pedal.

Fancy moves, like these, are optional.

It's a tiara!

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000-06:00

Some might say that posting videos every day is a poor excuse for proper blogging, but I am sure that you will forgive me when you see this one. It is the single-most joyful moment in TV for as long as I can remember.

Enjoy your weekend! I plan to spend mine hanging out, staying warm and wearing my tiara*. I will be back on Monday with something insightful. Pinky swear!

*I am a princess, after all.

"You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness..."

2012-01-19T08:45:00.000-06:00

Anyone who has walked past my desk this week has either heard me practicing my "Sterling Cooper Draper Price" greeting, or this song by Goyte, which I have playing on an almost-constant loop.

It is not the happiest of songs, lyrically, but it's positively addictive. So, rest assured, my obsession with it is not a cry for help or anything; I quite literally can't get enough of it. My co-workers on the other hand...

Note: the more astute amongst you will recognize Timbra from Tuesday's post. Good on ya!

Mad Men - season five

2012-01-18T08:30:00.000-06:00

The fifth season of Mad Men will kick-off on Sunday, March 25th with a two-hour episode, directed by my third husband, Jon Hamm.

Settle Down with Kimbra

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-06:00

For just a few cents more than a cup of coffee—$3.96, to be exact—you can buy Kimbra's latest EP, Settle Down. Do it and you will have made a very wise (and rather frugal) purchase, my friends.

Kimbra is a young (oh, so young!) singer/songwriter, originally from New Zealand, but now based in Australia. I first heard of her in the way that I hear of everything new and exciting these days - on the Twitter. It seems that Curt Smith and his daughters had recorded a version of Kimbra's song, "Settle Down", and posted it to their Soundcloud. By coincidence, Kimbra and her bandmates had recently covered Tears For Fears' "Head over Heels" for a live radio appearance. Of course, being the curious kitty that I am, I had to check out both.

As soon as I heard Kimbra start to sing, I was hooked. For such a lovely young (oh, so young!) thing, she has a huge, growed-up sound that reminds me a bit of Esthero, crossed with Imogen Heap (and maybe a touch of Beth Gibbons from Portishead). Bottom line is, I dig.

The Settle Down EP (Kimbra's North American debut!) is available on the iTunes. Coffee is available everywhere.

Step into (my) Parlour...

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Urbane: notably polite or polished in manner.

I honestly can't think of a better word to describe Parlour Coffee.

In the middle of a busy day, there are few things better than stopping at the delightfully urbane Parlour for a quick Americano or, if there's time, a slightly less-quick pour-over.

Even if the coffee wasn't the best in the city (which it is), the space is lovely, the people are welcoming, and I can't help but feel good just by being there. There is an inherent coolness to the joint, but the vibe is surprisingly inclusive, rather than exclusive. And, no matter who is in there at the time, I always feel like I am amongst my people.

On the day that I took this photo, my fella had just left me there to return to work and I was perched on a stool in the sunny window, relishing the last few minutes of my break....and my Americano. I was literally and figuratively in my happy place.

Parlour Coffee is located at 468 Main Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Ticketybook Club - chapter 2

2012-01-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

I had been reading rave reviews for Mindy Kaling's book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), for months before I finally added it to my Christmas list. Luckily, my fella loves not having to guess at gifts and, come Christmas morning, there it was under my tree.

Given that the people who seemed to love the book were smart, funny gals, it came as no surprise to me AT ALL that the book itself was smart, funny and as girl-friendly as the pink sweater dress pictured on the cover. Fans of The Office, will know Mindy Kaling as the somewhat shallow, often acerbic (but still rather endearing) Kelly Kapoor. I was relieved to discover that Mindy is not completely like her TV counterpart, but much more like someone who I would want to be friends with.

In this candid, hilarious, and sometimes self-depreciating collection of essays and lists, Mindy invites the reader into her busy world of comedy writing, acting, dating, eating and just, well... hanging out. It's a quick, clever read and had me laughing out loud on several occasions. This was the perfect bedtime book because I hit the pillow smiling every time I had to put it down.

If you are looking for a sordid tale of drug-addiction, freaky sex and Hollywood scandal, this is not your best choice. If you are looking for a sordid tale of drug-addiction, freaky sex and Hollywood scandal, well... shame on you. Go watch TMZ.

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Athor: Mindy Kaling

Genre: comedy, non-fiction

Number of pages: 240 (hardcover)

Good for: funny chicks

Sex, coarse language, violence: not really, no

Have you seen my keys?

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

It seems that no matter how hard I try to simplify my life, I can't seem to simplify my key ring. Without any exaggeration, one of the happiest days of my life was when I turned over the keys to my old condo in BC and realized that I had exactly two things on my keyring: the key for my Jetta and a vintage VW key fob, given to me by one of my closest friends. As I drove from Vancouver to Winnipeg to start my new life, the lightness of my keyring was the perfect metaphor for the lightness that I was feeling.

Don't get me wrong, I am still quite happy, but my key collection has once again expanded to almost unmanageable proportions. It amazes me when the set goes missing (which is often) and I am starting to understand how Schneider felt. And, yes, I know that all of that weight can't possibly be good for my ignition.

Today, while I was trying to figure out which of two identical keys open my front door, I noticed that I have a mystery key. I racked my brain trying to figure out what it could possibly open and I came up with two possibilities. It is either the key to my fella's garage (where one of my two bikes is stored) or someone is trying to mess with me. I am leaning towards the former, but you never know. The other odd thing that I noticed is that I have 2 doors, plus a garage door, yet I have 5 house keys. Again, I think I am being messed with. ;-)

And, just in case you were wondering, here's what I am toting around:

Clockwise from the top:

- key to Uncle G (VW Golf)

- antique skeleton key (given to me by my fella...the key to his heart, perhaps?)

- mystery key!!

- house keys (2)

- guitar-shaped house key

- house keys (2)

- VW camper key fob

- Moksha yoga pass

- bike keys (2)

Certified!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Big news! I am finally, officially (and very, very excitedly) a Group Power instructor! I have the certificate AND the rock-hard ass* to prove it.

As most (if not all) of my Facebook, Twitter and, of course, real-life friends and family know, I have been working for the past two months to become a certified BTS instructor, starting with an intensive 3-day training session at the beginning of November. What followed was two months of memorization and practice, lots of team-teaching at two gyms, two video tapings, and plenty of nail-biting while I waited (weighted?) for my results.

It was hard work, both mentally and physically, but it was also lots of FUN, thanks to the amazing group of instructors (and would-be instructors) that I got to train with. If it wasn't for their support and encouragement, I don't think I would have made it through. And I definitely wouldn't have made it to this point without my team-mate and fitness bestie, KK. Not only has she been a constant cheerleader, she has probably talked me down from at least a dozen ledges in the past two months. The best part? She received her certification at exactly the same time as me! How's that for kismet?

So, there you have it - one more thing to check off the ol' bucket list. What a great start to a new year!

*You are going to have to take my word for it. But, seriously, chairs fear me.

Flipping for Flipboard

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000-06:00

Want to change the way you get your news and entertainment, read blogs and keep up with your social media sites on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad? There's an app for that.

I am hesitant to use the term "life changing", but Flipboard has definitely improved my surfing experience exponentially*. In particular, I love the way that it presents Facebook and Twitter feeds. If someone has posted a link or a photo, Flipboard displays it along with the text. Things that I may have ignored before, because I had to click on a shortened link or a tiny thumbnail, are now easily accessible and more likely to grab my interest. While it doesn't completely replace Twitter and Facebook apps**, it really makes perusing posts much more enjoyable.

The other thing that I love about Flipboard is how it curates the best of the web and delivers the coolest content, sorted by category, in an appealing and easy to read magazine-style format. You can literally "flip" from page to page, stopping at anything that piques your curiosity, and clicking on stories that you want to read more about. It also allows you to easily add blogs and RSS feeds, further personalizing your content to suit your interests.

Flipboard is absolutely FREE and available through the app store.

*Full credit goes to my fella for suggesting that I download Flipboard to my iPod. xoxox
**Edit: once again, I've gotta give props to my fella for pointing out that you can, comment, retweet, etc while within Flipboard. Just click on the post to access the user controls!

The Ticketybook Club - chapter 1

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Expectations were high, but I can confidently say that I started out this year's reading list with a winner.

"The Unnamed" is Joshua Ferris' second novel and it is the story of a man with a condition that compels him to walk...and walk and walk and walk. His walks take him away from his home, his job as a partner in a law firm, his wife and his daughter. Eventually, his walks become his entire life and, in the process, he is transformed into a hobo, wandering from state to state and living out of a backpack (albeit with a seemingly endless supply of money). Facing the elements, but unable to stop walking, he loses fingers, toes, and, eventually, his sanity.

Though heartbreaking on so many levels, I had a really hard time putting this book down. At the very core is a relationship between husband and wife (and parent and child) that literally caused my heart to hurt at times. And, as I knew it would, it came to a beautiful, tragic end. Much like Tom surrenders to his condition and lets it take him over, it's impossible not to acquiesce to the love story that is at times as painful as it is enduring.

I highly, highly recommend this book, as well as Ferris' first, "And then we came to the end." Both are available through your favourite (local, please) bookseller or (if you must) online.

Title: The Unnamed

Author: Joshua Ferris

Genre: fiction

Number of pages: 320 pages (trade paperback)

Good for: women & men

Sex, coarse language, violence: yes, yes, no
Rating: better than popcorn

Soul Mates vs Cell Mates

2012-01-08T11:45:00.000-06:00

After watching a movie about prison, love and other randomly connected events...

My fella: "If you get the right cell mate, they can end up being your soul mate."

Me: "But if you get the wrong soul mate, they are gonna feel like your cell mate."

Oh, hello new favourite band...

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

I love, love, love discovering new music. Especially new music that sounds like old music.

Behold my latest find: Metronomy.

I could be arriving late to the party here; for some reason they have managed to stay beneath my radar all this time. Better late than never, I suppose, but I can't help but wish that I had discovered them sooner.

You can download their single, The Look, for free on iTunes this week. I just grabbed it, but I don't think I'll be able to stop there. I like everything I have heard so far, and you know me, when I like something, I want it all!

What do you think?

Gifts for the Gifted

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

As nice as it would have been for *me*, Christmas morning wasn't just breakfast followed by an hour of my fella and the mascot watching me open my gifts. They got a few nice things, too.

I made out like a bandit, but R went home with a pretty good haul, too. I know for a fact that he has been getting lots of use out of the wireless keyboard that we gave him, and I can't wait to try out his new GPS on our next adventure.

The real highlight, though, was when the mascot opened his XBOX 360. Not just because it is what he's been asking for (relentlessly), or because I didn't bring out the box until all of the other gifts were opened, but because in order to get one, he had to make a little deal with me. It was a pretty standard agreement: achieve 79 or higher in ALL of his subjects at school and I would buy him an XBOX. Easy peasy, right?

Of course, when I proposed this, I honestly didn't think that I would be forking over the $300. He's a good student, yes, but this is grade nine...high school...the big time. I figured he would kill in a few subjects and then scrape by in a couple others. I had NO idea that he would finish the term with an average in the 80s and a spot on the school's honour roll! Gah! Well, as it happened, he came home with a stellar report card and I had to put my money where my mouth is. Literally. Thankfully, report card day happened to coincide with "black Friday", so I managed to get a good deal on the system through Future Shop online...and it even included the Kinect*!

Needless to say, the boy is thrilled with his gift. He set it up all by himself and has been playing it almost non-stop since Boxing Day. Which is good, because as soon as school resumes on the 9th, he'll be back to the books and working hard to keep those grades up.

*Now I can play Zumba! I mean, I'm sure there are many games that the boy will enjoy.

I must've been nice...

2012-01-04T07:58:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know... Christmas is about giving, not getting.

That said, I got some pretty sweet ish this Christmas.

From the fella: a gorgeous scarf and silver Hamsa (Hand of Fatima) necklace, two books that I really, really, really wanted, an external dvd player/writer for my laptop, an iPod case, a RED immersion blender and a shoe-shaped scotch tape dispenser.

From the mascot: a footed bamboo cutting board and a garlic press, a collection of spiced vanilla treats from The Body Shop and some pretty awesome stocking stuffers.

From the mother: cash to buy a new yoga mat/carrying strap and a fancy yoga towel.

From the step-mother and the "kids": a big, fat spa GC, a big fat Starbucks GC, a cool clutch made from pop-tabs and a box of Tiber River goodies.

Yup. I'm spoiled.

What was under your tree this year?

I resolve!

2012-01-03T17:12:00.000-06:00

I, like many people, used to think that New Year's resolutions were silly and arbitrary, however I have since changed my tune. In fact, this year I am not only making resolutions; I am setting goals and working on intentions that will (hopefully) guide my next 12 months.

Resolutions - These are going to be ongoing, big-picture things. I resolve: to stay healthy, active and fit and, in doing so, to be a role-model to others; to maintain a strong relationship with my son and to help him develop useful skills and positive behaviours; to love and be loveable; to be faithful, loyal and honest; to control my finances and manage my spending; to maintain a level head when "haters be hatin'"; to work hard, be a useful member of the team and advance in my job.

Goals - I'll be setting these monthly. They might be fitness related ("run 5k, three times weekly"), job related ("teach 8 Group Power classes"), home related ("get the dishwasher fixed"), or just for fun ("learn to surf").

Intentions - Set daily, or even hourly, intentions are little plans that help you guide your mind and, in turn, lead you towards achieving your goals. In yoga, I use intentions to focus my practice to get the results that I want. This year, I want to start every morning by setting an intention and then revisit it at bedtime to assess the results. Some will be personal challenges, and some will just serve as reminders to be kind, live mindfully, etc.

The object of all of this is to live better, to feel better, to do things better... to just be better.

I can't think of a better way to start 2012, can you?

Say hello to 2012!

2012-01-02T09:22:00.002-06:00

I set some time aside yesterday to post a Happy New Year message, but my need to nap apparently far outweighed my need to blog. After an epic bowl of soba noodle soup, I curled up under my new pink Snuggie* and closed my eyes for "just a minute". Well, 2 hours later, I woke up in a dark living room, disoriented but rested.

You can blame it on the duller-then-dull movie that I had on, but the culprit was most likely my back-to-back Group Power launches this weekend at both Reh-fit and Rady, not to mention my 2:30am bedtime on New Years Eve. In short, I needed sleep and, rather than wait around for permission, my body just took it.

As a result of my little nap, my blog post didn't get written and my Christmas tree got to stay up for one more day. Rather then get into a bunch about it, though, I am going to let it slide. Moments like that are very rare for me and I might as well enjoy them when I can. That is going to be one of my resolutions this year. Not to nap more (although that in itself sounds like an excellent plan), but to take advantages of little indulgences as they present themselves. Today that is taking 45 minutes to sit in a Starbucks to play Angry Birds and catch up on the weekend's emails. Ok, make that 60 minutes...

*Honestly, the thing is horrifying. I bought it as a gag gift for myself (from Santa)...as if that justifies it in any way.

Christmas (Day) Stalking - day 25

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have to admit something. I don't actually remember what we ate for breakfast on Christmas morning when I was little. I'm sure it was good (my parents were known for their breakfasts), but I was a typical kid and, as any kid at Christmas, preoccupied with toys, toys and more toys. Even waffles couldn't hold me for more than 10 minutes or so.

It wasn't until I became acquainted with the woman who was to become my step-mother that I "discovered" the horribly named (but oddly enjoyable) Wifesaver.

To the uninitiated, Wifesaver is a casserole of bread, eggs, milk and cheese that is assembled the night before and then baked, in this case, on Christmas morning. The original Christmas Morning Wifesaver recipe can be found in one of the early "Best of Bridge" books, or here on their website.

This year, while I wrestle with the deceptive* and somewhat misogynist name, we will be enjoying a slightly updated version of the classic dish. Rather than the ham/green pepper/minced onion combo that the Best of Bridge ladies made famous, mine will have multi-grain bread, spinach, gruyere and caramelized onions. I will definitely be skipping the cornflake topping, but the mustard must stay; it just wouldn't be the same without it. (Watch my blog, Relish, in the new year for the recipe!)

*Despite numerous discussions with friends and co-workers on this very subject, I am still confused about exactly what this is "saving" the wife from. Yes, there is not a lot of actual cooking that needs to be done on Christmas morning, but you do have to remember to get up and get it ready to go into a hot oven at least 90 mins before your hungry family arrives at the table...not to mention the fact that while your little angels are nestled all snug in their beds, you are holed up in the kitchen at midnight grating cheese and cracking endless eggs.

Christmas (Eve) Stalking - day 24

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000-06:00

There are many ways that traditions are started. In my family, the tradition of opening one (and ONLY one) gift on Christmas Eve was a compromise that my parents made when they were first together. My dad, coming from an English background, always opened his gifts on Christmas morning; my Dutch mom, on the other hand, was used to staying up late on Christmas Eve for hers. So, they decided to meet (somewhat) in the middle.

When I was little, the Christmas Eve gift was always something that could be used right away - like new pyjamas, Star Wars sheets (true story), or a book. It would be just cruel to give a kid something awesome, like a bike, and then send then straight to bed, don'tcha think?

Tonight, continuing the tradition, Jake will be getting a new pair of flannel pj pants before heading off to bed. (Don't worry, he won't read this.) As soon as he is asleep and the prep for breakfast is done, I will stuff the stockings, put the big secret-special gifts under the tree, and then kick back with a snack and a glass of wine to watch the roaring yule-log on TV. I hope your evening is as peaceful and relaxing as mine. Merry Christmas!

Incidentally, the best Christmas Eve gift that I ever received was a Holly Hobbie swing-arm lamp for my nightstand, just like the one below. (This one was found in an Ebay auction for...get this...$144. Gah!)

*The awesome catalogue page at the top of this post is from this Flickr stream. If you ever have a little time to kill and you are in the mood for some nostalgia, it is definitely worth a look.

Christmas Stalking - day 23

2011-12-23T08:34:00.000-06:00

They say that when it comes to Christmas, there are four stages in life: you believe in Santa, you don't believe in Santa, you are Santa, and you look like Santa. Although the members of our household fall into the second and third groups, we both make a concerted effort to appear that we're in stage one. (The mascot learned pretty early on that the longer you believe, the more presents you get.)

That's why one of our most firmly-held traditions is putting out a snack (and a letter) for Santa on Christmas Eve. Notice how I didn't say "putting out cookies and milk" on Christmas eve? Santa gets better than that at our place. Sure, some years he gets cookies, but milk? P'shaw!

This year, the *ahem* Man-in-red will be enjoying some of this:

...a little bit of this:

...and one of these:

On second thought, maybe two of those.

Christmas Stalking - day 22

2011-12-22T08:58:00.000-06:00

Let's face it. The holidays make people cranky. Extra-extra-long line-ups, bare shelves (seriously, how can there be NO chocolate "J"s left in the whole world?), seemingly endless holiday concerts, and rapidly diminishing bank balances (along with rapidly expanding waistlines), all set to an ever-present soundtrack of bad to questionable* holiday music.

As you already know, topping my list of favourite Christmas songs is "All I Want for Christmas is You". Following not-so-closely is U2's "Angel of Harlem" (Ok, not technically a Christmas song, but Bono sings about "a cold and wet December day", so it counts.), "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (Except for the Norah Jones/Willie Nelson version, which skeeves me out, for obvious reasons.), "Fairytale of New York" by the dentally challenged Pogues, and, despite my attempts to hate it, "Last Christmas" by Wham! Honourable mention goes to "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band-aid; not because it is especially good, but because I obsessed over the video when the song came out in 1984 and I still like to name each singer as they do their part.

The songs which deserve a lump of coal and always make me lunge to change the station are "Holly, Jolly Christmas" (especially the Burl Ives version**. Kiss 'er once for me? Good lord, no, sir!), "Dominic the Donkey" (Eee-aw, Eee-aw! No!), ANYTHING by Boney-M and/or Bon Jovi and/or Bruce Cockburn, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Bruce Springsteen (What's so funny, Bruce? No, really, what?), and Bruce Cockburn's uber-depressing version of "O, Little Town of Bethlehem".

So, in an attempt to banish the awful and keep away the crankies, I am going to make myself a festive playlist on my iPod and keep it on constant rotation until the danger of hearing "Mary's Boy-child" has passed.

*A couple of days ago, I heard an operatic version of "O, Holy Night" playing in a drugstore that was so awful, the employees and shoppers were visibly cringing. Now, I'm no Kathleen Battle, but even I could do better than what they were trying to pass off as singing. In retrospect, perhaps they were trying to increase traffic to their headache relief section, but I suppose we'll never know. I paid for my moisturizer and high-tailed it out of there before any further damage could be done to my eardrums.

**True story - every year my ex-husband sends me a text message when he hears Burl's Holly, Jolly for the first time of the season, because he knows that I loathe it so.

Christmas Stalking - day 21

2011-12-21T09:12:00.002-06:00

Last night, the mascot and I took part in another of our holiday traditions - watching the SNL Christmas Special. I think we've seen most of the sketches multiple times, but they still make us howl. From Mr Mainway's Bag o' Glass on the Consumer Probe show, to Robert Goulet falling off a roof, to Justin Timberlake dressed up as soup; it just doesn't get tired. And, of course, there was Gilly.

I'll be the first to admit, besides last night's SNL and The Flintstones' Christmas Special* the night before, we are way behind on our holiday tv and movie watching. I did manage to catch most of The Family Stone the other day, but we still haven't watched Miracle on 34th St., Sound of Music**, and (can you believe it??) Love, Actually.

*Don't get me started.
**A quick search on Netflix for Sound of Music brought up something called Sound of Mumbai instead. This could be a problem.

Christmas Stalking - day 20

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000-06:00

With an already full plate, I swore up and down and sideways that I was not going to do any crafting this holiday season. And then I went and tossed that out the window with a few little paper towel roll owls that I threw together (ha!) for an ornament exchange.

This bottle brush tree from the Sweet Paul blog might just be my crafty slip-up number two. I mean, c'mon. It meets all of my criteria: quick, clever, cheap, quirky...and did I mention quick?

I think I have everything I need on hand to make myself a little tree, save for the "tree" itself. (Small detail.) If I happen to, say, find myself in a kitchenware store in the next day or so, one of these charming little trees will be gracing my coffee table just in time for Christmas. All of the instructions (and tons of other lovely projects, recipes and decorating ideas) can be found here.

Christmas Stalking - day 19

2011-12-19T14:36:00.000-06:00

I don't know how long it'll last, but if you go to Google today and type "let it snow" into the search window, it'll snow. Just like that.

And, once your screen is all frosted up, you can hit the defrost button to clear things up.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Christmas Stalking - day 18

2011-12-18T23:52:00.000-06:00

With very little snow on the ground and unseasonably warm temperatures (for Winnipeg), this year's festive season just hasn't seemed very festive. So, in a team effort to merry-up the joint, the mascot and I dragged the Christmas tree out of storage and set it up tonight.

Decorating the tree is always fun, but, for some reason, this year seemed even more so. Partly because my little elf brought everything up from the basement (and got rid of the empty boxes!), but mostly because we seem to finally have it down to an art. We had that baby assembled, lit and festooned in just under an hour. Now that's teamwork!

As always, it was a blast to look through our baubles and balls and reminisce about how each one came to be. We still have to pick up our "2011" ornaments, but two new additions were added to the collection this year - an adorable walrus from the ever awesome Lisagh, and a felted mushroom from my new friend (by way of the Twitter), Cindy.

Also notable and taking a place of honour at the top of the tree, this tiny framed pic of my dad (and me) circa 1985. This picture always makes me smile.

Christmas Stalking - day 17

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is one of my all-time favourite Christmas movies and this scene is most likely the reason why.

In it, a young, orphaned Dutch girl is brought to visit Santa at Macy's. She is warned by her adopted mother that Santa would not be able to speak to her, but then he just goes ahead and does what Santa does; he sings to her. IN DUTCH.

I know, right?

Christmas Stalking - day 16

2011-12-16T16:15:00.000-06:00

Candlelight is mesmerizing on its own, but when you add twirling angels and gently chiming bells it becomes simply magical.

Despite their subtlety, these charming brass chimes scream "Christmas". When I was little, I could literally spend hours quietly watching them spin and listening to the soft "ding, ding, ding" as the bells were struck.

Parents of rambunctious children might want to consider a set of these for the upcoming week. I can't guarantee hours of rapt attention, but I'm sure you'll find a little peace.

Christmas Stalking - day 15

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-06:00

To the rest of the world, this is just the letter "S". To Dutch kids, though, this is the best part of Christmas/Sinterklaas celebrations.

Any kid that gets a chocolate letter in their stocking is lucky, but I always felt just that much luckier. The R is, after all, the tastiest of all the letters.

Christmas Stalking - day 14

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

I love surfer boys as much as I love free stuff, which is why I was over the moon to discover that this week's free iTunes download is a song by my second-favourite surfer boy, Jack Johnson.

Assuming that you have an iTunes account, all you have to do is point your longboard toward the iTunes shop and grab "In the Morning" from the second Brushfire Records holiday album.

You are welcome.

*Ok, I have never actually *seen* my fella on a surfboard, but he does have a scar under his chin to prove that he was hit by one and that's proof enough for me.

Christmas Stalking - day 13

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

On the thirteenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, cakettes from Cake-olo-geeeeee!

Ok, full disclosure: my true love did NOT get me Cakettes, but that doesn't mean he loves me any less. Or does it...?

Either way, this is the best way to give the gift of cake this holiday season. Cakettes are way more clever than a box of chocolates (and way, way taster than a poinsettia).

Get yours at Cake-ology, 85 Arthur Street (in the Exchange). Just look for the beautiful sign over the door.

Christmas Stalking - day 12

2011-12-12T12:45:00.000-06:00

Bouche de Noel is traditionally a rolled cake, iced to look like a log. In our house, however, "the Bouche" is a retro chocolate and whipped cream refrigerator cake that looks a whole lot like this one.

The mascot has already put in his ~~request~~ demand to have one for dessert on the 25th (and, to be completely honest, breakfast on the 26th). If you want to make your own, you can find the directions here.

To make it even prettier, we always add a dusting of cocoa or a pile of chocolate curls to the top, but feel free to decorate it (or not) any which way you choose. Just be sure to tell people that you slaved over it, though; it looks like way more work than it actually is.

Christmas Stalking - day 11

2011-12-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

It wouldn't be Christmas at our house without our annual visit to the Griswald's.

Topping my list of holiday "must-see" flicks is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Written by John Hughes and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis and The Big Bang Theory's own Johnny Galecki (as Rusty), it is pee-your-pants funny every single time.

Seriously, the deflating turkey never gets old no matter how many times you see it (unlike my hair-larious moustache gag, apparently).

Christmas Stalking - day 10

2011-12-10T09:55:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: Yes, handmade is best. Yes, you should buy handmade or make your own.

That said, I have made my own holiday cards for the past 24 or so years and, as part of my self-imposed craft embargo, I am taking a season off. Sue me.

I didn't want to go completely card-less this year, though, so the challenge was going to be finding something to represent us that was just a little bit different from the usual chain-store offerings.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Papaya! Christmas cards at my local stationery store. I have been a fan of Papaya! papergoods for a few years and love their vintage-y style, so I snapped up two boxes faster than you could say "Pass the gluestick!" They may not be handmade, but they're pretty as heck AND they're printed on 100% recycled paper.

To make up for my craftslacking this year, I promise that each and every stamp will be personally licked by a tall red-haired boy; please excuse the smears of advent calendar chocolate.

Christmas Stalking - day 9

2011-12-09T08:58:00.000-06:00

One of my favourite food-blogs is the baking site "With Sprinkles on Top", helmed by my friend Annie. Not only does she share great recipes, she posts beautiful pictures that will make you want to lick your screen.

Right now, Annie is running a "12 Days of Christmas" feature on her blog. So far, she has posted a collection of cookies, cakes and candies that are not to be missed... especially if you are looking for treats that are easy, impressive and a little bit out of the ordinary, like these cute Candy Cane Blossoms.

They're a colourful take on the usual "chocolate kiss in a sugar cookie" (aka nipple cookies) and would instantly brighten up any holiday cookie tray. And, see what I mean about the photography? Dibs on the red one in the middle!

Christmas Stalking - day 8

2011-12-08T08:45:00.000-06:00

Who's on Twitter?

Yeah, he is.

Follow the official NoradSanta feed as the man in red makes his way around the globe on Christmas Eve.

In the weeks leading up to the 24th, however, there are all sorts of games, videos and fun things to get you... I mean, the kids... excited about the big flight. On Dancer, on Dasher...

Christmas Stalking - day 7

2011-12-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

I don't think this requires any introduction. Just enjoy.

Christmas Stalking - day 6

2011-12-06T08:50:00.001-06:00

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a roaring fire...on the television. You would think that we would get tired of watching it, but we haven't yet; it's actually more soothing than boring. (And, to be honest, beats the heck out of most of the stuff on the other channels anyway.)

Here in Winnipeg, we have quite an assortment of free TV fireplaces to gather 'round, from the classic roaring fire to a rather uninspired electric version. There's even one on MTS that includes snacks, however you might find yourself with an unusually strong craving for popcorn and a hot, festive beverage. And, depending on the version that you have on, there's always the chance that "the hand" will make an appearance to stoke the fire, or add a log.

Remember, wood piles are for chumps! To get started, do a search on YouTube or check your local cable provider for a free holiday blaze. Or, if you prefer to take your yule log with you... yes, Virginia, there is an app for that.

Christmas Stalking - day 5

2011-12-05T11:37:00.001-06:00

I have two confessions. No, make that three confessions.

1) I make my gingerbread cookies from a mix.
2) I replace all of the butter that they call for with an equal amount of prune puree*. Seriously.
3) I always eat the legs, not the head, first. That way, they can't escape.

This year, we'll be busting out our new Ninjabread Men cookie cutters and making some rather lethal looking treats. Nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" quite like a gang of Ninjas.

Festive, no? Now, where am I ever going to find a throwing star cutter...

Bonus: if you love gingerbread as much as I do, but feel that you probably shouldn't eat cookies for breakfast, try my recipe for Gingerbread Oatmeal.

* yes, baby food. Seriously.

Christmas Stalking - day 4

2011-12-04T10:30:00.000-06:00

It seems that holiday decorations hit the stores earlier and earlier every year, but we pretty much ignore all of that nonsense until the big bags of mixed, unshelled nuts hit the shelves. Then, and only then, will we admit that it's Christmas.

(Bonus: manually cracking nuts slows down the snacking process, so you actually eat less than you would if you had pre-shelled nuts.)

Christmas Stalking - day 3

2011-12-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

When I was little (and, yes, it's hard to believe that I was ever "little"), I was completely obsessed with these little guys:

As we would decorate our Christmas tree, my job was to make sure that each and every one had the perfect branch to perch on and that each one was accompanied by its own, matching felt mushroom.

I was convinced that they would un-hug their knees at night and scamper around the tree, returning to their spots by dawn. And, yes, I would check them every morning to see if they had moved.

Vintage "knee-hugging elves" from Ruby Lane.

Christmas Stalking - day 2

2011-12-02T10:25:00.001-06:00

Every year, I make one (ONE!) Christmas music purchase. For the past, oh, I dunno, 8 years, I've taken the easy way out and picked up a Starbucks holiday sampler to go with my venti Christmas Blend. This year, however, I am taking an even easier route to holiday tuney goodness and downloading the new She & Him Christmas album from the iTunes.

If you've seen "Elf", then you already know that Zooey Dechanel's sweet voice goes together with Christmas songs like cookies go with milk (or like Kahlua goes with milk, for that matter.) Like the movie, this new CD, also features one of my most-favourite songs - Baby, It's Cold Outside. This time around, though, Zooey and bandmate M Ward give the song a little Hank Williams flavour (and a fun twist...who says the boy has to be the one doing all the wooing?)

You can pick up or download the CD in all of the usual places, or on the official She & Him website.

Christmas Stalking - day 1

2011-12-01T17:03:00.000-06:00

'tis the season for giving and sharing. To get things moving in a festive direction on the first day of the festive season, I am sharing my most-favourite Christmas song with you.

Even if you don't love Mariah (and I don't), it's hard to resist this catchy little tune.

My Weekend of Power

2011-11-09T08:33:00.000-06:00

I don’t know if it’s becauseI’m starting to freak out in my 39^th year, or if opportunities arejust randomly presenting themselves, but I seem to be crossing thingsoff my bucket list at an alarming rate. (And by alarming rate, I mean twicewithin the last 5 months.) This past weekend, I had the chance to take the BTSGroup Power instructor training class and now I can cross that one of the ol’list.

For three days (THREE FULLDAYS), a dozen of us occupied the big group fitmess studio at the Reh-fit andwere put through our paces by a deceptively nice BTS trainer, who came all theway from Massachusetts and had exactly 72 hours to whip us into shape(literally).

Our trainer, Laura

It was probably one of thehardest and funnest things that I have ever done. I am used to taking the GroupPower class twice a week and on Friday alone, I did it 3 full times *plus*coaching exercises. In a nutshell, here’s how the weekend played out:

Friday: Of the 16 peoplesigned up for the class, I knew (or at least recognized) about half. I wasmostly excited to see my fave spin instructor, KK, amongst the faces in theroom. I’m used to her kicking my ass in the mornings, so I knew that I couldcount on her to keep me going when the going got tough. (Or at least be thereto gossip with me at lunch.)

After a full day (12 – 8:30)of lifting, learning and listening, we had homework: learn a whole track toteach to the class first thing on Saturday. I was given “shoulders” and spentabout 2 hours working on it in the living room, between wolfing down dinner andhitting the sack. Unfortunately (or not), the mascot didn’t want to learn itwith me and left me to it.

Saturday: We started right at9am with a nerve-addled run-through. Nerve_addled because not only were weteaching, but we were being videotaped for review. Gah! I think I did ok,considering that I had never taught a fitness class EVER, but after seeingmyself on the tape, I knew that I had a lot to work on. Of course, there wasplenty of time for that later because we were going to be taped AGAIN later inthe day.

The rest of the day wentwell… lots of book-learnin’ and technique practice. Again, we ran through thewhole class 3 times (or, roughly what I would do in 1.5 weeks). The group wasreally beginning to get to know each other, though, and that provided all sortsof fodder for KK and I. Like I said, it was hard, but it was fun. ;-) Before wewent home, we did another group-taught class and video review. We were allrelieved to see big improvements all-around.

I had a little dinner partyto go to in the evening, which gave me a nice break, but I had another song tolearn for Sunday morning, so I was right back at it on the way home.(Interesting fact: it takes exactly 2.5 “Jessie’s Girl”s to drive from RiverPark South to my house.) Thankfully, Saturday’s homework went much faster thanFriday’s and I went to bed with a much clearer mind.

Sunday: When they said“bright and early”, they meant it. We started at 7:30am and got right to it. Wedid another full run-through and video review and then spent the rest of themorning and early afternoon doing both book work and technique “refinement”.Our instructor had to be out of the facility by 3pm, so we had to cram a lot ofinfo into a very short day. There were a few things that we ran though quicklybecause, god forbid, we should miss the chance to do “team training”.

For the uninitiated, teamtraining is training (with me so far?) that is done in (you know it) teams oftwo. It started with a 12 minute run or walk (I ran), followed by liftingsuper-duper heavy weights in 12 minute sets, each team alternating between“doer” and “spotter”. We did chest press, dead rows, clean & press, lunges,bicep curls and tricep extensions. With the exception of the very last fewcurls and extensions, I think I personal-bested just about everything. By thattime, though, I was congratulating myself for still being alive and I cutmyself some slack. But just a little.

My GPeeps - Reh-fit Centre - Nov 6, 2011

My attitude throughout theentire weekend was less “let’s get this over with” and more “let’s do this!” Iknew that it would be hard work, so I showed up to work hard. There were a fewpeople in my group who seemed to be surprised at how much we had to do, but Ithink that by the end of the three days we were all on the same page. Now allwe have to do is practice, practice, practice and teach as much as possible toget ready for our certification videos. I’ll be interested to see how many ofus take it all the way to the end. I’ll be back with updates as they happen…

...andfunny that my last post was about cake and this one is about working out. ;-)

Born to be Wild

2011-10-04T09:20:00.006-05:00

Well, I did it. I successfully baked a zebra cake with my own two hands (and a whole lotta bowls, measures and spoons.)

Read about my wild baking adventure on my food blog:

Earning My Stripes

Zebra, you say?

2011-09-30T16:25:00.002-05:00

Coming next week...

"The mascot's 14th birthday party and the fabulous zebra cake that I baked in his honour."

~ OR ~

"The mascot's 14th birthday party and the cake fail of which we shall never speak."

Really, it could go either way.

Stay tuned!

Winnipeg Tweed Ride 2011

2011-09-13T08:50:00.000-05:00

The Tweed Ride, despite its old-timey appearance, is a fairly new phenomenon. Started as the “Tweed Run” in jolly old England (London, to be exact) in 2009, Tweed Rides around the world have been quickly gaining in popularity.

While not as large as the London event, which numbers in the hundreds, the Winnipeg ride had itself a very good showing this past weekend. Approximately 40 riders of all ages and degrees of tweediness gathered at Assiniboine Park shortly before 2 pm this past Sunday to admire each other’s finery before setting off, en masse, for downtown.

For the occasion, I wore a fetching sleeveless brown knit dress (vintage), a jaunty beret (new), brown, black and gold diamond-patterned scarf (vintage), lady-like yellow gloves (vintage), argyle socks (new) and sensible brown oxfords (new). I had a cute little brown and camel houndstooth jacket with me, as well, but it stayed in my bike basket for the entire day, due to the unseasonably warm temps.

Photo: Leif Norman

The ride itself was quite leisurely and lots of fun. As this year’s ride was part of the “Cyclovia/Manyfest” celebrations, we had a marked route and, with the exception of one stretch of Wellington Crescent close to the park gates, we were free to amble along, waving and shouting such pithy statements as “Hip-hop cheerio!” “Jolly good show, Gov’ner!” and “F*ck prohibition!” (The latter of which I was later informed was historically inaccurate, to which I replied “F*ck accuracy!”)

Once we arrived downtown, we posed for a group shot on the steps of the Legislative Building, and then made our way to Danalvert for croquet and an impromptu picnic.

Plans for next year are already starting to brew, and include an earlier start time and a possible kick-off tea. I, for one, will be spending the next 12 months planning my outfit and searching for a suitable flask. For non-alcoholic refreshment, of course.

There are plenty of great photos of the Winnipeg Tweed Ride on Leif Norman’s site, as well as on the official WTR Facebook page.

Toddlers, Tiaras and Tantrums

2011-09-01T21:29:00.003-05:00

The mascot and I have a new little ritual. A couple of nights each week, we eat dinner on the couch and watch some of the ridiculous programming on TLC. It’s all pretty bad, but we’ve narrowed it down to a couple that we can stomach: Toddlers & Tiaras and Outrageous Kid Parties.

Toddlers and Tiaras is entertaining, but a little (ok, a lot) disturbing. I can’t believe the things that these parents do to their children, all in the interest of winning a giant, gaudy trophy and an oversized, gaudy crown. (Ironically, there are no “tiaras” to be won on Toddlers & Tiaras…just big, ugly headpieces that vaguely resemble a bejeweled version of Toronto’s city hall.)

The problems that I have with T&T are many, but it isn’t enough to get me to stop watching. Yet. Until that happens, I will continue to watch, holler at the ridiculous behavior of the parents, roll my eyes at the outfits and the “talent”, and congratulate myself for having the good sense not to get my own child involved in such a spectacle. For the most part, it’s harmless…in the same way that pet snakes are harmless.

Last night was the first time that I have had to walk out during one of our “tv dinners”, though. We were into our second episode of the evening of Outrageous Kid Parties and I simply could not take another second. The first episode had been about a woman who threw an all-out, Egyptian-themed backyard extravaganza for her 5 year old daughter. Besides the tens of thousands spent on décor, food and (ahem) entertainment, her gift to her mini Cleopatra was a necklace and earring set that cost the equivalent of what I would spend on 6 weeks of summer camp for my own child. But, if you wanna piss your own (or, your husband’s) money away on one afternoon of DJs, belly dancers, tarot card readers and a giant sandbox, then who am I to judge?

The second episode, however, really got me riled up. The woman, a single parent of a 10 year old boy, wanted to throw her son a Hawaiian-themed party, complete with a $5000 cake. Top prepare for the shin-dig, they took hula lessons (which he hated), spent an hour or so getting pwned by a surf-simulator (which he never fully grasped), went for detoxification treatments (what?) …and that’s where they lost me.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the money being thrown around, even though they spent almost half a year’s grocery budget on CAKE. No, it was the fact that during all of these “fun” activities, the kid kept saying over and over “I don’t want this.” “I don’t need this.” “I am uncomfortable being the center of attention.” “I am shy.” But the mother didn’t hear a word of it. She just kept pushing and pushing and more, more, more. So, out of respect for the kid’s wishes, I bailed. I switched off, hugged my kid and did the dinner dishes.

It was, after all, the maid’s night off.

Wordless Wednesday - why the long face?

2011-08-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

Spunky!

2011-08-30T08:54:00.001-05:00

I know it's probably a good thing to be described as "full of spunk", but it always kinda grosses me out to hear it.

J’ai trente-huit ans.

2011-08-24T08:35:00.004-05:00

I believe that with every birthday, we should all take a mo’ and list all of the significant things that have happened to us (or within us) since the last birthday. If we’re not learning, growing and gaining some wisdom from our experiences, then, really, why are we bothering?

In my 38th year:

I became stronger – physically, emotionally and mentally.

I missed my dad an awful lot.
I still cry from time-to-time (like right now), but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of holding it together. Or, maybe I haven’t really started dealing with his loss. I think this will require further exploration, but in the meantime, I will keep watching for Blue Jays.

I found a job that I love.
I spend my days surrounded by people that are kind and creative and clever, and every Monday morning, I can’t wait to see them all again. Well, most of them.

I climbed a mountain.
I took a trip to Vancouver in July to surprise the mascot and figured that since I was there and had an afternoon to kill, I might as well do the Grouse Grind. To make sure that I didn’t throw in the towel halfway up, I sent the Mascot and my mother up in the tram and told them I’d meet them at the top. An hour and change later, I popped out at the top of the trail and had something to cross off my bucket list.

I loved, almost lost, and loved some more.

I had the privilege of spending another year with the mascot, who suddenly became this confident, articulate, witty, TALL kid right before my eyes. I am so proud of him (and I can’t help but take a tiny bit of credit for his coolness. I mean, someone has to, right?)

I did a 30-day photo challenge that definitely lived up to its name. Sunsets on demand? Yeah, right.

I watched the election AND the Oscars in their entirety for the first time in my life. I may have things confused, but I think James Franco is our new Prime Minister.

I had my hair cut twice and my nails done once.
I definitely need to up the princess-factor next year.

I came to terms with turning 39.
Almost.

Waters at the Walker

2011-08-23T08:54:00.002-05:00

I have always wanted to visit the Walker Art Center and, as luck would have it, our first night in Minneapolis also turned out to be a “free Thursday”. It wasn’t until after we had decided to go, however, that I discovered that John Waters’ “Absentee Landlord” was showing at the Centre.

In a word: Squee!!

I am a huge fan of Waters' films, so getting a chance to see a show that he curated was a huge treat. I had big expectations, and the show exceeded every one. There was everything from pop-art to video art to full-room installations to Waters’ own motion-activated squirting-flower picture (Hardy-Har, 2006). It was fascinating, funny, irreverent and surprising. Just like John Waters himself.

We stayed at Walker for about 2 hours which was *just* enough time to see pretty much everything. If we had more time, though, I would’ve lingered longer at the amazing Baby Marx exhibit and wandered through the entire sculpture garden (home of the "Spoonbridge", above). As it was, I had to limit my time gazing at the Mark Rothko painting and was forced to make some very quick decisions in the gift shop (which explains how I ended up with a bag of "John Waters approved" plastic cockroaches). Oh, well…I suppose that gives us all the more reason to return.

Poppies!

2011-08-12T08:44:00.003-05:00

I have always loved poppies, but the poppies grown by my fella's father are extra-special. Just ask this little guy:

Every time I have visited R's family farm in Saskatchewan, I am greeted by a riot of brilliantly coloured poppies in the garden behind the house. There are hundreds and hundreds of them in seemingly perpetual motion; even the slightest breeze seems to make them flutter and sway.

Legend has it that the current crop are descendants of poppies that were grown at R's childhood home in Winnipeg. When his parents moved out to the farm, they brought the seeds with them and scattered them in the garden. Every year since, the "Millikin Road Poppies" have bloomed and flourished in their adopted home.

The real magic to me, though, lies in their nonchalance. Once they have finished blooming, and just the stems and seed-pods remain, they are unceremoniously mown down and forgotten about. That is, until the following spring when they return to bask in the hot prairie sunshine and dance in the wind.

Wordless Wednesday - my farm fella

2011-08-10T15:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome to The Dollhouse

2011-08-08T08:46:00.001-05:00

One of the things that I look forward to most every summer is visiting my fella's parents' farm in Saskatchewan and getting there via sleepy ol' Highway 2. The scenery is pretty typical for the prairies - wide open spaces, big sky and the occasional roadside attraction.

My favourite attraction (besides the Souris Subway) is the life-sized "dollhouse" which sits just off the highway, right before the Saskatchewan border. Oddly, although we've driven past it about a dozen times, we've only stopped once to take pictures. That much-anticipated (and long-awaited occasion) was just over a week ago...

I was so surprised (literally - blink and you'll miss it!) when my fella pulled over to give me a closer look. The house is cute from the highway, but the real magic is seen from the back side. It's a shame to think that most people will drive right by, many not noticing it there at all.

According to the artist, Heather Bennett, the house will remain standing for as long as it is safe. If you happen to find yourself travelling along Highway 2 in the near future, be sure to stop at the Souris Subway for a sandwich and then keep your eyes peeled for the Dollhouse. It really is a little unexpected roadside delight.

Snapshots - East Hastings St, Vancouver, BC

2011-08-05T08:32:00.000-05:00

Snapshots - the cows of Agassiz, BC

2011-08-04T08:17:00.001-05:00

Bucket List - The Grouse Grind

2011-07-26T08:59:00.009-05:00

The Grouse Grind, aka “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”, is a very challenging 2.9km trail straight up the front of Grouse Mountain, in West Vancouver, BC. Hikers begin at 900 feet above sea level and ascend to 3700 feet – an elevation gain of 2800 feet (or the equivalent of 1.5 times the height of the CN Tower. The average time to complete “the Grind” is 1.5 – 2 hours. This past Sunday, I completed it in 65 mins. Not bad for a first-timer!

To say that it was challenging is an understatement; it is a true test of both mental and physical fitness. There’s no going back, though, so once you start to make your way to the top, you gotta just keep going. And going and going and going….up the 3000 “steps” that make up the climb.

Arlene Gee on Flikr

When we lived in BC, I had always been too intimidated to attempt the Grind, because I assumed that it would be only extremely fit people bounding their way up the mountain and leaving me in their wake, but I was surprised to see the wide range of ages and abilities out on the trail; literally every age was represented (even a newborn in a carrier).

I started my climb at 1pm and was part of a fairly steady stream of people who were out to enjoy an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day. Of course, there were a few super-energetic types that passed me on the way up, but I think I managed to hold my own. I even saved a tiny burst of energy for the last few metres, knowing that the mascot would be waiting for me when I emerged at the top of the trail.

Once I was at the top, I pulled out my phone and immediately called my fella. I mean, what's an accomplishment if you can't (breathlessly) share it with someone you love? A couple minutes later, the mascot and my mom spotted me and made their way over to where I was. It wasn't until that moment, though, that I turned around to see what I had climbed up for - the view! It, combined with the realization that I had just crossed something off my bucket list, absolutely overwhelmed me. I was so happy to have my peeps up there to share it with me. Almost as happy as I was to take the tram down the mountain!

June Photo Challenge - Day 30

2011-06-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

The final assignment for the June Photo Challenge is “family”.

I suppose how one defines their family can be as inclusive or as exclusive as they wish. My own family is pretty small and doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger. Such is the case when you’re an only child and have only one of your own, I suppose. Stripped down to its very core (and including only the people that live in the little white house with the red door), my family is really just me and Jake (aka the mascot.) We're a team, the kid and I.

Taking one step outward, I would include my fella* and my mom, and then after that, my “steps” – Susan, Nicole and Curt.

*I know R would probably balk at such a presumptuous statement, but hey, when it comes to numbers, our little family needs all the help we can get. If nothing else, it’s good to have someone who can act as a tie-breaker or an alternate for our beach volleyball team.

June Photo Challenge - Day 29

2011-06-29T21:17:00.007-05:00

It's kinda funny that today's subject is "trees", seeing as how at least 3 of my other challenge photos have been of trees. (Off the top of my head - Summertime, Citrus and Landscape.)

I suppose I could have called this one in, but since it's the second last day of the project, I figured I would actually make an effort. So, in 31 degree heat and 107% humidity, my fella and I hopped on our bikes and went for an apres-work ride out to Assiniboine Park.

These trees are normally high and dry on the banks of the Assiniboine, but the river seems to have a mind of its own these days. Two days from July and "spring flooding" is still going strong.

I took this picture from the footbridge that connects Portage Avenue to the park. Moments later, we saw a few families of Canada geese and a big, dead pelican. I started to sing "The Circle of Life" (as I am want to do in these situations), but R was already on his bike and headed for the safety (and air conditioning) of home.

Farewell, grade 8!

2011-06-29T08:49:00.003-05:00

We interrupt our June Photo Challenge to bring you a special shout-out to the mascot, who has just completed the eighth grade.

Last night he and his classmates busted a move or two at their grad dinner and dance, held at ~~Scandals~~ Area Night Club. No slow-dancing was reported (as if he'd tell me anyway), but it sounds like they all had a great time (despite the sketchy pasta).

Here's a picture of the boy in all of his graduation finery. Doesn't he look dapper (and so serious)?

Get the look:
Plaid Hat - The Bay ($25)
Plaid Ben Sherman Tie - Winners ($25)
Tone-on_tone Black Vest - Stockhomme ($39)
Teal/White Short-sleeved Shirt - Sears ($6)
Black Pants - Walmart ($12)
Attitude - priceless

June Photo Challenge - Day 28

2011-06-28T14:59:00.003-05:00

Today's challenge is "transportation". Out of the big three - planes, trains and automobiles - I will always pick trains. There’s just something so sensible and endearing about them.

This train was loaded-up and headed west from downtown. I can only imagine what sorts of treasures at was carrying…

June Photo Challenge - Day 27

2011-06-27T21:30:00.001-05:00

When I saw today’s challenge – “your weakness” – I began making a mental list of all of my weaknesses, starting with peanut butter. Peanut butter led to chocolate; chocolate to Nutella; Nutella to gelati; gelati to pizza; pizza to wine… well, you get the picture. I started to get confused as to which of my weaknesses were actual weaknesses and which were vices… and, for that matter, which were just things that I was awfully fond of.

And they weren’t all food either; there’s a certain redheaded boy who I can’t resist spoiling, and a blue-eyed fella who can make me drop everything and hop in my car at the mere mention of a picnic or a foot rub (his, not mine). I also have a bit (ha!) of a weakness when it comes to magazines, yoga pants, stationery, the iTunes, flotsom and jetsam… again you get the picture.

Needless to say, narrowing it down to my true, true weakness was a challenge. Heading home from the gym last night, it all became clear. As soon as I spotted this sign, I knew. My true weakness, my kryptonite, if you will, is a good sale.

(For the record, I was able to resist this one, but it was tough. Not only was it a sale - it was a sale on hair products. I know!)

June Photo Challenge - Day 26

2011-06-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

My favourite colour? Red, baby. Red.

The red, red berry jam at Stella's is the #1 reason why I will never turn down an invitation to go there for brunch. I don't even care what I have for the rest of my meal; as long as I can have my multi-grain toast with jam for "dessert", I'm happy.

June Photo Challenge - Day 25

2011-06-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Remember I told you about my fella and his knack for growing things? I wasn't kidding. This is his orange tree, the subject of today's challenge "citrus".

This happy little tree spends most of the year indoors, oblivious to the fact that it is 4000 kms from Florida, and as soon as the risk of frost is completely gone, it is sent out to the deck where it flourishes in the sunshine and produces cute little fruits like these. We've yet to actually eat one, but they never fail to amaze me. I mean, seriously... oranges. In Winnipeg!

June Photo Challenge - Day 24

2011-06-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

The Beatles had it wrong when they said that "All You Need is Love".

You also need patience, kindness, respect for peoples' differences, a sense of humour, resiliency, determination, creativity, honesty, loyalty, and... cake.

Today's challenge was "love" and couldn't think of a better symbol for how we express our love for each other. We celebrate everything with cake - birthdays, graduations, new babies, retirements, and (of course) weddings. Without it, in all its incarnations from cupcake to the tallest tiered cake, love just wouldn't be quite as sweet.

June Photo Challenge - Day 23

2011-06-23T08:57:00.001-05:00

At first glance, this black & white snapshot of the Exchange District (and Downtown) could almost be mistaken for an old photograph. That is, until you notice the Radisson Hotel and brand-new Manitoba Hydro building…and the station wagon parked in front of Artspace.

Being a fan of old buildings, I absolutely love working in the Exchange and I especially love working in the historic Crocus building. In the old days, it was one of the Ashdown Hardware buildings, but is now home to an eclectic array of organizations and businesses, including the offices of MCG.

We occupy the top two floors of the building and are lucky to lay claim to the much-coveted rooftop patio. This photo was taken from there this morning, right before I started my workday.

June Photo Challenge - Day 22

2011-06-22T13:39:00.001-05:00

~~I assumed that today’s challenge would be an easy one.~~ I had hoped that today’s challenge would be an easy one. Winnipeg, the pretty little prairie town that it is, has a seemingly unlimited number of lovely scenes; one would think that taking a nice landscape photo in the middle of June would be a snap (pardon the pun).

Well, taking into account the fact that I have a full day ahead of me, with little or no opportunity to go out in search of a lovely scene to photograph, AND the fact that the weather is absolutely miserable, it’s a wonder that I didn’t just throw in the towel on this “easy” assignment.

Not one to be defeated by a little rain, or a pesky little time-constraint, I took a detour on my way to work and ended up at Halter Park, right at the end of Wolseley.

This park marks the halfway point of my running route, however as you can see from the photo, the swollen river has overtaken the path and made it completely impassable. Needless to say, a run through here would require a swimming component…and I’m not quite ready to add the aquathalon to my already epic roster of activities.

June Photo Challenge - Day 21

2011-06-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

When the mascot got an A on his oral report about the Roman Emperor Vespasian, I wanted to get him a little something to recognize his awesome job. Completely by coincidence, I received an email that day from a local shop owner about some Roman coins that he was selling. Needless to say, I knew that I had to grab one for my little orator.

I don’t know what this particular coin was worth in 79 AD, but I paid only $3 for it. At roughly the same size as my thumbnail, it made the perfect subject for today’s challenge photo (micro/up-close).

June Photo Challenge - Day 20

2011-06-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

Day 20 – Water

They say salt water cures anything, whether it’s sweat, tears or the sea. In my case, given my distance from the sea, it is usually a good sweaty workout that helps me get some perspective and work through whatever it is that’s weighing on me, both literally and figuratively.

It is difficult (though not impossible) to cry on a spinning bike. And, if you do, you can always blame it on the sweat in your eyes.

June Photo Challenge - Day 19

2011-06-19T21:05:00.002-05:00

One of my favourite things about Winnipeg is its trees and especially the trees of River Heights in the summertime.

Our lush tree canopy is definitely one of the things that makes the city so special. You would think that it would be something that could easily be taken for granted, but for some reason it doesn't.

Perhaps it's because we only get scenes like this for a few precious months out of the year and we relish every moment of it. I know it's what gets me through some of the greyest days of winter. That and a lot of wine.

June Photo Challenge - Day 18

2011-06-18T20:52:00.005-05:00

Today's challenge was eyes. This morning, while I was sitting on the couch trying to decide whose eyes I should take a photo of, the answer was (literally) staring right back at me. Of course, I waited until nightfall to capture them at their beautifully creepy best.

These furry little friends are part of a slowly growing collection of odd and wonderful creatures that the mascot and I have bought, made and won over the past couple of years. They live in my Nana's old chair and keep watch over the house when we're not home.

June Photo Challenge - Day 17

2011-06-17T14:39:00.002-05:00

The term Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke, meaning "blur" or "haze”. Interesting to note, though not surprising, the Japanese also use the term boke to describe a sense of mental haze or senility.

That’s exactly how I approached today’s challenge: in a state of mental haze. Specifically, how the heck was I going to pull this one off? (Day 17 and I am already running out of subjects and ideas. Oy.)

Lucky for me, an impromptu lunchtime trip to my fella’s house to let the dog out gave me an opportunity to snap a few pictures in the garden. While Roxy did her business, I went about mine.

Turns out, flowers aren’t just good for bouquets, they’re good for bokehs, too.

June Photo Challenge - Day 16

2011-06-16T23:19:00.002-05:00

Is it jam yet? No! How ‘bout now?

All day I have been trying to figure out some way to make a plain glass jar, one of the most commonplace of household objects, seem a little more exciting. Our challenge for today is “mason/jelly jar”, and what do we think of first when we think of a jar? Jam!

Do I have jam? No!

Did I remember to stop off at the market after work and buy a $7 jar of homemade jam? No!

So, you can only imagine how excited I was to get home and discover three perfectly red, ripe strawberries in my garden? I'm not quite ready to make jam yet, but as you can see, I am well on my way...

June Photo Challenge - Day 15

2011-06-15T23:39:00.001-05:00

Action! Stanley Cup 2011, Game 7, Boston vs Vancouver.

Overheard on Twitter: Someone should send Tim Thomas out to stop the riot; he stopped everything else tonight.

June Photo Challenge - Day 14

2011-06-14T22:37:00.004-05:00

Today's challenge is "someone you love". This one's a no-brainer: I heart my pocket protector wearing, D&D playing, vintage synth collecting, Devo loving, blog writing, embracer of all things geekified… nerd.

A little history: my fella and I should’ve met 25 years ago, but didn’t. We followed the proverbial “parallel lines” for years, sharing some of the same friends, attending the same events, shopping in the same stores, but never meeting.

Until three years ago, that is, and we’ve been together ever since. (I was smitten right from the moment that we met, but my definitive “he had me at…” was when I came home from a day-trip to Grand Forks and discovered a bunch of googly-eyed rocks placed around my garden.)

Three things I love about him: his bluer-than-blue eyes, the way he smells (swimming pool and jujubes), and how he can make a 3-mile run feel like, well, a 3-mile run…but more fun than running alone.

Three things that drive me nuts about him: he makes better pancakes than me, is bendier than me, and has a disgustingly green thumb (seriously, who grows oranges in Winnipeg??)

Aside from maybe catching a movie this weekend and (hopefully) making it out of town for a week this summer, we’re looking forward to our third anniversary, which will be celebrated in either July or August, depending on who you ask…and which occasion you are referring to. (July 17, aka “Boy-Meets-Girl Day”, is my personal favourite.)

June Photo Challenge - Day 13

2011-06-13T22:08:00.002-05:00

When I saw that today’s challenge was “ reminds you of childhood”, I immediately thought that it should be a place, rather than a thing. Of course, knowing me, that place would have to involve food.

There are actually a few places that always take me back to my childhood: the Dairy Queen on St Annes at Varennes, the Dairy Queen on Mayor Magrath in Lethbridge, and the BDI on Jubillee. (Are we beginning to sense a trend here?)

While I was at the BDI snapping pics for the challenge yesterday, I realized that it was not the ice cream stand itself, or even its iconic treats (Sleeping Beauty, anyone?), that I am so attached to; it is the bridge that leads to it that I feel such an affinity for. It is, literally, the "B" in BDI.

Whether you have to cross the river from the Kingston Row side or you enter from Jubillee, the slow walk across the bridge to look at the river while you devour your Goog is de rigueur. Simply getting your sundae to go would be only half the experience. It would be like, say, driving all the way to Niagara Falls and then not getting out of the car*.

*True story.

June Photo Challenge - Day 12

2011-06-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said that there were two photo challenge shots that almost didn’t happen? Well, this is number two. Although, unlike the animal photo that I managed to take in the 11th hour, so to speak, I guess you could say that this one technically didn’t happen at all.

Sun flares are actually pretty easy to achieve; they are the result of the sun’s rays directly hitting the lens of the camera. You really only need two things to make it happen – a camera and the sun. For half of the day, I had the sun and no camera. For the other half of the day, I had a camera and no sun. You see where I am going here?

At around 8pm, I gave up entirely and took matters into my own hands. A little (ha!) artistic license (and some cooperation from the mascot) was needed, but I finally got my shot. Sorta.

Son Flair

June Photo Challenge - Day 11

2011-06-11T22:27:00.001-05:00

I was glad that today’s challenge – silhouette – coincided with the Re:Play event at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my photo even before we arrived.

The concept was simple; I just had to get the mascot to stand in front of one of Mr Ghosty’s video screens so that I could get a nice, back-lit shot of the boy in profile. Easy, peasy!

The picture turned out exactly as I had envisioned, and even lent itself to a little image-manipulation in Photoshop. With this effect, it’s a modern take on the old-fashioned cameo.

June Photo Challenge - Day 10

2011-06-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

This was one of two shots that almost didn't happen for me this weekend. Who knew that it would be so hard to find an animal?

My choices were this: go to the zoo, head into the woods, or approach a stranger and ask to photograph their pet. The first and second options were discarded due to the effort and time required, and #3 was just a little too creepy, even for me.

So, that left the mascot and I to drive around after dinner looking for a statue or something that at least resembled an animal. Luckily, we made it to the land of the “Broadway Bears” (aka the park behind the Legislative Grounds) before the sun set and were able to take a few shots of the great painted beasts.

June Photo Challenge - Day 9

2011-06-09T21:36:00.003-05:00

I was tempted to call this photograph something like poire et cerise avent une fenetre, or the fecund fruit, or simply still life – untitled, but I was afraid of coming off as inadvertently pretentious.

Given that the challenge today was “fresh fruit”, I am going to stick with what I know best and call it something just a little cheeky.

Nice pear!

June Photo Challenge - Day 8

2011-06-08T23:17:00.003-05:00

Day eight’s blog challenge subject was a bit of a nail-biter. Things like “breakfast” and “shoes”, I can control. When it comes to sunsets, I can only hope for the best.

When I woke up this morning, the skies were grey, drizzly and, to be frank, downright miserable. If things didn’t clear up by evening, I was going to be forced to cheat and take a picture of a picture of a sunset, or get clever and take a picture of my son setting the table. (Get it?)

Thankfully, the sun eventually did come out around mid-afternoon and things started looking up (pun intended). I wasn’t out of the woods yet, though, because actually capturing a sunset is a whole other story. Would there be spectacular colour? Would I be in exactly the right place at the right time? Would a flock of birds suddenly rise from the trees and silhouette themselves against the brilliant glow of the sky as I stood poised to capture the moment?

In short, no, none of that happened. But I did manage to take this picture from my front steps after dinner. It’s not the most exciting sunset I have ever witnessed, but it was definitely better than the sink full of dishes that awaited me inside.

June Photo Challenge - Day 7

2011-06-07T08:55:00.002-05:00

When the mascot was little, I somehow got myself bitten (ok, mauled) by the scrapbooking bug. At the height of my obsession, I was not only working at a scrapbooking store, but I was actually organizing family outings based on what kind of stickers and paper I had to use up. Apple stickers called for a trip to the orchard; a merry-go-round die cut had us scrambling to find a carnival; a $7 shaker-box filled with glitter meant that I had finally lost my mind.

Needless to say, everything that we did was a photo-op and the mascot got pretty used to having a camera pointed at his little, freckled face. This is why I am so surprised that he has recently become such a reluctant subject. Take this morning, for example. For some reason, the boy was less than enthused at the notion of posing in our front yard at 8am. Or, maybe he was non-plussed about having to pose for a photo taken by a woman standing on a chair in the front yard. Apparently "blog challenge" and "high angle shot" mean nothing to a 13 year old boy on his way to school.

Either way, I got my shot...and, as a bonus, another excuse to buy stickers. I'm thinking little red maple leaves or tiny bike helmets or...

June Photo Challenge - Day 6

2011-06-06T18:38:00.001-05:00

Today’s challenge is “books”. Easy enough, considering how much I love to read, right?

Camera in hand, I ventured over to the used bookstore across the street from my office to photograph the teetering stacks of books that occupy every aisle and surface of the store. After less than 2 minutes, however, all of that chaos (and the crazy shopkeeper) was starting to make me twitchy.

I needed to get out of there – fast – so I snapped a couple of quick shots before stopping in front of an especially tall stack of old, dusty hardcovers.

I don’t know what made me peek inside this book in particular, but I’m glad I did. I took my camera out for one last frame, and it turned out to be a keeper.

Who knew that I would find one of my favourite quotes about books inside a book?

June Photo Challenge - Day 5

2011-06-05T17:50:00.007-05:00

Last night, Lisagh reminded me that the photo challenge for day 5 would be "Today's Breakfast". Good thing, too, because it gave me time to prepare a picture-perfect muesli before going to bed.

It's a good thing that today's challenge didn't happen on a weekday, or I would be posting a picture of my mid-morning breakfast of melon and microwaved oatmeal, served up at my desk. That's my *usual*; Monday to Friday (and sometimes Saturday), 52 weeks out of the year. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.

Weekends, though, are a different story. Or, rather, Sundays are a different story. Depending on my mood, there's an excellent chance that eggs might make their way onto my plate, in the form of an omelette or a poched-egg-on-something.

Lately, though, muesli is my Sunday breakfast obsession. With less than 5 minutes of prep on Saturday night, this combination of oats, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices and almond milk literally makes itself while I sleep.

In the morning, all I have to do is add some chopped apple (and a pretty garnish), tumble some berries into a bowl and brew a pot of coffee. Then, I curl up on the couch, turn on the TV and see how long I can make it last (the moment and the muesli) before the chaos of the day takes over.

June Photo Challenge - Day 4

2011-06-04T17:44:00.000-05:00

This morning was cool and cloudy. In fact, it was cloudy for most of the day...right up until the moment that I went outside to take a picture of some clouds for today's photo challenge.

Camera in hand, I went outside, looked up and saw this:

Now, far be it for me to complain about blue skies, but c'mon people! Throw me a cumulous or something.

June Photo Challenge - Day 3

2011-06-03T17:15:00.001-05:00

Hands. The first thing that I thought of when I read today's challenge was, "Uh, no. No way am I taking a picture of my hands."

My hands do many wonderful things, but being pretty seems to have alluded them. Don't get me wrong; they're not gross or freakishly large (cough*SarahJessicaParker*cough), but let's just say that nobody will be signing me up to be a hand-model anytime soon.

So, to save the world from seeing my dry cuticles and the scar on my knuckle, I set out on my lunch-hour to find some hands that I could stealthily photograph. Surely, the Exchange would be full of couples holding hands, children dancing gayly around a May Pole and old ladies knitting scarves for the poor...right? Wrong.

Here's what I had to choose from: a homeless guy cleaning his nails with a pocket knife (fingers AND toes), and about 564 office-workers shoveling poutine out of little cardboard boxes outside the latest fast-food sensation in the Square. Thank Jeebus for the two buskers that came along to entertain the crowds on what seemed like the first truly warm day of the year.

Of course, being all stealthy comes at a cost; the photo is rather lackluster. But, in my own defense, so was their performance. No...I kid. Truth was, I had to get back to work and the small of gravy wafting from the Poutinerie was starting to make me weak.

June Photo Challenge - Day 2

2011-06-02T17:04:00.006-05:00

It makes sense that since day one’s photo was of my face, that day two’s snapshot should be of my feet. Or, rather, of my shoes.

Today’s challenge, in case you haven’t guessed, is “my favourite shoes”. The ones pictured below just happened to be the ones that I am wearing today, but are these my favourites?

You betcha they are.

Granted, they are not the sexiest shoes in my collection, but when I came across them at Winners, I literally said, “Shut up.” Bass Mary-Jane oxfords? With wing tips? And a herringbone lining?

Shut up, indeed.

Thankfully, they fit like a glove. Otherwise, I would have removed a toe. Two toes, even. Or I might’ve just plunked down my 60 bucks and used them as bookends or something.

Interesting to note: when I was taking the picture of my shoes, I noticed that the right one was full of grass. I was puzzled for a minute, but then I remembered that I was wearing them when I cut the lawn the other day. Am I nuts?

You betcha I am.

But, at least I have cute (albeit rather sensible) shoes.

June Photo Challenge - Day 1

2011-06-02T08:44:00.004-05:00

What did I say yesterday about my self-portrait? I think it was something along the lines of “it’s going to be a janky, grainy, low-light, arm’s-length snapshot from my half-charged Blackberry”.

Well, do I know myself, or what? This is possibly the jankiest self-portrait in the history of janky self-portraits. It was almost completely unviewable in its virgin state, so, ironically, in the interest of clarity I have upped the graininess and contrast. Now, It's not just janky, it's artistically janky.

But, that said, I don’t look all that horrible and I was in a very relaxed, post-dinner/pre-dishes, sitcom-watching stupor. One could almost say that this is me in my happy place. And, really, besides Tyra Banks, whose happy place includes flattering lighting?

Note: the camera is now charged and I promise to do better. I have 30 29 days to get this right!

Challenge this!

2011-06-01T15:15:00.004-05:00

I don't quite know what happened to my Girl Geeks, but there hasn't been a challenge in the blog challenge for quite some time. That, I'm sure, is the reason for my poor blog being rather...um, challenged...as of late.

So, at the insistence of a very insistent friend, I am taking on the June Photo Challenge. If nothing else, it will force me to get the camera back up and snapping and, more importantly, give this poor beast another kick in the pants.

I think I’m going to have to get creative with today’s challenge – the self-portrait. I’m at about 5% power on my Blackberry and 0% on all of my many (ha!) cameras. My plan is to charge little Elphy as soon as I get home, but you all know how good I am at getting stuff done (ahem, 365 project)! If all goes to plan, I should have a lovely arm’s-length or bathroom-mirror shot to post in the morning.

If not, I will be available over the lunch-hour for a good, stern talking to.

Strength by Numbers

2011-04-06T12:51:00.002-05:00

What’s this? Another fundraiser?

Yup. ‘tis the season, I suppose. Everywhere you turn there are rapidly shrinking snowbanks and charity events. It must be spring!

When I heard that one of my favourite galleries in town would be throwing themselves a fundraising bash, I immediately contacted them to see if I could contribute a piece of art to their silent auction. The timing was perfect, really; I had just completed three new collages and only two were earmarked for the MAWA auction. I offered up number three to Jordan and was thrilled when she accepted.

True to the name of the event “Strength by Numbers”, there is an impressive list of artists who have donated their artworks to help strengthen the coffers at the Cre8ery. I have seen just a few pieces from the show and I can honestly say that this will be a not-to-be-missed event.

Bidding for the silent auction items will start on April 12th and close on the 15th, during a big party at the gallery. Like any good bash, the Strength by Numbers party will include music, theatre, storytelling (storytelling?) and a 50/50 draw. And, I’ll be there, too! (As if you needed any more reason to go!) Silent auction bids start at $50, so this is a great opportunity to pick up some new wall-candy and support a great cause!

Visit the Cre8ery website or the event Facebook page for more info!