Flamenco Pic-Nic

Working downtown can at times be a hassle with the noise, the traffic, the people, etc., but most of the time I love it. Yesterday was one of those I-Love-It days.

Seeing as I find the office temperature similar to that of a walk-in freezer, I grabbed my lunch bag and headed across the street to the courtyard for a little pic-nic and to warm up. Instead of just grooving to my iPod though, I was fortunate to watch a small Flamenco troup give a free concert. Just like that, in the middle of downtown, at lunch, free.

Does it get any better?

Really Quite Respectable

Had a chance to review the rankings from Saturday's races and discovered that MTDBC Thunder Waves placed 28 out of 42 women's teams. This is far better than I ever expected us to do.

In Sunday's semi-final 500m we finished 5 out of 6 in our heat (ok, not so great) but in the final 250m (race 139) we finished 4 out of 6, and the difference between 3rd and 4th place was only about a quarter of a second, I think. Really quite a respectable showing.


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Thanks to my Dad for posting some pictures of the race on Saturday on his flickr page.

That was fun

Couple of things:

Had a fun BBQ at the parents on Friday night as a farewell dinner for Dad before he left for India on Saturday.

Finished reading Harry Potter, the seventh and final book at 10:54pm Friday night. Phew!

Spent Saturday and Sunday at the Olympic Basin in Dragon Boat competition (here are the results). That was fun!

I'm tired, sunburned and had a fantastic time.

Let the races begin

Here's tomorrow's race schedule. It should be a pretty interesting day, I think there are something like 200 teams competing - oh, the pressure!

I'll be racing with MTDBC Lightning (mixed) and also MTDBC ThunderWaves (women).

I don't actually expect anyone to be around for the first race at 7:20 (I have to be there at 6:00am!) but if it's nice and you have nothing better to do, take the metro out to Parc Jean-Drapeau and see if you can watch the race at 10:50am, 2:28pm or 4:20pm.

Sunday's semi-final and final will depend on how we do tomorrow.

I got it! I got it!

At long last - managed to pick up my copy of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows last night. I couldn't dive into it because I had Dragon Boat practice, we took team pictures and so it was nearly 8:30pm by the time I finally got home. Argh! After showering, stretching, getting food ready for work today, clothes ready for work, gym clothes out, bike in position ... I only managed to read about 100 pages before going to bed.

Doesn't look like I'll get much reading done tonight either as I'm hoping to meet up with Tamara & Ben and their two kids. Tamara & Ben came in from Halifax to see The Police concert last night (sooo jealous!). I'm excited to see them and of course that is much more important than just reading a book ;)

I will get to the book. Soon. I hope.

I can eat cherries again!

While doing my weekly grocery shop this weekend, I found the fresh cherries were too much of a temptation for me to resist. Normally if I want to eat cherries, I have to cook them because I am allergic to fresh cherries.

I got home, started thinking of the acupuncture treatments I had this winter and wondered if that would have changed anything. Thought about stewing them, making a cobbler, a crisp but then couldn't help myself and started eating them. Figured I'd try a couple and see. Guess what I found out? I can eat cherries! Fresh cherries! And my mouth doesn't go all itchy and my tongue doesn't swell!

So now I have plenty of cherries for my afternoon snack all week. Yum!

Getting Older

You know you're getting older when paying $23 online and waiting a few extra days for the new Harry Potter book is more important than standing in a queue for hours to buy it at midnight tonight.

More Questions, More Passing the Buck

I'm not proud of myself, but really, some things you should be able to do without anyone's help.

Q. "I'm sorry to bother you but can you help me with a consolidated invoice?"

A. "I could but it would be better if you got the FMA to help you."

Rain in the forecast

Therefore it must be Wednesday. I can't believe it. Really. Can. Not. Believe. It.

9 Dragon Boat practices to date and only 2 of them have been in good weather! One got cancelled because it was too damn cold. Five others have taken place in the rain and it looks tonight will be the sixth time.

I don't know if I'm cut out for this.

A-Tweedle Dee-A

The more things change the more things stay the same, so the saying goes right? I have found that to be truer than ever this week.

With a recent move at work, I am now working beside an older, Italian version of Tweedle-Dee. Henceforth she will be known as A-Tweedle Dee-A. Sounds nice and Italian now, doesn't it?

Example 1: You plug in your laptop, logon and DON'T notice your battery is draining over the course of the next two hours, eventually turning your computer off because the battery is dead! And then of course, the question "Hey! How come a-my computer just turned itself-a off?" I assumed right away that the plug she used wasn't working but instead of spending the next few years answering more stupid questions, I decided to let the pro's handle it and said, "The plug you used isn't working. Better call micro." And that's it. Micro came, confirmed the plug was dead and sorted it out.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Wild Bill in India

Wild Bill has officially started his new blog in preparation for his trip to India. I've included a link to his space over there on the right.

Keep a watch on his space for updates from now until January 2008!

P.S. Dad, I'm sooo jealous. Please go ahead and have the time of your life.

Watching the clock

3:04 ... 3:49 ... 4:20 ... 4:43 ... 5:15 ... 5:35 ...

Might as well get up, hit the gym, go to work.

When do I get to sleep?

International Flora

On my fourth and final day of my extended long-weekend, I visited the Montreal International Flora Festival at the Old Port, believing the weather report that told me there was no chance of precipitation that afternoon. Silly me.

However, despite having to wait out one light rain shower and one long downpour, I did spend a couple of very enjoyable and relaxing hours there, taking pictures of the various gardens and of many of the flowers. The colours were so vibrant and each garden so original and creative; I loved it. I’ve posted a new set of pictures on flickr for your viewing pleasure.

Once I was done there, I biked back to the market for a little lemon sorbet and an amazing loaf of baguette for my dinner.

Finally, finally, finally – my long anticipated massage finished off the weekend on the perfect note. Thanks, Sina!

Mont Orford PSA

If you’re ever in the Mont Orford area and think to yourself "Hey, I should walk up there!", stop yourself. You’ll thank me later.

My mother had the bright idea that we’d go for a nice hike at this provincial park today. No problem. I’m always ready for a nice day of hiking. What neither of us had thought of or were expecting was to arrive at a completely closed ski station where we ended up hiking up the ski slope. At times it felt like we were going straight up a 90° incline. It wasn’t a long hike, only 4 kilometres but man … was it ever hard. We made a number of short stops on the way up to have a sandwich and catch our breath. Although it was quite a windy and cool day, this managed to keep us from overheating and probably, in part, how we did make it all the way up. As we climbed, the view got better and better all time. It was a great feeling to finally reach the top. By that time my calves were shaking from the exertion (and I like to think that I’m in reasonably good shape.) Honestly, if there had been one more switch-back, I may have had to finish the hike on my hands and knees. The view from the top was wonderful though and certainly made up for the climb. I’ve posted a few pictures here. The way down was certainly easier on the heart but no less hard on the body. By the time we reached the bottom, neither of us could feel our knees anymore.

A couple of times it looked as if it was going to rain, and we did get a few drops on the way up but the real rain managed to hold off until the minute we got back to the car. Talk about timing.

After that we went for a short drive into Magog for a relaxing stroll along the main drag and a rewarding pastry and cup of tea in a little local café.

My plans for a long bike ride tomorrow evaporated somewhere up the hill today. I’m going to take thing a little bit easier and stick close to home. I will probably head into Old Montreal to spend some time at The International Flora Festival. And then to end my lovely 4-day long weekend off on the perfect note, I will get my massage and then melt into bed.

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Note: just did a little online investigating and found this site. Just so you know, this is not what is there now. Maybe they did have this at one time but certainly not in 2007.

Summer Splash

Here's my report on my first Dragon Boat competition from Saturday.

Saturday, June 30

Today was my first race day. All in all, I had a pretty fun time of it. Our team was there at 8am to make sandwiches for our food stand (to raise funds for the next competition). It was pretty cold and no coffee or even hot chocolate to keep our motivation up!

10am – first race 400m. I was anxious to see how it was going to play out. I had a fair idea that it would be a lot different than our weekly practice and boy, was I right. For example, during practice I find that I don’t really get wet at all. Not so on race day. We were all paddling so strong and moving so fast that each and every one of us basically got soaked from head to toe on one half of our body, depending which side of the boat we were seated on. Think we came in 3rd or 4th (of 4 teams).

11:40 – second race 200m. Obviously was much faster than the first and because it was so much shorter, we didn’t have the long stretch of just going at 85% of our force. It was pretty much a start, immediately up to 100%, then a short burst at 85% and then the final 50m at 100% again. This time I’m pretty sure we placed 3rd.

1pm – 3rd race, 100m. This was a rush. Our standard hard 5 strokes to get the boat out of the water and then 100% push for the finish. It was over in less than 30 seconds. Apparently we had a great start; really getting the boat out fast. Think there were only 3 boats in this race and we came 2nd. Not too shabby! Shortly before this race started, my friend Super C showed up to see what this whole thing was all about and to cheer me on. Thanks a bunch and especially for the pictures!

2:45pm – 4th and final race, another 400m. Despite it now being the end of our day and although I was starting to feel a bit tight in my back, we had an amazing race. We were really pushing hard and by the time we hit our last 100% push to the finish, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it – that’s how much we were putting into it. Luckily it’s all over in less than 3 minutes though and we all survived. For this race there were 3 other boats and we came in 2nd again. I was so pleased with how it all turned out. Considering we don’t have a full team yet, and had about 6 people (who have never trained with us) sitting in to fill the empty spots, I think we did incredibly well.

Some hours later I am feeling exhausted from the huge energy output but also rather proud of myself. I had a good time today and now that I know how a race works, I’m looking forward to the next competition at the end of July.

Meal Substitutions

Call me crazy but you’re fooling nobody saying you don’t like butter. Please, asking to substitute the vegetables on your plate with salad, dressing on the side and then using it all? Asking for your clam chowder not to have any potatoes in it? And if you think the chef used skim milk in that soup, you are seriously deluded. You’re watching your weight. I get it. Really, I do. And that's OK.

But don’t then go and order a crème brulée for dessert! Give me a break.

Summer Splash

Tomorrow is my first Dragon Boat competition.

If you're in the area, come and cheer us on at Summer Splash.

L-o-n-g Weekend

4-day weekend coming up. Hooo boy, do I need it!

New Source of Protein?

Sunday morning I did 40k bike ride. It was a nice morning, not too hot, not too humid, not too windy. What I didn't realise was that at some points during the ride the bike path would be thick with bugs and flies and gross things that would get stuck in my hair, eyebrows, on my shirt, shorts, in my mouth, up my nose ...

This was one of those times that suddenly a stationary bike at home or in a gym really made sense.

Trying to spit out teeny weeny bugs from my mouth while at the same time trying not to breathe in any new sources of protein was quite a challenge. In the end it was a great ride and I felt virtuous enough after that do laze around for the rest of the day without feeling guilty.

Baby Shower Preparations

One of my closest friends, Super C, is expecting a baby in September. Because I'm nice and bossy, I offered to host a baby shower for her. No problem. I like to organise. I like to make lists.

What I wasn't counting on was the sheer stupidity of so many of these baby shower web sites. What I wasn't counting on was the total "mom"-ness of these sites. Have these people lost their minds in having children? Why is it all so cutesy and cuddly and cringe-worthy?

Things that I will not be doing in organising this shower: buy hula-hoops, crayons and construction paper, draw a hopscotch board on the driveway (they don't even mention why any sane person would do this for a baby shower!). Nor will I buy 15 flavours of baby food, peel off the labels and test everyone's taste buds. (First prize more baby food?! Are they mad!?!) Ask guest to bring pink or blue note cards with their favourite mom secrets? I'm sorry, I can't go on. It just gets worse.

Cecilia - be prepared. This will be a grown-up "shower" for grown-up women. Apart from the fact that you are having a baby, I refuse to insult your intelligence and my own any longer, and the theme will be "no stupid baby stuff". Actually, you know what? I think I will rename this shower to a "pre-baby party". We will eat grown-up portions. No "baby-sized" food as so helpfully recommended to keep the theme going. We will not be serving pink or blue food, unless it just so happens to happen that way. No pastel coloured candies either.

The only thing that I will succumb to is a non-alcoholic drink. How about ... ?

Virgin Strawberry Margaritas

Juice of 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/2 tsp sugar
One strawberry (for garnish)
Whipped cream (mandatory)

Add lime juice, 1/2 cup strawberries and sugar to blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into cocktail glass. Garnish with remaining strawberry, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 1 (me!)

Wall Plugs

Would you look at that? I managed to drill some larger holes, get the wall plugs in, the curtain rod holders screwed in and the curtains back up - all by myself! And - get this, the curtains didn't fall down last night. So there.

Flight of the Conchords

There's this new show on The Movie Network called Flight of the Conchords.

Kinda reminds me of a young New Zealand version of Montreal's own Bowser & Blue. Also kinda reminded me of Best in Show and A Mighty Wind sorta style.

Pretty funny stuff.

Really Broken

Some months ago the old plastic wheels on my bed frame finally died of dehydration. They cracked, split and fell apart. I had never been too happy with these wheels, let me tell you. They wouldn't lock, stuck out too far - in short, they were a real pain in the wazoo.

So, being the independant and clever woman I am, I managed to pick up some new legs for the bed in a nice cherry wood. Great. Except that I couldn't get them to fit in the metal bed frame (too wobbly). Nor could I screw them into the under side of the bed (well, I could but not straight). In the end I broke down and called my mechanic brother to help me out. Where it took me about 20 minutes to use the wrench on one nut (or is it bolt?), Marc had it done in the blink of an eye - literally!

Anyway ... at that time we managed to get my bed put back together even if it was a little higher than I had expected. Still slightly wobbly but much, MUCH better than before.

Until last night. When I was standing (ok, so some of this is my fault I suppose) on the bottom left corner of my bed reaching over to fix the curtains and that's when the bed, the 3 curtains, curtain rod, 2 curtain rod holders, 4 screws and me all crashed to the floor. Not a terribly relaxing way to get into bed.

I had to get out my toolbox (yes, the nice shiny red one!), screwdriver, wrench and then pull my freshly made bed apart. Cursing all the way, as you can well imagine. Oh, and after leaving a rather curt message on Marc's voicemail.

As it turns out, that bottom left bed leg? The big long screw thing broke off. Now I have this leg that has a bit of a broken screw sticking out of it and no way to get the rest of the screw out of the bedframe! Nice, eh?! I ended up taking the frame apart, killing 2 spiders (1 with my bare hand because that's how mad I was) and having to put the bed on the floor for the night. I did manage to get the curtains back up before going to bed but they didn't stay up for long. At 1:00 a.m. I pushed my duvet to the end of my bed but didn't realise that the weight of the duvet pulling on my curtains would pull the whole frigging thing down again! Yes, that's right, the whole kit and kaboodle came crashing down on my feet.

Looks like tonight I'll have to put some wall plugs into those holes to secure the screws and also fix the curtain rod holders (because they're bent now). Yeesh.

Marc - you better have some idea how to fix my bed because now I'm pissed.

8x10

I had this picture blown up into an 8x10. Without tooting my own horn too much (bit late now) - can I tell you how beautiful this picture turned out? I'm so friggin' impressed.

Much better

Ahhh ... finally a Dragon Boat practice that ended without feeling like my back was going to jump off me in spasms.

We had a great practice last night practicing our starts and stops and going at full throttle. Mostly that part made me feel like barfing. Kinda like when you're biking up a hill and it takes every last bit of energy to get there and then you make it, you stop and you keel over and puke. But in a fun way, you know?!

Bubble Wrap

How will I resist the urge to jump on huge the roll of bubble wrap? It is altogether too inviting.

Happy 30th Birthday Marc!

Happy 30th Birthday Marc!

F1

Had a fantastic day at the Grand Prix on Saturday. It was hot, sunny, crowded, noisy and I can honestly say I loved every minute. Here is a very small sample of the 187 pictures I took.

Happy 40th Anniversary!

June 9, 1967


Happy Anniversary to my Mom & Dad!

Happy 3rd Birthday Darcy! Happy 30th Birthday Marc!

Happy 30th Birthday to my baby brother ... guess this means I can't be 29 anymore. Hmph.

Had a great time celebrating Darcy's 3rd Birthday with her yesterday. Here are the rest of the pictures.

The best was Darcy waiting at the window for her uncles to show up ... for over an hour!

No - the best was her expression when we brought out the birthday cake!

No - the best was when she suddenly said "Thank you everybody for a nice cake."

No - the best was ... as you can tell, it was a day full of "best" moments.

Anniversary/Birthday Party Menu

Bruti ma buoni cookies
Lemon cookies (from this book)
Chocolate chip cookies
Date-nut bread
Apricot spice bars (from this cookbook)
Butter pecan tarts (from Grandma's old cookbook, can't find a link)
Fruit smoothie cheesecake
Cheddar cheese coins (oh no, that's right, I ate those already!)
Orange & Mandarine cake (adapted from this recipe)
Fruit plate
Cheese & crackers

Oh, and if you're interested, here are some picture from the party. Somehow I missed a few (about half the people actually) guests - including the guests of honour! But hopefully we'll be able to take a few more pictures later this week.

Better not forget - here are a few pictures from our trip to the park with Darcy on Saturday.

Wet, Wet, Wet

There are a number of times in my life that I can say I have been wet to the bone. Last night was another "happy" occurrence of this.

OK, partly my fault - I didn't check the weather forecast before leaving in the morning ... on my bike. But I did have the sense to bring my rain jacket and wear this fantastic "wicking" clothing (wicks the sweat off you to keep you dry - come on! how cool is that?!). Shortly after arriving at work it started to rain and basically rained on and off all day. By the time I left work to bike over to Ile Ste-Helene for Dragon Boat practice it wasn't raining anymore but the ground was still wet. However, it started raining again during practice and got heavier by the minute. By the time we finished it was basically a downpour. Seeing as I was already kinda damp anyway, I figured I would ride home and "how bad could it be". Famous last words.

Biking in a downpour of rain, through sandy and muddy bike paths, over potholes now filled to overflowing with puddles of water, not being able to wear my sunglasses to keep the water out of my eyes ... Did you know that even when you're on a bike you can get that squishy wet foot feeling in your shoes? It's true! Take my word for it.

Naturally, by the time I did get home (easy 20 min. ride from the Olympic Basin), I was dripping from places I didn't know I could drip from. My bike was so wet that the little sensor that tracks my speed couldn't do it's job anymore. My shoes, socks, pants, back-pack (and nearly everything in it) and jacket were all soaked. Surprisingly though, my jacket while wet on the outside had kept the rest of me miraculously dry (except in the armpit vents that I had open and the rain sneaked in there). Anyway, all that stuff went directly into the washer and I jumped in the shower to wash the mud off me and my hair (my pony tail was gritty with dirt).

It was still raining this morning and seeing as I didn't have any dry exercise gear to wear, I broke down and took the bus to work. But I am determined now to find myself some pants that can keep me as dry as my jacket. And shoes - would that even exist?

Stupid Pill

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems you must’ve taken a stupid pill? That’s the kind of day I had this past Saturday. Seriously, it was enough to make me look in the mirror and ask myself what on earth I had for breakfast. Yeesh …

Frozen sushi

There’s a reason sushi should be eaten fresh and not from frozen. In case you ever happen to see frozen sushi in the freezer section of your local grocery store, save yourself a couple of dollars and leave it in the store. Once thawed (even according to the package directions) it will be dry, taste like cardboard and fall apart worse than your own homemade version of sushi. I promise.

Rubbish

The book I'm presently reading is complete crap. It's going back to the library this weekend even if I don't finish reading it. Yeesh, what a waste of paper.

First Practice

We had our first Dragon Boat practice last night. Thankfully the temperature was closer to the 25C mark this week (not nearly at freezing like last week). As expected it took some work to get the stroke right, the A-frame body position, the timing, etc. all together. But altogether it was kind of a fun way to spend an hour.

However, I am feeling some pain today in my lower back. Not as much as I expected but I will probably feel it even more tomorrow. In preparation for the general soreness and achy-ness, I have lots of Advil within arm's length.

Owww !

Ah yes, the dormant bicycle muscles got quite a workout this weekend. And I am paying for it now.

What does your Birthdate mean?

Have noticed lots of people inserting this info on their facebook page. Here's what my birthday says about me:

Your Birthdate: August 27

You are a spiritual soul - a person who tries to find meaning in everything. You spend a good amount of time meditating, trying to figure out life. Helping others is also important to you. You enjoy social activities with that goal. You are very generous and giving. Yet you expect very little in return. Your strength: Getting along with anyone and everyone Your weakness: Needing a good amount of downtime to recharge Your power color: Cobalt blue Your power symbol: Dove Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Dragon Boat

I had prepared a whole post about the aches and pains I was expecting to have today. But guess what? I don't have any aches and pains today. Wanna know why not? Because it was too cold for our first Dragon Boat practice.

How shocked are you to find that I have joined a Dragon Boat team? On a scale of 1 to 10. I'm about a 10 on that scale, as in very, very, very shocked. Thanks to the 2C weather though practice got cancelled and you'll have to wait until next week to hear about all the aches and pains I will have.

The Chin Strip

Here's the question that's been rattling around my brain for a couple of months now. What do you call a beard that is just a strip of facial hair down the middle of a man's chin? For a while I didn't know what this was called, but thanks to a little bit of searching à la Google, the answer, of course, was found. It is called, simply enough, the chin strip.

I've been noticing a increase in the amount of chin strips on men in Montreal. At the gym, shopping downtown, on the bus.

Now that I know that it's called a chin strip I have more questions. Why the chin strip? Why not a full goatee? Why not just the soul patch?

My apologies to that guy at the gym that I can't stop staring at whenever I see his chin strip - it's just that it kinda freaks me out. Sorta like a train wreck.

Advertising is Expensive

Apologies to my parents - I had planned to put a celebration message in The Gazette for your anniversary but due to the fact that the cheapest version possible is still over $100 before taxes, this will not be happening.

I will probably do something closer to the free price range, like post a message on my blog.

Arcade Fire

Rocked out at the Arcade Fire concert on Saturday night. Wow - that was just awesome. The best part of the concert was at the end when the band left the stage before the first encore, the crowd continued singing along to the chorus of the song they'd just finished playing. It started off so that I wasn't sure if it was the sound system still playing back the song, but then realised that it was the crowd! The crowd was singing to get the band back on stage! It was so cool!!! Finally the band came back on and the crowd just roared! (look at all my exclamation points - I'm still freaking out about this)

I can tell you, it was worth the time and effort to see this band. It was the third time we (my brothers and I) had tried to get tickets to their concerts and finally it came through (thank you, Sam!).

As much fun as the concert was, I have the feeling I'm getting old. The concert didn't start until 9:45pm and we'd left the house at 7pm. So it was nearly 3 hours (!) since leaving the house before the main event even started. Also, I'd forgotten how loud concerts can be and consequently didn't bring earplugs with me. As it turns out it wasn't loud enough to make my ears ring (as in many past concerts in my "youth") but I did come out of there with a headache.

Here's the review from the paper yesterday. All in all - a fantastic concert.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Me!

Can you believe I'm celebrating 2 years of blogging today?! I'm rather proud of myself. Never imagined it would go on this long.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Good weather = Good mood

It's been so nice this week that I actually finished the switch over between my winter and summer wardrobe last night. I kid you not - ALL my sweaters have been lovingly washed, dried flat and are now packed away in a variety of suitcases until September (ha, ha - joking, until October).

It was even warm enough to go bare-legged in a skirt. Shocking, I know, I don't usually do that until end of June. However, thanks to not having stockings or socks with me at work, I did walk home with bare feet inside my shoes and managed to rip my right foot to shreds on Tuesday. Yesterday I hobbled around in heels all day, gritting my teeth through the pain, but now that I have my summer wardrobe out that means I also have my summer shoes out and I found a pair of shoes that don't touch any of the blisters. It's going to be a long day today, so I better not get any new blisters or I'll be wearing flip flops to work tomorrow.

In case you've been wondering about my cooking/baking ... I was pretty productive last weekend (date nut bread, zucchini soup, zucchini & feta tart - can you tell zucchini were on sale?) and last night I actually had enough energy to cook mid-week! I adapted an Indian butter chicken recipe to use with a soy and wheat gluten based "chicken" product - and wow!!! It was awesome! Not too sure I'd use this veggie chicken again, but I would definitely do it with shrimp or chunks of fish. Mmmm good!

Have got great plans to do some serious baking this weekend but no plans to photograph it every step of the way.

Mother's Day on Sunday, people. Hope you're prepared!

24 hours of flickr

Here's what I've been up to so far today.

Going out for the evening and hope to add more to the set later.

Cough Syrup

Did you know that too much cough sirop syrup can make you feel a bit sick?

Ohhh, my tummy hurts.

Oh, look - a lung

Was that a lung I just coughed up? Blech. This cold is disgusting.

A day in the life

You have a few days to prepare for this challenge. Who will join me?

Boy, is Jacques Villeneuve short!

Lucky me got to attend a VIP event at Cirque du Soleil's new show, Kooza, last night. As the last minute un-official photographer, I was running around taking pictures of the biggest movers and shakers in the Montreal finance and business scene. One of the guest's was Jacques Villeneuve himself, of F1 Grand Prix fame. Can you imagine my surprise when suddenly he was a few feet away from me and I towered over him?!

I did a quick internet search this morning and found out that he's actually only 5'6" (168cm). Who knew? That's 1-inch shorter than me, but rather more if you count that I was tottering around in 3-inch heels. For some reason, suddenly I wasn't so impressed by him.

Relaxed and Stuffed

Ohhhhh ... what a wonderful afternoon I've had! Had a divine facial. So wonderful that I nearly fell asleep a couple of times. Followed by a fun lunch where we ate and ate and ate. Am now ready for a nice long nap.

Welcome to Hell

One of my favourite comedy sketches by one of the most brilliant comedians ever.
Enjoy Rowan Atkinson's Welcome to Hell.

Why? Because it's Friday the 13th, it's been a long week and I'm tired and crabby and basically would like everybody to go to hell and leave me alone.

Good thing I'm getting some pampering done at the spa tomorrow with Cecilia. I need it.

The 4 Rs of Recycling

When people usually talk about recycling these days, they talk about the 3 Rs of recycling; Reduce, Reuse and Recylce.

Yesterday was recycling day in my neighbourhood so I naturally left my green box on the curb as I left for work. When I came home last night I was a little surprised to find everybody else's green box in our foyer except my own. First thought ran something along the lines of "oh great, they can't just steal my paper, now they have to steal my recycling box too?!?!". I realised shortly after though, that someone probably took my box to their unit and suddenly found themselves with two green boxes. I figured by this morning my own would be back in the foyer, looking lonely and waiting for me. I am very pleased to report that I was right! Phew!

It's been kinda tough since getting back from vacation, what with the ceiling, the cold, the never ending snow (and more is expected today!) and it was starting to feel like the straw that broke the camel's back. Thankfully not and I have discovered the 4th R of recycling:

Return to owner!

Talking Turkey

Here's a question that's been rolling around my head for a while

How come, when my brother brings leftover turkey home after a turkey dinner at my parents' house, it makes his car smell like fart? And not just any little dinky accidental fart. I'm talking a really big revolting, nasty, gag inducing fart.

Anyone?

Homemade Bread

Is there anything better than the smell of fresh bread baking? Well, apart from homemade cookies and melting chocolate, I mean.

Recently I've been on a bread making kick and you can view two types of bread here. This weekend I also made a Walnut Bread and some curly bread (tpyically known in Switzerland as tresse or zopf, depending what part of the country you live in). Um ... I forgot to take pictures of these loaves and they are all gone now. Eaten up by my family. Guess they were pretty tasty.

Tax Time

If anything, I'm consistent. Once again I have proven this to myself, and not intentionally.

I did the first run at my tax returns this morning and as usual am in a complete panic because I did something wrong or missed something somewhere and owe each of the governments close to $5,000 each.

Yes, I have had one bout of tears as the initial shock hit but I'm OK now. Next week a colleague will review it all for me and hopefully (I'll be chanting hopeful chants all weekend) it will all work out in my favour (meaning I will be getting cheques back from the government). That's what usually happens. But there's always a first time and I hope (again more chanting) that this will not be the year I have to pay the government even more in taxes than I already do.

Maybe it would help if you, friendly readers that you are, could do some chanting too.

The Ceiling Saga Continues

It's seven weeks today since my ceiling showed signs of leaking from the apartment upstairs. It's still not finished. After a blow-up situation Wednesday night and a calm reasonable meeting yesterday, it should, with any luck, be finished by this time next week.

Who would've thought that such a small thing could drag on for two months? Not me.

Reasons not to have kids

So, many of you know that I have zero interest in having children and that I have for many, many years been jokingly writing a book filled with reasons not to have kids.

Last night I found out another - a friend just had an ultrasound that cost $420!!!

Can you believe this? Over four hundred dollars for one little exam? Man, oh man. All I could picture was a couple of pairs of shoes out the window. A couple of pairs of jeans - gone. A few haircuts - no more. More than a mortgage payment - bye bye!

Boy, you gotta really wanna have kids to go through all that.

Spring is coming

Know how I know this? Because I killed a spider at home the other night. The snow is melting fast. Any day now the air will fill with the smell of dog poop and mushy worms.

How to catch the bus

Look what I just found!

Here are my instructions on how to get from Steph's (at Seven Mile Beach area) into town (Georgetown) using public transportation.

Go to road, across street from Calico Jack's, wait for bus (mini-van type, not big bus)
Will have WB sticker on front with number 1 or 2
Flag him down **
Costs CI$2
Take it all the way into town
Ends at Public Library

From here can walk down street to ocean, Hard Rock Cafe over to left, Rackam's (where we had lunch on Sunday) over to right. On the other side of the Post Office, there is a Chinese Market, also some cool shops in Post Office area.

To return:
From Library or by Rackam's
Flag him down
Tell driver to Marriott Courtyard
Say "1 stop, please" when pass Calico Jack's

** Flagging a bus down consists of leaning against a wall or fence and casually lifting one's arm when one sees a bus approaching. People really do say "1 stop, please" or "1 stop, driver" when they want to get off.

Travel Update #14

An extra post seeing as I have the access today.

Friday, March 2.

Yeah, so things got a little busy. Did have my swim, went home for a nap, got ready, went out. Dinner at Bed was awesome! The band was great. We ate a lot, drank a lot, laughed a lot. Enjoyed myself soooo much. Especially not having to worry about being anywhere (like work) the next morning.

Thursday Steph had off, so we drove all over the island! I just loved it.

We started off by stopping off for some much needed coffee and trash mags, then out to the East End for a look at the blowholes. The blowholes are now mostly filled with debris from Hurrican Ivan so there wasn’t much going on there, but still, the landscape was beautiful. After a brief stop (photo op) we headed to the Botanical Gardens where both of us took piles of pictures. It was so incredible – very peaceful and relaxing. Probably only passed about 6 people during the whole time we were there.

After that headed further up the road to Rum Point for lunch on the beach! Had conch fritters with my feet in the sand. Does it get any better? After lunch we napped in some beach chairs under the trees, a swim and some reading before heading back to Calico Jack’s for a last beachside drink. It was such a relaxing day that I was practically comatose by the time we left Rum Point.

Oh! Have just realised how really small this place is. On Wednesday when I was on the boat with Zac, there was a couple there from Bermuda, from England originally. There were nice enough, we chatted a bit. End of the tour everybody said good bye and that was that. I had previously commented to Steph & Zac that it seemed everywhere we went, they ran into people they knew. Well, today I met people I knew! The couple from Bermuda were also at Rum Point. How funny is that? I was going around taking some pictures and suddenly there they were, on the beach chairs, waving at me. We had a nice little chat and then when I rejoined Steph and told her about I was all astonished that I too could meet people I knew, even if I’d just been here a few days. That was really weird, funny, incredible …

Grand Cayman is one of the flattest places I’ve ever been. Except for the wind, it would be so easy to bike here. Windy at the beach and as most of the roads follow the coastline, it could be difficult – but what a view!

What else? Oh yeah – on the way out to dinner last night we stopped in Hell to mail my postcards. Mom will be so pleased!

Dinner last night was divine! Very nice restaurant (can't remember the name, see how relaxed I am?!). Had cracked conch to start and then a yummy fish (fish, fish and more fish!). Beautiful place, could just about see the ocean except that it was pitch dark out there. It was a dinner out to say goodbye to one of their friends that is returning to the US next week. Oh and the bar had this very cool wall with water and bubbles or something going up it.

More stuff I’ve nearly forgotten – one of Steph’s friends works at the Botanical Gardens and gave Steph a huge basil plant for Zac. We left it in the back of the car while we enjoyed ourselves at lunch and at the beach. Well, the poor plant had practically died by the time we got back to it! Ooops. Hopefully it will recover with some regular watering. Did we ever laugh at that.

So here I am – Friday, last day. Not even 10am yet and I am back at the beach for a little last minute sun, sand and sea. Gotta grab what I can! Got a load of laundry done last night and another is in the dryer now so should be ready to be packed when I go back.

Have loved, loved, loved every minute of my time here. This week of "me time" has been good for my body, mind and soul. Steph and Zac have been awesome and incredibly generous with their time and friendship. I will miss them and must find someway to get them up to Montreal for a visit.

Hoping very much that I will still be tanned when I get back to the office on Tuesday. For once I really can say I’ve got some colour and it looks like it!

Beach this morning is quite short as the tide is still going out, I guess. Waves are a little higher than earlier this week. Time for my last little swim.

8pm – Miami

John picked me up at noon and we headed over to say goodbye to Steph. Had a quick drink at the golf course and then headed to the airport. Check-in was quick, had a light lunch and did a tour of the duty free shops. Flight left a few minutes late but we still arrived pretty much on time. Passport control here (Miami) was super slow – there must have been a lot of arrivals just coming in. Lost nearly 30 min. there. Things got going a little quicker when they asked the Canadians to go through the US line – and I was out of there about 5 minutes after that. Took a bit of searching the find the shuttle bus to the hotel, but got it in time and was checked in just after 6pm. All in all a decent trip.

The room here is nice. I have a king size bed! Went for a swim before dinner! I can see the pool from my room. Dinner was not so nice. Went with the buffet. Don’t know what I was thinking. Ever since the Club Med days I just can’t eat from buffets – I’m scarred for life. Wine at dinner also extremely nasty. Couldn’t even drink one glass.

Cozy in this huge bed now. A/c turned off – sooo cold. I’m tired.

Travel Update #13

Wednesday, Feb. 20.

Lobster fest last night was GREAT!!! We did indeed go to Decker’s for that. Lovely glass of wine at the bar, blood orange mojito at the table, divine olive bread, and then 2 plates of lobster tails! (4 pieces all together), plus an Irish coffee. We were stuffed, stuffed, stuffed! Met Yvonne who may come with us tomorrow to Rum Point. Zac joined us for coffee. Steph and I were both a little tipsy by the end. All in all fab evening out.

Now, there was a tentative plan to go out with John and Gordie (aka G-Love) today, but apparently Gordie didn’t get his act together, so I am back with Zac on the snorkel boat, which is great! This morning has a much bigger group (think there are 7 ships in). Weather isn’t quite so nice right now as the past 2 days (it’s a bit cloudy) but it’s still plenty warm. Instead of starting the trip at Sting Ray City, we’re doing the snorkelling first. Basically, because there are so many people at the ray site. I’m sitting here, at the top part of the boat, looking at 12 (!!!) tour boats, some smaller, some much larger – and the sand bar is packed with people! I can’t get over it. Sure glad I’m not in town today.

Quite funny seeing all these tourists needing to be lead by the hand to do just about everything. I almost feel sorry for them – but not quite.

Cannot believe how time is flying by. Only today and tomorrow left. How can it have gone so fast?

Later ...

Enjoyed another great swim with the sting rays. They really are quite wonderful. Also kissed a couple more, so think I’m up to about 42 yrs worth of good luck ;)

After the trip, Zac and I went to a late lunch at Coconut Joe’s. I’m back at the beach now for a few hours while Zac heads over to set up for tonight’s show. Steph gets off work around 6pm. Once she’s ready to go we’ll head over to Bed (local resto) for dinner and that’s also where the band, the Ratskins (?) play. Looking forward to that. Seems like ages since I’ve seen any kind of live music.

Time for a swim …

Travel Update #12

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Sometime in the afternoon …

Have had a very busy day. Out of the door by 9am. Zac and Steph dropped me off at a little café so I could jolt myself awake. They both headed off to work. Once I was done with my coffee I caught the local bus/mini van into Georgetown. This cost me CI$2. There was a guy who seemed to be waiting as well, so I checked with him that he was waiting for the bus and watched the way he flagged it down (for future reference). That took me straight into the middle of downtown Georgetown in about 10 minutes.

Think it was about 10am by the time I got in there. Wandered around for over an hour. Seems the bulk of the shops cater solely to the cruise ship crowd and not much else. I did pop into a few of the places to check out the merchandise but figured it would be way out of my price. Have seen a lot of this “black coral” around and while they do make some beautiful jewellery from it, I can’t imagine that it’s eco-friendly to do this. Only thing I did buy was a nice picture book and a few postcards.

Headed back home around noon, got changed into my bathing suit, gathered a few things and headed here (the beach). Have been busy swimming, reading, writing postcards, people watching and napping. Phew – it’s a lot to accomplish all in one day, but I did it.

Rented myself a chair and umbrella down here in front of Calico Jack’s. Glad I did as it is nothing but sun down here, not a cloud in the sky and no trees for shade.

The beach was crowded with the cruise ship crowd, lots of families, kids, etc. But over the last hour the crowd that thinned out a lot. Am at one end of the Calico Jack beach area, pretty much by myself. Does it get any better? This is just what I needed.

Think Steph and I are going for all you can eat lobster tonight (at Decker’s) while Zac has band practice. Good thing I had a light lunch! This is going to be delicious!

Travel Update #11

Monday, Feb. 26

Slept like the dead last night. Woke up after 8am! Got a full 9 hours. We were supposed to go out for breakfast but we all woke up too late. So we picked up a bit of breakfast on the way to the snorkel boat with Zac for 10am.

Zac got things squared away on the boat and his boss, Mark, showed up with a few guests. Went over to pick up the rest of the cruise ship guests for the two-stop tour. First stop was Stingray City. Not at all what I expected, much, much cooler! As we pulled up in the boat to this sandbar area there were several other boats around. We got out and jumped into the water (little bit cold at first, honestly, what is wrong with me!). We warmed up fast and the stingrays swam around us with the bucket of squid enticing them. It was so cool! We spent about 30-45 min. there. I got to feed, hold (not too successfully), pet and kiss a whole bunch of the stingrays. At the end I did manage to hold a male stingray (much smaller than the female). So friggin’ cool.

From there just a few minutes away to a coral reef for some snorkelling. That was incredible! The water was fantastically blue and beautiful. Steph and I followed Zac over to an area with lots of fish. We even saw 2 moray eels! The first one kept poking his head out and the 2nd one actually came out swimming in the open. Wow. Zac took a couple of pictures of us from underneath and Steph took a couple of him blowing air bubbles. That was freaky.

Back to the yacht club to drop off the passengers and off for another late lunch, this time at Aqua Beach (or something like that). We had a nice time there except for these crazy birds that kept attacking us. One nearly flew into Zac’s hair and another nearly pecked Steph’s head. Crazy.

From there we did a few errands, picked up stuff for a wine/cheese night at home. After dropping that stuff off, we did the short walk to the beach. Zac brought his guitar and played and sang while Steph and I chatted and enjoyed the setting sun. It was perfect.

The sound of the ocean was hypnotic. Got off a couple of really nice shots, I hope.

Now we’re relaxing at home with some wine, hummus, pita, cheese. Going to watch Office Space (movie). This is the life. Note to self – find out how I can do this for a year.

Travel Update #10

Sunday, Feb. 25

4 short hours later I woke up a few minutes before the wake up call. Finished the last little bits of packing and got our stuff down. We left the hotel just after 6am, got checked in and now I’m writing during the flight to Miami. Keith is two rows ahead of me. Think he’s probably going through the accounts making sure we kept on budget.

Some other funny/memorable things to remember from the week:
- Teasing Brad about his girlfriend whom apparently he doesn’t want to go out with anymore.
- Teasing Jessica and Julia about Bradley, which one of them he’s into. I’m convinced it’s Jessica as there seem to be an inordinate number of pictures of her on his camera …
- The expression on Jessica’s face when she found out how old I am after relating Keith’s story of Brad inquiring of Keith for Julia’s age and then my own. Keith told him he wasn’t my father and Brad should ask me himself. Apparently Brad got quite embarrassed at that and went all quiet. Later, when Keith told me this story we laughed when imagining Brad’s reaction if I told him I was old enough to be his mother!
- Spilling Sprite on Julia by accident when we had pizza on the roof at the hotel. Laughing hysterically at this for no particular reason.
- Playing/singing Ring-Around-A-Rosy with some of the kids one evening before leaving. Little Esther loved this and wanted me to play that with her every night.
- The fact that it took Julia and I at least one full day to realise there was a TV in our room.
- When Julia was trying to find the outlet to recharge her camera battery, she accidentally unplugged the lamp, thus leaving us in the dark in our room. She tripped over her luggage attempting to turn the main light back on. Only then did I notice a switch over the night stand and we found out it was another switch for the main light.
- Finding out that I really am as crabby as my mother says I am. Particularly at breakfast when people are all chatty and stuff. Yeesh.

Hopefully things will move quickly in Miami, particularly as I don’t have any bags. Just hope customs isn’t a problem. We land at 11:10 and my flight out to Grand Cayman is at 12:30. Fingers crossed. Looking forward to seeing Steph. Hope she’ll recognize me!

11pm – Phew! What a relief. It all worked out great.

Arrived early in Miami but the gate was still occupied … by the time we did get into our gate, I was 5 minutes behind schedule (my own personal, highly stressed one, that is).

Passport control was fast and painless. Customs was fine except for the part where I apparently misunderstood the guard when he said straight ahead and ended up standing in line with a bunch of drug lords waiting to get their bags searched. Finally, one of these guards came up to me and after asking a couple of questions realised that I was in the wrong line and had just wasted about 20 minutes of my life. From there I pretty much ran up to the proper concourse only to get stuck at security because my sunscreen bottle was too big (by 15ml). I swear – I thought I was going to lose it. It took me 5 minutes for this woman to understand that I was happy to let her go through my items but that she needed to identify for me precisely which items were too big. In the end (and after some explaining about doctor recommended soaps and creams) there was just a half empty bottle of sunscreen that had to go. Thanks for wasting my time, you stupid cow!

Then I had to practically race down the concourse, stopping for a pee break but skipping any last minute purchases for water or lunch. I made the plane. I was probably one of the last people to get on the plane. Talk about a stressful start to my vacation.

Flight left on time and we arrived a few minutes early. Steph was there waiting for me from the top of the lookout area. After some quick questions at customs there, I was out of there we were on our way!

Quick drive home to drop off my bags, change and then off to pick up Zac and head out for a late lunch. Started things off on the right foot with a Cayman Colada (rather like a pina colada, not quite sure what the difference was) and lunch at Rackam’s. From there heading to Calico Jack’s for another drink and stick my feet in the ocean! Hung out there until the sun set. Wow …

Quick drive (literally about 30 seconds) home for a dip in the pool, before a hot (yes, hot water!) and then for a sushi dinner. Very yummy. Home for more chatting and now to bed.

Lunch at a pub, drinks on the beach, swim in the pool, sushi, catching up with a good friend. This vacation is off to a good start. Feeling tired, happy and suddenly relaxed. Something I haven’t felt in a long time.

Travel Update #9

Saturday, Feb. 24

Pencas, 211-3671, pencas.com

Our last day in Panama. We were able to sleep in this morning but all I could manage was until 7am. Shower, breakfast and then Julia and I took a walk to the pedestrian shopping area. The walk along Avenida Central was pretty interesting. We saw some great stuff – women getting manis and pedis on the sidewalk, fruit, veg, herbs, flowers for sale. 3 pineapples for $1!!! After looking around a whole bunch of shops for skirts (apparently jeans are in this season) I finally found a cute little top for $5.

Keith met us there and we sauntered over to the Indian market where Julia picked up a couple of fun souvenirs for some friends. We also stopped at a stall to have a slice of fresh pineapple. Delicious! On the way back to the hotel Keith dropped us at a grocery store where I was able to buy some coffee and Julia was not able to buy her cookies, ha.

Met with the rest of the group at 12:30 to spend the rest of our last day with them. First we visited the Kuna craft market, where plenty more shopping was done by the group. I did buy myself a two more molas and am happy with them. Think I’ll make a nice triptych with the one I have at home.

From there we went to the Miraflores Locks. I love that place. The museum part is really cool, the movie interesting (short and sweet) and then my favourite – watching the ships pass through. I could sit and watch them all day. It was really hot and sunny. I put sunscreen on this morning but didn’t reapply before heading out this afternoon. Should’ve. Got a bit of burn. Oops.

After that we drove another 15 min. past Paraiso to the Gamboa Rainforest. We stopped at a resort hotel up there. Unfortunately there were no more tours for the day. But we spent about 30 minutes or so just chilling on the terrace and enjoying the view.

Catherine and Jessica went down to the pool (apparently forgetting that we were not paying guests) to dip their feet in the pool. When Duncan and Dave went down to bring them back up I knew something was up. One or both of them would surely end up in the pool. And I was right! Duncan threw Catherine in, fully clothed. It was funny. When they came back up, she had the nerve to complain and act surprised! I mean, hello, pool, hot sun, no bathing suit, obviously somebody was gonna end up wet.

After that we had to head back to the hotel for a quick change before going back to Pencas for our last dinner. I like that place.

Anyway, after dinner we did a few last minute errands – grocery store for Jules & Bob (Maria cookies), then to Wendy’s for Bradley, dropped Bob, Catherine and Paul at the Hard Rock Café (t-shirt shopping) while the rest of us headed for Baskin Robbins and yet MORE ice cream. Don’t think I’ve eaten so much ice cream in one week in all my life!

Finally back to the hotel. And … a last swim (thanks to Keith!). Julia and I had a laugh when on our way up the stairs, David tried to stop us by asking if our room had been done that day. We barely slowed down to say yes and he told us that his hadn’t. By this time I was halfway up the next flight of stairs and called down to him “Oh well” and kept going! Julia found this completely hysterical and couldn’t run for laughing so hard. At the top the guy who was about to close the pool let us in and we had a lovely 10 min. swim.

After that we dried off and started packing. Keith dropped by while we were doing that. The three of us chatted for a while. I finally managed to get all my packing done into the one carry-on bag. Sweet! After Keith left Julia and I chatted, I finally remembered to take a picture of us in our room and then we turned off the light around 1am. Did remember to get a wake up call for 5am. Ugh.

Travel Update #8

Friday, Feb. 23

After a long, hard day, I was lucky enough to end it in the pool, by myself, under the stars. Now that was a treat.

This morning started off early. Can’t believe it’s been a week since we left our various cities to meet here. It’s flown by. Anyway, we were all at work just after 7am and many of the team worked non-stop until 6pm. I finished up in the house and all the rooms turned out very well, if I do say so myself. Julia and I sorted through Shirla’s room and tried to put thing back into place, as much as possible. Same for the kitchen and bathroom. I did a good cleaning of the place again and by the end it really did look like a nice little home. Certainly a big difference from our first day.

While we were waiting for the VBS-ers to get back, I had a chance to talk with Stan and Bob. Stan was busy cleaning the public bathroom floor (the one Bonnie and Catherine painted). We teased him a little about that. But really, what a nice guy. And Bob too. The little chat we had was the most I heard him speak all week. My first impressions of them haven't changed. They are both nice, hard working, genuine and honest people.

When Julia came back from VBS, Bob took her, Catherine, Bonnie and me up to the roof for a look at the work the guys did. So impressive. There was also a great view and we shot a few fun pictures from there.

For dinner tonight Shirla and some of the local ladies made us a wonderful goodbye dinner. Arroz con pollo y ensalada de papas (Rice with chicken and potato salad). Not exactly a light meal, especially when followed by a (belated) birthday cake and ice cream, but tasty! Shirla also made another batch of the lime and sugar cane juice. Think I’m addicted to that now.

Shirla and the ladies made a lovely (and long) presentation to thank us for all our work on the church and her quarters, as well as the efforts made with the kids. It was quite amazing. They also presented each of us with a Panama beaded bracelet and a Kuna style glasses case. Catherine also bought us these bright yellow t-shirts (hideous) with a huge Salvation Army crest on them. This is even after she asked me if I wanted one and I am positive I was clear in my “no”. It even has my name on it! Honestly, why would you do that?!

Anyway, we finally did manage to pack up, get everyone in the van (after about a million of the kids jumped in and out for half an hour telling us they were coming back to Canada with us) and headed back to the city by about 8pm.

Looks like Julia and I will do a shopping tomorrow morning, with or without the group, we’re not quite sure, but we’ll surely end up on our own, that I know! It will be nice to walk along the main drag and also the pedestrian shopping area. Must remember to pick up some of that Duran coffee again.

I’m such an idiot sometimes, it’s amazing I get around as well as I do. Tonight when we got back to the hotel I ran up to the room to change and figured Jules would be up in a minute or two. But by the time I was ready to head up to the pool, she still wasn’t back yet, so I thought I’d call Keith’s room to see if she was there. No answer. On my way up to the pool I stopped by the room and knocked. No answer. Oh well, I went up and had my swim (all by myself!) and on the way down again tried at the door – still no answer. As I came down the stairs I saw that Catherine and Jessica’s door was open and also that Dave was sitting in the hallway. Asked them if they’d seen Julia and/or knew which room Keith was in. Nobody knew anything. In fact, Dave thought Keith was on the 4th floor, but I was pretty sure he was on the 5th. Anyway, no luck with that motley crew so I tried to call again from my room. Still no answer. Had my shower, got into my pj’s and started writing. As I’m doing this Julia finally appears. She tells me she’s been with her Dad. All cool, no sweat. Until I mention that I tried to call them and knock on the door and all that jazz. Only to discover that I’d been calling and knocking at the wrong room! Oh man, thank god nobody answered the phone or the door at that room! Julia and I had a good laugh at that. Heh. Another classic Stef moment.

Travel Update #7

Thursday, Feb. 22

Hate to go on and on about this, but more hot, sweaty, dirty work. This morning was fairly unproductive by my standards. Julia and I only cleaned 1 bathroom and Shirla’s office and finished the ceiling tiles in the bathroom. I got a couple of loads of laundry out on the line, most of which dried in about an hour. (Ha - Julia did Bob's laundry yesterday! Poor man was running out of t-shirts.)

After lunch (more tuna, thank god I love tuna! good thing Bonnie has taken over doing lunches for this group as I am far too filthy to go anywhere near a food prep area), I got the floors cleaned in the house and finished putting down the floor tiles. Keith has just about finished cutting the smaller pieces. I have vowed not to do any cutting with stuff like exacto knives (the scar on my finger reminds me why). Felt a little more productive after getting that done. Took more pictures of the work in progress.

The roof is about half painted now and all the electric work seems to be done. I’m still curious as to how they plan on finishing the bedroom window with the a/c …

We had a fairly early evening, all of us in the van by 5:30, back to the hotel just before 6 and then off to Mi Ranchito for dinner with Major and Mrs Mendez. Yummy! And I was able to present Major Mendez with another computer (2 others gave to Shirla, plus the other 3 that went to Africa in January). He seemed very appreciative and happy. (Must remember to take a picture of Shirla’s office with the computers up and running.) Keith told me on the way home that Mrs. Mendez looked at her husband after I gave him the computer and told him “that’s for me!” Apparently she hasn’t had her own computer at the office! She just shares with the other people working there!

Tomorrow we’ve got a long day because the Team has decided that it will be our last work day. I’m not quite sure how (so many small things to do) nor do I think it’s fair for Shirla (she's expecting us til Sat). With all that is left in front of us I don’t know how it will get done.

5:45am wake up tomorrow. Time for me to get to sleep.

Travel Update #6

Wednesday, Feb 21

Back to Paraiso. Really starting to feel like home there.

By the way, must mention that breakfast at the hotel is really quite substantial and good. There is fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, toast, eggs (of one type or another), plus some kind of meat, potatoes, cheese, plus coffee and juice. Can’t believe we’re really paying $40 for the room, including breakfast. What a deal. And no bug bites!

At work things are moving along nicely. The rooms that Julia, Keith and myself have been working on are looking good. By the end of today the bedroom was just about finished. A few more tiles on the floor and 1 ceiling tile are all that’s missing. The light is up too. Tomorrow there will be some touch ups to do in there.

Next, the kitchen – 2nd coat of paint is done, ceiling is done, light is up. Tomorrow we’ll clean the floor and lay the tiles.

Bathroom – will have to see with Keith what needs to be done there. For sure more paint in a few areas, plus clean the floor and lay tiles. Probably light is still to go up in there too.

Our roofers opened up the part of the slanted side roof over the office and public bathrooms and fixed it up. This provides more light in the church. Looks great.

We had dinner at the church tonight. I prepared an easy spaghetti dinner for about 8 adults (roofers had already left) and 4 kids (Shirla’s grandchildren). Amazingly I made exactly enough pasta! A little too much sauce (could’ve just used 2 bottles) but oh well. Did well on the bread, mushrooms and carrots. Still some soft drinks left and bread. Not too bad for a meal on the fly.

Tonight when we got home, after a quick clean up, Keith took David, Julia, Stan, Bonnie and me for a drive out to see the Presidential Palace. We also found this little Lover’s Lane type park (actually called Plaza de Francia, memorial to the French who died on the first attempt to build the Canal) and walked there for a bit, interrupting plenty of amorous looking couples. (Bonnie and Stan never did disappear on us, so maybe it wasn’t.) Then we drove over the Bridge of the Americas and found ourselves back in North America, ha ha. On the way home Keith stopped so I could buy some deodorant. We stopped in the Casco Viejo, quite a rough and poor area, especially at night. That was a fun little experience. Some lady apparently didn’t get the correct change while we were there and came barging back in, pushing, shoving and shouting to let us all know.

It was a nice way to spend the evening, little walk, little drive, and some laughs too. A good end to the day.

Travel Ban Lifted

On March 12 I read the following article in The Gazette.

Tripoli - Libya yesterday backtracked on a decision to ban women under 40 years old from leaving the country unless accompanied by a close male relative. A statement said the foreign ministry "strongly denies reports it issued a ban on Libyan women under the age of 40 from travelling without "Mahram" - someone such as a father, brother or uncle. The official Al-Jamahiriya newspaper reported the ban on Wednesday, denouncing it as a "flagrant violation of women's rights to freedom on movement."

I have a hard time believing the government would even suggest such a ban in this day and age. What kind of stupid asses would even dare put that out there as media fodder? Are these cavemen that are running the country? Makes me want to spit on the idiot who dreamed up this fool idea.

Travel Update #5

Tuesday, Feb. 20

National Holiday – Mardi Gras

Another long, hot, sweaty and busy work day. Julia and I helped Keith put up the remaining ceiling tracks in the bedroom and bathroom this morning and then also got the bedroom painted (lilac, Shirla’s choice) and I managed to about half of the kitchen painted (white). Also managed to get paint in more places than I can count. How do I do that?

The guys worked hard on the roof again and were in need of a 3pm quitting time (they started at 6:30am). They’ve been working hard and fast and it shows. Think Keith took them back to the hotel for a swim and dinner on their own.

Sounds like there were a few less kids (due to Mardi Gras? It really is a Nat. Hol. All shops are closed, businesses, etc.) at VBS today but that it was more organized.

We took Shirla out to Mi Ranchito for dinner tonight. Bit of a mix up in our reservation and so we ended up at Pencas, just down the road, same owner, basically same menu. I enjoyed the "ceviche de camarones y fillete de corvino a la plancha con vegetal del dia" (aka shrimp ceviche and grilled corvino (local fish) with salad). It was simple, but nice.

Back to the city, dropped Shirla at her daughter’s in town and then home to the hotel. Shirla's daughter is a translator. She's well educated, married, couple of kids. She works, her husband works. I really thought they would live better than what we saw tonight. Even the worst areas of Montreal are nothing compared to where these people live. Shocking. My own little home is a palace in comparison.

Must remember to mention that for break this morning we had ice cream bars! Yikes, ice cream, twice in 2 days! Better watch out for next week and the bikini! But maybe all the physical labour will work off all the extra calories ... ?

Travel Update #4

Monday, Feb. 19

Forgot to write about this yesterday - while Julia and I were swimming on Sunday morning, Keith reminded Jules of the days when she and Kathryn used to imitate my mom! I was very intrigued by this and Julia had to compose herself before even doing this! (getting better all the time!) So, she dunks under water, comes up with all her hair in front of her face and then kind of swoops it back into a sleek high chignon - and THEN walks about (still in the pool) very elegantly. Well, I nearly fell into the pool from laughing so hard. Wish I'd had my camera with me. Apparently Kathryn and Julia, when they were kids, never saw my mom without her hair pulled into a bun, and always thought her really elegant because of it. And for whatever reason, when they stayed in hotels with pools, came up with this imitation of Gigi. Man, I'm giggling again just thinking about it. V. funny.

Anyway ... early wake up this morning – 6:45. On our way by 7:30 and on the job by 8am.

We all had another very productive day. Julia, Jessica and I got all the base coat of paint on in the three rooms. Already they look brighter, cleaner, newer. A huge improvement.

The guys removed and replaced another huge chunk of the church roof. It’s quite amazing how quickly and efficiently it’s all going. Thanks in great part to Keith’s planning, I’m sure.

Keith and I had a little slow down in our attempts to put up the rails for the ceiling tiles. He ended up going back to the hardware store (apparently 4 times in all today!) and eventually we did manage to get the tiles in the hallway up! And by the end of the day got the rails up in the bedroom as well (nearly in the dark, except for Stan’s cool extension cord with attached lamp). I also measured each wall in the rooms with Stan as my helper. He’s so funny. What a nice, regular guy. His wife, Bonnie, is due in tonight so I’ll meet her tomorrow.

Julia, Jessica, Catherine, Dave and Ken (wrong name - he's called Duncan) started with their Vacation Bible School (“VBS”). This first day went well with about 35 local kids attending. Sounds like they had fun. Hope they take lots of pix.

During that time I chilled in the storage shed (looks like a curling rink from the outside) with the guys – Stan, Paul, Bob and Brad (the roofers). Stan and Bob seem like very good people. Quiet, unpretentious, normal. Brad is still young (18, I think) and acts it but seems to be working very hard and full of energy. Paul is a bit harder to get a handle on. David, our electrician, kept working all day. Not too sure if it’s going well for him or not.

Dinner tonight was cooked entirely by Major Shirla. Wow – a great fresh green salad (could’ve eaten just that myself), a nice rice dish with pigeon peas and pig tail cooked in coconut milk, as well as some chicken with apparently a delicious gravy. Shirla also made this fantastic juice. Kind of pulpy, which I don’t usually like, but this was yummy, sweet and super refreshing! Maybe because I was so sweaty, dirty and thirsty.

We left there by 8:30 and on the way back to the hotel stopped for ICE CREAM! Mmm … I had two (oh man!) scoops. One Swiss Miss Mix (had to) and the other peanut butter chocolate. To die for. Wait until I tell Cecilia I had ice cream in the middle of winter. (OK, so it was about 30C out so I think that makes it OK.) I didn’t even get cold!

Had a most refreshing and much needed shower tonight. Feels perfectly lovely to sit in bed all fresh and smelling pretty. Tired out. Time for bed.

Travel Update #3

Sunday, Feb. 18

Agenda: church, Paraiso, Colon, Sabanitas

Started the day with a rooftop swim at 8am. What a fantastic view! A perfect way to start the day. Managed to get some semblance of warm water in the shower. Buffet breakfast and all on the road by 10am.

Church started spot on 11am. It was nice, temperature wise, not too hot or humid, good breeze blowing through. But I still got sleepy during the service. Funny congregation though. There were something like 20 kids and about 6 adults. Odd. There was even a real Kuna Indian, in her full native wear, nose ring, wrist and ankle beads, mola, etc. How surreal to see her singing the Salvation Army songs.

Julia & I took care of lunch again. A few more than expected but we managed well enough even if a some of us ate a little lighter (not that it would do us any harm).

Left Paraiso by 1:30pm (drove over the Centennial Bridge, crossing from South to North America) and arrived at Sabanitas just as the girls were finishing lunch. On the drive to Sabanitas, I was excited and anxious to get there. I think I spent half the drive sitting on the edge of my seat.

We arrived at the home and I think I was out of the van before Keith had turned the motor off. Marlene was there in the kitchen and recognized me at once. She threw her arms around me with a great big smile and laughed. She showed me briefly the new kitchen and laundry room before taking me into the dining area to see the girls. There they all were finishing their lunch. They said hello and seem quite shy and giggly. When I asked if they remembered me, Hiam (I think) said immediately, “Doctora”! I laughed, they laughed and we were off to a good start. Several of the girls are new and naturally shy with a strange group of “gringos” around.

From there Marlene gave Catherine, Jessica, Julia and me a tour of the place. Catherine seemed very interested in how Marlene manages the home, the girls and all of it by herself. I think we all wondered the same thing. Marlene just kind of laughs it off and shrugs saying that she gets some help from the home league women and the older girls help too. Her energy and enthusiasm is addicting.

Outside the rest of the group was touring the small house where our group stayed two years ago and then outside to interact with the kids. Swinging, kicking the soccer ball, playing on the see-saw. Pretty soon all you could hear was laughter and all you could see were smiles on everyone’s faces. I think everyone in our group enjoyed seeing the home after hearing so much talk about it.

After about an hour of playing, we got all the kids together for the gifts. Each of the girls got a nice bag or box filled with goodies. The two newest girls didn’t quite know what to make of it all, but never said a word when we didn’t call their names. We had extras for that very reason so it all worked out beautifully. (Two newest are Monica, younger and Diana, older.)

Spent another hour or so with the girls going through their gifts, playing with stickers, hair accessories, eating candy and gum, etc. Yanis and Yamilka told me they’d dyed their hair a couple of times and were thrilled with my shock (ok, a little bit of pretend shock). They said they loved the colour of my hair and were very pleased when I told them that I loved their own colouring. Jaludi (Khaled) was there and looked exactly the same. Adrian showed up too and apparently told Marlene, his grandmother, that he was so happy! Man, I could’ve stayed there all day. Never mind one day, I could’ve stayed all week.

So after a couple of hours spent with the kids we had to leave. It was heartbreaking. I suddenly realized that this was all the time I was going to spend with them. Considering last time was everyday for 2 weeks, these 2 hours or so were a terrible tease for me. I tried very hard to hold back and keep my emotions under control as we left, but as we turned the van out of the driveway onto the autoroute, I couldn’t hold back any longer. It was horrifyingly embarrassing to sob like that in front of 10 strangers. Luckily, Julia was sitting beside me and put her arm around me. Really, that was all I needed. Phew – what would we do without old friends?

Anyway, as always, my high emotion was over quickly but I admit I did feel to be on the verge of tears for a good part of the rest of the day.

After Sabanitas we headed up to Colon for a drive by and walk at the park. We drove up the main drag in Colon, showed everybody the atrocious living conditions. Some of the buildings have had a new paint job and look quite nice. Others look worse than ever.

The city was gearing up for another night of Carnaval festivities. A number of groups dressed in matching t-shirts were getting ready for a concert or parade, it looked like.

Up by the park the road was closed off and there were these guys dressed up as some kind of devils, running around trying to whip people! Really whip them! And occasionally the managed to. Some of the smaller kids were really terrified by all this. I did ask a policeman what was meant by it all but all he could tell me was that “it’s normal, it’s tradition”. Some help. Must remember to look that up for more info when I get home.

After hanging out there for a bit and getting our pictures taken at the Caribbean entrance to the Canal, we piled back into the van and returned to Panama City. Had a swim before a pizza dinner on the deck with the group. That was great. Got a bit silly (must’ve been the sugar) and laughed a bunch.

Julia downloaded her pictures to Keith’s computer and also looked at Keith’s pix. I shot a few cool long exposures of the city and of Julia at the pool.

Not a bad way to end a random Sunday in the middle of February, swimming under the stars … (started and ended the day in the pool)

More pictures! and another update

In case you haven't already noticed, my Grand Cayman pictures are up!

And here's the next travel log entry:

Saturday, Feb. 17

Up early (7am) this morning and enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel.

First stop for the day was Paraiso where we decided to work a partial day instead of going to Sabanitas. Little disappointed not to see the girls but it worked out better this way for everyone.

Worked from about 10:30am to 5pm. Got a lot done in a relatively short work day. The guys (have got to try harder to remember their names, so far only can remember Stan) managed to remove and replace about 1/3 of the roof! In Major Shirla’s quarters we (Julia, Catherine, Jessica, me) emptied her bedroom, kitchen and bathroom and also tore down the ceilings in the three rooms and cleaned the walls, top to bottom. We got covered in bat "guano" (now known as ceiling glitter). Phew! But now all ready to start with the painting on Monday (we were pretty much told that it would be frowned upon if we did any kind of work on Sunday).

Julia and I made lunch for the crowd. Ham and cheese, tuna, chips, apples, bananas, cookies. Made sure that all drank lots of water.

After dinner at TGIFriday’s we dropped a few of the crew back to the hotel and headed off to the area for the Carnaval parade (got a little bit lost, but a few quick questions at a gas station set us right again). Parked the van and then followed the crowd and the noise only to find a 1-hour wait just to go through security. We did wait for about 20 minutes but then after taking another vote some of the group decided to stay and others to leave, myself included. So a bunch of them stayed and the rest of us went back to the hotel. Julia, Keith and I were all set to hit the pool only to discover that it closed at 10pm (10:30 when we got there). Oh well. Julia and I hung in her Dad’s room for a chat and got to send off a few quick emails.

In bed now can hear the sounds of Carnaval! Drums, steel drums, even fireworks (possibly over the bay area?). The beat of the drums makes me want to dance - it’s awesome. Would’ve liked to stay out all night at Carnaval but with church ahead of me and what I’m sure will be an emotional afternoon with the girls in Sabanitas, I think it’s better for me to rest up.

8am wake up call tomorrow. Julia and I are going swimming before breakfast!

Travel Update #1

Over the next week or so I'll be providing lots of interesting (or not) details about my working vacation in Panama and about my relaxation vacation in Grand Cayman. Here's the first entry.

Friday, Feb. 16

Was up bright and early this morning despite not really needing to be. Honestly, I could’ve gone to the gym and been back with time to spare, but I suppose it was better that I didn’t and just concentrated on the last minute packing.

Stupid Videotron was acting up again and I couldn't send Why a last minute email.

Dad drove me to the airport. There was a little problem using the machines for check-in but that got sorted (machine wouldn't print my boarding pass). Then I got caught with excess baggage (1 bag weighed 55lbs and the other 59 lbs) so had to pay $60. Oh well, small price to pay to make sure that the girls get all their gifts.

Flight to Miami was on time. Only complaint being Albert & Annabelle, two small children in the row in front of me. These brats had two volumes: shouting and screaming. With the added bonus volumes of whining and crying just about every time I closed my eyes.

Transferring in Miami went fine. It was cold there, only 15C! I was quite shocked and still bundled in about 4 layers of clothing.

Arrived in Panama on time. Keith was just walking in the arrivals door as I walked out with both my bags. Perfect timing. The rest of the group showed up from Toronto about an hour or so later. All their luggage came through as well. Met the rest of the team. Dave Pearo gave me a big hug and said “here’s a hug from your Dad”. I’m pretty sure I saw and spoke to my father more recently than Dave did .. whatever.

On to our home for the next week, the Hotel Costa Inn, and to bed around 1am. Hotel is pretty basic but clean and neat (phew). Sharing a room with Julia, so we should have some laughs. It was a long day. Feeling tired and excited to start our work in Paraiso and of course, to see las ninas at Hogar Dr. Eno.

I'm home

All the pictures, details and stories coming soon. I promise!
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4:19pm
Update:

Panama 2007 is ready for your viewing pleasure.

One more 'do-do'

That's right - one more sleepy-sleepy and I'll be on my way! This time tomorrow I'll be arriving at the airport getting ready to cause havoc with my two big hockey bags. My excitement has been building steadily.

It's a good think I have work to keep me occupied today because otherwise I'd be packing, unpacking and repacking over and over and over (like I haven't already done 100 times).

Updates may be a little sparse over the next two weeks but I'm pretty sure I'll have a few opportunities to logon.

Until then, keep safe (says she who nearly slipped in the same spot again this morning), keep warm (am so never going to Siberia because that's what it felt like when I was walking to work going against the wind) and you know ... be good (or whatever comes close for you).

What was I thinking?

And then I decided to try on bathing suits during my lunch hour.

Black Wednesday

It would seem that Black Wednesday attitude has permeated far beyond my own personal little world.

I was surprised to be feeling more hopeful this year and not nearly so blue as I have felt on previous Black Days (i.e. Valentine's Day). Not sure why exactly, but I was not going to question a more positive attitude. (I'm even wearing a touch of white amidst all my black.)

However, people have pissed me off and generally been just plain mean to me for no reason other than they must be celebrating Black Wednesday too. OK, people, listen up - if you're going to celebrate Black Wednesday, the first rule is to just stick to yourself. Don't go being mean to other people for no good reason. It's just bad karma and will come back to haunt you. Got that? Right then, on to today's escapades so far.

This morning at the gym I did my warm up, then signed up for the next available elliptical trainer. I had to wait 5 minutes but that was fine. 5 minutes go by, I see the guy using the machine is still going but give him an extra 3 minutes because I figure he must be finishing up soon, right? Wrong. 3 minutes later I asked if he was going to be done soon. He tells me "3 more minutes". Well, you know what, this is not OK anymore. This means that my workout is going to be at least 6 minutes shorter. Anyway, I decided to just go and lean against the wall until the machine was free. I had no intention of starting an argument at that time of the morning. Well, a moment later one of the gym instructors asks me if there is a problem. I explained the situation. The instructor went over to look at the sign up sheet, came back and then had a quiet word with the guy using the machine. That didn't go over too well. He got all huffy, stomped off, stomped back to wipe it down and then got up in my face and practically spits at me, "you're not supposed to sign up in advance, you know!" I backed up, kind of surprised, and immediately felt guilty - FOR NOTHING!!! The person who had signed up in advance had crossed off their name after this guy had started, I guess. So I mentioned (politely) that I had only just put my name after his about 5 minutes ago (closer to 10 now). He goes off all red in the face, sputtering away. So much for exercise making you feel good. I got on the machine, did my workout and the short lived stress I felt pretty much disappeared. I have no idea what the hell that was all about but now, nearly 3 hours later, I've got a hundred comebacks ready for this guy.

Then, on my way to work another ass managed to totally deflate my now lessened good humour. It's snowing here today, we're expecting about 15-20cm of snow (little in comparison to other areas). Visibility isn't great right now, but the roads are still pretty good for driving downtown. I was crossing the last street before getting to work when I slipped on some ice hidden under the freshly fallen snow. Luckily I didn't fall on my ass but I did come down hard on my knee and took a second to get my balance before trying to stand up on the ice. This took way too long for the car that was stopped beside me though. I'm sure he saw me fall. But instead of waiting patiently for me to get out of the way, he started honking at me! So the next thing you know I'm scurrying out of the way so this asshole can get to where he's going that is so much more important than maybe leaning out of his window and asking if I'm alright. Well, that's when I said "enough!" to myself. He probably never heard me but I flipped him the bird (OK, inside my mitt) and shouted "asshole" as he passed me by.

Man. My good mood from exercising is completely gone and now I'm all full of rage. And I have nothing good to say about anything.

Black Wednesday hits again.

From -32°C to +32°C

This morning's windchill has brought the temp down to -32°C. Pleasant, no?

Thankfully it's already Tuesday and that means by 8:30pm Friday (3 more 'do-do') I will be in +32°C temperatures. What a relief! If everytime it got this cold I knew I would be in the complete opposite 3 days later, I might be able to deal a little better.

Or not.

Friday Night

Ever wonder what someone does on a Friday night after a horrendous week?

Here's what I do.

The Final Countdown

This time one week today I will be about halfway to Miami, on my way to Panama.

The final pieces pulled together this week. I've done a preliminary packing of the two hockey bags I'll be taking and it's looking good for space (and still under the baggage weight limitations). Also finally got my passport so now I can sleep again. This weekend I will do what I can to finalize one of the bags. The second one I know there is no point worrying about until next Thursday night, after I do the last bits of laundry.

7 days ...

Is it? Could it be?

Yes! It's my passport!!!

You cannot imagine how relieved I am to finally have this little booklet in my hands.

As soon as I get back I will be starting the process of obtaining a Canadian citizenship card so that I can, without any problems, travel using my Swiss passport.

What this little book has put through these few weeks ...

Biscuits

To go with the zuke soup, I felt I needed some homemade bread. But on a cold Sunday morning the last thing I wanted to do was spend all day baking bread so I found a recipe for some biscuits, which I thought would be fast, easy and tasty. I didn't know I could be so wrong.

I'd had this package of Bisquick mix in my pantry for ages now and had exactly enough to make one batch of "rolled biscuits". FYI - that is the last time I buy pre-mixed baking stuff like that. Sure they were fast and easy to make. But vile to taste. I ate one and threw the other 9 in the bin. Blech.

Bisquick Rolled Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick
½ cup milk

Heat oven to 450F. Mix ingredients until dough forms; beat 30 seconds. If cough is sticky, gradually mix in enough Bisquick baking mix (up to ¼ cup) to make dough easy to handle. Turn onto surface well dusted with Bisquick baking mix; gently roll in baking mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 10 times. Roll ½ inch thick. Cut with 2 inch cutter dipped in Bisquick baking mix. Bake on ungreasted cookie sheet until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 10-12 biscuits.

Drop biscuits:
Do not knead dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Makes 10 biscuits.


Following that catastrophe, I opened up my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and found the perfect Sunday recipe. Here you go:

Nun’s Puffs recipe

½ cup butter
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
Honey (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F.

Generously grease twelve 2 ½-inch muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup; set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add milk. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove from heat; cool for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth. Divide dough evenly among prepared muffin cups, filing cups about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a 375° oven about 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove from pan. Serve immediately. If desired, serve with honey.

Nutrition fact per puff: 137 calories, 10g total fat (6g sat. fat), 94mg chol, 114mg sodium, 8g carbo., 0g fiber, 4g prot.

Note from me: Super easy to make. Came out looking impressive. The taste however was a little rich for my liking. Soooo eggy. It was kind of like eating a quiche, or some freshly scrambled eggs. You can really only eat one before feeling slightly ill. I know this because I ate two.

Zuke soup

The other weekend I bought some zucchini and only used 1 of the 4 in the package. Figured the best way to use the leftover slightly wilted zukes was to make a nice batch of soup.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp margarine
6 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup rice
4 cups chopped zucchini (not peeled!)
2 tsp curry (more if desired)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
½ cup evaporated milk

In large stockpot, sauté apple and onion in margarine. Add broth, rice, zucchini, curry, salt & pepper. Boil until rice is soft (about 45 minutes, dependind on the type of rice you use). Let cool. Purée. Return to heat and add evaporated milk.

Note from me: I generally find I don't need to add salt if I'm using curry in a recipe. Also, I just whatever milk I have in the fridge, generally skim. I love this recipe!

The joys of home ownership

Have spent the better part of weekend staring at my ceiling. Here's why.

Because I don't have enough other things to worry about right now!

Passport Problems

Please, can I have my passport? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

It's been over a week since Passport Canada charged my credit card for my new passport but still nothing in my mailbox remotely resembling a pick-up notice from Canada Post. Argh! Am losing all kinds of sleep because of this.

16 days and then I'm away!