Monday, October 4, 2010
It's here :D
My sketchbook was waiting for me in my mailbox this afternoon :)
Can't wait to start filling the pages. YAY!!!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Catching up
I definitely abandoned this somewhere way back...but have been making strides to giving myself more time to do items like this on my list. I've definitely succeeded this month, with a few new dishes under my cooking belt..or, err, apron...
I was off from work sick for a week with a bad case of asthma - induced by a sore throat from a few weeks back. Stuck on my couch for a week, 3 days in, and I was B.O.R.E.D. I can only watch so many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, CSI, Criminal Minds and Tommy Europe whipping people into shape on shows like The Last 10 pounds or Bulging Brides. Ugh those last too made this sicky rethink her spot on the couch and think back to the fitness goals I had set forth for myself and how they have not been met. I had thought of this about a month or so ago when I ran into a friend - my former fitness trainer - and he asked if I was still working out hard...and sadly I couldn't say "Oh yeah!". At the time of running into him I was still going to my dance classes and the odd workout here and there, so I think what I offered up in response was a half-hearted"Yeah, I try". But now when I think of this...being sick with asthma doesn't really make me wanna run down the street to the gym and pump some iron or do yoga for the fear of, you know, passing out from lack of oxygen. So I would have to find something else to get me off the couch. At least I could move.
I could cook! This only contributes to the work I will need to do once I do get back to the gym, BUT...ahh who cares. Under the suggestion of my mom, who knew I had a chicken sitting in my freezer, I finally made my first attempt at cooking at whole chicken. I found a tasty sounding roasted chicken recipe in the latest Food & Drink book, mixed it up and prepped my little chicken for the oven. It was still a little frozen so I knew it would take a bit more time, and I checked it thoroughly as I don't have a meat thermometer to go by. The result....an AMAZING success. I pat myself on the back. It was juicy, it was tender and just the right flavours I had been aiming for with the seasoning. I'd say cooked to perfection. I cut a few slices off and made a quick salad and ta-da: dinner :)
Another recipe I tried my hand at was homemade chicken soup soup. I made this the other night. With the chicken being so small the bones and carcass didn't leave me too much to work with to make the stock, but, it worked none the less. After the stock was made I threw in veggies, some chicken, and rice and I must say, for my first chicken soup it was a WIN!
Lastly, I tried my hand at making Alfredo sauce. I've never made it from scratch so I was a little anxious it would be a pasty mess or a drippy, thin catastrophe. Overall, it gets a passing grade, but I think I can still perfect it. The consistency was almost right and the taste could use just a little something i can't quite figure out yet.
And now that I think about alfredo sauce... I did get another dish under my cooking belt. A couple of weeks ago I had a friend over for dinner and while I had been planning on using the ground beef my mom had given me for my first ever meatloaf, it ended up being put to use as a pasta bake. My friend as it turns out is not the biggest fan of meatloaf (but insists it's due to her family's recipe). She said she didn't care what i made, but seeing as i wanted to make something we would both definitely enjoy, I went with a pasta bake. I used Fusilli pasta, and I cooked up the ground beef and veggies. Layered cheese on top and tossed in some leftover slices of Italian sausage from the day before. The result was tasty cheesy goodness. It was pretty amazing if I do say so myself. Meatloaf, I will make you one day. One day soon!
Anyhow, enough about cooking. There are a few other tasks that I think I will be making good on in the coming weeks. As mentioned in an earlier post, I am making cookies for our Workplace United Way Campaign silent auction (#100). I'm also looking into a new workout schedule (#38) with my workout buddy. We live close and this will make for a great motivation to actually get out and go to the gym, I'm hoping to start light with once-twice a week then working up to more frequent visits. My task mentions a trainer, but I haven't been to her in over a year so this has fallen by the way side. Its also part of my "being smart with money" effort (#16). Speaking of which, I plan on visiting the bank in the coming weeks and meeting with an advisor to get further in my reduction of debt, which I must say, I've come a long way since I first tacked this onto my list. It was a lot scarier then, now its manageable.
My last update is art related. I signed up for this really cool art project being organized by Art House Co-op and the Brooklyn Art Library. http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject It's a really different idea and I'm kinda stoked at the idea that the work that I put into this book is going to be available for mass viewing. You order a sketchbook and all you have to do is fill it. You can pick a theme from the ones offered or have them choose for you. After the books are all returned completed to the Library, they are catalogued and inventoried and then they are taken on a tour to the following cities in the States: Brooklyn (NY), Austin (TX), San Francisco (CA), Portland(ME), Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Washington (DC) and Winter Park (FL). It is my hope to make the trek down to one of the shows in the spring when the tour is on, most likely either to Brooklyn or perhaps on its stop in Portland.
Even if my work only gets checked out a handful of times knowing that something with my name attached to it can be considered published work is kind of exciting...and intimidating. Now that I've signed up and picked a theme (Down Your Street), I'm hoping that I will not make this a flop. Eeee... Also...this means new art supplies.....oh exciting!!! To Wallack's I will go after next pay day. Have not been this excited about a new project in a while. I haven't really done art in a while and I can feel the excitement bubbling up inside me. A new focus, a new project, and something to express myself...I'm curious as to what I am going to come up with in the 40-50 pages.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A little something to consider...
Summer time
42. Ride a rollercoaster. - Not quite a rollercoaster story, but I went to Ottawa'a Super-EX with J just over a week ago, and we rode the Fireball and, while its not really a rollercoaster I also went on The Zipper for the first time. I don't totally count them as rollercoasters, but as they are fair rides and Fireball was crazy I'm gonna put it here as an honorable mention :)
73. See a shooting star. :: More shotting starts! While camping at Sandbanks August 13-15 we went out to the beach and watched an incredibly clear sky lit up by stars. I counted about 10 shooting stars.
100. Make something to put in the silent auction for our United Way Workplace Charitable Campaign. :: In the works: have notifies the organizer that I will be baking my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies for the auction.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Look back...
1. Start the blog! :: April 20, 2009 (Wow its been over a year!!...I need to blog more...eep!)
2. Read 2 books a month ~ in progress, keep your eyes on the book list for updates ~
3. Visit at least 3 of the 5 Great Lakes - Will soon be visiting Lake Ontario on my camping trip to Sandbanks in August this year :D
4. Learn to surf :: June 1-3 I took surf lessons with Steph and Brad down in North Carolina. What an amazing experience!!!! I can't wait to go again!
5. Pick up a new sport. ::Tennis - I am still improving ..work in progress :)
6. Go to Maine.
7. Re-Read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. (why? because we had to read it for our first year intro to comms' research methods and i never finished it)
8. Visit Laura in Edmonton.
9. Go on a road trip with no predetermined destination.
10. Go a month without junk food.
11. Plan a sisters holiday.
12. Buy my first car.
13. Improve my french. :: in progress
14. Purge my excesses. Do an inventory and cut what I don't need/no longer use/wear; donate the casualties :: May-June 2010 - Along with items sold at a fundraiser yard sale I donated a lot of clothing and other items to the St. Vincent de Paul. I'm not finished though as moving into a TINY apartment has shown me I still have too much stuff!!
15. Put my credit on ice for an extended period until my balance is back at zero. :: Started Winter 2010 - have already made big strides on this. Am out of scary territory and back into just bringing everything down.
16. Set a monthly budget, decide on a strategy and stick to it.
17. Document "a day in the life" in pictures (Inspired by Tor)
18. See a favourite band in concert. :: June 17th 2009 - Went to see No Doubt in Montreal with my sister!! Amazing show!! Since then I have also seen several great acts at last years Bluestfest 2009, like Metric, OLP, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paolo Nutini to only name a few. I also saw Kings of Leon in the fall which was an amazing show. And how can I leave out FABULOUS Lady Gaga in November. The show was ridiculous!!!
19. Go camping. :: Camped for the week in North Carolina (June 2009). Camping plans in the work for this years birthday as well as the camping trip to Sandbanks in August.
20. Try rollerblading again.
21. Organize my music finally.
22. Host a "family dinner" night with friends. :: Have had several in the last year but yet one to be documented here - to be updated soon!
23. Watch the sunrise. :: June 12th, 2010, walking with Tor around the Relay track, we suddenly realized the sky was getting brighter!!
24. Skinny dip.
25. Read 7 novels in french.
26. Get a membership to the Bytowne theatre.
27. Begin painting again, create a series.
28. Take a writing workshop or class.
29. Go to an outdoor concert. :: Done July 8-18 - I had the great gift of a festival pass to see all of Bluesfest!! I saw amazing shows, some noteable favs: Metric, OLP, GirlTalk, Paolo Nutini, Estelle, Ice Cube, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cake...and there are many others that were AMAZING.
30. Make a scrapbook of my trips to Bermuda.
31. Send postcards on my travels.
33. Have a girls night in.
34. Stay up all night. :: Relay for Life 2010 - I did not sleep or nap for over 24 hours.
35. Give up Facebook for 2 weeks.
36. Give up my bus pass for a month and bike to work every day. - :: Finally succeeded...because I now live close enough to work that I have to use for a pass!!! Have been walking in instead...but will have to get the bike going soon.
37. Host a craft night.
38. No more being lazy. I have a gym membership and I hardly use it. I will work out for an hour 3 times a week in addition to me weekly hour sessions with my trainer. Get my money's worth out of this.
39. Start an RRSP.
40. Go canoeing.
41. Go to the Biodome.
42. Ride a rollercoaster.
43. Ride a rollercoaster I have been to scared to ride. TBD.
44. Go to La Ronde for the first time!
45. Renew my passport (this will be coming in the 1001 days)
46. Pick a random topic p/month and learn everything there is to know about it. Started April 21.
47. Learn to knit a scarf.
48. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy (also inspired by Tor!) - April 29th - in progress
49. See a ballet.
50. Go to an opera.
51. See a broadway show.
52. Drive a boat.
53. Try Zip-Lining.
54. Go on a hike.
55. Do something once a month that challenges my normally shy nature. (this is going to be tough)
56. Go to the east coast and visit Sam, and my cousin Alli while she's at St F.X.
57. Learn how to drive a manual tranmission.
58. Learn 5 new constellations.
59. Plant a tree.
60. Take a cooking class.
61. Walk for a cause. :: Done!! Relay for Life June 11th-12 2010 was quite the experience. I look forward to doing it again next year with my friends. We had a great time despite the poor weather.
62. Leave a book (bookcrossing.com)
63. Sew myself something.
64. Make a time capsule.
65. Win something. :: Won a copy of "Her Fearful Symmetry" from a Metro news contest
66. Keep a journal.
67. Have a work friends night out.
68. See 5 foreign films.
69. Take an "art break" at least once a month - Take advantage of where I work and see the art I love so much! :: Took a break this week when Victoria came in to see the new summer exhibition www.gallery.ca/poplife
70. Have a spa day with someone. :: Best birthday surprise!! My girlfriends Pam, Tor and Kate, along with a little help from my boyfriend kidnapped me on my birthday and surprised me with a day at the Nordik Spa. It was my first time there, and the baths are AMAZING. It was honestly THE best way to spend a hung over morning, lol. Thanks again girls for the great afternoon and I hope we do it again soon.
:: August 15th Shawn and I went to Holtz Spa for a couples hot stone massage. Again - amazing :)
71. Play golf (i.e. find someone patient to take me and teach me how to golf)
72. Do yoga. :: Done, have yet to go back but will soon hopefully.
73. See a shooting star. :: June 2009 - laying out on Pam's backyard with the gang, caught a glimpse of 2 shooting stars that night :)
74. Buy a lottery ticket.
75. Go on a picnic.
76. Go sailing.
77. Go fishing.
78. Learn how to *actually* throw a football (yes i'm serious)
79. Create a photo-story series.
80. Make artwork from 10 of my favourite photos.
81. Go surfing again!
82. Send christmas cards. :: Sent cards this past Christmas 2009
83. Update my resume. :: Update resume spring 2010 - now I'm all sorted out :)
84. Fly somewhere.
85. Donate to a food drive.
86. Use an audioguide and tour the Gallery's collections.
87. Back up my files and photos.
88. Update my design portfolio.
89. Visit a lighthouse.
90. Ride a horse. ::Photoshoot with Gen June 20th 2009. I got on a horse. So beautiful!
91. Plan my dream trip to Italy.
92. Learn a new style of dance.
93. Try 2 new recipes a month.
- May: 1) Rolled oats apple cake - and it was a big hit! yay!
94. Organize my bills.
95. Read through the entire Bible.
96. Plan and embark on a random weekend getaway.
97. Go snorkeling.
98. Cook dinner for my parents. - May 10 2009 - My sister and I cooked my parents an amazing 4 course meal for Mother's Day :)
99. Take an art class.
100. Make something to put in the silent auction for our United Way Workplace Charitable Campaign.
101. Make another list at the end of 1001 days! :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Awesome!
Other fun news: I feel like I'm one of the last to join this bandwagon but I recently heard about 1000awesomethings.com and the book that was just recently published based on the blog. I've started reading recent and past entries at least once a day, and I think it's absolutely brilliant!! Or I guess I should say, I think its awesome :) It's sort of like a daily reminder of how many seemingly insignificant moments in life are often worth taking the time to enjoying them to their fullest and realizing just how awesome these small things are in the bigger picture.
I stopped by the display in Chapters the other day and flipped through the book (The Book of Awesome) and the first page I opened it to read (and I am paraphrasing because I do not remember the exact wording) 'when you hit the elevator button and it's there waiting for you.' "Ding! AWESOME". And isn't it? If you live in an apartment building with tempermental elevators like I do then you completely understand this. We have three elevators in our building and it seems that one is always sitting on one of the high floors, the other is in service for moving things, and the other one is out of service and has been for weeks/days/sometimes months. So when I get home from work after a long day or when I'm running late in the morning and that elevator is waiitng for me as soon as I hit up/down, it really is awesome :) So I thank Neil Pasricha, the creator behind 1000awesomethings.com, for giving a nod to all the awesome things that happen to us daily, and pointing out that we should celebrate more often the awesome small things and worry less about the small not-so-awesome things.
More awesome news: I will be moving in to my new place soon. I can barely contain how excited I am. And then I look at my stuff and realize how much I need to scale down or else I will be living in very tight quarters with all of my belongings with little room to move around! So I've made that my project for the week along with painting a few things and then in 2 weeks time, I will be on the move. Time flies when you're busy and having awesome times :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The movies...how..do I say this. Well..I enjoyed Twilight and also enjoyed New Moon. But I have to stress that to anyone who hasn't read the books then PLEASE do not judge the story by the movies. The movies have their own merits, but the books are sooo much better.
That said...the recently released extended trailer for the 3rd installment, the film adaptation of Eclipse, got me giddy with anticipation to see how one of the more interesting and back-story packed novels in the series is played out. I have a feeling many things are going to be left out (sadly) but it also looks like we'll get to see a chunk of the fight that goes down in the baseball field that we miss in the novel since that whole time is spent witnessing the drama unraveling between Bella, Edward and Jacob up on the mountain top away from the battle. Interesting.
This is definitely on my summer movie list :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
New beginnings...
It's a weird feeling. I'm scared. Because as most of my closest friends know, I'm a totally baby when it comes to being alone at night. Just knowing someone is in the other room is a comfort. That said, I'm am really looking forward to this new experience. A change to have a space of my own. When I start to get nervous, I remind myself about how excited I am to decorate my own space. I've been playing around with mini floorplans which I think will be essential. I'm moving into a much smaller space and therefore I think I need a more laid out plan going in to this than the one I didn't really have when I moved into my first apartment which had a generous amount of space to work with. I'm going to be getting rid of some furniture and hopefully doing a full wardrobe cleanout as well. An honest to goodness new start. Somewhere that is my own and untouched by my recent past. Memories that I will be happy to no longer be reminded of on a regular basis.
The other big exciting thing about it is that it is right downtown. I am so stoked to live dowtown! Being within walking distance of work is a plus, not to mention being closer to friends who already live downtown. I think this will make for a very interesting/fun first summer at my new place. There will be so much more to discover that I haven't yet. One of my closest friends is coming to Ottawa this summer for an intership on the Hull side. She has found a place to live for the summer downtown not very far from where I will be. We just know its going to be a fantasic summer with her hear and living so close.
Soo...more news. List related there isn't much..sadly!! I have been keeping up with my goal to try out new recipes every month...unforunately I have been remiss in keeping track!! My mind has been going crazy for the past few months that I have gotten pretty disorganized in regards to my goals. But that is soon to change. In addition to the apartment hunting I've also picked up another job on the side. This goes hand in hand with my goal of regaining control over my financial situation. What's better is I am really enjoying it so far.
My guilty pleasure this week was re-reading the last Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn. I don't know what brought it on. And I was just as hooked as I was reading it the first time. Indeed a guilty little pleasure and oh so satisfying. So I have already re-read a book on my list...so..I can't say I've made progress. But I am enjoying myself :)
Relay news! My Relay for Life team and I are making great progress in fundraising! And might I add that Ashley is making AMAZING progress! Everyone is doing well, but she is our shining star. Many thanks go out to her and her coworkers who indulged in her home baked treats in exchange for donations. Coming soon is our yard sale in May, and there are 2 other possible events, but I won't mention them till they are solid. But trust me, they are big and we hope will be a great source of raising funds. If you wish to donate to help our team make our fundraising goal to help beat Cancer, please click here!
I seem to have just lost the words I was going to continue this post with...but I'm anxious to post now.
Wishing all of you a lovely weekend! Its a little rainy but it's the playoffs. I plan on finding a spot on Elgin to watch the game and then celebrate the night away. TGIF with some good friends and a big pitcher of beer!!!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
New focus
Another item to knock off is a book! Like most chick-lit material, once I picked it up I was done it in no time. The only reason it took me 3 days is because I forced myself NOT to read it in one sitting. Last night however I did blast through the last 3rd of it last night when I couldn't sleep. Twenties Girl is the latest book from Sophie Kinsella (of Confessions of Shopaholic 'fame') and it's a very fun read. Just the thing I need!
This weekend I will be doing something new! While it's not an item on my list it is something I have wanted to do but never really thought about doing it. If that makes sense... ? Jocelyne and Dan had the brilliant idea to head up to a sugar bush and as the weather has been getting warmer and warmer (curiouser and curiouser!) they thought now is the time to go before we lose anymore snow! So that is the plan for this weekend and I'm very excited to go out and do something different than what I would normally be doing with my weekend.
I have been working hard at keeping busy and distracted and so far it has only been turning out in my favour :) I have been able to focus on making some important decisions that I have been putting off for some time. Though I am occasionally sidelined by negative thoughts about recent events, and no matter how often I let my mind go to places I dont want it to, I remind myself that no matter what I may or may not have done differently, the end result would be the same. I can only be thankful that things came to an end when they did, and not a few months from now when I would be moving in with someone I clearly didn't know very well. I don't mean to sound like a victim, but I was fully betrayed and that's been the hardest part and why my mind is still attached to things I wish it weren't. Eventually, this will be easier. I know this. And I DO appreciate those reminders. My friends are superstars :)
In the meantime, I am focusing on my list. I was going through a bunch of my files (music, photos, cv's) the other day and remembered I have some organizing tasks on my list which I think I will tackle this weekend along with maybe start on another book. And room organizing, which has been put off for too long. It's time for a little spring cleaning!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A few other things...
What I am currently reading is Natalie MacLean's "Red, White and Drunk All Over". I don't know if it just that I am wine lover myself, but this book is brilliant: it's funny and smart and makes me want to become a wine critic, if not just to enjoy fantastic wines but to also get the chance to travel to all these beautiful spots around the world.
I also added two sites I have been frequenting as of late. Check out the links to the right.
Questionable Content is simply just one of the funniest online comic series I have encountered. If the title doesn't say it all, it's revealed in the cleverly created cast of characters and plot lines. If you check out the site, I earnestly suggest you begin from comic number 1. Not only do you get the full story, but you see the progression of the artists work. There are, however, are over 1500 comics to date, so it might take you a while. This will also cause you to possibly adore it as much as I do.
The other site is a current favourite and may not be up and running if you go looking for it months after this post. It's essentially a live feed set up by a Shiba Inu breeder of some of the cutest puppies ever. What more is there to say?
I suck
It feels like I should have so much to say as so much time has gone by - and in fact, there have been changes and new developments since my last post - but it feels like I have nothing to report because life still feels the same.
It feels very much like having lunch with an old friend whether it be weeks, months, even a couple of years since you've seen each other. The moments when you feel like the answer to "So, what's new?" is "....Not much, actually". Maybe it's just the way my life has been going that "not much" is really happening that is reeally new over the span of a few months, even stretching back a couple of years. I am still in the same job I began 7 years ago, with some but little change in my role. I have lived with my lovely roommate for almost 2 years now and things are still going very nicely :) I am still very much in love with the man I met only 10 months ago. It's the day tyo do changes that often go un-remarked because they seem like just that - the day-to-day things that seem like they are of not of much importance to anyone but ourselves.
But you can always start somewhere...so where shall I?
My LIST. The whole driving force behing the creation of my blog!!
- The blog :The list has fallen by the wayside. I can only say - thank goodness I have lots of time...but even that seems to shorten as I think about all the things I want to do. So what can I check off?
- Number 22. Steph and I have hosted several "family" dinner parties with our friends over the past year, and another one is coming up this weekend. The guests often change, but they are all like family. Great good. Great wine. Great company.
- I have also gotten back in taking my health and persoinal weight issues more seriously and putting my gym membership to use. Number 38. I am not going to make any progress if I am not doing anything to cause progress! It has been a slow start but now that I've gone to a few classes at the gym, combined with my once-a-week pole fitness classes, mixed in with other activities like skating, free yoga classes at Lululemon in westboro from time to time, and a home work-out plan (yeah!), I am starting to get back into a routine. I have always run well on routines.
- Ooh I just found another one to check off. Number 72: Do Yoga.
- Number 65, I WON something :) I won a book through a local newspaper only a couple of weeks ago. Thank you Metro News :) The book which I still have yet to read. My roommate, however, snacthed it up I think the second she saw it sitting on the front bench. She devours book like the world is going to run out of them. It is the latest novel by the author of the Time Traveller's Wife. My roomate shared with me that it was a big departure from the Time Traveller's Wife, and the synopsis of it has really got me interested. This is the review I read prior to entering the draw. Thank you, NYTimes :)
More updates to come, this time, I will write again! If not only for myself but for Gen whom I told I would post something the first week in January... In time, I come around!