christmas with the fam

I don't know about you, but I spend Christmas with my family and it always yields a few good stories. Here are the highlights from Christmas 2010 in Ottawa.

• Watching my mom balance her chequebook. She keeps all of her receipts, uses the ledger at the end to add and subtract, and then compares it against the printed statement that arrives in the mail. To the dollar she does this. Just to make sure she knows what she has spent and to ensure that the bank is not cheating her of anything. I happen to be know her bank manager and am seriously tempted to tell him that she doesn't trust his system. And then, when I wanted to return a sweater she gave me for Christmas (because it happens to be pretty much the exact same sweater she gave me last year ... from the same store) the receipt is nowhere to be found. Great system mom.
• On my first night home, we had a lovely meal. Sadly, we sat down for dinner at 7:30, which happens to be when Jeopardy starts. Now I love Jeopardy as much as the next person, but my parents feel the need to scream the answers at the tv. And they know a lot of the answers (or questions I guess?). Between the two of them, they could be the next Ken Jennings. While annoying, it also explains a lot about where I got my nerdiness/ability to remember random pieces of useless trivia.
• On Monday night we went to a cocktail party being hosted by family friends. It was quite lovely. Lots of good food, good champagne, and good conversation. Then the party went sideways. The young people, which for some reason included me, decided to go out on the town. Now I didn't expect this party to turn into a big night out, so I didn't even bring my purse with me. So I had to hit up my dad for 60 bucks to go out drinking. Yep. I'm 34, and I'm just that much of a skid. The party continued at the bar. When I decided to leave at about 2 am, one of the guys said to me "you can't leave ... it's the last day of summer, we can't stop drinking yet." Two problems with that sentence. A, it's December 27th, not labour day and 2, the bar has stopped serving alcohol, so we have to stop drinking. Anyhow, I made it home. Barely.
• An interesting post script to this story is the fact that somehow my mom made it home with only one shoe. It only really makes sense in the context of a Canadian winter, whereby you wear boots and bring shoes to wear inside at the party. She figured out it was lost when they drove another couple home and the shoe fell out of the car when she got out of the back seat. When she emailed said couple to enquire about her lost shoe, the couple was very confused because they were so drunk, they thought that they had gone home with another couple. Or a cab. They had no recollection of my parents driving them home. At any rate, the shoe was found 2 days later on the driveway. All that to say, it was a good party.
• The next day I had a full Bridget Jones/sad single moment when I went to a baby shower hung over. I'm pretty sure I still smelled of booze and stale cigarettes.

There were plenty of other memorable moments, but really these are the ones that stand out through the haze of champagne - which I had every night. Of course we had turkey, christmas pudding, and lots of leftovers. I somehow managed to get about 10 hours of sleep every night ... might be related to all that turkey. All in all, a great Christmas. On to NYE!

shopping fail

So on Sunday I ventured out to do some Christmas shopping. Instead of getting what I needed to (i.e. gifts for other people) I bought myself these ski boots. They are rad. They have this mechanism that allows them to inflate and deflate. Kind of like those old school Reebok pumps. Not sure if the "air shell" technology is just a gimmick or not, but they have to be better than my old Head boots that crush my feet and have resulted in permanent trauma to my nailbeds (thanks to CG for the medical diagnosis).

And then I went to Holts and bought this dress (incidentally it looks just as good on me as it does on the model). Unfortunately they can't be worn together.

So I have evening wear and weekend wear, but still no Christmas presents. Awesome.

December 10th-19th

A quick gander at my dinner choices for the past 10 days. And I wonder why my pants are too tight.

• Friday - frozen pizza while babysitting adorable 11 month old named Gibby.
• Saturday - vietnamese noodles while dogsitting devil dog Shasta.
• Sunday - lovely pasta with italian sausage and fennel, homecooked with love by SS.
• Monday - tomato and pineapple pizza with HC and aforementioned devil dog.
• Tuesday - Life cereal.
• Wednesday - defrosted turkey burger (originally made by me) and salad.
• Thursday - lamb flatbread at Thompson's before going to see A Christmas Carol.
• Friday - lovely roasted chickens with vegetables and scalloped potatoes courtesy, again, of the lovely SS.
• Saturday - mushroom and prosciutto pizza with SS after plan for risotto fell through thanks to false labour (don't worry, not mine or hers).
• Sunday - Christmas burger dinner at District with JM and KA.

There were other things too. On Sunday I made 7 dozen chocolate chip cookies for a cookie exchange at work. I think I ate at least 6 on my own. Then I got six dozen cookies to bring home with me. Because that's exactly what I need. I also re-attempted the prize winning pie to go with Friday's chicken dinner. Once again the pudding did not set and I had to freeze it. Recipe is obviously flawed, but it still tasted great. Friday was my goodbye party at work. It involved wine and cheese. I discovered something called black truffle cheddar. Dairy goodness indeed. Brie and figs. Yum. Oh, and the wine of course. You can never go wrong with wine.

Did I mention that it's not even Christmas yet? This does not set a very good precedent. Good thing it's almost 2011 and I can make some resolutions.

addiction and 90s tv

Anyone else watching Celebrity Rehab this season? I've already mentioned my love of Dr. Drew, which is one reason I watch. The other reason of course is that I love a good trainwreck. On this season, the size of Rachel Uchitel's lips intrigue me. I'm not sure how she can talk really. I also call bullshit on Jeremy London's story about being kidnapped. Not sure why he's still sticking to his guns. It's quite sad really as I used to love him on Party of Five. I so wanted to be Julia Salinger dating Griffin . I loved Party of Five period. While it was a good show on it's own, my love of it probably also comes from the era in which it was broadcast. It was on while I was at university and along with Felicity, it was appointment viewing - first in residence and then in various living rooms off campus, always with a group of girlfriends who loved it as much as I did. In fact, I think the only reason I stuck with Lost through all 6 seasons because of my love for Charlie Salinger aka Jack Shephard aka Matthew Fox.

no more sweater vests for Harper

Last night at the Conservative Caucus Christmas party, this happened. So our fearless PM might have impressed his conservative colleagues and may even win over some of the electorate, but his wife is not amused. Laureen's reaction is priceless (at 1:54 minutes). As much as I echo her reaction, he does have Iggy beat on this one.

memories of kellermans

Friday night was my work Christmas party. It's now Sunday morning and I think I've finally gotten over my hangover. It turned out to be a really fun night, with everyone taking full advantage of the prosecco on hand. There was karaoke involved. We all remember how much I love to karaoke. RB and I kicked it off with a memorable version of Time of My Life (the original, not the really bad Black Eyed Peas version. They should be ashamed of themselves for co-opting such a great song. Sorry for the rant, now back to the story at hand). It went a little something like this ... we even attempted the lift!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmILPAcRQo

(for some reason it won't let me embed. annoying. but I suggest you follow the link. it's awesome)

I actually own the Dirty Dancing DVD. My mom gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago. It's a bit of a joke in our family because when the movie came out, my mom wouldn't let me see it. As it had the word dirty in the title, she figured I was too young (I was 11). But then, we went to her boss' house for dinner and his daughter, who was a year younger than I was, had it on VHS. My mom couldn't say no, because it would look bad, so I finally got to watch it. And of course loved it. Still do. I carried a watermelon is one of my all time fave movie lines, and I use it whenever there is a watermelon present.

pottery fail (sort of)

In this photo, you will see two mugs. Both made by hand. Can you guess which one I made? I'll give you a hint ... it's the one on the left. Notice it's about half the size of the professionally made one. I think it will contain 3 sips of coffee. Not a spectacular effort, if I do say so myself. BUT, and this is an important but, I tried ... right? I would never call myself super creative or artistic, so the fact that I made something, that resembles a coffee mug, isn't porous, and has an actual handle, is somewhat impressive. As such, I call this only a quasi-failure. It's certainly no cake disaster, that's for sure. It probably helped that no alcoholic beverages were consumed while using the potter's wheel. I also made numerous bowls ... can't post any photos of those as they will be wrapped and put under the tree for all my favourite blog readers!

my famous friends

Remember Lily? Well, not only does she look good in hats, she also does good deeds. And now she's famous! Check it out:

http://change.outpostmagazine.com/2010/11/16/mans-best-friend-strikes-again/

the fish in the sea, so to speak

So here is a little story about why I am choosing not to do any online dating these days. HC just started again. She got matched up with a guy who thinks that the Simpsons and Metallica are the best things to happen to humans. True story. Now I like Metallica as as much as the next gal (remember this?), but when a potential suitor states that Homer Simpson is the person who influenced him the most, I wave the white flag. HC soldiers on. She's a better person than I.

PS - anyone see Glee last night? When Sue Sylvester joins "e-desperate" (which incidentally looks exactly like eharmony), the things she is most passionate about are "extreme taxidermy, tantric yelling, poking the elderly with hidden pins." So good.

some boots and some books

So I made it through the weekend with my mom. I have some new boots (pictured at right) and a new winter coat to show for it. And I think I only snapped at her once. And we had some good talks. And some good food. And some good wine. So all in all, a good visit.

I also lent her a book, which brings me to my latest reading list. I've been on a non-fiction/memoir kick of late. Here is what I have been reading:

• Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man by Bill Clegg. The author is a literary agent who has a seemingly great life, but is addicted to crack. The majority of the book chronicles his paranoia as he met with dealers, got high, had sex with random men, moved from hotel to hotel and thought he was going to be arrested. The paranoia part was interesting. The reviews talk about how it's a great account of "one man's descent into the hell of addiction." And while it certainly is hellish, I still don't know that I understand how someone can get there and live there and think that it's a better way to live than clean. I suppose they're so messed up they can't really make that distinction. So a hellish life, certainly. But how he got there, I still didn't get it after reading the book.
• Open by Andre Agassi. This is the book I lent my mom. She took it back to Ottawa to lend to my dad, because I think he'll really like it too. This was a good book. Fascinating really. I always wonder with memoirs how revisionist they are - did he really have second thoughts about proposing to Brooke Shields as he was proposing to her, or is it just easier to remember it that way 6 years later. At any rate, how he became the famous athlete we all know is a great story. It's one of those books that you look forward to getting back to reading after you put it down.
• I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max. HC read this book while she was in Palm Springs and kept BBMing me little tidbits. She told me that all women should read it so we know what assholes men are. The book is made up of anecdotal stories about Tucker Max and his friends out partying, drinking to excess, sleeping with random women and insulting said women and others. I think a lot of people would find it offensive and shocking. I can't say I really did. A lot of the stories were quite humorous, which I think was the intention of the book. And while Max speaks abhorrently of women, a lot of the women seem to act equally ridiculous, so whatever. I didn't finish it though, mainly because I got bored of all the poop stories. I don't really enjoy reading about disgusting bowel movements. I will say however, that I really do hope that they serve beer in hell, because I'm pretty sure there will be a reserved seat at that bar for me.
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I haven't been at my best lately and so thought I would take a shot at reading a quasi self-help book. I started reading it a few months ago and am only on page 91. There goes my attempt at self-improvement. The book jacket describes it as a woman's 12 month adventure "test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier." The problem is that she starts it in January and frames "becoming happy" like a New Year's resolution. As such is just become a check list of things to do. Reading it just made me feel bad about myself because my closets aren't organized and I'm not very efficient on weekends. Thanks tips, I don't need a book to tell me that. And now it's being turned into a TV show, starring Charlotte from Sex and the City. I'm pretty sure I won't waste PVR space on it.
• Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The subtitle is "the inside story of how Wall Street and Washington fought to save the financial system - and themselves." I think this is a book I'll be reading for awhile. It's 500+ pages on the financial crisis. Lots of concepts that I don't fully understand, but I'm trying. When you read about people taking helicopters to work and thinking that a $30 million a year pay cheque being fully explainable (really?) you can begin to understand why middle America is so upset. And why they hate the bailout. And why they hate Obama. And how it came to be that there was an legitimate campaign ad centred around one of the candidates, who for some reason had a shot at actually becoming a US Senator, declaring that she was not a witch. Okay that last bit might be a bit of a stretch, but it is all connected. And the the book is interesting. Not riveting though. But then again, I'm not sure any book on the financial system would be.

So that's me. And those are my mini reviews. Oh and tomorrow's high is -33 with the windchill. Awesome.

good news/bad news pt.3

good news = my mom is coming to town tomorrow

bad news = it's -18 here right now

good news = I love my mother

bad news = I live in 700 square foot condo

good news = my mom has lots of opinions

bad news = oftentimes her opinions and mine differ greatly

good news = we will have lots of quality time together in said condo hiding from said freezing temperatures

bad news = one of us might not make it through the weekend

on your special day, please remember these simple rules

I’ve been to a lot of weddings in my day, as both guest and member of the bridal party. I’m 34 years old and I really feel like I’ve seen it all. One year I was invited to 7. That’s my highest tally so far (I think I went to 5 of them). This year it has been only two. So I think I can make an educated list on things that work and don’t work - a quick hit of things that can potentially make or break a wedding. I recognize that we all can't be super creative, but there is a fine line between tradition and cliches. I suggest you avoid the cliches. It's not that hard. I just urge you to consider the following observations. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, but remember, I am very wise.

• Unless you get married on a beach, there should be no sand. I don’t know who invented the sand ceremony, but it seems to me, the symbolism is completely made up.
• A live singer for the ceremony is not a bad idea, but please make sure he or she is on key.
• When choosing music for the ceremony, might I recommend that it be a new take on an old classic or a cool song that is reinterpreted for wedding purposes. Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” is not appropriate processional material.
• Unless it’s dark outside, may I suggest no candles. The unity candle is up there with the sand ceremony as something that makes no sense. Why do you need a candle or sand to represent the pledge of unity between the bride and groom. Isn't just saying your vows enough to indicate that you are united? Lighting a candle in a church to represent those loved ones who have passed away is the exception to this rule. But only in a church.
• Flowers need to be real. (You would think this would go without saying, but surprisingly I’ve seen it).
• Corinthians? Really? You couldn’t find anything else about love and what it means?
• A ceremony that lasts less than 15 minutes is encouraged. While your guests may be happy to watch you declare your love in front of god, man and the state, we’re really here for the party.
• If you insist on getting married outside, and it's not June, July or August,might I suggest that you allow your bridesmaids to wear fur. Faux or not, it’s up to you. But really, setting them up for pneumonia will not encourage a life long friendship.
• There is a a time and a place for 22 stories about the happy couple’s many adventures. It’s called a rehearsal dinner.
• Five speeches tops - bride’s family, groom’s family, best man, maid of honour, couple. Exceptions can be made if the speeches are short and extremely clever. Only in this case can more people step up to the microphone.
• Space the speeches appropriately. When dinner starts at 6, the last speech being completed by 10:40 is unacceptable. There are no exceptions to this rule.
• Remember to provide good/plentiful food for your bridal party all day - from the morning hair appointment through to the 800 photos. There is nothing worse than a ravenous, drunken bridesmaid in a bad dress who resents the bride. Recipe for disaster. And a ridiculously high bar bill.
• I understand that head tables are tradition and that you want your wedding party to feel important, but sitting on a pedestal so that everyone can watch you eat, stuck talking to the same people you’ve been hanging out with all day, is really not fun. A table dedicated to the wedding party is totally fine, just let it be amongst the guests, not isolated from the party.
• Do not stick more than two single girls at the wedding at the same table, surrounded by couples. Get ready for some resentful single friends, getting ridiculously drunk. Luckily they will be wearing dresses they actually picked out so will not be as resentful as the aforementioned underfed and pneumatic bridesmaids.
• Open bar. We’re in our 30s. We should not be paying for our drinks. Invite fewer people if necessary. Your great uncle does not need to come. I do however need a free gin and tonic.
• Slideshows are totally acceptable. That said, they can’t go on for longer than 10 minutes. Especially if you’ve been together for less than a year. Repeated pictures are not allowed. Embarrassing photos are encouraged. Also, please include pictures of your friends. Four minutes of the bride and groom is too much - we’ve been staring at you all day, seeing how we fit into your life makes us feel like we’re actually engaged in the process.
• A good live band is always welcome.
• Invite friends who can do the worm or will at least attempt the manoevre. A breakdance circle is also strongly encouraged.
• Final rule. Return of the Mack needs to be on the playlist.

I recognize that this list might come back to haunt me should I ever get married. But I stick to it for now, and I reserve the right to edit as needed. Besides, someday it could make for great speech material!

keep Alberta rat free

When I was on Gabe over the September long weekend, we had a long, involved discussion about the fact that Alberta is a rat-free province. KM didn't believe us. Luckily we had the ipad handy to confirm this and to explain how it works. Thank goodness for technology - it definitely helped us have a more informed discussion. I bring this up because I have a friend who had been involved in a relationship with a guy we like to call MB - a term of endearment that he would probably not appreciate. He has since moved to the UK which is for the best. It has come to our attention that he has a rat in his house. Henceforth he will be known as RG - rat guy. The best part of course is that because Alberta is rat free, when he tries to come back from London he will be stopped at the border. Thank goodness for the Alberta Rat Patrol.

in flanders fields

When I woke up this morning, I tried to remember the whole poem, but couldn't. Thanks to the interweb I can now recite it again.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

still on team jacob

So as mentioned, I went to Toronto and Hawaii. I'm still too tired to go into my various adventures on said trips. But once again, I insisted on torturing myself by watching a bad movie on the plane - I watched the latest Twilight movie, I'm not even sure what the actual subtitle is. But it included lines like this one, from Edward to Bella when she asked him to take her virginity:

“I just want to be married to you first ....it’s just one rule that I want to leave unbroken. It might be too late for my soul, but I will protect yours.”

Are you serious? Teenagers are doomed if they believe this bullshit. Good thing there was a barf bag in my seat pocket.

aloha

My apologies loyal reader(s), I have been out of the loop. First because I was in TO at a wedding (more on that to come) and now because I am in Hawaii. Through a variety of circumstances, the main one being the direct result of this event, I am sitting pretty in Waikiki. The weather has not been fabulous, but the beaches are awesome, the company is great and the maitais are tasty. So that's what counts, non?

what purple means to me

I'm a bit late to following up on my previous election post, but now that I am in Toronto, which also just had it's own election (albeit with a somewhat different result), I'll just say a few things.

In the weeks leading up to election night, everytime I wore purple, people asked me if I was part of "the purple revolution." The truth is that I just like the colour purple and it is a staple of my wardrobe. I didn't ultimately make up my mind on who to vote for until a week or two before election day. I've met Naheed Nenshi a few times over the past few years as part of my day job, and have always found him to be bright, articulate and thought provoking. When he entered the race, I really thought he was just doing so to further the conversation. I even said to a few friends that I thought he should drop out and throw his support behind more legitimate contenders (i.e. Wayne Stewart or Kent Hehr). Ultimately of course, the reverse happened. And then as he gained momentum, I decided I would vote for him, but I figured he still wouldn't win. I knew all of my FB friends had planned to vote for him, but whether or not they would actually go out on the day and fill out a ballot was unknown. Turns out they did. Good for them. And good for him for capturing their imagination and inspiring them to care about municipal politics.

In my mind, the best candidate won. And I do think he will get shit done. Not just the things my young left-wing friends care about (i.e. the arts, poverty reduction, libraries, bike lanes, walkable cities, etc) but other things like budget reduction, the airport tunnel, snow removal, and investment attraction. The issue of course is that he is receiving so many accolades that he cannot possibly meet (and really, I don't think I'm being a huge pessimist here), I just hope that people are not too disappointed. He is human. He is mayor of a major city with a $60 million budget shortfall, civic employees with incredibly low morale, a growing population and the lowest property taxes in Canada. Good luck.

To me the real story is about participation. Today while visiting with my friend Victoria we ran into her neighbour who was coming home from cleaning out her office ... as of Tuesday she was out of a job because she was on Smitherman's campaign team. You would think she'd be super pissed about Ford and his big win. And while I wouldn't exactly call her happy, she wasn't ranting about how ridiculous it was that a "buffoon" had won. Nor was she cynical about the whole thing. She had great perspective. She had met some great people, worked on something that mattered and in the end, over 50% of the electorate turned up to make their choice and even though it wasn't hers, she was okay with it. Toronto may have picked a polarizing leader, but at least people made the effort to pick him (or not, as the case may be).

The same thing happened in Calgary. Calgary has led the nation in population growth over the past ten years, and as the city has grown it has been said that the people who move here aren’t really committed to sticking around. The common knock against Calgary is that they come to work and make their money, but build their life elsewhere, leaving us with a lifeless community. 54% of the electorate showing up to vote proves that this is not the case. Such a large turnout demonstrates that people voted because they are committed to this city. They are here for the long term and they want to be engaged in the community. And it wasn’t just on Election Day. Throughout the campaign, there was a strong indication that this election would be different. People were talking about the issues and the candidates everywhere you went. No aldermanic candidates ran unopposed. For the first time there was an aldermanic forum in every ward, and people actually showed up. In more than one case, organizers had to scramble for more chairs. There were over 35 mayoral forums, attended by the majority of the candidates, and a large number of citizens. The largest, organized by Civic Camp and the University of Calgary’s Student Union, had over 800 attendees. When was the last time 800 people showed up for anything related to municipal politics? In my mind, all the discussion about what it means that Canada's most conservative city elected a Muslim mayor is totally beyond the point (nor was it really discussed until after he won - seriously no one cared). The real highlight for me is the fact that wherever you went, people were talking about the city, what type of person is needed to make it a better place, and how excited they were to be able to make that choice. As geeky political type, I found this to be super cool. As a result, I'm hopeful that the conversations that were had leading up to the election will continue on into Nenshi's 3 years (and possible more) as mayor, and that people will commit to being engaged to the Calgary community for the long term.

Ok, will stand down from my soap box now. I promise my next post will be much more vacuous in nature.

a modern romance

How's this for a modern tale of romance, with the requisite life lessons:

Boy and girl meet at Christmas staff party in Toronto. Boy and girl fall in love. Girl spends a few months working at the Olympics in Vancouver. Boy visits often. Girl goes back to Toronto. Boy gets transferred to Calgary. Girl stays in Toronto. Boy and girl date long distance, travelling back and forth or meeting in various cities in between. Families are introduced. Girl spends time at boy's family farm. Girl seeks transfer back to Calgary. Boy and girl make plans to build a house together. Boy and girl get in big fight in Invermere because he has ridiculous friends and is apparently very stubborn. In late September, boy goes to Toronto for work and stays with girl. For 4 days everything is fine and then they discuss said housing situation while watching Glee. It doesn't go well. So during a commercial break, because boy does not know how to handle an adult relationship with all of its various nuances, breaks up with girl. Two weeks later they do the ritual exchange of stuff. Five days after that, girl's friend's co-worker shows said friend (that would be me) her eharmony matches. One of them is boy. Yep, the same boy. This really happened.

So the question is, does girl have the right to be pissed at boy? On the one hand, they are broken up and so in theory he can do whatever he wants. On the other hand, eharmony? Really? This is how you're moving on? Go on a date. Meet some random at a bar. Don't go shopping for a replacement girlfriend, 10 days after you've just broken up. And don't think she won't find out about it.

So in this modern tale of romance, there are no winners. There are however valuable lessons. One - boys are dumb. Two - breakups are never easy. And three, as shown time and time again, the world is just too damn small.

whatever could be on your mind?

One of my favourite scenes from any show ever. Love me some Peggy and Joan.

cake disaster

Remember my pie success? Well, tonight I had the opposite problem. I was so confident in my cake making abilities that I had 3+ glasses of wine before making my signature chocolate chip cake for the United Way bake sale at work tomorrow. I love this cake. My mom used to make it for me on my birthday. I can pretty much make it from memory and whenever I bring it somewhere it's a big hit. Tonight I failed. Miserably. It didn't rise. I didn't have enough flour, but figured it would be ok. I was wrong. I'm pretty sure that no one will want to pay anything for it and so will not help raise any money for charity. Lesson learned - don't drink and bake.

thanks emily et al

Today is civic election day in my neck of the woods. I love voting. I've voted in every election and I change my vote a lot (Liberals for Joe!) One of my least favourite things is partisanship. You should be able to vote for who you want depending on the important issues of the day, not just because it's the way your parents voted or because of something that the governing party of the day did 20 years ago. This is why American politics drive me crazy and also why it's tough living in Alberta where the conservative have been in power since the dinosaurs were roaming through Drumheller. But civic politics are different - there are no party lines and the policies put in place my our mayor and aldermen (even if the are women, they are still called aldermen, but that's a different story), really matter. We spend so much time worrying about our federal politicians, but they are so removed from us - if my property taxes go up, if my streets are free of snow, if I have access to the library, if the bridge I walk across every day is patrolled by police, if there are enough seats in the arts venues, if the bike path is accessible to all, if construction delays my commute, etc - are all decided by the men and women who get voted in today. And I think that matters.

And just in case you needed another reminder about why voting is so important, in a great example of symmetry, it just so happens that 81 years ago today, 5 Canadian women won the right to be declared "persons" under the law in all Commonwealth countries. 81 years is not that long. It's not even a lifetime. My grandmother is 96. It's crazy to me that I know someone who at one point who would not have been allowed to have a say about the direction of the society in which she lives.

thanks again

Another thing I am thankful for = frequent flyer miles.

Thanks to aeroplan and my numerous flights to visit friends and family, I now have enough points to fly to Hawaii for free in 3 weeks. Let the countdown begin. Aloha!

no turkey, but still thankful

Today is Thanksgiving Monday. I could not be happier to have the day off. For that I am thankful. I am thankful for many other things too ... here is an incomplete list of other things I am happy for, right now, Monday October 11th at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon (I specify the time and date, because what I am thankful for changes at an alarmingly fast pace):

• my parents (obvious, but true) - they live far away and I get annoyed with them on the phone, but they are the most generous, well meaning people in the world and I could not have asked for a better mother and father.
• my friends (another obvious statement) - both near and far. I have been lucky enough to have travelled and lived in various cities and I have friends in all of these places. And I got to spend some quality time with a few of them, both new and old, this weekend, so that is wonderful.
• alcohol - this might seem weird, and mean that I have a drinking problem, but it's true. I'm thankful for the great bottle of pinot noir that SS and I shared last night over a pork loin dinner (no turkey for us), and while I was super hungover on Saturday, I'm thankful for the vodka sodas on Friday night (and from a few weeks ago at the Drake) that allowed my friends to get ridiculously drunk and provide hours of entertainment and great stories to last for years. But I promise that I don't drink alone (well not excessively) and I know when to stop. So please don't be freaked out that it's listed third here.
• BBM - I've mentioned this before, but really I think it's my favourite new technology.
• music - a soundtrack to my life makes things much more interesting.
• photography - along with the music, the images of my life that I wouldn't otherwise remember, remind me of all the good times I've had.
• the pathway system - I love that there are pathways dedicated to walkers, runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, etc that run through some of the most beautiful places in the city and that on sunny fall days like this past Saturday, people take full advantage of them.
• the Saturday newspaper - I do love the interweb and all the things you can find online, but there is still so much to be said for reading an actual paper full of stories from all around the world. Ideally with multiple cups of coffee.

There are obviously many more things that I am thankful for ... this is a list that could never end. But sometimes it's nice to stop and highlight a few.

thefacebook

Last night I saw The Social Network. I am not a movie reviewer, but here are my thoughts, take 'em or leave 'em.

First off, it was a very good movie. Was it the best movie I've seen this year (as some reviewers have taken to calling it)? No. Movies that I liked better than this one include The Kids are Alright, Me Too (a Spanish movie I saw at the film fest last week), and maybe even Inception. But still it was really good.

Obviously it's a great story - 19 year old screws over friends to become the youngest billionaire in the world. And more importantly, he created the phenomenon that is Facebook, of which I have been a member since sometime in 2007. To be able to write the code (whatever the hell that means), have it go viral, then mainstream and figure out how to make money from something that is ostensibly free is amazing. Even if it might not have been his idea to start out with, he took it and ran with it. Congrats Mr. Zuckerberg. The script was great - lots of talking, with subtle humour that you really have to listen for. I laughed out loud numerous times (and often times alone ... not sure if the rest of the theatre just wasn't paying as much attention as I was). The acting is great - Jesse Eisenberg in particular. And Andrew Garfield as the original CFO who really got screwed over. He was fabulous. It helps that he is super cute. And not at all age appropriate for me to be crushing on, but whatever. JT was good too - but really, I think I prefer him as a singer.

One thing I will say though is that there are no strong female characters in the movie. If we take this movies at face value (which I know we're not supposed to), it appears that there were no smart girls at Harvard in the early years of this decade - only groupies, girls bused in for parties, one night stands, slutty interns or complete whackos. I suppose you could argue that a female is responsible for the whole phenomenon (she breaks up with Zuckerberg, he starts an early version of facebook and then mopes when she doesn't accept his friend request right away), but really, this movie is about horny boys who happen to write computer code and turn out to be evil genuises.

What's almost more interesting than the movie itself is all of the coverage around it (mostly through blogs and other forms of social meadia) - what's true, what's not, what could be, and what definitely isn't. Seriously, if you want to waste a few solid hours reading some very entertaining articles, click on any of the above.

And as an appropriate coda to show just how useful Facebook really is, last night I did some Facebook stalking (one of my specialties) and found out that yankee hat guy and threesome date guy are friends. For serious. This city is just too damn small.

sister wives

Below is a partial transcript of the discussion that I had with HC (over BBM of course) while watching Sister Wives:

HC: "This is a lifestyle I don't get ...I feel like I'm programmed by society to only accept monogamy ... Which given events of recent past ... I don't have a ton of faith (or respect) in. Bizarre."

Me: "I don't think that polygamy is the answer though ...especially seeing as it is only reserved for men only. You never hear about "brother-husbands."*

HC: "No one wants multiple husbands ... The jury is often out on one, as far as I understand it. The bathroom habits alone... I couldn't handle it."

Me: "This guy does not seem like a winner."

HC: "Keep in mind his dad may be his cousin or something ... I think everyone is a few bricks short of a load."

So this was a semi-serious conversation about the merits of polygamy. Men, take this as a wake up call - all of the douchebaggery of late is making smart women like HC ponder an alternate lifestyle. This is not a good thing. Time for you to step up.

* Incidentally, I looked into women who marry more than one man ... it's called polyandry. And according to wikipedia, it's legal in Saskatchewan. Yep.

some helpful advice

Dear Don,

I know that you have been in a dark place of late. All that boozing, smoking, sleeping around, and lying about your true identity is bound to take a toll. But just because you're not feeling that great about yourself these days doesn't mean that you should settle for someone like Dr. Faye Miller. She's blonde. She's boring. She talks funny and I don't even think she's a real doctor. So this is why I cheered when Megan squeezed your hand, even if I think that making your way through the secretary pool is probably not the best way to ease your pain. In my humble opinion, I think you should go out and find Rachel Menken. I think we can all agree that she was the best of your mistresses. Apparently she's hanging out with a motorcycle gang (see Sons of Anarchy), but I think you can take them on. You are Don Draper after all.

Sincerely,

K

P.S. I really hope that Lucky Strike leaving SCDP doesn't mean the end of your agency. Because that would really suck.

P.P.S. Please tell Roger that I don't enjoy his sad sack routine. Without his quippy one liners, he is not nearly as attractive.

empire state of mind

In my drunken state on Saturday night, I turned into a thief. While at the Drake we ran into some acquaintances ... one of them decided to have a post-bar party and so we went back to her place. After all the wine and vodka, this seemed like a good idea. I'm pretty sure it wasn't. It was a very weird turn of events, involving a member of the 1996 Canadian Olympic team, a Native American statue and a Bee Gees dance party. As we were leaving (at 3:45 am), I thought that it would be a good idea to steal this random guy's NY Yankees* hat. It had been decided earlier that this guy was something of a dbag, and so I guess I figured he deserved to have his hat stolen. I will say that the next morning I woke up full of remorse and feeling bad that I stole dude's hat. Had someone stolen mine, even if they were drunk, I would be unimpressed. Turns out he was unimpressed. He got in touch with SS (through a mutual friend) and sent her a very kind email suggesting a drink in exchange for said hat. The exchange is supposed to happen today. What we still haven't figured out is if I will owe her, for making her spend time with this guy, as the jury is still out on whether or not he really is a dbag. Or, on the other hand, perhaps she will owe me, as he could very well turn out to be a good guy and they will fall in love and end up naming their first child after me (with the middle name Yankee of course). I don't know about you, but I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen.

*cue Jay-Z: "I made a Yankees hat more famous than a Yankee can."

good news/bad news pt.2

good news = this past weekend was a getaway to the mountains with 4 of my favourite girlfriends

bad news = the weekend was rudely interrupted by a 10K road race, for which I did not train - at all

good news = I finished said race

bad news = race included a 1.8 km uphill, at altitude, meaning I walked at least 1.8 kms, making my time ridiculously slow

good news = race was followed by beer, burger, hot tub, sunshine, more beer, birthday cake, wine, chips, cheese, wine, pasta, wine, dancing, vodka, oh, and more vodka

bad news = hangover

brilliance

Just got back from the Arcade Fire show. So amazing. Words can't really describe it.

into the wind

So remember back in June when I watched that OJ Simpson special? Well, as I mentioned then, it was part of a series on TSN looking back at major sports events over the last 30 years. On Sunday the episode about Terry Fox aired (titled "Into the Wind"). And remember when I said that I have a serious weak spot for Terry Fox? Well guess what? I cried. A lot. I don't think I've participated in a Terry Fox Run since high school ... not really sure why. Probably because I would have a hard time crossing the start line due to the ridiculous amount of tears that I would shed. At any rate, the special was great. It never ceases to amaze me that one guy, barely out of his teens, could inspire a nation (and the world) to raise over $500 million dollars to fight cancer. And kudos to Mr. Steve Nash (on a side note, BB showed me some of the Vitamin Water commercials he has done ... hilarious). The picture above is from Terry's appearance at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on July 11th 1980, in the midst of his run across Canada. Darryl Sittler presented him with an all-star jersey. Darryl Sittler was my brother's favourite hockey player.

pie success

So it turns out my pie was not as disastrous as previously thought. The recipe for Chocolate Pudding Pie came from a Williams Sonoma cookbook and can be found here. The problem was that the pudding did not thicken enough after 3+ hours in the fridge, so in consultation with my mother and SS, I decided to improvise and put it in the freezer overnight. I then made the whipped topping about 30 minutes before serving, letting it sit out to de-freeze a bit. And voila! The epic fail became an overnight success! I won best filling at the pie-off and second best pie overall! Who knew? Finished pie is pictured here. It was tasty.

good news/bad news

Good news = drinks last night was not a ruse to engage in threesome.

Bad news = no conclusive evidence on what drinks actually meant ... interest from all parties is still undetermined.

Good news = tomorrow is "pie-off" day at work.

Bad news = the filling of my chocolate pudding pie did not thicken and so now I am stuck with chocolate pudding soup. Will certainly not win said pie-off.

team dating

So a while ago I mentioned, in passing, the concept of team dating. Allow me to expand on this thought. I was in Seattle at the end of June with HC and SS, both of whom were going through some man drama. As the weekend progressed and we spent more time discussing the conversations that had happened, the texts that had been received and what came next, we realized that what we were doing was in fact “team dating.” I would like to clarify that we obviously didn’t invent team dating, as it goes back to the 17th century and Cyrano de Bergerac. Oh and Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah. I would just like to think that we perfected it. In our modern times, there are a variety of things that go into team dating, an essential one being Blackberry Messenger (an essential tool in my life that I have mentioned before).

This real time conversation brings many perks, but can also drive a person more than a little crazy. The issue is that you can see when the message has been delivered and then of course when it has been read. If it is marked open and there is no response, you start wondering what is going on and often times your mind goes the worst possible place, as in what you thought was witty and flirty was actually stupid and not at all suggestive. More likely though, dude just read it and then went to get another drink while pondering how to sound smart and sexy back. And can I just say that it is much easier to sound witty, flirty, smart, sexy and everything else when you have your friends around. Especially those of us who need a little entertainment in our lives and so are happy to push the flirting a little beyond the pale.

But you can’t rely on BB messenger too much because as I mentioned above, it can make you crazy. You have to find a fine balance - just like regular dating, you need to be available, but not too available. Hence the power of the last text. While in an argument you are always trying to get in the last word, but when it comes to BB messaging having the last word is sometimes a sign of weakness. It must be said that there is a certain power in letting the conversation hang. It’s the text message equivalent to being in a bar, seeing the guy you are trying to woo, but staying at your table and making him come to you (a tactic that I have never perfected by the way).

I bring this up now because I'm currently in a situation whereby a guy I know may or may not be interested in a friend of mine. He's a really friendly guy, so it's kind of hard to tell. He sent me an email suggesting the 3 of us go out for a drink. It should be noted that this didn't come completely out of left field because the drink idea had been floated by me earlier this summer, but we never really followed through. Not sure what prompted it 2 months later ... maybe he's just getting through his "to do" list? (that's what she said). So the funny thing is that now we are actually "team dating." She and I are collaborating over BB messenger what I should say in order to set her up for a witty flirty response. And so tonight the three of us are going out. Not sure of my role - Facilitator? Third wheel? Fingers crossed this is not some elaborate set up for a threesome. Cause that would be weird and inappropriate. But it would make for an excellent follow up post. Stay tuned.

I made this

So there is a record salmon run this year ... no one really knows why. I ate lots of it whilst in BC last week - on the awesome patio at Sandbar in Vancouver and on an even better patio on Gabe (BB even caught it himself)! So when reading the Globe and Mail on Saturday morning, I spotted Lucy Waverman's recipe for roasted salmon, I decided to give it a try. And it was delicious. Here is my version next to the picture from the paper. Impressive, non?

no ducky's

I woke up Saturday morning with this on my hand (sadly it's not a guy's phone number). Here is the backstory. There is a bar here in town. Well of course there are many bars, but this post is about one in particular. It's a karaoke bar. Karaoke, which of course was quite fashionable at one point (i.e. the 90s), and now, not so much. Yet this place remains popular. And not really in a kitschy, retro kind of way, because it is neither of these things. Nor is it trendy or classy. In fact it is really quite trashy. It is the dive bar of dive bars, yet somehow it has become one of our standbys. Almost our local. It doesn't really make sense. You never meet hot guys, rather you get hit on by men with moustaches (in a non-ironic sense) who can barely walk. And the music isn't particularly good. It's karaoke, so it's old faves (and not so old faves), too often ballads, sung by sad drunk people. The drinks aren't very good. To be honest, they are actually quite bad. The cheapest vodka and dodgy draft beer, so as a result the Ducky's hangovers are legendary.

The Ducky's stories are also legendary. Important events happen here. Milestones really. A few years ago, for AH's birthday we started off with a classy wine tasting at The Cellar. All went well still we started drinking full bottles rather than one-ounce tastings. This then turned into a trip to Ducky's. It went quickly downhill. She puked in the bathroom. On yet another occasion, she had her first dance with her now husband (and father to her recently born child). After SS moved into her first place after leaving her married home (aka empty tomb of a marriage) she ended up there with her mother - Sue loves to karaoke. Once we got cut off singing "Don't Stop Believing" at 2 am (before it became a popular song thanks to Glee). We went there on the first friday of Stampede a few years ago. I only remember this because there are pictures. And I'm in them. Finally, there was one particular night that HC and Christie had such a big night that they vowed not to end up there again. Hence the handwriting on my hand in the picture. It was to remind us not to end up there again. And all signs tonight pointed to us not going there. First we went out for a great meal at the hippest new gastropub in town. All signs pointed to a dignified birthday celebration. It really was quite a classy. Then someone ordered more wine. Six hundred dollars later, we ended up at Ducky's. Yep, that about sums it up.

it's the little things pt. 2

This is my friend Lily. She is wearing my fedora. She is super cool. Sadly she is not my dog. But we've had some good times together. Right now we are driving from Calgary to an unnamed island on the coast. Summer is coming to an end and this makes me sad. And so I look at this picture of Lily and I smile. It really is the little things.

majordomos for everyone!

On Friday night I watched the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor. Great. Beautiful clothes (duh). Everything is sewn by hand. It really is something to see. The amount of time, effort and money spent on creating beauty - it's astonishing. Plus he has quite the personality. And he has quite the life. That is his house outside of Paris. It's a 16th century Chateau. Not bad. And he has a majordomo. I want a majordomo. I've often said that I need a nanny, even though I have no children, but now I realize what I really need is a majordomo. It sounds much more sophisticated. And I am nothing if not a sophisticate. According to wikipedia, a majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Apparently they went out of style with the end of feudalism, but I guess no one told Valentino.

technical problems

I've been out of sorts all day ... it took me awhile to figure out why, but I think it is due to a variety of technical issues I am experiencing.

First off, my Blackberry is broken. More importantly, my BB messenger is not working. This is a serious problem as I do believe that BBM is one of the best inventions ever and it irks me that I can't send instant messages to my friends. Never mind that I could just phone them or email, but that just seems so intentional and formal. BBMing random comments is much more fun. I would also like to add that when I approached my work IT guy to discuss the fact that my BB isnt't working, he informed me that because it is not actually physically broken, he can't give me a new one. He then told me, in what I think was complete seriousness, to step on it or drop it in the toilet, and then come back and see him.

Secondly, my PVR didn't record Jersey Shore last night. I know that I can watch it on one of the dozen repeats between now and next Thursday, but I was looking forward to watching it after work today. I also fully realize that I should be embarrased to watch this ridiculous show where ridiculous people are getting paid ridiculous sums of money to do nothing but drink, speak incoherently, and pump their fists. It's also part of the current pop cultural zeitgest, and in the same way that I can sing the lyrics to a Justin Beiber song (the shame!), I also know about J-Wow, Snooki and the Situation.

Finally, I bought a new MacBook earlier this summer and have yet to transfer over my itunes music catalogue to my new laptop. As a result I have been listening to the same playlists all summer long, and while they are good, the repetition is starting to get to me. It is definitely time for me to remedy this situation (no capital S needed). Then of course the question becomes, do I download a song from the Beebs?

my younger self

On my recent trip to "home" (where my parents live), I found a couple of diaries, hidden in plain sight in my bedside table. Am guessing my mom has probably read them, which is pretty embarrassing because the diaries themselves are somewhat mortifying. Running intermittently from September 1997 to December 1999, they are an account of my inner most thoughts as well as the events and travels that happened when I lived in France in 97-98, back in Halifax for my last year of university in 98-99 and then back to France for a year of teaching in 99-2000. I was a young 21 year old ... I was always thought I was quite mature for my age, but looking back, not so much. Naivete is a good word to describe my mindset. Although it's interesting because the majority of the entries happen as I'm taken far out of my comfort zone, living on a different continent, speaking a different language and meeting people from all over the world, so I probably shouldn't be too hard on myself. A few gems are below, as well as what they mean to me now are below (there is also plenty of introspection, but I think I'll keep those entries to myself for now):

• October 11, 1997: "Last night we had so much fun ... our wine only cost $4. Then we went to Bugsy's and everybody was there. We got a beer and hung out but we decided we wanted to dance - so we went to Honky Tonk's to bust a move." Um, everybody? I have no idea who would be considered everybody. Nor would my 34-year old self drink $4 wine. And what kind of town has bars called Bugsy and Honky Tonk? Although I do still use the term "bust a move."

• November 11, 1997, discussing a boy I had a crush on: "I broke off our relationship, not that we really had one, but after the events of the weekend, my crush has faded, although I still like flirting with him - he is a great friend even though he's a slut." A little harsh perhaps? Also, I love that I broke up with him even though we weren't dating. The funny thing is that we are still friends. I wonder if I should tell him how mean I was.

• November 23, 1997: "Last weekend we hopped on a train and went to Barcelona. Wow - it was so much fun. I couldn't believe how many people were out on just a random Saturday night - 8PM looked like Ottawa on Canada Day or general admission at a U2 concert. Shopping was like the last hour on Christmas Eve - absolute chaos. But I got some new boots and a sweater." I'm guessing we also saw all the Gaudi architecture and went to a few museums, but I obviously wasn't that interested. And I still own those boots.

• December 21, 1997: "We went to Paris and KM peed on the eiffel tower." I laughed out loud reading this entry. In her defence, she has a very weak bladder and I was probably taunting her.

• January 23, 1998: "Wow, it is so beautiful out right now. I am sitting on a park bench - it is 4:30 in the afternoon, in the middle of winter, I am wearing only a sweater (well, pants too), the sun is shining, there are people and dogs frolicking in front of me, I'm listening to that cool Bjork song and wishing I were in a movie." Cool Bjork song could be any of her songs really, I'm gonna go with "It's Oh So Quiet."

It goes on and on, but is really only funny to me. So let's just leave it there and ponder the all important question: what the hell ever happened to Bjork?

things that are cheaper than the chair

Add this to the list of things that makes me happy - Mark Ruffalo. After my depressing trip to Crate & Barrel yesterday, CG and I went to see The Kids Are Alright. Great movie. It's been universally praised by critics, so I don't have much to add, but needless to say it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think, the acting was fabulous, it had a great soundtrack and it made me lust for Mark Ruffalo. Both his character and him as a person, because, not only is he easy to look at, I feel like is just a cool guy. Not sure if this is true or not, but according to Lainey he is great. So I'll just go with that. Plus it only cost 12 bucks! Much more reasonable than a $1400 chair. Oh and we went to Farm for dinner first. Dinner (including wine) for 3 was $156. Also much cheaper than the chair. Cheese also makes me very happy. And then, we got pre-sale seats to Arcade Fire at the end of September. At $58, also cheaper than the chair. All told, these 3 things add up to only 8.7% of the cost of the chair. And they brought me much satisfaction. So all in all, a successful 24 hours.

to help me host

So it's been over a month since my fortune cookie told me I was going to get lucky. It was wrong. I have nothing to report. I did however find this awesome chair at Crate and Barrel. I feel like it will make me happy, and help me be a better hostess (in a totally non-sexual way ... it would just fit into the decor of my condo and my guests would have a more comfortable place to sit than the current chair that barely gets used). Sadly, it is priced at $1,399. This does not make me happy. It's too much for a chair, right?

another lake, another list

Continuing on with the lake and lists theme, last week I spent most of my time sitting on the dock at the family cottage, reading. 7 days, 4.5 books. Herewith are my thoughts on said books:

1. One Day by Alex Nicholls. One of the reviews on the cover was from Nick Hornby's blog, stating that it is a perfect beach read for people who don't do beach reads. Awesome, because this is me. Great book. Immensely readable as they say. It tells the story of a close friendship between a guy (Dexter) and girl (Emma) who meet on the last day of university in 1988 and it revisits them every July 15th for 20 odd years. It was smart, funny, timely, sad, etc ... everything you want in good fiction. Great characters, although I do think that the way Emma pines after the bad boy shows that she was written by a man and Dexter's feelings for her a bit too predictable. Still loved the book though. This story about it made me laugh, as I did read it in humid weather and now the cover is permanently curled up. Also, it's being made into a movie - starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.


2. Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart. Paperback mysteries are a guilty pleasure of mine. I have always read them ... especially ones with recurring characters. They are great for a rainy afternoon, a day on the dock or an airplane ride. I figure the fact that I read actual literature makes these flimsy paperbacks acceptable. My go-too authors are people like Michael Connelly, Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George, etc. This one was pretty good ... I particularly like Lescroart's website which promises "real people ... real suspense."


3. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. Subtitled "Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," this book was fascinating. It is a pretty serious book - 400+ pages on politics, but I raced through it like it was an US Weekly. Which I guess is not that surprising, seeing as it has been criticized for veering into gossip (incidentally this review is from Michiko Kakutani, the real life person who reviewed the fictional Carrie Bradshaw's first book on Sex and the City). There are no footnotes, as the book is based on over 300 interviews and rather than naming their contacts, the authors fall back on "deep sources." As a quasi-historian, I appreciate sourcing material when necessary, but this book reads like fiction, and I think footnotes would have gotten in the way. It was a great read. Also makes me wonder if anyone would ever bother writing a book this interesting about Canadian politics. In the era of Harper, I'm thinking not.


4. Family Album by Penelope Lively. I'd never read anything by Lively, but she has written 16 books, including a Booker prize winner (Moon Tiger, which I will now go out and buy). This book was also quite good ... the story of a family of 6 children, as told at various times by various people in the family, not at all linear, slightly chaotic, kind of like the family. At one point it seems like the family secret is going to be much worse than it actually is - the false suspense is kind of a cheap trick, but that is the book's only flaw really. She's a lovely writer and I recommend it for sure.
5. The End of Energy Obesity by Peter Tertzakian. I'm reading this book for both work and because I have a personal interest in how to create a more sustainable energy framework. I haven't finished this book yet ... I would read 2 chapters after completing every other book I read during my holiday. It's a pretty interesting read - the whole point of the book is to figure out how societies can continue to maintain their quality of life while at the same time reducing their dependence on traditional fossil fuels. I've heard Tertzakian speak at a few events and I think he is a very smart man, not to mention a great speaker. The book is not overly academic or dry ... instead it's full of metaphors and examples that apply to everyday life. Makes it much easier to "get." Here's a cool video that summarizes the book.

on lists

I realized that this blog was named after a list, but since then I have not really provided any additional lists. Today is the day I remedy that situation. Last weekend I went to Lake Windermere (pictured at right ... this is the actual sunset on Saturday night) with a group of people - some of whom I had met, some of whom I didn't know - and it was quite the interesting little getaway. Herewith is my top 5 list of memorable moments from the weekend (in no particular order):

1. walking into the cabin after having spent Saturday afternoon at the beach to find our living room had been invaded by 4 random girls in full makeup and onesies drinking our sangria. no explanation as to who they were or where they had come from. the boys tried to tell us they were 29. we disagreed. they were 23. tops.


2. playing pictionary and hearing Braeden guess "it's the bug that blends into the tree. goddamn it, what is it called?" the answer of course was praying mantis.


3. HC distinguishing between two songs both named "crazy" - one by Britney Spears, the other sung by Patsy Cline.


4. when the boys played this song for the millionth time, I realized that it's the perfect step aerobics song ... luckily HC used to be an aerobics instructor, so she was able to guide my routine perfectly! grapevine, repeater knees, and around the world were performed to perfection.


5. girls sangria = 3 bottles of red wine, 12 ounces of cointreau, the juice from 4 oranges, 1 cup of orange juice, 3 sliced oranges, 3 sliced lemons, 2 sliced limes, frozen strawberries as ice cubes, and ginger ale as mix. boys sangria = 12 cans of beer, a bottle 1.1L bottle of absolut vodka, 1 can of pink lemonade concentrate mix, garnished with lemons and blueberries. surprisingly, they were both really good.

I love you, now please go away

So Ali picked Roberto. Boring and Boringer belong together. I hope her hair extensions and his eyebrows are happy for a long long time. I will say that I think it was very classy the way she said goodbye to Chris, saving him from going through the rigamarole of picking a ring, talking into the camera about his hopes and dreams, and getting down on one knee. For that I can almost forgive her super annoying, never ending, giggle. I'm glad he can now go back to his beautiful Cape Cod house, hang out with his dog Jetty (not Jenny ... I looked it up), and drink with his brothers and their wives. And so here is my impassioned plea ...

Dear Chris,*

I really want you to be happy, and I don't think going on a reality show is the way to do it. Please, please, please don't become the next bachelor. You are a great guy and don't deserve the crazies that ABC will inevitably choose to become your potential bride. Everyone loves you right now, so don't ruin that goodwill by signing up for another 15 minutes of fame. No one wants to see you on the cover of US Weekly with some whore proclaiming "your love." Go home. Plant some trees. Play with your dog. Go for a walk on the beach. Throw a frisbee if you must. Find a new hobby. Like skiing for example. Have you ever been to the Canadian Rockies? The snow here is great and it's sunny all the time! I used to teach skiing and I could definitely help you conquer the black diamonds. And then, after we frolic in the snow, you feel like giving me a real diamond, I would not be opposed. If things go sideways (although how that could every happen, I have no idea), I promise not to sell our story to Star Magazine. I will however blog about it (but don't worry, as only 3 people read this blog, no one will really know). So if you're ok with that one condition, we're golden!

That's all I have to say for now. Please keep in mind my advice. I am very wise. And I think your dad would really like me.

All my love,

K

P.S. I promise if we are dating, I won't date anyone else at the same time. Even if he is as cute as Kirk.

* This may or may not be a real letter. The address for his family's landscape company is readily available.

at least he's not wearing a bolo tie

So I am still unbelievably annoyed by Stephen Harper and his ridiculous decision to kybosh the mandatory long form version of the census. Harper and his cronies keep saying that they need "to protect Canadians from the coercive and intrusive methods that had been used" to collect census data and that the data can be collected either from other sources or in another manner. The fact of the matter is that no one has ever been jailed, the total number of complaints from the 2006 census numbers 168 (including the 2 made directly to the privacy commissioner - and remember that this form went to 12 million people), the new methodology is not statistically sound, and cannot be collected from any other sources. Every public policy organization, research group and think tank (save the Fraser Institute, insert eye roll here) has come out against the change, yet the conservatives refuse to relent. For no good reason except that Harper is too smug to admit when he was wrong. Were I pregnant (which I'm not ... trust me, not even close) and about to have boy, I would definitely name him Munir after Canada's Chief Statistician who stepped down rather than have uneducated political interference affect the quality of his work.

So this rant leads us to the reason for this post ... it would not be wrong to label me a liberal. In fact I might swing even further left. But just because I have liberal leaning tendencies, doesn't mean that I automatically vote Liberal. One time I even voted Conservative (although it was back when they had the Progressive as part of their name ... the dropping of that descriptor back in 2003 should have warned us all of their march to the right ...). I was not a huge Paul Martin fan, thought Dion was ahead of his time (I think that his Green Shift is a policy that will eventually be law ... too bad he was a horrible communicator and the dog named Kyoto was just too much), and I'm unsure how I feel about Ignatieff. They say he is too aloof, too intellectual, and doesn't drink enough Tim Horton's. I don't buy it. Harper has an MA ... sadly it hasn't hurt him. I guess Iggy's handlers thought he should come down from his ivory tower and mingle with the people. Sadly they decided this is how he should do it:




Could be worse ... he could have been dressed like this (sorry, it never gets old).