Feast One Hundred & Ninety Two

Continuing to work backwards on the Friday Feasts

Appetizer
When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup? I drink it the way it comes. If it was in a can, I drink it from the can. If it was in a bottle, I drink it from the bottle...unless it's a 2 litre. Then I pour it into a glass.

Soup
What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch? Nothing now that I don't have cable. Previously, CSI: Miami, New York and ER. Even with all the shows debuting this week, I'm not missing them though!!!

Salad
Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.
John McCain. For selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Main Course
Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas? Absolutely and I love the idea of using "save gas" as a reason for that!

Dessert
If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself? How about "the SECRET agent" :D

"What's up?"

I totally forgot to post this. I went "stateside" last weekend on Saturday afternoon. The original plan was to go hiking but it was POURING rain so we just ended up going out for an early dinner. Anyways, the line at the border was way longer than it should have been in the rain (seriously, where are people going?) and when I finally got up to the wicket the guard took my passport and asked "What's up?" Not "where are you going?" or "Purpose of your trip?" but "What's up?"

Say wha?!?!?

Then he proceeded to ask me "What I was taking down" "Uh...nothing that's not coming back. I have lots of cr@p in my car but it's all coming home with me". He looked in my trunk (which has clothes, lawn chairs, a blanket and other stuff) and said "That's quite an eclectic collection you've got there. Have a nice day!"

Weird, weird, weird. At least he didn't give me a hard time!

I have a cutting board!

Okay, I have a few cutting boards but yesterday, after living in my apartment for two years and two months, I discovered that I have a built in cutting board hiding in my cutlery drawer. Two years and I never knew it was there! I frequently have wished for one but I never thought to reach way under the counter and see if there was one there. It's pretty dusty from un-use but it won't stay that way!

Oh, and I called my brother/ex-room mate and apparently he knew it was there. He was just holding out on me!

Food Adventures

Taken from Shirley's Blog

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.


1. Game from an animal that someone in your family killed. My uncle was/is a hunter (he was my uncle, he is a hunter) I've eaten bear, moose and deer that he's shot

2. Ice cream from a dairy farm that makes their ice cream on the premises. Bonus points if you can eat your ice cream and see the herd of cows that it came from. Birchwood Dairies has wonderful ice cream. I'm currently craving their frozen yogurt but I haven't made the time to go out there lately.

3. Wild berries that you find, pick and eat yourself. The blackberries along the river here are awesome. We didn't get any this year but it was mostly because we ran out of time. I did pick raspberries this year but they weren't exactly wild.

4. Something deep-fried that was never meant to be deep-fried. Mars Bars? After fish n' chips? Yeah heartattack!!!

5. Pizza from a NY City pizzeria that's at least 40 years old. Not yet but talk to me in 18 months

6. Bread made from scratch, still warm from the oven. Yep, mom has a bread maker that we've used a few times. We've done rolls and stuff too.

7. Food from a street vendor. Bonus points if you and that vendor don't share a language in common. I'm not a huge fan of street vendor food. I know I've had stuff though. Definitely roasted chesnuts. I can't remember what language he spoke. Probably English.

8. Fish you have caught and cleaned yourself. Yeah but it was kind of cheating. It was an "Outdoors" Trade Show and they had a pool full of fish for the kids. I caught one and we ate it but it's not the same as in the wild.

9. Birthday cake (and frosting!) from scratch. Always. I don't do cake mixes.

10. Salad from someone's garden. Most of the greens I bought this year were from the farmers' market and were all grown locally. They included interesting bits like dandelion leaves too!

11. Homemade salad dressing. Yep, I made this salad last week

12. Baseball park food. Bonus points for a Fenway Frank. Never been to Fenway but I have had a hamburger at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver.

13. Homebrewed beer. Wow. #13 and we've finally found one I haven't had! I've had micro-brew and homemade wine but not homemade beer.

14. Something baked in an EZ-Bake Oven. My cousin was "baking" with one a few years back. The cake turned out pretty gooey but I swiped some of the icing...

15. Slab bacon from a butcher shop or meat market. I don't really eat bacon so no.

16. Real maple syrup. For sure! Lots of it. Especially yummy on ice cream!

17. Astronaut ice cream (purchased from a gift shop on a school field trip, if possible). Something tells me yes but I can't summon a specific memory.

18. Something you didn't think you would like, but you tried anyway. Aligator. It's just kind of fishy.

19. Yuengling beer. Say what? Umm...no.

20. Mastroianni Brothers bread Never heard of it

21. Bueon Y Sano burrito Nope but I've had some yummy burritos!

22. Guiness draft. Warm, in a pub in the UK somewhere. Guiness draft yes and I discovered I liked it more than the other beers I was trying. I was in a Pub in Victoria though. A city that has a very, very UK feel but it's in Canada.

23. Haggis (not for taste, for bragging rights!) LOL! I would totally eat it for bragging rights if given the chance. So far I haven't had the chance though.

24. Beets Pickeled? With every. freaking. meal. as a kid. I don't mind them but I don't keep them in my fridge.

25. Avocado My weakness. Most "memorable avacado" would be the guacamole at Catina Laredo with Sherilyn. I still dream of that meal.

26. At least 10 different kinds of sushi. Over the years, yes. I still prefer California rolls though.

27. Something you've grown from seed Hmmm I was never responsible for the actual planting part.

28. Something with the head still attached when it was served. Fish. It sounds so nasty when you say it this way though.

29. Crawdads/Crayfish (Bonus points if you caught/cleaned them yourself). Crayfish in Texas...no...wait...it might have been catfish. I forget...no, I think I did crayfish too.

30. Alcohol that was older than you were. Nah, I'm cheap. I'm not opposed to it though!


So, 21/30? I'm pretty adventurous if I do say so myself!

Now I'm off to find Homebrewed beer, bacon, astronaut ice-cream, Yuengling beer, Mastroianni Brothers bread, a Bueon Y Sano burrito, some Haggis, some seeds to grow into something and Alcohol that is older than I am. Stay tuned for some tipsy blog entries!!!

Gotta love emails like this

"Ok Heidi-you rock!"
- from my boss after I sent a message to a director ending with "I trust this addresses your concerns." :D

She took my shoes!

Last night I went to a PartyLite show. One of the ladies left a bit earlier than the rest of us. I was watching her put her shoes on and thinking "Hey, her's are almost the same as mine!" At the end of the evening I went to get my shoes and I realized that her shoes are almost the same as mine except SHE TOOK MY SHOES! They were the same style of Walmart 725 shoes, only her's were probably a bit newer since they had different stitching on top. Luckily one of her friends was still there and managed to catch the "shoe thief" on her cell phone. She came back and said "normally I wear orthodics so when I put the shoes on and then felt funny I just chalked it up to that".

Anyways I got my shoes back but we all had a good laugh over it :)

The Trip Down Memory Lane

Once in awhile it's fun to drive past the homes you have lived in. Because my parents have always rented, there's been a few of them (7 including where my parents live now) in this town alone. Lately though, I've been taking the tour a lot.

Mom, Dad, Aaron and I did on Christmas Eve.

Meredith and I did it just after she got back from Australia.

Seth, Robert and I did it last weekend.

It's getting old. Next time I go (which hopefully isn't for awhile) it will be with a camera.

Love in any Language

I think I need to add "weddings" as a tag on my blog. Saturday, September 13th I attended my fifth wedding ceremony of 2008. This was was for a family friend, Dan. While I was in highschool this family lived across the street. Their daughter Joanna was is year older than me, Dan is one year younger (between Seth and I) and their twin boys are the same age as Aaron. Us older kids used to walk to and from school together and Dan was like a fourth brother to me. He was always either at our place our we were at his.

In July 1998 Joanna got married (the summer after she graduated) and that started the season of weddings for me. Since then I have attended over two dozen weddings!

The unique thing about this wedding (and Joanna's ten years ago) was that the ceremony was entirely in Romanian. Two hours long and I didn't understand a word of it. BUT, it really didn't matter! Weddings are weddings. Sure I didn't follow word for word what was being said and I missed all the jokes but at the same time, I knew when they were reading scripture, when they were giving "life advice" and when the vows were being taken and I teared up. Not to mention that the music was amazing. The church choir sang a few numbers and a couple of other people shared songs. I didn't get the words but I understood the meaning and it was beautiful.

Seth and Robert and Seth's girlfriend Brittany came out for the weekend (Robert's girlfriend didn't want to skip school). It was just my family at the table for the reception and we had a wonderful time. The food at the reception was amazing and plentiful, which is the Romanian way.

It was nice to see this family again and to see Dan so happy. I love weddings. In any language :)

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Three

I have some actual blog entries percolating but I'm not ready to publish them. In the meantime, pull up a chair. It's time for Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?
Generally an optimist but I definitely have my pessimistic moments.

Soup
What is your favorite color of ink to write with?
Blue. Actually I love a rainbow of colours but if we're talking basic everyday pens, it's PaperMate "M". Twelve cents each baby!

Salad
How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?
I have had exactly three pedicures in my life and maybe as many manicures. I usually keep clear polish on my fingernails but I haven't mastered the concept of shaping my nails and I I can't buff them to save my life. THAT'S what I like going to the salon for. To get them properly shaped and buffed. Toes, meh. Not a big deal to me.

Main Course
Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?
Yes. Lots. The local radio station does a lot of their contests online and I've won concert tickets, cd's and more there. One of my favourite websites The 9513 is also great for spreading the wealth. I've gotten a t-shirt and cd's/dvd's from them.

Dessert
In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?
I don't have a computer at home. Crazy huh? When Seth was there we kept it in the dining room. When I get one, it will be a laptop and the goal will be for it to be as portable as possible.

Wordless Wednesday: This one just makes me giggle

Filling up the Hug Quotient

Dance started back up again last night. It was great to see everyone and to catch up on the past few months. It's funny, everyone there is substantially older than me but they are so friendly that it just doesn't matter. Everyone greets you with a great big hug and is genuinely glad that you're there. It's one of the reasons I love going.

I'm also proud to say that I even managed to get through some of the more complicated dance patterns without messing up. I thought for sure that I would have forgotten most of it again but I guess I've been doing it long enough now that it's becoming second nature.

In searching my blog I realized that I never got around to uploading this photo. My dance partner Ralph took it in June when we were at Minter Gardens after the Rally in the Valley.

Here's to another great season of square dancing...and hopefully my body will forgive me soon. I was *sore* this morning!

This is the time of year...

when lockers and trunks all over the country fill up with jackets. It's cool misty and moist in the morning so you have to wear a coat. By the end of the day it's HOT and you definitely don't need one. I remember cleaning my locker out at the end of the school week and having to carry five sweaters or coats home. Crazy! And now my trunk is filling up. Every piece of outerwear I own ends up in there.

Not that I'm complaining about the weather in the afternoons though. It's absolutely beautiful out. I just wish it could warm up a bit earlier in the morning so I don't have to bother with a coat at all.

Friday's Feast #194

Appetizer
If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?
Now that Mere's back in Canada, I can safely say Europe. I'd like to visit Australia but I don't think I want to live there. I would love to live in Europe for a year though.

Soup
Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?
Boring old Explorer

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?
7, but compared to other people, 11
I love history

Main Course
Finish this sentence: Love is…
Something I'd like to experience :(

Dessert
Have you ever been in or near a tornado?
Yep! On April 13, 2006. Most fascinating day ever.

Sometimes Procrastination Works

I've been putting off a relatively simple task for a few days. I just realized today that I CAN'T do it until the 18th anyways because I need some information that will come in that day. Excellent. Procrastination works!

I think I'm finally getting over it

I don't think I've ever posted about it but when I initially moved out I developed an irrational fear of running out of food. I knew it was ridiculous but I couldn't help myself (or I chose not to). I liked the feeling of having a very full fridge, freezer and cupboards.

Slowly, slowly I am being cured of that. Shopping at the farmers' market helps. Knowing that I only need as many vegetables as I can eat in the next six days is huge. I buy a little, force myself to eat them (not that EATING them is the issue, it's cooking them. I'm lazy.) and then go buy more on Saturday.

I'm working on cutting down what is in my cupboards as well. I don't need bags and bags of pasta or five varieties of cereal. I get paid every 15 days. Groceries are part of the budget. If I eat what I have, I can buy new on my next shopping trip.

It's weird to have to train myself to think like this but after two years, I think I'm finally getting it.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Last year I blogged Where Were I Was the World Stopped Turning which is the question everyone is asking today. I won't re-hash it but you can read if you want.

Last weekend I watched Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. It was coincidental that I watched this movie just before September 11th. I just happened to find it at the library so I borrowed it. It was very interesting. I confess there was very little in there that I didn't suspect all along, like the Bush administration's alleged reasons for the war on Iraq. His view on how the War on Terrorism and the fear brought on the American people was cultivated through the media was fascinating.

I recommend this movie to every adult looking for one man's view on this major event.

Today I am not doing anything particular to commemorate the day but I admit the memories are a bit more accute. As I said last year this event has been the most significant world event of my life. It has affected me and the world I live in more than anything else. September 11th is a day that has gone down in history and I can't help but remember.

Wordless Wednesday: Happiness is...new music from Dierks!

And, on to happier announcements

Get this. Remember earlier in the year when I was taking to myself? Well I never did make it to that concert but guess who's coming next February? (Brad Paisley!!!) and guess who's opening for him? (DIERKS BENTLEY!!!) Woohoo!!!

Meredith asked me last week "what's your next concert?" I told her I didn't have one but Dierks was coming in the spring. She doesn't quite get my obsession with seeing him so often but that's okay. Now I have a date. February 24, 2009. I get to see Brad again which is what I wanted and Dierks will be on the same bill!!!

Woohoo! The countdown is on!

Uggh. Double Uggh and now Triple Uggh.

I don't like politics. I follow them a little bit because you have to to relate to the world but I don't enjoy them. I don't get fired up by them and truthfully, like many Canadians, I could care less.

Everyone in the world knows that the United States is holding it's presidential election in November. It's all encompassing. You can't avoid it. Even in Canada, American politics often get top billing in the media. This happens every four years but some how, with the primaries and conventions and stuff it drags out for over a year. Ugh.

Later in November, British Columbia is going to the polls for municiple elections. It's the other end of the spectrum (small vs. big) but it's probably the one I care about most. This election cycle is every three years and it just happens to coincide with the US election this year. Double uggh.

Now Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister has called a federal election on top of all of this. Talk about a three ring circus!!! The good thing about Canadian federal elections is they're only allowed a lead time of 30-some days so this one will be over and done with by October 14. Still. That's three elections in two months. Triple uggh!!!

And yes, I'll vote in the ones I'm allowed to but I won't like it.

Friday Feast #195

There isn't a new Friday Feast today but there's lots of old ones to catch up on.

Appetizer
What is the weather like today where you live?
Grey and overcast. The weather man is promising warm sunny weather for the weekend but I'm having trouble believing him.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?
Maybe a 5. I work because I have to. It would probably be higher if what I did wasn't just a job.

Salad
What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?
There are only three windows in my apartment and they all have curtains on them. I've looked in to getting black out blinds for the bedroom but they're expensive. Instead I've just learned to sleep with lots of light in my bedroom (from the security lights outside)

Main Course
Name something that instantly cheers you up.
A good song on the radio never fails. Personal emails work too.

Dessert
How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?
I set my clock radio and then a few minutes later my cell phone alarm goes off. I usually don't hit snooze unless there's a really annoying song on the radio.

Signs that Summer is Gone

1. The fog in morning while driving to work
2. I started making Christmas cards yesterday
3. I'm wearing nylons today

But, it's supposed to be nice this weekend so I'm planning on getting out and enjoying it as much as possible.

Wordless Wednesday: Really. I'm not hard to please.

This is from my box of elementary school projects.

Labour Day Long Weekend

This weekend was all the best parts of summer in three days. Saturday I met up with Jevon, Melissa and Melissa's Mom and we hiked up Mount Thom. It's not a long hike but it's fairly steep so it'a good work out. You get a beautiful view of the valley up there too. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves by going for pie at the airport :)

Saturday evening I went to a bar-b-que at Susan's. Susan is a new friend of mine. It was great to see her place and meet a few of her other friends. We had yummy steak and corn on the cob and other food and then made s'mores. It was great.

Sunday after church Mom, Dad and I went for Thai food and then I went home and scrapbooked for awhile.

Later that evening the three of us drove out and visited my Great-Aunty Phyllis. She is my grandma's sister (I visited their other sister, Elsie this summer) I just love her. As a kid, visiting Aunty Phyllis was kind of a chore. As an adult I treasure every moment I have with her. She has an incredible memory just like my grandma had and she'll talk non-stop until you leave. It was wonderful to see her again.

Monday we had a picnic at the church. Lots of people showed up and while some people played baseball and volleyball I was content to just sit and hold babies and visit :) There are LOTS of babies around so I definitely got my fill.

In the evening Meredith and I went out for dinner at Milestones and then for a walk on the pier at White Rock. We finished our day with dessert at Pearl.

Good food, good friends, lots of memories. It was a fitting way to say "good-bye" to summer...but I'm still hoping that it's not really gone!!!