OK, so I didn't really get myself a gun..and it wasn't this morning, it was last week..but anyway...
The other morning, my alarm went off, as usual, around 6:30. I hit snooze twice, maybe three times...I was just so tired! I mean, exhausted! I couldn't figure it out!
I finally hauled my ass out of bed and headed for the shower. I completed my morning ablutions with my eyes closed and half asleep (mascara goes on the chin, right?). I exited the bathroom and was perplexed--it was still pitch black outside! I mean, I know the nights are getting longer, but I couldn't fathom how the time at which the sun rises could have changed so much overnight.
The next step in my pre-work routine is to check the weather and determine my wardrobe for the day--I turned on the TV and was subsequently mortified. It seems as though, whilst setting my alarm the previous evening, I had accidentally set the time to an hour ahead.
So, I was up and ready to go and it wasn't even time for my alarm to go off. My exhaustion suddenly made sense.
I went back to bed for a catnap til it was time to leave and dreamed up various nefarious ways to circumvent the powers of all the evil alarm clocks, worldwide. My revolution will commence shortly.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Awesome dinner..Thai Veggie Stirfry & Rice..(Recipe Included!)
I made the greatest dinner last night..Thai Veggies & Rice. So delicious & so easy!
I suppose you could add tofu or seitan to this (or chicken or shrimp, if you were so inclined), but I like it just the way it is.
1 lb veggies (I used mushrooms, red & green bell peppers & asparagus--but I don't think it matters all that much, use what you like)
2 heads (heads?) of baby bok choy
2 jalapeno peppers
1 can lite coconut milk
5 cloves garlic (I really like garlic..I'm sure 3 would suffice..)
Fresh basil leaves (about 10), chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (I like it really it spicy--1/2 would probably work)
1 tablespoon lime juice
In blender, combine jalapenos, garlic, lemon & lime zest and coconut milk--blend until liquified.
Stir-fry veggies for a few minutes, add sauce, allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add chopped up basil, tamari, red pepper flakes & lime juice. Allow to simmer for a couple more minutes. Serve over cooked brown rice.
Enjoy!
I suppose you could add tofu or seitan to this (or chicken or shrimp, if you were so inclined), but I like it just the way it is.
1 lb veggies (I used mushrooms, red & green bell peppers & asparagus--but I don't think it matters all that much, use what you like)
2 heads (heads?) of baby bok choy
2 jalapeno peppers
1 can lite coconut milk
5 cloves garlic (I really like garlic..I'm sure 3 would suffice..)
Fresh basil leaves (about 10), chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (I like it really it spicy--1/2 would probably work)
1 tablespoon lime juice
In blender, combine jalapenos, garlic, lemon & lime zest and coconut milk--blend until liquified.
Stir-fry veggies for a few minutes, add sauce, allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add chopped up basil, tamari, red pepper flakes & lime juice. Allow to simmer for a couple more minutes. Serve over cooked brown rice.
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
My morning so far...
It's only 10:30 a.m. and I've already had a pretty full morning--it's remarkable how much you can get done when you're up at 6:30 on a Saturday!
Although the alarm goes off at 6:30 or so every weekday morning, getting up at what amounts to the crack of ridiculous on the weekend is not normally my thing. However, today I had a hair appointment at 8:15--I'm thrilled I finally found a stylist I like after the trauma of my previous stylist of several years unceremoniously abandoning all her clients (yes, I'm still somewhat bitter). In any case, the time was irrelevant--I needed a haircut.
So I got up, showered & got ready to go. Am I the only one who washes/styles their hair before going to a hair appointment? The entire time, I ruminate on the futility of it--they wash & cut & style my hair and I pay a whole lot for it. However, I am loath to go in with bedhead--not only is that embarrassing, but I'm afraid if I don't present the way I like it styled, she might cut it into a shorter--and more permanent--version of bedhead.
I got myself all bundled up for the 25 minute walk up to Bloor street. It was a wonderful walk--chilly, but awesome. It's a beautiful crisp sunny day--walking @ 7:30 on a Saturday morning is great (especially when it's -10..aka COLD for Toronto) because the only people you encounter are the necessarily dedicated dog owners out with their pets or ardent (aka crazy) exercise enthusiasts. Once I got to Bloor, I went to Second Cup and got a small soy pumpkin spice latte, which was delicious (though I've never experienced crack, I'm pretty sure that this is the beverage equivalent..oh my goodness, it's sublime!), then headed to the salon.
After my haircut, I decided to do some grocery shopping...I headed over to No Frills, a store that I normally eschew, despite the great deals to be had, because it's usually jam-packed and the way it's set up, it's extremely difficult to maneuver around the aisles. I figured Saturday morning before 9 a.m. it might be less busy than usual--and I was right. After No Frills, I hit a few of the many fruit & vegetable markets along my route to grab some fresh produce and went to the bakery to get some fresh onion buns for lunch.
The only people out and about on Bloor at this hour seem to be yuppies toting their "venti" Starbucks coffees, accompanied by one or both of the following:
a) the requisite giant SUV-stroller carrying their spawn (excellent for blocking sidewalks and aisles in stores, which happens a lot since these folks seem to believe the world revolves around them);
b) Overly groomed, purebred dogs all sporting designer attire (coats & sometimes even booties)--doesn't matter if it's one of those annoying purse puppies or a big giant husky, the owners seem incapable of not dressing them up. The dogs themselves appear to be chagrined by the indignity.
I walked home and the dog greeted me as though I'd been gone for 2 weeks instead of two hours--it's so nice to be missed! I whipped up a delicious facon & tomato sammitch for breakfast and proceeded to admire my pretty new haircut in the mirror for a while.
Time to get started on my cleaning...happy Saturday to me! :)
Although the alarm goes off at 6:30 or so every weekday morning, getting up at what amounts to the crack of ridiculous on the weekend is not normally my thing. However, today I had a hair appointment at 8:15--I'm thrilled I finally found a stylist I like after the trauma of my previous stylist of several years unceremoniously abandoning all her clients (yes, I'm still somewhat bitter). In any case, the time was irrelevant--I needed a haircut.
So I got up, showered & got ready to go. Am I the only one who washes/styles their hair before going to a hair appointment? The entire time, I ruminate on the futility of it--they wash & cut & style my hair and I pay a whole lot for it. However, I am loath to go in with bedhead--not only is that embarrassing, but I'm afraid if I don't present the way I like it styled, she might cut it into a shorter--and more permanent--version of bedhead.
I got myself all bundled up for the 25 minute walk up to Bloor street. It was a wonderful walk--chilly, but awesome. It's a beautiful crisp sunny day--walking @ 7:30 on a Saturday morning is great (especially when it's -10..aka COLD for Toronto) because the only people you encounter are the necessarily dedicated dog owners out with their pets or ardent (aka crazy) exercise enthusiasts. Once I got to Bloor, I went to Second Cup and got a small soy pumpkin spice latte, which was delicious (though I've never experienced crack, I'm pretty sure that this is the beverage equivalent..oh my goodness, it's sublime!), then headed to the salon.
After my haircut, I decided to do some grocery shopping...I headed over to No Frills, a store that I normally eschew, despite the great deals to be had, because it's usually jam-packed and the way it's set up, it's extremely difficult to maneuver around the aisles. I figured Saturday morning before 9 a.m. it might be less busy than usual--and I was right. After No Frills, I hit a few of the many fruit & vegetable markets along my route to grab some fresh produce and went to the bakery to get some fresh onion buns for lunch.
The only people out and about on Bloor at this hour seem to be yuppies toting their "venti" Starbucks coffees, accompanied by one or both of the following:
a) the requisite giant SUV-stroller carrying their spawn (excellent for blocking sidewalks and aisles in stores, which happens a lot since these folks seem to believe the world revolves around them);
b) Overly groomed, purebred dogs all sporting designer attire (coats & sometimes even booties)--doesn't matter if it's one of those annoying purse puppies or a big giant husky, the owners seem incapable of not dressing them up. The dogs themselves appear to be chagrined by the indignity.
I walked home and the dog greeted me as though I'd been gone for 2 weeks instead of two hours--it's so nice to be missed! I whipped up a delicious facon & tomato sammitch for breakfast and proceeded to admire my pretty new haircut in the mirror for a while.
Time to get started on my cleaning...happy Saturday to me! :)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Bill Maher @ Massey Hall
So, I went to see Bill Maher do his stand-up gig last weekend at Massey Hall. I was very, VERY excited for this show...I love Bill Maher. I love him. I have had a school-girl crush on him for years--presumably because of "Politcally Incorrect"....I loved the way he always lambasted right-wing dickheads on that show..I loved the way he called folks out on their ludicrous beliefs ( I just made a stand...sorry...I'm a left-wing, pro-choice, atheist....that's just the way it is...).
Anyway, I've loved Bill Maher for years. I was SO excited for his show. I mean--I've admired/loved him FOREVER!
So I went to his show and I was....disapointed. It was nowhere near as funny as it was supposed to be.
I've always enjoyed what he had to say. And he is/has been the only public person who has ever publically shared my opinions on politics, religion, morals, values etc. Anyway...let's not go there...
In addition to the fact that he didn't get onstage until 30 minutes past the scheduled show-time, it was way too warm in the theatre, which made it incredibly uncomfortable, and the woman behind me obviously had been a hyena in a previous life and evolution had failed her in that she retained her animalistic-laugh and inflicted it upon us every 15 seconds or so.
OK, so, Bill did his show. And it was.....um....sorta OK. Just not really that funny..which is kind of what I expect from a comedian...
I am a huge fan of comedy...and this show was NOT FUNNY!
Bill, I am no comedy savant, yet I saw your punchlines coming a mile away. Way too easy!
He had one or two original-sounding jokes that elicited genuine laughter from me, but that was it.
Fortunately for him, the audience was packed with devoted acolytes who had clearly consumed the Kool-Aid--they yukked it up at every single thing that came out of his mouth. Hell, they gave him a standing ovation before he'd even said a thing!
I was surprised by this--I always assumed his fanbase would hold him to a pretty high standard--after all, his comedy is fairly high-brow, based on current political & cultural happenings. While he's not opposed to telling the occasional dick joke, it's often followed by a reference to the U.S. Senate or an outrageous legal injustice.
While we're on the topic, here's a tip, Bill: Know your audience.
Sure, we're aware of who you are and the type of comedy you perform--however, we *are* Canadian, and while we are perpetually indundated by American media, we're not always aware of every miniscule political maneuver that occurs, nor are we necessarily familiar with every obscure redneck Republican politico whom you verbally decimate. Throwing a bone to your audience in the form of a (locally) relevent joke or two would be appreciated and wise.
Anyway, I still enjoy & respect Bill Maher, I just wish I'd had more side-splitting laughter moments that night.
Oh, and, it would have been nice to emerge from the show NOT to find the car window smashed in--but that's another story.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
A Perfect Fall Day
So, last night I had the great fortune of sitting courtside for the Raptors first home game of the season..which they won..in overtime. Ah, sweet. It was soooo much fun!
After the game, we went for sushi in the Annex and I tried sake for the first time--also a great experience. Smooooth has a new name: Sake.
Today, woke up late, made a great brunch, then went up to Bloor and walked around for a couple of hours shopping..both window & actual.
Purchased the first of my annual poppies from a veteran (I usually lose them within a day, and today is no exception). I know they ask for whatever you wish to donate...I gave $4, which I thought was a decent donation, but the gentlemen responded to me in a manner that was significantly less friendly than the way he interacted to the lady who bought her poppy before me...I wonder if she gave more, or if she was a relative or something?
Anyway, regardless, support our veterans & buy a poppy (or 2). :)
It was a perfect day for walking around...the perfect fall day...not a cloud in the sky, crisp & cool, but not cold...I did my best to revel in the simple abundance of the season.
I came home and concocted some sweet & sour tofu with sesame seeds for a snack...it was surprisingly tasty..though I'd alter the sauce recipe if I made it again...more vinegar, less molasses.
And the Raptors won again tonight....and they had every right to lose..2nd game in a row, on the road, only 3rd game of the season, they didn't get to their hotel until 3:30 and last night's game must have been exhausting (they can't be totally conditioned yet to that kind of grind)...but despite some lacklustre offense at times, they pulled it out. I love you Jose Calderon!! :)
Happy turn the clocks back day, everyone!
After the game, we went for sushi in the Annex and I tried sake for the first time--also a great experience. Smooooth has a new name: Sake.
Today, woke up late, made a great brunch, then went up to Bloor and walked around for a couple of hours shopping..both window & actual.
Purchased the first of my annual poppies from a veteran (I usually lose them within a day, and today is no exception). I know they ask for whatever you wish to donate...I gave $4, which I thought was a decent donation, but the gentlemen responded to me in a manner that was significantly less friendly than the way he interacted to the lady who bought her poppy before me...I wonder if she gave more, or if she was a relative or something?
Anyway, regardless, support our veterans & buy a poppy (or 2). :)
It was a perfect day for walking around...the perfect fall day...not a cloud in the sky, crisp & cool, but not cold...I did my best to revel in the simple abundance of the season.
I came home and concocted some sweet & sour tofu with sesame seeds for a snack...it was surprisingly tasty..though I'd alter the sauce recipe if I made it again...more vinegar, less molasses.
And the Raptors won again tonight....and they had every right to lose..2nd game in a row, on the road, only 3rd game of the season, they didn't get to their hotel until 3:30 and last night's game must have been exhausting (they can't be totally conditioned yet to that kind of grind)...but despite some lacklustre offense at times, they pulled it out. I love you Jose Calderon!! :)
Happy turn the clocks back day, everyone!
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