Choice Cuts – May 18
First up, sorry for the radio silence — my dad is in town, we’re on a double-production week at work, and I haven’t been feeling very awesome over the past few days. Now…
Throughout the course of a week, I usually run across so many interesting articles, recipes, photos and other internet flotsam and jetsam. I’ve decided to share a few of my favourite finds, every Friday.
‘Time and Punishment’ now Canada’s Way – “Just when you think this government’s criminal justice policies, which have been almost universally denounced by experts in the field, can’t get worse, they do.”
The Doctor Puppet - “The Hudson River was a little smelly but I still enjoyed myself. Along the shore I found what I assumed to be an alien egg pod, but my companion informed me that it was merely a water caltrop. It actually is an alien though because it was introduced to North America only recently. I really can relate to that spiky little thing.”
Nadir and Me - “And there he was, the CEO of Rogers, stuck in his chair with no obvious avenue for escape, forced to listen to one of his customers’ complaints. I tried not to laugh. I toyed with the notion that hell might contain a special room reserved for cable executives, done up in late-’70s decor and filled with disgruntled customers.”
How Yahoo Killed Flickr and Lost the Internet - “This is the story of Flickr. And how Yahoo bought it and murdered it and screwed itself out of relevance along the way.”
Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is - “So, the challenge: how to get across the ideas bound up in the word “privilege,” in a way that your average straight white man will get, without freaking out about it? Being a white guy who likes women, here’s how I would do it.”
Movement - “I am not static, no more than the large glass window that lights the breakfast table. Day by day I am learning to mold myself to a world that does not welcome me.”
Storage wars
Part of the problem in our house is that we don’t have enough storage space. Okay, we have about half of a basement up for grabs, but we have all kinds of books, photos, trinkets and that sort of thing stuffed into the only two shelving spaces we have, in the office.
Our living room is lacking organization. I’d love to be able to clear some of the books and stuff out of the office so that we could, in turn, use the office shelving for files, electronics, and camera gear. I’ve been really reluctant to buy furniture because I don’t know how long we’re going to be in this rental, but at some point day-to-day function becomes more important than worrying about how we’re going to move stuff when the time comes. Point is, I want shelves, and all I can find around here is that awful $50 Walmart MDF stuff.
IKEA LERBERG Shelf Unit
Two of these shelves would come to about $100 in total with shipping and taxes, which seems a bit steep for shelves that are $24.99 each. Still, I’d be able to get them here without having to drive anywhere and load anything into my truck, and putting IKEA stuff together doesn’t daunt me. The shelves are different depths, which is nice, and the unit is made out of steel so I wouldn’t have to worry about it falling apart if I were to disassemble it during a move (unlike MDF, which seems to be a one-time deal).
Canadian Tire Pine Shelf Unit
The other option I’m considering is two of these units from Canadian Tire. They’re $40 each, so I’d be looking at around $90 for two of them plus tax, and if you factor in the $30 in gas to get to Dryden to pick them up it comes up as more expensive than the IKEA shelves (of course I’d be grocery shopping in Dryden, too, and there’s no way Matt would say no to a Canadian Tire trip). They’re solid pine, and I think they could be painted or stained. They’re also about a foot wider than the IKEA option, and a tiny bit taller. They’re not in stock right now so I’d have to watch the inventory count online until they came up again.
I have never ordered something online from IKEA before so I’m a bit hesitant, but I’m kind of leaning in that direction. Still, I’m happy to hear opinions, suggestions or warnings before I pull the trigger!
Choice Cuts – May 11
Throughout the course of a week, I usually run across so many interesting articles, recipes, photos and other internet flotsam and jetsam. I’ve decided to share a few of my favourite finds, every Friday.
What to Reject When You’re Expecting – “Childbirth is the leading reason for hospital admission, and the system is set up to make the most of the opportunity. Keeping things chugging along are technological interventions that can be lifesaving in some situations but also interfere with healthy, natural processes and increase risk when used inappropriately.”
Why I Quit the NDP (and What Might Make me Come Back) – “Fueled by a flawed and antiquated electoral system where 39 per cent of the vote can gain 100 per cent of the power, the main parties are mired in a win-lose battlefield mentality. Instead of cooperation and compromise, our voters often observe mindless solidarity, where our tribe is always right, and THEY are always wrong!”
2012 vs. 1984: Young adults really do have it harder today – “Today, financial self-sufficiency is impossible without taking breaks from school to work. The Bank of Canada’s handy inflation calculator tells us that my $1,000 tuition back in 1984 would cost $2,028 today if it increased just by the inflation rate annually. But according to Statistics Canada, the latest read on average tuition fees is $5,366.”
Shit People Say to the Cats Left Behind after a Breakup – “It hurts my heart, but it jibes with my intellect to have all of these relationships end at once. The cats were such a bonding force that it makes sense for that to fade away when the relationship did.”
Black Garlic Spaghettini
Matt and I have been heading out to the city to do our grocery shopping more and more frequently these days. A few weeks ago we went to the local grocery store to get picnic items, and saw a) four small slices of watermelon priced at $5, b) a bag of almonds for $8, and c) a small container of sliced strawberries (like, maybe six berries cut up) for $5. Peanut butter is over $8 (for the small container). Five chicken breasts? Nearing $20. We can’t avoid buying food, but if we spend $30 in gas money to get out to the city, we can bring home way more groceries for what we’d spend in town.
It bugs me, because I want to shop local when I can, but it bugs me more to spend twice the amount of money I would if I drove an hour away. So, every other week or so, we venture out of town and do the groceries-Canadian Tire-Walmart loop.
One of the bonuses to shopping in a larger centre is the different food we can find. Last week I picked up a bag of black garlic — Matt was entirely confused and concerned by it, thinking it would give us cancer or something. But, it’s not black because there’s something wrong with it, it’s just fermented garlic (which he learned, too, after he Googled. 
)
The slogan Garlic just got better basically sold me instantly. Before you open it up, it looks like regular garlic, for the most part.
But when you crack into it, you’ll find pitch-black cloves. They have almost a gummy texture, like dried fruit, which is a bit of a challenge to hack through with our less than stellar knives.
One problem — I bought the black garlic but I had no idea what to do with it. A quick web search led me to Black Garlic Linguine, but I didn’t have half of the ingredients, and I’m attempting to boycott the grocery store as much as possible. Unlike Matt, I’m not very good at making up dishes on the fly, but I figured I’d be safe with pasta, because I have a general idea of what tastes good with noodles — maybe not the fanciest thing, but I gave it a shot.
Instead of linguine I used spaghettini. I also threw some frozen peas in with the pasta because I feel like we need to eat more green-coloured things. My second problem, a lack of garlic oil, I decided to solve by using olive oil and garlic salt. But I didn’t have fresh herbs, or fresh chilis.
This is a teensy sampling of our spice cabinet contents — lots and lots and lots of shakers and bags. The bags aren’t really labelled and I forget what most of them are (and I don’t know them by scent) but I threw caution to the wind and threw a bunch of stuff in the olive oil, along with the black garlic.
There was the garlic salt, yes, and the black garlic itself. I also threw in a shallot I found, sad and lonely at the bottom of the onion bowl. Instead of fresh chilis I tossed in some chili flakes, along with a few sun-dried tomatoes and something green.
The last step was to add some chopped baked chicken and shaved Parmesan (the only ingredient from the original recipe I actually had on hand aside from the garlic!). The verdict? The black garlic adds a really interesting flavour. I read that it’s comparable to balsamic and I would agree with that. It’s still really garlicky, though. Matt said it gave the pasta a sweetness. I’d definitely eat it again; I just have to figure out what to cook next!
Superfail
I’m sure everyone knows there was a supermoon last week, May 5, to be exact. Last time there was a supermoon all we saw was snow. This time around the sky was a bit clearer, but we had to catch our glimpses during the few brief moments the clouds parted.
The sky was certainly brighter from my vantage point on the couch. Matt’s camera battery was dead so he used mine to try and snap a shot–but the clouds didn’t really cooperate.
One of Matt’s pics — he said I could share. 
I guess we’ll have to wait ’till June 23, 2013, to give it another shot. Hopefully all the snow and rainclouds are done and gone by then!
On a related note, I had no idea all full moons have names, not just the Harvest Moon. From what I can gather, this moon would have been the Planting Moon, or Milk Moon. (I kind of think November’s Beaver Moon is awkwardly named.)
Did you see the supermoon?
Rut
I feel like “stuck in a rut” implies that one is actually trying to get out of the rut–spinning wheels, back and forth, some kind of effort to move. I’m pretty sure I’m just sitting complacently in my rut, looking around and wondering when the tow truck will arrive.
I spend time idly clicking and flipping through other peoples’ lives. They look like they’re having fun. They look like they don’t struggle with getting the laundry done. They look happy.
Nothing to do with anything — just pretty and cheery and bright.
Most of the time I ignore the phone when it rings. I have a hard time even remembering to respond to emails, lately. I want to stay indoors and not have to talk to anyone, but I’m bored. I can’t sit through a whole movie anymore without wanting to pick up my phone and multitask, but what can I really do with pixels on a screen? I’m behind on wedding tasks that involve anything beyond clicking “BUY.” I’ve been intending to clean my closet for two months. I don’t know how to hit reset.
Part of it is physical. I’m not taking very good care of myself and I feel sick a lot, lately. It’s hard to have fun when you feel nauseated and it’s harder to have fun if you think people don’t believe you’re really ill. I need to work up the motivation to push past the sickness and eat well and get moving so I can break out of the cycle and start feeling good again. I have a bicycle and a fitness trail that starts two minutes from my front door. I have perfectly good feet and I like walking. I just don’t want to get off the couch.
Around the house, I feel like I have too much stuff. When I try to clean up I feel as if I’m just shuffling piles around. And then I fall down the why buy furniture when we’re guaranteed to just have to move it anyway hole. Everything does have its place, for the most part, but it’s sometimes hard to find.
Little things bring me joy; a coffee brought to me in bed, funny pictures of my niece texted to my phone, the cats’ shock at discovering we have a basement. It’s not all doom and gloom and lazy sadness.
The solution, I think, is to just be aware of my actions as I’m taking them. It’s kind of silly to complain that I’m bored while complaining that I’m antisocial in the same breath (by the way, my apologies to all the people I’ve flaked out on over the past little while). If I think I should be doing something other than what I’m currently doing, well, why am I not doing it?
So today, I came home and I started doing some laundry. I made the basement laundry area slightly less terrifying, and I cleared off the upstairs dresser. I took a look at my bank account, I tackled the dust bunnies in the office, I brought a bunch of random stuff downstairs, and I helped make dinner. I could have done more, but I did a bit.
Tomorrow I’ll do more laundry. I’ll set aside clothes to give away or get rid of. I’ll clean up the cats’ area in the office. I’ll write a bit. I’ll tidy a bit. And then the rest of it might feel a bit less mind-numbing, if I can manage a bit of productivity.
How do you stay motivated?
Those damn kitties: Wildlife alert
Last week Matt gave up on the elusive ducks and left some bread out on the deck for the small army of birds and other woodland animals he feeds. I suspect that one day, when we live in the woods as he would prefer, he’s going to be like Snow White, with all the little birdies landing on his shoulder as he frolics through the woods.
When I got home from work he showed me a video he had taken that afternoon of Marbles anxiously staring at a chipmunk, separated only by the sliding door. We looked up from the camera to see that the exact same thing was playing out in front of us in real life.
(There are cat toys everywhere — and that big black tarp is our BBQ cover. It’s not quite hang-out-on-the-deck weather, though we’re getting there, so things are a bit messy still.)
The chipmunk knew Marbles was looming but he didn’t really care. He just wanted to eat bread.
Then Maggie caught on…
And then, finally, Murphy figured it out.
(The window pane on the left is all smudged up with cat nose marks, constantly. I figure it’s training for sticky-fingered kids.)
There they sat, actually getting along for a few minutes because they all wanted at the chipmunk SO BADLY, and the chipmunk sat and stuffed its face peacefully. I can only imagine what this scene looked like to anyone looking in from the outside…
Choice Cuts – May 4
Throughout the course of a week, I usually run across so many interesting articles, recipes, photos and other internet flotsam and jetsam. I’ve decided to share a few of my favourite finds, every Friday (if I can keep it up). Introducing…
Whither the Manic Pixie Dream Guy? – “Not all of us are looking for Gerard Butler to humiliate us into loving him. Some of us would be just as happy logging a few hours with a whimsical Ferris Bueller (you know, without the narcissistic personality disorder — but with the sweet stolen car).”
Why Instagram is Terrible for Photographers, and Why You Should Use It – “While you’re trying to build a serious body of work, Instagram is being dominated by people who take photos of their pets. And these people are simultaneously amassing huge followings.”
Oil, dissent, and the future of Canada – “As I reflect on the events of the past few months, I realize we are engaged in a fight for the soul of Canada.”
Nearly a Century of Whistling in Music Captured in a Three-Minute Medley
Why Noah Went to the Woods - “The war is officially over now, but it wanders our woods, haunts our dreams, and occupies our prayers.”
April Luxe Box
My latest Loose Button Luxe Box was filled with things that seemed a lot more applicable to me than last time!
Everything seemed to follow a bit of a purple theme, along with it being Daffodil Month in April — for April’s box you could donate one of your products to support the cause, and they also sent a daffodil pin in the box. It’s kind of lazy charity because I didn’t really do anything to support Daffodil Month, but at least it’s something.
From the top, left to right, there was the aforementioned pin, a full-sized Essie nail polish, Pantene Aqua Light shampoo and conditioner, BOBOS Remi leave-in conditioner spray, and Yves Rocher eye makeup remover for sensitive eyes.
The pin is really cute but I’m not a pin wearer so I’ll have to find something on which to stick it. I’m excited about the nail polish, even though purple isn’t really my favourite colour for fingers, because a) I’ve never tried Essie and b) it looks fun on my toes.
I used the other four products right away — as much as I kind of thought Pantene, seriously, I thought this was supposed to be fancy stuff I like the idea of silicone-free products with my crazy hair. I used the shampoo and conditioner then followed it up with the BOBOS spray and, while my hair is still out of control, it feels soft and smells good. Once I get a haircut I’ll be happy!
The eye makeup remover was perfectly timed because I don’t have any left and was just about to get some. I wasn’t patient enough to follow the instructions (soak a cotton pad and hold it on your eye for a minute before wiping away) so when I woke up this morning there was still eye makeup that had migrated onto my face. Still, I have sensitive eyes, and I’m willing to bet if I follow the rules this is a product I’ll use.
I’m glad I got products that I’ll use, this time around — everything seems a bit more age appropriate. I think I had initially figured I’d be getting more makeup samples, but I’m happy with things like hair products and nail polish, too!
April photos of the day/May is here!
I kind of slacked on the Fat Mum Slim April photo of the day challenge toward the end (but now my life is, pretty much, back to normal — yay!). Still, there are photos I took this month that I like and want to share. As usual, there are a lot of cats present on the list.
Top – Orange, Left – How I feel today (lazy), Right – Tiny
Top – Colour, Left – Stairs, Right – Something I found (a sunrise!)
I’m carrying on with the May challenge, allowing myself to miss a day here and there if I have to, without feeling bad. I’m also going to try to be a bit more creative because it’s fun!
As for everything else I had planned to do in April, and wanted to do as May started up, I’m just going to try and catch up on everything that fell by the wayside over the past few weeks. There is a laundry pile threatening to take over the basement, and I wouldn’t mind giving Matt a break since he’s been doing the bulk of the cooking/cleaning/domestic duties. I’m not setting any concrete goals other than to get my regular routine back on track.
What are you looking forward to in May?
Flock of seagulls
We know there are ducks in the area because last year, around this time, we scoped out the house before we moved into it and met a few ducks that hung out in the backyard.
Last week, Matt wanted to feed them some bread that had gone stale, so we walked down to the waterfront and tried to find them. There was one, way far away from where we were, but Matt thought if he threw the bread in the water it would come over. This happened instead:
Seagulls, everywhere. And not just one or two, but an entire flock. The duck? It went away, fast.
There’s still bread on top of the fridge waiting to become duck food, but I think we need to figure out how to convince the ducks to come over before the seagulls do…
Spring is sprung
Last weekend we came out of hibernation (a bit late, yes, but better late than never!). I had wanted to skip town but things didn’t work out, so we did the next best thing and ventured into the trees.
I never really know where to go when we decide to wander because almost every logging road looks the same to me. First off, we decided to find a geocache in hopes there would be a good place to sit down and eat our picnic.
That was fun, but, as you can see, we were really just on a road with dense trees on either side, and I was scared of bears. After we found the cache, Matt picked another random road and off we went again. About five or ten minutes in we realized we were on the road where we picked up our Christmas tree. We went by a quarry and almost stopped, but decided to keep going — and I’m glad, because we were rewarded with a beautiful high-up view of all kinds of blue water and green trees.
(The first photo here, of me, is from location #1.)
The last photo on the right is the view from where we set up for lunch and relaxation. Matt spotted a big cliff from the road and figured out how to get up it. From what I can tell from the map, we were actually on a giant island (hence the name Driver Island Road). The road itself disappears off of the map once you get over onto the island so I have no idea where it terminates.
The natural thing to do when you’re sitting in the middle of nowhere, no cell service, only natural sounds to be heard, after marathoning your way through Season 2 of Walking Dead, is to plan for the impending zombie invasion. Our plan involves copious amounts of aircraft theft and generator-powered poking sticks.
With that weekend under our belts I’m no longer allowed to claim “too cold” as a reason for turning down an adventure. The weather is now pretty much on par with how it should be, which means I’m going to be wearing sweaters for a month still, but (knock on wood) we haven’t seen snow since last week.
