back from the great white north…

there’s a lot to catch up on here but i’ve been super busy both at work and my home life.

we just got back from our easter weekend in t-bay, visiting with doug’s side of the family. the main reason we all went was because my PIL have closed their craft and hobby (hobbyist meaning more railway train models/sets) and retiring, after being a part of the community for over 25 years. saturday was their very last, official day they were opened for business.

not long after 4pm, they hung up the closed sign and we all pitched in to help out with the party preparations. by 5:30pm, the 35 plus guests had arrived – each one being a significant part of the store’s history. in fact, i even worked the cash register to make it official for myself. i know i was invited because i’m part for the family (both doug and my SIL grew up working it the store), but i wanted to earn my invitation.

i met a lot of interesting people – all who had great stories. i wish i had the time to meet and talk with all of them but the evening went by so fast.

anyway, the toast was quite emotional and to finalize everything, the very first customer they had (one who’s been faithful all these years), made his very last purchase. he wanted to be the first. and he wanted to be the last.

i felt it was very appropriate.

going back to t-bay will be a little bit different. we spent the day doing a lot of ‘traditions’ we normally do. earlier that morning, we went to get coffee (and brunch) at a diner across the street with the regulars – the regulars being old-time hobbyist friends whom visited and purchased from the store often. but throughout the years, the tradition was to meet up for coffee every saturday and brunch on the last saturday of the month. they talked about railroads and trains and everything both in between and outside of their shared interest.

we wanted to also go across to coney island for our usual lunch fare everytime we are helping out at the store. but unfortunately, due to the fact that it was the long weekend, it was closed. we’ll have to still go back the next time we go for a visit. they have these slider dogs/hamburgers topped with their home-made chili. and their fries are one of the best!

it will be different when we go back – not having the store to lounge around and people watch from inside. while it wasn’t the same for me as it was for doug or my SIL, i definitely will miss it.

hobbes the firecracker

he hates wearing anything so i imagine he wasn’t at all pleased with the costume i picked out for him.

“god help me”

i wouldn’t have bothered buying that firecracker costume yesterday except that, well, first of all, it was only a couple of bucks since it was bought after halloween and most of all, we were invited to a halloween party for small pooches at a local off-leash park.

the party was only for small breeds and was held in the small dog, off-leash area. the only problem was that we normally cross through the off-leash area for the bigger breeds to get to the gate of the small dogs only area.

not a second after we entered, a couple of big dogs came running up to hobbes and started to chase him. as we walked, i noticed hobbes was getting quite a lot of attention. it only dawned on me that they were actually after the firecracker on hobbes’ back.

the fact that hobbes would run away from them basically made it a game for them – look! it’s a moving toy! lets get it!!!

poor hobbes.

i also figured out that dooce probably edits her photos of chuck when she requires a modesty patch right within flickr. thought i should try it myself – and the perfect opportunity came about today when hobbes saw me coming downstairs and immediately rolled onto his back as if to say, “ah. you’ve arrived. rub my belly.” typical male behaviour.

a patch for hobbes’ thing-a-ling

red curry mussels, date in the woods and bbq-pool party

with chaeli visiting my PILs, doug and i had a date-weekend rather than just a date night. we actually hummed and hawed about going out for a nice dinner but by the time the end of the week rolled around, neither of us actually felt like leaving home.

friday night, we ended up making some thai red curry mussels for dinner. we accompanied it with a fresh baguette and some apple riesling wine. i can’t tell you how amazing it was! to dip the bread into the spicy, yet savory, creamy broth. we’ve been trying to replicate the first time we had red curry mussels from the san francisco food-haunt, fog city diner. which is still the best we’ve ever had. this recipe is about the closest we could fine. i recall the red curry ‘soup’ from fog city diner was thicker – creamier. i suspect it was just them adding a heavier type of coconut cream (or just cream on top of the coconut milk).

definitely a lovely dinner. and before that, while having a pre-dinner drink (gin & tonic), we sat in the living room and talked. i mean… really talked. a nice conversation. no serious stuff but just one of those good talks one finds with a best friend. luckily for me, this best friend also happens to be a life partner.

saturday, we went just on the outskirts of our city, north of us, to a conservation area. it was an idea i had awhile ago, to check out some of the trails at the bruce mill park. while most of the time, our hikes involve chaeli, i have to admit it was also nice to go just the two of us. we can cover more mileage and be a bit more adventurous. in other words, we got lost. not on purpose, but we certainly didn’t seem to care to follow a direct path. it was good – just over 3km in an hour with some hilly areas to boot.

hobbes definitey got his workout!

we stayed home for dinner again – this time making maple glazed, buttermilk grilled chicken, kelp chips and some small potatos. doug made plenty for leftovers (which was eaten tonight). a good recipe – the buttermilk really does marinate the meat, making it nice and juicy.

sunday, our friends, di and rick, had a bbq pool party. it was such a good time – with a crazy amount of food! of course, like most weekends, food is a symbolic part of our lives. i made a pasta and asparagus salad with a lemon-honey dressing (definitely better to make the night before to allow the acidity of the lemon rind and juice mellow out a bit). i left the pasta in just a smidge too long to be on the al dente side but after chilling in the fridge it surpassed. it was my first time making this recipe – next time i’m going to up the garlic and lemon a little and use less pasta. even though i used a whole bunch of asparagus, i felt it could have used more – it would certainly pump up the nutrients!

as a bonus, we got go hang out with rita, harry and their boys – they live in the connecticut and it was just so nice to catch up with them! i definitely miss it when they were living in TO.

baby showers – how to play the games

i went to a friend’s baby shower this past sunday – it was lovely. the setting, the decorations, the food… i was thankful B was there. I didn’t know many of the people and a few that i did know, i’m not that close to. either way, afternoon tea is always something i enjoy – regardless of who i know.

with some one who struggles with anxiety/depression disorder, it’s weird that i’m perfectly content to sit on my own and daydream away in the middle of a room of strangers. it’s a gift, i suppose. not that i willingly put myself into that type of situation – it’s just a gift in that if i do find myself surrounded by strangers and no one seems interested in talking with me, i always have that ‘escape’ option that i’ve become good at over the years.

anyway, i’m horrible at those baby shower games. i basically have never won – which is fine. but yeah – it’s the one area where my competitive nature gives up because i know it’s hopeless.

the hardest game this past sunday was to name a word related to babies (and early years motherhood) for every letter of the alphabet. in three minutes. the hint was that the most unique words would win us more points.

okay. easy enough.

except that it wasn’t. it was hard. it was… like… making us THINK! on a SUNDAY! at a PARTY! while drinking TEA! and AFTER stuffing our faces with finger sandwiches and tasty pastries – the blood was already working on my digestion and no where near my brain.

when the hostess told us to start, i stared at the letter A intensely. i know the idea was to come up with a unique word – but at that point, i couldn’t even come up with any common words!

so… i did the best i could. i wrote down, ‘anal thermometer.’

when the hostess came to collect our answers, she then explained she would give us some one else’s paper and we would ‘grade’ the words together. to my horror, mine got passed to an older lady (a relative – i think an aunt) sitting RIGHT across from me.

was i really about to be the cause of this older, possibly conservative, chinese lady to have to say the word ‘anal’ at her niece’s baby shower?

now, i will admit. part of me was curious – curious to the reactions and you know, maybe baby showers don’t need to be so conservative and traditional. after all, i followed the rules and ‘anal thermometer’ can be related to babies since it is one of two options on how to take their temperature (yes, i know – with technology being as easy as going to our local pharmacy store, you can get those battery operated ones you stick in the ear… but the anal option, since it’s to unsafe to take their temperature orally at that age, IS the most accurate way to get a good reading of their internal body temperature).

the other part of me wanted to crawl under a rock and die. i am so much more conservative now that i am older and, well, a mother. but the fear of my past reputation – the catalyst for certain ‘trouble’ at parties, started to creep back and i could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as i was about to be exposed to these strangers of what type of person i use to be.

well, turns out that everyone had a good laugh. including the lady that had to read it – actually, i think she even enjoyed shouting it out.

for the letter B, i played it safe. i put down ‘bibs’ but in my mind, i was actually thinking, blistering nipples.

annual smoked rib fest 2011

I’ve been in a pork-coma since yesterday afternoon. It was worth it though.

Doug woke up at 5:30am to get both the smoke ribs and pulked-pork on its way to what would be the best he’s ever cooked up – for both! And while we do have some leftovers, I was glad to see it wasn’t a crazy amount.

One thing I love to see as a hostess – it’s not just wanting everyone to have a good time, but to see them enjoying the food… Simply blissful!

I really missed all my friends. I’ve seen ‘pockets’ of them but not all together for a very long time.

Being with them is a gentle reminder to keep the balance.

Anyway, looking forward to continuing this tradition… Even though it leaves the house smelling like smoked meat for the remainder of the week!

party, party, party

when my manager wished me a good weekend at the end of friday, he asked me what my plans were…

i didn’t bother telling him that doug would be gone both days – he’s currently, as we speak, practising scenerios in what they call a burn tower. basically, the building is lit on fire and they learn methods of estinguishing the flames. it’s part of the practical portion of his course which he loves.

but i don’t know why i didn’t tell my manager – i suppose i was afraid it might turn out to seem like i’m venting/whining. which i’m not really. i’m happy for doug – but i would admit that i wish it were just one day because i do really love having him home. especially on sunday’s.

anyway, so i said to my boss, “nothing much.”

he replied, “that’s good!”

“well, just one party. tomorrow night.”

“parties… again. you guys always have some party going on.”

“well, tame parties. like the ones that end no later then 10pm.”

somewhat not always true – they can go late but i knew we would have to leave early on the account of doug’s early sunday morning and the fact that hobbes would need some relief before 11pm.

but not completely untrue when compared to the days of coming home at 6:30am. seriously. it hurts just remembering those days. it physically hurts. no amount of coffee could mend an all-nighter like that. these days, i would have to take at least half of week’s vacation just to recooperate.

anyway – while we’re missing doug this weekend, we’ve been doing what we can.

yesterday it was kenpo in the morning, cleaned the bathrooms and the master bedroom, open house for chaeli’s grade two of next school year (which i’m not even ready to think about so, in hindsight, wasn’t really into the open house – as impressive as it was), took hobbes to a new dog park (which the volunteers covered with these big wood chips – note to volunteers: if you want your dogs to run around and play, pieces of wood just makes them want to lie down and chew on them) and then home until doug got home.

the party last night was fun. but i’m finding that because of how busy we are, i’m loosing concentration at around 9pm. it’s not always like that but last night, it certainly was.

anyway, i think my favourite conversation last night went something like this:

me: “yeah, i really wish some of the other husbands were participating in movember.”

friend: “i think it’s a great awareness.”

other friend: “yeah – it’s sweet that he’s doing it.”

me: “but that’s the point. if he was actually doing it for the awareness, i would totally understand. but he’s only doing this because it gives him the excuse that he just can!”

it’s the honest truth, i’m afraid.

here we go again

it’s that time of year again – facing the daily grind after labour day weekend.

while i’m ready for a change of season, i’m slightly saddened to see summer end.

having said that, i have plans for the fall. or more to the point, the fall weekends. we have a very short autumn season here. the leaves change into beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. but… with a blink of an eye, theses colours seem to go as fast as they come. so, for about five to six weeks, it’s important to plan our weekends well.

i do plan on a couple of hiking trips. we always seem to get one in – this year, we’re aiming for two. with a possible 2-night stay over the weekend up in the northern penensula of bruce trail. another hike will probably be close to the niagara area. and of course, here is always some local trails nearby.

as usual, we’ll head out to the green belt to visit a farm (usually to pick a pumpkin for halloween). this will normally be our last fall adventure.

to start, we’ve got chaeli’s first week in grade one this week, followed by a smoked meat bbq party we’ll be hosting this saturday.

i’m sure, before we know it, christmas will be just around the bend.

half vacation – half staycation

we planned our camping trip to only take part for half of the week on purpose – it allowed us to have somewhat of a staycation. of course, when it comes to camping, you do need a day or two to unpack, re-store equipment, do loads of laundry… there’s somewhat more work.

still – in between all the work, it’s been nice to go at a slower pace and to not have a routine for a couple of days.

in fact, i regret not doing a staycation earlier this summer – just a week where we can do just this. it’s somewhat surreal for me but also extremely relaxing. i would say that it’s even more relaxing then any vacation because no planning and organizing is involved.

i’ve got a 3 more days before going back to work. aside from a house warming party with good friends, we don’t have anything planned this weekend.

so… i’ll get to do a bodypump class. and some yoga and/or a bodyflow class.

and watch some movies on dvd.

reading… definitely some reading as well.

ah summer. you’ve been good to us. it’s definitely hard to let you go so soon.

two things

i'm not pregnant.

i got my period yesterday morning.

two weekends ago, chaeli was staying over at my parents' place. and doug and i were being careless. since then, it was two weeks of waiting – another week and i would have done a home pregnancy test.

the truth is that i'm very relieved. about two years ago, we decided that if it hadn't happen by then, it won't ever happen. and since it didn't happen, we were content with the notion that it was never meant to be.

anyway…

this period came in good time. not that it was something i've been stressing about. but it was one thing slightly and gently nagging at the back of my mind. having the issue resolve itself put me more at ease for last night's bbq party we hosted for good friends. doug grilled chicken thighs and drumsticks – marinated in this dijon-rosemary recipe i found years ago. he also bought both pork ribs and beef ribs – smoked the two. it made the men very happy.

we had, i would definitely say, a fantastic night.

the laughs and talks for me, were like one of those nights i'll always cherish when i look back on. it felt good. thats probably the best way to describe it. and of course, as always, i felt blessed to have such long-time friends.

it really does make a difference in one's life. it made me feel… wealthy.

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kiss and tell! ;)

Shy_vanadis3

a couple of nights ago, i had a dream where i was heading into the supermarket. just outside, there was this young woman – i would say she was a little bit punk. she had tattoos, funky hair, a nose ring and definitely had an edge to her.

anyway, she was crying. so i went up to her and asked her if she was okay. without any warning, she flung herself into my arms and started to sob hysterically.

i never got the story out of her but i felt a huge rush of empathy for her sorrows.

after calming her down, we started to talk about other things. we were holding hands and flirting with one another like crazy. it didn't take long for me to cup her face and give her a  kiss on her lips.

i woke up then and while i couldn't remember the details of her face anymore, i knew that it was violca.

violca was this young lady i met ten years ago at a party. she was a dj back then – i have no idea what she's up to these days. anyway, when i arrived at the party, not knowing anyone except for mad-boy (who dragged me there), plus rvx and tai (who i dragged with me), she came up to me shortly and said, "hi! you're shy, right?"

i was taken aback a bit. after answering that yes, indeed that's who i am, i inquired how she knew. apparently, mad-boy had sent all his friends the link to my website back then.

ah. so they all knew me way more then i knew them.

anyway – i had to admit, violca was very cool. she wasn't an obvious beauty you would pick out from the room but the girl had a quality to her that was hard to ignore. perhaps her confidence was part of her sex appeal. it wasn't over-bearing, either. it was, i would say… grounded but very present. not cocky, not show-y and definitely did not feel the need to be part of the spotlight. and yet, she was definitely always on the edge of the spotlight – a force to be reckoned with.

i suppose i had one too many drinks. and she didn't hide her attraction towards me. closer to the end of the night, i did exactly to her as what i did to this young symbolic woman who represented her from my dreams – i reached out, cupped her face and kissed her. just for a moment or two.

and you know what? she kissed better then most guys i've kissed.

don't ask me how many i've kissed, either. it's an embarrassing amount (like, waaaaay more then necessary).

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