The holiday spirit is slowly creeping up on me.. I can feel it at the back of my neck as the little blonde hairs raise up to greet it..
I wrapped gifts last night which was fun. A bit of a chore with the mess I created but I really love the nice ribbons and bows.
For Christmas, June is up in Calgary on the 23rd and I think it all comes down to that day to determine what happens for Christmas this year. Right now, the plan is that Lauren and I will go to Lethbridge for Christmas eve & day and spend time with my dad and June. Then Debbie and Shane head down for dad's birthday..
I also went to two Christmas parties this past weekend. I had a great date with me that night too. It was nice to be accompanied by a man for a change. As much as I enjoy single life, there is something to be said for the company of a man. The conversation is different, the energy is different... Ok so I had too much wine. I didn't get sloppy drunk or anything.. but I did feel like I was having an out of body experience at some points. I think I remember everything that happened that night and as far as I know I didn't make too much of a fool out of myself... I think my date is too much of a gentleman to tell me if I had! :P
I have to say, my shoes were terribly uncomfortable. I wasn't able to dance as I had planned either. We met up at the Palliser Hotel for party #1.. My company party. We mingled, had some wine and a nice dinner but the dinner ran until 10pm and by the time we got to party #2 - the Enmax party, Tom Cochrane was on his last song and we missed the whole show :/
All in all, it was a fun night but I have some regrets.. things I would have done differently.. I would have skipped the wine altogether, I would have picked different shoes and I would have been much less uptight. I was so concerned about the plan of the evening, that I didn't really get to enjoy either party. Next year, 1 party per night!
I must say, the biggest regret I have is not spending more time with my friends. Time just zoomed by when we were mingling and suddenly we were seated for dinner and I missed out on photos with friends. Bleh. Well I wish everyone a Merry Christmas now then!
I am excited, I still have New Years in Banff to look forward to! And then 2009. It will be a great year. I am ready for my life to have some grand and wonderful changes in 2009..
Bring.. it.. on!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Christmas? No. Jul? Yes.
I had a lunch and learn session at work today at lunch and it really hit me hard. It bummed me right out.
The workshop was about Christmas and Stress.
I got so bummed out because I realized that Christmas has absolutely ZERO meaning for me right now. I sat there in the presentation listening to people talk about their plans.. baking, travelling out of province, spending time with family, shopping etc.. and it occurred to me. My Christmas is pretty much bare naked.
Growing up, we had a ton of traditions. We occasionally travelled to some family member's house for Christmas or we would have Christmas at home. We would have our traditional hot meal on Dec 24th and then the Danish traditional Smorg on Dec 25th? I can't even remember what day we did what anymore. We would have gift opening and church on Dec 24th in the evening and then stockings on the morning of the 25th. We would always have the tree decorated by Dec 1st and the whole house would be decked out until at least the first week of January.
Admittedly, when my mom and dad split up, things changed but we still kept the traditions. Even though we didn't always do exactly the same thing.. once we went to Banff and stayed in a chalet etc.. but we always had our traditions. We never had a lot. We were on social assistance for many years and I remember getting our holiday turkey from the food bank one year.. but we always had the important things...We always had the basics. Family, food, Spirit, thoughtful gifts, Decorations etc..
So what changed?
Many years ago, my sister Debbie stopped spending Dec 24th with the family and started spending it with her Danish in-laws. Her choice of course, but that changed the dynamic for us. In order to have any time with her at the holidays, we shifted our traditions around so that she wouldn't be having 2 Danish Smorg meals in a row. So Dec 24th became a bit of a chore because we would have our Danish smorg but with fewer people it was more work than it was worth it seemed. We tried to keep it going but it wasn't the same.
At the time we rarely spent any of the holidays with my dad. We more often than not spent his Birthday on Dec 27th with him but not the actual Christmas holidays. I can't even begin to imagine how his holidays shifted when my parents split up. Because the majority of our traditions were Danish focused, it was hard for us to make the choice to go to spend Christmas with him. As kids, we didn't understand how all that worked.
When my mom moved to BC, things really changed because suddenly all of the traditions were gone. We started spending the holidays with my dad and step mom more often but we hadn't created any traditions together.
In addition to the actual events at Christmas, the actual spirit of the season has lost meaning for me. I don't consider myself "Christian" anymore. I have chosen to lead a very spiritual life without any religious affiliation, which I was reminded today meant that I can't technically celebrate "Christmas". I obviously grew out of believing in Santa Claus and I don't celebrate the retail side of the season. As a matter of fact, I don't exchange gifts with my mom or grandpa anymore, and the remaining adults (6 of us) exchange names with a $50 limit so in essence, I am buying gifts for 2 people. One adult and of course my nephew who will undoubtedly get really spoiled every year.
So because my gift purchases are limited, I took like 6 items off the tree at work for the "Adopt-a-family" program and went shopping. I ended up spending like $200 on this family but it really felt good to know I was getting gifts for a family that otherwise wouldn't have had those things. Almost like giving back for the years we were on social assistance...
So what in the hell is Christmas to me now? I wish I knew.
Now I have to admit, I feel stress this year. I am worried about my step mom and things are up in the air still about how exactly we will even celebrate this year and I suppose I am lucky that I don't have any traditions that restrict me from being flexible. We may not know right up until the day before Christmas if we even get to spend the holiday with my dad and step mom this year.. all depending on her health.. I am perfectly ok with that because this year, it is about them. They have more crap to deal with than I do.
I also know full well that this "tradition breakdown" happened not just to me, but to my family as well and they may not be missing it as much as I am, but there must have been an adjustment period where they were wishing things hadn't changed too.
I guess what has me bummed out more than anything is that I am sitting here at 33 years old and Christmas is a big old piece of white paper in my mind. There is no image on it of kids tobogganing. There is no holiday meal or anything on my Christmas page. It is just pure white. If I had my own family, I could get out my markers and start painting my own new Christmas traditions and I am still trying to do that now, but its not that easy.. there is a lot I can't plan right now. Especially this year. This is not the year to set new traditions. So this year is blank.
So what Am I going to do?
Well I am putting up a tree! I love putting up a tree. For me, Christmas may as well be TreeMas because for me it is all about the tree. I actually am not a fan of real pine trees (I wouldn't want to have one in my yard but I love them in forest form). But I absolutely love my decorated Christmas tree. This is the one place that all those traditions and memories are. Ornaments collected year after year. That's where it all is for me. I have ornaments from my childhood. From my grandparents. And every year we exchange ornaments between Lauren, Debbie, my mom and I. So if there is one thing I can hang on to, it is the memories in that tree. The tree itself may be new but it is just the placeholder for all those hanging traditions and memories.
That's all. I am going to decorate a bit at work but aside from the tree, we're not decorating much else at home.
I am looking forward to New Years though. Lauren and I are going to Banff with 4 friends to ring in the New Year. We will celebrate Dec 31st at the Grizzly House and I think being in the mountains with good friends and the atmosphere of the one place that reminds me of Christmas all year long, will bring me back to my happy Christmas Place.
So after careful consideration of all of the above, I think I am going to stick to calling Christmas "Jul" which is the Danish name for the holiday. Jul means something to me and as much as I miss the Christmas of yesteryear, I am looking forward to new traditions with new friends and hopefully some day, a family of my own.
God Jul (Merry Christmas) everyone!
The workshop was about Christmas and Stress.
I got so bummed out because I realized that Christmas has absolutely ZERO meaning for me right now. I sat there in the presentation listening to people talk about their plans.. baking, travelling out of province, spending time with family, shopping etc.. and it occurred to me. My Christmas is pretty much bare naked.
Growing up, we had a ton of traditions. We occasionally travelled to some family member's house for Christmas or we would have Christmas at home. We would have our traditional hot meal on Dec 24th and then the Danish traditional Smorg on Dec 25th? I can't even remember what day we did what anymore. We would have gift opening and church on Dec 24th in the evening and then stockings on the morning of the 25th. We would always have the tree decorated by Dec 1st and the whole house would be decked out until at least the first week of January.
Admittedly, when my mom and dad split up, things changed but we still kept the traditions. Even though we didn't always do exactly the same thing.. once we went to Banff and stayed in a chalet etc.. but we always had our traditions. We never had a lot. We were on social assistance for many years and I remember getting our holiday turkey from the food bank one year.. but we always had the important things...We always had the basics. Family, food, Spirit, thoughtful gifts, Decorations etc..
So what changed?
Many years ago, my sister Debbie stopped spending Dec 24th with the family and started spending it with her Danish in-laws. Her choice of course, but that changed the dynamic for us. In order to have any time with her at the holidays, we shifted our traditions around so that she wouldn't be having 2 Danish Smorg meals in a row. So Dec 24th became a bit of a chore because we would have our Danish smorg but with fewer people it was more work than it was worth it seemed. We tried to keep it going but it wasn't the same.
At the time we rarely spent any of the holidays with my dad. We more often than not spent his Birthday on Dec 27th with him but not the actual Christmas holidays. I can't even begin to imagine how his holidays shifted when my parents split up. Because the majority of our traditions were Danish focused, it was hard for us to make the choice to go to spend Christmas with him. As kids, we didn't understand how all that worked.
When my mom moved to BC, things really changed because suddenly all of the traditions were gone. We started spending the holidays with my dad and step mom more often but we hadn't created any traditions together.
In addition to the actual events at Christmas, the actual spirit of the season has lost meaning for me. I don't consider myself "Christian" anymore. I have chosen to lead a very spiritual life without any religious affiliation, which I was reminded today meant that I can't technically celebrate "Christmas". I obviously grew out of believing in Santa Claus and I don't celebrate the retail side of the season. As a matter of fact, I don't exchange gifts with my mom or grandpa anymore, and the remaining adults (6 of us) exchange names with a $50 limit so in essence, I am buying gifts for 2 people. One adult and of course my nephew who will undoubtedly get really spoiled every year.
So because my gift purchases are limited, I took like 6 items off the tree at work for the "Adopt-a-family" program and went shopping. I ended up spending like $200 on this family but it really felt good to know I was getting gifts for a family that otherwise wouldn't have had those things. Almost like giving back for the years we were on social assistance...
So what in the hell is Christmas to me now? I wish I knew.
Now I have to admit, I feel stress this year. I am worried about my step mom and things are up in the air still about how exactly we will even celebrate this year and I suppose I am lucky that I don't have any traditions that restrict me from being flexible. We may not know right up until the day before Christmas if we even get to spend the holiday with my dad and step mom this year.. all depending on her health.. I am perfectly ok with that because this year, it is about them. They have more crap to deal with than I do.
I also know full well that this "tradition breakdown" happened not just to me, but to my family as well and they may not be missing it as much as I am, but there must have been an adjustment period where they were wishing things hadn't changed too.
I guess what has me bummed out more than anything is that I am sitting here at 33 years old and Christmas is a big old piece of white paper in my mind. There is no image on it of kids tobogganing. There is no holiday meal or anything on my Christmas page. It is just pure white. If I had my own family, I could get out my markers and start painting my own new Christmas traditions and I am still trying to do that now, but its not that easy.. there is a lot I can't plan right now. Especially this year. This is not the year to set new traditions. So this year is blank.
So what Am I going to do?
Well I am putting up a tree! I love putting up a tree. For me, Christmas may as well be TreeMas because for me it is all about the tree. I actually am not a fan of real pine trees (I wouldn't want to have one in my yard but I love them in forest form). But I absolutely love my decorated Christmas tree. This is the one place that all those traditions and memories are. Ornaments collected year after year. That's where it all is for me. I have ornaments from my childhood. From my grandparents. And every year we exchange ornaments between Lauren, Debbie, my mom and I. So if there is one thing I can hang on to, it is the memories in that tree. The tree itself may be new but it is just the placeholder for all those hanging traditions and memories.
That's all. I am going to decorate a bit at work but aside from the tree, we're not decorating much else at home.
I am looking forward to New Years though. Lauren and I are going to Banff with 4 friends to ring in the New Year. We will celebrate Dec 31st at the Grizzly House and I think being in the mountains with good friends and the atmosphere of the one place that reminds me of Christmas all year long, will bring me back to my happy Christmas Place.
So after careful consideration of all of the above, I think I am going to stick to calling Christmas "Jul" which is the Danish name for the holiday. Jul means something to me and as much as I miss the Christmas of yesteryear, I am looking forward to new traditions with new friends and hopefully some day, a family of my own.
God Jul (Merry Christmas) everyone!
Monday, November 24, 2008
New Kids, recovery and the holidays...
I relived my teen years this past week. I went to the New Kids on the Block concert here in Calgary and I loved it. Dare I say it was actually better than their concert back in the day?!
Debbie and I had pretty average seats that I won on the radio (yes I am grateful!) but after the opening acts, security told us all to move down and fill the seats in below so our seats got better by the time New Kids were on stage. Like a good little girl, I left my camera in my car instead of taking pictures and video like 95% of the population at the concert. It was disappointing because I wanted pictures too!!! lol. I couldn't believe the number of cell phones recording video.. lol it was bizarre.
Anyway, the concert was great and I had a lot of fun dancing and singing along to all those songs that I honestly thought had escaped my brain. Just goes to show you that things can be stored away in little nooks and crannies in the brain and just need a little bit of 90's boy band charm to get released ;)
On Thursday I went to Peter Lougheed Hospital for minor surgery. Long story short, I had a lump removed from my hip.. nothing serious at all.. but the sucky thing was, I was awake through the whole procedure.
When I booked the appointment, I was told the surgery would take 30-45 minutes. I think what really made me miserable through the experience is that I was freezing cold throughout the ordeal, being awake through the procedure meant that I had to inform them when I could feel pain and they had to give more freezing, the jolt of electric shock when they would cauterize blood vessels and then laying there for 1 1/2 hours!!! Yes.. 1 1/2 hours laying on a 2 foot wide metal table on my side. By the end of the procedure I almost jumped off the table and told them to take a hike because my back and legs were so stiff from the position I had to lay in! The bedside manner in Brazil was a billion times better than here.. surprise surprise...
In general the surgery was considered minor but the surgeon admitted that anything more than what I had done wouldn't be done under local anaesthetic. In retrospect, even though I survived the whole thing and am recovering well, I don't know if I would choose to go through anything like that again. Call me a wimp but there are some things that should be left to the unknown...
All in all I am glad to have that out of the way before holiday festivities begin. The next few weeks are going to be fairly crazy.
I have some things to work out with the new project I am on for my night job so that will keep me busy, plus I am working on plans for the wine and cheese party on Dec 5th. I am excited about that but hope people who are coming to the party let me know what they are bringing soon so that I can prepare. I made some nice wine charms to auction off as well. Hoping for a good turnout and great support so that I can pass along a lot of help to my step mom.
The day after the wine and cheese party, I am flying to Vancouver. My company is flying me out for business so I am going out a couple days early to visit my mom. I am happy to be able to see my mom before Christmas. I feel very lucky to be able to go for sure! I fly out on the Saturday and return on the Wednesday which is good because I will need the Thursday to get some work done since Friday the 12th is the employee celebration.
Then of course the 13th I am going to 2 Christmas parties! I am lucky there too because I have a friend coming with me as "arm candy" for my company party and then we'll crash Debbie and Lauren's Christmas party afterwards. I have to admit, it was a bit unsure about asking someone to be my "date" for the company party. I don't want him reading anything into it.. I just want to have a relaxed good time and I think we will look good together in the process :) Besides, it will be nice to go to a party with a guy for a change.
Christmas is still up in the air. It all depends on how June is feeling which is ok with me. I am open to whatever happens and I am flexible enough to do whatever it takes to make the most of Christmas this year. So far it seems like Lauren and I will be spending Christmas in Lethbridge with my Dad and June and Debbie will come down for Dad's birthday. As far as I am concerned, as long as June is happy and healthy, I am fine with whatever they decide.
New Years will be exciting.. we're celebrating the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 in Banff this year with 4 good friends. I have new snow tires too which means I will be a lot more at ease heading into the mountains in the snow! Anyone who knows the tires they put on the Mitsubishi Outlander will understand why I am thankful to have winter tires lol!
I have good feelings about 2009. I think it will bring about much positive change and I am ready to face it head on. Bring.. it.. on!
Debbie and I had pretty average seats that I won on the radio (yes I am grateful!) but after the opening acts, security told us all to move down and fill the seats in below so our seats got better by the time New Kids were on stage. Like a good little girl, I left my camera in my car instead of taking pictures and video like 95% of the population at the concert. It was disappointing because I wanted pictures too!!! lol. I couldn't believe the number of cell phones recording video.. lol it was bizarre.
Anyway, the concert was great and I had a lot of fun dancing and singing along to all those songs that I honestly thought had escaped my brain. Just goes to show you that things can be stored away in little nooks and crannies in the brain and just need a little bit of 90's boy band charm to get released ;)
On Thursday I went to Peter Lougheed Hospital for minor surgery. Long story short, I had a lump removed from my hip.. nothing serious at all.. but the sucky thing was, I was awake through the whole procedure.
When I booked the appointment, I was told the surgery would take 30-45 minutes. I think what really made me miserable through the experience is that I was freezing cold throughout the ordeal, being awake through the procedure meant that I had to inform them when I could feel pain and they had to give more freezing, the jolt of electric shock when they would cauterize blood vessels and then laying there for 1 1/2 hours!!! Yes.. 1 1/2 hours laying on a 2 foot wide metal table on my side. By the end of the procedure I almost jumped off the table and told them to take a hike because my back and legs were so stiff from the position I had to lay in! The bedside manner in Brazil was a billion times better than here.. surprise surprise...
In general the surgery was considered minor but the surgeon admitted that anything more than what I had done wouldn't be done under local anaesthetic. In retrospect, even though I survived the whole thing and am recovering well, I don't know if I would choose to go through anything like that again. Call me a wimp but there are some things that should be left to the unknown...
All in all I am glad to have that out of the way before holiday festivities begin. The next few weeks are going to be fairly crazy.
I have some things to work out with the new project I am on for my night job so that will keep me busy, plus I am working on plans for the wine and cheese party on Dec 5th. I am excited about that but hope people who are coming to the party let me know what they are bringing soon so that I can prepare. I made some nice wine charms to auction off as well. Hoping for a good turnout and great support so that I can pass along a lot of help to my step mom.
The day after the wine and cheese party, I am flying to Vancouver. My company is flying me out for business so I am going out a couple days early to visit my mom. I am happy to be able to see my mom before Christmas. I feel very lucky to be able to go for sure! I fly out on the Saturday and return on the Wednesday which is good because I will need the Thursday to get some work done since Friday the 12th is the employee celebration.
Then of course the 13th I am going to 2 Christmas parties! I am lucky there too because I have a friend coming with me as "arm candy" for my company party and then we'll crash Debbie and Lauren's Christmas party afterwards. I have to admit, it was a bit unsure about asking someone to be my "date" for the company party. I don't want him reading anything into it.. I just want to have a relaxed good time and I think we will look good together in the process :) Besides, it will be nice to go to a party with a guy for a change.
Christmas is still up in the air. It all depends on how June is feeling which is ok with me. I am open to whatever happens and I am flexible enough to do whatever it takes to make the most of Christmas this year. So far it seems like Lauren and I will be spending Christmas in Lethbridge with my Dad and June and Debbie will come down for Dad's birthday. As far as I am concerned, as long as June is happy and healthy, I am fine with whatever they decide.
New Years will be exciting.. we're celebrating the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 in Banff this year with 4 good friends. I have new snow tires too which means I will be a lot more at ease heading into the mountains in the snow! Anyone who knows the tires they put on the Mitsubishi Outlander will understand why I am thankful to have winter tires lol!
I have good feelings about 2009. I think it will bring about much positive change and I am ready to face it head on. Bring.. it.. on!
Monday, November 17, 2008
It's not always about me... and a little about change...
I'm not sure who actually reads my blog but I wanted to write a little bit about other things happening around me that are greatly impacting my life.
As some may know, my step mom June was recently diagnosed with cancer yet again. I don't know if this is her 4th or 5th battle but she is a veteran at fighting this very unpredictable monster.
Naturally I am worried. I love my step mom a lot. She has been very supportive to me, very caring and she has made my father a better man and a better dad. Quite frankly I wouldn't wish cancer on my worst enemy but it tears me up inside that it can happen to such a wonderful woman.
I like to boast in life that I have no fear but that would be a lie. I do fear cancer. It is so unpredictable and there are so many varieties... Aside from the head to toe locations that you can get it, there are the varying degrees of how rapidly it progresses. And then if you're lucky to be told that it can be treated, there is the treatment itself which can be just as bad as the disease.
I have high hopes and lots of positive thoughts for June though. She has beat this before and will again. She has the support of all of her family and friends, and I can say for sure that I am doing anything I can think of to help out. I am holding a wine and cheese fundraiser to help them with the expense of travelling to Calgary every 3 weeks for chemotherapy. Lauren and I are picking her daughter (my stepsister) up from the airport to bring her to Lethbridge tonight so they can spend the week together. I don't care if I am not home until 2am by the time we get back to Calgary. This is what people do for the ones they love and she should only have to worry about getting healthy again.
Anyway. If anyone reading this is interested in making a donation to the cause, let me know ok?
Aside from all of that, I am just working on figuring out what I am going to do when I grow up now that my life has been changed to an almost unrecognizable state. My step mom's cancer battle is just one of the things that is happening while life is still being lived. I have 2 jobs, I have family and friends that I am trying my best not to alienate. I have hopes and dreams for the future which I am hoping will eventually feed in to what is happening in my life.
It is like my life is a dart board, my future goals are in the bulls eye and the darts are all of these things happening in parallel. They all add up to the eventual goal and occasionally I may have something happen that hits the bulls eye and feeds directly into my goals, but all in all, I have to just work towards something hoping that eventually it will all make sense and meet my expectations.
I know that my fairly insignificant soul has a minor impact on the world. My carbon footprint alone is impacting the world, but I want more than that. When I eventually leave this world and move on to bigger and better things, I want to know that I made a difference.
I know what I want to do. I want to be an advocate for change. I want to help people understand, embrace and welcome change. Change is inevitable and will happen with or without our help... so why not learn to accept it? Also we need to understand how to make sure that the changes that happen are guided into the right direction.. positive direction.
Anyway I am rambling again...
Just wanted to share a little bit more about what is going on with my life..
Thanks for reading!
As some may know, my step mom June was recently diagnosed with cancer yet again. I don't know if this is her 4th or 5th battle but she is a veteran at fighting this very unpredictable monster.
Naturally I am worried. I love my step mom a lot. She has been very supportive to me, very caring and she has made my father a better man and a better dad. Quite frankly I wouldn't wish cancer on my worst enemy but it tears me up inside that it can happen to such a wonderful woman.
I like to boast in life that I have no fear but that would be a lie. I do fear cancer. It is so unpredictable and there are so many varieties... Aside from the head to toe locations that you can get it, there are the varying degrees of how rapidly it progresses. And then if you're lucky to be told that it can be treated, there is the treatment itself which can be just as bad as the disease.
I have high hopes and lots of positive thoughts for June though. She has beat this before and will again. She has the support of all of her family and friends, and I can say for sure that I am doing anything I can think of to help out. I am holding a wine and cheese fundraiser to help them with the expense of travelling to Calgary every 3 weeks for chemotherapy. Lauren and I are picking her daughter (my stepsister) up from the airport to bring her to Lethbridge tonight so they can spend the week together. I don't care if I am not home until 2am by the time we get back to Calgary. This is what people do for the ones they love and she should only have to worry about getting healthy again.
Anyway. If anyone reading this is interested in making a donation to the cause, let me know ok?
Aside from all of that, I am just working on figuring out what I am going to do when I grow up now that my life has been changed to an almost unrecognizable state. My step mom's cancer battle is just one of the things that is happening while life is still being lived. I have 2 jobs, I have family and friends that I am trying my best not to alienate. I have hopes and dreams for the future which I am hoping will eventually feed in to what is happening in my life.
It is like my life is a dart board, my future goals are in the bulls eye and the darts are all of these things happening in parallel. They all add up to the eventual goal and occasionally I may have something happen that hits the bulls eye and feeds directly into my goals, but all in all, I have to just work towards something hoping that eventually it will all make sense and meet my expectations.
I know that my fairly insignificant soul has a minor impact on the world. My carbon footprint alone is impacting the world, but I want more than that. When I eventually leave this world and move on to bigger and better things, I want to know that I made a difference.
I know what I want to do. I want to be an advocate for change. I want to help people understand, embrace and welcome change. Change is inevitable and will happen with or without our help... so why not learn to accept it? Also we need to understand how to make sure that the changes that happen are guided into the right direction.. positive direction.
Anyway I am rambling again...
Just wanted to share a little bit more about what is going on with my life..
Thanks for reading!
Monday, November 10, 2008
3 months and down another 25lbs! -211!!!!!
I can't believe 3 months has gone by since my last post. Wow life sure has taken over!
I can't believe how easy it is to get caught up in the amazing things I can do now and the amount of energy I have. I have been meaning to blog for weeks but aside from being really busy (more mentally busy than actually overburdened with tasks), I haven't been very motivated to sit on the computer long enough to blog.
I have had some great experiences. I am addicted to travelling now. I went to Montreal with Lauren and Alice in September and had a wonderful time! I fell in love with Montreal and can't wait to go back! I also went to Toronto for work just a couple of weeks ago. I didn't enjoy T.Dot. as much as I enjoyed Montreal but I would definitely go back.. plus I made a great friend there.. Renee.. and we went to Niagara Falls and saw a taping of 'The Hour' which was a lot of fun! I definitely made the best of the time I was there.
I haven't been enjoying work that much. Partly I think because I have been enjoying LIFE too much and I am starting to question whether I am doing the kind of work I really want to be doing. I need to spend more time thinking about that.
I have been thinking a lot about priorities lately. Starting to wonder what new traditions I can add to my life. My family has gotten away from tradition which really makes me sad at times so it is about time I start making my own traditions!
I've also come to the conclusion that I am ready for a big but positive change in my life. I have achieved all of my previous goals and dreams.. now it is time for new ones.. for a new chapter in my life. I feel like I am finally free of the burden of all those pounds and now I can really get out there and do what I was put on this earth to do!
I was seriously in denial before.. I had no idea that I was so unhappy with myself.. I guess it is easy to be so unclear when you're shrouded with not just the physical weight but everything else that comes with it. Even I didn't know exactly how much I was dealing with until I saw it start to fall away.. aside from the medical issues and actual physical limitations, the clothing, the perception of others and people looking right past me instead of at me.
I think one of the things that I enjoy the most right now is knowing that I can be anywhere and do anything and not have to wonder if I can"fit". Also, being out and about and never once praying for a parking spot close to my destination so that I don't have to walk too far. I know this is perceived as laziness but you need to understand that everyone has limitations and once you hit a certain weight, things don't work so well. I had major foot pain and knee pain. I dreaded walking 10 feet much less a whole block.. now, I am a walking machine.. ask Lauren and Alice how much stamina and energy I had in Montreal lol!
I want to keep in my mind a little bit of what I have been through as a reminder. It is so easy to forget how things were and start thinking the way other people would think of me.. "If she was more active she wouldn't be fat." "If she ate less, she would lose weight". These statements may be true in some cases but they weren't 100% true for me. It takes more than that and anyone saying things like that is ignorant to the reality of the situation. There are variables that come into play that no one could predict. Things you wouldn't recognize unless you had it happen to you. So for that reason, I never want to forget where I have been.
I have started to shift my perception and I see myself as a thinner and healthier person now, and I often forget what I used to look like, but I will never forget the way I used to feel. That's also why I got the tattoo.. as a reminder of where I started.. something about me that will never change, since so much in my life is changing and will change.
So a new chapter is about to begin in my life. Doors have opened up and a whole new world is before me. I have never before been so excited about the opportunities and possibilities I have ahead.. but you know what the weird thing is? All of these possibilities and opportunities were always there.. I just couldn't see past my weight. I allowed my weight to put limits on myself.
Its not like I am being handed opportunities. No one is approaching me with gifts and trips and experiences. No one has given me a free pass to anything. I am creating this for myself and I always could.. now of course it is easier.. I can fly comfortably and I know I can fit in any seat in almost any venue. I am now able to eat fairly normally too.. so all that makes it easier but I just realize now that my weight was one big fat excuse! I craved adventure back then. I ached to experience things.. but my weight kept me from it all. No, I kept me from it all.
I don't know what I am trying to get at exactly but basically my message is this.. if at any time, for any reason you or anyone else for that matter says you CAN'T do something, ask WHY, ask for PROOF. Because I am living proof that unless it involves the Time/Space continuum, you can do anything you want to do. You just have to be willing to alter what you want to do according to your challenges. Change your expectations of the experience to mold it to your life. Don't try to mold yourself into someone else's idea of that perfect experience. If you want to travel, DO IT.. but if you can't hike, don't hike.. We have 100% control of our lives and even though we have challenges and hurdles to overcome, we are capable. We were given pretty powerful brains and we definitely don't use them very efficiently. Be creative and get what you want out of life. And if somehow, somewhere along the road your life gets better in the process.. then that is the frosting on the metaphoric cake.
So to sum it all up.. life is good. Getting better every day. Looking forward to tomorrow and the day after that and so on and so on. Eventually looking forward to sharing my wonderful life with a wonderful guy but I know that will happen when it is meant to.. so for now, I will just keep doing what I am doing.
Thanks for sticking around and reading all this rambling :)
Pia
I can't believe how easy it is to get caught up in the amazing things I can do now and the amount of energy I have. I have been meaning to blog for weeks but aside from being really busy (more mentally busy than actually overburdened with tasks), I haven't been very motivated to sit on the computer long enough to blog.
I have had some great experiences. I am addicted to travelling now. I went to Montreal with Lauren and Alice in September and had a wonderful time! I fell in love with Montreal and can't wait to go back! I also went to Toronto for work just a couple of weeks ago. I didn't enjoy T.Dot. as much as I enjoyed Montreal but I would definitely go back.. plus I made a great friend there.. Renee.. and we went to Niagara Falls and saw a taping of 'The Hour' which was a lot of fun! I definitely made the best of the time I was there.
I haven't been enjoying work that much. Partly I think because I have been enjoying LIFE too much and I am starting to question whether I am doing the kind of work I really want to be doing. I need to spend more time thinking about that.
I have been thinking a lot about priorities lately. Starting to wonder what new traditions I can add to my life. My family has gotten away from tradition which really makes me sad at times so it is about time I start making my own traditions!
I've also come to the conclusion that I am ready for a big but positive change in my life. I have achieved all of my previous goals and dreams.. now it is time for new ones.. for a new chapter in my life. I feel like I am finally free of the burden of all those pounds and now I can really get out there and do what I was put on this earth to do!
I was seriously in denial before.. I had no idea that I was so unhappy with myself.. I guess it is easy to be so unclear when you're shrouded with not just the physical weight but everything else that comes with it. Even I didn't know exactly how much I was dealing with until I saw it start to fall away.. aside from the medical issues and actual physical limitations, the clothing, the perception of others and people looking right past me instead of at me.
I think one of the things that I enjoy the most right now is knowing that I can be anywhere and do anything and not have to wonder if I can"fit". Also, being out and about and never once praying for a parking spot close to my destination so that I don't have to walk too far. I know this is perceived as laziness but you need to understand that everyone has limitations and once you hit a certain weight, things don't work so well. I had major foot pain and knee pain. I dreaded walking 10 feet much less a whole block.. now, I am a walking machine.. ask Lauren and Alice how much stamina and energy I had in Montreal lol!
I want to keep in my mind a little bit of what I have been through as a reminder. It is so easy to forget how things were and start thinking the way other people would think of me.. "If she was more active she wouldn't be fat." "If she ate less, she would lose weight". These statements may be true in some cases but they weren't 100% true for me. It takes more than that and anyone saying things like that is ignorant to the reality of the situation. There are variables that come into play that no one could predict. Things you wouldn't recognize unless you had it happen to you. So for that reason, I never want to forget where I have been.
I have started to shift my perception and I see myself as a thinner and healthier person now, and I often forget what I used to look like, but I will never forget the way I used to feel. That's also why I got the tattoo.. as a reminder of where I started.. something about me that will never change, since so much in my life is changing and will change.
So a new chapter is about to begin in my life. Doors have opened up and a whole new world is before me. I have never before been so excited about the opportunities and possibilities I have ahead.. but you know what the weird thing is? All of these possibilities and opportunities were always there.. I just couldn't see past my weight. I allowed my weight to put limits on myself.
Its not like I am being handed opportunities. No one is approaching me with gifts and trips and experiences. No one has given me a free pass to anything. I am creating this for myself and I always could.. now of course it is easier.. I can fly comfortably and I know I can fit in any seat in almost any venue. I am now able to eat fairly normally too.. so all that makes it easier but I just realize now that my weight was one big fat excuse! I craved adventure back then. I ached to experience things.. but my weight kept me from it all. No, I kept me from it all.
I don't know what I am trying to get at exactly but basically my message is this.. if at any time, for any reason you or anyone else for that matter says you CAN'T do something, ask WHY, ask for PROOF. Because I am living proof that unless it involves the Time/Space continuum, you can do anything you want to do. You just have to be willing to alter what you want to do according to your challenges. Change your expectations of the experience to mold it to your life. Don't try to mold yourself into someone else's idea of that perfect experience. If you want to travel, DO IT.. but if you can't hike, don't hike.. We have 100% control of our lives and even though we have challenges and hurdles to overcome, we are capable. We were given pretty powerful brains and we definitely don't use them very efficiently. Be creative and get what you want out of life. And if somehow, somewhere along the road your life gets better in the process.. then that is the frosting on the metaphoric cake.
So to sum it all up.. life is good. Getting better every day. Looking forward to tomorrow and the day after that and so on and so on. Eventually looking forward to sharing my wonderful life with a wonderful guy but I know that will happen when it is meant to.. so for now, I will just keep doing what I am doing.
Thanks for sticking around and reading all this rambling :)
Pia
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hiking, Fondue, a busy life and -186!!!
I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last blog. Time seems to just disappear at my fingertips these days.
I'll start with recent events and then think back to the past month and see what I can recall ;)
Well.. as you can see, I am -186! That's only 14lbs away from being -200!!! I am in shock but at the same time I am grateful and I feel so lucky! My life has changed fairly significantly over the past year (even over the past month!).
Lauren and I went to Banff last weekend. We decided to go on a hike at Johnston Canyon..
On the way to Banff, we stopped at Canmore at the Summit Cafe and had breakfast! YUM!
We thought the hike was a total of 6K round trip but discovered when we arrived to the very busy tourist attraction that not only was 6K just one-way to the Ink Pots, but the volume of people (and rudeness of the tourists) made the trail less than peaceful! We took about 40 minutes to hike 2K (including stopping to view the falls and take photos) and made it up past the upper falls beyond the end of the interpretive trail.
It was a hot hot hot day and an exhausting uphill hike. I decided that I wouldn't make it the rest of the way to the Ink Pots which was an additional 3k each way. I was just exhausted. It was amazing that I made it as far as I did! Considering the fact that a year ago I would have complained about walking a block much less 6K uphill.. This for me was a Huge victory!!!!!!
We hiked back through the crowds and although my knees were a bit sore from the descent, I felt fantastic. Tired and somewhat down on myself for not going the full distance to the Ink Pots but I was able to rationalize that 1) We planned for a 6K hike, not a 12K hike and we DID 6K. 2) I wouldn't have done this at all a year ago so the fact that I was hiking in the first place is amazing.
After the hike we went to the hotel in Banff to check in. We were hoping to get changed and head off to the Hot Springs to relax our newly worked muscles but the hotel room wasn't ready so we just went ahead to the Hot Springs. We only stayed there for about 20 mins.. It felt like longer.. It was just too hot. I love the hot springs in the winter when the snow is drifting down and the water is hot and steamy.. THAT is an experience to be had! Also, for the record, this was the FIRST time I have ever been to the hot springs where I was able to walk up to the front door from the parking lot. In the past I was always dropped off at the door!!
After the hot springs we went to the hotel and finally checked in. We really wanted to go to Grizzly House for dinner so we called and the reservations were for 8:30pm!! We had a good 3 hours to kill so Lauren set the alarm and we both fell fast asleep! (by the way, the beds were so firm but for some reason they were still comfortable).
We woke up with plenty of time to spare to get ready. We got ready to go to dinner and left about an hour early so that we could browse the shops on the way to dinner. (sometime between the first attempt to check in to the hotel and leaving the next day, I lost my prescription sunglasses :()
We ended up arriving at the Grizzly House almost 30 minutes early. The weather was a bit drizzly and the power kept flickering in the shops. We were anxious to eat as well after a long day.
The Grizzly House was incredible! We ordered the 4 course Fondue dinner which included Salad, cheese fondue, meat/seafood fondue and chocolate fondue. We ordered our cheese fondue and they allowed us to replace the traditional bread chunks with steamed vegetables for dipping (DELICIOUS!!!)
I ordered the seafood combo with lobster, shrimp and scallops and Lauren ordered the Alberta special which included Beef, Bison, Elk and Venison. We had both a hot rock and hot oil for cooking. I thought the hot rock was incredible and much more flavorful than the hot oil!
After the meat course, we enjoyed ourselves snapping pics of each other. The chocolate fondue came last and we were given wafer cookies and various fruits to dip into the Toblerone chocolate!
I am a fondue lover but this experience was by far the BEST fondue dinner I have ever had!!! Also, I am a new hot rock lover!!! Sounds kinky lol!
We were at dinner until almost 11pm. We asked about their Halloween and New Years functions and got a laminated place mat to bring home. (you'd have to see it to understand lol)
We had to be back at the hotel before 11 because they lock the doors after that time and you have to buzz to get in (annoying) so to avoid that, we rushed to Safeway and then made it to the hotel with 5 minutes to spare.
We crashed hard that night and were up at a decent time for breakfast. The hotel offered a buffet but it was less than impressive. We ended up checking out shortly after 9 and then after a good 45minutes of searching for my lost sunglasses (including calling and/or visiting all the places we were at the day before), we were on our way back to Calgary.
We stopped in Canmore again on the way back.. I bought a pair of clip on sunglasses to tide me over until I got a replacement pair. We also stopped at Beamers for a coffee.
When we got to Calgary we went straight to Eau Claire Market to take in the Taste of Calgary festival.
We also ended up meeting Debbie and Michael and my dad and step mom since they just got into town at the same time. We all hung out there, ate and got sunburned lol!
Lauren, Debbie and I also went to an open casting call for a Mexican western movie that is being filmed here.. The casting lady made a comment about how I photographed really well. HUGE compliment!
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. We went to the Farmer's Market on Sunday and got a ton of great produce and local goodies. Spent more money than perhaps I should have but hell, that's what a market is for!
Aside from this weekend, I have been busy with my new contract I am working. So far I am extremely frustrated with it since I haven't been able to deliver what they were looking for (huge communication issues with my contact from Minnesota!)
I am still considering joining the Christmas choir and Meet Market Adventures has yet to get back to me about re booking the horseback riding trip I paid for in May! That is driving me nuts!!!!
I am having a big 1 year and under 300lbs celebration on September 6th. It will be an outdoor picnic style party and I am excited about it. I have booked the site and I can't wait. It will be nice to see who can make it and even if only my closest friends show up, it will be great!
Also, in Eau Claire we came across a booth for Breast Cancer Awareness and it reminded me about the CIBC run for the cure!! So I decided to join the 5K walk and created a team (we're up to 4 members so far). I am shamelessly soliciting donations so if you want to sponsor me online, click on:
https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/personal_page.asp?track=2749300&languageid=1
Thanks in advance.. and by the way, this is yet one more example of something I wouldn't have dreamed of a year ago.
LIFE IS GOOD!
I'll start with recent events and then think back to the past month and see what I can recall ;)
Well.. as you can see, I am -186! That's only 14lbs away from being -200!!! I am in shock but at the same time I am grateful and I feel so lucky! My life has changed fairly significantly over the past year (even over the past month!).
Lauren and I went to Banff last weekend. We decided to go on a hike at Johnston Canyon..
On the way to Banff, we stopped at Canmore at the Summit Cafe and had breakfast! YUM!
We thought the hike was a total of 6K round trip but discovered when we arrived to the very busy tourist attraction that not only was 6K just one-way to the Ink Pots, but the volume of people (and rudeness of the tourists) made the trail less than peaceful! We took about 40 minutes to hike 2K (including stopping to view the falls and take photos) and made it up past the upper falls beyond the end of the interpretive trail.
It was a hot hot hot day and an exhausting uphill hike. I decided that I wouldn't make it the rest of the way to the Ink Pots which was an additional 3k each way. I was just exhausted. It was amazing that I made it as far as I did! Considering the fact that a year ago I would have complained about walking a block much less 6K uphill.. This for me was a Huge victory!!!!!!
We hiked back through the crowds and although my knees were a bit sore from the descent, I felt fantastic. Tired and somewhat down on myself for not going the full distance to the Ink Pots but I was able to rationalize that 1) We planned for a 6K hike, not a 12K hike and we DID 6K. 2) I wouldn't have done this at all a year ago so the fact that I was hiking in the first place is amazing.
After the hike we went to the hotel in Banff to check in. We were hoping to get changed and head off to the Hot Springs to relax our newly worked muscles but the hotel room wasn't ready so we just went ahead to the Hot Springs. We only stayed there for about 20 mins.. It felt like longer.. It was just too hot. I love the hot springs in the winter when the snow is drifting down and the water is hot and steamy.. THAT is an experience to be had! Also, for the record, this was the FIRST time I have ever been to the hot springs where I was able to walk up to the front door from the parking lot. In the past I was always dropped off at the door!!
After the hot springs we went to the hotel and finally checked in. We really wanted to go to Grizzly House for dinner so we called and the reservations were for 8:30pm!! We had a good 3 hours to kill so Lauren set the alarm and we both fell fast asleep! (by the way, the beds were so firm but for some reason they were still comfortable).
We woke up with plenty of time to spare to get ready. We got ready to go to dinner and left about an hour early so that we could browse the shops on the way to dinner. (sometime between the first attempt to check in to the hotel and leaving the next day, I lost my prescription sunglasses :()
We ended up arriving at the Grizzly House almost 30 minutes early. The weather was a bit drizzly and the power kept flickering in the shops. We were anxious to eat as well after a long day.
The Grizzly House was incredible! We ordered the 4 course Fondue dinner which included Salad, cheese fondue, meat/seafood fondue and chocolate fondue. We ordered our cheese fondue and they allowed us to replace the traditional bread chunks with steamed vegetables for dipping (DELICIOUS!!!)
I ordered the seafood combo with lobster, shrimp and scallops and Lauren ordered the Alberta special which included Beef, Bison, Elk and Venison. We had both a hot rock and hot oil for cooking. I thought the hot rock was incredible and much more flavorful than the hot oil!
After the meat course, we enjoyed ourselves snapping pics of each other. The chocolate fondue came last and we were given wafer cookies and various fruits to dip into the Toblerone chocolate!
I am a fondue lover but this experience was by far the BEST fondue dinner I have ever had!!! Also, I am a new hot rock lover!!! Sounds kinky lol!
We were at dinner until almost 11pm. We asked about their Halloween and New Years functions and got a laminated place mat to bring home. (you'd have to see it to understand lol)
We had to be back at the hotel before 11 because they lock the doors after that time and you have to buzz to get in (annoying) so to avoid that, we rushed to Safeway and then made it to the hotel with 5 minutes to spare.
We crashed hard that night and were up at a decent time for breakfast. The hotel offered a buffet but it was less than impressive. We ended up checking out shortly after 9 and then after a good 45minutes of searching for my lost sunglasses (including calling and/or visiting all the places we were at the day before), we were on our way back to Calgary.
We stopped in Canmore again on the way back.. I bought a pair of clip on sunglasses to tide me over until I got a replacement pair. We also stopped at Beamers for a coffee.
When we got to Calgary we went straight to Eau Claire Market to take in the Taste of Calgary festival.
We also ended up meeting Debbie and Michael and my dad and step mom since they just got into town at the same time. We all hung out there, ate and got sunburned lol!
Lauren, Debbie and I also went to an open casting call for a Mexican western movie that is being filmed here.. The casting lady made a comment about how I photographed really well. HUGE compliment!
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. We went to the Farmer's Market on Sunday and got a ton of great produce and local goodies. Spent more money than perhaps I should have but hell, that's what a market is for!
Aside from this weekend, I have been busy with my new contract I am working. So far I am extremely frustrated with it since I haven't been able to deliver what they were looking for (huge communication issues with my contact from Minnesota!)
I am still considering joining the Christmas choir and Meet Market Adventures has yet to get back to me about re booking the horseback riding trip I paid for in May! That is driving me nuts!!!!
I am having a big 1 year and under 300lbs celebration on September 6th. It will be an outdoor picnic style party and I am excited about it. I have booked the site and I can't wait. It will be nice to see who can make it and even if only my closest friends show up, it will be great!
Also, in Eau Claire we came across a booth for Breast Cancer Awareness and it reminded me about the CIBC run for the cure!! So I decided to join the 5K walk and created a team (we're up to 4 members so far). I am shamelessly soliciting donations so if you want to sponsor me online, click on:
https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/personal_page.asp?track=2749300&languageid=1
Thanks in advance.. and by the way, this is yet one more example of something I wouldn't have dreamed of a year ago.
LIFE IS GOOD!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
-177 and a Surreal experience with a Glutton for Punishment
I found out that Food Network star Bob Blumer would be in Calgary during the Stampede to try and break the Guinness World Record for most pancakes made in an hour.
I've been a big fan of Bob Blumer for years because of his show Surreal Gourmet. He always had interesting episodes that provided his unique and twisted spin on different foods. He once did a show about caviar and made gourmet burgers with Foie Gras in it.
He also made a savoury cake... the "cake" layers were meatloaf and the icing was mashed potatoes. The decorations were carrots and other veggies cut into flowers etc.. Very creative.
Oh did I mention that his portable kitchen is an aluminum trailer shaped like a toaster with two slices of toast popping out of the top?
Bob's new show "Glutton for Punishment" is a very different concept. Bob travels all over the world and spends a week or so learning a task or feat and then competes to accomplish the goal he has set out. He once did a show on oyster shucking and competed in a shucking contest. He also did a show where he competed in a BBQ cook off, a show where he had to chase a big wheel of cheese down a hill in England and this time, he was flipping pancakes for a world record.
Now, this episode although filmed in Calgary during Stampede, will not air until Spring of 2009, I got to see it all live!
So here's how things went down...
Lauren dropped me off downtown at 7:30 am. I haven't been at a Stampede breakfast all "stampede season" so I figured if I am going to any, it will be one starring Bob Blumer!
So by the time I got there, they had Olympic plaza equipped with 2 large and 2 small griddles under a canopy. There were many buckets of pancake batter and tools for cooking.. and of course Bob prepping everything.. He was scurrying back and forth oiling the griddle and pouring test batches of pancakes. By now, there were only maybe 4 of us watching him from behind a rope. He announced to us that he was nervous which was pretty obvious. But I have to admit, he was far more attractive in person than I anticipated!
So the Guinness Book of World Record guy was pacing in the background while the various people who were involved with Bob's training or whatever were interviewed by various media. Bob's producer was running around getting things ready and it was generally just a typical scene with cameras everywhere and at the time, more media than audience.
So the countdown was on and the pancake flipping began. Bob had an hour to try and make more than 555 pancakes and they had to be bigger than the 6" diameter according to the template the Guinness guy had. They also had to be thinner than 1cm. The Guinness guy was counting madly as Bob produced griddles full of pancakes. He did try at one point to make pancakes on the back griddles but they ended up not being the right temperature so he gave up on them and worked on the two larger griddles facing the crowd.
As Bob flipped, we cheered and encouraged. Some people chanted, I just yelled the occasional words of encouragement. The MC from one of the radio stations kept pushing and egging Bob on, telling him he wasn't working hard enough or fast enough. He kept telling everyone that he was behind in the quota. It was a good thing too because Bob needed that extra push.
So it came down to the final minute and the crowd counted down. Bob poured a last batch of pancakes and got them off the heat in time to get them to the Guinness judge. Then the waiting began. As we all waited, Bob was letting off his frenetic energy and was talking with the MC. It was getting down to the wire and we were only at maybe 490 pancakes. It wasn't looking good. Bob was obviously nervous because he started going through the pancake reject pile looking for potential pancakes to be reconsidered but as the final batch was counted, it was clear that Bob managed to beat the world record with a slim margin of 4 pancakes! He made 559 pancakes in 1 hour!!!
I have to say it was a thrilling moment to see Bob jumping up and down with excitement. He ran past the crowd and high fived everyone. (That was painful lol). So after it all, the MC brought Bob over to the audience while all the media followed. So there was Bob on my right, and me in the middle and the MC on my left all facing the camera. I was all smiles of course and I had my hand on Bob's sweaty shoulder. I patted him on the back and congratulated him. He thanked me and then they moved Bob on to the next segment of interviews as people started to clean up the pancake griddles.
I followed for a bit because I wanted to get my pic taken with Bob but it was seemingly impossible to get a picture so I went off to the side. I figured I would wait for the pancakes that he promised he would make for the crowd. (He couldn't serve the ones in the contest because of health reasons). So as I stuck around I noticed they were moving the griddles over to where I was standing which was convenient. After the plaque was given to Bob and he was congratulated etc.. Bob was finally almost all alone so I went over to his assistant or coach guy and asked if I could get a pic with Bob. He said he would take 2 and so I got the 2 pics taken.
It was finally time for Bob to flip some pancakes for the crowd. Not many people crowded around.. most didn't know what had happened just 30 minutes earlier but there Bob was, prepping the griddles again and pouring on the pancake batter. Suddenly without warning, all of Bob's crew left. Everyone left. He had a griddle full of pancakes and a stack of plates but no way of getting them to the crowd. He finally just said we would all have to cross the rope and come down to the griddle and collect the pancakes our selves... well the crowd was too chicken to cross the rope. I tried to encourage them to go down to the griddle.. I even held up the rope and everyone just stood there dumbstruck.. so there was Bob with a whole lot of pancakes about to burn so I went under the rope, dropped my bag and umbrella etc.. and grabbed plates of pancakes from Bob and handed them to the crowd with a squeeze of syrup.
Bob was stunned that I jumped in and thanked me. I dished out pancakes to the crowd until we ran out of paper plates... so I started tearing off paper towels and served the hot cakes on them.
Bob then asked me my name and thanked me again. He said he would make sure I got some pancakes of my own in the next batch. As he was pouring the second (and final) batch, his crew came back and started filming us.
It was hard serving pancakes on napkins. People were annoyed that they couldn't soak the pancakes in syrup and there were no forks.. I eventually just took a stack of 10 pancakes on the last plate I was using to serve and had people help themselves with napkins.. but still I managed to serve up all but the last 3 pancakes.. I offered Bob one but he declined. I tossed on some syrup but for my little tummy even 1 pancake was pushing it... I finally said goodbye to Bob, he thanked me again and I left to head to work. On the way to the train station, I had to toss the sticky plate and wash my hands with my bottle of water. Sticky indeed!
So overall it was a fantastic morning. By the time I got to work, the office had essentially shut down. The employees had the afternoon off for a Stampede party so I ended up leaving early and heading over to Enmax for their Stampede party (starring Loverboy, Chiliwack and Trooper). It was stormy, it hailed but it was a great time! (and I got my butt sketched!)
So that was my Thursday (July 10th).
I've been a big fan of Bob Blumer for years because of his show Surreal Gourmet. He always had interesting episodes that provided his unique and twisted spin on different foods. He once did a show about caviar and made gourmet burgers with Foie Gras in it.
He also made a savoury cake... the "cake" layers were meatloaf and the icing was mashed potatoes. The decorations were carrots and other veggies cut into flowers etc.. Very creative.
Oh did I mention that his portable kitchen is an aluminum trailer shaped like a toaster with two slices of toast popping out of the top?
Bob's new show "Glutton for Punishment" is a very different concept. Bob travels all over the world and spends a week or so learning a task or feat and then competes to accomplish the goal he has set out. He once did a show on oyster shucking and competed in a shucking contest. He also did a show where he competed in a BBQ cook off, a show where he had to chase a big wheel of cheese down a hill in England and this time, he was flipping pancakes for a world record.
Now, this episode although filmed in Calgary during Stampede, will not air until Spring of 2009, I got to see it all live!
So here's how things went down...
Lauren dropped me off downtown at 7:30 am. I haven't been at a Stampede breakfast all "stampede season" so I figured if I am going to any, it will be one starring Bob Blumer!
So by the time I got there, they had Olympic plaza equipped with 2 large and 2 small griddles under a canopy. There were many buckets of pancake batter and tools for cooking.. and of course Bob prepping everything.. He was scurrying back and forth oiling the griddle and pouring test batches of pancakes. By now, there were only maybe 4 of us watching him from behind a rope. He announced to us that he was nervous which was pretty obvious. But I have to admit, he was far more attractive in person than I anticipated!
So the Guinness Book of World Record guy was pacing in the background while the various people who were involved with Bob's training or whatever were interviewed by various media. Bob's producer was running around getting things ready and it was generally just a typical scene with cameras everywhere and at the time, more media than audience.
So the countdown was on and the pancake flipping began. Bob had an hour to try and make more than 555 pancakes and they had to be bigger than the 6" diameter according to the template the Guinness guy had. They also had to be thinner than 1cm. The Guinness guy was counting madly as Bob produced griddles full of pancakes. He did try at one point to make pancakes on the back griddles but they ended up not being the right temperature so he gave up on them and worked on the two larger griddles facing the crowd.
As Bob flipped, we cheered and encouraged. Some people chanted, I just yelled the occasional words of encouragement. The MC from one of the radio stations kept pushing and egging Bob on, telling him he wasn't working hard enough or fast enough. He kept telling everyone that he was behind in the quota. It was a good thing too because Bob needed that extra push.
So it came down to the final minute and the crowd counted down. Bob poured a last batch of pancakes and got them off the heat in time to get them to the Guinness judge. Then the waiting began. As we all waited, Bob was letting off his frenetic energy and was talking with the MC. It was getting down to the wire and we were only at maybe 490 pancakes. It wasn't looking good. Bob was obviously nervous because he started going through the pancake reject pile looking for potential pancakes to be reconsidered but as the final batch was counted, it was clear that Bob managed to beat the world record with a slim margin of 4 pancakes! He made 559 pancakes in 1 hour!!!
I have to say it was a thrilling moment to see Bob jumping up and down with excitement. He ran past the crowd and high fived everyone. (That was painful lol). So after it all, the MC brought Bob over to the audience while all the media followed. So there was Bob on my right, and me in the middle and the MC on my left all facing the camera. I was all smiles of course and I had my hand on Bob's sweaty shoulder. I patted him on the back and congratulated him. He thanked me and then they moved Bob on to the next segment of interviews as people started to clean up the pancake griddles.
I followed for a bit because I wanted to get my pic taken with Bob but it was seemingly impossible to get a picture so I went off to the side. I figured I would wait for the pancakes that he promised he would make for the crowd. (He couldn't serve the ones in the contest because of health reasons). So as I stuck around I noticed they were moving the griddles over to where I was standing which was convenient. After the plaque was given to Bob and he was congratulated etc.. Bob was finally almost all alone so I went over to his assistant or coach guy and asked if I could get a pic with Bob. He said he would take 2 and so I got the 2 pics taken.
It was finally time for Bob to flip some pancakes for the crowd. Not many people crowded around.. most didn't know what had happened just 30 minutes earlier but there Bob was, prepping the griddles again and pouring on the pancake batter. Suddenly without warning, all of Bob's crew left. Everyone left. He had a griddle full of pancakes and a stack of plates but no way of getting them to the crowd. He finally just said we would all have to cross the rope and come down to the griddle and collect the pancakes our selves... well the crowd was too chicken to cross the rope. I tried to encourage them to go down to the griddle.. I even held up the rope and everyone just stood there dumbstruck.. so there was Bob with a whole lot of pancakes about to burn so I went under the rope, dropped my bag and umbrella etc.. and grabbed plates of pancakes from Bob and handed them to the crowd with a squeeze of syrup.
Bob was stunned that I jumped in and thanked me. I dished out pancakes to the crowd until we ran out of paper plates... so I started tearing off paper towels and served the hot cakes on them.
Bob then asked me my name and thanked me again. He said he would make sure I got some pancakes of my own in the next batch. As he was pouring the second (and final) batch, his crew came back and started filming us.
It was hard serving pancakes on napkins. People were annoyed that they couldn't soak the pancakes in syrup and there were no forks.. I eventually just took a stack of 10 pancakes on the last plate I was using to serve and had people help themselves with napkins.. but still I managed to serve up all but the last 3 pancakes.. I offered Bob one but he declined. I tossed on some syrup but for my little tummy even 1 pancake was pushing it... I finally said goodbye to Bob, he thanked me again and I left to head to work. On the way to the train station, I had to toss the sticky plate and wash my hands with my bottle of water. Sticky indeed!
So overall it was a fantastic morning. By the time I got to work, the office had essentially shut down. The employees had the afternoon off for a Stampede party so I ended up leaving early and heading over to Enmax for their Stampede party (starring Loverboy, Chiliwack and Trooper). It was stormy, it hailed but it was a great time! (and I got my butt sketched!)
So that was my Thursday (July 10th).
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Great Vancouver Trip of 2008
First off, what a deal. We snagged the flight through WestJet just before the big fuel surcharge was added so Lauren and I both flew to Vancouver return for less than $400.
When planning the trip (I get a little OCD when it comes to planning) I called many hotels and motels and ultimately, decided on a Bed & Breakfast. The cost was similar to a hotel but the hotels were less than accomodating and I was annoyed with their attitudes when I called. So I decided to book online with Granville B&B. I also prebooked reservations to some of the restaurants we wanted to go to (using Open Table) and I even booked our rental car.
So. Since we were all set, all we had to do was show up. Alice was nice enough to take care of the kitties while we were gone too.
So we flew into Vancouver on Saturday evening (6:30), grabbed the rental car and our bag and drove to the Bed & Breakfast to drop off our stuff. At the airport, I went to the 7-11 to pick up a transit map and an all day bus pass for each of us.
The rental car was relatively cheap for the 4 days but I had to be the sole driver or the cost would have doubled.. so I ended up renting a Pontiac G6. We got to the B&B and it was pretty cool because everything was coded. The front door had a numbered key code box. All the codes were emailed to me weeks before so I just printed all the info.
We went into the foyer of the huge house. They have a "shoes off" policy so we took our shoes off and carried them to our room with us. There was no one in sight. The main foyer had one suite off to the right and then a dining room and sitting room off to the left. There was a huge staircase in front of us. The directions told us to go up the stairs and find the Dogwood suite on the right. So we did, and we coded in our special key code and entered the suite. The Upstairs had a total of 4 suites.
Lauren and I shared a king sized bed (the only option but it was big enough for 3!!). The suite was functional and very nicely decorated. The bed linens were so cozy and the bathroom was fully equipped with shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers in the shower, and soap/lotions (all local Purely Saltspring products) and a hair dryer of course.
The room also had a big closet with a fridge and safe and a decent sized TV.
So we changed into some fancier evening clothes and went off to dinner at Cloud9 (In the Empire Landmark Hotel). I found this restaurant in the Vancouver entertainment book. It has a revolving restaurant at the top and a piano lounge that didn't take reservations. The piano lounge opened at 8pm so we made it just in time. Traffic on the way there was hell though since the Jazz Festival was happening on Robson St. and there was construction everywhere.
It was the perfect way to start the trip. We were able to enjoy a sunset view of the city and Pacific Ocean while listening to the piano man. Lauren ordered a salmon dish (savoury not sweet) and I ordered Duck. For appetizers, we had shrimp cocktail and raw oysters. Hey! Why not enjoy the fish when you're on the coast! For dessert we had a delish cake called a charlotte. YUM!
After dinner we went back to the B&B and planned the following day. We also walked several blocks to a gas station to grab bevvies and snacks for the evenings.
The next morning, we had breakfast in the B&B. The chef, Eduardo made something called "Dutch Babies" which were like a firm egg custard baked in the oven with maple syrup and blueberries on top. They also had bacon, wheat/raisin toast, juice, fresh bananas/oranges, cereals, coffee, tea and home made preserves.
We ate and then left to catch the bus. The B&B was conveniently located on a street with a major bus line so we were able to hop on and it took us fairly close to where we needed to be for our first day of adventuring. We weren't 100% sure where we were going so we hopped off the bus with another tourist couple near the harbour and it ended up being maybe 6 blocks from where we needed to be. We headed to Dr. Sun Yat Sen gardens in Chinatown. We navigated our way to the gardens (snapping pics all the way) and met a very nice pair of Police Officers who offered to snap our photo for us. We wandered the gardens and decided to abandon the official tour (boring) but just enjoyed the beauty and serenity. We took a ton of pictures and in the last room of the gardens, people were doing Tai Chi and we were able to have some free chinese tea. We then hit up the gift shop and headed out.
Originally, our plan was to go for Dim Sum in Chinatown but as the day progressed, we decided to take the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay (pronounced Key) to the public market. We figured there would be good food to eat on the other side of the sea.
We found our way to the waterfront (where some of the cruise ships were docked) and hopped on the Seabus. It was all included in our day pass for transit so it was very convenient. When we got to the other side, we walked over to the market and just took a look around. There were couples square dancing and lots of people just soaking up the sun. We perused the market and found a lot of food options. Greek, indian, italian and everything in between. We settled on a very busy Fish and Chip place. It looked delicious and the busier the better! We ordered fish and chips and coleslaw to share. We are lucky we did because the portion was HUGE.
After lunch we walked over to a dock nearby where a large sailboat was docked. We had seen it from the seabus and it looked like they were letting people onto the boat so we decided to take a closer look. We ended up beating the rush and getting a wonderful tour. It was a very large sail boat for the Equadorian Navy. They showed us all the main points of the ship and I took a peek into the kitchen and laundry too! Lauren and I each bought a handmade bracelet from one of the female sailors and then we took more pics and left. They were sailing out to Japan the following day!!! We headed back to the market, bought some sorbet (since I can't eat dairy and all gelato in Vancouver seemed to have dairy in it!!). We ate the sorbet while soaking up some rays and sea air and then headed back to the Waterfront on the Seabus.
Our afternoon plans were supposed to consist of a walking tour of Gastown before dinner at the Salt Tasting Room (in Blood Alley, Gastown) but we ended up just wandering around amongst the insane volume of people there to enjoy the Jazz festival. We happened upon a CTV booth where you could get your image superimposed on a pic with your fave CTV tv show (for free!). Lauren picked CSI and I picked Medium. It was pretty cool! Lauren's pic was awesome!!! She's very savvy with posing!
We also ended up getting 2 free rolls of toilet paper, a frisbee and a led light lol.
So after a few hours of wandering and perusing gift shops, we went to the Salt Tasting Room. (it is marked by a black flag with a white salt shaker on it). What an experience that was! Basically, you sit down and look at the large chalkboard. You can either choose a cheese or meat tasting plate yourself from the items on the board, or you can have the chef's choice. Also you can have each paired with wines. There is also a small dessert menu.
So Lauren and I chose the Chef's choice meat tasting plate and the chef's choice cheese tasting plate. We also had the wine tasting paired with the cheese. I also ordered a very interesting pate with pork and pistachio nuts. Each meat/cheese was paired with a condiment, relish etc.. which is supposed to make the taste an experience. It was quite good and even though it seemed like small portioning, it really was quite filling. They were very good at explaining everything. They knew all the wines and meats and cheeses well.
After dinner, we headed back to find a bus home. I was craving sushi so I planned on hitting up a sushi joint for takeout on the way back but being Sunday night, not much was open. We had to ask a transit officer where to catch our bus but he was really friendly and helpful! Once we hopped on the bus, it was a fairly quick ride back to the B&B. No sushi :(
So the next day we went down for breakfast again. This time, it was a frittata with sausages on the side and of course the fresh juices and breads etc..
This time, we hopped into the rental car and drove over to VanDusen Botanical Gardens. I wasn't totally impressed with the foliage at Dr. Sun Yat Sen so I wanted to see some flowers! We didn't have to go far since the gardens were just around the corner. We spent all morning touring about 1/3 of the gardens before heading out. I managed to buy some seeds to plant at home and then we headed off to Granville Island. I want to go back and see the rest of the gardens sometime!
Eduardo told us about a great fish place on Granville Island called Go Fish!. It was basically a little take out place right on the dock but it was closed so we had to find an alternate lunch plan. So after wandering around, we settled on the Sandbar Restaurant. It was a huge restaurant right on the water. We went out onto the busy patio and had some wonderful food. We decided on a seafood platter with cold crab, shrimp and oysters and then shared some shrimp dumplings (paying homage to the Dim Sum we never had) and a delicious beet salad. It was a lot of food but we ate it all. I also had the BEST virgin caesar I have ever had! And Lauren enjoyed a Granville Island Lager (YUM!!!) One of our favourite beers before ever setting foot on Granville Island!
After lunch we browsed the market. We didn't get to see much though because we spent most of our allotted time in an amazing store called Dragonspace (or Dragonsense?). They had a lot of dragon items and beautiful jewelry. They also sold tarot cards, art, tshirts and books. Lauren got a book on Vikings and I bought a book on trees. I also bought a deck of tarot cards and a cool necklace of a lunar eclipse. (it is meant to symbolize positive change which seemed to fit my life perfectly!)
After leaving Granville Island Public Market, we took a drive to 4th St W (Kitsilano) for some shopping. Originally we planned to do shopping on Robson Street until we discovered most of the stores in Robson area are the large name brand chains..
In Kitsilano we found a bead store where I spent a lot of time. The beads were really reasonable and the store was a lot more diverse than some of the bead stores in Calgary. After spending all of our available shopping time in the bead store (it was 6pm and everything was closing) we decided to walk around to see what else there was on 4th st. Lo and behold, we found a tattoo/piercing shop which was open and empty. The shop was so beautiful with jewlery as far as the eye could see. It was so fancy compared to some of the bare shops here. I asked if they had time to do a nose piercing (I have been contemplating this for years but just in the past few months have really wanted it.. but never had the time/opportunity) so they were able to take me right away. So I was taken into the little room while Lauren acted as paparazzi for my big poke.. and it hurt for only the second the needle went in. But the eye on the side with the piercing filled with a single large warm tear which made its way down my cheek when I sat up. It was kinda cool.
Anyway, after the piercing we got back into the car and drove a few blocks away to dinner at Banana Leaf! Eduardo recommended this one to us (Malaysian cuisine). I have to admit, I was slightly nervous about eating all weekend since I was in a strange place and didn't know what my body would like/hate or how I would handle it but I am happy to report very few troubles on the entire trip! Banana Leaf was delicious and such a great atmosphere. Calgary (maybe Eau Claire) would benefit from one of the Banana Leaf restaurants. YUM!. Its funny, after we got back to Calgary I overheard some girls at Melrose Cafe talking about Banana Leaf in Vancouver and how great it was lol.
So on the way to dinner I had some issues parking. I wasn't nervous driving at all in Vancouver but man the drivers are RUDE! So I decided not to even bother parallel parking and parked a block away on a side street BUT it just so happened to be right near a sushi joint (Kitsilano Sushi). So after dinner, I decided to grab some sashimi and a roll to take back to the B&B for a late night snack. Well I must be spoiled by Kinjo or the people in this very busy Vancouver sushi place are just nuts but this was terrible sushi!!!! The portions were HUGE but it didn't taste like anything. I was so unimpressed that I ate 2 pieces and threw out the rest.
So the next morning (or last day there), we had breakfast again.. this time it was 2 crepes with banana and strawberries with syrup and liquor (and bacon). It was yummy but sweet!
Since it was the morning we were leaving, we decided to head up to Stanley Park by car, drive around and then head to the airport and grab lunch before taking our way too early 3pm flight. We drove over to Stanley Park and got out and enjoyed the beach. We took pictures and really loved the scenery. Then we went to the Totem Poles which was really amazing in my opinion. I thought the energy there was really strong and the totem poles were beautiful. We took lots of pictures and bought some souvenirs before heading to the airport.
At the airport, we took back the rental car (thank GOD we didn't have damage and remembered to fill the tank before we got there - I didn't take insurance .. :P) We checked our bag (we were over the weight limit so we had to take the books we bought at Dragonsense (Dragonspace?) and move them to the carry on bags we had. The lady also informed us that the limit for WestJet was dropping from 60lbs to 50 soon! So much for 2 of us sharing 1 suit case.. oh well we know better for next time.
We had lunch at Milestones in the airport. The food and service were terrible in my opinion!! After lunch we waited at the gate. We were really early so we had a lot of waiting to do.. and then the fire alarm went off.. I kept thinking.. "Our plane is here, just let us get on the plane, take off and they can sort out the fire" lol. It ended up being a false alarm.. whew!
The flight home was uneventful (except for the pregnant flight attendant which kept reminding us of that nicorette commercial - "The seatbelt sign is on! God!" lol but she was the nice version) and Alice was sweet to pick us up and take us to our car which was hibernating at her house.
Because of the bad sushi experience in Vancouver the night before, I insisted on hitting up Kinjo for some good sushi to take home with us for dinner. We had our sushi at home and the kitties quickly forgave us for being away. (We bought them some souvenirs too which they LOVED!) One was a dog toy for Faith. A rubber chicken that squeaks. She liked it but then we took out the catnip cigar for Loki. He was all over it, licking it and drooling on it.. and then Faith walked over and took 2 swipes at him and made him run away!!! He's twice her size and she bullied him into letting her have the catnip cigar! It was so funny! I missed them most of all!
So that was our trip.. 3 nights of fun and adventure. I would definitely go back anytime!
When planning the trip (I get a little OCD when it comes to planning) I called many hotels and motels and ultimately, decided on a Bed & Breakfast. The cost was similar to a hotel but the hotels were less than accomodating and I was annoyed with their attitudes when I called. So I decided to book online with Granville B&B. I also prebooked reservations to some of the restaurants we wanted to go to (using Open Table) and I even booked our rental car.
So. Since we were all set, all we had to do was show up. Alice was nice enough to take care of the kitties while we were gone too.
So we flew into Vancouver on Saturday evening (6:30), grabbed the rental car and our bag and drove to the Bed & Breakfast to drop off our stuff. At the airport, I went to the 7-11 to pick up a transit map and an all day bus pass for each of us.
The rental car was relatively cheap for the 4 days but I had to be the sole driver or the cost would have doubled.. so I ended up renting a Pontiac G6. We got to the B&B and it was pretty cool because everything was coded. The front door had a numbered key code box. All the codes were emailed to me weeks before so I just printed all the info.
We went into the foyer of the huge house. They have a "shoes off" policy so we took our shoes off and carried them to our room with us. There was no one in sight. The main foyer had one suite off to the right and then a dining room and sitting room off to the left. There was a huge staircase in front of us. The directions told us to go up the stairs and find the Dogwood suite on the right. So we did, and we coded in our special key code and entered the suite. The Upstairs had a total of 4 suites.
Lauren and I shared a king sized bed (the only option but it was big enough for 3!!). The suite was functional and very nicely decorated. The bed linens were so cozy and the bathroom was fully equipped with shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers in the shower, and soap/lotions (all local Purely Saltspring products) and a hair dryer of course.
The room also had a big closet with a fridge and safe and a decent sized TV.
So we changed into some fancier evening clothes and went off to dinner at Cloud9 (In the Empire Landmark Hotel). I found this restaurant in the Vancouver entertainment book. It has a revolving restaurant at the top and a piano lounge that didn't take reservations. The piano lounge opened at 8pm so we made it just in time. Traffic on the way there was hell though since the Jazz Festival was happening on Robson St. and there was construction everywhere.
It was the perfect way to start the trip. We were able to enjoy a sunset view of the city and Pacific Ocean while listening to the piano man. Lauren ordered a salmon dish (savoury not sweet) and I ordered Duck. For appetizers, we had shrimp cocktail and raw oysters. Hey! Why not enjoy the fish when you're on the coast! For dessert we had a delish cake called a charlotte. YUM!
After dinner we went back to the B&B and planned the following day. We also walked several blocks to a gas station to grab bevvies and snacks for the evenings.
The next morning, we had breakfast in the B&B. The chef, Eduardo made something called "Dutch Babies" which were like a firm egg custard baked in the oven with maple syrup and blueberries on top. They also had bacon, wheat/raisin toast, juice, fresh bananas/oranges, cereals, coffee, tea and home made preserves.
We ate and then left to catch the bus. The B&B was conveniently located on a street with a major bus line so we were able to hop on and it took us fairly close to where we needed to be for our first day of adventuring. We weren't 100% sure where we were going so we hopped off the bus with another tourist couple near the harbour and it ended up being maybe 6 blocks from where we needed to be. We headed to Dr. Sun Yat Sen gardens in Chinatown. We navigated our way to the gardens (snapping pics all the way) and met a very nice pair of Police Officers who offered to snap our photo for us. We wandered the gardens and decided to abandon the official tour (boring) but just enjoyed the beauty and serenity. We took a ton of pictures and in the last room of the gardens, people were doing Tai Chi and we were able to have some free chinese tea. We then hit up the gift shop and headed out.
Originally, our plan was to go for Dim Sum in Chinatown but as the day progressed, we decided to take the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay (pronounced Key) to the public market. We figured there would be good food to eat on the other side of the sea.
We found our way to the waterfront (where some of the cruise ships were docked) and hopped on the Seabus. It was all included in our day pass for transit so it was very convenient. When we got to the other side, we walked over to the market and just took a look around. There were couples square dancing and lots of people just soaking up the sun. We perused the market and found a lot of food options. Greek, indian, italian and everything in between. We settled on a very busy Fish and Chip place. It looked delicious and the busier the better! We ordered fish and chips and coleslaw to share. We are lucky we did because the portion was HUGE.
After lunch we walked over to a dock nearby where a large sailboat was docked. We had seen it from the seabus and it looked like they were letting people onto the boat so we decided to take a closer look. We ended up beating the rush and getting a wonderful tour. It was a very large sail boat for the Equadorian Navy. They showed us all the main points of the ship and I took a peek into the kitchen and laundry too! Lauren and I each bought a handmade bracelet from one of the female sailors and then we took more pics and left. They were sailing out to Japan the following day!!! We headed back to the market, bought some sorbet (since I can't eat dairy and all gelato in Vancouver seemed to have dairy in it!!). We ate the sorbet while soaking up some rays and sea air and then headed back to the Waterfront on the Seabus.
Our afternoon plans were supposed to consist of a walking tour of Gastown before dinner at the Salt Tasting Room (in Blood Alley, Gastown) but we ended up just wandering around amongst the insane volume of people there to enjoy the Jazz festival. We happened upon a CTV booth where you could get your image superimposed on a pic with your fave CTV tv show (for free!). Lauren picked CSI and I picked Medium. It was pretty cool! Lauren's pic was awesome!!! She's very savvy with posing!
We also ended up getting 2 free rolls of toilet paper, a frisbee and a led light lol.
So after a few hours of wandering and perusing gift shops, we went to the Salt Tasting Room. (it is marked by a black flag with a white salt shaker on it). What an experience that was! Basically, you sit down and look at the large chalkboard. You can either choose a cheese or meat tasting plate yourself from the items on the board, or you can have the chef's choice. Also you can have each paired with wines. There is also a small dessert menu.
So Lauren and I chose the Chef's choice meat tasting plate and the chef's choice cheese tasting plate. We also had the wine tasting paired with the cheese. I also ordered a very interesting pate with pork and pistachio nuts. Each meat/cheese was paired with a condiment, relish etc.. which is supposed to make the taste an experience. It was quite good and even though it seemed like small portioning, it really was quite filling. They were very good at explaining everything. They knew all the wines and meats and cheeses well.
After dinner, we headed back to find a bus home. I was craving sushi so I planned on hitting up a sushi joint for takeout on the way back but being Sunday night, not much was open. We had to ask a transit officer where to catch our bus but he was really friendly and helpful! Once we hopped on the bus, it was a fairly quick ride back to the B&B. No sushi :(
So the next day we went down for breakfast again. This time, it was a frittata with sausages on the side and of course the fresh juices and breads etc..
This time, we hopped into the rental car and drove over to VanDusen Botanical Gardens. I wasn't totally impressed with the foliage at Dr. Sun Yat Sen so I wanted to see some flowers! We didn't have to go far since the gardens were just around the corner. We spent all morning touring about 1/3 of the gardens before heading out. I managed to buy some seeds to plant at home and then we headed off to Granville Island. I want to go back and see the rest of the gardens sometime!
Eduardo told us about a great fish place on Granville Island called Go Fish!. It was basically a little take out place right on the dock but it was closed so we had to find an alternate lunch plan. So after wandering around, we settled on the Sandbar Restaurant. It was a huge restaurant right on the water. We went out onto the busy patio and had some wonderful food. We decided on a seafood platter with cold crab, shrimp and oysters and then shared some shrimp dumplings (paying homage to the Dim Sum we never had) and a delicious beet salad. It was a lot of food but we ate it all. I also had the BEST virgin caesar I have ever had! And Lauren enjoyed a Granville Island Lager (YUM!!!) One of our favourite beers before ever setting foot on Granville Island!
After lunch we browsed the market. We didn't get to see much though because we spent most of our allotted time in an amazing store called Dragonspace (or Dragonsense?). They had a lot of dragon items and beautiful jewelry. They also sold tarot cards, art, tshirts and books. Lauren got a book on Vikings and I bought a book on trees. I also bought a deck of tarot cards and a cool necklace of a lunar eclipse. (it is meant to symbolize positive change which seemed to fit my life perfectly!)
After leaving Granville Island Public Market, we took a drive to 4th St W (Kitsilano) for some shopping. Originally we planned to do shopping on Robson Street until we discovered most of the stores in Robson area are the large name brand chains..
In Kitsilano we found a bead store where I spent a lot of time. The beads were really reasonable and the store was a lot more diverse than some of the bead stores in Calgary. After spending all of our available shopping time in the bead store (it was 6pm and everything was closing) we decided to walk around to see what else there was on 4th st. Lo and behold, we found a tattoo/piercing shop which was open and empty. The shop was so beautiful with jewlery as far as the eye could see. It was so fancy compared to some of the bare shops here. I asked if they had time to do a nose piercing (I have been contemplating this for years but just in the past few months have really wanted it.. but never had the time/opportunity) so they were able to take me right away. So I was taken into the little room while Lauren acted as paparazzi for my big poke.. and it hurt for only the second the needle went in. But the eye on the side with the piercing filled with a single large warm tear which made its way down my cheek when I sat up. It was kinda cool.
Anyway, after the piercing we got back into the car and drove a few blocks away to dinner at Banana Leaf! Eduardo recommended this one to us (Malaysian cuisine). I have to admit, I was slightly nervous about eating all weekend since I was in a strange place and didn't know what my body would like/hate or how I would handle it but I am happy to report very few troubles on the entire trip! Banana Leaf was delicious and such a great atmosphere. Calgary (maybe Eau Claire) would benefit from one of the Banana Leaf restaurants. YUM!. Its funny, after we got back to Calgary I overheard some girls at Melrose Cafe talking about Banana Leaf in Vancouver and how great it was lol.
So on the way to dinner I had some issues parking. I wasn't nervous driving at all in Vancouver but man the drivers are RUDE! So I decided not to even bother parallel parking and parked a block away on a side street BUT it just so happened to be right near a sushi joint (Kitsilano Sushi). So after dinner, I decided to grab some sashimi and a roll to take back to the B&B for a late night snack. Well I must be spoiled by Kinjo or the people in this very busy Vancouver sushi place are just nuts but this was terrible sushi!!!! The portions were HUGE but it didn't taste like anything. I was so unimpressed that I ate 2 pieces and threw out the rest.
So the next morning (or last day there), we had breakfast again.. this time it was 2 crepes with banana and strawberries with syrup and liquor (and bacon). It was yummy but sweet!
Since it was the morning we were leaving, we decided to head up to Stanley Park by car, drive around and then head to the airport and grab lunch before taking our way too early 3pm flight. We drove over to Stanley Park and got out and enjoyed the beach. We took pictures and really loved the scenery. Then we went to the Totem Poles which was really amazing in my opinion. I thought the energy there was really strong and the totem poles were beautiful. We took lots of pictures and bought some souvenirs before heading to the airport.
At the airport, we took back the rental car (thank GOD we didn't have damage and remembered to fill the tank before we got there - I didn't take insurance .. :P) We checked our bag (we were over the weight limit so we had to take the books we bought at Dragonsense (Dragonspace?) and move them to the carry on bags we had. The lady also informed us that the limit for WestJet was dropping from 60lbs to 50 soon! So much for 2 of us sharing 1 suit case.. oh well we know better for next time.
We had lunch at Milestones in the airport. The food and service were terrible in my opinion!! After lunch we waited at the gate. We were really early so we had a lot of waiting to do.. and then the fire alarm went off.. I kept thinking.. "Our plane is here, just let us get on the plane, take off and they can sort out the fire" lol. It ended up being a false alarm.. whew!
The flight home was uneventful (except for the pregnant flight attendant which kept reminding us of that nicorette commercial - "The seatbelt sign is on! God!" lol but she was the nice version) and Alice was sweet to pick us up and take us to our car which was hibernating at her house.
Because of the bad sushi experience in Vancouver the night before, I insisted on hitting up Kinjo for some good sushi to take home with us for dinner. We had our sushi at home and the kitties quickly forgave us for being away. (We bought them some souvenirs too which they LOVED!) One was a dog toy for Faith. A rubber chicken that squeaks. She liked it but then we took out the catnip cigar for Loki. He was all over it, licking it and drooling on it.. and then Faith walked over and took 2 swipes at him and made him run away!!! He's twice her size and she bullied him into letting her have the catnip cigar! It was so funny! I missed them most of all!
So that was our trip.. 3 nights of fun and adventure. I would definitely go back anytime!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
-170 and getting my priorities straight
Wow. It has been over two weeks since my last blog post and it is taking all my energy to stick to it and finish this one. I don't know what's going on but I am just not interested in being on the computer at home lately. It seems like I have just been so wrapped up in LIFE that I keep forgetting to blog about it!
Well of course my biggest and most exciting news is my new weight. -170 which puts me at 296lbs. I am now ready to celebrate being under 300lbs. It blows me away how much my body has changed and in just a few weeks, I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my surgery. I want to have a celebration with friends and family (besides, who needs an excuse to celebrate life?) so I have been thinking of doing a picnic style BBQ at one of the city parks. Something with hot dogs and Frisbees etc.. I think it would be a great family/dog friendly way to celebrate and then perhaps all my friends with kids would be able to make it to one of my parties!
I've become somewhat addicted to pickles and olives! I have been buying those large jars of pickles and eating them all by myself in about a week! I have a hunch that my body needs the vinegar or something else in the pickle brine. Its good because I know that eating vinegar is supposed to be good for you but its bad because I know I am not getting nearly enough protein in my diet. I think I am going to have to go back to my protein powder. UGH! If anyone reading this has any good non-dairy smoothie recipes I can add protein powder to, I would be very grateful.
I am going to blog about my Vancouver trip on a separate blog since it will probably be long.. so I will skip over that and talk about the fact that I decided to not do the Opera Workshop...
After coming back from Vancouver something in me changed... My short term goals or priorities. Something hit me and made me realize that I have been neglecting some really important components of my life. I've spent the last year focusing on my body and my health, and I have let some really important things slip. I have also let some bad habits creep into my life and I need to put a stop to that right quick.
As part of the re-prioritization of my life, I had to sacrifice the Opera Workshop I was going to do. I had to make the decision that spending a week and a half at SAIT residence completely abandoning my home and kitties and my business. I just couldn't justify that. I had to break the news to my choir director and I had to cancel my SAIT reservation but luckily the only money I won't recover is the $100 I paid for the workshop.
Even though a week and a half goes by like a snap of the fingers these days, recovering from it would take me so much longer. So instead, I took a week off of work this week to get some things done at home. I need to do some business paper work and I have to get settled back into home life. Even though it has been a year since I left for Brazil, it seems like I am just now getting back into the groove. So much has happened in the past 11 months since I got back from Brazil and I am just now picking up the pieces I left behind. I don't know if i really understood how much I let slack leading up to my surgery. Not intentionally but just because of circumstances. I wasn't healthy at all. So I have spent the past 2 days getting organized at home and I have the next 5 days to get my business paper work done. Fun fun fun.
On a side note, I am also having some not fun food aversions... I am repulsed by cooked egg whites, I can't stomach the idea of eating steak right now and I am still really sensitive to dairy with lactose intolerance so I am just not enjoying the eating thing at all. My cravings (or as my subconscious just called them, crazings) are things like rice, lasagna, Chinese food, strong curries etc.. all things that my body is unhappy with :/
So that's it for now. I will recap the Vancouver trip in my next blog but for now I should get to sleep!
Oh! I will save the details for the Vancouver blog but I got my nose pierced!
Well of course my biggest and most exciting news is my new weight. -170 which puts me at 296lbs. I am now ready to celebrate being under 300lbs. It blows me away how much my body has changed and in just a few weeks, I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my surgery. I want to have a celebration with friends and family (besides, who needs an excuse to celebrate life?) so I have been thinking of doing a picnic style BBQ at one of the city parks. Something with hot dogs and Frisbees etc.. I think it would be a great family/dog friendly way to celebrate and then perhaps all my friends with kids would be able to make it to one of my parties!
I've become somewhat addicted to pickles and olives! I have been buying those large jars of pickles and eating them all by myself in about a week! I have a hunch that my body needs the vinegar or something else in the pickle brine. Its good because I know that eating vinegar is supposed to be good for you but its bad because I know I am not getting nearly enough protein in my diet. I think I am going to have to go back to my protein powder. UGH! If anyone reading this has any good non-dairy smoothie recipes I can add protein powder to, I would be very grateful.
I am going to blog about my Vancouver trip on a separate blog since it will probably be long.. so I will skip over that and talk about the fact that I decided to not do the Opera Workshop...
After coming back from Vancouver something in me changed... My short term goals or priorities. Something hit me and made me realize that I have been neglecting some really important components of my life. I've spent the last year focusing on my body and my health, and I have let some really important things slip. I have also let some bad habits creep into my life and I need to put a stop to that right quick.
As part of the re-prioritization of my life, I had to sacrifice the Opera Workshop I was going to do. I had to make the decision that spending a week and a half at SAIT residence completely abandoning my home and kitties and my business. I just couldn't justify that. I had to break the news to my choir director and I had to cancel my SAIT reservation but luckily the only money I won't recover is the $100 I paid for the workshop.
Even though a week and a half goes by like a snap of the fingers these days, recovering from it would take me so much longer. So instead, I took a week off of work this week to get some things done at home. I need to do some business paper work and I have to get settled back into home life. Even though it has been a year since I left for Brazil, it seems like I am just now getting back into the groove. So much has happened in the past 11 months since I got back from Brazil and I am just now picking up the pieces I left behind. I don't know if i really understood how much I let slack leading up to my surgery. Not intentionally but just because of circumstances. I wasn't healthy at all. So I have spent the past 2 days getting organized at home and I have the next 5 days to get my business paper work done. Fun fun fun.
On a side note, I am also having some not fun food aversions... I am repulsed by cooked egg whites, I can't stomach the idea of eating steak right now and I am still really sensitive to dairy with lactose intolerance so I am just not enjoying the eating thing at all. My cravings (or as my subconscious just called them, crazings) are things like rice, lasagna, Chinese food, strong curries etc.. all things that my body is unhappy with :/
So that's it for now. I will recap the Vancouver trip in my next blog but for now I should get to sleep!
Oh! I will save the details for the Vancouver blog but I got my nose pierced!
Friday, June 13, 2008
-167 (299!!!) Friday the 13th... Wine, 15 minutes of fame
It has been one hell of a weekend. From Thursday through Sunday, it has all been choir stuff going on. 7pm until 9:30pm both Thursday and Friday nights and then 8:30am Saturday to 11pm and then 11am Sunday to 11pm. Exhausting yet exhillarating!
I had so much fun. In all honesty, I was about to quit the choir.. I was done with the politics and BS and I was feeling like it wasn't the growth I was expecting.. and then I got on stage and it was like a new me! I was reenergized. It was amazing. My solos for each of the 3 shows went well and we nailed the last concert in its entirety!
What a rush!
I am going to be rejoining the choir next year and maybe even the Christmas choir but for now, I will be focussing on the Opera. I booked an appointment with a vocal instructor for next Sunday..an hour one on one. I am excited and anxious to learn.. And then the opera practice runs from the 2nd of July through to the 11th of July.. intense from 6-10pm every weeknight. Crazy.
Sheila (one of the other 1st Sopranos and Brazillian Jujitsu instructor) asked me if I'd be interested in performing a duet with her for the Talent show next year.. I am excited about that.. it should be a lot of fun but also challenging.. AND any performances in the Talent show that they like will be put on the big stage for the final concert! The theme next year is Angels and Demons.. OoOoOooooh
I watched Burn Up this week. It was on in 2 parts. 4 hours in total. The first part had no protest scenes really but the second part had many more opportunities for us to make it on the big screen... well, Debbie made it on 3 or 4 times!!! Twice in scenes with Neve Campbell and once in a scene in the crowd. And then.. I saw ME!!!!! I made it into the movie!!! Of course it was me like 100 lbs heavier but it was me!!!! I am so excited!
It has been such a ride and things are just going to get so much busier. In a week I have a 4 day vacation and then a week after that the Opera workshop begins.. then when that ends its horseback riding!
I'm getting so busy with the second contract I have too. I am a little anxious about it because I haven't done much work on it yet. I almost regret taking the contract in the first place BUT it is such a good move for me careerwise. I just have to settle with the fact that I will be insanely busy.
At the end of July Lauren and I go to the Nine Inch Nails concert and then August 1st is Cirque Du Soleil. Holy when I booked those tickets it felt like so long ago.. now it seems so near!
Well busy is good. And happy is good. So in short, life is good!
Oh, and last night we had the wrap up party for the choir and I had 3 glasses of wine and a glass of champagne. It hit me so hard and today I feel like crap! lol. Thats what I get for lushing it up!
Oh and for the record, it is a really nice feeling to be able to go out and not once worry if I will fit someplace. Fantastic!
I had so much fun. In all honesty, I was about to quit the choir.. I was done with the politics and BS and I was feeling like it wasn't the growth I was expecting.. and then I got on stage and it was like a new me! I was reenergized. It was amazing. My solos for each of the 3 shows went well and we nailed the last concert in its entirety!
What a rush!
I am going to be rejoining the choir next year and maybe even the Christmas choir but for now, I will be focussing on the Opera. I booked an appointment with a vocal instructor for next Sunday..an hour one on one. I am excited and anxious to learn.. And then the opera practice runs from the 2nd of July through to the 11th of July.. intense from 6-10pm every weeknight. Crazy.
Sheila (one of the other 1st Sopranos and Brazillian Jujitsu instructor) asked me if I'd be interested in performing a duet with her for the Talent show next year.. I am excited about that.. it should be a lot of fun but also challenging.. AND any performances in the Talent show that they like will be put on the big stage for the final concert! The theme next year is Angels and Demons.. OoOoOooooh
I watched Burn Up this week. It was on in 2 parts. 4 hours in total. The first part had no protest scenes really but the second part had many more opportunities for us to make it on the big screen... well, Debbie made it on 3 or 4 times!!! Twice in scenes with Neve Campbell and once in a scene in the crowd. And then.. I saw ME!!!!! I made it into the movie!!! Of course it was me like 100 lbs heavier but it was me!!!! I am so excited!
It has been such a ride and things are just going to get so much busier. In a week I have a 4 day vacation and then a week after that the Opera workshop begins.. then when that ends its horseback riding!
I'm getting so busy with the second contract I have too. I am a little anxious about it because I haven't done much work on it yet. I almost regret taking the contract in the first place BUT it is such a good move for me careerwise. I just have to settle with the fact that I will be insanely busy.
At the end of July Lauren and I go to the Nine Inch Nails concert and then August 1st is Cirque Du Soleil. Holy when I booked those tickets it felt like so long ago.. now it seems so near!
Well busy is good. And happy is good. So in short, life is good!
Oh, and last night we had the wrap up party for the choir and I had 3 glasses of wine and a glass of champagne. It hit me so hard and today I feel like crap! lol. Thats what I get for lushing it up!
Oh and for the record, it is a really nice feeling to be able to go out and not once worry if I will fit someplace. Fantastic!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Busy busy busy.. oh & -163
It is incredible how amazingly busy I have been and am getting through the summer. Life has already changed so much but then add to that the number of activities I have on the go.. crazy!
I went to Kinjo last Thursday by myself before choir. It was so interesting to go alone because naturally I get the same fantastic treatment but I also got nervous that I wouldn't be able to eat the free food I was given. I don't eat much as it is, but then I was also on the way to choir so I didn't have a ton of time so I was stuffed by the time I got out of there.. bursting at the seams!
My sleep centre appointment was interesting as well. I went to pick up a machine to do an overnight sleep study to see if I still had sleep apnea. I've lost a lot of weight so I am hoping my sleeping problems (aside from not enough hours in the day) have improved.
The funny thing is that the lady I had the appointment with has seen me several times before and always knew me by name, but this time she looked at me and said, "have we met?". It was so funny! She kept looking at my chart like she knew my name but she had no clue who I was. I explained that I had lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw her and that seemed to make her understand but she was still puzzled. Happy for me but puzzled.
I realized that telling people I have lost 160lbs is not as helpful as it should be. People cannot fathom 160lbs of weight. They can't look at me and imagine me 160 lbs heavier. Most people battle between 10 and 50 lbs.. anything more than that becomes difficult to understand. Like imagining the distance from earth to the moon or from earth to the stars.. without experiencing it, its nearly impossible to comprehend.
In an opposite situation I was recognized at Home Depot by a guy that had messaged me on a dating site. The subject line of the email was "Home Depot" which made me think.. oh crap.. I spent a lot of time at Home Depot on the long weekend!
Sure enough, he saw me there and recognized me.. its weird having someone you know look at you like you've never met and then someone you've never met recognize you immediately. Very twisted!
Lauren and I built a fence and did some gardening and other backyard fix ups on the long weekend. We're definitely not pros but we did a great job and I am proud!
This last weekend was a mish mash of things.. spending time with friends, the choir pre-concert house concert and housecleaning. I've realized that my "method" to deep cleaning is to clean out the closets first so that I have a place to put everything away. I didn't realize this was my process until I was in the middle of it.. I think it works fairly well and now I should be able to plunk everything in its rightful place before this weekend.
Yesterday I had my first personal trainer session at Goodlife Fitness. He didn't make it as challenging as I expected but it was my first day so he may have gone easy on me. The gym is pretty nice though.. busy!
Early July is my Opera Workshop (yikes) & In mid July Lauren and I finally get to go horseback riding.. can't wait for that! And of course the Nine Inch Nails concert and Cirque du Soleil in late July/early August.
This weekend coming up will consist of choir practices, festivities and working probably. Busy season is upon me and starting next week, I don't have a free minute it seems. I do have time to read though and since I finished the last two books I had, I am currently reading "The Faraway Tree Stories" by Enid Blyton. It's a children's book but I love it all the same!
I need some suggestions for good fiction books to read..
I went to Kinjo last Thursday by myself before choir. It was so interesting to go alone because naturally I get the same fantastic treatment but I also got nervous that I wouldn't be able to eat the free food I was given. I don't eat much as it is, but then I was also on the way to choir so I didn't have a ton of time so I was stuffed by the time I got out of there.. bursting at the seams!
My sleep centre appointment was interesting as well. I went to pick up a machine to do an overnight sleep study to see if I still had sleep apnea. I've lost a lot of weight so I am hoping my sleeping problems (aside from not enough hours in the day) have improved.
The funny thing is that the lady I had the appointment with has seen me several times before and always knew me by name, but this time she looked at me and said, "have we met?". It was so funny! She kept looking at my chart like she knew my name but she had no clue who I was. I explained that I had lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw her and that seemed to make her understand but she was still puzzled. Happy for me but puzzled.
I realized that telling people I have lost 160lbs is not as helpful as it should be. People cannot fathom 160lbs of weight. They can't look at me and imagine me 160 lbs heavier. Most people battle between 10 and 50 lbs.. anything more than that becomes difficult to understand. Like imagining the distance from earth to the moon or from earth to the stars.. without experiencing it, its nearly impossible to comprehend.
In an opposite situation I was recognized at Home Depot by a guy that had messaged me on a dating site. The subject line of the email was "Home Depot" which made me think.. oh crap.. I spent a lot of time at Home Depot on the long weekend!
Sure enough, he saw me there and recognized me.. its weird having someone you know look at you like you've never met and then someone you've never met recognize you immediately. Very twisted!
Lauren and I built a fence and did some gardening and other backyard fix ups on the long weekend. We're definitely not pros but we did a great job and I am proud!
This last weekend was a mish mash of things.. spending time with friends, the choir pre-concert house concert and housecleaning. I've realized that my "method" to deep cleaning is to clean out the closets first so that I have a place to put everything away. I didn't realize this was my process until I was in the middle of it.. I think it works fairly well and now I should be able to plunk everything in its rightful place before this weekend.
Yesterday I had my first personal trainer session at Goodlife Fitness. He didn't make it as challenging as I expected but it was my first day so he may have gone easy on me. The gym is pretty nice though.. busy!
Early July is my Opera Workshop (yikes) & In mid July Lauren and I finally get to go horseback riding.. can't wait for that! And of course the Nine Inch Nails concert and Cirque du Soleil in late July/early August.
This weekend coming up will consist of choir practices, festivities and working probably. Busy season is upon me and starting next week, I don't have a free minute it seems. I do have time to read though and since I finished the last two books I had, I am currently reading "The Faraway Tree Stories" by Enid Blyton. It's a children's book but I love it all the same!
I need some suggestions for good fiction books to read..
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Updates, The Great Wall & Great Mothers! -157!!!!!
Oi.
We're 1/2 way through the month and it feels like there is so much left to do before the 31st.
With choir concerts (both this month and next month) coming up, plus choir practice and of course getting the house prepped for Summer, there won't be a minute to spare! I am looking forward to doing some gardening this weekend.
I am excited because my neighbor has graciously offered to build the fence dividing our houses and it has already begun! Because of that we will also be building the smaller fence across the back of the yard. We have to dig those post holes by hand.. a lot of work, I know.
I am excited about our new "Great Wall" though and look forward to having privacy and a complete yard.. it should be all done in time for summer too!
I am ready to get gardening too.. I am going to plant zucchini and tomatoes this year.. and of course lots and lots of herbs!! I won't bother with a lot of veggies because I don't have the space but I do like to have some basics.. and of course zucchini is virtually fool proof and tomatoes are fairly easy too.
I may as well put it out there now.. I could very well end up with an abundance of zucchini.. if so and you want a share of the crop, just let me know lol.
I am disappointed that all my front flowerbed plants from last year died except for my Chives but it gives me an excuse to go shopping for more ;)
Horseback Riding was cancelled last weekend which sucked.. we've rescheduled for the middle of July. The company wouldn't give a refund, just a credit so Lauren and I will be doing something fairly low key for her birthday (her choice) since all that money is tied up in the horseback riding trip.
One advantage of missing out on horseback riding was that I was able to spend more time with my mom. She flew to Calgary last Thursday and stayed until Monday night. It was so nice to see her again (after about a year!!!) and she had lots of very complimentary things to say about my weight loss. She said she now sees a life in my eyes that she hasn't seen since I was a child. I thought that was really interesting because I always thought I was the happiest person in the world (sickeningly so) but apparently my perception about how happy I was may have been partly denial.
Ignorance IS bliss afterall!
I had such a great time with my mom. I picked her up at the airport Thursday night. We had chocolates and flowers waiting for her..
Friday, we went to Cora's for lunch and then Oasis Spa (amazing!). We had dinner with Lauren at Charly Chan's and then she stayed in a hotel Friday night & Saturday night.
Saturday morning we took her to the Danish Canadian Club for brunch and then to Chinook for some shopping! I had my first ever Sephora experience and naturally I couldn't leave Chinook without a stop at MAC for some eyeshadow! We then brought my mom to Debbie's place so that she could spend time with her.
We also spent Sunday night at Deb's place and had a sort of potluck dinner. It was sooo good spending time with mom after that long.
I dropped her off at the airport Monday night and it was a tearful sendoff! I felt really lucky to have been able to spend as much time with her as I did. We had some great one on one conversations that just can't be replicated over the phone or email. Thanks for a great visit mom!
I am excited to report that I am now down 157 pounds! My gym opens on May 23rd so I will begin working with a personal trainer so that 157 number will get bigger still.. (while I get smaller:P)
Anyhow, thats my update, my great wall and my great mom.
We're 1/2 way through the month and it feels like there is so much left to do before the 31st.
With choir concerts (both this month and next month) coming up, plus choir practice and of course getting the house prepped for Summer, there won't be a minute to spare! I am looking forward to doing some gardening this weekend.
I am excited because my neighbor has graciously offered to build the fence dividing our houses and it has already begun! Because of that we will also be building the smaller fence across the back of the yard. We have to dig those post holes by hand.. a lot of work, I know.
I am excited about our new "Great Wall" though and look forward to having privacy and a complete yard.. it should be all done in time for summer too!
I am ready to get gardening too.. I am going to plant zucchini and tomatoes this year.. and of course lots and lots of herbs!! I won't bother with a lot of veggies because I don't have the space but I do like to have some basics.. and of course zucchini is virtually fool proof and tomatoes are fairly easy too.
I may as well put it out there now.. I could very well end up with an abundance of zucchini.. if so and you want a share of the crop, just let me know lol.
I am disappointed that all my front flowerbed plants from last year died except for my Chives but it gives me an excuse to go shopping for more ;)
Horseback Riding was cancelled last weekend which sucked.. we've rescheduled for the middle of July. The company wouldn't give a refund, just a credit so Lauren and I will be doing something fairly low key for her birthday (her choice) since all that money is tied up in the horseback riding trip.
One advantage of missing out on horseback riding was that I was able to spend more time with my mom. She flew to Calgary last Thursday and stayed until Monday night. It was so nice to see her again (after about a year!!!) and she had lots of very complimentary things to say about my weight loss. She said she now sees a life in my eyes that she hasn't seen since I was a child. I thought that was really interesting because I always thought I was the happiest person in the world (sickeningly so) but apparently my perception about how happy I was may have been partly denial.
Ignorance IS bliss afterall!
I had such a great time with my mom. I picked her up at the airport Thursday night. We had chocolates and flowers waiting for her..
Friday, we went to Cora's for lunch and then Oasis Spa (amazing!). We had dinner with Lauren at Charly Chan's and then she stayed in a hotel Friday night & Saturday night.
Saturday morning we took her to the Danish Canadian Club for brunch and then to Chinook for some shopping! I had my first ever Sephora experience and naturally I couldn't leave Chinook without a stop at MAC for some eyeshadow! We then brought my mom to Debbie's place so that she could spend time with her.
We also spent Sunday night at Deb's place and had a sort of potluck dinner. It was sooo good spending time with mom after that long.
I dropped her off at the airport Monday night and it was a tearful sendoff! I felt really lucky to have been able to spend as much time with her as I did. We had some great one on one conversations that just can't be replicated over the phone or email. Thanks for a great visit mom!
I am excited to report that I am now down 157 pounds! My gym opens on May 23rd so I will begin working with a personal trainer so that 157 number will get bigger still.. (while I get smaller:P)
Anyhow, thats my update, my great wall and my great mom.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Messed up people, Adventure and a little dancing!
Well, it is Tuesday and already the end of April. I can not believe how fast this year is going.
I want to start things off by commenting on the horrible things people are capable of! I know this isn't the worst that people have done but I am still in disbelief that a man kidnapped his own daughter and held her captive in his own basement for 24 years and had 7 children with her!
How is something like that possible? How can a person get away with that?? It makes you wonder how many other "missing" people are being held captive right now. We also heard of the girl found recently who was held for 9 years. What the hell is wrong with people?
Makes me wonder if right to privacy should be trumped by the right to personal safety. I can imagine that might stir up a bit of a debate.
Anyway. On to better and brighter topics..
I bumped into my old Mount Royal Tech writing professor yesterday.. While walking to my car from work.. I just ran into him (not literally) on the street.
He said, "Hi Shannon" :P
I said "No, it's Pia" and suddenly he looked all confused.. Then I told him I wouldn't expect him to recognize me since I had lost 150lbs.
He asked what I was doing work wise and I told him.. He was really happy to hear I was working in my field lol.
Shannon.. Pfft!
I walked to my car from work yesterday and dispite the blisters (I need better socks and a new pair of good walking shoes) it was really nice.. the weather was great too which made things even more enjoyable! Even with the blisters, I may be walking to my car again today so that I can pick up a connector for my rain barrel at the Clean Calgary Store. It is about a year overdue lol.
I am excited about this weekend. I'll be going dancing Saturday night which I haven't done in years. As a matter of fact, I am smaller now than I was when I used to go dancing so I am pumped!
I also can't wait for the horseback riding trip which happens next Saturday May 10th. Lauren and I are also already planning our first hiking trip in May and we'll be planning camping for June/July too! I need to get my gardening hat on too so I can start planning what to plant.
I have some hyacinth bulbs which were supposed to be planted in the fall but I didn't get to it and now they are still looking healthy so I want to see about growing them.
I'm also looking to do a cleanse soon. Something to detox my liver! Nothing where I have to limit my food intake to broccoli everyday for a week or anything like that though.
I am expecting this Summer to be very adventurous.
Bring...
It...
On...!
I want to start things off by commenting on the horrible things people are capable of! I know this isn't the worst that people have done but I am still in disbelief that a man kidnapped his own daughter and held her captive in his own basement for 24 years and had 7 children with her!
How is something like that possible? How can a person get away with that?? It makes you wonder how many other "missing" people are being held captive right now. We also heard of the girl found recently who was held for 9 years. What the hell is wrong with people?
Makes me wonder if right to privacy should be trumped by the right to personal safety. I can imagine that might stir up a bit of a debate.
Anyway. On to better and brighter topics..
I bumped into my old Mount Royal Tech writing professor yesterday.. While walking to my car from work.. I just ran into him (not literally) on the street.
He said, "Hi Shannon" :P
I said "No, it's Pia" and suddenly he looked all confused.. Then I told him I wouldn't expect him to recognize me since I had lost 150lbs.
He asked what I was doing work wise and I told him.. He was really happy to hear I was working in my field lol.
Shannon.. Pfft!
I walked to my car from work yesterday and dispite the blisters (I need better socks and a new pair of good walking shoes) it was really nice.. the weather was great too which made things even more enjoyable! Even with the blisters, I may be walking to my car again today so that I can pick up a connector for my rain barrel at the Clean Calgary Store. It is about a year overdue lol.
I am excited about this weekend. I'll be going dancing Saturday night which I haven't done in years. As a matter of fact, I am smaller now than I was when I used to go dancing so I am pumped!
I also can't wait for the horseback riding trip which happens next Saturday May 10th. Lauren and I are also already planning our first hiking trip in May and we'll be planning camping for June/July too! I need to get my gardening hat on too so I can start planning what to plant.
I have some hyacinth bulbs which were supposed to be planted in the fall but I didn't get to it and now they are still looking healthy so I want to see about growing them.
I'm also looking to do a cleanse soon. Something to detox my liver! Nothing where I have to limit my food intake to broccoli everyday for a week or anything like that though.
I am expecting this Summer to be very adventurous.
Bring...
It...
On...!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Going solo... and -152!!!
I weighed in on Tuesday and was unofficially 314 which puts me down 152 lbs but today I did a pre-Friday weigh-in and ended up at 315 which isn't as good but still not bad.
I am excited too because Lauren and I went shopping this week for hiking backpacks and day hiking shoes. We can't wait to get out there when the weather warms up!
As for the subject line going "solo", I am testing my voice out at choir tonight for a solo part at the beginning of the song "Frobisher Bay". Its a beautiful song. I just hope my voice is up to it. It would sound amazing to sing the first line solo and then have the rest of the choir join me.. I can't wait to try it out.
The Lavalife guy emailed me last Friday with an update that his computer was fried, my # was on there which is why he didn't call and he forgot my email address which was why he was sending the update to my hotmail address. Yeesh. He summed up the email with the line "for all I know you could have sent mail telling me to screw off by now, wouldn't blame ya!"
I just don't get it.. The whole thing baffles me. To give him the benefit of the doubt (yet again), I called him and left him a voicemail with my phone number.. no excuses right? Well, he never called and so I am finally done!
Yeah I know most people think I gave him too many chances and waited too long and let myself get too involved..
Well that's my personality.. I am passionate about my life and if I am excited about someone or something, I let myself jump in feet first.. it's an aspect of my personality I am happy with actually.. because when I do meet the man that is perfect for me, I want to give him my full attention, my full affection and I want to be fully connected.. present in the moment. And I think that's a good thing.
Then again I naturally want "him" (whoever he is) to reciprocate and give me the same quality of attention I give him but I think that will happen naturally when the right one comes along anyway.
Someone suggested to me recently that 1) I am TOO focused on finding a man and 2) That my assertive personality could come across as intimidating..
I have decided that for #1, I am not going to apologize or make excuses for wanting a relationship.. it's a natural part of life and I think it is about time that I get to enjoy that aspect of life which has eluded me for all too long (both by choice and by circumstance). I also decided that even if it is true that my assertiveness is intimidating, I want to find someone who matches me and that person just won't be intimidated by me.. or if he is, he will overcome it. Besides, how would changing my personality help matters? I want to find the man that will love me unconditionally.. I like the fact that I achieve the goals I set.
I like knowing what I want/like in life.
Anyway.. So I will be going it solo for a little while longer. I am fairly confident that I will find him". I just need to remain open to whatever/whoever life tosses in my direction.. *Just please let him be at least 1/2 an inch taller than me lol!*
I am excited too because Lauren and I went shopping this week for hiking backpacks and day hiking shoes. We can't wait to get out there when the weather warms up!
As for the subject line going "solo", I am testing my voice out at choir tonight for a solo part at the beginning of the song "Frobisher Bay". Its a beautiful song. I just hope my voice is up to it. It would sound amazing to sing the first line solo and then have the rest of the choir join me.. I can't wait to try it out.
The Lavalife guy emailed me last Friday with an update that his computer was fried, my # was on there which is why he didn't call and he forgot my email address which was why he was sending the update to my hotmail address. Yeesh. He summed up the email with the line "for all I know you could have sent mail telling me to screw off by now, wouldn't blame ya!"
I just don't get it.. The whole thing baffles me. To give him the benefit of the doubt (yet again), I called him and left him a voicemail with my phone number.. no excuses right? Well, he never called and so I am finally done!
Yeah I know most people think I gave him too many chances and waited too long and let myself get too involved..
Well that's my personality.. I am passionate about my life and if I am excited about someone or something, I let myself jump in feet first.. it's an aspect of my personality I am happy with actually.. because when I do meet the man that is perfect for me, I want to give him my full attention, my full affection and I want to be fully connected.. present in the moment. And I think that's a good thing.
Then again I naturally want "him" (whoever he is) to reciprocate and give me the same quality of attention I give him but I think that will happen naturally when the right one comes along anyway.
Someone suggested to me recently that 1) I am TOO focused on finding a man and 2) That my assertive personality could come across as intimidating..
I have decided that for #1, I am not going to apologize or make excuses for wanting a relationship.. it's a natural part of life and I think it is about time that I get to enjoy that aspect of life which has eluded me for all too long (both by choice and by circumstance). I also decided that even if it is true that my assertiveness is intimidating, I want to find someone who matches me and that person just won't be intimidated by me.. or if he is, he will overcome it. Besides, how would changing my personality help matters? I want to find the man that will love me unconditionally.. I like the fact that I achieve the goals I set.
I like knowing what I want/like in life.
Anyway.. So I will be going it solo for a little while longer. I am fairly confident that I will find him". I just need to remain open to whatever/whoever life tosses in my direction.. *Just please let him be at least 1/2 an inch taller than me lol!*
Friday, April 18, 2008
-148, horoscopes and challenging myself...
Well, it is official!
My plateau has lifted and I am back to losing! I am down 148lbs now. Ok so that's only 2 lbs lower than I was at Easter, but I was sure happy to see the scale drop again! I don't mind staying at the same weight for a while but I don't like to see the scale # go up!!
My horoscope in Metro today was interesting.
"The love of your life comes to mind. Keep a stiff upper lip when friends disappear. All obstacles will be overcome."
Eerily relevant to my current circumstances.. although almost all horoscopes can seem relevant if you try hard enough.
The "friends disappear" part could apply to the lavalife guy. The "love of my life".. well he's out there somewhere and he is always on my mind. And naturally I will overcome my obstacles.. it's only a matter of time..
I'm really excited about a new possible challenge I can give myself.. in July, my choir director is having an intensive Opera workshop.. 8 week day evenings (6-10pm) from July 2nd - 11th with a final concert on the 11th. The interesting part is that I have to do an audition on June 30th. I am excited and nervous and pumped!
I'm starting to realize that if I am faced with any opportunity and it makes me nervous, uncomfortable, uneasy or otherwise awkward, I have to do it.. its just gotta be done!
I'm excited about life in general though. I have a good feeling about meeting someone.. someone with potential in the relationship category.. don't ask me why.. don't ask what I mean by a "feeling". I can't explain it.. but I am excited for some reason and my instincts are telling me that I can expect good things to come soon!
I guess part of the whole "power of positive thinking - manifesting your dreams" thing is that you not only have to think positive thoughts and say positive things, you have to believe them in your heart! I can't count the number of times I have put on a positive "mask" for the world to see but felt utter doom in my heart. I think that is why I am so excited right now.. my heart is full and open and no negative thoughts take up any space in there this time around.
I had a couple amazing nights recently. Two nights ago I met with a very nice woman that is going to Brazil for surgery next month. She wanted to ask me questions about my experience and I was more than happy to share. We talked for 2 1/2 hours and I really enjoyed it.
Then, last night I went out for sushi (of course at Kinjo) with Lauren and a couple old friends. Its so nice to catch up and be around people that make me laugh and smile and just appreciate being alive! I had a great time and although it was slightly cut short so I could run to choir, it was so appreciated!
I've been craving people lately. (company, not cannibalism!) I don't know why but it seems like I feel so much more focused when I am around others.. my mind wanders too much when I am alone.. I blame my love life for that :P
Ugh! I am exhausted! I need some caffeine.
My plateau has lifted and I am back to losing! I am down 148lbs now. Ok so that's only 2 lbs lower than I was at Easter, but I was sure happy to see the scale drop again! I don't mind staying at the same weight for a while but I don't like to see the scale # go up!!
My horoscope in Metro today was interesting.
"The love of your life comes to mind. Keep a stiff upper lip when friends disappear. All obstacles will be overcome."
Eerily relevant to my current circumstances.. although almost all horoscopes can seem relevant if you try hard enough.
The "friends disappear" part could apply to the lavalife guy. The "love of my life".. well he's out there somewhere and he is always on my mind. And naturally I will overcome my obstacles.. it's only a matter of time..
I'm really excited about a new possible challenge I can give myself.. in July, my choir director is having an intensive Opera workshop.. 8 week day evenings (6-10pm) from July 2nd - 11th with a final concert on the 11th. The interesting part is that I have to do an audition on June 30th. I am excited and nervous and pumped!
I'm starting to realize that if I am faced with any opportunity and it makes me nervous, uncomfortable, uneasy or otherwise awkward, I have to do it.. its just gotta be done!
I'm excited about life in general though. I have a good feeling about meeting someone.. someone with potential in the relationship category.. don't ask me why.. don't ask what I mean by a "feeling". I can't explain it.. but I am excited for some reason and my instincts are telling me that I can expect good things to come soon!
I guess part of the whole "power of positive thinking - manifesting your dreams" thing is that you not only have to think positive thoughts and say positive things, you have to believe them in your heart! I can't count the number of times I have put on a positive "mask" for the world to see but felt utter doom in my heart. I think that is why I am so excited right now.. my heart is full and open and no negative thoughts take up any space in there this time around.
I had a couple amazing nights recently. Two nights ago I met with a very nice woman that is going to Brazil for surgery next month. She wanted to ask me questions about my experience and I was more than happy to share. We talked for 2 1/2 hours and I really enjoyed it.
Then, last night I went out for sushi (of course at Kinjo) with Lauren and a couple old friends. Its so nice to catch up and be around people that make me laugh and smile and just appreciate being alive! I had a great time and although it was slightly cut short so I could run to choir, it was so appreciated!
I've been craving people lately. (company, not cannibalism!) I don't know why but it seems like I feel so much more focused when I am around others.. my mind wanders too much when I am alone.. I blame my love life for that :P
Ugh! I am exhausted! I need some caffeine.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The cup spilleth over.. also -147 maybe?
Before the blog starts, I should share that I went on a wonderful 1 1/2 hour walk on Sunday AND I think my plateau is finally broken! I will confirm on Friday!
I cried last night. I know I know.. suck it up.. like jeez! :P
It was weird.. not a deep sobbing slobbery cry but it almost felt forced.. not fake, but like I had to force myself to unload some of the built up tension or something. I felt like I had to work so hard for each tear so the release of it was like squeezing a drop of oil from a green olive. In other words, it didn't give me much of a release at all..
Before you go thinking like I am a blubbering cry baby, you should know that I really don't cry that much.. I don't often see a purpose for it and lately, the only tears I shed are from either laughing too hard, or when I am overcome with joy (like watching my nephew Michael be born).
On the rare occasion where I do cry, it usually has something to do with being hurt by someone I care about deeply or knowing I unintentionally hurt someone I care about deeply where I caused them some tears...
These tears though, were different. Warm, but not salty.. and only a few from each eye.. but the muscle strain to get those few tears out was tremendous..
These, I think were tears of utter mental/emotional exhaustion and frustration. My brain & my heart are so loaded with thoughts and feelings and realizations and experiences and knowledge that I am overwhelmed...
Its one of those things I realize I have to deal with since this year afterall is my year of challenging myself.. this is the year where I have become a newbie again and I'm no longer the guru.. so with that, comes a certain amount of strain and pressure that builds and occasionally overflows..
I decided to take myself out of my comfort zone this year and I have sure done that!
I don't need to go into detail but I finally decided to give up on the Lavalife guy.. ironically my gut keeps telling me that I've made a mistake and gave up too soon but I'm just at a complete loss..
I think the universe has conspired and was successful at throwing everything possible between us to keep us from meeting.. and even though I was willing to climb over any obstacles thrown my way, I wasn't getting the feeling he was as willing to overcome his obstacles. If he was, he definitely didn't show me.. he said he wanted to meet, but he never did call me.. and sick or not, I expected something more..
I need a man my life that openly shows me that I am important to him.. I can't keep being the one to push forward.. I need him to pull me in..
Anyway.. the 28 yr old from New Brunswick I was talking to ended up purely wanting a sexual relationship over the telephone which is definitely not my style.. so he got blocked in a hurry..
..and so that leaves me where I am now..
I'm not worried though.. I know MY perfect man is out there somewhere.. I'm very positive about that.. and my mind (and heart) are wide open and waiting..
I came to a realization about having such an open mind/heart.. I am almost 100% guaranteed to get hurt.. but you know what? It is a risk I am willing to take. I am no longer afraid of getting hurt. If I am willing to step out of my comfortzone for personal development in my hobbies and career, I am definitely willing to step out of my comfort zone for love..
Bring... It... On!
Anyway.. this is as usual too much information.. but then again thats what I am all about.. share share share...
And these are the days of my life.. ;P
I cried last night. I know I know.. suck it up.. like jeez! :P
It was weird.. not a deep sobbing slobbery cry but it almost felt forced.. not fake, but like I had to force myself to unload some of the built up tension or something. I felt like I had to work so hard for each tear so the release of it was like squeezing a drop of oil from a green olive. In other words, it didn't give me much of a release at all..
Before you go thinking like I am a blubbering cry baby, you should know that I really don't cry that much.. I don't often see a purpose for it and lately, the only tears I shed are from either laughing too hard, or when I am overcome with joy (like watching my nephew Michael be born).
On the rare occasion where I do cry, it usually has something to do with being hurt by someone I care about deeply or knowing I unintentionally hurt someone I care about deeply where I caused them some tears...
These tears though, were different. Warm, but not salty.. and only a few from each eye.. but the muscle strain to get those few tears out was tremendous..
These, I think were tears of utter mental/emotional exhaustion and frustration. My brain & my heart are so loaded with thoughts and feelings and realizations and experiences and knowledge that I am overwhelmed...
Its one of those things I realize I have to deal with since this year afterall is my year of challenging myself.. this is the year where I have become a newbie again and I'm no longer the guru.. so with that, comes a certain amount of strain and pressure that builds and occasionally overflows..
I decided to take myself out of my comfort zone this year and I have sure done that!
I don't need to go into detail but I finally decided to give up on the Lavalife guy.. ironically my gut keeps telling me that I've made a mistake and gave up too soon but I'm just at a complete loss..
I think the universe has conspired and was successful at throwing everything possible between us to keep us from meeting.. and even though I was willing to climb over any obstacles thrown my way, I wasn't getting the feeling he was as willing to overcome his obstacles. If he was, he definitely didn't show me.. he said he wanted to meet, but he never did call me.. and sick or not, I expected something more..
I need a man my life that openly shows me that I am important to him.. I can't keep being the one to push forward.. I need him to pull me in..
Anyway.. the 28 yr old from New Brunswick I was talking to ended up purely wanting a sexual relationship over the telephone which is definitely not my style.. so he got blocked in a hurry..
..and so that leaves me where I am now..
I'm not worried though.. I know MY perfect man is out there somewhere.. I'm very positive about that.. and my mind (and heart) are wide open and waiting..
I came to a realization about having such an open mind/heart.. I am almost 100% guaranteed to get hurt.. but you know what? It is a risk I am willing to take. I am no longer afraid of getting hurt. If I am willing to step out of my comfortzone for personal development in my hobbies and career, I am definitely willing to step out of my comfort zone for love..
Bring... It... On!
Anyway.. this is as usual too much information.. but then again thats what I am all about.. share share share...
And these are the days of my life.. ;P
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Extremes and the bridge between Venus and Mars - Plateaued at -142...
I've been driving myself crazy... partially delusional thoughts that it really doesn't bother me that I still haven't met that Lavalife guy who seems like a fantastic person but everything has come in the way of us meeting... interestingly enough, the intent is there, the mutual interest is there... but then again I am not completely dumb, I know that actions speak far louder than words and you'd think nothing would stop two people from coming together if its meant to be...
So that is one extreme... theoretically a great possibility but no intent or urgency to bring it to life..
And here is the other extreme... virtually no mutual knowledge or understanding, yet the urgency to bring it to life seems almost frantic... Here's the story..
I went back onto Lavalife to finally update my profile as I've begun to realize that I need to find someone who wants to go out of his way to meet me.. someone who. even if he CAN'T meet me, communicates with me and shows his interest in other ways..
So not even on there for 5 mins, I get an Instant Message... A 28 yr old guy who lives in New Brunswick but is planning on moving to Calgary within the next 3-4 months... for the record.. sounds like a great guy.. a little too good to be true....
Here's roughly how the conversation went:
(* Names have been changed to protect the innocent ;P)
Him: Hi
Me: Hi
Him: I'm Steve*, you?
Me: Sally*
Him: Nice to meet you
Me: U too
Him: You are very pretty
Me: Thanks :)
Me: You live in NB??
Him: Yes but I am moving to Alberta
Me: ahh...
...and so forth...
So the conversation went on for several minutes... we both admitted to being very bold and assertive.. we both claim to know what we want and do whatever it takes to get it..
He promptly asks what it would take to get me... I promptly respond with an astounded "You don't know me!!" He claims he is interested anyway based on my profile and attraction etc..
So we move the conversation to MSN and by this time I am already exhausted (it's after 1am MST)... He tells me his profession which is respectable.. he's a musician too which is a bonus.. but he's freakin on the other side of the country!!!
So I tell him flat out... that I cannot do a long distance relationship.. I can't allow myself to "fall" for someone that I can't touch on a daily basis if I wanted to.. He agrees but wants to continue with something... so I recommend friendship... He tells me he is extremely impatient and wouldn't want things to develop too slowly.. Seriously, if this guy was in Calgary right now, I would not hesitate meeting him to see where it could go.. he's direct and assertive enough for me, that is for sure..
I begin to think... is this karma's way of kicking me in the ass for my impatience with the other Lavalife guy??
So here I have one guy that is local and no matter how many times we discuss meeting and mutual interest, nothing comes of it... and there is this other guy who barely knows me yet so urgently wants to get to know me and see it develop.. but I would have to wait up to 4 months to be with him..
What the heck is going on with the universe??
I have begun to learn something about myself which is always a positive.. Here are a few highlights...
1) I like attention. Its a curse but I admit it...
2) I like assertive (not aggressive) men
3) I don't have a perfect age requirement but seem to find 6 yrs either way is a healthy number
4) I need physical contact.. flesh.. face to face.. it's human
5) My heart and my mind are way too open so I've begun to realize that I am going to have to deal with getting hurt if I want to find the right guy because I don't want my mind or heart to be closed..
And so it begins.. I need to hire a contractor to build me a bridge between Venus and Mars.. Even though I know my "karma" bank is loaded, I don't know if the universe accepts that kind of currency..
So there are my two extremes... local but inattentive... or attentive and distant...
Welcome to my life :P
So that is one extreme... theoretically a great possibility but no intent or urgency to bring it to life..
And here is the other extreme... virtually no mutual knowledge or understanding, yet the urgency to bring it to life seems almost frantic... Here's the story..
I went back onto Lavalife to finally update my profile as I've begun to realize that I need to find someone who wants to go out of his way to meet me.. someone who. even if he CAN'T meet me, communicates with me and shows his interest in other ways..
So not even on there for 5 mins, I get an Instant Message... A 28 yr old guy who lives in New Brunswick but is planning on moving to Calgary within the next 3-4 months... for the record.. sounds like a great guy.. a little too good to be true....
Here's roughly how the conversation went:
(* Names have been changed to protect the innocent ;P)
Him: Hi
Me: Hi
Him: I'm Steve*, you?
Me: Sally*
Him: Nice to meet you
Me: U too
Him: You are very pretty
Me: Thanks :)
Me: You live in NB??
Him: Yes but I am moving to Alberta
Me: ahh...
...and so forth...
So the conversation went on for several minutes... we both admitted to being very bold and assertive.. we both claim to know what we want and do whatever it takes to get it..
He promptly asks what it would take to get me... I promptly respond with an astounded "You don't know me!!" He claims he is interested anyway based on my profile and attraction etc..
So we move the conversation to MSN and by this time I am already exhausted (it's after 1am MST)... He tells me his profession which is respectable.. he's a musician too which is a bonus.. but he's freakin on the other side of the country!!!
So I tell him flat out... that I cannot do a long distance relationship.. I can't allow myself to "fall" for someone that I can't touch on a daily basis if I wanted to.. He agrees but wants to continue with something... so I recommend friendship... He tells me he is extremely impatient and wouldn't want things to develop too slowly.. Seriously, if this guy was in Calgary right now, I would not hesitate meeting him to see where it could go.. he's direct and assertive enough for me, that is for sure..
I begin to think... is this karma's way of kicking me in the ass for my impatience with the other Lavalife guy??
So here I have one guy that is local and no matter how many times we discuss meeting and mutual interest, nothing comes of it... and there is this other guy who barely knows me yet so urgently wants to get to know me and see it develop.. but I would have to wait up to 4 months to be with him..
What the heck is going on with the universe??
I have begun to learn something about myself which is always a positive.. Here are a few highlights...
1) I like attention. Its a curse but I admit it...
2) I like assertive (not aggressive) men
3) I don't have a perfect age requirement but seem to find 6 yrs either way is a healthy number
4) I need physical contact.. flesh.. face to face.. it's human
5) My heart and my mind are way too open so I've begun to realize that I am going to have to deal with getting hurt if I want to find the right guy because I don't want my mind or heart to be closed..
And so it begins.. I need to hire a contractor to build me a bridge between Venus and Mars.. Even though I know my "karma" bank is loaded, I don't know if the universe accepts that kind of currency..
So there are my two extremes... local but inattentive... or attentive and distant...
Welcome to my life :P
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
7 years Smoke-Free
So yesterday, April 7th marked my 7 year anniversary since I quit smoking.
In order for you to truly understand the importance of this year, I will need to back up about hmm 33-12=...21 years.. I started smoking at 12 years old.. I was naive, I had no concept of the burden that smoking would place upon me in the years to come. I had no concept of the smell, the breathing troubles, the yellow fingers/teeth, the dependence and most of all, the feeling of utter helplessness that I felt every time I didn't have a cigarette in my hand. I won't even get into the many thousands of dollars I spent on cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia.
I admit, I used to LOVE smoking. The taste (I know, ugh!), the smell, the feeling of community when sitting in a smoking area and immediately having something in common with the person next to you.. the "smokers doors" in high school where all my good friends hung out.. There was even a "cool" factor with smoking...
And then I grew up and started to feel the burden.. the itch of having to wait for smoke breaks and the aggravating cravings, the shame of being late because I decided to chain smoke and cram 2 cigarettes in my smoke break where time would usually only accommodate one. The feeling of waking up in the morning with the first thing on my mind being "where are my smokes and lighter"… And of course, the eventual price increases and non-smoking initiatives which began to make smoking much more expensive and inconvenient.
But there came a time when all these factors (while still valid) paled in comparison to my single handed most inspiring motivation...
I started to research weight loss surgery in 2000. I had been completely immersed in the whole process... the health aspects, the risks, the benefits and most of all, the complications. My 100% initiative with having weight loss surgery was to become healthy. The weight loss itself was merely a side effect... The procedure was the tool...
It took no time at all for me to come to the conclusion that by remaining a smoker, I was a complete and total hypocrite.. If I wanted to be healthy, and if I wanted to have the surgery, my only option was to quit smoking. Smoking adds numerous risks and potential complications to any surgical procedure and I wasn't willing to make my journey any more risky than it was already. I wanted to live and I wanted to live a healthy life. I tried to quit smoking numerous times over the years... Nicorette gum, cold turkey, the patch, hypnotism etc... All worked for a time... Usually less than a week...
So in the fall of 2000, I made my first attempt to quit smoking using Zyban. It failed. I failed. It was depressing and I really started to think I was never going to quit... But then in the beginning of 2001, I decided to give it another shot... so I went on Zyban, chose a day to quit and went to it... I chose April 7th because it is my niece's birthday and I knew I would never forget it. I never wanted to forget it. And I haven't. It wasn't easy. The first day I went into lung convulsions... Every breath I took I felt like I was sucking in twice as much air as I had before and the breaths were so deep I almost felt like I would suck the world of its oxygen supply. My body would tremble like it sometimes does when I am outside in the cold and just shivering. The days to follow were similar. My body craving the nicotine, causing me to over-gesture with my arms when I spoke and I began chewing gum and drinking water like a madwoman... but after about 2 weeks, my body stopped fighting health and I started to realize I would be smoke free forever. Ok so admittedly I cheated twice and had one drag off a cigarette but each time that one drag only acted as a reminder of why I wasn't smoking anymore.
I dreamed about smoking a lot... nightly almost in the early years. Each time waking in a panic that I was a smoker again, berating myself for what I had done. I still dream about smoking occasionally. Nightmares, really. I'll never go back to it. I'll never put my body through that again... now that I know what it feels like to be smoke free, I can hardly understand how I lasted for so many years as a smoker.
Anyway, I just wanted to share the anniversary of one of my earlier successes... I am proud :)
In order for you to truly understand the importance of this year, I will need to back up about hmm 33-12=...21 years.. I started smoking at 12 years old.. I was naive, I had no concept of the burden that smoking would place upon me in the years to come. I had no concept of the smell, the breathing troubles, the yellow fingers/teeth, the dependence and most of all, the feeling of utter helplessness that I felt every time I didn't have a cigarette in my hand. I won't even get into the many thousands of dollars I spent on cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia.
I admit, I used to LOVE smoking. The taste (I know, ugh!), the smell, the feeling of community when sitting in a smoking area and immediately having something in common with the person next to you.. the "smokers doors" in high school where all my good friends hung out.. There was even a "cool" factor with smoking...
And then I grew up and started to feel the burden.. the itch of having to wait for smoke breaks and the aggravating cravings, the shame of being late because I decided to chain smoke and cram 2 cigarettes in my smoke break where time would usually only accommodate one. The feeling of waking up in the morning with the first thing on my mind being "where are my smokes and lighter"… And of course, the eventual price increases and non-smoking initiatives which began to make smoking much more expensive and inconvenient.
But there came a time when all these factors (while still valid) paled in comparison to my single handed most inspiring motivation...
I started to research weight loss surgery in 2000. I had been completely immersed in the whole process... the health aspects, the risks, the benefits and most of all, the complications. My 100% initiative with having weight loss surgery was to become healthy. The weight loss itself was merely a side effect... The procedure was the tool...
It took no time at all for me to come to the conclusion that by remaining a smoker, I was a complete and total hypocrite.. If I wanted to be healthy, and if I wanted to have the surgery, my only option was to quit smoking. Smoking adds numerous risks and potential complications to any surgical procedure and I wasn't willing to make my journey any more risky than it was already. I wanted to live and I wanted to live a healthy life. I tried to quit smoking numerous times over the years... Nicorette gum, cold turkey, the patch, hypnotism etc... All worked for a time... Usually less than a week...
So in the fall of 2000, I made my first attempt to quit smoking using Zyban. It failed. I failed. It was depressing and I really started to think I was never going to quit... But then in the beginning of 2001, I decided to give it another shot... so I went on Zyban, chose a day to quit and went to it... I chose April 7th because it is my niece's birthday and I knew I would never forget it. I never wanted to forget it. And I haven't. It wasn't easy. The first day I went into lung convulsions... Every breath I took I felt like I was sucking in twice as much air as I had before and the breaths were so deep I almost felt like I would suck the world of its oxygen supply. My body would tremble like it sometimes does when I am outside in the cold and just shivering. The days to follow were similar. My body craving the nicotine, causing me to over-gesture with my arms when I spoke and I began chewing gum and drinking water like a madwoman... but after about 2 weeks, my body stopped fighting health and I started to realize I would be smoke free forever. Ok so admittedly I cheated twice and had one drag off a cigarette but each time that one drag only acted as a reminder of why I wasn't smoking anymore.
I dreamed about smoking a lot... nightly almost in the early years. Each time waking in a panic that I was a smoker again, berating myself for what I had done. I still dream about smoking occasionally. Nightmares, really. I'll never go back to it. I'll never put my body through that again... now that I know what it feels like to be smoke free, I can hardly understand how I lasted for so many years as a smoker.
Anyway, I just wanted to share the anniversary of one of my earlier successes... I am proud :)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Patience.. and perfection are overrated!
What a week so far. What a month!
March has been so crazy in general. Between acting classes and choir and friends and family, it has been eventful. I've enjoyed it for the most part though!
As the month has sped on, I have learned that I do have patience in some cases. When I don't have control over a situation I allow myself the patience to wait it out.. but when I am in control, I let my lack of patience move things along more quickly.
For example, I have been emailing this guy for hmm 5 weeks? now. Had I known he was out of town from the beginning it would have been a different scenario but since I found out 2 weeks in, I had to catch up my patience to the situation at hand..
So now, 5 weeks in.. we are both back in town and I am ready to meet face to face.. anxious actually.. I don't even get what is going on with me this time around because back in my early 20's I met tons of people online and never cared whether or not I met them face to face.. now though, it feels awkward to be talking to a potential "date" online having not met face to face yet..
Maybe I am just growing up, maybe I am just getting serious about finding the real thing.. the long term thing.. or maybe I am just impatient now.. but I am ready to step out from behind the computer and look into his eyes and see what is really there.. in the flesh...
This guy though, seems like a really great person and even if we don't have a physical attraction once we meet in person, I know I would really want to remain friends with him. He's far from perfect but I don't care about perfect.. imperfect for one person could be completely perfect for me.. We'll have to see.
So enough about boys...
I went into work on Monday and found out my boss had a heart attack or something related to his heart and is in the hospital and it is undetermined when he will return.. that sucks.. he is such a great boss!!! I am sending healing happy thoughts his way though.
I finished my acting class on Saturday.. last class of that 6 week stretch.. I am taking a break now to focus on choir.. I need to improve with my singing, focus on my breathing and get those high notes. 1st soprano is a lot of pressure.. especially when only 2 of us show up at a practice!!!
I have my tapes from acting and I can't believe how much I have improved in the past 6 weeks! Amazing! I hope I see that kind of growth in my singing. That reminds me.. I've decided my ultimate acting dream is to have a role (maybe Mrs. Lovett) in the Sweeney Todd play or a similar role in another musical play. I think it would be so much fun! Challenging and rewarding all at the same time!
Anyway, I am leaving work early today for an appointment. I am very fortunate to have such flexibility.
I'll keep you all updated :)
March has been so crazy in general. Between acting classes and choir and friends and family, it has been eventful. I've enjoyed it for the most part though!
As the month has sped on, I have learned that I do have patience in some cases. When I don't have control over a situation I allow myself the patience to wait it out.. but when I am in control, I let my lack of patience move things along more quickly.
For example, I have been emailing this guy for hmm 5 weeks? now. Had I known he was out of town from the beginning it would have been a different scenario but since I found out 2 weeks in, I had to catch up my patience to the situation at hand..
So now, 5 weeks in.. we are both back in town and I am ready to meet face to face.. anxious actually.. I don't even get what is going on with me this time around because back in my early 20's I met tons of people online and never cared whether or not I met them face to face.. now though, it feels awkward to be talking to a potential "date" online having not met face to face yet..
Maybe I am just growing up, maybe I am just getting serious about finding the real thing.. the long term thing.. or maybe I am just impatient now.. but I am ready to step out from behind the computer and look into his eyes and see what is really there.. in the flesh...
This guy though, seems like a really great person and even if we don't have a physical attraction once we meet in person, I know I would really want to remain friends with him. He's far from perfect but I don't care about perfect.. imperfect for one person could be completely perfect for me.. We'll have to see.
So enough about boys...
I went into work on Monday and found out my boss had a heart attack or something related to his heart and is in the hospital and it is undetermined when he will return.. that sucks.. he is such a great boss!!! I am sending healing happy thoughts his way though.
I finished my acting class on Saturday.. last class of that 6 week stretch.. I am taking a break now to focus on choir.. I need to improve with my singing, focus on my breathing and get those high notes. 1st soprano is a lot of pressure.. especially when only 2 of us show up at a practice!!!
I have my tapes from acting and I can't believe how much I have improved in the past 6 weeks! Amazing! I hope I see that kind of growth in my singing. That reminds me.. I've decided my ultimate acting dream is to have a role (maybe Mrs. Lovett) in the Sweeney Todd play or a similar role in another musical play. I think it would be so much fun! Challenging and rewarding all at the same time!
Anyway, I am leaving work early today for an appointment. I am very fortunate to have such flexibility.
I'll keep you all updated :)
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