Unfamiliar Tide

Procrastination

2011-11-30T22:13:00.001-05:00

I've been working on an assignment this week for my Psychology of Disease course and have been trying to find little ways to procrastinate in between. I haven't had much time to pick up the camera these days, at least not in an artistic sense, so I went through some of my old photos for a little walk down memory lane.

Here are a few photos that I've processed the past few months:

Trip to D.C. 2010

tracks

2x2=cute

Koi in Osaka

***

The Burning House Project

2011-10-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

Last week, Robert came across this post on My Modern Met and it got the two of us thinking what we would bring in the case of a house/apartment fire. Now, realistically, we would grab the cats and our wallets and run like mad with just the clothes on our backs. This made me realize I'd probably be in a comfy over-sized tee and shorts and Robert in his boxers and fuzzy slippers.

Here are a few of the items which speak to me most:

1. 15 x magnified mirror and tweezers. You do not want to see my eyebrows get out of control.

2. Amadeus: Director's cut.

3. Kokeshi, our adopted doll from Miyajima, Japan

4. Chopsticks, a beautiful wedding gift from our friend Yumiko. Also a great eating tool.

5. Sony Cybershot camera. I would have put the Canon 7D, but I was using it for the shot. Consider it as part of the picture.

6. Beeswax candle.

7. Michel LeRoux art book. My favourite Canadian artist, his paintings put me in a happy place

8. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. A childhood classic. There are so many books I would want to take with me but the illustrations in this one really bring me back.

9. Photo album

10. My grandmother's jewelry and my mom's wedding band

11. My favourite childhood photos which would obviously be included in my album.

12. Lighter, to light the beeswax candle or to pick up smoking again (joking)

13. iPod carrying ALL my music, bejeweled and mahjong. (although not shown, earphones are a must)

14. Passport.

15. Package of Beef Jerky

16. One of the first cards Robert wrote for me. This card actually sits between the covers of the Michel LeRoux art book, a birthday gift from when we first met. Sweetest card ever.

17. My wallet. I'll pretend it's loaded with cash for the sake of the photo.

18. Uncooperative cats. Nami and Mushi were too hyper during the taking of the photo.

Saving Mushi

2011-07-24T21:57:00.000-04:00

I caved and bought an air conditioner on Saturday and I'm embarrassed for my reasoning. My cat.

The past few weeks, Mushi has really been struggling with the heat. We've been doing all we can to keep him cool and hydrated (extra water in his food, rubbing him down with cool water around the neck and laying him in front of the fan). Unfortunately his health weakened and he developed quick shallow breathing, panting, fever and unintentionally playing dead. I felt bad for the little guy, it's his first summer and he has a much denser coat than Nami. Nami has also been laying around feeling the heat, but her energy levels are much better. She also has a few summers under her belt and her coat is finer.

With the weather reaching 49C with the humidity last week, it was a little too much for even Robert and I. I've never owned an air conditioner and felt that not having one made me stronger. After purchasing a behemoth portable a/c, it makes this particularly hot summer so much more tolerable.

After 12 hours of running the a/c, Mushi was back to normal. His breathing is steady and he's running around causing trouble like a cat should.

Potential Crazy Cat Person?

2011-06-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

Baby Mushi

My husband and I both agree that when one of us dies, there is a great chance that either of us could become a crazy cat person. We love kitties and who could resist a face like that? They're great company, independent, highly intelligent and did you look at that face?

Let's look at our personalities to see if there is a potential for such a label.

According to a study on the differences between dog and cat owners, people who own only cats tend to be relatively introverted, which is true for the both of us. We're home bodies, although I'm a little more sociable.

The study also states that cat owners are reasonably cool (low in warmth or agreeableness) which I would assume would go in hand with introversion. Who wants to be agreeable all the time, anyway? I sense this question is low in "warmth".

Eleanor Abernathy aka Crazy Cat Lady

"Cat owners are relatively low in dominance. People who are high on dominance are generally described as being forceful, assertive, persistent, self-assured and self-confident. They are the people who stand out in social gatherings as opposed to people who are low in dominance that come across as being more timid, bashful, shy and unaggressive." This is why I suck when meeting someone for the first time, I never know what to say. I'm a classic wallflower. This also sucks in job interview situations, it's a wonder that I've even gotten jobs . . but I digress.

Cat owners also appear to be fairly trusting. Hooray for trust!

Let's look at some awesome cat facts:

Cats have three blood types: A, B and AB. The majority are type A.
Although a kitten is blind at birth, the touch receptors in the nose are already developed, and touching noses helps a kitten make contact with his mother. This practice of nose touching remains a friendly greeting for other cats (and humans) throughout a cat's life
Humans and cats have a similar range of hearing when it comes to low-pitched sounds, but cats have a much greater ability to hear very high notes-better, even, than dogs.
More than 20 muscles in each ear enable a cat to move her ears like radar dishes and pinpoint the source of a sound. The two ears can rotate in different directions, as well.
A domestic cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than a human's.
Cats can make more than 100 different vocal sounds. Dogs can make about 10.
Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
Cats of all types get more sleep than just about any other animal. They average 16 hours of sleep a day, most of it in short naps that allow the cat to quickly become fully alert.
The cat's canine teeth (the long fangs) sit in beds of sensitive tissue. A cat adjusts his grip on his prey until he feels a tiny depression in its neck, just behind the skull. The canine teeth are designed to fit perfectly into this depression, so the cat can sever his prey’s spine with one quick bite.

Part of the Cat Lady charm is owning many cat things. Trinkets, pictures. clothing, furniture, notepads and door mats, mugs . . the list could go on.

I had a look around my apartment to survey my own craziness and I can assure you it's VERY minimal and what I do have is tasteful (in my eyes). However, there is also the issue with friends and relatives having knowledge of your affinity for the feline. I have had some gifts over the years of tacky cat trinkets and the such. This is why a smart cat lover keeps their affinity on the down low or they'll be getting some interesting gifts.

I had three cats growing up, Maggie, Tessa and Mr. Louis. Maggie and Tessa aka Tessie are long gone, but Mr. Louis is still with us at 15 years. Three cats is borderline crazy, but my mom states she got them because she was feeling maternal and really wanted a baby. I'm sure my begging as a child also had something to do with it. It also makes me wonder if our reasons for getting a second cat had to do with underlying baby wants.

Nami

I never thought we'd get a second cat, especially living in a one bedroom apartment, but they can be hard to resist with their sweet little kitten faces and "love me" mews and purrs. Robert kept hinting for awhile that he wanted a second cat and I kept saying no. I'd bring up food costs, space issues and possible ill relations with our resident cat Nami. I wanted another kitty too, but I layed the con cards every time until I saw Mushi's sweet little face on the interwebs. That's how they get you. I'm waiting for the day when Robert hints at kitty number three. If this happens I will be completely convinced that he has the crazy cat person disease more than I do.

Yes, our future could be filled with more kitties, but if Eleanor Abernathy and Hoarders has taught me anything is that being a crazy cat lady is . . . well, crazy.

kokeshi

2011-05-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

These Japanese traditional wooden dolls called Kokeshi melted my heart in every souvenir shop I visited. I just had to adopt one and this little girl with her fancy sleeves and little red bow sold me. She's so sweet! I didn't pick up a lot of souvenirs for myself other than some local art from Kurashiki (yet to be framed, I'll post a photo when it's all glamored up and matted) and a couple of postcards.

I also realize I haven't really posted about my trip other than my digestive horrors on my other blog. I still plan to write while the memories are fresh, but I dove right into studying chemistry in preparation for school in September. good times

little poser

2011-05-15T23:21:00.000-04:00

Mushi was hanging out in the bathtub tonight so I decided it was a great opportunity to grab the camera. He's almost a big man now at 9 months, the same size as Nami who is 3 years old. He's going to be a beast!

hunting season

2011-03-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year when the pigeon's flock to our balcony. Sex, violence and tender moments, we've seen them all. Nami has been enjoying this spectator sport for a few years while this is Mushi's first. It's going to be a good hunting season.

reminiscing through the jewelry box

2011-03-21T00:09:00.001-04:00

The gold studs

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with earrings. I had a pretty extensive collection for a 10 year old and looking back at my earrings now, I realize I had some pretty grown up taste.

I haven't worn earrings in the last five years and every once in a while I jam some in for a couple of minutes to freshen up the sealed holes. I try to leave them in, but find I get irritated and so put them away to try again another day. I'll probably never wear earrings again...

The first photo is my first pair of earrings, the ones that were blasted into my ears when I was nine. I love the emerald green jewels embedded in the rich gold. They're still pretty after all these years.

The lanterns and the folding fans

The next photo were two of my favourite pairs, and I suppose they still are. The glass lanterns and the folding fans. The fans still open and close but they've lost the little tassels that used to hang from below.

It's nice to look back at my collection. Most of my childhood earrings have lost their counterpart while others are damaged. But I like to go through it every once in awhile and look at them. It takes me back.

Bokeh and Kitties

2011-03-19T22:39:00.001-04:00

Robert bought me the SLR Bokeh Kit from Photojojo for my birthday and it is Awesome. We took it out for a test drive this evening and I love the results. Looking forward to testing some more while we're in Japan.

Mushi was particularly crazy this morning, writhing around the chair in a playful manner. I decided to snap some photos of his silliness and also caught a picture of Nami watching him from afar. Below is a diptych to tell their story. To me, the photo represents their individual personalities. Nami is quiet, contemplative and an overall sweetheart while Mushi, still in his kitten stage, is a little ball of adorable destruction.

11. 03. 11

2011-03-16T23:34:00.000-04:00

Inspired by many graphic artists and illustrators (just google image "save japan"), I had a go tonight at my own little poster to remember the day and the people of Japan.

We decided to cancel the hotel in Tokyo based on the unpredictable nature of radiation levels at this time. I'm still very excited for our trip, but it breaks my heart with the news of continuous aftershocks, rising death tolls and radioactive leakage.

USTREAMS stream of NHK World has been an incredible source for information. I find Canadian and American news to be a little more sensationalist. I like the straight forward fact approach of the directly translated Japanese network. The stories are touching and I've spent most evenings alone, sobbing over the horrific events. *sniff*

At this time, plans are a little in the air with the state of the nuclear power plant. If things look good closer to the date, our plan is to explore the central and western parts of Japan, from the Kansai area west to Hiroshima and Miyajima. The hotel/ryokan we booked in Miyajima for one night looks incredible. I can't wait to stay here. I'm also excited to be able to add Koyasan to our itinerary. Okunoin Temple looks like an incredible photo opportunity; a cemetery with over 200,000 tombstones.

Keeping our fingers crossed.

Diversity of Colour

2011-02-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

A Treat Named Coffee

2011-02-25T00:11:00.001-05:00

My initial reason for giving up coffee this year was because of the elimination of dairy in my diet. I enjoyed a coffee a few times per week and over a few months towards the end of 2010, managed to ween the sugar out and drink my coffee "white" with a good helping of heavy cream (roughly 5 - 7 tbsp per cup).
Unfortunately, dairy is not my friend with the exception of butter. I haven't been able to drink a glass of milk in years without the agonizing cramping of my guts. All types of cheeses have a slightly less severe effect, but still noticeably uncomfortable. I consumed plain yogurt for a number of years, but decided to also give it up this year as part of my dairy elimination. I love yogurt, but admittedly I don't miss it. I have pondered making my own ghee which would eliminate any milk proteins, lactose and casein usually responsible for intestinal mishaps, but butter is a loyal friend, and it doesn't result in ill effects (yet).

I thought gone would be the days I could enjoy a creamy cup of coffee what with the 2011 elimination, but then I discovered Coconut Milk.

4 heaping Tbsps of coconut milk in a cup of coffee and my caffeinated indulgence has returned! I now experience life with 0% bloating, which you can imagine is an incredible feeling. Digestive life just keeps getting better!

Let's just hope that butter hangs in there for me.

Reflections of Nami

2011-02-24T23:31:00.000-05:00

Dreams

2011-02-19T06:24:00.003-05:00

Dreams are weird. My dreams are weird.

the internet is also weird

I woke up at 6 am this morning. Mushi was purring away beside me, his head on my pillow facing me with his little kitten breath on my nose. It was really sweet cause he's been a bit of a jerk cat lately, but that's for another post.
As I woke from my deep slumber, I was momentarily convinced in my dreamy state that Mushi was an Organic Salmon and I was petting it. You know your salmon is really fresh when it purrs and what with it's shiny coat and all. I think I may have visited St. Lawrence Market one too many times this week. Dreams are weird.

When I was a kid, my stepfather got me into the habit writing down my dreams when I woke up. As most kids do, I had nightmares frequently. I had my notebook handy by the bed and when I had a bad dream I would write down what I could remember. Also, I would draw a cool picture of my accounts, which made it fun!

One dream that I can still vividly recall now makes me laugh. I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was the last human on earth and it had been taken over by cows. After failing to hide from them, I was captured and enslaved to put up posters for milk. As I brushed the paste on a fence and put up a poster, I peered over the fence to find a huge vat of milk being stirred by the cows. Then I woke up screaming. That has to be a terrifying way for parents to wake up.

Writing my dreams down when I was a kid was fun, but I don't think I'd enjoy the task now. I'd sooner forget many of the dreams I've had in my adult life.

Cherry Blossom Super Happy Dance

2011-02-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

I've been dreaming of going to Japan for a number of years. I've had the opportunity to visit a few times in the past with friends always inviting me to come back with them on their way to visit their family. My issue was always that I couldn't afford it.

I've never travelled off of the North America continent (Cuba and the Dominican Republic don't count) but have enjoyed a few parts of the United States (I love Seattle) and will never go back to Mexico (I don't like being haggled). I've also seen much of this country, Canada. British Columbia is my favourite province, so far. Driving through the Rockies was a breathtaking experience and a 4 hour murderous hike from hell up a glacier was totally worth it when I got to the top. The view was incredible and it will always stay with me. Then I twisted my ankle on the way back down, which sucked balls along with a severe lobster sunburn, but I digress.

The east coast is also beautiful and I have fond memories of the pebble beaches in Nova Scotia and the winding roads of Cape Breton Island.

Folding Fan - A gift from Yumiko

Robert and I have officially booked a 3 week vacation to Japan!! I am so excited and scared out of my freaking mind!! We'll be flying to Osaka to stay with our friend Yumiko and her mom. It's so incredibly kind of them to let us base ourselves there while we take day trips to Kyoto and Nara. Robert and I will be heading off after a few days on our own to Tokyo for about a week. I'm mostly nervous about the language barrier and getting around. I've taught myself the Japanese characters of Hiragana and know some characters from Katakana. I have to start working on my numbers because I can only count to ten. I figure we'll just be playing a lot of charades. Yumiko thinks it'll be a good experience for us and she plans on "losing us" at some point to see how we make out. She thinks it's important to struggle in a foreign country and it will put hair on our chest or something.

I'm mostly excited for the photography opportunities. Since we're going the first 3 weeks of April, we'll be right in the middle of Cherry Blossom (sakura) season. I think I might die a little (in a good way) when I see the awesomeness of the blooms. It will be weeks of Shrines, Temples, Castles, parks, incredible history and of course the food.

The weeks are going by quickly and we'll be there in no time. I can't wait!

Blogging Cats and Purple Squirrels

2011-02-14T23:43:00.001-05:00

What would it be like if a cat had a blog, you ask? This made me laugh today:

My non-adventures

This sort of reminds of the time I made a Myspace page for a character called "The Purple Squirrel". This rodent stemmed from a childhood inside joke that my friend Caitlin and I had from public school and the character stuck with me. Noticing a lot of oddities and animal characters created on Myspace pages back in the day, I decided to unleash my creativity by giving the Purple Squirrel a persona.

He wrote journal entries about long lost squirrel loves and squabbles with homeless people in the park over food. He even had a message to his 1000's of friends letting everyone know to "stay in school, bitch". I kept the page up for a couple of years, but found the upkeep to be tiresome with the constant friend requests and questions to the Purple Squirrel. I thought, "these people need to get a life", but here I was . . . a twenty something hiding behind a colourful squirrel. I needed to get a life.

After de-activating the account, I immediately regretted it. Sure it was silly, but it made people smile. I even caught the occasional reference from his loyal fans messaging eachother to "stay in school, bitch". I learned a lot with that little guy. I also developed a lot of Photoshop skills what with all the squirrels I painted purple.

I miss you Purple Squirrel . . .

"Stay in school, bitch!"

Primal Ketchup

2011-02-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

Quite a busy weekend and it's not even over. Many of our regular chores were accomplished like cleaning, shopping and a kitty litter overhaul. I fought with a laundry machine today which decided to quit part way and leave our clothes in a lake of dirty water. I had to haul the soaked mass upstairs and wash it in the tub (I wasn't going to waste another $2 to wash it again). To make matters worse, it was a load of towels and some sweatpants which equals frickin' heavy when wet. I filled the tub with warm water and soap and did a grape stomp for a bit. It made me think of this and I smiled.

I overcooked a beautiful Tri Tip Roast on Friday night and I'm debating over some ideas of how I can consume it so it's not wasted in the garbage. We prefer our beef medium rare (and sometimes even on the rarer side). This "thing" I pulled out of the oven resembles more of a grey brown. It's tough, lifeless and probably because it's a fairly lean cut, dry as dust. I haven't tried it yet, I just occasionally take it out of the fridge and peer at it through the glass container like some specimen in a jar. This might be a case where I bring out the homemade ketchup and drown the poor bugger.

Homemade ketchup you ask? Yes, I've mastered it!. The recipe is slightly tweaked from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and it is AMAZING!

Primal Ketchup

Ingredients:

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 small cooking onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp ground allspice (I don't actually own allspice, so I combine cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as a substitute)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp black pepper

You can mince the onion and garlic together first in a food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients. Whiz until smooth. You can add a bit more water if the paste is too thick. Store in a mason jar in the refridgerator. Makes roughly 1.5 cups.

This isn't as sweet as commercial ketchup (we don't need a heavy insulin spike) and there is more of a vinegar bite, which is lovely in my opinion. I added more onion than the original recipe calls for because onion is awesome. Actually, I couldn't be bothered to measure 3 Tbsp of minced onion, so I just cut one in half and threw it in the food processor. Close enough and makes a super awesome punch of onion!

A Newedist Christmas

2011-01-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!! We received a lovely package on Friday with gifts from Chris and Laura. Laura has made us some fantastic hats and I continue to be blown away with her knit work.

I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the colour of my hat matches my eyes perfectly. I've never seen my eyes "pop" so much with an article of clothing. Robert said it was my best looking hat and that it suited me well. :)

Robert received a lovely black hat with black ribbed detail at the edge. Being a little camera shy, Robert didn't want to have his picture taken so I took a detail shot and one of the back of his head. Laura's work is impeccable. You can find more of her incredible knit work at Newedist.

Photo courtesy of Robert

The Fortnight Challenge

2011-01-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

In 2010, I attempted Project 365. The object was to take one photo everyday for an entire year and I failed miserably. This year, I am still determined to pick up the camera to practice my amateur skills, but felt another go at 365 was not doable. I have too much on my plate as it is.

I asked my colleague at work, who is also an avid photographer, if he would be up for a 365 challenge this year. It's an intimidating challenge to take and one he has decided to possibly take on for another time in the future. We did, however, decide to start a bi-weekly challenge. The theme for this challenge was "The Colour Blue" and here are a few examples of my work this weekend.

Canon 7D, Tamron 90mm f/2.8

Flash camera left , Canon Speedlite 580 EX II 1/4th power

Canon 7D, Tamron 90mm f/2.8
Flash camera right, Canon Speedlite 580 EX II 1/4th power

Canon 7D, Tamron 90mm f/2.8
Flash camera left , Canon Speedlite 580 EX II 1/4th power

Play time

2011-01-16T23:02:00.001-05:00

Lots of chasing and wrestling this evening. I'm so happy they get along so well :)

Tilt Shift = Awesome

2010-12-17T02:00:00.000-05:00

It's after 2 am and I'm still up. I have a momentary obsession with creating artificial miniature worlds using a technique called Tilt Shift. I've been going through some of my older photos trying to apply this technique. I've mostly been inspired recently by Katrin Ray who was recently featured on blogTO.

Here are a few of my initial tests. I'm hoping to do more, but part of the trick is taking photos from a more birds eye view. I'll have to look out more windows.

I totally cloned myself!

2010-12-09T23:50:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun tonight!! My colleague Akeil and I decided to challenge eachother to a multi layered photo starring ourselves, otherwise known as cloning.

This is me judging myself

My theme for this was a personal assessment. While I should be studying my Chemistry text in preparation for my decision to go back to school next year, instead I end up playing video games or browse the internet.

I can't wait to see what Akeil comes up with! I really enjoyed this challenge and hope to do more cloning in the future.

Awesome!

"The Voice"

2010-12-06T22:37:00.001-05:00

Toronto is really going to miss you. May you rest in peace, Mark Dailey.

Mark Dailey: "the voice" of Toronto

Stalker Posing

2010-12-05T22:34:00.000-05:00

Nami and Mushi show me what they're made of . . .

He's 4 months old today!

2010-12-04T00:29:00.001-05:00

He's going to be a BIG kitty. I think the testosterone is kicking in; his neck is getting thicker and he has a much stalkier "I'm going to kick your ass" kinda stance. Like a Bob Hoskins.

He's also developed Cat Acne on his upper lip. At first we thought the white was changing colour and for a couple of days we made a joke that he was developing a Hitler stache. But after closer observation, there were tiny black bumps on the skin. My cats had this growing up, but it usually developed under their chin. After some research, I found the cause could be plastic food and water bowls, which is what they had. I changed their dishes to stainless steel and the acne cleared up completely.

Mushi sporting his acne

We're a little stumped as to the cause of Mushi's. He drinks out of a stainless steel bowl and his food plate is ceramic. The vet said it's most likely a reaction to something in the environment. She suggested removing the dish soap from the counter and any plastics he may be chewing on, to keep out of reach.

Robert removed all of his plastic based toys and our kitchen counter is spotless all the time with chemicals put away; like child proofing.

It's been a week since it first appeared and it seems to be slowly clearing up. Hopefully we've tucked away the cause and he heals to his adorable self again.

Insignificance and Arsenic

2010-12-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

I occasionally get moments where I feel insignificant. My moment occured this morning on my daily commute where I happened upon an article suggesting that there are more stars in the universe than previously conceived. The article states that we have an estimated 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars (that's 300 sextillion).

When I was a kid, I use to try and imagine the farthest reaches of our galaxy and as I tried to visualize, a wave of nausea and dizzyness would hit me. It was physically impossible to conceive infinity and my body couldn't take it. But, now when I try to imagine, I get an overwhelming sense that my being really means nothing in the larger scheme.

Insignificance....

As my thoughts drift back to the present my mind wanders on to other things, but it's amazing for that single moment that life can feel trivial.

On an unrelated note, a friend forwarded a very interesting article from NASA citing the discovery of a microorganism thriving and reproducing in Mono Lake, a body of water with high levels of arsenic.

"We know that some microbes can breathe arsenic, but what we've found is a microbe doing something new -- building parts of itself out of arsenic," said Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA Astrobiology Research Fellow in residence at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and the research team's lead scientist. "If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected, what else can life do that we haven't seen yet?"

Incredible! I can only imagine the religious/evoluntionary debates that will appear with this article, but I think it's absolutely fantastic!

A serious contemplation of education

2010-11-08T23:06:00.001-05:00

For those of you that know me, you are quite aware that I'm not incredibly thrilled with my current job. I work in the financial industry, mostly doing pawn like work, and while the job itself is fine, it lacks the ability to keep me interested.

The past few years I've thought long and hard (that's what she said) about what I've wanted to do with my life. With pawn like work, I've felt like I've had no real direction or purpose. If you've ever been in this position you can understand how stressful, depressing and demotivating it can be. It was only a few weeks ago that I realized I may have found the direction I probably should have gone years ago . . . Nutrition.

On Saturday I attended an Open House at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. I had been researching the school for a bit and decided to attend to get more information. There were lectures on adrenal fatigue and nutrition in relation to memory retention and the psychology of disease. I felt incredibly comfortable as I sat there like a sponge absorbing all this fascinating information. I gathered all the information I could and left feeling invigorated about the possibility of finding a career that was meant to be.

As I continue to ponder each day, I'm realizing that it might be time for me to go back to school; as terrifying as that feels since I graduated college nearly a decade ago.

Step one: Apply

...and then we wait...

Macro Mushi

2010-10-17T23:26:00.000-04:00

Mushi and the 7D test

2010-10-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

A short video of Mushi using the Canon 7D.

Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4

It's a Boy!!

2010-10-11T23:02:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the family, Mushi!

Birth date: Aug 04, 2010. 9 weeks old

I decided to take the Friday of the Thanksgiving long weekend off to have some time to introduce Mushi to our resident 2 year old cat, Nami. Mushi settled into the bedroom almost immediately when I brought him home, as any curious kitten probably would.

After a couple of days of separation and a handful of hisses and growls from Nami, she and Mushi play gently under the door.

By Sunday we decided to have them meet. Mushi was placed in his carrier and brought out to the living room so Nami could investigate the bedroom where Mushi has been kept. As cats rely completely on smell and are extremely territorial, the first couple of days both kitties were rubbed down with towels and exchanged several times a day. Mushi didn't really respond much to Nami's smells, but Nami's nose worked over time as she sniffed his odor filled towels. With the continous swapping, Nami adapted fairly quickly to his scent.

After Nami explored the bedroom and mainly ignored the kitten in the carrier, we decided to release him to test her reaction. There were several gentle bops on the head and a few more hisses to show Mushi her first rank in the household. Lots of chasing back and forth through the apartment followed by crash naps for both, we continued to separate them for extended periods and repeat short meetings. We are having much success!

I am so incredibly proud of our Nami! :) She's making the transition for Mushi an easy one.

most recent self portrait

2010-07-18T18:21:00.001-04:00

Project 365 FAIL and the Return of the Shutter. . .

2010-07-08T22:59:00.000-04:00

The last time I picked up a camera was the end of May when my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. The time before that was in April when I took one of my last shots for Project 365.
I failed 365 miserably and have been a little embarrassed to post anything since I've quit the project. I don't know why I stopped. I have many excuses in my head and I've been very ashamed. What's done is done and maybe I'll try again someday. Time will only tell.
But, enough is enough. It's time to pick that camera up again and start snapping! It's about 37 degrees celsius with the humidity right now and the bed is an oven. Nami and I are hanging out on the balcony with a glass of water trying to keep cool because the apartment feels like the Apocalypse.
I'm looking forward to the coolness of Fall . . .

Eating 101: The Primal Blueprint

2010-04-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

I first became aware of Mark Sisson's book a few months ago while researching diets for optimal health and nutrition. It's a subject I continuously have an interest in as I have struggled with dietary restrictions for the past 6 years. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever written about it, so let me start again...

I have a mulittude of dietary limitations. Due to many factors in my past, including poor diet, birth control pills and overuse of antibiotics to treat reoccuring infections, I have a very weak digestive system. I can no longer tolerate grains (bread, rice, pastas, corn), milk and cheese, fruit, sugar and many chemical preservatives. I've had my ups and downs (many many downs) with such a restrictive diet. I always felt like I was part of an unfortunate group of people, the Candida sufferers. It became tiresome to explain to new people that I met why I couldn't indulge in the luxurious breads and delectable sweets that they could. It was really depressing and I would adopt a "to hell with it" frame of mind and join in, paying the consequences soon after.

My consequences included migraines/headaches, bloating and weight gain, intestinal cramps, lethargy, depression, insomnia...the list goes on.

Finding this book has been a godsend. It's not a weight loss or diet book. It's a lifestyle and one that I've adopted quite easily in the last three weeks. The Primal lifestyle is based on a modern hunter-gatherer eating style including vegetables in abudance, fruit, eggs, meats & seafood, nuts and plenty of saturated and monounsaturated fats (yum).

The diet is fairly spot on to the Candida diet I had adopted on and off for so many years, the only difference was the increase in fat. By increasing the fat in my diet, I feel satiated for long periods and cravings for complex carbs and sugar have almost completely diminished. I also feel like I'm part of a healthier community and not a community of constant sufferers (no hard feelings, but it's been a little depressing). Mark's website, http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ is full of fantastic articles and answers any questions readers have about this remarkable way of living. The success stories of readers are inspirational and truly moving.

My energy levels have been through the roof and my afternoon nap attacks that subsided after grain based meals are gone. I sleep better and most mornings I wake up before my alarm, refreshed and ready to start my day. I never had any intentions to lose weight, but I've been losing 1 lb per week so far and it feels great.

Anyone looking to "reprogram their genes" and feel more connected with their bodies with "vibrant health and boundless energy", I completely recommend this book.

Awesome start to April

2010-04-04T18:52:00.000-04:00

Loverly April is here. The earth has thawed from our non-existent winter and the trees are starting to bud. The weather has been freaking gorgeous with record highs of 25C. Awesome Easter long weekend! Let's hope we get more of this weather in the next coming weeks.

Here are the project 365 photos for the week.

Photo 89/365:

Photo 90/365:

Photo 91/365:

Photo 92/365:

Photo 93/365:

Photo 94/365:

Photo 95/365:

It's been a fortnight!

2010-03-28T14:16:00.000-04:00

Hello old friend. It's been a long time. I'm sorry I've neglected you these past two weeks. Things are picking up at work and I'll be starting week 7 of P90X tomorrow morning. April will be better ... I promise.

Project 365 is alive and well and I will only be posting the few photos that I put some effort into (I have 20 some odd photos since my last post and I don't really want to post them all now). But, if you want to see the rest, click on the Flickr link to your right :)

Here are a few photos from the past 2 weeks.

Photo 67/365:

Photo 70/365:

Photo 77/365:

Photo 80/365:

Photo 81/365:

Photo 83/365:

Photo 86/365:

Another week down

2010-03-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

I feel bad I don't have as much time for this as I'd like to. I'm always making mental notes of things I'd like to discuss or express here, but I just don't have the time. My days are pretty stacked and it's difficult to cram one more thing in. If only I could justify blogging at work; but my stupid ethics get in the way.

This week is Recovery week in P90x. Monday started off with Yoga which was pretty good followed by Core Synergistics From Hell. Core Synergistics From Hell is basically what the latter describes. I always grumbled about Plyometrics, but Core has trumped to become the fully dreaded one. Imagine an hour of planks, and running planks, push up planks, planks on stilts . . .

This morning was Stretch X or X Stretch which I had to miss this morning because my alarm never went off. That's not an excuse, by the way. I woke up very confused as everything was set up correctly. It just never went off. So the hour long Stretch has been skipped. I'll make sure I stretch a lot at work today. Like a cat. I'm sure my colleagues will be delighted.

With Recovery week ending this weekend it means I've managed the first 30 days of Tony Horton's P90X. I started a few weeks ago with only being able to do 4 or 5 push ups on my knees and now I can do at least 2 full push ups ON MY TOES! That's an amazing accomplishment for me as I've always had the upper body strength of a slinky.

Here are the Project 365 photos for the first week of March. I'm back to colour again. Exciting!

Photo 60/365:

Photo 61/365:

Photo 62/365:

Photo 63/365:

Photo 64/365:

Photo 65/365:

Photo 66/365:

February: Week 4

2010-03-05T10:25:00.001-05:00

I'm posting this a little late as it is now March 5th and the title is week 4 of February. I've recovered from that wretched cold somewhat and have most of my energy back. I started week 3 of P90x over to make up the time I was sick. I just finished Legs & Back an hour ago and it's been tough getting back into it. The two weeks I lost in the program was a bit of a set back, but I'm happy to report that I'm able to get through the DVD's pretty well, except plyometrics. I hate plyo, it makes me want to throw up every time.

My illness couldn't have come at a more perfect time, though. I was able to enjoy the Olympics (winter is my favourite) and was very thankful that CTV was streaming it live online, as I don't have cable (and never will again). I love the speed skating. Their grotesquely large thighs are so fascinating to me. How do they buy pants?

Canada kicked some serious ass this year at the Olympics and although I don't consider myself a competitive person, I took great pride in our athletes this year. They pushed themselves hard, harder than I would ever push myself. I stay in my pajamas for entire weekends, sometimes (okay, most of the time). There was a togetherness in this country for those two weeks and it felt good. My friends and colleagues in Vancouver were on a two week high and many of them shared that they hoped the positive energy that exuded during the Olympics would continue for weeks after. I hope it does too.

Here are the photos for Project 365 for week 4 of February.

Photo 54/365:

Photo 55/365:

Go Canada Go!

Although super pathetic to take a picture of your screen while you're watching the Olympics, I couldn't think of a better moment to capture for Project 365 than Canada defeating Russia.

Photo 56/365:

Photo 57/365:

Photo 58/365:

Photo 59/365:

I am happy that February is over. I gave myself the challenge of making the month black and white, but I got bored really quickly, as you can see with most of the subject matter. Looking forward to March!

February: Week 3

2010-02-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I started off this week pretty well, commencing my week 3 of P90x. I successfully completed Monday's Chest & Back exercise and felt pretty good that I had managed my first full push up (not on my knees). I felt really strong and accomplished until I woke up Tueday morning with zero energy. I couldn't complete the Plyometrics so put the disc away hoping I could get through it on my rest day instead. Wednesday morning was worse. I was tired with no energy and my throat was hurting. By 2 pm, I left work to come home to rest. I now had a wonderful chest cold to nurse right through the weekend and Monday.

I haven't been sick in a long time and thought that I had my immune system under control with all the good food, exercise and regular vitamins. I wear gloves on the subway and am always washing my hands after touching communal services. I equate the illness to my work environment where we sit day in and day out breathing in the same recycled air. Not a single window can be opened and the amount of sick people that continue to drag their ass' into work irritates me to no end.

So with being sick, I somewhat failed my Project 365. I missed a couple of days due to sleeping the days away and little energy. I'm still continuing, though, and made up for those missed days by taking extra photos on the days I remembered.

Photo 46/365:

Photo 47/365:

Photo 48/365:

Photo 49/365:

Photo 50/365:

Photo 51/365:

Photo 52/365:

Photo 53/365:

The dairy beverage saga continues

2010-02-15T18:59:00.000-05:00

Walking through the grocery store yesterday, buying our usual brand of organic milk, I noticed our lovely friend "Chocolate Dairy Beverage". I pointed it out to my husband as he hadn't actually paid witness to it, but only heard about it through my research rants.

Normally I just shudder when I see the product on the shelf and carry on with my shopping, but I never noticed the slogan on the carton until now.

Where good things never change

Where good things never change? I found this rather perplexing and it sent me into a quiet rage. How does a company have such a slogan when clearly the product they are selling is completely altered?

I know some folks have received replies from "milk" companies about the change in product, but I have yet to receive one. I'm assuming that the industry has been inundated with many complaints and questions and can't keep up with it. My questions are lost in a sea of many.

February: Week 2

2010-02-15T16:58:00.001-05:00

These past few weeks seem so much longer when I post once a week here. Maybe I should post more often to make the weeks go by quicker, but then I feel like my life is rushing by too fast...conundrum!

Here are the photos for week two of February for Project 365.

Photo 39/365:

Photo 40/365:

Photo 41/365:

Photo 42/365:

Photo 43/365:

Photo 44/365:

Photo 45/365:

February: Week 1

2010-02-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

I've been keeping myself so busy that I haven't had much time for my blog. I started P90X on February 1st and it now occupies the time that I would spend here. That and getting to bed early so I can wake up and hurl my body around for an hour before work. P90X is TOUGH, but after one week, I've lost 2 lbs and I'm already noticing slight changes in my body besides being sore 24/7.

I've decided for the month of February that all my photos for Project 365 will be Black and White. Here's the series for the first week this month.

Photo 32/365:

Photo 33/365:

Photo 34/365:

Photo 35/365:

Photo 36/365:

Photo 37/365:

Photo 38/365:

The weekend

2010-01-31T17:09:00.000-05:00

Robert and I met our friend Yumiko last night for a few drinks at her office party. Good food, a fine wine and great conversation! I should really get out more. I always find that I have a really good time. It sure does beat sitting on the couch every Friday night (although I never complain about hanging out in my pajamas, because pajamas are just awesome).

Photo 29/365:

We've made it through the first month of not spending money on take out/ delivery, but did splurge a little on Saturday for Dim Sum. We felt it was a fair reward for all our hard work this month. Okay, we are weak, but it was totally worth it. We've discussed it and feel that an end of month Dim Sum outing will not hurt our budget.

I am excited to end each month with Dim Sum because it means I get to savour an amazing array of flavours that I crave on a daily basis. Cha Liu is my weakness, my addiction. I have a problem, but at least it's a delicious one.

Photo 30/365:

With this last photo, I've officially completed my first month of taking one photo every day. 11 more months to go. I honestly thought I would bale out on this project, but it's proving to be doable. Challenging, but doable.

Photo 31/365:

Winter grass

2010-01-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

Went for a walk during my break at work today. It was -21 C with the wind so decided a walk outside was not the best idea. I decided to go to Metro Hall to walk through the concourse and found these tall grasses at Roy Thompson Hall. Quite difficult to get a picture of with the high winds, I managed to get a somewhat still shot when the winds died down for only a moment.

Although the grass was a lovely blonde, I felt a blue filter gave a better feeling for the chilly mood of the day.

Photo 28/365:

Meat Perfection

2010-01-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

Poultry                                    180 F

Rare Beef:                               140 F

Med Beef:                               160 F

Well Done Beef:                      170 F    (blasphemy)

Lamb & Pork:                         170 F

Photo 27/365:

26th day

2010-01-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

Day 26, I've almost completed a month. Now if only I could stick to exercise like this,

Photo 26/365:

Leaping Bunnies

2010-01-25T22:46:00.001-05:00

A gift from my friend, Yumiko. I love this little fan but never really find much use for it other than to admire it's beauty now and then. The bunnies on it are adorable and pretty red little flowers adorn the paper portion.

Photo 25/365:

The leg swats are the biggest clue...

2010-01-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

tea ball

2010-01-24T17:38:00.001-05:00

Nothing quite like a hot cup of herbal tea.

Photo 24/365:

mein Mann

2010-01-24T13:59:00.002-05:00

I'm really enjoying this! I might have to invest in a tablet as I'm finding the mouse a little difficult to maneuver around with. I've got a couple of Future Shop gift cards, so they may just cover the cost. Super fun!

Hey Hermano!

2010-01-24T00:32:00.002-05:00

I spent my Saturday night looking up how to make stencils and came across this Stencil Tutorial. Not having a picture of Dick Cheney, I looked through my photo library and came across a photo of my brother that would work perfectly. I followed along with the tutorial and was pleasantly surprised with my results. It took a couple of hours, but I would definitely try this again with other photos. It makes for a fun art project!

he leaves the negativity behind him

2010-01-23T14:27:00.001-05:00

Robert giving me his "good side", as he puts it. Personally I think all sides of him are wonderful.

Photo 23/365:

That's what friends are for . . .

2010-01-23T11:11:00.004-05:00

Are they not the bestest friends to have?

knifey spoony?

2010-01-22T10:36:00.003-05:00

Lately I've put no effort into my photos. Most photos start off with me going, "Oh shit, I have to take a photo" as I'm getting ready for bed. I keep telling myself that not every photo has to be super fantastic, but I still look at these and sigh...

Photo 22/365:

Tater Thyme

2010-01-21T22:03:00.002-05:00

Sauteed Red Potatoes with Thyme. Delish!

Photo 21/365:

Chocolate covered Sea Salt? Yes please!

2010-01-20T22:29:00.001-05:00

Around the holidays I came across Lindt's newest delectable, Sea Salt. Sweet and Salty is a popular combination now. I notice S&S granola bars, popcorn, nuts, party mix and even pumpkin seeds.

Lindt is some of the finest chocolate and it was only a matter of time before they jumped on the bandwagon. Having it only as a "once in awhile" treat, it's pure, heavenly, melt in your mouth perfection!

Photo 20/365:

My Guide to Sleep

2010-01-19T22:42:00.004-05:00

The past several months I've found that I can't fall asleep without listening to chatter, particularly the Ricky Gervais podcast series. I have a fondness for the likes of Mr. Karl Pilkington, aka "Round Shaven Chimp with a Head Like a Fucking Orange". Ricky dubs him many colourful derogatory terms and he is "the best idiot in the world".

Many of Karl's ideas are primitive and childlike, but what I respect about him most is his abilitiy to take the insults in stride. Lord knows I certainly couldn't handle someone like Ricky. Ricky is a man who can dish it out, but can't take (at least not from Karl). I do enjoy his comedic style, though and his awkwardly infectious laugh.

And of course there is Stephen Merchant who is probably my most favourite of the three. He is one of the greatest story tellers I've ever heard. If you haven't heard his story of his trip to Rio de Janeiro, look for it (Season 2 Episode 2). I've heard it over 50 times and it still makes me laugh out loud...in bed :)

Photo 19/365:

shattered

2010-01-18T21:42:00.002-05:00

Opened my freezer to pull out a jar of homemade soup stock. This jar had shattered which means I probably filled it a little too much. Liquids expand when they freeze, so I've learned my lesson. Luckily I had two other jars. Yummy soup!

Photo 18/365:

Sweet!

2010-01-17T19:50:00.003-05:00

Robert made cookies today! We had a roll of homemade frozen chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer. He defrosted it and worked in some peanut butter chips to add a different flavour. The dough he originally made had milk chocolate chips. I prefer the semi-sweet as it balances out the sweetness of the cookie. The added peanut butter chips were good, but too sweet for my taste.

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe by Martha Stewart

Photo 17/365:

Final view

2010-01-17T19:21:00.003-05:00

Day of departure. Woke up at 6 am to have breakfast and head to the airport for our flight from Miami to Toronto. This was the view we had that morning. The downtown Miami skyline is stunning at sunrise and I love the purple lights on the bridge. Lovely last scene from the ship before we headed home.

Photo 16/365:

One thing I have learned is that I'm not a fan of Cruise ships. I'm more partial to Resorts when it comes to travelling in the Caribbean. Two of our destinations (Grand Cayman and Cococay, Bahamas) were cancelled due to poor weather conditions, so there are no guarantees with Cruises. The only cruise I might consider is an Alaskan. I'm sure I could get some fantastic photos in that part of the world.

Key West and the Cheeseburger

2010-01-17T18:53:00.005-05:00

Photo 15/365: We visited beautiful Key West, Florida on Friday. Our first full day of hot sun (and our last as our flight for Toronto from Miami was the next day). Key West was such a wonderful little tourist town. Home of Ernest Hemingway and the best damn burger. We stopped into a restaurant called Cheeseburger and I had the Guacamole burger. It was the size of my face and the side of onion rings were like thick bangles!! I would definitely visit again.

In the arms of sleep

2010-01-17T18:06:00.002-05:00

Photo 14/365: Today was another cold, rainy, windy day. I was tired and spent much of the day curled up in bed napping and watching reruns of movies and sitcoms. Joy...

Hooray for Vitamin D!

2010-01-17T17:40:00.005-05:00

First day of sun!!! 5 days into our vacation and the sun finally comes out. I was very much excited and threw on my bathing suit to soak up some much needed rays.
Photo 13/365:

Below was the sunset for that evening. This was the most colourful sunset my mother and I had ever seen. Gorgeous!

Mothra

2010-01-17T17:30:00.001-05:00

Photo 12/365: Monday we were docked for a second day in Cozumel, but decided to stay on the ship. The weather was really chilly and winds were high. My mom and I decided to wander around the ship and check our more of the view when we came across this 4 inch long moth resting on the stairs to the uppermost deck. I took some pics and videos before we settled it down in a place where no one could step on it.

Cozumel

2010-01-17T17:05:00.002-05:00

Photo 11/365: Monday we docked in Cozumel, Mexico for two nights. Our first stop to Grand Cayman was cancelled due to impending weather conditions. We spent two days in Cozumel. It was chilly, but at least the sun came out for the afternoon, followed by more rain and storms.

Seven Days at Sea

2010-01-17T16:23:00.001-05:00

Photos 10/365: Woke up on the Sunday to heavy storm clouds. It was still cold and rainy; not the best start to a cruise.

The photo below is a result of 3 exposures layered to create an amazing photo effect called High Dynamic Range (HDR).

Frozen Iguanas

2010-01-17T15:58:00.005-05:00

Photo 9/365: My favourite highlight from Miami's Saturday morning news was a warning to locals to watch out for falling Iguana's. Today was chilly with a high of 8 degrees Celsius. The cooler weather had caused the Iguana's to go into hibernation and dropping from wherever they had been resting...mostly in trees. Locals were being bombarded with the critters which I later found out are a bit of a nuisance in Florida.

We boarded the Celebrity Century Cruise ship to set sail for Grand Cayman in the hopes of reaching warmer weather soon. As you can see by my mother's face below, it was quite cold.

Below is some of the storm we went through on our first night at sea. I loved the way the ghostly mist rolled on the surface and I tried to capture it as best I could.

Miami

2010-01-17T08:26:00.006-05:00

Photo 8/365: This is our view from the Hyatt Miami in Florida. We arrived around 4pm after hours of delays and travelling from Toronto. The room was gorgeous and I was pleasantly surprised with the view of new condo development (I love architecture).

Below is a picture of our view at night.

And I'm off....

2010-01-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

I'm on my way to the airport early tomorrow morning to catch a flight to Miami. My mother won a cruise through the large financial institution we both work for and we're heading off for 7 days to sail through the Caribbean. Our first stop will be the Cayman Islands followed by Cozumel and Playa del Carmen in Mexico and lastly Coco Bay, Bahamas. It's going to be a busy but hopefully a relaxing "business" trip.

I'm still going to take pics everyday for Project 365 and I'll make sure I post them when I get back.

Goodbye for now!

Mortar & Pestle

2010-01-07T21:47:00.003-05:00

Photo 7/365: I didn't have my camera on me today so took a quick shot when I got home from work. These are a few items that sit on my stove in the kitchen. The teapot was my mothers that she purchased sometime in the '70's. The pisces/salmon plate I bought years ago on a visit to Vancouver. The few jarred ingredients contain sesame seeds and couscous and my trusty mortar & pestle stands by ready to crush/mash anything I please. I love to cook.

Sketch

2010-01-06T22:19:00.003-05:00

Another addition to my subway sketches.

Photo 6/365:

Jem!

2010-01-05T21:13:00.003-05:00

Photo 5/365: ...glamour and glitter, fashion and fame...

Flashing men

2010-01-04T21:45:00.003-05:00

Random shot on my commute home from work. I accidently flashed this guy in the eye; I had forgotten to turn of the red sensor. He gave me a smile signaling everything was okay. I'm such a dork.

Photo 4/365:

The Neverending Scarf

2010-01-03T14:47:00.006-05:00

One of my challenges for 2010 is to finish this scarf I've been working on for the past 2 years. I'm halfway there.

Photo 3/365:

Warm Thoughts

2010-01-02T21:03:00.006-05:00

Photo 2/365: Today was -22 degrees Celsius with the windchill. As much as I love the winter, the subzero temperatures can be a bit much.

I made this little set to remind us of warmer times ahead . . . they're not too far . . . think warm thoughts.

I should probably point out that this is a scale model and not a real bike (19x14 cm). The back drop is one of my oil paintings. Some of the commenters on Flickr seem to think that this is life size and my aparment looks this awesome. I wish it looked this awesome. That would be awesome.

Fish heads, yum!

2010-01-02T15:28:00.001-05:00

I made my first fish stock yesterday. I had a leftover snapper head and carcass that I stored in the freezer from a few weeks ago. Threw it in a pot of water with some leftover leeks, fennel, smashed garlic cloves, a 1/4 cup of left over New Year's eve champagne and peppercorns and simmered it for 30 minutes.

At the same time I made a large batch of turkey stock (5-6 hours to simmer). The fish stock kept giving me the willies, though, because the head kept surfacing mouth first. I'd push it down under the fennel and leeks to hide it but it kept poking back up with it's big read lips first. Then it would turn to the side and look at me with a solid white eye. These things don't normally bother me, but it weirded me out a little. Poor little snapper.

The fish stock is all stored away in the freezer in batches but I have no idea what to use it with. Any suggestions?

Project 365 commences

2010-01-01T20:14:00.012-05:00

Project 365 commences today. I eagerly grabbed the camera this morning when I got up and started shooting around the apartment, testing out the flash and umbrella and my new Tamron 90mm lens I got for Christmas.

As new and exciting as this is right now, I can see myself struggling from time to time with this challenge. Some days I probably won't want to even look at my camera and those will be the days where my photos are less than great. The point of Project 365 is to take 1 photo every day for a year, but that doesn't mean that every photo has to be a work of art with perfect lighting and balance. I expect to have quite a few lack lustre candids.

I'm going to try my best to post one per day; no guarantees. All 365 photos will appear but I may have to lump some of them together on days as I won't be able to pay as much daily attention here as I'd like to.

Photo 1/365: Our kitty Nami. She behaved fairly decently for her photoshoot today.

2010: New Challenges

2009-12-28T22:29:00.015-05:00

I don't normally make new years resolutions. If at all ever attempted, it has usually resulted in instant failure. I would beat myself up for a bit for being incompetent with the change and would then go back to doing whatever it was I dubbed to be resolved.

Although I didn't make any official resolutions for 2009, I found I had accomplished a lot. I stopped biting my nails after 25 yrs; I lost 21 lbs of additional weight I had been lugging around; I changed my eating habits and made more home cooked meals and I got married to the love of my life. 2009 was an amazing year.

I figured since I had accomplished so much this year that I could challenge myself more in 2010. My husband, Robert and I plan to cut out all take out and restaurants (except our anniversary) and make all our meals at home with fresh local produce and organic meats only. We'll drastically reduce the amount of processed foods that enter the household.

Our plan is to be more involved with our hobbies. Many projects remain dormant throughout the apartment with layers of 2009 dust. My sewing machine has been calling my name as have my knitting needles. These past couple of weeks I've been lining up some projects to keep me busy like finish a scarf I've been working on for TWO YEARS. Scarves used to take me a week.

One of the knitting projects I'm planning is the Puff Daddy. This delightful little puffy chair/foot stool looks like a fairly simple challenge but it's one that will keep my busy for months. Not sure what colour I want to do, but I'm thinking maybe a charcoal (shows less cat hair).

I love photography, so I decided I'll also be participating in Project 365. Taking one photo everyday for a year will prove to be challenging, but my hope is to keep myself as busy as possible and to spend as little money and save, save, save! Taking photos everyday will also help to perfect my craft and thanks to my brother's awesome Christmas present to Robert and me (a photoflex umbrella) my subject lighting can be mastered!

2010 will be busy, it will be challenging and it will be frustrating at times. But I'm ready :)

Subway Sketches

2009-12-06T19:03:00.018-05:00

While tidying up, I came across a little sketch book I had started in early 2008. I use to pull it out during my morning commute on the subway and sketch people around me to pass the 20 minute ride. Whenever someone would become suspicious of me doodling them, I'd pretend I was looking at something else for a bit. Some people were hit and miss, only being present for just a few stops. I find that I forget details quite quickly when my subject leaves, so I have many sketches that are incomplete. Below are some of the more complete sketches.

Finding these has me excited to try it again. I look forward to posting more in the near future!

Chocolate Milk/Dairy Beverage?

2009-11-26T16:16:00.014-05:00

There's a new chocolate milk in town. It's no longer just milk but Milk/Dairy Beverage. A colleague of mine first brought this to my attention a couple of weeks ago when he brought home what he thought was a carton of chocolate milk, only to discover the word Beverage added. Both curious and wary, he decided to try it. As he poured a glass, he first noticed it's colour had changed to a "grey-brown". When it came to taste, he wasn't at all impressed by it's "chalkiness" and decided to discard the rest.

I haven't tried the new drink nor do I plan to as I am lactose intolerant. As much as I want to be a friend to Dairy, it wants to remain enemies. But for all my friends and loved ones that can enjoy milk, I was a little worried about what they might be consuming, and I was determined to find some answers.

Now, I'm not 100% positive that what I have found is the answer, but it does bring a lot more questions to the table about what people consume on a daily basis.

There is a possibility that the Milk/Dairy Beverage is made from Protelac 230, a milk replacer,which is "composed of between 35 to 45 percent lactose, between 33 and 43 percent nonfat dry milk, between 10 and 20 percent canola oil, between 2 and 8 percent sodium caseinate, and less than 2 percent each of sodium phosphate and flavor. It is to be used as an ingredient in the manufacture of instant, hot beverage mixes, to give a milky flavor and a creamy texture, or in vending machine applications, as a foaming agent.

The other theory of why it may be called Milk/Dairy Beverage is because an artificial sweetener replaced the sugar. According to Agropur (a division of Natrel), "a chocolate milk can ONLY be made with milk or milk ingredients, a flavour preparation (cocoa powder) and a sweetener. Low-Calorie sweeteners, such as sucralose and Ace-K (acesulfame-potassium) can only be used in Milk Beverages" (hence the probable change in labeling from Milk Beverage to Dairy Beverage).

What reasons would companies like Natrel, Sealtest and Beatrice have for marketing Chocolate Milk Beverage? Lower costs and greater profits? Probably. But why continue to create products that utilize chemical additives such as sucralose, aspartame and Ace-K when we know these are bad for us?

I plan to further investigate this with letters to the large milk chains and will update my blog at a later date. For now, I would probably steer this product clear from my family until I get some clearer answers.

Classic scariness

2009-11-01T17:52:00.010-05:00

My husband and I wandered through the local Blockbuster last night in the hope of finding a "scary" movie to rent for a quiet Halloween night in. We never found it. What we did find in the horror section were gore based films. I've never really found gore to be all that frightening. Gore is . . . well, gross. There are only so many horrible blood, gut and violent images my brain can take, and after most of the shite that I've been exposed to by friends, I think my brain has had enough.

We left empty handed and I was a little disappointed that there are not more haunting style movies. Classics like Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror and The Shining. I was very much excited with the release of Paranormal Activity and we had a chance to see it a couple of weeks ago.

I liked it and there were many great frightening scenes. As scary as it is to think of someone chasing you and then hacking you up to little itty bitty pieces, isn't even scarier to think of something you can't see dragging you out of your bed and down the corridor to your potential doom?

The reviews I had read the day before were mixed. Many people were scared, but there seemed to be much more that proclaimed how "not scared" or "bored" they were, leaving me to wonder why on earth someone would want to brag about their lack of imagination. Is it possible that some people treat these types of movie as a "test" of how brave and above it all they are, viewing it with a defensive frame of mind? It's simple to do if you only concentrate on the things that remind you that you are watching a movie. But where's the fun in that?

As much as I enjoyed Paranormal Activity, I can't say I was thrilled with the ending. Leaving the theatre I imagined a possibility of endings much greater than the hollywood cheese that resulted. If you have seen it, I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't . . . I recommend you watch it at home...alone...with the lights off.

Floating on an unfamiliar tide

2009-10-29T20:50:00.006-04:00

Extracted from a Great Lake Swimmers song entitled "Three Days at Sea (Three Lost Years)", unfamiliar tide has much meaning to me. Here is a sample of the opening lyrics:

First day I was lost at sea

And I had nothing to eat

But I thought home was near

I found myself in an unfamiliar place

My first night on an unfamiliar tide

I never really cared much for lyrics until this song entered my life; it's always been about the instruments harmonizing together to create a mood (especially the more melancholy ones). It amazes me how a few minor key tones can set a wave of emotion through my body, making the hairs on my arms dance with excitement or make my eyes well up in an instant. Some music makes me want to get up and dance (in my head . . . I'm a little shy), while others I'll strum my guitar to and imagine that I am that performer (come on, we've all done it).

The first time I heard this song, I had ended a 6 year relationship and gone through a couple of rebounds. I had decided that I needed time to be single and to be on my own. Those lyrics translated to me that I was chartering new territory and that I was floating on an unfamiliar tide. I had never really been single since my first date more than a decade and a half ago when I was 15 and being on my own was all very new to me and a little scary, but very exciting! Being single was fun!

It was a wonderful experience; I learned a lot about myself and in that alone time I met the love of my life. After 3 years together, we married this May. We have a one and a half year old kitty named Nami :)

This blog is my new "unfamiliar tide".