Hi Everyone!
-cleaned house
-Mom, Dad & Christine arrived on Saturday evening
- ate my fish recipe on Sunday, didn't get food poisoning. Fish Creek provincial park. Prince's Island. Met Jerry. Ate at Vietanmese restaurant - family agreed it was tasty
- Monday passed Payroll midterm. Family - Science Centre, Devonian Garden, Glenbow Museum. Got Western attire
- printed off driving directions for Fort Macleod, Head-Smashed-In, Waterton, Writing-On-Stone, back Thursday night. Stampede Friday
- very tired. On vacation!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Baa Baa Sheep
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb,
little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb
That was so very yummy!
Yep, Nigella's good. The recipe turned out like in the picture. It was very moist and flavourful. I put it in the oven like she said and pulled it out when the timer went off. No basting, turning, checking. The only problem I had was with all the juice. Jerry thickened it a bit for me (to make it part jus since it wasn't quite a gravy although he had some fancy name for it). I was so-so on the beans that she said to serve with it but they're still something I'm getting used to as a potato substitute.
Had a baby radish leave salad - from the garden. When the leaves are very small, they aren't prickly yet. We tried it with poppyseed dressing and it was quite delicious.
So, for anyone looking for a great recipe book, pick up Nigella's Express cookbook.
little lamb,
little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb
That was so very yummy!
Yep, Nigella's good. The recipe turned out like in the picture. It was very moist and flavourful. I put it in the oven like she said and pulled it out when the timer went off. No basting, turning, checking. The only problem I had was with all the juice. Jerry thickened it a bit for me (to make it part jus since it wasn't quite a gravy although he had some fancy name for it). I was so-so on the beans that she said to serve with it but they're still something I'm getting used to as a potato substitute.
Had a baby radish leave salad - from the garden. When the leaves are very small, they aren't prickly yet. We tried it with poppyseed dressing and it was quite delicious.
So, for anyone looking for a great recipe book, pick up Nigella's Express cookbook.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A nice weekend
Hi Everyone,
The weather was warm and mostly sunny. I built a couple planter boxes to set my flower boxes in. It went pretty well but I gave myself a large blood blister on my middle left finger. I was holding 2 pieces of wood together and as I was bringing down the hammer I though, "This wood will likely shift and pinch my finger between the pieces." Thud. Ouch. (Actually, it hurt more when I iced it an hour later).
I went on a proper date with Jerry on Saturday night. Usually we get together at one of our places for dinner and tv but this was a proper date. We went and saw Indiana Jones and then went out for dinner. It was rather nice! The movie itself was a bit odd - 3/4 classic Indiana Jones, 1/4 what the ****? It was a plot twist that didn't fit in with the movie or the other movies. We figure George Lucas had too much script influence. Despite that, I'm glad I saw it. It's the type of movie best suited for a summer drive-in double feature.
On Sunday I had 2 picnics, the second was a garden party at the garden plot. Our little garden is coming along. We lost our accorn squash and we didn't see any peanuts come up. I thinned out some raddish so we're having a raddish leaf salad tonight.
I'm making lamb - specifically lamb shank. It has a simple marinade - white wine, worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic oil, rosemary and red currant jelly. I've had bad luck in the past with lamb but Nigella's recipe was easy to follow and has more details than past recipies. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Have a great day!
The weather was warm and mostly sunny. I built a couple planter boxes to set my flower boxes in. It went pretty well but I gave myself a large blood blister on my middle left finger. I was holding 2 pieces of wood together and as I was bringing down the hammer I though, "This wood will likely shift and pinch my finger between the pieces." Thud. Ouch. (Actually, it hurt more when I iced it an hour later).
I went on a proper date with Jerry on Saturday night. Usually we get together at one of our places for dinner and tv but this was a proper date. We went and saw Indiana Jones and then went out for dinner. It was rather nice! The movie itself was a bit odd - 3/4 classic Indiana Jones, 1/4 what the ****? It was a plot twist that didn't fit in with the movie or the other movies. We figure George Lucas had too much script influence. Despite that, I'm glad I saw it. It's the type of movie best suited for a summer drive-in double feature.
On Sunday I had 2 picnics, the second was a garden party at the garden plot. Our little garden is coming along. We lost our accorn squash and we didn't see any peanuts come up. I thinned out some raddish so we're having a raddish leaf salad tonight.
I'm making lamb - specifically lamb shank. It has a simple marinade - white wine, worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic oil, rosemary and red currant jelly. I've had bad luck in the past with lamb but Nigella's recipe was easy to follow and has more details than past recipies. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Have a great day!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pretty Charlotte
Hi Everyone,
I spent last night giving Charlotte some tlc and making her pretty. I picked up a bright pink chain and put it on. I wanted to get purple but the bike shop wasn't expecting to get any in for the next while. I said, "But I don't think pink would go with my red bike." They then said, "Well, your helmet is red and pink." So they got me. My bike and helmet are becoming co-ordinated. All I need is an orange water bottle and I'll be set!
So, after an ice-cream date with Jerry, I went home and got myself all dirty and greasy. I took the new chain out of the box and cleaned the packing grease off it. You can ride with the original lube but I was told if I have time, to do a proper cleaning/lubing. I then broke my original chain and cleaned it. What a mess! I think I've been over lubing which means dirt sticks to the extra lube and makes it really dirty. It's good for winter since it protects the chain but in summer you want a pretty clean chain. The main problem I had with putting the new chain on was rejoining the chain. Basically, there's a little pin that joins the links and to break the chain, you need to remove the pin but only until it's out of the middle section and still sticking in the outer part. I only had a small chain breaker on my multi tool and although I could remove the pin, there wasn't enough distance between the pin and the crank used to shove the pin in and out. I ended up lining everything up and using a hammer. Not an ideal situation but in the end it worked.
After all this work, I was rather tired and went into my room to get ready for bed. Next thing I know it's morning and I'm late for work. The tv was on, all the lights were on, the furry family was hungry...
So, I opened the window for Mike (he's happy), bribed the other two with strawberries (they're happy) and sent an e-mail to work letting them know I'll be late (they laughed). Had a nice ride in, chain working well, no weird noises or grinding.
So, I've got a very busy week ahead of me. My payroll mid term is next week and I'll be getting the apartment ready for Mom, Dad & Christine's visit. It's suppose to be a nice weekend so I can get a bunch of laundry done.
Had some problems with my kitchen sink pipes. There was/is a clog somewhere and I didn't pick up on that being the strange smell in my kitchen until 11:30 Wednesday night. Since it wasn't standing water (just took a super long time to drain), I used Drano kitchen crystals to help clear it. I think most of the clog is gone - when I was running the water to test it, it took a long time for it to back up and it did drain much faster when it did back up. I'll continue with these crystals over the next few days to make sure everything's fine. Mind you, I did learn how to remove the pipes under the sink to see if there was something caught in the U shaped section (and there wasn't).
Have a great day!
I spent last night giving Charlotte some tlc and making her pretty. I picked up a bright pink chain and put it on. I wanted to get purple but the bike shop wasn't expecting to get any in for the next while. I said, "But I don't think pink would go with my red bike." They then said, "Well, your helmet is red and pink." So they got me. My bike and helmet are becoming co-ordinated. All I need is an orange water bottle and I'll be set!
So, after an ice-cream date with Jerry, I went home and got myself all dirty and greasy. I took the new chain out of the box and cleaned the packing grease off it. You can ride with the original lube but I was told if I have time, to do a proper cleaning/lubing. I then broke my original chain and cleaned it. What a mess! I think I've been over lubing which means dirt sticks to the extra lube and makes it really dirty. It's good for winter since it protects the chain but in summer you want a pretty clean chain. The main problem I had with putting the new chain on was rejoining the chain. Basically, there's a little pin that joins the links and to break the chain, you need to remove the pin but only until it's out of the middle section and still sticking in the outer part. I only had a small chain breaker on my multi tool and although I could remove the pin, there wasn't enough distance between the pin and the crank used to shove the pin in and out. I ended up lining everything up and using a hammer. Not an ideal situation but in the end it worked.
After all this work, I was rather tired and went into my room to get ready for bed. Next thing I know it's morning and I'm late for work. The tv was on, all the lights were on, the furry family was hungry...
So, I opened the window for Mike (he's happy), bribed the other two with strawberries (they're happy) and sent an e-mail to work letting them know I'll be late (they laughed). Had a nice ride in, chain working well, no weird noises or grinding.
So, I've got a very busy week ahead of me. My payroll mid term is next week and I'll be getting the apartment ready for Mom, Dad & Christine's visit. It's suppose to be a nice weekend so I can get a bunch of laundry done.
Had some problems with my kitchen sink pipes. There was/is a clog somewhere and I didn't pick up on that being the strange smell in my kitchen until 11:30 Wednesday night. Since it wasn't standing water (just took a super long time to drain), I used Drano kitchen crystals to help clear it. I think most of the clog is gone - when I was running the water to test it, it took a long time for it to back up and it did drain much faster when it did back up. I'll continue with these crystals over the next few days to make sure everything's fine. Mind you, I did learn how to remove the pipes under the sink to see if there was something caught in the U shaped section (and there wasn't).
Have a great day!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A nice picnic
Hello Everyone,
The weather is finally nice enough to try out my new picnic backpack. I met Jerry at Prince's Island after work and have a lovely picnic. It was my first one of the year and I enjoyed myself. I picked up some pink lemonade by a company called Efferve and it's imported from France. Not something I would normally splurge on but it had a very nice glass bottle with wire and a stopper for the lid. It was also very delicious - not too tart. I think it will end up being a regular in my fridge.
We then watched "The Golden Compass". I've read the book and after watching the movie, I think people put it way out of context. For those of you not familiar with the contraversy, tje author is athiest and many fundamental Christians believe his children's novels are a direct attack on Christianity and organized religion. The novels are geared toward tweens and young teens. In my opinion, this age group would not get this message from the novels and you would have to stretch to even get this message as an adult.
Basically, in this fantasy world, a person's soul is not inside the body but takes the form of an animal (called a demon). This animal is a part of the person (ie physically hurt the animal and the person feels it) and is constantly near the person. There is a religious order, which seems to be connected with the government who wants to control (brainwash) all people. In this book, a little girl is able to use a magic compass to discern truth and receive answers to any question she has. The magistrates (religious order), want to destroy the compass so people can only rely on "their" truth. They also want to separate the souls/animals from children because once children get older, they start getting "bad thoughts". The girl's father is trying to travel between alternative worlds through the means of "dust". This dust connects worlds from all dimensions and seems to be a life source/universal substence. At the point where the movie/book left off, the girl is on a quest to save her father from evil plots. The magistrates want the father's knowledge so they can control the dust, and therefore control the other alternative worlds.
After watching this movie, I saw the message cautioning against absolute power to any one body - whether religious or government. I didn't see it as a novel deliberately underminding any religious faith. In all honesty, I don't think this age group would see this either and only someone looking from an attacking angle would see this message. I don't think a young person would be affect so much by a fictional novel that he/she would lose trust in organized religion.
Anyways, that's my rant for the day.
The weather is finally nice enough to try out my new picnic backpack. I met Jerry at Prince's Island after work and have a lovely picnic. It was my first one of the year and I enjoyed myself. I picked up some pink lemonade by a company called Efferve and it's imported from France. Not something I would normally splurge on but it had a very nice glass bottle with wire and a stopper for the lid. It was also very delicious - not too tart. I think it will end up being a regular in my fridge.
We then watched "The Golden Compass". I've read the book and after watching the movie, I think people put it way out of context. For those of you not familiar with the contraversy, tje author is athiest and many fundamental Christians believe his children's novels are a direct attack on Christianity and organized religion. The novels are geared toward tweens and young teens. In my opinion, this age group would not get this message from the novels and you would have to stretch to even get this message as an adult.
Basically, in this fantasy world, a person's soul is not inside the body but takes the form of an animal (called a demon). This animal is a part of the person (ie physically hurt the animal and the person feels it) and is constantly near the person. There is a religious order, which seems to be connected with the government who wants to control (brainwash) all people. In this book, a little girl is able to use a magic compass to discern truth and receive answers to any question she has. The magistrates (religious order), want to destroy the compass so people can only rely on "their" truth. They also want to separate the souls/animals from children because once children get older, they start getting "bad thoughts". The girl's father is trying to travel between alternative worlds through the means of "dust". This dust connects worlds from all dimensions and seems to be a life source/universal substence. At the point where the movie/book left off, the girl is on a quest to save her father from evil plots. The magistrates want the father's knowledge so they can control the dust, and therefore control the other alternative worlds.
After watching this movie, I saw the message cautioning against absolute power to any one body - whether religious or government. I didn't see it as a novel deliberately underminding any religious faith. In all honesty, I don't think this age group would see this either and only someone looking from an attacking angle would see this message. I don't think a young person would be affect so much by a fictional novel that he/she would lose trust in organized religion.
Anyways, that's my rant for the day.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Meet Ruby!
She's a 400 series Roomba that I got yesterday from Walmart. Only $128! Mind you, they do have newer models but I didn't need all the extra accessories. I charged her yesterday and gave her a test last night. Was quite surprised. She's a bit noisy but much quieter than my regular vaccuum. When I turned her on, she went in circles until the pattern got large enough that she ran into something. This changed the pattern into a mixture of straight and diagonal lines. Quite interesting watching her and she was able to get under things better than I could with the regular vaccuum. She also picked up a lot of dirt, handled rugs easily and switched between carpet and linoleum nicely.
Mike & Whiskers reacted quite well. They're terrified of the regular vaccuum cleaner. They were still very hesitant about Ruby but Mike got within 6' of her and brave Whiskers got within 2'.
I'll likely run her a couple times each week for an hour to help keep the pet hair/dander and dust/dirt under control. I hate vaccuuming with a passion so this will help with cleanliness and allergies. The air purifiers are a huge help and I'm excited about Ruby's potentials.
Monday, June 09, 2008
I made it!
What a weekend it was. Wet, windy and cold (8-12 C)
Saturday
Airdrie – Fairview Colony 23 km, rain
Fairview Colony – Crossfield 17 km, rain that was hard enough to ring my bell
Crossfield – Carstairs 17 km, rain
Carstairs – Didsbury 14.5 km, rain stopped
Didsburry – Olds 17.5 km, first time we had a bit of wind in our favour for about 10 km. Had some fun at 60+ km/hr
Total distance = 89 km, total time = 6 hours + rest stops
Sunday
Olds – Airdrie 70km (the challenge loop was cancelled), some light sprinkles around Didsbury; wind on our backs; lots of fun. Total time = 3 ½ hours + rest stops
That wind was terrible! Luckily, Jerry was my wind block the entire way and I took advantage of drafting. The event was a lot of fun, despite the weather and I would recommend this event to anyone. The volunteers and support was excellent, although coffee at every rest stop would have been appreciated. I had my coffee mug with me (you can see my cup holder in the photo) and I got more than a few envious looks on Saturday.
We were going to tent on the campus grounds but they opened some dorm rooms so we had a dry night. I was exhausted Saturday night and my eyes were so bloodshot from wind that it looked like I had been on a bender. I'm proud of myself for making it all the way through. Jerry was also impressed and I think it was good for him to see what my physical limits (and abilities) are and what I'm like when I reach that point. He was amazing through the whole event and I wouldn't have made it without him. Mind you, I wouldn't have been in this event in the first place without him!
Charlotte handled great. I was passing people going up hills and I could hear the grumbles about a single gear as I went by. This was because many people don't know how to shift properly. She's also lighter and I kept her at a high cadence (fast pedal rotation). My bum's not sore, thanks to her wonderful saddle and I only had a twitch of pain above my left knee later in the ride. My leg did cramp up at one of the rest stops but it was caused by an improper cool down in conjunction with cold weather.
I want to thank everyone who supported me with financial contributions, advice and well wishes. My muscles are feeling surprising good today, although I can’t believe how much I’ve been eating! I had 2 suppers last night and lunch and a half so far today.
Have a great day!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Over the hump...
Hello Everyone!
The week has been flying by – only two more sleeps until the ride. Jerry was over last night for dinner. We had salad, chicken cacciatore and lava cakes with ice-cream. I mention the salad as it was an organic kit with the outer packaging made out of corn starch. It looks like clear plastic and was twice the price of salad-in-a-bag but I was curious. Overall, I wasn’t too fussy on the dressing – too runny and although I like the packaging innovation, I’m not sure I would buy it again. The chicken came from one of Nigella’s recipes. It was very delicious. I cheated with the lava cakes, thanks to Dr. Oetker and I thought it was rather clever how they were made. Basically, they’re brownies cooked at a very high temperature so the middle lava part is batter that didn’t have time to bake. Yum!
I got Charlotte inspected for the ride on Tuesday night and I needed to change her brake pads. No problems with that – although the technician gave me a hard time about it and I was given the impression he didn’t believe I knew how to do this. It’s a very easy maintenance task but since I needed him to stamp my inspection, I ignored his attitude.
The cucumbers didn’t survive the transplant so I’m giving up on them at my place. I planted a whole bunch of garlic instead. I figured it would add some greenery to the flowerbed and it’s also practical.
The youth service went excellent! I’m very proud of the group. They were a bit nervous but the service flowed well and they got lots of complements after. The congregation was very positive and they appreciated the hard work that the youth put into the service. Afterward we hung out outside, playing a form of tag on the playground equipment and just generally relaxing. I think they needed it – youth have so much on their plates that sometimes they just need some “no pressure” time.
As much as I enjoyed working with them, I’ll be glad for the end of the month. This way, I can attend church because I want to, not because I have to. Also, if I want to take a weekend off to play in the mountains, I can. It was very restricting and I was working 6 days a week. Yes, I needed the extra money to cover my expenses when I originally got the position but now I make (just) enough to pay my bills working at Akita. Yes, it’ll mean sticking very close to my budget and watching my spending but I think it’ll be good for my overall well-being.
Whiskers got into my room this morning so I was late getting to work. I think she can hear when the door shuts but doesn’t catch. In these cases, she can knock the door enough to open it and hop under/in the bed. She didn’t hop up into the box spring luckily and it only took a few minutes (and bribes) to get her out. Silly bunny,
Have a great day!
The week has been flying by – only two more sleeps until the ride. Jerry was over last night for dinner. We had salad, chicken cacciatore and lava cakes with ice-cream. I mention the salad as it was an organic kit with the outer packaging made out of corn starch. It looks like clear plastic and was twice the price of salad-in-a-bag but I was curious. Overall, I wasn’t too fussy on the dressing – too runny and although I like the packaging innovation, I’m not sure I would buy it again. The chicken came from one of Nigella’s recipes. It was very delicious. I cheated with the lava cakes, thanks to Dr. Oetker and I thought it was rather clever how they were made. Basically, they’re brownies cooked at a very high temperature so the middle lava part is batter that didn’t have time to bake. Yum!
I got Charlotte inspected for the ride on Tuesday night and I needed to change her brake pads. No problems with that – although the technician gave me a hard time about it and I was given the impression he didn’t believe I knew how to do this. It’s a very easy maintenance task but since I needed him to stamp my inspection, I ignored his attitude.
The cucumbers didn’t survive the transplant so I’m giving up on them at my place. I planted a whole bunch of garlic instead. I figured it would add some greenery to the flowerbed and it’s also practical.
The youth service went excellent! I’m very proud of the group. They were a bit nervous but the service flowed well and they got lots of complements after. The congregation was very positive and they appreciated the hard work that the youth put into the service. Afterward we hung out outside, playing a form of tag on the playground equipment and just generally relaxing. I think they needed it – youth have so much on their plates that sometimes they just need some “no pressure” time.
As much as I enjoyed working with them, I’ll be glad for the end of the month. This way, I can attend church because I want to, not because I have to. Also, if I want to take a weekend off to play in the mountains, I can. It was very restricting and I was working 6 days a week. Yes, I needed the extra money to cover my expenses when I originally got the position but now I make (just) enough to pay my bills working at Akita. Yes, it’ll mean sticking very close to my budget and watching my spending but I think it’ll be good for my overall well-being.
Whiskers got into my room this morning so I was late getting to work. I think she can hear when the door shuts but doesn’t catch. In these cases, she can knock the door enough to open it and hop under/in the bed. She didn’t hop up into the box spring luckily and it only took a few minutes (and bribes) to get her out. Silly bunny,
Have a great day!
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