38...

...but feeling like I'm 100. So tired thanks to a thunder storm and some crazy cats last night. As a result, spending the day doing not too much. O is making me dinner. We're going to watch a movie. Probably a couple of phone calls. That's about it.

Had a good weekend. Brandon Folk Fest was a bust. Music was mediocre to bad, bad, bad. Don't get me started about the "abortion" song. But dinner with my family, and Sunday at Minnedosa beach more than made up for the assault on our ears on Saturday.

A few pics to share...

Gorgeous drive to Brandon:

Cake and fresh picked strawberries (thanks Mama!):

Got to meet the beautiful Baby B:

Bought a birthday gift at the Old Church with the "flat gift" from my mom. No place to put it yet, but think it is so charming and I couldn't resist:

6th annual girls camping weekend

Last weekend, 3 of my girlfriends and I headed to Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. For whatever reason, we went with a cabin this year rather than a tent or yurt. All I can say is, damn good thing! The weather was, um, dramatic. Gale force winds coming off the lake, off-and-on torrential rain, high of 14C. Four trees went down around our cabin. The power was out for 14 hours, which not only meant no lights and no stove, it also meant no washrooms or water as the pumps don't work without electricity.

Fortunately, we were prepared for anything...
I would have taken some shots of the vast amount of food we also had, but unfortunately, my camera battery died after one picture. Okay, maybe not that prepared.

This weekend, it was O's turn to rip is up. In better weather, thankfully. He was at Clear Lake for two days of golf, poker and too much beer with the guys from his hockey team.

I stayed home and behaved virtuously. Got to bed in good time, ate well, worked in the garden, went for bike rides, a run, did yoga. Cleaned the house. Wore sunscreen. Flossed. Oh ya, good times.

This week, we're Fringe-ing it. Then heading to Brandon on the weekend for Folk Fest and my birthday celebration. There will be cake.

bike week - friday

Ode to My Favorite Bike Shop

Ahhhh... Good ol' Natural Cycle. Bike shop co-op and sustainable transportation advocates. Inventors of the PrairyBike 'cause in Winnipeg, there are no mountains. Bike are made from the ground up using recycled frames and custom-made with whatever parts your little heart desires. Generally they are a 4-season, single-speed commuter, but my co-worker had one built with gears.

Natural Cycle is donating two cool rides as prizes for Bike to Work Day: a PrairyBike or a Batvas Old Dutch. I got a new bike last spring after 18 years of bombing around on my Trek mountain bike, so I don't really need to win a new one, but I am smitten with the Old Dutch. Hopefully someone else's name gets pulled and I'm spared the guilt of having three bikes when others have none.

bike week - thursday

My Commute

To get to work, I have three routes to choose from.

Option A: Straight down Portage (10 min.)
Option B: Westminster to Assiniboine, Assiniboine to Fort, left on Fort (20 min.)
Option C: Westminster to the river trail, river trail to Bannatyne, Bannatyne to my office (30 min.)

And then up three flights of stairs to get to the secure bike lock-up, which I totally appreciate even though the stairs are killer.

So guess which option I choose? (Unless I'm late for work, or the floods in Illinois raise the water level here so that the trail is under a foot of water.)

bike week - wednesday

A saint in the saddle?

A funny article and lively debate in the comments section about who the biggest jerks are: bikers or drivers? I know what I think the answer is... (ha!ha!)

bike week - tuesday

Top 10 Songs About Bikes (in no particular order)

10. Bicycle Race by Queen
9. Motorcrash by the Sugarcubes
8. Bike by Roots Roundup
7. Riding on my Bike by Madness
6. Why Don't We Do it in the Road by the Beatles
5. Broken Bicycles by Tom Waits
4. My Bike by Ghoti Hook
3. Acoustic Motorbike by Luka Bloom
2. Bike by Pink Floyd
1. Daisy Bell

Other suggestions?

bike week - monday

Ride a bike, save the world
[from the David Suzuki Foundation website]

May 30, 2008 - "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H.G. Wells

Science has had a tremendous impact on the planet in an incredibly short time. In just the past few hundred of our 150,000 years on Earth, we have invented everything from steam engines, cars, and airplanes to sophisticated weapons and supercomputers. And the pace at which we keep inventing more complex and fascinating machines is increasing. Some of our inventions have been a great boon, some have been harmful, and some, such as cars, have turned out to be a mixed blessing.

But one invention is so efficient, beneficial, and simple that it may be the best thing we’ve ever made. People across the land will celebrate that invention as we ride into June, Bike Month. The "modern" version of the bicycle with pedals and cranks was invented by French carriage-maker Ernest Michaux in 1861. It’s come a long way since then, but whether it’s a high-tech racing bike or a one-gear street cruiser, the bike is still a marvel of ingenuity. In fact, it may well be the most efficient form of transportation yet invented.

The best part of the bike is that you, the rider, are the engine. The fuel is what you eat and drink. Putting the human engine together with the gears, wheels, and frame of a bike gives you a mode of transportation that uses less energy even than walking. As for our most popular method of getting around, the automobile, there’s no comparison. According to the WorldWatch Institute, a bicycle needs 35 calories per passenger mile, while a car uses 1,860. Buses and trains are somewhere in between.

During Bike Month, it’s worth thinking about the potential this amazing invention offers. With oil prices climbing and environmental damage from car emissions increasing, bikes are becoming a more attractive form of urban transportation every day. Cleaner air, reduced congestion, safer streets, and lower noise levels are just a few of the benefits. As more people get out of their cars and onto their bikes, they’ll also become fitter, leading to lower health-care spending. The money that could be saved nationally on things like health care - not to mention the infrastructure required to keep so many cars on the road - reaches into the billions, but the money an individual can save on fuel, insurance, and maintenance costs alone is also substantial. And because biking is a lot of fun, it will probably increase what the people of Bhutan call "gross national happiness"!

But we still have a ways to go. Canadians and Americans use bikes for fewer than one in a hundred trips - although in Vancouver where I live, it’s a bit higher, at about 2.3 per cent. Compare that to the 20 to 35 per cent of trips taken by bike in the European Union and 50 per cent in China. (Unfortunately, the trend is reversing in China as the country embraces car culture.)

Shifting from car dependence will take action at the individual level, with more people simply deciding to get on their bikes, but governments must also do more to make it easier for people to ride bikes. And they can. In just three years, from 1998 to 2001, Mayor Enrique Peñalosa of Bogotá, Colombia, turned his city of 6.5 million from a gridlocked parking lot into a city where public spaces live up to their name. He did this by restricting car use, increasing gas taxes, and building hundreds of kilometres of bike and pedestrian paths, as well as investing in buses.

Making our streets safer for cyclists by giving them space to ride is an essential first step. The investment required is far less than that required for infrastructure for cars. Tax breaks for cyclists also help. Last year in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty removed the provincial sales tax on bike helmets and bikes costing less than $1,000. Bikes are also exempt from PST in B.C., and the province’s $100 carbon-tax rebate could be put toward buying a bike or tuning up your old bike.

Employers can also help out by offering secure bike parking and showers for those who work up a sweat on the way to work.

Of course, cycling isn’t a panacea. In parts of Canada, the weather isn’t always conducive to cycling. And not everyone has the strength to ride up the hills in some of our cities. But if more of us choose bikes whenever possible, using public transport or at least energy-efficient vehicles when we can’t ride, we’d all be much better off.

So, get on your bike in June, and maybe you’ll like it enough to make it your preferred method of transportation year-round.

bike week - sunday

Friday, June 20th is the first Bike to Work Day in Winnipeg. Have already signed up because a) I bike to work, and b) they are offering some mean prizes.

So in honor of the big event, I'll be doing a bike themed post every day this week.

pick fat day

busy, busy

Still settling in, and starting to tear stuff apart. Loads of fun but taking up a ton of time. Here are some shots of the basement. Remember the wet bar? Well, it ain't gonna be around much longer. Had to take out a wall so new teleposts could be put in, and then we found that there was a moisture problem, so the floor and the rest of the walls are coming out as well.




Other than that, have been spending a bit of time in the front garden, and filling planters at the back. With the help of the cats, of course!

not peat

Trying something new in my planters this year. Coco Earth, made from coconut husks. Trying to avoid peat moss as much as possible. Coco Earth is a renewable resource, but don't know anything about how it is made. Will look into that further for next year. In the meantime, it's super cool stuff!

Before - a 5 lb block



After - 2 blocks worth

we're in, but we're not out

So... in our new house. Boxes and clutter everywhere. To be expected and we're all so happy to be living here that we're not stressing about the mess. Have a pile of things we want to do on the house, but apart from a couple of essentials, we're not stressing about those either. Now we just have to work up the energy to actually finish moving out of our apartment, and cleaning the damn place!

To all of those who I promised a picture of the wet bar, ain't she a beauty?!?


And a few other random shots...

home sweet home

The love of my life and I have finally bought a house, after six months of searching in the stupidly tight and crazy Winnipeg market. I asked for only three things: 1) if there was a garage, I wanted it detached; 2) a shower we can stand up in (it's been 4 1/2 years since we've had that luxury); and 3) a reasonable distance to work, so we could bike. He was more fussy, but in the end, we're both satisfied and have a place we can (semi) afford.

Now to start "greening" it...

To start, we had an ecoEnergy Evaluation done. This means that we will be eligible for rebates on the energy efficiency improvements we make. The list is long! These are the things we could/should upgrade:

• windows (all but one)
• doors (they are wooden, old and not sealed properly)
• insulation (basically, there isn't any, and we live in Winterpeg, Manisnowba)
• hot water heater (ours has reached it's life span, so we want to switch from gas to electric)
• shower head (much as I love the torrential downpour we currently have)
• window frames (need to be caulked)
• programmable thermostat

On the want list are:

• new fridge
• fence for the back yard
• ceiling fans
  
• painting the exterior of the house
  

Add to this, we have old wooden soffits with a hole in them, and therefore "tenants." So new soffits, fascia and eaves troughs, though not eco, are essential. Since we aren't swimming in money, we may go a bit deeper in debt and get a Power Smart loan for some of the work.

And then there is the yard. I have started 5 types of native prairie plants from seed, but let's just say, it's going to need a bit more than that...

commuter challenge

Yesterday at work, I found myself volunteering to coordinate the Commuter Challenge. It almost feels like cheating, as our bike rack is always full and most of the rest of us take the bus. But we are spending two days of that week at Fort Whyte Centre, hiking in 20 minutes to the cabin where our staff retreat will be held, so commuting will actually be a challenge. We're already talking about car pooling or maybe bike pooling. The green commuting will actually be less of a challenge than getting the wonderful folks I work with to log their modes of transportation and their kms. 

Actually really looking forward to the whole thing... I never bother keeping track of how far I go on two wheels, so will be interesting to see the distance I travel in a week. Figured out that it is 5.5 kms each way to work, which is perfect to start and end the day. Not to strenuous when I'm not awake; gets the blood flowing after a day of sitting in front of the computer. Have been really lax about riding this spring, but Monday... that's when it gets serious!

just in time for bike season

Have had no energy lately. Blood test yesterday revealed low iron stores. One of the risks of being vegetarian. At my previous job in a health and medical library, I constantly had Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis checked out. I'm a pretty good cook and the recipes in this book aren't the greatest, but I relied on the nutritional advice. Obviously, I need a constant reminder on my kitchen counter.

So, tonight I made tabouleh to take for lunches. As per the recipe, 1 cup of parsley (high in iron, copper and calcium). Also added 1/4 c. of bran (high in iron, copper and zinc), which hopefully I won't be able to taste. Chick peas, tomatoes and cukes to round it out. Lemon juice, olive oil. Damn healthy, I say.

Low iron also gives me an excuse to not weed the dandelions out of my lawn this summer. Learned at the food conference last month that dandelions are high in vitamins A and C, and iron. Also learned that you can make a coffee substitute from the roasted root. But not quite convinced that it would be as satisfying as the real thing.

a hit with any man

Tuesday was awesome. Scored a major haul on vintage knitting needles and patterns from a good friend. She has promised me more but not until a) O. and I move, which is very soon and/or b) she turns "toes up", um, many wonderful years from now.

In the meantime, I'm armed with these beauties...

And O. better watch out, 'cause I'm feeling inspired! Though I should probably finish my current projects first. And I do have a garden now. So maybe he's safe. Still...

on the sticks

Two little projects...

Salvaged Karen's birthday gift and made a cozy for our French press. By request...

Taking a sock class. By Wednesday, I will have one sock. And hopefully the motivation to make the second.

And by the way, posting this on my sexy new MacBook Pro, while watching the Sens/Pens game on O.'s laptop 'cause we have wireless now. Feeling so plugged in!

another lazy post

This is my post from my work blog today. But it fits in here, too! Sorry for the way short notice.

Upcoming Green Communities Conference

The annual Green Communities National Conference is being held in Winnipeg from April 9-11, 2008.

Merrell-Ann Phare and Lisa Hardess of CIER will be presenting the session "Respecting Mother Earth: Sustainability in First Nations" on Thursday, April 10 in the afternoon.

Please visit the Green Communities Canada website for more information and registration details.

paying to watch commercials

Spent $7 a piece to watch the Cannes Lions 2007 at the Art Gallery this past Saturday. Sort of ironic for someone who only watches television shows if they come in a box set. And even though I had a lovely time with O. and his mom, I felt a bit burned when I found them all available online for free.

Right here.

My overall favorite is "Clarence". Found in the Gold category. Sorry, I have no idea how to embed the video, so you'll just have to hunt for it yourself. Enjoy!

chop! chop!

Mama D rocks my world. Again.

Before (admittedly, with bad toque head)...



















After...

Foo-ey

Had concert tickets for tonight, but O ended up taking one of his friends as I'm sick AGAIN!!!! Five horrible colds in five months, plus a noro-virus thrown in for good measure. Spending my evening in bed drinking ginger tea boiled with rat root. If anyone knows any other miracle cures, I'm open to suggestions.

Karen has recommended nasal irrigation, as seen on Oprah (and just so that doesn't seem so flaky, the Mayo Clinic recommends it as well.) Any other ideas please!

the latest house

Looked at two houses today. Getting an inspection on this one (click on the picture to see inside), and if that goes well, planning to put in an offer on Tuesday. The interior is really nice, except some of the colour choices are a bit.... um... garish. Newer windows, nice bathroom. Generally lots to like. Decent back yard with plenty of parking for our one car (plus my mom when she comes to visit). Like the neighborhood. Easy to work, lots of amenities close by.


But.... (why does there always have to be a but?!?) the exterior needs lots of work. New shingles are critical, as are eaves and downspouts. Wood siding needs some love. Will definitely affect how much we're willing to shell out to purchase it.

And of course, everything depends on the foundation and wiring being okay. Which the inspection should tell.

Not excited. Not hopeful. Not not excited or hopeful. Just good with however things go.

a letter

Dear Karen,

Hi. How are you? I am fine.

Well, actually, I'm not fine. I'm tired because my cat woke me up at 12:30 this morning. And I'm feeling very badly because part of your birthday gift is ruined.

Yes, the two are related.


While I was sleeping, he broke into the package that I had prepared to send. I woke up to the sound of his kicking the crap out of what I thought was a toy, and to the sparks he was creating as he rolled on the carpet in the dark. Imagine my horror when I got out of bed and reached down to throw the toy out into the hall, only to find part of your gift.

Please be assured that a replacement gift will be in the mail by tomorrow. My deepest apologies if it does not get to you in time. I know that you won't mind, but it really was so lovely.

With much love,
C.

miracle cure

rat root.

looks like cat poop.

tastes.... not that great. brewed in rose hip tea, then sucked on.

harvested in the wild by my co-worker's father.

i'm using it for it's expectorant properties.

and you know what? sinuses are better. i'm actually feeling somewhat better.

home sick

Have been smacked upside the head with ANOTHER terrible cold. Feel like I've been sick constantly since October, which is pretty much the case. Cold in October that lasted until the third week in November. Cold in December, followed by a norovirus over Christmas. Followed by another cold in January. Followed by this one. As of today, I've used up my sick time for the year.

So why am I blogging and not in bed? Just waiting for my ginger tea to steep, and felt like complaining to anyone who would listen.

In other news, the crappy and small houses that we looked at last week went for $162,500 for Minto and $192,00 for Dudley. O hasn't given up yet, but I'm starting to think that despite two incomes and a decent down payment, we are not able to afford a house in Winnipeg. Which is crazy. And depressing. Looking at two this Friday, but they are similar to the two mentioned above in size and area, so we're basically out of the running before we even start.

On top of the house hunting, my old job in Brandon is available again. Had to think really hard about whether I wanted to run back home. O is definitely the only thing keeping me here. Major regrets about leaving in the first place. But sticking it out here for a while. Going to a food conference on Friday and Saturday, so hopefully will be able to hook up with some community garden people and at least have a place to plant since it looks like I'll be stuck in an apartment for the foreseeable future. Bummer.

events

Got a note from my boss today to add the PlanetFriendly Green Events in Canada Calendar to our work blog, so I thought I'd add it here as well.

Actually attending one of the events listed: Growing Local, Getting Vocal: A Food Security Conference

Pretty excited about it. Mostly excited about getting out and connecting with people who share my interests. I've been missing that since moving back to the city. Takes a while to feel like you are part of the community again. And what better place to start than with food.

house hunting hell

Looking at three tomorrow (click to see details).

Trying to keep my expectations WAY low. Even if we love one (or all), even if they are currently within our price range... stupid Winnipeg market means that the chances of actually getting one, of being the successful bid, is rather low.

So here we go again...

another mini update

Have been trying to buy a digital camera, but have not been able to get the one I want here. It is about to be replaced by a new, and way more expensive, model. Finally found one, at Don's. In Brandon. So, will start taking pics and posting next week, once I figure the thing out.

Too bad I don't have it today. We have a water main break in front of our apartment, and people are trying to move in. The landlord has constructed a bridge of sorts. It's a mess. Oh well...

More soon...

high of minus fourteen

We have been freezing our butts off in Manitoba for about 6 weeks now, with only the odd day of reprieve. -23 and colder but with the wind chill, and it has been constantly windy, it feels like -38 and colder. So basically, really damn cold. Woke up today to -39, with a promise of -14 as the high. Shivering at the bus stop this morning, I tried to keep a positive frame of mind.

This helped.

I know... weather is year to year, climate is over a much longer period of time, so as far as climate change goes this doesn't mean anything. But still... maybe it will help the polar bears just a little bit?

And speaking of polar bears, I've been completely captivated by this site. Especially the videos and the tracker.

hello...?

Hey... how many months has it been? Say 6ish. I've been busy moving away from my little city back to the big city. Back to the organization I worked for seven years ago, actually, though the job itself is quite a lot different. For one thing, technology has changed massively. I think DVDs were just starting to be all the rage back then, and now they're on their way out. And the library, which used to be books on shelves, is now entirely virtual.

That has some limitations, for sure, but still, there are about 900 items on environmental and Aboriginal topics, or a combination of both, that have been catalogued. And about 10 more going in every day. Which basically sums up my job... maintain and grow the database of resources.

You don't actually need to sign up or log in. Just click "Search Library". And if you notice that we are missing something, suggest a resources!

Other than the new job, trying to adapt to apartment life again and feeling very frustrated by the terrible housing market here. Fortunately, it is winter, not garden season, so it isn't hurting too much yet.

Lots of eco stuff going on here, so will be posting weekly.

mini update

Have been massively incommunicado for weeks now, but with good reason...

Have been working on painting the trim on my house, which is still not quite done. Had a small fire (just a baby one) which was a bit of a set-back on sprucing things up. The restoration crew is done as of today, and the carpet cleaner is coming next week.

Have been applying for jobs in Winnipeg and anticipating a move in the not-too-distant future. Am shortlisted for one job (second interview tomorrow) and have another interview next week. Will take the first one if it is offered, though.

Have started house hunting in Winnipeg, but only semi-seriously since I don't have work there yet. Meeting with an agent this Saturday and O and I are going to check out a few places.

And since I'll probably be selling my house in Brandon, I've been purging knick-knacks and assorted stuff in a big way. Sold a bunch of CDs and clothes that I don't want any more, donating a bunch of stuff to the Funds for Furry Friends garage sale, and have taken out 2 large black bags of garbage and two large blue bags of recycling.

Whew!

And I'm planning a party for the 13th, so I can see everyone here before I go.

Not that I'm certain of getting one of the positions I'm interviewing for, but I've had an insanely easy time getting a job in the past, and I think there is a good chance that will happen again. Maybe false confidence. Maybe my luck will run out. Will let you know next week!

Okay... this post isn't "mini" anymore, so off I go to the gym, then home to mark essays.

Latah!

hiatus

It's been nearly a month since my last post, so thought I'd make it official... I'm taking a break until summer is over. Have way too much to do (like painting my house!) and it is way too nice outside to be sitting in front of a computer.

See you in September!

hiatus

It's been over a month since my last post, so thought I'd make it official... I'm taking a break until summer is over. Have way too much to do (like painting my house!) and it is way too nice outside to be sitting in front of a computer.

See you in September!

...and no birds sang

I have new neighbors. Loud (very loud) and wicked neighbors. If you ask the woman in the clock shop next door. If you ask the man who lives in the basement on the other side, and who likes to smoke and drink beer on his stoop at 9am on a Saturday while wearing tiger slippers, he would probably agree that our new neighbors are indeed loud. He seems to appreciate our their charms a bit more. As do I.

A family of American kestrels (aka sparrowhawks) has moved in. Mom, dad and baby. It is incredibly cool to watch raptors sitting on your roof, eating what I hope are mice from the slummy house behind me. More likely they gobbling up the local population of songbirds. Which, while it makes me a tad unhappy, is nature.

This morning I got up at 5:30 for yoga. As I was laying in that fog (you know the one) I realized that there was silence outside. Two weeks ago, it would have been madness, as all the little sparrows sat in the trees yelling their heads off. And that really did make me unhappy. Getting up is so much easier when the birds are busy outside. Getting up to nature is so much better than getting up to an alarm.

But since I have no choice in my new neighbors, I'm prepared to welcome them and enjoy their company. As long as they don't try to make off with my cat.

new wheels = two wheels

Sold my car for $500. To my next door neighbors, an older couple who run a clock repair shop out of their home and whom I've never actually seen drive any where. They have some sort of SUV that has been parked for the better part of the nearly 4 years that I've been living next door. And now they have a Golf to keep it company. I'm a bit sentimental about the car, so I'm glad that it hasn't been crushed, but it is a bit weird to see it parked in their driveway...So, $500 richer, I blew the whole wad on some sweet new wheels. Let me just say, bike technology has come a long way since I purchased my Trek Antelope killer-mobile back in 1990. Shocks! Wah? Some kind of new fangled breaks?!? Thankfully, I had the nicest dude helping me chose a suitable bike (Aaron at A&L) and came home with a Norco Vermont. Women's version, so I can ride to work in skirts. And complete with removeable basket. So now I'm proof positive that one can look really cute on a bicycle while wearing a helmet!

10 things I've been up to lately...

1. Storm chasing (near Elie, June 22. My pics aren't as good as these though...).
2. Gardening like crazy. But obviously not weeding the roses enough.

3. Hanging with good friends.
4. Trying to make it to yoga at 6:45am two days a week. Ugh. But it’s good for me, right?
5. Cheering my mom on when she dragon boats.
6. Drinking cocoa (I know, it’s like 30 degrees out…)

7. Riding my new bike everywhere. 8. Whippin’ O’s butt at crib (and while he might not like me bragging about it, doing so pretty much guarantees the my 2-game winning streak is over).
9. Surfing for cowgirl boots. But not buying any. Yet.
10. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading.

inpiring...

Could go to the Musicycle Tour performance in my town tonight, but probably won't. Not that I don't think that what they are doing is really, really cool. I just have an arch nemisis that I'd prefer not to run into, and there is a good chance that he'll be there given his love of music, the environment and biking around. With so much in common, we should be friends. But we're not. So, anyway, think I'll stay home reading Persuasion instead. BUT if you happen to live near one of their future tour stops, then GO... and let me know how it was.

Also inspiring is EnviroWoman, the environmental superhero who was interviewed on CBC this afternoon. Really glad I happened to catch it. Tons of useful info, and really darned funny. Trying to reduce the plastic in my life, so I'll be returning to her blog often.

let me direct your attention...

To the Shakespeare in the Ruins website. If you click on the slideshow, you can see O. in all his 1958 Venice glory. Including one shot of his fine straight nose, which his mother is so proud of. :]

Missed the family and friends performance, and missing opening night (tonight), but will be in attendance on the 23rd. Taking Elliot with me for his birthday, and maybe dragging Anactoria along too?!? Elliot said she had mentioned going, and I'd love to meet her in person, so hopefully... Though her changing circumstances might have her in a more frugal frame of mind.

Also want to mention that I have a new post on Blue Greenie about a website that has become my latest internet obsession. Just an extension of an obsession that I already have, really. But check it out too!

skin deep

I've become obsessed with the new, improved Skin Deep website. Part of that is residual weirdness left over from my thesis on breast cancer... trying to de-toxify my life in every way possible. Part of it is my sensitive skin. Part is environmental. In any case, I'm looking up everything I use and trying to find better products to replace them with. Was happy to see that the soap I've been using is way up the list of stuff that ain't bad for ya.

I've used the old version of this site before, and not thought much of it. Interesting, ya, ya, but for some reason it didn't grab me. Was directed to the new site from Conscious Cosmetics, which is a blog by the Breast Cancer Action Montreal folks. Love the way one thing leads to another on the internet, though it can also be a horrible waste of time.

Have been thinking about being an "environmentalist", and I'm not sure that's how I'd label myself. Almost all my environmental do-gooding has been a direct result of health concerns stemming from my mom's cancer in 1999, or from the fact that I'm a perpetual student i.e. perpetually broke. So, using baking soda and vinegar to clean? Healthy and cheap. Turning down the heat in the house? Cheap. Hanging laundry on the line? Cheap... maybe I should be saying frugal. Walking everywhere? Healthy and frugal. Growing my own veggies? Healthy and frugal.

Haven't quite got the point of making my own cosmetics. Mostly it's a lack of time to learn how. And not wanting to waste money messing up recipes. But thinking about it, and was happy to get some ideas thrown my way by CC.

daily dose

Here's a website to check out: Daily Dose of Imagery. I love photography (looking at it, not doin' it) and I've become addicted to this guy's site.

K and T, I think you'd both really dig the site as he has a ton of photos from Toronto, where you both used to stomp around.

Feeling funny lately. To quote P.D. James (since I'm reading Children of Men), I've been experiencing "a weight of vague unease, not heavy enough to be called anxiety, but a mild unfocused depression, like the last tatters of an unremembered but disagreeable dream."

I think it is the result of having several highly anticipated events come to pass. Finished my thesis, graduated and saw the Police. The past year has been focused on the thesis, it has been constantly on my mind. The past six years have been all about school, with not a lot of thought given to what comes next, except the basic plan of doing and MLIS. The Police concert has been the treat I've been looking forward to since February. Now these are over, and I don't know what to do with myself. Feel very purposeless and at loose ends. Maybe I should have anticipated this, but I didn't. I thought, at least where school was concerned, that I'd feel a fairly high level of euphoria. Which I'm not. I feel the opposite.

Thankfully, I have a good friend visiting until next week, and another visit to look forward to at the end of the month.

I did have a really fantastic time in Vancouver, by the way. Managed to squeeze a lot of stuff (and food!) into two days. If you are ever there, Cafe Artigiano has the most amazing coffee. And we went to an incredible Lebanese restaurant, the name of which escapes me. Karen? Help?

i see england, i see france...

Despite my earlier complaints about supposedly "green goods", there are some things that need to be bought new and if an environmentally (and healthy) choice can be made, I say, do it. Case in point...

Probably more info than you need, but my undergarments are pathetic. Most pre-date my return to school six years ago, so they are shifty, saggy, creepy bit of cotton. Graduating calls for a celebration, and what better way than to toss those holey knickers and buy me some new pairs? Enter Blue Canoe.

Tried four of their styles: sheer low cut, sheer high cut, lace panty & string bikini (this picture is NOT me, by the way). Did an extensive search for something closer to home than California, but couldn't find anything attractive. Very happy with all the styles and have gone back and ordered multiples. If you are interested in ordering, the sizing was very accurate, so get out that measuring tape.

If cotton undies aren't your thing, Groovy Green has a long list of other places to get "sustainable skivvys".

before & after

before




after
thanks mama d!

what i'm doing vs what i want to be doing

It has been ages since I've blogged. Months ago, a good friend of mine gave me a brass snail that she picked up at a garage sale, and suggested that I slow down just a tad. I placed the snail in a spot where I see it every morning when I wake up, but so far, it hasn't helped. Have been busy finishing my undergrad thesis so that I can actually graduate this Saturday (done!), working on a conference committee that I stupidly agreed to be on (over!), applying for a home repair grant (submitted!), and moonlighting at a greenhouse 'cause school has left me dead broke.

*sigh*

What I'd much rather be doing is lingering in bed on the weekends, putting on some groovy tunes and cleaning my house, drinking cider while working in the garden, and on rainy days like today (a holiday that I'm working, by the way) re-using some of the material from my awesome snake skin crushed velvet pants that really shouldn't be seen in public any more (if ever they should have been) to make myself a new bag.

tagged by the claw

1. Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 of your favourite movies.
2. Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3. Have your friends guess the movie titles.
4. Then tag three people.

10 movies!!!??!? My ten favorite? This is so hard. Okay, here goes...

1. Piano / Breast Feeding / Restaurant / Female Nudity / Butcher
2. Dominatrix / Crime / Art / Trust / Biza
3. Buddhist / Famous Score / Male Female Relationship / Princess Diana / Fish Out Of Water
4. Myth / Mystery Villain / FBI Agent / Mind Game / Ship
5. Female Nudity / Surgeon / 1960s / Pig / Historic
6. Prostitute / Female Nudity / Frame Up / Pimp / Female Full Frontal Nudity
7. Plotless / Mixed Drinks / Drunk / Darkness / Countryside
8. Crying Baby / Spanish Civil War / Book / Horse / Maze

I came up with eight. And you're probably all asking, what kind of degenerate movies have I been watching? Let me just say, in my defence, few of these make any sense to me. So, now who do I tag? The 80s movie guru Mama D, the craft queen over at Jumilla Bugs and the absentee Bee.

And speaking of movies, you can catch the back of O's head in this trailer. So proud.

summer reading list

Last year, I didn’t get very far with my summer reading list. Not sure what happened. September came up too fast and then I was stuck reading textbooks again. Have decided not to try and finish last year’s list. This summer, I have a theme. Inspired by the movie version of Jane Eyre, which Karen was kind enough to loan me, I’m going to spend the summer reading gothic fiction. It has only been a couple of years since I read Jane Eyre, so I’m not going to start there. There is so much else to explore. So, here’s the list:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (and a book of short stories by Welty that Elliot got used on credit for me)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates (not strictly Gothic, I'm told, but in the Gothic style)
Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskill (ditto)

I’m mixing up the styles, I know, but I am sticking to all women writers. The music I listen to is almost exclusively by men, so I feel like I need to balance things out a bit.

Will probably end up adding to this list as I met an English prof at a party last Friday and she teaches a class on Gothic literature. She's going to send me her "must read" list, which is very cool. I really don't know anything about the genre.

Have been doing some non-ficiton reading as well:
Night by Elie Wiesel
Letters to Alice by Fay Weldon
Naturscape Manitoba

It has been such a pleasure to read for pleasure again!

anybody still checking in?

Whew! It’s been ages. Finally done school. And I mean *done* school. Well, for now, anyway. Spent half of March and most of April in front of the computer for hours every night writing my thesis. That’s in, mark has been submitted, and I’m good to graduate on 26 May. Hurray!

As soon as school was out of the way, my life was taken over by the Manitoba Libraries Conference. I sort of volunteered to be the registration coordinator, and while I was finishing school, I sorely neglected my duties. That runs 7-9 May. 3, 07

Then… what? Relax? Mais non! I’m back at the greenhouse for the spring planting season. Have had a couple of shifts there already. It’s so good. I’ve been planning my garden in my head, but actually doing very little to get it going. Being at the greenhouse is inspiring me.

Yesterday, my mom and sis helped me clean the old, dead growth out of my beds. It’s amazing how much stuff is already well up. The lungwort is in bloom. The oregano is mature enough to start eating. Same with the chives, but then they are always early. Marjoram, mint and thyme all are coming. My succulent garden pretty much looks like it does year round… short and sweet. The perennials in the front garden are a bit of a mess. The grasses are very overgrown and there is a ton of weeds. The rose bush is causing me a bit of worry. I think it might have a fungus, but (one of the perks of working at the greenhouse) I have plenty of experts that can tell me how to deal with it. The one upside of not doing this in the fall is that I have a ton of ladybugs in the garden now.

That’s pretty much what I’ve been up to. Haven’t done laundry. Haven’t cleaned the house. Haven’t blogged. I have been keeping up on my blog reading, however. At the height of my school craziness, it was nice to know that life out there just kept going on.

still am...

green magazines

Grist recently had an article on all the magazines out there with "green"issues. And I have some issues with that. Not Grist, the magazines. Consumption is not "green", for one, it is only less or more harmful. Buying so-called green good will not save the planet any more than buying pink goods will cure breast cancer. But what really makes me run for my soapbox is that many of the articles or products they promote are not remotely environmentally friendly, natural, organic, etc.

Case in point is the April issue of Good Housekeeping (hey, I work in a hospital, so these things are just laying around). I was so irritated by their "green goods" section that I was prompted to write this:

Dear GH,
In response to your "Super. Natural." article in the April 2007 edition, just because products look like something from nature, doesn't make them in any way enironmentally friendly, organic, or natural. For example, the "place mats that resemble rain forest leaves" that you label eco-friendly, are made from vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride, in its manufacture, use, and disposal, involves dioxin, phthalates, lead, and other chemicals that are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, endometriosis, birth defects, respiratory problems, and immune system damage. Your article misleads readers into thinking that this product is not harmful to human health or the environment.
Regards,
Concerned Citizen

Grrrr, I say.

winter, then spring...

Since Elliot is blogging about kissing, and my basement is full of water, I'm guessing it's spring. Heard the whistle of a priarie dog on my way home yesterday, so that clinches it.

Meant to post these garden pictures, taken a mere three weeks ago (sorry they aren't better, but we've had a lot of grey days). Never got around to it. See all that snow? Ya, me and my unbelievably kind sister spent last Saturday shovelling it to the back of the house in order to save my basement. Which ultimatly didn't work, since it poured rain instead. In any case, spring is here, and I'm happy about it. 16 more days and I can actually get out there and enjoy it!