Thursday, July 31, 2008

New flavours

Smoked paprika is my new friend.
I've been introduced to it by Magnus, and now I'm hooked.
It's like when I first tried chipotle peppers...a flavour explosion. I cannot get enough of the slightly smokey slightly hot flavour. My Mum was a lady of few spices (and a lot of salt. She bakes like a queen, but doesn't like spices inless they have salt in their name...and god forbid you put pepper in), and I think her paprika must have been 30 years old, as it had no flavour when she used it on deviled eggs and such - I honestly thought it was for colour, not flavour. A while back I bought regular paprika to make J egg salad at his request and was surprised that it actually had a taste and thought "hmmm...not bad" but ended up adding some curry to fill out the flavour (curried egg salad is deadly good BTW). Then I was introdiced to a new animal - smoked paprika. Magnus made some el salvadorian coleslaw with it a while ago and I was impressed. Then last night he made a kickass chork* , rice, broccoli and jalapeno stirfry with it in.

And I want more.....MORE!

How can you tell I'm hungry and it's not break time yet. :)

*pork and chicken cubed up together

Heh...on a slightly different topic, did you know that if you boil eggs dry when trying to hard boil them to make egg salad they will actually pop open with a bang in the blackened empty pan and make a big mess?? Yup, asploding eggs...I um, know someone who has a friend who did this.

*cough*
*whistles*

Food on the brain....

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Bizarre

I stumbled upon the wierdest thing while trying to get my mind in a better place to get some work done. On a slightly more upbeat note, if you ever see me talking about how I'd like to knit fruit cozies for my apples and bananas, take me round the back and beat me sensless with a kumaquat.
Honestly...there *has* to be something more to do in a day.
*Anything* really...

Jeebus people.

Remember what matters

Last night a good friend of my parents passed away...and it's left me a bit angry at life.
Shirley Dow was a kind woman - a real "dame", the kind you don't see much of anymore. She married my father's close friend Gavin about a decade ago and they spent their summers together up at Little Bear where my parents are. My parents were very close to them...they were supportive when my Mum's heart was bad, and they always were happy to see J and I when we were up to vist. Gavin and Shirley had spent years fixing their cabin up into a fantastic retirement home. In fact they'd just sold their home in Nipawin and were settling into retirement together last year...when Shirley was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She fought it. She had surgery and chemo and when it was all over, all the loss of hair and the weakness and the aches and nausea, it seemed like she had beat it. Her 6 month tests and biopsies all came back clean - she was finally feeling her old self and she and Gavin were starting to enjoy their retirement together.
Then a few weeks ago she didn't feel well.
She ended up going into the hospital on last tuesday with abdominal pain and slowly got worse and worse. Tests were inconclusive and they were still waiting on some of them...when we were up visiting my parents on the weekend she had taken a bad spell that night, coughing up blood and feeling absolutely horrible...and last night my Dad called to say she never recovered. That she's gone. I am sure that Gavin is devastated. My parent's are mourning the loss of a good friend.
And I'm just angry. It is not fair. Not at all...

This woman fought so hard for so long and we thought she'd beaten her cancer. She found strength she didn't know she had and clung to it to survive. I ran for her last year in the Cancer run once she was done chemo...she was a beacon of hope for me. Proof that you could survive cancer and go on. Someone I knew in my circle of family and friends who actually survived cancer instead of losing the fight. A face I would think of when I worked on the research here at work.

I will remember her. Her sarcastic humour would point out the good things in life. I still remember showing up to stay for our honeymoon at the cabin finding that she'd put balloons and signs up all over saying "garage sale this weekend - please knock to see the items!". She had a thing for what was "right", and an insane obsession with Martha Stewart. She was always making sure my Mum looked after herself. She was the sun in Gavin's universe...and I pray he will be alright.

I think of losing J so suddenly and my heart clamps up and freezes like ice. How do you go on from that? I'm sure you can...I mean people do. Things change...and things end. I was talking with my brother last night and he said something that has stuck with me all night - he said "well it just goes to show you - live every day like you mean it. You never get another today, and tomorrow might not come to you either. Remember what matters".

And so I resolve to do so.
Have a great day all. Hug those you love. Tell them they matter, and do what you want and need to do today to make it what you want to be. I know I will.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

too busy

I have too much to bloody do before the week is up.

In fact I shouldn't even be here.

Bad me.
Bye...

Monday, July 28, 2008

Skanks anonymous

Lately I keep seeing more and more of this, but this morning I've seen things that have made me decide that the summer trend for Saskatoon college women is...well...the "just rolled out of bed whore" look. Is this happening in your neck of the woods too?
Usually I see the odd thing that raises an eyebrow here at work...I'm not a prude, but there is a level of body coverage I tend to adhere to at work or school - no bare belly or lingerie confusable items. This morning at the bus stop there was a cute plump girl waiting for her bus and I looked over and started to giggle...and then felt a bit bad...for her. Honestly - she was wearing 4 inch silver heels, low cut (ass crack revealing) long dress shorts with a stomach bearing (I kid you not) mesh black corset. A barely covering her boobage sort of deal...and no shirt. Just that. Even going out to a club in a shag me now sort of mood, I can't imagine wearing such a thing...she looked horribly tacky. It was not sexy. It didn't make her look fat or weird it was just so very very wrong for 7 AM on a monday morning I wanted to pull her aside and give her a little chat about not putting it all out there for the wolves to see. I've accepted the fact that I no longer get all the current styles (which are currently looking suspiciously more and more like what I wore in high school), but lately I'm getting annoyed at the lack of class in what people are wearing. Maybe it's just where I live in buttcrack Saskatchwan but there is an annoying trend as of late to not even bother to wear proper bras and such under things -is it too much trouble to wear a strapless bra? Is it OK to look like you didn't bother to look in the mirror to check if bits of you or your gitch are plopping out around your clothes? Sigh...when *I'm* wondering about a fashion thing, you have to know it's an issue...

Jeebus people, after mumbling to myself about this all morning, I have to say something:

Ladies! Have some pride!
You don't have to dress like a mid-class whore to be sexy.
Sexiness is not equivalent to the amount of flesh you are showing-
Sexy is an attitude - so work it...
and put some clothes on dammit!

Sincerely,
Your grandmother Geo.

Sweet sweet jedi love, some fish and a whole lotta psytrance going on

My cat's lurid affair with a certain well known jedi master is continuing. They're brazen I tell you - they don't care who sees them snuggling up in the lounger chair - It's right by the front window and everything. I've had a chat with him about it, but he just bonked me on the head and went right back into the arms of his jedi love...what can you do? Jedi's have it going on...

It's been a busy time here at Casa del Geo. First a wonderful time away at Motion Notion. Other than a bit of rain the first night the weather was great - not too hot. And there was an incredible amount of psytrance music playing, along with visiting a bunch of friends I haven't seen since last year. 3 stages of great music, and great people. There was even a stage on the beach this year playing loungy funky music for us as we lounged in the sun and swam in the river. I invested in a water ring with a backrest and I must say - *that* is life! The cursed vegan food vendors put a bit of a damper on my final night there (gave me a touch of the my-supper-not-liking-where-I-put-it-itis) but luckily I felt better as the evening went on and the main stage had hammocks built into it, so I could lounge and nurse my tummy in comfort while swinging back and forth to the music. The bear head came out to play once again, and I had a very relaxing wonderful time...we came back with a few days off to get organised and lounge around before going back to work. I will post some photos in a day or so, when I'm home for more than a few minutes :)

This past weekend we were up visiting my parents at the lake. I don't get to see them often enough it seems, so we figured we'd better head up and see them for the weekend since we had a free weekend. Saturday was lovely - sunny and hot. Usually the weather is sucky at best when we go up so we took advantage of it and went fishing on Cub lake with my Dad and my uncle. Cub lake is great, as you have to take an old logging road in and then ride about 10 minutes in on a quad trail with your little motor, jackets and fish tackle bungeed to the quad to get to the lake itself. My Dad keeps an old metal punt boat in there at the lake, so we rode in and spent the afternoon casting for lake trout in the sun, sipping rum and coke, with the smell of my Uncle's cigars floating in the air. There were loons doing a crazy "Don't come near me - look at how big and menacing I am! Stay back!" dance...and there was a beaver by a dam...and we caught 14 fish. Yum. I caught 5 myself - and one of them was huge! I've taken a bunch home...I can't wait to bake them up with some lemon and dill. Yum.
We also got to swim in the lake and have a great barbecue out on the deck for supper, along with some dominoes later in the night. J's Mum sent up a saskatoon pie, so we had that, and some of my beer and some tasty pork chops and potatoes for supper. Because I'm dumb sometimes (oops) I forgot one of my medications, so we had to head back early sunday, but it was a nice short visit, and I spent the afternoon on sunday catching up on some reading, some chores and making rhubarb crumble.

So yeah....I've been busy, but I'm happy. I have a crapload of work to do this week as I'm taking off the first 2 weeks of August to go to Shambhala, and this week is the Fringe Theatre festival, which J is covering (so we get to see lots of shows for free - mee hee!) so it just won't slow down til mid august...so if I"m not posting much, it's not that I don't luvs you all. I'm just busy with life and having too great a time to do anything other than sleep when I get an odd minute free.

Hope you've all been having a great summer so far.
Have a great day!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Picture pages picture pages....

Cuz I'm baking up a storm and busy busy, here is a brief overview of my hectic week in pictures:

The best beer in the world. No there is no contest...no need. Strawbeery fields reigns supreme - a light fruity taste in a mild wheaty ale. Not too sweet, and thirst quenching...pity there's only a little. Here's the test photos...

And the geek was absolute cuteness as he slept. Can't not post a gratuitous cat photo of sleepy cuteness...
And we're not to bad either...we clean up nice for weddings and family gatherings...

Later taters.
Off to monkey dance :)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Better

Well, feeling better today.
My fantastic husband cleaned up the living room yesterday before I got home. That and a nap and a good visit with a friend I hadn't seen in a while...oh, and a piece of blueberry pie (yum), made for a better day. I dont' feel crazy anymore. There is a lot to do before we go to Motion Notion thursday, but I think I can do it...no prob. And we can put our stuff back in the living room - well at least *some* of it - before we go. Yay for normal lives.
Gotta run.
Lots of things to do...

Monday, July 14, 2008

See you on the flipside

This weekend my friend Theo got married.
Theo is a great guy, and he finally met a fantastic woman who makes him want to be a better man. They were married on a very low key, wonderful sunny Saturday. They wrote their own vows, in which they promised to love each other extravagantly...:) It was a great day. Made me feel all lovey and happy. I also got my hair cut and dyed by my friend Cash...so I feel rather fine if'n I do say so myself - funky bob with dark brown hair and purply red highlighted chinks here and there...just waht I'd had in mind for a while. Plus, my beer is damn fine. I have pics and will pst soon...I just didn't feel at all like it yesterday-on the flipside, yesterday I was cranky...no real reason I could pinpoint, just grumpy and mumbly...trying to get things done about the house.

Truth be told, I think the lack of normal house is starting to drive me around the bend, and although I'd really hoped to get it all back together this weekend, I only got as far as removing all the painter's tape and touching up the bit where the tape did not work (which was probably half the damn trim...*sigh*). It's only a few days until we go camping and I'm starting to feel like life is getting away from me...too much to do. The yard is in shambles and I have so much to catch up on before we go... I'd like a minute or 2 to just relax and veg out for an evening instead of hurry hurry hurry to get things done. I'll have to do that when we're camping I guess...

Oh well...nothing for it. I should get to work so I can go home...and do more work...*sigh*
Hope your day is good. Don't listen to me - I'll snap out of it I'm sure.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Teaser


Artwork ("Skeleton Choir") is by the amazing Misty Michelle Bensen.
I love her work, and hope she approves...

Friday, July 11, 2008

THE WANDERER

A post to another blog has me humming an old but very favourite song by the Man in Black himself along with U2.
Enjoy...and have a good day.

Access denied

Yesterday was too long...and I never did get to my beer.
Tragic I know.
Everything took such a long time and by the time we got home after installing our new Thule roof rack and cargo module on the car and ate (too much) saskatoon berry perogies, it was late and I had to do some chores and then sleep.

Boring.

Hopefully not only will I get to what I'd planned for yesterday, today, but actually get to taste the strawbeery goodness.
We'll see...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Countdown to berry madness

In approximately 5 hours I can finally have a taste of my delicious looking strawberry ale. It is time :)

I can't wait. I remembered to put some in the fridge before bed last night so it'll be all ready after supper.

Dad gave me a pewter mug engraved with my name when I graduated from university. Think I'll drink it out of that!


oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy .....

The Sound of Silence

Ah!
That's better :)

Bing! Bing! Bing!

The intercom is broken on the PA at work.

Nothing is more grating than a loud electronic "bing!" sound every 4 seconds for the past...oh...TWO HOURS or so.

Time for the iPod methinks...

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Kipple

Isidore in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" defines kipple as:

"Kipple is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders after you use the last match or gum wrappers of yesterday’s homeopape. When nobody’s around, kipple reproduces itself. For instance, if you go to bed leaving any kipple around your apartment, when you wake up the next morning there’s twice as much of it. It always gets more and more.”

She goes on to say that “…the First Law of Kipple (is that) ‘Kipple drives out nonkipple’… No one can win against kipple, except temporarily and maybe in one spot, like in my apartment. I’ve sort of created a stasis between the pressure of kipple and nonkipple, for the time being. But eventually I’ll die or go away, and then the kipple will take over. It’s a universal principal operating throughout the universe; the entire universe is moving towards a final state of total, absolute kippleization.”

I am fighting the kipple.
I hope it won't return to my living room when we put the stuff back in it...but you can never be sure. ...

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Dull

There are days when my job is mind knumbingly dull and tedious.

Like today for instance.

*sigh*

Light and Day

Here's a happy song for a happy morning.
Cheer up ya grumps!
It's a beautiful day!! :)

Monday, July 07, 2008

I am woman. See me paint.

How many days can a woman paint 8-11 hours a day before she wants to stop?

Seven.

Last night, with the exception of a closet door and door frame, I finished up the last of the painting at just after midnight. It looks fantastic, but I must say - I am DONE. I have no desire to paint for a very long time. The lovely J, who rewired all our switches and outlets (to replace old ugly ones with new ones and make sure they're all wired in right), is also done with wiring for a while. There is still a lot of cleaning up to take away all the plastic and tarps and all the tape to pull off the trim, but I cleared off the wood beam yesterday and man - it looks amazing. Once things are a bit more clean I'll post some pictures. I'm excited to reveal it all from under all the plastic!

It feels like we've been living in Tarptown for months instead of a week, and it'll take a while before our furniture is back again. We do get to go hunt down a few new lights which will be fun, but it's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel after such a big reno. I feel like I've been living in cutoffs and painty bandana hair for months now - it was nice to get up for work today and put on regular clothes and style my hair like real people. And tonight, hopefully, we can go and see WallE, which I've been dying to see for ages.

Sadly, the back at work part has arrived. Much to do. A week of weirdness to catch up on. Just thought I'd pop in.
Later taters...

Friday, July 04, 2008

A little shade on a sunny day

It is a whole lot cooler in the living room today.
Guess why?
My blinds are here! The dude came to install them (luckily *he* didn't break any limbs while he was here) and they look beautiful. We picked them to match the wood beam in the house, as there are a bunch of slightly different woods in the house and we had to pick one.
I love them. I have to cover them up so I don't get any brown paint on them today, but man, they make it seem like actual adults live here. The place will look too classy for us if we don't cut it out.
Scary.
I'll try not to let it go to my head...besides, I still have 2 colours to paint. 
(yellow is done though!)

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Genesis of the living room

Then Geo said "Let the walls be primed all one colour, so that colour might appear". And so it happened: The walls were primed a blazing white and the coloured paint was gathered into the paint tray, and the first colour appeared.

Geo called the new colour "yellow", and the other walls would be "green" and "brown". Geo saw how good it was.

There was evening and there was morning. That was the fourth day.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Another hard day at the paint mine

Guess what sucks more than painting the ceiling of a big room? Painting it TWICE.

Yes...Our ceilings are the same boring beige as the walls and it's taking 2 coats of paint to make them look white again. Thankfully I'm half way through the second coat...thanks to...Scaffolding! Tadaah!
"Hmmm...where to paint first?

Thankfully I could rent scaffolding for a week and it's sped things up considerably...much safer than leaning and teetering all over a ladder. My shins are already black and blue :)
In case you're curious, here are the colours for the room:

I'm starting on the yellow tomorrow. It's hard to tell how nice the colours are form my crappy photos, but trust me...they'll be nice. Yellow for the hall and the other 2 in the living room/dining room. It's finally coming together...it seemed to be taking for ever, but luckily yesterday and today have been much nicer days, so I've been able to get more done. I'm taking a wee break at the moment, but I should get back to it. We're currently buried in tarps and tape, but after the ceilings, I get to the fun part - the colours. It's a big space to paint which is why I've been tactfully ignoring it until now, but I'm beginning to see that it might get done soon.


Back to the land of tarps and paint...back later!

Cunning Plans

 Life is wierd ya know. It seems a lot of things have been hitting me hard lately. Been distant from people, including my partner who is dea...