SO THERE WAS THAT

Sendoff

2012-01-01T16:17:00.000-04:00

I was informed that if I don't plan to write this blog anymore, then I ought to give it a proper sendoff. I started this blog in 2007 during library school in Halifax. That seems like a lifetime ago, since now I live in New Brunswick and work as a photographer. I started my photography business in 2009, and that's about when this blog became redundant; a lesser version of another blog. So if you liked me or my photos, I still write, over at http://www.hibouphoto.com/blog/. Come join me there. Thanks for reading, and happy new year!

Corn

2011-09-11T21:20:00.001-03:00

Last year we had neither corn in our weekly farm boxes nor a barbecue. Oh, how things have changed for the better.

Liberty

2011-08-31T21:50:00.000-03:00

As usual, I find it difficult to maintain this blog. I have so many internet presences, it just seems redundant. I don't know.

Canada Day

2011-07-01T23:36:00.000-03:00

I took the "relaxing at the lake and eating too much" option, followed by a return to the city in time to catch the fireworks. It was really lovely. I hope everyone had a happy Canada Day! :)

Shame

2011-06-29T16:46:00.001-03:00

Rocking out while editing photos.

Weekend Brunch

2011-06-28T13:57:00.001-03:00

An excessively rainy spring means we've only just got our first CSA box of the summer. It contained rhubarb, so the manfriend busted out the Martha Stewart Cooking School and made a compote that was served over pancakes for an excellent start to a Sunday.

Potato World

2011-06-27T13:38:00.000-03:00

Potato World is a small museum in Florenceville-Bristol, aka "French Fry Capital of the World." The museum is quite well done, with many panels, videos, and display equipment, but it can't overcome the disappointment of the Harvest Café being closed! We didn't get to try any of the novelty fries or the potato smoothie...

Gagetown Fibre Fest

2011-06-23T13:33:00.000-03:00

This was my first year visiting the Fibre Fest at Gagetown Fibre Emporium.

Halifax II

2011-06-21T14:28:00.001-03:00

Halifax I

2011-06-20T17:26:00.000-03:00

I'm getting so behind on my adventures!

Two Blobs Fucking

2011-06-12T10:41:00.000-03:00

If you haven't been to a party where everyone synced up their laptops and iWhatevers to play multiple Flaming Lips tracks at once, then you're probably not as hipster as me. Then again it is possible that you already suspected that.

Train

2011-06-10T12:25:00.001-03:00

When I went to Halifax it was by train. This was not the first time I have ever been on a train - that was in London in 2007, unless one counts the Disney World monorail - but indeed the first time I've been on the train in Canada. What an excellent mode of transportation! I think they could really make this one work!

Craigy Ferg

2011-06-09T13:05:00.000-03:00

I used to watch the Late Late Show a lot and then I got a job and stuff so not so much and time passed as it does and then I got a PVR and now I watch the Late Late Show a lot.

Dexter's Flea Market

2011-06-08T15:19:00.001-03:00

Dexter's is a tucked away place in downtown Moncton the existence of which I have been aware for several years, but have only actually gone in the past few trips. It has quickly become a favourite place to admire tchotchkes and curiosities of all varieties. I bought this:

The post office scale, not the yarn.

Florence + the Machine

2011-06-07T13:15:00.000-03:00

Like I said, I'm discovering the hits of 2010. Too bad the great Blogger meltdown of 2011 prevented me from sharing this.

Couched

2011-06-06T15:05:00.001-03:00

A few weeks ago, after hunting for months, we stumbled onto an incredible deal of a couch via Kijiji. I am happy to say the excitement of seeing this big brown leather behemoth in our living room has not worn off.

But now we need chairs.

Sexy Sax

2011-06-05T13:32:00.001-03:00

My neighbour is learning to play saxophone, and her riff of choice is...

Yep.

Cap-Bimet

2011-06-05T10:44:00.000-03:00

Tait House

2011-06-04T15:30:00.001-03:00

Recently I was at Tait House in Shediac. Often places of this nature are excruciatingly old-fashioned, but not here... I can say with authority that this is one of the nicest historic-styled restaurant/inns I've ever seen. Therefore, I took some photos.

Back

2011-05-30T15:22:00.000-03:00

Hey my little blog. I was away for the past week and forgot to make some scheduled posts to keep you full of beautiful things in my absence. My apologies. I did have a lovely time.

Eat

2011-05-19T23:40:00.000-03:00

I watched a food photography workshop this weekend. It was very interesting, though I think I would need to hire a food stylist to get the full benefit.

Ron

2011-05-16T13:01:00.000-03:00

African Violet

2011-05-13T14:48:00.002-03:00

My African violet has bloomed, not for the first time, but the most spectacular yet.

Breakfast

2011-05-11T13:16:00.000-03:00

Swan

2011-05-10T13:11:00.000-03:00

Sheldon

2011-05-09T13:08:00.001-03:00

We went to the Magnetic Hill Zoo over the Easter long weekend. This is one of my favourite shots, of Sheldon the Squirrel Monkey connecting with a little girl.

Lykke Li

2011-05-06T12:51:00.000-03:00

I am just getting caught up on last year's breakout acts. Florence + the Machine, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, etc. Lykke Li has earned a place in my heart and on my workout playlist.

Knit a Sweater

2011-04-26T12:46:00.002-03:00

Chicken Tagine

2011-04-24T11:54:00.001-03:00

A tajine is basically a slow-cooker with style. The effort:reward ratio is excellent.

Evan Parker

2011-04-23T13:53:00.001-03:00

"One of music's greatest living instrumentalists" has been on a tour of Atlantic Canada, and I went.

I played saxophone in high school. This was nothing like that.
I have never wished for earplugs at a gig. Until Sunday. (A combination of the venue being unfortunately very small and very loud, and my *youthful ears* picking up a few too many really high pitches.)

Fascinating, difficult stuff. I'm glad to have opportunities like these.

Earth Day

2011-04-22T11:48:00.001-03:00

Today is Earth Day. Stop and think about it.

Someone Like You

2011-04-21T16:25:00.002-03:00

A Bike About Town

2011-04-19T14:10:00.002-03:00

The epitome of everything lifestyle blogs tell me I could be, but somehow am not.

They're Back!

2011-04-18T14:05:00.002-03:00

Two with Bacon

2011-04-15T13:35:00.000-03:00

It has been a long time since we last bought a package of bacon. I want bacon on every single thing.

Run

2011-04-12T20:56:00.000-03:00

Today was sunny and lovely and I ran outside for the first time this season. There were 30+km/h winds. I felt like an eagle with the winds at my back. I felt like a paper plane in a hurricane on the return trip.

The Wilderness Outside

2011-04-10T21:34:00.000-03:00

He is filled with curiosity and trepidation regarding the world beyond the front door. Each time he ventures a little farther.

Tulips

2011-04-09T16:34:00.002-03:00

You can't have too many.

Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev

2011-04-07T17:48:00.002-03:00

This tribute video is not a recollection of film's story nor a direct illustration for BG's song. Rather than that it is a collage and a trigger to discover two Russian masterpieces. However, both of them still have some very similar vibrations. Andrei Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rubliov" and Boris Grebenshchikov's "Wolves and Ravens". - deadinvilnius, via YouTube

Mac & Cheese

2011-04-06T14:34:00.000-03:00

The manfriend makes the best mac & cheese, bar none. Now you can, too. (Okay technically it is cavatappi and cheese).

Ingredients
1 box of Macaroni or Cavatappi pasta (400g)

1 broccoli head, cut up into florets

8 small mushrooms, quartered

1 small to medium sized onion, chopped

4 cups milk

4 tbsp butter
¼ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp nutmeg
Generous dash of Sambal Oelek or other hot sauce (don’t be shy, it takes a lot to make this recipe spicy)

3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 red bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup Fontina, Edam or other strong tasting firm cheese, cubed
½ cup white bread crumbs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare vegetables and cheeses.

2. Bring a 4 to 5 quart pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Steam the broccoli and mushrooms in a strainer over your pot; set aside once softened. Once the pasta is just tender - not overcooked - remove from heat, drain and set aside (it will soften more in the oven).

3. While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, sauté the chopped onion in a small skillet, then set aside.

4. Heat the milk almost to the boiling point in a small saucepan.

5. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. If you have a large casserole dish that can double as a saucepan or a large oven safe stock pot, you can use that instead of the conventional saucepan. This will leave you with one less thing to clean at the end.

6. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk over low heat. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, followed by the paprika and hot sauce. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens, whisking occasionally. Finally, whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and remove from heat. Mix in all the vegetables including the uncooked red pepper.

7. Add the pasta to the cheddar and veggie sauce. Finally add the cubed cheese and stir it as well as possible.

8. If you are using a separate casserole to bake the pasta, grease it with a 1 tbsp of butter before transferring the mixture. Needless to say this recipe requires a lot of room so the larger the casserole the better. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes. You can finally relax for a few minutes!

9. Shortly before removing the mac and cheese from the oven, sauté the bread crumbs over low heat until they are moistened but not browned.

10. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to broil; spread the bread crumbs evenly over the mac and cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and broil until the crumbs are crisp and browned (a couple of minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Dangerous

2011-04-05T12:30:00.001-03:00

I woke up with this in my head, for some reason.

Charley Harper

2011-04-04T12:41:00.000-03:00

Charley Harper (August 4, 1922 - June 10, 2007) was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist. He was best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations...

In a style he called "minimal realism", Charley Harper captured the essence of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. When asked to describe his unique visual style, Charley responded:

When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.

He ...[drew] influence from Cubism, Minimalism, Einsteinian physics and countless other developments in Modern art and science. His style distilled and simplified complex organisms and natural subjects, yet they are often arranged in a complex fashion. On the subject of his simplified forms, Harper noted:

I don't think there was much resistance to the way I simplified things. I think everybody understood that. Some people liked it and others didn't care for it. There's some who want to count all the feathers in the wings and then others who never think about counting the feathers, like me.

The results are bold, colorful, and often whimsical. The designer Todd Oldham wrote of Harper, "Charley’s inspired yet accurate color sense is undeniable, and when combined with the precision he exacts on rendering only the most important details, one is always left with a sense of awe."

Last year in Halifax I found two postcard books - Birds and The Animal Kingdom - and snatched them up right away. I knew that An Illustrated Life was prohibitively priced, so I figured that was it and I was happy.

On Thursday I was perusing the photography books at Chapters. Not finding what I was looking for, I expanded my search to the adjacent "art" shelves. I never did find the original book, but I did find this. Shrink-wrapped and $60. I hugged it tight to my chest and headed for the cash.

(Later I discovered that it was a second printing, which explains the price but doesn't make me love it any less.)

Tea Time

2011-03-31T12:49:00.000-03:00

It is a truth, simple but absolute, that tea tastes better from a proper tea cup. Yesterday I sat down with my teacup and a pot of English Breakfast tea. And then I did it again today. I estimate that in two short days my sophistication has risen by approximately 12%. By this time next week I will be too sophisticated to continue blogging.

Pet Names

2011-03-29T16:38:00.000-03:00

or, Different Names for the Same Cat

An accounting of dubious comprehensiveness regarding the nomenclature applied to one certain feline as the situation calls for it.

Dagobert (this is his name)
Dago
big (grey) cat
mon gros chat
(my) little bear
my little friend
huggy bear
kitty bear
minou
min-min
nou-nou
panther
friendly cat
kitty cat
baby cat
party cat
happy cat
grumpy cat
serious cat
scaredy-cat
king cat
le bon roi
gentle creature
gentle giant
big brother
stinky/stinker
poo bandit
big bully
fool
idiot
asshole
fucker
dickhead
little shit
son of a bittttttcccccchhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Sugar Bush

2011-03-28T14:33:00.000-03:00

On Saturday we went to the sugar bush to eat at their brand new cookhouse. They are generous with their ingredients, oh my.

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

2011-03-26T18:36:00.002-03:00

Spring

2011-03-21T19:35:00.000-03:00

Lunch

2011-03-18T18:07:00.000-03:00

Perhaps it was obvious to everyone else, but I only recently realized that the Foreman grill makes an excellent stand-in for a panini press. Yesterday's lunch was about polishing off the tiny amounts of things left in the fridge: half a red pepper, a few withering stalks of green onion, a smidge of mozzarella.

Roast the green onion & red pepper together with half an onion in butter, put it on focaccia* with mozzarella, salt & pepper, and grill. The ends of the lettuce on the side with Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette, and voila, lunch.

*Everything is better on focaccia.

Colour Story

2011-03-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

Pro-Tips for Moving

2011-03-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

So I just finished moving for the 10th time in 10 years. I have a good handle on this! Here are some key points.

1. In the weeks leading up to your move, go through everything you own with a fierce eye. Do you really need that? Probably not. Get rid of it. Not having to move something is the optimal outcome.

2. Need boxes? Your local liquor store has boxes. Bonus: said boxes often have dividers in them, making packing your glasses and booze a no-brainer, as well as providing material for safely packing other things.

3. When packing your boxes, take the time to at least write what room they belong in on top (if you have money to burn, there is also moving tape that serves this purpose). Getting your boxes in the correct room the first time around saves some lifting, and expedites the unpacking process.

4. Moving out takes a lot longer than moving in. Plan your time and troops accordingly.

5. Once in your new place, your first priority should be to set up and make your bed. You will appreciate this later, when you are able to crash as soon as your body gives out; do not wait to do this when you are already tired.

Lunch

2011-03-03T14:21:00.006-04:00

Brief respite from talk of moving. Lunch, per Occasions magazine (the liquor store freebie, summer 2010). "Ultimate Grilled Cheese" - Granny Smith apple, gouda, and prosciutto on focaccia, grilled.

Moved

2011-03-02T23:15:00.002-04:00

395

2011-02-20T20:04:00.001-04:00

I learned at the end of last month that there was a shelter blog meme happening. 111 in 1/11. As in 111 Things Gotten Rid Of. Well, it took a bit longer than just a month, but I totally trumped that number. Polishing off a weeding project that started back in October with three donation trips to the Value Village since yesterday, (totally filled up the savings card they give, where bags donated = stamps = discount) I say optimistically that we might actually be finished.

As you might guess, we are breathing easy with 395 items gone, gone, gone.

36 shirts
2 skirts
2 dresses
1 sweater
2 pairs of shoes
2 pairs sandals
7 pairs of socks
2 pairs of mittens/gloves
6 pairs of pants/jeans
1 pair of shorts
23 hats/visors
11 scarves
3 bracelets
4 necklaces
1 nightie
2 bras
1 belt
2 jackets/coats
2 vests
4 purses
1 wig
1 change purse
1 headband
1 19” TV
1 13” TV
1 universal adaptor
1 extension cord
1 car converter
1 mini tripod
1 cable cord
1 camera case
2 Advantix film holders
14 DVDs
5 VHS
38 CDs
1 cd tower
1 VCR
1 polaroid camera
1 digital camera (recycled)
1 film camera (recycled)
1 cat food dish
1 George Foreman grill
1 blender base
10 beer glasses
10 placemats
3 juice can openers
1 tablecloth
5 shot glasses
set of 8 popsicle forms
1 small santa cookie jar
1 sandwich press
9 forks
12 spoons
6 knives
1 vegetable peeler
3 wooden spoons
5 spoon servers
1 corkscrew
1 electric knife
1 hand beater
1 steamer pot
1 small pot
1 wine rack
1 water bottle
2 picture frames
13 books
1 colouring book
1 flag
2 stuffed dolls
24 hair rollers
1 case of markers
1 Pumpkin carving kit
5 bath towels
8 face cloths
6 curtains
1 duvet
1 duvet cover
1 set of twin sheets
2 binders
1 blanket
9 napkins
12 wire hangers
2 tambourines
5 brass pulls
1 set of 2 – 3 lb hand weights
1 5 lb hand weight
1 vintage suitcase
2 bags poly fill
15 skeins yarn
1 small coatrack
1 dirt devil
1 scotch-brite carpet roller
1 bathroom over-toilet vanity
1 fishbowl
4 plant pots
1 swiffer floor mop thing

I had a brief moment of Privilege Guilt regarding so easily dismissing enormous quantities of goods - surely more than many will ever have - but everything has been passed off to the library/Value Village/Salvation Army/local shelter, and surely some good can come of it. In the future my increasingly conscious consumerism will hopefully take the form of a more practical 1 in: 1 out model.

Another Before & After

2011-02-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

I started this project in October 2009. I finished it last week.

Yay.

Cleaning All The Things

2011-02-13T16:55:00.000-04:00

We are moving in two weeks (just to a new apartment down the street, nothing major). This is forcing me to deal with certain "situations" in the current apartment. Such as the spare room.

Before:

After:

Yeah, that happened.

Yeesssss

2011-01-27T01:36:00.001-04:00

Dressed for Success

2011-01-25T00:14:00.001-04:00

It's cold out! Really cold. However, with the appropriate dress very tolerable and since I have no sense of shame where "looking cool" might be concerned, this is easily accomplished. Ask yourself, "do I look like I am about to rob a bank?" If the answer is no, you are probably not warm enough. Today's max (min?) temperature was actual temperature -23C, with a "feels like" of -34C (-9.4/-29.2F). Not the coldest day I've ever experienced in my life, but pretty fucking cold eh.

Do you have someone who knits and also loves you? Or is you? If not: find somebody, make them your own. With the correct application of love, positive reinforcement, and delicious snacks, you can have an sustainable source of knitwear. Animal fibres only please, this is no time for amateurs and plastic can only do so much. Wool, llama, alpaca, qiviut.* Ask yourself, "where does this animal live?" The colder the climate, the better!

(*Did someone knit you something with qiviut? They love you. Marry them.)

As illustrated above, my recommended approach is a bare minimum of two woolen hats, a wool cowl, and sunglasses, on top of your t-shirt, fleece hoodie-with-the-hood-up, and a twice-wrapped-scarf of indeterminate origin, which is the third best origin after handknit by Someone Who Loves You (#1) or Yourself (#2). You will polish off your look with a three-quarter length wool coat, and fleece-lined mittens. All of your fingers want to be together in these trying times. Let them.

As for the bottom half (not pictured), best results will be from knee-high lined winter boots with an alpaca insole, and downy snowpants. However, if you follow my above directions precisely, you will find that you are able to work through the numbing pain in the thighs while wearing only yoga pants, because that is where you draw the line in preparing to go outdoors only for the sake of getting to the gym.

Beyond the obvious warmth you will enjoy while so kitted up, the smiles on the faces of others you encounter will warm the soul. Do not question the reason for their smiles.

Thus concludes my Guide to Real Fuckin' Cold, for Adults.

If you are a cat, find another cat. Preferably said cat will already be (1) indoors, (2) on a sheepskin, and (3) near to a Mohair blanket. Cuddle said cat intensely. Take frequent breaks for snacks and naps. Try not to overexert. It will all be over soon.

Knitwit Update

2011-01-11T00:53:00.002-04:00

A little knitterly update! Here's a look back at what I've knit since the summer up to the end of 2010.

Pattern: Jacquard & Stripe Socks by Patons, on the Patons website (login required) | details on Ravelry

This is my "go-to" pattern for regular socks if 2/3 pairs coming from it could mean so much. It's a simple and straightforward knit, and in this case the self-patterning yarn from Marathon did all the work. I call these my "Alberta" socks because I knit one of them while on vacation in Alberta, and also because the imaginative can see the plains, foothills, and mountains of that province in the pattern. I finished these fairly quickly, but for the fact that I left them on my dresser with unfinished toes for months on end. For the love of kitchener stitch!

So I finally did that last week and now I have another pair of hand-knit socks for my own drawer (this makes 3).

Pattern: Instamatic Cowl by Me, on | details on Ravelry

Using two strands Thick 'n Quick held together I knit up this thing during the closing ceremonies.

Pattern: Annis by Susanna IC, on Knitty | details on Ravelry

I did some SERIOUS swearing while working the nupps on a roadtrip one weekend back in the summer, but the knitting pain was worth it because I love the finished product. It won a 3rd place ribbon at the fair, too.

Pattern: Poinsettia by Anne Hanson, on Knitty | details on Ravelry

I don't often meet up with the local knitters, mostly because I am always eating dinner at their designated meeting time, but I threw my name into the hat and made a go of it. I like this pattern very much except for that one purl bump row near the top which I am convinced must be a pattern error because... well because I just don't like it. It doesn't match. If I knit this again I would change that.

Ironically when I went to the swap neither my recipient nor my donor were there AND I was (unknowingly) on the cusp of a serious bout of strep throat so it was kind of miserable, yikes! Maybe I'll get there again in 2011.

Pattern: Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat by Jackie Lauseng, on JL Yarnworks | details on Ravelry

I love Hermione and I love this hat. Unfortunately I neglected to remember that I had already used this yarn (Brown Sheep worsted) on another hat, and thus ran out earlier that would have been quite ideal for a maximum fitting hat. This is small. I might have to make it again.

Pattern: Swirling Gauntlets by Susanna IC, on Ravelry | details on Ravelry

I would like this knit a lot better if it weren't for something apparently wrong in my comprehension of the pattern that put purl bumps throughout my cables.

Pattern: Joe by Me, via Superstore, on Ravelry | details on Ravelry

Yes I saw a scarf similar to this at the grocery store, thought "I can do that," and then I did.

Pattern: Anatolian Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski, in Folk Mittens | details on Ravelry

I am really quite proud of these, being my first go at folk style mittens, but like all my knits they are rife with imperfections, chief among them being that I knit this pattern from a scan I made when I checked out the book from the library, and I forgot to scan the thumb pattern page. So the thumb is improvised, and later I realized that it was mostly right but I should have done the pattern on both sides. Secondly, I didn't read the comments on Ravelry, and they came out just as large as everyone said they would. Not unwearably big, but sort of silly-big. Yet with curiously short fingers. So. I did catch the pattern error, and I'm pleased with how well the yarn (Bernat Satin Solids, long in the stash) showed the pattern. I'm also pleased to be almost finished with that yarn.

Other than two unremarkable hats, that's it!

2010 By Number

2011-01-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

27 years old.
108 movies watched.
26 books read.
131 if you count picture books.
$10,000 student loan debt repaid.
8 concerts attended.
24 items knit; 4 ribbons won.
286 tweets.
4 haircuts, 1 dye job, 1 set of highlights, 4 massages.
1 5K race ran.
150 km ran overall. Or thereabouts.
2 major illnesses: norovirus and strep throat.
0 cavities.
19 photosessions. 1 workshop. 4 weddings.
5 weeks in the children's department.
15,110 kilometres traveled over 17 trips.
Tens of thousands of photos taken...
1 collage under the cut.

Drinking Your Way Through the Holidays

2010-12-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

Breakfast: Mimosa

Lunch: Wine

Afternoon: Aperitif

Dinner: Wine

Evening: Digestif

Late Evening: Nightcap

Sleep; repeat.

Diet Coke Cake

2010-11-29T13:50:00.002-04:00

In my internet voyages I came across a link to this cake made with Diet Coke which turns out to be an old Weight Watchers recipe. I won't muse on what compelled a person to ever try this in the first place, but once I knew it could be done I just had to see for myself.

(The secret ingredient is irony!)

The following are my observations about this process:

1. Dead easy. Mixing this up and putting it in the oven took all of 5 minutes and most of that was filling the cups.

2. The aroma post-baking was mix of chocolate and science.

3. The cupcakes only rose about a quarter inch, and were very dense. They were also so sticky that the paper cups stuck to the cakes, leading to a crumbly mess. Make sure these are good and cold before you eat.

4. The flavour was pretty average - there was really nothing remarkable about it either way.

5. The homemade peanut butter frosting was the best part, so here's the recipe (from my 1986 copy of The Joy of Microwaving):

2 tbsp butter or margarine
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp cream or milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

In mixing bowl combine butter, peanut butter, cream and salt. Microwave at 50% (Medium) 1 to 2 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency, adding few drops cream if necessary. Sprinkle frosted cake with finely chopped peanuts if desired.

Questionable Statements in "The Art of Wedding Photography"

2010-11-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

The Art of Wedding Photography: Professional Techniques with Style is by Bambi Cantrell, a photographer well known within the wedding photography industry for being "revolutionary," a dynamic speaker, etc.

This book is from 2000, pre-dating the ascent of digital photography. Most of the included photographs are decidedly mid-90s and the poses quite traditional, it mentions about 16 different times to not worry about how much film you are using, and it also actually recommends selective colouring as an artistic technique, but that's neither here nor there. Check out this text!

* "No guy ever played 'groom' as a kid, but many women played 'bride'."

* "It's all about the details... The veil, the dress, and the bride's waistline."

* "Most brides will spend six months looking for their wedding shoes, which no one will ever see."

* "A bride will have the tiniest waist of her entire lifetime."

* "While portrait photographers have argued for years about whether or not a male subject should leave his thumb outside the pocket, leaving the thumb outside is unnatural looking. No guy puts his hand in his pocket and leaves out the thumb!"

* "A bride will have the tiniest waist of her life. Notice the groom's hands around that waist during the first dance."

Perks

2010-11-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

My new "office" has big, sink-into-them squishy chairs, palatable music, and certain other fine qualities.

"Empowering" Messages from the Wrappers of the Dove Chocolates I Won at Trivia

2010-11-15T12:13:00.000-04:00

Use a good moisturizer.
Ignore the price tag.
Get a manicure.
Be high maintenance.
Unplug the phone.
Take a long lunch.
Kiss in public.
Ride shotgun.
Stand up for yourself.

Now I feel ready to take on anything.

The Limit

2010-11-08T22:21:00.001-04:00

Today I reached the maximum number of items one is able to check out from the local library. And then, because I have two cards, I checked out a few more. The base is much the same as from last time - if I keep taking from the top, I'm never going to get there.

Current points of interest:

1. Planning photography workshops to be presented at the library and to a Girl Guide troop.
2. Planning an ESL conversational program for youth as a library volunteer.
3. Re-watching Harry Potter movies 3-6 in anticipation of Deathly Hallow Part 1 later this month.

Also, having just read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I need to clear out at least one of these so that when Mockingjay becomes available (I'm currently #7 on the hold list!) I will be able to read it ASAP. Want. Now.

Fierce

2010-10-22T17:56:00.002-03:00

Soup Bowl

2010-09-28T01:06:00.000-03:00

It started at Paul's opening. He was all like, I have chicken stew on the stove at home, neener. Well, not really but that's how my stomach interpreted it. I got home and I was like damn, wants me some chicken stew. So I put on a big pot of water and started tossing stuff in to make stock.

Chicken & Rice soup. Made from scratch and with no recipe, hence how it started out as "want stew" and ended up with soup.

Stock: a few litres of water with quite a bit of coriander, some carrot, a few onions, hot peppers, all the old formerly-fresh herbs that were in the fridge [basil and sage, mostly], liberal helpings of salt, pepper, and summer savory. Chicken bones that had been in the freezer. Maybe some other stuff, I forget. Boiled for about an hour; reduced about 1/4... could have waited longer.

Panfried three chicken breasts and set aside.

Removed some broth.

Chopped and added veggies. Carrots, onion, cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, a can of corn niblets. Summer savory, bay leaves. If I had any sense I would remember to put the potatoes in later, but I never remember to do that so they get too soft.

Shook up some flour with broth. Gravy shaker exploded. Added more flour to soup at random, stirring in. It never amounted to anything and at this point I accepted that my stew would be soup. Added the chicken back, brought to a boil, and then simmered. Added a handful or two of minute rice in tragic absence of egg noodles. More salt, pepper, and summer savory.

Voila! Soup how I like it. With heart.

Of course it had happened that this week, for the first time, we forgot to pick up our veggie box. So we went to the local store to pick up a few supplies for the chicken soup/stew, namely a bag of carrots. The store had a sale on - buy carrots, get a bag of onions free. Who could say no to that? And what do you do with a bag of onions? Make French onion soup. At least, that's what you do if you're the manfriend.

He hunted around for the perfect recipe, finally deciding on French Onion Soup VIII. Planning ahead for this we picked up some nice cheeses (Gruyere for the soup; Vlaskaas for the baguette) and some beef broth, not to mention the $1/per French onion soup bowls, and got cracking. This is a pretty simple recipe, obviously originally born of desperation when you consider the ingredients, but it really becomes more than the sum of its parts. We have a super hot burner that led to the soup being more reduced than strictly necessary, but together with an untoasted baguette made for a hearty, savory soup that went down nicely with a bottle of Chardonnay.

But oh, when we at the farmer's market buying cheese for the French Onion soup? In addition to a nice (and heavy) haul of corn, pumpkin, beans, and a few other things, we forgot that we'd just bought carrots the previous day. Oops.

This abundance of carrots led naturally to making a soup recipe. Well, he made it while I cleaned the living room in full-on anti-study mode. From the Hatfield Heritage Inn as appears in Chowders, Bisques and Soups: recipes from Canada's Best Chefs by Elaine Elliot and Virginia Lee, with a few minor substitutions...

Gingered Carrot Soup

5 tbsp / 75 mL butter
4 cups / 1L coarsely chopped carrot
3 cups / 750 mL coarsely chopped onion
3/8 tsp ground ginger
6 cups / 1.5L veggie stock
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup / 125mL plain organic yogurt
chopped parsley for garnish

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Sauté carrot, onion and ginger, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover loosely and cook 40 minutes.

In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth and creamy. Return soup to saucepan; bring back to simmer and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add yogurt and bring back to serving temperature.

Serve in warmed soup bowls with a garnish of fresh chopped parsley. Serves 6.

I'm So Excited, I'm So... So... Scared!

2010-09-21T23:04:00.000-03:00

I am so wiped out lately I'm in danger of pulling a Jessie Spano "there's never enough time!!" at pretty much any moment. My calendar for the next 5 weeks is full up with 4 portrait photoshoots, two weddings, neither of which is in New Brunswick (travel++), a job interview (wish me luck), Run for the Cure, and three concerts, along with a sudden reassignment that has me working evenings and soon weekends. I haven't been to the gym in like two months. My current contract ends in 5.5 weeks, and I'm actually looking forward to a blissful (and brief-ish? let's hope) period of funemployment. Except that I have a list of approximately 20 projects I need to do then, too.

Haps:

Hurricane Earl came and went.

Cats won't let me sleep at night ever.

Biked 17 km of Fredericton's trails over two weekends. Tried to go kayaking on three different occasions, but the aquatic centre was closed during "open" hours every time. Finally last week they sent notice that they've "closed for the season" (a month earlier than last year). Understand now that their business model was to take a bunch of money at the beginning of the summer and then never be open. Next year we will not be getting memberships.

Went to the FREX; took home 4 ribbons for the 5 items I entered in the knitting competition.

Ate my once-per-year fish and chips.

Attended a yoga class for knitters at my LYS. I was shown a pose that has pretty much changed my life.

Volunteered for Harvest Jazz & Blues. Met Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, got a signed CD, and was fed the most amazing pizza ever. Goat cheese stuffed crust omg. Also heard Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Samuel Jones.

Finally saw the first season of Glee. Well, Volume 1, anyway. On to regionals!

Played "Come Together" on Expert in Beatles Rock Band and got 99% and 5 motherfucking gold stars.

New work assignment has me finishing the 6 weeks of my contract in the public library. It was abrupt, but I'm totally thrilled about this!

Labour Day

2010-09-06T21:43:00.000-03:00

This weekend was all about relaxation. Eating at home, an Earl-be-damned soggy trip to the farmer's market. A 10 km bike ride along the riverfront trails, and two days of reading in the park. Baguette and Saint Paulin; ground cherries. Season 3 of Mad Men in its entirety. It was blissful.

But, since I'm a big nerd I'm probably more excited about the fact that I upgraded my computer this weekend. This month my computer and I celebrate three long, mostly happy years together. Things have been getting rocky lately, though, what with the random crashing and the last meager 4 GB of free HDD space, which often gets eaten up by Photoshop. "The scratch disks are full." How often have I seen this tragic update? But no more.

This weekend I backed up everything, and deleted a lot - finding another 25 GB in the process. I installed the Snow Leopard upgrade, and uninstalled countless bits of little-or-never used apps. Got rid of the bloated MSOffice suite in favour of the open source NeoOffice. Finally connected my MSN account to my already-in-use Adium software. iTunes 10. Nothing but the best for dear Giles.

And then, the crowning glory; the jewel in my dock - I installed CS5. Goodbye CS2! With this new, legitimate software, I have finally arrived as an adult. The skies opened up and the angels sang, "HALLELUJAH! Content aware fill."

And then I organized 4 e-mail inboxes. The end.

"N.B. Students Fail to Apply for Debt Relief"

2010-08-26T15:02:00.001-03:00

...says CBC.

New Brunswick university students are failing to take advantage of a series of debt reduction programs being offered by the provincial government.

Let me say again, because it really cannot be said enough: I would love, LOVE to apply for this program. Taking almost $40,000 off my student loan would make me impossibly happy; would be an incredible boost to my quality of life. But I am not eligible.

Mark Kroeker, the treasurer of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, said another problem is that not enough students are eligible for the benefit along with other programs.

Amen.

Perhaps with the "significant surplus" this "lack of uptake" left in the department could, then, be funneled into debt relief for a broader group of candidates?

Hahaha, just kidding you guys.

NB Day Long Weekend

2010-08-06T12:11:00.000-03:00

I had one of those weekends where by the end of it I'd have completely forgotten the beginning, were it not for the pictures.

Saturday morning emergency breakfast trip to the farmer's market. Goat cheese & onion croissant for me, red pepper & feta croissant for he. And then why not a chocolate one for breakfast-dessert?

Hitting the road and arriving about an hour and a half later in Saint John, a place I've never before visited for pleasure, and for that matter rarely seen in daylight (the vast majority of my few visits involve a direct route to the SJ-Digby ferry). I was instantly taken by how much it reminded me of Halifax, and positive feelings ensued. We visited Market Square, ogled the Central Library, walked the downtown (er, uptown) streets: Water, Queen, Prince William, King. Noted with dismay that many of the beautiful heritage buildings appear to be empty. Happened upon the Handworks Gallery, which was exhibiting some of the most interesting paintings I've seen in some time, by Cliff Turner; then visiting the City Market for lunch. Flowers for friends in hand, we took lunch on a King Street park bench, we left with a firm promise to come back again and spend more time.

St. Martins. A place I'd never visited, nor even heard of before this summer. A cute seaside town; I was amused at how it looks almost exactly like Hall's Harbour, the Nova Scotian fishing village almost directly across from it on the Bay of Fundy. When we drove past "The Caves" I was full of remorse that we didn't have time to go kayaking there.

The Fundy Trail Parkway. Another new-to-me tourist experience, and one of those "holy shit this province is beautiful" places. What we lack in forward thinking politics, we make up for in natural beauty!

The drive from the Parkway to Moncton was rather tedious, but I did manage to make serious headway into my Annis - the lace chart is finished and it's straight stockinette from now on. At the end of the drive we were rewarded with a delicious Tunisian-themed dinner with friends. I was particularly taken with the tajine, which tasted like Christmas dinner in a square. [similar recipe here]

But wait, did I say the end of the drive? Haha. After dinner we got back in the car and drove up the coast to the cottage in Côte-Sainte-Anne. Then the relaxation begins!

Two days of soaking up the sun on the beach. I read The Plain Janes and 21 chapters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Swam in the impossibly warm waters of the Northumberland Strait, and stared mesmerized at the lights on PEI's windfarm.

The only bad things that happened all weekend were that I broke my sunglasses, and (eek) the back popped off my Holga with a nearly finished roll of shots, so that's probably toast. Life goes on.

CSA Boxes #2-5

2010-07-27T15:22:00.002-03:00

Box #2 was positively brimming with leafy greens: 2 heads of lettuce (oak leaf and deer tongue), spring turnips, beet greens, swiss chard, mixed greens, and garlic scapes (the "veggie of the week"). We mostly made salads, but I tried incorporating the beet greens into the same recipe that had worked so well with the gemelli. Unfortunately it wasn't the same at all:

(Potatoes with basil and chives from my cubicle garden; green deer tongue lettuce with almonds, dried cranberries, and feta with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette; gemelli with feta and beet greens; barbecued top sirloin steak.)

The garlic scapes also got worked into mashed potatoes which subsequently found themselves in a potato salad.

Box #3 I evidently neglected to photograph, but it contained more beet greens, a small bag of new potatoes, swiss chard, and maybe a few other things I can't recall since we ate it as fast as possible before leaving on our NS trip. Box #4 went to our lucky friends!

Box #5 is a dream come true. The leafy greens are long gone (good, just as I was tiring of salad), to be replaced by root veggies and legumes.

Glorious! New potatoes, cucumber, Indian cucumber, zucchini, squash, broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, carrots, green beans. We haven't made anything particularly interesting with these veggies because they taste so friggin good, we're just eating plain and simple, sautéed or steamed with a little butter and salt. Mmm.

This stirfry has snowpeas, zucchini, broccoli, and chicken in a tikka marinade.

Liked it so much we made it again. Now with rice!

We are both really loving getting this box. It is fun to see what's inside every week, like a little present, and eating in season is the most delicious way to eat. It shakes up our routine, and guarantees a veggie in every dinner. Frankly getting groceries has never been so fun. Box #6 tonight!

Gaspereau Valley Fibres | Gaspereau, NS

2010-07-27T15:18:00.002-03:00

Just outside of Wolfville is Gaspereau Valley Fibres. I lived in Wolfville for 5 years, but since I didn't knit then I was tragically unaware of the glory of this farm that lay just out of reach. Since I discovered that this is one of Nova Scotia's finest yarn shops I've been waiting with anticipation to get there.

I want one JUST LIKE IT.

Between my general travels and previous visit to Have A Yarn, I'm pretty much maxed out on both yarn and discretionary spending these days, but I still picked up 2 skeins of squishy black local alpaca, a set of (half-off!) bamboo straights, a set of HiyaHiya 9" circs so I can get in on the new sock/mitten knitting hotness, and a glorious skeepskin I've been reveling in ever since.

I read a few unsavory reviews of the shop's service once I got home so I feel I should say that the shop lady was very nice, only talked to me as much as I wanted to be talked to (my preference is to be acknowledged when I come in and then mostly left alone, though we did have a conversation after I'd examined everything in the store about 12 times).

Also, they have a farm.

We figured this meant it was time to leave.

Have A Yarn | Mahone Bay, NS

2010-07-23T11:00:00.004-03:00

While on vacation in NS I made a point of visiting a couple of yarn shops that I've heard a great deal about but never got around to visiting while actually living there. For shame!

Have A Yarn is on Mahone Bay's main street (and it's a really darling street). Charming and simple from the outside, inside is wall to wall yarn that extends back through three rooms: maybe the most yarn per square foot I've ever seen. As usual with such a selection my mind completely went blank with what I might like to buy.

After looking over everything approximately six times, I blacked out, and when I came to outside the shop, I mysteriously found myself in possession of 8 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in 35 "Petrol"; one huge skein (1300 yds) of undyed Fleece Artist Saldanha; one skein from the incredible wall of sock yarn, of Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka Mexiko Cotton in "Curry"; 2 skeins of Galway worsted in bright Kelly Green, and a pattern for Aran Felted Mittens just because the store sample was so cute.

Upon reviewing my bank account I can say with authority that Have A Yarn is a horrible place and I can't imagine why anyone would go there.

Things That Are Different About Halifax: A Short List

2010-07-18T23:33:00.000-03:00

The following is a by no means exhaustive list of the changes I observed in visiting Halifax 1 year and 2 months after having moved away:

Cargo & James has been replaced with an Uncommon Grounds location.
The building that housed Café Chianti, Taj Mahal, Tomasino's etc burnt down.
Bear restaurant has been replaced by Café Chianti.
Frog Hollow Books closed, space on Brenton replaced by Duly Noted.
Carsand Mosher closed Barrington location, moved to the BLIP.
The Chronicle Herald building that took up the entire block on Argyle opposite Economy Shoe Shop et al. has been demolished.
Italian Gourmet closed.
The Holiday Inn at Robie & Quinpool has been rebranded Atlantica.
Tim Hortons on Barrington is now Starbucks.
Thirsty Duck --> Mexi's.
Ryan Duffy's Steak and Seafood is now Gullabull.
Anatolia is now Moda ("urban dining").
The Spartan is now Lauly's Egyptian.
Deco --> Sebastian's --> Estia
Curry Village is in the former Baan Thai location; Baan Thai is now on Blowers Street.
Dio Mio closed.

Cubicle Garden, the First 3 Months [100 Days of Growin' Stuff]

2010-07-13T13:15:00.002-03:00

I left off at Day 29:

And oh how my little garden has grown!

Day 35

Day 43

I pinched a few small basil leaves off around this time, and the flavour is so perfect. The tomato and basil pots were quite crowded too, so I ripped a bunch of plants out each in hopes of promoting some growth.

I also went on vacation and the resulting neck pain from toting around my 4 lb camera all day every day meant that I left the damned thing at home for awhile once I got back. So by the time I got around to taking another photo, it was already

Day 85:

I ripped out still more tomato and basil plants, staked the tomatoes, pinched off the top set of leaves of the basil plant (bringing it down to about 9" of growth from 12"), and harvest the chives altogether - cutting about 2" inches from the base to remove 4" of growth. I also thinned the pot out a bit at this time, and just over the course of the weekend the plants shot up another 1-1.5."

Day 95:

That's it for now. Today is Day 100, and I'm holding out hope that someday my tomatoes might exhibit signs of ever bearing fruit, but as far as office experiments go, I'd consider this one a raging success.

However the problem of twentysomething males urinating on residential buildings continues unabated

2010-07-07T16:41:00.000-03:00

So before we moved here, when first thinking about apartment hunting, a list was made. Things I Want In An Apartment. (I like lists). It contained all the standard desires of a young new professional: 2 bedrooms, laundry, hardwood floors, lots of light, a balcony, etc.

Looking back at it now is like devastating reminder of my broken hopes and dreams. After setting up a number of appointments mostly found on Kijiji and the ensuing parade of apartments that displayed the power and greedy shamelessness of slum landlords, we finally settled on a place that most closely approximated our desires. In all honesty this has worked out pretty well for us: sure we didn't get a balcony, and the laundry doesn't really work, and the landlord is flighty, but hey - we still voluntarily signed on for another year. I was just musing though, that the #1 thing I did NOT want was a basement apartment. I'd had one in the past, it was miniscule (350 sq ft), dark, there was fungus in the stairwell, and during one memorable November storm the power went out, it flooded, and I spent the night on a cot at the fire hall.

Some bad associations there.

Of course, in the end a basement apartment is exactly what we got. The landlord showed it to us on a whim, and even though I had automatically disregarded every other advertisement for a basement apartment, we went along with it. It's spacious and well-planned, bright with large windows, carpet-free, cat-friendly, and no fungus. We're saving a fortune in time and money with the non-commute that is a 3 minute walk to work, not to mention similar close proximity to the other fine amenities of downtown. We lucked into something that is working out perfectly.

And yet none of that has given me nearly as much joy as entering into my basement apartment today - today Fredericton has been announced as a heat alert city; today the temperature "feels like" 41 degrees Celsius - and walking into a wall of cold air. Co-workers are talking about the air conditioning units they had to emergency-buy yesterday, and all I have to do is keep the windows closed, and the earth will take care of the rest. It is completely awesome.

To be honest I feel a little smug.

Zen and the Art of Cat Walking

2010-07-06T12:57:00.000-03:00

With walking a cat, it is not about the destination, it is very much about the journey.

The journey mostly entails munching on grass that will later make you barf. Why? Because it tastes good. From this we learn a valuable lesson in the resilience of the body, the importance of a joy-based diet, and the healing power of nature.

The journey also involves a good deal of sitting. Here we see the wisdom of the cat. If one strips away the constant push for forward momentum in our world, and chooses instead time for quiet contemplation, we are enlightened and fulfilled, truly at peace. You may take time to stretch upon the land, figuratively at one with the world.

The gains of this lifestyle are evident in ways both material and immaterial, for in casting aside the hustle and bustle and embracing silence and still, we are also rewarded with further opportunities for grass munching.

CSA Box #1

2010-07-02T12:02:00.001-03:00

A few weeks ago I signed up for a weekly box of fresh veggies from the local Jemseg River Farm. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is something we've been wanting to do for awhile, and thanks to the BuyLocalNB page on Facebook the opportunity fell into my lap. Our market trips are hit and miss at best, and I find it very overwhelming anyway, trying to make any decision about what I should buy is fraught with "too many options" disease, and I get a goat cheese onion croissant and orange juice and call it a day. I will probably continue to do this because these things are DELICIOUS, but maybe lacking in certain nutritional qualities.

But finally it is warm and the early harvest is upon us, and enter box #1

Two heads of lettuce (one green, one red), a bag of mixed greens, garlic scapes, spring turnips, the "veggie of the week" - a bag of rapini, and a "baked treat" of rhubarb nut bread.

Under the cut is what we did with it...

The box cutely includes a sheet of recipes for the "veggie of the week," which as aforementioned was rapini, aka broccoli rabe, "a tasty green somewhat similar to broccoli or spinach." We picked up a box of organic goat cheese feta from Aura, and made "Rapini Pasta with Feta" (the recipe names, they are straightforward):

1 bunch rapini
2 cups pasta
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Dead easy. Just boil the pasta (we used gemelli), add the rapini to the pot with two minutes to spare, drain (save a bit of the water in case the pasta gets too dry -- I didn't need any), then toss with the oil, spices, and feta. Simple and very delicious. We ate the rhubarb treat for dessert.

Aw!

On the weekend we put some rapini in a breakfast omelet, and the tried out the garlic scapes. This was my first time with garlic scapes! The farmer dude said that they were great sautéed with butter, so that's what we did. This is not the way to eat garlic scapes. I was expecting a mild flavour; these were pronounced. In the future we will be chopping the scapes and adding them to pastas and the like.

A slight twist on a very basic recipe I've been making for years:

chicken breast
whole wheat pasta (we used penne)
veggies
alfredo sauce

1. Cook everything individually to your tastes.
2. Stirfry everything together with sauce.

We added rapini and garlic scapes as the veggie in this particular incarnation, and garnished with a sprig of basil from my cubicle garden.

In the background you see a salad of leaf lettuce with dried cranberries, almonds, and feta cheese, with a raspberry vinaigrette. That's how we ate everything else in the box. Salads. Lots and lots of salads.

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T23:30:00.003-03:00

Knitwit

2010-06-28T11:58:00.012-03:00

I am SO BAD at updating about the minutiae of my life! Actually from most perspectives this is probably not a bad thing. But even so, I haven't used the knitwit tag since October. Thus, here are some things what I knit.

Pattern: Broad Street Mittens by Janis Cortese, on Knitty | details on Ravelry

I knit these at the end of October and through to mid-November 2009. Originally they were supposed to be photographer mitts for me, but the palms turned out obscenely large so I skipped the convertible franken-mitt part and the manfriend got hobo gloves. I still have a full leftover skein of Phildar Phil Luxe because of this. This was my first time knitting gloves and, while a bit fiddly, I was pleased to find it none too difficult.

Pattern: Herringbone Mitts with Poms by Elli Staubenrauch | details on Ravelry

Probably the most intricate colourwork I've done to date, I knit these as a gift for my aunt in November 2009. I love working with Cascade 200 (this was superwash), and I think I will make these for myself later in the year. I will probably skip the poms again, and make a longer cuff.

Pattern: Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault | details on Ravelry

Knit in December for the young Twilight fan in my life, these are made of the most incredibly glorious Misti Alpaca Chunky yarn. Touching it is like touching a cloud. I have about half a skein left over and can't decide what to do with it. Actually this is a problem I have several times over.

Pattern: French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi | details on Ravelry

The first I ever bought a single item pattern, and so worth it. I have knit 5 pairs of these slippers (one pair was for myself...) and they are so darling. And holding up surprisingly well!

Pattern: Foliage (version 2) by Emilee Mooney, on Knitty | details on Ravelry

This is my go-to hat pattern - quick (about 4 hours) and cute. I've knit 4 of them total, and 3 since December. All for me, because I constantly lose this hat. Then I am sad.

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood | details on Ravelry (him)
Pattern: Quincy by Jared Flood | details on Ravelry (me)

Jared Flood is a genius. All knitters already know this. "Koolhaas" is based on the architecture of the Seattle Public Library, and name for Rem Koolhaas who designed it. I knit this in secret in September as a gift for the manfriend. I love the colour of the Briggs & Little, although I found it slightly rough (and this was Royal, not Heritage!) and the hat came out quite large. A bit of felting solved that though.

My own hat, knit as a "Christmas gifts are done YAY" celebration in January, suffers a bit of lopsidedness as I couldn't find the right needles for the crown decreases, but that hasn't made the hat any less architecturally awesome. And of course I love the colour.

Pattern: Falling in Love by Anni Designs | details on Ravelry

It had been a year since I last knit socks for myself, so this is one of the challenges I took on for the Ravelympics. Nothing like watching men's figure skating and knitting. The yarn is from London-Wul, pretty much the best yarn store in New Brunswick, and has held up very well. I must learn to accommodate my skinny ankles though, because extra fabric bunches above my heel.

Pattern: Elephant Hat - child size by Kathleen Taylor | details on Ravelry

This I knit in February during the Ravelympics, as a gift for my elephant-loving friend Marieke. The pattern is a child's size but the only change I made was to use a size #7 needle instead of #5. My yarns were also different thicknesses, so the grey strand was held double. These changes resulted in a hat that was slightly bigger than strictly necessary, but warm.

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang | details on Ravelry

These fingerless mittens were #1 in my Ravelry queue for like, 2 years, so I finally stepped up with two baby soft skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca from Tangled Skeins in Dartmouth (RIP, *sniff*). They came out a good fit, and wonderful to touch. I finished them in April though, so I've hardly had occasion to wear them!

Pattern: Shimmer by Rebecca Hatcher, on Knitty | details on Ravelry

This is my most recent finished object, I cast off and May and then didn't get around to taking a picture until this weekend, though I've worn it several times in between. I knit the revisions as suggested by Ravelry user Gaile and I'm quite pleased with how it worked out, especially given this was my first stab at the unpleasant world of decreasing in pattern. I only made one pattern mistake that required serious revision, and I took the balls route and just dropped a few ladders and reknit the section, which was HARD because of the changing pattern, but paid off.

I also knit a few minor things like scarves, cowls, and a few simple hats, but these are all the major projects I've tackled in the past few months. Currently I'm working on a pair of socks that I started in Alberta, and I've purchased a few glorious skeins of late that are going to require some decision making in the near future...

And then I guess I'll need to start thinking about Christmas knitting?...!

I am just tired of this lie

2010-06-24T23:22:00.004-03:00

So I was minding my own business surfing my little internet and then I got smacked in the face with yet another Government of New Brunswick ad full of beautiful lies. (Aside: maybe they should work on demographic targeting a bit because, like, I already live here). I clicked through and predictably got annoyed with the same lie they keep telling me, that there have been key investments in post-secondary education, the economy and health care [that] are enhancing opportunities for everyone in New Brunswick.

They are:

~~Six-year freeze on community college tuition continuing through 2010-11~~ This does not apply to me (but I support it!)
~~Nearly 1,000 new spaces created at community colleges~~ Does not apply.
~~Tuition for public university frozen for the third straight year~~ Does not apply, but again, I certainly support it! I definitely wish tuition hadn't been raised every single one of the 7 years I attended post-secondary ed.
~~Student loan debt greater than $26,000 forgiven for eligible graduates~~ I am not eligible.*
~~Up to $20,000 rebate on tuition costs available to graduates staying here to work~~ In theory this applies to me, except the relevant lines do not appear on my assessment and so I need to stay here and work indefinitely until I start paying taxes, so that said taxes can be refunded to me...?

*This is the one that grates the most because it's trumpeted in giant letters, but "eligible graduates" are only new undergrads who completed in 4 years, and since 2009. So, a pretty small pool of candidates there, I should think. My 2008 graduate degree doesn't count even though just those two years cost me almost $21,000. I think I'm singlehandedly making New Brunswick the most indebted province.

So basically these "opportunities" haven't enhanced ANYTHING for me (unless I want to go back to school at community college, thus increasing my debt), plus it's been 14 months and I still don't have a doctor.

Yay!

Parenting

2010-06-22T14:30:00.003-03:00

I am not sure how people do it, because the thought that my cat might be seriously ill sent me into near hysterics.

Fortunately, with a night's rest he seems to be okay.

Fortunately, with my new Joe Fresh dress (with pockets!) and my first CSA box on the way, I am feeling better, too.

Tubing

2010-06-21T01:11:00.004-03:00

The thing about tubing is that, it's basically the best thing ever. For the first few hours. But if you are to, say, go tubing for what is supposed to be three hours, but you are without a time piece, and the river happens to be shallow so you constantly get caught on the rocks and the wind is blowing hard in the opposite direction, and you get separated from all your friends, awesome tubing starts to become a watery hell. Especially when you finally get out of the water and discover that you've actually been in the water for 5 hours. And maybe you only reapplied your sunscreen twice in that time, thinking that once every hour was a good amount, except not, so now you're burnt all over your body?

So that was my Saturday. Tubing! Super awesome, until it's not.

Fortunately, a good barbecue cures many an ill. Steak. Bless.

Alberta!

2010-06-07T21:17:00.006-03:00

So, Alberta! Photos will be on Flickr and Facebook as usual, but I could somewhat summarize with the following:

Blessedly uneventful plane travel.
Won the game of Catan we played during our 5 hour Toronto layover. Flabbergasted at size of Great Lakes. Aptly named.
In-flight entertainment including Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, Manufactured Landscapes.
Calgary!
Paige!
Hotel Arts
Cold and rain!
Beer, Beer, and more Beer!
Baby animals and the Calgary Zoo.
Animatronic dinosaurs.
Good food.
Ikea!
Flat packed goods and breakfast sausages!
Driving! The backseat of the Acura!
Banff, the Banff Springs Hotel, the Bow River Falls, Banff townsite, Canmore, Beer!
Bison! In my mouth!
Lethbridge.
Renting a huge Jeep for highway driving. So Albertan.
Flat flatness.
And then... Rocky Mountains!
Waterton Lakes National Park. Boat cruise to Goat Haunt, Montana. 4 of the 6 people on the boat were from New Brunswick.
Montana! Decently successful adjustment from home elevation of 66 ft to over 4000 ft. Novelty passport stamp.
The sun came out.
BBQ Albertan steak dinner with Paige's family. And Penelope.
Downtown branch of Lethbridge Public Library. Beautiful! It has a patio!
Driving. The front seat of the Passat!
Vulcan. More flat flatness. Gasoline Alley.
Questionable claims of fresh seafood from trunks on side of road.
Edmonton! Crowne Plaza!
Long, looooooooong days!
A used bookstore with an adorably mangey cat.
Canadian Library Association conference. Heartening!
Amanda! Jessica! Shannon! Braden! Erin! Sarah! So many friends.
Stanley Milner library and Shelley Milner Children's Library. Incredible.
Photoshoot with my photographer heroine omg I die.
Late crashing SIM Alumni reunion dinner.
Perogies in basement of Ukrainian Church.
Buying sensible shoes on Whyte Ave.
Outdoor farmer's market. Bought a vinyl bag with a camera on it.
Michael Geist.
Taking the bus.
West Edmonton Mall. Ensuing nervous breakdown. Overwhelmed by size and randomness of stuff within. Only bought things I could have bought at home.
Played with iPad. Niiiice.
Chinatown and my first Pho.
Last goodbye with Paige.
4 am wake up call, and back to New Brunswick.
Almost everything went according to plan!

Alberta!

Back in the Boat

2010-05-25T13:50:00.003-03:00

There is no day like a calm, 31 degree weather day to get in a kayak for the first time of the season. Everything looks so beautiful from the water line. Even the muskrats :)

(Pics from last year's excursions)

Just Another Sunday Night

2010-05-10T13:34:00.003-03:00

Veggie spring rolls. Veggie tempura. 2 hours in the kitchen. Hot oil. (The good fats! Omega 3 whatever whatever! Totally healthy!)

Today I feel heavy.

Public Service Announcement

2010-05-08T18:53:00.002-03:00

That mass market electronic device you bought in 2005 is no longer worth the retail amount you paid for it.

If people could please learn how this "selling used" business works, that would be really great.

Cubicle Garden, the First Month [29 Days of Growin' Stuff]

2010-05-06T23:46:00.006-03:00

I last updated at Day 4:

Day 7:

After Day 7 I took the cat grass home and Dagobert went to town on it.

Week 2 (Day 11)

Week 3 (Day 15)

Week 4 (Day 24)

Week 5 (Day 29)

The chives seem to be stunted but the other two are growing well.

Here's a close-up of Day 29 basile & tomatoes

This little garden makes me happy.

YouTube Videos Hated By Our Cat

2010-05-02T13:18:00.003-03:00

We have played this video on two different occasions while Dagobert was sitting on the couch next to the computer. On both occasions he became upset, stood up and began pacing the length of the couch, sometimes peering into and around the computer, presumably looking for the shrieking cat.

The following video has been played only once in Dagobert's presence, and he quickly began craning his neck and then pacing, again showing signs of visible agitation. Roughly half-way through the clip he got up and left the room. This is the first and so far only time he has had such an extreme reaction to noise.

Obvious conclusion: Shane Lee is a worse singer than a shrieking wet cat.

How "green" is your love life?

2010-04-26T11:21:00.003-03:00

...asks the headline on one of today's CNN Living articles, and I thought ooh, good question! Pretty green I think! What with the cooking at home and farmer's market and not owning a car. Why just yesterday we made entertainment of a 5 km evening walk.

That's not what this article is about.

Washington (CNN) -- You may drive a hybrid car, eat organic food, use "green" beauty products and design your home according to the latest environmentally friendly standards.

But if you haven't considered "greening your love life, you are still a total environmental disaster," according to Stefanie Iris Weiss, author of the recently released book, "Eco-Sex."

You hear that? A total environmental disaster. For an article selling a book that purports to appeal to "green-grumps, who don't know the basics about living an environmentally friendly life," it is pretty absurd to upfront call all typically suggested manner of green living irrelevant. Especially when followed by these suggestions:

"How about going to a restaurant where you can eat a seductive menu based on organic, local food, which has produced less carbon dioxide before it ends up on your plate?" Weiss suggested.

It says right there in the introduction that eating organic food is not enough to make you anything other than a CO2 catastrophe, but I guess if you eat organic food at a restaurant it's okay. Let us not dig too deep to find out how far that "organic, local" food has traveled.

Hop on your bike for your next date and leave your car at home. (That means saying "adieu" to long-distance relationships.)

If you love someone, let them go. Your carbon footprint will thank you.

Stop excessive spending on Valentine's Day. (It produces way too much trash anyway.)

I wouldn't have a problem with this conceptually, except that the waste is written as an afterthought to "excessive spending." What if I spend excessively on a solar array? (Nothing says "I love you" like going off the grid together.)

Wear comfy bamboo underwear.

Um, or not. The unclear connection between my love life and my underwear aside, "bamboo fabric" is the subject of ongoing investigation and possible civil suits through the American FTC, because:

Bamboo is often actually rayon, deliberately mislabeled
The antimicrobial qualities of bamboo don't survive the manufacturing process
The claim that the fabric bio-degrades is dubious

In short, current evidence points to bamboo fabric being another fine example of green washing rather than an actual environmentally friendly life choice.

Don't be so keen on having babies. How about adopting a child instead or implementing a one-child policy?

Perhaps some sort of rental service?

Truthfully this is the only suggestion with any significant environmental impact, but I don't equate my love life with children (um, ew), and also I envision an Idiocracy-style world. Per Slate:

Critics of population-based environmentalism point out that the people most likely to cut back on their baby emissions are also the ones most likely to instill their children with green values. It's the Idiocracy argument: If all the eco-conscious Americans stopped having kids, their numbers would decline. But having fewer greenies around would be a net loss for the environment only if each greenie baby did more good for the planet than harm—i.e., if the value of his or her vote exceeded the costs of his or her CO2 emissions. (If that's true, environmentalists should have as many children as possible, to stuff the ballots for Dennis Kucinich.) It's also naive to assume our children will embrace our values just because we want them to; for all our preaching, we might end up with a generation of rebellious, gas-guzzling teenagers.

(That last part is a genuine fear). Valid points, Slate! But back to Stefanie, who is so keen to have a baby, let alone babies? For one thing, if the media has informed me of anything, it is that all romance dies on the birth of your child; that is to say, your love life is over. Second, since when does the sort of upper middle class hipster to which the greener-than-thou lifestyle appeals pop out multiples? The people I know with more than one child aren't concerning themselves with organic broccoli, if you get what I'm getting at here. This point is preaching to the choir.

Greenpeace published a guide to "environmentally friendly sex" in 2002, which includes "switching off the lights during romance" or "if you want to see your partner, have sex during the day."

This is pretty funny if of dubious impact, but I suggest more people get more Vitamin A. I can see in the dark.

"But I am glad the book doesn't prohibit making love outdoors," Tidwell joked. "That produces zero carbon dioxide."

Gross.

Sigh. What's the carbon footprint associated with publishing a stupid book?

A Solid 8

2010-04-24T20:11:00.004-03:00

Here is a website to score your "facial beauty."

I did it a few times with different pictures and got scores ranging from 7.74 to 8.95. Here is an illustration!

Before I took this app I had no idea my "innerocular distance" was so ideal! Now I have been made aware.

Things I Know About Myself Thanks to Google Search

2010-04-21T13:54:00.003-03:00

I have written essays that are now posted on CourseHero.com*
I am a librarian. Full contact information and work address online.
I am currently or formerly a member of CLA and SLA.
I am currently or formerly a resident of Halifax, NS and Fredericton, NB
I have contributed to dooryard.ca
I was the 2008 Team Captain of Librarians Run for the Cure Halifax.
I work or worked at Dalhousie University Libraries.
I registered in the 2008 Santa Shuffle.
I am sweet and badass.

*Clearly I need to send more takedown notices.

The only image search result that is actually of me is:

Not bad! This is an entirely respectable version of my existence. I check my Google results pretty frequently and while as my work life goes on there are more and more results, it is never as creepy as feared.

Well, except for my résumé, which details my entire work and education history, and everything I'm good at. Harumph. I think it is time to take that down.

Curds & Whey: Part 2 of an Undetermined Number of Parts

2010-04-19T18:29:00.007-03:00

Previously on Curds & Whey: 6 cups of super dry ricotta.

The lack of success with The Cheesemaker's recipe led to borrowing Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheese by Ricki Carroll. This book is really what started it all, since it is the one that Barbara Kingsolver refers to in her book. Using the 30 Minute Mozzarella recipe (PDF), we ran out bought another 4 litres of organic milk.

It was all so promising. Heat the milk to 55°, add the citric acid, stir accordingly. It started to curdle right on schedule.

Add in the diluted rennet, keep heating the milk, and "curds should be pulling away from sides of pot, ready to scoop out."

Check! Or so we thought. This is where it would really come in handy to actually see someone make cheese first, because in retrospect it's kind of obvious that the curds weren't ready but... not at the time. Remove the curds with a slotted spoon and press out the whey.

Curd goop. Pressing out the whey wasn't going anywhere, so why not throw a strainer into the mix?

Microwave it, she says, then knead. I will note that the recipe clearly states "rubber globes help - this gets hot!" And indeed it does. One emergency trip to the Irving (it was Sunday after 5) later, we were home with giant green rubber gardening gloves for kneading cheese.

Yeah, no. Needless to say, it never got smooth and elastic. After several more trips to the microwave and ultimately futile attempts at kneading the soft curds, we were left with exactly the same thing we'd started with:

What to do in this situation? Well, remember the previous week's cheese from the top of the page? Mix it with this week's cheese, and you get yourself one fine ricotta. Or, rather, a lot of fine ricotta. It was plentiful, is what I'm saying.

Then you grill zucchini slices, red pepper, onion, and mushroom in ye olde Foreman grill, stir up some cooked ground beef with your tomato sauce, add arugula and basil, and paste together your fresh lasagna pasta pieces with $50 worth of homemade cheese.

The cheesemaking thing still needs work, but the lasagna was spectacular.

The Value Calculator unfortunately doesn't take into account Canadian mark-ups

2010-04-15T12:12:00.006-03:00

This morning as I was waking up the radio announcer was talking about how great the UNB libraries are. For only $20 anyone can get a card, he says, and check out books and DVDs. "It's the best deal in town." If it weren't for that whole "being half asleep" thing, I might have called in to point out that there's another place in town, one with an even better deal. F.R.E.E.

(Even though I wasn't a power user of the library until I went to library school, now I find myself baffled at how anyone could be missing out on the joy that is FREE STUFF.)

We go to the library probably once every two weeks on average to stock up. Normally my method of attack is to put things on hold and pick them up at the desk downstairs, briefly peruse the DVD shelves and make some selections, then get out of there with a swiftness exacerbated by the fact that usually we don't show up until about 10 minutes before closing time.

On this trip, I picked up the following:

Books

Kate Jacobs; The Friday Night Knitting Club
Lorrie Moore; A Gate at the Stairs
James Glave; Almost Green: How I built an eco-shed, ditched my SUV, alienated the in-laws, and changed my life forever
Mark Reid; 100 Photos That Changed Canada
Allison Isaacs and Sara Lucas; Holiday Knits: 25 Great Gifts from Stockings to Sweaters
Suss Cousins; Home Knits: Luxurious handknits for every room of the house
Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader; Fun & Fabulous Curtains to Sew: 15 easy designs for the complete beginner

CDs

Aretha Franklin, Aretha’s Best
Tegan & Sara, Sainthood
Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress

DVDs

Friday Night Lights
Lars & the Real Girl
Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
Big Love, Season 1

Magazines

6 issues of New Scientist
2 issues of Runner's World
2 issues of Rolling Stone
2 issues of Martha Stewart Living
5 issues of Photo life

The Library Use Value Calculator says that I've saved myself $180 on this trip to the library. I think that's an underestimate.

Cubicle Garden, Week 1

2010-04-12T00:33:00.004-03:00

I potted these on a Friday night, brought them to work on Tuesday morning, and this is what I found on Wednesday:

(L-to-R: sweet cherry hybrid tomatoes, basil, cat grass, chives).

Here they are again this past Friday; 1 week post-planting, day 4 in the office.

Tiny basil leaves:

And the chives which, as of Friday, are only just starting to peek through the soil...

Can't wait to see them tomorrow morning and find out what growth the weekend has brought. :D

Grow Baby Grow

2010-04-09T00:14:00.003-03:00

I am like a week behind on my flickr uploads so there are no illustrations for the following announcement, but I would like to report that I planted the seeds for my cubicle garden on Friday, brought them to the office on Tuesday, and was rewarded Wednesday with the first darling sprouts. Organic basil and chives, cat grass, and sweet cherry hybrid tomatoes are on their way.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

2010-04-06T15:40:00.006-03:00

A perfect long weekend of 4 day relishing / patio sitting / plant re-potting / seed starting / 10 kilometers walking / mid to high 20 degree temperatures enjoying / closet cleaning / delicious food eating (so much eating) / late sleeping / endpaper-mitts knitting / zombie walk observing / comic book reading / skirt wearing / windows-down driving / wine-drinking / soccer ball kicking / crocus-spotting / chocolate nomming good times.

Sweet Sixteen

2010-03-26T15:54:00.004-03:00

Totally predicted the sweet sixteen with 100% accuracy. Not so sure about this round, though. Despite the fact that "birthday cake" is not actually a kind of cake, it is beating the superior and real pound cake handily. Apple pie is drubbing pecan though, as predicted.

It is clear, however, that Jessica Coen is a pie-ist, and she must be stopped.

Curds & Whey: Part 1 of Maybe Eventually More Than 1 Part

2010-03-23T21:15:00.009-03:00

We eat a lot of cheese in this dancerie.

I ate cheese, like as in cheddar and mozzarella, when I was young; my family wasn't really about adventure. Think occasional Christmas cheeseball. Parmesan from a plastic jar. You get the idea. Mild, inoffensive cheeses.

I worked at a deli and broke into a whole new realm of havarti, edam, gouda, smoked jarslberg (gross). Sharp cheddar. Cream cheese. Went to Paris and I got totally hooked on the soft cheese & baguette thing. Bries and camemberts. Fresh mozzarella/Bocconcini. And goat cheese, I think my favourite kind is goat cheese, it's like a tart little kiss on everything it touches. A brief foray into goat milk brie was unsatisfactory, however. Two great tastes that are less than the sum of their parts. Wensleydale. Feta. Parmigianno-Reggianno, Ricotta, Asiago, Emmental.

Then with the dating French supper rituals; we have dinner with his family and it is all like CHEESE! Boursin, Saint-Paulin, Fontina, everything Alexis de Port-Neuf sells, back to the bries & camemberts again. They are fond of the blues though, and I don't eat the blues. Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, I've had my tastes and now it's time to let my palate sit and mature for a long long time before we revisit that.

Anyway I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in 2008 and in it Barbara Kingsolver and her family make their own cheese, and I was like what a thing to do. I was into it, he was into it and the kit the book recommended was never available in Canada so I let that idea simmer and simmer and finally bought the Deluxe Mozzarella & Ricotta Cheese Making Kit from The Cheesemaker for his birthday. Two years later.

Sunday he decided to jump right in and make cheese. We bought 6 litres of organic non-homo milk.

Spoiler alert: It didn't really go that well.

The intructions in this kit are terrible, like illegible wretched. Steve the Cheesemaker may be many fine things but an able writer is not among them. We have since put a Cheese-Making book on hold at the library, and I swiped the mozzarella recipe used in Kingsolver's book from her website, so we're going to try that next.

But anyway, the goal was to make mozzarella.

This is where the story gets pretty boring because really there isn't a lot to tell. Basically you heat up the milk, add rennet (and I think mild lipase), keep it heated to 86F and wait for a curd mass to form. Totally not exciting. Nothing happened after hours on the stove, so we tried ramping up the temperature and adding a bit more liquid, and things got going.

Masses formed, but nothing solid enough to be "broken" as the recipe suggested so eventually we gave up and went on to phase 2, which was separating about a third of the whey into its own pot into which we attempted to make ricotta. Heat the whey to 200F, stir in citric acid, let it sit until the curd mass forms.

This didn't work, either. Nothing formed in Pot #2 - Alleged Ricotta. However, upon re-evaluation of Pot #1 - Alleged Mozzarella, what we had was in fact... ricotta. Like, 2 or 3 or 18 pounds of ricotta. Like lasagnas for months ricotta. Cannellonis, tortellinis, ricotta stuffed ricotta ricotta.

The lack of contrast in this photo is unfortunate but somewhat inevitable. The yellow is whey, the white is... ricotta.

It has been drained, salted, and is now in the fridge to do whatever it is that ricotta does in the fridge before you eat it. Part 2 will come as long as I remember to photograph the ricotta before we eat the ricotta.

Ricotta ricotta ricotta.