Tea parties, tables and linens, oh my!

R and I sat down this morning and had a chat about how the logistics of the big day will pan out. I've kind of hit a brick wall in terms of planning, because things either don't need to be done now, I'm waiting to hear from someone, or I couldn't figure something out, so I just gave up.

My main issue with the logistics was trying to figure out how to have the tea party part while not having to reset the entire room for dinner later on. After discussing, we decided that the only logical way to get through this is to have double the tables, get some cute flowery/printed (ie, not the plain white of the rental places) table cloths, and convince a cousin, uncle or two (or three, or four!) to pack up the chairs from the ceremony to closer to the lodge. It makes way more sense - decorating will be easy - we'll just use the same flowers from inside, and then the china teacups will be a decoration of sorts too. I think it'll work way better than my original plan (inside tea party).. the only thing now is to figure out how many tables we can beg/borrow/steal, and if we need to rent extras.

A major benefit to this is that the tea party will sort of serve as the 'receiving line' and we (and guests) will have a way better time mingling around and chatting with people. The lodge inside doesn't really allow for that all that much, so this is way better.

So.. if anyone has any collapsible tables (in any size) let me know!

Work, work, work, all day long

Exciting update to my previous "should i stay or should i go now" post..

After some wicked "get laid off, don't quit" advice from my parents (seriously. they're fantastic!) I decided to wait it out, see what was going to happen with me saying no to the scary winter work, and see if I could infact, get laid off. Not that getting laid off and having no work is a really ideal situation, but at least that way I can claim EI. Woohoo.

I had a meeting with one of the important people last week, and basically she said that they kind of figured that I wouldn't be comfortable with the work, and that was fine. (Quite thankful for this - means a good reference. I think that being too wimpy to do something is way better than being ballsy and sucking at it/getting hurt.) Unfortunately, given that we're biologists, winter is pretty slow in the office.. so, they'll give me work when they can, and when they have nothing left, they'll get me my ROE, so I can go on the aforementioned EI.

I'm fine with this; obviously I kind of want to leave the company anyways, so she said to let them know if I find anything else, and if not, we'll see about the spring. Work out well for me, other than not having nice paycheques. Oh well. I worked one day last week, and two this week, and then ran out of work.. I had two days off where I spent time with R and went for brunch with some friends, finally got some more Christmas shopping done, and then came home to an email today asking me to come in tomorrow. As much as it kinda sucks to not really know when I'm working next, having some "me" time is really nice.

So. That's where I currently stand. Somewhat, but not really employed. Good reference. Here's hoping that in this time that I have off, I'll be able to find a wicked job in early spring, and go back to having real money.

Book list update

Woohoo, another update to what I've read this year!

Metamorphosis - Jack Whyte (book II of the Sorcerer, and book 6 in the Dream of Eagles cycle). I enjoyed this one too...

The Help - Kathryn Stockett - This was a book club book, and although only two of us showed up to the meeting, we both really liked it. I've heard that the movie is good too, so maybe sometime this week/weekend I'll watch it. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you enjoy women's rights, equal rights etc.

Have a Little Faith - Mitch Albom. I picked this up from the biography section of the library, and was happy that it was a quick, although engaging story. The writing was good and the characters well described.

The Collector - Jack Nisbet. My mom told me about this one. It's the story of David Douglas - the botanist and person who collected and described a huge number of plants in the Pacific Northwest. It was interesting to read about places that I've been, through someones journal from almost 200 years ago. Being the nerdy plant lover that I am, it was also interesting to read and guess at which plants he was talking about, and even realize that he named many of them. This is the Douglas of Douglas-fir, and many plants ending with "douglasii". There was lots of journal entries and quotes from letters scattered throughout, too. Very good, but probably mostly recommended to plant lovers or naturalists.

Should I stay or should I go now?

The point of this blog was to write.. tell someone what I'm reading, what my life goals are, and how I'm doing at achieving them, to write down feelings and thoughts. I'm not very good at that last part, but at the moment, I'm in the mood to write.. or at least tell someone other than the normal people (who will read this anyway) how I'm feeling.

I hate my job right now. Or more, I hate the idea of having to work in reallly cold temperatures (-30 or so), alone, and on a snowmobile. Working alone to me is just a bit sketchy, and I know that I wouldn't push myself to get work done faster. In the summer, maybe. In the winter, when my toes are numb, my hands are frozen and don't feel like they belong on me, and my eyelashes stick together, there is no way that I'd be pushing myself that hard. Not to mention that I'm not super comfortable on snowmobiles (or at least, I'm not that comfortable on quads as of now, and I'm betting that after this week and the course this weekend I still won't be that happy on snowmobiles). These three things are making me want to quit my job. Of course, there's things with management that definitely drive me insane, but one of the people that stresses me out the most is going on mat leave for a year. I don't know if I should just wait it out and see if there's any more work that doesn't involve being up here, or if I should just say, hey, that's it, I'm done. I want to be done for several reasons: management isn't the best. Not even close. The commute is lame enough to need to go to bed early and get up early, leaving only weekends for social times. I don't know if there's even work for me if I tell them I'm not going on the next trips up here. I just don't know. But..

I'm always the girl with the plan.. how life will work out, what my plan for the next day or week is. Calendars are my friends, and I enjoy using them, seeing how everything will fit together. So, two things: Scheduling for this job sucks. It changes frequently which is irritating. Second, if I quit, then I have no plan. Nothing. I have some ideas, but there probably won't be a more permanent job until the next field season, sometime in between March and May. Not ideal.

If I'm going to give notice, I need to do it soon. Either now, so I'm done mid-December, or Dec 1 so that I'm done for Jan 1. That kind of gives me two weeks to find a plan. Except that no one is hiring. It's December. People hiring right now are looking for analysts.. and I am definitely not one of those. I'd love to have that skill set, but as of yet, no one will give me one. I potentially have some volunteer opportunities, and let's face it, I love having a bit of time to be alone and lazy. That could work out.. but.. there's always a but..

More books

Quick update of what I've been reading lately:

• Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook - Matt Dunn. Not really that exciting. Story of how a guy learns to get over his ex by trying to get her back. 

• The Saxon Shore - Jack Whyte. Book four of the Dream of Eagles Cycle. Still so, so good.

• Everything Bad is Good for You - Steve Johnson. I read this for our book club, and it was actually a book that I had wanted to read. I actually remember the introduction from when I attempted to read it the first time. (That's one of the main reasons I don't re-read books!). Giant essay about pop culture, and how gaming is not actually ruining our lives, but may, in fact be good for us. Woohoo.

• The Fort at River's Bend (The Sorcerer, book I) - Jack Whyte. Book five of the Dream of Eagles Cycle. I'm still happily reading them, so they must be good, right?

That's all for now! I think it's time to hit up the library so I can knock back a few not-so-interesting books before I head back up north.

The story of a pumpkin named Sonic

When I went home at Thanksgiving, Dad had bought us each a pumpkin. When I got home from my last work trip, R decided that we should carve a Sonic the Hedgehog pumpkin. Neither of us are really known for our artistic skills, but I was able to free-hand a fairly decent Sonic, based on something from the web (of course!).

R contemplating what to cut.. Tools for this project included a highlighter, several slotted screwdrivers and an exacto knife.

 End day one - Sonic is cut out.

Start day two - the necessary addition of the SEGA logo. We actually used a 'stencil' for this.. we tried free-handing the night before, but it didn't look very well, and then got washed off with the juice from the pumpkin.

Sega! All lit up .. notice the air holes in the back, too ;)

Finished product. We're both pretty impressed at how it turned out! :)

Books!

I got a bit bored updating every book with what Amazon says and stuff.. so, for the last few weeks, this is what I've read:

• My Stroke of Insight - Jill Bolte Taylor. About a neuroscientist who had a stroke. Interesting, but really, she should stick to science and not writing. Her "style" of writing left a lot to be desired.. at least from me.
  
• The Skystone - Jack Whyte. I'm not sure how I've never read Whyte's books before, but seriously, they are amazing. Thanks to Mom for lending them to me! This is the first of nine and they are well-written, long, and they definitely leave you wanting more.

• The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I enjoyed this because it was a full length novel instead of the short stories that I'd read previously.

• Innocence - Kathleen Tessaro. Another chick-lit. It was definitely not as good as the first one of Tessaro's books that I read, and I wouldn't bother to read another.

• The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls. K lent this to me - gotta love friends that share books. She lent me three that I'd never heard of. I can't believe this book is true. That's basically all I can say. It was well-written as well.

• The Singing Sword - Jack Whyte. Book two. Still so good.

• Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay. This book was also from K. It was about France during the war. There's definitely some history here that I didn't know about. Well-written again. I really enjoyed the two different characters and how their stories were laced together.

• The Eagles' Brood - Jack Whyte. Book three.

• Room -Emma Donoghue. The last from K. This one took a bit to get into, but once I understood how it was being written, it was really good. 

Well, that's all for now. I think I'll stick to updates like this.. maybe a bit more frequently though.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

From Amazon: "This splendid collection of mysteries carries readers back to a gas-lit era, when literature's greatest detective team lived on Baker Street. A dozen of Holmes and Watson's best-known cases include "The Speckled Band," "The Red-Headed League," The Five Orange Pips," "The Copper Beeches," and "A Scandal in Bohemia."

Not a very exciting description.. This book was 12 short stories. I thought they might be a bit dull, but I really enjoyed them. They reminded me of Agatha Christie, but short, sweet and deceiving. I'm currently reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is a full length novel about these two characters. I'd recommend this book, because it was quick to read, but very well written.

The Debutante

The Debutante - Kathleen Tessaro

From Amazon: "A gifted artist, Cate has come to London from New York to escape her recent past. Working for her aunt's auction house, she is sent down to Devon to value the contents of Endsleigh House, the once gracious but now crumbling estate of a former socialite. There, hidden in the back of a dusty bookshelf, Cate discovers an old shoebox. Inside is a strange assortment of objects: an exquisite pair of dancing shoes circa 1930; a diamond brooch; a photograph of a young sailor; a dance card; and a pearl and emerald Tiffanys bracelet."

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pretty light read, but there was enough twists, turns and mystery to keep me reading. I'd recommend it to someone who just needed a fairly quick read.

The Art of Eating In

The Art of Eating In - How I learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove - Cathy Erway

From Amazon: "Named one of Publishers Weekly's most exciting cookbook deals, Cathy Erway's timely memoir of quitting restaurants cold turkey speaks to a new era of conscientious eating. An underpaid, twentysomething executive assistant in New York City, she was struggling to make ends meet when she decided to embark on a Walden-esque retreat from the high-priced eateries that drained her wallet. "The Art of Eating In" reports on the delectable results of her twenty-four-month experiment, with thirty original recipes included. What began as a way to save money left Erway with a new appreciation for the simple pleasure of sharing a meal with friends at home, a trove of original recipes, and a greater awareness of take-out food waste and whether her ingredients were ethically grown. She also explored the antirestaurant underground of supper clubs and cook-offs, and immersed herself in an array of alternative eating lifestyles from freeganism to picking tasty greens in the park. "The Art of Eating In" is a personal journey that transforms the reader as it transformed the writer, about the joy of getting back in the kitchen and turning something seemingly ordinary into something completely extraordinary."

I really enjoyed reading about Cathy's foray into not eating out in New York. I actually cannot imagine eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.. or even just lunch and dinner every day! Her tales of various cooking experiments and contests were very interesting. I also enjoyed that her book had plenty (well, thirty, apparently) recipes. I wrote down a few of them to try before I returned the book.

I wish I could find more books about what I'm interested in for work (ie, plants). I seem to read a ton about food...

The list - update

Now that I've turned 23, I have less than 2 years to finish the rest of the list. Here's a quick update of where I am. 

1. Start a blog, and update weekly (not sure when I can cross this off though?) I have 2 now, so I figure this is done.
2. Get my Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh award
3. Go skydiving or bungee jumping.
4. Go to Nicaragua or Ecuador (or anywhere international) to volunteer.
5. Hike the West Coast Trail
6. Get married. (Part way there! Less than 10 months to go)
7. Take a cooking class.
8. Get a dog. (I really hope this becomes possible.)
9. Take a photography course. (I have a groupon for one, so sometime in the fall with my sister!)
10. Go to NYC.
11. Get a drastic haircut.
12. Learn Italian (because two other Latin languages are just not enough) (I started this already)
13. Go skinny dipping. No idea why I've never done this.
14. Be comfortable with my body in a bikini.
15. Become a BIT, or preferably, an RPBio.  (As of the beginning of July, I'm a BIT!)
16. Read a Jane Austen book (preferably Sense and Sensibility ;) ) (Took six months or something...)
17. Learn how to decorate cakes/take a cake decorating class. (This fall?)
18. Hike to the Lions.
19. Canoe/kayak the Bowron Lakes chain.
20. Go to a spa (this probably doesn't seem like much.. but it's me).
21. Sell some of my photos (I'm trying, I really am.. )  Counting this as done - I got a photo in a book, and two copies of it.
22. Start dragonboating again.
23. Go on a trip with the group (Disneyland?)
24. Try a yoga class.
25. Buy a Mac. (This isn't happening. I can't justify the cost of a Mac compared to a new PC laptop)
26. Do a chinup (R's suggestion)

Looks like I've still got a lot of work to do in the next two years... 

The Jade Peony

The Jade Peony - Wayson Choy

From Amazon: "Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony is about growing up in Vancouver's early Chinatown. The book, which began as a much anthologized short story almost twenty years ago, is divided into three sections, each narrated by a different child from the same family: Jook-Liang, the "useless" female, whose main interests are going to movies, tap dancing, and imitating Shirley Temple; the adopted orphan Jung-Sum, the second oldest brother, who discover he's gay; and Sek-Lung, the youngest brother and the only one in the family born in Canada."

I read this book during an owl survey. I liked the way that it was written from three different children, and their struggles growing up in Vancouver during the war. It was quick to read but had a good story. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in a different perspective of Vancouver in the '30's and '40's.

Never Cry Wolf

Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat

From Amazon: "In the summer of 1948, young biologist and budding writer Farley Mowat, "infatuated with the study of animate nature," joined the Dominion Wildlife Service and, after enduring a few bureaucratic mishaps, was assigned to study a population of wolves in the subarctic highlands of southern Nunavut and northern Manitoba. Those wolves and their kin, Mowat's superiors believed, had decimated the once huge population of large mammals in the region, so that, as one worried official put it, "more and more of our fellow citizens are coming back from more and more hunts with less and less deer."

As a biologist (or at least working my way up to one), reading this book was really interesting. Wolves and other large carnivores have been misunderstood for years, and they still are today. This book was Farley Mowat's summer (or longer?) living up north with wolves. I really enjoyed his style of writing, as well as the topic.

Stones into Schools

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace Through Education in Afghanistan &Pakistan - Greg Mortenson

From Amazon: "If you read Three Cups of Tea, you would be foolish to miss this book. The opening briefly recounts those events (to refresh your memory if you didn't read it recently, or to fill in the gaps if you have never read it all). From there, the story mostly moves to Afghanistan as Greg Mortenson and his colleagues from the Central Asia Institute (CAI) seek to keep the promise to bring a school to what may be the most difficult location in that challenged country. If providing schools in remote locations isn't enough, CAI also had to brave the ongoing war there. The story moves into its highest gear as Mr. Mortenson recounts the horrible devastation that a major earthquake (about the same power as the 1906 quake in San Francisco) brought to the mountainous regions, wiping out almost all the schools and killing many of the students and teachers"

I read Three Cups of Tea and enjoyed it, although I enjoyed this one much more. Having finished reading Mortenson's story about himself, this one was much more about the people. I read it in less than a week of busing to work (which either says that my commute is too long or I read too fast). It was captivating and really showed us what education for a girl can do in a country like Afghanistan. It didn't convince me to donate money to their cause, but I do believe education is important!

In Pursuit of Elegance

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing - Matthew E. May

From Amazon: "In this thought-provoking exploration of why certain events, products, and people capture our attention and imaginations, Matthew E. May examines the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture. Combining unusual simplicity and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four key elements—seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a compelling, story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there” often trumps what is."

I really enjoyed this book. It was nerdy in all the right ways, talked a little bit about stuff I didn't really understand, but not enough that I didn't want to read it. Plus, it was a non-fiction book..I haven't read one of those in a while. I think the nerdier people out there would enjoy this, but not so much for others.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

From Amazon: "Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Treasure Islandhas enthralled (and caused slight seasickness) for decades. The names Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With it's dastardly plot and motley crew of rogues and villains, it seems unlikely that children will ever say no to this timeless classic."

There was a few times when this book was a bit confusing, but I really enjoyed it. Like Tom Sawyer, this was a pretty quick read. I enjoyed the adventure, and I'm not sure why I didn't read this earlier...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

From Amazon: " The book starts out with Tom Sawyer, a mischievous boy, just trying to have fun. He plays hooky on a Friday and then has to work on Saturday because his Aunt Polly finds out. Tom doesn't want to work so he convinces other kids to take the privilege of doing his work for him. He even persuades the kids to give him something so they can work for him."

I can't remember if I've read a version of this before - I remember the characters and some of the adventures. Either way, I don't think that I would have read this version, as a young child I don't think I would have understood some of the language. That said, reading it now, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read full of adventure. :)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

From Amazon: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page.  It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken."

Seriously. I'm not sure why I bothered reading this book. I found it very uninteresting and really confusing. I prefer books where things happen. Enough said.

Lion Cupcakes

For R's birthday at the end of July, I made lion cupcakes. I started with a vanilla bean cupcake and then added vanilla and chocolate icing.

I convinced a friend to help out, and this is what we ended up with:

Too bad the colour is wonky...

Seriously delicious. :)

About a Boy

About a Boy - Nick Hornby

From Amazon: "Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off his father's novelty-song royalties. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy." As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers"

This was a kind of twisted story of Will who has no kids and apparently hates them, and how he ends up befriending and being a sort of father-figure to Markus, who is a really nerdy/out of place sounding kid. Bizarre story, but I read almost 3/4 of it on an hour and a bit long plane ride, so it wasn't that awful!

This is probably best as a summer read - nothing too in depth, or requiring too much thought. Just enough to keep you there, but if you didn't finish it, you probably wouldn't be wondering what happened..

Farm City

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer - Novella Carpenter

From Amazon: "Highways roared in the distance. Gunshots could be heard a few blocks away. And a homeless man slept in an abandoned car down the street. Among these modern-day urban scenes, author Novella Carpenter put down roots literally turning a vacant lot in Oakland, California, into a working mini-farm, complete with vegetables, herbs, chickens, ducks, and bees. Karen White reads these lively accounts of missteps and delicious victories, including recipes, with the author's intelligence, humor, and devotion to the American ideal of hard work and self-sufficiency. Farming is about food, and food is always about people. Carpenter's encounters with third-world neighbors, block parties, and the boy who came to buy a rabbit are beguiling and inspiring"


I really, really enjoy reading books about farming, food and things like that. Not sure why - I don't think about eating all the time, just most of it! Maybe I'm missing the abundance of fresh fruit and herbs from Mom's garden, but reading this book made me want to do more with the tiny deck that I have, and figure out a way to make things grow.

While I'm not really keen on the idea of growing animals to kill them for food (yes, I realize that this is natural and the way that we've been living for a long time, but I'm not really that into knowing my food), I think that the amount of food that our society wastes is insane, and perhaps a few urban farms with some pigs would do the city some good. We'd certainly reduce the amount of food wasted, and probably have some healthier animals and meat for ourselves.

I really enjoyed this, despite a few gruesome parts (mostly slaughter), and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about food.

We are All Made of Glue

We are All Made of Glue - Marina Lewycka

From Amazon: "After Georgie Sinclair's husband walks out on her following an argument about a toothbrush holder, her life seems about to fall apart. Her daughter doesn't call her anymore, preferring instead to send brief texts here and there, her 16-year-old son, Ben, seems intent on surfing born-again websites on the Internet, and both her career and her social life have never seemed more boring. When her eccentric elderly neighbor, Mrs. Shapiro, rummages through Georgie's garbage one night the two strike up an unusual friendship. They bond over Mrs. Shapiro's odd collection of cats and discounted grocery store food, but when Mrs. Shapiro has a fall and ends up in the hospital Georgie is surprised to find out that she has been named as next of kin. Suddenly Georgie's time is occupied with trying to prevent dishonest social workers from putting Mrs. Shapiro into a home, as well as trying to keep her elderly neighbor's house from falling into complete disrepair. Georgie is also occupied with figuring out if she wants to make her marriage work and trying to keep her son out of the clutches of a persistent online cult. In addition, she must unravel the mystery that is Mrs. Shapiro, who is certainly not who she says that she is."

This is the third of Marina Lewycka's books that I've read. They've all been quite strange, but interesting and pretty fast to read. This one was a bit strange - I'm not sure that her referencing to glue all the time really belonged in the book.. it seemed like she thought of the title first and then decided to add more stuff in.

Either way, I'd recommend this to someone wanting a good story. Lewycka is fantastic with accents in her writing, so I was pretty entertained just reading those.

Force of Nature

Force of Nature: The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart's Green Revolution - Edward Humes

From Amazon: "Wal-Mart—long the target of local businesses, labor advocates, and environmentalists who deplore its outsourced, big-box methods—has embraced an unprecedented green makeover, which is now spreading worldwide. The retail giant that rose from Sam Walton's Ozarks dime store is leveraging the power of 200 million weekly customers to drive waste, toxics, and carbon emissions out of its stores and products. Neither an act of charity nor an empty greenwash, Wal-Mart's green move reflects its river guide's simple, compelling philosophy: that the most sustainable, clean, energy-efficient, and waste-free company will beat its competitors every time. Not just in some distant, utopian future but today"

This book really changed my view of Wal-Mart. It's still not my favourite place in the world to shop, but knowing that they actually have taken a huge step towards becoming sustainable, and with that step, have started to change the face of consumerism is really incredible. I'm still not saying that Wal-Mart is the best place in the world to shop - small, independent stores will always be much better, but I think I'll feel much less guilty when I actually end up there.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability and the different ways that it can show up in a business. It was also interesting from an economics perspective - Wal-Mart really does have power over a lot of people, and they hold enough of a market share of things to change. Hopefully more companies will take the challenge set forth by Wal-Mart and try their best to be more sustainable too!

Backwards in High Heels

Backwards in High Heels: The Impossible Art of Being Female - Tania Kindersley & Sarah Vine

From Amazon: "This smart and frank collection distills the trials and triumphs of being a woman, all in a gifty volume filled with whimsical fullcolor illustrations. In 15 subject-driven chapters relevant to women of all ages, authors Tania Kindersley and Sarah Vine’s essays cover topics ranging from feminism to face cream, motherhood to money, and politics to perfection. Titles like “The Danger of Romantic Love,” “Why There is No Such Thing as a Guilt-Free Working Mother,” “How Not to Go Mad,” parts 1 and 2, and “Why There is No Excuse for Bad Sex” develop into a tuned and sophisticated voice that is at once a mother, best friend, and shrink, revising expectations, bashing stereotypes, and illuminating the experience of life."

I thought this book would be more along the lines of Camilla Morton's How to Walk in High Heels - which was pretty funny. This book had it's moments too, but it wasn't really that interesting to me. Some of the things were things that I wouldn't have thought about, like having a chapter on grief.. but really, the whole point of that chapter was to say that everyone deals with it differently.. which I already knew.

Overall, not my favourite book, and it took me a really long time to read. By the way, it's not impossible to be female. We're all doing it without the "help" of books like this.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Today I made red velvet cupcakes for the first time..

I've only had them once, and they weren't my favourite cupcake ever, but a friend requested them for her birthday cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes..

They do look red.. sort of.

I tried one, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think the cream cheese icing needs to sit for a while and get a bit of a better flavour. We'll see what they think when they try them though.

Sons and Other Flammable Objects

Sons and Other Flammable Objects - Porochista Khakpour

From Amazon: "Khakpour builds her luminously intelligent debut around the travails of an Iranian-American family caught in the feverish and paranoid currents immediately after 9/11. Darius Adam and his wife, Laleh (who, much to Darius's disgust, Americanizes her name to Lala), flee revolutionary Iran for the alien territory of Southern California, settling in an apartment complex with the allegorically enticing name of Eden Gardens. Son Xerxes grows up with psychological dual citizenship: regular American outside of Eden Gardens, but the son of bitter Darius and clueless Lala inside. Xerxes finds true paradise in watching Barbara Eden, the star of I Dream of Jeannie. For the brilliantly rendered Lala, America is not so bad—it's a good place to ''lose your mind, which is how Lala translates into English her forgetting her unhappy Tehran childhood. Against this background of a parody paradise, Khakpour plays out the events following 9/11, which will, grotesquely, unite the Adam family. By then Xerxes, 26, is an unemployed college grad in a New York airshaft-view apartment, as far from Eden Gardens as possible."

This was a random pick off a shelf at the library.. although I have a feeling it's on my list, just because of the strange title. I did actually enjoy the book, although it took a while for me to get into it. Once the story got going, I did find it hard to put down. I read this while in Toba, and ended up reading almost half of it in one evening. I'd recommend it to someone who wants something a bit different, with some more cultural influences.

Eco-chic Weddings

Eco-chic Weddings: Simple Tips to Plan an Earth-Friendly, Socially Responsible, Affordable Green Wedding - Emily Elizabeth Anderson

From Amazon: "Planning your wedding can be the best time to be eco-friendly. The wedding industry has a huge impact on the global economy and the environment, as wedding parties spend over $125 billion a year in the U.S. alone. Eco-Chic Weddings presents the quick, simple, and easy-to-follow tips you need to make your wedding socially responsible. This indispensable guide gives you the choice, comfort, and chance to share your own unique style for a truly memorable wedding."

Blah. Just another boring book, telling you how to be socially responsible and green. Basically.. telling you how to use common sense. Pretty sure none of her tips were really that useful...

#15

I can finally take #15 off the list. I am not able to become an RPBio before I turn 25, however, last week my mom sent me an email that said that I am now a BIT, or biologist in training.

Go me.

I think that's 3 down, 22 to go!

Never Shower in a Thunderstorm

Never Shower in a Thunderstorm: Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths About our Health & the World we Live in - Anahad O'Connor 

From Amazon: "For more than two years, the New York Timess science and health columnist Anahad OConnor has tracked down the facts, fictions, and occasional fuzziness of old wives tales, conventional-wisdom cures, and other medical mysteries. Now in this lively and fun book, he opens up his case files to disclose the experts answers on everything, from which of your bad habits you can indulge (yo-yo dieting does not mess up your metabolism and sitting too close to the television does not hurt your eyes) to what foods actually pack the punch advertised (you can lay off the beet juice!). A compendium of answers to the curious and nagging questions of how to keep healthy, Never Shower in a Thunderstorm will provide guidance and amusement to anyone who has ever wondered if the mosquitoes really are attacking her more than everyone else. (Yes, they are.)"

Not the most exciting book I've read, but I suppose not the worst either. Sort of like mythbusters, but for old wives tales and myths. Unfortunately, it involves mostly health, with much less blowing up. It was fast to read because it was just a few pages on each question. I suppose I'd recommend it to someone who wanted to know the answers to these weird questions, but really, there's many better books out there...

Anthem

Anthem - Ayn Rand

From Amazon: "

In a future where there is no love, no science, and everyone is equal and of one entity, one man defies the group to be his own person. That is a serious offense."

I really enjoyed this very short book. It reminded me of the Giver, which I read so long ago. This is the first Ayn Rand book that I've read, but we have many more of them sitting on our bookshelf at home, so maybe I'll actually read more of them. It also reminds me a bit of Oryx and Crake.. and maybe even 1984. 

I'd recommend it!

Payback

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth - Margaret Atwood

From Amazon: "Debt is usually regarded as bloblike, cheerless, and about as illuminating as a dungeon. But Atwood sees things in it that we don’t. What she offers us in tBohese meditations is nothing less than a secret history of human obligation, economic and otherwise. From ancient tax collectors to the reason why “Hell is like a maxed out credit card,” Atwood exposes the debts we incur and the pledges we make in the arenas of law, business, religion, and the environment."

I really enjoy Margaret Atwood. She's bizarre and crazy and I love it. This book has nothing to do with debt as we think, instead she touches on different kinds of debt, and talks about the history of debt, justice, and why there has to be two sides (debtor/creditor) in order for everything to make sense. I enjoyed the history lesson - although it would have been a bit better if I knew a few more of her examples.

Overall, I'd recommend this to someone who wants a different kind of read, especially different for Atwood. The other books that I've read by her are fiction -- this one brings out a different, more inquisitive side of her.

Still Alice

Still Alice - Lisa Genova

From Amazon: "Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease changes her life.

As the inevitable descent into dementia strips away her sense of self, fiercely independent Alice struggles to live in the moment. While she once placed her worth and identity in her celebrated and respected academic life, now she must reevaluate her relationship with her husband, a respected scientist; her expectations of her children; and her ideas about herself and her place in the world. At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer's disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People."

This book was tragic, at times hard to read, yet impossible to put down. I'm glad I read it, even though I wasn't in a great mood while reading it. It reminded me so much of Nana, and really gave me a better idea of what she must have been feeling like, and dealing with. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who knows someone who is dealing with or dealt with this tragic disease.


I almost wish that I had read this book earlier, so that I could understand Nana's need for "home" and her weird gaps in memory a bit better. I really hope that neither of my parents (or anyone I know, for that matter) develops Alzheimer's or dementia, or whatever Nana had.

Denialism

Denialism - Michael Specter

From Amazon: "In Denialism, New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter reveals that Americans have come to mistrust institutions and especially the institution of science more today than ever before. For centuries, the general view had been that science is neither good nor bad — that it merely supplies information and that new information is always beneficial. Now, science is viewed as a political constituency that isn't always in our best interest. We live in a world where the leaders of African nations prefer to let their citizens starve to death rather than import genetically modified grains. Childhood vaccines have proven to be the most effective public health measure in history, yet people march on Washington to protest their use."

If you think that eating organic food is a good thing for the world, or that eating multi-vitamins is actually useful.. you should read this. I'd recommend it, if for nothing more than reading a different side of the story.

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

From Amazon: "The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Whereas the former is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic--a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion. Commenting on Edward Ferrars, a potential suitor for Elinor's hand, Marianne admits that while she "loves him tenderly," she finds him disappointing as a possible lover for her sister."

I only read this book because I felt like I should, at some point, read a Jane Austen. This will probably be the first and last. I wasn't really interested in the plot, and their simplistic and pathetic? lives just weren't that interesting to me.

Finally finishing this book (I started it in late December, and finished it yesterday) means that I can cross number 16 off the list. Sweet!

Charlie Johnson in the Flames

Charlie Johnson in the Flames - Michael Ignatieff

From Amazon: "This short, intense novel tells the story of Charlie Johnson, a war correspondent working in the Balkans during the recent conflict there. Charlie, hardened to the realities of war but not yet insensitive to the human beings experiencing daily trauma, is accompanied by his cameraman and best friend, Jacek, a melancholy, reliable Pole. The story focuses on a single event and its aftermath. While hiding in a contested village, Charlie sees a peasant woman set alight and tries to put the fire out with his bare hands. After his recovery, he grows obsessed with his memory of the woman, who was rescued by helicopter but eventually died. He returns to the Balkan danger zones to hunt down the high-ranked soldier who murdered her, not to kill him but to simply ask, "Why?""

I don't like Ignatieff as a politician (can he still be called that?) but as an author he is marginally better. This book wasn't super interesting, but it was something to read. I don't know if I'd really recommend it to anyone though.

A Case of Exploding Mangoes

A Case of Exploding Mangoes - Mohammed Hanif

From Amazon: "On August 17, 1988, Pak One, the airplane carrying Pakistani dictator General Zia and several top generals, crashed, killing all on board--and despite continued investigation, a smoking gun--mechanical or conspiratorial--has yet to be found. Mohammed Hanif's outrageous debut novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, tracks at least two (and as many as a half-dozen) assassination vectors to their convergence in the plane crash, incorporating elements as diverse as venom-tipped sabers, poison gas, the curses of a scorned First Lady, and a crow impaired by an overindulgence of ripe mangoes."

This was a very random book.. starting with the plane crash that killed the dictator and his colleagues. It followed six? different characters, in a very interwoven story. I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it. The book was very military-based, and while I don't know much about army goings-on, I was still able to follow everything.

Offbeat Bride

Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-free Alternatives for Independent Brides - Ariel Meadow Stallings

From Amazon: "Unenthused by a white wedding gown and bored by the hoopla of the Hollywood-style reception, Ariel Meadow Stallings found herself absolutely exhausted with the nuances of traditional nuptials. So, she chose to take a walk off the beaten aisle and embrace the non-traditional bride within. Through trial and error, Ariel and her fiancée managed to crank out a budget wedding with all-night dancing, guests toasting champagne in mismatched mugs, gorgeous gardens, no monogrammed napkins, no garter, no bridesmaids, and lots of lesbians."

Although my wedding will not be as offbeat as hers.. Ariel did have some interesting suggestions. Her wedding, like ours will be, included camping. I think some of her suggestions could come in handy for planning, hopefully! I'd suggest this to other people who may want alternative ideas to the traditional wedding stuff.

My teeny garden

My garden has finally started to grow, and while these pictures are terrible... here it is!

My teeny tiny garden

 

 

 From left to right: herb pot from my mom (cilantro, chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary), green onions, radishes, salad mix, onions.. peas, and then a pot of beans, and some spinach. The tiny little pot is cilantro too. Yummy. I can't wait for these to grow big enough to eat...

Close up of some peas, beans, spinach and cilantro.

Unfortunately, my bird feeder is above my pots, so occasionally some seeds start to grow from that (sunflower and a weird grassy thing).. Ahh well. Soon enough I'll be able to start my final planter with some flowers :)

The Girl Who Married a Lion

The Girl Who Married a Lion - Alexander McCall Smith

From Amazon: "Straying from the safety net of a bestselling series (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, etc.), Smith tells 40 traditional African folk tales with his by now signature humor, simplicity and reverence for African culture. With an introductory letter from No. 1 Lady Detective Mma Ramotswe as a preface, he sets the literary stage for a nostalgic stroll down his own personal memory lane. Born and raised in what is now Zimbabwe, Smith began collecting these stories as a child and combines them with several he gleaned from a friend who interviewed natives of Botswana. Many of the stories parallel classic Western tales, from Aesop to Mother Goose."

I picked this book for the title.. how much more fitting is it to find a book entitled "The Girl Who Married a Lion" days after getting engaged to my very own Lion? I've never managed to get into the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, but this book was more a book of short stories. I really enjoyed the different stories from Africa.. a few of the stories talked about animals and how they became what they are, and their relationships.

I enjoyed this, and would recommend it to someone who wants a quick read! :)

Just After Sunset

Just After Sunset - Stephen King

From Amazon: "Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey."

I don't love short stories, and I do think that Stephen King is a much better novelist than short story writer, however, a few of the stories in this book were really good, and funny. There were a few (the port-a-potty) one that was kind of gross.. but at least it's short and you can be done reading it soon. It's been a long time since I've read any Stephen King.. I should go find one from the library for this week.

If you Follow Me

If you Follow Me - Malena Watrous

From Amazon: "Hoping to outpace her grief in the wake of her father's suicide, Marina has come to the small, rural Japanese town of Shika to teach English for a year. But in Japan, as she soon discovers, you can never really throw away your past . . . or anything else, for that matter.

If You Follow Me is at once a fish-out-of-water tale, a dark comedy of manners, and a strange kind of love story. Alive with vibrant and unforgettable characters—from an ambitious town matchmaker to a high school student-cum-rap artist wannabe with an addiction to self-tanning lotion—it guides readers over cultural bridges even as it celebrates the awkward, unlikely triumph of the human spirit."

This book was random and kind of funny.. I enjoyed the Japanese bits, and learning about the culture. As for the rest of the book.. it was good, but I wasn't blown away by it. I'd recommend it to someone who needs something quick to read..

Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter - Emily Giffin

From Amazon: "Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie--a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance--and even to some degree, friendships--believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined. In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most."

Just another not-so-fantastic girly book. Husband cheats, wife finds out.. predictable ending. Only bonus of this book was that I finished it in one day.

The Origin of Species

The Origin of Species - Nino Ricci


From Amazon: "Montreal during the turbulent mid-1980’s: Chernobyl has set geiger counters thrumming across the globe, HIV/AIDS is cutting a deadly swath through the gay population worldwide, and locally, tempers are flaring over the language laws of Bill 101. Hiding out in a seedy apartment near the Concordia campus is Alex Fratarcangeli (“Don’t worry… I can’t even pronounce it myself”), a somewhat oafish 30-something grad student. Though tender and generous at heart, Alex leads a life devoid of healthy relationships, ashamed in particular of the damage he has done to the women with whom he has been romantically entangled. Plagued by the sensation that his entire life is a fraud, Alex attends daily sessions with a lackluster psychoanalyst in an attempt to shake off the demon of depression (and the cigarette-tinged voice of Peter Gzowski in his ear). Scarred by a distant father and a dangerous relationship with his ex Liz, and consumed by a floundering dissertation linking Darwin’s theory of evolution with the history of human narrative, Alex has come to view love and other human emotions as “evolutionary surplus, haphazard neural responses that nature had latched onto for its own insidious purposes.”"

I really enjoyed this book, even though at times I was a bit confused. The story is interesting, and the descriptions are amazing. His dialogue with Peter Gzowski (which is quite frequent throughout the book) is quite humorous, too.

It feels so good to be able to read and not feel guilty for not doing something else instead. Definitely excited for this summer, with plenty of time to just sit and read.

Nothing Happens Until it Happens to You

Nothing Happens Until It Happens to You: A Novel Without Pay, Perks, or Privileges - T.M. Shine

From Amazon: "Jeffrey Reiner is a middle manager’s dream.

Predictable, almost invisible, and lacking ambition, he’s held the same tedious job for eighteen years, typing up the calendar listings for a South Florida weekly. As the economy and the newspaper industry crashed around him, Jeffrey kept his head comfortably in the sand until he was terminated in the middle of his lunch hour. Suddenly Jeffrey is staring at a deadline of twenty-one weeks before his severance pay and unemployment benefits dry up and he has to figure out what to do next."

This book was a quick read, thankfully, because I didn't really enjoy it that much. I found the main character, Jeffrey to be somewhat useless... and his strange relationship with his young neighbour just a bit weird.

What Caesar Did For My Salad

What Caesar Did For My Salad - Albert Jack

Amazon doesn't say anything about this book.. but the rest of the title gives away a bit more. The full title is "What Caesar did for my salad: Not to mention the Earl's Sandwich, Pavlova's meringue and other curious stories behind our favourite food"

This was an interesting read, but not one that I'd highly recommend unless you normally eat food from the UK. There was a lot of food that I hadn't heard of, and therefore wasn't curious to know what it was about. Jack has written a few books about where common phrases come from, so maybe I'll read one of those...

Easter

This Easter, Mom, Grandma and I went to Chase Mountain - a place we used to go when I was young to see the wildflowers. This year, with Easter so late, and the weather even later.. there was lots of things out, but not really what we expected.

Johnny Jump-up (Fritillaria pudica)

Glacier/Avalanche Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)

Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)

Shooting star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)

The Raw Shark Texts

 The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall

From Amazon: "Not since Fight Club have a I read a book that sizzled with such fierce originality and searing vision as Steven Hall's electrifying debut novel, The Raw Shark Texts. It's a twisting, trippy thriller that tears through the landscape of language, revealing the lurking terrors uncovered in every letter of the written word. Steven Hall swims in the same surreal waters as pop-culture pioneers David Lynch and Michel Gondry, and The Raw Shark Texts deserves to be shelved somewhere between Trainspotting and Life of Pi. It pulls you under like a riptide, leaving you exhausted, exhilarated, and gasping for air."

D read this book, who passed it to R, and eventually to me. I really enjoyed this book - I wouldn't call it a thriller as the Amazon reviewer did, but more of an adventure tale with some seriously bizarre things. This book was slightly confusing in some parts, but it's not the first, and I'm sure it won't be the last time that happens to me while reading..


I'd recommend this to anyone who can handle a sci-fi adventure with a bit of romance thrown in.

Cupcakes for Sparks

It's been a long time since I've posted anything..

I've finally finished all of my undergrad requirements, exams, presentations and projects. It feels good to be done, although I'm sure it hasn't entirely hit me yet. Commencement hasn't happened yet either, so maybe then? (Or when I get my grad pictures back?)

Last week we had a birthday party at Sparks, and E and I made cupcakes for them.

For this, I used Joy the Baker's Vanilla Cupcakes.. and a regular buttercream vanilla icing. Next time, I'll go with something more bold on top.

We decorated 19 of these before we ran out of icing.

 

Crazy, but cool looking. The girls loved them! 

A dozen for the girls..

Now that I'm done school, maybe I'll be able to bake more, and figure out these decorating techniques on my own, without a cake decorating course, which I seem completely unable to take.

Meet Charlie

This is Charlie.

He likes to hang out in the alders, amongst the other gardens and on the lawn. I'm not entirely sure what he's doing, seeing as herons typically live closer to water.. but oh well!

 These are caterpillars, walking in a line. So cute and tiny!

 

 Even baby tent caterpillars like to make tents..

This is the sky on the day that I got sunburnt. 

.. Just another day as a work-study student!

Spring is here :)

Today at work with H at Totem, we saw tons of robins, dark-eyed juncos, European starlings, a few bald eagles, and a beautiful hawk that just chilled out for about 15 minutes. I wish I had my camera, and was better at identifying it! I think it was either a Cooper's, or a Sharp-Shinned.. but I'm really not sure. Hopefully it's back later next week :)

It makes me happy to have my field guides out again! Identified creeping Charlie as the mint that covers a lot of the ground underneath the alders..

The Body in the Library

The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie

From Amazon: "Her old friend Mrs. Bantry has called Miss Marple in again. It seems that the body of a dead blonde lies on the library floor, much to the chagrin of the servants. Miss Marple is only too happy to help, as there's nothing she likes better than nosing around in other people's business."

This summer was the first time I'd ever read an Agatha Christie book. I fell in love, and ended up reading quite a few over the summer. They're quick to read, but definitely have lots of twists in the plot. This one had a lot of characters with similar names, and I definitely got lost with that, but the ending was definitely not what I was expecting!

I'm looking forward to another few of her books before the end of the school year.. :)

What the Dog Saw

What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell

From Amazon: "What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard-but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What does hair dye tell us about the history of the 20^th century?"

This is the fourth of Malcolm Gladwell's books, and although they are on a variety of subjects, I've always enjoyed them. This is a collection of some of his shorter newspaper articles, so they are based on different things, including ketchup, the Pill, why pit bulls are banned.. to name a few. His writing style is captivating, if not slightly bizarre. I think there are enough topics covered in this book to make anyone happy!

I'd recommend it, as well as his other books: The Tipping Point, Outliers and Blink.

Gerbera Daisy

The flower that R bought me two weeks ago tomorrow is still going strong! I decided to take some photos of it tonight, since I found my mini tripod.

I'm excited to get my new camera and for spring to be here! For the moment, the second one is my desktop background, and hopefully that'll sustain me for a while.. or at least through the CRAZY DOWNPOUR happening tonight.

In other exciting news, these are on my feets, courtesy of my sister:

Adventures in Solitude

Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and other stories from Desolation Sound - Grant Lawrence

From Amazon: "From Captain George Vancouver to Muriel "Curve of Time" Blanchet to Jim "Spilsbury's Coast" Spilsbury, visitors to Desolation Sound have left behind a trail of books endowing the area with a romantic aura that helps to make it British Columbia's most popular marine park. In this hilarious and captivating book, CBC personality Grant Lawrence adds a whole new chapter to the saga of this storied piece of BC coastline."

The introduction to this book was really funny, and got me hooked. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't have the same humour as the introduction, but it was still good. It followed the Lawrence family through the purchase of their remote cabin in Desolation Sound, starting from their first miserable trip up staying in a molding tent. Lawrence was really good at telling the stories of some of the original families living in the area, along with some of the folk lore, and stories from Captain Vancouver's trip up the coast. The story followed Lawrence's life, starting with his love for the cabin, and then through his teenage years and hatred of going up, ending with his more recent years, with friends and their kids. It reminded me a bit of how I felt about my cabin, although the period of me hating it didn't last very long.

I'd recommend this book: it has a good story, lots of history, and reminded me of time spent at my cabin. Oh, and finished it in an evening. Pretty easy to read :)

Surprise!

On Friday, R gave me the 4th flower that he's ever given me in our 5-year plus relationship. He knows me very well: I prefer to get flowers at random occasions (such as finishing my insect collection) rather than for Valentine's day, or our anniversary. I'm just not that kinda girl. (What kind of girl am I? I have no idea.) He also surprised me with a lovely steak dinner at home, with candles!, Jesse Cook, and no TV. That's pretty impressive for us. We're usually the sit down at the coffee table and watch something. Other than movies, our dinner TV is pretty much the only TV that we watch.

Before dinner, I went for a walk with M&A on the beach, and I took this photo. It reminds me of something you'd see from in a plane..

Lines in the sand at Jericho Beach

 Even though it snowed yesterday, my Oxalis is quite happily blooming away.

Oxalis triangularis.