Voyages of the HMS Swiftsure

A New Year, A New Beginning

2009-12-27T11:08:00.003-07:00

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to start thinking about the new year. Last year, I had made a short list of non-resolutions and, sadly, the stuff on my list for 2010 is remarkably similar. Still tops on my list, kicking the pop habit.

Sadly, I did not succeed last year but did manage to make some progress in reducing the amount that I drink. Since Dad had his heart attack almost 2 weeks ago, our family's health history has been on my mind. Thanks to my mother who pointed out that not only has his entire side of the family had heart issues, they all have drunk a great deal of pop throughout their lives. While I don't know if her science is sound, it certainly makes you think. Therefore, I'm focusing most of my efforts on giving it up once and for all. Its funny, I had no problem kicking cigarettes and couldn't understand how folks found it so hard to quit. Over the past few years though, its become increasingly clear how much of a hold an addiction, of any kind, can have on folks. I wonder if Dr. Drew will have a new show next year: Coke Therapy.

Last year, I wanted to become more financially responsible. While I'm not debt free (that's still a few years off), I paid off the treadmill I purchased, in full! And all before the interest-free period ran out. My next goal is to bring down the amount owing on both my line of credit and my credit card. Without having to make payments towards the treadmill, this will now be easier. I'd really like to purchase a house by the time I'm 45. That gives me 8 years...time to stop spending!

My third and final non-resolution last year was to cook more and eat less processed food. While I have not cooked as much as I would have liked, I consider this a partial success as I have definately started experimenting more. You might remember the Orange Chicken or perhaps the Beef Bourguignon that caused me to have a massive attack. There's also one of my other blogs, Cooking with the Captain. Looking through the new cookbook my mother gave me for Christmas, Ministry of Food, I've found a number that I'm looking forward to trying so there's bound to be more entries over the coming months.

So, this year, my plans for the new year include the same as last year with a greater emphasis on my heart health. Having said that, I'll be training for the 10K race instead of the 1/2 marathon in August. That means, more time (regular time) on the treadmill. It also means a healthier attitude towards breakfast. No more leftovers - I'm going to try and eat a lighter, healthier breakfast each day. Oatmeal and fruit sounds good but I'm not committing to anything specific at this time.

Reading reading reading reading... 2009 was a slacker year for me and books. I went months without finishing a single book. 2010 will be spent with less time on my computer and more time spent with the written word. I'd also like to spend more time with my camera and with other people. It's been a while since I had a date. I'd like to aim for three next year. That might seem low but given my track record...that's speed dating. And one last item: I'm going to grow some fresh herbs. And use them! Basil is a definate must. I'm thinking possibly parsley although I'm not a big fan. Suggestions???

There you go. 2010 in a nutshell. What do you have planned for next year?

Reading....

2009-12-26T19:38:00.004-07:00

...lots of books waiting for me on the shelves. Hoping to make 2010 the Year of the Book (and the Year of Knitting). In case you've forgotten, I've got a Book Blog. I also cross-post over at the Bookworm Collective. Check them both out.

Can I go back to bed now?

2009-12-25T08:11:00.005-07:00

My day began at 4:00. It's now 8:12 and I'm ready for bed. To start with, I wanted to bake a batch of Grannie Dawn's pastry cinammon rolls. Mmmm, what a great smell first thing in the morning! First though, I had to clean up the kitchen from dinner last night. The cats, it seemed, had knocked over a glass and spilled something all over the counter and floor. Damn kittehs. This was followed by some knitting, news watching, and present shaking. By 5:45, I figured mom had slept enough so I grabbed a cat, ran screaming into her room and threw the cat on top of her. She finally woke up when I kicked the mattress...

Surprisingly, she got up. And drank coffee. And was coherent. We openend presents by 6:30! Mom loved her new mittens and she was especially pleased with the Maple Leafs t-shirt I gave her. She's planning on wearing it on Boxing Day during the Montreal/Toronto game. Woot. Along with that, she received some pedicure stuff, movies, and Yahtzee! Here's what she got for me:

I also received a copy of Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food but forgot to take a picture. The niece and nephew know how much Auntie Karen loves eucalyptus and baths and gave me this wonderful gift:

It smells divine.

After presents, I started on breakfast. Sausage, french toast, fruit salad. MMmmmmm. As I cooked up the sausages, I noticed that the counter was wet again. As I wiped it off, I felt a drop on my hand. Looking up, I noticed, much to my shock and horror, that the ceiling was leaking. Quite a bit in fact. YIKES! Mom quickly called the on-call emergency maintenance number and they sent a very friendly fellow over in under 1/2 an hour. Now that's good service for Christmas day! Turns out, it looks like our upstairs neighbours probably turned on their dishwasher last night before heading out for their holidays. Unfortunately, it overflowed or a hose became disconnected and all the water that would have gone into the washer went all over their floor and started leaking downstairs into our kitchen. That explains the water on the counter this morning.

After the maintenance man left, I quicky apologized to the kittehs.

Now, after eating a delicious breakfast, dealing with the leaking ceiling and the excitement of opening presents, I'm wiped out. Almost 9am and I'm ready for the first nap of the day. And I haven't even had any turkey yet...

Happy Holidays to you and Yours

2009-12-24T07:36:00.004-07:00

Yes, I'm one of those folks you say happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas (for the most part) at this time of year. While I personally celebrate a non-religious form of Christmas (I am an atheist...sorry mom, sorry Nana, sorry baby Jeebus), I know that there are a growing number of folks out there who don't. The world is filled with Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and a number of other religions - I'm not going to assume that everyone celebrates the same holidays that I do. So...I say happy holidays. It is fairly generic and even if your particular religion doesn't have a major holiday at this time of year, chances are your place of business shuts down for a day or two and you get some time off. Which is a holiday.

Moving on...

I was up bright and early as usual today. Not because I had to but because that's just what I do. By 7 a.m., I had made dip for veggies, cranberry sauce, a bunch of homemade pita chips, and started organizing ingredients for a red velvet cake. Since we're once again hosting the annual family Christmas Eve dinner, I have a lot to do today. Still on my list: vacuum/sweep the entire apartment, chop veggies, chop garlic sausage and cheese, and straighten up living room. Mom is heading out to get last minute groceries later this morning and will help clean up when she gets back. This year, along with Big Brother and family, my brother in law and his girlfriend may be joining us. We've also decided to exchange our family gifts when they get here so we don't have to head over to Big Brother's place too early tomorrow.

Once they leave and we once again clean up, it'll be time to put the presents out (mom and I will exchange gifts tomorrow) and try to sleep. It'll be difficult knowing some fat guy will be breaking into our apartment overnight and eating our food before leaving us gifts. That's just plain kinky. Tomorrow morning, I'll be making breakfast for the two of us and the kittehs. The menu for this year is french toast and sausage with a side of fruit (probably oranges/bananas). The day will be spent relaxing and probably watching a movie before heading over to join the family for turkey. Mmmmm, turkey. I'll also be calling dad to wish him a Merry Christmas and to see how he's doing.

Finally, boxing day. My friend, Ms Jenny Jenn Poo Poo Pants, will be joining mom and I at an early matinee of Sherlock Holmes. Then, I get to finally relax while Mom makes a roast chicken for the two of us and we have our own poultry feast. We'll end up spending the evening watching movies or hockey on CBC since it IS Saturday. Every good Canadian knows that's hockey night in Canada...

How are you spending your holiday (whatever that might mean to you)?

Thank You!

2009-12-21T04:12:00.003-07:00

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who left a comment or emailed me with their best wishes for my dad's recovery and our family. I'm not going to be able to respond to each of you individually but each and every message touched my heart and means more to me than I can express in words. Thank you so very much.

Always a Follower, Never a Leader

2009-12-20T04:13:00.002-07:00

Given what's been going on this past week (did I mention yesterday was the Admiral's birthday too?), I haven't been paying a lot of attention to what's been going on in the world. However, I did hear that Canada refuses to make any changes in regards to carbon emissions unless the United States does first. Seriously? One more example of us bending over and taking it up the posterior. Why can't Canada grow a pair and be a leader in the world for once? Take a stand, show the world that we're not a bunch of apologetic push overs and make a difference. God, sometimes I'm embarassed to be a Canuck.

The Dad Update

2009-12-18T18:34:00.008-07:00

He's alive.

Whew.

Now I can relax and get a decent night's sleep.

The angiogram went well, I suppose. The damage and blockage however was far more extensive than they had originally anticipated and I'm guessing he's pretty lucky he only had a "mild" heart attack. He ended up having four stents put in on one side, all in a row thanks to a massive block, and one on the other side of his body. To put this in perspective, my uncle Roy had to experience two angiograms and a bypass in order to reach that number. Yep, I'd say pretty damned lucky Dad.

I cannot begin to express my thanks and gratitude to the folks at the Mazankowski Heart Institute (located at the University of Alberta Hospital) here in Edmonton. I'm also never happier to live in Canada and have "free" healthcare.

They kept him in overnight to keep an eye on him due to the amount of work they had to do. As a result, they said they would not send him back to Cold Lake via ambulance. I don't really understand that considering they told him he had to stay but whatever. My stepmother and stepsister (and new baby boy) drove in this morning and picked him up from the hospital. That meant they could spend a few hours with us today rather than attempting a return trip on Monday.

Not surprisingly, he's wicked tired for now and spent most of the time at Big Brothers sleeping, sitting down or looking like he might fall over. He ate a small sandwich, the first thing he's eaten in days, and sure enough it made him sneeze (family quirk...something about our noses, eating and sneezing...Christmas is a joy!). You could have heard a pin drop as we all stared at my father. He said he's ok (he's always ok or fine!) but you could see if wasn't...comfortable...to say the least.

They've got him on a handful of horsepills, including baby aspirin, nitro, blood thinners and something for his blood pressure (I think). It sounds like he'll recover although his job is now questionable and driving might be out of the question. It seems that once you have a heart attack, its damn near impossible (or out of this world expensive if you can even get covered) to find an insurance company who'll insure you. Dad not drive? You must be mad.

I tried to get the stepmom to take a picture of the family but her hands are a bit shaky and my camera's tempermental. Here's what we ended up with after the first try where Big Brother gave me a "wet willy".

And finally, tried to get a shot of daddikins and me but forgot I had the flash on. The red-eye reduction blinded him first, so he turned away and we ended up with an odd shot. However, I love it. The fact that I'm able to take a picture of him at all brings me more holiday joy than I can describe. So what if he's not looking at the camera and I look like I'm high on something. It's a happy happy Christmas for the Captain and her family.

Upsetting News

2009-12-15T16:11:00.003-07:00

My father has had a heart attack.

According to my brother, he's relatively fine although there was some damage. They'll know more after they run some tests over the course of the next few days. He'll be shipped soon to Edmonton to undergo more tests and we're anticipating he and his wife will be here for Christmas.

It was a shock certainly to get the call at work but it's not surprising that he finally fell victim to the plague of his family - heart problems. His older brother has had 2-3 angioplasties. His two sisters have heart issues. His younger brother is beginning to and his father died of heart failure (he also had prostate and bone cancer when they got him into the hospital). I think the reason he's gone so long and been relatively healthy (except his Lymphoma a few years ago) is his lifelong military career.

Both Big Brother and SIL report that he's talking and I can call the hospital (which I'll do shortly) and, surprise surprise! He drove himself to the hospital.

I will likely not be around for the next while as I'm not feeling very sociable at the moment.

I love the muppets

2009-12-13T05:18:00.001-07:00

Brrrrr....

2009-12-13T04:46:00.002-07:00

...it's cold. And I love it. Woke up yesterday morning, it was -32C. Before the windchill. You know what that means don't you? Time to head outside. Yes, the Admiral and I braved the temps and went grocery shopping. Actually we went to (1) the post office, (2) Ricki's for breakfast (and saw Bryan Hall, voice of the Edmonton Eskimos), and then (3) grocery shopping. After spending all morning doing all this running around, I went out again. Had to get more yarn (starting on the 2010 Christmas mittens) and pick up a couple of things at the mall, including some wool socks.

This morning? It's currently -34C. WOO HOOOO!!!! I'm still loving it! However, today I'm spending the door inside, in my nice warm jammies, snuggling up with the kittehs who are pissed off that it's too cold for them to go out on the balcony.

How are you braving the cold weather? Or is it even cold where you are?

Knitting Update

2009-12-08T12:28:00.003-07:00

The baby blanket is coming along swimmingly, knitting up much faster than I had originally thought it would. I should be done by the weekend, just in time to throw it in the washing machine/dryer and bring it into work on Monday for my co-worker’s last few days in the office. Rather than give it to the boss-lady (who’s not due until May), I’m going to give it to another woman with whom I worked last year. 2010 is definitely going to be the year of the mittens. I’ve even set myself a goal which I’ll be getting a jump start on after the baby blanket is complete: 10 pairs of mittens. I have my doubts that I’ll be able to finish all of them by the end of the year. That only gives me approx. a month and a week for each pair. For someone who doesn’t knit every day, that’s going to take some discipline. On top of that, I want to make two other baby blankets. The blankets are mindless busy work – I can watch tv and not really pay attention to what I’m knitting. The mittens however are a different story altogether. Hmmm, I might have to rethink this “little” project.

Ok, update: the goal for 2010 is … 8 pairs of mittens and 2 baby blankets. And yes, I will, finally make myself a pair as part of the eight. Most of the mittens are already assigned as presents; I’m starting a Christmas Mitten tradition for the family. None for the kidlets yet, I only do adult sized mitts. There’s Mom, Big Brother, myself, the SIL, Dad, the evil Step Mother and I think one or two extra pairs. Whew. And I’m not just talking plain mitts. No no no, I don’t “do” plain. There’ll be lined fiddlehead mittens (possibly for me), Bird in the Hand, Love Bytes, possibly a pair of Entomology Mittens, a pair of manly Vespergyles (probably for dad or Big Brother), two pairs of Folk Mittens (these or maybe these), and something else I can’t remember at the moment.

It’s definitely not going to be easy but that’s ok. I love making things for other people (just not when they request it) – it has to be a surprise. And who doesn’t like a pair of homemade mittens? Other people do new jammies at Christmas. I’m doing mittens.

Always Crashing in the Same Car

2009-12-07T19:43:00.002-07:00

This short came out in 2007 but I can't find a copy of it anywhere and it's driving me crazy (ha ha, get it? Driving, crashing, car...ok, I'm not that funny...move on). If anyone knows where I can (a) get my hands on a copy or (b) watch it on the interwebby, I'd be oh so grateful. I've looked and looked but all I seem to be able to find is the trailer below. The movie itself might only be 12 minutes long but it looks good and it's got both Richard E. Grant and Paul (le sigh) McGann. Please Santa...

Comment Issues

2009-12-06T05:01:00.002-07:00

I'm going to be re-instating the practice of word verification when making comments. I know there'll be some of you out there who won't be too happy about that but it has to be done. I'm getting spammed again with, well, spam comments. At the moment, there aren't too many that can't be dealt with but they're starting to come more often and I'd rather just not have the hassle. My apologies but if you want to comment, you'll just have to deal with it.

Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

2009-12-05T06:27:00.002-07:00

...but I think it's so delightful.

Almost the entire province of Alberta has been slammed with the first blizzard of the season. And I couldn't be happier. Excuse me while I go into hiding to avoiding being pummelled to death by my fellow Albertans. 'Tis true though, I love winter. The snow falling is beautiful, the cold temperatures mean sweaters, mittens, and bundling up like a big puffy snowman. Hot chocolate, blankets, cuddly kittens. Sigh. Prepare yourself for the big shocker...I even enjoy shovelling the sidewalk (Big Brother is especially grateful for that little bit of weirdness on my part). I'm sure though that if I had to drive around in this weather, I probably wouldn't be so excited. So, while I'm bouncing around and frolicking in the snow, I feel bad for those of you out there who spent two hours commuting to work yesterday when it normally takes you 1/2 an hour. It wasn't too bad though, at least in my office: the big boss man let just about everyone go around 3:15 because of the weather.

Now that it's finally december and, yikes, there's less than three weeks until the fat man slides down your chimneys, its time to decorate. That really doesn't mean much for our little household - a wreath on the door and a small Christmas tree. However, its enough for the two of us. I'm very excited to pull out the ornaments and start shooing the kittehs away from trying to chew on the strings of lights.

I'm heading out to the library and drug store today so I'll get some pics of the beautiful white blanket that's descended on our city and I'll post some shots of our attempt at decorating as well later this afternoon.

What are you doing to get into the holiday spirit?

Restaurant Review: Homefire Bar and Grill

2009-12-03T04:23:00.004-07:00

Last night, the SIL and I headed out sans kidlets to finish up the some of our holiday shopping. Normally we would not have gone to Walmart but it was the only place we could find that might possibly have the one item we were looking for: an electric frying pan (aka skillet). My father and his wife had been very specific when it came to their wishlist this year. We had previously checked at the Bay, Zellers, Sears and even Canadian Tire. While we had found a couple of fancy versions with lots of extras, none fit the bill. Long story short, Walmart had spaces for 6 different types/sizes of skillets but they didn't have a single one in stock...not even the display models! We got them a gift card. After wandering around the giant store for an hour, we had worked up quite an appetite. At that point, I would have been happy with a "burger" from McRaunchies but the SIL suggested a place nearby she had heard great things about: The Homefire Bar & Grill.

Located deep in the West End of the city, nestled amongst a number of one way streets and definately what you'd call "out of the way", Homefire is difficult to get to and hidden away from most of the city. Their card (which I took 3 of) states "Contemporary Canadian fire-roasted food is the hallmark of this new casual restaurant concept. Specializing in woodstone pizzas, fish, rotisserie chicken and meats..." I don't know really what contemporary Canadian fire-roasted food is but I know one thing, our meals were absolutely fantastic.

The SIL ordered the lamb burger with salad instead of potatoes/veggies (she's allergic to the almighty 'tater). According to their menu, it's made with locally farmed katahdin lamb, topped with gouda and pancetta. The verdict? The salad was standard restaurant fare but the burger (which was quite large) rendered her practically speechless.

My bison burger had the completely opposite effect on me. Topped with chedder and regular bacon, I plowed through half of it amidst moans of pleasure and the occasional "oh god that's good". Yes, I think it's safe to say it was nearly orgasmic. The veggies which I enjoyed were perfection. The colours were brilliant, everything cooked to just the right point - slightly crunchy without being raw, soft enough but not mushy - drizzled with just a hint of butter (I think) and some herbs, these were amazing. I find that by the time the plate reaches your table, the veggies have either continued cooking too much so that they're mush and lost all their flavour or, god forbid, they use frozen which should be a culinary crime when it comes to dining out. The mashed potatoes were covered in gravy ... and I didn't even have to ask! These turned out to be a bit disappointing when compared to everything else on my plate. They didn't have much flavour and the gravy was lackluster. However, this didn't stop me from eating all of them. Mmmm, potatoes.

Oh, and did I mention the saskatoon berry chutney? No? Hmmm, how did I forget that? OH MY GOD! I'm not a huge fan of saskatoons but I was intrigued by the thought of a burger (both the lamb and the bison) covered with saskatoon berry chutney. The chutney (by itself) was the first thing I sampled off my plate and it was the first thing to disappear entirely. I blamed my enthusiasm throughout the meal on the fact that I was high on the berry. Wow. I don't know what else to say other than deee-lish-us. Incredible. And, I noticed this morning (when I ate the second half of my burger for breakfast), that they had incorporated a few saskatoons into the patty! Amen.

Local foodie blogger, Sharon, visited the restaurant back in 2006 and didn't seem to as great an experience as my SIL and I had. However, both she and I have one thing in common - we both want to go back and try the bison meatloaf. I was very tempted when reading the menu but ended up deciding on the burger. We're planning a return visit in January to celebrate my birthday and that of the Admiral whose birthday is right before Christmas and you can be guaranteed that I'll bring my camera along for the ride.

I loved the decor of the restaurant - shades of brown and beige. Plenty of booths (which I love!) and a lovely open central fireplace. The kitchen is open so you can watch the food being prepared which is always a good thing. The lampshades are made of rough cut metal etched with petroglyphs and stick images reminiscent of cave paintings. Sharon was right about the feel of the restaurant though: the dim lighting is designed more towards "adult" dining than a family -friendly atmosphere although there were a couple of children there when we arrived. And if you're planning on going with your kids, you should know they don't have a specific kid's menu but do offer kid's "burger, pizza and pasta" according to our waiter.

If you're looking for something a little different and want to steer clear of those chain restaurants which seem to litter every other block, give the Homefire Grill a try! In my opinion, one of Edmonton's hidden gems.

Homefire Bar and Grill

18210 - 100 Avenue

(780) 489-8086

The Pink Glove Dance

2009-12-01T06:11:00.004-07:00

This video popped up twice this morning on my google reader list. I think it's absolutely fantastic and love how all of the employees at the Providence St. Vincent Medical Centre in Portland Oregon came together to take part in this video. Its designed to raise awareness of breast cancer.

My only wish is that there would be the same kind of awareness for other types of cancer, specifically the ones that people don't like to talk about because many people are embarrassed about the subject: colon, ovarian, uterine, rectal, prostate... You get the idea.

Big thanks to SME of Cult of the Lepus and Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for posting it.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-11-30T19:13:00.003-07:00

The baby blanket is progressing nicely. I had stopped into Zellers last week for some inexpensive yarn while shopping with the family. It basically came down to hot pink or this slightly pastel blue. Yeah, the choice was pretty obvious. I went with acrylic because I didn't want to run the risk of little baby having any allergies or reactions to wool. Knowing not so much when it comes to little kidlets and allergies, I figured this was the safest bet. It won't be super soft but it will be super easy to care for: mom can throw it in the washing machine and then the dryer whenever junior throws up on it or the diaper can't contain the contents of his/her bowel. At the rate I'm knitting this sucker up, I'll be done in a week or so. Heck, at this rate I could knit one for the co-worker who's due in March. Hmmm, I do have all that alpaca just sitting there in the closet...

Marathon Update

2009-11-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

After much debate, and not a little bit of disappointment, the Admiral, Auntie, and I have decided to cancel our marathon plans next summer. There are a number of issues involved, one of the main ones being that the Admiral, the Aunt and her entire family are heading east for a family wedding the Friday after the race. The Aunt’s step daughter is getting hitched and she wants the Aunt and her father there a few days ahead of time to help out with last minute items. If they come up here first for the race, things are going to be pretty tight, time-wise.

Additionally, given a recent flare-up of the arthritis in both my feet (probably assisted by the weird changes in weather and an attempt at running on the treadmill) and my knee issues (which are currently pretty good), I run a very good risk of (a) not finishing again, and (b) doing some serious damage to either part of my body. I’m still going to continue walking although I will not be following the marathon training. This makes me a bit sad but I’ve come to the realization I’ll likely never be a half marathon walker. I’m ok with that.

What a horrible way to end a season.

2009-11-30T04:57:00.003-07:00

So the party was a success. There were fewer people than I expected but they more than made up for it when it came to the volume of their cheering. I was surprised and shocked by how many of them were cheering for Montreal. I felt fastly outnumbered.

The game? Was awesome up until the final 5 seconds. It was a nailbiter right until the end. Montreal attempted a field goal which they needed to win and they sent in their kicker who hadn't been able to kick the ball straight all night long. True to form, the kick went wide and Saskatchewan fans across the country went ape shit. Unfortunately, there was a flag on the play - too many men on the field. Montreal moved the ball forward and had a better position from which to try the field goal again. Sadly for Riders fans, Montreal chose this final chance to kick the ball straight through the uprights.

I cannot believe that this is how the game ended. I'm happy for Montreal, they're a great team and definately deserve to win given their performance all season. However, you can be guaranteed someone on the Saskatchewan team is NOT going to be returning next year.

Championship Football Fever

2009-11-28T17:20:00.003-07:00

Less than 24 hours until Grey Cup 2009. Woooooo hoooooo! It's going to be a great day. I'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning making the chili, washing floors, doing laundry and getting stuff ready for my guests to show up. I've got a halftime quiz ready to go and a prize for the winner. I think I'm all set. Calgary has turned from red to green for the past week with Riders fans pouring in by the bus/car/plane load. Montreal is going to have a tough time hearing the plays being called given how load the Saskatchewan fans can be. I think it's going to be a great game.

The party this year had better be memorable because there won't be one next year. You see, I won't be at home. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but one of my coworkers is a season ticket holder with the Eskimos. And the Grey Cup is being held in Edmonton next year. And...season ticket holders get first dibs on tickets for the big game. Guess who asked if I wanted to buy two tickets for Grey Cup 2010? That's right baby. I'm just waiting for the final word from the Admiral but it sounds like we're going to be going to the show. I can barely sit still.

With our luck though, it's going to be -30 and blizzarding next year. That doesn't bode well given that the seats we'd get would be in the upper level, exposed to the wild wintery elements. However, if it is, we'll bundle up, drink plenty of hot chocolate with Baileys, down a hamburger or two and lose our voices. I can't wait.

Crap...Failure

2009-11-27T04:27:00.002-07:00

Arrgggh! I was so close. A post every day for the entire month of November as part of my participation in NaBloPoMo. I was in the homestretch, the last week! And then...I went to the library. The blame rests on the shoulders of the the authors of the three mitten pattern books I picked up last night. They distracted me so much that I completely blocked out everything else. Damn. Oh well, I will still continue and finish out the rest of the month. Besides, there were a couple of days where I posted two or three entries so I'm counting that as balancing the whole thing out. Sure, I won't be eligible for prizes but that's ok. The chances of little old me winning something were probably nil anyways.

In other related news, I'm going to knit a baby blanket before I tackle any more mittens. There are three women in our office who are expecting. I won't be knitting for all of them - one I don't really like (due in December), another I don't really know well enough (due early 2010 I think)but the third is one of my supervisor/boss types whom I get along with quite well. Plus she's not due until May so I've got lots of time. The pattern is super easy but looks quite nice (check out this example). It will mean hours of mindless knitting, plenty of repitition. Perfect for getting through the usually stress-filled holidays. I'll be able to sit in front of the telly and let my fingers fly!

Moving Time

2009-11-25T05:55:00.002-07:00

Sometimes work can be frustrating. In the almost four years I've been with my current employer, I've had three different desks. And I'm about to have a fourth. Yes, I'm moving locations yet again. The most recent move, two months ago, just isn't working given my current duties. Since I liaise (my word of the day) with a number of other areas, I'm often found wandering the halls of our building throughout the day. Combined with covering for people on vacation, sick days (too many sick people in our office these days), and family emergencies, I'm never at my "new desk". So, I approached one of my three supervisors (don't ask, it's complicated) with the possibility of moving back to the desk I had previously. She completely agreed (yay!) and we approached my boss with the idea. Thankfully, I work for some pretty understanding people and they gave me the go-ahead to start shuffling my things back to our area's main location.

The other admin girls in the group are very excited about me returning and I have to say that I'm secretly stoked! While I enjoyed the quiet and lack of interruption on the floor above, it was lonely and my three and 1/2 walled cubicle felt claustrophobic. Sure I won't have "down time" to check my email or read the news online like I've enjoyed occasionally over the past few weeks but it'll be nice to back amongst the other sheep.

Finished!

2009-11-24T05:04:00.004-07:00

Yippee! The Admiral's mittens are finished! I made her mittens for Christmas last year as well. Hmmm, perhaps an annual tradition. A lot of people get new pyjamas on Christmas/Christmas eve. I'm thinking in our family it'll be Christmas mittens. I can't wait for the Niece and Nephew's hands to get bigger so I can make them each a pair too. Next year, it'll be mittens for Big Brother and Wife, and the Admiral of course. Perhaps, if I start early enough, I can make some for Dad and his missus.

I'm Confused

2009-11-23T05:21:00.003-07:00

Has American Thanksgiving ALWAYS been on a Thursday? From what I can tell, it appears so. That just doesn't make any sense to me at all. I can't explain why, it just does. I suppose it ties in well with the shopping insanity that is Black Friday. It just makes more sense for me to have holidays on Mondays or Fridays. Like Labour Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, Easter....

Speaking of shopping, just over a month until the fat guy tries to shimmy down your chimney (if you have one). Its hard to believe how fast the end of the year is approaching. Can 2009 be almost over already? Where did the year go? It seems like just last month I was jetting off to England. Or planting seeds on our balcony. Or complaining about the weater (ok, to be fair, I do that all the time). This means that I'm going to have to start thinking about the year ahead and what I want to accomplish.