Archive for April, 2009

• Today I told my to do list to #suckit

  Date: 2009.04.25 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 6

  I did indeed.

  My to do list for today is fairly lengthy. We are having someone over for dinner and while dinner itself is a pretty easy prospect there was cleaning to do. Part of the cleaning was the usual extinguishing of dust bunnies (and in some cases dust jackalopes) but there were also things that we were waiting for warm weather to do. Things like wash the living room drapes and windows and screens. Things like clean the sunroom.

  I had a post for BlogHer to write. I had dinner prep. We had errands that we had to run.

  But for a little more than an hour we said screw it. The to do list can #suckit. It’s a beautiful day after a long cold winter. The sun was shining. The breeze was warm. And we have oodles of green space and walking trails near to us.

  For a bit more than an hour we put the to do list on hold. We went for a walk outside, admired the tulips, stopped in at a craft/bake sale. We took advantage of a warm sunny day the way that only people who have been cooped up inside for the winter can.

  We’ll still get everything that was important done. Those things that weren’t important? Well, those we can just shove under the couch. They can keep the dust bunnies company.

• What’s for Dinner Wednesday v. 4

  Date: 2009.04.23 | Category: What's for Dinner? | Response: 4

  And yet again not on a Wednesday. Meh. Such is life.

  This could also be the called the “sometimes I suck at meal planning” edition. To say that we have not been doing a good job at this lately would be an understatement. It would also be why the other night we had potato chips as a main course with a Kit-Kat for dessert. (Well, partially. We totally could have had pasta but opted instead for potato chips. Don’t judge. You know you either do it or want to do it sometimes too.) When we plan our meals we eat like kings. When we don’t we eat like slugs.

  But this is also the “sometimes I suck at meal planning” edition because there are aspects of meal planning I find difficult. In particular, ones in which someone (or multiple someones) are in attendance aside from Lee and myself.  Among other things, when people are over there’s the whole dessert thing. We don’t generally do dessert, except the odd time when I feel compelled to make something or make Lee make something.

  We’re having someone over on Saturday and the regular meal was easy, as it more than often is. We’re doing a salad (possibly with this Italian Dressing recipe) because I like salad. Our friend requested BBQ and we don’t have a BBQ we do that the Griddler so we’re doing bison burgers (made from local bison) with yummy toppings (I see myself caramelizing onions on Saturday and hauling out the last bottle of mom’s homemade relish). And we’re doing our usual side of sweet potato oven fries because they are easy, yummy and I know exactly how long it takes.

  But it still brings us back to dessert. Sure, we could tell our friend to bring dessert but we’re picky dessert people. I’m not much of a dessert person in general and I’m not crazy about chocolate. Lee is not crazy about lemon (although he’s coming around), coconut or cheesecake. Really, at that point it’s just easier to make dessert.

  I can’t decide what to make. I can’t decide if I have too many options (pie? cake? tart? sundaes since it’s going to be warm?) or I just don’t have enough. We’re not quite into rhubard season but I’m tired of apple desserts. I’m not sure that I feel like fussing with frosting and I’m thinking it will be too warm on Saturday for a hot sauce to pour over a cake.

  I’m indecisive about the dessert. The rest came easy but dessert is always the part of the meal that kills me.

  What do you make for dessert when company’s coming?

• When is the moment?

  Date: 2009.04.14 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 7

  When do we change? When did we stop being the person we were and become the person we are? Or maybe the question is when is it that we stopped being the person we thought we always wanted to be and became the person we are? When is it that we stop trying to live the life that we thought we wanted and live the life that we enjoy?

  My life, as it stands right now, it not what I thought it would be. The life that Lee and I working towards is not what I thought it would be either. In some ways it is eerily similar to the life I left behind when I left home and thought that I didn’t want.

  I wanted big cities. Condos. Cafes. Hanging out a bar where they knew my name.

  Now I want trees, gardens, sun-filled rooms, farmer’s markets. If I go to a pub it’s usually either to knit or to eat.

  Then I went to concerts, stayed out until 3 and slept until noon. Now I got to the ballet, trying not to fall asleep during the second half, and 8:30am is sleeping in.

  I like this life so much more. I like the slowness, the richness of it.

  It’s not at all what I thought it would look life. But it’s mine and I love it.

• We ate a lot. The end.

  Date: 2009.04.13 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 0

  Ok, maybe that’s not all we did in Toronto, but it’s mostly what we did in Toronto.

  Before we ran away for Easter weekend (after two months of waffling back and forth over whether or not we were going to go) many people asked us what we were going to do in Toronto. My answer was always, “Eat. See the mommies. Eat some more.”

  They thought I was joking. I wasn’t.

  We had:

  Vegetarian Indian Buffet at Siddhartha Pure Vegetarian along the Gerrard India Bazaar (not be confused with the Siddhartha up the street that has meat dishes).  Lee gave it two thumbs up, no small feat as he’s been complaining about how since he worked in India for several months he can’t find good Indian food in Canada. (I seriously need to start experimenting with paneer makhani recipes.)
  Kashmiri tea (verdict? We prefer our tea without chunky things in it.)
  Veal Sandwich from the St. Lawrence Market (Karen)
  Beef Gyro from the St. Lawrence Market (Lee)
  Selection of items from the Whole Foods prepared food bar.
  Dinner at La Palette  – Karen: escargots in mushroom caps, bison rib eye with garlic mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables, limoncello creme brulee. Lee: bbq wild boar ribs, quack and track with roasted fingering potatoes and assorted vegetables, flourless chocolate cake.
  Waffles from Richtree for breakfast (strawberry for Karen, banana for Lee).

  It doesn’t *sound* like that much I guess. It certainly felt like we ate a heck of a lot.

• Things I’ve heard in the last week (and some answers)

  Date: 2009.04.06 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 13

  Congratulations! When’s the wedding?
  Um, we’re married.

  When did you get engaged?
  We kinda skipped that step. We’re rebels like that.

  Was this planned?
  Depends on your definition of “planned”. We knew we were going to get married but not really when. We also knew that when we did it we’d run away to City Hall and not tell anyone.  We only decided on March 23 to do it on April 1.

  Why April Fool’s Day?
  Seriously, would you forget your anniversary if you got married on April Fool’s Day? I must confess a part of me kind of wishes we had held out for Halloween.

  Is this a joke?
  No.

  Who knew?
  No one, except our witnesses, the people at city hall and the jeweler.

  What about your parents?
  No. We didn’t tell anyone.

  Didn’t your parents freak out? Were they mad?
  Heck no! You never saw people more thrilled that they didn’t have put on fancy clothes and pose for pictures. Thrilled! My mother has only been telling me to elope for at least ten years and she adores Lee.

  Really, you didn’t tell anyone?
  Sheesh. No. One. Nada. (Well except the witnesses, city hall folks and jeweler.)

  Pretty ring!
  Thanks. I’ll be sure to tell the person who owns it since it’s not mine. It’s on loan from a friend until mine come in (sometime in the next four weeks or so and they don’t look anything like this one).

  Pretty dress!
  Thanks. It was super comfy and it even had pockets! I didn’t even know that Nine West made dresses.

  When’s the big party?
  Never.

  Where are you registered?
  We’re not.

  Why didn’t you have a wedding?
  A bunch of reasons. I’ve been in the wedding party of six weddings. I’ve seen all the crazy. I’ve seen how bloody much it costs. No interest whatsoever. I’m not fond of weddings and neither is Lee (that is not to say we’re not thrilled for our friends who want them and have them, we are). Practically speaking, a wedding didn’t make sense. Pretty much all of Lee’s friends and family are in Ottawa. Mine really aren’t. All my family is in PEI and my friends are scattered around PEI, Montreal, Toronto, a couple out west, the US. We didn’t want to make anyone travel to a wedding that we didn’t even want. It would be ludicrous. Also, the amount of money that we’d spend on a wedding we’d rather put towards a house (we’re sometimes excessively practical).

  But at City Hall you can still have guests right?
  At Ottawa City Hall the marriage room accommodates ten people, including the couple getting married, the person performing the ceremony and the witnesses. Sure that leaves five people. If we told Lee’s parents my mother still wouldn’t be there. And how do you decide which friends you tell and which you don’t without seriously putting someone out? You don’t. So you do it quietly and tell no one. If we had told people it would have been too much like a “wedding” and we really didn’t want that. We did it the way we wanted it and make absolutely no apologies to anyone for how we did it. None.

  Was anyone upset?
  Well, Denise did say that I was trying to kill her. Heh. Patriarchy! (I did offer to let the black dog try to eat Lee but apparently he’s old now and probably no longer up to the task.)

  Are you changing your name?
  You really don’t know me do you? No.

  Are you pregnant?
  Hell no. (And yes, I’m sure.)

  Did you do anything after?
  We went out for a drink and dessert with our witnesses. Then home to make calls. Then out for dinner. Then home to write emails.

  Are you going on a honeymoon?
  We might go on a trip next winter. We’re running away to Toronto this weekend (something we’ve been debating on and off for two months) and going to Chicago in the summer (but since that’s for BlogHer it doesn’t really count).

  Did I miss anything?

• Lord, what fools these mortals be

  Date: 2009.04.01 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 16

  

  Not an April Fool`s joke.

  

  Patriarchy:1 Sassymonkey: 0