Postcad from MarkusMUCCity from Germany
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Banned Books
While I was writing a post for The Great Book Challenge, I was trying to find the title of a book I read when I was about 11 or 12 - I picked it up at the library from a display of "banned books". It was about a young boy who's older brother was part of the resistance movement in World War II. Except the boy and his brother were resisting the Allied forces, not the Axis powers. They maybe lived in the Netherlands or possibly in Scandinavia, but I can't remember and of course, I can't find the book. My mom read it too and then asked if I had any questions about - I remember it being a difficult book because there was discussion of suicide and war and people disappearing in the night, but my biggest question was why would anyone ban a book? Followed by a question along the lines of "War is stupid, no matter what side you're on. Is it bad that I felt bad for the family in the book (I think the kid's name started with A) even though they were on the "other" side?" [My mom's answers: Because people are scared and no, it's not bad to feel empathy for people on the "other" side of a war. It's still a war and it's still horrible no matter which side you're on]
If you happen to know what book I'm vaguely referring to, please tell me.
Anyway. In the course of my internet searching I did find this great list of the top 110 banned books - with instructions to bold books you've read, colour books you'd like to read and italicize books you've read part of.Except there are only 109 books on this list because #58 disappeared.
And we all know I like lists.
So here it goes. It looks like I've read 15, read part of 4, which leaves 89 that I've never picked up. And that reminds me that even though I have a degree in English, I have read pathetically few of the books that most people consider the "classics" and I'm not really sure how I managed to get my degree without reading them...oh well...something to work on I guess! I didn't colour any because I recognized most of the titles and there are some I definitely want to read and some that I feel like I should read...and so then pretty much all of the 89 that are left would be coloured...
If you happen to know what book I'm vaguely referring to, please tell me.
Anyway. In the course of my internet searching I did find this great list of the top 110 banned books - with instructions to bold books you've read, colour books you'd like to read and italicize books you've read part of.Except there are only 109 books on this list because #58 disappeared.
And we all know I like lists.
So here it goes. It looks like I've read 15, read part of 4, which leaves 89 that I've never picked up. And that reminds me that even though I have a degree in English, I have read pathetically few of the books that most people consider the "classics" and I'm not really sure how I managed to get my degree without reading them...oh well...something to work on I guess! I didn't colour any because I recognized most of the titles and there are some I definitely want to read and some that I feel like I should read...and so then pretty much all of the 89 that are left would be coloured...
- The Bible
- Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
- The Koran
- Arabian Nights
- Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
- Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
- Essays by Michel de Montaigne
- Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
- Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
- Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
- Ulysses by James Joyce
- Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Candide by Voltaire
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Analects by Confucius
- Dubliners by James Joyce
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- Red and the Black by Stendhal
- Das Capital by Karl Marx
- Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
- Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys
- Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
- Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
- Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
- Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
- One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau
- Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais
- Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
- The Talmud
- Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
- American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
- Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
- A Separate Peace by John Knowles
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
- Popol Vuh
- Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith
- Satyricon by Petronius
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- Black Boy by Richard Wright
- Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
- Metaphysics by Aristotle
- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Institutes of the Christian Religion by Jean Calvin
- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
- The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
- Sanctuary by William Faulkner
- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
- Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
- Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Alexander Brown
- Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
- Emile Jean by Jacques Rousseau
- Nana by Emile Zola
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
- Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
- Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
- The Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
- Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Oscar, from a preschooler's perspective
Like many other people, on Sunday night we turned the TV on and watched the Academy Awards. I wasn't so entertained, but that's how it is. J doesn't understand what the Academy Awards are. As far as she's concerned, the only movie out there worth watching is the "Car Kids' Show" aka Cars 2.
Part way through the show, after a particular couple had been shown a few times this conversation happened:
J: Mommy, why is that sick lady on the TV?
Me: What sick lady?
J: The one on the TV.
Me: (looking at the screen and seeing some presenter who is a man and doesn't look sick) Which lady?
J: The one with the man who needs a bath.
Guess who J was referring to...she was pretty accurate in her description!
Part way through the show, after a particular couple had been shown a few times this conversation happened:
J: Mommy, why is that sick lady on the TV?
Me: What sick lady?
J: The one on the TV.
Me: (looking at the screen and seeing some presenter who is a man and doesn't look sick) Which lady?
J: The one with the man who needs a bath.
Guess who J was referring to...she was pretty accurate in her description!
Friday, February 10, 2012
The half-way point: 101 in 1001
Time for a 101 in 1001 update...I figured I'd write this post back at day 501, also known as January 28, 2012, but somehow that didn't happen.
Today is day 513. Not too far off.
At this point I've managed to complete 41 of my 101 things and there are 22 (I think) in progress. Which is pretty good I think. Some of the in progress items are big and some are almost complete, so I think I might be on track to get to 101. It might be close though. Thankfully I have over a year, so even some of the tough ones should be within reach.
I am a bit surprised that I have made over 50 new recipes already - some have made it into regular rotation and some will never be consumed at our house again. It was choosing recipes and I am still trying new stuff all the time - I may or may not blog about them, we'll see.
Our home is more home-like than it was 513 days ago. I've crossed off a few things and have made a lot of progress on others. There is a pretty good chance we'll be moving before all of the 1001 days have passed, so some of those goals might have to change. Like, if we do sell before we get a back splash installed in the kitchen, that goal will have to change. I can't imagine the new owners will want me to randomly show up and put tile up in their kitchen so I can cross something off a list on my blog. But you never know...
I'm enjoying this challenge immensely! It was a great way to motivate myself to do some of those things I've been putting off for a while and pushing myself a little harder...
Not sure if any of you are still out there, but if you are and you're doing a 101 in 1001 list, how is your list going?
Today is day 513. Not too far off.
At this point I've managed to complete 41 of my 101 things and there are 22 (I think) in progress. Which is pretty good I think. Some of the in progress items are big and some are almost complete, so I think I might be on track to get to 101. It might be close though. Thankfully I have over a year, so even some of the tough ones should be within reach.
I am a bit surprised that I have made over 50 new recipes already - some have made it into regular rotation and some will never be consumed at our house again. It was choosing recipes and I am still trying new stuff all the time - I may or may not blog about them, we'll see.
Our home is more home-like than it was 513 days ago. I've crossed off a few things and have made a lot of progress on others. There is a pretty good chance we'll be moving before all of the 1001 days have passed, so some of those goals might have to change. Like, if we do sell before we get a back splash installed in the kitchen, that goal will have to change. I can't imagine the new owners will want me to randomly show up and put tile up in their kitchen so I can cross something off a list on my blog. But you never know...
I'm enjoying this challenge immensely! It was a great way to motivate myself to do some of those things I've been putting off for a while and pushing myself a little harder...
Not sure if any of you are still out there, but if you are and you're doing a 101 in 1001 list, how is your list going?
Thursday, February 09, 2012
The Tiniest Girl Guide
19.3 Go on a 10 "adventures"
66. Take J camping, preferably in a tent
68. Take a holiday with J only
Okay, so technically she's not a Girl Guide...she's too young to even be a Spark, but J got to come with me to Guide camp this past weekend and she loved it!
The camp is up on the Sunshine Coast, so we had to take two buses from our place to the ferry where we met the group. Then on the other side we took a bus to camp. J loves riding the bus. Waiting in line? Not so much. She was a bit hungry, so she got to have a treat...rice krispie squares are great!
On Saturday, the girls tried a new way of making lunch - milk carton grilled cheese! I vaguely remember this from when I was a Guide - you make your sandwich, wrap it in three layers of foil, stuff it into a milk carton and either light the milk carton (which is what we did) or drop it into the fire. J wasn't too sure about this, but in the end she had a very nice grilled cheese. I'm pretty sure when we did it, it was a layer of foil, a layer of damp newspaper and another layer of foil. We cooked a lot in the fire when I was a kid - the first night of camp we usually all brought tinfoil dinners - frozen veggies, a piece of chicken, and some potatoes and a bit of butter in a foil packet with newspaper and more foil wrapped around it...We also did s'mores and banana boats in the fire.
Saturday night the girls decorated their own t-shirt. J figured she had died and gone to heaven. Not only was she allowed to use permanent markers, she was encouraged to draw all over a piece of clothing and no one was going to ask her to stop!
Plus she got to sit with the big kids and pretend to be one too! When you're three, this is a very big deal - many smiles for small faces!
Sunday morning, J took her massive bag of Cheerios and came for a walk with some of the girls. We don't buy dry cereal very often - we eat a lot of oatmeal in the winter and smoothies when it's warmer - so J figured this was a pretty special treat!
One of the advantages of being little is that the big kids take really good care of you. J didn't even had to ask for a ride in the wagon, the girls suggested it. (Check out the J-designed shirt from the night before)
J walked up to the highway from the camp site (she walked in under her own steam on Friday too) and didn't complain once about the long walk - I think it's under 1 km. I was quite proud of her as some of the girls complained the whole way.
On the bus back to the ferry terminal, J got to sit in her favourite seat ever - the window seat at the very back of the bus!
We waited for Alex and had a warm drink and a snack (more rice krispie squares!) and J chatted almost non-stop about all the fun stuff she did this weekend and the big-girl kids and the other leaders and the ocean. I'm pretty sure she had a great time! I can't wait to do it again (maybe next time we can sleep in a tent...)
66. Take J camping, preferably in a tent
68. Take a holiday with J only
Okay, so technically she's not a Girl Guide...she's too young to even be a Spark, but J got to come with me to Guide camp this past weekend and she loved it!
The camp is up on the Sunshine Coast, so we had to take two buses from our place to the ferry where we met the group. Then on the other side we took a bus to camp. J loves riding the bus. Waiting in line? Not so much. She was a bit hungry, so she got to have a treat...rice krispie squares are great!
what are you doing to my sandwich?
lighting it on fire?
On Saturday, the girls tried a new way of making lunch - milk carton grilled cheese! I vaguely remember this from when I was a Guide - you make your sandwich, wrap it in three layers of foil, stuff it into a milk carton and either light the milk carton (which is what we did) or drop it into the fire. J wasn't too sure about this, but in the end she had a very nice grilled cheese. I'm pretty sure when we did it, it was a layer of foil, a layer of damp newspaper and another layer of foil. We cooked a lot in the fire when I was a kid - the first night of camp we usually all brought tinfoil dinners - frozen veggies, a piece of chicken, and some potatoes and a bit of butter in a foil packet with newspaper and more foil wrapped around it...We also did s'mores and banana boats in the fire.
Saturday night the girls decorated their own t-shirt. J figured she had died and gone to heaven. Not only was she allowed to use permanent markers, she was encouraged to draw all over a piece of clothing and no one was going to ask her to stop!
Plus she got to sit with the big kids and pretend to be one too! When you're three, this is a very big deal - many smiles for small faces!
Sunday morning, J took her massive bag of Cheerios and came for a walk with some of the girls. We don't buy dry cereal very often - we eat a lot of oatmeal in the winter and smoothies when it's warmer - so J figured this was a pretty special treat!
can we stay longer?
I love this camp - it's such a peaceful and beautiful place and I really didn't want to go home on Sunday. J had a great time, but she was ready to see her dad. We had a few tears because there were "no boys allowed" at camp and she wanted her dad to be there. We're talking about going back again for a longer stay (without Alex), but she wants to go to the Sunshine Coast with him too (maybe a little vacation this summer?)
One of the advantages of being little is that the big kids take really good care of you. J didn't even had to ask for a ride in the wagon, the girls suggested it. (Check out the J-designed shirt from the night before)
J walked up to the highway from the camp site (she walked in under her own steam on Friday too) and didn't complain once about the long walk - I think it's under 1 km. I was quite proud of her as some of the girls complained the whole way.
going to see Daddy soon!
On the bus back to the ferry terminal, J got to sit in her favourite seat ever - the window seat at the very back of the bus!
We waited for Alex and had a warm drink and a snack (more rice krispie squares!) and J chatted almost non-stop about all the fun stuff she did this weekend and the big-girl kids and the other leaders and the ocean. I'm pretty sure she had a great time! I can't wait to do it again (maybe next time we can sleep in a tent...)
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Cousin date
A long time ago, before Christmas, Alex and I took some time off work to do pre-Christmas stuff like shop and bake and decorate, but we also figured we'd do some fun stuff. J and her cousin Baby C love playing together and since it was kind of wintery (which means wet) in Vancouver, we decided we'd go to the aquarium together.
This bubble windows are in what used to be the hands on section for kids. I think they had made the area into a waiting area for the theatre (the hands on stuff had moved...check out the kid on the phone below!), but the windows were still there. The girls had a great time watching them - the windows change colour too!
Baby C (who isn't really a baby anymore and will actually be a big sister in a few weeks) has never been to the aquarium before. She loved the wide open spaces and basically followed J around and did whatever J did.
J loved this phone the very first time we brought her to the aquarium and apparently she still loves it. We had a hard time convincing her to put it down so we could check out some more of the animals.
J sat on Alex's shoulders and was totally mesmerized by the dolphin show. C ran away from her mom as fast as she could. I think she took in all of the outdoor exhibits in less than four minute!
And of course a visit to the aquarium would not be complete if we didn't visit the belugas! J wears her beluga shirt every time we go...I don't know what we'll do when she outgrows it!
This bubble windows are in what used to be the hands on section for kids. I think they had made the area into a waiting area for the theatre (the hands on stuff had moved...check out the kid on the phone below!), but the windows were still there. The girls had a great time watching them - the windows change colour too!
Baby C (who isn't really a baby anymore and will actually be a big sister in a few weeks) has never been to the aquarium before. She loved the wide open spaces and basically followed J around and did whatever J did.
J loved this phone the very first time we brought her to the aquarium and apparently she still loves it. We had a hard time convincing her to put it down so we could check out some more of the animals.
J sat on Alex's shoulders and was totally mesmerized by the dolphin show. C ran away from her mom as fast as she could. I think she took in all of the outdoor exhibits in less than four minute!
And of course a visit to the aquarium would not be complete if we didn't visit the belugas! J wears her beluga shirt every time we go...I don't know what we'll do when she outgrows it!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry Some More
38.7 - 38.11 Eat at ten new restaurants or coffee shops
Yum yum...the last five for this challenge. Which of course doesn't mean I'm never going to go to a new-to-me restaurant ever again. I might just do that later on today...
New Oxford Public House
Alex and I decided we were going on a real date for our anniversary this year, so we got a sitter for J and decided to go to dinner and then a concert. But we wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before for dinner. I got a bunch of suggestions from a bunch of people and we eventually settled on one my boss suggested, the New Oxford Public House in Yaletown.
Alex made a reservation and thank goodness he did because much to our surprise, we chose to go to Yaletown in the middle of Taste of Yaletown.
We decided to go with the set menu - it was choice of an appetizer, main and dessert and for $10 more it included a cocktail or beer pairing with each course as well. So, we went with the $35 dollar option. We both had the same appetizer - a yummy soup (the other choice was a salad and it was cold and wet outside, so soup it was). Alex had pasta and I had steak and we shared the two desserts. Alex chose the beer pairings and I had the cocktails and it was all so good.
We quite enjoyed our meals...if we weren't heading off to a concert, I would have been happy to hang out there all night! Check out the ceiling...
Saturday's Fish & Chips
We met Alex's family for Alex's mom's favourite, fish and chips at Saturday's in Surrey.
J ordered salmon - I've never seen salmon on a fish and chips menu before, but it was good and she ate the whole thing much to the amazement of her uncle, cousin and grandparents (salmon happens to be her favourite food).
The fish was tasty - not too much batter - the chips were perfect. It was good. It's too bad it's so far from home ... or we'd be there more often.The booths were huge - all seven of us fit in one booth...
J would love it too...she loved the dessert Papa ordered for her...and I'm sure she'd like to have one every night!
BoatHouse Kitsilano
No pictures of this one...we were here for a work function. We started with some of the yummiest crab cakes I have ever had and then I had the chicken and prawn bowl with green curry. It was good. I love seafood, but that day I really just wanted chicken strips. Hello, boring, but the curry was scrumptious and I was more than happy that I chose something far more interesting than chicken strips!
I didn't think I'd ever been to the BoatHouse before and I know for sure that I've never been to the one at Kits Beach, but as I wandered around their website, I realized that years ago, when I was a student, my aunt came to town and took me to the one in Richmond. And after however many months of cafeteria food, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Luke's Corner Bar & Kitchen
A few days after Christmas, my mom and dad showed up at our place and kicked us out. They took J for lunch and sent us to find lunch elsewhere. We decided to walk up Granville and try somewhere new to us. We knew if we couldn't find the right place for a post-Christmas lunch, we there were a few standbys along there to fall back on.
We settled on Luke's (which is where Red Door was). We were starving so we started with a prawn appetizer that was super tasty.
Alex and I ended up ordering the same juicy bacon cheeseburger. It was soooo good. Alex ordered the shoestring fries and I kept stealing them - they were perfect! No over cooked or limp ones in this batch.
I ordered sweet potato fries that Alex kept stealing, so I guess we're even! Alex's came with homemade ketchup which he traded for my chipotle mayo. I loved the ketchup. And if you know me, you probably know that I am not a condiment fan, but I ate all of the ketchup. I might just have to try my hand at making ketchup next tomato season!
Our only complaint was some kind of inconsistent service. We think we might have arrived right at shift change as the servers all seemed to switch a few minutes after we arrived. When someone finally came to take our drink (and by then food) order, the server looked surprised to see anyone seated at our table...they seemed to sort it out eventually and our last (of three) servers was awesome. We'll go back and give the service another chance for sure - but the food was awesome, no question!
Boulangerie la Parisienne - Yaletown Cafe
We were in Yaletown last weekend to get J's haircut and of course she was starving afterwards, so we went across the street to this little café. J wasn't so sure about it until she saw this:
So many choice and she didn't know what to choose - blueberries, raspberries, mixed berries. I'm certain she would have had one of each if we'd let her.
Underneath the berries was cream and custard and the pastry was coated in chocolate. Yummy.
I had an almond pain au chocolat. I tried really hard to imagine myself in Paris, but it didn't quite work. Pastries were tasty though! Thanks Rebecca for suggesting it.
Yum yum...the last five for this challenge. Which of course doesn't mean I'm never going to go to a new-to-me restaurant ever again. I might just do that later on today...
New Oxford Public House
Alex and I decided we were going on a real date for our anniversary this year, so we got a sitter for J and decided to go to dinner and then a concert. But we wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before for dinner. I got a bunch of suggestions from a bunch of people and we eventually settled on one my boss suggested, the New Oxford Public House in Yaletown.
Alex made a reservation and thank goodness he did because much to our surprise, we chose to go to Yaletown in the middle of Taste of Yaletown.
We decided to go with the set menu - it was choice of an appetizer, main and dessert and for $10 more it included a cocktail or beer pairing with each course as well. So, we went with the $35 dollar option. We both had the same appetizer - a yummy soup (the other choice was a salad and it was cold and wet outside, so soup it was). Alex had pasta and I had steak and we shared the two desserts. Alex chose the beer pairings and I had the cocktails and it was all so good.
We quite enjoyed our meals...if we weren't heading off to a concert, I would have been happy to hang out there all night! Check out the ceiling...
Saturday's Fish & Chips
We met Alex's family for Alex's mom's favourite, fish and chips at Saturday's in Surrey.
J ordered salmon - I've never seen salmon on a fish and chips menu before, but it was good and she ate the whole thing much to the amazement of her uncle, cousin and grandparents (salmon happens to be her favourite food).
The fish was tasty - not too much batter - the chips were perfect. It was good. It's too bad it's so far from home ... or we'd be there more often.The booths were huge - all seven of us fit in one booth...
J would love it too...she loved the dessert Papa ordered for her...and I'm sure she'd like to have one every night!
BoatHouse Kitsilano
No pictures of this one...we were here for a work function. We started with some of the yummiest crab cakes I have ever had and then I had the chicken and prawn bowl with green curry. It was good. I love seafood, but that day I really just wanted chicken strips. Hello, boring, but the curry was scrumptious and I was more than happy that I chose something far more interesting than chicken strips!
I didn't think I'd ever been to the BoatHouse before and I know for sure that I've never been to the one at Kits Beach, but as I wandered around their website, I realized that years ago, when I was a student, my aunt came to town and took me to the one in Richmond. And after however many months of cafeteria food, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Luke's Corner Bar & Kitchen
A few days after Christmas, my mom and dad showed up at our place and kicked us out. They took J for lunch and sent us to find lunch elsewhere. We decided to walk up Granville and try somewhere new to us. We knew if we couldn't find the right place for a post-Christmas lunch, we there were a few standbys along there to fall back on.
We settled on Luke's (which is where Red Door was). We were starving so we started with a prawn appetizer that was super tasty.
Alex and I ended up ordering the same juicy bacon cheeseburger. It was soooo good. Alex ordered the shoestring fries and I kept stealing them - they were perfect! No over cooked or limp ones in this batch.
I ordered sweet potato fries that Alex kept stealing, so I guess we're even! Alex's came with homemade ketchup which he traded for my chipotle mayo. I loved the ketchup. And if you know me, you probably know that I am not a condiment fan, but I ate all of the ketchup. I might just have to try my hand at making ketchup next tomato season!
Our only complaint was some kind of inconsistent service. We think we might have arrived right at shift change as the servers all seemed to switch a few minutes after we arrived. When someone finally came to take our drink (and by then food) order, the server looked surprised to see anyone seated at our table...they seemed to sort it out eventually and our last (of three) servers was awesome. We'll go back and give the service another chance for sure - but the food was awesome, no question!
Boulangerie la Parisienne - Yaletown Cafe
We were in Yaletown last weekend to get J's haircut and of course she was starving afterwards, so we went across the street to this little café. J wasn't so sure about it until she saw this:
So many choice and she didn't know what to choose - blueberries, raspberries, mixed berries. I'm certain she would have had one of each if we'd let her.
Underneath the berries was cream and custard and the pastry was coated in chocolate. Yummy.
I had an almond pain au chocolat. I tried really hard to imagine myself in Paris, but it didn't quite work. Pastries were tasty though! Thanks Rebecca for suggesting it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
38.3 - 38.6 Eat at ten new restaurants or coffee shops
After a slowish start, I've actually surpassed my goal of visiting ten new (to me) restaurants or coffee shops and I'm only about half way into the 101 in 1001 challenge. It would seem that the little kerfuffle that came along with my review of a local coffee shop put me off updating the rest of the new places we visited.
Here are the first four, starting back in April.
Dockside Restaurant at the Granville Island Hotel
The first time we visited, it was for my sisters' big birthday back in April. I think we've been two or three more times since then. I love the Malay Shrimp Omelette. Yum. Now I want one. I think that's the only breakfast item I've ordered.
The last time we went was for drinks and appetizers and dessert after the Wizard of Oz. It was later in the evening and the kitchen was about to close, but the spring rolls were sooooo good. Alex had some kind of dessert and loved it. They brought J a hot chocolate and made sure it was just lukewarm.
They were awesome with J - they have a selection of high chairs and booster seats and a good kids' menu.
We'll be back for sure. Alex and I are planning to go there for a grown up dinner one night some time soon...
Pacifico Pizzeria
J and I came here with my mom one night at the end of July. I thought I took a picture of the brick pizza oven, but it looks like the only thing I managed to get a (not blurry) picture of was my gnocchi. Everything we had was delicious - my mom's food came out on a long platter (it might have been some kind of ravioli? squash maybe?) and J had a yummy pizza. When the meal came, I figured there was no way I'd eat all of it, but I polished it off. We also had dessert(s)...I can't remember what they were or how many we had, but J definitely had ice cream!
This restaurant is right by the movie theatre on Burrard and would be a great place to visit before (or after) a movie. I'm looking forward to going back with Alex who has a great appreciation for Italian food. (note: I just checked out the yelp/urbanspoon and they were super mixed, particularly not liking the menu changes this fall...maybe we'll rethink going back? We'll see...)
Nuba
Way back in August, my parents very kindly took J to Kelowna with them for a little holiday. That meant I got to do things I'd done before I became a mommy. Things like go out for dinner after work and not get a babysitter and not have to choose somewhere kid friendly and not have to worry about what time I got home at.
Heather and I met at Nuba for dinner. I'd never been to this particular Nuba before - I'd been to the one at Cambie and Hastings, but I had no idea there was one on 3rd near Main.
The food was delicious! I had (if I'm remembering correctly) falafels and most likely hummus and (I know I'm remembering this correctly) grapefruit juice. I loved the cinder block walls. The atmosphere was great. I was really early because my time-and-distance-estimating-skills-when-driving-a-personal-motor-vehicle are a bit sketchy at times, but no one seemed to mind that I pulled out my book while I waited for Heather (I've had people give me dirty looks in a restaurant for reading before...)
Transylvania Flavour
I did NOT want to go this restaurant. I was going out with a group of people and someone else was in charge of choosing the restaurant (sorry no pictures). I had walked by this place often when we lived in theghetto pink palace and noticed it, but not really noticed it.
Before we went, I checked out the menu and I still didn't want to go there. I was so not impressed and I was totally craving something else. I just didn't know what.
Again, due to my super awesome time-and-distance-estimating-skills-when-driving-a-personal-motor-vehicle I was quite early. The hostess figured out which table was ours - there was only one reservation that size and it must have been listed under the name Snuffleupagus because I tried the names of pretty much everyone in the party and she didn't have any of them. She finally asked me how big our party was and said, well, there's only one that size, so it must be yours. I never did find out what name it was made under.
Anyway. She was very cheerful and friendly and came over to check on me a few times before the rest of the gang arrived. By then I'd sort of come out of my funk and decided to order chicken paprikash.
It was so good.
The chicken was falling off the bone, the crisped beans were so good and the gnocchi was delicious. I'd never had gnocchi like that before. I think it was cooked and then pan fried and it was divine. There was a lot of food - I took some home for Alex and he said it was great the next day too.
The person next to me had the perogies and a second appetizer (I can't remember which one) and she said they were awesome. The food all looked so good.
I didn't end up having dessert, but the vie en vert cake (lemon and basil meringue cake) got rave reviews.
After a slowish start, I've actually surpassed my goal of visiting ten new (to me) restaurants or coffee shops and I'm only about half way into the 101 in 1001 challenge. It would seem that the little kerfuffle that came along with my review of a local coffee shop put me off updating the rest of the new places we visited.
Here are the first four, starting back in April.
Dockside Restaurant at the Granville Island Hotel
The first time we visited, it was for my sisters' big birthday back in April. I think we've been two or three more times since then. I love the Malay Shrimp Omelette. Yum. Now I want one. I think that's the only breakfast item I've ordered.
The last time we went was for drinks and appetizers and dessert after the Wizard of Oz. It was later in the evening and the kitchen was about to close, but the spring rolls were sooooo good. Alex had some kind of dessert and loved it. They brought J a hot chocolate and made sure it was just lukewarm.
They were awesome with J - they have a selection of high chairs and booster seats and a good kids' menu.
We'll be back for sure. Alex and I are planning to go there for a grown up dinner one night some time soon...
Pacifico Pizzeria
J and I came here with my mom one night at the end of July. I thought I took a picture of the brick pizza oven, but it looks like the only thing I managed to get a (not blurry) picture of was my gnocchi. Everything we had was delicious - my mom's food came out on a long platter (it might have been some kind of ravioli? squash maybe?) and J had a yummy pizza. When the meal came, I figured there was no way I'd eat all of it, but I polished it off. We also had dessert(s)...I can't remember what they were or how many we had, but J definitely had ice cream!
This restaurant is right by the movie theatre on Burrard and would be a great place to visit before (or after) a movie. I'm looking forward to going back with Alex who has a great appreciation for Italian food. (note: I just checked out the yelp/urbanspoon and they were super mixed, particularly not liking the menu changes this fall...maybe we'll rethink going back? We'll see...)
Nuba
Way back in August, my parents very kindly took J to Kelowna with them for a little holiday. That meant I got to do things I'd done before I became a mommy. Things like go out for dinner after work and not get a babysitter and not have to choose somewhere kid friendly and not have to worry about what time I got home at.
Heather and I met at Nuba for dinner. I'd never been to this particular Nuba before - I'd been to the one at Cambie and Hastings, but I had no idea there was one on 3rd near Main.
The food was delicious! I had (if I'm remembering correctly) falafels and most likely hummus and (I know I'm remembering this correctly) grapefruit juice. I loved the cinder block walls. The atmosphere was great. I was really early because my time-and-distance-estimating-skills-when-driving-a-personal-motor-vehicle are a bit sketchy at times, but no one seemed to mind that I pulled out my book while I waited for Heather (I've had people give me dirty looks in a restaurant for reading before...)
Transylvania Flavour
I did NOT want to go this restaurant. I was going out with a group of people and someone else was in charge of choosing the restaurant (sorry no pictures). I had walked by this place often when we lived in the
Before we went, I checked out the menu and I still didn't want to go there. I was so not impressed and I was totally craving something else. I just didn't know what.
Again, due to my super awesome time-and-distance-estimating-skills-when-driving-a-personal-motor-vehicle I was quite early. The hostess figured out which table was ours - there was only one reservation that size and it must have been listed under the name Snuffleupagus because I tried the names of pretty much everyone in the party and she didn't have any of them. She finally asked me how big our party was and said, well, there's only one that size, so it must be yours. I never did find out what name it was made under.
Anyway. She was very cheerful and friendly and came over to check on me a few times before the rest of the gang arrived. By then I'd sort of come out of my funk and decided to order chicken paprikash.
It was so good.
The chicken was falling off the bone, the crisped beans were so good and the gnocchi was delicious. I'd never had gnocchi like that before. I think it was cooked and then pan fried and it was divine. There was a lot of food - I took some home for Alex and he said it was great the next day too.
The person next to me had the perogies and a second appetizer (I can't remember which one) and she said they were awesome. The food all looked so good.
I didn't end up having dessert, but the vie en vert cake (lemon and basil meringue cake) got rave reviews.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Oh hello 2012, yes I am a bit behind the times...
Well, I was going to do a 2012 resolutions goals post, but I didn't get around to it. And then I thought, meh, why can't I do it now, 11 days into 2012? I normally don't make resolutions because I figure if I want to set a goal or make a change, I may as well start now...I don't have to wait until January 1, because sometimes that's a long wait (e.g. 355 days from now if I thought up something brilliant today)
So what will 2012 hold for me? I have no idea. But I hope I can take it in stride. In the past, the way 2011 ended would have had me living life as a raging insomniac with an upset stomach. But this time it didn't and I'd like to see that continue this year. Nothing was particularly horrible. Mostly it was stuff that I couldn't change and that would sort itself out on its own and until that happened, I just had to live with it one way or another.
That sounds cryptic.
It isn't meant to be.
Let's see. I can't really give a good example, but here's something that happened before with my job that is similar but different to my job situation in December. Let's pretend that's what's happening now.
There are things happening in a number of departments, some closely associated with mine, some not remotely associated with mine, that likely will impact the nature of my job and quite possibly my job description in the next 3-6 months. I can't do anything to change those things and the result of a change in one department can easily cause something in another department to do a 180. So, in the next 3-6 months, my job will
(a) stay the same
(b) have a huge change in job description and no change in salary
(c) have a huge change in job description and a change in salary
(d) stay the same but I'll be in a different department
(e) disappear
In a perfect world the best outcome would be (c), followed by (a), but at this point I can't do anything other than prepare for the worst possible outcome and then put it out of my mind. Because otherwise I'll go crazy.
So I've done that. I updated my resume (which I probably should every 6 months anyway) and I go to work every day like I usually do. And I'm okay with that. A few years ago, I'd be all stressed out over it and it would be making me miserable.
I also said no to bunch of Christmas stuff. I decided we didn't need to have cookies. Because I didn't have time for them. I love doing the Christmas baking and most of the time find it quite enjoyable, but when it becomes a rush to beat the clock and I end up staying up too late, well, it sucks. So I didn't bake this year. And do you know what? Christmas was awesome! I didn't even notice the missing baking and if anyone else noticed, they didn't say anything.
So what are my goals for 2012?
1. Exercise a minimum of twice a week with Georgia
2. Go to yoga regularly (once a week at work) and try to do yoga at least 4 days a week
3. Stick to our weekly menu plan - I can't believe how much bigger our grocery bill is when we don't stick to it - not necessarily because of eating out either
4. Sort out the storage issue
5. Get moving on our plan to move (this is not an imminent move - it's a good 6 months away, but we figure it could take up to 24 months...)
6. Hone my cribbage skills in preparation for SACO 2012
7. Finish up the list of tasks from 52 weeks of organizing
Some of those are big goals - like #5 - that have multiple little steps on the route to accomplishment. Some are smaller - like #1 - #3 - and I just have to make time to do them regularly.
So 2012, here I come...I'm going to do my best to not fret about things that are out of my control and do my best to stay focused on small steps to reach bigger goals.
So what will 2012 hold for me? I have no idea. But I hope I can take it in stride. In the past, the way 2011 ended would have had me living life as a raging insomniac with an upset stomach. But this time it didn't and I'd like to see that continue this year. Nothing was particularly horrible. Mostly it was stuff that I couldn't change and that would sort itself out on its own and until that happened, I just had to live with it one way or another.
That sounds cryptic.
It isn't meant to be.
Let's see. I can't really give a good example, but here's something that happened before with my job that is similar but different to my job situation in December. Let's pretend that's what's happening now.
There are things happening in a number of departments, some closely associated with mine, some not remotely associated with mine, that likely will impact the nature of my job and quite possibly my job description in the next 3-6 months. I can't do anything to change those things and the result of a change in one department can easily cause something in another department to do a 180. So, in the next 3-6 months, my job will
(a) stay the same
(b) have a huge change in job description and no change in salary
(c) have a huge change in job description and a change in salary
(d) stay the same but I'll be in a different department
(e) disappear
In a perfect world the best outcome would be (c), followed by (a), but at this point I can't do anything other than prepare for the worst possible outcome and then put it out of my mind. Because otherwise I'll go crazy.
So I've done that. I updated my resume (which I probably should every 6 months anyway) and I go to work every day like I usually do. And I'm okay with that. A few years ago, I'd be all stressed out over it and it would be making me miserable.
I also said no to bunch of Christmas stuff. I decided we didn't need to have cookies. Because I didn't have time for them. I love doing the Christmas baking and most of the time find it quite enjoyable, but when it becomes a rush to beat the clock and I end up staying up too late, well, it sucks. So I didn't bake this year. And do you know what? Christmas was awesome! I didn't even notice the missing baking and if anyone else noticed, they didn't say anything.
So what are my goals for 2012?
1. Exercise a minimum of twice a week with Georgia
2. Go to yoga regularly (once a week at work) and try to do yoga at least 4 days a week
3. Stick to our weekly menu plan - I can't believe how much bigger our grocery bill is when we don't stick to it - not necessarily because of eating out either
4. Sort out the storage issue
5. Get moving on our plan to move (this is not an imminent move - it's a good 6 months away, but we figure it could take up to 24 months...)
6. Hone my cribbage skills in preparation for SACO 2012
7. Finish up the list of tasks from 52 weeks of organizing
Some of those are big goals - like #5 - that have multiple little steps on the route to accomplishment. Some are smaller - like #1 - #3 - and I just have to make time to do them regularly.
So 2012, here I come...I'm going to do my best to not fret about things that are out of my control and do my best to stay focused on small steps to reach bigger goals.
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