Ah-ha's!!

I've been attempting to cook and the first dish -GOOD, second dish - not so good!! I made a pasta with artichoke, onion, and tomato sauce with lots of different herbs and that was amazing!! Could have used a protein but i didnt have any but it was really good!! AH-HA!!! i didnt know i could do that!! Today i made an Asian noodle dish and it was good but WAY too fish saucy!! Again, minus a protein but its good it was missing because i wasnt overly impressed with myself and it might have been a waste of a protein. I think for tomorrow's dinner i'm just going to stick to what i'm good at and make eggs!  Or i'll just go back to my previous pasta dish seeing as i really surprised myself with it!!

I also think i'll bake tomorrow - i have a cookie receipe from Martha Stewart that i've always wanted to try so i think tomorrow might be the ideal lazy hazy rainy day to do it! I made my legendary brownies the other day and if i do say so myself they were AMAZING!!! i hadnt made them in a while and boy oh boy were they ever good!!

I always feel a sense of calm when i bake.  There is something about that just soothes my soul and calms me down and i feel very zen when i bake.  i dont know what it is about baking because once i'm done i have to clean and THAT is not calming at all!! Rather a nusence if you ask me not to mention a pain in the butt!! But (haha) when you're baking its amazing and just awesome and then when you get to the end and you see your creation its like AH-HA!! totally worth it!!

Speaking of Ah-ha's i've had quite a few during my yoga classes and they've been great moments!! I'm stopping less and less during class and more able to keep up.  I'm also able to do more and more positions AND i'm more flexible which is shocking - NEVER thought that would have happened!! I can actually do extended side angle which was next to impossible when i started.  Not to mention i've seen noticable differences in my body which is surprising. However, having said that, the chocolate that i am eating as we speak will go a LONG way to undoing any good i've done!

I've had some good Ah-ha's recently and i hope to keep them coming!

TTFN - thanks pooh bear!!

Blackout 2013 - where were you?!?!?

Ohhhhhh the Blackout! That blackout was something wasn't it?  We lost power right after 6pm and didn't get power back until after 10pm.  It was pitch black and it was raining like I have never seen! My mom and I had just gotten home from my doctors appointment - I had to wait for her because she went to pick up my aunt from the airport and she texted me to say that it was pitch black and pouring rain and for me to stay put.  Now its not that I didnt believe her but I looked outside the medical building and it looked fine! So i told her that i was going to go to the Chapters and then to the mall to wait for her.  I managed to get to Chapters with no problems and was literally inside for maybe less than 10 minutes, only to come back outside with my drink and it was pitch black right over the mall.  I had a moment of should I stay or should I go; will I make it to the mall, ultimately deciding to walk as quickly as I could.  I made it!! But just barely, BARELY! I walked into the mall and it became even darker and then it just started to rain, but it wasn't bad but it was raining. 

We got home just before 6pm and it was looking ominous, but my aunt insisted upon going home so she left.  THEN it just started to pour and then the lights went out! I was just about to warm up my dinner - suffice to say that didnt happen! I had to improvise so I had hummus and pita for dinner - not a good idea seeing as I was still hungry afterwards.

Now I dont know about your house but in our house, we don't really use every room in our house.  The living room is one of those rooms that we do not use.  That changed tonight! My mom and I spent the entire time in the living room with a bunch of candles.  Those couches are comfy! I've never actually spent enough time ON those couches to know how comfy they were!! I always knew I liked those couches, and I was right!!

So now with the power back on, we got to see the damage around the city and it wasnt good.  So to my fellow GTA'ers I hope everyone is safe, warm and tucked into bed.  Good night moon!

Peeved

Okay I don't think i mentioned that i am quite the fan of twitter.  I don't necessarily tweet very much (unless I'm upset or annoyed) I'm on it more to follow other people.  Since i follow other people i see the tweets and i wont specifically name the person i follow, however they tweeted yesterday about their friends sister who is undergoing their 4th cancer surgery. The responses to that tweet were mind boggling to say the least - many read, "oh we love you you're my favourite," "please follow me back" "why wont you tweet me back" "marry me i love you," "please come back to wherever" "please don't leave wherever" "you're so gorgeous" blah blah blah.  Are you freaking kidding me?!?! The tweet was about the cancer stricken friends sister NOT himself!! How can you tarnish that tweet with all that garbage?? Honestly, it was like the one time that the person in question posted something that was quite important and the response was OMG i love you?!?! Pay attention people don't loose perspective on what the issue was!! The issue is the sister!! The issue is cancer!!! The issue is that this is her 4th bloody surgery!!

Suffice to say i was not happy and tweeted back to all those people in question and i'd like to say good luck to Crystal, you'll be in my prayers and i hope everything goes well for you!! God bless you Crystal...

Jobs or the lack there of...

Ugh!!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but its been next to impossible to find a job!!! A full time job!! A REAL job - like a grown ups job!! You know, the nice 9am-5pm, benefits, vacation days, bonuses, type job.  IMPOSSIBLE!!! I think I've applied to over 150 jobs and I've only heard back from maybe a handful of them - literally a single handful only! Its incredibly frustrating and a bit disheartening.  Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my part time job in these economic times but I'm almost 30 and need a real job! I need an excuse to get out of bed at 7:30 in the morning and I'd like to be home before the sun comes down. I can't believe that I'm THIS unhireable, but then with nothing happening maybe I am, which leads to the "what is wrong with me," question? I graduated almost 4 years ago now and nothing - literally nothing!

I went to one interview that lead to a second interview.  The common theme during those interviews was that I don't have experience - but how am I supposed to get experience for an entry level job if no one will give me a job!?!? Does anyone else see the contradictions here? Further to that point, if its truly and entry level job how can you expect me to have 3-5 years experience? That is not entry level! More contradictions! 

I find it mind boggling, frustrating, disheartening, and discouraging.  But something has to change right - eventually...?

In honor of my first post I dedicate this to Elisa! So for this one I will impart a few random thoughts...here goes nothing!  First, if you are ever in downtown Toronto in Yorkville a visit to the new (and quite frankly only) gelato place is a MUST.  It is authentically Italian on the account that all you'll hear is Ciao, Prego, Gratzi, Bella, etc...all Italian! AND if you go you must must must try the lime & coriander lactose free gelato. Now I mention the lactose free part because you NEVER find lactose free gelato anywhere!! And before you ask yes its GOOD!! Like G-O-O-D good!! There a plethora of flavours as well for those of us who need the lactose free variety. 

My second random thought for the evening is about hot yoga.  I recently started going back to hot yoga and it was difficult! I had only been back for 2 weeks when I went on vacation and Monday was my first class back.  Monday as you will recall was hot, muggy, humid, and did I mention HOT! Add to that the fact that the class started out at 104F it was REALLY hot! I hadn't had the instructor who was leading the class before but I have to say she was really good. I really enjoyed her class, but I didn't DO very well in that class.  The heat coupled with the fact that I hadn't done any yoga for 2 almost 3 weeks made it incredibly difficult.  I was dizzy, light headed, and my stomach was all out of wack so I had to stop quite a few times to towel off and drink my water!  I felt terrible after the class too; I had to stay lying down for awhile and when I got up I felt like jello and not in a good way.  Then when I got home, I showered and immediately passed out! But today's class was AMAZING and more importantly, I feel amazing! I can almost feel myself getting better too, as if I'm stretching more and bending better. 

My final thought is on coffee.  If you happen to go to a Starbucks, you're probably guaranteed to see me there.  And yes, I am one of those crazy people who order those CRAZY drinks that have something written in every box on the cup.  But I do have a legitimate reason for it! I have colitis, specifically ulcerative colitis, which has triggered massive food sensitivities in my system.  So, yes my order is crazy but it has to be crazy so that I can still enjoy my cup of coffee.  So the next time you hear someone order something insane just remember there may actually be a specific reason for it.  For the record mine is a grande decafe 1-pump mocha soy (in the winter) and a grande decafe Starbucks double shot on ice with soy (during our lovely hot weather).

Yes I'm a hockey fan, I am Canadian after all, I love all things skulls, love music, love sharks specifically great white sharks (yes shark week on Discovery is my absolute favourite week of television), love food but it doesn't love me back, I donate my hair whenever its long enough and I think everyone who can should! and I  LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate (but really who doesn't) and apparently my nickname is Miniest Mel.  I have a nickname!

Omg, iguana's can swim - i totally did not know that.  Thank you Oasis HD I learned something new today! Okay that is it for today, good night!