So Long 2006

So Long 2006, originally uploaded by Ms Cin.

I've closed the books, filed (most) of the papers, considered a wrap party, but in the end, I think we did well to part so quietly.

Here's looking at you kid.

Things I Didn't Bake

What with one thing and another, all my hoped-for pre-Christmas baking time went towards other pressing concerns. But there was a wee bit of baking in the condo, courtesy of Lunctruckus Domesticus, who happily pulled out his mom's recipe for mince pies and made a mess of our kitchen the morning before Christmas.

They're gorgeous aren't they? They made the place smell heavenly, and the cats drool.

The best part? Lunchtruckus Domesticus tidies up nicely after himself, so the kitchen looked fabulous afterwards.

For You

Knitting & Jazz

Mocha & Yarn, originally uploaded by Ms Cin.

My knitting group had a different kind of night on Wednesday - we all met at Cito Espresso for an evening of knitting and jazz. It was the first time I'd been there, and I was pleasantly surprised - the design is fabulous (it feels like a loft set up by a serenely gifted minimalist), the coffee and desserts wonderful, and the music was inspired. If you haven't been to Cito Espresso, I say don't wait, pop in and check them out for yourself.

Snow Quoted

"It's champagne Thursday."
"But today is Friday."
Champagne Thursday came twice this week."
"Ah, for the third week in a row."
"Yeah, they're thinking of making it permanent."
"Like daylight savings time?"

- Zoe Deschanel to Sarah Jessica Parker
in the mess that was Failure To Launch

The past couple of weeks have been a little tougher than usual for us poor, temperate forest, coffee-quaffing Vancouverites. We've had bad rains & snow, we've had water advisories, we've had problems getting quality coffee. All of this has been A Very Big Deal.

How big? Try front-page of the paper big:

For anyone not from here, you probably think we've been making a ski mountain out of a (bunny) hill. Probably. But snow is a big deal around here, and to get it in November when we expect it in January is a shock to the system.

When I wasn't cursing the black ice beneath my feet, I tried to make the best of it, as only a devoted amateur photographer could.

By capturing some of my favourite locales:

Getting a kick out of the doggie fashions:

And recording how the animals were faring.

Yes, there's more on my flickr site.

Happy Friday everyone. I'm going home this afternoon and kicking off the weekend by celebrating Champagne Thursday!

The Adventures of Research Girl: Wine is Good

Last time it was diners, this time it's something a little more exotic (or possibly drunken)...

Photo by Lunchtruck

This past Saturday Lunchtruck and I ducked into the truck, bravely took on the freeway and the bridge, and eventually found ourselves driving along a winding road through some of the prettiest countryside I've seen in a while. There's a wonderful restfulness that comes from clearing your mind of everything except enjoying the view as it rolls by. I must be too used to being a multi-tasking demon, because it took a lot of effort to enjoy what was right in front of me instead of anticipating what was coming next.

The goal of our drive was Fort Langley's Fort Wine Company. Lunchtruck is in the midst of his final class for his certificate, and his assignment involves designing a wine bar and retail space. There's waaaay more to it than that of course, and its been a fairly stressful 3 weeks, but that's a whole other post...

The nice thing about going with him when he does his research is that it's another opportunity to learn. Maybe not as much about wine as I'd like (my brain seems incapable of remembering all the details), but definitely more about what elements make me comfortable and interested in returning to a shop. It's a little odd to realize that a combination of too high shelves and too little space between shelves is enough to get a shop struck off my list. I'm not picky, just short.

Now that I've been there, Fort Wine has a prized spot near the top - the place is so welcoming, and the smell! Heavenly. They produce a variety of fruit wines, and after trying a a few different flavours at their tasting bar, I have to say that a bottle of strawberry wine really needs to reside in my fridge at all times.

They're quite smart about their merchandising too - besides the regular wines, cordials, portages and ice wines, they also carry goodies from Milsean (like their Demerara Butter Crunch Bar) and local jams, jellies, BBQ sauces, salad dressings and ciders. Add in some lovely glassware, martini accessories and recycled flag wine bags made by the Coast Society, and it's pretty easy to start thinking about Christmas and hostess gifts.

We've got to go back soon. I don't think the cranberry wine we got to go with the Christmas Turkey is going to see December.

I Was Going to Call This a Gratuitous Pussy Shot, but Then I Thought That Might Offend Someone

He's spending the night at the vets again, his usual problem and then some. Her Highness is not pleased.

I miss his annoying habit of bonking things out of my hand, and for the first time in a while I was able to eat without him cat-sharking round my ankles.

I miss him. How will I sleep tonight?

Tuesday Morning Love List: The Blogger Beta Version

Those of you who read this regularly know I've been a little spotty on the Monday Morning Love List lately - #41 is overdue. This is NOT because I'm not loving things (far from it!) but because I've been a busy chica and haven't had the brain cells available to put it all together. Apologies. They will both eventually be back on a steady basis.

Now on to this week's version which is all about blogger beta. I've been using it for the past 2 weeks.

Love
- That the move was relatively painless.
- That there are many more template options and automated template customization options.
- That the page elements are laughably easy to maneuvre.
- That anyone with a bit of html knowledge can tweak the page elements/widgets even further (I haven't had time, but I will eventually tweak).
- That the preview page does not show you a larger-sized font preview - it shows you what you'll get.
- That saving is almost instantaneous.
- That you can see how many comments you've received on your posts while in the posting tab.

Not so Much
- That I can't post on a non-beta blog, so when dealing with blogger blogs, I get to click on the comment button and hope that they've not restricted access to just blogger people. Yes, Blogger knows about this and is working towards a solution.
- That I did have to spend a bit of time re-ordering and re-entering my links, but that's because I don't use blogroll.

So there you have it.

A non-blogger related love? I used a lovely Canon EF 20 - 35 f/2.8 lens on the weekend and was very pleased with the results. I'll post a few pics later this week.

Love - The possibilities a fresh week provides.

So... what's on your list today?

Scarlet Promises

It seemed somehow fitting that the first pre-planned fall knit shop trip dawned rainy and cool.

After months of working with mostly neutral yarns, I've been craving colour, something deep and rich and fun to work with. Enter this beautiful Alpaca and Silk mix yarn from Blue Sky Alpaca, which I picked up from the newest LYS, 3 Bags Full on Saturday.

I'm in love. It's soft, it's silky, it holds its shape remarkably well, and it's SCARLET!

I originally bought it because I wanted to expand my repertoire and try what's considered the easiest of the lace stitches, the Feather and Fan pattern. After casting on and doing about 5 inches of Jo Sharp's Misty Garden pattern (from Scarf Style), I realized that while I liked the pattern, it really wasn't for me. Rather than make something that I won't wear, I'd much rather find an alternate stitch pattern (or patterns) and make something I'll love.

Off to a birthday dinner with the in-laws.

Back

Just before I went on vacay I caught myself making a list of all the things I'm weary of. This was not an intentional list - it just emerged during a particularly quiet afternoon at work. The list was long and blunt. There was no prettiness, no tying things up nicely. The equivalent of a mental hairball.

It felt like an artifact from another person's life - a cranky person's life. A person who quite frankly, was probably maladjusted and ready to burn bridges.

So I did what any self-respecting whiner would do and took a road trip. And although on my first few days back I would have thought that it didn't help as much as I'd hoped, I can now say that it did, but it worked on such a level that it took a little longer to show results than I'd expected.

Am I more adjusted now? Well no. Actually, I'm more likely to speak my mind now....

Nocturnal Transmissions

It's late in the evening, an anguished yet curiously muffled “mrowr” can be heard. It's not the usual furry suspect either, so what's going on?

Oh. It's HER. She found mouse, dammit.

When mouse first arrived, it was pretty – red felt body, little green ears, dark yarn for a tail. Catnipped, of course.

A year down the road, it's been rubbed, body-checked, drooled on, stuffed under the oven, and now has no resemblance to a mouse, cute or not. And we can't throw it out. She finds it. She wanders with it in her mouth, yowling, late at night.

Sigh.

(Bus) Sheltered

I'm trying to decide if this ad is insulting or funny.

Grateful for Sunshine

It's been a hell day. One of those days when edginess is a bad thing, not a hip thing. Between computers being obtuse, people even more so, and printers having themselves hissy fits, it could have been all too easy to let the beginnings of my bad mood snowball.

I opted to go outside instead, with the hope that a dose of sunshine and some green and growing things might help ease me into a less cranky place.


This place worked its magic. I know it doesn't look like much,but believe me, there's something about a little bird song, the sound of the wind brushing through the leaves, and the sounds of someone singing in their office that just made the day that much brighter.

Perhaps because I've been listening to some of the older music from my collection lately, one of my favourite songs from Bridge Over Troubled Water popped into my head at the height of the afternoon madness, and kept playing over and over in my personal sound track:

"In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev’ry glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame,
“I am leaving, I am leaving”
But the fighter still remains…

A few times this past week I've considered just saying "I am leaving" to many things... and yet I remain, using what's at my disposal to stay centred, stay positive, and look for the beauty.

Research Girl Strikes Again!

So last week I donned my research assistant cap and went with the darling Lunchtruck on a tour of 50's style diners throughout Vancouver. His goal: check out decor, layout, circulation paths and all that interesting stuff designers consider when putting together a plan for a restaurant. Mine was easier - I meant to sit back, enjoy the decor, and focus on the food. And oh,what food there was to be had!

First stop: Sodas at 4497 Dunbar Street in Kerrisdale. This place has been around for 20 years, and according to our waitress was once a garage. The atmosphere is casual and fun, brightly coloured with comfy booths to sink into. They have a nice enclosed patio and counter seating at heights for adults and for little ones, which I thought was a nice touch..

If you go by on a hot day, spoil yourself and try one of their milkshakes, or the fruit smoothie. I got a chance to try both (my shake of choice was mocha) and both were deee-light-ful.

An added bonus is their bathroom mural, which took me by surprise with it's originality, so I had to share it....

Next up on the research trail was Moderne Burger at 2507 West Broadway. I'd been there before with the darling, but this was when the only thing on our mind was how hungry we were and how good their burgers smelled. We had intended to go back, but then there was a fire next door and they were closed for what felt like forever...

The burgers there are fabulous and huge - do yourself a favour and come hungry. I normally don't have shakes but I tried their Creamsicle shake and had my heart stolen. Best. Damn. Shake. Ever.


I really wasn't sure what I was going to walk into at Diner (1269 Hamilton Street, Yaletown), but I knew exactly what I'd had once I walked out, slightly tipsy Lunchtruck in hand. Heather Clark is a culinary genius and deserves all the fawning comments she's received. Seriously, that may have been one of the best meals I've ever had, and unlike most restaurants, her desserts were not a boring after-thought.

My suggestion? If you do one thing, have her chocolate souffle - it takes a while, it's not always available, but if you're a chocolate fan you may end up pulling a Meg Ryan in the restaurant a la "When Harry Met Sally". Not a chocolate fan? No problem - I tried the pavlova with fresh strawberries, lemon gelato and mint leaves. Yum.

Sunshine Diner at 2649 West Broadway is just plain fun. From the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew no matter what the service, I was going to be a happy camper walking out, and I was right. The decor is a happy blend of the typical black and white tile flooring, red and blue walls and accents everywhere, and neon,neon, neon.

The memorabilia is amazing; mostly Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, James Dean and the Beatles, other famous icons such as Betty Boop, James Cagney, Audrey Hepburn are highlighted. A great touch are the framed photographs of diners from across Canada and the US. As for the food? You won't be disappointed. This place is known for it's eggs Benedict, so naturally I've been working my way through the different variations. Shakes don't go well with breakfast, so I opted to enjoy a cup of tea instead, and even that rocked. Between their food and their music (70's disco, would you believe??) the place has a happy energy that's hard to resist.

So there you have it. Bon Appetit!

10:30 And All Is Still...

Apologies for the high yawn factor.

I've a slew of things I'm writing about, but they're all in the mole. The yowler is currently sorting through the detrius, and will probably choose something worthy enough once he's done making the bookmark his own.


He's an inquisitive little pest at the best of times.