A-Visiting I Shall Go

The weather outside isn't worth talking about, so to cheer myself up I decided to visit some of my favourite domestically-minded blogs.

First up was the much needed Paris Breakfast, home of Carol Gillot's exquisitely done watercolours. I love the way she chooses a topic and runs with it, sharing not just her watercolours but her photos, often dropping in one or two tidbits of historical trivia that I would never otherwise learn. The best part (aside from the writing, the photos and the paintings)? No sugar rush.

Next was a visit to Sandra's Ravenhill Cottage. I discovered her blog a few months ago, and a visit with her always leaves me pondering something new. A fellow fan of the defunct Victoria magazine, she's constantly sourcing out interesting and sometimes little known books about a variety of vintage or domestic topics. Her past few posts have ranged from home decor tips and victorian doll houses to the joys of tea.

Melange is a Virginian blog that I simply don't visit as often as I ought, and I'm reminded of this every time I finally do get there. Her life and past expereinces are far different from mine, and I think that's exactly what brings me back - she writes about a Southern life I've only read about in books...

A more recent discovery is Under a Blue Moon. Written by Andrea out of Northen California, it's an absolute trove of goodies. I always enjoy her posts, and love the fact that she shares her home and surroundings - it appeals to the voyeur in me. I love where I live, but every once in a while I have random daydreams about a bungalow built for two with a rose garden and room for dogs, and visiting her is the next best thing.

A trip of this type is never complete without dropping in to Christine's Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea site. I've mentioned it recently in relation to the US's National Hot Tea Month, but that only nicked the tip of what she writes about. If you like yummy recipes (or just want to ooh and aah over the related food porn photos), hers is one of the best sites to go to. Visiting her reminds me of one of my more attainable goals, which is to get out of my comfort zone and try new flavours.

Apparently One Monday This Week Wasn't Enough

This morning started off with cat yak. Specifically, cat yak on the bed. Have you ever woken up that way? I don't recommend it.

Only partly awake, I struggled to pull the duvet off the bed so I could throw the cover in to wash. I hung the soggy duvet off the back of my favourite Yowler's sleeping chair so that I could survey the damage, then realized my eyes were refusing to focus and it would have to wait until I was actually functional. I found a couple of blankets, threw one over Lunchtruck (who hadn't yet progressed past the ...snore...Wha?... part of consciousness) checked on Her Highness (who was looking very ashamed because of course, she'd done the yakking, poor thing), and went back to bed with only one coherent thought:

Oh, it's gonna be a doozy of a day.

After walking to work in the slush I was pretty sure of it. I love the city I live in, but I have a poor opinion of the state of some of it's streets, especially in the Yaletown/Downtown area. Perhaps it's because of all the construction, but there are some areas that are difficult to negotiate dry or wet, and when it's slushing they are downright treacherous. I'm talking potholes with potholes, crevices big enough to catch a size 5 foot in, pavement so uneven that vehicles bounce when they go over it, thus requiring any female drivers to invest in steel-girdered bras... Basically it was slippy and slidey with a side of scary.

Eventually I got to work (late) and had to start my work day sans tea - not great, but I could manage that for one day. Midmorning I decided to prep the oatmeal I'd brought with me; I managed to get the water and oatmeal into the container without mishap, got it into the microwave without spilling, putting in only HALF the amount of time suggested and...

You know what's coming, right?

The damn container exploded.

The microwaveable one I've been using on and off for the past 6 months. The one I've NEVER had a problem with before. That one.

I opened the door, looked in and started giggling. I couldn't help it.

Still giggling I asked the lady who runs the cafeteria for a cloth so I could clean up the mess. She took one look at the the tray I was holding, and she started giggling.

Apparently she thought it looked like yak.

I lost it. I was laughing so hard I could barely breath, and she was right there with me. My morning had been a fiasco, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The good news? The Monday Godz took pity on me, because the rest of the day went smoothly. Well, except for the fact that I got mistaken for someone's ex-girlfriend during my lunch break, but that's another story...

The Cocooning Continues

I spent most of the freezing cold Vancouver weekend in my jammies. My mauve fleece jammies with skiing penguins on them, to be exact.

You'd think a grown woman wouldn't do that sort of thing anymore, but in my world this is a much-needed regular occurrence. In fact, it's safe to say that I've become quite fierce about my jammy days, and once decided on I rarely give them up.

The reason is simple - a day in jammies comes accompanied with endless pots of tea, hours under the duvet with a book or an old movie, and feline accompaniment of the most approving sort (because really, the only time they don't approve of lazing about is when tummy alarms are ringing). In short, it's a day when I don't have to answer to anyone (literally) and a chance to get my equilibrium back after a week or three of dealing with silly twits misguided individuals.

I think that's worth defending.

This time round was particularly satisfying - I had some paperback mysteries, a movie, and, a pot of Jasmine tea. I rarely drink Jasmine, but since National Hot Tea month has been declared by my neighbours to the South, I figured why not show a little solidarity? So I tried something new, and plan to try a few other new teas this month, although another jammy day isn't on the horizon any time soon.

Oh, and if you want to learn more about NHTM, why not visit Christine, the lovely proprietress of Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea?

Who Says Being Neurotic Can't Lead To Self Knowledge?

Physical Evidence of my creative process in action

Just before Christmas I was asked to read a book on a subject I knew little about, and write a review of it for the purpose of publication. A little shocked, I said yes before I could come up with a good enough reason to say no.

I had a very short amount of time to get grounded in this particular subject, and that steep learning curve mocked me at every step. I took to carrying the book around along with a moleskine cahier for notes. I spent hours at the public library after work, looking up some of the books referenced. I did a lot of googling and fretting.

By the time I sat down to draft my review, I had gleaned a fair bit of knowledge, but I harboured some strong doubts about my ability to pull this off. My personal demons had been very, very busy. I swear they'd been stockpiling negativity for just such an occasion.

I wrote. I scratched things out. I sat in front of the computer and typed, then depyted. (For you knitters out there, depyted is to typed what tinking is to kniting.)

I returned to fretting, but quickly moved into denial - after all, I always fall back on the things I've practiced most. With half a dozen pages of scribbles and a rough draft I was unhappy with, I unwisely decided to ignore the whole thing and lost myself in the tail-end of another old movie - The Maltese Falcon, to be precise.

Eventually though, I had to get back to it, and face up to a difficult truth. I was afraid to fail. Or rather, I was afraid to have to accept the possibility that I was responsible for failing. As long as I didn't work on the project and put in maximum effort, I could say I failed because I hadn't tried. But if I did try and I failed anyway?

I might have to deal with a very different set of circumstances then, wouldn't I?

The good news is that with Lunchtruck's help, I didn't let the demons win. I ripped the original draft apart, and sent it on to my editor. She liked it. Will it get published? I hope so. But at this point, I already feel like I've won something major, so if it does get published, it'll be cake.

Ruminating

I'm making changes on this site again, trying to find a more comfortable fit. I've toyed with the idea of turning this into a photoblog since photography is my first love, but won't make a decision on that until I sort out some photo-hosting issue. I've been using flickr, but am at a crossroads - do I pay for a pro account or do I search for something different? Input is appreciated.

I know all bloggers come to this point eventually - they need a change of scenery, a change in direction, a change in topic. Eventually I'll come to some sort of decision, so for those who do visit, thanks for stopping in, and bear with me will ya?

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.

Lines Not Appearing in This Film

I'm always a little surprised to wake up on the 28th or 29th and find that life is returning to normal so quickly after all the holiday craziness. You'd think that with all the prep work that people do, it would last longer, but no - life calls and you've no choice but to answer.

Lunchtruck and I have a fairly steady routine - on Boxing Day we tend to stay home and avoid the 6 million people at the post-Christmas sales. I don't normally need a deal that badly, and I bruise easily. Instead we allow ourselves to indulge in a post-holiday feast, watch movies, and hang out. If we get antsy, we go for a drive. By the 27th, we are antsy, wondering how our nice neat abode got so cluttered. The piles of stuff start to get sorted, newly-received presents get new homes, and puttering occurs. By the 28th the underpinnings of life demand my attention, and grocery shopping, taking out the garbage, picking up more cat food, returning phone calls and reading emails all start to happen again.

This year was a little different. We actually entered a store on boxing day in search of some DVDs, and managed to get out relatively unscathed (although I did have a few minutes of panic when I lost sight of him in the electronics section). We didn't know it at the time, but that one event caused us to slide into our regular routine that much faster, and here it is, the 29th, and I feel like all the holiday madness was weeks ago.

Lunchtruck surprised me by bringing home two classic movies from our local independent movie rental place on Wednesday night. I normally wouldn't mention that it's independent, but experience has shown me that most of the chain rental stores don't tend to carry classic films, or if they do by chance have a section for them, black and whites are considered film noir (regardless of whether or not they are) and 'classic' starts with Star Wars, to quote Roger Ebert.

Last night we indulged in The Godfather, a movie I haven't seen since I was a child, and which Lunchtruck claimed he'd never seen. We were both enthralled. Even with the violence, it was cinematic magic. We had an ongoing battle about who the artist was that played Kay, with me insisting it WAS Diane Keaton, and Lunchtruck saying he didn't think so. Guess who was right?

Tonight I took a break from the ongoing re-creation of my publishing project (stupid program malfunctions...) and opted to settle in with the felines and watched Casablanca, another movie Lunchtruck had not seen from start to finish. It's been ages since I saw it, and this time round I still loved the dialogue, the sets, the obviously phony backdrops, the plot, but I caught myself considering the more technical aspects - lighting, composition, line and form... And then laughing at myself for being the photography geek I am. I mean, really, when Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa Lund is professing her love to Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine, who in their right mind is going to be considering the catchlight in her eyes and the shadowing of the room? Apparently, I do.

As for the famous line "Play it again, Sam" - you guessed right - it doesn't appear in the film. Not even the trailer.

Thursday Thirteen #24, Phrasing

* Header Graphic by Mandy

13 Phrases I Wish I'd Used More In 2006

1. Yes.
2. Thank you.
3. Please.
4. That was kind/thoughtful/sweet.
5. I missed you.
   
6. I like you.
7. I respect you.
8. I love you.
9. No.
   
10. No, that doesn't fit into my plans right now.
11. No, I don't see me changing my mind about that.
12. I need to consider that for a while before giving you an answer.
    
13. That's not something I discuss with strangers.
    

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1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The Birthday

Today was my grandmother's 85th birthday. For those of you who were in town, you know it was surprisingly pleasant, weather-wise; the sun shone, the air was mild, there was even a hint of warmth.

I always have a tough time coming up with a gift for my gran. Over the past few years she's got rid of many things as a way of decluttering her home, and I don't like to add to that, so 'stuff' isn't something I consider seriously.

This year I opted for the gift of time together - we (my mom, gran and I) met at the Vancouver Art Gallery and checked out the Emily Carr exhibit, then had lunch at the Gallery Cafe. I had already been quite a few times, and though that as neither my mom or gran had been yet, I might be able to give them something special.

For my grandmother it was like visiting old friends - some of the paintings were part of the gallery's permanent collection, and she commented on them as we stopped to enjoy them. Others were generously on loan from other galleries across Canada and the world, and became new acquaintances. Those that she liked she spent a little longer with, and those that didn't please her she gave a respectful bit of time, but didn't stop to visit long.

I can remember being a young child when my grandmother first talked to me of Emily's writings and of the subtleties of the native art we were privileged enough to see up close. I think time and experience has deepened her understanding of what she read, for she talked to me not only of the way in which Emily's brush strokes changed, but also how her attitude towards her subjects changed. Listening to my grandmother, I was reminded that Emily was many things to many people, but that in the end the only person she really ever wanted to answer to was herself.

I'm glad I stepped out of the usual and opted to spend the time together. It may have been meant as a gift for my grandmother, but I think I got one just as big back...

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

Making Life Brighter: Beatrix Potter

I was not one of those children that grew up reading Beatrix Potter and AE Milne - my world wasn't populated by talking bears and mischievous beasties, and perhaps I was the poorer for it. It wasn't until I was an adult that I actually read all the Potter books, and knew I would have loved her world. Then, a few months ago, I found out that fiction-writer Susan Wittig Albert had embarked on a mystery series called The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and was drawn in even further. I wanted to learn more about the person behind the stories.

So when I heard that a movie was being made about her life, I was intrigued. What I'd read had made her out to be a rather put-upon young woman who eventually found a way to make her own life, in her own way, despite parents that were on the over side of bearing.

The movie itself focuses on her friendship and eventual engagement with her publisher, Norman Warne. Living up to the mongoose code (Run and Find Out!) I went a-hunting and found: The Miss Potter Movie Blog, a Wikipedia entry and, of course, the World of Peter Rabbit website which links to the uk movie site.

From all accounts the movie ought to be quite good, and I look forward to a lazy afternoon in the company of Miss Potter (Renée Zellweger), Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) and Millie Warne (Emily Watson) in the new year.

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.

Rock 'n' Roll Sock 'n' Sole

In Christmases past, there was a peculiar stream of advertisements on Canadian TV that suggested that the truly unimaginative gave socks for Christmas. Socks became the Christmas equivalent of giving a household appliance to a woman on her anniversary when what she really wanted was jewelry. I guess the message struck home, because over time, socks became the Rodney Dangerfield of gifts, and folks who gave socks may as well have worn T-shirts proclaiming their social unacceptability to the world.

I was reminded of all this earlier today as I valiantly dug around in my dresser drawer, searching for one of the 3 pairs of black socks I own. There was cursing, and questioning: Why don't I own enough dark socks to get me through the week? Who hated women enough to invent the ultra-binding phenomena that is the knee-high? Why do my favourites always lose their mates?

I did eventually locate my favourite pair of socks (old-school, below the knee, bought at a kids department so they fit perfectly and are oh-so-comfy), but it got me thinking. I've been needing socks for ages. Ages! So why hadn't they made it to the Need to Buy list? Why hadn't I made the effort to procur a nice collection of socks, preferably the ones with the particularly cushiony soles?

I thought and I thunk, I thunk and I thought.

I was side-tracked by the possibility that I had too much time on my hands if I was thinking this much about socks.

Then I carried on with the thinking, and in the end, I decided that the noble sock should be stigmatized no more, that not only would I add socks to my "Need to Buy" list, not only would I buy at least one pair of socks today, not only would I make a point of telling my family of my sock quest, but that I, I would learn to knit socks in 2007.

I can't believe it's taken this long. Especially when you consider the stats. According to Monthly Socks the average person in North America buys 2000 pairs of socks by the time they reach 65. They've also got a neat little sock calculator, so if you've ever wondered how many pairs of socks you've probably worn in your lifetime, you can now figure it out and sleep better at night.

As for me, I'm going to go find out more on the basics of sock knitting, starting with Knitty's Sock Basics 101, and figuer out how I can make at least 1 of those 2000 pairs of socks...

Dear December Cold...

I wrote this on monday night, but was feeling so icky that I didn't even have the energy to edit it. It's a day late but bear with me, I'm posting it anyways...

... Go away. I've not time for you.

This would be the cup of tea that's helping me stave off a cold. And I literally do mean cold - I'm freezing, so I'm wearing a sweater and a fleece jacket, and I've stolen the cats favourite blankie, all so I can huddle in our wee computer closet, and work on my project and get back on track.

Monday Morning Love List, #46

Love - That I found the perfect ginger snap cookie recipe.

Not So Much - That I won't be able to enjoy making the ginger snaps until this weekend, after I've sent my latest project to the printers. I know it's not even a blip in the grand scheme of things, but I really was hoping to do some baking early on in the week.

Love - That Her Highness (aka Cleo) has a new 'toy' which directly translates into some much needed exercise for her tubby butt play time.The toy? A vanilla-coloured ribbon stolen from one of my padded hangers. When she's not actively playing with it she likes stroking it with her paws - what a princess!

Love - That Lunchtruck's parents are back from England. I missed them. Have I mentioned I'm one of the lucky few who absolutely adores her in-laws? Yeah. Be jealous :)

Not So Much - The brioche stitch sweater saga continues. I added on a good 4 - 5 inches to it this weekend, but I still feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I may need to set it aside for a while and work on something else just to get my knitting confidence back.

Love - The possibilities a fresh week provides.

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

Nothing To Do But Smile and Carry On

I feel like the frustrated heroine in a badly written novel. Why? Because I've lost approximately 5- 6 hours worth of work on a project. And I'm way past deadline, but that' a whole other story. I think Publisher hates me. Is it possible for a program to know when it's being abandoned? All I know is that I was going along quite happily, and then suddenly everything froze, and when I got the machine going again, I discovered my automated saves hadn't.

I'm so glad I'm moving to InDesign.

In other news, I'm happy to report that our little tree is no longer naked - in fact, she's quite nicely dressed in silver and crystal. I brought some white lights home earlier in the week and wrapped them round the tree, and this inspired Lunchtruck to decorate.

The photos a little blurry, but that's my own fault, I really ought to buy a remote for the camera, but haven't got around to it. She's a sensitive thing.

Like Scarlett says, "Tomorrow is another day".

And Now, The Obligatory Christmas Meme

A luverley cuppa + doing this meme has ramped up my Christmas spirit considerably...

Blame it on Domestic Bliss!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, preferably made from scratch like the one we do for the family brunch christmas morning.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa can't wrap to save his life, so I help him out. There are already two under the tree, ready and willing to torture Lunchtruck with their gift-y possibilities.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. But I'm not averse to the idea.

5. When do you put your decorations up? The goal we set for ourselves is December 1st, but the past few Christmases that hasn't really worked out. Now that I actually have a strat-approved tree suitable for our tiny home, I think the December 1st goal is much more attainable.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?The devon custard on top of the pudding. Yum.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? I've got two: the year my very preggers momma dressed up as Santa for the kids, and the year I got my first Christmas present from Santa Paws.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have no idea - I kinda always knew, but it never stopped me from enjoying it all.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yup - we spend Christmas eve with my family, and Christmas day with lunchtruck's family.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This year it'll be white lights, silver ribbon, and crystal snowflakes. I'm sure the cats would prefer edibles, but then I'd spend the next few weeks picking up the detritus.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it. Preferably when I've nowhere I need to be except right there, there's something delicious cooking in the oven, and I can enjoy it with those I love.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but it's been ages.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? As a child, not really. I loved everything I got, even the socks. As an adult, I'd have to go with the Pamela Masik canvas my sweetie bought for me a few years ago.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with those I love.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Peppermint stick ice cream. It's only available seasonally, which is a shame..

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? [Updated - I somehow managed to skip this one!] That would be waking up on Christmas morning with my bedmates and staying snuggled in there until the last possible minute, than making the dash to the kitchen to make us a spot of tea. I'm soooo predictable.

17. What tops your tree? At the moment nothing. But give it time - I'm sure we'll be rescuing Mulder from it any moment now.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I get more excited about the giving, although I do like receiving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I'm not sure if it qualifies as a Christmas tune, but I've always associated Ave Maria with Christmas - preferably as performed in the original Fantasia or by the incomparable Joan Baez.

20. Candy Canes? Can I have more devon custard instead?

21. Favorite Christmas movie? Tough call! It's a toss-up between White Christmas & the original Charlie Brown Christmas.

22. What do you leave for Santa? Tums.

Of Tummy Alarms, Christmas Crankies, and Getting Back to Festive

I hit a low point this morning.

A really low point.

Yelling-at-the-cat-for-doing-something-he-does-more-or-less-every-single-morning-of-his-life-come-rain-or-shine low.

I am a terrible, horrible excuse for a human being - or at least that's how I felt at 5:45am this morning. Honestly - who yells at someone because their tummy alarm has gone off? Sadly, I was just as grumpy with my beloved.

I cannot wait to get into this weekend's baking and shake these Christmas Crankies.

Mood Swings

The Christmas Blahs have struck again.

This happens to me most every year, but I really did think that this year would be different. I was doing pretty well, going out during my lunch hours, considering possible options, finding "just the thing" for someone on my list, and happily taking it home. I'm lucky - my list is nice and short because most of the people in my life prefer experiences over stuff, and would much rather have a good gab and a meal than receive a gift they'll never, ever use.

But then, round about Monday, I felt the old weariness overtake me and I couldn't bring myself to set foot in the mall by my office. I found myself making excuses. The thought of seeing another grim face determined to scratch off another name on ye olde shopping list did not excite me. The non-traditional christmas music in the stores really got to me, and I had the inexplicable desire to snarl at overly-chirpy sales people.

Obviously I was not fit company for humans, and barely fit for wee beasties.

But recognizing you have a problem is the toughest part, and since I've managed that I think I can help myself out. I have a plan; tomrrow night I'm going to get the ingredients to try out a new recipe, turn on some of my favourite Christmas music, and make some cookies. Cause really, who can feel blah when they're surrounded by cookies and icing?