We are having a long 'Family Day' weekend, with Monday being the family day holiday. It's a good thing.
I walked to church yesterday evening. The days are becoming noticeably lighter, although the wind was in my face on the way home. The thought of having weathered, old cheeks came to mind. The priest mentioned that it will be Ash Wednesday on February 17th and reminded all good Catholics to fast and abstain from eating meat on that day. I noticed a man wearing a white sweater that said 'Vancouver . Whistler' on the back. Tax receipts were ready for pickup after mass.
Here are a few healthy recipes I mean to try sometime (my list is piling up):
Cranberry Flax Muffins
Homemade Turkey and Rice Soup
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Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
One Morning's Excitement
I dropped K off to school about 15 minutes early the other morning and went to the Staples office store to courier L's university scholarship application. I thought the process would be as easy as mailing a package.
The girl at the Purolator counter realized she needed an exact street address and not the more general mailing address we were given by the university. I tried calling the university, but they weren't open until 9 am. We tried surfing the address but we didn't feel comfortable to use what we found, because it's a big place, what if it went to the wrong building? After a little while, they suggested I go to another location nearby that was a real Purolator store as they didn't want to make a mistake and have the envelope returned.
I went home and made another call to the university after 9 am. The lady I spoke to managed to find a street name without a number. L was going in to school later that morning, so we decided to get to the other location asap and try to get the package out. The lady there looked at the envelope and said 'I need a street address, the system won't take this address.' She went on to explain that what she needed was a Courier address and that the address we had was a Canada Post mailing address.
So we started fumbling for phone numbers to call the university again. It seems I got a bit flustered and my phone didn't seem to want to dial long distance anymore. Luckily L noticed I was pressing the wrong button, so she took the phone and correctly pressed the 'call' button.
At this point, the Purolator lady noticed that when she entered the postal code, it came up with a very specific address. She said, 'do you think we could use this one?' I said 'why not? The postal code is very specific, they can locate an address just with that code, that must be it! ' She told L she could stop calling long-distance, that we didn't need to anymore. Our stress level went way down at this point.
The lady advised us to request a next day delivery of 10.30 am as opposed to 9 am because the office may not be open then, so it would be difficult to obtain a mail room signature for tracking purposes. She was so helpful. Anyway, we received a tracking number so we could verify whether the package arrived on time.
We learned something, I've never had to courier anything in my life. And luckily we did it on Thursday, because if we had waited until Friday and it would have arrived by 10.30am on a Saturday, when the office is closed. So L was able to confirm that the package made it to its destination!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. This week, our step class instructor asked everyone to wear red next week. Someone asked 'because of Valentine's Day?' She said, 'Nah, who cares about that?' She meant it for supporting Canada in the Olympics. She's happily married by the way. This is what can happen when you're in your fifties, we become of a more practical nature!
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The girl at the Purolator counter realized she needed an exact street address and not the more general mailing address we were given by the university. I tried calling the university, but they weren't open until 9 am. We tried surfing the address but we didn't feel comfortable to use what we found, because it's a big place, what if it went to the wrong building? After a little while, they suggested I go to another location nearby that was a real Purolator store as they didn't want to make a mistake and have the envelope returned.
I went home and made another call to the university after 9 am. The lady I spoke to managed to find a street name without a number. L was going in to school later that morning, so we decided to get to the other location asap and try to get the package out. The lady there looked at the envelope and said 'I need a street address, the system won't take this address.' She went on to explain that what she needed was a Courier address and that the address we had was a Canada Post mailing address.
So we started fumbling for phone numbers to call the university again. It seems I got a bit flustered and my phone didn't seem to want to dial long distance anymore. Luckily L noticed I was pressing the wrong button, so she took the phone and correctly pressed the 'call' button.
At this point, the Purolator lady noticed that when she entered the postal code, it came up with a very specific address. She said, 'do you think we could use this one?' I said 'why not? The postal code is very specific, they can locate an address just with that code, that must be it! ' She told L she could stop calling long-distance, that we didn't need to anymore. Our stress level went way down at this point.
The lady advised us to request a next day delivery of 10.30 am as opposed to 9 am because the office may not be open then, so it would be difficult to obtain a mail room signature for tracking purposes. She was so helpful. Anyway, we received a tracking number so we could verify whether the package arrived on time.
We learned something, I've never had to courier anything in my life. And luckily we did it on Thursday, because if we had waited until Friday and it would have arrived by 10.30am on a Saturday, when the office is closed. So L was able to confirm that the package made it to its destination!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. This week, our step class instructor asked everyone to wear red next week. Someone asked 'because of Valentine's Day?' She said, 'Nah, who cares about that?' She meant it for supporting Canada in the Olympics. She's happily married by the way. This is what can happen when you're in your fifties, we become of a more practical nature!
News
Singles in China rent fake dates to appease parents
Chinese New Year is all about good food
5 Foods to Prevent Heart Disease - hot cocoa's on the list!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Opening Day!
Well, it's the Vancouver Olympics Opening Day! It runs from Feb 12-28. I'm not really much of a sports fan, but it's exciting just the same. M and L will be tuned into the TV as time permits.
So the other night my beloved son K says to me:
"Oh, I saw you at the grocery store at lunchtime"
I replied:
"Why didn't you say hello?"
He answered:
"Because I was with my friends"
I said:
"Well, did your friend M see me?"
To which he replied:
"Yes, he asked, 'isn't that your mom?', then I suggested we go the other way"
I gave him a hard time about this, but that's a teenager for you.
L reports that her school made a lot of money with the ice cream sundae fund-raiser they did to help sponsor an Olympic athlete. It did a lot better than the t-shirt sale. She enjoyed doing crowd control and counting the money. One of her friends cut bananas for banana splits. Apparently her hands got stained really brown from the bananas. Who knew?
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So the other night my beloved son K says to me:
"Oh, I saw you at the grocery store at lunchtime"
I replied:
"Why didn't you say hello?"
He answered:
"Because I was with my friends"
I said:
"Well, did your friend M see me?"
To which he replied:
"Yes, he asked, 'isn't that your mom?', then I suggested we go the other way"
I gave him a hard time about this, but that's a teenager for you.
L reports that her school made a lot of money with the ice cream sundae fund-raiser they did to help sponsor an Olympic athlete. It did a lot better than the t-shirt sale. She enjoyed doing crowd control and counting the money. One of her friends cut bananas for banana splits. Apparently her hands got stained really brown from the bananas. Who knew?
News
Freedom 55: The whole idea is so 1980s
Apartment restaurant gives new meaning to the phrase "home cooked meal"
OPINION: Toronto's New Working Class
6 Personality traits to admire and acquire
Lower your blood pressure with potassium-rich foods
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My Prime Rib Recipe
Just a Plane Ride Away asked me how I did prime rib and thought it would be a good thing to share with all the meat-eaters. This recipe is coming right out of my head, so the measurements are approximate:
4-6 pound prime rib roast
sprig of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1-2 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 minced cloves of garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 chopped onion
1 tbs dark soy sauce
pre-heat oven to 325F
Place roast in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and mix well. Bake approximately 2 hours for medium-well. I loosely place a strip of foil atop the roast after the first half hour.
I use the same marinade for my steaks and everyone loves them.
I was at the gym yesterday and heard that an instructor at another nearby location fell during a step class and badly sprained her ankle. An ambulance had to be called and she'll be out for 6 weeks. I heard that she has a small child, she's going to need some help.
We enjoyed Ellen DeGeneres as the new American Idol judge, she has a great sense of humour as we all know.
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4-6 pound prime rib roast
sprig of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1-2 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 minced cloves of garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 chopped onion
1 tbs dark soy sauce
pre-heat oven to 325F
Place roast in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and mix well. Bake approximately 2 hours for medium-well. I loosely place a strip of foil atop the roast after the first half hour.
I use the same marinade for my steaks and everyone loves them.
I was at the gym yesterday and heard that an instructor at another nearby location fell during a step class and badly sprained her ankle. An ambulance had to be called and she'll be out for 6 weeks. I heard that she has a small child, she's going to need some help.
We enjoyed Ellen DeGeneres as the new American Idol judge, she has a great sense of humour as we all know.
News
Self-Published Author Enters Toronto Book Awards
Why olive oil is bad for your stir-fry
Top 5 national recipes for an Olympic feast
Essential manners for couples
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
CTV Olympic Anthem
Well, yesterday morning I glanced at the newspaper and was shocked by the front page. A military commander charged with 2 murders among other things and then a young mayoral candidate and city councillor embroiled in a scandal with a university student. I thought, what is the world, at least our city coming to. This morning, the young candidate is admitting to multiple affairs. Unless the newspapers are becoming more like magazines and highlighting the salacious stuff that sells! Either way, I don't think this guy should mayor.
'Tastefully Done' has this 'Pasta in a Skillet' recipe that they describe as 'gourmet pasta in one pot'. I'll have to try that.
Here are some interesting videos I found:
The CTV Anthem for the Olympic Winter Games
Embrace life - always wear your seatbelt (video)
Sir Patrick Stewart on the Internet (video)
Misa Digital Guitar Demo (video)
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An award for being your own worst enemy?
'Tastefully Done' has this 'Pasta in a Skillet' recipe that they describe as 'gourmet pasta in one pot'. I'll have to try that.
Here are some interesting videos I found:
The CTV Anthem for the Olympic Winter Games
Embrace life - always wear your seatbelt (video)
Sir Patrick Stewart on the Internet (video)
Misa Digital Guitar Demo (video)
News
$10 Olympic mittens a runaway success
Scientists invent rice that doesn't need cooking
Beer, especially pale ale, promotes bone health: study
Different Colors Describe Happiness vs. Depression
An award for being your own worst enemy?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Superbowl Ads
The government will be offering full day kindergarten classes in selected schools for 4 and 5 year olds starting this September. It's a good thing, but I'm wondering what the impact will be on the private schools (and the daycares), there are a lot of Montessori schools in the area.
Prime rib is on sale this week at the grocery store, so I made a small roast and it smelled so good cooking in the oven.
Yesterday's news was full of all the Superbowl Ads and I chose some of my favourites here, hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
Focus on the Family SuperBowl Commercial with Tim Tebow
Timothy Richman - Cars.com 2010 Super Bowl Ad
Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial
Intel "Lunch Room" 2010 Super Bowl XLIV Commercial Ad
Painted Hyundai Sonata Ad
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Prime rib is on sale this week at the grocery store, so I made a small roast and it smelled so good cooking in the oven.
Yesterday's news was full of all the Superbowl Ads and I chose some of my favourites here, hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
Focus on the Family SuperBowl Commercial with Tim Tebow
Timothy Richman - Cars.com 2010 Super Bowl Ad
Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial
Intel "Lunch Room" 2010 Super Bowl XLIV Commercial Ad
Painted Hyundai Sonata Ad
News
Canada Switches to Growth Charts Based on WHO, Not U.S., Standards
Street vendor puts on the dog for popular Japanese figure skater
Sugary pop nearly doubles pancreatic cancer risk
Monday, February 8, 2010
Digital Assets
Well, yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. I'm not a sports fan, but M says that the best teams made it to the final and it was a great game right down to the last minute. Apparently Google ran its first Superbowl TV ad.
I decided to go for a crisp walk yesterday afternoon, it was only -5C, compared to the -22C wind chills of the previous day. It felt exhilarating, a good walk always perks me up for a bit. I must admit my chin felt a bit frozen. I saw people playing ice hockey and skating at the local pond.
'Mozart at the Nut House', for your entertainment:
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How Social Gaming is Improving Education
Prepping digital assets for the great off-line
Comatose patient communicates with doctors through brainwaves, MRI
I decided to go for a crisp walk yesterday afternoon, it was only -5C, compared to the -22C wind chills of the previous day. It felt exhilarating, a good walk always perks me up for a bit. I must admit my chin felt a bit frozen. I saw people playing ice hockey and skating at the local pond.
'Mozart at the Nut House', for your entertainment:
News
How Social Gaming is Improving Education
Prepping digital assets for the great off-line
Comatose patient communicates with doctors through brainwaves, MRI
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