klompengirl

tuco and klompengirl tied the knot -- and i'm finally doing a post about it!

2009-02-08T09:15:00.002-05:00

Well, well, well. It's been six months since my last post! I'm surprised I haven't been kicked out of blogdom by now.

Why, you may ask, have I been so silent? Well....let me tell you!

First, after purchasing and moving into the lovely little house pictured in the last post, my next order of business was getting married. That's right! Chris and I got hitched on September 27, 2008.

Our slightly unconventional ceremony took place on the grounds of the Stephen Leacock Museum, which is on Lake Couchiching in Orillia. The day started out drizzly, but started clearing around noon so we were able to stay outside! We had no bridal party, but my cousin Mary and Chris' brother Matt were our "witnesses". The aisle I walked down was made of trees, and I was facing the guests as I arrived. And Chris and I chose to say a little thank you to our guests at the beginning of the ceremony, to tell them what it meant to us that they were there with us. These were little changes to the "tradition" that made the day mean so much more to me.

After the ceremony, we had dinner with 50 of our nearest and dearest at the local Ossawippi Dining Cars - a restaurant comprised of several train cars. We were very pleased to have an "all vegan" meal - carrot/ginger soup, thai asian salad, a trio of stuffed pepper, cabbage roll & vegetarian wellington served on a bed of tomato basil sauce for the main course, and a german chocolate cake for dessert.

....Then, we boogied all night in the Party Room back at the Leacock. Here, Chris and I sang a song to our guests, after having serenaded each other with surprise songs. We also had live music from my 10-year old niece Michaela, our friend Anil, and my cousin Mary. We snacked on homemade hummus and salsa, with pitas and nacho chips, and homemade vegan cookies too! (not to mention leftover apples and trail mix from the ceremony)..... since I was forcing everyone to eat vegan for the day, I wanted to make sure no one went home hungry!!!

It was an absolutely amazing day. Unforgettable! Several people had told me beforehand that it would go by in a flash, and they were so right. But as much as it flew by, I remember it so clearly and every time I think about it I feel so loved!

After the wedding, Chris had to go back to work rather quickly (time of the year = not so good for holiday) so we just had a long weekend to recuperate. Then, I started my new job as Executive Director at Hospice Orillia on Oct 6, 2008! It has been quite the whirlwind since then, because things never seem to slow down at the Hospice. I can do another post soon to explain a bit more about my job.

For now, I leave you with the e.e. cummings poem that was read during our ceremony:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

movin' on up...to the east side...

2008-08-08T08:53:00.004-05:00

well, in this case, we've technically moved DOWN the hill, but we've moved UP in style :)

I announced on Facebook back in June that Chris and I had purchased our first home. Well, we moved in on July 31st at about 3pm, so as of today, we've been officially been living here for a whole week! We're settling in nicely, despite the gong show that happened on moving day.

Short version: Was supposed to get the keys at noon, helpers arrived from out of town at eleven. Got call from lawyer at 11:30 saying there'd been a mix-up and we needed to send more money to cover the taxes already paid by previous owner. Sent money transfer at 12:20. Proceeded to sit around and W....A....I....T with helpers (some more patiently than others) who had already packed the first load into the trucks. Got call from lawyer at 2:20 saying keys could be picked up, house was ours. Arrived at new house with keys at 2:30, opened front door, discovered that previous owner was not done moving out yet. Started moving her stuff out to garage, and our stuff into house. Previous owner arrived, embarrassed, gradually got her act together and departed the premises!! It was a crazy day, but we lived to tell the tale! And, the aforementioned lovably scattered previous owner left us a LOT of stuff -- ladders, wheelbarrow, shelving, treadmill (!!) etc, etc, etc. I think she got tired of packing !!! Luckily, it's mostly stuff that will come in handy.

Anyway, we haven't taken any photos yet with OUR stuff in the house, but these are a few photos from the listing, and some we took on the day of the house inspection. I'll try to take some updated photos and post them soon :)

Our rhubarb patch.

The living room.

The guest room!

The kitchen.

The backyard!

the sound of summer

2008-07-14T18:14:00.006-05:00

Back in May, my dear friend and cousin, Mary Simon, came to visit me in Orillia. She brought a fancy new toy with her....a funky video camera! So we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and record some songs that we love to sing together. Here are two of them:

"We Walk the Same Line" by Everything but the Girl which we originally performed together when Mary visited me in Saga, Japan... (if you watch closely you can see our kool kat Owen run down the stairs behind us right at the end of the video!)

and "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel which we used to sing together as teenagers walking through the streets of Burlington, Ontario!!

We also recorded "Crazy Love" by Van Morrison and "Linger" by the Cranberries. Then Chris and I recorded "Lua" by Bright Eyes, and Mary and Chris did "Special" by Justin Rutledge. They are all available here. Lots of strumming and singing and sunshine!!

Enjoy!

the taste of summer

2008-07-03T14:53:00.000-05:00

i offer you....

FRUIT!

Are your tastebuds tingling?

Beets, Parsnips and Pineapple: A match made in veggie heaven

2008-06-28T11:46:00.005-05:00

I had some pineapple juice leftover from a week ago when I made the Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir fry from Veganomicon. I didn't post that recipe because a) I had no time and b) the recipe didn't turn out so great.... I think because I did a few substitutions that I really shouldn't have. Lessons learned! But, a fellow blogger did post about that recipe here.

Anyway, I'd been wanting to use up the pineapple juice and I found a recipe earlier in the book for "Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad in Pineapple Vinaigrette". Sounds like a strange combo, and the authors even acknowledge this when they say "At first blush, the ingredients look a little insane, but once they come together it is out of control delicious; earthy, sweet and fragrant." They also describe the salad as "magical"....how could I resist that description? I gave it a try, and I loved it!

NOTE: The authors explicitly say that you need to use a food processor to get the beets and parsnips to their desired uniform thinness. I ignored them and made this recipe with a normal hand shredder and it was fine (sort of like a wet coleslaw but better), however, I'd be curious to try once I get a good processor.

Dressing:
2 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 grapeseed oil (I actually have this, but I'm sure you could sub. in olive oil)
2 TBSP maple syrup (or agave or sugar if necessary)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk all of the above and set aside.

Salad:
1 pound beets (I used 3 medium sized)
1 pound parsnips (I use 2 medium sized)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint

Mix the beets and parsnips with the dressing and use tongs or your fingers (!) to squish the veggies down into the juice. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Add the mint and stir again. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before eating.

beware of turtles

2008-06-22T18:38:00.001-05:00

Chris took me on a nice long bike ride the other day...a much needed break from my mind-numbing research paper. The ride was a challenge for me, even though Chris does double that ride with his eyes closed several times a week! As we turned back towards Orillia, I saw this fantastic road sign and wanted to share:

Turtle crossing! As we rode along the path, we did see one baby turtle but no big ones.

My other big project this month, to get out of my head for awhile, has been this little garden I dug beside my patio. Just a modest one since we will be living in our very own first house by August, and it has a huge yard, so next year I won't be so modest!

I've planted 6 lettuce plants and 2 tomato plants :)

Hope everyone else is getting into the swing of summer too!

The Good Food Box

2008-05-21T18:52:00.013-05:00

As promised in my last post, I wanted to share some information about The Good Food Box program. A lot of communities have them - throughout Ontario, Canada and the world - although they don't always go by the same name.

From what I understand, the first program in Ontario started in Toronto in the 1990's and then other communities began to adapt the idea to fit their own demographics. Usually, it is run by volunteers, and they make it possible for anyone in the community to engage in monthly bulk purchasing of fresh fruits and vegetables. The goal is to make fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables available to everyone. What could be better than that?

I've been doing a student placement at the Barrie Community Health Centre, which hosts the Barrie Good Food Box, and they asked me to do an evaluation (survey) of how the program impacts those who buy it. Does it make a difference for them? In what ways? In doing this project, I've learned a lot about what a valuable program it is and how much people depend on it. I've also learned that the more people who participate, the better it is (and the more accessible it becomes). So, I wanted to spread the word to everyone.

Most programs operate on a pre-pay system, where you pay in cash during the first week of the month, and you pick up your box during the 3rd week. A small box costs around $9 and a large costs about $13 (depends where you are). Everyone gets the same veggies - you don't get to select the produce you'll receive because it's basically a bulk order. The program utilizes a local wholesaler who delivers the food to one location, and then a group of volunteers divide the produce into individual boxes for each purchaser to pick up. So, I picked up my first Orillia Good Food Box today, and for $13 this is what I got:

A photo of what it looked like when I picked it up this morning

A photo of everything that came out of the bag!!

In case you can't tell, it included potatoes, cabbage, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, onions, honeydew melon, apples, oranges, cucumber, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes!

In my evaluation of the Barrie program, I've heard a lot of people say that it's like getting a treasure chest every month. You never know what you're going to get, but you always know it's going to be GOOD.

tuco and klompengirl to wed

2008-05-17T10:15:00.010-05:00

I sent out an email awhile back, but since I know a lot of people who aren't on my email list (i.e. Facebook, Blogger) - I thought I could make a general announcement to the world....

Chris and I are getting married! We did a self-portrait a few moments after he popped the question - we were on showshoes in the forest behind his parent's house in Bancroft. We'd just made it up to the "lookout"...

We are having a small wedding on September 27, 2008 in Orillia Ontario. Our ceremony will take place at the Stephen Leacock Museum grounds, and our dinner at the Ossawippi Express Dining Cars (both pictured below). We're looking forward to a lovely day with close family and friends!

In other news, things are humming along with the research project and the work placement that I am doing for my Masters of Social Work degree. I am doing my work placement at the Barrie Community Health Centre where they've asked me to evaluate their Good Food Box program (I'll do a separate post about this soon).

If all goes according to plan, I should be done all my work by the end of June. After that, a full (but fun!) summer of music festivals, triathlons, wedding planning, and job hunting awaits me!

ethicle

2008-04-30T15:30:00.001-05:00

I thought I had published this post a long time ago but I see now that I just saved it as a draft. Oops!

For those who are interested, there is a search engine called Ethicle that operates the same way Google does, but it apparently donates one cent each time you do a search. As far as I can tell, the results are the same as what you would find on Google or Yahoo.

Think about using it and/or setting it up as your home page.

The Lords Prayer

2008-04-14T08:02:00.006-05:00

I was listening to CBC radio this morning (up here in Orillia we get "Ontario Morning Today") and there was a segment on the Lord's Prayer being read in the Ontario Legislature. I sent an email to the CBC (and to my MPP who was one of the interviewees) after hearing the segment, and thought I'd share it with the world...

What do YOU think?

********************************************************************

Hi there,

I’m emailing in response to your story this morning about the Lords Prayer in the Ontario Legislature.

Both interviewees on the program repeatedly referred to this as “Dalton McGuinty’s thing” and stated that they have better things to be doing with their time and our money….

This sort of disdain is a way of minimizing what is actually a very interesting issue. I want to point out that, regardless of Dalton McGuinty’s own motivation behind this (which I’m not myself convinced are purely altruistic), it’s still important to think about this issue. Just because people/constituents don’t complain about something that’s happening, doesn’t make it ok. The fact is, this province is incredibly diverse – in ethnic, linguistic, and religious terms (not to mention many other types of diversity), and I would hazard a guess that this level of diversity is not even remotely represented in the legislature. I would also hazard a guess that many Ontarians (like myself) did not even realize that the Lords Prayer was read in the Ontario Legislature.

I’m a social work student and I’m doing some research on Hospice services and how they are responding to ethno-cultural diversity in their communities. It’s not like people are out there pointing fingers at Hospices saying – you’re not serving us, you’re discriminating, etc. But just because people aren’t complaining, doesn’t mean we can ignore the fact that this type of service is primarily being utilized by people of Canadian-born, white-Euro, Christian backgrounds. Without spending the time and money, and without allowing ourselves to feel a little bit “uncomfortable” in the process, this discrepancy could continue unnoticed for decades or longer. But that doesn’t make it right. Similarly, with the reading of the Lords Prayer in the Ontario Legislature, we could continue ignoring this imbalance for many years to come, but that doesn’t make the practice of reading it “right”. In societies like ours that are primarily “governed” by one dominant ethno-cultural group, I think there is a danger of leaving something like this “as is” because it costs too much to explore the issue, to do something about it, and let’s be honest - because what we’re doing suits us fine and no one else has noticed it yet.

In my experience, when something like this has “always been done”, it requires some serious critical reflection (which often leads to discomfort) in order to actually recognize it as an issue, and then to follow that recognition with action geared towards making a change. I’m not saying that the Lords Prayer should or should not be read. I’m simply saying that I think the process of review and public consultation is a valuable one, and that those who are involved should give it some more thought before disparaging it on provincial radio.

As humans, I truly believe we need to start thinking about WHY we do what we do, rather than just blindly assuming that it’s the “right” way of doing things. Because blind belief in certain ways of being and living and doing – that is how discrimination begins...

Regards,

A.S.
Orillia, ON

Hike for Hospice

2008-04-05T18:04:00.006-05:00

I have registered to participate in the Hike for Hospice on Sunday May 4th, with Alliance Hospice as my chosen beneficiary.

Sponsoring me in the Hike, and helping to support Alliance Hospice, is as simple as clicking on this link!

Alliance Hospice is an organization dedicated to supporting people dealing with advanced illness, death and bereavement. In the client's home and community, our volunteers and staff provide practical, emotional and spiritual support in collaboration with family caregivers, health care providers and community support agencies. Alliance Hospice is the result of the merger of Bayview Community Hospice with CommunityCARE Home Hospice. The two agencies have been serving the people of Toronto since 1990 and have provided care to almost 6000 people over the last 18 years. This year, the hospice will care for almost 500 people with a life-threatening illness or bereavement.

Alliance Hospice provides its services free of charge to the people they serve, so the hospice relies on donations from individuals, community organizations, corporations and special events like the Hike for Hospice 2008. All of the money you donate will go to support the people for whom Alliance Hospice provides care.

Thanks so much for doing what you can to help me reach my fundraising goal of $1000... just click here.

Hana-mi

2008-03-18T20:17:00.005-05:00

I've been incredibly nostalgic for Japan this past year. In June 2007, I celebrated my ten year anniversary of flying to Japan. When I was living there (June 1997-August 1999) I filmed two videos of daily life and some special events. Those videos have provided several hours of entertainment for me over the past couple of months!

In one of the videos, I filmed myself at calligraphy class (me with a roomful of 10 year olds writing the most basic Kanji with big paint brushes) and then filmed the final results of my work that day. It was the Kanji for "Hana-mi" which means Flower Viewing....and refers to the time of year when the cherry blossoms (in Japanese they are called Sakura) bloom throughout the country. Here is a photo of my Kanji from that day (the orange circles are the stamp of approval from the teacher meaning "good job". Usually it took me 20-30 attempts before receiving that honour!):

I realized the other day, that it's Hana-mi season in Japan right now! In the part of Japan where I lived (on the island of Kyushu, in a town called Saga), the cherry blossom parties usually started towards the end of March, and continued into early April (the further north you go, the later they bloom...the most northern parts of Japan celebrate in early May I believe). The reason of the season, so to speak, is to celebrate the coming of spring by gathering with family, friends and/or co-workers in the parks, under the trees, to admire the beautiful flowers......and to drink lots of alcohol....

Ha.

But seriously, the flowers are stunning so I thought I'd share some photos from this site.

no more manicures...

2008-03-11T09:26:00.004-05:00

...well, not for a while anyway.

Last night I got home from my Monday class at York, and I guess I was in a state of distraction (the class always makes my head explode) because when I went to close the garage door behind me, I managed to get my thumb caught in one of the hinges as it closed. Much screaming and crying ensued and poor Chris didn't even know what the problem was, besides the problem of me going berserk. It really really hurt. A lot. At first glance, I thought my thumb was actually crushed...broken...coming off my hand...but once I calmed down I realized it was just the tears blurring my vision and that yes, it was bleeding, bruised and swelling up...but no, it was not going to detach from the rest of my hand!

Needless to say, I am now working on a "9 finger" typing style (watch for patents soon) and have a short reprieve from doing the dishes :)

Here's a visual....

Note to self: Garage doors in Orillia are dangerous!

Social work at York University

2008-02-27T14:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to an online article about Masters of Social Work students at York University. It's called MSW students promote social change and I'm one of the students featured!

having cats can be a nice distraction from BOREDOM

2008-02-13T15:56:00.004-05:00

I never EVER thought I would catch myself, in the middle of my Masters degree, saying that I'm bored out of my tree.

But that's what I'm saying.

The short version of the story is: The degree is designed so that students do the majority of their coursework in the fall, and then they work more independently in the winter doing a) a research project and b) a work placement. The research project requires ethics approval from the university, which usually comes through in late January/early February. I received my ethics approval about 2 weeks ago and have begun to contact participants to schedule interviews etc. Exciting...but no great rush. As long as I'm done my interviews by the end of March all should be well.

The big frustration has been that my work placement completely fell through....twice...before I even got started. The majority of my colleagues started in the second week of January, so I am more than a month behind them in terms of getting my 400 hours done. Sigh. And, there's nothing I could have done about it. I spent the entire month of January waiting for the school and the agency where I was supposed to work to get their act together...which never happened. We officially pulled the plug on that arrangement at the end of Jan, and then I started calling around to see if anyone else would take me on (in a hurry). The good news is, I have secured another placement, but am still waiting to actually start.

So, in the absence of deadlines and stress, I am being pleasantly distracted by my 2 new cats! I'd like to introduce them to the world at large:

This is me with Clarence. He is orange (!) and these days he's sneezing a lot.

This is Owen. He is super skinny and he talks a lot - especially when he's in the litter box.

The blue sky is inviting me out to play...a rare experience this winter. I'm going for a walk before it gets dark!

klompengirl

2008-01-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know what the name of my blog means, let me explain.

Klompen = wooden shoes worn by crazy Dutch folk

Girl = human of the female variety

ergo,

Klompengirl = a chick with a pair of clogs

That's me!! My dad was born in the Netherlands (note: the Netherlands does not = Holland). Which makes me, by default, a Dutchie.

Actually, he was born in a province called Friesland where they speak Frisian, not Dutch. But that's another story.

Given this heritage, I took it upon myself to get my own pair of klompen, so I asked my Uncle Bill to bring a pair over some years ago. He must have chosen the ugliest pair of klompen in all of Friesland. Wouldn't you agree? (...yes, those are horse heads...)

But, lucky for me, my lovely cousin Mary Simon Stenekes, took pity on me and bought me another pair of (way cooler) klompen for Christmas. These ones are slippers!

How cool is that?
I am stoked. I have my very own pair of klompen slippers.

For my more "cultured" readers, here's some information about an art exhibit featuring klompen, as pictured below.

And just to make you laugh, here's a video of some crazy Dutch folk dancing in their klompen (32 seconds).

ringing in the new year - in proper annalise fashion

2008-01-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

yessssss, what year would be complete without annalise falling on her keister now and then? as luck would have it, i managed to sneak in one more classic fall on Dec 31st. chris was busy taking these pictures while I fell, rather than helping me up...and he enjoyed them so much afterwards that I thought I'd post them for the whole world to see. for those interested in details, we were snowshoeing in the "bush" behind the family house in Bancroft.

1) a bit nervous as i start down the hill. concentrating hard on not falling.

2) concentrating more. pretty confident that i'm going to make it. if i can just concentrate...a little...harder...

3) WHAM! there it is.

Sigh. This, and then I got beat by Chris' dad at cribbage just before midnight too. Let's hope I got all the bad luck out of the way and cleared a path for all the good luck to come in 2008!

for other funny showshoeing pictures, have a look at this post .

passing the time in orillia

2007-12-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

wow. i'm 4 days shy of 2 months without blogging. if i'm not careful, i might get kicked out of blogdom. Hmmm. i suppose going to grad school and moving house are enough to keep one occupied for awhile. so, i've been living in Orillia for almost 3weeks now and it already feels like a lifetime! ha. i'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. the move went well, as did the "end of term" drama that consisted of 3 papers due in one week...except the prof extended the deadline on the last one so I officially finished my term on Dec 6. My next deadline is Jan 8 - for my research proposal. So i'm working on that in dribs and drabs, but won't get too stressed about it until after the new year.

with no school and no work, you may wonder what i've been up to these past couple of weeks in orillia? well, besides the usual unpacking, sorting, resorting, and hanging of things on walls....i've also been going for a nice long walk almost every day, have been working on some things for christmas (uber-time consuming!), and as per usual, have been spending lots of time in the kitchen....which brings me to today's post. i have found a truly amazingly delicious salad dressing recipe, and i just had to share.

It's called Jana's Famous Herb Dressing (from How it all Vegan, p. 77).

1/4 flax or hemp oil
4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (or parmesan cheese for non vegans)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped (I used 2 tsp dried thyme)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (I used 2 tsp dried rosemary)
1 tsp fresh oregano, diced (I used 1/2 tsp dried oregano)
1 tbsp sesame seeds (I used 2 tsp)

Whisk together in a bowl, or put ingredients in a jar and shake it up.

Presto!!! A very yummy salad dressing. The recipe book also says you can use it as a topping for rice, but I haven't tried that yet.

Pumpkin Bread (and procrastination)

2007-10-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

Two of my favourite activities are baking, and procrastinating....and what better time to combine both activities than when you have a paper due?! You can all rest easy, the paper is as done as it's ever going to be, so now I have time to post a recipe to help YOU all procrastinate too :) For all those who think vegan cooking/baking is boring, let me introduce you to my favourite recipe for...

Pumpkin Bread, from “the complete vegan kitchen” by Jannequin Bennett (p. 259) This is how it turns out, and it is SOOOO yummy! I still have a few slices left if anyone wants to come by for a visit. PS. The plate it's resting on was made by yours truly!

You need a blender/food processor, a sifter, and a loaf pan to make this recipe.

2 Tbsp Flaxseeds
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (you can use mashed sweet potato instead)
½ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (I just used ALL whole wheat flour and it turned out fine)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ ground cloves
(you can replace the last 3 spices with 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice)

Use a 9-inch loaf pan, coat with oil or spray
Use blender/food processor to blend the flaxseeds with 6 Tbsp of water until light and frothy
Whisk together flaxseed mixture with sugar, pumpkin and applesauce
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices into the wet ingredients
Mix well
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350F for 1hr – 1hr 15 min.

sexy annalise

2007-10-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure how many of you are aware of my Australian alter-ego. A few years ago, in a bout of egotistical curiosity, I googled my first name and I got a LOT of hits (don't remember the number I found back then, but today I did it again and it's 509,000!). Near the top of the list is Annalise Braakensiek who is an Australian model. It seems that she mainly models swimsuits, lingerie, fashion wear, and her own skin....and it's obvious that she is one sexy woman, with a lot of fans. Needless to say, I didn't think I had a lot in common with her!!!

BUT, yesterday I found a connection when I was searching online for information re: being vegan and knitting. I started following a vegan diet last winter, not long after learning how to knit. At first, I wasn't too concerned about the 'other side' of being vegan, namely, what I wear and what products I use on my body. I made a conscious decision to concentrate first on what I'm putting IN my body, and I vowed to start investigating the other issues within a year. The end of that year is fast approaching, and as the weather turns colder, I am beginning to pick up the knitting needles more often, so..... I decided to start the next stage of my vegan evolution by snooping around to find out what I should know about knitting (in which one mostly uses sheep's wool) as it relates to being vegan. Indeed, I learned that this industry is not free from the difficult issue of animal cruelty. Quite the opposite, actually. I found a website called Save the Sheep, and this photo of a very nude Annalise Braakensiek with a rescued lamb. Turns out we have something in common after all...

I also learned that there are many alternatives to wool for those who love to knit. Alternatives include "cotton, cotton flannel, polyester fleece, synthetic shearling, and other cruelty-free fibers. Tencel—breathable, durable, and biodegradable—is one of the newest cruelty-free wool substitutes. Polartec Wind Pro—made primarily from recycled plastic soda bottles—is a high-density fleece with four times the wind resistance of wool that also wicks away moisture." I've also seen bamboo wool for sale at Lettuce Knit a store that sells exclusively organic wool, as well as wool alternatives.

A photo of Bamboo Wool from Lettuce Knit.

Here are some excerpts from Save the Sheep, and I warn you, this information is disturbing:

--It may come from a sheep, goat, or Tibetan antelope. It may be called "wool," "mohair," "pashmina," "shahtoosh," or "cashmere." But no matter what it's called, any kind of wool causes harm to the animals from whom it is taken.

--Many people believe that shearing sheep helps animals who might otherwise be burdened with too much wool. But without human interference, sheep grow just enough wool to protect themselves from temperature extremes. The fleece provides effective insulation against both cold and heat. Shearers are usually paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast work without regard for the welfare of the sheep. Says one eyewitness: "[T]he shearing shed must be one of the worst places in the world for cruelty to animals...I have seen shearers punch sheep with their shears or their fists until the sheep's nose bled. I have seen sheep with half their faces shorn off..."

--In Australia, the most commonly raised sheep are Merinos, specifically bred to have wrinkly skin, which means more wool per animal. This unnatural overload of wool causes many sheep to collapse and even die of heat exhaustion during hot months, and the wrinkles collect urine and moisture. Attracted to the moisture, flies lay eggs in the folds of skin, and the hatched maggots can eat the sheep alive. To prevent this so-called "flystrike," Australian ranchers perform a barbaric operation-called "mulesing"-where they force live sheep onto their backs, restrain their legs between metal bars, and, without any painkillers whatsoever, slice chunks of flesh from around their tail area. This is done to cause smooth, scarred skin that can't harbor fly eggs. Ironically, the exposed, bloody wounds themselves often get flystrike before they heal. Within weeks of birth, lambs' ears are hole-punched, their tails are chopped off, and the males are castrated without anesthetics. Male lambs are castrated when they are between 2 and 8 weeks old, either by (I'm editing this section out because it is too gruesome). Every year, hundreds of lambs die before the age of 8 weeks from exposure or starvation, and mature sheep die every year from disease, lack of shelter, and neglect.

--When sheep age and their wool production declines, they are of no use to wool farmers and so are discarded for slaughter. This results in the cruel live export of 6.5 million sheep every year from Australia to the Middle East and North Africa, where sheep are crammed aboard multitiered open-deck ships. Nearly 800,000 sheep enter the live export trade from the U.K. and are slaughtered abroad. Australian and New Zealand sheep are slaughtered in the Middle East, after enduring a grueling, weeks- or months-long journey on overcrowded, disease-ridden ships with little access to food or water through all weather extremes. Many sheep fall ill, many become stuck in feces and are unable to move, and many are smothered or trampled to death by other sheep trying not to fall or trying to reach water when it is available. Shipboard mortality ranges up to 10 percent. When the survivors arrive at their destination, they are dragged from the ships and thrown into the backs of trucks and cars, eventually to have their throats slit while they are fully conscious. In the Muslim nations of North Africa and the Middle East, ritual slaughter is exempt from humane slaughter regulations. Some sheep are slaughtered en masse in lots, while others are taken home, often in the trunks of cars, and slaughtered individually by the purchasers.

My intention with this blog post is not to freak you out and send you running for the hills, but simply to draw attention to this issue and encourage you to consider supporting this cause in whatever way you are able. You'd be joining the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Pink, and Alicia Silverstone if you do! Not to mention one sexy Annalise...or two :)

the new digs

2007-10-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

the past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind. Chris started work in Orillia on Oct 1, so he took the bus up with a backpack of belongings and camped out in a dorm room for 3 nights, then a motel room for 2 nights. he got the keys for our new place on the friday of that week, and then caught the bus back to Toronto for the Thanksgiving weekend. check out his veggie blog to see what we had for T-day dinner. Then we packed up the car full of chris things and drove up to deliver him and his belongings for a second week of work.

all of this on top of trying to be a good grad student, has me feeling a bit fried these days. it's a long transition period, but i trust that it will be worth it in the end!

our townhouse is completely empty, but i took some photos of it since a) the link i emailled out to people didn't work and b) i won't actually be moving in there for another month and a half. it looks like the photo i took of the front of the house didn't work, so i'll have to post that at a later date. so, here we go:

Chris entering our new home with his prized possession - the pool noodle.

view from the hallway into the living room.

view from the hallway into the kitchen.

view from the living room looking into the kitchen.

view from the living room looking to the hallway and the stairs leading to 2nd floor.

looking left at the top of the stairs - the washroom on the right, guest room in the middle, office on the left.

looking right at the top of the stairs - you can see into the master bedroom.

and...the master bedroom. 2 closets, 2 windows, a door into bathroom (not shown in photo) and probably space enough for everything we currently own.

chris stealing wireless from one of the nieghbours. hee hee.

a view of the back "yard".

there you have it! not sure what state the place will be in by the time i get up there. chris will probably be so used to living without furniture that he'll want to go all minimalist on me!

i'm not pregnant or getting married...but....

2007-09-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

...i have an announcement to make to the world. i'm moving to Orillia. oh my!! it's pretty strange to say that with such finality. i've known for about a week and a half that it was POSSIBLE that chris would get a job in Orillia, and that this would lead to some changes re: where to live. yesterday the possibility became a definite. chris was offered the job (yay!) at the Orillia campus of Lakehead University, and he accepted. some might think this decision has come out of the blue, but the truth is that we have been talking a lot in recent months about our common desire to leave Toronto, to live in a smaller community, preferrably with lots of land around it so that i can learn how to grow things and eventually we might be able to eat what i grow (unlike most of the produce that comes out of our current patio garden, as pictured below).

the bonus about Orillia is that there not only a lots of land, there's a lot of water too.

it's a perfect spot to be for outdoor fun - hiking, water activities, rollerblading (there's a paved trail through town), etc etc. also a perfect spot to be if i decide i want to open a veg restaurant instead of being a social worker :) -- there are no veg restaurants in town, as far as i can tell. luckily, it's only 1.5 hour drive to Toronto, and a 2 hour drive to my parents in one direction, and to Chris' parents in the other direction.

also, i've ensured that a) there are possibilities for me to do a work placement for my masters degree in either Barrie or Orillia and that b) there are some possible job opportunities for me once i'm done school this year. no guarantees, but there are definitely some possibilities.

as for timing, we are still ironing out the details, but i will likely stay in toronto until december, and then move up to join Chris in Orillia during the break between fall & winter terms.

so all in all, i'm excited....but i'm also freaked out, nervous, and a bit overwhelmed with the thought of packing up and leaving the city I've called home for 8 years.

Some quotes about change that will hopefully help me through the next few months:

Nothing endures but change.
Heraclitus

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.
Harrison Ford

Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.
Alvin Toffler

We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
Anatole France

under the weather

2007-09-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'm sick. I woke up on Sunday morning with a sore throat and a general feeling of lethargy. By late afternoon it was a full-fledged head cold. The timing of this was not great, as I had 3 "first" classes to attend on Monday and Tuesday (my 4th class met for the first time before I got sick). I'm sure I've made a great impression on my profs and fellow students. At Monday night's class I wasn't very smart, in that I didn't have any Kleenex with me, so I grabbed a strip of toilet paper from the women's washroom and used that to dab at my nose all night. Of course, I was sitting right beside the prof (not planned, she came in last and the room was set up with 4 tables in a square...I just happened to be at the corner where she chose to sit too). And of course, my nose was dripping and clogging up way more than that weak little strip of no-name TP was designed for. It wasn't pretty. But, I didn't get accepted to grad school for naught...I learned my lesson, and for my two Tuesday morning classes I carried around my own personal (and large) box of Kleenex. And a little garbage bag too. Didn't want to leave my germs on someone else's future seat or writing surface! It was still a pretty sad situation, but whilst back at home, I managed to entertain myself by:
a) becoming addicted to Facebook Scrabble, and,
b) watching season 3 of The Office. The whole season. In 3 days. Wow.

By Wednesday I was starting to become more cough-y and less stuff-y. Miraculously, I slept like a baby on Wednesday night (had been waking up a lot every night from inability to breathe through stupid clogged up nose). Woke up this morning, but as I am alone here for the week (Chris is up north) and I have no classes today, I didn't speak to anyone all morning. I finally made a phone call around lunchtime and upon leaving a message, realized that I sound like a 12 year old boy on the verge of puberty (if I'm lucky that's what I sound like). So I've spent the day croaking to a few people on the phone and at Shoppers Drug Mart and at the post office. And now I'm off to bed. Wonder what I'll sound like tomorrow?

Algonquin Park

2007-08-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

I went on my first canoe trip! My friend Bridgette and I have both dreamed of doing a multi-day canoe trip in Algonquin Park, and we both realized that dream. We left Toronto on Friday August 17th and drove up to the park. Just getting there was an adventure in that we encountered 1) a dog loose on the 401, 2) a major fire on Hwy 7 just east of Peterborough and 3) torrential rains all the way from Maynooth to Whitney. But we made it. We set up camp at a traditional drive-in site not too far from the Outfitters Store on Friday night, and organized all the stuff we'd thrown into my car. We both felt very unprepared, but we managed to get our act together and made it to the Outfitters Store on Saturday morning to pick up our canoe and get paddling.

Saturday
We did the unthinkable and paddled up Lake Opeongo to the North Arm. The staff estimated 4-6 hours, and we made it in just under 5. It was a long, hard day, but such an accomplishment!! We both felt invincible!!

Set up camp and got warm and cozy around the campfire.

Sunday
We paddled the rest of Opeongo and did a 2km portage over to Happy Isle lake. Oh. My. God. That is one long portage! We carried all the gear the first time, and then doubled back and carried the canoe together. Camped on Happy Isle.

Woke up to this beautiful morning mist.

Monday
Paddled across Happy Isle, and did a .5km portage over to Merchant Lake. Found an amazing campsite on Merchant, spacious, with a lovely "point" and a view of the sunrise and the sunset.

Once we got settled (see photo!)....

....we paddled over to a 60m portage (yes, 60m) and took the canoe over to Lake Chickadee to look for the only campsite on the whole lake. After much searching (we paddled around the entire lake), we finally located the site. There was no orange sign advertising it's location, and when we got closer we realized there had been a fire, so the site is probably closed to the public for a while. This portage was so easy we had time to stop and take a few photos :)

Tuesday
Stayed at Merchant because we loved our site so much. This was my favourite reading nook.

Paddled the perimeter of the lake to explore. It got very choppy and I got very nervous, but we were ok. Found a beautiful campsite with a long narrow beach. Hoping to go back there someday.

Wednesday
Paddled back to Happy Isle and found a campsite on the island. Had a lazy day, reading, getting screamed at by the local squirrels, doing a photo shoot, etc etc.

Thursday
Paddled back to the 2km portage, and went for an impromptu swim before embarking on the 1.5 hour endeavour. Funny thing is, we changed into our swimsuits out in the open on the little beach right at the end of the portage. Just after changing back into our normal clothes, 3 canoes full of 6 American men came paddling into shore to embark on the portage themselves. If only they'd arrived 3 minutes earlier, they would have had quite the show! After the portage, we waited for the ferry to take back down Opeongo (yes, we cheated, and it was worth every penny!).

Memoirs of a sensei, part three

2007-08-25T13:38:00.000-05:00

ACROSS THE WORLD
Memoirs of a sensei
(Excerpts from my journal entries dated August 1997 on the tenth anniversary of my first summer in Japan.)

THREE: Subtle Changes

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still" (Chinese Proverb)

August came. My life began to stabilize. People and things began to distract me.

I sang. I found myself at the centre of the musical crowd in town. Accidentally I began singing in public. One night at the pub the guitar was out and suddenly I was singing Simon and Garfunkel to a roomful of strangers. My confidence slowly began to build.

I travelled. I couldn't speak any Japanese, but I travelled with a friend who had been in Saga for 6 months, so I thought we'd be just fine. It turned out that 6 months of Japanese is pretty basic, so we had an interesting (read: cursed) week. I think we spent more combined hours waiting for transportation in various locales than we actually spent travelling to any given destination. But it was fun I admit. And educational. I learned a lot. I learned not to believe Ben when he says it'll be more rewarding to climb the volcano than pay 10 bucks worth of yen to take the tour bus. I learned to look at the map myself rather than trust his sense of distance when he suggests that we not walk down the volcano the same way we walked up because he'd rather see different scenery and the other way down doesn't look much longer. I learned not to believe Kevin O'Keeffe of County Kerry, Ireland, when he says he'll meet you on Wednesday at 5:30 and will split the hotel bill with you. I learned to bring extra cash because when Kevin decides not to show up, you have to split the bill two ways instead of three which was not what you originally budgeted. I learned to book accommodations ahead because we might just spend an entire day travelling to a famous mountainous area in the pouring rain, only to arrive 40 minutes before the last bus heads back to where we came from, only to find out that all the hotels in the area are fully booked except for the ones that charge 100 dollars per person per night. I learned that a frustrating experience like that can be worth it just because of the split-second glimpse of an amazing waterfall en route, that only I seemed to notice. I learned that sunrises in Japan are spectacular. And I learned that in six short weeks I came to regard my little house in Ise Machi as a home, since coming back to it felt so good after my week of travels.

I wrote. I regularly sat on my 2nd floor patio and mused about the world. Sometimes I watched the reflections of the sunset, and sometimes I watched the moon follow it's course across the night sky. I wish I knew the words to describe the awesome works of Nature, but they are beyond my grasp. Nature is the art of God, I think Dante said. I could never actually see the sun setting because I don't have a clear view from the balcony...too many houses...not too mention the huge statue of Buddha overlooking the cemetery next door. But I could see the effects of the sunset on the sky above me. It reminds me of God, who we can't see...but whose presence effects the world around us every day. It also reminds me of God because it has two distinct natures. It is excruciatingly hot these days, painfully hot, but the heat is necessary for the growth of crops. It gives what is needed whether we like it or not. But that violently hot sun is at the same time so magnificent in it's beauty and artwork, the way it rises and sets, the way it changes the image of a cloud or shines through the leaves of a tree. One entity, two personas. As it is with God, who teaches me things I don't want to learn, and leads me places against my will. But only God knows what it will take to grow me, whether it be extreme heat or gentle breezes. And the art produced by God, otherwise known as Nature -- this moonlight I've grown so fond of, the volcano I climbed last week rising out of the water, the tree that has stood for hundreds of years reaching for the sky and refusing to relinquish it's goal, the dark clouds that move so swiftly across a clear sky to bring thunder and lightning and refreshing rain -- all these things I have seen in one week of living, and the time I take to appreciate them changes me in subtle ways.

wandering in the forest

2007-08-16T21:30:00.001-05:00

Chris and I took off last weekend. Originally we'd planned to do a weekend away to celebrate our birthdays, but we ended up booking it on the weekend following my last day of work, and also realized that it is our 2 year anniversary of co-habitating! So, we had a lot to celebrate.

We drove up to the Orangeville area on Saturday and went to the Mono Cliffs Inn for lunch. Lucky for us they had 2 veg items on the menu, so we each ordered one and shared. I'm not convinced the salad was full vegan, but it was delicious and nothing bad happened to me after eating it. Chris had a curry bowl. Then we hiked for a couple of hours along the Mono Cliffs trail , which connects to the Bruce Trail ,and ended up at a great lookout pictured below. Parts of the trail were very sandy (strange) so we got very dirty feet also pictured below!

We then drove up to Shelburne, about 20 minutes further north, and found our "B&B" - which was really a woman named Carole who rents out her basement space...but let me tell you, this woman can COOK! We paid extra to have dinner there, and of course, the breakfast was included, and both were terrific organic vegan meals. There are not a lot of places out there that cater to vegan folk, so we were very pleased to find Carole.

Saturday night we attended the Canadian Open Olde Time Fiddle Contest!! You might think this would be all stomping and fun, but it was some serious business! Especially the kids....they were totally into it, and they were amazing!

Also while in Shelburne we stopped to see a "wind farm", pictured below (the pictures don't do it justice).

Sunday morning we decided to strike out and try a new hiking trail, which turned out to be a bit of an adventure. It was part of Boyne Valley Provincial Park, and the trail we hiked (very badly) was the Primrose Loop trail. It was supposed to be about a 2km loop but we were walking for about 3 hours!!! I don't think we did the loop more than once, but we definitely strayed from the blue-marked path! Chris blames it all on The Best of the Bruce Trail book....so if you're ever talking to him about hiking you might want to recommend that book to him and see how he reacts!

As Chris mentions in his blog, getting lost in the forest was a good thing for us because we saw a deer, a turtle, and we almost got run over by some crazy turkey vultures (at least that's what we think they were)....now I'm not so sure because I just looked up turkey vultures and they don't look anything like what we saw....(they burst out of the forest onto the trail ahead of us and ran so fast we couldn't get the camera out in time). These are some of the pictures we did take.

Anyway, now I'm off to Algonquin for another week of wandering in the forest, this time by canoe.....stay tuned!

celebrate good times, woo hoo

2007-08-13T07:27:00.000-05:00

My colleague Louise made this cake which I've dubbed "Louise's Triple Layer Coconut and Chocolate Killer Cake" in honour of my last day of work at the Hospice (last Friday). I'm still bouncing off the walls! Delicious! If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I'll beg her for it :)

i'm a lumberjack, and i'm ok

2007-08-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning and was shocked to see that the tree which shades our patio has fallen down. The irony is that I hosted book club under that tree just yesterday evening. Looks like the base of the tree is in our neighbours backyard (which I never realized before) and it crashed the fence and has trapped some wires under it too. Hmmm. I think I should give the landlord a call....

Looking straight down from our 3rd floor patio

Coming out the back door of our building, ground level

From my parking spot, the view of the back of our building blocked by fallen tree

The new view from our treeless patio. So sad.

The Power of Healing

2007-08-03T08:02:00.000-05:00

As I wind down with my work at the Hospice, and slowly meander my way through the complexity of emotions that are arising within me, I am particularly touched by this essay by Balfour Mount, something of a mentor in the Hospice Palliative Care sector in Canada. He is Professor Emeritus of Oncology and Palliative Medicine at McGill University, and he submitted this essay for the "This I Believe" series at CBC.

To hear him speaking the essay with his own voice (very powerful especially given his current diagnosis of cancer in the esophagus), click
here .

The Power of Healing
by Dr. Balfour Mount

I believe in healing. I am not speaking of physical healing, a person can die healed: what I mean by “healing” is a shift away from anguish and suffering, toward an experience of integrity, wholeness and inner peace. The ultimate goal of healing is to enable us to be of greater service to others and to the global village of which we are temporary trustees.

My thoughts have been shaped by multiple personal brushes with death — a plane crash; three cancers and all that followed those diagnoses; a heart attack; the deaths of loved ones; my work as a cancer surgeon; the privilege of caring for the dying over the last three decades. Paradoxically, the message emerging from these experiences has been about living, not dying. The psyche, it would seem, has an intrinsic tendency toward healing.

I believe healing, like love, celebration, awe and ecstasy, happens in the present moment, free from ruminations about the past and fears for the future. It involves letting go, a leap of faith, “diving not drowning” as Carl Jung expressed it. ALS patient Phil Simmons called it “learning to fall.” We fall from head, to heart; from egoism and defense mechanisms, to forgiveness of ourselves and others. We may thus come to glimpse the staggering potential of our essential selves and experience an awareness of the healing connections that provide meaning, hope and a sense of an inner peace.

I believe healing connections happen at four levels: a sense of connection to self; connection to others; connection to the world perceived through our senses (as with music, or the grandeur of nature); and connection to ultimate meaning, however perceived (God, the More, the Cosmos). While my experience of the first of these — connection to self - is slowly unfolding, I have, throughout life, been enriched beyond measure through each of the other domains. In spite of this, I have too often felt trapped by circumstances — stuck with the ‘Why me?’ ‘Why now?’ ‘What if?’ questions of life.

I believe my challenge is to open to each moment with acceptance; to listen to my intuition; to develop self-reflective skills; to be more gentle with myself; to think small; to give up illusions of control.

I believe healing involves a process of opening, slowing, centering, trusting and accepting. This process leads us away from preoccupation with all that is been lost to a clearer recognition of the potential that remains.

Finally, I believe that I must take up the journey toward healing anew each day. The renowned Jewish scholar, Hillel, put it succinctly, “If I don’t do it, who will do it? If I don’t do it now, when will I do it?”

For This I Believe I’m Balfour Mount in Montreal.

Memoirs of a sensei, part two

2007-07-22T19:25:00.001-05:00

ACROSS THE WORLD
Memoirs of a sensei
(Excerpts from my journal entries dated July 1997 on the tenth anniversary of my first month in Japan. More excerpts to come.)

TWO: The Journals of July

July 3. I feel sick to my stomach today. I can't get home out of my mind. Everyone thinks I'm being so brave, but really I'm so frightened! Before I came here I had no doubts that this was something I need to do in my life. Now I'm not sure I'll even survive.

I miss my family. I miss my friends. I can sense the distance already. Not just geographically, emotionally too. The pictures I've put up on my wall make me cry. This week has been terribly lonely with C, who I talked with an average of 5 times per day the six months prior to leaving home. This is actually the first time I've let myself think about it since I arrived here. I've been shutting off my emotions so that I could absorb as much as humanly possible this past week. The person training me (and leaving next week) asks if she's telling me too much and I can't say yes because that would make me vulnerable and my guard would come down and I'd lose it. So I shake my head and keep trying to take it all in. And I continue to put on a veneer of sanity despite the fact that I'm hurling on the inside. I thought I had learned how to be vulnerable, but maybe it'll take more than a week.

July 5. The rains have come and washed some of my sadness and inhibitions away. Today I was laughing out loud as I learned how to ride a bicycle through a downpour (yes, holding an umbrella which really ends up being useless as you roll through the puddles).

I met many excellent people yesterday, but I can tell they won't understand me very well. We have such different backgrounds. I'm starting to censor myself already.

July 10. I have never felt so sad and lonely. My brother told me, just after I arrived (he met me at the airport and came to visit me the next day ...he's going back to Canada next week) that one thing he's learned by living here (for 4 years) is how to accept loneliness. That it isn't necessarily an emotion to be avoided. That it's important to learn how to embrace it.

Great. I can hardly wait.

Today marks the two week anniversary of when I left home. Exactly two weeks ago (right now it's Wednesday evening at home), all my friends in the near vicinity were gathered to say goodbye. I felt so special, so loved. My faith in the sanctity of friendship was heightened. I was so excited about this adventure, felt like I was sitting on cloud nine (to use a cliche). Now I'm sitting on a futon in my bathrobe, dissolved in tears.

The rain is beginning to bother me. It doesn't seem to stop --- EVER. It's been raining all week. Where does it all come from? Where is it kept so that it all comes down at once like this, like a tsunami from the sky?

July 13.
I'm watching the moon to the tune of the crickets and locusts. It's a brilliant orange half-moon with the edge fringed just enough to make it look soft, but strong. Today was beautiful. The rain stopped just in time to save me from insanity. It hasn't stopped for good but at least it took a coffee break.

The moon is sinking below the houses now. Soon it'll be shining at home. Part of me wants to go with it, but part of me is slowly gaining confidence in this strange and challenging place.

July 19. When I wake up in the morning I can usually tell if it's going to be a homesick day or not. Today I knew as soon as my feet hit the tatami. Weekends are so quiet. Too many consecutive hours of silence is quite a challenge when I'm feeling out of my element (which is definitely how I'm feeling). That IS what I wanted for this year of my life though...to be out of my element after spending 23 years IN it. I'm discovering the depth of my innocence and naivete because the "gaijin" (ex-pat) lifestyle is so different from what I'm used to at home.

I got a package from my mom! As it turns out I even get weepy just listening to certain CD's. What a sap I am. I'm smiling, laughing and crying all at the same time - listening to the disc that C gave me as a goodbye gift. Remembering the two of us bopping around the store to track #3. Laughter through tears.

July 21. I think I've figured out my addiction to the moon. I think it's my symbol of God in this place. Lately I've been talking to it, pondering it, missing it on the nights that it rises too late for me to see, or when it's hiding behind the clouds, but knowing all the time that it's there.

July 25. As tired as I am, I have many thoughts floating around this head of mine tonight. Interestingly enough, I always get introspective after spending an evening at the pub -- and I don't think it has anything to do with the alcohol!! As always, the moon is supportive. I look at it tonight and it's a half moon, and I realize that's about as much as most of the people here are ever going to know about me – unless I choose to let them know more. I guess I'll never stop missing those friends that I have back home who already know me so well, and who I feel so loved by. They'll never be replaced. But I need to start making some friends here or else I'll have to get very comfortable with loneliness, very soon. And I'm not ready for that! Not yet, anyway....

wild life

2007-06-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

Some random shots of the "wild life" in Toronto.

Crystal's first rose. I am the surrogate gardener while Crystal is out of country. Didn't want her to miss the first beautiful bloom.

Cat on top of Crystal's shed. Couldn't resist.

Neighbourhood squirrel that likes to sabotage my pepper plants and eat my herbs. I caught him in a moment of rest. If only I'd had a bb gun instead of a camera!

Memoirs of a sensei, part one

2007-06-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

ACROSS THE WORLD
Memoirs of a sensei
(Excerpts from my journal entries dated June 26, 1997 - June 29, 1997 on the tenth anniversary of my departure for Japan. More excerpts to come.)

ONE: The way I feel

“Somehow let me say how I feel. I think you’d take my hand if you could understand the way I feel.” (N. Honeytree)

Flight.
My weary swollen half-drugged eyes crack open. Blood shot, tear-streaked eyes. The reading light glares above me and it seems to have zapped all the energy from my just-turned-23-years-old body. I’ve always been paranoid of flying overseas because I think the worst place to crash would be in an ocean…the unfathomable depth, the inability to rescue yourself since no land is in sight, the interminable wait for the sharks to come looking for breakfast. How morbid. But it’s true I think. If a plane should crash on land at least there’s a hope of survival and the possibility of walking to a payphone to call for help. Ok, maybe not. But it’s my birthday so I’m allowed to exaggerate. It’s funny though, because if I’m going to drown to death on this flight, it won’t be in the ocean that stretches endlessly beneath me, it’ll be in a pool of my own tears. I’ll probably shrivel up from the saline water that drenches my face sooner than I’ll be eaten by sharks. Hmmmm. Comforting thought.

Staring at the airline logo on the paper bag in front of me, I wish myself a happy 23rd birthday and wonder, God, what the hell am I doing? I just left everything I know and love, and that knows and loves me, behind - in the only place I’ve ever known. Why exactly am I doing this to myself? Some invisible invincible force has wrenched me away against my will it seems. I didn’t choose this, I couldn’t have.

Although I’m emotionally stable for the moment, I have this ominous feeling that once I reach Tokyo I’ll lose it again. This is the wildest situation I’ve ever been in….there’s no telling how I’ll react when the plane touches down on the other side of the world. Ever since the plane lost contact with Canadian soil, I’ve felt myself being stretched. I am “different” for the first time ever. I feel so unsure of myself and of everyone around me.

I can see the shadow of the plane on the blanket of clouds underneath me. I hope the clouds will protect me from the water below since they can’t protect me from my own tears.

Arrival.
Sitting alone in the Tokyo airport. When we broke through the clouds and I saw land, it looked so different from what I had expected. From the little I’ve been told of this place I was imagining infrastructure as far as the eye could see. Zero land, zero space. But I was so wrong. There are the same patchwork squares of land joining together into the quilt that is Japan. Not so different from home.

It hasn’t taken me long to notice how much I stick out here. The lack of foreigners isn’t bothering me so much…it’s the language barrier that is frustrating. Communication is one of my strengths, so I really hate being unable to make use of that strength now. I hate being illiterate. It’s a good thing the signs here in the Tokyo airport are bilingual. One more flight and a bus ride until I can go to sleep and dream of home.

Saga.
I made it. I’m here. Lying in my new bed (a futon), in the middle of my new room (with tatami floors). It’s much easier to believe that everything will be ok now that I’m surrounded by people who have already done it and survived. Now I know it can be done, I just have to find the courage and the creativity to do it myself.

Every few seconds the “why” demon flits in and out and my stomach turns. I have to remind myself during the seconds in between that the whole point of this experience is to TRY. Not to be guided or to depend too much on other people for direction. To learn. To experiment. To explore.

Kanpai…

fifth day of vacation, and the house swap fiasco

2007-06-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

soooo, Friday was the last official day of my holiday, not including the weekend. I spent the morning packing for a weekend away with some girlfriends, and was picked up by Amelia and Michelle around 11:30am. We had planned a house swap which basically means that Amelia offered up her house for the weekend, in exchange for a small house up north, near a town called Kinmount. So we drove about 2.5 hours northeast of Toronto and arrived at our new "home" about mid afternoon. We met the owner, who greeted us hesitantly and indicated she had emailled Amelia that morning to cancel. Uhhhh, ok, well....Amelia explained that she hadn't received the email, and well, here we are, and two more are on their way. The owner tried to be gracious, but she made it clear that she was unable to go to Toronto for the weekend, but she indicated she did have another place to stay so she was in the midst of packing up her car with things she needed for the weekend. She told us not to use the phone, computer or woodburning stove. She indicated there would be a real estate showing the next day at 1pm. She asked us not to tell the real estate agent if we notice anything not working in the house. Hmmmm. We were starting to wonder where this was all going. She packed up her car while we took the canoe down to the nearby river, and then went for groceries. We came home to a note that basically said, sorry, but you can only stay for one night. This, after lots of drama getting 5 bikes onto 2 cars and coordinating 5 crazy women's schedules. Sigh. Needless to say we were annoyed and disappointed. The worst part is that she popped back in awhile later and non-chalantly asked if we'd seen her note. Uhh, yes, we saw it, thanks..........ARGHHHHHHHHH!!

Anyway, suffice it to say that Amelia rocks because she managed to work some family connections and found us a way better cabin on a lake about 30 minutes away that was available on the Saturday night. So we stayed in crazy lady's house Friday night but packed up and moved out first thing Saturday morning. We ended up really enjoying our stay on Boshkung Lake instead. An adventurous end to my holiday!!

fourth day of vacation, and my favourite muffins

2007-06-21T23:02:00.000-05:00

today i stuck close to home. made a batch of vegan muffins, so thought i'd share the recipe.

Anything Goes Fruit Filled Muffins
from How it all Vegan

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sweetener
egg replacer (for 2 eggs) - I use 3 tbsp of apple sauce per egg needed
1/4 cup oil - I use sunflower
3/4 cup sour soy milk - just add 1 tsp of vinegar to the soy milk and stir
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit

Preheat oven to 350F.
Stir together first 3 ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
Bake 35-45 minutes.
Makes 6 large muffins.

Enjoy!!

Third day of vacation

2007-06-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

Well, for someone who had no specific plans on how to spend her holiday, I've been keeping pretty busy! Today was a beautiful day, a bit windy this morning, and a cooler temperature, but blue skies and sunshine. I went off in search of a book binder to repair an old Dutch-English Bible that belonged to my grandfather (Paake) and was passed down to my dad (this is a secret project I'm working on so don't tell my dad). I found Don Taylor Book Binder at John and Queen. Had quite an adventure getting up to the 5th floor though - it was a really old building beside Urbane Cyclist. My favourite part was the tiny (maximum 2 people) elevator with an old-fashioned gate. Very rickety. Very fun. Anyway, I survived that errand and then went on up through Kensington Market, hoping to check out Left Feet - a vegan shoe and belt store. They were closed. I ventured a guess that perhaps someone needed a break to smoke a doobie? Continued from there up into the Annex and over to Little Korea to stop in at Mark and Danielle's house. I needed to borrow some computer contraband.... Then a quick stop at Kensington Kitchen to pick up some amazing takeout chickpea and lentil soup. And over to Crystal's Craven Castle to enjoy said soup with her who was feeling lousy today. Hope the protein helped you out Penner! I also took a moment to plant a cutting of my dad's lilac tree in Crystal's backyard. No rest for the weary! On the way home I stopped at my favourite Pulp Kitchen for a juice and cookies to go, and stopped in the nearby park to read, enjoy my snack, and bask in the sunshine. Then home to play around with aforementioned computer contraband, as well as figuring out how to make my email work. Success all around, but not without some good old fashioned swear words here and there!! All in all, a great third day of vacation!

Second day of vacation

2007-06-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

So I've spent most of today as follows:

1) rearranging my living room

2) playing with my new computer and printer, yay.

3) waiting for the rain. Judging from how dark it has suddenly become in my apartment, and how the trees out my window are blowing around, i think it's just about to start.

PS. And now that it has started, I've discovered a leak in the kitchen ceiling!!!

First day of vacation

2007-06-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

mmmmmm...i went strawberry picking today. first time ever. i love being on vacation.

future shop, a.k.a. the black hole

2007-06-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

What do I have to say on this sunny friday afternoon? A big fat OOPS, that's what!!

I just dropped a whack of cash on a new computer, somewhat unexpectedly. I've been thinking about upgrading because I've managed to beat the crap out of my current computer. But I haven't been seriously shopping around for anything. Then my boss (a computer savvy type) called me yesterday and mentioned he'd seen a laptop with windows xp on it for 479. Since I was right near that store today (in Markham) I decided to stop in and have a look see. Thought I might buy, but wasn't set on it. Well, I got here (yes, I'm typing this as I sit in the big cushy future shop chair watching their gi-normous tv waiting waiting waiting for him to finish working on the one I bought) and the guy said they sold that cheap one, and that it was an old model anyway. So, of course, he showed me some current models and the update is...I bought one. I have 14 days to return it in case someone tells me that what I bought is really awful. Anyway, I think they are almost ready for me now so I will sign off and add more details later!!

fressen

2007-06-14T14:40:00.001-05:00

About a month ago, or so (actually I just checked my calendar and it was exactly May 14th!...how timely) I had the pleasure of dining at Fressen with two friends, Cindy and Bridgette. We were so impressed with this 100% vegan restaurant, with lots of wheat-free menu items, that we decided to take photos of each dish before inhaling all the food. For those who think the dishes look small, they are. The premise of the restaurant is that you order several dishes, all priced at $9, and share amongst your party. This may not look like a lot of food in the photos, but it really did go far, and we all left feeling nice and full - and healthy!

Photo #1
a. Layered zucchini and portabello mushroom rawzagna slathered with pesto, sundried tomato paste, and hemp butter (on the right).

b. Rice flour wrapped squash ravioli (w) with basil and creamed sesame butter, sautéed with leeks and basil in a tomato and olive oil sauce (on the left).

c. Warm avocado and corn salsa sandwiched between fluffy spinach blinis accented with pepper purées (in the background).

Photo #2
Stewed sweet potato, onion, carrots and chickpeas in a cumin infused tomato broth moroccan stew.

Photo #3
Steamed bundled asparagus on a warm bed of tahini creamed quinoa with miso hemp butter.

a night on the town

2007-06-10T20:53:00.000-05:00

So I had quite a busy and social week/weekend. Friends of mine, Stephen Gordon and Janelle Enns, got married yesterday. The bridemaids organized a night on the town on Thursday night, so I thought I'd share some of the pictures! We had dinner at Thai Paradise, followed by dancing at Crocodile Rock.

Amelia (pictured here on the right) came up with the brilliant idea of dressing Janelle up 80's style, to match our post-dinner plan to go 80's dancing. This is the dress she selected, and tailored herself, for Janelle to wear.

...the lovely lacy gloves, complete with pink ribbons,

...the hair in progress, courtesy of stylist du jour, Crystal Penner,

...the finishing touch on Janelle's terrifically teased hair - a lacy bow,

...some perfect purple eyeshadow,

...and VOILA, we were graced with the presence of the Material Girl herself!

This is the best shot of the evening, taken by a random guy on the dance floor.

At the wedding itself, I didn't take many pictures and the ones I did take mostly turned out blurry. Not sure what's up with my camera. Luckily, I salvaged a nice shot of Chris and I.

Thanks to Stephen and Janelle for a wonderful celebration! It was an amazing day.

being nice actually works.....sometimes

2007-06-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

So this is my first attempt at blogging by blackberry (bbb).So far, so good.

I just had a great experience at Fairweathers and thought I should tell the world about it. I found a great pair of pants on the 19 dollar rack, so decide to get 2 different colours (sexy red and boring beige). Noticed that the price tags said 28, so wondered if they were really on sale. Took them to the counter to pay, and commented to the saleschick that I was being rather daring in purchasing red pants -- but slyly mentioned that I couldn't resist since they were on sale. She raised her eyebrow and said she didn't think so. She went back to check the rack, and then called her co-saleschick (who appeared to have some seniority) over for advice. Saleschick number 2 proceeded to look in the master book and confirmed that indeed, the pants were not sale. I thought about it and said, well, I'm not sure I can afford to buy both pairs at full price, but as long as I can bring a pair back if I change my mind, then I'll pay for both now and think about it. Saleschick number 2 then furrowed her brow and said out loud that it was false advertising to which I replied, well, don't worry...I'm not going to make a stink about it. I guess that was my golden ticket because she then decided to give them to me at the "sale" price. Wahoo!!! So cheers to Fairweather. I already loved you, but now you've got a friend for life! And for those readers who see me wearing my new sexy red pants, you'll know the story of how they came to be mine!

PS. Just for Rhonda, here's a pic. They may not look that sexy in this photo because I grabbed them out of the laundry basket just prior to this photo! Ha ha ha. Enjoy...

Paradise Lost

2007-05-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

So I woke up to the news this morning. This is what I heard.
1)Newsflash. Someone was shot at Parliament & Shuter. So close to my place, I'm surprised I didn't hear the gun go off.
2)Toronto drivers are pissed about the DVP/Gardiner being closed for the Becel Ride for the Heart. This will impact on people getting to the Blue Jays game. Boo hoo.
3)There is a double layer of digusting smog over the city today. See #2 and think about this for a moment.

This city is a freakshow!!

Speaking of bikes and smog (but not guns, luckily....!), I have a story to tell you. Last week I took some time off work. Chris and I spent 4 days in Bancroft which is my heaven on earth, forced relaxation, blissful chillout zone. Came back Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday had to head up to York University for an information session about grad school. Since I was on vacation and it was a beautiful day (and I was still blissed out from the weekend in Bancroft), I decided to ride my bike to the nearest subway station (Queen), bring it with me, and ride from the end of the subway line (Downsview) to York...about a 20 minute ride. I love doing this to avoid the dreadful bus ride, and just to annoy the drivers on those North York streets. Problem is, there are many HUGE trucks in the area that tend to knock my socks off, so it's often me who gets annoyed, and jumpy. Anyway, all goes well, I arrive at York in one piece, I attend the info session. In the back of my mind I realize that I have to get back to the subway pretty quickly after the session ends because I know there's a cutoff for when I'm allowed to bring my bike with me on the trains (due to rush hour) but I'm just not sure what time that cutoff is. I put it out of my mind. The session goes overtime, to 3:10 or so. I visit the washroom, chat with someone I know, then hop on my bike (incidentally, which is chained to a railing because the Social Work building at York has no bike racks) and bust back to the station. Well, a little too late I'm afraid. I arrived at 3:45, and the cutoff, I was politely informed is 3:30. Of course, everybody hates cyclists, so I couldn't get them to bend the rules for me. I guess being sweaty and stinky with helmet head didn't help with the charm factor. So, I geared myself up for a long, stinky, noisy ride alllllll the way back downtown. The ride itself was fine, it was the traffic, construction, lack of food in my tummy, headache etc that I found challenging. Needless to say, I lost my bliss somewhere along the way...BUT I SURVIVED!!!! And the whole experience evoked memories of the triathlon I completed in August 2005.

For those who care, this is a map of my route:

It was 23km, which to some may seem short and to others very loooooong!! For me, it was an accomplishment. And I lived to tell the tale. Lucky you :)

Random Acts of Bike-ness

2007-05-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

So, last night I met my friend Chris Harrison for dinner at Fresh (Queen & Crawford). After dinner, as I was getting geared up to ride home on my fancy new KHS Flite 200, I realized that I'd forgotten my bike lights and it was already dark. For those who have spent any time with me the past few months, you'd know that this is par for the course. I've been forgetting and losing things left, right and centre. More on that in a future post.

Last night though, my friend Chris joked that I should stick close to a cyclist with lights, and just as he said it, we saw one coming our way, so I said a quick good-bye, hopped on and hurried to catch up with her. Not long after, we both had to stop at a red light. When it turned green, I started up a bit more quickly than her, so she gave me a sideways look as if to say "go ahead".....and I said out loud to her "actually, i forgot my lights at home so i thought I'd let you lead"....we both laughed and picked up some speed as we headed east along Queen Street. Then we came to a crowded section around Queen and Euclid where there was a bit of a gridlock and we had to ride through a small space left between two poorly positioned cars. It was a bit tricky to navigate, so I rung my cool yellow bell to alert all the crazy drivers to watch out for us. That's when she shouted back to me that we made a good pair because she didn't have a bell on her bike! It was funny. By the time we pulled up to the red light at Bathurst we were very chummy, and she asked me for directions to where she was going. She turned off Queen a few blocks later and I was left to ride the rest of the way home alone, musing about this random act of bike-ness with a fellow cyclist. One of the things I love about living in Toronto.

Newsflash (re: my MSW application)

2007-05-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

For those who haven't already heard, I was accepted to both University of Toronto and York University to do my Masters of Social Work starting in September.

Wahooooooo!

I accepted the offer from York, for several reasons, one of which is that they offered me a significant financial package which takes some of the stress away from my decision to take a leave from work and do this degree full-time for one academic year (Sept 07 to April 08).

Stay tuned for more exciting information re: my academic endeavours!

The Life and Times of Annalise

2007-02-18T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is my annual newletter update to my friends and family, far and wide. I wrote and sent it on January 31, 2007.

Oh my. Am I ever squeaking by this year!! Instead of a Christmas newsletter, I am sending out a “New Year’s update” and with it, wishes for a very happy year to come. These New Year’s wishes are a little late, but I figured as long as they are offered before the end of January, they count!

2006 was a year of firsts for me.

I rang it in with some wonderful girlfriends, in a hot tub out in the country (Warsaw, Ontario to be exact). I even made Olie Bollen for the first time (on my own)! The winter of 2006 found me packing up my small basement apartment in the Annex where I lived for a year and a half, and moving to the east end!

This is the first time, since moving to Toronto 7 years ago, that I’ve lived east of downtown, and let me tell you, sometimes it feels like another universe! I also spent some time up north last winter, in Bancroft Ontario, with Chris’ family. During one visit, he convinced me that I should try show shoeing…another first, and a very funny one at that!

Eventually, spring came, and as it began turning into summer, I took a vacation in June 2006 and traveled out to Vancouver to celebrate my “double-sixteenth” birthday. I visited my friend Rhonda (whose “double-sixteenth” birthday was also that week) and we took a road trip to Tofino so I could see the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean on the eve of my birthday (nothing but water between me and Japan). Rhonda taught me two new skills while I was in Vancouver. For the first time, I learned:

1) how to knit
2) how to play cribbage

Who knew a vacation could be so productive?

During the summer of 2006 I tried so hard to grow my own vegetables, but it’s pretty tough to do this well on a patio. This picture shows you some of the results!

In the fall I went apple picking and made applesauce, and also did a big batch of salsa. Then I accomplished another first-time feat, canning!! Thanks to Cheryl’s perseverance, and Mrs. Penner’s guidance, I’m still enjoying the fruits of my autumn labour.

I took another vacation in October, with the full intent of staying home and having some quiet time. That worked for the first few days, but then when my cousin Mary called me from L.A. at 9pm on Wednesday night asking me to fly down (free flight) and drive back to Toronto with her (4000 km), I hopped on a plane the next morning at 7am! We drove all weekend, crashing in Denver the first night, Chicago the second (thanks Christian!) and home the third. This was my first cross-country road trip. No time for sightseeing, except for one picture in Utah.

Like that crazy road trip, December was a whirlwind too. I handed in applications for two Masters of Social Work programs on December 15th. (I’m now working on another application due Feb 1st for a Masters in Health Administration, which I would do in combination with the MSW).

And, then I headed to Florida for the Christmas week with my family (our first ever “family vacation”!). I woke up Christmas morning with hives all over my body that lasted the whole week (went to the hospital twice in order to get it under control). Miserable. The general consensus is that I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was taking at the time. It was great to spend time with my whole family in one place, but my poor health was definitely a barrier to fully enjoying the company and the sunny warm weather (I’ll make up for it next month in Cuba though!).

So far in 2007 (some more firsts and some continuations):
-I’m taking an official stab at being vegetarian. Have been toying with this idea for many years, but never felt I had the time, money or energy to actually figure out how to do it healthfully. But now, I feel I am ready to take the leap. I am even teetering on the brink of being vegan (Mom, I can SEE you rolling your eyes at me!!) for a number of health reasons.
-I completed a 3-week knitting class in January so I can now do more than just the knit-stitch.
-I tried boxing! I joined a gym in the fall and they have free boxing sessions once a week.
-I enrolled in a 6-week drumming and meditation group, which started this past Monday evening.

It promises to be an adventurous 2007!!

My friends, I will leave you with a funny picture of Chris and I,

and finally, a quote by W.B. Yeats. My wish for each of us is that the coming year will allow us to find stillness in our lives, so that we may be energized to accomplish that which is most important to us.

We can make our minds so like still water
that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be,
their own images,
and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life,
because of our quiet.

Showshoe Fiasco

2007-01-31T13:01:00.000-05:00

These past 2 posts were originally entered on another blog site in winter 2006. I am copying them here to get me started. Hope you don't mind the "old" news.

So... a bit of time has passed and I think I am now ready to make another little entry in this here "blog". 2 major things have happened since my last entry.

1) I moved. Yay! I am very much enjoying living above-ground after spending 18 months living under-ground. I now wake up to sunlight streaming through the sliding door windowns which lead from my bedroom to my balcony. Oh yes. Pure bliss. As long as my downstairs neighbour takes a break between doobies to let the building breathe in some fresh air.

2) I snowshoed. Say what? Yes, I strapped 2 large beaver-tail shaped pieces of wood to my feet and hopped around the snowed-in forest. So much fun!! Unfortunately, I took them off mid-hike to walk a non-snowy section and upon coming to a very snowy downward climb, just kept going and wound up with my entire right leg encased in a snowbank, up to my hip. My foot had broken through the snow, over a creek, and had plunged down to embed itself in the creekbed. So when Chris pulled me up and out, my boot stayed down under.

So, I'm settled in from #1 and all dried-out from #2. Spring is teasing us. I'm enjoying the sunshine and blue sky today.

In the beginning...there was Buddha

2007-01-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes. I've heard smatterings about all this blog nonsense and I've finally caved in. I'm not travelling or doing anything marvellously exciting these days....but hey, I guess just LIVING in these times can be pretty interesting. After all, Canada elected Stephen Harper to be prime minister.

To begin, I thought I'd introduce you all to Buddha. This is what I've named my tummy because it's beginning, with each passing year, to resemble Buddha's tummy more and more. This photo made me laugh so I thought I'd share.