Perfect match

Incredible. It's not every day that you find something on Etsy that totally matches your tattoo.

Unfortunately, it's a little rich for my tastes. I also haven't gotten the hang of wearing brooches, or bracelets. I do love me some rhinestones though...

Mom's chocolate chip banana muffins

Copyright law regarding recipes is really interesting - see?

My mom made these often when my sisters and I were young. She submitted the recipe to my elementary school anniversary cookbook back in the mid-90s, and it's in there with her name, so I'm attributing it to her.

Chocolaty Banana Muffins

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas

300 g pkg chocolate chips 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl whisk together oil, sugar and egg. Stir in mashed bananas and 1/2 of the chocolate chips. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir into the banana mixture just to moisten. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips evenly over top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe seems pretty flexible. I've been replacing some of the flour with whole wheat and cutting way down on the chocolate to make it a little more "healthy snack" and a little less "dessert". Today I threw in a teeny package of walnuts. I'm sure you could throw in all kinds of stuff. The dough doubles easily, and the baked muffins freeze well. 

Yet he still retains his chapeau...

Del Shannon is awesome.

You probably know him from this song, complete with Musitron solo at 1:05:



But he had some other great songs, too.



Or did you want to hear Del and Burton Cummings play Hats Off together? Or the super mellow Little Town Flirt? I won't judge.

Yeah,  this guy was either a good actor, or some woman just tore his heart right to shit.



Decent covers, too:



This one's also apparently the very first cover of a Beatles song.







Sadly, Del committed suicide in 1990 at the age of 55, but I hope some of you check out his music.


For those of you wondering about the title, in the 2009 movie Adventureland, there is a fixed carnival game called "Hats Off to Larry". At one point, a patron throws a ball directly at a hat and gets angry when it won't come off the dummy, and the inebriated staff person muses "..."

What it's like to be in my work cubicle every day

YES.

But you have to wear them with socks, otherwise they are uncomfortable.

Horse_ebooks: the new frontier

@Horse_ebooks is a spam twitter account. It should be just useless internet noise, but magically, it’s not. Somehow, the grammatically-challenged, seemingly nonsensical chatter and incomplete sentences, becomes something greater than the sum its parts, something beautiful. 

@Horse_ebooks was one of the internet highlights I experienced in 2011.
This article, The Ballad of @Horse_ebooks, explains it best. 


Here are just a few poetic classics, tweeted over the last few days:

This one is basically about me and my sister N.

It starts out simple enough, then, BAM, hovercraft.

I find this one very sweet, almost an "Oh The Places You'll Go" for the mind.

Give me two, please.

Jewellery ideas? Possible alternates for the gifts in Chronicles of Narnia?

Amen, brother.

DON'T MESS WITH THE CHAMP

When the dance floor is calling, you ACCEPT those charges.

Amiright ladies? Stop confounding men with your mysterious.

In conclusion, they

Life List

It has taken me an embarrassingly long time to post this, because once I do, I'm basically making the commitment in a public forum. Also, there is nothing athletic or philanthropic or remotely epic on this list, so in that way, it's kind of embarrassing to post it anyway, it's just a list of my own selfishness. Well, here goes nothing. I'll delete it in the morning if I have dreams of shame.

1. Meet Robert Pattinson (as long as he's not a total jerk)
2. Publish a book (I count self-publication/distribution among friends)
3. Have an adventure with my newish friend H
4. Attend WMM shows with P and S and K
5. Visit all Laura Ingalls Wilder historical sites (so far I've only seen De Smet, SD)
6. Visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam
7. EuroDisney
8. Eat my weight in pastry across France
9. Have a travel adventure with sisters, with a wider and wackier scope than our road trip this fall to Regina to see Hanson
10. Beta for a ff author
11. Grow little tomatoes and basil to recreate my sister's boyfriend's parents' basil-tomato-cheese-salad thing
12. Learn drums well enough to play in a band
13. Record an album
14. See Bjork in concert
15. Dance on stage at a rock show with N (note: my husband has pointed out I already did this, at a By Divine Right show at Ozzy's in May 2002, but it was so great that I want to do it again)
16. Pay off the mortgage in full, then do something awesome to celebrate the fact, possibly involving fire
17. Make all the cookies in the Martha Stewart cookie book (except the gross ones)
18. Wear a totally awesome She-Ra costume
19. Get another tattoo
20. See Crystal Falls toy playset in person (http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/broadcast/4645/fallsbox.jpg)
21. Go to Finland and visit A and M
22. Attend a Lebowski Fest (bigger than the one I attended at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg last August)
23. Write some ff
24. Play in a cover band that plays a really interesting mix of covers of all the songs I love, pretty heavy on stuff from this list
25. Start an internet meme
26. Send Masquerade Boy to all continents - FYI, he's already been to North America, Europe, and Australia. 
27. Attend a huge outdoor music festival (like Lolla or Glastonbury or Coachella)
28. See a Canadian band play in a foreign country

emergency: when everything seems either funny or lousy...

Haven't blogged about money for awhile. I'm feeling the urge to purge, so here it goes.

I want to talk about the emergency fund. Gail recommends 6 months expenses or about 3 months salary - yes, thousands of dollars - in cold, hard cash, sitting in a bank account (or under a mattresss... no, don't do that in case the emergency is that your house burns down). A line of credit is not an emergency fund. I'm guessing if the amount of work you're doing is highly variable, or seasonal, or your industry is in a downturn, or whatever, you should be saving even more months' worth. It's also only part of a complete financial plan, including varying types of insurances depending on your situation. Pretty scary thought, and Halloween is still another month away.

How lucky am I? Ridiculously lucky. I've never experienced an actual emergency. I've never had to choose between bills and groceries. I've never been unable to pay to fix my car so that I can drive to work. I've never been too sick to work. All of these things have happened to people I know. Also, I don't even have any dependents, except for that one plant above the sink - oh no wait, my partner waters that one. 

For the past few years, I have been steadily filing money away into my emergency fund, every single paycheque. Is it hard to see that money sitting there, when I could be using it to take me to magical, exotic locations? Barcelona, or Boston, or British Columbia? Or at the very least, Brandon? Or at the very very least, Bulk Barn? Or how about using it to pay off the mortgage faster, or finally get a damn dishwasher (trust me, there's a separate fund going for kitchen renos)? Of course it's hard. But it's definitely worth it for the peace of mind.

don't know what half the stuff is, 

occasionally question the sanitation (trust the store, just not the public), 

still love it

In light of it being Thanksgiving next week, I'm also ridiculously grateful for the careers that my husband and I have had thus far. Don't think for a second that I take it for granted, because I don't.

Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, EK-style

I participated in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup last weekend, as a site coordinator.

Things a site coordinator can do to solicit volunteer participation:

• distribute posters;
• encourage friends;
• talk to local community groups;
• engage the media;
• etc.

Things I did to get volunteers:

• Advertised to friends minimally through email/facebook/twitter;
• ... that's it

One sister and I went out to Fraser's Grove Park in EK and picked up a couple bags of garbage. It was a fun bonding experience.

As far as volunteer opportunities go, it's the volunteer equivalent of "bed-in-a-bag" - you sign up on the website, the organization sends you basic instructions and some paperwork to fill out (tally sheets and waiver forms), along with coordinator tees if you request them. There are posters for download on the website, along with some social media tools. You supply the people and the garbage bags, and it's done. A shoreline in your neighbourhood is a little cleaner, and some environmental organizations receive some really important data (that's the tally sheets) for their reports to their sponsors, which prove the event is a worthwhile one for funding in the future. Win-win-win.

Morning Glory Muffins, pt. 2

[Part 1, in case you missed it]

This time, I used some of K's modifications, except I didn't go quite as healthy. I only subbed a half-cup of whole wheat flour, and only reduced the sugar down to a cup. Last week, my husband asked me in a huff "DID YOU BUY WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR BY ACCIDENT??" (it wasn't an accident), so I erred on the side of caution, not that he'll eat these anyway. Unless I frost them or something.

I didn't put any raisins because they are still really gross. I'm pretty sure I put less carrots than the recipe suggested because we only had those mini carrots and I shredded a few before I thought to myself, eff this noise.

HOWEVER. My muffins did have a fancy new topper:

A MARACHINO CHERRY. Yum yum.

YOUR MOVE, K.

Le Macaron in Regina, SK

2705 Quance St E

On the daily.

I have forseen...

I don't make a lot of psychic predictions (well, I don't make ANY), but earlier this year, I felt something. I felt that everyone I knew was going to get what they wanted this year. Therefore, I am marking it down here for posterity - everyone will get what they want in 2011. They might not know what it is they truly want - it's probably not all going to be lottery wins (because that's statistically improbable) - but it'll be good, trust me. Some of you may have already received what you wanted and are just realizing it now. I've never made any false predictions before, so it has to be true.

Second Street Bakery & Deli in Kenora, ON

A stranger's just a friend you haven't met

Let's talk about some of the people from my trip, in no particular order.

1. In Seattle, J and I met up with a few Twilight fandom friends. We enjoyed our time with them very much. It can be a little intimidating to meet someone in person for the first time if you've only corresponded through the information superhighway (remember when we called it that?). It was basically pretty awesome to meet these ladies, whilst patronizing bakeries, hanging with shrunken heads, and talking fandom.
   
2. Also in Seattle, near the Space Needle and the IMAX theatre, I spotted some grown gentlemen dressed as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. The last HP movie was released that day. I requested that they appear in a photo with me and J, and they politely agreed. The result was a Kodak moment that I will treasure for life.
   
3. In Vancouver, I met J (a different one!) for the first time. We have been corresponding online with each other on and off since Navy Blues-era Sloan. She was just as cool as she thought I'd be.
   
4. In Forks, WA, I bought a ring from a little shop called Alice's Closet. While visiting, J and I listened to some stories related to the Twilight movies that we will not repeat here, but man, are we glad we decided to step into the shop. But as a side note, I still maintain that I DO NOT have an accent, bless their hearts.
   
   
   My precious...
   
   
5. On our Twilight tour, and then the next day on the bus from Port Angeles to Seattle, J and I spoke with two sisters from Finland (birthplace of one Teemu Selänne) who had travelled to Forks for Twilight and Seattle for an Eddie Vedder concert. We became facebook friends, and now I want to learn Finnish. It's FASCINATING.
   
6. Lastly, I want to talk about J. J and I booked our flights together back in March, and put together the rest of the trip piece by piece over the months that followed. I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner. She was there for me from start to finish, whether it was researching hotels, trying on horse masks, helping me pick out shoes, taking photos of me when I wasn't paying attention (action shots experiencing real emotions instead of just being a goof in front of a goofy statue!), engaging in souvenir price and quality comparisons, pointing out any gold medals that I might have missed or commenting on slash adding to my evaluations of those medals, or introducing me to her awesome cousin. It turns out that we have very similar tastes and travel styles. We also now share a plethora of inside jokes, many of which, delightfully, cannot be repeated in polite company.

Sleepless in Seattle.

I loved Seattle. I wish we had worn pedometers because I'm extremely curious how many steps we took over the two and a half days, and I like documenting things (in case you hadn't noticed).

International Fountain: one of my new favourite fountains of all time.

Pike Place Market

Cheap, beautiful bouquets of flowers at Pike Place Market.

Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum. We didn't go pay admission and visit the museum proper, but we did check out the gift shops and watch some music videos on a huge screen, as noted in another entry.

I've never been a huge fan of grunge music. I actually like it a lot more now than I ever did when it was really popular - I'm just a few years too young.That being said, I did have to wonder what Kurt Cobain might think about the museum's diverse and large collection of Nirvana shirts for sale.

Playing with Avatar technology

 

Taste of Seattle

We walked through the Taste of Seattle two nights in a row, but didn't eat anything there. We did try out a few bakeries, to my delight.

Macrina Bakery - we ate breakfast there, and it was fantastic.

Le Panier - no photos of the display case unfortunately, but really tasty macarons.

The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market - I was disappointed to learn that crumpets are English muffins*. Freshly made English muffins, but English muffins nonetheless. I have no idea what I was expecting, I just know that I wasn't expecting that. The shop's employees gave me permission to photograph their menu. I tried walnuts, honey and ricotta cheese, and it was tasty.

*It turns out they aren't the same, but they taste the same to me. Thanks H.

Seattle state of mind

5 awesome happenings that I will remember forever:

1. J and I tasted sea salt chocolate caramels at Rogers' Chocolates in Victoria. We proceeded to seek them out at every chocolate shop in our path for the remainder of the trip.

2. The Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum (EMP/SFM) plays music videos on a gigantic screen outside the admission area inside the building. We sat on a bench and watched a few, and I got a bit silly and danced around when they played Empire State of Mind.

3. Like the big nerd I am, I brought my Twilight and New Moon soundtrack sheet music on my trip so that I could play it at the piano at the Miller Tree Inn. I played Bella's Lullaby and New Moon (The Meadow) and some Paramore and others, in FORKS. It was AWESOME.

4. I want to live at the Dr. Martens store in Seattle, forever. I will sleep on a pile of 14-holes.

5. I had my first in-person seahorse encounter at the Vancouver Aquarium. I worried J would have to drag me away from the tank because I couldn't stop staring. Just a heads-up, in the videos you will hear children yelling and parents explaining instead of beautiful classical music like you would usually expect in sea-based nature film.

If I could hold this moment in my hands, I'd stop the world from moving

One of the most beautiful views I've ever seen - James Island from Rialto Beach in La Push, Washington.

Rialto Beach

James Island

Help me to carry the fire

Bus ride between Forks and Port Angeles

Forks, WA

Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast, aka The Cullen House.

We stayed in the Sunset Room the first night.

We stayed in the Cedar Room the second night. Wink wink.

Fire and ice and the view out the Cedar Room.

One of the many stores selling Twilight-themed items

La Push, WA

There is a really awesome photo of me vamping (snicker) on Jake's bike. I think it was at this point of our Twilight tour that some of the other participants started to loosen up and take sillier photos, like us.