Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

What better way to ring in the New Year than with a new haircut! (Ok and maybe just one glass of Veuve.) I decided to take the plunge and go from blonde (well, to be honest, quasi-blonde) to card-carrying brunette! I was nervous at the idea of such a drastic change but by the time I had negotiated the almost zero visibility blizzard, first gear all the way, to to Downtown Oakville I was just glad to be sitting in that salon chair in one piece! There's nothing like walking into a fancy salon wearing snowboots and gators, covered in a layer of snow and knowing that no one is judging you. The weather was THAT bad. I know I know we Canadians love to go on about the weather but how can you not take notice when the only souls brave enough to go outside are suited up from head to toe complete with ski goggles? It IS quite a sight to drive the snowy roads alongside snowboard-wielding teens trudging along, determined to find a hill on which to practice their tricks. Only the beams of the slow moving vehicles penetrate through the foggy, snowy air; the streets blanketed in an ever thickening white layer, with a muted stillness that makes me think of the twilight-zone. Anyway here are some before and afters of the new "do." So far the response from family and friends has been unanimously positive :)

Before....

...and after. Ta-da!

Oh Boy! Ontario Gets Its Winter On...

Driving home a couple of weeks ago. I just love the constant  "storm watch weather forecasts" on the radio every 30.5 seconds... here's an idea- look outside the window! It's snowing! We know that!

After last winter finally ended sometime around Canada Day (ok, maybe it was a leeetle bit earlier than that but not by much) I remember thinking to myself, "it really can't get any worse than that." Not so fast Miss Optomistic! This winter is shaping up to be even more of a cold, blustery, snowy "Canadian" winter than last year! Only this year I'm prepared.... no more getting caught sideways halfway up our (very looong, uphill) driveway. 

To explain: This is just one of more than a few winter-related predicaments contributing to my bias against last winter... It was a snowy Sunday in March, the day before my first day teaching Grade Three. I had been offered my very first teaching job, taking over a maternity leave, and after supply teaching for 9 months I was sooo excited to be able to try out life as a "real" teacher. I arrived home after the gym, and was about halfway up the driveway when the car suddenly started sliding sideways! I tried to straighten out but that only made it worse and I lost the ability to move the car all together, sideways or otherwise.  Completely alone at the time as the rest of the family was living on temporary assignment in Brazil, I began to panic.
What to do?

Just then my hero appeared at the top of the hill. Clouse, our soft spoken yet very kind next door neighbour, emerged through the blowing snow, brandishing, to my utter delight and relief, the perfect weapon of ice destruction- an enormous bucket of salt! Clouse offered to not only give me the entire bucket of super duty salt, but also to help me spread it around the car. After about an hours work, we finally made enough slush so that the tires could gain traction and I could realign the car with the driveway. I thanked Clouse profusely and spent the next 3 hours in the dimming light, hauling 5 inch thick ice blocks over the side of the retaining wall so that I could back the car down to the edge of the driveway. After that I just started parking at the bottom of the driveway and walking up to the house. I will always be eternally grateful to Clouse for coming to my rescue that day. 

Anyhoo, we are in the midst of another blizzard today. Not even our usually all-season cat is willing to brave the weather. She has a lot in common with my Pilates teacher who cancelled the class today! Not too happy about that. Now I just feel trapped inside the house. These photos don't do the blizzard justice as it is much more howly and snowy than this looks, but here is what it looks like from the doorways of our house. I was too chicken to go outside...gotta love snow squalls and a minus 19 degree wind-chill....Global Warming my you know what! 

Front-door view

Backyard. Look closely- the pool is almost full of snow!

Camera Play

As we all know, I love taking pictures! Here are a few scenic shots from the balcony of our suite at Blue Mountain from last weekend. Now that I've calmed down from the injury I'm remembering  some of the really nice aspects of our mini-vacation to Collingwood.

We were treated to a really beautiful snowfall. The twinkling snowflakes floating silently from the sky made strolling through the resort really peaceful and beautiful. We made a decent effort to salvage what was left of Saturday post-hospital visit, choosing to repair to Windy O'neil's Irish Pub for an evening beverage. I had almost as much fun playing fashion police to the tucked-in plaid shirt crowd as I did listening to the rousing live band or drinking $100 tequila shots (ok they were $10 which is still highway robbery). 

We also lucked out getting a fireplace in our room. It was so cozy sitting by the fire enjoying this fabulous view...

Not to mention the outdoor hot tub...

The nice folks at Customer Service offered us two free lift tickets since we didn't get to make much use of the ones we'd bought, so I'm hoping to make one more trip before I leave for Australia... here's to not having to take any more pictures looking like this...

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So this weekend. It was one calamity after another as a friend and I attempted a first snowboard trip to Blue Mountain...

     

Since our weather has been getting colder and snowier, and as I will be leaving soon for desert-like Australia, I had been thinking lately...why not take one last stab at a snowsport I love but only learned how to do last year? Having been a skier since I was 8, I tried to learn to snowboard in high school and then again in university but both attempts were met with utter and complete failure. It was only last year when my bf spent a very patient day teaching me that I picked it up. I was thrilled! I went twice last year and this was to be the first of what I hoped would be my get-in-bikini shape activity for the weekends up until my plane takes off in January. This fantasy was not to be realized, due to a very unfortunate bout of bad luck.

You know when things just start off badly and then go downhill? (haha, no pun intended.) Well we started the trip with a ginger ale spill in the car. Small, I know, but a harbinger of things to come. Next was the realization that my snowboard boots were at my friend's cottage. The hour long detour wasn't the end of the world but still, the second fly in the ointment. After a few stops along the way to make some last minute equipment purchases, and yet another beverage spill we were on the hill. The weather was great, cool but not too freezing, but the snow was rather sticky and I spent a very frustrating 20 mins essentially crawling across this through-way to get from one set of hills to another, easier set so that I could practice carving. As we prepared to go for our third run down the hill my friend realized that a strap of his binding had broken off.... geez I though to myself, what else could possibly go wrong? What happened next was worse than all the inconveniences thus far combined with my worse fears. I was carving nicely down the hill when I caught my front edge and took what didn't seem like a major spill. I wasn't scared as I dove towards the snow but my outstretched arm apparently was not up for the impact and as the familiar crunchity crunch sound echoed through my right shoulder joint, I knew what had happened. I had dislocated my shoulder. Not to worry I thought to myself as I laid on the hill, my arm splayed awkwardly out to the side and hoping that I didn't get plowed over by another novice boarder/ skier. At first I wasn't overly concerned since this a) wasn't the shoulder I'd had surgery on a year ago and b) every other time I'd dislocated my left shoulder (yes, there's been more than a few) I'd been able to pop it back in on my own. My lackadaisical attitude to my predicament gave way to moderate concern as my attempts to reduce the dislocation were ineffectual and ski-patrol was nowhere in sight. Finally after a good 15-20 minutes we were helped by the ski patrol but by then I was doing as much self-talk as possible to reduce the shock I could feel myself slipping into. What had initially been light pain was getting worse and worse as the muscles surrounding my joint went into spasm. Not even the stretcher ride of shame down the mountain or the jarring and painful ambulance ride moved my shoulder back into place. The nurses at Collingwood hospital were great and I was seen remarkably quickly by the doc who fixed me up with a pleasant combination of compassion and matter-of-factness. Even though everything happened quickly my shoulder had still been out for over an hour and a half by the time all was said and done and so I was pretty out of it. When I started to feel better (thanks to some prompt iv pain meds and Danny's arrival to the hospital to keep me company) I noticed that virtually all the patients in the crowded triage area were casualties of unfortunate skiing or snowboarding mishaps. I guess things could have been worse but it still was a huge disappointment to me. I hope that it heals quickly and that I can get another day in before I have to leave. Fingers crossed!

Our first and only on-hill pic. Kinda reflects my sentiments exactly... "aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!"

Australia Countdown

Ladies Night Out

What do you get when you combine one chocolate fondue fountain, two pole dancers, three belly dancers and 25 cans of hairspray all under one roof at the Oakville Convention Center? Ladies Night Out of course! The who's who of Oakville's social elite all gathered last night for an evening of taste-testing, shopping and people watching in the glamourously decorated venue. Upon entering the room, My friend, her mother-in-law and I were swept up in the feeding frenzy that was swarming the tasting spread. The offerings were worth the mild indignity of being knocked off balance by more than one feisty octogenarian making a beeline for the tirimisu. Wild mushroom and goatcheese baguettes, not to mention the silky smooth liquor did hit the spot as we made our way through the throngs of bespeckled socialites armed with their pointy elbows and shoes. I was actually body checked at the wine tasting table, sending my cake fork into a crowd of leather and cashmere. Everybody's enourmous bags didn't help matters. Apparently carrying a large bag makes you look smaller. I'm not sure this "reason" justifies lugging around a suitcase, unless one needs to tote their border collie along with them. Anyhoo, after we were able to make our way through the crowd were were spat out into the great room just in time for the first of two fashion shows. This was followed by a belly dance performance and a pole dancing show. 

we all signed up for a free belly dancing lesson. It looks like such a fantastic workout and you get to wear bells to boot! I got my hair done by the runway models' stylist. Not sure I'd wear this look again but it was fun for one night. 

Just Bought: Plane Ticket

Bailey nosing around in the Frightful Weather in our front yard this week.

The weather outside is frightful but I'm delighted to report that I'll soon be saying sayanara to this Canadian winter! In exactly two months I will be getting on a plane to Australia and I couldn't be more excited. I leave Toronto on January 27th and with only one stopover in Vancouver, I arrive in Sydney only 21 hours but a full 2 DAYS later on January 29th. Ahh the miracle of time travel....How I manage to lose an entire day of my life just by getting on one little airplane is a bit beyond me. If only there was something I could do to go back in time. How great would THAT be? I could take back all those hours spent moping over stupid boys, an ill-timed confrontation with a jellyfish, and my entire 7th grade wardrobe. But I digress....

Of course my departure will be very bitter sweet as I have to leave my dear friends behind, but I've devised an ingenious solution: Use the powers of persuasion I will learn at law school to convince my friends to come to Australia! 

Here's a picture from my trip there in 2005. I think it looks like one of those green screens where you sit and they superimpose the background onto the photo later. I swear this is real though! And no, I do not wear all white outfits anymore. 

My Hot Saturday Night Date

They say a photo says a thousand words so here's my 21st century silent film: I call it 

"The Silent Blog"

Bloggity Blog Pictures Presents....

in collaboration with Pathetic Single Gal films...

"From Cabbage Patch to Cabbage Roll: My Life Thus Far"

Written, photographed and Starring Jess as herself

Bailey the dog as herself

Cabbage Rolls as themselves

Special Thanks to the Town of Oakville without whom this sorry excuse for a Saturday night would never have taken place. 

Black. Fade in to opening scene...

                        ***Intermission***

                              Ta Da!!!

                             "The End"

....Fade to Black

I've been tagged!

Meandering along the eastern beaches two weekends ago in Toronto. My Mom and I were treated to a gorgeous sunny day and we took full advantage of the gorgeous morning to walk Bailey. See the lifeguard station in the background? That used to be my summer job office.

And now for my bigger news!!!

Drumroll please!!!

I've been tagged! Thank you to Anne at The City Sage for the nod :)

So here goes my seven things...

1. I have been employed, off and on, and in various capacities since I was 14. My first real part time job was as a table-wiper/ cashier at Lick's. (Yes I had to sing, no I didn't like it.) I was fired (yes, fired!) because one of the managers at the time had a crush on me, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, the other manager. Within a week of her being transfered to our location she had accused me of stealing. This, of course was a complete fabrication of the truth. I never ever would steal from an employer- besides, anytime a till was short the difference would come off our paychecks anyway. Even though she had zero proof, (and why would she since she was lying) I still got fired. 

2. I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Peanuts are in a separate family than tree nuts. They are a legume. I am not allergic to other legumes.

3. Somehow on my dad's side I am related to Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. I am not sure of the exact lineage but I have been told that this is true. 

4. I  am obsessed with cookbooks. I have an entire bookshelf full of them. The entire Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa series. A smattering of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson and a plethora of books dedicated to every sub category of food one could thing of... summer picnics, coffee drinks, steamed vegetables???? (Not sure what I was thinking with the last one but in case you're wondering it's called Simply Steamed.)

5. I am pretty obsessed with Martha Stewart. I have most of her cookbooks and almost every magazine printed after 1999. I am less devoted to her show (mostly cause I do, on occasion, go to work and it's at 1 in the afternoon,) but it's still a good thing and I watch when I can.

6. I took ballet lessons when I was about 5 and was so terrible. I never got to move up to the next level, but still year after year my mom would sign me up. To this day it's the only physical activity I can recall her not saying a stern "don't do that, you'll hurt yourself." 

7. I've read every John Grisham book he's ever penned. Law School? scoff! I already know how to be a lawyer. 

Better late than never eh?

Ok so in anticipation of having (getting) to don a bikini in about T minus 10 weeks or so I thought I'd get down to business of trimming the extra layer the summer patio season was so helpful with. Seeing as how Australia is enjoying summer at the moment, I will not be needing the extra warmth and so with that in mind I have decided to try to eat more healthily. (Is that a word?) My first challenge: Incorporate more veggies into my diet which is currently mostly dairy and carbs. So here was my first attempt. Baked salmon on a bed of sauteed eggplant, shallots, zucchini and mushrooms served over a bed of steamed kale and collard greens. It was mostly delish except for the greens which were very bitter. Not a bad start if I do say so myself!

Romeo and Juliet or Why I Hate Trucks

Jess goes to Stratford II took place this past weekend as my mom and I ventured to the Festival Theatre in Stratford for the second last night of Romeo And Juliet. In contrast to the consistently Elizabethan setting in the Taming of the Shrew, this edition of the Shakespeare classic opens surprisingly during modern times. After Act I the play drop-kicks us back in time to the traditional Elizabethan era until the end when we rocket back to the present day. This makes for an interesting juxtaposition of Shakespeare's brilliant dialogue spoken by vespa-riding, machine-gun wielding actors. 

While the costumes were nice, I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from the massive technicolour sun/ moon globe thing hanging over and completely dominating the stage. My favourite character was the slightly bumbling Friar Laurence (for those of you possessing a less than passing memory of Grade 9 English class, he's the guy who helps Romeo after his banishment and is the mastermind behind the ploy to help Juliet fake her death.) Stratford veteran Peter Donaldson does an excellent job of making his character and his scenes endearingly funny and likable amidst the doom and gloom of the rest of the play. 

As memorable, if not more so than the play itself was the torrential downpour through which I had to drive to get there. Notwithstanding the lack of streetlamps on the single lane, non-divided highway or the omnipresent tailgating mack truck lights in my rear-view mirror, I was completely terrified by the lack of visibility out the front windshield. Driving old lady style; white knuckle death grip on, and my nose peering over the steering wheel, I realized the rain was coagulating on the window because it was covered in a thin film of grease!  A combination of squirting wiper fluid at short intervals and blasting heat on the window made it just about possible to see, but of course in the process I had no choice but to turn the car into a stifling, suffocating sauna. Things were further complicated by the 7 car pileup on the highway and without the benefit of a map, GPS or sense of direction (not to mention ability to see out the window,) my attempts to find an alternate route out of Kitchener were fruitless. After driving in circles for 20 minutes and a quick pit-stop at Tim Horton's we conceded defeat and got back on the arrested highway. Luckily time wasn't of the essence as we'd left early. We past the accident scene and found the turn-off for Stratford. On the narrow, dark highway I was sure that each time we were overtaken by one of the enormous mack trucks flying past, either the encroaching behemoth would hit us, or else the massive blinding wall of spray it kicked up would render us trapped in our hot dark metal deathtrap, skidding off the road and ending up crushed in a twisted metal wreckage. Nerves shot to hell we arrived in Stratford, mercifully in one piece. The excitement didn't end there though. As I turned into a strip mall and headed down what I thought was an alley leading to a parking lot of a restaurant, I was startled to discover that it was an UNMARKED exit to a drive through! Seriously there was absolutely no sign whatsoever. Luckily the driver of the SUV I almost drove into wasn't going very fast. Boy did I back out of there quickly! 

The way home was only slightly better. We spent about 30mins at the gas station trying to scrub the grease off the window (getting drenched in the rain and soaked in the puddles of course.) The windshield was slightly less opaque, however it was after midnight and I was really tired. Both my mom and I agreed that should we ever decide to undertake such an adventure again, we'd book a hotel room. Lesson learned!

Pet Pics

Ok ok I know no one cares about other people's pets, mine or otherwise but I thought this was cute. A cat in a box. It would be even better if the cat's name was Jack...but it's not, it's just Puss. It's a thing in our house... despite any intentions or attempts to name otherwise, all of our pet felines have been called simply, "Puss." 

My Bailey on the other hand was named after my favourite liquor:  Bailey's Irish Creme! What do we think her new face-cut? Now if only I could find time to take her for a paw-i-cure...

Vote Vote Vote!

Will the sun rise with a new Democrat President?


No offence to our friends to the south, but this is the first time I have regretted not being American. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Anti-American... quite the contrary. I find Americans to be polite and friendly, they certainly have an enviable sense of patriotism and national solidarity and let's not forget Hollywood! Where would I be without my weekly gossip fix from the myriad gossip magazines? Even my bestest friend is American! Still, I've always felt very lucky to have been born in Canada. Today though I wish wish wish I could vote in what is sure to be a most historic election. Today either the first black president will be elected, or else the oldest first term president and women VP. I am by no means a political expert, quite the opposite in fact. Still, even I am aware of the plunge the USA has taken in the past 8 years in virtually all areas. I shudder to think what will happen to the USA if there is another Republican administration. Having said this, everyone is entitled to their own opinion so all I am saying is, if you are American and can vote then go! Get out there and exercise your Democratic right to vote. I agree with the Australians in that I think voting should be compulsory; however, it is a right in North America that many others in our world still to this day do not share. So please, take some time, even if you have to line up for a long time to vote. Your vote counts and it is worth it!

The Taming of the Shrew

***Blonde moment alert*** The Taming of the Shrew: A Shakespeare play NOT about a small woodland creature but rather about the gender politics of marriage starring a bitter and angry young woman who's transformation we see in the context of a play within a play. Apparently not unusual for the time but a novel and interesting idea for me! Having studied a number of Shakespeare plays in high school I was familiar with the genre but not at all familiar with this play in particular. I had never been to the world famous Stratford Festival and I was lucky enough to be invited this weekend by some good friends with connections! Our complementary seats were in the lower area of the theatre which made for a good and close view of the stage. The costumes were phenomenal... talk about boot-ay on the women! On their rear ends one could easily put a doily and a vase or a few books and a pair of nice book ends. I guess Shakespearean men preferred their women with some junk in the trunk. My how times have changed... but that's a topic for another day. Back to the play- the singing was fantastic and once my fellow play watchers explained to me what the heck was going on during the intermission I was able to follow the second half very nicely. Subtitles wouldn't have gone unappreciated though... In any case the whole day was fantastic, culminating nicely with a dinner at a real farm! In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I am going back this week to see Romeo and Juliet. Thankfully this is one of the plays I studied in high school so I'm anticipating not feeling so lost this time. 



Musicians play the fanfare to let folks know that intermission is over. One of my favourite parts of live theatre is the live music... so captivating!

Ready for the Gun Show?

Happy Halloween! I know it's a week early but I wanted to share these pics from last night. A good friend helped host a fundraiser for her Weekend to End Breast Cancer team, and I of course was much obliged to have been invited. Pulled together in about 5 minutes, I admit my costume may have bordered on more fit for the boudoir than the Bronte Legion Hall; however, upon arrival my costume proved positively nun-like in comparison to my fellow party-goers!!
Glancing furtively around the room I couldn't help but rest my eyes on one risque costume after another.

Sexy Superman, lusty angel and the finest (or most shocking) specimen, depending on your point of view, some sort of Sargent army dude...minus one uniform and plus one Mr. Potato head on his ahem, package.

My dignified sensibilities set aside for the evening, I enjoyed the festivities and the considerable amount of food included in our ticket. The music was your standard but enjoyable DJ set and the $3.75 cocktail price was easy on the wallet. Back from 6 feet under, Steve Irwin even made an appearance and to my delight, really was from Down Under! As my upcoming trip (move?) to Australia is always (if not right in the front of,) in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to meet a real Aussie in Oakville. It was my first encounter with an Australian in Oakville, and if I'm not mistaken, t'was what he hopes will be his last... Apparently Banff is much more alluring. I guess our concrete jungle doesn't amuse? All in all a great evening of costumes, yummy food, booty-shakin on the dance floor and a cocktail (or 5)...hey anything for a good cause right?

Student Loans

Has anyone out there ever applied for educational funding? I feel like I'm the last person on earth to realize that you can actually GET THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY for a large chunk of university fees! I feel really really annoyed right now that I never bothered to look into this as an undergrad. Grrrrr.... hopefully by eschewing the loan world until now I will have a better chance of being granted enough money to eat while I'm at school in Sydney. I guess there is a bright side of not being approved; achieving my ideal surfer girl weight will be that much easier if I can't actually afford food. 

So, to acquaint myself of all things Aussie, I've been reading Australian travel books (see sidebar) and revisiting my photographs from when I was there in 2005. This particular photo reminded me of the myriad complexities of what one might expect to be an ordinary straight-forward venture - ordering a coffee. In any regular Tim Horton's type coffee shop, conveying one's order requires careful attention to a certain vocabulary. This puzzled me and it often resulted in the level of confusion and bewilderment among us tourists that I am used to seeing in novice Starbucks patrons. In contrast though, it wasn't pretentious, or unique to one chain of shops... to me it was just... peculiar...

 I must quote Bill Bryson on this as I couldn't say it better myself:

"....It appeared you had to specify a length (principally long or short), a color (black or white), and even an angle of orientation to the perpendicular (flat or not), and these could be put together in a multitude of permutations- "long black, "short black," even 

"long short black.""

This, I can assure you is not an exaggeration in the slightest. 

My Owie

Ouch! Who knew that catching a floor hockey ball between one's legs could leave such a painful and grotesque reminder of one's unfortunate reflexive reaction? It's a good thing that shorts/ skirt season is all but over here in crispy cool Ontario. Speaking of which, I love fall! The other day I was reminded of this while walking through a cute little area of Toronto known as Liberty Village. The condos there are those "industrial chic loft" types and have names like Toy Factory Lofts and Chocolate Factory Lofts etc. (I'm not clear as to whether or not these buildings used to actually be what they are named for...) Anywho, the ground was covered with these deep red round leaves the exact shape and colour of rose petals! It was like the cliched romantic petal-covered bed had exploded outside to pave the way for every fashionably dressed hand-holding Torontonian couple to glide over. Fall or "Autumn" (in fact seasons in general) will be one of the things I will definitely miss the most while I'm in Australia. There's nothing better than taking a brisk fall walk with friends and then ducking inside a warm cafe for a frothy cup of hot coco and lively conversation. Ah well I'm sure I'll get over it while I'm surfing the waves in January!

 

Well Pho Hung

I'm In Love. There... I said it. The affair started five weeks ago when I, along with a dear friend (whom I will refer to as, J) joined a Sunday afternoon floor hockey league. Since then J and I have maintained a weekly apres game date of dining at a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Hung. I am absolutely In Love with their rare beef soup known as Pho Tai, and each week I order the bathtub sized dish for the low price of only $5.00! I must admit I was skeptical at first:"Rare" is actually meant to be, and is "raw" beef that "cooks" at the table while it's floating in the hot broth. Setting aside my food-safety paranoia (or as some may see it, better judgement) I decided to try this new dish. It was love at first taste! I became instantly hooked on this sumptuous dish...the broth made tangy by the plate of fresh bean sprouts, cilantro and lime wedges served on the side; the delicious noodles, and the tender beef all with a dash of heat from a liberal squirting of srirscha hot chili sauce. Mmmmm heaven in a bowl. It is without a doubt, one of the highlights of my week, made that much sweeter by the company of my fabulous, funny, fantastic friend J!

PS As I live a prohibitively far distance from my object of affection I thought I might try a homemade version. Stay tuned for how this turns out.

Good News

Breaking News: I was accepted into law school at the University of Sydney! As of sometime late January I will be Down Under to (finally) begin my life-long dream of becoming a lawyer. Hopefully this blog will be a good way for friends and family in Canada to stay abreast of my new life in Sydney!

Cheers mate!

 

Re: my poor blogger etiquette

Apologies for my lack of posting of late. I've been so busy livin life I haven't had time to write about it! (Oooh sorry, that sounded so pretentious, can you tell I'm back in Oakville?) Having been been sucked back into the black hole, I've been living my life as a yuppy impostor. Sleeping in, reading the paper, and taking Bailey on long leisurely walks. Luckily all is not lost: today I joined in on a fab mid-morning pilates class...for most participants it's post offspring-drop-off at private school, pre-shopping trip to Whole Foods, but at least I feel like my rear isn't so close to the floor anymore. Last night I baked (!) what turned out to be a quite tasty pie made with only 8 ingredients! It was my contribution to a gathering of wii enthusiasts at a friend's house. Thanks to Jess, (to avoid the confusion with yours truly we quickly gave her a nickname-Dingo) my new friend from the Aussie Footie game for coming out tonight. She was witness to what is sure to be a wii bowling game that will go down in the annals of wiii bowling history. Tenleigh and James  duked it out each bowling an almost perfect game. Congrats to James who's 9 Strikes won him the game and a free beverage!

I've been tagged!

Anne Sage, my best friend and author of one of the blogosphere's most fabulous style and design blogs, The City Sage... has tagged me! I have to list 6 details about moi but first the rules...

1. Link to the person who tagged me

2. List the rules

3. Tag 6 fellow bloggers

4. Leave them a comment so they know they've been tagged

So here it goes...

1. I'm somewhat of a shopaholic, currently in forced recovery due to (what the parentals refer to as) my champagne taste on a beer budget. I LOVE to shop and am especially vulnerable to the wiley and dangerous impulse purchase. When going on, what the Oprah crowd would call, an "emotional shopping spree" this tendency has resulted in quite a number of purchases that fall somewhere between the categories of could-have-survived-without, and downright frivolous. One of the most memorable and expensive examples (and yet one that I love the best) is my puppy, Bailey. Like most infants, she's cutest when asleep but I just adore her! I'm sure I'm not the first person to decide that having a dog would be a big improvement over a boyfriend but looking back, I still can't believe I bought one on a whim!

2. One of my favourite hobbies has to be photography. I would take pictures all day if I could (to which my travel mates can definitely attest!) I have been known to get a bit carried away with the camera and I realized things were out of control after taking about 100 pictures of an Australian sunset. It was spectacular but one does not need 100 pictures of one thing... Alas, I am currently satisfied by my amateur status and get my fix happy-snapping (but not too much!) my way through my many adventures, which brings me to...

3. Travelling! I adore getting the heck outta dodge (Oakville) and exploring the world outside the kingdom of the Stepford Wives. This past year I've been lucky enough to get to New York and San Francisco, Brazil, Cuba and British Columbia. I think I got the travel bug when, as a baby, my parents who are both British ex-pats would take us to visit our Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins across the pond.

4. Despite being first generation, I am a tried and true Canadian. I love to ski and snowboard, I think the Americans are the ones who sound funny saying "house" and "about," and I much prefer watching hockey to any other professional sport. Maple syrup (real, not the fake "table" variety) is definitely a diet staple (try it on plain yogurt, mmmm) and for crying out loud it's a toque not a beanie!!! Oh and Canadian beer? Also a food staple. 

5. The cliche "a fish out of water" could apply to any number of facets of my life (high school in its entirety?) However, it's especially apropos when it comes to my love of water. If not born an actual sea-dwelling creature, at the very least I should have been raised near the water (Lake Ontario circa 1986 doesn't count...ew). I learned to swim at a very young age and have been employed as a swimming instructor, lifeguard, and water polo referee.  Swimming, playing water polo, surfing, sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and kitesurfing are all on my top 10 list of fav activities and I can't think of anything better than falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves crashing onto rocks or breathing in crisp, salty air on the way out for a morning surf... 

6. I've erroneously convinced myself not to go to Starbucks with anyone but my closest friends. My logic: You only get one chance for a first impression and my Starbucks order has an extreme scaring-off-potential-suitor factor. I consider myself a down-to-earth, tee shirt and jeans lovin' girl-next-door type, but lo! my high maintenance Starbucks order smacks of the exact opposite! On those unfortunate occasions when a first date suggests Starbucks, I've denied myself the pleasure of that deliciously, addictively, scrumptious Grande, Extra-hot, Non-fat, Three-pump, No water, Tazo Chai...but why should I? I'd probably enjoy the latte more than the guy anyway. 

I'm going to tag: the other 4 to be added soon! (Having only been doing this a week, I don't know anyone else yet.)

Elsja

Paul