HOW TO LIVE LONG AND HEALTHY

Women: have a female community and nurture that community.

Men: marry and stay married.

Stay active. Stand when you can. Move often.

Exercise daily.
1. Cardio 30-90 minutes per day.
2. Weight training three times per week.
3. Stretching/flexibility regularly.

Avoid sleep deprivation/nightshift work.

Eat 5-10 fruits and vegetables each day.

Stay your ideal weight.

Avoid toxins like drugs, tobacco, and alcohol (there is some debate about alcohol. One glass of wine a day may be reasonable).

Eat minimal sugar.

Don't over eat salt. <3g day="" p="">
Get vaccinated.

Avoid STIs.

Get cancer screening: PAPs, cscope after 50, mammography

Get regular screening over the age of 35-50, depending on your family history: BP, glucose, cholesterol.

13 MOONS ON THE BACK OF A TURTLE SHELL AND HOW TO RENOVATE IN A YEAR

THIRTEEN MOONS

Map Turtle

Map of a Turtle Carapace (plastron is the front)

13 ROOMS TO RENOVATE, 1 EVERY 28 DAYS
INDOORS - smallest to largest room
1 POWDER ROOM
2 FOYER
3 BATHROOM
4 LIBRARY
5 CREATIVE ROOM
6 ATELIER
7 MINOR BEDROOM
8 MASTER BEDROOM
9 KITCHEN
10 LAUNDRY/FURNACE
11 LIVING ROOM
12 DINING ROOM
13 PLAYROOM

7 GARDENS TO RENEW
OUTDOORS - front to back
1 CANAL
2 TUILERIES
3 PIAZZA SAN MARCO
4 CABANA
5 TAVERN ON THE GREEN
6 POTAGER
7 THE BACK 40

BILLS TO KEEP, AND OTHER SIMPLIFICATIONS

Tax Deductions
Tax Credits
Under Warranty
Potential Returns
Car
House
Princess Pirate

In an attempt to follow the advice of an introvert who preferred his own company to others, but made brilliant sense in his classic book Walden:

"Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion. "

BACARO PIZZA, LASALLE

My friends and I wanted to do pizza, but the place we had picked wasn't open when the three of us were able to get together. Thankfully, Bacaro Pizza as a backup suggestion turned out to be an excellent choice. If you want to be a true "Pizzaterian", the Specken Wolf was a crowd favorite, and the best name of the menu (a nod to my German heritage and Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf and the word for Ham).

My primavera pizza covered in rocket (arugula).

We ordered dessert before we could use the excuse that we were too full. They were delicious, and we were 3, so the hot Nutella sugar coated beignets were easily downed, if not obviously divisible by 3!

5 divided by 3. Tough math, but generous tablemates!

BEST OREO EVER!

Be on the lookout before and after Christmas. This was found at Maxi in January!

"WAR CAKE" FOR AN AUSTERE BIRTHDAY OR A NUTTY EVERYDAY LOAF TO SHARE

Nutty loaf

Dry cream of wheat, but I would presoak in milk. Also known as fine semolina, used in focaccia bread and breakfast porridge.  Backpulver  is baking soda, and 3/4 tsp worked. I love using a whole egg instead of 2 whites. It took closer to an hour but I would start at 40 minutes to check.

CAFEXO, VAUDREUIL

Lavander lemon scone

Anastasia Kusmi Tea, 3 minutes to perfection, Parisien elevation of Earl Grey's Bergamot

MONT SAINT SAUVEUR

I had a free Tuesday and convinced a friend to join me for a ladies deal they have at Saint Sauveur. Unfortunately it was one of two weeks in March that it didn't apply, but buying the four hour ticket was worth it anyways. There was a 20 cm snowfall in the 48 hours before we arrived. The conditions were perfect! My experience skiing in Quebec has often been icy, cold and overcast. This was like skiing in Sun Valley. We had total powder coverage. There was not one icy slope. It was sunny. It was   cold, but not even negative double digits. My favourite run was down to the Pavilion 70, with a great view of the town and beautiful lake.

It was great fun, although it was just a little too little time! But I am glad that we had a lunch in the sunny cafeteria, and a little break before hitting the slopes.

View onto Jay and Cote 70 Est run

The technology at Sauveur was impressive. Given a Go Card, you put it in a pocket (best at your hip) and it lets you through the gates on your way to the chairlift. No person trying to scan your badge that flaps in the wind. Very convenient! But most impressive were the bathroom fixtures. I took out my phone to take a picture of the beautiful bathroom stalls, then noticed the bespoke mirror. It was only on the way out, I went to wash my hands and found the most incredible bathroom hygienic fixture that I am convinced is more superior than any other I have ever seen in hospitals, airports and public places!

Bathroom stalls as wall art

Mountain Mirrors

It doesn't photograph well, but this is a touchless fixture, with soap on the left, water in the centre and  a personal dryer on the right. That means that each sink had its own dryer. That gives 10 more dryers to the a busy bathroom than most. Brilliant!

The only downside of the day was that at the end, with approximately 3 hours of exertion, my fitbit recorded my daily "active minutes" at 17! I refuse to accept this as valid information and went to bed without guilt!

I hope to return next Tuesday and actually get the $23 ladies pass. Summit Gabriel is advertising $15 for ladies on Mondays, but is a further drive and smaller hill, but what a great deal!

Funny thing about weather. It may be melting and raining in Montreal, but drive a little higher into the hills, and add some snow guns, and you have skiing for another few weeks to make the end of winter a little easier to bear!

THINGS RATTLING AROUND IN MY HEAD

The reason sometimes I fail is that I haven't spent enough time extending beyond the bounds of basic emergency medical expertise.

"Do you know why most investigators fail?They refuse to extend their basic knowledge beyond the bounds of basic investigative procedure."
Elementary's Sherlock Holmes

Said to me in the staircase after rounds on my way out
"I didn't recognize you. You look so pretty!

The biggest communication problem we have is we don't listen to understand , we listen to reply.

Beauty is not an option.

You never know.

Poverty is sexist.

VAN GOGH INSPIRATION

I am fortunate to have had some diverse exposure to Vincent Van Gogh's painting. He has often been in the collections and exhibits that I choose to look at. His work is also propogated in many forms, and most recently I found a number of quotes with a painting matching the background and font colour that is part of a complementary pairing that I enjoy seeing repeated in so many of his works.

Today, I watched a film, hand painted by a hundred painters, that brought his death to life. It was at time's childish in precision, but powerful in its execution of drawing me in to places and paintings I had seen. There are characters brought to life from his portraits. There are places you walk into. There are rooms you already know, and others that you believe you have seen before. And then there are the fields of gold, and the starry night, with their vibrant colours and believable movement, now animated, as if they were meant to be all along.

I hadn't realized how late Vincent had come to painting, and how short his prolific career was. Starting at 28, he had 9 years to paint 900 paintings. He wrote daily letters to his brother Theo, who died of tertiary syphilis within months of Vincent's death, that was argued as an accidental death brilliantly, even though it has been largely accepted, with his own confession, of self-harm, and the septic death that was typical post trauma in the era before antibiotics.

SKI TRIP TEAM BUILDING EXERCISE

 February 12 

Storm Mia coming from US 

We still show up - each individually. Strangely, we all ski together. We mixed up and call out for each other, staying as a pack.

I feel like a dolt, only once coming second last; all the other runs I am last. I lose my pole, crash into a seat mate, almost miss the chair, forget to lift my feet, lower my  poles , sit in the right sport. This all related to chairlifts.

I relearn to bend forward into my boots, point my navel downhill, hold my poles out like a shopping cart. I enjoy turning and following the ups and downs. I try and get off icy slopes and avoid snowjets. I learn the zen of skiing in trees - don’t think of the trees, but following the white space between (even around the trees). I learn tips to survive a fall from a chairlift. Turn downhill to ski down a slope. Don’t lift the bar - use it to hang off of to get closer to the ground. Put both feet in your snowboard. Let go of your poles first.

Driving up, I was feeling lonely but I had a great playlist and I was singing along by the 5th song. 

I felt validated when the crew waited for me. The first run they thought I’d gone the wrong way, and were chasing after another girl in pink when I caught up with. N waited for me at the top of the hill, but had I followed, I would have been on a double diamond. The Northside was the best, and we took the black Jasey Jay with good views. It was icy, but for another another. La Griffe is apparently the best views.

At the end, I went off too soon and walked down the street instead of skiing the last of the route ( at least two bridges). I realized then that N gaslights. Who is -9678? Weren’t you at that supper party? I didn’t know you were here.

But he looks at me when JM gives him advice about kids. Texts when I am lost. Waves me to the group waiting to take the lift. 

I want him to want me. I want him to choose me. I want to him to tell me how he feels. Tell that story again because it gives me such great pleasure to hear it. I want to have inside jokes (What took you so long? Did you see that black bear!?) I want his company for the drive. I want to know his body and he mine. I want to know why he loves this song.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY PACKAGE

Chocolate, scarf, necklace

Massage roller, glowsticks, beach coverup, soap, cream, bracelet, DVD

KIRBY'S MACARONS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

My daughter and I have been a little obsessed with Nerdy Nummies over the years. We own both of Rosanna's cookbooks, and love recreating her recipes. Here was this year's attempt at her macaron. I like the way the foot turned out. She gives clear instructions on how to achieve this here.

The important things to remember are:
Room temperature eggs
Beat them for longer than you think - she swears by 8 minutes
Sift your almond meal
Leave to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
Take them out just before they change colour. White is the toughest colour. These were too brown.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the year of the Boar, and that's auspicious for me! So it was great to celebrate with friends and make dumplings with 8 treasure tea. We finished the second season of The Crown, and Princess Pirate made some impressive dumplings!

A plentiful table

Steamed naked dumplings

Steamed dumplings

Fried dumplings

Clockwise from 12 oclock: red date, dried longan (dragon eye), goji berries, ginseng,  rosebuds, chrysanthemum bud,(centre) rock sugar
We counted multiple times, and only had 7 treasures. Then we realized the 8th.

8 Treasures - Just pour in the Jasmine green tea!

SECOND IMPRESSIONS

When I first heard of Lady Gaga, she seemed like a character and not a real person. I didn't like her  songs (lyrics of blatant drunkenness and gratuitous sex) and her persona was so provocative that it reminded me, unfortunately, of Madonna from my growing up years. Her trajectory of provocation didn't interest me at all. I disliked my young daughter singing the refrain of Poker Face. Then I saw a video of her on a radio show.

I couldn't find the video, and I'm not even entirely sure what song she played. She sat at a keyboard. She was absorbed in her playing. This was the era where she would dress with Ascot hats and Japanese geisha lips. But despite her carefully crafted appearance, when she began to play, her talent was raw and humble. She was entrancing. She was a natural performer, with nimble fingers, and she slowly built up the acoustics. Then she started to sing, and her voice was more powerful than her melody. By the end of performance, she was playing with her feet. It exceeded all expectations and was a testiment to her incredible skill. But that moment was a culmination of years of planning, hard work, and passion. From that moment on, based on my second impression, I have been blown away by her work.

This is not that song, but the drama is similar: Paparazzi

I haven't seen her in the movie A Star is Born, but the videos of the songs sure look like it might be worth a watch. Here is my favorite dramatic moment: Shallow. Even if you don't buy her nerves, watch her break out that all star voice. I don't think Bradley Cooper has to act out his pride and joy at that moment. Kudos to you, Gaga! You earn every performance.

So, as much as I am a big believer in first impressions often being the truest one, it is fun when it takes a second impression to really knock your socks off.

REACH FOR THE STARS

Tonight Princess Pirate and I went to the library and met astronaut Dr. Dave Williams. It reminded me of a visit to her grade two classroom, and we asked him if he had ever come, since he was from the city next to ours and met his wife at our local pool. I wasn't there but my daughter had quite a few stories of how astronauts go to the bathroom, and even built a rocket from a milk carton.

Rocket ship inspired by NASA

Since my memory failed, I did a little google search. Turns out the local connection to NASA was not an astronaut, but an educator who did a great job named Brian Ewenson. It was quite an event, and it impacted me as a parent, as well as my kid. But she didn't remember much, so it was fun to go tonight and hear again about space.

The message of the night was really about planetary stewardship. This is a theme close to my heart, and link to a movie and an exhibit called Anthropocene that friends across the country have recommended to me.

Dave Williams was raised in the West Island, in Beaconsfield. He referred to another Canadian aquanaut, Dr. Joe McGuinness. He was a great speaker, and sure had an inspiring story to tell. His career started as a dream, when it was literally impossible for a child from Canada to become an astronaut. But it became possible, after he became an aquanaut, and then a neuroscientist and then an MD after applying more than once, and being told he might struggle, but graduating top of his class. So when the next mission for NASA was looking to sent a crew to study neuroscience, he was a perfect fit. I had actually heard him speak in a medical forum, about the culture at the Southlake Health Centre, where he was CEO for several years following Emergency Medicine at the Toronto trauma centre Sunnybrooke. He had also been diagnosed with cancer and came back from treatment for a second spacewalk voyage.

He travelled on the space ship Columbia in 1998.  I was able to see a launch space shuttle Discovery while on vacation with my family when I was 13 on January 12, 1986, so I remember the excitement was amazing. This was before the Challenger flight was lost in 1987 with first teacher on board, that still weighs on my memory each time a shuttle is launched. He lost friends on the final failed mission of the Columbia in 2003. His second trip, after cancer treatment, and that flight, was on a shuttle named Endeavor in 2017. He had four space walks totally over 17 hours and operated on animal nerves in space.

There was a lot of name-dropping, from Tom Cruise to Rick Hansen. I liked the term he picked up from Rick. Be a difference-maker!

"Each of us has the ability to make a difference."
--Rick Hansen

His life really was proof of this statement:

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
--Robert H Schuller

There were a plethora of other meaningful quotes.

"You can live a lifetime in a moment."
--Ted Rosenthal

"A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
--John A. Shedd

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."
--Kurt Vonnegut

A few thoughts of the peculiarities of space: when they first arrive, their faces are congested and their legs provide the fluid, so that their taste and smell takes a while to come back. Blood in a surgery floats in a sphere not far from the field, so it's not hard to clean up. The space station orbits the earth every 90 minutes, with a sunset and sunrise every 45. They travel at Mock 25 speed, so 8 km a second to start, and continue to do so up in space, but it feels like they are moving slowly, like you see in the footage. There is statistically life on another planet, but this is our best one. We need to take care of it! If you want to see the difference, NASA has images of earth over the last 40 years for public access, and it's not hard to see the changes.

Take a look at his books: Defying Limits, and a series of four for kids that sound really fun (To Burp or Not to Burp).

Trying on a spacesuit, a little big

Our solar system

So thanks to Dr. Williams tonight for an inspiring talk and an autograph for a teen he inspired to believe that nothing is impossible, take care of the planet, and don't give up when others discourage you. Try again, dream big, and reach for the stars!

DECLUTTERING IN FOUR BOXES

I remember a show that had a very powerful story for those of us hoarders. They would take everything out the of the house and lay it one of four quadrants. I don't remember the name of the show, but I did find the basic idea on my first search page, with hopes to give it to my Princess Pirate to help her manage her room in the pre-birthday party at home, post-Christmas clutter that need to be managed on holiday before the daily grind of school and homework start again.

Here is the basic idea.
Take everything, and without getting involved in your stuff, put in one of these four containers/boxes/spaces on the floor:
1. Trash/recycling
2. Give away/sell
3. Storage (elsewhere than in your space)
4. Put away

I am actually pretty great at this, but where it falls down is getting to the put away stage, which takes a LOT more time.

In parallel threads:

Four boxes of liberty, to use in order!

1. Soapbox
2. Ballot box
3. Jury box
4. Ammo box

Four secrets to organizing information in your brain:

1. Don't focus on the detail
2. Chunk it down (group, like between hyphens in a phone number, or four digits of a credit card)
3. Don't forget the power of story (my favorite method. Think of  the mind palace mnemonic)
4. Find a single word for each thought. This is tough for me, but essential to great clinical decision making.

CHERPUMPLE

Okay, I had to look up Turducken when I heard it, but when you see it in print, it's a little easier to dissect and understand. It came up recently during an RBC ad campaign with the impossible to not recognize Canadian Jay Baruchel, who confused me by not aging a day in a decade, but has a voice so unique it is unmistakable. He uses the word Turducken in the context of investing, referring to a confusing and amusing "Turducken of savings" that he earnestly asks his RBC app, in search of more money to invest (I love how he reacts to moving too far away from his computer with headphones. Fabulous acting!)

Maybe it was because of a New Year's eve skit when two "hipster chefs" attempt in vain to stuff a beaver into a turkey into a moose (with a sprinkle of "KD dust"), but when I stumpled upon Merriam Webster's word  "Cherpumple", with it's outrageous photo of a perfectly executed example, I need to blog the thread.

From Copy Me That

In the spirit of Lewis Carol, who gave us the strange stories of Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking glass, concocting great combined words and referred to these words as "portmanteau" from the mouth of his character Humpty Dumpty. He also gave us such winners as "chortle" (chuckle and snort). These food examples follow a proud lineage of two meanings crammed together in one word.

I particularly like this list, with more authors that have originated terms we use everyday. I figured Dr. Seuss must have invented a few, but didn't know we have him to thank for the term "nerd"! Here are 86 others for fun. Wikipedia has a large collection also.

If that's not enough, you can even use an online generator to fuse your favorite words together and even make your love one's name partner with yours! Brangelina may be no longer, but the portmanteau lives on!

ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

my true love gave to me, four new year's resolutions.

For years, I have tried to set a resolution and do them daily. It always failed.

Now, I have learned of the "Tarzan method", which better suits a lifestyle like mine with an irregular schedule. Instead of doing the impossible daily chain, you start today (I hope you have the day off, but if you don't choose the next free day you have), and then, like Tarzan, you plan for your next day like he looked for his next vine to swing to. This way, you never stop moving forward, but you also won't fall off the vine immediately.

I like this with friends I see infrequently. We are always planning our next outing when the current one is underway or just finishing. That way a year doesn't go by before the next communion!

ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

my true love gave to me, a Christmas cookie stash to shame them all.

ENCOURAGING WORDS FROM OTHERS WHO LOVE ME

You are amazing and lovely.

You have a gift for writing. Your delight in making, displaying and enjoying food is palpable.

Is there life after divorce? The woman I remember was a fun, beautiful, energetic woman. I have
faith in her.

I have a different memory of our time together. You were definitely the teacher. I learned a lot
from you, how to laugh, how to care. I hold my time talking along the trails in Saskatoon, slicing up preserved flesh under your scrutiny, and the early visits with you in Montreal as some of the highlights of my younger life.

You are an amazing person.

PP has a pretty amazing mom.

Thx for a lovely day! Food, presentation, conversations, service and your pretty face all adding up to a great tea time, totally enjoyed it!

You blessed me with your words! You have encouraged me and reminded me of what I treasure most. :)

I also have taken time as I have been waiting to go over the memories we have made together in the last few years. We live apart but the distance is nothing when we connect by text, phone or in person. I have been blessed to have you as a friend through so many years and changes and times of growth we each have had.

Breath by breath be blessed my friend. 💗

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

my true love gave to me, friends who helped clean the kitchen! (It's my birthday!)

Loading the dishwasher like a game of Tetris!

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

my true love gave to me, a Victorian Christmas in George-Etienne Cartier's home.

A table top tree, from Prince Albert's German roots.

A Bourgeois feast at the Canada Park's Sir George - Etienne Cartier home

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on Christmas

VEGETARIAN THALI AT SAHIB WITH MAD CLOSING DOWN THE PLACE

BHOJAN
From 12 o'clock - Saag Paneer, Eggplant bharta, Spicy lentils with yogurt to mix in,  Gulab Jamoon, naan, rice

ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  three layer dainties, two skating rinks and a dusting of snow.

Rainbow Pastel

300 ml sweetened condensed milk
2 cups icing sugar
400 g unsweetened coconut
red and blue (or green) food colouring

Blend together and divide in 3, colouring one batch pink and one blue. Press  into loaf pan  in layers above (I lined it with the plastic of one 200 g coconut bag) and cover air tight.

from Company's Coming  150 Delicious Squares

CHRISTMAS IMAGES

Clove orange pomander, a Christmas scent

Creativity at work

Amazing ice cream that rivals peppermint dazzler of my childhood

Narnian street lamp, bell, star and Santa (on roof), gifts and trees and candy cane (in Hello Kitty's Hotel)

SCHOOL TREATS WITH A FEW SUBPAR TREATS FOR HOME

White chocolate and chocolate candy melts

Round sprinkles, mini dipped oreos, straight pretzels, mini-Reese's PB cup, orange sprinkles,  candy eyeballs, candy canes.

Crunchy peppermint and a horror of melting snowmen in a pan

Ready for school

It's nice to have a few "failures" to have for dessert!

From Rosanna Pansino's newest cookbook
Baking All Year Round

Leftovers for breakfast: fit for an elf!

DREAMING OF AUSTRIA/GERMANY AT CHRISTMAS

My first Christmas away from home was barely white, with a lovely family in Augsburg, Germany. What I remember was that they loved to watch Sissi, like we used to watch the Sound of Music during the holiday.

I've been back to Austria and Germany since, but never at Christmas. I have attended German school and been to a local Christmas market. Christmas makes me think of treats from these roots. So I bought the movie, and watched it with two German speakers. I made Linzertorte for the first time, and the spices were lovely, like gingerbread.

I am sure there is nicer way to make the lattice, but it was delicious!

I made pretzels, with Alton Brown's recipe, and was very pleased with the upgraded design.

Check out the double braid on the middle left. Those were less traditional, but my personal favorite.

Salzburger Mozartkugeln and marzipan chocolates by Neideregger Lübeck. Ready for Sissi watching.