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| Masking tape to "secure" the telephone wires in the basement office |
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| I think there is something wrong with this wiring! |
Monday, February 10, 2020
OH, SLAPPY, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW?
A LEAKING TAP or THE MANY STEPS IT TAKES TO RECAULK A TUB
It all started with the need to recaulk the tub. It has a surround with some broken parts, and I had hoped to clean out the poor job done before, and simply redo it, but when you buy a house from Slappy, nothing is that simple. The doors were poorly installed, and the bottom rail lifted up enough to collect all manner of grossness, visible for unfortunate viewing each time I had a bath. By the time I got the caulking out, I realized that the doors would have to come off, the hot water tap would need to replaced, and the tub would need repair to the enamel before I could even begin.
I don't know exactly what era these taps are from, but I did learn a few things about them.
The design is classic, and the only clue I had was a B that I found on the tub overflow drain, to represent the company Belanger.
The hot started to stick, and then leak. This preceded the cold tap, which has yet to have problems, although now that I have exchanged the cartridge, it is a little stickier than I realized!
If they weren't 40 years old, I probably would have just tried to find the 0 ring replacement, but the entire unit is so rusted, I thought it best to exchange the entire cartridge for now.
Ironically, I have both a set of sink and shower replacements, but neither are simple exchanges (things I didn't know when I bought it because they looked pretty!). The sink should be the easiest, but the wall behind needs redoing (the tiles have holes) and the sink replacement (not only hideous, but broken) needs buying. Still, the two handles becoming one, and the cheap use of non-stainless steel plastic tubes are not ideal, in retrospect. The shower is even tougher, as it turns out, despite the back panel being accessed by the plumber, there are no valves to turn off the water, and the background fork will need changing, which will require breaking through cement and metal, and redoing a surround that apparently can't be bought in pieces, which is a shame.
The fun of it is finding the little designs to take it all apart. The silver disc pops off with my letter opener tip when you find the tiny square on the red or blue plastic circle. The shower has an extra cylinder that screws off. The cartridge in the sink tap is easy to take off with a small monkey wrench or a combination wrench, if you have the right size ( I only seem to get to 17 mm, which was not useful). Luckily I have neighbours who hoard tools like many hoard books!
It is an easy thing to screw out, and easier still to screw back in.
I am not sure which is the ideal tool for the shower tap, as socket wrenches were too wide to fit, and the monkey wrench also doesn't fit.
I don't know exactly what era these taps are from, but I did learn a few things about them.
The design is classic, and the only clue I had was a B that I found on the tub overflow drain, to represent the company Belanger.
The hot started to stick, and then leak. This preceded the cold tap, which has yet to have problems, although now that I have exchanged the cartridge, it is a little stickier than I realized!
If they weren't 40 years old, I probably would have just tried to find the 0 ring replacement, but the entire unit is so rusted, I thought it best to exchange the entire cartridge for now.
Ironically, I have both a set of sink and shower replacements, but neither are simple exchanges (things I didn't know when I bought it because they looked pretty!). The sink should be the easiest, but the wall behind needs redoing (the tiles have holes) and the sink replacement (not only hideous, but broken) needs buying. Still, the two handles becoming one, and the cheap use of non-stainless steel plastic tubes are not ideal, in retrospect. The shower is even tougher, as it turns out, despite the back panel being accessed by the plumber, there are no valves to turn off the water, and the background fork will need changing, which will require breaking through cement and metal, and redoing a surround that apparently can't be bought in pieces, which is a shame.
The fun of it is finding the little designs to take it all apart. The silver disc pops off with my letter opener tip when you find the tiny square on the red or blue plastic circle. The shower has an extra cylinder that screws off. The cartridge in the sink tap is easy to take off with a small monkey wrench or a combination wrench, if you have the right size ( I only seem to get to 17 mm, which was not useful). Luckily I have neighbours who hoard tools like many hoard books!
It is an easy thing to screw out, and easier still to screw back in.
I am not sure which is the ideal tool for the shower tap, as socket wrenches were too wide to fit, and the monkey wrench also doesn't fit.
CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE
My Grandma used to make her own fruitcake, but eventually she was the first to admit that the effort was no longer worth it, as the price was low enough and availability easy enough to just buy it.
Years later, I was training at a local hospital and one of the nurses's brought in a fruitcake that I liked enough to get the recipe. It's tricky sometimes to find mincemeat out of season, but it lasts all year if you find it around Christmas time, and I was lucky enough to find a jar in January this year. It's a rare millenial that recognizes it as the spicy mixture of my youth. Maybe it's compounded by the bilingual comprehension and confusion, as mincemeat doesn't exist in French (note: "fruits hachés fins"). This recipe is simple enough, and makes a bundt tin round, so it's easy to share. It is easy to find the recipe, listed as Eagle Brand "Fabulous Fruitcake".
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 jar (750 ml) mincemeat
1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chopped mixed glacé fruit
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional (to decorate): Whole glacé cherries
Directions
1 : Stir together flour and baking soda; set aside.
2 : Combine eggs, mincemeat, sweetened condensed milk, chopped fruit and nuts. Add dry ingredients; mix well.
3 : Divide batter between two greased 9 x 5" (1.5 L) loaf pans or one round bundt pan.
4 : Bake in preheated 300ºF (150ºC) oven for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes or 1 hour and 50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.
5 : Turn out pans; cool completely. Garnish with glacé cherries.
A winter treat with a fresh cappucino.
Years later, I was training at a local hospital and one of the nurses's brought in a fruitcake that I liked enough to get the recipe. It's tricky sometimes to find mincemeat out of season, but it lasts all year if you find it around Christmas time, and I was lucky enough to find a jar in January this year. It's a rare millenial that recognizes it as the spicy mixture of my youth. Maybe it's compounded by the bilingual comprehension and confusion, as mincemeat doesn't exist in French (note: "fruits hachés fins"). This recipe is simple enough, and makes a bundt tin round, so it's easy to share. It is easy to find the recipe, listed as Eagle Brand "Fabulous Fruitcake".
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 jar (750 ml) mincemeat
1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chopped mixed glacé fruit
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional (to decorate): Whole glacé cherries
Directions
1 : Stir together flour and baking soda; set aside.
2 : Combine eggs, mincemeat, sweetened condensed milk, chopped fruit and nuts. Add dry ingredients; mix well.
3 : Divide batter between two greased 9 x 5" (1.5 L) loaf pans or one round bundt pan.
4 : Bake in preheated 300ºF (150ºC) oven for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes or 1 hour and 50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.
5 : Turn out pans; cool completely. Garnish with glacé cherries.
A winter treat with a fresh cappucino.
TANDOORI BELLEVILLE
I recently had supper at Tandoori Bellevue, in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, and was well served and well fed.
It was a cold night. I was supposed to meet two friends, but when they cancelled, I still wanted to go out, and I thought that I may as well try the place that we were recommended to meet at. I was not sorry.
I was seated promptly at a table along a false brick wall covered with flickering candles and a few homey cobwebs. It was a perfect way to watch the winter night. The zen music was accompanied by a complimentary cone of papadum chips, tamarind and cilantro sauce. It was already a good start, and I had yet to order something!
I decided to start with Aloo Tikka, which was a first for me. I love potatoes in anything, but this was a new favourite. The deep fried patties were smooth and served under a chick pea curry that was a perfect mix of spice and savoury. It was served with a sprinkling of red onion, cilantro, and orange marinated cabbage on a plate I could imagine was fir for an empress. The combination of the flavours was amazing! It was a bigger appetizer than I expected, so I was happy that I brought a reusable container to carry away half of it for lunch the next day.
My main dish was Dal Matte, also a new choice. I have never seen the shape of this lentil, and I think rice would have been good with it too, but I had a hankering for naan, and it was a great pairing. Again, I had enough for lunch the next day, and it was delicious all on its own.
The only part of the meal that I ordered on experience was the Gulab jamun. It was as excellent as the rest of the meal. The honey was sweating out of the perfect golden, melt-in-your-mouth, spheres, served in a brass and silver stemmed dish and sprinkled with coconut.
It was a cold night. I was supposed to meet two friends, but when they cancelled, I still wanted to go out, and I thought that I may as well try the place that we were recommended to meet at. I was not sorry.
I was seated promptly at a table along a false brick wall covered with flickering candles and a few homey cobwebs. It was a perfect way to watch the winter night. The zen music was accompanied by a complimentary cone of papadum chips, tamarind and cilantro sauce. It was already a good start, and I had yet to order something!
I decided to start with Aloo Tikka, which was a first for me. I love potatoes in anything, but this was a new favourite. The deep fried patties were smooth and served under a chick pea curry that was a perfect mix of spice and savoury. It was served with a sprinkling of red onion, cilantro, and orange marinated cabbage on a plate I could imagine was fir for an empress. The combination of the flavours was amazing! It was a bigger appetizer than I expected, so I was happy that I brought a reusable container to carry away half of it for lunch the next day.
My main dish was Dal Matte, also a new choice. I have never seen the shape of this lentil, and I think rice would have been good with it too, but I had a hankering for naan, and it was a great pairing. Again, I had enough for lunch the next day, and it was delicious all on its own.
The only part of the meal that I ordered on experience was the Gulab jamun. It was as excellent as the rest of the meal. The honey was sweating out of the perfect golden, melt-in-your-mouth, spheres, served in a brass and silver stemmed dish and sprinkled with coconut.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Friday, January 31, 2020
CONCUSSION
My daughter's classmate plays hockey, and he hit his head one night and came to school with a concussion. Not only did he suffer in the general assembly, but he ended up taking time off school the next day. This is what she drew. I think it's amazing!
TONIGHT MAD MADE ME SAD
Usually a night with MAD makes me glad, but tonight, after weeks of planning, A backed out, so D did too. That made me sad, because I didn't feel like eating along tonight again. We were supposed to meet at Tandoori Bellevue, so I decided to go out with a notebook, pencil, and novel for company. It was a good idea!
The food was beautiful, tasty, and I remembered that I like to eat alone. It's the best way to taste your food, and when it is this good, it is worth it! I even enjoyed the company!
So until the next time MAD meets, I will have to make do with my own company. My next available night to go out on the weekend is May 8th, and that's if they get back to me in time!
The food was beautiful, tasty, and I remembered that I like to eat alone. It's the best way to taste your food, and when it is this good, it is worth it! I even enjoyed the company!
So until the next time MAD meets, I will have to make do with my own company. My next available night to go out on the weekend is May 8th, and that's if they get back to me in time!
SURPRISE SUPPER SALAD
My friend turned 60 a year and a half ago, and it was not a big event, which some of us thought it should be. So recently her amazing neighbour friend decided to suprise her. It's easy to surprise the birthday girl if you are six months off her birthday, and more than a year behind but she loved it!
Actually, I was a little nervous, as I was lost in a neighbourhood where no one seemed to have their house numbers on, and it was the dead of winter and dark, and I did NOT want to be the girl who ruined the surprise, as I got closer and closer to the party.
In the end, I had plenty of time, and I was not alone. I met a woman with two bottles of champagne, one under each arm, nonchalently pretending she was just going for an unconvincing walk, in case I was my friend!
The last time I was at a surprise party, I also didn't feel so bad. We were all silent in the back room waiting for our moment, and it felt wrong to listen to the two of them chat, knowing that my friend would have no way to consent to our eavesdropping!
The party was a great success, and my friend looked like she was having a great time! I helped in the kitchen prep for supper, and getting to know this designer friend better. It was a simple salad supper, and it was phenomenal!
From the top: watermelon, radish, blueberries, avocado, cucumber, cooked beets, cooked green beans, spiced and sautéd butternut squash, salted cashews, on a bed of mixed greens, lemon mustard dressing, and topped with baked salmon. It was heavenly!
Actually, I was a little nervous, as I was lost in a neighbourhood where no one seemed to have their house numbers on, and it was the dead of winter and dark, and I did NOT want to be the girl who ruined the surprise, as I got closer and closer to the party.
In the end, I had plenty of time, and I was not alone. I met a woman with two bottles of champagne, one under each arm, nonchalently pretending she was just going for an unconvincing walk, in case I was my friend!
The last time I was at a surprise party, I also didn't feel so bad. We were all silent in the back room waiting for our moment, and it felt wrong to listen to the two of them chat, knowing that my friend would have no way to consent to our eavesdropping!
The party was a great success, and my friend looked like she was having a great time! I helped in the kitchen prep for supper, and getting to know this designer friend better. It was a simple salad supper, and it was phenomenal!
From the top: watermelon, radish, blueberries, avocado, cucumber, cooked beets, cooked green beans, spiced and sautéd butternut squash, salted cashews, on a bed of mixed greens, lemon mustard dressing, and topped with baked salmon. It was heavenly!
Thursday, January 30, 2020
HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTH IS
Hestia inspires me to be the guardian of this home. Although just bricks, mortar, wood, steel, and shingle, it is a property that I am privileged to be custodian and owner of.
My bedroom reminds me of Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms.
My daughter's bedroom reminds of Sunflowers.
My library is red in celebration of chinese pavillions, complete with rice paper chandelier and black trim.
My living room is the colour of a cloudless sky.
My creative room is the colour of winter sunset
My bedroom reminds me of Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms.
My daughter's bedroom reminds of Sunflowers.
My library is red in celebration of chinese pavillions, complete with rice paper chandelier and black trim.
My living room is the colour of a cloudless sky.
My creative room is the colour of winter sunset
THE MIGHTY OAK
The Oak tree grows for 200 years,
lives for 200 more,
then dies for 200 years.
I like the symmetry of that. It feels like the rhythm of a lifetime. Our human life is much shorter. How much more should we respect the tree's lifespan. Like the medieval cathedrals, should we not think of our forests like this. We don't expect to see the results of our plantings, but we do it for the future generations anyways.
lives for 200 more,
then dies for 200 years.
I like the symmetry of that. It feels like the rhythm of a lifetime. Our human life is much shorter. How much more should we respect the tree's lifespan. Like the medieval cathedrals, should we not think of our forests like this. We don't expect to see the results of our plantings, but we do it for the future generations anyways.
PENNYWISE AND POUND FOOLISH
"Take care of the pence (pennies), and the pounds will take care of themselves."
--William Lowndes, former Secretary to the Treasury of Great Britain.
"Buy when everyone else is selling and hold until everyone else is buying."
--J. Paul Getty
"The secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when the others are greedy."
--Warren Buffet
--William Lowndes, former Secretary to the Treasury of Great Britain.
"Buy when everyone else is selling and hold until everyone else is buying."
--J. Paul Getty
"The secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when the others are greedy."
--Warren Buffet
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
BOOK REVIEW: THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
One of the privileges of parenthood is filling in the gaps of your childhood with your own child's education. It has been especially fun to read alongside, and not all books are the current best sellers. There are still classics that I have never read that they are reading today.
The latest is Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's a novella, and finally the first of his books that I have finished. I have started Treasure Island too many times to count, and it was always amazing, but somehow I have still yet to finish it! I have often wondered which character was which, as Dr. Frankenstein sometimes became the monster in the retelling. But in this case, the good persona was the Doctor, truly an honorific, and the Mister was his evil one.
It is an interesting story, born of a nightmare, apparently. He wrote it in one go, and it may stem from his religious upbringing in a strict Calvinist home. It became iconic, and although I knew the duality of the story, I didn't understand the how of it until I read the story through.
The vocabulary was challenging. Did you know effulgence means radiant brightness or dazzling? Or that a denizen is just a fancy word for someone?
I also recognized two visual images from television or film reproductions that I hadn't previously associated with this story. First is the almost cartoon version of assault and violence of a London type scene, dressed in an overcoat much like Sherlock Holmes but stomping on something. It was a man, with the distressing description of his bones breaking, audible to an unfortunate woman who witnessed the murder. Second is the notion of a lab with bubbling potions, with Dr. Jekyll mixing a tonic that allows him to transform back and forth between the two parts of himself that he sees as separate, but owns up to the both of them. I don't know if this is the first writing of such a thing, but the image smacks of every Frankenstein remake or spoof of a mad scientist. Even Alice in wonderland transforms with potions, so maybe it isn't such an original idea, but as is with most genius groupings, it probably stemmed from the growing knowledge that was common for the time.
The story is mostly about conscience, and the duality of humankind. In his original transformations between his good and evil selves (is this the same as metamorphosis?), he imagines a schism between the two sides of himself without guilt, but as time goes on, there is more and more need for the conscious of Dr. Jekyll to keep Mr. Hyde in check.
There is another notable potentially original thought. He suggests that he imagines a person could split into more than just two personalities, which is interesting in that the evolution of psychiatric understanding of currently called "Dissociative Identity Disorder" has evolved in the last twenty years from the idea that multiple personalities had to be unaware of each other for the definition of Multiple Personality Disorder.
Some other stories referenced in wikipedia with version of DID are Psycho, Sybil, Fight Club, and Shutter Island. There is some evidence that psychiatrists could have actually "induced" multiple personalities in their search for them. I wonder, with the idea of its potential being conceived in this book of nightmares, if the psychiatrists would have imagined its potential from a storybook they read before they had ever seen it themselves?
This has all the marks of a truly great story. It has original ideas and characters. It tells a truth, even better if hyperbolized. It begs to be copied, and retold. This is such a story.
The latest is Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's a novella, and finally the first of his books that I have finished. I have started Treasure Island too many times to count, and it was always amazing, but somehow I have still yet to finish it! I have often wondered which character was which, as Dr. Frankenstein sometimes became the monster in the retelling. But in this case, the good persona was the Doctor, truly an honorific, and the Mister was his evil one.
It is an interesting story, born of a nightmare, apparently. He wrote it in one go, and it may stem from his religious upbringing in a strict Calvinist home. It became iconic, and although I knew the duality of the story, I didn't understand the how of it until I read the story through.
The vocabulary was challenging. Did you know effulgence means radiant brightness or dazzling? Or that a denizen is just a fancy word for someone?
I also recognized two visual images from television or film reproductions that I hadn't previously associated with this story. First is the almost cartoon version of assault and violence of a London type scene, dressed in an overcoat much like Sherlock Holmes but stomping on something. It was a man, with the distressing description of his bones breaking, audible to an unfortunate woman who witnessed the murder. Second is the notion of a lab with bubbling potions, with Dr. Jekyll mixing a tonic that allows him to transform back and forth between the two parts of himself that he sees as separate, but owns up to the both of them. I don't know if this is the first writing of such a thing, but the image smacks of every Frankenstein remake or spoof of a mad scientist. Even Alice in wonderland transforms with potions, so maybe it isn't such an original idea, but as is with most genius groupings, it probably stemmed from the growing knowledge that was common for the time.
The story is mostly about conscience, and the duality of humankind. In his original transformations between his good and evil selves (is this the same as metamorphosis?), he imagines a schism between the two sides of himself without guilt, but as time goes on, there is more and more need for the conscious of Dr. Jekyll to keep Mr. Hyde in check.
There is another notable potentially original thought. He suggests that he imagines a person could split into more than just two personalities, which is interesting in that the evolution of psychiatric understanding of currently called "Dissociative Identity Disorder" has evolved in the last twenty years from the idea that multiple personalities had to be unaware of each other for the definition of Multiple Personality Disorder.
Some other stories referenced in wikipedia with version of DID are Psycho, Sybil, Fight Club, and Shutter Island. There is some evidence that psychiatrists could have actually "induced" multiple personalities in their search for them. I wonder, with the idea of its potential being conceived in this book of nightmares, if the psychiatrists would have imagined its potential from a storybook they read before they had ever seen it themselves?
This has all the marks of a truly great story. It has original ideas and characters. It tells a truth, even better if hyperbolized. It begs to be copied, and retold. This is such a story.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
BEAUTY INSPIRATIONS
Daily Art Magazine From Drew
Atlas Obscura Check out the button
Colossal From Susanne
Google hit for top 50 daily inspirations
Atlas Obscura Check out the button
Colossal From Susanne
Google hit for top 50 daily inspirations
Sunday, January 26, 2020
99PI
I love Roman Mars and 99% Invisible. They are the epitome of storytellers, and even the obscure stories impact me. They make me marvel, feel a little smarter and a little dumber at the same time. Here are most of the shows I have listened to intermittently, and enjoyed over the last two years after discovering their podcast:
The Infantorium
When vaudeville was better at infant mortality than the hospital
Health care MUST LISTEN
Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl
Weird and quirky and not for everyone unless Howard Hughes later life fascinates you
Cautionary Tales
Fascinating and applies to the medical system
Health care MUST LISTEN
Ubiquitous Icons
Trivia at its finest
How to pick a pepper
It will give you a new appreciation for the next one you buy!
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Great Bitter Lake Association
When you find yourself taken hostage on your ship, and then stay, and even return!
Audio Guide to the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
This is my ideal subject, virtually travelling through a museum (NYC Guggenheim) built as a masterpiece (by Frank Lloyd Wright)
Unsure Footing
When they changed the rules in soccer, and goalie's diversified in response
The Kirkbride Plan
Building an asylum for the patients
Health care MUST LISTEN
The Help-Yourself City
Vigilante Urbanism
Dead Cars
A Metaphor of how our consumer culture needs to include disposal in its plans
MUST LISTEN
The Pool and the Stream Redux
The skateboarding culture as told by its architecture
Wait Wait... Tell Me!
The science of waiting
Health care MUST LISTEN
All Rings Considered
Where did ring tones come from?
Peace lines
How walls create divisive cultures
MUST LISTEN
Model City
See, sometime hoarding is a good thing! Just call it archiving.
On Beeing
Did you know you can rent a beehive?
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
He's Still Neutral
Accidentally building a pilgrimage site in his neighbourhood
Invisible Women
The subconscious bias remains even in city planning
MUST LISTEN
Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Twine
And other useless pastimes that draw a crowd
Built on Sand
Must Listen: The future of building everywhere!
MUST LISTEN
Life and Death in Singapore
Stuff you just don't usually think about, but then you hear the story, and you wonder why you never thought about it before! City Planning and Cemeteries.
The Automat
The history of food service automation
Depave Paradise
Like the droughts in Australia, this took a while to come across my radar. Very interesting consequences of city planning and the solutions to improve them.
RECOMMENDED
Sound and Health: Hospitals
Makes me want to know more
Uptown Squirrel
The Explorer's Club go local
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Play Mountain
How one innovative Japanese architect created play without instructions
RECOMMENDED
The Known Unknown
The Myth of the Unknown Soldier
RECOMMENDED
Usonia Redux
The town Frank Lloyd Wright built.
National Sword
The future of recycling is uncertain. Pay attention!
RECOMMENDED
The Accidental Room
Opportunist's clubhouse
Oñate's Foot
Symbols are powerful
RECOMMENDED
Raccoon Resistance
Clever creatures
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
The Green Book Redux
The real story, which trumps the Oscar winner.
MUST LISTEN
Orphan Drugs
Health Care MUST LISTEN!
The Worst Way to Start a City
A story of the wild, wild west!
Punk Style
Culture creates its own look
Blue Jeans
Lots of things you didn't know about your favourite pants!
The House that Came in the Mail
When you could mail order your house from Sears
Double Standards
Plastic surgery buys into Asian Angst
Health care
Fire and Rain
A timely look at California and the forestfires that encircle human homes.
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Built to Burn
How to spot an arsonist
Right to Roam
I love this about the UK!
RECOMMENDED
Post-Narco Urbanism
Why I am trying to get my brothers to visit Colombia with me!
RECOMMENDED
The Vault
I feel like this seed museum was in a recent Mission Impossible movie?
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Curb Cuts
This shouldn't even need explaining why sidewalks need to be accessible!
MUST LISTEN
Immobile Homes
Cheap and insecure go hand in hand
Breaking Bad News
Health Care MUST LISTEN!
Managed Retreat
I like the idea of us getting back the earth and sea. My utopia is a population and human footprint in radical decline.
ON MY LIST OF CATCHUPS
Shade
The Universal Page
The Anthropocene
La Sagrada Familia
Sound and Health: Cities
Weeding is Fundamental
Froebel's Gifts
From the man who gave us Kindergarten, then influenced Modern Art with his Gifts
3 Things That Made the Modern Economy
The Many Deaths of a Painting
Palaces for the People
The Secret Lives of Color
Christmas with the Allusionist
The Infantorium
When vaudeville was better at infant mortality than the hospital
Health care MUST LISTEN
Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl
Weird and quirky and not for everyone unless Howard Hughes later life fascinates you
Cautionary Tales
Fascinating and applies to the medical system
Health care MUST LISTEN
Ubiquitous Icons
Trivia at its finest
How to pick a pepper
It will give you a new appreciation for the next one you buy!
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Great Bitter Lake Association
When you find yourself taken hostage on your ship, and then stay, and even return!
Audio Guide to the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
This is my ideal subject, virtually travelling through a museum (NYC Guggenheim) built as a masterpiece (by Frank Lloyd Wright)
Unsure Footing
When they changed the rules in soccer, and goalie's diversified in response
The Kirkbride Plan
Building an asylum for the patients
Health care MUST LISTEN
The Help-Yourself City
Vigilante Urbanism
Dead Cars
A Metaphor of how our consumer culture needs to include disposal in its plans
MUST LISTEN
The Pool and the Stream Redux
The skateboarding culture as told by its architecture
Wait Wait... Tell Me!
The science of waiting
Health care MUST LISTEN
All Rings Considered
Where did ring tones come from?
Peace lines
How walls create divisive cultures
MUST LISTEN
Model City
See, sometime hoarding is a good thing! Just call it archiving.
On Beeing
Did you know you can rent a beehive?
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
He's Still Neutral
Accidentally building a pilgrimage site in his neighbourhood
Invisible Women
The subconscious bias remains even in city planning
MUST LISTEN
Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Twine
And other useless pastimes that draw a crowd
Built on Sand
Must Listen: The future of building everywhere!
MUST LISTEN
Life and Death in Singapore
Stuff you just don't usually think about, but then you hear the story, and you wonder why you never thought about it before! City Planning and Cemeteries.
The Automat
The history of food service automation
Depave Paradise
Like the droughts in Australia, this took a while to come across my radar. Very interesting consequences of city planning and the solutions to improve them.
RECOMMENDED
Sound and Health: Hospitals
Makes me want to know more
Uptown Squirrel
The Explorer's Club go local
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Play Mountain
How one innovative Japanese architect created play without instructions
RECOMMENDED
The Known Unknown
The Myth of the Unknown Soldier
RECOMMENDED
Usonia Redux
The town Frank Lloyd Wright built.
National Sword
The future of recycling is uncertain. Pay attention!
RECOMMENDED
The Accidental Room
Opportunist's clubhouse
Oñate's Foot
Symbols are powerful
RECOMMENDED
Raccoon Resistance
Clever creatures
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
The Green Book Redux
The real story, which trumps the Oscar winner.
MUST LISTEN
Orphan Drugs
Health Care MUST LISTEN!
The Worst Way to Start a City
A story of the wild, wild west!
Punk Style
Culture creates its own look
Blue Jeans
Lots of things you didn't know about your favourite pants!
The House that Came in the Mail
When you could mail order your house from Sears
Double Standards
Plastic surgery buys into Asian Angst
Health care
Fire and Rain
A timely look at California and the forestfires that encircle human homes.
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Built to Burn
How to spot an arsonist
Right to Roam
I love this about the UK!
RECOMMENDED
Post-Narco Urbanism
Why I am trying to get my brothers to visit Colombia with me!
RECOMMENDED
The Vault
I feel like this seed museum was in a recent Mission Impossible movie?
FOR BUDDING BIOLOGISTS
Curb Cuts
This shouldn't even need explaining why sidewalks need to be accessible!
MUST LISTEN
Immobile Homes
Cheap and insecure go hand in hand
Breaking Bad News
Health Care MUST LISTEN!
Managed Retreat
I like the idea of us getting back the earth and sea. My utopia is a population and human footprint in radical decline.
ON MY LIST OF CATCHUPS
Shade
The Universal Page
The Anthropocene
La Sagrada Familia
Sound and Health: Cities
Weeding is Fundamental
Froebel's Gifts
From the man who gave us Kindergarten, then influenced Modern Art with his Gifts
3 Things That Made the Modern Economy
The Many Deaths of a Painting
Palaces for the People
Christmas with the Allusionist
Saturday, January 25, 2020
FLU AND THE DUMPLING PARTY WE NEVER MADE IT TO
We made origami rats but the paper had instructions on one side, so when I folded them to show the pattern from snout to tail, they looked a little more like they had wings than ears!
The company was what we missed the most, but these looked pretty good too!
Princess Pirate with fever and Calico keeping her company while she naps
Our original masterpieces
The inspiration
The instructions
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!
It is the year of the metal rat! Not that the rat is metal, but along with the twelve astrological animals that rotate through the years, there are five elements rotating along side them, like a giant cypher wheel with combinations to cover a life time.
The five elements are fire, wood, water, metal and earth.
Things I have learned or relearned about the lunar new year :
It is also called Spring Festival.
It's not just the Chinese new year. It's celebrated in many countries that have Chinese diaspora, by approximately 1/6th of the world.
It is celebrated in red, scaring away the mythical beast Nian, who terrorized a village every New Year. Fireworks help keep it away also.
Travel to family for the holidays should happen before the new year. The reunion dinner is a big feast to commemorate the past year.
The most common greeting is Guo Nian Hao, meaning passing a year (and the monster!)
Kids get red envelopes with money as gifts.
Everyone is one year older, giving kids more independence than the year before. Birthday's are less important than passing the new year. (Like Go in Monopoly?!)
Sweeping on the couple days is superstitious to sweep away good fortune.
It begins on the new moon between January and February.
It lasts for 15 days.
It ends with the lantern festival.
It has many symbols, like dumplings that resemble an original currency called yuanbao, a boat-shaped gold or silver coin used as currency in China before 1900 — a symbol of prosperity.
Do not cut them or you risk death!
Other gifts to avoid:
sharp stuff in general (cut off relationships)
clocks (end of life)
umbrellas (separate)
mirrors (fragile)
pears (separate)
chrysanthemum (funerals)
shoes (evil)
wallet (sends your fortune away)
belt, tie, underwear (too intimate)
white hats/clothes (death)
green hats/clothes (disloyalty)
For more taboos:
It is decorated in poetry.
Homony is common with the word "tangerine" sounding like the work for "luck", "fish" for "abundance", "nian gao"/rice cake for "higher year.
Many (my friend Shaden included) past the character "fu" (good fortune) on the door upside down because "upside down" is similar to "arrive", and this symbolizes the arrival of good luck.
There is a televised four hour long gala that has seven times more viewers than the Super Bowl.
Numbers should be even, avoiding number four, which sounds similar to the word "death".
New clothes are in order.
Cute rat craft with origami.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
ANGLO FAUX PAS
I was rushing for the train after work when a colleague had one more question to ask me. I said, sure, I have 3 minutes. After asking his question and me answering, he asked me where I was from. By then I was putting on my jacket and stuffing by backpack, so I meant to answer, "Ouest de l'ile", but it came out "L'Est de huile". I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what the right way was. I hope he figured it out, because I rushed to the elevators and down to the platform, just making the train!
GROWING TOGETHER
I saw three trees growing at the train station today, and between the three of them, their silhouette formed a larger tree almost seamlessly. The one on the left twisted its spiralling branches away from the one that stood in the center. The middle on stood simply, extending its three divisions simply upward, without overlap. The tree on the right was the mirror of the left, contorting its main branches around and up and away from the center, leaving its smaller branches to fill out the overall impression of being seamlessly together as a unit.
Monday, January 20, 2020
NEIGHBOURHOOD BOOKCLUB
6 times a year
Book suggestion has to be read so as to assure the recommendation
Dessert and tea
Books should be a "must read"
Rotating chooser
Affinity group
Should have read the book
Should expect to discuss the book
Time for chitchat expected
Patricia
Vicki
Jessica
Marie Claude
Helen
Stephanie
Book suggestion has to be read so as to assure the recommendation
Dessert and tea
Books should be a "must read"
Rotating chooser
Affinity group
Should have read the book
Should expect to discuss the book
Time for chitchat expected
Patricia
Vicki
Jessica
Marie Claude
Helen
Stephanie
Friday, January 17, 2020
DIY VIDEOS TO REFERENCE
How to properly replace a drywall ceiling patch (but please do wear safety googles!)
KEY: no worries about the shape- 2 wooden slats (paint stirrers are too thin)
- screws
-drywall tape (to keep from splitting later)
- 20 minute mud and 8 " mud knife
Squaring baseboard moulding corners that are not square (I love Leah aka SeeJaneDrill. "You can do this!")
KEY: backcut the outline cut at 45 degree
-coping saw
-hand file (rounded)
How to Tape and Mud Drywall (reduce sanding time)
KEY: drywall tape is after first layer
-joint compound
-hawk
-6" 8" 10" drywall knife
-drywall tape
KEY: no worries about the shape- 2 wooden slats (paint stirrers are too thin)
- screws
-drywall tape (to keep from splitting later)
- 20 minute mud and 8 " mud knife
Squaring baseboard moulding corners that are not square (I love Leah aka SeeJaneDrill. "You can do this!")
KEY: backcut the outline cut at 45 degree
-coping saw
-hand file (rounded)
How to Tape and Mud Drywall (reduce sanding time)
KEY: drywall tape is after first layer
-joint compound
-hawk
-6" 8" 10" drywall knife
-drywall tape
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW: A CHRISTMAS BLIZZARD
I had heard of The Prairie Home Companion, and Garrison Keillor, but I had only seen the movie trailer and wasn't interested, but I thought that the radio show had the popularity was proportional to Americans that Stewart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe held in Canadians. So when I saw the Christmas shelves still standing in the library, after I had finished celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, and saw this red, green, and gold gem called A Christmas Blizzard, I had to pick it up. It did not disappoint.
This is a quirky story of a privileged man who has a crazy compulsion that he avoids by escaping to his second home in Hawaii, but he finds himself flying a Christmas to his home of North Dakota to say goodbye to a dying uncle, where he gets predictably snowed in. Escaping his crazy family in an ice shack, he hallucinates his way to mental health. It was a perfectly exaggerated sweet Christmas story.
Small town wisdom, page 137: "Man's got to live his own life and not somebody else's... That's the whole problem with marriage. Trying to maintain your course and not get sucked into the gravitational field of someone else."
Despite the exaggeration, some truths, page 152: "You are the benefactor of great kindness. And you have no idea how much goodness is lavished on the world by invisible hands. Small selfless deeds engender tremendous force againts the darker powers. Great kindness pervades this world, struggling against pernicious selfishness and vulgar narcissism and the vicious streak that is smeared across each human heart- great bounding goodness is rampant and none of it is wasted. No, these small gifts of goodness - this is what saves the soul of man from despair, and that is what preserves humanity from the long fall from the precipice into the abyss."
This is a quirky story of a privileged man who has a crazy compulsion that he avoids by escaping to his second home in Hawaii, but he finds himself flying a Christmas to his home of North Dakota to say goodbye to a dying uncle, where he gets predictably snowed in. Escaping his crazy family in an ice shack, he hallucinates his way to mental health. It was a perfectly exaggerated sweet Christmas story.
Small town wisdom, page 137: "Man's got to live his own life and not somebody else's... That's the whole problem with marriage. Trying to maintain your course and not get sucked into the gravitational field of someone else."
Despite the exaggeration, some truths, page 152: "You are the benefactor of great kindness. And you have no idea how much goodness is lavished on the world by invisible hands. Small selfless deeds engender tremendous force againts the darker powers. Great kindness pervades this world, struggling against pernicious selfishness and vulgar narcissism and the vicious streak that is smeared across each human heart- great bounding goodness is rampant and none of it is wasted. No, these small gifts of goodness - this is what saves the soul of man from despair, and that is what preserves humanity from the long fall from the precipice into the abyss."
IKEA LUNCH
Sometimes you get just what you order. Ikea did not disappoint. Despite the rudimentary cafeteria style kitchen, the Swedish meatballs came with colour, a flag, and the cake even had it's own mini chocolate. Perfectly served to every customer, just as advertised. That's a triumph in the routine of daily life. Just the treat needed to celebrate a belated birthday with a friend.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
PRINCESS PIRATE IS FOURTEEN
 |
| Fourteen candles - two great friends - lots of laughs |
 |
| Streamers make a party, despite freezing rain |
 |
| I found this in the bath from last night. Not all grown yet! |
SEVEN YEARS' WAR TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
France and Britain were battling through the second "Hundred Years' War", when the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) began. French Canadians call this "La Guerre de la Conquête".
In the early 1750s, France was expanding into the Ohio River valley, building a fort called Duquesne where three rivers meet (now Pittsburgh). From 1754-55, they won repeatedly against British attacks, led by George Washington. Afraid that the French settlers in Acadia (NS) would side with France, Massachusetts Governor Shirley expelled them in 1755. In 1756 Britain declared war, and France increasingly succeeded in winning the support of the indigenous peoples (Brits were supported at various times by Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee nations; French by Abenaki, Mi'kmaq, Algonquin, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot nations.)
Britain's prime minister, William Pitt turns the tide in 1757, seeing the colonial conflicts as the key to building the British Empire. He borrowed from British and Dutch investors, and paid Prussia to fight in Europe, and raised additional troops by reimbursing the colonies in North America.
The first victory for Britain was at Louisbourg in July 1758. Next was Fort Frontenac (Kingston); then Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) was destroyed, and Fort Pitt was built on the site. In September 1759, Britain won the Battle of Quebec, but lost Commander James Wolfe in the conflict on the Plains of Abraham (France loses Commander Marquis de Montcalm in the same battle). When France loses Montreal in September 1760, they lose their last foothold in Canada. Spain joined France against Britain, and the worldwide battle continues until 1763.
The Seven year war ends 1763 with Treaty of Paris (Britain, Prussia, Hanover vs France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia, and Spain). France loses much North American ground, including Quebec, Cape Breton (Ile Royale), Great Lakes basin, and the east bank of the Mississippi. Spain gives up Florida to Britain. France keeps Saint Pierre and Miquelon, fishing rights in Newfoundland and Gulf of St Lawrence.
Following the Seven Year War, Britain is in debt, and increasingly taxes American colonists. There were taxes on printed paper, from playing cards to newspapers, and then went as far as taxing paint, glass, lead and tea. The 13 colonies complained that this was "taxation without representation".
The Boston massacre began as a street brawl on March 5, 1770, with a group of colonists throwing snowballs at a British sentinel guarding the Boston Customs house and ending with 5 deaths and 6 others wounded by open fire.
Eventually, Britain repealed the taxes, except for tea. This resulted in a boycott of the British East India company, and smuggling in Dutch tea. Prominent tea smugglers were John Hancock and Samuel Adams.
The "Sons of Liberty" were against taxation, and included Benedict Arnold, Paul Revere, Adams, and Hancock. On the night of the " Boston Tea Party" in December 1773, a group of these men, some bearing tomahawks, and dressed in native American garb, threw 342 chest of tea into the water, splitting them to maximize the effects of the water. It would have been worth over a million dollars today, and George Washington, sympathized with he cause, but Benjamin Franklin disagreed with the destruction of private property, and offered to reimburse the British East India Company for the lost tea. King George III retaliated, but the colonies rallied to Massachusetts' aid, and similar tea-dumping demonstrations happened in Maryland, NY, and South Carolina, as well as a second one in Boston in March 1774.
Paul Revere was made famous for his "midnight ride", made April 1775, warning colonists in Lexington and Concord of a British attack; specifically Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington whose arrests were being planned by the British. His father was a French Huguenot Bostonian silversmith. He signalled with lanterns from the Old North Church steeple "one if by land, two if by sea". His folk hero status was greatly aided by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem called "Paul Revere's Ride". The British regulars were expecting only to present a show of force, but discovered the town's militia waiting for them. These were the famous "Minutemen", so called because they were"ready in a minute". They were selected as a small elite force who were highly mobile, and able to assemble quickly. They were loyal to their town, but combined forces quickly. The first volleys were fired between the militia and the British light infantry, and the American War of Independence began April 19, 1775.
The War ended with another Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, in favour fo the American colonists, with Britain retaining control of Canada, New York, Savannah, and Charleston.
In the early 1750s, France was expanding into the Ohio River valley, building a fort called Duquesne where three rivers meet (now Pittsburgh). From 1754-55, they won repeatedly against British attacks, led by George Washington. Afraid that the French settlers in Acadia (NS) would side with France, Massachusetts Governor Shirley expelled them in 1755. In 1756 Britain declared war, and France increasingly succeeded in winning the support of the indigenous peoples (Brits were supported at various times by Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee nations; French by Abenaki, Mi'kmaq, Algonquin, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot nations.)
Britain's prime minister, William Pitt turns the tide in 1757, seeing the colonial conflicts as the key to building the British Empire. He borrowed from British and Dutch investors, and paid Prussia to fight in Europe, and raised additional troops by reimbursing the colonies in North America.
The first victory for Britain was at Louisbourg in July 1758. Next was Fort Frontenac (Kingston); then Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) was destroyed, and Fort Pitt was built on the site. In September 1759, Britain won the Battle of Quebec, but lost Commander James Wolfe in the conflict on the Plains of Abraham (France loses Commander Marquis de Montcalm in the same battle). When France loses Montreal in September 1760, they lose their last foothold in Canada. Spain joined France against Britain, and the worldwide battle continues until 1763.
The Seven year war ends 1763 with Treaty of Paris (Britain, Prussia, Hanover vs France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia, and Spain). France loses much North American ground, including Quebec, Cape Breton (Ile Royale), Great Lakes basin, and the east bank of the Mississippi. Spain gives up Florida to Britain. France keeps Saint Pierre and Miquelon, fishing rights in Newfoundland and Gulf of St Lawrence.
Following the Seven Year War, Britain is in debt, and increasingly taxes American colonists. There were taxes on printed paper, from playing cards to newspapers, and then went as far as taxing paint, glass, lead and tea. The 13 colonies complained that this was "taxation without representation".
The Boston massacre began as a street brawl on March 5, 1770, with a group of colonists throwing snowballs at a British sentinel guarding the Boston Customs house and ending with 5 deaths and 6 others wounded by open fire.
Eventually, Britain repealed the taxes, except for tea. This resulted in a boycott of the British East India company, and smuggling in Dutch tea. Prominent tea smugglers were John Hancock and Samuel Adams.
The "Sons of Liberty" were against taxation, and included Benedict Arnold, Paul Revere, Adams, and Hancock. On the night of the " Boston Tea Party" in December 1773, a group of these men, some bearing tomahawks, and dressed in native American garb, threw 342 chest of tea into the water, splitting them to maximize the effects of the water. It would have been worth over a million dollars today, and George Washington, sympathized with he cause, but Benjamin Franklin disagreed with the destruction of private property, and offered to reimburse the British East India Company for the lost tea. King George III retaliated, but the colonies rallied to Massachusetts' aid, and similar tea-dumping demonstrations happened in Maryland, NY, and South Carolina, as well as a second one in Boston in March 1774.
Paul Revere was made famous for his "midnight ride", made April 1775, warning colonists in Lexington and Concord of a British attack; specifically Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington whose arrests were being planned by the British. His father was a French Huguenot Bostonian silversmith. He signalled with lanterns from the Old North Church steeple "one if by land, two if by sea". His folk hero status was greatly aided by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem called "Paul Revere's Ride". The British regulars were expecting only to present a show of force, but discovered the town's militia waiting for them. These were the famous "Minutemen", so called because they were"ready in a minute". They were selected as a small elite force who were highly mobile, and able to assemble quickly. They were loyal to their town, but combined forces quickly. The first volleys were fired between the militia and the British light infantry, and the American War of Independence began April 19, 1775.
The War ended with another Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, in favour fo the American colonists, with Britain retaining control of Canada, New York, Savannah, and Charleston.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
NOAH
Kudos to Darren Aronofsky, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly for doing this film. I had taken it out over the holidays as an option to watch after New Year's (Dora won for the family movie, and although I would have preferred to watch the 3rd Jumanji movie out in theatres, it was perfect for family viewing, and quite a bit funnier than I had expected! For a 13 year old girl who finds theatres too loud, animated films like Inside, Out and Guerre des Tuques too sad, it was the perfect adventure movie), and I was faced yet again with the dilemma of returning it the day it was due with or without watching it. I had spent 24 hours putting away Christmas stuff, and had the mindless task left of returning ornaments and the artificial to the three boxes left, so I decided to close the curtain that morning and watch Noah.
The beginning was word for word from Genesis, and I was hopeful. Then came the Watchers, these strange lumbering beasts of cooling lava, and I despaired. Instead of turning it off, I dug out a bible, which was my childhood Bible called The Children's Living Bible, and instead of Nephilim, (the Fallen: sons of God and daughters of men (a man, Adam), demigods before the Greeks even existed, and echoing of Narnian royalty, if an echo can reverse course) who I thought of as giant humans, I read this:
Genesis 6:4
In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, of who so many legends are told.
After accepting that I had no idea what legends these were, I continued to watch the movie, that outlined righteousness, stewardship, and challenged the version of this incredible story that I had read, but was faithful to it at the same time.
It was monochromatic genius; meta in its apocalyptic predating the apocalypse. It was crafted with love by a self-proclaimed atheist, and tells the story in such legendary tones that I am still digesting it today, 48 hours after I returned the DVD to the library after-hours dropoff. Whether you believe the flood was a fable or history, this film is worth watching, for those of us who love the story, but also for those of us who have never heard it before.
The beginning was word for word from Genesis, and I was hopeful. Then came the Watchers, these strange lumbering beasts of cooling lava, and I despaired. Instead of turning it off, I dug out a bible, which was my childhood Bible called The Children's Living Bible, and instead of Nephilim, (the Fallen: sons of God and daughters of men (a man, Adam), demigods before the Greeks even existed, and echoing of Narnian royalty, if an echo can reverse course) who I thought of as giant humans, I read this:
Genesis 6:4
In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, of who so many legends are told.
After accepting that I had no idea what legends these were, I continued to watch the movie, that outlined righteousness, stewardship, and challenged the version of this incredible story that I had read, but was faithful to it at the same time.
It was monochromatic genius; meta in its apocalyptic predating the apocalypse. It was crafted with love by a self-proclaimed atheist, and tells the story in such legendary tones that I am still digesting it today, 48 hours after I returned the DVD to the library after-hours dropoff. Whether you believe the flood was a fable or history, this film is worth watching, for those of us who love the story, but also for those of us who have never heard it before.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Saturday, January 4, 2020
ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a silly Christmas card idea from Pinterest.
Also, one early morning ( I woke up before my 5:30 alarm at 5:11!).
One late ex-husband (Is 9:30 too late? He asks. It's 9:52 and past PP's bedtime but no text or call yet).
One sick man died on his birthday (This isn't the facebook version. This is real life.)
One twinkling Christmas tree.
One house decorated with lights.
One dusting of snow on the world (movie snow!).
One tired mama.
One more day of Christmas.
Also, one early morning ( I woke up before my 5:30 alarm at 5:11!).
One late ex-husband (Is 9:30 too late? He asks. It's 9:52 and past PP's bedtime but no text or call yet).
One sick man died on his birthday (This isn't the facebook version. This is real life.)
One twinkling Christmas tree.
One house decorated with lights.
One dusting of snow on the world (movie snow!).
One tired mama.
One more day of Christmas.
Friday, January 3, 2020
ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a pair of brand-new unsharpened skates!
So, our local rink had an exceptionally long public skating time today from 11:30 to 14:50, so we had a slow morning and I rushed over to a local store to trade in her old skates that, of course, on trying on this week, were too small. We were open to all sorts of skates, used and new, but none of them fit. Princess Pirate celebrated her luck, as she was delighted the first time we tried to go this week, only to discover kids skating off, not on the ice( my bad in misremembering the time). Not to be thwarted, I stopped at a nearby Canadian Tire, and after too level teenager complaining, and me being my own skate fitter, we found a pair that fit and was even on sale! I, elated, and PP, resigned, we arrived with 45 minutes to skate. On inspection, however, the blades were odd looking, and on googling, we confirmed that they were not sharpened, and the sharpener only to arrive this evening!
PP 1 Mom 0
Yet another reason I continue to advocate for second hand purchases! But next time, and now with skates sharpened ( hers are way nicer than mine now) we are ready!😊
So, our local rink had an exceptionally long public skating time today from 11:30 to 14:50, so we had a slow morning and I rushed over to a local store to trade in her old skates that, of course, on trying on this week, were too small. We were open to all sorts of skates, used and new, but none of them fit. Princess Pirate celebrated her luck, as she was delighted the first time we tried to go this week, only to discover kids skating off, not on the ice( my bad in misremembering the time). Not to be thwarted, I stopped at a nearby Canadian Tire, and after too level teenager complaining, and me being my own skate fitter, we found a pair that fit and was even on sale! I, elated, and PP, resigned, we arrived with 45 minutes to skate. On inspection, however, the blades were odd looking, and on googling, we confirmed that they were not sharpened, and the sharpener only to arrive this evening!
PP 1 Mom 0
Yet another reason I continue to advocate for second hand purchases! But next time, and now with skates sharpened ( hers are way nicer than mine now) we are ready!😊
Thursday, January 2, 2020
ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, an afternoon of cross-country skiing.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
AN ELF'S BREAKFAST
We went to the bulk food store to fill some reusable containers, and we had a small extra container. My daughter wanted to buy some pretzels, so I said sure, and she found the coolest ones shaped like waffles. I thought it was just pretzels, but to her, it was an idea. She announced that night that she was going to make me an elf's breakfast that morning. That worried me a lot, as I have seen what elves eat, and while I support maple syrup on many things, spaghetti and cereal are not some of those things. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I slept in, and woke up to be served an "elf's breakfast" in bed.
Princess Pirate had turned pretzels into Nutella waffles, tortilla wedges into croissants, and pinwheels, and leftover birthday cake into eggs and sausages. She had read an article in a magazine called American Girl, and those pretzels gave her an idea.
Here are the details, if you less creative, and have the patience to make food tinier!
Princess Pirate had turned pretzels into Nutella waffles, tortilla wedges into croissants, and pinwheels, and leftover birthday cake into eggs and sausages. She had read an article in a magazine called American Girl, and those pretzels gave her an idea.
Here are the details, if you less creative, and have the patience to make food tinier!
ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a teeny tiny elf's breakfast.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... snow, snow, snow!
Cats like boxes, kids like snow!
BUCKET LIST 2020
Quebec Carnival February
Ottawa Winterlude and skating Rideau Canal - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Strawberry picking
Montagne d'argent and climbing with PP - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Camp Mauricie - POSTPONED DUE TO SITE UNAVAILABILITY
Louisville inn with vegetarian menu at 100 St. Laurent, Victorian style B and B half way to QC - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Hike Hautes Gorges and Grand-Jardins - NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR BOTH
Beach at Malbaie/Ste Irenee DONE
St Felicien zoo DONE
Lincoln Lafayette - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Hot Air Balloons Richelieu - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Apple picking in Rougement - DONE VERGER HUDSON
NYC Central Park, Natural history museum, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Macy's Day Parade, Morgan Library, Brooklyn zoo, Hamilton Grange, Frick museum (temporarily closed 2022-23, virtual site), High Line- POSTPONED DUE TO COVID, last time 2013! ?Sonder apartment hotel
Medieval feast/castle in TO - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
London - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Niagara Falls - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Cozumel snorkelling - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Ottawa Winterlude and skating Rideau Canal - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Strawberry picking
Montagne d'argent and climbing with PP - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Camp Mauricie - POSTPONED DUE TO SITE UNAVAILABILITY
Louisville inn with vegetarian menu at 100 St. Laurent, Victorian style B and B half way to QC - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Hike Hautes Gorges and Grand-Jardins - NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR BOTH
Beach at Malbaie/Ste Irenee DONE
St Felicien zoo DONE
Lincoln Lafayette - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Hot Air Balloons Richelieu - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Apple picking in Rougement - DONE VERGER HUDSON
NYC Central Park, Natural history museum, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Macy's Day Parade, Morgan Library, Brooklyn zoo, Hamilton Grange, Frick museum (temporarily closed 2022-23, virtual site), High Line- POSTPONED DUE TO COVID, last time 2013! ?Sonder apartment hotel
Medieval feast/castle in TO - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
London - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Niagara Falls - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Cozumel snorkelling - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID
Monday, December 30, 2019
ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...my own personal designer!
( I was fine with leggings and a winter themed pj top for my birthday bash, until I found this laid out for me!)
48 is quasi-Pythagorean, and here's to a year that has a leap day and is the dawning of a new decade!
( I was fine with leggings and a winter themed pj top for my birthday bash, until I found this laid out for me!)
48 is quasi-Pythagorean, and here's to a year that has a leap day and is the dawning of a new decade!
BIRTHDAY CAKES
1. Praline (Pecan) cheesecake
A Luther staff room favorite from The Joy of Cheesecake (given by Uncle Laurie)
9" springiform pan
350 F
Crust: 1 1/4 c. graham wafer crumbs
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c white sugar
6 T melted margarine/butter
Chill 10 minutes in freezer until set
In large bowl, beat together:
3 x 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
2 T flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3 c chopped pecans.
Pour into lined, greased and floured tin.
Bake 50 minutes.
Open the oven door, but do not remove until cooled to room temperature.
Modified to approach KETO friendly
1 1/2 c finely processed pecans
2 T melted butter
Omit crumbs and sugar.
Bake at 400 for 6 minutes (not more even if pale as will bake further), then cool and reduce oven to 350F.
Cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla together. Reduce brown sugar to 1/2 cup, add pecans, and use 2T almond flour.
2. Queen Elizabeth cake
IGA.net
serves 8-12
45 minutes: 20 to make + 25 to cook
9"springform pan or 8" pyrex baking dish, bottom lined with parchment paper and greased and floured sides
350F
1 c chopped pitted dates
1 c water
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 softened unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 c toasted chopped walnuts
Place dates, water and soda in saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes once boiling. Cool.
Blend flour, powder and salt together in a bowl. In a second bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and vanilla with mixer. Add egg and beat until smooth. Alternated add in dry then dat mixture on low speed. Add nuts and mix gently. Pour into pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
FROSTING
Preheat broiler on low.
1/3 c 35% cream
1/3 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
Bring all ingredients to a boil in saucepan, while stirring. Simmer for two minutes.
Spread icing on still warm cake and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, until frosting is lightly golden brown.
Serve warm, as Queen Elizabeth prefers.
3. Sponge cake with mocha icing and toasted almonds
Mocha Frosting
From Mom
Roast 1 cup sliced almonds in the middle of the oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
Mix up 1 double package of Dream Whip or 1 (250 ml) carton of Nutriwhip as directed. (Lately I have been using 1 tub of Cool whip to save time.)
Add:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla
(I usually mix the coffee granules with a wee bit of hot water to dissolve.)
This should cover one Angel Food cake. Sprinkle over top and sides. Keep in fridge.
4. Pastel de Tres Leches
Martha Stewart - Cinco de Mayo
serves 12
350F
Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), melted and cooled, plus more for pans
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
12-ounce can evaporated milk
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 fresh coconut (approximately 300g dried; consider soaking)
2 cups heavy cream
Assorted tropical fruits, such as pineapple, star fruit, mango, and pepino, for garnish
In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, baking soda, and salt, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add yolks to the whites, and beat until completely combined. With the mixer running slowly, add sugar until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in butter.
Sift 1/4 cup flour on top of the mixture, and fold in to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour, folding in 1/4 cup at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack.
About 5 minutes before the cake is done, whisk together the three milks, and set aside. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, pour the milk mixture over the entire cake. The cake should absorb all the liquid within 3 to 5 minutes. Set cake aside, and let stand until cool. Cover cake well, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill, at least 5 hours or overnight.
Before serving, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place whole coconut in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and using an awl or a screwdriver, pierce the three "eyes" of the coconut. Turn over, and drain the liquid. Using a hammer, break open coconut. To remove the meat from the shell, insert a small spatula or a grapefruit knife between the flesh and the shell to pry the meat out in large pieces. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off thin curls of coconut. Transfer curls to a baking sheet, and let stand uncovered for 30 minutes. Place in oven, and bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside until cool. These curls can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for future use.
When ready to serve the cake, take out for at least one hour. Whip cream to soft peaks. Slice cake into twelve servings, top with whipped cream, and serve with the fruits and toasted coconut curls.
Cook's Notes
The most time-consuming step is making the coconut curls; in a pinch you can use store-bought shaved coconut.
5. Fruitcake
6. Carrot Pudding with hard icing
A Luther staff room favorite from The Joy of Cheesecake (given by Uncle Laurie)
9" springiform pan
350 F
Crust: 1 1/4 c. graham wafer crumbs
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c white sugar
6 T melted margarine/butter
Chill 10 minutes in freezer until set
In large bowl, beat together:
3 x 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
2 T flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3 c chopped pecans.
Pour into lined, greased and floured tin.
Bake 50 minutes.
Open the oven door, but do not remove until cooled to room temperature.
Modified to approach KETO friendly
1 1/2 c finely processed pecans
2 T melted butter
Omit crumbs and sugar.
Bake at 400 for 6 minutes (not more even if pale as will bake further), then cool and reduce oven to 350F.
Cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla together. Reduce brown sugar to 1/2 cup, add pecans, and use 2T almond flour.
2. Queen Elizabeth cake
IGA.net
serves 8-12
45 minutes: 20 to make + 25 to cook
9"springform pan or 8" pyrex baking dish, bottom lined with parchment paper and greased and floured sides
350F
1 c chopped pitted dates
1 c water
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 softened unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 c toasted chopped walnuts
Place dates, water and soda in saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes once boiling. Cool.
Blend flour, powder and salt together in a bowl. In a second bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and vanilla with mixer. Add egg and beat until smooth. Alternated add in dry then dat mixture on low speed. Add nuts and mix gently. Pour into pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
FROSTING
Preheat broiler on low.
1/3 c 35% cream
1/3 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
Bring all ingredients to a boil in saucepan, while stirring. Simmer for two minutes.
Spread icing on still warm cake and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, until frosting is lightly golden brown.
Serve warm, as Queen Elizabeth prefers.
3. Sponge cake with mocha icing and toasted almonds
Mocha Frosting
From Mom
Roast 1 cup sliced almonds in the middle of the oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
Mix up 1 double package of Dream Whip or 1 (250 ml) carton of Nutriwhip as directed. (Lately I have been using 1 tub of Cool whip to save time.)
Add:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla
(I usually mix the coffee granules with a wee bit of hot water to dissolve.)
This should cover one Angel Food cake. Sprinkle over top and sides. Keep in fridge.
4. Pastel de Tres Leches
Martha Stewart - Cinco de Mayo
serves 12
350F
Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), melted and cooled, plus more for pans
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
12-ounce can evaporated milk
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 fresh coconut (approximately 300g dried; consider soaking)
2 cups heavy cream
Assorted tropical fruits, such as pineapple, star fruit, mango, and pepino, for garnish
In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, baking soda, and salt, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add yolks to the whites, and beat until completely combined. With the mixer running slowly, add sugar until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in butter.
Sift 1/4 cup flour on top of the mixture, and fold in to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour, folding in 1/4 cup at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack.
About 5 minutes before the cake is done, whisk together the three milks, and set aside. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, pour the milk mixture over the entire cake. The cake should absorb all the liquid within 3 to 5 minutes. Set cake aside, and let stand until cool. Cover cake well, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill, at least 5 hours or overnight.
Before serving, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place whole coconut in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and using an awl or a screwdriver, pierce the three "eyes" of the coconut. Turn over, and drain the liquid. Using a hammer, break open coconut. To remove the meat from the shell, insert a small spatula or a grapefruit knife between the flesh and the shell to pry the meat out in large pieces. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off thin curls of coconut. Transfer curls to a baking sheet, and let stand uncovered for 30 minutes. Place in oven, and bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside until cool. These curls can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for future use.
When ready to serve the cake, take out for at least one hour. Whip cream to soft peaks. Slice cake into twelve servings, top with whipped cream, and serve with the fruits and toasted coconut curls.
Cook's Notes
The most time-consuming step is making the coconut curls; in a pinch you can use store-bought shaved coconut.
5. Fruitcake
6. Carrot Pudding with hard icing
Sunday, December 29, 2019
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...8 days of Hanukkah!
ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...chocolate walnut fudge in red and green!
Friday, December 27, 2019
ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a picture perfect present on the wall.
CREDIT: Gigi's Pizza, Pointe-Claire Village does this every year and gave me the idea!
Thursday, December 26, 2019
ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... rainbow pastel coconut sweets!
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS...
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a bright star on our Christmas tree!
Merry Christmas to all! I celebrate the 12 days of Christmas for the practical reason that I work a lot of Christmases, this year included. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and, if you are not having a wonderful holiday, I hope that a beautiful stanger reaches out to change it! Thank you to those who have sent wishes, early, on time, and late!
Merry Christmas to all! I celebrate the 12 days of Christmas for the practical reason that I work a lot of Christmases, this year included. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and, if you are not having a wonderful holiday, I hope that a beautiful stanger reaches out to change it! Thank you to those who have sent wishes, early, on time, and late!
STILLE NACHT
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Silent night, holy night
All is sleeping, alone watches
Only the close, most holy couple.
Blessed boy in curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds just informed
By the angels’ hallelujah,
It rings out far and wide:
Christ the Savior is here!
Christ the Savior is here!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt! Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, oh how laughs
Love out of your divine mouth,
For now the hour of salvation strikes for us.
Christ, in Thy birth!
Christ, in Thy birth!
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Silent night, holy night
All is sleeping, alone watches
Only the close, most holy couple.
Blessed boy in curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds just informed
By the angels’ hallelujah,
It rings out far and wide:
Christ the Savior is here!
Christ the Savior is here!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt! Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, oh how laughs
Love out of your divine mouth,
For now the hour of salvation strikes for us.
Christ, in Thy birth!
Christ, in Thy birth!
O TANNENBAUM
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du glänzt nicht nur
Zur Sommerzeit
Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Winterzeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich
Was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Bestndigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft
Zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid
Mich lehren.
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du glänzt nicht nur
Zur Sommerzeit
Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Winterzeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich
Was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Bestndigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft
Zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid
Mich lehren.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
TWELVE APOSTLES: TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: TWELVE GOODIES
John the minor, son of Zebedee
James, the brother of John, son of Zebedee
Matthew, taxman
James the lesser, son of Alpheus
Thomas
Judas (replaced by Matthias)
Simon Peter
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Simon the Zealot
Jude
Rainbow squares
Peanut butterscotch squares
Apricot squares
Cranberry squares
Maple fudge
Rum balls (make day of, store separately)
Popcorn Balls
Cornmeal biscotti
Butter tarts
Toffee bars
Pecan Fruitcake bars
Chocolate fudge topped with crushed peppermint
ALTERNATES
Magic bars
Gingersnaps
Pecan turtles
Almond Crescents
Snow cloud meringues
Toblerone shortbread
James, the brother of John, son of Zebedee
Matthew, taxman
James the lesser, son of Alpheus
Thomas
Judas (replaced by Matthias)
Simon Peter
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Simon the Zealot
Jude
Rainbow squares
Peanut butterscotch squares
Apricot squares
Cranberry squares
Maple fudge
Rum balls (make day of, store separately)
Popcorn Balls
Cornmeal biscotti
Butter tarts
Toffee bars
Pecan Fruitcake bars
Chocolate fudge topped with crushed peppermint
ALTERNATES
Magic bars
Gingersnaps
Pecan turtles
Almond Crescents
Snow cloud meringues
Toblerone shortbread
Thursday, December 12, 2019
I LOST MY APPETITE
When your patient tells you they lost their appetite, there is whole differential diagnosis that has to be explored. But what if your patient has multiple reasons. And what if that patient is you.
Last Thursday, I went to bed overstuffed, having eaten too much holiday peppermint bark ice cream. When I woke up in the morning, and didn't feel like eating, I thought it was GERD, took a TUMS, and walked to the train.
That was two days after my daughter's Opa, and my ex-father-in-law died. For good or for bad, he was resuscitated, and everyone has been living in limbo for the last ten days. My connectedness to his illness seemed remote, being that I am estranged to the family since my divorce, but, as the week wore on, I would have to admit that his ICU stay, and the little I knew about his case through his very non-medical son/ my ex-husband, was more distressing than I could have guessed. The financial grievances mostly over, it had cleared the way to the bigger grievances of divorce. I have lost whatever family I spent investing in for the last 15 years. Now I am outside of even their deaths, but never truly disconnected. Strangely, because of her age and the ICU policy of no visitors under the age of 16, my daughter is living this limbo also, and bearing it about as well. She is getting support from school friends, and we have talked about her Opa, and how she sees death, but it weighs on her, even if she believes he might end up, like the Wolf Pups of juvenile fiction, transported to Canus Major and Minor, to watch over her from the familiar constellations, just as her cat Nancy Drew does, from a full moon.
For 5 days, over the weekend, I was on call. The hours sound stupid (24x5 equals a ridiculous 120), but really I was free from calls all except the last night, so it was much closer to 50 hours of time on site, which shouldn't have felt so bad, but it did, and I was so exhausted by the final night, that when they called me just shy of midnight to announce the death of a man we had been expecting for 5 days, I was afraid they might need to call me in, and was planning to negotiate another in house MD to declare his death, because I did not feel safe to drive by them.
I often get too busy to eat lunch, but I wasn't feeling hungry at breakfast, or supper either. Was it my gallbladder? But it wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. I had gained some abdominal weight since the end of summer, and that would explain the GERD. Maybe I was just resetting. Maybe I was exposed to a disease during the week. I had been in rooms with C difficile diarrhea, RSV, pneumococcal pneumonia, and other unexplained respiratory and diarrheal infections. Maybe I was fighting those off, or experiencing a mild form of the cold viruses going around.
The definition of depression cannot be made unless symptoms have been experienced for at least 2 weeks. I could not be depressed, but I felt increasingly depersonalized and numb, as there were daily visits to one dying skeleton whose family spent the entire time wishing he was dead, instead of looking around at each other and taking care of the living, other visits to a young woman who had spent ten years with chronic pain as such a terrible experience that she avoided potential treatment of a newly found cancer until it was untreatable, and was still waiting for it to be worse to do anything about her new steps. There was the 90 year old woman with two doting sons who advocated for her, but she still could not decide who to choose to be her decision maker, and was not yet ready to decide for herself while she still had her faculties, because she only had metastatic renal cancer that had spread up to her lungs and stomach, but she might not die for a while yet! There was an elderly man who was no longer able to take care of himself, who had been held a virtual hostage on the floor for months, awaiting a long term care bed. Both he, and the unhappy girl with cancer had been fed this pipe-dream of the next place being better, so therefore doing nothing to make it personal, even though they had been there for weeks, and would likely be there for weeks more. It was enough to drive a sane person to insanity. Decide your level of care! Put up Christmas decorations! Let your family visit! What are you waiting for? Tomorrow could be too late!
So, when I was hungry, once or twice, I ate. Sometimes I felt weak, so I would make a salad, or eat some banana bread. I used up leftover bread in toast, and occasionally had a bowl of cereal. I had no fever, and I tried to get enough sleep, which I did. But 10 days after my daughter's Opa was revived into an incomplete recovery, and now 2 days after the skeleton finally took his last breath, I am still exhausted, and not hungry.
I don't think it's GERD, biliary obstruction, C diff, or any other colitis, pneumonia, viral respiratory illness, or other physical ailment. I know it is not depression, and could hardly explain it by grief. I know I am burnt out, and that my stamina is terrible to have it happen in 4-5 days, but that doesn't explain my loss of appetite. I don't mind for now. I haven't binged since the night of the ice cream incident a week ago, which is extraordinary. But I wonder what is truly happening, so until it passes, I will continue to increase the list of the differentials, for now avoiding the worst ones that it could be: esophageal obstruction, extrinsic duodenal obstruction from a renal mass, pancreatic cancer; all diagnoses I saw this week. I'll take a TUMS, and reach out to friends. I'll take a walk, and keep hydrated. One day soon, I expect I will be hungry again. I hope it's before my next shift.
Last Thursday, I went to bed overstuffed, having eaten too much holiday peppermint bark ice cream. When I woke up in the morning, and didn't feel like eating, I thought it was GERD, took a TUMS, and walked to the train.
That was two days after my daughter's Opa, and my ex-father-in-law died. For good or for bad, he was resuscitated, and everyone has been living in limbo for the last ten days. My connectedness to his illness seemed remote, being that I am estranged to the family since my divorce, but, as the week wore on, I would have to admit that his ICU stay, and the little I knew about his case through his very non-medical son/ my ex-husband, was more distressing than I could have guessed. The financial grievances mostly over, it had cleared the way to the bigger grievances of divorce. I have lost whatever family I spent investing in for the last 15 years. Now I am outside of even their deaths, but never truly disconnected. Strangely, because of her age and the ICU policy of no visitors under the age of 16, my daughter is living this limbo also, and bearing it about as well. She is getting support from school friends, and we have talked about her Opa, and how she sees death, but it weighs on her, even if she believes he might end up, like the Wolf Pups of juvenile fiction, transported to Canus Major and Minor, to watch over her from the familiar constellations, just as her cat Nancy Drew does, from a full moon.
For 5 days, over the weekend, I was on call. The hours sound stupid (24x5 equals a ridiculous 120), but really I was free from calls all except the last night, so it was much closer to 50 hours of time on site, which shouldn't have felt so bad, but it did, and I was so exhausted by the final night, that when they called me just shy of midnight to announce the death of a man we had been expecting for 5 days, I was afraid they might need to call me in, and was planning to negotiate another in house MD to declare his death, because I did not feel safe to drive by them.
I often get too busy to eat lunch, but I wasn't feeling hungry at breakfast, or supper either. Was it my gallbladder? But it wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. I had gained some abdominal weight since the end of summer, and that would explain the GERD. Maybe I was just resetting. Maybe I was exposed to a disease during the week. I had been in rooms with C difficile diarrhea, RSV, pneumococcal pneumonia, and other unexplained respiratory and diarrheal infections. Maybe I was fighting those off, or experiencing a mild form of the cold viruses going around.
The definition of depression cannot be made unless symptoms have been experienced for at least 2 weeks. I could not be depressed, but I felt increasingly depersonalized and numb, as there were daily visits to one dying skeleton whose family spent the entire time wishing he was dead, instead of looking around at each other and taking care of the living, other visits to a young woman who had spent ten years with chronic pain as such a terrible experience that she avoided potential treatment of a newly found cancer until it was untreatable, and was still waiting for it to be worse to do anything about her new steps. There was the 90 year old woman with two doting sons who advocated for her, but she still could not decide who to choose to be her decision maker, and was not yet ready to decide for herself while she still had her faculties, because she only had metastatic renal cancer that had spread up to her lungs and stomach, but she might not die for a while yet! There was an elderly man who was no longer able to take care of himself, who had been held a virtual hostage on the floor for months, awaiting a long term care bed. Both he, and the unhappy girl with cancer had been fed this pipe-dream of the next place being better, so therefore doing nothing to make it personal, even though they had been there for weeks, and would likely be there for weeks more. It was enough to drive a sane person to insanity. Decide your level of care! Put up Christmas decorations! Let your family visit! What are you waiting for? Tomorrow could be too late!
So, when I was hungry, once or twice, I ate. Sometimes I felt weak, so I would make a salad, or eat some banana bread. I used up leftover bread in toast, and occasionally had a bowl of cereal. I had no fever, and I tried to get enough sleep, which I did. But 10 days after my daughter's Opa was revived into an incomplete recovery, and now 2 days after the skeleton finally took his last breath, I am still exhausted, and not hungry.
I don't think it's GERD, biliary obstruction, C diff, or any other colitis, pneumonia, viral respiratory illness, or other physical ailment. I know it is not depression, and could hardly explain it by grief. I know I am burnt out, and that my stamina is terrible to have it happen in 4-5 days, but that doesn't explain my loss of appetite. I don't mind for now. I haven't binged since the night of the ice cream incident a week ago, which is extraordinary. But I wonder what is truly happening, so until it passes, I will continue to increase the list of the differentials, for now avoiding the worst ones that it could be: esophageal obstruction, extrinsic duodenal obstruction from a renal mass, pancreatic cancer; all diagnoses I saw this week. I'll take a TUMS, and reach out to friends. I'll take a walk, and keep hydrated. One day soon, I expect I will be hungry again. I hope it's before my next shift.
Monday, December 2, 2019
I AM A NANOWRIMO WINNER
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