Sunday, March 28, 2010

Say what?

Mind-blowing facts are seeking me out.

  1. Taking short showers to save water? Try one less mouthful. One pound of meat takes as much water as a year of showers. Vegetarian chili it is!
  2. When my lovely friend Angie gets into her new Mazda 3, the speakers play the music on her iPhone, even from her purse in the backseat.
  3. Apparently, I cannot combine my passion for collecting air miles and my passion for the Maple Pecan Danish. Tim Hortons does not take Visa.
  4. The Vancouver housing market is the most expensive (considering prices and income) of 272 cities including London, New York, Sydney, and every other city in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Ireland. Ouch.
Photo: flickr

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Cruising

Mozart and I were outside obedience class last week when one of the pupils pulled up in this adorable wicker pet bike carrier. (Hers even had roll bars for added safety.) It looks more comfortable than the bus for everyone involved.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

You know what they say...

Are Mozart and I starting to look alike?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Looking for a date?


Wine Gum belly is particularly unpleasant to wake up to. It's like having a sugar hang-over. To minimize my Wine Gum consumption, I sought out a sweet but healthy snack and rediscovered date squares. I combined two recipes (here and here) plus the reader comments to come up with this hybrid recipe.

Combine 2 cups of chopped dates (I used a 375 g package) and 1 cup of water in a small pot. Boil, then simmer and stir for five minutes.

Combine 1 1/2 cups of oats, 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of baking soda and 1/4 tsp of salt in a bowl. Add 1/3 a cup of melted butter and 1 beaten egg. Mix.

Pat 3/4 of oat mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan. Top with dates. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the topping browns. Share to prevent over-consumption and to spread the love.

This Tornado Loves You



My boyfriend has the gift for Finding the Words. The first time we saw Neko Case, he said, "Her voice is a weapon." In addition to that voice, she is beautiful, funny, and she also has The Gift for Words.

We all have our tornado days.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

O, Hockeyland!


We really do love hockey that much. I watched the Canada-US game downtown with friends on Sunday, and then we wandered down Granville St. There was much cheering and high-fiving. I even high-fived a policeman.

Ah, the Olympics. The good: gold medalist freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau, inspired by his brother Frederic, who has cerebral palsy. Bronze medalist Joannie Rochette, whose mother died the Sunday before her figure skating performance. Dancing in the street. Taking transit to all venues. Two golds in hockey. Curling becomes sexy. The beautiful opening ceremony.

The bad: the tragic death of an athlete. The brilliant official who put the Olympic flame behind chicken wire. Trucking snow up to Cypress Mountain.

The ugly: the closing ceremony. Giant dancing Mounties. Shudder.

You're Dead to Me

The puppy class teacher thought we should put clothes on the dogs to get them used to being handled by vets and groomers. Mozart did not agree. Those socks were off a second later.