Lately my job has been to look into retirement living and whoa, where can I sign up? All your meals prepared, tray service when you're sick, all your laundry done and pressed and hung back up for you, your space professionally cleaned every week, entertainment brought in... man. Bliss.
I could use some retirement right now if it meant a guilt-free break from driving practice. I had to take breaks on both Saturday and Sunday owing to extreme weather conditions (proof: many more giant tree branches all over the neighbourhood lawns and porch roofs and on the roads) and I thought I used the time effectively to catch up on life, but apparently not.
And the break didn't make me a better driver either because during yesterday's 30 minutes of trying to build on the meager parking skills acquired during last week's lesson, I managed to hit the curb so many times I fear it thinks I'm annoyed with it.
One thing I do know, I think - I'm pretty sure but I may guilt myself out to the driveway about 9:30 so I don't carry guilt all day - is that I'm taking today off too so that I can catch up on work and maybe even catch a nap. For some reason I can't imagine I haven't been sleeping well.
Okay, so maybe I will drive to the grocery store. I can practice back-in parking... and pick up some chamomile tea.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sewing and embroidery
Before all this driving nonsense, I spent a lot of time at my sewing machine with fabric to recycle. After this driving nonsense, I would like to do that some more, and here is some of the reason why:
This set was for a Spring swap I did with my knitting group. The blue floral used to be an IKEA pillowcase and the lining was a man's dress shirt with worn cuffs. Please note my oh-so-clever use of the shirt's pocket (because I am so pleased myself) for small knitting notions, and the white panel insert down the back, to stretch the pillowcase a bit farther:
The big bag is long enough to accommodate 14" knitting needles and the messenger strap means you can sling it across your body and knit outside, while walking or just standing around. The little one is technically for smaller projects but really it was an excuse to try embroidery. In the end, I had to get Melissa's help to figure out how to do it.
Her solution:
Write the words I wanted and then darken them with ink
Tape that paper onto a window
Tape the white fabric over the paper
Trace the letters in pencil
Embroider over the pencil
The embroidery part took all of an afternoon and because it was the first time I'd tried anything more complicated than blanket stitch edging it required an awful lot of ripping out and starting over, but still. It looks like my writing! and that was kind of cool.
I'm not sure I'd do the embroidery part again in a hurry but I did love making the little bag - so much, I made another for another friend to go with the knitting case I made her before:
It's basically two bags stitched together with right sides together and topstitched shut across the top with the edges folded in, and two channels stitched about an inch down from the top on either side of the outside one with a cord strung through it. I don't know if you can see it here but I did a boxy bottom by stitching across the bottom corners of each of the little bags, which isn't necessary to make it work well.
Gah, this is reminding me how much I miss sewing! Maybe if I am very lucky I will pass my driving test the first time and have maybe a whole week to spend with my old Singer before things get wild again. I can dream, can't I?
This set was for a Spring swap I did with my knitting group. The blue floral used to be an IKEA pillowcase and the lining was a man's dress shirt with worn cuffs. Please note my oh-so-clever use of the shirt's pocket (because I am so pleased myself) for small knitting notions, and the white panel insert down the back, to stretch the pillowcase a bit farther:
The big bag is long enough to accommodate 14" knitting needles and the messenger strap means you can sling it across your body and knit outside, while walking or just standing around. The little one is technically for smaller projects but really it was an excuse to try embroidery. In the end, I had to get Melissa's help to figure out how to do it.
Her solution:
Write the words I wanted and then darken them with ink
Tape that paper onto a window
Tape the white fabric over the paper
Trace the letters in pencil
Embroider over the pencil
The embroidery part took all of an afternoon and because it was the first time I'd tried anything more complicated than blanket stitch edging it required an awful lot of ripping out and starting over, but still. It looks like my writing! and that was kind of cool.
I'm not sure I'd do the embroidery part again in a hurry but I did love making the little bag - so much, I made another for another friend to go with the knitting case I made her before:
It's basically two bags stitched together with right sides together and topstitched shut across the top with the edges folded in, and two channels stitched about an inch down from the top on either side of the outside one with a cord strung through it. I don't know if you can see it here but I did a boxy bottom by stitching across the bottom corners of each of the little bags, which isn't necessary to make it work well.
Gah, this is reminding me how much I miss sewing! Maybe if I am very lucky I will pass my driving test the first time and have maybe a whole week to spend with my old Singer before things get wild again. I can dream, can't I?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Effective-ish marketing
Last weekend a friend who runs told me about a special sale at a local sports store - spend $X, get a 'free' Ironman watch from which you can control your iPod.
I assume this is attractive because it's easier to use your wrist for resistance while pressing buttons than the palm of your hand, or maybe because it spares a runner the need to pull the iPod out of whatever pocket it's been tucked into and then get it back out again. Seriously, have you seen those shirts with the little iPod fold on the shoulder or the back waist?
Well, I myself am not really a runner, which is to say I haven't been able to run more than a block without panting since at least last summer and haven't been really in shape to do it for about 6 years. But I do use running shoes at the gym, and they do wear out, amazingly, even if you're not taking them through trails.
So since I'd gone along to the store with said friend anyway, I thought I might as well get a new pair of shoes myself.
And then the salesguy pointed out that I was pretty close to qualifying for a free watch of my own.
And then I found some pretty good-looking socks, so....
I was right: they're awesome socks. I should probably take up at least a little running again to really appreciate them, but we're looking at a cold and rainy weekend so... maybe I'll just play with the watch instead.
I assume this is attractive because it's easier to use your wrist for resistance while pressing buttons than the palm of your hand, or maybe because it spares a runner the need to pull the iPod out of whatever pocket it's been tucked into and then get it back out again. Seriously, have you seen those shirts with the little iPod fold on the shoulder or the back waist?
Well, I myself am not really a runner, which is to say I haven't been able to run more than a block without panting since at least last summer and haven't been really in shape to do it for about 6 years. But I do use running shoes at the gym, and they do wear out, amazingly, even if you're not taking them through trails.
So since I'd gone along to the store with said friend anyway, I thought I might as well get a new pair of shoes myself.
And then the salesguy pointed out that I was pretty close to qualifying for a free watch of my own.
And then I found some pretty good-looking socks, so....
I was right: they're awesome socks. I should probably take up at least a little running again to really appreciate them, but we're looking at a cold and rainy weekend so... maybe I'll just play with the watch instead.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Blossom
It's spring, so naturally everything is pretty and in bloom and stuff, but this year I'm noticing more than usual.
Like, the deep red purple blossoms on the crabapple tree at the house on the far corner? They are beautiful. And when they fall to the ground and are blown by wind and the whish of passing feet to the edge of the deep green grass? WHOA.
I totally want to do something with those colours together, but I'll just have to remember what they look like and/or carry my camera with me next year because they were stunning for one day and by the next, they were dry and darker and you wouldn't even notice them if you hadn't seen them in their prime.
And yesterday when it was breezy, the leaves were moving - we have full leaves already on the avenue of trees that shade our street - and as I walked along it the road looked like a river reflecting the light back up at me.
When the days are like this I feel like it's the 1950s of travel ads, everything clean and perfect and hopeful (with the fallout shelters tucked back behind some shrubs) and I can pretend I am 7 years old again (with a housekey and computer and candy jar privileges.)
I mean, look at this. Doesn't that bit of sky just make you melt?
Like, the deep red purple blossoms on the crabapple tree at the house on the far corner? They are beautiful. And when they fall to the ground and are blown by wind and the whish of passing feet to the edge of the deep green grass? WHOA.
I totally want to do something with those colours together, but I'll just have to remember what they look like and/or carry my camera with me next year because they were stunning for one day and by the next, they were dry and darker and you wouldn't even notice them if you hadn't seen them in their prime.
And yesterday when it was breezy, the leaves were moving - we have full leaves already on the avenue of trees that shade our street - and as I walked along it the road looked like a river reflecting the light back up at me.
When the days are like this I feel like it's the 1950s of travel ads, everything clean and perfect and hopeful (with the fallout shelters tucked back behind some shrubs) and I can pretend I am 7 years old again (with a housekey and computer and candy jar privileges.)
I mean, look at this. Doesn't that bit of sky just make you melt?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Shave and a haircut
I lasted a whole day before heading back to Summerhill Market with friends, but when I got there I kinda panicked from the overwhelmingness and pretty much only bought cookies:
Florentine cookies are an excellent choice for evaluating a bakery - they're a bit fiddly to get right. The Belgian bakery near me makes them in a silver dollar size, with rich dark chocolate and a still-chewy lump of nuts and dried fruit and goo, all of which makes them hard to top, so why look elsewhere?
Because that shop isn't open on Mondays, and sometimes Monday is the day I need Florentines most, and if I buy them on Sunday just in case they will be gone ten minutes later. I have no self-control when it comes to Florentines.
Buying these was a lesson in the importance of reading labels though: if I'd known they had soy nuts in them I wouldn't have taste-tested them at all. Soy nuts have no place in a traditional Florentine cookie. I might add that really good chocolate does, because apparently that is also news.
Still, such a relief! This market isn't all that easy to get to and what if I got totally addicted to their baked goods? I'd find a way, and it wouldn't involve walking over to burn the calories I was about to consume, either.
Later today I'll be introducing the chocolate marshmallows and the pretty ginger cookies to friends who are experts on those and see what they think. And later still I'll be trying one of the market's chicken pies: everybody I know who goes there raves about them, and it would be awesome if I loved them too because they are a lot more accessible than my current source for same.
I think I mentioned that I have been by this store a zillion times on walks and runs but probably not why: it's near a pedestrian bridge that crosses a train track. We got there just a minute or two before a long freight came through.
I hoped the engineer would honk or something if we waved but whoa: Shave and a haircut, and the two bits? That's a pretty good evening right there.
Florentine cookies are an excellent choice for evaluating a bakery - they're a bit fiddly to get right. The Belgian bakery near me makes them in a silver dollar size, with rich dark chocolate and a still-chewy lump of nuts and dried fruit and goo, all of which makes them hard to top, so why look elsewhere?
Because that shop isn't open on Mondays, and sometimes Monday is the day I need Florentines most, and if I buy them on Sunday just in case they will be gone ten minutes later. I have no self-control when it comes to Florentines.
Buying these was a lesson in the importance of reading labels though: if I'd known they had soy nuts in them I wouldn't have taste-tested them at all. Soy nuts have no place in a traditional Florentine cookie. I might add that really good chocolate does, because apparently that is also news.
Still, such a relief! This market isn't all that easy to get to and what if I got totally addicted to their baked goods? I'd find a way, and it wouldn't involve walking over to burn the calories I was about to consume, either.
Later today I'll be introducing the chocolate marshmallows and the pretty ginger cookies to friends who are experts on those and see what they think. And later still I'll be trying one of the market's chicken pies: everybody I know who goes there raves about them, and it would be awesome if I loved them too because they are a lot more accessible than my current source for same.
I think I mentioned that I have been by this store a zillion times on walks and runs but probably not why: it's near a pedestrian bridge that crosses a train track. We got there just a minute or two before a long freight came through.
I hoped the engineer would honk or something if we waved but whoa: Shave and a haircut, and the two bits? That's a pretty good evening right there.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
(Up)market
I can't stop thinking about the grocery store I was in yesterday.
I mean, seriously. I think I was ruined for any other after three minutes, and that was just the produce and chutney sections - by the time I rounded the corner past prepared foods (Oh. My. Gosh.) and into the bakery, I was totally doomed.
(see: peanut-free cupcakes with bright frosting in their own shaped plastic containers for local moppets to take to school in their lunchboxes, tucked in beside sandwiches folded into reusable, washable cloth cases in cheery construction equipment or floral fabrics, available in the elegant stationery section alongside baked goods. Oh, and let's not forget the 'Skunk' duster in Housewares - white tail as business end.)
I've known about this place for a really long time - it's in the neighbourhood I aim for when planning a long walking, or medium running route. I've just never been inside. But now that I have to practise driving every day I am running out of places to go, and on the weekend I remembered this market and thought, huh, maybe I can head over there and brush up on parallel parking. It turned out to be far too busy on the roads for that, though, which maximized my browsing time.
Yep, I said browsing: I made it all the way through without buying anything, mainly because the lineups were about six miles long and I was already out of time. But I am totally going back. Those sandwich cases? Perfect gifts. And - okay, I don't actually like marshmallows, but they have some flavoured ones handmade in Vancouver... pistachio, maple, vanilla, and about six other options I forget.
I just need to figure out a better place to park, because I don't want to be carrying the spoils three whole blocks to the quiet street I found this time.
I mean, seriously. I think I was ruined for any other after three minutes, and that was just the produce and chutney sections - by the time I rounded the corner past prepared foods (Oh. My. Gosh.) and into the bakery, I was totally doomed.
(see: peanut-free cupcakes with bright frosting in their own shaped plastic containers for local moppets to take to school in their lunchboxes, tucked in beside sandwiches folded into reusable, washable cloth cases in cheery construction equipment or floral fabrics, available in the elegant stationery section alongside baked goods. Oh, and let's not forget the 'Skunk' duster in Housewares - white tail as business end.)
I've known about this place for a really long time - it's in the neighbourhood I aim for when planning a long walking, or medium running route. I've just never been inside. But now that I have to practise driving every day I am running out of places to go, and on the weekend I remembered this market and thought, huh, maybe I can head over there and brush up on parallel parking. It turned out to be far too busy on the roads for that, though, which maximized my browsing time.
Yep, I said browsing: I made it all the way through without buying anything, mainly because the lineups were about six miles long and I was already out of time. But I am totally going back. Those sandwich cases? Perfect gifts. And - okay, I don't actually like marshmallows, but they have some flavoured ones handmade in Vancouver... pistachio, maple, vanilla, and about six other options I forget.
I just need to figure out a better place to park, because I don't want to be carrying the spoils three whole blocks to the quiet street I found this time.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Spring thing(s)
For all that everybody is waiting for spring and watching for any little sign of it, I'm constantly caught out by something or other by thinking I have more time. Like, I saw my first fruit fly in the house last week, which means no more soft bananas on the counter till it gets cold out in the fall.
More crazy-making is the sun/windburn I got on my face last week. Okay, the windburn is probably not something I could have anticipated but sunburn in April is definitely not on my radar and I didn't get my giant strawlike summer hat out to defend against it. After five days of a hurty face and a ton of lotion and then pimples for pity's sake but no abatement of the hurty I corrected that error, and put on the hat to go outside.
Thing is, I just feel so idjitlike wearing that hat with a lot of dour black and grey in April. It's the sort of hat that Andie McDowell would wear to a summer wedding in England.
So I was quite pleased yesterday to score this dour grey alternative:
Bringing me to a nicer thing about spring - the shopping. True, this hat doesn't stay on as well as the bigger summeryer one, and will definitely take flight when I'm running someplace (as I do daily it seems, as I'm always late). Also the brim shades my face at the expense of my vision. But we will not quibble. Instead I will show you the fruits of my labours during the first try-out with the new hat:
It's really tremendously satisfying to pull up dandelions - an excellent stress-reliever. Sometimes you have to really hunt for them, they are so subtle, and you think you've got them all... and then one or six bloom and WHAM you can just dive in there.
The more years you dig them up, too, the fewer and fewer you get, a mixed blessing that sends me over to my neighbours' lawn if I'm feeling really stressed. They're so relaxed they don't mind, but they're moving - I wonder if the new tenant will want to pull up her own dandelions?
I suppose I could always go over to the park.
More crazy-making is the sun/windburn I got on my face last week. Okay, the windburn is probably not something I could have anticipated but sunburn in April is definitely not on my radar and I didn't get my giant strawlike summer hat out to defend against it. After five days of a hurty face and a ton of lotion and then pimples for pity's sake but no abatement of the hurty I corrected that error, and put on the hat to go outside.
Thing is, I just feel so idjitlike wearing that hat with a lot of dour black and grey in April. It's the sort of hat that Andie McDowell would wear to a summer wedding in England.
So I was quite pleased yesterday to score this dour grey alternative:
Bringing me to a nicer thing about spring - the shopping. True, this hat doesn't stay on as well as the bigger summeryer one, and will definitely take flight when I'm running someplace (as I do daily it seems, as I'm always late). Also the brim shades my face at the expense of my vision. But we will not quibble. Instead I will show you the fruits of my labours during the first try-out with the new hat:
It's really tremendously satisfying to pull up dandelions - an excellent stress-reliever. Sometimes you have to really hunt for them, they are so subtle, and you think you've got them all... and then one or six bloom and WHAM you can just dive in there.
The more years you dig them up, too, the fewer and fewer you get, a mixed blessing that sends me over to my neighbours' lawn if I'm feeling really stressed. They're so relaxed they don't mind, but they're moving - I wonder if the new tenant will want to pull up her own dandelions?
I suppose I could always go over to the park.
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