Big White!

After a near meltdown and throwing-in-of-the-university-towel due to poor professorial assignment on school's part (ahem), I skipped school for a week and Shawn and I headed west- or as I like to say, the right side of the Rockies! We went west to our favourite place- the Okanagan Valley!

In spite of having been born and raised in the Vancouver area and its environs, (okay- the 'burbs.), I never took advantage of my primo mountain location to learn how to ski or snowboard. My family isn't exactly a winter-loving group, so our mountainous forays- which were frequent- took place mostly during warmer months.

Since Shawn and I were both raised on steady diets of mountain appreciation (me, in the summer, and he in the winter), I figured it was time to learn!

It only took 3/4 of a run and the better part of an hour, but I made it down! With little to no strength left in my arms, I think I managed it finally out of fear of having to push myself up out of the snow again!

My bottom did not suffer as much as I'd be warned it would, but I did have to roll myself out of bed the next day!

There was a super cute little yellow bubble gondola that went to an area of the mountain called Happy Valley- we are riding inside the yellow bubble, and we are happy! Yay! Except I have really, really terrible hair thanks to hotel shampoo. Blegh!

We stayed at the Inns of Big White- this was the view from our hotel room. Yay for B.C. mountains!

And yay for Big White!

....but most importantly, yay for BC wines and beers! We stocked up- this has to last us until the summer!

What a great vacation! But then again, we always have fun.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had fantastic holiday seasons- whatever the denomination! We sure did.

2009 is going to be awesome. I have a lot in store, and I feel good about making New Year's resolutions for once, not like they are cop-outs to excuse the failures of the previous year!

In 2009:

-Yoga and stretching EVERY MORNING. I have never been as toned, or felt as well (physically- we won't get into the psychology of that era) as when I was doing this. Back on the horse.

-Buying locally as much as possible. Although it's a little harder during an Edmonton winter in terms of produce especially, come spring I'd like to be able to regularly get my eggs, honey (and beeswax), fruit, yarn, and maybe even meat directly from a local producer. Although I have an adventurous palate, more and more over the past few years I've begun to appreciate simplicity in terms of food- it's the quality of ingredients that makes the difference, not the number! Anyone who has done the backyard-vine-ripened tomato vs. store-bought tomato test knows what I mean. If anyone in the area has any leads, or farms/ co-ops/ markets they would like to recommend, please let me know!

-More creating. More raw. It is so rewarding to accomplish something as simple as a knitting a scarf for yourself, making your own candles, or sewing a piece of clothing. I'd rather buy the raw ingredients than the finished products at this particular juncture in my life.

-Less sweets. I don't mean homemade muffins and cookies made from good ingredients- but processed candies! The silly thing is, I can't think of any instance where I'd choose a candy bar over a fruit bar or cowboy cookie, and yet I always seem to have some kind of crap sweet on hand!

-Read more for fun. Whether this is fiction, non-fiction, how-to...I used to read constantly. Instead of television, or mindless internetting, pick up a book!

-Learn how to (properly) can, cold cellar, and compost (maybe invest in a Green Cone).

-Work towards "the 5 year plan" at all times! Long term goals are awesome for keeping the above short termers in focus.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

First snow

The search for warm light.

If anyone remembers, Shawn and I have a trap door that closes off our basement from the main floor of our house. For the door to sit flat, it has to be slammed for full closure- imagine the sound of a 2m by 1m, 2cm thick sheet of MDF being dropped. Jarring to say the least. This is nothing compared to the effect it has on the poor incandescent bulb and light housing that lights the stairwell. Without fail, we lose a bulb every 2 weeks or so. Poor little rattled filaments.

The house was almost fully decked out in CFLs when we moved in, but they were all changed out within days. I cannot- CANNOT- deal with the putrid greeny tinged light that comes out of those bulbs. I have passed apartments up in the past due to a sickly lit entrance way, or exterior lights.

Now, considering there are plans in the works to phase out incandescent bulbs by 2012- not to mention CFLs use less energy, and burn longer- I'm going to have to make the switch, and yes, would probably feel better about it.

However, my question is this- is there such thing as a CFL that gives off an incandescent glow? When I walk by houses with those greeny little things burning at night, I wrinkle up my nose- are those just the older models?. I know that CFL light colour is based on a lower K rating, but is it true? I'm looking for testimonials. One thing I don't want during the long, cold winter is a coldly lit home.

Congratulations!

Proof that the voting public CAN make a difference. Way to go, USA.

If only I could get as excited about Canadian politics...

My new favourite time-waster.

This is sand.

Neco z Alenky (Alice)

A while ago, April mentioned the upcoming Burton version of Alice In Wonderland. Shawn and I were discussing this today, and he asked if I had ever seen the extraordinarily weird Czechoslovakian version of the movie by Jan Svankmajer.

"The WHAT?!" I exclaimed. After some imdb-ing, and perusing viewer comments with titles like "Want to give your kids nightmares for the rest of their lives?" I knew it would be right up my alley.

The taxidermied white rabbit escaping from his glass box!

The skeletal menagerie, and the cabinet (or broom closet) of curiosities!

Why have I never seen this movie before?!?