did you know...

that next year 11.11.11 falls on a Friday... that is an irresistible number lineup for someone who loves and is a little bit obsessed with certain numbers...

ouch!!!

I didn't finish painting this weekend. Bedroom and living room still to go. Project for the upcoming Saturday. I think we can do it in one day. We have plans for pedis and some school shopping on Sunday; unless Jay is working.

After the next weekend I won't be painting for a while. I forgot how painting is a low impact, whole body, intense work out. I started at 11am on Saturday or so, and wrapped up at around 3am on Sunday morning. I took a couple of breaks to walk the girls and have some dinner. But eventually I was just too tired, had a quick shower and sweet sleep.

I woke up at 9, in the same position I lay down in, decided to stretch, and OH MY FREAKING god, every single muscle in my body screamed in protest. I ached so bad, it took me an hour of tiny movements to finally roll out of bed, have some breakfast and get ready for day two of painting. This time we wrapped up around midnight. A lot of work, but the place looks great. I love it.

Today I'm limping, my legs are on fire, hands are in permanent claw position, and I need to hold on to something to walk up and down the stairs. Even sitting, if I shift, something hurts. I'll be taking it easy for a couple of days. No running until at least Wednesday.

painting fever...

Caught it from Kinga and Karolina. I was just going to do our bedroom, my mini study and the hallway... but then I figured the washroom and kitchen could also use a coat... and then it just seemed reasonable to buy a bit more paint and do the whole place. It's going to be a very busy weekend... I'm also planning to steam clean our carpet and seriously de-clutter.

Color picking was the hardest part. That took 2 weeks, well not the bedroom. I knew what I wanted there for a while. (Keeping my fingers crossed, that the swatch, and the picture in my mind, translate to the wall :)) The rest was a whole lot of discussions, and swatch comparisons with Jay after work over a glass of wine or beer. And it was finally finalized last weekend over lattes.

Jay will not be painting. I have control issues, he is working on Saturday and I have his day planned on Sunday. I like to paint a lot, with a tiny roller, I think I find it cathartic. No one there to mess up my plan, mess up period, or make me feel obligated to be social. Just me, paint, and the voices in my head :)...

precious...

I'm walking home tonight. Crossing the street, I glance at the cars waiting for the lights to change. A pretty blond (but not a real blond, I could see her roots) sticks her head out of the back passenger window of an suv and blows chunks all over the side of the car... and I thought... "I wonder if the owner will make her clean it"....

lunch at the winery...

This past Sunday we celebrated Emily's christening. Lunch was enjoyed at the beautiful Peninsula Ridge Winery. Below are pictures of our meal... I didn't grab all the dishes, that would make me a camera pest, but I did annoy those sitting closest to me :)

It was a beautiful hot, humid, day... refreshing glasses of water to cool us all down...
we were at a winery so some chilled white wine... I should have photographed the bottle instead because I don't remember what we were sipping...
and some of course preferred red... this was an outstanding 2008 Shiraz...
yum... bread... our appetite was growing...
pretty little butter dishes...
now some apps...
Goat’s cheese brulée with toasted hazelnuts on citrus dressed greens with field strawberry and green peppercorn vinaigrette
the kitchen accommodated 2 vegans that were present that day... but since we were sitting at two separate tables, I do not know what the other vegan enjoyed...
My appetizer was a Chilled Peach Soup... it was sweet, cold and delicious...
Sautéed Black Tiger shrimp on Pingue prosciutto with chilled French beans and sundried tomato vinaigrette
and now some mains
Here is my vegan option a Carrot and Pea Risotto... definately not as creamy as a regular risotto since it was made without butter or cheese... but still scrumptious...
House ground Ontario lamb burger on house made bun with caramelized onions, cumin aioli and cucumber, tomato and Taggiasche olive salad
Atlantic Salmon on truffle whipped potato with caper-raisin compote and Chardonnay-chive cream
Crisp roasted chicken suprème with Pont Neuf potatoes, French beans and a sweet pepper-honey compote
Paupiettes of Dover sole and crab on Niagara pea and chorizo sausage risotto... somebody didn't actually expect me to get up and try to snap a pic of their dish... but I couldn't help myself... looked so pretty
dessert time... I opted out. I'm sure the kitchen could have prepared a bowl of berries or fruit, but I was satisfied, and simply enjoyed the delicious white.
fluffy cappuccino...
Citrus scented New York style cheesecake with fresh Niagara fruit
Classic Linzer Torte
House made raspberry jam tart with a delicate spiced almond crust and our vanilla bean ice cream
Vanilla bean crème brulée
Dark Chocolate Semi-Freddo with Cabernet and vanilla soaked cherries

tv networks are so ridiculous..

Note: I'm about to use some vulgar words... reader beware :)

I was watching tv a couple of days ago. The host of the show was in New Orleans 20 months after Katrina. Some neighborhoods were still as devastated as if it was a day after the event. In one clip on a wall behind the host, the following was spray painted "SAVE EVERYTHING MY ASS". Angry but righteous statement.

That was not the ridiculous part, the ridiculous part was the fact that the "ss" in ASS was blurred out... I guess too offensive for our sensibilities. But the host used the word "shit" without being censored. hmmmmm....

Another time I was watching a late night comedy show. In one skit, the actors used words "fuck(ing)" and "cock" very frequently. One word was bleeped out everytime it was uttered, and no it wasn't "fuck(ing)"... lol The skit wasn't that funny... but I couldn't help but laugh out loud every single time "cock" was censored... so ridiculous...

this past Sunday...

waiting for a streetcar...

Jay: "Cat?" – pointing to a scratch just above my collarbone...
Me: "No, soap."
Jay: "You scratched yourself with soap?"
Me: "Yes."
Jay: -laughs-

10 min later on the streetcar, he's still chuckling to himself...

Me: "It's not that funny."
Jay: "I'm not laughing at you, just at the way you said it."

*sigh*

our new favorite spot

is Sadie's Diner... a vegetarian diner, with plenty of vegan options for me, and eggs and cheese for Jason :) We went there this past Sunday and loved it. Decor is very retro, nothing matches, but the service is fast, the kitchen efficient, and food delicious...

to start two jumbo mugs of coffee with soy milk... ketchup and hot sauce, made a great combo on my plate...
I had vegan Tofu Club Sandwich with a side of fires... yum yum
Jay had the Traditional... sausage was veggie but he liked it :)
we will be back... finally a brunch place (which also serves breakfasts and diners) with more than just fruit and toast for me to eat :)

best roti in the city...

comes from Ackee Tree on Spadina... well at least that's where I like to get mine... veggie or chickpea with a side of fried plantain, and super hot green pepper sauce.... yum...chicken roti for Jay with a side of coleslaw...
since we had it to go, we also picked up a couple bottles of ting and spiked it with a touch of vodka... delicious...

post-its

When Jay worked the Canadian Open, we didn't see each other for a week or so. Well we did see each other sleeping... I'd come home and he'd already be asleep, and he'd wake up and I would be still sleeping. We didn't really talk on the phone, because he was crazy busy, and I didn't want him answering my "hi, how are you" calls... I didn't want to be a nuisance of a girlfriend. But we did communicate... here is our pile of notes.

Blurry on purpose :)

ok...

11:09pm on a Tuesday night...
I am waiting for the bus. A couple of men, who obviously celebrated their Tuesday in a bar a little bit, are passing me by. One of them turns, points at me, and says/slurs his words...

" I like your shorts..."

:) I was wearing a skirt.

overheard....

This past Saturday, Jay and I ventured to Yorkdale Mall for some light shopping and lots of browsing. On the subway, sitting right behind us were a couple of children, and they were having a lot of fun. Guessing, I'd say she was 7 years old and he was 5... but they could have been younger (I'm not a very good age estimator).

Several of the passengers were giving the father a look of dismay, I guess trying to convey with their stares that he is unable to control his kids and should try harder... but I'm not sure why... they were loud but not destructive... and we were sitting right in front of them, and I was not bothered.

Anyways we pull into Lawrence West station. Standing on the platform is a very pretty, blond, teenage girl... The kids go quiet...

Little Girl: "Wow... she's pretty..."
Little Boy: "Yeah...."
Little Girl: "You should stare at her."
Little Boy: "Why?"
Little Girl: "Because boys stare at girls, and girls stare at boys."