Since snow began falling this December I have become obsessed with shovelling it. We hired a contractor to clean our driveway but we are responsible for our front steps, and so I have become focused on cleaning off snow and ice.
Perhaps it is because we lived without snowstorms for five years and I dread walking through deep snow that I have decided to wage war against it. Even the back deck gets shovelled -- just so Hubby has free access to the barbecue because nothing should come between a man cooking over an open flame.
The worst day this December was when it poured rain last Sunday and I decided to go out and shovel the slush from our driveway. Rain-soaked snow is mighty heavy, but I did it -- although it took most of that afternoon for my wool coat to dry off.
Looking out the window I can see the flakes tumbling from the sky. Guess I should go out again in a couple of hours and shovel it off the steps. Just three more months of it.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Back in Canada
Hubby and I are back in Canada. I would love to say that we are unpacked and settled into our new home, but my Mum taught me not to lie. Out house is littered with moving boxes yet to be opened and objects placed here and there. We have Ontario license plates and we are waiting on our new Ontario driver's license, which presents a problem if we have to show photo identification. We still haven't tried to get new OHIP cards since we cannot get health insurance until we have lived in Ontario for three months. Here's hoping we get them before I need my six month mammogram in January. Oh, the joy of public healthcare and dealing with provincial bureaucrats. Welcome to Ontario.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Moving On
September has been crazy for Hubby and I. The big news is that we will be bidding the US farewell and moving back to Canada. Luckily Hubby is able to transfer to the Canadian office of the high-tech start-up where he works at marketing techy stuff to other tech people -- if I tried to explain the techy stuff my head would explode.
We are moving in about six weeks. Yikes. My tummy just lurched. So many things to do in so little time. But, despite the fact that I am prone to high-drama, I am sure we can get everything accomplished. We have bought a house in a suburban town West of Ottawa (I'll be a West-end Girl!) that will officially be ours as of October. So, we have a place to live. We have also contacted moving companies regarding quotes and have narrowed it down to one. This move will be financed by us since Hubby's boss refuses to pay for it as Hubby requested the transfer, and that really makes me regret moving my Great Grandmother's piano across North America. But, since it is a family heirloom I feel compelled to bring it back to Canada.
The last month or two we have been trying to visit places in Northern California we love, like Healdsburg in Sonoma county, and Cambria near Paso Robles. I hate to mention Cambria as it's my secret. It's a sleepy, rustic, artist colony along the coast off Highway 1 that hasn't been overrun with fast food chains or big hotels. I love Moonstone Beach and walking along the boardwalk. Healdsburg has an amazing bed and breakfast called Honor Mansion that we hope to visit in the future if we're back in California, and one of the best restaurant I've ever eaten at, Dry Creek Kitchen
Here's hoping we can find awesome dining experiences in the Ottawa-area.
Much to Hubby's dismay, I have also been trying to get my fill of Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's before we move. What will I do in Ottawa? Most likely I will face major retail withdrawal going cold-turkey from these two department stores. Honestly, I am not sure the Holt Renfrew in Ottawa can hold a candle to Bloomingdale's or to Nordstrom's.
The next few months will be full of stress and excitement as we prepare for the big move. Hope we won't suffer reverse-culture shock from trying to live in Canada again after almost five years living in the US. Time to move on.
We are moving in about six weeks. Yikes. My tummy just lurched. So many things to do in so little time. But, despite the fact that I am prone to high-drama, I am sure we can get everything accomplished. We have bought a house in a suburban town West of Ottawa (I'll be a West-end Girl!) that will officially be ours as of October. So, we have a place to live. We have also contacted moving companies regarding quotes and have narrowed it down to one. This move will be financed by us since Hubby's boss refuses to pay for it as Hubby requested the transfer, and that really makes me regret moving my Great Grandmother's piano across North America. But, since it is a family heirloom I feel compelled to bring it back to Canada.
The last month or two we have been trying to visit places in Northern California we love, like Healdsburg in Sonoma county, and Cambria near Paso Robles. I hate to mention Cambria as it's my secret. It's a sleepy, rustic, artist colony along the coast off Highway 1 that hasn't been overrun with fast food chains or big hotels. I love Moonstone Beach and walking along the boardwalk. Healdsburg has an amazing bed and breakfast called Honor Mansion that we hope to visit in the future if we're back in California, and one of the best restaurant I've ever eaten at, Dry Creek Kitchen
Here's hoping we can find awesome dining experiences in the Ottawa-area.
Much to Hubby's dismay, I have also been trying to get my fill of Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's before we move. What will I do in Ottawa? Most likely I will face major retail withdrawal going cold-turkey from these two department stores. Honestly, I am not sure the Holt Renfrew in Ottawa can hold a candle to Bloomingdale's or to Nordstrom's.
The next few months will be full of stress and excitement as we prepare for the big move. Hope we won't suffer reverse-culture shock from trying to live in Canada again after almost five years living in the US. Time to move on.
Friday, August 6, 2010
April Wine
Went to the salon late this morning to have more highlights added and to get the hair cut and styled. I always love when someone else straighens my hair, because if it's not ironed it looks like a big puff of wool on my head. My stylist is Vietnamese and sometimes I have difficulty understanding her, so many of our conversations consist of me saying, "what?" all the time. Somehow we do manage to communicate and she does an awesome job of colouring my hair.
The surreal moment for me today was when she was ironing out my hair and the April Wine song 'Just Between You and Me' came on the sound system. Hearing that quintessential song from 70s Canadian radio in a California salon in 2010 was just bizarre. I couldn't even point it out to my stylist because something like that cannot be translated. Wonder if April Wine is still touring.
The surreal moment for me today was when she was ironing out my hair and the April Wine song 'Just Between You and Me' came on the sound system. Hearing that quintessential song from 70s Canadian radio in a California salon in 2010 was just bizarre. I couldn't even point it out to my stylist because something like that cannot be translated. Wonder if April Wine is still touring.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Bumper Sticker
Bumper sticker recently spotted on a vehicle in Santa Clara, California: I Miss Reagan.
Friday, June 11, 2010
True Blood Season 3
True Blood season three premieres this Sunday on HBO and I can't wait. Must admit that I did not watch season 2 repeats the past month or two because I did not enjoy the Maryann plotline. Perhaps it's because I much prefer the whole vampire theme, although the shiftshaper guy is quite cool. Hope Bill and Sookie are reunited.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Long Week
The Visitors left a week and a half ago. Whew! I think it took me a week to recover. The in-laws may be in their sixties but they played us out. Perhaps it was because we were trying to show them a slice of Northern California and spent all our spare time in a car travelling somewhere...and then stopping and taking photos.
This week Hubby has been travelling for work. I saw him late Monday night and Tuesday morning, and haven't seen him since I dropped him off at San Jose airport on Tuesday. We've been chatting, although he's on East coast time so it messes me up. Tonight I must stay up until 1 am to phone and wake him up for his early morning flight.
Thank God Hubby is flying back home tomorrow because I am an insomniac when he's away. Yes, lately I've been up until the wee hours of the mornings on the laptop and watching HSN. For some strange reason, HSN is addictive when you're home alone late at night. Crazy thing is I actually taped the Hot in Hollywood segment this afternoon because I was out and about....shopping. But, really, I don't think of it as shopping as much as retail therapy. Hubby will not tolerate HSN so I will indulge until he makes it through the door tomorrow.
This week Hubby has been travelling for work. I saw him late Monday night and Tuesday morning, and haven't seen him since I dropped him off at San Jose airport on Tuesday. We've been chatting, although he's on East coast time so it messes me up. Tonight I must stay up until 1 am to phone and wake him up for his early morning flight.
Thank God Hubby is flying back home tomorrow because I am an insomniac when he's away. Yes, lately I've been up until the wee hours of the mornings on the laptop and watching HSN. For some strange reason, HSN is addictive when you're home alone late at night. Crazy thing is I actually taped the Hot in Hollywood segment this afternoon because I was out and about....shopping. But, really, I don't think of it as shopping as much as retail therapy. Hubby will not tolerate HSN so I will indulge until he makes it through the door tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Visitors
Last Friday night Hubby's parents came to town to visit. Since then it's been a whirlwind of playing tourist with them.
Saturday we drove through San Francisco and on the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Sonoma where we had lunch in Healdsburg. I love Healdsburg with its town square, shops and restaurants. The in-laws checked out some antique stores and I checked out Midnight Sun and some cool jewelry stores around the palazzo.
Next we made our way to Sebastopol where we stopped in at the Antique Mall. I love browsing at all the old items, but my true weakness is for old books and this place has its fair share. Books published in the late nineteenth century are incredibly beautiful with the gold printing on the front. Not sure if they have any real value, but I love looking at them on bookshelves. Think I may be a bibliophile. I found a wonderful mahogany nightstand at Food For Thought Antiques, while not an expensive antique it's a great reproduction piece from around the 1930s or 1940s, plus proceeds from this shop help fund the Sonoma AIDS food bank. We all had fun trying to fit it into the trunk with all our luggage. In the end we had to donate two folding lawn chairs from the trunk to make it fit.
We stayed overnight at the Sheraton in Petaluma. Luckily our rooms were at opposite ends of the hallway so we had lots of privacy. We were so zonked that we ate at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly good.
On Sunday we got up relatively early for breakfast, checked out, and headed to Napa. MIL wanted to check the outlets and she did manage to buy shoes and some other things. Then we headed to St Helena for lunch, and then stopped in a couple of wineries. We were exhausted by the time we got back to our place around dinner time.
Hubby took his parents to San Francisco to do Fisherman's Wharf via the cable car yesterday. I had a quiet day at home. Today the in-laws rented a car and are off to visit Yosemite until Thursday. Hopefully the GPS software program that my FIL is obsessed with will not get them lost (it was telling them that the 101 didn't 'exist'). Hubby and I will try to rest up for their return on Thursday and our little overnight stay in Monterey on Friday.
Saturday we drove through San Francisco and on the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Sonoma where we had lunch in Healdsburg. I love Healdsburg with its town square, shops and restaurants. The in-laws checked out some antique stores and I checked out Midnight Sun and some cool jewelry stores around the palazzo.
Next we made our way to Sebastopol where we stopped in at the Antique Mall. I love browsing at all the old items, but my true weakness is for old books and this place has its fair share. Books published in the late nineteenth century are incredibly beautiful with the gold printing on the front. Not sure if they have any real value, but I love looking at them on bookshelves. Think I may be a bibliophile. I found a wonderful mahogany nightstand at Food For Thought Antiques, while not an expensive antique it's a great reproduction piece from around the 1930s or 1940s, plus proceeds from this shop help fund the Sonoma AIDS food bank. We all had fun trying to fit it into the trunk with all our luggage. In the end we had to donate two folding lawn chairs from the trunk to make it fit.
We stayed overnight at the Sheraton in Petaluma. Luckily our rooms were at opposite ends of the hallway so we had lots of privacy. We were so zonked that we ate at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly good.
On Sunday we got up relatively early for breakfast, checked out, and headed to Napa. MIL wanted to check the outlets and she did manage to buy shoes and some other things. Then we headed to St Helena for lunch, and then stopped in a couple of wineries. We were exhausted by the time we got back to our place around dinner time.
Hubby took his parents to San Francisco to do Fisherman's Wharf via the cable car yesterday. I had a quiet day at home. Today the in-laws rented a car and are off to visit Yosemite until Thursday. Hopefully the GPS software program that my FIL is obsessed with will not get them lost (it was telling them that the 101 didn't 'exist'). Hubby and I will try to rest up for their return on Thursday and our little overnight stay in Monterey on Friday.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St Patrick's Day
Happy St Patrick's Day to one and all. It doesn't feel much like St Paddy's in sunny, warm California, and I forgot to wear green. March 17 is also the date when my late maternal grandparents were married in 1925 -- 85 years ago. Crazy, but I can still remember their 50th wedding anniversary celebration and how much I hated the dress I had to wear -- guess that's why I spent that evening at my paternal grandparents home.
Hubby and I spent last weekend in Big Sur for his birthday and Ventana Inn was amazing. The suite was beautiful with a wood fireplace and an incredible ocean view. We did not want to leave and joked about staying until we maxed out the Amex card. It was wonderful being in the woods as it was so quiet...except for the heater, and the couple in a hot tub a few doors down. The only disappointment was the restaurant, so if we ever stay again we'll go out to Nepenthe for dinner.
Hubby and I spent last weekend in Big Sur for his birthday and Ventana Inn was amazing. The suite was beautiful with a wood fireplace and an incredible ocean view. We did not want to leave and joked about staying until we maxed out the Amex card. It was wonderful being in the woods as it was so quiet...except for the heater, and the couple in a hot tub a few doors down. The only disappointment was the restaurant, so if we ever stay again we'll go out to Nepenthe for dinner.
Monday, March 1, 2010
What Happened Last Night NBC?
Yesterday evening Hubby and I had the television tuned to NBC for the closing ceremony of the winter olympics in Vancouver. It seemed like an endless highlight reel from the past two weeks. Since we've viewed the games throughout we decided instead to watch 'The Amazing Race' on CBS and switch back and forth until they finally started the ceremony.
What a disappointment. In the past I loved when they showed the athletes walk into the stadium en masse, but NBC only bothered to show footage of American and Canadian athletes. What about the other countries? Then the athletes had on these sily white ponchos, so even if the camera panned through where they were seated you couldn't tell what country they were from. Sometimes you couldn't tell who were members of the audience and who were athletes.
The ceremony itself was underwhelming. I was hoping for so much more than William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, and Catherine O'Hara trying to be funny -- no wonder Martin Short did not make his scheduled appearance: he probably read the script and ran. Then there was Michael Buble singing 'The Maple Leaf Forever' with women dressed in short RCMP uniforms. It made me cringe and wonder how the RCMP could allow this to tarnish their brand. Guess they were going for campiness with the giant blow up beavers and moose. While they were trying to make fun of Canadian stereotypes, I fear it only reinforced these stereotypes to international audiences. What is an inside joke to Canadians loses something in translation. The most stirring moment last night was the choir singing the Russian national anthem; it was quiet, elegant, and beautiful. Sometimes less is more.
The strangest moment of the evening proved to be the jarring end to olympic coverage at 10:30pm for some Jerry Seinfeld reality show involving fighting spouses. So, if you wanted to keep watching the rest of the ceremony you had to wait an hour. We opted to watch 'Desperate Housewives' on the dvr and then we struggled to watch the rest of the olympics 'after party' for about ten minutes before we fell asleep. NBC really needs to revamp their Olympics coverage in the future.
What a disappointment. In the past I loved when they showed the athletes walk into the stadium en masse, but NBC only bothered to show footage of American and Canadian athletes. What about the other countries? Then the athletes had on these sily white ponchos, so even if the camera panned through where they were seated you couldn't tell what country they were from. Sometimes you couldn't tell who were members of the audience and who were athletes.
The ceremony itself was underwhelming. I was hoping for so much more than William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, and Catherine O'Hara trying to be funny -- no wonder Martin Short did not make his scheduled appearance: he probably read the script and ran. Then there was Michael Buble singing 'The Maple Leaf Forever' with women dressed in short RCMP uniforms. It made me cringe and wonder how the RCMP could allow this to tarnish their brand. Guess they were going for campiness with the giant blow up beavers and moose. While they were trying to make fun of Canadian stereotypes, I fear it only reinforced these stereotypes to international audiences. What is an inside joke to Canadians loses something in translation. The most stirring moment last night was the choir singing the Russian national anthem; it was quiet, elegant, and beautiful. Sometimes less is more.
The strangest moment of the evening proved to be the jarring end to olympic coverage at 10:30pm for some Jerry Seinfeld reality show involving fighting spouses. So, if you wanted to keep watching the rest of the ceremony you had to wait an hour. We opted to watch 'Desperate Housewives' on the dvr and then we struggled to watch the rest of the olympics 'after party' for about ten minutes before we fell asleep. NBC really needs to revamp their Olympics coverage in the future.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Fireflies Parody
I am crazy about the Owl City song "Fireflies", and so I was searching for a video of it on Youtube. Still have not found an 'official' video, but I did come across the funniest parody of it. I am having problems linking to it here, but will try through Twitter.
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