Aspiring Artist

With the exception of some very sketchy "powder" paints that I used in 2003, it's been about 8 years (since High School art class!) since I've picked up a paint brush. I've always liked painting. I like blending colours and creating texture. And I like seeing the scene of the painting unfold across the canvas.

After Tom bought me some acrylics paints for Christmas, I finally set aside some time to put them to use. These koi fish were my first attempt. The original (which I have attempted to replicate), was a Chinese brush painting in water colours. You definitely don't get the same result with acrylics, but I'm pleased nonetheless.

The second painting took me nearly four hours to finish! It will eventually have a sister painting on a canvas the same size to hang beside it. I'm not exactly sure where we will hang them (wall space is at a premium in our condo), but the previous owners left holes all over the walls, so I'm sure we'll find a suitable location.

Wontons and White Girls

Happy Chinese New Year! 2010 is the Year of the Tiger

Answer me this: Is there a better way to spend Chinese New Year than making traditional wontons with a bunch of white girls? The correct answer is... No. In fact, making wontons with a bunch of white girls (white super-awesome-geoscientist-girls, to be exact) is pretty much the only way to spend Chinese New Year! I highly recommend it.

Many of you know that the Litz wonton recipe (formerly of the Mah family) produces some of the most delicious wontons known to man. What you probably don't know is that this kind of perfection is attained through approximate measurements, ratios and memory. It is a recipe that is difficult to quantify as a written set of instructions. In fact, my steps of instructions (created with the help of my mom) at one point reads, "Add oyster sauce until the colour looks right." How do I know when the colour looks right? Oh... I just know. You know? And how much sesame oil do you add? "Enough until you can slightly smell it." It's that kind of recipe...

Jill, Jasmine and Paige arrived on Friday after work. All of them were wonton-newbies, having never taken part in the wonton making process before. Although they missed the meat mixing (really quite boring, since you just chuck everything into a food processor), they were all ready for the best part-- wonton wrapping!

There are two roles in wonton wrapping- the meat scooper, and the wrapper. Traditionally in our household, the wrappers heckle the meat scooper (e.g. "What were you thinking!? There is too much/not enough meat on this wrap! Fix these proportions! Are you blind? You should be downgraded to wrapping!") But since Jill, Jasmine and Paige were newbies, I got off heckle-free. Perhaps it's because their attention was half-glued to the Olympic opening ceremonies.

Essentially, wonton wrapping works like the diagram below, where the raw beaten egg acts like glue to hold the wrap together.

I give props to these girls for their wrapping skills. I have to admit, Tom and I have made wontons with several other sets of white people... And many of those occasions ended with me covertly re-wrapping wontons so that meat didn't come out while they were boiling! I'm not sure if it's the raw egg yolk, or the raw meat, but people don't seem too keen on getting their fingers in there to seal everything up-- but it's very important! Jill, Jasmine and Paige were fearless. They didn't mind getting a little floury and egg-yolky.

Jill, Jasmine and Paige wrapping away.

After the wontons are wrapped up, you bring a big pot of water to rapid boil. Then you toss in some wontons. Once they start to float, you give them a couple more minutes to cook, then scoop them out into bowls. Now they look like tiny little brain packages.

Jill says it best, "They look just like the should! Like restaurant wontons!"

And of course, while all this meat mixing and wrapping is going on, you are also heating and simmering the broth. The broth contains suey choy, shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, and chinese pork sausage. Theoretically, the broth and the wontons will be ready at the same time so you can scoop them into a bowl together.

Yum yum!

And voila! Your meal is ready! Jill, Jasmine and Paige-- thanks for an excellent evening, and a delicious meal!

Ed-- thanks for your guitar skills!

An Ode-- Two Years Later

Update: Tom has safely landed in Norway. There was some fog in Calgary that he was a bit worried would delay his takeoff, but it sounds like his flight left on time. It also sounds like he enjoyed his first class experience! Apparently he had a smoked salmon salad to start his dinner. He then had a choice of three entrees (he had Butter Chicken), which was followed by a selection of cheeses, and three kinds of ice cream! He also had some champagne, and pancakes (although, not at the same time). Stavanger, Norway is 8 hours ahead of Calgary. So I'm sure right now Tom is getting some much needed rest.

And now... The actual post.

Two years ago, Steve was writing a blog of his own (http://not-a-good-idea.blogspot.com). Much to our disappointment, he eventually ran out of steam and stopped updating-- but during his time as a blogger, he wrote a series of Odes to his good friends (including yours truly!).

Recently I was perusing some of Steve's old posts, and noticed the the Ode he wrote about me was written on February 7, 2007. Exactly two years since today. So I thought I would re-post his Ode for your entertainment.

ENJOY!

The Last Ode? Perhaps?

By: Steve

1) Amanda is Not Especially Clever

Some people are going to be all like, "Ouch for Amanda!" or "Steve is a super-jerk!" but I still find Amanda's slow wits to be more endearing than insulting. I must stress that I don't mean to imply that Amanda is unintelligent. Far from it, in fact! Amanda's at least 3 times as smart as I am. It's just that when it comes to a witty put-down, she's always left in the dust. Amanda sets herself up beautifully for my insults, and as I result I feel like a pretty cool dude everytime I burn her. Tha't partially what makes her an awesome friend.

2) Amanda May be Narcoleptic

Narcolepsy isn't really a positive attribute, but it kind of makes me feel sorry for Amanda, so it bears mentioning. Amanda has a habit of falling asleep during movies, a habit which I find bizarre and more than a little disturbing. I mean, we've all fallen asleep during boring movies at some point in our lives, but likely it isn't something we do on a weekly basis. Amanda throws convention straight out the window and falls asleep whenever she damn well pleases. As a result, Amanda can not be trusted to give accurate movie reviews. For example, if Amanda were to say that a movie was particularly bitchin', I couldn't help but think her sleepy nature has left her movie judging skills fundamentally flawed.
(Fun Fact! Narcolepsy is quite a bit different from Narcophilia, which is itself quite different from Necrophilia. I can't stress this enough.)

(Amanda Aside: I'm pretty sure my narcolepsy has gotten worse over the last two years. Case in point-- I pretty much slept through the entire third Die Hard movie during our Die Hardathon.)

3) Amanda Makes All the Plans

Everyone in my circle of friends is such a lazy bum, that we don't usually do something unless Amanda makes us. She may be most responsible for the group being friends for so long. Actually, now that I think about it, Ashley makes a goodly amount of plans as well. Am I the only one who refuses to make plans? This is serious food-for-thought.

(Amanda Aside: Steve still doesn't make any plans.)

4) Amanda is a Geophysicist, or Something Like That

In the future, if I ever need some physics done, I can just turn to Amanda! Actually, I guess shed only be really useful if the physics in question took place underground or something. I'm not too entirely sure if I will make use of her services ever. Geo-science doesn't really directly impact my life that much.

5) Amanda is the One Who Suggested I do This Series of Odes

To be honest, theseodes haven't ended up being as funny as I thought they'd be when I started them. You can direct all hatemail to Amanda.

(Amanda Aside: I never got any hatemail! Everyone loved the original series of Odes.)

6) Amanda Keeps Me Up to Date on All the Latest Gossip

Amanda knows all the good stuff, or at least possess the ability to retell it in a good way. Other people try to give me some gossip, but it usually sucks pretty bad. Amanda's anecdotes are kind of like the jokes from Seinfeld in that they all kind of are based around awkward human interaction. The sociologist in me loves this kind of humour on a geeky, pseudo-scientific level. Amanda has a good grasp on that kind of stuff. Also, when telling me this stuff, we're drawn back to my first point: Amanda leaves herself open for good natured ribbing / serious insulting. Good times.

(Amanda Aside: Two years later... And really, not that much has changed! Thanks for letting me revisit these good times, Steve-o.)

Another Birthday, and a Bon-Voyage to Norway

February, already!

Tom turned 27 on January 31! He has officially entered his "late twenties." As a result, the last weekend of January was busy with post-Christmas activities and birthday events. On Friday Tom and I had our two families over for an annual potluck. Of course, Dylan was the center of attention. Although he is only able to converse with the use of "Dada," and "Uh-oh" (and apparently "Baxter," but I have yet to hear that one!), he lets his wishes be known. Cumulatively over the course of the night, he was able to convince various people to lift him up so he could turn the bathroom light switches on and off-- for a total of about 20 minutes! He also entertained himself by passing Ashley bags of candy, and then taking them back, and pushing around a soccer ball. We didn't really have any toys for an 16-month-old available. An oversight on our part!

Tom and I celebrated his birthday on Saturday night with dinner downtown. On Sunday we had dinner with his family. The meal was followed by the proud presentation of a hand decorated birthday cake. Credit for the artistry goes to Dave and Andrew--a job well done.

Andrew and Dave's Masterpiece

The pink and blue box is not a gift wrapped present, it is the artists rendition of the Norwegian flag. You'll also notice the skier in the top right corner of the cake between some majestic pine trees. That is Tom-- and the white squiggle on his face/body is some sort of video-gaming headset/apparatus. The giant "T" is obviously for "Thomas" (Duh!), and as you can see, his whole family wishes him a "Happi Burfday"!!!

Tomorrow Tom is leaving for his week long trip to Norway. He flies out of Calgary at 6pm, FIRST CLASS on Air Canada, and won't be back until Saturday, February 13. He will be in Stavanger and Bergen for most of his trip. He'll also stay in Oslo overnight on his way home. For those of you who aren't up to date with your geography, here you go:

Really old map of Norway.

Happy Travels!

A Salute to M on Her 25th Birthday

January 18, 2010 marks M's 25th birthday, and the start of her 26th year. Those of you who don't know M will probably be surprised to learn how much she has managed to cram into those 25 years.

So... Where to start?

M grew up in South America. When she was 16 she came to Canada to polish her English. She got an undergraduate degree from a well known University in Ontario, and followed that up with a Masters degree from a second well known University in the east. While completing her Masters, she spent multiple months out in the bush doing field work-- quite a triumph if you're aware of M's aversion to camping. She also took on a full-time job, and made the move away from her family, to Alberta. While in Alberta, she started a cooking blog, ran multiple 5km road races in well under 27 minutes and charmed everyone she met with her sunny personality and delightful accent. She travelled to multiple countries in Europe, including Spain and Italy, and saw Japan with her dad. She is trilingual, speaking fluently in Spanish, English and Italian. She is bright, thoughtful and can bake up a storm.

M and I "crossing" the USA/Canada border.

Sadly (well, for me!), M recently moved back to Ontario and has started down a new career path. Luckily, she's back with her family and loving the travel opportunities her new job is offering her.

What will the next year hold for M? What new challenges will she conquer? What countries will she see? Will she start her MBA? Will she choose to do her schooling abroad? Will she buy herself a house? Only time will tell! But one thing is for sure-- anything she tries in her 26th year will be done with poise, grace, and determination!

Happy Birthday, M! I miss you!

M and I with a Christmas Party centerpiece.

In the Canyon (September 27-30, 2009.)

Tom and I have gotten into the habit of going on a fall vacation every year. In 2007 we went to the West Coast of Canada (Vancouver, Victoria and Tofino) and in 2008 we went to the West Coast of the US (Seattle, Portland and Cannon Beach). We wanted to do something different this year, so we decided to do a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon.

If you don't already know, Tom and I aren't really all that big into hiking or camping. In fact, I can count the number of times that I've been camping on one hand! So this sort of trip was very different for us-- definitely an adventure.

After some research, we decided to book our trip through a tour company. Over the course of four days and three nights we would hike 28 miles (45 kilometers) with a small group and guide, from the North Rim of the canyon to the South Rim. The company supplied all of our essential gear (i.e. back pack, tents, sleeping bags, etc.), took care of all necessary permitting, and

provided food and snacks for the duration of the hike. They also picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at the end. It was a stress-free way to organize our trip. Once it was booked, all we had to do was drag ourselves out of bed at 4am for our 4:30am pickup. I'll take this moment to mention that Phoenix is a bloody sauna! At our 4:30am pickup, it was pitch black out, and an absolutely stiffling 30+ degrees outside. AC is a must down there...

Day 1: North Rim to Cottonwood Campground

After a five hour drive from Phoenix, we got our first glimpse of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is what we saw:

Surprisingly, it didn't seem all that different from the landscape in BC. There were forested areas of pine trees, and familiar alpine vegetation. Here we began a 5 hour descent into Roaring Springs Canyon with a vertical elevation drop of 1250m over 10.9km. The hiking was almost entirely downhill, which was shocking for EVERY MUSCLE IN MY LEGS. I basically spent the first day reminding myself to drink water (very important, considering it was about 28 degrees), and sliding around in my hiking shoes (more on that later). When we arrived at the Cottonwood campsite, it was already starting to get dark. Luckily there was still enough light to see the pink rattlesnake that was hanging out near the water station.

After pitching our tents and fixing a hasty (but tasty!) dinner, we were all in bed by 8pm. However, being in bed does not necessarily equal sleeping-- at least not for Tom and I. While our tour guide and a fellow hiker snored like freight trains 3 ft away, Tom and I spent most of the night tossing and turning. It was quite hot for most of the night, it was nosy (with the snoring), and every few minutes you could hear the rustle of mice and squirrels scurrying through our campsite.

Day 2: Cottonwood Campsite to Phantom Ranch

Our tour guide let us "sleep in" until about 6:30am that morning. By the time we tore down camp and got ourselves packed up, it was nearly 8am. It was a much later start than our guide had hoped for-- especially since we had 11.1km to go, with an additional 500m vertical descent.

The landscape in this portion of the canyon was very different than what we had experienced the previous day. The pine trees were replaced by cacti and shrubs. The trail was much flatter. We took a detour from the main trail so we could take a peek at Ribbon Falls. The falls were much appreciated by everyone. You see, the Grand Canyon National Park campsites don't have showers, and they don't allow soap or shampoo-- not even the biodegradable kinds! So we took turns sticking our heads into the water for a much needed cool down. Unfortunately, while we were occupied in the water, an aggressive squirrel chewed its way through one of the lady's backpacks, through her snack bag, and was discovered with its tail poking out of the bag as it feasted on an apple.

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When we arrived at Phantom Ranch that afternoon, our group was suffering from cramped muscles, and in my case, a suite was debilitating blisters. I'm not exaggerating when I say these blisters were EVERYWHERE. On my heels, on my toes and on the sides of my feet. It seemed like not a single surface of my feet was left unscathed! I ended up wrapping my toes in strips of duct tape to cut down on the rubbing in my shoes. Of course, this description wouldn't be complete without pictures to prove it! Ewwww!

Our campsite at Phantom Ranch (technically the Bright Angel Campsite) was next to a creek. We spent a good portion of the afternoon sitting in the creek relaxing. I didn't realize how much I loved the creek until later that night. The sound of the rushing water managed to dampen the sound of snoring, and drown out the scurrying of rodents. Although I didn't sleep well that night, it was definitely better than the night before.

Day 3: Phantom Ranch to Indian Gardens Campsite

First thing on day 3, we crossed over the Colorado river. As Tom can attest to, the Colorado is freezing cold. Essentially, the water from the river is released from the bottom of a dam (i.e. water at the bottom of the dam that hasn't seen the light of day in years), so it is colder than the glacier waters in the Rocky Mountains! We saw a few groups of rafters on the river before the trail veered away from the water.

Some highlights from day 3 include the Devil's Corkscrew (the first series of ascending switchbacks we encountered), a deer that wondered through our campsite, a tiny translucent scorpion on the water fountain, a mouse crawling between the fly and tent of a fellow camper (with girlie squeals aplenty) and a trek to Plateau Point-- resulting in some of the most beautiful photos from our entire trip.

Day 4: Indian Gardens to South Rim

We used headlamps to cut through the darkness when we headed out on our fourth and final morning. At 5:00am, our tour guide wanted to get as much hiking done as possible before the sun came up. He explained that most of the day would be spent working our way up switchbacks, which would be torture in direct sunlight. If you look closely at this photo, you can see the switchbacks zig-zagging back and forth off the rim.

It worked out quite well in the end. We managed to beat the sun for most of the hike, with the exception of the last 45 minutes or so. By 10am, we had finished the final 7.4km of the hike, and ascended vertically, 930m. Emerging from the trail on to the South Rim left me with an indescribable sense of accomplishment and triumph. The weather was warm and beautiful, the sights were amazing, and the experience was unforgettable. But in addition to that, I was sore, tired, and relieved that we were finally at the end.

The Grand Canyon was fantastic. I'm not sure if you can truly appreciate it by simply standing on the rim and looking in. I'd definitely recommend going in. And one thing is for certain; if you go in to the Grand Canyon, the shower you have at your hotel at the end will be the best shower you ever experience!

From left to right: Jon (tour guide), Me, Laurel, Kathy, Katie and Tom

Bruise Be Gone!

After nearly 3.5 weeks of purple, yellow and black knees-- the horrific bruises I got before Christmas after my oh-so-graceful spill at work have finally healed!

To recap, I was walking back to the office (from Starbucks) with Ed, when I tripped over myself/wood planking (I'm not exactly sure what it was), and landed knee-first on the new tiles that are being grouted on the second floor of our office tower. Approximately 3-4 construction guys dropped what they were doing and all at once exclaimed, "OMIGOD! ARE YOU OKAY!?" Really... I was fine. Luckily I was wearing pants so I didn't flash anyone. All I left with was some severely wounded pride. Then I went back to the office, sat down in my chair and promptly rammed my knee into my desk-- by accident, of course! That hurt more than the initial spill. It probably added an extra shade of purple to the healing process. Ed felt pretty bad. He seems to think the oh-so-graceful fall was somehow his fault. If I were Steve, I probably would have guilted him in to buying me something. Instead I just took pictures and e-mailed them to him.