Day One Hundred and Eighty-Three - Staff Meterologist

Apparently it's a really Canadian thing to be really into the weather. I wasn't aware of this until recently, but I guess it's one more thing that makes me an awesome Canadian. I have been really into the weather for quite some time - I was well known for this in my old job as I had a weather tracker installed on my desktop and I would tell all the partners how to dress. Now that I'm hayfever I'm into the whole pollen count thing. I find all of this to be endlessly interesting and I will talk to people at length about it even if it's perfectly obvious that they don't care.

But that's the thing about weather - she is a tough mistress and there is much to know. Turns out I don't even know that much even with my keen interest and enthusiasm so tonight I learned how to read a weather map. Now I understand all of the curvy lines, the letters [H stands for high pressure system which also = migraine, which I had earlier today], I can see when a cyclone or depression is forming and most importantly I can determine the type and movement of fronts [these are the heavy coloured lines with either lumps or triangles on them]. There is also something called a station model, which has cool symbols and doodads, but I've never seen one in use. Also, those random numbers that pop up and aren't temperatures? Well, if it's a large numbers and the thin lines are close, you are really in for a world of hurt [they are pressure gradients] - they can indicate big storms and high winds. Take cover!

Day One Hundred and Eighty-Two - Dish Pan Hands

A difference that I've noticed between my blog and other similar thing-a-day/chasing 30 type blogs is that most people tend to do things that they might have missed out on during their childhood or things they thought would be fun when they were kids [not to generalise - this isn't always the case]. Mine [with some obvious exceptions] is more about doing adult things, even if they are painfully easy/mundane adult things [changing a lightbulb, hanging curtains, laundry stuff]. It's funny because when I was a kid all I wanted was to be an adult - but for these mundane things - like I envied my mum balancing her chequebook and my dad mowing the lawn [I've never done either of these things]. Still, I don't live a very adult life and I'm slowly becoming accepting of that. Many of these things I've never done point to me being very spoiled or pampered for the past 29 years, but that's not really true @ all. However, today's thing won't change your opinion on that [if that is indeed your opinion].

Today I washed the dishes without wearing gloves. I had something else lined up, but then I went and filled the sink with water with the gloves IN the sink, so I had no choice. It was really unpleasant. The feel of a wet sponge is so texture-wrong and like...spongey [imagine that]. Feeling the little bits of stuck-on food that have been released into the water - so unspeakably gross. Then having my hands get all wrinkly and dried out - I just hated it. I don't see how anyone washes dishes with bare hands. However, the gloves will take a couple of days to dry out, so it looks like I will be dealing with this again.

Truthfully, I didn't wash dishes until I was maybe 24 years old. We had a dishwasher @ home and my mum did the dishes everyday anyway. My job was to make coffee after dinner and then sit up on the counter regaling my mum with tales of my pre-teen/teen life. I'm so useful. I vividly remember the first time I did dishes - I even called Joseph in Belgium to tell him all about it [and yes, that's the only reason I did it - because he was 1000s of miles away...even then I would just wait for him to get back usually]. Funnily enough, my first job other than baby-sitting and paper delivery was as a dishwasher in a scuzzy restaurant/bar in my hometown. Big industrial sinks, big industrial containers of food, plates with cigarette butts on them, the whole deal. I did this for about two months during which time my hands/palms/fingers continually peeled [even though I only worked two nights per week] and garbage exploded on me. Glamourous. However, they might not have given me the job if they knew how unexperienced I was.

Day One Hundred and Eighty-One - Sweet 'n Sour

Although I like to eat a lot of different things I don't often like to eat fruit. A big factor in this is that our local grocery store su-ucks in terms of fresh produce. Because I like vegetables a lot more I go to more effort to sort through them and seek out the good ones. Recently I've discovered the joys of frozen fruit and I have been eating that in addition to the usual apples and bananas. The other reason I don't care for fruit is that it's too sweet [or in the case of grapes - one of my many sworn enemies - too sour and awful] and if I'm gonna go sweet I will binge out on vegan chocolate cake or Pep candy bars or general candy.

However, strawberries were on sale and, despite them being all the way from California [not that there's anything wrong with that] - they looked fresh and tasty. I have been burned many times before on strawberries and I felt a different approach was necessary. I thought I had heard somewhere something about mixing strawberries with vinegar, but until Googling I thought maybe I had just made this up. My Google-fu proving me right, I found a recipe and I mixed strawberries and vinegar. It was so delicious. I was super skeptical, but this is something that you must try. I took half of a clamshell thing of strawberries, cut them all in half [some of the big 'uns got cut into four], added one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of white sugar and then mix it up. I let it stand for about an hour...and my gosh - the smell was bizarre [I have a sensitive nose though], but the strawberries had marinated and become tender and dense with flavour. I am a fan of vinegars, but I couldn't taste vinegar at all [or the sugar or the strawberries - it all mixed together to form a magical taste explosion]. You can add freshly cracked black pepper too if that's your thing [and it is mine]. I think this recipe would be great for strawberries that "aren't quite there" - yknow?

Day One Hundred and Eighty - It's-A Me, Mario!

Mario Kart for the Wii was finally released today and I went out, stood in line with other sweaty nerds and I bought it - marking the first time that I've ever purchased a videogame on its release date. While I think these are both steps towards me being less of a casual gamer, Mario Kart for the Wii is totally a casual gamer game. In addition to the game, it comes with a Wii Wheel - which is essentially a piece of plastic with a slot in it for the Wii-mote and as the name suggests - it is shaped like a steering wheel. I was a bit hesitant at first [as racing games are the games I'm best @ and I can even beat Joseph at], but I used a Wii steering wheel and eventually got pretty okay with it.

It's kinda the dorkiest thing. You're just sitting there with this piece of plastic that is unattached to anything and you're steering it - I dunno - I think it probably looks really silly. Truthfully, I wasn't as superfantastic as I normally am with racing games, but I think it will just take some time to get used to. Luckily I'm only semi-employed, so I can make this a high priority.

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Nine - Trya Banks Was Right

For the past few days I have been seeing my way through the day with bleary eyes and itchy...everything. As my friend Rory so eloquently stated - imagine if the Hindenberg exploded, but it was full of pollen. That's right - I have my first ever case of hayfever. Since moving to Toronto I've been lucky enough to develop all sorts of new allergies and respiratory problems, but this is a brand new one. I can't take any meds for this as they all contain ephedrine or hydrochloride something or other and it makes my heart go all wonky. Therefore, I have been seeking out any natural cures - with pretty limited success.

However, on a number of different websites [from different countries no less] recommended putting Vaseline in your nose to block any incoming pollen assaults. Originally, I didn't want to do this as I had a nightmarish reaction to applying Vaseline to my entire face in drama class [the whole drama department could be counted on for some pretty horrific skin, to be honest]. Vaseline feels gross. Today I was extra cranky as there was loud music blasting, the TTC on strike and one whole day to wait for Mario Kart Wii...so, to alleviate my hayfever discomfort I put Vaseline up my nose. The thing is - it really works [for me anyways]. The key is to apply a very thin layer just on the inside of both nostrils [apparently inhaling Vaseline can cause some serious complications, so don't use too much] - I used a Q-Tip. It reduced my outdoor sneezing down to zero and provided additional softness and comfort for when I had to blow my nose.

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Eight - Monkey Business

Yes, I am a vegetarian [okay, I try - lately I've been trying very hard and even trying to be vegan when given the choice] and yes, I think animals are superfantastic and yes, I try to go out of my way to support companies that do not test on animals. However, I am not a big fan of PETA - they have a lot of problems. However, I find their strategies to be amusing [okay, they used to be - now they are a little dated] and they do raise a lot of awareness. However, I'm not sure how successful they are in changing the hearts and minds of the general public. One thing their website is very good for [www.peta.org] is providing a lot of useful information [for companies that do/don't test, for example] and for pointing one in the right direction to specific campaigns that might be of interest.

Although I like all types of animals, I do have a particular fondness for monkeys and apes. I also think if you are campaigning for animal rights, involving other primates [other than yourself that is] is a great idea. One area that gets a bit overlooked in terms of animal abuses is the entertainment industry - most people are aware of scientific testing on animals and the badness of circuses and stuff like that - but I am speaking about tv/films/adverts and their use of animals. It's something I've been learning a lot about lately [and Pam Anderson too, evidently as she "wrote" a column in the NY Times about this recently and was on Larry King Live tonight] thanks to a documentary and some other research. True, there is not a lot that one can do to speak out against the use of animals in media, but you can boycott companies and films/tv programmes and tonight I wrote letters in support of NoMoreMonkeyBusiness.com - the website makes this embarassingly easy. They don't have a nifty colourful link thing, so I will just say that if you are interested in learning more or supporting this cause, please click here.

It's a dream of mine to someday be associated with an primate sanctuary type place - where more fortunate celebrity monkeys/apes or lab monkeys/apes go to live the rest of their lives after they have outlived their previous "usefulness" - but it would be even better if places like that didn't have to exist anymore.

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Seven - Elementary My Dear Watson

It was part of my original intent of this project to do things that required me to step outside of my comfort zone. I'm not sure how successful I have been at this, although the number of "things that didn't quite work out" seem to point to the fact that I have done this a number of times. A bit of a theme I have going is to take something I like doing and then do something new with it. Today is a fine example of that. I am a voracious reader. However, I am a bit fussy with what I read - mainly classics and the bleaker the better. As a result I have read "almost everything" - which is to say, everything that I've ever wanted to read, nonfiction notwithstanding.

When we were on holiday in England last winter Joseph shocked me by actually buying a book [and I did not buy a book, which is even more surprising as our house is primarily built with my books and his videogames] - it was a collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels. Of course, I turned up my nose @ this, but in my defence, Joseph hasn't read them either. I have never read one of these novels/stories [and actually I've never read a true mystery novel] so tonight I read a Sherlock Holmes novel. It is actually the first novel, A Study in Scarlet. I'm not quite sure what to say about it - I mean, I didn't hate it. I will certainly read the novel to its conclusion. However, I wasn't convinced either - the language is strangely verbose and the characters are all too character-y. As I am an avid follower of true crime and I do like puzzling out things like that I can't really speak to why this type of story doesn't have more appeal for me.

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Six - Secretary

So I was just remarking to no one in particular [this is what I do] last week that no one really uses the term secretary anymore. And then, wham bam - all of a sudden apparently it's Administrative Professionals Day all over again. Unlike Christmas, there is really not a lot of build-up to this day. At my old job for two years we got manicures from Holt Renfrew that I never used [and instead gave to Courtney] - I don't like people touching me, but I guess as an administrative professional I should have put more of an effort into my personal appearance. And we all know how that whole scene worked out.

So, aiming to fit in a little better in my new job today I attended two Administrative Professional Day parties. From zero to two...so I think this is indicative of the fact that my career is really taking off. Although technically I do not have the word administrative/or [or professional] in my title, I am always willing to amend my job description to include the consumption of pastries. I'm not sure who sponsored the first party - it was in some big presentation room first thing in the morning and there was coffee, tea, juices, bagels and lox, huge croissants, lady yogurt [you know what I mean], a fruit platter and all of the trimmings. I met lots of people, but because of my random work schedule I'm finding it very difficult to match faces/names. Then, the second party was in the Executive Director's office and she brewed like five different types of tea including home-brewed iced tea [that's something I must do]. She also got in gourment cupcakes from one of our local cupcakeries. Turns out I don't like buttercream, however they looked too good to eat anyway.

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Five - You're The Earth Day, You're The Earth Day, You're The Earth Day Boy Or Girl

So, yay - Happy Earth Day! That one grand day when everyone cares about our fair planet, including my favourite DOOL stars [that's a lie, I have no favourite DOOL stars]. These days, we are bludgeoned with uber-annoying Earth Day messages for an entire week - so if ever you needed a reason to turn off your TV, there you go [again, I'm lying - don't ever turn off your TV]. I thought long and hard about some great thing I could do for Earth Day, but honestly I've been there and done that. I've planted trees and adopted animals and composted - so I decided to do something pretty mundane and I determined my carbon footprint.

I find the phrase carbon footprint to be annoying [though no more annoying that adapting the word "green" to everything], however I was able to find a new spin on things as I found a Toronto-specific website to determine my level of environmental horror. Turns out that at 7.1 I am less horrific than most of my fellow Torontonians. This is mostly because in the last calendar year I haven't taken a single flight - take one trip to Europe and your carbon footprint is bigger than Paris Hilton's real one. Which I think is pretty unfair, but it's something that is consistently mentioned as one of the most horrible things one can do. There is not much more I can do to reduce my carbon footprint, aside from eating more local foods and buying less packaged goods. They also seem to love organic food, but that is a bit of an untruth as organic food can actually cause more environmental harm if, for example, you are buying organic strawberries from California instead of the non-organic ones from just north of the city. Also, living in an apartment is limiting - I can't install a solar panel or use Bullfrog Power or really control anything about how my home is heated, cooled, watered and electrified. I can't even hang out my clothes to dry.

The sad fact is that there are no easy solutions. Most of the things that are going to do the most to save the environment will be difficult and wildly unpopular. Just as I don't want to give up on taking a holiday by plane other people don't want to give up their cars or give up eating meat or start composting. I have had people tell me this week that even using our green bin and recycling is too difficult and they instead choose to send all of their waste to landfill. Inspiring!

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Four - Lovin' Don't Pay My Bills

I promise to not have too many work-related things on here as it doesn't feel quite right to me. I mean, I'm not doing these things because of my own initiative and I'm getting paid to do them...I dunno. Also, I don't want to risk boring my captive audience - because, I mean...my stories about soup are obviously endlessly fascinating. However, my boss made a slightly big deal about me doing this for the first time, so I'm going to say it officially counts.

Today I reviewed my first grant proposal. This is one of those things were our organization kindly asks a corporation to fund us - generally for something specific, rather than a general donation. Obviously, I can't say too much about the contents of this as it's all confidential and understandably so. I wrote many-a proposal while @ my old job, but that was to propose our services in exchange for money [why does that sound so seemy when I say it that way?]. This is just asking for money in exchange for gratitude, a plaque [maybe?] and a general sense of well-being. Truthfully, I did not do much to the document. Just some minor spelling and grammatical corrections. However, if I choose to stay in development/fundraising it will be something I will be seeing for a long time to come. It's exciting to learn new things @ work, though [I could pretty much do my old job on auto-pilot] and to finally feel like I'm doing "something" [I have struggled to define what this might mean to me, but I think I'm getting closer].

[p.s. - internet is spotty @ best, so sorry about the lack of updates. i might get my own internets, but that won't happen for over a week. also, i have spring allergies like crazy and as a result i'm super cranky.]