What Good Novels Are Made Of

A dose of good story-telling
A heaping spoonful of interesting characters: Anouk, Zozie, Vianne, Pantoufle, Roux, and more
A pinch of fairytale magic
A generous helping of happily-ever-after
Enough grey sky to make you appreciate the sun
Chocolate, to taste

I recently finished reading The Lollipop Shoes, by Joanne Harris. It was fantastic. No commentary on current events or the social issues of today. It wasn't about families falling apart, nor was it a "coming-of-age" story (because there are way too many of these already). It is a fairytale. There is magic and fancy shoes; imaginary friends and hidden pasts; a knight in not-so-shining armour and a girl who needs rescuing. Most of all, there is chocolate. And Paris. And well-crafted sentences that delight the intellectual palate.

Mmm...it was good.

Chocolat

Tomorrow it begins. The chocolate-making. The disaster in the kitchen that will last until December. Goodbye counter and tabletop; I'll see you in a few weeks.

Every year for the past, oh, 4 or 5 years, I've made chocolates for family, friends and co-workers. It will take up the next several weekends, and by the end I will be pulling my hair out. I will be randomly mixing up bowls of chocolate and crunchy things (rice crispies, nuts, or candy canes) and dumping them into molds just to get rid of my remaining chocolate. Still, I love it. I love the care that goes into crafting each bite. Painting chocolate up the sides of the molds with a paintbrush. The smooth taste of ganache when you get the consistency just right. Trying a new flavor combination and having it work out better than you thought. Best of all, though, is giving them away. I don't actually eat very many of my own chocolates. The joy is in the making and the packaging and the giving.

This year I've decided to make my own caramel filling (instead of using the Bernard Callebaut jar of "karamel" that I've used in the past). After visiting 5 different stores tonight I've discovered the only place that carries the toffee bars needed to make the caramel filling is London Drugs, and they are sold out right now. Sigh...I guess I'll go back tomorrow and see if they've got anymore in. If not, I'll start with what I've got. After all, it's only the beginning.

The Heart of the Matter

As I was outside washing my windows today, Sunday, I got to thinking about the Sabbath, and God's command to keep it holy. I wondered about the people driving through the parking lot, if they were religious and what they thought about me "working" on a Sunday. As I sprayed and wiped and thanked God for such a wonderful sunny day, I imagine that He was probably more concerned about the state of my heart than whether or not I cleaned my windows today or tomorrow.

Giving Thanks

Today I am most thankful for my family. Specifically, I'm thankful that we all live close by and can celebrate this holiday together.
(With lots of turkey and gravy and stuffing....mmmmm....stuffing.)

Heyday

Sigh....only 47 more pages to go. The book is very good, but very long, and also overdue. Unfortunately somebody has requested it, which means I can't renew it. So back to the novel I shall go, in hopes of keeping the fines to a respectable minimum.

Do a Little Dance

The other night I was in the kitchen doing dishes wearing my bright orange and red chili pepper apron while plugged into my iPod. It doesn't take much to make me move, and soon I was dancing up a storm while drying off my Ziploc and putting away the cutlery.
It occured to me that, while I dance pretty well in my own mind, I probably look a little something like Elaine, from Seinfeld.
If you don't know what I mean, have a look at her little dance here.
Some people can dance, while other just move awkwardly and inefficiently. I'd like to think I fall somewhere in between.

It's Good to Be Back...

...in my own body. A few days ago I went for a run in what felt like someone else's body. It wasn't a particularly tough run, just strange. I was plugged into my iPod, which may have been the problem. I'm used to running sans music, and the tunes were throwing me off my rhythm. Although I appreciate, almost need, my music when I'm walking, it seems to be more of a distraction when I'm running.
So tonight I went out for a quick 20 minutes. It was very refreshing and just what I needed to wipe away the last traces of a headache. I played around with my speed, and have to say my favorite half-a-block was when I ran full out, feet barely touching the sidewalk (or so it seemed to me!), arms and legs pumping, heart and lungs working overtime.
Satisfaction. It comes in the simplest of forms.

This I Know

Some observations from tonight...

~ I don't like it when appliances go on the fritz, because I know nothing about what might be wrong with them. My first resource is to pray that God will make the problem go away, and I have to say that many things have been fixed this way. I'm afraid that my washing machine will need an actual repairman, however.

~ You shouldn't eat 2 burritos and then run 5 km.

~ I like to run in the rain.

~ I can run 5 km in 30 min (new record for myself).

~ Some people are good at writing books, and some people aren't. Just having a story to tell doesn't make you a writer. If you're bound and determined to get your story on paper, perhaps you should have someone else write it for you. (I'm thinking specifically about 2 books - one that I just finished that was absolutely inspiring, and one that reads like a high school essay and has quite a negative feel. Both books are on the same subject, making it easier to compare them.)

~ I'm very glad there's a long weekend coming up.

No Spring Chicken

I climbed, tumbled, and slid. I rolled, jumped, and crawled. Most of all, I realized that I am no longer a kid. My twitching forearms reminded me that I sit at a desk all day, and am not used to hauling myself up and through plastic tunnels.
I accompanied my 5-year-old niece through the tunnels and slides of the Fun Factory play structure today. Technically it can fit and support an adult, but I sure had to bend my body in ways it is not used to, to make it fit!
Having said that, though, I have to admit it was also fun. There's something special about just playing; climbing, sliding, crawling and laughing. Forgetting for a few moments about the housework, laundry, and bills.
Pretending that you're five again.
Thanks, Tori, for inviting me to play with you.

Semantics

...still studying Excel, and smiling at the phrase "exploding pie piece." Who knew that could refer to data charts? (Probably a lot of people, but that's beside the point.)

Mmmm....pie....

One Day at a Time

I'm taking a class on Excel and am in the midst of learning about functions. Putting my newfound knowledge to good use, I calculated that I am 10,745 days old.
Somehow that actually seems a lot less than 29 years.

King of All Farmer's Markets

I spent a few days in Calgary this past week, and discovered a new favorite store - The Calgary Farmer's Market. Ikea has nothing on this paradise of fresh produce, homemade goods, imported treasures, and the best gelato in the country. Mmmmm...if you ever go, you must try the mango gelato from the gelato place (I don't remember the name of the booth). It is the creamiest concoction, and I'm sure it must be 98% mangoes, it's that flavorful.
I also happened upon a Christmas present for my sister. It's something I've been looking for for awhile, and wouldn't you know, it was at the farmer's market. (I think this was the moment the CFM moved into the #1 spot in my mind.) Also on the menu that day was a fabulous Ukrainian lunch of perogies and sour cream, schnitzel and sauerkraut, cabbage rolls and fresh squeezed lemonade.
Those of you who know me well, know that I also tend to be a bit of a collector, and at the moment my fetish is trying different kinds of root beer and ginger ale, (adding the bottle to my collection once said drink has been consumed.) I was pleased to find a root beer from Quebec with the label on upside down. Excellent.
Finally, being a bit of a honey buff as well, I spent several minutes at the Golden Lane Honey booth. I sampled various flavours of honey before settling on the orange blossom unpasteurized honey bear. I haven't cracked it open yet, as I still have a bottle and a half of the stuff I imported from Florida last year.

The rest of my trip was filled with some time at Ikea (where I managed to spend all of $7), a morning run along the Bow river, a drive out to Canmore for the day, a delightful movie experience (went to see Hairspray), and a lot of relaxing.
A good time was had by all.

Gnarly

Pop!

Once upon a time, in a far away land

Saskatchewan

Sunburst

From the car window, en route to Canmore

Shout Out

A big thank you to my friend Sherri, who at the last minute said she would come over and feed my cat while I'm away in Calgary.
I'm sure Isabelle will be pleased, as I think Sherri is her favorite person in the whole world!

Unbelievable.

I found my camera. After spending all of my bike money on a new one.
Unbelievable.