The Daily EO: September 1st, 2013

I’ve told you before, September is the beginning of the new year for me.  Time to move from the languid days of Summer into the more focused Fall.  And time to sharpen my dedication to The Daily EO.  Yes, I’ve been a bit spotty in my updates.  Well, spotty is even a stretch.

But my mother told me “If you have to write, you’d better get paid for it”.  So, since I don’t get paid, I write when I want to.  And in August, I wanted to lay on lounge chairs, be outside, or doing things I actually do get paid for.   So, you wondered!  You checked your email often.  When or When will she post today’s update!!??  I CAN’T STAND IT!

I am excited to move from August into September because somehow I gained 5 pounds this summer and I’d like it to go away.  I say “Somehow” like it is a big mystery.  Hmmm.  Wine, Jelly Bellys, hamburgers, hotdogs, early mornings and late nights with reduced exercise?  What could have happened?!  This is so strange.

Well, to start me off right, I went shopping yesterday to get new running shoes.  An aside here: I don’t call running shoes “sneakers”.  That seems like such weird phrasing to me.  Like saying “garment”s or something.  It just feels like sneakers are what people wore back in the 1970s to play tennis.  I don’t know what sneakers are.  I just don’t say it so I don’t get caught in calling a non-sneaker a sneaker.  How Embarassing.

Anyways, I need all sorts of stability and support in my shoes, so generally I can’t get the sleek cute, wonderfully coloured modern “sneakers”.  (eep, is that the right usage) I asked the guy at the Running Room if I could get some really cute yellow & blue nikes, and he said “No.”  Just “No.”  So, I get left with the old style ones – from the 2000s.  Sooo Yesterday.

So, I tried on shoes I needed – with some weird metallic blue with teal blue trim and laces – and frankly didn’t even like looking at my feet.  And usually, I love looking at my feet.  I do it all day long.  What an awful colour!  (the shoes, not my feet)   Those laces!  I hate them!  We were going to try some others styles, when in the backroom, he found a different styling of the same shoe.  In my size!

September 1st, 2013 Extra Ordinary:  If you are going to turn over a new leaf, you have to look the part.

Yeah! These will make me run fast!
Yeah! These will make me run fast!

The Daily EO: August 4th, 2013

Emile called while he was walking home from work – about 5:30 pm – to say he was heading to the beach nearly 4 kms away. He wanted to secure a spot perfect for viewing the fireworks at English Bay. It seemed early to me – 4 hours before it started – but Emile is like that. Once he does something, he does something. So, by the time I got home from work, he was gone. He texted to tell me of food trucks and beach volleyball, but I took a more leisurely pace and arrived only 1 hour ahead of show time.

Emile had staked out a spot leaning against a log – a coveted spot but usually more so when it is facing the fireworks barge. In this case, we were facing the opposite direction with a big log in the way when we turned to watch the fireworks. But it was ideal while we watched the crowds gather and the brave play amateur volleyball in front of a larger and larger crowd.

I bought myself a bowl of macaroni and cheese with broccoli and crispy onions and munched away waiting for the sun to drop. And watched the crowd from our beach front log.

My view:

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And what do you know? – You could see from over that log for a fantastic show from the Canadian entry.

August 4th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Fireworks that go up, then down. The up again!

The Daily EO: August 3rd, 3013

There are moments that are perfect. I sleepily made my way to the table after a summertime afternoon nap. Dinner was tacos with fresh salsa.

Dessert was blackberry and apple crisp. Not just any crisp, but one made from wild tart blackberries and tree fresh transparent apples. The crust was made by an Oma who no longer needs a recipe. It was warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top.

August 3rd, 2013 Extra-Ordinary:

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Can you believe there was any left?

The Daily EO: July 21st, 2013

Today Emile and I were walking around the sea wall in Stanley Park and we came across this:

It seemed a strange place for paparazzi to be gathering despite the Royal Baby not being born yet at that poibt, so we directed our attention to what was causing the fervour: a full moon right at the horizon:

photo 3

July 21st, 2013 Extra-Ordinary:  One of the very rare times that I wish I had a real camera and not just a cell phone.

 

The Daily EO: July 20th, 2013

I love exploring food despite my long list of dislikes.  Though annoyingly trendy, I like reading food blogs and see all the things that people are experimenting with.  If you wanted to bake a cake 25 years ago, you had sugar, flour, milk, eggs, vanilla and you were done with it.  Now people are using different flours, beans, sweet potatoes, plantains, almond milk, beets, etc, etc and making everything more interesting.

Emile went to a party last night and that left me at home to try to catch up on all the work I had to do – plus spend some time reading JK Rowling’s recently outed book (though I didn’t really want to be so trendy again like the rest of the world clamouring after a book because we now know who Robert Galbraith is), and read some of my favorite food blogs.  I told you about Emile’s quest for the perfect pancake and while looking at pancake recipes, I stumbled upon one that made no sense to me.  Where is the bulk?  How could this work?

The longer I looked at it, the more I wanted to try it.  And so we did this morning.  (we pan fried it, because we have a mini oven and it seemed like it would be a pain to bake them up.  Plus, we don’t normally bake pancakes, so not a fair comparison).

And it was bizarrely good.  Like I was expecting something to taste totally different, but this just tasted like pancakes.   Maybe not as authentic, but pancakes.

Weird, I guess Almond butter is just one step past Almond flour, so. . . but. . . still. . . weird. . .

July 20th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary:    Boggling my mind at breakfast.

The Daily EO: July 19th, 2013

I’m having a falafel thing of late.  I don’t know why.  The first falafel I ever had was so awful – it was home-made by my then boyfriend, with whom I broke up with for making such a terrible mush roll.  Well, perhaps the break up was based upon things less trivial than falafel making skills, but I am sure it was a factor.

There are a couple of places near our house and I bounce between them.  I know that snow-white pita bread should probably be outlawed, and I wish there were alternatives, but well. . . it is pretty damn good.  And head lettuce?  Not exactly brimming with nutrients.  Chick peas and fava beans don’t taste that great when on their own, but mash them up, spice them, deep fry and cover with tzatziki, hummus and hot sauce?  Now you’re talking.

I’m distracted now. . . stopping writing this to decide if I am hungry for a falafel and if it is worth the journey.

No, not right now.  Plus I should vary my diet.  Maybe I should have garbanzo beans instead.

July 19th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary:  Falafel July

Walk Up Only Place

Has Seats and But you can Take out too

Have it with the Cauliflower!