Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Monday, 14 January 2008
Rain Rain Go Away
An Open Letter to Umbrella Users in Vancouver
Hello fellow Vancouverite. Isn't this rain horrible? Isn't it cold and wet and dreary outside? Don't you just want to stay inside and read a book? Me too. I don't want to have to go outside to get to work but, just like you, I have to venture out into the storm. So let's try to make this easier on each other, shall we? It's bad enough that I have to go to work on this grey Monday morning. I don't want to add umbrella-rage to my list of grievances.
So here are a few suggestions to make our commutes a bit less heinous:
The Golfer
Are you planning to get a round in at lunch? Are you holding the umbrella for a family of 8? Will you melt if touched by a single drop of rain? No? Then leave the golf umbrella at home. If your umbrella is wider than you are tall, you should not be carrying that umbrella downtown.
The Dry Space Hog
Normally I am a stickler for the "walk to the right" rule. Getting places downtown would be so much quicker if people would just walk to the freaking right. There is an exception to this rule, however, that exception being the "dry space" rule. If it's raining out and you're lucky enough to have remembered your umbrella, do not walk to the extreme right if this means you are walking under a canopy. Walking under canopies or building ledges is reserved for people without umbrellas. If you have an umbrella, you are fortunate to have your very own, portable dry space. Walking under a canopy when you are already dry is a bit redundant, not to mention selfish.
The Aggressor
Maybe instead of barreling down the sidewalk like you're the only person important enough to use it, you could try to be a bit more considerate of others. Umbrellas have pointy ends. If you get a pointy end in the face because someone is too rude to tilt their umbrella away from you when you pass, it hurts (and sometimes bleeds.) Umbrellas are big (see The Golfer.) Sidewalks are narrow. A little tilt of the wrist and 2 people can pass each other without bloodshed.
The Oblivious Opener
You exit a building, step out into the flow of foot traffic, realize it's raining, and ... stop. Right smack dab in the middle of the crush of people who are trying to get where they're going. Perhaps instead of doing your fumbling in the middle of the sidewalk, you could open your umbrella in a less crowded area.
If everyone could be a little more umbrella conscious, I'm sure that we can keep umbrella-rage incidents to a minimum.
Love,
Hillary
Hello fellow Vancouverite. Isn't this rain horrible? Isn't it cold and wet and dreary outside? Don't you just want to stay inside and read a book? Me too. I don't want to have to go outside to get to work but, just like you, I have to venture out into the storm. So let's try to make this easier on each other, shall we? It's bad enough that I have to go to work on this grey Monday morning. I don't want to add umbrella-rage to my list of grievances.
So here are a few suggestions to make our commutes a bit less heinous:
The Golfer
Are you planning to get a round in at lunch? Are you holding the umbrella for a family of 8? Will you melt if touched by a single drop of rain? No? Then leave the golf umbrella at home. If your umbrella is wider than you are tall, you should not be carrying that umbrella downtown.
The Dry Space Hog
Normally I am a stickler for the "walk to the right" rule. Getting places downtown would be so much quicker if people would just walk to the freaking right. There is an exception to this rule, however, that exception being the "dry space" rule. If it's raining out and you're lucky enough to have remembered your umbrella, do not walk to the extreme right if this means you are walking under a canopy. Walking under canopies or building ledges is reserved for people without umbrellas. If you have an umbrella, you are fortunate to have your very own, portable dry space. Walking under a canopy when you are already dry is a bit redundant, not to mention selfish.
The Aggressor
Maybe instead of barreling down the sidewalk like you're the only person important enough to use it, you could try to be a bit more considerate of others. Umbrellas have pointy ends. If you get a pointy end in the face because someone is too rude to tilt their umbrella away from you when you pass, it hurts (and sometimes bleeds.) Umbrellas are big (see The Golfer.) Sidewalks are narrow. A little tilt of the wrist and 2 people can pass each other without bloodshed.
The Oblivious Opener
You exit a building, step out into the flow of foot traffic, realize it's raining, and ... stop. Right smack dab in the middle of the crush of people who are trying to get where they're going. Perhaps instead of doing your fumbling in the middle of the sidewalk, you could open your umbrella in a less crowded area.
If everyone could be a little more umbrella conscious, I'm sure that we can keep umbrella-rage incidents to a minimum.
Love,
Hillary
Let Me Hear Your Body Talk
I went to the gym last night. I am so svelte this morning. I feel skinnier already.
Even though I only lasted for 10 minutes on the stationary bike. And had a bit of an unfortunate incident with the treadmill which resulted in me staying on it for maybe 30 seconds. I'm very clumsy. Clumsy people should not use treadmills. There should be a warning on the treadmill: "If you are clumsy and you use this treadmill you will die." Then clumsy people (like me) wouldn't even attempt to use the them. I also did free-weights, which felt good at the time but does not feel good today. I can't lift my arms above my shoulders. It hurts to type.
It feels good to be sticking to my New Years' Resolutions though. I watched a new tv show this weekend called Bulging Brides. It made me realize just how much I don't want to be, erm .... bulgy. So hopefully it will motivate me to keep going to the gym. The gym in our building is fully operational now so I don't have any excuses.
So clearly my resolution to stop procrastinating isn't going so well (I watched Bulging Brides instead of doing homework.) This week will be the week that I become efficient. I will complete my assignment and I will motor through the next module. Unless there's a new episode of Bulging Brides to watch.
I have kept my resolution to wear mascara to work (this isn't much of an accomplishment, seeing as it's pretty much the easiest resolution. Ever.) I've only missed the last few days because I exfoliated my eye again. *sigh*
Even though I only lasted for 10 minutes on the stationary bike. And had a bit of an unfortunate incident with the treadmill which resulted in me staying on it for maybe 30 seconds. I'm very clumsy. Clumsy people should not use treadmills. There should be a warning on the treadmill: "If you are clumsy and you use this treadmill you will die." Then clumsy people (like me) wouldn't even attempt to use the them. I also did free-weights, which felt good at the time but does not feel good today. I can't lift my arms above my shoulders. It hurts to type.
It feels good to be sticking to my New Years' Resolutions though. I watched a new tv show this weekend called Bulging Brides. It made me realize just how much I don't want to be, erm .... bulgy. So hopefully it will motivate me to keep going to the gym. The gym in our building is fully operational now so I don't have any excuses.
So clearly my resolution to stop procrastinating isn't going so well (I watched Bulging Brides instead of doing homework.) This week will be the week that I become efficient. I will complete my assignment and I will motor through the next module. Unless there's a new episode of Bulging Brides to watch.
I have kept my resolution to wear mascara to work (this isn't much of an accomplishment, seeing as it's pretty much the easiest resolution. Ever.) I've only missed the last few days because I exfoliated my eye again. *sigh*
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Been Dazed And Confused For So Long It's Not True
I just downed my super! healthy! microgreens capsules with a Coke. It wasn't even Diet Coke - it was full-fat. I think I'm beginning to see why I can't lose weight.
FYI, when you take microgreens caspules with anything fizzy, it makes you burp. Microgreens burps taste like ass.
Also, it just took me about ten minutes to take one shot of the microgreens caspules because I cannot figure out how to use my new camera. More specifically, I cannot figure out how to use my new zoom lens. The point of the zoom lens is so you don't have to physically move to get the picture in focus, right? I was inching forward and backwards, trying to focus on the microgreens caspules. It didn't help that I started off without the plate, so I was trying to focus on microgreen capsules that are pretty much the same colour as my granite countertops.
It has been a long day.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
We'll Get The Chocolate Cake And The Sunrise And The Sunset
I got a bitchin' kitchen scale for Christmas so I am finally able to make the yummy recipes from the Nigella book I got for my birthday.
I started with the Chocolate Guinness Cake.
Hee, I just googled it so I could link to the recipe and I came up with a bunch of sites that have already converted it from weight measurement to cups. So I guess my kitchen scale is all for naught. *sigh*
So my New Years' Resolution to eat less crap is going really well, can't you tell? Though this is homemade crap, so that's got to be less evil than, say, the 3 pieces of cheese pizza smothered in ranch dressing I downed for dinner last night or the entire bowl of guacamole I ate for dinner tonight. I'm not proud.
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Viva Las Vegas, Where the Neon Signs Flash Your Name - part 2
Spending Christmas in Vegas, we didn't want to have a traditional Christmas Eve. We wanted to do something unique so, seeing as S is more creative than I am, he made the plans. We started with dinner: 
Appetizing, right? Did I mention that we weren't given eating utensils? Our dining companions included:
S bought us tickets to the Tournament of Kings. It's a dinner show where you sit in a specific country's section and cheer on your king while eating your "feast" (with your hands.) Such a romantic guy, my S is. This will not become a Christmas Eve tradition.
After the tournament we were a bit thirsty so we bought a giant daiquiri. An $18 daiquiri to be exact. Is it sad that we kept the boot? I don't know what to do with it - it's sitting on top of the fridge right now.
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Feel No Shame For What You Are, Feel It As A Waterfall
My Happy New Year post is a day late. I've already broken my resolution to stop procrastinating. Fabulous. I blame this entirely on S, who (at 10pm on New Year's Eve) decided that we should get out of our pyjamas, tear ourselves away from the fireplace, and head downtown for some New Year's Eve festivities. Not that I wasn't a willing participant, it's just that it's so much easier to blame a raging hangover on someone else, rather than take responsibility for one's own actions. New Year's Eve was fun and boozy and included everything New Year's Eve should (good friends, loud music, copious amounts of gin, glitter! tiaras! top hats! oh my!)
Which brings us to New Year's Day. A day for resolutions. I am not so good at resolutions, having very little will power and not a modicum of self-discipline. I have had very little success with New Year's resolutions in the past but this year will be different (*sigh* where have I heard this before? Oh yeah, last year. Crap.) This year I will wear mascara every work day because that is what grown-ups do. I will lose 10 pounds, not by dieting (because of the no will power + no self-discipline problem) but by eating less crap. My sweet tooth is out of control; 2008 will be the year that I conquer it. Not quite sure how I'll manage that but I'm thinking that a too-small wedding dress will help to motivate me. As for the less shallow resolutions, this year I resolve to be more patient, less moody and try to be more of an optimist. I have serious doubts about my ability to be more optimistic, but hey - go big or go home.
And now I will try to redeem my procrastination resolution and crack open a textbook. I am supposed to write an exam this month for a course I started last fall. I'm on module 2 of 10. Here's hoping that my course extension comes through.
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