lead role in a cage

Taking the marks we have examined so far, is there any art involved in using the apostrophe? No. Using the apostrophe correctly is a mere negative proof; it tells the world you are not a thicko. The comma, while less subject to universal rules, is still a utilitarian mark, racing about with its ears back, trying to serve both the sense and the sound of the sentence -- and of course wearing itself to a frazzle for a modest bowl of Chum. Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and proper respect for your reader, but it does not mark you out as master of your craft.

But colons and semicolons -- well, they are in a different league, my dear! They give such lift! Assuming a sentence rises into the air with the initial capital letter and lands with a softish bump at the full stop, the humble comma can keep the sentence aloft all right, like this, UP, for hours if necessary, UP, like this, UP, sort-of bouncing, UP, and then falling down, and then UP it goes again, assuming you have enough additional things to say, although in the end you may run out of ideas and then you have to roll along the ground with no commas at all until some sort of surface resistance takes over and you run out of steam anyway and then with the help of three dots ... you stop. But the thermals that benignly waft our sentences to new altitudes -- that allow us to coast on air, and loop-the-loop, suspending the laws of gravity -- well, they are the colons and semi-colons. If you don't believe me, ask Virginia Woolf.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves:
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss

mainly wanna win the game

i have been wanting a small herb garden for many years now. in the whimsical land of erin, i have a lovely window box in front of my kitchen sink. in reality, i have a second storey apartment with a small back patio. but this delight below could work! the author even grew tomatoes in hers.

maybe you could break my heart next summer

CBC News - World - Carlsberg employees decry limits on beer at work

like two ships passing in the night, my dream job appears just as it is being shut down.

twenty-something's just a state of mind

as it turned out i continued to cheat and still went for wings and beer on monday. that's how i roll. no self-control, all self-indulgence.

i turned to books to justify my actions. the diet cure explains why it's not my fault that i couldn't stay away from bad food for thirty days. it also claims to be able to fix me within twenty-four hours with amino acids.

guilt absolved.

in far more exciting news, tomorrow is my last day at the hair salon where i have been working. squeezed in my final free cut this afternoon. i doubt i shall ever have such fancy hair again. it's impressive - an asymmetrical bob in red with a copper panel and some eggplant in my bangs. that's right. i'm a rock star.

i really enjoy trying out new jobs. it has been quite educational to be at carreiro. i have a level of comfort with hair salons and stylists, and even my own hair, that i never imagined before. i would gladly jump around to new entry level jobs every couple of months. learn the ropes, get comfortable, then move on. think that's a touch of a.d.d. or just plain old fear and laziness?

as it is, i'm back to square one - time to suck it up and put myself out there for some real grown up work in design. eek!

swallowing glass just to stay pure

i'm finishing my thirty days as tho i haven't cheated for three of them. then i'm going to go for celebratory wings and beer.

i have decided.

strangely, i haven't even really been craving sugar. mostly it has been the inconvenience of having to properly prepare something myself that is the challenge. when i'm hungry, i want something now. pronto. stat. popping something in the toaster seems too long. which is silly. i need to (a) have good things on hand for when that feeling strikes and (b) get over the instant gratification i've become accustomed to. i suppose that just takes time and effort. same as anything else that is good for you.

one thing i am totally in love with is rice noodles. i prefer them to even whole wheat or multi grain pasta. so yummy. and quick to prepare. last night i had them with grilled tofu and zucchini and sun dried tomatoes. mmmm that reminds me... i have leftovers! my favourite.

checked my pulse and fever too

i just ate an entire cadbury burnt almond dark chocolate bar. i think i'm pms-ing and completely unreasonable. i'll try again in a couple days.

let me walk down your street

i blew it. two days in a row actually. went to an oscars party sunday and decided i had earned an indulgence (yes, i just make up rules to suit myself as i go along). i had a piece of cheesecake and a few other things, like feta in my salad. today i was supposed to be back at it. i was fine most of the day but i came home (from another remilio sheen show! delightful tho not quite as amazing as the first.) and my body demanded wendy's. quite honestly, i just didn't have the energy to resist anymore.

the most frustrating part is that (aside from the cheesecake) the indulgences were rather disappointing. they didn't satisfy me deeply. mostly they make me mad that i wasted cheating on something other than beer. and now i feel kinda ill.

so now the decision... start over with 30 days to go? keep going and pretend this never happened? or give up altogether? i should probably wait til morning to decide. life has more hope in the morning.

trying to get as far away from myself as i can

my thirty days is now down to 19. i like the sounds of that. over a third down. and it's still going pretty well.

last night i had a major ice cream craving. we made our way down to the market on yates hoping to discover a treat that reasonably resembles ice cream and yet is made without either dairy or sugar. ask a lot, don't i?

would you believe, i found something! and it was even good!

at first i was just looking at the sorbets because i couldn't believe any of the soy or rice options would actually satisfy. but my craving demanded creamy and chocolate so i decided to at least have a look. i could try something new there every week for a year at least. but the one that caught my eye was the so delicious coconut milk frozen dessert. i was skeptical. but i am converted. it was delicious.

the ingredients list is beautifully short. coconut milk. agave syrup. chicory root. cocoa. and a couple types of gum. it was pricey, but still less than a little ben and jerry's or haagen daaz. of course i devoured the entire thing already.

i might celebrate day 31 with a tub of the chocolate-peanut butter swirl. mmmmmm.

is my breath hot?

let's take a side road for a moment.

i have decided to become a remilio sheen groupie.

tonight i experienced a wonderful evening of improv at intrepid theatre. i have been intrigued by spoken word performances since watching sylvia so many years ago. the scene where gwyneth and others make up beautiful and rhythmic poems on the spot has stuck with me. it's a completely different experience from reading. but, due to a lack of adventurous spirit perhaps, i haven't made it to a show.

improv and spoken word are loosely connected. not only in my mind, but others as well, proven by the fact that tonight's 'delightful evening of improvised theatre' featured both forms. hosts dave morris and missie peters are victoria based poets who currently make up speakeasy. aside from being completely adorable and stylish (i covet missie's wardrobe), they were witty, lively and fun. i'm sadder than ever that i missed the video game poetry night a couple weeks ago. ya, you heard me. video game poetry.

prettiest thing you've seen all night kicked things off with a round of props. think 'who's line is it anyway?' style comedy. they brought a box of fun and took anything from the audience, including the shirt off one guy's back. i contributed my (sugar/gluten free) dinner. even though down two members they filled the role of opening act well.

lights down, glow sticks enter. boombox improv mixed things up by alternating sketches in the light with those in the dark. they were unofficially awarded best line of the night: "i taught myself to eat like a duck." i would have rolled on the floor if i'd had room.

what stole my heart, however, was the arrival of remilio sheen holding an easy bake oven. this group took the show to a new level. i'm not sure how long they've been performing, together or apart, but these guys know what they're doing: catchy theme music, matching aprons, deadpan dancing. and that's just the first minute.

once they've started there is barely clapping time between sketches. the comedy ranges from intellectual and witty to physical and silly and sometimes to morbid and awkward (which, of course, were the points where i laughed a little too loud). themes and characters are weaved in and out and all the while a tiny cake is prepared and baked in the background. i can't wait til the next show!

serve with flair a culinary cabaret

happy delivery day to me!

bin number two arrived today full of fresh goodies for me to enjoy. i had been eagerly expecting it all week since it contained both avocado and tomato and i've been wanting fresh salsa something fierce. it was every bit as fantastic as i had dreamed. i devoured the entire bowl already. but i have plenty of left over jalapeño and cilantro to flavour tomorrow's lunch.

i also had mixed beans with cumin today, as suggested by darling serena. i really must use more spices. they do make such a difference. nothing boring about my food today!

something i could do to make you smile again

i've been laid low the past couple days with a headache like a freight train. from what i've read that is not a symptom of sugar withdrawal. besides, the headache hit monday morning and i can't imagine barely 24 hours would make my head explode.

whatever it was, it's gone now. and i am still successfully sugar/gluten free! five days down!

i do have to confess two things. first, i accidentally put cream in my coffee this afternoon and i didn't pour it out as it was the end of the pot. so i drank it. it really wasn't much cream at all. but i had to tell you.

second, my food is still pretty boring. breakfast doesn't concern me. in the morning i'm not interested in much more than getting something in my belly that will last til lunch. the rest of the day i take only as much time as i absolutely need to prepare something simple. even when i cook it's pretty basic.

and snacking is ungood. i do that a lot and it's hard to find something good yet cheap. i hate to buy those prepackaged health snacks. they're ridiculously expensive. plus i really want this to also be about me learning to make my own food. i very much appreciate the suggestions. i'm gonna try the bean salad with cumin tomorrow. if you have any other tips feel free to post them.

throwing bricks at the moon

day one: i'm off and running! spoonful of natural peanut butter and coffee for breakfast; tuna on rice cakes for lunch; rice crackers for dinner; and the worst banana boat ever for late night snack. day one was a success but only in the strictest sense of the word.

i need to properly prepare food for each meal, not just try to eat on the run. that will make a big difference in the quality of the food. also, trying to replace what i would normally eat with 'healthy' alternatives isn't the way to go. it's expensive and disappointing. (in other words, banana boats with sugar free chocolate and no marshmallows just aren't worth the effort. lesson learned. tough stuff.)

living inside a cold dead body

i just enjoyed my final night of indulgence. i didn't go overboard - some pizza and beer as well as cream in my coffee earlier in the day. tomorrow i begin! i can do it! right?

if the west can be a desperate place

i've been so focused on cutting out sugar that i forgot about the gluten. i'm cutting that out too for the thirty days. i hadn't expected that to be a problem for me since i don't generally eat a lot of wheat but i did a quick search of what gluten free would entail and i was surprised. i assumed rye would be safe and it's sure not. same with barley, spelt and kamut. and i came across many warnings that oats are a controversial choice.

and as soon as i'm told i'm not allowed to have something, i want it.

but i can do this! i have self control and self discipline!

ya, not so much. but i do have many inspirational blogs written by other poor unfortunate fools on the same diet. and these people know how to eat.

pictured above is a gluten/sugar/dairy free pancake. and it looks fantastic. if i get ambitious enough to attempt cooking one (or more) of these i'll let you know how it tastes too. for now i'm probably going to stick with the controversial oatmeal with almond milk and maple syrup for breakfast.

the valley doesn't differ from the kitchen sink

i have to confess, i'm tempted.



Bacon Cheesecake Brownies - More DIY How To Projects

cut myself on angel hair

the whole 'not eating sugar' thing isn't going so well. surprise, surprise. self control has never been my strong point. justification and indulgence, however, i could win prizes in.

i've decided one of the problems is accountability. and since i've been on a food kick on here recently, i'm going to make myself accountable to the webbernet. i may lie, i may cheat, and i will likely get very angry that i've made myself accountable to anyone. but i need to cut the sugar for thirty days. starting next week.

i know, the procrastination! it just makes it worse. but i have some chocolate laying around, as well as a half a bottle of wine. and i feel the need to psyche myself up for this. so sunday, february 21 is my start date. no sucrose, no lactose, and limited fructose until march 22. we can do it!

now to finish off those chocolates. i'm doing it as a favour to my future self. no, really.

keeps me from dancing

my bin arrived on thursday, as promised. i promptly devoured the roasted hazelnuts. the apples and bananas aren't lasting much longer. at the moment i am simmering a leek and potato soup, since that was the simplest and most popular recipe for leeks.

leeks are, essentially, giant green onions, as most of you are probably already aware. i was not. and i do not like green onions. this soup smells delicious, however.

another feature of epicurious is the comments. they're helpful because people who actually know what they're doing with food will post what they did to improve on the original recipe. for instance, most people who commented on the recipe i used here said it was a little bland. they recommended adding garlic and bacon and more chicken stock. i ignored their suggestions because i didn't want to cover over the flavour of the leeks the first time i have them. but i do think that if i make this again i will try this recipe instead. more involved but sounds delicious.

you sail to the sky

fresh, local produce programs operate in most cities in canada. even prince george had one while i was there. (as far as i know it's still active but i haven't checked since i left). i am finally jumping on this delicious and convenient bandwagon.

share organics is victoria's version and i'm signed up to receive my very first bin on thursday. i received my order preview a couple days ago - there's going to be apples and oranges, bananas, roasted hazelnuts, spinach, onions and leeks. and mung beans. and other things that aren't coming to mind.

i've never eaten mung beans before. not knowingly, at least. and i don't really know what to do with them. happily, another nice feature of share organics is that they provide recipes to correspond with their offerings.

i'm thinking of trying egg drop soup. it looks very simple. after bringing four cups of broth to a boil, add one celery stalk and half an onion, both diced. let that simmer for about twenty minutes. beat two eggs and add to the broth while stirring continually. then add the mung beans and your choice of braising greens. i have some red chard in the fridge or some spinach arriving in my bin on thursday. i might use a little of both. and that's it. easy peasy, eh? i'll post pictures of how it turns out.

sleep while i slip poison in your ear

i am still on my home made food kick (it's lasted for days and days now! i think that's a record.) today i received my instructables newsletter, which i always find inspiring. i started out browsing the candy recipes hoping for something sweet and delicious but not so full of sugar. from what i could see, sugar is a necessary ingredient in candy. i got distracted pretty quickly, though, so there may be something out there i just didn't see.

what i did find is this amazing recipe for making your own mozzarella cheese!


How to Make Great Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - More DIY How To Projects

who knew? unfortunately, i am supposed to be cutting all sugar - sucrose, lactose, fructose, happiness-ose - out of my diet. just for the time being. it was strongly advised by a professional. don't worry about my being extreme. she actually advised that i be slapped if i continue to consume any form of sugar until my body has a chance to sort things out and heal itself. but i'll be right back at fruit and dairy (and beer) as soon as i'm given the go-ahead. until then... you should make this cheese and let me know how it works out! i'm dying to try it.

through storms of red roses

i am homed once again. after couch surfing across the country for seven months i am thrilled to have landed. and i am absolutely smitten with the space. it is a bright open character suite with a delightful garden in the backyard. apparently the area was originally upper chinatown. there is a goji berry bush growing next to the driveway.

at the moment i am thrilled by the idea of cooking. it may be because i've been living off no-prep food for far too long, or it may be a new kitchen equipped with my new roomie's fabulous kitchen supplies. or i may just be hungry. whatever it is, i've got the bug.

i've been scanning epicurious for recipes and ideas. i love their setup! you can search by what you have on hand or prep type or cuisine type... and the pictures are mouth watering. then, once you find something you want to try, save it to your recipe box. from there select the recipes you want to make this week and it will compile a shopping list for you! even organized by aisle. o technology. how i heart you.

today i made granola. we met a woman in winnipeg who kept a large glass jar of homemade granola on hand at all times and i've wanted to try it ever since. i didn't follow the recipe exactly. i'm terrible for measuring. too lazy and impatient. plus i hate dirtying all those extra dishes. i skipped the pecans and raisins and dried blueberries since payday is not until friday but i made up for it with extra almonds and dates, then added some pumpkin and flax seeds. before i mixed it all together i sprinkled cinnamon on the roasted seeds and almonds. mmmm i guarantee this is not going to last long.