Winter Already?!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw snow outside my window this morning.
It wasn't even that cold yesterday! How could it snow?
I want my rain back!

On top of that, I'm fighting this darn cold, and I feel like my head is a helium balloon being pumped up; the pressure increasing with every sniffle. Argh.

Which brings me to reason why no one received any comments yesterday. I was feeling sick. And lazy. I'll make it up to you today.

Also, does anyone else feel like doing nothing but eating and sleeping these days? Is this a result of my cold, or maybe its just me....?

I was thinking about those chocolate cookies last night. I was concocting a plan to make them even chewier, and more delicious. Can't wait to try it out!

I was hoping to get out and drop off resumes this week. Now its Thursday, and I've done very little at all besides blow my nose and sleep. Frustrating! I feel like I'm never going to find a job, and therefore never have enough money to get to school next Fall.

Speaking of which, I got the info packet from WCCMT yesterday, and it left me feeling very poor and confused. How can I spend all that money not even knowing for sure that is what I want to do? I guess that's why they have the introductory workshop.

I think I've also decided if I did go, I would go for the 3-year program right off the bat, instead of becoming a "Spa Practitioner" first. I want to have that pretty piece of paper that says "RMT".

This post is so random. This is what my brain looks like. It sort of makes sense, but not really.

I want to be a Wiener.

I do lurk.
One of the blogs I lurk is Pioneer Woman...
I figure with over twenty-billion comments/post she probably won't miss me.

The only time I will ever comment is when she's having a giveaway contest...for one of these:

I want it so bad.

By commenting on the contest (its always about food, so I always have something to say :D) I automatically enter for a chance to win.

I've entered a few times now.

I'm trying not to give up hope.

I mean, eventually the odds will work out in my favor, won't they?

Maybe not.

The Wieners for the last contest were revealed this morning. I am not among them.

Siiiiiigh.

Photophobia

I recently took a picture of my dearest mother and I, which I thought was kind of nice.
She, however, exclaimed with horror, "Don't you ever show that picture to anyone!!! I look terrible!" You will find it posted below......
kidding, mom. Kidding.

It was a perfectly good picture. While neither of us are extremely photogenic, we were both smiling normally (well she was anyway), the lighting wasn't bad (we were outside)...if anything I should have been the one protesting, since my head was in the foreground, thus appearing abnormally large.

What is it about us that hates pictures of ourselves? Maybe this is something unique to my family, because I sure do it a lot. I cringe and think, is that really what I look like?? Everyone else is like, "that's a good picture of you!" and I'm thinking, "If that's a good picture..."

Are we harder on ourselves, because we don't see ourselves all the time everyday? While everyone else is used to seeing us everyday, we aren't used to seeing ourselves unless we're posing in front of the mirror (not that I do that...)?

Are we simply not aware of what we look like 'normally'?

Does anyone else get that?

Eye of the Beholder

I am coming down with a cold now.
I was sneezing last night at work, and then when I woke up early this morning my throat was like a gravel road. On a rocky mountain. With sand.
Being the kind of person that believes sleep cures most ailments, I rolled over, and went back to dreamland for a couple hours.
When I got up, it was much better, but I feel like I have to do all that I can to keep it at bay.
As soon as I get the proper ingredients, I will introduce your to Taryn's Elixer for the Common Cold, which my one of my very good friend's from Strathcona used to cure everyone at the lodge when we were all suffering from sore throats and sniffles.

Until then, I do not have the strength or will to come up with interesting blog topics.
So today I bring you another Strathcona special, which we cooks discussed because we spent numerous hours in the kitchen working with our hands and not our minds, and had nothing better to do...

The statement in question was,

Women Place More Value in Beauty Than Men Do.

Bear in mind, it is acknowledged to be a generalized statement, which means obviously not everyone is the same...therefore, "Women in General," and "Men in General" would be more accurate wording.

Also, we are not talking specifically Physical Beauty. This is just Beauty in General.

We really had to word our discussion statements carefully over there.
It got pretty intense.

So what do you think?
I know I have both male and female readers, so I'd love to hear from both sides...

Under The Weather

I'm afraid my blogging spree was cut short this weekend.
On Saturday I had the pleasure of doing many fun things, which extended until 10PM, and then suddenly and inexplicably became ill.
On Sunday I didn't get out of bed until after 12PM, still felt gross, and then went to work at 3:30.
Got home at 10PM, and went to bed.

Today I feel fine, and am enjoying this cool, rainy day.
Yes...I like the rain. It reminds me of the Island.

Since I left off on Comment Karma Day 2 last Friday, I will resume as if today is Day 3, and hopefully get the momentum going again!

I do have to get some other things done first though, so don't hold your breath...but DO keep watch for a comment coming to a blog near you!

On a New Path

Last year at this time I was steeped in culinary life, absorbed with the differences in terms such as "Blanch" and "Parboil". I woke up early each morning, usually around 6AM, got through my regular morning routine, and spent most of the day wearing baggy checkered pants and a checkered pillbox hat. I tried to please my instructors by being early and working hard, spent my late afternoons moaning over homework, and then hurrying out the door to work 6 hours at Billy Miners Roadhouse, deep-frying fries and chicken nuggets.


I was busy, but it was good. This year has been a bit different so far.
After I returned from Strathcona Park Lodge, I decided to take September easy. I had been on the go since last September when I started the culinary program, and I wanted a break. I have been working part-time with Dutch Touch Cleaning Services, and that has been a really great way for me to unwind from the stress of cooking and earn just enough cash to keep the car running and do things that I want to do.


I told myself October would be different. I would get full-time work, move out of my parent's place, and figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up. That sort of thing.

Well, now its late October, and I still haven't got a full-time job (though I've been applying), moving out of my parent's place is just not gonna happen...but...BUT...

I may have figured out a career choice.

This is a big thing for me guys! ME, who has stared at her future with a bleak "I just don't know what to do" for so long. Even while cooking, I wasn't convinced I wanted it as a career.

Researching my Meyers-Briggs personality (INFP) didn't really help with its suggestions (teacher, writer, actor, etc) but it did highlight a few things that I thought, "Ya, that is important to me."

Helping people.
Improving lives.
Making a difference.

Other things I wanted to include:

Low-stress environment.
Working independently (not necessarily my own business, but just not having someone breath down my neck)
Not sitting at a desk all day.

Well, this week I was talking with my mom about jobs, and I don't even remember how it came up, but suddenly I was like, "Maybe I will become a massage therapist."

I said it as kind of a joke. I've thought about it before, when I was graduating highschool. Its been in the back of my mind forever, but then I would always think, "That means I would have to touch people that I don't know...eeeewwwww!"
That still kind of disturbs me, but I think once you are trained professionally its not a big deal.

All the pieces started to fit together.
The whole natural healing thing appeals to me, and its such a diverse field, there would always be something new to learn and specialize in. It really fits in with my interests and values.

I looked it up, and there is a school of massage in Victoria that looks very good. Of course, the tuition kind of popped a blood vessel in my head...but if I work full-time this year and save every penny, I think I could pull it off. Maybe. I refuse to get another student loan. Ever.

Completing the first year will qualify me as a Spa Practioner, which basically means I would be your typical spa masseuse, trained to do hot rock, aromatherapy, reflexology, and all those lovely things.

If I chose to go on for the next two years, I would become a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), and work in a medical setting, or specialize in sports-related massage.

It all sounds so intriguing! For the first time in a very long time, I am excited about the possibility of going back to school! I really think this is something I could "get into"!

Best of all...I won't have to talk to people (much)...and they will love me for it!

The Introvert in me is smiling really big.

Comment Karma

Well, it appears that it takes more than a bloggy birthday and the promise of delicious cookies to get comments out of you stubborn lurkers.

So here is what I propose...

Its new. Its daring. And it will promote bloggy goodwill everywhere.

Its also an experiment! I am excited, aren't you?!

See, I think that when you comment on a persons' blog, they are more likely to return the favor, and comment on yours.

I call this...

Comment Karma!

Karma: the concept of a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions.

Let's start a comment revolution!

Here's how its going to work.

You begin by commenting on..lets say...five...different blogs.

They can be the blogs of someone you know, someone you don't know, a blog you've read for a while but never commented on, or a blog you just stumbled across this minute. Or whatever. My point is, it can be any blog. But I think it will work better if you comment on more personal blogs, rather than huge well-known blogs that get 1000+ comments every day.

For those of you unused to commenting, it doesn't have to be anything profound! I think comment content is what scares people off commenting the most. Honestly now, if you have a blog, have you ever got a comment that you just thought, "Wow that is a stupid comment, why did they even bother writing that?". The correct answer is NO! If you are anything at all like me, you will be so excited about actually getting a comment, comment critique will be the last thing on your mind!
So go ahead, type out a quick, "I totally agree! By the way, I like your blog", and you will make some blogger very happy. Eventually you can move on to more interesting comments. Baby steps, remember?

Back to the C.K. program here.

The next day, drop off four comments. Any blogs. Doesn't matter. The catch is, if you got any comments in the last day you have to return the comment karma, given the commenter has a blog. This can be included in your four required comments if you are feeling stingy.

Still with me?

Next day: 3 comments. And you still have to karma comment to every comment you have received.

Day after that: 2 comments + comment karma.

And after that: 1 comment + comment karma.

After that....well hopefully everyone will be commenting away that the comment karma will be on such a roll that no one can stop it!

I'm kinda stoked about this. Think it'll work?

Its That Time Again...

Birthday Time!

I don't celebrate birthdays on PJ very often anymore. Mostly I just forget.
Just being honest.

But today is a special birthday!!!

It's PJ's Birthday!

#3!

So, I asked PJ what he wants for his birthday. Being 3 years old, he's grown out of the usual...you know, birthday cake clip art, new template, etc, etc.

What he's asked for is comments. Hey, give me a break. This isn't me comment-mongering, guys. Its all him.

I told him how sometimes people are a bit...ya know...reluctant to comment. I mean, he may have 12 "followers" but he only averages 2 comments/post (he would like to thank Sonya, Danica, and PL for their faithful reading). Just sayin'!

So he said to give you guys a little incentive.

Here's what I'm doing. Today I am making some triple chocolate cookies. Wait.

There is some history here. See, triple chocolate cookies are really not that easy to find.
Some time ago I went to a lot of trouble to discover a satisfactory from-scratch recipe. It was unsuccessful. They cookies always turned out dry, crumbly, and simply not chocolaty enough. I wanted big and chewy and heart-stoppingly chocolaty cookies! Like the ones from Subway, but not made from entirely artificial ingredients.

Anyway, my search ended fruitlessly, UNTIL...one day, while in Ireland, the little girl I gave piano lessons made some triple chocolate cookies. And they were THE triple chocolate cookies.

Of course I nabbed the recipe.

So. Back to my incentive.

I am making the cookies today. If you leave a comment today, you will enter for a chance to win-

a. A large Triple Chocolate Cookie! Instant gratification!

or

b. The coveted secret recipe for these Triple Chocolate Cookies! (for those who are too far away to receive a fresh cookie)

or

c. if you're just not that into chocolate (I know, its sick and twisted but there ARE people like that out there) I will think of something else to get you. Or you could just comment anyway. C'mon its for poor little PJ.

Canadian Jersey

You feel a thrill of delight, as you shrug into it, feeling the heavy woolen weight on your shoulders.
As you pull up the zipper, the warmth is sealed in.

The air outside is crisp and bitingly cold. Your nose tingles; your hands dive into the shelter of your pockets.


You are warm. You are stylin'. You are Canadian.


I love Cowichan sweaters. I love their patterns, I love their colors, and I love that they are one thing that we Canadians can call our own (along with Maple Syrup and...?). I also love that they are warm.
I've always wanted one of my own. Maybe with a fox on it, since I love foxes.

Interesting...I just stumbled across a few articles while googling the sweaters, and found out there's a big to-do over Cowichan Sweaters and the Olympics.

What do you think about the sweaters? Ugly? Fashionable? Do you own one, or wouldn't be caught dead in one?

If you read the article, do you think the government made a mistake, or is everyone making a big deal about nothing?

Disney Top 5!

As most of you know, my love for Disney is akin to my love for chocolate...and food in general.
So that's a pretty big love.
While I do enjoy most/all Disney animated classics, there are only a few I can really watch over and over and over again!


1. Robin Hood
A true classic! This film came out in 1973, so its really from "the good ol' days"! Hand-drawn, full of continuity blunders, amazing voice acting which must be 90% improv, and catchy tunes, Robin Hood has won my heart forever. Its true, my first crush was a fox.
EDIT: does anyone else find it strange that this favorite is one of the few Disney classics that have not been mutilated with a cheap sequel? Not that I'm complaining!


2. Beauty & The Beast
Ok seriously now...I'm torn about placing this one second, because it is a mind-blowingly good movie, not to mention the first Disney I owned. I think sometimes it gets thrown in your face so much during those weird Disney Classic promos, that we forget how awesome it truly is. Its more than just the shot of Belle & the Beast dancing under that huge vaulted ceiling with the naked babies cherubs...there are several good reasons it won Best Original Score I could hum for you, and a billion good reasons it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars!
I love this movie. I. love. this. movie.


3. 101 Dalmations
I grew up with this movie. Some of my earliest memories are going to my cousin Julie's house and watching 101 Dalmations. I must have been 4 years old. We had the whole thing memorized, and would act it out...Julie always got to be Purdy, and I was always Pongo...I think I might possibly need some counselling now.
Besides all that, again the hand-drawn animation and jazzy, old-school soundtrack give my nostalgic little heart the warm fuzzies.


4. Mulan
A bit more "modern", but classic nonetheless. Amazing animation (love the opening credits...), great sing-a-longs, and hilarious quotes. What more can you really ask for in a Disney?


5. The Emperors New Groove
Now I'm really straying from my roots. I don't even know if this classifies as a classic, but what the heck. It makes me laugh SO hard...I watched it in theatres for my 13th birthday, and I don't think I stopped laughing once through the whole movie. Its brilliant.

So those are my Top 5!
What are yours?

Scrapbooking in the Digital Age

I've been scrapbooking for quite a long time now. When I was a younger, it meant nabbing the doubles my mom had left over from her prints, gluing them onto a bright sheet of construction paper, and then journaling who was in the picture with a Mr Sketch marker.
Things haven't changed all that much.
In my teens I upgraded to my own camera, a 12x12 refillable scrapbook, textured or printed scrapbook paper, and a few fancy scrapbooking trinkets. I can spend hours on my book, and produce only a few pages at a time. But the process is basically the same.

Last year around this time, I made my first digital photo book. I borrowed Mike's Mac computer, which had a program built in. Basically, all I had to do was upload my pictures, and then drop them into different templates, choose a background, type in some text, and voila! With the click of a button, a professional, glossy photobook was delivered to my door.
I used it to document my pictures of Scotland (which I did not have the time or inclination to scrapbook the long way), and liked it so much that I made another one as a gift that Christmas!

Now I'm afraid that I might just be addicted to the simplicity, and quick results of the digital scrapbook. I do like how my paper scrapbooks look, and they do allow for a lot more creative freedom...but they take so much time and energy. And I think they are more expensive too, in the long run.

Right now I'm in the process of digitally compiling my Ireland photos online...a task way overdue! With thousands of photos to sort through, I was too overwhelmed to even think of printing them off, and finding the right paper & scrapbook paraphenalia to go about it properly.
After searching through myriads of different photobook options, I finally found one (Shutterfly) that wasn't too ridiculously expensive, and offered the key options that were important to me. Its not perfect, but then again, having fewer options is probably a good thing...otherwise I would be tweaking it forever!

I uploaded a couple hundred photos and got started. I've already gone beyond the 20 pages that come with the book, and I'm not even through my first week in Ireland! However, I think the photo-to-page ratio is pretty decent, and I might just make a few volumes :)

Also, this way no one has to try to decipher my handwriting, as all the journaling is in nice clear text! The only really big downside is that I can't really tape/glue all my ticket stubs, brochures, postcards, etc that I accumulated in my time there. I think I might just scrapbook those seperately, the good old-fashioned way!

Happy Warts-Giving

I didn't put up any Thanksgiving posts this weekend, so now I am going to make up for it.

I am thankful for liquid nitrogen.
I am thankful to be wart-free.
I am thankful for cameras to document my journey through wart-dom.
I am thankful for blogs to share this incredible journey with you.

See that dark round cluster to the Left? That, I believe, is the wart. The rest is simply a blood blister from walking on a sore, recently-frozen wart. The two slightly wartish-looking things on either side were warts-to-be, nipped in the bud.
The other two full-grown warts on my toes departed silently in night, sometime last week.
So this crusty blossom was all that was left of the fiends.
It was looking very pickable...
So I picked it.
It came off quite easily.
My warts are gone! Hurrah! Hopefully I will never have warts again!

Nerdy Nerd Nerd

Does it make me a huge nerd if I want to go here?
If not, then wishing I got to wear a Hogwarts cloak whilst wandering around it definitely does.

Chemical Wart-fare

Its been over 2 weeks now since I got my warts burned off at the walk-in clinic...more like 3. But the warts appear to have been defeated. They've turned black, and one has abandoned ship entirely. I'm hoping the other two will follow suit.
I am sort of wishing I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar treatment before I brought in the heavy artillery. I'm curious to know if there is an easy at-home solution to wart destruction.
Maybe I'll get a new batch someday and get a chance to try it out.

INFP: I Need to Focus Please

Or something. That was the best I could come up with for that acronym.

I struggle with my personality, sometimes. I find aspects of myself very frustrating. For instance, I have very good intentions, but very little follow-through. I get lots of ideas for things I would love to do, and I make exciting plans, and then...somehow I just never get around to doing those things. I make lists, and I make lists of lists, I sometimes even check things off, but eventually they join the other lists stuffed in my drawer that never see the light of day again. Goals are excellent, but I can never seem to nail down a timeline to achieve them. I always second guess myself, and then I think, "Well, I will get it done when I get it done." and guess what? It doesn't get done.

I once blogged about my Meyers-Briggs personality quiz result. I am INFP, the "Dreamer" or more commonly known as the "Healer". I don't know about the healing part, but I'm definitely an Idealist. Being an Idealist isn't easy. There's too much realism in this world. I'm big bundle of sensitivity, that's what I am. I've got so many feelings, they bump into each other and they all get hurt.



I'm getting side-tracked.

Today I wanted to find out what would be a good job for my personality type. As a decided Introvert I don't want to be in a position where I have to interact with new people all the time. But as a Feeler, I want to help people out in some meaningful way.
So I went online and looked up some INFP job suggestions. And promptly got sucked into analyzing myself. The more I read on INFP traits, the more I realized that I am becoming more INFP-ish as I get older. I never used to be like this, I swear! But I am not alone.
I stumbled across a forum board of a bunch of INFP-ers bemoaning their personality and how hard it is for them to find a fulfilling job. Greeeeaaaaat.
We are a needy bunch. Hard to please. We lack organizational skills and go-get-em attitudes, but we want do work of significance.
I feel full of contradictions, and I know what I want, but I don't know if it exists.

Aaaaaaaand its getting really late, and I'm probably just rambling now....I get really strange once it hits the "wee hours", but then again, that's when I'm at my conversational best, don'tcha know? ahaha...I bet this post doesn't make any sense! I can hardly wait 'til noon, when I will read this again and be really embarassed! AWESOME.

Free to Good Home (or wherever)

This was my first camera! I got it as a Christmas present back in the day, and I loved it. It takes decent photos. It served me well.
It also served my brother well when I got my first digital camera. Well actually he never really used it. So now I'm giving it to you!

Its in perfect shape, very easy to use, and the results will be satisfying I'm sure.
Seeing as you probably own a digital camera, this could be perfect for the small person in your circle of family/friends who cannot yet be trusted with a more expensive piece of technology.

The best part...its FREE!
Leave a comment if you want it.

Wanted: Patty's Place

I was hoping to be able to move out this Fall. Living "at home" isn't bad, but strangely enough I've stopped thinking of it as "My House" so much as "My Parent's House"...maybe its because I've been living on my own more often than not, since a couple years ago. A place of my own(ish) is high on the priority list.
I've even got my friend Katie in on my scheme. Now that she works at the hospital in Kamloops, we figure rooming together would be ideal. We've been scanning the ads in papers and websites, looking for a good deal.
We looked at a couple of places last week...but they didn't seem right. I'm a little scared that I've built up an ideal too much in my head, and now nothing will measure up. I remember reading Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery when I was younger (and again, again), and one of my favorite parts was when Anne and her friends discover Patty's Place.

"There's a perfectly killing little place I want to show you, Anne...[it] must have grown while Spofford Avenue was still a country road. It did grow-it wasn't built! I don't care for the houses on the Avenue. They're too brand new and plate-glassy. But this little spot is a dream-and its name-but wait till you see it"...
"Its the dearest place I ever saw," said Anne delightedly. "It gives me one of my old, delightful, funny aches."...
"Its the name I want you to notice especially," said Phil. "Look-in white letters, around the archway over the gate. 'Patty's Place' Isn't that killing?"

I used to think about finding my own "Patty's Place", and how homey and comfortable it would be. I am almost scared to write this, because I know my dad is going to raise his eyebrows at me, and say "You know that you're not going to find a place like that right?" I do know. But a girl can dream.

"I feel as if something mysterious were going to happen right away-'by the pricking of my thumbs'," said Anne, as they went up the slope. "Its a nice story-bookish feeling. Why-why-why! Priscilla Grant, look over there and tell me if its true, or am I seein' things?"
Priscilla looked. Anne's thumbs and eyes had not deceived her. Over the arched gateway of Patty's Place dangled a little, modest sign. It said, "To Let, Furnished. Inquire Within."
"Priscilla," said Anne, in a whisper, "do you supposed it's possible that we could rent Patty's Place?"

Of course, for Anne it all works out and she gets the place. For me, I will most likely have to settle for a dingy basement suite, or a tiny apartment. I can live with that. Its not forever, and no matter what it is like, the fact that it will be my own little home will lend it a little magic.

I'm Baaaack!

I've gone practically a week without internet access since our Modem died last Monday, and then I was away over the weekend.
It wasn't actually that hard to do. I thought it would be way worse.
I did get some awesome blogging ideas during the week, but of course I couldn't post them, and now I've forgotten them. Maybe it will come back to me...
I'll write a little bit about my weekend adventure as well! But not now. I am too sleep deprived.
I think I need some coffee.