What are you playing? – Part II

I have been thinking for sometime about a portable gaming system. Admittedly I am not a hard core gamer (I still needed a bit of a Video Game 101 lesson) but I was amazed at the lack of marketing that was aimed at me – handhelds are a perfect way to get through commuting around a big city! Of course it’s going to make it a little harder to make sure I don’t miss my stop but that’s a risk I’m willing to take for good entertainment on the way to my destination.

I was waffling on which system to buy either a PSP or a Nintendo DS - there were lots of considerations but in the end I boiled it down to; sexier (the PSP) or better games I like (DS). This is one of those instances that having a 15 year old brother comes in handy, C knew all the games for each system and was recommending games that he thought I’d like plus sending me links so I could see the games in play before I went making any purchases.

The winner was the DS! A cute little system in black, that has great puzzle games – I’m now happily playing through the 6 versions of Tetris. It only took 3 shopping trips to get one in my hands, the darned things were sold out all over the place.

This Week in Fashion - Socks, etc...

With 250,000 sweat glands each, your feet are among the most perspiring parts of the body, so there’s a really valid point to wearing foot coverings to absorb moisture. This of course is counter to my true love of summer sandals which of course can not be worn with socks or hose at any time. I have said it before and I will say it many times over, socks and sandals don’t mix, neither do stockings and sandals mix – if your toes are barren of shoe then your feet should be stripped to skin and shoe!

However I don’t think I’ll go as far as the kind folks in Annapolis, Maryland. Their local maritime museum holds an annual sock-burning party*. Who on earth in their right mind thinks burning socks is a good idea? Socks are entirely functional and can even be cute (though I personally am not into super cutesy) and serve a good purpose in life, plus the darned things last forever! Sure there are moments of not being happy with socks (who hasn’t realized that your black socks are suddenly navy at 2 in the afternoon?) but by in large I’m in favour of socks, especially if there’s a chance of cold or icky-ness - burning them seems an overly excessive way to mark the beginning of a season.

*Sailing enthusiasts burn their worn-out winter socks and pledge to go sockless until the next winter. Then they put on their boat shoes and hope for the best. The Globe and Mail

When I grow up…

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours, to see

Que Sera, Sera

What will be, will be.

When I was a kid I dreamed of being an actress, a fashion designer, a teacher, an artist, a producer and more… I had ideas and dreams and I flitted from one idea to the next every 8 minutes or so. I took classes in fashion, acting, engineering, business, communications, public relations and more… I kept looking for my niche. It turns out I can’t find my niche, I’m pretty good at a whole slew of different things but none of them stick. I get bored as soon as I’ve mastered whatever I needed to learn, and then I start itching to move on. I think my main problem is I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!

The future may not be mine to see but I still wouldn’t mind knowing which direction I should take, what’s going to interest me for years to come. When I look down my path five years from now I have no idea what kind of job I’ll have (I am however fairly certain I’m working), I don’t know which field I want to be in… I’m not even sure what city I’m living in! I know this is one of those “you have the answers” kind of conundrums but I find myself still not having any clue as to where I’m landing.

Whatever will be, will be… and so I’m not going to get too worked up about this all and let myself go where the tide takes me. I’m sure I’ll be successful in whatever opportunity comes my way next… I just have this (perhaps irrational) hope that one day I’ll wake up with a vision or something that will explain my purpose. I feel like I’m meant for something bigger than toiling away at a desk all day – then again I don’t know many people who feel like that’s what they’re meant to do with their lives.

Why didn’t anyone tell me that?

There are things people around you assume you know - stuff about the world and/or your environment. I sometimes feel out of the loop on pop culture references (likely due to no TV) and miss out on all the good ads… so I miss things from time to time. Sometimes it’s like the information was always there but no one bothered to tell me, like with Amy and the Vitamin E Oil (it helps with scaring).

I guess I missed all the hype about toothbrushes a while back… I had still been using the old dentist check-up toothbrushes. However without a dental plan and it being time to replace my last one I took a plunge on the Colgate 360 (mostly because I thought the circles looked cool & it comes with a tongue scrapper) – WOW! I think I’m actually brushing longer now because it feels so good, it’s like a mini mouth massage on the inside. Who know anyone could get so excited about a toothbrush… certainly not me. So there’s no excuse, you’ve been told – no need to take action but you can no longer plead ignorance.

This Week in Fashion – Spring Jackets

I have too many clothes (not a news flash – I have been aware of this for many years now), my one tiny closet and two dressers are filled to overflowing with shoes, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, skirts, coats and more. While I do purge on a semi regular basis there’s more there than any of my friends. That’s a challenge!

So why when the weather hit a lovely 13 degrees today was I still looking in my closet and not liking any of the spring jacket options? Sure I still have the double breasted pink flowered number from a few years ago (a great statement piece) but it feels slightly dated this spring. There’s the denim jacket from 4 years ago that has a nipped in waist but is fairly long over the hips… but it never looks good actually done up properly. I also have my green suede and light purple leather blazers… but they’re looking a little worn around the edges. There’s nothing wrong with the last three options but there’s also nothing all that interesting or fun about them.

Everything I’ve seen in stores recently has been focusing on volume – which never works on me! So I may be stuck with what I have… unless I spring for a trench coat. I always agonize over decisions like this though, the last thing I want is to be slavishly following the trend – I will not be a fashion victim. Repeat after me… not a fashion victim, not a fashion victim, not a fashion victim. (If I say it enough times it will magically become true)

I’ve been seeing some great scarves too… maybe that’s a route I need to explore further.

Post-it Notes

On the side of my fridge, just above my drying dishes, is a post-it note. The yellow note has been up on my fridge for so long the canary yellow has faded to a soft butter colour; the blue ink has morphed into a gentle burgundy.

This note was joted down at least 4 years ago when I was trying to adjust my diet from primarily McDonalds and Food Court specials. To be clear I wasn’t dieting, my body was in the throes of IBS and I wasn’t doing well, something had to change and I wasn’t ready to resort to relying on pills in order to eat. On 14 lines I listed foods that would be good for me and I should try to be eating… at the time I was pretty proud if I’d have been able to place a mental check mark against one of the lines.

It’s amazing how over the years things have gradually changed, sometimes it was a conscious effort (breakfast being a prime example) and other times I was just making choices at the grocery store that I knew were “good.” I’m not one to deprive myself of food (see examples here and here) but when I was doing the dishes tonight I reviewed the list for what must have been at minimum the 500^th time. I mentally started checking off what I’d had that day (isn’t that what everyone does when looking at lists?) and I realized the list has been silently brainwashing me. I may not be hitting every single line everyday but I’m doing pretty damned good, so good it’s time for a little pat on the back.

This brings me back to the power of a post-it note. What could have been prettily typed or marked in the page of a magazine I took the time to write out and post in a place that I would see on a regular basis. The process of looking at that list was gentle in terms of changing what I ate, it was non-judgmental and I didn’t feel guilty if I wasn’t adhering to the list… it was just a reminder of foods that would be good for me.

In December I was thinking of actually dieting, instead I think it might even be time to update the list. Over the years I’ve found some of the foods I don’t like/bother to keep around and I’ve also added foods to my diet that are healthy and could easily fit. Last month Health Canada released their new Food Guide and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was doing… plus it was a ton of fun creating My Food Guide. With the help of Health Canada and my own taste buds here's my new list;

Salad Stuffs – Spinach/Romaine

Fibre (40gr/day)

Mushrooms, asparagus, plums

Berries, apples, pears, orange

Salmon, tuna, shrimp

Flaxseed, quinoa

Tomatoes, avocado, bell peppers

Yogurt

Oatmeal, granola

Sweet potatoes, green beans

Chicken, pork

Olives, pickles

Barley, wheat berries

Kidney Beans, Black Beans

Typical Thursday Evening (or not)

I worked my way uptown to catch up on missed Heros episodes during some pretty freaky weather that plugged up Eglinton Station bus service.

The shows were excellent (anyone care to explain why I talk to the TV so much?) and since I’m now caught up I’m going to have to wait a week in between each episode! I think I can handle that but seeing as I haven’t followed a show this closely since the X-Files I’m experiencing some trepidation about my waiting skills.

More importantly since the last recipe was so well received here’s another winner – it might seem complicated but that’s only because the last one was so easy. The plate and flavours are subtle and classy… and it would also work well with turkey.

Pork with Ginger Plum Sauce
Serves 2 (2 slices each)

Ingredients:
2/3 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound pork tenderloin
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup fresh plums, chopped
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/8 rounded teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons white wine (or white grape juice with splash of vinegar)
2/3 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons butter

Cooking Instructions:
Combine gingerroot and salt and pepper. Slice pork into 4 thin pieces. Rub pork slices with ginger mixture. Let rest for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pot over medium heat; add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Add plums, brown sugar and ground ginger; cook, stirring frequently, for 6 to 7 minutes. Next, add wine (or juice/vinegar) and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until butter melts. Remove from heat.
In another pan over medium heat, cook pork in the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until it is no longer pink. Pour sauce over pork and serve.

Sides Suggestions: Steamed green beans & sweet potato