So, I'm off to Vancouver to visit Rawbean tomorrow! I can't wait to see her, it's been WAY. TOO. LONG. (4 weeks)
I'm also super stoked to just be in Vancouver again. I haven't been over since September - which is absolutely unheard of in my little world. I'm itching just to walk up the streets, see the mountains, feel the energy, grab a coffee...
This picture shows the items that used to be essential to my survival in Vancouver. Some of these are put away - I don't use them at all anymore. 
1. My Umbrella. Since I don't have a job yet in Victoria, I don't get out as much I did back in Vancouver. When I do leave the house I'm usually in the car so I haven't used this umbrella much, and it really doesn't seem to rain as much over here.
2. My Wallet. Again, since I'm not working - I have drastically cut back my spending. Seriously people, I haven't taken cash out of the bank since September. Compare this to going for lunch every day, grabbing a coffee almost every day.....it's bizarre.
3. Vancouver Transit. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss taking the bus! There's something about cramming yourself into a tight space with a bunch of other strangers on your way to work...it's a rite of passage.
4. My Phone. Since moving here in September, working from home for 3 months and then losing my job - I still haven't met anyone over here. Therefore I've kept my 604 number so that when I head back to Vancouver and I would actually have a reason to use my phone again - it's free.
5. My Book. Don't get me wrong - I'm reading way more often now that I have time in the day to curl up with my book. But it's not the same as using a book as a defensive weapon to ward off freaks on the bus.
6. My Ipod. Again, don't get me wrong - I still listen to music a lot, but I haven't been using my headphones. I plug my ipod either into the car stereo or my home stereo. Not the same at all.
So, I'm packing my old bag I used to carry around and all my old essentials. I can't wait to hear all the new music Rawbean has been recommending on headphones, use my phone and put some cash back into my wallet!
Okay, I admit this is really random, petty ranting, but it's all I've got today.
Have you ever seen the Pantene shampoo add with this woman?
Am I the only one who finds her INCREDIBLY annoying? The way she talks about her hair like it's the only thing she thinks about, and when she starts in on the "sssshhhhhh" sounds as she's acting out how she sprays it......I can just see her locked up in her bathroom for hours every morning obsessing over herself.
And did you ever notice how smug those women were in the Oil of Olay commercials that were on in the summer?! Remember her?!
Why do I bother with cookies? Why?
Everything was going great! It was snowing outside....
I picked out my aunt's ginger cookie recipe and threw in my favourite scary movie as I made my cookies. Things are going great, the movie is giving me the heebies, my cookies are flying out of the oven and actually looking edible.....
Then the movie ended and Anna Olsen was on the Food Network so I sat down to watch her between batches. She happened to measure 1 cup of butter from a block similar in size to what I had just used to make my cookies. She cut the block in half.....
...wait a minute.
I just used 7/8th of my block to measure out 3/4 of a cup of butter? Did I measure wrong? I run into the kitchen and start digging through the garbage looking for the butter wrapping....yes, I added 1 3/4 cups of butter instead of 3/4 cup.
The buzzer goes off for my last batch.
Why is it that every time I attempt this I end up either licking dough off the counter, digging through the garbage or using almost double the amount of butter called for? As I was eating my 27th spoonful of batter, I was wondering why I was feeling sick....I mean this is no more than I've eaten before.....
On Saturday night we were on the ferry heading back to Victoria. Everything was normal, we were on the 7:00 pm ferry, which normally gets into the terminal around 8:30. So it's around 8:10 and I put my book away and was thinking about getting off the ferry when this announcement comes on:
Ladies and gentlemen we have some good news for you: we will be docking at Swartz Bay between 9:20 and 9:30.
Uhhh...pardon?? How is this good news?
Apparently there was an announcement earlier that we didn't hear. We went the long way around the islands because we didn't have enough engine power to make it through Active Pass.
Did I mention it was totally snowing hard the whole time? I know, I know....it snows all the time in the rest of the country - I grew up on the prairies! But when it snows here, it's like the end of the world. So awhile later another announcement:
Just to update you folks on the condition of the highways: they are wet and clear.
Sweet! 10 minutes later:
Ladies and Gentlemen, just an update on the highway conditions: covered in snow, visibility is low and it's freezing and icy.
It took us over an hour to get home. Driving 30km on the highway. Normally about a 35 minute drive.
So it snowed all night and the wind out here - it's unbelievable. I should know this wind - we used to be on a first-name basis. I swear it's straight out of the prairies, but it's creepy. I lived in Vancouver too long - I forgot what REAL wind is like. So there is a big difference between Victoria and Vancouver. When was the last time the wind woke you up in Vancouver?
Anyway, yesterday there was tons of snow (well, 6" anyway) so we went out for a walk. We built the best snowman EVER! I am in love with him.
Today I wanted to go through my knitting stuff because it needs organizing, but more importantly I want to have a knitting project on hand for our visit to my in-laws tomorrow.
So...I have this 'thing' where I pick up a new hobby and I go CRAZY with it.
Knitting for example. Actually it started out with a friend who quickly taught me how to crochet one night. I made a scarf and really liked the satisfaction of how everything came together. So what do I do? I run out and buy almost every size crochet hook and lots of yarn.
It wasn't until probably my third failed attempt at another crochet project that I realized that I don't like to crochet! But knitting - now that is something I think I can get into! So I went out and bought Knitting for Dummies and a set of needles and taught myself one night.
After completing a few "swatches", I tackled my first project - a scarf. This is where I learned that knitting is full of secrets. There are things you just know not to do after a while...like knitting a scarf in stockinette stitch. (Luckily my first scarf was extra wide so when I realized what was happening I just seamed it up the side.)
So now, what do I do? Well, obviously I run out and buy myself tons of yarn and lots of needles. Which is fine because now I'm left with a good history of fairly successful projects, but lots of remnants of yarn.
What do I do with it? They seem too big to throw away but too small to do anything with. Do you guys have this same problem?
Do you guys remember the Christmas ornaments you had when you were kids? Were they old? Were they all breakable? Did you have ones that you made yourself? Were they random like mine? Or did your parents have a well tailored tree with matching ornaments?
Well, I actually have mine with me, and so does Brad. Straight from childhood. We love to decorate our tree with these relics.
The first time we decorated a tree together we brought out all our ornaments and found that we have two that are extremely similar. Not exactly standard issue ornaments - they are made out of a piece of wood, rope, old newspapers and wire among other things....my aunt gave me the green one - she bought it in Vancouver and Brad's parents bought his in South Africa! Now every year we make sure we hang them together in our tree.
Conversation with husband the other night:
Jen: I still can't believe that fishy-smelling fabric.
Brad: Ha! Yeah, uhhh.....you'll love this.....guess what? I think I left an Omega 3 pill in the pocket of my jeans the other day.
Those cookies in my last post. Holycrapweretheyevergood!! They may not have been much to look at, but who cares?! Brad wants me to make them again, but I will ony do it if he takes them, hides them somewhere in our place where I will NEVER find them and if I do - they will have chains and padlocks to get through.
I'm trying these ones next. Let's hope my next post won't be gingerbread men with missing heads and limbs.
I have never been able to make cookies. I don't know what it is - but they never come out right.
Either they are burnt on the bottom, raw on the inside (which isn't so bad actually), they are too hard (which I can't stand) or they are misshapen which is my most common blunder. Then there was the time I used a recipe from some website that had me add 1/4 cup of baking soda....and the worst part? Brad "said" he liked them.
This afternoon I attempted this recipe. Super easy right? Well, it was easy to put together, but the rolling of the dough part? I just don't get it.
The dough is mostly butter, so it's super melty and you have to work fast or it's literally melting onto your countertop. And yes, I put the dough in the fridge and I used flour on the counter blah blah blah....Near the end when I tried to lift the last heart-shaped cookie up - the dough was so stuck and melted to the countertop that I ended up just scraping it off with a spoon - straight into my mouth.
Do you think it has something to do with the fact that instead of a rolling pin, I'm using a bottle of rum with cling wrap on the outside?
Remember that fabric I bought at Fabricland the other day? Well, I washed it and it smells like fish. Not only does it smell like fish, but it made my dryer and everything in it smell like fish including my new favourite purple shirt. God damn FabricLand.
I'm going back to bed.
On Saturday afternoon we drove to the Fernwood area of Victoria to hang out. There is this little block with no vehicle traffic and shops along one side. We were wandering around and found a cupcake store, a Caribbean take-out place, a tattoo shop and an INTERIOR DESIGNER.
I pressed my nose to the glass - it was a cute, small office. We went on with our day...
So that night when we met up with brad's friends he ended up sitting next to this girl - they got chatting and it turns out SHE OWNS THE INTERIOR DESIGN OFFICE I HAD MY NOSE PRESSED UP AGAINST THAT AFTERNOON.
Crazy hey??
I love weekend visitors.
My buddies Robin and Jay arrived in Victoria Saturday morning. We headed to the Fernwood neighbourhood* for a coffee at a really great coffeeshop where Robin knew one of the girls working.
Coincidentally there was a fabulous craft fair going on right next door so we browsed for awhile then had lunch at a pub nearby. (Granville Island Winter Ale is super tasty and there was no cover charge at the craft fair. Sweet.)
We headed back to our house to hang out and relax for awhile before Brad and I made dinner. The recipe from Giada's show worked really well! I was nervous because in the past I've been accused of a) being 'gourmet' like it's a bad thing and b) making super 'intense' food. But our meal was great AND we bought cupcakes from a little shop in Fernwood for dessert.
After that we headed downtown to The Empress Hotel where we were meeting up with some of Brad's friends. The lounge there was full so we happily ended up at my favourite pub in Victoria (so far) The Bard and Banker. *
Next morning Robin, Jay and I headed out for brunch - waited 45 minutes to get in before they sat us at a super small table, but I got over my irritation soon enough given the company I was in. I need to learn from these two - nothing sucks, everything is coo' and there are no problems. What a concept!
After dealing with the local man-hating riff raff, we left.
Robin and Jay hit the Undersea Gardens and we met up later for a Jabba-is-the-only-one-panicking-about-getting-to-the-ferry-on-time-while-everyone-else-chills-ride-to-the-ferry.
Did you guys make it on?!
*More on this later.** Not my best cartoon, my pen is too thick!
2. This t-shirt.
3. A reminder note from Brad to make an appointment with a massage therapist. The thing is - it's taped to the inside of the fridge.
5. Prawn Santa.
6. This kid.
