Springtime Snow Day

Robs, Mahshad and I went to High Park this afternoon. We were frolicking, having snowball fights, and just generally enjoying our spring time winter. I even made a snow angel for the first time in about 25 years.
I think we got 30cm between Friday and Sunday- and though most feel its pretty late in the season to still be getting so much snow- I'm of the mind to take advantage... It was a beautiful day out- brisk but not too cold- with a bright blue sky (peppered with clouds): perfect for hiking through the park.
This is Robyn mid walk.


Me building a mini snowman/unidentifiable abstract sculpture.


People don't expect Toronto to have wide open spaces.


Be scared. Be very scared.


Lying in the snow.


My friends are fighting. I think Robyn had the upper hand because shes just learned she's an inch taller than she thought she was.


I'm busy minding my own business... lying in the snow... and enjoying all that mother nature has to offer- when my "friends" start pummeling with snow. As you can see I was very upset.



Robs on the streetcar on the way home.

Nope, it's still horrible

I just deleted the last post where I said I was overreacting about my hair... because I actually wasn't. I'm a week in- and I still feel physically ill when I picture that useless, horrible, no talent hack cutting my hair. I am still kicking myself for not saying "stop" more forcefully. I still put my hair in a ponytail most of the time to avoid thinking about it.
Even though I know better.
I asked a girl at my work the other day "can you even tell I got my hair cut?" (Thinking again I had overreacted)
Her response?

"Yah I did... but it doesn't look very good so I didn't want to say anything. Sorry."

oh. ok.
Other comments include: "It's not that bad..." or "It looks really healthy." or "It'll grow back really fast."
All words a girl wants to hear. One person said "You need to go in and get a fix-it hair cut."
WHAT?! AND LOSE MORE HAIR?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! And who is to say that I'm not going to get another idiot cutting my hair and I come out with a Demi Moore in "Ghost" haircut?!
I'm leaving it for now. Wearing ponytails. I'll morph into sporty spice if I have to.

Some perspective

People who know me, know that I have been trying to grow my hair long for many years (ie. my whole life). Because of the curl it seems to grow excruciatingly slow... and it's taken about 5 years to get to the stage where I felt like it was a 'long' length... And I loved it. However one does still have to get trims-so this weekend I went to get nomorethananinch taken off the ends.

And, as many women will attest- once in that chair- I instantly became unsure & mute- acquiescing to the will of the girl holding the scissors. The girl who has probably only been cutting hair for a couple of months. The girl who may or may not have experience with curly hair. The girl who was clearly not listening to me or reading my face as she chopped away. I told her less, I told her just a trim. I told her I wanted longer hair. She said my hair was unhealthy and could do with a good cut. And I should get some layers to bring out the curl.
I post-rationalized with thoughts like "well she does this for a living... she does this all day everyday. She's the expert..." and I let her cut thinking "yes you're right a few inches will look much better. Yes the layers will look good..."
Well I've got news for you- layers DO NOT look good. They look horrible. They look like I got my hair cut by my 4 year old neighbour wearing a blind fold and cutting with kids scissors. My hair is now back to that awkward "growing out" phase that I have been trying to get out of for FOUR YEARS!!! She was not the expert.... I have lived with my hair for 32 years... WHY didn't I listen to ME?!

Well I felt truly devastated by this...as anyone who has been within earshot of me the last day can confirm. BUT... it's only hair. And hair grows. And yes it grows crazy slow and I will have to live with the consequences of my not speaking up when I know better, for the next two years, but it will eventually grow back.
And here's where the perspective part comes in... and why I'm able to adopt such a rational attitude when women traditionally are anything but rational about their hair:

My cousin CB is in Africa right now- teaching in Ghana. I saw pictures of him the other day - working in the school room, which lacks a back wall, standing beside the water reservoir... which is almost dry, and speaking to some village elders, who have no shoes and little in the way of clothing. I've heard that many are sick and have worms from the dirty water they have to drink, which they have to walk 2km to get. These are real problems. This is real life.

In the pictures I have seen, people are smiling. People look happy. They are not just surviving but are living. Children attend school to learn their prepositions. Students invite my cousin to their house for visits, open their homes to him and share their lives. And I'm pretty freakin' sure that none of them are losing sleep about their hair being too short or in a 'growing out' phase.

So I look at these pictures (I'm posting 2- hoping CB won't mind: he's published them himself on his facebook page) and take a deep breath and remember all that I have. And think about what's really important. Not my hair- or lack of it- but my family and friends and health. I have these in abundance... so I can shelve my 'devastation' for another day. And just wear hats.

Huh?! What's that?!

Now I love my macbook... but the speaker volume is so low. I really hope I get a gift certificate to the Apple store for my b-day so I can buy some speakers.

another sad loss

I made my annual pilgrimage to Target today- to browse in their global bazaar section (now on clearance and nearly extinct), pick up some cheapie summer things and ... buy a stock of mega M&Ms (peanut- not plain). But guess what? They didn't have them. Neither did the Rite Aid, or Walgreens or the other Rite Aid that we went to.
They are no longer being produced.
I've been addicted to these for the last four years. They've been a part of my life since I moved out to Toronto and they used to be "Shrek M&Ms" (a limited time offer product that proved so popular they produced it en masse- which has now proved to be not so popular). And when I say addicted I mean addicted in a sick kind of visiting four different locations in Niagara kind of way. Now i don't know what I'm going to do.
I guess it's time to move on. I guess it's time to say goodbye. I don't know if I'm ready- I mean I really didn't get any notice or closure or anything... but they say that's how it happens sometimes. One day it's there and you're happily enjoying your 55% larger candy coated chocolate covered peanut, and the next day it's just gone.
*poof*

Happy Anniversary

(It's best if you click the youtube link and let the music be the background to the touching memoir below- apologies for the slow upload...it gets better if you hang in there)


20 years ago- on Feb 13, 1988 I was a superstar on the international stage- starring in the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Calgary. And no I am not exaggerating by one iota. You can see in the picture below, in the background, there are blue people- 1000 of us. (I actually don't think they made it into this picture *ahem*) I was one of them.

We came out and performed a 6 minute dance routine where we formed life size Olympics events such as the luge and skating rink etc... so that when you looked down from above we appeared as one. (Except for me- I stood out). It was all very high tech and synchronized to David Foster's Olympic theme.

We wore blue jumpsuits and silver high top runners. For the actual performance when we were supposed to appear as a giant Dove-my best friend got a feather meant to be waved about the head, I did not. But I forged on ahead anyway... a true performer doesn't let mere props (or the absence of such) get in her way- and I became the feather. I was the feather in that Dove's right wing.

We practiced every week for a year. Grueling practices out in the cold, because there were no indoor arenas large enough to hold us all. I remember once a girl wearing ballet flats and NO SOCKS so I valiantly lent her my legwarmers to keep her feet warm.

Though all of my parents had to endure the hardship of shuttling me around for a year, no easy task, they reaped the rewards and basked in the glory whence their daughter took to the international stage and 3 billion people stood up around the world and applauded. It was no small moment in their lives, believe you me.

It was a special moment in my life... one that I remember fondly. And the 20th anniversary of it is tomorrow.

An old friend

This is Rascal. He came to live with me when I was four. He was pretty attached to me from the get go and didn't like to leave my side. I used to drag him around by the ear. One time my brothers and I got into a tug of war where the TWO of them were pulling on his body and I held onto his ear and it ripped right off. My Grandma sewed him up but he was never quite the same. He didn't cry during the surgery but I cried enough for both of us.
One summer he came to Riverview with me and my brothers and he got lost in the field so I had to come back to Calgary without him. My aunt Claire found him and sent him on a cross country flight ALL BY HIMSELF, to come back to me. Man was I happy to see him.
I don't think I ever thanked Claire for that (or was it my uncle Al?) but I was very grateful. : )

Snow, smoothies and surprises.

Snowing again... and loved it. I was at Vaughn Estates today for a brainstorming session... and we were surrounded by trees. It was so beautiful. I wish I'd had a camera to take a picture.
And I thought of something else I wanted for my b-day... (surprise)
- a magic bullet to make fruit smoothies in the morning. My friend told me today a little trick she has to add protein to the smoothie (That's one of the reasons I've never copped on to having them- I feel like they are just a glass of sugar...) - She adds half a cup of egg beaters. Can't taste the egg and it adds the low fat protein. Love it.
- "Flight of the Conchords" DVD. SOOOO FUNNY.

snow filled days and vodka fueled nights

On Friday we received a no where near record snow fall of 25cm - but it happened during the day - instead of at night... so people panicked and shut things down. Our fearless leader (I mean that genuinely- he's actually a great boss) sent us home around 1pm... in order to avoid chaos on the commute. It was a great way to start off the weekend... especially since my commute involves hopping on a subway and heading
south 5 stops to my house.

The best part about the "storm" is that it was just lots of snow, but still quite warm out- so the result was just beautiful snow capped trees and sidewalks lined with the white stuff- without the frigid freezing temperatures.
My roommate and I decided to spend a quiet night in on Friday- watch movies and order pizza. We watched the desert and cave disc of "BBCs: Planet Earth" SOOOOO AMAZING!!!!
Then my friend RW called at 10 and persuaded us to come out for some guy's b-day. Because they were gathering at one my of my favourite bars- "Czehoski's" we decided to go. It was really fun- quite a few people braved the snow to come out.

Last night we went to the newly renovated "Pravda" - and it's my new favourite bar.
Aside from being stumbling distance home... not that I ever stumble- the decor was fantastic, the music was loud and great and the vodkas...well they have my favourite Bison Wheat Grass vodka (that Czehoski's usually has but was out of on Friday) as well as MANY others...I think everyone was feeling stir crazy from being housebound the night before- because the place was packed... and hot. The crowd were eclectic- a LOT of cougars and greasy old men- and they were just as entertaining as the 20 somethings ordering bottle service in the corner- spending their parent's money like there was no tomorrow.
Me and my friends hovered somewhere in the middle- enjoying the music as it brought us back to our childhood (Rains in Africa anyone??) and the spectacle of the 40something woman who took off her top and danced the night away in her bra... I don't think there is enough vodka on planet earth to get rid of that image.

Prezzie wish list

Yes I did just get a pile of gifts for Christmas- and yes I'm thankful for them... but Christmas is so last year. And now it's time for my birthday. I can always think of things now- but when people ask me closer to the date I'll say "I dunno-a Banana GC?" and then after slap my head and say "oh- right I really wanted x".
So here is X:
- speakers for my computer (macbook)
- GC to the Apple store
- Burton luggage- the cream plaidy flowery kind.
- a good set of Henckel knives
- MEGA PEANUT M&Ms. Not regular peanut M&Ms, not mega plain M&MS. MEGA PEANUT. (honestly I will marry the person who gives me these)
- fun or useful cooking stuff
- lulu lemon pants
- will add more to the list as things come up...

best. movie. ever.

Batman Begins. i forgot how much i liked it until I saw it again on TV tonight. I can't wait for "The Dark Knight".

Night of the Living Sarah.

I has a conversation with my Mom the other day which gave me pause. I told her I'd bought new pillows (yes yes I can't seem to shut up about them) and she said "(pause) yes. I know" "But Mom," I'm puzzled "how do you know?" mom: "Because Sarah. I read about it on your blog. (sigh) I even saw pictures of them. what are people going to think about this girl who has nothing better to do than take pictures of pillows and put them up on the internet?!" (Fair enough- though Mom was mostly teasing me)
So... in an effort to redeem my reputation (IT WAS A TUESDAY- A SLOW NIGHT! NOT A LOT GOING ON!!!), and because I'd been wanting to write about my weekend adventure anyhow- I thought I'd share the 'wild and crazy' mishaps of the past couple of weekends...

Three weekends ago... SP birthday- but also Kerri's coming home drinks- I hit both, going to see Ker first and then arriving at SP's bash at midnight- to hang out for a couple of hours before heading to an after party where I ran into a guy I'd blown off a year earlier. I was fine with seeing him- he apparently was not. I said hi- he looked at me- or rather through me- and stalked off. He avoided me the rest of the night- which in a downtown Toronto one bedroom 600sq ft condo is quite a feat. (Who knew I was such a heart breaker?) That night saw me arriving home around 4am.



Last weekend: PM's birthday. Me and Kerri meet around the, we feel, ridiculously early hour of 9 at the downtown loft- and start to mingle. It's fun, the food has already been eaten, so we just drink. Not such a good idea on an empty stomach but it makes for some good mingling.
We meet some new friends, catch up with old, and then head off at 1:30 with said new friends to a new bar- Tattoo. (Queen and... somewhere- super fun). There's a crowd around front so go round back and sneak in- Ker & I ditched our new friends for the dance floor where we danced til last call- and then ran out to grab cabs while we could. Home: 3am.


This weekend- Jeff R's decabration weekend (see link on right column) and we kick things off with a sushi dinner with 12 close friends at Sushi Inn. (Yorkville- super good) Then some of us head over to Hemingway's for a drink (I ordered a "greyhound" and felt about 47). Then hopped onto the subway southbound for "Joe Mama's" where I met up again with Kerri and Christie to see a really good live band.


Jen and Mike met up with me there (Jen my old maritime friend from an earlier post) and we headed over around midnight to the opening of a new restaurant/bar the Harbord Room. (89 Harbord)
It's being run by my cousin Dave Mitton- of Czehoski fame- who I'd never actually met.
We get there - sit down, Mike gets us drinks- and Dave comes over to say hi. Mike introduces me to him- saying "I think you two used to know each other or something?" And I responded with (while shaking Dave's hand) "Hi Dave, I'm Sarah. Im your cousin."
He replied with "Oh - it's you!"
net net- we had a great time- he's an amazing guy and his restaurant is an amazing place. My good friends in Toronto will have a chance to check it out- because we're going there for my birthday.
Got home last night at 3:30am- carefully opening the door so as to not be loud and wake my roommate- who was up and in the kitchen- getting ready for our cleaning bonanza today.
So there you go. Life in the aquatic. It's pretty fun.
oh and incidentally I have to say- my mad hugging skills? I'd always thought that they were unique to Sarah- until I hugged Dave last night... and honestly-it was a glimpse of what it must be like for everyone out there who hugs me- and it was AWESOME. He was an amazing hugger. So maybe it's actually a Mitton trait... interesting... : )

I heart Brokeback

When I lived with my good friend Lola she was in looove with an Australian actor who starred in "A Knight's Tale". I couldn't understand it- I guess the accent was okay and he could sort of act... but what did Heath Ledger have that say- Leonardo DiCaprio didn't?!
Then- in 2005 he came out in a little indie film that took the world by storm... I loved it. I saw it in the theaters four times (I kept telling various friends I hadn't seen it and did they want to go??) and then bought the DVD and even purchased the screenplay. I don't know why but this movie really touched something in me. And I was particularly taken by the performance of Heath. It was so subtle, but so powerful. He was nominated for an academy award and I was so angry when he lost to Philip Seymour Hoffman (who probably did a good job too).
As far as talented actors go, he flew under the radar of publicity, probably partying it up- but also choosing to live in the more subdued borough of Brooklyn to raise his young daughter with an equally cool and "down to earth" partner. I finally understood the allure for my friend.
I also hearted Heath Ledger and I'm sad that he died.

Pillows pillows pillows!!

did you know that you're supposed to change your pillows every 1-2 years? Some say every 5-6 months but I think that's a bit excessive...
Turns out that there are loads of dust mites that live and grow and multiply in your pillow- and (so I've read) if your pillow is 2 years old then roughly 10% of your pillow is made up of dust mites and their droppings. ew

I read this recently- and today I spent my Christmas Bay GC (thanks Mom and Cliff!) on some new pillows (I don't want to tell you how old my pillows were!)


yay for new pillows!!

Urban legend or awesome tip?

On the flight from Calgary to Winnipeg I was seated next to someone who wanted to chat. I tried to head this off by putting on my headphones and wearing my hoodie low over my head. I tried to discourage this by giving one word answers and half smiles. I tried to stop it by pretending to sleep. I then gave myself a little shake and thought 'what is the harm in chatting with someone for an hour- on a flight that is otherwise miserable and boring?' He seemed nice enough. Plus I was fresh from Calgary and the mean ugly Toronto side of me had yet to kick in.
Our conversation was quite interesting though I remember nearly none of it. But one thing he did share that I'd like to pass on to you today- is a tip about purchasing Air Canada plane tickets online. Apparently guy had a friend who worked in the online department of the airline- who passed along this hot little tip.
The site is set up so that as more people purchase tickets for a certain flight, or even look at tickets, the prices automatically adjust- and it does this on a daily basis.
I knew that as seats were sold the ticket prices went up- but this price adjustment apparently happens on a daily basis- with the prices re-setting during the night.
His example? He purchased his planed ticket to PEI (from Calgary) for $300. (He set his alarm clock to go off at 2am.)
The next afternoon he was looking for the same ticket- and at 5pm it was nearing $600!!!
I have yet the occasion to look for a ticket and have had no reason to set my alarm to experiment (I was up at 3am this Saturday- but not thinking about airline prices...) BUT if it's true- then it's definitely worth staying up and doing some plane ticket purchasing in the wee hours.

i hate muay thai

It hurts to laugh, it hurts to sneeze, it hurts to breath. Can eyelids feel pain?

I had to call Paul into my room tonight to grab a magazine off of the floor for me because the mere thought of the pain it would cause me to do that made me faint.
WHY did I think I would like this horrible heinous torturous awful sport?! What was I THINKING?!
ow. i pushed down too hard on the keys- that hurt.

I LOVE kicking ass

I joined a Toronto Muay Thai class today- it was soooo rad. I used to do it for a number of years in Calgary (Mike Miles kick-boxing) and loved it then. But then I moved to Toronto and well.. there wasn't the time, the place or the opportunity. I did try a few muay thai type classes trhough the gym I belonged to- with similar exercises- but it just wasn't the same. You weren't training to fight- you were just training as a form of cardio: there's a difference.


Today's class was very similar to what I experienced before. I felt just as inept and out of shape as before. And despite hopes to the contrary- I haven't suddenly become graceful or coordinated.
It's been 5 years since I "trained" and the body staring back at me from the mirrored wall was fairly different from the one in similar surroundings so many years ago. But I still pushed myself to beyond where I thought capable- my muscles are already starting to stiffen... and I can't wait to go back on Wednesday! : )

Rummikub (aka tile rummy)

My friend DR has this game- Rummikub- that he brings when we go camping in Algonquin Park every summer. It's really fun (I love games) and this year I asked and got it for Christmas.


I played it Christmas Day with my Mom and brother Stefan for hours. Then I played it with my friends this past weekend and we got lost in the game. No laughing, no joking around- just intense scrutiny around the table as we all calculated our next moves.
It's a good game.

The coldest place in Canada

is not actually Winnipeg. Cliff went up to Tuktoyaktuk this year- which I thought was the coolest (no pun intended- yikes). I think we should ALL try to make a trek to the great white north at some point in our lives. But for various reasons that trip will not happen for at least another year. However until I do make it up to the snowy wasteland of whale blubber snacking I will be content with my almost annual pilgrimage to Winnipeg.
If you'd asked me before David moved there how often I saw myself going there- I would have said "never". But now... well BOTH of my brothers and sister in law and the dog live there- and so to Winnipeg I must go.



It's actually quite a relaxing part of my journey (as you can imagine not a lot goes on). We went to a great little bakery for some dessert the first night. Did some shopping at uber trendy shops on a day that felt like Saturday (did you know 1921 jeans started in Winnipeg?!) and hung out with the dog Wilbur.


One night we went to Leo's for dinner and games (rummykub- I'm such a nerd)(Leo is Tanya's Dad). He lives in an amazing log cabin he built himself. Mom made him a log cabin quilt that fits in perfectly.


I missed Stefan's arrival into Winnipeg by a couple of days- but I will probably see him there next Christmas and I will bring my favourite winter boots and take Wilbur for a walk.

Friendly traditions

I have a LOT of family traditions... I'm a huge fan of them. (Though 30 years on they can get a little played out.) We're starting new traditions in my family and I know I'll have them again with my own little family (years from now).
However I also have traditions with my friends. Two specifically: one is a potluck dinner that I have been having with my girlfriends since our second to last or last year in high school- which would have started about 6 years ago- ahem. Okay- I think we're on year 15 or maybe 16?
Not all of us can make it every year (Char, Josephine, Sandy and me are the diehards who make it every year)- though we all try. It's fun to see the evolution of our friendships- and see how we've grown and changed each year (or specifically how our families have grown!).
I love the fact that we are all still friends, who can spend hours and hours laughing about something that might have happened in high school, or happened just the previous week. Yes I still have the friends I had in high school and I couldn't be happier.
Here we are in Heather's new house at our annual potluck.


(This year I actually made something- a casserole- last year I was so hung over I'm lucky I even made it- just so that I could lay on Char's couch and whimper and cry from the pain). Why was I hung over last year? Because of a rather newer friend tradition with another set of friends.
My good friend Lori has us over for an annual get together on boxing day- people she went to high school with and other people (me included) who have somehow been absorbed into the group along the way. It's also an amazing group of people that I don't get to see that often...



This year I was good though- I couldn't afford to be out of sorts as I was visiting my other friend Lori (Lola) the next day- and my goddaughter and her brother.
We had brunch and I got to see the joy and excitement that is Christmas through a child's eyes...Kaleb and Theo are the PERFECT age where they know what Christmas is all about and celebrate it in excessive splendor. They also happen to be two of the sweetest children who are able to express gratitude through their exuberance. Theo jumped up and down in excitement at the doll I gave her- but made sure to let me know she was thankful. Kaleb exclaimed "I can't believe you got this for me!!!" (I suspect I could have picked up a twig from outside and wrapped it and he would've said the same thing). That was a morning I definitely wanted to be present for.


And tomorrow- I will write about the rest of my trip: Snowy wintry Winnipeg, and New Years...

Christmas 2007: I don't know where to start

so I'll start at the beginning. This goes way back...20 years back... I think I'm 12 in this picture? It's Christmas with my cousins Shaun and Chris, and my two brothers Stefan and David.


I used to have a whole other family. I was quite lucky because even though I had four families (a common by-product of divorced and remarried parents) and half of them lived on the other side of the country- the other half (Mom's family and Stepmom's family) were in Alberta. And I had close relationships with both groups. Me and my brothers were older than all of the other cousins (read: bossy) but we still had a lot of fun and a lot of good times together.
Unfortunately when my Dad died me and my brothers pulled away from one part of the family. There is no easy response as to why and certainly not one I would get into on a blog- but suffice to say it was a decision with heavy consequences that I would come to regret many times over the next 15 years.
But we're now in 2008 and things have begun again. I spent Christmas Eve with my Stepmom and the family for the first time in 15 years. And it was awesome. Here's a picture of me & Stefan with Paula and Florence. (yes I've changed a little) (I posted a pic of the boys Chris & Shaun in an earlier post to see how they've changed).


Christmas Day was spent in the usual fashion of opening gifts in the morning and eating the best breakfast ever (Canadian bacon on English muffins). In the evening we had a simpler dinner with just Stefan, Mom, Cliff and I. I wasn't sure how that was going to go down but it was really great. We don't sit down as a family often enough and it gave us a chance to really chat.
Then Mom, Stefan and I played over 3 hours of Rummykub- the BEST GAME EVER! (if you like rummy).
Boxing Day is my Grandma's birthday (she's 83 this year) and we always gather at an aunt's house to have b-day cake and share our stories of boxing day shopping (how long it took to park, where were the best deals etc).


Well we had that this year, but we also did something else. My Aunt Claire got a game with conversation prompters like "If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?" or "Tell us about a difficult situation in your life and how it made you stronger." Some difficult questions at the best of times. And we 'played' for two hours. I can't remember ever having such a meaningful conversation with my extended family. (And then we had ice cream cake- best.)


(And just so you know- I was going to put up a picture of my secondDad here- but Cliff specifically threatened bodily harm if I did so!!!) But here is my Mom- I think she's shining.


More to follow tomorrow- the trip to Winnipeg, the boxing day booze fest at Lori's, the visit with Lola's offspring in Cochrane, the potluck... oh it goes on my friends. It goes on.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I realize that there has already been a lot of coverage and pictures and posts about the massive snowfall that Ontario received this past weekend- but here's my own experience of it.
I went to Waterloo for the weekend to visit rellies for Christmas. We had it all planned- my cousin Jo was picking me up at the bus station- we'd go get my hair cut and gossip over tea... then we'd pick up her daughters (I feel like they are my nieces and often refer to them as such for ease of explanation) Isabel and Emily who are 7 and 8. We went to se the movie "Enchanted" - very excited. Everyone loved it- and had popcorn and M&Ms and sugary beverages.
We left the theatre around 3:30pm and it was already starting to snow heavily. Jo knew that a storm was coming and so she dropped me off at my uncle Frank and Aunt Leagh's house and hurried home to get off the roads. Isabel (Belle to me and Izzy to others) stayed with me.
We hunkered down and had a cozy night watching Christmas specials while the adults drank Bailey's.

The next morning we woke to a winter wonderland. It was the BEST kind of snowfall. The whole city at a standstill- succumbing to the majesty of old man winter. But it was white and fluffy and beautiful- and not too freezing (if you were bundled up).


Frank, Leagh and I dressed up (I wore my new boots that I LOVE) and shoveled the driveway while Isabel made some lunch. I'm glad Frank had the snow blower- but it was still heavy going.

It was the greatest feeling to come in from the frosty outdoors be greeted with the old school scent of Lipton Chicken Noodle soup- with the warmth of the home. I loved it.

Belle and I then decided to brave the outside again to go for a walk. I got us to the end of the side street and said "Oh Belle I dont think we can do this. Tim Horton's is too far away- we might not make it."
To which Isabel replied (very sternly) "Sarah I'm not a giver upper. We're going!!" So I laughed and said "Alright Belle- Let's do this"
And we did. We made it to Tim's, had some milk and tea and got some groceries at the nearby Price Choppers and made it back to the house in just under two hours. It was a great adventure- and I'm glad I had her company.

It really was a bit of magic to have everyone tucked away inside and everything so quiet outside. When I got back to the city and wandered down Queen Street in Toronto- it was just so quiet and peaceful. For whatever reason I'm having a love affair with the snow this season- and loving all the peace and beauty it brings. (Maybe because we're Canadian and having warm winters is scary.) I say Let it Snow.

The Christmas festivities begin...

I had the most Christmas-y Saturday ever!! First I went to my dear friends Eric & Mario for a brunch. I made my hammalicious muffins (see a previous post for recipe) and chowed down on baked French toast and low fat bacon. Doesn't sound super yum but it was was. Then I got my ass beat down in a game of X-box- "scene it" and ran out of there in shame.
I actually ran out to go to my friends Robyn & Ivan's house to do some gingerbread house assembly. It was fantastic. Robyn made the gingerbread from scratch and we had all the ingredients to create a castle. Ivan came in to art direct. It was pretty intense as I was actually using tweezers in order to apply the silver balls. And Edlynne had this idea to take opaque candy, melt it down into shapes in order to form transclucent windows. no- this was not your average gingerbread house!!

I discovered Mulled wine-and we polished off 1.5L of the stuff- so good. (do not use powedered spices: uses the actual spices of cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg- as well as orange rind).

Then we finished things off by watching, in the cozy basement, covered in blankets, my favourite movie of ALL TIME: "It's a Wonderful Life". Robyn had never seen it- and LOVED it (of course). Ivan had never seen it and I won't bore you with his (lack of) response.
I love that movie. It was such a wonderful day. Here is a pic of the final casa. Worthy of the most discerning elf surely.

For real??

Can someone please explain to me how this woman is ON TV?! She is on National TV making the stupidest comment- that just reflects badly on Christians everywhere. Just watch for yourself...

Sympathy for South Carolina

I just had my own South Carolina moment... I was thanking the former mayor of Toronto for coming in to speak about the United Way to our team of senior staff here at work. I hadn't prepared anything to say but while she was speaking I thought - oh if I'm called on to talk I could say x: and x sounded good in my head, but on the way from my head to my mouth it transformed into something else. Something like bflxy78xsz. I started to ramble and just throw words together- not in any sort of order or anything mind you- and I floated out of my body and looked down and thought "Sarah- STOP talking!! Just STOP IT!!"
I managed to tidy it up and say a proper thank you by the end- and people politely applauded, but I still feel just like Ms. South Carolina in the Miss. USA paegent.



Okay, I wasn't that bad, but then again my standards are a lot higher.

Newest family member

There is a newest member of the Mitton family! Her name is Shelby- and she is the tiniest little thing. She's my uncle Ross's GRANDDAUGHTER, and the first great grandchild of the family. And with her arrival, as everyone adopts new roles, our identities shift slightly...
Here she is with the newest Grampy.

This is Sam and Sydney with her- they are her aunts - I would love to have been an aunt at that age (13 and 11).

And here is my cousin Elisa- also her aunt. Elisa, Sam, Sydney- you're AUNTS! I hope you're as good as mine have been to me :) (I think it's a really under reated but important relationship).

And yes time passes

Paula sent me some pictures of the family, as of course I was curious about everyone... the last time I saw Shaun and Chris (cousins) they were 8 or 10 or something??? This is them now...


The adults at least look the same (just a little older)- but I wouldn't know these guys if I passed them on the street. so crazy.

Here comes the Sun.

You know how somethings will happen, and they are unexpected and you are so happy for it. And then you stop and look around and can't believe how happy you are because of how much you have to be thankful for. And how many blessings you have- whatever you want to call them.
A dear friend of mine is going through this exercise in the month of November where everyday she posts something that she is thankful for. It's a nice sentiment as it gives her cause to pause and think about what are not just the big things (husband/kids) she is thankful for, but also the little things that make up a life (oranges and games). So of course it's caused me to pause and reflect upon what are my own riches- and at this moment-at this particular moment in time- I have an abundance that would surpass a year of Novembers.

First of all, my Stepmother, who I haven't been in touch with for MORE than TEN years- emailed me yesterday. I emailed her back tonight. It was so amazing to hear from her, as that is one relationship in my life that I have really missed. It was one of things that I thought I would fix "one day", and one day became ten years. Yet I knew if it didn't happen then it would become of the bigger regrets in my life. Not to say that everything is all rosy again- but Paula emailed me- she made the first step- for which I'm grateful- and I've responded. We'll see where we go from here. : )
And I think it's also due to my uncle Frank who is so good about keeping in touch via various forwards- which mostly just serve to let me know he's thinking about me. But there was the added element of seeing Paula's email address on them recently which has likely prompted this reaching out...

This is a sunny picture of some daffodils that David took with the new camera he got from my parents...
Which leads nicely to my next great thing: an email from my second Dad Cliff. I was commenting to my brother that though I talk to my Mom on a fairly regular basis I haven't talked to Cliff in months (since the spring I think) and that just wasn't right... but we've now been chatting for the past couple of days- and it's been great. He's doling out advice and telling me he's proud and being all 'parenty'...I just felt so good to "talk" with him... and I'm vowing not to let so much time pass again.
Those are the big things ... but the little unexpected things add up as well...
- Dinner with friends I haven't seen in awhile.
- Unexpected run ins with old friends who are like rays of sunshine.
- Good news to share (the boy called back)- and realizing that I had enough friends I wanted to share it with that I ran out of room on my text messaging "to" list- and that's an awesome problem to have.
- Old friends from high school coming back into my life.
- Starting the day off by sharing the subway with an acquaintance who is beaming with positivity.
- A great conversation with the President of Leo- which helped me feel that I have begun to set down roots in this new home.
I could go on - but this blog is already too long (and probably too boring for anyone but the diehard) without relevant pictures...
I just feel I have a lot to be thankful for. And be happy about. And I am both of those things. Just beaming. Just like I was in this moment in Agra in India. And it's not the magnificence of Taj doing it: but just... the magnificence of life.

Why is it so hard to do something so simple?

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1875, (Though Wikipedia clarifies that it was really some Italian dude 16yrs earlier who just couldn't afford the patent). I suspect if the first call he'd had to make was to a girl he liked, instead of just his assistant Watson, then the first call would have happened a lot later.

Let me put forth a hypothetical situation: A girl meets a guy in a pub (very important distinction: it was NOT a bar, it was a pub- hypothetically). They seem to hit it off- though boy doesn't leave with the girl's number. He does however rectify the situation by calling the bar and leaving his number with his friend still there- to give to said girl. Which is almost even MORE effort than just giving the number to begin with- and therefore better. (Though in retrospect it was really just him getting out of the heavy lifting!)

So now the girl has the number. And what does she do with it? She watches Heroes. (good episode by the way) and goes to bed.
I'm soooo glad I'm not a guy that has to face these pressures all the time.
And the worst part is that it's just a phone call! What happens when the face to face happens?! I don't remember how to do this anymore... dating gay boys is so much easier. Er...hypothetically speaking of course.

Makes me laugh

I know this was posted 2 years ago but it's so funny. (and I secretly love this song)

The world is full of odd things and it makes me thankful.

I was in a meeting today at work (where else?) and before the meeting began I was telling the group about this insane article I had read earlier. It was about a "treeman" - who had this incredibly rare disease that didn't allow him to ... well I won't get into it- but here is his picture. Turns out if he has high doses of Vitamin A administered to him- this problem will likely go away. He was from Jakarta, Indonesia.
OK- I Had a picture of this poor guy up here - but it was just too horrific and I had to take it down. If you want to see the guy (who IS going to get better) you can see through this link here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/14/wtree114.xml

This story immediately prompted a dozen others from those around the table:
"Did you hear about the feral child in the Ukraine who was raised by dogs?"
"I saw a show last night about this woman who had elephantitus and her legs weighed 140lbs each"
"Well - did any of you see the Indian baby who was born with 8 limbs?" (I did see that one- another happy ending. A 36 hour surgery where the doctors removed a parasitic twin from the lively 2 year old- and she's going to be okay. The ironic thing is: If she had been born in Canada she would have been labelled a freak. She was born in India- where many of the Hindu gods have multiple limbs- and so she was revered as a goddess. In fact her parents named her Lakshmi- the same name given to the original goddess- wife of Shiva (the god of destruction) *ahem*.) Here is a picture of her- just before surgery.

I was just really struck by how many oddities the room was able to share- and moved to be thankful that, with all I have to deal with, my problems are miniscule compared to what some people have to face. And what could be a huge problem in a place like Jakarta is easily treated in a country like Canada. And while I'm sure that there are those with equally rare problems here- we have social assistance and health care to help. I'm so thankful to call this place my home! And I'm so thankful that right now I just worry about managing debt or finding time to exercise. I hear about these tragedies and say a prayer for those afflicted, and am thankful for the problems I have for they are not really problems at all.

wicked games

"If this strike lasts longer than three months, an entire season of television will end this December. No dramas. No comedies. No Daily Show. The strike will also prevent any pilots from being shot in the spring, so even if the strike is settled by then, you won’t see any new shows until the following January. As in 2009. Both the guild and the studios we are negotiating with do agree on one thing: this situation would be brutal.”

Seriously?? I read this quote from a celebrity blog today… and it made me think… would it be so horrible if this was the case? If we didn’t have new TV for ALL of 2008? Even though I LOVE TV- and watch it far more than I should- I almost think it would be a blessing in disguise.
Remember those ads that used to play at the beginning of movies for anti-piracy? You know- they showed the “regular joe” who worked as a ‘key grip’ or something on the set and he said “if you keep pirating movies- I’m the one that loses his job. It hurts me, not the big execs. Stop or these movies will cease to be made”.
To me that was a great outcome- not that the working stiff would lose his job- but that big budget movies would cease to be made (I don't think there is as much of an industry to pirate the indie flicks).
Most of the movies that are produced these days are such garbage- and actors get paid insane amounts of money to make them. So what if they don’t get made anymore? Are we really going to suffer? Or are we going to then be forced to watch quality movies made by independent producers- and actually give them a chance to shine? Maybe Cameron Diaz won’t work again but I personally wouldn’t miss her.
And now- here with the TV. How horrible would it be if I didn't want to race home on Thursday nights to watch "The Office", or eschew plans with friends on Sunday night in favour of "Family Guy" (not that I do that- really). Of course a downside is that there would be a proliferation of reality TV- as that is ‘unscripted’- but there would also be more free time for us to read, or go out, or play games, or engage with our friends. I’d LOVE to see the impact on our society if there was ‘no new TV' - but I don't see that happening... something will work out. (or maybe there will be non-stop "Beauty and the Geek"- which wouldn't make me terribly unhappy either!)

Remembrance

Today is Remembrance Day- and there are various ceremonies being held throughout the city. I meant to look them up last night- and attend one today but of course didn't do that until 10:45 this morning and the ceremony started near me at 10:55am.

In Alberta people have Remembrance Day off- and in Ontario that luxury is only for civil servants. When I first moved here I thought "How horrible- they don't honour their war vets?! They treat it as just another day?!" But then I thought about what we did in Calgary- and though there may have been ceremonies happening around the city on that day- aside from school- I had never attended one. Remembrance Day had become just another day off. Another day to sleep in and go shopping or see a movie. So maybe it's better this way?
A few years ago I saw the show 'Band of Brothers' (most of it). It's a 10 part series dedicated to WWII and told in such detailed (& horrific) detail. But not just about the battlefield- but also the moments leading up to it- and moments afterwards. What really differentiated it from other war movies- was that being told over 10 hours- it really gave you time to understand and know the characters. I felt as though I would get to know a character, and become attached to that character, in a way I wouldn't with a regular 2 hour movie.
In this way, when one of the soldiers would die in battle, it meant that much more. You could, in the tiniest little way, feel a bit of the pain, or if not feel it- then have a greater appreciation for it. And be able to empathize. It just resulted in a more powerful and personally moving appreciation of what the war meant.
I like to think that I have a respect for those that fought, and continue to fight. I also think that the more I expose myself to the history of the wars- and the realities- the less I will forget how lucky I am, we are, to be here. And to have our freedoms. And to be able to live the life we choose.
I don't feel as though I honoured the vets today- and I really wish I'd gone to a ceremony to show public support- but I did remember. I said a prayer for those that fought (including my own Grandfathers) and those that continue to fight. And I remembered to be thankful.

I hate Air Canada

No time to write why right now... but I do.

Who is this girl?!

I ran into my roommie Paul today in our lobby - he on the way out, me on the way in. I asked his advice about defrosting chicken- as I was preparing some ginger chicken for dinner. I was also wearing workout clothes as I had just come from the gym.
He asked me "Who are you?! And what have you done with my lazy, slothy roommate Sarah who has a regular diet of frozen dinners & M&Ms??" (Ok he didn't use such derogatory wording, but I could see them bubbling beneath the surface and it was only his good breeding keeping them down).
Yes- that is a SECOND dinner I've made in three days. I'm thisclose to become Nigella Lawson. Yes I even know who Nigella Lawson is...
I also got to see my ex-roommie Eric tonight- it was soo good to see him, I hadn't seen him since before I went to India. I gave him his 30th birthday present (which I cant' post because I got something similar for Jen & Kirsti's wedding present: that I still haven't given them). But I think he liked it. Also - Eric had HAIR- which was shocking. I've known him for 8 years (or so) and I've never seen him with hair before!! He looked so grown up. Here's a picture of him from Jen and Kirsti's wedding - with Mario- this is pre-hair. I'll take one this weekend of him to post.

Mini miracles

Last night something happened that hasn't happened for a long time. I pulled out a cookbook (a Christmas present from two years ago), cracked the spine and used a recipe. I made vegetarian chili but with ground chicken instead. (And added mushrooms). All la di da... look at me- just tossing in mushrooms, without a care in the world, even though they weren't part of the original recipe.
The dish turned out great- which was good since I had it for dinner, lunch and then dinner again.
This is all part of my new efforts to bring lunch to work, eat healthier, and save money. For those that know me- cooking is a rarely done activity- but I'm hoping not a novelty soon enough.
By the way - the recipe came from a book called "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry". It's a low fat cook book- FULL of recipes of regular dishes, slightly modified. It's a fun book because it's filled with fun food facts and jokes. It's a friendly cookbook.

The trainwreck finds validation

Everyone knows that Britney Spears is a complete train wreck and needs professional help (she's probably going to find herself in a 'tragic' demise due to the paparazzi before that happens)
But the killer part is she is STILL SUCCESSFUL! Her CD is #1 on most countries lists for itunes. Not just the song but her whole CD. She didn't do any promotions beyond abandoning her kids and partying it up- and having it all captured by US magazine- and she's #1.


I told a friend the other day that her CD (while it may actually be good) is not really a demonstration of Britney's abilities or talents, but more of a showcase of the talent around her- it acts as a commercial teaser of the different producer's who worked on the album.
The whole album is manufactured and synthesized- great- but created in a studio after the artist has long left the building...

Sometimes shoes are more interesting than celebrities.

I met some friends for dinner last night that I haven't seen in FOREVER. We went to Six Steps for drinks, but ended up chatting for so long we stayed for dinner. It was a bit over priced - but decent. The company made up for it.
Near the end of dinner I realized that we were sitting next to Ben Mulroney. I know he was eavesdropping on our conversation because he turned his head when we were talking about Jane's new 1940s shoes. She'd bought them at the goodwill that day for $8. They were gorgeous- but Jane had so much detail about what identified them as from the 1940s. I think that Ben was fascinated.
I'm posting a picture of him- this is pretty much what he looked like: A POSER.

And I'm back!

My relationship with Wordpress didn't work out. I'm back.