Ottawa again ... and yes, it was awesome!

I went to Ottawa again in February. And, yes, it was awesome!

And the only pics I took were of the fantastic Indian food (with exception to this elephant)! I didn't even take pics of the wonderful person I shared the meal with and much of the weekend with! That took restraint! haha. Even when the waiter offered to take our picture, I didn't pass off my camera to get a picture. And maybe that was the best choice. I aim to live in the moment when I can and enjoy each moment, but maybe the camera gets in the way sometimes. I love taking pictures but conversation flowed, we laughed, we tasted, dare I say we indulged. There was no need to take pictures of us enjoying the time together. Although, don't get me wrong ... next time I want a picture together. :D But only if it seems like it's a good thing and not getting in the way of being in the moment. Maybe it can be adding to the moment in some situations.

The food ... the BUTTER CHICKEN!!! Let's face it, the food was all amazing, but this was the star! This is what stands out in my mind! I can picture the caramel-like colour (without looking at the picture). I can taste the buttery goodness. And can feel the texture of the tender chicken in my mouth. Better butter chicken than I've ever had!

Oh, and the garlic naan... mmm ...

The frozen hands and legs were well worth it for this food!

Ottawa was so worth it! It was a time of connecting, having fun, exploring possibilities, learning ...  and I look forward to more times like this!

Today was a good day!

The day started off relatively normally, although I was looking forward to the meeting downtown later in the morning. I chose to catch the train to the meeting because the train is close to work and the end stop was close to the destination. I just missed the first train, so I ended up being a little late, but that seemed to be ok. The meeting was for the opening celebration of an OT program in Calgary based out of the U of A. I'm excited about potential prospects coming from this program - like maybe doing some teaching for U of A. The celebration was good, and the discussions following were good too. It was interesting to me that I seemed to know everyone in the room except for the 12 new students in the program. What was more strange for me is how so many actually sought me out to talk to me. That doesn't usually happen. I was informally offered a teaching position by one person, and by the same person, was told I am an "animated speaker" that they need as an instructor. Another person said they've been watching, aware of where I'm at, and also mentioned the possibility of teaching for them. These people who made the comments are the ones who actually interviewed me a few years ago when I was trying to get a faculty position. It sounds like I made an impression. I am excited about these possibilities, although nothing is set in stone and I can't go by anything at this time. I will definitely have to look at my work situation in that case. I saw a posting today that really sparked my interest and is only a 0.6 FTE. If they officially offered me something, I'd consider applying for this. But I also am not looking for other employment. Ever since I was in OT school, I thought I'd like a healthy split between clinical and teaching - like 60 / 40. The travels home on the train were semi-eventful. The first train, the accessible ramp did not lower and the height difference was about the height of a curb. I can't exactly jump that, then slow down quickly to not hit anyone inside the train. So I had to wait for the next one. I later reflected and wondered if I actually checked if the train was the correct one. Downtown, there are 2 options, and believe me, taking the wrong one would have gotten me quite far from my destination! I also really enjoyed being downtown on my scooter in summer! I miss that. It's like old times. I returned to work after the celebration. It was neither here nor there. I was pleased, though, when I checked my pay stub, to find I've now been moved up to the next salary level. :) Yup, a good day all around!

In Memory of Grandma

A few weeks ago, I saw a bag of Lifesavers. I was reminded of Grandma, so I bought the bag, sort of on an impulse. I didn't open them, though, until today (or technically yesterday, May 17). May 17 was her birthday. She was almost 100 years old when she passed away. I was in the room when she died. It was more peaceful than I would have expected. There is kind of a neat story behind her death. She wasn't ready to go for a long time, even though she was quite elderly. She had spunk. She had a desire to love. To give. To serve. To make blankets for people, even when her eyesight was going. But, I believe it was the night before she passed away, she had a dream about going to heaven, if I remember correctly. After the dream, she desperately wanted to talk to the chaplain about this dream. Then, she was ready to go. It didn't take long after this. I wish I remembered the details of the dream. I know I heard the story. Something in the dream made her feel ready to meet Jesus. I often regret I didn't make the effort to learn how to communicate in Low German. She was most comfortable speaking this language. Instead, she spoke to me in German, and I spoke to her in English, and we conversed quite well. Grandma lived in the same town as us, just 2 streets over, so my sister and I often went to Grandma's on our bikes. I remember trying different foods she made - homemade raspberry juice. I liked that, but I remember Julie wasn't so fond of it. Her yummy cookies, especially the white ones with icing and coconut. Kielke and gravy. And I remember the cookoo clock. I'd still like to have that one day, but I guess it went to someone else. I remember her laugh and her crinkly eyes. She was a beautiful person, inside and out.

Lifesavers are a symbol of Grandma. Every time we went to her place, she gave each of us kids a 3-pack of Lifesavers. Sometimes a few packs. We all had our favourites. Mine was yellow, I believe Julie preferred orange, and I believe Casey preferred red. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but we rarely fought over the colours, because sometimes we had to share packs. Or, we gave our least favourite colours away and collected all the candies from the packs in our favourite colours. I remember sharing Lifesavers with my cousins, particularly one cousin. Maybe next time I see her, I should bring my bag of Lifesavers with. :) My favourite Lifesaver colours are yellow and orange. Today, I savoured the flavours. I remembered and I am remembering as I type. I have happy memories. And I also really tasted the candies. I noticed the orange ones have a sourness to them that I really enjoy. The yellow ones (particularly the lemon ones) do as well. Hmm ... maybe that was the beginning of me loving sour - anything. Lemons, candies, juice. No, not anything. Lol. Sour milk, which I also had today, is not particularly enjoyable! I'm laughing just thinking about that. Anyway, I digress. I don't have any pictures to share of me and Grandma, or even of Grandma herself. I wasn't into taking pictures as much back then. But I want to say, I love you Grandma. And Lifesavers will always remind me of you!

I must be doing better ...

A few minutes ago, I was reflecting on something. This past week, I've taken some 'me time' a couple times. I think I've been living life at break-neck speed, doing something pretty much every day and just not taking time for 'quiet time' and 'me time'. I've been thinking a lot lately about priorities in life. Last weekend was 'earth hour'. I took time to shut down everything electronic and turned off the lights, spending the evening alone with candlelight, my journal, my Bible, and, of course, my camera. It had been a month since I last journaled. I enjoyed taking pictures of the candlelight and the way the candles made shadowy patterns on the walls. I'm sure I took about 100 pictures (no exaggeration!). Mind you, most of those pics did not turn out because I was trying to get shadows that were constantly moving with each flicker of the candles. Still, it was fun. Yesterday and today, I got in the mood for taking pictures again. And I realized ... I'm doing better than I have been. Taking pictures helps me with my overall well-being. I don't think I had noticed my overall well-being slipped somewhat. Today, I found myself standing outside, without a jacket in the falling snow, taking pictures and enjoying it. I had been very frustrated with the snow outside, particularly earlier today. This morning, it looked like the stairs were a ramp instead of individual stairs, and the path I use to get to my car was quite deep as well. I was glad for my canes to give me balance as the slushiness under the snow was giving way and my feet were slipping with each step. So, I was surprised when, as I was coming in from my car, a car zoomed by and totally covered me in slush. I actually started smiling. Almost laughing. And I found myself looking forward to going back outside with camera in hand after changing my clothes. I didn't venture far, as it's not exactly the safest for me to be walking about today, but I got some neat pictures.

What Super Hero Am I?

What Super Hero am I? I went to a Super Hero party a couple weeks ago. I dressed up as a Super Hero and the picture below was my cape. After a few guesses, I will post my Super Hero name. Isn't the symbol cool, though? I found the picture and basically printed it off in black and white to change the colour composition from blue and white and coloured in the white parts my favourite colour - orange. It kind of goes with some nicknames I've had in the past, namely Speedy and most recently Spitfire. This picture is now posted on my office door at work.

Hint: look at the big 'W' on the design.

Super W_______ to the rescue!!!!

Baseball in the Snow, Time Travel, and Roasting Mini Marshmallows over a Candle

Today, as I headed to my car to go meet up with a friend, I took a few minutes to just enjoy what I saw. The first thing I noticed as I stepped outside and looked across the road to the schoolyard was a guy running around what appeared to be some bases and then sliding in the snow, making an awesome powder splash. I don't know what else to call it. But it was cool. These people looked like they were having so much fun playing baseball in the snow. The ball was bright orange instead of white. It didn't seem to be a league game, but they did seem to be die-hard baseball fans with friendly camaraderie and bantering. I thought it would be so much fun to play baseball in the snow, run around the bases, and do a cool slide onto the base to avoid getting tagged out. I tried, for several minutes, to get a good shot of someone sliding, but I didn't catch one. Oh well. I still enjoyed watching these people have fun! I also enjoyed the feeling of sitting in enjoyment, just watching the action.

Later, I met up with a friend and we went to the Science museum. I learned a lot about Albert Einstein. I had no idea he was such a pacifist! He hates the idea that he is connected with creating atomic energy and the atomic bomb. He came up with a theory that has been used for that, and he ended up on some councils regarding the use of atomic energy. He also cried, 'Woe is me' when he learned of the Hiroshima bombing in Japan, as he was the one who informed the US that they should consider looking at developing an atomic bomb because Germany seemed to be developing knowledge in the area at a rapid rate and had the potential to cause great damage. His ideas on time relativity really got me thinking about the concept that our frame of reference of time could be totally different than someone, say, in space. The ideas also lead to the whole concept of time travel. I need to think more about this concept. The theories seemed to be understandable, but the concept itself still seems hard to wrap my head around.

In the evening, a couple friends (including the friend I went to the museum with) came over to my place. We picked up some awesome food at The Main Dish in Bridgeland. After our main course, we had a chocolate fondue with strawberries, mini marshmallows, graham crackers, grapes, mini oranges, cashew nuts, etc. We attempted to roast marshmallows and make smores, but the roasting was not very successful. We started mini fires instead.  Which was fun in its own way. Dipping the marshmallows in the chocolate was still good. We had great food and enjoyed connecting through conversation. We realized that we have actually known each other for about 7 years.

Jamming and Connecting

Yesterday, I had a really good day! The highlights of my day included jamming - with drums - and connecting with a couple people. Jamming has a neat way of bringing people together. It's a different kind of connecting where you're both in that moment and really enjoying yourselves. I notice it especially when you get into a groove, when it's tight, and you make eye contact and you can tell the other person (or people) is also really enjoying themselves. Later, I had a good conversation with another person. It felt good to connect on a personal level. Jamming, eating good food and connecting are good things!

Me and Cooking ... we don't get along so well

Maybe it's because when I try to cook something other than my usual basics, I try to be creative. I like to try new things that look easy. Yet, I don't know if that's what would explain today's cooking mishap. I decided I wanted pancakes. I have some instant stuff - the stuff you just add milk, an egg, and some oil. At least for waffles. See, when I saw the box, I decided - "no, I really want waffles". Then, I thought, "hm, I should make a yummy sauce. Something different. Something healthy." The sauce actually turned out quite good, by the way. But, the waffles, on the other hand, did not. I thought I had a non-stick waffle iron.  Not so much. I stopped making waffles after one, where it stuck on so hard on the top and bottom and just split the waffle apart. I worked for a while at scraping it off, but I had to be somewhere in about half an hour by the time I stopped. So, pancakes it was, albeit waffle dough instead of pancake dough. A slight different texture. The pancakes were alright but many were a little burnt. I have yet to learn what temperature to set the element at - whether it's higher heat or lower heat.

I take a diversion now to talk about the sauce.  I tried to figure out what ingredients I had and remembered I had some frozen mango in the freezer. I went to the internet to find a 'mango sauce' for waffles. I found one that looked easy, and in fact, I don't think anyone could go wrong in making it. There's literally no cooking involved. It was simply pureed mango, some water, some sugar, and some lemon juice. I guess it was meant to be a cold sauce. I'm guessing it would be good for ice cream. Mm ... maybe that's what I'll do with the leftovers. But I also have another idea for it. Frying it. Yes, you read correctly. See, while making the pancakes, I put some of the mango sauce in the pancakes. Very good, I must say! Then, I decided to try to fry some separately. Only thing is that the leftover oil in the pan started smoking and I set off the smoke detector. (At least it works!) That, and the sauce started bouncing - as in, tiny little balls of the sauce started jumping around. It was cool to watch. In fact, I was mesmorized by it for a moment. The smell of the frying mango sauce was divine! I think the frying of the sauce actually sweetened it a bit more. It made the sauce a bit more of an apple sauce texture. I still have about a cup of sauce left to try out all sorts of things. Or just to eat plain. I guess my new experimentation wasn't so bad afterall.

See, the only time I actually enjoy cooking is when I do experiments. But I need to be in the mood to do experiments in the kitchen. The rest of the time, I make food because I need to eat. On occasion, I make certain foods because I am really looking forward to the outcome. Then, I enjoy cooking too. It's different when I'm cooking for or with other people. I enjoy it so much more. I guess the people factor - whether it's for someone else or with other people - brings meaning to the activity.

A New Way To Eat Oatmeal

I like eating Oatmeal for breakfast. I try different things, either for the purpose of increasing nutrition or experimenting with taste.  I often add peanut butter. Today I tried Nutella. Mm Yum! It's super quick and easy. Here's the recipe:

1/3 c oatmeal (uncooked)
2/3 c water
1 tbsp peanut butter or nutella
optional: add cinnamon to taste

In this recipe, no extra salt or sugar are needed as they are in abundance in the peanut butter or nutella.

Microwave: 1/2 min, stir in the now-melted peanut butter or nutella, another minute on high. Make sure you're using a large enough bowl or mug that allows for the oatmeal to boil and come up as the oatmeal cooks.

Let the cooked oatmeal sit for a few minutes. Then enjoy!

Note: the oatmeal / water ratio is 2:1 water to oatmeal so you can increase the amounts.
You could also add a little milk when it's cooked, if you prefer, or you could substitute some of the water with milk.

Today was a Good Day

It started off well.  I woke up at a decent hour and had some quiet time. I got ready for the day and started working on a document I need to prepare.  I also followed up with some phone calls, although I wasn't totally impressed with some of those results. When making my lunch, I got a call about an interview - for a 'real' OT job. The role is for working with youth who have eating disorders. I did a placement in this area and really liked it. So, we'll see. I went for a workout, then went grocery shopping.  Yesterday, I was invited to this event of sorts for today - preparation for a birthday gift for someone I know a little bit.  I knew none of my 'typical' friends (as in the ones I hang out with all the time) would be there, so I went to this event wondering how long I'd stick around.  Alas, I was one of the last to leave! It ended up being me and the 'crazy ladies' from church and a couple other people - seriously they call themselves that. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. And it was so good seeing my landlady with such a bright smile on her face. I haven't seen her so happy in a long time. I got a great video of one of the ladies singing and trying to do a trick with a fan. It was so funny. It's not on my camera, though, so I can't post it. But I'd certainly love to! Seriously, I didn't imagine I'd have so much fun! I like those unexpected moments. And, my evening ended with a really good conversation and hearing some awesome news.

Have you ever noticed birds' wings flutter when they chirp?

I know I haven't posted in a while.  I'm not exactly sure what to post about.  I've kind of hit a slump.  I've lost some motivation in looking for work and even in getting my business going.  The looking for work is very discouraging.  The getting-the-business going - well, it hasn't been hugely successful yet and it looks like a lot of work.  I don't know exactly where to start to get it off the ground again, although this weekend I did a lot of brain storming.  I'm looking at the idea of providing piano / keyboard lessons for people with disabilities.  My OT training should come in handy with that and I do have 7 years experience giving lessons.  I definitely have a lot of things to think about and do.  Getting the word out there will be a big challenge. Finding a place to provide the lessons will also take some organizing and networking. During my reflection time, I was also thinking about some other things in my life and feeling a little discouraged.  Something neat happened while I was thinking about that.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move.  I turned my face to see a bird hopping along the edge of the garage roof. It just struck me as neat.  I watched the bird for a while longer, and I noticed that as it chirped, it's wings fluttered and I was in awe.  Haha.  In awe at a little bird. The intricacies of it's movements.  It reminded me that God cares about and provides for everything a little bird needs - how much more does he care for us as humans, made in his reflection.

Finally ... a little dog that fits in my scooter basket

Today it's snowing. But I wanted to go for a quick 'walk' on my scooter. I wanted to take some pictures, but I didn't really find anything I wanted to take a picture of except for the dog in my scooter basket. See, I figured I'd take Molly out for a walk. Molly fits nicely in my scooter basket. Some of the time she was running alongside the scooter, and most of the time she was in the basket. She also sat on the bottom for about 2 minutes while coming back into the car garage. Here are some pics.

It feels good to take care of yourself

Today, maybe in act of procrastinating in my packing, I got a haircut. It feels good to get a haircut. And, I love it when they massage my head when washing my hair. Anyway, I've been thinking for a while I should get a haircut, just to clean up my look a bit. It probably helps in the whole job search process too. Anyway, here are a few pics from my web cam. :D But, it took so long for her to dry my hair, then straighten it. Not like I'll be doing that on a daily basis.

Coffee / Tea with a spoon in it

Some of you may know of my little habit where I leave a teaspoon in my cup of coffee or tea. Only a few have picked up on this habit. Of those few were my practicum students this last go-round. So, they bought me a mug with a spoon. The mug has an attachment for the spoon when it's not in my cup. I found that quite amusing. :D Hey, they were using good observational skills to notice the little things.

A Moment of 'Christmas' - A second wind of Birthday

When I got home today, I found a package by my door. My excitement grew. I love packages. :) Well, as long as they are good packages - not some bomb or something. Not that I've experienced that and not that I plan to. But packages in the mail are always fun. But, after a brief moment, I double checked to make sure it was mine because my old roommate still gets stuff here. Sure enough it was mine.

No pictures today, folks (but apparently, I'm a "picture crazy" "ant" ;) Thanks B! LOL). I thought, after the fact, this story would have made a good picture . This time, you get to picture this on your own.

So here goes ... picture this...

I walk to my room to open the package. To sit and enjoy the experience. The bed is made. There are a few clothes lying on the bed. Ok, more than just a few, but not a big pile. I'm sitting on the bed, with a reddish - maroonish coloured long sleeve t-shirt on and a pair of jeans. My socks are brown with an orange flower on them. I'm sitting cross-legged. My hair has a couple clips in it, holding my hair back, almost in a half pony tail. Silvery clips with sequins. It is dreary-looking outside - it seems to be snowing. (Oops, I said the 's' word). Because it's darker outside, my bedroom light is on.

I am a little eager in opening the package. Afterall, by then I had read who it was from and knew it was a present for me. :D I remember a text message from my niece a few days ago asking me what my favourite colour was so I wondered what thing might be orange. :D Thanks K. :D At first I start with care. I snip a corner with a small scissor with orange handles (do you get a theme?), making sure not to cut any contents. Then, I stick my finger in the hole and rip. It is easy at first. Then there is some resistance, so I rip ... hard! In an eager fashion. And there is dust everywhere! It looks like a mouse nest. Seriously! Shredded recycled paper bits. And every time I reach into the package to take out another item, I get more dust all over me and the bed. As I pull out each item, I also am brought back to when I lived in Australia. Christmas in Australia.

When I was in Australia, my family and my small group sent me my birthday presents by mail in boxes (one from each). I had fun pulling out each item, reading the notes and enjoying a laugh by remembering special times. Or smiling at memories or the thoughts that went into the notes and the presents. It was exciting. It was fun. And I also was alone. Not in a bad way. But I lived far away from family. So, there was a bit of nostalgia. A sense of missing my loved ones. And a sense of being loved, knowing they took the time to put something together to send to me. Back then, I was experiencing Christmas in summer time. No snow to be seen. Beautiful green trees like today. Maybe on a day similar to today - well, maybe not - a little hotter perhaps. :D Particularly becaue today, we have sleet, or dare I say the 's' word???

Back to today. The bearers of gifts know me well. They know I like chocolate. Dark chocolate in fact. I find 4 different kind of dark chocolate bars. One I am especially eager to taste - Cherry-Chilli-Chocolate. I am curious. I also find Clod Hoppers, Lindt chocolate, and fizzy Mini-Eggs - these should be interesting too. The orange thing is a bright orange stress ball with a happy face on it. :D There is also a book by a well-known inspirational speaker and a set of encouragement cards. And each of my nieces sent me a picture they drew together with a page of rainbow stickers. Their characters are so evident in the pictures, and I smile, remembering the good times with them. The card has one of my favourite verses, Phil. 1:3 - "I thank my God every time I remember you". It's a good verse when loved ones are far away. And it brings me back to the time I received a note from a friend with this verse inside. The good old days. The front of the card has a little chiding in it - "Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art" - chiding in that I'm aging but also beautiful, in that that aging is a beautiful thing - a work in progress, a wonderful piece of art. The card shows love, both in the card chosen and in the note inside. Thanks C for your thoughtfulness! Thank you all for everything!

With the final reach into the bag to make sure I got everything, I accidentally rip it further - I never knew a mail envelope could look so much like a mouse nest. Or the remains of one. I sit there laughing. My shoulders shaking. My laugh - according to my mom - like a tire rolling down the hill. The mouse nest is everywhere! I will need a vaccuum cleaner to clean up the mess. Then, I pick it up to close it, and accidentally puff more. How is this possible??? There are apparently 2 layers of mouse nest! So, now, it is sitting next to my garbage can. I plan to show the bag to my cousin when she arrives in a couple minutes. We seem to find similar things funny and she is not feeling very well - maybe a good laugh will do her some good. And, maybe we'll share a little chocolate while we watch a movie. In the mean time, I should find some supper. So I don't just eat chocolate for supper.

Zombie Walk

Today, while roaming my community, I came across the Zombie Walk. People were dressed like zombies, walking like zombies. White faces. Faces that were made up to look bloody. Ripped and tattered clothes. Scroll down to see some pictures (some are a little blurry as I couldn't get in close enough to get proper pictures).

A few links about Calgary Zombie Walk:
2006: gives a description: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/117451/
2008: The Dead Mile
Dead End Days - zombie comedy
Zombie costuming


The official T-shirt:




Anatomy of an Outbreak:

Make-up tips for the fashion conscious zombie.
Yes, you do have to dress like a zombie. Those who do not do so are welcome, but risk having their brains eaten by confused zombies. You have to admit - they’re not all that smart, but they know a good living brain when they smell it.
Potentially useful things to keep in mind:
Causes of zombie-ness:
As everyone knows - or should know - zombies are usually attributable to one or more of the following:
- voodoo
- science gone astray - chemical or biological accidents, experiments, viruses and the like
- the apocalypse
Of course, there are many more possibilties. Be creative. Corpses in all stages of decay are encouraged.
For the low-budget zombie:
- Oatmeal and liquid latex works wonders.
- Food colouring and corn syrup makes convincing blood, but sticky. However, also delicious.
- Bloody entrails can be easily made by stuffing pantyhose with old sweatsocks, then soaking the whole thing in a bowl of fake blood.
- Value Village - but I’m sure it’s hardly necessary to mention that. I’ve heard that burying your clothes in the backyard for a week or two can help them look (and smell) extra zombie filthy.

[copied from linked site]



This guy (to the right of the lady) was by far the best dressed up as far as I'm concerned. Too bad I couldn't get a picture of his face. When he was facing me, it freaked me out a little. I didn't get my camera ready in time.






(A little blurry, I know ... but it captured what some of the people looked like)

Even the kids get in on it:



Front and back

Have you ever noticed ...?

Have you ever noticed that when it rains, it appears as though the puddles are reaching up to catch the raindrops? There is this line that appears to connect before the drop splashes into the puddle. Maybe like a bolt of lightening. I tried to capture that with my little digital camera. The pictures are a little grainy and there is some glare, but here's what I'm talking about. Click on the pictures to see the details.

Taste of Summer

Today, temperatures hit the mid-teens and tomorrow they are supposed to be above 20! Yay! A taste of summer!

Instead of going to a coffee shop today, I went to a local Gelato place about a block away. Mm mm good. 1/2 Mango and 1/2 Raspberry. I can still taste it. A taste of summer.