Post-Football Retrospective

So we went to the Football Game. You can cut the testosterone filled air with a Hattori Hanzo sword.

Since I'm not into football, my favourite part of the evening was the drive to the stadium (Toronto is so pretty), dinner and drinks (Baton Rouge - meh), and being with my husband.

St. Lawrence Market

CN Tower

Greggy

Baton Rouge

I want to sleep

Am very tired and I want to sleep but instead I have a lot of meetings, a phone interview, and an Argos vs. Ticats football game to go to at the Rogers Centre tonight. I told my husband I will probably bring a book to the game because football is so boring (he was not amused), so I said: "ha ha, just joking" (I wasn't).

Conversations with T

Midnight. T is 16 this month.

Me: Uhm, why does your room smell like weed?

T: What? Weed?

Me: Yes.

T: Remember when I told you something smells funny in my room? I just sprayed with Fabreeze.

Me: It can't be this Fabreeze cause it's orange scented, and it doesn't smell like oranges in here.

T: Oh, I used the one from downstairs.

Me: It really smells like weed in here. Why is your window open?

T: Mom, now you're making me feel bad! You always told me not to do it!

Me: Why is there a lighter on your windowsill?

T: There's always been a lighter on my windowsill.

Me: Hm.

T: Maybe it's the neighbour!

T: Now you're going to think about this and it's making me feel bad! And you don't believe me!

Me: Parents will always think something. And sure I believe you. (Hug). Good night.

(I went downstairs and opened window in living room and inhaled. No weed smell emanating from neighbour's house.)

A Love Letter to Passport Canada

So I mentioned on a previous post that my daughter and I are renewing our passports for our upcoming Roman adventure.

Passport Canada offers a Simple Renewal Process Application Process which promises that you will get your renewed passport within 10 days, provided that you pass all the requisite criteria, of course.

I don't know about you, but I'm generally leary of government agencies and such, so in my heart I was *hoping* that they will keep the promise of said 10-day turn-around time... but with me being a Project Manager and all, I tend to question (verify) the validity and probability of meeting certain deliverables and timelines committed to me by anyone (this goes for work and non-work stuff).

That being said, I started feeling a bit panicky that Passport Canada is just pulling my chain (or is it leg?) as their deadline of sending me the brand spanking new passports is October 14 (I completed the application process on September 30). I even set a reminder calendar event for myself to check on the status this week.

Anyway, I initiated a Google search using "check passport status Canada", which redirected me to a site that points to the Request Status of Application section in the Passport Canada site.

Almost laughing to myself, I again doubted that I would get the information that I needed. I just want to get my new passports in the timeframe that was promised (10 days). I filled out all the mandatory fields anyway, and submitted the query (I did that at 9AM EST this morning / today). 

Then I forgot about it, until I got this in my inbox:

Your passport was sent to you by Xpresspost on October 6th, 2010.  The Canada Post item number is XXXXXXXXXXXX. You can track the delivery of your passport at www.canadapost.ca.

Wow!!! I was so shocked and happy!

BUT going one step further, I went to the Canada Post website and did a query using the tracking number I received, and got this:

------------------------------

Tracking Number
XXXXXXXXXX

Please note that this is the most up-to-date information available in our system. Our telephone agents have access to the same information presented here.

Track Status

Date	Time	Location	Description	Retail Location	Signatory Name
2010/10/12	14:58	xxxxxxxxx	Item available for pickup at Post Office

Track History

Date	Time	Location	Description	Retail Location	Signatory Name
2010/10/12	14:58	xxxxxxxxx	Item available for pickup at Post Office
2010/10/12	10:17	xxxxxxxxx	Item being prepared for transfer to Post Office	xxxxxxxxx
2010/10/08	AM	xxxxxxxxx	Attempted delivery. Notice card left indicating where item can be picked up.
2010/10/08	08:45	xxxxxxxxx	Item out for delivery
2010/10/07	15:24	OTTAWA	Item arrived at postal facility

Shipping Options and Features for this Item

Signature Required

------------------------------

I took it one more step further and called Canada Post @ 1-866-607-6301 to validate the status.

Much to my astonishment, a real 'live' human government agent confirmed the above. In addition, she gave me the Delivery Notice Card Number (because I didn't get the Notice Card on October 8 contrary to the status above) and you know what???

My passports are at the Post Office ready for pick-up. She even gave me the address of the P.O. and their HOO (Hours of Operation) and told me to bring valid ID.

Happy happy joy joy.

Thank you Passport Canada, for not reneging on your promise.

XOXOXO
EDM-R

I have no direction

Based on my fairly thorough online research during lunch hour, majority of Blogs out there focus on a single topic.

Here are some very excellent examples:

My First Dictionary
http://myfirstdictionary.blogspot.com/

Ross Horsely's blog is a dark take on a simple dictionary picture book that one buys for, or reads to children.

Ross, you made my day today so much better with your Hans Christian Andersen-esque on meth widrawal sense of humour. I was having a bad day because Security was being such a sh*t bag, but I can put that one behind me now! Thank you!

My favourite one so far is this:

Beta Dad
http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com

I was a young mom at 19 yrs old and I can totally remember the rage and helplessness I felt during my daughter's first few years. Beta Dad takes us through the adventures of being a stay-at-home dad with twin baby girls. I really appreciate the candor and rage coursing through each post, because I think I would go postal too if I were in his shoes.

Big Girls, Small Kitchen
http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/

Ok, so who doesn't have a kitchen fetish and food obsession? Exactly.

---------------------

So do you  see what I mean now? About me not having direction for this Blog? I can pretty much whittle my interests down to these main topics:

• family (8)
• food (9)
• Jason Bourne (1)
• low carb (6)
• movies (1)

"Travel" will be added once I start posting about my Road to Rome adventures...

But I think I really need to narrow it down to a single topic.

What to do what to do what to do.

Today's Food Action

Breakfast of Champions

Pan fried panko crusted red tilapia, accompanied by garlic pesto mushy green peas, Organic field greens with herbs, Grilled corn, and President's Choice Tzatziki.

So dark

Back in early 2000, during a particularly dark period in my life, I remember writing this poem. The only reason why I remember it now is because my husband and I were talking about how that spot below our cat's cheeks... just before the neck... feel extremely soft.... So of course  my husband mused that her cheeks are full of venom that's just waiting to come out and poison us.

Venom

Silence deafens
Food weakens
Nothing around but the sound
of time
As darkness creeps 
Twilight weeps
and misery slithers, crawls 
slowly into my closely guarded walls
I begin to wonder
Am I trapped in my mind again?


http://piptalk.com/main/forumdisplay.cgi?action=displayarchive&number=31&topic=003384

Here is our cat Mitzy Pepper Pie, she is very cute but something is a bit strange about her.

Systema

Part of the Jason Bourne manifesto is the ability to kill / render defenseless, those evil covert ops stalking him and Marie.

That is why it is very convenient for me that the Russian Martial Arts Systema Headquarters in Toronto is only 30 minutes due north.

Watch out suckas.

Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (my daughter's poem, not the book)

My kid wrote this when she was 8 years old:

Awkward

My hair is like a sheep's
wool thick and soft.
My eyes are like the black hole that sucks everything in.

My heart holds love that
is as nice as a summer's breeze.
I live in the ocean and eat
seaweed.

Amateur Movie Reviews - The Social Network, and others

These are the movies we watched this weekend and my what I thought of them:

Get Him To the Greek
Funny at times. Good 'just want to be braindead this weekend' movie.

Iron Man 2
Lame.


The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Swedish thriller. The pace is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood-directed movies.

Last Friday, my husband and I had date night and we watched:

The Social Network
I love David Fincher's movies. Go see this now. Funny, intelligent, inspiring.

PS - we found a new local place called EL PURGARCITO where we can get excellent El Salvadorian eats. We've driven by many times and my daughter's Peruvian friend highly recommends their pupusas. We tried the cheese and chicharron version and their open faced chicken enchiladas with queso fresco and I am so glad we went in for dinner before watching The Social Network because their FOOD WAS SO DELICIOUS! Next time I'll take pics.

My Family and Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

My family's homes are spread all over Southwestern Ontario. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we do see each other our get together always revolves around food, family and laughter.

This year, we had Thanksgiving brunch at Woo Buffet Yonge & Dundas Square. Top floor of the AMC Theatres. It's our first time there, but my mom has taken her IBM colleagues there before for team building activities.

It is part lounge, part Mandarin. Pretty cool. Food so-so. But it was mostly about getting together and not having to cook or cleanup after.

My two most favourite small people in the world (my nieces Lulu and Olivia) are always a hoot. Here they are in various poses:

Enjoying shiu mai:

Lulu & Oh-livia

Mmm...shiu mai

Lulu Belly

I started eating meat again, here is what I ate:

Sushi and fishy

Chicken wings et al

I forgot about Olivia being bored of shiu mai:

Hurry up auntie

My family is a real-life Benetton ad, as you can see from the various nationalities:

T is half Jamaican, half Filipino (I'm a mestiza). Lulu and Olivia are half Ecuadorian, half Filipino.

T, Oh-livia, Lulu

My husband Greg, is Irish and something else

Greggy & Oh-livia

My sisters and I are Filipino mestizas. My sister Karla's husband is from Ecuador. My sister Aisha's partner is Irish.

T and Lulu

T was Lulu's age, not too long ago

Kendall is my daughter T's boyfriend. Not sure what his background is yet, but I will ask.

Freddie is Irish (I think?). And my youngest sister, I always told her we found her in the Rain Forest on account of her indigenous features (I am probably making her mad as hell right now).  Just kidding K!

We are a clan of 11, and Karla's expecting a baby boy in December. Our family is very female dominant, even our cats are females (except for Tommy, our orange tabby, RIP and we'll love you forever and the new addition to the De Marzo - Crespo clan, Tank - here looking very tired with Olivia):

Tank!

We are not sure what we're going to do with a baby boy??? Exciting times... maybe his uncles can bore him with football and ultimate fighting.

Anyway... the brand new baby Boy coming soon will make us a very Brady clan of 12!

Thanksgiving 2010

I sat outside on our deck for 2.5 hours today overlooking our lovely Rivendell-like backyard. The sun was shining, it was a balmy 16 degrees (amazing), I had a cup of coffee, the Saturday paper (I didn't read it yet), and the stray cat we call Wilson (but I think her real name is Ethel; I've heard our next door neighbour call her that).

I sat out there and enjoyed the sun and realized I had not sat out on the deck all summer! It was a crazy hectic period at work.

Feeling relaxed, I showered then watched 2 episodes of Iron Chef America Thanksgiving Battle.

We are not really into the whole 17-hour Thanksgiving Dinner cook-a-thon thingy.

This was our Sunday Thanksgiving Meal, which I started cooking around 5:30 and finished around 6:15 PM:

- Oven fried chicken (Breading: Panko bread crumbs, Kellog's corn flakes, Shake-and-Bake Southern Fried, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Peppers)
- Grilled Sweet Corn
- Mushy peas (Boiled sweet green peas, 1/4 cup mushroom soup, 1 tbsp Sour Cream, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp pesto, pepper, lemon juice)

Tomorrow, we will meet with entire family for a traditional Thanksgiving brunch at a Chinese Buffet downtown.

The Best Instant Coffee Coffee

I like this more than any pretentious designer art house coffee out there.

2 tsp Nescafe Hazelnut Instant Coffee
4 tsp Coffee-mate Light Coffee Creamer
1.5 tsp Splenda
8 oz hot water

If you really want to cut out more carbs, just substitute Coffee-mate creamer with Aroy-D coconut milk (to taste).

Peanut Butter Nutella Cheese Walnut Fortune Cookie Mashup

1 Triangle of Kiri (Laughing Cow) light cream cheese
1/2 tsp Peanut Butter of your choice
1/2 tsp of Nutella
As many walnut crumbles as you want
1 Fortune cookie


Take Kiri out of packaging. Put in saucer. Add peanut butter, Nutella, walnut crumbles, and fortune cookie. Mash it up. Eat it.

So good.

Of guilt, shame, and pork chops

Now that I have lifted my self-imposed 10-year meat ban, I feel a bit liberated.

But I also felt (feel?) somewhat ashamed, embarassed that I was eating meat. I felt it was wrong and dirty, like it should be a secret. I guess after years of being vegetarian was a behaviour, a part of me. I even felt somewhat..... superior...... to others who have no self-control about the food they eat. I wore the vegetarian label like it was a designer handbag or a really expensive coat.

My dad always forgot that I stopped eating meat. He loves me and like my mom (and like me) he shows his love through food. When my parents come by our house they will always have some sort of food from somewhere to leave with us or eat while they are here.

They are like these loving food pimps!

My dad would always say "hey, have some of this <insert anything with meat>" and I would say, "Dad, we're (my husband and I) are vegetarians remember? We don't eat meat?" and he always said "why don't you eat meat? This is why you are cold all the time... eat meat so you don't feel weak." Then I would reply "you should try being a vegetarian" and my mom would interject and say, "ooohhhhhh we can't live without meat."

After eating fried chicken on Sunday September 19, 2010 my daughter and I went on a meat shopping spree........ it was a bit like an adventure for me, I had not bought meat for myself for a while now (for my daughter yes), but never for me nor my husband.

My meat loot included a club pack of pork chops (bone in).


I marinated the pork chops in garlic tamari soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, lawry's seasoning salt, kosher salt, pepper, grain mustard, President's Choice Bold Steakhouse BBQ Sauce. Let it marinate for atleast 30 minutes (overnight is best).

Being a Food Network afficionado, I learned a great deal about how to cook meat (even though I didn't eat meat for the last 10 years). You are supposed to sear the porkchops first on both sides to get that golden brown caramelized look. Then off to the oven it goes to finish cooking. Don't overcook the chops of course, that would be a sin. Cook it enough so you don't get food poisoning but never ever cook it too well done otherwise it'll be too dry and gross.

I did it backwards. First I cooked the chops in the oven at 400 degrees C for 20 minutes, then finished it off in the frying pan with a bit of EVOO. Let it sit for 5 minutes before eating to keep the moist delicious juices inside. Finish with a splash of lemon juice before serving.

My husband,and I ate pork chops together for the first time on September 25, 2010 and boy.... they were super tasty! I made a salad using organic baby greens, goats cheese, and Renee's Greek Feta salad dressing, pickles, President's Choice Stuffed Olives, Callipo Italian Tuna and used President's Choice Steak Sauce as the pork chop condiment of choice.

After my husband went to bed, I ate more pork chops while watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Then the next morning, I had left over pork chops and poached eggs for brunch.

The week after, my parents stopped by on a Sunday night, after church and before driving home to Stoney Creek.

"Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you."

"Oh my god, what?"

"I started eating meat again last week. I feel very guilty about it."

"Well, you shouldn't."

I dream of chicken wings

My daughter was with me the day I decided to stop being a vegetarian. She was really excited because she knows that I love food, and that I spend a lot of time at the grocery store looking for palatable vegetarian things (for me and my husband) while I get her all the default "meat stuff".

(My daughter is not a vegetarian).

Anyway she was really excited and enroute to the grocery store we talked about how exciting this all is, how it'll be so much easier for all of us, how there won't be sooooo much pressure anymore to find vegetarian things, and how I can finally, finally eat some fried chicken.

During the last 10 years or so I "remembered" what fried chicken tasted like (it tasted great) and how sometimes I would miss it. My husband reminds me all the time about the day we were at the races eating lunch and how I kept looking at this other table with the people looking like they were really have a fantastic time eating fried chicken and how jealous I was that I wasn't eating fried chicken.

Anyway, on September 19, 2010 the very first non-vegetarian thing I ate was the "Fried Chicken Wings with Fish Sauce" from Congee Star at Don Mills and Eglinton. And you know what? It was divine, heavenly, great, amazing.


Congee Star has the best chinese food in Toronto. Ever. Beats any old chinatown haunts hands down.

September 19, 2010

After almost 10 years of being a vegetarian, I quit cold turkey on Sunday September 19, 2010.

I remember that day vividly. The day before, my daughter and I embarked on the much dreaded task of getting our passport pictures taken in preparation for our upcoming trip to Rome.

I don't know why they don't let you smile when you take your passport pictures? Is it so you can look menacing? Anyway my daughter's photo looked like a test shot for America's Next Top Model.

Mine on the other hand, well, I looked puffy. And tired. And old. Maybe it's because I just finished 1.5 hours of blissful shiatsu treatment (thank you BestHealth2001, you know who you are!).

Anyway I looked at my menacing, unsmiling puffy face and instantly I thought: time to go back to Atkins.