So, how are things going with my list of things to do? Last Friday night we met some friends for Hakka food...was tasty- intensely so, in a way that can't be explained to someone who hasn't already tried it- however at four dishes for four people (and one of them was steamed broccoli, none of them was meat, and they never did bring us the steamed rice...) we could have probably used one more dish. We have tried St. Johns Wort as well as valerian in Mother's Little Helper tea from David's Tea and smoking lots of lavender. Maybe I will try cooking with lavender, too. Cooking- must do more of. I've got lots of muffins to bake. Lavender muffins, anyone? I found some things online that might interest people interested in Hegel and Spivak. Also, reading about WW1 and listening to Dan Carlin has gotten me interested in Rasputin in this song with a melody based on a Turkish folk song by a band created by a German record producer featuring a line-up of musicians born in the Caribbean. Who was Rasputin really? It doesn't matter, because his image was what was important- epitomizing Russia's self-image in the dramatic shift in world order. Hey, I went cross-country skiing for the first time last week. A little wobbly but tranquil and surreal nonetheless, just like smoking lavender, indeed!! While I am on the subject of music... this song and the Great Big Sea version. Or this and this. Funny how the '80s took folky music and made it dancey while the 90s took 80s dancey-sort-of music and made it folky again. But to me the most fascinating remix I can think of is Lambada. According to Wikipedia, Lambada, which translates as strong hit or slap, isn't a song, it's a Brazilian dance that became popular in the 1980s, however it is based in Carimbo, also known as the forbidden dance, which dates back to colonial days. The above song by the French band Kaoma is an unauthorized direct cover of Chorando Se Foi by Marcia Ferreira which is an authorized remix of Los Kjarkas Llorando se fue or she ran away crying. The original music is very much in the Andean folk style. And somehow it all came to this Jennifer Lopez song.

This past summer we went to New York, my parents, Lily and I. Paul stayed back. We only went for a few days. When I got back to the apartment, I told Paul EVERYTHING. I told him about the hotel we stayed at in upstate New York and the Bob Evans we ate in that night where I had the chicken'n'noodles 3-course meal. I told him about the trip to SoHo with the guy selling rings on the street and the cool coasters with photos of celebrities on them which I thought about buying but didn't because when I looked closer there weren't any of my favourite celebrities. I told him about the awesome tiny restaurant called Rbbts where you had to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. I told him about how they gave really big glasses of water in the restaurant and the salads were huuuge and the veggie burger was really spicy. And I told about how we didn't get to the store Lily really wanted to go to until later because we got sidetracked by a bunch of other stores they also have in Toronto, but she was OK with it. I said we'd come back sometime, and that she seemed to want to buy mostly shorts and T-shirts which she would be wearing for, at most, a few more weeks. I told him about meeting my cousins fiance for the first time in the Chinese/Japanese restaurant and how we took most of the food home and then left it in the trunk of the car. I told him about watching Nicky's Family with my parents and grandfather. I told him about the trip to the Sound and how we couldn't find a place for ice cream and we finally settled for Baskin Robbins and there was a little girl singing along to this song on the radio.

The last 2 are obviously from the archives that I neglected to post...

How long can I blame the weather? The weather was great this past weekend, though a little disappointing yesterday and last Tuesday (hmmm...the weather is bad on Tuesdays?) I spent the afternoon with a friend on the Thursday before Good Friday...Maundy Thursday? The last day of lent? So, yes, it's been Passover and Easter. I went to a friend's non-traditional seder and made a matza house. Paul tried matza brei for the first time on Easter morning after the hunt. There was chocolate. I bought everything Kinder and Paul thought we still needed Mr. Solid and some things to go in a basket. Then we went for a bike ride and a drive in the country and came back to BBQ some steaks. Well, Paul BBQd the steaks. He had the most at stake. He was a stakeholder. Ooooh, on the weekend before this, we went into Stratford to get Lily her new bike. On the way back, some of us wanted Starbucks (and I wasn't complaining) and the best place to go for that was Target. I finally got my slip-on skeleton shoes. Also, I was so excited about the socks that I got from the last Target excursion- I would finally be able to wear matching socks!! Cool ones, too. And I'm already losing socks!! So discouraging. Tonight I head on back in for work. I hear there are some bike races over the next weeks, and a Petra Glynt concert. My aunt is coming into town, we will have dinner at an interesting restaurant somewhere. The following week is CMW and Jr. Gone Wild have gotten back together. Actually, CMW has a pretty amazing lineup this year. We shall see how things unfold. Remember how I mentioned Harold and the Purple Crayon?? I just saw this. And after a feature on snails, too!!

Maybe it's because the winter dragged on just a little too long. Or maybe it's because I ordered a stack of books at the library and they all came at once. Or maybe I am just making excuses. Something kept me from updating my blog. Well, we saw the new Wes Anderson flick. Actually, we have, collectively, seen three movie movies and much more at-home since the last update. Well, I read this article on The Grand Budapest Hotel. Of course! Be shot-conscious!! Especially if you watch a lot of Wes Anderson movies, which I do. We plan on watching Rushmore and Bottle Rocket as soon as we can. That night the weekend we went to Grand Budapest hotel. The other night, we went here. And if you want to know what I thought of the whole business, read this and this. As for the books, I am reading everything possible by Toni Morrison. After finding the game Creationary for my nephew's fifth birthday, we got some Wiki Chicken and jumped on the next GO Train out of town. We discovered Target- it was Paul's first time! Now I have so many pairs of cool socks. So after a night of inhaling warm penetrating relief analgesic cream, which did wonders for my cold, and puzzling over this Tom Hanks movie, we went for brunch at Boots 'n' Bourbon. They don't have a buffet anymore, nor a mechanical bull, but they did have small plates!! We got bacon bombs, fried cheese balls, and pulled pork sliders. Say no more!! Soon I must run to the laundromat to put stuff in the dryer. Paul is getting his bike ready to take to Bike Sauce, yesterday was my first time there, seems like a really cool place to have in the neighbourhood. It's one of the first days that has felt like spring!! Next weekend we are back out of town again.

In this new year I plan to: Learn more wisdom from Puff Mama and hopefully try some new herbs: St. John's Wort, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Skullcap, Valerian- Kratom is great but maybe not the be-all and the end-all Explore Seduction (restraints and gags...games?, and much more) and Come as You Are (workshops and stuff.) Speaking of workshops - cooking workshops!! The Big Carrot, Loblaw's, St. Lawrence Market. Check out Urban Native Ministry Some more reading: Zizek, Spivak, Kant, Hegel, Thomas Payne, Karen Armstrong, the WWI stuff, Gabor Mate, revisit the Waldorf parenting books, Tolstoy Anna Karenina and The Kingdom of God is Within You (revisit), more in Said's trilogy Volunteering at IHSJ Keep working on my blogs- this as a weblog of events, A Trinity of Hamsters for projects, Xanga for multimedia Wear more makeup- keep seeking Lily's advice on this one. I was going to look into being a hair model on the advice of Dreamy Beauty Bar but I might have to cut my hair (noooo!) Live music- Mike, Erika, Yawn, the gang, maybe Choir!Choir!Choir! Continue going to The Barley Jar Look into Geneva Park and maybe some other family camps, too. We're a bit late for Wanakita but Lily and I have done Wabanaki previously, maybe we'd do it again sometime. Camping at Bon Echo this summer, and/or maybe Sandbanks? Also hopefully going out west this summer Yoga- Spiritwind AND Spirit Loft Exercise? Keep walking everywhere- doesn't look like much of a cross-country skiing winter Film- become affiliated with Raindance and maybe pitch my pilot to DOC, LIFT, and anywhere else, go back to reading for YouGoFar when I can, and more adjudicating for The Female Eye. Work? The Union? all that. Happy Festivus, air your grievances everyone. Check out Evergreen Brick Works. keep seeing friends. Go to Gallery Arcturus Eat Hakka food.