comedy tonight

Steve and I have been pretty busy this weekend purging, cleaning and re-organizing the house. As a treat, we are heading into Toronto tonight to see comedian Gerry Dee at the Panasonic Theatre. You might remember him from Season 5 of Last Comic Standing. Really funny guy. Here's a teaser.

those cats were fast as lightning

This evening, I witnessed an incredible display of hard work, physical fitness and total kick-assness! My dear friend Elizabeth graded for her orange belt in karate and totally blew me away. For 2 hours she worked her ass off, showing us her best moves as we cheered her on. I can't tell you how proud I am of her. And also a little bit frightened. Believe me, you don't want to meet up with her in a dark alley.


Way to go babe!

grab your coat and get your hat...

I've been avoiding buying a maternity size winter coat. I just didn't want to shell out the cash for something I might only wear for a month. I had hoped to get by on layers of sweaters and fleece but nothing in my current wardrobe can actually button around by ever expanding girth. A quick trip to Old Navy yesterday solved all of my problems.


I had tried on this coat on a previous visit but couldn't justify paying full price for it knowing that I wouldn't be wearing it for very long. But yesterday, the sign above the rack made my heart skip a beat. 50% off. And they had one left in my size. Excellent! And I look pretty good in it too, if I do say so myself. In fact, it highlights the baby belly so nicely that three people offered me their seat on the subway this morning. All at the same time! A worthwhile purchase indeed.

i'm so tired

I just got home after a long day and someone needs a cuddle.


How can I deny him?

brand new love

The latest Serena Ryder album dropped yesterday. And it is mighty fine. It highlights her brilliant songwriting and fabulous voice. I'm really digging all of the songs but especially Hiding Place and her awesome cover of You're No Good.


Also cool is the fact that she is lending her song Sing, Sing to one of my favourite organizations, the Coalition for Music Education in Canada. They put on an event annually called Music Monday, in which they demonstrate the importance of music education by having students all across the country put on outdoor, public concerts. They choose a new song every year for these students to perform. Sing, Sing is an excellent choice for Music Monday 2009.


By the way, if you too feel strongly that music is an integral part of the education of Canadian children, consider becoming a signatory. It doesn't cost anything to add your name to the list of supporters of music education.


I got the chance to see Serena live this past summer at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival. The pictures in this post are a few that I took at the concert. It was a fantastic show! Her band was excellent and I was pleased to see that her bass player, Anthony Lavdanski, was a recent graduate of the school that I work at. It always makes me smile to see "my kids" on stage.

what is it good for...

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day in which we remember those lost in battle. The soldiers from various wars that died in the name of freedom. Whether you agree or disagree with the principle of war is not important here. What is important is that we all take a moment to honour those who sacrificed and were sacrificed.


Lest we forget.

turning Japanese...

I enjoyed a decadent Monday night dinner with Elizabeth this evening. She spent the day hanging in Toronto with a friend and then met me at work. We headed to one of my favourite restaurants, Sushi Inn. Toronto is full of sushi restaurants and quite a lot of really good ones. This one is on the top of list because the food is damn fine and it's close to work. Plus, they will deliver to my office. And it's so close, that they send a guy on a bike! Awesome. While I cannot enjoy any raw fish at the moment (due to the pregnancy) they do make a wicked dragon roll with shrimp tempura and avocado. Delicious. So if you get the chance, check out Sushi Inn. You can tell them I sent you, but it won't get you anything but a confused look.

the sweetest thing

I'm starting to think that there might be some truth to this nesting thing they talk about with pregnant women. I have made muffins and bread the last three weekends in a row. This is highly unusual behaviour for me. I've often thought about doing these things on a regular basis, in order to reduce my intake of the store bought, over-processed versions of these items. But usually that urge loses out to sheer laziness. So seriously, what's up with my sudden interest in baking? I guess it's really not such a bad thing, but if I do start sewing my own clothes and cleaning the grout between the tiles on the kitchen floor with a toothbrush, you'll know I've lost it.

Here's a few samples of my recent baking adventures.

banana chocolate chip muffins

a loaf of whole wheat, fresh out of the breadmaker

relax...

It's late Saturday night and I am finally home. The conference was good, although exhausting. Happily, I attended a baby shower this evening for my friend Lianne, who is due a couple of weeks before me. Our clever friend Mia threw a spa shower. So instead of the traditional baby shower with dumb games that no one wants to play , we enjoyed manicures, pedicures & massages along with yummy food and good conversation. A lovely way to spend some time with my friends, unwind after a busy few days and wish Lianne all the best too!

The posts of quality will begin tomorrow. I'm off to bed.

laughin'

Another quick post between conference events.

Seth MacFarlane is one funny man. He's the guy behind Family Guy, one of the funniest shows on television, as far as I am concerned. Recently, he started his own You Tube channel. Great stuff and here is one of my favourites.

me have a soft boiled cookie...

Another quick post. Another busy day. I'm exhausted. Steve and I are attending a conference this weekend, and even though it's only in Toronto, we are staying at the conference hotel. Which just happens to be a DoubleTree Hotel. And when you check in they give this warm, delicious, gooey, chocolate chip cookie. I can't even begin to tell you how yummy these cookies are. So delicious that my co-worker Jennifer and I stopped at the front desk before heading to our rooms to see if we could get another cookie. And we did. So while I type this, I am enjoying this yummy bedtime snack.

Nighty, night folks.

baby, one more time...

Just got home from a very long day. I promise some quality posts in the days to come but to fulfill this month's requirement...

Obviously, with a baby on the way, I've been doing some shopping. And who can resist an adorable onesie. I may have to order this one.


Thank you Cafe Press!