92| levelling up.

i've done it all {almost}. i've blogged from work. i've blogged from my other job. i've blogged from the library. i've been caught tweeting in class. i also had my cellphone go off in class once, two years ago, and it resulted in the professor answering it and embarrassing andrew {who was on the other line} more than me.

now, i am blogging in class. except that lucky for me, class hasn't quite begun. however, this is precisely the reason why i do not bring my laptop to school, unless absolutely necessary. i imagine this will change when i start graduate school. {bonus mark: all graduate students at carleton drink evian. comment.}

anyway. dresses. i really want something whimsical, funny, flirty, feminine and all around pretty for summer. i have two weddings, convocation and a host of other great reasons to wear such a wonderful dress {reading under a tree, for example}. 

the hunt carries on.

91| best dress{ed}.

so, whilst i should be trying to figure out what viscount willingdon said when he inaugurated the carillon, i`m actually mildly more concerned what i will be wearing where i finally graduate from undergrad. and to my cousin`s wedding. and to a friend`s wedding. and hopefully for other fun events.

does anyone have any good leads on dresses? or halfway decent leads on good dresses?

90| saturdays are for...

this weekend felt like every other, where it all blurs together and nothing is as standout as it seems. except that this week was warmer.

• kaitlin: 2. stairs: 0. the stairs are losing their battle. soon i'll have to up my sets at the gym.
• deli sandwiches on the steps of parliament.
• groceries in hintonburg.
• napping
• brownie making
• dinner with friends, duplicity {for which i actually stayed awake and knit}.

it feels to me a bit like my weekends are the same, over and over, and while that provides for a certain amount of blogging consistency, i tell you it must be pretty boring. in fact, it is.

but the sun will soon be out on a permanent basis, and i'll be able to tell tales of hiking and biking and rollerblading and shopping at markets, and gardening. oh gardening. these are the sorts of days when i wish i lived in california.

89| window shopping, weddings

i know the world loves weddings. so do i. but i've also been coming across a few quirky things that made me go "wow, i want that at our wedding". and for the most part, andrew agrees. exhibit #1: a comment from nicole on 2000dollarwedding about her options for RSVPs:

____ Will attend with bells on
____ Will attend, free of bells
____ Will attend, undecided on bells
____ Will not attend, heard there will be people wearing bells
____ Will not attend, regardless of bell controversy

i couldn't stop laughing, and almost contacted our design guy to see if this was an option {even though the invitations already arrived}.

anyway, without further ado, a few things that i *really* would like to see at our wedding, which you won't find on theknot

galvanized buckets from ikea, for drinks, $10

vintage flash cards, for table numbers, $5

jam, in this case from julianas jam {but we will be making our own}, $4.50

bird, to be our ring "bearer", from BrooklynRehab, $14

88| taking a breath.

i've been on the go for five days straight: schoolwork, work-work, internship-work, training, blogging and reading {and yes, i will have more of that to do this weekend}.

for now, i need to take a big breath and relax. my body aches inside and out, and to be honest in the last sixteen hours i could have done a better job nursing it {though it got more sleep than i had anticiapted}.

with that in mind, blogging will be slow today, like the rest of me. but i promise i will have lots of adventures to post tomorrow and sunday!

87| girl, why i am.

this morning i faced an outerwear dilemma. like many girls, i covet pretty things. and often times, i choose the pretty over the practical. well, the weather was warm enough for a spring coat, but presently my only spring coat on hand is a yellow gap coat, which--while very lovely--would have been too much bright with my already bright skirt.

i do have another coat, you see. but it is missing about four buttons: three because it was poorly manufactured and i was too lazy to secure the buttons after i bought the coat, and one because i pushed my hands too deep in my pockets and popped a button {which is a tragic event when one is trying to lose weight}.

so, in the end, i opted for the black, oversized blazer that i own for the purpose of interviews only. i felt awkward because it was far too formal for the rest of my outfit, but i sucked it up anyways. also, it's not quite warm enough. whereas, my lovely taupe number without the buttons would have been.

i ran into a girl that i volunteered with this morning and she looked so professional, and so downright put together, especially give that she was working in an internship. it made me feel so very, blah. style envy ensued.

what do i plan about doing about this fair readers? i could buy a new jacket, but that would be well over $150. so, i won't.

i'm thinking i'm going to replace the buttons. perhaps not this weekend, but maybe next week sometime. given that it's a cargo style jacket, that's a lot of buttons. but it will be worth it. i'm also wondering if anyone can make any other suggestions for embellishments. the coat is about thigh length, and has little ruffles around the cuffs. then, i plan on buying an outrageously fabulous nicely patterned, albeit neutral scarf that i can wear with every single jacket in my closet {except maybe my ski jacket}.

{and this, my dears, is what i had writer's block over. yeesh}

86| writer's block.

i had all of these marvelous ideas this morning. then i was productive at work. now they are gone. i really wish i could write for a living, as opposed to research.

85| here comes the sun

it's beautiful right now. and i'm stuck inside the office for another 15 minutes. at which point, i'm giving myself permission to leave early.

do you blame me? it's bright and sunny out, and a marvelously warm day. and i'm wearing my new. spring. clothes.

this calls for a celebration: a quick afternoon of coffee, shopping in the market, and finding trinkets for friends {and family}. i can hardly wait!


image sarahseven

84| come & find a lover {underneath the covers}

guess. what. appeared. in. our. mailbox. yesterday?

invitations.

eeeeee.

i must say andrew + i look mighty cute as owls. i claim i'm the red one because it looks smarter. then again, the blue one looks more indecisive and i *did* spend half an hour debating addressing options {to no avail}.

what'dya think?

83| restfullness

in the 72 hours of weekend, i slept for 36. which means that i am well rested. and i have no review for you of che other than the music was loud when it needed to be, and the end was pretty good. also, matt damon has a cameo. but i missed it.

82| saturdays are for...

• proverbial ass kicking at the gym at 8 am
• eating a marvelous breakfast with all the fixings while people watching and paper reading
• going for a wonderful urban walk to the market for groceries
• visiting friends' one-month old {and the rest of their amazing family}
• thai for dinner.
• che, part two

81| window shopping. for the kitchen

vesselsandwares, $18

alittlebitkitsch, $20

acerostudio, $28

michellebrussegard, $20 for four

the marvelous thing about these, is that i can justify the purchase of every. single. one.

80| lunch hour

my boss went out for lunch with a bunch of other people from the branch for celebration.
i got my ass kicked by my personal trainer.

{there was something downright wonderful coming back from my workout and running into them in the elevator. call it self-righteous, but i think i worked for this pride. and mighty hard might i add.}

79| gratitude

because i open up to the world when i'm frustrated/happy/sad/angry/joyful/worried/ashamed {hence this blog/facebook/flickr/twitter} the world found out very quickly my anger and frustration today.

i'm always very surprised and grateful when the world talks back to me. and today was no exception. so, thank you for reminding me that even when it seems like the world is full of jerks, there are nice people abound. and because you helped me realize that even if it's not alright right now, it will be in the long term.

78| in which the rabbit hole opens, and kaitlin falls through.

subtitle: what the f*, part two.

i ought to create a separate label for the parental front. but i'd rather blog about other things, so that's why i don't. that said, the emails and conversations this afternoon were all sorts of no-good-terribly-bad. which makes for two of those days in one week...australia, here i come!

backstory: my father, an investor, refused to tell me for the last five years what my finances were like {six figure, dizzying numbers it appears}. once the market toppled over itself, he was outted. not only was he outted about his mistakes financially, but he and my mother were unable to contribute to our wedding, which they desperately wanted to do. at the same time, he had a proverbial carrot hanging over my nose for the past five years in the form of "do-what-i-say-or-you-will-never-see-your-investments" bullying. to be honest, as awful as losing that money was, i wasn't well acquainted with it, and i quite prefer the freedom that came from being financial independent.

now that you've read the fine print: my father sent me an email today {in response to my email about convocation}, in which he reiterated his "right" to do my taxes for the year. his rationale being that as of 2009, i will be "a poor college student" and therefore my taxes will be easier, and this year's would be too difficult for me to do. so, i called him and told him that i would listen while he explained to me why it was so imperative for him to do them, and that i would then explain to him why i needed to deal with them this year.

without boring you over all the small details, this resulted in a small shoutfest in the rideau centre {for shame}. i got him off the phone, and then proceeded to talk to my mother, which led to a discussion about weddings.

in addition to financial management, my parents and i also have very, very differing positions on weddings. the thing is, my parents are just that stubborn that they have threatened not once, but twice now, to not come to the wedding if they don't get their way. why don't you just stamp your feet and pout like a four-year-old {or at least society's depiction of four-year-olds.}

while on the phone with my mother, my father wrote me a scathing email about how grateful i should be {and, i am} that i am so fortunate to have had the money that i had, and how god-forbid we "punish" them {my parents} by not inviting the 75 people they had in mind. it was a really awful combination of guilt trip + bullying, which both my parents are known for. he went on for paragraphs about gifts from the past, and how it should all somehow equate to him still having financial and/or emotional control over my life.

i really don't get it. but i do know that these issues are bigger than a blog post could ever explain. and thankfully, my parents are nowhere near internet-saavy enough {nor are their friends} to understand how to find my blog, if they ever wanted to.

77| what. the. f*

i cannot express in words the sense of anger i feel towards my parents at this exact moment. which is exactly why i'm writing a draft email, very carefully before hitting the send key. i do not doubt, noble readers, that you will hear more of this tonight.

grumble grumble grumble grumble grumble.

76| when is enough too much?

i had an interesting conversation with my trainer on tuesday, in which she asked me if i was going to the gym everyday. i told her what my activity routine each week was:

• monday, tuesday, friday, saturday: gym
• wednesday: ultimate
• thursday/sunday: rest, with a good bit of walking or what-have-you thrown in

come summer, i will add sometime-monday and definitely-tuesday ultimate to the mix, and scale back my gym days by one.

well, my trainer didn't think this was quite enough, and was suggesting that i "step up" my routine on thursday and sunday to include a jog. puh-lease! i love how exercising makes me feel. but then again, i also quite enjoy a good walk through the neighbourhood breathing at a normal pace. srsly.

i get that she had my best interest at ♥, but last week, my workout routine was such:

• monday, tuesday, thursday: gym
• wednesday: two games of ultimate, both played without any girl subs {chalk it up to just under three hours of hard running}

why didn't i go to the gym friday. or saturday? or at all until tuesday?
because my body was f*ing tired.

so, please, don't ask me to do enough if it's too much. because chances are, the long-term outcome will be worse than if i do just the right amount.

ps: i've already lost just under 10lbs in three weeks. so, really, i hardly feel like i'm not doing enough.
pps: there is no such thing as a beautiful picture of "exercise". believe me, i looked.

75| ceci n'est pas un trend...

back in second-year communications, we were shown the work "the treachery of images" {la trahison des images, 1928/1929} painted by rene magritte. the work {a drawing of a painting of a pipe} is used to show that images are not actually things, but rather mere representations. wow, i suddenly feel like i got my money's worth in tuition.

"the treachery of images" has been reproduced in popular culture for several decades now, including the simpsons' "ceci n'est pas un couch gag" couch gag and in a handful of video games. but it's becoming more a recent trend...

i think my favourite representation of this can be found here, or here. partly because i'm not a big fan of ties, but at a wedding you have to have a tie. so, andrew might as well wear a non-tie tie.

74| living, et cetera.

since the discovery and subsequent quick disappearing act of domino, i for one have been searching for a magazine to inspire me. let's be honest, i don't think there is much that can replace domino, but it's nice to see some publishers' attempts.

i was walking through the bookstore on my lunch hour, and i thought "nah, the magazines all come out on thursdays, no point in looking today". but apparently, i was wrong, for i came across the most lovely little magazine called living, etc which is based out of britain.

i'm not saying that this is going to win over domino readers, but it certainly beats architectural digest, non? it feels like a nice combination between apartment thearpy and domino. with some british charm thrown in for good measure.

{sadly, the line was so long at the bookstore i'm opting to return later this afternoon.}

credit livingetc

73| arrival, springs.

+11 yesterday. +14 today. so what if it's going back down to +3 tomorrow? it's beautiful outside! i'm wearing the most adorable dress from allison wonderland today {see above}, and yesterday i could actually feel the start of spring on my shoulders!

which brings me to what i was talking about yesterday. things i want to do once spring starts.

• start my garden {see heart-of-light for possible planter solution}
• go shopping on dalhousie street with allyson {where i found the wonderful dress i'm wearing}
• wear flipflops
• drink coffee on the patio of planet coffee
• go out for incredibly long walks, like two or three hours walks through town.
• explore new edinburgh
• read at the arboretum

this is just when it starts. once it gets going, there's no stopping me.

72| blogs i want to write when i have time...

but for now, i guess i`m trapped by the proverbial pigeon of schoolwork.



• things i want to do when spring arrives
• things i need to do in the next thirty days
• books, what i will read this year.
• heritage minutes
• my photomaking trip with john
• buying wedding dress
• money {and how i finally have some}
• wedding playlist

in the meantime, ì blog about list-making. off to finish writing this paper. it refuses to write itself.

71| maybe i could move to australia?

i slept in, really really late, making it near impossible for me to reasonably get in a half day at work, before leaving.

i left my {underfinished} assignment on my computer. the most up-to-date copy i have is from friday. which is before i made seven pages of edits and changes. word count on my computer: over 4000 words. word count on the copy in my inbox: 525. fuck.

i also have all these wonderful ideas and thoughts running around my head, which i would love to blog about, but sadly, that cannot be done. at least not right now.

oh, and doing the other five pages will be hard today, given that i have a meeting with my boss...karma. is. a circle.

70| saturdays are for...

• delicious, albeit overpriced breakfasts
• shopping in wellington west for sofas {we found the most beautiful leather sectional! waiting to ask the parents about wedding gifts}
• a marvelous walk through the forest {in above freezing temperatures}
• a little bit of mini-golf
• school work
• homemade burgers and fries {can i tell you home much i love australian burgers}
• spring shopping

all in all, a marvelous day!

69| window shopping, spring fling

this weekend, the gap brand {old navy, gap, banana republic and piperlime--for those in the states} is running its family & friends weekend, with 30% off everything. i went to old navy and gap yesterday and picked up some springtime lovelies. thank heavens my office is heated.

do you think i could pull off the american eagle dress for the wedding?

banana republic, $59

havaianas, $20

american eagle, $44.50

pursecution, $25

68| fortune cookie.

i collect fortune cookie fortunes. i glue them and tape them to everything. mostly because i like how the lot of them are worded.
my favourite thusfar:

it could be better but it's good enough.

presently, i'm gluing one to my new journal:

you have the ability to channel your energies into constructive activities

i think, the fact that i'm blogging about this automatically means the fortune has failed.

67| march, like a lion.

this month is blustery, a lot like the winds in the city yesterday. i have two papers and a presentation, a handful of interviews, and a final project for work that needs to be done by the 4th of april.

life leaves little time for blogging. i merely hope this won't become few and far between.

66| in which kaitlin finds pretty things and shares them.

i'm lacking photos in a way that i wasn't before. i'm also ready to go home.
time for a pretty pick-me-up.

floresdesol

eddyizm

thisismiki

kh2rac

65| on the appropriateness of facebook statuses.

subtitle: these boots were made for walking

for most people, they're fairly simple: jeremy got up. cynthia is at school {and bored out of her mind}. neither cynthia nor jeremy are my facebook friends, however.

on the other hand, i have someone on facebook who tells the world about how her class went {yesterday: very well, but man she shouldn't have said so much about her private life, or so she feared}, or how she smells, or her party dress girl tendencies. don't get me wrong, i really do adore this person, and i hope if she reads this she won't feel outted. if nothing else, i feel like we're kindred spirits in facebook statuses. and that we're a little less afraid to speak to the world in 130 characters or less than the rest of it all.

which leads me to this morning's facebook status. mine, that is. or what i wanted it to be. before i pulled back and went "oh. is that appropriate? do i want 500 people to see that?"

my morning facebook statuses usually involve what i see on my way to work: people playing missy elliot far too early, spilled coffees and general anger that the morning began for a few too soon. this morning, all i could see were my legs. i've been working out for almost a month, and i have to say, my lower body is starting to look fabulous. to top it off, i wore a very cute summer dress with high boots.

i haven't updated because i'm not sure if i should be telling 500+ people that i think my legs are sexy. then again, i am telling this to all of the internets right now...

64| in creeps the morning, and another day's lost.

i slept for eleven hours last night. a new record for weekday sleep without sickness. i made up for all of this with some high-octance productivity.

• early morning class, on the wonderful and interesting topic of sex education, and the history thereof {side story: i very much got caught twittering last week in class, so luckily the topic was of adequate interest that my laptop stayed put. lesson learned}
• wonderful coffee with mikael, and talking of new york trip {eeeee.}
• finding out that i-got-into-grad-school {eeeee.}
• a nice, long, leisurely trip to fabric stores with the mother of a friend.

said trip led to a long, leisurely stroll through bridal stores. and finding a very wedding-y, very lovely dress. that i would never wear again. that is completely impractical. that made me feel like i was covered in this marvelous sugary wedding dust. i was in a daze the car trip home. this is everything that i do not stand for {also, it had a marvelous boustierre that made me feel so sexy, and like i could do anything and still look good}.

steph is right. deep down, i'm a girl. ick.

{practical stuff: the dress is only $450. the materials to make said dress would cost nearly $350. the shoppe selling it is barely breaking even. sure, it's four times what i wanted to spend. on the other hand, it's one-tenth what a friend spent way back when}

63| schemes, be gone!

when andrew & i first got engaged, we waited an awfully long time to tell people. we got engaged six weeks after first meeting. it sounds crazy, but i file it under "when you know, you know".

when we first started wedding planning {a full fix months into our relationship}, i had envisioned this as our colour scheme...

i think this was the second colour scheme we had talked about. the first being tiffany blue and bright red.

can i tell you how absolutely, utterly exhausted i am of colour schemes? i was talking with my bridesmaid* about dress colours, and the dress that we both love doesn`t come in a green or red that i like. furthermore, our invitations don`t have a hint of red or green. lastly, i think our flowergirls** would look better in green, but then, they wouldn`t match the bridesmaid.

all of this is to say, screw the scheme. i want our wedding to be pretty, and fantastic. but i don`t need to stay within the lines of the colouring book for goodness sake.

sara was talking last week about the first thing that people say to you when you get engaged: "oh! that`s wonderful! let`s see the ring!" {sometimes without the "oh! that`s wonderful" part}. i really feel as though the second or third thing that is said is "what`s your colour scheme?".

wedding industrial complex, i truly hope that this recession takes a nice big bite out of you. reality, i need you appearing in my dreams a little more often. please.

*singular because my other bridesmaid ditched me for a trip to italy. not that i am holding a grudge. goodness no. it`s merely that i asked her some 18 months ago.
** we have two because we have two of everything. except bridesmaids. oh well.

62| peek-a-boo.

happy monday! i wish that spring would stop playing peek-a-boo with me. it can be such a tease.

image lars kehrel

61| why i love fridays.

• it's just after four and i'm done for the day


• i spent the last half hour barefoot. no one noticed {not that they would care}

happy friday!

image kryskina

60| window shopping, sacks

some girls love their shoes. their earrings. their dresses. not me. i'm a bag whore.

made by hank, $30

rupertandkrista, $8

drikab, $99

retrofied, $84

59| the incomporable list

i tend to make to-do- lists for myself on fridays, and these lists, unlike the lists of monday through thursday, are usually personal matters, cleaning, cooking, shopping, and so forth.

this weekend's list, which i'm making mentally and will probably put to paper {or blog} soon enough is a mile long. not conquerable, especially not if i want to have downtime.

• make dessert for tonight {step one, figure out what i'm making} [edit: done. getting cake. making lemon buttercream. getting blueberries.]
• decide on new phone plan [edit: done. $50 plan. but do i need voicemail? yargh. it's an extra $15 a month. hrm]
• clean out closet, take clothes to valu village
• fill in address book {so as to not scramble later in life for addresses}
• write to heli
• apply for three jobs
• [edit: new thing--redo banner for blog, because this is seriously boring in all seriousness]

i know it doesn't sound like much, but that's on top of the usual stuff, like schoolwork, going to the gym, and cleaning, and grocery shopping. oh, plus i want to blog a bit more. and i promised andrew i'd stay off the computer tomorrow...yikes.

58| canned heat

disclaimer: i'm sorry for how long this post is, but i can't seem to get a javascript "jump" to work. anyone who wants to help in this matter, it would be greatly appreciated.

i had a very weird afternoon, which seems appropriate, given how sane my morning had been.

{pre-amble}: i worked seven years in retail and i have seen a lot of customers who unjustifiably get angry, just to get their way. while i don't believe that the customer is always right, i do believe in giving them the benefit of the doubt, especially when it comes to things that are sensitive, personal matters, such as finances, relationships, politics, and so forth.

my personal trainer {call her jenna} left the studio a few days ago, with no notice, and no opportunity to finish our sessions. jenna was downright awesome, so i was a bit sad to hear she had left, and i was a touch nervous about meshing with a new trainer. the club set me up with another trainer {call him eddy}, with whom i met for the first time today. i decided to do a bit of research of eddy, to see what sports he played, if we had anything in common. to be honest, my first reaction was that he was the opposite of jenna in many ways, but i wanted to keep an open mind about things.

my sessions with the trainers have been one hour in length, the idea being i get an opportunity to do about 40 minutes of weights, 10 minutes of core strength training, 5 minutes for warming up and 5 minutes for stretching.

first of all, i mentioned my concerns to eddy about transitioning into a new routine, and he basically brushed the comment off. turns out, his routine was super different from that of jenna, and i felt like i was back at square one. secondly, he was too much of a cheerleader for my liking: he really didn't care too much about my posture in the way that jenna did, and i really haven't the slightest clue how many repetitions i did at what weight, because nothing was written down.

i felt like the first half of my workout was more or less a waste of time, but i figured i only had a few sessions left, so what the heck, right? wrong. eddy took me over to the area with the mats to stretch out. one stretch in, the following conversation ensued:

eddy: so have you given much thought to pursuing training in the long term?
me: not at this point, financially i can't commit to something like that {bearing in mind that my training package was 14 sessions for $300, which is the downpayment for a personal trainer after you take the inital package}
eddy: oh, well what's your financial situation like?
me:i don't think that's your business
eddy: that bad, eh?
pause
eddy: well, could you aska family member to help you out, or do you have a line of credit you could look to for a downpayment?
me: it's really not any of your business what my finances are.
eddy: well, actually it is.

the conversation went on for the second half of my workout, the entire second half! eventually, i told him that i was a student, paying my tuition and planning my wedding {the first time i said "planning a wedding", and when i repeated it, his response was "oh, i thought you meant planning someone else's wedding". boys, seriously.}, but i really didn't feel like it was any of his business, and to be quite honest, he left me pretty upset, more because he kept prying.

so, i went and talked to the club manager, whose response was two-fold:

• "we instruct our trainers to teach their clients the importance of personal training in a long-term fitness goal"
• "you're being difficult, so why don't i just give you a refund".

i says, "pardon?". customer. service.

58| healthy cookies

a few weeks ago, heartoflight posted her recipe for my favourite cookies in the word: linzer cookies {which are essentially incredibly yummy jam sandwich cookies, but better}. i made said cookies, i loved said cookies, and my waist...well, if my waist had eyes it would give me a look that says "srsly? do you know how much butter you put in those suckers? you are on a diet, aren't you?"

in fact, i'm pretty sure andrew's response to my making cookies was pretty close to that:

you know, not that i'm complaining of anything, but it seems like whenever you're on a diet, you always go and bake. i like your baking, but it just seems like self-sabotage

not quite in so many words, but that was the idea. moderation, says i. i also have been getting into the {awful} habit of getting breakfast at the coffee shop again. chalk it up to my trainer quitting/being fired/disappearing into oblivion and not having trained with anyone since saturday {aside: i'm meeting with my new trainer tonight. he's a hockey player. i shall report back tomorrow}.

all said, i indirectly promised heartoflight that i would post my "healthy" cookie recipe. they're sort of like a breakfast cookies, which is what makes them healthy...so i am claiming. so, without further ado, i present yummy oatmeal chocolate breakfast cookies

ingredigents...

1 cup butter
1 cup {packed} dark brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon true vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour {i usually mix half white flour and half whole wheat for these}
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips {about 12 ounces}
1 cup sunflower seeds {or other seed/nut that is small and tasty, i like pumpkin seeds in the fall}
1/2 cup raisins, dates, apricots, or other dried fruit of your choice {optional}

now what?

preheat oven to 350°F.
lightly grease 2 heavy large baking sheets.
beat margarine and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy and well blended.
beat in eggs 1 at a time, the vanilla.
sift flour, baking soda and salt over margarine mixture and stir to blend.
mix in oats, the chocolate chips and nuts/seeds, dried fruit.
working in batches, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets. bake cookies until golden brown, about 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

*note: if you want crunchy cookies, preheat/melt the butter. if you want soft, chewy cookies then use the butter more or less directly from the fridge*

nom nom nom. who needs croissants when you have these?

image martha

57| baby needs a new pair of shoes.

as political history goes, i really don't like the period between 500 + 1600, known to most as the middle ages. i find it incredibly boring, politically. in terms of fashion, though...swoon.

renaissance + victorian fashions are my two favourites in the whole wide world, so i was thrilled to find the most lovely shoes at aerosoles, inspired by those fashion eras {even if the fashion itself was based largely in functionality}. what is more, the shoes were on sale for only 30$. and they're real leather. so, only partial guilt, really.

apparently this {and the mexican food for dinner} was my reward for being dilligent about gym-going, and adulthood.

{ ♥ }

56| easy come, go.

goodbye, chi-town. hello new york!

it turns out my dear friend, with whom i was going to go to chicago, has a friend who works for holiday inn and can get really cheap hotel rooms in new york. in a brand-spanking-new hotel in new york. for less than the cost of a hostel. srsly.

we're thinking july fourth. just because it's close to canada day, and because there are fireworks involved.

moma, guggenheim, central park, appolo, 30 rock, here i come. {ooh, just thinking about 30 rockefeller makes me giddy, giddy, giddy}

image uncommon

55| the gorge.

one of my most favourite things about the internets is learning about food.

i love my cookbooks and food encyclopediae, and they're great for long-term reading, because frankly i cannot look at a screen long enough to meal plan for a week. usually, i use the internets to look up the calories or nutrtional information of a food {especially over lunch hour with new, undiscovered foods}.

however, i've been buying more organic fruit lately, since my garden isn't producing anything other than rosemary right now, and i don't love the idea of pesticides in a lot of my food {sweet potatoes anyone? red peppers? a side of monsanto's politics and round-up? no thanks}. anyway, i happen to notice on my pear at lunch, "columbia gorge certified organic". i knew about the second part, the certified organic part. but, i didn't know what the columbia gorge was. and now, i happily do:

Nathanial Coe brought to the Hood River valley the first fruit trees in 1854 when he arrived to establish Oregon's first post office and mail routes. In 1876, E.L. Smith planted the first commercial orchard, 30 acres of apples (Newtown Pippins and Spitzenburgs) and peaches. In time, apples became the dominant crop. In 1919 the Hood River Valley had a disastrous freeze that killed many apple trees. With that, growers began planting pear trees to replace the apples. Today there are 15,000 acres producing pears, apples and cherries, with pears accounting for 92% of the total tonnage.

Cherries have been grown in Wasco County since it was first settled in the 1850's. The county is well suited for cherry production due to its deep, fertile soils; however, the most important factor contributing to the success of the cherry industry in Wasco County is its location east of Mt. Hood. The rain shadow provided by Mt. Hood results in many sunny days and only 12 inches of annual precipitation. Sunny days are a crucial component to mature the crop and prevent rain damage as the crop ripens. Wasco County currently has 8,000 acres under production and is the #1 producer of sweet cherries in the state of Oregon.

..and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why i'm a food geek.

note: i did tag this as "eco-good", even though my fruit did have to travel from oregon. columbia gorge is a non-profit group of growers, and they work to promote the fruit industry through education, research and marketing. so, really, they are doing good for the industry and for the environment as a whole.

image daily olive

54| i'd rather be.

tuesdays are the weird day in my weeks. i start the day with a class, "a history of sexuality". i can't really put a definite pronoun on it {the, for example} because lord knows, it's not the history of sexuality, but simply a collection of histories that have to do with sexuality. today was about rape. and genocide. and war. and lots and lots of icky things, that make me rather happy that i chose glam rock and homosexual outings as my finaly research topic.

from there, tuesdays are loosey goosey, but usually involve food, friends, research, and maybe the gym. tuesday evenings are one of only two in the weekdays {friday being the other}, where andrew + i are both home.

all of this said, my schedule today is hectic, and mixed up from what i thought it would be last night. i got a call from my fitness club yesterday saying my trainer was no longer with the club {conspiracies abound: i think she was probably fired, which is a bit sad, really}. so, that axed out my tuesday workout with her {as well as my thursday one...until my new trainer can get in touch with me, all formulated workouts are off. i am pissed.}

i got a call this morning, on the way to my class on rape + genocide from andrew saying that our landlord would be home this afternoon, and "what time are you planning on being home, because he needs you to change the date on your march cheque from 2008 to 2009". whoops. i feel bad, i really do. i'd also rather give him cash, really, so i know the money is there. and more than changing the date, i'd rather write him a new cheque. not that i'm anti-saving-paper-trees, because i'm in favour of our forests {note the title of this blog...ahem...and my job in forestry}. that said, i also really don't want to have to wait until he comes home to change the date, because it means that i'm spending another half hour or so at home which i really don't want to {also, if i were to go to the gym, it means that i would be getting there around the same time as everyone else thus making the change rooms a tight fit}.

all said, i'd rather be. i'd rather be baking healthy cookies or muffins {because lord knows that the linzer cookies, while delicious, are deadly}. i'd rather be napping. or colouring {but not maps}. i'd rather be dancing. i'd rather be laughing. i'd rather be looking at fabric for flowergirl dresses. there are many things i'd rather be, but rather unfortunately, i have to be an adult for the time being*

*i do have every intention of informing our lovely landlord that i will leave a cheque for him in his mailbox. then, i will proceed to the gym in an orderly fashion and ask to talk to my trainer. i will be rather assertive about all of this, i think. and it will be good for me. but that's not to say i wouldn't rather be colouring or napping, because i would.

|image heartoflight |

53| quiet post, ghost town.

one of my most favouritest things in the world are photographs, especially ones that are archival, that record something historical, and that make time stop, just for an instant.

i would love to tell you that eddyizm is one of my favourite photographers, but quite frankly, he is my favourite photog. his works are sheer brilliance, especially his ghost town series.

enjoy. {also, i apologize for this not being a silent post, but rather a quiet post. i just really feel like eddyizm captures what i love about photography so well, and that right now, i could do to be in one of these ghost towns.}

|credit eddyizm|

52| i type in short form, when i am angry/excited/thrilled {pick one}.

i hate short form, especially in terms of chatting or instant messaging. i only use it, either when i am:

1. in a rush
2. incredibly angry
3. thrilled

my facebook conversation with steph was one of those occassions {the fact that this is worthy of a blog is a sign it doesn`t happen often}.

on my parents, money, and taxes:

me: he {my father} can`t give me money, because he has none to give, but won`t let me be financially indpt. or, rather doesn`t want me to see how much of my money he *actually* lost.

(oh, btw, my parents--the broke ones, as opposed to the rich
ones--are going to fìng hawaii for two weeks, like wtf?)

on my parents tendency to see me as a sixteen year old, rather than a twenty-two year old:

yeah, it`s not that which bothers me, as it is that they haven`t
gotten the memo that said `your daughter is financially independent of you,
therefore you have no right to criticize how she spends her money, nor can your
micromanage the rest of her life through infantilization"

okay, maybe i don`t use shortforms as much as i thought. i just type fast and try to be poetic.

|credit e3|

51| money, honey.

it`s the start of the month. which, for the vast majority of people who rent, means that they become a little less wealthy.

i have to say, i really resent the way that money takes away certain freedoms from me. there are few feelings--on a daily basis, at least--which leave such an unsettling lump in my throat as looking at my bank account in the days before or after rent comes out. ick, ick, ick.

it`s nice to know i had sixteen dollars to my name until my pay comes through on thursday. {and osap, being the bastards that they are, are making me way an additional week for my cheque.}

but, then again, perhaps this is the price i pay for having freedom from financial dependence. either way, it helps keep consumerism down.

50| saturdays are for...

• ...getting your ass to the gym at ten, only to have said ass subsequently kicked by your trainer {thrilling. i hate squats}
• ...shopping in the market for delicious things and bakeware {for today's cookie making}
• ...seeking out registries, and finding things to put on them
• ...eating delicious sushi, dim-sum style, and catching up with a friend
• ...enjoying some red wine and playing wii.

needless to say, it was a pretty busy day {we spent four hours doing registries}.