fuck.

A thousand times over.

help me.

I have been immersed in domesticity these past couple of weeks. I decided to get a handle on my gluten-free baking skills and have begun to compile a recipe book of attempts so that should the occasion arise I wouldn't be reliant on some damned box mix to get me through a birthday party or -God forbid- Christmas. This little adventure has been primarily full of benefits. My roommates and I get to eat a variety of baking like Challah, cinnamon buns, cupcakes, cheese buns, harvest cookies, rosemary-thyme bread and so on and the house always smells like a bakery. Negatives, like the effects of this recent spike in carb consumption, have yet to be seen though I think there might be a sudden renewed interest in the pilates dvds. However, while I have been busying myself in the kitchen I have found myself doing a little self-reflection.

Oh. Man.

So while up to my elbows in cookie batter I have been giving some thought to my current and, I should say perpetual, single "lifestyle". I say "lifestyle" but I really have never made the concious choice to remain single unless you count turning down various middle-aged Latino "gentlemen" who refering to me as "Mama sita" seem content to be mothered for the rest of their lives. Now, I am firmly aware that postings such as the shining example to be found at the start of this blog don't exactly create a frenzie amongst possible suitors just as I'm sure the thought of trying to date someone who will be looking for all that is wrong with you while potentially posting all of your failures and shortcomings for all your mutual friends to see isn't going to draw out the nesessary confidence needed to ask anyone out.

Tricky isn't it?

But hey, I have redeeming qualities and man am I getting good at baking. I am really just shy and neurotic and all that false bravado is just a smoke screen for my insecurities (or something like that). I'm not looking for a "guy" or a "dude" or a "bro". I want a man. So if you should know any or come across one in your daily travels then do me a solid and put in a good word for me, since I'm doing myself no favors. And then maybe when my housemates get sick of homemade bread I'll have someone else to share it with.

vampire proof

I have been eating a lot of garlic lately and since have become aware of its health benefits but I now find myself wondering if it's possible that I am consuming too much of it. It all just happened that one day I realized that I easily eat a head of roasted garlic a day. That does not include any raw garlic in things like salsa and whatnot that I maw down on quite frequently. So, too much? I can't really tell but I think I might have a slight garlicky odor to to me now. Has anyone else noticed this on me? The worst part is that I don't think I'm going to be able to curb my intake. I really, really like roasted garlic. A lot. It pretty much goes with anything you want to eat. Salad, pasta, oatmeal whatever.

hell in a hand basket

Gardening. I'm really into it and this year since I have full access to a yard I am going to really give it my all. I recently got a book on the practical side to gardening in Canada and am now in the process of earmarking pages and drawing up schematics. All I can say is that provided I can get some of the more vigorous weeds out of the garden we are going to have the choicest spot on the block. I really cannot wait for spring and all the plant buying and installing and whatnot. If anyone has any useful tips, tools or time feel free to stop by and get your hands dirty with me.

summer of george

A couple weeks ago I realized that 2009 is going to be my year. My Year people. The year that things start really turning around for me. Not that things have been all that bad in years past but this is going to be the one that is a little extra awesome. I can feel it in my heart. I need to feel it. I tell myself that it is just a coincidence that my spike in coffee intake and the rapid flutter of my heart began around the same time. So to jump start 2009 I put myself on lock down. From now until sometime in May or possibly even June I will be spending every evening at home getting acquainted with new books and planning the summer garden. I am doing this in an attempt to get the recklessness of my early twenties under control by means of paying off debts and allowing my liver time to recover for the summer.

This is so far working out pretty well since I work everyday and live with four friends whose company will inevitably see me through this somewhat delicate antisocial undertaking. So, should you want to get together to make a pie or have tea or just shoot the shit, come on over. We can watch movies or start building plots for the vegetable garden or rebuild the tree fort. Its going to be a great year.

the dump

So this past Sunday two of my house mates and I took spring cleaning to heart and rented ourselves a 14 foot cube van to rid our backyard of, among other things, three couches, three large puffy chairs, and curiously three past due Christmas trees. Now, you may be wondering why in the heat of March would we have three Christmas trees still hanging around our front yard for all the world to see? One of those trees was our Charlie Brown tree and I will take full responsibility for throwing it off the front porch on the 31st of December and promptly leaving it where it fell. However, one Kurtis Wilson took it upon himself to schlep the largest Christmas tree that could possibly fit into a modest middle class home, into our yard to rest along side our original tree. Then some unknown party goer added to the misadventure with a third, though drastically smaller tree.

And so there we were cramming three of everything into the ample rental truck (which will here by be known as the big rig). As it turns out if you think you got a big enough truck, you did not. That god damned tree with its trunk the diameter of a dinner plate put up quite the struggle. The three of us counting to three and heaving and hoeing until we were knee deep in pine needles just barely got the beast restrained behind the heavy van door.

After that it was off to the South Vancouver Transfer Station, just a simple drive to the bottom of Main St. You can imagine our surprise when upon arrival we were told there was some kind of spill and us and the big rig were going to have to go a little further afield. But spirits were high and we set off for The Delta Landfill soaked in optimism. There was a slight mishap regarding the directions and some very poorly labeled highway markers and we took a brief foray into Richmond. Thanks to iPhone and it's GPS capabilities we found ourselves at our destination after an hour or so. In retrospect all we really needed to do on the last leg of the journey was to follow all of the seagulls and occasional eagle to the dumping grounds.

There is a disgusting, horrifying beauty that this place embodies and I am now of the mind set that everyone must go there for themselves. Along the dirt road leading to the dumping site is a line of trees that have all taken on a blackish hue. Their bare branches have caught plastic bags and scraps of fabric that all move with the breeze lending to the image of a post-apocalyptic war zone. These garbage trees are outer worldly to say the least. Opposite the blackened forest lays the large hill of what turned out to be solely garbage. And atop every fence and light post leading to the top of the hill sat a large bald eagle. There were hundreds of birds. Plenty of seagulls to be sure but I have never seen so many eagles in all my life. Driving along the top of garbage mountain the ground was barely visible because of all the seagulls and so driving seemed more like being caught in the air and suspended by the wings of the birds passing by.

Go to the dump. Its a trip.

Green Comet

Here is some space new for anyone who may be interested. Maybe the rain will let up enough for us to have a gander.

Beginning Monday February 23, stargazers will have the opportunity to view the comet as it will be fairly easy to locate next to brilliant Saturn sometime after 10pm. With clear skies Saturn which is located in the Southern sky about halfway up from the horizon should be visible to the naked eye. Look for a cream-coloured star. The comet will hopefully remain visible for several days before the moon starts to interfere beginning February 28.

It may be necessary to use binoculars to ensure finding Comet Lulin which should be to the right of Saturn. To the naked eye, Lulin may only appear as a 'fuzzy' star. However, the timing is perfect for looking at the comet since there is no moon in the sky this week!

This is the first time that Lulin has visited the inner solar system and its first exposure to intense sunlight so surprises are possible. At its closest approach, Lulin will still be approximatly 60 million kilometres from the earth, roughly 160 times farther than the moon.

Called the “green comet,” Lulin’s colour comes from the gases that form its Jupiter-sized atmosphere. First discovered in July 2007, Lulin is the highlight comet of this astronomy season and is unique for its discovery. The comet was discovered through a collaboration between Taiwanese and Chinese astronomers.

Source: NASA