Finality

The final post, before I leave for a month. I'll be back…but right now, one of my favourite songs. It always reminds me of the Encounters With Canada crowd, and I think of them every time I hear/sing it. I'd like to believe I'm taking a bit of them with me. Plus, from a band I listened to in my childhood….

Also, for documentation's sake, here's a 'Before' photo, so we can compare the (potential) difference in a month:

Between me and the vast internet, I'm not one hundred percent sure I'm ready to leave. I guess it's too late to turn back now….

Wish me luck. I hope my camera, journal and mind is filled with France to share with you when we next speak. (Is this my version of 'Have a good life?!')

Snow White And The Huntsman

I'm pretending I didn't write my Math exam today….

I saw Snow White and the Huntsman tonight—it was pretty decent. I love Charlize Theron (The Burning Plain is one of my favourite movies!), and thought she did fantastic in this. All the old/young make up was really well done. 

On the other hand, I am not a Kristen Stewart fan, but she was okay in this. Maybe it was only me…but did it seem like she really didn't talk much…? Either way, it did give me a bit more faith in her, so I might see the next movie she's in. We'll see.

Back to Snow White—I though that some of the special effects were really well done; the dying scenes where people aged rapidly for instance. I liked that (in my oh-so-professional opinion!), whereas some of the fighting (particularly this one throw in the final battle between the Queen and Snow White) seemed really contrived, and in that throw in particular, I could practically see ropes flying her back. It seemed really improbable.

Over all, though it was worthwhile…. Some minor disappointments (the voice-over guy didn't close the movie like he opened it, and I always like that), but it was pretty fair. Definitely made me want to know my Disney better; I kept wanting to look for references! I picked out two or three obvious ones, but I'm sure that someone that actually has seen the Disney version would find more. There was a point where I distinctly though "Oh, well that's a Harry Potter moment!" Maybe I simply have HP on the brain….

So, did you see the movie? What did you think? Would you recommend it?

Math 30 Pure

Tomorrow is my last Diploma, ever. IT's also the only one I'm really worried about…and the one I've studied for the least. I really don't know how to study, I've recently discovered, and Math only exacerbates that. Uck. Does anyone want to come in and write my exam for me? Please?

I'd even pay you, I think.

Oh well, after tomorrow it's done, finished, kaput, and I can live my life as a liberal arts student next year with no math courses at all. Hooray!

Blueberry French Toast

(I forgot to post this last night…so I'll do it now!)

For breakfast today, I made French toast, trying to get in the continental feeling.

I made the recipe to serve one, so it's nice and easy to make.

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon Stevia (natural sugar alternative; equals about 8x sugar; two teaspoons worth)

pinch of salt

2-3 slices bread (slightly old is better)

butter/oil for frying pan

preserves (I used blueberry (yum), but anything else would work. I want to try with pumpkin!)

Beat first five ingredients in a shallow bowl until mixed fluidly. Soak bread in it, making sure to put both sides down into the mixture.

Heat butter in a frying pan/skillet, and slowly heat each side of the bread until it's golden-brown.

Transfer the toast to a plate, drizzle hot butter over it. Top with generous scoops of preserves.

First bite…mmmm!

Young Brocoli Ricotta Pasta

So for supper tonight, I made something new…and I'm going to skip straight to the recipe now!

(This is how I would prepare it if I were to do it again, but not exactly how I it today. I didn't have quite the ingredients for it.)

1 cup alfredo sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 cloves garlic (or more…!!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4-5 young brocoli shoots, chopped
prepared pasta (with grooves or cups to hold the sauce)

Mix alfredo, ricotta, garlic and parmesan in frying pan, add brocoli. Heat on medium low, covered, for ten minutes or so, until it starts to bubble slightly. Mix, pour over pasta. Garnish with more parmesan and/or parsley.

This is nice, it's a bit sweet for me, but I really liked the texture of the brocoli—almost like asparagus, but crisper. I think it would work best with firm pasta, but I think every pasta is better al dente, so that doesn't mean much.

Here's the pasta, one-day old.
I forgot to take a picture from Friday night, so a re-heated Saturday is what you get! It was still good, though, and with everything mixed into one pot, heated quickly on the stove.

Let me know what you do with it, what are your variations?

To Do For France

It is literally a week until I leave for France. I leave at 0540, Friday the twenty-ninth of June. Holy freaking cats, that's soon. Here's what I have to do before:

• Contact my exchange family
• Clean my room
• Find space for my partner
• Gut my closets and wardrobe(s)
• Be ruthless
• Take undesirables to Thrift Store
• Purchase and load MP3 player with Zumba songs to choreograph
• Scholarship/Awards/Transcript/Residence forms filled out and mailed.
• WRITE MATH DIPLOMA
• 'Bonding Time' with my mother
• Grocery shop for the needed snacks 
• Rehearse my (trite) French phrases
• Make bed ready for return
• FINISH SCHOOL PROJECTS
• Two FAS (Fashion) modules
• One Art piece
• SLEEP
• Transition to Parision time
• Apron for my 'Mommy'

Well? Any strategies…?!

Henna Holiday

Two new henna tattoos today—a free-form ankle cuff, and my Freedom design placed in  anew spot. I keep trying to find The Spot to put it when it's permanent—so far I've had a tramp stamp (I actually liked it, but it's so…well…yeah. Plus, potential pregnancy stretching…? Eww), between shoulder blades (nice, but when would I actually see it?), ankle (so close to the bone, and easily exposed when I don't want it to be), and finally, nape of neck (no comments yet, that was today's job).

I'll let you guys know what I think of this—I can't promise photos, though, unless I can get an SD card converter as my camera is still showing 'Communication Error' when I try to plug it in. Shucks.

Where would you put my tattoo—needs to be discrete, personal, and unlikely to deform with age—please let me know!!

(Happy Solstice!)

Sh-Sh-Shopping!!

I had such a very productive evening today…I've spent it eating yesterday's leftovers (I've always wanted to eat out of one of those funky little take-out boxes, and Wok Box has them. Score!), avoiding the scholarship essay I need to work through (read: write!)…and looking at planners for next year. 

I've been through the At-A-Glance site, which is the company that out out my beloved 'little black book.' They call it a collegiate planner…that's really not nearly as much fun. 

Anyway, I think I've found the one! It's a lot bigger than this year's (8" x 9 7/8" versus 3" x4 1/2"), but I think with all that I'll be doing, extra, it'll work. I might need to either a) clear out a permanent home for it in my purse, which it might not fit…at all, or b) get a new purse for it. I need to get a new purse anyway, mine's starting to fall apart, and I would really like something more modern. The one I have is practically my mother's, it's not me at all. It's sort of become me, but still….

I want function, always, but a little more style with it…. I've looked into the Miche bag system—look them up, it's really quite interesting—and I've decided I want their 'Prima' bag with the 'Katheryn' shell. It's still brown, like mine, still has pockets and compartments, but it's a bit larger, it's more modern, and, frankly, I'm tired of this utilitarian look. I want a little more poshness.

I was told not to do it, as it's not leather, but honestly, it's not like I'll use this for forever, and I'm really not nearly as into leather as some people I know. Sure, it's nice for shoes and everything, but it can be such a pain in the ass sometimes…and there's the whole 'dead animal' thing. Not really my cup of tea!

So I guess I have a few things to purchase in the next little while…. I've come into a bit of money, what with grad, so maybe I should treat myself? What do you think?

Janome 2160 QDC

Today, I bought my second sewing machine…but the first modern one. It's a Janome 2160  QDC, and it's pretty cool…! Lots of settings that I'm looking forward to playing with, and it'll make my clothes-fixing work easier—lots of different buttonhole settings, zigzags, straight stitches, decorative…so much variety!

I'm really looking forward to working with it. My first project will be over the next few days, I'll bring it into the lab and make my Mommy's apron she asked for. Yay!!

Fritters and France and Friends(?!), Oh My!

I'm in the middle of cooking this recipe (oddly enough, I'm doing it almost word-for-word, which is really weird for me!), and thinking about my exchange. If you didn't know, I'm going to france at the end of this month (the twenty-ninth), and will have almost no chances to blog while I'm there. The company I'm going with strongly advises against brining my computer. I'll get into that another day, though.

Anyway, I bring my exchange partner back for August (we'll call her JR for the sake of argument), and I'm sort of worried about what she'll think of us here. From all accounts, French mothers are the cooks, laundresses, housekeepers. (I was told not to panic if my clothes disappeared, it probably means that Mom JR has taken them to clean…!)

Here, though, I cook, if anyone does. I do most of my own laundry (when it's not sitting in a heap, waiting to be folded). I don't rely on my mother for everything….

What spurred this on, though, was the thought of my 'cooking clothes.' Anyone would say they strongly resemble 'workout clothes'…probably because they're the same. When I'm cooking, I'm usually choreographing, too. I dance my way through chopping, mixing and baking; all with loud (generally latin and/or Zumba) music blasting. I'm sure I look a fright—chop-chop-shimmy-bounce-bounce-slice-pour-twirl!

So, if you walked in on that, what would your first response be?

Blessings

I get to do so much tomorrow…OSEF meeting, watch my brother's football game, check my sewing machine (and maybe purchase it?), watch a movie with friends….

I am damn blessed.

Grey Areas

Yesterday I was told that I should read Fifty Shades of Grey because, and I quote, "She talks to herself the way I imagine you talking to yourself."

I'm not sure that's a good thing. So, please tell me—have you read it? What did you think? Is it a compliment to think like her…?

English Part A

I wrote my English Part A diploma yesterday, along with all the other English students across the province. Ugh…I don't think it went very well….

Exercise-Cure

So, I figured out why I'm so flipping tired all the time: I haven't been exercising. I've been putting it off, so I can study, then relax after. Silly me—I should remember that I always feel better after working out. I'm actually working on a new choreography for my future-Zumba® class. I'm going to have so many songs, and only be licensed for a few of them. I'll need to get a SOCAN license as soon as I can (first I need a name for my 'company,') so I can do all these songs that I love and want to teach! Nothing against the registered Zumba songs, but as a student I always got—still do get—a kick out of the songs I can sing along to, and understand, in English.

So, I guess that I'll have to clean my running shoes up from the Press Run a few weeks ago, and show up for my class Wednesday night. It'll be so much better for me…!!

Nice

So, I suppose I have another word or two to add to my banned-list. I really, really don't like the word 'nice.' Or 'good.' I mean, really, what do they mean? What is 'being nice?' Is is politeness? Then say so. Is it kindness? Then say so. Is it consideration? Then say so.
I know I'm incredibly guilty of this—every time I get told something, but I don't know what to say, I say 'nice.' It can be so multi-purpose, but I usually use it as the sort of dry, I'm-not-really-listening affirmation. What really bothers me even more, though, is when it's used in childcare. As it is so damn ambiguous to define, how are we really telling little Billy to act? So he pulls Suzie's pigtails. "Be nice, Billy." Honestly, I'm confused as hell when I'm told that, how is Billy supposed to figure out that 'nice' means to keep our hands to our own bodies, and use words to ask for what we want?

Nice is a really not-nice word. Plus it sounds wishy-washy when you say it.