Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Aaah....Aaaah....AAAaaaaa-CHOOO!

The folks are back in their place (they were here for a week, then in a hotel for a day or two), and life is returning to normal. We were both exhausted this weekend, so we didn't do a whole lot, just vegged out during the day, and I went out with a friend on Saturday night.

Yesterday I went out with my Mom, and we spent a few hours shopping at the Gourmet Warehouse. What an awesome store! They have everything from pots & pans, to knives, dishes, exotic ingredients and spices, to amazing (and often ridiculous) gadgets. I didn't spend much money, just bought a new cookie sheet, some Jones' Birch Beer for Sean & some orange blossom water which I think I might use to make some homemade marshmellows.

Today I'm at home. I've had a couple bad allergy days, and today is about as bad as it gets, so I've taken a sick day. My eyes have finally stopped running long enough to blog. This friday I see my doctor & my naturopath for results of my allergy testing and other fun medical related garbage. My Doctor has always been happy with prescribing meds instead of getting to the root of the problem and fixing things naturally, so I have to be vigilant and ask questions. As for the naturopath, I think she's probably a quack, but I'm trying really hard to reserve judgement until after I have my allergy results and hear what she has to say. In other words, if she prescribes ground up monkey brains to fix a runny nose, I'm outta there! 

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Full House

Last Friday afternoon, the lower mainland experienced a short thunderstorm. We don't have them very often, and this one was unusualy fierce. There was only one big strike, and it hit with such force that people felt it over 50 kms from where it struck.

Which, incidentally was the roof of my parents' apartment building.

Long story short, the lightning hit the building (one of two 16-floor towers in North Delta), travelled down, frying the electrical along the way, before overloading and setting fire to the back-up generators and travelling up the second tower to fry them too. There was smoke everywhere, the power went out, and the buildings were evacuated.

Thinking this would be a minor hitch in their evening, my Mom, Dad and sister Melo hurried out of the building and settled in at the pub next door for dinner and a few drinks while waiting to be let back in to their suite.

They're still waiting.

Mom, Dad & Melo have been living with us in our 950 sq ft condo since Friday night. My little bro is staying with friends in the city, but I'm told he's been by to raid the fridge. My parents have our room, my sis is in the spare room, and Sean & I are living tatami-style in the living room. I love my family, and we all get along pretty well, so it hasn't been too bad, but everyone's wanting to get back to their own lives. My poor husband has been nothing but gracious & patient as circumstances have disrupted his gaming, hockey, and rest. I owe him big time.

Right now, it looks like they might be able to get back in to their place this Thursday night. I guess we'll see!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Nothing much going on...

Really. Life has been quiet and mostly uneventful. Nothing much to report.

We discovered why our cat Leo has such soft & shiny fur; I caught him with his whole mouth over the pump of my moisturizer, pumping it into his mouth and eating it. Oh well, it doesn't seem to hurt him, and we can't hide everything under the counter.

Last weekend we went to the Winter Farmer's Market in Vancouver. It was kinda neat, but not even nearly as awesome as the one in Fredericton. We bought some mushrooms, microgreens & some pastries, aswell as some farm eggs. Not much of a haul for the distance we drove, but a fun morning nonetheless.

One of the cookies we bought was a chocolate-chilli cookie, which inspired me to make my own. Mine came out with a bit more of a kick than the bought ones, so I have dubbed them'Volcano Cookies'. Sean loves them, and they're perfect for dieting as they are low in fat and will set your insides on fire if you try to eat more than one. You have been forewarned.

Back to the farmer's market, if you are ever looking to make some easy cash, I have just the thing for you: grow sprouts in an urban area. Those crazy west-enders were paying $5 a pop for little containers of various sprouts, about half a pint. From what I understand, sprouts are quick & easy to grow, and take very little room. All you need is seed, water and a steady supply of yuppies.

Tonight we are going to out to dinner with some friends of Sean's. Unfortunately, the wife of his friend has some mental issues, and will often at the last minute, refuse to leave the house. We'll see how it goes.