Garlic & Sapphires

A book exchange find recommended by a fellow foodie who said I would enjoy this book. She was right! If you love food, love learning about food & cooking, and love reading insanely rich and vibrant descriptions about food, you'll enjoy it as well.

Essentially this book is written by a former New York Times food critic about how she remained anonymous while critiquing Manhattan's finest dining spots. I liked hearing how she morphed into each character less than I loved learning about the food and the dining experience in New York, but overall a quick enjoyable read.

Admittedly, the wind-down takes a bit longer than I liked and it does wrap up a bit nicely, but still a good fun read.

Next!

Getting back on the wagon

Well, I did make it to spin last night after all. I do, however, have mixed feelings about it. See, the spin class I go to on Mon and Weds are the most popular ones out of the Peninsula clubs because the instructor is like an Army commander. She beats the shit out of you every time and it's awesome. Our hills are STEEP, the sprints are FAST and she walks around the bikes and makes sure you're not faking it at any point in time during the class.

Well, her class is so popular that I've had to take the option of pre-paying to put my name on the list to get a bike in the class. See all those extra steps? It's not just show up. Prior to January 1st, it was show up 30 mins before class to put your name on the list. Then it was sign up an hour before. Then it was pre-pay to be on the 10 people who are allowed to put their name on the list so they don't have to come an hour before class. I thought that was enough. I was wrong.

I pre-paid for 3 weeks (at a buck each week, it's a deal), showed up to class at 545pm to grab my bike and to my dismay they were ALL taken. I asked around if anyone was on the waitlist (you can put your name on the standby list in case any of the regulars dont show up). No one was. So I waited. And waited. Then the instructor came in and asked for any waitlisters to get off their bike. No one moved. So she did was she calls "starting the class the hard way." She made everyone get off their bikes, go outside the room, and then she called each person on the list by name. THEN you could go get your bikes.

I was #10 on the list, so I knew I had a bike somewhere. As it turned out, one lady, L, thought she had pre-paid for this class. For whatever reason, she wasn't on the list. So I had to be the asshole who took her bike while she collected her things. Friggin' sucked man. She seriously had tears in her eyes, I felt so bad as did the instructor. But our hands were tied! Everyone legitimately had either pre-paid or shown up in time to get on the list, myself included. And as R pointed out, if it was her waiting for a bike and she had pre-paid and was on the list like me, she would have expected me to leave the class too. But R also pointed out that that lady must have had one hell of a shitty day to be cryin' over being kicked out of a spin class.

Equally unfortunate (to me at least) was that her chosen bike was literally in the front of the class. I hate being in the front. The Monday/Wednesday crowd is INTENSE man. It's seriously the most advanced spin class I've ever been to. These folks don't mess around. And normally, neither do I. But I didnt want to be the asshole who took that lady's bike who then didnt go agro during class. So I had to burn it up the entire time. It was rough!

But now that I'm back on the wagon, I'm getting ready to head to the gym today for some much-chiller cardio. Then Bar Method on Friday. Then my weight training class on Saturday. It's good to get back on the wagon. I'm hoping the crappy weather will keep some of the fairweather fans away from the gym tonight so I dont have to look at fogged-up windows whilst jammin' on my favorite machine and hoping to burn off the ridiculous lunch I had today. (dont even ask, I'm ashamed to admit what I broke down and ordered... let's just say it came from a drive-through)

Cheers!

The Poisonwood Bible

When I told Wintermute I was trying, again, to read this book all the way through she looked puzzled. "Why?" I still do not have a good answer, even though I finished the book. My thoughts:

(early December) This is a carryover book from the 2007 book challenge. I started this book way back in maybe college maybe? I couldn’t finish it the first time and now I’m going back to it. I’ve heard that it’s awesome, but some of my friends say they couldn’t finish it either. We’ll see.

(January) I again, did not like this book. Wintermute was right, it seemed like the author didn’t want to end the damn thing! But since I was determined to finish it, I kept plugging along. The main part of the book, when they were living in the Congo, was fine. But it was annoying that the story and the characters never changed. They were literally the same from start to finish. Sure, it seemed that the characters learned some things, but essentially they didn’t change their behavior or perception of life or anything based on their experiences, which were pretty dramatic. I’m not sure what the whole point of the book was supposed to be. But fun, it wasn’t.

Anyone have suggestions as to the grand idea I was supposed to grasp? The life lesson I was supposed to learn? 'Cuz either I am too dense to figure it out or there just plain wasn't a point.

Trying to be good

This week I've made a concerted effort to be good. Monday, the official holiday, I worked on tons of home and work admin that had piled up in the winter melee (otherwise known as the period of time I didn't want to work hard and went skiing instead). And as much as I hated it, I tackled a *ginormous* pile of dishes that had stacked up over the weekend so M wouldn't have to face it when he got home. Tuesday, I canceled an appointment that was going to be fruitless and stayed in the office and got tons of stuff done. It's been a long time since I cleared that much off my desk.

So... why oh why can't I drag my tired ass to the gym? Instead I drag M out for a good ole' juicy cheeseburger with (shared) fries and a (shared) chocolate shake. It's like I'm doing Christmas-post holiday diet in reverse. I was doing great before Christmas... felt great, was at a comfortable weight and working out decently. Even went on an awesome bike ride with M on Christmas Day while the turkey was cooking. But ever since then, my activity level has... shall we say "leveled off."

I promise to go to spin tomorrow. Really.

The Slanket has arrived!

Thanks to Wintermute's awesome find, my beloved Slanket has finally arrived! WOO HOO!

This thing is the best blanket EVAR. Seriously. I have been complaining about cold arms and shoulders for ages. No more. Now my only complaint is cold hands (since the rest of me is covered up like a mummy). So, I'm thinking I should start inventing Slanket accessories and make my millions that way. Since I clearly didn't have the presence of mind to come up with the Slanket itself. Genius that dude. Or at least observant.

Anyways, I've been meaning to tell Wintermute that I finally got the damn thing (I ordered it before Christmas when they were all backordered)... but forgot to show her when she was here for the Girls' Book Exchange.

Now I'll be happy reading on those cold winter nights!

The wrap-up: Girls' Frivolo, Fondue & 2008 Book Exchange

So, this is starting to be an annual thing I'm hosting. I'm hoping to keep it up because I think it's a great chance for all my closest women friends to get together over wine and brunch and catch-up, exchange books, and basically have a henfest. This year's turnout was almost double last year's and lemme tell ya, you could feel it in our teeny tiny house.

Lessons learned?

1. Do not make fondue for the first time in a small house for 13 people
2. If you are foolish enough to do so, prep all the dipping items the night before
3. If you don't prep the dipping items the night before, prep some appetizers for the ladies to eat whilst waiting almost 90 minutes for the fondue to make its first appearance.
4. Have the party in a bigger venue

I'm hopeful that for the 2009 Book Exchange we are in our own house (not our current rented one). I know we will be looking for a house that has good entertaining space because we love to entertain. So if that happens, I'll be able to continue to add names to the Evite.

I had a fabulous time! I hope everyone else did. Even though our book selection was lighter than last year and a few had to leave before we actually exchanged books.

I think next year I'll stick to more traditional brunch fare like last year--quiche or baked eggs and my raspberry bread pudding (although I might try this refined version of it). BT's ebelskivers were a big hit too, so maybe I'll get myself an ebelskiver pan and make those too. And more champagne next year!

Happy reading in 2008 ladies! Save your books for next year's exchange!

Good news to report!

Wow, I can't believe how long I've let my blog go. It's almost as bad as my getting to the gym lately.

Well, here's the good news. . . . M recieved an offer from Virgin America yesterday! YEAH!

Of course, the timing could not be worse. We have 3 trips planned between the 2 of us in the next 3 weeks and almost all of them will inevitably have to be cancelled or rescheduled to [1] accomodate M's first day in training on February 4th and [2] because we LOSE OUR FLIGHT BENEFITS the day M quits his current airine job. AHHHH! No more free flights on United and Delta and reduced fares on almost all other global airlines. SHIT! This is really gonna affect our travel lives. Like kill it.

So, M was the first to cancel his boyz ski trip to Montreal (prepaid and nonrefundable of course), I am awaiting word on whether I'll have to cancel a trip to LAX to visit a very good friend (depending on M's last day of work, I may not be able to fly). And finally, we are in the process of figuring out if M will be able to fly to and from a wedding in Savannah the 2nd weekend in February to which we've [1] already paid for my airfare to Savannah and [2] we've already RSVP'd to. I *hate* to cancel wedding RSVPs because I am aware how expensive weddings are. And I really want to go!

Not being able to fly on our employee benefits is TOUGH man. (I know, I know, cry me a river, but seriously!)

It's going to be a good move for him... the timing is terrible though. C'est la vie! And that could not be more true than for us Dixons. The one thing that's been a constant in our married lives is that if there is a "most difficult" path or the "most inconvenient timing" of anything good or bad in our lives, it will inevitably happen that way for us. That's just the way we roll. No matter how much we schedule for it or make contingency plans, things just end up being difficult in the short run. It's like we're always being tested and stretched to the limits of sanity to make progress in our personal and professional lives. It's the airline industry and there's no other industry I know of that requires quite the same sacrifices, at the last minute (always).

So, please raise a glass for M! More than anyone, he deserves this great opportunity to fly for a super fly airline (pun intended), a start-up no less, and finallly BE BASED AT HOME! Sure, I'm biased. But I've been here for every high and low during this year and a half long interview process and it's been hell for him (especially) and me. I'm so glad it's over!

Fly VA!

Wintermute--are you flying them to Vegas? Or southworst outta OAK? :-) just kiddin' (sorta)

So far so good

2008 is shaping up to be a good year so far. Work's going good, it's light and I love it! M's work is good, it's light too--WIERD. We think something is up the company's sleeve.. they are fat on Captains right now and there's not any extra flying to pick up. But in the meantime, we've spent quality time with the folks, taken a ski vacation (first for us), gotten stuff done 'round the house, etc. And now that we're in January, the social calendar is a lot lighter too, which is bittersweet. Good because we kept neglecting things that needed to get done, bad because we love to see our friends! Thank goodness we have a Shark's game coming up and my girls' book exchange this Saturday. :-)

Not too much else to post about, just in between a client office and a lunch date... but I am trying to keep my blog up to date on my little existence. So, be relieved, you haven't missed anything yet.

Happy Wednesday!

Water for Elephants

I just finished this book on our trip to B.C. and loved it. The wierd thing is, I can't totally figure out why. It’s about a young man’s life as a vet for a circus in the 1920s during Prohibition and at the start of the Great Depression. I loved how the author integrated the history of the circus and alot of the history of that time with the story line, but not in a way that was boring or obvious. More like little snippets. Like when she mentioned that the main character goes out into town and is walking among the part of town where the hobos (their term, not mine) live and notice that many of them, although asleep, have their shoes tied to their feet. And that they are mostly young, not older, middle aged as we would typically imagine. The cool part is, in the interview at the end of the book with the author, she confirms that this was indeed true. I like that. Interesting tidbits about history that aren't the least bit boring.

I talked to someone recently who didn't love this book, just liked it. But I really enjoyed it, devoured it really.

So, for 2008, 1 book down, 24 to go!

p.s... in case you're wondering, no, I didn't make the 25 book challenge last year. Missed it by 3 books. However if you count the 6 books I started (and by start I mean gave them each at least 100 pages to pique my interest)... then maybe I made it. Sorta.

Happy reading in 2008!

And I quote, "Whistler kicks ass"

Indeed it does. As my friend JM just pointed out in an email to me, "and you don't even ski." True, I'm not a skier. But this place could bring the snowbunny out of a desert lizard. It rocks. We're staying in the main Village, which is so convenient. Ski in and ski out to both the Blackbcomb and the Whistler lifts, walking-only streets in the main village, TONS of insane food ranging from very cheap and tasty (my falafel burger yesterday) to expensive and awesome (dinner last night of mushroom soup and mushroom ravioli were both divine).

Today (and yesterday) we had constant snow from flurries to HUGE snowflakes. Check out M in the hip-deep powder!

All said, we got 25cm today as well as yesterday. So no matter what time you hit the slopes, you always had fresh powder. Once I finally got my legs under me (yesterday's runs were a bit choppy and un-fun) I had a blast. I love that you can take lifts to the peak (around 8500 feet) and still make it down on beginner runs. This is us at the top of Blackcomb:

Check this one out, you can't even see my feet up to my knees! And this was a beginner run! Amazing powder.

*Note, if you do come here and you are a beginner-plus at home, you will be a baby beginner here. As in, Easiest Route down (that's what they call the runs for super easy). Regular green beginner runs are NOT beginner, be warned. So if you think you're going to get warmed up on a green and move onto a blue, like I normally do, maybe not so much. I stayed on greens, in fact I was promoted to full greens today (yesterday I was on green/whites aka "Easiest Route Down").

All in all, it's been an awesome trip. The people are fantastic, I've never met so many Aussies and Kiwis outside of Australia/NZ! The food is amazing, the Village is SO FUN and the skiing is amazing. We are so coming back here again.

Here's Whistler Village at night.... so picturesque!

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

Oops, I forgot to mention that in my last blog. Happy New Year to all!

For good reason, 2007 was not an awesome year for us (despite the Japan trip)... so we've got our fingers crossed for a ROCKIN' 2008.

Cheers and Salute!

Hugs,
LG

I also heart BC

I wish I had remembered to bring the cord that connects our camera to this computer. Cuz damn, this place is awesome and you should see it. We arrived in Vancouver on January 1, 2008 (yeah baby!), spent a day and half there, ate well at my new local favorite restaurant (I'm sure next time we come back I'll have new favs), and today we drove up to Whistler, BC.

Once again, I heart Canada. This time, I particularly heart British Columbia. I could seriously live here. And to be honest, we most likely will at some point. Vancouver is so West Coast-minded, it's ridiculous. More so than the Peninsula. Garbage bags in the City are made of biodegradable materials. All of the taxis are Prius hybrids. And there are TONS of Asians of all sorts. I would never be deprived of my comfort foods like Pho, udon and hot soba. Nor would I miss the charming broken English of my Japanese and Vietnamese servers. There's more Korean than we have close to our current house. Best dolmas I've had since we ate with BT and hubby a few weeks ago. The best hummus EVAR. It's ridiculous. AND and up-and-coming wine industry. Hells to the yeah.

Now we are in Whistler. And despite the fact that our porter dropped my beloved laptop in the snow when he unloaded our car (GASP!), I heart this hotel and our room!! This place is insanely perfect. It has an iHome deck in our loft/bedroom upstairs so we can blast our favorite music while drinking some local BC wines we picked up at Liberty Wines (recommended by our waiter at RainCity Grill last night) and reading my latest book. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

I am seriously in heaven right now. Today's agenda? Chill over breakfast over Dutch pancakes, take a bathtub-sized ferry to Granville Island,

grab lunch at Granville Public Market (of said hummus, dolmas, fresh french baguette)

And drive up to Whistler with M after a long, leisurely walk along the beach of English Bay. I heart British Columbia*.

*Even though I despise the British dude I saw at lunch yesterday eating a bento box with a FORK AND KNIFE and then finish off the meal PICKING THE CRAP OUT OF THIS TEETH WITH HIS UNUSED CHOPSTICKS. Sick.*

I will definitely share pics when I get home. You must come here with us next time. It is amazing. GOOD food, lovely wine, amazing views. Oh wait, you'll just have to visit us when we MOVE HERE.