Sweet Spring

new blooms

It's a beautiful day. I can't believe how early the trees and shrubs around our house are leafing out.


relaxing bird spa

The robins are eating the left over grapes on the vines, playing...

and pooping in the bird bath.

This thing is attached to the ground, so it's a pain to clean. Can anyone out there give me some bird bath wisdom? How do you keep it from getting all scungey?

rethinking the church as a lobby group

I came upon this article in Canada Lutheran magazine (Jan/Feb 2006), which I picked up at Grace Lutheran Church, down the street from my house (it's a cute little church with very warm people and delicious muffins!). What faith in politics should look like is very hard to define. Usually we just know what it should not look like. Dr. David Pfrimmer has done a good job of showing how the church can participate in our country's affairs in a respectful and relevant way. I'm not nearly as eloquent as Dr. Pfrimmer, so why don't you read the original.

And in the red corner...

Saturday night I saw my first live kickboxing event. I was giddy as a school girl and could hardly stay still in my seat as we waited for Fists of Fury 2 to start at the Cypress Centre. 14 bouts of flying hands and feet. We got 2 spots in the front row of the floor seating, so I could see every drop of sweat fly off the fighters' bodies. It was grand. I am now revved up and motivated to go back to kickboxing class. I think after I burn off my winter layer of insulation I could do just as well in the ring as some of those competitors.

Two very different parties

We went back to Edmonton for the Easter Weekend. On Friday I helped with the big Community Easter Dinner at the agency I used to work for, Hope Mission. I experienced the event very differently, since this time it was not my job to be in charge of the whole thing. I felt like I connected so much more with people since I wasn't so preoccupied with solving problems and keeping things moving. It felt good to be back, to see familiar faces and get hugs, to feel like I knew what I was doing. Belonging is a powerful feeling. Medicine Hat is still unfamiliar and uncomfortable for me.

On Saturday we were invited to the celebration dinner for the first haircut of a friend's baby boy. This was a Hindu celebration. There was a ceremony for family in the morning where the head was shaved. I had never been to one of these before, so I did not expect it to be such a big, formal party. It was almost right up there with their wedding! Wonderful food & drink, speeches, singing and dancing and a slide show. The father explained the significance of the event:

Hindu tradition is that when a baby is born the only thing that is still connected to a possible previous life is the hair. As the child grows, the hair is not cut until it's time for the first haircut ceremony, sometime around one year of age. Shaving the head clean signifies cutting ties with the past life, removing impurities and celebrating the start of a new life.

I felt very privileged to be invited. In my experience so far, Hindu parties are the most fun. Great food, beautiful clothing and excellent dance music. Even the shrivelled little grand and greatgrandparents keep jumping until way after midnight.

Good times.

Doctor, it hurts when I give all my money to the bank.

I learned something new this afternoon: according to David Wilson, writer for the Parkland Institute's The Post, the word "mortgage" means "grip of death" in French.

Apt.

I have 2 mortgages. Should I be hooked up to a heart monitor?

Jackpot!

Yesterday a frustrating shopping day took a sudden upward turn when I discovered a gold mine: a whole rack of original Star Trek VHS tapes for just #1.99 each. They may even be brand new, as they're sealed in plastic.

Please don't call me a Trekkie. I did enjoy the series as a kid, so it has a lot of sentimental value to me, but I have NEVER dressed up as a character from the show. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's just not who I am.

Each tape has two episodes. I found one tape with my favorite episode - 'Spock's Brain', and one with the famous 'The Trouble with Tribbles'. Ah, the most beautiful cheese you will ever find on TV.

If you happen to live in or near Medicine Hat you should check out King of Trade downtown. It's an entertaining store with lots of cheap (and also cheap) stuff.

caricature as a mirror

We've been watching a lot of American political comedy lately. I enjoy political humour. I think it plays an important role. It can diffuse a very charged subject, making it easier to look at ourselves and our views from other angles. When confronted on a serious level about our politics and ethics, we often get defensive and put up walls.

Christianity has lately been the butt of many jokes, as American right-wing politics are currently tied very tightly to it (I have met several Americans who think you cannot be a Democrat and a Christian at the same time). As a Christian I admit I sometimes feel offended by the jabs. Most of the time, though, they have a good point.

The North American Church is making itself an easy target. There is so much focus on our rights, our freedoms, what we're entitled to. Isn't it supposed to be about showing love and grace to the world? Protecting the rights of those who can't stick up for their own, the whole 'widows and orphans' thing?

The cart is being put in front of the horse. Why fight so hard to have a 'Christian' nation? You can't make people into Christians by forcing them to live by Christian principles. What good is it to make people pay lip service to something they don't believe in their hearts. To a milder degree, it's like rolling back the clock a thousand years and announcing "convert or die!" What a great choice, even better than 'Republican or Democrat'.

It seems to me the church forgets its' purpose when it walks arm and arm with the powers that be. I'm not saying bring on the persecution. I'm just saying lets get our priorities straightened out. Yes, I cherish the right to believe what I want, to pray in public and to own religious books. I believe it's important for everyone to have those rights. Let's ask for respect, not demand it, and treat others well first. Let's not be known by our anger, condemnation, selfishness and pride.

like a diabetic coma

Last night Matt and I watched several clips of the Colbert Report, followed by some of David Spade's "Showbiz Show". I think I had sarcasm overload. My whole body felt numb.

Today I am going to a blue jeans liquidation sale at the Medicine Hat Exhibition Grounds. Ah yes, the exciting life of the unemployed.

I have nothing else interesting to say. Sorry to dissapoint.

Toronto part 2

Of course we did the touristy thing and went up the tower. I'm glad I waited for the big one and did not shell out 20 bucks to go up the Calgary tower. At security they made us go through a scary devise that turned out to be a bomb sniffer. I placed my feet on the yellow marks and suddenly all these super-strong poofs of air were hitting me from every direction. It felt like I was back in the Indiana Jones ride at Disney, when the poison darts are whizzing by your head.

Tara made me creep out onto the glass floor at the top to take my picture. I don't care if the sign says it can hold 14 fully grown hippos. Why would any sane person stand on that?!

Anyone who is familiar with the Shuffle Demons will understand why I was tickled to ride the Spadina bus. If you've never heard of them before, listen here.


spadina bus!

We went into some fun shops, like Magic Pony and Peach Berserk. I want one of everything!

On Saturday night we went to a truly entertaining show. Umoja is a song and dance production about the history of South African Music.


It was at the Elgin Theatre, which is a wonderfully ornate building, rich with history. Sitting there watching the ancient tribal dances I felt like some socialite watching Josephine Baker in 1920's New York.

I recommend this show to anyone who has a chance to go and loves music. I know my drummer friends will get a special thrill out of it.

Well, that's my slice of Toronto. I hope it won't be too long before I get to return.

ps. This entry was my first shot at linking to things. I'm so proud of myself.

Toronto part 1

Instead of running away to the circus or getting a traditional Japanese full body tattoo, the last fun thing I did before turning 30 was spending 4 days in Toronto with my best friend, Tara. I had never been to Toronto before and had pretty high expectations, which were not dissapointed.

I love cities, and as soon as I set foot in downtown Toronto I took a big breath and said,
"Ah, this is what a city is supposed to be."

Everything is old and made of brick. There is variety. There is more than one vegetarian restaurant.

Tara is vegan, so eating out needs thought and preparation. In some towns the only option for her is a big bowl of lettuce at the local family restaurant. But not so in Toronto! We headed down Queen Street armed with a list of local veggie places to choose from ( taken from veg.ca). We tried 3 of them with great success.

Get Real Cafe, 135 Ossington Ave.
A cute, clean little place. Run by a healthy, artsy looking couple. This is the kind of place I picture when I think of veggie cafes. We had a hearty coconut milk based stew and a huge tamarind-marinated tofu sandwich packed with so many sweet and savory flavors. The food is fresh and incredibly flavorful. The cucumber water was a refreshing alternative to the common lemon wedge, and if you go, you must finish it all off with a sour cherry tart. You MUST.

Cafe 668, 668 Dundas St. W.
Even smaller than the Get Real Cafe, and a bit funkier. We had walked up a bigger appetite this time, and ordered 3 dishes from the pan-asian menu. There is a lot of fake meat at this place. The flavor is surprisingly true, but I'm still adjusting to the texture difference. I prefer foods that are comfortable just being who they are. The pad thai was pretty good, but the star of the show - what I will be sure to go back for - was the deep fried mushrooms with lemongrass dipping sauce. These were brought to the table so quickly that when we bit in the juices were still boiling inside the mushrooms. A little danger adds flavor to any food.


Tara enjoys a yummy, mouth-searing mushroom at Cafe 668

Fressen, 478 Queen St. W.
Saturday night, before going out to a show, we had dinner at Fressen, an upscale, gourmet restaurant. Sleek and classy with a sexy bar (and a cute bartender). Anyone who loves gourmet will enjoy Fressen, carnivores included. The food had the depth you would expect from any skilled chef. I went for a decidedly orange and earthy theme: yam soup, pumpkin ravioli and a side of roasted root vegetables. Silky textures, smart presentation, but sadly no room for dessert. I would share the root vegetables between 2. I would also give yourself plenty of time to enjoy. The kitchen takes a slow food approach, and if you need to be somewhere later, you should let them know.

Am I too young to have a midlife crisis?

I am just days away from my 30th birthday and, quite frankly, I'm terrified. My reaction to this event in my life came as a surprise to me. I didn't realize I had any aging issues. It has come at the same time as other major changes in my life, which I think is why I'm having this little identity crisis. In the last 2 months I've had to prepare for and adjust to quiting my very rewarding job and leaving the city I have called home for the last seven years to go to a small town in the middle of a vast expanse of dead brown grass (otherwise known as southern Alberta) so that my husband can have a rewarding job.

I feel very much like I'm at a crossroads. I thought I was an adult before, but now I realize that I have still been enjoying my adolescence and am now facing the end of being able to pretend I'm still a kid. I don't want to leave Never Never Land. I want to be young forever and never get old or saggy or unattractive.

I think I have made it through the worst of my little psychosis, but we're not out of the woods yet. Hopefully this blog will be cathartic.

It's funny how seriously I've approached setting this thing up. I spent days trying to come up with a title and description. For some reason it was so important to me to have the best, wittiest, most original title. Very humbling to find that all of my ideas were already used several times over. Why did I care so much if total strangers found me to be intelligent, funny or cool? It's a lot of pressure to try to stand out from millions of other people. I do hope what I write is of interest to somebody, but this is my first attempt at blogging so I will try to keep my expectations low.