Fall update II
We're well into fall, which overtook summer as my favourite season a couple years ago. I like the crispy coldness in the air, the return of cozy knits and scarves, the comfort of a piping hot cup of tea and soup and roasted dishes fresh from the oven. If only it can just stay like this longer. Stay away, winter.
(+) My sis C., J. and the kiddies are here for a visit. After spending a week in Richmond with friends, they've finally moved into our condo, which is great. It's a little tight, but awesome, and quite cozy, with an air bed set up in the living room by the fireplace. They're in Victoria right now, returning on Wednesday. I took Wednesday and Thursday off, so I can hang out with them. Plans: Science World, Phnom Penh, Costco, seawall and English Bay, maybe Park Royal. The kids are about the same, except for James, who has grown up lots and is now full-on in talking, chatting, and asking questions mode. He has the sweetest voice ever, too. LOVE.
(-) I took a sick day today. I had ANOTHER freaking sore throat, just as I was getting over the last bout of sore throat/cough from two weeks ago. I don't know what the heck is going on with my immune system. I dunno if I should start to worry. I have been getting enough sleep, and I have for the most part been taking Vitamin C. But I have been stressed lately, and not drinking enough water, and not eating as healthy as I should be. Sigh. Should take care of myself + be more disciplined in my diet, if only for health reasons and not weight-loss.
(+) This means that I am off from work and staying in town for SIX continuous days. This has never happened in a decade, not in all my years of work at The Province. If I wasn't sick today, it would have been five continuous days, as I have Sunday off (not my own volition) and that would still be the longest series of days where I'm in Vancouver and not working. Earlier, I had to let that thought sink in for a bit. Six whole days. Whoa. It feels absolutely indulgent!
(+) I am planning to cook some polenta with roasted tomatoes. I wanted to make creamy polenta using cornmeal, but the nearest thing we have to cornmeal in the pantry is a pre-cooked polenta log from Trader Joe's. I'll just use that, but try to mash it up and add some soy milk or veggie broth to it, to try to make it creamier. It's gonna have to be an adaptation of the recipe I'm following from It's All Easy, Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook. The cookbook looks super promising so far. I've picked out several recipes I'd like to try. A few weeks ago, P. and I tried a leeks and zucchini soup and it was so delish and easy to make.
(-) Not all cookbooks are winners. I recently bought Oh She Glows Every Day, Angela Liddon's followup cookbook to her popular Oh She Glows, which I love, if only for the overnight oats recipe, which I make all the time. The new cookbook was a bit of a disappointment though. I only found 3-4 recipes I was interested in. Several of the recipes also seemed to be obvious recycles from the first book. I ended up returning it, along with Chloe's Vegan Desserts, a cookbook I thought might be inspiring (for me) and useful (for Phil), but ended up being rather meh.
(+) May I say, Amazon is AMAZING. Ordering is a breeze. Delivery is quick, especially now that I succumbed and signed up for Prime. Even returning, which I did for the first time with the two cookbooks, was easy-peasy...
(-) Unlike stupid Virgin Mobile. I am on hold with them right now for pricesely 39 minutes and 27 seconds. And this is the second attempt. Earlier I was on hold with them for an hour and 17 minutes, at which point I was so sure there's been an error and they had forgotten about me and I hung up and redialed. Such crappy customer service. I'm calling to dispute a $30 charge on my credit card. This all started a couple weeks ago when I signed up Mila's extra cell phone from Spain to Virgin as a gift for Tata. I was assured by the customer service person at the Pacific Centre kiosk it would work. But it didn't. Fine. Mistakes happen. I don't expect the return of my $5 SIM card. But I also didn't expect (1) having to wait nearly an hour in order to get someone on the line so I can cancel the line, and (2) getting billed $30 on my credit card AFTER I had cancelled.
(-) I have to say, I've never had to wait this long on the line, not for any government agency or business. Boo, Richard Branson. Your company sucks.
Hours later:
(-) I ended up waiting an hour and seven minutes the first time with Virgin, then almost two hours the second time. Then I gave up. Will try again tomorrow.
(+) My sis C., J. and the kiddies are here for a visit. After spending a week in Richmond with friends, they've finally moved into our condo, which is great. It's a little tight, but awesome, and quite cozy, with an air bed set up in the living room by the fireplace. They're in Victoria right now, returning on Wednesday. I took Wednesday and Thursday off, so I can hang out with them. Plans: Science World, Phnom Penh, Costco, seawall and English Bay, maybe Park Royal. The kids are about the same, except for James, who has grown up lots and is now full-on in talking, chatting, and asking questions mode. He has the sweetest voice ever, too. LOVE.
(-) I took a sick day today. I had ANOTHER freaking sore throat, just as I was getting over the last bout of sore throat/cough from two weeks ago. I don't know what the heck is going on with my immune system. I dunno if I should start to worry. I have been getting enough sleep, and I have for the most part been taking Vitamin C. But I have been stressed lately, and not drinking enough water, and not eating as healthy as I should be. Sigh. Should take care of myself + be more disciplined in my diet, if only for health reasons and not weight-loss.
(+) This means that I am off from work and staying in town for SIX continuous days. This has never happened in a decade, not in all my years of work at The Province. If I wasn't sick today, it would have been five continuous days, as I have Sunday off (not my own volition) and that would still be the longest series of days where I'm in Vancouver and not working. Earlier, I had to let that thought sink in for a bit. Six whole days. Whoa. It feels absolutely indulgent!
(+) I am planning to cook some polenta with roasted tomatoes. I wanted to make creamy polenta using cornmeal, but the nearest thing we have to cornmeal in the pantry is a pre-cooked polenta log from Trader Joe's. I'll just use that, but try to mash it up and add some soy milk or veggie broth to it, to try to make it creamier. It's gonna have to be an adaptation of the recipe I'm following from It's All Easy, Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook. The cookbook looks super promising so far. I've picked out several recipes I'd like to try. A few weeks ago, P. and I tried a leeks and zucchini soup and it was so delish and easy to make.
(-) Not all cookbooks are winners. I recently bought Oh She Glows Every Day, Angela Liddon's followup cookbook to her popular Oh She Glows, which I love, if only for the overnight oats recipe, which I make all the time. The new cookbook was a bit of a disappointment though. I only found 3-4 recipes I was interested in. Several of the recipes also seemed to be obvious recycles from the first book. I ended up returning it, along with Chloe's Vegan Desserts, a cookbook I thought might be inspiring (for me) and useful (for Phil), but ended up being rather meh.
(+) May I say, Amazon is AMAZING. Ordering is a breeze. Delivery is quick, especially now that I succumbed and signed up for Prime. Even returning, which I did for the first time with the two cookbooks, was easy-peasy...
(-) Unlike stupid Virgin Mobile. I am on hold with them right now for pricesely 39 minutes and 27 seconds. And this is the second attempt. Earlier I was on hold with them for an hour and 17 minutes, at which point I was so sure there's been an error and they had forgotten about me and I hung up and redialed. Such crappy customer service. I'm calling to dispute a $30 charge on my credit card. This all started a couple weeks ago when I signed up Mila's extra cell phone from Spain to Virgin as a gift for Tata. I was assured by the customer service person at the Pacific Centre kiosk it would work. But it didn't. Fine. Mistakes happen. I don't expect the return of my $5 SIM card. But I also didn't expect (1) having to wait nearly an hour in order to get someone on the line so I can cancel the line, and (2) getting billed $30 on my credit card AFTER I had cancelled.
(-) I have to say, I've never had to wait this long on the line, not for any government agency or business. Boo, Richard Branson. Your company sucks.
Hours later:
(-) I ended up waiting an hour and seven minutes the first time with Virgin, then almost two hours the second time. Then I gave up. Will try again tomorrow.