Gourmet Gals
Lots of people have expressed interest in the recipe swapping group that I participate in. Megan Smith, the founder of Gourmet Gals and woman-extraordinairre has opened her blog to receive online contributions from the other Gourmet Gals. So the blog will hopefully be seeing lots of recipes from the 'gals' who live all over the place. Check it out!

A strange thing happened last week as I was driving home from work. I looked around me and noticed a warm glow. It took awhile to register what it was... and then I realized - it was the sun.

Winnipeg is known for it's frosty but sunny winters, however the past 2 years have seen a reversal. Mild but cloudy winters. Add to that the fact that the sun will set just after 4:00 on the shortest day of the year and you can see that the sun is a rare commodity for us Winnipeggers at the moment.

At the end of January we now have sun until after 5:00. I took these photos in front of my house on that sunny day.

To be honest, I don't like winter at all. I try to ignore it. I go to work, busy myself with a million and one things so I don't have to actually realize that I live in a deep freeze for 4 months of the year.

The other day after a spell of -40degrees Celsius, I stepped out into a -15 afternoon...and felt a warm breeze. True story.

If I had it my way, I'd opt for some climate change on a personal level. A little space by a warm sea with my Jack and my Jeremy (cat).

Here's hoping I make it until April.

TADAIMA!!
That means I'm back. In Japanese.

Little change around the ole blog is my addition of comment moderation. I allow anonymous postings so that people don't have to sign up to interact with my blog. My friends will sign their name on their comment but a certain anonymous someone doesn't want to share their name. Therefor I'm only going to publish comments where people's identity is clear.

x

I'd like to formally welcome Miss Liz Kaye to the Blogger community! I met Liz through MPPC and she has been keeping my life lively and full of hugs for 1.5 years now. Unfortunatly for Amy Tegg, I don't think Blogger is advanced enough to send hugs online. I hope you will continue to manage Amy. Anyways, looking forward to hearing more of what goes on inside the mind of Liz Kaye.

Introducing KAYVIBE!!

It's -37 degrees Celcius today.
Thats MINUS and CELCIUS.
Then add the windchill and it feels like -47 degrees Celcius.
Trip to Winnipeg anyone?

Why it's great to work at a college...
In one day I can get my teeth cleaned, have my pet donate blood, get a tune up on the car, use free gym facilities, get my blood type tested, eat a Food Network-worthy meal for $5.00, have some design work printed up, take a free course and of course - enjoy some goodness from the professional bakers onsite. Yes. I can recruite students to study at this fine institution while stuffing my face with freshly made coconut cream pie.
Luckily, the staff are used to these sorts of disctractions and can go on working while consuming a whole pie. Good work team!

HOW TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR FREE
aka. great resources for teachers

In the spirit of lifelong learning and continual (not just new years-al) self-improvement I would like to share the following information. About 25 post secondary institutions from 8 different countries are posting course content and assignments online for free in an effort to promote open learning, and to reduce barriers. You can check out all available courses at the following website:
http://ocwconsortium.org

Happy 2007!
To be honest, I've been writing 2007 instead of 2006 since July. One can only hope that this is a sign of good things to come this year. New Years Eve usually brings a night of so much expectation that I try to keep it as simple as possible. I'm one who thinks that the best fun is not always created on demand, but rather unexpectedly. And for that reason alone I can say that my New Years was 'fun'.
Jack was asked to dj at a huge party at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The drawing card of the party was the 3 rooms with dj's and the open bar. These things could be had for a mere $70 ticket (early bird). Luckily Jack and I didn't have to pay and even more luckily (as we would learn by the end of the night), all the 600 tickets sold out so only two friends had paid to join us. We do thank you Greg and Vic. You were an awesome to spend this evening with and I'm sure we'll be talking about it for years to come.




Arriving at 8:15 with Jack I spent the first hour waiting for everyone to set up and doors to open. It became clear quite quickly that the bars were understaffed for the 600 partiers who wanted to get their $70 worth. Greg and Vic arrived and Jack was dj-ing to a dance floor that was quickly filling up. We made the best of the 20 minute lines for drinks and were getting into the groove. At midnight, the promised champagne was nowhere in sight and we informed Jack that he should probably pause his set for the countdown (considering the name and date of the party). Jack did a fantastic job of bringing us into 2007.



Shortly after it seems the shit hit the fan. The Liquor Commission was not too pumped about this party from the get-go and succeeded at shutting everything down around 12:45. Apparently people were stealing whole bottles of alcohol. Hmmm...perhaps the 20 minute line for 1 drink was to blame? The whole situation became something that should be published as an event management case study. 600 tickets to an open bar sold. 10 inexperienced bartenders. 4 or so very non-butch like security guards. 2 floors of party. 7 party rooms. 600 people who are either drunk or want to be drunk. You do the math.


Since the party was heading nowhere it seemed best to abandon ship. Jack was not going to get to dj any more that night so everything was packed up. Pandemonium, however, was ensuing at the door. The coat check people had no system for holding everyone's coats and all the people trying to leave broke through into the large room/theatre that was being used as coat check. People were freaking out and throwing coats everywhere. Everyone was worried about having their coat taken. It was cold outside and I think lots of people had keys etc in their pockets.

After we had found all the gear and coats, we wanted to get out asap. One of the promoters came by and told us that the party was moving to 290 McDermot but we were definitely ready to leave the situation behind. Hailing a cab proved to be impossible and the growing crowd outside the gallery was restless. People saw us carrying out the turntable and gear and started questioning us, thinking we know more about the coordination of the event. Guys were pissing on the WAG sign and people were pulling out the giant 70's modern bulbs in front of the gallery. We knew we had to escape so we started walking down the street with all the gear. Of the 4 of us, who do you think was the most unprepared to walk through the 25cm of snow we got the night before?


Yes, me. In the end, we did get a cab to Greg's place to unwind from all the 'excitement'. It was definitely unexpected and I guess the drama did lead to some fun. Considering that I didn't loose anything, I don't think anyone got hurt, the night cost me the price of one cab and I got to hang out with some great friends. We do thank you Greg and Vic and we definitely owe you one!!

Happy New Year.

Farewell 2006
I usually put together some photos and thoughts from the finishing year to send to friends...especially those who are far away. This year I've been feeling out of sorts because any photo or recap from the year is on this blog so there's not much left to say. Still want to send out a New Years card in the Japanese fashion so I hope I'll actually get around to it. My time off is fast coming to an end and I want it to go on forever. The Christmas break has been like a trip to Mexico without the hotel beds, sunburn and diarrhea. So I guess it's been good.

There is only one thing left to share about 2006. It's sad but I have to include it because it's part of everything. Our outside cat, One-Eye, was found dead on the road across from our house on Christmas Eve. One can only assume that it was a result of the fast moving traffic down our residential street. We are nestled beside a transit base and rail road tracks. Bus drivers rushing in and out of their shift often drive by at 60+ km/h and VIA Rail trucks with huge-nourmous wheels also make frequent passes. Since being abandoned by his crack dealing owners in summer 2005, we have been taking care of him. He was sleeping in our porch this winter and we'd just taken him to the vet the week before to arrange shots and neutering. On Christmas Eve he was sleeping on the porch while I tidied up and prepared to go to my dad's house. Within an hour he was gone. For some reason that cat had something special. My brother and his girlfriend actually saw a cat that they swore was him, walking in my dad's yard at the time the accident would have happened. My dad lives 70km south of us. And they of course didn't know what had happened. I can't really explain it but I'm sure many people have felt a connection with an animal in their life.

It's crazy how quick things can change and it hit me so hard that we need to live every moment to the fullest. We brought him to the country and buried him on my dad's land. My family was really supportive. I can only hope that it's summer all the time in kitty heaven and that there are lots of laps to sit on, no matter how big your eye is.
xoxoneeye