Trees of Winterpeg #1

Quickly, before it's too late.....

Tomorrow is the official end of any and all holiday-related breaks from work and the monotony of non-holiday life. BUT, in order to squeeze the last remaining droplets of festiveness out of the scant few hours I have left, today's photo will be a Christmas photo.

This is a photo of my very first Christmas fireplace in my very first own apartment, taken the night of the very first Christmas party I organized and hosted all by myself.


I still have a lot that I want to add to/change about this place... it's a work in progress. I'm very much in love with the idea of having my own space, and not having to compromise EVER on what I want to do with it.

I also really love that this photo, and in fact my entire existence in this town, wouldn't be possible without the contributions of people I love... namely, my mother and my aunt.

But above all... this photo is awesome because having a fireplace in the winter, especially in Winnipeg, is completely, utterly, cozily awesome.

I think I need to get a bearskin rug.

The photo quotidian of 2011

Yes that's right; let's see how this little experiment goes.

A photo a day.

Sometimes with an explanation, sometimes presented without comment... because it's funner that way.

A photo a day. That's the only rule.

Oh, except for the only other rule, which is that January 1st doesn't count because I was mostly incapacitated by the siren call of couch, pizza, snoozing and Scott Pilgrim for the first 24 hours of the year. So, today only, I'll post two.

This was the photo I took to field-test my look for NYE 2011. And it's pretty much the only picture I have of the night, because immediately when I arrived at the party's location, I met a dude with an analog SLR and took every possible opportunity to use his camera when I thought a situation merited being captured. Maybe someday I'll get my hands on his photos from the night, scan one and put it up here! One can only dream.


I'm not going to explain this one, but if anyone were to put in even an iota of effort, you could probably figure it out.

Ok, day one (technically two, but who's counting. In fact I'm going to put a ban on counting of any kind, in any capacity, on this blog, and the rest of existence... starting now) done.

I'm looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings.

Thanksgrifting

This year I am thankful for:

- This crazy town that just might end up really working for me... at least for a few years. And also the fine folks I've already had the pleasure of meeting here, and their various social shenanigans
- The two people who gave me life and then made it possible for it to continue via the provision of shelter, education, security, and nourishment at regular intervals. Oh, and a whole bunch of love and support
- A fabulous new condo which will be mine in about 20 days (!!!!)
- The amazing curry I made for thanksgiving: salmon with sweet potato, chickpeas and green beans
- PG Wodehouse stories, most recently Uncle Fred in the Springtime, a tale involving love, loss, confidence tricks, and a rather ponderous specimen of the porcine variety
- Bulk Barn... I love the experience of wandering around and selecting products from giant bins! And it really takes the sting off the fact that I can no longer just wander into Kensington Market for all my grains and spices
- That a place like Mondragon exists here, even though I haven't been. I have them in my facebook and they keep spamming (is it really spamming if you're pleased to receive it?) my feed with their delicious-sounding daily specials. I promise myself that I will go there this weekend and report back on what will no doubt be an awesome experience
- Peep Show, series 7 of which premieres in November. I wait all year for this show, and when it comes it's over far too quickly... but will always be amazingly and hilariously worth the longing
- Roger Ebert's film reviews. I really love reading good reviews about bad movies. I don't know why
- Martin Dronesclub giving me the link to a subtitle file for this. I love foreign films, and I hate dubbing... plus having taken 2 weeks to download this movie and then realizing it didn't come with subtitles was, to put it mildly, a tad disappointing

Things I'm not thankful for:

- Oh fuck it, who wants to read a list of gripes? I'll leave this out and just focus on all the positives mentioned above :)

Happy Turkey (or in my case, Curry) Day to everyone in internet land!

Cooking with Gussie: Episode 1

This was quick and delicious... and I'm sharing it here since it was made off the cuff, and I'd like to remember how I did it. More wonderful recipes get lost to the ages because people make them up as they go, and never bother to record them!

Curry Quinoa Stir-fry

1 c. Quinoa
1/2 green pepper
1/2 spanish onion
1 can sockeye salmon (minus all the yucky bits they leave in there... who cans fish with the bones still in? I ask you!!!)
1 tb. fresh ginger
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tb. olive oil

First off, rinse the quinoa well in warm water, for 3 minutes... this is what the package told me, and I'm inclined to believe it's good advice. Then dump it in a pot with 2 cups of water, and start it boiling. Put the curry powder, chili powder and lemon pepper in there too. Once it's boiling reduce the heat, put on a lid and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan, throw in the ginger (finely chopped) and onion and green pepper (roughly chopped). Then the salmon... and for the love of all that is delicious, watch out for those bones! I honestly don't understand that. Canned food is supposed to be more or less ready to eat, no?? I mean, what if I had just thrown the entire contents of the can in without looking first! Ugh! It had like, a spine and stuff....! But I digress.

So by this time the quinoa should be about cooked, and the ginger, onion, pepper and fish have had a chance to make friends in the pan. Now the quinoa is invited to the party! Make sure to politely introduce it to everyone else so it's not just standing in the corner near the chips & dips, staring at its feet (quinoa is known to be shy). Alright?

Mix everything around in the pan for a bit, then it's done! So you should eat it. It's amazing.

God, I should write a recipe book.

Good Idea/Not So Good Idea

Good Idea:
Beta testing your new software.

Not So Good Idea:
Betta testing your new software.

(With apologies to Animaniacs)

Let's never say the "P" word.

So here I am, in Winnipeg. It's me, here, in the capital of Manitoba. I'm me, this city is Winnipeg. Full stop. This does not make me a "Pegger". In fact I'm not even sure if it's a real thing people call themselves... I've just gotten a lot of ribbing regarding this moniker from certain Ontario residents who shall remain nameless. Annnnnd that's the last time you'll see that word mentioned on this blog. It's now taboo - an evil that probably exists but should never be spoken of, like Voldemort.... or Justin Bieber.

And now, with no further ado, and in no particular order, here are some Winnipeg things thus far.

1) The view from my room. Not just another landscape... this view features a combination KFC/Taco Bell! It's not quite as awesome as if it was this... I'm going to have to make an amended cover.

2) Where I want to work. I found this company that seems incredibly cool... as does the owner. Talk to me, Tripwire Media Group!

3) Oh this really has nothing to do with Winnipeg, but I'm loving it right now. Some genius had the idea to take Kanye West's tweets and combine them with famously-unfunny New Yorker cartoons. I like this explanation of why the juxtaposition works:

Kanye’s tweets are more or less raw id (unfiltered, portraying base emotions and simple thoughts) and New Yorker cartoons are almost entirely superego (carefully considered, ‘quiet’ presentation).

Here are my favourite ones... but you can find all of them here.

Tadaaaaa! Much more Winnipeg-related, and non-Winnipeg-related, non-linear items of interest coming soon.