New Year Resolutions

Goals for 2014

• Make use of your gym membership (cliché but do it!)
• Make at least 5 different soup recipes, soup is yummy and healthy
• Wink at somebody, like a real sexy wink
• You don't know where you'll be in a year, so visit the places you want to see before it's more difficult to do so
• Ski at Glen Eden and St. Louie
• Go to the Ripley's Aquarium
• Go to Medieval Times
• Visit Casa Loma
• Take a walk in the ravines
• Find the super tall grass at Earl Bales Park
• Go to the Scarborough Bluffs
• Visit at least one CVC CA other than Meadowvale which doesn't count because your workplace was in it
• Go to Tommy Thompson Park in the spring for the birdies
• Go to the Toronto Islands
• Visit the McMichael House and wander around Kleinburg
• Follow blogTO's event suggestions for a weekend
• Go to Friday Night Live at the ROM

One of the best moments of 2013. Lesson learned: the tough stuff like hiking steep cliffs at high altitude is totally worth it! 

And most importantly: Stop being a chickenshit. Don't be so afraid to check your email, it's better to find out the news than to worry about what could be (like rejection or criticism). I'll be graduating soon (gasp!) and I need to be able to reach for what I want instead of relying on luck. Go for what you want, Julie. Don't hesitate so much, don't talk yourself out of it, but talk to others. It's only by talking to others that you will make new friends, find out about work opportunities, find love.

Recap of 2013 resolutions

The end of year 

is very near,

It's time to remember

what I accomplished from January to December,

to reminisce of 2013

And look forward to other events still unforeseen

I think I've done a good job at setting the tone there. Let's look at the resolutions I posted nearly a year ago and see how many I've actually stuck to!

1. Attend at least 5 festivals, exhibits, and concerts

• Nuit blanche
• "Innovation" ballet
• Humbabas live
• Oktoberfest
• Vinyl Cafe (this weekend!!!)
• AGO first Thursday
• Festival des métiers
• ...

Done!

2. Attend at least 5 conferences, seminars, free lectures

• Latornell Symposium (had a poster!)
• Canadian Rivers Institute Workshop
• CANSEE (I even presented!)
• Canadian Rivers Institute Day (I canoed the Grand!)
• Healthy Cities and Communities Symposium, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
• Natural Heritage Symposium, Ontario Heritage Trust
• Feeling Congested
• Gordon Miller energy talk

Done!

3. Critique and compare Toronto latte art

Had a mochaccino at Cafe Pamenar, cold hot chocolate at the Grind House and a good ol cup of Joe at Jimmy's Coffee, all in Kensington. Had a cappuccino with a good book on a lazy morning at the Green Beanery once, and met Alexandra for a study sesh at CSI Cafe in the same area. Had a cappuccino and split a pain au chocolate and almond croissant with Gabie at another cafe near Queen and Bathurst. Mmmmm coffee.

Good effort!

4. Write my 100th blog post

At about 75, I'm not quite there yet but close!

5. Be able to do the splits

Really not quite there yet. 

6. Be able to do a pushup

I can do 1! But my back bent a little and I'm pretty sure that's awful for my spine. Need to work on this still.

7. Grow an herb garden

Basil and chives, not bad!

8. Try a new recipe each week

Mhmmm… approximately did that.

9. Add more of a personal touch to my apartment: cushions, picture frames, flowers...

My bougainvillea hasn't flowered since I brought in indoors but it still counts as flowers! Isn't my terrarium adorable? I meant to give it as a housewarming gift but ended up keeping it for myself. 

Funny times

Yesterday I cried to tears twice, for the first time in a long time. Remembering scenario #1 made me laugh in bursts throughout the day.

Scenario #1:
I gave a presentation on the ecology of space, public open space, and play. Because play was a theme, I made sure there was a family feud-style game where students in the class were to write down the most common examples for different types of play. One guy was stumped for the "hedonistic play" category so I told him it meant "for pleasure." Then we all take turns giving our answers: drinking, drugs, sex… The one guy says: "rolling down a grassy hill"

Scenario #2:
Playing charades. One guy from the opposite team is hopping back in forth, throwing dice, making odd twitching gestures. Our team knows what he's struggling to act out: "Sorry - the board game."

COOKIE SPREAD????

This has been circulating on the internet lately and it's so cruel how it isn't available in Canada.
I don't know what genius invented this but... must. try. before. die.

Learn: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-08/features/sc-food-0503-speculoos-20130508_1_cookies-edzo-belgium

Girl crush: Rachel McAdams

PEOPLE FOR FOOD AND WATER from Jason van Bruggen on Vimeo.

Artsy weekend

This past weekend was marked by a visit to Design Exchange for Le festival des Métiers showcasing Hermès craftsmanship and a night on the town for Nuit blanche to watch some friends perform in A Quack Cure from the DodoLab.

A quote for my door

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." 

A fairly dry paper on land use planning and health ended with an inspiring quote by Goethe. Had I still lived in my banana yellow room in Kitchener I would have copied the quote all pretty onto a white paper square and sticky-tacked it to the back of my door.

Bonne fête papa!

Chocolate buttermilk cake covered in a mascarpone cheese frosting, filled and drizzled with homemade ginger-pear (from the garden!) jam.

Recipe adapted from here.