A Recommit and FMM

Now that I'm pretty sure the reading list of this blog has been reduced to no one, it seems like a great time to start blogging again. That's how this whole thing works, right? Blog. Stop blogging. Start again when no one cares? No? Well, I've been going about this all wrong then.

I haven't been blogging because there's been nothing to tell. After injuring myself in November, I fell off the wagon (and the bump from the fall really didn't help with the whole back injury thing - *snort* I love bad puns) and while I kept telling myself to get back on it, it was so hard. The wagon was so tall. I had to, like, climb up on to it and shit. (If you read that in a really whiny voice... yeah, that's what I sound like about this whole thing.)

Then I returned to full time work. And then I had a couple of other time commitments. And then my dance class moved to a location I couldn't get to. And. And. And. And I rock at coming up with excuses. Seriously, school kids should hire me to create their "I wasn't in class today because..." notes. Instead of excuses, I needed a goal. Something simple. Something I know I can do. Something fun.

Like a 10K.

I missed the TC 10K in Victoria because [insert any previous excuse here]. Also, I don't really like doing the 10K: it's insanely crowded and I find myself wanting to punch people in the back of the head because slow moving people crowd into corrals well above their projected finish time. I needed a new 10K to do.

I have tentative plans to visit my family in Alberta this summer so I searched my preferred travel dates and found a 10K in Taber, AB. It's apparently part of the Taber Cornfest. While the Taber Cornfest website still shows 2011 information, a 2012 race is posted on a couple of Canadian running websites. so hopefully it's a go for this year.

If it's not a go, I'll plan my own 10K route through the cornfields of Southern Alberta and make my family stand on the side of the road and cheer me in at the end. Preferably while they wave homemade signs of encouragement. Right now they're reading this and thinking "Andrea's such a clown". We'll see who's laughing when I hand you my home made ticker tape I want to run through!

Training officially begins next Monday.

EEK!

What better way to jump back into blogging than with a Friend Makin' Monday?

Simplified guidelines: Answer questions, post and link up here, sit back and watch the accolades pour in. Or something like that.

FMM: Three Things

1. Three of your favorite movies:
-Casablanca
-Beauty and the Beast
-Monty Python's Life of Brian (super excited because the Victoria Film Festival is having a MPLOB Quote-Along in two weeks *squee*)

2. Three of your favorite things to drink:
-Tea
-Coffee
-Beer (really can't get much more specific than that, I just like beer)
(I know, I know, water should be on this list and I do actually enjoy drinking straight water but it's not a 'favourite')

3. Three of your favorite songs:
Just three? Ugh, this pains me.
-Who Knows How to Make Love Stay - Doug and the Slugs (oh, 80's Canadian pop, how I love you!)
-Rolling in the Deep - Adele (I will listen to anything this girl puts out)
-Maple Leaf Rag  - Scott Joplin
A friend once described my taste in music as 'a menagerie of sounds'. Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

4. Three people who have recently been a positive influence on your life (outside of your family):
-K from work: really pushed me to go after a new job opportunity and then helped guide me through the process. It worked. I've got a new (and awesome) job.
-T and 106 (friends): convinced me that regular board game nights are cool (and they totally are!)
-Walter Lewin: read For the Love of Physics and it really opened my eyes to the beauty of physics of the every day world. I find myself trying to recall the equation for wind velocity when I see breeze through the trees nowadays. My goodness, I sound like a giant nerd.

5. Three things you to do keep yourself entertained:
-Read
-Sing and dance in the privacy of my apartment/listen to music in general
-Watch TV/movies

6. Three things you’re attracted to in the opposite sex:
-Eyes and smile (I'm lumping these together because one of my favourite things about eyes are laugh lines and you only get those if you smile a lot. The frequency of the smiling is more important than the actual smile.)
-Someone who is kind
-Nice ass (Hey, I'm just being honest)

7. Three things you love about yourself:
-My sense of humour
-My smile
-My nerdy personality (it took me a while to own up to my true level of nerd and now that I have, I like who I am better as a person)

8. The last three people who text messaged you:
-106
-THR
-Trish

9. Three things you’re looking forward to this week:
-Baby shower for THR
-Drinks with the alumni band crew
-Talk on human rights I've helped organise

10. Three wishes specifically for yourself…What are they? (Be selfish, and be honest.)
-I wish I could snap my fingers and be the active, fit person I once was
-I wish I was independently wealthy so I could set off on a round-the-world trip tomorrow (in the active, fit body I used to have)
-I wish I had a maid

11. Three of your favorite quotes:
"Humuor is not a mood but a way of looking at the world." ~Ludwig Wittgenstein
"Who, being loved, is poor?" ~Oscar Wilde
"Oh, don't pay life the compliment to take it seriously." ~Robert Service (from his poem, Laughter)

12. Three of your biggest fears:
-Falling and breaking a bone (I've never done it and the thought of it terrifies me)
-Sharp items like axes, chainsaws or swords make me nervous. Surprising for most people as I own two swords and have used axes and chainsaws many times in my life.
-Moving scarecrows on TV
 
13. Three of your favorite TV shows:
At this moment:
-The Wire
-Game of Thrones
-New Tricks

14. Three of your favorite things to purchase when you’re shopping.
-Books.
-Books.
-Books (I don't actually like shopping. It's simply a necessary activity so the only time I really enjoy it is when I'm turned loose in a bookstore.)

15. Three things that you enjoyed last week:
-Board game and Pub night with T and 106
-Tea and a game of rummy with C
-It becoming official that I got the new job

16. Three things that you always have in your bag or close to you if you’re not a purse kind of person.
-Lipgloss
-Wallet
-Pen and notebook

17. Three types of food that you wouldn’t want to give up.
-Pretty much anything my mom cooks (save her occasional decision to cook liver and onions when I was growing up. She can keep that to herself)
-Pad Thai
-Cheese Fondue

18. Three things you do to enjoy burning calories:
-Walking/Hiking
-Running (when I was doing it regularly)
-West African Dance

19. Three things you dislike about blogging:
-I love my family but sometimes I wish I hadn't told them I blog because I censor myself more knowing that my mom will read any curse words I put on here.
-Glaring grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that I notice after I hit publish.
-It's not blogging specific, but my current laptop is a pain in the ass. It's old and slowing down which means that a simple post takes way too long to write. Trying to include photos is almost painful. I've found myself saying "fuck it" and just tossing half-finished posts because my laptop is making me want to punch it.

20. Three ways blogging has changed your life:
-I've met some really awesome people
-I always wanted to keep a diary but was kind of crap at it unless I was travelling (I am the travel diary queen!) but blogging fills that need
-I plan more because I need to for the blog

Back is Back To Good! And FMM

Just checking in for Friend Makin' Monday and to pass on that I have been pain-free in my back for about three days. I haven't even had the occasional soreness-in-that-area which makes me super excited! Dance is back on the agenda for 2012!! With Christmas going ons and what-not, I don't have too much to share. I've been pretty good this holiday season save for Saturday night when my free pouring host kept refilling my glass while I was too busy chatting to notice. I swear I wasn't sticking my wine glass out in front of him on purpose.

If you're new to Friend Makin' Monday, you can find the guidelines here.

FMM: Have you ever?

1. …traveled outside of your home country? If so, where? USA, Mexico, Ireland (lived there), UK (all four countries), France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany (lived there), Switzerland (lived there), Austria, Italy, Cuba, Tanzania (lived there)

2. …performed on stage in front of at least 1,000 people? If so, share some details! Not for over than many people, no. But I do love being on stage.

3. …watched an episode of Jersey Shore? Yes

4. …baked a cake from scratch? If so, what’s your specialty? I prefer baking cakes from scratch, but my specialty is actually pies, not cakes. I've never not had pie crust turn out perfectly, even when I was 14 and didn't have everything so I improvised with whole wheat flour and a metal baking tin. It wasn't until I was older and tasted some less-than-stellar homemade pie crusts that I realised how lucky I am that that was the baking super power I inherited from my mom.

5. …worked in a grocery store? No.

6. …dated someone who was your best friend first? Best friend no, but a few of them were friends first. 7. …made a difference in someone’s life during Christmas? I volunteered at the Food Bank a few times growing up and I adopted a family with two co-workers one year.

8. …been on TV? Yes. It's an episode of COPS my mom won't ever forget ;) Kidding! But I have been on TV.

9. …had cosmetic surgery? No.

10. …learned a second language? If so, what else do you speak? I used to have decent travel French and Spanish and I'm working on getting them back. I achieved fairly high levels of fluency in German and Swahili when I lived in Germany and Tanzania respectively. When I put my mind to it, I can pick up languages fairly quickly. It's the keeping them up so I maintain that level that causes me problems.

FML and FMM

We're going to start with a pity party. I went to pick up a rather full garbage bag yesterday, aggravated the injury in my back and woke up in pain every time I moved in bed last night. I scared my cat, Tosio, twice because I involuntarily yelled out from the pain. She was less than impressed! Back injuries really suck. SUCK!

(This would be the part where you throw the ticker tape.)

Much of today's plan includes the couch, the heat pad, pain killers, a couple of crappy movies, and an oh-woe-is-me attitude. Because oh, woe is me. I have cat food all over my kitchen floor because I couldn't bend over to put in in the dish. Oh the upside, I also feel absolutely no obligation to clean it up. I can't bend over and my cats will find it all eventually. It's kind of liberating.

Actually, maybe this whole back thing isn't so bad after all!

On the upside, I've put all my posts about Ireland on a handy dandy travel page over here. There will be a travel guide type post coming shortly but for now, it's all about me.

I haven't taken part in Friend Makin' Monday in a while. If you've done this before, you know the guidelines. If you haven't, you can find them here.

FMM: I am...

1. I am good at… crafting, dancing, cooking, and finding the positive.

2. I am happy when… I'm doing any of the above, or I'm hanging out with my friends, or I'm enjoying a cup of tea. I'm generally a positive, happy person.

3. I am working on… finding a job and a couple of cross-stitch patterns (it's my first time creating a pattern; here's hoping it works).

4. I am interested in… learning as much as I can about a variety of topics from history to science to sports to politics. I crave knowledge.

5. I am always… up for a laugh.

6. I am enjoying… a cup of tea... and getting ready for Christmas.

7. I am in… pain. I'm also in Victoria, BC.

8. I am reading… Ship of Fools by Fintan O'Toole and History of Ireland  by Malachy McCourt (Frank's younger [and funnier]) brother.

9. I am concerned about… a lot, but right now, mostly about my inability to bend over.

10. I am looking forward to… being pain free and Christmas with my family.

Can't Keep Me Away! FMM

I purposely post to say I won't be posting much but of course I have to post for Friend Makin' Monday! So if I say I'm going to post tomorrow, it usually takes me about a week to do it. If I say I won't be posting, I do it in less than 24hours. Well played, self. Well played.

Anyway, if you're new to Friend Makin' Monday, you can find the guidelines here. If you're old hat at this, let's do this!

FMM: All About Me

1. What are your talents? I'm musically inclined (I play multiple instruments, dance, and thrive on musical theatre) and I have yet to meet a craft project I haven't enjoyed.

2. What is your best habit? Oh, good question. I honestly don't know. I'll have to think about this one... and never get back to you on it. [EDIT: I look for the positive in everything. I read this poem often and try to live by it. I have seen enough bad in this world that I do not want to add to it.]

3. If you had to be stuck with someone in an elevator for 8 hours, who would you want it to be? I've been working on a piece about Irish history recently so right now I'd want to be stuck in an elevator with John Hume. Ask again next week, my answer will change. There's so many interesting people in the world, it's hard to pick just one.

4. Share one odd fact about you that we’d never know to ask. You mean beside my fear of scarecrows on TV? Alright, I cut my pinky open on a meat slicer. I have a scar and a slight lack of feeling in that pinky.

5. What’s your latest project (work, home, whatever you care to share?) I have a couple of craft projects on the go. Namely, I have a rash of friends having babies and those blankets won't crochet themselves!

6. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? I have a couple of scars that I wouldn't mind seeing gone.

7. What do you do in your spare time? Read, craft, write, dance, daydream

8. What is your biggest pet peeve? When people lack respect for other people. I know that not everyone is going to like everyone, but that doesn't mean you can't treat them with decency and respect.

9. Why do you blog? I don't know. I enjoy writing and I enjoy being the centre of attention. Blogging just seemed like a natural move :)

10. Are you tidy or messy? I tend to be a mix of the two but I'm trying to work on being more consistent with the tidy.

11. What’s the last song that played on your iPod? Whiskey in the Jar (Trad. Irish song, this recording by Jimmy Sweeney). I'm just trying to get in the right mood for my trip!

12. Do you cook? If so, what’s for dinner tonight? I do cook, however, tonight I have plans to get together with my travel partner so there will be no cooking.

13. Do you like sports? If so, list your teams. Love sports! Favourite teams of favourite sports listed below but I also occasionally catch up on tennis, hurling, and cricket results.
Hockey: Vancouver Canucks, HC Davos, Belfast Giants
Soccer (or real football): SC Freiburg, Vancouver Whitecaps, Bolton Wanderers, Bern Youngboys
Rugby: Ireland National Team, Wales National Team

14. How often do you read and/or watch the news? Every day. I was about 12 before I realised the radio has more stations than just CBC so I'm a bit of a news junky.

15. Did you stick to your new Year’s resolution this year? If so, elaborate. Instead of resolutions, I set goals. I'm on target to hit some of them.

16. What are you looking forward to most in the remainder of 2011? I leave for Ireland in less than two weeks. I have a week there by myself to visit with my family and then my friend Al is joining me and we're going off to be tourists. This will be the first time I'll be a true tourist in Ireland and I'm beyond excited.

17. Shoes, sunglasses or handbags? Shoes. I tend to lose sunglasses and I hate having to switch everything between handbags.

18. How do you feel about sleeping on satin sheets? No me gusta. You can't curl up in satin sheets. I'm a cotton sheet girl all the way.

19. Do you sing in the shower? Surprisingly, given my willingness to sing everywhere else, I don't sing in the shower. I also try to keep my showers to 5 minutes so that doesn't leave much time for singing.

20. Describe yourself in one word. Oddball.

FMM: The Last Thing

I woke up to some sad news this morning so I need a post to take my mind off of it. Thank goodness for Friend Makin' Monday.

Guidelines are here.

FMM: The Last Thing

1) What is the title of the last book you read? The last book I finished was A Dance with Dragons. I'm currently reading The Origin of Species and Lonely Planet: Ireland.

2) What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Winnie-the-Pooh (and I went to see it on a Saturday night. Feel free to judge me.)

3) Briefly describe the last person you saw today. I'm in a coffee shop as I post this so that's a little hard. Prior to that, I met up with Allison to discuss our upcoming trip. (Insert 'squee' here!)

4) Which store did you most recently shop in? Other than the coffee shop, I stopped at London Drugs for kitty litter.

5) Who’s the last person you spoke to over the phone? My mom. Phoned to tell her I was home safe and sound from the wilds of Nanaimo.

6) Where’s the last place you vacationed? Proper vacation would have been Tanzania in 2007 (well, the two two week holidays I had while I was living there) but I've done a few weekend trips to Vancouver and Nanaimo which feel like mini-vacations (and I'm heading on my next vacation very soon!)

7) When was the last time you kissed someone of the opposite sex? A little over a month ago.

8) What’s the last thing that made you laugh? My pathetic whine while disagreeing with something my stepmom said during rummy which then caused the two of us to laugh so long and hard that we cried. Oh, and Al and I laughed a lot this morning but I don't remember over what.

9) What’s the latest app that you downloaded on your phone? I don't have a phone you can download apps to because I'm cheap but if I did, I'd totally download the app that lets you make a phone call.
10) What’s the last kind thing you did for someone? I gave Terry (the bubble man) computer lessons yesterday when he was having problems with his laptop.

Summer Weekends and Belated FMM

I had a wonderful summer weekend. A day spent up island and Shawnigan Lake and another day spent lazing in my friend’s sunny backyard while we celebrated her 30th. As much as spring and fall are my favourite seasons, summer definitely does have its moments.

I made sure to go for a swim while up at Shawnigan (in amongst drinking the incredibly strong drinks our family friend poured. I don’t think the man knows what a short glass is) and it reminded me that a) swimming really is an awesome workout and b) I really love lake swimming. There’s not much left of summer but I’m motivated to try and make it out to Thetis for a few morning swims. (Early is the key for Thetis before the crowds descend on it.)

I was back to my scheduled workouts this morning and got a rude reminder halfway through my run why you should always make sure you're well hydrated. Both my calves cramped up and felt like they had turned into rocks. I stretched them out by walking the second run section but let this be a reminder to you: as much as you feel like hitting snooze, get up and drink that pint of water you planned on before going for a run!

Yesterday was Friend Makin’ Monday (guidelines here).

The theme was letter to your future self and as much as it made me giggle to contemplate leaving:
Dear Future Self,
I hope you got your shit together.
Sincerely,
Me
I figured a proper response with some thought behind it was the appropriate thing to do (no matter how much I like to giggle). As a result, I’m a day late but some thought actually went into this so I guess it was worth the wait.

Dear Me-Sometime-In-the-Future (let’s say 10 years),

I’m not going to lie, I’m struggling to be the person I know you deserve me to have been but I hope that you’re happy with where we ended up. Remember that 10 years ago from when I write this, this is not where I thought I would be either but the journey’s been awesome so I’m happy with it.

I hope the adoption went relatively smoothly. What country did we end up deciding upon? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a West African Country to open up their adoption laws so you can keep the child immersed in their culture through Mohammed, Manimou, N’nato, Abouboucar and the extended MoonDance family. How about the possible plans for a second adoption? Yeah? Nay? Still debating?

I hope you’re the regular multi-day hiker that I want you to become. That’s something I always assumed I would become as a child, and it’s a dream that I don’t want to give up on. Not yet. Not until my knees give in. Or my back. Or some other required body part. And have we climbed Meru yet? Or at least made plans to head back that way?

Did we ever run that marathon? Even more important, did we travel somewhere for a really awesome marathon? I'm keeping my fingers cross that we've done the Drei Laender marathon. I mean, come on. Three countries in one race? Kind of awesome! Built in excuse to hangout with the Hostettlers, Fuchs and Villigers? All awesome!

This is Bodensee (or Lake Constance) that you run part way around for the Three Country Marathon.

My friend's adorable boys are not included in the race package.

And you know how much I love the apartment I’m in right now but please, please tell me you’ve got yourself sorted and have a house (rented or otherwise) with a yard and that you’ve gotten a chocolate lab from the SPCA and named him (or her) Murphy. Because Murphy is just the perfect name for a chocolate lab and beer drinkers will get the joke. Scratch him behind the ears for me. Oh, and maybe make some of those treats that Ian said Thompson loved so much. Don’t argue with me, just do it. And don’t let him terrorize the cats too much (if they’re still around in 10 years).

Doesn't the Chocolate Lab look like a tall pint of Murphy's?

Please don’t have lost your amazement at the wonders of the natural world. Does thunder still make you smile? Do pictures of lava flows still excite you? Does a starry night still take your breath away? Please say they do.

And please tell me that you still sing to yourself when you think no one can hear you and that you bust out the dance moves when the feeling strikes you. Don’t worry about embarrassing your children when you do this in front of their friends. You grew up with your dad doing that and you survived. So will they. In fact, it might even help to make them even more awesome.

Also, have you single-handily negotiated peace in the Middle East yet? No? You should get on that. I’m too busy to deal with it right now.

Sincerely,
Me (from 10 years ago, which is really right now when I write this, but not when you read it, you know what? I’m just going to assume that we’re all on the same page with this and close these parentheses.)

Tackling the Healthy Living Mountain

Normally I'd do a little ramble prior to starting the Friend Makin' Monday but today's topic excites me and deserves it's own post because I get to talk about my favourite subject: ME! Tanzania (and travel). So, without further ado, it's FMM!

Guideline: Answer the question on your blog, link to it in the comments over at All The Weigh and then comment on other peoples. So simple the Geico Gecko could do it!

FMM: Defining Moments

Was there a defining moment in which you realized that you needed to lose weight? If so, will you elaborate? (If you experienced this moment in some other area of your life, please feel free to share that too!)

My plane touched down at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 10:30pm. Once we left the lights of the airport, the absolute darkness of the place hit me. There were no street lamps and the only thing we could see was what as illuminated by the headlights of the Landrover. I thought the excitement of my first day would keep me awake but after two days of travel to get there, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Kara and my shared room until the volunteer quarters were completed. (I was the far bed.)

My first real look at my surroundings was the next morning when I rolled out of bed at 6:00am. I groggily wandered my way up to the Baby Home (fancy word for orphanage) for my first day of work. The first thing I saw was Mt. Meru beyond the compound walls.

Hand's down, this is the picture that most makes me ache for Tanzania.

Meru in the background, Baby Home on the right.

Every morning I looked at Mt. Meru as I made my way to the Home and I'd smile. It was my morning ritual. Even once we moved into the volunteer quarters and could cut into the home through the back door, I still walked the long way around so I could see Meru. It became my mountain. I searched for it from bus windows when returning from my holidays. I stared at it while contemplating life over a Coca baridi (coke cold). I wondered what the view was like from the top. While tourists to Tanzania talk about wanting to climb Kilimanjaro, I dreamed of Meru. For the first time in my life, I had to choose not to do something specifically because of my weight.

View of Meru from Deb's house. Her property ends at the start of Arusha National Park.

The kicker is that there is a very good chance I could have climbed Kilimanjaro but Meru was definitely beyond me. Kilimanjaro is not a physically difficult hike but it's a high hike. I am not saying it's a walk in the park, you still need to be relatively fit, but 90% of the time it's the altitude that does people in. If you have altitude experience and/or you take it slowly, you'll probably succeed.* Meru, however, is a difficult hike. The snob in me knew that for climbers, there's more climbers cred (if that actually exists) in saying you've done Meru than Kilimanjaro. This is one time I wanted to be a snob.

Mt. Meru and Jacaranda from roof top bar in Arusha during a day off.

When you summit Meru, you do it just before sunrise and then watch the sun rise over Kilimanjaro. I longed to do that. I still long to do that. And then I'll hug the ground and whisper sweet nothings to my mountain. You think I'm joking but I probably will do just that.

Unless there happens to be a nest of siafu near by. In that case, I'll whisper sweet nothings from the safety of my hiking booted feet. I've been bitten by them and they hurt!!

Every once and awhile, when I get into a 'why bother?' mood, I pull out my pictures of Meru and go through them. I honestly don't know if I'll ever get back to Tanzania (there's just so many awesome places I want to go to) but I want to know that if I do, I won't have to let Mt. Meru pass me by again.

Sunset on Meru

*My biggest piece of advice for climbing Kilimanjaro is this: each day you spend on the mountain raises the cost of the hike by a ridiculous amount (park fees alone are $100 per person for a 24 hour period) BUT it also greatly increases your chance of making it to the top. If you do not have a lot of altitude experience, take your time and choose a longer route. You may balk at the extra money the longer route costs but if you don't summit, then all your money will have been for nought.

A Cra(m)ppy Friday and FMM

I headed out for my run on Friday night but about halfway through I got a really bad cramp. Cramps in my legs or sides are nothing new and usually when it comes to my walking portion, I just take a moment to stretch it out and then carry on. This cramp, however, was different. It was in my tummy area. More specifically, it was around the uterus area so I quickly stopped the running and just walked the rest of my route.

TMI warning!

I have been very lucky in my adult life that I don't cramp at any point during my menstrual cycle. Having a few friends who are almost confined to bed for a day or two, I am very happy that I don't. But when I suddenly start cramping for no discernible reason, it gives me cause for concern. A friend had a cyst on her uterus about 8 months ago and this thought flashed through my mind when the cramping started. When my running partner mentions uterine cysts, I felt my stomach drop. Every possible worst case scenario went through my mind before I pulled myself together and rationalized that it probably just was a wayward cramp given that my period was to start in four days.

I returned home with some chocolate milk (because that makes everything better), made a hot water bottle and curled up on the couch for the evening. After a few hours, the pain subsided and by the next morning it was totally gone.

Here's to it just being an unusual blip on the radar!

Anyway, it's Monday so that means Friend Makin' Monday!

Guidelines, etc here!

1. What do you like most about yourself? I'm a positive person with a great sense of humour.
2. List three characteristics that you like to have in your friends. Kind, Loyal, Upbeat
3. How often do you brush your teeth? When I wake up and before I go to bed. I'll also brush if I'm about to go out for dinner or if I ate something stinky (I can't help it, I love garlic in everything!)
4. If you could travel anywhere today, where would you go? Now that Ireland's booked, I'd be willing to go anywhere I could get a ticket to. South-East Asia or back to Africa are high on my list.
5. Have you ever met anyone from the blog world in person? Yes.
6. What is the last show you watched on TV? I don't have cable so 'on TV' would be the Simpson's when I was at my mom's a week ago.
7. What kind of perfume/cologne do you wear? Puma Aqua
8. How long ago did you complete your last workout? Due to a busy weekend, it was my thwarted Friday run but I'm heading out shortly for a workout :)
9. What will you eat for dinner tonight? Stir fry probably. Honestly haven't gotten that far in my through process today!
10. Share something fun that you did over the weekend. I met someone from my dad's home county!! I went to see the new Winnie-the-Pooh movie (which was so cute!) with my friend, E.

If My Unmarried Biological Mother Hadn't Gotten Knocked Up...

I've just returned from my completely unplanned over-a-week-long non-blogging holiday. In short, oops! I'd love to say that the lack of blogging was due to being insanely busy and always on the go and just not having enough time to sit down and put pen fingers to paper keyboard, but I've already admitted elsewhere that this is not the case.

I even missed this week's Friend Makin' Monday... which is okay because the question was about your fourth of July plans and I'm Canadian, so... my plan was to spend it like any other Monday (crying in a corner wishing I was 20 years younger and had no responsibilities).

I did, however, keep up with running. It's been nice to have a running partner again, both for the social aspect and the accountability. (Speaking of social, I should probably get her a blog name... I know tonight's topic of discussion!) During Monday's run she mentioned that she never would have believed a year ago that she'd be running. This got me thinking about the decisions I've made which have landed me at this point in my life.

(I'd like to say 'great minds think alike' but really, coincidences occur in the blogging world. Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point wrote about this same idea this morning.)

Eventually, it became a fun game for me and I've started going back to look at some of the larger decisions in my life and things they have yielded which I may never would have otherwise discovered.

For example:
If I didn't decided to move to Tanzania four years ago then
I wouldn't have looked for an African community in Victoria to be apart of when I returned then
I wouldn't have found MoonDance then
I wouldn't have learned about Matoto then
I wouldn't have met AC then
I wouldn't be going to a baby shower in two weeks.

If I didn't accept an invitation to meet a guy in Switzerland (who ended up being my first real love) then
I wouldn't have studied German in university then
I wouldn't have met E then
I wouldn't have had someone to hike around Thetis with two weeks ago.

If I hadn't decided to blog then... well, the unknown results of that are still being discovered :)

How about you? What unexpected or interesting end results have your decisions brought you?

Missing: Summer (Also, it's FMM today)

Woke up this morning to find that the beautiful sunny weather was once again just a tease. I don't know what's up with this year's summer weather but I'm starting to think that perhaps we should start listing it as 'missing' on the side of milk cartons and paper our neighbourhoods asking if anyone has seen it. There are some people trying to hang on to summery dresses and shorts but the reality is that the majority of people are in pants and jackets today. My only real concern is that I really, really, really hope the rain clouds don't open up before or during this evening's run.

It's that time of week again: Friend Makin' Monday! If you've never played before, you can find the rules here.

FMM: What’s in Your Fridge?

1. List a few common items that can always be found in your fridge. Milk, various produce, cheese, eggs

2. What kind of milk do you drink? Skim, I have a slight issue with specific types of dairy so anything else gives me tummy troubles. (cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, thankfully, do not cause this issue!)

3. Do you prefer fresh or frozen vegetables? Fresh although I keep a bag of mixed frozen vegetables in the freeze 'just in case'.

4. What do you currently have to drink in the fridge? Water, milk. I'll occasionally buy orange juice (although I'm very picky about the type I'll buy) but the only things I drink with regularity are water, tea, and coffee.

5. How often do you clean out your refrigerator? Not often enough. I've stopped buying stuff unless I have a specific plan for it so that's helped with keeping the fridge pretty clutter free so I can get away with fewer cleanings. (Clean smarter, not harder!)

6. What’s the healthiest thing in it right now? The veggies for tonight's stir fry.

7. What’s the most unhealthy thing in it right now? Reese's Peanut Butter cups. My cupboards gettoo warm for chocolate in the summer. This way, I can have one and know that the other two will survive for future treat dates.

8. What do you wish you had in it that you don’t have now? I made a 'Mexican Sangria' a few years back (with a white zinfandel) and when the sun comes back, I wouldn't mind a big pitcher of that sitting in my fridge.

9. How often do you shop for groceries? I do a 'big shop' about every two weeks and then supplement with mini-trips (usually produce) about twice a week.

10. What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge right now? BodyShop Vitamin E Rosewater face spray and BodyShop peppermint foot spray. Try putting a refreshing spray in your fridge. On a hot summer's day, it is the greatest feeling ever but it does raise a couple of eyebrows when someone else looks in my fridge.

Rambling Thoughts and Friend Making Monday

First off, if you're not reading The Great Fitness Experiment Blog, you're missing out on healthy hilarity and I pity the life you must lead. Okay, maybe not quite, but still... At any rate, she had an interesting post last night about a To-Do List vs. a To-Be List. It got me thinking and right now I think you all should read it. And then when you're done that, just keep refreshing the page to see her hilarious pictures in the top right corner. (The tutu ones gets me every time.)

After a few days of miserable cloud and down right chilly temps, Summer appears to be back in Victoria. I have prematurely called it 'arrived' before so once bitten, twice shy. We are currently experiencing summer-like weather. Hopefully it will stay for longer than three days.

I officially start running with my new running partner tonight (assuming she gets my confirmation email. Come on, live online like I do guys!) which is exciting. It will just be nice for running to become a social activity again. I love listening to music while I run, but it kills me not to be able to dance along to it. I get enough looks when I run normally, I don't need to be known as that-slow-running-girl-who-does-jazz-hands-while-she-runs. Although now that I say it, a shirt with "I run AND I do jazz hands" would make me pretty darn happy.

So, it's Friend Making Monday over on All the Weigh so that means I've got a bunch of questions to answer :)

 

Rules are simple: answer, post, link here (more detailed rules are there as well), comment on other people's posts.

FMM: Yes or No?

Do you use coupons? Very rarely. I should really start using them more.
Do you like football? No. It's one of the few sports I honestly have no interest in.
Are you in a relationship? No, unless my cat purring sweet nothings in my ear counts.
Is your phone always within arm’s reach? Yes. Otherwise I lose it because I leave it on vibrate. It's next to impossible to find a phone that's on vibrate!
Do you like thunderstorms? Love 'em.
Can you cook? Yes.
Are you – or have you – lost weight? ::looks at blog banner:: Yes.
Do you know how to read a map? Yes. I'm old school when it comes to travelling; I have never used GPS or SatNav or any of those devices to find my way around. Never will if I can help it.
Do you wear makeup? Yes, but not every day.
Do you read regularly? Does CBC and BBC online news count? I've actually made it a goal to read more books and so far it's going very well.
Are you publicly affectionate? Sometimes. I'm very aware of where I am and that plays a big part in my willingness for PDAs.
Do you like picnics? Yes! Thankfully there's lots of parks in Victoria to picnic in!
Do you have a/c? No. Victoria's weather is fairly temperate so if I did have a/c I'd probably turn it on for two days out of the whole year.
Have you ever been out of the country? Yes, both to live and travel.
Do you know how to ride a bicycle? Yes.

I'd Blow the Trumpets But They're Probably Rusted

So, it's been a while since I posted. Like, a long while. I'd like to say I was unable to post because I was abducted by aliens who took me to their home planet where I was put forth as a political candidate but ultimately lost my chance to be come supreme ruler of the universe to a short, blue reptilian from the planet Quarnt but I'm sure you'd figure out that was a lie.

Plus, I've been posting over here so obviously I still had Internet access during the inter-universe space journey-travel-thingy.

I've been an avid reader of fitness/healthy living/food blogs during that time, I've just been lacking the motivation to keep my own up.

But that changes today.

I'm going to start a posting schedule so I have no excuse to say "I'll do it tomorrow" (I am nothing if not a fabulous procrastinator!) and I'm changing things up on the site in the hopes that it will re-energize me with my dedication. (Ahem, the current new look is not permanent, I just needed a change rightnow! and there were no cobweb themes which I thought would be hilarious given my lack of posting for other a month.)

Fitness-wise, I can tell you this: after a knee injury sidelined me early this year, I am finally back to running (and there was much rejoicing throughout the land).

Fun, let's get this blog rolling again wise, I can tell you this: I've been reading All the Weigh for well over a year now but I've never participated in the Friend Making Monday... until this week. The premise is simple: answer the questions, share the link on All the Weigh, and then drink a beer (apparently there's only two official steps).

This week, there are no questions, just an A, B, C list of your own making, so... (added note: It was hard to think of 26 separate and alphabetical ideas to talk about!)

Asparagus: I thought I hated asparagus until I moved to Germany. Turns out, my family never ate it growing up. I introduced my mom to it. We both love it. Funny the things you decided you don't like for no good reason when you're a child.

Brothers: I have a step-brother, a brother and a half-brother. I tell people I have three too many but I love them dearly and don't know what I'd do without them (especially my Baby Bro but don't tell him I said that).

Claire: I tell stories and refer to myself as Claire, forgetting that most people know me as Andrea. It's then really awkward to explain that I wasn't lying about my name.

Doctor Who: I love this series more than I can ever explain. It makes the eight year old inside me happy as well as the 31 year old.

Elephant: One almost killed me! Okay, it didn't almost kill me. But it did charge me and I was justifiably scared.

Family: I remember having to do a project for French class where we had to do a family tree and then present it to the class. Most people took less than five minutes. At eight minutes, my teacher cut me off and said that I had sufficiently demonstrated my ability to discuss my family in French. That's what happens when your mom is one out of six and your dad is one out of eleven.

Game of Thrones: I'm obsessed with this HBO series right now. I've just started book four in the series and I'm really happy with the adaptation HBO did. (Plus a fair number of the actors are easy on the eyes... even if some of them do make me feel like a cougar.)

Heatherdale Ale: Quite possibly my favourite beer at the moment.

Ireland: I'm going back to see my family for the first time in 10 years this fall. Prior to this 10 year break, I used to go back every three years like clockwork. I can't begin to tell you how excited just the thought of this trip makes me.

Job: I have met some of my best friends through my job. I've also met the scum of humanity through it as well. My office is an interesting mix-bag of people.

Kitties: I have two of them. They are the cuddliest beings on the planet but only for me or if you've sat in the same place on my couch for at least an hour.

Laugh: This is my most favourite thing to do in the whole world.

Monkeys: I hate them. They are the raccoons of warmer climates. Anyone who says otherwise has never had to live in a monkey zone.

Nineties Dance Moves: My dance moves of choice for weddings. I'll do the running man for you sometime.

Ocean: Growing up on an island, I need to regularily smell salt air or I go a little stir crazy.

Pillow: This is one of the words I say 'funny'. Growing up with both an Irish father and stepfather, there are a few words that always make people pause when I talk: pellow (pillow), Chooseday (Tuesday), batry (battery), Arlund (Ireland) are the most common.

Quadra Island: It was at Rebecca Spit on Quadra Island that I learned that ocean water was salty. I still cringe at the thought of the big handful of water I scooped into my mouth on purpose. Ech. Yuck.

Rowdy: We had a donkey growing up called Rowdy. My dad bought a trap; we'd hitch Rowdy to it at Christmas and go carolling to the neighbour's houses. I swear I grew up in Victoria.

Saxophone: I played alto sax in High School band. I was a band geek. Last year, my high school started an alumni band. I not only joined up to play again (after 12 years of not looking at my instrument) but I also volunteered to be on the committee for it. I am proud of my geek cred!

Tosio: My favourite hockey goalie in the world (even if I don't support SCB--Hopp HCD!). I loved him so much I named one of my cats after him yet very few people in North America have ever heard of him.

Usa River, Tanzania: Living here presented me with some of the most difficult moments of my life. It also gave me some of my happiest memories.

Vancouver Canucks: WE'RE IN THE STANLEY CUP FINALS, BABY!!!! I have waited for this for the last 17 years (that was the last time we made it). So happy about this.

Wood: My dad's house was heated by a fireplace in the living room and a wood stove in the master bedroom. I was about 10 before I learned that most kids don't spend their weekends chopping and stacking firewood.

Xeric: Growing up in a rainforest region, I don't do well in xeric climates (which is a word I learned specifically for Scrabble).

You: I think you're pretty freakin' fantastic. Just thought I'd let you know.

Zürich: I hate the place (like anyone who has ever had the pleasure of living in a part of Switzerland that isn't Zürich).