de facto redhead

Me, circa 1989, celebrating one of my many PEI birthdays.

Hello, and welcome back to De Facto Redhead land! On Tuesday, I returned from an eight-day trip to Prince Edward Island (pictures to come!), and even though it literally rained at least once every day I was there, I didn’t care one bit. My family is from PEI, and it has a special place in my sentimental heart, so each time I visit and get to see my extended family, as well as reminisce over childhood memories, I always come home happy, but a little sad as well.

The week has flown by since I arrived back in Burlington on Tuesday night, and the past three days have left me signed up for a half marathon in July, in Hamilton at Gate of India for dinner with Darcy, Caroline, her boyfriend Alex, and Erin, doing a mountain of post-vacation laundry, spontaneously trying a new restaurant  (Local Eatery & Refuge) with Darcy, trying a recipe from my new Chef Michael Smith cookbook (thanks, Sandra!),  bemoaning the unfortunate cancellation of the plans Ami and I had for this weekend (we’re rescheduled for June), and trying to catch up on all the TV I missed last week (James Durbin voted off American Idol?!?! Why?!?!). I also actually left the house today, and I tried to take some outfit pictures, but they didn’t turn out. My close-ups were all right, though, and while I attempted the no-smile blogger look, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it:

Serious business. (Shirt, Smart Set; sunglasses, H&M)

It was a sunny, warm day, and I was happy about going out and driving with the windows down!

Christmas is coming!

Yes, Christmas is, indeed, coming – in exactly 39 days! I have started my Christmas shopping, but since I obviously can’t reveal my purchases, I took the above picture of some Christmas gift tags I bought this year. Just over a week ago, Erin asked me to go with her to a holiday-shopping open house at Lulu & Lavigne Home Studio, in Hamilton, and with the lure of free cupcakes making me tear up Highway 403 in a fit of a blinding anticipation, there was no way I was missing out. My only purchase was the tags at 40% off, but I can say with confidence that Sweetness Bakery gained a new client because I ate two of their mini cupcakes at the event, and then bought four full-sized confections this past weekend (more on that later!).

Want some?

Staying on the baked-goods track, I made this banana-chocolate loaf (I hate that word) last week, and it was amazing! The recipe said to wrap the loaf overnight, and then cut into it the next day, but that author was crazy to think anyone (read: me) could resist something that looked like this, hot out of the oven. I sold all my bakeware at my yard sale in Edmonton, and I just recently acquired new pans, etc., so this loaf was me, back in baking action. Here’s what my counter looked like mid-bake:

You can check out the recipe for this Two-Tone Banana Bread here.

I got to enjoy the last piece of the bread on Friday, the day after Darcy left for the weekend to visit his friend in Houston, Texas. Yes, I had five days and four nights to myself, and I made them count. The first adventure of the weekend was actually getting Darcy to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which is in Cheektowaga, New York. The flight on Air Tran was so cheap in comparison to WestJet or Air Canada, there wasn’t really a question about choosing this airport/airline, so after getting through the border safely (I always feel so nervous!), we were early, so we went to eat at a local eatery Darcy had looked up – Charlie the Butcher. It was a great lunch!

The view at Charlie the Butcher.

The food at Charlie the Butcher: Beef on Weck, potato wedges, sweet potato fries, and a hot dog with a German name that I can’t remember. And yes, I know my hot dog looks pathetic, but the condiments were at the table, and I put them on after the picture was taken, OK?

After I dropped Darcy off at the airport, I made my way back toward the border, where I stopped at an outlet mall. I bought an olive-green corduroy skirt at Old Navy, but who cares about that when you can shop at Charlotte Russe! Oh my God, has anyone else shopped here before? I had only heard of it on the What I Wore Today blog, but didn’t know anything about it. The sparkle in this place almost made me pass out, and I felt like I didn’t know where to look because I wanted EVERYTHING! The clothes and accessories were also reasonably priced, similar to Forever 21, but all I took away with me was a tank top with metallic chains hanging on the front of it, and a bronzed metal necklace with brown feathers attached to it. I needed to restrain myself because Christmas is coming up, after all, but I will see you again, Charlotte Russe.

So this all happened on Thursday, and on Friday, I went on a thrifting extravaganza, going to every second-hand store in Burlington. I had such a great time, and I found not only Pyrex for my collection (you can check out my purchases on the Pyrex Collective here), but I also bought a creamy-coloured angora-and-wool winter coat with a fur collar at Goodwill for $14.99, a black cross-body purse at Goodwill for $4.99, and three belts of varying golds and blacks at the Burlington Humane Society second-hand shop for $1 each. Yay! These purchases, in combination with my U.S. purchases (Old Navy skirt, $5.48; Charlotte Russe tank and necklace, $16.80), bring my Tally it Up spending to $634.82.

On Saturday, I made my way into Toronto, where I met up with Caroline at her place. We went out for dinner at Ferro, where we split the Spinacce “insalate” and I had the Gnocchi Alla Napoli for my main. Oh, God, it was so good! Caroline, I’m coming to see you again today, OK?

After dinner, we had a drink of Baileys back at the apartment, and settled in to watch the second Sex and the City movie. We also settled in to…our Sweetness Bakery cupcakes! I told you I would mention them again, and here they are:

How amazing do these look?

Here we are, fake-eating the s’mores cupcakes. We demolished Caroline’s couch with their crumbs immediately after this picture.

That pretty much brings an end to my weekend, as Sunday I went out to the Freelton Antique Mall for a browse, but didn’t get anything for myself except for a couple postcards I plan on framing, and then on Monday it was time to head back to the U.S. of A. to pick up Darcy at the airport. Luckily, I had these friendly woodland creatures to guide me in times of crisis:

We had a serious chat about stores in the area, and one of them told me to go Hobby Lobby. I went forth with their blessings, and I discovered ample bounty. Thanks, Mr. Deer! (Along with Charlotte Russe, I now also love Hobby Lobby.)

Next up, I am heading to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo this weekend!

As promised, here is Part 2 of the junkin’-junket weekend of vintage treasures:

So obviously these are not “vintage treasures,” but the stop at the St. Jacobs farmers’ market took up at least a couple hours, which therefore meant ample time to maximize my purchasing power. Darcy and I cooked up the homemade pasta tonight, and it was good, good, good.

This is my one and only purchase from the Stratford Antique Warehouse. It’s a reproduction of a map of Edmonton from 1907 that was co-published by the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and the University of Alberta in 1979. There were only 500 made, and I got one of them for $15, but why was it in Stratford? How did it get there? So many questions!

I spotted this sweater at a super-cute vintage clothing shop in St. Marys called Pass it On. It wasn’t priced, so I tried it on thinking I wouldn’t be able to buy it because it had this tag and seemed expensive:

When I was changing back into my clothes, I told my mom to go find out how much the sweater was – I thought it might be about $50, but the answer was $4.50! SOLD. I can’t wait to pair this sweater with leggings and boots!

I also spotted this pin, which wasn’t priced, either. It ended up being $2. SOLD. The owner of Pass it On noticed that it was a Sarah Coventry brooch, which is a brand I had never heard of before, but apparently there is a lot of this brand of jewelry out there because it used to be sold during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s at home parties a la Tupperware, PartyLite, etc. This information prompted me to check out my other brooches when I got home, to see if I had anything else SC, and just didn’t know it:

Nope – no other Sarah Coventry stuff in this collection!

This was my final purchase at Pass it On. For $5, I thought this overnight Jetliner bag was a steal!

I love decorating at Christmastime, and this record will make for a nice decor item, as well as satisfy another holiday obsession of mine – listening to Christmas carols! I bought this record for $1 at Eclectic Treasure in St. Marys.

On to Day 2 of the junket. This broom looks a lot bigger than it really is – it’s only about two-and-a-half-feet long. I have decided I am going to decorate my bathroom with an antique theme, so this is only one of the perfect pieces I found over the weekend. Lucky me, everything was half price at this particular vendor’s booth at the Aberfoyle Antique Market, and I bought this broom for $11.

Also bought, for $1, at the same booth, was this hanger. My coveted fur cape would like nice hanging on it. *Tear*

My first officially purchased Pyrex bowl! This was bargained down to $6 at Aberfoyle, and it’s the Horizon Blue pattern (with my St. Jacobs Bosc pears sitting pretty inside it!).

My second piece of newly acquired Pyrex! Technically, I didn’t purchase this because my mom bought it for me as a gift (for $10.95 at the Freelton Antique Mall), but it is part of my wares from the weekend, so I thought I would show it off anyway. This is the Friendship pattern, and I have decided to collect this size (two-and-a-half quart) of Pyrex bowl to place in a lovely display on the top of my kitchen cupboards.

Here is my collection of Pyrex bowls – the middle one is part of a three-piece set that was my great-grandmother’s. It’s the Butterfly Gold 1 pattern. Wheeeee!

Also purchased at Freelton was this vintage washboard – for only $5! I had been considering buying one earlier at Aberfoyle for $17, so I’m happy that I waited.

Another purchase at Freelton, and another purchase for this year’s Christmas decor. It was $3, and there were two, so my mom and I both bought one. We opened them, though, and one of them smelled OLD. Junkers and thrifters, you know the smell.

The last item purchased at Freelton, and, coincidentally, the last bought item of the day. This flour sifter was $3, which I thought was a great price. My mom bought one, too, but hers was in better shape.

And that brings me to the end of my buying bonanza. In there are some purchases for the Tally it Up total (the sweater, bag, and brooch), and I also bought an umbrella on the weekend at Wal-Mart for $14.68, so that brings my Tally thus far to $589.56. It would be higher if I had the fur cape…

My mom came down to Burlington to visit me this past weekend, and “junkin’” is a new word we discovered on Saturday and whose meaning is clear when I tell you all we did for two days was visit antique malls and Value Villages everywhere from Stratford to Toronto. While we were on our way into a Liquidation World in Mississauga, I yelled at my mom, “We’re on a junkin’ junket, y’all!” and that was pretty much the tone from Friday evening to Monday morning. Here’s what a junkin’ junket looks like, from beginning to end:

My car’s tires are known by all to leak air, so here I am, in a familiar pose to everyone who has travelled with me.

Here we are, back at the St. Jacobs farmers’ market. The picture doesn’t accurately show how HUGE these carrots were!

What if there was a miniature Jack climbing up these brussel-sprout stalks? What if…

Johnny Appleseed would like this picture.

I discovered I might love kettle corn a little too much because I think it made me ill on Saturday night. I believe this because I ate it before lunch, after lunch, before supper, after supper, and before bed, and I have felt ill after eating it in the past, but I didn’t want to believe I needed a self-imposed kettle-corn limit.

About to enter the Stratford Antique Warehouse. My mom and I thought it was high-priced in here, and I only bought one thing.

I wanted to buy this so badly, but it was $55, and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay that. Since I left the store on Saturday afternoon, I have thought about this fur cape constantly. Non-buyer’s remorse!

Waiting for lunch at Pathway Fish & Chips in St. Marys. We didn’t know what we were in for…

…Fish and chips wrapped in newspaper! This was one of the best meals all weekend.

Can you spot me among the clutter at Eclectic Treasure in St Marys?

The wallpaper in the front hall of the Freelton Antique Mall, a.k.a. the best antique mall my mom says she’s ever been in

I also regret not buying this Pyrex warmer set. My mom has a new obsession with Pyrex after reading this article in the Toronto Star, and she has been busy seeking out where to find it, cheap (this set was only $17!). Her zeal effortlessly rubbed off on me this weekend, and I am also hooked on a new blog she recommended, The Pyrex Collective.

This item presents an odd mixture of non-buyer’s remorse and practicality. I REALLY wanted to buy this (why it was only $18, I have no idea!), but I have absolutely nowhere to put it, and it doesn’t match with any of the colours in my apartment. I think this sense of futility has placated me in a way the pass-up of the fur cape has not, which could have had infinite uses. I WANT THAT CAPE!!

Here is the upper-level view of a portion of the Freelton Antique Mall. What treasures to be found here!

And there you have it – Part 1 of a storyboard chronicle that details my weekend with my mom. Part 2 will be revealed tomorrow, when I show you my wares. I wish I was gearing up to display my fur cape. But I won’t be. Because I didn’t buy it. Because I’m DUMB! Argh!!!

I haven’t blogged since the brandSampler post, and even before I wrote that one, I had other things I wanted to share with you, from antique and farmers’ markets, to new outfits, to Tally it Up purchases. So, before this long weekend gets started and I have more even more things to write about, let me cleanse my blogging soul! I give you:

1) A trip to St. Jacobs with my parents, who were visiting for the weekend. The farmers’ market was incredible, and I’m going again in two weeks when my mom is coming down for a visit. It’s amazing that none of these pictures needed to be touched up – the colours really were that bright!

My bounty, clockwise from top: kettle corn popcorn; potato bread; Ontario garlic cloves; homemade pasta noodles; dill; roasted red pepper and garlic jelly; and Ontario Royal Gala apples (my favourite kind!).

I also bought this vintage food scale. I tried to barter, was shot down, paced around the market frozen with indecision, and then conceded defeat, after which I lovingly cradled my scale in my arms. Scaley was saved from the market orphanage.

2) A new camera (on sale at Best Buy for $119)! And here is one of the flattering first shots Darcy decided to take:

Darcy and I had just finished putting together our couch (OK, he put it together and I watched), and visitors were due to show up any moment. I was frantically cleaning the rug with lint roller. I’m glad he had time to stop and take a picture.

3) My friend Jen’s bachelorette party last Saturday, after the lint-roller escapade. Here is what I wore:

Shoes: Guess via The Bay; tights, Fruit of the Loom; skirt, H&M; jacket, KensieGirl; clutch, Aldo; brooch, bracelet, and earrings, vintage; vintage fur collar, Aberfoyle Antique Market.

My friend Susie absolutely hates this fur, but, really, it’s all I want to talk about when it comes to this outfit. I bought it a couple weeks ago at the Aberfoyle Antique Market (thanks for telling me about this place, Ami!) from a woman who used to have a vintage shop in Windsor, but had to close it due to lack of business. I snatched this collar up as soon as I spied it, and haven’t been so thrilled with a purchase for quite a while. It was priced at $10, I offered $8, and she accepted. Whoop! I also bought a vintage clear-rhinestone-and-silver ring for $5. (Those things, plus a necklace I bought through Aldo Accessories online for $11.28 equals $24.28 to add to the Tally it Up total. That brings me to $561.88. Only three months to go!)

I was also quite proud of my new hairdo, which Susie didn’t have time to take any pictures of because we thought we were going to be late for Jen’s party. But, after reading Orchid Grey’s tutorial on how to do “Heidi braids,” I decided it wasn’t a style that was out of the question for a non-hair person such as myself. And it’s a good thing I put some effort into my hair, otherwise I would have been completely stood up by the hairdo of the party’s surprise guest:

Welcome, Rod Stewart!

ALL of that pretty much covers what I’ve been up to, plus the constant home decoration that’s still going on, but is nearing completion. That’s another post for another day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

For me, the last month has been late to bed, early to rise, with a hearty dash of work, life, social engagements and sheer tiredness all thrown in for good measure. I’ll be sure to give more updates about my new life in Ontario (I just arrived yesterday – give me a break! Haha!), but for now, while I’m still getting settled in and organized, here are some pictures to keep you happy!

I made this box out of several other boxes. There’s a big DVD shelf in there! I am quite proud of this box, and I should be – it took me two hours to complete!

I used two big cans and two small cans of primer to completely cover my blue, purple, pink, and taupe walls in the apartment. My hands were so sore from holding the paint roller and pressing it against the walls. Claw hands! Claw hands! But, got the deposit back, so my gnarled fingers were worth it.

The much-required winch-strap set for the rooftop luggage.

The start of deciding how to fit the last of our stuff in the back of the car.

We were one of those loaded-down vehicles on the road that people with nothing in their cars make fun of.

So long, Alberta!

An idyllic picture on the Prairies.

I actually kind of blend in here.

I’m here! I’m here!

My mom was happy to see us!

Top left, clockwise: Aren’t these the cutest salt and pepper shakers you’ve ever seen?; Lefse, lefse, everywhere lefse!; Have to have the right implements for grilling!; The Lefse House beacon.

Last Friday, the boyfriend and I decided to go for a drive out in the rambling Alberta country, and our roving spirits took us to Camrose. Those from Alberta might laugh at the fact that we consciously made the decision to make the hour-ish drive from Edmonton to Camrose, but those who scoff really have no idea what they’re missing in terms of what the boyfriend and I discovered in this small city of 15,000. Admittedly, the drive wasn’t overly exciting – a lot of flat, rolling farmland – but our intent was to lunch at The Lefse House, and lunch we did. This Scandinavian lunch and dessert bakery/cafe was amazing! The folks at Lefse House definitely don’t fool around when it comes to using the real Scandinavian food names on the menu, and, as the waitress explained to us, in their old-world methods for baking their famous lefse bread. The boyfriend had the Swedish Meatballs plate, and I had a hearty, homemade, piping-hot bowl of bacon-tortellini soup, accompanied on the side by about five pieces of lefse bread. I had never heard of lefse until last week, and now it’s all I can think about. It’s a thin, tortilla-like bread that has a very distinct sweet flavour. The waitress recommended spreading butter on it, along with sprinkling white and/or brown sugar over top, and knowing this combination was pretty much fail-safe, I downed my lefse bread in a hurry. It was SO GOOD. I don’t really like to use caps to explain it, but there’s not a lot more I can say other than that blunt, try-it-NOW phrase.

The boyfriend and I, feeling extremely satisfied, were ready to leave after our meatballs, soup, and lefse, but then, what’s this?! Dessert is included in the meal?! Jackpot! I honestly can’t remember what I had because the name was so unfamiliar to me, but know this: it was a crusty, deep–fried doughnut-like pastry covered in icing sugar. Does it matter what it was called when that’s its description? Yum! The boyfriend opted for a lemon-tart pastry, of which he was extremely complimentary as well.

Now, time to pay the bill – $8.95 each! Lefse House, I doth love you.

Onward into more Camrose territory, we stopped at Liquidation World. Why this store is in Camrose, I have no idea, but no matter – I found something to buy! Going into the 2010 Tally It Up Experiment are two chunky bangles at 2 for $10. ($10.50 for the bracelets; total spent so far in 2010: $56.78.) I also lucked out with Schick Intuition razor cartridges priced at $6.98 for a three-pack, and the boyfriend found a pair of American Eagle sunglasses for $7. Go, Liquidation World, go!

Next and last stop, Tim Hortons. I mean, come on – what Canadian road trip, no matter the length, would be complete without eating or drinking something from Tim Hortons?! Halfway through the boyfriend’s coffee and my tea, and thus, halfway home, we made one more stop where – ahem – someone got into a little altercation:

Giant Pete vs. The Boyfriend: Locked in a battle of wills.

Outmatched and outsized, the boyfriend was practically done for until Giant Pete decided to take pity on him and let him go free. It was ugly for a while, and Giant Pete looked pretty scary when he heaved that hay bale over his head, but the boyfriend, through sheer tenacity and wit, got the best of Giant Pete’s tin brain.

Food! Drink! Sales! Perilous adventures! I can’t wait for more spring-day excursions into a largely unexplored Alberta!

[Carla is leaving out the best (worst?) part of the story. Let me preface it by saying I like soup. A lot. Carla knows this.

So, we sit down, order our drinks and begin to peruse the foreign menu. The server returns slightly early, but since the menu was small we felt ready to place the order. Ever the gentleman, I let Carla order first. Carla inquires about the soup and the waitress describes a beautiful homemade bacon tortellini concoction. We look at each other, "Mmm...sounds great!" The waitress makes an astute observation that there's two of us and says, "We have enough left for two small bowls, or one big bowl." To which Carla replies, without hesitation, "I'll take the big bowl." Doesn't even ASK if I wanted some.

Now I'm a bit irritated. Fortunately, I know her well enough that I quickly concoct a plan to return the favour. When the waitress arrives with our food I snatch her soup spoon right away and scoop up a bit of broth and as many of the hearty chunks as the utensil can handle. I then pour the contents into my mouth before she can react, proceeding to obtain 3rd degree burns on the inside of my left cheek. It's almost been a week and I still can't touch the wound with my tongue.

Now I owe her two.

-D ]

Just me and EM, sittin’ around opening gifts.

This past weekend I played national traveller and flew to Hamilton, Ontario,  to surprise one of my best friends for her 30th birthday. I booked the trip weeks ago, but didn’t tell any of my girlfriends back east about my plans. Keeping this secret was very, very hard, and I felt the words that would reveal it bubble up in my throat many times over in various e-mail and phone conversations. The excitement was just too much to bear!

I arranged the whole thing with my friend’s parents, who picked me up at the airport and then graciously carted me around to their home, the requisite stop at the liquor store, and then, finally, EM’s party. Needless to say, when I popped in the doorway, EM was absolutely astounded. All week I had been playing up my depression about not being able to attend and how much I was going to miss not being at her party – and then, surprise! I wish I had it all on tape – the shocked looks that turned to total and utter excitement that then turned into hugs, squealing, and jumping up and down like giddy six-year-olds. No one could believe I made the trip, and everything went exactly as I planned. Parfait!

Getting to see all my girlfriends (and PP and NB!) was such a treat, as I miss them always. And, even though I have been here for almost three years, it never gets old finding out that the distance doesn’t matter one bit. I feel as close to my friends as I ever have, and that’s a fantastic thing! Happy Year 30, EM!

Happy New Year, De Facto Redhead readers! I took a little hiatus from blogging while I went home to Ontario for Christmas, so please forgive me for the lack of posts over the past two weeks! One good thing about not blogging for that long, though, is that I have stored up quite a few things to write about, so check back in the coming days and weeks for the first posts of 2010!

Going back to my vacation in Ontario: it was wonderful! I hadn’t been home since August, and I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more. First off, however, I had to get out of Edmonton. I left on Christmas Day, and rather than take a taxi to the airport (which costs $50 from where I live), I booked the Sky Shuttle to pick me up at one of their curbside locations. Their cost for a one-way trip from anywhere in the city to the airport is a comparatively measly $15. Sure, I had to get to the pick-up location, but I will lug my suitcase for 5-10 minutes – even pull a muscle or put my back out – to save on a trip to the airport that should be cheaply serviced by Edmonton transit in the first place!

Once I got to the airport, I found out my flight was delayed about an hour, which did not bode well for my connection in Toronto. I had to catch a Greyhound bus after my flight landed, and by the time all was said and done, I had about half an hour to make it to the bus station. Two friends picked me up in Toronto (thanks PP and NB!), and it was like a raucous Cruella De Vil ride from hell as the three of us hightailed it across rain-soaked highways to the bus station. We made it with about 10-15 minutes to spare, and I thought I was home-free. Au contraire!

I had ordered my Greyhound ticket online a few days previous to my ride, thinking it would save me time. Well, it didn’t because I wasn’t given the option to print my ticket, only to “will-call” at the station. You can’t pick up your ticket at the regular window, either – you have to deal with a special Greyhound representative. My particular Greyhound representative got angry with me the instant I gave her my ticket receipt because I wasn’t at the station the requisite hour before the scheduled departure of my bus. I tried to explain that my flight was delayed and I was coming from Alberta, for god-sakes, but she was having none of it and proceeded to attend to her other business even though my bus was already boarding. I stood in line with my luggage while everyone who had their tickets passed me by. Soon, my forlorn feeling turned to frustration, then annoyance, then anger, and I stormed over to where my “service” rep was checking the passports of people going to Detroit. I admit I was less than friendly this time, but when I’m frantic and stressed and going home for Christmas, didn’t I have at least a little right to turn out some attitude? I finally got my ticket without so much as a cursory glance from the Greyhound rep. I was the last one on the bus, and I had to face down the accusing eyes of the other passengers waiting for me to get on. Eeek!

Notice the “last min.” notation.

My parents and brother picked me up at 6 in the morning on Boxing Day, after which we went home and had a 24-hour delayed Christmas morning. One of my favourite (and standout) gifts was two felt-covered foam boards of vintage jewelry that my mom scored on an eBay estate sale. Every piece is amazing! I also received a boxful of old jewelry from a friend of my mom’s (thanks, CB!), so I was completely inundated with jewelry this Christmas, and I love each and every bauble. Storage of said pieces is going to be a problem, though. Forget clothes – I need a jewelry closet!

Keep in mind this is a picture taken immediately after four hours on a plane and then five hours on a bus.

While at home, my family and I also got into the Olympic spirit with T-shirts my mom bought for all of us. Beforehand, though, we went to see the Olympic torch pass through town. We saw it go by quickly, and then … nothing. It all felt kind of anti-climactic, and after analyzing the route of the torch through surrounding towns and cities, it didn’t really seem possible that the torch could have been everywhere without a duplicate torch in there somewhere. Suspicious torch-fraud alert on behalf of the Olympic committee? If there isn’t one true torch that passes through each stop on its route to Vancouver, the whole idea loses its lustre to me. Does anyone out there know the real ins and outs of the famed Olympic torch relay?

Left: Olympic torch relay. Right: My family celebrating Vancouver 2010!

My New Year’s Eve was pretty low-key – some wine (“some” is vague enough – I don’t need to reveal everything!), board games (Partini Mixers – has anyone played them? They’re pretty good!), and chatting with friends. I did choose a new outfit to wear that night, and it wasn’t complete until I decorated myself with many of my new jewels. Wheeee!

The long purple necklace was good in theory. In practice, it got caught on a lot of things.

My boyfriend and I started a new tradition this past summer, and that is to buy a used book whenever we go on vacation, and we’re supposed to read that book no matter what, even if it ends up being horrible. I got three books this trip, and two are from my youth: an R.L. Stine and a Christopher Pike. I have read them both already, and will be blogging in the coming days as to who won the Stine versus Pike head-to-head match-up. Creepy stuff. In the meantime, though, who out there has any memories of these authors and their books?

That pretty much concludes my journey to Ontario. I was all over the place, from five hours north of Toronto and then back down to four hours south of Toronto (and even into the U.S.!). It was a flurry of family, friends, and pets. Two weeks went by in a flash. A lot of it was spent playing board games with my parents, and we tried (multiple times) two newly acquired word games: Word Rummy and Take a Letter. Both challenge the mind to manipulate various letters into words, and then add on, in various capacities, to the words of other players. If you’re fan of Scrabble, Boggle, or any other word game, these two are definitely worth checking out!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas break, and I look forward to all of your comments in 2010!