The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I bought my fifth box of clementines of the season this week.  And my 17th pomegranate.  These fruits are only in season from late November to mid January, so I am trying to shove twelve months worth of love and appreciation of these yummy treats into the two short months they are available by consuming as many as possible.  Plus they are both my absolute favourite.  I love, love, love them.

I love pomegranates because they satisfy some of my key snacky cravings: perfect crunch, finger food, and takes time to eat.  I pull my pomegranates apart (like this), and make my way through seed by seed in one big, messy, fulfilling snacking adventure.  They are incredibly tangy, juicy, and fun to eat.

My favourite way to eat clementines is in groups of five or more.  My average is eight per sitting.  Last year I went through about 12 boxes of them without really trying, so we'll see how many I get to this year.  Clementines are easy to peel, generally seedless, and full of yum.  Such a great snack.  I wish they were available all year round!

How to Spot Your Vehicle

Exiting the grocery store this afternoon, I began to walk down the row of cars where I remembered parking.  I scanned the row of cars and it was easy to spot mine: the one with the headlights left on.  Shit.  I picked up the pace with my groceries in tow, believing that the extra three seconds I gained by running would ensure the battery was not dead.  I threw myself in the car, did a chant of "please don't make me learn the hard way", and attempted to start the car.  It worked, thankfully.  No boost required.

One of the only flaws I have found in my car is that there is no alarm bell if you try to exit the car with the headlights still on.  I'm not used to turning the headlights on and off, so I need an alarm to yell at me or I am not going to remember.  In lieu of a bell, my friend Duct Tape and I have placed a friendly reminder in the form of the word "Lights" on the inside car door just above the handle.  Here's hoping that this visual aid will help me avoid a car battery failure in the future.

On the Road

I'm at my parent's place for a few days - involving myself in family events that will conclude with buffet lunch at Mandarin on Wednesday.  I am having a glorious relationship with food lately, where my cup has been continuously running over since about Halloween and I am indulging in every minute of it.  I might take a break from feasting after lunch on Wednesday - as I will have to resume this lifestyle at Christmas and I don't know if I can keep up the pace until then!

This multi-day visit to my Mom's is the first one where I didn't need to get someone to drop me off and pick me up.  I just drove my car over here and parked it.  When I am ready to leave, I will just drive it home.  It is a simple thing to be happy about, but I am still celebrating having a car of my own.

Which leads me to my "Going to Mom's Car Mix".  These are the tracks that will be taking me to and from my parents place.

Going to Mom's Car Mix

 1. F*ck You - Cee Lo Green
 2. Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
 3. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
 4. Crash - Dave Mathews Band**
 5. Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
 6. Murder of One - Counting Crows
 7. Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) - Pet Shop Boys
 8. Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
 9. In Your Eyes (live) - Peter Gabriel
10. Home and Dry - Pet Shop Boys
11. You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor and Carole King
12. Sail Away - David Gray
13. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
14. September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
15. Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
16. Pendulums - Sarah Harmer

**While listening to the mix in the car, I realized it was a little unnerving to sing along to the lyrics "crash into me."  Version 2.0 of this mix would replace 'Crash' with '#41' (also by Dave Matthews Band). 

My Dad and Turning Thirty

I turned thirty last week and so far it has been great.  I made myself a giant turkey dinner and basically feasted for days.  Just my style.

There is a lot of hoopla around birthdays ending in zero - and the suggestion that you need to do something big.  So I talked to my dad about it to see if he wanted to help me do something 'big'.

Me: Hey Dad - your only baby daughter is turning thirty!  How about sending me to Cuba for my birthday?
Dad: You know what?  I have a gift card for Swiss Chalet that I got for Christmas.  I thought we should have that for your birthday.

He wouldn't be my dad if had replied anything different than that.  We had birthday Swiss Chalet take-out last Wednesday with my bros and it was absolutely delicious.  It was 'big' enough for me.

My turning thirty is a big deal for my parents - I'm the baby of the family and the baby is now thirty!  Yesterday I was chatting with dad on the phone and all of a sudden he said:

Dad: I realize you are now over thirty so I am not going to call you my baby anymore.  Because you are not a baby.  ...  So what should I call you?
Me: You should call me... Power of Attorney.

And we laughed and laughed.  Sometimes dad sets them up and I knock them down.  Plus I really could do some good if I was in charge of his finances... like a trip to Cuba! :)

 

Backyard Explorer: Forest/Marsh Behind the House Edition

It was a beautiful sunny day out there today so we went exploring in the forest behind the house.  It is wonderful being outside at this time of year; the air is so fresh and the bugs are minimal.  The woods are wonderful too - I find bushwhacking to be really fun exercise!  Plus there are many neat and interesting places to explore in the woods.  Sounds like an adventure!

Sunny day on the marsh #1

Sunny day on the marsh #2

More marsh.

Look what a beaver did!

Good job beaver!

Here's another beaver take down!  And this is a big one!

Nice marsh reflection #1

Nice marsh reflection #2