SUGAR!!

After yet another traumatic experience in the hands of Dr. K.L. (my dentist), I have decided to give up sugar!!! No joke. Needless to say, this decision was not an easy one to make... and I'm surprisingly serious about it. It's been 3 days now, no ice cream, no pie, no cake, no cookies, no candy, no slurpies, no bubble tea, no chocolate, no soft drinks ... well except for once a day (which is allowable). Instead I've been drinking a lot of smoothies and soy milk (which I now love after swearing that it was one of the most disgusting things ever for years), and eating a lot of fruit (luckily it's cherry, raspberry, peach, blueberry, and watermelon season).

I'm trying to focus on the positive sides: no more cavities, i.e. no more hours of pain and lectures about sugar every 6 months; no more sugar-induced breakouts; and getting rid of my sugar addiction?? (if that's a positive thing...) It's particularly hard in the evenings, when I want a snack: I've come to realize that all my snacks are sweet!! Did you know that there's more sugar in vanilla yogurt than vanilla ice cream? So any suggestions on sugar-free snacks would be greatly appreciated.

I once again feel like I'm taking yet another reluctant step along the path to adulthood. I remember wondering, as a kid, why it was that no adults liked sweets as much as I did... according to K.L. having a sweet tooth is simply an addiction to sugar, and if I stop eating it, then I won't crave it, or like it as much anymore. Seems the time has come for me to grow out of my sweet tooth: wish me luck!!

A True Celebration of Light!!!

Having grown up in Montreal, I am no stranger to firework festivals; however, I've spent the last four summers away at camp, so I was still very excited to go see Vancouver's Celebration of Light fireworks. The first was on Wednesday: Canada. Chelsea and I arrived at English Bay (the best, and closest spot to the firework barge) at about 9pm. Though the fireworks only started at 10pm, it was already packed. Luckily, we were meeting up with two other friends, who had the forethought of arriving at 7pm, and were able to save us a prime spot.

(Side note: finding two people in a crowd of 100 000 is no easy feet! Especially since the only landmarks are beaches, logs, trees, porta-potties, and boats... in a bay shaped like a U, so all perspectives are shot!)

Yesterday was South Africa's turn. We decided to try to arrive at English Bay a lot earlier, around 4pm, and have a beach afternoon and picnic in order to insure a prime spot (On Wednesday we were very close, but off to an angle, so things were a bit out of sync, but really, still, amazing!). Four of us got there at 4, picked up a party-tray of sushi, and saw around playing cards and Chinese Checkers. Others called to say that they were on their way. And then, a drop. Could it really be raining? After weeks upon weeks of sunny 25+ weather, it didn't really seem probable. The clouds didn't look that bad, and we deemed that the rain would pass in a few minutes. Instead, it grew steadily worse for a half-hour until it was too wet to stay in our amazing spot. We made a mad dash to the Starbucks, only to discover that hordes of people already had had that idea and that there was a line to get in. So we settle of another café. Meanwhile, we had phone calls for other friends that were going to meet us. Surprisingly, only one said call was to cancel. By then, it was about 8pm, we still had 2 hours to wait for the fireworks. We were able to find all our missing parties, and most of us decide to camp out, in the rain, under a tree, and wait.

Now, you could think that the wait was miserable, but really, it was the highlight of the night! You see, the clouds came in from the East, and English Bay faces the West, so we got to enjoy one of the very best sunsets I've ever seen!! The sky went from blue to a Honey-Mustard yellow (or Dijon to some) to a rusty Orange to a doomsday red. Meanwhile, above our heads and to the North, the clouds were stormy, dark, and lightning galore! Hours of lightning, some going horizontally through the whole sky, some vertical, some flashes. So much lightning that it was rather surprising that Andrew wasn't able to capture any on film (though he did try admirably). And I also think that all the electricity in the air gave me a headache... but it was worth it. Truly one of the most beautiful and dramatic shows Mother Nature has put on.

You can easily imagine that after all this, the South African fireworks were overshadowed. The music was good and we were in a prime spot, but I couldn't help thinking: "even after all these years, we humans cannot compete with Mother Nature", which seems to be a theme for me this summer.

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing the displays by the U.K. on Wednesday and China next Saturday. I also picked up 3-D glasses that they were handing out yesterday that are said to enhance the whole experience, but forgot to try them out. Next time!

Honey Mustard Yellow

Doomsday red!

Childhood Friends

There comes a time in our lives when you get to start saying that you've known, and I mean really known, somebody for over half your life, and I don't mean family. I feel privileged to say that Kathleen and I fit the bill! We met in 5th grade of Elementary School, were best friends through to the end of 6th grade, and then went off to our separate High Schools, CEGEPs, Universities, Summer Jobs, Trips... but through it all we stayed friends, seeing each other less and less frequently. By the end we saw each other only about once every 6 months, and then only for a Bubble Tea and catch up session that usually went way into the night. Still, we somehow managed to plan and take an amazing trip, and got along splendidly!

Kathleen has spent the last few weeks in Vancouver, working at a dessert restaurant, and we got to see each other every week... which still felt like decades after being together 24/7 while in California. Today, we spent a few more precious hours together before she left to go berry picking in the Okanagan for a month before heading back to Montreal.

I just wanted to take this time to truly acknowledge the gift we were given: we grew into adults separately, but we did not grow apart. Our summer together, the first we spent in the same city since mid-High School I would guess, reaffirmed what we already knew in our hearts: I know her inside and out, as she knows me; therefore we can't hide anything, and we know the meaning of complete acceptance. It's refreshing. It's freeing. It's unique.

Kathleen, you've thanked me a hundred times for the summer, here is my own thank you. Tu m'as appris à avoir plus confience en la vie. Et ça, c'est précieux. Merci.

Fresh air cinema

Last night, Chelsea and I were camped out next to Second Beach with a horde of people waiting in great anticipation (on my part at least!) for The Princess Bride to start! When I arrived to said park earlier in the afternoon to read and do some math before the movie, there was nothing much set up, and I was worried that, in my excitement, I had misread the Facebook update that alerted me of the upcoming movie. Luckily, over the next hour or so, a team arrived in a regular sized pick-up truck with a small trailer, and proceeded to set everything up right before my eyes!

This all started last week: while riding our bikes around Stanley Park along the Seawall, we saw a huge outdoor movie screen set up with speakers playing "No Woman No Cry", and groups of people waiting for Chicken Run to start. Though I was very enthusiastic at the idea of watching a movie outside, Chicken Run really wasn't something that I wanted to stay up late to watch. BUT The Princess Bride, now that's another story!

Imagine that watching The Princess Bride surrounded by hundreds of people that love it also, on a big screen, outside under the stars, next to the ocean, right after an incredible sunset, instead of at home, on your small tv screen can be likened to watching a hockey game at the Bell Center instead of at home, on your small tv screen once again. I was not alone in muttering my favorite lines under my breath, or cheering the first time Inigo Montoya says "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!" The energy was strong, and the movie was amazing, of course.

I also learned (while checking for spelling) that when you search "Inconceivable" in Google, the first three hits are in referrence to The Princess Bride!! (Inconceivable!) Which just goes to show, no matter how much you think you know, small things can still surprise you in the most unexpected ways!

Mother Nature

Just a reminder that Mother Nature really is that strong, and we should respect the Earth. After all, the time we spend here is but a wrinkle in time.

This was taken by a friend of my dad's up at my cottage on Lac Ouareau, after a storm. And yes, that road was made out of asphalt!

Midterm marking

Just thought that it was worth it to let you all know that I've been marking midterms ... yesterday ... today ... tomorrow. Usually I don't find it all that painful. Granted, it's long and repetitive and boring, but I kind of feel useful while doing it. But today, I just wasn't feeling it. I'm on the recovering side of my cold, and it was frustrating to me to waste what little brain cells have come out of hibernation (can I really call it hibernation when the sleep only lasted a week?) on trying to decipher the ridiculous answers undergrads have come up with on their pre-calculus test. I mean really, how can an asymptote have a hole? (Coddles to all you non-math people that get why this is impossible) And why does the square root of one lie between one and zero? Who knows... All this to say that I feel shafted. For the first time in a week, doing some of my own research was a possibility, a possibility that was lost due to having used up my brain cells on a mundane task.

Another point of interest: Chelsea (who moved in with me last week for two months) had the brillant idea of making pancakes for supper!! Yum! With that we had freshly picked raspberries and blueberries from the backyard (where my landlord has an impressive garden full of yummy fruits and veggies).

Yet another point of interest: last night, Chelsea and Andrew came in, about 30 minutes after I turned off the light, to unload the car of camping equipment, they talked a bit, ate a bit of ice cream, and I was none the wiser. I mean nothing, zilch. I was completely unaware that my living quarters had been breached. What if it had been a burglar or something?? On top of that, I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept soundly at all, and I distinctly remember not being able to fall asleep for what felt like ages last night... guess not!

If you want to eat the best pancakes ever, try this recipe (and yes, it really calls for that much butter!):

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Rated: Submitted By: dakota kelly Photo By: SunFlower Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 8

"This is a great recipe that I found in my Grandma's recipe book. Judging from the weathered look of this recipe card, this was a family favorite."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk 1 egg 3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2.	Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Sicko...

So here I am, back from a visit to Victoria, home and sick... So much for going to Victoria to help out my Grandma! The first two days I was feeling ok, but too tired to do much (luckily, she also felt lazy), and then BAM! I wake up sick, with a head cold (no worries, not the swine flu or anything so dire...). But still, my brain is all fuzzy, my nose is runny, and my throat is sore... and she ends up having to take care of me!

The human brain surprises me once more in its ability to erase bad experiences: each time I get sick, I suddenly recall how bad it feels, and then a few days or weeks later, while feeling healthy, I can't recall how completely exhausted and run down I felt while being sick. I'm told that this is insure that the human race does not die out: otherwise, after giving birth once most women would never do it again!