Beautiful Summer Weekend

My departure from Toronto this weekend was planned long before I considered what the G20 summit would likely bring to the city, but it seems as though it all worked out for the best anyway.  What a shame that the voices of so many peaceful protesters drawing attention to perfectly legitimate causes often become so overshadowed by the antics of a few idiots.

Several celebrations were had this weekend in Kingston, including a belated Father's Day dinner for my dad - the greatest man in the world!  (Along with my dear husband, of course!).  Unfortunately I managed to forget my camera, and could not take a picture of the beautiful meringue that topped our celebratory pie.  It's the first meringue that has ever turned out well for me, so it was truly a momentous occasion.

On weekends such as this, where I return to my favourite place in the world and have the pleasure of seeing so many people I love, I am reminded of what I am thankful for in my life - which brings me to a little confession I'd to make:  So often anymore I am guilty of seeing the past three years of my life as a complete waste of time - a series of bad choices, so to speak.  I become so depressed and wrapped up in the negative that I turn into a bitter, self-centred wife; a whiny, weepy daughter; and an inattentive - if not entirely absent - friend.  For that I apologize.  Several things have happened lately that have forced me to mature a little.  (For really, how are we ever to mature if not by force?)  

In light of all this, I have decided that each night before I go to sleep I will mentally acknowledge all the things I'm thankful for.  If I were a religious person, I guess this would be called a prayer.  For me, I think it will be a key step on my way to becoming a content, well-adjusted human being.  I know you're not supposed to talk about this kind of thing on blogs, which are generally much more happy and upbeat.  Thus I will leave you with five little things I am grateful for right now:

1)  My sweet husband, who is currently out fixing our car.  (Yes, you read that right.  Steve is fixing the car.  Oh how I love him!)

2)  The loyal golden retriever at my feet.

3)  The mourning dove calling from the tree outside, reminding me, for some reason, of the cottage.

4)  The fact that The Body Shop brought back their Oceanus scent.

5)  The fact that, despite seemingly overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I do have choices, and consequently the power to turn my life around.

Photo from Design Crush.

Lately

I concede that I haven't been the best blogger in the world lately.  You may have been wondering what I've been up to.  (Then again maybe not, as I'm sure like most people you're far too busy in your own life to worry about the absence of a half-hearted blogger.)

Truth be told, adjusting to "working life" in Toronto has not been an easy transition.  As students, pretty much everything we needed/wanted was in walking distance of our flat.  Now, I spend a total of an hour and a half per day commuting to and from work.  The drive itself should only take about 20 minutes, but of course I'm on the road at the peak of rush hour both ways.  Likewise, it takes Steve a little under an hour each way.  It's exhausting, to say the least.  And I feel like the worst dog owner in the world, which kills me.

With only about four hours of free time per day (well, 2.5-3 when you subtract the time it takes to make and eat dinner and walk the dog) it's amazing I have time to do anything else at all.  On nights when I don't force myself to go to the gym, I usually curl up in front of the TV, or with a good book.  For a while it was more often the former, but as I get used to my new job I'm left with a bit more brainpower at the end of the day, and hence more energy to commit to a book. 

The other day, I finished re-reading Metamorphosis.  It had been a long time since I'd read this quirky yet wonderful work of literature, and wow, do I ever have a different perspective on it now.  Having watched the movie The Squid and the Whale about a hundred times in the past three years, I was inclined to pay much more attention to the novella's last paragraph, which one could argue changes everything.  Having a first hand knowledge of "the daily grind" also makes the first part, where the chief clerk comes to check on Gregor at home, much funnier and more relatable. 

If you have never read Metamorphosis, I highly recommend that you seek it out as soon as possible.

I was thrilled to see that Emily Giffin was out with a new book, despite the fact that I sometimes pretend not to like her work.  Truth be told, there is NOTHING that makes my day like having a truly addictive book on the go, even if it's not "great literature."  The thing about Giffin is she is obviously a highly intelligent woman who has found a perfect niche as a writer, and how can one but respect that?  This is one of her best books so far; if  you like this kind of thing, you will love Heart of the Matter.

Steve and I have also spent quite a lot of time preparing delicious, vegan food.  I feel so much better in every way when I fuel up on this good stuff.  That's not to say that I don't indulge in some decidedly non-vegan food every now and then. (Like, for instance, a smooth, cool dish of to-die for gelato on a hot summer evening from here).

But this homemade pad thai sure hits the spot as well...it's fast becoming one of our absolute favourite meals.

A little while ago we also made our favourite vegan lasagna.  It's even better with Daiya cheese, which we were never able to get in Kingston.  See?  Living in Toronto does have its advantages after all!!

So, yeah, that in a nut shell is what I've been up to lately.  Some days have been better than others, but all in all I feel like things are on the right track.  I'm planning some pretty big changes for the future, and am working on enhancing my sense of equanimity in order to face upcoming challenges more effectively...

You complete me, oh juicer

Yeah, yeah, I know what this looks like. 

But honestly, I have every intention of using it daily. And the purchase wasn't nearly as spontaneous as you're likely assuming, dear reader. Not spontaneous at all, actually. You see, I have wanted a juicer for at least six months now. Then a few weeks ago, I was gifted Refresh (the second cookbook featuring recipes from the restaurant Fresh) by my lovely, thoughtful friend Jen. The book contains all sorts of colourful juice recipes that collectively offer to cure whatever ails ya. It was just too painful to flip through it and not have the ability to make these tasty, medicinal concoctions. 

It's true that I'd be the luckiest woman in the world if this did it for me. But owning a juicer certainly brings me one step closer to happiness.

Recalling how much I loved the beet, carrot, and apple juice from Kale, I whipped up a similar brew for our juicer's maiden run. I also threw in a little ginger. Wow, was this ever heavenly. 

Sob

I'm not sure what I'm more upset about - the fact that Federer lost, or the fact that he lost before I even had a chance to see him play in this year's French.

Yes, life has been more than a little crazy of late. On the plus side, I found these awesome images on fffound that made me remember what I'm missing. 

Wait, that's a bad thing isn't it? Well, they remind me of better days, anyway.

By the way, I'm officially cheering for Nadal now. Hopefully that won't be bad luck for him.