Teri: Friend - Teacher - Advocate

Teri was part of a protest organized by the students at the high school she teaches at. It made the local paper! “Carrying four clear garbage bags with 365 used coffee cups displayed inside, the students were trying to illustrate to coffee drinkers the amount of waste that goes along with purchasing their daily fix in a disposable cup.” The students were hoping to encourage coffee drinkers to switch to reusable. See the article HERE.

SC - Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

I got this recipe from my boss at work. First I did a little test-drive with Teri & Greg for dinner then made a larger batch for Salad Club. Teri just has red wine vinegar, so that saved a purchase. It is really good and I might consider starting to stock it. The salad was good; it is very refreshing!

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad
The first three ingredients can be prepared and combined ahead of time, however once ready to finish the salad you will need to drain it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Small watermelon cut in cubes
- 2 English cucumbers cuts to a similar size
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup of Feta cheese
Dressing: Equal parts red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil along with a tablespoon of minced garlic.

Today's Thought

I am not the first to think this, nor will I be the last:

Where are all the baby seagulls and pigeons? They are obviously reproducing in urban environments, but where are the nests, eggs, and babies? I fear that these two species just arrive to this world fully grown and evil like some kind of devil bird.

Iz Bite You

---- From Twitter, sent to me by Jeska

Yes, this is what Two would be thinking, but with her strange French/Russian accent, "Iz reelly vant you to pet me, but Iz also vant to bite you!"

Letters To Vincent

I am just back from a short trip to Ottawa (just one night.) As part of Kristen's Christmas present I said that I would take her back to the capital to see the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit at the National Art Gallery. Taylor came as well. It was a really fun trip. As part of the exhibit you could write a letter to the artist and it would appear projected onto this large wall and they would also email you a copy. During his lifetime Van Gogh wrote almost 1000 letters. The gallery put the works into his hand writing. Here is mine:

SC - Shrimp & Avacado Salad

Today was my first time bringing a salad to 'Salad Club' and I was a little nervous. I decided to make a variation on the salad my mom and dad often make to start a meal, especially if they are staying somewhere near the ocean and have access to a lot of fresh shrimp. I was also talking to Mike who said that avocados and tomatoes help bring out each others nutrients or something. Basically, I had a base idea, and I guess nutritional support, and then I just winged it...

"Wow, Taste Those Nutrients!" Shrimp and Avocado Salad*
Some of this preparation can be done ahead of time but the avocado should be cut and added right before serving.
- Defrost a bag of small shrimp, occasionally drain and sprinkle with lime juice (Takes 8hrs)
- Combine shrimp with halved cherry tomatoes, large chunks of field cucumbers and avocado
- Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce
- Dressing: French (I also provided Balsamic Vinegar for those who didn't want the French)

*Quote from Kristen after her first bite

Photos From The Weekend

Quick Update: I went to Ottawa this weekend to start fulfilling my Maid of Honour duties and help out with Steph and Dave's September wedding. Steph's mother and sister-in-law were also hosting a bridal shower on Saturday so I attended that as well. It was great to start to see everything coming together - invitations, the venue, favors, everything is going to look so beautiful. There was so much to do for the wedding that I spent most of my time with Steph, though I did get a quick visit with ERin and Anna.

A couple of photos:

Cutest cookies ever!!

Kristen was at Taylor's helping to host a baby shower for her. Since I couldn't attended the baby shower I sent favors and had these sugar cookies made. These two are broken because I was carrying them around in my purse, I'm sure the other ones were fine.

 Problem solved!

While my other friends are having bridal and baby showers, I am still trying to figure out how to get my laundry done. I did a few loads at Steph and Dave's but their dryer wasn't working. I visited a laundromat quickly before heading back home laid out delicates in the back of the car. Yes, I am still the girl that is drying her laundry in the back of a car - when em I going to grow up?

SC - A Private Health Club

We stole this idea from Heather, but had been tossing around similar concepts for a while - The WOTS girls and I have created a 'Salad Club'. Each one of us takes a day and we make a large salad to serve at lunch for everyone. It is such a fun and healthy idea. (I have Thursdays, starting next week. I need to start thinking of fun salad ideas.)

This is also going to be the start of a new feature on Always Standing - each Thursday I will post the recipe for the salad that I make for SC (Salad Club). Stay tuned!

Fail!

So the post below notes that it had been 10 days between posts, I seem to have cut that in half to 4 days but it still isn't near where I would like it to be. Life got busy - quickly. Summer 2012 is crazy!

10 Days!

It has been so long since my last post - 10 days. I barely remember how to blog anymore. It is a combination of work being crazy with our annual event, May and June being very busy socially (pretty much all of my weekends are booked), and probably most importantly the breakage of my laptop leaving me using my parent's borrowed mini or Kristen's Mac. I appreciate the generosity in both cases but both are a little harder to write on than a normal size PC computer/laptop. I am going to try to get into a better pattern of things - working out, sleeping, blogging - the usual things I promise myself.

A Shorter Commute

Today it is raining in Toronto. All last month we experienced very little 'May Showers' then June hits and there is a massive downpour. I would love to complain about my commute - it seems like everyone does. However, it isn't overly lengthy (ranges from 40min to an hour) or horribly complex (streetcar and then bus or subway then streetcar dependent on the route) or super crowded (I can get a seat about 95% of the time and 60% of the time Kristen and I can sit together.) But, I could live where I work and walk to work - that would be sweet. Actually, it would be especially sweet since I love working in Liberty Village and I'm sure I would enjoy living here too!

Here are some of my options:

Penthouse at The Toy Factory Lofts
This is a 3,000 square foot, 3-bedroom apartment in a century-old factory-turned-condo. In fact, it used to be the Irwin Toy Factory, a company I had stocks in as a children, which were a gift from my Aunty Laura so that I could go to the company's AGM each year and play with the cool new products that were in development. Toronto Life has done an article about the space, with photos. This apartment has 14 foot ceilings, 5 balconies, 4 bathrooms, and a sauna. At night I literally dream about this place, the thought of it takes my breath away!
Cost: $2,575,000

A One Bedroom in Vibe
The Vibe condo building is very nice; it has a gym, indoor pool, party room, and all the other things that nice condominiums in Toronto offer. While this apartment has only one bedroom, it does have two bathrooms and a very large balcony. The living space is spread over two levels which is interesting, but in total it is only 700 square feet. Basically this is closer to the reality of something I might buy/live in one day.
Cost: $339,900

It really doesn't look like I will be moving closer to work anytime soon. Truthfully, I love my apartment and every time I even glance at what else is available to rent or own in Toronto I am reminded how amazing Rrunuv Bayit is and how lucky I am to live in such an awesome place for such a great rate.