Where are the keys?

We've moved

2009-06-15T21:32:00.001-07:00

We have moveed our blog to www.wherearethekeys.wordpress.com. Check us out over there.

Have we mentioned....

2009-04-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

that we are getting married? It’s true. And now we have the paperwork to prove it! In 19 days (eek!), we will say our vows and sign our names on this piece of paper to make it official.

So for now, expect silence in this space. We are working hard to pull off a terrific weekend for those of you who are able to join us for the wedding. For those who will not be with us, I promise a proper recap of all wedding-related projects and the wedding weekend itself. (But not until post-honeymoon!)

La belle et la baugette

2009-03-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

I try to bring my lunch from home on workdays, but there are days when I run out of time and ideas and I have to eat out. On those days, I find myself wishing that I was working downtown and could pop over to Finch's on Pender Street. Wouldn't it be niced to take an hour and have a civilized lunch of pears, blue brie, proscuitto and walnuts on a fresh baked baugette?

A big merci to the lovely Tracey who introduced me to these authentic baugette sandwiches.

Comfort food

2009-03-22T12:45:00.004-07:00

After what felt like a long week at work, I came home on Friday night craving something warm, rich and boozy. A glass of red wine usually does the trick but this time I wanted something more comforting and substantial. I refueled with our new favourite quick and easy dinner and then set about acquiring what is was that my heart really desired.

In December, Orangette featured a whiskey soaked dark chocolate bundt cake. I didn't really think much about it since I didn't have a bundt pan and the only alcholic dessert I have a soft spot for is tiramisu. And then on Friday it popped into my head and wouldn't leave. I had to have it.

I subbed Knob Creek bourbon (don't you just love saying bourbon? I rarely drink bourbon but I love the word with its buttery, Southern sound.) for the whiskey and pulled out the bundt pan and cake stand that I received at the bridal shower. Soon our apartment was filled with heat and a boozy aroma, and Andrew and I slid into the weekend with two tall glasses of milk and slices of bundt cake.

And did you know that Molly from Orangette has a book out? Yes, she does. A book I was gifted thrice from three different people last week! I was planning to take the book with me on our honeymoon to France but I'm not sure I can wait that long to devour (read) it.

Details, details, details

2009-03-17T21:16:00.005-07:00

Bridal shower

2009-03-17T20:02:00.015-07:00

Janet and Haley threw me the most fabulous bridal shower of all time. I know, I know - it sounds like I'm exaggerating but really I'm not.

On Saturday morning Andrew whisked me away for brunch and wedding band shopping. When I arrived back at the house I was greeted by the biggest surprise of the weekend - my mom! Unbeknowst to me, Mom had flown out from Saskatchewan and picked up my grandmother in Victoria to come to the shower.

Now that the big reveal was over, it was time to get the party started. We played several games including the infamous "how well do you know your fiance" game where the bride-to-be has to put a piece of Hubba Bubba in her mouth each time she answers a question incorrectly.

What do you mean Andrew's celebrity crush is Meg Ryan? I could have sworn it was Tina Fey. My cheeks are getting full...

I am having trouble breathing at this point, and Haley and Janet are enjoying this game a little too much.

On to a new activitiy that doesn't involve gum - thank goodness - opening presents. As I opened gifts, Janet read out "recipes for life" that my friends and family from near and far had sent to go along with the gourmet theme of the shower. I loved hearing the wise women in my life share their thoughts and advice with me on what makes a successful marriage. And I received a truckload of gifts from cookware to foodie books to special culinary treats and much more. I was truly spoiled.

Speaking of food, my very talented sister put on an amazing spread for us to nosh on. (Good news Vancouverites - she's available to cater your next event!)

My favourite part was getting to hang out with my best gals and receiving notes, calls and even a video toast from those peeps who live too far away to attend. My cup runneth over - xoxox to you all.

Operation do not tell Alyssa

2009-03-17T19:18:00.006-07:00

While I was at work during the day, my lovely matron of honour Janet and her sister Keltie, with the assistance of numerous bridal elves including Ryan, Haley and Brita, were cooking up a bunch of pre-bridal shower surprises for Friday.

I knew we had a morning appointment at the spa, but other than that I had no idea what the day would hold. Those of you who know me know that surprises are very hard for me. I used all my charm and persuasive talents to get Andrew to give me a clue but he repeatedly stonewalled my attempts. Hrmph. I tried to be patient and after an amazing cool stone massage and champagne lunch, I was whisked away an undisclosed location for an undisclosed activity, which turned out to be....

Screenprinting at Blim! I heart screenprinted anything and I've always wanted to try my hand at it. Do my friends know me or what? We spent the afternoon burning designs, listening to music, drinking mimosas and eating snacks and screenprinting pretty much anything we could get our hands on. So. much. fun.

Rolling with my homeys

2009-03-11T21:15:00.006-07:00

No time for blogging this week as I am spending as much time as I can with my peeps, especially with a very special visitor from NYC. Be back next week with a full debrief of our exploits!

Classic: Polinsky & Butler

The next generation: Haley and Keltie.

On your mark, get set, go

2009-03-04T19:10:00.001-08:00

Uh, wait a minute. Do I have to go? Really? Are you sure I have to get up?

This conversation is replayed a couple mornings each week as I try to convince Andrew that we should hit the snooze button instead of throwing on our trainers and hitting the street. But Andrew is a goody-two (running) shoes so up we get.

This week was the half-way point in our Sun Run training program. To mark the occasion, our running group did a 5 kilometer race. Long-legs Andrew beat me by four minutes coming in at 30 minutes while I crossed the finish line at 34 minutes. Guess a positive attitude and dedication to training really do pay off. Onwards to 10k!

My eyes are dim

2009-02-23T19:41:00.002-08:00

I cannot see, I have not brought my specs with me...

Turning 30 wasn't a big deal but as I approach 31 I have been feeling anxious and more self-conscious of 'looking old'. I think it has something to do with being a 31 year-old bride in a wedding industry aimed at 23-year olds but I digress.

After several offhand comments about how much younger I look without my glasses, I began to wonder if I needed a less harsh pair of glasses. Usually I hem and haw about getting new frames but this time was different. Andrew and I were getting cereal at Costco and I stopped by the optical counter, tried on a couple of pairs of frames and made the purchase.

Without further adieu, my new, more demure glasses.

And in case you can't remember what my previous specs looked like, here I am teaching Gavin the fine art of the self-portrait. I still like these frames and I'll continue to rotate them with my new pair.

Provence

2009-02-21T17:58:00.009-08:00

One of my responsibilities in planning our wedding has been organizing our honeymoon (not sure how I got the good job). We are going to spend a couple of weeks in France - Paris and Provence. We have been looking for a place to stay in the Luberon region. There are so many wonderful places and today we made our choice and booked a small apartment just outside of a lovely little village called Roussillon. It even has a pool.

I can't wait.

Roussillon

The garden

The terrace

The apartment

Can't wait!

2009-02-16T22:02:00.005-08:00

And if a bridal shower in itself isn't enough - and it is - the invite comes on honest-to-goodness letterpress stationery! I heart letterpress so much. This beauty comes from Lunalux, which was named the favorite store most people have never heard of.

Super Saturday

2009-02-15T08:32:00.004-08:00

Sometimes it is the simple things that make your day and Saturday was full of them. It started with a hearty Spanish fritatta followed by a trip to the library to pick up American Wife. I came home to find a letterpress card made by Smudge Ink, a dry-fit hat that I have been coveting, cookies from Uprising Breads, a cheerful bouquet from Full Bloom Flowers (our wedding florist) and a wordle made from our very own love story.

Valentine's Day is nice, but it is even nicer to have love all year round. How lucky am I?

Onwards to the wedding

2009-02-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Our march towards the aisle continues (but will there be a runner for the aisle that we are marching down? One of the many riveting issues we find ourselves dealing with these days.)

What's that - you want to know how the planning is going? Oh no, I'd hate to bore you. Really? Okay, but only because you asked. Here's a summary courtesy of someecards.

Invitations have been mailed.

The RSVPs are rolling in.

Bachelor party is in the works.

Travel plans are being made.

Wet red envelopes

2009-02-10T11:54:00.005-08:00

Gung hai fat choy - happy year of the ox everyone!

The 2009 Chinese New Year parade was definitely the wettest, coldest one I have been to so far. But neither sleet nor rain could keep me from delivering the little red envelopes! And I'm not going to lie, the promise of hot tea and dim sum helped keep a cheerful new year smile on my face as we paraded through the rain.

BFFs (or B-to-the-F-to-the-F)

2009-02-03T20:38:00.010-08:00

I was an only child for the first four and a half years of my life but I had a big brother of sorts in my cousin Brady who is six months older than me. While Brady and I lived seven hours apart, we often spent parts of the summer together at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Brady is getting married this year too and when his fiancee sent out a request for photos from his childhood I dug out my photobox. I had so much fun looking at these old photos and remembering all the fun we had when we were growing up.

The standard bath shot.

Two peas-in-a-pod

Re-enacting our Russian heritage with a babushka and Grandpa's signature hat.

Turning the calendar

2009-02-01T21:24:00.006-08:00

One of my favourite Christmas gifts this year was a 2009 calendar from ilee letterpress. While I lament the speed at which time passes (can January really be over already?), it is such a treat to start each month with a new print.

Cute as a button

2009-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

We haven't seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, or any of the Oscar-nominated movies, but we have a new little boy in our life named Benjamin and he is cute as a button!

Benjamin James is the second son for our friends Sharon and Craig. His big brother Gavin had already taken on the role of friend, protector and comforter.

Andrew and Benjamin.

Change is good

2009-01-20T08:53:00.002-08:00

Thanks, and have fun running the country

2009-01-19T20:29:00.007-08:00

Just in time to capitalize on another wave of Obamamania comes Thanks, and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letter to President Obama courtesty of the kids from 826 Valencia. There are some gems in the heartfelt letters that these American children wrote to the President-Elect following his big win in November.

"I really hope you put America back together. No pressure though."
— Sheenie Shannon Yip, age 13, Seattle

"Could you help my family to get housecleaning jobs? I hope you will be a great president. If I were president, I would help all nations, even Hawaii. President Obama, I think you could help the world." — Chad Timsing, age 9, Los Angeles

If I were president, I would tell people to not talk too much. It wastes time. I’d also say to war: no more, no more, no more!
— Catherine Galvan, age 6, Chicago

The great backsplash debacle

2009-01-17T16:05:00.005-08:00

In the fall, I convinced Andrew that we should install a backsplash in our kitchen. Sharon and Craig are always undertaking home improvement projects and they make it look so easy. So after much persuasion/coercion, we made a trip to Star Tile and picked out some tiles for the backsplash.

And then they sat and sat and sat in our closet. I won't bore you with the details of installation but let's just say there were lots of choice words, pep talks and frustrated sighs. Did we overcome? Well, the tile is up and we are still planning to get married, and I think that constitutes success in this situation.

Before

After

Up close and personal

We could be heroes

2009-01-12T21:11:00.010-08:00

Once again I am jumping on the television bandwagon several seasons late. This time it is with Heroes, to which I must shamefacedly confess watching the twenty-three episodes of season one over the course of a week.

It made me think: what power would I want? Andrew was quite enthralled by Matt Parkman's ability to read people's thoughts and I was in awe of Charlie's power to remember everything she read. But it would probably be more helpful if I had the ability to finish home improvement projects or blog daily or even just operate my sewing machine.

Is this the face of a heroine? Only time will tell.

Rock on

2009-01-08T21:08:00.003-08:00

Wedding planning has been ramping up over here. We are going to go with this guy for our ceremony music - he looks like he has good energy, no?

In other music news, I am really digging the new Matthew Barber disc.

Sleepover!

2009-01-03T22:18:00.004-08:00

The Style section of the Globe and Mail says that cocooning is in for 2009 and I say bring it. Let's start by reviving the sleepover.

Gavin nighted over yesterday while his parents enjoyed a child-free evening. We had homemade pizza, watched Bee Movie and spent a lot of time answering Mr. Gavin's questions.

Gavin and Andrew read a couple of bedtime stories. Dinosaurs are all the rage right now in our favourite 2 1/2 year old's world.

Hey lady, I got the newspaper, now where is my oatmeal?

Gavin and Alyssa do some contemporary sculpture. Our forte is snowmen and snakes.

A year in the life

2009-01-03T21:31:00.005-08:00

When I think back on 2008, there isn't anything that sticks out as the defining moment of the year. And you know what? I think that's good. We've had a busy year with little drama and lots of happy times. Without further ado, here's our look back at the things that made our 2008.

You've got to hear this
This American Life, The Moth

Inspirations
Nienie Dialogues, Country Living magazine, Snippet & Ink

But what do the polling numbers show?
Frances Bula, Andrew Sullivan, Obamamania, Gregor

Indulgences
Pied-A-Terre, Bishops, Cafe Medina, Les Faux Bourgeois

Work it, sister!
Bootcamp, Wii Fit

On the road again
Calgary, Theodore, Toronto, S eattle

New bebes
Zada, Audrey, Jacob, Rowan and Elliott.

Our door is open
Janet, Paul & Janice, Haley, Mike & Sandeep, Ted, Matthew, Bev & Vic

Favourite headline
Vancouver's Polinsky population triples!

'Twas the night before Christmas

2008-12-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

...and all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Or the after-hours media pager.

On Christmas Eve, I got an early 'present' from work in the form of the after-hours media pager. Everyone on our team takes the pager three or four weeks a year and as a newbie I drew the short straw of minding the pager from December 24-31.

I can take almost anything and turn it into a more festive version of the itself so we re-christened it the 'holiday pager' and gave it a little bling for the season. The holiday pager had traditional tourtierre dinner on Christmas Eve, ventured out in the snow for turkey and sticky toffee pudding at the McLeod's, watched some World Junior Hockey and enjoyed a visit from Auntie Bev and Uncle Vic.

Interesting fun facts ahead

2008-12-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

Another gem from 30 Rock.

Dennis: Dennis Duffy, Beeper King.
Jack: That’s a sharp tie you’ve got there Dennis.
Dennis: That douchebag up front made me wear it.
Jack: Does he know you’re the Beeper King?
Dennis: I don’t think so.
Liz: This is clearly the nicest restaurant we’ve ever been to.
Dennis: Hold on a second, this place ain’t that nice, alright. It’s got rats and roaches like every other restaurant.
Liz: No rat talk tonight, okay.
Dennis: (to Jack) You know there are 17 million rats per person in Manhattan? You eat a pound of rat crap every year without even knowing it.
Jack: I think I read about that in The New Yorker. (pause) Um, anyway, we’ll leave you two to your meal. I hope you enjoy the choices that you’ve made.

Andrew got me a year-long subscription to the New Yorker magazine for Christmas so you can expect more interesting tidbits in the year ahead.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T21:20:00.004-08:00

Gingerbread pancakes and turkey sausages, ridiculous amounts of presents and, oh yes, snow!

The tradition continues

2008-12-22T19:40:00.003-08:00

The holidays are filled with traditions and rituals that we look forward to every year. One of our favourites is the annual Christmas dinner that we have with our friends.

This year we celebrated at Pied-a-Terre Bistro, which may just be my new favourite restaurant. After many months of good intentions, Andrew and I finally ate at the restaurant in November and we were hooked. The menu is simple French food using high-quality ingredients. Even I, a self-avowed potato hater, love their pommes frites. And the wine list includes a very decent bottle of red for $25.

Winter wonderland

2008-12-21T20:08:00.006-08:00

With this extended Arctic blast, Vancouverites can now trade winter war stories with our fellow citizens across the country. Just kidding. But we do have snow!

The weather is suitable for hibernation and I've spent most of the last 24 hours curled up with Richard Price's Lush Life, only putting it down to try out a couple of new recipes: sweet and spicy nuts and a curried cauliflower apple soup in preparation for Christmas Eve dinner.

This evening we ventured out for the winter solstice lantern festival and a neighbourhood walk.

View from my window

2008-12-18T17:46:00.004-08:00

We Vancouverites are becoming hearty, winter-loving folks.

Cook the 'Hood

2008-12-14T15:09:00.003-08:00

One of the best things about living on the Drive are the numerous and varied places to grab a bite. Jamaican, Italian, Ethiopian, Mexican, Latin, Japanese, Indian - you name it, we've got it. But sometimes, say on a snowy Sunday when you are still in your pajamas at 3:00 pm, you may not want to venture outside for sustenance.

Now you can have the best of both worlds with the arrival of Cook the 'Hood. Cook the 'Hood is a collection of recipes from many of the Drive's most loved restaurants and shops. I have long been trying to figure out how to create the vegan muffins from Cafe deux Soleil and the bakers have been kind enough to share their recipe for the book.

The best part is that a portion of the proceeds go to Quest Outreach Society. Quest rescues food that would otherwise end up in landrfills and redirects it to those who need it in the Lower Mainland. They divert almost 2.6 million kilograms of food each year, which feeds approximately 70,000 people per month.

You will get a sentimental feeling

2008-12-04T20:45:00.009-08:00

...when you hear Alyssa singing "All I want for Christmas is you."

Oh yes, it is officially holiday season at the Meddsky's. The stockings are hung, the freezer is filled to the brim with holiday baking, the gifts for the Medds are ready to travel East with Andrew and (some) of the Christmas cards are in the mail.

We don't have our Christmas tree up yet but here is a little something to get you in the spirit from a magical little place in Fort Langley.

Austen worthy

2008-12-01T21:22:00.005-08:00

The wedding was very much like other weddings, where the parties have no taste for finery or parade, and Mrs. Elton, from the particulars detailed by her husband thought it all extremely shabby, and very inferior to her own. "Very little white satin, very few lace veils; a most pitiful business."

But, in spite of these deficiencies, the wishes, the hopes, the predictions, the confidences of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union.

Jane Austen, from Emma

I love this Jane Austen quote about weddings. Doesn't it make you want to get married in a grand mansion with only your nearest and dearest on hand to celebrate the union?

Our friends Sandeep and Mike did just that when they married at The Governor's House in Hyde Park, Vermont on November 22, 2008. While we weren't present for their wedding, we look forward to spending many other times with them throughout what is sure to be a long and happy marriage.

Five years of sweetness

2008-11-30T20:37:00.004-08:00

In 2003, Sharon and I tried an experiment with our holiday baking. We invited our friends to participate in a baking exchange where we would bake a dozen of a cookie/bar/candy for each participant and then swap. It was a hard sell and we had to scrounge to get five participants.

Five years later and the baking exchange is thriving. This year we had 10 bakers including three of the original bakers, Sharon, Trisha and myself, who participate every year. As you can see, 10 bakers means a bevy of treats -- 980 to be exact! This year's bounty includes almond rocha, chocolate peanut butter cups, orange chocolate biscotti, earl grey tea cookies, cranberry lemon bars, orange espresso thins, mocha toffee bars, rocky road christmas coins, chocolate mint bites, chocolate hazelnut rugelach and cardamom spiced shortbread shells.

Would love to stay and chat but I have baking to taste-test.

A smaller mii

2008-11-24T21:09:00.006-08:00

I didn't want Alyssa to get all the glory so I decided to try and get in better shape myself. Bootcamp at 5:30AM isn't my style so I've used a combination of this and, surprisingly, this.

So far the results have been pretty good.

Here is a picture of me today...

... And here is me in July. I've still got a long way to go but so far so good.

Online photo albums

2008-11-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

LIFE Magazine, Google and the Obama campaign have done a great service to anyone interested in killing time surfing the Internet.

Earlier this week LIFE and Google team up to host photos from the magazine from the past 160 years. It is an incredible collection.

If that isn't enough, the Obama campaign loaded more than 50,000 photos from the campaign on to Flickr. You can see them all at http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/.

Happy viewing.

Some Election Observations

2008-11-18T21:28:00.010-08:00

Now that the various elections are over I've been thinking a bit about some of the things that I took away from the results and the various campaigns.

Be Authentic

Authenticity seems to have actually paid-off in this presidential election season. First, Mitt Romney, a moderate Republican decides to abandon is beliefs and tries to become the candidate of the most conservative wing of the GOP. He even said he wanted to build another Gitmo. I always felt he did this because he thought that the Bush-Rove strategy of 2004 was still going work. He didn't realize that the country was sick of that. In the end he wasn't able to sell his new found set of beliefs and got trounced by John McCain.

John McCain then decided to abandon his moderate views during election and in turns gets crushed by Barack Obama. McCain was always at his best when he wasn't too scripted, treating the people he disagreed with with respect and having fireside chats with reporters. He decided to entirely change his persona during the election to help him get elected and in the end he would have likely been better off staying true to who he actually was.

I would imagine that there is considerable pressure when running for President to change your style, your look and your views to help you get elected. It often works too. This may be naive, but I hope that what we saw in this last election was a lesson that you are better off being yourself than trying to become something that you think citizens want.

Be Gracious in defeat

John McCain's presidential campaign was a disaster. Not just for him, but for society in general. The borderline racism, the blatant lies about Barack Obama and his pick for Vice-President demonstrated the worst parts of American political campaigns. However, he ended his campaign on an incredibly gracious note. His concession speech was probably the best speech he gave over the entire campaign. In my mind it restored some of the reputation that he decided to throw away with his campaign.

Contrast that to the words that came from the NPA camp following their electoral disaster on November 15th. Allen De Genova has this to say about newly elected mayor Gregor Robertson:

"Gregor Roberson? Nice guy, looks good, speaks well. Has zero experience, zero knowledge to find his way around town," De Genova said. "Thank God he has Raymond Louie and Geoff Meggs to run the show. But … we got another Sam Sullivan — a guy who is going to follow and not lead. But he looks good, and that's what people wanted."

Nice way to handle defeat. This is a guy who was not only a member of Gregor Robertson's party, Vision Vancouver, but also ran for its mayoral nomination. After he lost to Gregor he endorsed Peter Ladner, the NPA's candidate. Vancouver's very own Joe Lieberman.

Any here is a quote from Peter Ladner's concession speech:

"I think there was a lot of superficial appeal to Gregor Robertson," he said.

In Gregor Roberston's speech on election night he thanked Peter Ladner, Sam Sullivan and the NPA for their service.

Anyway, John McCain gave us a lesson in how to handle defeat in a graceful way where as De Genova and Ladner decided to reinforce people's negative perception that politicians. I can tell you who I'd rather support in a future campaign.

Another year in books

2008-11-18T20:06:00.011-08:00

Last year I kept a list of books I'd read over the year as an experiment to see where my reading hours went. It was an interesting exercise so I did it again this year.

My Canadian reading went way down and there was a suprising surge of books by Brits including three of my favourites from the year: When We Were Bad, 26A and Gods Behaving Badly.

Without further adieu, here is the list:

Late Nights on Air - Elizabeth Hay*
The Architechts Are Here - Michael Winter
When We Were Bad - Charlotte Mendelson*
Disappearing Moon Cafe - Sky Lee
What We All Long For - Dionne Brand
Consolation - Michael Redhill
Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living - Carrie Tiffany
Grace, Eventually - Anne Lammot*
Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen*
Altared - Colleen Curran
Don't Try This at Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs - Ed. K. Whiterspoon
Divisadero - Michael Ondaatje
Cake or Death - Heather Mallick
One Perfect Day - Rebecca Mead
The Emperor's Children - Claire Messud
Alice Water & Chez Panisse - Thomas McNamee*
My Life in France - Julia Child*
What is the What? - Dave Eggers
East of Eden - John Steinbeck*
Offbeat Bride - Ariel Meadows Stalling
Soucouyant - David Chariandy
The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver
The Book of Other People - ed. Zadie Smith
The Country Life - Rachel Cusk
Austenland - Shannon Hale
The Have-Nots - Katherina Hucker
Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanada Ngozi Adichie*
The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
Balzac & the Chinese Seamstress - Dai Sijie & Ina Rilke
The Laments - George Hagen
Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips*
Lying in Weight - Trish Gara
The Other Bolelyn Girl - Phillipa Gregory
The Ten-Year Nap - Meg Wolitzer
26A - Diana Evans*
Nikolski - Nicolas Dickner
Maynard & Jennica - Rudolph Delson
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Woo - Junot Diaz
The Girl in Saskatoon - Sharon Butala
A Short History of Anxiety (Yours & Mine) - Patricia Pearson
Sammy's House - Kristin Gore
The Road Home - Rose Tremain*
The Chris Farley Show - Tom Farley
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Gabor Mate
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre

46 books read
33 fiction and 13 non-fiction books
11 Canadian books
1 book from the list of 1000 books to read before you die.

Print is alive and well

2008-11-17T20:11:00.001-08:00

One of the many things the Obama campaign showed was that print isn't dead yet. I love this image of people queuing for copies of the NY Times on November 5 via Khoi's blog.

And did you get your Obama fonts yet?

Baby boom

2008-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite books to buy for little friends is Everywhere Babies. This year we are experiencing 'babies everywhere' with five new people due to arrive before we get married in May!

The winter baby season kicked off a couple of weeks ago when I hosted a baby shower for Brita and Bean. This was the first pre-baby, baby shower I hosted so I wasn't totally sure what we would do for entertainment without a baby to pass around.

We played baby scattegories, a name-that-baby game, featuring pictures of guests and American politicans, and made the mom-to-be guess answers to baby questions that I had earlier asked the dad-to-be. We also partook in an afternoon tea including grilled goat's cheese and fig sandwiches and citron and matcha macarons. Two darling babies attended with their mothers so everyone (i.e. me) got their baby snuggling fix.

Two weeks after the shower, baby Brooke decided to make his entrance into the world. Elliott Joseph Brooke was born on Friday, November 14, 2008. He's a beautiful little guy and both Andrew and I were amazed at how zen the new family was in the hospital. I think the Brookes already have the parenthood thing down pat.

Here is a smitten me holding Elliott on his second day on earth.

Cooking with BC's Best

2008-11-14T21:00:00.007-08:00

Sandeep tells me that reading the blog makes her hungry. Better get yourself a snack, Deeps!

Earlier this year B and I discovered Edible BC's Cooking with BC's Best classes. "Class" is a bit of a misnomer and "fantastic evening of food and drink" is more appropriate. This is my type of learning!

So I was over-the-moon when I was one of 10 lucky people, from more than 600 entries, whose name was drawn to attend a cooking class with Vikram Vij of Vij's and Rangoli fame.

In addition to being a superb chef, Vikram is very personable and a great storyteller. We had so much fun listening to his stories, learning about curries and cooking and indulging in delicious food and drink.

*Photos by Eric Pateman.

Super-sweet Andrew had Vikram autograph a copy of his cookbook for me and, here's the best part, he replicated Vij's Family Curry Chicken at home a few days later.

An Election Tour de Force

2008-11-13T21:30:00.001-08:00

The end of the US Election has left a hole in my daily television watching and blog reading schedule. Following the Obama transition has been interesting but lacks the excitement of the campaign. Newsweek has done a great service and take us back through the entire campaign. If you're interested in rewinding the past 18 months I highly recommend it.

The 5:30 am wake-up call

2008-11-11T19:56:00.006-08:00

Posting has been sparse around here since the spring. Why? Well, early in 2008, I went through my closet and found a range of clothes from size 8 to 18. I can't begin to tell you how sobering and depressing that was.

I promised myself that I would get rid of the extra weight I had piled on over the last two years. I started out the year with twice a week gym visits and three training sessions per week for the walking component of the Vancouver Sun Run race. That was a good start but I wasn't seeing the results I wanted so I decided to kick it up a notch.

I signed up for a month-long bootcamp. I had serious reservations about this as I didn't think that I would be able to cut it. Not surprisingly, I struggled through the session. I had to do modified versions of some of the exercises and I always found myself to be the last one coming in from the end of class run. It was hard but at the end of 4 weeks I had lost almost 13 inches. Yep, 13 inches in 4 weeks. Wow! I signed up for Saturday morning classes in the summer and then started full-time again in the fall. That's five days a week (though I usually only make four days a week) in all sorts of weather. I can't say I love the 5:30 wake-up call but I do love seeing my body grow stronger and leaner. Take a look for yourself.

Here's me in March 2008.

Here's me in October 2008.

I still have quite a way to go to reach my goal but I am already much healthier and happier.

Some of you may be wondering about Andrew as he has been even more MIA than I from this space. While he hasn't been joining me at bootcamp (yet!), he has been working very hard too and is looking sleek. But I'll let him tell his story himself.... This my shameless attempt to get Andrew to start posting on the blog again!

Your vote counts (again)

2008-11-07T20:42:00.006-08:00

My favourite headline of this week is "City goes to hell in Olympic-sized handbasket." Without getting into the details, which are summarized well in the above link, something is rotten in the city of Vancouver.

What would I like to see happen? Hard to say since I don't really know what we are dealing with, but this would be a good start.

I'll lay my cards on the table and say that we are big Gregor Robertson supporters over here. I think he's committed to solving homelessness and making city hall more accessible and transparent. A couple of weeks ago we hosted a small gathering to give our friends and colleagues a chance to hear from Gregor firsthand, which is impressive in itself that he took the time to meet and share his ideas with average voters like us.

Vancouver votes November 15.

Seattle for newbies

2008-11-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Andrew and I loaded up the kids and headed to Seattle for a family vacation.

Before we rolled into Seattle we made a very important stop: yep, the outlets! Even Matthew got into the shopping spirit and bought a spiffy jacket. No image available as MP isn't fond of having his photo snapped.

First stop in Seattle was the Fremont neighbourhood where we scarfed down on homestyle Thai food at Tawon Thai. We made a beeline to Theo's Chocolate Factory but, unfortunately, the factory tour was sold out. We still got to taste and buy a lot of chocolate including coconut curry and, my favourite, hazelnut crunch. We left happy and explored some of the vintage and secondhand stores in the area.

Next stop: downtown. We braved the gale force winds and walked around the shopping district. I did my sisterly duty and introduced Haley to Anthropologie. I would like to decorate our home like an Anthropologie store. Andrew isn't so sure.

The next morning we met up at the market for an early morning meander. Our collective purchases included fruit strings, market spice tea and milk chocolate pumpkin spice hazelnuts from Chukar's Cherries. Even broccoli looks fun at the Pike Place Market!

We sped over the bridge to West Seattle for breakfast at the Easy Street Records Cafe where we ordered off a menu that offered the Dolly Parton Stack, New Wave O's Rancheros and Hall & Oates. As a bonus, I learned that Rachael Yamagata was soon releasing a new CD, which I since bought and am totally digging.

Hope

2008-11-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Last week I picked up my 2009 Hope in Shadows calendar. 2009 already? I can hardly believe it. Once again the calendars provide a stunning visual representation of life on the Downtown Eastside.

You can buy a calendar (or two or three calendars - these are great gifts) from one of the more than 200 official street vendors stationed throughout Vancouver. In 2005, sellers earned $23,000 and in 2006 it more than doubled to $50,000.

The Hope in Shadows project is run by Pivot Legal Society. Pivot is a local non-profit that does amazing legal advocacy work to improve the lives of marginalized people. I recently began listening to the Pivot podcast, which has given me a better understanding of the housing issues on the DTES.

I also just finished reading In the realm of hungry ghosts: close encounters with addiction by Gabor Mate. The book discusses the psychological, neurological and social aspects of addiction. In addition to being a fascinating read, I really how the author made it easy for the reader to identify and relate with people struggling with addiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially those of us who live in Vancouver.

Aging well

2008-11-01T18:50:00.008-07:00

Earlier this year I turned 30 and yesterday Matthew had a landmark birthday of his own as he turned 20.

We celebrated with a harvest dinner of Howe Sound Brewing's Father John's Christmas Ale, cranberry chicken and pumpkin risotto, followed by spice cake with mocha icing. The risotto was a crowd favourite. Thanks to Sharon for sharing this delicious recipe.

Harvest risotto with pumpkin and sage
1 small sugar pumpkin, about 2 lb
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup freshly grated Romano

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Cut pumpkin into quarters. (Microwaving on high 2 min makes this easier.) Scoop out stringy pulp and seeds, then discard. Peel, then chop into bite-size chunks. You'll need about 2 cups (500 mL). Chop onion and mince garlic.

Melt butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Stir often until soft, 3 min. Stir in rice until coated. Add wine and stir until absorbed, about 1 min. Then stir in pumpkin, broth, sage and salt.

Tightly cover saucepan with a lid or a piece of foil. Bake in centre of oven until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 45 to 50 min. There is no need to stir during baking. When rice is done, stir in cheese.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

2008-10-29T20:03:00.007-07:00

I'm not a huge Halloween fan but here is a trick I can get behind.

A group of New Yorkers is planning to recreate the fabulous parade scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off where Ferris jumps on a float and leads the crowd in the singing of Twist and Shout. Pure giddy fun.

While their plan has been foiled before, I've got a good feeling that it's going to happen this time. Can't wait to see if they pull it off.

Three's a charm

2008-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

If you thought two Polinskys were a good thing, try three. Yes, we have a third Polinsky in town! Matthew arrived in September just in time to celebrate Haley's birthday.

Every day

2008-08-28T20:59:00.001-07:00

I may not blog every day, but I do read every day.

Ladies Man

2008-08-25T21:07:00.001-07:00

Andrew's always been popular with the ladies and this summer he has been hanging out with a lot of gorgeous girls.

Andrew and his youngest friend Audrey.

Andrew with his friend and beautiful bride Margot.

Andrew is learning how fun it is to have a sister now that Haley is in Vancouver.

And Andrew and his favourite girl of all.

100 foods to eat before you die

2008-08-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we grabbed dinner at Rinconcito Salvadoreno's so we could try the pupusas that people are raving about. The word on the street is bang on - authentic comfort food at its best. And very hot. Two of our three enthusiastic tasters burned the tops of their mouths after devouring the pupusas.

Earlier in that afternoon I did a search for the restaurant's name so I wouldn't have to keep referring to it as 'that El Salvadorian restaurant next to Clove near Commercial & 4th". Not only did I find the restaurant name, but I also came across this gem of a blog called Ethnic Eats Vancouver, which is now part of my daily blog roll. A couple days after I started reading the blog there was a post about 100 things every omnivoire should try as dreamed up by Andrew from very good taste. Without further ado, here is the list and how I fared.

100 things every omnivore should try

Rules:

1) bold those you have tried
* 2) Asterisk any items you’d be interested in trying but have not yet.*
3) Italicize any item you’ll never eat again.
4) Strikethrough those you wouldn’t eat on a bet.

1. Venison
*2. Nettle tea*
*3. Huevos rancheros*
4. Steak tartare
*5. Crocodile*
6. Cheese Fondue
7. Black Pudding
*8. Carp*
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
*16. Epoisses*
*17. Black truffle*
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet Pepper
*27. Dulce de leche*
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
*30. Bagna cauda*
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
*36. Cognac with a fat cigar *
37. Clotted cream tea
*38. Vodka jelly*
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
*42. Whole insects*
*43. Phaal*
44. Goat’s milk
*45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more*
*46. Fugu*
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
*50. Sea urchin*
51. Prickly pear
*52. Umeboshi*
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
*56. Spaetzle*
*57. Dirty gin martini*
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
*63. Kaolin*
*64. Currywurst*
*65. Durian*
*66. Frogs’ legs*
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
*72. Caviar and blini*
*73. Louche absinthe*
*74. Gjetost, or brunost*
75. Roadkill
*76. Baijiu*
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Toam yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
*84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant*
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
*87. Goulash*
88. Flowers
89. Horse
*90. Criollo chocolate*
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
*97. Lobster Thermidor*
98. Polenta
*99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee*
100. Snake

Grouse Mountain (sans gondola)

2008-08-23T08:55:00.001-07:00

"I loved every single minute," said Haley. "What a relaxing way to get to the top."

Sarcasm clearly runs in the family.

Internet: good or evil?

2008-08-22T07:52:00.004-07:00

This is a question I ask myself on a daily basis. I lean toward evil when I find myself spending too much time ogling wedding dresses I cannot afford. I lean towards good when tears roll down my face and I shake with laughter as I look at cake wrecks. Back to evil when I realize how much time I have spent looking at cake wrecks.

I find a lot of inspiration for reading, cooking, sewing and design on the Internet. When I came across Tara's post on a recent One Project a Month, via Michelle, I knew I'd found the perfect antidote for our bare walls. My poor photography skills and decrepit camera don't do justice to how well this turned out. You are all invited over for coffee and tea to see the results first-hand.

Before & After

One of these things is not like the others

2008-08-20T18:57:00.008-07:00

Any guesses?

I think Andrew fits in pretty well with the Polinsky kids. Perhaps he should consider taking the Polinsky name next May....

The destination for our summer road trip was my hometown, Theodore, Saskatchewan, where we spent a few days with Mom (the photographer of this shot) and my siblings. Our visit was short but sweet. We didn't get enough quality time with the fam so when we packed up the car we took a couple of siblings with us. We dropped Matthew off at his place in Saskatoon (sniff, sniff) and Haley carried on with us.

After a Polinsky reunion, two Polinskys just aren't enough! So, we made a pitstop in Waseca and had coffee with Auntie Bev, Uncle Vic, and cousin Crystal. From there we visited the Polinskys who started it all - Grandma and Grandpa! This was Andrew's first time meeting Bob and Ada and our first time visiting their new city digs. We were very impressed with their new place with a prime location near Spiros' restaurant.

With a long trip ahead of us we decided to push onwards to Alberta where we crashed at, you guessed it, another Polinsky's place! Auntie Bonnie and Uncle Trevor were kind enough to let us crash at their place and we even got a delicious breakfast of pancakes with corn and cheddar.

And that wraps up this edition of Polinsky family tour. Stay tuned for future installment as Andrew begins to work his way through meeting Alyssa's 30+ cousins.

Alberta bound

2008-08-19T20:45:00.007-07:00

It's the summer of 2008 and gas has reached an all-time high. Our hero and heroine, who do not own a car, decide to embark on a 4,000 km road trip to Saskatchewan. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

En route to the Polinsky homeland, Andrew and Alyssa stop in Calgary to spend an evening with the Pichette family. Once a year isn't enough but we take what we can get when it comes to this fabulous foursome.

Here's Erika demonstrating a scientific principle to Alyssa who laughs and pretends to understand. The look on Erika's face tells you that she takes science very seriously. Though she also plays a mean air guitar so perhaps her calling is the stage.

And this cutie - we're not sure what she'll do one day other than be a heartbreaker.

Yoo-hoo!

2008-08-18T19:44:00.001-07:00

Remember us? We've been neglecting the blog (again). You are probably picturing our laptops stowed away in the closet or languishing in a corner under a thick layer of dust. But that isn't the case! After many hours of cursing Illustrator and threatening to swear off DIY forever, I finalized our save-the-dates and sent them on their way. And we've actually been churning out web content, but over there instead of here.

If wedding planning wasn't enough, we also have a honeymoon to plan. It's a hard life, eh. After diligently saving our airmiles, we booked tickets to France for two and a half weeks. Could anything be more romantic? (Except, of course, whatever each of you did for your honeymoon. That was definitely the most romantic honeymoon ever.) I can almost taste the pain au chocolat.

All seems to be calm on the wedding front for the time being so hopefully you'll see us around here a little more.

Delicious

2008-05-05T20:51:00.002-07:00

And I thought I loved my Island Farms dairy products! Gavin clearly has me beat as he demonstrates how to fully enjoy IF's blackberry yoghurt.

The Rather Difficult Font Game

2008-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Think you can pick out Optima or Hoeffler fonts from a mile away? Test your skill with the Rather Difficult Font Game. Warning: this game is highly addictive.

You've got to get out and walk

2008-05-03T17:00:00.002-07:00

This morning I read John Allemang's piece in the Globe about walking vacations and this afternoon Andrew and I did a Jane's Walk in our neighbourhood (Commercial/Grandview). Jane’s Walk is a coordinated series of free neighbourhood walking tours given by locals who care passionately about where they live, work and play.

Our tour guide was William Street resident and author Bruce Maconald who wrote Vancouver: A Visual History. I picked up a lot facts about the neighbourhood such as there are 100 places on Commercial Drive, between Venables and Broadway, to buy food including 25 coffee shops, the ocean used to come up to Clark Drive, Grandview Park was once the home of a mansion and its grounds, and the area originally belonged to the Squamish First Nation.

My favourite story was about a woman named Evelyn who lived in a house on Lakewood Drive from 1919 until she died in 2002. Evelyn sounded like a real character. Bruce described her a wee lady who "collected historians". She kept a written record of everything she purchased so if you complimented her on a lamp she'd pull out the book and tell where and when she bought it and how much it cost. She also started the "Evelyn Club" - a group of women named Evelyn who met for lunch once a month. I love that our neighbourhood has such interesting characters both past and present.

Angst free

2008-05-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've been 30 for almost a month now and I'm happy to report that so far my third decade has been relatively angst-free. And turning 30 - what fun that was!

Andrew threw a fantastic party to celebrate my birthday. After a rousing game of Alyssa bingo, the squares contained words that described me and/or things I like (i.e. Jaymay and Theodore), we ate, drank and made merry. With the help of Pan-O-Pan catering, Andrew put together an impressive spread including apricot, goat cheese and hazelnut crostini, risotto balls, and sundried tomato puffs. To top it off, we had the mother-of-all birthday cakes with a St. Honore cake from Fratelli Bakery on the Drive.

But the most popular item on the table was, hands down, confetti squares. The confetti squares were part of the "things Alyssa liked when she was a kid" buffet. We didn't have confetti squares very often when I was a kid so when they appeared in the fridge it was exciting - so sweet and delicious. Thanks to my mom for providing the recipe and to Brita making the squares!

Seattle

2008-03-24T17:45:00.002-07:00

Long weekend = long border line-ups. After almost two hours in an idling car on Friday morning, we cleared the border and sped into Washington state, land of horn honkers and flower lovers. Our first order of business upon arriving in Seattle was lunch and we scored big time at the Steelhead Diner. Named one of Seattle's best new restaurants, the Steelhead focuses on using sustainable ingredients in its unpretentious dishes. Food is simple, but well-prepared and presented, and the diner is located in the heart of Pike Place Market. I left feeling very happy with my order of the diner house salad.

The first stop post-lunch was the Elliot Bay bookstore where I picked up The Have-Nots by Katharina Hacker. Later in the evening we went to a Town Hall hosted by Elliot Bay bookstore to hear Samantha Power talk about her new book Chasing the Flame. Power is an amazing speaker, intellectual, and author. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Le Pichet for a nightcap and continued discussing her lecture and general brilliance.

On Saturday morning we hopped on the ferry to Bainbridge Island for Easter brunch at Cafe Nola. Andrew couldn't resist the caramel pecan challah french toast and who could blame him? After breakfast, we meandered around the village where I discovered Grace & Company Paperie. In addition to the usual suspects, they sold several letterpress lines that were new to me including Smudge Ink from Boston.

Back on the mainland we went for a long walk through Myrtle Edwards Park that ended with a snack at Piroshky Pirokshy. I wanted to casually slip my last name into conversation to see if I would get preferential treatment but Andrew wouldn't allow it. No fun.

On Saturday evening we went for dinner at Monsoon, which bills itself as Pacific Northwest meets traditional Vietnamese. This was a much-anticipated meal as Andrew and I had tried to dine at this restaurant on one of our first dates back in 2003, but couldn't find the restaurant. It was worth the wait. I started with a fresh roll made with mint, tofu, shitake mushrooms and peanut sauce followed by a main of diver scallops, ginger, and squash. Andrew kept with his "I heart Washington pork" theme and had the crispy imperial rolls with berkshire pork, shrimp and glass noodles and chao tom (grilled ground shrimp and pork on sugar cane) pictured below. Fresh, flavourful, fantastic.

The Easter bunny didn't find us at the Ace Hotel so we stopped at Theo Chocolate on our way out of the city and bought fair-trade, organic hazelnut crunch and vanilla chocolate bars. If it's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for us.

Superstar of the Netherlands

2008-03-18T20:37:00.002-07:00

I didn't hear last week's Wiretap on which, apparently, Jonathan Goldstein gave beekeeping a modicum of street cred. How could I miss that? Let me tell you how - 4:00 pm air time on Sunday. Very inconvenient. I won't go into my full rant here, but CBC really needs to offer complete Wiretap episodes as podcasts.

A couple of days ago Matthew alerted to me to Wiretap videos, and it was fun to watch them and put faces to voices. Usually when I see a photo of a radio personality I am caught off-guard as I have imagined the individual to look completely different than they do in reality. However, this time I was bang on with my mental pictures of Howard and Gregor.

They're back

2008-03-17T19:38:00.006-07:00

It's March and the cherry blossoms are beginning to emerge. We moved into our new place last year in May so I wasn't sure what the cherry blossom situation would be like in the neighbourhood. I'm happy to report that a half-block from our building is a street lined with cherry blossoms ready to burst.

And if we get tired of the cherry blossoms in our neck of the woods we can use cherry blossom viewing map to seek out new haunts. The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival also hosts a haiku competition each year and this year my favourite comes from Jessica Tremblay of Burnaby.

late for work--
cherry petals
in my hair

A different kind of winter

2008-03-10T20:58:00.006-07:00

We were feeling mightly lucky this weekend to call the west coast home. While the East was being pummeled by another nasty snowstorm, we were enjoying an outside bhangra festival, tropical brunch at the Reef, and meandering through the stalls at the Winter Farmer's Market.

Before you get all huffy, we did have snow this weekend. On Sunday we drove up to Mount Seymour for the Take a Hike Foundation's snow adventure fundraiser. As I stood in the yurt sipping my hot chocolate it started to snow lightly. It was actually a nice moment even though I realize how obnoxious the previous sentence reads. But one can't sip hot chocolate in the yurt all day so off we went on a 4K snowshoe. And it was lovely - uphill, but lovely - with bright white snow, green evergreens, and stunning views of the city beneath us. Sadly, I don't have any photos to share so you'll have to take my word on it.

On a brighter note, excitement is in the air at the Meddsky's as we enter tournament season. I'm cheering on Team Saskatchewan at the Brier (special shout out to my high school friend and SK third Jeff Sharp!) and following the Tournament of Books. Andrew is engrossed in his quest to become a kingmaker and is starting to gear up for March Madness. I am also looking forward to defending my title as reigning March Madness Queen of the household. (So long as I don't actually have to watch any basketball.)

How sweet it is

2008-03-02T18:09:00.005-08:00

Blink, and the weekend is gone. And what a good weekend it was. On Friday night I came home eager to try out the basic sweet dough recipe from the most recent issue of Gourmet magazine. I lost my breadmaking mojo a while ago with the sourdough fiasco, followed by several pizza crust failures, but I'm happy to report that it is back. The recipe results in a bread somewhere between a white loaf and a brioche, and I made the enhanced version with mint-infused milk, orange liquer, and orange zest. It's a tasty bread on its own and it becomes absolutely heavely when it is toasted and spread with butter or a little bit of Bonne Maman red currant jelly.

You can also see the new table runner I 'made' with fabric from Ikea. It feels like cheating to say I made it as the fabric came pre-stitched on both sides so all I had to do was finish the top and bottom. Easy-peasy.

Posers

2008-02-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

Meet Finn, the newest member of the Polinsky family. Isn't he adorable? Almost as cute as his Aunt Haley.

Freedom to Read

2008-02-28T11:36:00.009-08:00

Have you read a banned book? I bet you have. Find out by looking at this list of books and magazines that have been challenged in Canada recently.

SFU Library is celebrating this year's Freedom to Read week (February 24 - March 3) with a display of banned books, readings from banned and challenged books, and the creation and distribution of buttons with slogans like "There's something in my library to offend everyone" and "The worst part of censorship is XXXXXXX."

I had lots of fun making this interactive banner that asks library patrons to place a mark beside the challenged titles that they have read. SFU isn't renowned for high participation and spirit levels so I was blown away to see all the notches on the poster.

Freadom rocks.

Rebrand?

2008-02-27T19:06:00.005-08:00

I think we might need to rename the blog "Where are Andrew and Alyssa?" Seriously. It's not that I didn't want to visit with you - I did, really, I did. But you probably wouldn't have wanted to hear from me. A nasty cold-flu-cold trio left me in a funk for most of February. Like February isn't bad enough, huh?

I tried to avoid spreading my germs, and my crankiness, by keeping to myself. I became an avid listener of This American Life's podcast - Ira Glass gets my vote for having the most soothing voice - and I watched the video for Yes We Can way too many times. I also became irate alongside Heather Mallick and came clean about my love for MVP.

But woman cannot live by Internet alone. I also read the tremendous 26a by Diana Evans, started and finished a top-secret sewing project, and recovered some notebooks with, what else, book covers.

Super Stars

2008-02-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

What a treat. When I needed a break from Super Tuesday Coverage tonight I surfed my way to Bravo and Live at the Rehearsal Hall. Tonight's guest? Stars. Politics and good music. Not that I ever need an excuse to watch television, but those are two good reasons.

Inspired

2008-01-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I discovered an amazing website that features inspiration boards belonging to a melange of talented writers, artists, cooks, and photographers. Tuesday was a snow day (read: pajamas and hot cocoa) so I had lots of time to follow the links and learn more about these creative folk, their inspirations, and their work. And it left me feeling, you guessed it, inspired!

Mid-afternoon I dug out my sewing machine and fabric stash determined to create something. I decided that napkins would be my best option given my lack of pattern and limited sewing skills. I planned to make six napkins with a patterned fabric on the front and a solid on the reverse. In the end I only had enough for four napkins - two with brown backings and two with white backings - so all dinner parties chez Medsky will now be limited to four people.

If you build it they will come... sometime. soonish.

2008-01-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of the few instances when living next to a parking garage would be coveted rather than cursed, and it has earned Kansas City Public Library a spot on my list of libraries to visit.

Does this mean I'll be visiting the Midwest soon? Unlikely. I have been planning to visit Seattle Public Library's central branch for, um, almost four years now. Perhaps blogging about my intention to visit Koolhaas' library will shame me into a road trip in the near future.

In another world

2008-01-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

I thought CNN had been upping its game. Showing the US Presidential candidates making full speeches and hosting entire town hall meetings instead of simply "expert" after "expert" telling you what they think the candidate is trying to say.

I was wrong, so very wrong.

Watching CNN's political coverage is becoming a challenge. The arrogance with which they have been covering the primary season has been incredible. Calling themselves over and over "the best political team on television" was the first sign. They also have "The Best Political Podcast." They seem to consider everyone else uninformed, lowly pundits while considering themselves the only educated, knowledgeable and insightful journalists on television. Any network that has Lou Dobbs moderating a panel discussion about how "the pundits and savants" got it so wrong in New Hampshire with this guy and a collection of randoms is operating in another world. And hearing Dobbs complain about the "mainstream media" as if CNN isn't the captain of the mainstream media is hilarious and infuriating at the same time. Clearly Slate isn't impressed either.

The saddest part is that CNN offers the most coverage of the Presidential race so I will likely have to endure more Lou Dobbs in the future.

Downtown Whitehorse

2008-01-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of downtown Whitehorse today at 10:30AM. The sun doesn't fully rise until about Noon this time of year.

Two Capers and a flatlander....

2008-01-16T19:22:00.001-08:00

Not the start of a bad joke but a picture of three of my favourite people. How dare they have such fun without me.

They just aren't that into you

2008-01-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

I've been telling you people this for years.

I also have to tell you to visit leannej's new show A Bird in the Hand. Flow charts and birds made out of socks hanging from the ceiling and perched throughout the gallery. Why are you still reading? Off you go.

Yukon things

2008-01-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to the Midnight Sky gift shop after work to search out some Ted Harrison work. Harrison is a popular artist in the Yukon (even though he currently resides in Victoria, BC) and his work is filled with incredible colours and Yukon imagery. He illustrated a poem I remember fondly from my childhood, The Cremation of Sam McGee.

Just before leaving, Miss Active Living walked into the store. She is in the running for Queen of the Sourdough Rendezvous. Her explanation of what the Sourdough Rendezvous was wasn't all that helpful. As far I can tell it's a winter community festival filled with all kinds of drinking and general hijinks.

I did learn one interesting fact from Miss Active Living. Apparently once you've lived through an entire winter in the Yukon you can call yourself a Sourdough. Those who haven't had the full winter experience are called cheechako. Even though it was -28 yesterday I don't think I can quality as a Sourdough quite yet.

Onward to 30

2008-01-14T20:03:00.001-08:00

The march to adulthood continues with the purchase of a dining room table. Our set came from Blue Terra Design just up the street from our house. Most of the items in the store are made with reclaimed wood from Bali.

Note: I've placed a vase on the table to give it that sense of mature sophistication.

Yukon: Day 1

2008-01-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

I arrived under the cover of darkness and expect it to stay that way for most of the week. According to the Farmer's Almanac the day length is expected to be around 6 hours this week.

Aside from the snow covered runway, one of the first indications I was in the Yukon was the snow blower on the sidewalk outside the Yukon airport.

In preparation for my first visit to the Yukon and Whitehorse I did some research. The total population of the Yukon is about 32,000 and more than 24,000 of those people live in Whitehorse. The Yukon was named for the Yukon River. Whitehorse was named by gold miners who thought the rapids at Miles Canyon looked like the manes of white horses. For many years the town name was actually two words.

I'm sure the next few days will bring more interesting information.

Belated Christmas picture

2008-01-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of me with my nephew Braeden that we took when I was back in Kingston for Christmas.

Sources say

2008-01-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

Sources close to the Medsky household bring us this report from the ground in New Hampshire.

"Edwards started out strong but he seems to have lost momentum. It appears to be a toss up between Obama and Clinton. My guess would be with Hillary, based on NH'ers penchant to be different."

Many thanks to our reporter in the field who will rename nameless for security reasons.

Tomorrow night will be one of the rare occassions when I let Andrew stop on CNN for longer than 30 seconds. As we watch the results roll in I'll be wearing my Obama '08 sticker, which, incidentally, came from New Hampshire.

True Blue

2008-01-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

I may look angry but I'm actually quite pleased with my new glasses from JFrey.

I want my CBC

2008-01-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

It has been a long-time pet peeve of mine that CBC Radio One is only available on the AM dial in Vancouver. My primary complaint is that the reception is spotty followed by the fact that it is almost impossible to find an MP3 player that also has AM radio.

It looks like my aggravation might come to an end with CBC's application to move Radio One to the FM dial. If you also want your Radio One fix via FM let the CRTC know before January 23.

The CBC and CRTC in a single post: guess that Communications degree paid off.

Happy new year

2008-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

Andrew predicts that dim sum at home will revolutionize our dinners in 2008. Only time will tell. For now here's to a happy and healthy 2008 to one and all.

2007 Redux

2007-12-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

2007 was a big year for the team here at wherearethekeys. In May we moved into our condo and a few months later we got engaged. We can't top those exciting events with our year in review, but here are some of the other things that were part of our 2007.

Distractions
Facebook. 30 Rock. Arrested Development. Entourage. Q podcast. NYT crossword books.

In the 'hood
Havana. Black Dog Video. La Grotta de Formaggio. Santa Barbara market. Dolce Amore. Sunrise Pizza.

On the road
San Diego. Banff. Whistler. Portland. New York City. New Hampshire.

Baby boom
Welcome to Braeden, Elizabeth, Perrin, and Ethan.

Surfing on the Mac
Posie Gets Cozy. Orangette. Everybody Likes Sandwiches. Pickle Me This.

Surfing on the PC
Eaves. Andrew Coyne. Cynics without Borders. Calgary Grit. Indecision 2008.

It's all politics
Charlie Wilson's War. Inkless Wells. The Argument. The Revolution Will Not be Televised.

Tickling the tastebuds
Feast of Fields. Salt tasting room. Sequoia Grill at the Teahouse.

Do you take credit?
Anthropologie. Portobello West. Shilo Living. Silk Road.

Lost in the sounds
Reunion Tour. Josh Ritter. Fidelity. Take me to the riot. Better Sorry than Safe.

Full house
Matthew, Kate and Drew, Janet, Haley, The Medds, Jen and Alex.

Off the rails

2007-12-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas was decidely less merry at the Polinsky house this year. Things got off on the wrong foot right from the start with our train pulling into the Melville station more than six hours after it was scheduled to arrive. These elk overtook the tracks in Jasper but cannot be blamed for our delayed arrival.

It looked like things were improving on Christmas Eve after a day of last minute shopping, cookie decorating, a snowy walk, and turkey brining. But, alas, it was not to be. I was struck down with a nasty Norwalk-like virus early Christmas morning, which left me pretty much incapacitated for the rest of my stay.

But amidst all the sickness I still found moments of pleasure; playing Apples to Apples with Haley and Sheridan, testing my trivia knowledge with Matty, letting my mom nurse me back to health and watching the sun set in our backyard.

Home for the Holidays pt. 2

2007-12-22T11:55:00.000-08:00

I too am heading home for the holidays. However, the romance of train travel through the Rockies will be replaced by an airport full of holiday travelers and the red-eye to Ottawa. I'll be arriving at the airport early to make sure I get through the inevitable lines before my flight. While I hope to sleep, I have brought The Age of Turbulence, some crossword puzzles and What is the What (one of my early Christmas gifts) to pass the time in case I can't.

Enjoy the holidays and we'll be back soon with our look back at 2007.

Home for the Holidays

2007-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

I'm halfway out the door on my way from Vancouver to Theodore. This year I am trying a new method of transportation with the Canadian operated by Via to avoid the craziness of airports at Christmas.

The bad news is that my travel companion has been throwing up and alternating between a fever and the shivers all day. Oh dear.

I have plenty to keep me occupied during the 36 hour journey. The last week of Q podcasts, the 2-hour Wordstock extravaganza, The Emperor's Children, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse and at least seven NY Times magazines that I've been meaning to read but for the last three months.

The bags are at the door and the stollen is packed. Farewell for now, friends.

What you missed

2007-12-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hi there. It's been a while, hasn't it? This whole being engaged thing can really cramp a girl's blogging style. Let's recap.

November was all sugar and spice basking in the post-engagement glow. And preparing for the annual baking exchange. I made 54 gingerbread pecan espresso brownies and 54 peanut butter chocolate ganache sandwich cookies. In exchange for these, I filled my freezer with syrupsnippers, chocolate caramel bites, biscotti, peanut brittle, chocolate gingersnaps, fruit and nut bars, nanaimo bars and lots more. I'm now facing the hardest part, which is not eating them before the holidays. It isn't going well.

Always a few seasons behind the trend, I recently became hooked on Tina Fey's 30 Rock. I love it so much I'm going to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. Actually, I'll leave that to Tracy Jordan. Catching up on 30 Rock episodes pairs nicely with another new favourite: Granville Island Winter Ale. I never thought this blog would include a link to ratebeer.com but now it does. This one is for you JoeMcPhee.

Finally, I learned that I am not made for zumba. Perhaps I would be better at 'bro-jitsu'?

I don't think the message is getting through

2007-11-24T20:33:00.000-08:00

At least in the United States.

Friday was Buy Nothing Day. Green Party leader Elizabeth May was encouraging Canadians to leave their wallets at home. A quick look at CNN.com on Friday showed that her message didn't make it south of the border.

The view from my hotel room

2007-11-19T22:31:00.001-08:00

Grouse Mountain

2007-11-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

Today, Alyssa and I rode the gondola to the top of Grouse Mountain to check it our as a possible venue for our wedding. A colleague from work got married there and has his wedding profiled on I'd Do. Let's Eat on the Food Network. Grouse looked great on TV and we had to check it out for ourselves. The view was spectacular.

Alyssa trying to avoid having her photo taken.

The Grouse skating rink

The Grouse gondola

The ride down

2007-11-18T17:14:00.000-08:00

So I finally took the plunge and got myself a Blackberry. The Blackberry Curve 8310 to be exact. One of the reasons I got that model was for the camera. The first picture I took? My old phone.

New Phone

Old Phone

We've got a winner

2007-11-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

Alyssa and Sharon's annual Christmas baking exchange is only a few weeks away and in preparation I have been test-driving some recipes.

My first attempt was matcha green tea cookies. These were good but I was looking for something with a little more oomph.

Up next: lime sugar cookies by Martha Stewart. These were the duds of the batch. I found them way too sugary and I didn't like the texture. My chief tester Andrew thought they were okay. Not the ringing endorsement I was looking for.

I gave Martha another shot with her chocolate orange espresso thins. I really liked these despite the fact that I couldn't taste the orange or espresso. I would attempt these again but with much more orange zest.

But it was too late as I found the winning recipe at Je Mange la Ville. Drum roll, please. The winner is gingerbread pecan brownies. Spicey and moist, espresso and chocolate. A big yum!

But what to do with all this excess baking in the house? Luckily, SFU's United Way Bake Sale is on Wednesday so my rejects will go to a good cause rather than call my name from the freezer.

A year in books

2007-11-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Last year I was extremely dismayed to discover that I have only read 43 of the 1000 books to read before you die. I always have a book or two on the go so why is my score so low? To answer this question I set out on a year-long experiment to document my book consumption. The goal wasn't to skew my reading choices, only to record them.

The results are in!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
Travelling Mercies - Anne Lammot
This is My Country What's Yours? - Noah Richler
The Library at Night - Alberto Manguel
Alligator - Lisa Moore
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Life of Margaret Laurence - James King
A Jest of God - Margaret Laurence
Julie & Julia - Julie Powell
Sugar Bush - Jenn Farrell
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
Summer of My Amazing Luck - Miriam Toews
Good in Bed - Jennifer Weins
Me Talk Pretty - David Sedaris
Straight Up and Dirty - Stephanie Klein
The Ethical Gourmet - Jay Weinstein
Wonder When You'll Miss Me - Amanda Davis
Through the Children's Gate - Adam Gopnik
The Whole World Over - Julia Glass
My Wedding Dress - edited by Susan Whelehan
The End of the Alphabet - C.S. Richardson
Absurdistan - Gary Shteyngart
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl
Nobody's Mother - edited by Lynn Van Luven
Misconceptions - Naomi Wolf
The 100 Mile Diet - Alisa Smith & J.B. McKinnon
Custodian of Paradise - Wayne Johnston
The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
The Ladies' Lending Library - Janice Kulyk Keefer
Missing Sarah - Maggie De Vries
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
The Best Food Writing of 2006 - edited by Holly Hughes
JPod - Douglas Coupland
About Alice - Calvin Trillin
Brick Lane - Monica Ali
Man and Boy - Tony Parsons
between, Georgia - Joshilyn Jackson
Gods in Alabama - Joshilyn Jackson
Antonement - Ian McEwan
The Discomfort Zone - Jonathan Franzen
Falling Man - Don DeLillo
Town House - Tish Cohen
The United States of Arugula - David Kamp
A Taxonomy of Barnacles - Galt Niederhoffer
Bread Alone - Judith Ryan Hendricks
Before I Wake - Robert J. Wiersema
Lullabies for Little Criminals - Heather O'Neill
Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? - Anita Rau Badami
The Convictions of Leonard McKinley - Brendan McLeod
Behind The Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson
The Bitch in the House - edited by Cathi Hanauer
Cooking with Fernet Branca - James Hamilton Patterson
The Good Life - Jay McInnery
Bitter Chocolate - Carol Off

In summary:
54 books
34 fiction and 20 non-fiction books
20 Canadian books
1 book from the list of 1000 books to read before you die

Happy two-months of holidays

2007-11-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Seriously? The holidays are already here?

The evidence speaks for itself:

A #5 bus displaying "Happy Holidays"
The Chapters at Robson and Hornby has multiple red Christmas trees on display and white lights everywhere
There is a house in my neighbourhood that has its Christmas lights on

I guess when there is only 47 shopping days left until Christmas you have to get into the spirit.

Discovering Stroopwafels

2007-11-06T21:34:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday we had our friends Andrew and Brita over for brunch. Brita had just returned from a trip to Amsterdam and brought us a treat - Stroopwafels. These were completely new to me. The Stroopwafel is a delicious caramel/syrup wafer treat. You can eat them straight from the package, but the "right" way to eat them is to sit the Stroopwafel over a cup of hot tea to let it warm up. If you haven't had one you should definitely try them. I know I'll be searching for a Vancouver supplier when our current package runs out.

The Argument

2007-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Matt Bai, a journalist for the New York Times Magazine went in search for a new argument to define the Democratic Party in the United States but all he ended up finding was a series of internal arguments between donors, activists and politicians. All of which, seemed to miss the fundamental problem in Bai's eyes; the Democratic Party no longer stands for something or has a central, progressive argument for the future of the country.

Bai's journey is outlined in his new book The Agrument; Billionairs, Bloggers, and he Battle to Remake Democratic Politics. This book was similar to Paul Well's Right Side Up: the Fall of Paul Martin and the Rise of Stephen Harper's New Conservatism about the rise of the Conservative Party in Canada. The Argument doesn't explicitly put forward any themes or lessons for the reader to take away but does a wonderful job of outlining the key events and personalities that have shaped the Democratic Party in recent years. From the rise of MoveOn.org and DailyKos, to the experiment of the Democracy Alliance to the fall of Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary.

Bai seems to come away disappointed with the progress that has been made. The fantastically wealthy donors are focused on "progressive infrastructure" such as think tanks and media message centres while the bloggers and activists are focused on the tactics of electing progressive candidates, such as Ned Lamont. All are focused on raising money, lots of money. None seem focused on articulating a central progressive argument for the party.

Cider House

2007-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, we packed into Honda-Leeza and went to Poverty Lane Orchards in New Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The orchard had several varieties of heirloom apples, including Pomme Gris, Ashmead's Kernel, and Golden Russett, set out for a tasting. This was my first time sampling different varieties one after another and I was amazed that I could pick out the subtle differences between the breeds.

Here's Joe plotting his later theft of a single apple straight from the tree. Tsk. tsk. Stealing from Poverty Lane Orchards - where did we go wrong with this boy?