2011 was a fantastic year for music. There were some great records by established artists, some fantastic newcomers, and some records that took a while to make but were worth the wait. Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order (click the album cover for iTunes links!):
The internet has made selling things so much easier. With the rise of eBay and online classifieds, as well as forums and other sites, you are much more likely to find a buyer for those items that are taking up space, or that you need to sell so you can upgrade to the latest and greatest model.
Unfortunately, even though you are using the internet, you still need to deal with people. Annoying, stupid people. The same people who would come to your yard sale and try and haggle with you over a $2 set of dishes are now harnessing the power of e-mail and low-balling you on the iPod you are selling on Kijiji.
I can’t count the number of times I have received ridiculously low offers for items I have for sale on Kijiji. I know everyone loves a good deal, but if I’m selling something that is in great condition at an incredibly reasonable price, offering me a fraction of that price is annoying.
Continue reading ‘Annoyances: Kijiji, Freecycle, People in General’
The Most Rewarding Moment
26Jul11Next Friday is my last day working as a Client Trainer for GBS Communications/TELUS. Last week I had the most rewarding experience since I began this position last October.
I had a training session with a client who had purchased a new iPhone. I noticed from his account information that the phone was for his construction business. I always like to tailor the training to the clients needs and interests, especially if they own their own business as there are many ways a smartphone can help in that regard. Halfway through the session, I asked him if he still worked on the “front lines” or if he was in more of a management position.
He told me he ran the company. Four years ago he realized family is what is most important and that he decided he needed to be home more and have a better life/work balance.
“That’s something my daughter taught me. She passed away four years ago.”
I told him I was sorry to hear, and asked him about her and how she died.
“She was eighteen years old. She had a heart defect.”
He went on to tell me that they had filed a medical malpractice suit because they had known what was wrong with her for some time, but the doctors ignored them. The main doctor complained about parents doing self-diagnosis, and told them that the condition they thought she had was very rare and that they shouldn’t worry about it. She was fine.
It came out in court that tests the doctors eventually begrudgingly ran did show she was a candidate for the condition, but that these test results were left unread by some and ignored by others. There was a settlement in the end, but the whole process was exhausting and none of it would bring her back.
He pulled out a photo and slid it across my desk.
“I always have to show everyone her picture.”
I stared at the snapshot of a beautiful girl whose life was cut short. I looked across my desk at a man still hurting; a man who would be haunted by the circumstances of her death for the rest of his life.
He was also a man who was immensely proud of his daughter, and one who was now completely committed to his family. We agreed that it sometimes takes these horrible happenings for us to wake up and realize what is important in life.
We got back on track and I passed him my laptop so that he could sign in to his webmail. We needed to get some server information to set up the e-mail on his iPhone.
While he was doing this, I stood the tiny photo up against a book and took a picture with his iPhone. It was tough with the glare from the overhead fluorescent lighting, but I did manage to get a nice shot of the weathered photograph.
I set the photo to be his lock screen and background. Once he was finished on the laptop, I slide the phone back across the table and told him what I had done.
“Now you have a digital copy. And you’ll see her every time you turn the phone on.”
His eyes welled with tears. He took a deep breath and looked up at me. He took another breath. His voice was shaky.
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
He smiled and wiped his eyes. He paused again to compose himself.
“That makes my day. Thank you.”
I smiled and fought back tears of my own.
It was a small gesture, and one that most people probably take for granted. But it meant the world to him, and I was more than happy to help.
It made my day, too.
my healthy kick: week 1 update
13Jun11
Photo by godwelder on flickr.
Last week I started my healthy kick. For the whole week, I ate mostly fruits and vegetables, and drank green tea and water. I lost over 5lbs. These first pounds are the easiest to shed, but it still felt great. The best part was I did not find myself hungry or jonesing for the bad stuff. I did have an ice cream and some s’mores on the weekend to reward myself, but it didn’t affect my weight.
This week while in Toronto, I will try my best to eat well and maybe even exercise and swim at the hotel. However, this will be my vacation, something I haven’t had in a little while since I have been doing my Master’s and working during the usual vacation times over the past two years. Rest assured that next Monday I will be back on the train fully. :)
Last night I shopped for groceries and Amber wanted me to pick up something easy for supper. I almost caved and brought home a pizza or some Quiznos, but I stuck to my guns and made some yummy vegetarian chili. This was not only delicious and filling, but it made enough to last three nights, so we won’t have to worry about supper this week before we head out on vacation.
I have found the most important things so far have been a large breakfast, and eating/drinking preemptively. If I can munch on some whole grain cereal and drink some water or tea before I get really hungry, I avoid those cravings and caving into the easy/cheap food I’m surrounded by. My breakfast is large – one or two boiled eggs, two pieces of whole grain toast, a mug of green tea, a glass of orange juice, a banana and other fruit like strawberries, and sometimes a bowl of cheerios with soy milk. This holds me over for quite a while, and during first couple of hours at work I throw back lots of water and an apple, and I’m not hungry until lunch.
Hopefully I can keep it up and work towards my weight goal. My fitness goal is to run 5km four or five times a week and slowly get my time down, but I am not adding that to my plate until July.
recipe: vegetarian chili
13Jun11
Photo by Marxfoods.com, on flickr
Mmm. This stuff is good. And pretty healthy too! It makes a huge pot, 6-8 good-sized portions.
Try and buy local produce, and reduced-sodium canned beans if you can!
Note 1: For the cans, most beans, etc. that we have here in NS/Canada come in 19-oz. cans, but sometimes they come in 15-oz cans. The recipe is for 19-oz cans, but you can adjust things accordingly depending on what you pick up.
Note 2: Do not drain the cans of beans/tomatoes/corn!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used red and green)
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1 can navy beans
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- 1 28oz. can whole tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons chili powder, divided
- 2.5 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons basil
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Steps
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Toss in garlic and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Throw in the bell peppers. Add 1 tablespoon of the chili powder. Cook until peppers are tender.
- Add mushrooms, and stir until combined.
- Add the tomatoes, black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, and corn.
- Season with the remaining 2 tablespoons of chili powder and the cumin, oregano and basil.
- Turn up the heat a bit and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20mins.
- Season with black pepper to taste (shouldn’t need salt).
- Serve! (Ideally with yummy, fresh LaHave Bakery whole grain bread or equivalent)
Photo by foshydog, on flickr.
In the summer of 2009, I lost over 20lbs. I have always had a high metabolism, and I used to be able to eat anything and still look unhealthily skinny.
That started to change as I entered my mid-twenties, and by age twenty-eight all the beer and ice cream was catching up to me. All of a sudden I was the heaviest I had ever been – I had cracked 200lbs, and it scared me. It only showed in two places – my face and the tire above my waist – so it kind of surprised people when I told them how much weight I wanted to lose. “There’ll be nothing left of you if you lose twenty pounds…”
There was definitely enough fat to warrant a big life change. Amber and I don’t really eat lots of unhealthy food on a regular basis, but there were some changes that could be made to my diet that would help for sure. Mostly it came down to exercising. I started running.
Within a couple of weeks, I was running 5-6km per day. The BLT Trail happens to start very close to my house, and winds around the lake that is just behind us. Even more conveniently, it connects back to St. Margaret’s Bay Road just down from my house as well. This makes a loop of 4.8km. With a little spin around my subdivision, I can make it just over 5km, and with a detour through another subdivision I can make it 6km.
I did well that summer, and the weight stayed off until Christmas time and then I lost the will to do anything healthy. I still haven’t reached the fatty heights of 200lbs, but I have gained some of the weight back. And I feel it’s time for a change – but one that I can hopefully sustain.
So, inspired by a sweet new pair of New Balance’s, this post by my friend Kayla, and my desire to feel and look better, I am starting on my path today.
Exercising will slowly ramp up, but I hope to get out for a short walk/jog/run tonight, and work my way up to my 5-6km loop within a month. I will also utilize our elliptical machine on rainy days, and throw in some cardio, small weight training, and Wii Fit as well.
Photo by gimleteyes on flickr.
As for food, Kayla’s excellent cleanse post is the basis of everything I am doing to start. Slight modifications will be made since I detest all types of onions. But the basics are simple – water, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and good foods that keep me feeling full longer. No dairy, no red meat, no alcohol. I am not a coffee drinker, so tea-only will not be an adjustment. No refined sugar will be tough, as will no pasta. But this isn’t set in stone, and the first couple of weeks are meant as a cleanse. After that I can start to introduce some pasta here, some red meat there, etc. in moderation if need be.
I will be keeping a food journal, and here is today’s entry:
Breakfast
- 2 pieces of whole grain toast (with a tiny bit of Nutella)
- 1 cup of probiotic yogurt
- 1 glass of 100% orange juice
- 1 mug of green tea
- 1 hard-boiled egg (Eden Valley Farms free-run)
- 1 banana
- water
Lunch
- Salad: baby romaine, orange pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, hard-boiled egg
- water
Supper
- Lemon Lentil Soup
- whole grain bread
Snacks (throughout the day)
- 1 apple (Scotian Gold Jonagold)
- water
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of whole-grain cereal with or without 1 cup soy milk (today Cheerios without milk)
