My brain this morning...

Preparing for a big brainstorming meeting on fundraising models...trying to get everything from my brain into some sort of order...yikes!

Mom OK

My mom had surgery for a total hip replacement today. She is doing OK, considering. Thanks to everyone for your support and best wishes. The pain will start tomorrow but so will the physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Here's hoping it goes well. I will be there on the weekend--here's hoping I can be useful.

Life after TV...

We gave up TV again starting today. We no longer have a house phone or pay TV channels. We distill have Netflix and DVDs and books and music and computers and hoard games and good old-fashioned conversations so I assure we will do more than survive. We might even thrive...

Weirdest store in Vancouver?

I saw this on my travels this week...Why is a doughnut shop selling this food? How strange!

Important work meeting...

Last Monday, we had an important departmental meeting aimed at team building and creative thinking. We were tasked with coming up with a strategy for community investment based on specific age categories. The team I was in was focusing on the 6-12 age bracket so we thought about what was important for that age. We came up with the idea of safe play spaces and spent the rest of the time making these...

Yes, my life is so hard...

What kind of play did you enjoy at ages 6-12?

Having too much fun at work? (We bonded and had some really fascinating conversations as well...)

The Waffle House...

Today we went for breakfast AGAIN...this time to the Waffle House in New West!

 

And afterwards I found a great store selling hemp...didn't buy anything but paused for a cool picture...

Last Friday...

Last Friday we went to a great CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) function for International Women's Day...the theme was Bread and Roses...

 The event was great, including the No Sh1t Shirleys...

Friday crepe breakfast...

On Friday, I went out with an ex-co-worker for Crepes and a chat...

They had NUTELLA crepes on the menu...

And a Nutella latte...definitely a low-calorie meal...

Meetings in Creston...

On Thursday I drove from Cranbrook to Creston and back...

The drive there was great...

Frozen lakes...

Frozen waterfalls...

I was in Creston for meetings...Creston is a lovely little town...

With some very famous Cherry juice...

 And some Dutch connections, apparently...

Back in Cranbrook...

Yes, I am on another business trip--the last one for this job, in fact. I am back in Cranbrook, which is quite fitting because it was my first business trip for this job last year. The job has come full circle...

The pizza and wine were lovely...

As was the hot tub after a long day of meetings...

And the granola at Hot Shots Cafe afterwards...

A lot of good meetings were held...

I walked by a frozen lake...

And I saw the Canadian Rockies again...a good trip...

3.11

I was in the US, but my heart was in Japan...

 

Eugene trip...ユージーンの旅。。。

This is a bit of an old post--we went to Eugene at the beginning of February and I never put up any photos. There was a pretty bad snow storm on the way down, so that is what most of the pictures are about...but otherwise it was a pretty good trip.

On the way back, we stopped here and picked up a new toy for L...

Yaay, hot cross buns! ホットクロスバナズ、嬉しい！

I love this time of year....hot cross buns are outs Yaay, Easter! 復活祭、だいすき！ なぜかというと、ホットクロスバンズが出るなので！

Weetabix! 美味しい朝食！

Breakfast was one of my favourites this morning: Weetabix! 朝食は大好物のウィータビクス！超うれしかった！

Mildly addicted...夢中になっている！

I am mildly addicted to a word game called Lexulous. It is like Scrabble but with 8 tiles instead of 7....very cool. I am playing online with a friend from Nelson, BC. Fun, fun, fun!　このゲームに夢中になってしまっている！日本であったカナダの友達とオンラインで遊んでいてとても楽しいです！

Divergent!

Very excited about this movie...starts March 21st! I read all the books...この映画、超楽しみ！３話シリーズの本を基にして大当たりの映画になるかも。ハンガー・ゲームほど楽しくなかったけど結構面白かった。３月２１日に映画が公開。本当に楽しみ。（日本語バージョンはいつ公開かな。。。）

A fabulous advert 素晴らしいCM

このCMはパラリンピックがテーマで素晴らしいだと思う。This is a fabulous advert to get us in the right headspace before the started the Paralympics. パラリンピックの大事なところは障害じゃなくて、高級レベルのスポーツです。The Paralympics are not about disability, they are about top-level sports, and I cannot wait to watch! 超楽しみ！

今夜の本 Tonight's book

I am well into my 40th year but am still not used to it...maybe this will help...40歳だけどまだ慣れていない。この本は役に立つかも。。。読みまーーーす！

I made quiche (well, half of it) キッシ大体作った。。。

I made quiche...well, the easy part. The hard part was done in advance by Y! Thanks, Y...for making quiche while you were here, and helping me make a second one! キッシを作りました。生地はYさんが作ってくれたけど中身を入れて、焼いたのはわたし！ありがとう、Yさん！

Delightful date night...今夜はデートナイト

今夜は久しぶりのデートナイトです。普段はオスカーを見るけど今夜は特別のメニューがあって、オスカーよりデートナイトを優先します！シー・レストランというところで、バンクーバーの超一流のレストランのひとつだそうです。2012年12月31日にLの誕生日夕飯をここで食べたけどまたいけてうれしいです！　We are having date night tonight instead of watching the Oscars. We have been trying to go to this restaurant for ages and finally got a reservation. There is a special 6-course tasting menu so I have been avoiding food all day! We ate here for L's birthday in 2012 so I am excited to try it again...

これが今夜食べるメニューだそうです！行ってきます！Here's the menu...it's a good thing I am hungry!

Royal Seafood Tasting Menu

First Course

• Roasted-artichoke soup with marcona almonds, mint pesto, and a crab cracker

Second Course

• Tuna tataki with citrus-chili rub, wasabi emulsion, ponzu, and pickled mushrooms

Third Course

• Line-caught ling cod with basil mayo, saffron and prawn emulsion, and fingerling potatoes

Fourth Course

• Olive-oil-poached salmon with citrus and fennel risotto, lobster cream, watercress, and smoked octopus

Fifth Course

• Land and sea with braised short rib, Clayoquat Sound sablefish, carrot foam, and truffle oil

Sixth Course

Passion fruit with flexible mousse, coconut sorbet, and walnut praline