Outgoing

Finally! I sat down to tackle my list of mail I've been meaning to send and though I didn't get through it all I did post 3 birthday cards, 3 thanks yous [one tucked into a birthday card], and two postcards...all in all, a productive day.

[I love the turquoise envelopes! The postcards are my *you go girl* photo. The centre envelope is made from a magazine Coach ad.]

[Back of the birthday mailings...I love these Dollarama stickers, except that I have to glue them down so they'll stick!]

[Close up of a glittery sticker.]

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Listening to...

One of my favourite foods is the chickpea. Humus, falafel, or just straight out of the can! Well, today I got a taste of a newest garbanzo on the market. My dear friend, Sarah, who took me under her wing when I first moved to Brooklyn, just sent me a link to her sister, Genevieve's band, The Chickpeas! [That's her on the album cover.] I love the name so I had to have a listen.

Genny's voice reminds me of the lead singer of the Cranberries, who I loved back in the day. The music is folksy, and seems to be a perfect soundtrack to a lazy Sunday. Have a listen to all the songs on Woe is Me here. You can even buy the whole album for $5.99 here.

[Sarah's very talented husband, Nico, designed the Chickpeas' website.]

I hope you'll check out Genevieve and the Chickpeas, and tell me what you think.

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Foto Friday: week 4

[day 22: Our bare Rose of Sharon tree against the last patch of snow on our lawn.]

[day 23: My neighbourhood's newly re-vamped mailbox!]

[day 24: Trying to figure out how to get to the good stuff.]

[day 25: Day 2 of the new car seat--after I took it apart to wash it because it was covered in baby vomit. Good times. [Yes, my son has a black and fuchsia car seat...I thought the picture on the box was red!]]

[day 26: A fan-favourite around here, peanut butter and banana on toast...YUM!]

[day 27: Finally received journal 4038 from Tejal in New Jersey. It has traveled from Australia to the Philippines to the USA and now to Canada. It has a ways to go and then Faiza will get it too. It's a neat mail-themed project from 1001 Journals. Check it out!]

[day 28: Today is one of my oldest and dearest friend's birthday. She is one of the most amazing women I know. She is a fantastic mother and wife, a creative soul, a whiz in money management, stylish without spending lots, a fantastic interior designer, and a wonderful friend. She finds time for everyone before herself all.the.time. [something she needs to change just a wee bit.] And she does all this while living with Multiple Sclerosis. How fitting was it that the MS Read-A-Thon was introduced to my class on her birthday; a cause I have supported my entire life, from the time I was a wee reader. I distinctly remember reading the most books and raising the most money one year so I could get the *top* prize of a stuffed dog. This year's top prize is a Nintendo DSi. Anyway, this is a long caption that should probably have its own post, but I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday, Paula. I love you.]

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My boyfriend's back

Well actually, my husband's back after a week-long business trip. Oh, how I missed him!

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Well Fed: Hey Lucy!

[image via here.]

Last night, a friend and I made impromptu plans for dinner since both of us were *husband-less* for the night [well, E's been gone since Tues...]. She decided on Hey Lucy's new location on Bloor St West. Before NYC, Hey Lucy on King Street West was a regular pre-theatre spot for me. I loved their brick oven pizzas and yummy pastas.

Well, I wasn't disappointed yesterday. First of all, it was $5 wine Thursday. Who doesn't love $5 wine? I had a delicious Valpolicella, though according to my good friend, Gerry, all Val's are good. [Wednesdays are $3.99 Martini night.]

For dinner, I ordered the mushroom agnolotti, which was flavourful and filling. The portion size was just right that I didn't feel gross afterwards. [I still belong to the clean plate club so it's hard for me to leave *just one piece* or not enough for leftovers.]

The Thursday evening traffic and neverending quest for a *good parking spot* were quickly forgotten as we got lost in conversation over great food. Hey Lucy is definitely a spot I'll be returning to.

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Foto Friday: week 3

A little late today because I was at my parents' place this week and not at my computer. Here's my week in review:

[day 16: A delicious meal made by wonderful friends.]

[day 17: Fisher Price Little People didn't carry lattes in my day.]

[day 18: Another handmade envelope, this time to a Postcrossing recipient who coincidentally also reads a lot of the same blogs I do!]

[the back.]

[day 19: Indian elephant in a window.]

[day 20: Dollarama really does carry everything.]

[day 21: Valentine's season means lots of gummy hearts...my fave!]

[day 22: Belly laughs are the best.]

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No Phone Zone

I record Oprah everyday, and watch maybe one entire a show a week. [I only watch the first few minutes of each show to see if it's something interesting.] Today's show was one I watched in its entirety. The topic was *distracted driving.*

I admittedly talk on the phone while driving, though it's always hands-free and I get the call going before I start driving. I have sent a text while sitting at a red light. Before today, I saw no real harm in it, thinking that it was the compulsive texters/dialers who caused accidents, not I.

Tears sprung to my eyes as I watched and listened to the stories of people who lost loved ones to distracted drivers, the stories of drivers who thought they could safely use their phone and drive. I can't imagine what life would be like if I lost someone to distracted driving or if I ever caused an accident because I couldn't wait to use my phone.

According to University of Utah researcher David Strayer, talking on a cell phone quadruples your risk of an accident. "For comparison purposes, someone who's drunk at a 0.08 blood alcohol level has a four-time crash increase. So talking on a cell phone is about the same as driving drunk," he says. "When you're text messaging, the crash risk goes up to eight times."

In October, the province of Ontario implemented a law making it illegal for motorists to use hand-held wireless communication devices or any hand-held electronic entertainment devices while driving.

This evening, I took the pledge to make my vehicle a *No Phone Zone.* Too many people have died completely preventable deaths. Too many people have caused accidents they could have avoided. Won't you take the pledge too?

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Foto Friday: week 2

It's been an extra busy week and I found myself scrounging for photo ops when the light was still decent.  Days 8, 9 and 14 are all taken with my BB.  Hopefully, next week will present more

 

[day 8: Snowy family self-portrait.]

[day 9: Indio enjoying his bottle with a new friend.]

[day 10: Designated as *photographer* at my friend's baby shower.]

[day 11: Some downtime with my honey and a good merlot.]

[day 12: Swim lessons-take 2.]]

[day 13: Another handmade envelope -- this time from a road map of Quebec -- with a letter to Jim in Brooklyn.]

[day 14: First graders are studying mountain ranges this week.]

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Listening to...

...the audio version of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger of The Time Traveler's Wife fame. 

I have moaned about my commute to work almost everyday since I started back in September and mentioned to anyone who would listen that I miss being able to walk to work each day.  My current commute is anywhere from 35-90 minutes one way, which is made worse by the drivel that emanates from the radio morning shows.

In an effort to curb my complaining and read more books, I decided to give audio books a try.  Well, after a few false starts with missing cds, getting the wrong book, etc, I was finally able to get my hands on Her Fearful Symmetry, a book I've had on my *to read* list since it was released.  This morning I began listening to it and I'm officially hooked!  I've only listened to 1.5 discs out of 12, but the story is great, the woman reading is captivating, and I'm not stuck listening to the same songs over and over between what feels like hours of unending radio talk about nothing.

I think audio books are going to be in regular rotation in the car, especially since I can request them from the local library.  A free indulgence is always a good one! 

And now I'm actually looking forward to driving to work in the morning!

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Foto Friday

Today marks the first installment of *Foto Fridays*!  Instead of uploading a new photo everyday, a venture that I'm sure would fizzle out around day 23, I thought a weekly round-up of pictures for Project 365 might be a more realistic plan of action.  Feast your eyes on a pictorial synopsis of days 3-7 of 2010.

[day 3: A new puzzle for Christmas and already pieces are missing.]

[day 4:  Outgoing snail mail--my first homemade envelope features a little retro Rainbow Brite!]

[day 5: A little blurry, but it's pretty clear that someone isn't enjoying his first dip in a pool.]

[day 6:  Laying out clothes the night before, a habit I need to get into.]

[day 7: Two reasons I don't get enough sleep: reading and BBMing L, the only other person who can keep up.]

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New year, new project

I haven't given much thought to resolutions this year other than to stay on top of my photos. Last year, I had intended to create a Blurb photo book documenting Indio's first year as a Christmas gift for my in-laws and parents. Unfortunately, the book is still in the works and since the holidays are over, I have stopped stressing about it. [Don't worry, I still plan to finish it, I just don't know when.] I also began a *picture of Indio a day* project so that we could see our little guy's cuteness change over the year, but that lost steam a few months in.

This year is going to be different. I plan on setting aside some time every month to add to our 2010 photo book so that come December, I'll be ready to order my book in time for gift-giving. AND I'm going to try Photojojo's Project 365. I've been a follower of Photojojo for quite awhile now. They have great photography tips, cool photo-related gifts and my favourite offering: Time Capsule. Twice a month Photojojo sends me a sampling of the photos I took a year ago and posted to my Flickr account. It's really neat to have this mini-trip-back-in-time in my inbox.

With my 2010 Project 365 I won't pigeon-hole myself into just one topic, even if that topic is the cutest boy in the world! I plan to upload and update my project every week, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here are day 1 and day 2 [Yes, they both contain said boy.]:

[day 1: New Year's Day walk in the snow.]

[day 2: Trying to get the Nikon.]

What projects do you have lined up for 2010?

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