Wrap it Up

After work last night, I stopped in at the grocery store for stuff to make wraps. I got black olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, tomato and chicken. Shane came over and we enjoyed tasty tasty wraps before curling up to watch a movie.

I had the strangest dreams last night. The one that stands out the most is one where I was home but the house was huge. Way bigger than it is in real life, with lots of secret passages and rooms. And my father was played by Jensen Eckles from Supernatural. Except, he was twin. And everyone knew that he was the good twin, and his evil twin had gone off somewhere.

During the dream, the 'evil' twin came back. We were uncovering clues and running around all the hidden areas, only to discover that the evil twin wasn't actually evil! He had actually gone off to chase the evil triplet, whose name was Frank. I learned this shocking fact while facing off against the 'evil' twin when behind him appeared the triplet with a weapon, and I was like 'OMG it's FRANK!!' It was very action adventurey.

I woke up with my heart pounding, and thinking what an interesting movie that would have made. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Dreams, Food

posted by Lisa at 11:31 AM |

 
Monday Update

I've been really slack with the updating, I know. There hasn't been too much going on really. I'm all settled into my new apartment. I still haven't got around to painting the bedroom, but that mostly due to the fact that the humidity has been brutal and my apartment gets really warm - too warm for painting. :)

I had a lovely weekend though. Phil and I went to karaoke last minute Friday night. We didn't stay too late, just enough to do a few songs as we both had plans for later in the evening.

Saturday, I was up bright and early because my new couch was being treated at some point during the day. Luckily they came early, at 9 am, so Shane and I were able to go back to bed to catch up on much needed sleep.

The afternoon was spent enjoying the beautiful weather. We walked to St. Denis to get frozen yogurt from this lovely place that Shane loves, and then we headed to Parc la Fontaine to chill out. We laid on a blanket under the trees reading for hours. I hope the weekend weather is nice for the remainder of the summer. This was really the first time I've got to hang out in Parc la Fontaine thanks to tons of rain.

We were going to get Greek from this great place on Duluth for supper, but the place was lined up right out the door. We opted instead to try something new and went to the Afgan place across the street. After dinner, we stopped at a dep and got some sparkling wine to drink in the park. We set up by the pond, cuddled on the blanket and drank our wine until around 9:30 or so. It was really an excellent way to spend a day.

Yesterday we were going to go to Hudson to hang out on the lake, swim and bbq, but the weather, of course, turned bad. We went for breakfast at Omega in Gare Central and then headed to Shane's to spend the day. We got completely soaked walking from the metro to his place, so we endeded up in comfy clothes watching movies. We made tatziki for to go with dinner (with lots of yummy garlic), which turned out really well. It was easier than I thought, it would be. Next, I think we need to buy a blender so we can start making our own hummus too.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 11:54 AM |

 
Springy Sunday

This past week seriously dragged on. Tuesday night we did cheapy Tuesday and saw 'Defiance.' It was really good - Daniel Craig was great, but I particularly enjoy Leiv What's-His-Name. He stole his scenes I thought. Sure, it wasn't the most uplifting of movies, but it was well done.

Wednesday evening was spent chillin' with my boy at my place. Thursday night we did ribs at Deli Planet with Melissa, Scott and Phil. The ribs are very tasty and the beers are cheap. :P

Friday I had to take off from work early to take Kaylee to get her stitches out. The vet was a half hour behind, which kind of sucked. Kaylee freaked out when a ginormous dog was brought in, and it took a good 5 minutes to calm her down. The stitches removal was pretty quick, and on the way home, I stopped in the grocery store to get something for supper. While I cooked, I caught up on episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I totally cried at the end. :P

Saturday I was up early-ish, read for a bit, napped and finally got up and got moving. I had leftovers for lunch, and watched "Doubt," which is excellent, btw. I walked east on Sherbrooke, and met Shane at Frontenac, and we made our way to the SAQ for some wine to take to Phil's. I can't find any of my favorite wines here. Remind me to bring some back with me from Saint John please! We spent the remainder of the afternoon snuggled on Shane's couch watching 'Kung Fu Panda.' Well, you know me and talking animals. Let's just say I enjoyed it. :)

We headed out around 6:30, a bit late as it turned out. We didn't end up getting to sit with Phil at dinner, which is too bad because he always knows the good sushi to order. Shane got to experience good quality sushi. The people at our table really liked the sashimi, which is great, but not really for the new sushi eater. They didn't bring us our dumplings either. :P The salmon sashimi was really good, and surprisingly enough, so were the octopus tentacles. My fav is always the eel - it was a little more bbq and a little less smokey, but still very tasty. After dinner, we went to Phil's, which ended up being a pretty mellow affair. We drank wine in the livingroom and talked video games and computers with his roommate Matt. It was nice to see Matt had taken a break from WoW to join the living. :P

Today, Shane and I were up kind of early. I played 'Super Swing Golf' while he make crepes (thanks babe!). We then headed downtown, and got him some lotion for his hands, and some work clothes. We then made our way out the the Jean Talon Market. The market is great. Butchers, pasta makers, fish market, fruits, veggies, flowers, cheese, you name it, they've got it and it's fresh. This is part of what I love about Montreal. There are places dedicated just to sausages (we got some fancy types to try), for example, or the shop that's all olive oil variations and spices.

I'm sitting on Shane's couch at the present. He's reading "The Watchmen" graphic novel in preparation for the movie. I recommend reading it if you haven't yet. I think we'll be making supper soon and then watching a movie. It's just getting cold out again now that the sun is going down, but it was like spring here today. I hope that's a sign that spring is coming early - I'm so over winter!

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Movies, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 5:00 PM |

 
Happy May Day!

I can't believe it's May already! Seriously, where has the time gone?! :)

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I emailed my manager my resignation letter to proof, just to make sure I got everything, and she got all teary! She also offered to take the few of us on this pilot out to lunch tomorrow as well. I'm really going to miss the people I work with... After work, I walked down to the Superstore to get groceries. I was pretty much out of everything. Luckily it wasn't too busy and I was able to get done in about 35 minutes.

When I got home, I called to check on Dre (who was starting to feel better) and we chatted while I put my groceries away. I then did the pile o' dishes in my sink - seriously, I *hate* doing the dishes - before Brian came over to watch "Batman Begins" with me. He hadn't seen it, and I'd told him it was a must see, especially with "Dark Knight" rapidly approaching. It was nice to have the company, and he didn't mind that I was in my bummy clothes since I wasn't feeling well. :) He left about 10:30, and I self-medicated and crashed.

I didn't sleep great - I kept waking up with coughing fits and an epic runny nose. I'm feeling pretty miserable today - I wish I could have just stayed in bed. I may try to sneak out a bit early.

I am trying out my slow cooker finally. Izy went on and on about hers, so I thought, what the heck! :) I'm cooking chicken in a balsamic vinegar and fig sauce. The sauce smelled great, so I'm optimistic.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Health, Movies

posted by Lisa at 9:07 AM |

 
Home Again

Yesterday was a good day. I ended up spending the afternoon with Victor, who I had met Saturday night at the Buck 65 show. We hung out at Mont Royal for a bit and then made our way down Parc to Bernard to check out Bilbouquet. Bilbouquet is an ice cream parlor that makes all their ice cream and it is excellent. Victor recommended the pistachio so I got a scoop of that and a scoop of pear sorbet. Both were extremely tasty and worth the walk. It was a *very* warm day - think Saint John in July - so the ice cream was just what the doctor ordered.

After ice cream, we walked for a bit, and then decided to head downtown so I could switch my opera tickets for another night as Alex is in a show that is running on Saturday nights for 6 weeks (I think) starting May 10 (or so). On route, I realized that I'd lost my phone somewhere. Victor called it and luckily someone had picked it up and taken it to the Re/Max across the street from the ice cream parlor. As it was getting late, we parted ways after exchanging additional contact info (emails, etc) and I sprinted a block in order to catch a bus back to Bernard.

I picked up my phone (phew!) and made my way to the Outremont metro to look at a place by St. Henri. It was quite nice and it's a definite possibility. I chatted with the guy showing it for a bit, and then headed back downtown to try to find a place to get my ticket changed. Which I was unable to do. I know, I shouldn't have left it until my last day in town, but I was busy! :) I went home, stopping for some tasty take out from the Szchewan place, chatted with Sean a bit and finished watching 'Ratatouille.' In need for a familiar voice, I called Dre and talked to her for a bit. Alex got home while I was on the phone with Dre (I'm going to need a really good long distance plan :P), and we hung out for a bit before I rearranged my suitcase so it would close and went to bed.

I didn't sleep well - which is not unusual before a trip - and woke up around 5 am. I dozed for the next hour and was up and ready to go by 6:30. It took less time to get to the airport than I'd expected, which was good because it took *forever* to get checked in. Staff kept getting pulled away so check in was slowed to a crawl. I finally got to my gate a little after 8 am, had a quick bite to eat and settled in to wait until boarding (which was 20 minutes late).

The flight was, for the most part, very good. I didn't have anyone sitting next to me, so I was able to get good and comfy. I read most of the trip. The last 15 minutes was a little rough, with some turbulence and it seemed that the plane powered down a bit and slowed down. The flight attendant got called into the cockpit and she returned looking a bit nervous, but smiled at everyone before strapping into her seat. The landing was kind of shaky, but I was glad to land in one piece.

Scott picked me up (thanks Scott!) and now I'm home. It's good to see the kitties, but feels a little weird to be back. The past week was a good opportunity to get comfortable with Montreal and really reiterated how much I love the city. I can't wait to get back.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 11:46 AM |

 
Go Habs Go!

I'm thinking of heading to one of the local pubs to check out the end of the hockey game. I'm not normally a hockey fan, but I'm willing to bet Montreal will go *crazy* if the Habs win tonight. :)

Today was a pretty relaxing day. I got up around 10:30, poked around the apartment for a bit before heading out to buy a pot. I came back and made some veggie chili as promised. It turned out really really good - I don't think I can get the ground soy I used at home and I like it better than the BM soy. Oh well, I'll be able to get it regularly soon enough. :P

Once the chili was done, I had a small bowl and then went to Parc Jeanne Mance to chill out. I had brought a towel with me, so I just sat out in the sun for a couple of hours before heading downtown to have dinner with Alain. We ate at this crazy Arab/crepe place on Maisonneuve, and chatted for a couple of hours before parting ways. He offered to help with the move, and offered to take my resume into the place where he works - apparently they love former Xeroids.

Now I'm just enjoying a beer and as I said, thinking of heading to a pub. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:07 PM |

 
Can I Sit Now?

I think Izy and I have walked most of Montreal in the past two days. Seriously. :P

I met Izy at the Lionel Grioux stop at 1 pm and we walked around the area for an hour before determining it wasn't the spot for us, so we hoped on the Metro and made our way back to the Plateau. We wandered around, made a few calls and finally stopped for a very late lunch (or early supper) at this crazy poutine restaurant (I think it was on Mont Royal). I got the Poutine Mexicaine, which was poutine with tomatoes, black olives and banana peppers. It was surprisingly good. Also, because it was like 20 degrees and we were on the patio, I enjoyed a frosty beer as well.

Oh, and might I add - ALDO OUTLET STORE!!! I got some cute little plaid sneaker shoes for $8. $8! After taxes!

We made our way, on foot, deeper into the Plateau, and finally into Mile End. We made it home around 7:30, and with sore feet and legs, dropped on to the couch and spent an hour on Craigslist, trying to make appointments etc. Finally, about 8:45, we headed down the street, literally half a block up, and had a very late supper at a Brazilian restaurant called Sen Zala. It was excellent. I had fajitas, and we shared a litre of the strongest Sangria ever.

We parted ways around 11:30, and I chatted with a friend on the short walk home. I checked my emails, and now I'm off to bed. I've a very busy couple of days ahead of me. Woot!

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 11:54 PM |

 
I Love This Town

Yesterday I was up early. I won't say bright because it was 4:30 am and still very dark. Em picked me up at 5, and we were off to the airport (thanks again Em - you're the bestest!). The flight was, for the most part, good, and 10 minutes shorter than originally scheduled. This was kind of a blessing, as I had the window seat and was squeezed in next to a rather hefty gentleman in a suit who did a whole lot in the way of sweating. He also was rather mean looking and made me feel bad when I asked to get out to use the loo.

I got my baggage in record time and then set out in search of the shuttle, or l'aerobus as it is called. I was able to find it (Ou est le guichet, svp?) but arrived just in time to see it pulling away. I had to wait until the next one, which was, luckily, only 25 minutes. This took me right downtown to the bus station at Berri & UQAM. The UQAM metro is kind of the hub, so I was able to purchase my pass there (Est ce je peux achete un passe pour le semaine ici? Oui? Woot!). I got on the Metro and arrived at Alex's place about 9 am. I'd hardly slept, so I was tres fatigue! I fell into bed and napped until about 11.

I went out and visited 'Frere's,' a tiny Market about 4 blocks away on avenue Parc. I picked up stuff for chili, some yogurt, soup for lunch, and a few other things to tide me over while I'm here. I went home (Alex's place will be henceforth referred to as home during the duration of my stay), made my soup, read for a bit, and then dug into Craigslist to find possible apartment options.

Around 3, I got a call from Carlo, who I'd been chatting a bit with since March, and he invited me to come see his place and have tea. "I'll see you in 10 or 15!" So, after checking google maps, I determined what I thought would be the fastest route, and headed out to catch the Van Horne bus to Rosemont Metro. I got off at Mont Royal, went the wrong way, walked 15 minutes before I realized I went the wrong way, went back to Mont Royal, a man who saw I was lost gave me directions and I struck out for Cartier. I should have got off one stop sooner because I ended up walking a very long time. It was beautiful out though, about 17 degrees, and rue Rachel is lovely and right on Parc La Fontaine. Finally, an hour later, Carlo called. "Where are you?!" "I have no idea!" Turned out I was only a couple blocks away.

I hung out with him until about 5:30. Cool guy, but I don't think I could live with him. He seems to want someone to rent the room, not be a roommate. I promised to call before I leave for home, and agreed that we'd do something for sure once I get settled in come June.

Carlo gave me details directions and I headed out to meet Alex. I walked up Duluth, which is a great street, to St. Urbain, and we had supper again at "Santropol," that awesome sandwich place. I tried something new - the Duluth Avenue, which was blue cheese, brie, tomatoes and romaine on thick brown bread - while Alex had the Killer Tomato again. We also had tasty homemade milkshakes. :)

We wandered around St. Urbain and St. Laurent for a while after supper before heading home to have a beer and to catch up.

Today I was up early-ish, and read for a bit. I headed out at around 12:30, bought a pair of cheap sunglasses because it was 20 degrees and sunny, and headed to Cote des Neiges to meet Izy for lunch. We immediately hit it off, and enjoyed some great 'getting to know you' conversation over a tasty lunch at Talay Thai. I had deep friend tofu in peanut sauce, green curry over rice and mango salad. Yum! :d Afterwards, we spent the afternoon together, wandering around town, chatting, calling any place that had a sign that said 'a louer' and indicated it was a 4 1/2 or bigger. We looked at a couple of places, made appointments to see more, and parted ways around 6:45.

She's great! I already feel like I've known her for years. I immediately felt comfortable with her, and we had a lot of laughs and good conversation over the course of the afternoon. The clincher was when we both responded to a guy in stereo :) I got home around 7:15, and gratefully sat down with a mug of beer. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 8:13 PM |

 
Au Revoir Montreal

So Montreal is freaking awesome. I seriously think I need to move there - it turns out that I love that city!

Let's see, Scott picked me up Thursday at 5 am to take me to the airport (thanks again Scott!). I got checked in and didn't have too long to wait before they made the pre-boarding call. While waiting for boarding to start, I chatted with Jeff Smith who was on route to Boston and going to be on the same flight. I had a window seat, which is good, but which also meant I was trapped next to a man who was reading a book called "Abortion - The Lie" that had been distributed by the Christian Colition or something. Kind of scary...

I arrived at 7:20 and ended up waiting forever for my baggage. It turns out that they couldn't have two baggage carosels running at the same time. :P I was there until about 8 before I was able to go find a cab. I got to Alex's about 8:50. He had left a ton of hilarious post it notes all over his apartment giving helpful instructions regarding where to put the key, and how to use the light switch. ^_^ I promptly went to bed for a couple hours, and when I got up, Shawn was out of bed so I finally got to meet him. I then found my way to the nearest Metro, got lectured by a Portuguese Metro attendant for not being bilingual before he advised me to go to the Bonaventure terminal get a tourist pass for the Metro. The tourist pass is great - 3 days unlimited use for $17. I got lost a couple of times, whichs is both kind of scary and fun and finally found my way to the Eaton Centre. I spent way too much, but I did get a pair of great shoes, an awesome skirt and a couple of sweet blouses. I went to the Basilica Notre Dame as recommended by Dre, and spent a good hour there.

I met Alex at Place d'armes Metro as it was just two blocks from the Basilica and we headed home so he could change and I could drop off my purchases. We then went to dinner at the best sandwich place in the world - I'd been there my last trip to Montreal. I got the Northern Lights (herbed cream cheese, romaine lettuce and olives on huge brown bread) and he got the Killer Tomato (tomatoes, some sort of spices and cream cheese, and lettuce) and we shared. So good! It's on St. Urbain, if you are ever in Montreal. We then went to a bar to check out music but didn't end up staying too long because we were both pretty tired.

Friday I got up at 6 to have breakfast (Eggs Marshall :P) with Alex before he went to work. I went back to bed for a couple of hours before hitting the town. The bus driver made fun of my tourist pass (I think - he was speaking very rapid French while laughing uproariously), but it was okay because I made a friend because of it. A girl came and sat next to me and asked if she could see the pass. We chatted all the way to Metro depot and on the train, and we had a coffee before she had to go to class. She was super cool - studying photo-journalism - and gave me her card. Which reminds me, I'll have to facebook her... :) I spent the afternoon wandering around town getting off at random stops and then just walking. I found super cool stores and restaurants, including this great little Korean place that I'll probably never find again and a crazy store that sold wigs (so I bought two :P).

I met Alex at home, we had a couple of beer before going to this great Thai place for supper. I got a red curry called Kang Pai Pek (I think), and he got Tofu in a peanut sauce with crispy spinach. We shared again - seriously one of the best meals I've ever had. The tofu was beyond delicious, and who would have thought deep fried spinach would be so awesome?! We also got some green tea ice cream, which Alex had never had before, to cleanse our palate before heading out on the town. We made our way to this super cool bar/coffee shop called KGB where they had - wait for it - hip hop karaoke. It was wild - they had an actual DJ who was spinning the beats and people would just go up with the lyric sheet and kind of freestyle it. It was wicked cool. We stayed for a couple of hours before heading home.

Saturday we wandered around his neighbourhood before heading into town. He had a play reading for a show he's been cast in, so I hit old Montreal for a couple of hours. I went home around 5:30 because things close in downtown Montreal at 5 pm on Saturdays (wtf?!) and my phone was dying. I got changed and tried out one of my wigs, and then met Alex at the Sherbrooke Metro. He had reserved tickets to a play called "The Elusive." It was a great - very "Closer" esque. By the time it was over, it was 10:30, and we hadn't eaten, so we headed closer to his place in the hopes of finding some place we could get some take out. Unfortunately, many places were closed, so we ended up going to a little super market, and getting olive pizza, weird cheeses and hummus, and just hung out.

Yesterday we ran around his neighbourhood again (it's a great area - very cool and lots of Anglos), had a latte at this cool coffee shop that looks like a bar and is famous for its lattes. We walked around, stopping for a bagel hot out of the wood stove, and checked out some cool shops. There was this awesome little boutique where the girl working actually was sewing the clothing. Every piece was an original, hand sewn item and was cool. Unfortunately, hand made means expensive and I couldn't afford anything in there. We headed back home at 4:30 so I could finish packing, etc. I called a cab around 6 to go to the airport.

Of course, my flight was delayed, and my luggage didn't make it on the plane some how. :P They tell me there was no room for it. I'm not sure how they didn't have room for the people and not the luggage when the plane wasn't even full... The next flight from Montreal should be coming in any time, so hopefully my bag is on it. All of my new stuff is in it, as is my hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, etc. All the things that one needs but cannot take in your carry on any longer. Grr! :)

Sarah picked me up (Thanks Sarah!!) and we headed into town. We went to Chris and Suzy's to watch the end of the Oscars. I got home around 1, and have never wanted to be anywhere less - the weekend went by way too quickly.

So now it's back to the real world. I've got a photo shoot this evening for Oleanna posters, and then I've got to line cram as we're supposed to be off book tomorrow. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:42 AM |

 
Full of Light

So yesterday was my first day actually on the new job. I was doing a lot of grunt work, but I don't mind. It was nice to be productive, and to be getting more familiar with the programs I'll be using daily.

I treated myself to Thai Hut green curry last night for supper before heading to the loft for the reading of "Rossum's Universal Robots." It was a small turn out - only 5 of us - but it was great to hear the script read a lot. It really is a fascinating story. We discussed afterwards how so many of the modern sci fi stories, such as "I Robot," and "The Matrix" really got their beginnings from "R.U.R."

It's a long-ish show though, and we didn't finish until 9:30. Tuesday is usually my Emily night, but she was stuck working on an essay, so I spent the evening watching some TV and battling Alex for the title of 'How I Met Your Mother Trivia Guru.' True story. I was winning as of midnight, but he's got an hour on me in the evenings. :-P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:09 AM |

 
Boo-urns on You, Monday!

Gah! I woke up late this morning and ended up rushing around the apartment, and still managed to miss my bus. So, I wandered to Jave Moose, got a latte to console myself, called work to advise I missed my bus and caught the 9:02. 15 minutes late for work, and I ended up playing catch up all morning. :-P

It was a busy weekend, but good for all that. After work on Friday, I went to get groceries, and Anthony picked me up there. After we got everything put away, I realized I'd forgotten a few things, and we ended up running out the mall. We headed to the Blue Olive to use the last of our gift certificates around 8:30, and to hear Kizzy sing for a bit. We went a bit over board with an order of Saganki, and I got the moussaka (which I had totally been craving). Yum! :-d Dre arrived about 10-ish, and we hung out with her for a while, but Anthony looked like he was going to nod off at the table, so we headed out around quarter after 11.

Saturday we were up bright and early-ish and off we went to the east side to have lunch with Anthony's mom, aunt, sister and Ryan. We finished about quarter after 12, just enough time to run home, get our scripts etc. and head to rehearsal. We did two (very) rough runs of Act 2. There were some parts we hadn't had a chance to really work last week, so the first run through was a bit sloppy. The second run was much better though. After work, we had some time to kill, so off we went to the mall for Starbucks. Mmmm... :-d (I'm glad that it's out at the mall - if there was one uptown, I'd be in trouble!) I also picked up a pair of black ballet flats that were on sale - they'll make a good rehearsal shoe. We joined Jenn's birthday party at Chris and Suzy's about 9:45-ish, and hung out enjoying wine, delicious cake a la Suzy, and laughs. About 12:40-ish, I got the urge to go out, so on a whim, I called Keith to see what he was doing. He humored me and came uptown, and joined Anthony and I at Ozone for some dancing. After the club closed, we checked back at Chris and Suzy's but the lights were out, so we headed home.

I slept in on Sunday but woke with a really stiff neck and super sore shoulders. I don't know if it was due to the dancing or sleeping funny, but it did not feel good (It still doesn't actually). Anthony ran into Alex and Emily on their way to lunch, and we chatted with them for a bit. We did some window shopping in the afternoon, looking at 42" flat screens at Future Shop (*drool*), had Starbucks, and headed home. It was relaxing. ^_^ We had a quick bite, and then it was out again, this time for D & D at Jay and Lisa's. It was an exciting adventure, full of lots of battles. We left at a bit of a cliff hanger, which is too bad because it will probably be a couple of weeks before we can play again. D'oh! ^_^

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Gaming, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 12:18 PM |

 
Back to It

September already! Where did the summer go? I know, technically, it's still summer until the 21st, but still...

Friday night I went out to Scott and Alison's with Kristi, Sabine and John for a going-away dinner for Sabine. The new kitchen looks incredible, and dinner was amazing as always. I was pretty beat, however, and ended up ducking out with Dre at about 10:30/11.

Saturday, thanks to another terrible sleep, I slept in, and didn't really get moving until it was time to head over to John and Sabine's. I went with them and John's dad to the airport to see her off, and then it was back in town. Dre and I ended up at Boilerworks for a drink, and dinner. I had the portobello mushroom burger, which was tasty except for the pile of wasabi mayo that was piled on. I had to scrape it off because it was so overpowering. We popped in to Lawtons for some bandaids (my shoes had created and popped a blister on my toe) and then we headed to Harbour Station so Dre could pick up her Cirque de Soleil ticket for the Sunday matinee. We ended up at her place, checking the listings and went with Colleen to see "The Nanny Diaries," which was cute (especially Harvard Hottie played by the yummy Chris Evans). I was in a mood to do something, so we ended up down at O'Leary's for a couple of beer and then Churchills for a drink. Anthony, back from surfing, was very tired, and we ended up going home about midnight. There was an amusing interlude where Keith popped over to borrow pants from Anthony around 12:30. :-P

Sunday started out lazy and then it was out to run errands. I had to take something back to Zellers, which was a disaster. There is definitely a disconnect that happens to people while waiting in line. You don't need to give your life story people; just tell them why you want to return it and have the item you are exchanging it for ready! Grrr! Then it was off for groceries at the insanely busy Superstore. We hung out for a bit, stopped at Harvey's for veggie burgers and then it was off to Jay and Lisa's for our D&D session.

Yesterday I woke up feeling off. At quarter to 2, I tried Anthony's cell and his work number, wondering where he was as we were supposed to go out to Jay and Lisa's to watch movies. He had misunderstood when I said I'd see how I was feeling when it was time to go and went without me. :-P I spent the day 'researching' by watching Angel, gaming, reading, and doing some laundry. It was kind of nice. :-P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Gaming, Movies, TV

posted by Lisa at 11:46 AM |

 
Boilerworks Good

Dinner at Boilerworks last night was excellent. I had the honey walnet glazed chicken, which was, for the most part, very tasty. My only critique is that it was cooked with the skin on, which I don't eat. Anthony and I had also shared a serving of Beef Sliders. Man, those little burgers are tasty! John had the ribs, which were incredible. The meat almost melted in your mouth; you barely had to chew. A soft tug on the bones would make the meat fall off. I may have to have the ribs next time...

It was nice to see Peter, even for just a few hours. His flight leaves today at 11:30 am; it's a long trip - I don't envy him (especially the 5 1/2 hour layover in TO).

It was a little after nine when we got home. I did some reading (I'm really enjoying 'Stardust') and gamed a bit.

I'm so glad it's Thursday. I'm off tomorrow, so it feels like a Friday!

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 7:53 AM |

 
Back to Work

Friday after work we had dinner to celebrate Lisa and Alison's birthdays at "Boilerworks." I have to say I was impressed by the restaurant, everything tasted delicious! I will certainly go back. Afterwards we headed over to Chris and Suzy's to hang out a bit. We didn't stay too late; I was pretty tired (and having a full belly made me want to sleep ^_^).

Saturday we were up early for improv at 11. After lunch, Anthony went to Uzone with Doug and John to play hockey. I went for a run, and chilled for a bit before we headed over to Jay and Lisa's for dinner. Thanks again for the tasty meal J & L! Again, the full belly made me sleepy and we didn't stay too late.

Sunday we slept in, ran a few errands in the afternoon, and of course, The Aramando / The MP3 Experiment took place Sunday evening. The improv went well; it came together nicely. Michelle Hooton, our 'celebrity' guest, did a great job with her monologues. The MP3 Experiment was a blast! For those of you who didn't take part, you really missed out. And I don't care if it's 'not your thing.' I know you would have had fun (and besides, how do you know without trying it?). Two highlights for me included seeing people walk by outside to see us dancing to 'nothing' and running around the block with Santa (aka: Gilbert), handing out candy to strangers, waving and singing 'Downtown.' It was awesome!

After the show, we ended up at our place for a few drinks. The company was great, but come 3 am, when everyone left, I was beat. I didn't envy Anthony who had to get up for tennis with Gilbert, John and Scott T. at 10 am. ^_^

When Anthony got home from tennis, I got up. Yes, I slept in and it was glorious! Anthony went for a run, and I spent some time people watching at the NB day flea market (what a weird, and increasingly lame, tradition) before our reading at 2:30. The reading went really well; I'm so looking forward to sharing "The Goat" tonight. We ended up chatting afterwards, and the time just flew. Before we knew it, it was 6:45 and Alex had to rush off to his 'Bash' rehearsal. Then it was suddenly 7:40, we were starving and John was calling looking for Sabine. ^_^ We ended up renting a Korean movie called 'The Host,' which was interesting, and getting Chinese food from the Hong Kong Take Out. Yum!

Yesterday we were up early-ish, and on the road at 11:30. We picked up Sabine and headed out to St. Martin's. We visited the caves, to which neither Sabine or I had been in before, had 'world famous' seafood chowder at the restaurant on the beach with Anthony's mom, and headed to The Fundy Trail, again something neither Sabine and I had visited. We spent 3 hours walking and exploring the trails. We saw squirrels and flying caterpillars , picked raspberries on a beach, saw Fuller Falls and other wonderful scenery. We stopped for ice cream at the canteen on the way back (Sabine had fries instead) and headed back into town. We got back about 6:30, just in time to eat before heading to the museum to set up the camcorder to film "Out on the Edge." The show was great; I hope everyone gets a chance to check it out.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Health, Movies, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 11:08 AM |

 
Zora - Action Hamster

I ran home after work last night as I had a 30 min run scheduled. The last time I ran home, it took me 34 minutes to get to the lighthouse at the Hilton. Last night, by the time my 30 minutes were up, I'd made down Water Street and up Duke to Prince William. Yay me! :-P

I devoured some leftovers, tasty sweet and sour chicken and a colorful salad with strawberries, cherry tomatoes, raisons, oranges and red wine mist dressing, changed, gathered my stuff and headed down to John and Sabine's for TMNT. I've been watching too many action movies lately, so I jumped on a motorcycle, raced under the monster, threw grenades at the Armadillos, leaped off my bike and crashed it into the bad guy controlling the giant lizard. Aw yeah! ^_^ Of course, I was terrified every time I rolled that I was going to fail miserably and end up dead. But, luck was with me. The guys managed to keep the big guy off my back, swarmed the guys behind me with their 400 prairie dogs and I was able to slice and dice the bad guy.

We broke early because the monster was dead. Anthony went with Keith to see Transformers since it was the only chance Keith had to go. I watched the last two episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" (season 2). I wish I didn't have to wait for season 3! I gamed a bit, read some, and went to bed.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Gaming, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:47 AM |

 
Yawn

Today definiately feels like a Monday. If only I was outside in the sun and not stuck in here.

Let's see... After work on Friday I went for a 40 min run. I did 2 and 1's as it was my longest run to date and didn't want to push it. I ran just shy of 5 km, and I felt pretty good afterwards. Anthony was out with Dan, so I curled up on the couch and watched LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring, and some of the behind the scenes stuff before heading to bed.

Saturday I planned on getting up early, but ended up sleeping in. Anthony and I went for lunch at the market (I'm so glad the Korean ladies opened up a stall-I thought perhaps they'd left for good!) and I had the spicy BBQ pork and rice noodles. I ended up with a bunch of leftovers. Yum! I popped into Lawtons and then made my way back home to relax. We headed to Scott and Alison's about 6:30, just in time for the super tasty brisket. Mmmm... :-d As always, thank you S & A; you two are the bestest! Full of beef and sides, we ended up just hanging out there, chatting, we played a few rounds of Pit, watched a couple Futurama and headed home.

Yesterday was a busy day. I got up and went for a 4 km run. It was a tough run. I got a crick in my side at the 1 km mark and couldn't shake it. It made for a less than pleasant running experience, and ended up taking longer than I would have liked. I wasn't able to go to the gym as planned, but rushed home to shower and eat (my leftovers :-d) before heading east. Christine's wedding shower was at 2, but I had to stop at the mall to get a few things. It was pretty good as far as showers go... I've never really understood the whole shower thing...

The shower finished at 4. I gamed for a bit afterwards while Anthony went for a run. He got back a little after 6, just enough to eat quick and shower before we headed to Jay and Lisa's for D & D. It was a slow start - mostly because I was very unsure as to what was going on. Everyone was very patient with me though. I think I know what's what now however. ^_^

It was a little after 11 when we got home. I gamed a bit and then went to bed. I actually didn't sleep well. I had this recurring nightmare all night. I was trapped in some horrible house, and I managed to escape. Anthony followed me out, and chased me down the driveway, asking what I was doing. We turned left at the bottom of the drive, and I told him I'd had it and wasn't going to just wait around to die. We heard sounds, and hid behind a bush. Two male figures walked by, and somehow realized we were there. They charged towards us, and when they drew close, they were hideously deformed. I tried to scream but couldn't make more than a croak. I awoke with my heart pounding. I probably had the same dream 4 times last night. When my alarm went off, I was exhausted. :-(

That finished at 4 pm

Labels: Daily Life, Dreams, Food, Friends, Gaming, Health

posted by Lisa at 12:46 PM |

 
Thank Gods It's Friday!

Lisa and Jay came over last night so Jay and I could do some character development on my new D & D character. I need to come up with a name for her, but she's an Elf Druidess. I'm looking forward to playing her; I think she'll make for a challenge. My TMNT character is very flakey, my Serenity character is a hard ass, and now I've a very wise if cold and aloof D & D character. I haven't played my TMNT Aussie character yet; it will be interesting to see how she turns out...

Jay and Lisa also gave Anthony and I souvenirs from Scotland. They gave me a pewter keychain (I love keychains, silly as that is) and a beautiful little memory/jewelry box with a blonde fairy perched on the lid. Anthony got a sparkly blue dragon. Thanks Jay and Lisa!! It's nice to be thought of. ^_^ Dre also popped over so that she could level her D & D character, so I had a full livingroom for a while.

They left around 11, and I got ready for bed, only to realize I'd forgotten to make chili for the potluck that was going on at work today. So, at 11:30, in my pjs, I started making chili. I got the soy on, and as I was opening the first can of 4, the can opener broke. The handle you turn broke right off. Anthony ended up using the juice triangle thing to poke holes along the lids of the remaining 3 cans so I could get them on. Then after I dumped the can of tomatoes into the pot, I realized I'd grabbed the whole tomatoes, not the diced. It's actually kind of hard to slice up tomatoes when they are in a pot full of beans and ground soy. :-P My 15 minute chili ended up taking a half hour. By the time I cleaned up, and got to bed, it was about 12:30.

I woke this morning pretty tired, and decided that since I had a pot to take with me, I'd sleep in and take a cab rather than lug the pot on the bus with me. I got 3/4 of the way to work, in the cab, before I realized I'd forgotten the chili. It was a total blonde moment. :-P My co-worker Anne was kind enough to bring me home during my break this morning to get it.

Then the potluck. I am *so* full right now! All I can say is "Oh! My points!" and "Good thing I have a run scheduled for this evening." :-P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 12:42 PM |

 
Waiting on Wednesday

Let's see... Monday after work I went to the gym to switch my member ship from the couple rate as Anthony is cancelling his membership to the Xerox corporate rate, which is actually very reasonable. I then did 20 minutes on the treadmill doing 3 and 1's. Running on the treadmill seems easier; maybe its because its no problem to maintain pace. ^_^ I also did a good upper body workout, although I think it may be time to increase some of my weights. By the time I got home and had supper, it was almost 9.

Yesterday was one of those days. I didn't really feel like working, which made for a long work day. :-P I got home around 6, had fish and some tasty asparagus and basil soup before Anthony and I headed over to John and Sabine's for TMNT. I didn't have a ton to do just the way things worked out. I had gone ahead and thanks to some horrible rolling, hijinks ensued for the others. It certainly was exciting though. At one point we were all on the edge of our seats watching as Anthony rolled literally for his last point of HP. Now, if only we can learn to get through the easy stuff without making it into a big production! :-P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Gaming, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:06 AM |

 
BBC's 50 Things to Eat Before You Die
Mazzer mentioned this on his blog, so I thought I'd look it up. I've bolded the things I've eaten.

1: Fresh fish
2: Lobster
3: Steak
4: Thai food
5:Chinese food
6: Ice cream
7: Pizza
8: Crab
9: Curry
10: Prawns
11: Moreton Bay Bugs
12: Clam chowder
13: Barbecues
14: Pancakes
15: Pasta
16: Mussels
17: Cheesecake
18: Lamb
19: Cream tea
20: Alligator
21: Oysters
22: Kangaroo
23: Chocolate
24: Sandwiches
25: Greek food
26: Burgers
27: Mexican food
28: Squid
29: American diner breakfast
30: Salmon
31: Venison
32: Guinea pig
33: Shark
34: Sushi
35: Paella
36: Barramundi
37: Reindeer
38: Kebab
39: Scallops
40: Australian meat pie
41: Mango
42: Durian fruit
43: Octopus
44: Ribs
45: Roast beef
46: Tapas
47:Jerk chicken/pork
48: Haggis
49: Caviar
50: Cornish pasty

Labels: Food, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 12:59 PM |

 
Congrats!

Yesterday my sister graduated from St. Thomas University. Congratulations again Krista! I'm very proud of you!

The Weekend in Review

Friday night we ran the second act of 'Cabaret.' It went well. There were a few flubs etc. but the show is really growing. There's a bit of a buzz and excitement to the rehearsals now that makes it that much more fun. ^_^ Afterwards, a bunch of us headed over to The Blue Olive to hear Kizzy sing with Opa. I didn't stay very long, just for a glass of wine and an appetizer. Then it was home to bed because I was very tired.

Saturday I was up early to meet my co-workers at the Superstore for a team photo. It took about a half hour; it turns out that its hard to get a photo of 15 people and have everyone with their eyes open. :-P I got home about 11 am, and read for a bit. Around noon, I felt really sluggish, so I had a 30 min power nap before heading to rehearsal. We did a run of the first half, which went well. We finished about 4 and I headed home to make a pot of soy chili for S & A's Cinco de Mayo party, and then I chilled for a few hours before we headed over.

Anthony was working, so we didn't get there until a little after 8, but we were still in time for plenty of eats. And, oh, there were eats. Highlights had to be Dre's guacamole, Mare's trifle, (sorry Sue, I didn't have any of your brownies-they went too fast!), the pulled pork and beef and Allison's cheesy dip. Yum! My chili was also well received by Anthony and Alex, both of whom probably ate a 1/4 of the pot each. ^_^ I wasn't in the mood to do much drinking, so I enjoyed the food and some Fresca. There were a lot of people there. I didn't even get to speak to everyone over the course of the night. I ended up going to bed at about 3 am as the guys were setting up some crazy drinking game that included string, dice and glasses of water. It sounded needlessly complicated. :-P

Sunday we all slept in, and had left over pulled meat with tortillas, left over guac, dip, and sour cream. Mmmm!! We ended up throwing out a lot of food that had been left out. It was a real shame to waste so much. :-( We headed back into town about 2 or so with the plan that Anthony would go into work. We ended up curling up together and having a nap until about 4. I ate a quick supper and headed down to one of the churches on Germain street for our first rehearsal with the band. They had obviously done their homework and sounded great! All of a sudden it felt like a musical. ^_^ We got through it far more quickly than anticipated and I was home fairly early. I ended up playing FFXII for a few hours, which was a nice treat.

Yesterday I slept in a bit and took my time getting ready. Mom and Rich picked me up a little after 11 am, and we headed for Fredericton for Krista's graduation. We got there about 12:30 and after a quick stop at Starbucks, we picked up Kris and Sam. The ceremony was in the courtyard, and while it was good we got there early to get a decent parking spot and seats, it was very hot in Fredericton. Mom had some sunblock in the car but it was only SPF 15 and it didn't go a long way. We ended up going into the rec building about halfway through the ceremony (after Kris got her diploma of course ^_^) to discover my shoulders and chest were already quite rosy. (I think it will fade quickly though) We picked up Krista's yearbook and composite photo for her as well as purchased a frame and mat for her diploma. After the ceremony, we all went to dinner at Swiss Chalet before heading home home. It was about 8:30 by the time we got back to Saint John. The rest of the evening was spent reading the last bunch of Sin City books loaned to me by Sabine and watching Anthony play some crazy 360 cop game.

Labels: Books, Daily Life, Food, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 12:06 PM |

 
All Work And Lots of Play Make Lisa a Tired Girl!

It was a busy, busy weekend. I know, what a shocker. :-P After work on Friday, Anthony, Doug and Colleen picked me up at work and we raced off to Fredericton to catch the 6:40 viewing of "Hot Fuzz." It was super funny and totally worth the drive. Those guys are hilarious! After the movie, we popped into Chapters for Starbucks and I picked up a book of 4 Ibsen plays for $9.95. Then it was back to Saint John.

Saturday we were up early-ish. I needed to weigh in and Anthony wanted to rejoin, so we headed over east. Anthony dropped me off at 11:30 for our music rehearsal, which luckily wasn't super long. When we finished, I went down to Suzy Shier to find something to wear for our girls night. I did well. I tried on about half the store, but I found a shirt, a jean skirt and a super girly floofy dress that was totally unnecessary but I love it. ^_^ I went to the bank to deposit a cheque, and on the way up to the market, ran into Doug and Colleen. I ended up joining them for a break at Java Moose, and then we headed to the market together. I got some Korean food to take home for supper and Sense of Tokyo had a booth set up, so I got some uber-tasty dragon rolls for lunch. That's some good sushi! :-d

That gave me just enough time to go home, eat, change and head back to the rehearsal space for dance rehearsal. It was a good rehearsal. We worked hard for three full hours, learning new stuff, tweaking other things. It was great! I got home at about 6:30, heated up supper and relaxed for an hour. Then it was time to start getting ready to head over to Kristi's for our girls night. It was a blast! It was the Kit Kat girls, Jenn, Dre, Kizzy, Heather and Sabine. Dre and Kizzy helped with makeup, and we chatted, etc. until 12:30 when we finally realized the time and made our way to Studio 54. As part of their 5 year annivesary celebrations, the bar was opened until 3. By the time I got home, got changed and relaxed, it was 4 am.

When my phone rang about 11 am, my first thought was "Gah, its morning." That thought was immediately followed by "Mmmm... pancakes." It was then I registered that my phone was ringing. :-P I answered the phone and it was Anthony telling me how he'd lost his keys. In Moncton. I then called Sabine, asked how she felt about pancakes and we met 30 minutes later. Cora's was closed, so we ended up in Reggie's, where Irwin joined us. After breakfast, I made a pitstop at the Bargain Shop and the Smart Kart before rehearsal. We got started the run a bit late, which bumped everything late. We finished rehearsal at almost 6 pm. I joined Dre and Kizzy for a super quick bite at Churchills before Dre and I headed over to Jay and Lisa's for part 2 of the Serenity 'pilot.' I was tired, but it was good to go and think about something other than Cabaret. Plus, Mare made Fruity Oaty Bars. :-d Mmmm.....

And now, its Monday. I've booked tomorrow off for vacation. I totally need a break that involved sleeping in. Holly gave me a gift certificate for a manicure at Ambiance; I may try to book that for tomorrow afternoon. ^_^

Labels: Books, Daily Life, Food, Gaming, Movies, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:06 AM |

 
Tired and Full of Sushi

Last night was our cast and crew karaoke night. It was big fun. ^_^ It was nice to sing and have a good time. It was also great being able to chat a bit with Karen and Jason. I don't know either of them very well, so it was a good opportunity to do so. We're *so* busy at rehearsals that its hard to really converse with people.

Today we had a run of the first half of the play. It went well. Us Kit Kat girls *really* need to start singing while we dance. Turns out its harder to do them at the same time. :-P After rehearsal, Dre and I had a dinner date at Sense of Tokyo, the Japanese restaurant on Waterloo. It was excellent. I recommend trying it out if you haven't already.

I'm not very full and contemplating whether or not to take a nap while Facebooking. ^_^

Labels: Daily Life, Food

posted by Lisa at 5:41 PM |

 
Monday Blues

It feels like a Monday.

After a long day at work Thursday, I headed to St. Mac's for dance rehearsal. We got a lot done, almost finishing Mein Herr, but after the 3 hours, we were feeling sluggish. I opted to go home after rehearsal, take a bath to soothe my sore muscles and game a bit before going to bed.

Friday, I slept in a bit, and then it was off to another dance rehearsal for 1 pm. We finished Mein Herr and got two of the last three items done for Don't Tell Mama. We also had costume fittings, which was both fun and scary. ^_^ My "Brooke" costume is extremely ladylike and elegant in comparison. :-P We finished up at 4:30 and I treated myself to Phad Thai for supper because I was not feeling up to cooking anything. I dozed off after I'd eaten, only to be awaken by a rowdy Kaylee at 6:55, just in time to run out for music rehearsal at 7. It was a good rehearsal though; I think we've really got The Money Song now. We just have to become more confident with it; it's a tough song. That evening, Anthony and I rented "Flushed Away," which is awesome. It's super cute; I totally recommend it.

Saturday I slept in a bit more, and did a few things around the apartment after lunch and before music rehearsal at 2. We finished at 3:30 and then Anthony and I went to pick up Holly and Ryan to go out to Anthony's parents' place. They spoiled us, as usual. We got our usual treats and card, but they also got us a slow cooker, which I've been wanting for ages. ^_^

We got home about 9, and I decided I wasn't up for Elwoods, so I called Michelle to see if she wanted to go dancing. We decided not to wait outside in the cold and snow for Studio 54 and went instead to Club Montreal. We had a blast! We got on the dance floor and stayed there for two hours. I felt so relaxed afterwards! By the time we got home and got Michelle home, it was 4 am when I finally turned out my light.

Sunday I slept in a lot. :-P We headed out to Cora's for a late lunch around 2. I had the apple-cheddar crepe, which was kind of disappointing. We headed home, and I ran through my routines while Anthony gamed. I don't have a good chair for Mein Herr though; the back is too high and it slips too much on the hardwood. :-( I scrubbed the livingroom floor, washed the bed linens, and did a couple of loads of laundry, watched some Buffy and then we rented "For Your Consideration," the Oscar buzz film by the same group that did "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show." It was really weak; I was disappointed. I went to bed after that. Although I was tired, I couldn't fall asleep. I couldn't get comfortable and my mind wouldn't stop racing. I'm pretty tired today.

I'm looking forward to playing "Serenity" tonight though. ^_^ It's my first foray into the world of RPGs.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Movies, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 11:00 AM |

 
It’s Almost Funny At This Point…

Incredibly childish, and very lame, but almost funny at the same time. Almost. What a way to live. *shakes head*

But that is neither here nor there. ^_^

So Julie ended up having to work a little later than expected, so I pulled up a bench in King Square and read. When I got her call at 6:30 or so, I walked down the Smart Kart where she and I had dinner. She got the Phad Thai and I tried the beef stirfry, which was very tasty. It had ginger in it, so it was both zesty and a bit spicy. Yum! :-d

Then we headed to the porn store on Waterloo to get some decorations/ideas for the party. We did see a number of things, but they were too expensive. For example, a package of six penis straws was $4.95, and they weren’t even very elaborate or large. Breast confetti: $5.95. Julie ended up getting some ice cube trays, and I’ll be going in on Saturday to get the welcome gifts and the prize for best costume. I’m really excited for the party! I think it is going to be a lot of fun. ^_^

Anthony went to see “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” (alone, because nobody else has any desire to see it), and since I was alone, I played “The Urbz” for a bit. I’ve almost got it beat, but in a couple of areas, I have to ‘beat’ the villain, but the villain won’t appear! I’m not sure if there is something special I have to do, or if I just have to wait it out. Then I watched an episode of Buffy, read for a bit, and then went to bed.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 12:26 PM |