Cake Hole.

http://www.presidentschoice.ca/LCLOnline/products.jsp?type=details&keywords=ice+cream&productId=prod710029






Just click on that link.


Seriously, just take a couple of seconds, and check out what's behind that link.


Yeah.  That's right.  


PC Loads of Decadent Chocolatey Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.


Not exactly what someone trying to get healthier would choose to eat, right?  


Yuh'd think.  But OH no.  I come home from a delicious meal with family and friends, full of grilled steak and baked potatoes (hold the butter) and fresh peppers and corn (again, hold the butter).  Satisfied.  Happy.  Especially proud that I didn't drench my corn in butter.

Then I come home, open the freezer door to get some ice cubes for my big healthy glass of water and there it is staring me in the face.  


Ice cream comes out of fridge.  Spoon goes into ice cream.  Ice cream inserts itself into my big mouth.  


What is WITH that?  Like seriously.  I know I'm not the ONLY one out there eating tasty snacks tonight who knows they shouldn't be.  It's not that tasty snacks are wrong, or that they should be banned and labeled "bad".  It's just like, if you want to get healthy and lose some weight, and you are a smart, rational human being, where is the disconnect?  Where do I fly off to in those few minutes between getting the ice cubes and putting the ice cream back in the fridge?


If you are at home crunching away on chips (delish!) and suckin' back an ice cold Pepsi (and know you're going to be repulsed with yourself in the morning), check out:


www.sparkpeople.com  


I bought the book The Spark, and have started using the website.  It is better than I can describe.  Just check it out.


Secondly, go and buy Geneen Roth's newest book Women, Food and God.  I am like SOOOO saving up to go on one of her retreats.  Seriously though, I am.  Her experiences and her writing are fascinating and hilarious.  SHE has figured out what goes on between the ice cubes and the regret.  And I'm going to TOO.  


Friggin' delicious "chocolatey" ice cream.  

Ding ding ding! Can you hear the Bell? Because I can't!

You know how the other day I was recounting the story of David and his Bell experiences, how he's been trying for almost 2 years to get his phone fixed/replaced?

Well this afternoon he called the "executive number" given to him by the assistant manager at the Bell store.  They were on the phone for 8 minutes, until she hung up on him.  He is now on the phone with Bell again, talking with someone different, and had to tell the whole story over again.

Um, just wanted to put that out there!

Lessons from Donatella.

"I don't do things halfway.  I want to desire everything around me."  - Donatella Versace

I found that quote in the September 2009 issue of InStyle and never forgot it.  I remember lying awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, reading this magazine.  The feeling of fall was in the air, and the energy of autumn was practically vibrating.  I was inspired by page after page of great photography, styling, fashion, and articles.  I remember at the time feeling overwhelmed by many things, and one of my big energy-zappers was that I had way too much STUFF around me.  I didn't have the space to store all of the things I'd accumulated over the years, and quite honestly, did not need it all.  The issue of emotional attachment to objects is a problem with me.  I suppose if I owned a few mansion-sized homes, I'd have somewhere to store all of these tactile memories.  (Un?)fortunately, this isn't the case.

So I'm lying there, looking around the room, unsettled by the number of Things That Have No Home.  Then I turn to this one article.  This particular story written by Hal Rubenstein has never left me.  What was it about?  Donatella Versace simplifying her duplex in Milan, of course!  I almost didn't read it.  Here's me, in my apartment, wondering where to put my piddly bits, staring at this photograph of Donatella in her ruched aquamarine dress, "simplifying" her "apartment" in Milan by redecorating in a less ornate fashion.  The link between us was not immediately apparent.  She talked about wanting to come home at the end of the day to a feeling of serenity.  "The height of luxury is to be comfortable in your own surrounding.  And for that I need to see light and feel it all around me."  Comfortable in your own surrounding.  That is what I was missing.  I had nowhere, no PLACE where I ever, ever felt totally comfortable.

Then, on the next page, I saw the quote.

 "I don't do things halfway... ."   Related a little there (extreme much?)

 "I want to desire everything around me."

Blink.

Another slower, more thoughtful blink.

That is the key.  To desire everything around you.

So in the past year, one of my goals has been to purge my life of the Stuff that Sucks (the life out of me).  If it doesn't feel good to look at something, I throw it out.  I WILL admit,  sometimes it takes awhile to get to the final throw-out stage and that is due to such thoughts as these:

1* I don't like this, but I'd better keep it because Friend gave it to me and I know SHE liked it so it's mean of me to throw it out.  And what if she asks if I still have it?

2* This really isn't something I will ever use, but because Mom gave it to me, and she would be hurt if I gave it away, so I'd better tuck it away (for another 5-10 years).

3*  I spent money to buy that, and it's wasteful to just throw it out.

4*  Oh, I got that on my/our trip to Fill-in-the-Blank.  Who knows when I'll be back there, I'd better keep that (scarf, pen, book, map, necklace, jacket, shoes, mascara... you get the point.)

5* Well, yes, I haven't used it in 7 years.  But what if I DO need it and then I've thrown it out.  How wasteful to have to go and re-buy something!


Really?  So I've come up with ways to deal with all of these guilt-filled, clutter-collecting doubts:

1* If our friendship is that shallow, maybe that friend is part of the Stuff that Sucks.

2* This is hard, because the mother relationship is so heavy-laden with heavy-ladenness.  But I've started realizing I can't hold on to people and good times just by holding onto a scarf I will never wear.  Into the box for someone else to wear and love.

3* It's just as wasteful to buy it and not be using/wearing it.  PLUS it takes up space, and makes me  feel anxious (non-serene) in a cluttery home.  That is MORE wasteful.

4* Holding on to travel memorabilia.  Some things I will NEVER get rid of (jewelry from Venice, handmade shoes from Florence, that lush sweater from Jerusalem- you get the point), but those buttons and maps and pens with no ink left?  Puhl-ease.  Garbage.  Also note:   not holding ON frees up more space for dreaming about the next trip.  That whole moving aHEAD thing, instead of that whole looking BACKwards thing...

5* Chances are , the item that you will have to re-buy (p.s. You likely will never ever need to do this) is going to be less expensive now, or findable for cheap on eBay.  OR it will have been improved upon, and you'll have a better product than you had originally.

Big inhale  .... SO.  If you are wanting to serenit-ize and de-clutter your life, ask yourself these two questions:

1.  Do I still love/have use for this item?  (Do I desire it?)

2.  How does this item make me feel (Do I desire it?)

How many more days until the September 2010 InStyle hits the stands... ????  :)

You've got a LOT of gall missy!

Or at least I do.  Gallbladder attack that is.  Hence the EX-KUH-RU-TI-A-TING PAIN on the weekend.

For me the symptoms were super tight chest/diaphragm pain, leading into my shoulder blade.  Apparently classic symptoms.  Went to my naturopath today, thank goodness.  And thank goodness I didn't go to the hospital, I might be in the OR right now.

On another note, another Shoppers Drug Mart story.  You know the other day when I took the Cover Girl shadowblast back?  I didn't feel like getting into unnecessary details, but she didn't take it back right on the spot, she said it was no problem to return it, it just had to be at the same SDM it was purchased (as of January 2010).  So today I took it back to the SDM where I bought it, and they were like, "What?  That's ridiculous, you can return any products to ANY Shoppers.  Sometimes it's not great if that certain Shoppers doesn't carry the product, but everywhere carries this CG product, so that is ridiculous, she should have taken it back right then and saved you another trip out here."

So what's wit dat?

I'm of course not going to let it go, and will be emailing SDM to find out their policy on returns/locations.  Will advise.

Shelley, this one's for you

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P247392&categoryId=S11505&shouldPaginate=true

Breathless.

I have basically been on my back for the past 2 days in a state of super pain, barely able to breathe. I do not know what the heck triggered this, but I woke up yesterday morning with a horrible, painful tightness that ran all the way across my ribcage and behind my right shoulder. I'm used to my right side being pretty messed up, but this was another story. Finally by around 3 in the afternoon, hardly able to breathe due to the constriction and in tears from the pain, I finally called my massage therapist and asked what she thought I should do. She said I needed to call emergency chiro, asap, and go from there. Of course I didn't want to call emergency, because I was scared it wasn't "bad enough". Well I went and Lord am I glad I did. He worked on me for 50 minutes, couldn't believe the state I was in physically, and did as much as he could. He said if the pain and shortness of breath continued, to get to the ER as soon as possible. Um, scary a little? So I got home and laid down. The pain subsided somewhat and I felt like I had more space in my chest to breathe. I slept for about 10 hours last night and feel significantly better today, well enough to be concerned about why the heck my Blackberry just stopped sending or receiving texts (gasp!) And well enough to write a blog. ;) Frigg though that's scary. I need a new muscular system. And skeletal system. Anyway enough of my lamenting, I have to do a quick rant about something fun. What can the topic be tonight... how about barbecued hamburgers? Just do this and you will love me. Your mouth will love me more. Take a pound of no-crap-added ground beef (seriously, this is the key to the ultimate deliciousness). Add a tsp of Worcestershire, a tsp of dijon, 1/2 tsp. salt, one egg, and enough bread crumb action to make the beef firm enough (if you're using regular ground beef from the grocery store, you may not need to add the bread crumbs, see what you think). I also sprinkle in a little pepper sometimes. Anyway form the beef into 3-4 good size patties, and press your thumb into the centre of Le Burger so it doesn't do that puffing up thing that makes burgers too tiny for their bun. You know what I'm sayin'. Anyway while the burger's cookin (about 6-8 minutes per side), get a tasty, spicy BBQ sauce and baste the burgs. Put burger on delicious soft hamburger bun with relish, Kozlik's Canadian Maple mustard (delish!), and whatever other tasty toppings you have around. I often throw on a pan of onions and cook them on the BBQ along with the burgers. I slap on a slice of cheese (Kraft singles... I know... kind of defeats the purpose of the hormone-free beef yes?) and off you go. Such splendor on a bun. Ok, what else... Any makeup comments that I would like to share today? YES ACTUALLY. Lancome Juicy Tubes. Berry Bold smells SO good. Wait a second. Berry. Bold. I have a BLACKBERRY BOLD. That is like, WAY freaky right? ;)

(Totally not) Saved by the Bell

I have a bunch of stuff to rave about today, both fun and not fun. First, not fun: Bell sucks it. David bought a phone on a 3-year plan, almost 2 years ago. Long story short, he has had nothing but issues with the phone since about 2 months after he bought it. Since we are both self-employed, having operational phones is a big deal. Anyway today, for the third time, he took his phone in to the Bell store. Well, not actually HIS phone. He hasn't had his own phone for MONTHS now. He's been using this ugly white loaner phone that Bell gave him since they wouldn't replace HIS phone. During the first repair, someone at the Bell store screwed up the warranty paperwork with the factory. Because of this, despite having extended warranty coverage, they they won't give him a new phone. They keep "fixing" the old phone, but it never gets fixed, so he keeps getting these loaner phones and having to delete and switch all his data into this stupid temporary loaner. This last loaner was such a dud that finally he went in today again to see where HIS phone was and we were there for over an hour. The first guy we dealt with, Joe, was totally uncaring and unhelpful. He did as little as possible, and it was like someone reciting a training manual, his answers were so practiced. When David asked to speak with the manager, Joe came out and stood next to her and the more she and David discussed (nicely, but strongly) the issues, I saw Joe turning his head and rolling his eyes haughtily. I could not deal with his attitude. Anyway, once again, they weren't able to give him a phone out of their stock, and everything was "We can't do that on a store level", "If you want something to be done, you'll have to call the executive office", "Well your phone is two years old, maybe it's time you get a NEW PHONE". OK, I'm sorry, but that is where I had to say something. I was like, "Um, the issues didn't start NOW, they started TWO YEARS AGO", to which she replied that SHE didn't even live in this city two years ago. How THAT is relevant to David getting a properly-functioning phone of his own, I do not know. And regarding calling head office? I said, "Why should we do that on OUR time? We've already spent about 5 hours at this store trying to fix this issue. While we're here, with you, at the Bell store, why don't we go and call head office right now, while you, the manager, are here with us, and you can speak on our behalf, and request that something be done for us regarding a new phone." Not happening. She finally told David that this was now totally up to him, they were unable to help him as they obviously couldn't be handing out new phones to customers from their stock at the store. They wouldn't call head office, and basically said tough shit, you shouldn't be using a phone that's outdated, why don't you upgrade your phone... yes, of course you'll need to sign a new 3-year contract. WHAT? Like, WHAT??? He already PAID $110 to get extended warranty, an that wasn't even TWO years ago. Like seriously? I have never had issues like this with Rogers. Not that Rogers is perfect, I'm not saying that. But any time I have had issues or questions with my account, they have seriously been awesome. Not to mention that they own Chatelaine and LOULOU, and don't get me going on how much I love those magazines. Bell sucks. Now for fun stuff: 1. I love my Blackberry so much it's sickening. Today I discovered all the little emoticons. As I said, sickening. 2. Pantene is kicking some major ass these days. This is kinda sick, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Last Saturday night, I washed my hair, blow-dried it, then sprayed in some of my new Pantene "Medium THICK Anti-Humidity" hairspray. Now folks, this is not just ANY hairspray. THIS is a hairspray which allows you to not wash your hair for 4 days and still have it look fabulous. Ok, that is the sick part. I washed my hair on Saturday evening, then not again until Wednesday afternoon. Like, usually I wouldn't be able to deal, by Monday morning, I'd be washin' the old hairball. But when my hair was still perfect and clean on Monday, I had to see what Tuesday would look like. Once again, amazing. The way the hairspray keeps the humidity out, and the way it makes the hair feel, you don't have to do a thing to it. So I left it till Wednesday. The sides and back were still fantastic, but the bang area was starting to get a little separated slash oily looking. If you have long-ish hair that's medium/thick, and love the thought of a hairspray that will beat this humidity, just go and buy this. Great price point, and a nice slim can. http://www.pantene.com/en-US/hair-care-products/product/anti-humidity-aerosol-hairspray.aspx 3. Ok, so back to the Cover Girl "smokyshadowblast" that we were all excited about? Well I already established that it is a terrible, useless product (with fabulous advertising that I got sucked into). So I went into Shoppers today and when the cosmetician asked me if she could help me out, I said, "Yes actually. I have a question for you. What is your policy for returning makeup that is total crap?" I went on to take out my Purple Plume and demonstrate the greasiness and the lack of staying power. I was expecting another "There's nothing we can do for you, you'll have to contact Cover Girl" (we'd just left Bell and I was ready to roll if need be). But no, she was fabulous. We talked about which Cover Girl products are awesome (hello, LashBlast), and which ones aren't. Since I still had my receipt (PEOPLE, KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. FOR AT LEAST A MONTH.), she said they would be happy to take the product back. Now that is great customer service, and not only good for Shoppers, but good for Cover Girl. Like, if I had wasted $10 on that shadow stick, I'd have been ticked, and probably not bought Cover Girl again. But now, it's like, okay, I tried it, it sucked, but I was able to return it. That will make me willing to try out CG in the future, and definitely keep going back to Shoppers Drug Mart. Which is a good thing, because dear LORD in heaven I love Optimum points. 4. J'adore Diet Pepsi. I don't believe aspartame is in any way good for you. Just want to put that out there. But man alive I love an icy cold Pepsi rippin' down my throat. 5. One of my goals this summer is to try to drink 8 cups of water a day. This I find VERY hard to do. I've been using a TD bank water bottle, and there's a measuring "label" on the side up to 500mL. It is totally great. I'm up to 4 cups already today. I think I'm going to make 6. Having a bottle with the measure on the side shows you how much you're drinking, so it's more motivating than if you're just trying to guesstimate. Guesstimate. I hate that word. I really don't like two words joined together, unless it's in German, because that is just super fun and hilarious. I also really don't get hyphenated first names. But that could be a blog onto itself. Time for a drink o' water.

This swimsuit is so gorgeous it makes me want to swear.

www.swimwearworld.com/media/catalog

Ok, seriously? Like how fabulous is this swimsuit? And the photography. And the model. And the makeup. And those earrings.

Omg.

I don't even care that like seriously, who looks like this, and who's makeup that looks that delicious, especially when wearing a bathing suit. And really, like, honey, are you going SWIMMING with those hoops in?

WHO CARES? With so much bluh-ness around, sometimes I just need a hard hit of beauty.

Gor-geois.

Blackberries are tasty.

Well, I caved. Today I went and got myself a Blackberry. I feel giddy, yet somewhat ashamed. I have put this Blackberry buying off for quite some time. I am definitely still a pen and paper user, and lover. There is nothing like the smell and feel of a new day planner and a gorgeous pen. But with my line of work and people constantly emailing and texting me, I felt I needed to join the rest of my BBM friends. (Did I just blush a little?) Does it sound like I'm trying to justify this? Maybe a bit. At least the phone didn't cost me anything, because the $125 in Costco money covered that. Am I still justifying? Still a bit. I have always been like this, resisting technological process until I can't stand it anymore, and finally cave. Then I'm always wondering why I waited so long. The moral of this story is if you need a new phone, and don't mind being on a plan for 2-3 years, go to Costco, choose your phone/plan, get your Costco gift cards, pay for your phone with them, and leave with a sexy new Blackberry. Guilt -free. Ish. ;)

Grease. And I don't mean the movie.

Very low pigment (ie. no colour impact at all). Extremely greasy. Don't do it. The ads are awesome, the product is not!

Makeup.

What better way to start off my first official blog than to discuss one of the best things ever created: makeup. I am absolutely crazy about makeup. I love thinking about it. I love looking at it. Looking at it? So many places to look! Magazines, online, in stores, in flyers, with friends, by myself- I don't care, I freaking love it.

This morning I had to run into Shoppers to do an exchange. I think we all know what I left with.

Today's most exciting purchase was the new Cover Girl "smokyshadowblast" that I've been dying to try. I'm usually not a big fan of 2-in-1, and certainly not a fan of pencil shadows. But their ads are so good, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting to try this out because I thought it might be something I could recommend to clients who ask me what makeup they can use that's easy and quick to apply. This little number has your base, liner, and shading all-in-one, and you don't need brushes. And the colour combos are very tasty indeed. So far, things are looking good. I applied the colours (Purple Plume, by the way) a few hours ago, and honey, I am looking pretty hot. No creasing thus far. That is the ultimate test. Will advise.

(Don't worry, I didn't just pick up one makeup-y treat. I also bought Maybelline's Unstoppable eyeliner in 'Cinnabar'. Doesn't everybody need a self-sharpening eyeliner for your purse in case you've run out to mail a letter, thinking you won't see anyone, then you decide to run to the grocery store? Hello foundation compact, liner, and gloss. Fabulous!) ;)