Monkey Do

Today I have to talk about one of the best restaurants in Halifax: The Wooden Monkey. The Wooden Monkey is located in a old corner building on the main social drag of downtown HFX. When I first moved here I had heard that it was a vegetarian restaurant and so ... I never went. I know that sounds bad, but that was the reason.

Then a new program year started at work and I was invited to go with a couple of co-workers to try the vegan nachos. They were excellent!!! And from that moment forward I became a fan of the monkey. I have been back rather consistently and I always try something new on the menu. That doesn't mean I don't have my favourite. The lamb burger is by far one of my favourite eats in the city. It comes with a mint-infused chevre spread that is to-die-for! It even has all my favourite micro-brew beers on the menu! (More exclamations points!!)

Tonight was another work event and I so I enjoyed another lamb burger. But I did try the organic blueberry pie. What a treat. Just a touch of maple syrup added to the field berries - the small ones - and a spelt crust. The same pie that Keith Richards demanded to have delivered backstage at last year's Rolling Stones concert. Thus, I was prompted to devote a few lines to this special Halifax place.

You can scope it out here: The Wooden Monkey.

When Judy Greer is My Best Friend...

... I will be about to meet the man of my dreams.

You see, Judy is a consistent go-to gal pal for up-and-coming actresses staring in their first romantic comedy. I offer the following evidence:

2001 - The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez
2004 - 13 Going on 30 opposite Jennifer Garner
2007 - 27 Dresses supporting Katherine Heigl

And in these chick flicks the starlets are always on the brink of being romanced by Mr. Right and Judy is there to offer (a refreshing)comedic edge. And so, if Ms. Greer were to suddenly become my best friend I don't think I would be far off in thinking that love was soon to follow. And really, as love may arrive with this guy, or this guy, or (goodness) this guy ... I would not complain.

OMG! Ted & Barney Broke Up!

Not everyone I know watches TV like I do. That's fair. I understand. A lot of people have very busy lives and hours of TV watching just doesn't make sense. For me, TV has always been a bit of a staple on my agenda. And, as evidenced by this blog, has even been a consistent date on my calendar. Yes, I am one of those people that will plan things AROUND TV programs. Even in this age of downloading, I still enjoy the moment of deliberately sitting down to watch something ... on purpose. And, in a similar vein, I have not converted to downloading my TV archives. Thus, my bookshelf is full of actual boxsets rather than reams of disks. And one of the shows that has managed to retain status in both ways is "How I Met Your Mother".

I first mentioned the AWESOMENESS of HIMYM a couple of years ago. And, amazingly the show has maintained its momentum and continues to be a worthy diversion. I recently aquired the first two seasons on DVD and consumed them at a mad pace.
The Pineapple Incident - featuring a guest role by Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper people!!!).
Game Night - where the seattle-ness of the 90s is fully exposed.
Slap Bet - the greatest betting system ever and the introduction of Robin Sparkles.
Showdown - cause anything featuring "The Price is Right" is awesome!
It is addictive. And it makes me laugh. It makes me laugh out loud in my living room and joins the entertainment ranks of "Coupling" and "Arrested Development". It should not be denied.

Currently the show is in its third season. And admittedly, it was a challenge to catch all the Monday night episodes last fall. However, after the writer's stike the show returned last week with a comedic vengeance (80s pop referencing, Dawson Leery and Canadiana ALL in one episode). Then, tonight the show continued form by breaking up the friendship of two main characters. Intense. What a fabulous turn. I cannot wait for next week? What will we do without Barney in the mix? How will he redeem himself? What will everyone say to Ted? See ... addictive.

If that doesn't sell you it might be helpful to know that the show offers a TV version of the emerging comedy kingdom currently ruled by Judd Apatow. And while Judd has moved on from his TV activities ("Freaks & Geeks", "Undeclared") into the world of the big screen (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) his influence is still on HIMYM. The obvious link is the casting of Jason Segel who began on F&G, rules on HIMYM and is currently starring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall - written by Segel and produced by Apatow. Add to the mix the retro cache of Neil Patrick Harris, the cult lovability of Allyson Hannigan and a series of in-joke cameos and you can't go wrong. Seriously, try it.

Marvelous Munchkins

This is one of those posts that is all about showcasing my niece and nephew. Sometimes they offer up moments of amazing-ness that cannot be denied. This one is all about the youthful shagginess of soft, fine hair. And the flushed cheeks. And the coming together of a brother and his little sister standing together on the edge of life's beginning!

What To Do???

Ok ... here is the situation. I have NO idea what to do with my life. Seriously. So I turned to my trusted Free Will horoscope and received this comment:

"If you don't articulate your conscious desires, your unconscious patterns will come true."

So what do I do? What job do I try to find? Should I do my phd? When? Where? Do I move to Ontario? Do I stay in Halifax? Do I work in management consulting? Do I try to get some teaching experience? Do I stay doing what I'm doing?

I am feeling so completely lost right now. I have three months to build a plan. Three months to decision time. I had made up my mind to leave my job, finish school and move to Ontario to be close to family. I needed to do this to motivate myself to make a change. To push me out of inertia. But now that the school is done I find myself wondering if the decision that made me move is really a decision TO move. And I am feeling (as Nat rightly intuited - smart girl that one!) that my fear over the phd has subsided now that the stress of the master's paper is over.

But what does that mean? The earliest a phd could begin would be September 2009. So do I want to start it now? I had almost convinced myself that some work experience beforehand would be an asset (it would be) but if I go to work now, will I ever go back to school? And I feel like I am running out of time. If I start a phd then I will be 38 when its done ... what does that mean for equity-building, a relationship, children? What does it mean if I don't do it? Will I be further ahead or farther behind? How does one decide?

So here I sit on a sunny day trying to take control of my life and finding it to be a slippery bar of soap that I keep dropping. Which brings me back to that scarily accurate horoscope line. I guess this means I have to write out what I WANT lest my fear, inertia and indecision return to take me on another detour.

Totally Teeth

Here it is ... Maebe's teeth shot. I love the idea that two big chompers in the front take a kid's smile from gumminess to totally adorable. It completely changes the look of her face to have a couple of pearly whites in the mix. And look how happy she is!! Love it!

Being Loved

So when you have a crappy week and you call your mom in tears she can do a really nice thing for you ... like send you flowers. And if the delivery guy doesn't mess it up too much you will actually get the flowers the next day after they have sat in the rain. But the rain will offer some moments of photographic joy trying to capture the drops on the petals.

...

And you will feel sunny and loved even though the world outside is grey and you are very tired from the week. Thank you to my parents for all their love and support. And for reminding me to see the raindrops on roses.

F & A

There is a line in the film Rounders that explains how many guys can't play no-limit hold'em because they "can't handle the swings". I think this concept could also apply to my mental state in the last 24hrs. This week was my last week of school - the last week of my MBA degree. It was also a big week at work. And so I found myself with too much to do in the hours I had available.

The casualty of this situation was study time for my final in accounting. And so I found myself on Thursday evening sitting down to a 3-hour exam completely unprepared. I even arrived with the wrong bag meaning I had NO calculator, pencil or pen for the exam. I should have known at that moment things would not go well. The exam itself was a stress marathon of NOT knowing the answers and I left sad and tearful. I admit to being a drama queen about my grades but I truly hate the feeling of failure. So Thursday was an F.

So Friday arrived and my energy was low. I was also feeling mildly panicked about my final research paper being in limbo and unsure about it getting confirmed before the next week's deadline. But with one email all of that changed and the paper was approved, my academic albatross given its freedom and my grade assigned ... and A.

And so the pendulum swings back the other way to a state of glee and satisfaction. To be honest ... such swings are exhausting. But in the end the balance will turn out to be positive so I can't really complain.

His Crushworthiness

Yes, time to extoll the virtues of another crush of mine as his recent appearance in the Man of Style section of my In Style magazine suggests he is about to become a BIG name. Interesting his characteristics are the complete opposite of my last crushboy - James McAvoy. So meet Gerard Butler. My first notice of him was in the Lara Croft sequel where he romanced Angelina Jolie with so much masculine charm I thought the screen might melt. Since that time he has been a cinematic favourite of mine (although I did skip out on The Phantom of the Opera).

The thing about Butler is that he manages to be manly and soft at the same time. He has eyes that burn right into you and arms so sculpted you want to be held in them for days. He has somehow managed to be an action star and a romantic lead with equal skill and this mix is what makes true crushes worthy. A native of Scotland, Butler's big break was obviously 2006's 300 but the ladies will launch him to stardom based on his work in last year's P.S. I Love You. I challenge anyone to find a more perfect, sexy and romantic leading man than Butler in that film. I was reminded of Butler this week as the ads for the family adventure film Nim's Island kept popping up on TV. There are also rumours around that he is dating Cameron Diaz which I really hope is untrue. Still I am taking some time to honour his crushworthiness before the bandwagon gets too crowded and there is no longer any room for my swooning self.

Bio-Blog #20 - Anna

Spring is here so bio-blogs are back! Another chance to share my friends with my friends - cause who else would be reading this rambling page! So for the first entry of this year I want to present my friend Anna. First off, Anna got these great pics done this year to celebrate her happy life and puppy (Stella) which is why she is rocking the photographic hotness. This is not to say that she doesn't rock naturally because she does.

My friendship with Anna really began over a cup of coffee on the Halifax waterfront in the summer of 2007. Since that time she has emerged as a true supporter and confidante at a time when I really needed one. The fact that we can shop, riff on shoes, enjoy Clive Owen's sex appeal, talk about boys and drink red wine together only helps the situation more. Finding genuine friends is always a gift and I am so happy that Anna happened to arrive in my path. Here is to the year behind us and the years yet to come.

I am ... a litle bit country and a little bit rock&roll
I can ... touch my nose with my tongue
I love ... being greeted by my dog every day when I go home. It reminds me that no matter how crappy my day was, she loves me for who I am. Or, she really needs to pee - one or the other.
I will ... not eat yellow snow

What is your sign? Capricorn
Where were you born? Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Where do you live now? Halifax

What has been the best place you've visited in between and why?
Northern California. Great sunshine, great beaches, great energy, beautiful scenery, and any place where you risk sunburn in February is a-ok with me.

What is your favourite:
Movie - Napoleon Dynamite
Book - 'Eat, Pray, Love' - and not just because it's trendy.
TV Show - What Not to Wear
Drink - SCHOONER!

Who is your celebrity hottie of choice?
I am married to Clive Owen. One of these days he'll actually know it's really true.

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world ... who would it be and why?
Stephen Lewis. I forever admire his tireless commitment and passion to making the world a better place. He reminds me that even if you think you're just one little person, you can make all the difference in the world.

How do you know Raye? Through friends
What 3 words would you use to describe Raye?
Kind Hearted - Loyal - Intelligent

Do you have your own website? Nope.