Monday, May 30, 2011
blog mocking art imitating life
i track my starbucks visits. not the number or frequency, but the locations. i know i'm not the only one! which makes this even funnier: that is priceless.
Monday, May 16, 2011
help me get this monkey off my back!
FACT: Vervet monkeys use different alarm calls to warn each other of nearby predators, depending on whether the danger comes from land or from the air.
LSAT QUESTION: Which one of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of the behavior of vervet monkeys described above?
A: By varying the pitch of its alarm call, a vervet monkey can indicate the number of predators approaching.
B: Different land-based predators are responsible for different numbers of vervet monkey deaths.
C: No predators that pose a danger to vervet monkeys can attack both from land and from the air.
D: Vervet monkeys avoid land-based predators by climbing trees but avoid predation from the air by diving into foliage.
E: Certain land-based predators feed only on vervet monkeys, whereas ever predators that attacks vervet monkeys from the air feeds on many different animals.
LSAT INSTRUCTOR: Why do my students always want to argue with me about this question?!?!
LSAT QUESTION: Which one of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of the behavior of vervet monkeys described above?
A: By varying the pitch of its alarm call, a vervet monkey can indicate the number of predators approaching.
B: Different land-based predators are responsible for different numbers of vervet monkey deaths.
C: No predators that pose a danger to vervet monkeys can attack both from land and from the air.
D: Vervet monkeys avoid land-based predators by climbing trees but avoid predation from the air by diving into foliage.
E: Certain land-based predators feed only on vervet monkeys, whereas ever predators that attacks vervet monkeys from the air feeds on many different animals.
LSAT INSTRUCTOR: Why do my students always want to argue with me about this question?!?!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
robert frost(ing)
for this month's mystery box cupcake challenge, i honour the one-hundred and thirty-seventh birthday of robert frost, whose poetry has inspired and haunted me. it even made its way into my high school yearbook write-up.
whose cakes these are i think i know.
his bakery's in the village though;
he will not see me stopping here
to watch his cakes fill up with snow.
my filigree must think it queer
to stop without some fondant near,
between the trees and frosted cake,
the darkest chocolate of the year.
he gives his fragile limbs a shake
and some of them begin to break
the only other sound's the sweep
of easy mint and sugar flake.
the cupcake's lovely, dark, and deep,
but i have promises to keep,
and miles to go before i sleep.
and miles to go before i sleep.
the winner of march’s mystery box cupcake challenge will receive prizes from:
- Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
- Bake It Pretty; a $5 online gift card
- Beanilla; a $7 online gift card
- Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
- Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
- Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a $5 online gift card
- Tundra Books; a selection of 3 very sweet children's books
Saturday, March 12, 2011
the hot team - part i
this week, i have logged 235 minutes of exercise: 60 minutes of advanced step, 20 minutes of jane fonda, 20 minutes of taebo, 45 minutes of body sculpt, 45 minutes of beginner step, and 45 minutes of kickboxing (which i just tried for the first time today!).
so.
a friend of mine playfully alluded to my initiation onto "the hot team," and asked me, "where do you get your motivation?" this isn't an easy question. i mean, i'm a fairly lazy person and, like most people, i run on inertia. there are days and weeks when working out is the bane of my existence. but i've learned that it really is easier to be on your game than to try to catch up when you've fallen behind. to my mind, this is the realization that opens the door to self-discipline in all areas of my life, particularly in academics, relationships, and health. rather than cutting corners, thinking that it's ok to cheat a little, i need to realize that those cheats add up: in all-night writing/cramming sessions, in blow-ups or loneliness because we haven't communicated along the way, in scale-induced guilt, indigestion, or premature exhaustion during a demanding workout. molehills can clump up into mountains if you neglect them too long. take the more expedient route: do it now.
a second crucial realization came in the classroom. i prepare students for a standardized test that i don't administer or set the parameters for. unfortunately, when i finish up the content portion of class early, my students usually take off. they choose not to take advantage of the ten or twenty or even thirty minutes we have left by asking questions or going over homework. they behave as if their potential for growth and test's difficulty are both limited by my agenda for our session. but they're not. there's a gap between where my students are and where they need to be to succeed, and taking full advantage of their resources is the best way for my students to close that gap.
so, that's where i get my motivation: knowing that it's easier to do it now - even if it feels harder - and that i have tools at my disposal to help me. some of them are obvious: a fabulous instructor at my gym, friends who also work out there, sparkpeople.com (where i track my food and exercise religiously and learn more about healthy living), and parents who are also trying to get healthier right now. some are more subtle, but just as essential: how strong i feel when i'm practicing roundhouse kicks and uppercuts, how amazing home-roasted red peppers taste, how affordable produce is, and how much happier i am when i'm hydrated. those things all motivate me. and they're not all.
so.
a friend of mine playfully alluded to my initiation onto "the hot team," and asked me, "where do you get your motivation?" this isn't an easy question. i mean, i'm a fairly lazy person and, like most people, i run on inertia. there are days and weeks when working out is the bane of my existence. but i've learned that it really is easier to be on your game than to try to catch up when you've fallen behind. to my mind, this is the realization that opens the door to self-discipline in all areas of my life, particularly in academics, relationships, and health. rather than cutting corners, thinking that it's ok to cheat a little, i need to realize that those cheats add up: in all-night writing/cramming sessions, in blow-ups or loneliness because we haven't communicated along the way, in scale-induced guilt, indigestion, or premature exhaustion during a demanding workout. molehills can clump up into mountains if you neglect them too long. take the more expedient route: do it now.
a second crucial realization came in the classroom. i prepare students for a standardized test that i don't administer or set the parameters for. unfortunately, when i finish up the content portion of class early, my students usually take off. they choose not to take advantage of the ten or twenty or even thirty minutes we have left by asking questions or going over homework. they behave as if their potential for growth and test's difficulty are both limited by my agenda for our session. but they're not. there's a gap between where my students are and where they need to be to succeed, and taking full advantage of their resources is the best way for my students to close that gap.
so, that's where i get my motivation: knowing that it's easier to do it now - even if it feels harder - and that i have tools at my disposal to help me. some of them are obvious: a fabulous instructor at my gym, friends who also work out there, sparkpeople.com (where i track my food and exercise religiously and learn more about healthy living), and parents who are also trying to get healthier right now. some are more subtle, but just as essential: how strong i feel when i'm practicing roundhouse kicks and uppercuts, how amazing home-roasted red peppers taste, how affordable produce is, and how much happier i am when i'm hydrated. those things all motivate me. and they're not all.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
nsfw: thoughts on international women's day
disclaimer: this post is not safe for work. i think it deals with the subject matter in an adult fashion, but i'm giving you a heads-up anyway.
on the way home from dinner tonight, there was a drunk/crazy fellow on the bus who kept accusing the guy behind him of being a cocksucker. he said, "i've never sucked a cock. but people like you do."
a few years ago, i was having a conversation with a newly married friend whose views on sex seemed to imply that he equated penetration with domination. when i expressed it that way, he got thoughtful, and then agreed.
there is much, much more to be done when it comes to gender and sexual equality. there is much, much more to be done to combat anti-feminism, misogyny, homophobia, and heterosexism. and i think a big part of that has to do with intentionally turning our backs on a rich tradition of idealizing and honouring the penetrator while denigrating and even pitying the penetrated.
calling someone a cocksucker necessarily makes you both sexist and homophobic. but so does being offended when someone calls you one. at least a little bit. after all, there are only two things that label could possibly imply: woman or gay man. if being called either one makes you defensive or humiliates you - not just because it's factually untrue in your case, but because you equate an attack on your straight manhood with an attack on your value as a human being - then there's something wrong. let's try to fix it.
on the way home from dinner tonight, there was a drunk/crazy fellow on the bus who kept accusing the guy behind him of being a cocksucker. he said, "i've never sucked a cock. but people like you do."
a few years ago, i was having a conversation with a newly married friend whose views on sex seemed to imply that he equated penetration with domination. when i expressed it that way, he got thoughtful, and then agreed.
there is much, much more to be done when it comes to gender and sexual equality. there is much, much more to be done to combat anti-feminism, misogyny, homophobia, and heterosexism. and i think a big part of that has to do with intentionally turning our backs on a rich tradition of idealizing and honouring the penetrator while denigrating and even pitying the penetrated.
calling someone a cocksucker necessarily makes you both sexist and homophobic. but so does being offended when someone calls you one. at least a little bit. after all, there are only two things that label could possibly imply: woman or gay man. if being called either one makes you defensive or humiliates you - not just because it's factually untrue in your case, but because you equate an attack on your straight manhood with an attack on your value as a human being - then there's something wrong. let's try to fix it.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
ween "chocolate and cheese" cupcakes
UPDATE: voting is now open! please support me!
this month, the theme for the sweetest kitchen's mystery box cupcake challenge is "chocolate and..." the base has to be chocolate cake, but from there the sky's the limit!
ween is one of idris' favourite bands, and since they have an album called "chocolate and cheese," i couldn't resist paying tribute to them this month. (i know i've honoured him in cupcake form before, but he's my boyfriend and it's valentine's day and... shut up, i like him, ok?)
ahem.
so, manouri is a semi-soft sheep and goat cheese with a mild flavour and notes of citrus. i crumbled it as finely as i could before folding it into a basic chocolate cake batter. the cupcakes baked up so very moist, and delicious. the manouri taste was quite mild, though, so i knew i'd need to add more somehow.
that's why i whipped some cheese up with heavy cream, rolled it into a log, and froze it for a while. then i sliced it into rounds and balanced those on top of the milk chocolate frosting. then, because self-control is not my forte, i added another dollop of chocolate frosting.
while i'm a novice at piping chocolate, i managed to create two filigree replicas of the ween logo and tossed - ok, held my breath and gingerly placed - those on the cupcakes as well.
the result is a creamy, chocolaty, and... well, smiley.
when the time comes, if you like these cupcakes you should vote for them! the winner of february’s mystery box cupcake challenge will receive prizes from:
- Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
- Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card
- Beanilla; 3 Indian, 3 Tahitian & 3 Tonga vanilla beans
- Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands
- Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
- Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
- Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25
- Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children's books
thank you to all our prize sponsors!
this month, the theme for the sweetest kitchen's mystery box cupcake challenge is "chocolate and..." the base has to be chocolate cake, but from there the sky's the limit!
ween is one of idris' favourite bands, and since they have an album called "chocolate and cheese," i couldn't resist paying tribute to them this month. (i know i've honoured him in cupcake form before, but he's my boyfriend and it's valentine's day and... shut up, i like him, ok?)
ahem.so, manouri is a semi-soft sheep and goat cheese with a mild flavour and notes of citrus. i crumbled it as finely as i could before folding it into a basic chocolate cake batter. the cupcakes baked up so very moist, and delicious. the manouri taste was quite mild, though, so i knew i'd need to add more somehow.
that's why i whipped some cheese up with heavy cream, rolled it into a log, and froze it for a while. then i sliced it into rounds and balanced those on top of the milk chocolate frosting. then, because self-control is not my forte, i added another dollop of chocolate frosting.
while i'm a novice at piping chocolate, i managed to create two filigree replicas of the ween logo and tossed - ok, held my breath and gingerly placed - those on the cupcakes as well.the result is a creamy, chocolaty, and... well, smiley.
when the time comes, if you like these cupcakes you should vote for them! the winner of february’s mystery box cupcake challenge will receive prizes from:
- Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
- Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card
- Beanilla; 3 Indian, 3 Tahitian & 3 Tonga vanilla beans
- Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands
- Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
- Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
- Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25
- Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children's books
thank you to all our prize sponsors!
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