seeing me at the gym, you might not know that i'm at my lowest weight since high school. knowing where i am is nearly meaningless unless you know where i've been. and how much work it's taken to get here. describing this point isn't enough - you need to know the slope of the tangent to this curve.
maybe calculus is my favourite branch of math because it's about the rate of progress. when you take the derivative, you are a historian and a prognosticator. you care about the big and medium and small pictures, all at the same time.
i love that.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
cupdate!
dear friends,
thanks for all of your cupcake-related support as i've baked six cupcakes for the sweetest kitchen's mystery box challenge and managed to enter five of them in the competition on time. of those five, four received enough of your votes to be entered into the random draw. though i never won that draw, i've learned a lot, made some stunning messes, and eaten far too much batter over the last eight months.
so, thanks for voting for me! i hope to keep the hobby alive and invite you to come up with your own challenges for me in the months ahead!
thanks for all of your cupcake-related support as i've baked six cupcakes for the sweetest kitchen's mystery box challenge and managed to enter five of them in the competition on time. of those five, four received enough of your votes to be entered into the random draw. though i never won that draw, i've learned a lot, made some stunning messes, and eaten far too much batter over the last eight months.
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| click to make this bigger! |
so, thanks for voting for me! i hope to keep the hobby alive and invite you to come up with your own challenges for me in the months ahead!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
i am. thirty.
i was born.
a girl.
a daughter.
a granddaughter.
a niece.
a sister.
i started becoming.
a reader.
a rememberer.
an immigrant.
an advocate.
a friend.
some things you made me.
a sister-in-law.
an auntie-to-be.
a girlfriend.
a forgiver.
a better friend.
some things i made myself.
a researcher.
a writer.
a leader.
a follower.
my own friend.
some things i am still becoming.
a law student.
a cook and baker.
a discerner.
a jogger.
a listener.
some things i dream of yet becoming.
a defender.
a treeclimber.
a runner.
a mother.
a whole.
i am thirty.
and i'm becoming more.
a girl.
a daughter.
a granddaughter.
a niece.
a sister.
i started becoming.
a reader.
a rememberer.
an immigrant.
an advocate.
a friend.
some things you made me.
a sister-in-law.
an auntie-to-be.
a girlfriend.
a forgiver.
a better friend.
some things i made myself.
a researcher.
a writer.
a leader.
a follower.
my own friend.
some things i am still becoming.
a law student.
a cook and baker.
a discerner.
a jogger.
a listener.
some things i dream of yet becoming.
a defender.
a treeclimber.
a runner.
a mother.
a whole.
i am thirty.
and i'm becoming more.
Monday, June 20, 2011
mimosas in the sun
june is the very last month of the mystery box cupcake challenge, and the theme is fizzy! please vote for me!
to be honest, it took me a while to decide which way to go on this. i thought about creating a volcano or using word play (something about phys. ed.)... but none of that really motivated me. finally, i found the answer: booze.
in life, booze is so rarely the answer. in my baking, however, it's becoming more common! pina colada muffins, mojito cupcakes, and eggnog fudge... oh, my! even though - and perhaps because - i don't drink very often, i find playing off cocktails to be a wonderful creative outlet.
i have to say, though, that i took things up a notch with these champagne and citrus cupcakes, inspired by the mimosa-esque buck's fizz! the staple of fancy brunches and afternoon weddings, the mimosa evokes light, lightheadedness, and joy.
and, if i do say so myself, so do my mimosa in the sun cupcakes!
let me walk you through the process:
the lemon cake base was infused with champagne and a touch of freshly-squeezed orange juice.
post-bake, champagne syrup was drizzled over the still-warm cupcakes and allowed to soak in.
the following day, after marinating, a champagne frosting was applied along with a twist of orange peel as garnish.
these tasty, refreshing desserts now only awaited the final touch: sugar bubbles representing the effervescent celebration that champagne has come to connote.
my participation in these challenges has pushed me to work on my technique, rather than rely on my puns. it has introduced me to piping technique, filigree, creative ingredients (jell-o!), unexpected flavour combinations (chocolate and cheese, anyone!), and - this month - sugar work.
so, while those i live with won't necessarily miss the sticky fridge handle and the whir of the handheld blender, i'll miss these little adventures, jamieanne. thanks for inspiring me to come up with my own!
The winner of June’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:
to be honest, it took me a while to decide which way to go on this. i thought about creating a volcano or using word play (something about phys. ed.)... but none of that really motivated me. finally, i found the answer: booze.
i have to say, though, that i took things up a notch with these champagne and citrus cupcakes, inspired by the mimosa-esque buck's fizz! the staple of fancy brunches and afternoon weddings, the mimosa evokes light, lightheadedness, and joy.
and, if i do say so myself, so do my mimosa in the sun cupcakes!
let me walk you through the process:
the lemon cake base was infused with champagne and a touch of freshly-squeezed orange juice.post-bake, champagne syrup was drizzled over the still-warm cupcakes and allowed to soak in.
the following day, after marinating, a champagne frosting was applied along with a twist of orange peel as garnish.
these tasty, refreshing desserts now only awaited the final touch: sugar bubbles representing the effervescent celebration that champagne has come to connote.
so, while those i live with won't necessarily miss the sticky fridge handle and the whir of the handheld blender, i'll miss these little adventures, jamieanne. thanks for inspiring me to come up with my own!
The winner of June’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
- cupcakewrappers.com; 2 packs of cupcake wrappers
- 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; 3 children's books
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
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