Life in the Slow Lane
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Canada Day For Some But Chemo Day For Me.
The latest scoop is that I should be up and running for getting me some chemo first thing tomorrow morning. So if you don’t hear from me for a couple days do not fret. I will be back.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Snaps To Canada
Well, well well. A lot of people would declare that Canada is indeed in a Hand Basket in Hell now that we have officially, on all levels of government, voted to embrace gay marriage. I beg to differ. I give this country’s government a rousing Woo Hoo for this decision. Woo hoo Canada. WOO HOO!
I could never understand why two people of the same gender could not commit their lives to each other in love and be recognised by law. It’s just totally illogical to me. I do respect that certain religions do not condone gay marriage but since when did these various sects get to make the laws around here? This is about what The Charter of Rights says about equality not about what certain people state the Bible says. We all know that until very recently most people believed that women were not equal partners in their marriages and society either. Sadly some people still think that way but it is definitely not the norm nor the majority. And obviously society is better for it.
It wasn’t always pretty and even our Federal Liberal Government fought these changes a couple years ago. Luckily our catholic Prime Minister, Paul Martin, finally saw the light and realized his religious beliefs did not belong in our bedrooms. Most provinces allowed same sex marriages long before yesterday’s decision but now the final ‘uber conservative’ provincial holdouts have to suck it up and drop their barriers. This is what I think is so cool. That many people who are uncomfortable with the whole concept can at least agree that their beliefs do discriminate against many Canadians and that is not what Canada is all about. To understand that their way of thinking is not everybody’s way of thinking and is not to be applied as a blanket way of believing across the board.
Canada has not always had a great history of providing equal rights to all its inhabitants (First Nations for instance) but yesterday’s decision may indicate that as a country we are more willing and able to go against popular international opinion to do what we know is right for everybody. Even if it makes some folks uncomfortable for a while. They will get over it. This can only make for a better country for everybody to live in now and in the future.
Let’s just hope that creepy Conservative Party leader Stephen ‘Beady Eyes’ Harper, self proclaimed expert in all things moral, never gets voted in as Prime Minister as he has stated that he will endeavour to overturn this ruling by taking it to the people for a vote. I think that it is very possible that Canadians would show him up and vote to uphold the decision yet I believe it should never come to this. It is not up to the people to decide whether a minority should get equal rights or not. If it says in The Charter of Rights that everybody is considered equal and is entitled to the same rights and benefits, which is DOES, then that is the way it is. It is not negotiable. Period.
No matter what may happen in the future I feel very proud to be Canadian now. So who wants to move up to this hip country?
I could never understand why two people of the same gender could not commit their lives to each other in love and be recognised by law. It’s just totally illogical to me. I do respect that certain religions do not condone gay marriage but since when did these various sects get to make the laws around here? This is about what The Charter of Rights says about equality not about what certain people state the Bible says. We all know that until very recently most people believed that women were not equal partners in their marriages and society either. Sadly some people still think that way but it is definitely not the norm nor the majority. And obviously society is better for it.
It wasn’t always pretty and even our Federal Liberal Government fought these changes a couple years ago. Luckily our catholic Prime Minister, Paul Martin, finally saw the light and realized his religious beliefs did not belong in our bedrooms. Most provinces allowed same sex marriages long before yesterday’s decision but now the final ‘uber conservative’ provincial holdouts have to suck it up and drop their barriers. This is what I think is so cool. That many people who are uncomfortable with the whole concept can at least agree that their beliefs do discriminate against many Canadians and that is not what Canada is all about. To understand that their way of thinking is not everybody’s way of thinking and is not to be applied as a blanket way of believing across the board.
Canada has not always had a great history of providing equal rights to all its inhabitants (First Nations for instance) but yesterday’s decision may indicate that as a country we are more willing and able to go against popular international opinion to do what we know is right for everybody. Even if it makes some folks uncomfortable for a while. They will get over it. This can only make for a better country for everybody to live in now and in the future.
Let’s just hope that creepy Conservative Party leader Stephen ‘Beady Eyes’ Harper, self proclaimed expert in all things moral, never gets voted in as Prime Minister as he has stated that he will endeavour to overturn this ruling by taking it to the people for a vote. I think that it is very possible that Canadians would show him up and vote to uphold the decision yet I believe it should never come to this. It is not up to the people to decide whether a minority should get equal rights or not. If it says in The Charter of Rights that everybody is considered equal and is entitled to the same rights and benefits, which is DOES, then that is the way it is. It is not negotiable. Period.
No matter what may happen in the future I feel very proud to be Canadian now. So who wants to move up to this hip country?
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
I've Been A Very Bad Girl
Sorry for the late post but I had a doctors appointment for a MRI today. It was a piece of cake opposed to the nightmare I thought it might be. I had one done a few years ago at a different hospital and I was told that particular machine is quite old and resembles a cigar tube into hell. I get claustrophobic and being crammed into that baby freaked me out. This time, with a newer machine, the experience was much more pleasant. Part of the reason for this was that the tube is much roomier in the newer models. I also had an Ativan.
This experience brings a movie equivalent to mind when that fat kid gets stuck in the tube after he falls into the lake of chocolate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Except at The Cancer Agency there is no chocolate involved. There was when I got home. I made sure of that.
But Ativan makes me sleepy and once home I fell asleep in front of the TV almost immediately and then got up and transferred my drugged up ass to bed. Even Yoshi and her Breath Of Satan could not rouse me for her 6-pm-on-the-dot-dinner-hour. She has an amazing sense of time. I could set my watch to her stomach. Anyway, I just got up.
But getting back to my MRI. Today I was met with a request that I have never had before. One that raised my eyebrows towards my now nonexistent hairline. I had two sets of scans done. The first one was of my lymph nodes. The second one was of The Girls. For that last scan they handed me two crossed pieces of tape and asked me to stick these two gelatine type pills to my nipples. The first thing I said was, “Kinky!” The second thing I said was, “OK!” So that is what I did. One does not disobey the MRI nurses. Not without a spanking. I taped those gelatine orbs onto my nipples PRONTO. And it was fun. I had to know why this was necessary and they said that the stuff that is in the capsules glowed on the MRI shots so they knew exactly where your nipples were. I guess that is important. Or the nurses just do if for their own freaky kicks. Whatever.
I wore the capsules home.
This experience brings a movie equivalent to mind when that fat kid gets stuck in the tube after he falls into the lake of chocolate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Except at The Cancer Agency there is no chocolate involved. There was when I got home. I made sure of that.
But Ativan makes me sleepy and once home I fell asleep in front of the TV almost immediately and then got up and transferred my drugged up ass to bed. Even Yoshi and her Breath Of Satan could not rouse me for her 6-pm-on-the-dot-dinner-hour. She has an amazing sense of time. I could set my watch to her stomach. Anyway, I just got up.
But getting back to my MRI. Today I was met with a request that I have never had before. One that raised my eyebrows towards my now nonexistent hairline. I had two sets of scans done. The first one was of my lymph nodes. The second one was of The Girls. For that last scan they handed me two crossed pieces of tape and asked me to stick these two gelatine type pills to my nipples. The first thing I said was, “Kinky!” The second thing I said was, “OK!” So that is what I did. One does not disobey the MRI nurses. Not without a spanking. I taped those gelatine orbs onto my nipples PRONTO. And it was fun. I had to know why this was necessary and they said that the stuff that is in the capsules glowed on the MRI shots so they knew exactly where your nipples were. I guess that is important. Or the nurses just do if for their own freaky kicks. Whatever.
I wore the capsules home.
Monday, June 27, 2005
The Wind In The Smellows
Today’s topic is smell. Obviously I could rant about how bad McDonald back alley meaty smells can make my vegetarian stomach turn, rendering me queasy for a whole day. Or how the joys of growing up with a younger brother were only added to by the vapours emanating from his room. Just last night we were talking about one particular goaty odour that took a vigorous carpet steam clean and a giant box of baking soda to get rid of. I could gripe about how The Reign Of Terry often cooks pungent meals at 4 am and how those oniony odours waft up through the heating vents to rouse me from blissful slumber. I could but I am not.
Instead I am going to talk about Yoshi who is aptly nicknamed Smellie. I call her Smells for short. I profess to be one of those totally annoying people who take common words or names and re-spell them in artful ways to give them street cred. Hence Smellie opposed to a more pedestrian Smelly or Stinky. Yoshi was named Smellie for one reason only, her breath. OH DEAR GOD how can anything so vile emit from such a cute container. I feed her high quality, organic, ‘better than I feed my own self’ cat food. She drinks bottled water from a squeaky-clean water dispenser. No ordinary bowl for her. This cat should have the breath of an angel instead of a dumpster. But that is what she smells like, a long forgotten dumpster conveniently located near a highly trafficked fisherman’s wharf.
Brush her teeth, you say! Bah! Have you ever tried that on a cat? A Siamese cat, to boot? Not going to happen. Just isn’t. Get her teeth cleaned? I don’t like the thought of that, as they have to anesthetise her for the procedure. Too dangerous. Instead I suffer. And suffer is putting it mildly.
Smells has the most annoying habit of yawning in my face. A lot. One after another. When I am sleeping. When I am typing out blog posts. When I am totally unaware of the impeding onslaught. She is a sneaky yawner, that one. It is like she knows. It is like a joke to her. Like men are proud of their farts I suspect Smells is proud of her breath. She likes to share. Think about it. She cleans herself with that same orifice everyday. So her fur can smell manky too. Spread the joy. But then she sleeps in front of the heating vent and her particular personal aura is replaced with the delightful oniony concoctions from downstairs.
Like wives with their farty husbands I can somehow overlook this character flaw and still love her like crazy. And I do. I love her like crazy. Even when I am yelling, “Stop YAWNING at me!”
However, in a strange irony, by stubbornly ignoring Yoshi’s obvious problem, I have somehow turned the word from an unkind adjective to a noun for cute things. In my mind, all sweet and cuddly animals are now, “SMELLY!” When I see a puppy I exclaim, “Smelly!” Or ‘Look at the Smelly.” When particularly affected by the overwhelming cuteness of something I will revert to adjective use but in an opposite way. As in, “That kitten is so smelly I think I might die.” What I mean is its cuteness is killing me. I know it makes no sense but that is how my mind works. And that is what I suspect is a contributing factor to why I can’t get a date.
Instead I am going to talk about Yoshi who is aptly nicknamed Smellie. I call her Smells for short. I profess to be one of those totally annoying people who take common words or names and re-spell them in artful ways to give them street cred. Hence Smellie opposed to a more pedestrian Smelly or Stinky. Yoshi was named Smellie for one reason only, her breath. OH DEAR GOD how can anything so vile emit from such a cute container. I feed her high quality, organic, ‘better than I feed my own self’ cat food. She drinks bottled water from a squeaky-clean water dispenser. No ordinary bowl for her. This cat should have the breath of an angel instead of a dumpster. But that is what she smells like, a long forgotten dumpster conveniently located near a highly trafficked fisherman’s wharf.
Brush her teeth, you say! Bah! Have you ever tried that on a cat? A Siamese cat, to boot? Not going to happen. Just isn’t. Get her teeth cleaned? I don’t like the thought of that, as they have to anesthetise her for the procedure. Too dangerous. Instead I suffer. And suffer is putting it mildly.
Smells has the most annoying habit of yawning in my face. A lot. One after another. When I am sleeping. When I am typing out blog posts. When I am totally unaware of the impeding onslaught. She is a sneaky yawner, that one. It is like she knows. It is like a joke to her. Like men are proud of their farts I suspect Smells is proud of her breath. She likes to share. Think about it. She cleans herself with that same orifice everyday. So her fur can smell manky too. Spread the joy. But then she sleeps in front of the heating vent and her particular personal aura is replaced with the delightful oniony concoctions from downstairs.
Like wives with their farty husbands I can somehow overlook this character flaw and still love her like crazy. And I do. I love her like crazy. Even when I am yelling, “Stop YAWNING at me!”
However, in a strange irony, by stubbornly ignoring Yoshi’s obvious problem, I have somehow turned the word from an unkind adjective to a noun for cute things. In my mind, all sweet and cuddly animals are now, “SMELLY!” When I see a puppy I exclaim, “Smelly!” Or ‘Look at the Smelly.” When particularly affected by the overwhelming cuteness of something I will revert to adjective use but in an opposite way. As in, “That kitten is so smelly I think I might die.” What I mean is its cuteness is killing me. I know it makes no sense but that is how my mind works. And that is what I suspect is a contributing factor to why I can’t get a date.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Another Pigeonhole
Found this quiz through John Boy's blog. I like quizzes. Well, particularly the ones where there are no wrong answers. You scored as Postmodernist. Postmodernism is the belief in complete open interpretation. You see the universe as a collection of information with varying ways of putting it together. There is no absolute truth for you; even the most hardened facts are open to interpretation. Meaning relies on context and even the language you use to describe things should be subject to analysis.
What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com |
Chemofication Extention
Well, I just got the word and my chemo has been put off for a week. My blood counts are just too low. Initially I was bummed about this but I now realize that this makes me hit a “feeling good” period at my Dad’s birthday this August. It is a milestone celebration - the Big 75 – so it will be good to be able to partake in the ceremonies rather than staying home and feeling poopy.
And I am treating myself to sushi this afternoon, which is another very potent ‘cheer me up’ tactic. Horray!
I have to say that the good vibes you all sent TOTALLY WORKED! Last week my blood count only increased .1 over a two-day period. This time it increased .5 over the same time frame. Unfortunately it just wasn’t quite enough. But thanks for putting it all out there.
Apparently there is a drug I can be prescribed that is taken for 8 days in between chemos to boost blood counts. It is very expensive and I have to make sure it is covered for me. It also has to be self-injected. I can’t say I have a fear of needles but injecting yourself is a whole ‘nother bag of turnips. I don’t think I can do it. My mom initially said she wouldn’t be doing me the honours either but has since decided that if it is a small needle she can in fact shove it in my flesh. I am not sure if this is motherly love and concern or serious payback for every time I lipped off to her in my childhood. I will have to watch her face carefully as she pierces my skin. Very carefully.
And I am treating myself to sushi this afternoon, which is another very potent ‘cheer me up’ tactic. Horray!
I have to say that the good vibes you all sent TOTALLY WORKED! Last week my blood count only increased .1 over a two-day period. This time it increased .5 over the same time frame. Unfortunately it just wasn’t quite enough. But thanks for putting it all out there.
Apparently there is a drug I can be prescribed that is taken for 8 days in between chemos to boost blood counts. It is very expensive and I have to make sure it is covered for me. It also has to be self-injected. I can’t say I have a fear of needles but injecting yourself is a whole ‘nother bag of turnips. I don’t think I can do it. My mom initially said she wouldn’t be doing me the honours either but has since decided that if it is a small needle she can in fact shove it in my flesh. I am not sure if this is motherly love and concern or serious payback for every time I lipped off to her in my childhood. I will have to watch her face carefully as she pierces my skin. Very carefully.
Snaps For This Post
I highly recommend the post about Tom Cruise's interview by Matt Lauer at You Can't Make It Up. The photos are hilarious.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Just When I Thought I Had It Down.
Well, I tried to post a updated South Park photo but Hello won't let me. Dammit! I edited it in Photoshop and saved it as a JPEG but the Hello program won't capture it. Any ideas?
SPD-Bail Out
I was at The Cancer Agency yesterday for my doctor‘s appointment and I fully intended to take a self-portrait in the loo while I was there. I even told my mom to remind me as my brain is not too retentive these days and any info, relevant or useless, oozes out like drool from a baby. Slowly and messily. Unfortunately my mom is the same way and that combined with an intrinsic need to flee the building once the doctor gives me all my prescriptions and appointments left me without a theme photo today.
Instead I am sort of filling the void with an updated South Park portrait. Honestly, this pic looks so much like me I am a little alarmed. I am slowly working to possibly posting a bald picture of myself in the near future. My mom (AKA: The Impartial Third Party) swears I look as cute as a bug in a rug. Frankly, I have to admit that seeing myself in the mirror without hair is still a little unnerving for me. While I am not really a ‘wig’ person (not a natural one anyway) but I am not really a ‘bald head’ person either. I don’t think I have the wardrobe to pull it off. That rock star persona. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it. However, when I see bald shots of other cancer folk I think they look great so I know it is something in my head (not on it) that I have to get over.
Instead I am sort of filling the void with an updated South Park portrait. Honestly, this pic looks so much like me I am a little alarmed. I am slowly working to possibly posting a bald picture of myself in the near future. My mom (AKA: The Impartial Third Party) swears I look as cute as a bug in a rug. Frankly, I have to admit that seeing myself in the mirror without hair is still a little unnerving for me. While I am not really a ‘wig’ person (not a natural one anyway) but I am not really a ‘bald head’ person either. I don’t think I have the wardrobe to pull it off. That rock star persona. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it. However, when I see bald shots of other cancer folk I think they look great so I know it is something in my head (not on it) that I have to get over.
Walking On The Wild Side
It is midnight and I am posting later than usual. I spent the evening finally completing a Christmas commitment. As a gift for my dad I promised to copy several CDs for his car so if they got stolen he would still have the originals at home. You gotta cover your ass that way in this town. Anyway, I spent a few hours duplicating about 30 CDs. Most were his but I threw in a few funky ones from my collection to stir it up a bit.
My day was spent at The Cancer Clinic for my pre chemo check up. I had to wait much longer than normal but my mom always accompanies me so we got some good girlie chatting in. I found out it is likely my chemo will be postponed for a week as my blood counts are not high enough to take a round. So send me good bone marrow vibes so my schedule is not disrupted. I don’t want to prolong this if I can help it. I go for another blood test the morning of my chemo, this Friday, and will know after that what the scoop is.
On Monday night my parents and I went for a walk around Lost Lagoon. I have mentioned this little gem before. It is a small lake right near the downtown centre. Mere blocks away is shopping and restaurants. Also my parents place. Among the various wildlife you are pretty much guaranteed to see there are ducks, geese, otters, herons, skunks, racoons, and swans. We saw everything but the skunks. That was made up for last night when one was hit by a car right outside my house thereby waking me from deep slumber with such a horrendous odour I could seriously taste it. Poor thing but holy crap, what a stench.
We also saw another regular at Lost Lagoon, which is this crazy old lady who feeds the swans every day. It is clearly stated on many signs throughout the area that it is totally prohibited to feed the animals. They want to keep them wild. And not fat. This freakshow has decided she is ‘one’ with the swans and it is her job to top up their diet with shitty white bread dissolved in buckets of water. I have seen her do this many times but I got a real eyeful on Monday night.
One of the swan couples has hatched a pair of babies that are so soft looking and cute you almost fall over. We Vancouverites celebrate springtime with all its little ducklings and other cute babies that follow their moms around the park. Swans have traditionally had a hard time of it as they don’t lay eggs as prolifically as ducks and what do actually hatch have a low survival rate with the coyotes, crows, rats and other predators lurking about. Some years no cygnets survive at all. So we were all very excited to see these two little grey powder puffs floating by mom and dad swan. Well, crazy fucker lady started getting pretty close to those babies and one of the parent swans was getting a bit agitated about it. It was rather fluffy and kept on trying to head this lady off as she was attempting to slip these babies some little tidbit from her bag. She was talking to them in German and very obviously scolding the swan for being so uncooperative. The swan obviously thought this whack job was getting too close to the little ones so it reached over and pecked at the lady’s shoes. I thought it was a nice but gentle warning, as I know those swans can kick ass if really riled up. But the dumbass lifted what I thought was her walking stick and rapped that swan over its beak like it was a delinquent child, scolding it in stern German the whole time. It shook its head and backed down and the babies got whatever shit was on offer.
Well, I was livid. What the hell was this woman thinking? It is one thing to feed garbage to these swans on a regular basis but to actually hit one when it was just protecting it’s young really pissed me off. Do not fuck with the wildlife in front of me because I too will do what nature intended. I will tattle on you to the authorities. And that is what I did.
I left a detailed message with the head of wildlife at The Parks Board and he left a detailed message in return. He said that she is an ongoing problem that they are having a hard time dealing with, as she is old and crazy. He also said that he would once again phone the police and inform them of this latest transgression. Apparently she even goes so far as to sit next to the swan’s nests when they are laying eggs or resting with young to keep them company. No wonder they are not breeding. Crazy old bag. If you want to anger me quickly just harm animals and I will freak. I think if we are lucky enough to be able to mingle with wild beasties in an urban setting it is that much more important to do it on their terms. After all, we have encroached on their turf.
My summer plans now include going to watch Ol’ Batshit feed the swans but to bring along my own walking stick. When she doesn’t react exactly the way I want her to at any given time I will give her a gentle warning and if she does not comply I too will whack her smartly upon the jaw and see what happens. That, my friends, is nature’s way.*
*Said with a Steve Erwin Aussie accent.
My day was spent at The Cancer Clinic for my pre chemo check up. I had to wait much longer than normal but my mom always accompanies me so we got some good girlie chatting in. I found out it is likely my chemo will be postponed for a week as my blood counts are not high enough to take a round. So send me good bone marrow vibes so my schedule is not disrupted. I don’t want to prolong this if I can help it. I go for another blood test the morning of my chemo, this Friday, and will know after that what the scoop is.
On Monday night my parents and I went for a walk around Lost Lagoon. I have mentioned this little gem before. It is a small lake right near the downtown centre. Mere blocks away is shopping and restaurants. Also my parents place. Among the various wildlife you are pretty much guaranteed to see there are ducks, geese, otters, herons, skunks, racoons, and swans. We saw everything but the skunks. That was made up for last night when one was hit by a car right outside my house thereby waking me from deep slumber with such a horrendous odour I could seriously taste it. Poor thing but holy crap, what a stench.
We also saw another regular at Lost Lagoon, which is this crazy old lady who feeds the swans every day. It is clearly stated on many signs throughout the area that it is totally prohibited to feed the animals. They want to keep them wild. And not fat. This freakshow has decided she is ‘one’ with the swans and it is her job to top up their diet with shitty white bread dissolved in buckets of water. I have seen her do this many times but I got a real eyeful on Monday night.
One of the swan couples has hatched a pair of babies that are so soft looking and cute you almost fall over. We Vancouverites celebrate springtime with all its little ducklings and other cute babies that follow their moms around the park. Swans have traditionally had a hard time of it as they don’t lay eggs as prolifically as ducks and what do actually hatch have a low survival rate with the coyotes, crows, rats and other predators lurking about. Some years no cygnets survive at all. So we were all very excited to see these two little grey powder puffs floating by mom and dad swan. Well, crazy fucker lady started getting pretty close to those babies and one of the parent swans was getting a bit agitated about it. It was rather fluffy and kept on trying to head this lady off as she was attempting to slip these babies some little tidbit from her bag. She was talking to them in German and very obviously scolding the swan for being so uncooperative. The swan obviously thought this whack job was getting too close to the little ones so it reached over and pecked at the lady’s shoes. I thought it was a nice but gentle warning, as I know those swans can kick ass if really riled up. But the dumbass lifted what I thought was her walking stick and rapped that swan over its beak like it was a delinquent child, scolding it in stern German the whole time. It shook its head and backed down and the babies got whatever shit was on offer.
Well, I was livid. What the hell was this woman thinking? It is one thing to feed garbage to these swans on a regular basis but to actually hit one when it was just protecting it’s young really pissed me off. Do not fuck with the wildlife in front of me because I too will do what nature intended. I will tattle on you to the authorities. And that is what I did.
I left a detailed message with the head of wildlife at The Parks Board and he left a detailed message in return. He said that she is an ongoing problem that they are having a hard time dealing with, as she is old and crazy. He also said that he would once again phone the police and inform them of this latest transgression. Apparently she even goes so far as to sit next to the swan’s nests when they are laying eggs or resting with young to keep them company. No wonder they are not breeding. Crazy old bag. If you want to anger me quickly just harm animals and I will freak. I think if we are lucky enough to be able to mingle with wild beasties in an urban setting it is that much more important to do it on their terms. After all, we have encroached on their turf.
My summer plans now include going to watch Ol’ Batshit feed the swans but to bring along my own walking stick. When she doesn’t react exactly the way I want her to at any given time I will give her a gentle warning and if she does not comply I too will whack her smartly upon the jaw and see what happens. That, my friends, is nature’s way.*
*Said with a Steve Erwin Aussie accent.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Recipe Tuesday
My mom, who is a kick ass little cheffette, recently found this cookie recipe. She has a real knack for reading recipes and knowing what will be good. She very rarely makes something that is not totally rave-able. We are one lucky family.
I have to share this new cookie recipe that she found as it is one mutha of a yummy cookie. The first thing I love about these cookies is that they totally surprise you. They look like they will be very crunchy, or even hard but instead they are delightfully light and fluffy. Secondly, they taste exactly like a brownie. An admirable quality in all baked goods.
I do have to give credit where it is due as this recipe was in a top ten selection out of 350 sent to The LA Times. It is also from a Vancouver establishment called Senses Bakery. I will be going there shortly to sample more of their fare. Oh yeah…
Chocolate Sparkle Cookies
½ pound bittersweet chocolate
(My mom uses ¼ pound of bittersweet and ¼ pound semisweet and it works fine. All semi-sweet makes for a flatter cookie. Still tastes great.)
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
¾ cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for garnish
Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler, over (but not in contact with) simmering water. Remove from heat. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the heated chocolate until melted.
Beat eggs with electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light and the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about 10 minutes!!). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture.
Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds and mix; gently add to the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1-inch balls. (My mom just uses her hands to roll the balls.) Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Back at 325 F for 12 minutes, until the centres are moist, but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with powdered icing sugar.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Yes, you do need things like parchment paper to line to cookie sheet as well as expensive chocolate since the good stuff tastes better. I love parchment paper, as you never have to grease a sheet again. Splurge and you will see. You also have to have patience, as the dough really needs to sit in the fridge overnight. But they are well worth it. Very gourmet. Good enough for a fancy dinner party. Even better for everyday.
I have to share this new cookie recipe that she found as it is one mutha of a yummy cookie. The first thing I love about these cookies is that they totally surprise you. They look like they will be very crunchy, or even hard but instead they are delightfully light and fluffy. Secondly, they taste exactly like a brownie. An admirable quality in all baked goods.
I do have to give credit where it is due as this recipe was in a top ten selection out of 350 sent to The LA Times. It is also from a Vancouver establishment called Senses Bakery. I will be going there shortly to sample more of their fare. Oh yeah…
Chocolate Sparkle Cookies
½ pound bittersweet chocolate
(My mom uses ¼ pound of bittersweet and ¼ pound semisweet and it works fine. All semi-sweet makes for a flatter cookie. Still tastes great.)
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
¾ cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for garnish
Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler, over (but not in contact with) simmering water. Remove from heat. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the heated chocolate until melted.
Beat eggs with electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light and the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about 10 minutes!!). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture.
Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds and mix; gently add to the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1-inch balls. (My mom just uses her hands to roll the balls.) Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Back at 325 F for 12 minutes, until the centres are moist, but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with powdered icing sugar.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Yes, you do need things like parchment paper to line to cookie sheet as well as expensive chocolate since the good stuff tastes better. I love parchment paper, as you never have to grease a sheet again. Splurge and you will see. You also have to have patience, as the dough really needs to sit in the fridge overnight. But they are well worth it. Very gourmet. Good enough for a fancy dinner party. Even better for everyday.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Mind Games
When I was 6 years old I used to cope with my school life by pretending I was Wonder Woman. It really helped with the day-to-day pressures of first grade. I was a small kid who was unnaturally attached to my mother and I took a stuffed animal with me to school everyday. I used to get very anxious in class with all the other kids who were much bigger and way more self-assured than I was. Though I may have been meek I was also very responsible. So much so that my teacher would often put me at the head of the line of the all the girls as we filed down to the little ladies’ room for our twice-daily pee break. I felt so in charge and powerful when I would stand in front of all those big girls with my hands on my hips and my feet shoulder width apart, firmly planted on the tile floor. Somehow the taunts and bitchy remarks aimed at my stuffed penguin and me would bounce off my mental bulletproof bracelets. I was invincible. Wonder Woman had brown hair in a world of blondes. Steve Trevor wouldn’t look twice at Diana Prince but once she twirled on that outfit she was the shit. I loved that. I would say to myself that those girls didn’t know that under my Holly Hobby sweaters and Jordache Jeans I was really hot stuff. I was fine with being the mousy girl like Diana knowing that I had special powers that I INTENTIONALLY kept secret from the rest of the world. As Wonder Woman I would keep those girls in line and deliver my charges safe and sound in time for story hour.
This is my Chemo Wonder Woman sent to me by LBo. When my hair grows out a little I plan on re-enacting this tableaux.
Posted by Hello
Sunday, June 19, 2005
A Father's Day 'Love In'
Happy Father’s Day to Dad Poo who is the best dad EVER! Thanks for helping me so much the last few months. You have no idea how much I appreciate it all. I love you.
Yoshi send her love to The Lap as well.
Yoshi send her love to The Lap as well.
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