been a long time. basically, since i got the gig. coincidentally, ever since i got the gig i have been sick. sick and tired. i'm feeling particularly exhausted lately as i'm just finally getting over a solid month of being ill. i'm sick of being sick. things are on the upswing though and i'm feeling optimistic. looking forward to a relaxing and reinvigorating spring break.

it is the little things in life that give us pleasure. i've been reconnecting with some old favourite albums and i've been forcing myself to make time to actually sit and read. imagine that. reading used to be my primary occupation. sometimes i miss those days. most of the time i don't. i do still love to learn and share ideas, but i love what i do and am enjoying where i am at in life.

current mood: sleepy

health watch 2009: feeling much better today. still fairly exhausted but generally much better.

eating habits: oh baby. we had early thanksgiving yesterday. everything turned out spectacular except desserts. the pear tarte tatin was soggy because i had to make it earlier in the day. then, i accidentally put the lemon meringue pie on a hot element on the stove and it turned into soup. bravo me. both desserts were surprisingly delicious today though.

reading habits: joe sacco's graphic novel palestine. so far it is quite interesting. looking forward to the follow up stories. in fact, i was so looking forward to them that i stopped by the library only to be disappointed that none of my 12 "in transit" books had arrived.

current mood: annoyed

health watch 2009: this cold has really taken its toll. the ever-changing weather has meant that every time i feel like i've taken one step towards getting better, a rainy chilly day takes me two steps back. i've been working steadily and have had yard duties once or twice a day. even a short 15 to 30 minutes in this damp cold air can really give you a chill. needless to say, today i am completely bereft of energy both mentally and physically (as can be witnessed by my accidentally locking the keys in the car this morning when out on an errand).

eating habits: just having a nice time of it. we've had some lovely home-cooked meals. nothing too out of the ordinary. you need comfort food with this chill in the air and gray pallor to the skies. we've also enjoyed meals out with good food and good company. no complaints. we'll be celebrating thanksgiving a week early (tomorrow). hopefully i've got more energy then since it will be a heavy hitting cooking day. some of the highlights will include a nice glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, a pear tatin, and a lemon/lime meringue.

reading habits: i've spent the better part of two weeks struggling through david b's graphic novel epileptic. i enjoyed the story but found i often avoided reading it. his unique artistic style makes predominant use of black space rather than white and i found this (in combination with the small text) to be a deterrent. the overwhelming visual darkness of the pages was distracting.

current mood: see above

health watch 2009: ironic how quickly the germs spread. just barely around a few coughers and sneezers and wham! sick! sure takes its toll here.

eating habits: most notably, k and i made pita bread and falafel from scratch for husband and wife cooking. the pita refused to pocket-ize but the falafel were great. we also made chipotle pork cheeseburgers with avocado and mayo that were insanely good. in fact they were so nice, we made them twice.

reading habits: got a whole bunch of autobiographical graphic novels from the library. currently reading one about modern day tel aviv. so far, so good.

current mood: brevity is the soul of wit, not just a side-effect of illness

health watch 2009: mental health, that is. just been feeling really stressed out lately. i hate beginnings. i hate ends too, but that is a different story. (or i could go on a tangent like my brain just did and contemplate my love of six feet under despite my serious fear of death).

eating habits: really? you expect me to go into this in detail? didn't i just mention that i've been stressed. seriously though, it has been a week of minor and major indulgences. that's what stress'll do to you. a bag of nachos with guacamole here and a bag of gummy candies there.

k and i did cook risotto twice and it turned out wonderful both times. just a nice simple parmesan and chive risotto the first time, spinach and pancetta the second.

reading habits: i'm floundering. i re-read toast. then i tried to read the julia child bio (appetite for life) but it is just so unbelievably badly written. how is that person published and i'm not? granted i've never tried to get anything published... i digress. i need something unstressful to read. usually i turn to my food books for that, but i re-read pretty much all of them over the summer. i thought about re-reading the hannibal lecter books but thought maybe that'd be too... intense.

current mood: duh! see above.

on stress sabbatical. back soon.

current mood: meh

eating habits: friday we were invited by zane to participate in friends and family night. we were useless menu tasters because were totally enamoured with everything. we ate, ate, ate and ate some more. we were stuffed to the gills and deliriously happy to be tasting our beloved smoked meat once more. what an honour to have been asked to participate.

reading habits: the lovely bones by alice sebold. whoa. wrong book for this time of year. an interesting read but generally i get stressed out with new beginnings and try to read light books to ease my mind. needless to say, though i am enjoying the book i am looking foward to reading toast by nigel slater and appetite for life (julia child bio) to get out of this grief-stricken mindset.

current mood: sigh