The One About A Farting Poop Machine

This food .......

turned this Pug.......

into a farting poop machine.

It is truly amazing how a big stink comes out of such a small Pug.

I came home from work to discover from Adam that he'd spent the day in an apartment with compromised air quality and a Pug covered in his own poop.

I had picked this up at Shoppers Drug Mart to make due until we did the groceries and got his regular brand. Ugh, was that a mistake!  Live and learn.

The poor thing, you can see in his eyes in the photo above that he was not happy.

I took him for a walk with instructions to Adam to mop the floor while we were out.  When we returned home, I put him in the bath & now, he smells like sunshine.

My New Pastime

This is the first time since last Friday that I've turned my laptop on.  Apart from checking e-mails & Facebook from Adam's computer, I have been busy with my crochet hook.

Being that this has been my first crochet project and I wasn't following a pattern, I have found that I made an error.  I started it too long.  Had I made it half the length I'd probably be done.  My goal was to make it for our bed but it'll end up costing $200 in yarn to complete it in the super huge size it is.

Rather than use it width ways, I'll make it a little wider & use it length ways but it won't hang over the sides. Either way, it'll be a kick ass blanket that'll be nice to snuggle under on a cold day.

With all this cold weather we've been having, it's been nice to cuddle under it while I'm crocheting it.

 

Crockett makes every photo better!

 It almost covers the couch.

A Really Big Day. A Promise To Myself. POST EDIT

Today is a really big day for me.  Really really big baby steps. I am giving up 2 things.  One is amongst my most favourite things and the other is just something I drink because it's there.

Coffee and Diet Coke.

Yes, I've said it.  I've written it down both here on my blog & also on my calendar. If I can't keep promises I make to myself, then I'm a pretty sorry beast.

I am doing this for several reasons but the main reason that trumps them all is health.  I have had a few health issues as of late.  The primary being heart palpitations.  I spent 48 hours over the Christmas Holidays with sensors taped to my boozies and a Hollster Monitor tucked into my bra.

I will be doing research and reading and making some significant lifestyle changes.  Of course I know that stress and anxiety are my main enemies but caffeine is also a biggie.  I am allowing myself to continue to have 2 cups of tea a day for now because I can make them very weak.  The goal is to one day replace caffeine with herbal teas. I also think that more often than not, I am dehydrated because I just don't drink enough water.

There are many reasons and causes for palpitations but let me tell you, for me,when they occur, they are terrifying and frightening.  My neck goes tight, I can feel me heart beating in my chest and poof, it skips a beat.  Scary.



Post Edit Jan 18'12

Ok....I went a week without Coffee and Diet Coke. I was fine. No headaches, no caffeine withdrawal because I was still drinking Tea.  Due to the lack of any other beverage in the house and not wanting any more water or Tea, I had a soda.  I have had a few sodas but nowhere near as many as I used to drink.

I've gone back to coffee as well, but only 1 in the morning & a medium instead of a large.

I haven't had any heart palpitation episodes in the last week or so, so it's all good.

I haven't quit 100% but I've made significant changes and I'm drinking more water.  I'm taking this as a win.

I Again Attempt To Make Curry Like My Mom

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 apple ( I used Spartan. I think I should've used Golden Delicious )
Pinch of salt
Pork ( I used fresh. It's better with cooked meat re-heated but ultimately I want to make it w/Tofu)
2 teaspoons  Sharwood's Mild Curry Powder
2-3 teaspoons flour
Approx 1 cup water
Handful of raisins
Juice of half a lemon
Basmati Rice


It is the best one I've made but still nowhere near as good as Mom's.  I didn't peel the apple and I should have as the skin was tough. I didn't let it sit & continue cooking long enough once I'd added the raisins. If I had, they would have absorbed more water and been softer.

It was better than previous attempts and with time and practice I'm sure it'll improve.  I do want to make it vegetarian and use tofu but I have to become more knowledgeable about to cook with tofu.

Here was the prep in photos.

Big Drink and Small Gandalf

Yesterday I met Mom for lunch and a movie.  We were going to go see Les Misérables during the Christmas break but I was not into being around people or taking the bus more than necessary, so we waited until this past weekend.

I disagree with some of the harsh criticism some people have tweeted, I think the singing by all 3 primary actors, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway was just as it needed to be; raw and real.  They acted and sang with emotion that gave me goosebumps and filled my eyes and heart with tears.

I have not seen Les Mis on stage live.  I didn't know the story at all. I actually don't really dig musical theater.  But this felt more like an Opera. I enjoy the Opera and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

I also scored an awesome bit of geek treasure at the concession stand; a big drink with a small Gandalf!

Awesome.

Hodge Podge

Today has been a lazy day.  I had some work I wanted to do to avoid stress on Monday, so I made myself comfortable behind my desk, Lord Of The Rings in the DVD player and went to it.

I started at around 2pm and it's now just past 7pm.  I have just flipped over to side 2 of the Extended DVD of The Two Towers. I did what I needed to do & answered a few other e-mails. All is good.

Adam just brought me dinner so I am sitting here happy as a clam.


This is what I am now reading.  It is an easy read. I started on Wednesday & I'm already more than halfway finished.  It's interesting, funny, and well written. There's more football in it than I care about. I don't get the whole Football fanatic/tailgate thing. I wanted to see the film in the theater but now I can wait until it's released on DVD.

 
This is also a photo of a tree I took while waiting for the bus Thursday morning at 6am.  The snow was falling. It was pure white and made the tree sparkle like Edward Cullen.

I'm going to meet Mom for lunch tomorrow so I hope it doesn't snow too much tonight. I love how it looks, it's just difficult to be a pedestrian climbing over wet salty slush to get off the sidewalk & cross the street.

Crockett

Crockett bumped into his favorite lady Pug Lola on our walk this morning.  It made him very happy. We didn't stay with Lola too long as the excitement caused Crockett to have a coughing episode.

Crockett seems much more interested in the camera lately.  Every time I move in to take a close up I think he thinks I have food in my hands.  The result has been some really fantastic shots.

Here is today's.

I Need More Time To Mull It Over

I've seen The Hobbit. 

It is still too fresh in my mind to really write a full review.  I will say the first 30 minutes for me were odd.  By the 2nd hour, I could've watched another 3 hours. I did love it.  I didn't doubt I would.

A few things;

I heard the Wilhelm Scream when a Goblin was pushed off a bridge.  Love it - it made me laugh. I was waiting for it. Peter Jackson uses it once in every film. (I don't think he used it in The Lovely Bones)   Click HERE to hear the Wilhelm Scream Sound Effect.

I did not see Peter Jackson's cameo. Did he even have one in this film?  I have to remember he no longer looks like a Hobbit since he lost weight.  Ok, I Googled it and found a gif of his cameo. It is near the start of the film. He is a dwarf escaping the fire created by Smaug.

Hugo Weaving. LOVE him.

Ian McKellan. LOVE him.

Andy Serkis. Seriously deserves an Oscar nomination already.

Richard Armitage. Well done. Piercing eyes, I could love him one day.

Cate Blanchett. Beautiful as always.

Smaug. Can't wait to see you in your full glory.

Happy to see Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords fame back as an Elf.

That's all I can think of for now.  Oh, except for Sherlock Holmes as a Necromancer?

My Blanket Thus Far

I've gone through 12+ balls of yarn & I'm only about 1/6 the way finished.  I think I made it too wide and will end up being too big. Our bed is a Queen, but it will surely fit a King. Oh well, it's started, I'm happy with it so far, and I will finish it.  It is soft and warm and I'm really enjoying crochet.

In the above photo, it is folded in half. 

I really love the colors.

This First Day of 2013

It was a chilly sunny day and not a bad way to start a new year on a walk with my sweet Pug.  Some folks cleared their sidewalk while others did not.

I had received a Christmas arrangement and the Poinsettias had died so I re-potted 3 of the other plants from the arrangement that still showed signs of life.  Who knows if they'll survive, I am in no way a green thumb.  I actually tend to kill plants. My favorite is the small white one on I put on my side table next to my desk.

Crockett has been a little darling while I've been home.  He has been so cute and so happy lately. He really enjoys the snow and gets some bounce back in his step.

Please be good 2013. Please.