Naughty things come in small packages…

How very true that statement is, especially when considering Taste of Edmonton! Teehee. I know, it’s too late for the reviews to be any use, but if you worked with me, you could see this review updated as I tried foods each and every workday lunch. So what did I try and how did I find it?

Smoked Mac and cheese with Boar bacon – 4.5 stars (OMG – this was sooo good – fabulous food to start with)
Vegetable Tempura – 4 stars (this is always good, but found the large was only an extra piece or two)
Donair Poutine – 4 stars (this was really good – the gravy was so tasty)
Mini mac melt – 4.5 stars (mac and cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon – how could this ever be wrong?)
Banana Bread Pudding with caramel sauce, whipped cream, and bruléed banana – 5 stars (wow – all around perfect goodness)
Wild Mushroom bisque – 5 stars (this soup was tasty and a good size!)
Mac scone with whipped cream – 3 stars (I love the scone, but please stop putting strawberries in the compote – it tastes better with the compote)
Beef lemongrass skewer – 3.5 stars (this was good and a lot of meat)
Jerk Chicken – 3 stars (It was good, just not spicy/jerky enough for me)
Dry Spicy Chicken – 3.5 stars (always good, have yet to really find it spicy, but a definite staple)
Mushroom cream sausage rotini – 3.5 stars (this was completely fresh – I watched him make it – and good, but needed some extra umph)
Cinnamon naan – 4.5 stars (the large was huge, but ohhhh so tasty!)
Chicken tikka and garlic naan – 4 stars (always a favorite of mine, but the size seemed smaller this year despite getting a large)
Bison cannelloni – 4 stars (tasty, great mushroom cream sauce)
Chicken and waffles – 4.5 stars (was expecting fried chicken, but got a healthy almost tandoori spice chicken which was surprising and very good – waffles was so sweet and the maple syrup over top was fascinating)
Limone sorbetto – 5 stars (totally what I wanted, perfect bite and freshness)

Aside from that, so much has been going on that it has been a mix of utter craziness and despair/boredom.

For work, I spent several days in Ottawa. On the last day we hiked over to Gatineau (so I can now say I have been as far east as Quebec in Canada). Ottawa is a beautiful city (well, downtown is) with the canal, all the green spaces, and the mix of old and new buildings. A coworker and I spent some time together getting to know each other, which is great since we will be doing training together in the future. Ottawa is also nice because I felt I could walk around by myself alone and not feel fearful. And boy did we walk. The first day I did the least amount of steps at 15,000 and the highest day was 27,000 steps. It was a half hour walk just to the meeting room and then we walked at lunch and then in the evening there was more walking. That is the nice aspect of Ottawa downtown, there is lots to do. I had a Beaver Tail (num!), but was disappointed with the poutine (it was okay, but the gravy wasn’t fabulous). I brought home some maple butter (oh my – if you have not had this yet, I highly encourage it!). My main complaint about Ottawa (besides the airport not having enough food places) is the humidity. There is no glistening in Ottawa; there is dampness and drips and puddles. I could not believe how moist one could feel when it was not raining. Blech.

Other than that, work has been crazy. I need to get more detached. I value right and wrong too highly and when others decide to follow a path that is so evidently wrong, unfair, etc. I get far too invested. I need to take that step back and let things go. Let the bigger bosses make their decisions and just cya myself. Once I have let them know where the considerations and potential consequences lie, then I need to go on to something new.

At home, the renovations have started again. As usual, the more you peel back, the more you find. I cannot believe all we have found thus far. My allergies are a mess, the basement seems to be a mud pit, but supposedly is solid, and thank goodness there seems to be no major foundation cracks. Demolition is done and we are awaiting a bit more info before the rest gets really started. So far, we had to call in a structural engineer for advice. We’ll see how the next steps go. I think once this gets done, there will be a lot more work we will need to do as a consequence of what is going on now. It is frustrating, stressful, and a relief all at the same time.

Psychologically, it is interesting how people handle the same situation so differently. D is reaching out and is so busy getting involved, while I am at home, trying not to impose on people. I need a girls’ night or something. I need some friends and conversation, some gossip and info sharing, and some laughter and tears. I need to feel again; not lonely or bored, but appreciated and included. I wish I could be doing some of my hobbies, but with the renovations, everything is so messed up – stuff is in boxes, packed and stacked and space is at a premium. I am catching up on True Blood – I can’t believe I was 3 seasons behind. I just finished last season, so I can starting watching Season 6. And it has been interesting. I am becoming one of those people who like watching the season in full. I still like the drama of having to wait a week, but it is nice watching a show like this back to back. So many more shows to do that with. I cannot believe how full my PVR is. Sighhhh… I honestly wonder if I will ever catch up, or even I should. I should just delete some things and get that over with, but that is so hard to me. I want to watch them, but I don’t want to waste my time in front of the TV. Such an endlessly annoying cycle.

I cannot believe how depressed I have been. I was busy for several weeks trying to pack up the basement and that kept me active. But now renovations have started and there is nothing for me to do, other than chores. My garden has exploded. What a difference a week makes. I spent 3 hours picking raspberries, peas, beans, and weeds. There is more weeding and picking to do, but I don’t want to. My house is as clean as it gets with renovations. I don’t feel like exercising, though I know I should. I don’t want to go shopping as there aren’t really funds to do that. My eating has been horrendous lately. I have been reading non-fiction books, which doesn’t really help my mood. And I have been spending a lot of time alone. I like being alone – it recharges me, but when you spend evening after evening, followed by weekends alone, it gets depressing. You start thinking and wondering and wishing and missing. And then when I do get out, I don’t want to talk about how depressed I am or how lonely my life is, so I either talk inanely or just listen.

I did devour the latest Laurell K Hamilton book, Affliction. God I love this author. I love her books, the world she writes in, her characters. I loved this line and thought it depicted some of my thinking in the d&d world lately:

“We hunt and kill things. When it comes to a stand-up fight like it did yesterday, we are soldiers first, cops second, because even if we negotiate with the bad guys, they know, and we know, that we are going to kill them. “

I think this very true of some heroes. We aren’t there to enforce the law; to some extent, we act like the law. We are helping take out evil, but sometimes, you have to negotiate with evil to get to the next point. It doesn’t make you evil because the negotiating is done with both parties knowing that someday, negotiating won’t work and death will be the only end. But today is not that day and so negotiating happens.

I saw that I am over 6000 visitors – whoot! That means somewhere out there, someone is reading about my life. Thank you. I do appreciate it.

Anyway, I should get on to some other chores. Have a couple bills to pay and prep for work tomorrow and make supper and maybe pick some weeds out front.