Owner: i am ahaem URL:http://angela-hemming.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:10:22 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: documentarian, dancer, traveler. Life in Victoria B.C. Canada. Site statistics:Click here
Rajeev's In and Out Party 2007-06-04 17:04:00 We finally had a party to celebrate Rajeev's new status as a Canadian landed immigrant (that was the IN part). We also wished him Bon Voyage because he's returning to India for a couple of weeks (that was the OUT part).The theme was "Canadian" so several people came dressed in red and white (or brought smoked salmon) ...True to the international theme of the party, there were several nationalities represented: India and Canada (of course), Germany, France, Switzerland, UK and USA.You were never sure which language you'd be listening to ... but with Peter around, that's par for the course!The kitchen crowd (aka Martini Shakers):Checking out the view:Hey! We have the same shirt. C'mon, give us a hug:Anybody need little flags with Canadian on one side and Indian on the other? We have about 50 left over ... Read more:Party
eagle fight 2007-05-30 13:36:00 Last weekend we went kayaking at Sidney and got very, VERY close to an eagle fight
!We set out from Roberts Bay, having rented kayaks from Northern Wave (the best kayaks I've ever rented, by the way). We only intended on staying out a few hours, so we paddled around various islands and took it easy. For Rajeev and I, it was our first paddle of the year and the rental kayaks were different (and much better) than we'd experienced before so it took a little getting used to. They were sleek and fast. Of course, we're used to kayaks that are loaded down with camping gear, so empty ones now seem incredibly light and tippy.I wasn't sure how my shoulder would handle paddling, after being so sore the past year, but it seems to have healed well.When we got over towards Coal Island we noticed a lot of bird activity on some small islets. Eagles were flying back and forth from the islets to the tree tops on Coal. We wondered if they were picking over a dead animal.By this time, our group of 5
Pen palling goes high tech 2006-02-15 11:59:00 In September 2005 I discovered a project called postcrossing. It's a virtual community of people who enjoy sending and receiving post cards. These days email has practically taken over personal communication, but postcrossing means that there's often a nice surprise waiting in your mailbox (instead of just bills), just like in the ol' days of snail mail.This image is a map of my postcrossing so far. The red lines are cards I've sent, and blue lines are cards received. Since the project is the brainchild of a guy in Portugal, there are a lot of members in that country and in Brazil. I was particularly excited to get the first post card sent from Oman, and to send one to the Azores. Yesterday I received one from my favourite country (Australia) and also one from a Russian woman living in Guinea, West Africa.The way it works is that you send 5 postcards to random members (the addresses are emailed to you one at a time), then 5 random members receive your address and you start receivin
Smart Car Panel Swap and Rally 2006-02-06 15:39:00 On 5 February the Smart
Marmots had our first rally of the year: 16 cars and about 25 people! Here are some pics:Brunch at the Six Mile Pub.Irene and I won Smart blocks!Love those t-shirtsParking at Three Point Motors. Yeah, we all fit...In the service area we could talk to the Smart mechanics about our cars.They showed us how to take our panels off (to change the colour). For example this one ......became purple in about an hour.On the road again...I have the coolest marmot.At Esquimalt Lagoon.At Royal Roads.Yeah, we're cool Read more:Panel
, Rally
, Smart Car
Hymie's first steps 2005-12-06 14:47:00 Hymie has now officially ended his "break in" period. We've done 1500 kms since Nov. 3. According to the manual, now I can stop being gentle and take him at top speeds. oooh!The Club Smart Car folks seem to love the avatar I'm using on their site. One person wrote, "OH MY GOD. That rocks. Definitely the best forum avatar I've ever seen. That exactly captures the inner feeling I think of just about every fortwo driver in Canada." Another said, "Great avatar Ahem. LMAO." I'm not really up on cyber-lingo but I think LMAO must mean something like "laughing my ass off." Read more:steps
please sign my guestmap 2005-12-02 14:34:00 I've added a new feature on this site that will help me track visitors: my guestmap. Go to the button at the bottom right of the sidebar and click on it (or click here) to place a pin on your location. The map looks like this so far -- lonely and devoid of pins!
Hymie does Vancouver Island 2005-11-29 13:49:00 Last weekend the fog finally cleared, after what seemed like weeks of being socked in. The sun came out and I hunted for my sunglasses. Perfect weather for a drive! I took Hymie and Ma up-island to visit Grandpa. He lives in Nanaimo, which according to my Japanese teacher back at university, literally translated means "seven potatoes." The drive takes about 1.5 hours on the highway. Yet again, my new car expands my horizons as I can actually drive on the highway.We had lunch at the Crow and Gate, a cute little pub in Cedar. Here's some pics of Ma (looking great at 60-something), Grandpa (an amazingly youthful 89), and me (at only *cough* 39). What's your secret to looking so young, Grandpa? "Drink beer!"... and of course the obligatory baby pics of Hymie: Read more:Island
, Vancouver
Cowichan Cow Chase 2005-11-08 18:37:00 Three days after getting my Smart car, I joined the Smart Marmots (Vancouver Island chapter of Club Smart Car) for a rally. We drove up to Lake Cowichan for brunch, then through the back roads along the lake and around Duncan, Mill Bay and Crofton.It was fun driving Smarts in formation. There were about 15 cars from all over the island, and 2 from Vancouver. Pedestrians would point, wave and smile, which is a far cry from the trail of violence I would leave behind when driving my Beetle (a.k.a. punch buggy). We even passed a gaggle of Miatas heading the other way, obviously out on a Sunday afternoon rally like us!Colleen came along as my passenger.We swarmed Duncan City Hall and took pics of the small parking spots they've created for Smarties like us. I still can't believe how easy it is to park this car! It's only 8 feet long and I always think there is more length behind me than there actually is. Here we are in front of City Hall. Hymie (my car) is in the middle.
happy b-day to me 2005-10-19 16:27:00 In recognition (denial?) of the fact that I'm a year older, I have given myself a sexier Weather Pixie. If you don't know what a Weather Pixie is, she lives in the sidebar to the right and reflects the current weather conditions where I am. Her clothes change with the weather. She's pretty hot for an, um, 39 year old eh? The other one didn't have much of a wardrobe. In fact, she only had 4 changes of clothes to last a whole year. I mean, really! Time for a makeover. The new one has a much bigger wardrobe, although I don't know how she's going to dance in those shoes:So far my b-day's going well, apart from the denial/shock thing. I still can't believe I'm old enough to be a grandmother when I feel so much younger than my chronological age. I was sung to by my father over the phone this morning, and Paul gave me a list of what other people have accomplished at my age courtesy of this website. I got some chocolate from Victoria's best Choco-latiere (thanks Kesh!) and a contribu
birthday wish 2005-10-03 18:49:00 My birthday's coming up (Oct. 19). I want a SMART CAR. Oh and chocolate would be nice too! Donations (for the car) gratefully received here ...
cats have staff 2005-09-27 13:36:00 Lately I've been spending too much time (OK work is really slow) browsing other blogs to get an idea of what's out there. Just like websites, there are BILLIONS of blogs. Apparently there's a new blog created every second. There's a lot of creativity, but as with everything else on the internet there's a lot of crap too.What interests me are bloggers obsessed about documenting aspects of their world in photos. I had the idea of posting one photo every day, until I saw that it's already been done by this photographer. I ran across someone who is posting photos of every meal he eats ... and it looks like he is spending a fortune in take-out food. The number of food bloggers is astounding. I particularly like The Girl Who Ate Everything -- a 19 year old woman in New York who writes hilarious articles and posts pics of her culinary adventures. Makes me hungry just looking at it.Many blogs are filled with adolescents going on about how bored they are with their lives, middle-aged folk
I asked you not to tell me that 2005-09-27 11:41:00 Don Adams passed away. "Get Smart" was part of my childhood (and now seems to be my mid-life-crisis anthem, as in Get A Smart Car). This obituary, written by Neil McMahon of the Sydney Morning Herald, had me chuckling.---He was the swinging bachelor with the groovy pad who couldn't walk up the stairs without falling down again; the debonair playboy who would pick up a martini and a cigarette and then slug the drink with the fag still in his mouth. There was a dash of Bond, a touch of Rat-Pack Sinatra, a bit of Inspector Clouseau, but in the end he was pure Maxwell Smart, agent 86. And now Don Adams is dead, to which millions find themselves saying: "I asked you not to tell me that."Have we ever loved a television character as much as this one? We laughed at him, and then laughed again and again, partly because you would have to be dead not to find him funny, but also because somewhere along the way we discovered we liked to speak like him. We could watch Get Smart a dozen times beca
Hurricane Rita 2005-09-21 15:15:00 Ooh scary. ANOTHER hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita is already huge - category 5. Best comment seen on the web so far: "God must really hate Mardi Gras." Check out the GOD CAM:
views 2005-09-21 14:03:00 I'm going to start posting pics of the beautiful and bizarre things seen through my window. This first batch looks southeast at the Juan de Fuca Strait. Read more:views
puddytats 2005-09-16 18:29:00 For all my cat-sitters and visitors who don't believe I actually have 2 cats (because they always hide on you), here is proof that they exist.
scooting around 2005-09-14 14:02:00 Here's a pic of me and Shirley, the day we rented scooters and drove all over Victoria. This was taken on her phone/camera on top of Mt. Tolmie. We had a blast! It's the best way to see this city (in good weather). It has inspired me to get rid of my '59 Beetle (Shake 'n' Break) and buy a scooter..... I'm thinking of the 2006 Yamaha Vino ...
bon voyage to bollywood 2007-06-08 20:25:00 Rajeev is on his way back to Bombay for a couple of weeks and the cats & I are already in withdrawal.I just dropped him off at the airport, and the apartment is strangely quiet. The cats are sniffing the area where his suitcases were, pacing around like little tigers, and I know they'll be pestering me for double attention.The cats have trained Rajeev well. They demand daily early-morning cuddles (on the couch for Bailey, in the bathroom for Leica) and he absolutely can't say no. I think he loves them as much as I do. Tomorrow morning they're going to get a rude shock when they realize he's gone and they're left with That Chick Who Doesn't Care How Cute We Are If She Hasn't Had Enough Sleep. Read more:bollywood
it's as if they were waiting for him to leave 2007-06-13 18:20:00 You can't see it that well in the photo, but Rajeev's car has been severely dive-bombed by seagulls. The other cars on the block are clean, but this one had multiple direct hits. I'm toying with the idea of leaving it like this and picking him up at the airport in his new Guano Mobile. Welcome home, honey. On second thoughts, he'll probably prefer all this crap to that which he's experiencing in India right now.
recipes: veggie heaven 2007-06-15 18:07:00 We decided to try an organic fruit & vegetable delivery program a few months ago and we are LOVING it. We use a company called Share Organics, who use bicycles to deliver bins of greens to our neighbourhood every week. We customize our order online and pay online, making the logistics super easy.And this is the result: a new bunch of fruits and vegetables every Tuesday. It's like Christmas every week, opening up the bin to new goodies. The photo is of this week's bin. Look at all those amazing colours!We often get vegetables we've never cooked with before, so it gives us the opportunity to try new recipes. The organic stawberries are the best I've tasted in a long time. In the winter we only get tasteless strawberries from California. The local ones are what REAL strawberries taste like. I had almost forgotten.Share Organics emails out a weekly newsletter and there's always a recipe for a fruit/veg that's in the box. Here are some of my pasta faves so far:SINFULLY RICH FETTUCCINE
why I hate dental hygienists 2007-06-18 17:40:00 I dread my bi-annual teeth cleaning appointment like the plague. It's not the poking around with the sharp instrument on tender gums that I hate so much, or the frothy fluoride that makes my saliva gush into pools under my tongue, or even the aggressive flossing and lecture on how to brush ('cause hey, if I haven't figured it out now, I never will). Those things are all part of the cleaning process which I'm prepared to endure twice a year.No, it's the terminal PERKINESS of dental
hygienists that makes me want to run screaming in the other direction. Why, oh why are they all like that? Do they take classes in Perkiness, Cheerines, Ask Stupid Questions, and Talk-to-your-patients-as-if-they-are-5-years-old at Dental Hygienist school? What about Be As Perky As You Can As Early In The Morning As You Can?I can't stand it. I hate small talk at the best of times, and I'm generally not in a good mood to begin with when I visit the dentist's office, so small talk there only pisses me of
Recommend Site To A Friend
