Lise's Ramblings

Today is Friday, which means that yesterday was our girls’ movie night . Instead of a serious classic, we opted for something more recent and lighthearted. Mid-way through the Oscar-nominated Amélie I was reminded of a simple pleasure. One scene briefly mentions the joy a particular character experienced from rapping the back of a spoon on crème brulée’s hard surface. Oh, I must agree that it is great fun to break through that sugar-encrusted top to reach the creamy goodness beneath. AWESOME!

I’m really not a fan of cold weather. Even still, I always enjoy the first snowfall of the season. That dusting of snow covers bare branches and all that is drab brown and grey. And now white snow refreshes everything and reflects extra light. Goodbye dark, damp days of late fall. Welcome bright winter. AWESOME!

In the classic bad dream you turn up naked at school or at work. There are many other nightmare scenarios to cause restless nights: deaths, break ups, fires, showing up late for an exam or an interview, re-living bad decisions or awkward situations, and the list goes on. Regardless of what horror makes you wake up and sit bolt upright in bed, there is a much longer lasting and positive high from that moment when you realize it was all a bad dream. AWESOME!

What are gyros without tzatziki? Nachos without salsa or guacamole? Hamburgers without relish? Fresh bread without butter? Turkey without gravy? Sausages without mustard? Cauliflower without cheese sauce? Chips (or fries) without dips? Steak without barbecue or H57 sauce? Perogies without sour cream? Let's face it, meals and snacks would be dull without condiments. Yet life with them is AWESOME!

You want to go to sleep, but something is keeping you awake.  My annoying ice cube maker at the Marriott Residence Inn.   Your hotel suite's fridge ice maker keeps churning out cubes that crash noisily into a container in the freezer. Your thermostat setting keeps causing the heater to kick in every now and then. A window or door isn't sitting quite right in its frame. You are motivated to temporarily disable the ice maker, find the thermostat's sweet spot, and tame those door and window frames. Solving these annoying noise puzzles feels good. Getting a restful, quiet night's sleep as a result of your mastery, well that is simply AWESOME!

This fall, a friend of mine started inviting the girls over to re-experience favourite films, enjoy movie-related appetizers and have a social. She lets each of us choose movies, which range from true classics to cult classics, and our selections air in her basement theatre every two weeks. Initially, I thought what a great idea. Perhaps I’ll meet new people and be introduced to films I wouldn’t have necessarily chosen on my own. I was right on those accounts, but something completely unexpected also happened. Turns out I experience films in a different way at this stage of my life, compared to let’s say when I was in university, high school or whatever. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but I find it fascinating that I take note of things I would have missed all those years ago, or that I can relate to characters in new and odd ways. Back in the day, I likely paid more attention to the soundtracks, eye-candy actors, fashions and one-liners. Sure, the lit major in me watched for ...

Yes, I’m on a bit of a food kick. As I was writing last week's  pomegranate piece , I caught myself thinking about another fruit I adore…clementines. Tiny. Succulent. Easy to peel. Often seedless. Oh yeah, did I mention reminiscent of Christmas? AWESOME!

No, not in a voyeuristic or stalkerish way. I mean watching that person with pride, admiration and deep-rooted love, but you just happen to be at a distance. It can be a slight distance, such as a small stretch of carpet separating your respective sofas, or it can be as far as the length of a gymnasium. Perhaps you are witnessing the amazing powers your baby has to make someone else smile, how your nephew inspires his teammates, how gentle your brother is when he tends to an ailing parent, how naturally suited your friend seems in the role of a mom, or how your hubby has a knack of making everyone around him feel included and at ease. Times like these make us experience mini bursts of joy as we watch those we love establish special connections with others. And if they happen to catch us watching them, then there's the added pleasure of exchanging a smile, a wink or a knowing nod. AWESOME!

If pomegranates weren’t so delicious, nobody would ever take the time to free those juicy kernels (arils) from their naturally complex packaging. As if the flavour isn’t enough, pomegranates have been used for thousands of years to remedy various health ailments. This fruit is chockfull of free-radical-busting antioxidants and now scientists are studying how pomegranates may deliver health benefits ranging from lowering bad cholesterol and stabilizing type-II diabetes to preventing Alzheimer’s and targeting cancerous cells. AWESOME! Don't believe me? Check out this photo of my breakfast http://www.twitpic.com/33snnw

They ROCK! Masks and crowns keep sliding off. Ears flop over the eyes. Paws hide tiny hands and impede fine-motor skills. Tummies protrude and hamper any attempts to bend. Gowns extend to the floor, tripping up tiny feet. Oversized costumes create a hilarious struggle for dinosaurs, superheroes, princesses, turtles, ladybugs, lions, pumpkins, vampires, legos and ghosts alike. Let’s face it, those trick-or-treaters teeter. Each unsteady step threatens to cause you to spill the overflowing bowl of candy as you shake while trying to suppress laughter. Suddenly a sibling or a parent reaches out to save the day by steadying a wobbly trick-or-treater who has approached your front door. And if it turns too cold in late October― not that that ever happens in Canada ―those oversized outfits even mean you still get to go out trick-or-treating, because your warm clothes can fit UNDERNEATH the Hallowe’en costume.       AWESOME!