cross country

nothing quite like a peaceful and sunny cross country ski.

the many moods of the lake

lazy

combination of movies and no skating=getting roly poly.

not too shabby

merry merry

if i make it through today and tomorrow (50/50) then i will be going away for a week to the north, and i will likely (hopefully?) not be touching a computer during that time.















hope you have a lovely, family-filled, joyful holiday.

another day ain't gonna hurt a thing

shit girls say

i'm going to go with something my dad used to say when i was little for this one. once is funny, twice is boring, third time deserves a spanking. harsh, but true.

yes, i say most of the things in the video, that is not really the question at hand. that's why it was funny the first time. "it's funny cause it's true" until you actually think about what's going on. "but it's just a joke". yes, it's a very long joke about how women are stupid. HELLOOOOO they are MAKING FUN of women.

are we not finally tired of women/girls being categorized, lumped in, portrayed as and mocked, demeaned and diminished for being stupid, childish, inane, insignificant and vacuous? really? because to me, it's OLD NEWS. this is not funny anymore! why? because these portrayals actually affect the ways in which people think about (and treat) women.

don't believe me? maybe you didn't watch this, or haven't seen these, or weren't there when my grade 10 science teacher told me i would grow up to be "cute and sexy" when i asked him about what my career choices could be. it is "not okay" (see? i do say it) to reinforce these harmful (and boring) stereotypes.

there is a very well-written response to the episodes here, and you can find a tumblr dedicated to "shit" that girls ACTUALLY say here.

"Whether you see yourself in it or are simply offended by the stereotypes, what you’re actually reacting to is the fact that being a woman is still a punchline. And that’s something that’s worthy of your anger."

yeah, that. alright go ahead and start the "you're a buzzkill" chants because honestly i find being laughed at for things i say on the daily KIND OF A BUZZKILL MYSELF.

shortbread

doubled the recipe, part II tonight.



you cannot go wrong with good old-fashioned scotch shortbread. it is a crowd-pleaser of the best sort.

Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?

hello.





loungin



paw warming station



i went for a run on sunday for the first time in several weeks. i've had a sore knee on and off, like sharp, shooting, radiating, nauseating pain so i've been keeping off it.



i took it easy with a 4K and went slow and steady. so far so good.



balancing my physical activity with a lot of movies and baked goods.



"shitter's full"

neither of these things is anything like the other

last week used this to teach a 7 year old what "false advertising" means. i think i was successful.

but baby it's cold outside

hi, it's party time. i have sparkly nails and holiday-appropriate makeup.



come into my house, it's warm and there are lots of treats.

this is the syrup from the mulled wine simmering. you make a syrup first and let it simmer for a while and get flavour-y, THEN you add the wine, otherwise you burn off the alcohol while cooking it and WE WOULDN'T WANT THAT. i reserved some syrup to keep adding in as more bottles of wine were brought, and i'm glad i did. because there were a lot of bottles. a lot.



it contains: cloves, vanilla bean pods (sliced in half lengthwise), cinammon sticks, nutmeg, the juice of one orange, orange, lemon and lime slices, brown sugar, maple syrup, and honey.

not pictured: apple cider, also simmering.

this candy bark/square thingy is my favourite thing that i know how to bake. i'm going to have to make another batch.



deviled eggs. a must. i made 12 eggs worth, and they all were eaten except for one (see later, disgusting picture). no one wants to eat the last one.



stella gets ready





stella, your ear is in the yule log (yes, that is a yule log DVD)



the pizza was a whim and i destroyed it at the end of the night.



someone came prepared for warm delicious drinks. great sweater BTW.



Eve had a ball exploring and chasing the cats.



so cute. so, so cute. had to touch the sparkly garland a million times.

rob, as always, delighted with seasonal songs.



big fan of this little guy, especially with reindeer antlers on his head!!



and stella was found in the coats, of course. what cat could resist such a nest?



i have no recollection of this event:



or this one:





one left. ew. that plate looks so gross.



goodbye cheese. there was cheese there i swear.



this was artfully arranged but could not be re-stacked so that it stayed. note cloves stuck in oranges for smell.



i had such a good time. i'm glad people could make it, especially with the very short notice and the busy-ness of the season. next year i'll do it proper and actually invite people and actually plan ahead.

i know you were actually at home eating doritos

thank you, internet, and thank you also to friends who know me well enough to send me things like this when i'm having a bad day:



lazy times in the livingroom last night.









what a surprise that a girl that was supposed to come buy a set of bongos i listed on craigslist (don't ask) FORGOT to show up. eeeeh hehehe. we are selling tons of shit right now. come over on saturday evening for a yuletide beverage and make me an offer on...anything. set of drums? yours. old motorcycle batteries? yours. floral enamel table? small dresser? darkroom equipment? you know you need it. we are liquidating. ok you don't have to buy anything, but DO come over, this is an open invite* we are opening our doors to the holiday spirit so come on in and have some mulled wine and eggnog with spiced rum and watch me get very, very merry.



even less leaves here. this spot is my seasonal weather guage.

*no weirdos** or people i don't know

**email me if you are unsure about your weirdo status