Healthy Chia seeds

Remember last week I blogged about how healthy Chia seeds apparently are?

I stopped in at my favourite health store yesterday and bought some.

I'm putting them in my morning shake (protein powder, Greens and fish oil) instead of flaxseed.

Book ~ "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time" (2008) Valerie Bertinelli

From Goodreads ~ Valerie Bertinelli, then: bubbly sitcom star and America's Sweetheart turned tabloid headline and rock star wife. Now: actress, single working mother of teenage rock star, and weight-loss inspiration to millions. 

We all knew and loved Valerie Bertinelli years ago when she played girl-next-door cutie Barbara Cooper in the hit TV show "One Day at a Time," and then starred in numerous TV movies. 

From wholesome primetime in America's living rooms, Valerie moved to late nights with the hardest-partying band of the decadent eighties when she became, at twenty, wife to rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen. "Losing It" is Valerie's frank account of her life backstage and in the spotlight. Here are the ups and downs of teen stardom, of her complicated marriage to a brilliant, tormented musical genius, and of her very public struggle with her weight.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book.  Bertinelli writes in a very honest and frank manner.  vaShe's definitely not Barbara Cooper and it's interesting to read her experiences. 

I wish her all the best! I'd recommend this book.

Picking up Gord's prize

Remember last week I told you that Gord won this contest?

We met up with Troy from Great Canadian Pubs and Beers this evening to pick up Gord's prize at Smokeless Joe's (John/Adelaide W).

What did Gord win? A Steam Whistle black T-shirt, green bottle opener, "steam whistle" and a VIP tour of the brewery with nine of his closest friends (an intimate and interactive tour of the brewery and look at how four all-natural ingredients are transformed into a world class pilsner. The VIP tour will also include pizza, one souvenir per person, ice-cold pints and the "Good Beer Folks Guarantee" of a fun and memorable time.)

Needless to say, I've secured a spot on the tour! Whoohoo!

Here's Troy giving Gord his prize.

Troy had a pint with us and then had to leave (he had a surprise out-of-town guest).

We watched Colin shuck some oysters.

They let us in the beer fridge!

The bar boasts 250 beers ... here are some of your choices.


I had a couple Cameron Cream Ale drafts and Gord had a Stratford Common, a Durham Black Katt Stout and a Durham Extra Special Bitter.

Here's Gord outside Shoeless Joe's.

The House Bunny

From imdb.com~ When Shelly, a Playboy bunny, is tossed out of the mansion, she has nowhere to go until she falls in with the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. The members of the sorority - who also have got to be the seven most socially clueless women on the planet - are about to lose their house. They need a dose of what only the eternally bubbly Shelley can provide ... but they will each learn on their own to stop pretending to be what others want them to be and start being themselves.

I was in the mood for a light movie ... and this was it.

It was a cute movie with Anna Faris playing Anna Faris.

It's not a great movie but I thought it was worth seeing in the theatre.

"Little Shop of Horrors", Stage West, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw Little Shop of Horrors at Stage West this afternoon as part of our subscription.

One of the longest running off-broadway shows of all time, Little Shop of Horrors is about a down and out floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding it's growing appetite. This affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies has become a household name thanks to the highly successful film version.

It was okay ... for some reason I wasn't really getting into it, though. I remember renting the movie and not watching the whole thing because I wasn't digging it. I guess I was getting the same vibes today.

The actors did a fine job, though I found Audrey a bit annoying.

Casino Rama, Orillia

After the Serendipity Princess cruise, we headed to spend five hours at Casino Rama.

As usual, Gord and I headed to the roulette tables. I lost $105. Gord got a hit on his last round so ended up only losing about $50.

Then we took a walk around the hotel. Gord made friends with a bear by the shops.

Then we had supper at the Couchiching Court (a buffet restaurant) ... we'd all received a voucher so our meal was free!

Teena outside Casino Rama.


Gord outside Casino Rama.


Gord, just before he got yelled at by a couple of security guards to get down. Ha!


Then we put $10 in the Joker Poker machines. I got bored and started doubling up and lost my $$. Gord cashed out with $5.

Then we boarded our bus and headed for home.

Serendipity Princess, Barrie, ON

I hosted a Single Horizons event today.

Our busload of 55 headed first to Barrie for a cruise in Lake Simcoe on the Serendipity Princess.


There were dragon boat races going on.


This is the calibre of the houses along the water! Whoa!


Some of our group ...

Me

Gord

Sun dishcloth

I made a sun dishcloth tonight.


Measurements: 8 inches x 8 inches
Size US 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles

Cast on 37 stitches.

Row 1: K1, P1 to end
Row 2: K1, P1 to end
Row 3: K1, P1 to end
Row 4: K1, P1 to end
Row 5: K1, P1 to end
Row 6: (K4), K to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 7: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 8: (K4), K14, P1, K14, (K4)
Row 9: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 10: (K4), K14, P1, K14, (K4)
Row 11: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 12: (K4), K4, P1, K8, P3, K8, P1, K4, (K4)
Row 13: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 14: (K4), K5, P2, K6, P3, K6, P2, K5, (K4)
Row 15: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 16: (K4), K5, P4, K11, P4, K5, (K4)
Row 17: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 18: (K4), K6, P4, K2, P5, K2, P4, K6, (K4)
Row 19: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 20: (K4, K7, P1, K2, P9, K2, P1, K7, (K4)
Row 21: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 22: (K4), K9, P11, K9, (K4)
Row 23: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 24: (K4), K8, P13, K8 , (K4)
Row 25: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 26: (K4), K4, P2, K1, P15, K1, P2, K4, (K4
Row 27: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 28: (K4), K2, P4, K1, P15, K1, P4, K2, (K4)
Row 29: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 30: (K4), K4, P2, K1, P15, K1, P2, K4, (K4)
Row 31: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 32: (K4), K8, P13, K8 , (K4)
Row 33: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 34: (K4), K9, P11, K9, (K4)
Row 35: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 36: (K4), K7, P1, K2, P9, K2, P1, K7, (K4)
Row 37: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 38: (K4), K6, P4, K2, P5, K2, P4, K6, (K4)
Row 39: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 40: (K4), K5, P4, K11, P4, K5, (K4)
Row 41: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 42: (K4), K5, P2, K6, P3, K6, P2, K5, (K4)
Row 43: (K41), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 44: (K4), K4, P1, K8, P3, K8, P1, K4, (K4)
Row 45: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 46: (K4), K14, P1, K14, (K4)
Row 47: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 48: (K4), K14, P1, K14, (K4)
Row 49: (K4), P to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 50: (K4), K to last 4 sts., (K4)
Row 51: K1, P1 to end
Row 52: K1, P1 to end
Row 53: K1, P1 to end
Row 54: K1, P1 to end
Row 55: K1, P1 to end
Bind off all stitches.

Lost kitty captured

We finally just caught the kitty!

Kirsten cornered it and got it in the carrier.


I called our vet and they can't take it.

Unless someone claims it, I'll be taking it to the Humane Society.

It's quite a cutie!

Update: Gord and I just took it over to the Humane Society. With two cats and a dog, we couldn't keep it. Since it is a young kitty, it should be adopted in no time.

Lost kitty

There has been a lost kitty running up and down our terraces since last night (we have 14 terraces in a row) meowing.

It's really cute ... grey and furry and maybe two months old.

We tried to catch it last night but it kept running away.

I left some food on our terrace last night and it was gone this morning.

It's still out there but won't let me near it. I zoomed in for the pic when it was hiding behind an air conditioner.

When I meow, it meows back.

Very frustrating because I'd like to catch it and take it to a kitty shelter. Our street is fairly busy and I'd hate to have it get hit by a car. But it doesn't seem to have figured out how to climb stairs to get to the street.

Eating Chia?

I'm watching CP24 and Sherry Torkos, the guest holistic pharmacist, was talking how we should be adding chia seeds to our diet.

Chia seeds?

Yep!

Similar to the ones on Chia kitty.

Read here for more info.

Five reasons to eat Chia seeds:

1. Chia Seeds Are Nutritious ~ On top of the fact that chia seeds have more omega-3 than any other natural source, they are loaded with antioxidants, calcium, protein, fiber, and many other vitamins & minerals.

2. Chia Seeds Are Energizing ~ Not only do chia seeds give you a boost of energy that lasts, they also provide stamina and endurance. A single tablespoon could sustain Aztec warriors for an entire day.

3. Chia Seeds Reduce Cravings ~ Because chia seeds absorb so much water and have high soluble fiber levels, they help release natural, unrefined carbohydrate energy slowly into the bloodstream.

4. Chia Seeds Are Easily Digestible ~ Unlike flax seed, chia seeds do not have to be ground up before you ingest them. The human body can easily digest chia seeds, and with about 7 grams of fiber per serving, they actually help.

5. Chia Seeds Are Convenient & Versatile ~ You can eat chia seeds straight from the bag, mix them with your favorite drink, add them to your cereal or salad, and just about anything else. Chia seeds last for years so stock up now!

Who knew?!

Congrats to Gord!

Gord won this contest this morning!

Whoohoo!

Another 'hood walk

KC and I went for a 90 minute walk this morning.

Her eye ducts don't produce tears anymore so I have to put drops and ointment in her eyes a couple times a day. We were running low so she and I walked to the vets' to get some more.

Her vets' office is across the street from Trinity Bellwoods Park. This is looking north from Strachan Avenue. These gates are from the old Trinity College.


KC's vets are the owners of the Queen West Animal Hospital.


Then we headed east on Queen Street W.


Then we headed down Niagara Street.


How would you like to have this graffiti on the side of your house?


We walked through Stanley Park North.


We crossed King Street W to Stanley Park south and walked around the perimeter.

KC isn't crazy about this park as it's basically a field and there's not that much to sniff. It's an off-leash park and there are usually lots of dogs playing. KC doesn't like playing with other dogs so we don't go there very often.


Then we headed for home along King Street W.

A classic gets desperate

Gord is a huge fan of Seinfeld.

He can recite the lines with the characters.

And we play a game when the show starts to see if he knows the plots of Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer within the first ten seconds. He's usually bang on!

There is an interesting article in today's Toronto Star about the show.

Groundbreaking sitcom has fallen so far off the cultural radar that it's luring viewers on a bus

It sounds like a scheme Kramer would dream up: a Seinfeld bus, filled with memorabilia from the show's groundbreaking nine-season run, making the rounds of college campuses, like Ken Kesey's drug bus of the '60s, determined to spread the message to a new generation.

And what is that message? "Watch the show, you idiots, because we're losing syndication revenues hand over fist!"

You can read the rest of the article here.

It was a fabulous show in its day.

But it's on about ten times a day now.

I must admit that I get tired of it. So when Gord's not home, I usually switch the channel and watch something else.

How about you?

Book ~ "The War on Women" (2007) Brian Vallée

From www.brianvallee.ca ~ In The War on Women, Vallée revisits the domestic battlefield, revealing that the War on Women by the intimate men in their lives continues; that the fallen in this War are more likely to be ignored than honoured; that the refugee camps of this War are called “shelters”; and that the number of men being killed by their spouses has dropped by more than 70% since the inception of shelters, while the number of women being killed has dropped by less than 25%. That’s right, shelters save men’s lives!

Vallée was compelled to revisit the domestic battlefield when he was contacted by Calgary music promoter Elly Armour, who harboured a dark secret. She had once been a battered wife. In Nova Scotia in 1951, her husband brutally beat her and forced his way into a locked room where she was trying to hide. A teenaged mother of two with a third on the way, Elly shot her husband dead with his own hunting rifle. She was charged with the capital murder of Vernon Ince.

Through the years, Elly never talked about the shooting or the abuse. Not until more than half a century later when, her health failing and upset at the number of women still being murdered and abused by their intimate partners, Miss Elly contacted Brian Vallee and asked him to reveal her secrets.

Factful book about spousal abuse and the effects many years later.

What attracted me to it was the mention of Jane Hurshman in the title. I'd read Life With Billy and saw the movie years ago.

This book, though, was more the story of Elly Armour with brief parallels to Jane's. Elly's story, though, is an interesting one.

I found that there were a lot of details and it was hard to keep everyone straight sometimes.

Despite this, though, I would recommend it.