Day Three Hundred and Twenty Two - Oscars Live

Dear all,

Oooooo I can barely contain myself.. it's Oscar Night! I LOVE the Oscars, I love everything about them. De spite this eternal devotion, I have never in the history of me loving the Oscars, watched it, live, from start to finish. Last year, Darren and I went out for a drink [whilst it was being recorded, of course] and in years previously, I have been on the wrong continent, in the wrong time zone and in a world where life was slightly less influenced by internet-based phenomena such as youtube and www. MarieClaire.co.uk.

So, I thought I would indulge my mini-passion for this blog entry and focus on the most fabulous outfits. My decisions are based on a 6 hour marathon Oscar session that started as soon as I got home. Darren, who is always so gracious when it comes to the remote, knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on as I jumped up and down with glee as the first glimpse of the red carpet shone out through the TV and took this opportunity to plough straight into a full night of work.

So here are my highlights ( I know that this is just a collection of pretty photos but that's The Oscars!)

1. Natalie Portman. She's got it all; super talented, amazingly beautiful, gorgeous ballet dancing fiance, a bun in the oven and a gorgeous Rodarte off the shoulder, purple dress. Congrats Natalie!

2. Mila Kunis: The Black Swan.. but looked lovely in lilac Ellie Saab. Out Mila is all grown up and she managed her big night at the Oscars with style and class.

3. The wonderful Helena Bonham Cater wore a fabulous dress by Coleen Atwood, the Oscar winning costume designer of Alice in Wonderful. Helena looked fabulous and, as always, was loud, proud and British ( here modeling a cheeky Union Jack garter).

4. Claire Danes, you are so radiant and beautiful, we salute you! She consistently arrives at these glitzy events with unadulterated style and class; here pictured with her dashing beau, Hugh Dancy wearing a gorgeous Calvin Klein gown.

5. A couple of the saviours from the show, messieurs Law and Downey Jr, pictured here with the beautiful Mrs. Downey. Although my love for James Franco will never wain.. he wasn't brilliant in his role as Oscar Host. Downey Jr is celebrated for bringing an audience back to life and he didn't disappoint in this instance. Him and Jude are thick and thieves and we love it!

6. Darling Michelle, you are so beautiful. She stepped out in Chanel Couture and looked stunning, demure and altogether amazing. Some might say she looks like she is wearing a bobbly sweater-dress, but I think she looks lovely.

7. My favorite male actor of the generation: Mark Ruffalo! He was [finally] celebrated by the Academy with a supporting actor nod ( about time too) and here is pictures with his lovely wife Sunrise ( yes, this is Hollywood folks).

8. I had to quickly mention another gorgeous Brit, Kate Beckinsale because, quite frankly, she looks sublime. No one knows where she found this dress but I am thinking she picked it up some super exclusive Vintage, Parisian fashion emporium ( and probably paid a few bob for it) but my, she looks dazzling.

9. Charlize Theron always looks amazing and non so much as this evening where she looks like the ethereal beauty that she is, wearing Atelier Versace.

10. I find Gwyneth Paltrow a little hit and miss but this Calvin Klein dress is one of the best fashion choices of the evening.

11. The lovely Anne Hathway who, it turns out, had 8 costume changes, looked incredible on the red carpet in a stunning dress from Valentino. And congrats to Anne on her hosting debut, she can sing, dance and laugh with the best of them, well done Anne!

12. And finally, my favorite dress of the evening from the fabulous Scarlett Johansson. Dolce and Gabbana did her proud, she looks incredible ( I randomly have exactly the same measurements as Scarlett.. I might drop her an email and see if I can borrow the dress some time).

Congratulations to everyone on an amazing evening. I love the Oscars!

Day Three Hundred and Twenty One - Model Home

Dear all,

We are house hunting and after a quick blast through the internet, we found a handful of properties to view in Collingwood and the surrounding area.

One of the houses was located in Georgian Meadows, a new development just opposite the driving range which resembles a mixture between something you would find in Desperate Housewives or The Truman Show. Not that that is a bad thing.. It's just different from anywhere that I have ever lived before.

So, we went to have a quick peek at the suburban palace. It was actually very very nice inside; spacious and light.

The houses are packed together, but inside it does feel very private and luxurious.

There was also a very exciting patio ( i.e. BBQ deck) which gave me butterflies in excitement about summer which is just around the corner.

We are looking at more but it was good to get started and what better place than a 'Model Home' to get the ball rolling!

And in other news:

1. I had a blissful evening catching up with Jenny and Karla in the fabulous Tremont Cafe. There was, as always, so much to discuss and what better place than the bar at the Tremont!

Day Three Hundred and Twenty - Fingerprints

Dear all,

I am plunging deeper and deeper into immigration-based paperwork and due to the ever increasing world wide security threats, I found myself down at the local OPP station getting my fingerprints taken in order that I could send them off to be screened by the Feds.

It is a most bizarre experience having ones fingerprints taken however the whole thing was made a million times more manageable as Lily's mum happened to be working on reception at the time. We were chatting away as the [very scary] police woman whisked me away in a back room and rushed it all through, without talking and certainly did not enjoy my [several] attempts to break the awkward silence. I genuinely wanted to know what was in their soap ( they have this amazing soap that cleans that fingerprint ink right off) and even when I mentioned I was an artist; she ignored me. Ahh well.

The fingerprints are all in the post and another box ticked. Hurray!

And in other news:

1. Roll up Roll up! Tim Hortons' famous campaign has started again... for all those across the pond.. It's a highly anticipated 'lottery' whereby you must 'roll up' the curly rim on your coffee cup to reveal a prize.. the prize range extends from a new car to a fresh new cup of coffee. http://www.rolluptherimtowin.com/en/index.php

Darren and I made a quick diversion to Stayner today and en route, we picked up a couple of coffees. I won! A free coffee. Hurray! Hopefully my winning streak extends to the lotto max this evening!

Day Three Hundred and Nineteen - Netflix

Dear all,

As I am still feeling a little under the weather, Darren took control of the TV Remote and signed us up for what is fast becoming the hot word on everyone's lips: Netflix.

Can I just say, Netflix is 'AWESOME'! Netflix allows us humble mortals to access a MULTITUDE of films and stream them through various hubs (Xbox, Wiii, DVRs, HDTVs) without even leaving the homestead. [http://ca.netflix.com]

It's amazing! I 'was' a regular at or local Blockbuster but my habitual shrieks echoing through the store are sadly diminished after the arrival of our newest friend. I will certainly use up all my Blockbuster *free* points but price-wise, Netflix is a world away from anything else on the market. It's $8.99 for all the movies you want. Per month. That's pretty awesome.

Anyway, here are some of the things I have seen on Netflix in the last 48 hours:

1. Bride Wars: Romantic Comedy. Pretty average. Good if bored and/ or baking.

2. Fantastic Mr Fox: From our Beloved Roald Dahl. It's good... (but it is ABSOLUTELY NOT as good as the book). [**Feedback please]

3. Weeds: A JOYOUS discovery. I watched 2 seasons in two days. Semi-comatosed on advil . It's very well written, stylish and hilariously funny. Can't wait to tuck into seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7!

4. Whip it. Drew Barrymore has bought together her gang in a HILARIOUS comedy-drama about the roller-rally. Juno brings it home for everyone. This film had Darren on the floor with laughter.

5. Running Scared: I suggested that we watched a more 'challenging' film and Darren picked out this [thinking it wouldn't be too challenging.. I am still a TOTAL light weight when it comes to scary movies]. I was so disturbed by this film that I had genuine nightmares 'directly' associated to the story. It's horrifying, don't watch it. ugh ugh ugh.

In conclusion: Netflix is brilliant and for all Canadian's reading, I would highly recommend it!

Day Three Hundred and Eighteen - CAA

Dear all,

I am rumbling through the various stages of flu monitored closely by a very attentive Darren who is on constant guard with Extra Strength Advil (http://www.advil.ca) and a flask full of homemade Lemonade.

My temperature is now a little more stable although the measuring device is not entirely accurate ( we are using the Meat Thermometer)....

... but it gives us a rough estimate.

Anyway, due to my semi-hallucinogenic state when driving back from work the other day, in my haste to return to the haven and ensconce myself in blankets, I left my lights on.

Gaaaa. Well, thank goodness for CAA (http://www.caa.ca)! I am a member of the roadside service and when I had mentioned my foible to Darren he suggested I call them up right away. I must say, the service was quite brilliant! I spoke to a nice lady who insisted help would come to my aid at '11:47' and I should hold tight inside my vehicle whilst wrapping myself in warm clothing (I decided that my robe would suffice although I planned to stay in bed rather than 'my vehicle'). It turns out that the CAA truck arrived within about 5 minutes; he took out a box, plugged it into my car and it started. Hurray!

I thought there would be a little more 'high drama' with wires and stuff.. but no. He was in and out so quickly, this is the only photo I managed to take! So I let my car purr away for 20 minutes or so and now I am as right as rain. Bravo CAA!

Day Three Hundred and Seventeen - Collingwood Hospital

Dear all,

A short, and somewhat bittersweet post today and apologies for the temporary sabbatical, I have been thrust into the tumultuous hands of the demonic Influenza and despite the fact that numerous 'unusual' things have been happening to me, I have been unable to lift my head off the pillow for more than about 5 minutes without wanting to pass out.

After being sent home [in a storm and I disturbingly don't remember the drive to or from work] after only one hour of arriving at work, I spent the whole day in bed being nursed by an amazingly kind Darren. The next day and now rampant with various unsavory symptoms such a high fever and terrifying cough, he took me straight to the hospital. Our major concern was my now debilitating back pain, which echoed of a horrendous encounter with the dreaded Shingles about 3 years ago.

So, into the hospital I went. Hospitals are my least favorite place in the world so I don't make a decision to enter one lightly. I ended up having to stay the whole day but luckily Darren was able to scoop me up and take me home late in the evening. The nice Doctor concluded that, although I need to be quarantined due to having a pretty bad flu, I didn't have shingles. Yay!

Day Three Hundred and Sixteen - Orgasmic Onion Burgers

Dear all,

We are experiencing a balmy 11 degrees today and to celebrate Darren and I got out Ted's Burger book and got cracking on a new and interesting burger!

I couldn't believe that we hadn't tried this burger before: it's the Orgasmic Onion burger, using our favorite seasoning, Orgasmic Onion! We have used since we found the recipe, ( 3 *large*batches) that I had to make a fourth in order to crack on with the recipe. It is by far, one of the best, all round seasonings you can have in your kitchen and I would recommend it to everyone.

Ted called for a 'port wine gravy' to be used on the burgers so I got to work reducing some beef stock while simultaneously making a red wine reduction with onions, garlic, thyme and a bay leaf. It smelt fantastic!

I mixed in 1/2 cup of Orgasmic Onion (i.e. a lot)to around one pound of beef and let it sit for a while in the fridge.

Once the red wine reduction had bubbled away for around half the size, I poured in the beef stock and let them both simmer down until it formed a gorgeously rich gravy.

In the meantime, I had put the burgers in our cast iron pan and let them cook away for about 15 minutes.

I quickly made up some mini roast potatoes by par-boiling some mini red potatoes and then putting them in the oven for doused in olive oil and (woops) some lard.

the result was wonderful! they were great burgers; spicy and succulent. Another brilliant recipe from our favorite BBQ master, ted!

And in other news:

1. I have been making more Muffins from Mary Lous cookbook, this time ' Sunny Cranberry Muffins'.

It involves a lot or orange zest and [of course] cranberries..

And a whole can of evaporated milk. Very good for the soul.

They turned out great and sent in a load into work with Darren (we can't eat 24).

I also cooked up a banana tea bread from the 'Hookery Cookery' website (!?!) with a couple of spare bananas and (again) some orange zest. Unfortunately, during dis-embarkment, the core of the bread fell out onto the board so it now resembles a Banana 'pie' but it tastes great!
http://www.hookerycookery.com/banana24.htm

** Mutter, don't look at the oven. I'll clean it later.

Day Three Hundred and Fifteen - Kinect Sports

Dear all,

Still in the throws of Valentines, I picked up a new addition for Darren's XBox collection ( but had a plan in mind...): The Brand new addition of Kinect Sports.

The nice man at EB Games in Collingwood came to my assistance ( I must have looked lost ) and suggested I go for the 'Deluxe' game package that allows multiple people to play together. I was extremely excited by this purchase primarily as I thought it might provide a conduit where I could join D 'competitively' whilst playing XBox.

And it didn't dissapoint: This game is awesome! There is game after game on the disc including various games within disciplines such as boxing, football, volley ball, bowling, table tennis and [the highlight for me] track and field.

It is SO much fun and a new concept for Gamers in that it brings a whole new physicality to the computer games and actually proves to be a valid form of exercise. I was literally gasping for after some of the games ( There is a hilarious disclaimer at the start claiming that one must 'stop playing' if you become sore or stiff... sore or stiff???)

We started out with table tennis with Darren stretching ahead quickly proving to be extremely skilled in the art of 'hitting a fake ball through the air as if hitting the ball that is heading towards you on screen'. Does that make sense? Probably not. But in any case, Darren won hands down.

I started to get to grips with the Kinect Sports format once we started playing Volley Ball (and what great practice for Monday night!) and my newly acquired skills using my hand-eye-computer coordination started to kick in.

We rattled though more of the games; Boxing is awesome ( a simulated boxing match that is as good a work out as 30 minutes of kick boxing) as was soccer. I was most excited about what came next, my forte in the real world and I was sure these talents would transcend: Track and Field!

We started with the hurdles ( I was quietly confident.. ) and Darren COMPLETELY WHIPPED MY ASS! We were in the same race, he had a great start and flew over the hurdles coming in with a sub 20 second time, a new World Record! I, on the other hand, knocked over all the hurdles ( you have to jump in the air whilst running on the spot as fast as you can ... it's hilarious. Oh and it's being filmed and footage of your real life 'efforts' played back to you at the end) . Darren also won the Long Jump, Sprint ( Aghh) and Discus and I was just about to lose all hope when we stumbled across 'The Javelin'.

Never did I think that I would excel in the Javelin, but I was Brilliant! I threw nearly 100 metres in the first round and won by miles. And I threw consistently long distances. Bizarre. Must have been the hours spent watching British hero Steve Backley with the fam back in the day. Who'd have thought it!

XBox Kinect Sports is Brilliant! A brand new hobby and you don't even need to leave the house!