Unproductive or not?

Today, I gave up on plans to go cross-country skiing and spent most of the day in bed finishing The Hunger Games trilogy. It's something I've been putting off for a couple of months, and I always find a good reason to do something more "productive."

"I have to paint the bathroom."

"There's Christmas shopping to do."

"I need to clean out my closet."

It feels like I've been going non-stop for months. Even the Christmas holiday was an exercise in constant motion. I try to maintain work and life balance, but there's always something to do. I came back from a week off work feeling like I hadn't had any time off. And to make matters worse, I'm so distracted by all the things I should be doing that I have trouble focusing when I read a book. So finishing a book takes a while, and I seem to find reasons not to read.

But today? Edmonton received a great snow dump this weekend. The snow is fresh and almost 30 cm deep (that's over a foot for the non-metric) and the weather is -16 degrees Celsius. It's a little too deep and kind of cold for cross country skiing. Also, my once-a-week meds have 12-hour side effects that are pretty much like being hella-drunk: dizziness, balance issues & nausea. So naturally, I took them last night and forgot how I'd feel this morning.

That makes it a stay-home day. Now, the house could use a good post-Christmas scrubbing, and I'm still cleaning out my closets for the clothing drive I'm running at work. Since Ukrainian Christmas is over, I should probably take down the Christmas tree.

But I woke up to the bright post-snowfall sunlight streaming into my bedroom window. My hon was already up and playing Call of Duty downstairs. So instead of rushing to get the day going, I said screw it and stayed in bed all morning and most of the afternoon, and read until the daylight started to fade. Like most Sundays, I wasn't hungry in the morning. Let's face it: I eat plenty as a middle-income Canadian, so skipping one meal won't be the end of the world.

And when I was done? My side effects had passed. I came downstairs and made a really tasty meal of leek soup and pan-fried pork loin and finished it off with a homemade latte. I'd finished the book series I've been really excited to finish. And I felt more relaxed than I have in months. One day did more to relax me than a whole week away from work.

It would be easy to dismiss today as an unproductive day. Oxford Dictionary defines unproductive as "(of an activity or period) not achieving much; not very useful." I could have been doing a lot of things. Instead, I see today as productive by just giving me time to breath and accomplish one of those "less important" things on my to do list that's been nagging at me.

By bringing down my stress levels, today was definitely useful.

Video: Octopus kills shark

Keeping with the theme...

What happens when you put an octopus and a shark in the same aquarium tank?

Craziness, that's what.

New Look to the Blog

The blog is all shiny with a new look. Now that my program and my first major home renovation are done, I'll have more time to devote to writing.

I also posted my first Photoshop background. It fits the website theme and my personality, non?

Attention Please

Gerard Butler and Hugh Jackman attended the Metropolitan Musuem of Modern Art for Global Poverty Project event last night. They posed for photos together.

Somehow, they knew I was having a terrible week (totalling my car in a freeway pile-up) and knew just how to cheer me up.

Thank you. That is all.

Philly Opera rules the flash mob

Standing among the the crowd at the Reading Terminal Market on 24 April 2010, members of the Philadelphia Opera Company treated the crowd to "Flash Brindisi".

The company piped Verdi's "La traviata" over the loudspeakers, and broke into song within the amazed crowd. Cell phones frantically captured the performance on video, as young and old alike were enchanted by what seemed at first to be impromptu karaoke. The crowd quickly realized what was happening, and stopped their busy shopping to enjoy the performance. The performers engaged some of the more willing viewers in mini-serenades.

What a great way to celebrate opera, and advertise for the opera company. These days it's easy to dismiss opera as elitist or out of touch, but this performance reminded everyone in the marketplace that opera can be just as lighthearted as any modern form of music. It truly brought the opera to the average person.

This was an innovative twist on the flash mob. Edmonton Opera, are you listening?

Making My Day Easier

We moved into our home in October 2002, just a couple of blocks from 34th Street and 34th Avenue. At the time, that intersection was controlled by three-way stop signs.

Since then, the road has extended into Silverberry and traffic lights have gone up. This has helped with the lefthand turn onto 34th Street, but the turn has been tricky in the morning. Everyone turns into slow-moving traffic because most of it is turning right. Still, it's not ideal and would take 10 minutes to turn if done legally. It's also a kittle scary with all the buses turning at the intersection.

Last week, the city installed a left turn signal. Finally, we can turn safely during rush hour traffic.

Thanks, City of Edmonton. This makes my commute much easier in every direction!

Twilight-themed MasterCard

You can now purchase a MasterCard Debit with your favourite book series on it. Really? When does merchandising go too far? Is this any different in principle than a credit card that supports the Oilers or APEGGA?

At least they're pre-paid. The interest rates would have to be spectacular.

The Models Are Coming! The Models Are Coming!

At long last, we don't have to pay crazy shipping and California Sales Tax to get lovely lacy things from Victoria's Secret. They are opening a flagship store at West Edmonton Mall in August. It might just be a model invasion!


I love so many of the clothes they sell, and even though I've always tried to stay loyal to Canadian lingerie brands, their product is flat-out gorgeous. I also like the La Senza product, but I feel less loyalty to them now that they are no longer Canadian (Limited Brand owns both companies). Victoria's Secret bras just fit me better, and they feel more sensual than Wonderbras, which are my other go-to bra.

When the first buzz hit about VS coming to Canada, I was disappointed because they were only talking about PINK stores. But with a 16,000 sq. ft. full store, maybe we'll see some lovely clothes, coats & boots next to the delicates.

What is your favourite bra maker?

Synthetic DNA grows in cells

Just when I think life is returning to normal...

They create artificial life.

It's official. The zombie apocalypse is coming.

I'm glad I live on the outskirts of a smaller city. Time to stockpile the essentials: food, water, rifles, lipgloss. You know, the bare necessities.

Here is Craig Venter presenting the work in his TED Talk:

Putting the Olympics to Bed

Olympic fervor is winding down this week. The downtown core will be teeming with Olympic and Paralympic supporters at Churchill Square today at noon to celebrate Edmonton's contribution to the Vancouver 2010 Games.

Among the honoured guests is Dr. Bob Steadward, who is considered by many to be the father of international paralympic sport. Bob helped to organize the first national wheelchair games in 1968, and from that point forward he was an advocate for disabled athletes.

He worked through the 1980s and 1990s to found the International Paralympic Committee and as IPC president from 1989 to 2001, he increased the member countries from under 40 to over 200. During is presidency, the Olympic and Paralympic Games were held concurrently for the first time at Seoul, Korea in 1988. For his work with disabled athletes, Bob has received the Order of Canada, membership in the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, and the Olympic Order.

It's exciting to see what kind of impact Edmonton had on the games this year, and how much we helped to Own the Podium. But for me, it's even more inspiring to see one man's work to change the face of international sport.

In the meantime, it's two years until the London Games. I miss the Summer & Winter Games all happening in the same year. It happens so often now that it feels watered down, not like an "Olympic Year."

Oh well. Bye, Vancouver 2010. We had a great time. On to London 2012!

RIP: Alexander McQueen

L'enfant terrible est mort.

Alexander McQueen died Thursday at the age of 40 in his London home, nine days after the death of his mother and shortly before London and Paris Fashion Week began. Fashion's bad boy combined impeccable tailoring with irreverent and fantastic vision.

He has always been one of my top five designers. His collections were controversial, his aesthetic was eclectic and his runway shows were ambitious. Here are a few of his pieces that inspire me.

xoxoxo

Olympic Spirit

GeoTagged, [N53.53994, E113.43032]

The Olympic Torch passes through Edmonton tonight. I was meeting some friends downtown at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, so we went out to see it.

It's only -8 degrees so the weather was nice for a winter theme. Lots of people on the street, and lots of police presence.

A fun time for sure. Now it's time for a Hotel MacDonald lounge drink. I'm having a Polar Bear - hot chocolate with Bailey's & Peppermint Schnapps. Yum!

Hypothyroidism - Gears Grinding to a Halt

Wow. I have a medical reason for being a fat, lazy slob. Cool!

I just had an appointment with my doctor to follow up on some blood work. It was part of my annual physical, but I put it off for months because I have a thing about needles. He wanted to test my thyroid hormone levels because I had put on weight over a year that hadn't come off and my Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) symptoms have been stronger this year. I just have no energy and I'm more sluggish than usual. He wanted to check if I have diabetes or an iron deficiency.

I was nervous for the last week after booking my appointment, mainly because my doctor's schedule was so open and I'm used to booking appointments farther out. Usually, I need to book at least a week in advance, but the receptionist sounded like I could come in the following day. That didn't work with my schedule, but I kept thinking, 'What's wrong that he can see me right away? He never sees me right away!' I joked about it with Sweetie last night, telling myself "It's not a tumor." Okay, so I can be fatalistic.

When I went in, My test results showed that my cholesterol is a little bit high, but marginally, so adjusting my diet will fix it. My blood, blood sugar and iron levels are all good. Then he dropped the sluggish bomb.

He confirmed that I have hypothyroidism. My thyroid is producing about half the thyroid hormones I need to run my metabolism properly.

Now for the crazy part. I'm looking up hypothyroidism online, and I discover the following symptoms. Look at how many I have (in green):

• Dry, thick skin (check - most of my skin's not thick, but it's been super-dry for about four years)
• Hair thinning
• Painful muscles and joints (check - my shoulder has been giving me pain for about two years)
• Depression (CHECK- that's a big 10-4, buddy! Four years ago I had my worst bout of SAD in two decades and I still haven't recovered fully. It's been pissing me off because it's supposed to lessen as you age.)
• Memory problems (check - I have horrible short-term memory, and it's seemed worse in recent years)
• Constipation
• Goitre
• Heavy, irregular or prolonged menstrual periods
• Low body temperature (below 97.8°F first thing in the morning) (check - I've been checking my basal temperature daily for 6 months)
• Low blood pressure (check - it runs in my family)
• Puffy eyes
• Slow pulse
• Reduced libido (check - for the last few years)
• Fatigue (check - tired when I wake up, drained when I go to sleep, too tired to sleep)
• Chronic sinus infections (check - my whole life)
• Headaches (check - in the last few years I've had fairly regular headaches, but it was problems with my bite/teeth)
• Sweating abnormalities
• Heat and/or cold intolerance (check - I'm a bit of an iceberg)
• Irritability (Shut Up! I mean, check)
• Fluid retention
• Anxiety/panic attacks (check)
• Frequent colds and sore throats (I get sore throats all the time, but only for a day or so)
• Lightheadedness (check - all the time)
• Ringing in the ears (check)
• Decreased concentration (...what? Oh, check.)
• Slow wound healing (check - it takes months for the red spots from even the tiniest sores to heal. Ingrown hairs are the bane of my existence right now.)
• Easy bruising (So my Sweetie says... Not like that!)
• Unhealthy, dry, brittle or ridged nails (check - I've always had a couple of nails with ridges, but the last five years they've gotten worse and more nails have them.)
• Acid Indigestion (check - doctor told me it was acid reflux)
• Cold hands or feet (check - my feet are always freezing cold, but I try to ignore it until I touch other skin to them)
• Inappropriate weight gain (check - no, I won't say how much. Not a lot, but enough for my doctor to wonder)
• Hypoglycemia (sorta check - my baseline blood glucose is normal, but if I go too long between meals, I get extremely irritable and lightheaded)
• Falling asleep during the day
• Itching (check - comes with dry skin, right?)
• High cholesterol (check - Dude!)
• Loss of outside portion of eyebrows (although mine are thinner than they used to be...)

This blew my mind. Most of the oddball things that are wrong with my health are symptoms of low thyroid function! This sounds like a laundry list of woes, but if you think about how much your endocrine system controls your body, it makes sense that systems all over would be affected. The human body is wild.

This is good news because it's a relatively easy fix. From the western medicine side, I can just take a synthetic thyroid supplement, just like taking extra vitamins. He wrote me a prescription for SynThroid and told me that it will take about two weeks to feel the effect, so by Christmas I should be a ball of energy. He also told me to book a six-month follow up. More needles. Great.

I'm not taking this lying down though. A bit of research revealed that from the holistic side, I can take iodine, selenium, and add coconut oil to my diet.

It turns out that too much polyunsaturated fat can inhibit tissue response to thyroid hormones. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, and it promotes increased metabolism. Coconut oil will not cure a sluggish thyroid, but it's like adding high octane fuel to your engine - it improves performance (metabolism). Crazy, huh? That might explain why I ate like a pig in the Dominican Republic and didn't gain a single pound. Lots of pina coladas.

Video Luv: Angry Alien Productions

Have you ever heard the adage that says everyone is especially good at three things? Sometimes the three things are kind of weird, but there are always three things people excel at.

I love movies. I watch a lot of movies, old and new, and I love to see movies over and over again. One of my three things is trivia, especially TV and movie trivia. I watch TV shows and movie and retain all sorts of oddball information about them. I love pulling quotes and

For a movie geek like me, Angry Alien Productions is wicked fun. 30-Second Bunnies Theatre takes movies and condenses them down to half a minute, as performed by cute bunnies. Even the non-bunnies often have bunny ears mysteriously tied around their heads.

Jennifer Shiman creates the 30-Second Bunnies Flash movies all by herself, with her friends helping out with some of the voices. Started in 2004 as a way to open doors as a satire humour coloumnist, Shiman first bunnified "The Exorcist." After a lot of positive feedback, the bunnies made more films that year, until Good Morning America played their version of "Titanic." After tha, 30-Second Bunny Theatre was invited to create movies for Starz.com, which now hosts the bunnies' newest releases.

My favourites include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Reservoir Dogs and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. But the best, for me, has to be the one with a 4,000-pound shark with bunny ears tied around his head. That's right...

http://www.angryalien.com/0804/jawsbunnies.asp
Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-da-da-dum da-da-da-dum da-da-DUM!

This month, the bunnies are wishing us a Merry Christmas by bunnifying Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. This marks the first time they've tackled an animated film. Somehow there's an irony there...

P.S. Watch for the scroll-over buttons at the beginning and the end of the movies for some extra bunny goodness.

Weather Is Crazy Here!

Well, hot damn! The last two months have been crazy. School has been crazy with a group project, and we're renovating two bathrooms. To prep for our recent vacation, both Sweetie and I were working a lot of extra hours at work.


On the bright side, I just got back from a wonderful wedding vacation in Punta Cana and went to work today when the weather was 15 degrees. In November!

The lawns were dying when we left, and now the leaves have finally fallen off the trees. This was a problem that could weaken the trees over the winter.

How amazing is the weather in Edmonton? You never know what the weather will bring!

Link Luv: Al Pacino's Voice

Found this and thought it was awesome.

Video Luv: John Williams Is the Man

Post 100 - thought I'd give you something special. I found this video on YouTube, and I'm totally in love with it. Check out the awesomeness!

Direct link is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4

If you don't know why I think it's so good, consider the following:

1. A capella singing (challenging to stay on pitch).
   
2. All parts recorded by the same guy (talk about great tempo)!
3. He's a cute geek (love the t-shirts).
   
4. John Williams (hel-LO, only the composer of the most recognizable music themes of the 20th and 21st centuries)!
5. Star Wars ('nuff said).
   

My favourite part is, naturally, Jaws, followed closely by Superman. What's yours?

Link Love: Yukon Jack

This is the only reason I change my radio to the Bear anymore.

Video Luv: French Bulldog Puppies

I saw this and I just had to share it. Easily the cutest thing I've seen today.

Forbes Magazine World's Most Powerful Women

Interesting
Oprah Winfrey is higher than Queen Elizabeth
Michelle Obama is higher than Oprah Winfrey
Nancy Gates is higher than Hillary Rodham Clinton and Michelle Obama


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_Magazine%27s_List_of_The_World%27s_100_Most_Powerful_Women

1	Angela Merkel	Chancellor	Germany
2	Sheila Bair	Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.	U.S.
3	Indra Nooyi	Chief executive, PepsiCo	U.S.
4	Cynthia Carroll	Chief executive, Anglo American	U.K.
5	Ho Ching	Chief executive, Temasek	Singapore
6	Irene Rosenfeld	Chief executive, Kraft Foods	U.S.
7	Ellen Kullman	Chief executive, DuPont	U.S.
8	Angela Braly	Chief executive, WellPoint	U.S.
9	Anne Lauvergeon	Chief executive, Areva	France
10	Lynn Elsenhans	Chief executive, Sunoco	U.S.
11	Cristina Fernandez	President	Argentina
12	Carol Bartz	Chief executive, Yahoo	U.S.
13	Sonia Gandhi	President, Indian National Congress Party	India
14	Ursula Burns	Chief executive, Xerox Corp.	U.S.
15	Anne Mulcahy	Chairman, Xerox Corp.	U.S.
16	Safra Catz	President, Oracle	U.S.
17	Christine Lagarde	Minister of Economy, Finance & Employment	France
18	Gail Kelly	Chief executive, Westpac	Australia
19	Marjorie Scardino	Chief executive, Pearson Plc.	U.K.
20	Chanda Kochhar	Chief executive, ICICI Bank	India
21	Mary Sammons	Chief executive, Rite Aid Corp.	U.S.
22	Michelle Bachelet	President	Chile
23	Paula Reynolds	Chief restructuring officer, AIG	U.S.
24	Carol Meyrowitz	Chief executive, TJX Companies	U.S.
25	Andrea Jung	Chief executive, Avon	U.S.

26	Patricia Woertz	Chief executive, Archer Daniels Midland	U.S.
27	Guler Sabanci	Chairman, Sabanci Holding	Turkey
28	Barbara Desoer	President, Bank of America Home Loans & Insurance	U.S.
29	Brenda Barnes	Chief executive, Sara Lee Corp.	U.S.
30	Risa Lavizzo-Mourey	Chief executive, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation	U.S.
31	Ann Livermore	Executive vice president, Hewlett-Packard	U.S.
32	Cathie Lesjak	Executive vice president, Hewlett-Packard	U.S.
33	Marina Berlusconi	Chairman, Fininvest Group	Italy
34	Melinda Gates	Co-chairman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	U.S.
35	Nancy Pelosi	Speaker of the House, House of Representatives	U.S.
36	Hillary Rodham Clinton	Secretary of State	U.S.
37	Jane Mendillo	Chief executive, Harvard Management Co.	U.S.
38	Margaret Chan	Director-general, World Health Org.	Switzerland
39	Susan Chambers	Executive vice president, Global People Division, Wal-Mart Stores	U.S.
40	Michelle Obama	First Lady	U.S.
41	Oprah Winfrey	Chairman, Harpo	U.S.
42	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen	U.K.
43	Nancy McKinstry	Chief executive, Wolters Kluwer	Netherlands
44	Gloria Arroyo	President	Philippines
45	Ana Patricia Botin	Executive Chairman, Banesto	Spain
46	Ann Veneman	Executive Director, UNICEF	U.S.
47	Yulia Tymoshenko	Prime minister	Ukraine
48	Ruth Bader Ginsburg	Supreme Court Justice	U.S.
49	Janet Robinson	Chief executive, The New York Times Co.	U.S.
50	Dominique Senequier	Chief executive, AXA Private Equity	France

51	Janet Napolitano	Secretary of Homeland Security	U.S.
52	Anne Sweeney	Co-chairman, Disney Media Networks	U.S.
53	Neelie Kroes	Commissioner for Competition, European Union	Netherlands
54	Gail Boudreaux	President, UnitedHealthcare	U.S.
55	Sonia Sotomayor	Supreme Court Justice	U.S.
56	Mary Schapiro	Chairman Securities & Exchange Commission	U.S.
57	Kathleen Sebelius	Secretary of Health & Human Services	U.S.
58	Ellen Alemany	Chief executive, RBS Americas and Citizens Financial Group	U.S.
59	Susan Ivey	Chief executive, Reynolds American	U.S.
60	Amy Pascal	Co-chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment	U.S.
61	Helen Clark	Chairman, United Nations Development Group	New Zealand
62	Judy McGrath	Chief executive, MTV Networks	U.S.
63	Stacey Snider	Chief Executive, DreamWorks Studios	U.S.
64	Navanethem Pillay	High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations	South Africa
65	Janet Clark	Chief financial officer, Marathon Oil	U.S.
66	Sherilyn McCoy	Worldwide chairman, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson	U.S.
67	Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf	President	Liberia
68	Tarja Halonen	President	Finland
69	Mary McAleese	President	Ireland
70	Virginia Rometty	Senior vice president, IBM	U.S.
71	Angela Ahrendts	Chief executive, Burberry Group Plc.	U.K.
72	Sri Indrawati	Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance	Indonesia
73	Terri Dial	Chief executive, North America Consumer Banking, Citigroup	U.S.
74	Deirdre Connelly	President, North American Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline	U.S.
75	Johanna Sigurdardottir	Prime minister	Iceland

76	Queen Rania	Queen	Jordan
77	Christina Gold	Chief executive, Western Union	U.S.
78	Colleen Goggins	Worldwide chairman, Consumer Group, Johnson & Johnson	U.S.
79	Hasina Wajed	Prime minister	Bangladesh
80	Hyun Jeong-eun	Chairman, Hyundai Group	South Korea
81	Amy Schulman	Senior vice president, Pfizer	U.S.
82	Penny Pritzker	Chairman, Classic Residence by Hyatt	U.S.
83	Drew Faust	President, Harvard University	U.S.
84	Melanie Healey	Group president, Feminine & Health Care, Procter & Gamble	U.S.
85	Elizabeth Smith	President, Avon	U.S.
86	Deb Henretta	Group president, Asia, Procter & Gamble	Singapore
87	Ann Moore	Chief executive, Time Inc.	U.S.
88	Sallie Krawcheck	Chief executive global wealth management, Bank of America	U.S.
89	Pamela Nicholson	President, Enterprise Rent-A-Car	U.S.
90	Janice Fields	Chief operating officer, McDonald's USA	U.S.
91	Stephanie Burns	Chief executive, Dow Corning	U.S.
92	Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw	Chairman, Biocon	India
93	Eva Cheng	Executive vice president, Amway Greater China & Southeast Asia	Hong Kong
94	Efrat Peled	Chief executive, Arison Investments	Israel
95	Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi	Minister of the Economy	United Arab Emirates
96	Charlene Begley	Chief executive, GE Enterprise Solutions	U.S.
97	Mindy Grossman	Chief executive, HSN, Inc.	U.S.
98	Sharon Allen	Chairman, Deloitte LLP	U.S.
99	Heidi Miller	Chief executive, Treasury & Securities Services, JPMorgan Chase	U.S.
100	Mary Callahan Erdoes	Chairman, JPMorgan Global Wealth Management	U.S.