My first Meme

I found this meme over at Boho girl's site, but it seems to have originated here at Colors on my mind.




Have you taken any dance classes in the past year that you loved?
I took ballet when I was little (hardly even remember it, although I do remember the five foot positions) and I signed up for belly dancing with a friend once but sadly we never ended up going. Like yoga, dance is one of the few forms of exercise that by body does not flat out reject. I enjoy dancing when I am home alone and sometimes I make Griffin (the cat) join in. Adrien is one of those people who has a panic attack if he is forced to dance in public, but we are working on it.

What is your favorite tea and where do you get it?
Right now my two favorite teas are green tea with jasmine and herbal orange spice. I am not that picky, I get my tea from the little market where I buy groceries or the yucky bigger stores when we end up there instead.

What is your favorite podcast? What do you love about it?
I have only ever listened to one podcast and that was to do with the last Harry Potter book this summer. Meh. Wasn't all that great, but it did help with my feverish need to hear what other HP geeks thought of the book.

What food did you love when you were a kid, that when you eat it as an adult it brings you back-carries so much more than just the flavor-but memories. And would you share a recipe?
Well... let's see. Barbecue salmon is one. Dad used to fish for salmon in the rivers near where I grew up (sometimes I would go too) and so we often had fresh salmon on the bbq. Snickerdoodles are another. And how could I ever eat chocolate without thinking of my mom? : )

What was the last thing you bought yourself?
As you can imagine, I haven't been doing a whole lot of consumer therapy lately. I think probably the last thing I bought myself that wasn't at least kind of a necessity was a book from a second-hand store. This book was a delightful serendipitous find, I had never heard of Carrie Mac before but now I am eager to read the rest of her stuff. Oh and some soft purple socks. I couldn't resist.
I am thinking of getting a digital camera once all of my student loans/bursaries are settled. I am quite jealous of all those gorgeous photo-filled blogs out there and I want to start posting my own photography too!

What color is your bedroom? Is it the nicest room in the house?
I don't have one! lol. We live in what is known by Montrealers as a two-and-a-half. Which is a large bachelor suite to most other folks. It is pretty big for what it is, we have a large living room/bedroom, a long hallway full of closets, a large kitchen (with room for a washer/dryer and a small table by the window) and a bathroom. Our "bedroom" consists of our bed (which Adrien designed and made by hand for us - so that is awe*fully neat) and a small black fabric room divider to separate it from the rest of the room. I guess you could say we have a bed-nook. As it is part of the living room, and that is the room I have spent the most time making cozy with wooden bookshelves and richly coloured throw pillows, yes it is the nicest.

Are you a better cook or baker?
I would have to say that I am a better cook, though I yearn to be an excellent baker. I think it is in the attitude. I see cooking as a necessary daily activity (we've all got to eat) and so I think of it as being "easy" to throw tasty meals together. I like eating and that makes it feel like creating good food should be intuitive (I know it isn't always). I rarely ever follow recipes, if only for the fact that I don't always have all the ingredients on hand. I do have a shelf full of luscious cook-books for inspiration though.
As for baking... I adore baked good. Especially cookies. And pie. And cake's not so bad either. Chocolate croissants... oooh and pudding! Ok, anyway. I love it, but you have to be a bit more precise about it for it to work properly. I improvise too much and sometimes that ends in disaster.
I adore reading good food blogs like Foodbeam (I am looking forward to trying out these coconut balls soon) and watching food-based tv like River Cottage, which is especially nice to watch because it is about his transformation from London Chef to Dorset small-holder.

What time do you go to bed usually and when do you wake up?
It depends, but generally during the week we go to bed around 11 and we get up around 7 or 8. On weekends we stay out a bit later so don't make to bed until around 1 or 2 and sleep in until 9 or 10. Sometimes Griffin objects and dances on our heads until we get up to wring his neck. Which of course we can never do because he is far too cute.

What sign are you? Do you know your rising and moon? When is your birthday?

I am a January 28 Aquarius, with my moon in Taurus. I have an Aquarian brain and a Taurean heart. So I am spacy, smart, imaginative and quirky but I am also stubborn, sensitive, defensive and kind. What was the last thing you said no to that felt like you were taking good care of yourself?

Well.... I had to say "no" to visiting my dear chum Andrea next week, mainly due to on-going money obstacles. Which doesn't quite feel like it qualifies, but I suppose in the sense that I am taking care of my finances it does. I also said "no" to doing my library volunteer work for the past two weeks in order to free up some time to get my school work done. That totally counts.

What is your happy place you go to in your mind when you need to close your eyes and take a moment for peace and calm?
The one that pops into my mind is what I think of when I am feeling car-sick. I think about the fizzy fireworks over-top of a freshly poured glass of 7up/sprite. I actually NEVER drink pop (except for a bit of ginger ale or ginger beer when I am sick) but the idea of that popping and sparkling from clear lemony soda seems to calm my tummy.
Otherwise, when I am picturing peacefulness and calm I imagine the coastal rainforests back home, and the sound of rain dripping from the deep green outstretched fingers of cedar giants onto a forest floor alive with moss and mushroom villages.

What is the thing that you are most interested in learning about right now?

You would think that, as a student, the last thing I want to do over the holidays is try to put something else in my already overflowing brain. But I do! I have been wanting for a while to learn the history of the British Isles. Sort of learning about my own ancestral history I suppose... and I know how much stuff gets left out of the history books, and how much is written from the perspective of the conquerors and all... but still. I would like to know a bit more about people like Empress Matilda and of course good Queen Bess and who doesn't want to know about Mary Queen of Scots. I'd like to know more about my family tree, and I'd like to learn about pre-historic Britain too.



So now I invite anyone who so desires to fill out this meme on their blog. The rule is that you have to add one question at the end, of your own invention. Of course I know that the majority of my readers don't actually have blogs and they don't even leave comments to let me know they are there! : P So if you don't have a blog but want to answer any or all of the questions above, please feel free to leave a comment with your juicy responses. (You don't have to have a blog to leave comments by the way.)

Photos: Snow falling on Christmas trees from Getty; Snickerdoodles by Redglassfire; Aquarius and Taurus by Susan Seddon Boulet; Camelot in winter by Bill Bell.