silas at 30

Yesterday was Silas’ 30th birthday. Being an introvert means he generally doesn’t like his birthday or the attention that comes with it. I lean more towards the extrovert side of the spectrum and love all things birthday related. This means I like making a big deal about milestones like turning 30 and I write about it in every internet medium available. Silas was convinced I was organizing a surprise party for him and was preparing himself for how he would react to it if it happened. I kept asking him where we were going for dinner or where he’d like to go for drinks so I think this caused suspicion. But I know Silas well enough to not spring something like that on him.

We went out for dinner at a little place by our house called The Roxton. We ordered a charcuterie platter to start, Silas had the reuben with soup, and I had a burger with chips and salad. So much meat. We walked home a little bit tipsy and he opened his presents.

Not shown is the post-script I wrote in his card promising to knit him a (long awaited) sweater before he turns 31. Writing it on the internet make me extra accountable.

Then we listened to LCD Soundsystem and had a mini dance party by our front door.

I lit sparklers and presented Silas with his birthday lime tart.

Recipe here: http://everybodylikessandwiches.com/2012/01/lime-tart/

Happy 30th to you, Silas!

coast

Lomos from our holiday in Nova Scotia this summer.

summer

light

These blossoms are long gone now. It seems like spring came and went in a blink and now it’s full on summer. This morning we were awoken by the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life. It must’ve been right above our roof. Now the sun is shining and the ground is already dry and the humidity is rising. Summer is my favourite of all the seasons.

good weekend

Friday: Tea with Samantha followed by a walk around Koreatown in the morning; used up some gift cards at the Eaton Centre in the afternoon; went to our friend Cory’s birthday party in the evening.
Saturday: Sunshine, warm breezes, walks around the neighbourhood, napping on the couch, eating salsify for the first time, braised ham, mini pavlovas, Scrabble and wine.
Sunday: A birthday brunch at the Gladstone for Samantha including Jason, Teri & Andrew, Pamela, and Amy; caught up on missed episodes of Modern Family on the internet; an afternoon drink with Ally; soup & sandwiches for dinner; re-watched Rachel Getting Married while knitting; accidentally stayed up until 3am to finish reading The Help.

Today is my last day of spring break. Back to the grind tomorrow for seven more weeks of classes. I had such a nice week off. I hope you had a nice weekend too!

day to day

 

My life looks so much better on film.

what’s in your bag

Yesterday, Silas and I had coffee with Samantha & Jason, followed by a walk around Trinity Bellwoods, and then an afternoon beer at a divey bar on Queen West I can’t remember the name of. The weather was perfect and the park was full of people, babies, and dogs. We met a very friendly Labradoodle who you can see in this photo by Samantha. I’d really like to have a dog and likely will once I’m finished school. In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through friends and strangers.

I took lots of photos yesterday with my Pentax K1000 and I haven’t yet finished the roll so I likely won’t post them for at least another week. There’s something satisfying about having to wait until I get my photos developed. As much as I enjoy modern conveniences, I can appreciate the mystery of having to wait to see what my photos look like. Now that the weather is so much more pleasant, I’m feeling much more inspired to take a camera with me everywhere I go.

Today I’m heading to the library to get some work done on an assignment due on Tuesday. I was going through my things this morning and transferring clipboards and notes to a different bag for the week. And because I was procrastinating, I decided to take a “what’s in your bag” photo before getting to work.

You can click the photo for more info on Flickr! And with that, I’m off to hit the books.

spring fever

Oh hello! Sorry to have neglected you for so long, dearest blog. It’s currently 8ºC and sunny in Toronto, and I’ve got a serious case of spring fever. All I want to do is ride my bike and feel the sun on my face. I’m still in classes and will be until mid-June and to be quite honest, being so busy is wearing me down. I know this change of season will provide a much needed pick-me-up. This afternoon, I bought myself a $2 bánh mì on Spadina with the intention of eating outside. Unfortunately, the ground and benches were a bit wet from the rain this morning, so I ate my sandwich while waiting for a streetcar. But I was outside, wearing a spring jacket without mittens! It was glorious.

a new year

It’s 2011! Happy New Year!

I survived my first semester back at school. They’re certainly not joking around when they say my program is accelerated. What’s usually a four year program is crammed into twenty months, and at the end I will be a registered nurse. I’ve had the privilege of providing care for older persons, people who’ve experienced life changing events and are now living with disabilities, people with chronic illness, new mothers and their even newer babes, and I’m currently in my pediatrics clinical rotation. I can say, without a smidgen of doubt, that I made the right choice in pursuing nursing. It has been intense and hectic but I’m feeling so fulfilled, engaged, and challenged. I’m happy.

S and I had a very relaxing time in Saskatchewan over the holidays. It felt so nice to leave the city and be in wide open spaces. We spent time with his parents, sister, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins (including Lewis, Joel, and cousin-to-be Bethany), and our dear friend Lori who also happens to have relatives in the same town where we do. We spent nine days on the prairies and then came back to a mild and dry Toronto. (The photo above was from January 8th.) S had a short week back at work and I was still on break from school, so we were still very much in holiday mode when we returned. We went out for brunch, walked around our neighbourhood, window shopped, and visited with friends. We rang in the new year at our friends’ house party. We drank cider and champagne, kissed at midnight, and called our loved ones. I insisted we take the subway home two stops when we easily could’ve walked, just because it was free. On New Year’s Day, I made the traditional Korean New Year soup and we curled up on the couch watching episodes of Seinfeld. It was perfect.

While we’re on the subject of the new year, let me share my resolutions. There are two I’ve come up with that, upon first glance, seem to contradict one another.

1. Make more time for the things I enjoy. (Spending time with my partner, my friends, knitting, calling far away people, making photos.)
2. Update this blog more often (at the very least, once a month).
3. Spend less time on the internet.

Let me clarify. I spend a lot of idle time on the internet. Especially when I’m supposed to be doing something that resembles school work. I will spend far too much time refreshing Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Google Reader, etc. We’ve all done it. So, my resolution should actually read: do what you need to do on the internet and then TURN IT OFF.

And with that, I’m turning it off. Happy new year friends!

I’m a lazy really busy nursing student/blogger.