Sarah's Blog

Blog has moved ...

2009-07-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

This blog has been moved to it's new home over at www.GoVegan.net

Mia update

2009-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mia has been adopted!! :)

Now we gotta find a place for Harley.

Harley ...

2009-07-21T22:56:00.001-07:00

Tattoo Zoo article

2009-07-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the Tattoo Zoo interview for the Monday Magazine CityGuide. Click on the photo for bigger readable version.

Speed recovery MCA!

2009-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Speed recovery MCA!

Kin Keezy

2009-07-16T09:43:00.001-07:00

Does this make me gangsta? I got a shout-out in the song Cupcakes by Kin Keezy.

Sidecar for Pigs

2009-07-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sidecar For Pigs in Seattle is carrying the new GoVegan 2010 calendar. Check out this great article about them.

Ghost Bag

2009-07-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

I got this letter from Amber but she didn't leave her e-mail address so I figured I'd share my response with everyone.

Hey Sarah...
I love your books, humor and recipes. I have a question....I just added Vegan a Go-go to my collection and I love it....What is the "Ghost Bag" and why does it follow you?? Just wondering!! =)

To answer your question Amber - Ghost Bag is an inside-joke between me and my hubby. Whenever we take our dog for a walk we look for Ghost Bag. It's that ubiquitous plastic bag that you see stuck high up in the trees or floating in circles in empty parking lots. When we spot Ghost Bag - we wave and yell "Hi Ghost Bag!"

On the rare occasion I can capture Ghost Bag - I carefully bring it home and re-cycle it. When I travel on my own ... and I notice Ghost Bag it makes me smile and think of Gerry and I feel close to home even when I'm miles away.

Even though it's one of those things that make me think of my hubby when I see it ... I am happy to report that sightings of Ghost Bag are few and far between nowadays with everyone being more conscientious and using cloth bags. If I never saw another Ghost Bag again ... I would be very happy.

Thanks for writing. :)

This...

2009-07-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is why I'm trying to raise funds for the SPCA. Poor Mia. :(

If you'd like to donate/sponsor me - please visit my donation page HERE.

Blindness

2009-07-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

We watched Blindness tonight. It's a bleak bleak movie that had me sobbing but don't let that scare you away. I don't want to say too much about it other than I highly recommend it...I give it 9 out of 10 blind eyes.

Click THIS to view the trailer.

Chickens in Victoria

2009-07-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

FYI - the chickens that needed a safe haven - have found a forever home! :)

The Drab Doo Riffs

2009-07-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

I got a package in the mail a while back with a 7" from a NZ band called The Drab Doo Riffs.

I left it in the tattoo shop office and TOTALLY forgot about it till yesterday and found it under a mountain of paper. What FUN they are!! Check them out HERE.

One persons garbage ...

2009-07-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

I got the best sidewalk/garbage score the other night...Only a tiny chip in the corner of one of them ... I think they look fabu!!
In other news I had an amazing couple of days hanging out with my good friends Jen, Chris, Gavin and Kieran (who were in town visiting from Toronto). I'm so blessed to have friends like these ...

Last day dream ..

2009-07-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

Tinkerbell found a home!!

2009-07-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

Good News!!
Some of you may remember Tinkerbell who had been in the SPCA shelter for over 200 days. Well I got word today that she's been adopted and spent her first night in her new forever-home sleeping in between her new family. She settled in right away. :)

There are so many animals in your local shelter who need a loving home. If you're thinking of adding to your fur-family, please adopt.

And don't forget that I'm raising funds for the SPCA Paws for a Cause walk-a-thon so if you'd like to donate - visit my donation page HERE.

What to do with your old HIAV...

2009-07-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've heard from a few readers that they're going to purchase the new 10th anniversary edition of HIAV and then give their old edition to a veg-curious friend.

I think that's such a fantastic way to recycle a gently used book as well as encourage your friends to go vegan. Brilliant!!

Jian

2009-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Oh Jian
How you make my heart Tweet with joy. :)

@jianghomeshi Tart tales cont'd: Got vegan butter tarts in mail (thx @govegandotnet). From BC. Impressive. May renounce dairy. But won't break up w/ Feta.

Cute

2009-07-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Cute review of LDV over at Tom's blog. I wish he had been listening to The Go-Go's instead ... but ... what are ya gonna do? :)

Please Sponsor me!!

2009-07-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am looking for sponsorship donations for the SPCA Paws For A Cause walk-a-thon. The BC SPCA is completely supported through fundraising and receive no direct monies from any municipal, provincial or federal sources.

All funds donated stay in local communities to help animals in need. Online donations are secure, easy and receive instant electronic tax receipts.

Visit my donation page HERE and please give what you can. Remember EVERY PENNY COUNTS!

HEY VICTORIA!!

2009-07-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

The current person looking after five chickens in a backyard farm in Fernwood plans on killing them in the next week because the hens are not producing eggs at a productive rate.

This matter is time sensitive. He is willing to let them go to a new home if one is found in the next week. After that week, the chickens will be killed.

If you know of anyone who can house these chickens for the rest of their natural lives, please let Joey from the UVic Student Animal Legal Defense Fund know at 250-477-5275 or uvicsaldf@gmail.com and he will make sure that they are dropped off anywhere within driving range (island or mainland). Please forward this to anyone else you may know who could help.

Veg News Award

2009-07-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been nominated for Favourite Cookbook Author and would love your vote.

You can vote for me and all your other veggie favourites HERE.

Sneak peek

2009-07-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen it in person yet, so Janice at the AP office sent me a few photos of the new *hot off the press* 10th anniversary edition of HIAV.
Hee hee! I heart Janice.
I'm so stoked with how the food photos I shot turned out and big thanks to Vegan Dish for the sweet pottery. Yay!

Butter tarts + Jian Ghomeshi + Q + cbc radio = YAY

2009-06-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a HUGE CBC nerd. I'm always listening to CBC when I'm in the kitchen and as you know I write cookbooks so I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen. Today when I heard Jian Ghomeshi read my letter on his show I just about split my pants with excitement.

I was so stoked I even made a vlog about it ... I'm such a nerd. :)

Listen to Q

2009-06-30T09:19:00.001-07:00

Just heard from a pal in the East that Jian read my letter to Q on-air! Those on the west-coast ... tune in!

Witchies

2009-06-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

I had a great time at the Witchies show last night ...

mmmmmm

2009-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Key Lime Pie!!

What a great day!

2009-06-27T22:26:00.001-07:00

We Kramer's don't celebrate much. No x-mas or Hanukkahs or Valentines Day but boy-howdy do we ever like to celebrate birthdays in our house!! Last year was such a milestone birthday. The big 4-0. It was such a big deal - not so much the 40 part but the surpassing my mothers age of 39. Bitter-sweet.

This year. I wanted to be melllloooowwww... and it started off with a wonderful gift from Gerry at mid-night. I pulled back the duvet cover to climb into bed to find it covered in $20 and $50 bills. OH MY LORD! My husband knows me so well! *laugh*

This morning started out with a bang. A nice phone call from my Auntie Bonnie. Tons of well wishes from twitter/facebook/myspace friends. Got lovely twitter messages from Jane Wiedlin and Kathy Valentine ... OF THE FREAKING GO-GO'S!!

Then it happened.
The call I've waited 364 days for... every year my parents call me on my birthday and sing to me. I don't know when it started to be a tradition but it's the best part of my birthday. This year my parents are in Europe on vacation and I wasn't expecting them to call me from across the pond but when I answered the phone THERE THEY WERE on the other end! I actually got a little teary this year while they sang, I'm so lucky to have such thoughtful parents.

Then it was off to Mattick Farm to play Mini-Golf. I've had mini-golf on the brain since the dog in a hot car incident last weekend and was jonesing to play. It started out fun. There was a wizard or a troll or some sort of something that you had to golf through ...
Then things got a little "ruff".
Then after a few holes we realized that the troll/wizard was the only fun thing to do on this mini-golf course. Every other hole had a log or a rock as an obstacle. WHAT?
We quickly bailed and headed downtown to grab some lunch from Cafe Bliss and had a little picnic in our backyard.
Fergus really digs Sunflower sprouts.
Tired from the mini-golf and full from the yummy meal I accidentally had a nap. I blame Fergus.
Later in the evening we headed downtown to Re-Bar to have a birthday dinner thanks to a gift-card I got from our realtor (thanks Dominque).

We had the hummus & chutney starter with pita bread. YUM!
Enjoyed a Monks Curry on brown rice. Double yum!
And decided that after 20 years of not drinking ... that I would have a glass of wine. Yup. I broke my edge. Triple yum! :)On the walk home I was feeling a little tipsy and not wanting the night to end just yet so I managed to secretly steer Gerry towards the Karaoke place (where you can sing in a private room). Gerry's always resisted karaoke but since it was my birthday ... he couldn't say no. The funny thing is ... once we got going ... he wouldn't stop! *laugh*
I tried singing We Got The Beat but holy shit - that's a tough song to sing! Kudos to Belinda!Top 3 Favourite songs to sing at Karaokee.
1. Anarchy in the UK
2. Holiday in The Sun
3. My Sharona

All in all ... it was a super fantastic wonderful day. Even with the crappy mini-golf. :)

I have a blessed life.

Happy Birthday

2009-06-27T08:50:00.001-07:00

TO ME!!!

Don't Shoot!!

2009-06-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

New DEVO! Hells yes!

Live long and awesome!

2009-06-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

My buddy Tom likes to personalize his books so nobody takes them ... ... but if I saw something this awesome in my friends book - I might snag it!! :)

new interview for VAGG...

2009-06-24T09:57:00.001-07:00

...over at GF Vegan Hippie. Check it out HERE!

Veg Fund

2009-06-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Veg Fund? Now you can offer FREE vegan food at events in your area. HOW COOL IS THAT??

Green Muze

2009-06-22T16:19:00.001-07:00

New interview with moi over at Green Muze.

Amanda...

2009-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

I got my hat in the men's department at The Bay. :)

Elk Lake ...

2009-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Had a really wonderful day-off with Gerry and The Fer-gus yesterday. It was a cloudy/cool day so we decided it was perfect weather to go for a hike. Hopped in the car and drove out to Elk Lake. Like a dummy I didn't even think about it being a Sunday ... so the park was PACKED with runners (who were doing a triathlon) and dogs. So many awesome crazy dogs.

We wandered the paths for a while and then hit the un-beaten paths to get away from the crowds. So beautiful!
I almost started singing something from The Sound of Music...
This pond was FULL of frogs.
Then Gerry spotted a Canada Goose and her babies. They were fuzz-dorable.
Eeeeeeeeee! Baby animals make my heart ache with love.
Hide-and-seek is not easy with a dog who doesn't understand the rules ...
Bushed from hiking we stopped for a Dr.Weil bar. Yum but so expensive! I really need to get out VAGG and make my own energy bars.
Fergus patiently waited until we were done our snack.
With the sun now burning through the clouds and the temperature rising we decided to go for a leisurely drive through the country-side to find a roadside vegetable stall but instead we found a new Mini-Golf place!! WAHOOO! I know what I'm doing for my birthday. :)

We stopped at the golf place so I could find out prices and I noticed a giant SUV/Truck parked in the sun and inside was a small dog barking his head off. Concerned I asked the woman behind the counter how long the car had been in the sun. She said "at least an hour". YIKES!

I walked over to the truck and put my hand up beside the partially open window... I could feel the heat radiating out from the car. On a whim I tried the car door and to my surprise it was un-locked so I went back to the counter and asked for a bowl of water. I cracked open the door to give the dog some water and this poor little doggie jumped into my arms - panting and whining.

I gave her a little love and walked away from the car so she could get some fresh air and so the truck would cool off. Then I put the bowl down for her and she drank a ton of water. I almost walked away with the dog I was so mad.

Instead I put her back in the car (with the bowl of water). Wrote a note for the car saying "It is too hot to leave your dog in the car. I gave her some water. Please take care of your precious cargo."

I then spoke to the woman at the counter and told her the car was un-locked and that if someone didn't move the truck in 10 minutes ... could she please remove the dog and then call the SPCA.

We drove home and I was so worried for this little fur-baby. I wasn't sure I did the right thing and part of me felt I should have taken the dog and left a note telling them they could pick her up at the SPCA. I called the golf-course when I got home and they let me know that someone came and got the truck right after I left. PHEW!!

Do not leave your dog in the car in the summer - even if you think you've parked in the shade because the sun moves around and cars heat up a lot faster than you think. Click HERE to download some information from the SPCA about hot cars.

If you see a dog in distress please call the SPCA shelter or the Police immediately.

I LOVE MY DAD!!

2009-06-21T10:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Fathers Day!

review for VAGG

2009-06-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

over at Healing Lifestyles. :)

Thrift Store vagina ...

2009-06-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

Bought these at the thrift store yesterday. Not sure I should hang them up... :)

Away We Go

2009-06-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

My pal Lindsay gave me tickets to see Away We Go. What a sweet fun movie. I give it 9 out of 10 pregnant bellies!!

Thanks Lindsay!!

Green Living Blog

2009-06-17T09:21:00.001-07:00

Little interview over at Green Living Blog. Check it out HERE!

How adorable ...

2009-06-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

... is this blog entry?

Dont stop believin'...

2009-06-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Had a fun dinner with my friends Wendy and Suzy the other night. Wendy and I lay in the grass in the back yard and watched Suzy and Fergus wrestle. Boy-howdy those two sure do have a special relationship. It's like Wild Kingom + WWE + Rock of Love

Needless to say Fergus was tuckered out when we got home and crashed hard in bed with his favourite cuddle buddy Perogy Cat.
Thanks Wendy and Suzy!!

Album covers ...

2009-06-12T10:58:00.001-07:00

I was downloading some music from itunes today and it felt kind of hollow. Disposable almost. I miss looking at the art work on album covers and having something to hold in my hands.

Cd covers are so small and digital downloads of covers are just silly. It got me thinking about some of my favourite album covers. What are some of yours?

2001 was a fun year...

2009-06-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

... especially when a group of us from The Capital City Scooter Club went down to Vegas for the scooter rally. And for additional giggles Gerry and I decided to tie the knot (for a 2nd time) while we were down there.

It was a ridiculously fun road trip and one that I'll never forget ... especially since I found this home-movie I made that I had stashed in the cupboard. This is for you Marty! Enjoy.

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

Congrats to my brother...

2009-06-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

... who is now working with the University of Winnipeg on an exciting new project. Read more about it HERE.

"We will start with food in its simplest, most natural form and will purchase local and seasonal products. Our freezers will be small and our intention to serve great food will be big." - Ben Kramer

Reclaiming video...

2009-06-09T23:11:00.001-07:00

I was doing some youtube stuff today and was blown away by how many hits Reclaiming C**t has received since I posted it a year ago. Over 11,500 people have watched it. Wowzers!!

Imagine if each of those viewers donated just $5 to V-day.

my day ...

2009-06-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Woke up.
Checked all my internet stuff.
Ate breakfast in my pajamas.
Had a shower with Gerry.
Answered e-mail in my towel.
Had a mini-bath because I can't shave my legs in a shower.
Answered more e-mail in my towel.
Got dressed.
Walked the dog.
Talked to my friend Kimmee.
Cleaned the bathroom.
Swept and mopped the kitchen.
Did the dishes.
Did 2 loads of laundry.
Put laundry on the bed.
Worked on SPCA website.
Uploaded some stuff to youtube.
Watered plants.
Ate lunch.
Cleaned/organized linen closet.
Took out the recycling.
Listed some stuff for sale on Used Victoria.
Made a grocery list.
Picked up Gerry from work.
Bought groceries.
Am about to make Fantastic Dijon Potato Salad from Garden of Vegan (pg 91) and a Portobello Mushroom Burger for dinner! YUMMY!
Laundry is still on the bed ...

Gyno

2009-06-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Anyone in Victoria have a good gynecologist?? I need a referral stat.

My containter garden...

2009-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

... is looking good!! :)

What a great day!

2009-06-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

The killer heatwave we were having finally broke and now it feels like a regular ocean breezy kind of summer day. Ahhhh. :)

I took Fergus to the hairdresser today because he's really been suffering in all this heat.Since I had a few hours to kill - I wandered around downtown. I haven't wandered downtown in a long while ... it's funny how I live downtown. Own a business downtown. Yet I never do anything downtown. Anyhoo. There's lots of newish locally owned boutique stores in the downtown core and I wandered through all of them but I ended up spending most of my time perusing the amazing Hunter Gatherer... ...which is the best vintage clothing store in Victoria.

Where I bought a great pair of never-been-worn vintage shoes. Woot. I also walked out with a cheque for $80 for some consignment stuff I sold there. Gotta love some extra pocket $$ you weren't expecting. Double Woot!
I still had an hour to kill so I headed to TZ to visit Gerry while he tortured... whoops... I mean tattoo'd his client.
I had a rice-crust pizza with pesto and vegan cheese from The Joint...
...and picked up a freshly shorn Fergus who is soooo much happier to be sporting a new summer cut.
If you're wondering ... Fergus is sitting in his Outward Hound Booster Chair. I know it's all kinds of ridiculousness but it keeps him from jumping all around the car. Plus if I slam on the brakes for some reason - he's strapped in and safe. :)

The calendar is starting to hit stores!!

2009-06-05T00:19:00.000-07:00

So get your flip-flops on and go get one!! Birdlord sent me this photo of the calendar being sold at Quimby's in Chicago. Maybe Oprah will see it when she's shopping and FINALLY have me on her show. :)

And don't forget ... a portion of the sale of each calendar goes to Sea Shepherd!!

Woof! What a weekend!

2009-06-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to pop over to Vancouver to visit with my parents before they leave town on vacation.

The night before I hit the road I went to see the movie UP! in 3-d with some friends. It was great. Had me crying all the way through ... probably because of the PMS ... but still a great movie. I really enjoyed it. Especially the talking dog. Ha. I wish Fergus had a talking collar. "SQUIRREL!"

On the walk home I told Gerry I needed to stop at the market and pick up some provisions for the trip to the mainland but Ger had this great idea that I should pick up a burrito from Hernandez instead. BRILLIANT!!

Only ... I discovered they're not open on Saturday like we thought. Boooo. So I ran down to The Joint and picked up a quick quesadilla with spinach, olives and their home-made vegan cheese. Yum!
I had a blast with my parents ... we woke up on Sunday and ate Scotch Oatmeal (that they make to perfection) and had a lazy morning reading the NY Times and gabbing about life. Then we went out to run some errands. First we hit MEC so I could find some shoes to replace my runners (that have been to NY and back and have seen better days).

I bought THESE shoes and as I was looking for the link for this post ... my heart dropped when I saw the description on the website that says they're made from leather. I checked and double checked the shoe contents (I am a professional vegan ya know!) and it's man-made synthetic "leather" ... so phew!! I didn't make a mistake.

Feeling a little peckish from all our shopping we hit up Saravanaa Bhavan for their Sunday Buffet. WOOT!!
With full bellies and new shoes on my feet we headed to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Golden Age of Dutch Art exhibit. It was pretty interesting but what caught my eye was an installation piece in the center of the building by Reece Terris.
I don't even know how to explain it... so instead read the description the gallery provides:
Commissioned by the Gallery, Ought Apartment will consist of a tower that rises from the main floor to the full height of the central rotunda, in which sections from six apartments are stacked one on top of another. Each apartment will be furnished with discarded items from the 1950s (on the lowest level) up to the present decade (at the top). Through this process of “making strange,” Terris invites viewers to consider their relationship to the consumption and construction of domestic space and the role this space plays in locating a public as social subjects.

Great concept. Executed perfectly ... and tactile. You were able to go into a few of the apartments and touch. It was so funny to see people in the 1950's bathroom opening and closing the medicine cabinet like they'd never seen one before. Hilarious.

I was quite excited to see a version of my stove Samantha on the 60's floor. Then a guard told me I couldn't take photos ... boo. :(
If you're in Vancouver ... run down to see the installation. It's phenomenal. We also checked out Andreas Gursky's photo exhibit which blew me away. The only downside was there wasn't much information about the artist or the photos. I would have liked to know a little more about what I was looking at.

Exhausted and suffering from "Art Gallery Legs" we took our sore feet home and had a nap, had a lovely dinner and sat around talking. It was a perfect day ... Until about 1:30am where I was suddenly woken up with excruciating menstrual cramps.

Oh $h*#. Not again!! I tried everything. Pills. Heat. Walking. Crying. Puking. Nothing was making me feel better. I called Gerry in a panic thinking that he could do something from Victoria ... and he suggested I wake up my parents. So after suffering for hours ... at around 4am I hobbled to their door and knocked. HELP!!

The rest is a blur. I barely remember talking to Denise and the car ride over and the hospital intake are just flashes. It was crazy. Listen. I can take a lot of pain. Look at me. I'm covered in tattoos. *laugh* This was serious pain. SERIOUS! My Dad was great. Rubbed my back and was very Daddy. He's my hero.

I woke up the next day feeling like a weak kitten. I hugged and thanked my parents for the fun weekend (it was fun despite the menstrual drama) and drove as quick as I could (without speeding) to the ferry to take me home. Plugged into my ipod and listening to The Beatles (who always make me think of my Dad and make me feel safe) I stared out the ferry window and I pondered what the HELL is going on with my body and prayed a little to the menstrual goddesses for guidance.

I saw my GP today and he's sending me to a specialist and am going to see my naturopath next week. We need to figure this out because I do not want this to happen again.

Before I sign off ... I want to thank Tommy Douglas for Medicare. I am so blessed to live in Canada and I am incredibly thankful for the access to medical care.

Going away ...

2009-05-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

... for the weekend.

See ya when I get back.
HIT IT!

Carriage Horses

2009-05-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

FOA is starting their summer campaign for the carriage horses this weekend!!

At 4pm this Saturday (May 30th), they will be gathering for an hour across the street from the horse carriages on Belmont to hold signs, collect signatures for the petitions, and speak with passer-bys on the issue.

Unfortunately, I can't make it (I'm out of town this weekend) but I hope some of you local Victorians will come out and rally!!

Couldn't have said it better myself ...

2009-05-29T10:52:00.001-07:00

Witchies

2009-05-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Witchies are going on tour this summer. Woot!!

My Dad

2009-05-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

My Dad is in a new T-Mobile commercial ... ...he's the one wielding the hose. :)

Vegan Radio

2009-05-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

New interview with me over
at Vegan Radio!

Grrrr Prop 8

2009-05-26T15:48:00.001-07:00

Grrrr Prop 8. I say get married anyway!! I know the perfect person to do the ceremony!!

Projects

2009-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Project #3 was the bedroom. Done.
Project #4 was the SPCA website. Done.
Project #5 was get make a wicked Jane Wiedlin Facebook page. Done.
Project #6 get JaneWiedlin.com up and running again. Done.
Project #7 get a container garden planted on my porch. Done.

I feel so satisfied... what should be next?
Don't say another cookbook. *laugh*

SPCA

2009-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

New SPCA website I've been working on is now live. Feel like clicking around and making sure there's no broken links?? :)

http://spca.bc.ca/victoria

DreamWeaver

2009-05-25T11:54:00.001-07:00

Every time I open DreamWeaver to work on a website ... I get this frackin song stuck in my head!

Skunk cabbage

2009-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's been so glorious here this week I've been spending most of my time outside - while slathered in sunscreen and wearing a hat of course - pale is the new tan people!! We are so sun-starved during the winter months in Victoria that when the sun comes out everyone scurries outside to grab some Vit D.

On Sat I met some girlfriends for a walk in Beacon Hill Park (which was packed with people enjoying the amazing weather). The girls and I looked for a private patch where we could chat and we found a nice place in the grass and thanked our lucky stars that we live in Victoria. Look at that view!
Sunday Gerry, Fergus and I went for a walk around Elk Lake. Well ... not all the way around. It's a huge lake. :)

This is Fergus actually in the forest, not my bedroom. *laugh*
I was so impressed with the Skunk Cabbage. It's such an huge plant - almost prehistoric!! Like you expect a dino to be chomping away on it.
Gerry hates it but with good reason, it stinks like Skunk!!
Today is Burrito Monday! A new tradition that we look forward to every week ... more on that later.

Bedroom

2009-05-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well I tried to make the bed this morning so I could take a few photos of the completed bedroom but SOMEONE wouldn't let me ...
While it doesn't look like a lot was done to the room ... let me remind you that it was floor to ceiling wallpaper.

before:
after:
I was going to paint the room a dark blue (similar to our bed sheet). Gerry and I like our bedroom to be like a dark little cave where no light can enter (the vintage velvet curtains help with that) but once the new wallpaper went up I decided to paint the room the whitest white possible. The room felt like it wanted to be clean and crisp. So crisp it is. :)

The wallpaper and I had a long debate. At first I wanted it at the head of the bed so when you walked into the room it's the first thing you saw ... but wallpaper reminded me that what I originally wanted was to lay in bed and look at the wallpaper. So wallpaper prevailed!
I'm quite pleased with how it all turned out. I still have to find some art-work that I can hang above the bed... but it has to be something earthquake proof. I live in fear of The Big One and want something that won't impale me while I sleep. Any thoughts?

Market on Yates

2009-05-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

My books are now being sold at Market on Yates! Thank you Market on Yates for supporting your local community!! :)Suck on that Thrifty Foods!!
(inside joke for people who live on the island). :)

Thanks Beques

2009-05-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Beques sent me a link for the car. http://www.aptera.com Holy crow it's cool!! :)

WTF?

2009-05-23T23:36:00.001-07:00

What is this car? Anyone have any info on it?

Guess who?

2009-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Guess who has a new fancy shiny official facebook page you should join!!

Let them eat cake!!

2009-05-22T12:31:00.001-07:00

Look at this gorgeous cake that Giorgia made using Wolffie's Cocoa Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting from LDV.

The Vegan Police

2009-05-22T10:36:00.001-07:00

I did a fun interview with Dylan from The Vegan Police. You can download it HERE.

Let's count how many times I say "you know"
*laugh*

Fergus V.S. Basement Couch

2009-05-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

sneak peek

2009-05-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

No Fergus is not in the woods. It's a sneak peek at our bedroom!! :)

Woof!

2009-05-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

What a couple of days!! Poor Gerry was down with a cold (he's back to his old sassy self today) and while he slept in the living room trying to get better ... I worked in the bedroom doing renos. I'm about 98% done with all my work and I'm SO glad it's over because I am now suffering from renovation fatigue. I think by tomorrow night we should be back to sleeping in the bedroom.

I was looking through some old cdr's yesterday and found some funny stuff. I feel like I may have posted some of these before so at the risk of repeating myself ... here's some of what I found:

Me + Gerry + underwater camera = FUN!!
Yes. I'm wearing lipstick. Why? Because one of the photos from this shoot was used as a chapter header for La Dolce Vegan. I don't remember why Tanya and I were dressed as trashy waitresses but I'm sure it must have been fun. :)
Speaking of Tanya... I heard from a friend that someone wrote into Veg News to complain that Tanya was not mentioned in any of the awards I have won from Veg News. I guess the letter was published in the magazine. Did anyone read it? What did it say??

I have no idea what this was for ... but it sure is cute. :)
Yup. Yup. He likes me.
Oh god. Poor sad 1985 punk Sarah. Can someone give her a hug and tell her that things will get better?
This was the car I learned how to drive in. Yes. It's plugged in. Why? Because it's an electric Commuta Car circa 1980. Gerry and I found it up-island in a car lot and bought it immediately. It was so much fun to drive ... but sadly there wasn't anyone in town who could help us maintain the car so after a few years we sold it.
This video makes me miss my old car...

And lastly ... a video of wee fergus when he first came to live with us. Gosh he was tiny ...

one mans trash ...

2009-05-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Took some recycling to my favorite garbage dump today and then poked around the section where people drop off their unwanted "re-usable junk" that still has a bit of life left.
I found these vintage tins. What are they for? Jello Molds?

Gerry's is home sick today with a cold ... so instead of painting the bedroom like I planned we lay around on the bed (that's parked in the living room during construction) and watched movies. We watched about 1/2 of DC Cab (before I fast forwarded to the end) and tried to watch Bee Movie but shut it off after 20 minutes (who knew Jerry Seinfeld could be so un-funny?).

Then we watched The Savages. Great movie. Darkly funny.

Tomorrow is paint day. I have to hustle my bustle and get this finished ... can't sleep in the living room forever!! :)

Sea Shepherd

2009-05-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

I recently sent all 4 cookbooks to Shannon Mann of Sea Shepard for their galley and VAGG is having the best time saving whales and filling crew bellies with food!!You can donate to Sea Shepherd HERE and don't forget that the new GoVegan 2010 Calendar also gives a portion of proceeds to Sea Shepherd. WOOT!

Patched

2009-05-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Patched the bedroom walls today. Next comes sanding and then washing the walls and then paint, and finally (I'm saving the fun for last) the wallpaper on the focus wall. Much to do. This tiny bedroom is going to be a big project, so many nooks and crannies ...

Time to move the bed into the living room. Where's my muscle man Gerry when I need him? Oh right ... working to pay for the paint. :)

Jane as Bettie Page

2009-05-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who offered to do my LA favor but BIGGEST thanks to Debbie who went down and snapped some photos of Jane Wiedlin (and others) dressed as Bettie Page for the Heaven Bound art show at WOW gallery.

If you're in LA you should check out the show ... it's on until the 29th.

Cuteness personified!!

2009-05-12T12:03:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

To all the Mothers in my life!! :)

Twitter

2009-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Did you know I'm Tweeting? Follow me! :)

This

2009-05-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

This is why it's so hard to get out of bed in the morning ...

Believe the hype!!

2009-05-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Star Trek is AWEsome!!

I want you to know that I am a LOVER of all things Star Trek. I love the original series. I love almost all the spin-offs (maybe not the one with Scott Bacula) and this new movie is inspired!! Love love loved it. The movie had one tiny flaw which was a brief cameo by Tyler Perry that was weird and out of place. But other than that ... excellent!

Go ahead. Make my day ...

2009-05-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Posts like these make my day!! :)

I'm off to go see Star Trek this afternoon with Gerry! Live long and prosper Nerds!

Pillow talk

2009-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

I read a funny quote today and I think it perfectly describes why I need a new pillow.

"You know you're not in your twenties anymore when you can actually hurt yourself sleeping."

What the what!

2009-05-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Project #2 - clean up junk piles in office

2009-05-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

When we re-did the office and put in those Ikea built-ins - I mostly organized my office but I've neglected a few piles of junk sitting on my office floor that I haven't had a energy to go through yet.

Under all the junk I found these beautiful hand-made earrings that Bonnie Goodman sent me back in Dec '08. I had totally forgotten about them ... probably because they were under a pile of junk. :)

They're so lovely and are dangling from my ears right now. Thank you Bonnie!!

Please check out Bonnie's vegan jewelry HERE.

One project down ...

2009-05-05T13:54:00.001-07:00

... eleventy billion to go!

So whenever my niece comes to visit me she loves to use Photo Booth on my mac and she's filled up my computer with hundreds of hilarious photos of herself. I wasn't sure what to do with them all ... I didn't want to have them sit on a cdr in my desk so I uploaded them to Blurb and I turned them into a little book.

I can't say enough about the quality of these Blurb books, they are a great way to save your treasures. I have a few Blurb books of my photography for sale if you're interested. You can check them out HERE.

Good bye beach ...

2009-05-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

... hello spring! On Thursday Fergus and I said our final good-bye to our favourite beach walk with one last romp in the sea. See you on OCT!! :)
Everything is in full bloom right now. One day Victoria is gray, wet and clammy ... then next it's green and luscious! We went for a walk around town on Sunday and it was glorious!
I've finally stripped all the wallpaper in the bedroom and am now waiting for the delivery of my new exciting wallpaper and I'm also trying to figure out what paint to choose. That's all I'll say for now ... :)

Lastly - Shawna from Australia sent me this photo of my book in a window of a store in Melborne. Look. Obama is right beside me. Swoon! I'm finally getting into the groove of not having any major projects in the works. I felt a little overwhelmed with not having any work to work on ... but I have so many other things I've put on the back burner for the cookbooks that I am excited to get working on them at my leisure.

I am so enjoying my life right now ...

LA?

2009-05-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

Can someone in LA do me a favor? You'll need a car and a camera. ;)

little mention

2009-05-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

VAGG gets a little mention over at E-Magazine.

R.I.P. Dom Deluise

2009-05-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good bye Captain Chaos. :(

Ahhhh Spring ...

2009-05-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

How I enjoy you! :)

Zu Boutique thinks I'm fancy!!

2009-05-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Zu Boutique (Davey Havok's t-shirt company) sent me a bunch of t-shirts to my mailbox the other day and they're hilarious. Yesterday I wore my Suffering Shirt and I've never had a message shirt cause such a commotion! I had 3 different strangers as me about what it meant and I told them "It's to remind you that every time you eat an ice-cream cone a cow suffers. Oh yeah. And also to remind you that there's pus in your ice cream."

The looks on their faces. So funny. It's like I broke their hearts ... Is it terrible to feel good about that?

Today I'll be wearing my "It's Alive" shirt which is obviously based on the classic and brilliant scene in the movie Better of Dead.

I checked out the website and I love the Hot-Dog shirt. I wish they had one in my size ... because I'd snap it up!!

Thanks Zu Boutique for the swag!

HIAV 10th anniversary edition

2009-05-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Woot! Coming soon!
Check it out.

Help Josh reach his goal!!

2009-05-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that Josh Hooten of Herbivore fame is riding his bike 600 miles from Portland to California to raise $$ for Farm Sanctuary. You can read about his ride HERE.

He's SO CLOSE to reaching his goal of $10,000. Every little dollar helps so please GO HERE to donate. :)

Green Muze

2009-05-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Little review for LDV over at Green Muze.

Big thanks to Kyle in the "comments" section who mentioned VAGG and the calendar. :)

Mother's Little Helper

2009-04-30T11:12:00.001-07:00

Such a great cover.

Fergus the Luck Dragon!

2009-04-30T09:41:00.001-07:00

Haircuts and wallpaper...

2009-04-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Fergus is SO much happier now that he's had his winter coat shaved off ... poor guy was really sweltering through this warm spring we're having. My favourite part about "1st day haircuts" is that he sleeps under the covers with me to stay warm. :)

I decided to tackle our bedroom today ... I haven't done ANYTHING to it since we moved in almost 2 years ago. I just threw up pictures that didn't have a home elsewhere in the house and that's about it. Haven't done anything ...
... mostly because the room is WALL to WALL wallpaper. It's a benign beige (faux grass) wallpaper so it's not like it was horrible to look at and I will admit I've been really avoiding removing it.

But I have been daydreaming about what I want to do in there and there is no time like the present!! After about 3 hours I tore down the first layer ... wasn't so bad.
Tomorrow I tackle the undercoat... under-paper? Under-sheet? The underpart? Wish me luck.

Poor Dottie

2009-04-29T18:16:00.001-07:00