Strict Limitations

I gave up white flour about a month ago. At the same time, I limited sugar and dairy and essentially became housebound during mealtimes.

It's hard being one of those people - I used to make fun of people like me. Finding a good balance between what I want to eat and what I should eat proved to be more difficult than I had ever thought. I now regard cakes and pastries with the same mistrust as I regard Stephen Harper with.

It's funny how simple saying that you're going to cease and desist with eating a certain substance is in comparison to actually doing it. Do you know how many delicious things white flour is a part of? And sugar - sugar is literally in everything. The North American diet is a very sweet one indeed, as if sugar isn't in something then high fructose corn syrup is. Crushed tomatoes have sugar. Even sweet things like peaches have sugar added when they're made into juice. I've necessarily given up on processed foods and now spend a great deal of time blanching, peeling and de-seeding various fruits and vegetables in an effort to avoid the sweet stuff. There are often pots of bones boiling on my stove now. It's like I live in the 19th century.

The light in my food world is that I can still eat french fries. I don't think I could have given them up. I also don't think that I would have kept this up if I hadn't seen such dramatic results from these dietary changes. Honestly, rice is my friend and sushi can be a treat. Thai food is a coconutty, holy basil-rific delight. But I've also dropped about 10 lbs and my normally irritated and grumbly stomach is singing me pleasant songs of satiated delight. I've finally committed to yoga at least once a week, and don't need daily doses of painkillers for headache.

And I think I've taken to proselytizing, heaven help all my friends and anyone reading this.

"but you come from the town where Gandhi was born..."

i've left this alone for awhile as i'm trying to figure out what exactly makes a good blog. they're out there on all sorts of topics and mine's kind of just about me. i'm not sure i'm interesting enough to hold up a whole blog really.

so i'll have to think about it a little more.

Make it right

Mike Holmes is my hero. He wears overalls without shame and perhaps even with pride. He fixes stuff no one else would touch with a spirit level. I've never really been a DIY show type girl until I found Mike.... I think I mostly like the idea of fixing broken things and making people feel much better. Also, while Mike is not a stylish-designer type, the home invariably looks more professional and more put-together than it did before he started. Holmes on Homes isn't even a guilty pleasure for me - I proudly admit my undying admiration for the man, the myth, and the movement.

I've been asked to contribute a chapter to an upcoming academic book. I don't really want to put what it's about out here because it might be more personally identifiable than I'm comfortable with, however, I mention it because I'm slightly pleased with the progress I've made in this area. I can't say that this Masters degree has been a boon for me, but in hindsight I realize that I've met lots of interesting and brilliant people and gained some pretty arcane knowledge. If I do manage to put something together that is book-worthy, then I will be a published academic. Still can't decide about that PhD, though, which is a bit irritating. I'd like to be able to make my mind up on it but I think I just need this extra year of working to really figure out what direction I want to go in.

To tie all this together, I currently kind of regard myself as a sort of quasi-Mike Holmes... I'm making my own life right, or as right as I can at this very moment in the circumstances I find myself in. This past year has been a little difficult as I took a job I knew wouldn't suit me and have had to live with those consequences. I've got a good lifestyle but little professional satisfaction... and I know that this isn't really working for me. I'm not saying I want to swap - no lifestyle but much professional satisfaction - but I need to find a job I can respect in an organization I can feel an affinity for that is willing to pay me enough to keep me in the style to which I've become accustomed. It'll happen - don't know when or where or how, but if I can use the experiences I've had in the past little while as a springboard, I can hopefully get to where I want to be. That's why I feel a bit like Mike Holmes - right now, I've got some serious issues with the pre-existing framework.... but I think that if I just keep knocking down walls and fixing the wiring and tiling and whatever else I get my hands on, it'll all be okay soon enough.

It's all in the details.

This is how we do

I'm an arial font kind of person. You know the type - those who are so anxious to have their words put out there that they use a font that is readable by preschoolers and the very old.

This is my blog. It's sort of my practice pad at the moment. I don't have much by way of great social/political/gastronomic insight to offer, but sometimes I like to write stuff. This is where I'll post it. Welcome.

Giving credit where credit is due is one of my hobbies, so therefore I right now credit my Significant Other with providing me with the impetus to do this. So much love.