Adorable

It's exam week.  First semester is on its last legs (which means I'm almost 50% to summer).  This also means that I have to say goodbye to my classes of the past five months, which is always a little bit sad to me.  I have a speech that I give on the last day, about how I've truly enjoyed teaching each and every one of them, and how I will miss them. (And it's always true, even though it sounds cheesy.)

Today my grade tens wrote their exams.  As a kid hands in their exam, I like to shake his or her hand, and congratulate them on finishing their exam.  When it comes to quizzes, tests, and exams, I'm known for my thoroughness, and finishing my exam is an accomplishment.  The first couple of kids who hand in their exam and get a handshake look at me like I'm a weirdo, but then they all warm up and get into the congratulatory handshake.

As I shook one student's hand, he paused and then said to me "Miss, thank you for being my science teacher for the past two years."  (He had me in grade 9.)  My heart melted.  Maybe you had to be there, but it was one of the most earnest, heartfelt thank yous that I've gotten, and it really made my day.  I think it was especially meaningful because he was a quiet kid, and he said it in front of the rest of the class, and it was just very touching.

And it totally reminded me why I love my job.

Too cold.

Last weekend I was all about the winter running.  This weekend, not so much.  I couldn't even drag myself out in the cold to run indoors at the gym. 

Friday night I had dinner & drinks with some friends, then came home and went to bed pretty early.  It was super windy and cold out and I was glad not to have to go anywhere.

The rest of my weekend was devoted to a little bit of errand running, lots of time marking with my friend Fea at our local Starbucks, reading, and sleeping.  And, huge drumroll please, I am actually done with the monotonous overwhelming chore that is marking.  Well, until Wednesday when exams start rolling in.  But it's nice to be caught up, and I'm going to relish it for awhile.

And that was my weekend.  I'm sure now that I'm all caught up with my marking, I'll have time to think of more interesting things to blog about this week.  Until then, happy Monday everyone.

I'm in misery where you can seem as old as your omens.

I've recently really gotten into Chvrches.  I love the album The Bones of What We Believe and this song especially.



Oh January, I keep trying to like you, I really do.  But you're so cold and dark, and you're going on for what seems like an eternity.  When it comes to my life, I feel like I'm in this weird limbo where I'm waiting for something to happen.  I have lots of things to look forward to starting next month (visit from Becca T, my birthday, Blue Rodeo, then my March break trip to Europe), but I gotta get through the work and drudgery that comes with this month. 

I think this is at least my second post complaining about this month.

But, I do have down time, which I have been craving so badly after the whirlwind that was the entire year of 2013.  I'm rocking at the healthy living thing: I'm continuing all of good habits around making my own lunches and eating clean during the week.  I'm exercising lots.

I'm reading a lot.  I'm on my fourth book of the year.

Also, I feel that lots of good things are on the horizon, but I'm a little impatient for them during these dark cold days.

I just want some sunshine.

The cold never bothered me anyway.

I never thought that I'd come to enjoy winter running.

I've been running consistently for almost three years now (I did my first race in 2011), and I'd do all of my training on a treadmill when the temperatures were cold, or it was raining, or when it was too hot.  I actually didn't mind treadmill running: it was easier, and there was zero discomfort.

However, I've come to the point where I detest the treadmill, and love the challenges that come with running outdoors.  This is the first time that I've been running into the winter months of December and January, and I'm getting addicted.

Yesterday was a lovely day for a winter run.  It was sunny out, perhaps about -2 degrees Celsius, and there was no wind.  The pavement was mainly clear of ice and free of slush, unlike the messy conditions last weekend, and my easy short training run was a breeze.

Today I had to do my long training run of 8 km.  (My long runs are going to progress in length and I keep training for my half marathon.)  It's cloudy today, about -5 degrees Celsius, there's a bit of wind, and it wasn't snowing when I started, but by the time I was 6 km, there were big flakes of snow steadily coming down.

The last bit of my run was super challenging: I was running uphill into the wind, and I was trying to finish in a certain time.  I managed to do it, and I felt super happy that I was able to battle the wind and snow. 

I managed to plan my run so that it ended a few metres away from my neighbourhood Starbucks, so I warmed up with a coffee which was really nice.  I watched a few other runners go by on the street and saw a girl with purple legwarmers.  I think I need purple legwarmers. 

I hope next weekend's running conditions are as nice as this one's.

And I'm in love with this song these days.

Epic Sleep and Epic Planning

Yesterday I was TIRED.  I went to bed at 9:30 pm and had the most epic of sleeps.  And I think it made for a good Wednesday.

School was pleasant.  I played test review Jeopardy! with my grade nines and the game got heated.  I love it when when kids get excited about nerdy things like playing Jeopardy!  Especially when it's the kids who aren't the most "scholastic" if you will.  I'm good at tricking them into learning despite themselves.

After school I went marking with a friend, then had a great workout at the gym.  Oh and before the gym I bought a black tshirt with birds because I believe in putting birds on things a la Portlandia.  In fact I put a bird on it, before that was a thing.



After that, I came home booked my flight to St. Louis for the long weekend in May.  I'm so excited that this trip came together.  All friends are book in, hotel is booked, flight is booked.  All we need now are the baseball tickets.

Then I marked a bit.  But then a friend texted me to see if I wanted to sign up for the Yonge St. 10K race in April and I said why not and planned that too.

Then I got a text from a faraway friend about a potential fall visit.

I'm liking 2014 so far.  I feel like I'm going to see so many amazing people and do lots of amazing things.  :)

Weekends come and go too quickly.

So quickly in fact, that I didn't even have time to blog about it.

I had a rather productive weekend.  My marking was neglected, but I got to household chores like laundry, taking down my Christmas decorations (a little late), grocery shopping, cooking food for healthy lunches all week, and even giving my fridge a good scrubbing.  I was pleased.

Of course, I got up to a lot of fun too.  And, I found out that my idea of a 31-day fast from alcohol, was well, maybe not doable at this time.  I wanted to detox after an indulgent holiday season, and also felt like 31 days without a drink could help me with my health and fitness goals.

But then my colleagues organized a fun dinner/drinks after school on Friday, and I'll be honest, it had been a long dramatic week at work.  My best intentions were vanquished, and there I was having beer, a burger, and then a fried Mars bar at a Scottish pub.  (I'm really excellent at making the most of my sanctioned cheat meals.)  It was all needed.

On Saturday, in between all of the household chores, I got my nails done, and then went to see the movie Frozen with my friend Elaine.  It was rather adorable.  Go see it if you need a nice little fairy tale with a funny snowman as comic relief.

On Sunday, the thought of going to the gym displeased my soul, so I laced my up my runners and decided to brave an outdoor run.  It had warmed up over the weekend, but there was still lots of ice and slush leftover from the yucky winter weather.  Most stretches of the sidewalk on main streets were pretty clear, but there were areas, such as the sidewalks by the cemetery, that were awful, and I had to stop running and walk over ice covered with slush and water.  My feet got soaked.  However, overall it was a pretty good run, and it was my official first run in my half-marathon training program.  Crazy to think that after that easy & slow 4.8 km, I'll work my way up to 21.1 km by May!

My pal Mathew needed to go a mall out in the suburbs (Vaughn Mills) to return something, so I went with him just for fun.  And, even if my self control is lacking when it comes to alcohol, I managed to leave the mall with only spending $8 on a new water bottle and root beer candies.  Yay me!

I wasted my Sunday night watching the Golden Globes.  Meh.

And then I survived this Monday.  Four more days until the next weekend.

London & Paris

Flights are booked!  And the price was fairly reasonable!

I leave Toronto on Friday March 7th, and arrive in London the next morning, where I'll stay chez Claire for a few days.

Then, I'll take the Eurostar to Paris to see my dear friend Becca T for a few days.  I'll return to Toronto on Sunday March 16th, and will be in bed by 10 pm for the next school day.

That's a great cure for the January blahs.

Little Cures for the January Blahs

Even though the holidays and the new year with its shiny new glow aren't too far behind me, the January blahs have hit, and they've hit me hard.  January is a yucky month at work: the final push of the last semester.  I'm trying to cover the rest of the curriculum, finish all of the term marking that I neglected over the holidays, write exams, do report cards and then prepare for the new semester in February.  It's a busy but not fun time, and of course, I am dealing with the mountain of work by procrastinating.

On top of that, the weather's been atrocious.  I had my fingers cross for an extreme wind chill day today, or even a snow day yesterday, but that didn't happen.  The Toronto boards rarely declare snow days: I've had one in almost ten years of teaching here.  Even with the awful weather, my thinking was highly wishful.

As I was blah-ing home from work, I realized that I needed to make myself an internal happy list of things that make me feel better in this cold, dark, month that's void of any real fun.  Here's what I've brainstormed.

1) My Hunter boots with fleece lining: I don't know what it's like to have wet or cold feet anymore!  My Hunters are one of my best purchases ever.

2) Hot Chocolate - even though I'm trying to avoid the white stuff (sugar), an evening mug is my one allowance at the end of the day

3) Exercise - because I was sick this weekend and yesterday (and it was too cold last night to leave my place), I went three days without exercising.  I was in a foul mood after work today, but I went to the gym and had a great workout and I feel so much better.  Even the vast influx of new year's resolutioners didn't annoy me too much.

4) Books - I'll always have books.

5) Trip planning - last night, a couple of friends and made plans to have a tri-blogger conference in St. Louis at a Cardinals game over the long weekend in May.  It looks like I'll be booking my flight shortly. 

Also, I started browsing March Break flights into London and out of Paris.  I'll be booking that soon too. 

6) Sleep - I love a good sleep.  Since it's too cold to go out, I can sleep more.

7) The Bachelor this season is rather hawt.  That's my love-to-hate show and I'm glad it's back. 

8) The fact that it's now less than six weeks until a long weekend in February.

Hurrah!  I feel a little less blah now.

End of (holi)days.

I always get melancholy when the holidays end.  I'm doing my best to keep my spirits up today.  On top of the end of holidays, I've also succumbed to an annoying cold, which has caused me to hibernate for most of the weekend.

I went out yesterday to see my friends Jon & Ali.  When I saw them in November, Jon realized he got his haircut in my neighbourhood, and he decided that he would use his haircuts as a strategy to get together more often.  Whenever he'd get his haircut, he'd text me to see if I was around, and we'd go for coffee.  Ali was able to leave their kids with the neighbours, so I got to see both of them!  I guess that's how friendships go in your thirties... you need things like haircuts and neighbours to bring you together.

Anyway, it was great seeing them, and Jon is prepping to run an entire marathon in the spring, so I got to ask him some advice before I start training for my half.  I realize that when I go for my longer runs, I'm going to need to bring an energy source (gels? Gatorade?) with me.  I asked his advice, and he passed along a great trick: a gummy bear every five minutes.  Apparently one gummy bear is the energy you need for five minutes, and if you keep eating them continuously through a long run, they should get you to the finish line.  I am so excited to try this out!  That's a reward for every five minutes!  Love it.  I'm excited to try this.

Today I slept in and dragged myself out to buy a new dress that I had my eye on, because wearing it tomorrow will give me something to look forward to, right?  I also stopped by the library, got a latte, got some cold medication, and got groceries.  Now I'm making some veggie chili to eat for dinner and also have for healthy lunches during the week.  Yay for starting the new year off with good habits.

I'm also starting my one month alcohol fast today.  So no drinks until February 5th, with an exception: there is an off chance that I might get some good news, and if that happens, I get to break the fast.  But it might not happen just yet.  (This news will happen eventually though... just a matter of when.)

Okay, dinner, a little bit of reading, then I have to do some marking.  Oh school nights, how I have *not* missed you.

So this is the new year.

Well, I've made it through the first two days of 2014, and I'm liking this new year so far.

NYE was a fun day/night.  My pal Vern (Go9) came down, and we got pedicures at the nicest nail spa in my neighbourhood.  Then we dropped by my local cheese emporium, and got the most delicious brie that we enjoyed on crackers with mimosas while sort of watching the movie Pitch Perfect.  We then met up with friends for an amazing dinner at Harlem Underground (fried chicken + waffles = OMG).  Finally, we topped off the night by sticking it out for both of Elliott Brood's sets at Lee's Palace.  I got home by 3 am, which is a sign of a great New Year's.

Yesterday, I just stayed indoors and watched a bunch of Dateline NBC online.  My friend Mathew is obsessed with Dateline, and somehow I've also gotten hooked.  I know there are better things on TV but yesterday, I just needed something to numb my senses, and watching something like 7 episodes did the trick.

Today was a super fun day.  I hosted two of my work pals and their four-year-old daughters for lunch.  I made chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and the kids tried to coax Rilo out from her hiding spot.  Rilo is used to adults, and is the friendliest cat around adults, but she was really confused/alarmed by small energetic humans.  Eventually, the girls started to build forts using my blankets and furniture, and let Rilo be for awhile.  After forts, they started to draw maps of how to find Rilo, and Rilo ventured out while they were busy drawing.  She sat on my loveseat, which had its cushions removed to make it into a slide, and had a look on her face reminiscent of someone whose house was destroyed by a natural disaster.  Once the kids left, she spent the rest of the day sleeping harder than usual.

I went to the gym, ran some errands, then met up with a friend to see the movie "Inside Llewyn Davis" which I totally recommend.  Seriously, today was a great day!

I haven't yet written about my goals for 2014, which I think I usually do at some point.  It's always nice to have them listed somewhere where I can review them as need be.  I also find the blogging community to be super supportive, so it's always great to share them with you guys.  So, without further ado,  here are my goals for this new and awesome year.

1) Run my first half marathon.  I registered officially on the first, and now that I've paid $75, there's no going back.  I'll start my official training program on the 16th, which is supposed have me ready by May 4th.  Sometimes when I think about the fact I've committed myself to running 21.2 km, I think WTF, but deep down I know I'm ready to do something more than a 10K.  I'm actually really excited for this.

2) Return to eating clean.  I really did improve my eating habits in 2013.  I feel like I went from a grade of F to a solid B in the nutrition department.  Admittedly, I slipped over the holidays (see NYE food above) but I'm happy to get back on track.  I also want to see if I can go the next month without alcohol, because I indulged a lot over the holidays, and I could use a break from it.  (That fast will start on Monday.)

3) Get organized and decluttered at home.  I did a tiny bit of this over the holidays, but it needs to be an ongoing project.  Perhaps if I schedule myself one task per week (i.e. clean a specific closet or shelf) I'll make good progress.

4) Entertain guests more often at home.  I commonly have friends come visit me from out of town, but I rarely have my friends from Toronto over.  I had so much fun today that I definitely need to do more entertaining in the new year.  My friends from today realized that my place would be a great spot for them to take naps when they need a break from their families, so maybe my flat will become the place to be for 2014.

Those are my goals.  I'll check back in when the year is 25% done to let you know how I'm doing.

My Year in Lists: Concerts of 2013

• Feb 1st - Blue Rodeo @ Massey Hall
• Feb 22nd - Hayden @ The Rivoli
• March 20th - Stars @ Danforth Music Hall
• March 21st - Stars @ Danforth Music Hall
• May 31st - Young Galaxy @ Lee's Palace
• June 8th - Arts & Crafts Field Trip: Broken Social Scene & Feist as headliners @ Fork York & Garrison Common
• June 11th - The Postal Service @ ACC
• June 14th - Hayden and The National @ Yonge-Dundas Square
• July 4th - Toronto Urban Roots Festival (She & Him, Joel Plaskett Emergency and Camera Obscura) @ Fork York & Garrison Common
• July 6th - Fun. and Tegan & Sara @ Downsview Park
• July 7th - TURF (Belle & Sebastian, NEKO CASE, Whitehorse and more) @ Fork York & Garrison Common
• Sept. 1st - Stars @ Nathan Phillips Square
• Sept 20th- The Soul Motivators @ The Junction Music Festival
• Oct. 11th - Basia Balut @ The Polish Combatants Hall
• Nov. 1st - Matthew Good @ Massey Hall
• Nov. 2nd - Joel Plaskett @ The Danforth Music Hall
• Nov. 29th - Hawksley Workman @ Midland Cultural Centre
• Nov. 30th - Hayden @ The Danforth Music Hall
• Dec. 12th - Two Hours Traffic @ Lee's Palace
• Dec. 31st - Elliott Brood @ Lee's Palace

My Year in Lists: Books Read in 2013.

For posterity's sake, I always like to save my annual reading and concert lists to this blog.  I used Goodreads to take screenshots of the 31 books that I read in 2013.  They are in reverse order from last read to first read.

Of the books I read, I'm going to pick the top five most amazing reads of the group (in no order).

- Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss (an amazing look into how the food industry manipulates the consumer to make unhealthy choices)

- February by Lisa Moore (an amazing novel about loss)

- My Maasai Life by Robin Wiszowaty (a fascinating book about how a woman immerses herself in Massai culture in Kenya)

- The Spark by Kristine Barnett (a story of how a mother was able to help her son escape a grave diagnosis of non-verbal autism, to become a physics genius as a teenager)

- A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (a gripping read about how a young woman goes from being an avid adventure traveler to being kidnapped by extremists in Somalia for 460 days)