2016 SO FAR

I'm such an absentee blogger.

To ease back into it I thought I would give you a brief summary of my year so far!

What I'm reading:
The Neapolitan Novels
The Chronicles of Narnia (for the first time since I was a child)

Where I've been:
California (San Francisco, Carmel, Monterey, Yosemite National Park)
Prince Edward Island
Halifax

What I'm listening to:
The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast
Candi Staton (a really good 1960s/1970s find - some gospel, some disco)
Japanese Breakfast (a band I discovered from a podcast)

What I'm watching:
The Olympics (specifically diving and gymnastics)
Bloodline on Netflix
The Gilmore Girls (this could fall under the 'listening' category because mostly I leave it on as background noise)

What I'm doing:
Working (a lot)
Playing board games (especially Pandemic Legacy and Tikal)
Pilates (as of tonight)
Going to Dee Wilkie's launch party on Thursday

What I'm thinking about:
Setting up my office
Completing my CME credits this year
How skimpy all the Olympics gear is (male and female)
To vacation or not to vacation...always the question

I'm also going to make a big effort to keep the blog running! Fingers crossed!

OSCAR DE LA RENTA EXHIBIT

My friends know I love fashion (although my day to day wardrobe doesn't necessarily scream fashion forward my instagram feed is full of haute couture) so it was such a pleasant surprise the Oscar de la Renta exhibit was in San Francisco! It was at the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park and the park itself was beautiful. We went on our last day and I wish we had more time to explore the grounds (especially the Japanese Tea Garden).

On our vacations we almost always compromise by doing something the other person enjoys and then switching. For instance, in New York we went to a baseball game and then to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). In San Francisco the baseball game was followed by the Oscar de la Renta exhibit. Fair's fair. Basically his favourite thing is baseball. My favourite thing is art.

I was so excited and the dresses were stunning. In particular I loved seeing older designs (from the 1960s) and the more recent Met Gala dresses - in particular the black and white design Sarah Jessica Parker wore a few years ago. I took about a thousand photos as inspiration for my cousin, the surface designer - see her blog here. She creates hand painted silk designs so of course I sent her photos of the same medium from the exhibit. Enjoy a very select few of my photos below!

SAN FRANCISCO

We began and ended our vacation in San Francisco. Although I liked the city as a whole very much we were off to a rocky start from the beginning. Driving in SF was a complete nightmare and totally convinced me road trips are not for us. (We picked up a rental car at the airport because of our plans to go to Yosemite National Park - otherwise we would never have driven.)

And of course after 8 months with zero offers on our house we were in SF all of 2 hours when we received an offer. This couple had no qualms about letting us run back and forth to our hotel room on vacation to make calls and send paperwork when they had no intention of actually purchasing our home. YEAH. (We find out later they have done this before. Multiple times.) That will put a damper on your vacation.

Regardless we managed to enjoy San Francisco but I didn't leave my heart there...this time. Maybe we'll visit again. If so, we will take a cab and we will not answer real estate calls.

I'm quite proud of the photo above. It is quite difficult to get a photo like this without tourists roaming around!

The two photos above are of "Crooked Street" on Lombard Street. It has 8 (9? 10?) hairpin curves. Search it online for a good pic! When we returned to SF for the last few days of our vacation we stayed at a hotel on Lombard, but further up (not on the crooked part)! We saw multiple cars drive down this little street which was surprising to me and I can't help wonder if they were tourists. Also I still can't get over how STEEP the streets are in SF!! I have a recurring nightmare about driving up a steep road and the car I'm in flipping over backwards so I did not enjoy the city driving! Haha.

On the trolley! Or as it's actually called, the cable car. They have wooden breaks! And you can actually hang off the side. We weren't able to do that because they were usually packed full of people and we could only find room in the back.

We spent quite a lot of time down on the piers (Pier 39 has many sealions lounging about)! Above is the view from the pier - do you recognize Alkatraz? I was surprised it didn't feel very far away from the docks! We had so many things we wanted to see and do in the city we did not take a tour. You could easily spend a week here and fill your days with activities. 

At the top of Lombard Street again.

It is no secret I am not a sports lover. However, I can always be easily convinced to see a professional sporting event and always enjoy myself. In super nerdy news we got certificates at AT&T stadium that said it was our first time there. And in sporty news we saw their ace pitch - Madison Bumgarner. That's apparently a big deal according to my dad and husband. Also - that head to toe Blue Jays outfit was quite a talking point.

This is the size of one of the cables on the Golden Gate Bridge! On our way back from Yosemite we thought we would be crossing the Golden Gate but GPS took us to the Bay Bridge (which was actually larger and more impressive but not orange).

Thanks for the memories, San Francisco!

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

I don't even know where to begin with Yosemite National park.

Yosemite was recommended to us by my friend H and since I strangely love a good hike (although I strongly dislike most other exercise). I was totally on board. I expected to be wowed by the redwoods (giant sequoias) and was surprised to find myself as awed by the mountains as I was by the Alps in Austria and Switzerland! The rock faces were complete cliffs and intermittently a waterfall would spring out of nowhere and plummet off the side!! It was something to see and photos can't do it justice. We spent two nights at Yosemite Village in a tent cabin with a heater and our greatest vacation achievement was the 5 hour hike to Nevada Falls. (Predicted to be 5 to 6 hours and completed by Team R in 4 hours and 45 minutes, thank you very much.)

Above: This hike was on our first afternoon in Yosemite. It was called Mirror Lake and was an easy but pretty 1-2 hour hike. Finished off with pizza in the cafeteria. Strange camping in the US of A, but perfect for people without room in their suitcase for the tent and Coleman stove.

Those hiking boots are two years old and they have lived an adventurous life. They've been to Switzerland and California. Lucky boots.

Above: Vernal Falls. This was the first part of our hike to Nevada Falls. Once at the falls you can climb up many (many) stairs to get to the top. I am a major scaredy cat and very frightened of heights so I was reluctant to do any slippery, wet, death stairs but I'm so glad I changed my mind. Even so we did about 3/4 of the stairs maybe and then turned around. This was mostly because I was worried I would get to the top and be too terrified to turn around (can you say climbed back down the high dive ladder, anyone?). We didn't realize once at the top the path continues in a loop to Nevada Falls, which was our final destination. Oops.

At the top of Nevada Falls. Behind us and to the left is the falls which was a complete straight drop off the edge of the cliff! One of the most stunning and terrifying views ever. God is so amazing! Check out my instagram for a couple of other photos (and video) of Nevada Falls.

PEBBLE BEACH

We bounced around a little in California so my posts are going to be slightly out of order.

On day two of vacation we drove to Monterey and spent part of the day in Carmel - a little town where Clint Eastwood used to be mayor. It poured rain until late afternoon so we had a chance to dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean before dinner. This day was a bit of a shemozzle with the weather and also making counter offers on our house (it has been for sale for 8 months and of course our only offer came about 2 hours after we landed in California). Don't get too excited for us - in the end those people were just wasting our precious vacation time and weren't interested in our house at all.

Spur of the moment we decided to have dinner at Pebble Beach and as you can see from my first post, I am very glad we did! Our meal was delicious and it was kind of neat to overlook the 18th hole of the golf course while we ate.

On the beach in Monterey before dinner. Our little manny would have appreciated the beach. Also, brand new hair cut!!

WHAT WE ATE IN CALIFORNIA

Last week after my licensing exam we packed it up and left for California. It wasn't a perfect trip for many reasons (it was planned last minute after canceling a trip to Brussels, driving in San Francisco was a Russell Family Nightmare, and the weather was underwhelming). But don't get me wrong, I know how fortunate we are to be able to go on any trip at all, rain or shine, bickering or not, and we saw some amazing sights!

One of the best things about the trip was hands down the food we ate so I figured I would share it in one glorious, mouth-watering post.

Above: freshly squeezed lemonade (with basil leaf) and an appetizer of abalone (a mollusc - think clam or mussel but not quite) with parsnip puree, peas, asparagus, and potato hash.
Location: Carmel
Restaurant: Basil

Above: mussels diablo, scallops with shiitake mushroom and lobster risotto, and ling cod.
Location: Pebble Beach
Restaurant: Stillwater

Above: chocolate float from Ghirardelli Square. Interesting story about this one - about two and a half minutes after this was taken, a seagull pooped on hubby's head (in the vicinity of said chocolate float) and we had to call it a loss. The three sips I had were delicious. Didn't need the calories anyway.
Location: San Francisco - Ghirardelli Square

Above: for this meal I decided I would only eat round things. Top is arancini (crispy balls of risotto) and bottom is meatballs. Hubs got chicken parmigiana and I didn't get a clear photo. Excuse the phone quality.
Location: San Francisco - North Beach
Restaurant: Original Joe's

Above: this was the biggest (and only) "activity" we had planned during our trip - a meal at Restaurant Gary Danko. Think of it as an event like seeing a Broadway play. All the memories. A thousand times the flavour. We had one more course I forgot to photograph (him - oysters and caviar, me - lobster risotto). First photo is a poached egg with bacon brioche, parmigiano-reggiano and crispy sweetbreads. It is extremely necessary to give the details because this was the best thing I HAVE EVER TASTED. Second photo is a dungeness crab salad. Third photo is seafood coconut curry. Fourth is a stuffed, roast quail. Fifth and sixth are an assortment of creme brulees (olive oil - seriously DELISH, vanilla, and grand marnier) and grand marnier souffle with creamsicle ice cream. Nothing in this lifetime is ever going to top this meal.
Location: San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf
Restaurant: Restaurant Gary Danko

In the middle of all that we were at a national park and ate pizza and salad, and we had Mexican food twice in there as well. The Russells ate well on vacation.

Stay tuned for more touristy pics later!

#OSCARSOWHITE

Like Will and Jada, I am boycotting the 2016 Academy Awards. And all Academy Awards from here on out if things do not change, because this year is no different than any of the years before it.

Let's take a spin through the best picture nominations since 2010, shall we? Disclosure - my source for the list of nominees is Wikipedia but it has never steered me wrong before. Or you know...not often. There have been 52 nominees for best picture since 2010. How many of these starred a person of colour or had what I would personally consider to be a diverse cast?

2010
2011
- The Help
2012
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
2013
- 12 Years a Slave
- Captain Phillips
2014
- Selma
2015

Of the FIFTY TWO nominees for best picture since 2010, SIX have starred a person of colour or had a diverse cast.

FOUR were specifically about slavery or the civil rights movement - The Help, Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, Selma.
ONE starred a Somali-American actor as the villain of the story - Captain Phillips.
ONE portrayed extreme poverty among mostly African Americans in the deep south of Louisiana - Beasts of the Southern Wild.

In 2016 as a black actor, the only Oscar worthy parts available to you are those where you must play a slave, a villain, or a person fighting for your civil rights?!?! Really?! Not to mention that none of these movies star Latino or Asian American actors!

What can you even say? So I am going to watch Chris Rock's monologue and then turn off the television (I just finished watching it and have to say - fantastic that he did not briefly mention the issue but just stared it in the face the entire time. And to me, even though it was Chris Rock, the monologue wasn't funny. Because it ISN'T funny).

Heaven help us. Sheesh.

SUNDAY RIVER, MAINE

Last month we had our first annual winter weekend getaway. Destination: Sunday River, Maine.

Sunday River is a ski resort and we stayed in a nearby town called Bethel. First of all, hubs and I are not snow birds (I have been "south" only once and it was with a Service Learning group in university. We went to Belize. It was May) and also...I don't ski. HA! Lucky for me, my friend J doesn't really ski either. So while our husbands hit the slopes for an afternoon, J and I went snowshoeing, read, napped, and had a tv marathon. It was a weekend full of doing a glorious amount of nothing in particular. And I highly recommend it.

When we travel we are going places, seeing things, exploring another part of the world. It's fantastic and that is how I like to vacation. However, a quick, inexpensive (split between two couples our accommodations were very affordable), relaxing weekend after Christmas when there isn't much to look forward to for a few months... I will be doing this again.

On another note, our "cabin" was fantastic. It was fairly isolated on a small lake, surrounded by trees. The bedroom hubby and I stayed in (above) has ruined all other naps for me. It is the thing dreams are made of. Waking up from my afternoon nap to see the snow covered trees outside my window? It has given me very unattainable and specific #housegoals. If #housegoals is a thing.

And you just can't beat making memories with friends. The way our guys like to rehash old stories we will be talking about this weekend for years to come.

PLAYLIST FOR THE NEW YEAR

Hello, party people!

I haven't done a music post in forever! Music is my favourite! Here are some songs I discovered in 2015 (mostly thanks to CBC Radio 2 - my new love). Some old, some new.

Bryan Adams - You Belong to Me.

This song makes me want to snap my fingers. Super catchy jam. Two things, though. You belong to me? Bryan, that's a little possessive. Second - why won't that girl just leave Bryan alone!? Can't she see he's trying to play guitar?!

Good for Grapes - The Ropes.

AAAH. This is it, guys. On repeat. And I totally recommend the whole album. Buy it. You know, if Canadian alternative music is your jam.

Sam Roberts Band - Don't Walk Away Eileen.

This is an 'oldie' (2003) but new to me. One time during my undergrad I was away with a bunch of fellow students for a conference and this group of super grungy teens cut in front of us in a parking lot. The guy driving our vehicle said, "Watch out, Sam Roberts Band," which still makes me laugh.

Joel Plaskett - When I Close my Eyes.

Advisory: if you are in a long distance relationship this will make you cry. But it's soooo good. The video is so simple and gives me all the feels. Joel's upbeat songs are great but his love songs are just on another level for me.

Hope you enjoyed these and found something new to listen to!

NYC AT CHRISTMAS

Earlier this year I was watching Jimmy Fallon clips (as one does) and saw Billy Joel had been selling out shows at Madison Square Garden all year. Billy is one of my all time favourites (we are clearly on a first name basis) and I was pretty excited about that. However, we had a pretty big year planned and a trip to NYC wasn't part of the vacation plan. Things changed a bit at the end of July when we realized commuting to different cities for work wasn't the most feasible plan and we were indeed going to be living a long distance marriage... again. At that time someone gave us the advice to organize some trips so we had things to look forward to and time together mapped out. Well, I mean, that really twisted our arm so then we basically HAD to go see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden! I am a big fan of living life abundantly.

(I apologize for the blurry phone photos - this is inside Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes.)

If you don't know many Billy Joel songs I recommend you stop reading this immediately and buy a greatest hits album on itunes right now. He is the best. I will never play the piano again because of this man. Because really there is no point. No one will ever be as great as the Piano Man himself so why even try. The piano intro to New York State of Mind? *kisses fingers in Italian fashion* To die for. The incredibly romantic lyrics to She's Always a Woman and She's Got A Way? Sigh. That is what dreams are made of. I could go on. But I won't.

(My favourite exhibit at the Museum of Natural History - a biology student's dream.)

(At the John Lennon "Strawberry Fields" memorial. I take John Lennon very seriously. On a lighter note - I had to buy those super cute sneakers there because I stupidly only brought heels on the trip and my feet were dying! One of the hazards of living in two places - you always forget something somewhere. They're from Aldo if you like them!)

Funny enough, hubby and I couldn't afford to sit together (it would have been literally hundreds of dollars more). I cried by myself when Billy came out on stage. I danced like a maniac by myself to all of the hits. When he brought out special guest Sting - I looked at the complete stranger next to me, eyes shining, and exclaimed, "This is SO exciting!!!"

(After the show. We realized later we accidentally were photobombed by a pretty cool building.)  ;)

So if you're going to be in NYC (or you are close enough that you can possibly get there next year) more concert dates have been released for 2015. It was the show of a lifetime. And if you simply can't get there - look up his songs. You'll love them.