An ode to argyle

I went for a run today, definitely not one of my best but I powered through. I came home, peeled off the sweats, showered and was very happy to pull on one of my favourite sweaters, pink with purple and green argyle. This sweater is quite warm so I'm actually okay with the nip in the air as it offers excuse to pull out some of my closet faves.

I'm very comfortable in argyle. Last count I had three argyle sweaters. I bought an argyle polo over the summer but it didn't fit right and so I returned it. While today its paired with earrings carved of moose antler, I often pair argyle with pearls.

Argyle is simply amazing. It often involves several colours, allowing for a whole rainbow of coordinating outfits. It evokes traditional styles but done the right way is also very modern. it goes with everything from heels to my shiny pink adidas sneakers. Have I mentioned my style is rather preppy?

However, my closet is not wholly preppy and actually may be seen as a tad schizophrenic. I have the preppy clothes, the sporty clothes (t-shirts from various universities, numerous yoga pants), the biologist/outdoorsy clothes (fleece, fleece and more fleece), work clothes (well, the blazers are a little preppy I guess) and either schleppy student or going out clothes (both of which often involve low cut t-shirts).

I find it interesting that as I wear the different parts of my wardrobe, I express different characteristics of myself. It's true that a good suit is akin to a suit of armour and when I'm wearing a fairly revealing top.... well... But on the whole, especially if you asked my friends, I'm fairly preppy in dressing and also in attitude. I can out complicated Starbucks order the best of them, and while I have a fairly strong social conscience, i can't quite bring myself to buy only organic cotton. If it's cute, absolutely. If it's a straw colour baggy tee..... no.

A few days ago I teased this entry asking how you all felt about sweater vests. I got one response, from my fabulous former roomie, who is almost as ardent a prepster/argyle/sweater vest lover as I. Sweater vests are almost as dear to me as argyle. Again, I currently have 3. I briefly had four. as I bought one last weekend but also bought something expensive (and put in an order for an even more expensive purse), I had to return it. I didn't love it though. I am way too excited to return to the Mtl this weekend to do shopping and maybe buy one I like even more. You know, for work. To be sure that they know exactly who they're dealing with from the first, I really want to wear an argyle sweater vest my very first day. I'm thinking bright purple.

It's really good I have some fancy sounding degrees otherwise people might never take me seriously, huh....

Warm pasta on a cold night

Hey! This is my 100th post! Pretty cool. Appropriately so, this post is about carbhydrates and alcohol, something anyone following this blog will recognize as highly important to my life.

I was walking home from the Glebe today with one of my nearest and dearest, laden with groceries, chatting away, when to our dismay did it start to hail! I've heard rumours of snow or frozen precipitation here and there but this was the first time I actually saw it. I have noticed the nip in the air, especially on my fingers as I try to send many messages on my blackberry, but I guess I do have to acknowledge that winter is coming. Sigh. At least I have a cute new coat to ward off the chill!

It was thus a good night to make PASTA. Since moving home, my parents have strongly suggested that I should make dinner at least once a week, but its actually not so bad. I've blogged about cooking before and I do enjoy it really, especially as it gives me a chance to make stuff that I really like, or even bid to expand my parent's horizons. Today, I decided to make something that I often order in Italian restaurants and it both seemed fairly straight forward and involved vodka.

I adapted this recipe from one devised by the Pioneer Woman (one of my online faves, I just got her cookbook as well and its both beautiful and delicious) and other recipes I found online.

Vodka rose sauce with penne, prosciutto and mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced and pressed

3-4 large mushrooms, sliced

100 g prosciutto, diced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup half and half

1 cup vodka (anything but Russian Prince)

Parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar and pepper to taste

2 cups penne

Parmesan

Instructions:

1. Dice the onion, garlic, and saute in a large sauce pan with olive oil, on high heat.
2. Slice the mushrooms. Take strips of prosciutto and slice width wise for somewhat bite-size pieces. Once the garlic and onion has started to go golden, toss in the mushrooms and prosciutto.
3. Pour in vodka and allow everything to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour in tomatoes, and add seasonings to taste (I probably added at least 1 tsp of each. The sugar is only if you're finding the sauce somewhat acidic), allowing to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Get the penne cooking just as the sauce is getting to simmering.
6. Turn down the heat in your sauce pan and pour in the half and half. Stir around, and add more seasonings as needed (I like hot dishes, added more red pepper flakes here), on a continuous low heat, just on the edge of simmering.
7. When the penne is cooked, drain, and pour into your sauce pan. Mix in the pasta and serve immediately in bowls, with parmesan to garnish. Offer either wine or vodka if you've been tippling that while cooking. Enjoy!

The stupidity. It hurts.

Currently, in my northern North American country, we are very concerned about swine flu. It's a reasonable concern as since it emerged back in April, it has actually killed people, children, in this country. It is very sadly affecting some of the most under-served people in this country, especially Aboriginals who live in areas with poor infrastructure, the worst. Our government has guaranteed that everyone in this country who wants it, can be immunized against swine flu, beyond the usual flu shot. There are huge line ups for people who are at risk (pregnant, small children) that are shortened by people who actually are not at risk but want the shot. Or even line up to sell their ticket for a later immunization. I actually belong to one of the 'at risk' groups due to a long term chronic condition, but because I actually don't see many people in my usual hermit like existence and feel other people need it more than I, I'm waiting to get mine. But I will, just as I always get the usual flu shot because I both don't have the time to get sick, I also don't want to deal with possible complications.

Our society seems to work in extremes. There are so many people worried about getting the disease and going to quite extraordinary measures to get their shots, while there is a still small but very vocal group of people who refuse to do so. I actually posted around this time last year on my utter dislike (I could use stronger words but I do try to remain civil) for people who are anti-vaccine protesters. No matter if they think it causes autism (no), PTSD (no), are a means for the government to control you (Really? Okay then...), they seem bound and determined to disregard all the good that vaccines have done in this world. So many diseases have been nearly eradicated, so many children's live have been saved but if people bought into the hype that vaccines are dangerous, those diseases very easily could (and have) return. And a hype is indeed being created, creating the illusion that we're not sure how good vaccines really are.

Somewhat alike to climate change however, a lot of people are actually unaware that in the scientific and medical community, there is no debate. Vaccines save lives. There is a very small risk of an adverse reaction, but there numerous studies have completely dismissed any idea that vaccines can actually cause the syndromes it has been linked to. Yet, when this issue is reported in the news, a lot of journalists feel as though they need to present 'both sides' for it to be a true investigation. This however just creates more undue confusion. Wired recently published a great article on vaccines and the fear around them (check it out), and the author of that piece, a woman named Amy Wallace, presents the actual scientific perspective and even offers a handy dandy guide for winning an argument about vaccines. Unsurprisingly, she was immediately attacked for drinking the 'Big Pharma' juice and um, ACCURATELY, depicting the anti-vaccine lobby as one filled with reactionaries who are quite keen to ignore actual facts. Some of the leading voices in this field have also done a wonderful job of raising the level of debate by calling her a number of misogynistic names. I had my attention drawn to this by the ever wonderful Dr. Isis and one of her colleagues at ScienceBlog (which I spend waaaaaay too much time on), has commented (again)waaaay more intelligently on this subject than I can here.

I'm aware that this post is a wee bit more serious than usual but if I'm going to make it through a month of blogging I can't just complain about living with my parents, drinking and accessories.

A preview of upcoming posts though:

Tomorrow: making vodka pasta sauce

Wednesday: how do we feel about sweater vests?

On life transitions

Since moving back home, at time I have felt some confusion as to what life stage I actually do exist. There are moments when I whine about when dinner will be ready, pout about turning down the TV and sigh when am told to clean up my room, despite having thought to myself just that morning that I really do need to tidy. Clearly, I am still a child. Then, I pour myself a glass of wine with dinner, which I picked up most of the ingredients for while running errands. I appear to be a young adult. Over dinner with the wine, we can sometimes discuss real estate I am considering buying, my full time job I am about to start, and I also this weekend attended a party in the suburbs where people my age have houses and babies. Could I actually be a REAL grown up? I don't know if I like this.

So I make up for maybe being a grown up by going shopping in holey genes and perusing expensive purses that I don't need but will buy anywise thanks to my real job. I also really appreciate the fact that the fridge is generally filled without much effort on my part and that I did NOT have to write a rent cheque today, despite it being the first of the month.

On the thesis front, I have received all my reviews, everyone passed me (yay!). I'm currently working on the not too difficult suggested revisions and hope to have everything totally complete by the end of the week. Wish me luck!

(P.S. as it is indeed November, I'm going to try this NaBloPoMo thing, we'll see how long my attention is kept so maybe see you tomorrow!)

On travelling with your parents

This is my dear daddy and I at the Spanish Steps in Rome. Throughout the trip I had been trying to teach him the art of the 'self-taken photograph', and this was the best of the bunch IMHO. So it had been a while since I had taken a real trip with my parents, going all the way back to second year of my undergrad, nearly 5 years ago (Ah'm getting OLD). I've certainly

grown up since then, my parents have changed as well but it was a bit of an experience nonetheless.

I first realized how things had changed when we were just in the airport. I've actually done a fair amount of flying this year, and have gotten pretty good at the airport rigamarole. My liquids were already stored in a clear bag, I could remove my electronics and coat in less than 30 seconds, all the while being unfailingly polite to all the security people. It seems that I've also gotten very accustomed to being on my own while I travel, and so often had to slow down from my usual pace to let the parents catch up.

Speaking of catching up, above is one of the many pictures I have of my parents being about 50-100 metres ahead of me on the street (or in Piazza San Marco in this instance), I having stopped to take a picture, appreciate a vista, buy a cannoli. While I'm the more high strung one in the airport, once I'm at a site or place I try to take it all in, while my parents.... we near jogged through parts of the Vatican (budding lines left and right, I've never seen my Dad so pushy in my life) while my parents ignored thousands of years of artefacts to be sure we saw the Map Room.

Of course we saw it. Everyone saw it. IT'S ON THE WAY TO THE SISTENE CHAPEL. *Breathes*

Before I left, my dear friend Anja gave me the advice to just breathe from time to time if my parents were making me crazy, which was excellent advice. While I can soak in a view or architecture for ages, by day 8 of the trip both my Dad and I were a little arted out. We were happy to go to such wonderful museums as those as Villa Borghese in Rome, but weren't studying every single picture in every single room.... unlike my mother. Pictures and plaques, you cannot tear her away. But I managed to keep my tongue and when I was done the tour half an hour before she was, I generally found either the gift shop or cafe for another cappucino.

Despite a few tense moments here and there, I do have to say that travelling with my parents was pretty fun. Did I mention they paid for the trip? And bought me gelato and cocktails? It's sad, but I can be bought with hazelnut gelato or another spritz (Venetian cocktail of white wine, sparkling water and Aperol bitter) and am very happy to be so. Between the three of us, we covered a lot of ground and saw lots of amazing things, and even had stuff to talk about at the end of the day. I shopped with my Mum and went for late night walks to the bar with my Dad. I also don't think that there were really many moments where I felt like the kid, I held my own, did my own thing here and there and we all had a good time. Just, it may be a while before we do it again....

Home safe, sick

I have arrived home from an absolutely wonderful 10 days in Italy. Venice honestly didn't seem real for a while, Florence was a marvel and I think I am still processing Rome. I however managed to pick up a cold in the last few days, blew my nose through the Vatican and hopefully didn't infect the nice retired medical anthropologist I sat next to on the plane (9 hours may be a bit too long for me). I have very many photos but I am finally getting tired so will retire to bed with some TV I've missed and will start some better updates tomorrow! Hope you had fun while I was gone!

Sunsets

I think the sunsets over James Bay may be the most beautiful ones in the world. Here is just a sampling. I am posting mainly pictures right now as I am too busy editing papers, writing

reports, putting out fires and hoping my inbox doesn't explode while I am Italy next week

(NEXT WEEK!). Anyways, was pretty. I am very lucky to have been able to spend my time in the field in such lovely places.