It's all Greek to me

Friday

Today we were in Mykanos. We didn’t have an excursion booked, so we got off the ship around 10:15 and took the shuttle in to town. It’s very beautiful – white houses on the hill, and small, winding roads designed to confuse pirates. These days, they mostly confuse tourists.

Yesterday and today were the first days I've spent somewhere where I can't read the signs. I don't speak Italian (much), but I know a few words, and it's close enough to French and English that I can usually figure things out. Same with Spanish. Greek uses a whole different alphabet, and I'm not used to that. Tourist places usually also have English signs, but it's different not being able to figure out what anything says.

We walked around and looked in some of the shops. After a while, we stopped for a snack and drink, as we’re trying to make more of a point of drinking enough water. We stopped at the Oasis Garden restaurant. It was beautiful – outdoor tables covered by leaves, with flowers and a palm tree in the middle. After that, we continued wandering over to see the windmills and the pelican. I didn’t realize how big pelicans are – I’ve never seen one that close before.

After we’d been in town for a couple of hours, we were ready to head back to the ship. I wanted to stop at a couple of shops we’d seen earlier, and Anita and Camille didn’t, so they headed back to the ship ahead of me. I found the shops without a problem, made my purchases, and then went back to the shuttle. I was the last one who made it on to that bus, so I rode back to the ship in the tour guide seat (beside the driver) on the bus. I got back to the ship about 5 minutes after the others.

Since it was only about 1 when I got back, we had lots of time this afternoon. We went for lunch, then I grabbed a book and went up on deck to lie in one of the lounge chairs and read. I was close to falling asleep, but didn’t quite get there. Now I’m sleepy.

Sea day & Athens

Wednesday

Today we spent the day at sea. To my surprise, there wasn’t a lot of free time. We got up late, then went to a port and shopping presentation. We aren’t particularly interested in shopping, but we did get some good port information for Mykanos and Turkey.

After that, we had lunch, then went to a presentation on the 7 wonders of the ancient world. I hadn’t realized that the location of some of the wonders was known and that fragments had been found – I thought that the only remaining one was the pyramids, and that the others were totally lost. Also, the theories on what the hanging gardens of Babylon looked like are nothing like I assumed.

We played mini-golf in the afternoon, then got ready for the formal dinner. After dinner, we rushed off to talk with the port guide about some questions we had, then went to the Captain’s welcome aboard reception. After that, we went to the show (an Elton John impersonator), then it was time to go to sleep in preparation for Athens in the morning.



Thursday

We got up this morning and got on the tour to Athens. The weather was beautiful – sunny and hot, but pleasantly so. The first place we went was the Acropolis and Parthenon. We walked up to the Acropolis. It was crowded – a lot of other tour groups were there at the same time. It was very impressive. They are restoring it right now, but they have been restoring it since 1992, so it’s not like we came on a bad day.

We looked around the Parthenon and the Erechtherion temple (which is also at the top of the Acropolis). We had 45 minutes of free time to take pictures, and with the crowds we needed every minute. After that we went off to a souvenir shop for 20 minutes, then we did a bit of a city tour. We saw the stadium used for the first modern Olympics, as well as the remains of the temple of Zeus. We then headed to the Plaka, which is a historical part of Athens filled with a bunch of shops.

We had lunch, then started looking through the shops. Much to our surprise, all of us bought rugs. We also bought a bunch of cotton clothes – Anita bought some shirts and I bought a dress.

By that time, it was getting late in the afternoon, so we grabbed a taxi and headed back to the ship.

The first two days

Monday

Well, we met up with Anita only an hour later than anticipated. The hotel we're staying at isn't easy to find, and it has two locations, so there was some minor confusion. However, she hadn't left the airport until after we had planned to meet, so it wasn't too bad.

Monday we got up and went to the restaurant for the breakfast that was included with our room. It was a croissant and coffee or tea, and was quite good. We then decided to look around the area for a while before heading back to our room. We wandered a few blocks away, and it started pouring. We waited in a store for 5 or 10 minutes, then dedcided to run for it.

We got soaked. Once we got back to the room, I had to open up my suitcase to dig out a dry shirt.

After we got organized again and checked out, we got a taxi to the hotel where we needed to catch the shuttle. Luckily, it was only 10 euros. We got to the other hotel and checked in with the shuttle around 11, and were given a departure time of 12:30. That was perfect, as it gave us time to get some lunch in the bar.

At 12:30, we got on the shuttle and went off to the cruise ship. The shuttle wasn't full, so we had lots of room to stretch out. We arrived at the ship and checked in.

I went on a cruise 4 years ago, and this was much more enjoyable. That time we got off the plane and went directly to the cruise. We were exhausted and jet lagged. This time we had a day to adjust first.

We did a little looking around the ship, then we had our lifeboat drill. After that, we went off to supper. We had to wait a while to get in, but finally got to sit down to eat.

The last cruise I did was an Italian cruise line. This one is American. So far, there are pros and cons to both. The food was better on the other cruise, but this one is far more organized, and more people speak English. It feels far less foreign.

----------------------------
Tuesday

Today we were in Naples. We got up late and had breakfast, then walked into town. We were off of the ship and heading towards the town when it started to rain. Naturally, people selling umbrellas appeared out of nowhere. It didn't rain long, and we walked around for a while. It was some sort of holiday, so we came across the tail end of some sort of parade or military demonstration.

We didn't stay out long, as we needed to have lunch and get ready for our afternoon excursion.

In the afternoon, we went to Pompeii. I had been there before - I was robbed there last time I was in Italy - but this time we were on an official tour. Our tour guide gave us each a walkie-talkie thiing, and so we could listen to her explanation whether or not we could actually see her.

Like the Vatican, it's hard to understand the sheer size of Pompeii if you haven't been there. It's big. Whole-city-buried-by-a-volcano big.

Naturally, it rained a few times over the course of the tour.

We have been told that it's likely the weather will improve. I hope so. Cold & rainy weather is something i can get in Ottawa.

In Rome

Day 1 is Rome. My sister and I arrived at 11. We found our hotel (which was a little complicated) and were settled in by 2. At that point, we went out exploring. We're staying at Hotel Vatican Holiday tonight. It's (not surprisingly) close to the Vatican. We were originally intending to go to the Vatican museums, but you need a lot of time to do that and it was getting late. Instead, we stopped for lunch, then went to St. Peter's Basillica.

If you haven't been there, it's hard to understand how big the place is. The church is tiny compared to the square. The church, however, is ridiculously huge.

We got there around 2:30, and the line stretched about half way around the square. It moved quickly, though, and we got in about 20 minutes later.

The first thing we did was visit the tombs of the popes. You can also see the columns from the original basillica many hundreds of years ago.

The tombs weren't that interesting - they were too crowded, and Pope John Paul II's tomb was a bit of a spectacle (as in people were hovering around that one in particular). Generally, if you feel like you don't get jostled by enough strangers in your day to day life, I would recommend the tombs on a Sunday.

After that, we went in to the Basillica itself.

Have I mentioned that's is huge? Beautiful, but huge and lacking seating.

Anyway, we finished going through it around 3:30, and decided to stay for mass at 4.

Eventually, we figured out where mass was - it was in an area behind the main altar. You couldn't see it from behind the barricades (which were there, presumably, to keep people from wandering through the service), but it was the size of a normal large church.

Mass was in Italian. I didn't follow the sermon, but I gathered that it was Pentecost, and there was a lot of talk about the Holy Spirit (which is more than I remember when mass is in English sometimes).

We're resting in our hotel room now, but need to leave soon to meet up with our cousin.

See you in a couple of weeks

I'm off on vacation later today. I'm bringing my laptop, but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. I expect to have internet access on occasion, but pictures will have to wait until I get home, I suspect.

The garden is planted, my bags are packed, and I'm checked in. Since I'm an elite aeroplan member this year, I have the option of bringing 3 bags. Since I have to carry my bags, I'm bringing one (although I will probably have 2 on the way back - dirty laundry expands, in my experience). I also can have heavier bags, which means I don't have to worry about how heavy my suitcase is. That's kind of cool.

Look for the pictures when I get back in mid-June. In the meantime, I will try to keep my twitter feed updated.

What's that smell?

There's a church near my house that advertises that they sell compose on the morning of a couple of Saturdays in May.

Every year I forget.

Except - this year I remembered. Today I bought compost from the church near my house. It's not the pre-packaged odourless stuff - they package it in garbage bags, and there is definitely an odor.

Anyway, I'm now ready to plant the garden as soon as they finish the work on the windows.

The work continues

In fact, theyre almost done.

They dug the third hole, installed all of the window wells, and filled them in. They've got some clean-up left, but they are mostly done.

The windows from yesterday's pictures:

And the window that hadn't been started yesterday:

High & dry

A while ago, I mentioned that my basement was leaking. It hasn't gotten any worse - it only leaked twice when we had heavy rain coupled with melting snow - but twice was two too many times.

I got a couple of estimates a while ago, and today the work started.

The work consists of digging down by three windows, filling any cracks, making sure the weeping tile is doing its job, putting a waterproof membrane on the outside, filling in gravel & sand (for drainage), and installing window wells. There is probably more to it, but that's the bits I remember.

Step 1 (today) consisted of digging holes by two of the three windows. Here are some pictures.

Look at me, updating twice in one week!

Last night was our advancement for Sparks. This is the night when the girls who are old enough officially move off to Brownies.

It wasn't the most organized of events - it's the end of the year and the leaders are all mentally done - but it went well nonetheless.

One of the mothers has mentioned how good the program has been for her daughter, because she's shy. (I have not seen this shyness - which is probably because she joined with a friend and thus she's always been comfortable.)

It's amazing to see how much all of these girls have matured over the last year. They were so ready to move up to Brownies and have more adventures. It's really cool.

Gardening

It's the Victoria Day weekend in Canada, which is traditionally the weekend when gardeners plant their gardens.

I usually have a garden, but I haven't planted it yet, because I'm having some work done outside this week, and the garden will get in the way. Hopefully after the work is done, the basement will no longer leak.

Anyway, back to the garden.

Since I've had the garden, tomatos grow well. Cucumbers are fine, corn is OK (I know it's ready when the racoons eat it). However, that's about it.

This year, I tested the PH level of the soil. I bought a tester and followed the instructions. Basically, it consists of putting some dirt in the tester, adding the contents of a capsule, then adding water, shaking, and waiting a minute. The tester contains a sheet that lists what each colour means. My soil is slightly acidic, but nothing drastic.

I guess I still don't know what the problem is.

Hey there!

It turns out that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.

Work has been crazy for the last couple of weeks, and when I get home I don't feel like turning on the computer, so here we are.

Last night I went to see the play Scotland Road. It was enjoyable, but confusing. Afterwards, the director and cast came out and talked with the audience members who remained to explain what their interpretation of the play was. It definitely helped explain what was going on.

Today I got a pedicure. The woman applying my nail polish took 15 minutes to finish it up, which meant I only had 10 minutes for it to dry before I had to leave. As a result, I left wearing "shoes" made of fun foam. I'm sure it was funny to watch me trying to walk.

I was talking with my sister on the phone when my niece asked her to hang up so they could play hide and seek. My sister didn't want to hang up, so my niece suggested that I play with them.

I was on the cordless phone (which has a speakerphone). She carried me with her, and I played hide and go seek over the phone. I wasn't much good at either hiding and seeking, and I was told that I whispered too loudly, but she seemed to have fun.

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood

I got up this morning and went to get some things done. I got dressed (jeans, t-shirt, jacket) and went outside ... to discover that summer arrived overnight. It's sunny and humid today, so I was way overdressed.

(By the way, one of the errands I got done is renewing my car registration, so that is taken care of).

I had intended to update last night to tell you about my boxing class, but apparently I have the memory of ... something that doesn't have much memory, so I forgot.

Anyway, back to boxing.

I've talked about boxing many times before. As I've mentioned, usually a class consist of 12 stations and a couple of punch-outs. There are a few weeks that are different, usually towards the end of the session. Last night was week 8 of 8.

A punch-out consists of 2 or 3 people on a bag, taking turns punching and switching every 10-20 seconds. They are usually for speed (i.e. in & out 20 times in 20 seconds) or power (i.e. in & out 12 times in 20 seconds, but hitting harder).

During the last session, week 8 consisted of 8 punch-outs in a row, then 8 stations in a row. It was very challenging.

Yesterday was a split circuit. In a split circuit week, you usually do a punch-out, 6 stations, 2 punch-outs, the other 6 stations, and then a punch-out, It's a bit different, but not too hard.

Last night, we started with a punch-out. After that, we split into 2 groups. Each group did 6 stations. (One station was shadow boxing using 5 pound dumbells, which is crazy hard.) After 6 stations, we did a punch-out, then we traded sides to do the other 6 stations. At the end, there was another punch-out ... followed by "OK guys, switch sides again, time for another 6 stations".

One of my classmates is in the Monday class as well. Her comment was "I almost cried on Monday".

After our final 6 stations, we did one last punch-out, for a total of 1+6+1+6+1+6+1 = 22 2-minute stations.

We do 24 stations one class each session, but the difference with this one is that we didn't know we would be doing the extra station.

I was lucky, though, because I only had to do the shadow boxing station once. It was hard enough the first time, I don't know if I would have been able to do it twice.

I did some new things on the weekend, but I don't remember what they are

A few years ago (OK, probably 10 years ago), Ontario passed a law requiring all cars more than a certain number of years old (3?) to have an emissions test before the province will renew their registration. They send you the reminder a couple of months in advance - I think I got mine in February - but I believe you have to pass the emissions test within 30 days of your renewal.

Today I took my car in to get the emissions test done (along with a few other things, like the fact that pressing the button for windshield washer fluid was ... pretty much futile).

Anyway, I got moving early this morning. I didn't get up any earlier, I just was more focused on getting out the door. I put my gym bag in the trunk, my laptop and purse on the front seat, and then went to drop off the car. When I got there, I grabbed my laptop and purse, gave them the keys, and got a ride in to work. I got there at 8:15, which meant I was the first one in. I had to unlock both sides of the building.

This afternoon, they called to tell me that they had figured out what needed fixing, but that they needed to get parts - did I need the car tonight?

I originally said that I did need the car, but then I started to think about it. I had nothing going on tonight that I specifically needed the car for (other than going to the gym, home, and then back to work tomorrow). I would need to get a ride to the garage to pick up my car ... and then go through the whole process again in a couple of days when they had the parts.

Instead, I could go to the gym, then take the bus home & back to work in the morning, leaving them the car until they got the parts tomorrow.

It took me a while to realize my gym bag (with my runners, gym clothes, and gym membership card) was still in the trunk of the car.

Oh well, that's a good excuse to skip going to the gym, right?

I called them back to say they could keep the car overnight, and they had managed to get the parts in. My car would be ready to pick up by 5.

Normally, my Monday gym class starts at 5 at the gym beside my office. I wasn't going to be able to make that class. (Plus, you may recall, I had already resigned myself to skipping the gym today anyway.) However, if I felt really, really motivated, the gym I go to on Wednesdays had a class starting at 5:30. Of course, that depended on picking up the car promptly at 5.

One of my co-workers gave me a ride to the garage, and I was out of there by 5:05. I couldn't justify skipping the class, so I headed towards the gym.

When I was halfway there, I remembered that this is new release week. Four times a year my gym releases new music & choreography for their exercise classes. During release week, selected classes preview the new routines (usually with multiple instructors taking turns). You have to sign up for the release classes. The next week, all classes do the new routines. The four release weeks are the only times you have to sign up for classes in advance. They aren't usually too picky about it, but it could depend on how many people show up.

I got to the gym and, yes, the class I was planning to attend was a new release class. However, luckily only 2 people had signed up (because last Monday was a holiday, and thus the class was cancelled).

The point of this story? I went to the gym today.

(Also, if someone could remind me to renew my car registration before the end of next week, I would appreciate it.)

Many, many excuses

Today is an amazing day.

You may remember last year - before October - I used to go to a Body Combat class on Thursdays, then eat, try to fit in a quick new thing, and then go to boxing later in the evening.

This stopped in September when my 6 p.m. class moved to 7 p.m.

Back in January, I stopped boxing on Thursday nights and started boxing on Fridays. I planned to start going to my class again.

However, there was:
- the bus strike
- a job hunting meeting
- a cold
- March break (this was grasping at straws, excuse-wise)
- the flu
- grocery shopping for camp
- whatever weird illness I had last Thursday

As a result, I made it back to class tonight, only 3.5 months later. It was really, really good to be back.

Because I've been sick so much, I haven't hit many combat classes at all this year. I noticed yesterday that there was so much tension in my back/shoulders that it hurt to move. (This is not usually a problem, but I haven't been to boxing in a month.) I went to my weight lifting class yesterday, which took care of some of the tension, but it took this class to really get rid of it.

Here's hoping I stay healthy for a while.

Changing the subject (which I can do, 'cause it's my blog), Sydney was asking how hard it is to make croissants. The answer is that it's quite easy, as long as using yeast doesn't scare you - but that's my opinion, it depends on how familiar you are with baking bread. Also, I made a group of 5 & 6 year olds make their own pizza dough a couple of weeks ago, so it's possible that my love for fresh bread products blinds me to the craziness of making the bread products.

Here's the recipe:
1 tbsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 egg yolks
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/3 cups flour
1 cup butter (do not substitute)

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and let stand 10 minutes (until it starts to grow). Separate your eggs, saving the whites in a sealed container for tomorrow. Beat the egg yolks, stir in the warm milk, sugar, salt, yeast mixture, and 2/3 cup flour. Beat until smooth and set aside.

In another bowl, use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the remaining flour. The goal here (and the reason for using a pastry blender) is to get the butter into pieces about pea-sized. Pour in the yeast mixutre and mix slightly with spatula just until the flour is moistened. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil (or, you know, put on the lid if you have a bowl with a lid). Chill at least 2 hours or until cold (up to 3 days). I usually make it the day before and let it chill overnight, 'cause I want them for breakfast.

When you are ready to bake them, turn out your mixture onto a floured board and knead lightly. Here your goal is to mix in the flour and make sure the whole thing is basically evenly moist (i.e. you don't want part of the dough really sticky and part a pile of flour). Flour on your hands works wonders here.

Divide the ball of dough into 3 parts. Roll each piece into a circle about 16 inches. (Again, flour the rolling pin). Cut the circle into 12 pie wedges. Starting at the widest part of each wedge, roll it up. Place the rolls point down on baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature until double in size. (I'm not this patient. They're lucky if they get to rise much at all.)

Remember the egg white from yesterday? Take it out of the fridge and beat it until it's frothy. Brush the beaten egg white on each croissant.

Bake at 375 F oven for 20 minutes or until brown.


These will likely be much smaller than croissants you would get in a supermarket (especially if, like me, you're impatient waiting around for them to rise). They will, however, be much tastier.

Note that (in case the cup of butter didn't clue you in), these are very rich and are by no means health food.

Guess what?

My Easter sunday started with a long distance phone call at 8:15. It was my niece. ("Guess what the Easter bunny brought me?") Sadly for everyone else in her house, it was 6:15 there. She was a little excited.

After that, I got up to cook the traditional Easter croissants (to go with fruit salad for breakfast). When I lived with my parents, that was what we had on Easter morning, and I continued the tradition after I moved here. A couple of years ago I went back for Easter ('cause I was unemployed and had time to spare), and ... they were surprised about the croissants. They don't do that anymore.

After last year's fiasco, we had gone to the Easter vigil on Saturday night, so there was no church on the Sunday, so it was a lazy day.

In the afternoon, I made a banana cream pie. Sadly, there was so much food that we didn't actually eat it. I should have some now.

Generally, it was a lazy day and a very relaxing weekend.

My day today

I woke up this morning around 7. I don't usually rush to get up on Saturdays, but around 7:15 I remembered it is garbage day today (since yesterday was a holiday). Four seconds later I was out of bed on my way to take out the garbage.

After that, I went out to run a couple of errands. I had some stuff to pick up at Rona, so I made a list and packed my old paint in the car, and I took back paint to Rona for recycling. I've repainted since I moved in, and the old paint was still sitting in my basement. I'm glad there was somewhere I could take it.

After that, I went to the grocery store. I got there around 8:30. Now, the thing about Ottawa on Easter weekend is that, well, everyone is in a panic. You see, the stores are closed Friday and Sunday. When I got there at 8:30, the store was busy. Very busy. It took me an hour to get my groceries and get back to the car.

The other thing about this particular store is that it has those annoying carts - you know, the kind that lock if you take them off the parking lot? I understand they don't want them walking away, but I parked off to the side of the store, which is outside the carts' range. I was a little concerned, because I had bought a lot of (heavy) groceries, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to carry them all. However, I was lucky, because my cart was broken! That sounds like a bad thing, but in this case the only thing that was broken was the demobilizer that would have stopped me from taking the cart to my car. I went to my car, unloaded, and then brought the cart back - partly to be nice, and partly to stop them from realizing that the cart was broken. It might come in handy again some day.

On an unrelated topic, yesterday I really wanted broccoli salad. I knew I had had it before, but I couldn't remember where (or who I should be getting the recipe from). After a couple of hours, it occurred to me that I had the salad at Christmas. It's my mom's recipe! I called her, and she suckered my sister into e-mailing the recipe to me. I made the salad this afternoon.

For those who are interested, here's the recipe. We had it as written at Christmas, but today I substituted plain yogurt cheese for the mayonaise. I should know tomorrow whether it's as addictive this way. (Also, it turns out the this broccoli salad has cauliflower in it as well ... but I didn't remember that at all.)

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 7.5 cups)
1 medium bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
2 cups seedless red grapes
6 green onions with tops, sliced
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 to 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
leaf lettuce
additional red grapes, optional

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, broccoli, grapes, onions, and mozzarella cheese. Combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, sugar, and vinegar; pour over vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in bacon. Transfer to a lettuce lined bowl. Garnish with grapes if desired. YIELD: 15-20 servings.

Cooking & cleaning

I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better today. I had a very productive day cleaning. I also did my first pass at my income tax. I always enter my info once, leave it for a few days, then go back and verify that I have entered everything correctly. Often I find silly mistakes this way. I've got a little over 2 weeks to go back and do my second pass and submit it to CRA.

This evening I finally got around to watching some of the depression cooking videos on YouTube. They are done by a 93-year-old woman who lived through the Great Depression. She shares recipes that they made. I had seen people talking about them a few weeks ago, but hadn't checked them out myself. Today I finally got there.



(Did you notice I figured out how to embed a video?)

And ... I'm sick again

I'm starting to think I will catch any minor illness from anyone who is sick within 100 miles. Yes, I'm sick again. This one isn't a cold - it's something digestive. (I will spare you the details.)

Anyway, when I woke up I realized that going in to work wasn't a good idea, but I hadn't brought my laptop home last night. Anyway, I got up and went in to work simply to get my laptop. I walked in, got my laptop, chatted with one of my co-workers briefly, and then walked out. The people standing in the lobby remarked on how quickly I was in and out. I told them I am so efficient I can do a day's work in minutes.

Not much to say

Well, today I went back to the gym again. I actually wasn't too sore after Monday's class - a twinge here or there, but nothing much. Today I started working my way back up to the weights I was using before I got sick. (You wouldn't thing being sick for 2 weeks would have much impact, but you would be wrong.) One of the frustrating things about the many minor illnesses I've had this year is that I keep missing whole weeks of going to the gym. Hopefully I will feel well for a while.

In other news, the long weekend is fast approaching. One more day of work before having Friday off. I'm very much looking forward to it. Also, chocolate is fast approaching, and that's always good.