Where's Carrie?

Hellooooo! I'm still here. I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. I thought things were ready to quiet down, but that proved not to be the case. But in a good way. It's really taken me a long time to get around to typing this up.

As I mentioned in the last post, Jim & I went to see We Will Rock You.

It was pretty good. The first Act was great, but the story line got kinda cheesy in the second act. The singing was phenomenal and the music was Queen-ly awesome. We both really enjoyed it. We then went for dinner at this terrific Italian place we found in downtown Toronto. I was enjoying my "date" so much, that I completely forgot about taking pictures of my food. I even brought my camera just for that. I'm such a spazz.

Three days later, we were back to TO for a basketball game. Raptors vs. Lakers. Jim had these tickets given to him. I have never been to an NBA game and even though I'm not a basketball fan, I was looking forward to it. Baseball and football bore me to tears. They play a little bit, then stop, play a little bit, then stop. It doesn't keep my attention. Hockey & soccer are almost constantly moving and since basketball is like that, I can kind of get into it. I have also never been to the ACC for anything other than a hockey game and Whoa! did it look different.

No boards, no glass, no netting, no ice. And everything was just messed up. They had a lady sing the national anthems, but they didn't start the game right away. They kept warming up and then this little show to get us pumped up.

With the mascot (in the middle) who is really kinda cool.

Finally, they started the game. Chris Bosh (#4 there in white) is Toronto's big player.

And for LA, of course, Kobe Bryant. The fans seemed to be split half for TO, half for LA. And not nearly as rowdy and vocal as the hockey crowd. In fine Toronto fashion, they were ahead and made everyone hopeful they could pull off a win, finally! Then, lost in the end. Professional sports teams in this city are really doing horribly bad this year. Even the mighty Toronto Rock are in last place. UGH!

This sign was on the wall in the ladies washroom. What a great thing to see. If a huge facility like the Air Canada Centre can do this, what's stopping everyone else? (Click the pic to make it larger)

We went for some wine tasting this past weekend. 2007 is the best year Niagara has seen yet for wine. The whites have been released and some of the reds are trickling out slowly. Treat yourself if you can. If you haven't been over to Dynise's blog lately, you should. She has a link to Barnivore, a site that lists vegan wine, beer & spirits. I was pleasantly amazed at how many Ontario wineries are listed as vegan. Not only delicious, animal friendly too!

A couple of years ago, Dalton McGuinty was up for re-election and since he royally screwed the residents of Ontario at the beginning of his first term, he did an awful lot of sucking up to get re-elected. One of the things he decided to do was to give us a statutory holiday in February. It's a long stretch from New Year's to Easter and there were no holidays at all. Plus, it's the end of winter and sometimes it seems like it just won't end, so everyone needs a perk. I didn't vote for the man, but I'll take his holiday thankyouverymuch. The third Monday in February is now known as Family Day in the province of Ontario. So, the third Sunday night in February is known at LCBO store 566 as Pub Crawl!

Jim & I had a great time, and managed to stay sober for the most part. Some of the others weren't as "judicious".

Janesse was doing OK, Matt, not so much. In the end he was fine. Got some food, was responsible and had a ride home and was feeling good the next day. A great night was had by all of us and we're tentitively arranging and Easter crawl in combination with my birthday. WOOO!

Got strange people in your kitchen, snooping through your refrigerator looking for something to eat? Once you get your mitts on "The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes" there will be no shortage of tasty dishes for you to whip up for unsuspecting guests. (Thanks to Matt & JJ for this totally unstaged photo)

Pear and Pepper Chutney - delicious! Which was then used in this

Elegant Lunch Sandwich - This was so rich and yummy. Sure to impress.

Couscous Mosaic - this was one of my very favorites from the upcoming book This is on the "must make" list for everyone!

Seitan Steaks with Tarragon-Mustard Sauce - sounds delicious, right? Oh, and it is and so freakin' easy, you won't believe it. I really slathered the sauce on this; next time I'll show more restraint because it was a bit much. Serve this to your guests and they'll stay out of your refrigerator.

Winter still has a hold on us, so soup is on the menu more than usual.

Island Gumbo - is chock full of veggies and just a touch of heat. Yummy!

Potato-Leek Soup - a non-creamy version. (Thank you! I do not like cream soups) Jim loved this. He said it was better than the potato-leek his Scottish gran used to make. That is quite a statement!

Finishing up, a great little dessert - Pumpkin-Spice Baby Bundts. I didn't have miniature bundt pans so I used jumbo muffin tins. It worked fine, just not as visually appealing.

The Academy Awards were over a week ago. Did you watch? We stayed up for some of it and got to see the best acceptance speech. Here's Kunio Kato accepting his Oscar for Best Animated Short



“So heavy. Thank you very much. Thank you, my supporters,” Kato said. “Thank you, all my staff. Thank you, my producer. Thank you, Academy. Thank you, animation. Thank you my company, Robot. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto. Thank you very much.”

**He's quoted as saying "producer", but I think he says pencil. He is an animator after all.