I’m sure I’m not the only one who uses an app of some kind to follow blogs they love. I personally use bloglovin. I especially love it for my iPad (sorry, our iPad), but their website works great as well!
Anyway, this little blog here is available on bloglovin. So, if it’s an app you use, feel free to follow me!
cheers!
a
Sometimes it can be hard to hear criticism from others. I know for me it’s something I may always struggle with- being a people pleaser, etc. At the same time though, constructive criticism can be very helpful, and allow us to look at ourselves in a new light and maybe even grow and change. Take a step out of yourself. If you were on the outside looking in, how would you critique yourself? What things do you see that could change or work on? This isn’t about tearing ourselves down; it’s about really looking at ourselves and seeing where there’s room for growth.
I think I’m a bit of a people pleaser myself, so hearing criticism isn’t something I’m a huge fan of either. I know that it has it’s place, but I truly hate to disappoint people. While I thought sharing what I was good at was hard, it’s just as difficult to put my shortcomings out there, despite it being easier to think of areas where I fall short. These last two prompts are more alike than different in some ways.
Since I’m posting this almost a week late, I’m going to leave it at those two things. How about you? What things do you see that you could change or work on?
1. We registered! Woohoo! It was actually a pretty funny process to me. We don’t need a lot of stuff so it only took us about 10 minutes to get it done. (Thankfully. N hates shopping!)
2. All the ramen! Two new ramen places opened up recently in Calgary & I had to have them both. They are both amazing, welcome additions to the restaurant scene.
3. I’ve spent more money this year on my hair than ever before & I haven’t even coloured it. Just trying to keep the ends looking good for this summer.
4. Keeping up with long runs & trying out new routes. I definitely miss my training partner (who’s still out with his injury) so new routes make things a little more interesting.
5. H & I went on the Poutine Crawl this year & it was amazing! I also have a blog post coming about that at some point. Oh man, I’m so behind!
6. Checking out the Black Pig Bistro (replacing DeVille’s Bridgeland location). Should be delicious!
7. Tuesday Yoga at lunch at work is a thing & I’m really excited about it.
8. N’s brother is back, which is awesome for many reasons – one being that I’ll get my chocolate lab fix. Kora’s so gorgeous!
9. One of my bests was home for Easter. As always, it was far too short of a visit, but we did have some fun at National.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends! Have a margarita for me – I’m at work tonight!
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| A very quiet Rennes 2 Campus |
Misadventures are inevitable. Just like at home, shit happens. &, just like at home, you can’t really plan for it. Instead, expect that things will go wrong & prepare for how you will deal with them. Learn from my mistakes.
I’ve done a reasonable amount of travelling, most of it on my own. I’m only now starting to do some travel with others & enjoying it. As I’ve mentioned before, I think travel is incredibly important & I think travel on your own can be invaluable. I personally learned a lot & a lot of that is because I wasn’t fully prepared. I had a lot of growing up to do when I first went travelling.
I’m going to take a bit risk here – the risk that you may think I’m a bit of an idiot for some of these mistakes I made while abroad. That’s a risk I’m currently willing to take though. For one, they happened long enough ago that they’re now funny & for another, I learned a lot from each of them.
As I’m a fairly long-winded storyteller, I’ll be splitting these stories up. I don’t want to overwhelm you too much with all of my silly stories. Here goes with the first…
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| The view from my residence |
The first time I left North America was in 2005. I’d been dreaming of spending a semester in France & it finally happened. My parents were to meet me in Paris a few weeks after my arrival in Rennes, but I was on my own flying to France, catching a train to Rennes, & figuring out this little french town that would be my home for the next six months.
I really thought I was prepared. I’d read about Rennes a million times & I’d looked at maps of the area near the University where I’d be living. I didn’t print any maps though & smart phones weren’t exactly commonplace. Was Google Maps even an app yet? I’m not sure that it was.
Anyway, I missed the 9am train to Rennes by a few minutes when I arrived in Paris so I had a few hours to kill at the airport before the next train. I found some food & wandered the airport before settling in to wait for my train. I was too excited to sleep so by the time I arrived in Rennes, I’d been up for well over 24 hours.
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| Place St Anne |
Rennes has this incredibly efficient, albeit tiny, metro system. It’s awesome & extremely easy to navigate, so I found my way to Villejean, the area where I’d be living, without incident. I also easily found the University, but since it was a Saturday, it was closed. Unlike so many other exchange countries, no one from the Université de Rennes 2 would be there to meet me either. I was on my own to figure everything out, something that I’d expected, but was not the least bit prepared for. Could I remember the map for the life of me? No. Were there any other students around? Of course not. School wouldn’t officially start for another 2 weeks so, as I’d later find out, there were only a handful of exchange students scattered around different residences nearby.
I started wandering, figuring I’d run into my residence eventually. I probably wandered for forty-five minutes, lugging close to fifty pounds worth of luggage, before I swallowed my pride & decided to ask for help. I fluently speak French so this shouldn’t have been an issue, but I probably didn’t ask very clearly for what I was looking for so the only response I got was that there was a pay phone down the street. Little good that would do me since I didn’t have the proper card to activate a French pay phone.
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| Metro République |
The combination of lack of sleep, being abroad for the first time on my own, & feeling like I’d already failed just a few short hours into my séjour lead to this scene: a blond (very, by french standards) 19-year-old girl in lululemon sweatpants & pumas, sitting on her giant suitcase, crying in the middle of the sidewalk.
I let myself feel wallow for a few minutes before picking myself up. It was time to find somewhere to sleep that night. I headed back into the centre & found a hotel, leaving the search for my residence for the following day, when I’d be clearer headed & fifty pounds lighter.
When I returned to Villejean the next day, I got off the metro & immediately, clearly, saw the residence building. It was literally right in front of me, plain as day.
So what is the point of this ridiculous, long-winded story? Was I just a foolish, young kid? Probably. In fact, I was most definitely young & often, quite foolish too. But there are three things I’ve taken away from that day (three main things, at least).
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| Rue St Michel, Rennes – all bars |
The first thing is that it’s okay to ask for help. The thing I didn’t realize at the time was that I was completely overtired & desperately needed directions. At the time though, I was fiercely independent (Obviously – I moved to another continent by myself…) & hated asking for help. I saw it as a sign of failure. But I should have asked someone for help long before I’d reached a point of feeling so completely lost & exhausted.
Next, anytime you panic, you inevitably make the situation much worse than it needs to be. There’s no point in panicking about something you can’t do anything about. So try not to (I realize that can be nearly impossible sometimes. It’s something I’m still working on too).
Lastly, you’re going to get lost. Embrace it. Yeah, getting lost while you’ve got all your luggage with you isn’t great, but it’s bound to happen. Get a little bit comfortable with being uncomfortable. Getting lost has become something I actually enjoy about travel. Perhaps not while I’ve got all my luggage with me, but one of my personal favourite things to do now is just wander. Funnily enough, that’s actually the meaning behind the name of this blog – Au fil de mes balades, which roughly translates to while I wander.
Quite simply, what are you good at? All of us have particular strengths- what are yours? This week, talk about these talents, big or small. Ideas: discuss how you use these things in your daily life or job, how you discovered a knack for this or that, perhaps even touch on whether or not you are passionate about the things you’re good at.
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| Photo credit to KG |
The first thing that came to mind when I saw this prompt this week was swimming. I am undeniably better than the average person at swimming. For a long time I used that as an excuse for why I wasn’t great at other sports. Swimmers have a reputation for being awkward outside of the water. While this isn’t exactly true, I fell back on it from time to time. & it’s nice to have something that you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you’re good at, especially when you’re younger. (It probably sounds weird coming from someone who runs half marathons & organizes Fitness Friday at work, but I’ve never considered myself very good at other sports. I don’t think I’m bad at them – I just don’t think I’m really good at them either. I do them because I enjoy being outside & I’m extremely competitive.)
Do you find it hard to talk about your strengths? Try it out in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you’re good at!
How would you say your upbringing or background has shaped your idea of beauty? Were you taught to apply makeup or do you hair by your mother or friends? If not, where did you observe what is now your norm as far as beauty practices? And although most of us have been inundated by different cultural beauty “norms” via the media, would you say that television and magazines have had a strong impact on shaping what you think of as beautiful? This week, write about your idea of beauty- how your background has shaped it and what that means for you today.
Your upbringing certainly shapes much of how you view the world – your perception of beauty included. My family was mostly blessed with good genes & my mother has never needed to wear much makeup. I remember her always looking very put together, a feat she continues to achieve to this day. That didn’t necessarily mean a lot of makeup but it did mean dressing well & taking care in her appearance. She always told me it’s better to be too dressed up than to be too casual – & that’s something I find myself believing now, as an adult.
I’ve been catching a ride with N into downtown lately so I haven’t had my usual morning walk. This morning, however, I dropped him off at the airport before work and, as a result, found myself walking in.
As you reach the top of the stairs, the trees part to reveal the city, & what I personally believe to be one of the most striking skylines. While the spring air was moist & heavy in the park, it seemed to lift as I headed towards downtown. “I love this commute”, I thought, sipping my coffee. After this particularly harsh winter, this kind of spring morning was just what I needed. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to start my day.
Would you consider yourself a religious person? Quite simply- what do you believe happens when you die? Have you always believed this? Do your current beliefs align with what you were taught as a child? And if not, what was the turning point? This week, talk about your religion or spiritual beliefs (or perhaps your lack of), and try to sum up, if you can, what you believe happens “next.”
Religion. Oh boy. I wasn’t going to post a response when I first saw this prompt. I’m always a little bit hesitant to discuss religion with anyone. While I’m not generally shy about my opinions, this is something I try to think twice about before offering my thoughts. Danielle posted this morning though & her response inspired me to write something. I’ve posted a Journal Day response every week so far & I think it’s silly to censor myself in regards to this. I know not everyone will agree with what I have to say. So as Danielle did, I will just preface this post with this disclaimer: I don’t mean to question your beliefs or lack thereof. Please do not take offense to what I have to say here – I don’t want to judge you & I hope you won’t pass judgement on me either.
While I do a lot of cooking at home, it isn’t often that I post a recipe on here. Our kitchen is pretty tiny, with dark counter tops & terrible lighting, so I don’t often bust out the real camera. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen a lot of my food iPhoneography already (although that’s only picking back up again now that the sun stays out later). I spend most of my day thinking about what I just ate, what I’m going to eat, or what I’d like to eat. My love of food definitely isn’t the reason for the lack of recipes on here.
I love experimenting in the kitchen. It doesn’t always turn out right, but the more I take chances, the more I get a sense of what works & what doesn’t. I’m not anywhere near as good of a cook as I’d like to be, but I’m definitely proficient. & I get better all the time.
In that last few years, I’ve come to realize that I’ve surrounded myself with people who are pretty similar in that respect. My friends all love food. I suppose it’d probably be pretty hard to hang out with me if you didn’t. In the summer especially, we throw a lot of potlucks. I love trying out new recipes, but one I come back to regularly is deviled eggs. I just love them! & I’ve made quite a few variations of them over the last couple of years. Many are a little on the complicated side, but one of my favourites is from George, the Civilized Caveman.
A couple weeks ago, I was headed out to a potluck after CrossFit & I couldn’t decide what to make. We had a bit of a busy weekend planned so I wanted something quick & easy. None of my usual recipes are very hard, but I didn’t feel like messing around with an avocado. I just wanted to be super lazy. So I came up with this modification on my usual recipe.
I don’t like measuring so this recipe involved me eyeballing everything. As a result, none of these measurements are exact. I think it’s hard to mess up devilled eggs anyway. Don’t stress if you like exact measurements. This isn’t baking. It’s going to be alright.
Ingredients
– 4 strips of Bacon
– 1 T of Green Onions
– 3 T of Wholly Guacamole
– 2 T of bacon fat, melted
– 1 T favourite hot sauce
– a dozen eggs
– dusting of Paprika
Start with your bacon. Cook up about 4 pieces. I like this gluten-free bacon in the picture because there also isn’t a lot of added nitrates or soy (I prefer to avoid unfermented soy). You can use any bacon you like. I’m not the bacon police.
You’re going to want to start boiling some eggs now too. Everyone has their own method so I recommend going with that. Whatever works for you. Personally, I put all my eggs in a pot & bring it to a boil. Once it boils, I take it off the heat & put a lid on it, setting the timer for 15 minutes. Once that timer goes off, I dump the hot water & put those eggies in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Everyone says this method is foolproof.
Everyone is wrong! (Just kidding!) Sometimes this works for me & sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, hard boil some eggs. Then peel them, cut them in half, & put all those delicious yolks in a bowl. I put my egg white halves into the container I plan to use now to save time & dishes. (See? Lazy!)
Now you can start adding your other ingredients. Chop the bacon into small pieces, reserving a few pieces for a garnish if like. Add the bacon, guacamole, bacon fat, & hot sauce to the egg yolks & mix it all together.
Once it is all combined, grab a plastic bag & put your filling into it. (You can also use a pastry bag, I guess. I’m just not that fancy.)
Cut one of the corners of your bag on the diagonal. Your hole should be medium-sized. If it’s too big, you’ll have trouble controlling your filling, but it’s too small, it won’t dispense. You want it to be juuuuuust right.
Now just fill your eggs with the filling. I like to do each in a circular motion. Sometimes it works, sometimes it totally fails. I probably cut my hole a little bigger than is ideal this time, so there wasn’t much pattern to this filling. They still look & taste good, so don’t stress.
Garnish with green onion and paprika (& bacon, if you reserved some). Tada! Easy peasy deviled eggs with no weird mayo products. Give them a try!
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