WHOA lansi

francophile, oenophile, logophile, turophile

Tag: Random Rants

On Seasons

CopenhagenIt’s that time of year when my Facebook feed is filled with posts about pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, & cool autumn days. We’re officially a week away from the Fall Equinox, a date I generally associate with the end of summer (or Winter: Part 1). I’m a summer girl, through & through. Maybe it comes with the territory, being born smack dab in the middle of this glorious season, or maybe it stems from the fact that I’ve spent most of my life in a city that doesn’t often experience a true fall.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cozying up with N for a nice evening by the fire. I even love the quintessential fall outfit: sweater, scarf, jeans, tall boots. The last couple years, we’ve even gotten some “real fall” weather in Calgary, & even I have to admit, it’s pretty nice.

Goodbye Summer Hikes

What I don’t love is when the frenzied fall excitement starts while we’re still in the throes of a perfectly good summer. I know the heat can get to people, but dang, are we really ready to start scraping frost off our windshields or, heaven forbid, wearing pants to work? Do you really love pumpkin that much, or are you just really into that Starbucks abomination (I think pumpkin is a delightful gourd under most other circumstances)?

The only thing worse than hearing about Pumpkin Spice Lattes in August is seeing a Christmas countdown before Halloween. I’m not even going to apologize for my opinion on this one. Christmas is literally over 3 months away. Stop. Please. Can we get a couple months off before we have to start thinking about the most commercialized holiday again? We have a hard & fast rule in our house: no Christmas talk until after Remembrance Day.

I get it if you love fall. That’s totally cool. I think it’s pretty not bad myself (although, it’s no summer), but before we get all wrapped up (literally, it’s gonna get real cold up in Canada) in fall, let’s take a minute to say goodbye to my favourite season. Thanks for being especially great to me, Summer 2017. I’m hesitant to let you go. & here’s everything I will miss most about you:

  • Sitting outside in daylight until the wee hours
  • Biking to & from work every day
  • Bare legs & summer dresses
  • Sandals (oh how I love sandals)
  • Jumping into the lake
  • Getting out the door in under 5 minutes
  • Letting my hair air dry on my way to work
  • Waking up to sunshine
  • Giving Odin a treat without mittens on
  • Getting off work while the sun’s still up
  • BBQs & get togethers & all the socializing
  • Delicious produce from the garden
  • Tan lines

All kidding aside, this summer was one for the books. We crammed a lot into a few short months, & although I’m sad to see her go, I’m also excited for what the rest of 2017 has in store for us.

Cheers to Summer

Cheers to summer, & happy Fall Equinox, friends. I hope the snow holds off until I’m back in Calgary. 😉

Random Rants \ gluten free is unpopular

Let me start by saying I don’t mean to go on the attack. This matter caught my attention & I think it’s interesting, so I thought I’d write a quick little post.

A friend’s mom was flying to Hawaii yesterday. She’s celiac & always packs lots of snacks, but they ran in to a few delays & she found herself stuck on a plane with nothing to eat. I was kind of surprised to learn that West Jet doesn’t have gluten-free options. She has since tweeted them as it was frustrating to be delayed, hungry, & have no options. It’s already frustrating enough to have no control over delays, but add hunger to the mix…Well, we all know about hanger, right?

West Jet responded that they used to have some options, but were often throwing them out. The proved unpopular in their past tests.

Now I understand that Gluten Free does have some negative connotations. It is certainly unpopular with many people. & I don’t blame people for shying away from many Gluten Free products. There are a lot of things out there that aren’t great, especially when it comes to the cheaper options. I, personally, don’t often buy products that are meant to replace gluten filled products like bread & crackers. I’d rather eat real, unprocessed food every time.

And this is what bothers me. There are many things that are naturally gluten free: fruit, vegetables, cheese, and most meats, for example. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store & you’ll find that most of the items, outside of the bakery, are going to be gluten free. There’s no label marketing them as such; they just are.

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around gluten free & what it means. One thing I can see right off the bat as a solution is to offer fruit or veggies. Even a salad with a simple balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing is a nice, cheap, & simple alternative to a sandwich. I’ve often seen cheese, meat, & crackers offered on board. Why not find packaged crackers to add to the meat & cheese so that if someone is looking for gluten free, they can choose that option without the crackers having contaminated the rest of it?

I understand where West Jet is coming from & Customer Service is never an easy place to be. You’re never going to please everyone. I do, however, think that it’s an important thing to think about.

While I do believe that gluten free does take a little more thought, I don’t agree that it’s actually harder. The hardest part about gluten free is wrapping your mind around it. If you can get past the thought of getting away from grains, it actually becomes pretty easy.

Random Rants \ I do what I want

I’m often inspired by other blog posts and today is no exception. I bring you a post by Renegade Mothering today. (Before all the rumors start: no I am not having kids anytime soon. It’s just an interesting post!).

I think she hits the nail on the head with her post. You can apply what she’s saying to any choices you make in life. I hate being lumped into a group. I hate being told I need to be a certain way. I am the way I am, people!
“The SECOND you stick that label on my forehead is the SECOND I FALL DESPERATELY AND TERRIBLY SHORT and walk around feeling less than and like I’ve betrayed something. My people. My team.

See, these teams, they’re gonna want me to abide by principles. They’re gonna want me to be consistent – adhere to guidelines and tried-and-true methods. But I can’t. I just can’t. I’m a great starter. Terrible finisher. Profoundly inconsistent. Excellent intentions, invariably poor execution, particularly in critical […] moments.”

Could that be any more accurate? Is it just me or did that totally resonate with you too? Mostly, I find I feel this way when it comes to the way I eat. We did a couple paleo challenges last year, I read a lot of paleo blogs, and we still cook paleo-style meals most of the time. Am I paleo? Mmmm kind of? maybe? not really? I don’t know. I’ve started saying we eat Primal recently because it’s more forgiving than Paleo, & let’s be honest, I fall short of Paleo all the time.
At first, when people saw me drink a beer or have a treat, they’d be all “Is that Paleo beer?” and I’d roll my eyes. Yeah guys, I’m a genius & I found a way to make beer Paleo! There are no grains, sugar, or alcohol. (It’s water?) I’m sorry I failed you, paleo, but I’m so not sorry.
Do I feel awesome when I don’t eat grains, dairy, legumes, etc? Yes. Do I want to be on the Paleo Team? No.
I want to be on my own team. My team does whatever we want. We eat what we want and we deal with the consequences later. It works for me & mostly gives me the ability to keep my (in)sanity. (Oh I bet N’s reading this & thinking about all the chocolate he’s going to eat. That guy is a sugar fiend!!)
Does that mean I’m going to stop talking about how great Paleo can be? No. When I cook at home (which is 5/7 nights a week btw), I definitely choose gluten free/legume free meals. They’re easy, delicious, and make me feel good. So yeah, I’ll probably tell you the benefits of trying out a month-long challenge if you’re interested in hearing it. That doesn’t mean I’m part of the team. Cheat meals are the best, guys. Cheat meals save my life.
The same goes for the CrossFit Team or the Running Team or whatever other Team (get out of here, Swimming Team) you can think of that I’d possibly belong to. I don’t want your teams.
What I’m basically saying is that I want to take the parts of these teams that I like and apply them to my life however I see fit. (Don’t we all? Everything in moderation, including moderation, right?) I just don’t fit into a mould.
So here’s to the Soft Super Beef Taco and Mexi-fries I’m going to wholeheartedly enjoy tonight at Taco Time, friends. (Don’t judge me til you’ve had it.)
Welcome to Team Human.

Random Rants \ Tights for pants

I used to be part of a Facebook group called Random Rants, back when groups were a thing. Whenever something or someone pissed us off we’d post to the wall and share with the rest of the group. In some ways it was kind of nice, therapeutic even, but mostly it was just hilarious. People are funny when they’re angry. Truth. Well blog friends, I’m bringing it back! (although I’m sure it won’t make me many friends.) Sometimes you just gotta get it off your chest.

“Tights for pants” is an ongoing joke with a few friends. We all work in business casual or business professional environments and seem to be constantly surrounded by girls wearing tights for pants. It’s everywhere and somehow it’s become office appropriate.

Not only that, but I’ve come to realize that what I consider tights isn’t what other people consider to be tights. I really thought it was obvious that wearing actual tights – as in pantyhose, nylons, whatever they called them in the 60s – are inappropriate as pants, opaque or not. I am apparently wrong. When people are making fun of others for wearing tights as pants are they seriously making fun of them for nylons? I can’t even begin to comment on that…

What I’m talking about when I say tights-for-pants are leggings. Yeah, I know, I’m like a prude or something, but come on, you’re at work. I don’t care how rocking your body is or how casual your office is, put on some real pants. Maybe it’s because I was taught to always dress for the job I want and not the job I have, but I just can’t get behind tights for pants in the office. Unless you work in a fitness facility, yoga studio, or a fitness apparel store, I just don’t see how they fit into a work setting.

Sure, I wear them on the weekends with a t-shirt that doesn’t quite cover my bum, but that is me time. That is lazy time. That is not work time. If you wanna rock a crop top with a sick pair of leggings on your own time, go for it. Rock it, sister. Monday morning –  put on some real pants.

I think of leggings like sweatpants. Except with sweatpants there’s no chance someone might catch a peak of your goods when you bend over.

Now I know, we live in a frozen tundra and we’re trecking to work in giant sorels and canada goose down jackets; it’s just so easy to tuck a pair of leggings into your boots and throw on a sweater. I get it. And I’m mostly ok with this. That is, as long as this sweater covers your bum. You see, more often than not, those comfy leggings aren’t nearly as opaque and you think and when you bend over to pick up the pen you dropped, your coworkers probably don’t want to see your everything (or maybe they do…but in that case, do you really want them to?).

And what’s wrong with dressing up anyway? What is so terrible about putting on a cute dress, some tights (nylons!), and a nice pair of shoes? If you’re like me, you could even hoard all your work shoes under your desk for easy access. Slip off your sorels when you get to work, slip on some pumps. Dresses have to be the most comfortable clothing ever. Seriously. If dresses just aren’t your thing (it’s cool, pants aren’t my thing. We’re all a little weird sometimes.), what about skinny dress pants? They’re thicker, warmer, and you never have to try and awkwardly bend over. Genius.

Alright, I’ve said my piece and it wasn’t particularly funny, but man do I feel better. Let’s step things up, ladies. We can do better than cotton, see-through tights for pants.

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