Grapey Goodness - All Hail the Jolly Joe...

Back when I was a kid, I remember running off to the candy store with my cousins with a fist full of money, and dreams of sugar saturated goodness in my little head. One of my favorite treats were Mike and Ike Jolly Joes...grape flavored chewy candies very similar to jelly beans, but larger.

Grape has always been one of my favorite candy flavors. As I got older, I eventually forgot about Jolly Joes and other childhood treats, until there was a massive revival of Mike and Ike candies, including Hot Tamales, the cinnamon flavored Mike and Ikes. While I noticed the increased availability of these candies, I noticed a decided lack of Jolly Joes in the local candy stores. They carried all the other basic flavors, but no Jolly Joes!

Obsessed, I checked Mike and Ike website to see if they dared to discontinue my childhood treat, and to my relief, they were still in production...but NOT IN CANADA!!! ARGH! So if I wanted to deal with my sudden craving for purple grapey goodness, I would have to ship them in. Don't get me wrong, I really did want them, but I didn't want to deal with forking out shipping and customs just to get my fix.

So over the weekend, I came across a candy store I haven't been in for a while. I was actually on a mission to find Tart N Tiny candies (only to discover that they have indeed been discontinued - I grieve for the loss of Tart N Tinys). Lo and behold (cue angelic choir and trumpets), there was a box of Jolly Joe packs on the shelf! My boyfriend was goading me into buying out the stock, but I was a little strapped for cash and stuck to 4 packs instead.

I don't know what was more enjoyable. The hunt for my elusive Jolly Joes, the discovery of them, or the actually eating of them. I suspect it was a combination of all three which made my first Jolly Joe in over 20 years taste so good. And while the artificial sweets will probably be the death of me someday, they made me feel young again...like a kid running to the candy store, spending money in hand, and dreams of sweets in her head.

Holy Buffet Bloatness, Batman!

So last night my boyfriend and I went to New Asian Village on 10149 Saskatchewan Drive for dinner. It's not the city's best kept secret or anything, but it's a great place to go for an introduction to Indian food. I had been to a buffet before and had received a coupon that would give me 10% off the next one. The buffet is reasonably priced at $19.99 per head, and I knew that my boyfriend was dying to try it out.

It was pretty quiet on a Sunday night around 6 PM. There was only a few other tables that were occupied, which makes me happy since I'm not overly fond of busy restaurants. The lack of customers was not reflective of the food, however, but perhaps the heat of an almost summer day. We first sat at a table by the window that was baking in the evening sun, however, the waiter kindly let us move to a cooler location. The restaurant itself is finished in dark woods, with semi-private dining areas in the back decorated with airy fabrics and beaded curtains.

New Asian Village's savory selection is much more diverse than your English saucy version of Tandoori chicken. My personal favorites beyond the butter chicken and saffron rice would include the vegetable pakora, which is infused with a healthy dose of cumin, one of my favorite seasonings. I really enjoyed the vegetables in cream sauce, although I have to admit that the majority of the taste got lost amidst the spiciness of the curry. I'm also a big fan of lamb curry...New Asian's version leans towards the salty side, so my servings of it were small, and accompanied by a couple glasses of water. Not for the heat...but to wash the saltiness away. Still, it was probably a bad idea since water is a no no to wash spicy foods away and can cause indigestion. Too bad I didn't think of it while I was actually there. Ouch.

My boyfriend couldn't get enough of the mushroom masala. He told me it contained a healthy dose of spicy that hit him during his 2nd helping rather than during his first, as per evidence of the sweat he worked up by the end of dinner.

One of the little treats I looked forward to was the cinnamon naan bread slices they come around to give you while you're in middle of the meal. How I wish this sweet naan was available in the dessert section of the buffet rather than just little tasting bits. However, considering how full I was after the meal, it's probably a good thing there wasn't more of that honeyed goodness, or I really would have been in trouble.

So while we left contently stuffed to the gills, we paid for our buffet greediness and water indiscretions after the fact. I suppose I should put a sharpie reminder on my hand to drink tea instead of water, and more yogurt to combat a burning tongue. Then I wouldn't have suffered from a mild case of indigestion, and that painful bloated feeling of having consumed more than my capacity.

Ah well, live and learn...and eat some more. New Asian Village's buffet is too good to resist and I would rate it 4 out of 5 tasty pieces of cinnamon naan bread. Yum!

It's a fine line between athletic and plain klutzy...

So this morning, I went to Tim Horton's with a couple co-workers to get myself some tea. It's about a 5 minute walk inside an office/mall complex on smooth, shiney tiles. Anyway, I had a hot tea in one hand, and my wallet and cheese croissant in the other. I slipped on said stupid slippery tiles, my life flashed before my eyes, and I stumbled along for about 10 feet while flailing my arms.

Nevermind the fact I was wearing the typical high heel that has little to no grip on sheer tiles and is the equivalent of wearing skates on ice. I eventually regained my footing, hot tea still in hand. To my surprise, only a little bit had spilled out. I can't imagined how retarded I probably looked while I was trying to get my balance back, and it seems I've tweaked my left foot in doing so. *sigh*

My co-workers were both amazed and astounded that not only did I regain my footing, but that I had never thought to let go of the tea in order to regain my balance. They also assured me that not a soul was in sight to witness my...erm...athletic talents. I know they're lying, but hey...at least I didn't go down in a magnificent display of flailing arms, flying shoes, and falling tea.

Prairie Weather, love it or hate it

My boyfriend reminded me the other night that I was neglecting my blog. Not like it's an obligation to write on a daily basis, but he's right, I've been neglecting it. So while I stew a little on the last book I finished (review is pending on Brisingr by Christopher Paolini), I'll just mutter on a little bit about the weather.

Couple weeks ago I was praying for rain. Not spitty rain, but a good steady rain to wash away the dirt, dust, and general crap (and I literally mean crap) lying around from the winter melt. The winds were high and blowing said crap around so much, it felt like the earth was bone dry crumbling to ashes. Not only that, but my allergies were on high alert, hives, red eyes, sore sinuses and water tap runny nose to boot.

So this past week I got rain...and sleet, and snow. Yup...a spring blizzard it is...ahhh life in the prairies. If it's not desert dry, it struggles with its Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. I know the parched soil needs moisture, but I was really just hoping for "normal" rain. Sad to say that this unseasonal weather is actually kind of...seasonal.

At least there's one bonus with this wet and sticky snow...I got to bust out the new DSLR and take a couple pictures of snow laden spring blooming trees. Even got a singing robin in there as well...though for that it would have been nice to have a larger zoom. Oh well, beggers can't be choosers...I spent enough on my precious camera as it is.

BOOK REVIEW: Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

Alright, so I picked up Angelology a few weeks ago and started reading this book during my lunch hours at work. I like books that delve into Christian theology, often the more obscure aspects such as angelology and the hidden books, scripts, and "history" that christian religions evolve from. The summary of this book was right up my alley...what the world would be like if the Nephilim existed among us...if there were descendants of fallen angels and humans that walked the earth and they weren't here to play nice.

I think much of my expectation about how complex a book should be is heavily influence by the fact that I'm a fantasy reader, world of epic recycled trilogies, and ridiculously overwritten sagas (i.e. Robert Jordan - RIP). And while I often complain about fantasy and science fiction writers overwriting a book (rather a series of books), I almost always find general fiction to be vastly underwritten. Books like Angels & Demons and The Davinci Code by Dan Brown, were so intriguing and promising in concept, yet I found so disappointing in it's written simplicity.

So with that said (sorry, I'm overwriting again), getting back to Angelology, I love the premise. I love the concept. But like all singular books that try to cover so much...I wanted so much more from this book. Angelology had pages and pages of intricate backstories that overlaid each other. The author did so well in allowing us different perspectives of the book's timeline without getting overly repetitive or boring. In contrast, the action, climax, and ending are sadly lacking in comparison.

However, 'lo and behold, I discover a second book called Angelopolis is being written, and it made me so very happy. As much as I complained, it's not because Angelology is a bad read at all, but because the author left me wanting more, which is exactly what she wanted if she's making a series, right? So at this point, I will rate Angelology around 3.5 chewy Nibs out of 5. A pretty good read, but definitely not a standalone.

My precioussssssss...

Okay...so I'm a self-confessed magpie. I love shiny things. I wouldn't drape myself in shiny things, but that doesn't mean I won't hypnotically stare at someone who does.

I know that this is not an unusual affliction. At work, I know quite a few magpies, guys and girls. Granted, female magpie-ism is more of the gem notion, while male magpie-ism is more of the gadget genre (or gold teeth...arrrrr matey).

Anyway, znyga games, makers of the intensely annoying Farmville and Mafia Wars mini games on Facebook have come up with yet another annoying game of the same make...except it's specifically geared towards magpies like myself. And irritatingly enough...it worked. ARGH! While the basis of Treasure Isle is essentially the same as other zynga games (find something, add it to your space, add friends, get help, etc.), the fact that I get to hunt for gems and treasure makes me forget just how annoying this application really is.

Don't underestimate the irritation factor either. I mean, if I was to step back from the allure of hunting sparklies, I would be annoyed by the sheer amount of times the game asks me to add someone, post something, share something, ask for something, give something...gah!

Of course, the day that znyga thinks of adding overflowing treasure chests as items I can leave on my island, or letting me use my extra treasure as decorations...I'll be lost to the dark side forever...

Mmm...Subway...I love how you saved my lunchtimes...

I've found my favorite sub (and I'm not even a huge fan of subs)at Subway. I've settled on the 9-grain whole wheat, with turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers, with mayo. While I'm ravenous after a workout, the 6-inch sub is just enough to take about 85% of my hunger away. I don't feel full, but neither am I hungry or stuffed. Yay! Maybe the Jared Subway nerd really did have something going on there. Ha...

I give myself until the end of the week before I get sick of it though... :P