Geeky Cat Miusings

Can i blog with cell? Si! But it is challenging. Going to book club and eat ice cream.

My boss decided that I needed a whiteboard on my wall so that everyone in the office can keep track of my projects and see what my work load is like, so we ordered a medium whiteboard and it arrived in my office in just two days! Then I placed a request for Facilities Management to hang the whiteboard in my office and three days later a handyman arrived with a power drill in hand. While he worked in my office we discussed travelling to work and the amount of time it took us by bus and car and other miscellaneous details about commuting. The fellow lived outside the city and so he drives along a stretch of the country in his commute between home and work. He was excited when he described seeing the wildlife every morning during his commute and said he knew where to look for deer and other critters because they have their favorite grazing areas and tend to be there. His eyes lighted up when he recalled how one day he saw a wild turkey. I thought that’s cool — he was just a wildlife lover — much like I am. So I was feeling all warm and fuzzy thinking about the shared enjoyment of feeling towards the wild turkey who was on the road close to Toronto. I was jarred out of my warm feeling when he said “damn I wish I had my shotgun with me — I could have had me some wild turkey for dinner”. No more happy warm thoughts in my little head.

But my whiteboard was placed on my wall and I’m ready to get to work.

What is the first thing to go up on my whiteboard? A smiley face, of course. Always make sure there is something happy in your office, so, if you do nothing else, do put up a smiley face. When I look at my whiteboard with its long list of things to do I first look at the smiley face that reminds me that out there somewhere is someone with a smiley face…even if no one is smiling in my office. Except for the ever smiling smiley face, of course.

Every day I am updating my whiteboard list so that it is current — and at least people have something to read when they come into my office. I think I’ll try to fit in a joke of the day, but I’ll have to write smaller to squeeze it in.

Another whiteboard story: my boss and co-worker were meeting with me in my office and my boss commented that she smelled nail polish. She goes out in the hall way and tells the staff to put the nail polish away because it was smelling up the office (no mention that doing the nails is not appropriate on company time). Then she returns to my office and says that the smell is coming from my office. Well, I haven’t done my nails in weeks and I haven’t been putting any nailpolish to stop the run in my nylons either, so she got me. Finally (I’m a bit slow) I realized what she was smelling was the markers for my whiteboard. Mystery solved. At least I know how to cover up my tracks if I do decide to paint my nails at work

This week I went for a mammogram and a breast ultrasound. This is the third time I have had a mammogram and the first time for the ultrasound. There are some variations in the recommended age to begin mammograms but many doctors recommend that women get a baseline mammogram at age 40 and then every one-to-two years afterward. If there is a family history of breast cancer, which is the case for me, then they recommend that you start earlier.

Many types of small tumours can be seen on a mammogram before they can be felt by a woman or her health professional. Cancer is most easily treated and cured when it is discovered in an early stage so it is important to keep up with the testing and to do a self-examination on a monthly basis.

Getting a mammogram is usually not too painful — if it is, just advise the radiologist to back off. Sometimes they can apply too much pressure or pull the skin around the breast area — some adjustments can make you more comfortable. They also suggest not having caffeine for 2 to 3 days prior to the exam if pain is an issue for you but I can’t vouch if that helps because I love my morning coffee.

Be good and take care

There is a 19^th century house in Toronto that really does have a subway in its basement. The house, which sounds like it might be in a science fiction story rather than on a busy Toronto street, is an entrance to the Spadina subway station. The only clue that it is a subway entrance is the TTC pole outside. Otherwise, it just looks like a quaint house.

Always carry a safety pin - buttons have a way of popping in a most inconvenient way (and location).

Always be prepared to be a sole speaker at a presentation with all the necessary files and equipment - even if you are expecting someone else to present with you - they may be delayed or not show up.

Wait to make your pharmacy purchases until you have a good quantity of items to buy and Shopper’s Drug Mart is having its 20x Optimum points event - you will make a lot of points that translates to $25 off my next purchase.

Listening to jazz is nice but it is awesome when you listen to it live at the Distillery District.

Just when I start to feel like my big and heavy winter clothes are weighing me down so that my knuckles are scraping the icy pavement, I am informed that stormy weather will dump 20cm of snow on us tomorrow. I think Wiarton Willy owes me more than a pair of shoes.

During the dreary winter months when it is cold and grey outside, the body and mind needs a lift. Many of us crave carbohydrates as a subconscious attempt to raise serotonin levels, a brain chemical that is responsible for our mood. I consider pasta a comfort food and love to add a hand full of pasta to my soups. I like to use a chunkier style pasta, such as elbow shells, to satisfy my carbohydrate craving since it gives me something to dig my teeth into. I often substitute the star pasta with a chunky pasta in my favourite recipe, Moroccan Chickpea and Stars soup (see below), a soup that lifts my spirit, warms and nourishes my body, and can be quickly made in 30 minutes.

It would take too long to describe all the health benefits of this wonderful soup so I will include just a few here to stimulate your interest. The beans and lentils in the soup contain vitamin b5, vitamin c, folic acid and zinc which are essential for the brain to make serotonin. The ginger has many health benefits including increasing circulation, particularly in the hands and feet, and thereby warming the body, it also increases metabolic rate, and it can aid in digestion. Onions fight infections, breathing problems, aid the cardiovascular system, and prevent cancer. Tomatoes also help fight cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. All the ingredients in this soup are healthy and they come together to make the dish very tasty so I hope you will try this recipe from Fresh at Home, a collection of popular recipes from a wonderful group of restaurants in Toronto called Fresh.

Moroccan Chickpea and Stars soup

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 tbsp minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch allspice

Pinch ground coriander

Pinch ground cardamom

Pinch turmeric

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup red lentils

8 cups vegetable stock or water

1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas

1 cup white kidney beans, cooked or canned

1/2 cup pasta shapes

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are softened.
3. Add cinnamon, allspice, coriander, cardamom, turmeric and cayenne pepper; cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato, lentils and stock. Cook for 15 minutes or until lentils are softened.
5. Add chickpeas, beans and pasta. Cook until pasta is done, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6

The discussion about chocolate at the ROM yesterday was very engaging and interesting, thanks to the excellent speakers. I learned that the melting point of chocolate is 36°C which is just below human body temperature and therefore it melts in the mouth. If you let it melt slowly in your mouth you can notice the cool feeling on your tongue - since chocolate that is melting is using heat from your body to melt. I have always thought that chocolate has miraculous properties and apparently other people agree with me since they have named the chocolate plant Theobramba cacao, which means “Food of the Gods.”

If you are trying to kick a chocolate addiction, this may help: I have heard reports that the average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it. If you are happy about your chocolate consumption, as I am, you can just discard that fact and remember that the phenyethylene and anandamide contained in chocolate have anti-depressant properties. High levels of phenylethylamine, a neurotrasmitter, help create feelings of attraction, excitement, and giddiness. Eating chocolate also stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones that generate a feeling of pleasure and well-being. Chocolate also contains tryptophan, a chemical that the brain uses to make serotonin. High levels of serotonin produces feeling of elation. From what I understand, the levels of tryptophan in chocolate are a lot lower than other foods.

So if you see me looking happy, like a cat who just caught a mouse, you may know what my secret is.