This weekend was spent up north with R’s family in Innisfil. We were in cow country when we lowered the windows and reveled in clean air. Going up north reminds me of driving to Vaughan during the summers when my mom still worked up there -back when it was still acres and acres of farmland. It is pretty heartbreaking to see all the new developments that are going in everywhere just outside of Toronto. I feel like Sarah Harmer’s Escarpment Blues plays in my head on repeat when I see those cookie cutter houses.

We went to an antique store on Saturday, and I fell in love with things I would love to own but have no space for. Antique singer sewing machines, old cookbooks, treasured model trains. It’s amazing to think that all of those objects have a unique story. I spotted a Maclean’s magazine from 1957 that I knew I had to buy, even though it was in pretty bad condition. I started watching Mad Men last week, and my mind was already filled with thoughts of the 1950s. It just seems like fate that I saw it.

The cover features a painting of a red-shafted flicker and, from the looks of it, a watermark left by someone who used the magazine as a coaster. Oh, and incase you want to know, Herbert Norman was probably a commie… or so it seems.

At the beginning of the summer, with fairly high hopes, R. and I decided to become urban gardeners. Both of us had previous experience planting vegetables in, you know, actual gardens. Neither of us had ever tried to grow anything large in a planter –but really, how hard could it be?

I remember being in Canadian Tire, picking out some of our seeds. I told R. it would be unwise to buy them, but we somehow still walked out of there with Heirloom tomatoes… not fully realizing that the plant would later take on super-powers and grow over 6 feet. You know how turtles grow proportionally to their environment? I think it’s safe to say this isn’t the case for the botanical world.

Interestingly enough, this one particular plant was completely disinterested in growing more than 2 tomatoes. It was almost hell-bent on becoming a tree.

The carrots, however, were the garden’s mystery. There was no way of really knowing how big they would get. So when R. told me he was going to grab a couple of carrots, the documentary filmmaker within me surged, and I grabbed our camera. I should explain a few things about this video:

Please note…
1) That before this clip, I asked R. to explain what he was doing.
2) In an attempt to keep an element of decorum, I had to BEEP out the name of the individual (his friend) he references in describing the carrot-size.

Also of particular note: While watching this video now, I recognize that I am so accustomed to his humor that I completely disregard how sarcastic he gets. At the same time, he completely disregards how incredibly whiny and high pitched I get (I am not usually like this).

Impressive! We have learned to live with each other’s annoying characteristics. Now THAT’S love.

Last Friday, a friend gave me “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy. If you’ve read or heard of “The Secret”, Murphy’s book follows a very similar theory -that of the power of attraction and the power of thought. I know people make fun of this principle, and I have too at times. But in a lot of ways, I think there really is validity behind this philosophy. And as with anything else I immerse myself in, I keep finding supporting evidence to back up their case.

Late last night, I was doing the rounds on some baking blogs, and saw a link to this recipe for Sunny Jungle Bars. I’ve been wanting to bake something new for a while, but -at the same time -I was really hoping to make my favorite date squares. I figured this recipe was some sort of compromise. There were dates in it, after all. So I ran to the grocery store to pick up some -but not all the ingredients listed, and started up.

This recipe is pretty involved, but my mind was so focused on making date squares, that I was unconsciously following the process to make them instead of the Sunny Bars recipe. As a result, the bars didn’t turn out 100% as I had planned. Looking back, I probably should’ve just made date squares and be done with it.

Second example: This morning, I was reading the book on the subway, and decided to start thinking positive thoughts about getting a job/career. Later on, when I checked my voicemail, there was a hugely anticipated voice on the phone. And that’s all I’m going to say about that for now.

Lesson learned: Your thoughts have more power than you might think.

I found this picture when I was doing research for my thesis. As soon as I saw it, I found such enormous virtue in its vintage kitsch-like design, that I immediately saved it from whatever database I was using.

Ironically, now that I’m done with the academic world, this poster reminds me of everything I love about school. It’s easy to sit back and be told what to do, without really feeling accountable for the outcome. Your day is outlined, and things are planned. It’s comforting in that sense. And as much as I never want to go back to school again, I am really mourning the lack of routine.

R. and I have started going to the gym in the mornings, and I’m jealous of the people I can see heading to their office. I sulk a bit, and talk about how lucky the people are to have jobs. Sometimes R laughs, but as I keep doing it, I’m sure he thinks that I’m officially losing my mind.