Note to self – Make this curry recipe.

About ten or so years ago (yeesh, I’m feeling old), I worked for an ISP and they had hired a guy to do network security. It bugs me that I forget his name. Anyway, he was from Singapore and he was only here for a year as a student so when it was time for him to go home, we all went out for dinner to say goodbye. He loved Indian food so we went to Buffet Maharaja for supper.

I had never in my life eaten Indian food, but I figured with a buffet I’d be okay because I could try different things. I ended up liking pretty much nothing, other than the butter chicken. I don’t know why. In the end I ate about my weight in butter chicken, ate something I can’t recall for dessert, and decided I didn’t care for Indian food.

Lately, for some strange reason, I’ve been craving Indian food. Maybe it’s the Internet – I know a lot of people online who eat it and they post pictures of it and describe it and it sounds so appealing. And it looks even better. Then George got curious about some Naan being sold at the grocery store so he picked it up and I love any kind of flatbread so that went over well. After the Naan, the cravings only got worse.

The other day I picked up some fliers downstairs and one was for a brand rather than a store – it was the President’s Choice booklet, and they make a very wide variety of food for several local grocery stores. I flipped through and landed on a page of Indian products. One of which was a package of pre-cooked butter chicken. I started salivating even though I couldn’t actually remember what it tasted like. I added it to the grocery list.

Today, when we got the groceries, I knew exactly what supper would be tonight. I popped the chicken in the oven to heat it through and prepared some rice and vegetables. It would have been even better with basmati or jasmine rice (I pretty much love any rice) but we only had plain rice so that had to do.

It was DELICIOUS. It was all I could do to not lick the baking dish when supper was over. As it is, I was mildly disappointed that there was none left for lunch tomorrow but frankly there was no way I could save any. It was that good. Even if I was ridiculously full afterwards. I felt bad because George wasn’t feeling well today so he had requested some pea soup. He had just put a spoonful in his mouth when I set down my steaming plate of food that smelled so good and the look on his face was priceless. He ended up eating a small plate of it too after all. Breanna liked it well enough but the big shock was that I convinced Hayley to try a few bites (she had soup too because she isn’t into spicy food) and although it made her tongue tingle and she went through a lot of juice, she enjoyed it too.

It still smells like butter chicken in here. It’s making me hungry.

Now I’m on a mission. I know nothing about Indian food beyond the fact that some of it is spicy and some of it requires curry. Uh, that’s about it. So I’m searching around for very basic, simple intro type Indian meals that I can make relatively easily with some of the pre-made sauces and mixes at the store. All of a sudden I think I’m an Indian food fan, who would have guessed?

Do you have any particular meals to suggest? Mild to medium spicy is the best for our family – George loves super spicy food and I do too but too spicy gives me indigestion and heartburn so I have to be careful (actually, supper tonight gave me a hint of heart burn but SO WORTH IT), Hayley won’t eat it if it’s too hot, and Breanna is pretty brave but has her limits too. Fire away!

One day, approximately eight or nine years ago, I was walking downtown on my way back to the ISP I worked for after picking up some lunch, and as I crossed de Maisonneuve street (I believe I was on Peel), a girl about my age passed me, headed in the opposite direction. It was a typical busy weekday in downtown Montreal so there were a lot of people – business folks heading to the office and students from nearby McGill College and Concordia University. However, she stood out to me. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. In the middle of her shirt was a red maple leaf and the words, “Canadian Girls Kick Ass”.

Many times I have been tempted to ask women, total strangers, where they got the awesome purse they’re carrying, where they get their hair cut, or where I could find the beautiful boots they were wearing (I nearly did that last one to a woman coming into our building this morning as I was leaving), but I never have because I’m too shy. With that girl, I’m honestly surprised I didn’t because in my head I practically screamed, “where can I find that shirt?!” Alas, I didn’t, and if it would have been weird to ask her in the middle of a busy intersection, it would have been weird to the level of stalker to suddenly chase her down the street to find out.

I regretted it immensely though. I talked about that shirt for days.

Then, about six years ago, I was in one of the shopping centers downtown. I don’t know why I was in that particular one, but while I was there I went into Quizz, one of my favorite stores. It’s very quirky and full of random things like lava lamps, beaded curtains, fiber optic lights that look like hair growing out of a metal head, 6-foot tall fake aquariums with neon colored plastic fish, the workds. And they sell t-shirts, funny or bizarre t-shirts.

I was browsing around when I saw it. A white t-shirt with “Canadian Girls Kick Ass” on it.

For some reason I had only brought a bit of cash with me, having left my wallet back at the studio. I didn’t have enough to buy it. When I got back to the studio, I hyperventilated as I told George about it. On our way home, we stopped at the shopping center so I could run in and buy it.

I wore it a LOT when I first got it and I loved it. These days I don’t wear it that often because although it’s not a cropped top it is a bit shorter than what I’m normally comfortable wearing now. However, I still consider it my favorite t-shirt (a close second is one I bought at the same store a week later – it has tiny, tiny lettering right in the middle of the chest area and if you get close enough to read it, it says, “nosey little fucker, aren’t you?”) and I do like to put it on once in awhile.

Today I was checking to see if there was an interesting topic in one of the photo groups I belong to on Flickr, one where they post a daily self-portrait theme. Today’s theme was t-shirts, and we were asked to show ourselves with out favorite t-shirt.

Well, really. How could I resist?

(And yes. Yes, we do indeed kick ass.)

I’m catching up on some overdue blog reading during Breanna’s nap time so I only just now found Heather’s perfect explanation of why time changes suck when you’re a parent of a young child whose inner clock doesn’t care about time changes: “this time change? It’s like running at full-speed on a treadmill while balancing an egg on the end of spoon that you’ve got clutched between your teeth. And if you drop that egg? Everyone dies.” Seriously though, it takes FOREVER to get past time changes with kids. SUCK.

Back in this entry I asked if anyone had any questions to ask that I could answer here since I’m committed to writing daily through November. Luckily for me I got a few questions, so here you go.

Lisa asked: Are the schools in Montreal all french? And if so does Hayley have issues with that? I’m considering a move to Quebec from Ontario but with 5 kids all in an English school I worry about them being able to adjust. We are in Ottawa and they do speak french but not all day everyday in school.

The schools here aren’t all French but they don’t have all English either. Hayley doesn’t attend a French school, she attends a French Immersion school where they learn part of their material in English and part in French. Some schools start that way immediately and others start later in the school grades, but all “English” schools are actually French Immersion. It’s good, because without knowledge of French you’re basically looking at doing bill collection or telemarketing. Some companies will overlook your actual practical ability of French as long as you have it on paper but it’s extremely difficult to get decent work without it.

However, if you were schooled out of Quebec, you will be in a position where you have to school your children in French. The only reason Hayley didn’t have to go to an all-French school is because both George and I were educated in French Immersion schools. You have to show proof of it to register.

Yes, it’s a bit fascist, but don’t get me started. In the end, it’s a good thing because of the better opportunities it opens if you have both languages.

Serina asked: What did you do before you were a Mom? And what kind of band is George in? Does he travel much?

I did many things before being a mother but the last job I did before getting knocked up and having kids was at a recording studio that no longer exists. In fact, that’s how George and I met. The studio never made enough money to be a standalone success so the owner created a web design/development department. George was the studio engineer who created musical magic. I was hired to do web design. Eventually I ended up working more for the studio as they moved me into doing marketing and PR work as well as basic reception duties up there. I even wrote lyrics for several songs on George’s CD while there. In the end it was unfortunate that I moved out of web design because eventually the studio started falling due to a lack of funding and I was laid off. Alas. But then I had kids so I would have quit anyway. The studio completely closed up shop about half a year after I left.

George plays all kinds of music on his own. He’s into blues and lately (I like to think it’s my influence) he got into the new country vibe. A lot of his own music kind of crosses over and could be played on a variety of radio stations. The band that he’s actually in plays some rock and roll, some 70s rock, and some blues. He doesn’t travel though, he plays locally. He does occasionally play further away, like he did for Canada Day when he played in Ottawa, but he doesn’t have to stay overnight. The one overnight gig he had this year was when we all went camping when he was booked at a private party so we got to go too. There was only once that he played very far away, when he managed to get booked to play in Houston, Texas. He was gone for two nights, which sucked. I’m glad he doesn’t travel to play.

You can hear a great cover George did r(ight here in our little apartment studio) of No Woman, No Cry. Still one of my favorites.

Stay tuned for more questions tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to ask more some more!

Today we had to go in for a meet the teacher meeting. It wasn’t really the first time we met of course. We met her at orientation, and I spent a couple of hours with her when I volunteered a month and a half ago (and I can’t wait to do it again, by the way). However, it’s just about end of term, report cards are coming, and so the teacher just wanted to meet with each kid’s parent(s) to keep things up to date.

As we expected, everything is going well with Hayley. She’s doing much better than she was at the beginning of the year because she’s not upset and worried now. She looks forward to school, and actually this morning she ran at full speed across the school yard and was the first one inside the school for the Kindergarten classes. That’s made a huge difference. The teacher is happy that Hayley is showing signs of understanding a lot of things, being (in her words) “very bright”, and that she seems to have fun with all the singing and dancing and learning. I asked how she is with other kids and she said that Hayley’s the kind of kid who gets along with everyone and jokingly referred to her as the Mother Theresa of the class because she’s always being nice to everyone, helping anyone who needs it, and eager to do things with people.

She did say that sometimes she has the feeling Hayley has the answer to a question but she’s shy (maybe afraid of being wrong?) and won’t immediately volunteer to answer unless she sees other people have raised their hand as well, but that she’s getting better with that with every day.

I didn’t tell Hayley we had a meeting because I had no idea if we’d get to see her at school and didn’t want to upset her if we didn’t. However, they had just been down in the cafeteria for lunch for about ten minutes when we arrived. Breanna loves the teacher, so she ran right up to her for a hug and the teacher said, “let’s bring her down to see her big sister!” Hayley was so surprised to see us all there (as was one of the supervision monitors, a friend of ours). Two months ago, seeing us for two minutes and having us leave would have caused sad drama; today she hugged us and went off with her friends, making no big fuss that we had to leave.

Breanna enjoyed being there and was super-well-behaved. She let the teacher carry her around and then when we got to the classroom, I pulled out a notepad and pen from my purse and she sat at Hayley’s table and drew while the three of us talked.

I’m so happy that Hayloey is doing so well with school now, especially since she was so excited over the summer, frantic for the school year to start. When she had a hard time it was so hard on all of us because it was just so sad. The difference is amazing.

Now to schedule another volunteer session!

I think I said it last week too, but I really hate when the time changes and it starts getting dark so early in the day. I fully admit that it’s nice to have the sun come up a little earlier too, but there are three reasons that doesn’t matter that much to me:

1. I get up at about 6:20 each week morning to get Hayley ready for school. Even with the time change, it’s still dark.
2. It was light anyway by the time we actually had to leave; we just get up really early because Hayley is slow to get moving in the morning and I really hate to rush so I like to give all of us plenty of time to get out the door. We usually end up sitting on the couch watching Canada A.M. because we’re ready early, but it beats screaming at everyone to hurry up as we try to run out the door.
3. I don’t do much outside in the morning. I’m not a 9 am park person. I’m a “make myself another cup of coffee and toast a bagel” person. I like getting Hayley from school, giving her a really quick snack, having her change her clothes, and then running off to the park to play for an hour or so. The last time we went to the park after school was one day last week and we had to leave just before an hour had passed because it was starting to get dark and also, with the sun going down, too cold.

I’d much prefer to have it a bit dark when I get up in the morning. Sure, it’s not very motivating, but at least I’d have more time to do stuff in the afternoon with the kids. And from now until December 20th, it’s just going to get worse.

It’s also frustrating because it always gives me the sense that it’s far later than it actually is. It gets darker, the sun starts setting, and I think, “oh CRAP! I haven’t started supper yet, look how late it is!” And then I realize it’s only a little after four o’clock, so maybe I should just calm down already unless I want supper at 4:30. I also find myself thinking I have done enough, haven’t accomplished enough, but again, I have many hours left before I go to bed, and it’s not as late as it feels.

I really couldn’t live way up north when they have months of darkness. I would go crazy.

(Don’t forget to go here to ask me a question or two to help me keep up with this daily posting.)

Note to self: Make these fridge pickles.

I’ve had Justin Timberlake playing on repeat for awhile this afternoon (oh hush) and Hayley has heard Futuresex Lovesounds” enough that she knows a good percentage of the words. Just a few minutes ago, it came on and she was doing some sort of complicated, choreographed, intricate dance routine (complete with standing on a stool at points), and she was singing the parts that she knows, belting out, “do you like it like this, do you like it like that, just tell me which way you like that” at the top of her lungs.

I actually had to leave the room because I didn’t want to giggle and offend her.

It suddenly gave me a flashback and I can just imagine how hard it must have been for my own mom to keep a straight face when I would hold a little dance performance at my grandmother’s house (she had a perfect stage-type of area under a large window that was for storage, so I used to dance and sing up there, and I’m sure people walking down the street must have had a good laugh too at times) and my ten-year-old self would be wiggling around and singing that I was “like a virgin, hey, touched for the very first time”.

There’s something about kids singing songs with lyrics that they don’t understand that runs in my family I guess. (Don’t get me started on how my older cousin turned very pale when we were listening to Prince and “Darlin’ Nikki”came on and I listened for a few minutes only to turn and ask her what “sitting in a hotel lobby masturbatin’ with a magazine” meant. She told me to go ask my mother. Something in her tone made me decide NOT to ask.)

Note to self: Buy some long grain white rice to make Congee. Best food to eat on a cold day or when you don’t feel well. I like mine just plain, no meat or vegetables added, with just a bit of salt and pepper. And now I am hungry.