Dear Canada, We. Are. Awesome!

Oh Canada! We ruled the podium! Most GOLD medals EVER at a Winter Olympics. Simply Amazing! I will be going into Olympic withdrawal over the next few days.

And not that all of our GOLD medal moments weren't amazing - but did you see that Men's Hockey game?! I didn't know it was possible to have an aneurysm at my age!

Now time to watch the Closing Ceremonies!

GO CANADA!!

Can I have Soma more please?

I do not like chocolate. No. "Like" is not a strong enough word. I LOVE chocolate. Adore it. Crave it. Worship it. (You see where I'm going with this. I'm a bit of a fan...) Shops that sell only chocolate are my idea of heaven. (Just in front of stores that sell only cheese, olives, bread or wine). When I was little and my family would rent a cottage in Fenelon Falls, we'd take day trips around the Kawartha's. One of our favourite stores to visit was the Nutty Chocolatier. The strong chocolate smell as you walked in the door was intoxicating. It was IMPOSSIBLE to leave without purchasing a little (or large) treat.

The same thing happens whenever I visit Soma Chocolatemakers in the Distillery District. I tell myself "Oh, I'll just stop in for a look. See what they've got". Who's kidding who? I'm FOR SURE going to buy something. And that is exactly what happened last week. I was in the area on my lunch break getting my (gorgeous) Leif Benner ring cleaned and had some time to kill. I popped into Soma for a look. Immediately I wanted to buy everything in the store and chug their hot chocolate. But, surprisingly I managed to show some restraint. I only bought a small bag of chocolate covered coffee beans. Have you ever had chocolate covered coffee beans? Oh sweet Jesus they are good! Especially the ones at Soma. They cover Balzac coffee beans in dark Peruvian chocolate. Amazing! And so addictive. After eating some back at the office I eventually had to hide them in my drawer. I would have easily demolished the whole bag and that much coffee/chocolate/caffeine is likely not good for you. My work friend Seb and I (yes, I did share) managed to make them last for two day. I think that was quite an accomplishment!

(I would have loved to have gotten a photo of them, but they didn't last long enough... they're so good)

Dreams of GOLD!

I've got a fever. Olympic fever!! I've become a crazy, patriotic, maple leaf wearing, Oh Canada singing, gold medal weeping Olympic freak. I'm now obsessed with watching sports I've never been that into. And SUPER obsessed with sports that I LOVE. Like figure skating. Last week Lindsay and I watched the Men's Long Program together. (Linds is a HUGE Patrick Chan fan) I wore my Canada hoodie. Lindsay wore the BEST outfit EVER! An actual figure skating dress!

Lindsay you see, used to compete in figure skating. I am rather envious of this, as it was always my secret childhood dream to be a professional figure skater. I had the whole scenario scripted in my head. I was a relative new comer who burst out onto the scene. In my first Olympic appearance. The competition would be tough. I was the underdog. In the short program I would stumble, placing me fourth going into the long program. But this was where I wanted to be. I would be the last to skate that night. The Russian skater (we'll call her Natasha) who was currently in first would skate before me. Natasha was good. Almost perfect. But a stumble on her last jump would leave me some room. I'd take to the ice. The music would start - something classical and dramatic. My first jump would be a triple triple combo. I'd jump them high and land them perfectly. Towards the end of the program, I'd pull out my big surprise. Knowing that it was all or nothing. I'd throw in a quad! Four perfect rotations. Perfect landing. The first woman ever to land a quad in competition! The crowd would erupt! The TV announcers would go crazy. The performance of my life. My scores would come up - 6.0, 6.0 6.0 5.8 (that Russian judge is tough!). I'd be in first place. GOLD MEDAL!!

Now, I sadly will never get to live out this dream. But I am so happy to cheer on the efforts of our actual athletes. I hope your watching! GO CANADA!!

(The photo is Linds in her skating dress. I'd like it noted that all the male skaters had more glitter then she did. She also managed to land a single axel in her apartment. Yeah. She's awesome!)

(High) Tea for two

Since taking her for Mother's Day last year, my Mom has become quite the high tea fan (who wouldn't love high tea?!). Last year we went to the Lobby Bar at the Four Seasons. We decided to try some place different for her birthday - The Windsor Arms Hotel. I must say, I was very impressed. First it should be noted that my Mom has a dietary issue. She is allergic to garlic. We are always amazed when eating out the comments we get when wait staff hear this - "Oh, well there isn't a lot of garlic in this dish" or "You can't taste it". Super annoying. So when I called the hotel to make reservations and told them that we had a food issue, I was pleasantly surprised that they said it wouldn't be a problem; the kitchen would be informed. My surprise continued when we arrived for tea and discovered that the kitchen and waiter had made sure that all our tasty treats had been prepared first, so that they didn't come into contact with any garlic. Amazing service!

And what tasty treats we had! Goat cheese and caramelized onion tarts (so good Mom and I could have easily eaten 30 more). Lovely little sandwiches. Perfect (and still warm) scones with fresh devonshire cream and jams. Gorgeous little pastries. And just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, they bought out cups of fresh strawberries with whip cream. Heavenly! AND the tea was fantastic also! Beautiful tea rooms also. We got seated beside a fire place, under a giant crystal chandelier. High Tea at the Windsor Arms makes a fantastic gift for your Mom! (But be warned, if you're thinking about going for Mother's Day, make your reservation early. Seating is limited. They only do 2 tea servings and spots fill up fast)

Sometimes I have good taste in music...

My taste in music is often called into question. It's lame at best. Friends have made fun of it. Co-workers have made fun of it. Anyone who's read my post about music I listen to while running can see why. I like lame top 40 pop music. Bad music. But every once in a while I get it right. The group Bedouin Soundclash definitely falls into this "right" category. They are a fantastic band. Now, granted, I may be a little biased. I know these guys. They are friends from university. The lead singer Jay has just realized a solo album. I've had it on repeat all day. The album is called Bright Lights & Bruises. It's beautiful. I've already got a couple of favourite songs - Life is a Gun and Loving Hands. Jay will be performing around Ontario in support of the album in early March. He plays the Rivoli in Toronto on March 6. I can't wait!

Go get the album!

I'm so Jaded

Ever since Karl Lagerfeld sent models down his Fall 2009 runway for Chanel with jade green nails, I'd been in search of this colour. But it's been impossible to find. Sold out every where in the U.S. and not available at all in Canada. I thought I'd be smart and order it off Ebay. Well my head nearly exploded when I saw it being sold for around $100. I liked. But NOT that much. So me and my pocketbook were happy to discover that Essie makes a very similar colour called Mint Candy Apple. Of course it is also becoming difficult to find! But I managed to find it as part of a mini four pack at Trade Secrets. Not only do you get the much sought after green, you also get a bright red called Lollipop and a pretty soft pink called Rock Candy and a clear glaze. Get it before it's gone too!

(If you want to get a jump on the Spring nail colour trend, Chanel's 505 Particuliére, a beautiful taupey mushroom colour is sure to be a top seller.)

For the girls only...

This post is for girls only. Sorry fellas. (I know there are a couple of you out there) Here. Check out this website while we girls discuss girly things....

Ok. Now that it's just us ladies, lets get down to business. Today we're talking underwear. We all know "grannies panties" are comfortable. But they are certainly not always cute. My favourite brand of cute underwear has to be Hanky Panky (the name alone is reason to love it, non?). Hanky Panky's are bright, girly and lacy. And they make a style to suit everyone; regular thongs, low rise thongs, bikinis and boy shorts. Super cute and comfy! You may never want to put on the "grannies" again!

You can find them in various specialty lingerie stores around Toronto, but Holt Renfrew has the best selection. And if you're in the market for a sassy bachelorette gift, they have a great bridal line.

"Do we need to stage an intervention?"

This was the question asked by my friend Laura at work this morning. No need to worry friends. I do not have a substance abuse problem. She was referring to an exercise addiction. Let me give you some background...

So with this whole "I'm going to run a marathon" declaration this year came some worries. I'm not talking about the worry of running 42.2km in one go (although, believe me, that is a bit of a concern). My worry was injury related. You see, I'm what you might call injury prone. Not like "Opps, I just slipped on a pack of ice and bruised my bum (although that has happened once or twice). No I'm talking "Ouch! I just slipped a disc in my back" or "Ouch! I've torn my LCL (that's Lateral Collateral Ligament in case you were wondering). So while many of my fellow runners have goals that relate to finish times, my main goal is to not get injured this year. Which means more training. Cross training. On the suggestion of my fantastic running coach, I decided to check out Energia on the Danforth. They offer yoga AND spin classes. Just what the doctor ordered. For $20 I got a week of unlimited classes (only valid for your first week). After that you can buy class passes (takes away the guilt of not using a gym membership). Saturday I tried spinning. Monday was Yoga for Runners (which made me realize I need to be doing A LOT more yoga). Wednesday morning was Spin again. But the class was at 6:30am. After I had been running the night before. This is what prompted Laura to ask if an intervention was needed.

I've assured Laura (and everyone else who thinks I've lost my mind) that I'm ok. This is all needed. I'm feeling good. And only a little sore. (Like "Hello muscles! Where have you been hiding?" sore)

I heart you!

It's almost Valentine's Day! Have you gotten your Cinnamon Hearts yet?

Don't old people use those?

For ages, anytime I've complained about sore muscles people have recommended I have a soak in Epsom salts. But until recently I didn't have a bathtub (my new apartment has one!). And for some reason I had always associated Epsom salts with old people. Maybe because old people also complain about aches and pains. Anywho, I was happy to discover that you can get scented Epsom salts. Shoppers Drug Mart Life brand makes them in citrus and lavender scents. Lovely! I've had some very relaxing soaks with these. An added bonus? Applied directly to your skin, the salt makes a fantastic and gentle scrub!

(An additional and delightful discovery I've made is that my singing voice sounds amazing in the bathtub! I sing along to a little David Gray. Some John Legend. Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay. Considering contacting these people about doing a duet. The only snag is that I'd have to bring my bathroom into the recording booth. Don't know if it would fit. And the sound engineers might find it weird. Might not be too practical. Probably best if I just continuing singing in the bathtub...)

Wet your whistle

With my new marathon training comes some not so easy tasks. I'm not talking about cross training. Or stretching. I'm talking hydration. It's very important to drink loads of water in order to stay hydrated. Now don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't like drinking water. It's just that it can be difficult to consume glass after glass of plan old boring water. I needed something to jazz it up. Enter Tetley Tea Infusions - liquid tea mixes. I LOVE these things! Yummy single serving flavourers that you add to your water. There are four flavours: Green tea, blueberry, pomegranate and lemon. With the help of these little babies, I've been able to drink 3 litres of water a day! Bottoms up!

My new favourtie

So I've mentioned previously my LOVE of fresh flowers. It's great to have a nice pop of fresh lively colour in the dead of winter. The only problem? They don't always last that long. Depending on the type, sometimes only a couple of days. So I'm always happy when I can add a new bloom to the list of long-lasters. But I was VERY surprised to discover that orchids were such a flower. I had always assumed that orchids were super expensive, very delicate and died quickly. I was apparently very wrong. I'm told that potted orchids actually last a really long time and are relatively easy to care for. Cut orchids are much the same. I've had the ones pictured above in a small vase of water for almost 2 weeks now. And they still look gorgeous! The best part, they only cost $5.99!

I put that sh*t on everything!

This stuff is good. No GREAT! Have you ever tried Balsamic Glaze? It's amazing. Rich. Sweet. Tart. Tastes good on everything. Drizzled over pasta or bread. Delicious. The only potential problem? The cost. Any grocery store I've ever found it in sells it for a small fortune. So imagine my delight when I found it at Terroni's for less then $10 a bottle?! Sold!

(If you want a REAL treat... Buy yourself a loaf of sourdough bread from Petite Thuet and lightly drizzle this over thick slices. Oh la!)