Bits and Bobs

WWKIP day was rather more adventuresome than expected...but lots of fun all the same! A half-dozen of us met up at one end of the Skytrain, planning to ride out to the end and back, about 90 minutes' travel, then have lunch with another group. The outbound trip was relatively uneventful - if you don't count all the looks, comments, and conversations we got. (One particularly colourful character told "us ladies" to "have fun with our sewing". Which was especially funny coz there was a guy in our group.)

The trip back, though, was interrupted about halfway through by a "medical emergency" at one of the stations on our route, so the trains were all stalled for quite awhile. Eventually, we were told that we could only take the train so far, then we could catch a bus that would circumvent the station in question, where we could re-board. Unfortunately, there were rather a lot of other folks in the same boat. Or, rather, the same bus.

So, we decided to backtrack on the train instead, thinking that we could find lunch somewhere along the way. And maybe by the time we were finished, the trains would be running again. We stopped at a more or less random station, found a lovely fountain (and briefly pondered jumping in, but the security guard on duty seemed to think we might be up to no good, and was watching us rather closely)

We were directed to an odd-yet-charming little cafe called the "Fireside Cafe House of Cheesecake" - which looked more like a combination of a greasy spoon and a Legion hall or something. But it turned out to be quite tasty, and the owner was really sweet. We did not eat lunch here:

(Mmmm! Used deli sandwiches! My favourite! Somebody badly needs a copy editor)

The trains were still out of whack, so we rode as far as we could together before parting ways...ending with more of a fizzle than a bang. But it was still fun...and of all the people stuck on the trains, we were the happiest - we had our knitting!

Yesterday was just as lovely...a puttery day that involved several outings in the sun. (I'd like to feel virtuous about all the walking, but the truth is, the van is still dead, so there really wasn't a choice!) I spent the morning poring over cookbooks and making up a shopping list. I am so tired of eating the same things over and over. And it's getting too warm to eat heavy meals of pasta and stuff. I wanted new ideas, with lots of fresh veggies and not too much time on the stove. We have a gas stove, which I love cooking with - and which makes it pretty warm in here. Not the best for summer cooking.

I may have got a little carried away, as our grocery bill was quite a bit more than usual...gulp. But worth it, I think. Dinner tonight was so good - pizza on whole wheat flatbread, with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus, tomatoes, caramelized onions, feta, and mozza:

For breakfast today, I had a smoothy with blueberries, banana, yogurt (from a local dairy - they do this plain organic yogurt with just a hint of honey blended in - YUM!) and pomegranate juice...mmmmmm!

(And really, I'm only telling you about it because I wanted to take a picture of one of my fabulous new Ravelry pint glasses...I got pins, too, and a Bob sticker...what fun!)

And before you get all impressed with my virtuous/gourmet new menu - I had lunch at Taco Time today. I was at the mall, looking for new shoes. It's surprisingly hard to find a simple, plain pair of skateboarding shoes. I find them the most comfortable for city walking, and I desperately needed a new pair. As in, my old pair had holes in the holes - and holes in the soles, which meant lots of rocks in my socks. Not fun. (But apparently I'm channeling Dr. Seuss, and that is fun!)

Almost everything I looked at today had big logos in neon colours - and I am, like, so totally not going back to that; I've already survived the '80s once! - or they had cutesy pink camo prints or something. Gag me with a spoon! It took me about 3 hours, but I finally found a workable pair. I probably haven't voluntarily spent that much time in a mall since the '80s, either. Thank FSM for that gin and tonic I brought home the other day! Otherwise I'd be pulling my hair out. Or attempting that claw thing with my bangs again. And that much hair spray would be a fire hazard.