Winter is here...

Winter is here, and I'm pretty sure I only like it because the cold only makes my daily Starbucks caramel brulee lattee taste SO much better.

Otherwise, my back and arms are getting the workout of a lifetime clearing the snow off my driveway. Snow is FREAKING heavy, people. HEAVY.

At least Two-Two is loving the weather. She jumps through the snow like a little rabbit. I guess that's what you gotta do when there's snow going up higher than you have leg for.

Because of the snow, I joined the rest of North Toronto at Canadian Tire to buy some salt for my walkway and winter windshield wipers so that I can drive and see at the same time. Look at me being all winter safe and responsible!

I saw this sign on the side of the salt tub and literally LOL'd.

I don't have any babies (just the canine one, whom I'm sure can manage to maneuver herself away from a bucket of salt), so I'm sorry for being insensitive, if this comes off as such. But this bucket came up to my KNEE. HOW CAN A BABY FALL INTO A KNEE-HIGH BUCKET?! If the baby is tall enough to climb up the bucket (and not tip it over), fall INTO the bucket (which is conveniently filled with salty drowny liquid), then it should have the capacity to either call for help or muscle itself out.

You've got to admit, the warning sign on the bucket is really REALLY funny. That baby just looks like it's grabbing salt to eat...

ANYWAY, SUBJECT CHANGE....

Green smoothie update?

Still rockin' the smoothe-a-day routine. Sometimes it's breakfast, sometimes it's lunch, and sometimes it's 1/3 of a dinner. But it always, ALWAYS still leaves me hungry about half an hour later.

Plus, that waking up with more energy in the morning thing? Gone.

I'm back to sleepy, reluctant, sore and lazy. Welcome back, my true self.

The Sydney Bay Run

Yesterday, I took a day off from spreading my heart over Sydney and getting rejected looking for a job. 

I did this: 

All Murakami on sale at Kinokinuya for 9.95!! Except 1Q86, the only other one I haven't read yet. Boo.

Starbucks soy latte because soy is free here (Aussieland 1, Canada 0).

This is THE BEST DANISH I HAVE EVER EATEN. 

The fresh, flaky crust embraces the sweet blocks of mango like a koala embraces its tree. 

As you bite into the pastry, the crunch of the crust is such a pleasure against the syrupy sweet mango, which tumbles off the pastry and into your lap creating a big sticky mess, but whatever. 

This was amazing. 

You know what else is amazing? 

This guy: 

After a long day of making the bacon, he brought it over to Iron Cove.

That's where our friends took us to do the 7K Bay Run.

Now, we didn't do the actual Bay Run, because that's in August, but we ran/walked 7K.

My stats:

30.07 minutes
2.87 miles
10:30 min/mile average pace

Then, I stopped and took about a 10 minute walk, and did a few more minutes of running.

This was an absolutely beautiful run.

You go around the bay, encounter all sorts of dogs and people, up some hills, over some bridges, through city, country, and everything in between.

It's too bad that my knee hurt.

I knew 2.87 miles was enough for me, but I still kept pace with my friend back to the car.

I will have to take a few extra rest days to get my knee back.

Oh well!

Anyway, because our place is out of internet (friggin internet, bane of my blog-xistence), Steven and I have come here to our favourite cafe for some treats while we Inter our Nets.

I am pondering why lattes here are served in glasses, and glad I'm not alone. Glasses get HOT. It makes absolutely no sense that this is the "proper" way to have a latte. (Aussies 0, North Americans with mugs 1).

Have a good night everyone!

Yoga in Hyde Park and a Run

Monday morning in Sydney.

Unemployed, bored, and all alone.

What's a girl to do?

1) Ashtanga home practice to maintain sanity
2) Email a billion people but not really expect anyone to email back (sad face)
3) Go to a local yoga studio to apply for a job, and get coldly turned away (sad, sad face)
4) Get called about an outbound call center job
5) Do some yoga in the park with the lululemming crowd

The deal is, Monday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:15, the lulus will meet at this epic fountain (called Archibald Fountain) in the middle of Hyde Park.

I waited 10 or so minutes and got my first lulu spotting, a bunch of girls wheeling a box of mats into the square.

(P.S.- This isn't a lulu hate-blog. I was actually decked head-to-toe in the stuff. It's good! Pricey, and we all look the same, but good!)

We quickly set up and got to it.

I forgot how a led class feels, especially an impromptu one. It brought back memories of when I! Me! ME! used to do this.

I miss it.

I miss the work of it--studying the bodies and thinking of words or movements that could help, studying the personalities and thinking of the words or movements that could make an impact. I couldn't help but sweep my eyes over the crowd and make those mental notes that come naturally when yoga is your job: "Tight shoulders and chest = hold plank, lower and chest stretch, Runner Man in the back = triangle, and so on, and so on."

I forced my eyes away and pulled myself back into my breath. Which was weird because I couldn't hear a thing!

In Ashtanga, we're all about listening and breathing and counting. When you're outside, you can barely hear your teacher over the cars, birds, tourists.

It's easy to be distracted, especially when someone is proposing in the sky!

Now, I know this is a really bad picture, and yes, that's someone's foot, but the guy was in the process of writing "Marry Me Erica".

C'mon, that's pretty awesome. :)

After class, I went home to eat toast and yogurt.

Because I'm unemployed and poor.

And being SO bored and unemployed and poor, I went for a run.

Shoes. Check!

Garmin. Check!

Sleeves that Jen-Jen bought me for my birthday. CHECK!

Life-sized chess in the park. CHECK!

And MATE! (har-har, oh I'm so witty)

Finally, Starbucks iced latte with soy on the way home because I suck at running.

My stats:
2.55 miles
29:18 minutes
11:29 min/mile average

I was almost thankful for all the people I had to dodge because they slowed me down. I'm so out of running shape! Anyway, I'm thinking of signing up for a race while I'm here, either to run it or volunteer in it. It might be a fun way to make some new friends!