October used to be Thanksgiving dinner, pumpkins and oodles of candy. Now it is a reminder of what my family and I have lost.
Three years ago (minus two days), my older sister died from a sudden and completely unexpected illness at the age of thirty-three. At Thanksgiving, just a week and a half before she was sick, I laughed over board games with her and my family. The next- and last- times I saw her she was in a coma from which she never awoke.
To add to the sadness that is October, a beloved colleague passed away from a short sudden illness less than a week ago. My co-workers and I are deeply saddened by the loss of such a bright and wonderful person.
I am further saddened by the news of Amanda Todd's suicide and the shocking, heart-wrenching video about the events that led to her death. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones. I am shocked by what happened to her and the cruelty of her classmates.
As someone who was definitely not cool in junior high, I can relate to Amanda to a small extent. I was never abused in the ways she was, but the names I was called and the way I was treated continue to cause insecurities to this day.
Amanda's story reminded me of a truly gut-wrenching novel I read when it first came out in 2011. It is called Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The story revolves around Hannah Baker, a teenage girl who ended her own life. One of her classmates, reeling from her death, receives a set of cassette tapes from Hannah, in which she chronicles the events that led to her suicide. Clay follows her voice around town, stopping at various sites that affected her as he dissects his own culpability for Hannah's death. Ultimately, Clay must grieve for Hannah, accept that she is gone and try to prevent the tragedy from happening again. Asher uses a dual narrative so that Hannah's voice and emotions mingle with Clay's, creating one powerful narrative. Although it is not a pleasant novel in any way- I kept hoping that there would be some mistake and Hannah would be alive and well- it is an important one. As I learned about the cruelty of her classmates and the inaction of her teachers, I was devastated by the cost to Hannah Baker and the way she gave up on life. It inspired me as an educator to do the best I can to support and care for my students as much as I can.
I hope Amanda's death gives courage to those who are suffering in silence and afraid to share what they are experiencing. I hope her story helps kids and adults alike think about the way their words and actions can affect others.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
A perfect start to your day
I've decided to expand this blog. While books are and will always be important to me, there are so many other things I'd like to talk about: teaching, everyday experiences, food, animals and travel. So I've decided that while books will continue to be a big part of this blog, I'm not going to limit myself to one small subset of my life. Hopefully, this will help me keep this blog more up to date.
This morning my husband and I hit the gym then went out for breakfast. I absolutely love breakfast and I'm always looking for that perfect breakfast spot, beyond the boring and often questionable big chains. As a vegetarian, breakfast is great because there are always choices for me, unlike going out for lunch or supper. I love being torn between a few choices rather than being stuck with the one thing on a menu that is vegetarian. Ryan and I have tried a few contenders and here are my favourites in Calgary. Coming soon...my favourites in Edmonton.
The Main Dish: Since doing personal training at In Bridgeland, Ryan and I have become regulars at this great place just down the block from our gym. The Main Dish is an unusual concept in that it has both casual dine-in and gourmet take out options. The take-out section features cold items that you can re-heat at home. Ryan's faves are the sundried blueberry turkey burgers and I like the Apricot Quinoa for easy lunches. Their take-out choices seem quite pricey, but when you consider the quality of ingredients, it would probably not be too inexpensive to make at home either. As for the dine-in choices, the prices are great and the food is amazing, especially the brunch items. Their veggie omelette is the best I've ever had, especially when you add mushrooms. Ryan likes their stuffed French toast that is basically a Monte Cristo done up as French toast. Their coffee (according to friends- I don't drink coffee) is amazing and I like their premium loose tea and London Fogs.
Reds- Located on 17Ave, this popular breakfast spot is worth the wait outside. And plan to wait at least 30 minutes, though they will bring you coffee while you wait. All the food is locally sourced and made with premium ingredients. Their buckwheat blueberry pancakes are amazing! I also really love the classic 2 egg, toast and hashbrowns breakfast. They serve Mighty Leaf tea, which is one of the few bagged teas I will drink. I recommend the Green Tea Tropical. The only criticism I have of Reds is their service, but considering how busy it is, it is understandable. Basically, you should go for the food and expect decent but not amazing service.
Blue Star Diner- Just down the street from the Main Dish is a spot we tried today. Every time I drive by I see a crowd waiting outside so I knew it had to be good. And it was fantastic! Ryan got the stuffed French toast, stuffed with mushrooms and gruyere, and I had the veggie Eggs Benedict. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have a veggie eggs Benny on the menu, considering they have 4 types of veggie burgers (so excited to try them). But my friendly waitress was happy to accommodate by suggesting tomato and avocado as a substitute for the meaty bennies. The result was delicious! I substituted fresh fruit for the hashbrowns and it was a lovely melody of oranges, blackberries, grapefruit, strawberries and raspberries. Ryan stuck with the hashbrowns and they were really good and nicely crispy. One of the regulars advised us while we were waiting outside to come around 9ish to avoid waiting for a table. Like Reds, they will bring you coffee to make the wait a little better.
We're happy to have found some fabulous restaurants for brunch in Calgary. Hopefully, we will keep adding more to the list. What are your favourites?
This morning my husband and I hit the gym then went out for breakfast. I absolutely love breakfast and I'm always looking for that perfect breakfast spot, beyond the boring and often questionable big chains. As a vegetarian, breakfast is great because there are always choices for me, unlike going out for lunch or supper. I love being torn between a few choices rather than being stuck with the one thing on a menu that is vegetarian. Ryan and I have tried a few contenders and here are my favourites in Calgary. Coming soon...my favourites in Edmonton.
The Main Dish: Since doing personal training at In Bridgeland, Ryan and I have become regulars at this great place just down the block from our gym. The Main Dish is an unusual concept in that it has both casual dine-in and gourmet take out options. The take-out section features cold items that you can re-heat at home. Ryan's faves are the sundried blueberry turkey burgers and I like the Apricot Quinoa for easy lunches. Their take-out choices seem quite pricey, but when you consider the quality of ingredients, it would probably not be too inexpensive to make at home either. As for the dine-in choices, the prices are great and the food is amazing, especially the brunch items. Their veggie omelette is the best I've ever had, especially when you add mushrooms. Ryan likes their stuffed French toast that is basically a Monte Cristo done up as French toast. Their coffee (according to friends- I don't drink coffee) is amazing and I like their premium loose tea and London Fogs.
Reds- Located on 17Ave, this popular breakfast spot is worth the wait outside. And plan to wait at least 30 minutes, though they will bring you coffee while you wait. All the food is locally sourced and made with premium ingredients. Their buckwheat blueberry pancakes are amazing! I also really love the classic 2 egg, toast and hashbrowns breakfast. They serve Mighty Leaf tea, which is one of the few bagged teas I will drink. I recommend the Green Tea Tropical. The only criticism I have of Reds is their service, but considering how busy it is, it is understandable. Basically, you should go for the food and expect decent but not amazing service.
Blue Star Diner- Just down the street from the Main Dish is a spot we tried today. Every time I drive by I see a crowd waiting outside so I knew it had to be good. And it was fantastic! Ryan got the stuffed French toast, stuffed with mushrooms and gruyere, and I had the veggie Eggs Benedict. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have a veggie eggs Benny on the menu, considering they have 4 types of veggie burgers (so excited to try them). But my friendly waitress was happy to accommodate by suggesting tomato and avocado as a substitute for the meaty bennies. The result was delicious! I substituted fresh fruit for the hashbrowns and it was a lovely melody of oranges, blackberries, grapefruit, strawberries and raspberries. Ryan stuck with the hashbrowns and they were really good and nicely crispy. One of the regulars advised us while we were waiting outside to come around 9ish to avoid waiting for a table. Like Reds, they will bring you coffee to make the wait a little better.
We're happy to have found some fabulous restaurants for brunch in Calgary. Hopefully, we will keep adding more to the list. What are your favourites?
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