And for something a little lighter

Today, Sweetie McPie explores the intricacies of nutmeat.

Pecans vs. Walnuts

Pecans: tiny bike helmets for the Alien
Walnuts: emaciated Thanksgiving turkeys

Pecans: brain
Walnuts: big Einstein brain

Pecans: have PEE in the name
Walnuts: have NUTS in the name

Pecans: french - Pecan
Walnuts: french - Grenoble

Pecans: topographically like the Shield near Lake Superior
Walnuts: topographically unlike anything I have hiked on

Pecans: could be disguised almonds
Walnuts: didn't dress up for Hallowe'en

Pecans: the Phantom
Walnuts: the Elephant Man

Pecans: in terms of scrotum reaction - cold lake
Walnuts: in terms of scrotum reaction - hot, humid day

Now not just my half-birthday

On October 15, surrounded by her family, Helen Kohut Maloney passed peacefully from this life to the next. Born in Hafford, Saskatchewan in 1923, Helen has touched many lives as she moved to Vancouver, Toronto, and ultimately settled in Hamilton, where she raised her family, worked as an elementary school teacher, traveled widely, and played bridge avidly.

Left with a void not easily filled are her children Andrea Kelly, Michael and his wife Barbara, and Patrick and his wife Janetter; step-daughter Donna Loutitt; and grandchildren Heather and Julie Kelly, Scott and Shaun Maloney, Kyle Maloney and Tara Whelan. Welcoming her into the next life are Helen’s husband Patrick, her parents George and Doris Kohut, and her siblings Anne, Mary, Steve, Olga, George and Ernie. The family sincerely thanks the staff and volunteers at Villa Italia and Emmanuel House, who cared for Helen and her family during her last days.

All are welcome to join Helen’s family and friends as they mourn her passing and celebrate her life at P.X. Dermody Funeral Home, Hamilton, on Thursday, Oct 18. The funeral will be held on October 19 at Canadian Martyrs’ Catholic church, Main St West, followed by a reception onsite. Donations to Emmanuel House or the Juravinski Cancer Centre are welcome and appreciated.

I wrote the obituary about two weeks ago, but just filled in the dates today. Baba passed away last night at about quarter to eight. She WAS surrounded by her family: my mother, my sister, and my uncle Mike were there, holding her hands. After being unconscious and unresponsive for more than a day, Baba opened her eyes, looked around at all of them, tried to speak (Mom says "tried to say good-bye"), and then took her last breath. As peacefully as that. At first, they didn't know it was her last breath for awhile - until she didn't take another one. Mom joked to me later that Baba waited for them to return from dinner, so they wouldn't have to change the obituary: "surrounded by..."

My mother called me right away. We were preparing to head out to our ultimate game. We went anyway. Because really, in times like this, what better way to grieve/celebrate/express angst (etc) than to run around as hard as you can?

Then we came home and ate McPie's Apple Yum (a delicious baked apple concoction he invented for the occasion). And thought about how happy and relieved Baba must be.

Back in Hamilton, my family and the staff at Emmanuel House said some prayers around Baba. Then, my family (they'd been joined by my other uncle, his wife and my cousin) headed to the Corktown Pub, where they enjoyed pints and each ordered a single chicken wing. Uncle Paddy has a story of taking Baba out to lunch one time. When told that they were serving 10 cent wings, Baba promptly ordered: "A garden salad and one chicken wing, please." Classic.


*October 15 was also the birthday of my grandfather Terry - my Dad's dad. This date has now reached the status of "Official Family Holiday".

Edit: Here is the link to the actual obituary. My mother tweaked it a bit with more details. Interestingly, the obit entry immediately preceding Baba's in today's Spectator is for Heather Aileen Kelly.

Tidying up

Today is my half birthday. McPie took me shopping on the weekend to celebrate. ("Any excuse to celebrate" is one of our many mottos. In fact, we have Thursdays set aside as a weekly day of celebration.)

What does it mean that every item of clothing we chose was black? Back to my roots, I say.

Anyway, cleaning out my drafts folder, here is some distraction from Oct 3:

We celebrated a year of shacking up with dinner at the ever-enjoyable Stoneface Dolly's, and then headed to the NAC for The Penelopiad. The play was incredible! Here is a review that echoes our opinion of it. Penny Downie as Penelope was really very riveting - not only her delivery (seamless switching from emotional flashbacks to bloodless narrative), but her flowing red hair and athletic physique put the icing on the cake. I was interested to watch for Jenny Young - not just because she has the same name as my grandmother -but because I've been enjoying her as Coach in the CBC radio's Afghanada. (Yes, I've succumbed to the allure of radio drama.)

There were some scenes that were incredibly effective theatrically, especially since the sets and costumes were so simple -- the near-drowning and rescue by ducks of Penelope, the tumultuous journey by ship to Ithaca, the hanging of the maids -- totally compelling and convincing, and were all done mainly by the actors movements, with just a few simple props.

I was pleased/relieved that the play wasn't overly "theatrical", I guess in the post-modern sense. It wasn't tricky or confusing or overly symbolic.

I assume this show will go on tour - I definitely recommend that you go and see it, if you enjoy theatre at all.

We've watched a few movies lately, and I liked them:

The Lookout: Made us feel awful in our bellies/throats the whole way through (impending sense of doom, feeling of sympathy and dread for the main character), but it was a very entertaining experience. The characters were interesting and I thought the acting was believable (not that know know much about that.

300: So cool! Also a good lead-in to The Penelopiad. Comic-booky in the most satisfying way. Definitely riffed on Kill Bill, Gladiator, and, needless to say, Sin City. I liked it much better than the latter. I'd gotten the impression that this was an epic historical/action flick à la Troy (which I never saw because I am picky that way)... But this was way cooler. Love the Gerard Butler! We saw him first in Beowulf & Grendel, which I also recommend.

The Bourne Ultimatum: What else to say other than: I love Jason Bourne. (Not sure if that's more or less than Gerard Butler - I'll have to spend more time with each and see... ) I also can't believe we made it out to the cinema for this one. I'm sure we are amongst the last to see this.

Keeping vigil

I've been having much trouble finding the time and energy to post lately. So I'm going to recycle some material by way of an update. If you recognize this text... um, hope you don't mind!

Got a call from my mother a week ago Wednesday, and it seems that Baba was on her last legs, and so off we went (McPie and I), to be there for the end. (We were supposed to have kids for the long weekend, but the moms covered for us gracefully, as promised.) By the we arrived on Wednesday night, Baba seemed to have rallied, and and though SHE was ready to go, her body wasn't quite.

So, although the trip turned out differently than expected (I brought funeral clothes but didn't wear them), it was wonderful to be there with the family, especially once my sister arrived on Monday - we had some memorable visits. We also enjoyed a magnificent turkey* dinner grâce à mon oncle Michael, which we had at the hospice with some of the patients and staff.

If I could, I'd have stayed till the end, but because we can't tell when that will be, I came home.

Although she mostly slept or was often too dazed to be really conscious, we had many moments with Baba where she was with us completely - listening, helping to pick hymns for her "celebration of life", still joking around. It's so frustrating - you're pleased that she's not dead, but you know she wants to be and you can't stay forever while her body holds on.

Apparently, Baba has declined dramatically since Wednesday. I stopped in to say good-bye to her at 7 AM before my flight back, but she was sleeping. However, she told mom later that she knew I was there. Mom's been calling with 12 hour updates. I called at noon today and Baba and I exchanged more "good-bye, I love yous" (Baba in her barely audible whisper). Maybe I'll get to do it again tomorrow.

I know it's not the same as losing a parent (or someone taken too soon), but still... it's Baba. I'm so lucky to be experiencing this so late in my life -- it means I've been blessed with a grandmother who I could know (and begin to understand and appreciate) as an adult.

My family is awesome. They find just the right amount of humour in everything - so it's emotional, but not crushing. My sister can get Baba a-giggling, even on her deathbed. Everyone is sticking together, and really appreciating that we have this time together, since we're normally spread out across the country.

For now, we are back at home, looking forward to a very quiet weekend of doing NOTHING, except maybe lying on the couch. Oh! Oh! And a hair cut. TONIGHT. I'm a month overdue. I had to cancel last week due to Baba. I'm so very excited. The little things keep you going. ;-)

* Next time I cook a turkey -- which I keep typing as "turnkey" btw -- I'm going to brine it overnight before roasting. Michael did this (his first time trying it, too), with simply magnificent results. I've never eaten tenderer turkey. His stuffing kicked ass too, and he didn't even put it in the bird. And that was just one highlight of bunking for 6 nights with a chef. The ribs need a post of their own!

Spinning my wheels

In my job, I rely on other people to provide pretty much all the information that I need to do my work. No info, no forward motion on my part.

I'm having one of those weeks where I just. can't. get. the answers. No responses to requests, or when they come they are either totally enigmatic or of the "I don't know the answer and I don't know who does" variety. Head, meet wall.

It makes for a very. long. workweek.

So, to cheer us all up, a picture to brighten up an otherwise grey blog:

These are pygmy marmosets. Aren't they cute? We saw a thing on them the ONtv nature show with David Attenborough, and decided that they were second only to the sea otter as our fave cutie-pie animal. Then, Constance came home a couple of days ago with drawing of what was clearly a pygmy marmoset. Because, in our house? We are on the same page.

And onward into a new season

After spending a summer enjoying sports as our main leisure activity, we looking forward to diversifying as the weather turns colder.

We're jump-starting this with a culture buzz: I picked up tickets for The Penelopiad at the NAC next week! I quite enjoyed the book (the Atwood version, of course!), and I'm looking forward to seeing it done "out loud". I'm not sure I'll be able to convince McPie to study up ahead of time, but I doubt that'll be necessary to enjoy the show. I'll try to find time to post a review.

I've also been eyeing the incredibly enticing lineup in the upcoming ballet series at the NAC. It's all fantastic companies doing totally interesting ballets. I don't know if we can (or should) afford to see them all, but it will be hard to choose. I knew I should've gotten a subscription!

Speaking of subscriptions, we were lost for a few weeks when our Globe and Mail subscription expired and we had failed to renew it. We only get the Saturday paper, and we're lucky if we get through reading 3 articles in it, but collecting the paper from the porch on Saturday morning's as we prepare our coffee gives us a keen sense of leisure. Like we are embracing the slow. Which we actually do in many ways - just, it rarely feels like it as we go go go.

Once ultimate is really over in the middle of November, we'll have lots of time for reading. McPie and I finished Crow Lake (really enjoyed the read; the jury is still out on whether the ending was satisfying, but the contentiousness of it has resulted in some interesting discussions.) Anyone have any suggestions for a book that would be good to read aloud? We're looking for our next candidate. (Fiction, please! The real world is a drag.)

And, speaking of culture (I'm about to show that I define that very loosely), I gave McPie his first piano lesson last week. It was fun! He's a quick study of course, though is perhaps over-eager to put both hands together before he's ready. As he put it - as a drummer he's great with his limbs, but that talent doesn't necessarily extend to "limblets". I guess between piano lessons, we'll look forward to more rock 'n' roll shows this winter.

In other news: we are driving down to Hamilton this weekend to visit Baba, and are looking forward to spending time with the family. My cousin Scott will be home from Australia! Haven't seen that kid in years. I planned on posting an update on last weekend's jaunt down there, but got mired in sentimentality. Will strive to complete. But the summary is, to borrow a phrase from the kids these days, it's all good.

(Ass)ymetry

We have the most incredible perk here at my work: an on-site massage therapist.

True, she's only on-site for one day every other week, and we do have to pay for it (but benefits covers it). But, handy! I rarely had massages before, because it was so complicated to fit into my beyond-work schedule. Now, I'm a regular. (Okay, I've gone twice, but I'm booking ahead through Christmas.)

So, I had massage this morning, and it worked out all the kinks that had knotted up in my back and shoulders from the long drives and much sitting I've been doing recently. Aaaahhhh! Relief.

In addition to the shoulder kinks, the massage therapist and I somewhat accidentally discovered something rather shocking about my current anatomy: my left ass cheek is noticeably smaller than my right ass cheek.

Now, I say "current anatomy" because (presumably) I wasn't born like this. My larger ass cheek is the side of my body that I use for lunging in frisbee.

I've been playing for seven years. Say I've averaged game a week. Maybe I lunge - always on the same leg, the non-pivot foot leg - a half dozen times a game (I'm rolling in throwing practice here, which generally contains a higher lunge-per-throws ratio). Not counting non-frisbee-related lunging (which typically balances out each side), by my calculations, I've done 2184 lunges with my right leg, and 0 with my left leg.

(All the estimates are WAGs*, as I don't generally perform math. But I'd venture my estimates are conservative.)

2184 lunges apparently add up. To a single, enlarged ass cheek. (Or, I supposed you could say, 0 lunges add up to one under-sized, neglected ass cheek.)

And McPie married me anyway.

This news of this "defect" should not be a revelation to me. Last week we did curtsey squats in a weights class I took, which are essentially one legged squats. The next day my left (small, weak. pathetic and girly) ass cheek was really hurting. But my right side didn't hurt at all. But why haven't I heard of this issue before? I hang out with frisbee players all the time! Does everyone have this problem? Are frisbee players secretly - or unbeknownst to me - doing extra lunges with their pivot-legs in the off season? Or have I discovered a niche market for customized jeans for frisbee players, with one butt out-sized for the lunge-side?

Now, the one consolation is that when I say "noticeably smaller", I mean "noticeable to the professional and well-trained hands of an RMT who is specifically feeling around on my ass for this particular discrepancy." Of course, when she moved from my right side to my left, she may have exclaimed "Wow!" in alarm.

But still, if you're staring at my ass as I run down the field, you probably won't be able to see this asymetry.

This does explain why I occasionally find myself running in circles. And I'd always blamed this on "lack of field sense"! Ha!


*Wild-assed guess. This is a technical term in my industry.