With the onset of winter, I thought it would be a good idea to start having weekly organic produce delivery again. I live pretty close to produce stands and a grocery store, but now that it’s getting colder I know I will be more reluctant to make that short trek through snow and ice. I had weekly organic produce delivery years ago in Vancouver from Green Earth Organics, when I also worked from home, and the business models appear to be similar.

http://www.mamaearth.ca

An excerpt from their ‘About Us’ page:

We believe that running a socially and environmentally responsible business for the benefit of the community is not contradictory to running a successful business.

We’re devoted to being part of a sustainable food system and in order to reduce transportation related environmental impacts, we ensure that produce is purchased locally first. Happily, this practice also supports local families, a cleaner environment, and ensures that the produce retains the most nutrients. Win-win for everyone.

Mama Earth is a fledgling business, so they don’t have quite the selection that Green Earth Organics offered, but even though Green Earth has a business in Toronto I want to give Mama Earth a chance. From what I can recall, I was fairly happy with Green Earth at the beginning, but they were making a lot of order mistakes towards the end: substitutions not made, or additional items missing from the box, and it seemed whoever was choosing the produce wasn’t being at selective. This was five years ago and they’re still in business so they must be doing something right, but at the time I remember being frustrated with the product and service for what I was paying. I liked the concept, but the quality control wasn’t there.

Regarding delivery, it should be easier this time around because I live in a house rather than an apartment. In Vancouver I had to be home to receive the delivery and here I don’t.

I rarely, if ever, order restaurant or pizza delivery. Even if the weather is abominable I will get myself out of the house, but by the time I reach this point I’m starving and all I want to do is buy hot food like roasted chicken once I’m there and the cooking gets delayed until the next meal. The motto to avoid grocery shopping while hungry is definitely true in my case!

A small bin of produce doesn’t replace produce shopping entirely, I’m a hearty produce eater and need to top up every 3-4 days or so. But I’m often away on the weekends or eating in restaurants with friends, and the fridge is empty because I haven’t made it to the grocery store and that’s when food tends to get neglected, anyway. At least this guarantees that I have fruits and veggies on Monday, the day I really need to get into cooking again, and it’s a healthy start to the week.

Let’s see how it goes. I hope Mama Earth works out!

What is the National Do Not Call List?

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) gives consumers a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls. The National DNCL Rules introduce new responsibilities for Canada’s telemarketers.

If you are a consumer you can choose to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by registering your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number on the National DNCL. You can also check your registration, find out how to remove your number from the National DNCL, and file a complaint about telemarketing calls. Please consult our frequently asked questions section to find out more about the National DNCL.

Taken directly from the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Communications Commission) website. Full details about the DO NOT CALL list here.

President’s Choice now has General Tao Chicken-flavoured potato chips. Or, "crisps" masquerading in a flavour that’s supposed to taste like Chinese take-out. And, being a Canadian food product, this oddity is translated into French, too.

I don’t know about you, but it makes me wonder how they created the flavour at the lab. Did they simulate it using the kitchens of Chinatown in Vancouver or Toronto? Moncton? (Is there a Chinatown in Moncton?) Saskatoon? Chicoutimi? A pressing question, indeed.

Eliza and I were in a food coma while shopping for some food items at the 24-hour grocery (oh, the irony) when I captured this little absurdity on my cameraphone. We’d just eaten a MASSIVE dinner of tapas and sangria at La Bodega with Lana and Rosie and I needed to get my circulation… circulating — in a place other than my digestive tract.

It occurred to me at dinner that my worlds were colliding over food: I know Rosie from our Couchsurfing escapades in Toronto. For those following along at home, Rosie’s an expat from the UK who’s been in Canada for a year and visiting Vancouver (and looking for work — anyone hiring?). Our conversations kept skipping between Toronto and Vancouver, which was both confusing and amusing for the others. I didn’t take a single photo at dinner, amazingly, I was preoccupied with the tapas and especially the sangria. A pitcher of red sangria and a pitcher of white sangria were consumed in the course of the evening, and we had to order the tapas in batches so we could fit all the food on the table! You know, it’s probably a GOOD thing I don’t live close to this restaurant anymore…

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

My apologies for the boring advertising in this video. The best bits are the devices being used underwater. This may not be a bad idea — remember the Waterlogging Incident of 2007 that resulted in buying a replacement digicam and an expensive film camera repair?

This is about as close as Xena would come to it, despite my coaxing.

Another excellent Craigslist purchase tonight, an Optex Tripod #T565. This is actually the first tripod I’ve ever bought. David’s is rusted at the mount, which is from the era which PREDATES mounting plates, believe it or not, so I can’t even replace it. (If you knew David, you would be nodding your head right now. I used to joke with him that I married an anachronism.)

The seller was also offering a Manfrotto ball head, but I think I’d be courting disaster if I used one of those. It seems like one of those things which sounds great in theory (more range! quick positioning!) but terrible in practice (uh oh! not locked properly! slipping mid-shot! camera + heavy lens falls over and takes down whole tripod!! does warranty cover this??).

I did my research online and found the tripod had everything I needed and a few features that didn’t quite qualify as needs but I found really useful: a carrying handle, position markers, and not one but two bubble levels. Additionally, the rubber grip is comfortable, both on the handle and the tripod itself, which adds to the weight but makes it sturdy.

The best part (even more than the price, which was unbeatable considering its pristine condition) is that the seller happens to be a fellow Pentax user! He also shoots with the Pentax K100D, plus he has the K10D and the K20D so he was able to answer my questions about whether it was worth going for the K20 or stick with the K10. (For the record, he confirmed what I’d suspected: the K20 wasn’t worth it.)

I gave him one of my Moo minicards and went on my merry way, looking forward to try out all the new bits of valuable information that came with my new tripod.

My friend told me she can’t find 3-ply bathroom tissue in the U.S. I haven’t noticed.

Is this true, my American friends? Are you wiping your bottoms with less than your northern neighbours?

I bought my third lens off Craigslist today, which brings my total AF lenses for the Pentax K100D up to four. The only lens I didn’t buy off Craigslist was the Pentax 18-55mm F3.5 kit lens — which I got stuck with because there wasn’t a body-only option on the price list at the online shop where I bought it.

I scour Craiglist on a regular basis for Pentax-compatible AF lenses, but they don’t come up very often. I needed another portrait lens that was wider than the 50mm I currently have, and one lens I’m still searching for is a wide-angle, eg., 10-12mm. There was a 12-24mm on sale at the end of last year, but $700+taxes is more than I’m willing to pay these days. I can buy a plane ticket for that, and that’s usually what I end up doing.

Pentax has a small market share, but companies like Sigma, Tamron, and others do make lenses for the Pentax system and they’re significantly cheaper than what’s available for Nikon and Canon. [Edit July 20: the EXACT SAME lens for a Canon mount is listed in Craigslist for $350, nearly 75% MORE than what mine was listed for. It's the same glass, only the mount is different.]

I have one other Sigma: the 28-135mm f/3.8 Macro, which I’m pretty happy with considering what I paid for it. The most I’ve paid for a Craigslist lens is $200, which makes DSLR photography affordable for me. If I went with Nikon or Canon, I’d be shelling out more money. I’ll switch systems one day if I decide to go high-end (i.e., commercial), but I’m still in the early learning stage and I have other priorities for my money (i.e, travel).

That said, when the deals come my way like they did today, I take advantage of them when I can!

more…

Of course, the cats get the FedEx box.

Remember my Nokia 6682 that I got from a marketing company and was nicked in Cuba? (I really liked that phone *sob*) Yep, the same marketing company sent me a boatload of Dove chocolate to try.

Am I going to share? Why, yes!

Daytime is siesta time on the bed, where the sun streams in through the skylight. Taken with my cameraphone, so you don’t see the crazy amount of cat fur on their blanket. I just washed it two days ago, but you’d never know it!

I’m also vacuuming far more than I usually do, to try and keep up with the shedding of fur. I’m thinking about shelling out for a Dyson, but they’re expensive*. I tried to find a used one on Craigslist, but nobody seems to be selling… everyone I know who owns one swears by it, usually pet owners who also have to deal constantly with fur.

Is Dyson really in a league of its own, or is there a cheaper competitor who can give them a run for their money??

* I just checked out the U.S. online store, which has more products than the Canadian online store, and items are about $100 cheaper. There’s a $150 PINK Limited Edition Issey Miyake handheld vacuum??? What?

For all the architectural enthusiasts who enjoy the outdoors, this may be for you — a one-room cabin where you can watch the sunset (and nature can sort of watch you, too).

Sunset Cabin, Lake Simcoe, Ontario

The owner couple of this beautiful pre-fabricated cabin on the shores of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada, has been coming to their large recreational property for a quarter-century. But the big property in a great recreational location translated into lots of overnight guests and no privacy for the owners.

They felt they needed a “getaway,” a place at their own property where they could capture the peace and serenity of the surrounding four-season nature without disturbing any of the existing trees or structures. They needed a place that remembers what the Simcoe cottage-country is all about.

Have a look at the photos: does the exterior look a little too transparent? It says the slats are positioned so there’s no direct view in, but hmmm… I’m sure the cabin attracts many a curious animal.