Outcrop of October

It's fall and more things are in season than just pumpkins. Here is a list of what to buy at the grocery store this month, because it'll be cheaper and taster this time of year.

VEGETABLES:

Sources: FFFOUND

artichoke - Can be shaped into a bird - view image above.
bell peppers - The most musical veggies around
beet - May have spoken too soon about bell peppers.
broccolini - The rich person's broccoli.
brussels sprouts - Not made by Spacely Space Sprockets.
butternut squash - Not at all nutty or buttery... false advertising.
cauliflower - Dressing up as the ghost of Broccoli for halloween.
celery root - Where's the celery? How can one be in season and not the other?
chard - I'm only familiar with the swiss variety.
collards - Don't know what these are... too lazy to Google.
fennel - Recommended by Laura Calder for salads, recipe included in click.
garlic - Twi-hard teens throughout the world are boycotting it.
leeks - Green Onions on steroids
parsnip - Sounds like a plastic surgery procedure.
potatoes (maincrop)  - Mash, fry, roast, scallop, bake, etc.
pumpkin - The quintessential crop of October, pies and jack-o-laterns!
rutabaga - Sounds like the name of a VW vehicle designed in the 70s.
spinach - Ideal if you want to be PopEye for Hallow's Eve, or if you have an iron deficiency.
sweet potatoes - Constantly being taken advantage of by the other potatoes.
sunchoke - Still reminds me of what Darth Vador would do to the sun - "Force Choke"
wild mushrooms - Always the outcast among the civilized and modest mushrooms.

I made a delicious cauliflower and old cheddar soup using three of these veggies yesterday. The recipe can be found here, courtesy of Nadia G. 

Squash that looks like a duck (which is also in season right now). 

Source: This Peanut Looks Like A Duck.com

FRUIT & NUTS:

almonds - Skillfully sugar coated by my mother.
apples - I like to eat eat eat, epples and benenes, I like to oat oat oat, opples and bononos.
chestnuts - Considerably less burly than the hairy-chestnuts
cranberries - Help if it hurts when you pee.
PEARS - Should be eaten in threes.
pomegranate - Falsely accused by POM to have been the cause of Eve's initial sin.

Adorable almond owl cake with candy corn. 

FISH & SEAFOOD:

Dress your child as a Lobster for Halloween, it's in season... hee hee hee.

clams - Not to be juiced and mixed with tomato juice, uck!
lobsters - Like Ross and Rachel
mussels - PROTEIN POWDER!
scallops - To thank for all the pearl necklaces... the real ones you pervs.

I can't profess enough how committed I am to loving seafood. Yum. 

Eating in season makes you sexier, true story. 

188/365

This week in music has me fascinated by the workings of iTunes, the writings of Wicked, my past, and Europe. Enjoy.

Source: FFFOUND

182/365: Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, Wizard of Oz.
Except, more like, her ding dong is dead. :( Read the second page of Wicked and you'll know what I mean.
 
183/365: Norwegian Wood, The Beatles.
According to my iTunes this was the last song I listened to in 2009, at 3:26 pm.

184/365: Stereo Love, Edward Maya.
My European roots are exposed.

185/365: Body on Me, Nelly. 
The song of summer 2007. Just came on my shuffle.

186/365: Killer Queen, Queen.
To avoid complications she never kept the same address.

187/365: Use Ur Love, B.O.B. 
One of the most amazing re-mix/re-births I've ever heard.

188/365: Postcards from Italy, Beirut.
I've been seriously home-sick lately, anything to do with Europe just makes me melt, and I don't mean like the Wicked Witch of the West.

26 down, 26 to go!

A Dapper Chap

Courtsey of LabbitScapes (The better Gnome project)

Nobody in my immediate family has ever seen my dad without a mustache. I have asked him to gift me the most amazing of all presents for my 20th/Golden birthday and shave it off! I'll have to start seriously berating him about it if he's going to do it within the next month. Personal stories aside, here is a superb product and package design that I just came across - Dapper Chap Mustache Wax created by Chelsea Hendrickson.

Simple, Funny, Colorful, and Dapper.

Loose Leaves

I've most recently become obsessed with acquiring tea. Luckily for my conscience and the earth, loose leaf tea is incredibly sustainable! I get my aromatic fixes from Steeps and Teaopia, their selections are large and  even the smallest tea packets last for months. You can even read your tea leaves after consumption Professor Trelawney style. Waste efficient, loose leaf tea neglects bags and individual packaging; although I argue that bagged organic tea is still considerably eco-friendly since you can compost the used bags.  

Recommended tea flavors:

Loose leaves-

Steeps: After Seven, Organic Peppermint, Gingerbread, Banana Cream, and Creativity
Teaopia: Mojito Raspberry Mint, Coco Caramel, Masala Chai

Organic and bagged-

Mighty Leaf: Orange Dulce, Vanilla Bean, Grean Tea Tropical, Chocolate Mint Truffle,  African Nectar

Tazo: Refresh, Calm, Earl Grey, Passion, Berry Blossom

My Rose and Fresh Mint tea recipe! 

Last but not least, loose leaves calls for tea diffusers, such as this incredibly creative/terrifying one: 

Turn over a new eco-leaf. 

Teal With It

My favorite color is teal, Tiffany teal to be precise. This is what came up in WeHeartIt when I searched teal. Not surprisingly a lot of the images feature other things I love: nail polish, bicycles, prints, clothes, rings, and circular carnival rides. I'm convinced that teal isn't just a color, but a lifestyle.  What comes up when you put in your favorite color?

Aquamarine, Blue-Green

Play That Poster

This is the small collection of creative band posters I've come to acquire. The concept of art describing art is simply great. 

Print it and play it. 

Bonkers for Babushkas

My ode to the Russian toy that embraces pear shaped women of all sizes. 

Sources: FFFound

This babushka lives in the UK. 

This one is having a cocktail before going swimming in the 1940s. 

This one is a kinky Alaskan tourist. 

A mini baker babushka.

Lastly the intellectual babushka refuses to be judged for her appearance. 

I've always been fascinated by these toys since I was a child. Conceptually they're simple, yet each individual piece is unique in size and decor. For a while I was obsessed with finding the smallest babushka; I really enjoy the contrast from the smallest to the largest figure. Babushkas even make brilliant product ideas. The design possibilities for these are endless; so much so that I will add designing my own babushka to my bucket list. 

What's your favorite toy? 

1000 X 9 Words

A guy in my management studies class didn't understand why 10,000 grams was 10 kilograms. He took 5 minutes out of class time (approximately costing me $3.13 of my course fees) to argue with the teacher regarding this incredibly perplexing matter. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture of this incident, however, I can provide you with other amusing images. This is the 5th installation of my life in iPhone pictures (soon to be iPhone 4 pictures, eek!)

My letter opener is a stoner. Note, this letter opener does not represent the views or opinions of ATB Financial or its staff in any way. The company does not condone the use  of  marijuana or googly eyes.

I can't believe Hayden Panettiere sold out to sell Snookie Bumpits! And with such artistic license taken on her forehead, you think she would never agree to something like this...

Baby goat in a petting zoo in the middle of a mall, you know you're in the pathetic side of town when.. 

Creepiest print ad in the Herald ever, apparently The Joker has been selling condos. 

Mini outhouse lawn ornament in my neighborhood. I was incredibly tempted to put my dog's fresh poop bag in it. 

I nearly broke a neural circuit trying to decide whether it's or its should be placed here. Bus benches should never make you think that hard. For the record: I think its would have been more appropriate. 

Pizza and hot dogs on a stick, Calgary Stampede 2010. 

The majestically captured shot of myself discussing wacky dance moves with Alex Ebert (lead singer- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros). The picture was taken just in time for me to close my eyes and Sam's finger to cop a feel on Alex. 

I found NEMO, at Tim Horton's in the middle of a hall way in West Edmonton Mall. 

My summer sans Europe = tropical fish in malls and food on a stick, get me out of this country. 

181/365:

This is what I was listening to at the end of August. Considering that it's been nicer outside in October, I figured I should post this now. My blog posts are very sensitive to the weather. They have been diagnosed with S.A.D in fact.

Source: WeHeartIt

Day 175/365: We Don't Want Your Body, Stars.
You're tuned into my frequency, but that don't mean a thing to me, cause I don't want your body.

176/365: Lose Control, Missy Elliot Feat. Ciara.
365 days of music make you lose control.

177/365: Radar Detector, Darwin Deez.
Forget baby and honey, you're my radar detector.

178/365: Fuck You, Cee-Lo Green.
Super catchy right now, as well as a nonchalant way to tell someone fuck you.

179/365: Mama I Love You, The Spice Girls.
My mummy was sick this weekend and I watched Spice World. Thus this song was born!

180/365: Let's Go Surfing, The Drums.
If only my summer consisted of this phrase - Next year I tell you, next year.

181/365: Monster Hospital, Metric.
I fought the war, but the war won't -stop for the love of God.

25 down, 28 to go!