• Prison Break is back on Monday! But perhaps they should have just held on to the remaining episodes until filming resumed…another (likely lengthy) hiatus won’t be easy to take.
• I watched Juno last night, and really enjoyed it. I’m so proud of the fact that both Ellen Page and Michael Cera are Canadian, and happy that they are receiving recognition of their talents from the press. The always funny Allison Janney is also in the film, and is deadpan with one of her best lines to Juno as she begs for an epidural: “Doctors are sadists who like to play God and laugh at the lesser peoples’ pain.”
• The restaurants of Original Fare are offering their own version of Restaurant Week called the “Festival of Forks”. Fixed menus go for either $25 or $35 – check it out!
• I’m not sure why I’m mentioning this, because I don’t put any credence into their selections (like last year), but since it’s out there in the media: Where Edmonton‘s survey of Most Memorable Meals in 2007 is out. While I can’t dispute some of the categories due to a lack of first hand experience (I’ve never been to either Ric’s Grill or Von’s Steak House, for example), I can say that the only category I wholeheartedly agree with is Fine Dining (Hardware Grill).
• In stark contrast to Andrea’s review last year, a Vue Weekly writer loved Phobulous. I still haven’t been there, so I can’t dispute either opinion, but the difference between the two experiences is an irreconcilable valley.
• I tried a Skinny Latte this week, and it tasted like steamed milk with a flavour shot. I don’t buy espresso-based drinks that often, so when I do, it is an indulgence; the 90 calorie selling point doesn’t really matter to me in the end.

• Starbucks introduced their “Skinny Lattes” this week, made with skim milk and sugar free syrup. When Second Cup added the word “skinny” to their menu, I wasn’t impressed, and the same applies to Starbucks – what is wrong with ordering a custom latte the old fashioned way? Moreover, they have added a “How nutritious is your latte?” quiz onto their website’s front page. As if anyone ordering such a coffee is looking to boost their daily intake of vitamins with a hit of caffiene.
• Christopher Thrall is leaving his cushy position as the resident restaurant critic at Vue Weekly. In his last piece, he cites both dinner at PiccoLino and brunch at Bacon as some of his best meals in the city, period. I’m now interested in trying both.
• There’s an interesting read over at Zagat: a round-up of quotations from restauranteurs and chefs about what they want to see more – and less – of in 2008. To Roland Passot, who dislikes the trend of blogging from non-food professionals, I say – no restaurant will ever please every diner, but to shy away from the opinion of the “common man” demonstrates a lack of respect for the everyday customer and an unwillingness to hear criticism from anyone who he may judge to be an untrained gourmand. I have lost any interest I may have had in visiting his establishment.
• I’ve been swept up in the fervor of the American primaries. It almost makes me want to run out and buy Season 7 of The West Wing in order to relive fictional election madness.
• The program for this year’s International Week at the University of Alberta is up. Notably, Jeffrey Sachs, author of The End of Poverty, will be speaking on January 31st. See you there!
• The amount of anticipation for Catalyst’s remount of Frankenstein next month is just incredible. Tickets are selling fast; get to Tix on the Square soon if you’re planning to catch what some have been calling the best locally-produced show ever.
• It’s now the end of the first week of January, and there still hasn’t been any word from Teatro la Quindicina about their new season. I’m worried.

• The Silk Hat is not dead! (Though it will be minus a few antique jukeboxes.)
• I watched the Holiday Dessert special of Iron Chef America this weekend. Though there are dissenting opinions on this episode, I loved it! For once, the competitors (Cat Cora/Paula Deen vs. Robert Irvine/Tyler Florence) were less than serious, and had fun goading each other on.
• TiVo is coming to Canada. I’d love to get a PVR of some kind; it would be much more convenient than asking my computer-savvy friends to download missed television episodes for me.
• Clever gifts: a foot in the door, for those who like to throw money around, and an amazing two-in-one cake stand and punch bowl for the host/ess in your family.
• The Broadway strike is over, thankfully, meaning we’ll actually be able to use our tickets to Wicked. That said, I’m now so tempted to buy tickets for The Farnsworth Invention, a new stage play by Mr. West Wing himself, Aaron Sorkin.
• Have you heard Emma Clarke’s spoofs of the London Underground announcements? She’s widely known as the “voice” behind most lines of the Tube, and besides having a reassuring delivery, she has a sense of humor too. Example: “Would passengers filling in answers on the Sudokus please accept that they’re just crosswords for the unimaginative and are not in any way more impressive just because they contain numbers.” I hope she’s reinstated after being fired for what she claims is a misunderstanding of her comments about traveling on the Tube.
• I got a new phone last week – the LG Shine. It’s sleek, but wider and heavier than my previous LG, and the battery life leaves much to be desired. While I’m still getting used to the differences, I don’t like the placement of the CLR button above SEND. It’s a mis-key waiting to happen.

• I’m so glad I’m not the only one – phantom vibrations, or “ringxiety” are becoming more and more common. One man they interviewed for the article made me laugh – he claims to anticipate messages on his Blackberry, “I’ll feel it, look at it. It’s not vibrating. Then it starts vibrating…I am one with my BlackBerry.”
• Have you seen a hyphen lately? Editors of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary announced the dropping of hyphens for over 16,000 words.
• Via the Globe & Mail, here’s a fun little blog about the “misuse” of quotation marks.
• Would you like a side of snark with that card? Also gleaned from the Globe, the tagline for someecards reads, “When you care enough to hit send.” Amusing cards (and there are many) include, “I’m ready to change my Facebook status when you are”, “Your Starbucks drink order embarrasses me”, and “I’d like to offer moral support but I have questionable morals.”
• Ticket prices for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games were released last week. Prospective buyers can now apply to be considered, and for over-subscribed events, a lottery system will be utilized. If you were curious, the gold medal game in men’s hockey will cost between $350-775.
• Speaking of hot tickets, I have heard nothing but good things about NAIT’s weekly Student Showcase buffet at Ernest’s, put on by students enrolled in the culinary arts program. I called this week to make a reservation, but didn’t expect a date so far in advance – April 2008. I would imagine that by now, tables will not be available until the following school year. It had better be amazing.
• Today happens to be my blog’s one year birthday! I didn’t quite make it to an average of one post a day, but I’m still happy with how far I’ve come since last October. Thanks for reading!

I called Langano Skies on Sunday night with the intention of reserving a table for a group of us the next day, but it turned out the restaurant is closed Mondays. Anna attempted the same with a few eateries close by to no avail.

So nearly by default we ended up at Next Act Pub & Grill (8224 104 Street). Or should I say, everyone else did, as I arrived just as the flashes were going off. But with the magic of photos, it appears as if I had been there the entire time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit much with Doug (and Jared) who had to leave, but after having my supper packed to go, the rest of us piled over to Michael’s place to chat. Thanks for having us Michael!

Yes, the title is a bad joke, but one I’ll only use once in my life, so it’s permissible.

I won’t subject anyone to the gritty details of my wisdom teeth extraction, but I will say that the entire procedure only took 40 minutes or so (I didn’t even get to watch #1 on the noon-hour MuchMoreMusic Countdown!).

I had been dreading the appointment (as I’ve heard my share of stories – both good and bad – over the last few weeks), but it occurred to me halfway through, sitting in that chair, that the extraction was routine for everyone else involved. So much so that the dentist and his assistant started conversing about last night’s episode of Lost (could also be a tactic to convince the patient that everything is going well).

Long story short: I’m not as swollen as I had anticipated; I won’t be eating anything substantial for a while; and I look forward to a return to normalcy (also known as being able to eat pizza, chips, steak, etc.).

I spent some time with Bettina this afternoon to celebrate her birthday (happy birthday!) and one of our stops included the perennial favorite, McDonald’s.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the box containing cherry pie – I was curious as to why a couple was featured prominently on the purple packaging. Is there some unknown association between couples and pie? Or maybe, I shouldn’t be asking that question.

I had the privilege of attending May’s CA induction ceremony Saturday morning at the Winspear Centre.

It was quite the well-oiled machine – organized, seamless, and had the perfect balance of achievement recognition, caveat of professional responsibility, and personal anecdotes. Each of the completed UFE writers were formally presented by a CA mentor, who had the opportunity to humanize the graduate beyond the name on the page. Looking at the big picture, and working with the many occupational groups that I do, I sometimes forget that professions are made up of distinct individuals. The ceremony reminded me of that. From unrelated tales of unusual cell phone ring tones to embarrassing and borderline inappropriate stories of wild partying, Monday morning hangovers, and penchants for senior citizens – it was a nice touch for each graduate to have an extended moment in the spotlight (and for the record, May got off pretty easy :).

Other things I learned today:

• Seemingly 90% of CAs work for Price Waterhouse Coopers, who often get sent to the Northwest Territories for audits.
• Intra-profession incest extends beyond the hallowed walls of Education: many of the grads were introduced by family members who also happened to be CAs.
• The U of A School of Business has a charmingly hilarious professor in Dr. Sandy Hilton. He opened with a rather clichéd speech, but quickly redeemed himself throughout the ceremony (his presentation of the “most eligible bachelor” was priceless).
• The ceremony is probably the most fertile recruiting ground for desperate firms – not only were accomplishments and personality traits on display, but it wouldn’t be difficult to track down a desired grad.

It was an interesting experience. Thanks May for inviting me, and congrats again! We will all be approaching you for our tax-related needs!

Gotta love a good analogy. First, there was LC’s comparison of boyfriends to handbags on Laguna Beach:

“LC: No, I think it’s more like purses, actually. You’re always going to have that one boy that you’re always comfortable with and you’ll always kind of like, right? That’s your purse that you wear everywhere, right? Then you have that gorgeous bag you want everyone to see you with.

Jen: Yeah, but the gorgeous bag is usually an ass****.

LC: Or costs a lot of money. Then you have like those other purses that you really like but don’t really want to be seen with.”

And now, an article from The Soko claims that men are like coats.

While the piece isn’t ground breaking, and certainly doesn’t provide any epiphanies, it’s a cute read all the same (especially because I just found a fabulous coat). My favorite comparable quality:

“Ensure the Coat Really Complements You

If you’re committing to a nice article of clothing, you need to make sure that it suits you and your lifestyle — fit, colour, style, etc. Don’t buy the coat if it washes you out or is too big on you or isn’t suitable for an active lifestyle.

Maybe it’s the style of the season, but if it doesn’t work on you, you’re going to be frustrated. With regard to relationships, why invest any further if you know he’s not the person for you? Longevity and quality are key – for coats and relationships.”

My only nitpick: I would expect the optimistically ambiguous ‘he’s out there’ byline to bring out a knee-jerk response of cynicism in most women.

Still, I’ve got the coat, and a girl can’t have everything, right?

It’s ironic that I titled my blog “Optimistically Cautious,” because that’s probably just a hopeful state of mind for me – more people know me as a keen pessimist. It’s not something readily embraced, so it was refreshing for me to read Luke Foster’s column this week in Vue Weekly, which I thought accurately reflected my own thoughts on the start of a new year on paper:

“I don’t understand how the end of something—the end of the year—can be met with such optimism, every time it comes around. And how people believe over and over that this year, this year is going to be different. I’m going to become something that I’m not, do something new that I’ll hate, meet people that I won’t be able stand. What’s so wrong with you now? You’re probably kind of boring, but you’re still you.”

Spot on. There’s really nothing more I can, or want to add.