Quotable Women: Installment Two

To follow-up on last month’s post of memorable quotations taken from my page-a-day calendar (which thus far has an overrepresentation of thoughts from Marilyn Monroe and Coco Chanel), here are a few more gems:

“If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?” – Anonymous

“When women go wrong, men go right after them.” – Mae West

“People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do for a husband or a wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you’ll feel comfortable wearing. Allow room for growth.” – Erma Bombeck

“Perhaps all human progress stems from the tension between two basic drives: to have just what everyone else has and to have what no one has.” – Judith Stone

And though I don’t want to disrespect the sentiment of International Women’s Day, I found it too ironic that of all days, I came across this definition in this month’s Alberta Venture magazine today:

glass cliff – an important project or senior job given to a woman with a high risk of failure (cf. glass ceiling, e.g. Rona Ambrose)

Revolutionary Speakers’ Series: Art Spiegelman

Sometimes an event is witnessed that shouldn’t be reduced to text because it deserves the sensory justice of an in-the-moment experience. This was one of those nights.

My APT English professor first exposed me to the work of Art Spiegelman, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus. It was my first brush with graphic novels, and it amazed me how the visuals collided with the text to produce a piece more poignant than simply using either or. In the classroom, I found that students in both streams of English responded exceptionally well to it, as comix supplied a non-threatening base for discussion. Moreover, it allowed for a seamless transition to the more widely-recognized Eli Wiesel’s Night. Needless to say, when I heard Spiegelman was coming to town as a part of the Students’ Union’s Revolutionary Speakers’ Series, I marked my calendar straightaway.

I was simply awestruck – Spiegelman was eloquent, witty, humble (he only ever wanted to write a “long comic book that needed a bookmark”) and exemplified the perfect balance between gravitas and humor, of which the latter enhanced the former by way of personable credence. Though he spoke much faster than I could process, he had the endearing quality of a brilliant-but-rambling professor who embraced what teachable tangents arose.

While his main focus was on the theme of “forbidden images” (in particular the Muhammad cartoons printed in the Danish papers), the talk in part became a “brief history of comics.” He has a phenomenal knowledge base, and with names sprinkled throughout, I had to strain back to the recesses of my brain to resurrect what threadlike remembrance I had of Francisco Goya, the Chapman Brothers, and Roy Lichtenstein (and those were the only artists I recognized). Spiegelman effectively made use of slides during his “performance” (as “performers are allowed to smoke”), with pictorial representations of everything he addressed. The New Yorker had always been in the periphery of politico-cool to me, but I never really paid attention to the satiric punchlines delivered by their pot-stirring cover art.

In addition to discussing the importance of trusting the artist, a split between what’s forbidden being grotesque versus sensational, and the media’s confusion of symptoms and causes, I liked that he addressed that the artist cannot control the interpretation of images where meaning could be warped by the brain’s almost primal, knee-jerk response to visual stimuli.

I also appreciated the insight he provided into his creative process (how both Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers came about), and the snitches of personal anecdotes he shared (how a Neo-Nazi documentary showed a young German with a Maus poster on his wall, citing that that was the only image of a Swastika he could obtain, and how second only to cocaine how his series of “Garbage Pail Kids” trading cards have been illegally shipped to Mexico).

I guess I didn’t expect a comix genius to be such a great speaker as well, so though I highly respected Art Spiegelman before tonight, after listening to his presentation, I am now hold him in wondrous regard. I look forward to his next engagement, or at the very least, his next great work.

“Solo Mish”: Blue Plate Diner

I watch movies alone at the theatre once in a while, and have been doing so for as long as I can remember (sad but true fact: there was a period where Bridget Jones was probably as much of a friend as anyone I knew in person). Inspired by an episode of Sex and the City where Carrie has lunch on her own at a sidewalk café, I wanted to get over the fear of eating alone at a restaurant.

So tonight, before attending a speaking event, I headed to the Blue Plate Diner for the ultimate in comfort food – meatloaf.

Walking in, I found it incredibly empowering just uttering the words “for one, please.” While I admit this could very well be one of my disillusioned soapbox moments, I could appreciate the feeling of freedom that comes with not having to dine with another, or select the always inspiring food court alternative. The hostess discriminatingly sat me against a wall (as opposed to a window), I’m sure to discourage the thought from pedestrians passing by that Blue Plate was the sterling choice for loners and workaholics. In that vein, I did haul out some writing to do, so in a sense masked my solo meal in a cloud of acceptable busyness. Perhaps that is my next step – to do as Carrie did and not hide behind books or stacks of paper.

As for the food, I’ve had the Herbed Meatloaf enough times to know what to expect – the best grilled vegetables in the city (maybe it’s the charcoal?), homemade mashed potatoes, and a hearty slice of ground beef heaven. I know I’ve complained in the past about the tomato sauce smothered on top, but I’ve come to like it as a sweet additive to the dish along the lines of last week’s Chicken Cannoli at Moxie’s.

So I can now cross off “eat at a restaurant alone” from my list of 43 Things. Hurrah!

Restaurant interior

The eternally cute “Drinking Jar”

Herbed Meatloaf with Grilled Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes

Random Weekend Notes

Millwoods finally has its first stand-alone Starbucks (2331-66 Street)! Though “finally” is a misnomer in this case, as its been in operation since August of last year. I guess I just haven’t paid enough attention when passing by the south side of the Mill Woods Town Centre complex. Anyway, to help ease the pain of phonetic transcription exercises this morning (I naively thought my days facing the evil schwa were over), I bought myself a vanilla cupcake. I must say it wasn’t bad – moist, and topped off with creamy, buttery icing, I even pardoned the oily paper cup as a byproduct of forced freshness. So at $1.95, and more accessible than the few and far between specialty cupcake shops, it’s a worthwhile indulgence.

Vanilla cupcake, coffee, and homework

Speaking of Starbucks, Mack told me about a novel documentary called Starbucking that will be out on DVD in April. The movie focuses on why a man has made it his personal mission to visit every Starbucks in the world.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to make like my coworker Anna and walk home after a seminar at the Grey Nuns Hospital (if you were wondering, as I was, Youville Drive, the street the hospital is on, is named after St. Marguerite d’Youville, the first native Canadian to be elevated to sainthood). It was one of those perfect pre-spring winter days with sunshine, fresh, cool air, and active, visible wildlife. The trek was a modest 45 minutes, and particularly after a meandering stint in the Mill Creek Ravine (I wish I had my camera!), made me wonder why I don’t do this more often. Like withdrawn new year’s resolutions, the answer to that is simple of course, but I hope to be more “active” as the weather shifts, and perhaps blogging this will make me more accountable for such grand visions.

OpenTable.com

Before heading to Vancouver, as I mentioned in my previous post, I made sure to make a reservation at Feenie’s for brunch. The restaurant’s website had the option to connect to an external portal called Open Table. I had seen the name before, but hadn’t used the site before this instance. I figured it was worth a shot.

Signing up with for a free account was straightforward, as was subsequently searching up the availability of seats. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure my desired table for 5 for the time period (including two hours earlier and later) that I had in mind. Though my initial thought was to split up our dining crew, I figured as a last shot, I’d just call Feenie’s directly. And it worked – table for 5, 11am.

So why use Open Table at all? It turns out they offer a Dining Rewards Program – standard reservations garner 100 points, and the redemption chart for Canadian members is as follows:

Redeem 2,000 points and get a $26 OpenTable Dining Cheque
Redeem 5,000 points and get a $65 OpenTable Dining Cheque
Redeem 10,000 points and get a $130 OpenTable Dining Cheque

Not bad, I suppose, but even the first level of redemption requires 20 outings at participating restaurants. This would be difficult for the local diner, as there are only 16 places that currently utilize this service. It might be quite easy for those who dine out for business or travel often, but likely not so for casual diners. Moreover, the restaurants on the list are fairly high-end, so the Dining Cheque presumably wouldn’t be economical or worth the initial expense for this latter group.

Based on my Feenie’s experience, I’d be hesitant to use the service on the basis that receiving an e-mail confirmation isn’t as reassuring as speaking to a live person on the phone, as well as knowing that restaurant personnel can fudge seating where software can’t. I’d be willing to try Open Table for kicks, but I wouldn’t depend upon it for my reservation needs.

Edmonton’s Downtown Dining Week

It’s back! Edmonton’s 4th annual Downtown Dining Week starts this Friday, March 9, and goes until March 18. All menus for participating restaurants (with the exception of tapas bar Tzin, which may or may not be open yet) are up on the website for your viewing pleasure. Warning: do not attempt to read on an empty stomach.

I’m leaning towards Hotel MacDonald’s dinner special (wild mushroom bisque/braised veal cheek/caramel creme brulee), despite the Confederation Lounge versus Harvest Room setting, though I can’t deny the appeal of Pradera’s offering (roasted pumpkin soup/atlantic salmon/belgian chocolate mousse).

Well, if you do head out for a sampling, be sure to let me know what’s good!

The Return of the Free Daily

May 17, 2006 was a sad day. That was the day on which the last paper edition of Dose was published. For months prior, Dose had been my happy morning companion: friendly, unpretentious fluff that still managed to inform. When it died, my morning coffee became a paperless experience.

Back to work on Tuesday, I encountered two newspaper boxes en route to Starbucks. It turns out the major publishing companies will be duking it out in Alberta, with Quebecor’s 24 Hours, CanWest’s Rush Hour, and Torstar Corp/Metro International’s Metro (due out in April)competing for eyeballs in the apparently lucrative Edmonton/Calgary markets.

I haven’t taken an extensive read through of either available paper, but quick scans through both of them were enough to let me know that neither quite hit the spot.

Rush Hour seems more interested in the 18-24 sect, with its heavy focus on pop culture and sensationalist news. For example, bold headlines from the March 1 edition included, “Park it: Paris Hilton in trouble again behind the wheel”, “Refs at Risk?” and “Ouch! Woman jailed in burnt penis attack”. With this content, it does remind me of some of the aspects of Dose that I liked, but I do prefer a side of more ‘serious’ news. A daily feature I do enjoy, however, is the “Dinner in a Flash” recipe. Though not always practical (today’s edition involved an outdoor grill), it’s another no-brainer exposure to cooking that piques my interest.

I’ve had less opportunities to read 24 Hours, but it appears to be more dry, with a lot of content packed onto the pages. 24 definitely leans towards the an older generation (24-45). I may have more to say in a week or two.

Regardless of the quality, the rise of the free daily is a sign that Edmonton is being recognized as a worthwhile market.

Comfortably Casual: Moxie’s Classic Grill

A few of my coworkers and I went to Moxie’s Classic Grill on Bourbon Street in West Edmonton Mall (1670, 8882-170 Street) for a bite to eat tonight.

My favorite of the non-Earls, upscale casual chains, I’ve always found Moxie’s inviting, with a good menu and reasonable service. Tonight was no different.

I ordered the Chicken Cannoli (spinach, ricotta cheese and chicken topped off with creamy sauces), which was a first for me, as I almost always choose the Penne Primavera (which typically takes care of a week’s worth of vegetables for me). Though the food arrived after a protracted delay, it was worth the wait – the melted cheeses and the sweet tomato sauce complemented the slightly dry chicken well. And with two pieces of crispy, buttery garlic bread, the meal was definitely satisfying.

My one nitpick of the evening was that they “Moxie-sized” my Bellini without confirming with me first, but I will give our server credit for waiting us out (leering at us only once during our lengthy post-dinner chat), as we did overstay our welcome somewhat.

All in all, it was a great night.

Chicken Cannoli

Vancouver Day 4: Tourists for the Day

When Mack and Dickson booked their flight for this trip using Air Miles, their choice of return flights were slim. So between late Saturday and early Monday departures, they selected the latter. So I may ultimately have to thank Air Miles for their indirect provision of Sunday as my day to play tourist.

I had in mind weeks earlier that the only thing I wanted to do in Vancouver was to dine at Feenie’s (2563 West Broadway). As I could not possibly afford the expense of Rob Feenie’s other restaurant, Lumiere, it seemed its more casual neighbour was the economical compromise.

I made brunch reservations for us a week earlier (keeping in mind that by the day of the conference on Friday, we had a place to eat on Sunday but no place to sleep). If you know me well, you’ll know that I managed to build up a set of monumental expectations in the time in between. Well, in all honesty, I wasn’t shattered by disappointment, but I wasn’t floored either.

Feenie’s is separated into three dining spaces: a bar area; a sequestered, almost private dining room in the back; and a windowed main room where we were seated. I felt a bit claustrophobic actually, as we were mere inches from the next table. Secondly, this is my personal bias and connotation of the meaning of brunch, but sunshine is part and parcel of my favorite meal. This day offered quintessential Vancouver grey, and is one of the reasons Feenie’s didn’t shine for me.

Dickson and I both opted for the Omelete (which for that day included red – not green – onion and mozzarella), while Mack and Megan selected the Croque Madame, and Megan’s friend Kelsey ordered the Granola.

While the presentation of all three dishes was clean and with good color, the quality of the food left something to be desired. Dickson disputes this, but I found the egg far too runny, though we both agreed the portion size was much too small. Mack surprised me, and out of all of us, seemed to enjoy the restaurant the most, even offering his opinion that the accompanying salad was meant to be a “palette cleanser” of sorts (we will make an epicurean of him yet, methinks). He was, however, quite upset with the fact that coffee cost $4, the price of which we weren’t aware of beforehand.

Feenie’s at last!

Our dining area

Omelete

Croque Madame

Granola

All smiles

Megan, Kelsey and I were pretty excited about Cupcakes (2887 West Broadway), located just a few blocks down from Feenie’s. So after brunch, despite the rain, we trekked onward. Surrounded by pink, the shop was everything you’d expect from a cupcake bakery. I found they had an even better selection than Buttercream Bakeshoppe in Calgary or the Cupcake Bakeshoppe in Edmonton, with the option for mini ‘cakes, which were great for sampling.

Having tried cupcakes from the three major western cities in Canada, I have to say Cupcakes takes the cake – I didn’t even mind the buttercream frosting. So if you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit!

We found it!

Cupcakes galore

Kelsey with menu

Yum!

Our stash

Is it just a coincidence the cupcake is called “Sweet Sixteen”?

I’ve seen this picture countless times, and it still makes me laugh every time…

Mack, Dickson and I parted from Megan & Kelsey (Megan was scheduled to leave that evening), and took the bus downtown, passing up both the Vancouver Art Gallery, and a movie at the nearby Paramount Theatre. We ended up chilling at Blenz, where Mack, ever the blogger, took advantage of their free wireless internet. The “London Fog Tea Latte” I had was a soothing alternative to coffee – a light tasting steamed milk/Earl Grey blend. After days of being on the go, it was nice to be able to just sit and people watch for a while, without having to be conscious of time.

The Robson Rush

Dickson looking suspiciously at Mack

Quick ‘Snack at Tiffany’s’

In my continuous quest to see and do as the locals do, I had picked up one of the Vancouver equivalents to Edmonton’s See and Vue Magazines, The Georgia Straight. In it I saw an ad for an annual festival called Winterruption on Granville Island. The program brochure online listed numerous free events, so I thought it would be the perfect outlet to play tourist.

Entering Granville Island

Boats

This was my first time on Granville “Island,” surprising especially because the area is extremely tourist-oriented, with gift shops and information booths at every turn. The mini-harbor was beautiful at dusk, with docked boats and glassy condos completing the picturesque feeling.

Mack & Dickson on the “harbor”

Not minding the paparazzi

The Public Market was amazing – had we stayed in Vancouver longer, I would have definitely purchased a few bags of groceries to cook with.

Fresh produce

Novel pasta

Amazing seafood (and I despise seafood)

Thumbing through the Winterruption brochure, I came across a free jazz concert featuring the Amina Figarova Sextet. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have sat so close to stage (second row), as the trumpet especially was awfully loud. But other than that, it was quite enjoyable. Though yes, there was a movement during the September Suite where I realized a caffeinated drink at Blenz would have been a good idea.

After the concert, we were right on time to watch the Fire Show performance outside. It was brief but entertaining (though that could be the kerosene fumes talking). Under the twinkly lights of the decorated crane, breathing in the crisp-not-cold air, I couldn’t have been a happier tourist.

Fire Show (Mack’s shot)

For dinner, we selected the waterfront restaurant Bridges (1696 Duranleau Street). Though our dining companion Robert claimed that Bridges was at its best in patio weather, I thought the glass enclosed bistro was a wonderful bookend to a fabulous day. Classy, chic, and boasting a menu with many excellent non-seafood choices, it was my favorite Vancouver dining experience thus far. I ordered the Asiago, Mozzarella & Parmesan Pizza, served with Tomato and Basil. Delightfully thin and crispy (the product of a pizza stone), it was the best pizza I’ve had in recent memory.

Bridges (a beautiful shot by Mack)

Corner view

Mack & I

My pizza (which Mack ordered as well)

Dickson’s stir-fried rice

With that, and an 8am flight the next morning, my abbreviated vacation came to a close. While I will long for Vancouver’s trenchcoat weather, I will always be thankful for friends who are there to remind me to get off the bus. It was a blast guys! Thanks!

Vancouver Day 3: Northern Voice Conference

We awoke Saturday morning to sleet. But believe me, after Friday, I would have taken bad weather over Moosecamp anytime. And fortunately, the actual conference was better organized and more interesting than the previous day.

Anil Dash of Six-Apart opened the day as the keynote. Although a very good speaker, to be honest, I can’t remember anything really concrete or profound to share. Except possibly his comments on how carbon copying someone on an e-mail is really a backhanded insult.

After that, Megan and I spent the better part of, no, scratch that, the entire day in the windowless Room 1003. And because anyone has the option of listening to the sessions on Podcast Spot (the reason why we were there to begin with), I won’t bore with many details about the AM presentations, except to say that I was disappointed that there wasn’t more content directed at secondary or elementary school teaching. The education-oriented lectures focused on academia and post-secondary applications of social software and wikis, and even after squinting, I found transferable applications difficult to find.

Dickson preparing to record

Mack playing Hexic on the big screen

Following lunch (at wet & wild McDonald’s!), we were treated to the southern twang of an Owen-Wilson-esque former lawyer in a session entitled “Legal Rights and Liabilities for Bloggers.” Of note was the fact that U.S. law protects those who choose to write defamatory comments on others’ (or one’s own) blog. Also, due to repetition, I now have the phrase “You have the right to blog, but no right to a job” permanently etched in my brain. Funny, with the number of times the speaker had to repeat the fact that he “didn’t know Canadian law,” it made you wonder why the organizers didn’t, you know, host a Canadian speaker instead.

The “Social Web for Karmic Good” session was a write off (I still can’t tell you what was presented in that hour I will never get back), but the last discussion in the afternoon on “Love and Dating Online” was great. Among the panel of speakers was the CEO of plentyoffish.com and a woman who recently married a man she met online. I was very impressed by the moderator who was well prepared with a list of talking points, but more than that, kept the dialogue positive and lighthearted. Topics included how to define “dating” (e.g. a “monogamous correspondence” haha), rules of meeting someone, profile writing, and trends (apparently, there will be a movement in the next six months towards free services because it’s much too tough to maintain paid-only sites). Essentially, it’s not like You’ve Got Mail, and your soul mate probably won’t be a Manhattan millionaire.

Panel (Markus Frind, Ponzi Indharasophang, Leah Szabo, Rebecca Holt)

Megan and I at the end of Day 2

As Darren, one of the organizers, mentioned in his closing interview, the day did feel kind of long. But at the end of it, though much of the tech information was over my head, I don’t regret coming to Northern Voice. It was definitely a new experience, and not a wholly negative one; I learned many new things, and subsequently would like to believe that I can now hold my own in a cocktail party conversation about certain technologies (“What do you think about wikis?”).

We headed back to the Village for dinner that night, settling on Vera’s Burger Shack. The prices were reasonable at this cute and cozy eatery, but we were unpleasantly surprised with the quality of the food, particularly because their burgers had been voted one of the best in the city by readers of a popular weekly. The menu insisted the patties were made “fresh” and with “full fat,” but for some reason, were ultimately tasteless, as the ground beef obviously hadn’t been flavored with marinades or spices of any kind. On the bright side, the fries hit the comfort food spot just right.