currently | a positive start to 2014

I have so much to tell you and show you - including a trip to Mexico - but I don't want to force the words out. Here's a look at what's been up lately around here.

watching & listening | to lots of youtube videos.

That includes listening to every Jhene Aiko song I can find - this one in particular. Her voice is so unique and soothing. Her style is hard to peg, but it's half R&B and half chill.

reading | On Looking.

A friend of mine (hi, SE!) recommended this to me about a year ago I'd say and only now am I getting around to it. I've only read a few pages so far, so I can't give you a real review. Based on what I've read so far though, I think it will help me be more present, especially on my walks with Abby.

Sometimes I drag her along in the mornings because I woke up late. I hope to be able to get out of bed earlier and take our walks on a slower pace. I'm sure she would appreciate the extra time to sniff our neighbours' compost bins and find errant turkey bones.

annoyed by | our front door's lock.

With the rain and cold we've had lately, our lock has frozen. It takes me a good minute or so of wiggling and tapping in order to get the key in. Let me just say right here that tapping is putting it lightly. More like slamming? This cannot be done bare-handed - mittens are a must. Otherwise, I would cut myself. So, yesterday I was a bit too ambitious (aggressive?) with my "tapping" and broke D's key in the lock.

neglecting | cleaning my bathroom.

It's really not that bad. Ever since the new year, D & I have been on an organizing/cleaning kick. Straight up, I am a messy person. That said, in the past few weeks I've made a few changes in my habits that have made a huge impact. Now... dishes only sit on the counter for a day or two and I keep a few surfaces free of clutter. The keyword here is few - my dining/craft table always seems to house those things that don't have a "home". Tell me you have a space that seems to collect the most random things...?

We've also reorganized our spare room closet, our tupperware cupboard and two bookshelves. I wish I had pics to show you because this is a major improvement.

So with all of that, my bathroom has taken a back seat.

excited about | buying a house.

I think 2014 is going to be the year. Want to follow along?



Thanks so much for reading,
xx Janelle

currently | frivolous with a side of serious

Now seems like a good time for a little life update. Want to come and virtually sit with me for a minute?

Listening to | Can't Hold Us. I know this Macklemore song came out a few months ago, but I was a bit late to the game. This has been my morning jam lately. I first thought John Legend was the featured artist, but it's Ray Dalton who has that smooth, soulful sound. I need to look up more of his other work. Fun fact: He used to be a gospel singer.

Craving | Anything from Humani-T Cafe. Can I just live there? Or better yet, can their chef come live with me? My current favorite treat is an iced vanilla soy latte. I gulped mine down in less than ten minutes last time. So yummy. It was the first time I had tried an iced latte and I'm already dreaming of my next one.

Yesterday I had their African Peanut Stew and was pleasantly surprised. I have a go-to recipe for this soup, so I was worried it would taste "off" to me, you know what I mean? Thankfully, the flavour was completely different from my recipe and I loved it! It had just the right amount of spice and had big pieces of sweet potato and celery.

Procrastinating | on a project. I've been pretty creatively productive lately - ever since I took a night class at NSCAD in the Spring. But, I've been slow to make progress on a new creative expression program I'm building. More to come on this in a few months... I can't wait to share more with you.

Wishing | I could sleep better. A few situational factors have resulted in me sleeping a little over half of what I normally would. Yesterday I survived the afternoon on chai and a dark chocolate energy boost around 3:00. I trained myself to love the dark, smooth bars by Lindt. Right now I'm loving the 70% plain, but the one with almonds in it is also worth stealing from your coworkers treat drawer. Not that I would ever do that.

---

Thinking about | how to truly acknowledge and more importantly, dissect white privilege. I thought I understood the term before, but I didn't. Last week, I read this post about how to be an anti-racist ally and could not stop thinking about it. The article is very accessible and it helped me recognize a few areas which I needed - and still need to - read up on. 

Although I have been involved in diverse community groups for some time, only now do I realize my own limitations in facilitating diversity workshops. It may sound obvious but as a White person I will never be able to understand what it is like to live as a person of colour. I can assume, carefully listen to others' experiences, read every existing journal article on racism, and even empathize but I will never truly know. This is the very first step to humility. Baby steps.

In the same way, confronting my own biases and prejudices is a never-ending process. It can be uncomfortable at times, but is so necessary. There is still so much I need to learn about diversity, racism and how to advocate respectfully and appropriately for and alongside those who are systemically oppressed. With time and patience...

Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you stopping by and reading my rants and rambles. Especially when they are about things that are so important to me.

xx Janelle

Post idea credit to Dani at Sometimes Sweet.

currently : january fourteenth

photo by Ansel Adams for Department of the Interior, via flickr | text by me

Listening: I can't say Ellie Goulding because that was my answer last time... so I'll say rap. Lots of rap & hip hop. When I bought my new computer last May, I decided not to download iTunes to save some hard-drive space so I rely on D for most of my music. In the evenings lately I've been hearing Trinidad James and Kendrick Lamar. We had a good laugh about some Kendrick lyrics yesterday... We always insert Abby's (our dog & the star of my blog) name into the lyrics and the result is often hilariously bad. I can't even think of retyping some of the funny ones here. Haha. You know how it is...

Watching: Luther on Netflix! It's so addictive. You guys know Idris Elba, right? Well not only is he a stunner, but he can act. He plays a clever, temperamental cop in the BBC drama. We just finished the first season (6 episodes) last night and were so impressed. It had such a cliffhanger ending that we will probably pick up with the second season tonight.

Eating/Drinking: Hummus wraps. I threw a couple of these together for my work lunches. Thinly sliced peppers and a big dollop of hummus on a spinach wrap. Too easy to be this tasty. And I'm now drinking so. much. coffee. It's free at work, so it's such a temptation. I'm trying to break it up a bit with some tea and cold water though. Too much coffee for me = a bit jittery mess.

Talking about: Racism. I know that's a bit heavy. D and I were talking yesterday about the pervasive racist mentality of some people. So-called, "subtle racism" is such a big problem that is also hard to talk about with family or close friends. No one wants to be called a racist, but some ideas need to be challenged. I think if we treated all people as the photo above suggests, we would all be better off. People are not their race, age, socio-economic status, sexuality, sex, religion or otherwise; they are humans and we should treat them as such. If only it were that simple...

Dreaming about: Taking a vacation with my love. We've been talking about visiting the US this year and I really, really hope we can swing it. We want to visit a new climate, whether it's the mountains, the desert or a coastal city in the deep South. Yesterday we looked up concerts and events in New Orleans, but Phoenix is also a contender. We'll see where we end up.

Looking forward to: My new Saturday volunteering gig. I signed up to volunteer with Happily Ever Active, a no-cost fitness program in Halifax for seniors with mobility or health concerns and my first session was last Saturday. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed it! I was looking for an arts/health based volunteering program for the past few months and in December I came across the organization via a FB post. I'm glad I waited to find a volunteering opportunity that matches my interests and skills and I'm so excited to build relationships and work with seniors. Not only is it a rewarding experience, but it's actually fun. Moving & grooving to some Johnny Cash on a weekend morning is my idea of a good time.

What have you been up to lately? Do you watch Luther? Let's chat.

xx Janelle

Thank you to Danielle @ Sometimes Sweet for this post inspiration.

Currently | the holiday homestretch

a pic from an october training session

Watching: Nothing right at the moment. I am very much looking forward to watching Dexter later on tonight though. I won't spoil it for you, but the past few episodes have been picking up. Shit is gonna go down very soon and I can't wait to see how it will play out.

I've also started watching the Mindy Project (Canadian friends can watch here!) and am hooked. Mindy Kaling (aka Kelly Kapoor from the Office) plays a bubbly, ditzy private-practice gyno living the single life. To be honest, the first few episodes are not so great. Stick it out though! Episode 4-6 are laugh-out-loud funny - this coming from a girl who rarely laughs during TV shows. I rewound the opening scene of episode 7 an embarrassing amount of times. Even D watched a few episodes with my friend, C & I.

Listening to: All Ellie Goulding, all the time. I can't help myself. Her new album, Halcyon, is really, really good. Figure 8 is the best song on the album, I think, with Hanging On (ft. Tinie Tempah) a close second. I like the tone of her voice and how she uses it as an instrument in many of her songs.

I'm also enjoying Nicki Minaj & Cassie's new collaboration Boys. It makes me want to get my ass back to hip-hop class.

Planning: Christmas gifts! I love shopping for other people, more than I like shopping for myself. Today I took advantage of my lunch break to pick up a few things for my sister downtown. I have my mom & brother left to buy for and then I'm done.

My favorite part of the gift-giving is wrapping. I miss working in retail for that very reason. I once wrapped 100 ornaments in one day - and loved every second of it. Anyone need help wrapping? Haha. This year I'm going to do kraft paper wrap with gold glitter tags & teal ribbon to tie in with my decorations. No one notices these things, but I do it just for myself!

Thinking about: Work stuff. There are some pretty big changes going on right now and I'm trying to tie up loose ends before our last day of 2012. Lots to do, but it makes the days go by quickly. I can't complain.
 
Reading: In The Falling Snow by Caryl Phillips, a novel on race, family and love set in Britain. I'm not quite a quarter of the way through but I'm invested in the main character already. In the most recent chapter, the protagonist is asked to take a leave of absence from his job in the public sector. He put an end to a romantic fling with one of his employees and as a result, she forwarded all of their personal (ie. explicit) emails to everyone in their department. I now realize that this makes it sound like a cheap romance novel, but it's not at all. The novel serves to examine the complexities of interracial relationships and how they can test familial loyalties.

Making me happy: Being cozy. Now is the time of year when I crave comfort. Give me a meatpie & some wool socks and I'm set. I spent last Saturday night curled up on the couch with my Christmas pajamas on, S'mores hot chocolate in a tree mug, a fluffy blanket, my dog at my feet and some candles. It was so relaxing, just what I needed.

There is nothing I love more than coming home on a rainy/snowy blustery night and putting on some warm sweats or leggings and cozying up on the couch. As much as I say summer is my favorite season, I love the Fall/Winter, before it gets too cold. Just chilly enough to make me appreciate my nice, warm bed and a hot drink.

What have you been up to lately? Have you been enjoying any snuggly nights at home?

Thanks to Danielle @ Sometimes Sweet & Megan @ meganislove for the post idea!