a peek inside the fishbowl

I first wrote about Fishbowl patron Sean McCann a.k.a. The Guy With the Dog back in April. He knows Westboro, and I really like that he stands 100% behind the community he lives and works in. He’s passionate about supporting small businesses too (just like I am!) and I love that this is reflected in his choice for a blog giveaway.

Sean has pulled together a Best of the West(boro) package for our giveaway today. It is, essentially, a shopping spree. I am really excited because he’s picked some great shops.

ONE person has the opportunity to win the following bunch of gift cards:

• $25 to spend at Bridgehead (go there first, to fuel up!)
• $50 to spend at Lululemon
• $50 to spend at The Works
• $25 to spend at MEC
• $25 to spend at The Candy Store (also a blog patron, woot!)
• $25 to spend at Bark & Fitz (Obviously!)

Dear winner, promise me you’ll wear your comfy walking shoes before you set out, ok? :)

Here’s what you need to know. Please read carefully!

• This giveaway is open to anyone residing in the Ottawa area (not just in Westboro), but it is void where prohibited in Quebec. (Sorry mes amis, here’s why.)
• The winner will have to pick up their prize in a timely manner at Sean’s office. It’s at 1335 Carling Avenue, Suite 200, in Ottawa. (You’ll need to call ahead to arrange for pick up; 613-725-1171 and ask for Stephanie Duffey.)
• In order for your entry to qualify you must leave a comment below and tell us, what is your favourite destination in Westboro? It doesn’t need to be any of the stores listed, it could be a coffeeshop, restaurant or a park. Let me know!
• One entry per family please. We want lots of people to have the opportunity to win.
• If you can’t post your comment here because you’re behind a firewall at work or whatever, you can email it to me for posting: andrea at quietfish dot com (however I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder!)
• Good karma goes to those who tweet or post about this on their Facebook profiles. I bet you didn’t know this but it actually increases your odds of winning. ;)
  
• I will do a random draw of all qualifying entries using Random.org at noon EST on Saturday August 13, 2011.

This is not a requirement of this giveaway, but you should know that The Guy With the Dog is on Facebook and Twitter. I encourage you to connect with Sean and his team for great local info. :)

That’s it! Over to you. Thank you Sean for hosting this giveaway! Hurray for shopping local!

I haven’t posted anything about our reno plans for awhile, but let me assure you that it’s still happening, albeit at a snail’s pace. I’m ok with that, I mean really, we’ve waited THIS long, what’s another few months?

This is our architect’s most recent rendering of the upstairs:

It’s already an old version because we had a meeting in between and a few little things have changed. (You might want to open up a larger version of this image because there are some extra notes in there too.)

Notable changes to this plan include:

1) The counter in the family bathroom. I decided that it shouldn’t be slanted. Although I like the effect, I prefer having extra floor space. Also, I couldn’t imagine what that “extra” counter space in the corner would be used for. (“How about a decorative flower arrangement?” suggested Mark.) Ummm, no.

2) The left and right sides of the master bedroom will be bumped out. On the left (south-facing) there’ll be a window seat. (Mark’s suggestion! He knows it’s been my dream to have a window seat. Thank you honey. That made up for the comment about the bathroom counter.) On the right, a little inset alcove to accommodate a dresser, and maybe a transom window, because it faces my neighbor’s house.

3) Removal of the second bathroom door, the one that goes into the master bedroom. We’ll gain a bit of extra wall on both sides and make the bathroom a bit more private.

I wrote the architect an email yesterday, asking whether or not we are giving ourselves enough space. The floor space of the second storey (as pictured above) does not equal the floor space of the addition underneath it. It’s smaller. This looks gorgeous from the back (in fact, I love it more than the front of our house) but I wonder whether we would better maximize our usable space to build two full storeys out the back? Would it be more prudent from an economic perspective? Is it true what they say (that elusive “they!”) that every corner that’s added to an addition adds to the overall costs?

Anyway, we’ve emailed our concerns to the architect. We’ll see what he says.

What do you think? Your comments are always welcome!

I once knew someone who didn’t try “real” cheese until he moved out of the house. He grew up eating processed cheese slices and cheese in a jar. This depresses me, because I think life without cheese is a very sad one indeed.

If it’s individually sliced, or comes in a jar it can’t be properly called cheese. In fact, I’m amazed that food manufacturers like Kraft can get away with calling it cheese. It should be called a “cheese-like product,” or “imitation cheese” but I guess people wouldn’t want to buy it if it was deemed to be an imitation. It’s a cheese mockery!

Don’t get me wrong. I like fake cheese. It’s one of my vices. That gooey stuff that goes on nachos… the kind that comes in a jar (TOSTITOS® Salsa Con Queso is one brand) makes me weak in the knees. Which is why I never buy it. This is baaaad for our bodies. When I peer down into a half-full jar of the stuff I like to imagine it glommed on to my hips, forming a rippling pocketmarked jiggly texture under my skin. This is a pretty decent deterrent. (Hey, whatever works, right?)

As I type this I have to ask myself why. Why do I like this stuff? I can’t really answer that. Perhaps it’s a means to an end when I’m having a salt craving. Jarred cheese is a salt delivery mechanism.

I was reading the history of cheese entry on Wikipedia this morning, and something jumped out at me. Apparently Americans buy more processed cheese than “real” cheese. I bet we’re not far off in Canada either.

About a month ago I attended my first ever cheese-tasting event hosted by SavvyCompany and it made me realize that life is too short to be eating fake cheese. I came home and looked at that sad, hard, brick of “lite” brie in my fridge (can you believe that something like that exists?) and realized that I was changed forever.

I think if I’m going to indulge in cheese it’s better to eat the real thing.

For some reason we live in a society that has reimagined cheese, and not in a very good way either. (And this is coming from someone who’s crazy about cheese-flavoured anything. Cheezies, for example. Oy. I’m drooling as I write this. ) Cheese has been relegated to a seasoning, or flavouring for chips and other salty snacks, boxed macaroni, and grilled cheese sandwiches. This is not what cheese is supposed to be. It used to be a real food. Real cheese can stand on its own. Real cheese can be eaten alongside a bowl of grapes, half an apple, or a good hunk of bread as an accompaniment.

And that’s why I’ve been on a cheese spree. We’re lucky to be bordering a few great cheese-makin’ regions and actually have a lot of great cheeses to choose from. Next time you’re at the grocery store (Farm Boy is really good for this) look around for something that is made a little closer to home. I understand the hesitation. It’s intimidating, but you have to start somewhere. Ask the people behind the counter to point you in the right direction.

We talk about eating local – fruits! veggies! – but let’s not forget the local butchers, bakers, and especially the cheese makers.

This is a cheese I picked up at Farm Boy recently. You can probably see why it caught my eye, right? Is that not the cutest package ever?

Turns out I walked home with the 2004 Winner of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prize for Semi-Soft Cheeses (!). It was a lovely and mild cheese, and I carved a slice for myself every day until it was gone. Funny thing about real cheese, like fine chocolate and ice cream it takes a lot less of it to make you happy. What’s up with that?

What’s your feeling about cheese? What are your fave finds? I’d love to hear your recommendations.