Day 24: Chocolate Workshop.

Posted on March 24, 2012 by LaLa

Ya, making things out of chocolate is really hard work, so today, I took one for the team.  I mean, I’m personally much more of a savoury than a sweet person, but I’m still a human being, and so if you don’t like chocolate, I’m afraid we can’t be friends, because that would make you an alien, and I’m not into the whole human-alien thing.  It’s that simple.

Did I mention today’s Chocolate Making Workshop brought to you by David and the rest of the magnificent folks at Chocolate Tales was another fabulous voucher purchase, courtesy of Daily Deal Tips (how I do love thee)?  If you haven’t signed up already, then you haven’t been paying attention.  This is just an entirely new deal dimension!  But I digress.

The workshop began with a festive Easter egg moulding session, where we used a diner ketchup dispenser full of molten white chocolate to decorate the outer shell, as well as to lovingly intersperse a couple of interior layers between ladles of liquid brown gold, aka milk chocolate.  Let’s get this party started!  To avoid anyone trying to guzzle the white chocolate directly from the bottle (surely I wasn’t the only one thinking it), David smartly provided us with a few tiny cups of different flavoured ganache – a liquid blend of heavy cream and chocolate = pure bliss.  The mixes of chocolate with cinnamon, chocolate with ginger, and chocolate with cayenne pepper made our mouths salivate and tingle with delight.  It was on!

Next, I’m sure there was some kind of demo or explanation or something, but I was experiencing some kind of glycemic gigglefest, as we got to make our own truffles.  We were provided with slabs of chilled ganache, different cutout shapes, cups of cocoa powder and coconut flakes, as well as a big cupful of warm ganache to use optionally as a topcoat (the instructor seemed to make a point of telling our table that it was not for drinking…  Whatever…)

We made and placed our truffles onto a sheet lined with parchment paper to which we added our initials with more of the white chocolate liquid, and said goodbye as they went into the chiller.  We were then given a spoon to use to ingest whatever was left of our molten ganache that we had not already guzzled right out of the cup.  I mean, hello – it’s already in a cup.  Why the extra utensil?  I’m doing my bit to save the planet by not using a plastic spoon, am I right?

Finally, we got to add our own little white chocolate finishing touch to a pre-made molten chocolate cake in a little tin, which was then baked and that we were able to eat on the spot (or save for later… like that was gonna happen).  This was a nice distraction as we got to reclaim our now solidified Easter egg and truffles, and set to packaging them into little transparent bags and into a box cutely tied with ribbon so that you don’t eat everything before you get to your car.  Although trying to tuck into them while driving when they are tied with ribbon might be even more dangerous than texting… just saying.

Personally, I’m very proud of my creations today, and think that this would be a really fun activity for a blind date.  I mean, even if the other person is a total dud, at least you end up with chocolate to eat, so you still come out ahead (pun unintentional).  Enjoy!

  

 

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Day 23: Ear Candling.

Posted on March 23, 2012 by LaLa

So today’s new thing actually stemmed from a random act of good karma, even though it might sound a  little self-indulgent.  These two friends of a friend, Brad and Galo, are selling everything they own to drive out west and live in a tent for four months to learn how to be natural builders in sustainable cob construction.  To help fund the trip (all those Timmy breaks don’t pay for themselves), they organized a couple of Ultimate Spa Days, Brad being the former proprietor of a couple of spas in the GTA.  And what girl couldn’t use a little ultimate anything, especially on a Friday?

The guys lined up some therapeutic friends of theirs to round out the suite of offerings.  The package included your choice of 3 of about 7 different services for a grand total of $75.  Not too shabby!  I opted for a shoulder and neck massage, a hand polish with deep moisturizing paraffin treatment, and, my new thing for the day, Ear Candling.

Some, okay, many might consider the treatment a little hokey or even dangerous, Health Canada included; however, I knew a lot of people who had been getting it done for years without any issue, and who were very happy with the results.  So, I thought I’d try it for myself.  After all, that’s kind of what this whole year is about.

The ear-drumsticks

We started with the candling, which is a good thing, because it was giving me a little anxiety, having read the above ‘avoid for your own safety’ messages.  Sometimes, I really do think ignorance is bliss, and this is definitely one of those times.

Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire.

The procedure began with putting my hair into a very unflattering, yet stylish cap, and lying down on a massage table on my side.  I then stuck one of the hollow candles into my ear, as far down as it would comfortably go, trying to keep it is as upright as possible.  The Candler (my term, because it somehow reminds me of The Riddler) arranged a towel at the base (i.e., over my face) to avoid any wax falling on me, and then she lit it.  I heard a crackling sound as it began to burn, but I didn’t really feel anything until the candle burned down close to my ear giving off a fair bit of heat.  During the ten or so minutes it was sizzling, The Candler frequently snipped off the charred part of the wick into a small metal bowl of water.  When it was done, The Candler pulled it out of my ear, blew out the flame, and snipped open what was left of it, to show me the bits of gunk it had sucked out of my ear.  In two words, ew gross.

Ew, gross! There are no other words.

The procedure was then repeated on the other side with slightly better results (more goo).  I then sat up to give my new supersonic hearing a try, listening for the crickets fervently rubbing their legs together in High Park.  To be perfectly honest, I didn’t notice much of a change, but that may have something to do with the fact that I’m a fairly regular Q-Tipper so there wasn’t all that much wax in there to begin with.  Still, it was a pretty neat experience.

Afterwards, Anna, a homeopathic practitioner and the person in the group I knew from skiing/snowboarding, gave us a steaming cup of Chaga tea, using mushrooms she had personally harvested.  Chaga mushrooms are the latest superfood with even more anti-oxidants than Goji berries.  The tea is absolutely delicious.  I then proceeded to become a human penguin, converting my hands into flippers coated in paraffin wax, and let my upper body be massaged into mush to round out the evening.  Finally, I reluctantly left what felt like a cocoon of positive, lovely energy and, rather than pouring myself into bed, met up with a friend in the hood for a couple of bevies at some new local haunts.  All in all, a fairly fantastic Friday.

If you are wanting to help fund a tank of gas for the boys’ wonderful western adventure, I think there are still a few spaces left for the last Ultimate Spa Day on Saturday, April 7th.  Click here to reserve your ticket and choose your own perfect blend of pampered bliss (scroll down for details on the offerings).  Go on, you know your karma can use it!

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Day 22: The New Knock Knock.

Posted on March 22, 2012 by LaLa

In preparation for Friday funnies, I thought I would share my take on the modern knock knock joke.  I’m sure I made some up when I was a kid, but not a few in a row and with a LaLa twist.  Plus, this way I don’t have to worry about remembering the punch lines.

…Okay, the honest truth is that my new thing today was supposed to be going to the screening of Dr. Jane Goodall‘s new documentary “Jane’s Journey” tonight at the new Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, hosted by the ever dashing George Stroumboulopoulos.  Jane is actually going to be there in person, and so I was super duper excited to see and potentially meet this amazing chimp woman idol of mine in person.  Once again, though, my memory failed to remind me that I was already booked at another non-new event at that time, and so my brother graciously accepted to go in my place.  When he inquired about the dress code, I simply replied, ‘one step up from the Trailer Park Boys will be fine.  Look employed.’

Which brings me back to the knock knock jokes.  So I’m sitting in my house chatting with a friend of mine when I hear a couple of knocks at the door.  “Who’s there?”, I ask.  “Gunter glieben glauchen globen”.  Yay!  It must be Def Leppard here on my doorstep to do an impromptu rendition of Rock of Ages.  Excellent!  I swing the door wide open, and, much to my horror, I find the Swedish Chef.  I slam the door shut.  (It’s okay, Muppets don’t actually have feelings, despite what you may have learned growing up).

A few minutes go by, I top up our wine glasses, and as I’m reaching for a snack, I hear another couple of knocks on the door.  “Who’s there?”, I yell.  “Gerard?” comes the reply, in a smouldering voice.  I bolt to the front door, knocking my friend out of my way.  “If that’s Gerard Butler on the other side of that door, he’s all mine, beyotch!”.  I think it’s the Scottish brogue that makes me go weak at the knees, hard to say.  I fling myself into the arms of the person standing on the other side of the door, who happens to be a yard maintenance guy in a wife-beater, wielding a large pair of garden sheers.  He seems surprised.  Then, he clears his throat a bit, and says,  “Uh, chyer yard could use some work, yes?”.  I disentangle myself, politely reply “Not today, thank you”, and return to my wine.  My friend just snickers and says nothing, smart girl that she is.  (PS. I’ve made said gardener much hotter and taken the wife-beater off in the above photo with my x-ray imagination).

A few more minutes go by, and again we hear two quick knocks at the door, because, you know, this is prime time and a very popular neighbourhood for random door-knockers.  “Who’s there this time?”.  A soft voice croons out, “Hello?  Is it me you’re looking for?”  I open the door.  Oh, for gawd’s sake, it’s Lionel Richie.  

“No, it isn’t you I’m looking for, but if you see Gerard Butler, could you send him my way?  Thanks.  Oh, and by the way, could you take down your posters?  The eighties are over.”  And I close the door.

Thank you, thank you very much, I’m here all year.

If you’re still hankering for a really good knock knock story, this is the one that still makes me laugh until I snort every time.  Enjoy, and if by any chance you are coming up on your 15th wedding anniversary, remember:  15 years is big metal chickens!

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Day 21: Ion Cleanse and More Cheese.

Posted on March 21, 2012 by LaLa

Anyone who has been to some kind of alternative health care practitioner will have seen the poster of a pair of feet soaking in what looks to be a clean tub of water, juxtaposed next to the same feet in the same tub, but in what now looks to be murky swamp water.  It’s a real attention grabber, especially with the bolded, scary headline looming at you from beneath the photos, spouting something along the lines of ‘rid yourself of dangerous toxins now – ask us how!‘.  So when a deal of the day presented itself for an Ion Cleansing Detox, I naturally pounced on the opportunity!  I could feel myself already become purer, even as I entered my Visa card number.

Weapons of mask destruction

Which brings us to redemption day.  I made my way to Eva Angelina Spa in the heart of Bloor West Village.  It lies above the street through a fairly humble door that you might miss if you weren’t looking for it.  Almost immediately upon entering, I am pleased to notice that it is spotlessly clean.  The place is run by a very hard-working Peruvian woman named Luisa, who personally gives me the facial (the other half of the deal), followed by the ion cleanse.  If you are not a fan of extraction (that’s the part of the facial you either love or hate, where they pick out your blackheads), I would definitely recommend this place, as she was extremely gentle, yet thorough.  It was certainly more than I was expecting based on how much I had paid for the deal.  So far, so good.  Now for the main event:  the ion cleanse.  True to the poster, my feet went into a plastic bucket, followed by some electronic object that was hooked up to a machine.  Another sensor was then strapped to my forearm.  After re-confirming a few health-related questions such as my non-pregnant state, the machine started humming and things started swirling around the mini-Dalek looking thingy in the water, like a fine misty smoke.

Exterminate!

At this point, I was told to relax and sit tight for about a half hour, so I got caught up on a few emails (ok, more Angry Birds), and before I knew it, the timer went off, signalling the end of the detox.  I hesitantly peered down into the water, expecting a swamp creature to emerge and drag me to the depths of some nether-world, but I was almost disappointed that it was merely a golden colour, faintly reminiscent of my urine when I am really dehydrated (such as when suffering from wine flu).

Then again, I should have expected that there couldn’t possibly be too many toxins left in me after all the puddling I’ve been doing this past week in my daily hot yoga classes.  But still.  Luisa reassured me that the colour differs for everyone, and provided me with the chart, explaining that I was indeed suffering from joint problems. Well that’s a relief… Kinda, not really??  

 

In any case, I took the opportunity to celebrate my newly detoxed self by attending a neighbourhood tea, cheese and wine tasting event.  For real!  Can you imagine my delight at finding three of my favourite things being celebrated together in one evening?  The first hour consisted of pairing fine teas with cheeses, and the second hour was spent savouring the more traditional pairings of cheeses with wines.  Now, if you think pairing tea with cheese is unusual, think of tea with scones and cream, which is really not all that different from bread and cheese.  Let me assure you, I was indeed pleasantly surprised, and look forward to doing more of my own research in this area.  Cheers to the geniuses at Swirl Wine Bar, Curdy Girl and Majesteas for making this wondrous event a reality!  Sweet dreams will definitely be mine tonight.

    

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Day 20: Internet Marketing Seminar.

Posted on March 20, 2012 by LaLa

Nothing like trying to get up the DVP at 8 am in fog thicker than pea soup.  Thought I was back in Cork there for a second.  Today’s new thing worthy of this venture was a seminar on Social Media and Internet Marketing.  And yes, it was a voucher!

While I’ve spent most of my career working in IT, it has been primarily on the big, back-office systems.  The last time I tried anything of significance on the front office, the first stock bubble had not yet burst. I had picked up a copy of Dreamweaver, because it was shiny, and built a website for a friend’s wedding; they have since spawned two school-age  children.  It’s been awhile.

I was surprisingly the first one to arrive.  It turns out if I’m not insanely busy, I can actually be EARLY for stuff.  Who knew?!?  I chose a comfortable seat near the end of an aisle in case it turned into a real life Charlie Brown classroom, and I needed to make a mad dash for the exit.  Sitting still and actively participating for an entire day is a bit of a daunting task for someone with the attention span of a gnat.  I’ve been called untrainable before.  I consider this a compliment.

Even though the music playlist while we were waiting to start included such ’80s and ’90s classics as U Can’t Touch This (yes, THAT Hammer), and My Life (Billy Joel, circa Mr. Christie Brinkley), I needn’t have worried.  Paul Tobey, a former jazz pianist, is quite possibly the most engaging and dynamic speaker I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  I paid attention the entire day.  This might be unprecedented (I keep forgetting to take the ginkgo biloba, so no way of knowing for sure).  As an aside, did you know that musicians are probably smarter than the rest of us?  My IQ thanks you for those years of piano, violin and flute lessons, Mom (did I mention the ADD already? Right.)

In one day, we tackled such invaluable topics as how to make yourself more searchable on LinkedIn with keyword phrases, how google really ranks websites, what is SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the importance of context versus content, something called back links, the use of hypnotic marketing on your website, and social media aggregators, like TweetDeck and ping.fm.  We also got a glimpse into the workings of two very cool-ish pieces of software: Market Samurai and Dragon Naturally Speaking.  Phew!

We walked away with a few other juicy tidbits as well, like the brain can only absorb what the butt can endure, and if you want to be sure to connect with someone when high fiving them, look at their elbow first.  (Go ahead, I know you want to try it.)

Overall, in terms of value for voucher, this gets two really big thumbs up.  If you’ve signed up for one of these sessions, fret not.  Just remember to bring an open mind, and you should learn a thing or two, including that being a jazz musician might be cool, but it doesn’t pay the bills.  Must remember to impart that pearl of wisdom the next time I see my friend’s kids.

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