Posts Tagged ‘winter’

January Favorites 2014

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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collage of january 2014 favorites including groupons, snow days, yuzen, snuggling, home hopping, moving offices, gloves, origins free facial, and carrabbas first tastesLet’s take a look back on how the year got started!

1. Groupons – Panda really got into getting Groupon deals for our meals and now we often try new places based on what deals he’s been finding. This was one of the places we went for lunch/brunch one time.

2. snow days – Before storm after storm attacked our region, I was still enjoying the snowfall and this one in particular was exciting. Panda and I got a chance to enjoy it together and I had my first work from home day.

3. Yuzen – Jen was kind enough to send me the men’s Yuzen box as a gift for Panda! I love how everything about it really caters to guys more, including the actual look of the box. If you want to know what came in it, watch out for the review.

4. snuggling – I was sick much of the month, so I spent a lot of time resting in bed, getting cozy with the blankets. I love feeling all toasty and swathed in softness. It’s so very comfortable.

5. home hopping – This entire month we had access to both the apartment and condo, so we’d spend time hopping between them. We started moving boxes over to the new place little by little and I spent some time enjoying the space. All was lovely but then I saw the morning traffic and knew I’d be in for quite a change in my morning commute with the move.

6. moving offices – It was really exciting to finally be moving to the new office that I’d been hearing about since I started. Taking some time in the afternoon to go help out and build furniture was a nice break for me from the stress of work. I very proudly helped build something like 8 motorized desks!

7. gloves – Mornings were so cold I had to wear gloves while driving, until my heated steering wheel kicked in. Even then, if I didn’t wear gloves the tops of my hands would be cold. A few times my hair even froze on my way from the apartment to the car.

8. Origins free facial – I’ve been getting the Origins free facial offer for years, but never took advantage of it. This time I decided to give it a try and it was much more thorough that I anticipated. It lasted a good 20 minutes and the lady used seven products on me.

9. Carrabbas First Tastes – Panda and I got to attend our second First Tastes event at Carrabbas and we had a lovely time with the mother daughter pair who sat across from us. This is always a wonderful event to attend and I hope they keep hosting them!

January was all about getting back into the groove out east. We’re truly settling in and everything is feeling like home more and more. What were your favorites in January?

365great Day 312: boots

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
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365great day 312: bootsWhat better footwear for winter are there than boots? They keep your feet snug and warm and even manage to protect your ankles and sometimes your calves or knees, depending on their length. They may not be the most flexible and you certainly don’t want to run in them, but for trudging around in the cold, they’re a wonderful solution. I rarely used to wear them, but now I can’t be without them in the winter. I think back to my childhood wearing normal shoes in winter and wonder if that’s why I always felt freezing. I mean, your toes are bound to get numb after awhile if you don’t protect your feet enough. When I wear boots, I don’t have to worry about wind or snow making my feet icy cold. They’re great for protecting against that!

Sportsmanship and the Olympic spirit

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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After watching the Winter Olympics this year, I truly believe that part of the judging should include a new, universal field: sportsmanship.  After all, it’s not just supposed to be about competing for medals – there’s a reason it’s called the Olympic games.  Emphasis on the fun-loving part that is just supposed to bring out the best in everyone.  It’s meant to be a coming together of the elite athletes of the world for some friendly competition.  However, some countries take it far too seriously and see it as a matter of international acclaim and national pride.

Whatever happened to sportsmanship?  A pat on the back, shaking of hands, or word of congratulations when the competition is over wouldn’t kill you.  And even when the going is tough and everything sucks, you should save your prissy whining for behind the scenes.  Or better yet, take your grudges and make some positive change out of it.  But when people show their nasty sides on camera, it leaves an indelible impression that overshadows much of their positive aspects and achievements.

Mostly I’m referring to Plushenko, the biggest twerp I’ve ever seen on the international stage.  There have been plenty of idiots, bigots, and the like, but none quite like Evgeni Plushenko.  Though he is undoubtedly a skilled figure skater, because of his rude behavior and cockiness, I can’t help but remember his performance as subpar.  Then again, his performance wasn’t all that great anyway.  Sure, he had one fancy trick, but that doesn’t make him better overall.  I think the Russians are the only ones who think he should have won gold.  But anyways, what really bothered me about him was that he only cared about winning and had such an inflated head, I’m surprised he fit in the arena at all.  There’s confidence and then there’s arrogance.  Oh, and there’s also blatant rudeness when you claim to have won the platinum medal.  Excuse me?!  Way to disrespect the judges, your fellow skaters, and the Olympics at large all at once.  For that, he doesn’t deserve any medal at all.

The other thing I was bothered about was actually Joannie Rochette’s behavior off the ice.  Sure she’s had a tough couple of weeks after losing her mother, but manners shouldn’t escape her.  For her performances, she definitely held herself together well and her emotion afterwards was touching.  All was well until I saw her taking a picture with Mirai Nagasu back stage.  She didn’t even smile, stood awkwardly, and rushed off as soon as she could, even as Mirai was thanking her.  That sort of coldness was completely uncalled for, especially with a young girl who probably looked up to her.  On the ice she handled her mother’s death with grace.  Off the ice, she was an ice queen.  Small move, but it shattered any sort of image I had of her before.

Oh, and of course there was the celebration that the Canadian women’s hockey team had that raised many eyebrows.  Another consideration when the world’s eyes are on you and hordes of young men and women look up to these athletes.  I think it’s important that they carry themselves with grace.  It’s not easy to be them, but the trade-off of being in the spotlight is the scrutiny you come under.  If you’re not ready to handle it, perhaps you’re not ready to be a household name.  So, in an attempt to encourage better behavior and actually acting like role models, I really think the Olympics should implement a scoring system that includes sportsmanship, covering everything from not doping or cheating to holding yourself gracefully and respectfully.

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics women's figure skating medalists

Maybe Asada just doesn't smile, but she sure doesn't look all that pleased. Nevertheless, she remained poised.

I’d say Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada were great examples of this, for instance.  Even though Asada didn’t win gold and it was obvious her silver didn’t make her very happy, she accepted it gracefully, without any fuss.  And of course, Kim, the shining star, was a poised gentlewoman the whole way through.  Some Olympians could really learn a thing or two from them.

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