Nexus

Breaking Down

Everything in my life is breaking .... I've been posting about my plumbing problems - and the work at my house continues. In fact most of the remaining things will be done when I am in Barbados next week. Then my hairdryer conked out the other morning. Today - I had a flat tire. Luckily one of my very observant co-workers noticed the flat - I drove in on it and did not notice. I called roadside assistance and they came to the office within a half hour - they put on the spare. I took the tire in for repair this evening. I've had more than my three things already. I hope I haven't started on a second round of three.

Words of Wisdom

<a href="http://kerismith.com/blog/">Wish Jar Journal</a> is written by local artist/author Keri Smith. I loved reading <a href="http://www.kerismith.com/blog/archives/000093.html">this post </a>.... which she calls 'some things i am learning while plodding through this life...'

On Helping

I've posted about <a href="http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/index.html">'The Stephen Lewis Foundation'</a> before .... I'm going to take this opportunity to do so again.

This is a wonderful organization that works with people affected by AIDS in Africa on a grass roots level - particularly women and orphans. Check the website for more information.

The reason I am posting today - I just received a letter from them today which reminded me of the discussions I've been involved in over the last couple of days regarding what individuals can do to make a difference and the value of individual contributions - in whatever form.

Here is a quote from Stephen Lewis -

<em>"No one pretends that it's more than a scratch on the surface of pain in Africa, but for those who benefit, it's worth the world."</em>

Hair Dryers

I went to three drug stores tonight before I found a new hair dryer (I'm very picky). My old one conked out on me this morning. Not before it had a chance to grab a hunk of hair in the motor and burn it off my head. All I could smell for most of the day was burnt hair. I did find a replacement at long last. And I also came out of the store with suntan lotion (SPF 30) for my trip to Barbados - which is next week. I am counting down the days. Oh - the other purchase was the movie 'Love Actually'. I have been wanting to see this for ages ... I somehow know I will love the movie so went and ahead and bought it straight away.

I also stopped by the salad bar to pick up dinner .... how great is this ....... a salad bar with chunks of mango, fresh steamed asparagus, curried multi-grain salad and wheatberry salad. They have everything at this salad bar - those were my selections for tonight. Wine gums for dessert.

And I have stopped weighing myself at the gym - too depressing. I will perform my own liposuction if I don't stay away from the scale.

Taking a Bath

Both the showers at my place have been out of commission for a week or so meaning that I have had to take baths during this time. Now I am not really a bath person and prefer a nice quick shower. But the bath I had tonight is almost enough to turn me into a high maintenance bath diva. I have lots of fancy bath stuff ...... beautiful bath bombs from Lush and an amazing salt scrub from Origins. I used them both tonight and they are heavenly.

I emerged from the bath relaxed, scrubbed and very scented. I'll have to hope the showers stay off-limits for another few days.

Women Around The World

Ingrid who writes <a href="http://meandophelia.blogspot.com/">'Me and Ophelia'</a> has written a post today on a horrifying topic - well a couple of topics actually. The desparate situation in Sudan at the moment and the atrocities women are subjected to during wartime - rape and gang rape.

Take a moment, go read what she writes and follow some or all of her links. Look for the April 26, 2004 post .... my Typepad package does not allow me to trackback and Ingrid doesn't appear to have a 'Permalink'.

It is hard to understand how we allow these things to go on - and there are so many areas of the world in horrible conflict at the moment - I find it overwhelming I suppose. And then again I don't have to go too far in my own city to find heartbreaking situations either. Misery seems to be everywhere. The scale of suffering in Africa is mind boggling.

But we all need to be aware and to do what we can. For myself, I choose a few causes and support them year round. And I pick others as they come up and try to do something to help when I can. I know it is not much - not nearly enough - nothing can ever be enough. This is why I find it overwhelming - still it is always better to at least do something, no matter how small it seems.

Monday Run

Monday runs always seem to be very bad these days - I haven't recovered from the long Saturday run and my muscles and tendons ache. But I went out quite long tonight (for a Monday) and survived. Probably because it is so nice out there today. I chose the river path run tonight even though it is the hilly route. My Monday running partner cancelled tonight so I had lots of time to think and clear my head.

Today was my originally scheduled departure date for Barbados - so tonight I would have been in the sunny Caribbean. It would have been a bittersweet week - I would have been attending the wedding of someone near and dear. While I wish him great happiness - it is like I said bittersweet. As it turns out I will miss the wedding.

As I mentioned I ran the river route tonight - it is a wonderful park with trails that follow the river - very popular with runners, cyclists and people walking dogs. Tonight the park was full of young lovers - a sign of spring I suppose.

Pasta Primavera

What could be better at this time of year but pasta with fresh, seasonal vegetables.

1/2 pound uncooked fusilli (short twisted spaghetti)
2 cups (1-inch) diagonally cut thin asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup shelled green peas (about 3/4 pound unshelled green peas)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus and peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain; place in a large bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth, whipping cream, salt, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Serve immediately.

Aromatherapy for Cats

My day was jam-packed from beginning to end - and a wonderful, sunny day it was. Spring may have arrived in Toronto at long last. First - it was the first day I ran without a jacket so far this season. I ran with David (aka the young guy) today. The run was 1.5 hours - we had a slight taper. I actually had a great run today - I think the recent long runs have paid off - I won't say it felt easy but it was definitely more enjoyable than the other recent long runs. I also enjoyed the company today. (I have not yet decided if this is a good or bad thing) I rushed home from the run to get ready to head downtown - I had a couple of errands to do before I was scheduled to meet Mahala for a late lunch. I drove down and parked the car in a cental spot. It was so nice I decided to walk rather than take the subway. I suppose I walked another 6 km. I just made it to the designated meeting spot on time.

It was so nice to meet Mahala - to sit and talk face to face. I got to hear more about the Kalachakra and the activities involved in that over the next two weeks. What an amazing process to complete. I am so glad I had the chance to meet Mahala and share this experience with her - even just a small part of it. I kept thinking how well named her blog is - <a href="http://luminousheart.blogs.com/lh/">Luminous Heart</a>. Her heart is surely that. Mahala makes jewellery and gave me the most beautiful pair of Tibetan coral earrings - I put them on right away - they are lovely and I treasure them.

And that brings me to the title of the post. I've posted about my feral cat Clive and how timid and fearful he is - a true feral cat personality. He is a loving cat - but terrified of people (except me of course) But even I scare him at times. Mahala told me about a company that makes <a href="http://www.catfaeries.com/essences.html">floral essences for cats </a>- aromatherapy I suppose. They have a feral cat blend. Mahala has used their products on her cat with great success. I am definitely going to give this a try - can't hurt. I will have to mail order them and I suppose that is likely to take a couple of weeks - I'll post about the results.

I got home in time for a bike ride. Finally - out on my bike again. I can tell the outdoor season has started - if I run, walk and cycle in a day it means I've got the spring/summer high energy going.

Today I truly feel blessed.

Meeting Mahala

Tomorrow I will be meeting <a href="http://luminousheart.blogs.com/lh/">Mahala of Luminous Heart</a>. I know some of you also know Mahala. We've planned this for months. Mahala will be in Toronto for a very special occasion - she will be attending a <a href="http://luminousheart.blogs.com/lh/2004/04/as_some_of_you_.html">Kalachakra</a> with the Dalai Lama. It's hard to believe the time has already arrived after emailing and chatting about this for months.

Mahala was one of the first few people I met when I started blogging .... I think <a href="http://luminousheart.blogs.com/lh/">Mahala</a>, <a href="http://noughsaid.blogs.com/">Dee</a>, <a href="http://twilightcafe.blogs.com/twilightcafe/">Alicia</a> and I all met at around the same time.

Mahala will be the first blogger I have ever met in person and I am very excited about this. We'll be sharing a meal together at my favourite vegetarian restaurant in Toronto - Le Commonsal.