I’d rather be working

I’m at a coffee shop right now. I’m supposed to be working on my business plan, having finished the First Edit of my screenplay. Instead, I’m thinking of interesting things to blog about. There are quite a few things that have happened – as far back as six months – that never got posted due to lack of time.

For instance, I never mentioned my birthday festivities. Yay for turning 26! Well done me!

My birthday fell on a Thursday this year, which meant I was nannying for Zae and Ava. I got to their house at my usual hour, just a few minutes late. Marnie had to run out the door without our normal morning chat, just quick instructions for dinner and a request: “Don’t move or turn over that bowl!” I see the large overturned mixing bowl on the counter. “Why not?”

…

“Because there’s a mouse under there.”

“Um. How big is it?”

“About four inches.”

“Ah. Okay.”

I leave the bowl alone. The girls and I go for a walk then play at Toys R Us. We come back for lunch, and the bowl catches my eye. I’m not concerned about a wee little mousie, though. I mean, I grew up on a farm. I’ve seen mice in all states of life and death. Mice don’t bother me. I tap on the top. I jump because I heard tiny little nails scrabbling around on the wood countertop the bowl is on. I walk away.  I think.

I’m thinking that maybe Marnie doesn’t really dig mice. Maybe she doesn’t want to deal with it and she’s leaving it for Dave to handle later. Then I wonder if they’re going to kill it or release it. Then I’m concerned: what if they’re going to drown it or something – it’s just a little baby mouse! Poor Mousie!

I think “Self. You should release this mouse to the wild. It solves the problem of having a mouse in the house, and ensures the mouse lives – at least for today.” I nod to myself thinking what a humane and brave woman I am: I’m going to Release The Mouse. To the Wild. The Wilderness of Urban Vancouver.

Right.

So there’s this huge mixing bowl overturned on the counter, trapping this mouse. How do I get the mouse to the outdoors? I finally found two of those (awesome) flexible, durable (sterilize-able) plastic cutting mats. I sloooooooowly slid one of them under the rim, so that it covered almost two-thirds of the top of the bowl. Then I sloooooooowly slid the other one under the rim from the other side, making sure to cross the two sheets very slowly so that I didn’t catch any teeny little delicate paws between the two sheets of hard-but-flexible plastic and breaking them.

Once I got the cutting mats in position, I realize that while their flexibility is what aided in getting them in place – it was a detriment when trying to flip the bloody thing over and keep the mouse in. Hmm.

A cookie sheet! Flat on three sides, raised edge on the other. Perfect.

Trying to make sure I don’t leave any small gaps for the mouse to somehow be in the right-place-right-time and shoot out of, I slide the cookie sheet under the bowl and two cutting mats pile. Awesome. Now what?

Now, I flip it over. Carefully. I hold the cookie sheet by opposite edges, pinioning the bowl between my thumbs and quick-like-a-bunny the bowl is turned over, my hand is pressed on top – as if this tiny little weak creature is going to dislodge two cutting mats and a cookie sheet, right? The bowl is quite heavy – it’s one of those ceramic ones your grandmother had. I take it over to the front door and call Zae (the four year old I nanny, of course) over – who has been watching this whole time – to open the door.

She props the front door open with her foot and looks at me oddly. “You know what’s in there, right?”

“Well, yeah, Zae. It’s a mouse. I’m releasing it outside!”

I run out the door, down the step, 20 feet away from the condo building – but not near the street! – and set down the heavy bowl with the opening/cutting mats/cookie sheet at a forty degree angle to the ground. Easy to get the mouse out, even if he doesn’t want to come out, you know?

Taking a quick breath to reassure myself that mice don’t attack people, I whipped off the cookie sheet and two cutting mats, dumping the bowl over on the ground…

Only to find that I have just released to the wild: My surprise birthday cake.

Surprise!

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I haven’t been around

I’ve been busy, if you haven’t noticed the dust bunnies floating around this blog.

Busy: Desperately writing up descriptions of gorgeous jewelry in anticipation of my Family and Friends Open Studio Sale. Steadily making progress on the first edit of my screenplay. Thinking of updating my business plan, but not finding time to do so. Working, still. Dealing with things going on with my family. Dealing with my own problems. Playing Neopets.

You know, important stuff.

I haven’t yet sent out invitations. If you’d like a real, actual, in-the-mail invitation to take part in the Family and Friends sale over at Tokitikki Design, please let me know via email.  If you’d prefer the email pdf version, a heads-up on that would be lovely, too.

In other news, I’m in the WestEnder today – the Rant/Rave section.  Their snobby-waiter-turned-food-critic did a bad write up of the Players Chophouse.  Not a negative write-up, but a hostile and inappropriate one.  I felt obligated to reply.  They printed it!  Fun.   It’s under my maiden name, as I touted a certain well-known local photographer.  Check it out!

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Four and a half stars, for sure.

It’s rare that I visit an expensive restaurant twice in less than two months, I’m not one of those people that has money to burn. Trying new flavours, though – well worth it.

We stopped by the Players Chophouse on a rainy Monday night. Surprising, since it’s a ‘chophouse’, right?  Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are only about the heavy, long dinners. You’d be wrong.

I had the Slider Trio (short rib bun, prime rib bun, chophouse mini burger) off the Lounge menu, my date had the Prime Beef Dip. PHENOMENAL. The prime rib was so flavourful, so melt-in-your-mouth, so… Oh man. I wanted to steal it off his plate. My slider trio had a bit of the same prime rib, luckily, so he got to keep his food.But the short rib burger was even MORE delicious. The chophouse mini burger was divine, but I kept coming back to the short rib.

My tomato and bocconcini salad with red onion ceviche was superb.

Even though we came for just a light meal, we just HAD to have the molten lava cake. It was delicious, brilliantly plated, and the vanilla ice cream was the best I’ve ever had.

I tried two wines: Bodegas Ateca ‘Garnacha de Fuego’ from Spain with my meal – it was fine-bodied, with silky texture, lovely strong blackberry notes and a defined finish. I also had the Le Dauphin de Giraud Sauternes ice wine with dessert – it was sweet and tart, honey on the tongue. I also highly recommend the Buller Tawny port. Heaven.

I posted this review to dinehere.ca, but upped my Ambiance rating from my last review (not posted to dinehere.ca) “Beautiful Place, Beautiful Food” because they are featuring a permanent installation of a local photographer: Adrian Taverner.  He’s put together a really astounding set – they’re stunning, thought-provoking and captivating without distracting you from your conversation (making you forget what the heck you were just saying, a condition I find myself in entirely too often).

I hope you go and have the best meal you’ve had in recent memory. I’ve had two.

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