Don't pile it-file it

Finally, I am going to tackle my mess. I have managed to clear up a bit of paperwork today and will continue over the next while. Just reread an article about pile it and putting things on the floor-that is me but only in the office where no one can see the mess. Time to get things off the floor, file, shred and clear. It is frightening how far behind I got. I was sick for a week which is why I did not post and I was amazed at how much did not get done. Well, all mail is done, all of it. I am now sending frivolous catch-up mail which has no due dates. Just a friendly hello.
I do not plan to hire someone. Against anything I stand for but I think that I will certainly set some serious goals.
I will promise to post the clean room once it is all done. Can you believe it?

Fundraising disparities between schools

Today, there is an article that shows the disparity in fundraising efforts for different schools, The Great Divide. I am not sure what is news about this. Areas where parents are professionals, have organizational abilities and also access to money will be better able to fund raise. Areas where parents are on the edge will worry about their daily survival and not fundraising for what might be perceived as frills. Parents assume that schools will provide the basics and that they are very good at however the frills which schools that have the ability to fund raise are accessible to the children of those parents.
What I find strange is that this deserves front page of a section. What did people think would happen in terms of fundraising?
There were some accounting errors and I am not sure why those happened since the errors happened where large sums were raised. These people have access to accountants and probably have one the board. That part is interesting. That deserves further investigation.
Some food for thought.

Communication

Now that I am much better, I am beginning to wonder about communication. It took me nearly two days to get caught up on my communication and I have to admit that I have not finished. I am nearly caught up on e-mails. I realized after being sick that it is not so bad to check my e-mail during the day. I had over 100 e-mails during the days when I was sick. Now, I will admit that many could just be deleted but they had to be checked, now I mean the title-I did not open them while sleeping. Some of the e-mails actually need a response or some could be forwarded. Wow, only one left to deal with, that's not bad.
Phone calls were not as bad since I do not seem to get as many. I think that many people have switched to e-mails.
Regular mail- I have paid all the bills and yes, I actually pay the bills. I learned the hard way through my brother that it is a good idea to see what is going on. It did not help us stop the problems with his account but we were able to determine that there was a problem. Serious!
With all of these to deal with, I am not sure that I want to actively pursue other means of communication. In other words, I am not ready to tweet, twitter, facebook and any other means of active communication they come up with.
The worst part is that with all of this, I was sick without any means of communicating. Need to correct that.

I am back

Wow, a whole week. I was very busy on Friday so there was no time to post anything and then the worst happened. I got sick. Was some kind of flu and today is the first day that I am really getting up. Managed to get all the bills paid that arrived over the past 4 days. Yes, Monday mail came since Family Day is a provincial holiday not a federal holiday. Laundry is done which is nice. I can not wait until the weekend. Saturday, I have to do more auditing of arts students so there will not be time to get all the laundry done on the weekend. I am now getting to phone calls and then I will get to the post office-mail and get more stamps. I am out and I always just buy a bundle, easier than getting stamps as I think I might need them.
Washed my hair this morning. Did you know that it can start to stand up on its own? You don't need gel.
Will have more interesting things to post now that I am starting to get back into my groove.

Martini Mayhem

We survived Martini Mayhem in fact we loved it. We got to taste five martinis which means that they were not full size but they were enough that you drove home very carefully. The first martini was fire and ice a traditional martini which was very good, followed by Between the sheets which had rum and orange liqueur, not bad. Midnight martini was very good, blushing lady which had pomegranate liqueur was good as well. Now one that I am not as fond of is the Chocolate martini, a curiosity but not excellent like the others. We finished with the Valentines Day Martini which included chilled ice wine and frozen green grapes- excellent, the best.
We have the recipes for these martinis as well as several others and an explanation about shaken versus stirred, there is a time for each.
I hardly recommend trying the LCBO's sessions. No I am not an employee, just someone who has enjoyed the experience.

Happy Valentines

Hope that you have a good Valentine's Day. We are going to Martini Maddness at the LCBO. I am sure that we will not be able to drink all the Martinis. We will have to sip and that's it. What a shame but we do not want to be stopped by a Ride Check and told that we had too much to drink.
Will let you know tomorrow, how the event went and if there are any martinis that you just have to try.
Fun way to spend Valentine's. We went out for dinner last night and it was a family style restaurant that was packed. This does not happen on a normal Sunday. Good to see that people still go out and celebrate.

Facebook!

Well, I have done it. I am now posting on Facebook. Oh my goodness, I have a steep learning curve. I am going to go slow since I need to understand what it is about. Also have to watch what I post. I am certainly not going to put pictures of me drinking too much and unusual things like that (I don't over drink , not worth it) but there might other things that should not be revealed. Have not figured out what those things might be yet but it could happen. The younger generation feels freer to post anything which I think can come back to bite you and in dangerous ways. Sometimes ways that you have not even though of. It is a good way to keep in touch but you must be careful. I like e-mails better and also then you know who you are posting to. Facebook is open to the world although someone I know has unfriended someone, a mutual acquaintance. That would hurt so I must be careful as to who I friend and what I actually post.
Much care will be taken and I will keep you up to date.

Class with ukes

No new recipes today.
I had band at 7:30 a.m. I am always surprised that students are willing and able to show up at that time. They are a good group.
What I am interested in today is the ukulele group at John English Junior Middle School. 8 year olds play ukulele's and enjoy learning about the instruments from Melanie Doane who teaches the students. Apparently, 58 per cent of elementary teachers have no music back ground but they are expected to teach music or trade off with someone who does. This can be a challenge and does not always work. It is interesting that this example of teaching music has made the papers.
Wonder if this example will encourage the ministry of education to change things.

Bittersweet Cocoa Brownies

Brownies made with cocoa powder are softer in the inside than those made with bar chocolate.

2 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) hot melted unsalted butter
2 cold large eggs
1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) all purpose flour
1 cup broken walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Heat the oven to 325 F. Line a 8 X 8 inch baking pan (preferably metal) with foil across the bottom and up two opposite side of the pan.

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt, and hot melted butter with a hand mixer or with vigorous strokes of a whisk.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the batter is thick and lightened in colour, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula just until blended. Fold in the nuts, if using.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until the top is puffed and slightly crusted and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little fudge batter clinging to it 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the foil to remove them. Invert the brownies on a tray and peel off the foil. Turn the brownies right side up a cutting board and cut into squares (wipe the knife between each cut, as the brownies will be soft and sticky).
Just took them out of the oven. Hopefully, this recipe is good.

Rick Mercer!

Met a friend for lunch today. Doing a lot of that lately. I have at least one luncheon date each week for the next 3 weeks. This is a good life.
We met at what we thought of as a greasy spoon but will rethink that. As we were leaving, my friend noticed that one of the patrons behind her was having soup. She asked if it was good. Once we were both outside, I had to tell her that it was Rick Mercer. Yes, the Rick Mercer who has the television show. I told some friends who work at a music store that I had just seen Rick Mercer on the Danforth and they said that they would head down to that area more often.
Wonderful who you might see when you least expect it.

For-profit facilities leave seniors vulnerable!

In July 2008, Ontario's provincial ombudsman launched an investigation after receiving 100 complaints about the quality of the province's long term care. Another 450 complaints came in after the investigation was announced. The report announced in December 2010 revealed that there were "delays, inconsistencies and lack of transparency in the monitoring of long-term care homes". What a surprise!
In most provinces, long-term care is publicly subsidized but service delivery is provided by a mix of government run, non-profit and and private for-profit organization. Unlike hospital care, long-term care is not included under the Canada Health Act, so access to a defined set of services is not universal in Canada.
It took two years to figure this out? I find it baffling that a study had to be done over two years to figure that there are differences in the care provided to seniors. If you can pay, you can get the best and most comprehensive care but if you are needy your care level is vastly different and lacking in services.
The question is now that the government has determined that there are serious differences in the level of care offered, what will it do about this?
To be continued.

Rhubarb Fool

You guessed it, here is another recipe. Simple but good.
Rhubarb Fool
Inspired by the traditional English Dessert which calls for whipped cream. Our version (Harrowsmith) calls for yogurt for a heal their low-fat spin. See for yourself-it's just as delicious.

2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped rhubarb (490 mL)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (mL)
1/2 cup water (60 mL)
1/2 cup sugar (120 mL)
2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt (480 mL)

Place the rhubarb, lemon juice and water in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the sugar, reduce the heat to medium low and cook-stirring frequently-until most of the juice has evaporated, the mixture has thickened and the rhubarb is soft. Transfer to a bowl. Cool, refrigerated, for 2 hours or until completely chilled.
Alternate layers of rhubarb and yogurt in a dessert glass and swirl the layers slightly with a knife. Garnish with fresh, in-season fruit such as raspberries or strawberries.
Serves 4.
Made February 6, 2011.
From Harrowsmith, June 2008.

Apple Rhubarb Muffins

Here it is: the next recipe-Apple Rhubarb Muffins

The topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed (80 mL)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (80 mL)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (80 mL)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (3.5 mL)
2 Tbsp butter (30 mL)

For the batter
2 cups all-purpose flour (480 mL)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (360 mL)
1/4 cup wheat germ (60 mL)
1 tsp baking soda (5 ML)
1/2 tsp salt (2.5 mL)
1 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced (240 mL)
1 large apple, diced peeled and cored
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (240 mL)
1/2 cup melted butter (120 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)

To make the topping
Place the brown sugar, walnuts, flour, cinnamon and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. Set aside while making the batter.

To make the batter
Pre-heat the oven to 375oF (190oC) . Grease 12 large muffin tins or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined. Stir in the rhubarb and apple.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Makes 12 large muffins.
Harrowsmith Country Life (February 2008)
Made the recipe- January 2011.
Enjoy, these are excellent muffins.

Keep exercising!

I have always worried that aging is associated with declining mental functions, apparently regular exercise can help reverse the atrophy. That is the reason that I will keep playing tennis and trying to walk regularly among other sports.
Neurologists have long known that the our brains get slightly smaller as we grow older and that this shrinkage is associated with a gradual decline in certain mental functions. Previous research has demonstrated that regular exercise can slow the pace of shrinkage and help protect memories and preserve the ability to learn new things.
Now a new study suggests that even starting an exercise program later in life can undo some of the brain shrinkage in seniors who've spent years as a couch potatoes.
"Our results show we can reverse the atrophy that was already taking place," said the lead researcher, Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh.
For the study, they recruited 120 healthy but sedentary volunteers ranging in age from 60 to 80. (None had been diagnosed with dementia or were suspected of having Alzheimer's disease.)
Half of the seniors were given an aerobic exercise regimen of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week.
The other half served as a control group. They were told to do stretching and toning exercises activities that would barely budge their heart rates.
Each participant underwent a series of MRI scans to measure changes in the size of the hippocampus, the brain structure involved in all form of memory formation.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed a dramatic difference in the two groups after one year. The walkers experienced increases in the volume of the left and right hippocampus by 2/12 and 1.97 per cent respectively. The same regions of the brain in those who did stretching decreased by 1.40 and 1/43 per cent respectively, which amounts to the normal expected shrinkage.
"You can think of the increase in volume of the hippocampus as turning back the clock by almost two years."explained the senior author of the study, Art Kramer of the University of Illinois.
Furthermore, the bigger brains seemed to work better.
I am convinced, keep exercising.

Keeping up with e-mails

Yesterday, I was baffled. Try as I hard as I could, I could barely keep up with my e-mails. It is not that I am incredibly popular. I know some of you find it hard to believe that I am having trouble keeping up with e-mails but yes that was the problem yesterday. Now that does not mean that I did not go and do some bassoon teaching, took a quick break and then went out for Winterlicious with a friend. We went to Pan which was okay but not one of my favourites. The waiter said that it is the best Greek restaurant on the Danforth. I am not sure about that.
Once I go home, my mission was to keep up with the e-mails. For some reason, as fast as I answered there seemed to be more.
Hopefully none of you have this problem.
I need to answer the last e-mail and hopefully today, I will have time to check e-mails, and actually get the recipe that I made this week on the blog and do some other computing like writing.

Storm of the ?

Now that the storm of the ? not sure day, week, month, ? This storm was a dude, yes there was snow but we have had more. Schools were closed! Can you believe it? I was shocked when I realized that I did not miss band practise, school had been closed and I was feeling guilty for nothing.
Now that we are back on track, time to post a new recipe. It will be on later today. I am also going to make a Rhubarb Fool. Fascinating what I am managing to find.
Hope that all of you how are in snow belts have managed to shovel out from underneath the snow.