I'm dreaming of a white Easter

This Easter development was certainly unexpected.

Easter Update

This morning we all woke up to find that the Easter Bunny did in fact manage to find us and provide us with unhealthy treats. So far I have only managed to eat a single Kinder egg, it definitely seems like more than enough candy for one day (I have no idea how I will manage to consume the treats still in my basket).

Shortly after examining our baskets and playing our Easter Bingo scratch cards we moved to our holiday morning breakfast, which seems to have been enjoyed by all.

Almost immediately after breakfast I started preparing food for tonight's meal/feast. Part way through the process I realized that I was missing a key ingredient. Fortunately we were able to get the missing ingredient from a friend/neighbour/guest so everything should be as expected for the meal.

Almost as soon as I started working on the food Neil undertook an apartment-wide cleaning mission assigned to him by Rebecca. I have to say, things are looking pretty good a few hours in.

Now that most of the good is ready and the apartment cleaning almost complete I finally have the chance to sit down and use my computer for an extended period (meaning long enough to make this post). What I should probably be doing with this time instead of posting is studying, so I guess that is what I will do as soon as I complete this post.

Easter Update 3

Now that we have moved on to the most relaxing day of Easter, the world famous Easter Monday, I have a few minutes with which I can provide a few more details about yesterdays festivities.

As previously mentioned, we started things off with our Easter baskets.



After some breakfast and Mille Bornes and Sorry Revenge, and then a little relaxing, we finally got down to dinner prep. The turkey, in particular was important to deal with a few hours before we expected our guests.

After about 3 to 3.5 hours of solid prep work we were basically ready for people to arrive. This gave us maybe 10 minutes of spare time before people were expected to arrive. Fortunately this was enough time, though not so much time to allow us to engage in some other activity (like playing a game or scratching lottery tickets).

Not too long after most of our guests arrived I broke out our package of Peeps. While most of us were somewhat hesitant to give them a shot at first, eventually a few were consumed and almost everyone had at least part of a Peep. At some point I briefly stepped out of the room only to come back and find that Neil had agreed to eat the remaining 8 Peeps at the same time for $15 (three guys each agreed to contribute $5). Though a completely ridiculous activity to engage in, it really was hilarious to watch. I know that at least two of us were brought to tears.



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The rest of the evening was quite enjoyable, and not quite as ridiculous as these three minutes. Aside from the fact that the rest of the evening went well I am not sure that there is really anything else to report.

Easter Update 2

A little while ago we finished our Easter breakfast. As far as I could tell it was enjoyed by all.

After breakfast we played a few rounds of Sorry Revenge, a game that Rebecca received in her Easter basket. After a somewhat slow start I picked things up and managed to win the final two rounds.

I really need to get going on the turkey front, but I am feeling quite tired and lacking motivation. Given the size of the turkey, this laziness is really unacceptable.

After the turkey has been dealt with I will have to start on the vegetables and whatnot. In all I should have a few hours of food prep ahead of me.

I guess I should tear myself away from my computer and get down to work.

Easter Update 1

So it is now Easter morning.

We started things off with Easter baskets, though none of us really hit the candy particularly hard.

Almost immediately we noticed that my Easter basket had a copy of Milles Bornes. Not surprisingly we cracked it out and started to play a few rounds.

Right now we are in the midst of breakfast preparation (bacon, eggs, and bunny bread).

I guess I should go tend to the bacon.

A Few Quick Notes 416

-Though the sun has now set, today has been and continues to be a beautiful day. According to Environment Canada we reached a high of 21, which is believable.

-It seems that I am now up to 3/18 with my Roll Up the Rim to Rim Wins. I am starting to think that I should have quit when I was ahead this year.

-Today I took advantage of the nice weather and went on a bike ride with a friend/neighbour. We rode from our apartment building deep in the South End, around the rotary to Herring Cove. According to this friend, who has made the trip before, the total distance is close to 30 km. Assuming this is true, and I have to reason to think it isn't, this is likely the longest bike ride I have ever taken. I hope that we will be able to go on similar trips as the summer progresses and that by the end of the Summer/Fall I won't be quite as slow as I was today.

-On Thursday I handed in my final major paper of the season. Though I still have two more pieces of written work to submit, and a final exam, handing in the final paper on Thursday was quite a relief.

-We are planning on a having a few people over for Easter dinner tomorrow. To the best of our knowledge we have everything that we need from the grocery store, if not we are going to be somewhat out of luck as most of the stores will be closed tomorrow.

-In preparation for tomorrow's dinner I baked some bread so that I would have stuffing material. Shortly we are going to start working on the Easter bread for tomorrow. If we become particularly ambitious we may even try to do some vegetable peeling before we call it a night.

-I think I will try to call it a night early tonight. I am hoping that the the fact that I didn't take a nap and that I did take a 30 km bike ride will mean that I will be able to go to sleep before 4:00 AM.

-Happy Easter

A Few Quick Notes 304

-The weather today was quite variable in terms of quality. At times this afternoon we had precipitation approaching hale, while later in the afternoon things cleared up and the sun came out. One of the few consistent elements of the day was the temperature, which was continually within a few degrees of zero.

-I have my only exam on Tuesday. I spent a number of hours studying today, and plan on doing more of the same tomrrow.

-Yesterday, as predicted, we ended up having a visit from the Easter bunny. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that the Easter bunny brought me, among other things, a ticket for a Halifax Comedy Festival show. Somehow the Easter bunny knew that this was the very show that I wanted to attend, as it will be featuring Stop Podcasting Yourself's Dave Shumka (as well as John Wing and Reggie Watts, to name just a few of the comedians scheduled to appear). It seems that Neil also received a ticket for the same show.



Before we could get on to the candy component of our respective hauls, all three of us took a crack at our scratch'n'sniff tickets. Not surprisingly, only Neil managed to get a winner. I am still baffled that people would be inclined to play these on more than an annual basis. Once or twice a year more than satisfies any gambling or lottery urges I might have.



I also scored a bottle of multivitamins and a toothbrush. I guess there was a little bit of candy too.



For breakfast we decorated a few of the bunnies (and also had bacon and eggs).



-Later in the day we had a few friends over for turkey and a few associated dishes. For no particularly good reason I decided to add some bacon to the stuffing. While the resulting stuffing was definitely edible, and not in anyway ruined by the bacon, I am not sure if it really was worth the extra calories.



I didn't time things particularly well, so the turkey was done a little while before the rest of the food. Though in many ways I think this actually worked out better than trying to have it come out at exactly the same time as the potatoes, as this second option is a little harder to time and may lead to significantly over-cooked or cold vegetables.



-Some how I managed to go for three days without taking a nap. These mistakes really caught up with me today, and resulted in today being a two-nap day.

-As usual, the plants keep on growing. Unfortunately, it seems that the seeds I planted most recently still haven't shown any signs of germination. As it has only been a few days so far this isn't particularly surprising, I will only begin to worry if in a few more days I still haven't seen anything.

What's going on here, we had a plan people

For the past several days Neil and Rebecca have been foreshadowing the possible arrival of the Easter bunny. While I wasn't into this at first, I am since become a little more excited. I shocked myself by going so far as to make myself an Easter basket from recycled goods.

Anyway, we agreed to get up at ten and learn together whether or not the Easter bunny visited. It is now after 10:30 and I have heard nothing from them and am starting to get a little antsy.

The Easter candy rush is starting to wear off and be replaced by a caffeine withdrawal headache and hunger pangs. Hopefully they manage to get themselves together before I starve to death in my bedroom.

Let the Bunny Massacre Begin

At some point yesterday Neil and I realized that we still had not put all that much thought into who would be baking the Easter bread, and when the baking might take place. In the end I rather aggressively volunteered to bake the bread while Neil and Rebecca went to the grocery store.

Before too long the bread had risen for the first time and was ready to be punched down. I was particularly impressed with how nice the risen dough looked before it was deflated.



After the dough was deflated/degassed, I rolled hunks of the dough so that I could create the bunnies. In total I made 18 bunnies. I am quite shocked that I ended up with exactly two pans worth even though I didn't really take the time to divide the dough before starting.



I was a little surprised at how long they took to bake. Given their size I would have imagined that it would have taken much less time than it did.



Obviously we were a little short on counter space for cooling.



Neil tapped into the goods while they were still steaming, thus commencing the bunny massacre, which will presumably continue until at least tomorrow. If things go as Rebecca wants them to, some of these may be iced at some point. at the moment, I think this is most likely to occur at some point tomorrow morning before breakfast, though we haven't really planned that far ahead.



In other easter related news, I finally got my act together and made myself an Easter basket (as I have been promised a visit from the Easter bunny). I impressed myself by making the basket almost entirely from recycled materials.



Also, as you can see, mine is the only one with kitties.

A Few Quick Notes 165

-Today is like the past few days in that it is pretty beautiful. The temperature is a few degrees below zero, with a crisp bone chilling breeze. Skies are clear and the sun is shining. This is a significant improvement upon the somewhat overcast skies and precipitation of a few days ago.

-It seems that I am about 10/49 for this year's Roll Up the Rim Contest. I seem to now be immersed in a solid two time a day habit.

-Today is Easter, but one would have a hard time telling from the appearance of our apartment. Much to my chagrin, the Easter bunny seems to have skipped our place. Also, some seeds that I planted yesterday have yet to sprout and give the sense of re-birth, or birth.

Anyway, things will certainly pick up on the Easter front later today when I slap my baby turkey (A.K.A. a chicken) in the oven and prepare a bit of a solo feast. I presume that my chicken will be accompanied by some vegetables (frozen green beans) and mashed potatoes, and maybe some carrots as I have a bunch kicking around.

-Shortly after waking this morning I decided that I needed to head out and hit the last day of the butter sale at one of my local grocery stores. While on my way there, I stopped at another store and picked up some celery.

While waiting in line to pay for my celery I noticed that one of the professors from my school as behind me. This is somewhat funny as the last time I was in this store buying only one item she was in line with me. In previous year and a half of frequenting this store I have not seen her there once, nor have I every made such specific purchases. I guess I will have to see if the trend continues (though I am running out of time).

Once I finally made it to the final destination grocery store I was able to find the butter and also some margarine (of the soft, easy to spread variety). After picking up my main selections I decided to browse the herbal tea section. While kneeling down I saw some cheaply printed white bags that reminded me of candy surprise bags of my childhood. After further inspection I learned that they were actually host cuttings, the sections of dough from which communion hosts are cut.

As it is Easter, and these of religious in nature, I thought I would splurge and spend the $2.49 for the 115 gram bag.

-This morning Nithum was noting that Montifax was a little out of date, which is certainly true. Sorry to all of you who have noticed this and not received your regular dose of Montifax during the last couple days.

-On a related note, there should also be a Purim Party/Good Friday rundown later today or this evening.

Happy Easter

As some of you might know, today is Easter, one of the most important days in the Christian year (at least that is what they keep telling me).

My big plans for the day revolve around having a classmate over to work on a management assignment that is due on Friday. Amazingly, I have been able to grasp this and make myself feel as though I have ‘proper’ Easter plans.

This is my third non-english Easter. My first non-english Easter occurred in Paris in 1995. My uncle and I were staying in a hotel in China town. Once we both realized that we were to lazy and not catholic enough to make it to Easter mass at Our Mother Cathedral we basically just hung around the hotel (or at least that is my recollection).

Then in 2005 I was visiting a friend in Berlin over Easter. We did all kinds of things as we only had a few days in Berlin, though none of them had anything to do with Easter. It is likely that I ate a donar with only meat and onions (as that is just about all I ate in Berlin).

Now, I am Montreal in 2007, once again doing non-Eastery things. Presumably this year is just a warm up for next year, my fourth Easter in a non-english environment.