Archive for January, 2011

living
media
January 15th, 2011

Confessions of a Real Estate Junkie (and a giveaway for the National Home Show!)

When I was a kid, I can distinctly remember being in the car on a weekend afternoon, usually in the spring, and asking my parents “What are we doing — why are we driving around like this?”

And the response of “Oh, we’re just looking around at these neighbourhoods” never ceased to perplex me. I’d ask “Are we moving?” But, no, we weren’t moving, we were just looking.

Now, I am following in my parents mother’s (let’s face it, my father was just appeasing her addiction) footsteps and have clearly become a real estate junkie. I confess to:

  • looking at the MLS listing at least once a week (oh, and Grapevine too, of course!)
  • picking up all those free real estate magazines and looking through every page
  • watching “Love it or List it” and endless varieties of HGTV shows
  • buying home renovation, home building and other home-related magazines

But unlike others of my ilk, I have no interest in actually doing these home projects or updating the decor of my house (if I wish hard enough, someone will do it for me, right?). In fact, my husband and I could be classified as neglectful in this regard. (We still have the same couch we bought when we got married 14 years ago!) And yet, this insatiable interest of mine in housing lives on.

So I took an interest in the 2011 National Home Show coming up in February. It’s taking place in Toronto and in addition to the bazillion feasts of the eye, there are some particularly cool highlights such as:

A model home called “A Glass House” built by Concept PolygHome: 

  • This home is a “bioclimatic” home, which unfortunately the company doesn’t seem to define on its website but which I understand to mean the integration of home with the environment. The designs and concepts of PolygHome are, to be understated, awesome.
  • The structure of a PolygHome is made with wood beams that are manufactured from the recovery of engineered wood and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The interior is created with aluminum, energy-efficient glass for the windows, a soya-based polyurethane foam for the insulation and an  insulated framework for the foundation with cement.
  • Visitors at the National Home Show can visit one of these homes, which has been kitted out with interior designs by Debbie Travis.

What’s your design dilemma?

  • Here, you can attend renovation workshops as well as get one-on-one consultations with interior designers!

HGTV celebs!

  • You can meet & greet with designer celebrities including Debbie Travis, HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler, decor expert Janette Ewen, HGTV’s Colin & Justin, CityTV’s garden specialist Frank Ferragine and Jim Caruk of BIY Workshops.

Family Day

  • On February 21st, children 17 & under are free, there is complimentary daycare, and you can enter to win a family vacation for four.

And much, much more … as you can only imagine. So, wanna go??

I’m going to give away a 4-pack of tickets to 4 lucky readers! All you need to do to enter is this:

  • Be sure you can attend: It’s in Toronto and runs from February 18-27th, 2011 (details on logistics can be found on the National Home Show website).
  • Leave a comment telling us what you love most about your home or what you want to change most about your home.

I will then:

  • Select 4 winners using an computerized randomizer on January 21st, 2011
  • Send each winner a 4-pack via regular post mail

Good luck! :)

Bloggy disclosure: I was given these tickets from Tina Holmes (twitter handle @HomeShowsTO) who is a home show marketer and producer. Of the 20 tickets I was provided, I will be keeping 4 for myself.  


Make a blogger's day: Share your thoughts!
15 Comments »
living
media
January 11th, 2011

On the topic of new year’s resolutions

In yesterday’s National Post, an article titled “America is losing the war with itself” spun out a number of topics we’ve been discussing here related to the obesity problem that Canada is facing (I first wrote about this here, then again two days later here, and then because the comments gave me so much food for thought, a third time here.)

Of particular interest to me is the connection that the author, George F. Will, makes between North Americans’ waistline and individual self-control. Sure, it sounds obvious … if you can enact self-control over what you put into your body, then you don’t become obese. But in a country where there is just SO MUCH abundance, one needs to use an insane amount of self-control each and every day. From, as Mike Goad pointed out in the comments section, the constant advertisements in the media to eat-eat-eat to the easy credit urging you to buy-buy-buy, to the lack of anticipation that Javamom notes and which this article links to the appearance of microwaves in the kitchen.

The oven is emblematic of the plummeting effort required per calorie ingested. One estimate is that Americans’ per capita caloric intake has increased 22% since 1980, and the number of diabetics has more than quadrupled.

Microwaves, processed foods and drive-thru dining … food is all around us and so easy to consume. And even when you’re not burning a single calorie as you sit on the couch, your television will call out to you to dial-in some pizza or gobble down some chocolate and ice cream. It would seem, then, that someone in North America’s level of self-control has to be much grander in scale than someone living in an environment where food and water is scarce.

But how many times can we say “no” and do the right thing and resist? Most of us cave — at least here and there. And here’s why, posits Will’s article: self-control is like a muscle and like any muscle, it gets fatigued. In fact, the article concludes with this:

Did you tell lots of people — did you blog about — your New Year’s resolutions? Akst [author of the book We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess] knows why you didn’t: “self-control fatigue,” which is as American as microwaved apple pie.

But, silly me, I did blog about my new year’s resolutions ….

************************

Here’s a quick check-in on my personal resolutions for 2011 (which I detailed here).

#1:  Make time for girlfriend time

I have two girlfriends in particular (Kathryn and Girlie M — are your ears ringing??) who I’ve been wanting and meaning and planning to get together with since well before Christmas. But we haven’t managed it yet. So, with them, I have failed. But I did get in a last minute date with Trish to see the film The Black Swan and it was a fantastic film with fantastic company. Also, my girlfriend Jacquie is always a phone call away and has, thankfully, joined me again for Boot Camp.

#2: Get fit and stay fit

Yes, I started up Boot Camp again last night. I feared that all the insane overindulgence of Christmas feasts over the holidays would land me back to my starting point … but happily, no. My body seems to have rebounded nicely to the exercise again. And, I actually think it’s much happier when I force it to sweat than when I simply wrap it up in flannel and feed it red wine. Strange.

#3: Learn to enjoy winter

Nothing to say here … moving along ….

#4: Say “yes” more

Well, er, let’s just say I was invited to go cross-country skiing and skating at least three times and “yes” was not the answer (refer back to #3).

#5: Give myself the gift of anticipation

I am thrilled to say that I am really, really anticipating a big trip now! I am going to South Korea for one week in February. Not only will I have the natural anticipation of getting to see (and hug!) my sister Megs again, who has been living in Seoul for two years now, but I’m going to pick up some books to learn more about the culture and really ramp up the anticipation even higher. Woohoo!

***************************

So, did you end up making any resolutions this year? How’s it going so far?


Make a blogger's day: Share your thoughts!
4 Comments »
living
media
January 11th, 2011

The lady sitting alone in the movie theatre

When I was younger, there was no way I’d walk into a movie theatre alone. Because … What if someone saw me? What would they think? And I would wonder to myself about that lady sitting alone in the movie theatre … Is she lonely? Does she not have a partner or friend to come with her?

And despite having a house full of love and a pocket full of wonderful friends, I am often that lady sitting alone in the movie theatre. When I have a night to myself, I choose to be alone. I go to Chapters, then I eat at my favourite little Thai place, and then I head over to the movie theatre. I’ve really grown to enjoy being alone.

So whether you are alone by choice or not, check out this video by filmaker Andrea Dorfman and poet/singer/songwriter Tanya Davis. I think you’ll be glad you did … it’s both delightful and intriguing. (Big thanks to Sarah Carmichael who shared this on her cool blog Sarahcasm.)

It’s called “How To Be Alone.”


Make a blogger's day: Share your thoughts!
4 Comments »
living
media
January 9th, 2011

Consumption to the point of destruction

Okay, so I’ve spent two posts complaining (first that the “obesity epidemic” in Canada was not really an epidemic, and second, that if it is really an epidemic, it’s downright embarrassing when you put it in perspective to other epidemics around the world) and now I think it is probably time to do something helpful.

Your comments on my post have been particularly insightful and have given me lots of food for thought (pardon the pun!). Many of you, like Ads, agreed that the obesity epidemic, while certainly a problem worth tackling, does need to be put into perspective. Krista, who lives on the African continent and knows first hand the struggles to get basics such as food, water and electricity to her home, noted how North America is undertaking “consumption to the point of destruction.” I cannot agree more wholeheartedly.

And both Krista and Meg rightly pointed out that this kind of overconsumption does affect the rest of the world — from the environment and availability of resources to the “force-feeding” of our junk into third world nations – and so it is important to talk about it and, by extension, try to do something about it.

But when I think about this … which I do a lot …. I can get overwhelmed. Where to start? And can my small actions actually make a difference when the issue is so systemic? Well, we’ve got to start somewhere, right? And where better than in our own homes and with our own buying power.

So I thought I could use this blog to raise and discuss some of this. However, I need your help. I’ve got a couple of ideas brewing for posts, but I want to know what things irk you about our over-consuming nature? Tell me (either in the comments or by emailing me directly) and together we can look at those things and dig a little deeper into them.

As always, thanks for being here and chatting with me. Your coffee pal, Julie


Make a blogger's day: Share your thoughts!
15 Comments »
living
media
January 7th, 2011

The obesity epidemic: Maybe I’m just embarrassed

In my last rant post, I belittled the obesity problems that we are facing in Canada. I can certainly acknowledge that the prevalence of processed foods in Canadian diets, with ever-growing package sizes and salt and sugar quantities, is concerning. I can also acknowledge that most of the children I know likely do less physical activity that what is considered the healthy norm. But throwing the term “obesity epidemic” about just feels wrong to me.

I had a few dissenters in my comments (which I love – thank you for sharing your views!) on that post and it made me question why exactly it feels wrong … Is it because I don’t want to acknowledge the issue? Or perhaps I am embarrassed about crunching the numbers and realizing that this “obese” category  being discussed is actually a category into which I fall?

I’ve decided that it is indeed because I am embarrassed. And here’s why:

  • 33.4 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, the vast majority of whom are in low- and middle-income countries. An estimated 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus in 2008 (source: WHO).
  • 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year from unsafe water and poor sanitation. That is more than 4,100 deaths per day (source: WaterCan).
  • Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhoea. Today, only 39 per cent of children with diarrhoea in developing countries receive the recommended treatment, and limited trend data suggest that there has been little progress since 2000 (source: UNICEF/WHO).
  • In 2008, malaria caused nearly one million deaths, mostly among African children. Malaria is preventable and curable (source: WHO). 
  • In 2010, the number of children worldwide who have lost one or both parents to AIDS is expected to reach 25 million – equivalent to the number of people living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 15 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic (source: World AIDS Orphans Day).

I sit back and imagine … if I lived in a community facing one of the above epidemics, how would I feel about reading a headline from Canada about an “obesity epidemic”? I can’t answer this question, since I’ll never know how it feels to face such life-threatening and difficult life circumstances. But I can tell you that if I was sitting beside this same person who was reading that headline, I’d definitely be embarrassed. Shamefaced, actually.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Make a blogger's day: Share your thoughts!
7 Comments »