A New Edmonton?

So we now have a vibrant thirty-something-year-old young mayor.  He had my vote.  As per usual, I didn't get a chance to do my research until last minute (a couple of hours before I went to vote).  He seems like a curious, intelligent and extremely well-spoken guy who loves this city and is a bit of a nerd (a quality I admit I have a soft spot for).  I feel an excitement in the air for this place :)  This oily, multicultural-y, industrial-y, crisp-air-y spacious place.

Had to nap after voting and was late for practice - whoops!  This is why I shouldn't nap and why I should just make myself get decent amounts of night sleep.  I just don't know where the time goes!  

I did have a proud timing moment this weekend: I was able to bake a lentil loaf (easy recipe from the Vegan Stoner), recycle a costume and make it to a Halloween potluck party in a record breaking time of 1.5hrs! While running on 4hrs of sleep.  Big accomplishment for me!  And thankfully, the lentil loaf ended up being liked and eaten (I hadn't tried out the recipe before).

It was refreshing to catch up with a miscellaneous collection of people at different stages in their lives. Always gives perspective. I admire others and their abilities to juggle work and family and hobbies and chores. Relative to them, my life pie chart consists of big chunks of work and dance.  It's embarrassing, but sleep and chores have crashed on my list of priorities.  I can maintain around 5 hours of sleep and laundry and keeping the dishes washed, but that's about it.  Maybe I can use the Christmas holidays to pay more attention to my condo.  And sleeeeeeep.
 

At least I did leisure travel recently :)

Instagramming my Hawaii pics makes me miss the place.  Can you tell I'm digging collages right now?

But at least fall in Edmonton is pretty - that helps!

Plus I head out for Texas in 1.25 days.   No Austin (a.k.a. Vegan Heaven) this time but I'll get to hang with my Texan relatives at my cousin's wedding and it'll be nice and warm.

Speaking of which, I should get some packing done ...

Mind Farts
-the winter tires are baaack!  here we go.  i'm ready for you, snow!  okay maybe after Texas.
-poachers killed hundreds of elephants in Zimbabwe with cyanide - it breaks my heart :(  i love these intelligent and beautiful gentle giants 
-just because i'm nice doesn't mean creeps get to be creepy.  i'm getting less and less tolerant of this behaviour (probably a symptom of being in one's thirties)
-i can't seem to get sick of veggie maki
-Gravity was awesome.  it's tough to make deus ex machina fit beautifully, but i feel it really worked here.  i used to want to be an astronaut when i was younger.  now i'm not as excited about physical risk.  i'd still want to check out space if it ever got as safe as plane travel though
-Hawaiian royal history is fascinating - i can't get enough of it.  and i love the old pictures and royals' distinct Hawaiian faces in contrast with their European clothes - it tickles my brain