Moops loves Bengal Spice, and while I brew her up a cup of the caffeine-free tea, I usually make myself a cup of traditional chai. I always marveled at how similar the two teas smelled, but that’s as far as I went.

I’m really tired tonight; like deep down bone tired. And I’m also chilled since the warm nights have disappeared in favor of the damp rain making me think summer will never come. I decided I don’t need any more caffeine tonight so what the heck, I’ll try a cup of Bengal Spice.

One word: WOW. OK, I can’t stop at one word. I’m so surprised by how much this tastes like chai without the caffeine! I know it’s all in those signature chai spices BUT this herbal tea holds milk. The color after steeping is rich and dark. I am in spicy tea bliss right now.

The total chai experience. Caffeine Free. For real.

We all need cake; maybe for that special occasion, or just because…who doesn’t love cake? Personally I’m pretty fond of it and I love how this amazingly talented cake-artist/baker I stumbled upon through Twitter is LOCAL TO VANCOUVER!

The pictures on the Baked in Vancouver site are all super-cool, but the one that caught my eye not only for its simplicity, but the also for the talent in the hand drawings on the cake, is the Paris cake..

Amazing...

OK so you can see the talent that this woman has in the free-hand skyline drawings right? Well check out this next EPIC cake (as she describes it) and pay attention to the detail. Visit the site for more pics and MORE detail…

Each tier is something spectacular...

Did I mention she does cupcakes too?? Check out her Flickr photos for those…

If you need a cake, if you’re in Vancouver and looking for something TRULY unique, I have a feeling the multi-talented work of Baked In Vancouver will blow you away. Contact info on the site or email love.your.cake@gmail.com

Are you prepared for a zombie attack? The Canadian Govt wants you READY.

OK, OK…it’s obviously time for a new blog post. My Guy said if I don’t do it I’m in trouble…so lets not beat around the bush anymore and I’ll tell you what exactly has me all excited today!

We are FINALLY getting our yard landscaped! Since we moved in mid-December it’s been a dirt pit with no greenery. Our landlords are building a lane-way house and the yard was one of the last things to be completed; obviously they needed to wait till the new house was done. Today sod was laid and there are shrubs, bushes and plants awaiting in pots ready to be put into the earth to grow. The side of the house will have tons of soil for me to play with and build my garden. I can’t wait. I’m beside myself with excitement. I don’t know really yet what my complete plan is, but I know it’s going to be an adventure watching it come together. My only limit is money; building a garden does take some cash so it may be a fairly slow project. But regardless, I’m super excited. The sun is out, the sky is blue, I have a roof over my head, a terrific Guy by my side, the adorable Moops alongside as my side-kick so what more do I need? (my 2 best friends to live close to me would be nice though…)

I didn’t know the Canadian government had a sense of humor. I was forwarded a link for Zombie War Preparedness and yes, the link is truly from the government. It’s a great idea really to get people thinking honestly if they are prepared for an emergency. Whether that be an attack from zombies, or say the slightly more common acts of Mother Nature like earthquakes and floods, this site will get people talking. (Apparently the CDC did it too, so I’m wondering if my government stole the idea? Zombies are kinda cool after all…) In all seriousness though, if you aren’t somewhat prepared for a few days during an emergency, maybe now would be the time to start looking into that. I’m just sayin’.

Speaking of zombies, did you know August 18th is the Vancouver Zombie Walk?

For those of you who keep asking me about more info on the ongoing pet cremation story, please keep this site bookmarked. Check back often for updates.

My Guy and I enjoyed what is probably the best red wine I’ve EVER tasted in my life, the other night. It’s not overly expensive (under $20 CDN. Nice) and it’s not from an exotic far-away place (it’s Californian) and the label is fantastic. But damned if it isn’t smooth, rich and aromatic. It went down so nicely without a sharp alcohol aftertaste. What is this mystery wine you ask? Cycles Gladiator Merlot 2009. We have the Cab-Sauv that we have yet to pour…My Guy insists wines with bicycles on the label are superior. He may be on to something…

Then the emails started coming in from concerned people, people I didn’t know…people who wanted the REAL story to get out. There is so much more to this story then was even touched upon. I don’t know what to believe, where to look or how to go about getting the correct answers. I am extremely angry that not only was my clinic taken advantage of, but that SO MANY OTHERS were hurt. I can’t deny the facts listed here are solid. They’re backed up by screen shots, valid links….information anyone can access. Where is “Steele on Your Side” for the obvious follow up that is needed?

I am thankful for one person in particular who has helped me see another view on this and who is letting the facts speak for themselves. Please read those facts here. (to understand the entire story, please scroll to bottom of the page and read up…)

Sweet treat or breakfast food?

I’m driving home from work tonight  listening to CBC Radio 1 as usual and they tell us about a lawsuit that was recently settled in the US. No biggie, somebody is always suing somebody down there so I’m only half listening. Then my ears pick up the words, “nutella” and “false advertising claims” and I’m suddenly paying attention. Seems like some folks in California got together a bunch of ‘concerned consumers’ to launch a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Nutella for falsely leading them to believe it was a healthy and nutritious thing to eat.

Hmmm. So many things wrong with this I’m actually baffled as to where I should begin. What point to address first? First off it’s ADVERTISING…they use enticing words we want to hear like ‘natural goodness’, ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’ and guess what? They can do this! They also have to put a label and ingredients on the package so the consumer knows exactly what they are getting, what a serving size is considered, if its trans fat or not and so on…

I don’t care what an advertisement in a glassy magazine shows me, or what an ad on TV says, when I go shopping I read labels. I realize not everyone does but I’m stunned that this lawsuit was even brought to a judge.  It’s a CHOCOLATE sugary spread up for debate- not something that even remotely looks healthy! You be the judge, do YOU think something with sugar as the very first ingredient on the label is healthy, nutritious and good for you? Is it something a child should have every morning for breakfast? Or maybe just a serving size (1 tbsp by the way) once in a while for a snack?

This isn’t rocket science. This is a gimmick. This is a company doing what it’s supposed to do- sell you something. I believe in this case it’s up to the consumer and these people in this lawsuit to take some responsibility. Put 2 and 2 together. Read the label to see the first two ingredients read: SUGAR AND MODIFIED PALM OIL (We’ve all heard about palm oil in the news lately but that’s another story…) In one serving, again that’s 1 tbsp only, there are 100 calories and 6 grams of fat. There is no Vitamin C or Vitamin A and the protein level is 1 gram! Give the kid a handful of hazelnuts for crying out loud as a snack if you’re looking for protein and nutrition.

My point is, shoppers need to take responsibility for what they are buying and what they are putting into their bodies. Nutella is sugary and tasty; of course it’s going to be marketed for kids and if kids were doing the grocery shopping they would be buying it up! But we adults are doing the grocery shopping, right? If you want to serve Nutella, do it knowing it’s not a healthy and nutritious spread, but rather a tasty and sweet treat we can indulge in. Pair it up with whole wheat or multi-grain bread toasted, some fruit juice and oatmeal for breakfast. Make it work. But don’t think it’s healthy…

I have Nutella in my cupboard. I admit it. It’s freaking delicious too.

Thoughts?

It used to be edamame that people wanted from me. Now it’s this crap (good stuff I hear!)

Did you know it’s Hug Your Dog Day? I don’t have a dog, but if I did I’d hug him…or her.

If you live in Vancouver (or on the coast of BC) you may be interested in this…a friend of mine has a petition going to stop oil tankers from hanging out in Burrard Inlet. This isn’t just any ‘friend’ but author Mel Hurtig, who I have the extreme pleasure of knowing personally. If you do sign (and why wouldn’t you?) then please take the time to share the link on Facebook or Twitter or wherever you happen to travel to online after you read this…

I can’t figure out if this is real or not. Could it be true that younger people don’t know the Titanic was a real ship that went down in the ocean tragically, and NOT just a Leonard Di Caprio movie? If it is true, what does this say about our young people? Is the education system to blame? Whose fault is it? I know people can be dumb but….

So we’ve all built lots of stuff from Ikea…and it’s no secret that Ikea released a house in a box too. I just hope you get more than 1 of those little tiny thingamajigger generic-all-purpose-Ikea tools with it! Now they’ve gone one step further to building a neighborhood in London. Yes, an entire neighborhood. To me this feels like an April Fools joke but it’s in the Globe and Mail! I saw a great headline while skimming online for this story, “London today. Mars tomorrow” but I’m not sure who or what organization said it. It’s true though isn’t it?

I have been hunting high and low for a TASTY, sticks together Lentil Loaf for years now. I’ve made some pretty awful ones that came from promising looking recipes. I don’t ask for much: it’s gotta be yummy, it’s gotta hold it’s shape and not crumble and it’s gotta be somewhat easy to make without a gazillion ingredients. Oh I’d prefer healthy too! But this recipe here on the Gluten Free Vegan blog may be just the ticket. It was posted last year and I’m a little late in finding it, but better late than never, right?

You like music? Maybe collect some old records? This weekend, April 15, at the Croatian Culture Center is the HUGE Spring 2012 Record Convention. It promises 80+ tables of records, CD’s and music memorabilia. Check out the Facebook page for info.

This is where I thought dry shampoo could play a key role- it could help me make it to the 3rd day! All the magazines and celebs give it top reviews…so I started looking around more seriously. What did I find? FREAKY SCARY PRODUCTS…

All were over $12 by far and in the aerosol-type canisters I was accosted with such ingredients as butane and isobutane (as in Batiste which came highly recommended because it’s cheap)! The natural ones in shops like Lush and The Body Shop included the main ingredient as cornstarch/flour. OK cornstarch I can deal with…but butane??

It seemed the more natural product was for me but they come with an even bigger price tag than the flammable freaky products. Some were over $20 or the cheaper ones had such a tiny amount! So I thought about it…and came to a conclusion: why not use cornstarch?

So this is what I do on the 3rd day…I shake out a little of the fine soft powder, rub into my fingers lightly, bend over and start to really scrub it into my roots. I’ll do this 2 times maybe and then brush it out for amazingly soft and CLEAN looking hair. I don’t usually brush my hair because it goes frizzy but on the 3rd day that’s no longer a problem as it’s nicely weighted down with my oils I guess.

I have thought about adding a few drops of an essential oil to the mix but so far I haven’t done…

Some people use baby powder but I tried that too, years ago, and got lank, shiny hair. I have to say it’s been 2 weeks of the cornstarch I’m lovin’ it.

If you’re thinking of going down this road, check out this entire site full of dry shampoos on the market! Who knew? If I had to buy, I’d probably go the more natural route like Lush….

It’s something pet owners try not to think about- the loss of their beloved and faithful animal companion. When it does happen though, some people chose to have their pet cremated communally or privately. Communal is where multiple pets are done together and privately is when the pet is cremated alone and the ashes are returned to in an urn. As most of my readers know I work in the animal health care field. I try not to judge how any person deals with the loss and their grief for we all grieve in drastically different ways.

A breaking new story hit last night from an undercover investigation by Pet Cremation Alliance and was aired on the CTV 6pm news. For those readers not in the Lower Mainland, it’s a local station with a fairly HUGE viewer base. I’ve no doubt this story, which was only part 1 in a 3 part series, reached thousands of people. Judging by the various comments I’ve read on several article sites featuring this hot topic, tempers are flaring and rightly so.

The decision on how to deal with your pet’s remains after a death isn’t an easy thing to do and it’s usually the vet clinics themselves, that people rely on to guide them in the right direction. This is where I’m saddened because even though I work in this industry every day, I was naive enough to believe that pet cremations were being done honestly. I have seen mistakes made such as spelling errors on certificates, or even one such case where the ashes of a pet were misplaced…but never did I believe private cremations were not done legitimately and ‘by the book’.

I’ve always believed there is a lot of cruelty and disheartened people in the world but somehow the topic of pets and what they mean to us, seems to draw mankind together. I believed this was an area even the most hardened individuals would show signs of softening…

The investigation brought to light what is really going on, and that some (not all) pet cremation companies are in this just for the money. The thought of this makes me sick. The general public already thinks veterinary costs are inflated because they compare them to THEIR OWN health care costs. We are lucky enough in this province to have our own health care subsidized. We don’t know how much basic blood work costs the BC Government for you and I, but I can tell you the price of a general panel for “Bob” the schnauzer will be over $100. It’s not because the clinic wants to take their Clients money…but because the costs of medicine are high! Now because of a few crematoriums that failed to do their job with due diligence, the rest of us honest, animal-loving health workers will face the brunt of the public’s anger. What is already a misunderstood and delicate balance, will now be tipped even farther.

The Pet Cremation Alliance site offers a wealth of valuable information. If you are facing the decision now, or will be in the near future, of putting your pet down please check out the Protect Yourself page. And if like me, you work in this industry, please take a moment to read through the questions they’ve put together on how to know if the facility your clinic is using is legitimate under Tips for Animal Care Professionals.

I’ve been thinking all day- do I write this post or not? Is it too sensitive a topic? Can I suffer any troubles from my clinic for this? I decided I want to share it, and I NEED people to know that not all clinics or pet crematoriums are run like the ones in this article. As a whole I do still believe that 99.9% of Animal Health Care workers do it for the pure love; ’cause it sure as hell isn’t done for the money! Maybe I’m being too nice, and maybe I shouldn’t include pet crematoriums under the umbrella of Animal Health, I don’t know…

Just believe me that your clinic, and your Veterinary Team CARE. If you’re not feeling this love it’s time to look around for a new Veterinarian. We love our Clients and we love our patients…when we lose one, it affects all of us.

I wish the pet crematoriums who ‘failed’ this investigation could get that.

(Oh and part 2 aired tonight, March 29th on CTV, with the final part in the series on the Pet Cremation Investigation on tomorrow. See CTV’s site and Steele on Your Side for more info)