This weekend wasn't eventful by any stretch of the imagination.  Still, thanks to Susannah's recommendation, we had dinner from Sushi Aoki on Friday evening, and it may very well become my new go-to sushi spot.  I like to say that in Vancouver you can never be more than 2 blocks from a Starbucks and a sushi restaurant.  Most sushi places are similarly (and cheaply) priced and are just fine, but it helps to know which restaurants have really good food as opposed to just average fare.

On Saturday I spent some time at Kidsbooks (as they say, the largest and best children's bookstore in Canada), and discovered a lovely mobile that I could see buying for myself, and my new favourite book for toddler-aged children:  "I'll Save You Bobo" by Eileen Rosenthal.

Based on Tara's recommendation, I bought "Detective Blue", which I really got a kick out of, as well as an updated version of The Princess and the Pea with fantastic graphics.

Despite the middling reviews, I quite enjoyed "Our Idiot Brother".  It helps to go in with no expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Today I found myself in Stanley Park.  Can you see the racoon?  He had just wandered to the safety of the bushes from the putting green. 

The flowers gardens were lovely, but it was almost as interesting to see how many people in the gardens were busy taking pictures of the flowers.  It was amateur photographer day. 

And upon coming home, I managed to open a bottle of wine with one hand.  Well done, if I do say so myself!

Currently:

Reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.  Sometimes you need something light and entertaining.  It's making me itch to at least get out somewhere local, easy, and leafy:  Pacific Spirit Park, or Norvan Falls in Lynn Valley...  The only disappointing thing in this book so far is the occassional mention of his hiking buddy throwing litter away along the trail. 

About to watch "One Hour With You" on youtube.  I have yet to be disappointed by Ernst Lubitsch. 

Presently:

There are eggs in the fridge to use up, and they may very well be destined for Guinness-milk chocolate ice cream from "The Perfect Scoop".  The coffee and stout ice cream from "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home" was excellent and I bet the two are somewhat similar.  Booze is a great addition to home-made ice cream and sorbet - it helps you avoid ending up with a rock-solid frozen treat.

When I can knit again (soon-ish? maybe?) I'll be making the Jaali shawl by Kitman Figueroa.  After being on the fence about shawls for some time (a lot of them are lace, which I like, but would they really get incorporated into my wardrobe? would I want to incorporate them into my wardrobe?), I saw the pattern for Damask and immediately bought it.  It's one of my all-time favourite knits - both the process and the finished product. 

But mostly, it's now time to get off the couch and out of the house a bit more.  Even though I had to cancel my trip this past weekend, my mind keeps thinking travel-y thoughts...

Synopsis from Part 1:  I was on my bike, lost control, and was just about to hit the ground...

After my crash landing, I felt very certain about one thing:  I was not getting up.  I knew that if I tried to move I would faint, and the pain in my left elbow and wrist was intense.  Besides, it wasn't so bad lying there in the sun; I only wanted some crackers as ballast.  A group of well-meaning people quickly and inevitably gathered round.

Lisa took our bikes back to her house, the car was brought round, and eventually we made our way to Langley Memorial hospital.  Aside from being in a lot of pain, I was mad at myself for not being more careful and avoiding the accident altogether.  It took me a day or so to get over this and just accept what had happened - which actually is a pretty short time to be hard on oneself.

They took x-rays and we waited for the emergency room doctor.  It was well past lunch so Lisa picked up a couple of pastries from the hospital cafeteria.  When it was finally our turn to see the doctor, he took one look at the food wrappers and said "well, you won't be going in for surgery today". 
Diagnosis:  elbow broken in 2 places.
Treatment:  surgery required (must fast beforehand)

In the interim, my arm was bandaged up with a splint and supported with a sling.  They gave me Tylenol 3, a CD with copies of the x-rays, and a suggestion to go to VGH for surgery since I live in Vancouver.

Back to Lisa's.  How do you spend an evening with a broken elbow?  Well, your friend takes good care of you.  You have stirfry for dinner and then watch "Friends With Benefits", a surprisingly good rom-com starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. 

The next day (Sunday) Lisa took me to VGH.  More x-rays and a CT scan.  This time I was fasting, but was eventually told that surgery would hopefully be the next day.  They admitted me, but let me was allowed to go home overnight with instructions not to consume any food or drink after midnight, and to report back at 6am.

My new talent?  Putting in contact lens with one hand.

To be continued - again.  Since I won't have any project or kitchen related updates for the next little bit, I might as well go on with my little saga...

My plans for Easter weekend included 1) being productive (attending to day-to-day matters such as cleaning and studying, trying out new recipes, etc) and 2) having a visit with my friend Lisa in Fort Langley.  Lisa's husband offered me a ride out on Friday evening; their car has a bike rack, and I had all my cycling gear (except my bike shorts - whoops! - realized too late that I had forgotten to pack them) and I was going to stay until Sunday morning and then cycle home.  Fort Langley to Vancouver is about 55km, and this was to be the test run of whether it's a pleasant ride or not.

We hid eggs for the kids on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, I discovered that the Easter bunny had come back and left chocolate and a fabric flower for me too!  Which is funny, because the Easter bunny seems to have forgotten me for the previous 15 years.

Then Lisa and I set out for a little bike ride - there's a charming trail network all along the river in Fort Langley.  As we were setting out, I gave Lisa a little lecture on wearing a helmet.  Because you know, I am all about safety.  We had only gone about 100m when my hands started feeling a bit chilly.  In my head I thought "I should stop to put on my gloves" but had already started to fiddle with them while still moving - not very fast, but in a moment I lost control and crashed.  Even as I fell, I could tell that I was in an awkward position and that the landing wasn't going to go over well...

to be continued

Is playing acoustic guitar at 10:30pm on a Friday night in a wood-frame apartment building:
a) reasonable? or
b) unreasonable?

I'd try to figure out how to add a poll here, but it's late and I'm tired.  If you have thoughts about this, I'm very interested.
Coming soon: the story of why cooking and crafting will be on hiatus for a little while...