Lunch Tramp

It seems like it was longer ago that the Lunch Tramp was born. An impromptu lunch with 3 lunch dates - and there I was...

I've taken another luncher into my fold. There will soon be another Lunch Tramp to call by name. I won't tell you her name yet. (We're in the process of designing her card!)

I promise to have more information soon - and more talk of food - and more blogging about food. Pretty soon it will be part of my job description. (Details to follow)

In the meantime, I googled "Lunch Tramp" tonight and my card came up as the first image. It made me so proud!

What I SHOULD Have Said

BizFest is winding down tonight with a performance by Graham Greer and Tyler Kealey. The week was full of workshops and presenters, including Gerry Visca and Dennis Van Staalduinen (or DenVan as he, thankfully likes to be called). Last night BizFest put on BizShow, a twist on the Trade Show, featuring local businesses and entrepreneurs in the community. In addition to their booth spaces, exhibitors were encouraged to come up to the podium and speak to the group about why they're awesome. Gerry, and event organizer Joey Gault dared me to tell the crowd about "my brand" which for those of you who may not lunch with me, is The Lunch Tramp.

Never one to back down from a dare, I did venture on over to the microphone and in a minute or two, I did tell everyone who was listening that I was known in the #CornwallTweetup world as The Lunch Tramp. (Feel free to follow me on Twitter at @keithatweets.)

What I SHOULD have told the crowd was that the Tweetups are important, both for the social element but - and more importantly, in the way they bring people who would never know people otherwise together. There are AT LEAST a half dozen people I didn't know a year ago that I consider my friend now - all because they were following me on Twitter - and came to the table one day.

Not only that, I've learned things, connected with people who've helped me in many ways, including giving website advice, where to find really delicious coffee beans, donated door prizes for charitable things I'm involved in and more. The Tweetup is important - and if I get a title from it, so much the better!

I'm not going to pretend it is any sort of official meeting nor do we go with the intent to "network" - but that's what makes it better. There are no expectations and when something cool comes of it, well, to use @iamjoeygault's favourite hashtag, #awesome.

Get out there and be SOCIAL with the people in your social media circles. You never know where it'll take you.

What I Did(n't) Do During My Summer (non) Holiday

For those of you who may not know, I spent my summer managing the Cornwall Farmers' Market in downtown Cornwall. Of course, I had intended to do a tremendous amount of blogging, both about the experience of being part of the market as it was in grown stage and also about meeting the vendors etc. That didn't happen and I'm not writing today to dwell about it. Instead, I'm going to take a few minutes to ask to the blogging universe for suggestions slightly more convincing than "just do it" to get me off my (ahem) procrastinating behind.

Until then, I shall just say I attended BizFest today. It is the first annual event put together by Cornwall's Chamber of Commerce. The speaker today, and in fact, for most of the event, is Gerry Visca. I'll write more (I'd say I promise but well...) about my experience shortly but first I promised some people I'd actually update my also errant foodblog.

Back to School/Back to Blog

Okay... so errant blogger implies that at some time there is actual blogging that occurs. I'm beyond errant. If I were still in school, the truant officer would be after me.

I just blogged about food and now I'm heading over here. Two blog posts in one day. Hopefully that doesn't mean it is the end of the world.

This short and sweet post will, I hope, lead to some conversation about what I've been up to. The Cornwall Farmers' Market has taken up a lot of my summer. I've been a stay-at-home Mom this summer too and we embarked on a lot of adventures I hope to capture before I get too caught up in homework and the fall.

We're approaching my favourite time of year - leaves turning, harvest coming in from the fields and I hope that'll be the inspiration I need to share my (erratic) musings with you.

Until then, I hope you're as excited about back to school (and my blogging intentions) as I am.

(Not a) Snow Day

As I was getting the kids ready for school this morning I heard the boys on the radio say repeatedly that the buses were running and that they'd let us know if they got any news. I'm always slightly annoyed when I hear that people are calling in, as though the radio personalities who are entrusted with passing along important information would somehow forget to tell us this little tidbit.

And then I looked outside. AS IF the buses were running! My dh and kids had shoveled the driveway yesterday down to the pavement and there was A LOT of snow on our driveway this morning. Long story short (so as to avoid swearing on my blog), the bus had still not arrived 20 minutes past the pick up time and five minutes after school had started so the kids got a ride in. When we got to school, fifteen minutes late, seven of the buses had not arrived. Seven.

The roads looked like what I would imagine you'd find in American cities where it doesn't really snow and they have some sort of apparatus that they attach to their garbage trucks "just in case."

That the sidewalks at the school had yet to be touched was a whole other annoyance - but perhaps that's just me.

Long story short, the last snow day had a minor sprinkle - and today's barrage was not bus canceling-worthy. Oh well...

Birthdays

February and March are busy birthday months for me. My mother-in-law starts the celebrations near the beginning of Feb. and she's followed by one of my best friends, my father, another 2 friends on the same day (today), my husband (tomorrow), another friend next week and then my mother mid-month.

What I love about having so many celebrations so close together (aside from the cake) is the fact that just as we're beginning to be very tired with winter, I'm forced to remind myself of all the great people I have around me (and, let's be honest, the cake). I'm still very much looking forward to the disappearance of the snow and ice - but I can acknowledge that if for no other reason than my awesome people, the end of winter has some good stuff going on as well.

Tomorrow is Friday, my official Lunch Tramp day. I'll be taking some more pics tomorrow so I can show you all how great lunching can be!

Guest Blogging

My friend Denise is a regular blogger - and writes a blog I actually take the time to read. When I do read her blog/look at the fun pictures/read the comments from fellow readers I'm inspired to do more writing of my own. View From the Glen is the kind of "normal person" blog that reminds me that there are other people out there who have busy lives, sometimes have messy houses but who find ways everyday to appreciate their kids, their dogs (okay, I don't have a dog), their husbands - and all the good stuff that is not quite as huge as these things but still make a difference.

It doesn't always happen - the writing, I mean. I tend to have a slight obsession with digression and strangely, that translates into meaning to write but getting distracted by a thousand other things. Sometimes at the end of the day, I'm discouraged that I didn't write more; I'm disappointed that I let a lot of other things (like sub-par television, my strange obsession with the entertainment page of Huffington Post) get in the way of something I love to do.

Why don't I write more? I'm sure there's an answer but, just for today, instead of letting myself digress, I took a few minutes to blog.

Quick Dinner Party Help

A girlfriend sent me a text this morning asking what she could cook for a last minute dinner party that was impressive but really easy. My recommendation (sent over several texts):

Pork Tenderloin
Rub with rubbed sage, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper
Combine Balsamic Vinegar with Honey (and some optional olive oil)
Marinate if there's time
If not, use an oven proof skillet
Sear tenderloin on all sides
Place in 350 oven for about 25 minutes
Let rest about 5-10 minutes
Slice and serve

Serve with rice pilaf and steamed veggie of choice - oh look! There's dinner. :)

My Girl

I'm pretty lucky when it comes to friends. I have funny, smart people that are a text or fb message away and great friends who can talk to me on the phone for hours. But in this day and age of global careers and opportunities, not all of my people are close enough to go for coffee dates.

One of my best friends lives a longish plane ride away from me. She comes home much less frequently than I'd like but things like life, money, jobs and family tend to get in the way of weekend jaunts, casual mini vacations and the like. So, when she came home for a week-long stay due to a family emergency, I was concerned for her family member but grateful that she was able to spend time with me and my family. Our visits, however infrequent and brief are always filled with the kind of conversation I don't have with any of my other friends. They're full of laughter, horoscopes (?) and usually things I'd forgotten all about but which come flooding back to my consciousness while she's here.

Example: "Hey, did you ever finish the cookbook you were almost done last time I was here?" (Um, no - but in my defense, my hard drive crashed and it is still there "waiting.")

Example #2: "Hey, remember you were going to start a book club - whatever came of that?"
(Um, nothing - I still think I COULD start a book club - I just haven't actually done that yet.)

The thing that strikes me each time she gets back on a plane for her new tropical home is how much I miss having her here when she leaves. While she's visiting, all of these things seem possible and likely. All of the wine we drink is slightly more delicious and appreciated. She sees qualities in me I tend to forget exist without her gentle reminders and I love how she thinks I'm so much more "everything" than I suspect I actually am.

Years ago, when we lived together, she was still that same staunch supporter of everything I am/was - but in a constant dose I believed her more of a dreamer than an "inspirer." It was like a constant ego stroke. I made the best chocolate chip cookies (not even close), the best chicken and dumplings (which ironically, she couldn't eat because she was a vegetarian back then), the best exaggerator (which I sort of still am) and a million other things.

She got on a plane this morning and will most likely be gone for a long time. I shall do my best to remember how great she thinks I am while she's gone. I suspect she'll still be a better supporter of me than I ever can be.

The Errant Blogger?

Here we are with a new year - and a new blog post. Once a year sounds about right doesn't it? (sigh)

Blogging is clearly not my strong suit. I've begun making reading them more of a priority, except that even then I tend to stray or neglect even the ones I like...

I've been reading more books. Perhaps I'll actually blog about some of them. When I was pregnant some time ago a cousin told me to read all I could while on bedrest because that would probably be the last I read for quite some time. When she said it, I dutifully nodded - but thought - pfffft - as if I won't read with the same voracity as I do now - and then my kids turned two and I began reading again... (sigh again)

Regardless, I have to tip my hat to all the serious bloggers out there who entertain me and others. There's a lot more to it than it seems...