my new favourite vegetable

"What's with the alien embryo on the counter?"

I looked up from cooking onions in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Then I glanced over at the bulbous, gnarled sphere sitting to my left and understood what he was referring to. "Oh, you mean the best winter vegetable ever?"

"What is that?"

"That...is a celery root. You ate it last week and loved it, remember?"

"Well I never knew it looked like...like that."

"It doesn't matter what it looks like; it tastes amazing!"

Celery root is, first and foremost, cheap. Secondly, when cooked properly, it tastes creamy and delicious— like the combination of potato and celery. You can cook it a lot of ways, basically any way that you would cook a potato. Last week I steamed big cubes of it then tossed it in olive oil, lemon juice and zest, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. This week I threw some into a creamy winter soup.

Start by buying one of these:

image courtesy of sallys-place.com

Then make the base of your cream soup in the way you like. I make a roux in one pot while carmelizing onions and red peppers in a pan with some herbs and spices. At the same time, I steam the chopped-up celery root.

Once I turn the roux into a bechamel sauce, I keep adding milk until it becomes the base of the soup. Once its simmering, I pour in the onion/pepper/spice mixture and let the flavours blend. When the celery root is steamed (15 minutes-ish), I add it to the soup. I let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes, and then put it in a blender to smooth it out.

I garnish it with toasted walnuts and fresh grated parmesan. It's pretty awesome. Here's pic of the finished soup which I wanted to share, in spite of Brian's counsel not to ("It doesn't look exactly appetizing, more nauseating"). Basically, it's not the best photo ever, but you get the point.

Anyways, if you like cooking and want to try something outside of your vegetable comfort zone, give celery root a whirl.

a breath of stale air

Ah, the fresh crisp air of winter...right?

I sit inside at a computer all day, save for my breaks, which are always spent walking outside, gulping in lungfuls of winter air. After work yesterday, I walked triumphantly outside, treating myself to deep breaths after a day's work. It's refreshing and rejuvenating and it just feels healthy. I thought to myself yesterday that winter air has got to be the best air ever.

And then I found that yesterday Montreal beat its all-time record for winter pollution. Yesterday was actually the smoggiest day in Montreal's history.

The suspected culprit? Woodstoves.

Many people in the surrounding area of Montreal light fires on the coldest of cold winter nights to cut the chill in their homes. Even bars here warm patrons with cozy fireplaces. In addition to being cozy and comforting, wood fireplaces are what helped a lot of native montrealers (including several of my friends' families) warm during the catastrophic ice storm of '98.

It's unfortunate that something so basic and comforting is so detrimental to air quality. To me, this is yet another example of how the most charming throwback features of Montreal are, like the highways and much of the infrastructure, hazardously outdated. I'm not hating on woodstoves. I huddle next to the one at my cottage like it the source of warmth in all the universe.

But, as we continue to realize how some of our best-loved things are bad for our world, those for whom it is financially possible should push themselves (however begrudgingly) to update and upgrade to cleaner alternatives.

mid-winter makeup

Winter, as you know, is in full swing. All the more reason to take care of our skin, and load on thick layers of moisturizer! I've been trolling my favourite beauty sites for stuff that touches my makeup-loving heart. Here's some fun stuff I've come across that might be worth your while for looking lovely on a cold winter's eve.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Betty Collection:
There's always room in your makeup kit for a set that produces smokey eyes and stained lips. I know we're not supposed to combine the two, but if you want to look amazing in low lighting, I say go for it. Bare Escentuals is an amazing line, and the less chemicals you can put on your face, the better. So, when you're loading on the product to look sultry, why not use ones that are easier on your pores?

Revlon Matte Collection:
Late on the Mad Men train, I feel like I am the last person I know to become obsessed with the show and its aesthetics. Hey, I was tied up with The Wire (and then mourning its end) for a long time, folks! Anyways, the show has reminded me of my love for makeup of the 50s and 60s: matte, peaches-and-cream, and glamourous. Revlon's Matte Collection is a budget shortcut to mimicking Joan Holloway et al's looks. And, if you want further instruction, AMC posted a video all about the show's makeup:


Benefit 10:
This product is a lot of fun, and pretty much foolproof. While professional makeup artists use contouring all the time to sculpt their model's faces, it does require a fair amount of skill. This product loads your brush with contouring shade (bronzer, in this case) and highlighter (a shimmery seashell pink) to add depth under your cheekbones and make the apples of your cheeks pop. I used it on Carolyn for the pic below:



My all-time favourite face bar:
I know I've written about this before, but I really, really love Lipikar Surgras, in all its unpronounceable perfection. It is the most soothing, moisturizing, gentle face wash I have ever found. I don't even think it's supposed to be a face wash, rather a moisturizing body bar for extremely dry skin. BUT, it is heavenly for my usually flaky, tight skin. I am never going back to another face wash. Thanks to this and the bevy of moisturizers I slather on, my face hasn't flaked once this winter.

And a collection I don't want to like, but can't help it:
MAC did the Barbie thing over a year ago, so I'm not sure why Stila has decided to do it now, and with an inferior colour collection, but this ode to Barbie palette does look like fun. Recommended for tanned skin only.

A Mascara I'm dying to try:
I'm not even sure how well this works, but just look at how cool that wand is!

And, the most ridiculous product I've seen in a while:
Though I'm a firm believer in choosing makeup and colours to complement one's colouring, I am getting pretty tired of the lame products that attempt to appeal to our longing for eye colour individuality. Especially ones that can't feasibly work. There is no way that "black pearl" shimmer in a mascara is going to make my eyes look browner. Blue shimmer does not bring out your baby blues! First of all, you choose the opposite on the colour wheel to make your eyes pop (in the case of blue, orange or brown), not the same colour. Secondly, an imperceptible shimmer of blue is not going to do jack all. What a truly dumb product. I especially get annoyed by the ads (below), which feature Rihanna with a ray of light beaming into her eye, as if implying that the mascara would actually have an illuminating effect.
I have tried to find something in Cover girl's marketing copy for this product that makes sense, but there is nothing redeeming. If it read "We shoved some trace amounts of glitter in this mediocre mascara for those people who might like that kind of thing. It actually does nothing, but at the very least the packaging is kind of nice," I would be more impressed by Cover Girl than I am now.

party at the corona theatre

My first corporate photo gig was last Sunday, at the amazing Corona Theatre in St-Henri (a cute neighbourhood just south-west of downtown that we almost moved to). The staff of Chapters/Indigo/Coles rented a red carpet and velvet ropes for this old Hollywood themed party, and I got to surprise people, paparazzi-style, as they entered. I also got to try out my new flash, along with the coolest invention ever.

I collaborated with the tech guy throughout the night, and uploaded my photos several times during the party. They were then projected onto a giant screen at the front of the theatre as a form of decor and entertainment. It was kind of scary, having all my photos immediately displayed without time for any editing, but the reaction was very positive. After the first sequence of photos went up, even the wallflowers were parading in front of me, asking me to take their photos next. A good sign, I think.

Dressed formally myself, and taking full advantage of the chocolate fountain, I in no way felt like I was working. I just freaking love photography. Schmoozing and working with strangers, capturing fun and awkward moments alike, and giving them a final product that makes them happy—that's what it's all about for me.

And, since I opted to be paid by gift certificate, I now have a sizable sum of money to spend, guilt-free, on books!

Some fun photos from the night:

je suis sortie

Bonjour mes lecteurs et lectrices! J'étais absente, mais après aujourd'hui il y aura plus de temps pour blogging.

I have decided to drop out of my nighttime french writing class for now, as 8+ hours of class plus hours of homework in addition to a brand new job is proving to be a little much for the old cranium. Actually, it's more the constant sitting that I can't handle. So, until I get into the rhythm of working (and getting my photography business up-and-running, and becoming a Quebec resident, and fixing my computer blah blah blah), I am a night school drop-out.

Which means, however, that I will have more time to come here and write. It's going to be a bit of a challenge, getting myself to type and be creative after typing and trying to be creative all day. I promise you my best effort. My career counsellor, Ellen, told me 2009 is going to be my year. Although it's highly likely that she said that to all her clients, I am going to pretend she only said it to me.

I want this year to be fabulous, so I am starting by defining what fabulous is for me. Honestly, I am so relieved to have graduated, to be working, and to have an album on the go, that I am apt to say the status quo ain't bad.

But now is never enough, is it?

working in the 21st century

Since I have been (until recently) entrenched in a job hunt, I have become kind of obsessed with the process of searching for a job. What's the best way to do it? What are the new ways to do it? What is the least painful way to do it?

How do you get experience without having any? There's a copious amount of job hunting tips online, but I had trouble finding anything written by anyone from Gen Y. So much of what's out there seems outdated, and the job search methods seem inefficient and uninspired.

I plan to re-visit this topic over the next few months, as it's something so many of us are facing, and I would really like to help get some useful information out there. One resource that is pretty cool is an e-book written by my friend, Dev and his company, DreamNow. Titled Occupation: Change the World, it asks, "How do you make money and change the world?" I would recommend it for anyone with an interest in social entrepreneurship, or anyone who wants to learn more about what options are out there.

I'm volunteering with Youth Employment Services (YES) Montreal in the planning of a "Working in the 21st Century" conference, that is aimed at people aged 16-24. We've been working on coming up with ideas for relevant and interesting workshops. Myself and the rest of the group (most of whom are in their teens) are racking our brains to think of what people want/need to know as they think about their futures.

You'd think we would know what the kids these days should care about, but it's hard to know what we should know. If we knew already, then what use would this conference be to our generation.

If you were going to a conference that could answer all your questions about the working world, what kind of workshops would you want to see? So far, topics include: why entrepreneurship is Canada's hottest career choice, how to fast-track your career, networking, how to choose a socially responsible company, and the intergenerational workplace.

What kind of topics or info would make you want to go to this conference?

and...

January is here, and I find myself suddenly employed! Without getting into details here, it is a position that entails social media marketing, a lot of creativity, and working with some wicked individuals.

I have never been more excited, or more hopeful, for the expanse of a year that lies open in front of me.

holiday snapshot highlights