February - A Month of Balance

February is the month of balance according to my “Calendar of Tranquility”.

Balance by definition implies having a healthy mental equilibrium and enjoying equal amounts of work and play. It means having healthy relationships with family and friends, as well as balancing what you’re eating. Too much of anything is not a good thing. When balance is disrupted and tipped to either extreme it can be hard to correct.

This has become all too important for me. I know that I tend to do too much. I’m happiest when I’m busy and it’s hard for me to relax and take a day off. I’m up every morning at 6am, work my morning shift, come back home and watch whatever happens to be on A&E (usually CSI: Miami, or The First 48), I head back to work, and follow up with an evening of badminton, trivia practice, yoga or some combination of the above. I’m not home most nights until at least 9:30pm.

A couple of weeks ago, my body was clearly angry with me. I was fine in the morning, but as the day progressed, I started to get a fever and it was eventually too painful to even stand as all my joints and muscles ached. I managed to drag myself to yoga class, but had to opt out of going to badminton afterwards. I walked all the way home (about 30 min), made myself a cup of Neocitran, and passed out until I had to get up for work the following morning. The fever had broke thankfully, but it was kind of a wake-up call from my immune system.

Because I am currently not in school, my brain has this active desire to constantly take on new projects to fill that void. New things to try over the next couple months:

1) learn HMTL (I'm pretty horrible with technology and need to fix that)

2) write fan mail to a tennis player (I'm thinking Canadian Peter Polansky, his mailing address is on his facebook page)

3) start collecting French postcards (I have seen some gorgeous ones of Paris, and just in general I love anything French)

4) write reviews about Racquet Science (tennis/ badminton store) and Le Chien Noir (French restaurant)

5) Ask out the guy I have had a crush on since Grade 11

6) Work on my Renoir 1000 piece puzzle (I need something quiet to do that doesn't involve the television)

7) Start blogging en Français (since moving to Kingston I don't use my French enough, and writing is definitely my weakest area)

8) Read at least 3 novels (I have definitely put off reading to watch more TV)

My Favourite Things...continued

I have now discovered my second "favourite place" in Kingston. Tucked right downtown, across from city hall is a quaint little coffee and dessert place, cutely named Sipps. I had seen listings on job sites advertising for this little shop, as well as a couple of kids at work mentioning the name of it.

I have always loved the smell of coffee, even though I don't drink much of it. I've never needed caffeine to function, but I do enjoy a really fancy schmancy coffee from Starbucks maybe once a month.

I took a stroll downtown yesterday morning because the weather was gorgeous and I've been meaning to take a pile of pictures since I've moved to Kingston. I decided to pop in.

Unlike Starbucks, Second Cup, or even Timmies...the shop was quiet. There were only two tables in the tiny cafe that were occupied; a pair of businesswomen in the corner with their laptops, and a pair of girlfriends catching up.

As I mentioned before, I am not a coffee drinker, so instead I opted for a hot chocolate (they have 5 varieties) and a tempting lemon square. Both beverage and dessert were piled high with whipped cream - I definitely felt like I was getting my money's worth. Grand total? Around $7.

Sipps has a huge variety of coffees, teas and other assorted beverages. They also have a wide range of delectable desserts. For someone like myself who has always had a sweet tooth, it was difficult to choose between brownies, slabs of assorted cheesecakes, biscotti, slices of banana loaf, etc.

I will certainly be making visits to Sipps a more regular occurrence.

My Favourite Things

Since I have moved to Kingston, I have discovered one of the most original and exciting stores. P'lovers, located downtown, a stones throw from the Queen's University campus is filled with organic and all natural products. From beeswax candles, to soaps, to clothing made of hemp, to paper made of elephant poo, there is a large variety of products to choose from. The smell is absolutely devine when you walk in.

One of my best girlfriends from elementary school works there so I have a personal friend advising on me what works well and things to try. Personally I have purchased a beeswax candle, orange blossom toner and a really cool bracelet made of tree nuts that have been dyed with organic pigments.

As some of you may have read in my last blog post, I have been trying to purge toxins out of my life (from chemicals in my body products, to people who have had a toxic influence in my life). There are soo many wonderful scents available in the soy candles (see photo second from the top) to the bars of soap. Pop by the store to check them out! I can't even try to describe the aromas. I also discovered bars of soap that are shaped like slices of cake (complete with icing swirls on top). Products are pretty evenly priced and with the added benefit you know that they don't contain harsh chemicals.

Check out their website: http://www.ploverskingston.ca/