Flickr counts

Perhaps it all relates to the work that I do, dealing with digital images at my library and assessing the use of them. I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just a geek at the superficial aspects of social media. Feel free to speculate quietly on your own. The fact is, though, I'm altogether fascinated by the hits on our Flickr albums.

(full disclosure: the album I am referring to is the one for things Conrad and I do together - I have another account wherein I post things of my own, mostly conference photos)

I think it started a couple of years ago or so when I noticed that a picture - not even a very good one, not much descriptive metadata with it - was getting hits day by day it seemed. Oh, not a lot. Go look for, say, naked people on Flickr - those are likely the photos that are getting thousands of views. But no, this one photo was popular, and the referrer data suggested that people Googling "chocolates" were coming to it. Fair enough. Eventually interest tapered off, and while there have been 156 views in total (and two in the past month), the photo has gone from being #1 down to #8 in terms of all-time views.

In fact, it didn't remain #1 for long. Later in 2009, Conrad and I visited with Jeph (and his boyfriend, Brett, on whom I still unabashedly have a crush) in Ohio. Among the activities that weekend was wine tasting. And at a certain point after the visit and the posting of the photos, one image started getting hit. A lot, relative to my album. 15-30 hits a day for days on end. After a month or so, the hits stopped. I am not sure it's been viewed since. More mysteriously, the referrer data gave me no clue whatsoever as to why. It's #4 on the list now with 453 hits.

#3 comes from earlier this year while Vancouver was in the midst of Stanley Cup fever. Conrad and I were in Granville Island Market, and in a bakery we like to shop at, we noted some Canucks pucks - brownies with the hockey team logo on them. I tweeted the link to the photo, and it was retreated soon after by someone who evidently had a good number of followers. In two days views soared. Since then there have been occasional views, and it now sits at 873.

#2 is another mild mystery. I haven't been able to determine why a photo from last year of the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver has been so popular. No one source. General searches I suppose. It's a very grey photo, though it's a mildly interesting shot of the hotel tower. It's slightly ahead of the Canucks pucks with 878 views.

No photo has made it to 1000 views (although the photostream, collections, sets, and images together have surpassed 100,000), but a 2009 photo has reached 962. Not too far off. Here's the caption: Post-dinner chocolates, Shanghai Terrace, Peninsula Hotel. That's it. It's an odd, slightly blurry iPhone photo of chocolates on a Chinese soup spoon in a wooden cage. No, I can't explain it either.

I thought I might be in for another such curious anomaly a few days ago when I noticed that photos of eggs Benedict with smoked salmon (breakfast two mornings in a row near the hotel in Pasadena last month).
Alas, after two or three days, views of those images have tapered back off. Perhaps something else will make a run for the top in the future. We'll see.

So far 19 out of 8000+ images have been viewed 100 times or more. In the end, it's rather gratifying that at least a few of the images have been enjoyed so well.

cooking like Conrad

My kitchen. It's my kitchen. For ten+ years with Conrad, I've been the one to do the cooking. In the past year, though, our patterns have changed. Conrad has been in charge of dinners on a more regular basis than previously, and his evil influence is starting to rub off on me.

To wit: dinner on the Tuesday after Christmas in Vancouver. I was off at swim camp that evening, and we'd pretty much taken care of the turkey leftovers from the Friday dinner with my parents. Dinner was up to Conrad, and he performed admirably. I don't know where he got it from, but it was entirely reasonable sushi. We plated it up nicely and enjoyed it with Marie.




Fast forward a week or so, and it was my turn. Takeaway sushi, this time from WF.



I jest and exaggerate - we dine like this often. Weekly, in fact. Not pizza, only occasionally Thai or Mexican. Lazy me, since I'm the one responsible for the kitchen. But who am I kidding? Same time next week?

simple dinner

I didn't feel in a rush today, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of time making dinner. I have a book to read, after all, so no fancy preparations tonight.

Also, no dairy, interestingly. No, I'm not forgoing my morning decaf latte, but I am trying to eat a little healthier so as to be in not such dire shape when I get to Dallas for conference later this month. Yes, I really am that vain.

A long, flat piece of sockeye salmon, skinned and cut in two. I coated the pieces in a mixture of rice flour, salt, and pepper, then crisped up the coating in a large skillet with some canola oil. On the side were some Brussels sprouts halves, tossed with a little mustard. Underneath the fish was a parsnip and leek puree.



I liked the coating on the fish, I liked that it was light and thin and crispy. A decent effort. Conrad ate it appreciatively, too. Not a hearty dinner (and hmmm... what shall I cook tomorrow, I wonder), but a moderate one capped with a large Asian pear shared between the two of us.

I do, however, think a lovely glass of wine (which I'm taking a few days off from after the holidays) would be lovely right about now.

a few recent cooking observations

1. Blood orange souffles, by the time you get to the bottom of the dish, start to become a bit of a marmalade-y chore. I'll stick to other souffles in the future.
2. Why would anyone go for microwaved nachos or nachos with "cheese" sauce when oven baked are so much better. That's a rhetorical question, no responses need, you know I'm right.
3. I may no longer eat baby back ribs, but apparently I haven't lost my ability to cook them.
4. Chocolate cake good.

looking back

I don't do New Year's resolutions. I don't like the idea of committing to a life change just once a year and that's that. Better to reflect on what needs changing in life through the year and make it happen. Mind you, I don't begrudge others their resolutions. Everything needs a starting point, right?

So let me not call this a resolution, just a starting point for blogging again. I've recently been enjoying seeing some 365 albums on Flickr, and I realized that I would like to get back to blogging. Nothing serious. Food. Travel. Musings. With me?

At this time of year many media outlets pull together top lists or year in review stories. I'm a bit of a sucker for those if only because my memory is so remarkably sieve-like that it's good to have some reminders. I made a list yesterday. Here, then, is a year in review.

But not chronological, because 2011 was all about the wedding. Yes, ten years together, and on the first Saturday after what Conrad and I consider our ten-year anniversary of our first date, we were married in Vancouver. Family and friends came from as far as Sweden and the UK, and there was a healthy Chicago contingent. Allison looked gorgeous as my best woman, TK continued to demonstrate how awesome a best friend he is by standing in my party and doing a reading, and my big sister Marie gave me away. Actually, Marie did a ton more than that - she was the point-person for so many things here in Vancouver, and we really do owe her so very much for all she did in ensuring the day was a good, smooth, and marvelous one.

Anyway, the wedding was lovely, as was the reception. People ask what the best moment of it was. I never can answer that well - so much was a blur in the moment and all the more so looking back. A happy blur, but a blur. I guess the best part is every time I twiddle with the ring I now wear on my left hand and can revel in all that ring stands for and the day when it was given me.


There are many photos from the wedding week - the lead up, the time in Vancouver, the event, the honeymoon (Hawaii, of course) in a Flickr collection. Enjoy.

The end of 2011 saw Marie buy herself a condo, which means that this has been the last year of her living at our Vancouver condo. It's been a good arrangement all along, and we will miss her. On the other hand, we now get to furnish and decorate the place the way we want, and that excites us. The issue was almost forced a little earlier in the year when I found myself applying for and interviewing for a job in Vancouver. I didn't get an offer, and in terms of timing, that was likely for the best. I won't deny it's not disappointing not to be the first choice, but I have a secure position in Chicago, and I'll be grateful to have that job. May I do it well in 2012.

I swam a lot in 2011. I raced a couple of open water swims (fun!),
I did some timed distances in the pool (fun!), I closed the year with a 17-mile week at the English Bay Swim Club swim camp. In all, I was several miles short of 400 miles for the year, but good enough for a mile a day. I'm pretty proud of that. I am not proud of where my waistline is at the end of the year, but I haven't had to go out and buy bigger clothes, so I'll just eat moderately now that the holidays are over, and exercise regularly. About all that can be asked of us, right?

We have dined well this year, at home and elsewhere. Yoshi's has been our cherished regular place as always, of course. Safari Cafe is our coffee spot of choice in Vancouver. I had an unfortunately memorable meal at the Getty Museum in LA - a rare instance where I complained about the food. Best meal? Oh gosh. I ate a lot of very good things this year, not least of which were the deep-fried octopus chips at Boneta a few days ago. I might point to the wedding rehearsal dinner at Campagnolo for its combination of company, energy, location, and food. I still rave about that squash risotto with hazelnuts. Yum!

An interesting thing, though - if you go back earlier in 2011, you'll see some blogging about the cleanse that I did. I kept a few things going post-cleanse. Decaf only - I sleep much better now, seldom cursed with insomnia. I tried to add red meat back to my diet and found it just didn't agree with me much. With exceedingly rare exception, red meat remains out of my diet. Yes, I include pork in that, too. Nope, no bacon for me.

There have been good conferences, swimming events, trips to LA while Conrad has been working there. Thanksgiving in the UP with the in-laws (now officially that) and Christmas in Vancouver with my family and our friends here. Allison and Marie have stayed with us. TK joined them for a bachelor party weekend that still makes me shake my head in happy amazement. That led to one of the concerts we got to this year - the Debbie Gibson/Tiffany reunion concert. What a blast! Call it cheese, call me cheesy, I don't care. It was fun. Right TK? Oh, and there was the night we went with Smelts friends to see Florence + the Machine, and then there was the Dick Prall show Allison and I took in. I even got Conrad to a few movies this year, plus he went with me when I saw a pro-tennis match for the first time (Fish d. Harrison).


I'm forgetting things from 2011. That's fine. I blogged irregularly, but there is evidence of the year that was if you read back. Besides, it's now time for 2012. Which doesn't mean I won't look back again, but this should launch a new year of blogging nicely. In 2011 I hit my 1000th post. 1366+ by the end of 2012?

Best of 2011 (music)

My sister and I were talking while at dinner at Chris' last night, and it seems she likes the top music lists I put together. On occasion, they've been useful to her for finding new things to listen to. And what the heck, I never mind exposing my taste in cheese and other stuff for what it is.

I have every good intention of revitalizing this blog in the year ahead, so perhaps closing 2011 with a posting or two will be a good segue. While I have cake layers in the oven, then, a Top 25 songs of 2011 from me.

(Oh, and a word on how I came about with this list - I went to my iTunes, sorted it for 2011 releases, then sorted by most played and from that pulled this list. The result is presented alphabetically by song.)

Here we go!

1. About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All - Dan Mangan (lead track from the new album, which continues to grow on me, though not as quickly and easily as Nice Nice Very Nice did)
2. Blind Faith - Chase & Status (I also listened a lot to an older track by them, End Credits)
3. Bounce (Radio Edit) - Calvin Harris
4. Broken Record (Jacques Greene Remix) - Katy B (I also had Katy on a Mission on play a bunch)
5. Calgary - Bon Iver (never heard anything else by him despite all the Grammy nom hoopla – this was a free track I took a chance on and rather liked)
6. E.T. (feat. Kanye West) - Katy Perry (I am unashamed of my Katy Perry love acquired at the gym)
7. Leaves, Trees, Forest - Dan Mangan (my favourite track from Oh Fortune)
8. Lights - Ellie Goulding
9. Lotus Flower – Radiohead (terrific album through and through)
10. Marathon - Tennis
11. Moves Like Jagger (Studio Recording from "The Voice" Performance) [feat. Christina Aguilera] - Maroon 5 (I didn’t pay attention to this one until it got me dancing quite happily at my wedding)
12. Never Be Mine - Kate Bush (of all the re-recordings that made up The Director’s Cut, this was my favourite)
13. Party Rock Anthem (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) – LMFAO (come on, who didn’t enjoy this one?)
14. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People (I also liked a remix of Waste that I have on my iTunes)
15. Rolling In the Deep – Adele (though I confess I got tired of hearing it at the gym all summer)
16. Rows Of Houses - Dan Mangan (a nice rocking side to the man)
17. Set Fire to the Rain – Adele (great third single from the album)
18. Someone Like You – Adele (no, I don’t cry listening to this)
19. Swagger Jagger - Cher Lloyd (hilariously cheesy! And a great use of Darling Clementine)
20. The Tide Pulls From The Moon - William Fitzsimmons (I can’t remember how I stumbled on this, but a nice little strummer of a song)
21. Till the World Ends - Britney Spears (I am gay, after all)
22. ÜBerlin - R.E.M. (typical for them – one decent single, and then nothing more from the album)
23. We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) – Rihanna (I’m so-so on Rihanna, but this song hooked me)
24. What the Water Gave Me - Florence + The Machine (so glad I saw her live this past summer)
25. 50 Words for Snow - Kate Bush (title track from a gorgeous album that will be on heavy play for months to come - my favourite from it will change again and again, I know)

Honourable mention to a song I only heard for the first time post-Christmas: Love You Like a Love Song - Selena Gomez & The Scene

the first year

Ten years. Today marks ten years from what Conrad and I consider our first date. Ten years.

That's, oh, 20 times longer than any previous relationship I'd previously had. Pats on the back all around.

In the run up to the Big Event (eat your heart out, Will and Kate), I've been casting backward from time to time. I thought it might be fun, then, to share photos from the first year Conrad and I were together.

Unsurprisingly, there are few photos of the two of us. There is this one, however, from about a month after we started dating. Our first appearance as a couple, I guess. It took some of our teammates another year to figure out we were together. We chuckle about that now.

That first year we traveled together: first San Diego (wow, another photo of us!), then trips to my homeland
and his (twice).
San Francisco followed on from that,
and then we capped the year in style, celebrating our anniversary (and his birthday the next day) with a trip to visit his cousins in Sweden.
I was a little afraid to tell him how much I wanted to go with him because I couldn't afford to buy a ticket, and I didn't think he'd use miles for me to go with him. I was delighted and grateful to be wrong.

It was from that trip that one of our household sayings came into our lives: As long as we have snacks and each other...

10 years, much snacking, each other. Enjoy a glimpse into our younger times together.

questioning the hat

So, in an effort to be more grown up and emulate Martin's style (which I genuinely admire - do not read this opening sentence as snark, please!), I have added a couple of hats the wardrobe. When I bought this at an H&M in Toronto (yes, I was in Toronto, it happens), I thought it looked rather dapper. When I wore it Friday night to go out for dinner with Bradley, I found myself thinking it looked old and stuffy and like I was trying too hard.


I'm usually not so torn on my clothing (though Conrad and perhaps Todd and a few other close friends might dispute that), but with the hat, I am. I'll hold on to it, but I fear it may take up residence in a corner of my closet and not see daylight again for quite some time. Like when I'm truly old or something. Which may not be all that far off, come to think of it....

back to NOLA for conference

It's turning out to be a pleasant Sunday here in Chicago. We've just been across the street for a second round of coffee, I've baked more scones and given most of them away. Still ahead: packing for the upcoming travel. But no rush. A bit of time to check in here on the blog first.

I've only ever been to New Orleans for conferences, and with a second conference there this year, my tally is now up to 4 visits. I know there is much of the city I have yet to see, and doubtless much to appreciate. Sticking close to conference hotels on and around Canal Street and the French Quarter, however, does not give the best impression of the city. I don't have a lot of scenic photos to share. My room at the Holiday Inn did have some good views, however.

I do have a few food shots. I kept them to a minimum this past trip, I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps not in the mood? I did eat some good things, though: a pizza at Domenica, dinner at MiLA (including a rice pudding with rum-glazed dates), dinner at the bar at Sylvain where the smoked salmon rillettes were a highlight of my meal.

The conference itself? Enjoyable and rewarding. I didn't have any committee responsibilities, so I was able to sit and listen and let ideas and research findings wash over me. I drank in what I could, and the rest of the time I tried to connect with some of the people I know, like Susan (no photo, alas) and Marisa. And Carolyn, with her fabulous mane of hair.


No more conferences this year, and the remaining travel I have is to the same old, familiar and welcome places. Which means, of course, more food photos to come!

something old, something new

I wheeled out a couple of familiar recipes last night and tried a few new ones. Mixed success, in my brutally honest opinion, but a fine dinner overall.

Speaking of old and new, that was the mix at our kitchen table. Conrad and I have each been with the Smelts 10+ years. Brad and Matt are at about a year apiece. We have a great group of younger swimmers on the team these days, and it was a nice opportunity to get to know both of them a little better. The dinner started from a Facebook post by Brad when he was visiting a particular winery in California, Merry Edwards. I commented that Conrad loved the Pinot Noir from that winery, and Brad said he had picked up a bottle to share. I suggested he bring it for dinner, he agreed and invited Matt along to fill out the table nicely. A vegetarian meal to fit Brad's diet, and some good wine to enjoy. Oh, plus team gossip, of course!

Unusually for me, I did not force everyone out of the kitchen while I cooked. Conrad opened a bottle of Champagne for the four of us (why not celebrate anything we could?), and they munched on cheese, quince paste, crackers, olives, nuts, and caper berries. Me? I finished off a batch of rice cooked with the liquid drained from black beans I'd cooked up. Then I turned my attention to empanadas. Ah yes, fried food. Mmmmmm. A fine recipe, and one you've seen from me before.

I had roasted two types of mushroom (trumpet and hen-of-the-woods) and chopped those up. To them I added some cooked diced potato, charred garlic, diced goat milk gouda, and some chopped rehydrated red chile. This became the filling for the empanadas. While we chatted, I was pressing the dough and folding it closed around the mushroom mixture. A lighter set of flavours - a little earthy, but not too deep and rich - to go with the Pinot, or so I hoped.

But I'll be honest, I could have done better with the empanadas. The oil wasn't hot enough at first, and the slow cooking let the first several I made open up as they cooked. Grrrr. The last several were better, I'm glad to say, but it was a bit embarrassing to have kitchen mistakes on full view. Brad and Matt were very indulgent of them, thankfully.

I served the empanadas with the rice (which also was a bit less good than I would have liked, though I think the leftovers will go nicely with eggs and a chile sauce of some sort - it's been a long time since last I made that recipe, but I used to love it in the days back at the restaurant), red chard, and a sauce I'd made using dried red chiles, onion, charred garlic, dried mushrooms, and tomato. It turned out well, I think, a happy experiment.

And so we dined.

And the wine, I should add, was delicious.

After dinner, we remained in the kitchen. Matt had brought a Washington Cab blend, and we slowly sipped our way through that. Conrad helped tidy a bit, and I started on dessert. Here's where the new recipes came in, and frankly, I thought they were pretty darn good. I had made hazelnut shortbreads from Emily Luchetti's truly wonderful Stars Desserts cookbook (my hardcover edition needs rebinding badly) earlier in the afternoon. I also made a batch of hazelnut ice cream from a recipe I found online. It was well worth skinning all those nuts, I tell you. The nut flavour was subtle, and it would be understandable to think that the ice cream was a good, rich vanilla. There are a lot of leftovers of it, though, and I may find myself tempted in days ahead.

I went with hazelnut, though, because I think its a great complement to plums. The plum season will soon end, and I will be sorry to see it over. For snacking or for cooking, plums are a wonderful fruit, after all. I used 9 prune plums last night in making the showstopper: souffles.

There I was, in the kitchen, mixer running at high speed as I whipped up egg whites and sugar. I folded them in batches into a strained plum puree. Three ingredients, that was it. The mix then went into prepared ramekins and into the oven. A short time after that, Brad started getting excited, asking if I had made baked Alaska. He knew that I had made ice cream, and he thought that egg whites plus ice cream logically meant that classic dessert. Nope, sorry Brad. His excitement was cute, though. My own excitement came with the rising of the souffles. I had plates ready with a scoop of ice cream (for adding into the hot, sweet-tart souffle) and a couple of cookies. The souffles came out of the oven, a nice brown on top, pink around the sides. Onto the plates, onto the table, and delighted reactions all around (including from me). This was one of the best desserts I've done in ages - a little forethought on what to make and how to present it, a willingness to take a small risk.

We ate it all up, full as we were, and settled into contented conversation once the plates were clean.