[Wedding & Health] It's Official!

This will be a short, short, post...but I've done it!

Yesterday, I went back to Coyote Creek and put down my deposit to rent our room! Yes, we are officially getting married now. (Sorry baby, no backing out now!)

Now begins the real planning...sorting out exactly what I want to do theme-wise, picking colors, and even wedding dress shopping! Though, I still dread that last part. I just need to work on channeling my inner zen master, and not stress over any of this.

 My biggest challenge of course, will be losing weight. That's been a frustrating battle thus far. I'm realizing exactly how big my problem is...Today, I had a cookie. I told myself, "I just need one more, and I'm done." Need. NEED? It's an f'ing cooking. I'm so full of excuses, it really sickens me. I think I need to sit down sometime soon, and find some yummy looking recipes that look simple to make. I have a hard time, even when I make something that should be healthy, believing it's really good for me. I need to find that special menu that tastes healthy, is healthy, and I want to eat more of! There's just so much I can't stand...broccoli, peppers, spinach, lots of leafy greens...Either the texture makes me want to gag, or the taste does. It's honest to goodness frustrating.

I'll keep you all posted on that, any how...Wish me luck! I need all the help and support I can get.

~Jenicsaco

[Tech & Gaming] Reviews Galore!

This is  bit of an odd post, which is my fault, really. Everything I want to blog about today, happened on a different day. If I'd done them all when I should have, there wouldn't be a problem! I digress.

Part the first!

This phone: Utter garbage. 

As I hate my phone, it was high time I got a new one. I selected a newer, smaller company, Wind. They transferred my number of from Fido for me, and made the whole process very comfortable and easy! Let's look at this for a second.With Fido, I was paying $50 per month and some change after fees and taxes for unlimited talk and text. While Wind does not have as good coverage, I'm so seldom out of their area, it's not a big issue. Wind is giving me unlimited talk, texting, AND data. $40 a month. It seems like a pretty simple solution, yes?

Now I've got the Samsung Galaxy SIII. It's my very first smart phone, so I'm still learning my way around it. It seems pretty user friendly though. The resolution is godly, and the interface is pretty straight forward. Obviously, it supports all things Google, which makes my life easier. Yes, I'm a Google-girl, and quite happy with it.

My first Smartphone experience is great! Now I can tweet at my local transit system whenever my bus no-shows or is ridiculously late (which is every day), check my social networks to and from work, listen to music. I can finally Instagram, too! here, have a picture of my kitty sleeping:

The only drawback that I'm finding with this phone (or maybe smart phones in general?) is the onscreen keyboard. I don't think I have fat fingers, but I still have trouble getting the right letters half the time. Also, Autocorrect and "predictive" text are a bit of a nightmare. Thanks phone, for trying to fix my mistakes, and help me type a little faster. I know I'm slow. I would like to not think I'm typing the wrong words, though. Makes me feel a little less crazy. 

Part deux! 

Myself, some friends, and a couple co-workers found ourselves at a new restaurant and bar last Friday. EXP. It's a video game themed restaurant, how cool is that? Originally, the plan was to provide customers the chance to play some console games at their table while they ate, but unfortunately, there are laws preventing them from doing that, and serving liquor in the same place. They chose the booze (yay!). I would love to see both one day though...There are currently petitions going to try and change the laws, and hopefully create an even more epic experience. 

I've only got one negative to this place, so let's get that out of the way. The location. It's right near the bus, which is great, but it's also next to a part that attracts a lot of druggies and unsavory characters. I'm not terribly comfortable in such areas, but that doesn't seem to deter most people.

The atmosphere is great, of course. Everyone was in great spirits, and our waitress was fantastic! Super nice, friendly, and helpful. If I could afford it, I'd have loved to given her a $100 tip. Towards the end the service did slow, and we had to wait a little while for our bills, but it was so busy. I really don't fault anyone for that. 

The restaurant itself is decorated with of course, various gaming art, and plenty of flat screen TVs, showing everything from tournaments to cut scenes. The night we went, on the big massive screen, they were playing all of the Final Fantasy 8 cinematics. I almost cried. Great gaming music, my favorite console video game, and the overall buzz of excitement that filled the place. It was heaven. 

Food! Oh my gosh, I cannot rave enough about the food. This is too much...let's break everything down here. This is what I ordered:

• Ultra Deep Fried Pickle - Really delicious. It sounds weird, but they're really tasty! Fried, tempura battered pickle wedges. It comes with some fries, which are really nice too.  You get a choice of dip..I had ordered the Chipotle Aioli, but I honestly don't think that's what I got. Whatever it was, I'm leaning towards the Roasted Garlic Aioli, was scrumptious. I don't mind that mistake at all. 
• Triforce Burger with Onion Power Rings - The burger was honestly the best burger I've ever had. Beef, chicken, and bacon. Really juicy and flavorful and tender. It was heavenly. The rings also blew me away. I'm a sucker for onion rings, and usually opt for those when I can, over fries. Years ago in California, I had some pub rings that were the best I'd ever had. I didn't think I'd ever find a rival, but I found them at EXP. They won the battle of tastiness! Perfection. I regret not taking a picture of everything...
• Choco Island Magic Mushrooms  - YUM! The little chocolate cakes were super rich and really hit my chocolate craving in the sweet spot. The mushrooms looked so realistic, I really have to tip my helm the chef. Really great, and they were pretty darned tasty, once I stopped oggling them!
• Health and Mana -  This drink was actually a two-parter! Mana came in a tall glass, health in a shot. I don't remember what was in them, except raspberry sourpuss. I ended up mixing them together. I really liked this, but I will warn you, it's pretty sweet. 
• Tundaga (or maybe Thundara..they had both, I forget which I ordered) - Really nice drink, and the cup was rimmed with pop rocks! Haha That was a lot of fun to drink. I really enjoyed that.

Briefly, my fiance ordered Mankrik's Wife to drink (very delicious), and the Greedy Pigma Sandwich. The sandwich again was really tender, and full of flavor. I had a bite, it was very good. He upgraded his fries to poutine (seriously excellent gravy), but I think for the cost of the upgrade, he maybe should have received a little more. 

The bill was a bit little painful for a gal on a budget, but really, we ordered drinks, an appetizer, two meals, and dessert. Hey, it was our first time there, gotta try as much as we can! That run us up to $81, I think. Frankly, that's pretty fair, if you ask me. Considering the experience and food quality, actually, I'd say that's incredibly fair. 

I may not have the money to go often, but if I ever find a little extra on the paycheck, I know I'll be back. I'm pretty sure this will be my big birthday dinner, instead of the Keg this year, too. Prime rib and garlic mashed potatoes? Most certainly drool worthy...but I'm craving another Triforce burger!

Choco Island Magic Mushrooms - Made of meringue, not actual mushroom!

Their official website here: http://www.expbar.ca/

Part uh...t'ree?

Mists of Pandaria launched today! I don't have it yet, as it was ordered online..but hopefully in the next couple days. I should have plenty of time to play on... *sigh* Monday. 

I'm a little intrigued to see more non-Pandaren monks running around than Pandaren, though. I fully expected to see a Pandamonion, not a Monk-ey house. I guess some people really are butthurt about the whole "Kung-Fu Panda" business. Oh well. I look forward to playing it...when I get to 85. It looks really beautiful! I can tell that a lot of work went into this expansion, even if I do feel that the general feeling around it is a bit disjointed. Something that was just sort of thrown in, really. But, they worked hard, and it seems pretty darn stunning.

In the mean time, I've been working on my lower levels, happy to avoid anything new, like the plague for now.

[Animals] Fact Searching

If you read my last post on the My Bahari blog, you'll know that I've been raging over this protest that's going to happen at the Aquarium. I've been looking through the event's Facebook listing, and was appalled when I saw a comment along the lines of, "I had no idea it was such a terrible place! Do you have any pamphlets so I can learn more?"

This seriously bothers me. I can say with 100% certainty that a lot of what this group says is grossly exaggerated, if not completely false. To see someone read it, and immediately trust it, is frightening. There are so many things, about so many subjects, that don't always show the truth. I'm seriously troubled by people who would just fully embrace something as truth like that.

I'm not even talking about this particular subject of protests, and marine mammals, and aquariums and captivity anymore. This is in general.

I urge everyone out there, when learning something new, to approach it from all angles, read on a variety of sources, before fully taking something as the honest and good truth. Don't be stupid, don't jump into something so blindly. Do your research. Being spoon fed lies and outlandish ideas is nothing to be proud of. Form your own opinions.

Too often I think, people let themselves get brainwashed by the internet. Heck, I'm pretty sure it's made me dumber, and lazier. I will never let anyone control my opinions though, and I hold onto that value very closely. I just see too many things out there, that are blatantly incorrect, and because there is so much hype surrounding them, they believe every word of it.

Please, please, do your research and look at it from all angles, before forming a solid opinion on something.

I just really needed to get that out of my system...The thought of living in a world of people who can't/won't think for themselves is a terrifying thing. Things can go terribly wrong if people only think with their hearts, and not the facts.

Science, dear readers, is your friend. Seek wisdom and truth, not fleeting notions and lofty goals.

~Jenicsaco

[Wedding & Health] It's Happening!

So last weekend I went to check out Eaglequest: Coyote Creek with my bridesmaids and family. I was amazed, I didn't expect everyone to show, but sure enough, there they were! It was a good thing, too. THey all had lots of questions I hadn't considered!
I'm glad I went, as the room we had originally planned for...was underwhelming. It was more or less a basement with ugly walls and carpet, and an awkward layout. We could have made it really nice...but my new events lady, Cathy, showed us the other rooms as well, just in case we were curious. Thank goodness! The next cheapest room was only $90 more, and it was worlds apart from the other room. So much room, nice open layout, plenty of windows, a patio, and the room looked really pretty, even sans decorations.

This is...half the room? Sorry Mom, Dad. You were in the way. <3

Basically, we'd be getting something much nicer, that needs much less work, for only a little bit more money. Hands down, we have a winner! I'll actually be going in, in a couple of weeks to put a deposit down.

It was a good day overall, though very, very long. (There was also a dentist appointment and grocery shopping afterwards)I'm grateful to have so many fantastic people in my life to help me with this.

This was the view on the way home that day. Surely a sign of

 good things to come, yes?

I'm now in the process of figuring out ways that I can maybe reduce the cost. My fabulous bridesmaid is handling alcohol, so that's pretty huge, and a lot less stress on me. I wanted to have a slideshow, and the projector/screen cost isn't very high, but we're already struggling with this budget, so I think I have to nix that. I'll see if maybe I can do some haggling. Is that something that can happen with wedding venues? I don't even know.

Next, I'll be dress shopping and playing with the Guest List some more, I suppose.
I'm currently awaiting my next day off to jump full force into art, and trying to raise as much money as I can to help with this, and get me and my dude off on probably our only real vacation together (that's the honeymoon, folks).

I feel like I should be delegating more...but I don't know what I can ask people to do yet. I guess it all starts to become more obvious as time ticks down.

I'm not looking forward to the dress shopping, to be honest. I looked when we'd go with my friend for her dress, and did not find one dress close to my size that appealed to me. For those that don't know, at 260lbs, I most certainly qualify as a plus-sized bride.  I'm really not comfortable with anyone helping me in a change room, and I'm anticipating a whole lot of embarrassment with this whole shopping business. I should be excited, this should be the best part, but it's far from it.

I am trying to lose weight, but I have almost no support system. I have little motivation, no matter what I tell myself, and I'm finding it difficult to find tasty and healthy food. Cooking is tricky, because I'll cook food that I think is pretty darned healthy, and after I eat it, I don't feel that I accomplished what I had wanted. I'm also fairly picky...and lazy. Uuuugh, forever a fatass.

~Jenicsaco

[Gaming] Internal Struggle

I find myself battling with my inner adult quite frequently in terms of gaming.

I love to play games, and I often set goals for me to reach within those games. For example, in Warcraft, I'd like to have one maxed level character of each race and class. That hasn't worked out well so far, because like so many projects, I like to start things over, before completion. I can spend a lot of time in games, and lose track of more important things I should be doing.

I start to think about everything that I should be doing as a, you know, responsible adult. That's when the battle begins, and I start thinking about all the time I've wasted on a game, doing something that will end up not mattering in the long run. I should have done something productive. For me right now, that's working on my art and shops, and app ideas, in order to generate some much needed money for my wedding/honeymoon next year.

So the war wages on, and I stop playing, or play very little in an attempt to make up for lost time in productivity. Then I cancel my subscription...It's when I cancel, that I want to play more than ever. And so I do, and jump back in full throttle. Rinse and repeat.

Does anyone else have similar struggles? How do you cope/keep yourself organized? I've thought about heading into the parental controls and giving myself some restrictions. However, I know that if I had a day off, I'd likely want to give myself more time to play, and end up removing/changing everything.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, being a grown-up is hard! But, I have dreams to chase, so I need to try and keep myself motivated to stay on track.

~Jenicsaco

[Animals] When will people learn?

I'm going to try and write this as cohesively as possible, but to be frank, it really gets me irked.

There is a protest happening at Marineland against the obvious poor conditions, and all the malaise that seems to surround it. I'm not terribly against it...Admittedly, I haven't seen any of it first hand, but I do have some sources I trust that lead me to believe some of the hype that's floating around.

However, the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity (hence force known as 'The Coalition') in British Columbia is setting up a mirror protest at the Vancouver Aquarium. The Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland are entirely different entities, and are practically worlds apart.

I'll throw in my disclaimer right now that I cannot speak officially for the Vancouver Aquarium. This post is merely based on my own personal opinions, and feelings. Facts will be cited. Citations for cetaceans? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Let's throw up this image, which is of the proposed banners they will be flaunting. I will only comment on these images, because I don't have forever to correct the mountain of ignorance they have formed.

Credit obviously for the 'banners' goes to The Coalition. Not sure of the original photo sources. 

"Your money fuels the cruel capture of whales and dolphins."
    I don't really even know where to start with this one. The money from donations, admission, memberships, etc. goes obviously to operating costs (the animals eat a lot, and it ins't cheap! Neither are their health care costs, I'd imagine.), educational programs, research, animal rescues, staffing, and everything else it takes to keep the Aquarium fun, educational, and the animals safe and healthy.

Credit Norbert Rosing
Those maggot-looking things are
 beluga whales. Look pretty cozy,
don't they?

The image next to this quote looks to imply that the belugas are kept in a cramped, tiny tank. That is the animal care pool, which is not even close to half of their exhibit size. This species has proven to be comfortable in small spaces. Frequently, the belugas will swim into the animal care pool, as the gate is almost always open, when they want to relax. They have no qualms about spending their time in there. (Personally, I've seen up to four whales puttering around in their on their own free will. I think they're nuts, but that's their choice.)

This bit also applies to the last banner as well, but I'll go ahead and add it in here.

The Vancouver Aquarium and the Vancouver Parks board had come to the agreement years ago ( Unfortunately I can't seem to find the exact date this was announced, but it was before 2006. Probably quite a while before that. ). The agreement states that the Aquarium will no longer capture any new animals, and will not bring in any animals captured after September 1996. It can exchange animals for others caught before that date, or those that were born in captivity, in order to to benefit the animals social needs. Animals that were rescued and deemed non-releasable by the government due to physical disabilities or ongoing health issues are also an exception. [ Citation. Plenty of other great information as well. ]

"8 Marineland whale trainers quit and exposed the cruelty"
   This has nothing to do with the Vancouver Aquarium. The animals' living conditions are completely different. I can't even really elaborate on this. The animals in Vancouver are not suffering skin conditions, or any serious, ongoing health issues. That much is evident if you stop to actually watch a show, and see the animals performing natural behaviors. Strong, and healthy. They are also provided with enrichment through the day to keep them stimulated.

"You bought 3 dolphins from Japan fueling the annual dolphin slaughter."
  I can see how an uneducated person on this matter may get confused. Yes, three dolphins did come from Japan. Yes, there are horrific dolphin drives and slaughters down there, with many animals being bought and sold to various facilities. However, the three dolphins (two currently living) were all rescued from fishing nets. Their scars are very evident, and could not be released for visibly obvious reasons.
No one in their right mind would support the drive, and should work to stop it, and similar operations still happening across the globe. No, sadly, Taiji isn't the only one. It was made famous by the movie The Cove, which I do recommend. Know however, the Ric O'Barry is a crazy,delusional old fart, and that you should take anything he states as fact with a grain of salt.

I will go on to say that no animals in North America are from those drives. Those animals go to primarily asian zoos and aquariums. If you are interested in the drives, and the animals that are caught, I will direct you to a personal favorite website of mine. A fantastic resource that is always being updated by a fantastic and dedicated person. Ceta-Base.com . For all your cetacean related news and information! She (he?) has some very good sources of information, and I consider her (him?) to be very trustworthy.


In other news, a short blurb about Theodore. While his prognosis seems to be improving, it's still all up in the air of course. He -looks- better, with a lot of wounds pretty well closed up. He's swimming a lot, too. Eating plenty as well. I'm pretty hopeful this little dude will be back and frolicking in the ocean one day. That could change though, and I won't say why, but I can understand if that goal changes. Still, I keep my fingers crossed for him! ~Jenicsaco