The polar vortex has arrived, and with it, snow. As polar vortexes go, I feel like it is really not that bad, and can’t figure out if I’ve turned into Lieutenant Dan on the shrimping boat in the storm. IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO? I’m not complaining, by any means. I’ll take a mild polar vortex any day. In any case, it’s really pretty right now.
It’s been a bit of a dull week around here; it’s that late-January, not-much-is-going-on feeling. I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some of the very fun and light questions that I received on my Ask Me Anything, which is still open, by the way! I’m happy to answer anything you might want to ask. This week, it’s all about Fun Stuff! Thanks for the very fun questions, friends!
Food, Glorious Food
Elisabeth (HI ELISABETH) asked: If you could eat one meal for a month straight, what would it be? This is a very easy question to answer; I decided to take the soft lob right out of the gates. Greek salad and hummus with pita, that is my answer. I could easily eat that for a month straight; when the guys went to Alaska for ten days, I ate it for six of those days, and the other days, I was visiting my parents. It is my favourite, I never get tired of it, and it’s nutritious and nourishing too. Add in a few glasses of red wine, and you have my perfect Friday night. If we are talking about food that I don’t personally prepare, there is an amazing local place called Aida’s Bistro that has the greatest Lebanese food you could ever hope to eat, this side of Beirut. We don’t order there frequently because a) we don’t often eat out, and b) it is super hard to find parking around there, even just for take-out, but people. PEOPLE. They have a sandwich called The Mouh and if I could eat that, along with their dip sampler, on a weekly basis I would be a Happy Woman. Well, I’m already a Happy Woman, but the eggplant, my god, the eggplant. That is not even a euphemism. Mr. Boyhouse already provides the eggplant aplenty, if you know what I’m saying, but wow, do I love their Mouh and baba ganoush. Suzanne (HI SUZANNE) asked: What are your desert island foods? and I would reference all of the above, but also let’s throw in some salsa and chips, maybe a few Macintosh apples, and definitely a nice Lindor.
All The World’s A Stage
Elisabeth also asked: If you could pick any job and magically have the necessary skills, what would you choose and why? This is also a fairly easy question for me. I would, absolutely, choose to be a theatre actor. And if we are fantasizing here and believing that everything is in place for the magical career, then I’m going to say a Broadway stage actor. Let’s add in the ability to sing and dance, and maybe I’d be a Schuyler sister? When I was young, I was in several plays and I loved everything about them; I loved learning my lines and blocking the scenes and the endless rehearsals and, of course, I loved the performances. I am a performer at heart and even just remembering my stint as Amanda Wingfield, with the lights and the sound and the audience, well. I smile in warm remembrance.
YOU MUST CHOOSE
Suzanne (HI SUZANNE AGAIN) asked: If you were forced to endure eternity without hair removal services for ONE body part (this does not count your head or eyelashes (Nicole note: DAMMIT)) what would you choose to grow to luxuriant lengths? Now, I know that no one is actually going to hold a gun to my head, screaming YOU MUST CHOOSE, but wow, I gave this thought like that was going to happen. I am a near-daily leg-and-underarm shaver, a very frequent client of the lady who does my bikini sugaring (in fact, I see her tomorrow!) (god, remember when I tried to do my own bikini wax? Some things are best left to the professionals), and my eyebrows are a mess that require constant work, so I am going to say MY ARMS. You might think that is a cheat, but you would be wrong. I wax my own arms a few times a year, usually before a vacation. Hey, I’m half-Scottish and my body thinks it is still in the Highlands and must be kept warm via body hair. However, if I’m giving into one fuzzy part, it’s going to be my arms.
You Probably Think This Song Is About You
Suzanne also asked: What is your number one karaoke song? That honour belongs to You’re So Vain, which is my absolute favourite karaoke song, but last summer in Mexico I sang Before He Cheats and honestly, that was a blast too. If my friend Jen (HI JEN) is with me, I coerce her into singing Hold On by Wilson Phillips. One day I am going to serenade my husband with You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, a la Top Gun. Some of you may remember my fortieth birthday, when one of my husband’s colleagues dressed up in my husband’s Top Gun flight suit (doesn’t everyone have one of those in their front closet?) (see also: eggplant) and started the serenade, becoming one of my favourite people ever and fulfilling the dream I’ve had since seeing the movie in 1986, in the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan with my cousins.
Boogie Shoes
Another fun question from Suzanne: What song would get you on the dance floor every time? There isn’t much that wouldn’t, but for sure anything disco would get my boogie shoes going. If there were girlfriends, or even female acquaintances nearby, I would be grabbing their arms and dragging them to dance if I Will Survive came on. But honestly, it doesn’t take much. I’d do a conga line or the hustle or YMCA or even get low, low, low. I need someone to invite me to an old-school wedding, clearly. I’m always happy to, as the Black Eyed Peas say, get it started.
Weekly Reading
After all those mysteries last week, this week I delved into more usual Nicole reading!
Dear Life. After talking about my favourite authors, I had a strong craving to read Alice Munro, and so I chose this collection because it’s one I have read only a couple of times before; most other collections I have read many, many times. This one is very interesting because Munro notes that the last four stories are not really stories, but more autobiographical reflections. Many of her stories contain elements from her own life, but these ones are specifically autobiographical, which I find fascinating. All of the stories here show the moment that a chance encounter or a choice occurs for the protagonist, and shows how life changes from that moment. This is something that I am genuinely fascinated by in my own, and other’s, lives. We are where we are in life because of choice and encounters, and it’s interesting to think of what could have been.
Home of the Floating Lily. Short stories? Check. Woman author? Check. Introduction to another culture? Check. Theme of ordinary life written in an extraordinary way? Check. This lovely debut collection checked all my boxes of things I look for in a book, and I really enjoyed it. This book deals with Bangladeshi people and their experience living in Canada, as well as their home country, and I am here for it. The title story was the one I liked the least, but I will be thinking about the story entitled All The Adjustments for a long time. It follows a widow who is living with her in-laws in Bangladesh, as is the custom. Her late husband’s brother brings a wife home to live – also the custom – and the new sister-in-law is Canadian born, half-Bangladeshi. The household changes on her account, and it is just such a good story. I am personally fascinated by arranged marriages. I think, like all marriages, that some work and some don’t. There’s no telling that arranged marriages are worse or better than Western “love matches,” I think. But I find it fascinating, the process and the idea behind it, and so I actively seek out books that discuss it.
The Jetsetters. Let me preface this by saying that I love my new Kobo; I love syncing all my library “shelves” and seeing books pop up. However. I guess I now have an algorithm based on the few e-books I have read, and the library suggested this one as I had read The Lifeguards by the same author. Here’s the synopsis: dysfunctional family goes on a Mediterranean cruise, won by their mother, and (spoiler alert!) gains an understanding of each other. It’s like having a sandwich for lunch: quick and easy, somewhat satisfying, will totally forget about it tomorrow.
Love and Saffron. Engie (HI ENGIE) and Lisa (HI LISA) both recommended this book, and it really is a lovely and sweet book made up almost entirely of correspondence between two women in the early Sixties. There is a large age gap, and they live in different places and have different lives, but they become close friends, supporting each other through difficult times. There is an underlying theme of food and the introduction of international cuisine and flavours, which I loved. The author’s note states that she based this on her own friendships, and people that she knew, writing this warm-hearted book during the pandemic. It’s just a light, sweet book that will make you smile.
If you have answers to these very fun questions, please feel free to share! I’d love to know what you’d karaoke or dance to, what food you could eat exclusively, and even what body part you would allow to get as fuzzy as fuzzy could be! Have a wonderful week, friends, and if you are being Polar Vortexed, may it be a mild one. xo
Thank you for answering my silly questions Nicole!!! This post made me giggle many times. I thought about my own body hair answer after I asked this one and still haven’t landed on an answer so I think you made a wise choice! People who already enjoy body hair to its fullest really luck out because once you start removing it, it’s hard to stop!
I am also now craving a Greek salad, even though I had one this weekend. They are so good!!!
I don’t like eggplant (the food) but you make it sound magical!
I love eggplant THE FOOD but I don’t ever prepare it for myself. It’s kind of a pain to prepare, to be honest. Once a friend made me Japanese eggplant slices fried with honey drizzled on top and omg, it was delicious.
Whoa, there, sexy Mama! 😉 Chuckled my way through this one and such interesting book recs. I love short story collections!
People can fall in love so easily–I guess that’s how so many arranged marriages work.
(Also: Everything gets me on the dance floor; I have never sung Karaoke; and I’d literally prefer to starve rather than eat the same thing for a month straight.)
Yes, that’s an interesting observation. I also think it’s really interesting how the whole family becomes invested in a marriage. After all, we marry not only a person but into a whole family, so it is interesting – I think – to consider that dynamic. I know many don’t work but many marriages don’t work.
I am excited at the thought of you on the dance floor. We should have a dance party!
I’ll keep that Alice Munro collection in mind because I like her and haven’t read all her books.
It’s not my favourite but it is really good, and I think you’d like it.
These are some good questions (and answers!) I’m with you on “You’re So Vain”- possibly the best pop song ever. That Abdullah book sounds interesting- I’m also fascinated by arranged marriages. I didn’t know there was such a thing as a “mild” polar vortex, but I’m glad that’s the kind you’re having!
I was all ready for the cold and meh, it’s nothing!
Yes, we are having the mild polar vortex, too! It’s cold, but it could be worse. We got some snow, but could have gotten more.
I’m twins with Jenny. “You’re So Vain” is one of my karaoke favorites, but I’m also a fan of “Delta Dawn.” They don’t require much in the way of range. Ha!
It’s funny because I generally do not want to hear dance songs in my daily life, but if “It’s Raining Men” or “I Will Survive” come on at a wedding reception, I will be out there shaking it like it’s my favorite song. I am nothing if not a great wedding guest.
Oh I forgot about It’s Raining Men! Yesssss! Girl! That is a classic and I love it. HALLELUJAH IT’S RAINING MEN AMEN.
You had me laughing and blushing throughout this post!
Your readers ask the most interesting questions, and I love it!
Your writing was just what I needed on this -20-degree day!
The readers did not ASK about eggplant or Top Gun, but the readers RECEIVED.
Love a mild polar vortex, if I’m being honest. I doesn’t FEEL like winter until I am rescheduling meetings because I just do not even want to walk to there. Also! MacIntosh apples is a fascinating apple choice. No honeycrisp or jazz? Granny smith? Really just the old standby apple, huh?
I don’t really like honeycrisp! Or Jazz! I don’t mind Granny Smith in a salad but I’d never choose it. I mean, I’d eat any apple if there was no option, but Macs are my favourite for sure.
You’re such an extrovert and I love it! Us introverts really rely on your kind to get the party started. My answer to the karaoke question is none, I would never stand up in front of people and sing! And the dance floor, any song as long as there is already a crowd out there 🙂 However we DO agree that hummus is the greatest food ever.
Well, I will get the dancing started and THEN you can boogie on out!
Also: https://applerankings.com/mcintosh-apple-review/
I PROTEST. That reviewer does NOT know of what they speak!
We are having a cold snap, too, but no snow. We we rarely get snow during these cold snaps. I’d take snow over this but I am glad it will be short-lived. Paul has commented multiple times about hating winter. He must take after me and not be very hearty… I was not built to live in this climate honestly but I tell myself that at least we don’t generally have horrible natural disasters!
Oh man, the hair question is hard. I would pick my arms too, since I don’t do anything with them. But I don’t have an excessive amount of hair on them! I have debated doing laser hair removal in my bikini line area now that I’m done having children. But I haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet…
I am glad you liked Love and Saffron. It was a sweet, heart warming book. I need books like that to break up the heavy stuff I tend to read!
Even though I sang in choir in HS, I avoid karaoke! I don’t have the confidence or personality to pull it off.. I did once do karaoke to an Eminem song in what we call a “towny bar” in the suburb where my brother lives. I was 23 at the time and clearly intoxicated… It didn’t really land well? And for dancing, I’d say Like a Prayer! But there are a lot of songs I enjoy dancing to if the dance floor is not well lit. Ha. I mean usually they aren’t but I’ve been at some weddings where the lights were way too bright to make the vibe conducive to dancing!
AN EMINEM SONG LISA. I must know which one! Was it Lose Yourself? Because I could really see that.
I thought about doing laser hair removal, but, um, the old grey mare is kind of grey? And apparently laser hair removal is not effective for grey/ blonde hair.
Oh it’s worse… I sang “Superman.” I don’t know what I was thinking? Many vodka crans must have been consumed… 🙂 Almost-42yo Lisa would NEVER sing that song! Or really any song. A couple of years ago, we had an offsite in NYC and our boss had a “secret” team building event planned but we all figured out it was a karaoke bar and none of us wanted to do it… Our boss is more “salesy” and outgoing. Some of us are salesy/outgoing but there are more shy introverts who do not like attention so that was not a good outing…
It looks very cold where you are. I love the questions, could answer them all, except the karaoke one. I’ve never done that and God willing never will. Talk about an introvert’s worst nightmare… karaoke…
It’s only medium cold, I think. Right now it’s minus 10 C which isn’t bad for January!
See: eggplant. I chuckled at that. I guess I’d say that I’d do a Neil Diamond song on Karoke, like maybe Sweet Caroline, because I think everyone would join in and I’d be off the hook to some extent. I also enjoy singing Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. I can’t think of any specific song that would get me on the dance floor, but one glass of white wine and a crowded dance floor and I’d be game.
I love a cobb salad and I eat one every.single.day. for lunch. I REALLY like a cobb salad from a restaurant, when I don’t have to make it. My version is VERY small. I ate something at a restaurant Sat. night and I’d be a happy woman if I could eat that same meal every night. It was a Santa Fe blackened chicken protein bowl. It was perfection.
I am making a note in my handy dandy notebook that I should read Alice Munro. I think I’d also enjoy the Home of the Floating Lily. I’m currently reading Horse by Geraldine Brooks for book club. It’s very well done and interesting so far. Of course I read at a snail’s pace and hope that I finish in time for book club, but I’m a few months ahead so I think I’ll make it.
Sweet Caroline is probably the very best karaoke song in terms of getting the audience invested. Everyone wants to BAH BAH BAHHHHHH.
I have never had a Cobb salad in my life! Now that I google it I can see why, because meat and eggs, but I can see why you’d love it – all that protein!
This entire post was read in Gary Sinise’s voice. 🙂
I’ve never sung karaoke and probably never will. I do, however, enjoy listening to other people sing karaoke. I admire those who can do it without hesitation. ❤️
If you were here I would serenade you RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND!
I love this so very much. 😘
It’s going to get very cold starting tomorrow but it’s been so mild so far that I can’t complain (yet). Bring it Polar Vortex!
I could easily do one month straight of just eating pizza, then another month eating tacos, and a third month eating just stir fry and then I’d be ready to repeat the whole sequence over again. Now that you mention it, it’s been a while since I’ve had pizza….
I’ll join you on the acting gig! Song and dance and everything! I’d want to do TV and movies as well.
YESSSSSSS!!!! WE ARE GOING TO BROADWAY BABY! In our fantasy lives, but still! I love it!
Thanks for answering my questions. I was having hummus and pita this weekend and thought: Nicole would love this!
My answer would also be a Broadway performer! For a meal…sushi. I typically have it once a week – and maybe I’d get tired of it eating it daily – but I’d love to try! Another huge favourite is scrambled eggs with roasted sweet potato. And, simple but delicious: an English muffin with PB and banana. I KNOW I could eat that last one every single day.
Also this: “It’s like having a sandwich for lunch: quick and easy, somewhat satisfying, will totally forget about it tomorrow.” is the PERFECT description of a certain type of book.
I loved answering those questions! I love that you would also be a Broadway performer *starts rehearsing our upcoming roles as the Schuyler sisters*
No matter how much wine was poured into me I would never, ever, EVER sing karaoke. Never. But I would be cheering you on as you belted it out!
I’ll take your cheering!!
Judging by the photo it seems like the Mild Polar Vortex is definitely the best kind of Polar Vortex to endure, if one has to endure one at all. Picturesque, good for snow angels and you can probably still exit the house by the front door rather than having to tunnel out via a window. 🙂
P.S. I so enjoy your book reviews. If I like the sound of them I check them out at my local library. Currently waiting for The Rosie Project to arrive!
Thanks so much Amelia! It is very pretty right now, for sure!
I love this line: It’s like having a sandwich for lunch: quick and easy, somewhat satisfying, will totally forget about it tomorrow. There are so many books that I feel that way about, but usually they are either romances or thrillers. I no longer really read very many romances but when I do, I want light and fast and totally forgettable! For thrillers, I mean, it is right in the name — just thrill me and lets get to the next adventure! The only book on your list I have read is Love and Saffron; it was very sweet and very short.
How do I ask an Ask Anything question? Can I do it now? If so, what was the most interesting thing to happen to you when traveling and why?
I am going to answer the karaoke question because I love to sing and I can remember words to almost any song that I have heard once but I have a horrible voice. That does not keep me from belting it out in the car but I generally do not do it in public. However, when I do do it, it is almost always a Grease song, often sung as a duet with a friend, with I playing Johnny and she playing Olivia. You’re the one that I want, you are the one I want, oooh oooh oooh honey!
Oh, a Grease song! How fun is that. I love Grease so much. I don’t think voice matters in karaoke – it’s all about the feeling!!
I’m happy to answer your question! Thanks Kyria! Look for it in an upcoming post (I see I forgot to link to my Ask Me Anything! Whoops!)
I’m putting the Floating Lily book on my list!
Ha ha ha -eggplant!
It is bright and snowy and very cold here today and I am about to see how far Lucy will walk before she holds her little paws in the air and declares herself done.
The thing with Rex and his love for winter, it makes me wonder if he’s going to droop come summer!
I am all in on the Greek salad! And, even though I’m Greek, I’m not a purist when it comes to the Greek salad. Throw anything you want in there, as long as there is plenty of feta and kalamata olives. It’s with the olives that I am picky. No California olives, must be kalamata!
Have a great week!
Kalamata olives are a MUST. I love them so much! I’m not Greek but I’m 100% on board with this!
Oh I LOVE I Will Survive!! My high school volleyball team had basically adopted that song as our theme song (no clue why) and we would all huddle in a circle with our arms around each other and sing it before our games!! Good memories. 🙂 (Then we also sang it on the bus rides home… and at school dances… and anywhere else.) Ironically, I just heard it yesterday in some movie my husband had on, and I started singing along, of course. I’ve never, ever done solo karaoke though. Once in college some friends and I went on a cruise and we did a very obnoxious group song… I think it was a Shania Twain song. I can’t recall which one. It sounded very, very bad and I think most of the people in the audience kind of looked on in horror and hoped we’d exit the stage ASAP. hehehe.
I love when there are obnoxious group songs at karaoke – it means you’re having fun! That’s fantastic. I hope it was something like Man I Feel Like a Woman.
I Will Survive is SUCH a great song!
Broadway actor is mine! I did theater my whole childhood and it was one of my majors in undergrad; it’s like another life now, but my daydreams always land on showtunes or a juicy revival or a quirky off-Broadway transfer!
Oh, that is so interesting, Lindsay! I would love to hear more about your theatre days!
A mild polar vortex doesn’t sound TOO bad, when compared to what you’re usually dealing with this time of year. Hooray for that and for a dog who loves being out in the snow.
I am astounded that you shave your armpits and legs on a near-daily basis. Nicole, I cannot remember the last time I shaved my legs! I have blonde hair on my legs so I can get away with a bit of hair more than other people, haha. I’m just so lazy about it, even though the last time I went outside in shorts, I could feel the hair on my legs moving, which is a sign I need to do a quick shave, oops.
Honestly, for me, I’d probably let the hair-down-there grow. It’s such a pain and it’s this stupid thing women have to do to be presentable and I’m just OVER IT. WHY. Why can’t I wear a two piece and let all the hair hang out????? I am suddenly enraged about our forced femininity!
Maybe if I was blonde, I would think differently! Alas. I have very dark hair and fair skin and so I don’t care for that esthetic. A while ago I read a book called Plucked, and it was the history of hair removal. It was fascinating! I think you might like it!
I love all the questions and answers. Not sure that you’ve ever written Eggplant as many times in one post. *giggle*
I love the part about your friend wearing The Top Gun Flight Suit and serenading you; how freaking fun is that?
Thanks for all the giggles. My most favorite dance song has always been Get Into The Groove by Madonna; not sure why, but it always makes me want to dance!
Get into the Groove! I love that song! I can see why it’s your “get on the dance floor” dance for sure!