Inn of the Wandering Dragon

It has been a long time since I played with henna but this weekend I decided to break it out and have some fun with it. I also decided to try a different approach than previous times - can you believe I used to draw my designs with a toothpick? Some of those designs were pretty darn elaborate too which meant HOURS were spent fiddling with them. This time I have taken a few cues from the lovely people over at The Henna Page so I'm pretty excited, I shouldn't have to worry about the paste evaporating before I'm done!
Of course, the paste has been brewing (so to speak) for the past day under a lamp so walking into the house after going out shopping is to be greeted with a wonderful warm earthy smell. Henna is a plant so it's not too far off the smell of cut grass. Sort of. It hasn't driven the cat out of the room so I'm sure he doesn't think it's too bad.

I realized I haven't posted a dragon picture in a while so I figured I should rectify that. This was done for an ATC swap last year.

Since Sunday was so lovely weather wise I hauled the boyfriend off the couch to go check out some art.

At the Glenbow Museum was a painting by Peter Paul Rubens - The Fruit Dance. It is now on long term loan from an annonymous donor. The museum put together a short term display of Baroque sculptures, period furniture and other works of art past and present with The Fruit Dance for a lavish Valentines display. Sad to say it came down yesterday but perhaps it will be brought out again at some point. None of the pemanent galleries have a corresponding theme so we'll just have to wait for an appropriate exhibit to see it again.

At Arts on Atlantic, the main show is a retrospective of sorts for the well known illustrator Charles Van Sandwyk. He has crafted a beuatifull book of original works spanning 21 years and this show is a celebration of that. Only 10 books have been made but all the artwork in each book are original prints created especially for this.



A scanned copy was out where the public could flip through. You can ask to look at the original and the gallery will provide the white gloves to prevent damage. According to a newpaper article, 3 collectors from Ontario flew out just for the opening. But the artist's work is undeniably beautifull so I really don't blame them. You can check out the images here.

It was my intention to just attack the bathroom today, and clean out the closet etc. My little place is not unlike those games where you move one car in order to move another, and another until you can get the red one out through the gate. So as room was made in one storage area, so stuff around the house moves from one spot to another. Eventually this results in a cleared off shelf for CD's or books, a cleared piece of floor so I do not trip over stuff, and an overall reduction of clutter. Not bad for a days work.

A snippet of conversation was overheard yesterday in the clothing section of a sporting goods store: (customer to staff) "Don't you have anything with logos on it? I don't want to go out in just anything..."

Wow. Fortunately I contained my laughter until I was outside the building. It seems to me that comfort, suitability and fit are the most important priority when shopping for clothes. Especially clothes meant for going outside and getting messy in! Am I in the minority? Do I really need to have a trademark somewhere on my person in order to be considered valid in my dealings with the rest of the world? Or is it more an outlett to flaunt ourselves and our perseption of wealth (hey, I make $X a year, so I must wear brand X)? I didn't get it back in high school, but then my family didn't have the money for the latest fads and fashions. I certainly believe in going for quality but I won't loose sleep over it if people I pass on the trail don't know what store I bought my gear from. Such is life, but I will laugh and shake my head at the craziness of it all.

Last night I had dinner with a good friend. For whatever reason he was craving white wine to go with dinner, and finding his usual favorite out of stock at the liquor store, he opted to try something new. I'm all for trying something different or new. But as he showed me the bottle of choice, faint alarm bells were ringing out from a hazy memory that I couldn't quite place. I had never tried greek wine before, but as I read the label - and specifically the word 'traditional' I knew deep down this was not going to be like any other wine I have ever tried before. I just couldn't remember why I knew this would be an experience. I think I had read something about it years before when I had to come up with something Greek for a multicultural themed pot-luck.


I uncorked the bottle and inhaled. My eyebrows went straight up. This scent was comming from off the map in terms of my familiarity with wine. I grinned - this would definately be an eperience. The glassses were poured and tried. We both agreed that the wine was quite smooth and light. Pleasant, yes... but... What stopped us dead in our tracks was the taste of pine. It was not unpleasant, just shockingly different from what we were used to.


It turns out that historically, the greeks used pine resin to seal the amphora or wine jars. They did this because the jars were ceramic as opposed to impermaeble glass and the resin prevented oxygen from spoiling the wine. It also infused the wine with a pine flavour. There are some interesting anecdotes and information here.

Overall, I didn't mind it. I'm not certain that it pairs well with wasabi (we had sushi for dinner) and I think that it is more of an aquired taste. My friend tried turning it into a spritzer with the addition of soda and I will definately say that it is better in it's natural state. Pine infused wine tastes much better than pine infused water, of course that is only my opinion. He was rather gloomy at the prospect of still having one unopened bottle to contend with. But I figure it gives us a good excuse to spend an afternoon or evening with a fabulous selection of meze (a greek selection of small dishes not unlike the spanish tapas idea). Why not? Invite some friends to have a try and share the experience...