Colony of Two

Day of Thanks, Part Deux

2007-11-22T22:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a secret. We only moved to the US so that we could have two Thanksgivings. (The PhD is a good cover though, don't you think?) Today was the Yankee version of the fall holiday we know and love in Canada, only over a month late and with most of the leaves already gone. It's a huge deal down here. People at stores will wish you "happy holidays!" as if it's Christmas, and they even have huge boxing-day-esque sales on tomorrow. It's quite crazy, really.

Since many of our friends were gone home (you guessed it, "for the holidays"), and we had celebrated with them the previous weekend, Mark and I were left to our own devices. These devices turned out to be pretty scrumptious, if we do say so ourselves. And keeping with the recurring theme of this blog, food was a central part of our day. So we welcome you to a virtual tour of our "let's stay inside all day and cook tasty things from 9 am until 11." Or our very first attempt, both as singles and as a couple, at making a bona-fide Thanksgiving Dinner, complete with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie:

Drinking an eggnog latte before the prep starts

Mark doin the funky turkey (with the turkey)

Moi, gloating (it worked it worked it worked!)

We tried a "grown-up" cranberry sauce with rosemary, port, and balsamic vinegar. It was extraordinary!

Mark carving the bird

The final spread

Rejoicing in the successful pumpkin pie (under the foil). A surprise substitution yielded a new "secret ingredient" I will use forevermore.

a very big apple

2007-11-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

New York City with the Barbers...Mark and I at L'Orange Bleue...the first good restaurant we ate at, thanks to Carla's recommendation!
Me on the horse-drawn carriage
Me by the Imagine memorial in Strawberry Fields, Central Park.
View from the Brooklyn Bridge

Back in Syracuse at Awful Al's, but it could've been TriBeCa!

Wine tasting in the Finger Lakes

2007-08-26T13:39:00.000-04:00

Mark and I joined a wine appreciation group! Our first outing was a tour around one of the Finger Lakes, an absolutely gorgeous, pastoral area of NY State. We visited 6 wineries, tasting at each until the wine / heat combination made us very very sleepy.

Our companions were a diverse group of Syracuse-area oenophiles; a fun retired couple, an SU employee, a local winemaker, and a young, active couple. This last couple we soon discovered we'd already met. In the middle of the tour, the woman says to me suddenly, "are you a runner?" I reply in the affirmative. "We've seen you out running, back in the spring I commented on your tattoo as you passed us!" Sure enough, we remembered them. She had seen my tattoo and put the two together.

Besides enjoying wine, we also got treated to some amazing food. Impala pate from South Africa, rosemary walnuts, a great assortment of cheeses and crakers, and prosciutto-wrapped melon. Not to mention the awesome server at the first winery who ran off to get us some dark chocolate to try with our port!

Upon returning to Syracuse, we joined the philosophy gang for a free BBQ at the Grad Student bar, and then headed downtown to Clarke's pub. It's been a very social few days, so today we're recovering. . . if you call a sub-10min/mile 6.4 mile run a recovery! (That one's for you, Dad!)

Needless to say, there won't be any wine involved in our festivities tonight. (Unless we go to the Eucharist service at St. Paul's.) Over and out!

Salt City redux

2007-08-24T00:27:00.001-04:00

We often feel like we're hard to keep track of. Winnipeg, Syracuse, India, Winnipeg, Syracuse. Often we feel like its hard to keep track of ourselves! It's like when you were young (or maybe this still happens to some of you) and at a sleepover at a friend's house. You'd wake up in the morning and there would be a period of disorientation. There would be a pocket of time where you were truly nowhere, completely immersed in the moment and unaware of your surroundings. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but sometimes I have to remind myself where I am with the good old mental atlas. Many people asked us over the summer, "So, after Syracuse then what?" Sometimes I'd like to know too, but more often, I'm happy to offer a simple shrug and a sparkle in the eye.

This fall's inhumanely long drive was shouldered almost entirely by Mark, while I (Jen) nodded off into various unpredictable bouts of boredom-induced napping. The few times I did drive were short and sweet, but somehow long enough for me to get to experience getting side-swiped by a car on the freeway, knocking off our driver's side mirror. (We're ok, but it's not a fun experience.)

This time around, we broke up our trip a little. We had ambitious plans for a day of trail riding in Wisconsin, but were thoroughly rained out...in every state from Wisconsin to New York, actually. As disappointed as we were, it enabled us to get to Goshen a little earlier, and into the cookie-bearing arms of Anna-Ruth. She was a warm host, and we're pretty sure we'll be calling her for a second date. ; )

It's been a nice, easy transition back to Salt City: We scored a replacement espresso machine from Williams and Sonoma (Reason #2 to like Syracuse)*, and are now nose-high in good crema once again. We also stocked up on groceries at Wegmans (Reason #3), with a few liquid contributions from Liquor City (Reason #4). We had a great Mexican lunch today with Paul and Melissa (Reason #5), at the Mission Restaurant (Reason #6). Even the city streets welcomed us back, throwing us into our running schedule with 4.5 miles of sweaty, calf-busting hills (Reason #7).

To Winnipeg we bid a temporary and bittersweet farewell. And to Syracuse, (possibly the most humid, rainy city I've ever lived in but yet with it's own charms) we say a warm hello.

*for Reason #1, visit Jen here.

Ode to the Bean

2007-07-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

We celebrated our 6 month anniversary on June 29th, and, true to form, Mark presented me with a very thoughtful gift: a hot-air popcorn popper! This little popper however was destined for bigger and better things than corn; for we would soon christen it with the shiny green beans of the coffee plant.

That is, if we could find them. In a fun-filled, adventure-packed day, Mark and I set out to find all the tools we needed to turn our ho-hum popper into a home coffee-roaster extraordinaire (courtesy of instructions on coffeegeek) Our travels took us to kitchen supply stores from Osborne to Ferry to Polo Park, searching in vain for a small, cheap candy thermometer that went higher than 450. The next day (oh yes, the search was epic), we found one at Russel Kitchen Supply on Ellice for 6$. A few hours later and with only one drill bit injured in the process, we had our roaster ready to go!

Finding green coffee beans to roast also proved difficult. So far, we've found only two places in Winnipeg that carry them: Black Pearl Coffee on Dufferin (but you'll have to get through the owner first, he's protective of his beans!), and the Cannery on Osborne. At not much cheaper than the final roasted beans, I think we'll try to find a better deal on the internet.

Lastly, we needed a large colander to quickly cool the hot, roasted beans. This we ended up scoring for 10 bucks at Superstore.

It took us one batch to discover that we LOVE roasting coffee. (Jen: "This is SO FUN! I LOVE this!" Mark: all smiles, laughing at my enthusiasm.) You become part of the whole process: watching the beans begin to heat up and turn tan, smelling the sweetness of barley and "burning organics," listening for first and second "crack," and timing out the different stages and temperatures. So, the moral of the story is, be nice to us and you might be eligible for a pound of the freshest roasted coffee around! (Even fresher than Starbucks...it's true.)

Heading for the Hills

2007-05-10T06:10:00.000-04:00

"Sir, which country you from? ... Ma'am ..."
"Canada"
"Torontovancouver???"
"No, Winnipeg."
"Ahhh, very very nice place."
"Yup, (wave and smile) bye!"

-A typical exchange between us and various people in the marketplaces, usually occuring between 10 and 15 times a day. Paul, a British guy we met last night while dining on the Mehran Fort's noble terrace, told us that he's started making countries up to stave off the boredom. Sounds like a good idea.

We both seem to be back in functioning order, feeling at least 95% ourselves again. The Norfloxacin 400's we picked up for a dollar (maybe MB health will cover the bill) seem to be doing their job, or at least our stomachs are getting used to all things Indian.

And it's hot, friends, very very hot. As we type in a strangely humid-cold basement of an Internet spot, the temperature is soaring towards 43 degrees celsius. It is amazing what the human body can take.

A few hours left here in Jodhpur until we board a night train for Delhi, and then another for Shimla, a northern city promising respite for our sweat-soaked brows. Rajasthan has charmed us with its desolate beauty, beguiled us with its frantic momentum, and endeared us to its colourful people. That said, the nickname that's been applied to Westerners who come here in the summer months seems apt; we are feeling more and more like "mad dogs."

Namaste, we'll write you all from the footstools of the Himalayas.

Jen and Mark

We're safe and sound!

2007-05-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

...so far! It's Sunday in India, and our first official day on our own. Jonathan greeted us at the Delhi airport, and was our faithful host/guide all day yesterday. This morning we embarked just the two of us (on a local bus filled to the brim with people) and arrived in Jaipur today at around noon. It's about 38 degrees celsius right now, but we survived yesterday's 40 so we should be alright. Off we go now to find some cold drinks and fresh mangoes...which, incidentally are in season right now.

Last night we had the priviledge of being able to watch a Hindi marriage ceremony. We were allowed into the huge buffet (it took place in our hotel), and served by one of the staff. This morning we woke up to discover that the party was STILL not over! (Thanks for the earplugs, mom) As we sipped our "cold coffees" (Nescafe, sugar and milk), we watched the tearful bride say goodbye to her families.

More to come!

(by Jen)

half a world away

2007-05-01T07:51:00.000-04:00

While talking to a well-traveled friend today, she said "travelers say that you haven't really traveled until you've been to India or China." Well, even though I don't agree with the statement, I do know what the intention behind it is: Get ready for adventure.

A few other people have weighed-in on our upcoming trip (we leave on the 3rd! this Thursday!). While my dad was here over the weekend he read us from Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. All I remember is "each breath was like a tiny victory." Another friend-of-a-friend: "Why are a white girl and her white husband going to India in MAY?"

Because we got married and when people get married they go somewhere hot, and so we picked the hottest place on the planet. 42-45 degrees Celsius, or for all you Yanks, 107-113 Fahrenheit. Well actually, I have this wee obsession with mountains, and so Mark is taking me to see one of the greatest mountain ranges on earth. The food, adventure, and eye-openers will top it off, to make it soooooooo much better than your standard tropical vacation. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

So check in for updates. We'll try to get to a computer whenever we can, but no promises. Off we go!

Never Snow?

2007-04-16T11:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, that headline does read: "Storm-Tossed Coast"

As some of you have heard, the north-east got a big snow storm last night. Here in Syracuse it has continued into today. As I write it is still snowing.

Here are some pictures of what we woke up to today. First, the street in front of our house.
This is the "snow-tunnel" sidewalk by our place.
And a pretty tree across the street.
Finally, there's Jen at our front window. She decided to stay in where it was dry and warm while I ventured out into the snow.

Our first 10k

2007-03-26T20:45:00.000-04:00

The ten kilometre race, affectionately known to runners everywhere (even in the archaic, imperial-measuring USA) as the "ten-K." This race is a milestone for any runner. Usually, it's the first significant race an amateur runner will enter. On Sunday, Mark and I will attempt the 26th Annual Skunk Cabbage Classic, in Ithaca, NY. A 6.2-mile jaunt around the stately Cornell-University town shouldn't be too much of a problem. We'll just have to wait and see.

So please, on Sunday at 10:30 Eastern Daylight Time, send up some runnerly vibes on our behalf, as well as on behalf of our new team, the Syracuse University Philosophy Department Running Club (creatively named by Mr. Mark Barber himself).

If we meet our time goals, Mark might even reward himself with an espresso by Zahar (our favourite Ithaca barrista), while Jen may choose to indulge herself in a Moosewood curry extraordinaire. Check in for results!

Brought to you in part by the PDRC: Run Fun, Run Well, Run Thoughtfully

If...

2007-03-01T17:06:00.000-05:00

If you have any pictures of the wedding, we'd LOVE to have them.

Could you please email them to markg.jennifera@gmail.com; and if possible, could you send us the original files, not a compressed version (those don't do so well for printing).

Thanks!

Quelques photos pour nos amis.

2007-02-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful photographer for our wedding from Vancouver (Ariel, who is one of Jen's friends). We have lots and lots of pictures to pic from, but here is a small sampling for those who actually check this blog.

And finally, cheers to you all for visiting our site.

Our wedding and the liturgical year

2007-01-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Kathleen Norris' The Cloister Walk, I wanted to find out if the date of our wedding had any significance in the Christian tradition. And so, with the help of Catholic Culture I found out that it is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. He was a vigorous defender of the church and a "shepherd of souls," which got him exiled to France and eventually martyred.

The 29th is also the proper "5th day of Christmas." I discovered this when I started attending an Anglican church, and learned that the days leading up to Christmas are the season of Advent, whereas the days following the 25th are the days of Christmas. So according to the little song, on our wedding day we shall give to one another 5 golden rings. I think I'd rather have 10 Lords a Leapin', but I won't say no to the rings. Let's hope Mark gets a good job!

Pictures of Us

2007-01-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

Although we don't have our official pictures yet, some people have started posting pictures of us online. Here are a few links to places where pictures of us can be found.

Achtung Baby (Angela's Blog)
Photo's Courtesy of Grandpa King

Check back for more as more pop up online.

from this day forward...

2007-01-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

So, we're married! Thanks to all who were there; for your presence, your support, and your moves on the dance floor. The 29th was a memorable night indeed . . . keep checking in for pictures!

-Mark and Jen

Birthday's are Important

2006-11-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Jennifer is having her Golden Birthday today! That is, she turns 26 on the 26th. (MY golden birthday was my first one, I feel kind of ripped off but I'm glad that Jen gets to live her own to its fullest.)

Happy Birthday Jenny, sorry I'm not there...

(All the same, here's a picture of us when we WERE together in the summer.)

While I'm writing... something about numbers. At the time of this post, there is exactly 33 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 33 seconds until the start of our wedding; or, 33.3:3.33.

Need a Hug?

2006-11-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

Just in case visiting our site didn't make you smile, this video will. (Make sure you can hear the music with the video.) Jen's edit: The video is awesome, but I do not wish to endorse the band!

Neumerology and the 52 day mark

2006-11-07T01:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how many people have noticed this, but on the left sidebar, there is a countdown to the start of the wedding. (See it here.) What I noticed is that there are 52 days left until the wedding (or, if you prefer seconds, 4.5 million seconds).

Now, given that I'm an avid neumerologist I noticed that if you sum the ages of Jen and myself (25 and 27 respectively) you will get 52. That tells me that there is something special about today. I'm a little unclear on the precise interpretation but it's good, I'm sure. If anyone reading this has anything interesting to add, please do so in the comments. I'd love to hear about your neumerological insights.

Keep checking back here for more updates and for other neumerological insights.

UPDATE: Just in case anyone was unsure, I'm joking in this post. There are few things I find more silly than numerology.

Being Apart

2006-11-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

The other day, I had a friend ask me when Jen and I were going to post about something other than being apart. I took offense to that—not really—and now I'm retaliating by asking you all to listen to this song by Matthew Barber (no relation) called "The Business of Being Apart."

(Disclaimer: Don't take all the contents of the song to be reflective of our relationship; we don't ever hang up on each other—unless Vonage drops one of our calls, so not intentionally, at least. The sentiment expressed is what I think is apposite.)

The Rings

2006-10-26T23:27:00.000-04:00

As per popular request, here are the rings. Yes, we're both wearing rings; we're both engaged after all.

The rings are gold (yellow and white). As you can see, Jen's has a small accent diamond. Since we're both wearing rings now, that will also be our wedding rings, we decided that we had to change them somehow on the day of the wedding. On the day of the wedding we will both remove our rings and flip them over so that the yellow gold band is on the top (which is how they were designed).

We had these rings custom designed. The white gold portion was a ring by itself (the mold was taken from a piece of slate) and there was a ring in the display case that had both the yellow and white gold bands bonded together. After some consultation with David Rice we decided on the combination of these two styles. That led to the rings that you see in these pictures.

Once Upon a Time

2006-10-25T02:03:00.000-04:00

For all of you who are getting cheesed-out at all our smiley couple pictures, here's something a wee bit different . . . the story of how we met, fell in love and decided to go to the chapel on the 29th.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Jen. She was but a fresh-faced 15-year-old, roaming the halls of her high school in Oakbank, Manitoba. Her life was happy, surrounded by her friends, family, and her numerous hobbies. She even had a boyfriend! Things couldn't get much better. That is, they couldn't until one cold night in mid-winter, a friend stuffed Jen into the back seat of her car, and took off to the big city (aka: Winnipeg). There were many dangers lurking in the alleyways of this foreign place: pool halls and loud music, shopping malls, boys, and . . . Calvary Temple youth group. It was there, in the humble enclave of those Friday night gatherings, that Jen first met Mark. He was a smashing young lad, well-educated and yet with a "wild" curly mane suggestive of his adventurousness. A few weeks went by, until one day in Chemistry class, when Jen was feeling particularly unsure of the boy she was then dating, her friend said casually, "Do you like Mark?" (ah, the simple days!) Jen replied, "well, I don't really know him, I guess, he's nice . . . " "well he likes you!" was the response. Jen was surprised and flattered. Her friend asked, "would you ever call him?" She answered, no, I couldn't do that. She asked that friend NOT to tell Mark that she had a boyfriend, but it was too late, he already knew. "He doesn't care," said the friend. Jen liked that very much.

A few days later Mark called. As verified by Jen's journal, they had a great talk, and she wrote "he's WAY more talkative than xxxx (current boyfriend)." She then proceeded to list his other qualities (followed by the ubiquitous smiley-faces) and state how confused she was.

Time passed. They fell out of touch. Things happened, Life happened. There were other relationships, other continents. They lived on opposite ends of Winnipeg, they went to different schools and churches, they had different friends. There were a few brief meetings at parties and other social events.

Then one day, Jen decided to move to Vancouver, on a whim, needing very much to mend her heart. Strangely enough, it was less the beauty of that distant coastal place than a boy from Winnipeg, living in upstate New York, who accomplished that. (they seem to have this thing for opposite ends . . . ) After a few on-line chats through the fall (neither were ready for more at that point), they decided to meet up at Christmas, just for coffee, or something. That night, they both didn't get home until well after 5 am. It turned out they still had LOTS to talk about.

And Jen may not have filled her journal with smiley-faces, but she was smiling all the way home.

There was a visit to Syracuse, and one to Vancouver. There was a spring apart and a summer together in Winnipeg.

That August Mark popped a very beautiful David Rice ring on Jen's finger in front of both their families. He not only succeeded in completely surprising her, but he threw in a real sweet little bit about making her the center of his life as well. Nicely done, she thought, and exclaimed "Yes I'll marry you!" before he even had the words out of his mouth.

And so, from a blustery February in '95 to a sun-soaked '06 August, there goes the story of how Jennifer Anne Ward and Mark Graeme Barber met and fell in love and decided to go to the chapel on the 29th.

not looking like this, mind you!

Come December,

2006-10-25T00:50:00.000-04:00

Winnipeg will not look like this, but we will.

Just another glimpse of what's to come from your friendly neighborhood groom-to-be.

us, already and yet to be

2006-10-24T01:30:00.000-04:00

A Thanksgiving shot on a path in Ottawa. Looking happy as we approach this time of planning and anticipation, even though for a time we will be apart.

Presentation

2006-10-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

What Jen and I really want is for people to come to our wedding and bless us with their presence—not necessarily presents. Of course we completely understand if people can't come to the wedding, if you are one of the people who received an invitation and yet can't come, just know that we wanted you to know that you are important to us.

One thing that I've been asked (or, my Mom has been asked anyway) is whether or not we are ok with receiving money as a gift.

If people feel like they must give a gift, then we will be happy with whatever they give us. Since Jen is moving to New York with me, we might not move all of our stuff right away so we'd be fine receiving money.

There's my long answer to the short question of whether we'd be ok receiving money as a gift.

Costco Wish-List

2006-10-23T17:25:00.000-04:00

Costco's a great store, but they are lacking in the wedding registry department, so (with my mom's suggestion) I decided to create my own! Here it is, for all you Costco-lovers. AND, the best thing about this particular registry is that it comes with yummy samples. Aren't you glad you checked out our website? If you want to ensure that the item isn't purchased twice (although Costco's great with returns...) you can leave a comment on this post saying the item is bought, and sign in annonymously.

280412 Kirkland SS Mixing Bowls, 7 pc. set 34.99
100141 Roscher Manto Wood Salad Set 7 pc. set 29.99
969538 Kirkland SS Stackable canisters 4 pc. set 37.99
? Olde Thompson Spice Carousel 16 glass jars. 22.99

"Feast" by Nigella Lawson
Any of the williams-sonoma cookbooks.

The un-registry

2006-10-22T14:12:00.000-04:00

Jen speaking...It was recommended that we make a list of things we do not need. (What fun! The anti-wish list. The un-registry. I like it.) Basically we're trying to avoid getting duplicates of things we have each accumulated over the past few years. The list as follows are the old friends we just don't want to part with at this point for new ones. We hope this helps. Both you, and the amassing landfills of rejected household goods.

Blender
Cross-stitch pictures
George Forman Grills
Large furniture (we're moving right away)
Toaster Oven

Pop Toaster

Electric Kettle

Coffee Grinder

French Press

Drip Coffee Maker

Update:
Kitchen-Aid Mixer

First, a Picture

2006-10-21T14:24:00.000-04:00