Hella Stella

My BH and I have a new obsession. Well, it's not so new for me, but it's way more exciting now that he's into it as well. Bento boxes!

Bentos are Japanese-style lunches, usually packed into containers that have dividers or different sections for your food. I grew up with a fairly typical lunch box meal at school, and while it does the trick, packing a bento has more benefits than I can count.

1. Portion control. Bento boxes are not usually that huge, so the chances of totally overdoing it are lower.

2. Packing diverse, healthy foods. Bentos seem especially well-suited to a little bit of starch or protein with a lot of fruit and veggie. I can easily eat bread with bread and a side of bread when unchecked, so it's good to have some encouragement to branch out a bit.

3. Ease. Bentos are designed to be eaten at room temperature, so packing it up (when you have the right supplies) can be pretty speedy and mess-free.

4. Compact. I've gone from having three or four bags or containers to having one bento box. It's lighter, easier and smaller to carry to work or school.

I could go on, but learning about bentos has already inspired me to make better lunches. I'm saving a lot more money too, because I'm actually excited to eat my lunch and not tempted to go buy something elsewhere. Plus, I got all my bento supplies in Ottawa's Chinatown! It's great to have the basics nearby. I'll get the fancy stuff when I'm in Japan next spring.

Here are some of my favourite bento blogs, in case you want to have a peek:

Vegan Bento Pool (just pictures, but total eye candy)

Not Exactly Bento

Bento Lunchbox

Boston Bento

LJ Bento Lunches

Just Bento

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And now for something completely different! It was my old roomie's birthday yesterday, and her beau threw her a surprise party in the Legion. It's been a long time since I've been to a surprise party, and it was just as fun as I remembered. Some pictures for you!

Sparklers! Thankfully, we didn't set the streamers on fire.


Are they pretty or what?

And great tunage. Who knew the Legion could be so much fun? (I know... It's possible that my friends bring the fun with them wherever they go, but still.)

That's all for now folks....

My promise to take some pictures fell a bit flat after I realized I had no idea where the camera was, and by the time I found it, it was rainy as shit.

So.

Sorry 'bout that.

Last night I went to a party populated by economists, drank a bit, and was quickly reminded why I am a freak of nature and should not be allowed to speak to strangers unless they have been briefed on my tendency to offend people.

But it was fun, all that shooting off at the mouth. Some people at that party may still be under the impression that I deal crack.

Back to the rain. I've realized that having no rain coat and owning rain boots that don't quite fit is, well, stupid. I need to get on that. Wandering the streets of Ottawa in a wet jean jacket gives me the chills, and I'm hard to warm up on a good day.

Now I've got a few loads of laundry to do, some sponge cake to eat, some tea to drink, and perhaps a quick nap before I go have a blast at Get Sprung. I'm thinking of whipping out my strict school teacher outfit for the occasion - the last burlesque show I went to made me wish I had worn something a little more AWESOME.

Kiss kiss. Have a good Saturday.

I had Big Plans this weekend, but I sort of dropped the ball.

First I missed the 80s party that I actually bought an outfit for (LAME) because my BH was sick and my Morty was stitched. Home I stayed. Now I have to return a hideously awesome pink blazer with shoulder pads to Value Village.

Then I slept in so drastically that I missed the parade for Chinese New Year. I was so excited to go! Double lame!

Things I actually got done? Well, I reorganized my cupboards, which was stupidly fun.

I helped my BH shave his head. Also fun. And SEXY. God, he is attractive.

Hung out at Raw Sugar and made eyes at the cake.

I inspected Morty's stitches and bruising and gave him all sorts of noisy kisses. Speaking of which, Morty needs some visitors this week and next because he's not allowed to go to the dog park until he's healed. So neighbours? Feel free to cuddle the puppy, is all I'm saying. He would love to love you.

I picked up my folks from the train station and heard about their European vacation. Although the term "European vacation" sounds very posh and fancy, their version of it sounded stressful and rushed. Next time I'm on vacation I hope it can actually be relaxing. Nobody wants to come back from holidays with no money and more worries.

January is slipping away, but it will certainly end with a bang. Tomorrow's budget should be a nail biter for political junkies and annoyed Canadians alike. And maybe the bus strike will end before the snow melts!

Perhaps February will be less of a write-off, but I doubt it. This winter will just have to be one of hibernation. I will be a hermit until May, and then I'll emerge from my cave with a bottle of wine and a party dress, screaming for the sun.

It turns out that bell training really works. I can't believe it.

When my Better Half told me that we could train Morty to ring a bell when he had to go outside, I was a bit skeptical. It would be amazing, of course, and it would drastically reduce the amount of in-house accidents we have. But was it possible?

Since we got him, we've been brushing Morty's paw against a bell (which hangs from the door handle) every time we take him outside. The hope is that he figures out he can ring it himself when he needs to go. The other day, my BH called me excitedly to tell me Morty had rung the bell for the first time. I was excited too, but I hadn't seen it myself. Just now? While I was booting up the laptop? Morty wandered over to the door, lifted his paw, and smacked that bell something fierce. I ran over, took him out, and VOILA! Poop! I am so, so excited.

(I just re-read that whole section, and jesus, you'd think I had a human baby.)

Anyway.

Other things have been happening besides Morty's brilliant potty training. For one, my best friend came to visit. The visit itself was exciting enough, since I rarely get to see him long enough to say hello. Our last visit of any length was two years ago in Colombia at his wedding. Before that, it had been years since we had gotten a chance to sit down and catch up. The visit was surprising in many respects, especially when he told me he was hoping to move back to Ottawa. For good. Very soon. Unfortunately, it became clear that his reasons for moving were not cheerful at all, and I've been feeling very sad about the whole situation ever since.

You know those cheesy horoscopes? Mine are always a little wonky, but the one thing they have in common is that they all say I am fiercely loyal to my friends. I've got to agree. Right now I feel like if one more person messes with my buddy, I will fuck them right up.

Today's agenda: puppy, curry and fun party. Yes please.