Friday, August 1, 2008

Volunteering, Gas, Rock Slide

I went for my interview at Canadian Diabetes and thought I was being interviewed for a regular job. They really want to know who you are and what you can do. It was a little unexpected, but thinking about it I guess they need to know who their volunteers are and what they can do to help. Looks like I will be a regular on Tuesdays and maybe do occasional work at other times on special occasions. We will see how it goes on both sides. They said they hoped I would be with them for the next 20 years, I said 'I hope I will be alive that long'. Thursday is our regular shopping day I thought I wouldn't spend much having bought tomatoes the day before, some hopes. Didn't seem much cheaper at all. Prices are definitely higher although gas prices are not as bad as they have been. Day before Matt paid $1.23 a litre. There has been quite a big rock slide on the road to Whistler in British Columbia - we saw it on the news last night - it will take them a day or two to clear, they have to blast any loose rock first before they can actually clear the road. It is the main road leading from Vancouver to Whistler and so supplies are going to be short. Worse than this though, it is a road which will be much in use during the 2010 Olympics so this is not good. If you would like to read the article click here where they have more pictures of the blasting and the slide itself. Glad I wasn't driving along that road when the fall occurred. I am always nervous of roads with rock slide warnings, some of these roads have netting, but I am betting that it wouldn't have held this slide in BC. Another item on TV yesterday, they have developed a pill which has only been tested on mice, which acts on the system the same as if you had been exercising. Well it works that way on the mice at least. That would really turn people into sedentary lumps. Again, if you want to read an article about it its here and there is a video to watch as well. I confess I am not great on exercise, but I am not sure I would want to take a pill to simulate it. For Marilyn of French Marilyn's Blog (see link on this page) there is an interview with France's First Lady which you might enjoy, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is talking to America's Barbara Walters. I have written about Barbara before, she is one of the top interviewers and manages to get to see people that no-one else has talked to. She is quite an incredible TV personality. The interview is on 20/20 tonight, I will have to try and remember to watch it. I was reading about the Great American Seafood Cook Off which takes place in New Orleans this weekend, I was hoping to write a Pay Per Post article about it, but I joined too late. However, a requirement in the article was a recipe for a seafood dish. I decided on a shrimp dish which I got from my boss' wife many years ago. I have made it a few times, it is great for a party and really quite simple to do. She called it Shrimp Bowl so I continue to do so although that doesn't sound a very ambitious name. Of course you could make it with the home made tomato soup recipe I posted here before. Shrimp Bowl 1 can tomato soup 1/2 c water 1 12 oz pkg cream cheese 2 pkg knox gelatin, dissolved in 1/4 c water 2 c shrimp, crumbled 1 c chopped celery 1 c mayonnaise Heat soup and water to boiling. Stir cheese into hot soup. Add dissolved gelatin and mix. Then add shrimp, celery and mayonnaise. Pour into a mold and chill. Serve with crackers or Pita chips. Have a great day.

10 comments:

  1. I'm glad the Diabetes people are fussy about who they put on as volunteers, Jo. It shows they have taste in choosing you:-) Do you have to do much training? Here volunteers have to do quite a bit of training and get police clearances and things as well. A lot of younger people take it on as it looks good on their CVs if they are looking for "real" jobs. Even so, there is a shortage of good people to take on voluntary work, so good onya, as we say here in Oz!

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  2. Don't really know if I have to do much training, have to have an orientation meeting. But I do know a fair amount about diabetes anyway so maybe there won't be much.

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  3. Jo -- I intensely dislike the lady you mention ... She's been boring us to tears, as Gynie will confirm, I am sure. Currently, she's on holiday in her chateau with her husband in tow. Last year he holidayed in the States with another wife. All too bling for me.
    By the way, if you are interested in the lady, Vanity Fair has an interview with her as well; it's the cover story I believe. This is one VF I will not be buying.

    As for the shrimp soup. Sounds good as all your suggestions do.

    Speaking of shrimp -- I read somewhere that Shrimp Cocktail has become *old fashioned* and one should no longer serve it as a first course. I don't know, but I find that it's still easy to prepare, pretty on the table, and tastes as good as ever.

    Quiz: Do you know what's become the French' favourite food? I'll
    be blogging about it next.

    Marilyn

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  4. I can see the advantage of a pill that would help combat muscle wastage for people who have limb injuries or are hospitalised for a couple of months - or even Parkinson's sufferers like my late father, who can't get to do as much exercise as they would like (and the muscle wasting thus makes moving even harder for them).

    And I'm not a raving animal rights activist, but it still does really annoy me that people test all this sh*t on animals. :(

    Seafood Cook-off? Alas, I gotta avoid it ... the smell alone would be big sicky time for Ru!

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  5. about food i've been watching a tv show, did you to marylin about this american Mary ryman or something, american and trying to find back the Renaissance food soooo interresting !!

    about miss 1rst lady, the whole question is : does she have the right to have personnal thoughts when the french people have not enough money to go on holidays, nor even to eat, or to have a home some of them ? Can she honestly in respects of the france be a seller of music ? What, the 1rst lady is a seller of dreams we have to pay double , once for her album and once because of her husband ? What is really the place of a first lady in a democracy ?

    We are fed up says my boyfriend to hear about love and fresh air in one hand and in the other hand to listen to you have to work more to earn more, and by the way i'm sure i will have an old age pension as my parents have nowadays! It doesn't help us in feeling french !

    grr

    good luck for your vulunteer 1rst day in Canada diabetes ^^
    i'm thinkin about you each time i'm giving some diabete thing in reference to the calling drugist at my work ! (they call us to know which lancet with which pen etc ^^

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  6. Marilyn, it isn't a soup, its a mould that you spread on crackers. Yes, I knew that about shrimp cocktail. It doesn't stop me serving it though. I enjoy it and so do my guests.

    I had my tongue in cheek about the interview.

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  7. You aren't a fish eater ru, or are you allergic?

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  8. Don't know Mary Ryman, maybe she hasn't been shown on Canadian TV yet.

    Luckily I am not yet into using pens, and hope I never will be. For non-diabetics that means you are taking insulin. Its bad enough pricking your finger all the time to check the sugar levels. I don't want to start stabbing my stomach with a lancet. I am told it hurts less than blood testing, I am NOT convinced.

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  9. I don't have a fear of needels or anything, but I wouldn't want to be jabbed in the tummy either, no no.

    Sorry, Jo, thought I'd mentioned before. I love fish, but have an allergy to shellfish (and to very strongly fishy stuff). I inherited that from my mother. But my sister and her children love shellfish and have no problems with it.

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  10. You did mention it before ru, just that my memory is failing somewhat.

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