Vaid’s Verdict: An entertaining and remarkably accurate way of figuring out what you should be when you ‘grow up’…and yes, it works on us so called ‘adults’ who think we have it all figured out too.

What did I want to be when I grew up? A cartoonist. A writer. A travel show host. An environmentalist even! (Quell the guffaws please) My generation has had too many choices. Being a ‘Smith’ didn’t mean we’d have to work with metal, being female didn’t mean we’d have to be human incubators, and even being ethnic didn’t involve a future in taxis and convenience stores. Gender, race, religion, oddly-shaped legs – nothing can come between us and our dream careers. Except, when you can do *anything*, chances are as humans, we’ll do *nothing*. Which is why we invest in a plethora of self-help books, career counselors and my personal favorite, ‘trial and error’ to guide us to the right career choice. But what if a 10 min quiz could dispense of the counseling interviews and experimental crêpe spinning to reveal what you should be doing for the rest of your life? Get the whole story

We talked about the equipment. We talked about the training. Now all that’s left is to do the actual race! In the final installment of our Penticton Ironman series, Jeff Glen takes on the ultimate challenge and you’re invited to go along for the ride!

If you’re a mother, this weekend is definitely one to spend lazying about just letting your family pamper you. But as you already know, a mother’s work is never done and this weekend is no exception. As a parent, your #1 priority is to ensure a better future for your children, and that includes a cleaner future, which can’t be realized if the government doesn’t start doing things differently. Though your elected officials may not pay heed to one person’s voice, numbers speak volumes – especially when those numbers can’t even recite the alphabet!

This weekend, over 465 events in 43 U.S. states – and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (make note fellow Canadians!) – have been organized as part of a Mother’s Day call to action by 1Sky, a campaign dedicated to ensuring bold federal legislation on climate change as soon as possible. Communities nationwide will host events during Mother’s Day weekend to create murals that convey their vision of climate change consequences and the urgent need for bold congressional solutions. These murals will then be delivered to the relevant congressional representatives from each mother’s district.

Sometimes, those in power fail to see the big picture. This weekend, paint it in bold colours!

Click here to find an event near you and if there isn’t one, click here to organize one in your own neighbourhood.

I hope you aren’t sick of Rottweilers yet because I got to walk another one this week! Yes, the Vancouver SPCA does have other breeds but for some reason, I keep getting assigned to walk the Rottweilers. This is all fine by me because I happen to think they are some of the sweetest dogs around, but for the sake of your interest, I’m crossing my fingers for a different breed next week.

This week we’re featuring clap happy Cappy! Cappy is actually a mix between a Rottweiler and something else equally large. Hugging him (which he lets you do) feels similar to hugging a five year old. He has a nice healthy thick coat of short black hair which is much softer than that of a pure Rottweiler, and a long kangaroo-like tail which he keeps in constant motion much like that of a metronome set at 170.

Although he is large enough to seem intimidating, Cappy’s one of the most attentive dogs I’ve met and is exceptionally well-behaved. He is very good at following your direction and won’t go chasing after other dogs or animals without your expressed permission. He’s perfectly happy just being with you.

My only warning to potential adopters is to never walk directly behind him! No, it isn’t because he’s a stinker. His emissions are no worse (nor better) than the next dog. Cappy just has a pronounced habit of clawing at the grass after he takes a tinkle. Standing directly behind him when this happens means being attacked by very large patches of grass and dirt for about 5 full seconds. Other than that, Cappy is the picture perfect large Rottweiler cross complete with a wagging tail!

For details on Cappy, click here.
BC SPCA Vancouver Shelter: 604 879 7721 or vancouver@spca.bc.ca

To read the profile of another dog, click here.

How often do you find yourself driving home in the thick of traffic after an arduous day of work, and turning into the drive-thru of your neighbourhood fast food joint instead of going that extra block for the supermarket? Who can blame you! No one is up for labouring over a stove, especially when Wednesday rolls around – sometimes you just want food, grease ‘n all. But trust me, the effort that goes into preparing a proper home-cooked meal will be nothing compared to the work you’ll need put in to burn off all the calories from an instant meal made up of a long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients.

The recipes in Everyone Can Cook Midweek Meals are designed for cooks on the run, and that includes quick breakfasts, easy to prepare lunches, and dinner entrées that you’d probably never think you could make. Me? I’m all about the dessert and I’m personally dying to try out the Moist and Delicious One-Pan Chocolate Cake – it has all the key words! I know that cooking at home more regularly can be quite the hurdle, but once you start, not only will you realize that it’s easier than you think, but you just might start enjoying it! If you’re a cooking newbie, you have to get the right book though. When you pick one up, don’t just look at the pictures. If you’ve never heard of the ingredients, step away from the book. Thankfully, not only are Eric Akis’ recipes simple, but cumin is probably as exotic an ingredient as you’re gonna get!

Stay tuned for your chance to win a copy of Everyone Can Cook Midweek Meals!

For the recipe demoed in the video (and the bonus recipe for the Moist and Delicious One-Pan Chocolate Cake), read on! Get the whole story

The wait is over. The Microsoft Zune will be available in Canada on June 13th. We first reported on this a few months ago and Stasia got The Goods on it soon thereafter. Now you can get your very own ‘iPod killer’ and start arguments with all the Cult of Mac members on the SkyTrain.

Today: Download free Zune software and join the Zune online community site at www.zune.ca

June 13, 2008: Zune players available in stores across Canada

Zune 80GB: SRP $249.99 CDN (available in black or red)
Zune 8GB: SRP $189.99 CDN (available in black, red or pink)
Zune 4GB: SRP $139.99 CDN (available in black, red or pink)

Details after the jump. Get the whole story

One of the most unappetizing things on the planet is soggy lettuce. There is nothing worse than planning out the perfect salad all day in your head, only to come home ready to get started, and realize your lettuce has gone bad. Yah, you go through and try and pick out the bad pieces, but it’s no use, the idea has spoiled along with your salad fixins. Enter Produce Saver food storage container. Can Rubbermaid make my dreams of sugarplums and kick ass gourmet salads come true? We’ll just have to wait and see. Get the whole story

Reena’s Tips of the Week:

With bikini season looming, who isn’t trying to shed those extra pounds before everyone starts baring skin! To that end, Reena’s got a couple of belly trimming tips.

Substitute up to one-third of the total butter or oil in a cookie or cake recipe (light-coloured batters) with apple sauce, pureed pumpkin or sweet potato. And if you’re making a chocolate dessert, substitute with pureed prunes.

Substitute the mayonnaise in tuna, egg, pasta and chicken salads with pureed, seasoned tofu or plain low-fat yogurt, and seasonings. Keep in mind that although you may cringe at the thought of tofu, it really has no flavour of its own and picks up the flavour of whatever you add it to.

The difference in taste will be negligible if you apply these simple substitution solutions, but your party guests will sure see the difference in how those short shorts fit on you!

Taste is everything, so to punch up your dishes, toast your nuts to enhance their flavour: Bake them at 350°F in a shallow pan, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. And for spices and seeds, briefly toast them in a hot skillet and stir until fragrant. They make great additions to salads and casseroles.

Get the whole story

Vaid’s Verdict: A hard-nosed, no nonsense guide to writing sci-fi/fantasy novels that gives you a detailed understanding of the market, sub genres, publishing, writing techniques, and pretty much everything you need to know to get your foot in the door.

Science fiction and fantasy novels are an acquired taste. Most of us are content with watching a few episodes of Star Trek or enjoying the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the big screen…but what puts us off these types of novels? For me, it’s always been the hackneyed regurgitations of classic tales – nearly every sci-fi novel is about aliens invading Earth or even worse, in fantasy fiction, there’s the buxom blonde who knows how to ‘kick ass,’ cast spells, ride horses backwards, and do it all in a giant metal bra and spandex shorts. When I picked up this ‘how to,’ I expected the author to train me in the ways of clichés and cookie cutter characters because I thought that’s what the readers wanted. No sir, Crawford Kilian wants just the opposite…for us to boldly go where no man has gone before. Get the whole story

In part two of three, Jeff Glen talks about the grueling training regimen necessary to conquer the most challenging race of all: The Ironman Triathlon.

For details, click on! Get the whole story