I was fortunate to have won two spots for us through the B.C. Dairy Association's "Get Your Hands Dirty" contest.  I had to submit some ideas for how to cook locally and then had my name drawn at random, along with several other winners who we met at the class. We were introduced to one another in a beautiful room with antique chandeliers and long wooden tables.  Sparkling wine and hummus and eggplant dip with small pieces of baguette graced our lips as we took it all in.  I felt very relaxed and would have been quite content to sit and sip the evening away, but soon we were led into the kitchen and watched what we would be making.

Chef David Robertson greeted us and began by showing us how to make our dessert, chocolate pate.  We began with dessert first because it had to sit in the fridge for two hours and set before it could be served.  As you can guess from its name, this was not a particularly low-calorie sweet.  It was pure indulgence of the Julia Child, "everything is better with butter", variety.  And, as I folded melted chocolate into layers of whipped heavy cream, I heard a voice in my head mutter something about the hours in the gym it would take to burn it off.  I quickly silenced it by tasting some of the residue in my bowl after watching the rest of the chocolate cascade into the most adorable mini loaf pan.

Then, it was onto the first course, poached sablefish with buttered crab.  Yes, butter.  The class was sponsored by the dairy association, after all.  We also used a variety of fresh herbs, including tarragon, which I had never tried fresh before.  The dish was not difficult to make and I did learn how to plate it attractively, which is something I normally don't spend much time on, especially if I am the one eating it.  It was certainly nice to sit at the table and then eat it.  It was fantastic.  The combination of flavours I think had more to do with this than my abilities as a cook, though.  I also enjoyed another glass of wine and good conversation with my classmates.

The next dish was venison.  I'm not a huge red meat fan and I have to admit I would probably never eat Bambi again, but the sauce that went atop him will certainly go in my repertoire.  Shallots, garlic, red wine, cassis, beef stock, and salt and pepper.  Reduce all of these to a syrupy consistency and you have pure heaven.  I love shallots and garlic, so I didn't even strain it.  It also paired well with the celeriac puree that the chef made to accompany our main course.  I also impressed others by getting my venison to stand upright on the puree, but I will let you in on a little secret: I put a prune wrapped with bacon under it just enough to secure it in place.  

Finally, we decorated our chocolate pate with some rhubarb coulis and ribbons the chef had prepared.  It was a very rich dessert that I was glad to pair with some English breakfast tea.  We left at 9:30 p.m., clutching out "Dirty" aprons and butter-splattered recipes, very happy to have learned to take the time to make and taste something truly, uniquely ours.

I was fortunate to have won two spots for us through the B.C. Dairy Association's "Get Your Hands Dirty" contest.  I had to submit some ideas for how to cook locally and then had my name drawn at random, along with several other winners who we met at the class. We were introduced to one another in a beautiful room with antique chandeliers and long wooden tables.  Sparkling wine and hummus and eggplant dip with small pieces of baguette graced our lips as we took it all in.  I felt very relaxed and would have been quite content to sit and sip the evening away, but soon we were led into the kitchen and watched what we would be making.

Chef David Robertson greeted us and began by showing us how to make our dessert, chocolate pate.  We began with dessert first because it had to sit in the fridge for two hours and set before it could be served.  As you can guess from its name, this was not a particularly low-calorie sweet.  It was pure indulgence of the Julia Child, "everything is better with butter", variety.  And, as I folded melted chocolate into layers of whipped heavy cream, I heard a voice in my head mutter something about the hours in the gym it would take to burn it off.  I quickly silenced it by tasting some of the residue in my bowl after watching the rest of the chocolate cascade into the most adorable mini loaf pan.

Then, it was onto the first course, poached sablefish with buttered crab.  Yes, butter.  The class was sponsored by the dairy association, after all.  We also used a variety of fresh herbs, including tarragon, which I had never tried fresh before.  The dish was not difficult to make and I did learn how to plate it attractively, which is something I normally don't spend much time on, especially if I am the one eating it.  It was certainly nice to sit at the table and then eat it.  It was fantastic.  The combination of flavours I think had more to do with this than my abilities as a cook, though.  I also enjoyed another glass of wine and good conversation with my classmates.

The next dish was venison.  I'm not a huge red meat fan and I have to admit I would probably never eat Bambi again, but the sauce that went atop him will certainly go in my repertoire.  Shallots, garlic, red wine, cassis, beef stock, and salt and pepper.  Reduce all of these to a syrupy consistency and you have pure heaven.  I love shallots and garlic, so I didn't even strain it.  It also paired well with the celeriac puree that the chef made to accompany our main course.  I also impressed others by getting my venison to stand upright on the puree, but I will let you in on a little secret: I put a prune wrapped with bacon under it just enough to secure it in place.  

Finally, we decorated our chocolate pate with some rhubarb coulis and ribbons the chef had prepared.  It was a very rich dessert that I was glad to pair with some English breakfast tea.  We left at 9:30 p.m., clutching out "Dirty" aprons and butter-splattered recipes, very happy to have learned to take the time to make and taste something truly, uniquely ours.

Thanks to Clayburn Comforts and Body Works (http://www.clayburncomforts.com/) and my own leprechaun spotting abilities, I had $50 to spend at their shop in Clayburn Village, Abbotsford.  Yes, there were several leprechauns hidden on the company's website in late March and after hours of diligent hunting, I found them.  I do mean hours, as they were hidden extremely well.  In any case, I went to their shop and came back with five products:

1. Juicy Mint Aromatherapy Bath Salts 

2. Juicy Mint Soap <http://www.clayburncomforts.com/soaps/natural-collection/#cc-m-product-5983408783>

3. Lemongrass Deodorant <http://www.clayburncomforts.com/deodorant/solid-stick/#cc-m-product-5983084983>

4. Mango Foot Crack Butter <http://www.clayburncomforts.com/foot-care/mango-foot-crack-butter/#cc-m-product-5982253183>

5. Muscle Rub

As you can tell, I love the bath salts.  They smell fantastic, as the combination of grapefruit, lemongrass, lime, and spearmint is a real winner!  What I'm amazed by is how fragrant the whole room becomes when I use them.

The Juicy Mint Soap has the same scent, so it is also very pleasant.  The texture is nice, as it has ground up lemongrass and candula flowers in it that makes it into a kind of exfoliating scrub, as well.

The deodorant has a similar fragrance to both the soap and the bath salts.  I think it's the lemongrass that makes it smell so great.  I find the deodorant lasts all day and does work during my rather intense one-hour yoga class.  The price is a bit steep for the full-size version.  I gasped when I saw it was $17.95 for 75 grams, but the quality of the product is so much better than any five-dollar brand I've bought from the supermarket. 

I have only tried the foot butter and muscle rub once, so I will provide you with a review of those products when I've had more of a chance to put them through their paces!

Anyway, I'm hooked!  These products are all-natural, made locally, and, most importantly, they work.  I recommend you take a little road trip out to Clayburn Comforts and treat yourself.  

I was allowed to go to one festival screening of my choice and I selected "Hopes, Dreams + Schemes" <http://www.womeninfilm.ca/hopesdreamsschemes.html>.  I chose this screening because it showcased a series of short films from various countries and I have always enjoyed international films and have wanted to see more short films.

While watching all the films, one thought kept resounding in my mind: the roles women take on are seemingly limitless: artist, intellectual, nurturer, friend, adventurer, etc...  We move so seamlessly from one role to the next, too.  I know this may seem like an obvious idea, but the suddenness of this realization made it very powerful.  I was in awe of my own gender, my own femininity in a way I never have been before.

The two films which I enjoyed the most were "Move Out Clean" and "The Soldier Game".  In about 12 minutes, "Move Out Clean" encapsulated the reflective and transformative nature of cleaning.  Before you say, "Huh?" hear me out.  Yesterday, when I cleaned an orange spot off the kitchen cupboard, I remembered the ripe, juicy mango I ate the day before.  This morning, when I swept up pieces of thread, I recalled that I sewed up my coat pocket which ripped when I jammed my hand into it on a cold winter day.  And, as I emptied the shredder into the recycler, I watched the half-remembered pieces of words and phrases tumbling into the bin, thinking I should write this review tonight.  

"Move Out Clean" is about this experience.  An artist cleans out the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.  He plasters up holes in the walls and remembers how he put them there.  He cleans up the empty beer bottles, recalling how they transformed him into someone he ultimately decides he doesn't want to be.  In the end, the apartment is clean and he has reached a new level of awareness.  He knows who he was and what it cost him: the love of a wonderful woman.  He can now resolve to be his best self as he starts anew.

"The Soldier Game" was beautiful.  First, it was a visual indulgence.  The green fields of Northern France.  The home with its vintage charm.  The storybook that Antoine, the boy at the centre of the story, reads.  Yet, at the same time, it was also beautiful in its poignancy.  Antoine's world is turned upside down when his father leaves to fight the Nazis, so he decides to secure his home with the help of his grandfather and the Napoleon of his imagination.  Through all this, his mother tries to comfort him, telling him they are safe from invasion.  Yet, no one feels safe.  In the end, however, it is Antoine who offers his family comfort.

A truly enjoyable evening for me.  I wish you good luck this morning, as we all attempt to "spring forward".

Tonight, we made our way over to the newly renovated Queen Elizabeth Theatre to spend the evening with the Mythbusters.  Well, thousands of others joined us, but that was okay.  I'd been looking forward to this show for some time, as I'd won the tickets late last year, courtesy of miss604 <http://www.miss604.com/>.

My husband is a great fan of Mythbusters and I became interested as well when Grant Imahara built a robot for The Late Late Show in 2010.

I watched with fascination when Adam Savage lay down on a bed of nails and had a cinder block smashed on his stomach.  I cringed when I saw footage of his previous injuries and heard about the 40 stitches he'd had in his hand.  I cheered when an audience member put on a suit of armour and got shot multiple times with paintball guns and emerged unscathed.  I was thoroughly entertained.  

Then, I started to think about why this show attracts so many people, especially parents and kids.  I came to several conclusions.  First, it makes science look cool.  Blowing stuff up is chemistry.  Hitting the high striker with the right amount of force and the right size hammer is physics.  Other than biology class, which I enjoyed due to a morbid fascination with dissection, science was something I just tried to get through in school.  I never saw it through the eyes of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.  Also, Mythbusters makes you ask questions about questions.  For example, they mentioned the question, "How tall is the mountain?"  Yet, pointed out that the answer all depends on the answers to other questions, "Where do you start measuring?  From the Earth's core?  From sea level?"  Making these inquiries helps propel us on journeys of discovery.  Instead of sitting in the cave, we're exploring the valley.  Rather than starting at the TV screen, we're becoming something worth watching.  Finally, Hyneman told us never to underestimate the importance of play.  I found this a profound and almost radical statement in a world that applauds us for crossing items off our to do lists and nods understandingly at us for our sedentary pastimes, but raises an eyebrow at any other activity that doesn't fall into either of those two categories.  

All in all, a fun and memorable evening that gave me some deeper things to think about than I expected.  So now I'm off to test the myth that bodies decompose more slowly because we eat preserved foods.  I'll need two mice.  One will eat only preserved foods and the other healthy food.  Then, I'll have to kill them...just kidding!  Mice are cute and they scare elephants - really!  The Mythbusters told me so.

Note: For those of you who have been following my contest odyssey, I will give you three quick updates:

1. I miscalculated and really did have 12 wins in 2011; I forgot my Avon prize pack for being the second quickest person to complete a word search at my sister-in-law's bridal shower.

2. This year, I am entering contests on my own and have won two already - a 200K Canucks T-shirt  from @VanCanucks and entrance to the premiere of Arctic Air, which sadly I was not able to attend.

3. Anyone who would like to compete with me for more most contest wins is welcome to join me in 2012 (just message me).  At year's end, the person who wins the most cash and prizes has to take out the loser for drinks and food at a pre-determined location.  Next month, I will be taking out my 2011 competitor/friend to The Waldorf Hotel <http://www.waldorfhotel.com/>.  

I'd like to preface my review of the film by saying that I have obviously been living under a rock and did not know anything about this movie before last night.  So, I went in not knowing about the novels or the Swedish films.  Upon watching the opening credit sequence, I was prepared to watch something similar to a James Bond movie.  The images presented were like something out of Goldfinger interpreted by someone who had seen The Matrix.  Yet, I was in for a shock when I quickly realized that I was watching something far edgier and deeper than a Bond movie.

The basic plot involves disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) investigating a 40-year-old crime.  He is asked to find out what happened to Harriet, a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from an island inhabited by the most dysfunctional family you are ever likely to meet.  His assistant on the case is Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) who has considerable issues of her own.  There is also a secondary plot involving Blomkvist and the source of his disgrace: a conviction for libel. 

This movie is very, very graphic in its depictions of violence, particularly violence against women.  The title of the original novel, Män som hatar kvinnor – "Men Who Hate Women" prepares the audience for this.  The dark, misogynistic world these characters inhabit is a difficult one to watch.  I was certainly not the only one cringing during the screening of the film.  However, the main story is a compelling mystery and the character of Lisbeth Salander is incredibly complex.  At times, she is an avenging angel.  At other moments, a skilled and brilliant investigator.  I found myself feeling sympathy for her throughout the film, too.  She yearns for love and compassion, but is understandably reluctant to open herself up to it.

I was glued to the screen whenever the main, mystery story was in progress and when Salander's life away from the case was being presented.  The libel subplot was not as compelling and I felt that the way the movie was bookended with it was unnecessary.  Without giving anything away, it seemed that the movie had come to a natural conclusion long before the actual conclusion was shown.  I would recommend The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with the following advisory:

If you are looking for a heart-warming, Christmasy story - go see Hugo; it's great!  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo lives up to its tagline: "It's the feel bad movie of Christmas."

It was during this dinner that my friend and I conceived of the idea for this blog: enter as many contests as possible and the biggest winner buys the other dinner and cocktails at the Waldorf in January 2012, should the world still be here.

Well, 2011 is almost at an end and I have won 11 contests:

1. Two tickets to the opening of the Talking Stick Festival, courtesy of <hummingbird604.com> (approximate value: $72.24)

2. Two tickets of an advance screening of the movie, West is West, courtesy of <http://www.vancouversun.com/> (approximate value: $25.00)

3. $100 worth of cheese, courtesy of Holland Shopping Center <http://www.hollandshop.com/> ($100)

4. Two tickets to Taking Your Experience for Mine (part of International Dance Day), courtesy of hummingbird604 (approximate value: $30.00)

5. Two tickets to the movie, Something Borrowed, a regular popcorn, and a DVD of the movie, Blue Valentine, courtesy of The Georgia Straight <http://www.straight.com/> (approximate value: $50)

6. Two tickets to a double bill of The Far Country and The Man from Laramie, courtesy of Pacific Cinematheque <http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/> (approximate value: $25.00)

7. $50 gift card to Whole Foods, courtesy of Whole Foods <http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/> (value: $50)

8. $500 gift card to Pacific Centre, courtesy of Where Vancouver <http://www.where.ca/magazine/> (value: $500)

9. Two tickets to see Mythbusters live, courtesy of Miss 604 <miss604.com> (approximate value $105 - $196 - I'm not sure which section we are seated in)

10. Two tickets to an advance screening of The Descendents, courtesy of The Georgia Straight (approximate value: $30 - This may change, as when we arrived, the movie theatre was full and the representative has yet to contact me, regarding tickets to another screening)

11. A razorpit unit, courtesy of Sharp Magazine <http://sharpformen.com/> (value: $25)

I'd briefly like to discuss my last win because it is the only prize I have won due to ability.  First, I entered this contest because I thought my husband or dad would like some new shaving products.  Second, I entered because I liked the premise: come up with a definition that describes the moustache - check out more details here <http://sharpformen.com/category/movember-glossary/>

You will see my definition listed on this page, too: 

The regrowth of facial fuzz after a long lack of cultivation.

I was awarded one of the six runner up prizes - a razorpit unit, which is designed to sharpen razors.  The contest was across Canada, excluding Quebec, and I 

was very excited to have won a prize.

So far, my total winnings add up to $1012.24 - $1103.24.  I am still hoping to win won more prize before the end of the month, so I will have won one prize per month in 2011.  I've loved the new experiences, products, and excitement of winning throughout the year.  It has definitely made me a lifelong contest enterer.  My advice to anyone wanting to enter contests is to use social media - Facebook and Twitter provide so many opportunities to enter contests.  Also, set up a free e-mail account, just devoted to entering contests - the spam quotient is very high.  Go local, rather than national.  The number of entrants is lower and your chances of winning are much higher.  I entered many national contests and only won one.  I wish you all the best of luck!  And, to my competitor/friend, you've got 19 days left to beat me.  Otherwise, I'm inviting you now to dinner and cocktails on me!