Awes

ome

The

Magazine

that

Profiles All

Things

Awesome

Issue 002January 2011

Pure Shift Consulting

Awesome People

Awesome Eats

Awesome Abroad

Always Awesome

Awesome Bands

Awesome Features

Awesome Charities

Awesome Web

Awesome Ideas

Awesome Businesses

Awesome Animals

Awesome Local

Awesome Books

Awesome Initiatives

Awesome Events

Awesome Kids

Awesome Art

Awesome Technology

...and more

Pure Shift Events offers events and workshops that promote well being for individuals and in this way supports the healthy development of our community. Check out our blog at www.pureshift.ca, follow us on Twitter @pureshifting and join us on Facebook at Pure Shift Consulting. 2011

A publication of Pure Shift Events

Aw

esom

ePROFILING ALL THINGS AWESOME

Seriously Awesome Cheese: A Stinky Jewel in Old Ottawa South

Are you serious about cheese?

Jamie Nadon is. And he’s taken to sharing this passion with the fortunate residents of Old Ottawa South. And despite the title of this article, there is nothing stinky about Serious Cheese (except maybe the Stinking Bishop...more on that later). The moment you walk into the shop you are wrapped up in the pleasant and homey atmosphere. Jamie and his staff take great care of their customers and are gentle tutors in the fine art that is cheese. So if you are the kind of person who has never even ventured into the “fancy” cheeses in the deli section of your local supermarket, have no fear! You don’t have to know what you’re looking for when you walk into Serious Cheese. They’re

very happy to help you discover a whole new world of taste, right there in the store.

But, sure, ease yourself into it. Start by simply trying one of their lunch menu items, like a divine grilled cheese sandwich, or the incredible mac ‘n cheese. They are decidedly not like mom used to make!

Serious Cheese has been open since September 2009 and is steadily exerting it’s influence over the community. Jamie says he comes from a family of foodies and has always taken cheese seriously. He says, “We’re so serious we take it light.”

Talking to Jamie and watching him interact with his customers in the store is a delight in itself. You can feel this man’s passion for what he’s doing and it’s infectious. You get brave and think to yourself, “I could try that Stichelton blue cheese over there, no problem!”

And you should! Why wouldn’t you want to try a blue cheese that is exactly what Robinhood and his men would have eaten (if the good Friar Tuck would share...)? Jamie swears it will blow the memory of all other blue cheeses our of your mind.

Continued on page 2.

Awesome Inside:Awesome Parenting: Step-Dads 2Awesome Valentine’s Day 2Awesome Web: TED.com 3Awesome Book: The Last of the

Mohicans 4

Serious Cheese is a local Ottawa business that you MUST visit if you live here or are just passing through.

Awesome Eats:

Perfect Pear Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients1 Bartlett Pear, ripe2 slices of rye or multi-grain bread Cream cheeseShredded Old CheddarButter

This AWESOME recipe is made just like a traditional grilled cheese, except that for the filling you spread cream cheese on one slice of bread, layer on thinly sliced pieces of pear, and then top with grated old cheddar cheese and the remaining slice of bread.

This is a wonderful recipe to play with. Try a flavoured cream cheese instead of plain, add a slice of prosciutto over the pears, try grating gouda or swiss, or both! Go on down to Serious Cheese and ask Jamie to recommend one for you to make a gourmet sandwich:)

I dare you not to love this sandwich!

Awesome Parenting: Stepping Up to the Role of Step-DadOf course is sounds cliché but sometimes life just comes up and wakes you from your glazed over stare to let you know it’s happening right there in front of you. For my first 3 decades I never thought of settling down as I was too busy satisfying my wanderlust (on my tiny budget). Whether it was on foot or by mountain bike or on a train somewhere in Europe, the only thing that seemed important was what unique site could I find or how un-lost could I get. So I was on my own for most of those decades.Then as life would have it, I met my wife and her daughter. At first I was somewhat intimidated by the idea of a small human being in my life. You see, I grew up as an extremely shy kid so the thought of having a small human to interact with was at times, perplexing.Then I came to find out she is actually her own person with her own personality, a strong desire to do what is right and of all the kids I’ve ever met, I truly believe when she commits herself, she will be a huge success in life. So when we are in a crowd and I still think of myself as the lone guy, the 18 year old who’s out doing his own thing (even if 18 has passed me by over ½ my life ago)...it’s surprising in the most amazing way when a small hand juts through the crowd to grab mine, to steal a hug, to catch my attention and drag me to see something cool and ever so uniquely interpreted by the eyes of an 11 year old.Sometimes life does just come up and grab you by the hand, directs you where to go (to paraphrase Greenday there) ...and when that comes from my unexpected treasure in life, well...that’s just AWESOME. - John D. Boggan

Seriously Awesome Cheese, cont’dThe cheese that has won over my taste buds (and heart) is the Rose Haus. It is an Ontario

cheese that is exclusive to Serious Cheese and comes complete with a beer washed rind. Smooth and creamy perfectly describes the texture and flavour of this cheese.

I mentioned the Stinking Bishop earlier...this one was given to me blind; i.e. I didn’t know what I was eating until it was an inch from my mouth and I could taste it before it even went in. It’s a complex cheese and I think that the taste would probably vary with each bite. It felt exciting and dangerous to be eating something with such a pungent odor (I couldn’t get the smell off my fingers all afternoon), and at the end of the day, I was glad I did try it and would probably do it again!

Serious Cheese also offers a unique selection of “cheese pleasers”, preserves, mustards, crackers, breads, etc that can be paired with your cheese to make it a truly unique experience every time! I highly recommend the Orange Ginger preserve and Jamie also told me that they have a Grapefruit Ginger that is out of this world, AND he’s paired it with blue cheese! Who would ever think of that? That’s why talking to the staff and getting suggestions is a great idea when you go into Serious Cheese. And they also happen to be seriously AWESOME folk!

Awesome St. Valentine’s Day RomanceOk, let’s start with something honestly AWESOME; if you don’t have anyone to do something romantic for, or who will do something romantic for you...do something romantic for yourself! Go get a massage, buy a lovely bottle of wine and some decadent food. Better yet, do it with a group of friends! And, no, there’s nothing sad about that at all...those who can’t show themselves love and appreciation are sad.

If you want to do something romantic for your special someone, start with specifics...i.e., who is this special someone and what do they like? Be thoughtful. Are they more into Casablanca or Say Anything? Jane Austen or Danielle Steel? Cute or kinky? Knowing this information is crucial to planning the perfect Valentine’s Day surprise. Cont’d pg 4

The role of Step-Dad is a significant and AWESOME one, according to John Boggan.

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in February, March and April. We can all use some awesomely interesting happenings to help us through the dreary months after the Holidays are over and we are just craving that summer sun. This list is not limited by geographic location, just by awesomeness!

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

february march aprilAwesome EventsHere are some great events happening in February, March and April. We can all use some awesomely interesting happenings to help us through the dreary months after the Holidays are over and we are just craving that summer sun. This list is not limited by geographic location, just by awesomeness!

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

3Chinese New Year, Everywhere. Find a celebration local to you or do some research and host a party yourself!

4 - 6Frozen Dead Guy Days, Nederland, CO. Join local residents for all the festivities, including the coffin races!

5 - 17Sprockets TIFF for Children, Toronto, ON. This is the Toronto Int’l Film Festival’s Children’s edition (ages 3 and up).

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in February, March and April. We can all use some awesomely interesting happenings to help us through the dreary months after the Holidays are over and we are just craving that summer sun. This list is not limited by geographic location, just by awesomeness!

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

14St. Valentine’s Day, I was a VD hater until I saw the insanity of hating a day celebrating love! Go and spread some love this year!

9 - 13Canadian Music Week, Toronto, ON. A music and film convention celebrating all Canada has to offer in these areas.

17BobCat House Concert Feat. Jill Zmud, Ottawa, ON. It’s always great to go to BobCat...but throw in Jill Zmud...AWESOME!

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in February, March and April. We can all use some awesomely interesting happenings to help us through the dreary months after the Holidays are over and we are just craving that summer sun. This list is not limited by geographic location, just by awesomeness!

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

13 - 20Viking Run, Uppsala to Stockholm, Sweden. 80km skate! Diehards only.

19Carefor Chocolate Brunch, Ottawa, ON. Go eat some chocolate for a good cause!

22Earth Day, Planet Earth. Love it, Protect it...AWESOME:)

Awesome Music: Jory Nash

Jory is a minstrel who has the ability to steal your heart with his voice and ability to weave a tale. He hails from Toronto, ON and his style is energetic, fun and funky folk. I had the extreme pleasure of being introduced to Jory at a house concert recently and he certainly succeeded in winning over at least one new fan (and I’m sure many more). Check out his website and get his new CD...it’s AWESOME!

Always Awesome: BaconSo my bacon eating habits have

changed somewhat since the last issue of the magazine came out. Primarily because we decided to get our meat from a distributor here in Ontario called NutraFarms. The meat, in general, is fantastic, but I have to admit I had some trepidation about not buying my beloved PC Maple bacon every week.

Well, though the bacon in my deep freezer is nothing like the store bought maple bacon, I can sincerely say, I am (and my body is) liking the change. This bacon is easily twice as think as store bought varieties and tastes much less salty. In fact, the thing we noticed right away the first time we tried it was that it smelled more like ham than bacon. The taste and texture is meaty, and the fat is much more pleasant to eat...it doesn’t seem as saturated with grease.

I WILL, I assure you, dear reader, continue to try and experiment with other bacons, but this direct from the farm, flash-frozen variety is easier to eat and digest on a regular basis. As much as I have always loved bacon, I will admit that I never took my morning shower before eating it for breakfast, since I felt greasy head to toe after indulging in it’s awesomeness.

If you are a bacon fanatic like me, then this is an appealing option when you begin to feel that your bacon addiction is taking a toll on your health and you need to try a “harm reduction” approach with your bacon habit.

Awesome Web: TED.comTED.com is possibly the most awesome

website on the entire internet. I don’t say that lightly. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and the website stems from a conference that his held annually in California and Oxford...and now they are selling TEDx licenses to those who want to run their own local TED event. I have been fortunate enough to participate locally in TEDxOttawa and TEDxKids@theHill.

The idea is just that: inspiring ideas. Experts from all over the world come and give inspirational 18-minute talks (there are some TED shorts, 3-6 minute talks as well). Hundreds, maybe thousands of TEDtalks are available for free viewing on the website. The point: to open up this world of inspiring ideas to the whole world of people waiting to be inspired.

Some of my favourite TEDtalks? They’re an eclectic mix. Willard Wigan is an artist who does micro-sculpture; sculptures so tiny you need a microscope to view them...and they are AWESOME. Derek Sivers has given a few talks at TED and they are always enjoyable, but my favourite is How to Start a Movement; this is one of the TED shorts. Matthieu Ricard, a microbiologist turned Buddhist monk, talks on the Habits of Happiness. Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight is one of the most powerful talks on TED and if you’re only going to watch one (which I doubt anyone could), this is the one to watch.

Awesome Movement:

The Charter for

Compassion

I was watching Karen Armstrong on The Hour this morning and was reminded why I was so impressed with her the first time I encountered her on TED.com. She is a remarkable woman, who has lead a remarkable life, and now has created a remarkable (and AWESOME) movement centred around the creation and dissemination of a Charter for Compassion. The Charter was created over a year with input from people all over the world who submitted their thoughts online of what should be included in a Charter for Compassion. The finished product was launched on November 12, 2009 and is a concise three paragraphs in length.

To read the Charter, find out how you can participate in living and sharing the Charter and for more information on its origins, you can visit www.charterforcompassion.org.

Awesome Kids T.V.Spongebob Squarepants

Now I know I may get some sideways glances for this one...and perhaps I am heavily influenced by the fact that I have been inundated with Spongebob for the past several months, but the mesmerizing effect this show has on even my 11 month old baby leaves me with no doubt that there is something of the truly AWESOME in it.

Awesome Books: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

I’ll confess it...I’m a total bibliophile. I have a degree in English, which I did purely because of my love of books, reading and writing...not out of any illusions of a lucrative career (pfft...as if). And there are a few books that I consider fundamental to having instilled that love deep in my heart; The Last of the Mohicans is one of those.

I first read this book when I was 16 after finding a hard cover edition on sale at a book store for $4.95. This was the same year the movie came out, and I had a 6’x4’ The Last of the Mohicans movie poster at the foot of my bed. (Side note: I later gave that poster to a friend of mine and he, apparently, still has it!)

So, confession #2, I had seen the movie first and was motivated to read the book because of my love of the film (...and the soundtrack and Daniel Day Lewis...). I was naive enough to think that a modern Hollywood movie would bear any resemblance to a novel written in 1826, by a man who only started writing because his wife challenged him to make good on the claim that he could write a better novel than the one he was reading.

Well, even without knowing what novel it was that Mr. Cooper was reading, I believe he may very well have made good on that claim.

If you’ve seen the movie and liked it, loved it, or hated it...it really doesn’t matter. Aside from the names and the general framework of the plot, the movie and the

novel have little in common. This book is one of the great examples of action packed frontier fiction. The characters are intense and richly developed, the action is fast-paced and will make your heart pound, and there is a depth to the story that draws you in and gets you deeply involved. And that’s not to say that all of that is not true of the movie as well! They’re just different stories.

And the love story between Hawkeye and Cora that dominated the theme of the movie is non-existent in the novel. The love story revolves around a different couple and is sublime in it’s telling. I recommend this AWESOME book to everyone!

Awesome St. Valentine’s Day Romance, cont’d

So, once you’ve figured out who it is you are surprising, the next task is the romance. Now let me break it down for you in a simple way (simple is AWESOME); romance is what I call “intimate thoughtfulness”. Anyone can be thoughtful towards anyone else, even strangers. But Intimate thoughtfulness is when you do something for someone with whom you have an intimate relationship and the action is based on your intimate knowledge of that person. So think...what do you know about your loved one that no one else knows? What special things to they really love, make them feel special...something that is unique to them. That kind of thoughtfulness is true romance and is sure to make this Valentine’s Day AWESOME.

The Last of The Mohicans, Newell Convers Wyeth

Little Bits of

Awesome:

Awesome Hobby:In honour of our feature this issue, I am going to highlight Jamie’s suggestion that cheese and the consumption of it could be a truly AWESOME hobby...perhaps a savory pairing with bacon is in order!

Inspiring Awesome:This is one of the most beautiful versions of a truly AWESOME song I have ever seen. Even if you’ve seen this already, Stand By Me | Playing for Change is worth another look.

Awesome Ha-Ha:Just try to watch this video without laughing! It’s one I use in my laughter workshop to demonstrate the contagious effects of laughter. It also helps that these are some of the funniest laughs I’ve ever heard!

Awesome Weird:In the last issue of Awesome I featured the Double Rainbow video in this section. So keeping on that theme, the video I am featuring this time is Double Dream Hands. The most awesome thing about this video (besides it’s ability to crack me up) is that it keeps you pondering the question, “is this guy for real?” long after you watch the video. Watch and see for yourself. This video is appropriate for all viewing audiences:)

Awesome Junk Foods from Childhood

That No Longer Exist

Probably for the best, but still...they are missed.

In considering all things awesome, there is a part of me that jumps back to the simplicity and ease of kid-life. The simple pleasures and the enjoyment taken from common place things, bike rides on my friends paved driveway (the only paved driveway around), skimming stones on the Atlantic Ocean...and some random childhood favourite junk foods, most of which don’t exist anymore.

Who remembers the Wig Wag chocolate bar? The fun in eating the Wig Wag came in part from its size, it was super long and had cross-laced toffee and chocolate. The challenge in eating the bar was to not lose any of the chocolate as it came off the toffee. How about Jello Pudding Pops? What a great creamy treat they were! (Thanks Mr. Cosby) For those who grew up getting the chance to eat Mary’s Brown’s Fried Chicken, their dinner meal used to include a soft, warm, deliciously buttered bun and when they stopped making them, well, it was just one more item to be added to the ‘used to be awesome’ file.

Does anyone remember Country Time lemonade in the old small pop-top tin can? It was so tart it used to make our mouths sore if

we drank too much. Awesome! But, in my opinion at least, when it comes to the top prize for foods that are no more, there is actually a tie. The one kid junk food combo that spawned limitless trips to the local store, countless times rifling around looking for enough change to buy some and innumerable asks of my parents to bring me back at least half the combo if they go to the store...Rowntree Maple Buds and Keep Kool Birch Beer! Maple Buds were a soft, rich, creamy, small milk chocolate rosebud that came in a 37gram soft plastic package. Even the smell (and thought) of them used to make the hair stand upon the back of my neck. Keep Kool was doubly awesome because not only did you get a tasty drink, the Keep Kool bottles were short stubby bottles with a molded Styrofoam sleeve with a built in coaster on the bottom. As you drank the beverage and if you were patient, you could slowly twist and pull the sleeve, intact, down the length of the bottle until it was about an inch from coming off. Once there you could slap the sleeve back onto place using the flat palm of your hand. This motion would cause a ‘fire-cracker loud’ pop which to a bunch of kids was just about as awesome a drink bottle as there ever was.

John D. Boggan (Boggan Communications and Events) is a Comms and Events guy who has worked in the non-profit human health and environmental fields for the past 15 years. He has worked for Canadian Dept. of Foreign Affairs in Europe, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism ‘Special Celebrations Division’, Toronto Star Bluesfest, Rogers TV, Distillery Jazz Festival and dozens of other non-profit based events and communications projects.

Here are some other

things we’d like to

feature in Awesome.

Feel free to submit

an article or topic

suggestion

Awesome Bands

Awesome Songs

Awesome Discoveries

Awesome Green

Crazy Awesome

Awesome Science

Awesome Art

Personally Awesome

Awesome Quotes

Awesome Tales

Awesome History

Awesome Technology

Awesome Kids

Awesome Animals

Random Awesome

Pure Shift Events

About Erin I consider myself blessed with an

awesome life. I’m surrounded by people I love and who love me; I pursue daily the activities I love and the universe provides for me in all things.

It was because of the sheer Awesomeness I observed around me that I thought to put together this publication and share with others

these truly Awesome things and consider what makes them awesome.

I hope you will participate in this exploration of all things awesome in the world by reading this humble offering, sharing it with others, submitting awesome ideas, or writing articles for Awesome Magazine!

‘Til next time! -e:)

www.pureshift.ca

www.lovelifeccc.com

www.practicalanarchists.blogspot.com

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we can profile?

We would love to hear from you!

Please send us links, contact information, pictures, or a full article ready for proofreading and we might feature it in Awesome Magazine.

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