Neighbourhood #6: Kensington Market

AKA the triumphant return of neighbourhood adventures, AKA is it about my cube?

I got an enticing email from Sim on Thursday proposing we get back into it and do another neighbourhood.  I almost took a pass because I was near zombie tired, but I really wanted to see Sim and also get back on the neighbourhood train.  The once a month business fell flat fairly quickly.  And I also must say I think it's time we branch out a bit from the downtown core, maybe with a little Junction or Davisville next time.  At any rate this time around it was Kensington Market.  I think the market is a place all Torontonians and GTAers have been to at least once in their life.  I think the market holds on to what Queen St used to be like in the 70s.  I remember visiting Kensington for the first time when I was 14 or 15 and thinking - so this is what being cool is like.

We didn't have much time before the sun would set, but as it was looking like the last decently warm day of the season, Sim and I took to the streets.  We met up at Lettuce Knit on Nassau.  As Sim has provided some motivation to get into knitting, already being somewhat intro crafts I fell right into it.  I've yet to successfully create any pieces, but I've been having fun experimenting with stitches and such.  I picked up a nice mustard and dark blue yarn to attempt my houndstooth.  Between Ravelry and youtube I think I might be able to pull it off.  Sim picked up the perfect ball of black.  The kind woman working at the store wrapped our yarn for us, using some in-house equipment.  She said it was easy to do, but without that wooden umbrella and spooling mechanism, I have a feeling it might be slightly tricky to do at home.  But she said to feel free to come in to have it done there any time.  It was a pretty small spot, but had a really great atmosphere.  One for the books.

After that we headed North up Augusta to check out some boutiquey stores.  First The Blue Banana, followed by the Good Egg.  Not much to write home about from the Blue Banana, but I did very much like the Good Egg.  Lots of cute kitcheny items, and an interesting selection of books.  After that we decided it was time to get a drink.  So back down to Nassau we went to grab a pint at Ronnie's Local 069.  I normally would keep better track of what we drank and if we liked it.  My pint was a Stratford Amber with a weird baby doll head on the tap.  It was alright, but a bit punchy for me.  I think Sim got the Erdinger wheat, but I stopped paying attention after she said wheat beer.  The pub was really cute with an almost hidden back room.  Not really hidden but I didn't see it at first, so I'm going to pretend like it was hidden to make myself feel better.  It was totally hidden.  We sat for a bit while I milked my pint.  Finally wrapped it off in search for some good eats.

We walked back up Augusta (not covering very much ground on this trip I'm realizing) to El Trompo.  We both got the specialty burritos, which I failed to write the name down.  Mine of course was ordered without Coriander so they could be consumed.  We also ordered a bowl of guac to go with our chips.  It was supremely yummy.  About half way through the wraps I thought of adding guac to them, and it was decidely an awesome idea.  Dinner was a success.

Although we didn't cover much ground in the Market, walking around Augusta and Nassau took me away from the original Baldwin and Kensington intersection that has dominated my understanding of what the market has to offer.  Slowly over the years I've added to my Kensington repertoire by visiting Last Temptation, The Boat, Wanda's Pie in the Sky, and most recently The Supermarket.  For such a small stretch of real estate there surely is a ton to do.  And even after this adventure, I went home feeling a little bit cooler.

Beaucoup De Vie

This is my first successful knitting venture.  Sim taught me to knit and purl, and I took some yarn leftover from my crochet venture and pulled this out.  It has no form or use but was a good test.  I failed miserably at the European stitch so I tried out the English stitch and it suits me very well.  I'm actually going to pick up some new yarn, and possibly a pattern to do a houndstooth scarf.  Should be interesting.

I went to see my parents again to celebrate their 40th.  I wanted to get them something ruby related, but instead opted to bake them some cupcakes.  I found a yummy looking red velvet recipe online and gave it a crack.  I think the end result was pretty alright.  I don't bake often, so it was fun.  It was the first time in a long time both my brother and I remembered and came together to celebrate with them.  I also swung by Port Credit on Wednesday to help me mom drop some books off at the local second hand store.  My dad was pressuring her to just trash them, but she put her foot down.  But she couldn't put her foot down alone she needed someone to do the heavy lifting.  When the bookstore only took a handful of books we went next door to the library they said they'd take another box.  And from there my mom has left them out at the side of the road and said they have slowly been picked at.  They also put out a turn of the century cradle.  I'm trying to remember correctly, but I think my great grandma was rocked to sleep in that cradle.  Feels weird to think that we just gave away all of that history, but I don't have any room or use for it.

I just got back from a nice dinner with Ausma on Queen W.  We went to Chococrepe.  Unfortunately my first two choices for crepes were unavailable, so I went for the Pesto.  I wasn't floored with the food, but the hot chocolates were delish.  They darn well better be for $6.  Good thing Ausma had a coupon for a crepe+hot chocolate for $10.  They were only going to let us use one coupon until she had to come back for a second time to tell me my second choice wasn't available.  I shouldn't even complain since Ausma picked up the tab.  She just got back from an awesome sounding trip to New York and DC.  My brother also went to NY recently for a long weekend.  He was telling our family a funny story from that trip.  He was taking a morning walk, I think through Harlem or Spanish Harlem and this car pulls up next to him and this guy says (in your best Joe Pesci voice) "Hey, hey you, put your money away."  Not knowing the guy was even talking to him he kept on, when the guy repeated himself, "Hey, hey, put your money away."  My brother looked down and he had a bill poking out of the top of his pocket.  And he looked back up to the guy in the car who repeated one last time time, "Your money, put it away."  Only in NY?  I love it.

I'm going up to Bobcaygeon with my mom on the weekend.  The parlour that hosted her parents' funeral holds an annual remembrance event.  I haven't been yet but thought I would keep my mom the company.  With my coworker going through some family health event it's bringing up some sad memories.  Even hearing the words palliative care just breaks my heart.

I just found out tonight that someone I know in connection to my volunteering took their life last week.  We only met a few times, but it's still extremely sad.  I don't think it's fully hit me yet.  The director there extended an offer of grief counseling, but I think that will be more important for the people that work there every day. So so sad.

On that unhappy note, I'm off.

Hidden Christmas Gem

While reviewing an old Christmas photo, I came across this gem of an ornament.  Oh hai there dad.

Overheard at Work #3

Sometimes when I'm not paying attention at work out of nowhere I'll hear something like:

"F***** sounds f***** like a f***** Vietnam f***** hitman."

And I don't even bother asking.  They've already apologized in advance for any swearing.

Still Happening As We Speak

I finally got my signed Hip CD off of Adam, and I've been jamming to it in my car on the way to work all this past week.  When Adam handed it to Downie he said, "And who is thiiis for?"  And Adam said, "My sad friend that couldn't make it today."  And Downie just looked back up and said, "No, what's the name?"  So he wrote "Julie's Blues" and they all signed around that.  Love love love.  At first listen I wasn't sure how taken I was, but that happens for me since I already have a hundred thousand favourites of theirs on my must-listen list.  But now I'm quite endeared to several of the new songs.  I actually just had a radio-hip spotting on Bloor this evening.  I swung by Adam's new place to drop off my level and pick up some brooms I had lent him and a passing car was jamming to either their CD or a song on the radio.  Either way it always fills my cockles with joy when I hear someone enjoying their sweet tunes.  Maybe in the sub-cockle region, or the liver, I'm not sure.

I got a nice surprise at work the other day.  My boss came around and passed out gas cards to everyone for having a great month.  $100.  They are just the bomb-diggity.  No other way to explain it.  I think I also bring a certain new fresh dynamic to the office which has had the same 4 employees for the past 10 years.  For example, today this guy calls me to his desk and says, "Look, when I try to open a link from an email it gives me an error."  So I went back to my desk and googled the error and found a microsoft support webpage with a fix on it.  Sent the guy the link, he loaded the fix, rebooted and voila.  It was actually funny, when he went to test it out I rejoiced when it actually worked, and as I turned to walk away he said, "It's not working, it took me back to the fix page."  And I turned around confused for just half a second and then said, "That's because that's the link in the email you just tested."  Cheers all around.  He said he had been trying to get that fixed for a while but everyone else just said they didn't know.  Score one me.

I put my snow tires on today.  After a strange non-drug-induced moment of insanity when I thought the roads were covered in snow (don't ask), I thought it was a sign to get prepared.  So I asked the guys at work how much I should be paying per tire, as to ensure I wasn't going to get ripped off.  Then one guy mentioned that a neigbouring business does tires and we get neighbour-pricing.  He called them for me to make sure it still applied, and when he said my winters had rims I found out it was just $29.99 for the whole shebang, not per tire.  Since they have been switched off once and switched back on once, the rims have already paid for themselves.  They are massively heavy, since I have R17 sized tires, but still worth it.  And then they said once I got them switched to bring them to the back and they'd store them in the warehouse for me.  I backed my car up to the loading dock, my coworker heaved them up onto a forklift, and I walked back to the front and they took care of the rest for me.  No more rolling them up and down my parents' damn driveway.

I went to see my parents earlier this week.  To check in my mom and I offered to rake the leaves since I don't think either of them should take on the physical challenge.  My dad had already done the front once, and also cleared out the back.  I told him to sit tight and I'd take care of it this time.  He insisted he would help me.  I refused.  He insisted.  And gosh darnit am I happy he's more stubborn than I am.  Half way through both of us working on the front lawn I took a little sit down break.  By the end of it my arms didn't want to lift anymore. I don't know how I used to manage on my own.  Between that and my giant moving-fail with Adam I think I need to focus on getting in to some sort of acceptable shape.  I was going to say better shape than a Sloth, but even a sloth is in better shape than me.  Then I stayed for a really nice roast and a tea by the fireplace.  My parents are planning on moving very soon, so I should take advantage of that house before it's gone.  My dad said to me, "Would you disown us if we moved to Cobourg?"  I just looked at him and said, "No dad, of course I wouldn't.......because I'm already going to disown you as soon as you sell this house."  I'll miss that place for sure.  Since I first left I've lived in six different places, but for 25 years it was always a place I could call home.  For them too, it's the place they've both lived the longest.  I said to them I was almost happy that it's going to be torn down so a monster mansion can be built in its place, because I wouldn't want to think about anyone else living there.  Our old house in Toronto was eventually torn down to make way for a new home as well.  And the house they had before that was on a Toronto renovation show.  I can't remember which one, one of those take this house and sell it shows.  No one is satisfied with used anymore.  We were reminiscing about all the improvements they made themselves on the house.  The back patio used to be this stone monstrosity that tilted on an angle back towards the house and it would be a total nightmare when it rained.  And there was this awful awful porch cover that jutted out from the roof that looked like yellow translucent corrugated hot mess.  If I get torn up when I have to junk a car I've only driven for 6 years, I imagine this is going to be much worse.  Cross that bridge when we come to it.  And my mom is doing great, for the record.  She still has a build up of embarrassing surgery gas which is slowly working its way out.  Otherwise, thumbs up.

After dinner I sat down at my mom's electric keyboard and tried to play Moonlight Sonata.  I used to be able to play the first two pages no problem, eleven hundred years ago.  It was not great, but there's potential there.  It's a really hard piece to sight read because half of the notes fall outside of the normal staff and I was also having trouble remembering to play all the sharps (C# minor).  The fourth sharp is D, D, D Julie, D#.

I'm tired.  I wrote about 400 words for Nanowrimo a few days ago and then stopped.  I'm also halfway through re-reading The Great Gatsby and I want to finish that soon.  It's one of my favourite books.  I lent it out in Calgary and never recouped it before I moved back home.  But I got a new personal copy at BMV the other day for like $3.99.  But I do need to focus on finishing things I start, was my point.  Speaking of, I think I should wrap this up now then.  Full stop.

You Don't Know Me As A Whole Person

I have once again proven to myself how incredibly week I am.  I helped Adam tonight moving a few small pieces that require two people to carry.  He's hoping to finish the single person items tomorrow so when his reinforcements show up in the afternoon it will just be a few key pieces.  So tonight we moved his tv and his keyboard.  He's moving into a cool third story walk up near Christie Pits.  I approve, for the record.  After the tv I was already feeling weak.  Adam carried the keyboard alone and all I had to carry was the keyboard stand and the fold-up stool.  By the time we got from the car to his front door I needed a break.  I told Adam to go up ahead knowing I was going to struggle.  At about 1 1/2 flights I took another break, and only half a flight from the top I asked Adam to come back and take one of the pieces.  I literally couldn't lift both at once!!!  Oh boy.  He's big and strong so he'll be able to handle the rest of it tomorrow alone.

He told me the most hilarious story the other night.  I've lost a bit of the context but a driver exiting a commercial parking lot got pissed at him and honked and then gave him the finger as she drove off.  And he leaned out his window and yelled, "You don't know me as a whole person!"  I just died.  I almost couldn't breathe for 5 seconds and then laughed for a good minute.  Good times.  We've also taken to adding "total bonus important" to things we talk about.  The cherry danish became "Total bonus cherry danish important.  And commenting on the amount of snow Calgary has gotten became "Total bonus big time snow important."  Or as a shortened version, TBBTSI.

I made a big mistake today.  I wanted to use up an egg that I'd had for a while.  I thought it would be ok.  And even though I was using it raw in a salad dressing I paid no heed to my own apprehensions and went ahead and used it.  What I did pay for was that decision.

My mom is having a surgery tomorrow.  So I'll be thinking of her in the morning.  And then my brother and I are going to go see her afterwards with our dad.  I've never been put under, so I don't understand the stress that comes with that.  I can only hope everything works out alright.  More like delude myself into thinking nothing could possibly go wrong, and carry on as usual.

Work is good.  I'm slowly getting used to getting up at 6:15.  Though I often push it to 6:30.  I love my half Fridays, and pretty much everything else.

I just emailed Sim about Nanowrimo.  I think I might actually try this.  I'm not a writer, but I think it would be an interesting challenge.  I may just get stuck at the creative part, ie. the beginning, but I will at least give it a go.

Time for bed

Le fin.

Little Face Mitt

This might be the funniest Mitt prank I've seen all election.
http://littlefacemitt.tumblr.com/

Lazy Girl Falls Off Chair While Reaching For Food

Today we catch up with Julie, who in attempt to grab her lunch bag from a seated position, fell to the ground with the chair still wrapped around her.

"I thought I'd be able to reach the bag no problem," Julie responded in defense of her fall.  "I swear it was just within my reach."  She admits with reservation that she came dangerously close to face planting, all for the sake of a mid-morning snack.

When asked if she would attempt another seated-pick-up Julie just laughed and yes, yes she would.  And she wouldn't be surprised if she continues to fall on her face on a semi-regular basis.

-Dissociated Press-

Overheard at Work #2

I was talking to my boss today and a few funny things came up.  The second of which I actually started laughing and couldn't stop for almost 30 seconds.

Boss: I saw that singer on the National on Sunday
Me: Gord Downie, I saw that too.
Boss: I couldn't understand a fucking word he was saying.

And in reference to someone messing up her tax payments;
Boss: ...I would commit harikari.

Gooood times.

12 Mile Lake Thanksgiving Getaway

Some shots from the weekend:

 The new fireplace.  It kept us warm as long as it was going.

The driveway was a mosaic of autumn colours.  I took another photo and made a puzzle out of it.  - http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/D715D4D106E?z=0

My dad's old hang out, in his hay-day.

I call it Church beach but clearly I'm wrong.  It's also not on Church Rd which I also call it.  This is the beach I will forever remember being stranded on with my canoe when I ended up walking home waist deep around the shoreline.

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

My mom has for a long time been offering to buy me a piece of original art.  She morbidly says it'll be for me to remember her by.  We've been to many art shows and galleries together looking around for just the right piece.  I've come close a few times, but this past weekend I finally found what will be part one of my deadly gifts.

It's actually a crow and not a raven.  I guessed wrong, but was corrected by the artist.  We picked it up going on the Haliburton Artisan tour that takes place over the Thanksgiving weekend.  My brother picked up a lady holding a glass, and last year my parents got a three little birdies on a post that goes in the garden.  So that's probably it for us buying from him but it's been well worth it.  The artist is clearly massively talented.  I don't quite have the right spot for this fella' in my current space, but he will eventually find his proper home.  I still have some funds left over to get a painting when I find the right one.

Overheard at Work #1

I have a feeling I am going to have several of these moments in the near future:

Guy 1: *ranting about the NHL lockout*
Guy 2:  Fuck sports, fuck the media, fuck the gov't, fuck everything!
Guy 3: That's it guys, we're going off the grid.

My Music @ Work

I'm extremely grateful Adam got me off my butt and down to the free Hip show last night.  They are still going on today and tomorrow at the Supermarket in Kensington.  I do hate waiting in line for anything, but for them I will make an exception.  Love, love, love.

G10 Fantastico

Let it not be said I've given up on adding photos to posts.  I cleaned my car today.  It was a lot dirtier than I had originally thought.  I was unable to get the sap off my windshield, that shall require a second go.  While I was out back I took a quick snap of the most unused garage in Toronto.    It has been a learning experience having to use a back alley way for parking.  Sometimes it's nice, sometimes sucks hard.  I wish I had this nice big spot to pull into and not worry about a having someone park so close I can only access the car through the back passenger door.  But I digress.  Plenty more photos to come, hopefully.

The Long and Overdue Post

Not a whole heck of a lot has changed since I updated last, except I am now gainfully employed!! I've never wanted anything given to me without me having to try, but my dad set me up with a sweet offer with a wicked recommendation such that they couldn't refuse offering me the job. I work at a company that imports and distributes fire safety equipment (what whaaat). My hours are 7:30-3:30 with Friday afternoons off. I spend most of my spare time these days sleeping to catch up on what little sleep I get each night. Though I am getting better and going to bed at a reasonable time. I'm being trained to take over multiple responsibilities relating to the financial side of the business. Money in, money out, give me money now, you pay now, etc. It's a teeny tiny company, with just 5 other employees, and so far I love it. I actually thought I would die waking up at 6am every morning. Week one was a complete success. Week 2 I faltered to snoozing until 6:30, but this week I've been back on track so far. A huge huge huge huge huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can spend money again, on things I've wanted for a while but have had to do without. I finally got a replacement antenna for my tv and it's total sick-boss-wicked. I just need to mount it on the wall and it picks up like 10+ channels. Not bad for NoBlo.

So what else did I buy. I just bought a new camera off of Sim for a ridiculously good price. I've been meaning to take it out and take some photos, but I've been le-tired. I went to Shoppers and dropped like 2 fiddies on stuff I wanted. Actually most of it was stuff I needed but I picked up some Veet waxing strips. OMG, awesome. They hurt like a mother, and my legs went bright red and itched like an expletive, but the end result was fantastic. Of course I missed some spots cause I'm a buffoon, but next time I get all the hairs! I tend to let myself go for about 9 out of 12 months when I can wear pants and not be judged, but maybe this way is better. Actually I'm pretty sure it is better.

I was just watching The Girl That Player With Fire on Netflix. I kind of stopped half way through. As good as the movies are they make my stomach churn in a really uncomfortable and unnecessary fashion. Rape and torture are really just disgusting, and they aren't even alluded to, it's flat out in your face sexual abuse and physical assault. BARF. Next.

I've been sick for a few weeks now. I don't really want to admit it but I've been feeling worse lately and not better. So hopefully that is about to change, fingers crossed.

OH, and how could I forget, I've been summoned for jury duty. Great timing gov't. I've been sitting on my ass doing nothing for months dying for income and as soon as I get a job you summon me away. I'm hoping that because they had my address wrong I won't qualify for the pool they are pulling for. Here's hoping.

And lastly, a moment of silence for the old blogger layout format thing.

Ciaos.

AMAZING!!!

Straight from Newfoundland. Thank you Adam!

Book Review: Baghdad Express

Baghdad Express, by Joel Turnipseed, was the first Gulf War Memoir I've read. There seem to be mixed reviews. I enjoyed this book. I didn't love it, but it was a solidly acceptable read. I'm not really selling it am I? Joel provided a really interesting perspective to the war. As a part of the Sixth Motor Transport Battalion Turnipseed wasn't in a heavy combat zone and admits to struggling with being considered a hero. The story follows his journey from the US to Saudi Arabia and back to the US. His keen interest in philosophy has his nicknamed Professor, and he adds snippets from philosophy texts he spends most of his spare time reading.

If I took anything from this book, I think I finally understand the ending to Full Metal Jacket. Perhaps there's no connection, but I have a feeling there's a link.

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

I'm exhausted. I just want to put my head down and sleep, and not be soaked in sweat in a matter of seconds. Without my fan I can't cool down enough to sleep. And with my fan it's too noisy. So I'm screwed. I thought I might as well blog.

Adam is in Newfoundland right now and I'm jealous. Although I don't have the motive or the money to trip out East, a part of me pines for the adventure. I'd want to go back to the Bay of Fundy, and take the hwy through the middle of NB, and tour Southern NS, and Cape Breton, and of course spend more time on PEI. But most of all, I want to visit the Rock. The last province on my list, and the toughest one to get to. My time will come.

My Jackie is leaving me, and I've been mentally avoiding the matter. Now that it's less than a month away, shit is starting to get real. I can only hope that some day we find ourselves living in the same city together. I promise if we do I'll make you as much grilled cheese as you want (for one day).

Hot diggity it's been hot out lately. Today I think it reached a high of "feels like 42/43." I took some recycling down and took a seat outside and I was sweating from doing nothing. NOTHING! It really truly helps to have a fan pointed at your face all day. I don't know what I would do without this fan. Surely surviving would not be it.

I have an interview next week, second round. It's kind of my last hope. If I'm not employed by the end of the month I'm giving my two months notice. My parents have promised me the two adjoined rooms downstairs. One for a living room and one for a bedroom. And I could even use the back door as a private entrance if I wanted. But having slept on the first floor while I lived there previously I know that I'd be waking at least my dad up if I came rolling in after 11. Or to be honest, some nights 9.

So what's new. Took another mother sponsored trip to the Wychwood Barns Farmer's Market. We walked down which was nice. Momma got me some veggies and coffee and paid for a nice lunch at The Rushton. I got stuck on the 401 in dead-stop traffic last week for over 3 hrs because a tractor trailer exploded at Bathurst and 401. Coming from the hwy I chose express thinking I'd flip back over. That decision sealed my fate for the night. The 409 skips the Kipling express-collectors off-ramp, and the Keele off-ramp was closed. Anyone lucky enough to be in collectors was forced to exit at Keele, but that's what I wanted!!! To make matters worse the express lanes closed after the Allen and we all had to bottleneck into the empty collectors, and then bottleneck again into the furthest right lane and pass the fire in a single lane. I say single lane, but some very lovely respectable people thought the paved shoulder was a second lane for their own personal use. I should have rammed them, I really should have. I also wish they had "opened" the Keele offramp and allowed us to exit into the collectors and onto Keele. There was no point to the closure. It wasn't under construction at the time, and the only thing stopping us was a parallel cop car and a few pylons. I'm surprised more people didn't go for it. In the end I had to go all the way to Avenue and double back. Rawr. While we sat and waited I did see a few collector side pickups for family members that for whatever reason couldn't last. And the passenger to the guy ahead of us waited about 2hrs and then grabbed his shoulder bag, hopped the barrier, ran across collectors, hopped that barrier and disappeared into the darkness. I can only imagine he was met by several large fences, but I guess a guy's gotta do. An 11pm airpot pick-up, with a quick McDs stop at the end had me home at 4:30am. I was dead tired, but I knew I needed something in the tummy so I could sleep. The final bit of icing was the fact that McDs was out of fries so we had to have a side salad. It was ok, but not really the point of fast food. Ironically, the pick-up was planned for 7:30pm but the first flight was missed. All that for nothing. Thank goodness I peed before I left my parents' house, though that didn't stop me from thinking about having to go for 5hrs straight.

I spent a good amount of time cleaning up today. Tomorrow I put away an eternity of unfolded but washed clothes, clean out my closet (not very messy), put away my last moving box from the Nemesis shoot (I know), a more thorough desk tidy up and we're done. I did a surface cleaning for when my mom dropped by last weekend, but now it's time for a thorough one. And if by the end of the month it's time to go, it will be all the easier to pack up. And if I get to stay it will be much nicer to live with.

That's about all. I am kind of wired now. Hoping reading a few more chapters will help me slip into dreamland.

Book Review: Mister Pip

I've been posting the books I've read on the side bar for a while now, but I thought perhaps it was time I try my hand at a review or two. I just finished reading Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. I've noticed lately it takes me a few chapters to get invested in a book, and this novel was no different. Eventually something clicked and it was like I wanted to know more and couldn't help but to pick it up and dig through 50 or 100 pages a sitting.

Young Matilda is growing up an a small war torn island in the South Pacific. Everything seems to be collapsing around her but she finds something to hold on to when "the only white man left on the island" steps in as the teacher and introduces the class to Great Expectations. Perhaps it was because I read Great Expectations in high school, I caught most of the references. And I'm not going to lie, having watched the Ethan Hawke version of the movie helped some too.

It was nice for a change to read a novel with a single narrative. It seems like a lot of writers require telling the story from multiple points of view, which can be alright but also can grow tiresome. It shows commitment to have a single voice, because when you pick that voice it has to be the right one to draw readers in. As I mentioned I wasn't sold off the bat, but I can be like that. TV shows I now consider favourites got a resounding "meh" after the first show or two.

The book took some interesting twists. There was some gruesome behaviour which I could have done without. And also the last 20 pages should have been summarized into one page and been done with.

In looking up the publisher's link for this book I noticed it's been made into a movie, which should be coming out this year. If Hugh Laurie wasn't starring in it I may not have considered watching it, as I'm not sure what a movie could bring to the table that the novel didn't already provide. And there are some scenes I would rather not have a visual for. I'm sure they would be discreet, but still.

Perhaps this has been a lackluster review, but the process needs to start somewhere.

I Am a Rocket Ship, I'm Out of Control

I've been kind of quiet with posting lately. Not much new is going on. I have a phone interview on Wednesday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. If it's the one then I can stay in my apt. Otherwise I need to get over it already and give my notice. I'm just not ready yet. I know I'm somewhat of a broken record on the matter, but I just can't get over it.

I got back from a nice solo trip up North. I do get nervous sleeping alone there by myself. I guess it all depends on the situation. I can hear noises outside my window here and not sure if someone is in our "backyard". I use that term extremely loosely. But I got over it. I sat on the deck and took in the breeze, feed the chipmunks, and took the occasional dip in the lake. The water was magnificent. I ate mostly food that was already there, which was nice. I also vegged out on some tv. I should get a new antenna for my tv here. It's such a waste for it to sit in my living room unused. I also use the word living room loosely. Because really, how could you define this space? On Sunday when I had to make a meal, clean all of my dishes and then sweep and vacuum I was missing having a second pair of hands there. But being able to just melt into the deck chairs and not worry about what anyone else thought was pretty brilliant. Lemonade on a hot day is pretty brilliant too.

I wasted almost all of my phone battery taking videos and little photos of the chipmunks. And I liked one of the videos enough that I uploaded my first youtube video ever:

I wanted to name the chipmunks but I only got around to one of them. I called him scarface because he had scarring from a gash on his head, about 1cm long, which was most of his head. Nikki and I had named the stubby tailed chipmunk Quoi de Neuf from that time we were there and the only channel available on tv was an ad for a French quiz show called Quoi de Neuf. What of nine?

I just finished rereading Alias Grace. I heard it was being adapted into a movie and I wanted a refresher. And I just read that Sarah Polley is directing. I am very much looking forward to this. Since the time Jackie pointed it out in a bookstore and I read through it like butter I have been in love with this novel. I even tried to get my mom to pitch it to her book club. They said no, but she's going to read it anyways and try again for next year if she likes it well enough.

Anyhow. That's it for now.

Not Going To Stop

I'm at my parents' house right now. I am for the first time in a VERY LONG time, gainfully employed. I should hold onto this feeling because it will be over on Friday. A week of work is a week of work, so I can't complain. It's something to put on my resume to interrupt this seemingly endless gap. Just in time it seems, as my EI claim has just ended. I guess it's officially do or die time. Unless I want to make this cold lonely basement room my new home. Since I was running out of daytime minutes I thought I would come home so I could take advantage of unlimited minutes (and I'm not complaining about the AC).

What else. I just had 3 cavities filled. Luckily I have a dental insurance program. 100% coverage. It's called "My parents are paying for it." I struggle to accept handouts (except from the gov't), but for dental health I'll take it. Otherwise I wouldn't go twice a year, and I'd have found myself in even more of a mess. Also my dentist gave me a hardcore good deal for his time. And I passed all of the savings onto my insurance providers.

I almost took a walking tour down Oakwood Rd on Saturday for an outdoor arts festival, but the rain kept me inside. I was also going to trip up North this weekend with a few extra days tagged onto the end, but this gig kept me in town. I'm going to try to get away next week for a few days during the week. The one and only thing I detest about tripping up there alone is being alone at night. I know I have neighbours on each side that are always around, but I'm so paranoid. It doesn't help I have been overindulging in crime shows on Youtube for the past few months. One time last year when I was alone up there I was kept up by what I'm going to call hooligans. ATVing off the hwy close to our road. Every rev made my heart flutter, like a gang of 20-somethings were going to know I was alone and come attack. Truth: I left the tv on low all night to keep me company. Moving on.

It's been a while, so I thought I would update. Not too much new going on. Life is still slowly crumbling. The new same old.

If You Can Hear This Say "Heyyy"

I got back yesterday from a nice relaxing 4 day weekend up North with Nikki and her bf. As per the usual routine, on the way up we stopped into Fisher's food store, and then after making a food plan, replenished at a local grocery store. Nikki's bf had brought up some meat from M&Ms shop which was super yummy. I should try stopping in there more often. One night we had butter chicken but BBQed the chicken first. Cooked up some basmati rice. Delish!

When we got there the water hadn't been turned on just yet, so I called up the local contractor that takes care of the property. He came the next morning, and just in time too. I can't say we did much all weekend but lay out, relax and drink. Marc and I even got up the nerve to take a quick dip in the lake. It was fun, but I do look forward to the water warming up in the months to come. We had a fire on Sunday night, and played with taking pictures of ourselves writing our names with Sparklers. The next morning we cooked up some French toast (w/ gluten free bread), and then got ready to clean up. When Nikki and Marc went to the dump to drop off garbage and recyclables I finished the vacuuming and drying the rest of the dishes. With what time I had left before they returned, I baited one of the chipmunks to pose for a photo. Not much baiting required, just a peanut really. One of the chipmunks was significantly more brave than the rest. One afternoon after handing out a handful of peanuts the little guy crawled up my leg and right up the front of my shirt looking for more. Any sudden movement would have caused him to abort immediately but we all got good at staying very still.

It was a bit cold when we got there, but overall one of the warmer Vic weekends we've had in the past few years. I had fun with my camera. I really need to get it fixed though. It's nice when the black dot falls on something inconspicuous, but when it doesn't it's reaaally annoying. Anyhow, here are some of the photos from the weekend:

Neighbourhood #5: Queen West

I'm under a bit of time pressure right now. My ride for a weekend trip up North is on its way, but I didn't want to leave this hanging until Monday. Feeling right back into the exploration grove, and being granted beautiful Spring weather, Sim and I ventured around her hood last Friday. Queen West.

Normally a neighbourhood takes at least an effort of preparation, but QW is so chock-full of great stores we didn't even need to. All I knew was that I wanted to try out Tequila Bookworm, and go into the paper store by Trinity Bellwoods. A lot of what came to follow was req'd by Sim.

First stop was Americo Yarns. If I had a million dollars, I would buy their entire stock of soft yarn and roll around in it all day. But I don't, so it was a nice look around and a quick chat with the owner and we were on our way. Tequila Bookworm was our first stop. We each had trouble understanding what brand the server had recommended to me. If it wasn't local to the region of Sim's cabin we'd still be trying to figure it out. Sim had the Cheshire Red Irish Ale. All together now, Che-shire. ;) Due to our late start we didn't dally too long in case some of the stores were early closers.

Next we found ourselves at Romni Wools. I could have gotten lost in that store. I think on top of picking up crochet I'd like to learn to knit. But I'll definitely leave that one until the money is coming in again. We went downstairs to the discount section and I picked up this cute multi-coloured ball. Based on the size it wasn't a total steal. But I'm sort of just becoming accustomed to the actual price of yarn, so maybe I shouldn't speak to that just yet. I've made several attempts on that baby cap, but I know I'm not counting properly. And extra stitches just wreak havoc as you continue on. This might end up just being a test cap. I might pitch for some super soft yarn for the final. But I am definitely digging the colouration. Next we popped into KolKids. I checked the price on the first little onesie, $75. So we quickly retreated.

On we went to the paper store. I feel sometimes I'm morally against paper because it's so destructive to the environment. But I was in heaven. I could have just stayed and stared at the paper all day. I have no use for decorative paper, but hot damn it was pretty. I also spied a little fabric button maker kit. It got me thinking about the button press Sim linked me to a while back. I still think of that press often. One day. They also had a bunch of cute little toys (ie. Sim's mustache). On the way back we popped into Rotate This. If I was into Vinyl that would be a dream stop. I probably could have looked through a little more thoroughly but Sim is past physical CDs so I thought we should move it along. The last three stops were a ditch effort to find something for my mom for mother's day. We went into Valhalla, Ten Thousand Villages, and Outer Layer. I finally picked up a cute hand drawn card with two little penguins and a heart. And I filled it with a secret note for my mom.

It was really an effortless afternoon. Queen West is really a superior neighbourhood for hanging out and having fun. Cameron House, Shanghai Cowgirl, Tortilla Flats, Java House, Dog's Bullocks, and that's just on the West side of Spadina. We finished up the night with a meal grilled by Spence, and some board/video games w/ Spence and Mike. A great day! And a day with one major revelation. Some things never change:

Sim 2012:

Sim 1998:

Until next time Toronto.

Unionville: Run for Women

My mom and I walked the 5km in a recent Starbucks women's marathon. Most of the 10km runners got in before us. And very few came in after us. But it was still fun, and a nice walk. Unionville is really really cute. I was the only person not decked out in exercise gear. Luckily no one commented on my beer t-shirt.

Neighbourhood #4: Leslieville

We're back! And with a bit of a vengeance. An unfortunate amount of time has passed since our last trip, but we are back. And our most recent conquest: Leslieville!

Leslieville has long been a neighbourhood I've been interested in visiting. Just past the somewhat questionable intersection of Queen & Broadview and before the Beaches (don't even try to call it the Beach), Leslieville is one of the next up and coming neighbourhoods. Sim mentioned it was noticeable how the cityscape was lacking condos. It was nice, to say the least. I even mentioned it would be a place I could see myself living. The only problem I have with gentrifying neighbourhoods is that suddenly the boutique upper class quality of all the stores is beyond my position in life.

We pulled up just past Carlaw and parked the Sebring in an awesome pull-in parking spot. We threw in money for the maximum time (3hrs) and were on our way. First stop was Roy Public House for some good eatin'. Sim and I each decided to order a new-to-us beer. For me that was the Waupoos Cider, and for Sim that was Tennents Lager. I forgot to ask how the lager was, but the cider was yummy. I ordered the Cornbeef sandwich, and Sim went for the Fish & Chips. And surprise surprise she modified the side to be sweet potato fries and garlic aioli dip. I was moderately satisfied with the sandwich. Maybe wouldn't try it again but no real complaints. Sim on the other hand was not satisfied with a key component to her meal. And I'm not talking about the Fish, and I'm not talking about the Chips, I am talking about the garlic aioli. Once again I potentially embarrassed myself by bad talking the meal in ear shot of the server. I'm entitled to my opinion but I'm not the type to intentionally embarrass anyone. The dip had curry powder in it! And I said to Sim, it's not a bad dip by any means, but it's not what you ordered. Regardless of that mini-rant, it was an enjoyable lunch. And if we had been able to keep all of the money the lady beside us kept dropping on the ground it would have been a really enjoyable lunch.

Looking out the front window of the pub we noticed it had started to rain over lunch. We had felt spitting earlier, but it felt like sun rain that wasn't going anywhere. We decided to feel it out and continue on our journey. Next stop was the River Rock Cafe. We dodged around some construction trucks only to find the Cafe was closed. No time to mourn, it was on to the next. We swung into the Leslieville Cheese Market just because I had jotted the name down as a place of interest. To be honest there wasn't much cheese and it was a quick swing.

A friend of mine had mentioned that L-ville was a hot spot for furniture stores. Zenporium was the only one we made it into. There was a lot of hand beaded gift items, and a mixture of wood furniture. It was pleasant enough. A nice break from the continuing rain as well. Deciding that our day was not going to work out, we chose the last few spots to hit up. Six Shooter Records was no longer there. I foolishly forgot to keep going to check out the Yarn store. I don't know when I'll be back out that way so darn. And that is NOT a pun. Darn it (that was). As we realized the store was no longer we also happened to be standing right in front of an awesome artisan barn type store. It was set up to display a variety of different local artisans, specializing in a wide variety of crafts. From photography to leathercraft. Sim could definitely have a setup in that shop, a big setup. And in a small corner I would sell crochet coasters for $2 a pop. I had actually read up on that store previously, probably on BlogTO, so that was a pleasant surprise to happen upon its doorstep.

We crossed the street to stop into another crafty boutique. I wanted to check out to see if they had any cute baby clothes for my soon to be nephew-once-removed (my cousin is preggers). That was the third strike as we were greeted with a "back in 10". Maybe if it had been a pleasant sunny day we could have waited it out. But frustrated and starting to get uncomfortably wet we kept on. We stopped into a promising looking cafe, Te Aro, but it was full so we called it a day. We both had plans for the evening, but there was still a few hours left. And we knew what we had to do. It was time to save the world from complete destruction, care of viral epidemics. We lost the game in a record 2 turns. Go us.

That's it. 4 down, so many to go. Looking forward to many more. And also, for your viewing pleasure, here is a fish smoking a pipe:

On To The Next

I will take better care of my next Moleskin notebook. And I will try not to wash it too.

Le Poulet de Beurre

After years of wanting to do so, I finally accomplished home made butter chicken! Is it a bad thing that I enjoy the PC brand sauce better? Mine was still pretty bitchin. The best part was the chicken. The recipe called for the chicken to be marinated in a yogurt mix for 24 hours. The minced ginger was perhaps the best touch of all. It was mad tasty. The sauce was based with onions and a can of tomatoes with various spices, mixed with whipping cream and butter before serving.

I haven't been up to much lately. I did invite my mom down last weekend for a trip to the Wychwood Barns Farmer's Market. She treated me to a ton of stuff. From fresh veggies, to lime basil seeds, to natural spun yarn. Then we stopped into the Eco store on St. Clair, and came back to my house to meet up with an accessories artist. She only did home visits in Toronto so my mom made use of the visit to use my address for that visit.

And also, last Thursday I helped my neighbour who had thrown out his back. When I was leaving the house he was laying beside his car screaming in pain. I couldn't do much to help him. Luckily he had some back pills in his car, so I fetched them for him. And I cleaned up what he was working on and locked up his garage. I unfortunately had to leave him but told him to call the EMS if it didn't get better. A few days later I came home to find a box of chocolates outside my inside front door. My downstairs neighbour told me later that he had dropped them off to thank me. Made me feel more like a part of this neighbourhood. As little as that might be it still feels nice.

And lastly, in most amazing news, Pepsi has brought back Pepsi Lime. And I'm having one right now. And it's awesome.

Talk Just To The Stars

I'm in a relatively good mood today. I'm not sure if it's because I've started to work out again, or if I'm just getting a lucky break. When I say I've started again I've biked for two days. I'll be getting on again today, and tomorrow my mom and I are going to walk to the farmer's market in my hood. This is all leading up to a 5km charity walk up in Unionville in May. If I can up my fitness level even a touch before that time then I'll be happy.

I tried another crochet project. I'm almost out of green yarn. I tried to do this in the purple, but I was getting lost in how the stitch was supposed to look, it's harder to read on darker yarn, so I ditched it after two rows. I had an idea of making it long enough to be a head wrap. It doesn't suit me so well, but it was fun to make.


I want to attempt homemade butter chicken tonight. I just realized I don't have any butter, but that's what convenient stores are for right? I'm excited to see how this turns out.

Crochet!

I spoiled myself today and picked up a crochet needle and some yarn. More $$ than I would normally want to spend, but it will be nice to use my hands again on something crafty. I used to do cross-stitch and make bracelets with embroidery floss, so it seems crochet (pronounced: krow-shet) would be an appropriate next step. I also went to Wychwood Barns for the first time. The gourmetness of it all is above my pay-grade ($0/hr), but when I'm making money again maybe I"ll give it a real shot. At any rate, here's a photo of my first attempt at practicing my stitches. I found a really cool tutorial for a weave stitch. Once I get comfortable enough I'm totally going to try it out!



Update: So I have a bit of honing to do. But I'll get there eventually. I'm actually thinking it will be nice to make my nephew-to-be a baby cap :D

Best Only

I found my notebook, and I feel like some sort of natural balance has been restored. I also finally shimmied the rest of my furniture back into place. While cleaning my desk I found some felt stoppers so I felted the wheels on the chest and pushed it gently across the floor. Just a little at first to make sure it wasn't leaving any marks. Now I can access my drinking glasses, and start to unload the last box into it's rightful place. Won't mean much if I'm shortly to be leaving, but it feels better.

The hat party was a lot of fun. Most everyone brought a hat of sorts. Danielle took first place, apparently by a landslide, but she deserved it. She affixed a game of travel connect4 to a wool beret type hat, and actually set up the pieces so she could play it. And she even doubled it for a chip bowl at one point too. Although I started out loving my hat, I think next time I'll just take whatever reject leftovers the host has to offer.

The following night I was volunteering at the 15th Annual Comedy Cabaret for Raising the Roof. It was held down at Second City, and I was helping to run the coat check. My friend Arthur ended up helping me hang the coats, which worked out well for me because it would have been a real challenge on my own. We had runners going up to guests and bringing their coats back two at a time. Leaving them on the table as they ran off to get more coats. The show had a pretty impressive line up. There were a few faces that I recognized but that I didn't know did stand up comedy. Like, the guy from Cash Cab? Though part of his sketch was running a little charity quiz with a random guest. I should have been up there. Some of them were so obvious but they needed a hint so they won less money. For example, if you were to be dialing 867-5309 who would you be calling. And then a Beach Boys question, and the couple on stage didn't even wager a guess.

I finished Blind Assassin a few days ago. Atwood is a master of her craft, but I struggled to finish the book while I faded in and out of having my interest kept. Still, it had been on my must-read list for a while. Since it took me so long (starting in January), I've kicked myself into reading gear. I still have a load of books piled up to get through. That makes it sound like a chore, but it's not.

I'm going to take a walk to my local knit shop soon. I'd like to take on my first knitting project. With some encouragement from Sim I'm going to do it! And I've join Ravelry so I can keep track of what I've been up to. When I get to the store I'll have to look to see if I want to start a knit project or a crochet project. Opportunities are endless! (Depending on the cost of course).

And also, my mom has signed us up for a charity walk in Unionville in May. So I need to start getting into better shape. It's only 5km, but I still need to work up to it.

That is all.

Silly Hat Party

I made this for a silly hat party tonight. I'm pretty happy with it.

And So It Goes

I really hate the new blogger layout. Given the notice that it was going to change in April regardless I thought I would throw myself into it. If I could make that choice again I would hang on for dear life to the old UI. Maybe I just don't like change, but I also don't think it needed any change. And not a complete and utter face lift. End rant.

I pulled a shoulder muscle on Friday. It wasn't excruciating but still rather painful. And then you start to realize how much your entire body is connected and how one bad part can spoil the lot. Sleeping has been interesting, but each night has gotten better. I'm almost back to 100% now.My place is still a bit jumbled. It really just illuminates how little I use anything in my apartment besides my desk kitchen and bed. I broke my HD antenna when I moved my tv, but I haven't even thought twice about it. I do like my new tv, but it's very clear to me that I barely use it. Though I have been thinking about hooking up my 64 or game cube and getting my Nintendo on. I've also been trying to conceptualize a new layout for my furniture. I'm thinking perhaps of tucking both couches up against walls and having the middle be wide open. It's something to think about.

I have a few things coming up. This Sunday is the Annual Comedy Cabaret for Raising the Roof. It's being held at Second City. It's more of a corporate fundraiser because the cost is $150 a plate. I'll be selling raffle tickets and my new volunteer counterpart will be doing coat check. I've really enjoyed getting to know the new guy from France. He's really a very interesting person. I'm going North with my dad on Monday. I don't know what he wants to do up there, but he asked so I thought I would keep him company. We're really lucky it was only a mini-stroke that he had. I've never truly understood the devastation a stroke can cause, and I don't think you do until it happens to someone close. Adam's dad just had a stroke bundled with several major health issues, but I didn't really get it. You can live a long normal life and then within minutes you can be permanently disabled. It's a total blessing that he's expected to have a full recovery. Now I just need to think of 6 hrs of car conversation...yikes. I love him, but not that much. My record for hours spent in a car with one person in one day is 15, so I can do this.

I'm having Dom over for dinner next Wednesday, we'll have to think up something great to cook. And then maybe find something fun (read: free) to do in the city. And most importantly I'm going to see Sim and Spence tonight to cook them dinner! I picked up these delicious looking steaks, and since they always cook for me when I visit I thought I would return the favour. Plus getting to eat bbq steak will be a total bonus. Though I must say I timed my last steak bake perfectly and it was oh so delicious.

I realized a day or two ago that Sim and I missed doing a neighbourhood in March. We'll have to get back on track for April. Maybe Little India or the Danforth? My complete list is in my notebook but I've put it somewhere and I can't remember just where. Hopefully it will turn up soon, I feel almost lost without it. Like I wrote stuff down so I wouldn't have to remember as much. And as soon as pen hit paper my mind tossed the thoughts in the waste bin. And then hit "empty bin." No good.That's it I guess. Still unemployed. Still on a countdown to move back home if no job comes. Dreading that, but I'll live either way. As Sonia's dad would say, at least I have both of my legs. Ciaos.

That's a Wrap

Ok, so I was up today at 6am, which is really 5am by yesterday's standards. The only way that I possibly managed this was because a) I was prevented an extra hour of sleep due to unpleasant gassy stomach pains (TMI) and b) I went to bed at 9pm last night (m-f). I didn't have much choice in the matter. I needed to do a grocery shopping but instead I ate pizza and collapsed into bed. Yesterday was the first day of a two day shoot that will wrap up the shooting for Spence's film (Nemesis - an independent film). I somehow only managed 3hrs of sleep on Friday night, so by the end of the day I was just poopered.

The shot yesterday was in my living room so my life was moved into my bedroom. The shot today is in the bedroom (....no) and so everything had to be moved into the living room. Before the cast & crew left, two manly men moved the two pieces of heavy furniture. And as Spence gave a crowd of people a ride home I shimmied my big blue tupperware boxes filled with my earthly possessions back into the living room. By the time he got back the place was almost ready to be mopped and staged.

Working on this film production has been a really special experience. I had a really emotionaly discussion with Spence last night. I`ve been having trouble fully composing myself since then, but I think once there is a buzz of people it will be easy enough. It`s time for me to get started. I need to fold the last of the clean clothes and go pick up some groceries before the first to arrive shows up.

Also, one huge benefit of shooting here, my place is now SPOTLESS. And in fear of looking like a huge slob I even cleaned out the microwave. To give you an idea of how bad it was, I think it took me about 10 minutes to get all of the grime off. Seriously though, what can`t baking soda do. I`d ask that as a question but that key seems to only want to give me an É, and yes my keyboard is set to US.

I`m going to post some snaps later. And promise to update more often. I`ve actually done a few fun/exciting things that I`m depriving my audience the pleasure of hearing. Anywho, toodles.

Neighbourhood #3: Forest Hill (Fail)

New month = new neighbourhood so Sim and I once again set out to a new neighbourhood to see what wonders await us in this great city. We met up at the main intersection in Forest Hill (the only intersection) and started from there. I was starving so we tried to find a place to hit. There was an interesting Mediterranean grill called Mashu Mashu. I wasn't much in the mood for an an hour sit down and a $20 bill so we moved on. I must say it did smell rather delicious. We scooted back down to a sushi joint Sim had spied. Unfortunately they weren't open until later in the day. Then we went across the street to the only bar on the strip, and it was closed. It seems Sundays in Forest Hill are only good for brand chain coffee shops and banks. Because there are three of one and four of the other, respectively. We did get to check out the Type Book store. Nothing caught my fancy right, other than some really neat moleskin booklets. But I'd definitely go back to check it out again. Our last ditch hope was to check out the Aroma that took over the old Blockbuster location. I was ready to order a sandwich and a coffee, but when we looked around and there wasn't a free pair of seats in the place, we left, and we promptly left Forest Hill.

Being so close to my place we opted for a mini-beer tasting adventure instead.
Dead Elephant: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (9)
Maple Bock: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (7/7.5)
Cameron Cream Ale: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (7)
Cameron Auburn Ale: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (8)
Früli: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (10!)

I can't do half a happy face, but let it be noted that Sim liked the Maple Bock slightly more than I did. And the Früli gained an automatic ten for being absolutely delicious. Two of the Cameron's didn't make it to the table due to lack of time. Sim and I sat and had a great talk and sampled our hearts out.

We got to talking about belt buckles, a new found interest of Sim's. And I remembered my dad gave me a buckle years ago. I don't know why he gave it to me, but I've carried it around with me every place I've been. Sim popped it on and we snapped a cool shot. And that's that. Forest Hill was a bit of a bust, but I looked forward to the next go around.

A Day In My Life

Neighbourhood #2: St. Clair West

Since the new month is upon us, and despite of the cold weather warning, Sim and I bundled up on Saturday to explore St. Clair West. It wasn't on our original brainstorming list, but I've been building up such a list of places I need to visit, that I knew we could make an afternoon of it. My house is close to a few neighbourhoods, but St. Clair West is by far the coolest. And I think in 15 years or so that strip is going to have some real potential!

Sim and Spence showed up at my house slightly after 12:30pm to see if my living space would be appropriate for an upcoming project. Unofficially it's a yes, so I'm excited about that. Then Spence dropped us down at the McDs across from our first target, The Stockyards. It's funny how St. Clair works now with the U-turns at every set of lights. We ran into Spence twice between him dropping us off and him taking the turn to go back East. So there we were at the Stockyards. Going in revealed a waitlist of about 4 couples ahead of us. Luckily we jumped onto a waiting to be seated list which probably didn't take too much more than 10 or 15 minutes. The seating was a bit limited as for what I expected. I was later recalling the story to my mom and mentioning that it's bar stool seating only, and because of her knees (double replacement) she doesn't think she'll ever be able to go there. But she had actually heard of them when I mentioned the place by name. So that's too bad. We gave our order right away and not too much later our Pulled Pork sandwiches and Black Cherry sodas were delivered in cute black skillet plates. I found the food to be a bit luke warm. The meat was seasoned nicely and tender enough, but I wasn't as floored as I was expecting to be. Sim got some fries for us to share. They were also ok. With full bellies it was time for us to move on.

Lucky for us the next destination was literally next door. Noir Coffee & Tea. It was really really gorgeous inside. It was warm and cozy and clean, and really both Sim and I agreed it was a perfect 10, and exactly to our liking. We both ordered a coffee, and busted out the BG board. I don't think I won a game. But I didn't make any moves that were too foolish, so it's a win for me. I brought my travel cribbage board too but I don't seem to have a full deck of cards at home. Which is insane because I love cards. I took notice of some of the bags of coffee for sale at the front counter. We returned at the end of the night to pick up a bag, and I had to wait about 5 minutes while the lady at the counter found a gluten free dairy free snack for the girl in front of me. Don't get me wrong, it's anyone's perogative to search out foods that fit your dietary needs. But I challenge anyone to spend more than 2 minutes at a counter in a coffee shop, you will feel like a giant turd. They took so long the lady at the counter actually called me patient. Anyways, I digress, I can't wait to try the new blend out.

We bundled up and headed West-ward towards Oakwood. This was my moment to finally FINALLY get a picture of the Domo graffiti outside the school there. I think that school is Oakwood Collegiate, but I'm not positive. First we stopped into The Cupcakery. I'm not an aficionado when it comes to cupcakes, but I think if you are going to have a business that is dedicated solely to cupcakes, and you're going to charge $2.50 for each one, they should be good enough that I want to come back tomorrow to try another one. I remember this amazing cupcake restaurant from Calgary called Crave Cupcakes. I will forever compare every cupcake boutique I visit to this place. Maybe no one will ever live up, but the standard has been set. I feel like Sim could have whipped up a tastier batch in her kitchen. It was a cute enough store though, I will give them that. On the way back we snapped a shot of the Domo. Wrraaaaahhhh.

Our last scheduled stop was at Ellington's Cafe. I thought it was really cute inside. It was laid back in a way that I really appreciate. The place was kind of crickets, and I think perhaps there was a pool table in the back in a secret room that seemed to quietly absorb everyone that entered. We got some cheap coffees and just chatted for a while before heading to our final impromptu destinations. I suggested that Sim and I drop into the Salvation Army and Goodwill to hunt for some props Spence might be interested in. It was a bust, but I did pick up a Big Wreck CD which I will have to transfer over. Then it was back to square one where Spence picked us up (ty Spence) and graciously gave me a drive home as well.

To me this neighbourhood was really different from Ossington Village. OV was just a really super hip, super cool place to be. With tons of galleries and an independent bookstore. I think if I wasn't local to St. Clair West I might not be bothered to choose it as a destination. Granted there are some really great places. Wychwood Barns farmers market is still a place I really want to visit (and slept through this weekend). Dave's Bar is a really chill little bar too that I've enjoyed visiting. And I still love living in the area. Maybe it was the weather or maybe it was the overall lack of coolness, but for the purposes of this project I give it a final rating of "meh." Now off to Mississauga to go pick up my cell phone. :/

Don't Be A Coconut

I went to Yorkdale mall this morning to pick up some tickets at Jean Machine. I bought my dad and brother some Rock Lacrosse tickets for Christmas. There was like a $9 service charge each and then $5 processing fee. They made $23 dollars on my single transaction. What in the hell???? How can our system allow for such a monopoly to exist. I hope the refund situation they're going through right now damn near bankrupts them. They are absolute crooks. Also, I hate malls. I tried to find parking near my store, but I was confused by the underground "Valet" parking so I just avoided it. I ended up, in true Julie form, parking at the exact opposite end of the mall. I made my way to Jean Machine, and then stopped in to HMV to see if there was anything I wanted. I picked up a few cheap CDs. I'll consider it an early xmas gift to myself. I hate malls in general. The idea of ultra-consumption drives me nuts. That was my first ever trip to Yorkdale, and I can say with most certainty it will be my last. At least I can hope.

Last night I went to Sim's for some beers. In lieu of going to the Brewery Market at Wychwood Barns, we opted for the cheaper option of buying a fine selection of imported beers to try out. This morning I was admiring Spence's photo of the beers lined up, and it occured to me that we missed a beer! I texted Sim right away, fearing we had left that bottle in the freezer by mistake. Thank goodness that wasn't the case, and it was just missed. At any rate, I'm going to share our beer ratings. Any differing votes appear with a "/". For the most part we all agreed, but in some cases I didn't agree with S&S. And any variance less than .05 as given by Spence will not be shown below... o_O



From left to right, as graded with happy faces up to 10:
Fruli: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (10!)
Traquir Jacobite Ale: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (9)
Lava Smoked Imperial Stout: (0) - seriously
Erdinger Weissbier: TBD ;)
Amsterdam Oranje Weisse: ☺☺☺☺☺/☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (5/8)- I'm not a fan of the wheat beers
Christoffel Blond (double hops): ☺☺☺☺/☺☺☺☺☺ (4/5)
Mort Subite Framboise: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (10!)
Lezajsk: ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ (8)

As you may be able to ascertain, all three of us were quite fond of the raspberry brews. All in all a great night!