Neighbourhood #14 - The Beaches (West)

And now time for one of the most recognizable neighbourhoods in Toronto, the Beaches!  I remember when I was younger the Beaches felt like they were at the edge of the universe.  One time when I was really young my family was docked at Ashbridge's Bay on my parents' boat.  I had forgot one of my bags of luggage for our vacation.  My dad rode our fold up bike into what felt like oblivion to me at the time, but was really just across to the Coxwell and Lakeshore where he caught some sort of transportation back into Mississauga.  I should thank him again for that, see if he actually remembers.

But down to business.  Sim and I knocked off another neighbourhood.  Once we do Parkdale, Beaches (East end) and I guess West Queen West (almost forgot about that one) we'll be done Queen Street!  So we headed down around lunch time, and the first stop was at Hogtown Smoke.  I think I speak for both Sim and I when I said, "Omg, omg, omg."  That food was some of the best in the city.  Holy smokes!!  I ordered the Brisket Ends, Sim ordered the Pork Belly salad, and we shared a start serving of jalapeno bacon wrapped ricotta (+4 cheese) stuffed poppers.  With a most delicious dipping sauce which I sadly only discovered for my second popper half.  The serving was three, and it was $13, and it was worth every single pennnnyyyy.

Next we stopped into the Nutty Chocolatier.  They have one in Port Credit as well but I've never been inside.  It was a very tempting story.  I laughed when I saw the Cadbury imports from the UK, as they have changed their chocolate recipe and the Canadian/American factories now produce the superior chocolate.  Good luck unloading that inventory now.  I spotted a candy wrapper that made me laugh (below).  Squiiiidgy Goodness. Next we ducked into the Brick Street Bakery.  I picked up some croissants for my mom and I to have on Monday morning.  She had been planning on staying over the following Sunday night.  I exhibited magnificent self control by not eating both of them immediately after arriving home.

We walked for a while with nothing really catching our fancy.  Got some keys cut at the hardware store, which all ended up being busts.  None of the four worked.  What a scam.  Not knowing what lay even further we cut our walk in half and turned back towards Woodbine.   We made a stop at a cute cottagey type store called Seagull.  Did a quick browse around.  They had some nice wood type things.  You know, the things.  We had a cafe in mind to end at, but by the time we got there it was all full (6 window bar seats) and nowhere to play backgammon so we scooted off.  We crossed over Woodbine and carried on for a bit.  Just as we were about to quit I saw a place across the street, "What's Wonderland?" I said.  A cafe!!!  A cafe that was closed though.  The operator was sitting in the window working on his laptop but the cafe was closed.  Tease.  We settled on Dufflets, which although it's a chain they are an awesome chain.  I pounded an orange soda and Sim had a...latte probably.  And she picked up some sweet toffee that fit into her carb regiment.  I kind of regret not taking a bite and I'm quite partial to that kind of candy.  But I was all sweeted out at the moment.

That was it, back to the car and home to the pups.  Another neighbourhood under our belt.  And really something that's turning into a feeling of great accomplishment.  I've been to most neighbourhoods once or twice before.  But Toronto is starting to feel a bit more like home now.  Even if I don't live there.  I should really start doing this in Mississauga as well.

Neighbourhood #13 - The Junction

Once upon a time, when I used to update regularly....

Sim and I have been hard at work, fitting in as many neighbourhoods as possible before Pippa is born.  We have three more under our belt to review and one more coming up tomorrow afternoon.  On the 13th I drove downtown after work and grabbed some street parking and met up with Sim after an afternoon meeting.  Then we scooted across Lakeshore and up Parkside until we entered the magical realm of The Junction.  I've been several times before.  Sonia used to live out that way, and I went there with Adam once or twice.  Went to A Hole In the Wall with his roommate, and met for lunch at the Purple Onion the day my car got towed.  But I digress.

Our first stop was this cute design store called Mjölk.  The name was subtitled with "Nordic Designs & Japenese Handcrafts" and that pretty much describes it to a tee.  Super cute, clean geometric designs.  A few things that looked rather attractive but if I remember correctly was on the pricier side.  On we went to the Beet Cafe where I ordered a chicken wrap, and Sim ordered a "seasonal latte" which turned out to be a regular latte.  We sat and chatted for a while, and then kept it moving.  I think we both agreed the Cafe was definitely worth another visit next time either of us found ourselves in the hood.

I think the Junction is the next up and coming hipster central.  Even more than St Clair West.  Two of the stores we walked into their was a late 20s bearded guy sitting on a laptop 3/4 of the way through the store.  Stopping what he was doing to welcome us to the store, ask if we had been before, and let us know that everything in the store is made from reclaimed local wood, or was Canadian handcrafted wares.  And there were so many awesome gift type items.  Or even items I could see for myself, and for my brother too.  First was Forever Interiors.  Awesomely awesome handcrafted furniture.  We walked passed a delicious looking restaurant called Cut The Cheese.  It would appear all of the menu items are heavy on the cheese.  And even heavier on the deliciousness.  Not on our list of stops this time, but definitely on the list for next time.

We crossed to the North side of Dundas.  I noted to Sim that Keele and Dundas is one of my least favourite driving intersections in Toronto.  Woof it's a dousy, especially if you're turning East onto Dundas coming south on Keele.  I like to sneak down to Annette whenever possible to avoid that situation.  We stopped into a small Antique store that's going out of business, Mr. Antico.  Weird to think that it thrived as a business for so long and is being edged out for whatever reason.  On we went, to one of my new favourite stores, Pandemonium.  A used bookstore, used vinyl, and some other extra little cool gifts.  I picked up a book for my mom I was meant to get at the library for her the next day.  The cost of convenience.

At this point we were in search of a cafe so we could get some BG time in.  We crossed back to the South side and breezed passed Agora Cafe but it was closed.  Then we hit up the absolute coolest store in the neighbourhood Pekota. I actually think all items in that store were handcrafted with my brother in mind.  I might go back at some point to pick up some prezzies.  Having given up on finding another place for coffee Sim and I resigned to the original end point, Gourmeats.  The plan was to get a fine selection of high end beef cuts for Sim Spence and I to feast on.  We didn't find quite what we were looking for, but landed on a combination of hot sausages and sauerkraut.  Yum yum.  We stood in front of this plain store front as we decided how much time was left before our ticket ran out.  How much time, how much time do we have, hmmmm.  And then I looked down at the sandwich board next to us and we were outside a cafe!!  Full Stop!  We both grabbed a decaf and settled down for a match of BG.  Sim finished up one of the games by forfeiting, and when I refused her forfeit she rolled 66 and then 55 and won the game, figures.

I would say this was one of the more successful adventures.  One of the top few for me, for sure.  Two more to go to get caught up, but I'll make sure it happens.

Neighbourhood #12 - Riverside

Here we are, nearing the execution of a new neighbourhood and I have failed to fulfill my blogging obligations for the most recent one.  Yes, Sim and I have still been up to no good.  Lurking around Toronto, being faux tourists.  Snapping photos by famous street signs (Queen & De Grassi).  Generally getting up to no good.  Walking on the wrong side of the side walk, occasionally loitering.  The works.

I have to mention that this neighbourhood was reco'd by Sim, and it was actually quite thrilling for me.  We started the afternoon off w
ith a mad rush for me to find a mail box and a bank for my work deposit.  As soon as we exited the parking lot behind Dangerous Dan's we were confronted with both.  Et voila!

You'll have to forgive me (or not Sim, I'm really sorry), but my memories of this afternoon are slightly foggy.  We stopped into a wicked wares shop called Studio Pazo that had some cute dishes and the like.  We took a pass on a cool looking Chocolate shop called Ambiance Chocolat.  But if we were in the sweet mood it would have been worth a stop for sure.  We hit up this cool design interior store and perused some really fancy looking fabrics.

Then we snapped our De Grassi shots.  I tried using my new phone to get us in the same shot but it was a big time fail.  Then la pièce de résistance, Bonjour Brioche Bakery.  The reason for our visit to Riverside!  Unfortunately, the reason we went was to eat their most delicious croissants which Sim found rated online as the best in Toronto.  And then who goes ahead and can't feast with me??  I won't name names.  We set up shop and played some BG, but they closed at 4pm??  So we were booted out.  This guy came in and ordered a sit down soup at like 3:55.  "Sir, we close in 5 minutes."  "I know, I'll still take the soup, thank you."  Lol ok buddy.

The walk back to the car involved stepping into the Irish Design House, a teeny tiny gallery (framing store) called Dimensions Framing.  Where we met a very-cute-I-can't-remember-the-breed dog.  A store called Empire which I cannot ascertain from the photo what it is.  A little person's store with cute little people things.  A record shop with other little delightful stuffy stuffs up front, and a record section we ignored at the back.  And possible one or two others?? (ducks and hides in shame).

And then it was back to Sim's to cuddle with the pups and probably save the world with Spence.  A Friday well spent.

I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am

I haven't been in much of a mood for posting lately.  Perhaps it's a bad idea to let a certain elixir encourage me to return.  But I'm going to go ahead and not listen to the warning signs and proceed.

Ummmmmm.  Life is kind of stressy.  More stressy than I would like.  I've been talking a lot with Dean at work, which has been nice.  It's something that I've realized I was missing.  He's being really honest about what he's going through, which can be really sad.  But I hope that talking about it is helping him, at least a little.  He told me this story today about a time he and his wife went to Niagara and went all out.  Nice hotel room, few hundy in the pocket to play with.  And they kept hitting the jackpots on their dollar slots and walked away at the end of the night with a few thou in their pockets.  I've never gone into a casino allowing myself to play with more than $40.  Maybe I need to add that to my bucket list?

My mom came by for a visit earlier this week.  She came by after a trip to the dentist and we had dinner.  She offered to take us out but I kind of felt like staying in.  I did a slow roast pork in advance for us to feast on.  But I did it the dumb way and cooked it overnight.  I should have cooked it morning to night so we could have had it fresh.  Lesson learned.  It was still yummy.  We had pulled pork tortilla wraps with an veggie salad on the side.  I always cook better when she's around, and then she leaves and I'll have cereal for dinner the next night.  Her dentist mentioned a possible root canal she might need.  Yet he didn't see the need to take an x-ray to confirm.  Yeah, that sounds totally legit.

I don't really have much to say.  I'm wondering if this will be the year I treat myself to something awesome.  But I did just spend over $150 on some new shoes, so that might be it for the next few months.

Ta-taaaaa.

HNY 2015

I found a list of resolutions for lazy slobs online.

1. At some point in 2015, go get that thing you dropped under the bed.
2. Pick a new hobby, do it one, then forget about it forever.
3. Cook one non-terrible meal this year (I would hope so...)
4. Brush your teeth for a little longer than usual.  You can do this.
5. Go outside sometimes.
6. Take the stairs - maybe.
7. Sleep like nobody's watching.
8. Check your voicemail.
9. Go see a doctor about that thing you've been ignoring.  You know, that thing.
10. Change your sheets.
11. Get out of bed after your first alarm.  Just once.  Just to see what it's like.
12. Consider going for a job.  Really consider it.
13. Don't always eat nutella straight out of the jar.  Put it on toast sometimes.
14. Call your poor grandmother.
15. Hang up your clothes.  Just once in the whole year.  Life's not fair.
16. Wash your hair.  You're an embarrassment.
17. Think about how great it would be if you did things.
18. Imagine what it would be like to have your shit together for once in your life.
19. Give up and order pizza.

I think I should be able to manage at least 3 of these this year.  If you already count that I change my sheets regularly.

Naïve. Super

I did a bit of reading at my folks' place.  Actually I was pampered immensely through out the weekend and did not want to leave.  I needed that break, so badly.  More badly than I had even realized.

Part of a book I read today made me laugh out loud so I wanted to share.  I shared it with my mom too, but didn't get a great reception.  The back story is that the young protagonist is having a crisis of the soul.  He drops out of school and starts to house sit for his brother who has traveled to the USA.  He fills his days playing with a Brio Hammer & Peg game, and throwing a ball against the wall while he considers what it's all about.  In his brother's flat he finds a book about space and time and gets highly involved in the theories within.  He learns that gravity can affect time, and that time 1000 ft off the ground will be a fraction of a fraction of a millisecond shorter than on the ground.  He visits his brother and tries to discuss these theories with him but gets shot down.  When they finally make it to the top of the Empire State building, the following occurs.

*****
I find a phone and make sure my brother can't see me.  I'm dialing the number to the payphone on the ground floor now.  It's ringing.  When someone answers, I plan to ask whether he or she is aware that time passes a little faster up here with me than down there with them.

It rings and rings.  For a long time.  Nobody is answering.  It's bloody annoying.  I let it ring just a little longer.  Now there's a man picking up the receiver.

Hello? he says.
Hello, I'm calling from the top of the building, I say.
Yes? says the man.
Are you aware that time runs slightly faster at the top than it does at the bottom of this building? I ask.
No, says the man
Well, it does, I tell him.
All right, says the man.
Are you impressed? I ask.
Not really, he says.
But that means that time doesn't exist, I tell him.
Oh yeah? says the man.
So what do you think? I ask.
I couldn't care less, says the man, and hangs up the receiver.
Idiot.

For revenge I drop a coin into one of the binoculars and focus on the street below.  It's full of people and cars.  I see a man coming out of a bank.  He is trying to hail a taxi while at the same time glancing at his watch.

He looks like you and me.  Completely ordinary.  He probably has a wife and kids and a little house in the suburbs.  He is doing everything the best he can.  I follow him with my gaze, thinking; I can see you, but you can't see me.  We shall never meet, but there is something I want you to know.  My time is not the same as your time.  Our times are not the same.  And do you know what that means?  That means that time does not exist.  Do you want me to repeat that?  There is no time.  There is a life and a death.  There are people and animals.  Our thoughts exist.  And the world.  The universe, too.  But there is no time.  You might as well take it easy.  Do you feel better now?  I feel better.  This is going to work out.  Have a nice day.

 Naïve. Super - Erlund Loe
*****

So, back to normal life now.  Jackie is in town tmrw.  I'm like a dog that can barely hold its bladder I'm so excited.  I should get some sleep, so tomorrow I can do all the things.

Neighbourhood #11 - Little India

Alright, time to spice things up a little bit!  Finally a neighbourhood I've been really yearning to acquaint myself with.  I visited once a few years ago for a sari purchase and fitting.  I was telling Simona how the seamstress was a little handsy but my discomfort didn't seem to bother her in the least.  I haven't had the occasion to use that sari since but it was a pretty fun experience to wear one.

Not far from Sim's new hood, we found ourselves at the wrong Coxwell and Gerrard.  My instincts told me to turn left, if the TTC was turning left I should have known Gerrard was split.  We weaved our way through a ressie area and dipped south until we were back on Gerrard and grabbed a sweet parking spot, right outside what would end up to be our last destination.

The sun was already starting to set (my bad on being held up at work), but we headed West towards Greenwood and happened upon the MOST AMAZING CAFE.  We walked in, and it was unfortunately completely empty.  Fortunate for us, but unfortunate for all of the fools letting this gem escape them.  It's called The Social Gardener.  The ambiance was really chill, the playlist was a total hit, and the drinks were delish!  I got a hot apple cider with a nice big chunk of cinnamon in it, and Sim opted for the Maple Latte which they offered in decaf, and we split a peppermint nanaimo bar.  My all time favourite dessert bar with a wonderful twist.  We had our traditional set of BG which Sim annihilated me on and then we had to wrap it up and go, as the night was growing nearer.

We headed back East and came across a restaurant I had been snooping online called Bombay Chowpatty.  They had some really solid reviews.  When we went in they didn't have the Veggie Pakora made up and the guy said if we gave him 30 minutes he could have some ready.  I detected a sense of reluctance in his voice, but we were set on eating there and we were set on Pakora, so we placed our order and headed out.

Next stop was a sari store.  We just kind of cruised around looking at their offerings, with a sales woman tailing us, even as far as cornering us at one point with no escape routes.  There was no one else in the store, I could tell she wanted the sale, but there was no sale to be had.  We did our perusing and carried on.  Next up was a really cool looking coffee shop that was just closing as we entered.  "Hmmm, that's odd that the door sign says closed" I thought as we entered anyways.  Whoooops.  That was short lived, but definitely worth a revisit.

Then there was a small art gallery we did a walk around in.  Some interesting stuff.  I did quite enjoy a photo from a fruit market in Bali.  And after that was a quick walk around a cutsie cute kitchen and cute stuff shop.  Sim found the new scent for her home.  A little bit of a fresh outdoorsy meets indie Toronto wares shop kind of a scent.

I'm kind of breezing over the other stores for two reasons.  First, it was a bit of a short visit, and a bit of a small neighbourhood.  But also because next was the best part of the evening, the dinner.  We headed back to Bombay Chowpatty and the guy seemed somewhat shocked we were back.  We concluded he hadn't really started making any pakora, but he did start when we got there and let me tell you, between that and the Samosa Chaat, it was welllll worth the wait.  The veggie pakora was good but the samosa chaat was sooooo good.  And the guy was super nice.  He even suggested some other dishes we might try if we came back.  We paid up and got back into the car, and Sim had the great idea of calling back to Spence to see if he wanted some Indian food.  So it was back into BC to put in another order of the chaat.  We waited just a short while, and as Sim was clearing it up the guy told us he also made us an order of Masala fries for free.  They were super tasty when I dug around the cilantro.  Pttttttth, gross.  Also, yaaay free stuff.

Back to Sim and Spence's new awesome home for some chill time with the dogs and a few rounds of Pandemic.  Mins took a nap with Jasmine and it was totally adorable.  SO CUTE.  By the time all that was done I was just poopered.  I was running on low after a night of tossing and turning.  Getting up at 5:30 this week has been killing me, but I've become surprisingly good at not snoozing my alarm.  Or I should say only snoozing once or twice (5-10 mins).  It just becomes the most brutal when you don't get to sleep until 1 or 2am.  Dean is back in the office next week.  I want to say what a relief but none of us know what to expect.  I guess we'll find out.

Alvida for now.

Text of the Day

This text of the day is brought to you by Goat Milk, and the letter Z.

Julie: I'm excited to be at full mason jar capacity.  It may sound stupid but the 3 I left at your place set me back.
Sim: "Full Mason: Jar Capacity" sounds like a band name and title.
Julie: It's settled, we must start a band.
Sim: Yes! I call tin whistle.
Julie: I call backup kazoo.
Sim: That leaves Spence to sing.
Julie: What a terrible backing band he's found himself stuck with.
Sim: He says he'll play harmonica and we'll be instrumental.
Julie: Jar Capacity is going to change the way people think about tin whistle kazoo harmonica music.
Sim:  Revolutionary!  But what else can you expect with a name like that?

I just realized it sounds a lot like Full Metal Jacket.  But I seem to be reminded of FMJ a lot lately.  Maybe it's time for a rewatch?  This is my mason jar.  There are many like it but this one is mine.

In Memory Of

Dean's wife lost her battle with cancer Friday Nov 28.  She was just 39, which is way too young.  She fought for two long months in palliative care.  Her body fought even after she was ready for the end, that's how much of a fighter she was.  She was up against the most aggressive strain of pancreatic cancer.  A brutal killer cancer, that she lasted a full year fighting against.  But it was time for her not be in pain.  Although he's had months to grieve, the real sadness really only begins for Dean now.  He's got two girls that are going to grow up without their mother.  Our office closed on Wednesday and we all drove up to Orangeville for the memorial service.  They had a slide show of her life, from elementary school all the way through their early years, the marriage, and the family trips.  I felt like I got to know her a little bit.  She used to call into the office all the time, and if Dean didn't pick up in two rings I'd grab it and page him in the back.  It wasn't much, but combined with all of Dean's stories I felt like I knew her at least a little bit.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to contain myself.  I usually have uncontrollable crying fits at funerals.  Fits that end in hyperventilating.  There were a lot of tears, but I kept it civilized.  I almost couldn't talk when I went up to talk to Dean.  What do you even say.  You're not so much sorry for his loss as you're so enraged with life that you just want to take a giant shit on it.  But you can't say that.

And now just last week Jeff's dad was diagnosed.  It's becoming an epidemic.  We need to reevaluate our life decisions because it would appear something is happening.  It might just be me and Ross at work for the next while.  It's becoming rather stressful.

Last little piece of news.  I'm starting another 10 days of fruits and veg tomorrow.  I kind of didn't keep up any of the good habits after the last cycle ended.  I kind of went a little bit overboard trying to eat up food from my fridge and freezer that were bugging me.  I still have a ton of meat that needs consumption.  About half of the meals didn't really please my palate so I'll be switching things up a bit.  On top of cutting out the cucs, raw carrot soup is out, and squash apple soup.  Which sounds really yummy but wasn't quite so much.  I also want to try a few of the recipes from the book that didn't make it into my rotation.  I gained a bit of that weight back, so time to get it off again!  Come on now.

What Would You Do?

Disclaimer: This did not happen to me, I happened upon it.

You've just had a heavy night of drinking.  You're at Union Stn.  You're in the bathroom and your friend is puking and is incoherently drunk.  The last train of the night leaves in 10 minutes but your friend refuses to go with you on your train.  She seems to believe she can puke it out and find her way home.  In 10 minutes you will be stranded in Toronto for the night.  What do you do??

Eventually she convinced the girl to join her, and they both made it on the last Lakeshore Westbound train.  Obviously you can't leave a girlfriend on the floor of the Union station bathroom three sheets to the wind, but what a dilemma.

And actually, it seems there's a 1:30am and 2:30am westbound bus now.  But last train seemed more dramatic to the question.

Also, round trip to Union now costs $12.  That is ABSURD.  Ridership is up, and the price has doubled.  Where is that money going.  It's not like they train I was on wasn't the same train I took back in 1998.  And infrastructure projects
are supported provincially anyways.  How in the hell is it cheaper to drive myself than to take public transit.  Oh, that pissed me off.

Reboot Review

Day 10 was yesterday and I officially completed my reboot with juice.  I lost a total of about 6 pounds, but who knows if that will stick or not.  I'm hoping it sticks and continues on.

I learned some new recipes that excite me for the future.  I tried some new vegetables that had yet to make it onto my plate before.  And they shall return, with great fervour.  Perhaps, urban fervour?  I think if I can keep up the shopping I'll keep up as much juicing as I can.  In reality I was drinking at most three juices a day.  I preferred to start the day with a smoothie, which requires far less physical fruit & veg than a juice.  So that's two juices and a smoothie, per day.  And a few soups and salads thrown in the mix.  Shouldn't be too hard?  And I'll be eating far healthier than before.  Including a lot of days that I wouldn't eat anything until I got home after work.  Mostly out of laziness.

I helped myself to a large serving of pasta tonight and spent the last 2 hrs running in and out of the bathroom.  I hope I haven't ruined my digestive system.  Oh boys.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Day Six

Dear Journal.

It has been six days since my my lips touched the sweet delicious temptation known as carbs.  I feel like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.......the horror.......the horror.  Four more days to go.  And then I feast.  And then maybe juice again?  I do feel good that my fridge looks like this:

I don't feel good about the number of plastic bags, or the vast amount of pulp I'm creating without a way to compost.  Two problems I will have to address in the near future.

No more weight progress, but I have hope.

Julie out.

Early Bird Gets The Worm

Also, can someone please pass me a cookie, please?  Pretty please?  Bread?  Anyone?  A slice of bread?

Reboot With Julie

So the thing I didn't mention about our stop at Canadian Tire, was that Sim was there to pick up a juicer!  I'm not sure what spurred it on but she had done her research and knew exactly what she wanted.  And it happened to be on sale that week which a bonus.  One of my coworkers has been juicing, as in they are on a juice diet, but I never really gave it too much thought.  I love my solid foods too much.  I love me some pasta and bread.  Basically everything that is the worst for you, I love.  I buy fruit and veg all the time, but a lot of it ends up getting wasted.

Anyways, this juicer purchase led to her watching a movie on netflix about a guy who was overweight with a rare auto-immune disorder who decided he needed to make some drastic life changes to drop the weight and get off the scripts for ailment.  He decided to juice.  The results were really quite unbelievable.  Something like 80 lbs in 60 days.  Which sounds like a farce.  Jeff at work had watched the movie and mentioned all of these success stories I kind of shrugged it off.  I know I've needed to drop some of my own weight but other diets never really appealed.  Unless there was a bread and specialty ice cream diet it just wasn't going to happen.  But after I finished watching Fat Sick & Nearly Dead something resonated with me.  I knew I had to start juicing!  Maybe it was because I already knew someone 3 weeks into it and they were feeling great.  Maybe it was because I knew Sim was down with the juicing.  Whatever it was, I went out and got a juicer of my own, and I'm currently on day 3 of a 10 day "Juice Reboot". 

You eat a fair amount of food, but it's allll fruits and veg.  Some spices and a bit of olive oil and S&P and that's it.  Some of the juices are good, but I've found a few that I can't consume, and a few that induce vomiting.  I lost my lunch yesterday trying to down a not-so-delicious pear & cucumber juice.  I wish I had just eaten the two pears and two cucumbers raw and be done with it.  Once I'm done the 10 days I'll know what recipes work and which can go straight in the garbage.  Last night the dinner was really amazing leek & broccoli soup.  Yummmmers.  I cut coffee out about 4 days before starting.  It was just a cup a day habit, never with a strong dependency, so it wasn't too bad to cut that out.  I do miss having soda.  I miss having little snackies.  I told Sim on the first day I wanted to throw a mini fit because I wanted some crackers.  I had just bought 3 packages of water crackers because they were on sale in 3s, and I love them.  And in my cupboard they sit untouched.  I miss meat.  I miss sauce.  I miss browsing the flyers for deals, because none of them apply anymore.  BUT, I've lost 5lbs so far, I think.  I don't believe in quick fixes, but if this at least helps, then thumbs up.  And if anything I've learned one thing.  Kale aint so bad.

I'll update any further progress.

Neighbourhood #10 (!!) - East Danforth

This is a little bit delayed, but I've been a bit exhausted this week.  I quit coffee earlier this week, so this may have lead to a bit of a disruption.  I don't know if I've gone to bed at 9pm since I was 10.

So last Sunday Sim and I decided to venture into her new hood to see what the good word was.  And there were lots of good words.  The day started with a stop at her new place.  A little walk-around the premise.  A little lookie-loo at the new digs.  And I must say, the new digs, they are fresh.  I look forward to an inside tour as well ;)

Our day started with a breakfast at Melanie's Bistro.  I hate to use absolutes, but that might have been the best brunch I have ever had in my life.  Newfoundland Benny.  Instead of an English muffin it's set on a fish cake.  Wow, wow....wowee wow.  Sim had the Heuvos Rancheros which also looked mighty delicious and minus a plate licking was all gone at the end.  After this most delicious of meals we walked down to Coxwell to do some 5-pin bowling at Danforth Bowl.  I went once for Sonia's birthday party aaaages ago.  It was exciting to get back to the lanes.  And I don't like to brag, but since I never win at bowling ever I will brag.  I WON AT BOWLING.  And although neither of us got a turkey, we did happen to get a communal turkey, which was still satisfying.

The last stop on our neighbourhood tour was at The Circus Coffee House.  Super cute, super local, super smalllll, just super.  Sim went for the Blueberry Pear Mango smoothie, and I went for my regular Americano.  It's what I order when I don't know how to order anything else.  It's my go-to.  We sat and played a most deserving two sets of backgammon.  I think I won one of them, which also rarely happens.  Getting to roll first is usually only something I get to do when I win the first roll-off.  And even then one of the dice isn't even mine.  Just a bit of BG humour.

We made one more detour on the way home which was the Canadian Tire at Danforth and Main.  Apparently there is also one at Pape, but given two choices I will always choose the one more likely to have a larger more accessible parking lot.  Fortuitously, this led to the discovery of the Danforth GO station, which happens to be on the Lakeshore line.  Perhaps it's time for me to get a PRESTO pass.

We got a bit fudged with Santa traffic on the way back downtown.  I thought I had the perfect route but it got all busted up.  I ran upstairs to pick up a moving dolly I had left at Sim's.  And on my way back to the Lakeshore I got stopped at a light while a train of floats zipped by going back to I guess their homes.  Lights were red, lights were green, but we weren't moving.  Sim told me to snap a shot, and I did.  And ironically enough it was the very last float to go by.  And it was smooth sailing home from there.

I may have already said this, but I'm really really enjoying getting back into neighbourhooding.  BTAI.  Big time awesomeness important.

Until next time.

Neighbourhood #9 - Cabbagetown

Another new hood!  Sarah joined us this weekend which was awesome.  We all met at the corner of Carlton and Parliament just before noon.  Sim and I actually found a really really terrific parking spot, which always starts the day off in the right direction.

Our first stop was the Jet Fuel coffee shop.  I've actually been wanting to get to Jet Fuel for years now so that worked out nicely.  I'm not sure how much I like the non-menu.  As a non-coffee aficionado I need to see what my options are.  But the coffee was a delicious, and we sat in the back and chatted for nearly an hour.  We could have stayed for longer, but there was business to be done.  We headed North up Parliament stopping into Green's Antiques and Menagerie Pet Shop along the way.  They pet store was cute, with a few little slimers and small furries in the back.  Including one jub jub that had rather menacing eyes.   The antique store was really packed I was getting worried at this point that we were going to strike out.  We walked up to Wellesley and I started to wonder what else was going to grab our fancies.  So I suggested we break across to Sherbourne and cut back down to Carlton.  That may have been the worst idea of the afternoon as we spent 10-15 minutes walking past residences and schools.  Finally when we tailed back onto Carlton, the actual adventure began.

Ok, that's a bit of a lie.  I kind of ruined everything by not putting enough money into the parking meter.  So we had to walk up Parliament a smidge.  But that did bring us to Sinate Creations.  A kind of Tibetan hand made goods store.  They had some nice sweater coats.  And oth
er such goods.  But we didn't spend too much time in there.  Just West of Parliament on Carlton is where all the hot business is going on.  I think we could probably all agree the store of the afternoon was Labour of Love.  Everything in that store was just awesome.  I ended up getting some Bitters crafted in NYC for my brother for Xmas.  I probably could have spent a lot of money in that store.  Just a bit more down the road was a sweet home design store called Mi Casa.  A little more high end modern stuff.

Across to the South side of the street we popped into London Calling which had some cute British goods available.  I think I would like to go to London to see what they provide to expats seeking the Canadian experience.  I love most things British.  Keep Calm and Carry On, stiff upper lip.  At this point we were all starving so we settled on the Irish pub Stout.  It was super clean and pubby inside with a nice gas fireplace against the Western wall.  We all settled on a bevvie, I wish I could remember which one I had.  Something to do with Beavers or Hops, or probably something else altogether different.  I had the classic breakfast but it was really anything but classic.  The eggs were poached well, but served in a bowl with water on the bottom, so when they were cracked it was just gross.  The toast had black lines on it like it had been seared rather than toasted.  And the fruit cup was altogether unappealing.  That being said, the two other dishes at the table looked sooooooooo goooooooooood.  So I guess I just pulled the short straw.  And if you can believe it, we actually managed to hang out for almost 4hrs.  There were a few more places we could have tried for food and drink, but that'll be for another day.


I'm starting to really develop an appreciation for more of Toronto, which is what started this whole thing.  We're pushing the limits of our comfort zones.  And although we still have a lot more of the regs to get through, like Little Italy and Danforth and Liberty Village, we're going to keep it spicy with new guys like Little India and Davisville and Corktown.  And in fact, the very next day (Sunday) Sim and I did another impromptu neighbourhood.  More to come....

The Solution

My change has been weighing me down lately.  I have a lady's wallet yet I was still almost unable to close it because of the bulging change section.  Total Costanza.  I cleaned up a bit around here and found a few bucks laying around.  And I wasn't sure how I was going to get rid of it all until today.  It's not ground breaking, and you have to have no shame if there is a line, but paying with change at the self check-out at the grocery.  A weight has been lifted.  Total....bonus...important.

Absolution At A Low Low Price

Ross sneezed this afternoon and Jeff said "I bless you my child."  I piped up and said, "So you do blessings, but do you do absolutions?"

Work has been stressful without Dean.  It's easier now that Jeff is available to back-up the warehouse.  Now it's not falling on my shoulders.  But there's still an elevated level of stress.  Ross is stressed out all the time, which trickles down onto me.  But we all just have to manage because Dean has more important matters to attend to.  His wife has now gone into palliative so he has some really real truths that he's going to have to face in the near future.  We're all unsure how we're going to move forward from such a terrible lose.  She's so young, it's too soon.

There's this really freaky thing that happens at our office, that if we say something it will happen.  We mention a customer, they will call and place an order.  We jinx ourselves by wishing something wouldn't happen.  I know it's the whole "Whenever I think about Sim she calls me" thing, where I don't count all the times I think about Sim and she doesn't call (why don't you call me anymore?? lol jk).  But these are very very specific instances.  I said to Ross, "Some of our regular email contacts are going to start asking about Dean's absence.  Like Debbie, or Christina."  That night, Christina called, as the office was closing, and the first thing out of her mouth was "Where's Dean?"  And the other freaky one that just happened was that in the span of two days, we either talked about or had a phone call from four Dennis'.  And I commented to Ross, now we just need this new guy Dénis to call in and we'll have a full set.  And today after a three month silence we had a call from that very Dénis.  In both cases I identified a specific person and within 24 hrs they called.  And in one case I nailed what they would be calling about.  They call me the Office Clairvoyant.  

I'm getting an old Tassimo from my mom's house delivered.  She's dropping it off at my office tomorrow, along with some infamous frozen steaks I recently stood her up on.  She reminded me that the Tassimo had a recall and I'd need to get the replacement part.  And she also told me that she asked Tassimo to send two parts when I was living at home and they refused.  THEY REFUSED!!!  I emailed, and told them what a top notch job they had done.  Super fantastic customer service, job well done.  Needless to say I'm getting that replacement part in the mail, without having to submit my serial number.  Which gives them partial redemption, but not really, given that I could have burned my face with coffee hot water.

One last thing...I wanted to give special mention to a great afternoon out I had with Sim and Sarah just a few weeks ago, before Sim's nuptials.  We had a wicked walk through Kensington trying to find a hair piece for Sim.  And after getting an amazing restaurant reference from a stranger on the street ("It's South of Augusta and Baldwin......those are street names." lol) we ended up at Pancho Y Emiliano.  We both got three very different dishes.  I ended up with the corn tortilla fish tacos and omgggg were they amazing.  Ever since I saw this food show about the best fish taco, I've been making a point of trying them out.  Last time they were a bit too....lacking in sauce.  These ones were sooooooooo good.  Mmm......good food.

That's all.  Stayed tuned for Neighbourhood #9, coming soon.

Neighbourhood #8: South Roncesvalles

It has been over 18 months since the last adventure, but the spirit behind the rediscovery of our city never died.  And last weekend Sim and I once again got out to explore another neighbourhood in Toronto.  And it was another great success!

I headed downtown midafternoon on Friday and picked up Sim and headed East on Queen until we hit Roncesvalles Ave.  I had it in my mind that we'd be going across College so I was prepared to not park on the street, so when a small lot came up down at Queen for $4 for the afternoon we popped in.

First stop was at the Knit Cafe.  It's come to my attention that the yarn I'm using for my scarf has been discontinued so I thought we could pop into the Knit Cafe to see if they carried it.  They were after all registered as distributors of the brand I'm looking for.  There was a small selection of yarn, but it was a rather cute place.  I could see us going back and having a good old stitch and bitch there.  Of course I would first need to find my project which I have....misplaced.  After this quick stop we dropped into the jeweler Sim used recently (for her MATRIMONIAL rings) to get one resized.  They had a cute little poodle breed that kept licking the back of my legs as we stood chatting with the jeweler.  It was a nice shop, and I have a feeling they're going to do another really great job.

Onwards and upwards, we popped into a neat little toy store where Sim shopped around for a toy for a friend.  It was this adorable little plush owl toy.  She let it simmer for a while and on our way back South to the car we swooped back in she picked it up.  The store offered free gift wrapping which was a nice surprise.  I quietly noticed later the stripped pattern on the paper lined up perfectly even on the ends to create a rectangle.  Perhaps a happy accident.  Next we stopped into a cute ecostore called Ecotique.  I really fell in love with some one of a kind shoulder bags made from recycled car parts but they were quite pricey.  The had some nice wares to browse.  And I did end up picking up some soap nuts.  I still have a ton of Borax and washing soda to use up, but this is an interesting alternative.  I've actually been using my back-up manufactured laundry soap instead of mixing my own so this should give me a kick back into the right direction.

After this I was in need of a refreshing bevvy so we stopped into Extra Butter Coffee.  I had an Americano and Sim a bottled juice.  And after eavesdropping on another customer she got a little jealous and picked up a chocolate croissant.  We sat and played a few rounds of BG.  I got off to a good start but Sim came back to win it all.

There are just so many amazing stores on Roncesvalles, it wasn't hard to find places to stop into.  We stopped into a cute flower store called Sweet Pea Blooms.  They had a lot of cute handmade cards.  Followed by another boutique called Dressers.  We stopped into the local bookstore, Another Story Bookshop.  I find I'm a bit jaded when I find bookstores don't have a Canadian Literature section.  So we browsed a bit and moved on.

One of the last stops was into a cookery shop called...Cookery!  I pointed out to Sim God's gift to cleaning pots, the pot scrubber.  We even got to use it the next night at her house as she was grumbling about something sticky not coming off the bottom of her pan.  Life changing.  We spied a cute rack of aprons, and while we finished our walk up to Grenadier Rd Sim did some more pondering and we snuck back into the Cookery to pick her up a new apron.  The store owner got a bit over zealous as she spotted us taking a photo outside.  "OMG, YOU HAVE TO PUT THIS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE."  Meh, lol.  It was a super cute shop though.  I could drop a loonie or two in that place for sure.  I do need a meat brush but it was like $15 so please.

I think this one was among one of my favourite neighbourhood walks.  Maybe because it's been so long since our last.  Maybe because I really knew nothing about Roncesvalles before this visit.  Maybe because I always enjoy a good street walking.  And after all that excitement there is still a Northern corridor for us to explore at a future date.  Bravissimo.

Oh Hai Thar

Well, I don't really have any good reason for not updating so shall we just glaze over that 2 month deficit and look exclusively towards the future.  I'm back!!

My brother and I went out to Cobourg to visit with our parents for Thanksgiving.  I hit the road early Saturday morning to avoid the traffic.  It was still fairly busy for that early on a weekend, but nothing too significant.  I helped my mom with the food prep while my brother and dad went up North to close up the cottage.  I just spent a few days up there first weekend in October.  I was hoping for at least some sunny days, but it was cold and gloomy right up until I left.  I spent most of the weekend curled up under a sleeping bag on the couch.  Yet I didn't have the desire to pack it in early.  I planned for one full day off in the city too to get the full impact of the vacation.  I'm up to 8 days off in the last 14 mos.  13 days off in the last 26 mos.  Still makes me cringe to put it in those terms, but it's never going to get up to a respectable amount, especially cumulatively.  My parents had picked up a pumpkin pie from a local farm that was to die for.  Best pie I've ever had, no doubt.

Work is a challenge as a coworker is working his way through immeasurably sad family circumstances.  All we can really do is offer our support, and keep our noses down to keep up around the office.

Not a lot of new stuff going around here.  AC is broken again, but just in time.  And if my heater isn't working I can just turn the AC on, as it's pumping out hotter air.  I'm a bit pissed.  I'll call back the same company, but this time I will have CLR in stock so I don't have to pay for him to leave.  I might also wait a few months to see if having it on heat resets whatever is screwing up with the cool.  I wish I wasn't such an air conditioning prima donna.  I just gots to get my chills on.  I'm getting slightly used to sleeping with the window open, which increases the sound by more than double.

I'm planning on spending my day tomorrow doing a comprehensive fall clean-up around here.  I think I need a checklist.  Then a quick coffee with Adam, while he's in town again.  And I've got another rack of ribs, I'm going to slow cook in my most favouritist bbq sauce.  There was an unopened bottle at the cottage so I tiefed it. 

I did some ribs last month but in a tomato soup dressing which was good, but I think it could be better with a proper sauce.  Nothing will beat the fine taste of bbq ribs but I have to work with what I've got.

That's all for now.  Hope to be back more regularly.