another brush with schmarminess: metric

ate lunch at luna cafe next to Emily Haines from Metric. how cool is that? the whole time i kept admiring her lululemon yoga gear, didn't even know it was her! she was with this other dude who looked like a musician too but i couldn't place his face. the funny thing is they were playing some tunes from their first album and i was thinking to myself, this is the theme song for the cafe! this is the song i fell in love with last time i was here. in case you are a foodie and really don't care about the emily bit, but just what we had for lunch. it was divine. organic freerange chicken sandwich with sundried tomatoes and a side salad. dN had the pork sandwich special.

listen up

new fav, give it a listen. www.jimnoir.com

one man's trash

recycling day, garbage day, you know the drill. one week it's blue bin, the next trash. green bin every week. our neighbour, an older Portuguese gentleman had us cracking up this week. despite our efforts to clarify things for him, he is convinced there is a garbage conspiracy against him. every week he puts all his undivided trash out on the curb. every week he shakes his head when some of it is left behind. he noticed everyone's green bin was picked up every week. so he invested in 5 green bins and placed his trash in them, then placed them on the curb and watched.
so we witness him opening the neighbours green bins -- empty. and then opening his own -- still full of trash. couldn't figure out what the trash guys have against him. he looked accusingly at us, like we are somehow in on it.

now...chocolate?

first spinach, then carrots. now chocolate? i think i jinxed chocolate eaters with that first post. the convenience store on the corner was selling them 2 for 1. discount poison.

fortune teller: redux redux

again and again. pinged my friend about his baby, hadn't talked to him in ages. they are due in november but i had a hunch. anyhow, sure enough he messaged me from the hospital. his wife was in labour, they were due to have their baby within the hour.

a moment of silence

we observed a moment of silence at 11 o'clock for remembrance day today, it was the middle of my first laughing yoga class. it was such a contrast, the one moment everyone sat in stillness, reflection. the rest of the class was a comical succession of exercises meant to get people laughing, even fake laughter was encouraged because it leads to real laughter eventually. there doesn't have to be a reason. they even do a laughing meditation where the lights go down and people lie on the floor and then just laugh themselves silly, eventually ending in an ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. as crazy as it sounds it is oddly addictive, really makes you feel so great, full of happiness and appreciation for life. a lovely mix of people from all walks of life gathered, all united with the sole purpose of laughter. isn't that beautiful?

taxi cab wisdom: trinidad style

took another crazy cab ride yesterday, this cabbie was from trinidad. wild grey hair tucked under a ball cap, a blanket shawl coat, chucky e cheeze sketches of his grandkids and stories about his life in trinidad, divorce, friends lost over money issues, his flashy boat and time in prison. yes, it was a long cab ride but he had such a fire and wit to him i just had to smile and beg him to keep telling me stories. he went on and on about "people have no class" and how one of his friends who scrimped and saved to buy a house only to serve tiny, sour grapes when visitors came by. he said the greatest gift in life is contentment, whether you are rich or poor -- to be content in life, that's what it is all about. i've come to expect a dose of philosphy with every cab ride. sweet.

when a white cat crosses your path

is it good luck? well hopefully it makes up for the weekend. let's just say that it felt like the weekend gods were conspiring against us 80% of the time. though i met a friend for tea today and she told me about this yoga laughing class where people gather to laugh for healing. sounds new age-y but interesting. a social experiment. i wanna try it. apparently kids laugh 300 times a day, and adults only 19 times. she went to the class with a friend and felt so relaxed and happy afterwards. LOL X300, go ahead, I dare you.

if you carve it, they will come

(photo stolen from flickr) we went to fiesta and all that was left were the tiny pumpkins, so dN carved three crazed mini pumpkins, two were one eyed beasts with pointy teeth and we sat out on the front porch with our toques to hand out chocolate goodness to those who came looting.

this one kid said in mobster-style, hey what're you guys do-in? like we were up to no good or something, we said "renovations." the door was cranked open and behind us you could see our work.in.progress illuminated by construction lamps. the first crew had a cranky belle, who when asked who she was replied haughtily "Belle!" and stormed off. cranky belle, that is! it was pretty funny. there was one kid dressed as a bird, probably 3 or 4 years old. he happily declared "i'm a bird!" we also had cbc radio bellowing "the raven" by edgar allen poe for impact. quoth the raven, `nevermore.'


our street is a mix of over the top halloween houses with all the tricks, music, tomb stones, strange mood lighting and then the anti crew who don't turn their lights on, not even blinking at the parade in the hood.

trick or treat.

sopranos-athon

confession: we have been watching season upon season of the sopranos lately. everywhere we turn, we think we see mobsters. fugedabudit.

koco ny: the perfect card

koco ny: these are my favourite cards on the planet. art meets poetry = sublime

found this article about the company in my web travels today. how cool is that? i have a few friends that are anti-cards, but let me tell you...sometimes the card is the best part of the gift. long live the greeting card!

fisticuffs

fisticuffs - a fight with bare fists

on sunday i went to the movies in yorkville and there was a car stalled on the one-way street blocking car upon car with no end in sight. well, ok a two hour wait for a tow truck but almost no end in sight. apparently there were frozen brakes and the car couldn't even be pushed to the roadside. we found out the news from a fellow walking the sidewalk who told us some of the drivers almost got into "fisticuffs" over the issue. now, as rough and tumble as this sounds for us uber polite canadians -- i found the expression fisticuffs kind of sweet and old fashioned. i imagine two handsome gents getting into fisticuffs over some pretty lady. cartoon wounds, not real ones. the kind accompanied by Bam! Gadzooks! and a gigantic yellow starburst of some sort. as a lover of nostalgic words, i beg you to post some of your favs, pretty please. zesty, i know you have it in you.

a matching set

of twisted ankles! dN twisted his left foot at volleyball yesterday, he's on crutches. what a pair! unbelievable but true. hopefully the wicked winds of luck have blown thru town.

luck be a lady tonight

friday the 13th folks, beware the twists of fate.

first sight of snow

not even halloween yet and snowflakes were caught streaming across familiar skies. brrrrrrrrrr....feel the chilly.

water works

as we approach the luckiest day of the year, it seems every day there's a new catastrophe. yesterday, killer carrots. today, water fiasco. we had city water officials come by the office, two plumbers and my landlord camped out almost all day fixing some hairline fracture in a pipe. we were without water for about 4.5 hours. not exactly a catastrophe but still everything seems to be tending towards chaos lately.

what are you planning to do to ward off evil on friday the 13th? grab your clove of garlic and leave me a comment sharing tales of unluckiness near and far. i dare you.

killer carrots

first spinach, now carrot juice. who knew it could be so dangerous to be a health nut? i have bought this juice quite a few times and shudder to think if i accidentally, absent-mindedly had forgotten to refrigerate for a few hours. what kind of twisted world is it that millions of donut-eaters, chocolate addicts, & twinkie fans survived in true homer simpson bliss while the poor carrot juicers and spinach eaters suffer dire consequences?

such shocking symptoms:

Symptoms of botulism can include: double-vision, droopy eyelids, altered voice, trouble with speaking or swallowing, and paralysis on both sides of the body that progresses from the neck down, possibly followed by difficulty in breathing. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

unbelievable but true. sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

give thanks

here's wishing everyone a happy thanksgiving. turkey, pumpkin pie, fall walks with tons of colour - hopefully minimal drama with the family. here's thanking the heavens for good health, good friends, and the sweet moments in life.

oh, the dish

ok folks, the story begins. last weekend our neighbour installed this eye sore of a satellite dish, pretty much as close as possible to the dividing line on our semi. we called the home owner to let her know her tenant had done so and asked nice and politely if she would mind asking the tenant to please move it. she seemed not to care. still feeling that chilly retort.

in addition to being an eye sore the satellite blocks part of the view from our front tiny window.



now as much as we respect their right to do as they please with their house, would it have been so terrible to install it in a less intrusive place, let's say one that does not block the view at all from my soon to be office?

are we over-reacting? feels so unreasonable and rude.

a little slice of heaven

flashback: sept 2003, laduree on rue bonaparte. we slid a note beneath the latest "collection" of delicate macaroons behind glass in the chocolate shop. tasted as many flavours as possible on the pont des arts strewn with student artists and distracted parisian locals. a little piece of heaven. established in 1862, no less. the french are so damn cool.