Home, sweet [temporary] home

I am back in Chicago for a few days before I leave for Istanbul. Totally forgot how awesome this neighbourhood (Damen & Division!) is this time of year. There is my lovely, quiet tree-lined street just steps away from one of the nicest strips of restaurants, bars, and shopping in the city. Currently, the city is in love with al fresco dining, and unlike New York where al fresco gets in the way of the walking, the sidewalks here are extra wide! Home, sweet, home... for a couple more days.


Yesterday's al fresco lunch at Jerry's gourmet sammich shop where both the sammich and beer menus are miles long. I had the "Herman M." sandwich. Debated which Herman M. it could be. Leaning towards Herman Miller over Herman Melville as Melville ought to be tuna hah. Perhaps it's some unknown Herman M. all together.

Sandwich: ham, prosciutto, apple, brie cheese, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion on multigrain with a sides of mac & cheese + cold, spiced apples. Cold Lagunitas Sirius cream ale. Yummmmy.

(Oh, and yeah;; sorry about my lack of Toronto updates. Got caught up in family affairs with no time or energy to do much.)

Toronto: Part #1

Toadie wanted me to write about the seedy underbelly of this fair city. This is the first installment of a multi-part series.

Toronto receives heat-advisory warnings when the temperature barely topples 30 degrees centigrade (86 F). Clearly, there is a conspiracy afoot to get Canadians up-in-arms over global-warming. Even Mother has taken to a home compost heap of sorts.

(More investigative reporting to come. Har. Har.)

On berry picking and etc.

It is late. I am awake. If it is possible, my mouth still burns* from savagely eating some home-made chocolate-dipped frozen bananas--but that was hours ago.

Today I went raspberry picking with Mother. Our bounty came up to $12-some odd dollars. A large batch of fresh raspberry coulis is in store for us tomorrow. Exciting lives, no?


Photo caption: I will steel ur razzberriez.

* Burn is starred because what word better describes a "burn" induced from intense cold? I'm looking at you, English majors.

Remember this?

This commercial is one of my favourites of all time. It's also funny to think that back in 1997 when this aired, all of the stuff featured was so cutting edge; I could hardly even imagine any of it actually being applicable in my actual life. And yet here we are.



Oh, and I also looooved "The Secret World of Alex Mack", naturally.

Industry rewarded

80% done.

Ok, this new blogger beta editor is really sucking in terms of uploading & positioning photos.

Back to issue at hand: still need to hang frames, get an antique mirror, make armchair and footstool covers instead of merely draping. The end.

Travel Confirmation

DEPARTING:                     ARRIVING:ORD       07/30/2008           AMS       07/30/2008          07:50PM                        10:40AMAMS       07/31/2008           IST       07/31/2008          12:00PM                        04:20PMDEPARTING:                     ARRIVING:LGW       10/28/2008           DTW       10/28/2008          12:45PM                        05:35PMDTW       10/28/2008           ORD       10/28/2008          07:01PM                        07:25PM

Industry

7am and I'm awake! Doesn't it feel great! I have decided to undertake a home renovation project. My childhood room is saying buh-bye to the ABC wallpaper of yore and hulllo to a pale olive green! It's a great colour for rooms... although, it might not jive with my furniture (an entirely matching set of rose coloured wood furnishings--I was a kid, man... taste was still in its infancy). Perhaps this industrialism will encourage Mother to be proactive about the other much needed home renovation projects. For example, the bathrooms and kitchen here are firmly stuck in an unattractive part of the 80s.

Never you mind the messiness of the room. In fact, the furniture was just rearranged to allow for that delightful little reading nook. In rearranging the furniture, I realised it was time to get dirty and just redo the walls as well. So here we are.

Literary Confession

I love to read historical fictions about people from humble roots scheming, conniving, and seducing their ways to the top. I don't care if the main character is male or female, but such a story arc remains much enjoyed by me. This is my preferred version of "Chick Lit"*; no thank you to the Sex and the Citys and Devil Wears Pradas of the world.

Examples: Vanity Fair, The Red and the Black, Bel-Ami, The Crimson Petal and the White

If you have some recommendations that fit my criteria, please let me know. Much appreciate your assistance.

* Chick lit is kind of a misnomer not to mention it's offensive. But you know what I mean.

Canada's birthday

My sleep schedule has been abnormally normal since returning to this side of the Pacific. Of course, it's jetlag, but it does a person good to fall asleep by 10:30pm and wake up by 7:30am. I hear the birds chirping contentedly outside my window, and the sun is shining, and there's that nice morning calm and tranquility and dewy, fresh air; if only life could continue like this indefinitely.

I started my search for a "job" yesterday. I'd like some temporary work or a volunteer position, but alas, idealist.org is just not that helpful in Canada. New York gets all the hits. Anyway, I'll keep looking--or go to Europe. Whatever fits its way into my life first, I guess.

In the meantime, I've also hit up the local library. Haven't gone to a library in ages and like, wow. It's almost too good to be true to get access to all these books--for free! The selection at the local library is pretty paltry, but I did load up on a couple of Canadian authors. Reading JPod is making me nostalgic for Vancouver (and the office. Ok, not really. But kind of).

Oh, and happy Canada Day! Looking forward to barbequed chicken wings tonight!