Imants

When it gets to this time of the week I always get excited about the upcoming Saturday. Although this Saturday is no exception, and even as I anticipate a perfect day filled with a much needed sleep in, no commute and catching up with friends, I know this day will be bittersweet. Yes, I will be enjoying all of these aforementioned activities, but it would only qualify as perfect if I were able to buy my friend Imants a pint for his birthday.

Imants was pretty much a fixture in my life for twenty-five years. I can't think of a wedding or a party or a show when Imants wasn't there. I remember him at Leslie & Dan's wedding when he gave me a ride home in a freak snowstorm and I can still hear him laugh at me walking up my front steps in a dress & heels with snow up above my knee. I remember him at Liz's 25th birthday laughing when we all dressed up and she squirted him in the face with silly string. I remember him laughing at me when we went to see The Cramps and I held on to Imant's shoulders while I jumped up and down to check out Lux Interior who had spontaneously stripped naked and I wanted to get a better look.

Yep--that laugh. That goofy laugh. How many times in twenty five years did we try to mimic it? How we miss it so. How we miss you so. We took you for granted. You were the mate who was always there. Now that you are gone, your missing presence is palpable.

I'm not a person who believes in an after life, but it gives me comfort to think that if we are not buying you pints on your birthday, you are somewhere having pints with Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer & Lux Interior...and they are all trying to mimic your laugh.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Although the blog posts are slowing down, things have been super busy on the home front.  There have been all sorts of home improvement activities on the go.  The new abode is a bit like me – old, but with some cosmetic touches and some accessories it doesn't look bad.   However, although the abode is slowly starting to look spiffy, my hands have gone to shit.  Manicures have been put on the back burner and my hands and nails have been constantly covered in drywall patch compound and latex paint.

The biggest decision was what colour to paint the living room, dining room and hallway.  I have become a big fan of the whole Swedish/Finish décor trend of the white with black accents colour scheme.  I think that it looks chic, funky and modern.  Plus, picking a nice, crisp white paint is easy-peasy, right?  No, not so much.  There should be a book called “500 Shades of White”.  If you choose something too yellow, it will look like you are living in a jar of mayonnaise.  Then there are pink based whites – which were the colour of the walls when I moved in – and although freshly painted they looked dingy.  I didn’t want a stark white either – you know the kind of white that would look like you were living inside an Osmond family member’s mouth.

After reading umpteen décor blogs and decorating magazine articles, I decided upon White Dove by Benjamin Moore - a nice, soft shade of white that was recommended for complimenting oak coloured floors.  I used Benjamin Moore Ashley Grey on the accent wall - just to mix it up a bit.  Whatcha think?

Before shot - the paint actually had a pink undertone although it doesn't show here

 

After

 

After

As per usual, Pablo likes to lend a paw by brushing against freshly painted walls

So far I have just finished the hallway.  The living room and dining room are still pending.  This old gal sure is slowing down - twenty years ago I would have had it all done in a weekend. 

Happy Easter folks.  Here's a little Procol Harum to get the long weekend rolling.

 

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

I know that I am Scottish and I know that St. Patrick’s Day is more of a North American celebration in honour of a saint that I know nothing about because I am a heathen…. but I do love preparing a corned beef and cabbage dinner at this time of the year.

The Fella was working, but my ma came over on Saturday for dinner.  The Fella is lucky that we saved some for him – he is not so lucky that Saturday night concluded with an evening of beer consumption on top of the cabbage which made for some nasty Dutch ovens at his expense (nothin’ says lovin’ like a Dutch oven).

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

1 package of corned beef brisket

1 can Guinness

3 onions – quartered

1 head of cabbage - quartered

1 dash of ground cloves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Water

Quarter onions & place in a large stock pot.  Open the package of corned beef and place on top of the onions.  The package directions on the corned beef instructs you to boil it in the bag - but then you miss out on the Guinnessy goodness.   Be a rebel and thumb your nose at those who tell you what to do.  

Pour in the can of Guinness  and then add enough water to cover the top of the corned beef.  Add cloves, salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 50 min per pound.  Skim fat from the top of the stock every hour. 

Add the quartered cabbage during the last hour of cooking.   I put the corned beef on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for the last twenty minutes of cooking.  Serve corned beef, cabbage and stock over mashed potatoes.

Forgo the usual green beer and try Well's Banana Bread Beer - it is not sweet tasting as it sounds - it is a full body beer with notes of banana and nut.

Pisces Palooza

Is it OK to say “Happy March” when we are almost halfway through the month?  Can’t believe how long it has been since my last blog post.  I have been so preoccupied with turning the new abode into a home.  Luckily all the lovely Pisces in my life have provided a much needed distraction.

I am drawn to Pisces peeps.  Pisces have been described as “fish going in two different directions”.  I am a typical Gemini twin, so our dualities bode well together.  No big surprise that my bestie, Vivieen and The Fella are both Pisces with birthdays only four days apart.

In keeping with the dual theme, this past weekend there were dual celebrations – Friday, the girls and I got together to celebrate Vivieen’s birthday and Saturday was reserved for The Fella’s celebration with his family.

Friday’s festivities began with dinner at Capri Ristorante http://www.capriristorante.ca.  Capri has been in business since 1963 and the décor has not changed much since then; it looks like the restaurant is a set design from the Mad Men series.  The food is fantastic, which is a testament to their longevity. 

Afterwards, we took advantage of the mild temperatures and participated in Art Crawl on James Street North.  We then ended up at James Street’s newest addition, The Stowaway (no website yet) – which literally opened its doors for the first time hours before our visit.  It definitely had some hiccups on their first night, but I would be willing to try it again.

Birthday girl Vivieen pointing towards where the cocktails are!

Fellow Art Crawlers on James Street North

Sarah, Robin & Diane at The Stowaway

Saturday’s celebrations took us to The Powerhouse Restaurant http://www.thepowerhouse.ca in Stoney Creek – also a historic landmark.  The Powerhouse is located in an historic building that provided power to the electric rail lines in the 1890’s.  Here is another duality theme comes into play – The Powerhouse is gorgeous inside, however their food is mediocre – not bad, just same old, same old pub fare.   

The gorgeous interior of The Powerhouse

The Fella and the complimentary cotton candy

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend – food, drinks and laughs with two of the most important people in my life.  Love you both loads.

Robin's Birthday

Not only do I love a celebratory night out with my fav galpals, but I also love an opportunity to check out a new restaurant. 

When we got together for my lovely friend Robin’s birthday earlier this month, we made the trek out to Burlington to have dinner at Eatalia http://www.eatalia.ca. 

I have to be honest.  I was sceptical about the choice of venue.  I have driven by Eatalia a few times and always thought that it was a chain restaurant on par with the likes of Eastside Mario’s (blech!). However, this could not have been further from the truth.  Eatalia is an independent, stylish restaurant with a warm and welcoming staff and inventive menu. 

We could not decide on an appetizer so our server put together a meat and cheese antipasti plate for the four of us to share (more like devour!).  

I ordered the Bucatini Alla Matriciana which was tossed in a sauce made of tomatoes, basil, smoked bacon, pancetta and chilli peppers (you had me at bacon!!).  I literally wanted to lick my plate it was so good – sometimes couth is an overrated virtue.

Diane and birthday girl Robin had the quail with roasted mushroom and fig sauce served on a bed of pancetta polenta.  I have to be honest – I can’t for the life of me remember what Vivieen had.  Let’s just say A LOT of wine was consumed that night.

We refrained from having desert at the restaurant as we were heading back to Robin’s house for more wine and cake.  (Note - cake is not shown -- see too much wine note above).

I love going to Robin's house...not only because there is wine, but because her home is absolutely gorgeous!  Robin is such a creative talent.  I mentally made decor notes to use in my new abode. 

Like all of us, she is also a huge rock n roll fan, which reflected in our choice of birthday prezzies.  I'm hoping to borrow the Marc Bolan biography from her when she is finished!



You Light Up My Life

Well, the move happened.  I am settling into my new abode.  I forgot how much work is involved in moving and I am exhausted!  I have a lot more work cut out for me.  Although I lucked out in getting such a large space (hello, you had me at walk-in closet) that is located downtown in a clean, quiet building, it is an old apartment and it does require some cosmetic T.L.C.

First order of business – the dining room light fixture.    The lighting fixture looked like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit all the branches on the way down.  This eyesore lasted a total of 48 hours in my domain. 

I trekked off to IKEA to purchase a fixture that had caught my eye on a previous outing.  Although I am quite a handy chick, when it comes to plumbing and lighting I draw the line.  Luckily The Fella has electrical acumen and lovingly offered to swap out the fixture for me. 

The light fixture came with an extremely long chain - The Fella shortened it for me to hang at an appropriate height.

The Fella - You Light Up My Life

Hmm...could re-purpose this for naughty things....

 A world of difference!

Poutine-Off

Back in December my work mates and I went to Smoke's Poutinerie for lunch (http://thefreespiritz.blogspot.ca/2012/12/end-of-world-poutine.html).  During this outing, Peter started talking smack about how he could be a champion poutine eater.  Sarah and Audrey rose to the challenge and a date was set for February 15^th for what would be forever know as the Poutine-Off. 

There was daily trash talk from this initial lunch date through to the actual date of the Poutine-Off about who would reign supreme as the ultimate poutine eating title-holder.  The challenge was taken very seriously by my work mates.  Rules were drafted – the full portion must be consumed in the least amount of time, no performance enhancing drugs (i.e. laxatives), etc.   The winner would receive a Poutine-Off trophy and the glory of being undefeated – the loser would have to buy a round of coffee for the contestants and the judges.

I offered to participate as a judge – partly because I was curious as to how the challenge would go done and partly because I knew this blog would just write itself.    I also volunteered to make the trophy for the victor. 

The trophy - Monsieur Poutine tête...

...with his cheese curd afro

The big day arrived.   The excitement in the office was palpable.  Choruses of ‘ “Fry” of the Tiger’ could be heard being sung throughout the cubicles.  There was also arguments as to who as “going down” in this battle of gastronomic proportions.

At 11:30 a.m. sharp, we gathered at Smoke’s Poutinerie on Adelaide (www.smokespoutinerie.com).  The orders were placed and all bets were off. 

The champion was Carlos, who took the contest by eating the chicken fajita poutine in six minutes and sixteen seconds.   Fast on his tail was Sarah, with the pulled pork and bacon poutine, in just less than seven minutes.  Carlos, a gracious winner, said that was sharing the trophy with Sarah who he considered to be a worthy competitor.  It is now shared between both their desks.

And Peter the wise guy who started it all with his smack talk?  It was pretty much a tie between him and Audrey for third place.  To add to his crushing defeat was the fact that his subway ride did not bode well after the Poutine-Off.  I am not sure if his wooziness was caused by so much food in such a short span, or if was the chants about how he was beaten by a girl.

In last place was (Won’t be done until) May, who was disqualified for not finishing all of her portion.   She is treating us to coffee tomorrow.



Nobel Fashion Prize

The month of February begins the nomination process for the Nobel  Prize to recongize individuals in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. 

Why isn’t there a Nobel Prize for fashion innovation?  I would be happy to champion the addition of this category to the current list.   I duly nominate the following individuals who were responsible for the following advances in the world of fashion.

1.       The addition of Lycra to denim

Thank you for making jeans comfortable.  For those about to rock, we salute you. 

2.       The low waist cut

Your part in the abolishment of the dreaded “mom jean” style of high waisted jeans will go down in history.

3.       Victoria’s Secret Angel Bra

Not since the pyramids has there been such a miraculous feat of engineering.  It is architecturally fabricated to make your ladies look incredible and make the opposite sex marvel at their design.

4.       Silk screened tags

Thank you for conceiving the idea of silkscreening tags onto garments.  This revolutionary advancement has brought an end to manufacturers who formerly made clothing tags out of the most abrasive, itchiest fibreglass material  and strategically sewing them into garments in a way that made removal of the tag impossible without creating a hole in the item of clothing.

5.       The Wine Bag Purse

Sir or madam….will you marry me??

RENT Rant

Yay!  I'm moving! 

In less than two weeks I will be moving from my infamous veal pen in the sky to a way bigger place in a building  not far from where I am currently living.  I am so excited about the extra space and lots of storage.  Currently I have only one storage closet which is always reminds me of the closet in the movie  "Uncle Buck" -- I am terrified to open the door because inevitably a barrage of stuff will come raining down on my head. 

It's not just the space/storage issue, there is also major neighbour issues going on.  To the left is  the neighbour that I affectionately like to call "The Douche Bag" who likes to party until 4am (and I get up for work at 5am).  To the right of me is "The Nutbar", who looks a bit too much like Jamie Crumb (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill) from The Silence of the Lambs for my comfort.   I avoid him at all costs if he is in the hallway because I am afraid he will offer me a choice between a bottle of lotion and a hose.

I have been on the fence about renting vs. owning.  I’ve done both and each option has both pros and cons.  Owing a house is not for me.   The constant exterior care such as shovelling snow and mowing the lawn does not fit with my lifestyle.  There are also unexpected issues such as basement floods, sewage backups, roofing repairs/replacement, etc.  Been there, done that.  No more thanks.

As for condos, the fees are utterly ridiculous.  Starting at $350 per month if you are lucky (on top of your mortgage and taxes) they only cover the very basic of maintenance.  If any major building repairs are required, the invoice is divided and split amongst the condo owners.  There is also the issue of dealing with a condo board – which is comprised of owners in the building who are not property management professionals, who you have to seek approval from to do any sort of renovation.  The newer buildings also have what I refer to as  Stepford Syndrome – your exterior views must be uniform to the other units—therefore your choice of window coverings, etc. are dictated to you.  Sorry, I really don’t want someone dictating how my place should look.

For me, at this point in my life, renting makes more sense.  There is a definite snobbery when it comes to renters.   A home is what you make it.  Owning property does not make you a home – it just makes you a property owner. And there are plenty of condo and house owners who are douche bags like my neighbour – at least I will not be stuck living somewhere until I am able to sell the property.

Over the next year I will be blogging about the cosmetic DIY projects that I have planned for the new place complete with before and after pics.   Look out Home Depot, Rona, Lowes and IKEA.  Here I come!   Stay tuned!

                                     This is why I don't currently bowl.