green tea

I'm a little late reporting on this: on the 4th, Yelp Toronto hosted a cupcake crawl. About 20 of us tasted and compared the baked goods at eight spots across the city.

Here's what I learned on the cupcake crawl: there's no such thing as 'the best ___ in the city', only 'my favourite ___ in the city'. Some people proclaimed the best cupcakes of the day to be the ones I could barely tolerate. So, to each her own. Here's my verdict, in order of the day's tour.

Sweet Tooth, 508 Danforth Ave.
I tried: vanilla
my rating: 2/5
I've had Sweet Tooth cupcakes before. I don't like the icing: it's gluey, greasy and too fake, without much flavour. The cake part is too dense. These may be the prettiest cakes, but I am not a fan.

Sweet Bliss Baking Company, 1304 Queen Street East
I tried: chocolate
my rating: 5/5
The icing is thick, flavourful and sugary. I love how generously it was swirled over the surface of the perfectly weighted cake. These ones are worth the trip across the city.

It's The Icing On The Cake, 1238 Queen Street East
I tried: chocolate
my rating: 3/5
The cake is so light, it's barely there. The icing is similarly ephemeral. The taste is very much like mass-produced supermarket baked goods. Inoffensive but nothing special.

Babycakes available at Lil' Baci, 892 Queen Street East
I tried: "Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut" (pb&choc) and One Love (mango)
my rating: 4/5
These cupcakes are very sophisticated. Lil' Baci has a whole menu of Babycakes goodies - 16 gourmet flavours! I was really impressed by how natural the icing tasted. The One Love icing had the flavour of real, ripe mango. Everyone raved about these cakes. I have to admit that I prefer cupcakes to have much more icing than these rather grown-up offerings with their mature icing-to-cake ratio. Otherwise, they were wonderful.




LPK's Culinary Groove, 718 Queen Street East
I tried: mini vanilla with brown sugar icing
my rating: 2/5
Keep in mind that I'm rating the cupcakes only. Ms. LPK seemed really kind and the store looked great and there were lots of interesting products for sale. But, I did not like the cupcakes at all. The icing tasted like pure softened butter without any other flavour. The cake also tasted only of butter. It was really unpleasant. Also, the baker told us the cupcakes, available in mini size only, are made daily from whatever leftover batter and icing they have in-store. However, each mini cupcake was $2.50! Why so expensive if this is just a use for leftovers? The price was more than a standard size cupcake at most of the other stores.




Miss Cora's Kitchen, 69 Kensington Avenue
I tried: mini red velvet and mini chocolate
my rating: 5/5
Wow, I am so happy that Cora's is in my neighbourhood because I absolutely loved these cakes. Perfect sugary, gritty icing just the way I like it, a decent cake to bite into without being too dense, high quality Callebaut cocoa. These were my favourite of the day and I will be back many times.




Wanda's Pie In The Sky, 287 Augusta Avenue
I tried: vanilla with chocolate icing
my rating: 1/5
I love Wanda's pies, squares and cookies. But the cupcakes? Ew. The icing tasted like soap. The cake was so tough, I could barely swallow it. I don't know how Wanda gets pie so right and cupcakes soooo wrong. Avoid.

The Wedding Cake Shoppe, 859 College Street
I tried: cookies and cream
my rating: 4/5
Well, isn't this just the prettiest little shop around? I was pleasantly surprised to find this place and its tasty offerings just a few minutes walk from my apartment. There are interesting flavours of cupcake to choose from, such as spiced chai and dulce de leche. Like Babycakes, the icing and cake textures aren't amazing but overall, these were very good.




Sneaky Dee's, 431 College Street
I tried: vegan pumpkin chocolate chip with cream cheese icing
my rating: 3/5
This may seem like a mistake as Sneaky Dee's is more Tex-Mex punk dive bar than cupcake tea room. However, every Thursday, Sneak's gets an order of cupcakes to sell for the week. The vegan cake was super dense and it had a slightly off sweetness. However, I liked the pumpkin and chocolate chip combo so much that I was inspired to bake my own batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.

Labels: eat, Toronto

Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

Late spring 1919: Frank McCullough was returned to the Don Jail for killing Detective Frank Williams and Vera de Lavelle was also in the prison awaiting sentencing for aiding McCullough.

Frank McCullough was to be hanged on June 13th, his original execution date having passed when he was in hiding. Not surprisingly, Frank's pre-escape high spirits had come crashing down. He was said to be deeply despondent and spent his time reading the Bible and conversing with Reverend Nelles of the Church of the Stranger. Even though Frank and Vera were in the same building, they had no contact with each other and were only able to communicate via letters they passed to the press which were printed in the newspapers. These very public letters only boosted the interest and sympathy for the couple around Toronto.

People were still amazed that McCullough had managed to escape from the death row cell, but it turned out that Ms. Vera's nimbleness was not to be underestimated either. On May 29th, 1919, Vera and another female prisoner were working at hanging out laundry within the jail yard. The pair made use of a small ladder to hang up the wet laundry. This one ladder was not high enough to reach the top of the walls, however, they found another taller ladder somewhere. When nobody was watching, the ladies stood one ladder on top of the other, they pulled themselves over the 18 foot barrier and then they were free in Riverdale Park.

Now it was Vera's turn to go into hiding, although she was still able to send letters to Frank via the papers. She wrote,

When I was told that I would be kept in the jail till after the 13th, my life was unbearable, and I had to do something, so I could see what was going on about you. I never cease reading the papers, and I get all of them. Even the thought frightens me so much that I would to God it were never to happen, but you will always be to me my own. You know, dear, I could never breathe a word or tell our secret.

The 13th drew closer. Despite the efforts of the defence lawyers, notable citizens and the petitioned request of 20,000 people, no reprieve was granted. On the night of June 12th, thousands gathered below the jail walls. The mob cheered for Frank, sang songs and scuffled with police (35 were arrested). Frank spent much of his last night at his window in view of the crowd - he waved, sang, and gave signals to those below.

When the sun rose on June 13th, Frank ate a big breakfast of ham and eggs, toast and tea, then he began prayers with Reverend Nelles. Just before 8 am, it was time. Frank gave the crowd one final farewell wave from the window before he walked the 40 paces from the death cell to the gallows.




Frank McCullough's last words, as the hood was being pulled over his head, were to Reverend Nelles: "This is going to be harder on you than on me." The trap door was sprung, McCullough fell through the floor and after 15 minutes, his pulse stopped. He was buried in the jail yard without a funeral. That was 90 years ago this month.

Epilogue:
A week after the execution, Reverend Nelles gave a sermon called "If I Were A Boy Again", based on his conversations with McCullough. The message of the sermon was clear: young boys, stay out of trouble.

Ms. Vera de Lavelle was at large for seven weeks before she turned herself in to police. Apparently everyone including detectives knew that she'd been staying near the corner of College and Beverly Streets. They declined to find and re-arrest her since they felt she had been through enough. For assisting in McCullough's escape and for her own prison break, she was sentenced to two months at a jail farm north of Toronto. She would not return to the Don Jail.

When she had finished her time, Vera sought to have her fiance's remains moved to a proper cemetery, but it doesn't appear that this ever happened.

In an interview given to the Toronto Star in July, 1919, Vera told a reporter that she intended to make a new start for herself, "turn over a new leaf". She admitted that she had been in the mob outside the jail on Frank's final night and that he had seen her and signaled a message to her. When asked if she and Frank had been officially married, Vera answered, "That is for you to find out. That is our secret."

Frank and Vera had their secrets, but the question is, did she know his big secret? Frank McCullough was not Frank McCullough at all. His real name was Leroy Swart. He was, in truth, a U.S. Army deserter who was heavily involved in burglary and robbery from Missouri to New York. Nobody, not his lawyers or the detectives or his supporters, knew that good old Frank was Leroy, who came to Toronto to evade punishment for desertion and repeated crime (I'm unsure who first discovered his true identity or when, but it was many years after the events of 1919). It seems as if "Frank" got away with one last trick at the expense of the law.


This is the end of the tale, or at least as much as anyone knows. There is no more record of Vera de Lavelle - she did turn over her new leaf and the secrets she shared with "Frank" were never known. As the Evening Telegram published on June 13th, 1919, "Frank McCullough will live forever in the calendar of crime as one of the most romantic figures in its history. From his murder of Williams, to his escape from the Don Castle, to the similar flight of his sweetheart, to the moment when for the last time he waved his hands in a brave farewell to the thousands who cheered from below, he has been a gallant blackguard."


Sources:
huge props to "No Tears to the Gallows: The Strange Case of Frank McCullough" by Mark Johnson
The Globe, archives available via the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Daily Star, archives available via the Toronto Public Library

Labels: Toronto

Labels: Toronto

Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Frank McCullough had escaped and was on the lam. The newspapers were full of speculation about where he had disappeared to. Interest in the fugitive was fueled by the letters, post cards and Easter greeting cards McCullough was sending to editors, detectives and even the chief of police. Because the mail had been postmarked from as far away as Sudbury, it was thought that McCullough had left Toronto. Besides, he was surely too recognizable to remain in the city unnoticed...

Attention now shifted to Miss Vera de Lavelle, Frank's fiancee who had obtained the means of his escape from jail. Miss de Lavelle was 24 years old and worked as a book keeper; she had not been back to her job or her rented room at Trinity Square since the night of Frank's escape.

On April 22nd, 1919, detectives spotted Vera walking along Queen Street at Bathurst. She was arrested without incident. She was questioned about there whereabouts of McCullough but she gave no information other than to swear that he had left Toronto. Vera was sent to the Don Jail to await sentencing for her role in the prisoner's escape.

For three weeks now, Frank McCullough had been on the loose. On May 8th, 1919, an anonymous tipster claimed the $1000 reward, informing the police that the fugitive was rooming at 78 Bathurst Street. Detectives arrived at the boarding house and broke down his door just as he leapt 20 feet out a window to the street below. McCullough surrendered to officers waiting on the ground and was swiftly returned to the Don Jail, joking all the way in the police car.

The landlady of 78 Bathurst Street, Mrs. Kinsella, verified that Vera had rented the room for herself and her 'husband' the day after the escape from the jail. Neither Mrs. Kinsella nor the other boarders clued in to the identity of the couple, although Frank enjoyed reading aloud from the newspapers about his own case and the conjecture on where he was hiding out. Mrs. Kinsella noted that Frank would go to a nearby grocery store to buy 10 to 15 ice cream cones every day. Even more remarkable than his appetite for frozen treats is the fact that Frank freely wandered out and about at King and Bathurst, the scene of the original crime. Plenty of people recognized him, but he was such a popular figure that it was three weeks before someone decided to turn him in for the reward money.

When Frank was re-captured, he was in possession of some items which had been reported stolen from around the neighbourhood, including a bicycle and a lineman's kit. McCullough told his arresting officers that he was planning to leave Toronto for Montreal by bike the day after his capture, disguised in the stolen lineman's uniform.

The famous couple Frank and Vera were now both prisoners of the Don Jail, but not for long...

Part 4 is here.



Sources:
"No Tears to the Gallows: The Strange Case of Frank McCullough" by Mark Johnson
The Globe, archives available via the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Daily Star, archives available via the Toronto Public Library

Labels: Toronto

Read Part 1 here.

In the death watch cell of the Don Jail, Frank McCullough should have been under strict regulations. No gaming, diversions, outside food or cooking tools. However, because young Frank was so likable and charming, and because of the poor management of the jail, the condemned man was treated to very special privileges.

The prisoner's friends and well wishers were getting letters and uninspected packages through to McCullough. He had many books, a deck of cards, cigars and cigarettes, even art supplies (one of the Toronto papers published his sketches). A ladies' bible group sent cookies and fresh eggs. In the death row cell, he dined on fish and chips, roast chicken, fresh fruits and bread and chocolates. He also had a coffee pot and a kettle. All of these goods were contraband within the jail, but it seems that nobody was worried about breaking the rules for Frank. The prisoner was reprimanded just once, when he was found standing on a chair, pressed against the bars of a window. McCullough explained that he was only looking at his future resting place in the prison burial ground, "murderers' row", which could be clearly seen from the cell.

McCullough was a popular and sympathetic figure in Toronto from the days of his trial onwards, as this was a time when there was a strong anti-police sentiment in the city. Petitions were circulated around the province and 20,000 people signed in the hope that the lawmakers in Ottawa would overturn McCullough's death sentence. His acquaintances and curious strangers gathered in Riverdale Park, behind the jail, to wave at Frank in his cell. Blown kisses were exchanged between the prisoner and a stylish young lady who often came the park below the prison wall. This was Miss Vera de Lavelle, Frank's fiancee. She had tried to visit him in jail but she was denied. She sent in some boxed chocolates for Frank instead.

Early on the morning of April 16th, 1919, barely a fortnight from his execution, Frank McCullough escaped from the Don Jail.

When the relief guard arrived at 5:00, the night guard was found alone in the death watch cell, stripped to his underwear and clutching a letter. Currell, the guard, claimed to have been drugged. Two neatly sawn-off bars were left on the windowsill. Frank McCullough was long gone: he had made the first death row escape in the history of the Dominion of Canada.


Above is a sketch of the death row cell which was published by the Toronto Daily Star. Below is how the northeast wing of the Don Jail looks today. The window where McCullough cut the bars is circled. He leaped across to the retaining wall (only the scar of the wall is visible now). He must have crawled along this smaller wall until he reached the main prison wall, from which he jumped 18 feet to freedom. Investigations revealed that the saws to cut the bars had been hidden in the boxes of chocolates sent by Miss Vera de Lavelle. Currell, the night guard, was accused of aiding the prisoner's escape, despite the rather pointed letter left behind.


Text of the letter left by Frank McCullough on the morning of his escape, as published in The Globe:

Currell, old man,
I am sorry, but it had to be done. Now do not you be scared for it isn't your fault, for I doped your coffee with a sleeping powder of Veronal and so you see kid they cannot blame you. I am leaving the paper wrapper in which I had the stuff so that you can have the evidence if necessary. If you do not want this note shown to them, why lay the paper on the floor and some where where you will be able to accidentally find it. You understand, I got the stuff I am using from a friend who came here as a prisoner on purpose and managed to slip it to me.
Wish me luck. I am sorry but you know life is sweet, old man.
So long,
Frank
The powder is harmless and is called Veronal and I will send your clothes back or the money for them at the very earliest opportunity. May be the authorities will let you have the ones I have downstairs. So sorry, friend Currell. Good luck to you and forgive me.

Part 3 continues here.

Sources:
"No Tears to the Gallows: The Strange Case of Frank McCullough" by Mark Johnson
The Globe, archives available via the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Daily Star, archives available via the Toronto Public Library

Labels: Toronto

On November 19th, 1918, two young men were making rounds of Toronto in a rented horse buggy. They pulled up to 372 College Street, Madame May's Clothing Shop (it's now She Said Boom, a used book and record store). The men tried striking a deal with Mr. May, the shop owner, to sell a quantity of furs at a price well below their value. Mr. May became suspicious: he telephoned the Claremont Street police station to report his concerns.

Detective Frank Williams, aged 24, responded to the call but the two young men had already left the store. Mr. May mentioned that he recognized the horse buggy as being one belonging to Cross's Livery, located at the southwest corner of King and Bathurst Streets. Detective Williams set out to find the pair, who he suspected to be selling stolen goods.

Detective Williams beat the buggy's occupants back to Cross's Livery: he waited in the stables without backup. When the two arrived to return the buggy, Williams collared them and led them into the darkened livery office.

In the office, out of public view, there was a struggle, a scuffle. Three shots rang out - one of the suspects ran out the door and into the street. This man was Albert Johnson. He escaped on the King streetcar and was never seen again.

Back in the office, the detective and the other suspect continued to battle. The detective, whose pistol was still in its holster, was bludgeoning the man in the face with his baton. Two more shots were fired - both struck the detective. When Detective Williams collapsed, the suspect ran out of the livery and eastwards on King Street. He was tripped and held by a newspaper boy until another officer arrived to handcuff him. Meanwhile, Detective Williams had died of his wounds. He was the very first Toronto policeman to be killed in the line of duty.

The one suspect that had been apprehended was taken back to the Claremont Street station. He confessed to shooting Frank Williams. While being questioned, the suspect said that his name was Frank McCullough, he was 26 years old and he was from Brooklyn, New York but currently living at 177 Palmerston Avenue.

McCullough was already a well-known character in the neighbourhood since he drove a bread delivery wagon up and down the length of Spadina daily. By all accounts, he was outgoing and feisty, witty and intelligent, very tall with unusually bold blue eyes. McCullough was already known to the police, too, as he'd been arrested before for housebreaking in 1917 and had been to prison. He smashed a whiskey bottle over the head of the arresting officer during that episode.

On November 27th, 1918, a preliminary inquiry was made into the death of the detective. McCullough represented himself in court and surprised everyone with his abilities. The accused attempted to prove that he'd shot the detective by accident, without forethought. Nevertheless, it was judged that McCullough acted willfully and the case would proceed to trial.

During the trial of The King vs. Frank McCullough in January, 1919, the jury found themselves sympathizing with the defendant. Most of the jurors later said that they believed McCullough did not intend to kill but that he pulled the trigger only because of Detective Williams' force with the baton. The general consensus of the jury was that McCullough was guilty of manslaughter, not murder, and that he should be spared the death penalty and given life in prison. However, the Criminal Code was clear in the matter: killing a police officer while averting arrest was always to be charged as murder, never manslaughter. Therefore, Frank McCullough was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to hang on May 2nd, 1919. The prisoner was taken to the death watch cell at the Don Jail to await his execution day.



Read Part 2 of this unbelievable but true local story.

Sources:
"No Tears to the Gallows: The Strange Case of Frank McCullough" by Mark Johnson
The Globe, archives available via the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Daily Star, archives available via the Toronto Public Library

Labels: Toronto

Because I like to keep you guessing... notes from my Aussie Moleskine, November 2008.

Windshield Wildlife Count
grey kangaroo: 20 live, 2 roadkill
koala: about 18
echidna: 2
emu: about 12
wallaby: 1
feral camel: 11 live, 1 roadkill
red kangaroo: no live, 5 roadkill
wild horses: 18
euro (kangaroo): 3
wedge-tail eagle: 2

Labels: travel

I've been listening to a lot of Travis recently because their sound really suits my mood. I saw the band when they were in Toronto in late April and they were just as fun and energetic as they were when I saw them in concert in 2000. There's something about their music that sounds of goodness, openness, honesty, simplicity and all kinds of positive things (even the angsty songs!). I recently bought the newest Travis album 'Ode to J. Smith' and I particularly like 'Song to Self'.

Labels: music/books/film/TV

Last weekend, I lined up for four hours with several thousand others to get a peek inside the Don Jail. The jail is one of only about a dozen buildings dating from the 1860s which are still standing on original siting in Toronto. Due to the huge volume of visitors to the open days, my look around the jail was very short and rushed. It was tough to get any kind of appreciation for the atmosphere of the place during such an accelerated tour. Maybe I'll get to go back inside again - there are more tours later this summer. Check back here soon because I'll going to be posting the story of one of the most exciting episodes in the history of the Don Jail.

Labels: Toronto

The lilacs are about to bloom here in Toronto, which reminded me of this shot I took out of a moving car in Sydney back in November. No, I haven't finished Flickring my Australia trip photos!

This magnificent row of trees was just off one of the main roads through the northern suburbs of Sydney. The traffic in and around that city is astonishingly bad but at least the sights along the way are a pleasant distraction.

Labels: travel

Like everyone else, I thought the new Star Trek movie was terrific. I had been worried that it might be too straight-faced given the source material but it was just camp enough. Also, I am most relieved to know that cupcakes will exist in the future, in some form at least.

If you haven't already seen The Onion's review of the movie, please enjoy:


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Labels: music/books/film/TV

High Park was cherry blossom central last weekend. I biked over to enjoy the flowers and to take some photos with my new camera, a Canon SX10 IS. I haven't quite figured it all out yet. You may recall I got a Panasonic Lumix for my birthday, but I returned that very disappointing camera and traded up for something better.









I have plenty to update here but internet connectivity at my new apartment has been very troublesome.

Labels: Toronto

Swine flu. H1N1. The Aporkalypse. Snoutbreak. Plague in a blanket. The Other White Death.

Some people get paranoid. Others get creative. Check out these amazing noh-inspired surgical masks designed by artist Yoriko Yoshida. So awesome!

Labels: style

Looks like lots of people are finding their way here by searching "Anthropologie Toronto". I am happy to say that I have been to the new store at The Shops at Don Mills and it is just as beautiful and well stocked as the American stores. For those of us who have to travel there via transit, the general consensus is that the 54 bus from Eglinton is the best way to get to the shopping centre. I am so excited that this store is finally in Canada! Now, all we need is a Target, a Muji, a LOFT, a UniQLO, a Myer, a Marks & Spencer...

Labels: style, Toronto

My stuff has been moved to my new home and I'm working to find a place for everything. All I have left to do now is return to the old apartment and clean it thoroughly. I've been avoiding that task for a few days - I'd much rather get nesting in my new place. But, I can't shirk that task any longer so I'm on my way over on this sunny Saturday morning. I can't wait until it's all finished.

Labels: life

Who's excited?

Also, best cast ever? Sylar, sassy Pirate of the Carribean, Shaun of the Dead, Harold Lee...

Labels: music/books/film/TV

There are places in this world that I've physically passed through, but which I haven't really experienced in any meaningful way. Here's the list:

Hong Kong - three hours at that amazing airport on the way home from Vietnam
Texas - two transfers at DFW on the way to and from Osaka
Fiji - a transfer at Nadi Airport on the way to Australia
Nagoya - zipped through on the bullet train twice
New Zealand - six hour lay-over in Auckland in the mid-80s
Boston - I've driven through it twice, never saw much beyond the Harvard neighbourhood
Shimonoseki, Japan - transfer from train to ship via a shuttle bus
Glasgow - driven through twice without stopping
Yongin, South Korea - spent a day at a tourist village there, saw nothing of the real town
Naples - I saw only what lies on the walk between the train station and the museum
Los Angeles - many LAX transfers, a trip to Disney Land in 1986
Birmingham and Manchester - just passin' through on a highway coach

Inspired by the Secret Society of List Addicts! What's your list of places you've been, but not really?

Labels: lists, travel

I've never seen myself like this before, either!

I agreed to help a hair and make-up stylist by posing for pictures to add to his portfolio. Apparently, my short hair and bone structure can take a lot of fun, over-the-top styling. Everything I know about primping for photos comes from America's Next Top Model. But, a love-hate obsession with that show was not enough to help me here. The shoot was hard! I didn't know what to do with myself. Anytime I tried to show some attitude, I crumpled my face up - that doesn't look good at all on film. As Tyra would say, it wasn't ugly-pretty, just ugly-ugly. I don't expect the plus size division of Elite Model Management will come calling for me anytime soon, but I suppose I don't look too bad here despite my very round head. The best photos from the shoot are under copyright to the stylist so I can't share them. By the by, those are not my regular eyebrows.




Speaking of hair and make-up, the marketing people who occasionally ask me to try out new products recently sent along L'Oreal Beauty Tubes mascara and Herbal Essences Hydralicious. Ever since I cut my hair short, I've worn mascara to counterbalance my sometimes boyish look. This particular mascara has super-long lash capabilities. Woooah, long! But I had a lot of trouble putting it on correctly. There are two layers - a white base and a black top coat. Sometimes I was getting skunky streaks however I admit to having zero talent with applying eye make-up.

When a box of Herbal Essences Hydralicious samples was delivered to the office for me, my co-workers couldn't stop sniffing the shampoo. Yum. I'm not usually swayed by packaging (unless it's a pretty tea box!) but I'll say that the bottles are gorgeous, too. Hydralicious gave my rather flat hair a boost, although not as much as the photos above!

If you plan to try the mascara, there's a $5 off coupon right here. Click and enter the code. If you want to sample the new Herbal Essences, let me know and I'll pass along a full value paper coupon.

Labels: style

Too much is not enough! I'll be seeing U2's 360º Tour three times in September! That's two Toronto shows and one in Boston. It's famine and feast when it comes to my favourite band: wait four years then I get a week of U2 overload. This is going to be amazing. These will be my 6th, 7th and 8th times to see the band perform.





Until now, I had never really explored what kind of live U2 footage is available on YouTube but I've found lots of treasures. They're boosting my excitement for September! There's also this classic concert/interview clip from when they visited Toronto in March of '81. Bono claims the band is 'in it for the tea'.

PS: It is totally worth the price to join U2.com in order to get access to the ticket pre-sale. Even at the lower echelon of the fan club, it was a breeze for me to get those coveted floor tickets.

Labels: music/books/film/TV, U2

Hi! No news here for a while - I've been occupied with things in real life.

I managed to find a new apartment! It's about a 10 minute walk further west from work from where I currently am, making for a total walk of 20 minutes. It's closer to the park where I like to jog in the warmer months. It's a basement bachelor, but quite pleasant because the apartment was renovated a few months ago so everything is clean and new. There aren't any windows but there are frosted glass double doors which let in lots of light. Even the subterranean entrance has been re-done in modern style and there could be room for potted plants and a garden chair. It's on a quieter street than my place now, but it's in the same neighborhood so I don't have to change gyms or start taking transit to the office. I think it will be a good place to live. Plus, I was chosen out of a group of applicants so it's great that the landlord has decided I'm likable right from the start.

I can't quite tell if the living area is smaller, the same size or larger when compared to my current apartment. I'm going from a place with a hall, a galley kitchen and a main room into an open concept space, so it's tough to judge. I do know that the kitchen (which actually has counter space, hurrah!) has more storage than my current kitchen, but there is far less storage for clothes and shoes. This will be tricky because I have a huge amount of clothing.

Now, I'm working on sorting out clothes to get rid of what I don't wear. There are clothes that are out of fashion, clothes that are no longer my style and clothes that don't fit since my big, lingering Turning 30 weight bump. Some of these items are in very good nick and are maybe a little too nice to be donated straight to one of the charities that collects old clothes (e.g.the cute shoes shown below that I never wear, size 7 - want them?) I'm wondering about having a 'porch sale' of stuff I no longer need or whether that's a waste of time and I should just donate everything without any fuss.

Labels: life