wrasslin through life

yesterday we went to the eaton center on a hunt for a suit for him, and shoes for me. neither were acquired. here is me, halfway through, wanting it to be over. make it stop.



when we got home we lay around, my goodness that place is tiring. the terrible music being blasted into your ears while you're trying to find something you don't hate, the crowds of people all in your way etc. i had to nap it off. stephen, i'm sorry for posting this photo but it is so darn cute that i really had no choice. woook at that widdle guy (the cat) he loves being snoogled.



tiny, tiny stella. please be ok. she not only has kidney stones, but also mild kidney disease and damage. more news coming today, hopefully good.





you are my heart little one.



next stop: grocery store. WHY is eva longoria's arm skinnier than that lock of her hair? PHOTOSHOP FAIL. this is a terrible cover for so many reasons. "look at my fashionable emaciated back. LOOK at it". stop it. just stop. i'm trying to buy food here.



this paper towel is ridiculously expensive. worth it. i don't really use it too much but it's good to have around.



GIRLS NIGHT! look at my delicious salad. made much more delicious by natalie's beautiful bowl.



sangria!



i have a chip problem. i did this. destroyed the plate of chips with my greedy chip need. we don't really have them around the house so when i'm out and they're there i just can't get enough. hence going to the gym before work this morning.



there was also a lot of this going on. in case you can't tell, it's a mini boston and a bulldog wrasslin'.



GIRLS!



that's it byeeeee

park daze

yesterday i was feeling pretty sad about stella, so me and my arnold palmer went to the park to read. i was very pleased with my drink choice (although still a bit sweet, yeah?) until a gust of wind knocked it over onto my iphone. then i cursed it. WHYYYYYYY? it's fine though. luckily i had a blanket with me to wipe it off and i don't think any actually got past the cover.



other than that it was a beautiful day to soak in some sun and warmth. i needed it.





today is not nearly as nice. i find it hard to dress in this in-between weather because i am ALWAYS cold.

assorted

OH HELLO!!





oscar's favourite new place is his carry box.



last friday



tequila rose



cheers.



banjara. i am anxiously awaiting my navratan vegetable curry, the leftovers of which i am going to bake in puff pastry tonight.



cat family time.







stella has kidney stones. small ones, but they could be the culprit of her weight loss (2 lbs over a year and a half) and poor appetite. they will call us tomorrow and tell us if they are affecting her kidney function yet. if not, then we wait until they do. if they are, then we change her food and hope for the best. in the meantime, we open our wallets and cry. i literally DID cry when they told me the cost for today's visit-$437.59. i was already emotional because of the diagnosis, but really, this is probably just the start of treatment for this and already it is getting in the way of being able to pay rent and eat.

(i guess them shoes are going back. goodbye gorgeous off-white leather strappy 70's wedges. you looked cute with a lot of stuff and i was going to wear you to a wedding this weekend. luckily i did not step out of the house in you yet.)

the money thing is really "whatever" though. i would really do anything for her to not be in pain or have to suffer through surgeries and other procedures. i know that both of those are inevitable and it breaks my heart.

caturdunday

sunday is the new saturday.

woke up, unhungover. MIRACLE.

5 k run to start er up followed by the most delicious french toast. hey, here's a tip. put yogurt on your french toast instead of butter. under the syrup. another tip: use a loaf with seeds on the outside, sunflower preferred. you will not regret it.

did some house stuff, then headed to allen gardens. we've been meaning to go for a while, but the weather has been getting in the way.

in true sunday form, we spent a lot of time meandering and taking pictures of buildings that looked like villain's headquarters.





when we arrived there, there was a very heavy police presence. they were everywhere.

look how beautiful this place is.



you step inside, and you're in another world. a warm, humid, peaceful world.



many of the plants are giant versions of ones you're familiar with.



i think the cactus section is my favourite. you can feel the change in the air from damp to dry when you walk in.









back the other way.







this little guy was on a serious mission. he made his way down the path and we blocked him from making an escape. we later spoke to the "turtle keeper" who had tracked him down. turns out he somehow got through 3 sets of doors to get to where we spotted him.



after this we went for an empanada stop, a vintage store stop (at which i got a witchy shawl) and ultimately a pint on the patio of the embassy. i wish i had taken a picture of my delicious beer. or of the patio police, who didn't actually even work there, but still felt obliged to tell us that the seats that we were sitting on were not licensed so that we had to move inside because there was no other room on the patio. then she asked a guy if he could move over so she could sit beside him (in the small space between him and another friend) then ate her giant sandwich there. she was also wearing a reflective vest. definition of "busybody".

we were on our way to pick a restaurant for dinner when we had another empanada stop in christie pits. this one was also a taco, burrito, and plantain stop.







we finished off the adventure with dinner at banjara, because it is delicious and we are predictable. plus, leftovers, yeah!

yogurt. the official food of women.

i have a beef and you're about to hear about it.



why is it, that even though the yogurt section looks like this, that i can never find what i want? i realize that i'm playing into the "yogurt is a food that women are interested in" rhetoric, but i wasn't the person who decided to market it exclusively to women, thus inventing that trope, so i'm ignoring that. the fact remains that is is a healthy (if you choose the right one) and convenient food.

my go-to is mapleton's organic plain fat-free (i love that it's local, sustainably produced, and certified organic by several designators), but i would really love the option of a 1 or 2%. i have only seen it in 0% and 3.9%. i want it to feel like i'm eating yogurt, but not actually be eating ice cream. yogurt is supposed to have fat in it, i just want less of it because i eat it all the time.

i would also like to find a 1% vanilla (mmmmm) that does not have aspartame or splenda. why do they assume that just because you want low fat that you are willing to swap chemicals for natural flavour? no added sugar would be a plus. i've been adding actual vanilla bean to plain, but it would be nice if i didn't have to do that at 4am when i'm leaving for work.

AND FURTHERMORE! on the marketing issue:




also yogurt marketing-related, upon looking into "BL Regularis", from wikipedia:

Several companies have attempted to trademark particular strains and as a marketing technique, have invented scientific sounding names for the strains. Danone (Dannon) have claimed trademark status on the subspecies strain DN 173 010 and markets the organism as Bifidus Digestivum (UK), Bifidus Regularis (US and Mexico), Bifidobacterium Lactis or B.L. Regularis (Canada), DanRegularis (Brazil), Bifidus Actiregularis (Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain and the UK), and Bifidus Essensis in the Middle East (and formerly in Hungary) through Activia from Safi Danone KSA

right. how can you trademark a bacteria strain? i mean, i know how, it's just so backwards and ridiculous. all yogurt contains bacteria, whether it has a fancy name that a focus group picked or not. that's what it is. bacterial culture.

ok i'm done. tell me about what yogurt you buy, and why. i'm curious.

there is a place in north ontario
with dream, comfort, memory to spare
and in my mind i still need a place to go
all my changes were there



i can't believe i will have to say goodbye

hoping and praying

something is wrong with stella. we've been called back to the vet for x-rays. i will punch the universe in the face if it's something bad. i love her so much it hurts my heart. she's so tiny. she's my tiny one.

makeitlovely and stuff

HAHAHA someone came to my blog by googling "surr curr". if this was you, then thank you.

the internet never ceases to amaze me.

all of it.

tuesday morning.



blaaaaah



a belt masterpiece.



oscar appreciates dry humour. he knows he's not supposed to be on the table.



one of my favourites that didn't make the cut after painting.



decided to take an impromptu overnight trip to the cottage. why not?



sad motel.


you are here

hello, day.







this is what happens when you try to take a picture of something on the ground and your phone is still set to mirror cam.



said thing i was trying to take a picture of:

























have you ever met a dog that loves raw carrots? i have.









the creepy cabin. legend has it that two sisters stayed here over the summers to tutor the kids of the people who would stay up there. hence the name creepy cabin.





dad's rock peeking out.





the farmhouse. called so because it was a farmhouse.





i see you!



a gazebo with a granite fireplace. it has filled in with sand over the past 100+ years. there were benches under there that i can remember sitting on.



time to leave. i took the train. i listened to music the whole way home, in an attempt to drown out the GD constant GD blowing of the horn. the music and the horn blended into one eventually. it helps when most of your music prominently features harmonicas and harpsichords.









home.