I happened to come by a box of Smarties yesterday. An HR firm sent a box to my manager, and it went through a screening process that involved explosives detection and probably high-tech x-ray because I work in a security-sensitive area of the government. It eventually landed on my desk — stamped, screened envelope and [...]

A very bad cameraphone pic of a very unhappy vet-bound Beano. He has such plaintive crying that it sounds like I’ve got him in a torture device all the way to the vet, which is about half an hour away. I know I could find a vet nearby, but everyone at the office knows Beano [...]

I just got these tonight and look how many I scoffed already! Someone who’s staying with me flew in from Germany tonight, and my request was for marzipan. You’d think it’s been ages since I’ve had any, but it’s been only a couple of months since Iris sent me a batch of marzipan through the [...]

Just before I left for work this morning, I found Beano limping and not putting weight on his left hind leg. I wondered if he tried jumping on the table and slipped off and sprained his leg, or if he’d actually broken it. I gave him the day to recover and checked on him again [...]

Granted, it wasn’t much, but enough to remind us that winter isn’t even half over yet. This is my second winter in Toronto, and it seems MUCH LONGER than the first. I think we only got our first big dump of now at this time last year!
I had a big pasta lunch, leftovers from last [...]

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

I never know where and when the urge to cook will take hold. I just go with it. Apparently, it’s been a while since the last time — or, at least, the last time I took photos of the food.

(This draft’s been sitting around for months, time to set it free!)
I like Daft Punk’s song “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, whose most well-known cover is by Kanye West. But personally, although West’s is the flashiest and has the biggest budget, I think it’s the least interesting and creative of the covers.
Have you seen the Daft [...]

This photo of Hugh is nearly three years old and the old tom’s been gone a year a half now, but his popularity lives on — in photos and videoclips. This picture of Hugh just got its 50th fave, and has now been viewed 2,900 times on Flickr. He’s the Elvis of the Cat World, [...]

It is bone-chilling COLD in Toronto right now, so I thought I’d post a photo from a warmer time — November 16. Fez is known for ceramics so my guide, Hassan, took me by petit taxi to a ceramics shop outside of the ancient quarters to give me a firsthand look at the processes. The [...]