ruby clicks

Busy Tomorrow? - New York City

2011-12-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Grab an old friend and run away for the day, go somewhere big and fancy.
A boat, a plane, and then finally a train will take you where you should be going.

Who cares if the sun decides to hide the Dakota was never meant to be cherry, besides jealous clouds can never truly take away Central Park's infamous beauty.

Walk around, and around...

then take the C line down...

Soho will beckon you to come in and relax.

A glass of wine here, and another one there, suddenly the cold rain doesn't bother.

Share a few rounds and watch strangers turn to friends....

Share a few more ...

Until ....

Superstar status secured, run along and leave the city.
Clean yourself up because it's time to go home, the airport never closes.

An Officer and a Gentleman - Costa Rica

2011-11-16T12:06:00.004-05:00

Although my time in Costa Rica was heartbreakingly short, I was quite sure of one thing - I would go up in those mountains. Regardless of where you stand in San Jose off in the distance you can see the big, seductive, green mountains that surround the city. I wasn’t interested in sharing 1 of my 2 precious days with a bunch of pasty strangers being dragged around the same old sites on a tour bus. I wanted to explore. I wanted my own little adventure with the mountains. And so I grabbed one of the guide books at the hostel, picked a town that promised the largest ox-cart in the world, and up into the mountains I went.

Hopping on a bus in San Jose isn’t quite as easy as it is here. Sure the city has a big Coca-Cola bus terminal, but my bus didn’t leave from there - it was one of the local runs that went from one of the many tiny terminals hidden down little alley ways within a twenty minute walk from the central station. A bus driver and a nice old lady tried to give me directions, but as I don’t speak Spanish and they didn’t speak English we played charades. I lost. I was lost.
Eventually I found the friendly policeman. There is no military in Costa Rica, which has helped them avoid the nasty political coups that have crippled too many Central & South American countries. What Costa Rica does have is la policia at every turn, some of them carry much larger guns than others. The officer I met was quite nice, and very chatty. He walked me around a corner and pointed out where I needed to go.
Victory.
I smiled.
I thanked him.
I was off.
No? You want a hug?
Alright. Oh!
Because the hug came as an afterthought and a strange angle, I was pressed up against his gun.
Yes, a very real gun.
But I found the bus station.

And when it was time to transfer in Grecia, I found that bus station too.

Welcome to Sarchí.

The town is famous for their carpentry ....

..... but I was blown away by their dulce de leche.

And yes, mountains were seen and very much enjoyed.

Beauty. Brief. - Costa Rica

2011-11-14T11:19:00.001-05:00

6208km.
It seems a perfectly reasonable distance to travel for a day or two.
And so, rosy faced and slightly tipsy from the party I hopped on the 3am bus to the airport and ran away to Costa Rica.

Some of us handle mornings a little better than others.

Up and down, up and down - and then there I was.

....more photos soon.
Film requires patience.
xo
Ruby

whispers in the grass and there are slow dancing trees

2011-11-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Another day, another park with the Irish.

This time there was a substantial transit ride involved which took us all the way out to Scarborough so that we could run around with the ghosts of old Toronto buildings at Guildwood Park.

I'm not the only one who took pictures.

I also wasn't the only one who was all tuckered out.

Of Leaves & Trees

2011-10-25T15:42:00.003-05:00

Dear Leaves,
I'm going to miss you when you go.

xo
Ruby

How Come You Never Go There?

2011-08-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

Home is ....

....hard to leave.

they said that the world was built for two

2011-08-24T15:33:00.002-05:00

I made a new friend at the beginning of the summer.

We've had a few adventures.

Walking to work is never dull.

We spent the first half of the summer tiptoeing through the rubble of King Street ....

... past the fallen trees on Bathurst ....

....until we caught the boat to work....

.... and watch the city flaunt her pretty buildings.

She brought out all the pretty colours while I was busy learning that

the only way to get married is Ukrainian.

Crowns!

Deep fried Mars bars are a very good thing.

We've also been on a few airplanes and had our passports stamped a couple of times.

But we've left all the hustle of the city behind for a bit.
We're enjoying the county for a few days

And as always, making new friends.

Ps. Sorry the blog has been so slow lately, Instagram has been busy stealing my heart.
Follow me there if you like, just look up "rubyclicks".

This American Visit - Chicago

2011-07-08T11:57:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was the first weekend I’d had off since I started working at the little airport. I knew I had to do something special, and then the idea struck me as I was walking home.

We figured out everything just in time to get on an airplane ......

... and enjoy the hottest day of the year they’d seen so far in Chicago.

We followed the crowds.....

.... and stumbled upon the Taste of Chicago at Bryant Park.

Mmmmm, pulled pork sandwiches with lots of bbq sauce mmmmmmM

This classy old man stole my heart. He was waving his umbrella up and down trying to hail a cab. I would have jumped in had he asked.

I owe you a bit of an apology though. I didn’t take many pictures of my favourite things. I know that’s strange but I was feeling a little camera shy - I’m a bit out of practice … however I can offer you these little pearls of wisdom; if you order the shrimp and grits at The Southern they will be amazing, shopping around Wicker Park will make your closet prettier, and you should absolutely drink a few too many Moscow Mules in at the Bar Deville and then dance with the locals… you never know what you’ll find behind the curtains.

Standby Bye

2011-06-28T15:35:00.002-05:00

What are you up to today?

Not much.

Want to run around Quebec City?

Sure.

Of Ladies & Cherry Blossoms

2011-05-26T18:26:00.001-05:00

A little over a year ago three very special ladies travelled very far to pay me a visit. I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to post the photos, but it just so happens that now is a particularly perfect time to share. If you’ve seen me at all over past few weeks I’ve probably tried to drag you out to see the cherry blossoms in High Park. Flowers/plants make me happy and I assume they should do the same for you.

This story really should start the night before we went to biggest cherry blossom festival in Korea. A few of us and the ladies went out for one of those big Korean dinners where they fill your table with a million little delicious dishes. Mme wouldn’t eat anything with meat in it as her children had planted the doubt that Koreans might eat dog the way westerners eat beef.

Despite our best attempts she politely refused to budge. I may be partially to blame. The night they arrived I took 2 of the ladies to a famous Korean restaurant I’d been curious about for a while. None of my friends would ever agree to eat there, and my lack of Korean resulted in us ordering deep fried chicken bums. I love you ladies.

After dinner we had a few drinks in Seomeyon.
Rhylon picked out the records that made the ladies smile.

Eventually it was time to go home. We had a big day ahead of us and sleep would be the wisest choice. As the cab approached Gwangali I mentioned my friend Dougie’s bar. Mme gave a mischievous smile, and within a few seconds she and I jumped out of the cab, much to the surprise of the other 2 ladies. A new cast of characters quickly assemble.

They quickly became big fans of Mme.

And what would a Wednesday night be without a little norebang?

We snuck back to the hotel around 4 or so in the morning careful not to wake the other sleeping ladies.

The next day we set out bright and early for Jinhea. It was a bit of an adventure. There are two main bus terminals in Busan. I brought us to the wrong one. Had I done my homework we would have gone to Sasang and sat on a nice comfy bus all the way to Jinhae. Instead we knew we would get as far as Masan and then something was going to happen, we weren’t quite sure what, but from what little English the ticket lady spoke, we gathered something would happen there.

In Masan we walked around the station a little confused ...

... then we walked around outside a little confused.

Eventually someone ordered one of the fierce ajummas who was washing the windows to help us. We followed her down the road from the bus station and waited until the local bus arrived.
Eventually lots and lots of flowers were seen.

This year I made it out to High Park just in time to catch the blossoms. It's no Jinhea, and they ladies weren't there, but they still managed to make me smile.

Cross Your Fingers

2011-05-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

I didn’t vote in the last two Canadian elections. It wasn’t intentional it’s just that I wasn’t around when they pulled out the ballot boxes. Ironically enough I missed the last one because I was travelling across the states following the Obama campaign. I heard the not so happy news that Stephen Harper was Prime Minister while in the back of a cab somewhere around the outskirts of Austin at 5am. This time around I was determined to vote.

And vote I did. So did they.

Considering my sins from elections past I figured I ought to get a big healthy dose of politics on election night, and where best to do that than at the biggest party for the biggest surprise of the election.

My once housemate Jimmy has always been an NDP man. He’s moved up the ranks a bit recently, and judging from the this election’s results I’d say it was well earned.

Let's not talk about that whole majority government thing.
Just cross your fingers and hope 4 years passes quickly.

X Marks My Heart

2011-05-02T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hi.

What a nice day it was ....

.... to VOTE.

You Know What Peanut? I Missed You Too.

2011-04-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

I am on day 25 of home life without the internet.
At first it was quite easy. When you’re too sick to do much aside from sleep, eat oranges, and watch endless re-runs of Pushing Daisies you don’t worry much about the outside world.

Eventually the vitamins and Buckley’s kicked in and I was ready to crawl out of my colourful basement. My first night out I followed Meghan to the famed El Mo to see a band I‘d never heard of. Meghan is extremely trustworthy in such matters, and did not disappoint. It seems that the best bands these days only need two people.

I’m still a new kid at work, which translates to a terrible work schedule. I work strange and silly hours and call Monday/Tuesdays my Saturday/Sundays. The only way you get your friends out on Monday/Tuesdays is to make them food.

Some are a little better with their chopsticks than others, which is quite entertaining.

There was also that night I went to my first work party. I’d heard rumours of parties past that involved broken doors and other stories that should probably remain secret. I knew what to expect, and yet, there is something about seeing your boss drunk that never gets old. I enjoyed all the blushing and shy smiles around the airport the next morning when everyone seemed to be avoiding memories of the night before.

And in keeping with one of my favourite traditions I returned to the Hotel Mogelonsky to enjoy my gentile status at the Passover dinner. Obama was so kind as to keep us entertained during traffic. I knew I was making the right decision when I brought him back from Hawaii.

There are so many pretty things at the Hotel Mogelonsky, lucky me, I got to play with the shoes.

Chocolate matzah never tasted so good.

Ruby's Fish Tacos

2011-04-12T16:06:00.002-05:00

The recipe I am about to suggest is a little fussy.
Sorry.
However you should know that my intentions weren’t entirely humble, I was making my first dinner in the new apartment and so things had to be a little out of the ordinary. The guest was a good friend from high school, a friend who has been to cooking school, cooked all over the world and who writes about it, so really there was no pressure inviting her to dinner.
Despite growing up the daughter of strapping Northern Ontario man who could clean a fish bigger than me with his eyes closed, knowledgeable of fish I am not.

Nice boots eh?

When I buy fish it’s usually in a nice plastic case and all it’s bit have been taken care of - no heads or bones please … but then I spotted the Jamaican butter fish while I wandering around Kensington market and I gathered a little courage. I recommend you try the same. Jamie Oliver asks for mackerel …. but he wasn’t holding my hand, and they were so pretty and red.

Ruby's Fish Tacos

which are basically the same as Jamie Oliver's

For the Salad

1 green or yellow zucchini
4 asparagus spears
2 large green onions, thinly sliced
2 radishes, cut into matchsticks
Juice of 1 lime
Chilli oil
Salt & pepper

For the Tacos

1 ripe avocado, halved and peeled
2 limes
2 mackerel, or in my case, pretty red Jamaican butter fish
¼ cup sour cream
A few spring of cilantro - if you like the stuff. I think it tastes like soap.
Hot sauce
Stack of small yellow corn tortillas

First, you start with a zucchini

Then you introduce it to a vegetable peeler. One proceeds to shred the other to ribbons.

Next you get the asparagus.
Its fate is similar when introduced to the peeler. This is made simpler if you hold the asparagus down on the cutting board and peel ... there is no running away.

Mix it all together with some chopped green onions and radish, the juice of a lime, and a little chilli oil. Grind a little salt and pepper over the whole thing and you’ll have a nice little salad.

If you have a grill, grill the fish. If you are grilless you could fry the fish - or do what we did, drizzle some olive oil over your fish, putting a little extra oil on each skin side so that they don’t stick to the pan, then shove a few lime slices here and there, a little salt and pepper, and then put it all in a 375 oven for about 25 minutes or so. Keep your eye on them. They’re done when you pull back a bit of skin and see that the fish flakes when you poke it.

Mash up the avocado with some lime juice. Set aside.
Heat up your tortillas the way their packaging tells you to.
Sour cream, and hot sauce on the side.
Assemble.

Yum.

The Walls Are Alive

2011-04-11T12:59:00.002-05:00

I loved my old neighbourhood.
I loved its shabby charm and colourful characters who always had nice things to say about my short skirts.

I loved living near the water, and I loved living down the street from the park with the albino squirrel, but eventually a girl has to move along. It may have had something to do with the stabby neighbours across the way, or the nervous mornings waiting for an early bus surrounded by shadowy figures, but it was perhaps most heavily influenced by the one too may nights opening the door to the warm scent of garbage, the couch that made me itch, the toilet that protested when used by making loud angry noises, and my personal favourite, the surprise of coming home to find that all the pots had run away only to sporadically reappear dishevelled and dirty in the sink when their tyrant captor was too lazy to wash and hide them again.

ANYWAY
Mom and dad came and helped me move.
I`m a lucky girl.

My old room was a bit bland ....

... and while my new place doesn't have the internet just yet, it certainly can't be accused of being bland.

Old Ruby Saves the Day - Old Ruby Chocolate Cupcakes with Carolan's Irish Butter Cream Frosting

2011-03-27T17:08:00.002-05:00

Booze, it makes you smile a little longer, dance a little closer, and it helps your food taste quite a bit better, unless of course you do it wrong, which in that case is your fault.
Please fix that.

I was craving something sweet the other week before St.Patty`s day and when I saw the following bottle in the liquor store I knew what had to be done …

Old Ruby Chocolate Cupcakes with Carolan's Irish Butter Cream Frosting

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Cake

1 cup stout (I went with Ale. Old Ruby came through)
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat your oven to 350°F. The Smitten recipe says to line 24 “cupcake cups” with liners, but in my case my pan only made about a dozen.

Bring the booze and butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes.

Carolans Irish Butter Cream Frosting

3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1/2 cup or unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Carolans Irish Cream

Start with the butter at room temperature. Use a fork, or whatever you like, to mix the butter around until it is smooth and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the icing starts to get a little thick start slowing adding the Irish cream to loosen it up. Don’t worry if you end up adding more than the recipe calls for. Booze is good. Mix until you are happy with the results.

Then bring a few over to your friends' house for dinner ....

.... and hope for a few extra vowels next time around.

round and round and round we spin

2011-03-19T16:23:00.001-05:00

Hey Guy,
I’m guessing that the world looked a little something like this to you the other night when you saw a few of the boys from the Constantines get together and sing some Neil Young covers.

Which is all great and wonderful because your thrashing about was pretty entertaining for a while.

And I didn’t really mind when you spilled some beer in my hair, in fact it was kind of great because it made my curls curlier.

But you should know that it’s just bad manners to puke on the band.

You should probably not do that next time.

Why Did the Lumberjack Fall in Love With the Flower Petal?

2011-03-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

The weather is miserable today. This video isn't.

Parts + Labor from Sean O'Malley on Vimeo.

Slaughterhouse Thighs

2011-03-13T16:56:00.001-05:00

If I was more into trends I probably would have bought the interesting black and gray dress with the racer back that drapes in all the right places, but instead my style instincts, which generally mirror those of a 5 year old, along with a good friend helped me make the obvious decision.

A few of us made the trek out to somewhere on the edge of the city to watch some badass ladies smash into each other all in the name of roller derby. Some of us were braver than others and opted for the suicide seats.

10 points if you can find us in the video ....

A friend of mine is “fresh meat”. She is a new derby girl who is paying her dues and collecting bruises on her way up the ranks. She’s in a little need of help picking a derby name, and we all did our best to pitch in. My favourite - Slaughterhouse Thighs, too bad it’s already taken. Any suggestions?

stop. start. stop. go.

2011-03-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

FLUFFY MC CLOUD from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.

Paid.

2011-03-10T10:26:00.001-05:00

There is something new in my life.
I spent a long time looking for it. I looked here and there, I asked friends too, but it was much better at hiding than I was seeking. But eventually I caught up.

Yes, I found a job.

At first the new trainees and I had to wake up very, very early every morning, the earliest I’d ever woken up in my life. Just in case you were curious, Parkdale looks like this at 5am on a Friday morning.

After many days in a chilly classroom time they gave us a little sample of the goods.

While we waited someone became an Aunt.

Up, Up Up...

Oh Ottawa, you frigid girl.

No worries about that cold, we only stayed about an hour or so.
Which was long enough for me to yawn....

... and make sure the world was ok.

All that and we made it home on time for lunch.

A little bit of rice for me and you

2011-03-06T11:57:00.002-05:00

Sol learned this recipe from his 할머니. In Korean the word for grandmother sounds a bit like ＂harmony＂. I love that. I also love this recipe because it is so simple. As long as you have a bit of rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil you are set. Feel free to play with it. Once I added bacon. That was a good day.

I know that what I am about to suggest may sound a little strange, but don’t worry, you can trust me. One of the first times I went grocery shopping with Sol he didn’t look at the labels on the bags, just the rice. After a few minutes of poking around he went to grab the arborio. “No! No! No!” I thought. Arborio holds a special superstar Italian status, I couldn’t imagine it within an Asian context. Oh what a silly girl I was.

Harmony Rice for 2

1 cup of short grain rice (Arborio or the Japanese sushi kind. Something with a whole lot of starch please)
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs
2 handfuls of roughly chopped rocket/arugula
Soy sauce
Sesame oil

1. Wash your rice. This may seem a little tedious, and for this I am sorry but it must be done. You don’t need anything fancy though, just the pot and your hands. Put your rice in the pot and cover with water. Swish it around a few times and then drain the murky water. Don’t worry if you don’t drain every last drop, just do your best. Do this about 3 - 4 times.

2. Cook your rice. I don’t really bother with measurements when it comes to rice anymore. A good rule of thumb is to remember you’ll need double the amount of water to your rice. I usually judge this by sticking my finger in the pot, the rice should come up about half way, the other half should be water. The rice will be finished in about 20-30 minutes or so. You shouldn't see anymore water and there will be little holes where the steam is trying to escape.

3. While the rice is cooking fry the mushrooms in a little sesame oil, then put them aside. Next fry the eggs sunny side up , then put them aside.

4. When the rice is cooked spoon as much as you can eat into your bowl. Sol likes his rice bowl best with 3 big spoons of both sesame oil and soy sauce, I prefer only 2 of each. Mix it around. Divide the mushrooms and rocket between your two hungry bowls. Mix it around. Top with the egg. Hand the bowl to hungry person, and have them mix theirs around.

EAT

One last suggestion, after you finish the rice call for reinforcements.

Wear something sparkly ...

... and have a little fun.

Gifts

2011-03-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Someone recently came for a visit.

He came bearing little blue gifts...

... and he didn't come alone ...

...which was actually pretty nice because he brought along some friendly sidekicks who made delicious things in my tiny, tiny kitchen …

And then even more visitors dropped by.

A certain lady came bearing delicious and colourful gifts ...

... and my brother brought the handsome. He always does.

And then everyone left .... and I started something new.
But I'll tell you more about that a little later.

I want to ride my bicycle

2011-03-01T17:48:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure where he lives, but I see this man riding around on his backwards bicycle all the time. Parkdale, it's a fun place to visit.

Thank You Korea - Piggy Dolls

2011-02-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

I'm glad I'm not the only person who was tired of tiny wimpy Korean girls singing about their "first love story".

I am a BIG fan!

but I'm here 'til the end, and after that, our souls will be friends too.

2011-02-18T11:22:00.002-05:00

Two of the most delightful ladies to ever come out of Newfoundland had me over for dinner the other night, it sure was grand ...

... and delicious.

After a few cups of tea, and some really nice words it was time to get going. But even though it may have been a little late for a walk, I couldn’t bring myself to get on a streetcar. The weather was just too inviting. As a Canadian, you take notice when the temperature flirts above the zero mark, especially in mid February. If she smiles at you, you smile back and enjoy it while it lasts. I’m glad I did. Look what I found in Trinity Bellwoods....

Isn't that sweet?

always on my mind - Turkish Yogurt Sauce

2011-02-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

I remember that Nigella Lawson once said that when she gets the urge to travel but can’t, she turns to cookbooks. I am very much the same. I’ve always read cookbooks like novels, you can generally judge how much time I spend in a room by the number of cookbooks I leave behind. At the moment I am currently surrounded by 3 new library finds, one from West Africa, another about Halal foods, and the last is a really beautiful book featuring recipes from Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon. It’s a nice little spread.

The purpose of this post is perhaps more selfish than usual as its main intent is to provide a safe place for an almost embarrassingly simple recipe. It’s just that it’s too damn good to lose and I think I might be a little obsessed. I’ve used it on top of plain cooked vegetables, a dip for cold veg, instead of mayo on a sandwich, instead of that spoonful of yogurt on your lentil soup, it really does go everywhere, and it gets better the longer you let it sit in the fridge.
Based on Claudia Roden’s Recipe

Turkish Yogurt Sauce

Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you aren’t cooking here, so please skip the canola)
250g Greek style yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
A few good shakes of smoked paprika (if you don’t already own some, I highly recommend it)
Shallot or a very small little runt of an onion, finely chopped
salt & pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leafed parsley (it’s always best to buy the flat leaf stuff because it’s much easier to wash and the grit doesn’t get stuck in its pretty little curls)

Mix everything together in a bowl.
Let sit, at least an hour or so. The longer the better.
Put a little extra parsley and a drizzle of olive oil on top to make it look fancy if you want to impress someone.

This recipe began life as an eggplant puree thing, so by all means go ahead and make the original version, complete with 2 - 3 eggplants roasted in a 475 F oven for about an hour, stripped of their skin and squeezed of their juices when cooled and finally pureed with the everything else … but it was a lot of extra work that didn’t necessarily benefit from the eggplant. I think the eggplant would be better served roasted in slices and then topped with the sauce instead.

For your whistling pleasure ...

not even the rain has such small hands

2011-02-15T21:59:00.004-05:00

baking is science for hungry people - cake pops

2011-02-15T16:11:00.002-05:00

Isn’t it nice when you stop by a friend’s house on a Sunday afternoon and they pop open a bottle of wine and start doing this?

The lady that runs Jumbo Empanadas and I are old friends back from my county days. She has always been a go-to for ridiculously delicious food, which is a quality I deeply admire in a friend.

By the time I found my way to her house, google maps I wag my finger at you for failing on walking directions, she had already followed The Kitchn’s directions and baked a cake then mashed it up with some cream cheese frosting. My job was to help roll the cake into chocolate balls. It was messy. It was delicious.

More wine while the cake firms up in the freezer … then, time to dip them in melted chocolate. Did I mention how great it is to have a friend that does this sort of thing for fun?

God, they were delicious.

Hearts To You

2011-02-14T22:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day.

add this to that .... lentil soup

2011-02-13T11:56:00.001-05:00

Add this ....

With a little of this ... Ou! You pesky lemon, always jumping in all my photos!

Turn up the heat and add a few other flavours ...

.. and you get something that looks a little like this ..

I know it’s not terribly imaginative to suggest a recipe for lentil soup in the middle of winter, but that’s what I am about to offer. It’s the perfect food for this time of year insomuch that it’s delicious, warming, and kind to your wallet. I didn’t have any in my fridge when I made this, but I usually like to add a handful of baby spinach or rocket to my bowl just before I ladle in the soup. Give it a few minutes and stir it around, the greens will have become a little greener and will have wilted nicely. Leftover cold soup is usually on the thick side which I like as a dip for veggies.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Thanks for the idea Sassy Radish

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
A healthy pinch of smoked paprika, or whatever delicious stuff you use to add some heat to your dinner
5 cups of chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4-5 spoons of plain yogurt

Put the kettle on and start boiling some water for your stock, unless you’re fancy, and in that case use your fancy stock that’s already mixed up and delicious a little later. I’m not fancy.
Next, in a large pot heat the oil until it’s warm and then add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper, the heat, and lentils and sauté for another 4 or 5 minutes. I like to give this part a little time to toast the lentils a little. Be sure to mix it around and every now and then.

Hopefully your water has boiled by now and you’ve made your stock. Add it along with the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and turn down the heat to low. Simmer until lentils are soft, this usually takes somewhere around 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Your soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary because cold soup is gross - then stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve soup with a spoonful of plain yogurt, maybe drizzled some good olive oil and dusted lightly with a little extra of your chosen spicy secret ingredient.
Makes enough for your mouth and about 4 others.

You should always whistle while you work.
Here's something to get you through chopping those onions.

Jenny and Johnny "Big Wave" from PEDESTRIAN.TV on Vimeo.

Hello Mother, Hello Father

2011-02-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

I had two surprise visitors last weekend.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love surprises?

And yes, in case you were wondering, my mom always looks this adorable when she crosses the street.

And yes, in case you were wonder, a hotdog is no match for my hungry dad.

And yes, in case you were wonder, Rodney’s is ridiculously delicious.

I miss them already.
xo

Look Over There

2011-02-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

Notice anything different?
Look to your right.

That’s right!
Now go explore.
Xo
Ruby.

It’s useless, but so many things you want are.

2011-02-08T22:34:00.010-05:00

She asked.
She didn’t ask me, but she did ask.

I took this photo a few years ago when I stopped to sit after a busy day of wandering around Boston for the first time. MMMM Pie.

Miranda July is at the top of my favourite-people-I-will-most-likely-never-meet list. She is an amazing writer/filmmaker/artist who draws you in with her wonderfully intimate and quirky works and makes you feel as though you’ve been best friends for ages. She‘s kind of my idol.
Over the weekend I picked up a copy of Lula magazine. I’d heard a lot about it and since I am a sucker for big beautiful fashion magazines, I thought I should finally listen to the pretty Swedish girl. Umm…. thing is, I wasn’t that impressed. Something about a few of the interviews was a bit too self indulgent - musicians interviewing other musicians and talking about how wonderful they all are, and then endlessly name dropping too obscure bands and la di da di da … but then I saw Miranda’s article.

I also sort of loved "Doll Parts". If only that green dress were mine.

Initially she asks an artist “the kind of things that best friends would tell each other, because I was pretty sure we would be best friends and I didn’t want to waste any time with formalities.” The artist responded that she was too busy and would rather just forward along an old list of answers to questions she had thought up years before.
For shame.
Nick Cave wasn’t too busy. His answers were alright, but you know, he’s a boy and this is a girly magazine with girly questions.
I wish Miranda had answered them herself.
Oh well.
Anyway, the questionnaire finished with a photo request from Ms. July.
I had to oblige.

“Do one or more of the following:

1. Take a picture of yourself holding the last thing that was given to you and say who gave it to you and the circumstances.

My parents came up for a short visit this past weekend. It was really nice. I’ll show you some photos in a day or two, patience please. We said good bye in the parking lot next to my apartment under a thick veil of snowflakes. My mom was all sweet smiles from the car wishing me luck. My dad came around and gave me a quick awkward hug then put some money into my hand. He got in the car and off they went. I waved until I couldn’t see the car anymore.

2. Take a picture of yourself reading whatever book you are reading at the moment, with the book covering your face.

I’ve heard from a few reliable sources that if you read something by Jonathan Franzen it will change your life. I could do with a little sprucing up.

3. Poke a hole through a piece of paper, take a picture of yourself with the paper over your face, your tongue or nose through the hole.

Oink! Oink!

The Phone - Albany

2011-02-06T22:58:00.002-05:00

I went down to Albany the other week for a few days.
Someone had made the long, long bus trip up here a few times and now it was my turn to awkwardly sleep on the Greyhound.

Can you see a pattern?

Albany is .... well, the word bleak came to mind more than a few times.

Also, and this is very important,friends should never let friends, enemies,
or anyone else they do or do not know go here..

I don't really want to talk about it, but just trust me when I say it is terrible and you should stay far, far away from it.

But don't worry too much ....

... the cellphone made out alright.

Excelsior! - Community

2011-02-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen the new episode of Community,

please,

stop whatever you are doing and

watch it.

Thanks.

“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.”

2011-02-03T17:47:00.001-05:00

I met Larry my first year of university. It was pretty memorable night. I was working for the school’s tv show, and Larry and I were sent to interview a band that was a little too old to be touring the university campus circuit under the pretext of “new music night”. The band was enjoying a small amount of success, and it had gone to their heads. Larry managed to kill that pretty quickly. Instead of entering the interview knowing about as much as you could gather from a quick scan of google, Larry decided to just walk in and ask them instead.

“ What’s the name of your band again?”
“ Can’t you just sing me a little bit of your song?

I might know who you are if I hear the song.”

It was awkward.
Hilariously awkward.
Thankfully, he hasn’t changed much.
Larry is also one of the main reasons I picked Busan. He was already in Korea teaching English and assured me it barely ever snowed there. Oh Korea, have I mentioned how much I miss you lately?

Ah ... but back to Larry.

Larry had a birthday.

We celebrated.

Ever wonder how many gummy bears you can fit in your mouth?

Larry can do about 50.
Then we all headed over to Koreatown for a little singing.

Just like old times we brought our own booze ...

... and just like old times we got yelled at.

It was fun.

You're a great friend but if the zombies chase us, I'm tripping you

2011-02-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is ready for a zombie attack.

Are you?

If Only

2011-02-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

Photo: Dedon Collections

I really, really, really, really want one of these.

Pretty Litttle Box BOX

2011-02-03T00:13:00.000-05:00

Isn't my lunchbox pretty?

You'll have to go to Hawaii if you want to same same with me,

or you could just make me jealous and buy this one.

RIP Stillepost

2011-01-24T16:16:00.002-05:00

What does a girl wear to a funeral for a website?

I worried for a moment or two, but then I decided arm candy was the answer.

Stillepost was once the internet home for concert listings and strangely wonderful discussion boards that connected a bunch of interesting characters from across the country. It was run by volunteers and survived
purely through user donations,

until it died.

Facebook and Twitter were its Brutus.

Some people didn't take the news so well.

And then we ate because emotional eating isn't always a terrible thing.

Note: Beware the hot sauces at the Drake. They are slightly deadly.

Lhasa

2011-01-24T00:48:00.005-05:00

By day they are my best good friends.

But at night,

I had to push past the tall kids so I could get a better look.

Their dreamy songs entranced us all.

And now you can enjoy them too.

They’ve just put together their first album, and it’s kind of amazing.

You can buy it here, and buy it you should.

The Ruby special?

"Throughout"

Je Veux Tout

2011-01-14T19:04:00.003-05:00

3 2 1

2011-01-11T21:25:00.003-05:00

Make sure all your friends can find the party ...

... and that you wear something pretty.

Always keep something strong in hand ...

and find someone special to sit beside because in

3...

2 ....

1 .....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Handmade with Love

2011-01-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

Although I only met this lady once, and it was quite a while ago and very far away

she still managed to make me one of

the best Christmas

presents.

EVER.

Thank you Ms. Klarika

The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches. - ee cummings

2011-01-10T16:05:00.001-05:00

I think the Korean is getting a handle on this winter thing.

To Eat a Home

2011-01-06T15:44:00.001-05:00

Remember how much fun making a gingerbread house was when you were young? The delicate balance of challenging building laws by affixing more candy than structurally possible to the house all the while quickly stuffing your face with icing and sweets the second your mom looked away. I remember one spectacular year my mom attempted a grand gingerbread home complete with detailed wood panelling. About half way into the construction she had already uttered all the swear words I knew, and then some I was happy to discover, only to realize that her measurements were off and that half the panelling was only visible from the inside, while the other less than perfect half would be visible, but backwards.

Why then, did I think I could handle such an endeavour this year?

At first it all went well.

To hell with fancy details.

Make dough.

Chill.

Cut dough.

Bake.

Assemble.

fuck.

Mom: I told you so.

With the Snow Up to Here

2011-01-02T14:40:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas.
The sentiment may come late, but it is nevertheless wished in all sincerity.
Country roads took me out of the city and back to the county

for Christmas with the family, and a special guest.

...who found himself in the middle of a National Lampon’s

moment almost immediately upon arrival.

Snow this is Sol.
Sol, meet snow.

The Cake

2010-12-28T19:26:00.001-05:00

I love my family.

You love your family

We all love our families,

but sometimes,

sometimes that mostly fall around the holidays when you have to spend a few too many days under the same roof as your whole family you come to truly understand and embrace one of the fundamentals of the holidays … cocktails.

But what to do when you need the sustenance that cocktails cannot provide? Sure there is eggnog, but who wants to sit next to that old guy that has been drinking eggnog all day? When cocktails no longer pack enough of a punch to warm you up after a long walk outside and the ensuing slightly louder than is polite raised voices that greet you when you walk in the door, I offer you this as a form of comfort.

Whiskey & Chocolate & Cake.

It takes a bit of work ... but consider that at the end of the day you

get to indulge in whiskey & chocolate & cake.

All together.

All at once.

All delicious.

The Cake.

Recipe care of Orangette

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

¼ cup instant espresso powder

(We didn't have any, I just used coffee instead. It was delicious)

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup bourbon, rye, or other whiskey, plus more for sprinkling

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking soda

Confectioners’ sugar, for a snowy finish

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). In a heatproof bowl set over – but not touching – a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate until just smooth, stirring occasionally. Let cool.

Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Stir until the powders dissolve. Add the whiskey and salt. Let cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with the whiskey mixture. It may seem like there is too much liquid, but don’t worry; it’s okay. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a Bundt pan.

(Loaf pans will take less time; start checking them after 55 minutes.)

Transfer the cake, still in its pan, to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. (I did this by pouring a little bit into a teaspoon, and then shaking the teaspoon over the cake. I’m guessing that I used 3 teaspoons’ worth in all.) Cool completely before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar, if you like.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

kamsahamnida youtube

2010-12-28T01:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the internet is the greatest best friend you can have.

It hides little gems on youtube and dares you to find them.

As far as Korean movies go - make sure you've seen Old Boy.

Next ... watch this.

Thank you Youtube.

Videos!

2010-12-17T12:33:00.004-05:00

"Better Together" for Match.com from FriendsWithYou on Vimeo.

Un tour de Manège from Les Manèges on Vimeo.

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

I wish I had found all these videos on my own, aren't they wonderful?

Swedish isn't the easiest language to understand, but you can use online translators to understand what she is saying if you like .... but I don't.

I just like the pictures and the videos.

Here is her website.

A Lady ...

2010-12-14T23:55:00.001-05:00

When it is cold outside,

a lady should always have something warm and strong on hand for her guests.

After a little mulled wine,

she prepares for the party ...

... where she listens to the boys,

and always has something interesting to say.

Drinking the boys under the table, I'd say that's also in the description.

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

2010-12-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

Don’t you hate fickle friends?

I was so excited when we met, I thought we were destined to

go on long walks, and share adventures together, but you had other ideas.

I thought we were having fun.

Didn’t you like the carriage ride through the old city?

You and Winston were pretty cosy,
or perhaps you were just jealous of my other film camera.

I will miss you camera.

Churchill & Trudeau - Québec City

2010-12-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about airplanes is that regardless of how miserable and grey

it is on the ground...

...once you are up in the sky everything is bright again, and you’re
reunited with the sun.

My mom and I went on a quick little trip to Quebec City for a few days. It’s a good thing she was sitting beside me because small airplanes can be awfully bumpy, and who better to calm you down than your mom?

Touchdown in la belle province, and we walked right into snowflakes.

We ate at our favourite restaurant...

twice.

(Isnt' my mom the cutest?)

And cocktails at the Chateau ...

This is the Trudeau Martini.

It was good, but not quite as good as the Churchill Martini.

Wiston & I both share a certain affection for a little gin with our scotch.

(That photo is on my mom's camera)

The next day I made a new friend.

... but you'll have to wait a few more days to see what she saw.

Hopefully you are more patient than I.

Une belle histoire - Coeur de pirate

2010-12-06T22:36:00.002-05:00

Je viens juste de retourner d'une toute petite voyage à la ville de Québec avec ma mère.
C'était très belle, et je m'excuse Toronto. Je pense que j'ai rapporter la neige avec moi.

Translation: I just returned from a little trip to Québec City with my mom. It was quite nice. Apologies to Toronto, I'm pretty sure I brought the snow back with me.

Second Time Around

2010-12-04T11:08:00.001-05:00

It started with a little bacon, booze...

... and boobs!

Followed by a tower ....

... and then a few delicious things ...

... and then it was time to go.

j'm'en vais

2010-12-01T02:25:00.000-05:00

YYZ to YQB tomorrow.

Hopefully it's not too cold over there.

bring all that I love.

2010-11-30T22:03:00.001-05:00

Come on the next boat.

Pack a suitcase of paper.

Bring your own hands and bike, rain pants.

Bring a long novel,

bring all that I love.

- K.I. Press

Someone came for a visit, and it was very nice.

candy is dandy

2010-11-30T02:14:00.003-05:00

I am not known for having docile notions towards winter.We've had our differences.

In general the whole “let’s smile through six months of dark and cold and look to our crappy Tim Hortons coffee cups for nostalgic thoughts of winter” doesn’t sit well with me, especially considering there are places like Hawaii and Fiji in this world where people never need trouble themselves with proper winter boots. All this cold is enough to make me turn my nose up at Mother Nature and only address her with expletives, but no, I am Canadian, and that is not the polite thing to do. So we trudge on. We hide our curves and cute sweater dresses under big bulky jackets, or flirt with messy hair thanks to our favourite toques. Well, if Mother Nature isn’t going to help us out, we need something to cheer us up. Enter the Drake Hotel`s breakfast cocktail.

Lemonade + Maple Syrup + Jack Daniels
Throw in your pretty Korean for good measure, and Mother Nature won`t know what hit her.
Also, apologies about the quality of these photos. Drinking breakfast cocktails might be to blame,
but I doubt it.

while I was walking

2010-11-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

She put the miss in misdemeanor when she stole the beans from Lima

2010-11-25T12:09:00.001-05:00

Well she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina,

She's a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize,

She'll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China,

Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

We never did find that thieving wench, but we had a great time.

Thanks Improv in Toronto.

Btw - Part of the fun was getting a stranger to write words of wisdom on your arm.
I asked an older woman to help me out and she wrote "love, grace, mercy" on my wrist.
I may have to get a tattoo.
Sorry mom.

Better Off Red

2010-11-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

Blue, red, green, and yellow stripes on a white background.
It’s pure Canada, and one of our oldest logos.
The Hudson Bay Company also knows a thing or two about window displays …

Redheads make everything look better.

Here, There, and Most Everywhere

2010-11-18T15:08:00.001-05:00

A quick recap.
I left this.

For a nice day in Portland with this lady.

Then I packed my bag and headed to the airport nice and early only to learn after a few hours that my flight had been cancelled. Instead of flying this way and that with too many layovers I opted for a flight the next day, which worked out just fine because I got to drink a few more Stumptowns and see an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while.

One photoless day in Vancouver with a great lady
...don't worry, you'll get to see her in a second ....
and I was back in an airport.

A kind stranger with a hometown connection let me share his fancy car home from the airport, because the shuttle was far too expensive.
Seriously Toronto?! 22$?!
The next day after a little rest I made a small feast with the lady ...

... and then there were kitties!!

Look who flew across the country for dinner?

After that I went back to the county for a birthday and some packing ..

My little brother isn't quite so little anymore.

Little brothers make good barbers.

Once he was pretty enough for the city ...

... we set off.

And now, I live in Toronto again.

would you care if I stayed? - Hawaii

2010-11-14T21:42:00.001-05:00

And finally it came.
It always does.
My last day.
I was a little sad, so we had a feast.
Poi, kahlua pork, lau lau, lomi lomi salmon, haupia … they had all things delicious at

Ono Hawaiian Food.

and a little shopping at Bailey's.

One last wander ...

... and a few too many cocktails later ...

(3 weeks in Hawaii.

You'd think she would have a tan by now.)

... and I was pouting at the airport waiting for my airplane ...

You are a little too delicious - Hawaii

2010-11-12T19:20:00.001-05:00

Papaya.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Delicious.

Sometimes the universe is really nice and decides to give you exactly what you want,

when exactly you want it.

It was too hot.

I needed shade, and then I found the garden.

After poking around for a bit I sat and read my book in an old rickety chair. Some time later an older gentleman came through the garden and stopped when he saw me sitting there.
“Well. That’s the best use of the garden I've seen in a long while.”
“Thanks.”
Ten minutes later he came back and gave me a nice bunch of flowering tarragon.

I may have blushed.

When the sun relaxed I set out again.

I was feeling a little hungry.
Apparently Obama likes this place nearby called...

…. and this scary looking bowl is the smaller version of a Hawaiian special, loco moco.
Start with rice at the bottom, add a hamburger patty, some gravy, and finish it off with a fried egg, and maybe if you have red hair and like a little heat you’ll add a few splashes of hot sauce. You know how some really unattractive people end up having the best looking kids? That’s this dish. It doesn’t seem like it should work, but just you try not loving it.

After indulging in such a delicacy a girl must walk ...

... and perhaps shop.

All for a dress

2010-11-10T12:12:00.003-05:00

Dear Mr. Alber Elbaz,

You are so adorable.

We could be such great friends, especially if you were to send a
certain pretty little yellow dress my way.

Ruby

trashy trash trash - Hawaii

2010-11-09T14:24:00.001-05:00

Good bye not so friendly cats.

Good bye Priscilla, you wild boar you.

I could have stayed forever...

... but some boys made leaving a little easier.

It's ok though.

It worked out rather nicely.

I made it back to the city just in time to join these two for some farewell wine on the beach.

... and now to attend to a little unfinished city business ...

Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile

2010-11-08T16:53:00.001-05:00

Sometimes your dreams are meant to expose some sort of dark hidden

subconscious truth, other times..

Well ….

Last night I dreamt I was a music teacher who was about to lead her school team into marching band battle, only thing was, I was late and couldn't catch up to my group because all the different bands were loudly weaving through the streets of New Orleans and there was no way I could push my way through to find my team. I was getting a little flustered that I had to follow such a terrible band when all of a sudden a crazy old dog in a drumming suit pulling an empty wagon ran towards us like a bat out of hell. I’m not quite sure how, but somehow I calmed him down. I held him in my arms, petted him and sang “Only Living Boy in New York“ and we became good friends. As we sat to the side letting all the colourful bands pass us by, my group suddenly came around the corner, and they were all the characters from Community. Yay!
… and then I woke up.

ah!

2010-11-07T23:17:00.000-05:00

This is going to sound terribly pretencious .....

but Nosferatu really is very good.

And there you go.

Your grandma and I are frightened by the same things.

The stars aren't guiding us home - Hawaii

2010-11-07T01:01:00.002-05:00

A swim to start the day ...

.... and then a walk around the market ....

... we'll get a bike for the afternoon ...

... and reward ourselves for peddling up and
down hills with a small indulgence of macadamia pineapple cheesecake ....

... Let's bike the long way home, past the tired sea turtles ...

... until we return home to toast the sunset with our finest cheapest bottle ...

..... and relax on the beach with a midnight picnic ...

Why would anyone ever want to leave?

Fact: Elvis would have loved melona - Hawaii

2010-11-05T00:08:00.001-05:00

Elvis once lived nearby, up at the top of a mountain.

If it was good enough for Elvis,

it was good enough for us to walk up and take a peek.

So up, and up we went ....

Dragonfly, no matter what language you speak, is one of my favourite words.

In French it's libellule, in Korean it's 잠자리 (jamjali).

I'm going to pretend that one of them was stealing a kiss,

and not trying to tear the other to bits.

... and then it was time to go back down.

Look what I found?!

I may have eaten 2 of these a day in the summer while in Korea,

There may have been a few days where the only thing I consumed was Melona.

I may have been the happiest girl in Hawaii when I spotted them at the grocery store.

I can't help falling in love with you - Hawaii

2010-11-03T23:25:00.001-05:00

When you grow up in small towns I think it’s pretty much inevitable that you will forever be drawn to small little places while travelling because they remind you of home. It’s a city mouse / country mouse thing. Also, if you’re a little strange like me it might also be because you’re curious to see if you can spot who it is you would have been had you stayed behind.

Anyway....

My tolerance for the city was up, once you can say "I'm in Waikiki" without making the words sound musical it's about time to go. So I crossed the island for the North Shore.

This became my home ...

... this was my front yard ...

... and a little to the right was my playground, Shark's Cove.

I went snorkling twice a day here and made all kinds of colourful new friends.

Both food trucks were unnecessarily delicious.

The only competition they had in Waimea was a grocery store.

At night there wasn't much to do, except sit on the porch with your new friends and fill the silence while watching the lizards try to pick off the moths.

I think it's pretty easy to see how a girl would extend her plane ticket after one day here.

why don't you sit right down and make me smile? - Hawaii

2010-11-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

The best thing about staying in a hostel is the people you meet. I have been to a fair few around the world and if I met you at a hostel chances are you are awesome, or a slightly crazy old lady, either way you are most likely an entertaining character and I‘m glad I slept on a nearby bunk. I get a little annoyed when I hear people bitching that hostels don’t provide an “authentic” experience because you don’t mingle with the locals. Please, it’s up to you to get out there and say hello to a few strangers and turn them into your friends, but then again, why not bring that sweet Swiss girl with the beautiful blond curls along for the fun? (More about her later).

While in Waikiki I stayed at the Seaside Hostel, you should stay there too.

One of my new friends went to school in Hawaii and was back for a wedding. He had a friend releasing a CD, and I invited myself along. I’m really happy I did. The CD, was nothing too special (sorry) … but he had an old friend from high school come up and play his ukulele.

I am now a big fan of those little things ... and all his lady friends who danced for us.

Where are you? - Hawaii

2010-10-31T23:45:00.002-05:00

In Canada we can’t grow citrus in our backyards, there is just something about our seemingly endless winter that doesn’t agree with sunny oranges, or tart lemons, which is precisely why I get excited when I see one. The first time I saw an orange tree I was 24. I was walking down a back alley in San Francisco when I literally squealed in delight at the sight of big plump oranges dangling from a backyard tree. I’ve calmed down a little since then, and I’ve shifted my focus. In Hawaii I would be on a hunt for an avocado tree. Hawaii grows their own special variety and I wanted to see one of those jade monsters in action.

So after a breakfast fit for a queen ...

... I wandered around neighbourhoods …

... ended up in an arboretum ….

... but the search goes on ...

I can see for pretty miles and pretty miles

2010-10-30T11:40:00.002-05:00

Fall was just beginning to show off her deep rich colours in Oregon, when I packed my suitcase and left her, and her cool days behind to be reunited with my beloved summer in Hawaii.

I began my Hawaiian adventure where any good tourist begins, in Waikiki. The name alone is just too much fun to pass up.

My second day there I followed some new friends up to the top of the Diamond Head crater.

If Jeju is the Hawaii of Korea, and actually I’ll agree to that, then Diamond Head is their …. oh I can't remember the name, but it's the crater beside Udo island. Anyway, the view at the top is a little nicer in Hawaii, but the crater itself is prettier in Korea. I’m just saying.

What is a suitable reward for marching up a big crater and climbing a bunch of stairs? If you’re a big tall guy from South Carolina it’s Vienna sausages for you and your pretty lady friend.

… if you’re me, it’s a shave ice. Coconut and lilikoi (passion fruit) please.

..and maybe a massive bottle of soju for later.

How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

2010-10-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Between crossing a few times zones,

cancelled flights,

jet lag,

and working on finding a new job and apartment,

I'm a little scattered.

Hawaiian photos are coming.

I promise.

Soon.

Sort of.

I'm Going to Eat You Up - Portland Foodcarts

2010-10-26T17:50:00.001-05:00

Oh Portland, you are quite the town.

We’ve had some pretty delicious times together.

I can’t claim to have eaten at all of your adorable little food carts, but I have grown a little plump from a few of your bests.

Korean Twist

SW 10th & Alder
It was my first, and it was love.

Whoever invented the bulgogi taco is a genius.

BBQ Fusion
SW 10th & Alder
Sometimes a girl doesn’t want to eat like a delicate flower,
she wants to bite into something big and messy.

Perierra Crêperie
SE 12th & Hawthorne
They may have mixed up my order and given me a different crepe than I had ordered,
but I think the boy with all the tattoos was looking out for me.
Not only are their crepes delicious, but their milkshakes are just as imaginative.

Potato Champion
SE 12th & Hawthorne
I am not really a poutine lady. I might speak French with a dirty accent, and lived in la belle province, but I’ve never really caught on to the whole poutine racket … and ok, maybe Potato Champion’s gravy was a little on the sweet side, but I am definitely a fries girl & ketchup girl. These boys know how to make fries, and they know how to make sauces. Rosemary truffle ketchup, or tarragon anchovy mayo anyone?

Food Cart Favorites: The Sugar Cube from Portland Monthly on Vimeo.

Sugar Cube
Mississippi & Skidamore
"Boozy yellow cake, infused with copious amounts of brandy, a hint of orange zest and then dipped in sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache. This little gem comes with a coke straw and a Colombian sugar bump."
She describes it better than I could.

Then again ...
sometimes it's nice to just stay home and have someone make you something delicious.

Go, stay, Go

2010-10-25T03:19:00.000-05:00

Bad luck - My flight out of Portland getting cancelled this morning.

Good Luck - Having an extra day to spend sipping Stumptown americanos, wandering around record stores, browsing through Powell's, walking over bridges in the rain, and seeing old friends.

Hawaii ..... soon ....

Pass the Sunscreen

2010-10-05T03:44:00.002-05:00

Hi.

Please don't hate me, but I'm going to Hawaii.
It's only for two weeks.

I leave in the morning.

I'll miss you too.

Ruby

meow

2010-10-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

I am not a cat lady.

I can't be a cat lady.

They make me itch.

Even if I take the tiny pink pills,

unsightly little red bumps will follow if we cuddle on the couch ...

"meow"

"I'm sorry Meatball, but you can't come in my room."

"Meow"

"Meatball it's 5am, please be quiet. You're going to wake the others."

"MEow"

"No"

MEOW

"Meatball, stop following me."

"Meow"

"Please go home, I have to cross the street."

"MEOW"

ok ... maybe I'm going to miss this little Korean mess of a cat.

kiss me for a while, and hide it in your smile

2010-10-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

I saw two bands the other night..

and

They were both wonderful, so I bought their CDs ....
and then I remembered why it is so great to buy a CD ...
lyrics in the liners.

My love was swallowed by a whale.
We danced a waltz inside his tail

Oh, oh, with chandeliers and candle light

the ocean sparkled in the night

But it's easy I believe what I was seeing,
in my head I wasn't dreaming, when my fingers started singing.
Can you see me singing?
-Ferraby Lionheart

some ruby with your french toast?

2010-10-02T15:17:00.002-05:00

Something came in the mail ...

The last time I was in New Orleans, beautiful, seductive, dirty New Orleans I met Becky.
She draws really wonderful comics.
Guess who is running around taking pictures and causing hell in a dress?

The great freckle debate

2010-09-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

I was walking down the street the other day and I overheard two guys talking ....

Bro 1 : "She was hot man!"
Bro 2 : "Yeah, but I can't get past the freckles."

To him I say ....

If my coffee wasn't so delicious I would have shared it with your shirt.