Being Erica — watch it!

CBC, while strong on news and current affairs, isn't known for its TV dramas past or present. Although I've never watched Sophie, Heartland, or Wild Roses, the ads tell me all I need to know—that I won't take kindly to a perky real estate agent or brooding Albertans with scandalous oil-related secrets. 

But CBC has, surprisingly, done something right with a non-news program. Being Erica also has some annoying commercials, but it's a great show — solid acting (the lead, Erin Karpluk, is really, really good), an intriguing premise (time travel without the space-time continuum issues), and sweeping shots of summery Toronto. In fact, one of my favourite parts of watching it is trying to identify what neighbourhood and/or building Erica is in. So far, she's touched down on the walkway in Yorkville, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto Island, and the architecturally amazing house of artist Charles Pachter (located on the street behind mine). Her apartment is in a beautiful old building on Palmerston, which I used to walk by lots when I lived in Little Italy. I miss that 'hood!

My message, in short, is watch this show! It's on Wednesday nights, and you can also watch all the episodes online. If Sophie can be renewed for a second season, then Being Erica...well, it simply has to be. Let me know what you think!

The Buy: Boots, Equestrian-styles

I had an idea awhile back to start a blog about things I bought as a way to gauge my own consumer habits and talk about the reasons behind the purchase. I later found out Mindy Kaling (who plays the hilarious Kelly Kapoor on The Office) writes a blog that does almost just that, but with more biting wit than I could ever hope to have. 

My consumer blog never materialized, but I'm thinking of starting a regular feature in that vein on this blog. Here goes!

Once in awhile I set my sights on finding a perfect item—e.g. black pumps, short peacoat—and I make it my goal to find an affordable version of it. Tired of my frumpy winter boots, I recently decided I wanted some tall flat boots that were somewhat equestrian looking. This desire stemmed from how classy Betty Draper on Mad Men looks when she goes riding. 

I saw several fashionable girls on Queen Street wearing the boots I envisioned I wanted, but when I hit the stores (which, dangerously, I can now do on my lunch hour), all I could find were boots with heels, flaps, strange stitching, and pointy toes. For the most part in fashion, I appreciate things simple and classic, but these items can be the hardest to find in a trend-happy consumer world. 

There's that saying about finding what you're looking for when you're not looking. Sure enough, when I was on my way to buy a snack from the underground market in First Canadian Place, the sale signs in the window of Nine West drew me right in. I was skeptical when I saw rows of boots with ridiculous heels. But then, there they were. Tall, skinny, black flat leather boots with a rounded toe and no weird details—except for a little ruching on the back, which gives them a bit of a Victorian feel that I can appreciate. 

I look like I'm on the way to the stable when I wear them. I love that. 

Why I Don't Watch the Junos...

Nickelback leads the nomination pack with five nods this year. As if hearing their little ditty on the top of the Hockey Night in Canada opening the other night wasn't enough. This does not make me a proud Canadian! 

I know, I know, the Junos are based on record sales like the Grammys, but that model isn't so hot, especially when we have a lot of musical CanCon to be proud of. More Chad Kroeger, Sarah McLachlan, and Hedley? Call me a snob, but I'll pass. And so, I'm sure, will the vast majority of Canadians. 

Cooking Time

It's hard to eat right when you work full-time, something I've re-discovered since being back on the job in the last month. 

Okay, it's not hard like getting up at 6 a.m. to run every morning (who are those people?) or—heaven forbid—getting kids ready for school, but still. Packing a healthy lunch every day and then coming home and making a satisfying dinner and THEN doing dishes can be a challenge. Thankfully, I enjoy cooking a whole lot more than cleaning and my freezer doesn't really work, so I can't succumb to the frozen-dinner trap that many people fall into. Plus, I think I overdid that stuff as a teenager prone to eating pizza pops, sausage rolls, and French onion soup microwaved from frozen (shudder). 

Almost two weeks ago, I went to a lecture by Mark Bittman, my culinary hero, who just came out with a new book called Food Matters. I haven't gotten around to reading the factual part of his the book yet, but a lot of it was summed up in the talk: eat significantly less meat, consume whole grains and fruits and veg, stop relying on packaged/processed foods, learn how to cook, try new things. It's stuff that's almost redundant because of the Michael Pollan/"locavore"/healthy living mentality that's become so popular (for good reason). But Bittman puts a practical spin on it by providing recipes and making suggestions for adjusting your diet. 

I've tried two delicious things so far, an apple cinnamon multi-grain bread pudding and a tweaked traditional caesar salad with a dressing much more acidic than creamy—far superior, in my opinion. Caesar salad has been bastardized just about everywhere. 

Every once in awhile, I need a kick of food inspiration and Bittman comes to the rescue once again. Okay, I promise to stop rhapsodizing, but one last thing. As much as I love going out to eat for lunch or dinner, it does make me satisfied to make what I eat. And it makes me proudly pronounce, "I won't fall for you, sucker" to all those ads for soups named after colours, frozen bagel and cream cheese roll-ups (really?!), and rice pilafs that come served from a "chef" out of a microwave oven. Bah. 

Un-Wasting Space...And a Feel-Good Story

I just read this article in the New York Times about an architect in Hong Kong who re-designed his 344-square-foot apartment (and I thought 500 was crazy small) to have 24 rooms, which he can set up and store away using shifting wall units suspended from steel tracks. The photos kind of give you an idea of how it works, but I really wish there was a video demonstration (I'll let you know if I find one). It sounds amazing!

Also a cool read: this GQ story (by Alan Richman) about an offbeat, unpretentious, and very talented chef named Michael Carlson. Is it just me or could this make an excellent screenplay? Hmmm.

Best. Cookie. Ever.

You know you have a weird pre-occupation with food when you go to a broadway show and you want to write about the cookie you ate at intermission. Not that the show wasn't enjoyable—it was The Sound of Music, and an excellent rendition of one of my favourite childhood movies. Loved the sets and the singing. Oh, to be one of the Von Trapp children...

But back to the cookie. I first read about Circles & Squares bakery on the excellent blog TasteTO.com, where the editor said they made the best cupcakes in the city. I really wanted to check out their Liberty Village location (although I'm still not sure if it's a storefront or just a wholesale/order-type operation), but I also heard they supplied some of the big theatres in the city. I had no luck at the Four Seasons Centre, but the Royal Alex had their food priorities in better order. At intermission, I snatched up a Canadian Rockie cookie and it was, I'm prepared to say, my best cookie experience. Ever.

The ingredients included milk chocolate, oatmeal, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, flax seeds. Nothing artificial. Crumbly with a crunch. Healthy-ish but still indulgent. I had a Starbucks oatmeal raisin cookie on my coffee break today to try and recapture the moment, and I didn't even feel like finishing it. I'm ruined for cookies!

So, although my judgment may not be as highly regarded, I give Circles & Squares a best cookie title to go along with their best cupcake honour. It's a damn good thing I don't live in Liberty Village.  

Putting a Face on Job Loss

More than 100,000 people have lost their jobs in Canada, and more than two million—yeah, two million—more in the United States. 

When hearing numbers like that, it's easy to think about how it's a terrible situation. But, like almost anything, it's not the same when it doesn't hit close to home. From what I've been reading so far, there hasn't been much of a personal perspective put on these job losses. So I was glad to see a piece in the latest New York magazine where seven people from all different industries talk about the day they got laid off and how it changed their lives. There was the guy who was at Citigroup for nine years whose boss told him it was a "reduction in force" as opposed to a layoff, and then there was the online editor whose ribbings from his family ("How's the vacation going?") were starting to really piss him off. For a couple of people, the layoffs were a good thing, a kick in the ass for them to start doing something different with their lives. I loved getting all these perspectives from people who had gone through something I went through a couple of months ago. It's always comforting to feel like you're not alone.

I'm one of the lucky ones—I found a job in my field within a month, and I genuinely like what I'm doing. But getting laid off  from a job I loved left me wounded. For weeks I went through cycles of feeling worthless and direction-less and worried and sad. And it was hard explaining it to people who weren't going through the same thing because I feared sounding pathetic—and I really didn't want that. 

It looks like it's going to be a tough year, and more people will lose their jobs and go through the anxiety of figuring out what to do next and how to pay the bills. I hope I see more stories like this New York one—sure, it's small comfort for those going through the mess of a layoff. But it is a comfort, and it reminds us to feel supportive and thankful and not so alone.