Mon (Notre) Beau Sapin!

On Saturday Tory and I went to the Atwater market and procured a beautiful five-foot fir tree because we were both in need of some Christmas spirt to see us through December.

We brought it home on the bus, which was not as difficult as it sounds.

This afternoon we dusted off the decorations and decked the tree out in blue, silver, gold, and not-quite-enough aubergine.

A beautiful (lonely) not-bright-violet ornament.

Apparently aubergine is out and the purple of the year is violet which will not do. It turned out well, anyway.

A full view of the tree.

A bit of a snowflake theme emerged, which
we picked up in the ribbon we got for a garland.

I love these disco-ball ornaments we got at dollarama. They add just
enough of a playful bling.

Not bad for a dollar store star.

The Nature of Glitter Revealed

Glitter is like a vampire...
Once you invite it into your home, you're at its mercy.

Exhibit A: I bought glitter for a craft party in early December. Now, six months later, my dirt piles from sweeping still sparkle.

Urban Herb Garden

I love cooking with fresh herbs.

Unfortunately, herbs at the grocery store are $1.99 for a handful of leaves that are going to be dead in a couple of days. Since Anna and I don't like paying for food we won't eat, and I don't like basil enough to eat it all week with every meal, we decided that we would try growing some herbs at home to harvest when we want to spice up our meals.

Today, I went to Jean Talon market to pick up the herbs, and then jaunted down to chinatown to buy pretty and cheap containers for them. Now we have chives, basil, and mint planted in lovely china dishes. Not only do they smell fabulous, I am betting that they will taste delicious too.

The potting process itself was pretty painless and occurred in the kitchen sink. As a child of the suburbs, I'm used to gardening on the lawn or deck. In the absence of outdoor space, the kitchen sink works very well. It just feels weird stashing the extra potting soil in the pantry. What do people do without garages and sheds?

When the extra rent of a nice building is worth it (an illustrated guide)

(1) When a large fissure in your ceiling forms and starts to leak water into the hall.

(2) When enough water drips from said fissure to fill your largest mixing bowl.

(3) When the damage spreads to your roommate's bedroom wall, the bathroom ceiling, and the living room ceiling.

(4) And when a large portion of the wall experiences separation anxiety.

The maintenance people were super-prompt, and have been really polite and great about fixing everything. The upstairs neighbours... not so much.

And (5) They're putting in a gym. That we can use for *free*. Hurray!