Finally! A Re-purpose worthy of last year's Christmas cards!

It all started with a little plan I had for a little get-together. The setting: my (landlords') back garden. The character: originally Mexican-themed, with tortilla chips, guacamole, and salsa complementing summery margaritas. The change: Instead of margaritas, the event is now planned around peaches.

Peaches, which have become my most favorite fruit in the world. Grocery store peaches, given time to ripen, are delightful, but already ripe peaches from the farmer's market are just about heavenly. I think Ontario must be a better region for them than Virginia, since I don't remember them ever tasting this good back home.

So, since the star of the show is now a little more sophisticated, I decided to edit the invitations, as well. Requiring, at first, fancy stationary. Circumstances, however, have prevented my purchasing fancy stationary. Luckily, in a hunt for already-owned fancy stationary (unsuccessful), I found just enough old Christmas cards to use instead. The second ingredient: Last year, I bought certain antique magazine pages on Etsy (gotta love that site), and haven't found an appropriate purpose for them.

The equation, then, is this: Last year's Christmas cards, plus an antique magazine page with marvelous images of hats and dresses and art nouveau flowers and vines, plus scissors and glue, equals home made cards! Sort of.

Anyway, I love the results (pictures up here as soon as I develop my latest film role, a la 2000), and am utterly chuffed that I found a way to re-purpose two un-purposed items just sitting around my apartment!

Historical Architecture in the Colonial Period - A Book Review

Where We Lived: Discovering the Places We Once Called Home by Jack Larkin

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


A fascinating picture of early houses and their regional characteristics. I've frequently been surprised by how humble the more common varieties were. Unfortunately, many of the houses mentioned in the text are unaccompanied by photographs, plans, or other images. The photographs that are included are invaluable to understand what these houses looked like, when a reader does not have the background to understand terminology such as "gables" and .

I would be interested to know how the American Indians fit into the landscape of early housing and architecture. Descriptions of slavery and slave quarters interesting - especially to note the careful line trod by the author when discussing the varying quality of slave quarters. I would also have enjoyed learning more about the distinctions between early English-style houses and other European styles.

Some of the photographs do not seem to be located on the most relevant pages - some photos of churches are placed on pages that discuss houses, instead of on those that discuss churches.

Overall this book was incredibly interesting and a very good resource for a beginner to learn about early colonial architecture. The images are fascinating and essential. The language was very accessible, though occasionally overly simplified. The quotes from travelers are well-integrated. I found them to be some of the most interesting sections in the book. Primary sources are invaluable in understanding "how things were." Furthermore, the author provides backgrounds, assumptions, and biases for the sources.

Hot Yam! That Gazpacho Was Good!

Yesterday I finally left my apartment to see people, after several days of limiting my experiences to my apartment, my friend's Netflix account (I've recently become hooked on MI-5, known in the UK by its more appealing title, Spooks), the library, and of course, the grocery store.

I meant to get up early, as I always mean to, but when I finally dragged my lazy self out of bed, I had just enough time to get ready for lunch, at the Hot Yam "lunch party" on campus, which operates every Thursday around (you guessed it!) lunchtime. For $4 guests receive an intimidatingly full plate of all-vegan lunch. Sadly, having had breakfast less than two hours before I got there, I didn't have the appetite to do justice to all that food. However, I really did enjoy the gazpacho. A perfect, very well-done complement to a hot, humid afternoon, indeed. We sat on the lawn in front of the building to eat, fending off ants and other small, many-legged critters while catching up on each others' exciting (or not-so-exciting, in my case) summers.

Today, it's back to work, this time drafting a proposal for the student conference.

In other news, it turns out that too many silly people voted for The Tourist at next week's Harbourfront Center Free Flick, so I won't be attending - instead, I'm scrounging around trying to find a place to watch Cairo Time, and in a last-ditch effort to see it sometime in the near future, will no doubt eventually put a "Cairo Time" post-it note on my computer monitor.

Amal, Outdoor Movies, and Lakeside Breezes

I went to the Harbourfront Centre again tonight, this time to see a free movie! The sun was beginning to set as I got there, and the breezes off the lake felt wonderful. There were a few sailboats and canoes out on the water, and the ubiquitous ducks (I hate ducks. Ask me to tell that story another time, though). The islands looked beautiful. Just before the film started, the sun set, with puffy pink and blue clouds hanging over the water.

There are two weeks left - free showings at the WestJet stage, on Tuesdays at 9pm (sundown). The emcee was loquacious, but in the end he did get to presenting the movie.

Next week: Lost in Translation
August 9: Audience Choice (Vote for Cairo Time!!)

Tonight's movie was called Amal. It's a film I'd never heard about until I watched the trailer before deciding to go out tonight. The film is a bittersweet (mostly sweet) story about a poor autorickshaw driver, content with his life, and always looking out for others. He unknowingly gets offered a windfall - an inheritance from one of his customers. The plot follows the customer's lawyers as they try to find the main character, and of the family members as they try to prevent the Will from being realized. The film is about the main character, but New Delhi also plays a role, as he drives his rickshaw around the city. The ending is perfect. I repeat, perfect. It could not end better.

I love this film. I'm no critic, but I highly recommend it. Go see it. Do.

Rooftop Garden at UofT

Once more, blogTO.com has delightful news. This time, it's about a student-run rooftop garden at the university. They even have a beehive on the roof to polinate the plants!

Even better, they give tours:

Interested in visiting the Sky Garden? Bi-monthly tours start at 5:00 p.m. in the main lobby of the Galbraith Building located at 35 St. George Street. RSVP to urbanagriculturesociety@gmail.com to reserve your spot or view the tour schedule here.

Click this post's subject link for the full article.