tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1 2008-08-21T15:42:58Z Movable Type 3.31 tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.177 2008-08-21T15:34:31Z 2008-08-21T15:42:58Z

London, Ontario, has banned bottled water sales on city owned property. It's limited to places that have other sources of water (fountains) and thus, at first blush, seems like a grand idea. People will still be able to get water,...

London, Ontario, has banned bottled water sales on city owned property. It's limited to places that have other sources of water (fountains) and thus, at first blush, seems like a grand idea. People will still be able to get water, and they won't have to pay for it, and it won't come in a bunch of waste plastic. A second thought, though, reveals the unmitigated dumb of it. Water fountains? That's the alternative? Water fountains can't be taken to your seat. Water fountains don't give you 500ml of water at a time. Water fountains aren't particularly hygienic given the way people tend to use them. The water in water fountains is very often nasty and warm. If I'm buying lunch and I can't buy a bottle of water, I'm not going to think 'well, let me run off and find a water fountain that I may or may not actually be willing to drink out of once I see it', I'm going to buy a diet coke. The end result of banning bottled water sales isn't going to be less plastic, it's going to be more caffeine, and, since most people don't drink diet coke, more calories. ]]> tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.176 2008-08-01T04:25:00Z 2008-08-01T04:51:10Z

A Chow Pick entry reminded me of another food 'moment' that I remember with fondness. I was flying home for the holidays and it was a hell of connecting flights (as it always was in the early days of WestJet)...

Chow Pick entry reminded me of another food 'moment' that I remember with fondness. I was flying home for the holidays and it was a hell of connecting flights (as it always was in the early days of WestJet) and weather and staffing delays (as it usually is at Christmas), and after being on planes and in airports all day, I wasn't going to make it home. They were offering two choices -- I could overnight in Calgary and catch a 6am home the next morning, or I could fly on to Vancouver that night, overnight there, and catch an 8am flight home. Since I was already exhausted, not to mention starving as I'd eaten nothing but snack packs of nuts for about 12 hours, and kind of upset since I'd planned to be home that day, I opted to stay in Calgary. Another flight that night I didn't need, and while a 6AM airport run wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, at that point, I didn't care. Plus, 6AM in Calgary is 8AM in Toronto, so it wasn't quite as early as it sounded. The airline agreed to put me up in a hotel as a distressed passenger, and distressed was surely the right word for it. I was on the edge of tears as I gathered my luggage and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hilton Garden Inn. As I got into the shuttle, the driver turned to me with a friendly smile, and asked me if I'd like a chocolate chip cookie. If you'd asked me a minute before what I wanted most in the world, I probably would have said sleep, but as it turns out, no. Chocolate chip cookie was definitely the answer. Still warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. He could have offered me a million dollars instead, and I think I'd have taken the cookie. The Hilton Garden Inn did several other wonderful things that night that helped make one distressed passenger a whole lot less distressed (including keeping their restaurant open late to serve one last cover) but the thing I remember most is the chocolate cookie. I don't think I've ever cried over food before or since. ]]> tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.175 2008-06-24T05:47:56Z 2008-06-24T05:54:03Z

So, despite my request, someone asked me to explain Hag Days. I'm going to try, but I think it's possible that Hag Days might actually be inexplicable. Hag Days was an annual event in Bear Lake, and it was a...

So, despite my request, someone asked me to explain Hag Days. I'm going to try, but I think it's possible that Hag Days might actually be inexplicable. Hag Days was an annual event in Bear Lake, and it was a strange town festival, the sort of thing you might have expected to see in Stars Hollow, except so totally politically incorrect that it couldn't possibly have happened in Stars Hollow. The core of Hag Days was a competition amongst teams. They all wore funny costumes, and one particular person per team would be 'The Hag' -- dressed in the funniest, ugliest, batty old lady costume. Teams would participate in a variety of vaguely embarrassing, quasi-sexual, semi-athletic events and at the end of the day, one of the teams would win. For certain values of win that include 'managed to humiliate themselves faster and better than all the other teams'. For non-competing people, there'd often be a children's fun fair, a potluck dinner or a pancake breakfast, and the general joy of watching people humiliate themselves in public. It was like a Japanese game show crossed with a Fourth of July picnic. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.174 2008-06-18T04:55:45Z 2008-06-18T05:08:00Z

I mentioned the top 5 best things I've ever eaten, now not necessarily the best foods I've eaten, but some fun food related moments and my favorite food anecdotes. In no particular order: Kitchen Table Tasting Menu at Colborne Lane....

I mentioned the top 5 best things I've ever eaten, now not necessarily the best foods I've eaten, but some fun food related moments and my favorite food anecdotes. In no particular order: Kitchen Table Tasting Menu at Colborne Lane. Yes, this also made the top 5 food list, but it was more than just one truly mind blowing bit of cod. Even though not every dish was fantastic, the evening was. A mix of great, foodie friends, really excellent service, fine food and jokes about the women at the top of the stairs made this a perfect birthday. Some random chocolate shop in Queens. We were on our way from one place to another place when Jim decided that we needed to try this chocolate shop he loved. He called them, and they weren't open, but since they were in the shop making chocolates anyway, they opened up. They had no idea who we were, just random people who wanted to try the chocolates. In we went, ducking under the metal gates and bought out chocolates and went on our way. The Bear Lake Hag Days (I'm not even going to try to explain Hag Days. I don't think I could do it justice.) when I won 5 cakes in the cake walk. My mother was appalled. But we had a freezer full of cakey goodness for months! Jamie, Linda, Louise and I, residents of the celebrity dorm room at Twangfest 9, were driving back from Twangpin when we passed the St. Louis Penzey's. 'Oh my god! Penzey's!' Jamie, Linda and I shouted in unison, as Jamie slammed on the brakes. 'What's a Penzey?' Louise (who is British, and can't be expected to know these things) asked, amidst the whiplash. We stopped and introduced her to one of the great spice stores ever. The SF chowhound picnic was a real highlight of my year last year. Dozens of hungry hounds all chowing down on the best of the best that each of them could come up with. And after an entire afternoon of nibbling and noshing, we followed that up with a post-picnic dinner. But because we had time to kill between the picnic and dinner, we inserted a pre-post-picnic-dinner dinner. SF chowhounds really know how to work meals into their day. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.173 2008-06-03T04:25:19Z 2008-06-03T04:37:03Z

I've been trying to make a mental list of the top five most delicious things I've ever eaten. It's a tough call since, of course, I've eaten a whole lot of very delicious things. I've also eaten a lot of...

I've been trying to make a mental list of the top five most delicious things I've ever eaten. It's a tough call since, of course, I've eaten a whole lot of very delicious things. I've also eaten a lot of very mediocre things that kind of all run together. In no particular order, I would choose the following: Miso Black Cod at Colborne Lane. I was there for the kitchen table tasting, and this was approximately dish 6 out of 15 very interesting dishes. It was without a doubt the standout. It was perfectly cooked, lightly sweet and totally wonderful. Ricotta, spices and honey at the home of a friend. The ricotta was bought fresh on Arthur Avenue in New York city, and topped with a bit of fleur de sel and herbs de provence and some single origin honey. Despite the fancy description, it was relatively basic food, but so much subtlety in the flavor really set it apart. Fresh pineapple, Maui. We had some really fantastic fresh pineapple in Dominica, but the stuff in Hawaii was even better. So fresh, so juicy, so sweet. Grilled pineapple, Red Violin. Apparently I really like pineapple. They lightly grill it with cinnamon and sugar, so the juices are really flowing. It gets just a little bit caramelized on the outside, as well. Nutella on crusty buns, my Oma's house. This was a childhood favorite, before you could commonly get Nutella in North America. When we'd visit her in Germany, we'd go in the morning for fresh crusty buns from the nearby bakery, and then slather the still warm buns with runny, melty, chocolatey goodness. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.172 2008-03-31T18:02:02Z 2008-03-31T18:02:39Z

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Dear DJs, Music Directors, Station Manager, Receptionist and anyone else who works at Country 95.3 and could, at any point, have said 'Hey, that's a stupid idea!' but didn't. I can understand the attraction of a feature called 'Legends of...

Dear DJs, Music Directors, Station Manager, Receptionist and anyone else who works at Country 95.3 and could, at any point, have said 'Hey, that's a stupid idea!' but didn't. I can understand the attraction of a feature called 'Legends of Country Music'. You get to tell a neat story about an artist. You get to play a catalogue track without anyone complaining that it's old, since that's the point. You get to mention Country95.3 an average of 95.3 times during the intro. You get to record the intros in advance so you get something that sounds like a live DJ while your actual DJ is getting a blowjob from the nearest indy promoter. All very good reasons for introducing such a feature. But really, Kenny Chesney? Classicly, Me tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.170 2008-02-13T20:45:10Z 2008-02-13T20:47:07Z

If someone leaves a voicemail or answering machine message which is very clearly a wrong number. Do you call them back: A) Most of the time -- I want them to know their call didn't reach the right person. B)...

If someone leaves a voicemail or answering machine message which is very clearly a wrong number. Do you call them back: A) Most of the time -- I want them to know their call didn't reach the right person. B) If it sounded really important, like they thought they were leaving a message for their doctor or something. C) Never -- it's not my problem they can't dial. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2008:/mt/mt-static//1.169 2008-01-10T05:40:56Z 2008-01-10T05:49:35Z

That's right, my building doesn't even exist yet, but already, we have condo board meetings. Or, actually, what we have are co-op meetings, even though the building will be a condo, not a co-op, since it's being built on behalf...

That's right, my building doesn't even exist yet, but already, we have condo board meetings. Or, actually, what we have are co-op meetings, even though the building will be a condo, not a co-op, since it's being built on behalf of a co-op of the owners who will then sell the units to the individual owners at the time of the incorporation of the condo. Makes perfect sense, no? I'm amused to find that I seem to have pre-emptively co-founded a stitch n' bitch group at the building which, I once again note, does not actually exist. I walked into the meeting and saw someone else knitting so I asked her if that was the knitting section of the room. She laughed and said yes. A few minutes later someone else came in and sat with us and pulled out her knitting. Now the three of us have all traded email addresses and guild information. It sounds like construction has, not surprisingly, been pushed back a few months. I could've guessed that by the fact that they haven't yet knocked down the old building. On the other hand, the occupancy order has been altered, because they're going to start the phase 2 building first, and then occupy the two buildings simultaneously. This means that despite construction being pushed back 3 months, I will, if things go to plan (ha!) probably get into my unit earlier than previously expected since I'll have one of the earliest occupancy dates -- probably in the second month out of 10 months of occupancy dates. It never occurred to me, but apparently one of the biggest reasons why it takes so long to occupy a building is not, you know, waiting for it to be finished, but that once it is finished, you can only move a few units in a day because of a lack of elevators. The things you learn! tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.167 2007-11-14T22:17:58Z 2007-11-14T22:20:33Z

Someone once gave me some very useful advice that I was reminded of earlier today. I was freaking out over some bureaucratic snafu that I couldn't immediately resolve. I think it had to do with my driver's license. He said,...

Someone once gave me some very useful advice that I was reminded of earlier today. I was freaking out over some bureaucratic snafu that I couldn't immediately resolve. I think it had to do with my driver's license. He said, "Imagine for a moment, a world in which this has happened before." And I replied, "What, are you kidding? Of course this has happened before." And he, sage man that he was, said, "Exactly." tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.166 2007-10-20T15:30:21Z 2007-10-20T15:32:54Z

The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary Mary Eaton 1823 CANCER. It is asserted by a French practitioner, that this cruel disorder may be cured in three days, by the following simple application, without any surgical operation whatever. Knead...

The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary Mary Eaton 1823 CANCER. It is asserted by a French practitioner, that this cruel disorder may be cured in three days, by the following simple application, without any surgical operation whatever. Knead a piece of dough about the size of a pullet's egg, with the same quantity of hog's lard, the older the better; and when they are thorougly[**sic] blended, so as to form a kind of salve, spread it on a piece of white leather, and apply it to the part affected. This, if it do no good, is perfectly harmless.--A plaster for an eating cancer may be made as follows. File up some old brass, and mix a spoonful of it with mutton suet. Lay the plaster on the cancer, and let it remain till the cure is effected. Several persons have derived great benefit from this application, and it has seldom been known to fail. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.165 2007-08-01T12:54:14Z 2007-08-01T15:35:39Z

I realize that condo construction isn't really a web sort of business. It's fundamentally brick-and-mortar in a way that few businesses are. At the same time, developers are building websites for their developments, so they obviously see some value there....

Sophia Condos, actually have less info on their website than in their print ads. Less! Nowhere on the web page does it even say *where* the development is going to be. But they do have that lovely flash intro of kaleidoscoping vaguely European things, so I guess that makes up for not having the slightest idea where I'd end up living if I bought a condo there. A map to the sales center, when the sales center is not on the actual build site is not an acceptable substitute for location information, Plaza Royale. Pricing information is rare as hell, which is sort of to be expected. They want you to keep in mind that 'suites from $189K' advertised price instead of the reality that anything larger than your couch is actually closer to $300K. But would it be so hard for more sites to have floor plans available? Preferably on a page that doesn't require individually clicking on each cutesy suite name to load the corresponding painfully slow PDF file? Here's another fun idea--how about some idea where the complex is in the development process? It'd sure be helpful to have an idea whether prospective move-ins were this year, next year or in 2027 when they finally sell enough of those damned units to start construction, no? I don't need firm dates, but some ballpark figure would be nice. I know they have them, because if you find newspaper or condo mag articles on the developments, they'll list them there. So why not on the website? ]]> tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.164 2007-08-01T00:41:50Z 2007-08-01T02:15:49Z

A ridiculously large amount of time and web real estate is spent lovingly displaying artist's renderings of the inevitable marble and chrome detailed lobbies with 20 foot ceilings. And then you get half hearted line drawings of the layouts of...

A ridiculously large amount of time and web real estate is spent lovingly displaying artist's renderings of the inevitable marble and chrome detailed lobbies with 20 foot ceilings. And then you get half hearted line drawings of the layouts of the actual suites with minimal information about them beyond the square footage. Given that I'm interested in buying a place to live, and not a place to hang out and chat with the equally inevitable 24 hour 'concierge' (by which they mean an underpaid, unqualified security guard in a black turtleneck), I fail to see the attraction of these mammoth lobbies. No one hangs out in the lobby of their condo building. Sure, it might impress your guests for about 2 seconds before they hop on the elevator, but they're pretty likely to notice that while your lobby has leather furniture and 20 foot ceilings and marble walls, your actual condo has IKEA, claustrophobia and scratches in duralex semi-gloss because you're paying maintenance on a lobby you never even see (since you enter via the parking garage) instead of using that money for something you might actually enjoy. tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.163 2007-07-31T17:37:34Z 2007-07-31T17:41:40Z

The brochures for the Canadian Sewing and Needlework Festival (now called something dorky that I refuse to acknowledge) have arrived! The current iteration of my planning spreadsheet. Events are colour coded as sewing / knitting / feature presentation. Choices are...

Canadian Sewing and Needlework Festival (now called something dorky that I refuse to acknowledge) have arrived! The current iteration of my planning spreadsheet. Events are colour coded as sewing / knitting / feature presentation. Choices are in order of preference from top to bottom. I have 27 class hours to schedule, so I won't get something in all those timeslots unless I add another day's worth of classes. ]]> tag:www.jacquilynne.com,2007:/mt/mt-static//1.161 2007-04-02T05:01:00Z 2007-04-01T23:37:02Z

Based on a conversation I had with SadieKate, I present today's semi-philosophical question of the day. Would you rather die: a) from something that was your fault (in an avalanche while skiing off-piste, or such) b) from something that was...

Based on a conversation I had with SadieKate, I present today's semi-philosophical question of the day. Would you rather die: a) from something that was your fault (in an avalanche while skiing off-piste, or such) b) from something that was totally not your fault (say, having the roof of a tunnel crash down on your head whilst driving through it)