It’s that time of year again, isn’t it? It’s hard to believe this is the third annual NEAROF! gift guide. Every year, it’s getting harder to write this thing, probably because I’ve included all sorts of great stuff in prior […]
Tag: arbitrary
Arbitrary: The return of hot coffee season
Remember when coffee shops sold coffee? If a bump on your noggin prompted the loss of all memory prior to May, you’d be forgiven for thinking that coffee shops sold only pastries, iced coffee, frozen hot chocolate and decaf grande […]
Arbitrary: Why I love my balcony garden
Until moving to Calgary, the closest I came to balcony gardening was the flower bed in front of our old apartment in Edmonton’s Belgravia neighbourhood, which the owners actively encouraged us to plant with veggies and herbs. Try as we […]
Housekeeping: Sick Day
I never get sick. As a lifelong patron of public transit, I have the beefy immune system of an elementary school teacher, a day care worker and a drop-in-clinic doctor combined. And yet here I am, a scratchy-throated, headache-addled, runny-nosed […]
Arbitrary: Newcastle Brown Ale – cans vs. bottles
Newcastle Brown Ale is one of my favourite beers. I love its amazing caramel notes, the crisp carbonation, the mineral profile, the balanced hops, the roasted malt, the light sweetness. On the rare occasions I watch soccer games on TV […]
Arbitrary: Are Madeleines the next big thing?
There’s a lot of money to be made latching onto a sweet-treat trend before it takes off. The surge of gourmet cupcakes hit the mainstream half a decade ago, and, while I won’t predict a dinosaur-style mass die-off of cupcake […]