starbucks in kanata

So speaking of starbucks, recently i've been getting my love on for their coffee. It is rich and flavorful, and has a wicked jolt of caffeine. I used to drink the "bold" but now i just stick with the "mild" with a bit of whole/2% milk and i'm on cloud nine for an hour+ (ok i also add sugar on the weekend).

I had quit coffee for a while towards the beginning of the summer, but now that i've forgotten what insanity brought me to such a decision, i'm rediscovering my love affair... i mean, having something like a hot, practically intoxicating cup of coffee to look forward to in the morning makes everything ok, and provides adequate reason to get out of bed on otherwise unpleasant mornings. Coupled with a lazy saturday or sunday morning, or even a work from home day when you have "fun" stuff to look forward to, and its a massive motivation maker.

Having said all that, most days i work in kanata. I normally float up march road north to the "high tech mecca" of ottawa, and pass by the metro (formerlly loeb) to pick up a salad for lunch. Via this route to work, there is no official starbucks. There is however an incognito starbucks within the brookstreet, but its a minor detour, parking is slow, they don't take starbucks cards, and service is also kinda slow. When i can avoid my morning salad, my alternative and preferred route is to take terry fox and hit the starbucks at the (of all things) canadian tire gas station... wtf!!

To give a point to what would otherwise be an endless rant, why the hell isn't there an easily accessible starbucks in the kanata north high tech area? Not ONE. We have one dedicated tim hortons, plus a tim hortons at the esso, and thats it. Every morning that tim hortons has a line up of cars and a full parking lot, and they don't even serve coffee!!! (ok some of you may call it coffee, i would have to call it a pseudo-coffee flavoured drink - it does NOT taste like coffee). If i ever loose my job and can strap together some capital, i'm going head to head with those mofo's and opening my own starbucks in kanatas high tech area, where everyone is friendly and smiling, and we serve wicked product at a fair price. Not only that but we'd have lots of comfy chairs, some seating outside, and all the wifi you could get at so when you need to take a break from constant interruptions at work, you could settle down with liquid pleasure and actually get some work done.

What about this spot right here? (PS - Yay google street view!!! This is the absolute extent of it though, it doesn't seem to work any further up march).

One note - i would definitely opt for a bridgehead instead, but they should probably keep their exclusive edge and stay in hip neighborhoods, starbucks obviously has no such exclusivity principals... or do they?

unsolicited extra recycling for two weeks

I really enjoy going running tuesday mornings as its a good opportunity to spy on what other folks are tossing out in their recycling. Normally all i'm curious about is who's getting gluten free pizza, or how there is just as much soy milk being recycled as their is normal milk (i admit, this is all mostly a product of running through the glebe).

However this morning during my run all i could oogle at is how many ottawa citizens were in the paper recycling. All the bins appeared to be FILLED with ottawa citizens, dwarfing any insight into new gluten free pizza joints. I am also victim of this, as i guess the citizen is doing some promotion where they are giving it away free for two weeks (at least in centertown and the glebe).

Assuming they don't already, i think the citizen (and all newspapers for that matter) should pay some sort of tax or kickback to the city to help pay for increased recycling costs. I don't think its fair that all they need to do is pay to have their product PRODUCED, but its the city and our taxes that have to pay to throw it out, something we didn't even solicit. Again, perhaps they do already, so hopefully someone can educate my ignorance if thats the case.

I don't think newspapers are useless, and occasionally enjoy them myself. Every once in a while i enjoy leafing through one over breakfast or a coffee, but maybe only once or twice a year. I'm definitely of the "new media" mind in that i can find all the sources i care about online, can read them on my computer or phone, and don't need to print anything to access it. Newspapers days are likely numbered as we all know - i think the best way to deal with it is to raise their prices and turn them into a premium product - when i want to read the paper i would gladly pay 5 or 6 bux for it as opposed to less than the price of a tall mild from starbucks (which i've been enjoying a lot lately). I think anyone in the news or that does enjoy or need to read the paper on a daily basis could likely afford to pay a few bux more for all the content contained within. That, and the cost really should include some of "total" costs for creation and disposal of the paper, i can't imagine that <2$ per paper is cutting it (again, i could be very wrong here).

One other thing that bugs me about the citizen is that they released an article a few weeks ago about how they're going to have this great new mobile frontend - still haven't seen it. I actually think their current interface is fine on my iPhone, i just don't like hearing about something new then not actually seeing it or hearing anything about it ever again. What gives citizen??

dog days

Summer is here!! It feels like this summer will never end, this heat and this sweat. I love it, and hope it never does!!

I stopped in at the lcbo after work tonight and picked up a bill and a half's worth of booze. Mostly white wine (the white henry of phelam sibling rivalry is quite nice, 2 bottles), some bacardi rum (for mojitos of course!), a few stellas and some strongbow. Since the lcbo might be striking tomorrow night, i don't want to take any chances of a dry canada day. There is always hull/gatineau, but i figure i might as well get it here while i can. I urge you to do the same!

Now i'm out on the side patio, which i've been spending a lot of time on recently, drinking a beer, cooking some spontaneous meat and doing the first blog entry in many moons. I've been quite busy, but a very good busy.

The spontaneous meat is from "Olympia Market Center" on gladstone. The place gives me the creeps but i'm comitted to give it a few more chances as it is so close to my house. The guy in there is creepy, but if you know what you want i'm sure he can help you out. I didn't know what i wanted, but ended up leaving with a few small lamb chops which i'm sure will be tasty once cooked. For under 4$, you can't really go wrong. If anyone else goes to this place, please share your tips as to whats good, and whats a goiter.

I ran the half marathon a few weeks back, and am now actually still excercising which is very unusual - normally i just give up and start training again in the new year. Not this year!! I'm also doing yoga a few times a week... its on my own, but its better than nothing. I'm definitely healthier than i've been... well probably ever!

Happy summer to all!! Get the hell outside (if you're not outside already :))!!!

ooops, i'm lazy late and now i'm sad

I missed out on the Leonard Cohen tickets going up yesterday... and now its too late. The cheapest they're available in the "marketplace" is 200$ per ticket, and those are quickly going to disappear. I'll keep my eyes peeled over the next couple of months, but i'm skeptical.

If only i was more on the ball, but my lazy preoccupied ass was not this time, nowhere near the ball... if any of you out there happen to have tickets, and go see him, and love it, try not to rub it in too much, i'm afraid i'll cry.

amidst crums and fortunes

Dost dangers lie.
Our strike be over and not a day shy.
While it brought me passion,
And brought others pain,
I can't help but wonder,
When it will happen again.

Damn pigheadedness!!! To paraphrase that andre guy - "I would've preferred the city come around and accepted our deal. We brought a deal to the table. It was a fair deal." WTF!!! Does the guy even realize what he's saying and the ridiculous irony and bias he's buried in talking about FAIR!!! HA!!! I wish people in general would take a more honest and fair approach with the world, it would win me over at least... i guess thats not the point though, and that would be counterproductive for them. But then at least i'd have a better view of humanity!!!

SELFISHED!!!

In other news i now have my google calendar on my iphone. The gdp may be down 0.7% but my happinness is up WAY% and thats all selfished ole me cares about right now!!!

union-ited en-raged

So NO is how our beloved drivers voted. They voted no to show "solidarity" and tell the city that its not about the money, its about the scheduling. So basically they said "this scheduling detail is big enough for us to NOT work and we think its worth holding the city hostage for". Negotiation? Bargaining? Its a frickin JOB, either take it, or don't!!!@%!

It seems an awful lot like a monopoly system to me, the type of system most courts and governments try hard to protect their citizens from. Does the union/octranspo have exclusive rights to drive buses in our area? Can't we open this up for negotiation to get some more efficient entity in place, one that won't hold our city hostage? I understand the logistics/training/infrastructure of such a deal probably make it impossible to continue such an avenue right now, but what if this goes on for a few more months? What if the city cannot realistically give the union what it wants and needs to find cheaper or more reasonable workers? I just can't see the fairness in "bargaining" for a contract for a job when a city is on hold while we wait... This whole union business seems SO dated, and its about time to scrap the overhead and counter productiveness they cause (or to cripple their ability to do so)... AHH!!!! Maybe if i was more educated in labour relations i'd have a better handle on this, but i'm not, so i'm voting to rant instead!!! I guess binding arbitration or something of the order needs to happen fast, but fuck this all seems so so expensive!!!

I do think the 64% vs 75% nonsense is silly. CBC pointed out that 75% of voters that turned up to vote voted NO, while the SUN reported 64% of total voters voted NO. The discrepancy is in the 300 or so voters that did not vote. The use of the 64% does not reflect well on our mayor and how what he interprets the strength of ottawas collective intellect to be, although i'd probably do the same thing.

I heard one 20+ year vet of octranspo speak on CBC radio this morning. I can't remember the exact word he used, but it was similar to "elated" to hear that his union voted NO. He was in amazingly high spirits. SO HAPPY to not be working and to be fucking a whole city over!! Are THESE the types of people we want to be driving us around!!! SO WRAPPED UP in their own shit that they can't see all the people being affected by this!! Ugg, i guess the same could be said to the city in that why don't they just offer them what they want to get back to work... the problem there is I pay the fucking taxes and want a more fiscally responsible bureaucatorship to stick it to our payed workers to ensure my money is being well spent! When i see them playing hardball, i tend to agree with it (naively assuming they're trying to save money).

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!&**&(@)*$(*@()*$()!~~!!!

I was cut off VERY rudely this morning and honked my horn. It was one of those cut offs where i was in one spot, and someone behind me basically jumped the line because they were more agro. They then sat in front of me for about 2 minutes blocking traffic. I was baffled, honked for about 5 seconds, but then stopped leaning. As soon as traffic cleared and they sped away i was left to fester on my lack of aggressiveness and wonder why i didn't lean on my horn for the 2 minutes i sat there. Now that i've had time to reflect i'm glad i didn't, because all the other folks surrounding didn't want to hear a horn for 2 minutes, and i'm glad i didn't damper their friday's too much. However, that one dude deserves a whole world of pain, and are likely simply in one if they are so selfish to think that they can ruin a whole group of peoples morning to give themselves an extra few minutes to bitch about the traffic. Likely a very sad oaf (thank goodness i'm not one of those!!! :).

Happy friday!!!

no 16th floor?

At 160 Elgin there is no button in the elevator to get the 16th floor. I find this very intriguing. I have in fact heard of the secret real world way to get there, but i'm going to forget about it and hope that the real way is something like is done in being john malkovich.

If you ever have to go to 160 Elgin, i encourage you to go the the 16th floor. It may shock and appall you!!!

itinerary of an unplanned weekend

I've decided to refuse any and all plan invitations this weekend.  Nothing will be planned.  This means i have nothing to do, and nothing is expected of me.  There are some things i *may* do, but only if whimsicality guides me in that direction.  Hence things i'm going to do this weekend:

1. Refuse offers of things to do
2. Ensure i don't plan on doing anything
3. Annoy people with my frivolity

So i'm not planning on going to go to art in the park, or finish my kitchen, or play wii, or laze around.  Its going to be super!!!

ottawa real estate - now with locations?

Just stumbling over to the ottawa real estate site this morning, it seems a major change has occurred.  They are now listing the LOCATION of every house being listed!!!  Not sure what's up here, but it was the major reason i had an agent before...  they'd help me actually locate the listings i was interested in.

I don't think ottawa agents will like this very much.  I actually don't think sellers will like this very much as it's far easier to spot fake gems, like this place - great looking house, shite location.

Tags: ottawahousing

more malicious mother nature mangling

So this morning, i was greeted with a missing car and a parking ticket.  Totally my bad.  55$ because one of our cars was parked on the street, and of course (i should know!), street sweeping was in full force.  The car was moved about a block away, with a 55$ ticket attached.  Not the end of the world, totally my bad.

After i brought the car back, i went for more running.  On my way back, this time at the dead end planters of clemow ave. just east of bank, i found another John's Sweeping truck parked and running.  I think there may have been a reason it was idling - there was a worker wielding a hose attacked to the truck, and blasting snow and ice with water.  Hence, its possible the truck was idling to charge a compressor or something, in order to facilitate pressure/heat/etc..

I may be very wrong, but this is how this looks to me - burning gas on a truck, to pressurize water stored and trucked around in its tank, to blast ice that will easily thaw on its own, to then clean the streets with the truck that is burning gas.  Does this strike anyone else as ridiculously counter productive and so anti-green it makes me want to vomit?

I don't want to see anyone loose their job's, or get in trouble, or anything, but things have to change, and in my opinion, the city should start with stuff like this.  Just like i'd be more than happy to shovel my sidewalk in the winter to save a few bux, i would LOVE to save a buck or 2 (or not even!) and sweep my own road.  I'd even pay the bylaw charge for not sweeping my own road!!!!

Tags: ottawa

john's sweeping smog

Isn't there some bylaw in ottawa that prohibits engine idling for vehicles when the temperatures are not extreme?

I was on my way home from a run this morning, and midway through the glebe i could smell diesel fuel.  Once i finally got to the percy underpass i found the source - right outside the city's vehicle lot (or whatever there way) there was a "John's Sweeping" truck sitting in the middle of the road, idling.  No one in it, it was just sitting there running.

I probably should give the benefit of the doubt, by my hippocratic hypochondriac lungs despise anything other than tasteless or fresh smelling air, and i was pissed.

If there are such bylaws, they should be doubled for gas guslers such as these.  If these types of trucks/services "require" their engines to warm up/idle before service, the city should give incentives to companies that do not use these types of trucks.

Lazy idlers...

Tags: ottawa

R. I. P. Cam Kong

Just as soon as i mentioned my adoration for #705, an era has come to an end.  Why is it all good restaurants must go by the wayside?  Hopefully if this is anything like stoneface, the new tenant will be just as good...

To the point, Cam Kong is no longer - it has been replaced by a similar Vietnamese restaurant called "Fuscian" i believe.  Apparently the owners retired.  We went there a couple nights ago, and were shocked and bewildered for a few minutes before we sat down in a blur and decided to stay. 

They do have a hot n sour vietnamese soup, and were very happy to do a veggie variety upon our request.  The staff was very helpful, and very accommodating.  And the food was pretty darn good.  The soup was not quite like a #705, slightly less tangy and oily, not as addiction satisfying, but good nonetheless.  They told us that we can ask for extra hot stuff for next time, and i definitely will.

When i was in the Dominican, perhaps even on the day they shut their doors, i had a dream.  I had a dream that Cam Kong was closing (i only knew at this point that renovations were occurring), and i actually tried to get a job there in order to learn their secrets.  This is how obsessed i was/am.  I was desperately in need of that soups power, and was frantically dreaming of the 2nd to worst case scenario.  The worst case being, they'd be closed when i go home, no chance to sneak in and steal a peak at their fantastic flavours...

Rest in peace Cam Kong, i'm sure i'll think of you always.

In related news, for lunch i chopped a tomato, an avacado, and a green mango.  To them, i added lime juice, and salt and pepper.  I then scooped it into tortilla chips and had a splendid time.  Thats what i call a goooooooood lunch.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: foodottawa

xmas giving, and why giving is often flawed

I had a great xmas this year. I enjoy getting together with family, exchanging presents, a little consumerism, a little recycling, giving, etc.. All the stuff related to family and friends is great, absolutely great.

The upcoming rant has little to do with xmas, its just bad timing for xmas. I participate in this little group formerly called "Free Cycle" or Full Circle Ottawa. In theory, its great. You post when you have something to offer, or when you're looking for something particular. I've posted and successfully "freecycled" a lawnmower, file folders, and a few other things. But lately, i'm sick of it. Its not as easy as it sounds to give something away.

The rule of thumb seems to be, if you're offering something, state where you live and methods for delivery - either pick up, or drop off, or both. I always state pick up only... i'm sure if i were trucking this stuff all over town i could get rid of it much easier. I guess i'm not that nice, and don't want to spend 5 bux in gas to go to the east end... perhaps i should.

Another part of the problem is the email communication medium, which is used initially, but really should be taken out of the loop and replaced by the phone after the first exchange. Perhaps this is all i need to do in the future, but for the time being i'm pissed. Email is lazy, and not very time relevant. I post, an hour later someone responds saying they can pick it up. Then i see it, say when can you come, and 2 days later i get a response...

The reason why i'm mad now is because i've been trying to get rid of this old stereo system since boxing day. Here's how it's gone down:

• I post around 10am on boxing day saying the stereo is in semi-working condition, available for pickup in centertown.



• I get the first response at 10:20, saying the person can pick it up before 1pm today. The 2nd person to respond sent at 10:30am



• I respond to the first person at about 10:40, saying i'll be home, heres my address, come and get it.



• I wait... eventually at 3:45 the guy responds and says he just got home, and can pick it up on saturday.



• I respond to the 2nd person saying it is still available, but she's mostly asking about the stereo, and where i'm located (which was in my original email).



• At around 7pm, someone else responds, saying they're interested.



• Still following up with the 2nd person now on the 27th, this is what they wrote at 11:44 am: hi a wiill try to get a ride right away thanks where do u live exactly does cd player also work thanks



• I respond, saying i'll be around, with my address, but the person never shows up nor sends another message.



• I'm pissed, but wait until friday... i send another message to person #1 saying if they can pick it up saturday morn, its theirs.



• I don't get a response as of saturday morn, so begin comms with person #3.



• Person #1 responds saying they can pick it up THIS morning (sunday) between 10 and 11 (getting less specific, should be a sign...), and i say fine.



• Person #3 responds, i respond and say i've already committed to giving it to person #1, and they respond saying how disappointed they are.



• Sunday morning rolls around, early, because i woulda slept a few more hours, and person #1 says something came up and to give it to someone else.

ARRRGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need a xmas ceasar and pack of smokes. I don't have the heart to respond to person #3 after their "i'm so disappointed" email, the f*in stereo is hitting the curb on my way out to buy new shit likely made in china. I'm not in a freecycling mood right now.

This is NOT the first time this has happened. People troll these lists, respond to things they would like, with no way of getting them, and no real commitments to picking them up - they're free after all!

I think this rant has been therapeutic. In the future, i'll give people my phone number at the first exchange, and will not accept any pick up times more than 24 hours away, perhaps even none the next day... i welcome any other suggestions too. I also realize the silliness of posting this on my blog and not in their forum, but this was mostly for me to rant and now thats done and i'm selfish and frustrated right now... less so now though!

tricky toliets

I was in the manx briefly for dinner last night. Every time i go pee there (which is likely every time i go), i wonder how many times a night someone ventures into the wrong washroom. I always have to think about it and do association in my own way. This process always degrades to remembering that men have to walk slightly farther than women to do their business.

Anyone want to comment on what associations they use? I can never remember what those symbols mean or who they stand for, maybe someone can enlighten me. If i had some memory pillar to attach those symbols to i'd be less fearful of walking in on the opposite sex doing their business.

Mother Mother is the best thing since sliced gluten-free bread

Myself and several accompaniments had the incredible pleasure of seeing the newest best band ever Mother Mother at zaphods last night.

We've been listening to their album for the past 6 months or so since my buddy turned me on to them after hearing them on cbc radio 3. Hot damn, they are imo the most diverse and talented sound since arcade fire, for darn sure. Its sooo good, and now i realize there is ridiculous talent as well as amazing song writing. Its hard to tell sometimes, but last night proved all.

We gushed over them all night. They actually opened for 2 other far inferior bands. Dragonette, who features Martina Sorbera (apparently the daughter of our late finance minister) either greatly benefited from accompanying vocal tracks, or was flat out lip syncing. Catchy, but not a live performance. The other dudes, Most Serene Republic or something, had some cool sounds, but very little vocal talent/hooks to keep me interested. We left mid way through their performance. No idea why the gigs were ordered as such, Mother Mother stole the show shortly after 8pm when they started in on "Legs Away" and playing half their album and 2 other songs i've never heard. In that half hour there were no other sounds in the universe worth listening to.

As i was saying, we gushed hard. After their show they were mostly just swag selling and hanging out... i bought a t-shirt as we attempted to book them for future birthday parties; tour pending, it was something they seemed quite open to. Some autographs were signed.

They're from Vancouver, and likely won't be back till next spring. We all must go again!!! YES!!!

They rule!!!! Check out some tracks on their site. Note the following picture is the best pic i could get as i was mostly too busy listening in complete awe...

balcony building and getting a building permit in ottawa

Ever since i've owned my house, i've known that i've needed to have some work done to its rear end. As you can see in the picture, which was taken shortly after i took possession, theres always been a door leading to nowhere. The original owner even nailed a few 2x10's up there for me to "get started" on an awesome balcony. Thanks!!! Unfortunately after discussion and research, nailing to the side of a non waterproof surface is probably not a good idea for a structurally sound chill pad for apt. #2.


So this year, the main plan was to get er done. I started early on researching and discussing with an experienced friend of mine exactly "how" i was going to do it. I went through a few basic structures and ideas:

Build it on top of the existing structure

Build it with supports in the ground

With or without stairs?

In the end, i settled on a no stair, but extended balcony that is NOT supported by the structure underneath. Basically if it was, it would of required engineer's help to verify the integrity of that structure, and that structure was highly suspect. The previous owner did an "ok" job on everything done, and i just didn't trust it.

So late last year i realized if i was going to build a balcony up there, i should probably ensure that the roof was good. Because it would really suck to have to tear down the balcony to fix a leaky roof. And the roof was already leaky. So i had the roof replaced. Which was not cheap, but at least i trust it now. Its properly flashed all around, and is in good shape. Earlier this year, i also decided to have eavestrophing installed on the roof above the door. That part of the roof is the lowest point so a lot of water attracted down that wall, and would be onto the roof, causing more water issues. I thought that was a good idea, and i'm happy with the result.

Then came the building permit. From conception and farting around on the city of ottawa's web site to issuance, it was many months. But i got it in the end.

The problem with the building permit, is the plans. The application itself is nothing, but it must be accompanied by plans of what you're going to do. Which makes sense. But is not trivial. I do believe you can get home depot and/or rona type stores to do plans for you for "free", but i kinda wanted to do this all myself. As i said i have a friend who helped conceptualize what the thing would look like, and then i just needed a tool to put it together. In retrospect i would have been MUCH easier to have someone else do it, but i was stubborn and like doing things myself so i understand them.

Enter Google Sketchup. Is there anything google can't do? I mean this tool is amazing. In a nutshell, its a layman's CAD tool. You can design pretty much anything in it, and if you really want to, import it into google earth (which apparently has a flight sim built into it, but i haven't tried it). So if you design a house or a building, you can plop it down in the googleverse and see what it looks like. I have not done this. But what i did do, was design the whole thing in sketchup, as well as site and floor plans where necessary.


The end result is pretty sweet. After quite a few hours i developed a model of the entire balcony including every piece of lumber to be used, proper angles, railing, etc.. I thought this was a much cleaner idea than drawing up some crappy sketches that would no doubt need to be updated during the permit talks. And i was right about that!


Getting the building permit was quite an ordeal. Once the drawings were done and i had filled out the application, here's a summary of how it went down:

1) Show up at city hall on a friday morning.

2) No lineup, ask to submit an application for a building permit.

3) The lady looks it over, tells me it'll be 80 odd dollars, and calls the dude from the back.

4) The dude spends a few minutes looking it over, and takes issue with a few points. My footings were not deep enough (originally i had 4 foot holes, they needed to be 6 feet), and i needed to properly quote building code sections for the blocking and railing, or have a proper diagrams that showed screws and specifics.

5) I asked where i can see the building code

6) He said it was for sale "over there".

7) I said gee thanks.

8) I then thought about it, and decided to go to the library. They did not have the 2006 building code, but they had the 1997 + amendments.

9) I spent some serious time going through all the different schematics coming up with a now different railing plan. The lady at the library was very nice as i didn't have my card, but let me borrow one of their photocopy cards, and i just payed what i spent when i left. How trusting!!!

10) I choose a model i liked, made photo copies of all the appropriate sections, and went home.

11) I then updated my model with the footing adjustments and changes to the blocking and railing, printed it off again, and went back.

12) They accepted the application!!! Yay!!! I paid the 80 odd dollars.

13) About 6 business days later, i get an email from someone at the city that was assigned to my application. It contained a pdf of issues, which included, among a few other things, that the photocopies from the old building code needed to be from the 2006 building code. Arg!!!

14) I bought the damn 2006 building code. 150$. Now i'll have it forever. Or at least until 2012 when a new one comes out and this one becomes useless reference material.

15) I made photocopies of the newly revised sections, which looked to be identical to me, and now proceeded to communicate with this nice lady via faxes and emails.

16) We sorted out the remainder of the issues over the next week and a half, mostly to do with floor plans, and "is it a fire exit", etc..

17) Roughly a month after the initial application, i was back at city hall signing the real permit. I got my original plans and faxes stamped, and a sheet to put up on my window saying i'm a wicked permit holder.

All in all it wasn't a horrible experience, and i understand why the back and forths occurred, and i understand why you need to quote from the new building code, but they really should make the building codes available for perusal at city hall. That part is ridiculous.

Once i had the permit i was assigned an inspector. I discussed with him what inspections i need. I needed an excavation, framing, and final inspection. I have had the excavation inspection, and it went very smoothly - he didn't even measure the awesome 6 foot depth. I dug 2 perfectly deep 6 feet by 2" diameter holes and he didn't measure them!!! O well, at least i know they're the real deal.

There will be more boring assed balcony discussion to come, you can bet your bottom beam on that.

omg all your can eat sushi in ottawa

When i was in Vancouver a few weeks ago i got to partake in the glorious transcendence that is all you can eat sushi. It was good, great, amazing... but now, upon my return, i have heard of not one, but 2 all you can eat sushi restaurants in Ottawa!!! Yes, its true!!!!!

Having heard that, and having spent the vast majority of my weekend 5 feet underground under extreme physical duress (more on this later), i knew the only thing that would appease me was a mountain of raw fish. It was risky, considering the place we were going hadn't been open long, but i was game.

The place we went was on carling between maitland and the 417. It is called 1000 Sushi Islands. O man, we were not disappointed.

There's just nothing like the tenderness and flavour of fresh raw salmon sashimi (i don't know how they get it here so fast, but man i'm glad they can!!!). The texture is like a really thick al dente noodle, but a little more forgiving. The smell, o so good. No need to bathe in soy/wasabi, these babies are islands unto themselves. The quality told me right away that this place was legit. Their seaweed salad was probably the best i ever had. Tempura, of which we tried the shrimp and squid (i know, squid tempura, wow!!!), and it was all delightful. They did rainbow rolls which were killer, and their spice salmon rolls were a little different as far as ingredients, but man were they good. Unagi. Awesome. The pieces were a little small, but it was ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!! SO WHO CARES!!!! The only thing that didn't blow me away was their hand roll thingys, but i'm not a big fan of those anyways.

The service was good, but it seemed one or 2 of the things weren't what we ordered, or stuff we ordered went to the wrong tables. They come around and fill your water and tea quite regularly, as well as take additional order sheets whenever you have new ones ready (i think we went through 4 sheets). No liquor license yet, but pops are included with the buffet, as is everything - nothing on the menu had a price, except the whole buffet which was 20.99 for fri-sun, and 19.99 (lunch was cheaper, and there are kids and seniors discounts). The menu does say you'll be charged for what you don't eat, but i assume this is only if there are piles of things untouched (if anyone has experience with this i'd love to hear about it).

So ya, 1000 Islands Sushi is an ALL YOU CAN EAT sushi place. Its in ottawa. I think the food was better than sushi 88. Which might mean i never go back there, as even being the cheapest sushi restaurant in town i've never left there with a bill under 50 bux, and never full, and our bill was 43 and change... o man. I'm totally stoked.

The best thing about it: sushi full. Normally when i'm full, and i mean stuffed, with other types of food, i kinda want my body to digest. I go for indian buffet, i stuff myself on 2 plates or so, and i feel like i'm going to die. I recognize it is not healthy to eat so much in a sitting, but when i do so with sushi, i feel like i'm in heaven. No bloating, no barfing, no tooting, no burping, no nothing. Just pure peace. Pure sushi full. And this is something you only get with all you can eat, cause i never eat "enough" at a regular place to reach this level of gastronirvana. O baby, ottawa has never seen so bright.

do not safedrop

I've had some dealings with the post office lately, i'm hoping someone can shed some light on some possibilities i have not considered.

A few months ago i placed an order with amazon.ca for 8 or 9 music cd's. About a week and half after i received their shipment email, i still had not received them. I checked canadapost's tracking site, and it said the parcel was delivered to the recipient a week ago. I phoned canada post, and they said they can't do anything, i should call amazon. So i did, and they said "this happens", and said they'd resend the entire parcel. It surprised me how easily they agreed to do this, but whatever, i was happy.

This time I followed this tracking number a little closer, and when canadapost said this package had been delivered and it had not, i grew worried. I called amazon again, and again they were very nice. They said they rarely send a parcel 3 times, but made an exception for me cause i really wanted these cd's (they also would've just refunded my money at this point). The availability of one of the cd's was a little off, so they graciously offered to split the shipment up into 2 chunks.

Again, i followed the tracking info, the bulk of the items being the first thing shipped. I added myself as an email recipient for updates on changes to the status of the package tracking. When i got the email telling me this package was delivered i was home. I of course went straight outside, again to find no package waiting for me. My guess is this info isn't "up to the minute", and likely was reported delivered the previous day (when i was not home).

A few days later, the lone late cd did arrive in my mailbox. My mailbox is pretty standard, big enough to fit a small parcel, but any larger parcel would stick out the top. I've gotten books from amazon before, and they did stick out the top. This was the first time i've ever had any issues.

I called amazon again, they were apologetic, but we both agreed there was nothing left for them to do. They refunded my money, and someone out there might very well have 3 copies of neon bible, joel plaskett's new cd, and a variety of other kickass albums. I ordered all the missing cds again, this time shipping them to my work, and they arrived safely there within 5 or so days.

So what happened? Is it possible that "bad people" stole these parcels off my doorstep 3 times, when previous amazon packages that were sticking out of my mailbox arrived in my safe hands? This is the only possibility i can possibly accept. Did someone in the middle (ie an employee) scam them? Unlikely considering the parcel did arrive to my work. Is it possible amazon never actually sent them? Very unlikely considering canada post did note tracking info. Can anyone think of any other possibilities?

I was told by someone (can't remember who) that you can request canada post not deliver parcels to your door without a signature. I called canada post and asked about this. They said i can not do this, but i can ask that parcels not be left at my house. They referred to this practice as "safedrop" (not sure whats safe about it though!). You are allowed to request that letter carriers "do not safedrop". The lady asked me to put a note on my mailbox that says "do not safedrop" and that she would put a request in to the depot marking my address with this same bit of info. So i did these 2 things. I got a call today from the local centertown postal outlet. The lady there informs me that letter carriers never leave parcels that do not completely fit in the mailbox. I said... ok. I didn't know what else to say, as well, i had no additional ideas. I was tired, frustrated, and bewildered.

With the package that i did successfully get delivered to my office i debated filling it with cat poo, arming my house with cameras, eagerly hoping to catch a culprit... but i lost interest. The cat poo woulda been fun, but some possible outcomes could've been disastrous for my property, so i opted against it.

I really hope it isn't skids walking by scoping out folks' mailbox's in hopes of treasures... i really really hope this isn't the case... but the whole situation has added to my cynicism, which was sparse before but increasingly grows as i do. Which kinda blows.

bye bye stoneface

So it's official, "Jaks Kitchen" has moved in down the street, replacing the iconic original location of "Stoneface Dolly's" gourmet homestyle eatery. I am, tres triste. I've been going for brunch still, albeit not as often, regularily over the past few months during the long transition. I've got a few things to say about the changes, and what i like and dislike. I realize some of the things that have changed will improve over time given that it is technically a new restaurant, but i'm going to mention them anyways.

Good Changes
Fruit - the new fruit is good. Big chunks of cantelope and pineapple. The fruit has gone from a whole variety, big pieces to small, on the plate to a bowl, and then back again. I actually can't remember how it was originally, but i remember the occasional blueberry. Now i'm not so sure this is a good change.
Renos - they did some renovations that gave the place a bit more space, which is definitely good.

Ambivalent Changes
Decor - i really liked the old art, then the transitional chunky art, and now i like the mirrors. The new paint is nice too.
Service - the old girls and guys served great, and so are the new. I miss the old cause they knew me of course, and i'm saddened the new may not get to know me as quickly, but i can't hold that against them.
Coffee - perhaps it hasn't changed, i'm not sure, but its still damn good.

Negative Changes
Service Times - No matter how busy it used to be, i used to be able to be in and out in 30 min or so. Last time, i was waiting at LEAST 30 min just for my food, and it wasn't that busy.
Homies - they don't even call them homies anymore!! They used to have chunks of onion and peppers in em, at least on occasion, and they just tasted better. The new ones are probably healthier tho, less butter, but the old ones definitely tasted better
Omlettes - um, hello?? Can i have cheese in my omellete. Both myself and my friend got omlettes, her the goat cheese, me the fruilano (now called peppers and spinach). Neither of us could taste the cheese, and my friend asked them to check that it was in there... they said it was. I'm skeptical. Mine was just not cooked right, the egg was too cooked, and i don't think the spinach was saute'ed at all before going in. Thats just a no-no, especially when you can't taste the cheese.
Portions - the portions are smaller, not by much, but by a little
Coffee Creamers - different company now, used to be organic creamers, now its just regular stuff.
Brunch Specials - there is a complete lack of these alltogether! The specials before were what i went for, only occasionally did i not get the semi-special eggs blackstone or mexican fritatta. Now, there are no specials, and thats just uninspired.

Let me now say this. Breakfast, was awesome, no doubt about it! One of the best breakfasts in ottawa, was and still is. But when you mess with a winning formula, even just a little, its liable to piss a few people (aka me) off. I will go back, i will grow to love it i'm sure, but i'm a little bitter that such an awesome place would every change, even a little bit.

idea - returnable take out bins

Thanks to the ontario's governments great new idea/plan to return various liquor bottles to the beer store, i've come up with another idea.

The amount of garbage i create has gone down considerably since i've got a compost.  The most massive thing that gets added to my garbage these days is take out bins, styrophoam, and i guess the tops of the metal ones.  What if various environ-concious restaurants (ie green door, table) joined a program where their take outs were actually decent plastic/pyrex/ceramic containers with good tops (microwavable of course) and charged a deposit for them, say, 5$.  Each of the bins/containers would have some sore of id/barcode/something on the bottom so as to discourage falsifying them for the 5$.  Any store that took part could have the (dirty) containers returned to them.

I'm thinking a place like the yangtzee could cut down massively on landfill if they did this.  Think about the amount of landfill they take up in a night for their hot and sour soup take outs?  I must take up a cubic metre a year just on those styrophoam things...  i'd gladly pay a 5$ deposit for each thingy, could exchange them with the delivery guy after the first purchase, etc..

Well?  Would it fly??  Been done?