doogie needs a real job

lately my life has largely consisted of being at work (alternating between a windowless lab in the basement and an upstairs lab with a view of an asphalt roof - though lately there have been workmen repairing the roof which is actually pretty cool to watch), eating mila's leftover sandwiches (leftover because she goes out for lunch with her doctor every day), getting cadaver juice all over my arms (baby dribble has been mila's most noxious contact of late) and trying to eke out even the slightest tan in the hospital driveway during the 15 minute vitamin d break I grant myself each day (not to worry - mila has been getting plenty of vitamin d while lounging poolside for hours on end).

my highlights of the last few days include getting a key to the lab so that I can start work before the grad students get there and also getting a swipe card for the library so that I can get in before the librarian arrives. mila's highlights include going to some deliveries and talking baby names with patients.

and yet even as I slave over this blog, doogie howser is watching tv.

p.s. patients have actually been calling her that, I did not make it up.

p.p.s. she is watching criminal minds. I think that is probably the worst show on television.

essays in menswear

has there ever been a perfect outfit? discuss.

2009 will see the return of the pleat, yes or no? provide reasoning.

tie pins - an indefensible affront on silk, or the mark of a well turned-out dandy?

style spotting

dear man who got off at rosedale station:
I couldn't help but notice your smoking hot linen blazer. zegna?
I also couldn't help but notice your bright blue backpack. mec?
honestly.

domestic decay

with mila away, what is going to happen to EV HQ? it will fall into shambles for sure! who will make the bed? mop? sweep? wash the dishes? windex the mirrors? vim the sinks? dust? water the plants? oh I guess I will, for a change.

p.s. mila I am eating that entire jumbo bag of swedish berries right now and there is nothing you can do about it. I will probably chase it with a bowl of popcorn. also I am up past my bedtime.

fat buddies

I found my chef doppelganger. says chef gabriel rucker, of Le Pigeon in portland, oregon:

"Cook with Fat. Cook with all of the animal parts - use the innards and just get as much fat into your food as possible."

toronto the carb

tuesday - bag of goldfish.
wednesday - organic walnut bread, fruit and nut bread, lemon loaf.
thursday - apricot bread.
friday - sourdough at c5 (p.s. rom, I am sorry for doubting you. chef corrado will do quite nicely, and the space is magnificent), rustic loaf at JK.
saturday - had to survive on leftover apricot bread.
sunday - so much thuet pastry.
monday - bonus thuet pastry that the waitress gave me because we had some sweet rapport.

four reasons I am never doing sports again

my legs are so sore.
my bum is so sore.
my shoulder is so sore.
my arm is so sore.

lock her up for good this time

I cannot believe mila is on team paris.

no one cares about your lighting, simon

three-way lamps should be abolished. I mean they are better than one-way lamps as they afford you three levels of lighting but it is really quite jarring when you have some nice dim lighting but then you want to turn the light off and you have to crank it through the two brighter settings.

also things are getting out of hand: now the EU is banning incandescent bulbs or something. this has really gone too far. shouldn't they have some focus groups or something? maybe I will start a petition or maybe a smear campaign.

euroshlock

tchaikovsky, you seem credible enough most of the time, but then you go and write in some cannon.

my talents are wasted

thanks everyone for getting my killer yuzu-masala beef wellington zing yesterday. if I were hanging out with toronto chefs they would have laughed so hard. well maybe not stadtlander and kennedy, they seem kind of serious. but thuet would have laughed. and sworn. david lee would have laughed so hard for sure. did you see those pictures with him mugging for the camera with steven 'cumbrae' alexander? jaunty!

le blog

once again, exams are really getting in the way of my life. I mean it is great that there are no classes or anything because it gives me lots of time to blog, but what am I supposed to blog about? all I do is sit in my studying chair and read half a lecture, then move to my computer chair and look at pictures of the ROM and look for sweet ebay deals and browse scandinavian design blogs and italian decor magazines. I HAVE RUN OUT OF ENGLISH INTERNET.

p.s. if you are ever in italy and need some trendy environmental goods, 'eco-chic' evidently spans the atlantic. 'decor trend' and 'mini size' are apparently equally bilingual.

sorry notes maybe I will read you tomorrow

in all of these lectures on allergy and immunity, very little focus seems to be given to the fact that most food allergies are made up. I will allow the occasional peanut allergy if you seem credible, or maybe even the rare shellfish, but that is it. also there is precious little mention of the significant incompatibility between allergies and tasting menus. honestly, we pay for this education?

in related matters, I have of course been reading chef news much of the evening. I am somewhat uncertain how I feel about the ROM's latest acquisition, chef teddy corrado. some solid time at george, luce, rain and zoom to be sure, but that's really more guy rubino than anyone should be exposed to in a lifetime. that man is so creepy. and gaunt. someone throw him a yuzu-masala beef wellington or something.

true love

my new carafe is so ergonomic. I must say it is also rather hot. quite scientist chic with its beaker-inspired looks, really. oh god I love glassware.

morning telegram

dear internet stop please wire me some funds at your earliest convenience stop I have found some sweet photographs online that I must purchase stop also please wire me answers for this morning's exam stop

p.s. gold bullion is fine but I also accept paypal full stop

yeah, like ebay and blogs

I have way better things to do than read lectures printed in comic sans, you know.

carb miracle

it is like jesus was just here and made bread out of fish, or whatever it is he does. I was certain we were completely out of carbs (other than some lemon cream cookies, but I had already had a lot today and needed some variety) but then I found a box of onion and rosemary crackers in the cupboard. I am sure they were not there before because I would have eaten them.

liveblogging

I have a strong urge to liveblog something. I wish they would let us bring computers to our practical exam tonight, because I would liveblog it for sure:

7:00 pm - patient has 'chest pain'. start on my list of questions that I have been learning these past few days.
7:02 pm - I have run out of questions to ask this patient. perhaps they would like to discuss lamps.
7:03 pm - patient does not want to discuss lamps.
7:04 pm - patient does not seem interested in the relative merits of german vs. japanese steel. I am very interested, however, so I continue.
7:06 pm - I refer the patient to EV. patient does not write the web address down, but they seem like they have a good memory so they will probably remember the address and become a loyal reader.
7:07 pm - I ask the proctoring physician if she would like to read my blog as well and she does not respond, but I know that she is just following instructions not to chat with students so I tell her the address anyway.

maybe I will just make written notes during the exam. I know we are not supposed to take papers around the exam, but when I explain to the supervisors that I am simply doing some offline liveblogging I am sure they will understand.

lighting design

I think that in my future homes, I will require that all lamps be controllable both locally, at the light itself, and also at an appropriately located wall switch. both locations will of course allow for dimming, as well as perhaps a preset or two. so far I have not found any way to wire a lamp such that it can operate in concert with a wall switch in a 3-way manner, but surely I am not the first person to require this modicum of lighting control flexibility. I will continue to investigate the matter.

48,674 words later

well it is officially my blogiversary today. I assume the presents will arrive later this evening, which is fine, no rush. no ready-to-wear, please. also large gifts should be delivered to the rear door of the building, just fyi.

anyway, this inaugural year has seen 50 mentions of cheese, 48 chefs, 34 chocolates, 28 shirts, 20 foies, 16 collars, 13 sweaters and 10 blazers grace the pages of EV. meanwhile, class was mentioned 9 times and lecture, 8, so I guess it is not so surprising that I am really not all that well versed in leukemias at the moment.

p.s. I guess it is not so vain around here after all: 179 mentions of mila to only 41 simons.