🍳 Apple and Butternut Squash Risotto.
Only had beef stock and I think vegetable (or chicken stock) stock would have been better. Also the squash in the mix melted away but didn’t add any colour. Next time roast the squash, blitz it before adding it. The roasted pieces on the top were great. Maybe a little bit more seasoning next time.

🍳 Lamb and potatoes in the oven - with tzatziki and Greek salad.
Complete auto pilot on this one. Would have been good with a bit of my fresh pita bread but was busy this morning. Didn’t have a green pepper or feta for the Greek salad, but that’s ok.

🍳 Chickpea Curry.
Another autopilot curry. Had to adapt a little for the kids (no spinach which was annoying). I would have loved to add more cayenne, but 1/8th of a teaspoon was more than enough for the rest of the family. Basmati rice. Lemon wedges with some yogurt and coriander. The only ingredient that was missing was a red pepper. Also brown sugar is a must.

Kinda liking what I’m seeing with the new Pebble watches. Sure still pretty geeky looking but I like the charge it once a month situation.

The train museum led me to Raymond Biesinger (a Canadian artist based in Montreal), which then led me to the 305 Lost Buildings of Canada book, but also all of the prints across North America. It’s really fascinating to me how little regard for historical buildings is given in different parts of the world (Europe being the extreme opposite).

Don’t buy a Tesla. Every time you look at the passion and gritting of his teeth as he does it - he clearly means it. Someone give this guy a copy of Ryan Holidays Ego is the Enemy.

Today is a train themed day. Ryan has always been enamoured with trains (since our time in Copenhagen). He loves watching them go by and is fascinated by them. So taking him to Union Station (on the subway) to check out some trains going in and out of the station. Then we’ll walk over to the Toronto Railway Museum and probably spend a good while in the gift shop (we need some more art on our walls in the new house).

America’s position in the global hierarchy isn’t guaranteed. It can be lost with stunning rapidity when an economically illiterate con artist and a cadre of ideologues are drunk at the wheel.

From The Index article on the new world order.

🍳 Aloo Gobi. This is one of the things that I can typically put together quickly and easily. Full of flavour and a solid vegetarian dish.

Ughhh. Scratched the car getting into my tight ass garage. It was really only a matter of time. It’s a few centimeters on the bumper and honestly just annoying. I guess scratches happen.

🍳 Zaatar Chicken. Muhammara (from scratch including roasting peppers). Turkish Salad. Pomegranate molasses (made it myself this time). This all came together really well. I’m into Turkish food this month, so trying a bunch of Mediterranean food now.

It’s a Turkish cooking kinda weekend I think.

That got dark very quickly. Frum gives a little bit of flavour as to why Trump is going after Canada. It’s nothing to do with the economy, it’s about demographics and racial rebalancing. Totally agree with the thought, too ugly to make a joke about it, to stupid to talk seriously about it.

📚 Finished reading: Tokyo These Days, Vol. 3 by Taiyo Matsumoto. Really loved this series. Wonderful 3 volume edition but the very final punch was how we can all reflect on what the main character is going through as an extension of your own life. Slice of life in Japan. Just excellent.

🍳 Steak dinner. Mushroom sauce is on autopilot mode. Super easy but full of flavour. Got some soft meat (tenderloin) for the kids, but because of thickness was this perfect pink but obviously too pink for Yasmine and the kids. The adults had rib eye steaks. Oven fries were a little cwispy. No greens which I would have wanted.

Yes for unlocking. First bit of decent weather, sun was out and likely can hide my big parka for the season until next year. Patagonia make some incredible stuff (bought 6 years ago and looks nearly new).

Started a new A6 sketchbook. Hoping to just kick start a habit I can lean into in different situations.

Music introduction for the kids, that was a very welcome ear worm for them, Pearl Jam’s Black. Can’t stress how proud I am of the boys humming this in the background all day.

Micro.social is one of the best new apps to hit the Micro.blog circuit. Polished and being updated regularly. I really want to contribute an icon to the app, which is on my list.

The theatrics in the American congress its just incredible. It’s like a personal wank-fest of the 🍊. Some ridiculous rhetoric. What’s super interesting to me is whether this shit ends up with a third term. If that happens, and there isn’t a civil war in America, then you’re the next dictatorship. Watching this bollocks is just incredible. Mango-Mussolini.

I hate being awake during hour of the wolf.

🍳 Cream of Broccoli Soup
Another first. I looked at a recipe online for like a few minutes and then just put it together based on instinct. Turned out friggin great. We also had some fresh naan bread from yesterday which got sliced as strips.

I have been quietly curating a small table of Ontario craft beers I’ve been sampling over the last few months. My only gripe is I wish there was an integrated way in Micro.blog that would allow me to create new tables and let me add new entries to them. I can see myself using this for coffee beans, stationary, films, wine, spirits, chocolate, apps, anything really that I want to sample.

@manton where should I put a feature request? Haven’t done one of those in a really long time…

🍳 Sticky Date Pudding
This was a first attempt. Didn’t use brown sugar (which made the cake lighter in colour). Over cooked it and that made it more cake-like instead of sticky. Flavours were great.

🍳 Butter Chicken and Fresh Naan
Textures were perfect. The only thing I messed up was the seasoning at the end. Should have checked (it’s a classic mistake) but next time will get ahead of that. Also maybe don’t get coriander and stick to parsley for the garnish.

1st day of March means welcome to Unlocking.

There’s an Arabic saying, which goes: ‘Weapons in the hands of shit, is harmful.’

🇺🇦🇵🇸 As an honorary Canadian, I am proud to be firmly against the United States in supporting both Ukraine and Palestine. In both cases the aggressor is clear. The 🍊 is a complete fool who is fundamentally unqualified for the role that he is in. Words and actions have weight and this guy clearly hasn’t got a fucking clue.

🇺🇦 Proud of Zelensky, standing up to a pair of ignorant, entitled, billionaire degenerates.

Had a few Canadian firsts today. I slipped for the first time today. Not a terrible fall but that melted snow turning to ice is lethal. The second first was turning the corner and being met with a full production crew. Clearly a car scene with license plates from Illinois. Gettaoutmywayalready!

Pomera DM250US. Don’t know if I’ll back this, but it does look like a pretty nice focused tool. The sort of thing that the guys at iA would appreciate. Having single purpose tools sometimes feels like the right call. $400 is not cheap for a punt however.

Last year (today), I had just discovered that they were making a Fantastic Four movie. Now I finally got to see the first trailer. So much to love about this incarnation. The biggest compliment I can give is that this gives me strong Invisibles vibes but with something seemingly more elegant (if that is even possible). The CGI for The Thing is on point. Also the music crescendo is so good.

🍳 Mushroon Pasta
Yasmine didn’t like that is was very garlic-y. Next time, reduce the amount of garlic. I thought I’d put in too much dijon mustard for Ryan, but turns out that was fine. Also it could have done with 2 boxes of mushrooms instead. Overall though, very good little vegetarian dish.

🍳 Moroccan Chicken
I’m going to log a few other the things I’ve cooked to see what I cooked (to either remind myself when I did it or how often things have happened). This one can be a regular. Used thighs (without skin) and dates instead of apricots. There are a couple of ingredients that I could use (preserved lemons, apricots and almond slivers) that will elevate it.

I don’t always do this but I think I’ve decided on my 2025 watch. First dive watch and only my second Swiss watch. Usually a summer purchase.

⚽️ Oh man this has been a real tough watch but somehow things have been turned around at least to a draw maybe…

⚽️ It’s been brutal watching this United team. They are so bad to watch…but like a moth to a flame ‘I can’t help myself…’

⚽️ What a bullshit goal. VAR to the rescue? Oh FFS!

That. Was. Satisfying. Just finished watching Cobra Kai and it tied a bunch of threads and ended it on a great note. Sure there was plenty of hokie moments, but it all came together in the end. Favourite part was definitely the ‘No. Mercy.’ line. Excellent and clever writing.

I’m absolutely going to feel that tomorrow. Spent an hour after work shovelling part of that alleyway with a few of the neighbours trying to get it ready to accept cars coming in and out. Hard work out but also a good community activity. If I had a beer fridge I would have definitely shared while we shovelled some snow. Maybe next time.

Something tells me I’m not getting the car out of the driveway. Oh, Canada.

⚽️ Twelve bloody minutes for Spurs to score. So annoying.

⚽️ Strangely I’m kinda excited to see the kids feature in this game. Except Lindeloff, they’re all PL debutants :).

Taking the kids to the YMCA in a new area has also meant that I get to discover different neighbourhoods and different stores. The Black Canary espresso bar and my new favourite used bookstore The Great Escape Book Store.

❄️ First major snow shovelling. Backbreaking work for a city slicker like myself. 20cm of snow easily around us.

Cobra Kai final episodes are finally out. Fantastic way to get through this snow period.

Kids first snow day ever. It’s February. Two more weeks to the end of Winter and move into Unlocking.

The 🍊 is showing what a real asshole he is eh? If you shake his hand, check for the number of fingers left…

Somehow I had completely missed the existence of Berger Books, the real successor to Vertigo Comics, easily one of the most diversely awesome imprint in comics history.

The Growler – Ontario’s craft beer guide stopped publication last year. Clearly not enough interest in the publication, which I find strange. It’s a well put together guide, with a very dense layout capturing an enormous amount of information. Still I have an issue and it will likely be enough for a few years at least. Would love it if they released the maps so that they can be updated by others.

I’ve currently been binge watching Yellowstone. Great show so far even though nothing could be farther away from my life as the mountains of Montana and all the horses.

Always a treat to get new Steven Wilson work. Wish I’d known about December Skies during December because that would have been the perfect track for that month.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
— Warren Buffet by way of Benjamin Graham

Seth’s take on the Canadian reaction to Trump’s embarrassing (and complete lack of understanding of how the world fucking works) is why I’m happy to be in Canada - even in the face of economic warfare from an absolute melon, erm sorry 🍊, they have class, something the 🍊lacks in every aspect.

The Twelve Snake is a limited edition from Christopher Ward, that celebrates the year of the snake in the geekiest way possible, and I’m all for it. Definitely pricey and it I had $1000 to burn I’d be there, but I don’t and so won’t, but love to see this sort of thing executed well.

Listening to the Canadian reaction to the 🍊’s stupid tariffs. I’ve always cheered for the underdog (it’s more fun that way) and make no mistake, Canada is definitely the underdog here. This reminds me a little of that idiot Liz Truss, totally inept and unqualified for the position she found herself in. The 🍊 showing his ineptitude.

ktool (love the name btw) sends newsletters and articles to your Kindle. I like the idea, but I’ve tried this sort of thing in the past (and for free?) and it never stuck.

I have been using an Analogue like system for the last month and I absolutely love it. However Arun’s take of making the cards even smaller is super intriguing and something I might try my hand at myself.

After 626 episodes the Core Intuition podcast is done. Love the commitment and longevity and a reminder that most things have a beginning and an end. Thank you gents, it was fun.

That was a first. Driving in a blizzard. Not fun at all. Had to be done to get some final things out of the other house, only three days left.

One week in the new house and damn if I’m not tired of playing house. Turns out the windows in the new place are terrible and leaky as all fuck. So had to add some film across them and getting some weather sealing tape around the frames. This is Canada, how can your windows be so shit. It’s -20°C outside those windows. Once we get a working washing machine and the shower stops whistling at us when we use it maybe things can settle down a little.

⚽️ This game is so stodgy. Slow. Laboured. Not fun to watch.

🍺 Roman Candle. Great regular IPA to have. Flavour is subtle and has a good buzz after it.

The slow hard journey to getting settled in continues. It’s funny but while the Americas is meant to be the ‘New World’, it really isn’t. The future looks old.

🥶 Polar vortex. -20°C outside and the wind is howling. 3 days in the house with the kids. Definitely not worth going outside for any reason.

🇸🇪 IKEA has always been a mega stressful endeavour. Add a family to it all and honestly I shake my head wondering why I bothered. The only big news for me was a product got ‘upgraded’ from a hard plastic (which I dislike) to a soft plastic (which I love). We settled on a bunch of things that make like more functional but with the kids in tow…just a nightmare. Zane had multiple episodes inside. Ryan had a mega meltdown outside.

⚽️ Literally no consistency in this MU team. A great performance is then followed by an absolute stinker. Always at home. Garbage.

⚽️ These Brighton players are just annoying.

⚽️ This blonde twat has been shit housing the entire game. Get him off already.

⚽️ Why is Brighton the bogeyman of United? I mean honestly. Also brave from Mazraoui.

⚽️ Not sure why we are not harrying Brighton when they have the ball, but we are moving in slow motion.

News of the ceasefire is sweet relief. Biden jacking off a wanted war criminal makes him no better. Netanyahu is human scum. He doesn’t know any better. Awful example of a human being. I had thought better of Biden. Now complete with a legacy that has so far killing 45,000 Palestinians.

So. Tired. Today is the first time I have actually felt my age. There were three young lads moving the house for us. Each no older than 21.

🚚 Moving day tomorrow. It’s so surreal for me at the moment. Unlike most of the houses I have lived in, this one has some serious connections with people in the neighbourhood. I would have hoped to have stayed another 2 years in this house. Alas it was not meant to be.

When we have the ball, it’s a game and when we don’t, it’s a fight.
— Manuel Ugarte

Love this quote and why this player is quickly becoming a cult hero.