In the words of Reel 2 Reel, “I like to move it, move it!”

Actually, I don’t. In fact, it’s quite the opposite - I HATE moving. Loathe it, in fact.

So why is it I’ve moved SO MANY FREAKING times??

Parents house –> McMaster Residence  –>Parents house –> Camp Wahanowin –> Parents house –> Brock Union St. apartment –> Parents House –> Camp Wahanowin –> Parents house –> Brock Union St. apartment –> Brock Residence –> Storage & living out of a bag for 2 weeks –> Brock Tupper house –> Parents house –> Humber Malton house –> Parents house –> Humber 16th Street house… and now, to Timmins!

Count those, that’s like 17 moves over the last 6 years. Okay, in fairness 3 of those were half-moves (meaning I left half my stuff where it was, and only moved half). So 14 FULL moves. 

The living room is 75% packed! The rest will get done after my new bed is delivered - so I don't have to keep a path clear.

By this time, I’m a pro at moving - I’m fast at packing, know exactly HOW to pack things, and clear garbage bags labeled with a sharpie are my best friend (they’re great for packing pillows, bedding, and clothes - and they act as a cushion for the glass coffee tables in the moving truck, bonus!

The kitchen is mostly packed, with a few notable exceptions: microwave, food, salad spinner, and a plastic keg thing.

But! - and there’s always a but - I am still the Queen of Procrastination, and laziness wins out over organization which is why I am sitting here in my mess of a bedroom, wondering where to even start packing!

My bedroom looks like a Tornado passed through - time to tackle this one for packing!

On the bright side - I finally have a place I’m moving to: It’s a one bedroom, upper level apartment. Roughly 500 square feet, utilities included, pets allowed, off-street parking, and REALLY close to my new office (bonus!). The only negative is there’s no washer or dryer (laundromat, here I come!) and it’s a little pricey, but I’ll deal with it for the other perks listed above (and since I needed a place this week!)

My Dad and I went to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s FlyFest 2009 on Father’s Day, which took place at the Hamilton International Airport. Originally, we were going to go on the Saturday, but thunderstorms and heavy rain meant the planes would be grounded. I opted to stay home (rain + recovering from a cold = bad news bears). My sister and Dad still went - and although no planes were flying, they got to board a number of aircraft, including one of my favourites - the Lancaster.

The Lancaster went up while we were there on Saturday - and promptly came back down, meeting two fire trucks on the runway. Much to my disappointment, it never went up again. According to the MC, “The pilot saw something he didn’t like”. According to a Lancaster Ground Crew member I was chatting with in the food line, that “something” was a serious problem with the hydraulics. Hopefully they get it fixed before the next airshow it’s due to be at!

PHOTOS BY LAUREN SOUCH

I never would have thought it would be so hard to find a place to live in Timmins.

It makes sense when you think about it , though - Gold is doing well (and allegedly a safe investment during a recession), and Timmins is filled with gold and diamond mines. It’s also really far from neighbouring towns, which means you don’t have a lot of options apartment-wise (unlike Toronto - or any other major municipality for that matter). 

I’ve called at least 20 different landlords regarding apartments - and a few sounded really great; but I didn’t act fast ennough (ie. withint 24 hours!) to land them. It’s getting close to crunch time, so keep your fingers crossed that I find a place - and SOON!

T-12 days until the move - YIKES!

As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now - the City of Toronto voted in favor of introducing a mandatory fee on those pesky plastic bags you get when you shop back in December.

The new bylaw came into effect Monday, so officially if you’re shopping (and need - or want - a plastic bag) you’ll be charged a minimum of 5 cents for every bag you take home.

Personally, I’ve been using reusable shopping bags for a few years now - mostly because I was sick and tired of having the plastic ones lying all over my apartment (and was out of space to store them). The reusable ones are convenient, fold up nicely, and can hold a whole lot of stuff. However, many of them are also pretty ugly. I mean, who wants to carry around a bag plastered with close-ups of fruit guts all day?

I’ve dug up some alternative options to the reusable bags being offered by grocery stores, most of them made by local crafters and artists.

goodEGG Industries is an online store focusing on handmade crafts and goods. The shop is run by a duo of Toronto crafters, and offers a wide selection of Canadian-made items, including a slew of totes and shopping bags for a decent price.

Karissa Cove is a local artist who designs totes (among other things) that she sells on the online site Etsy.com.

Delight is an American company - but I had to include them because they sell really nice looking, reusable shopping bags (just like the ones you can snag at the grocery store, only with funky designs). Not only are their bags awesome, they’re also available in quite a few of Toronto Shops (including Bergo Designs in the Distillery District and Rolo in Yorkville.

And, for those of us who are eco-friendly and interested in taking your reusable bags a step further (and cutting down on your produce bags during your shop), Kootsac (located in B.C.) offers a handmade, reusable alternative to the throw-away plastic bags available in grocery stores.