Posts Under Personal Category
Although I am by no means a “gamer” now (unless you count being schooled at Mario Cart on the Wii, or schooling at Mario Party, being a gamer) – I was certainly raised a gamer by my parents.
Or more accurately, by my father.
We got our first computer when I was 6 or 7 (yup, also raised a computer nerd with a webpage – some things never change!), and, my dad, ever the giant nerd himself, installed a slew of awesome games on it.
Picking an early-age favourite is hard – Cross Country Canada, Maniac Mansion, Lemmings, Myst, Carmen San Diego – there’s so many good ones that come to mind. But, there’s three specific games that have stuck with me to this day.
The Mystery Text-Based Adventure Game I’ll Probably Never Find
My “favourite game ever” to this day, I still can’t recall the name of this oneb – and oh GOD have I searched, and searched, and… ugh. It was a text-based adventure fantasy. You woke up in (or got stranded at during a storm – can’t quite remember which) an enchanted castle. Inside, you had to navigate your way through and try not to get eaten/killed/maimed by all the things inside. I remember a werewolf, who attacked and killed you if you hadn’t yet found the silver bullet, and an attic with a bat/owl/creature that I could NEVER seem to get past. If you have any idea what I’m talking about, please comment and help me find this game! It’s killing me, and has been killing me for YEARS. My parents don’t remember either.
Ben the Badass Biker
Full Throttle
What’s not to love about bad-ass bikers, futuristic hovercrafts, fields filled with landmines, and mini-games where tou stab a knife between your fingers when you’re 10? Full Throttle had all that (and more). I was such an expert at the knife-stabbing-through-the-fingers game (seriously!) I used to practice on my real hand with a crayon and vowed to become an expert at doing it with a REAL knife when I was older (don’t worry mom, I never followed through).
Best. Game. Ever.
Wolfenstein 3D
Blood, guts, ammo, machine guns, killing Nazi’s – totally appropriate for an eight-year-old to be playing, right? I loved this game. I still love this game. So when I heard today that Wolfenstein 3D is being released for free online in celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary, I was stoked.
BREAKING NEWS, fellow iPhone lovers: you can totally download Wolfenstein 3D for free in the App store, as well. Score.
Not only because I love the game, but because I never beat it. It was really my dad’s game, which I just watched him play and played attempted to play myself, but I really, really sucked at it. Especially as the levels progressed and the enemies got harder.
Eventually I just loved watching him play all the hard levels I’d never make it too, and as time went on he was nearing completion of the game. It was really exciting times in the Souch household. Until one morning, when I was scarred for life (no, I’m not being dramatic!): I woke up just to have my dad tell me, all excited, that he beat Wolfenstein and got to see the little man run out of the castle jumping.
At two a.m.
While my nine-year-old self was fast asleep in bed.
I mean, WTF, dad!? You couldn’t have waited so your blood-and-guts loving, Nazi-killing, nine-year-old daughter could reach the pinnacle of her tiny gamer life and witness the ending with you?
He promised he’d beat it again so I could see. But try as he might, he couldn’t.
Yeah, I’m still bitter – and still haven’t seen the game finished.
So, this weekend I’m going to hole myself up in a vortex of nerdiness and play this damn game until I beat the thing, even if it means not eating, sleeping, or socializing (sorry, friends who have birthday celebrations ;).
And Dad?
You’re not allowed to come watch.
My fitness journey really began in June of last year. Oh, I’d joined gyms before, in fact, I was famous for “paying the fat tax”: when you’re paying for a gym membership and not going. I was constantly joining gyms, going thrice, and eventually (a few months, or, ahem, years later) cancelling the membership after wasting a bunch of money on good intentions.
But between 2009 and 2010, I had probably put on roughly 30 pounds. I was feeling cranky and lethargic, exhausted, unhealthy and, worst of all – I hated what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Finally fed up with feeling bad and unhappy, I decided to make a change and started looking into boot camps and ended up joining Booty Camp Fitness and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself in a very long time.
My one year anniversary is fast approaching, and my lifestyle has changed in so many positive ways in the last year – largely, if not completely, thanks to my Booty Camp experience – and I wanted to share and reflect on those changes and the new, improved “me” that’s here today.
I was drawn to Booty Camp for a number of reasons: the sense of community the website exuded, the fact it was outdoors, and the all-women nature of the classes (honestly, does ANYONE enjoy big, sweaty, bulking men grunting as they lift weights and oogle you, or worse, themselves in the mirror? Ew.).
At the time, I thought joining Booty Camp would be a way to “kick start” my workout regime, or, at the very least, a month of exercise before I gave up and stopped going, which was typical for me when it came to joining your traditional big box gyms. What I wasn’t expecting was the family, the community, and the lifestyle changes that came along with joining. I joined my first four-week Booty Camp session in June of 2011, and at that point in time I had been paying for a gym membership, and, I’m ashamed to admit, not going to that gym for almost 10 months.
I was terrified of the thought of doing a fitness boot camp, but went anyway. And, truth be told, I was horrified with my results. I was not expecting the measurement numbers to be as high as they were (Almost 160 lbs and 225 inches overall), and, as a former lifeguard and swim instructor, I was most certainly not expecting to be SO out of shape. I couldn’t even do 10 girly pushups (aka on my knees), and I got dizzy and nearly was sick just from running one lap in the heat.
Although by October 2011 I was seeing results, they still weren’t the kind I wanted – and so mid-October I totally overhauled my eating habits and lifestyle, and that’s when I saw big results. The pounds started to melt off in mid-November and one session after those changes I lost 13” in just four weeks.
Pre-Booty Camp - circa 2010
Currently - late 2011 to now
I’m proud to say at my last fitness assessment (which was in February, before I moved to Toronto and switched camp locations), I did 32 consecutive pushups on my toes, and just yesterday at Booty Camp I did an intense workout that involved 10 reps of a move, running two laps, ten reps of another, running for the hour – and I felt tired, but fine, while doing all that running. Oh, and just a few weeks ago? I held my plank for a personal best of 5 minutes!
I now weigh 133 lbs (that’s ~25 lbs lost!) and measure 202 inches overall (23” overall difference). Most noticeably, I’ve lost 3.5” on my waist, 5” on my hips, and 3” on my bum. I bought new work-appropriate shorts last summer, and I went to put them on recently and when I did them up and let go, they fell to the ground. I’m fitting – comfortably – into old clothes I haven’t worn since 2008.
Most importantly, I’ve come to learn that fitness, working out, eating well, and being truly healthy is so much more than a diet, a fad, or something you “have” to do. It’s a lifestyle, and in order to see positive changes you need to really embrace fitness as such. I never enjoyed working out before Booty Camp – I dreaded the gym, and the words “run” and “sweat” were just not in my vocabulary. But going to Booty Camp is different – it’s fun, it’s engaging, and the constant changes in routine ensure we don’t get bored and don’t plateau, and we have the enthusiastic instructors, supportive peers, and energizing music to get us going. I actually look forward to my twice-weekly butt kickings, and I can’t say enough how happy I am to suddenly have a method of working out I enjoy (because lets face it, running on a treadmill for 45 minutes totally sucks). And as time went on, I found myself doing more than just going to Booty Camp twice a week – trying hot yoga, aerial yoga, Jukari, trampoline classes, swimming again, hiking, and doing all sorts of fitness related activities for fun. Not because I have to, or because I need to, but because I actually enjoy what I’m doing, and that’s really a change that has occurred thanks to my positive experiences over the last year.
I’m proud and excited (okay, and a little nervous!) to announce that I recently registered to take my Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS) certification course with CanFitPro, which I’ll be doing over the last two weekends in May before writing the exam in late June. I dream of helping other women my age recognize the importance of health, fitness, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle… and one day, I’d LOVE to run my own Booty Camp location and, I hope, inspire other women as much as my instructor obviously inspired me.
If you’re interested in joining Booty Camp Fitness (and I can’t recommend it enough!), you can check for a location near you, or if there isn’t one, check out the amazing at-home DVD now available for public purchase – I use it at home sometimes and it’s just as awesome as the classes.
**note: this is NOT a paid, endorsed, or otherwise commissioned post. while I have included an affiliate link above, this is the 100% truth about my experiences and the opinions, views, and results I’ve expressed are entirely my own. If you know me, you know I’ve been raving about how awesome Booty Camp is for MONTHS… this blog post is no exception :)
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To those who know me, it’s no secret I like love my wine. Going to university in Niagara Region was largely responsible for this – I’d never even opened a bottle of wine before heading to Brock, let alone been able to discern my pinots from each other, but going to university in Ontario’s wine country had a really big impact on me. I mean, when you have an annual grape stomp, an oenology and viticulture program, and an entire festival (or two or three) dedicated to vino every year it’s hard NOT to get caught up in it.
I long have dubbed the Cave Springs Gewürztraminer as my “all time, favourite wine” (next to, uh, every variety of ice wine I can find and consume in a 50 mile radius), but after this weekend I think it’s safe to say I found a few new (and smaller/local) options (even though to get the CS Gewürz you have to go to the winery in Jordan – I usually buy it by the case to, you know, stock up).
Thanks to one of those group buying deals, The Boy and I went on a four-winery “winter” ice wine tour (I use the term “winter” lightly since it was a balmy 22°C in Southern Ontario over the weekend!) and to a chocolate factory (hotel stay included) for a really great price. And, surprise – we (along with the others who bought the deal) were separated out onto the short tour bus, so there were simply 18 of us (instead of the usual 30 or so) who traveled around together.
Much wine was consumed.
Did you know…
- Icewine has to be picked at night, when it’s -10°C
- Icewine must be naturally produced – no artificial freezing
- Icewine was accidentally created in Germany in 1794 due to an exceptionally cold winter German icewine doesn’t meet the sweetness standard to sell in Canada today (must be a sweetness rating of 18+)
- Ice wine is made when frozen grapes are pressed and the sugar water is extracted.
- One vine might make a bottle of wine, but one vine only makes a glass of icewine – hence the expensive price tag!
Chocolate F/X - sooo amazingly tasty!
First, we stopped at Chocolate FX and learned about how the chocolate was made – I wish I could tell you more about this, but I was a bad tourist and stopped paying attention, as was evident when Mike was schooling me on chocolate knowledge while we were eating the AMAZINGLY delish raspberry chocolate covered coffee beans we bought (on sale! two for one! omg! and you can order online!) last night. Stopped paying attention largely because a) there was no one there working so the “tour” was staring at machines and b) because I was day dreaming about all the chocolate sampling we were about to do (which made up for the lame tour – my poor, poor stomach!).
Joseph's Estate Wineries
Our first winery was somewhat of a disappointment. The wines were not exceptional, the experience was blah, and I’m so glad this didn’t set the tone for the rest of the trip. Once we entered the winery, we were seated in a dimly lit, aesthetically unpleasing room. We had to move once seated, and then at the end I tried to look at one of the bottle for information and we were hurriedly ushered out of the room for “the next group”. The sales pitch at the end of the tasting was quite over-the-top and long as well.
- ‘06 Chenin Blanc (sweetness 1) — just okay. Hints of pineapple, which was nice.
- Vintage Country Red (3) — Loved it. Ended up coming home with a bottle. It was well-rounded, with a number of flavours and sweet (the way I like my red’s!)
- Cabernet Merlot (0) — ick. I’m not a red fan, and REALLY dislike dry red’s (unless in Sangria), so this was an expected miss.
- ‘02 Vidal Icewine (18) — delicious – how can ice wine NOT be? – but nothing special.
- Gewürztraminer-Reisling (1) — meh.
- Pinot Grigio — also meh. I actually struggled to remember which one we tasted, that’s how unmemorable this one was!
Caroline Cellars
By far my favourite winery of the day – Caroline Cellars looked exactly how I imagine wineries should look, and we sidled up to the bar in-store for the tastings. Instead of being presented three to four preselected wines, we were given an entire double-sided wine menu and got to choose the four wines we wanted to try, working down the menu from white, to rose, to red, and finally, to the dessert and icewines. Mike and I paired up and picked different wines each time, so we essentially each got to taste eight.
- Gewürztraminer (0) — If you haven’t figured it out, this is my favoruite kind of wine, so I have to try it everywhere. Rather good here, with notes of honey and lychee (yum, yum).
- Enchantment (2) — A Gewürz-Riesling blend, quite similar to the Gewürz, but sweeter and quite tasty.
- Pinot-Cherry (2) — the only sweet red on the list, I was sold by the “cherry” part of the blend, but it was a little disappointing. I can see how it would make an amazing Sangria though.
- Merlot (0) — I of course didn’t like this one (the Boy chose it), and neither did he, deciding he also prefers sweet reds, and the Pinot-Cherry was only okay, though I can see how it would make an amazing Sangria!
- ’08 Late Harvest Riesling (8) — I picked this one out for Mike, and we both loved it. It promised, and delivered, orange flavours.
- ’07 Late Harvest Videl Momentum (6) — This won a double gold medal for “Best in Category” in 2009. It was quite similar to an icewine, but had strong grapefruit notes which I really liked… though, to be honest, both Mike and I preferred his Riesling!
- ’07 Videl Icewine (25) — I chose this one, which is an award-winner, as I typically prefer a Videl Icewine, and this one was no exception. Buyer’s remorse at NOT taking a bottle home.
- ‘08 Riesling Icewine (25) — Mike choose this one, because “it’s more expensive!”. Hehe. Boys. Also an award winner, it was okay though I preferred the Video. Mike preferred this one, so it worked out.
On a non-tasting related note, Caroline Cellars had all sorts of nifty gift items, including some really awesome wine racks, and wire “wine bottles” and barrels for holding corks. My favourite was a tiny wine bottle ornament that holds just one cork, I thought it would make a great wedding/engagement gift — the couple could put the cork from their celebratory bottle into it as a keepsake. Totally had to refrain from coming home with a wire barrel to put all my corks in. Next time.
Reif Estate Winery
I really enjoyed visiting Reif Estate as well – they have a very interesting sensory garden, which unfortunately it was the off-season for. Typically, it offers visitors a chance to explore the sights, smells, etc of the characteristics used when tasting and describing various wines. I also liked that the grape vines were easily accessible/viewed from the winery store, and were clearly labeled with which vine was designated for which wine. I definitely want to go back and visit during growing season.
- Videl — it was quite grapefruity, which I really liked, and overall was a very nice white.
- Cabernet Merlot (0) — of course, I didn’t like it (see “not a Merlot fan” above). It was quite strong and dry, very earthy… just not my cup of tea.
- Videl Icewine — We tried this one twice, thanks to a FourSquare check in that got us a each a free tasting of icewine at the Reif bar, and I instantly fell in love (though not with the price tag – $25 for just 200ml!). It’s easy to see why this is an award-winning ice wine. It was sweet and crisp at the same time, with a delicious flavour – unlike, and better than, any other icewine I’ve ever tried… and I do like my icewines. I took home a tiny sample bottle, as I just couldn’t justify the hefty price tag on a “full” bottle at the moment, but I will be ordering and/or going back for one at a later date.
Caroline Cellars, again - missing a photo from Riverview
Our final stop of the day was Riverview Cellars, a fairly new winery that has only been in operation since 2000. Again, this winery pre-chose our wines, but we did hit up the tasting bar to try a few more (okay, almost all of them! ;) after.
Just two to note (mainly because I can’t remember most of the names of the others, and it’s not online to look up!) While I can’t remember specifics about a lot of them, I do remember their rose was quite delicious.
- Gewürztraminer (1) — this white was amazing, possibly even rivaling my Cave Springs favourite, though I didn’t take a bottle home.
- Cabernet Franc (0) — this red is an award-winning wine and… well, I didn’t like it. Surprise, surprise. I actually liked this one the least out of all the reds we tried today, but I finished my sample anyway (even though this particular winery was the only one to offer a “dumping bucket” if you didn’t like the wine… psh.)
Additionally, I ended up buying maple ice wine tea from here – I hate to say it, but even though I was SO excited to try it… I still haven’t! It’s just been so warm I haven’t really been in a “tea” mood, though it’s cooled down considerably in the last week so I have a feeling this tea is in my immediate future.
:)
Have you ever done a winery tour? What’s your favourite kind (or bottle) of wine? I love trying new ones, so feel free to leave your recommendations :)
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Over the (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, The Boy and I took a road trip to Boston, Massachusetts. I’ll be completely honest: 50% of the reason I pleaded to go to Boston until he caved (which wasn’t actually hard at all once I reminded him New England is like, the chowder capital of America) was so I could visit nearby Salem, the site of the 1692 Witchcraft Hysteria.
The path leading to the Witch Trials Memorial in Salem.
It’s no secret that, growing up, I had a fascination with the trials – I loved Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and even directed it in my grade 12 high school Drama class; and in my Grade 11 American History class I wrote a comparison/contrast essay (by choice – I’ll admit I was a total nerd who LOVED compare/contrast essays, haha) for my ISU comparing the 1692 Witchcraft Trials to the McCarthyism era (Senator Joe McCarthy’s “witch hunt” of communists during the Cold War).
Thanks to our late arrival in Boston, and my inability to read a map correctly (yup) we didn’t quite get to do everything on my list – though I will also admit my “Salem To Do” list could have easily filled our entire 3 day trip.
Once we arrived, we walked the main street – which was filled with little ghouls and goblins and princesses trick or treating for, what we later discovered, was the “Mayor’s Trick or Treat” where businesses hand out candy to cute kids.
Fun items like this were everywhere in Salem - and not just because it was October!
We wandered some of the very unique shops on the street – a lot of Witch-related paraphernalia, fortune tellers, spirit healers, and other paranormal-related shops. I found Remember Salem Gifts, a (largely) Harry Potter themed store (while I’m not even remotely interested in Harry Potter, the store seemed pretty awesome for anyone who is – they even MAKE their own wands they sell that look authentically awesome). This discovery led to one of the most interesting parts of our Salem visit (to me, at least – The Boy mostly yawned and eye rolled through it): an actual Ghost Hunt conducted after-hours in the store.
The store, way back in the day, used to be a hair and makeup salon – but in the basement there was a quasi morgue/funeral home, where dead bodies would go and the salon staff would do their hair and makeup for the funeral. The owner of Remember Salem used to have his office in the basement, and some strange things happened – moved furniture, the door slamming shut, etc – until one day it was TRASHED overnight. He has always felt a bad vibe down there, but after this incident moved his office upstairs and now “the bad room” (as staff call it) is largely unused. Professional investigators have visited the shop, and the consensus is there’s a few presences down there – a sick or helpless man; a young girl who plays hide and seek (and there’s a picture of her – literally, it’s really spooky – you can see in-shop); and a “bad” presence. Anyway, we conducted our own “ghost hunt” in the basement – which was my first experience playing with EMF readers, EVP recorders, and the like. A few spikes, but nothing too interesting occurred - besides seeing a mysterious hand-print that had appeared weeks earlier and weird claw marks on the ceiling of “the bad room” – but it was still really enjoyable to spend time with an “expert” at the paranormal and other people interested in this stuff.
John Willard's memorial stones at the Salem Witch Trial Memorial
Me with Giles Corey's memorial stone. He turned in his own wife, and was later accused of witchcraft himself. He was pressed to death under stones, refusing to confess. His dying words were "more weight".
Hits:
- If you’re a Harry Potter Fanatic… Remember Salem Gifts
- If you want a truly creepy Ghost Hunt experience… Salem’s Paranormal Tour (at Remember Salem Gifts)
- For a tasty pub meal… The Old Spot, which had (according to The Boy) delicious chowder (I tried it, but I just can’t get into chowder); can’t remember what he had for dinner but my Beer Battered Haddock Sandwich was delish!
- If you’re even remotely interested in the Witchcraft Trials... The Salem Witch Trials Memorial, which was both somber and interesting; and the graveyard next to it was also interesting (albeit dark when we were there and therefore hard to find certain tombstones)
Misses:
- Unless you really, really want to learn the history of the Witchcraft Hysteria from somewhere other than Wikipedia… The Salem Witch Museum – A complete and utter waste of time, IMO. I should mention my boyfriend found it mildly interesting (historically), but you can learn that info elsewhere. You sit in a room, listen to statues “talk” about the trials as a light illuminates different “scenes” (they don’t move). Next, you go into a room where you learn about the history of witches – and how they’ve changed – until present day. Again, plastic statues “talk” to you – yawn. There were some interesting timelines, photos, etc on the wall; but our guide glossed over the information on them and ushered us through rather quickly (without much time to read them). The one interesting thing here was a beam from the original jail where the prisoners were kept, and that you can touch. But… $9 a person to touch a beam? No thanks.
Mike said I was a witch ;) Shackles for me.
- For fans of Bewitched… The Bewitched Statue, which you’ll probably walk by while there anyways, is kind of neat to look at – the nearby street lights give it a cool glow.
- If you’re looking for a fun, family-orientated ‘supernatureal’ show… The “Supernatural Show” at The Witches Cottage, was a fun, informative, and eye-catching two man performance. Why’s it a meh? Well, it would have been MUCH better (likely a hit) if we had not been sitting in the first row… honestly, the first three rows should probably not exist, sitting there RUINS the fun, unexpected, and “scary” parts of the show. Cheap way to get more people in, but for those who sit there… ugh. It was a silly, fun, ‘scary’ show… but yeah, don’t sit up front. They say it’s not for the faint of heart, etc – but I think younger kids could easily handle this show.
Next Time:
- If you want a historical, haunted walking tour… Salem Ghost Tours – we thought there was a 9pm tour, but it was only at 8 and we would not have made it to the start of the tour in time as we inquired about tickets at 7:55. Sad face.
- For an interactive, theatrical Witchcraft Trial experience… ‘Legacy of the Hanging Judge’ re-enacting the hysteria of the trials at The House of Seven Gables – looks like an amazing time, and I’m bummed we didn’t get over there… but we were only in Salem for an evening.
- For a building with direct ties to the hysteria… The Witch House, which was the home of the trial’s Judge Jonathan Corwin (the only structure in Salem with direct ties) – be warned, it closes early – at 5 p.m.
- For a quick, live reinactment and historical lesson… The Witch Dungeon Museum. This one features a 10-minute re-enactment of part of the trials (from historical records), and the “dungeon” (a re-creation of where the accused we held, since the real one is long gone)
- For delicious dinner… Rockafella’s. We almost went here, but a band was about to go on (loud and we were tired) and there was a cover charge since it was late – I’ve been told by more than one person we should have gone anyway as the food is apparently awesome.
So, as some may know – the boy and I are planning on moving in together (and downtown) by April. We started looking for apartments, and gosh is this a lot harder than I remember it being.
I’m quickly learning being a “grown up” with a big girl job and looking for a real apartment (aka not a student house or random apartment-above-landlords-5-minutes-from-campus) is an entirely different ball game (and frustrating as hell).
Finding an affordable apartment that isn’t a shoebox and isn’t in a location that will likely get me shot (Hi Jane&Finch!) seems next to impossible.
Pretty much, it goes like this:
Affordable. Decent size for two people. Not a basement. Good location. No bugs. Pick three.
And yes, before you ask – we’re still looking. Hopefully not for too much longer, but, you know.
Here’s ten nifty things I’ve learned so far.
"for rent abstract" by jerebu on Flickr.
1. Location is more important that you might think.
Part of the reason I’m moving out (and justifying it) is to be closer to downtown, making it MUCH easier for me to continue my freelance side projects, spend less time commuting to work, etc – but as I quickly discovered, location IS important. My boyfriend was all about location – he wanted to be close to a subway line, somewhat central, etc; but I was all like “whatever, I have a car! wheeee!”. Until I realized one of the areas I considered “awesome” in the west end would be an hour and a half TTC commute to work or, with traffic, STILL a 45 minute drive. Kind of defeats the purpose of “less time spent commuting”. Midtown and east end, here we come.
2. Balconies are expensive.
The Boy’s a smoker, and that’s something I’ve just come to accept. We have our ground rules about it (aka he can’t do it inside, or in his car when I’m in it, and never in my car); but as a smoker he wants a balcony – and I get that. I really do. But a place with a balcony seems to jump $150, if not more, a month in rent – and when you have other “needs” in a place (like, uh, affordable parking for two cars – more on that below) things like a balcony take a back seat. And a dishwasher, which he also wanted. Ha! Dishwasher. The compromise is if we don’t have a balcony, we’re hoping to be on a low floor of a high-rise or in a low-rise, so it’s easy for him to go downstairs and outside to smoke.
3. Finding “affordable” parking in Toronto is like finding a magic lamp.
Sometimes, you get lucky and find a building with parking for $50-$60 a month. It’s usually outdoors, and the buildings usually suck. Usually, outdoor parking averages around $60-70 a month, and indoors is even worse (I’m talking $85/mth and up). There go my dreams of never again scraping my windshield. I recognize many people are probably thinking “but you don’t need a car in Toronto!” and well, no, I don’t NEED one; but I already own one and a monthly metro pass is only a little less than my monthly insurance, so it just makes sense to keep it. I like being able to get groceries without hauling them down the street, or visiting out-of-town friends at my leisure. One building I’m in love with wants $125/mth for parking. Yeah, that knocked that building out of the running pretty quickly (tear).
4. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. That’s ok.
Because sometimes, the place disappears before you even get your viewing, and sometimes they rent it to that blasted 35-year-old single lawyer who makes 8 times your salary who was also at the open house – you can’t get discouraged, even though apartment hunting may be the bane of your existance.
5. It’s a lot of work.
I used to think actually MOVING was bad – the packing, unpacking, carrying couches – well, after moving 17 times in 6 years (I kid you not), I’m a pro at that part. I’ve got bubble wrapping dishes down to a science. But this looking for available places? It’s exhausting. We’ve only looked at a handful or two of places, and I scour the listings daily – but it feels like an eternity. And all the calling (on my lunch, because of course rental offices aren’t open after 5 and I work until 6) sucks. Not to mention all the landlords/supers who only want to show the apartment Monday-Friday between 9-5… uh… don’t you want someone who, I don’t know, works for a living to rent from you? This weekend we’re going to do a drive-by of the area we want to live in (first choice: Yonge & Eglinton) and look for availabilities, on recommendation of my co-worker. I do need to give a shout-out to my two new fav sites for listings though – PadMapper and MapItAt, both which let you search multiple listing sites by a number of parameters, and show results on a handy dandy map. Because really? Who knew that Fsdsoakdooewap Rd. was near Avenue and St. Clair?
6. Check your credit rating.
I didn’t do this right away – after our first “sorry, thanks but no thanks” I panicked and thought it must be my credit. It wasn’t. But checking my credit rating (which, according to Equifax is “excellent”) first would have saved me an afternoon of hyperventilating and overreacting. Yeah, I can be an “assume-the-worst-first” person sometimes. And if it ends up being “worst case” and you have less-than-stellar credit, you’ll know in advance and can approach the landlords about it in advance of an application, work to raise your credit, and avoid unnecessary panic attacks later on down the line.
7. Decide early on what’s most important (your “must-haves”) and what “would-be-nice”.
Affordable parking for one car (preferably two) nearby (street parking is fine) is a must-have for us, as is being a reasonable distance from my work (and from the downtown core). A balcony is a would-be-nice, as is an eat-in-kitchen. Good closet space is a must-have (or enough space for extra wardrobes/dressers comfortably) is a must-have, as is an actual bathtub in the bathroom. A dishwasher and L-shaped living/dining room is a “would be nice”. A non-basement apartment is a must-have (1. because of my need, literally, for lots of natural light and windows, and 2. because of my allergies and crappy immune system). No reports of bedbugs or cockroaches is a must have (uh, obviously). You get the idea. It’s really helped us narrow things down when we’re looking at apartments and keep a level head. When in doubt, refer to checklist.
8. Make and set a budget. Stick to it.
When we first started looking, I set a willy-nilly budget based on a random guess at my spending habits. When I actually sat down and made a REAL budget, I realized I had over shot by a few hundred a month… and forgotten to account for extra expenses like hydro, parking, and a landline if it’s an intercom system. Even still, I see apartments and think “oh, but it’s only xyz amount more a month…” and that’s bad, because when I add in the hydro being extra (if it is), the parking, etc; it ends up being way out of budget. So now I make sure every time I see a place I like, I divide the rent by two and add in all my extra expenses (parking, utilities, laundry, cable, etc) and make sure it’s still within my price range BEFORE even picking up the phone or emailing about the place.
9. Don’t settle, and don’t rush it.
We applied for the third apartment we saw (it got rented to someone else). At first, I was really disappointed – but then I started to remember the negative things about it. The hallways were icky (though the apartment was pristine). The on-site parking was tight and involved parallel parking (yeah, I suck at that) and for a second spot we’d have to rent from a building across the street and down. The bathroom was tiny. There was only one sink in the kitchen (not a double one). Sure, none of these things are major or deal-breakers - but we panicked (surprise, surprise) due to our bad luck of getting “sorry, we just rented it” calls before a scheduled viewing and applied right away. I was actually second guessing the decision before we were told it was rented to someone else, so in the end, I was a bit relieved. I’m not happy to have to keep looking, but hey – maybe the next awesome one will let us rent two parking spaces on-site AND have a double sink.
10. Don’t be too picky.
I know that sounds like a total contradiction of the previous one – but it’s true, especially if you’re trying to stick to a (fairly) tight budget. You have to accept that you might have to give up certain things (like an L-shaped living room) for other things (like two closets in the bedroom). Or you might have to trade a balcony for your perfect location. Even our deal breakers and “must-haves” are, to some extent, flexible if “otherwise” the place is PERFECT or we just have an amazing vibe about it. The only thing I CAN’T bend about, really, is my budget – so I have to be willing to be a little flexible. Where I’m not willing to be flexible? If the place has bed bug reports or really bad reviews by tenants online. Or if it’s owned by CapReit.
And if all else fails? Quit your job and move out west.
(Kidding, mom!)
If you have any advice, comments, or experience with the apartment hunt in Toronto – I’d love to hear it!
