JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

A quick run through the five most prominent candidates running to replace his Melness here in the centre of the universe... Tom Jakobek - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA...at least you can say it takes someone wallowing in dung (hello MFP) to find the dung in other candidates campaigns. Otherwise, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA... John Nunziata - Dear John: You've made a lot of hay about one of the other candidate's teams, but haven't spilled the beans on who. Sounds like a last stab to toss dirt on somebody, or the backroom boys are at it again. Barbara Hall - when the race began, it was assumed that Hall had a reasonable chance of running away with the job. Now she's in danger of falling into third, behind Miller and Tory. Boosting the island airport hasn't helped, nor have Jabokek's attempts at legal actions, a sense she's trying to win the centre-right vote, etc. Looks like strike two at the plate. John Tory - Then there's the coverage of the Tory campaign, especially on ...

Halloween is in the air. From highly decorated lawns to the candy displays in grocery stores, it will soon be time for the little ghouls and goblins to wander from house to house. For adults, a time to go a little crazy, step out of the day to day, to let creative impulses go wild. Sure sign we're getting close - CBC is digging out all the old Universal horror flicks from the 30s and 40s...right now, Son of Frankenstein , Boris Karloff's last appearance as the Monster. I've been going through the seasonal flicks in my collection over the past couple of days. Seems like the right time to watch them. Evil Dead, Ginger Snaps, Tomb of Ligeia ... Halloween was one of many things I rediscovered in university. Wasn't too keen on it as a kid - liked the candy, hated the dressing-up part. By the end, I was either going out in my sports uniforms or, the last time I went, around age 11 or so, deciding to go out at the last sec by borrowing part of my sister's cost...

Busy weekend, the last one... Spent Friday night and most of Saturday cooking up a storm. The kitchen smelled heavenly from all the spices needed for the Indian feast. It was the first test of the cookbook series I've bought on the last few trips to Borders. They passed with flying colours, judging from the reactions of friends and the yummy, if scant, leftovers. The sole flop did not come from this series, a rosewater pudding devoid of taste that met its fate in the bathroom sink Saturday afternoon. The first dish out of the gate was a mixed success. Made some paneer, but when I tried to mix it in a mushroom curry, it fell apart (guess I needed to put a weight on it). Wasn't a loss - it added a nice flavour. The paneer itself had a taste and texture closer to ricotta than paneer I've eaten. Bet it would make a great lasagne. Everything else was easy and tasty. Tandoori chicken, dhal, channa (though this was made with a pre-bought spice mix), raita, chutneys...