Here comes the sun.....
Tomorrow I am renouncing the heinous frozen wastelands of Canada to spend Xmas and the New Year in Costa Rica. Those of you whom are regular air travelers will know that the reduced cabin pressure in a plane leads to expansion of abdominal gases which may lead to some discomfort. This will be especially true for the people sharing my flight tomorrow, as I am just about to tuck into a giant pot of of extra spicy Vesuvius flavour noodles. It's these little pleasures that make it all worthwhile.

I have been driving around here in a vanilla and snow white Chrysler 300C which makes me feel like a pimp or a rap star, or perhaps a poorly dressed wedding chauffeur. It is an ocean liner of a car, I'm actually quite sad to have taken it back to the rental agency. My marvelous yet thrifty boss would prefer me to be driving around in a rent-a-wreck special that had previously been rejected by a junk yard for lowering the tone of the lot. I told him I needed a Bentley, so I think we have met half way on this one. Besides, when you are driving on snow as I have had to do in the last week it just feels a little more secure if you are in the automotive equivalent of the Queen Mary.

The ladies of my office in Toronto have been forewarned of my departure and they know that they only need mourn my absence until the New Year, when they may recommence humouring my mock ego.

I picked up some green cardamom pods for my friend Olga, so hopefully she'll make me some baklava, pastries are a weakness of mine. I can't make them, but like eating them. In theory I am cooking Xmas dinner for some amigos, as Marie will be spending it with her family and I didn't get an invite, even before the recent events that seem to have drawn us further apart. Still, the lucky buggers have an excellent meal in front of them. This is almost a routine started off by my friend Nicky, who for a while was collecting dinner guests that were happy to cook for all on arrival. I believe I still have the Guest Chef high score but there is no use resting on your laurels. It is worth noting that as a bloke I am allowed to do junk food every so often, but even so, if I am just on my own, I'll still cook something serious once per week.

I have decided I want to make babies. I have practiced making them so much that I should do an excellent job when the opportunity arises. This is not a recent revelation, I have just been getting broody recently.