New Ink

I've been taking school really seriously.

A couple weeks ago I went to Tofino with my friend Asher. In addition to me buying a super cool t-shirt, we went to the ocean. We both ran in but I couldn't take the cold and ran back out 10 seconds later, Asher stayed in, crazy son of a bitch. After that I ate a baguette and some baba ghanoush, then we went to a different, prettier beach and kind of went our separate ways for a few minutes, staring at the sun burning the piles of dusty old leaves in our minds. It was an amazing day, the weather was our friend.

School has been off and on as usual. I got called out by one of my chefs this week, he told me my focus was slipping and that I was disappointing him. He was right, my mind has been focused on one particular thing lately which fortunately is now resolved and done with. His words reawakened me and I think I'll be able to ride that for a little while until inspiration fails again. On Friday the senior students in our program graduated, our 2nd semester begins on Monday which means that I am now a senior...which is actually completely insignificant, save for the fact that there's a new intake of students which is gonna be fun. Initiation season. It's gonna be really hard showing up next week and not seeing half of the people I've worked closely with for the last 5 months.

I'm staying in Nanaimo this summer, there isn't a lot for me in Ottawa. No Magy, friends have all left or are leaving. I actually can't imagine ever living in Ottawa again.

I started applying for jobs this week just so I'd have something to do in my off time and to help me focus on cooking. The town's a little dry right now, a lot of businesses are going under, no one's hiring, but I'll find something. The local independent skateshop just went under, a real a bummer.

Last weekend I went to Vancouver for 2 days and a night to visit Alex Dow who just moved there with his girlfriend. It was amazing, I won't go into the lurid details for censorship sake but there was consumption a-plenty in the most healthy and happiest kind of way. I went with my friend Kassie, it was smiles and sunshine practically the whole time, the weather turned a little the day we left but it was still nice. Alex's girlfriend is amazing, she had me laughing the whole time. I also made a 2am rendezvous with Katie Swinwood, the poor girl stayed up waiting for me to get my drunk-ass over there, then when she came outside to let me in she locked us both out of her apartment. We got in and it was great to see her even if only for 15 minutes. She's truly in a world of her own, I've always liked her 'cause from the moment I met her I sensed the old-soul sensibility that I cherish in myself emanating from her. That's a rare and lovable characteristic. Completely real, probably the realest person I've ever known.

Today I woke up very early, after coming home very late and very drunk. I walked downtown and had an amazing breakfast then went to the pier to listen to Neil Young and clear my head, I decided I would get tattooed. So I came home and woke up Asher who was passed out on my living-room floor (he showed up pounding on the door at 3:30am after I accidentally abandoned him at the club, I'm the worst friend ever). We got in his honky-tonk old truck, put on our shades and some CCR and made our way to the parlour. Welcome to the family tattoo #3, already tinkering with some ideas for #4.













It's exactly what I had in mind, I'm very very pleased with it.

In 27 days I'll be in Mexico, and in 29 days I'll be back in Nanaimo. How bizarre.

Home Sweet Bitter Cold Home

Yesterday morning a campus security-guard told me that Nanaimo set the national record for snowfall so far this year. Winter just has it out for me, last year it was Ottawa's dramatic, amazingly long winter, and now it's Nanaimo.

So I should write about Christmas break. My trip home was hilariously horrible. I threw out my back, ran out of money, slept on 3 of the most uncomfortable benches I've ever sat in, spent a total of about 15 hours in layover, missed 3 Greyhound buses, went into near delirium taking muscle-relaxants, ate A&W, yelled at a potentially "slow" Greyhound attendant, lost my luggage, found my luggage...total trip time was 27 hours from walking out my front-door and into my mom's car at the Greyhound terminal in Ottawa.














That's the Kinach Christmas Eve kiddie-table. The only person I'm actually related to in that photo is the wino at the bottom right, lil' sister Sproule. Clockwise from her is her boyfriend Greg, some really cool dude beside him, Alex beside him, Adam (my cousin-in-law) beside his girlfriend Alex, Ally, Adam's brother Sean beside his girlfriend Ally and back to my sibling in sin.

The next morning I made breakfast for Mom and the gang, classical hollandaise over eggs-benedict.

I also spent some time in Perth getting up to no good with the Sproule side of me which was really nice.

On New Years Eve I went to a friend's house and got tipsied and then stumbled onto the Greyhound around 12:15AM to head to Toronto, the trip back was really smooth but still long. When I got to the Horseshoe Bay ferry-terminal in Vancouver I called my Dad and while I was talking to him I saw some blurry-faced stranger smiling at me, her face was blurry 'cause I'd been awake for about 20 hours and couldn't focus on the nose between my eyes. Turns out it was my friend Jill from campus, we shared a cab into town with her boyfriend and some Indian lady, I think I got the raw end of the deal, they pitched me $14 between the 3 of them but as the last person off I payed the tab and it was $30 with tip. The driver was using GPS to find our respective places but I think he was giving us the round-about. Jill's boyfriend was giving him lip, he told the driver to throw his GPS out the window.

This is really boring, I felt obligated to write about my trip but I don't really wanna relive it.

I grew my beard back, coming in pretty nice...just in time for my cowboy costume for this Friday's "Cops and Robbers Party".

Oh also, I got a cellphone yesterday, my number is 250-797-2006.



One love.

Hunter S. Cat

Hunter S. Cat was a good man. When I went through puberty I outgrew my bed in about 3 months, spurting from a stalky 4' to a gangly and awkward 6'. Hunter's favourite hobby was to wait and prey at the end of my bed and when he saw my hairy overgrown toes dangling over the edge, probably resembling a family of mice, he would make his attack. I guess I'm just happy he got to spend the last couple years of his life outside of the dank smokey apartment in Ottawa, hunting real mice in my Dad's driveway in Perth.

When my Dad, sister, and myself moved from Kilborn in Ottawa to the nearby apartment on Palm St., Hunter was in the midst of some lonely journey into the inner-sanctums of the cat-mind and the cat-wilderness. We were forced to leave him behind but a couple months later my sister went back to Kilborn and put up posters looking for Hunter, I was pessimistic about it all. The next day the new tenants of our old-house called us to ask us to come pick up Hunter, who had shown up tattered and weary, bleeding from the leg. From that point on he assumed some sort of bizarre human-like charisma similiar to a loving, kind old man who knows just where he belongs.

God dammit Hunter, couldn't you have just waited a couple more weeks...fuck's sake.

I leave on Wednesday the 17th, the trip is gonna suck the big one. Got a 7 hour layover in Toronto, yay. How many Greyhound station floors have I slept on? I often wonder if I'll ever buy a car or if I'm just destined to live like this forever.

Mag and I are splitsville, my weak will fell...these things are meant to be I guess...20 year olds don't belong in long-distance relationships.

I have zero passion for cooking right now, good thing it's my destiny to be a cook or I'd probably pack in my bags at this point.

I have an unappeasable hunger to be in San Francisco after seeing it's glory last February. I can't stop thinking about it.

I Wish I Was Homeward Bound

The other day I learned that the quinoa-seed is a complete protein source, I find that amazing, I don't know why. No more than 2 months ago I was taught that the only way to obtain a complete protein source from a single ingredient was from meat but oh no, false...quinoa! I just bought some. Cooked it with ginger and then poured onion and acorn-squash drippings with honey all over it. Thanks for the loan Mom, bet you're glad I'm blowing it all on exotic ingredients for my selfish-self, and not Christmas gifts..

I also just bought this cool book called Local Bread. I have a feeling that my involvement in baking may at some point surpass my involvement in traditional cooking. Everyone should bake bread, the human-race would be at a better place if everyone took the time to bake their own bread. I sincerely mean that. It's probably the most therapeutic and remedial thing I've ever done.

Anyways enough nonsense, the eve of my loves return is nigh. There are six more sleeps until Mag gets on her very first ever plane and flies half way across the globe. I don't even know what to say about that. It's pretty surreal...it kind of feels like sleeping for the first time. To be at a final rest after a life of unending labour...except it's not final, we have to repeat the whole process come January. She actually has a bit of an adventure ahead of her after getting off the plane. She's gotta drive, ferry and walk her way to meet me on campus after I get off class on Wednesday.. It's bittersweet but less bittersweet than it was the day we met...meeting and knowing that a rainy day in August when she'd leave would eventually come...and now knowing that finally, a sunny day in April will soon bring us together again. December is gonna be heaven though, I truly can't wait to go home. It's sick but the thing I'm looking forward to 2nd most to cuddling with Mag and watching movies at home here, is cuddling with Mag and watching movies at home in Ottawa after raiding my Mom's chip-pantry.

I miss a lot of things. I really miss Ben's house. What a phenomenal place that was, I took it for granted, I could have learned a lot more there and participated in some pretty amazing things but at least I got some good friends out of it. Compared to my living-situation now...well the comparison doesn't need to be made for anyone who ever visited Ben's home. I miss Mike and Robbie and Gordon and Trevor so much. I don't think I've laughed half as hard once while here than I laughed on a regular old day hanging out with Mike in Ottawa. I really miss scooting around downtown Ottawa with Nick. There was one day when I was working at the Ottawa Marriott where Nick and Matt Morrow came down and met me after work around 11pm and we just shredded all around these abandoned buildings and streets on a dark Monday night...those times were the best. Or the back of Marty's van with Nick, Rob and Ty...oh lord. God, I even miss OC Transpo. Anyone who has tried to use public-transpo to get around on a Sunday in Nanaimo will NEVER bitch about OC Transpo again.

I took some photos of my hands today, Mag tells me she loves my hands...by most standards I guess this is considered pretty disgusting for someone who handles food for a living but they're clean...this is just what they look like. I like them to look this way, I pounce at most opportunities to handle root and bulb vegetables, to have hands like this is a trophy to me and I don't care how "unkempt" it looks. Years of griptape wear, beet juice, celeriac dirt, a dismembered fingernail, the remains of an old rust-wound infection. One day these hands will remind me that I mostly worked for what I received.

Now Accepting Donations

In British Columbia, and maybe some other provinces of advanced pleasure, Remembrance Day is some sort of day of leisure. When I found out that Tuesday is some twisted holiday I was confused, and then I was elated with potential, and then I was excited, but then I was anxious and I've never really enjoyed anxiety. The idea of being excited for something that's yet to come...I don't know, it's unsettling...like quicksand. Anyways, the big-wigs at the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island decided that rather than cause the students extra stress by breaking up our work-week right in mid-stream, they'd just give us Monday off too. Does a salmon turn around mid-stream when the current gets too strong? Hell no. Did that make sense? Not in the slightest.

The weekend has been very rejuvenating, very rejuvenating. On Friday, after class, I packed my belongings into my luggage-satchel and headed South to beautiful downtown Victoria to meet my old friend Hasi Eldib. Hasi and I have been friends since grade 6, he is actually one of my first school-friends from Ottawa after moving there from Rockland. Hasi is high on life, he is one of those rare folks who just dig it. He's not in it for anything, he's just living it. I don't think he's trying to prove anything, he just wants to do his thing. He used to be a jerk, he's almost killed/paralyzed most of his oldest friends in wrestling stunts gone awry. Somewhere on the road he turned that homicidal energy into pure love extract. I think he just loves life. I met Hasi at the hotel he was staying at, we talked for awhile then went to the Swans Hotel for a pretty nice pub-style meal. The menu wasn't the best but it was well-prepared and piping-hot and to me that's more important than the ingredients used. We had some beer and talked a lot then went back to the hotel. Hasi left early, 4:30am, to catch a flight. I got up at 5am probably out of habit. I took this photo and then headed out and wandered the streets. Waking up before dawn has it's benefits my friends, try it some time.



I ended up buying some shoes. I'm totally broke but dammit, what skater can resist $50 shoes? That's a third of what I would have payed in Ottawa 5 years ago.

I took the Greyhound home around 'noon. I ate a bag of wine gums and chased them with a bag of M&M peanuts. When I got home I had the worst stomach-ache I've ever had in my entire life. I thought something had ruptured, no joke. Maybe the 5Alive reacted with the peanuts creating a strange-brew in my strange-belly.

Today I got groceries, Sunday buses here are pathetic. I walked home carrying close to my body-weight in cans of beans and various 4lb. squashes and tubers. I have a bad history cooking potatoes so I'm gonna get some practice in. I also made the dough for this wild rye-bread. It's got a ton of molasses in it, the kitchen smells like melted leather. It's got all kinds of seeds in it, fennel and anise and a few more. Letting it proof right now, can't wait to get that beauty baked off. I'm so stoked I might go preheat the oven right now! Sometimes I think my life is akin to a rollercoaster ride.



Mag might be coming here early, if she does the countdown is 24ish days. Wow, what a strange 3 months. Never thought I'd do something like that in my life.

Forecast for tomorrow is 100degrees of shredding the shred-stick. Gotta love not having winter and skateboarding in November.

Listen to Steve Miller...now!

Novella from Nanaimo No. 13

I'm sitting here looking at my own signature on an agreement for a new room I'm moving into in January. The S at the beginning of my last name is a J...gotta put that on my list of things to do, "#9 - Fix the J in my signature."

I went to Salt Spring Island this weekend. Took the ferry from Crofton to Vesuvius Bay, it's a 20 minute ride, $7 to walk on, free on the way back.



We went straight to a church function. My inner dialogue was rattling through questions. Do I take off my hat? Do I bow to the priest? When is the appropriate time to scream "HALLELUJAH!"? It took all of my self-control not to use the name "Jesus Christ" to express feelings of anger or frustration. Once inside I realized I was in a key situation to score loads of candy. It wasn't really a religious function, more of a Halloween function...ironically, Halloween is a Pagan holiday. From the church we went to downtown Ganges. Dad, if you're reading this...I saw Chris at the firehouse and I tried to ask him how he was getting home. He told me Val was picking him up but I couldn't get an answer on when. He didn't remember me but he still looked happy to see me, no surprises there. I should have called her but as usual, I was on someone else's schedule so it didn't happen. To readers other than my Dad, Val is the old man's first-wife. Her and her husband run an equal-living shared housing unit for autistic people out of their home, Chris is one of them. He's a large, very happy and expressive young man. He volunteers at the fire-station.

We weren't downtown long before we retired to Asher's Dad's house. It was a hand-built custom home as many on Salt Spring seem to be. The next morning Asher's Dad had us hauling wood for a couple hours, this is what we got done. Not bad if you ask me. What do I know about hauling wood though?



After that everyone showered and ate and we headed off to Salt Spring Island Cheese Company (http://www.saltspringcheese.com/). I spent $24 on cheese, a white truffle goat cheese, lemon goat cheese, and garlic goat cheese. I shared the truffle one with my French roommates since the truffles were imported from France. After the cheese company we went on a hike and saw some cool mushrooms, here is a blurry variety of mushroom.



After the hike I got on the ferry, dirty and spoiled and hungry. I thought I saw a whale but it was probably a large seal. I had to hitchhike home, it actually took less than 2 hours...not bad. When I got into Nanaimo I was dropped off at the bottom of town and on the hike upward I got caught in one of the craziest rainstorms. There was no lightning but it was one of those storms that makes you feel like you're standing fully dressed inside your shower. If I'd been outside for 10 seconds I would have been thoroughly soaked...but I was in the middle of it for a good 15 minutes. It was great. Hallelujah!

I was pretty stressed last week 'cause somehow I let a bunch of important priorities mold like putty in my mind. At the end of the week I dedicated 2 days to getting them done. In doing so I decided to move from my current room, I'll save lots of money next semester and have a better view too. I also did some arranging of my loan...arrangements, and discovered that I have an untapped bursary coming to me in January. Not too shabby. I should be getting a pirate-loot sized tax-return, so, well, I'll be eating a lot more imported white truffles.

I talked to my a la carte chef from last month on Friday. My time in his class ended a week ago but he had some very kind words for me. In addition to getting 102% on a math-test in his class, and a 91% overall, he correctly predicted that he thought I'd be well suited for bistro cooking. I told him about how I got fired from a hotel mostly because I hated working there. He said he thinks I have a good sense of taste. Anyways it was a really nice conversation. On Christmas break I plan on going to meet chefs at Benitz and Sweetgrass and a couple other popular Ottawa bistros to talk about apprenticeships. I have also decided to complete my education here, instead of switching schools for 2nd year like I originally planned. Just makes sense.

I have to go study poultry and seafood now. Did you know that frogs are classified as poultry in the culinaire world? Yup.

Listen to Bill Withers.

An Amuse Bouche

Last night I went to my friend Taylor's grandparent's house for Thanksgiving dinner, it was pretty special. We drove to this area called Lantzville where they lived. It was so picturesque. Picket-fences, stone lawns, horses in the yard. What's weird is that it was a 5 minute drive from the biggest most hideous mall in the city, and here were Taylor's British grandparents tucked away in the faux English countryside. His grandmum, Brenda, was telling me that almost all of the food, including the turkey and lamb, was homegrown. The herbs, the veg, the edible flowers in the salad, the salad itself! The turkey had been grown and slaughtered by their neighbours, the neighbours had thanked the turkey for giving it's life before they lopped it's head off. Same with the lamb. It was unreal. I spent a lot of time talking with Brenda, she moved to Canada during the IRA riots in the 70s. She was a nurse and saw some wild stuff, she described a scene involving some Irish protesters shacked up in an abandoned building giving birth to a baby, on their own, and Brenda arriving to see the baby still attached by the placenta or whatever. Brenda invited me to come back and work in her garden. Definitely gonna pursue that.

Here is a bread that I made for the dinner, as well as a jar of strawberry jam. I'm addicted to collecting these Classico jars. I boil the labels off. My roommate eats a lot of it, I have five jars, I think. I actually bought some sauce once just so I could have the jar. Is that wrong? Whatever, don't judge me!

We had this dinner at school on Thursday, it was called a Sensory Tasting and I guess the idea was to give the students an education in fine-dining, which fork to use first kinda thing. Every single student I've talked to told me things like "the dinner was alright" or if I asked if they were excited..."nah, I'd rather be in bed".

Here are just some of the menu-items: salmon ballotine with scallop and lobster lentil salad, handmade caramelized onion tortellini in a duck consomme, hazelnut crusted sweetbreads (Google 'sweetbread' if you don't know what it is) with mushroom risotto, braised lamb shanks and grilled lamb-rack with couscous, and a chocolate orange brownie cake. Now, it was my first time trying most of these foods. I was damn excited going into this thing, the prospect of all these new flavours, ingredients, cooking methods, what would I like, what would I hate...I'd never had risotto before, one of the most palatable and popular dishes world-wide...and the best my classmates could muster up was that they'd rather be in bed. I have a really really difficult time with the idea of people pursuing something they barely have any interest in. I remember giving some of my friends a hard time for rushing into college right out of high school. I can't even talk about it, it makes me furious. I'm at a point where thinking about food can keep me up at night. Getting an idea and not being able to let it ago until the thought of it is perfect.

The dinner was great, I sat with the headchef. I kind of met her personally a few weeks ago, I was having a really rough-time with some students in my group and I was basically at the breaking point of living in res, listening to noises coming through five different walls as I watch the hours tick away before I have to wake up. I went to go talk to her about the possibility of me transferring my credits to Algonquin College for my second semester, and she actually talked me through it. She told me stories about being in Europe and how she missed her boyfriend. Anyways I sat with her and we started talking about mushrooms and Anthony Bourdain and Thomas Keller and meat-butchery and I got so excited my voice actually cracked mid-sentence talking about umamis.

There are two tickets waiting at the Vancouver airport for me and Mag. On December 17th I'll be back in Ottawa for two long, quiet weeks. I need to start making a list of who to visit, damn I miss my friends.

Vote tomorrow.