Cash Apt

Did I stayed within my budget for the month of January? At the end of Saturday, I had $32 left. Actually, I would have been over without the extra $210 as my rent was prorated for the 3 days before I moved in. Early in the morning, I went to Billy's Souvlaki Place at Bloor and Dovercourt for another nostalgia hit. To be fair, it wasn't really a regular haunt; I usually went to this old-school diner for breakfast before trips back to Ottawa. But we still went back more than 15 years and many may not know its full name was Akbar Billy Mohsen Souvlaki Place.

It was the same line cook as before. He must be in his 80s by now. As there was no waitstaff at 9 am, he took my order: your typical 2 eggs (over-easy) with sausage, home fries, and toast. It was still cheap at $8.99 compared to nearby places, and I didn't really expect the $4.25 price from 2010. Still, that was higher than inflation and came in at $12.15 with tax and tip. Nostalgia factor aside, given the same ingredients, you got a more flavourful breakfast wrap at Uncle Sid's for $9.

Then I walked to College and Shaw to photocopy my Saturday crossword from the library. Then it was across the street to the local Metro grocery chain. This will be my last time there. I never really shopped here when I lived in the neighbourhood because prices were always higher than No Frills. But to charge me full price ($4.29) for bread that was 1 day from the Best Before date (I only checked when I got home), that was a no-no in my book.

Both lunch and dinner were at home. I had 2 choices of evening entertainment: doom metal and post-punk (Tiajuana Taxi, She Wears Black, Luster Dust) at The Baby G or a trio of folk songwriters (Jessica Moore, Jessie Dara, and Beatrice May) at the Tranzac. But the combination of sub -20 degrees weather and some intestinal tenderness convinced me to stay inside and complete my crossword puzzles.