Bright Days Are Here

Thursday morning, I went to Bloorcourt to visit my attentive-but-overcharges dentist. Since there was some time before my appointment, I visited the No Frills at Dufferin Mall for groceries not available in Ottawa. The former high school named Kent School was finally boarded up for renovation. Its foundation was surrounded by scaffolding as excavation equipment have dug down several stories for the entire block at Bloor and Dufferin. Afterwards, I soaked up some sun at Dufferin Grove. There weren't so many students from nearby St. Helen's during all those lunches I ate here in 2021. But now they have flooded the park to play soccer, Frisbee, volleyball, or just to hang out.

Heading up to my dental appointment, I noticed a for sale sign at my dream home at 462 Gladstone St. It was a converted house with 4 separate units (8 bedrooms in total). I wanted an apartment for myself and rent out the rest. In 2003, it sold for $720K. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the down payment back then. But a mortgage payment of $3185/month could have been easily covered by rental income (and without gouging the tenants). In 2023, it was listed for $3.88M. At $14K/month for mortgage payments, each "bedroom" would have to yield $1800. That doesn't even cover property and income taxes or maintenance and repair. Insane real estate prices don't just affect home owners but renters, too.

After my dental cleaning, I strolled along Bloor until Shaw St. I stopped off at Eweknit to buy some yarn for my nieces. Doubling back, I was looking for my friend but her restaurant was closed until May 26. I guess she finally took a vacation. I got a vegetarian slice ($5) at my favourite 241 Pizza location. It was fresh from the oven so I inhaled it instead of keeping some for dinner. Even so, I felt that there was still a bit of room for something extra. The sunshine made me hungrier than usual.

So I decided to keep walking to Bloordale for a beef patty from the Queen of Patties. But she was as slow as ever (it has always been poor customer management). Second choice: I crossed the street for Dosa Mahal. Masala fries would be overkill so I opted for potato-stuffed baked roti (2 for $3.99). They went great with the mint chutney. Despite how expensive Toronto has become, there were still places (which are becoming rare) to get lunch for under $10. Case in point, King's Chef chinese restaurant has been replaced by Green Bamboo.

When I got back to my hotel room, I realized all that sun had sapped my energy. My face was red (but not quite a sunburn) and my body was shedding heat. I wrapped up a few work items and then it was time to lie down and chill.