August 16, 2011: Missing my routine!

I'm a creature of habit.   There's nothing I enjoy more than the comfort and familiarity of routine.  Back when I was in Vancouver, working on the well-oiled machine that was the Stargate franchise, I lived a fairly structured existence.  Here in Toronto, it's somewhat different.  Working on this first year production of Transporter, my schedule is now a little more…frenetic. As a result, it's been very difficult to establish any sort of routine.

I miss many of the things I used to do; many of the things I used to have time for.  Among them…

COOKING

I used to eat out all the time.  And when I say "all the time", I do mean ALL THE TIME – every meal of every single day.  But when my home life changed several years ago, I began to explore my culinary side – shopping for fresh produce at my local market, seeking out inspiring recipes, and endlessly tweaking preparations in my quest for a go-to list of favorite dishes.  In time, I perfected such plates as my port-braised short ribs, chicken breasts with morels and Metaxa cream, sweet potato chipotle pie, and caramel popcorn ice cream.  Unfortunately, since moving to T.O., my cooking opportunities have been few and far between.  By the time I roll in from work, Akemi (bless her heart) already has dinner on the table – and come the weekends, the last thing I want to do is spend 3-4 hours preparing a meal.

WORKING OUT

Back in Vancouver, I used to schedule two-a-days – one work-out in the morning, and another at night.  I didn't always get around to doing both, but I could always feel good about getting at least one under my belt.  In the a.m., it was cardio; in the p.m., weights.  Here in Toronto, it's a lot of neither.  I wake up already tired and the last thing I want to do is work out first thing in the morning.  Working out at night is doubly difficult because, not only am I still exhausted, but the gym in our apartment building closes at an all-too-early 8:00 p.m., which barely gives me time to digest dinner before hitting the treadmill.

SOCIALIZING

I mean, sure, I still socialize, but not to the extent I used to back in Vancouver where my circle of friends was much wider and my knowledge of the local restaurant scene much wider.  And there's also the fact that, for the first time in several years, I failed to host my annual chocolate party.

READING

Damn.  I used to average two books a week, setting aside a couple of hours every night before bedtime to hit the stack of paperbacks sitting on my nightstand.  I was a voracious reader.   Now, my reading is limited to online news, the occasional trade paperback, and scripts.

LAUNDRY

I include this one at Akemi's request.  Apparently, back in Vancouver, I was a veritable laundry-demon, washing and drying clothes as fast as they could be worn and shed.  Here in Toronto, Akemi has assumed laundry duties.

No doubt feeling outdone by Carl's wife's, Karen (see yesterday's blog entry), this morning, Akemi sent me off with another bento breakfast creation…

I think it's a bird?