I managed to keep our kitchen free from fruit flies for almost two years; I took this as a sign that I’m an impeccable housekeeper, but was disabused of this by others who told me that the city has been generally fruit fly free during this period.

This week, however, they are back with abandon, at 2004 battle strength.

Yes, I’ve tried the beer, the wine, the apple cider vinegar; the only thing that gives me any sense of control is vacuuming them up, which is ineffective but at least temporarily satisfying.

I got it into my head that it would be a perfectly reasonable thing to print on two inch wide paper tape with the Golding Jobber № 8.

Paper tape turns out to be really sticky, and so its natural inclination is to stick to the type, and thus get sucked into the rollers. This is not a good thing. To prevent this, I printed each impression, quickly stopped the press before the danger of sucking was upon me, rolled out another few feet of tape, and repeated. It’s by no means a perfectly registered job, or even, really, a registered job at all.

But it kind of worked. And the result will appear in the vestibule of 100 Prince Street once it’s dry.

I’m (very) slowly breathing new life into our living room. First up, a new area rug from IKEA.

Back in the day ordering online from IKEA meant long waits and exorbitant delivery fees; no longer: I ordered the rug on Monday night and it arrived Thursday morning and shipping was just $24.

Redecorating is equal parts therapeutic and really, really hard; my next step is to replace the sofa that Catherine and I bought in 1998, our first real non-futon adult furniture purchase.

I think Yazoo Mills is my new favourite company. I really wish I had a compelling need for cores or tubes.

Their FAQ page is particularly notable, inasmuch as it appears to actually contain questions that are frequently asked, among which:

What’s the difference between a tube and a core?

A tube is used to put something inside and a core denotes that something is wound onto it.

Do you have any minimums?

We have no minimums. We will make you a single tube, box full, or a truckload.

What lengths can you do?

Any length up to 53 feet.

A 53 foot tube! The mind boggles with possibilities.

I also like that they include the FAQ titled “Services We Do Not Offer”: all company websites should include this section. 

As part of trying to restore access to my disabled Instagram account, which I do now only for sport, without a sense of urgency, I received this very unusual error message from Facebook (even though, at the time, I wasn’t “on Facebook,” but rather “on Instagram”). I’ve written my fair share of error messages in my day, but I don’t think I’ve ever achieved this surreal height.

See also You Need To Calm Down.

Where is the Heart of My Country by Caitlin Canty is a lovely song that opens with the verse:

It’s raining in Los Angeles hallelujah hallelu
Moonflowers open to breathe the night’s perfume
The city climbs the hillside 
Just to see the color bloom
Petals turn a sidewalk stream jacaranda blue

Jacaranda blue turns out to be the perfect use-case for Google Image Search:

Circumstances required that 20 blue bags filled with recycling be moved from the Upper Prince division to the Prince division of the family compound early this evening. 

As an important plank of my personal carbon mitigation effort is simply “take things I’d normally use a car for, and don’t,” this seemed like a perfect opportunity to strap the canoe to my bicycle and use it as a recycling scow. And that’s exactly what I did. Two trips did it.

Brother Mike generously provided video evidence of my efforts (technically I committed a “rolling stop” traffic violation, but I did use proper hand-signals, which should count for something, and I had flashing lights and a high viz vest on, which should count for a little more). 

Also: Upper Prince Street, what’s with the crows!?

As far as consumables go, a little letterpress ink goes an awfully long way: I’m still working off the black ink pot I purchased more than a decade ago, and at this rate it will last another decade.

But it was time to broaden my horizons beyond black, red, and yellow, so I ordered up a set of 15 tiny pots from StudioMeowy in Bristol. Seven days later and here it is!

Purple! Silver! Gold! Fluorescent pink! Both opaque and transparent white! Blue!

My colleagues and I at Bike Friendly Communities have launched a survey about cycling in greater Charlottetown that I invite you to take. Take it if you’re an avid cyclist. Take it (especially) if you’re not an avid cyclist, or not a cyclist at all.