Not often, but occasionally, I really hate my apartment and my thoughtless landlord. Like on the occasions when I come home after a long day of work and painkillers, only to discover that WITHOUT WARNING, the landlord has sent his feckless handyman, Allen, over to belt sand the entire hallway. There are clouds of dust in the hall, up the stairs, and on the landing. The two workers wearing full face masks look at me and say “hold your breath!” There is dust. EVERYWHERE. In my apartment. It’s come through the cracks in the walls and the doors, and has settled on the floor, the bookshelves, my clothes, my everything. And it’s not good, clean sawdust either. No. It’s the nasty accumulated dirt of decades of filthy shoes treading the stairs coming in off of Spadina. It’s old varnish and lacquer and stain. It’s fine like powder and breathing it in, I can feel it coating my nose, throat and lungs.

Yesterday, I was forced to leave my own home, because the air was completely and utterly unbreathable.

So I slept over in Weston again. But despite the horrible incentive to do it, the evening was really nice (as they always are, Chez Justin). JVL and I went to Shoppers and bought me a package of extra-strength Lactaid (a good gesture, alas, ineffectual), and then pigged out on dairy products. We ate some extremely smelly Camembert, and I introduced him to my beloved Smoked Applewood Cheddar, and then we had his cousin Ms. Emily over to the house for a cup of tea and a chat, and to share our cornucopia of tomatoes and apples and baguette and cheeses and tasty, tasty vegan chocolate mousse from Whole Foods. She squealed with delight when she saw that we’d bought her a box of Cheddar Bunnies; they are yummy vegetarian organic crackers with the Official Rabbit Seal of Approval. Or at least, that’s what the box claims.

I read book two of Jeff Smith’s Bone and did a little sketching while JVL cleaned the house in preparation for his vacation. I don’t think I’ve really grasped that he’s leaving for Thailand TOMORROW. It’s going to be a little weird, given that I’ve spent every night for the past week and a half with him. Looking on the bright side, I can catch up with my friends (sorry, !), work on my inking, and read read read to my little heart’s content.

Provided nobody else invades my home with power tools, rendering the air unbreathable and all surfaces filthy. Grrr! Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?!?!?