December 20: Maracatu

1. Late Night: In a quiet corner of Dundas Street West, a midnight Brazilian drumming party. Toronto's own Maracatu Nunca Antes was performing at the one and only Lula Lounge.

2. Later That Night: Met two guys at the streetcar stop, so we shared a cab to the subway. Torontonians need to do this more often: it saves money and it's social.

3. Really Late Night: Didn't need to hop in another taxi, as I saw a bus going my way. Riding Toronto buses by night puts me in touch with the city.

December 15: Chit

1. A day wandering Kensington Market:
Market. Touch-ing exhibit. Helvetica film documentary DVD.

2. An evening at a houseparty:
Wine. Chopping vegetables. Turquoise ski pant advice.

3. A late night journey home:
Snow. Hailing taxi. Complimentary corporate cab chit.

November 11: Tocar

‘Tocar’ is my favourite Spanish word. It means both ‘to touch’ and ‘to play’ (as in, an instrument). It's beautiful.

1. Small moments: Connecting with a colleague - and a free lift.
2. Happy moments: Connecting with my bro - and free movies.
3. Misty moments: An invisible connection with my friend Owl, who designed a very special xylophone bench. It sits on the Northeast corner of Liberty St. and Fraser Ave. in Liberty Village in Toronto. At 1am, it said, ‘tocarme’... so I did.

November 9: 1983

55 mins: Super-duper fun Latin fitness dance class.

2 hrs: Unwinding with my dear friend Rita, who also hooked me up with a ride home (this is a 2-for-1).

1983 AD: I didn't ask, but was granted a new birth year by someone in power, for a youth rate on a pricey package.

October 25: Parties

1. Two free drinks, one graphic designer, one reception.
2. Two colleagues, one standing bar, one new confidant.
3. Two friends, one cab, one Queen West West gallery.

September 16: Mercy

Mercy #1: The guy at the submarine sandwich shop let me sit there and flatten my Coke in an attempt to feel bettter. The truck drivers know what they are taking about: Coke flattening and sipping works!

Mercy #2: Based solely on the kindness of others, I was admitted to a strictly invite-only party without my invite.

Mercy #3: An overnight lift halfway home, saving me cab fare.

July 16: Chicon

1. To start the day, my neighbour gave me a lift to the subway (I had basically hailed his minivan in desperation).

2. To spend the day, I ate heavenly food, attended incredible seminars and met fantastic new people.

3. To finish the day, I read some comments on my blog, including an invite from HiSpAnoBeLgAs to play a little blogeros game.

While I was reading seven secretillos on HiSpAnoBeLgAs, I learned a new word: chicon. The ‘white gold’ of Belgium. An endive or witloof - are any of these English words? Anyway, I googled it and got the picture.

June 15: Nature

1. My mom gave me a lift, bright and early, to the subway at 8:00 a.m. It almost helped transform my night-owl nature.

2. Double-whammy: I met a wonderful woman who is willing to meet with me to explain the nature of her business. Then I got educated in a high-end boutique. I appreciate great design and I really appreciate staff who are willing to tell me about the nature of their handbags.

3. Kevin good-naturedly told me a hilarious massage story set in a bath house in Turkey. ‘His naked was touching my naked.’

June 3: Complimentary

1. I scored free tickets to a Luminato event and was able to offer three friends a complimentary night out.

2. I finished my shift early, just as they exited the show, so we went for a nightcap (cherry beer, along with a complimentary sample of coffee beer).

3. I got a lift home. Completely mesmerized by the GPS system, I almost forgot that the vehicle was talking to me. First waste receptacles, now automobiles. All in such complimentary fashion, of course.

April 20: Lift

1. The words, ‘we're waiting for you’ from friends on a patio on a warm spring night in the city.
2. Sharon let me use her cell phone to check my voicemail.
3. Izzy gave me a lift home at the end of the night.

March 23: Cutlets

3. I reunited with old camp friends at a pub night.
2. Sometimes a girl just wants a little extra boob. Thanks to Swimsuit Essentials, I got just the right chicken cutlets for that added *oomph*.
1. I woke up to a creepy but charming message on the kitchen table this morning:
‘I had a dream... We were both in an animal shelter, you went there to look at a dog you want to adopt, the lady (a CEO's wife whose name was Rosemary) said she had a dog for me, it looked like a panda... The place was full of sad animals and cat shit. What does all this mean?’

February 20: Soup

TORONTO, Canada

1. I got a lift to the airport and saved $20 on a cab.
2. The girl at Tim Hortons agreed to fill my lentil soup cup with hot water, so I was able to eat something healthy before boarding the plane.
3. The flight was near empty, so I settled in to sleep on my three seats.

I have this system: I sit in the middle seat, fasten my fully loosened seat belt, lie down/curl up sideways, and open my large brown cashmere scarf into a blanket. It is thin, warm and blocks all light. Basically, I look like a big lump of turd. If you have seen such a turd in your travels, it was probably me.