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Showing posts from 2022

Is Air Canada Bulkhead Seat worth an $80 upgrade

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I took a flight from Ottawa to Vancouver. I could see from the seating map that the flight was fully booked. I usually pay to book a window seat and then try and get a seat with no one beside me at the last minute it works 50% of the time and the planes that I have been on leaving from Ottawa are not usually full. This time was different the airport was busier than I have ever seen it. I could tell from the seating map the plane was full. It cost $40 to book a window seat. I saw a last minute opening for a bulkhead window seat and decided to try it. It cost $80 to upgrade to the bulkhead seat but the $40 I already paid would get credited. I liked the idea of having a wall in front of me on such a packed flight.  I have free check in luggage with my credit card so I usually only take a backpack to leave under my seat on the plane. If I was in the back of the plane I wait until the last minute to board. I knew I would have no storage at my seat but this seat comes with early zone 3 b...

2022 Vegan Holiday Chocolate Tasting

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This year there were so many options for vegan chocolate I had to limit what I bought. I am not sure if it’s because I live in Ottawa now or vegan items are more accessible in general. In the past even just last year when I was in Vancouver I was limited by what I had access to. This year I had to limit what I bought because there were so many options. You can see last years post here  2021 vegan holiday chocolate tasting This year I purchased most of the chocolates in Ottawa compared to last year when I bought them in Vancouver the exception is from the Plant Curious box that I ordered from BC. I don’t remember all the prices but I will include the ones I remember. From my experience food prices even accounting for the cost of everything has gone up recently that food in Ottawa is more expensive than it is in Vancouver. I tried to include a variety in this review from items that are a good range of prices  between $2-$35 and items that are local to Ottawa to items that are av...

Living in Ottawa compared to Vancouver in 2022

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Today December 11, 2022 is the first time I have worn my snow Parka in Ottawa or anywhere. I usually avoid places that have snow for enjoyment. If you have not read my previous posts I moved from Vancouver to Ottawa in June. I lived in Vancouver almost my whole life this is the first time I have lived in a colder climate. I moved to Ottawa in the summer so I haven’t experienced winter yet. I have been warned many times about January. I was also warned many times about the humid summer and I loved it although I have air conditioning and a great rooftop amenities in my building. It does seem to be a warmer winter than usual so far. I bought the snow parka in the summer for a great sale and so far my Vessi boots seemed to work well. Vessi’s were great in the snow but not when it turned to slush so I will have to change to winter boots. It is now a week later and we had another snow storm the winter boots I got from amazon have great grip. The snow plows plowing the sidewalk here was new f...

Part 3 -Big Life updates

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My mom passed away on October 16, 2022. She had pancreatic cancer so I was prepared for this but it still hard. My dad also passed away from cancer so I was already familiar with the process of what happens after a parent passes this time is different because my mom and I did everything together before. My mom and I were each other’s bubble during the pandemic and we were each other’s social life for a long time. It is a tough adjustment now living in a different city where I don’t know many people without the person that I spent most of my free time with. My moms last words to me were be strong you are strong I will hold on to that. My mom also wrote a goodbye letter to my brother and me. I’m not sure if my brother has read it yet but I want to say if you are going to write a goodbye letter don’t wait until you are heavily medicated and in lots of pain to do it or just don’t do it. I’m holding on to the actual memories I had with my mom the letter has been given to my brother to do wh...

Part 2 what has been happening in my life

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If you have not read part 1 you can read that here  Part 1 What has been happening in my My mom had moved to Ottawa before me and stayed in apartment hotel in downtown. I stayed with her for awhile. This was a hard adjustment. My mom and I were both used to living alone but close to each other. My mom had already made this her home as much as one can in a hotel. I had my own bedroom and bathroom in the hotel but no area to sit and the area was not the greatest. Ottawa is very safe but downtown is downtown everywhere especially as mental health issues and homeless populations increase due to the pandemic. The nice thing was the mall and Byward market were close by and vegan food options were easily accessible.  I was looking for my own place but the condo market was overpriced. I found a place that had an option to rent and thought it would be a good idea to rent until after I have experienced winter here. Through connections things ended up working out my mom’s retirement home...

Chick-Fil-A copy cat but vegan

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  I have been watching way to many copy cat YouTube videos lately. I have never even been to Chick-Fil-A but decided to make the sauce after I saw the recipe on Raphael Gomes channel. The only things in the sauce that are not already vegan were mayo and honey I have access to vegan substitutes.  I found the vegan honey didn’t taste like honey it’s less sweet and has a darker flavour like molasses. It’s good though. Recipe is simple mix ingredients in a jar I didn’t follow exact measurements. I then let it sit in the fridge for an hour.  That looks pretty close to the pictures I have seen of the sauce. It tasted pretty good if I make it again I will add more honey as it wasn’t sweet enough I didn’t account for the milder taste of vegan honey.  I live close to a no waste grocery store and they sell beyond tenders by the piece. I had waffle fries in my freezer and use my airfryer to heat the tenders and fries. The tenders are a little expensive so I didn’t want to exper...