We were walking through the rubble that is Cambie and Broadway a few days ago and discovered the Peaceful Restaurant. In the location formerly occupied by the Jade Garden, on a block fairly littered with restaurants, this little gem doesn't really stand out until you get inside and order....read more

It's been almost a year since I downloaded the trial version of the NetNewsWire RSS Newsreader and took it for a spin. Today I downloaded the latest copy and plunked down my $29.95 to activate it. Boris was right... it's indispensable, though I guess it's taken me up until now to get to that point...read more

I just got back from lunch at Le Marrakech in Gastown, which just opened this week. I went in to enquire about vegetarian options, but discovered that I didn't have cash and they didn't have their credit/debit card setup installed yet. I was strolling out the door, promising to come back the next week, but the owner, Abdel, refused to let me leave - he insisted on having me try their couscous, beans in tomato sauce, and red pepper salad, along with a pot of strong, sweet fresh mint tea, on the house.

Looks like the final touches are still being put in place (e.g., debit card reader, website!) but the food, service, ambiance and location are the tops. ...read more

I went last week with a couple of Pamela's Friends for Dinner and a Play - the United Player's production of The Ladies of the Camelias at the Jericho Arts Centre theatre - we got there at 6:00 for dinner (Grilled Salmon, mushrooms in a cream and white wine sauce, rice and glazed carrots) and a glass of wine at the Jericho hostel, after which we wandered next door to the theatre for a very enjoyable performance. ...read more

I finally picked up Daniel Kehlmann's novel Measuring the World, which I was given for Christmas by my Mom. It's been a phenomenal bestseller in Germany, and is now available in an English translation by Carol Brown Janeway. Kehlmann imagines the lives of Alexander von Humbolt, the great Prussian explorer and naturalist, and Karl Friedrich Gauss, one of the most deep, visionary, brilliant (and yet enigmatic) mathematicians that ever lived. ...read more