I love taking things apart. Seeing how they work. It's like pulling the articulated arms and legs off your action figures and learning about compression coils and ball-joints.

Having less (though not no) action figures now, I have to find other outlets for this simple pleasure.

Like walking past construction sites and having "a-ha!" moments when I catch a glimpse of the white noise infrastructure of my city, disassembled. Infrastructure like fire hydrants.

Alright Toronto, what is up with your lattes lately? There has been a plummet in quality in the last few I've had. I'm not even setting the bar terribly high. I'm just looking for it to be warm, and for the milk to be nicely steamed. Tiny bubbles.

But there's a style of latte emerging in Toronto that I am not loving. It's not even a latte. It's best described as a warm(ish) milky(ish) coffee. These "lattes" (oh yeah, I'm whipping out the scare quotes) were so thin, that serving them with a spoon was an insult. "I defy you to try and use this."

North of the city lies a delightful Malaysian restaurant that scores top marks on tasty food, comfortable atmosphere, and excellent teh tarik (one of the best hot drinks around).

Read our review of Restoran Malaysia in the restaurants section.

I'll admit it, these chilly mornings have me thinking about where I put my "layers". Anything thickly woven that was once attached to a sheep.

Our teeny tiny summer is officially over, and as hard we try to avoid eye-contact, we can all feel Fall sitting there, staring at us. And the best defence is a good... hot beverage. Nothing says "I'm not scared of you, cold!" like an unbelievably creamy warm drink (though usually when I'm backtalking the cold, it's less PG-rated).

This year I'm mixing it up with my autumnal beverages, looking for some of Toronto's more differenter options -- beyond lattes.

The guy who compares apples to oranges is missing the point, but he's less doomed than the guy who tries to price compare oranges to themselves. Down that path lies madness. Oxford has 10 oranges for $4.99, College Fruit Market has 12 for the same. Mona sells them 2 for $1. You can get 4 yellow peppers for $2 at Valley Farm, or 3 for $2 at Maple.

But if you nickel and dime over fruit you'll never enjoy it, and it's one of the city's great accessible pleasures. By drawing passers-by in to have a closer look at the cherries, corn, or mangosteens, fruit and veg markets create the tasty streetlife we dream about in our off-grey offices. Look for the shady awnings and stacks of fresh peaches, and bite into some colour on your way home.

Except for a brief blip around the holidays, most mail is a grating medley of flyers, junkmail and bills. But mixed in with my recycling-to-be the other day was a thank you card from my friend's little girl (Hi Bridget!).

Getting unexpected, genuine post in the mail is like finding a $20 in your shorts' pocket when you bring your summer wardrobe back out. There's the heart-fluttering "what's this?" moment, as it puts lustre on an ordinary day.

Plus the underrated fun of actual card shopping. Where you can build a narrative around what the proprietor seems to think you'll be doing while you write your note. Maybe writing letters awakens your inner need to own soaps shaped like ducks. Develop a hankering for decorative ceramic tiles? Roger's Chocolates? Inspirational fridge magnets about changing the world? An apron that says "Will Cook for Sex"?

I might open a store that sells greeting cards, pulled pork, and cat toys. I genuinely think I could get away with it.