The Piano in a Factory

The Piano in a Factory is about a father who tries to secure a piano for her daughter during a custody fight. It's a very sweet story, with quite a few funny moments along the way. This movie reminded me of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Micmacs à Tire-larigot. It wasn't as stellar, but something about the band of hillbillies, their quirky sense of humour and the muted colours in the movie made me think back on that film.
I can't place my finger on why this film wasn't as good as Micmacs, but little touches like the use of Super Mario Brothers (the original!), and little musical interludes would seem like this film would have that special touch. It did, but I'm still not raving for some reason.
I did like watching the interaction of the main characters and their dedication to each other...I don't know. There just wasn't that extra something to get me hooked. I know that I wasn't feeling well that day, so maybe my grogginess didn't help the situation, but I'm not sure if that's a good enough excuse.
Unfortunately, the director, Zhang Meng wasn't in attendance so I couldn't get better insight into the film. He was supposed to come to the festival, however he had visa issues and I guess couldn't get one in time. His producer, Jessica Kam did attend, and she introduced the film and a very, seemingly prepared way. She gave the audience a nice context of the film and described how in the 90s, many factories in Northern China closed down or downsized, leaving many people out of work and finding it hard to make ends meet. These people end up looking for other opportunities to make money, although there are many empty factories still standing and their skills are going to waste...enter the central predicament of this movie.
I definitely did like it, and since I'm pretty sure that it won't be getting a wide release in North America (although, it will be getting released in Asia, and we were told that we actually watched the director's - longer - cut of the film), I'm glad I saw it at the festival. I'm disappointed in myself that I wasn't feeling 100%, so my interpretation of the film could be clouded by that fact, but such is life.

- picture courtesy of www.tiff.net

Waiting for "Superman"

When faced with the daunting task of selecting which films I want to watch at TIFF, I literally go through each of the hundreds of films and read the synopses. I bookmark the films that I think sound vaguely interesting, and usually, after this first cut, I'm left with ~50 films. Usually I'll immediately see ~20 films that I know for sure will make it on my short list and after I start to go through the 50 films again, I realize that I should just go with my gut and simply re-examine those 20 films. As I was going through the list this year, nothing was sticking out. Sure, a lot of them sounded okay, but there was only one film that I knew I would be on the shortlist. Waiting for "Superman" was that film.
Made by Davis Guggenheim, of An Inconvenient Truth, I will be surprised if this film doesn't get as much press as the aforementioned film. This documentary has many similarities to An Inconvenient Truth, for me, the most striking, being the final credits.
This film is all about education, specifically in America, but applicable to Toronto (the region which I'm most familiar) as well. I'm not eloquent enough to give a good synopsis, so I will just direct you to the TIFF writeup. I've noticed that when I think something is fabulous, I just reference another write-up because I don't think that I can do the film justice and leave it to a more credible source. Clearly, this film is no exception.
To be honest, it started off kind of ho-hum. It predictably introduced us to the characters of the film and told us their stories. The pace seemed kind of mundane, but now that I think about it, An Inconvenient Truth has a similar feel. Some shocking issues and moments that made you connect on an emotional level with the characters were introduced, and without realizing it (or maybe, now that I'm analyzing it, you do), you're sucked in.
I wasn't surprised by anything that I saw. It was disappointing at times to be reminded of the issues. It was gut wrenching for the characters that we'd met, but of course, they're not special cases. There are many others just like them that weren't featured in this documentary.
I'm not really sure that the film gives any solutions to the problem. It shows some solutions that have made some reform, and it shows attempts to reform but faced with bureaucracy.
The last 20 minutes of the film really tugged on your emotions. I sort of teared up. I know that I wasn't the only one because I heard sniffling all around me. And as the film was nearing it end, and a story was completing its course, I was outright crying. I was shocked at my reaction. I thought it would just be a small wave, but the tears just kept coming. I don't think I've ever had a reaction like this to a film and I'm not sure if my reason for crying was what the producers imagined. I'm sure that your heart is supposed to be hurting for the children, and I guess to a certain extent it was but I think I was more crying out of a personal sense of fear and responsibility.
I don't say the following from a vein that marginalizes other professions. For all I know, everyone else is in the same boat, I just don't know about it. The thing is, I have chosen to be in a field that is always under scrutiny. I have chosen to be in a field that everyone cares about. I have a passion for what I do, I love it, I enjoy it, it makes me happy, but not for one second do I forget the impact that I have in my position. That is, truthfully, part of the reason why I chose it. To this end, I feel a huge sense of responsibility. Sometimes it feels like an enormous weight. I want to do a good job. I do not want to disappoint anyone, and it's not really that that gets to me. Maybe I'm just so invested in it. Or it's a self-imposed weight. I don't really know, but that's why I was crying. Maybe it's the timing of when I watched the screening compared to where I am in my career and what I hope to do, but those tears kept flowing. I was scared. Scared that I won't be able to do everything (or at least make a dent) in an area that I care so much about. Was I feeling helpless? Was I feeling that this issue is something that I desperately want everyone to care about? I don't really know how to put it into words what I was feeling during those final moments of the film.
There was an instantaneous standing ovation for the special guests in attendance of the screening. They included, each of the children featured in the story and their family members, Davis Guggenheim, Lesley Chilcott (the producer of the film), John Legend (who wrote a song for the film), Geoffrey Canada, and Bill Gates.
There's so much rock star power behind this film, that I can't wait to see how far it goes. I haven't had the chance to sit down and really go through the film's website, but I'm sure that a lot of care and attention was put into it, so hopefully I will have a chance to do so soon. Of course, I encourage others to do the same.
The post-film discussion involving Gugenheim, Chilcott, Canada, and Gates was moderated by TIFF's Thom Powers and didn't really have any groundbreaking moments. I'd heard everything that they said previously, but it was nice to be reminded and reassured of actions that I take in my research and how best I need to phrase my intentions. One of the issues is that teachers fear being evaluated because they think that they will be judged in a negative light. Sometimes it comes from insecurities that teachers have (some rightly so) and they get defensive. They put up walls and don't engage in the discourse. I, along with many others, want to illuminate what's being done well. I observe, ask, and analyze the positive things that are in the profession. By no means do dismiss the negative actions that take place, but I would rather report on hopeful things rather than be a finger pointer. I am still sorting through my viewpoints and understanding about critical theory, but so far I do not want to take that route.
Towards the end of the discussion, audience members piped up that they wanted Thom to take questions from the audience. While I like audience participation, on a topic such as this, I wasn't sure how it would go. It was pretty clear that there were a lot of stakeholders in the audience (I know everyone's a stakeholder in education, but in this case, I mean professionals in the field), and this demographic of individuals can create quite a roar. Teachers are often like to hear themselves talk. They like to rant. They like to vent. Today was no exception. The first "question" has no question attached to it, but Geoffrey Canada diplomatically created one from the rant. The panel was really great at letting the audience feel like their voice was being heard. It's an important attribute to have when working with educators.
The final message of the discussion was the same as the final message of the film and that of the film/website/campaign as a whole. Encourage change. Make change. Be change. There are so many things in the world that deserve change. Global warming got its time in the spotlight, and this time education has its chance. As I said, there are so many other issues that deserve attention as well, but I'm interested to see the effects of this issue getting attention of such epic proportions.
Obviously, I would highly recommend this film. I wouldn't be surprised if this screening ends up being the most memorable event of this year's TIFF for me.

- picture courtesy of www.waitingforsuperman.com

La Bettola

I think I'm going to start reviewing restaurants that I dine at. They will be pretty simple, but fun, just like every other surface rambling that I do on this blog. Chances are, I won't have any pictures of the food because unless it's something ridiculously stellar, I'm a little bit too sheepish to take pictures of my food at restaurants. I'll leave that to someone else.
We went to La Bettola for dinner and I liked the experience. The newest edition to the Terroni family, the experience started off right by the way that I was greeted. I arrived earlier than everyone else, and enjoyed being at the table waiting for everyone else, while getting some work done, eaves-dropping on conversations and people watching. The team was super friendly and kept checking in on me without being annoying.
The restaurant gives a relaxed vibe, while being chic at the same time. The food (menu here) was quite tasty. And I was intrigued by the number of daily specials that they had. Good selection and decent prices.
The Barbabietole e Caprino made me change my mind about beets. I thought I didn't like beets, but these tasted like candied corn. Not the Halloween incarnation, but the flavour reminded me of sweet corn and the candied lemon zest made them taste super yummy. The goat cheese wasn't at horrible as I'm used to thinking it is, and the lamb's lettuce gave me a wonderful sense of nostalgia for dinner parties at a colleague's house in Switzerland.
My Sveltina pizza was light, but exactly what the menu described. I thought the pizza crust was nice and spongy (I don't know if that's supposed to be good nor if it's an accurate description of the texture, but I liked it) and easy to cut through, probably due to their relatively new knives. I knew the combination of toppings on the pizza would not disappoint me. The spiciness of the arugula was a good contrast to the sweet cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes were room temperature, so I guess they made it onto the pizza after it came out of the oven along with the arugula. The pizza was very 'white', with a limited amount of cheese on it.
The washroom had a special touch as well. Instead of trendy music, they played an Italian instructional tape. A fun touch.
We arrived at the beginning of the dinner rush, by the time we left, there was a long line waiting to get in. La Bettola is directly adjacent to Osteria Ciceri e Tria, also of the Terroni family. They share an entrance, and I overhead the hostess asking prospective diners if they had a preference between the two restaurants or if they wanted to be seated at the first table that comes up in whichever restaurant.
I hear that La Bettola is open for brunch.

Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Would return again: yes

Spotted

The 2010 Toronto Board Meeting, rolling by. I had to ask what was happening, and giggled happily when it was explained to me. There were some smartly dressed longboarders out there! What a fun idea.

Inside America

Inside America (official website here) was the first screening that I attended at the Toronto International Film Festival 2010. In my haste to select films, perhaps, I misread or misinterpreted the synopsis. I had thought that this film would be more of a documentary, rather than a feature film. I love a good documentary, and of course the subject of youth finding their way through tenuous times is an easy fit for my taste. By the time we got to the Q&A, I realized that I had not really misread the synopsis, as the lines between feature film and documentary were blurred in film.
This film is about youth in Brownville, Texas, mainly those who grew up in the rough part of town. There are a couple main characters, and we live through their lives and relatively stereotypical problems that one can draw from their surroundings.
Although, now that I've had some time to reflect about the film and had the benefit of the Q&A, I will not rave about this film, most likely due to my personal experience watching it. Unfortunately, I had selected a seat in the theatre, which was ultimately too close to the screen. I spent a lot of the film, watching the bottom right corner of the screen to put a damper on the splitting headache that I was getting from the massive, jarring picture that was overwhelming me. I wasn't feeling 100% that day, and the flashing pictures and way that the film was shot made me feel nauseated. A steadycam, might have made it better for me. Staring at that little corner of the screen still allowed me to see the entire picture, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. I was getting a similar feeling as how I get when a migraine is looming and I feel dizzy and the room feel like it's growing and things get echoey and overpowering. Not helping the situation was the fact that seated beside me, was a gentleman who must have had a couple alcoholic beverages at dinner. I felt dizzy and ill. There were a couple points during the film that I way hoping that the end was near, because I was so uncomfortable. I know the film was decent, but I wasn't able to enjoy it to the extent that I would have if the circumstances were different.
Some of the content of the film was downright shocking. A lot of it is stuff that for some reason, I associate with "only in America". The amount of security in the school, the infatuation with guns, so I guess it wasn't just the setting that was uncomfortable for me, but some of he content as well. I do not hear a lot of swearing on a regular basis, and I'm in a field where I've trained myself to use more child friendly words and need to reprimand children for saying them. The amount of swearing in this film also made me uncomfortable.
I really benefited from the Q&A with Barbara Eder. She was able to solve my dilemma of how truthful the stories were, and sadly, although she did write a framework for the film, the themes that were used were based off of experiences that she'd heard about or saw first hand when she was there. It was neat to hear about the production and how the team used entirely amateur actors who were pretty much acting out their real lives. I had to marvel at their use of gang members.
During the Q&A, Barbara stated that she didn't really have a "message" behind this film. She wanted to share a couple stories and let them speak for themself. I can see that she was successful in her mission, however, as an audience member, I would have liked a little bit of resolution to her storylines as well as more depth for each of the stories. Looking at all of the angles and really examining the issues. I felt like in some ways, although I appreciate the different and strong topics of stories that she chose, they were dealt with in a little bit of an obvious an surface manner.
I'm a little bit unsure of how much I liked this film. Right after it finished, I wasn't completely happy, but as Barbara spoke, I appreciated it more and more. As I said, I was affected by my surroundings during the screening, but all in all, it wasn't a horrible film.

- picture courtesy of www.insideamerica-themovie.com

Hermes hottie

Me-ow.
If only I were rich. And some sort of preferred customer. I'll take a Birkin, please!

Here we go!

Summer's over. Things are starting up again and I'm not really ready for it. I could have used another week. Or at least a week where I didn't feel the pressure of preparing for the next thing. Or another week of blistering hot weather. Is it time to put away my tank tops?
I'm not sure if I should be proud, or disappointed in myself. I didn't have any ice cream from Greg's. I had a little sample while at the shop buying gift certificates, but never got a scoop for myself. I had told myself that I would treat myself to a scoop on my birthday, but I never got around to it. There was too much else going on that day.
Maybe I'll make my way over there next week. Maybe I'll have an afternoon snack there on the 14th. The 14th will be a very momentous day.
Anyway, here's wishing all of my compatriots in education a great year!
Allez!

Goyard, Le livre

This is pretty crazy. I mean, I'm sure it's amazing to flip through, and it's a limited numbered edition (with its own numbered trunk), but it's still pretty crazy. Or maybe that's what makes it crazy. A heaping price tag to match, naturellement .
One day, I will have a Goyard bag. One day.

Best! Balcony! Ever!

I've got a great view. Superb, I'd say.
I love everything that I see from it. The traffic, the water, the buildings, the far away towns, even the States.
I love that I can (and did!) watch G20 motorcades.
I love that I can (and did!) watch the Festival of Fire.
I love that I can (and am!) watch the Canadian International Air Show RIGHT NOW. It's so lovely and loud. I'm watching a beast of a plane wander around the harbour. It's crazy! prior to this plane, there was a plane with smoke coming out of its bum doing corkscrews and loops. This is so cool! I wonder where all of the planes take off and land?
If I had a good camera with some zoom-in powers, I'd be taking pictures like mad. But I don't, so I'll link to some other people who do have those capabilities.

Update (1.15pm): Some of the planes take off from the Toronto Island Airport. I just saw a wee red one take off and then join in on the fun. I would love to be in the cockpit of one of those planes doing barrel rolls and other funky stuff.

Update (1.27pm): Three wee yellow planes are sitting side by side on the runway. I sense a pas de trois as the next act! But first, business as usual for Porter. A couple planes taking off and landing.

Update (1.28pm): I was wrong, three wee planes still sitting on runway, and a solo plane does it's jaunt in the harbour.

Update (1.39pm): Three yellow planes in the air! Watching them take off was cool.

Update (1.56pm): Three wee yellow planes deserve best in show! Super fun and brownie points for drawing a heart in the sky. Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team FTW!

Update (2.11pm): Another heart in the sky. Better shaped than the one made by the three wee yellow planes. This guy is a pro. I wonder if there's a reason for the smoke out of the bum (other than to make patterns in the sky). It must be so fun hanging out in the sky. He currently looks like a dead bird, just shot out of the sky. Serious stalling at the top, and just drifting down. So cool.

Update (2.29pm): Another yellow plane in the air. Actually two, but one's pulling the other along. Apparently, it's the "Bellanca Scout Tow Plane and the Schweizer 2-33 Glider". Right-o. Was that just a drive-by, errr, fly-by? My point of view isn't complete unobstructed. But all I saw was a fly-by and they've already landed at the airport.

Update (2.40pm): The show is great fun, but I'm getting plane fatigue. Four hours is a long time to keep anyone's interest. The waiting between acts is making me a little bored, so I'm glad to be watching the show from the comfort of my place. There's another duo of planes flying around right now, but I can't figure out which of the advertised planes they were. It was definitely a fly-by, so I'm guessing it was something related to the Canadian Air Force. Binoculars would have been fun for this event.

Update (3.09pm): Encore performances? There's a wee red plane in the air again doing crazy tricks.

Update (4.00pm): Final act for the show in the sky?

Final update (4.32pm): Show's done, and I've changed my mind. Nine planes at a time makes for the best act of the show. And I guess, making hearts in the sky isn't an original idea afterall. That was a cool display. Once, seven of them swooped so close to my building, it was an
awesome moment. As in, I literally had some awe. Well, more than some, but you know what I mean. Of course I didn't have my camera ready at that moment. I was too busy staring. I know that it must take a lot of practice and attention to get these performances together, but
it just looks like they're playing up there in the sky. I imagine the pilots whooping and hollering at each other through their mics. Having a grand 'ole time. I wonder if birds see the show and want to join in on the fun. I suppose the noise would throw them off.

Anyway, it was fun to watch. I'll have to put it on my calendar for next year.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I went to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I was looking forward to seeing a film shot and set in Toronto (I love Toronto!!!) and to see the adaptation of a graphic novel that I know a lot of people love.
Well, I didn't really like the movie. I mean, I can't really say that I disliked it, per se. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I suppose the genre isn't for me. I felt like I didn't understand the jokes enough to really enjoy the film. Lots of people in the theatre were laughing and at times, I really couldn't understand what was so funny. It wasn't one of those 'I get that it's stupid humour, and I just don't like it' moments, I genuinely, didn't get it. I'm wondering if it's due to the fact that I don't know much about gaming culture. There were a couple moments that I could understand the humour, but I felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. In that regard, I was intrigued to read the graphic novels and get a better sense of why younger folks are drawn to the medium. I know that graphic novels are a great way to get school-aged youth reading more, so I really want to understand it better.
I thought that they cast the characters nicely, or at least they seemed to play their parts well (I mean, I don't know if it was accurate to the graphic novel). The storyline seemed cute. As I suspected, I did enjoy seeing Toronto in the film and glimpses of Canadiana, although, I would have liked to see more of the city (again, this could have just been because the graphic novel is set entirely in one area of the city).
I really hate to be negative, and I really don't think I am. This movie just wasn't for me. At least I didn't find the movie to be boring.

- picture courtesy of www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com

Dang!

I just found out that one of the films that I'm watching for TIFF10 is getting wide release just a couple weeks after the festival. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have picked it. I mean, I did go see The Wrestler, but for that one, not only did I want to see it because it sounded good, but it had gotten an award at the Venice Film Festival. And, I guess I was really hoping for a Q&A. It's no secret that the Q&As are my favorite part of the festival.
So, I'm a little peeved that I picked a "Hollywood" movie, but hopefully the film will be amazing and there will be a killer Q&A afterwards.

Keep on truckin'

It's been a pretty quiet summer in blog-land. Life has been hectic, but lovely.
I've done some work with a couple wonderful organizations. If you have a chance, support any/all of them:
- Fort York Food Bank
- Good Shepherd Ministries
- The Good Neighbours Club
- Yonge Street Mission
- Youthlink
The summer is almost over and my year is about to begin (I still think in academic years). There's lots to prepare for, including another stepping stone to some future goals, so I'm a wee bit anxious. I'm hoping that once I get my first week or so under my belt, I'll be fine.
This summer has had some great weather. I didn't spend as much time sitting on my balcony as I probably would have liked, but I just didn't have the time to do so. It was go, go, go, but I did schedule in a couple trips to the pool, so I did not loose out on any vitamin D. Last week was a wee bit chillier than the rest of summer, and I ended up with a cold. I'm going through all of the stages this time around, and I'm hoping that it will be gone by the end of week. I'm sleeping lots, eating well, and loading up on herbal teas and other remedies. We'll see what happens.
I did manage to go to an outdoor movie at Yonge-Dundas Square. I did have plans to go to a couple other screenings, but life got in the way. I also attended this year's play in High Park, Romeo and Juliet. It was swell.
I managed to take a trip that required a plane ride, and look forward to another one in a couple weeks. I don't see myself going anywhere out of the country anytime soon, but that doesn't mean that I don't yearn. Oh, how I yearn.
The Toronto Film Festival is coming up and just today, I got confirmation that my first choice selections went through. Unless something messes things up, I will be attending at least eight different screenings. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Bell Lightbox open up.
Another event that I was thinking about making my debut appearance at was TEDxToronto. I thought about applying last year, but for some reason, I never ended up doing so. This year, I got my butt in gear and submitted an application. Unfortunately, I did not make the cut. I'm a little bummed about it, but I guess the fact that I already have another commitment that day confirms that everything happens for a reason. Still, it would have been something pretty inspirational, I'm sure.

SYTYCD Canada Season 3

Apparently season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada has started, although I really didn't know about it. I only thought to look into it because a friend had extra tickets to tonight's taping of the Top 22 Results Show.
So yeah, one of the things that I wanted to do in my lifetime is attend a taping of a TV show. I was a little skeptical of what a taping of this show would be like, but I was willing to go with it. I love dance, so it could be okay. The only problem is that I don't love the Canadian version of the show as much as the American one, and the host and a couple of the judges too. Blech. I also don't like feeling like I'm an old lady in a group of young-ins. Screaming girls do not sit well with me.
So we showed up at the allotted time to the studio, got in without a problem and were told to go to studio 7K. Turns out this studio is just a big holding room for all of us waiting for the show. There were some chairs set up in a front of a screen showing the Top 22 Performance Show, an area for the dancing interludes sponsored by some company (in this case, some 3D dance movie, I believe) and a coat/bag check. We had left all of our stuff in the car for safe-keeping and to reduce the hassle, and I'm sure glad we did.
I was also shocked at the demographic of tonight's audience. I had thought that the average age of the audience would be in the late teens or early 20s with a pretty small range between the max and min, but I was wrong. I saw those who could have been grandparents, and tykes around the age of 10. It was a mixed bag. There were less itty-bitty dresses than I thought (thank goodness) and FYI we were supposed to dress "jeans-chic" (whatever that means).
Anyway, we were told that posters were not allowed in tonight's taping, but we could create posters to go on the poster wall in the holding area (why?!?). We were then told that everyone with a ticket for a seat (in the bleachers) should gather in one area and then the rest would be standing in the mosh pit. We were not really into standing for the duration of the taping (we had no idea how long that would be), so we went back out to the entrance and asked if there were any seats left over. I knew of some girls who had been to a taping of a previous season and were very happy to be in the mosh pit. They were pleased to have been 'selected' to stand in front of the judges stand and were captured on TV during many shots. I guess if your goal in attending the taping is to get on TV, standing in the mosh pit is where you need to be. This, however, was not out goal, so seats were our preference. I just wanted to see the process and watch some good dancing. So most of the folks attending were very happy to be in the mosh pit. As we were waiting to find out whether or not there were extra seats available, e realized that the seats were pretty much reserved for wee tykes and chaperones (read: old people). In this case, I was happy to lumped into that category. I wanted to be comfortable for the duration of the show. Screw getting on camera. We lucked out and got comfy chairs for what ended up being a very speedy taping.
It was supposed to be a live taping, and maybe it was, but it just seemed so speedy. I guess when you're planted in front of the TV, time moves at a different pace, or so it seems. Everyone was talking at a normal paces during the taping, but the speed of the events that took place seemed speedy for some reason. I liked learning about when we were supposed to applaud and cheer, and watch the gentleman warming-up the crowd. I thought he did a pretty good job. I liked watching the different cameras do their thing and all of the people with their fancy headsets running around doing what they were supposed to do. I liked the hair and make-up people running around fixing up their charges. I liked seeing all of the isms that I detest about the host.
The dancing was quite nice, although there wasn't much of it. They look much better in person than I'm sure they come across on TV.
I suppose it was a fun experience. Not as exciting as I hoped it would be, but also not as annoying. I'd recommend it, but unless you're young and all you care about is getting on TV, I would recommend trying to get a seat for the big show.
It's always fun to see things live in person that you usually only see through your TV screen. The set was exactly what I imagined. The studio itself was a lot smaller than I thought it would be and the audience is also a lot smaller than it looks on TV. It's a strange, strange thing, this TV-land.

Poor lad

There is a boy at camp who has a horrible case of eczema. He is also anaphylactic, although I'm not sure if it's related. I wouldn't be surprised if it was somehow.
Anyway, the poor chap gets so itchy, that a staff member spent almost 2 hours putting ointment all over him. ALL OVER. And then ice packs were applied to numb the nerves. He was so itchy and in so much pain that he was almost in tears. He wanted to scratch so badly, but wasn't allowed to do so. He was practically fighting to keep the staff member's hands away from him.
It was painful to watch and especially painful, because it brought back itchy memories. I never had it quite as badly as this boy did (at least in terms of surface area), but I remember feeling like my hands had a mind of their own and could not be restrained from scratching. That I was absolutely desperate to scratch and even as I watched myself scratch so hard that I would start bleeding, I couldn't stop. I remember putting ice cubes on my itchy patches and taking ice cold baths. I remember my parents ordering me to stop scratching. I'm getting itchy just thinking about it.
It was horrible, and I'm so glad that I grew out of the worst of it.
Most recently, I had a horrible patch of eczema on my left ankle. I still have a scar from it. I think the craziness lasted for three years. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. It would die down for a little bit, but then for no reason flare up with a vengeance. It was horrible. And then, all of a sudden, it was gone. I hope it doesn't come back. In university, I had a similar patch on my left hand, at the base of my thumb on the back of my hands. It was in such an unfortunate location and looked hideous. It felt like I had it for such a long time and once again, just like that, the itchy urges disappeared.
Anyway, I felt for the little guy. I've been watching him for the past couple of days, get taken care of, but seemingly to no satisfaction. It's a horrible feeling and just something that unfortunately you need to let ride its course.

tsoundcheck

I'm thinking of getting a 3-pack. I know that it's a good deal, but I can't help but be thrown off by the fact that I will not be able to pick exactly which seat I will have in the Roy Thomson Hall. As with most things, I am particular about where I prefer to sit for musical concerts. As most of the concerts that I'm interested in are piano performances, I would rather sit so that I can see the performer's hands. If it was just an orchestral performance, I wouldn't be as picky.
I haven't been to a tsoundcheck performance since I was a teen, which means that it's been a long time. It's a wonderful deal. Cheap tickets for a wonderful performance. You often can get great seats, but as I said before, you can't really pick which ones you get.
The other problem with getting a subscription is that I would have to pick the concerts that I want to attend now. There are concerts in June that sound lovely, but I have no idea if those dates will be free. I could book the tickets and then keep those days free, but with all the things on my plate, I'm never sure if something more pressing will come up at the last moment, and I would be devastated if I would have to sacrifice my tickets. As a subcriber to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, I would be able to exchange tickets for other concerts (at least that's my understanding), but that seems a little bit of a gamble to me. And shall I remind you about the "not being able to select my seat" situation? I'm too much of a picky, control freak for that.
Dilemma.

Tee hee

Spotted on the blackboard of a bistro at Spadina and Richmond:
"Ceci n'est pas un Macdo"

Pooped

Abso-friggin-pooped.
It was a great weekend and I've got a break from it for a month, but I'm totally wiped. I don't know how people do it. 14 hours in a bubble - Mind you, they re-did the ceilings in the building and it was quite balmy...I wore a spring coat all weekend, but did bring out a great pashmina - and then hours of socializing. I think I got 3.5 hours of sleep last night.
At least the beds and duvets at the hotel were quite comfy. I zonked out as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I'll probably zonk out soon tonight too.
Too bad that I have to get up relatively early tomorrow as well as it's back to the grind for two weeks.

Thakoon and Giuseppe Zanotti collaboration

Part of me is dying right now. I want, I want, I want.
Alas, George C only has them in a blueish-grey colour and I need to focus on filling my black shoe void. But they're so lovely. And they're surprisingly comfortable. And they're a fraction of the original, exorbitant price. Still a little bit more than I wanted to spend (and I'm not going to anyway, because they're lovely, but not black), but an extremely reasonable price for what it is.
I'm dying. Totally dying.

Models and French

After feeling a little deflated about my French abilities, watching this video made me feel better. I guess that Quebecois accent does change things around a lot. I did learn a new verb this weekend. Demeurer.
The video also made me want to go shopping. But first I need to win the lottery.

Packing woes

I love packing. I love it because it usually means that I'm going somewhere. I love traveling. I love planes. I love trains. I love hotels. I love gathering all of things that I need to make the trip as amazing as I imagine it's going to be. I've packed enough times that I've got a routine. It's very methodical. Very.
I even love packing for a big move. It can be a little stressful, but I still enjoy going through all of my things. Reminiscing and then thinking ahead to how great the move will be. Except when something gets misplaced along the way. I'm usually really good at remembering where I put everything. And I mean everything. I can tell you exactly which pile or junk, or in which obscure drawer I have carefully filed something in. This time I'm totally confused. I've already gone through a couple frenzies to no avail. I can't find my passport circa my European bonanza. I'm devastated. I also can't find a black hoodie from Bershka (purchased in Athens - see, very detailed memory of bizarre things), but that definitely wasn't lost in the most recent move. I lost it somewhere between Fall 2008-Spring 2009. I remember the last place that I wore it, but I can't figure out what happened to it since then.
Anyway, even with my love-fest I sometimes have difficulties. It's very difficult to pack a weekend's worth of winter clothing when it's bloody hot outside. Last time I packed my not-so-winter coat which was the wrong move. This time, I'm taking no chances. I dug my coat out of the dry cleaning bag it's been in since last season ended and tossed in my Burberry scarf for good measure. The new season has started and I'm ready to go!

Phew!

Holy tough month, batman!
I'm almost there. I'm taking a break before finishing up the final task for tomorrow, but one big hurdle is over with.
In addition to working full time this month (yeah yeah yeah, I'm spoiled with my regular: sleep-in, putz around until noon, eat a nice meal and then go in to work...although sometimes I still manage to get a full 8 hours in before calling it quits), I've been taking an online course.
It's been a whirlwind of a course. Readings, readings, readings. Late nights (I don't do mornings) and extra hours on the weekends. I learned a bunch, but at the same time, probably could have learned more. Tedious at times, but rewarding when it's all said and done. And it is. Done. I'm so happy. I hope I passed.
One more day to add to my nice paycheck and then I get a two week break. I will definitely be sleeping in when I can. Although maybe I should keep up my current routine to ensure that it won't be as difficult when I got back again at the end of August. The job's been great. Really really great. But, I'm looking forward to a break. After this crazy month, I need it.
Alas, I sense a couple hundred-page pages looming. And lots and lots of other things that I've been putting off for a month. The list is long.
I'm exhausted. And relieved.
So now, a well deserved break to get some nourishment and soothe my soul and then it's the final odds and ends.
I'm rambling. And getting incoherent.
Tired. Oh so tired.

Red Canoe

Why did it take some silly blog for me to learn about this store?
I can't wait to get out there and see it for myself.

Flashback to 2003?

Halfway home, I noticed that traffic was weird. I was sitting on a streetcar, and cars just weren't moving at the same pace that they usually did. I noticed that a couple traffic lights seemed to be out, and then noticed pedestrians taking pictures at an intersection. As the streetcar finally moved forward, I noticed that the "spectacle" was a good samaritan directing traffic. Whoa, flashback to 2003? The next intersection had a similar scene. What was going on? I got into my condo and saw the long line standing in front of dark, out of service elevators. Power outage. I took the stairs and got a nice little workout. It was the first time that I had a power outage at my place, and I was surprised at how many habits I'd built that dealt with electricity. I can't recall how many times I tried to turn the light switch on. I had no idea how much of the city was effected (apparently very little) and how long it would last. It's been awhile since I was in a power outage. Today of all days wasn't a good day to have no power, but luckily, it came back on at the right time to continue on with the rest of the night. I did miss dance class because of it (wasn't sure if the studio would be open), but I guess the consolation was a little quad workout climbing those stairs.

A weekend of events

I was wondering why there was a barge hanging out in the middle of the harbour, but I think I've figured it out: Festival of Fire. At first I had thought that it had something to do with the Toronto Waterfront Festival, but I was expecting the boats for that event to be more like big pirate ships (aaaaarg!!!).
The first fireworks show is tomorrow night, so I think I'll sit on my balcony and enjoy the show from there!

Craving

I could sure go a pizza pescatore with a Rivella right now. And maybe a Magnum for dessert. It's been a rough day.

Something's going on

There's about 20-30 people with crazy professional looking cameras loitering around my local coffee shop. You know, those ones with the long lense that you see at major sporting events or for red-carpet paparazzi moments. I wonder what they're all doing?

27! 28!

The big event is over and people are starting to go home.
I think Mexico just went by because from my bird's eye view, it's the only country that fits the colours that I could make out on the flag attached to the car.
I've also recently seen horse carriers go by, so I guess some of the four-legged friend are done their duty too.
I don't get why there are still motorcades coming into the core though. Isn't it a little late?
Today's walk (in which I did end up getting my much needed groceries) was interesting. It seemed as though police were more willing to approach people to search bags and ask questions. I'm pretty sure I saw undercover cops or at least people in regular clothes with walkie-talkies and ear pieces. I saw what a 'peaceful' protest was and marveled at the difference in police presence and attire at such an event. Media was everywhere and many stores and restaurants were closed. Zara was the only major chain open on that Queen St. West drag (it was nice to shop in the store when it's not overcrowded and messy). Less shops were boarded up than I thought there would be. I expected more distruction. I almost didn't notice the scorched pavement where a cruiser car burned, but overheard another pedestrian tell her friend about it. I took a look and it just looked like an oil stained patch of pavement. I've never seen so many people walking around with fancy looking cameras. I was surprised that not all of the graffiti was removed. It was clear that police were stationed at specific locations.
I learned a lot from the fact that the G20 was here.

No self control

I went for a walk.
The plan was to hop on the streetcar and/or subway to get a drive by view of things that were happening and see if my brother's neighbourhood was still in tact (I'd read reports that it wasn't) then pick up some much needed fruit in Chinatown, but I didn't end up spending a dime.
When I left, I thought everything was over. I honestly wanted to just take in the aftermath.
I was wrong.
Up to this point, I had just seen police wearing their regular uniforms, holding their helmets and acting quite friendly to me. The street that I was planning on taking was blocked by a line of police with their bicycles. So had I not been diverted, I may have never run into this at Queen St. West and Spadina Ave.:
Cops in riot gear are SCARY. There were probably between 100-200 people in the crowd and at least half of them being people who, like me were trying to get somewhere but somewhat curious as to what was happening. I've never seen anything like it, and now that I've seen it, I don't need to see any more. When I arrived, the protesters were in the middle of the intersection (cars were a little stressed out by this - the megabus was full of passengers plastered to the window watching the action), and police had blocked off Queen St. West (going east). I should have taken a picture of the wall of them. It was terrifying. Protesters were getting a little rowdy, so the police moved forward and blocked off the intersection. The crowd didn't move much
because police seemed to be able to get the rowdy ones to stay out of the intersection. We all just stood at the edge of the intersection and watched (I think someone was taken down by a couple police at the opposite corner) and then the gentleman on the left of the guy with the massive gun came forward and told us (in a threatening, loud and assertive voice) if we didn't leave, we'd all get arrested. We innocent bystanders took the hint and left.
I had to go through some back alleys and side streets to get around Queen St. to continue my walk north on Spadina. Fruit kind of fell off my radar (although I did look and the selection looked pretty crappy, anyway). I went east on Dundas St. , knowing that College St. could be risky. I kept walking and passed through Chinatown which seemed completely out of the loop. It was so surreal that just a block away, something really bad could have happened.
Before I turned north onto University Ave., A convoy of police in vans and a big bus went by. They didn't have any marked vehicles with them, so it was interesting to see how they handled the unsuspecting traffic. It was kind of like a movie where a van stops randomly in the middle of an intersection, cuts off regular traffic, a taxi driver looks confused, a sliding door opens, and a couple massive (it was like he was wearing hockey gear) cops step out, hold their arms out to stop traffic, let the convoy go by, jump back into the van and speed away.
Nearing University and College, the intersection is blocked off. After detouring, I even tried to get to the are from the east side as well. No go. Police are still friendly when advising pedestrians to go somewhere else. "Sir, do you love your dog? Yes? Well, then you should probably walk
him the other way." Cyclists are turned away. It's a no vehicle zone. I look around and University Ave. south is closed off. It's filled with police vans and buses. Medical staff stand outside of their hospitals and watch. The hospitals are on lockdown. I walk past an emergency driveway and see that stations have been set out outdoors. I noticed a triage and decontamination zone. The hot dog vendor gets some business. I think it's interesting how the police make a barrier with their bikes. I see some protesters carrying
a colleague who has a bandana tied around his eyes. Pepper spray? They get help from the EMT. There's a media presence. No one even goes close to the cops. They yell at you to stay back. I see someone get arrested and put into a Court Services truck. I eavesdrop on a reporter asking a lady who saw police spray an older lady. Didn't see it. Can't comment on if her story is biased.
I walk east on College towards Yonge. I've already heard that protesters have come and gone from this area and I want to see the damage. I get very sad. Windows have been broken. Clean up crews are already
on the scene and shops and banks are boarded up. All the way down Yonge, I am appalled at the amount of damage that can been done. Slightly buoyed that not all stores have been targeted, by the time I get to Yonge and Dundas Square it seem like nothing's different. As I watch a street magician bent a metal fork with his mind, I see crews fixing up some damaged shop spaces in the background. I don't completely understand why they targeted some companies but not others.
Heading west on Queen St. West, I'm glad that the Toronto Jazz Festival events at Nathan Philips Square have not been disturbed. Andre Rieu's concert had been canceled.
My brother's building is still in tact, but as I continue westward, I see something in the distance. I guess it shows that I'll never be a protester, but the scene of police on horses (and the four legged creatures were wearing masks to protect their eyes) and riot police made me pause.
It seemed like a similar group of protesters in this intersection and although there were more civilians than police (at least in plain sight), it seemed like a futile mission for the protesters. More media presence, tons of cameras in all shapes and sizes. After a couple protesters sat in
front of the police, the wall of riot police chanted "Move! Move!" as they inched forward and banged their batons on their shields. Their voices reverberated from behind their helmets. Every time they did so, civilians started retreating. Running. After standing back and watching the wall of police change shifts, advance a couple more times, and listened to the protesters shouting and chanting, I was ready to go home.
I was done of the day, and as I said before, done with my curiosity. I snaked my way home, said good evening to some of the police closer to home (and less scarily dressed) and walked along side the security gates that the protesters I think had initially tried to get near. The zone was quiet and empty.
Perhaps they have good reasons to do what they do, but I'm not sure they're going about it in the right way, nor are they being effective in the process.
The rain starts to fall and I'm happy that I'm on my way home. I got some much needed exercise for the day. Almost a good 3 hours of fresh air.

55!

Interesting, the motorcade was driving with civilian traffic. Not a big team of escorts.

Executive decision

I really wanted to witness a riot. I wanted to see what one is like. Feel the emotion. Observe the movement. Hear the sounds.
I've finally decided that I'm going to let this one pass. There are some things that may be better not experienced.
It's fascinating how we're wired in that I, as a person who doesn't want to be a participant of a riot in any way shape or form, desperately wanted to be there.
I am following the action on-line.
And it's more interesting that I would have been more prone to going if someone else had asked me to join them as a spectator.
The mob mentality. Curiousity.
I can't help but think back the BBC educational series about kids growing up and the changes in their brain. How in the teenaged years there's a chemical imbalance that contributes to teens being more daring and making silly decisions.
I'm past that age, but the urge is still there.
Maybe I'll go later on when it's all over. See? I still come up with thoughts of wanting to get in there.
I should put a movie in and go offline.

Finally: 89!

11!

71!

38!

B-I-N-G-O

46! (Or something like that. I've forgotten because I'm caught up in following the riots)
25! (Someone important was part of that in there I think because there was a limo with a little flag like in the movies)

Choppers everywhere!!!

A whole bunch of them zoomed by. And so close to my building! I was in too much awe (read: too slow) to take a picture. That's my next goal. To take a good picture of a chopper. But really, if I had been able to get my act together, I would have gotten great (although, it's too bad that it's a foggy day) shots. They were so close, I felt like I could have reached out to touch them!
I noticed that they always travel in pairs. There's got to be a reason for that. This is so exciting.
I also got to do a little plane-spotting of my own. I'm lucky enough to watch the Porter planes of a regular basis, but this beast of a plane (which may just be a regular sized plane, but I'm so used to the mini's taking off from the Island Airport), well, looked like a beast. I wonder what they are carting around in there? And that's the black boat-y thing that I saw before. I hope more choppers come by soon. It's exciting! (I said that already.)
There are tons of people hanging out on their balconies watching the view as well. I'm not the only one who thinks this is cool, you know.

Seen, heard, thought...(G20 edition)

Seen: A very empty St. Lawrence Market. The North Market was particularly sad with less than half the vendors present.

Heard: "I'm disgusted with what Canada has become" (Man on his cell phone in the North Market).

Thought: I should buy myself some Koslik's mustard and Guyere cheese and call it a day.

Seen: Cops taking pictures of each other standing beside the fences.

Thought: Couches are expensive!!!

Seen: BINGO!

Seen: Special G20 license plates on cars.

Thought: What happened to the 90min waiting time to get onto the Gardiner from Spadina Ave. that they were talking about? This weekend would actually be a GREAT time to drive downtown. Same with the TTC.

Seen: Police riding around on ATVs.

Thought: It's a ghost town.

Seen: A black hovercrafty-thingy with passengers all in black and looking mighty intimidating zooming by the harbourfront.

Seen: Explosive Removal Unit and Contamination Unit trucks driving away from the security zone. Hope everything's okay! (Maybe they're done for the day now that Obama's in the building)

Thought: Crappy weather would make protest watching no fun?

G20 bingo

I've spotted cars 5, 6, 15, and 16 thus far.
I'm hoping to spot at least one helicopter.

Motorcade in the morning!

Motorcade of 28 vehicles coming across the Gardiner, north on Spadina, then east on Bremner. It included 3 greyhound buses, just a couple motorcycles, and was mostly dark cube van looking cars. I'm going to guess that the passengers of the motorcade were coppers.
I'm going to the market now. Hopefully it won't be too deserted. I hear clubland was pretty quiet last night.

The excitement! (G20 - duh)

About 20 minutes ago, I noticed that the Gardiner had no traffic going eastbound. Ooooh...convoy?!? I saw a lone car drive by and then a couple motorcycles. Maybe I was getting my hopes up for nothing. It could be a traffic accident, afterall.
Nope. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Convoy!!!
Okay okay, I'm sure you're not terribly impressed, but it was still cool to see. I wonder who was in those cars?
It was over in mere seconds of course, but I feel like I was part of history or something. Stop rolling your eyes at me, I'm having a great time learning! That's right, I said learning. For example, I didn't know that some of the cars would be numbered. Does this mean that there were decoy cars? It's like a movie. The helicopters are circling, talking about who's in what number of a car, and when something crazy happens, they break off and they follow whatever number. Action packed chase sequence!!!
Oh yeah, and then soon after they went by, cars started appearing on the Gardiner. Just like that. No more convoys for the next little while. I wonder how they block off the area and what happens to traffic that wants to use the area? Can they wait it out?
At the same time, I noticed that there was a mini-protest at the end of the block on Spadina. I'd seen a couple of them on my way home from my walk this afternoon, but didn't really pay attention to their cause. Something Chinese I imagine with the Chinese flags they carried and signs written in Chinese. My balcony didn't give me a clear line of sight to the group, so I don't exactly know how many of them their were, but I was more confused as to why they chose this particular intersection. A couple minutes after the convoy passed, I saw a different (and mini) convoy (maybe a car or two and off course a team of coppers) drive up Spadina. How do protesters know these things?
I'm tempted to go to the core and see the super protest in action, but I'm pretty happy hanging out on my balcony to get some reading done. More convoys, please!

Update 1: Just learned something else. I should start calling them motorcades instead of convoys.
Update 2: I'm reading the Toronto Star's G20 blog. I know I'm incredibly naive and have too positive of an outlook on things, but I'm glad I'm not at that protest right now. Part of me wants to be there to see what it's like, but part of me is sad that stuff like this happens. No, I don't think that all of the decisions that world leaders make are the right now, but I don't like to acknowledge the conflicts that we have in the world. There are too many people out there that deal with the stuff, I want to be part of the group that tries to look at the good in everything.

Schiessen!

Who do I cheer for now?

Again, G20

It's a ghost town in the downtown core today, and another great day for wandering the streets to take in more G20 amazingness. A couple gates have been closed, but I nothing was really closed off quite yet. I don't really understand why some things shut down Thursday and Friday, because based on what I've seen, there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary in the city. Except for the huge police presence and big fences. I walked to the Eaton Centre, figuring it might be a little bit emptier than usual. It was. Fantastic. I loitered in the electronics section of the department stores to watch some of the Fifa World Cup. I wasn't the only one. Crappy thing was that everyone was showing the Chile-Spain game. I know why they're getting first billing over the Switzerland-Honduras game, but I would have wanted to see just one in the fifty TVs showing the game that I cared more about. As I stood and watched the game, I had a feeling of dread that Spain was in the lead. I try not to think ill of anyone, but I really want the Swiss to advance to the next round...so, you know.
Anyway, I'm wondering if the city will be any different this weekend. I hope I catch at least one convoy. My view has to be good for something, afterall.

So many pretty colours

How could you not want a pair of car shoes after seeing this picture? I'm sure that it's mostly the Italian men that buy the bright colours. I don't know how they know how to make it look so good.
I won't be greedy. I just want one pair. But then, if the Tod's are really as comfortable as everyone says, the sky's the limit. Okay, so I am greedy.

- picture courtesy of GQ and Tommy Ton

What else, G20!

I told you plane spotting would have been cool.

More G20 related notes

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm excited that we're hosting the G20:

- They tell me to work from home, so I decide to go to the ballet and watch a corps de ballet get his big break! I've never gone to a weekday matinee, so although it makes complete sense, I was a little bit thrown off when it was me and a bunch of pensioners. Rex Harrington gave a great Ballet Talk and the all debuting cast was impressive. McGee Maddox looked a little shaky to start, but eased into his character quite nicely. Brett van Sickle seemed to be quite good in his role although I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to pull out his gloves from his sleeve fast enough (they got stuck somehow) to slap McGee in the face in time to the music. Bridgett Zehr is still amazing. Of course Heather Ogden is good, but she wasn't making a lasting impression until the final scene. Ummm, I kinda had tears in my eyes.

- How fancy schmancy am I? I now live in a gated community.

- I love playing the license plate game, but with the police and which city/force they're from. Of course there are tons of cops representing the Toronto Police, but I've also spotted contingents from Niagara, York, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Halton, among others. Oh yes, can't forget the dear RCMP, although those folk could be from almost anywhere.

- Apparently, John St., between Wellington and Front is horsey central.

- Everyone I'd chatted with seems so friendly. And they don't laugh in my face when I ask them naive questions like: Do you carry tasers? (Yes) or What do you have in those packs around your thighs? (Gas masks)

- The Roundhouse Park is quite nice. The Roundhouse is a beautiful building and I wish I could go back in time to see what the area was like when it was still working.

- People actually line-up to get into Jays games. I didn't think that many people attended. I guess there really aren't that many compared to the number of seats that are in the stadium. I wonder if the scalpers make any money.

- I like seeing the special TTC buses carting around coppers.

I do have a paper I need to write, so maybe I'll actually get started on it tomorrow, but I feel like I'm learning a lot from walking around the area. I'm lucky that I don't live in a city/country that has riots or wars on a regular basis, so these teachable moments are very valuable to me.

Alberta (March 17-21, 2010)

Ever since returning back to Canada, my travel bug has not left me. I have been lucky to go on a couple trips, but it never seems enough. I'm embarassed to say that I haven't even traveled around Canada very much, so I was thrilled to have the chance to travel to Alberta to have a reunion of sorts and attend a wedding of some very dear friends.
I spent a couple days in Calgary before going out to Lake Louise for the wedding. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the city, but it was less exciting than I had hoped. I think had I had a vehicle or more time to venture out of the city, I would have gotten a better vibe from the city. I especially would have liked to visit Canada Olympic Park and the Royal Tyrell Museum. I also happened to go in between seasons, as I couldn't even visit Heritage Park.



I did visit the Calgary Tower because I love a good view. It was nice to get my bearings and understand that the city is a place where Calgarians work and then see way in the distance all of the great areas where they
would go out to play. As a fan of the winter Olympics, I was happiest spotting as many 1988 Olympic venues as I could. I was supremely jealous of the kiddies that were skating on the outdoor rink in the Olympic Plaza.




Obviously, I have to go back to attend the Stampede. I don't completely understand what happens, but I'm sure that I would love it.






I was happy to have the chance to go to the Calgary Zoo. I looooove animals.




One of the elephant's had a cap on his tusk. I'd never seen that before. Apparently they capped it so that he wouldn't break it.





After a couple days in Calgary and enjoying being on a much needed vacation, we drove out to Lake Louise. It was a lovely drive. It hadn't crossed my mind that I missed the sight of mountains, but during that drive, I got a little homesick for Switzerland. Homesick, yet excited that soon I would be back in the mountains and hopefully having a chance to go on the slopes. This trip was also my first time in a National Park. I don't even think that I've been in a Provincial Park before. How embarassing. After detouring through British Columbia (ooops), we arrived to Lake Louise. Un-real. I mean, seriously:
Excited didn't even describe it. And the massive outdoor rink? Heaven. It took me awhile to realize that the entire surface was a frozen over lake. For real. This was crazy-town.



This trip provided another first. High tea. And at the Fairmont of all places. The bar has been set quite high. The view wasn't bad either. This was the vacation that I was desperately needing and I was loving every moment.













It was a lovely service with yummy snacks. I could have eaten scones all afternoon. Kindly, our waiter (from the UK, I would quickly find out that almost everyone in the area was an ex-pat taking advantage of the mountainous terrain) let me test out a couple different teas. I can't wait to go for afternoon tea again.




We drove back a bit to Banff. The main drag was Zermatt-esque, or Whistler-esque. The streets were just a little bit wider, but it's that architecture which reminds me of mountain towns. In Banff, we
went up the gondola to look around (ahem, site of my dramatic accident) and then headed to the hot springs before dinner. I can't believe that it's been three years since seeing views like this on a regular basis.






Over the next couple of days, sandwiching the wedding, we discovered Lake Louise. Although I ended up with a bum ankle, the trip was a dream. I have to go back to get my real skating
session on the lake (I could do backspins, but that was about it). I would also bring more sensible shoes to go hiking (I haven't worn sneakers for over a year now). I wonder if they have ice climbing? I was happy to have the chance to get into the mountains and one some skis again. It was a much
needed release and sense of freedom. (Notice the two pictures from opposite ends - looking towards the slopes and looking from the slopes.)





I need to head out east at some point. I've been thinking about lobster recently. Some east coast lobster. Canada's great.

LuminaTO, Part 3 (Finale)

This past Saturday, I attended my final LuminaTO event, the 1000 Tastes of Toronto. I had gone to the event last year, so my expectations were high. Too high, apparently.
This year was a disappointment.
First of all, the event was held in a different space, which I admit, did bode well for having other events happening at the same time, but I love the waterfront and anything that seems boardwalk-y is fantastic.
Secondly, the food was blah. There was only a handful of fancy-schmancy restauranteurs that set up shop this year, so it didn't have the cool factor that I loved about last year. I'm not entirely sure if the organizers have a goal of having festival-goers get to sample dishes from slick locations that they may not usually get to dine at, or if it's just a chance for vendors to get some publicity. I do admit that there was a nice selection of ethnic food to represent the cultural diversity of Toronto, but I don't need a LuminaTO event for that. I'm probably growing out of their intended demographic (I'll make parallels to Summerlicious/Winterlicious).
The event did give me the opportunity to re-try an oyster on the half shell. Courtesy of Rodney's Oyster House, they aren't as bad as I remember. I'm open to having a couple more in the future.
There's also a chance that I just happened to go to the event at the wrong time. Some of the booths worked in shifts and in talking to someone else that went earlier in the day, I'd missed out on a couple stand-out dishes.
Oh well. It was nice to get out and take in another event in the city. I'll probably go next year as well, but be prepared to be disappointed and dine elsewhere.