Ottawa, Canada (August 10th-12th, 2007)

So it's not going to be detailed, but here's a couple snapshots from my trip way back when.
I'd only been to Ottawa once before (how embarrassing) an hardly remember it. This was a nice way to return to Canada, continue my travels and be a proud Canadian.



Yeah, Parliament building. We were lucky to have great weather on the trip, makes for lot of walking outdoors and soaking up the harmful UV rays.






The changing of the guard was just about as fun as watching any other changing of the guard. A band playing music, RCMP marching all over the place. Random yelling and posing for some significant reason that most people in the crowd don't understand (myself included) and of course a huge crowd. The nightly sound and light show is also what you'd expect, but still fun nonetheless.




The house of commons. I remember two classmates being pages at Queen's Park in Grade 7. The tour guides at the Parliament were also students.I think it would be a great experience to represent your country. I've already talked about the opportunities abroad at the Juno Beach Centre and I know that there are similar opportunities at other Canadian war memorials in Europe. Unfortunately I have no interest in politics but even with that, I still think it would be a great experience working on Parliament Hill.




This is the library in the building. So grand. Even though I don't love reading (so embarrassing), I find old libraries addictive. They are beautiful. Flashback to the library in Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.




We visited a lot of the museums in the city. I was blown away at the size and depth of the galleries. It really put the dinky little ones in Toronto to shame. The Canadian War Museum had a special exhibit on Afghanistan which was fantastic (it's there until the end of April!). The regular collection was well displayed and suitable for all ages. Lots of touchables and visual items. It was a little shocking to see the tanks up close. Any form of a gun scares me. You'd think after seeing the Swiss military boys around all the time, I would get used to seeing guns, but I still cringe when I see one. I don't care if it's not loaded or if I know that there's no way that it could ever be fired (like the in the museum) they still give me the chills.










The Musuem of Civilizationwas wonderful as well. My favorite was the First People's gallery. Their collection of crest and totem poles along with all of the other objects on display...I love the colours. I love the strength.

The National Gallery of Canada provided a good mixture of pieces. I loved the contemporary art (as usual) and seeing work by the Group of Seven. I wanted to see works by Emily Carr, but apparently they were touring around somewhere. Darn. I also wanted to see the wedding dress made out of honeycombs by Governor General's Award in Visual Arts recipient Aganetha Dyck, but that had gone off display a little while earlier. Double darn.

I think Ottawa is a beautiful city. With the caliber of the museums and the various monuments and other fancy looking buildings, I guess you can tell that it's not just your average city. Apparently it's pretty dreary in the winter, but I can tell you it's pretty nice in August. I only really explored the downtown/tourist area, so I don't have a good sense of what the city is really like. I liked what I saw though. One day, we rented bikes and biked along the Rideau Canal. Obviously I was dreaming about how much I would love the skate on it in the winter time. I know I'll go back, so there's not really any rush, but I have to go back. I think it'll be a blast. Skating to work. Skating for fun. Skate, skate, skate! Good times for sure. Oh yeah, the farmer's market was another highlight of the trip. And I noticed that there were a lot of bilingual people int he city. I heard French being spoken quite a bit while walking around.

We stayed a the Chateau Laurier. Don't think this is my standard for hotel staying - this was just a one off, special circumstance. Anyway, it was beautiful. I guess you're paying for that kind of service and atmosphere. One day there were a whole bunch of police guarding the front door. Occasionally stopping people who were entering and asking them questions. I didn't get stopped - I must have looked like I belonged in such swanky surroundings - HA! I forget who was there, but it was something to do with George Bush - that's all I remember.

Uh, yeah. That's all I have to say about Ottawa.

A look

Sometimes I amaze myself at the random looks I can throw together.
It's not the style that I tend to gravitate to, but I ended up creating a look by wearing a creme chunky/cropped boho cotton knit cardigan (Massimo Dutti) on top of a a black viscose turtle neck (Zara) with a black nylon knee length bubble skirt (Joe Fresh), black wool opaque tights (H&M) and black calfskin knee high heeled boots (Michael Kors). I had to swap the boots with eggplant sparkle black leather ballet flats (Repetto) every so often to give my feet a rest as I was just breaking in the boots.
I didn't really put much effort into the hair (messy bun) and of course I'm hopeless in the make-up department. I could have done a simple silver bracelet, but I decided to go accessory free.
Apparently I was channeling Miuccia Prada that day. I was unsure about the bubble skirt, but it's growing on me.
I'll have to keep experimenting.

Earth Hour

Did you take part in the Earth Hour? I did. Well, it was pretty easy, because I wasn't home, so I had no lights to turn off/on.
I was at the free concert at Nathan Phillips square where Nelly Furtado, Fefe Dobson and The Philosopher Kings played. I'm not the most up to date with pop music, so the fact that I recognized a lot of the songs made me think that they were playing old songs that were very popular, but I guess appealed to the demographic of the audience. There was a pretty good turnout for the concert which is always nice to see. I like events like this.
The countdown to 8pm was pretty cute. I guess most of us were expecting everything to go completely dark. That there would be a marked difference in lighting. NOPE. I guess you kind of forget about the lights that will stay on regardless of the situation. Street lights. Car headlights. Hotels didn't seem to partake as much. Shops as well probably didn't participate as much because they closed earlier and many stores leave their lights on overnight to create a look and let potential clients see the best of the store even on the off hours. And of course the stores closed hours earlier and the managers probably wouldn't stay around for an hour just to turn the lights off.
While standing in Nathan Phillips Square, the crowd naturally turned to the building with the most lights on prior to 8pm to see if the lights would all go off at the right time. The BMO building to our south was the one. A big boo rose from the crowd when the lights didn't go off after the crowd's countdown. I glanced at the big tower clock of the old parliament building and apparently we were four minutes early. I forget when it happened, but all of a sudden most of the lights in the BMO building did get switched off to the cheers of the crowd. There were still a lot of lights on in buildings...boooooooooo and you know what? That one hour passed really quickly. I guess lights off for one hour is better than nothing, but seriously, why don't big office buildings turn their lights off at night and/or on weekends? I guess there are a couple workaholics that need light, but there's got to be a way to conserve energy.
Oh, and I saw stars. I'm sure that you can see starts in Toronto on a regular basis, but I just remember seeing a whole bunch and being happy that I did.
Anyway, it was a great way to raise awareness and bring some communities together. Hopefully kids will urge their parents to turn off the lights more often - even on non-organized days. It's funny what triggers kids to get obsessed with little ideas. I'm hoping adults keep it in mind as well and try to conserve energy where possible, but I guess it's just the nature of my profession - being optimistic and looking for the best in our youth!

Copy cats!

I did a double take walking on Bloor St. yesterday. Sitting in the window of Cole Haan (I need to try their Nike Air shoes - if there exists comfy soled heels, I want to wear them) was my bag. Okay, it wasn't my bag, but the Aerin Shoulder Tote looks a lot like my Longchamp Rodeo bag. A LOT.

What do you think?












I like mine better!

- pictures courtesy of www.colehaan.com and www.longchamp.com

Max Brenner

Sunday morning turned out to be a lazy morning. We slept in and ended up having a brunch late in the morning.
Just nearby where we were staying, was Max Brenner. I was assured this would be a great place to eat, because, well - I do love chocolate!
It was hard to decide what to get - there were just too many options. Most of the things that I wanted to eat were more suitable for dessert. There were a couple waffle plates on the menu which were so tempting, but they came with ice cream and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of that, because it was the whole package that sounded really good.
I ended up getting more of a breakfast kind of waffle. Your generic waffle with fruit on top. There was a cute little side of caramel bananas (yummy!) and there was an option of maple syrup or...chocolate sauce. Bring on the chocolate! You may be able to see from the picture that the chocolate sauce came in an Erlenmeyer flask! How fun!
I was told that I needed to take a look at the kid's menu. It gave a wonderful fairy-tale that kids and adults alike would enjoy and then the menu itself was just as good as the adults, with a couple fun twists. My favorite was the syringe of chocolate. Yup - that's the whole thing. I want to see
a kid squirt this into their mouth. It sounds like a fun thing, but a syringe? What kind of weird message is that sending? In this picture, you can also see the "hug mug". My hot chocolate (which was a bit bland) came in this sweet looking mug which was specifically designed to perfectly wrap your hands around. It's a nice idea, but I've never really had problems wrapping my hands around regular mugs and I was concerned about drinking out of the "spout". It really wasn't too big of a deal.
It was too early in the day, and the waffles were tasty and filling but I knew I wanted to return to get the chocolate fondue. OMG, it sounded so good. I think you can go through their website and see their menus. Hopefully it'll make you drool. Yummy.
My friend got this drink. It's described as the espresso of chocolate. It sounded really good in theory and I'm sure it tasted good, but it was a whole production and took a lot of effort to get going and to the perfect consistency. It reminded me of the traditional Argentinian drink that my Swiss family gave me to drink. Creating the concoction by putting in milk and chocolate shavings (you have a choice of dark, milk or white) into the small dish above the tealight (you decide the ratio of milk to chocolate) and then using the mixing device/spoon to drink. The built in straw. Kind of neat.
The restaurant has great presentation. The actually restaurant had a great decor. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory feel. Seeing as how that story inspired Max Brenner it made complete sense. There were giant chocolate bars lining the restaurant. Vats of chocolate by the door. Chocolate was on tap too. Dark, milk and white. I would love to be a "bartender" there. I have no idea if the taps actually worked, but they looked really really cool.
Bascially, the moral of the story is that I had a great time, I wish I still had a bottomless pit stomach (darn the slowing metabolism!) because there's just so many things that I want to try. The wait staff were so friendly and fun and the restaurant itself has a light-hearted vibe. Prices seemed decent as well.
If you love sweets, you should probably check this place out!

A Chorus Line

Might as well see a classic...so I went to see the revival of A Chorus Line.
I wanted to sing along to all the songs, but restrained myself.
The theatre was not completely sold out (as opposed to the other two shows which were PACKED!) but I still had high hopes.
Unfortunately, the show didn't completely meet my expectations.
The singing was great and the character portrayals were dead on, however I found that the ensemble was lacking in the dance department. I couldn't figure out if they were all actually well-trained dancers that were just pretending to have horrible dancing skills or if they weren't true triple-threats. Little things like flat footed turns, sickled feet or unpointed toes - there was no refinement. In the first "audition" number
I thought they were just playing their part in being wannabe stars, but I just got a weird vibe from it and don't think that was the case. Potentially the fact that there were a handful of understudies performing had something to do with the lackluster performance. Or maybe it was just a stylistic difference. A dancing style true to the original staging of the show. I was mainly disappointed with Kimberly Dawn Neumann's portrayal of Cassie. My favorite was Jessica Lee Goldyn's performance as Val. Natalie Cortez and Katherine Tokarz did commendable jobs as Diana and Kristine respectively. Understudy, Emily Fletcher stayed true to the statuesque character of Sheila. That sounds like a lot of praise - and I guess the production as a whole wasn't too bad. Lots of great moments, I was mainly disappointed in the dancing.
I would still recommend the show - another fun, feel good show. Great songs and lots to laugh at - just don't expect high calibre dancing. Boo hoo.

- picture courtesy of www.achorusline.com

Spring Awakening

Another day, another musical!
I picked this one only because it won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical. I wanted to see what the big fuss was about and get a feel for what the Tony's reward.
Spring Awakening is a musical based on the play by Frank Wedekind. A play so controversial at the time that it was banned from being performed. Set in a provincial German town in the 1890s, the musical shows the lives of a group of adolescents who, as the time dictates, live a sheltered life. As one individual takes it upon himself to learn more about life and the world around them issues that youth face no matter the time and place. I don't want to tell you too much more about the struggles that they have or else I'd be giving it all away.
Even though it wasn't your typical feel-good musical, I really enjoyed it. It dealt with serious issues, but the musical numbers were fantastic. The cast was incredible. Whoever did the casting did a great job. It was so fun to see the characters really come alive - the musical numbers really helped in that regard. The staging, the lighting, the set - everything was so appropriate to the type of show that it was. You wouldn't think that tube fluorescent lights would be effective, but it really was amazing. I was sitting at the front of the balcony - really really good seats, but due to the intimate nature of the show, I would recommend that you get orchestra seats to this show - unless they're at the very back or something, than maybe balcony would be better. There are also seats onstage as well, which put you right in the middle of the action. Speaking of action (bad segway), if you're uncomfortable with nudity and PDA, then maybe this isn't the best show for you. Again, really serious issues, so don't expect to go home feeling good about life. Maybe you will, because the show was so well done, but it makes you think.
I think I read somewhere that they're putting on a production in Toronto, although I forget where I read that so I could be completely making this fact up. I don't know if it'll be as good as the Broadway version, so if you can, get out to NY to see the show. The Tony Awards did a good job.

- picture courtesy of www.springawakening.com

Curtains

I love musicals. LOVE them. So, of course while I was in New York, I wanted to take in all that Broadway had to offer. I ended up seeing three different shows, the first being Curtains.
I hardly knew anything about this show other than it was staring David Hyde Pierce and that it had gotten rave reviews. Rave reviews and fun times...I'm there!
Curtains is about a new musical which unfortunately has a horrible leading lady. Luckily the leading lady is mysteriously murdered and the cast reels from shock and relief. David Hyde Pierce plays a detective investigating the murder with a not-so-secret obsession with all thing musical. As the investigation continues the cast of the new musical rework their numbers to create an even bigger and better production for their next showing. More murders and hilarity ensues...
The theatre was packed and I have to admit that I sort of wished there were little tubs of ice cream at intermission like in London, but I had a great time. I laughed a lot that night, and you know what, I needed it. I've had so much going on and all good things and stuff that I love, but I have been running myself ragged.
Anyway, back to the musical - if you want a funny, feel good show Curtains may be the one for you. Only thing you'll have to go before the end of June because Curtains is closing!

- picture courtesy of www.curtainsthemusical.com

I guess we're at that time in our lives

So another one of my friends got engaged.
Sigh.
No, I'm not one of those people obsessed with settling down and freaking out because "time is ticking", so I'm fine.
It's just funny that everyone's getting engaged.
Engagement stories are the best though. I don't think I've heard one that doesn't make me laugh out loud. There's always some sort of twist that threatens to ruin big plans.
Congratulations to everyone who's got a fiance!

Pictures are a go!

Thanks to two Mac-loving men, I have figured out how to transfer the pictures on my digital camera to my Macbook!
Turns out my super-huge memory card was holding onto pictures all the way back to September 10th, 2007 - that's a lot of exciting stuff!

It still tastes good

I had this grand idea that I was going to make a ginger-carrot soup. I'm not a cookbook person, so I just kind of put a bunch of ingredients into a pot hoping for the best. The only problem is that I don't have a blender. I thought that this mixing device I was given for Christmas would be strong enough, but I didn't think about the fact that it just mixes and doesn't blend. Oops. So basically, I've got mushed up ingredients in a pot. But it does taste very very good. Not quite smooth enough to be a gourmet soup, but still quite tasty. I like the sweetness of the carrots and the ginger, well, because I love ginger.

Putting my trust in Canada Post

I just sent away the best passport in the world. I hope it comes back to me.

Dreams

My dreams seem pretty vivid. Many lucid ones too.
If I wake up immediately afterwards, I remember a lot about them and there's always some kind of emotion attached to it.
But then, later in the day or even later in the morning when I wake up for real, I don't remember any details about my dreams, which is too bad, because most of the time I like my dreams. They're interesting.
I know there's a whole lot of literature out there about why people don't remember their dreams, but I'm sure that my brain is so selective, it just knows that what happened in my dreams aren't important in the grand scheme of things and my brain is saving room for all the other more important things in my life. I tend to be really good at forgetting things that aren't relevant - even if it just happened a minute ago. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not.
Anyway, I just remembered a dream I had. I think it was last night, but I can't be sure.
I was in Paris and got my hair cut. It was a bob with really really short angular bangs. I freaked out.
I also know that what you dream about is often related to events during the previous day or thoughts that may be running through your head just before falling asleep. This one links pretty well. Someone asked me if I had gotten a haircut that day. I have been thinking about getting my hair cut for awhile. I noticed recently that my hair has grown out to a length that I usually like. For the past three years I got my hair cut in Paris. I am making plans to return to Paris soon. It's all related.

Ugh

I have a bazillion (slight exaggeration) pictures sitting on my digital camera. I finally hooked it up to my Macbook, only to find that the program that came with my camera is not compatible with Macs and that my computer doesn't register that a camera is connected to it. That sucks.
I still have an ancient Dell laptop at my disposal - I actually use it to print things because my printer is very old school and I'd have to buy a new cable to hook it up to the Macbook (the cable is not USB - it's the nice old with a bunch of holes and screws in each side to secure it). The printer still works, so why bother changing it? Yes, I could have gotten a free printer with purchase of my Macbook and I actually did take it, but then I returned it because I was too lazy to deal with the mail-in rebate and too lazy to look into where I could donate the extra printer. Actually, I vaguely looked online to some places that I wanted to donate it to, but their websites weren't very helpful and I didn't take the initiative to call them.
Anyway, that still leaves me with a bunch of photos on my camera. Ugh. How annoying.

Sex and the City moments

I'm slowly going to write about my trip to NY city. Well, Manhattan really. With a smidge of Brooklyn too.
Anyway, this one's going to be short.
I'm not a Sex and the City fanatic, but I do enjoy watching an episode here and there. It's fun, it's mindless and of course there's the fashion involved. I guess back in the day when I watched the show, my fashion eye wasn't as fine tuned and it didn't really make much of an impact on me.
So, while in New York, I happened to experience a couple Sex and the City moments, not counting all of the shopping experiences - I feel like that's a whole post in itself.
One night, we dined at Sea Restaurant in Brooklyn. After nights of jumping from restaurant to restaurant to avoid waiting in lines (Manhattanites seem to eat out all the time and I think waiting in line is something that they just assume to happen. It doesn't seem to faze them even if it's really cold outside and the line is snaked around the block and they are completely inappropriately dressed for the elements), we should have just made reservations, but our unscheduled days of crazy activities made it easier for us to just show up whenever we got hungry or had time to eat. We thought by arriving at 7pm, we'd be on the early part of the dinner rush, so we wouldn't have to wait around as long - and we still didn't get seated for 2 hours.
The wait went by rather quickly. The waiting area was packed and people were waiting outside as well. After a little walk around the neighbourhood, we headed back to the restaurant and were lucky enough to find seats (tired feet from a full day of walking!). The DJ kept everyone's toes tapping - I felt like I was in my stereotype of a trendy New York nightclub/eatery. Given the number of people waiting for tables, I guess that makes sense. Fashionable wait staff came around to take drink orders and it was kind of nice to have a long block of time just to chat. When our number was finally displayed on the convenient LCD screen, we were taken to a table on the edge of the pond in the middle of the restaurant. A large Buddha stared down as us. Very chic. The lighting was as it should be and there was quite a lot of seating in the restaurant. I think five "Happy Birthday" songs were sung while we were there and on our way out, there were still crowds waiting inside and out. The food itself was decent. It specializes in Thai cuisine, but it found my pad thai to be quite generic. Not too much flavour, but not necessarily bland. Very similar to any one of the generic Asian fusion or whatever you call it places in Toronto. For such a trendy place, I was surprised at how reasonable the prices were. They were cheap. Soups and appetizers for $4 to $6. Mains from $9 to 14. I was very impressed. If this restaurant existed in Toronto they would have jacked up the prices just because of the name and the trendy factor. Oh the Sex and the City link - it was featured as the trendy vegan restaurant "Raw" in the final season.
401 Bleecker Street was the location of the next Sex and the City moment. Magnolia Bakery also had a long line snaking out of the door which consisted of tourists and locals alike. The line moved very quickly and the bakery itself is a well oiled machine. Pretty pastel butter cream iced vanilla and chocolate cupcakes are put out just before the previous batch has
run out. Those waiting in line peer through the window to see which cupcakes have been snatched up praying that their favorite colour will still be left when they get to the front of the line. The cupcakes are so good. I think I got a cavity with my first bite. Yummy. I like when things taste as good as they look.

Start spreading the news...

I'm going to New York tomorrow! Can't wait!

Improv everywhere

I love everything about this group.

A great time at the ballet

Went to the ballet again. Did I mention the DanceBreak program last time? If not, it's fantastic. Unless there's a big group of people going (or you're too old to participate) it's great deal because there are usually some good seats available. Today's show of 24 Preludes, Soldiers' Mass and Rooster was no exception. It actually had really good availability. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's not a famous, classical, full-length ballet, so the crowd who usually orders tickets in advance aren't as keen.
They lost out. The programme was AMAZING.
Every year, the National Ballet does a set of shorter pieces in the winter season and this was this year's version.
24 Preludes is a piece created by a Canadian choreographer and set to Chopin's 24 Prelude. Chopin is one of my composers. I love those preludes. As I sat there, listening to the solo piano playing, I was taken back to undergrad and the best course that I ever took. It was a music course dedicated to Chopin's piano works. Dr. John Burges would sit at the grand piano in from of his 8 students (I was the only non-music major) and each week he'd pick a different set to play. One week, nocturnes. Another, waltzes. Then, etudes (LOVED THIS ONE!!). Concerti, preludes, polonaises, mazurkas...everything. He would play everything from memory/by ear. Sometimes he'd start in the wrong key, but those without perfect pitch would have no idea because he'd just play the whole piece transposed. We only knew, because he told us he'd forgotten which key the piece was in. It was IN-credible. I have an urge to find his e-mail address and the contact info for my piano teacher in undergrad and tell them how much of a difference they made in my life. People like to hear those things right? Back to the ballet. So this piece, or set of smaller pieces I should say were the most incredible interpretations of the music that I can imagine. Creating characters, ideas...the concept, the feeling of the preludes. I just couldn't believe it. I can't even say how much I loved this ballet.
Soldiers' Mass was somber. A chorus serenaded us as the group of male dancers interpreted the piece. It was well done as well, but I wasn't as touched by it. The beginning and ending were great, but I thought the middle lagged a bit. Jiri Kylian choreographed the piece...since everything's all about about linking, he choreographed the contemporary pieces at the Prix de Lausanne when I was there.
The third and final piece of the show was Rooster. A collection of shorter pieces set to music by the Rolling Stones - another fantastic piece. Aleksandar Antonikevic as the Rooster Man...OMG, spectacular. Those men pulled off the rooster walk so effectively, I couldn't believe it. I guess the fun fitted jackets, tailored shirts and ties helped the cause too. Yum. So, so SO much fun. Just like the Preludes, each song was interpreted differently, creating different moods and themes. Sigh. Love it.

So please, do yourself a favour, go see this show. It's only playing until the 16th and c'mon, if you're between 16 and 29, I don't see how you could spend $20 any better.

Another fantastic thing: the assistant conductor with the National Ballet and the Canadian Opera Company is Judith Yan. The accompanist at my ballet school back in the day. WAY back in the day. Congratulations to her!

Refresh your memory

Another trip down memory lane and a chance to boost your science IQ. Fantastic.

My bad

I've neglected this blog, as per usual. Sorry.
What's happened in the last month?
Normal life I suppose. Busy of course, but I love it.

I've been really sick twice this season. REALLY sick. I vaguely thought that I had bronchitis, but never got around to seeing a doctor. The cough was bad. The fatigue was probably worse. They both came out of the blue...I didn't do anything that made me get sick (which usually happens) and I didn't necessarily go through the long process of starting to get sick and feeling all of the different symptoms. All of a sudden I was out. Completely out. I just tried to go through with all of my commitments and at any chance I got, I slept. It just lingered though. I couldn't shake it. The baths (I'm glad I stocked up on L'Occitane) made me feel a little bit better though. It was pretty horrible though. I felt like I was just pushing myself to go from day to day, and couldn't make any efforts to do anything more that school and work. It was tough. Knock on wood that I don't get sick again. I'm wondering if my body is getting used to the N. American germs again. My first year in Europe was similar. I was sick, and a type of sickness that I'd never had before. It kept lingering...it was a persistent cough. I guess after that first bout, every time I get sick now, it follows the same sort of pattern. Mom thinks I've just got a pre-disposition for coughing.

I am living in downtown now. It is a lot more convenient from commuting everyday. The building is new, and I've always liked new things. I guess the space is sort of small, but It really isn't too bad. I think at first it was just an adjustment from a two bedroom apartment that I was used to. I have a wonderful view considering where I'm located. At least I like it. I'm looking out to a big pile of dirt which apparently will be turned into a park at some point. At least it's better than looking into someone else's unit. I also see the highway, which it quite calming for some reason. Watching the cars go by or traffic in rush hour. At night all the lights zooming by. I'm still a sucker for lights. I see the lake peeking out from behind a bunch of buildings, so that's fantastic as well. I also get full sunset sky, which is great. I hope to sit on my balcony when it warms up. Furniture is starting to pile up and I need to take some time for myself to really nest. One afternoon I did clean up my random junk, but I haven't decorated yet. I know it will be even more comfortable when this happens. I need to put aside some time for this.
A friend made a comment that I was still in tourist mode in my own city. It's true, and I'm not ashamed of it. Actually, I hope I will always be in tourist mode. I got home last night and thought a little bit more about the statement and it makes complete sense. Toronto is a huge city with lots of different areas with their own character. Lots is changing and I think for the better. For the past three years, I haven't been in the country. For the five years before that, I didn't live in Toronto either. And that would have been the time to really start to live it up. While I love snowstorms (I find them beautiful), I am looking forward to warmer weather and walking around and soaking in the city. Grad plans for sure - I hope I follow though with them.

I'm still going strong on my (new) Macbook. I have yet to upgrade my RAM, not because I don't feel the need, but I just haven't gotten around to going to the store. A the beginning I had problems with the keyboard freezing up, but apparently that was a common problem and a system update solved that. Or at least, I haven't had a problem since. The only problem that I have had is not touching the right part of the spacebar. It doesn't seem to always register. I guess the keyboard isn't as sensitive as the Dell computers which I have been using in the past. And sometimes my cursor will randomly jump to other parts of the page when I'm typing. That's a little bit annoying. I'm not sure if it's a computer problem or the touchpad being hyper-sensitive. All in all, the switch over wasn't too difficult, however I am using basic applications, so I guess I'm not the best person to say. There are certain things on webpages that I can't seem to do, which can often be annoying, but not enough that I desperately want to make the switch back. What my next computer will be? I'm not sure. Right now, I could go either way. PC, Mac not too big of a deal. I think the one thing that will make a difference will be in a year or two after this computer's gone through its paces. If it starts dying out, then I really don't care what I go with, but if it's still going strong, I may stay with Mac forever.

Speaking of my laptop, I made the trek out to Designer Fabrics to get inspired to make my own laptop cover. I haven't trekked my laptop around much, but the two times I did, I wrapped it in a pashmina. This is obviously not ideal. The basic black laptop sleeves are fine, but I was hoping for something more exciting. I was given a bunch of suggests for alternatives, but none of the ones that I saw grabbed my attention. Then, I figured it would be pretty easy to make a sleeve too. Just an envelope of sorts. Well, Designer Fabrics freaked me out. You really need to know what type of fabric you want going in there, because there's just too much to choose from. I was instantly intimidated. I'm still not sure what my next step is going to be - I definitely need a sleeve because I'm going to toting around my laptop more in the next little while, but the basic black...well, it's just a little too basic (says the girl in black - I guess I am all about the accents and accessories).

That's all I feel like writing right now. I do have to write a literature review afterall.