mbb @ lee's palace

last week i went to see the mike butlin band play at lee's palace.  a lot of people turned up from past and present, near and far.... okay that was cheesy.  but it's true. 

you would never know that they've only rehearsed twice in the last year... and that the rehearsals were crammed into the week of the show.  the guys looked like they were having a ton of fun on stage.  accompanied by a new member on keyboard they had a fresh and exciting dynamic.  many favourite songs were played but we didn't get to hear all of them.  every single one of those guys rocked it out and put on a great show.

tfc



i had the pleasure of attending a toronto fc game this week.  i was what i like to call kid excited, like really, really excited, like a kid in a candy store kind of thing.  jessa and josh invited mike and i along as they had extra tickets from a game that was rained out.  

it was my first ever professional soccer game... which is exciting enough in itself.  we arrived at bmo field and immediately purchased two beers.  i messaged jessa to let her know we had arrived.  our seats were in different sections but she had assured me that we could all stand together.  when i looked inside the gate there was a guest services lady standing there... i worried that she might check our tickets until i got jessa's message: make a right and come straight up like you own the place. so we did. and it worked.  rebels!!!!

the players came out, the national anthem was sung by the fans although it's not technically supposed to be (rebels!) and just before the game started a very loud sound erupted from behind us. it was a drum, being played right behind our heads.... oh, okay, this is happening... jessa and i couldn't stop laughing. i may have lost 10% of my hearing but it kept my energy level high throughout the game.  many fun songs were sung and the atmosphere was incredible.  

the game was exciting.  i constantly had to stop myself from running out onto the field to kick the ball.  i was inspired to start playing again.  we won 1-0.  there were many highlights but the best was when jessa would yell JORDAN! at nick soolsma when he messed up.  he looks just like someone we know... named jordan.

nick soolsma aka jordan

popular saying

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i was working away from my desk today and i when i returned i found a copy of this sitting on top of my keyboard courtesy of the lovely and hilarious jenn e.

david sedaris

 

after 2 or 3 chapters of this book i decided that i completely hated david sedaris. everything from his writing style to his vocabulary. i repeatedly told steph about my hatred and how this book might have turned me off of reading altogether.

 

for weeks it sat in the bottom of my purse and came with me everywhere i went. although i wasn't into the book, i couldn't seem to give up on it or start a new one. someone once said to me, i'll try anything twice. and with that in mind i gave it another try. i'm not sure what changed but this time i couldn't put it down.

 

naked is a collection of essays about his life, detailing events from childhood to adulthood. it turns out he is actually really funny. his stories can be at times dark and disturbing, but he has a way of keeping it light... i guess that comes along with a good sense of humour. 

 

i can't believe after hating it so much that i became hooked so easily. and i'm glad i didn't give up because his stories provided entertainment and obscure moral lessons. i'm currently reading when you are engulfed in flames also by david sedaris... i've grown comfortable with his life and his voice and i don't want the book to end...

ribfest

here are 2 photos from ribfest in burlington (aka canada's largest ribfest) this past weekend. 

you may or may not know that i'm not the world's biggest carnivore, but i was very excited for this event. the rib vendors come from all over the canada and the us. these people eat, breathe and live ribs and i love seeing people who are passionate about something (even if it's ribs).  it was hard to choose which one to go with but we settled on uncle sam's bbq from new mexico (probably because new mexico sounded exotic). i love ribfest because there is no admission fee. how many festivals do you go to where you can just stroll on in and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells free of charge? [side note - i have been to another one - the sound of music festival (also in burlington). i've grown quite fond of burlington, it's got city perks with small town feel and beautiful lake views and parks. local wildlife sightings include bunnies and swans.]

so anyway, ribfest had 2 stages with continuous performers, we saw a few of them and they weren't bad, not bad at all. the highlight for me was sharing a bloomin' onion with mike and my parents.

heaven?

which is possibly one of my favourite indulgences of all time. it didn't sit that well but it was worth it.

daydreamer

i was riding the streetcar the other day and gazing out the window... my thought process went something like this: 

hey! there's a thrift store i've never noticed before

i wonder why i haven't noticed it

should i go there? 

i wonder if they have anything good

(side thought) i should find a garage sale to go to this weekend

maybe someone just dropped off a box of records 

...really good ones.

how come no one ever drops off a box of great records?

do they sell the good ones and then give the barbara streisand ones to value village?

do the people who work at the store pick out all the good ones? (i probably would)

then i had a memory, a fond memory of riding my bike up to my favourite thrift store. there were two or three boxes of records out front which indicated they had just arrived. sorting through the boxes i realized i had hit the jackpot.  name after name of artists i loved, 3 for $1.50 or $0.99 each. i grabbed as many as i could.  i was almost selfish about it, contemplating taking records i already had in case these ones were in better condition. but in the end i was reasonable. i left some good ones behind only taking the ones i really wanted.  it was such a great feeling, and it's one that i daydream about often. especially when i see a garage sale or a thrift store.

i have a friend (steph) who dreams and daydreams about finding change. walking along the street with her is often interrupted by a joyful shout - a penny! i found a penny! or ahh! a nickel! her enthusiasm for change is contagious.  jessa and i often try and spot change just so we can point it out to her and see that twinkle of excitement in her eye. steph's husband (jordan) surprised her one day.  she came out of the shower found this outside of the bathroom door:

she was so happy that she took a picture and showed it to us that day.  it got me thinking about the things i dream (and daydream) about... and led me to this post. i guess i realized that the records i dream of are out there but i have to look for them. just like steph and her change. you're not going to notice if you're not looking.  unless you get lucky, and that happens sometimes too.

slowing down

when i’m thoroughly enjoying the book i’m reading, i’ve noticed that by the last 40 pages or so i pick up the book less and less in an effort to make it last.  i drift away from the story wondering what i'll do when the book is finished – thinking nothing will ever compare.  and all of a sudden i realize i’ve somehow missed the last 2 pages.  as the story nears its end i don’t mind reading the pages over and over again.  i’ve always wondered... how is it possible to read while you’re thinking?  there is probably a simple answer but i’ve never gone so far as to figure it out. i think i like the mystery of it....  look at me, I can think and read at the same time!

rocket

this photo isn't very good but i had to take one to prove i was there

yesterday i was a first time passenger on the new ttc rocket.  only minutes earlier i had been saying that it probably doesn't actually exist... which only seemed reasonable considering i hadn't actually seen it or knew anyone who had.  well little did i know... i was about to eat my words.  after climbing the steps to transfer southbound at st. george i noticed something different; there were no screeching tracks and no loud rumblings. i watched in awe as the brand new train came barreling down the tracks. it was so quiet, so sleek, so ... new.

"ooh look at me, i'm all shiny and new"

for those of you who haven't been hearing about it day in and day out, the ttc is integrating these fancy shmancy new trains on the yonge/university line.  here is a concise blogto article if you want to know more. i'm fairly skeptical of the design... despite being noticeably smoother and quieter there were even more armpits in my face.

via blogto - look, it's all connected - neat.

it'a shame that they aren't adding any of the new trains to the bloor/danforth line which still runs trains with no air conditioning and vinyl seats... could the ttc be favoring people who live north and south of the downtown core?  they claim to have more passengers on that line, but i can tell you (for certain) that at rush hour, going east is always more crowded than going south (and northbound is never as crowded as westbound).  in conclusion, i think someone needs to double check their statistics!

change

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It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change
-charles darwin

it's all about the benjamins

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Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
-Benjamin Franklin

fire work

last friday i spent the day at the beach.  the beach is my favourite place in the world.  it doesn't necessarily matter where it is, as long as i'm there.

i doubt that i'm the only person who feels this way.  depending on where you live, the beach can represent a number of things.  growing up it meant time with family and friends, meeting new people, freedom, relaxation and fun.  what does it represent to you?

my parents took my brother and i to jamaica when i was 2, phil was probably 12.  i don't remember the trip but when i look at the photos i think it must have been a lot of fun.  over the years our trips often were centred around the beach; myrtle beach, florida beaches, cuba, wasaga beach, cottages on the lake, other beaches.  i feel fortunate to have so many fond memories.  as i got older my love of the beach took myself and my best friend ange (another beach lover) out to the comox valley on vancouver island.  there were no shortage of beaches, and we made good use of them.

.... oh i've gotten off track.  last friday, beach.... mike and i took the hanlan's point ferry over to the toronto islands and spent the day on the white sand, even venturing for a dip in lake ontario.  those of you who are covering your mouths in horror, don't.  it is totally safe and the water is clear and refreshing.  besides, when you live in the city and you don't have a cottage or a car you make the best of what you have.  and what we have is pretty good.  

after the sun went down we waited, anticipating the canada day fireworks.  the beach was packed full of people doing the same.  the fireworks were late and people were losing interest when all of a sudden there was a blast and a massive firework lit up the sky.  and then nothing.  minutes later the show began. it gave me enough time to get the right setting on my camera for capturing fireworks, but the battery died after one photo.  sigh, at least it was a good one.

drawers

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do you have a drawer in which you keep things you rarely use?  maybe you have more than one?  when you're looking for something in there are you surprised at what you find?

i was looking for a pair of shorts today.  i went to my "obscure clothing i never wear drawer", rummaged through and couldn't find them...  i moved on to a similarly labeled drawer (my drawers aren't actually labeled, if you're wondering) and they were no where to be found.  i was in some kind of hurry to find these shorts, even though i didn't have anywhere to go.  i went back to the first drawer, dug a little deeper and there they were.  i stuffed everything back in the drawer and shut it.  i sat on the floor, relieved that i had been reunited with my shorts.  but while i was sitting there i thought, why did i make such a mess of those drawers? 

firstly i was annoyed at myself for making a mess.  i sat there thinking maybe i should tidy them up now, and the devil on my shoulder said you never use that stuff anyway, why do you have to tidy it? 

secondly i thought about how i'd forgotten about so many of the items in the drawers.  i immediately began to decide what i could get rid of and what i wanted to start wearing again.  then i started thinking about how i wear approximately 30% of the clothing i own.  a lot of it i've had for years and years and am keeping it "just in case" . . . which makes me think that i should donate it because there might be some people who would actually use them.

thirdly, i had this vague thought.. something about comparing drawers and brains.  i guess we compartmentalize our mind in a similar way.  i've got more thoughts on that but they're still being processed.  it's got me thinking though.

stop. start.

So motivational. (clipped to polyvore.com)
i like how this can be read vertically or horizontally.  i guess that's the idea. 

i know i go on about the little things, but what would life be without them?  for example: i was walking down dundas, and a man was walking toward me.  he appeared to veer to my right so i veered to his right (my left).  at the same moment he veered to my left and i looked up at him with a growl rumbling inside of me but he was laughing because of our mix up.  i laughed too.  i should have laughed to begin with but i guess i was feeling a bit jaded. 

it's funny, riding the subway during rush hour can be draining (oh i know i go on about this too, but it's a day to day thing for me - so i think about it a lot).  it's interesting to think about.  all these people with the same goal, fighting each other to get there first.  i think if everyone just took a step back and realized we're all trying to get somewhere it would improve the general theme of rage and (mild) violence i see on a daily basis.  i'm guilty of it sometimes too.  you get pushed around enough and you start to lose your patience.  just like i almost lost my patience with the guy on the sidewalk.  there are two things that help me check myself before i wreck myself. 1: when i see people confront one another, i am reminded of how petty the situations i face really are. 2: when i'm victim of someone in a hurry, i am reminded that passing people agressively can be dangerous and frustrating to them.  for example: a girl was trying to pass me after i finished buying my metropass. just as i was about to leave she tried to pass me but i was already going through the spinny thing so there was no room for her.  as i walked toward the stairs she stepped on the back of my shoe before passing me and i turned around and said take it easy.  so, i take my own advice sometimes.

meow

this is not an ad for grolsch, although it might look like one...

you might remember the ever handsome oscar (below) from a january post.  this cat never ceases to amaze me.  pete showed us the picture below on friday night, and my mind exploded.  before he showed the picture pete was describing his night and said (something to the effect of) "i was feeling kind of cool already . . . and then this happened" and for dramatic effect he slowly turned the phone around to reveal the photo.  i was sitting there wondering . . . what could have happened?  what could it be?  and like i said, it blew me away.  we also concluded that oscar sees pete as a tiger so he was looking at the screen thinking it's my dad!

oscar

s j watson

i had the privilege and the pleasure of attending a reading recently, at the toronto harbourfront centre.

there were two talented authors: robert rotenberg & s j watson.  as you may have already surmised, they read passages from their novels.

what brought me to this particular event was the fact that s j watson (otherwise known as steve) is mike's second cousin.  i was told that he attended mike's parents' wedding at the age of 5(ish) and lives in england.  his first novel before i go to sleep is about a woman who, after a terrible accident, lost her ability to form new memories.  ridley scott has picked it up and the filming is scheduled to start this year.  it has been a huge success and i am very much looking forward to reading it.

being that i'm interested in reading and writing i was surprised that i had never thought of attending an event like this before.  both author's came from different backgrounds.  robert is a criminal lawyer who continues to practice but wakes up at 5am everyday to write before work.  steve has a degree in physics and has spent most of his career working with the hearing impaired.  during the question period they both spoke about taking writing workshops that kick started, and inspired them to pursue their dreams of becoming an author.

on a slightly more humorous note, as i was waiting for the bus yesterday a man yelled whore out his window.  i can only assume it was directed at me because there was no one else on the street.  i didn't get a good look at him, maybe he was on the phone . . . ?  either way, it wasn't like i was wearing a mini skirt and fishnet stockings (accurate stereotype according to the movies, right?) so i laughed it off.  oh the joys of living in the city.

8tracks

8tracks is a website jay showed me.  it's awesome.

you can create play lists and also listen to other people's.  8tracks is an easy way to find new artists who are similar to the ones you already like.  it's a quick fix for when you're sick of your own play lists.  you can search by genre or artist or just select at random.

i've created an account, so far i've made one play list but i hope to make lots more.  it takes a while to upload and so it's a bit time consuming but definitely worth it.  mike has also opened up an account but has yet to make a play list.

how many times can i use the words play list in one post?

little things

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were big things.
-Kurt Vonnegut

aloe

my mom gave me this aloe plant when i first moved into my junction home.  he was a lot smaller then.  and has grown and grown with very little effort or care on my part . . .

i remember the first time i made the connection between the aloe listed on the ingredients of a moisturizer and the plant itself.  it was at angela's grandparents house in 2005 after we had gotten a bit too much sun.  ang went over to the plant and cut off one of the leaves, sliced it open and started to soothe her skin with the aloe goo.  this was new to me, is it safe? i asked... ang laughed, of course it's safe.  oh! okay! 

and i haven't had to buy the neon green gel since.

the end.

bike ride

for father's day, my dad and i pushed ourselves to our physical limits.  we went on what is by our standards, an epic bike ride.  riding close to, if not more than 40 kilometers with only a couple short breaks. 

our first destination was downtown hamilton.  we were going to stop for coffee but since i'd already had two that morning i decided to pass and we continued on to hess village for a beer . . . unfortunately we were ahead of schedule and none of my dad's favourite spots were open yet. 

our next stop was a to visit the statue of queen victoria, located on the western part of gore park.  click the links to read about a bit of hamilton history ... although a better option would be to talk to my dad who is a fountain of knowledge. 

we rode through nicer neighbourhoods and rougher ones. . .  we saw expensive and well kept houses and some that were completely run down.  the city is diverse and spread out.  there was interesting architecture and old buildings that were beautiful to look at.   hamilton has a lot more history than i had imagined.  if i wasn't delirious from exhaustion i could tell you all about it.

happy father's day dad, thanks for a great day!

photos of the weekend to follow . . .

where i went

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after doing very little research i have determined that douglas adams and calvin and hobbes have nothing in common except this image that someone put together.  that may or may not be true but either way, i love the quote and calvin and hobbes were two of my good friends growing up so that makes me love it a little more.

yelp comeback

i quit yelping for a bit.  i quit going out for drinks and dinner too.  okay, you caught me...  i didn't quit altogether but i definitely cut back.  

but yelp didn't give up on me.  it sent me messages and awards and all kinds of things.  okay - not awards, but they featured quotes from two of my reviews, and another ROTD (that's review of the day in yelp speak). so as you might have guessed it's really good for my ego.

if you're wondering what the heck is yelp, you should check it out.  it's a good resource to find just about anything just about anywhere and their slogan is real people. real reviews, so i think you get the gist.  it's also a good motivator to try new places, and in a city as diverse as toronto it would be a shame not to.

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here is a picture of the cilantro pesto i made the other day.  i know pesto is usually made with basil, but i was feeling adventurous... and i had a bunch of cilantro to use up:

lemon face

my mom used to tell me, if you make that face long enough your face will stay that way.  well, she's right.

i'm often reminded of this expression when i see people who appear to have a permanent frown on their face. it makes me wonder if maybe they've had a lot of struggles.  i often see these people on the ttc.  and i promptly tighten up my face muscles because no matter what happens i don't want to be walking around looking like i'm sucking on a lemon.

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but on a more important note, the lovely and talented jessa made me a little pet.  his name is fred.

fred is a snail

jessa is creative in a lot of ways.  she has a sense of humour that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. she created fred out of piece of binding coil that crossed her.  i'm pretty sure i wouldn't want to cross her.

oh

it has been tough to blog lately.

i think a lot during the day.  i observe people and situations, and sometimes things in nature.  often i think about how i will write about it when i get home.  i phrase it and rephrase it in my head.

i listen to the radio in the morning.  i like to hear the news, and see if i missed anything while i was sleeping. i wait for the bus, listen to music, sometimes a podcast.  i often wish there was a newspaper box near the bus stop.  then i would skim the 24 or the metro on my way to work, to see if i missed anything on the radio. without a paper my options are to read a book, zone out or play a game on an electronic handheld device.  sometimes i'm pressed up against someone on the ttc and that's about all i can do.  when i get off the subway a lady hands me a paper and says "thank you have a good day" over and over and over again.  i can hear her as i walk up the steps and as i walk away.

work is work.  i work with nice people.  we listen to music while we work.  it's the only area in the office that has a music playing device, specifically a bose dock.  sometimes we talk about news, celebrity news, books and music.  today i was telling stephanie how i've been having a tough time with blogging.  she asked me a question that helped me realize part of what has been holding me back. it was something to the effect of "because you know people are reading it?"  don't get me wrong, i'm happy when people read it, but it does create a bit of pressure on something that was meant to relieve it.  well, that and i've just been a bit lazy.

then i leave work.  sometimes i leave with a co-worker, share some laughs and stories about the day.  sometimes i leave with my headphones on.  i complete (well not always complete) the crossword in the 24.  i go over a list of things i need to do, and things i don't want to forget, sometimes i write that stuff down.  and sometimes all i can do is focus on not falling over on the subway.

it seems that my thoughts revolve around people, the weather, information and entertainment.  lately the weather hasn't been great and i haven't been doing much reading or reading the paper.  maybe i'm uninspired.

days run into days and turn into weeks and months, inspiring moments happen.  when i'm touched by something i think about how i would write about it and i tuck it away.  eventually the memories pile up up and i don't know where to start.  i am grateful to have a lot of refreshing experiences, and occasionally some sour ones.  there is always something new to learn and life is good and life is interesting and i have a lot to say about it.

here is a picture of the beautiful vintage guitar mike surprised me with yesterday:

thanks mike 

here is a picture i took, enthusiastically hoping the massive pile of garbage meant that my obnoxious and somewhat frightening downstairs neighbours were moving out:

i was wrong, they're still here

here is what it looks like when you knock over a jar of buttons... why i collect buttons and don't keep a lid on the jar is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

this was fun to clean up

i see a lot of birds from my apartment window.  lately there have been two cardinals, one is primarily grey and the other is primarily red splashing around in "the junction lake" . . .i have yet to capture them on camera, but this is where they hang out:

and lastly, i stayed at a cottage this weekend.  highlights include: great people, a grand piano, trying elk, bison and wild boar meats, driving a silverado and winning a pool tournament.

altercation

as per your request verlaan...  a new tale from the ttc...

monday morning i witnessed an altercation on the subway.  as i was boarding i could see a man in his 30s (let's call him john) stand up, swear and yell in the face of a 70 year old man (let's call him bob).  i didn't see what happened leading up to this event, but for 7 long stops they continued to argue.  one thing was obvious: john was a bully, a hot head, and a little out of touch with reality.  from what i understood john was taking up two seats (which he was), and bob had asked him to free up one of the seats.  john appeared to have a problem with the way bob had approached him, and thought it was reasonable to take up two seats because of his height... and that it was appropriate to lose his shit... on an old man... during rush hour... on a monday morning.  it was a disturbing experience for everyone on that particular car.  a couple people tried to intervene and stood up for bob... which only made john more angry.  unfortunately neither of them had the strength to walk away. finally another man came toward john saying: you have no respect, you can't talk to people like that.. and continued to call him out.  john wasn't able to defend himself to someone equally as assertive and aggressive as himself.

and on a semi related topic, here is a ridiculously cute video of a puppy and a kitten fighting:

oscar wilde

be yourself, everyone else is already taken



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-oscar wilde

a boy of good breeding

i just finished an excellent book called a boy of good breeding by one of my favourite canadian authors miriam toews. it's set in algren, manitoba which i believe is a fictional town created for the purposes of this book.  in the book, algren's claim to fame is being the smallest town in canada: population: 1,500.  the story follows two main characters who are vaguely connected, knute and hosea.... interesting names.  knute is in her early twenties and has a four year old daughter named summer feelin. she moves back to algren to help out her parents after her father suffered a heart attack and is having a challenging recovery.  hosea is the mayor of algren and anyway... read the book to find out more about their interesting and unique stories. 

i think i need to take a trip to sonic boom.  all this reading has me out of touch with the world of music and i miss it.

can you tell i was good at writing book reports as a kid?

elephants

i've seen this piece of art, or maybe it's graffiti, a few times on keele street.  it's absolutely incredible.  i was finally able to get a picture of it today:

I meant what i said and i said what i meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent!

- dr. seuss (horton hears a who!)

all families are psychotic

the original of this post was posted 2 weeks ago.  blogger "removed" it...  and after patiently waiting for it to be restored, [it hasn't been] i'm attempting to re-write it.  hopefully they won't "remove" aka delete it again...

i recently finished reading all families are psychotic by douglas coupland.  i should add a disclaimer: dear family members, this title is not meant to offend you in any way. i have been reading a lot of douglas coupland books lately.  i like his style of writing, it just flows well and keeps my imagination active.  in contrast to most of his novels i've read (set in vancouver) this one is primarily set in florida.  this induced many fond memories of family vacations in florida.  we usually drove down at the beginning of the summer and i recall experiencing a scorching heat like no other.  i have one particularly vivid memory of a young boy catching a sting ray, ripping out the stinger and throwing the poor thing back in the gulf.  i worried the bleeding ray would attract sharks and headed back to the pool.  i probably have enough floridian memories to write an entire book, and it holds a special place in my heart. 

anyway - back to the book - it's about a family (shocking!).  it tells the individual story of each family member.  at some points it seems far from reality but manages to remain very real.  i guess this is typical of his books.  they tend to have an aspect of fantasy which throws you for a fun little turn.  i enjoyed the book.  it was an easy and fun read that had me laughing and cringing at the same time.

cute

rooftop adventure

here is a photo i took in the annex, looking north on bloor.  it's not the greatest quality but i love the feeling of adventure and mystery it gives me.  also, the sky looks pretty.

who you are



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may misery

yep, that's right... may has been a miserable month.  if you're living in the greater toronto area, you know what i'm talking about....  the rain. rain. rain.  it won't stop!  i feel like i'm living in a rainforest without the forest. 

whatever happened to april showers bring may flowers?  it rained in april, and it's rained even more in may.  despite all my complaining, i don't mind the rain that much.  plus i spend most of my days inside - i take transit to work, and i sit at a desk all day.  in some ways the rain makes it easier to have to be inside.  but i'd prefer to be cozied up at home listening to the rain outside my window.

and then i think about the old adage, or maybe it's not an old adage but something i've heard somewhere: don't worry about what you can't control and then something else like you can only control the way you react.  but i don't know how to put them together in a sentence.  you get the point. 

and bob marley sums up the whole rain situation with this little quote:

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.

bad moods

i have no idea who this author is, but i loved her quote:

You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality.

— Megan McCafferty

when you've had a bad day, the most challenging thing is to pull yourself out of it.  people who love and care about you might also try, but sometimes it just sticks.  and what is interesting about this is how a complete stranger's kindness can turn it around. 

as i was riding the subway home today, the platform was entirely full at my usual transfer spot (st. george).  as the train pulled in i hoped to get on, but figured my chances were slim.  i managed to find a comfortable spot near the door and as the door chimes went off, roughly 4 more people crammed their way on to an already full train.  anyone who has ridden the ttc knows this is a common occurrence... nothing out of the ordinary.  but what did happen [that was out of the ordinary] was one of the people who stuffed their way on asked me if i was okay.  this small gesture gave me a bit of hope, and my mood began to change.

once i got home i tidied up, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen and before i knew it mike had arrived with a bag of sushi.  he knew i had a case of the mondays and wanted to cheer me up.  the sushi was from a new place in the junction called LAN sushi.  mike had suggested that if i tidied up a bit i would feel better, and he was right.  so here is the formula that i have developed:

kind stranger + clean apartment + nice guy = good mood

cute things help, also.

music

i've been recently introduced to some new bands.  first up angus and julia stone.  amy sent me a bunch of their songs, and here is my favourite of the ones i've heard so far:

the next song is from steph, it's called her morning elegance by oren lavie.  not only is it a beautiful song, the video is so cool!

sunday

it's raining and it's supposed to rain all week.  i'm p.o.'d at blogger for not restoring my post from wednesday when they were down for almost a whole day and they removed all posts to "try and fix the problem."  i would like my post back, please.  the draft is no longer with the rest of my posts and what i wrote has basically left my memory.

via

safety first

check out the sweet new helmet my mom got for me - safety first!  the salesperson helped us out by suggesting the champagne colour when we couldn't decide.  tonight i added this octopus sticker designed by my best friend angie - click here to see her page stuck on the west coast. 

hot docs - vinyl

http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/vinyl

part of the reason i was wanted to live in toronto was to have access to the entertainment it has to offer.  more recently was the hot docs film festival.  there were many films and i had no idea how to choose.  i'm not saying i don't know how to sit at a computer and read names of documentaries with the corresponding descriptions, i didn't know how to pick.  spoiled for choice.  which may be the reason i've missed out on many events in toronto.  i don't know what to see, when to go or who to go with and before i know it, the whatever it is has come and gone.

i was getting ready for work in the morning, listening to the radio as i often do and that's when i heard about vinyl.  vinyl is a documentary that came out in 2000 about record collectors.  i was delighted to find out it was playing at the royal as a part of the hot docs festival.    for someone as indecisive as myself it was like winning the lottery.  i bought the tickets and that was it.  sometimes you have to bite the bullet.  (also, the tickets were $14 dollars and that isn't too hard of a bullet to bite)

the night started off with dinner at utopia which isn't too far from the theatre.  dinner was delicious and the film was fantastic.. [alliteration intended]... it was introduced by the director (and star) alan zweig.   i don't know how to describe the film and do it justice.  but i'll try.  alan himself is an obsessive record collector.  the film includes a series of interviews with record collectors, friends of alan's and strangers alike [including harvey pekar].  the interviews are seperated by some fairly dark, and also humourous confessions about his own collection and his life.  the confessions are filmed by pointing the video camera at a mirror.  the mirror is surrounded with items related to whatever he is talking about.  the other characters are varied, and so are his questions.  he has a way of getting people to show vulnerability on camera which i don't think is easy.

after the film he answered questions and left a box of records at the front of the stage for the audience to pick at.  i picked up an unfamiliar bruce cockburn album that i have yet to listen to.  on the way out i wanted to meet him.  i shook his hand and said i wanted to tell you that i really enjoyed the film. he took a look at the record in my hand and said let me see what you've got there, i showed him the album and his response was, meh.  at which point i laughed and felt a bit embarrased and mike and i left and walked home.

also of note: anytime i told someone i was seeing a hot doc they thought i was saying hot dog.  no confusion here though, right?

hiatus

image via

okay, some of you may be used to me posting every day... and may have noticed i've been on a bit of a hiatus.  it's not that i haven't wanted to write, it's just that i haven't had much to say.  in the almost 5 months i've been doing this i haven't had this problem.  the more that time passed between posts the less i was inclined to write.  well i'm back now, so deal with it.

genius

image found here

Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

-Albert Einstein

friends

from this website





the diary of alicia keys

the diary of alicia keys was released in 2003.  at the time i was still into purchasing cd's... as it was before i had started collecting newer albums on vinyl and before i knew anything about itunes.  i am especially fond of the design on the actual cd:

and unlike other music that i was listening to in 2003, this album still finds itself in the mix of albums that i listen to regularly... which says a lot since my musical preferences are always changing. 



massey hall

this past saturday included my first trip to massey hall.  i was impressed.  we saw two acts there: the opening act was one of my favourite canadian artists: jill barber and the incredibly talented michael kaeshammer.  in between sets i waited in a busy crowd and was able to meet her and get this album signed and speak with her briefly.  i was over the moon. 

i had never really heard of michael kaeshammer before.  he was introduced as canada's harry connick jr. but i think he stands out on his own.  notably, the drummer was out of this world and the interaction between them made the show what it was.  the whole group was awesome to watch and listen to.  you can get an idea of what i mean from this video: