steppin' out

Last weekend was an unusually social one for me since having the little one. I'll tell you about it in a couple of parts, starting with the Knitter's Frolic. I headed to Toronto with a couple of friends from my knitting group to check out this event. What's that you say, knitting group? Why yes. Almost a year ago, shortly after I joined Ravelry (an online community for knitters) I started hanging out with this awesome bunch of ladies. We get together every two weeks at a local cafe to talk, laugh, eat and knit. It's funny how a group of strangers who meet online can bond in such a way but we truly have. I always look forward to our gatherings.

Anyway, I realized after, that it was actually my first time ever attending a big knitting event even though I've been knitting for quite a while. And for my first knitting event, it was a pretty good one. It was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. My only major complaint is that it was stinking hot in there! Part of the venue was air conditioned, but it seemed that the other part was not. By the time we got out of there I was boiling! But that didn't stop me from shopping.


This inky blue loveliness is Malabrigo Sock Yarn. One day, hopefully soon, I will turn it into this.



I have no idea what I will be making from this Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica but I seem to have no self control when it comes to this yarn. I see it, I buy it. I bought some in the fall that became...


...a very warm and cozy little cowl. Or snood if you prefer.


Uh, wtf? Have I lost my mind? Apparently yes, because I purchased this drop spindle and some roving. With this simple device I am actually going to make yarn. Well, theoretically anyway.

So there you have it. Confessions of a knitting geek.

writing on the wall

I spotted this at the corner of Bloor and Bedford in Toronto on Thursday. Totally cracked me up.

comedy tonight

Steve and I have been pretty busy this weekend purging, cleaning and re-organizing the house. As a treat, we are heading into Toronto tonight to see comedian Gerry Dee at the Panasonic Theatre. You might remember him from Season 5 of Last Comic Standing. Really funny guy. Here's a teaser.

turning Japanese...

I enjoyed a decadent Monday night dinner with Elizabeth this evening. She spent the day hanging in Toronto with a friend and then met me at work. We headed to one of my favourite restaurants, Sushi Inn. Toronto is full of sushi restaurants and quite a lot of really good ones. This one is on the top of list because the food is damn fine and it's close to work. Plus, they will deliver to my office. And it's so close, that they send a guy on a bike! Awesome. While I cannot enjoy any raw fish at the moment (due to the pregnancy) they do make a wicked dragon roll with shrimp tempura and avocado. Delicious. So if you get the chance, check out Sushi Inn. You can tell them I sent you, but it won't get you anything but a confused look.

winter wonderland

ahhh...snow day...



After a spell of rather tropical weather (for Canada that is) we were hit with a snow storm today. I have a bit of an addiction to The Weather Network so after consulting the website on Thursday afternoon and reading the weather warnings, I decided to plan accordingly. When I announced to my boss and assistant that I would take some work home just in case I could not make the commute in due to the storm they both looked at me as if I had three heads. At that moment it was a spring-like afternoon in Toronto. Sunny, warm, gorgeous. All of the snow from our previous storm had long since melted away. Obviously, they hadn't heard the latest forecast. I was relieved to wake up to a fresh blanket of snow. Now they would know I wasn't just gunning for a free day off. I checked the forecast and traffic report and it didn't look good. I decided not to attempt the commute, even though the GO trains appeared to be operating on schedule. I was confident that I could get to work in good time but afraid of a 5-hour trip home. When I received the email shortly after 9:30am stating that the university would close at 11am, I was very happy to have not made the trek into Toronto. And since we were closing, I felt no need to dig into the knapsack full of work that I had brought home. So what did I do? First, I finished the birthday blanket that I had been knitting for my mother-in-law. And I think it turned out pretty well.


This is the Glowing Colours Afghan made from Lion Brand Jiffy yarn. I only recently began attempting patterns that call for sewing pieces together. My sewing skills are rather limited. But I picked up a fantastic book that has given me the confidence to attempt some knitting patterns that have scared the hell out of me in the past. Check it out! I sewed three separate pieces together and you can't even see the seams!


After that was done, Steve and I ventured outside to clear the snow from the driveway. Thankfully, one of our kind neighbours had plowed the sidewalk with his snowblower, giving us a clear path to start from. It didn't take us long to dig out, but I did think back to our December storm when Samantha and Corey were visiting from Regina. That storm had delayed their trip home by more than a day. We were happy to have our guests stay for an extra day, as we don't see them very often. And as it turns out, Samantha is a fantastic snow-shoveler. Corey and I had no problem staying inside the warm house while Steve and Samantha braved the cold to clear out the driveway.


Sam, you rock! You can come back anytime. You can even bring Corey with you!

It's now late Friday night and the snow is still falling albeit slowly. There is a fresh blanket on the ground that will need clearing in the morning but that's fine by me. Winter is one of the things I love about Canada. There is something magical about this season that I can't quite put into words. But I love it!

someone as wonderful as you

On January 12, a tribute concert for the late Oscar Peterson was held in Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall. It was free and open to the public. I was working at a conference and could not attend, so I was thrilled to hear that the CBC had put the concert up on their website. I'm listening to it as I write this and am overwhelmed with emotion. O.P. was a much loved and admired musician and human being. The tributes to him, both musical and in words are simply beautiful.

Earlier this week, I spoke with Phil Nimmons, who was a close friend of Oscar's for over half a century. For him, speaking at this concert was the opportunity to say goodbye to a friend who meant so much to him. When Phil arrived at Roy Thomson Hall people were lined up around the block. And though the hall seats over 2600, there is no way that all of those people got in. Phil, a jazz legend himself, was amazed at how many people lined up for hours just to see this concert. He was in awe of the fact that Oscar meant so much to so many. I think that sometimes, artists don't realize just how much their talent and artistry affect us as human beings. And Oscar affected and influenced so many people. His musical legacy will live on for a very long time.

who are you...

A couple of weekends ago, I headed into Toronto with my fellow Who Grrls, Elizabeth, Ann & Carly, and took in a screening of the new documentary, Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Who Grrls are a special bunch of ladies who share a love for one of the greatest rock bands ever. It's always great to spend time with them.

I like documentaries as much as the next person. And I am a big fan of The Who, although probably not quite as much as the previously mentioned Who Grrls. So I went into the movie expecting an enjoyable experience, but nothing earth shattering. What I got was an incredible, two hour look into how The Who became one of the biggest bands not only of their generation but of rock history . The film was full of exclusive and rare footage intermingled with interviews with the band and other key people in their history. This movie comes out in DVD form on November 5. If you are a Who fan or simply a music fan, buy this DVD! The movie is truly excellent and offers a fascinating glimpse into the development of an incredible and historically important rock band. And for the loyal Who fan, the DVD promises to be full of exciting bonus footage!

After we left the screening at the historic Elgin Theatre, we made our way to the Park Hyatt Hotel at Bloor & Avenue Road. The Hyatt has a lovely little bar on the 18th Floor called The Roof Lounge. It's a cozy room that serves excellent albeit expensive martinis & tapas. They have a small terrace with an incredible view of the city. Definitely a great place to go as a treat.

Here are some pics from the Hyatt terrace.

Aww, the ROM Crystal. This image depicts what I can't stand about the Crystal. On its own it would be a beautiful and striking piece of architecture. Instead, it crashes into an incredibly gorgeous old and historic building, destroying its beauty.

The ever-changing, condo-overloaded, Toronto skyline.

One of the things I love about Toronto is the trees. Here is the back view of Queen's Park, highlighting the lushly forested park behind the Legislature.

The ROM Crystal

bad timing...

I've been battling a stupid cold for about a month now. Just when I start to feel better, it gets worse again. After a long night of coughing and sleeplessness I woke up with a fever and decided it was best to stay home from work today. Nothing pisses me off more than staying home sick. I just hate being home alone, unable to get anything done, while surrounded by so much stuff to do. Our house is an endless project. Reorganizing, redecorating, general tidying. You get the picture.

Well today was probably the worst day I could have spent away from the office. Not because I would be farther behind in my work, but because Blue Rodeo was playing a bunch of impromptu concerts around downtown Toronto today to promote the release of their new album Small Miracles tomorrow. Given the location of my office it was fairly likely that I would be near one of these surprise locations. A little after 4pm today, they performed a set at the south west corner of Bloor St. W. and Avenue Rd. in front of the ROM. That's approximately a one minute walk from my office. And I missed it.

At least I have the new album to look forward to. And I will be getting up early tomorrow morning to download it so that I can listen to it on the way into work, and at work, and on the way home from work...

I hope...

"You make a living by what you get.
You make a life by what you give."

Winston Churchill

This past weekend, I walked in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer in Toronto. This was my first year walking the event and it is was an exhilarating experience that I will never forget.

The weekend started on Friday night, or Day Zero. I showed up at Exhibition Place for registration. Although the line was long, the process was very well organized and it went quite smoothly. I watched the mandatory safety video, handed in my last minute donations, picked up my package and received a truck assignment for my bag. (Those who choose to camp also received their tent assignments.)

Saturday morning arrived and Steve dropped me off at Exhibition Place bright at early at 6:15 am. The grounds were already buzzing with thousands of people. I dropped off my bag at the designated truck, grabbed some coffee and a muffin and waited for the opening ceremonies to begin. My friend Deb, my walking partner for the weekend, was meeting me there along with a few of her friends. We tried to connect before the walk started but weren't able to so we agreed, after many cell phone calls, to hook up at the first rest stop. During the opening ceremonies we learned that the 5,521 walkers had raised $17.3 million for Princess Margaret Hospital. After a beautiful and inspiring speech from a breast cancer survivor we were on our way.

Departing Exhibition Place

Near the start of the route, along the Lakeshore

I started out at the very back of the pack and slowly worked my way up in an effort to catch up with Deb and her friends. Along the way, I had the honour of walking with Dr. Tak Mak, Director of the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research. He told me a bit about his team's research and gave me some interesting statistics about breast cancer. Currently, 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. That's right, 1 in 8! When he was in medical school, it was 1 in 25. And through research, they've been able to determine that women who wait until 35 or older to have children increase their likelihood of developing breast cancer. Since I just celebrated my 35th birthday and have not yet had children, this one really hit home. It was fascinating to speak with Dr. Mak and I'm thrilled that I had the opportunity to walk with this incredible man. He leads one of the world's best cancer research teams and is working hard to eradicate this horrible disease.

I did finally manage to meet up with Deb and her friends Tanya, Brenda, Cammy (sorry, not sure if I've spelled that correctly) and Karen. The six of us walked together for a while and then broke off into two groups of 3 as, Tanya, Brenda & Cammy went on ahead. We hung back a bit but kept up a good pace. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, luckily not humid, but still quite warm. I was starting to slow down as we neared our lunch spot and was very thankful for the kind people handing out popsicles near Rathburn Road. It was exactly the sugar rush I needed to get me through to the lunch stop. The kindness and generosity of the people along the route was overwhelming. Citizens of Toronto decorated their houses, offered us food and water and cheered us on all along the 60km route. And there were signs all along the way, some hand drawn by children and strapped to telephone poles. The amount of support was amazing.

Drawn by a Grade 2 student from St. Agnes School

A musician entertained us as we walked along the Humber River.

Somewhere in Etobicoke, a local resident lends her support.


An amazingly decorated house in Weston.

The people in Weston were awesome!!!

One of the most amazing supporters was Rob. We first spotted him in Bloor West Village, unmissable in his shocking pink hair. He kept reappearing along the route. He would wait until he saw the last walkers and then would hop on his gorgeous Yamaha motorcycle and meet up with the front of the pack and watch us walk past again. Every time we came upon him, we were rejuvenated!

Karen, Rob & Deb somewhere in Etobicoke.

And speaking of support, the volunteer crew that policed the intersections, drove the sweep trucks and staffed the rest stops were unbelievable. They kept our spirits up the whole time.



Somewhere around 5pm we made it to Downsview Park, the end of Saturday's 33km route. As soon as we saw the "tent city" we were thrilled to be staying in a hotel. I enjoy camping, but this was a bit much for me.


We grabbed some dinner, I retrieved my bag, and we headed to the Travelodge for a shower, some rest and a celebratory drink.

Me, Deb, Cammy, Brenda, Tanya

We awoke on Sunday morning to rain. It was chilly and damp when we set out at 8am, but the rainfall had stopped. Deb and I were much more energetic that those who had camped at Downsview, probably because we were drier and warmer. The crowd was obviously walking slower and I was dragging my butt due to the pain in my hips. But we made a conscious effort to pick up the pace and catch up to Tanya, Brenda and Cammy who were a few kilometers ahead of us. Once again we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people along the route who were feeding us and cheering us on.

Deb and I on Sunday morning, rested and ready for the final 27 km.

Sunday was a bit of a Toronto nostalgia trip for me as we walked by my former and current places of employment as well as my first Toronto apartment. Deb didn't make too much fun of me as I told her where we were and stopped to take pictures of almost anything. (Thanks Deb!)

We were fading once again as we approached our lunch spot and were thrilled to turn the corner into Rosedale off the Bayview extension where the awesome people from Xerox were handing out popsicles. And not just any popsicles, but yummy Breyer's treats. I happily devoured my Firecracker, thrilled by the sugar rush. We then lunched in beautiful Chorley Park and headed into the last leg of our journey.

The last part of the walk seemed to go really fast, probably because we where in the part of town I knew best and have walked through countless times. One of the most emotional moments for me was when we walked past Princess Margaret Hospital. We were greeted by a crowd of people including Dr. Tak Mak and other hospital staff, shaking our hands and giving us high fives. I cried like a baby as I realized that this huge building was full not only of people suffering from all types of cancer but of doctors, nurses and staff dedicated to battling this disease in all its forms. I thought back to about ten years ago, when by friend Karmen was battling leukemia, and my mom and I came to Princess Margaret to visit her. At that time, they were fundraising for a building expansion. There was a plexiglass box in the lobby in front of a mock up of what the new building would look like. I think my mom and I stuffed all the money we had in our wallets in that box after seeing our friend in pain and witnessing the incredible care she received. Thankfully, Karmen is happy and healthy and enjoying life as a newlywed.

A sculpture in front of Princess Margaret Hospital, presumably decorated by walkers.

Feeling re-energized after this emotional moment, Deb and I continued down University Avenue and arranged to meet up with the others at the final pit stop. We were thrilled to find out that the last stop was located on the grounds of the Steam Whistle Brewery and that walkers were being treated to free beer! We sped past the water station and straight into the brewery. After two days of walking, this was a huge treat! Thank you Steam Whistle!!!

After a brief rest and a yummy beer, we set out on our last 3 km towards our final destination, Exhibition Place.

Somewhere in that crowd in front of the Princes' Gates is my husband Steve...

After a hug and a kiss from Steve (who graciously took our picture with many cameras - see group shot below), we headed towards the Direct Energy Centre for the closing ceremonies. We walked through a huge crowd of supporters and our fellow walkers who greeted us with smiles, tears and high fives. Once again, I was overcome with emotion and the joy of actually completing the walk. I never once thought that I couldn't do it, but I was still so proud to have made it to the end.

We did it!

Deb and I, in pain but victorious!

Once we picked up our victory t-shirts, we waited for the last walkers to gather in the holding area. When it was time for the closing ceremonies to begin, the breast cancer survivors were asked to gather and head towards the front of the pack. It felt like the stream of survivors was never ending. How awesome is that! So many people who have fought and won the battle against breast cancer.

Walkers gathering for the closing ceremonies.

The closing ceremonies began and it was time to celebrate our accomplishment. All of the muscle ache and blisters were worth it, not only raise money to fight breast cancer but to feel like little old me could actually help. I'm not a scientist, so I won't be finding a cure for any disease any time soon. I'm not a doctor or nurse, so I am not only to care for the sick. But I can do my part to help the process along. And if that means walking 60km and personally raising over $2,500 I sure as hell am going to do it! In his speech at the closing ceremonies, Dr. Tak Mak summed it up best with this quote:

“I am only one, but still, I am one.
I cannot do everything but I can do something.
And, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do what I can."

Edward Everett Hale

pretty maids all in a row...

These days I am sucker for punishment. I skipped kick boxing and stayed late at work in an attempt to get caught up before the students come back next week. I was also hoping to miss the rush hour traffic on the Gardiner Expressway but no such luck. Since I didn't have the patience to sit on the highway I headed over to the Queen's Quay Loblaws to make one, very important purchase.


That's right boys and girls. I bought 6 bottles of steak seasoning! Not just any steak seasoning. Barberian's Steak House makes the BEST steak seasoning on the planet. This restaurant has been around since 1959 and is apparently amazing. We haven't had the pleasure of dining there yet but we started enjoying the spice when we came across it in a grocery store in Toronto. Problem is, you can't buy this stuff outside of Toronto. And since we no longer live in T.O., we don't buy our groceries there. So we've been out of the spice since early this summer when our last bulk purchase was depleted. And even though we both still work in Toronto, we don't often think about our grocery list at work, so we don't remember that we need to buy more until we get home. But my pantry is happy again. These 6 should get us through until the end of next summer.

So if you have the opportunity, try it! It's also fantastic on chicken and pork. You will not be disappointed. And if you go to the restaurant, let me know how it is. I hope to visit it soon.

EDIT: I must mention that I actually lined up to use the self checkout instead of going through the empty express lane at the grocery store in order to avoid strange looks from the cashier. After all, the only thing I was buying was 6 bottles of the identical steak seasoning.

it's kinda like those sunsets that leave you feeling so stoned

Elizabeth and I went to see one of our favourite bands this past Wednesday night. Blue Rodeo performed their annual end of summer show at the Molson Amphitheatre. I managed to score fantastic seats, 8th row centre, which is great for the Amphitheatre since it is outdoors and the sound is generally pretty bad there. The closer you are to the stage, the better off you are.

So, Elizabeth drove in to Toronto and picked me up from work. We headed to the show and grabbed a couple of overpriced beers and some dinner and found our seats. Immediately we knew there would be trouble. The rows are pretty narrow and as we squeezed by the couple sitting to our right the man said, "well hopefully this will be the last time." Obviously, he didn't want to have to get up again. The couple to our left didn't seem to be too thrilled about our arrival either. They didn't exactly seem like "party people". I'm sure they were very nice, I'm just saying. After we finished our dinner, we decided to skip the opening act and grab another drink mostly due to the unfriendly surroundings. Once we returned to our seats, we were ready to party. When Blue Rodeo took the stage, we immediately got to our feet. But as they started their first song, we sat down again because nobody else in our area was standing. 8 rows from the stage and we were surrounded by sitters! I bopped around in my seat, fighting the urge to get up and dance. Finally after a few more songs, there were enough people standing in the rows in front of us to obscure our view. Elizabeth and I got to our feet and there we stayed for the remainder of the concert. When we got tired of the people a few rows back telling us to sit down, I turned around and told them that I paid to see the band not the back of the people in front of me. One of them actually said, "if you sit down, so will they." WTF? Now usually, I try to be considerate of others, especially in a concert setting, but this was ridiculous. All I can say is that if you don't want to stand at a concert, don't buy tickets in the front!

Other than that minor annoyance, the concert was fantastic! The band was on fire as usual and they did a good mix of old and new tunes. They did 4 songs from their forthcoming "record", as Greg Keelor called it, including the awesome single "C'Mon". I was thrilled to hear them do the first track off their very first recording, "Heart Like Mine". And I thought Elizabeth might faint when they launched into "Diamond Mine". I've never heard them to this tune live so it was quite a thrill, especially when Bob Packwood rocked a phenomenal organ solo. "Side of the Road" was another highlight. I've always loved that song. And I was thrilled when they came out for the encore and Jim Cuddy went right to the piano. That could only mean one thing, "After The Rain." This has always been my Jim favourite. And he thoughtfully dedicated it to Haydain Neale of Jacksoul, who is still in hospital after being critically injured in a motor vehicle accident at the beginning of August.

So it was a fantastic show with the band performing their hearts out. I'm always blown away when a band sounds as good or better live then it does on their recordings. And Blue Rodeo blows me away, time and time again.

And of course, I brought my camera and managed to get some decent pictures. You can check them out on my Flickr stream, but here are a couple of teasers.

Greg Keelor guiding the audience through the first part of "Hasn't Hit Me Yet"

Jim Cuddy & Greg Keelor performing the opening of "Heart Like Mine"

Jim Cuddy, in the moment

...in the sky with diamonds...

I work next door to the Royal Ontario Museum. We are really very lucky to have such a fantastic museum. If ever in Toronto, it's a must visit destination.

The museum is a gorgeous stone building dating from the early 1910's that was expanded in the 1920's and 30's. In the past few years, the ROM has been undergoing a major expansion with the addition of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. I have watched this thing being constructed from day one and since that day, I have been torn as to how I feel about it. That's why this article from the CBC caught my eye. I am all for modern architecture but I also believe in the preservation of history. I understand why the ROM needed to expand. I just don't get why they choose such a contradictory and intrusive design to accompany the stately original building. I have spent the last few years walking by this construction site several times a day and waffling about how I feel about the new addition. With the building almost complete I can honestly say, I don't like it. Honestly, I find it offensive. Call me a traditionalist, I don't care. I still love the ROM, but I don't have to like the crystal.

the best is yet to come...

There is hope for the Toronto Musical Theatre scene!

Back in the 1990's the scene was thriving thanks to Livent and the Mirvishes. So far this century, musicals have struggled to keep a decent run in Toronto. Even the brilliant Mel Brooks show, The Producers barely lasted a year. (Sadly, the Broadway production closed yesterday after a 6 year run.) Hopefully, Dancap will be able to revive the fledgling musical theatre scene. Personally, I can't wait to see Avenue Q, Jersey Boys and The Drowsy Chaperone. Each of these shows have been smash hits on Broadway. There's no reason why they shouldn't enjoy long runs in Toronto. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

sound of your voice, part 1

On Friday night, Steve and I and our friends, Christine (my best friend since high school) and Stewart (her darling husband) went to the Barenaked Ladies concert at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. I've had the pleasure of seeing the Ladies four times now, most memorably on the Stunt tour when we sat front row at Massey Hall. One of my favourite bands in my most favourite music venue in Toronto. Priceless!

Last night's concert was unlike any BNL show I have ever attended. The vibe was totally different. Mellower, although they had just as much energy as at past shows. More mature, even though they were just a funny as ever. So what's changed?

A lot.

The band's latest release, Barenaked Ladies Are Me, takes them back to their independent roots. That's right boys and girls, no record company involved! The guys set up their own record label and took full control over their work. Instead of the standard 10-12 song disc, they released a 29 song set. Not only did they put these tunes out on physical CDs, they offered them for download and threw them on a USB drive (adorably titled "Barenaked on a Stick") that included some fun extras. It's important to mention that if you decided to go old school and purchase the physical CDs, you were only able to purchase half of the songs when they came out in the fall of 2006. You had to wait until early February 2007 to get the rest. Obviously the guys were encouraging their fans to use one of the new media methods. Well it worked for me. Up until this release, I owned every Barenaked Ladies recording in a physical format, including the groundbreaking yellow tape. Something about being able to look at my lovely pile of CDs and cassettes and say that I had all of BNL's recordings made me all warm and fuzzy. But when it came time to purchase Barenaked Ladies Are Me, it was a no-brainer. I wanted all of the songs and I wanted them now! My stack of CDs did not grow taller and I didn't miss that awesome feeling of tearing off the plastic and eagerly listening to each track while dissecting the lyrics and liner notes. I so thought I would miss that experience, but I didn't. I guess when it comes down to it, the other stuff doesn't matter. It's all about the music and how you connect to it.