Our Big Weekend II

Well, I was going to write the thrilling conclusion yesterday, but the Internets were down at work yesterday, so I worked from home and I find I don't get the urge to write on the blog at home. I can't explain it, it's just how I am. Anyway, when we left off, we were awaiting the arrival of Abby the deliquent cat. DH and I cam back from the Al Gore movie and came home to a sleeping Baby Boy and sleepy Memere. It turns out the Abby arrived rather sheepishly sometime during the evening. Memere saw Abby in the backyard and put out some cat food for her. She kind of lingered there for a while until Memere went out and chased her back into the house. Once in the house, Abby booked it into the basement. When we got home, both of the cats were sleeping on the bed: the Prodigal Cat had returned. I suppose that now that Abby has a taste of Toronto, she will do everything in her power to get out and see more of the city. Natalie, our other cat, has no such desires and is perfectly happy sitting under our bed where it's cool. How could we possibly top all that excitement? We tried the next day, by going to Toronto Island. We took the ferry boat to the island located in Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful day and there was so much to see. Getting on the ferry was kind of a hassle as there were so many people crushing onto the boat. And yet, there were plenty of seats. After a very short trip, we docked in the area of the island called Centre Island. BB was getting fussy, so while Memere strolled around trying to get BB to sleep, DH and I waited in a long line for an overpriced pizza. After a quick nap (for BB) and a quick lunch (for us), we went to see the Dragon Boat races which were going on this past weekend. Because of the large Hong Kong community here in Toronto, there is a large contingent of Dragon Boat racers. What are they you ask? Well, they are races between boats which are paddled by a crew of about 20 people and at the head of the boat there is a dragon's head. Of course! I actually know a woman who participates in the races and absolutely loves it. We saw one race, and it was pretty cool and all, but we had a lot to see. After the race, we went to the amusement park and the Boy and I took a trip on the Carousel. Unfortunately, our horse didn't go up and down, but the Boy seemed to like it enough all the same. We went to look at the lake, which was cold. We played in the water fountain which we really shouldn't have played in, and was also very cold. Just ask the Boy. We then played with the Boy's ball, which we really could have done at home. That was fun until the Boy decided to join a kid's soccer game. He would run along the other kids and then grab the soccer ball and run away with it. Time to go! We went to look at the Franklin Children's Garden which was really cute and ended the day with the Far Enough Farm and the animals over there and the giant beach chairs (pictures to come). By this time, we'd had a very long and busy day, so we took the next ferry home. This took pretty long to write, so I can only imagine how long it took to read. Phew! A CANADIAN FACT! Over 1,225,000 people visit the Toronto Island park each year.

Our Big Weekend

Well, as I hinted to you all on Friday, we did have a big fun weekend. At least, a big weekend for us. Lots of fun and here's the rundown: On Friday night, my mom and I went to see the latest Pixar movie, Cars (the first movie I've seen since December of last year), which was super-cute and we both had a good time. For those who have seen it, my favorite part of the movie was the ending at the drive-in. So cute. On Saturday, we went to the Yorkdale Mall and my mom had a wonderful time. She can't wait to go back when she next visits us. She especially loved the Canadian store, Cotton Ginny. I got myself a cute little dress at Old Navy and Devoted Husband bought himself some work shirts at Old Navy. So, it appears that Old Navy is official clothier of the "American in Toronto" fambly. The reason I got a cute little dress, was because DH and I were going out to dinner to celebrate our 6th Wedding Anniversary. As we were leaving the house, we noticed that the door was open and we looked for our cat, Abby, who has a habit of attempting to sneak out the door whenever she gets the opportunity. Sure enough, she was nowhere to be found. But, we decided to go to dinner anyway, since we figured that she would come back once her curiosity was fulfilled. Either that, or she would walk all the way back to Los Angeles. So, we went to Il Fornello and I loved my dinner, a pasta dish with lemon-garlic olive oil and chicken,vegetables and shrimp, but DH only sorta liked his Chicken Parmesan. But I think overall we had a pretty good time. After dinner, we went to see An Inconvenient Truth, a.k.a. "The Al Gore Movie." It was very good. People always say this, but it's not as boring as you would think: Al Gore talking in front of an audience about Global Warming. I know that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but I found it really fascinating. During the closing credits, there are different things that the average person can do to help diminish global warming. Oddly enough, just by DH and I moving to Toronto we already have helped the planet by recycling much more and not driving our car much at all. So, you can send your thank you notes to us for helping the Earth just a little more. I actually have more to say about Our Big Weekend, but not enough time to get into it right now, plus the thrilling conclusion about our missing cat, Abby. A CANADIAN FACT! According to Toronto Animal Services, there are 11,000 Torontonian cats put in shelters annually.

Catchin' Up

Well, Baby Boy seems to be having a fun week with Memere and I'm having a great week with my MP3 player. Devoted Husband put tons of files on there and I'm so excited going through all the songs. How did I ever live without my player? What a time to be alive. I also got my Sick Kids Lottery tickets in the mail. When we first came up to Toronto, I noticed these commercials on the TV, frankly it's hard not to, for different lotteries - each one apparently for a charity. Actually, it's less of a lottery and more of a raffle. There are a finite amount of tickets sold and they usually cost $100 per ticket or $250 for three. Then they pull the tickets and you can win anything from $1 million to a boom box. And if you don't win, then, well, you supported a nice charity and helped the Hospital for Sick Children. And who really doesn't want to help sick kids. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed for next week's drawing. This weekend, we have lots of plans, which I hope we actually accomplish so I can tell you all about it. The weather is supposed to be lovely and if all goes well, we'll have a fun little weekend. A CANADIAN FACT! The Hospital for Sick Children was founded in 1875 and today they care for over 95,000 children a year.

The Return of Memere

Last night, my mother, Baby Boy's grandmother, Memere, showed up on our doorstep with a minivan full of toys for BB. Lots of cars and trucks and a Tickle Me Elmo doll. And clothes. Lots and lots of clothes. Devoted Husband and I also got a few toys ourselves including our new MP3 players. I was so excited this morning walking to work, listening to ABBA Gold (Oh, don't judge me!). Memere can't wait to spend the week with BB and take him to the Riverdale Farm and Toddler Time at the library. BB has changed so much since she last saw him and he's so much fun to be around. And yes, more pictures should be forthcoming.

World Cup Fever!

I'm from the United States so I don't know so much about the World Cup. The only sports I really follow are the Olympics and televised poker, which I think we can all agree isn't really a sport, as such. It's no secret that Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities on the planet. You can hear half a dozen languages just walking down any random street. So, it's no surprise that Toronto has representatives of all 32 countries in this year's World Cup. So many of the cars here in Toronto have flags plastered on them with the driver's pledging allegiance to their team. Of course, this creates the fun new travel game, "Name That Flag!" Unfortunately, England is cheating by using some random flag and not the Union Jack that I would recognize. Cheaters! All the pubs are showing the games and they post the schedules out in front. Some pubs even have TV's on the front of the building so that you can see the games from the sidewalk. There are even specific team pubs if you want to watch your team with fellow fans. Despite all the soccer, I haven't heard about any major violence or hooliganism. Because, after all, the fans are still Canadian. A CANADIAN FACT! Canada failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and has only made it to the tournament once, in 1986. The team played three games and lost every one, never scoring a single goal.

Summertime Snow

There is this weird phenomena going on right now on the streets of Toronto. I walk to work and all of a sudden I'm swamped with white fluffy particles. Well, these are, of course, dandelion seeds. But, I've never seen them in such an enormous quantity. They will float endlessly through the air and settle on the ground in huge drifts, looking very much like snow. All of this coincides with the current book I'm reading, Suburban Safari, which is the bestest book ever. At least the bestest book I'm reading now. I can't recommend it enough. It's written by a woman in South Portland, Maine (not too far from my hometown) who decided to watch her backyard for a year and learn about the plants, bugs and critters that call it home. I'm learning so many things from this book that every day I'm full of facts to tell Miss Bella. Like, did you know that all (I hesitate to say "all." Let's say, 99.9% of) earthworms are immigrant earthworms who came over here on boats, either squished in horseshoes, or food or in boat ballast. Amazing! To me anyway. I love reading about the interactions between the author and her yard of squirrels, crows, woodchucks, chipmunks and the endless supply of ants, bees, caterpillars and the like. I find myself looking at all the local Toronto flora and fauna with fresh eyes. Like those resilient dandelions. A CANADIAN FACT! In Toronto, only organic methods are allowed to fight dandelions and other weeds and $250 fines will be levied against those ignoring the ban. However, pesticides can still be used to guard against West Nile virus, infestations and allergens.

Downward Facing Me

Last week, upon the suggestion of my co-worked Miss Bella, I attended my first yoga class at one of the numerous local recreation centers here in Toronto. While I've only done the most basic yoga positions from watching a DVD, I had never taken an actual class with other people there. I was a little nervous and I was a few minutes late, but I managed not to break or pull anything. I was a teensy bit sore the next day, however. So, I went back last night and Miss Bella was there, too! As it turns out, it was Partner Night, so it was a good thing that she was there. It was so much fun! I would understand it being a little more difficult having to partner up with a total stranger and do some of the positions. But it was a lot of fun and I'm not nearly in as much pain as I was in after last week's class. After the class was over, Miss Bella and I walked back to my car and she showed be the Bruce Mackey Park on DeGrassi Street. Mackay was an early supporter of the creators of the various Degrassi television series, which are super popular here in Canada and more of a cult show in the U.S. My friend, Michele-with-one-L is a fan. It was a really nice little park with lovely birds and flowers. Someday, I hope a Toronto park will be named after me. A CANADIAN FACT! A 2005 study shows that 5.5% of Canadian adults or 1.4 million people now practice yoga.

Burning Love

OK. Forget everything else that happened this weekend. Blah, Blah, Blah Beaches Arts and Crafts Festival. (Although I did get an adorable stuffed toy at the Fabricawakuwaku Stuffed Animal Collective booth. I have a soft spot for weird stuffed animals and so I picked up this thing that I have christened "Bunny Bear." It kinda looks like this, but as each item is unique, it doesn't completely look like this.) Blah, Blah, Blah Boston Pizza and Sunset Grill. (Although, both yummy.) Blah, Blah, Blah windy church picnic. The main event of this past weekend, the story that we'll be telling our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren (who never call on the video phone and never visit although they do have to come all the way from Mars) is about how this weekend I nearly burned my kitchen down. I had some taco shells baking in the oven, and I guess they were in there a little bit too long. I opened up the door and flames started shooting out the front. I started yelling for Devoted Husband, who was in the basement. He leapt into action, got the fire extinguisher and put out the taco shell fire in short order. He learned how to take care of fires when he was repeatedly taught at his old job in Los Angeles. Of course, now our kitchen was covered in yellow extinguisher powder and our dinner was ruined. Sigh. Later, DH cleaned up the whole kitchen, which needed to be done anyway with my Mom visiting next week. It was spotless and virtually free of the offending yellow powder. What a guy! A CANADIAN FACT! In 2004, the last year with available statistics, there were 10 fire-related deaths in Toronto.

I'm Back!

Whoo-hoo! I'm back from a week-long hiatus spent working hard on a miniseries for a client that was charged way too little and who wanted it way too quickly. Anyway, it's done and now I'll catch everyone up on what little has actually happened in the past week. Baby Boy has two new teeth! He has two teeth coming in on the top, so, he can be kinda fussy. His new favorite word is "wa-wa" and he has developed a fondness for grapes. He's quite a Renaissance Man that BB. We're Getting Visitors! Next month, Devoted Husband's mom and sister, aka Grandma and Freyapup, will come up and visit us for the first time in our new locale. They haven't seen BB in quite a while, so they will be in for a treat. We're Getting More Visitors! Later this month, my mom, aka Memere, will be coming up to visit for the first time since February. The last time she was here, our furniture hadn't even arrived yet. The weather has been beautiful, so I hope that keeps up. I'll write more tomorrow, but I just wanted to check in so that you know I'm still around.

Idle with Idol

Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in! While American Idol is already a distant memory, this past Monday was the first episode of the most popular show in Canada, Canadian Idol. It was a little weird watching people sing in front of "Not-Paula," "Not-Randy," "Not-Simon" and "The Other Guy." I still don't know who these judges are yet, but I'll get the hang of it. Right now they are at the audition phase with the idiots who think they rock hard. But, since it's Canada, even the clueless auditioners aren't nearly as obnoxious as the U.S. auditioners. The judges aren't nearly as mean, either. That's just the Canadian way. My other new Summer show is "Gameshow Marathon," also a transplant from another country. It's hosted by the bland Ricki Lake with celebrities competing against each other by playing classic TV game shows like "Family Feud," "Press Your Luck" and (my favorite!) "Match Game." Last night's show was "The Price is Right" and I am so on board. It's like CBS looked into my soul and said, "Here is the show for you!" Sigh. I just read a book about people obsessed with crossword puzzles, Crossworld. It was all well and good, I actually liked the similar Scrabble-themed book, Word Freak, a lot better, but that's not the point. The point is much of the book centers around a young crossword puzzle constructor by the name of Brendan Emmett Quigley. It was weird because I went to college with him, back when he was just Brendan Quigley. He used to date one of my friends and was in an improv group with another friend. He wasn't a close friend by any stretch, but it was still weird to read a book about someone I know, sort of. He now has his own book out of crossword puzzles that he constructed. I know his puzzles are way out of my skill level, but I should give it a try anyway. A CANADIAN FACT! In Season 2 of Canadian Idol, there was a Gordon Lightfoot theme night!