An American in Toronto

My 100th and Final Post

2006-11-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

OK. So, here is the deal. I'm sick of the outages on blogger, so I am no moving to WordPress, another free blogging site. I moved every single post over to the new site. The new address is: anamericanintoronto.wordpress.com You got that? Here it is again. anamericanintoronto.wordpress.com I posted today's pictures over there with slightly different text. I hope this means that I can actually post more often with more pictures. I will keep this blog up for a month or so and then I will take it down. But, as I said all the posts that are here will not be on WordPress. One more time... anamericanintoronto.wordpress.com I hope to see you over there soon!

Hallowon't NOW WITH PICTURES!

2006-11-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

Because of stupid Blogger, I couldn't put pictures up on the blog yesterday. But here they are now: I'm giving you all fair warning, too. I'm looking for a new place to park the blog, so don't be surprised if I move this to a new domain address. Just a heads up.

Hallowon't

2006-11-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

So, that happened. Let's just say that The Boy's First Trick or Treating didn't go quite as well as planned. We got all dressed up. We were so excited. We jumped up and down. We practiced our pirate "aaaarrrgh!" We grabbed out ghost bag to collect our treats. And then we headed out with all the best intentions. We walked down the street and at the first house that with the light on, I asked The Boy if he wanted to Trick or Treat. Well, you'd thought that I asked him to run into a grizzly bear pit with a steak hanging from his neck. He started to panic and yell, "Nooooo! Nooooo!" The friendly homeowner brought us The Boy's entire Halloween haul, a single fun size Coffee Crisp. I tried to get The Boy to go to another house, but nothing doing. He was even a little hesitant to go to his own house. After he got home, he had half of his fun size Coffee Crisp. While I was putting him to bed, we got all kinds of visitors, more than we ever got in California. I was kinda bummed, because I do like seeing kids in costumes and all that. But I even missed out on that. Sigh.

Halloween Spooks, Outside My Window...

2006-10-31T09:07:00.000-05:00

BOOOOOO! Happy Halloween Everyone! This is the first year that The Boy will be going trick or treating and I couldn't be more excited. He doesn't care all that much. But he does enjoy knocking on doors, so that will be the highlight of his evening. Unfortunately, DH is working late until 8pm tonight. So he won't be able to participate, which is too bad. But there are plenty of future Halloween's for both The Boy and DH. A little housekeeping... Happy Belated Birthday to The Boy's Uncle Steve who had a birthday yesterday. I hope he got the card we sent. Speaking of cards, thanks from The Boy to both Memere and Grandma who both sent him cute little Halloween cards. Tomorrow, I'll post a picture of The Boy in his costume, but until then here is a flashback from last year's famous lobster costume. A CANADIAN FACT! About 72% of Canadians will participate in some Halloween-themed event this year, according to a survey by the Retail Council of Canada. On average, about $60 per household has been earmarked for pumpkins, costumes, candy and decorations -- up from $57 last year -- bringing the nationwide tab to an estimated $1.15-billion in retail sales.

The Boy + Dora!

2006-10-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

I'd like you to meet The Boy's girlfriend. She's very talented, smart and is quite hard-working. She might be an older woman, but that doesn't bother The Boy. They are meant to be! The Boy only has eyes for one Dora Rodriguez, aka, Dora the Explorer. When The Boy sees her he jumps up and down and chants her name repeatedly, like a crazy person. He really thinks she is a superstar. He also likes Dora's friend Benny the Bull, which is like saying that your favorite character on Happy Days is Potsie, but I digress. So, I bring this all up because this weekend is the Baby and Toddler Show here in Toronto. And today, who is going to be making an appearance, but none other than Dora herself. I debated bringing The Boy to see Dora and possibly get a picture taken with her, but then I realized that he would be in an unfamiliar place, with lots of other people and then to see this come lumbering over. I think he might just have a massive coronary. I sometimes forget that The Boy is still not 2 years old yet. He's still pretty young and can be easily spooked. Speaking of which, only a few more days until Halloween and I'm so excited to be taking him out for Trick or Treating. He has no idea what that is, but I can barely contain myself! BOO! A DORA FACT! Dora the Explorer became the first Latina balloon character in the 79th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 24th, 2005. Which is coming up in a few weeks. I love the Macy's Parade. I'm so excited! Halloween and then Thanksgiving! I need to take a breather. Phew. PS: Here is a great 15 minute video of the Charles Phoenix's Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles, which DH and I did a few years ago. It was lots of fun and this is a really accurate document of the experience.

Around the Town

2006-10-26T08:49:00.000-04:00

Although I've been lax in my posting, I have been taking pictures around Toronto for the blog. The Fambly will be doing a lot of fun things coming up in the next few weeks, but until then here are some of the things that I see on a regular basis and as far as I can tell there are few or no pictures of these things on the Internets. Here is a really crazy building on Gerrard Street. I have no idea what the story is on this place, but there's got to be a good one. Here's another picture for a little more detail. There's clearly something going on about drunk driving, but I haven't the foggiest idea what its about. But I DO love the crazy. Here are some of a dying breed: pay-phone booths. They are actually really common up here and I have actually used them since I've been here. How cute and retro. Here a shot for Michele-with-one-L! Degrassi For-evah! And, I can't forget to show another picture of The Boy: Man, does he love that slide!

Hairspray Pics Part Two

2006-10-25T08:19:00.000-04:00

I certainly hope that work slows down a little bit, although it IS nice to be busy. But, then I can't waste my mornings blogging like I was when I first got here. This morning right after I dropped The Boy off at his day care I saw a guy dressed like a Scottish Pimp with a pleather jacket, newspaper boy hat and plaid highwater pants. And he kept loudly repeating "Horse Office! Horse Office!" Man, I love this city. I wish I had video camera with me at all times. I also have some more Hairspray pictures including this little gem: This place is usually a greasy spoon diner called "Gail's Snack Shop" (aka Smack Shop), but for the movie it's the Hardy-Har Hut, a game and magic store. Only in a movie would a magic store be a huge store right on a corner. I really liked the name of this portable toilet company: "It's My Potty!" I'm jealous that someone else came up with that one. The only actual filming I saw was the actress playing the main character, Tracy Turnblad, lip-synching a song in front of the Hardy-Har Hut. It was only a few minutes, but it was pretty cool nonetheless. I believe the song was this little ditty: "Good Morning Baltimore" (click on Track 1 to take a listen). This past weekend The Boy and I met Lori and her son, Logan for coffee (or rather, hot chocolate and hot cider) on the Danforth. I met Lori on the Internets and we had a lovely chat. I was really nice to talk to someone that I'm not related to for a change. I actually found a group of women who moved here to Toronto from Southern California, so I will meet with them in the near future, hopefully. But, before I go, "Horse Office! Horse Office!"

Hairspray Pics Part One

2006-10-18T08:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was just non-stop rain here in the GTA. Despite the 2 feet (!!!) of snow that Buffalo got last week, we have managed to dodge the weather bullet, at least snow-wise. For now. Speaking of the natural world, my brother, Weethy, lives in Honolulu and he is doing well despite the earthquake that happened over the weekend. I haven't spoken to him yet, but my mother says that he was a little shaken up (no pun intended) over the 45 second quake and his dog was VERY shaken up. In all my years in Southern California, I never felt that long a quake. But they are very scary. So, if you're reading this Weethy, drop me an email or call me tonight. Anyway, after yesterday's near monsoon, this morning was nice a relatively warm. So, when I finally got to my office, there was much ado. Apparently, Hairspray is back to shoot some more scenes and that blocked up traffic a little bit. And a little farther down the street, traffic was REALLY backed up because of a nasty accident in front of the studio. Since Hairspray is back and up to trouble, now is as good time as any to show the pictures of the set direction that was here a few weeks ago. Here are two reproductions of old billboards, for Philips and Dr. Pepper. Do any of these look familiar to anyone out there who might remember the early 60s? I sure do love reproductions of old things. Here is a cute mural that is the only thing left from the shoot. That and a sign that one of the businesses kept even though the phone number on the sign is a "555" number. More tomorrow...

Hair-y Adventures With The Boy

2006-10-17T11:21:00.000-04:00

Two Saturdays ago, The Boy went for his first Big Boy haircut. We went to Little Tots Hair Shop. Perhaps, it didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. He was pretty good until the stylist turned on the clippers, and they completely set him off. He cried the entire time and DH had to restrain him. But the stylist was a pro and even with The Boy carrying on, she was able to cut his hair without missing a beat. She did a fabulous job. But, he did need it, as shown below. "Cut your hair, you hippy!" Now... "A Very Stylish Garcon..." Now that The Boy has a proper haircut, we went to have his annual professional photo done. It went just slightly better than the haircut did. We tried to get him to sit down, but he just wouldn't. Then, we tried to get him to pick out his own props for the picture, first a fire truck and then a rocking horse - both favorites of The Boy - but he balked each time. Finally, the photographer got out the trucks and balls and that was the ticket. After about a half hour of trying, The Boy finally sat down in his little chair and played with the toys. SUCCESS! But, you can't see the picture right now. Not until you get your own copy, which I might get to you, Dear Reader, at Christmas-time. But, until then, here's one more of The Boy!

Toronto Turkey Time

2006-10-10T09:35:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Canada, which we really didn't celebrate. It just didn't feel right, especially since U.S. Thanksgiving (aka "Real Thanksgiving" - although, I guess the first Canadian Thanksgiving was in 1579 in Newfoundland, but I'm going to choose to ignore that) is my favorite holiday. It just felt like I was cheating on my beloved Thanksgiving with its Macy's Parade, Chicken in a Biscuit crackers and cranberry sauce shaped like the can. On the other hand, there is no way that I'm going to look a gift holiday in the mouth. It could have been National Slug Appreciation Day and if I got the day off, I'd be front and center in the annual Slug Days Parade. Instead we decided to go to the Mandarin Chinese buffet for lunch. It was not a completely out of left field choice as it is currently the Chinese Moon Festival, the Chinese Harvest Festival. I was pretty excited to have some moon cake and roast suckling pig, or actually just to see a roast suckling pig, but I was sorely disappointed to not get either at Mandarin. We also had a wait forever for The Boy to get his high-chair. Poop. But yes, freyapup, there is a Halloween. And yes, it is on the same day as it is everywhere in the world. A CANADIAN FACT! The first Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated on April 15, 1872 in thanks for the recovery of the future King Edward VII from a serious illness. In 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national Canadian holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October...Finally, on January 31st, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed... "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." (Wikipedia)

My Past Two Weeks

2006-10-04T08:10:00.000-04:00

I wish I had a good excuse for my nearly two-week hiatus, but I don't. Oh, I could say that I've been held prisoner in some wealthy sultan's castle or I got lost somewhere near the giant Nickel in Sudbury, Ontario, but unfortunately the only excuse is that I have been super, super busy with work and "free time." To recap (or actually, since I haven't mentioned it before, cap): I joined the Library Book Club and it was, by far, the best book club I have ever been a part of. Everyone read the book, there was a nice mix of women and there was a lively discussion of the novel. Plus, there was awesome cake! I started my job as a Religious Education teacher at my church. I'll be teaching the 3rd and 4th Graders and the two that I've met are just so sweet. The 1st Graders that I've met are...not. Anyway, I also joined the Religious Education Committee. It will be a challenge, and I love a Challenge. We'll see what I say in a month. The Boy is expanding his vocabulary at an alarming rate. He is adding words together to make sentences and he is always coming up with new words. He also seems to be starting his "terrible twos" stage early. It figures, everything else he does is late, except his tantrums. Jeesh. Still cute, though. There is no arguing about that. And another thing. I totally love Ugly Betty and Heroes. Yay! Speaking of TV, a former co-worker of mine got her first job as an acutal TV writer for the ABC Family show, Kyle XY. That is so awesome and everyone here at the company is all really happy for her. I did wind up getting some pictures of the Hairspray shoot. I saw a little bit of the filming, but I have to get DH to help upload the pics on the computer. Are you reading this, DH? Hint, hint. A CANADIAN FACT! The top Canadian shows this week are: 1. CSI (CTV) 2. CSI Miami (CTV) 3. Desperate Housewives (CTV) 4. Survivor (Global) 5. CSI New York (CTV) 6. ER (CTV) 7. House (Global) 8. The Amazing Race (CTV) 9. Criminal Minds (CTV) 10. Grey's Anatomy (CTV)

Big Tuna

2006-09-22T10:41:00.000-04:00

Last night I got to see the season premiere of The Office. YAY! I do love me some Office. And now it's cool to say that you like the U.S. version better than the original British version. Or at least, I say it's cool to say that. Also, here is a cool article about how The Office has been translated to different countries. But, I digress. The weird thing was while I was watching it last night (Aww, Jim and Pam...) I realized that I was watching the NBC feed rather than the Canadian feed. If a show is broadcast on any of the Canadian channels, it doesn't matter if you are watching on a Canadian channel (like CTV, Global or CityTV) or one of the U.S. Buffalo affiliates, you will watch the Canadian feed with Canadian commercials and the like. So, I was getting U.S. commercials and NBC promos and it was kinda weird. DH has said that living in Canada is like being separated from the U.S. by a window, we can see what's going on, but we can't actually touch anything. A nice analogy. I'm also taking some photos around the area today. I hope to get some pics from the Hairspray shoot, but nothing really interesting is happening yet. But I know I'll catch something exciting soon!

In Theatres in 2007

2006-09-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

So, I'm walking home the other day and I notice that there is a lot of work going on in the less pleasant areas of the neighborhood near the studio. I was quite pleased because the neighborhood needs a little sprucing up and could use a fresh coat of paint to tidy it up a bit. Cut to yesterday, when again I'm walking home from work and I notice two things. One, the sprucing up consists of paper bricks pasted over the crappy brickwork of the existing buildings. Hmmm. That doesn't seem like any Urban Renewal program that I've ever heard of. What, did that cost the city $2.45? And two, there was a person on a forklift painting a mural on the side of another building. He was writing the word, "Baltimore" when it hit me. They're making the area look like Baltimore for the new Hairspray movie musical. Oooooh, that makes sense. I had heard that John Travolta and Queen Latifa were shooting some scenes a few blocks away from my house, so now it all fits together. Well, it turns out that DH knew way more about this shoot and I could've even guessed. Apparently, the buildings are supposed to be the main character's neighborhood in the movie and they will be shooting day and night, including dance sequences in the middle of the street. I wonder how they will manage to pull this off since it is a neighborhood where people live and work and, allegedly, according to my co-worker, Miss Bella, smoke crystal meth. At any rate, I hope to get some pics taken soon. A HAIRSPRAY FACT! Hairspray's Broadway incarnation won eight Tony Awards in 2003, including best musical, best lead actor and actress in a musical and best original score.

Yaaaaarrrr!

2006-09-19T08:33:00.000-04:00

Yar, me landlubbers! Today just happens to be one of my favorite holidays: International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Talking like a pirate is fun to do and absolutely free of charge. This year will be my first TLaPD without my fellow scurvy dog, Deenie Weenie, but I know that she'll be keeping the day in her heart. To especially honor TLaPD I will announce here that The Boy will, in fact, be a pirate this year for Halloween. I already got his costume and it's super cute. It'll be fun this year, because he can walk himself from house to house and I can still steal his candy with impunity! Speaking of The Boy, here is a picture of him and his Aunt Freyapup and Grandma when they were up here visiting this Summer. What a cutie! A CANADIAN FACT! There is supposedly buried treasure in Oak Island, Nova Scotia. Known as the Money Pit, people have tried for centuries to find the alleged pirate treasure located on the island with no luck. As per Wikipedia: "There has been wide speculation about what the pit might contain. Most suggestions include treasure buried by either Captain Kidd, British troops during the American revolution, Spanish sailors from a wrecked galleon, the Inca or even exiled Knights Templar hiding the Holy Grail in the pit. The notorious pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard) claimed he buried his treasure "where none but Satan and myself can find it," leading to inevitable suggestions that he dug the pit, but there is no evidence to support this. Perhaps the most far-fetched theory is that English philosopher Francis Bacon used the pit to hide documents proving him to be the author of William Shakespeare's plays. The pit may contain nothing at all. Since the 1970s fewer people have believed the pit has any connection to pirates, due to the massive scale of the subterranean structure and its similarity to other natural formations found in the area."

Goin' Home

2006-09-15T10:10:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited! I just finished buying airline tickets for our trip to the States for Thanksgiving. American Thanksgiving. I have to clarify now. We were originally going to drive the entire 12 hour trip, but Air Canada has a deal for $98 each way into Boston. That is an awesome deal. It's almost worth it to pay for the tickets just so we can say we got a great deal. Anyway, it will be easier on the boy (and us!) and we can spend most of our vacation in a calmer state of mind. That's the plan, anyway. Another picture: Every morning on my way to work, I see these women performing Tai Chi in the park. Since I live near a large Chinese community, I see quite a bit of people performing Tai Chi in my neighborhood. It answers the question why whenever I see older Asian people walking about, they always seem to be in better shape than other elderly ethnic groups. It's just an observation that I have. I have no scientific evidence to back any of this up. Nobody quote me in your term papers. Since DH got all kinds of new equipment to upgrade his computer, I think it'll be The Boy and I on our own for the weekend. I want to take some more pictures of T.O. and show you guys some more neat things from up here. Wish me luck!

"Don't Read Enough?"

2006-09-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

Sadly, it looks like this blog has been reduced to weekly posts for the time being. Sigh. At any rate, life still goes on up here for the American family. Yesterday, I went for my physician interview. It can be pretty hard to find a doctor in Toronto that is accepting new patients, but I managed to find someone and she was pretty nice. She just asked me a few questions about my family history and then I went to the lab, as she ordered a couple of blood tests. She also gave two months worth of samples of (ahem) contraceptive pills (ahem). I can't imagine a doctor in the U.S. just handing out two month's worth of a prescription drug. But, things are different here. Anyway, I go in next month for my actual physical. It's been raining quite a bit lately. I taught The Boy the words "rain" and "raining" this morning, which I think will prove to be quite useful. Right now he just says "water" which is also correct, if not exactly accurate. Right now the city is all atwitter with the Toronto International Film Festival. When I was driving through the city on Sunday, there were all sorts of people camped out in front of the Four Seasons hotel hoping to get a look at a celebrity. I don't know if they were waiting for someone in particular, or anyone famous. I still have more pictures that I've taken around my protective neighborhood bubble. Here are a couple: Here is a billboard that I've seen all over the city. There is supposedly another billboard with Bill Clinton instead of Bush, but it doesn't make much sense. And, I've only seen it on the simplyaudiobooks.ca website, but it's not on the site anymore. If that wasn't enough to give you an idea what Canadians think of GWB, here is another ad I saw during my travels: It's for Lakehead University. If you can't read the bottom, it says "Graduating from an Ivy League university doesn't mean you're smart. Choosing Lakehead does." Take from that what you will.

Fun in the Fall

2006-09-06T08:31:00.000-04:00

Well, the Labor Day weekend has come and gone and Fall came slamming down on Toronto with a mighty force. I'm a big fan of Fall and I'm glad to see it. The air is crisp, the winds are cool and the leaves are slowly changing color. I love it. While most of the Labor Day weekend was pretty soggy, the actual Labor Day was dry enough so that we could get out of the house and we went to High Park. High Park is a very large park in Toronto, almost 400 acres, with all sorts of treats to enjoy. There is a playground, of course, but also a zoo, a children's garden, a big swimming pool, a "trackless train," lots of sports fields and more than one-third of the park is in a natural state, which is kind of nice. There are also open-air stage plays and outdoor movies in the summer. At the playground, while The Boy was swinging in the baby swing, I decided to swing on the regular swing, which I guess I haven't done since I was in High School. It was a weird feeling, almost foreign. While we were there, an organic Farmer's Market was going on and we stopped in to get The Boy an apple, a favorite snack of his. Because The Boy is so cute, the cashier gave the apple to him, gratis. I always knew that his adorability would provide us with big payoffs. Like free fruit. Speaking of The Boy, The Boy's speaking has greatly improved. He can say "Memere" and "Pepere, " much to the delight of my mother. He can also say the "c" in "cat" and he calls elephants, "Emmy" after "Emily Elephant" in one of his toys. But the highlight, is that he's starting to say is name, or "Na-nan" actually. But points for trying. Fortunately, for him, he's still cute. A CANADIAN FACT! In High Park, the animal paddocks have always been one of the most popular attractions, dating back to 1890 when deer were the first animals kept. Today, you will find domestic and exotic species including bison, llamas, peacocks, deer, highland cattle and sheep.

The Conspiracy Conspiracy

2006-09-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

I don't know what it is lately, but I've been finding tons of stuff on the ground. I've picked up nearly 10 coupons just laying there and today I found a receipt from the gas station that I can use at the grocery store for $1.08! It's like I found $1.08 just sitting on the sidewalk! I may be a trash-picker, but I'm a trash-picker that's over a dollar richer. When you walk a lot you tend to notice things that you would never see while driving in a car. I saw a series of flyers in the park this week for a website called Toronto Mums. Someone had written in red pen "conspiracy." Well, now my interest was piqued. A conspiracy, you say? Are they like some kind of Freemason offshoot? Do these Toronto Mums wield more power than previously thought? Are they the ones holding back the electric car? Well, today I noticed that a flyer for a roofer also had a "conspiracy" written on it in the same handwriting with the same color red pen. Sadly, it looks like there is not conspiracy, but just a bored and/or crazy person who likes to write on flyers. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't a little bit disappointed. I was all set to get my black robe with matching toddler black robe for The Boy.

Fooling Mommy

2006-08-30T09:20:00.000-04:00

Two things: Yesterday was the re-opening of the library closest to my house and it was so exciting! Now I can walk to the library and go every day if the week if I so choose. And the bonus is...they even have a book club that meets every month! Yay! Happy dance! This morning, I sent The Boy out on the porch to get into his stroller. As I shut the door behind me, he ran into the back yard instead. I came around the corner and saw him there and then told him to get into the stroller. He looked up, pointed and said, "At! At!" which is Boy-ese for "Cat" (or "Hat," depending on context). I looked behind me and fully expected to see Abby, once again sneaking out of the house in a misguided attempt to seek freedom. But, there was no cat at all. When I looked back at The Boy, he laughed and ran in towards the house. Curses! Outwitted by a Toddler! I am so humiliated! A CANADIAN FACT! The fact is, I can't believe that The Boy tricked me. He's an evil genius!

Photo Gallery Part A

2006-08-29T14:19:00.000-04:00

Last night, The Sopranos was on broadcast TV and they actually said the "F" word, unbleeped! Oooooh, Canada! I'm tell-ing! Anyway, I promised to show some pictures that I took over the last week and here's a few. Here is a mural that is part of a series that were put up this summer. This mural is on the side of a Chinese restaurant that DH and I frequent called, Celline Garden. There are two other murals that I know of, but I haven't taken pictures of one and I the pictures I DID take of the other, were way too dark to post up here. So, I'll try again later. Here is another picture. Can you guess what it is? Well, I can give you a hint. It is not an ear, nose and throat doctor. Have you figured it out yet? The answer to all your burning questions are HERE. A CANADIAN FACT! The fact is, I'm so ashamed for not listing the Degrassi series of television programs yesterday in my list of popular Canadian TV shows. Dummy!

CANCON!

2006-08-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

I spent most of last week pulling a Sundry and taking pics of Toronto and I hope to get those up this week. Last night was the Emmys and if you stayed to the thrilling finale, you got to see Canada's favorite son, Kiefer Sutherland, win a Best Actor Emmy for 24. Yay, Kiefer! Of my trio of TV boyfriends, Steph(v)ens, Carrell and Colbert and Jon Stewart, only Jon won his own two awards. Boo! Since the Emmys are over and the new Fall season has sorta begun, now would be the perfect time to explain the concept of Canadian Content and why that means that I can't watch Best Week Ever anymore. What is Canadian Content? Well, according to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, "Simply put, it's about Canadian artists and Canadian stories having access to Canadian airwaves." It means that 60% of all television must be "Canadian" or, officially: "Evaluation of Canadian content in a television program is based on the following criteria: whether its producer and key creative personnel are Canadian; the amounts paid to Canadians for services provided to make the program; and amounts spent in Canada on lab processing." Cancon rules are in place so that US television programming doesn't completely swallow Canadian television whole. So, no Best Week Ever for me. Not Canadian enough. However, Canadian networks have frequently fulfilled Cancon requirements by airing series produced in Canada but intended primarily for the lucrative United States market. Recent examples include Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, Zoe Busiek: Wild Card, and Stargate: SG-1. Even the current run of Doctor Who, a BBC/CBC co-production filmed in Britain, might be considered Cancon - the definition includes all programming produced in-house by the CBC. Probably the most famous example of Canadian Content are the the "Great White North" sketches on the comedy series, SCTV with the characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. The sketches were created to both fulfill and make fun of the Canadian content rules, as the sketches were loaded with Canadian stereotypes. Take off, Hoser! A CANADIAN FACT! In addition to SCTV, some other popular Canadian shows that are shown in the United States include, The Red Green Show, Kenny vs. Spenny and Da Vinci's Inquest.

Toronto Crime Blotter

2006-08-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

So, The Boy and I were walking to the store after I picked him up from day care yesterday. We had just passed the front door of a LCBO Liquor Store and just then I hear a man yelling "You're under arrest! Call 911!" The man, an LCBO employee, had jumped on the back of another man, who was, I guess, under arrest. The LCBO employee was pounding on the guy and yelling at his co-worker to call the police. As LCBO guy was trying to subdue the Accused, another guy in a grey hooded sweatshirt jumped off his bike and entered the fray. Now there is a group of four people, LCBO guy, his co-worker with the phone, Accused guy and Hoodie, wrestling on the sidewalk in front of the liquor store. I didn't stay long enough for the cops to get there, but I probably stayed a lot longer than I should have. I don't know if LCBO employees can legally perform citizens' arrests. I mean, technically, since the LCBO is a government-owned liquor store (as all liquor stores in Ontario are), the the employees are, technically, government employees. Maybe, a stretch perhaps. The LCBO website says that they try to prevent minors and intoxicated persons from buying alcohol, but it doesn't say anything about beating the crap out of a guy. But, not to worry, The Boy and I are ok and we made it to the grocery store in one piece. A CANADIAN FACT! As per the LCBO website, "The LCBO is the largest single purchaser of beverage alcohol in the world and one of the largest retailers, buying wine, spirits and beer from 67 countries for Ontario consumers and licensees."

Boy Update

2006-08-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

On Monday, The Boy and I went to his first Canadian pediatrician appointment. Overall it went really well, my only complaint being that the waiting area was really small with no toys and a wide open door. The Boy kept running out the door and into other doctor's offices. Oh, it was cute the first 87 times, but I was trying to fill out paperwork and it made me look foolish to the other mothers. I always find that I'm comparing myself to other parents. Of course it's not fair if the other mother has a 6 month old and I have a busy toddler, but I can't help it. I doubt I'm alone in feeling this way. Anyway, when we finally got in to see the doctor, the appointment was actually pretty quick. The Boy was a robust 30 lbs. and I forget how tall, but he's in the 75-95th percentile on height, weight and head circumference, so he's proportionate. He's also healthy, talking a blue streak and running around. He's doing really well. When he got his immunization, I got to hold him in my lap and he only cried for a minute. By the time we were in the waiting area again, he was back to running around. He really is a busy boy. We were trying to come up with all of The Boy's vocabulary words and we came up with quite a lot. Some of his current favorites are "Elmo," "bolo" (which means book, I guess), "baby" (which means anyone in a stroller, regardless of age) and, happily, "Daddy." He loves books and his favorites are "Goodnight, Moon" and "The Big Red Barn." We read them every night before he goes to bed. He'll crawl under the covers and lay back on the pillow and wait for his stories. He's really a great little boy and he's so much fun.

Coming Out of Hiding

2006-08-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

I know. I know. Trust me, I know. I've been slacking off on the blog, as I don't use every minute my valuable free time (and I'm still super busy at work) to jot down my thoughts on the Internets. But, I'm here to give all four of my readers an update on the comings and goings of the "American" family. This past weekend was the Taste of the Danforth festival here in Toronto. The Danforth is the center of Toronto's Greektown and so, naturally, a lot of the food was Greek. Since we live only a few blocks away, we had no choice to walk up and take a look. But we didn't eat any Greek food. We went to Pizza Pizza, instead. They say it's the largest street festival in the world, and while I have no real documentation for that fact, it certainly looked pretty crowded to me. We could barely move the stroller through the dense crowd. Here is some video footage about the festival. It also gives you a brief look the Danforth, where I spend quite a bit of my time spending my hard-earned money. Going on at the same time was Shakespeare in the Rough, which was presenting "Antony and Cleopatra" in Withrow Park. There wasn't a huge crowd and I don't know if anyone could hear the actors what with the neighborhood ice cream truck playing music and all the kids in the playground not too far away. But, you know, good for them! Even the mighty oak started as a tiny acorn. That's all for now, but later this week I'll give you the thrilling story of The Boy's latest doctor checkup.

Grandma and Aunt Freyapup Visit

2006-08-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the repeated posting delays, but I can't help that work keeps me super busy in summer. Yesterday was the August Civic holiday here in Toronto. I guess the powers that be in Canada make sure that every month has a long weekend to enjoy. We especially enjoyed this long weekend as Devoted Husband's Mom and sister came up to visit us for the first time since the Big Move. We kept pretty busy hitting all the usual places, the Riverdale Farm, the stores downtown, etc. The weather was lovely the entire weekend. They brought The Boy lots of cute toys and clothes and they brought me an awesome Peep to put on my backpack. Hopefully, we'll get some new pics soon. I guess everyone had a good time, but the only one who I was sure had a good time was The Boy. He always has a good time, that one.

$25 Million For Me!

2006-08-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

Whoo-hoo! I always wanted to get my own copy of this legendary email in my inbox. I knew all my hard work was due to pay off. I guess now I can move to Easy Street and live the good life. See below... (all typos and misspellings courtesy of the author, Mr. Ahmed) FROM THE OFFICE MR KARIM AHMED. AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB). OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO. WEST AFRICA. TRANSFER OF ($ 25,200.000.00) TWENTY FIVE MILLION, TWO HUNDREN THOUSAND DOLLARS. I AM KARIM AHMED, THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK HERE IN BURKINA FASO. DURING THE COURSE OF OUR AUDITING, I DISCOVERED A FLOATING FUND IN AN ACCOUNT OPENED IN THE BANK BY MR JOHN KOROVO AND AFTER GOING THROUGH SOME OLD FILES IN THE RECORDS I DISCOVERED THAT THE OWNER OF THE ACCOUNT DIED IN THE (BEIRUT-BOUND CHARTER JET) PLANE CRASH ON THE 25TH DECEMBER 2003 IN COTONOU (REPUBLIC OF BENIN). HERE IS THE(WEBSITE=HTTP://WWW.CNN.COM/2003/WORLD/AFRICA/12/26/ BENIN.CRASH/INDEX.HTML).AND NOBODY HAS OPERATED ON THIS ACCOUNT AGAIN, THE OWNER OF THIS ACCOUNT IS MR JOHN KOROVO A FOREIGNER, AND A TRADER WHO TRADE ON GOLD AND MINING, HE DIED, SINCE 2003 AND NO OTHER PERSON KNOWS ABOUT THIS ACCOUNT OR ANY THING CONCERNING IT, THE ACCOUNT HAS NO OTHER BENEFICIARY AND MY INVESTIGATION PROVED TO ME AS WELL THAT MR JOHN KOROVO DIE ALONG WITH HIS TIRED FAMILY. THE AMOUNT INVOLVED IS (USD 25.2 M) TWENTY-FIVE MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY , I AM CONTACTING YOU AS A FOREIGNER BECAUSE THIS MONEY CAN NOT BE APPROVED TO A LOCAL PERSON HERE, BUT CAN ONLY BE APPROVED TO ANY FOREIGNER WITH VALID INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT OR DRIVERS LICENSE AND FOREIGN ACCOUNT BECAUSE THE MONEY IS IN US DOLLARS AND THE FORMER OWNER OF THE ACCOUNT MR JOHN KOROVO IS A FOREIGNER TOO, AND THE MONEY CAN ONLY BE APPROVED INTO A FOREIGN ACCOUNT. I NEED YOUR STRONG ASSURANCE THAT YOU WILL NEVER, NEVER CHEAT ME AS SOON AS THIS FUND HIT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. WITH MY INFLUENCE AND THE POSITION OF THE BANK OFFICIAL WE CAN TRANSFER THIS MONEY TO ANY FOREIGNER'S RELIABLE ACCOUNT WHICH YOU CAN PROVIDE WITH ASSURANCE THAT THIS MONEY WILL BE INTACT PENDING OUR PHYSICAL ARRIVAL IN YOUR COUNTRY FOR SHARING. THE BANK OFFICIAL WILL PROVE ALL DOCUMENTS OF TRANSACTION IMMEDIATELY FOR YOU TO RECEIVE THIS FUND LEAVING NO TRACE TO ANY PLACE AND TO BUILD CONFIDENCE. ON THE CONCLUSION OF THIS TRANSACTION YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 30% OF THE TOTAL SUM AS GRATIFICATION, WHILE 10% WILL BE SET ASIDE TO TAKE CARE OF THEEXPENSES THAT MAY ARISE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER AND ALSO TELEPHONE BILLS, WHILE 60% WILL BE FOR ME. SO ON THE INDICATION OF YOUR WILLINGNESS I WANT YOU TO FORWARD TO ME YOUR :FULL NAME: SEX: COMPANY: IF ANY FULL CONTACT ADDRESS: PHONE: CELL: FAX: CITY: STATE: ZIP CODE COUNTRY: OCCUPATION AND ALL THE NECESSARYINFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU ON THE ACCEPTANCE TO CHAMPION THIS TRANSACTION WITH ME. HERE IS MY PRIVATE TELEPHONE NUMBER: 00226 76 12 29 38. THANKS YOURS TRULY KARIM AHMED This is almost as good as the time I won the European Lottery when I didn't even buy a ticket. See ya, suckers! A CANADIAN FACT! There have been over 400 reported complaints in Canada for this exact email fraud.

Blah, Blah, Blah Weekend

2006-07-31T11:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry for my dearth of posts lately. It's been a combination of lots of work in the office and very little of interest going on outside of the office. Blah, blah, blah got a new watch band. Blah, blah, blah tried a new restaurant (yay, another place with free refills!). Yesterday, The Boy and I went to the park and the wading pool, while Devoted Husband cleaned up the house in preparation for the arrival of his mom and sister later this week. The Boy loves to run around and pick up sticks and thought it was hilarious to pretend to put the stick on his tongue. I would tell him to stop with the stick and he would grin and laugh, then he would do it again. And again. And again. Man, kids are fun. Once we left the park, I went on a quest for soft-serve ice cream. It's a hot, humid summer day and ice cream is needed. Plus, I don't really have ice cream all that often. Certainly not as often as DH, who considers ice cream a staple. And I do love me the soft-serve. Especially chocolate/vanilla swirl. After going to Licks, Baskin-Robbins and The Carrot Common, I only found hard-packed ice cream. Sure, I did find hemp-based ice cream, but sadly, no soft-serve. So, I went home ice cream-less. In retrospect, I could've walked even further down the street and gone to McDonald's or Dairy Queen. But, even I have my limits. Plus, I just had some of DH's at home. A CANADIAN FACT! Current Canadian Ice Cream consumption is 9.66 litres per person, down from 12.72 litres in 1980, but up from 8.63 in 2000.

A Knight on the Town

2006-07-24T11:05:00.000-04:00

While I was waxing nostalgic about my past six months here in Toronto, my parents, The Boy's Memere and Pepere, were up here visiting us, but really visiting The Boy. They had a good trip and spent a lot of time with him. They went to the Riverdale Farm, the beach and the park. Lots of bubbles were blown and Happy Meals purchased. The Boy got two new Happy Meal toys from Pirates of the Caribbean: a plush pirate that I guess is supposed to look like Johnny Depp and a skeleton pirate. I've taught him to say "AAARRRRGHH!' when he plays with them. The real reason that my parents were visiting was to watch The Boy, while Devoted Husband and I went to see Spamalot. For those who may not know, Spamalot is the stage musical version of the classic film, Monty Python & the Holy Grail, a movie, of which, I am quite familiar. We both really liked it a lot, but we especially liked the new parts, that weren't specifically taken from the film. We were big fans of the new female character, The Lady of the Lake. She had some great songs and the play really perked up when she was on stage. All in all, a great show. See it if it comes to your town. As a complete aside, I found this t-shirt on the Internets this morning. I am SO going to have to get it. A CANADIAN FACT! Toronto's theatre district is second only to New York City in North America.

Yet More Likes and Dislikes...

2006-07-21T11:54:00.000-04:00

Here it is Friday, and here I am will the final installment of my Canadian Likes and Dislikes... I REALLY LIKE... ...spelt. I know that spelt is some kind of healthier alternative to wheat and I find lots of foods up here are made of the spelt. The yummiest spelt items are Sha Sha Cookies, which I love, and the spelt bread at the Magic Oven, also quite tasty. I REALLY HATE... ...all the maple flavored foods. Not. A. Fan. I REALLY LIKE... ...the smell of the Weston Bakery near my office. Man, nothing is better than the smell of baking bread. I REALLY HATE... ...the smell of garbage in summer. Not specifically a Canadian thing, but disgusting nonetheless. I REALLY LIKE... ...all the free stuff the city provides for kids, like the parks and the wading pools and the drop-in centers. I get a real good feeling about what the city and the province actually do for children. I REALLY HATE... ...how everything is so expensive. Yes, the dirty little secret of Canada. How do you think The Boy gets to use the free park wading pool? Everything is expensive. Both because of taxes and because of shipping products here in the first place. The way Miss Bella, my co-worker, described it to me was thus: imagine you are having a party for 30 people. Now imagine you are having a party for 300 people. If you buy food in bulk for the 300 people and you can get it cheaper per item than for 30 people, right? Now compare 30 million to 300 million. See how that works. Of course, the pharmaceuticals are much cheaper here in Canada, but, fortunately that isn't an issue for me. I REALLY LIKE... ...watching all the Canadian television shows that are "new to me." I like Corner Gas, which is pretty funny with a dry sense of humor and apparently the most popular sitcom in Canada. And History Bites, which is a history-themed sketch comedy show. Liking History Bites, proves once and for all that I am a Grade A Nerd. I REALLY HATE... ...that I don't get VH-1 up here. Man, do I miss my VH-1. That and World Poker Tour. I REALLY LIKE... ...just about everything here in Toronto. I know I sound like a crazy cult member, but I just love it here. We'll see how I feel in another six months, but as it stands today, I'm quite happy. I REALLY HATE... ...that I can't see my LA friends anymore. I instant message them, but it's not the same. So, remember that I miss you guys. A lot.

Weird Canada

2006-07-19T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'll take a brief break from my week-long tribute to my Toronto Likes and Dislikes to describe some of the weirder things I've seen since my move. Canada doesn't get enough credit for it's weirdness - or it's eccentricity, as it were. I mean, take curling. it is estimated that there are about 1.3 million curlers in Canada, which makes up about 94% of the curlers in the world. When I first moved here, during the Winter Olympics, every curling match was broadcast and then re-broadcast in case you missed it the first time. Curling is, quite frankly, odd and I just can't get my head around it. I was watching a TV sitcom recently and half of the jokes were based upon the viewers knowledge of curling and I could do nothing but stare blankly. Other Weirdness I've seen... ...a woman who walks her Siamese cat on a leash. I don't know how she does this. I know people do it, but as a cat owner, I can't keep my cat in my arms for two minutes, much less strap her into a leash. ...a house in which the front was entirely covered in stuffed animals. When I saw it my mouth actually dropped open. I wish I had a camera. I'll have to go back and get a picture. I can only assume that an insane person lives within. ...training streetcars and buses. I'll admit, this isn't really weird. More cute than anything. You know that it's a training bus because it has "TRAINING" in the spot where they usually put the destination. I guess if you are going to learn how to drive a bus or streetcar, you should have a training vehicle, just like student drivers do. ...poutine. I'm sure Poutine is beloved amongst native Canadians, but I'm not going to touch with with a 10 Foot (or Meter or Metre) pole. Poutine is a delicacy consisting or french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy. Hmmm. No thanks. I enjoy my arteries as they are.

Welcome to the World, Baby James!

2006-07-18T15:01:00.000-04:00

I would also like to give a shout-out to Baby James, the newborn son of longtime family friend, Sarah. Baby James was born yesterday and mom and baby are both doing well. What a Cutie!

More Likes and Dislikes...

2006-07-18T14:05:00.000-04:00

Here we are with Day 2 of The American's Love/Hate List of Toronto. I REALLY LIKE... ...the weird diet sodas (or pop, as they say up here) that every grocery store seems to have: Cranberry, Cranberry/Raspberry, Grapefruit, and the latest, Pomegranate. All yummy. I REALLY HATE... ...not being able to return my soda bottles and cans for deposit. Sigh. I REALLY LIKE... ...that Toronto has two local daily papers, the Toronto Sun, the Toronto Star and two more prominent national daily newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The National Post. There are also two free daily newspapers, Metro and 24 Hours, which I pick up pretty regularly. The free papers are pretty much just the major stories of the day, but not a bad way to get the news that you need. It seems that in most major U.S. cities, newspapers are going the way of 8-track tapes, so I'm glad to see T.O. pick up the slack. I REALLY HATE... ...no coupons in the Sunday paper. I do miss my coupons. I REALLY LIKE... ...winning $100 in the Heart and Stroke Lottery, even though I spent far more than that on tickets in the Heart and Stroke Lottery (not to be confused with the Sick Kids Lottery where I didn't win anything). I REALLY HATE... ...that I have yet to win $75,000 on a World Poker Tour scratch ticket. Lousy scratch tickets.

Six Months In the Queen City

2006-07-17T14:16:00.000-04:00

Hi all. I am really quite a straggler when it comes to this blog. I don't write religiously every day, but I know that I'm worth it. I think that we can all agree that the detailed descriptions of my life are Pulitzer worthy. The proof is in the pudding. Well, this past Saturday was the Six Month Anniversary (Monthiversary?) of our momentous move to Toronto the Good and I decided to celebrate, somewhat with a week-long celebration of what I like and, yes, what I don't like about Canada in general and Toronto specifically. I'll try not to repeat myself from earlier posts, but I can't guarantee anything. I REALLY LIKE... ...the Soup Lunch Special at Tim Horton's - 5 Weight Watchers points, under $4.00, yummy. What more could you ask for. I REALLY HATE... ...that as a rule the restaurants here in T.O. don't give you free soft drink refills. So, kudos to some of the few that do: Jack Astor's, The Muddy Duck, Mr. Greek and Ten Feet Tall. I REALLY LIKE... ...riding in streetcars. It's really just a glorified bus, and I have no such romantic notions about bus riding. I think it's the train tracks. The train tracks make it cool. I REALLY HATE... ...it costs $2.75 each way to ride the streetcar. I REALLY LIKE... ...going to the park and the wading pool with The Boy on sunny days. I REALLY HATE... ...stepping in dog poop. Not specifically a Toronto thing, but come on people! Stoop and Scoop!

Not Putting Down Roots

2006-07-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

Despite the fact that it's rainy and gloomy and windy outside, despite the fact that I didn't win anything in the Sick Kids Lottery, despite the fact that I'm using this phrase repeatedly, I am happy. Why, do you ask? Well I'll tell you. First, I just looked at all the fabulous pictures from my friend Sundry's trip back home to Indiana and the Midwest looks so cute. And Second, I am wearing my new pants from Roots. Roots. I always thought of them as the Canadian Gap. But that's not really the case. I had heard of Roots before I moved up here, and had even bought a shirt from the 2002 Winter Olympics from the Roots store in Beverly Hills. But it wasn't until I actually came up here that I truly started to appreciate the beauty that is Roots. A few months ago, I bought a t-shirt (see left) that was produced to promote breast cancer awareness - always a good thing - and I brought it home and all was good. And then I tried it on. Man! It was the best fitting tee that I HAVE EVER OWNED! I love my comfy Roots tee and I can't wait to get some more t-shirts (when they go on sale). A few weeks ago, the Fambly was out in Scarborough, a Toronto suburb and I found the Roots 73 Outlet! I bought the awesome linen/cotton pants that I'm wearing now and an equally awesome linen/cotton flare skirt. Both, so wonderful. The Boy also has some cute Roots t-shirts including one that has an owl (!) on it and says "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!" on it. I say all this, because there is a kind of feeling here in Canada that since there are so many U.S. companies that kind of overwhelm the culture that one tends to give Canadian companies lots of points just for trying, so to speak. But I am now a huge fan of the Roots clothes and if anyone out there is thinking of getting me a gift certificate in the future (Christmas, perhaps, wink, wink) Roots would be a great idea. Now, watch as that's all I get for gifts in the future. A CANADIAN FACT! Roots is the official Olympic outfitter for several countries including Canada (from 1998 to 2004), Great Britain, USA and Barbados.

Street Un-Fair

2006-07-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

There has been off and on thunderstorms today, but we had a lovely weekend, although sad to say not much happened. We went to the Library and picked up some books and had ourselves some lunch at the Tulip. The Boy is in a bit of a pickle yesterday what with his newest tooth making an appearance. It looks like a single molar is coming in on the right top side of his mouth. So, he tends to be a little fussy lately. Yesterday, we decided to go to the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival, which was described to me as quite the humdinger of an affair. Devoted Husband was a little suspicious and asked me if there has ever been a good street fair, ever. Well, point to DH, as this street fair was more than a little underwhelming. I suppose it had to do with the World Cup Finale going on at the exact same time. But, still. For a reasonably nice Sunday afternoon, this alleged "street fair" possessed very little in the way of fun. At any rate, we went to a book store and got out of the house and had a pleasant little trip on the streetcar, so it wasn't a total waste of a day. I haven't mentioned much of the books I've been reading lately, but I've been on quite the streak. Some of the better ones include: the sequel to Molvania: Land of Forgotten Dentistry, Phaic Tan, Tulip Fever, a great, light summer novel about cheating and scheming 17th Century Dutchmen and women, Niagara Falls All Over Again, about a fictional Abbot and Costello-type vaudeville team and their demise, A Changed Man, a novel about a reformed skinhead and Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life, one woman's life written completely in encyclopedic entries, fiercely peculiar, but good. I guess I really read a lot of weird stuff. A CANADIAN FACT! In addition to the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival, events also taking place this weekend included the Toronto Fiesta, Afrofest, the Molson Indy Street Party, Corso Italia, Beats, Breaks and Culture, the Fringe Festival and Taste of Lawrence. Maybe we should have gone to one of those festivals.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2006-07-06T08:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my first Torontonian birthday as I ventured even further into the jungle that is my thirtysomething years. All in all, the day was an embarrassment of riches. Miss Bella, my co-worker, gave me a Chapters (the Canadian Borders) gift card and a birthday Nanaimo bar (As an aside, the Nanaimo Bar recently won the Canadian Confection Election as Canada's favorite homegrown snack. Good for them. My Mom recently had her first bar on her most recent trip to T.O. and she's now a fan.). I also got three e-cards from "Michele with one 'L'," one from Deens, one from the Boss Ladies in L.A., one from my Mom and Dad and one from my friend Shan. I also got a Target gift card from my Mom in Law, my annual birthday card from my friend New York Loretta, who I hardly ever talk to, but she always remembers my birthday, and a phone call from my brother Weethy, who SWEARS that he has a gift in the mail. Finally, I had a tiny little party with Devoted Husband and The Boy. The Boy got me a book of crossword puzzles and DH got me a Kitchen Grill (aka a George Foreman Grill, except it's Hamilton Beach) with the removable grills. It's so awesome. I can't wait to try it out. DH also got me a chocolate birthday cake and we all enjoyed it very much. It was a very happy birthday, but now I have to have another regular day where people don't shower me with gifts and warm congratulations. Ah, the post-birthday let-down. I realized that I left out some of The Boy's newest vocabulary words yesterday. Here are a few more: "Car" - If he's talking about a toy car, he shakes it in his hand. If he's talking about an actual car, he jumps up and down and gets super excited. If he sees the cars from the movie Cars, for some reason, he also gets really excited. "Woof Woof" - aka "dog." I try to get him to say dog, but his first instinct is to say "Woof Woof." He now points to the TV whenever the former Pets.com hand puppet comes on the screen for the stupid 1-800 Bar None commercials. "Hat" - A new one, but a very practical one. A CANADIAN FACT! Some Prominent Canadians born on July 5 include, Carmen Kempt, Miss Canada Universe 1997, Doug Wilson, professional hockey player, and musician Robbie Robertson.

Canada's Day

2006-07-05T14:52:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Independence Day/4th of July. We had an okay Canada Day. I was all excited because there was going to be a Canada Day parade on Saturday and I do love me a parade. Also, Baby Boy (He's not really a Baby anymore so, now he'll be known as "The Boy.")loved big trucks and things that make a lot of noise, so I thought he would especially like it. The joke was on me, however, because the parade was moved to another location. We did see the parade driving to the new starting location. It was just like a parade, only just a little bit faster. The Boy also got his own little Canadian Flag which he couldn't stop waving. Really cute. We decided to hedge our bets and not go to any of the other scheduled Canada Day activities for fear that they may also be moved, perhaps to Montreal or something. Instead we chose to take The Boy to the park's wading pool. Wow! Did he ever love the wading pool! It didn't matter that the water was cold. It didn't matter that he kept falling on his face. It didn't matter that older kids kept running him over. That was one happy Boy! We went there every day all through the long weekend and he loved it every day. He also had huge tantrums every time we had to take him home. That is, until we actually left the gated area and then he stopped fussing. Speaking of The Boy, here are things that he loves based on his current vocabulary: "Mama" - All adults that he enjoys are "Mama" including people who should be properly known as "Daddy." "Dora" - aka Dora the Explorer. The Boy gets so excited whenever he sees Dora and jumps up and down and yells her name. Of course, he really only likes the opening credits and the end of the show. Otherwise, he just plays and ignores the TV. "Wawa" - All beverages are Water. It turns out he likes Mama's lemonade too. "Ball" - Loves balls and will stop at nothing to steal balls from others. "Shoe" - Loves his shoes. Loves to take them off, too. For all you fans of The Boy, here are some more pictures this time from our trip to the Toronto Islands. Toronto Island's Pictures If you need the password, please email me and I'll send it to you.

Our Big Weekend II

2006-06-28T09:54:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-26T08:34:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-23T08:41:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-20T08:44:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-06-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-14T08:18:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-12T08:22:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-06-08T14:47:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

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!

PLEASE READ

2006-05-31T08:15:00.000-04:00

Due to a recent unfortunate incident with an unsavory element we have had to make some changes on the blog. From now on, all links to pictures will be password protected. If you would like the password, please email me and I will give it to you. Since most of the people who read this are family and friends, you should already have my email address. If you do not have my email address, too bad. That's the new rule.

Baby's Day Out

2006-05-30T11:41:00.000-04:00

Hey all! When my mom came to visit when I first moved to Toronto, the weather was less than stellar. But we both agreed that when summer arrived, it would be the best city to walk around and the past weekend proved that we were right. It was a beautiful weekend with temps in the 80s. I wanted a pedicure, but I was too late to get an appointment in. Next week, though: Pedicure City! The Fambly also went to The Tulip, a local diner, for lunch on Saturday. The Tulip has been a Toronto Beaches mainstay since 1929 and, it's been said, a great place for a cheap, quality steak. Devoted Husband agreed and it turns out it just may be the first Toronto restaurant that he would like to revisit. Plus, it's near our house. As I was sitting eating my lunch, I looked out the window onto Queen Street and saw people walking around and the streetcars bopping along and I felt really good about the move. I felt like I was really part of the city. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. As it turns out, I wound up having an unexpected holiday weekend myself. Baby Boy's daycare was closed on Monday and so I decided to "work from home" but mostly I decided to take care of some things that I didn't get to over the weekend. BB and I went to Winners (Canada's Marshalls), Zeller's (Canada's Target) and Payless Shoes (Canada's Payless Shoes) because BB had lost one of his shoes and needed replacement footwear. After much searching, we got a pair of sandals and some sneakers that looked like little cars. I had to have BB try them on and run around the store to see if they fit. He got closer to the security beepers when I stopped him. The store clerk said it was okay and BB proceeded to run back and forth setting the beepers off and making it sound like there was a mass theft of shoes going on at the Payless. After our successful shoe purchase, we decided to go to lunch, but BB fell asleep on the way. But, that didn't stop me. I ate my lunch in quiet and got to read my book. Later that day, we went to the park and a good time was had by all. As we were leaving, a Japanese man came up to me and asked me if he could ask me two questions. Well, how was I going to pass that up? So, I said sure. The two questions? 1. What's a good way I could learn English? 2. What is an invention? My answers? 1. Watch a lot of TV, especially soap operas. 2. Wha? What do you mean? Something you create, I guess. Brilliant, eh? He told me that he had to ask these questions to 100 people as part of a homework assignment. He then made me sign the page with my questions and he went on his way. I was glad to help. A CANADIAN FACT! The average Canadian eats 61.26 Kg (134.77 lbs) of red meat annually. There must be someone out there that is eating way more than their fair share to make up for vegetarians.

Mountain Dew: Now Available Without A Prescription!

2006-05-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

It seems like I've done nothing but complain about the rain lately, but I actually do like a gentle Spring rain, kinda like what's happening today. I walked outside with my brand-new bright yellow umbrella, like my own personal sun and I was more than happy to do it. While nothing particularly exciting is happening right now, I thought I'd delve into one of the many random things that I've noticed since the move to T.O. Until recently, Mountain Dew in Canada was caffeine-free, which would make it virtually useless to Devoted Husband, who prefers his morning Dew as a pick-me-up rather than the more traditional black coffee. Canada has regulations on products that have added caffeine, as opposed to the natural caffeine found in colas or coffee, and the Dew Fuel or Mountain Dew Energy, as it is known up here is branded as a natural health product. So, there is a big label on the side with all these "medical warnings" about this beverage. The label says: RECOMMENDED USE: Developed for periods of increased mental and physical exertion. Helps temporarily restore mental alertness or wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness. RECOMMENDED DOSE: Drink 591mL (1 bottle) as needed. MEDICINAL INGREDIENT: Per 591mL: Caffeine 91mg CAUTIONS: Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, or caffeine-sensitive persons. Do not consume more than 1000mg caffeine per day. It's kind of marketed like a Red Bull-type "energy drink." Speaking of which, as youmay know, the Red Bull catchphrase is "Red Bull will give you wings." Or rather, "wiiiiiiiiiings!" Well, at the end of the commercial here in Canada there is a disclaimer that states unequivocally that Red Bull does NOT actually give you wings. So, there will be no more talk of anyone getting any wings, mister! I hope there wasn't a class action lawsuit brought against Red Bull by a group and angry Canadians demanding satisfaction for their lack of actual wings. But you know I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were the case. A MOUNTAIN DEW FACT! In 1965, Mountain Dew launched its first campaign "Yahoo Mountain Dew ... it'll tickle your innards." Catchy!

The Niagara Falls Pictures

2006-05-24T22:37:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are some of the pictures of our trip to Niagara Falls. Here we are walking on the path on the way to the actual Falls. It's very windy and the water is flowing super fast. Here are the Falls. They just suddenly drop off and although you can't tell from this picture, they drop down pretty far. Baby Boy and the Falls. "No, Baby Boy! You need a barrel to go over the Falls!" Here we are with a better shot of the U.S. Falls and the Horseshoe Falls in the back. Baby Boy is getting a little sleepy. Time to head home.

Our Trip to the Falls

2006-05-24T08:27:00.000-04:00

Hello all! I apologize for the delay, but I was swamped with work yesterday and wasn't able to post. But here I am now, so never fear! Our Victoria Day weekend was pretty slow as Devoted Husband was fighting a cold and the weather was overcast and gloomy. Not the best holiday weekend ever, that's for sure. The biggest bummer is that the weather has been beautiful since yesterday. Figures. Anyway, we decided to go to Niagara Falls on Monday and step on real U.S. soil for the first time in three months. The drive wasn't too bad. It only took us about an hour and a half to get there. We didn't have any trouble crossing the border and we were on our way. The first quest to find a place for lunch, but every place that we saw was closed or boarded up. We had a running joke that every restaurant in town had a sign in front that said, "Thanks for the Memories." I was so excited when we saw The Ground Round, a chain that I used to love as a child, but sure enough it was no longer in business. Rats! So, we wound up at the Ponderosa which is similar to the Sizzler restaurants. After lunch we headed over to Target. There are no Targets in Canada and when I lived in Southern California I would go to Target at least once a week, and more often than that as a rule. So, I was suffering from severe Target withdrawal. DH and I got a little misty-eyed as we pulled into the parking lot. It was all so very moving. Sniff. We actually didn't get much more than some household items, but that wasn't the point. The point was that we were back at Target and life was good. Once Target was out of the way, we finally headed toward the actual Falls. To say that this particular day was the off-season was quite the understatement. We parked in a lot that was completely dead. Guess why? Well, the parking lot was attached to was a defunct shopping mall. I sense a bit of an economic downturn in Niagara Falls, NY. We walked closer to the Falls and I would have pictures to show you, but DH didn't send them to me, so I will add them when I get home tonight. We didn't spend that much time at the Falls, but that's fine because I anticipate coming back for repeat visits. The Falls are very impressive. There is so much water, going so fast that I can't imagine surviving if you got caught in the current and pulled to the rocks below. We also saw the boat the Maid of the Mist but it was far too chilly to take that trip so close to the Falls. Plus, I don't think Baby Boy was up to it. But, as I said, I think we'll be back certainly before the end of the summer. We'll have to see the Canadian side of the Falls the next trip. So, BB was starting to get fussy and we packed up and went home. We made a controversial stop at a restaurant called Tucker's Marketplace. As you can see the sign resembles the sign for Macaroni Grill, a favorite of ours. But, it turned out to be just a buffet. And weirdly enough, at no point did they actually tell us how much the buffet cost. I only found out the cost because I overheard the restaurant manager talking to someone. It wasn't so much that we couldn't afford it, but still. Very weird. I know it sounds like a pretty mild trip, but it'll be seem so much more exciting when I get our pictures up. Trust me. Or not. A CANADIAN FACT! Niagara Falls has over 12 million annual visitors.

Happy Birthday, Vickie!

2006-05-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

Listen up, dear readers, as I will explain the reason for my upcoming three-day weekend: Victoria Day. Don't know what Victoria Day is? Well, neither did I, until I thought the if I'm going to take the day off I should have the decency of knowing WHY I'm taking it off. Victoria Day is celebrated on the Monday on or before May 24 in honor of both Queen Victoria's birthday and the current reigning Canadian monarch's birthday. So, even though Queen Elizabeth celebrated her real 80th birthday about a month ago, her official birthday is on Monday. In Canada, Victoria Day is traditionally celebrated with fireworks. I've seen quite a few signs advertising fireworks locally. To the majority of Canadians the day is simply a holiday off from work, with little specific meaning, much like most legal holidays. Victoria Day is regarded as the beginning of the unofficial "summer season" in Canada, kind of like Memorial Day in the U.S. My co-worker, Miss Bella, told me that the weekend is known as "May two-four (2-4) weekend". This has two meanings, the first is that the holiday usually falls around May 24th, and also, parties will include lots of beer drinking (a two-four is a case of 24 bottles of beer). There is a radio ad that I hear every morning that has a jingle that goes, "Twenty-Four for $24, a Buck a Beer" to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." I've heard that a buck a beer is the lowest price that you can legally sell beer for in Canada. A CANADIAN FACT! The reigning Canadian Monarch has been in Canada for their official birthday twice: the first time being on 20 May, 1939, when King George VI was on a coast-to-coast tour of Canada. The second time was when Queen Elizabeth II was in Canada from 17 May 17th to May 25 2005, to mark the centennials of the entries of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation.

Aw...Poop!

2006-05-18T14:44:00.000-04:00

The rain keeps on coming. I've been attempting to get the bank all week and every day the weather prevents me from completing my task. Yesterday, I left work a little bit early and was on my way home when it started sprinkling out. I hopped into a bus stop kiosk in order to stay nice and dry, read my book and wait for the rain to lighten up. It started to do just that and the rain let up a little. But then it started to come down even harder! Just sheets of rain. And then thunder. And lightning. Oooh, scary. So, I hung around at the bus stop for much longer than I had originally intended. Then, I started to smell something...wrong. Awful and wrong. That awful and wrong thing was sewage. All the rain had backed up the sewer and there was now sewage on the street. Lovely. The backed up sewage also caused the manhole cover to get dislodged. A pickup truck drove over the cover and removed it from the hole and now there was a hole in the middle of the street. By this time, the bank was closed and I needed to get home to get the car to pick up Baby Boy from day care. But I wasn't going to walk in a thunderstorm, so I took my first Toronto bus ride. It was only for a few blocks, but I was a lot drier than I would have been. I was afraid that Baby Boy would be scared by the thunder and lightning, but he couldn't care less. He was more mad that I took a Big Bird toy car from him. Speaking of The Boy, enjoy some pictures from our trip to Riverdale Farm a couple weeks ago: Riverdale Farm A CANADIAN FACT! There are four sewage treatment centers in Toronto: the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant, the North Toronto Treatment Plant, the Highland Creek Treatment Plant and the Humber Treatment Plant.

Happy Birthday Devoted Husband!

2006-05-17T08:39:00.000-04:00

I would like to wish a big fat Happy Birthday to my best friend and roommate, Devoted Husband. He's such a wonderful guy and I know he'll blush when he reads this, but it's MY blog and I can write whatever I want. He can start his own competing blog if he'd like. I hope he likes what Baby Boy and I got him. Shhhh. Don't tell him that we got him presents. It's a surprise. Yesterday, I braved the inclement weather to go and get my Ontario Driver's License. I went to what I thought was the local office, but it turns out that office was only for car registration. So, I had to go to another office quite a bit farther. When I got there I had to wait about a half hour, but I had my latest book to read, Hominids, a tale about a Neanderthal from an alternate universe that comes to our Earth. I don't usually read Science Fiction, but this book isn't bad. When I actually got up to the counter, the woman gave me a vision test which I guess I passed. Or at least I passed well enough for her. She then kept saying the I had to surrender my California License. Which is fine. She made me a copy of the CA License. For my memory box, I guess. Anyway, $75 later I had my Class G temporary license in hand and will get my new one with my goofy mug on it in about a month. Done and done. The other car related fun I had yesterday was my second parking ticket in three weeks. The street parking in front of my house changes to different sides of the street on the 1st and 16th of the month. The first of May I forgot to move to the other side of the street and got a ticket. Yesterday, I forgot to move the car back to the original side of the street and...YES, got another ticket. Needless to say, I was a little peeved. Change that to Extremely Angry and add about a dozen curse words and that will be a more accurate representation. How can I remember to move the stupid car!?! Any ideas? A CANADIAN FACT! Ontario Residents can get their driver's license starting at age 16. From the Ontario Ministry of Transportation: "The Ministry of Transportation agrees that the average 16 year-old has sufficient maturity and judgement to handle the responsibility of driving."

Canadian Candy Challenge - Week Three

2006-05-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

This week the candy challenge will be a head to head battle royale between two similar candies - one US and one not. I give you: M&Ms VS. Smarties. While in the US, Smarties are chalky sour candies, kind of like a Tums that makes your mouth pucker and that you only see at Halloween, here in Canada, Smarties are candy covered chocolate buttons not completely unlike M&Ms. And yet, they ARE different. Check it out! We decided to compare plain candies, although Smarties and M&Ms both come in several flavors. Smarties (see left) are somewhat bigger and flatter than M&Ms. They come in roughly the same colors as M&Ms, with the addition of pink and purple, however, the shades are slightly different. But, appearances are only part of the comparison. There is also the taste test. The Smarties shell is thicker than the M&M shell. But, the chocolate inside each Smartie is of a much higher quality. Unlike M&Ms, Smarties do melt in your hand, but they do seem a lot sweeter. So, the chocolate is better, but it take you slightly longer to get to that tasty chocolate. Devoted Husband was torn because of this point. He liked the Smarties chocolate, but he didn't want to chew through .0000078 of a inch more of a shell to get to the inside. Personally, I liked the Smarties better, but you do get a lot more actual candy in a bag of M&Ms. CONCLUSION: It's a draw for Devoted Husband, but I'm leaning towards Smarties. Anyway, yummy chocolate means everyone wins! A SMARTIES FACT! Smarties were introduced in 1937 and are still the most popular sweet and one of Nestle's major confectionery brands. When production of Smarties resumed after the Second World War, Smarties were made with plain chocolate because of the shortage of milk. Also, Smarties tradition dictates that you eat the red ones last. I haven't the foggiest idea why, but you just do.

Mom's Day

2006-05-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

I hope that everyone had a lovely Mother's Day (which we do have in Canada), if you are a mother or have a mother. There are tulips all over Toronto and so I sent tulips to both my Mom and Devoted Husband's mom. DH and Baby Boy got me a book called "Do Elephants Jump?" and I hope to find out the answer right away to that query. They also gave me wonderful Mother's Day cards. BB even signed his card himself with his favorite hot pink highlighter pen. Sure, to the layperson it may look like just a bunch of pink lines, but I can tell that he wrote his name, plain as day. We didn't go out for brunch, but we did go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner on Saturday night. The highlight of dinner was Baby Boy's introduction to crayons. While he managed to color a little bit on his complimentary Outback Steakhouse activity book, he also took a big chunk off the end of both the blue and yellow crayons. He's really getting a workout with his new front teeth. On Saturday morning, I went to the Women's Group at First Unitarian. It was a group of about 20 women, mostly 50-80 years old. I was pretty clearly the youngest one present. We then divided up into two groups of 10 and we discussed this week's topic. It was really quite interesting and I will go to the next meeting in a couple weeks. It was nice to get out of the house and meet new people. That's always a problem when moving to a new city. The other women seem really nice for the most part and I'm eager to hear what they have to say with new topics. A CANADIAN FACT! The annual Canadian Tulip Festival (4 - 22 May 2006 in Ottawa) is one of the largest in the world, thanks to the 100,000 tulips given 50 years ago by Holland's Royal Family to the Canadian soldiers who helped liberate the Netherlands during the Second World War.

Rain Rain Go Away

2006-05-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

It's a gray May day with rain and whatnot. I hate the rainy weather up here because I don't get my daily walk done. Now, I have to try to squeeze my exercise in sometime today. My co-worker Miss Bella and I (as well as Bella's mom and cousin) went to a set sale today. When films and television shows are done with production the producers try to make back a little scratch by selling the clothes and other props. Really it's just a big garage sale. We went to a sale yesterday for the movie that Clive Owen was doing when he was up here called Shoot 'Em Up. It was a good sale if you are a fan of lots of black and lots of army fatigue colored jumpsuits. That's all that was pretty much up for sale. The other set sale was this morning and far more elaborate. It was for the television series 1-800-Missing and the clothing was in one office and the props were on a studio set. While there were a lot of items to pick over, there didn't seem to be anything that immediately jumped out at me. I was tempted to buy a box of random drinking glasses for $5, but the box itself was a little heavy, so I passed. There were all kinds of different items, like furniture, lamps, framed prints, carpets, curtains and weird little items that were gently used. When we eventually move into our own place, we will have more room to get some new (used) furniture and I will be more interested in these sales. Apparently Miss Bella had a Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer-sighting in the studio commissary today. They must be here to work on this movie. It's pouring out again. Rats. Oh, and Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Liane! A CANADIAN FACT! The film industry supports 28,000 jobs in Toronto and annually contributes $1.5 billion to the economy.

Bravo to Bulk Barn

2006-05-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

Stupid Blogger.com was acting all squirrelly this morning, so I'm a little late to the game today. But all is well now. I just got back from a pleasant lunch with Devoted Husband at the Burger King. I had a delicious Veggie Burger. DH isn't used to having a whole hour for lunch or not having to clock out for lunch either. So he surprised himself when he realized that he could actually sit and relax rather than rushing back to the office. So, he listened to me chatter away about nothing in particular. After lunch, I went to the Post Office to pick up a book of stamps (Canada to US). I use far more international stamps than inter-Canadian stamps. I also had to mail out my census form. I have been in this country for less than three months and I already have to participate in a census. I guess the censuses are far more frequent than in the U.S. Then I went to Loblaw's to get some mayonnaise for DH. Finally, I went to the best store in the whole world, Bulk Barn. O, Bulk Barn! How I so love thee! For the uninitiated, Bulk Barn is a store that sells bulk food items in these plastic buckets. I like to pick up a little bit of something after lunch and I don't get tempted with more than I actually need. Am I making any sense at all? I don't know. There is a fabulous range of items including, but not limited to, snacks, dry pasta, pie fillings, vitamins and supplements, baking ingredients, coffee and tea, pet food and the very intriguing cake decorating section. I always remember my mom making birthday cakes for my brother and I using Wilton cake pans and I want to try to do some of my own for Baby Boy. I used to love to look at the Wilton catalogs. I was always amazed that anyone could make a cake that looked like Raggedy Ann or a toolbox or whatever. Let's hope that Baby Boy like things that are one basically color, like Cookie Monster or a lawn. A CANADIAN FACT! Bulk Barn is Canada's largest bulk food retailer. They carry over 4,000 products and have 97 locations.

Farm Fun!

2006-05-08T10:28:00.000-04:00

Overall, the Fambly had a pretty quiet weekend. I bought a copy of Cheap Eats Toronto, a restaurant guide and it's much better than some of the other guides that I had seen recently. Especially since it notes which restaurants are kid friendly. As you can imagine, this is pretty important if we want to bring the Boy with us. Otherwise, we would have to keep him tied up to a bicycle rack in the front. Armed with my new book, we went to the Olde Yorke Fish & Chips, widely considered one of the best fish 'n chips joints in Toronto. It was quite good, but a little pricey and the portions were pretty slim pickens. I could get equal quality food for a better price. So, live and learn. Yesterday, we went to the Riverdale Farm. The farm is located not far from our house, right in the middle of Toronto. It's a lovely farm with lots of animals, old buildings, flowers and a pond. The best part is the Farm is free of charge! So, we can go back all summer long. Baby Boy saw some horses and some cows, but he was mostly interested in picking up rocks and finding just the right place to put the rocks down. BB walked by himself for the most part and he was very much tempted to walk into the very scummy pond. There were ducks, geese and box turtles in the pond, but I managed to keep BB from joining them. We didn't stay for a very long time, but since it's nearby and the price is right, we will back to see the chickens and pigs and goats (oh, my). A CANADIAN FACT! Originally owned by John Scadding, the City of Toronto purchased what was to be Riverdale Park in 1856. Riverdale Farm officially opened on September 9, 1978. The Farm contains cows, horses, donkey, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, rabbits, and cats.

All A-Boot Words, Eh?

2006-05-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! Or, as they call it here in Toronto, May 5th. I don't know if there are any festivities going on today, but I be pretty sure that it won't be as popular as it was in Los Angeles. Today I thought that I would address a common Canadian stereotype: the odd pronunciation of the word, "about." Now, granted I haven't talked with a lot of different people up here, but I have listened to the radio and watched the TV and when Canadians talk, they don't say "A-Boot." At best, they say "A-Boat." People do, however, do say "eh." I think it's cute. I'm just saying make sure you get your stereotypes correct, 'kay? The much more surprising alternate pronunciations are for brandnames. I give you the case of "Mazda." You know Mazda, right? The automobile manufacturer? Well, I was under the impression that it was pronounced "Mazda" with an "a" like "mama." But I repeatedly hear commercials with the "Mazda" pronounced like the "a" in "can." So, that's a little weird. Equally weird is that other commercials pronounce "Chrysler" like "ChryZler" with hard "z." You know what I mean, eh?

FINALLY!

2006-05-04T08:22:00.000-04:00

We were so happy last night to find out that the sale of our home in California is now complete. We got the money in the bank and we no longer have to worry about all the bills and mortgages related to the other property. HOORAY! With Devoted Husband's new job and the sale of the house, we are all set money-wise for the first time and it's such a good feeling. Especially since we managed to more than double the price of our house from when we bought it only four years ago. We plan on paying off our student loans, gettin' ourselves some MP3 players and put the rest into CDs and let them sit until we are ready to buy our own place next year. It's such a major relief! All things considered, the whole process went fairly smooth and I hope that the couple that bought our place enjoy it. If not, too bad suckers! It's your problem now! A CANADIAN FACT! The median price for a home in Toronto is $366,683 ($331,188 in US Dollars). The median price for a home in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area is $470,900.

Canadian Candy Challenge Week 2

2006-05-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

This morning is just so beautiful. The sun is shining. The sky is bright blue. Not a cloud in the sky. Temperatures in the low 50s. Just a beautiful Spring day. I love it. I got a new chair for my office yesterday. It's one of those fancy chairs without a back in order to improve my posture. We'll see how that works. In honor of such a sunny day, I decided to review a sunny Canadian candy. The last candy that we reviewed was a little too tame, so Devoted Husband and I tried a much more adventurous choice: the Banana Kit Kat. Well, it was quite a pleasant surprise. The banana flavor was quite good. DH compared it to Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. By this reasoning, Banana Kit Kat ice cream should be the greatest ice cream on the planet. I think the world may implode with the fabulousness. That is, if you like banana. Otherwise, maybe not. What Is The American Reading? I just finished Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware. I can honestly say that I've never read anything like it. It's a graphic novel in the truest sense of the words and it tells a very emotional, and yet, painfully ordinary story. There are whole sections without any dialogue or text of any sort and the illustrations tell far more than words ever could. And, just because it's illustrated with cartoons, don't expect to laugh much. Or at all. This morning I started The Devil's Dream by Lee Smith. This is more of a traditional fictional story about an extended family of country music singers. It's pretty good so far. A CANADIAN FACT! Bananas are Canada's second most popular fruit, after apples, with each person eating 13 Kg (28.6 Pounds) annually.

The Weekend in Review

2006-05-01T08:24:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I've installed StatCounter on this blog so I can see who, in fact, is reading the blog. I can only tell by the ISP address of the computer, so I don't know who is reading by name, but I can make a reasonable guess based on where the ISP address is located. I'm not spying on you or anything, I'm just curious who is out there. This weekend was, in a word, BEAUTIFUL. The Fambly went out to Mandarin, a Chinese food buffet, which was delicious, if a bit pricey. If you've even been to a buffet of any type, then you have probably made yourself sick in order to get your money's worth. Which is what I did, unfortunately. But I didn't want to leave without dessert, even though I couldn't eat any more. Just on principle. So, I picked up some little dessert items (which I felt were little on purpose for just this reason) and put them in a napkin and stuffed them in my purse. OK, bill is paid, tip is laid, we are heading out the door. Suddenly, at the exit, I see a backup of people and an employee stopping each person. OH NO! I'm going to get busted for taking a Rice Krispie Square! I tried to make a run around the group of people, but then I saw that the employee at the door was just handing out after dinner mints. I took my mint and man, I laughed and laughed. I told Devoted Husband and I couldn't stop laughing about my fear of having my stupid little desserts confiscated. I was so ashamed, but it was super funny. Baby Boy and I went to the park this weekend and we had quite a time in the park sandbox. More than sand and shovels and buckets though, he likes other people's toys. He "borrowed" a soccer ball from an older girl named Nia. Her parents didn't mind and Nia, herself, didn't seem to mind. So, BB walked all around the sandbox with the ball and kicked it a few times, all while randomly yelling out "Ball!" and beaming like he won the lottery. However, the soccer ball took a backseat to another little girl's Winnie the Pooh bicycle helmet. The girl's grandmother was very understanding while BB walked around with the helmet on his head. When it was time to go, BB was very good and gave back his borrowed treasures. When we came back from the park on Sunday, DevHus was working in the garden in front of our house, digging up weeds and putting in new soil. His loss, not seeing BB tooling around in a stolen bicycle helmet. Everyone's loss, I'm sure.

Fiddlin' Fees

2006-04-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

It appears that I haven't posted in a few days, so here I am catching up, although there is not too much going on really. Devoted Husband seems to like the new job and the benefits are great. It sounds like a fabulous office. I can only hope that he likes doing the actual work. I just called his phone for the first time, too. He really didn't seem that eager to talk. Still on double secret probation, I guess. My co-worker Miss Bella was taking the subway the other day when she heard a musician playing, as subway musicians are prone to do. It was a fiddler and MB liked the music so much she bought one of his CDs. I'm personally not a huge fan of instrumental fiddling, but I can always support the arts. MB told me that in Toronto the musicians, or buskers, have to get a license to perform in the subway stations and in order to get the license, the musicians must audition first. They are judged on stage presence, musical or performance talent and entertainment value. Licenses, at an annual cost of $150, are then granted to the top 74 musicians and one honorary musician for a total of 75. The musicians are then placed on a 4 day rotating schedule going to any one of the 25 Toronto subway stops, so the one musician doesn't have to fight for another to get the "good stops." It all seems like a bit much to me. I mean, c'mon! They're just musicians. Personally, I'm just as entertained with an "professional" musician as with a guy banging on a bucket with a broken spatula. Like the guy I saw doing just that at the Beaches a few weeks ago. Now THAT'S entertainment! A CANADIAN FACT! While most of the auditioning entertainers are guitarists, the list of instruments played at the auditions has included the balalaika, violin, kalimba (thumb piano), cello, saxophone, mandolin, cimbalon, dizi (Chinese Flute) pan flute, banjo, dijerridoo, bassoon, hurdy-gurdy and steel pans, although it appears, no buckets.

New Job News

2006-04-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

More rain. Welcome to April in Toronto. Yesterday was Devoted Husband's first day at his new job and it seems like a good fit for him. He's the only man on his floor, but that may change as people are getting moved around and moved into a new section of their building. His co-workers seem really nice and friendly. They even took him and the rest of the department for a Welcome/Birthday lunch for DH and his boss, who had a birthday on Sunday. DH was worried because he didn't have much money on him, but lunch was on the company dime - something that he didn't experience at his previous job. Welcome, DH, to the world of "For Profit" business! There are a lot of differences compared to his old job other than that. He doesn't have to wear a stupid tie. The company is building a big kitchen with multiple appliances and a computer so you can go on the Internets during your lunch hour. And as previously mentioned, he can walk to work and to my office. Actually, he has to walk to work, since he doesn't have a parking spot. It'll be good for him, though.

April Showers

2006-04-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

I can't speak for your weather situation, but this past weekend we had more than our fair share of rain. So, it wasn't a big weekend for fun in the "A.I.T." household. We had an unfortunate trip to the grocery store that was a little soggy and a lunchtime trip to Shopsy's, a local deli. We actually did watch old videos of Baby Boy when he was much less mobile. We couldn't believe how slow he crawled and moved around. His legs were so chubby. He has really thinned out since he started walking. Speaking of BB, while we out to dinner on Saturday night (which we happened to be surrounded with a whole bunch of miserable Red Sox fans that had just attended a loss to the Blue Jays), he got a balloon (one of his favorite things) and he said, "Ball" which I think is pretty close. So, on Sunday I asked him to "bring Mommy the ball" and he did it right away. He then brought me a book and his shoes when I asked. What a smart boy! He even brought me different books and different shoes when I asked him later. What's the American Reading? I just finished Company by Max Barry (author of the great Jennifer Government) and it was a fabulously dark and funny novel about the current corporate culture. It's a satire, but not a completely unbelievable one. A CANADIAN FACT! The average annual Toronto rainfall is 27.1 inches.

Toujours Frais

2006-04-21T08:17:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that certain companies here in Canada are pretty ubiquitous. Every country has them, of course. In the U.S., however, these companies are pretty much found everywhere on Earth: Nike, Coca-Cola, Microsoft. While we have many U.S. fast food chains here, Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King, McDonald's, really the 900-pound gorilla of Canadian fast food is the legendary coffee and donuts emporium, Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons (originally known as "Tim Horton" with no possessive "s") is Canada's largest fast food chain, with more than double the Canadian locations of McDonald's. As a matter of fact, there are two TH within walking distance of my home and two more within walking distance of my office. The chain was founded in 1963 by Tim Horton (naturally) who played in the National Hockey League (naturally) from 1949 until his death in a car accident in 1974. Soon after Horton opened the store, he met Ron Joyce, a former Hamilton police constable. In 1965, Joyce's entrepreneurial spirit had come to the fore and he took over the fledgling Tim Horton Donut Shop on Ottawa Street in Hamilton. Upon Horton's death, Joyce bought out the Horton family and took over as sole owner of the existing chain of the forty stores. Currently, the parent company of TH is the Wendy's Corporation and you'll often see the two restaurants occupying the same space in a building. Recently TH opened up some U.S. stores, mostly on the East coast and in Northern New York. I always see the one near the Maine Mall every time that I visit my parents back home. Also, at the request of Canadian servicemen and women, in March 2006 Tim Hortons announced intentions to open a shop at the Canadian forces base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Every spring is TH's big Roll Up The Rim to Win contest. Customers determine if they have won prizes by unrolling the rim on their paper cup when they have finished their drink, revealing their luck underneath. There was big news recently as a little girl in the Montreal area fished a cup out of the garbage and asked another girl to help her lift up the rim. As it turns out, the prize for that cup was a $32,000 Toyota RAV4 SUV. Each family thought that they deserved the car, and Tim Hortons originally stated that they would not intervene in the dispute. However, this past week Tim Hortons announced that they had decided to award the prize to the parents of the girl who had initially discovered the cup. Despite Tim Hortons' prominence, I really don't go very often, as I don't drink coffee and rarely have donuts, but I do enjoy a Saturday morning low-fat muffin or some Timbits (donut holes). A CANADIAN FACT! Tim Hortons accounted for 22.6% of all fast food industry revenues in Canada in 2005 and they commands 76% of the Canadian market for coffee and baked goods. They hold 62% of the Canadian coffee market with Starbucks at number two with a pathetic 7%.

Spring Baby Boy Pictures

2006-04-20T08:29:00.000-04:00

Ah, it's another beautiful spring day here in T.O. and here are some more pictures of Baby Boy! A Day in the Park Easter Sunday BB and I were walking down the street yesterday on the way to day care when we saw a rabbit just sitting on a little patch of grass right near the street. It was quite a shock to see a bunny in the middle of the city, but the rabbit seemed cool with it. So, if anyone in the Greater Toronto Area is missing a big, brown rabbit, it was last seen on Carlaw Avenue.

Easter Continued

2006-04-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

I'd thought that I'd give a little idea of how a Canadian Easter goes. Mostly, it's the same as in the U.S., but there are differences. For one, everything is closed on Good Friday, as well as, Easter. In fact, it's actually a long weekend, Friday through Easter Monday. Saturday, however, is the day that everyone gets out of the house to get their holiday materials. This past Saturday was beautiful and Baby Boy and I went out to run our own errands. The streets were quite crowded and bustling. Last Thursday, the weather was so nice I wanted us to go out to dinner and take advantage of it. So, we went to The Magic Oven, which serves organic and vegetarian pizzas, salads and sandwiches. I had a delicious Greek Salad and DH had a pizza with organic Italian sausage, which he liked as well. On Easter Sunday, we managed to find an open restaurant that wasn't swamped and had a high chair. And that restaurant was...Philthy McNasty's! It's actually a sports bar. A kid-friendly sports bar. Each booth has its own TV on the table and the server was very good and took good care of us. We also had a coupon for a free entree, so that was good too. I had no intention of going to Philthy McNasty's when I woke up that morning, but it turned out to be a fun time. Recently, Devoted Husband and I were talking about even though we live in the middle of a huge city, we feel a real sense of a community in the area where we live, much more so than when we lived in California. When we go to the park or walk into the shops on the Danforth or just go to our local grocery store, there is a real feeling of living in a neighborhood. I really like it. The other thing that DH wanted me to bring up is the weird habit that a lot of restaurants have of serving cans of soda, rather than glasses of soda (by the way, it's "pop" up here, not "soda") - therefore, no refills. On the other hand, you get a much larger selection of drinks with the cans. So, there you go. What's the American Reading? I just finished, Fugitives and Refugees : A Walk in Portland, Oregon by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of Fight Club. It's a fabulous book about tons of weird places and things to do in Portland, Oregon. It really makes me want to visit, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a time. A CANADIAN FACT! Celebrity impersonators love Shania Twain. No other Canadian performer—male or female—has attracted as many impersonators.

Happy Easter, Passover, Patriot's Day, Spring, etc.

2006-04-17T08:24:00.000-04:00

Big happenings going on up here as of late, that's for sure. Firstly, Devoted Husband has managed to get himself a "proper job" with benefits and everything! He starts a week from today. He'll be working as an Accounts Receivable clerk for an auto financing company. I think it's a good fit for him, plus he will get to wear business casual instead of the shirts and ties from his old job. He also can walk to work just like myself. In fact, he's only a few blocks away from my office. We can meet for lunch and just be the cutest couple in the world! I'm so excited. He is less so, as he would just rather not work, period. Well, don't we all. We also just got our OHIP (health insurance) cards from the province. It has our picture on it, much like a driver's license. My picture isn't so bad. With DH's new job, we'll be getting supplemental insurance for stuff that OHIP doesn't cover, like prescriptions and dental. Also, yesterday was Easter and Baby Boy and I went to the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, which is the church that I've been going to for a few weeks now. I was a member of a Unitarian congregation back in California and I think I've found a good fit for me here. Of course, BB had to dress up all cute and stuff and here he is... Here are some more pics with his Easter Basket... I'm sure we'll post more when DH gets them organized and cleaned up. I'll have more Easter fun tomorrow. A CANADIAN FACT! The Toronto Easter Parade has been an annual event since 1966 - this year marks its 40th anniversary!

Baby Bully

2006-04-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

This past Monday, Baby Boy turned 15 months old. He is a wonderfully pleasant boy who is constantly on the go. But, sadly, it appears that Baby Boy is turning into a bit of a bully. He will push the other toddler at day care and then he will steal the other toddler's toy. I know, I know. He's "at that age." He's only one year old. But I don't want him to be the class jerk or a troublemaker. He's such a happy little guy that when he behaves that way, it just seems so out of character for him. I don't see it, however, since he has no competition for his toys at home. Oddly enough though, we were at the park last Sunday and BB was playing with a ball. BB threw the ball in the direction of an older kid playing in the sand. The older kid went out of his way to pick up the ball and heave it to the other side of the playground. BB, to his credit, did not fuss or cry. He just started walking to pick it up again. But I can only hope BB doesn't become a punk older kid that picks on babies. WAIT! What am I talking about?? Baby Boy is the best baby in the whole wide world! Of course he'll be fine. I feel better already! A CANADIAN FACT! The city of Toronto has over 275 public parks.

Back in the U.S.A...Sorta

2006-04-12T08:49:00.000-04:00

Devoted Husband and I had to get a document notarized and since we couldn't use a Canadian notary (As an aside, I was very old before I realized that it was a "notary public" and not a "notar republic." I don't know what I was thinking.) we had to use a U.S. notary only. So, the closest place we could go with a U.S. notary was the local United States Consulate. I knew that I would have to go to the Consulate at some time, for instance, to vote, but I had no idea it would be soon. The Consulate is only open from 8:30am to 1:00pm and for a major Consulate in a major city there was a pretty small skeleton crew running things. The building itself is pretty blah and not at all impressive. There's also a very creepy picture of Dick Cheney at the security checkpoint. While we were waiting, the TV was showing TLC's A Baby Story, so we were in the waiting room listening to women give birth. Sort of a weird thing to show in a waiting room with mixed company. I've been pretty happy with all my encounters with Canadian government employees, but you could tell that we were technically back in the U.S., because it took almost an hour for us to get the stupid paper notarized. Actually, we were waiting for 45 minutes and actually being assisted for 10 minutes. Typical. But, it's done and we didn't have to go all the way to New York to do it. So, I guess there's that. I just thought that my first visit back to U.S. soil would be a little more impressive. Perhaps involving a welcome home parade and fireworks. Maybe next time. A CANADIAN FACT! There are 13 Canadian Consulates and One Embassy in the U.S. The Embassy is, of course, located in Washington D.C. and the Consulates are located in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco and San Jose.

Canadian Candy Challenge Week One

2006-04-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

As I have mentioned in the past, there are certainly a wide variety of weird little candies here North of the Border. So, Devoted Husband and I have decided to try out these tasty treats. Our first victim is the relatively simple Chunky Kit Kat Peanut Butter. A little background: the traditional four finger version of the Kit Kat chocolate bar was originally launched in September 1935 in the UK as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp. Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp in 1937, and subsequently just Kit Kat after World War II. Kit Kat Chunky has one large finger approximately 2.5 cm wide and was introduced in 1999. Here in Canada (and virtually the entire world), Kit Kat is manufactured by Nestle, while in the U.S. it is manufactured by Hershey, Nestle's bitter rival. The Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter is currently available in Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia, but not the U.S. So, what's the verdict? Well, it tasted pretty much like you think a Kit Kat with Peanut Butter would taste like. It was good, but not stop-the-presses amazing. Although I can't think of a comparable candy bar off the top of my head, I know there must be something out there. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Devoted Husband didn't say much, but he ate his half willingly so I can only assume he enjoyed it at least. Supposedly, Canadian Kit Kats taste different that U.S. Kit Kats, but that would require a side-by-side taste test. Next week, I'll try to find something a little stranger. The real strange Kit Kat Flavors are in Japan: Pineapple, Melon, Apple, Passion Fruit and Green Tea, to name just a few. Looks like I should be heading to Tokyo soon. A KIT KAT FACT! One of the ingredients used in the production of Kit Kat bars is, appropriately enough, other Kit Kat bars which were damaged during manufacturing. They are powdered, and used as filling.

Beach Party!

2006-04-10T11:32:00.000-04:00

Another exciting weekend here in T.O. On Saturday mornings I walk to Weight Watchers to get weighed in. If you don't already know, and I doubt if you are reading this that you don't, I have been attending WW for several years now and have managed to lose 90+ pounds. I even had to lose 50 lbs. twice - once before and once after the birth of Baby Boy. I still have about 30 more lbs. to go. Anyway, after I went to WW, I immediately walked to the candy store. Naturally. And guess what I found? You bet...Peeps! Yes, I finally found my precious Peeps and Peep-a-palooza will go ahead as planned. Hooray! So, a big thank you Suckers Candy Co. After I got home, the fambly decided to go to The Beaches. The Beaches are located on the shore of Lake Ontario and it's filled with expensive homes and adorable little shops. And beaches. Naturally. We hopped on the street car, which is my favorite form of public transportation, and bopped down the street. We got off and had a yummy lunch at Murphy's Law. It was there that I noticed that Baby Boy's top two teeth are coming in. So, now his teeth total will double to four! Congrats! We walked all the way up Queen street and looked in the windows of all the little stores. Although it was a little warmer and sunnier than usual, it'll be better to go back to The Beaches in the Summer. We then took a brief side trip off the street and through the Kew Beach Memorial Gardens to look at the actual beach. The beach was nice and, again, it will be nicer in the Summer. A little chilly, that's all I'm saying. There is a lovely boardwalk where people jog and take thier dogs for runs. It was then I realized that everyone in Toronto either has kids or dogs. Sometimes both. Sometimes you are a kid or a dog. Sometimes you are both. We decided to walk all the way back to our house and that turned out to be over 3 miles away. So, let's just say that we walked quite a bit. But overall a fun day. A CANADIAN FACT! The Toronto Beaches are: Sunnyside Beach (Sir Casmir Gzowski, Sunnyside and Budapest Park); Woodbine Beaches (Woodbine Ashbridges Bay and Beaches); and Kew-Balmy Beach (Kew and Balmy beaches).

Smoking Stinks

2006-04-06T11:12:00.000-04:00

Now, let me preface this by saying I don't smoke. But I do walk and look at the garbage that lines the streets. The most common garbage I see are coffee cups and cigarette packs. One thing I immediately noticed was that these packages have large warnings on them, much larger than the ones in the U.S. As you can see, they can be pretty graphic. They are also really large and fill up the top of the package (see right and below). These warnings were first put on packages in 2000. The labels cover 50% of the entire package (front and back) and are considered the largest and most graphic warning labels in the world. Inside the packages, there are suggestions on how to quit. A survey was done by the Canadian Cancer Society a few years after the warnings were first printed and they found that 43 percent of smokers and 40 percent of nonsmokers said they are more concerned about the health effects of smoking because of the new warnings. The study also showed that 38 percent of smokers who attempted to quit in 2001 said the new warnings were a factor in motivating them to try to quit. But, don't feel down. These are good things! We want people to stop smoking! So, here's to no more smoking. Pick a day to stop and just stop. What's the American Reading? I just picked up The Fasting Girl: A True Victorian Medical Mystery. So far, pretty good. It's about a woman who claimed to not eat (more or less) for 12 years and stayed in her bedroom from age 19 until the day she died. Freeky and fascinating. A CANADIAN FACT! A carton of cigarettes in Ontario costs $66.23 (CAN).

Food Fun

2006-04-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

Not for any real reason, I wanted to post this. Tomorrow, at 1:02:03 o'clock, the time and date will be: 01:02:03 04/05/06. Neat, huh? Anyway, today I wanted to share will my readers two pieces of Canadian food knowledge. Firstly, the humble Nanaimo Bar. Named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, these bars are a tasty traditional Canadian dessert. The bar consists of a crumb-based layer, sometimes with coconut, topped by a light custard which is covered in soft chocolate. Delish. Apparently, it's more of a Christmas cookie, but the Toronto Film Studios commissary had them a few weeks ago and at my officemate's insistence, we had them. The bar has been around since at least the 1950's under the name Nanaimo, but there are lots of different recipes and names for this particular snack and surely existed before then. The City of Nanaimo takes its Nanaimo bars very seriously; the city's mascot is known as Nanaimo Barney and has the shape of a giant Nanaimo bar. That's my kind of city - a giant cookie mascot. Also, there are box mixes (sacrilege, I'm sure) to make Nanaimo bars, so maybe I'll give it a shot this upcoming Christmas season. The other topic is the controversial "Canadian Bacon." As you may guess, Canadians do not refer to this popular breakfast/sandwich meat by this term. It can either be referred to as "Peameal Bacon" or "Back Bacon." Peameal bacon is slightly different than back bacon. It is known as peameal bacon, because in times past a mixture of ground yellow peas was used for coating to improve curing and shelf-life. The "Canadian" bacon sold in the United States is plain lean back bacon. Peameal bacon is found in virtually every restaurant as a side dish, a burger topping or as a sandwich meat. I haven't tried it myself, but I imagine some day peameal bacon and I will cross paths. Stay tuned. A CANADIAN FACT! Strictly speaking, Canadian Bacon, Back Bacon and Peameal Bacon are not bacon. They are really all pork loin.

Making Changes

2006-04-03T16:02:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to change up the site a little bit. Do not be alarmed. It's still the same site. Take a deep breath. Everything will be just fine.

In A Pickle

2006-04-03T09:43:00.000-04:00

Hey all! It's raining out right now. I hope you remembered to put your clocks ahead this weekend. We have that in Canada, too. This weekend, we went to the Pickle Barrel. At one time, the PB was a deli. Based on the menus, which had advertisements inside, it appears to be more like a certain other restaurant that I'm familiar with from the States. The food was pretty good and the service fine, but what was notable was that Baby Boy slept through the entire meal. What a nice surprise. Speaking of Baby Boy, he has started to say, with some prodding, "Bye Bye" and waving good-bye. Actually, he says "ba-bay." Close enough. AND UNBELIEVABLE ADORABLE! After lunch, we wandered around Yonge (pronounced Young) Street and looked at all the stores. Yonge is a pretty prominent street that is similar to Sunset Boulevard or 5th Avenue. We'll have to back at night to see all of the neon signs. It was so nice out that my winter coat was making me sweat. I was the only person walking around with a big puffy jacket. I'll figure out this weather thing sooner or later. Last night was the Juno Awards, which is like the Canadian Grammy Awards. It was kind of interesting, since I didn't know all the artists. But the big winner was neo-Rat Pack singer, Michael Buble, who I do know. I also call shenanigans, as there was an Best International Award, and there was a tie for this award: The Black Eyed Peas (Wha!) and Coldplay. Coincidentally enough, both of those acts were performing on the Junos. Hmmmmm. Suspicious. And Bryan Adams was inducted in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Good for him. "Ba-Bay!" And now, a new feature: What is the American reading? I'm currently reading Molvania: A Land Untouched By Modern Dentistry. Hilarious, fake travel guide that reads like The Onion. So, very very funny. A CANADIAN FACT! The origins of the awards date back to 1970. A year later, the name was changed from the Gold Leaf Awards to the Juno Awards in honor of Pierre Juneau, then head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (like the FCC). When it was discovered that Juno had been the chief Goddess of the Roman Pantheon, the spelling was changed and the awards permanently named.

Peeps Primavera

2006-03-31T08:31:00.000-05:00

First of all, I would like to wish a big, fat Happy Birthday to my little brother, "Weethy," who turns the big 3-0 today! Here's a picture of him with his dog Koa. Personally, I liked my 30th. Such a nice, round number for an age. Anyway, think a good thought today for Weethy as he enters his third decade. The weather here is a delightful 45 F (7 C) and it really feels like Spring. One of the things I really missed while living in Southern California were the seasons. Everyone who moves to So Cal says this. Sunshine is wonderful most of the time, but a little variety is nice too. There's a sense of achievement when you don't have to bundle up all the time. Easter is also coming up and for me that means one thing: Marshmallow Peeps. Specifically, it means Peep-a-palooza. I started Peep-a-palooza in my office in 2003 when I heard that you can put Marshmallow Peeps in the microwave and they blow up to enormous sizes and mutate into blobs. (View it for yourself.) Then, when you take the Peeps out, they shrink up and harden and taste like a toasted marshmallow. DELICIOUS! So, every year, around Easter, I wear my traditional Peep t-shirt and blow up some Peeps real good! This year, I can't seem to find any Peeps in any local stores. Now, the Peeps website says that Peeps are sold in Canada. In fact, Canada is Just Born's (the company that makes Peeps) largest international market. But I can't seem to find any. I sent an email to Just Born and, hopefully, I will get a response in time. It just won't be the same without my traditional mutilation of candy chickens and bunnies. A PEEP FACT! In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one Peep. Today, it takes six minutes.

A Little Peak Into the Mind of Baby Boy

2006-03-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Here's just a quick peak at what Baby Boy is up to right now. You see, there is a dog at his day care named Ruby. BB is quite taken with Ruby and so as we get closer and closer to the house, he starts barking. Or more specifically, he says "Woof! Woof! Woof!" He'll continue woofing as we get to the door and he'll immediately start looking for Ruby. When I pick him up at the end of the day, still more woofing. It's a good thing that he's not started to screech like our crazy cats. When he's not woofing, he's singing. He just make sounds in a kind of singsong way, but he thinks he's singing, so that's all the matters, really. I suppose he's just preparing for American Idol 2025.

Brush With Death at the Grocery Store

2006-03-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

OK. I'll tell you guys this, but don't judge me. Alright, so I'm at the No Frills to pick up some diapers, baby wipes and a frozen pizza (by the way, DiGiorno pizza in the U.S. is known as Delissio in Canada, which I like better, but I digress). So, I get my cart. Carts here in the city have a little coin slot in which you have to put a quarter in to release the cart. When you return the cart, you get your quarter back. It's to prevent people from just making off with the carts. I've learned to always keep a quarter in my car ashtray. Well, the actual shopping trip was pretty uneventful and I got all that I needed. I managed to avoid the guy selling baskets in the parking lot and I got to my car with no problem. That's when danger struck! I turned away from the cart to put Baby Boy in his car seat. I then started to hear a horn honking. I foolishly chose to ignore it. When BB was all strapped in, I turned back to the cart and SURPRISE! the cart wasn't there. It, in fact, had rolled all the way over to the No Frills gas station and ran into a gas tanker truck. The horn was coming from a pickup truck and I thanked him, despite the fact that I completely ignored him. I then ran across the parking lot before a roving band of squirrels could steal my pizza. I was pretty embarrassed. But at least BB wasn't in the cart. That would have been pretty bad. But, he wasn't in the cart, so no problem, right? Please say that's no problem. A CANADIAN FACT! The average Canadian eats about 10 1/2 kilos (or just over 23 pounds) of pizza per person, per year.

Honestly Ed's

2006-03-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from friends and family about this little venture of mine. I had no idea that anyone would read it other than my L.A. friend, Sundry. But to my complete surprise, it seems that I have several readers out there. So, well THANKS. I really appreciate it. Anyhoo, this past weekend the Fambly went to the long-standing Toronto institution, Honest Ed's. For 58 years, Ed's has been a tribute to shopping gluttony. From the outside, it looks like a Vegas casino, but inside you can buy virtually anything you can think of. I saw food, kitchen supplies, clothes for men, women and children, electronics, rugs, a pharmacy, a beauty salon and more. Granted, the items come in when they come in (like a Big Lots) and the bargains are only for select items, but if you only have time to go to one store, this would probably be your best bet. Actually, the most interesting thing about Ed's is the decor. There are dozens and dozens of stage posters hanging around the store. Ed Mirvish, "Honest Ed" himself, was a prominent Toronto stage play producer (Mirvish Productions is currently running the big Lord of the Rings musical) and posters for some of his plays are on view. Also, there are tons of signed headshots of people like Dean Martin, Liberace and Gloria Swanson. I normally don't get claustrophobic, but I was getting a little panic-y. Also, it was pretty had to maneuver the baby stroller with all the stairs. The elevator only went up and down to a few floors and only in one side of the store, as the store consist of two buildings connected by a walkway to allow customers to travel from the west building to the east building. There are tons of signs with prices on the store in a very specific style. Devoted Husband and I thought it was a computer generated font, but I guess that every piece of signage, right down to the prices of individual items, is a hand-painted showcard created by a traditional in-house signpainter. There's a job that I didn't know existed. Now that I've been, I doubt I'll be back soon, that is until my Mom comes up for a visit and has a need for a souvenir moose with a Canadian flag on it's tummy. A CANADIAN FACT! In July, 2005, Ed Mirvish celebrated his 91st birthday with a lavish party, to which all of Toronto was invited, at Honest Ed's.

My Current Currency, My Changing Change

2006-03-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

One of the most exciting aspects, for me, of this whole move is the new money I get to use. This is because I'm a complete nerd. But also because it's just fun to use another country's money after using only one kind of money your whole life. For many reasons, Canadian money is neat. For instance... 1. It's very pretty. Canadian paper money has lots of lovely colors (or colours, if you will) and quite a varied palette. Each denomination has a different color theme and show a Canadian Prime Minister (except for Queen Elizabeth II, who appears on more currency than anyone). But depending on which series there might be a Canadian scene and a prominent quotation on the reverse or another series with native Canadian birds on the reverse like an owl or a loon. And speaking of loons... 2. One and Two Dollar Coins Canada has all the same small denomination coins as the U.S. (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) but they also have two large denomination coins. I love the one and two dollar coins they have here. They are known as the Loonie, for the picture of the Loon on the one dollar and the Twoonie, as a pun on Loonie, respectively. The best part of these coins is that when you paw through your change you may wind up with some of these dollar coins and Blammo! substantially more money than mere nickels and dimes. It doesn't take much to excite me, really. And since there are no one dollar bills... 3. Paper money is always at least five bucks. Have you ever reached into your jeans and found a dollar. Well, in Canada if you reach in your pocket and feel a bill, the LEAST it can be is five dollars. That's eating out money, my friend! 4. You can see Queen Elizabeth age right in front of you. As you can see, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth changes on the money as she gets older. One of the pitfalls of putting a living person on your currency, I suppose. I do know that she formally sits for each official coinage portrait. It's even more obvious on the larger bank notes. I'm sure she's not a fan of this, but it's pretty educational for me. I almost feel bad for her and then I remember she's the QUEEN OF ENGLAND! 5. If you leave a bunch of change as a restaurant tip, you don't look like a cheapskate. 'Nuff said. A CANADIAN FACT! The first currency used in Canada were Spanish dollars. There was no single Canadian national currency until the Uniform Currency Act was passed in 1871.

Baby Boy Photographica

2006-03-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

Not much going on right now, because Baby Boy has a bit of a cough and we have stayed pretty close to home, other than going to the Real Canadian Superstore, which I must admit is pretty super. So, in place of an actual Tale of Toronto (ooh, that should have been the title of the blog!) I have links to some older pics of Baby Boy from Christmas and his birthday. Baby Boy's First Christmas Baby Boy's First Birthday Party But in place of a longer posting, I'll give you... A CANADIAN FACT! Three oceans border Canada: the Atlantic on the East, the Pacific on the West and the Arctic on the North. ANOTHER CANADIAN FACT! According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the beaver has "had a greater impact on the history and exploration of Canada than any other animal or plant species." Go Beavers! AND ANOTHER CANADIAN FACT! The only Canadian ever to serve as Prime Minister of Great Britain was a man named Bonar Law. I don't know who that is or what he accomplished, but isn't that an AWESOME name? Bonar Law! His name is actually Andrew Bonar Law, but he chose to go by Bonar Law. Somehow I doubt that anyone named Bonar Law would hold high office today. AND ONE LAST CANADIAN FACT! On average, according to Environment Canada, a drop of water which finds its way into Lake Superior from runoff or rainfall takes more than two centuries to travel through the Great Lakes system and along the St. Lawrence River to the ocean. That means, water which entered Superior in 1802, didn't make it to the Atlantic until this year!

Our First Month

2006-03-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

It's been one month since the fateful night that we arrived in Toronto for good. And oddly enough, there has been more snow in the town that we just left than here in the Great White North. My friend "Sundry" (who herself has an awesome blog Any Given Sundry) took this picture near her home, just a little bit north of my old stomping grounds. In other news, Toronto is currently enjoying the highest temps in years. It IS super windy though. Here are some odds and ends that I've learned from my past 30 days in T.O.: There aren't any parking meters as such. There are machines that you can put coins in or use your credit card or ATM card to pay for street parking. That's pretty neat. When you put your money in, you get a little slip of paper to put in your windshield. If you come back and have some time left over, you can then give the slip to some nice family with an adorable Baby Boy and then the nice family can park for free. Oh, it's true! It happened to me. Believe it! There are these little cars called Smart Cars. They are wee little cars that can tool around the city and they are adorable. They are so tiny that they can park front-first into a parking space on the street and still only stick out as much as regular size car. I love 'em. It's weird to see really familiar items that are just a little bit different. For instance: Oreos. Eveyone knows Oreos. Yummy cookie, right? Well, in Canada they are manufactured by a company called Christie. And on the package it says, "Mr. Christie, you make a good cookie." Who's this "Mr. Christie?" What about Nabisco? I'm so confused. And they have all these weird Kit-Kat candy bars with peanut butter in them. Or orange or banana flavor Kit-Kats. Or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with caramel in them. Or Aero bars with yogurt in them (!). These Canadians do love their candy that's for sure. There are three candy shops within walking distance from my house. It also makes me think that the US has been focusing so much on deep-frying technology involving Twinkies and Snickers bars and whatnot, that we've dropped the ball on chocolate advancements. Speaking of which... A CANADIAN FACT! The most popular candy bar in Canada is Coffee Crisp. Enjoy!

OHIP-Hip-Hooray!

2006-03-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! It's kinda spitting snow flurries right now. The weather can't make up its mind what it wants to do. Yesterday, Devoted Husband and I rode the rails around the city and took care of some errands. We had to go to the OHIP office. OHIP stands for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and is the legendary Canadian Health Care System. We have a three month waiting period before we can actually get covered, but soon we will each get a card (much like a driver's license) that will cover all our medically necessary services. We will have to see how it works out once we actually try it. Once again, we had a very easy time with the governmental offices. I haven't had any problems with the many different offices that I've had to deal with. The people are all friendly and helpful and I don't have to wait for extended periods of time. They are always a pleasure. Thank you Federal, Provincial and City workers of Ontario - you always do a fabulous job! A CANADIAN FACT! Canada is the only foreign country permitted to have an embassy on Pennsylvania Ave.

A Touch of Spring

2006-03-13T08:03:00.000-05:00

While it is raining pretty hard right now, we just had the most beautiful weekend. It was a balmy 50 degrees and the streets and parks were overflowing with people. On Saturday, we all went out to run some errands and to find a good library. Toronto has libraries all over the place (mini Canada fact: it's the largest public library system in Canada with 99 branches), but the one closest to our place is undergoing repairs so we have to find another. The branch second-closest to us has pretty slim pickings and is pretty small. So, he hopped in the car and drove a short while to the S. Walter Stewart Branch, which has an awesome selection and a huge Children's Floor that allows Baby Boy to wander around without bothering any adults. I guess you could say that libraries are pretty important to us. As I was saying, it was a beautiful weekend and so on Sunday we decided to take advantage of the weather and go to the public park that is near our place. So, since I know what my readers want, here it is! PICTURES OF BABY BOY! Baby Boy and I walking. He doesn't have to hold my hand, I'm just trying to turn him around and steer him towards the playground equipment. Here is Baby Boy getting very excited to see the playground equipment and all the other kids. Yay! Swinging! There are a lot more pictures, but Devoted Husband has to tidy them up a little. We also took some videotape, which we don't do nearly enough. Anyway, we had a lot of fun and after swinging and sliding and running around and falling down, we went back home. A CANADIAN FACT! According to the CBC, Canadians eat more doughnuts per capita than any other country and more than three times as many as Americans.

Adventures in Walking

2006-03-12T19:50:00.000-05:00

I was walking on Friday morning in the misty rain and since it was Trash Pickup Day, I began to look down at the different trash in front of the houses I pass on my way to work. You can learn a lot about people, certainly, by the garbage they produce. "Ooh, they drink really expensive wine." "They really like chicken nuggets." "I have no idea what that is. Do you eat that?" This is just one of the many cool things you can see while walking. As they say, "nobody walks in L.A." But everyone walks in Toronto. I like my walk to work every morning which is still a lot faster than my L.A. commute was. I like the sights and sounds of the city in the morning. I like seeing the headlines on the about half-dozen daily and weekly newspaper boxes on my route. I like singing silly songs to Baby Boy in his stroller. And I like being nozy when it comes to my neighbor's weekly chicken nugget consumption.

A Truly Filthy Post

2006-03-07T09:06:00.000-05:00

When I told people that I was moving to Toronto, almost every person would say how clean the city was. Well, I've been here for a few weeks now and I'm not really seeing the legendary cleanliness of the Greater Toronto Area. It's pretty much as dirty as any other major city, which is odd since there are tons of garbage/recycling bins all over the city. Maybe it get cleaner in the summer or something. Yesterday, Devoted Husband (who, by the way, hates that nickname, but until he comes up with something better, it stays) went to the hardware store to pick up our new recycling/garbage bins. Here in Toronto, the garbage is divided up into three categories like so: Organic: Food, food-related rinds, bones and peels and items that involve human by-products (i.e. tissues, diapers) Recyclable: Cans, bottles, jars, paper, etc. Garbage: Styrofoam, tin foil, baby wipes, miscellaneous Everything has to go into it's own special bin and has to be put out on the appropriate garbage day. Organics go out every week and recyclable and garbage go out every alternate week. There is a special garbage calendar and everything. It may sound a little complicated, but it's not really that bad once you get the handle of it. There is a more official list of what items go in what bin and we're slowly learning. I actually like doing it since, at least in theory, there is something being done to help the environment, if only in a small way. A CANADIAN FACT! You may know that Canada's National Anthem is O Canada -- but, you may not know that although it has been sung since the late 1800's, it wasn't proclaimed Canada's National Anthem until 1980!

I Won An Oscar...by association

2006-03-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

Not much going on, other than I was quite excited that Crash won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Although I haven't seen the movie, I did do the research for it and so, in a way, I also won an Oscar for Best Picture. Of course, that "way" would be incorrect, but it is still officially a way.

Clive Owen Watch Day One

2006-03-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

It's very very cold. And windy. Windy and cold. But, it's raining in LA so I don't feel so bad. I just snuck down to the studio commissary to get a soda (or pop, as they say up here) to have with my lunch and possibly try to sneak a peak of Clive Owen, who apparently is shooting a movie on the lot. I have long thought that Clive Owen is rather non-descript. I know I am in the minority amongst most of the ladies that I know, who think he is a very attractive man. Eh. He doesn't do anything for me. At any rate, I didn't see anything of note. This morning, however, I met Ben Chin. He is running for a political seat representing my neighborhood. He asked me for my vote and I didn't have the heart to tell him that my vote was no good. Last week, Devoted Husband lost a filling and so he had to go get that fixed and last night my glasses, which had been sooooooo close to breaking for a while now, finally did, in fact, break. When it rains, it snows. The reason that the glasses finally did break was because Baby Boy has repeatedly grabbed my glasses off my face and then threw them to the floor. Repeatedly. I blame him totally and, rest assured, I will invoice him for the replacement pair once he gets his first paycheck. A CANADIAN FACT! Toronto is home to the CN Tower, the world's tallest building at 1815 Feet(and also quite visible on my walk to work).

Very Nearly Settled In

2006-03-01T12:30:00.000-05:00

OOOOOKKKKKKAAAAAAYYYY. Well, I'm in my office. My Internet is working correctly. I'm actually doing work (sorta) and everything is seems to be on the right track. We got our stuff on Monday and Devoted Husband is currently going through everything and unpacking as I write this. This afternoon we need to drive out to the hinterlands to look at our car and then we will pick it up tomorrow. Mind you, we have to rent a car every time we have to drive out to pick up our stuff through customs. So, it's all adding up for us. Now that we will have our car as of tomorrow, I hope we can hold off on the endless spending. Well, what have we been up to? We did a lot of official government business, all of which has gone surprisingly well (KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on wood). We went to various grocery stores to check out which one we liked. I think I like No Frills best. Although the prices are something to get used to. We found day care for Baby Boy, which he seems to like well enough. My parents came up for a visit and they liked the area we live in, although I assume that they will like it a helluva lot more when the weather gets warmer. We walked a lot (natch) since we are currently vehicle-less. Fortunately, our new apartment is centrally located so it turns out that we are near quite a few important offices and, of course, not that far from my office. Naturally, we had to keep bundled and warm. We also took our first Toronto subway trip when we went to an underground shopping mall. Eh. It was a mall. I was more excited to see The Bay, a huge 14 floor department store in downtown Toronto. I bought a measuring cup and that was pretty cool. The other big news is that Baby Boy is now walking! He started the day that we moved our stuff out of the condo and he hasn't stopped yet. I'm amazed at how quickly he is learning and getting better and better at it. He's getting so big. And now I'd like to present... A CANADIAN FACT! The current population of Canada is 32,805,041 people and 80% of this population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border including the 2.48 million people who live in Toronto proper. Also... ANOTHER COOL THING ABOUT CANADA! Last night on CTV I got to watch American Idol and premiere of The Amazing Race back to back without having to switch channels and I also didn't miss any of either show, even though in the US they overlapped for a half hour. YAY CANADA!

Safe and Sound, eh

2006-02-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Los Angeles ten years ago in a 1988 Toyota Camry with my brother. I left LA with my husband and son and cats in a stretch limo. Only the best. We're here in Toronto, at last. Of course, we brought the worst weather of the year with us. Freezing rain and snow. Yeechh. There is a lot more to say, naturally, but no time right now. Not much computer access at the moment. But, rest assured Baby Boy is good, Devoted Husband is good, Spastic Cats are sorta good and I'm good. More to come...

Packing is for Suckers

2006-02-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

Man, does moving ever bite the big one. My mom was just recently telling me the reason he has so much junk around her house because she has never moved. We've actually tossed a lot of stuff and we had a garage sale (with my friend Lisa's garage, as we don't have one) and we did pretty well. We made about $150 and we got rid of a lot of sharp and pointy furniture that was becoming a hazard for Baby Boy. We're down to the zero hour on this move. A week from today we'll be in Toronto. We still have so much to do and I'm sure it will all get done. It always does. But, I know that it will be quite an interesting adventure and we will have a great time doing it. Friday will be my last day here in Burbank and I'll miss seeing all my awesome co-workers everyday. But I signed up yesterday for instant messaging, so I hope that we'll be able to "talk" in real time to make it at least feel like we're still in the same office. There's a lot that I'll miss about Los Angeles, but I look forward to doing new things and going to new places in Canada. Once all this moving stuff is behind me and we're more settled in, it'll be nice to relax and become a Toronto-ite. I'll try to post to recap the actual official move. Cross your fingers that it goes well.

We Got an Old House on The Danforth

2006-02-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we still hadn't found the apartment for us. We looked at some very wee little places that were in our budget, but wouldn't be enough space for the three of us. We had a family meeting and decided to raise our monthly rental budget and hope that we could find something with a little more room. We did find a small place in a wonderful location. It was right across the street from a huge park with playground equipment and lots of rolling hills. The apartment was just too "cozy" (but not a "motivated seller") , but the area was so wonderful. Sigh. So, with an increased budget and a new rental car (to let Hayley off the driving hook) we ventured on our own and drove around Toronto looking at places. We were supposed to see four apartments, but we stopped at the third. It was just so perfect.

It was on a quiet street in the Danforth area of Toronto. The apartment consists of the main floor and a finished basement. We also get the veranda on the front and a deck and small yard in the back. The owner lives on the top two floors and he seems really really nice. There is so much room (especially in the basement) and yes...

It was right across the street from that wonderful park! Baby Boy will have such a wonderful time, especially on the swings. We also found out there is an indoor swimming pool in the park as well. It's also a great way to cut across a couple of streets to get up to Danforth. I'm also less than a mile to my new office and within walking distance to all sorts of restaurants and shops.

The street is nice and quiet and all residential. Our next door neighbor is a family as well. We were so excited that we filled out the application. We had to got to the bank and cash out all of our traveler's cheques so that we could pay the first and last month's rent. Well, long story short we did get the place and although it's weird to go back to renting after owning, but this time in a rental will allow us to take our time to find a more permanent housing.

Apartment secured, we could relax for a little while before we flew back. We had gone to several restaurants and with the exception of Lick's which makes an AWESOME veggie burger that doesn't even remotely taste like a veggie burger and Reliable Fish and Chips which unfortunately is very near my office and SOOOOOO good, the food and service weren't so hot. But then we went to a family-type chain restaurant, Jack Astor's. Our lovely server, Ana, was great and she kept our drinks filled and our orders hot. When I told her that she was the best server we'd had on our trip, she told her manager. The manager came over to our table and said we could have a free dessert.

Well, we're not ones to turn down a free anything, so we ordered the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Cup. It was so good, but huge and we couldn't even come close to finishing it. But so delicious.

By Thursday, we were back on our way to Los Angeles. We only just barely made the shuttle to the airport and almost left behind our stroller and our passports (!), but we managed to get back to California in one piece.

And when we got off the plane, it was so warm.

I Can Still Watch People's Court!

2006-01-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

Our second day in Toronto started pretty late because we got to bed so late. I DID find out that The People's Court is on at 9:00am so that is a load off my mind. I SOOOO love my People's Court. At any rate, we finally got ahold of my new and former co-worker, Hayley, who was to be our tour guide. We decided to drive to my new office at the Toronto Film Studios, have some lunch at the studio cafe and then start right in looking for apartments. Our first stop was the glamorous Toronto Film Studios. It's actually a pretty small film lot, but it certainly is interesting. I used to work on the Sony Lot in Culver City back in my salad days as a temp, but I haven't worked on a lot since. We went up to my new office. Baby Boy was already set to go when he got to the office. With the prices in Canada being what they are, he may have to get a job sooner than he expected. Hayley and I tried out the printer/fax machine/copier/pacemaker so I could send a copy of my Work Visa to the attorneys. We then all went to the small cafe on the lot and although the grill was shut down by this time, Hayley was able to use her feminine wiles to get the cook to grill us up some burgers. Yummy. After lunch, we drove around the Danforth, which was the area that I was interested in. It is the Greek area of Toronto and has lots of families and quiet streets and it's quite close to the studios. We didn't find anything that day, but we got a feel for the area, which I totally loved. That night, we went to Hayley's apartment and saw the gorgeous view. But it was time to get back to the hotel and we were prepared to continue our apartment search tomorrow. Up next...eventual SUCCESS!

Pleased to meet you, Toronto

2006-01-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

After many months of waiting, we actually arrived in Toronto. It's a lovely city. A little smaller than I thought, not as cold as I thought and very, very nice. The major goal for this trip was to wrangle an apartment for the actual permanent move on February 15th. The flight itself was a little strange as we flew on El Al, the Israeli airline. Everything was in Hebrew and they really don't have much of a sense of humor. They also made us buy a ticket for Baby Boy for the privilege of sitting on our laps. We did get a certified Kosher meal which wasn't too bad. To get ANY meal on a flight is a treat these days, so we were happy to have it. When we landed, we breezed through Customs. We then headed toward Immigration. I was terrified that I would be brought to a dark room with a single, swinging lightbulb and browbeaten within an inch of my life. But, the Immigration officer was (no surprise) very nice and he quickly processed our work papers. I have waited longer for a table at The Cheesecake Factory than I waited to get my Canadian work permits. When we finally got to the hotel (after missing the shuttle and grabbing a cab - a cab which had a hockey game on the radio, of course!) it was very late. The front desk clerk did not understand the concept of Priceline and insisted that I give them another credit card. I was so tired that maybe, I was just a teeny bit short with her. But, all was well by the morning. We then enjoyed a "Pizza, Pizza" pizza and watched Canadian television which is remarkably similar to US television. Stay tuned for the thrilling first look at my new office and Toronto, itself.

Drink Bacardi (or milk) Like It's Your Birthday

2006-01-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

So, this past Sunday was Baby Boy's First Birthday Party. It went off without a hitch. Well, maybe one hitch. He was nursing a bad cold and slept through the first hour and a half. A party isn't much fun without the guest of honor. When he finally did wake up, he wasn't his usual sparkling self, but we forged ahead. As you can tell from the picture, he's not exactly thrilled about his cake, but what a trouper! By the way, the party was Curious George-themed, which, as it turns out, is not exactly common, even with the upcoming feature film. So, I had to jerry-rig my own cake. While the good people at Ralphs' grocery made the cake (with a Madagascar themed background, minus the characters), I added the little Man in the Yellow Hat and George, as well as, Curious Nathan himself, rising from the sea like an adorable little Godzilla. He got some fabulous presents, including a picture book written by his equally fabulous Aunt Judy, lots of nice noisy toys (with hammers and singing desk lamps) and lots of cute, winter clothes for his journey to the Great White North. I'll have all of Baby Boy's fans know, he's feeling much better. He still has a runny nose, but he's been playing all day and laughing and smiling and generally being the wonderful boy that he is. Here's to the Second Year of his Life!

Here We Go

2006-01-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well, in a week I'll be in Toronto looking for housing for me, my husband, my one-year old son and our two cats. Somehow, I find myself packing up and leaving Los Angeles, where I've lived for a decade now, and moving to Canada. In January. Brilliant. I've never been to Toronto, although I have been to Quebec and Nova Scotia - both lovely trips. The company I work for here in L.A. has an office in Toronto and they were looking for another employee to double the office staff to 2. One of the only things keeping me here in California was my job, so the opportunity to be able to keep my job and still move to another location was so perfect. Since the birth on my little boy, I've wanted to move closer to our families in New England. Although, Toronto is still 10 hours from there, it's a lot easier and cheaper than flying across the country all the time. So, I decided to pack up and move to another country - sight unseen. Fortunately for me, my husband was burned out with his job and seems up for an adventure. The baby had no official say in the decision, but I took his smile for a "thumbs up." I decided to start this blog specifically for my friends and family to follow my progress and laugh and snicker as I deal with multi-colored currency, public transportation and temperature in Celsius. I hope it's somewhat interesting to read. Stranger things have happened. And so we go...