Winnipeg

I had a great time visiting Em in Winnipeg. We toured the city and then drove about an hour north to Lake Winnipeg.

Pictures tell the story, so here are some highlights.

Via Rail Station, Winnipeg. (I flew in, but I love train stations)



Fort Garry Hotel



Inside, at the elevators



Winnipeg skyline



The windiest cross-streets in Canada!



Bug spray, anyone?



The Forks (where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet)



Lake Winnipeg



The Viking at Gimli and an explanation. So cool that the plaque is written in English, French and Icelandic!





Pelican!



Winnipeg Beach, where the short lived show, Falcon Beach was shot. They just digitally changed the name and colour on the water tower.





The Petersfield Mallard, built in 1905! Now I have to get the matching Wawa Goose shot...



Em's lovely family home, built in 1912.



My first time to Winnipeg, and I can see why people from there really love it. Granted, I haven't been there in the winter, but I'm sure people are used to it!

My Little Sister's Wedding

Yesterday Colleen got married!



I'm happy to say I played a part in bringing these two together. My friend Amy did as well. Read this for her part.

One fine day in 2002, Amy invited some work friends, myself and our other friend from choir, Janet over to her place for pizza, beer and trivia. All of Amy's work people were pretty awesome at trivia, but this one dude, Jeff, stood out among the rest. He could answer pretty much every question thrown at him. He was a bit shy, and super nice. I remember thinking..."this guy is perfect for my sister!" Since we both lived in the same neighbourhood, we rode the subway together with Janet and I asked him a few subtle questions about his love life. He wasn't seeing anyone at the time, but the point was moot because Colleen was dating someone else. Eventually she broke up with that guy, but it would take another few years to get them in the same room together. Every time I'd be at a function attended by Jeff, I'd think the same thing..."this guy is perfect for my sister!" while simultaneously trying to come up with ways to get them to meet. They finally did meet, at Amy and Blake's deck party in 2007. I had set up a Facebook account for her, and shown her a picture of Jeff. They pretty much talked throughout the entire party and afterwards, I added him as a friend on her account. They started dating a few days after that. They make an adorable couple, if I do say myself! :) I'm not a deliberate matchmaker, but if I know deep in my gut that people suit each other, I am quite determined!





A brilliant time was had by all. Here are some of the photo highlights.


Me in my maid of honour dress, with John, Blake and Amy. It was nice not to have to match with anyone, and to pick a dress I liked (and could wear again) with the only stipulation being the colour.

The best man (Jeff's brother Pat) and his wife, Helen.




The cake! Two tiers were chocolate, the other vanilla with strawberries and lemon. The flower girl is there for uber cuteness effect. :)


Amy and Blake (and the girls), to whom Colleen and Jeff are forever indebted for throwing such great parties!




Janet and John, my invited peeps so I wouldn't get lonely!



The garter toss. LOVE the expression on Jeff's face!




D and I.




Proof that this is the man that will take care of my baby sister. I know I won't have to kick his butt! :)










It truly was a perfect day. From gorgeous weather for the outdoor ceremony to almost no blips in any of the arrangements, everything went smoothly, even my speech!

I am so happy for Colleen and Jeff and wish them much love and happiness in the future!

June 2009 Books and Movies

Living Next Door to Alice
Melissa Mackle

Another author find from the About Town short stories, this time from the Irish one. I have to say, not so good. The characters were pretty one dimensional and the writer used the same expressions over and over again, so thumbs down for writer creativity. Especially overused was the phrase "going down a treat" when eating or drinking. It was used at least 10 times. It wasn't so bad that I put it down without finishing, but not great enough to pursue other Mackle titles.

Up

This was a lovely film, made even better by digital 3D. Poignant and funny, I thoroughly enjoyed the strange and wonderful world created by Disney and Pixar. The characters were well drawn (both literally and figuratively) and the story was really imaginative. Loved Russell, he had some of the best lines. The Pixar short at the beginning was so cute. Go see it, tell your friends, then see it again, preferably in 3D, the glasses aren't that bad. :)

Late Night Shopping
Carmen Reid

This was a piece of chicklit that I found from mining the Girls About Town Short Stories Books. Carmen Reid is from the Scottish one. She is a good writer, and I would read her other books. The trouble with this one was, I hated the main character. She was really annoying (read irresponsible and selfish) ala Becky Bloomwood, to the point I was yelling at her. In the book. Seriously, that's over involvement. Annie is a personal shopper who wants to start her own business, but is sacrificing time with her family and partner while doing so. There was enough plot to keep me reading, but it was so ho hum, and the really interesting characters never were fully explored. There was the requisite gay best friend, so pretty run of the mill. I'm up for another turn, but give Late Night Shopping a miss.

Update: Just found out it was a sequel to a book called The Personal Shopper, but that just makes it even more like the Shopaholic series. Will read it and report back.

My Life in Ruins

Cute little rom com, great writing, beautiful cinematography and very funny. I like Nia Vardalos (great dead pans), and the supporting cast were pretty good too, especially Richard Dreyfuss. Of course, there were quite a few cliches but forgivable as the rest of the film was solid. I'm not sure I know any men who would enjoy this, but it's a good girls afternoon out. I predict there are going to be a lot of haters, but it's worth a go see. I'm definitely renting it when it comes out on DVD, for the outtakes. They're bound to be hilarious.

Scottish Girls About Town
Various

This is the first time I've ever ordered a book for the TPL. That was pretty cool. Since they already had Irish and American Girls About Town they accepted my suggestion to order the above, and I was first on the list to get it. I didn't discover as many good authors as in the other anthologies, but a few (Isla Dewar, Carmen Reid, Katie Agnew, Julia Hamilton) really stood out. I'm looking forward to reading more from them.

The Big Ride

When I got up this morning, I wondered how the day would play out.

So...got all the way to Oakville, but was sidelined by fatigue and bad weather. Took the train to Mimico and then biked the rest of the way home. A respectable 54K (or thereabouts, a few detours added some extra, I'm sure) but a far cry from the 80K I'd envisioned. I don't know why I thought I could jump from 44K the week before (with big breaks in between) to double that, with only one break at the halfway point. One has to work up to these things! :)

Anyway, I'm thinking that next time I'll try 60K, with one break. I really want to do a century ride, which is 100 miles (160K) so training is essential. I also want to do a camping/biking trip this summer. Hopefully by next summer I'll be able to do the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island.

Gender Equality

I enjoyed reading this article so much, I'm posting it everywhere: here, my Twitter and on Facebook.

The whole thing is good, but the last sentence are words to live by.

Michael Jackson

My mind is still reeling over the news of this pop icon's death. I know he had some very strange happenings of late, but the fact remains that he changed the face of pop music and dance, not to mention redefining the music video. I know almost every line to nearly every song he's ever released. I didn't think I would be so sad over this, but I genuinely am.

RIP MJ, you will be sorely missed.

Tour de Dufflet

What a great way to spend a Sunday!

Blake, Amy, Pat and I saddled up and rode to each of the three shop locations where (for a $5 entry fee donated to charity) we received a treat and a drink. We also got a bike bag and a $5 off coupon for a Dufflet cake. It was 44K all told, just over half the distance of our big ride to Oakville.

Hamilton's 18th Annual International Tattoo

This weekend I performed in the above Tattoo. It's been a while since I've been on a band trip and done a major tattoo with more than one show. We stayed at Mac, which was a real blast from the past. The shows went well, but I've found (as I've been finding more and more lately) that I just don't have the stamina I used to, both on the tattoo floor and during down time. Once upon a time, I would have been able to do an all day practice, the night show, party all night long, get a few hours sleep and do the show all over again. Not so much anymore. Sure I was able to do it, but I felt pretty bad by the end of the second day. Oh well, the wonders of growing older!

First 5K Run with a Friend!

I've done shorter runs with friends, but never over 5K. Pat and I ran the Don River/Distillery route today, which is 5.13K. Poor Pat, he's a much faster runner than I am, so I told him to go on ahead. He was able to run the stairs up to street level four times while waiting for me! :D It was a good run, and I pushed myself at the end with a sprint. Whoot!

Bike Trip '09 Training

Bike Trip '09 is an attempt to ride 100K in one day. That being said, training is definitely in order.

My first training ride was to ride approximately 40K in one day. This was my guesstimate of the distances I would be travelling to get to where I was going. It ended up being pretty close to the actuals. It was broken up into three segments, much like the big ride will be interspersed with breaks and lunch.

Home to Work: 8.28K
Work to the Junction: 21.1K
The Junction to Home: 9.82K
Total: 39.2K

I felt a little tired about 3/4 into the second leg, but then got my second wind and pushed through.

Next training ride will be in three segments with short breaks in between on the Tour de Dufflet. I'm not sure what my total distance will be, because I also have to factor in the ride to and from home.

May 2009 Books and Movies

Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

This is one of the best stories I have ever read. Not the most spectacularly written book, but the content makes you forget about it. Mortenson's story is so inspiring, it made me what to think about how I could bring about the same kind of change. Essentially, he tries to climb K2, gets lost and almost dies, stumbling into a little village in Northern Pakistan, in an area called Baltistan. The Balti people in that small town of Korphe nurse him back to health and he promises to come back and build them a school. From that small beginning, he now runs a not for profit organization building schools all over Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. He worked in these regions prior, during and after 9/11, firmly believing that one must fight terror by providing non biased education to all, especially girls. I hope that many read this book, and are inspired to help out anywhere they can. You can click here for more information.

Star Trek

As a life long Trekker, I was so glad to see that they didn't make a mess of this movie. Great special effects, well cast, lots of clever dialogue, throw back references to other movies in the ST universe, Leonard Nimoy sewed up this neat little package. My favorites were definitely Chekov (I have a super huge celeb crush on Anton Yelchin :0) and Scotty. Really looking forward to the next installments of this franchise, but am a little freaked out by the "new" Star Trek universe. Go see it to find out what I'm talking about!

Q & A
Vikas Swarup

This book was even better than the film, and Slumdog Millionaire was really amazing. The questions were totally different, the story behind how Ram Mohammed Thomas knows the answer were completely different. Each episode was riveting, yet with a common thread that makes this book a pleasure to read. What a brilliant first novel, I'm looking forward to another outing.

Fool
Christopher Moore

Hmmm, well, it's not one of Moore's best, but still pretty funny. I think that's the mark of a good writer, that even is "bad" books aren't that bad. Pocket is a good character, and the ending is peachy. It stays pretty close to the Lear plot as well. Some of it is a little dry though. It's a weird departure for him, but I guess with Lamb, that was pretty out there too. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I'll still read anything with his name attached to it!

So You Think You Can Dance

Ok, since I can't stop twittering about this show, I thought I'd better blog about it. I absolutely love this show. There's only one other reality TV show that I love better and that's The Amazing Race (TAR) and it's only because of the world travel. It's weird, because I'm a singer, one would think that I'd prefer the Idolverse, but I really don't. The singing is often uninspired copycat performance and the auditions are horrendous because I suppose they get more ratings when they show the delusional people. SYTYCD, on the other hand, shows more good auditions than they do bad. This show actually inspires me to be a better dancer. Out of the "triple threat" dancing has always been my albatross. I'm not great at picking up choreography straight away, although once I know it, things are fine. Unfortunate when you only get 16 bars to show off your steps in a musical theatre audition. I'm much better at picking up ballroom and latin choreography, so maybe I should should just stick to that! :) I'm so looking forward to the top 20!

Victoria Day Long Weekend

This has been a really great weekend. I've spent some of it alone, some of it in the company of great friends, gone for 3 runs to a total of 13.1K, done a bunch of household chores (including cleaning my stove) and reading. Tonight I'll be watching the fireworks from my rooftop. It's sad that the long weekend is fast coming to a close, but hey it ushers in a short work week!

First full 5K!

5.22K to be exact! Down to Cherry Beach and along the MG Trail to the bridge.

Unfortunately, there were a couple of stops in the beginning, due to lights, but other than that, I ran straight through.

First off, it's a looong way. I know seasoned runners would find that paltry, especially marathoners, but I find it a long way, at the moment.

I also walked back from my destination point, making it 10K worth of exercise. My quads are pretty sore, that's for sure!

Back in running shoes!

After seemingly endless weeks of being sick, injury and general fatigue, I laced up my runners and managed to get in a great run in between downpours. I took the same Don River route as before, but extended it so I ran alongside the river until the stairs to Riverdale Park. I knew I should keep running to get to 5K, but I was pretty tired and hadn't been out in a while. So it ended up being a 4.09K run. Once I figured that out, back at home with the computer, I was a little bummed that I hadn't kept running! :) Oh well, there's always next time. I had a very extended cool down walking home from the park. I even saw some cute cows in the zoo!

Brahms Deutches Requiem

This afternoon, I had the privilege of singing a great Romantic work, Brahms Deutches Requiem with a fantastic orchestra, the Talisker players. It went really well, which is great, because it's such a tough piece. Our choir has been essentially learning it since the start of our season, because it's that tough. The only disappointing thing was that not one of my friends or family showed up for the concert, even though I've been talking it up all year. We worked so hard, so it would have been nice for people to show up. Looking forward to next season as well, we're doing my absolute favorite Mozart Mass, the one in C Minor. Can't wait!

April 2009 Books and Movies

Mambo Italiano

Absolutely hilarious! I laughed out loud again and again. Not only at the Italian stereotyping, but the characters themselves, because they were exceedingly well drawn. The premis is simple, a closeted gay Italian Canadian man, involved with another closeted gay Italian Canadian man, comes out to his family. What isn't simple is that entire proposition is fraught with pitfalls, where all the comedy comes from. I loved that it was Canadian, that it was set in Little Italy in Montreal, that it starred starred Paul Sorvino, Mary Walsh and Claudia Ferri. I watched the short lived bilingual Ciao Bella, which was spun out of this movie and just loved it. I seriously laughed harder at this than I have at any other movie in a long while. Watch it!

The Squid and the Whale

This has a Royal Tenenbaums feel to it, but not so much that you are affected by it. Set in 1986 in Brooklyn, two boys have two very different reactions to their parents divorce. There is lots of stuff here, and definitely needs more than one viewing to take it all in. I take back what I said before about Jesse Eisenberg channeling Michael Cera and now definitely think it's the other way around. His character, Walt, is decidedly different from his Adventureland character, whereas Michael Cera's two characters in Juno and Superbad are very much alike. Great performances by Laura Linney (whom I love) and Owen Kline. The film ends very abruptly, with no satisfactory conclusion, but is still satisfying, because this is actually how life is. A definite must see.

Adventureland

Overall this was a good movie. Of course, there were things I liked and disliked about it. I liked that it was set in 1987. The clothes and music took me back. I liked Jesse Eisenberg although he was channeling Michael Cera something fierce. He is very cute, love the cheekbones, aquiline nose and the curly hair, especially when it got wet. Kristen proved that she really only knows how to play Bella Swann. I say that because Twilight was the first movie I ever saw her in, and she was exactly the same in Adventureland. I didn't like the stereotyping, that all the Italians in the movie were shown as townie non-intellectuals (one was even labeled anti-semitic) and most of the Jewish characters (with the exception of Joel) were well off and well educated. It didn't make a difference to the plot and felt like the point of view was being forced on the audience. I loved Martin Starr, mostly because his character was much like Bill on Freaks and Geeks. Love his dead pan, dry wit. That boy has talent! It was good to see Ryan Reynolds playing a bit of a jerk character, usually his golden boy roles make me roll my eyes. Good story, not a bit like Superbad, which is great. I'm thinking that we're going to see a lot more movies like this. Even in the previews, there was yet another Judd Apatow flick coming out with Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and others from his past films including his wife. Currently, I Love You, Man is starring Jason Segal, another Freaks and Geeks alum. This is a coming of age story, but I thought it was targeted more at older people who want to look back. I got the feeling that younger people would be bored with the old setting. This is a pretty long post for a movie, probably because I'm reviewing immediately after watching, so my brain is fresh.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Hmm. I decided to watch this movie before reading the book because I had heard the book was so much better. I'm tired of being disappointed by movie renditions of books, perhaps I should start forgoing the movies all together, like Amy. Anyhow, while lush with beautiful scenery and costumes, this film was uninspired and one dimensional. The characters didn't give the viewer a reason to invest in them, and some were very wrong for their parts, especially Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. The historical liberties were fine, I went in to it aware that the plot was mostly fiction. I'm still looking forward to reading the book and will blog about it soon.

Midnight Sun
Stephanie Meyers

Ummm, ok Stephanie Myers, I think it's a good thing someone leaked this before you could finish it! Midnight Sun is so self indulgent. Most of your other work is too, but I kept reading because I liked the plot (where it was furthered) and wanted to find out what happens next. Better that you write your next book (which we all know will come out eventually, as money talks) about Nessie and Jacob's relationship. The limited new information we find out from Midnight Sun isn't worth the 265 page read. Give it a miss.

Playing for Keeps (TV)

Interesting concept for a TV movie. A white woman has an affair with a basketball player and gets pregnant. He doesn't believe the child is his until four months after his birth, come to see him and then initiates proceedings to take the child away from his mother. Apparently based on a true story. Canadian production, solidly acted tear jerker. Highly enjoyable, watch it if you get the chance.

Freaks and Geeks (DVD Box Set)

Where the h*ll was I when this was on in 1999? Oh right, I was living in the UK, where it didn't even air! Which was seriously a shame, because I'm sure I would have loved it just as much back then as I do now. Of course, like all shows I love, they are cancelled too soon, just like the excellent Firefly. Set in 1980, it's the story of what high school is like for two different groups of kids, the Freaks and the Geeks. Each episode reads like a mini-movie, the production value is that high. The cast is stellar, the brightest spots being Martin Starr as Bill, John Francis Daley (he's great on Bones too!) as Sam and Joe Flaherty as Mr. Weir. So well written, freshly acted (most of the teenagers were hired for their first jobs on this show, except Linda Cardellini, who was 25), interesting and funny. An absolute must see, especially now that the the DVD box set is available. I'm going to get it for my collection, I love it that much!

Running Outdoors, the new frontier

Now that the weather has turned, it's outdoor running season! I've been using this site to figure out how far I've gone.

Distillery/ Don River/ Queen St. Run - 4.18 K

This was me trying to extend the original Distillery Run, and not actually adding very much distance. But the view was great, and although the stairs up to Queen were brutal (yes, I walked them!) I really enjoyed running along the river. I have to remember to bring a timer with me, because, although I got back home in 50 minutes, I don't know how long I was actually running.

Distillery/ Market - 3.83 K

I only had 30 minutes, so I just started out and made it up as I went along. I quickly found out that the Distillery isn't very far away, so had to run other places in the neighbourhood to make up the time. I even had to double back up and down the same street for the last 5 minutes. I'm getting marginally faster, but I still have a ways to go. 1.17 K to be exact! :)

Queen's Quay/ Harbourfront 4.9 K

I originally thought I would run only the one way then walk back. But, to my surprise, my endurance has obviously improved, as I wasn't tired and kept on running. That was great! Almost there!

So I've learned that 5 K is actually a long way! Although I'm super pleased that I can now run it continuously, I'm not sure that 5K in 30 minutes is realistic. At least I have time on my side, the race isn't until September!

First Guesstimated 5K outdoors!

I'm pretty sure it was almost 5K, because I ran for almost an hour, and I usually do 3 or so K in 30 minutes on the treadmill. I'm still very very slow, but I was happy that I was able to run to my destination and back again without stopping for anything but lights. Stupid lights! :) The race I'm aiming for is in September, so hopefully I'll be able to ramp up my speed before then, to reach my goal of 5K in 30 minutes.

The Sound of Music

Brilliant, brilliant brilliant! What a show. Go see it as soon as possible. Since it was a Wednesday evening, we saw the runner up to the show "How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria" (the Canadian version) but she was absolutely excellent. Another standout was Noella Huard, who played the Abesse. What a voice! Climb Every Mountain was phenomenal. The kids were cute, the sets were really technically advanced and the orchestra was great. Fans of the movie will notice a lot of changes, as the stage show is much shorter, but all the songs are there. An absolute must see.

Cosi Fan Tutti at the Royal Conservatory

What a wonderful performance by a number of up and coming classical musicians. These kids (although there are a few older students in the program) are the future of classical music in Canada. I only hope that they aren't all snapped up by orchestras in Europe. They did the entire opera, not just excerpts, which was great. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the RC, especially now that they are building their brand new performance hall. The new building is amazing, especially the way they molded the new building onto the old. Most concerts are free (including this one) so definitely check it out.

March 2009 Books and Movies

Love Monkey
Kyle Smith

Bad bad bad! Dated, stagnant plot with an unlikable main character! This was advertised as "chick lit" for men, but this book must be the reason the genre never really took off. The was a really brief television series attempt as well. After reading the book, I'm not surprised it failed too. I soldiered on but really, should have put the book down halfway through.

The Adjuster

One of the most creative, symbolic and beautifully shot films I've ever seen. I've taken a few university level film courses, and used a lot of what I learned while watching this film. It reminded me of two films simultaneously, Jean Luc Godard's Breathless and Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice. It's the type of film that just sucks you in, making you lean forward physically to pay that more attention. I've only seen it the one time, but I'm certain that it will lend itself well to multiple viewings with subsequent new takes on scenes. The ending is most interesting, and can be viewed both realistically and symbolically. An absolute must see, as is most of Egoyan's work.

Breaking Dawn
Stephanie Meyers

Well, it took me under a week to read this latest 700 page tome, so these books definitely hold my interest. Unfortunately, the plot was a little too transparent. Meyers has definitely set herself up well to continue the series. Bella's transformation was handled well, and the sense of bonding among the Olympic coven is touching. The Jacob storyline was extremely interesting, as it was in New Moon. I'm still not sure which was my favorite, probably a toss up between this one and the first book.

One Good Story, That One
Thomas King

An excellent collection of Native short stories. A prize winner in many categories, Thomas King is a stellar story teller. There are a thousand and one interpretations and hidden meanings. Especially notable is the story Borders about a woman who, when crossing the border to the U.S., refuses to identify herself as anything other than Blackfoot, even though there are Blackfeet on either side of the border. This book takes less than an hour to read, but will will leave a lasting impact.

(Amy, the book is on its way to you next!)

SuperBad

Ok, I think I've outgrown the stupid/funny movie genre. I'm just not feeling it anymore. Michael Cera was the one bright spot. It just drove me crazy that here was this fat, doofus male character who got the girl in the end, which in itself is a great antidote to Hollywood's usual boy/girl schtick, but knowing that if the gender were reversed the movie would never fly, h*ll they wouldn't have even made it! Seth Rogen was pretty funny, but the other cop was seriously annoying. There were some good jokes, but the period gag, made me gag, literally. It was so gross and pointless, and really brought Seth down in my estimation. Not my cup of tea...or detergent container of beer, that is for sure.

Eclipse
Stephanie Myers

Ok, ok, you got me, I'm a huge fan of these novels! Still think the excessive pitching, wooing and mooning about (no pun intended) is a tad retching, but the plot suckers me in every time. Hee, hee! I love vampire puns! My only issue with the story is that it took 400 pages to lead up to the big event, and then it was too short and a bit of a let down. Well except for the Jacob in the tent bit. That was fun. I'm now reading Breaking Dawn, and it's hard to put down. At 700 pages, I'm going to get a bit of a headache if I read continuously until I finish!

The Smart One and the Pretty One
Claire LaZebnik

Cute. Not overly good or bad novel about sisters, clearly indicated by the title. Ava is the smart dowdy lawyer, Lauren is the sex kitten spendthrift. The characters are fairly 2 dimensional, and not really that memorable. I really didn't care for Daniel. There was a fairly good subplot, with a few twists. The main storyline chugged along to its obvious conclusion. Not as good as Knitting Under the Influence, but good enough for a pass the time chick lit.

First Run of Spring!

Em and I went for a run to Cherry Beach yesterday. Google maps say it's 3.2 kilometres, but I've learned not to always trust their distance estimates. Still, it was a good long run, one of the longer one's I've done outside. I still think the longest one was the one Google maps said was 3.9 km. I still have a ways to go before getting to 5K, and I also need to increase my speed. I definitely like running outside better than on the treadmill.

Running, not running, slow downs, technical difficulties...leading to my first bike ride of the season!

Today was a very interesting day. As far as being the first day of March Break, it finished off well, which was great.

But let's go back a bit.

Last Wed, tried to go for a run on the treadmill. Got an awful pain in my left shin and had to stop. I know about shin splints, but of course, didn't think it would happen to me. I was pretty shocked when I literally couldn't keep running. I knew it was something though, because I was thoroughly warmed up and stretched out thanks to a gentle Hatha yoga class 30 minutes prior.

Then my iPod shuffle died. Totally kablooie! Downloaded the restorer from Apple and still no joy. So I have to get a new iPod before I can go out again.

So, I decided to go for a bike ride. I knew that I would have to do a little work before I could hit the road, as my back tire nozzle was busted, and the tires were flat. So I took it to the bike shop, where there was a two hour wait for my teeny part replacement. So I waited at the bucks of the star and made a few phone calls. At about 4:30pm went back to the shop and $13.95 later, I was back on the road.

I went to my usual haunting ground, Tommy Thomson Park at the Leslie Street Spit. It was a balmy 4 degrees, and my butt is a little sore :), but it was glorious. I love my bike!

But I have to get back to running, if I'm going to do that 5K.

Too Cute!!!

I had a fun giggle at this, hope you do too!

Enjoy!

February 2009 Books and Movies

New Moon
Stephanie Myers

Warning, spoilers!

Ok, so I'm actually enjoying reading these books, even though they clearly are not very literary. They're a great distraction, easy to read (although they could be much shorter if Myers just cut out all the useless moaning and groaning about how tortured love is, I mean really, the chapters that contained one word (the month) were just ridiculous!) and underneath it all have a fairly likable, if not predictable, plot. I had really started to like Edward's character in the last one, so I was pretty disappointed that he didn't figure in this book too much. Jacob was good substitute, so it was again annoying when he left the story. Now I'm just waiting to find out when Bella will turn, and if they will have a kid (can vampires sire children with humans in Meyers fantasy world?) after they marry. We'll see how Eclipse goes.

Coraline
Neil Gaimain

Absolutely great read. Interesting, creepy, heroic, heartwarming, visually stimulating, just great. Coraline is an interesting main character and the Beldam (love that it's an anagram of the word bedlam) is freaky scary. Looking forward to the movie version. I love Neil Gaiman, his is definitely a brain that should be donated to science so that they can study it. What an imagination!


Do What I Say: Ms. Behavior's Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette
Meryl Cohn

Although mostly humorous, this book did have some interesting information. Ms. Behavior has a sly wit, is brutally honest and definitely has a lot to say. Whatever your orientation, give it a read, it'll make you smile, if not laugh out loud.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell

This was a really interesting look at the way epidemics start, spread and die. I found a number of concepts clearly explained the phenomenon. Mavens and Connectors, the rule of 150 and stickyness were all applied to concrete examples, creating a very plausible argument. The writing was somewhat simplistic at times, with the author completing the circle a little two neatly with his authoritative voice. Sometimes I just didn't buy what he was selling, because of this. On the whole though, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in sociology.

Twilight
Stephanie Meyers

This book was much much better than the movie, which is what I fully expected. For a book targeted at teenagers, it was well written and interesting. The story progressed in a way that made me keep reading, 500 pages in a week! The vampire lore was a bit strange, definite different than any other vampire stories I've ever read or seen. A friend of mine, who has a weird sense of humour, got a t-shirt made up that read "And then, Buffy staked Edward...the end." I laughed and laughed! I'm sure grade 6 girls won't find it funny, but that's ok. :) I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Slumdog Millionaire

Absolutely fabulous! Interesting plot, great storytelling device, incredible cinematography, wonderful acting, this is a definite must see. It was gripping, at times violent, heart wrenching, suspenseful, touching. The characters are flawlessly drawn and extremely likable, even when they do bad things. I really liked the way they used the "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" questions as jumping off points to explain how it was that a poor boy could know the answers, to drive the movie forward. I was a bit shocked that the two main characters kissed at the end, a move surely executed for the benefit of the film's American release. As far as I know Bollywood movies don't allow kissing. Even in joint ventures, such as Bride and Prejudice, the couple never kisses. Go see this, you'll be glad you did.

Running Log 28/02/09

Well I'm glad I did go for a run today, even if it wasn't as hard core as I've done in the past. I ran for 15 minutes, walked for 5 then tried to start running again to do another 15, but started to feel dizzy, so had to stop. I've been off running for 20 days, mainly because I had bronchitis then a sinus infection. It's been a real let down, because I feel like I have to start from scratch again. I ran a 13 minute and 30 second mile, so at least I've maintained my speed in the initial mile. In hindsight I should have done 5's and 1's or 10's and 1's but I wonder if I still would have gotten dizzy after 20 minutes. Anyway, I'll try again tomorrow.

Fun Times

Last night I went to a housewarming party around the corner. A friend of mine and her partner bought an old Georgian townhouse that they completely gutted and reno'd inside. The decor was flawless, the people intriguing and beautiful, the food was fabulous and the music was great! I met Richard Fagon (Nigel from Da Kink in My Hair) and the associate producer of the Factory Theatre among others. One of the best rooms in the whole house was the top floor master bathroom with a beautiful claw footed tub underneath a skylight. I really wish I had taken the morning or whole day off today, as it would have been great to stay longer.

The Real BBC Top 100 Reading List

Apparently, the Facebook Version has been distorted somewhat.

Here's the link

Legend still the same:

X = Read
+ = Loved
* = Want to Read

I got less on this list. 46!

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien X +
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen X
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman X
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams X
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling X +
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee X
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne X +
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell X
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis X
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë X
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller X
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë X
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier *
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger X
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame X
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens X
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott X
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy *
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell X
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling X +
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling X
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling X +
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien X
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy X
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck X
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll X +
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl X +
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson X
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen *
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen X
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery X +
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald X
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas X
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell X
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens X
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett X
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck X
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy X
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth *
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl X
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome X +
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell X +
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden X +
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens X
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding X
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl X +
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding X +
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce X
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl X
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar X
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez *
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

BBC Books

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

Instructions:

1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

How many have you read?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X +
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X +
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman X +
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X +
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy X
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare X +
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier *
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger X
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger X +
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot X
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy X
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X +
34 Emma - Jane Austen X
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen *
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X +
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini *
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres *
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X +
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X +
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood X
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan X
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel X +
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth *
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens X
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov *
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac X
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X +
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie *
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce X
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome X +
78 Germinal - Emile Zola *
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray X
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker X
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X +
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X +
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad X
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole X
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas X
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X +
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo X

Total: 61

I don't know why Hamlet and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe are under separate cover when the complete works of Shakespeare and the Narnia series are also listed.

I also don't know why The Davinci Code is on this list. Not even remotely in the same league as the others.

Running...stopped...running

Need to get back on the running track. Got sick (again) and then had a lot of trouble getting back into it. I'm hoping that blogging that I am planning on taking a treadmill run tomorrow evening will ensure that I get on that treadmill. Here's hoping that there will be a running log posted tomorrow with my (possibly diminished) stats.

25 Facts About Me

This is an exercise that a lot of people are doing on Facebook. You post any 25 facts about yourself. I found it interesting, so I thought I would post the results here, for those who read my blog who don't have Facebook.

1. Music means the world to me. I can't walk a block (alone) without my iPod, go a day without listening to some kind of music or without playing or singing. It's in my blood, handed down from generations gone by and in my soul.

2. I am a self identified nerd...and finally proud of it. It took me a long time to get here, but I'm glad I'm here.

3. I have a coin collection. Mainly Canadian, specialty quarters, a penny for almost every year from 1900 and specialty items from the Royal Canadian Mint. (See number 2)

4. I love languages. I speak English, French and Italian. I took German in university and would love to learn Spanish. I am trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to learn Russian.

5. I wish people were more polite to each other in public places. Especially on the TTC.

6. I write but have never worked up enough courage to submit any of it to anyone beyond school/ university.

7. I've been in unrequited love more often than in requited love, and that fact makes me more than a little sad.

8. I love living alone. After years of family and roommates, it's bliss. I've never lived with a partner for more than a few weeks temporarily, so I don't know how that would go. :)

9. I have R.A. I am in drug related remission, but I've found it very difficult to be asymptomatic and not look or seem sick, but still have a disease that will be with me for the rest of my life.

10. I love Yoga and practice everyday. It helps keep me sane. I hope to attend an Ashram in India someday soon.

11. I've recently started running again, and am training for a 5K in the the spring.

12. I love my bike! I ride to work everyday it's not way below freezing and/or there is no heavy precipitation.

13. I will be on sabbatical in 18 months, and am planning a trip around the world.

14. I love to travel (see 13) and could see myself in a job that required frequent international travel.

15. I've struggled with body image my whole life and wish I could just get over it.

16. I have exceptionally bad plant and animal allergies. I love cats and can't own one. I love being outdoors, but in the spring and summer I keep the allergy medication companies in business.

17. I used to be wholly committed to artistic expression through drama. Over the years, I've become disillusioned by unreasonable demands placed on actors by the industry (whether it be theatre, television or film) to look a certain way, unless for a very specific character role. When I was in the "biz", I was told by more than one casting director/ agent that I was too fat to play the ingenue but too pretty to be a character actor (ie: play the funny best friend) so I ended up quite lost. I trained in England, where at the time, "real" people were represented on stage and screen, but I've noticed that now, similar North American aesthetics are being applied.

18. I wish I could remember my dreams more than just a few fragments after I wake up.

19. I am a sap through and through. I cry at books, movies, television, touching scenes in real life, even some heart string tugging commercials. Unfortunately, I hate waterproof mascara. it's too hard to remove. ;)

20. If I could snap my fingers and bring about global change they would be: stabilizing the climate, the emancipation of women in countries still waiting and an end to deadly conflict. I've always been an idealist, and don't think it's a bad thing.

21. I have wonderful friends and family. I am thankful everyday for all they are and do.

22. I don't have a "best" friend, except for when I have a partner. I prefer to have many friends, a chosen few who are invited into the inner most circle of my life.

23. I love watching performances of any kind. Even kareoke! :)

24. I've really enjoyed getting to know the friends on Facebook who have taken the time to do this. Thanks for sharing!

25. I found this exercise much harder to complete than I thought, and learned a lot about what I really think in the process.


No one has really commented on them, so I'm thinking they may not be as out there as some, but that's ok. They're meaningful to me, and that's what matters.

Running Log 06/02/09

Well, I had my first running "set back" today. I knew I was tired and probably shouldn't go for a run but was stubborn and went anyway. I tried to up my speed and ran out of steam at 20 mins. The only good thing about it was I took some more time off my mile, at 12 minutes and 23 seconds.

Time: 21 min
Distance: 2.83 km
Speed: 8 km/hr
Intervals: None. 1 min cool down.

So I guess the lesson here is, don't run when you're tired and don't increase too many things in one go. 20 min of running is better than no min of running, so all was not lost. Onwards and upwards!

My Abs

Today at Yoga, we were doing this crazy balancing pose that uses only your abs. I really wasn't able to do it very well, and it got me thinking about a conversation I had with Amy. I was talking about how I had abs, underneath the pudge. Well, apparently I don't! I know that I have some abs, as I wouldn't be able to do many moves in Yoga or run without them, but I was surprised at just how far I have to go. I really hate working my abs though, probably because they are so weak, and it takes so much effort to work them. Oh well, onwards, and hopefully, towards stronger abs!

Running Log 04/02/09

Time: 32 min
Distance: 4 km
Speed: 7.6 km/hr
Intervals: NONE!!!! Whoot! 2 min cool down.

Today I took 30 seconds off my minute/mile time. So I ran a 13 minute mile.

I'm very proud of my continuous running, and upping the sped a little, but am frustrated at the slow progress with shaving time off my mile, which will get me to that 5K in 30 min. I know all progress is good, and I'm certainly not backsliding, but I'm just impatient. :)

Running Log 01/02/09

Whoot! Second run dehors, 4.4 kms, 35 min. At times I felt like I was crawling, but I'm very proud to say I did not stop once from start to finish!

I may do this 5k in 30 min yet... :)

January 2009 Books and Movies

French Women Don't Get Fat
Mireille Guiliano

This book was a good read. More of a lifestyle recommendation than a diet book, it does contain some very interesting recipes and a lot of solid advice. Guiliano is a mite condescending at times, but because she speaks the truth, it didn't bother me so much. Give the Leek Soup a miss, it's really not that great, more like leek flavoured water. I don't think one could live on it and the leeks themselves for a weekend without going completely nuts. Not to mention the only weight you would lose would be water weight. Her website is pretty good, I would be interested in reading her follow up book.

The Time Traveler's Wife
Audrey Niffenegger

This was an amazing book. Well written, incredibly interesting plot, excellently drawn characters, just amazing. It's five hundred pages plus, and I read it in under a week. I would have been done sooner if work hadn't gotten in the way! :) Clare was really lovely, as was Gomez. I wasn't the hugest fan of Henry, but he was definitely interesting. It was very sad, made even more so by the readers fore-knowledge. Thoroughly enjoyable, if you haven't already, go out and read it at once!

Runaway Bride

Cute, but not spectacular. Had all the same people from Pretty Woman in it, so the actor chemistry was spot on, if not a bit repetitive. It was funnier than I thought it would be, and I was surprised to see what a great job Christopher Meloni did with his role. I'm so used to seeing him as Eliott Stabler on SVU, it took a moment to adjust. As I've said before, I'm not the world's greatest Julia Roberts fan, but I liked her in this. Definitely wouldn't have gone to see it in a theatre all those years ago, but on TV, it was a good distraction.

Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year
Esme Raji Codell

This was an incredible account of a first year teacher working in a Chicago inner city school. So many of the things she wrote were exactly how I felt in my first year. This book was filled with so many positive moments yet so many negative ones as well. It clearly outlines the joys and frustrations of teaching. I would recommend it to non-teachers, if only to understand that this job is more than the sum of its parts, a fact few people truly appreciate.

The Last Summer (Of You And Me)
Ann Brashares

This book was hard to get into, but ultimately, a good one. It's the story of two sisters and their dear friend Paul during their last summer on Fire Island, near New York City. Brashares is the famed author of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants books, so I was intrigued to see what she would do with a young adult novel. It was a touch self indulgent, at times, but the story was quite touching and took a sad turn near the end. This is a good millieu for Brashares, she should try another novel in this vein.

There's Something About Mary

I'd never been inclined to see this movie, given the number of people who told me how funny it was, but it was on TV so I thought what the hay. Turns out, I'm missing the gene that finds physical comedies full of toilet humour amusing. With some exceptions (American Pie being notable) I generally find these types of movies extremely off putting. There were a few genuine bits in this one that were watchable, and I did laugh a few times, but, for me, it's nowhere near the classic everyone raves about.

Becoming Jane

Proof that just because something is historical fiction, doesn't mean that I'm necessarily going to love it. It'll keep me watching, if it's well done from a costume and setting perspective (which this film definitely has in spades) but the plot still has to be there. All the pieces were there, great cast (Anne Hathaway, James MacEvoy, James Cromwell and many more), a great subject, an interesting time period, but just didn't seem to pull out a great film. Hathaway's Jane was far too bold for the period. Even if they were trying to suggest that Austen was different for her time, there was no way a woman of her standing would kiss a man the way she did in her first kiss with Mr. LaFroy. It's good, but not the best, see it if you really love historical fiction, like me!

French Kiss

Ummm, not totally horrible, but pretty terrible. Meg Ryan plays the same character in every movie! What's up with that? I usually love Kevin Kline, but his fake French accent and the presumption that his French is good enough to act alongside amazing French actors like Jean Reno, is laughable. Not to mention they didn't even translate the subtitles correctly. The premise was cute, and the French cinematography (especially in the South) was beautiful. If there's something better on, watch that.

De-Lovely

Everything is de-lovely about this film! Of course, I'm biased due to my predilection for historical anything, fact, fiction, biography etc. :) This is the story of Cole Porter, one of the greatest American songwriters of the 20th century. My favorite Cole Porter tune is "Night and Day", and it's conveniently sung in the movie by one of my favorite modern song and dance men, John Barrowman! The period is dead on, with glorious costumes and sets. Kevin Kline is fantastic, and Ashely Judd is amazing as Linda Porter. You pretty much have to like musicals to enjoy this film, but it's really worth a look. Enjoy!


Mona Lisa Smile

Another wonderful period piece. Throw in the subtle feminist movement grassroots plot and I was hooked! I'm not usually a huge fan of Julia Roberts, but thought she did an excellent job here as the influential art history professor who tries to circumvent tradition. The depiction of 1953 Wellesley College was amazing, so well done. Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal were all brilliant. Moving and thought provoking, a definite must see.

Running Log 31/01/09

To assure my small readership, I won't be blogging about every run, just about the ones that I feel I've made significant progress.

Today I went for my first winter run. Actually it was two runs, each 2.3 km long. The first run was exclusively uphill, carrying a two kilo backpack and the walks were quite snowy. It was pretty cold, -14 with wind chill. It really made a difference in my breathing. With the exception of two pauses for lights, I ran the entire way. On the way back it was much easier and with the exception of one stop because my bag was undone. I didn't run very fast, and because I wasn't on the treadmill, I didn't keep track of the distance or time. I feel that I did improve though, because it's really different to run outside. It was really tough on the way up, but I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I was finished.

Running Log 30/01/09

Time: 33 min
Distance: 4 km
Speed: 7 km/hr
Intervals: 15 min running, 1 min walking, 15 min running, 2 min cool down

Today I ran a 13.5 minute mile (I am so not a math person, I've tried and given up trying to figure out what kind of minute km that is... :( can any of the 3 people who read my blog help me?)

I'm improving, but it's seems slow. At this pace I'll have to run the 5km in 40 min. Tomorrow I go for my first outside winter run. Hopefully I don't slip too much in the snow, given my history with breaking body parts in the snow!

Running Log 27/01/09

Time: 35 min
Distance: 4 km
Speed: Between 6 and 7 km/hr
Intervals: 10 min running, 1 min walking, 10 min running, 1 min walking, 10 min running, 3 min cool down

My goal is 30 min continuous...my nutty uncle seems to think I will be able to do this 5K run in 30 min, and he's in excellent shape, so I've taken on the challenge.

I am making progress though, which is great!

I'm looking forward to when I get to put:

Intervals: None :)

Back in the Running Saddle

With my cold/borderline bronchitis finally out of my system (except for the odd cough and phlegmy stuff here and there) I've started to train for a future 5K run. I'm not sure which one I'll do, I still have to check them all out. Something along the water would be my preference. Amy and I are encouraging each other and hopefully, when the weather warms up, will start running together! It's always fun to run with a buddy.

Below are my first two running logs.

Running Log 25/01/09

Time: 32 min
Distance: 3.5 km
Speed: Between 6 and 7 km/hr
Intervals: 5 min running, 1 min walking, 6 min running, 1 min walking, 7 min running, 1 min walking, 8 min running, 3 min cool down.

Running Log 24/01/09

Time: 30 min
Distance 3 km
Speed: Between 6 and 7 km/hr
Intervals: 3 min running, 1 min walking, 4 min running, 1 min walking, 5 min running, 1 min walking, 6 min running, 1 min walking, 7 min running, 1 min cool down.

Friday night at the Rex

Went to see The Dave Young Group at the Rex with Pat and another friend last night. Here's the line up.

Kevin Turcotte - Trumpet

Gary Williamson - Piano

Dave Young - Bass

Terry Clarke - Drums

John Johnson also joined them on tenor sax. What a band! Great trumpet (of course, Kevin Turcotte is amazing) and with John Johnson, the sound is seriously sweet. Dave Young is a fiend with that bass, what a player! I was too tired to stick around for the entire second set, but what I heard was brilliant.

If you get the chance, definitely check them out!

Another great dinner party

Yesterday, after a ridiculously long rehearsal, Pat and Em came over. We decided to hit the market for fresh ingredients to create dinner. What a meal! We started off with bread and a triple cream Quebecois cheese, followed by a main of fresh tilapia in a pomegranate sauce (Pat's invention) with pan fried leeks and a parsnip/potato mash. All accompanied by a wonderful 2007 Pinot Grigio Veneto by this Italian winery. The Veneto isn't in their product list anymore, but I would be happy to try the Pinot Grigio Piave listed, as the Veneto was quite spectacular. We had some rather disappointing tartuffo for dessert. Too sweet, and too much like ice cream, not gelato. Homemade chocolate chip cookies and espresso finished off the meal. Great company, wine and food, what more could one ask for. I'm happy to be making good on my promise to myself to entertain at home more often.

2009...what's in store?

Right off the bat, I will repeat my New Year's Mantra...I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

Taking stock:

Health

Aside from the worst flu bug I think I've ever had in my life that's lasted a whole week's worth of my holidays, I'm doing ok. My RA continues to be in drug related remission, and I'm getting back to the things I used to do before the ankle break and the diagnosis. I even went skating for the first time again in 3 years! It was great, I'm looking forward to getting back to skating more regularly.

Work

New assignment this year, same place. Ho hum. Nothing new to say except for I'm now 18 months away from my sabbatical. The countdown begins! Tune in to my blog for preparation updates, and of course, the journey itself.

Dating

I've changed so many of my old paradigms, sometimes I don't even recognise myself. I've become a fan of the non traditional, and learned to fully (not just topically) accept people for who they are, and then decide whether or not they have a place in my life. Patience has not traditionally been one of the things I have in spades, although I've certainly developed in this area. As with anything, there are developments I wish for, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. :)

Home

Looking pretty good, better the neater I keep it! :) I'm so glad I was able to get my living room drapes up, and hopefully will get the bedroom drapes up very soon. Another goal for 2009, get rid of useless stuff! I definitely have trouble letting go of sentimental things that I never look at, but when I go to throw them away, I can't. Still need to do the floors and paint, but I'm not sure I want to before I sublet. On the other hand, I want to enjoy my home fully, and done up the way I imagined, before I sublet. We'll see what happens.

All in all, I hope that 2009 brings about some real changes in my life. I'm on a mission to improve my fitness, eating habits, personal relationships and musicianship. I know, it sounds like New Year's resolutions, but really, they're just holdovers from my goals from last year. I made some amazing progress last year, so I'm hoping to continue this year.

Happy New Year! All the best in 2009!

December 2008 Books and Movies

Good-bye Lenin

Absolutely brilliant movie! D gave this to me for xmas, knowing I liked historical fiction. It centres around a family in East Germany right before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The mother suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. When she awakes, the family decide it's best to keep her in the dark about the opening to the West, lest it upset her and cause another heart attack. The lengths they go to are very comical and the film is very well written. It's in German with subtitles. Definitely see it!

Don't Be That Girl
Travis Stork, MD with Leah Furman

This was not a very helpful book. It was poorly written (sorry Leah, I don't think it was your writing) and full of cliches. The types of women he describes are true enough, but it really comes off as "I know best, because I was on The Bachelor, but more importantly, because I'm a doctor". The overwhelming tone was, it's not him it's you. Of course I, and everyone else, knows that it takes two to tango and that sometimes it's the guy and sometimes it's the girl. So it seems a bit insulting to read something that insinuates that there are tons and tons of wonderful guys out there, just ready to date, as long as you fix all of your problems first. There are always the token "well it's not always this way" statements thrown in, possibly for legal purposes, :) which I suppose is meant to make one feel better. Give it a miss, there are a gazillion better books out there that deal with this topic.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Really enjoyed this movie. Yes, the excessive CGI was a bit distracting, but the story was pure and engaging. I didn't quite cry, but was misty eyed at parts, which for me, is always a good sign. The story is unique, based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The hero is born old and gets younger over time. Brad Pitt is well cast and Cate Blanchett is wonderful, as usual. I love historical fiction, and the production company certainly used gobs of money to make every detail historically accurate. Good film, go see it!

Irish Girls Are Back in Town
Various

Another great collection of short stories by Irish authors. Of course I didn't love every single one, but found some great authors that I will definitely look into. Particular mention should go to Julie Parsons, Morag Prunty and Cecelia Ahern (the Irish Prime Minister's daughter) who also wrote P.S. I Love You. There's a Scottish version of this collection, so I'm looking forward to discovering more new authors.

Twilight

In a word, fromage! Wow, that movie was super cheesy! I meant to read the book before going, but now I'm glad I didn't, because I have a feeling I would have been really disappointed. I will still read the series, but the movie definitely fell flat. There was some gorgeous cinematography of Washington State and the fight scene was pretty cool at the end, but the love story was stilted. A human falling in love with a vampire has been done so many times, there's only so much you can do with it. Oh and you could totally see the white powder they used on the vampires. Cheesy!

Chasing Harry Winston
Lauren Weisberger

Hmm. Well, it's no The Devil Wears Prada, or even Everyone Worth Knowing. For a third outing, not really up to par. That being said, I still read through it fairly quickly and enjoyed the characters, if not the plot so much. Two friends make a pact to change their romantic lives, with the marriage seeker having flings and the socialite to look for a man to marry, while the third friend looks on but doesn't join in. Of course, her life ends up changing as well. I did really like the character of Adriana, she was a hoot. I'll still read Weisberger novels, but I'm hoping that the next one is another Prada.

Ensemble, c'est tout (Hunting and Gathering)

Great movie of an even greater novel. I enjoyed reading this novel so much I even got it out in French after finishing it in English. The film stayed fairly true to the book, although there were necessary cuts due to the sheer length of the book. A couple of things I thought were turning points in the developing relationship between Franck and Camille were left out or worse, watered down, such as the first time he cooks for her and the first time she resumes drawing. An important pair of characters, Camille's "guardians" were not a part of the film. I adore Audrey Tautou in her French movies, The Davinci Code, not so much. Guillaume Canet is beautiful, and a wonderful actor. I really liked Laurent Stocker and Francoise Bertin as well. Excellently cast, beautifully shot and a great story, go and see it!

The Next Thing on My List
Jill Smolinski

Great chick lit. Fun, breezy writing style, interesting plot, non cookie cutter herione, a few plot twists and she doesn't end up with the guy you think she will. Although I know it was a deliberate plot device, to lead the reader on, I still suckered me in, so it was well done. The story is about a girl who sets out to complete a to do list made by a girl who suddenly dies and her adventures while doing it. The characters are well drawn, although a couple of introductions were a bit abrupt or even completely out of left field. I found myself searching for one character, paging through the parts I'd already read, because she was introduced with such familiarity. That's small potatoes compared to some of the clunkers I've read. This was a nice easy read.

3 Women

Very interesting. Robert Altman is pretty wacky. Lots of interesting stuff here: role reversal, feminism, accurate portrayal of the mid-70s, great cinematography of California and cool (for the time, 1977) special effects, fantastic, eerie score with lots of flute. It's hard to describe the plot, you just have to watch it. Lots of ideas will swirl around in your mind once you've seen it, they'll drop in days afterwards. Excellent film!

Certain Girls
Jennifer Weiner

Warning....spoilers!

Oh Jennifer Weiner, what were you thinking! It was such a great book right up to the end, and then kablooie! Why, why, why did you think that killing off the best character in the novel would make your novel better? I thought it was a bad, bad move. It completely erased all the great writing and made it very difficult to finish. I almost didn't keep reading after that. It was just plain bad writing. The death happened too quick, instead of feeling like an out of nowhere surprise, it just felt like sloppy writing. Not a fitting ending for Cannie, not a good follow up to Good in Bed. A real shame, I was expecting more. Oh well, I enjoyed it 3/4 of the way through.

Torchwood: Season 1 DVD

Absolutely brilliant! Pretty much watched it straight, one episode after another. A bit of science fiction, a bit of fantasy, lots of real life, set in Cardiff (I have to go there, I can't believe I spent nearly 2 years in England and never went to Wales), great case, cool sets, fantastic stories, the list is endless. I watched most of season 2 on the Space Channel, but was quite confused sometimes. I'm less confused now and gagging for more! I know Season 3 is being shown in the UK, but have no idea when it's coming here. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Wonderful Company

Last night I held a dinner party for D and two friends. I didn't really cook (just bought, heated up and put together stuff) but it was a weeknight, so I simply didn't have the time. The company was fabulous, we ate well, made our way through 2 bottles of red (one of which was an amazing 2006 Chateau Timberlay Bordeaux), had wonderful conversation in three languages and finished the evening with a homemade (not by me) maple sugar pie. The entire evening was a real treat and made me realise I have to do this more often, with more of my friends. Looking forward to the New Year, when they will host!

Wee Big Band at the Old Mill

Tonight I went to see one of my directors of music play in Jim Galloway's Wee Big Band at the Old Mill. I'd never been to that venue before, it's pretty cool. The band is quite slipperish, but the sound was cool. Bob DeAngelis was subbing in, I just love his clarinet sound. There was fair amount of xmas music in the second half (which I complimented by having a gorgeous English date pudding with toffee sauce...mmmm) including a great arrangement of Jingle Bells (in actual fact a Thanksgiving song that was so popular it stuck around until xmas) and The Duke's Nutcracker Suite. I especially liked Arabesque Cookie, what a groove! It was a touch expensive at $35 but worth it to support my peeps. :)

Birthday Party and New Hair

Here's a pic of my new hair:



Unfortunately for me, I had a severe allergic reaction to the dark rinse and have spent the day going to the walk in clinic for help. I've been prescribed a heavy duty anti-histamine and a cortisone lotion for the rash. It's pretty icky. And my head is sooooo itchy!!

Party was fun, although I would have preferred to have held it in my condo party room. Betty's was a great alternative though. There were a lot of people there, but unfortunately a few were missing. I managed to chat to everyone, then the stragglers and I went back to my place to watch an episode of Torchwood. I think I've gotten John addicted to it! :)

November 2008 Books and Movies

James Bond: Quantum of Solace

Hmmm, that's the first thing that came to mind when this movie had finished. Daniel Craig is still as gorgeous as ever, but this movie really was a string of action sequences with a bit of plodding plot in the middle. It's my theory that a Bond girl should have that special something that men and women alike fancy. Unfortunately, although Olga Kurylenko is a pretty girl, she wasn't a Bond girl. They did a bit better with their choice of Gemma Arterton, she at least had a unique look about her. I enjoyed Judi Dench as always, as well as the gadgets, so it wasn't a total loss. It just felt like the director took a lot of the things that were "James Bond" out of this new film, somewhat like the martinis he was drinking on the plane. Apparently, that type of martini is exactly what he drinks in the first book Casino Royale, but not what was established in the first movie. To quote someone from the IMDB board, remarkably unremarkable.

Knitting Under the Influence
Claire LaZebnik

Good and bad. Good for the unique story elements, knitting and autism, bad for the predictability of the storyline. I knew exactly who the three girls were going to end up with at the end from almost the beginning and of course, not one of them could end the novel single. That would be the real tragedy! I'm trying out authors from the short story collection below, but this one, I would give a miss.

How To Be Single
Liz Tuccillo

This book didn't get the best reviews, but luckily, I didn't read them before I started. The overall tone was a bit negative, but the characters were finely drawn and there were some uproariously funny moments. This is not a how to novel, but the story of one women's research on how to be single around the world. Just as a warning, the Thomas story is heartbreaking. I'm think I would actually read her next outing, if it was a piece fiction as opposed to a manual like "He's Just Not That Into You".

American Girls About Town (Short Stories)

I originally ordered this book from the library based on a search for Jennifer Weiner novels. I didn't realise it was a book of short stories until I had it in my hot little hands. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it also included a story by Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada) and disappointed to find a story by Cindy Chupack (I really didn't like her novel effort, although I liked her writing for SATC). I also found a few others I liked (Nancy Sparkling and Claire LaZebnick) and have put their novels on order. There are a few other short story anthologies of this ilk out there (Irish Girls About Town, Irish Girls Are Back in Town and Scottish Girls About Town) so we'll see what they're like. At the very least, perhaps I'll find some other authors to read.

A Great Birthday!

Had a lovely day from start to finish. Work wasn't too bad, and I was able to get away relatively early. Went to part of band practice where everyone serenaded me with "Happy Birthday". That was pretty cool, I've never had a whole band play for just me before! Way too much yummy food and drink, all of my favorites, pizza, mushroom salad, calamari, tartuffo, pinot grigio, espresso...it was delish and too filling. D gave me a lovely present, a hardcover copy of Chekhov's novellas. He is my absolute favorite Russian playwright, with The Cherry Orchard being the best of the bunch. I'm really looking forward to reading the story collection. It's too bad that the day had to fall in the middle of the week, with two more work days to go. Can't wait to party on Saturday night, should be fun!

John McLeod's Rex Hotel Orchestra

What a band! Or should I say, what a big band! Great sound, really tight, and they even had two french horns!

The line up was fantastic: David Braid on keys, John Jonson and Andy Ballentine (I teach his kid) on alto sax, Kelley Jefferson and Alex Dean on Tenor, Reg Schwager on guitar, just to name a few. There was even a surprise visit from Bob DeAngelis playing some Xmas music.

Well worth it, especially with a stellar arrangement of "It Don't Mean a Thing" featuring the trombone section and another of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" featuring the trumpet section.

The trumpet section were a hoot, a lot of them know each other from the Rob McConnell Boss Brass days, so they were acting like naughty school children, talking while the teacher is teaching type thing. They could surely play though! John McLeod is awesome, especially on flugle. Here's a clip

Well worth the $10 admission. They play on the last Monday of every month, check it out!

Soulless

Fantastic! I love seeing indie/fringe theatre. Click here for the synopsis. Great acting, simplistic set design, intimate space, just what I needed to get my head back into theatre again. I had lost my way somewhat, because of the crap I'd been seeing. I'm inspired to see as much Canadian independent theatre as I can. All thanks to this this website, which is awesome. Check it out!

Banana Boys - The Play

Went to Hart House Theatre tonight to see a play by Leon Aureus based on the novel Banana Boys by Terry Woo. I know the author slightly and had read the book, so I was interested to see how it translated into live theatre. The results were mixed. Although a great novel, it doesn't lend itself very well to story telling on stage. The playwright and director got around this by introducing elements of 1970s style collective creation giving the actors authorship of their work. The resulting blocking was quite powerful at times. Is being CBC (Canadian Born Chinese) as relevant now as it was 8-10 years ago? I'm sure I can't answer that question, but according to the playwright's notes, times are a-changing. I'm glad I saw it, and wish the playwright and author continued success.

Remembrance Day

Through a number of odd happenings, I had a very powerful and spiritual experience this November 11th. The afternoon before the Remembrance Day assembly I found out the trumpet player I thought was coming to play the Last Post for us, was actually not booked. I never received the message. Knowing that I would never find a player in that short a time, I went in on Tuesday and found myself a school trumpet. I took a trumpet minor in high school, played a little in dance band years ago, and taught middle school band 4 years ago, so to say I was rusty would be a huge understatement. As I started to practice, it sounded, well, worse than a grade nine student, to be honest.

As the soldier I had booked was taking to the students, I slipped outside the gym to warm up. Still not great. Moments before 11:00 am, I told myself: "You have to do this, for everyone who has served and especially your grandfather, a World War II vet and not long gone from this world". I honestly believe that he helped me today, because, although not picture perfect, I played every note clearly and didn't kak once. For those of you in the know, the Last Post is HARD, with G's out of nowhere, not to mention all note changes are done with your embouchure as it is all open. I had tears in my eyes at the end, as I know I did my grandfather and myself proud.

It was a profound moment in my life and I'll never forget the feeling.

Lest We Forget.