Thursday, December 13, 2012

Christmas!

I love Christmas!  My family celebrates Christmas, so that's the holiday season I love, but Happy Holidays, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Solstice, etc. to you!

I love Christmas for so many reasons.  I like that it's cold outside and warm indoors - by a fire, in a sweater, in a chair, under a blanket, reading a book, drinking a warm mug of cider..... those are the images that come to mind.  I like that it's an occasion for many family get togethers.  Cousins you never see all gather in one place with aunts, uncles, and grandparents (if you're lucky!), catching up, eating delicious food, and spreading the good cheer.  I like giving presents!  I don't like the commercial side of Christmas for the most part, but I do like giving and receiving presents.  I like putting thought into it, wrapping it, writing cards.  I like bringing new things back to my apartment and thinking of the person who gave it to me every time I see it.  I like the food!  I like a meal where gravy can go on every item on the plate.  I like turkey and wine and all sorts of vegetables in their mashed/pureed form.  I like pies and Christmas baking! 

I like an opportunity that smacks me in the face and reminds me: you are so unbelievably fortunate.  It sounds cheesy, but I do have that moment at Christmastime.  How couldn't I?  Warmth, family, presents, food?  So many things that I am blessed, lucky, and fortunate to have, and that are not had by all.

That's why I was thrilled when my girlfriend suggested she and I find some opportunities to volunteer over the holidays.  Not only is it something special we can spend time doing together, but it's something we can do to show we are thankful for how blessed we are.  You can't control where you end up on the fortunate scale, but you can control how aware you are of your blessings.

Happy Holidays!!!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Broth Talk

I wanna preface this post by saying that I in no way think of myself as some expert chef. However, I cook a lot, I love to cook, I'm getting pretty good at it, and I make a point of learning how to cook better. Some of my learning happens by reading recipes online, cookbooks, and finding tips on how to cook certain things (better). Some of my learning happens by watching the Food Network, or watching friends as they cook, trying to pick up tips in that way. However, my best learning happens through my own practice; good ol' trial and error.

My latest and favourite discovery involves oil. I love cooking with oil, and of course it's a crucial element to a great number of meals. However, the more vegetables (or whatever) you cook, sometimes the more oil you need. And that is an issue! For example, lately (probably once a week) I've been making my interpretation of Chinese food; a sort of improvised vegetarian chow mein dish. I don't know how authentic it is, but it's tasty and seems like Chinese food to me! At the very least it's Chinese-inspired. Anyway, I cook the vegetables in steps, and often have to add more oil with each addition. Then come the noodles which I boil, drain, mix in soy sauce and sesame oil, and then fry in oil for a few minutes. OIL, OIL, OIL!!! The dish ends up well-cooked and delicious, but very oily. Not good.

So yesterday evening as I cooked this dish I was determined to eliminate the oiliness factor. What did I need? Another cooking liquid. What did I use? Vegetable broth.  It keeps the wok moist and gives the vegetables the liquid they need, but doesn't oil them up and absorbs really quickly. It really seemed to solve my problem, and I'm using it in other dishes, too.

Now the question is, is it legit? For those of you out there who cook, is this effective in the real cooking world?


Currently reading... Quiet by Susan Cain
Posts to come... long overdue salute to John Lennon, my overview of all contestants on "RuPaul's Drag Race" to date, and a Christmas post

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Validation

Last weekend I was in my bedroom folding laundry that was hot out of the dryer.  I picked up a pair of fuzzy, purple socks that belong to my girlfriend K, who I live with.  I went out into the main room where she was sitting on the couch on her computer.  I saw that she wasn't wearing socks, so I went over to her and, seeing the socks, she stuck out her feet and I put the socks on her feet.  As she realized that they were still warm, her face completely lit up and she was so excited.  I'm not kidding, she looked like a kid on Christmas day.

It filled my heart with joy.  I'm so lucky to live with and love a woman who finds joy in and doesn't take for granted the simple things in life.  Socks right out of the dryer are only one example; when I make her tea, bring home a random treat, make dinner, etc., etc., she always reacts like it's the most special thing, and so I feel that it's special, too... and that I'm special.

Or, the other morning, I came in to wake her up and her eyes opened and she immediately smiled at me with this incredibly loving smile.

I saw something on one of Oprah's shows once... I can't remember who was talking; it might've been Toni Morrison.  Anyway, the show was about validation, I think.  Whoever it was that was talking said that she made a special effort to always have her face light up when her kids walked into the room.  Rather than briefly look up from whatever she was doing, or - worse! - not look at all, she would look at them, and smile!  Oprah spoke about how amazing these children were and how much of an effect this special gesture made.

That's how I feel about K; that she regularly validates me, makes me feel loved and special.

It's simple, but maybe that's what makes it so great.  Simple or not, it has a significant effect, and I feel grateful to experience that.

Monday, November 12, 2012

rc-4 update

Reading Challenge #4 continues...

Just this morning I finished re-reading Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane. It's a biography of John Lennon, written by long-time friend Larry Kane, a journalist who was assigned to travel with The Beatles on their two North American tours in 1964 and 1965. It's a great, honest biography of John Lennon, which all the good ones seem to be. That's how John would've wanted it.

Stay tuned for a dedication piece to John in December, on the 32nd anniversary of his death.

I'm struggling with what to read next. I think I'm going to try to dive into Susan Cain's book, Quiet, but we shall see!


What I've read so far...
  1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
  4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
  8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom **re-read
  10. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb **re-read
  11. In One Person by John Irving
  12. Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane **re-read

Friday, November 9, 2012

Fully there in that place

Wow... never underestimate the power of music. 

I'm working alongside my GF today so I have my earphones in while listening to music. I unsuccessfully downloaded Feist's album, "Metals", and so when that failed I started listening to Fever Ray (working my way through my music library alphabetically, apparently). For the record I'm listening to Fever Ray's self-titled album... I don't know if that's their only one. 

The moment I pressed play (the first song that played was "Dry and Dusty"), I was taken back to where I most obsessively listened to that album; where I first listened to it and where I enjoyed it most. I swear I could smell the cold air. It was winter of 09/10. I used to smoke back then, I'm afraid (I quit though!), and I can smell the mix of the cold air and my cigarettes. I remember the coat I would wear. I remember where I was at in my life. I remember the apartment I would return to after a smoking session. I remember what it felt like in that apartment... what my life was like.  I remember the books I would read, the layout of my apartment, the movies I was obsessed with... where I spent most of my time... 

I know it wasn't that long ago, but what I'm trying to say is that the moment the first few notes of this song started to play: I WAS THERE. Fully there, in those moments, in that life, in that place. 

I also remember the other album I listened to, basically in tandem with "Fever Ray": "XX" by The XX. I just started listening to that right now, too, and it's the same feeling. They're similar albums, really, and that's where I was at: calm, introspective, quiet, cold, relaxed, focused... It was a good time. And it's good music. 

Currently reading... Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane 
On deck... High Fidelity by Nicholas Hornby, Quiet by Susan Cain

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Bookshelves: a peephole into your mind

When I go to someone's place of residence for the first time - or really any time - I am drawn to their bookshelves.  Whether they hold books or DVDs or - in rare cases - CDs, I love to scan them.  I love seeing what people read, watch, and/or listen to.  I love commenting on shared favourite authors or TV shows.  It's a conversation-starter, a peephole into their mind, and even better - an opportunity to borrow some good books and movies.

You won't be surprised to know that I take a lot of pride in my own bookshelves.  I have been know to organize DVDs alphabetically, group authors together, and sort books according to subject matter.  After reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, I read a review on the back that said the book could easily fit between 1984 and A Brave New World on your bookshelf... so that's exactly where I put it.  I love when people inspect my bookshelves; whether they're passing judgment or looking for shared interests, I bare it all for them.


It's because of this that when I think about the printed word or the tangible media source (DVD, CD, etc.) becoming obsolete, it's scary to me.  It's not that I'm a dinosaur and don't get it, or want to slow things down; it's that I think about the joy I get from seeing and touching someone's books and movies and I hate the thought of not having that.  I feel like I know people better when I see their shelves.  I feel like it brings colour and culture into a room, never mind being aethestically pleasing a lot of the time.

Then there's also that feeling of a book in your hand.  Will they one day call a story with so much excitement you can't wait for the next part a... page-swiper?!  I love the smell of books, seeing what I might've underlined the last time I read a favourite, and the drama in closing a book when you've finished it and just clutching it for a few moments.  It's meaningful.

All I'll get a chance to see is the evolution of books and DVDs, etc. in my own lifetime.  I wonder what I'll see.....

Thursday, November 1, 2012

RuPaul's Drag Race: Start Your Engines

I'm kind of shocked that I've only referred to "RuPaul's Drag Race" once so far on this blog.  Then again, I suppose it's a somewhat recent obsession.  My best friends J & W have been into it for a while and I tuned in to an episode with them here and there, but it was season four where I really caught my RPDR stride.

You can click the link to the wiki page above to learn about the show, so I won't waste your time with that.  I'd like to discuss this show beyond the details...

What is it about RPDR that appeals to me so much???

The campiness.  I realize that I love camp.  There, I said it.  And I ain't talkin' 'bout summer camp (though I loved it, too), I'm talkin' about what dictionary.com defines as "something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly manner-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental".  It may seem over-the-top to some, but that's what I love about it.  Extravagance, hyperbole, silly, cheesy to the point of almost hating it, but then loving it anyway.

Let me tell you, RPDR is dripping with camp.  I mean, it's a drag queen competition after all, but it's so campy you find yourself giggling against your own will.

The humour.  Campiness is humour on its own, but the drag queens' individual senses of humour are pristine.  Whether it's poking fun of each other, which it usually is (and by the way, it's not called "poking fun", it's called "reading" or "throwing shade"), commenting on pop culture, or just being themselves, I'm laughing for the better part of the show.  And they're full of brilliant slang and one-liners: "sickening", "the shade of it all!", "loca", "halleloo", "werrrkkk", "eat it", the list goes on.

RuPaul.  It's unfair that RuPaul be stuck in the middle of these reasons, but they're not in any particular order, really.  RuPaul Charles is perfection.  In and out of drag she is funny, witty, stunning, fashionable, sweet, cute, honest, real, silly, and everything in between.  She is a true queen.  Her own classic lines on the show are amazing, too: "Hello hello hello!", "Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman... win!", "If you can't love yourself, how in the heellll are you gonna love somebody else?  Can I get an amen up in here?"  I love RuPaul.

The homage it pays to "Paris is Burning".  You already know that I've been deeply moved by the documentary "Paris is Burning", and I love how much respect is paid to this film and the culture it documents on RPDR.  Occasionally episodes have ball-like competitions, categories ("Executive Realness"), vogue-offs, etc., but more than that there are subtle PiB lines regularly inserted into the show... "Cheesecake", "overgrown orangutangs" (misspelled on purpose), "touch this, touch all of this", "you own everything, everything is yours", etc.  Ru is cleary committed to honouring the queens who came before (and not just those from PiB but also queens like Marsha P. Johnson) and it shows, and I love spotting the references.

The anthropological side of it.  I realized that it's not just the humour, the entertainment, the competition, Ru and the queens, etc., or rather those things become even more interesting by way of looking at the show anthropologically.  I'm a gay woman.  I'm part of the gay community so in that way I feel that gay men's worlds intersect with mine, but drag culture is a whole other chestnut.  I don't feel totally separate from it, per se, but I clearly am not and could not be a true part of it, as much as other drag queens or other gay men can be.  I don't consider this a bad or sad thing, nor does it make me feel excluded.  However, it does make the experience of looking in at this world very fascinating. 

And that brings me to...
The gender play.  I spent some time in university thinking a lot about gender and the performance of gender and the illusion of it, but I haven't dedicated much thought to it since.  However, RPDR brings those thoughts back to the forefront of my mind.  I mentioned to my friend W. that sometimes the queens do things or say things that seem more feminine than anything I could ever do or say.  That led to an engaging conversation between the two of us about what femininity is, and how real or important it could possibly be based on the fact that some make-up and a dress on a biological male makes me perceive him as more feminine than me.  Very interesting...

The joy.  When I talk to people about the show, the word that always comes to mind is "joy".  I feel joyful when I watch RuPaul's Drag Race.  It's about fun and wittiness, camp and performance, music and fashion, queerness, creativity, comraderie, and more!  The queens are fun and good-spirited (most of the them/most of the time), and it's a happy show!  That's really what I love about RPDR.

Give it a try!  Let me know what you think!!


Posts to come... the disappearance of the physical book and what it means in terms of first impressions.
Currently reading... Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane & High Fidelity by Nicholas Hornby

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Coffee Ritual

For some reason that I can't explain, my blog is only working in HTML mode this morning, not rich text. Oh well! I'll edit in my wild italics later. I had a lazy, drawn-out wake-up this morning, which I love having the opportunity to enjoy. Waking up, falling back asleep, checking my phone, rolling around, falling asleep again, and then finally around 9:30 I dragged myself out of bed and put on some coffee. That's when something horrifying happened! I looked into the fridge and saw NO MILK!!! Thankfully I live within short walking distance of a number of convenience stores, so I put on a jacket and went outside. What was horrifying then became lovely! Buying milk was an excuse to enjoy the crisp, sunny, coolness that is the perfect fall Saturday morning; that's what today is like. It felt incredibly fresh and rejuvenating to head outside and feel that sort of weather. Needless to say, not having milk was a blessing in disguise! I got my milk and then left the convenience store. That's when I noticed some newspaper boxes for those subway magazines Metro and 24-Hour or whatever they're called. I grabbed one of each and then had this funny, happy memory pop into my mind. I think I started drinking coffee around grade 12, when I was 17/18. In grade 12 I went to an alternative high school in Toronto; I won't go into great detail explaining what made it alternative, but let's just say it was different than your average high school. On my way to school every day that year I would grab a coffee at Tim Horton's, snag a Metro magazine, and head to school. Before I got to work on my schoolwork, I would lazily drink my coffee and do the Metro crossword (the teachers didn't care... that was part of the fun of being at an alternative school). This struck me as funny this morning, because I guess I didn't realize that my coffee & reading/crossword-doing ritual has now been going on for 7+ years... what a trip! It hasn't lost its pleasure either. That quiet part of the morning when it's just me awake in the apartment, and I have 20 or so minutes to eat breakfast, gently sip coffee, and engage in something that brings me great pleasure... It's a wonderful thing!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

How I moved from 99.9 to 94.1

My girlfriend and I were in Hubble (my car) driving somewhere recently, listening to 99.9 Virgin radio.  Not since I had a blank tape in my "ghetto blaster", listening to 92.5 KISS FM, waiting for a song to come on that was cool enough to anxiously run over and press "record" have I really listening to the radio.  I got my first iPod in 2004 or thereabouts and suddenly the radio seemed irrelevant.

[SIDENOTE: I saved up for my iPod mini for months!  $400 for a 4gb iPod... hilarious!]

But it's really not irrelevant, or at least it's still entertaining.  Now that I commute around 400 km a week I quite enjoy the radio.  I was inspired by my sister who regularly listens to Top 40 radio and therefore can sing to every song that comes on.  So, I began to tune in to 99.9 mostly, with a side of 103.5 and 93.5.

So my GF and I were in the car and she says something along the lines of: "Do you think we could take a break from this?  It's too much!"  With that she switched over to CBC Radio 2.  Immediately I felt a tension released; the calm voices of the DJs, the generally mild music selections, the absence of advertisements and the two-song stretch before you hear any human voices.

I haven't switched my car radio from CBC Radio 2 in weeks.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Giving Thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

The first thing that I am thankful for today is my girlfriend.  She brings light to my day - every day - from the moment I get up, and that is something to be thankful for.

The second thing that I am thankful for is John Irving, his book In One Person, and good books everywhere.  After dropping my GF off this morning where she needed to be, I came back home and spent a quiet thirty minutes or so with my coffee and the last 25 pages of In One Person.  There was a lot of warmth in those thirty minutes, and like I always do with a good book, when it came to the end I got shivers, gently closed it, and spent 60 seconds or so digesting it.  I never expected my favourite author to write such an LGBTQ community-focused novel, but he did, and with an angle I've never seen, and I loved it.

I'm also thankful that once I'm done this quiet morning time and get myself showered and ready, that I'll be walking over to my parents' place - a twenty minute walk away - to enjoy a day of more warmth, loved ones around, delicious food, and a lot of blessings.

I feel lucky and I feel blessed and I feel thankful.

I hope you feel these things today, too!

~~~

rc-4 update: 

  1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
  4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
  8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
  10. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
  11. In One Person by John Irving
5 non-fiction, 6 fiction, 9 authors represented, a variety of subject matter.  Perhaps hitting the goal of 20 books read in 2012 is unlikely to happen, but who cares?!  I'm reading!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

She's Come Undone

My friend and I had a great conversation recently about books.  Together we turned our noses up at Fifty Shades of Grey and went on to discuss what we were reading and what our favourite books are.  I mentioned I was reading John Irving's latest novel, In One Person.  She said, "I love John Irving!!!"  I said, "Me too!", and told her which ones I've read (A Widow for One Year, The Cider House Rules, and The World According to Garp).  She shared her Irving reads, and then said, "But as much as I love John Irving, he's competing against one other favourite author ...[dramatic pause]... Wally Lamb."

The friend that I was chatting with is one of my best friends, but I still reeled at her other favourite author.  Could she be serious?!  How was it that we shared the same two favourite authors?!?!  I love Wally Lamb, but even more than that, I LOVE his book She's Come Undone.  This conversation excited me so much that I soon put aside In One Person and began to re-read (my fourth time) She's Come Undone.  I'm reading it right now and it's as good if not better than the other three times I've read it.

Unlike other books I've read recently - the Hunger Games trilogy, or even Tuesdays with Morrie which I love, but still... - She's Come Undone is like nourishment.  The writing is so strong and powerful it's like actual food... like oatmeal, the kind of food that sticks to your ribs, prepares you for the day, warms you up, and stays with you for more than just a few minutes of satisfaction.  The story is deeply upsetting, sometimes depressing, but it's always done in a way that fills you up rather than leaving you simply empty and depressed.  I love this book, and it hasn't lost its effect on me.

This is good timing for a rc-4 update:

  1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
  4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
  8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Currently reading... She's Come Undone (duh!), In One Person
On deck... A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Friday, September 7, 2012

Two endorsements

I am ALL. MOVED. IN.  Yes, ma'am.  My girlfriend and I are moved into our new apartment in the Young & Eligible area.  There is still lots of settling in, tidying, etc. to do, but it already feels like home.  I can't wait to post more about how it feels to finally be here, but I'm not ready yet.  So instead, I'd like to endorse two services.  I know, this blog is not usually about that, but when I get such incredible service as I have on two fronts in the past week, I need to advertise.  Here goes.....

Canadian Automobile Association a.k.a. CAA.
When I first got my car (Hubble) last summer, my parents recommended I get a CAA membership.  Like the obedient daughter I am, I did so, and didn't think about it much after that.  When the time came to renew, despite not having once used CAA's services, I renewed.  I'm glad I did.  The other day my GF noticed that my tire was flat.  It's been a crazy week of moving so I didn't really have time to take care of it that day.  Another day passed and I wasn't able to take care of it then either, but I started to have a hard time turning my wheels and my car was making weird noises.  On the morning of our big apartment painting day, I was planning on picking up the GF at 9am.  Around 8am I mentioned casually to my mom that my tire was flat and asked her if she thought I'd be able to pump it that day, since it was Labour Day.  She then asked, "Don't you have a CAA membership?"  She went on to tell me that if I called CAA they would come over and deal with the tire, whether that meant pumping it full of air or replacing it with my spare tire (which I didn't even know I had).  I called them around 8:20 and the gentleman on the phone couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful.  Less than 30 minutes after that, a service vehicle came, the mechanic removed the tire, got the spare, and put it on.  I was on the road before 9:00 just as I'd planned, with the peace of mind that my problem had been taken care of.  Anyway, moral of the story?  CAA is amazing and gives great service, and I'm glad I renewed.

A & D Moving, Toronto.
A & D Moving was recommended to me by my aunt for my move from Port Hope to Toronto (storage unit while I lived at my parents' place for two months).  She's been using them for 15+ years and has always loved their service and said their prices are "as reasonable as they get".  With that recommendation, I booked them right away.  The move from Port Hope to the storage unit was almost seamless, but it was such a crazy day that it didn't sink it quite how good their service was.  It was on my move-in day to the new apartment the other day that really sealed the deal with A & D.  Their minimum is 2 hours and they did the full move in less than 2 hours.  They started before the originally scheduled start time and moved everything so quickly and carefully.  When they arrived with the stuff at the apartment, one of the movers asked me if the paint was fresh, and when I said yes they were extra careful not to hit the walls.  They were friendly but not overly talkative, professional and efficient, and they even put my bed together!  Now that is service.  I highly recommend.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Navel-Gazing & Joni Mitchell

This was written on Sunday, August 26th but I'm just posting it now.

I had a LiveJournal from about 2004 until 2009, maybe.  It was less emotionally-charged than those of some, but it was still rife with drama, cry sessions, and the like.  It was a stage though, and an important one, so I'm not mocking it nor regretting it, but I remember when I started Sugar & Gravy in 2008 that I was deliberately moving away from that stage and entering into something more superficial, and not in a bad way. S&G has always been a great outlet for writing about stuff: movies, restaurants, TV shows, Toronto, music, weird topics that pop into my head, etc.  But even with my deliberate intentions, surely S&G touches my soul, 'cause part of it comes out of me in these lines from time to time.....

Sorry - I'm totally saturated in Joni Mitchell right now and couldn't resist.  What I'm trying to say is twofold: (1) Despite making an effort to have this blog be an outlet for the less introspective of my thought processes, when I read back on old entries, I'm still reminded of all the moments of my journey.  I remember when I started listening to MGMT and how it changed me.  I remember how emotionally invested I was in Naomily of series 3 and 4 of the show "Skins" (and why that may have been...).  I remember the smell of the Olive Oil Dry Mist I "endorsed" in this post and how my bathroom and all my towels used to smell like it in my old basement apartment in Waterloo.  So despite this not being written like a traditional journal or diary, it still brings me back to the moments when I wrote the entries in a very real way.  Then again, that doesn't mean that you - the reader - feel the emotional side of things.

That brings me to (2): perhaps it's worthwhile sometimes to let this be an introspective outlet; not in a forced way, but I shouldn't shy away from it just because that's now how I established it.  I have a physical, tangible, pen and paper journal still, but sometimes typing it all out is good, too.  I am not moving the intention of this blog from superficial to navel-gazing, but today - with all of this Joni Mitchell-listening - I'm inspired, and so I felt like trying something different.

Or at least talking about trying something different.  Now that it's Tuesday, August 28th, I'm not feeling the urge to introspect like I was on Sunday, so I won't force it, but if you read some different posts on S&G in the near future, this is why.....


And now I leave you with some raw, beautiful Joni Mitchell singing one of my favourite songs live.  Sing it, Joni, you beautiful creature.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Discovering T.O. #10: Trinity Bellwoods Park

I spent a good chunk of Saturday and some of Sunday, too, writing a blog post for Sugar & Gravy that is very different in tone from the ones I've been writing as of late.  However, I got busy with other things and haven't yet finished it.  I promise that it will see the light of day sometime soon, but in the meantime, here's something more pressing.

Yesterday I spent about five hours in Trinity Bellwoods Park.

TB Park is not a new hot spot by any stretch, but it was my first time being in the park for any length of time, which is why I'm writing about it.  I always hear about so many people spending the summer's most beautiful days there, and I kept meaning to give it a try myself.  The other day my friend Waleed and I were trying to think of something to do together and I suggested it be something free.  That's when I was finally compelled to put a desire into action, so we decided we would meet at the park around 12:30 pm, have a picnic, and hang out.

That's exactly what we did.  I got there around 12:30 and started with a little journalling.  Waleed arrived about 30 minutes later armed with everything two ladies could need for a day at the park -- a great mat to lie on, a bottle of green tea, and then he made us delicious tuna sandwiches with mustard and other fixin's.



For the next four or so hours we just relaxed.  We randomly saw two friends, my sister and her boyfriend stopped by for a bit, we played cards, we talked, we people-watched, and we ate a bag of Cheetos.  The weather was perfect -- sunny and warm, but with a consistent breeze that kept it completely comfortable all day long.  Plus, we found a great shady spot under a tree, so it really wasn't hot at all.

What I loved most - and I had a similar moment when my girlfriend and I went to Centre Island - was seeing so many people taking advantage of something free and beautiful the city has to offer.  The park was PACKED!  People, dogs, bikes, birthday parties, baseball games, families, friends..... there was such a positive energy there, and I was really happy to be a part of it.  The time flew by, just chatting and taking it all in.  Again, it's one of those times where I felt I spent a summer Sunday exactly the way it's meant to be spent.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

RC-4: Updated

I have been promising a full update on rc-4 a.k.a. Reading Challenge #4 in which I challenge myself to read 20 books in 2012.  Like it or not, the year is almost 2/3 over.  That makes me want to scream!  I mean, I'm fine with time passing just as quickly as it wants to, but it still comes as a surprise to know that... my France trip was nearly eight months ago... I've been in Toronto again for nearly two months... and that the time aspect of the reading challenge is 2/3 done while the reading aspect is not even 1/2 done.



BUT, that said, the reading challenge series was never meant to make me feel bad or guilty; it was always intended to encourage me to read more, and so even if I only make it to 10 books this year (50% of my goal), it's fine... as long as I'm reading.

So here's what I've read so far this year...

  1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
  4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
  8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Currently reading: In One Person by John Irving (FANTASTIC so far!!!)
Posts to come: nothing on deck for y'all at this point, but surely I'll be posting soon!

Love,
Sugar & Gravy 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Top 5 S&G Blog Posts of All Time

My first ever post on Sugar & Gravy was on August 1, 2008 - over 4 years ago.  I've had a few different blogs over the years (including a LiveJournal back in the day!), but S&G has stood the test of time like no other.  I was reminiscing recently, looking over different posts I've written over the years, and I realized that on Blogger you can see how many times each post has been read.  Let's ignore the fact that I've had this blog for over four years and only just realized that... Anyway, I decided to check out and see which posts made the top 5 most read list, and now that I know, I'd like to share the results with you.

Without further ado...

Sugar & Gravy Top 5

  1. Naomily: Ultimate Satisfaction - I wouldn't call this my most memorable blog post of all time, nor one that fills me with a sense of pride, but still, it doesn't really surprise me that this is my #1 most read blog post.  Why doesn't it surprise me?  Well, because for a period of 2-4 weeks, I Google/YouTube-searched the word "Naomily" on a daily basis.  Pathetic, I know, but there, I said it.  So, having once been a Naomily-obsessed individual, I probably would've fallen upon this blog post, too, if I hadn't written it myself.  I hope Naomily fans all over the world enjoyed it.
  2. Sex and the City: In Review - This was an important, well-researched, lengthy, and satisfying post to write.  I'm glad to see it made the top 2.
  3. Today I Am Entertained - References to the MBTI, Audrey Tautou, and "Hoarders"?  How this managed to be so widely read, I'll never know.
  4. My trip to France - This was one of my most annoying posts to write because of all the photos I included with it.  However, I planned to write it from the first day I arrived in France, and it was a great way of ensuring that I documented my experiences as I travelled.  I also worked hard to distill my experience into highlights, which was tricky, but satisfying.  Very pleased this was well-read.
  5. Lastly, My Shameful Secret - This was a fun post to write and I'm delighted that it was read by so many people.  As much as the tone of the post is tongue-in-cheek, I really did carry my "shameful secret" around with me for a while (7-8 years, to be exact), and though I would often joke about it, it really started to get to me.  This post was cathartic, and also motivational.  Knowing that at least some people were now aware of my inability to drive, drove me (ha!) to achieve this goal.  Like I've said before, accountability really motivates, so thanks for reading!!!

As a bonus, I thought I'd add two honourable mentions, so to speak.  Two posts - both Waterloo-related - that I really enjoy: Ode to Waterloo & Niko Niko

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Discovering TO #9: Yours Truly

Friday, July 27th was my 3-year anniversary with my girlfriend.  Being that we both love trying out new restaurants, we decided that our gift for each other would be to treat ourselves to a special meal at Toronto Life's #1 rated restaurant of 2012: Yours Truly.  I'd been dying to try out YT, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I booked well in advance, and on the big day, I picked up K from work and off we went to Dundas/Ossington to celebrate!

We had a relatively early reservation, but we still arrived in the neighbourhood with over an hour to go, so we started by walking up and down Ossington a bit to see what was going on.  That's when we spotted Bellwoods Brewery, an awesome bar/restaurant/microbrewery.  The spot had such a relaxed, community feel.  There were picnic tables scattered around their patio, and if you were in a group of two, you might just end up sitting with another pair and even get to chatting with them.  K and I kept to ourselves, but I loved the vibe and it having a beer outside was the perfect way to start the evening.

Around 6:00 (I told you it was early), we walked up to Yours Truly for the main event.

The restaurant itself was nice - dim, simple, stylish.  We were seated at a table somewhat cramped in the corner, but it was good enough.

The draw of YT is that they do things so differently.  It's my understanding that they have two dining experiences available - they have two or so seatings of their Yours Truly experience, which is what we took part in.  It's a $45 4-course prix fixe.  The second experience is the Carte Blanche, which is something like 10 courses around $100 all-in.  It was a celebratory day, sure, but we've gotta be fiscally responsible.  So our prix fixe worked like this: you got a menu with a matrix - 4 rows and 3 columns.  Each row represented a course, and each item in the columns was the main ingredient of that course option (all unique and seasonal).  So basically you pick four ingredients, and those are your four courses.  I'm an adventurous diner because I've basically never met a food that I didn't like (except I don't really like cold cuts), so this was a fun and easy experience for me.  I chose loxbream, chicken, and cheese.  I won't go into detail describing each course, but I will say that each was extremely delicious.  Each course was also extremely creative, consisting of some ingredients that I'd never heard of, and also combinations of ingredients I could've never imagined.  It was the kind of meal where you almost had to close your eyes when you took your first bite of each course, to experience every flavour and let it all roll over your tongue.  It wasn't just about nourishment; it was about a total dining experience, trying new things, and treating ourselves!

One other thing - as if four courses weren't enough, we also enjoyed a signature YT cocktail each (I had the "John Candy" and K had the "Cibelle"), as well as three amuse bouche, which were delicious!


I also want to add that one of my favourite parts of the Yours Truly experience was the service; it was top-notch!  All the servers had clearly bought into the mission of YT in its entirety, fully knowledgeable on every course option, flavour combination, and even the strangest of ingredients.  They were friendly, attentive, and not at all overbearing: my favourite qualities in serving staff.

And that wraps up my 8th edition of "Discovering T.O.".  Let me know if you ever check out Yours Truly and tell me what you think!


Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... full rc-4 update!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

The Hunger Lames


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins… everyone was talking about it, my girlfriend devoured the trilogy, and – despite my biggest deterrent: hype – I was intrigued enough to dive into the series.  

I liked reading the first installment (The Hunger Games) because it was easy and quick to read, the chapters were short (which can be a really nice thing), and because it was a literary idea like I’d never read before.  It was imaginative, original, creative, and fascinating; these are great elements in a novel.

I started reading Catching Fire (the second book of the three) because I had to know what happened next.  I read this novel even more quickly than the first.  I loved this one in particular because it went in a direction that I had never predicted.  It was surprising and even more engaging than its predecessor.  I was hooked!

Then I moved on to Mockingjay and I faltered.  I pushed through the first bit and then couldn’t get hooked again.  It lay gathering dust on my kitchen table for weeks… I think it took me nearly 2.5 months, if not more, to get through it in the end.  It just didn’t deliver like the others did.  Sure, it was a new story, but it wasn’t that same action-packed, page-turning excitement that had me racing through the first two. 

Then – worst of all – the ending fell flat.  I liked what I gathered some of the overarching themes were, bleak as some of them may be, but it was just so… unsatisfying.  It wrapped up too quickly without enough loose end-tying.  It just kind of went splat – there you go, it’s over.  The definition of anticlimactic.

Was it worth the read?  Absolutely.  But as my friend Waleed said, “It’s not a good sign when you’re really happy you’re done.”

[This whole unsatisfying experience was heightened by the sigh of relief and overwhelming sense of sustenance I felt when I dove into my current read: In One Person by John Irving.]



Posts to come... a full update on Reading Challenge #4 + anniversary dinner at Yours Truly & a beer beforehand

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Muskokes

Summer in Ontario doesn't quite feel like summer until I get to spend some time at a cottage.  I got my 24 hours in Sarnia, but it's not quite the same.  I just got back from 48 hours on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka and now I really feel like I've had that summer experience.  (Lucky for me I'll also get 48 hours in Southampton on Lake Huron next weekend!)

My 3 days in Muskoka were incredible!!!  My GF and I arrived there on Sunday around 1:00pm after the oh-so-necessary stop at Weber's on Highway 11.  My dad met us at the marina and off we drove to the cottage which is on an island I can't remember the name of.  My parents rented this cottage for about two weeks and I'm so glad I was able to spend some time there.  It's newly built and is that perfect combination of creature comforts and real cottage living.  Everything's very clean and new but also comfy and cozy.  There are tonnes of different spots to cuddle up and read, sit down and play cards, or lounge and get some sun.

During my 48 hours there I had 4 swims, 2 periods of lounging in the sun, 2 sleeps averaging 9 hours each, I finished 1 book (Mockingjay... which I've been reading for what feels like 2 years... more on that another time), played Gin Rummy twice, Boggle once, Dominion (new favourite game!) 3 times, ate 2 delicious dinners... the list goes on.

Needless to say, I enjoyed every moment, and was glad to have my first real cottage moment of the Summer of 2012.  More to come!!!

Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... my thoughts on The Hunger Games trilogy / an update on rc-4 + my 3-year anniversary dinner at Yours Truly (Dundas & Ossington)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Discovering T.O. #8

Guess what?!  I got an apartment!!!  Yes, ma'am, I gave the super first and last and it's official: I will be moving into my 1-bedroom apartment on September 1st.  Closest intersection?  Yonge & Eglinton.  I'm a happy camper!

In other news, I continue to discover Toronto and love to tell you about it.  Here's what I did yesterday:

After a good night out in the Village on Saturday evening, a girl craves a delicious brunch, and that's what I got on Sunday at noon.  My GF & I had never been to Lady Marmalade in Leslieville, but she heard it was great, so we headed east to check it out.  It was as good as they say!  Very unique atmosphere, not too long a wait (but a long enough line that you know it's worth waiting), relatively quick and attentive service, and - the most important part - DELICIOUS food.  I checked in on FourSquare when I got there and many of the tips recommended the bacon, brie, and avocado eggs Benedict.  Being a huge eggs benny fan myself, I had to go with it, and it was divine!  It came with a small serving of potatoes and a delicious side salad.  I also discovered the merits of tomato juice as my beverage.  I really wanted a Caesar, but they weren't licensed, so I took a straight up TJ instead.  Yummy!  Would go back to LM in a second.

**Note: Lady Marmalade is cash only.

From there we headed to Cherry St. to the launch to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club to spend the afternoon on the island.  We wandered around the RCYC for a bit and then headed from there to Centre Island to do some exploring.  As we walked along to the "main drag", we saw tonnes of people on two-seated quadricycles peddling around.  It looked like so much fun and they all looked so happy, so we rushed to get our own.  For $17 you got the quadricycle for an hour, and it was just as fun to ride as it looked.  We biked for the full hour, sharing steering privileges and stopping once to get on some swings we drove by.  It was a blast!  I kept saying, it seemed like exactly the way a person is meant to spend a Sunday in the summer in Toronto.  Now that I'm officially a resident of the city, that's exactly what I want to be doing!!!  After biking, we went and dipped our feet into the wading pool/fountain, lay on the grass, climbed a tree, and then headed back to the clubhouse for a bite, which was perfect timing as it started pouring rain.  Around 5:30 we headed back to the mainland and wrapped up the night with some TV time.

Another fabulous time discovering T.O.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

My 5 Favourite Foods

My friends and I had an impromptu session last week of naming our five favourite foods.


Here are mine:
  1. Thai red beef curry (there are so many versions that I love, but a memorable one comes from Thai Viet Restaurant in Waterloo)
  2. Guacamole (the best I've ever had [including Mexico City guacs] is from Frida on Eglinton West)
  3. Seafood pasta (Linguini di Mari from John's Italian Caffe in Baldwin Village & Spaghetti Positano from Roberto's [Yonge-Lawrence area], for example)
  4. Sushi from Niko Niko in Waterloo - sushi on its own is great and I have other preferred places, but nothing beats Niko
  5. The last food took some careful thought and deliberation, but I landed on something I make regularly myself: peeli daal.  My peeli daal - or should I say, my friend Waleed's peeli daal, a recipe which he passed on to me - is simple, fresh, delicious, and has become a total comfort food.

Bon appetit!!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Life in TO

Guess what?!?  For the past 10 days I have been, and moving forward I will continue to be, an official resident of the city of Toronto.  I haven't truly lived here since 2005... it's pretty wild how time flies.  5 years in Waterloo, 2 in Port Hope, and now I'm back... and I couldn't be happier!

Was it hard to leave Port Hope?  Not really.  My two years in PH were formative and important and happy and satisfying, but the time was right to make the move, and I was just flat-out excited when moving day (June 30th) finally came.  But it's important to note that I really did love my apartment in PH and it was somewhat sad to say goodbye to that great place, but onwards and upwards!!!

At least, it will be upwards soon... temporarily I'm living at my parents' place, and likely will be until September.  It's a pretty sweet gig for the meantime, and I'm grateful that I have a place to stay.


So how have I enjoyed my time back in the city???  FULLY.  The weekend I moved home just happened to be: Toronto Pride + the Canada Day long weekend + my sister's 30th birthday.  Does it get any better???  On June 30th, once all the moving craziness was done, I spent the evening celebrating 3 decades of my sister's life at the historic Lambton House (built in 1847) in the west end of Toronto.  She rented out a room at this great venue for a private party with a bar and her own DJ.  It was awesome - great music, great friends, quirky drinks (including "The '82" and "The Extra Dirty 30"), a dress code theme ("indie darling"... I was inspired by Hannah from "Girls"), and generally a lot of fun!


On Sunday, July 1, I woke up, showered, wore my finest combo of Pride and Canada Day-appropriate clothing, and headed down to the Church-Wellesley village to celebrate the gorgeous weather and the special day.  3 friends and I started the day off at Lola's Kitchen, which I believe I've mentioned before.  We were lucky enough to get a table on their patio and we took our sweet time enjoying many summery drinks (mimosas, Caesars, sangria, and watermelon spiked lemonade), their delicious food (I had the day's special: grilled cheese Benedict - delightful!), and the perfect combination of summer sun and heavenly breeze.  

Once we finished, we headed down Church St. from about Charles all the way to Carlton, checking out the vendors, people-watching, and generally taking it all in.  We crossed Carlton, down the subway stairs, and up to the corner of College & Yonge, and found a good spot to watch the parade out front of Hoops Bar, just north of College on the west side of Yonge.  It was a great spot to watch from, and despite feeling complacent about Pride every year when it comes around, once again I was overwhelmed by my own pride while watching the parade - pride for my city, my community, myself, and the amazing people I saw marching for various causes, all in the name of acceptance and gay pride.  Yes, I may be proud all year long, but what's the harm in marking a day to celebrate it in particular?  Nothing.  In fact, it's wonderful!!!


After about an hour or so of parade-watching, my girlfriend and I headed back up to her house for a Canada Day BBQ.  We ate snacks, drank beers, watched the Jays' game, sampled some delicious summery cocktails her sister put together (all tea-based... very cool), and then dug into the feast -- home-made burgers, corn on the cob, salads... TO DIE FOR.  Kudos to Steph for all her labour.  It was very well-received.


THEN we had the holiday Monday, on which we celebrated my sister's birthday again: the family edition.  We had a great little lunch in the backyard and then went to Canada Square movie theatre to watch "Take This Waltz", Canadian director Sarah Polley's second feature film, starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, and Sarah Silverman.  I don't want to go into too detailed a review of this film.  My feelings about it are complicated which makes me feel like Sarah Polley did exactly what she intended, which I respect and appreciate.  I loved how unashamedly she highlighted Toronto - it was such a thrill seeing the city displayed without trying to pretend it's somewhere else, presumably in the states.  The acting was really incredible, and there were some extremely powerful moments.  Overall I liked it and I'm glad I saw it.


The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.  I'm working part-time from a home office in Toronto which has been a great new routine to adjust to and I'm finding it to be a very productive situation.  I saw some apartments and actually applied for one yesterday (stay tuned!).  Then on Friday night I went to Mississauga for the evening with some of my very besties and had a very chill time, eating Thai food and watching "The Comeback".  

Saturday morning I woke up relatively early, my sister picked me up from my friend's in Mississauga, and we drove down the 401 + the 402 to Sarnia, ON, my mom's hometown, and where some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins live.  We spent 24 hours at my uncle's place, which used to be my grandparents' house, so I've been there many times before.  He's done some incredible work on the interior and it's so amazing to spend time there, filled with memories of the time spent there as a kid, but then to be surrounded by a beautiful variation on the place I've known so well.  We arrived around 3:30, spent some time relaxing and catching up with my aunt and uncle, and then my aunt tucked me into the hammock where I read Mockingjay and took a snooze.  [Aside: I'm finally getting back into Mockingjay.  I'm determined to finish it this month and move onto something totally new.]  After a snooze and a shower, I joined more family and friends for a perfect summer dinner: BBQ'd ribs.  It was a delicious meal with fabulous company and I went to bed fully satisfied and fell fast asleep with the sound of the waves in my ears.


Sunday morning we woke up early and after some breakfast down by the lake, we took 3 dogs (my sister's, uncle's, and aunt's) for a long walk down the shore.  The combo of sun and breeze was delicious and we took our sweet time walking.  When we got back to the house, I went for a swim.  The lake was more wavy than you would imagine, and I felt like a kid again - turns out 15 years later it's just as fun to jump into the waves as it was before.  After that we had sandwiches by the beach, a little more reading and sunbathing, and then we packed up the car and headed back to TO.


So - needless to say, life in TO is off to a wonderful start!  I can't wait for whatever comes next...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

rc-4: Kelly Cutrone enlightens


Guess what?!?  10 more days until I move to Toronto.


In other news, it's been a while since I updated you on Reading Challenge #4 a.k.a. rc-4.  Almost 6 months in and 7 books down.  Not bad, but I'm going to have to kick it up a notch to reach my goal of 20 books in 2012.


My latest read (which I finished this morning) was If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone -- Fashion PR Queen of New York: known for dressing in black, speaking her mind, and appearing on a variety of reality television shows, from "The Hills" to her own, "Kell On Earth".


The book wasn't what I expected.  I had been unsuccessfully reading Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy.  I had really hoped to read the trilogy without stopping, but I regret to say that Mockingjay simply did not hook me.  The first book, The Hunger Games was fascinating throughout, hard to put down.  Catching Fire was so far from what I expected that it kept me engaged the whole time.  Mockingjay, on the other hand, was such a change of pace (read: slow) and just a whole other kind of story that I couldn't push through the first third.  It's now gathering dust on my kitchen table.  I'll try to get back to it next, but I won't force it.  I will finish it soon enough (everyone says it's worth pushing through for the sake of the ending), but if I'm not engaged, I'm not engaged.


Anyway, back to KC's "memoir".  First of all, I'd been reading The Hunger Games, so moving from that to a PR powerhouse's memoir, if you want to call it that, was a tough transition.  Secondly, feeling somewhat well-versed in spiritual language and ideals, it felt a bit rich to have spiritual advice coming from someone who I've seen straight-up call someone on their eating disorder in the middle of a bar on "The City".  However, when I got past my skepticism, I started to realize that Ms. Cutrone genuinely had a lot to offer.  She tells her own story - which is tumultuous and comes with all sorts of twists and turns - interspersed with both business-related advice as well as spiritual suggestions.  It's got a good flow, a fresh tone, and I actually got a lot out of it.  Definitely worth a read if you're looking for something different and light.  We'll see what I get to reading next.

rc-4 so far...

  1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
  4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Birthday Week!!!!! / Discovering T.O. #7 / Port Hope Showcase

Last Monday, May 28, I turned twenty-five years old.  Quite a milestone, really.  I keep wishing I had some sort of letter from my younger self to my 25 year old self to see what I was expecting / hoping for.  The truth is though that it doesn't matter.  I couldn't be prouder of who I am and where I'm at in life, so letter or no letter, I'm one happy 25 year old...

...made happier by the fact that I had the most wonderful series of mini-celebrations of the day of my birth.  I'd like to tell you about them.

1) The Beamish House: locally just called "The Beamish", unfortunately this great pub and restaurant doesn't have a website.  Once a year the school that I work for throws a huge reunion weekend for its alumni celebrating 5, 10, 15, and so on reunions.  The weekend peaks with a dinner on the Saturday night on campus followed by an evening of debauchery, traditionally at The Beamish.  This small, quaint pub is taken over, and although its interior doesn't have much space, its patio is sprawling.  It's a great night, and two of my besties ventured out to Port Hope to enjoy the evening with me.  This was on May 26, but it kick-started birthday celebrations in just the right way.  Before they headed back to the city the next day, we indulged in the classic greasy spoon breakfast at Dimitri's in Port Hope.  I had the Grand Slam breakfast.  It may not have dill-infused hollandaise sauce drizzled all over it, but it did the job.

2) Jim's Pizza & Pasta: this is another classic Port Hope establishment that I highly recommend.  The truth is that this wasn't particularly the highlight of birthday celebrations, but I find that restaurants are a good anchor in this blog for other stories.  The real highlight was having my girlfriend come to PH on May 27 to have dinner, chill times, and then be there with me first-thing on my special day.  That said, grabbing dinner at Jim's Pizza is ALWAYS a delight.  This is my GF's favourite spot in Port Hope, and we always each get the pizza & salad combo.  With this combo, you get a small, 4-slice personal pizza with any 3 toppings you'd like PLUS a huge serving of delicious Caesar salad (Greek is also a choice, but I mean, really).  After our delicious dinner we bought some snacks and went home for a viewing of "Best In Show".

3) My Special Day itself: the authentic birthday day was no exception to the fun already had.  I woke up with the GF and opened a gift from her and from other family members who had sent theirs in advance.  Then I made us breakfast (she would've made it, but she likes the way I make eggs best!) and we lazily enjoyed the morning (I took it off from work), and then I drove her to Oshawa where she took the GO train back to Toronto.

I had a great day at work, complete with cheesecake shared with my colleagues!

When the work day was done, my Mom and sister came to Port Hope to take me to dinner.  And what a dinner it was!  We ate at Trattoria Gusto (finally a PH resto with a website).  I've eaten here 3-5 times before and it's very delicious.  I find that's a bit of an anomaly about Port Hope - not a lot to do, but 3-4 incredible restaurants!  We went all out, sharing a beet salad, calimari, and carpaccio to start, and then for my main I had the chicken parmesan, which was succulent.  We finished it off by sharing a decadent, rich brownie with a candle on top.  It was fantastic!!!

4) Old school gay village celebration: Even though I'd had my fair share of celebrations, I wanted to do it up right with a night out in Toronto, which went down this past Saturday, June 2.  I hemmed and hawed over how I wanted to celebrate, and it dawned on me - when was the last time I had a night out in the Church & Wellesley neighbourhood a.k.a. the gay village in Toronto?!?!  I came of age in that neighbourhood and came into my proud, gay self, and I have great memories (nostalgic already?) of drag queens and dance parties, so I thought - it's about time I go back.

This evening started with appetizers and drinks at Smith on Church St.  I'll be very honest with you -- I didn't really do my due diligence on Smith.  I basically looked for a restaurant in the village that had a few classy-looking/sounding appetizers and said, why not?  Full disclosure: all it took was seeing that Smith had a charcuterie board.  Charcuterie = class.  Thankfully my lack of research didn't result in 11 friends and I dining at a dive.  Smith had us seated at a long table set for 12 upstairs at the restaurant, with a big window, a fireplace (too hot for that though), and a view of the goings-on of Church St.  It had a great vibe and the drinks and food were great!  For the record, I did order the charcuterie board and I loved it.  I didn't look to see what was on it, but I did eat cow tongue and I enjoyed it!

After 3 lazy hours eating and drinking at Smith we head off to Zelda's new location on Yonge St. for a drink.  I ordered the "Proud Mary" (for its name only) and we left shortly after that.

Where did we go?  Where else does one go when they want an old school gay village celebration?  Buddies in Bad Times.  Buddies has such great music and so much sweaty and fun dancing on Saturday nights, and this past Saturday was no exception.  We danced and drank and had ourselves a great time until about 2:30 when last call was made and it was time to catch the late-night Yonge bus home.

Being 25 is off to a fabulous start, and many thanks to the friends, family members, and Port Hope/Toronto establishments that made my birthday celebrations so special!!!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

May Long

HAPPY VICTORIA DAY, Canadian friends!!!  I'm still reeling from a fabulous long weekend in Victoria's name, and would like to share the details.


Before I get to the main event, I want to start by sharing that I spent the first chunk of the weekend (Friday afternoon - Monday morning) at my best friend's place in Mississauga.  His condo is known to be the place of ultimate relaxation - a weekend there means food, television, movies, sleep, and so much down time you could stockpile it up for months.  This weekend was no exception and here are some highlights:
  1. Our first order of business upon arriving in Mississauga on Friday was heading to our favourite (Asian) grocer, T & T Supermarket for some provisions.  I warn you: this place is overwhelming.  It's hard to walk around and not want to buy everything.  I settled for a huge bottle of sriracha sauce personally, but we also got tonnes of dumplings, some pork buns, snacks, and other items.  Always a good way to start the weekend.
  2. After a solid 18 hours of lounging, a fourth friend arrived and we figured we ought to get out and enjoy some of the amazing weather the day was offering, so we took a drive to Port Credit where we found Roc'n Doc's, a random little pub on the Lakeshore that had a great rooftop patio.  It was hot, sunny, and we enjoyed a few beers and some appetizers.  Great way to get out and enjoy the day while still keeping it low-key.
  3. Another highlight of the weekend for me was spending time with a straight man who joined us in watching countless hours of both RuPaul's Drag Race as well as the documentary, Paris is Burning.  That's a lot of men dressing as women for one afternoon for anyone, but he was engaged, intrigued, and loved it!
  4. Sunday was more of the same, but once again the weather was so beautiful we figured we had to get out there and enjoy it!  Our first stop was a grocery store / butcher / Indian food take-out.  We were there for one thing: biryani.  Unfortunately that one thing wasn't ready yet so we took some side trips to kill time - first we went to Canadian Tire to buy a kite!  Then we went to Tim Horton's for Iced Capps (so Canadian).  Finally the biryani was ready, so we took all our goods with us to the Brueckner Rhododendron Garden on the Lakeshore.  At the garden we lay out a blanket and enjoyed our biryani in the sun.  Once we'd had enough of that, we went down to the lake (at least I think it was Lake Ontario) to be very wholesome - flying a kite and skipping stones in the water.  It was a great way to pass the time!
  5. Finally, on Sunday night we went to Udupi Madras Cafe for a late dinner where I enjoyed a delicious dosa - the second I've ever had, and absolutely incredible (though I can't pretend it's better than the GTA'S best dosas at Guru Lukshmi, also in Mississauga).  It was a delicious meal with the best company a girl could ask for.
Overall -- the perfect weekend, but that's not all...


The biggest adventure of the weekend was going to Niagara Falls with my girlfriend, which was a perfect 24 hour mini-break.  We arrived there Monday around noon after a quick trip on the QEW from Mississauga, and checked into our room at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.  This trip was planned thanks to a great Groupon - 1 night's stay at the Marriott, $20 off dinner at T.G.I. Friday's, free breakfast for 2 at the hotel, and shuttle passes for 2 from the hotel to all the major sights around town.  Approximately $115 or so in total, so a great deal!!!


After dropping off our bags, we searched for somewhere nearby that wasn't a chain to have some lunch.  We found Yukiguni off the beaten path as we were both craving some sushi.  For a random Niagara Falls joint, it was a really great meal of soup, salad, tempura, and some cucumber/avocado rolls.  Pretty reasonable, too, but not a place I would recommend you going out of your way for.


After another quick stop at the hotel, we took the shuttle bus down to "The Falls" where we strolled along the rail (navigating through the huge crowds of people), taking photos at random intervals along the way.  The last time I was at the falls it was pouring freezing rain and not pleasant at all.  This time it was hot and sunny, made bearable by the occasional mist flying at our faces.


I took a few moments to really take in the falls and think about how large, powerful, natural, and amazing they are.  My mom commented tonight about how she always thinks about what it would be like to be the first humans in Canada coming across these falls.  It's true... imagine hearing the roaring and then just seeing this massive rush of water coming over the edge... incredible.


From the falls we headed to Casino Niagara where my GF wanted to have her first casino experience.  I've had mine before (brought in $40 and lost it all), so I came in for support.  She brought in $20 and left with $5, so I consider that a real accomplishment.


After the casino we walked up Clifton Hill where all the silly sights are - Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, fun houses, and the like.  We popped our heads in different places, but didn't really go in anywhere.  We did, however, go up in the Niagara SkyWheel where we got a stunning view of the falls.  I'll be honest with you - I was terrified to go, but I powered through it (despite some tears), and it was worth it for the fun of being up there and seeing the incredible view.


From there we walked back to our hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.  T.G.I. Friday's wouldn't be our usual choice for dinner, but with the $20 voucher of course we had to go.  It was totally fine for a chain restaurant/sports bar.  I had a great chicken salad and she had a veggie burger.  The food was good enough and our server was really great and friendly!  It was a nice dinner.


After a good night's sleep at the hotel, we woke up early to take advantage of our free breakfast - it was in The Keg, which was attached to the hotel, but it was the Marriott's breakfast, not The Keg's.  As a result, it was a typical hotel breakfast buffet... except not a very good one.  The fruit was gross, the pastries still frozen, the bacon too burnt, and... yeah, not good.  Oh well!  At least we didn't pay for it.  After breakfast, we checked out, packed the car, and then took the shuttle again down to the falls, except this time...


...to ride The Maid of the Mist!!!  My girlfriend had been on the Maid of the Mist before, but I never have and have always wanted to, so off we went!  Thanks to our brilliant plan of waiting until the day after the holiday Monday, we sailed through the line to get on the world-famous boat, donned our classic blue rain ponchos, and rode past the American falls to see the real deal Canadian Horseshoe Falls.  It was incredible sitting surrounded by the falls, with the mist pouring all over us to the point where I thought it was raining.  It was so so so cool!  I'm really glad we did it.


Back to the hotel from there to hop in the car and head back home.  Rather than take the QEW the whole way, we took the Niagara Parkway part-way which travels through the scenic area where all the vineyards and beautiful houses are on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It was a beautiful route to take with so much to look at along the way.  We ended up stopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake for lunch at an absolutely PERFECT restaurant -  The Pie Plate Bakery & Cafe.  It was full of mismatched cutlery and mismatched chairs -- exactly what we were looking for.  We enjoyed delicious thin-crust pizzas that tasted so fresh and delicious, followed by a nice little lemon square to share.  My GF also bought a strawberry-rhubarb pie to take home that looked delicious.  It was a great way to finish off the trip.


Back on the QEW and back to Toronto and back to the grind... it's tough to dive back into work after such a wonderful holiday, but it's great to know that you took some time away from the glow of the computer to enjoy the great outdoors and the loves of your life.

Who's visiting?