Toronto, Day 1

The early part of the day was all business.

1. Cancel Bell ExpressVu. I've been using the Canadian home satellite TV service for eight years but I hardly watch it much anymore. The content I really want is now available via podcasts or TV/radio on the web. Alas, the 1-800 number only works from within Canada so I had to wait until I was in the country to cancel the service. It will be turned off in 30 days.

2. Deposit money. I had $60 in rolled coins to deposit as well as a check to transfer funds from my US bank to my TD Canada Trust account. It's now done, although banking procedures have changed since I last dealt with human tellers: apparently, one no longer uses deposit slips anymore. OK, no problem.

3. Purchase birthday gift. Neice Ashley turned four last week but the family is getting together for a small party today (Saturday). I naturally started looking in the noisy & annoying area of the toy store but ultimately purchased a backyard water sprinkler play system. I don't know what sort of toys she already has but I'm pretty sure she doesn't have this one.

4. Eat at Pizza Pizza. Being kent4str-less on this trip, I'm eating as much gluten as I can. Another change since I left town: Pizza Pizza no longer has slice cards. Damnit, I was three slices short of my free slice! Now it's just a cardboard piece of memorabilia from days gone by. (BTW, they're now offering gluten-free pizza at some locations!)

The late afternoon and evening were spent in the fine company of brunorepublic, walking through the downtown, dining on Baldwin Street and generally catching up on dirt, gossip and regular news. Good times!

brunorepublic, djjo and bitterlawngnome:

Toronto, Day 1

The early part of the day was all business.

1. Cancel Bell ExpressVu. I've been using the Canadian home satellite TV service for eight years but I hardly watch it much anymore. The content I really want is now available via podcasts or TV/radio on the web. Alas, the 1-800 number only works from within Canada so I had to wait until I was in the country to cancel the service. It will be turned off in 30 days.

2. Deposit money. I had $60 in rolled coins to deposit as well as a check to transfer funds from my US bank to my TD Canada Trust account. It's now done, although banking procedures have changed since I last dealt with human tellers: apparently, one no longer uses deposit slips anymore. OK, no problem.

3. Purchase birthday gift. Neice Ashley turned four last week but the family is getting together for a small party today (Saturday). I naturally started looking in the noisy & annoying area of the toy store but ultimately purchased a backyard water sprinkler play system. I don't know what sort of toys she already has but I'm pretty sure she doesn't have this one.

4. Eat at Pizza Pizza. Being kent4str-less on this trip, I'm eating as much gluten as I can. Another change since I left town: Pizza Pizza no longer has slice cards. Damnit, I was three slices short of my free slice! Now it's just a cardboard piece of memorabilia from days gone by. (BTW, they're now offering gluten-free pizza at some locations!)

The late afternoon and evening were spent in the fine company of brunorepublic, walking through the downtown, dining on Baldwin Street and generally catching up on dirt, gossip and regular news. Good times!

brunorepublic, djjo and bitterlawngnome:

Remembrance

Part of my touring yesterday was a visit to the AIDS memorial at the 519 Community Center and Cawthra Park. It's part of my Toronto visit ritual: take some time to visit the memorial and read all of the names. Every one.

I don't know how many names are listed... there's too many to count easily, all arranged by year of death, starting in the late 1980s. The later panels of 2000 onwards have vastly shorter lists than those of the 1990s but there are still more than there should be.

I didn't know many of the people named there, but there were several. I remember David Fitzgerald, a former producer with the Toronto Gay Men's Chorus (the first one, not the current Forte). There was Michael "Patsy Recline" Dolby who I knew from our weekly Sunday afternoon clogging/two-stepping/line dancing afternoons at Badlands.

The name I particular look for each time is Rod Jamieson. He taught a couple of the sign language courses I took years ago at the Canadian Hearing Society. Rod was Deaf, a farmboy from Saskatchewan. I had such a crush on him 1990-1993 or so... he was so handsome, so gentle and so wonderfully expressive. Nothing ever came of my infatuation. He died in 1994. I still picture him so clearly although I confess there are days I can no longer remember his name.

That's part of why I go back every time I can. If we can't remember the whole person any longer because of the passage of time and the fading of memory, we should at least remember their names and that they were here once.

Remembrance

Part of my touring yesterday was a visit to the AIDS memorial at the 519 Community Center and Cawthra Park. It's part of my Toronto visit ritual: take some time to visit the memorial and read all of the names. Every one.

I don't know how many names are listed... there's too many to count easily, all arranged by year of death, starting in the late 1980s. The later panels of 2000 onwards have vastly shorter lists than those of the 1990s but there are still more than there should be.

I didn't know many of the people named there, but there were several. I remember David Fitzgerald, a former producer with the Toronto Gay Men's Chorus (the first one, not the current Forte). There was Michael "Patsy Recline" Dolby who I knew from our weekly Sunday afternoon clogging/two-stepping/line dancing afternoons at Badlands.

The name I particular look for each time is Rod Jamieson. He taught a couple of the sign language courses I took years ago at the Canadian Hearing Society. Rod was Deaf, a farmboy from Saskatchewan. I had such a crush on him 1990-1993 or so... he was so handsome, so gentle and so wonderfully expressive. Nothing ever came of my infatuation. He died in 1994. I still picture him so clearly although I confess there are days I can no longer remember his name.

That's part of why I go back every time I can. If we can't remember the whole person any longer because of the passage of time and the fading of memory, we should at least remember their names and that they were here once.

News Flash

My mother sucks at bowling.

And no woman in my family has an indoor voice.

Oy.

News Flash

My mother sucks at bowling.

And no woman in my family has an indoor voice.

Oy.