Autumn in Toronto

I know the season's changed even if no one tells me because the air is chilled though the sun is still toasty. The weather was so beautiful today I walked home from the subway station and then after a short sit-down walked to the grocery store and back.

Earlier today I had my photoshop/illustrator class which I really enjoyed. Our instructor, Karen, is quirky, charming, and totally unpretentious. Plus I get to chat to people on Gmail during class, which is really all that I could have asked for. That and I got to play music for everyone off my ipod... The small pleasure of inflicting my musical tastes on 10 or so other people.

After class today I stayed a bit late in the comlab and scanned a children's story book I bought because I like the illustrations and would like to have a digital copy for reference. Then I left the school and went to the public library. I wanted to get Augustine's Confessions but unsurprisingly the small City Hall branch didn't have a copy of that. So I decided to settle for War and Peace, since the catalogue claimed that there was one copy on the shelf. This copy, however, was not to be found. But when I was browsing I came upon a substantial collection of P.G. Wodehouse - and that's how I went in with the intention of reading Christian spiritual biography and went out with English comedic malarkey. (Actually, I also picked up Richard Yates's A Special Providence, having heard good things about him. I'm about 25 pages into it, and so far so good).

Then I wanted to buy a new set of headphones because mine died a few days ago. My headphones always seem to go on one side, so sound out of one ear but not the other... If I jiggle it around I can manage sound out of both but as soon as I stop toying with it, it goes silent again. I met a guy at my InDesign class who works at Bay Bloor Radio and he said it's a good family owned company, so I decided to go there. The thing is, I thought, ah, Bay and Bloor, piece of cake, I know where that is. Instead I went to Yonge and Bloor and asked for directions and then realized my stupidity. I guess having lived in Toronto for a long time I don't feel at all anxious about where I am going, and end up getting to a general area but with no idea how to get to exactly where I want to go... Like when I went to Hugh's Room last night for a gig, and got out at Dundas West not knowing at all where the venue was at.

Anyhow I got there fine because everyone in the area of Yonge and Bloor seemed to know exactly where Bay Bloor Radio is. I bought a pair of Denon headphones for $33. It's really quite decent - I've been using it on my walks today and the sound is good. I've never heard of the brand before, but I had a chat with the sales-person and he recommended these...

Now I have the rest of Friday all to myself... After feeling like I'm always running around, I look forward to just sitting still and sorting my life out. There's so much admin to be done, and a lot of drawing to catch up with... But I just thought I'd come here and tell you about my mundane quotidian adventures of today. The weather was really very beautiful. I wish you could have been here to share it with me.

p.s. I recommend Bay Bloor Radio. Service was very good and the staff friendly.

Back in Toronto

Today I showed up late for my drawing class because when I got off the train at Queen station I saw these two men playing music. They played beautifully so I gave them some change and stood and listened to a whole song (quite a long, complicated, and varied waltz). I wished there was someone I could dance with just then. I emptied the rest of my change in their money box.

I'm trying to give myself reasons to like living in Toronto again. Moving back is not quite the same as moving to a new place. Expectations of familiarities have not been fulfilled in the way I had expected - though whether that is good or bad is really a matter of perspective.

Luckily it's not hard to find reasons to like Toronto. I picked up some canvas trainers at Kensington Market for a tenner. I see good musicians busking in the subway, like these two gentlemen. I eat marvellously good Chinese food at very reasonable prices...

I try not to think too much about what I have left behind.

No one ever said starting a new life was to be easy!

For the Record

Right now I am not happy where I am, and I think a lot about how things were...

Once Richard baked an absolutely perfect loaf of bread at Walton street. It looked exactly like the picture in the recipe book - and it was his first loaf of bread ever too.

Another time we followed the instructions on the Smitten Kitchen blog and made Blueberry Boy-Bait. But due to an absence of blueberries we used frozen raspberries from the Co-Op instead. It turned out (once more) exactly like the pictures on Smitten Kitchen. Nothing pleases me more than when baked goods turn out as pretty as photographs from the recipe book. Then it transpired that I don't like sponge cake, at all, and so I didn't eat any boy-bait. But Yukie, Robbo and Rich loved it.

Some bait was left out on the counter and Bob saw it in the morning when he came into the kitchen while brushing his teeth. He wanted to eat the bait but half of his mouth was full of frothy toothpaste. So he ate the bait with the other half of his mouth whilst brushing.

Those were happy times. I can't wait to be that happy again.

p.s. Robbo drew a picture of his favourite pudding on the miniature blackboard in the hopes that it would be a pretty enough pictures to entice me to make his favourite pudding. It didn't really work. Robbo Pudding (I think it was spotted dick?) looked a bit like Mount Fuji, but mouldy.

Sinead's Hand

Instant Reactions

I saw some decorative fonts on a site and immediately thought 'textura semi-quadrata.'
Almost brought tears to my eyes (not really).