Geeky Cat Miusings

My wallet was stolen on the TTC last week and I placed a call to the police to notify them so that they have a record of the incident. A police officer returned my call two hours later, when I was out at a house party. Since I was a party and a little noisy, I found a quiet room to discuss the incident. The constable asked me to list all the items in my wallet. So I did and when I mentioned that my work id was also in the wallet, the constable asked me what is my employee id. I said I did not know it off the top of my head but that I had it written down at home. She gave me heck for not knowing it! She said what person does not know their employee id. She went on about this for some time. I thought that was very rude of her to insist that a normal person memorizes their id number. Why do they always make victims feel even worse by the way police treat them?

The party was fun and someone read my palm and said I like to dabble in the arts. The hostess had a name book that claims people develop specific characteristics based on their names. The book claims that people (usually girls) named Diana tend be very shy in childhood but become more fun and outgoing as they get older and develop the ability to make fun of theirselves. Interesting.

The week was pretty busy ordering new cards and trying to get everything back in order. The combination of coughing a lot, carrying heavy bags, and stress has made my back very tense and sore. I went for massage therapy and only experienced minor relief. For various reasons I haven’t been feeling so good. But fortunately this weekend was fabulous! Here are a few thing I enjoyed:

I went for the first time to a Live from the MET screening at the movie theatre. It was great to see the opera singers close up and see the passion in their faces! I would highly recommend the experience to opera lovers.

The Black Rider is a great gothic musical playing at the Tarragon Theatre. It is a very interesting and dark collboration between Tom Waits, Robert Wilson and William S Burroughs. A young man makes a deal with the devil to woo a beautiful young woman, but as always the bargain proves too costly. The recurrent themes of impending death are very well complimented by gleeful black humor. A perfect show for the Halloween season.

Another perfect outing for the season is the ghost walk. I have taken several ghost walks this year: Hamilton, Niagara-on-the-lake, Halifax and Toronto. I joined the Genova Tours ghost walk yesterday and found it to be excellent. We went through the dark streets and walkways of Toronto learning about our interesting history, spiced up with stories of bloodshed and hauntings. You may have been downtown during the day but the buildings of downtown Toronto must be seen at night. They take on a diffent ambiance in the dark, especially the gorgeous gothic buildings at the University of Toronto. Seeing the mark of the ax on a door when a man tried to murder another was chilling enough, but to see the aforementioned man’s face in the form of a gargoyle…..

Some how I was able to still enjoy myself at Nuit Blanche after someone stole my wallet. I was still upset about it and thinking about it quite often but it was good to be out and doing something fun to keep me from ruminating about it every minute. The yummy pizza gave me the energy to walk around the city on that fairly chilly night. I came very close to trying the pizza with blueberries on top. I think I’ll go back to Magic Oven one day and give the blueberry pizza a try.

What was notable about Nuit Blanche was that everything looked better in the brochure. Much better. I’m not talking about little touch-ups to gloss over imperfections. The brochure photo promised that we would be able to walk through a wooded forest that was growing beneath a typical acoustic office ceiling, under the unwholesome glow of florescent lighting. In reality the ceiling was placed in an alley way and there was office refuse under the ceiling. Mounds of old computers and manila folders were littering the alley - deliberately set there to make the participant think about the work environment and the amount of trash generated there. What if we were forced to keep all our trash? Our work places and homes would be very crowded and we would be forced to reconsider our buying habits. Most of us couldn’t live with piles of things everywhere — though I have met a few people who could and do.

Some people are saying there is no art in Nuit Blanche. If you are looking for paintings you should probably visit a gallery. This is art and it does generate some thought and it is fun. You need to think about what you see and share those thoughts. You can make fun of the art because that it part of the whole process - by making fun of it you learn more about the art, the concept, and yourself. Make sure you go with someone fun because Nuit Blanche is best shared.

The lines at coffee shops were very long making it difficult to get a good cup of coffee. It would be great if there could be coffee vendors on the street. I would also have bought a scarf if there were a street vendor selling them.

The funniest experience at Nuit Blanche for me was the trash can. Hoards of people were gathered on the sidewalk peering into an ordinary three receptacle bin. Inside the bin was dance music and coloured lights, reminiscent of a dance club.

The most thought provoking experience was the Waterfall at the Ontario Power Generation Building. A giant quilt made from recyclable plastic water bottles was suspended on the side of the building. It looked like a waterfall from afar but as you got close you realized that it was made of water bottles — they once had water inside of them. An interesting perspective on the state of today’s water and our usage the resource.

Just a quick reminder to everyone that October is National Sarcastics Month. I wrote about it last year, so I won’t repeat myself.

Here are a few for you to power you up:

What does one do if it is one week before the last long weekend of the summer and one desperately wants to make summer last longer? Take a day off and turn an ordinary weekend into a long weekend as well! That’s what I did this past weekend and it was wonderful.

On the first day of my long weekend I went to the McMichael Art Gallery to see sculpture by Joe Fafard. He is the artist who created The Pasture in the Toronto Dominion Tower…if you’ve ever seen it you will remember the life sized cows lazing about in the grass in the city. I loved the sculpture and spent a few hours enjoying it. There is a photo of me with one of his bulls. It was cool in the gallery and the bull was toasty warm from the sun’s rays so I couldn’t keep my paws off the bull.

The next day was an early wake up call for me because we were going to Prince Edward County and we were leaving early.

Our first stop was at the Lake on the Mountain which is a natural curiosity: it has a constant flow of clean, fresh water, with no apparent source…..and it is 60 metres above Lake Ontario!!! Mohawks offered gifts to its spirits and settlers thought it was bottomless. I was not courageous enough to dive in and see if it is actually bottomless. It is a perfect place for a picnic.

Next stop was the Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area where we enjoyed the Bird House City created by Doug Harnes. The houses were created by volunteers to look like historical buildings in the area. Apparently there is a McDonald’s drive through, but I didn’t see it. I also didn’t see a single bird in the bird house area, but it maybe it was just too hot at the time.

Check out more photographs of Prince Edward County.

Next we took a nature hike through the area. The terrain was very different from the Niagara region (the last hike I took). The hike was not as well organized as the Bruce Trail Club so the actual hiking part was too short. But fun none-the-less. And very muddy! Oh….and I heard many birds…and one cell phone.

Next we went on the Taste Trail - a delectable way to spend a day tasting all the local foods the region has to offer. The County Cider Company offers cider tastings to the thirsty traveller — and who doesn’t get thirsty when on the road — I had four samples of different types of apple cider including Iced Cider Wine — oh so good! The Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company is a difficult place to leave because they keep serving tasty and unusual artisan cheeses such as nettle cheese. I would have loved to try cave-aged goat milk cheese. But that gives me a reason to go back. And then there is Slickers County Ice Cream, an ice cream lover’s dream come true. Pat and Marie create all natural artisan ice cream that is made fresh daily by hand in small batches. I had Campfire Creme - memory of marshmallows roasted over an open fire!

Picton is such a pretty town and filled with restaurants that sweetly call you to sample their offerings. We could not help ourselves from trying everything. But all good things must come to an end - we returned to Toronto sated and content.

What can you do if it is Sunday and it is hot and muggy and there could potentially be rain? Go to Glow-in-the-Dark mini putt of course! It is fun even when you’re as unskillful as I am. I am still totally amazed that I made a hole in one in one of the most difficult holes. My ball just hit the rocks in all the right places, bouncing back and forth until the ball found itself in its cozy hole! I am thinking that there must have been some Feng Shui influences that helped me score that hole. Maybe it was the 9th hole — since 9 is supposed to be my lucky Feng Shui number.

Sunday was also a day for feasting. The size of cake slices at Dufflet Pastries should be illegal! But the Lemon Parfait cake was so delicious! Next time I am going to share my slice instead of having a whole slice for myself. We compensated for the hefty dessert by going to the Healthy Vegetarian - hoping that some of their healthy veggie options will balance the effects of the lavish dessert we had earlier.

I lucked out on Friday…my friend got some free tickets to see the Wise Guys at the Just For Laughs Festival. It was hilarious — the line up of Italian comedians poked a lot of fun at Italians. All in good fun though. Excellent insight as to how an Italian would have effectively dealt with Osama Bin Laden. The street festival was pretty good too.

We popped in to a convenience store for some drinks. The owner was sitting behind the counter, his cigarette shelves were covered as is required by law in Ontario. But he had a cigarette behind his ear. I pointed out that he advertising cigarettes in his own sly way. My friend asked if she could sign the cigarette so that she could verify if the cigarette was strickly there for marketing purposes. He declined.

Saturday looked liked it was going to be a stormy day but the cold front cleared the skies in time for the BBQ. I finally got a chance to meet the lady who has five ferrets. She recently adopted her last ferret and had a ferret shower to welcome her to the clan. I must say I learned a lot from her.

Sunday was a great day to take in the Beaches Jazz Festival. I spent the afternoon sitting in Kew Gardens listening to Brandi Disterheft, Anne Lindsay, and Lady Son y Articulo Veinte. I didn’t remember the name but I recognized Brandi when I saw her — I saw her playing with the Richard Whiteman Trio earlier this year — she is good.

It was a great weekend to be out and about. I enjoyed walking around the beaches though I was somewhat lost without good signage. I love stopping for Dufflet pastries and exotic tea blends. I missed applying sunscreen to a few areas on my back so I’m slightly burned, but not too bad. There has to be a better way to apply sunscreen to the back, don’t you think?

I wish every weekend had food, music, and laughter in hearty doses!

When you look at the photo above are you thinking to yourself, “Sweet Kitty, why is she posting a picture of her dirty litter box?”

First of all, it is not my kitty box…. I found it on the web. And it is not dirty…not at all; it is edible and apparently delicious too. This is a photo Kitty Litter Cake and what appears to the untrained eye as poo in the litter box is actually tootsie rolls.

It is an interesting idea and some people have commented that it is great for Halloween and it is a yummy dessert. The receipe is even posted on epicurious.

I am curious to know if you would care to try Kitty Litter Cake, or would you give it a pass? Personally, I think I would give it a pass. I may even have to remove the photo from my blog before we all permently lose our appetites. But I post here for now for all of us to share in all kitty-related things.

I saw an amazing twelve shows at the Fringe this year. Here are my Fringe notes:

Every Girl Wants A Skirt Like Frida’s - A good story about taking possession of one’s own life. Show’s words of advice: Be yourself and never grow a uni-brow, even if it is fashionable.

Wild About Harry - a very good show — lots of good music interpreted and danced by some interesting characters. I thought it was cool that I sat beside the two of the actors from this show when I saw Gameshow in another theatre. I’m sorry I didn’t compliment them on their great show when I had the chance. Show’s words of advice: Jeepers Creepers, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.

Freedom 85 - I loved it. I was fascinated about how two actors could play so many different characters in a play and the way an actress transformed her posture and voice as she seamlessly played both the mother and the son. Show’s words of advice: Freedom is awesome, especially when you don’t commute or have babies.

Gameshow - The Musical — Is my favourite show at the Fringe this year. Everyone is bored silly in a town in northern Ontario. When a gameshow comes to town, there is a lot of scheming to win the game since everyone wants to get a girl and get out of town. It has been selected to play at the Diesel Playhouse http://www.dieselplayhouse.com/
Show’s words of advice: Be very suspicious of gameshow hosts - even if they seem nice and benevolent when they advocate spaying and neutering your pets.

Follow Your Bliss - Funny show about bridesmaids sabotaging their friend’s wedding because they are in love with the bride and groom. Show’s words of advice: pick your bridesmaids very, very carefully.

A Girl Called Ralph - good but you might be hit by flying bread. Audience may reconsider eating at their parent’s house after viewing. Many Italian children were told they were having chicken for dinner, but later found out it was a really cuddly rabbit or a fluffy tailed squirrel and ended up doubting everything their parents ever told them. Show’s words of advice: Don’t trust parents, teachers, doctors, cashiers, brothers, or people with a uni-brow.

Babes in Danger - Kind of boring. Only a few interesting points but at least they allow you to bring drinks into the venue! The show included a very weird movie about using babies to save the sharks. Show’s words of advice: Babies are dangerous. Lock them up!

You Mean Now? - Is very interesting. It examines our obsession with time and the impact one moment has on our awareness. I loved the juxtaposition of a fly’s life against a human’s life. If you had a 24 hour lifespan, what would you do with your precious time? Show’s words of advice: Watch out for hazards or you won’t get to enjoy your brief time on earth.

The Barbecue King - Funny!!!! “In this thrilla-by-the-grilla a stressed out cottager battles his nemesis in a winner-take-all cooking competition.” I loved the teenager’s coming out song — she told her parents that she always knew that she was different from the rest….cause she is vegetarian. Show’s words of advice: Memorize and then eat your secret recipe — because there are spies everywhere.

Lupe Undone - This was at the Honest Ed’s Loading Dock. It is very good though a bit smelly from the nearby garbage. Warning — it includes audience participation. Lupe pulled a guy from the audience to dance with her on her bed. She invited three girls to drink pina coladas with her and partake in girl talk as part of the show. She was playing the part of David Mirvish’s mistress, so the area was kind of appropriate. Show’s words of advice: Always have food and drinks handy. Even if you can’t get the man, there is always someone else to wine and dine.

Between Commutes — It took the drudgery of getting to work, doing office work, shuffling papers, and getting a papercut and turned it all to high Shakespearean drama. Very funny. Show’s words of advice: Quit work and never commute again.

Mr. Fox — A one man show about being a mascot for a radio station. Show’s words of advice: Forget a career. Go live in the woods.

Did you know that the Fringe Festival is running? The Fringe is an affordable and accessible avenue for independent artists to showcase their work. There are about 140 different shows running in 29 venues and the playlist includes something for every taste. Most of the shows run about one hour or so making it easy to see many shows in one evening. There are a lot of great shows to be seen, and what is especially nice is that all the seats are good…no matter where you sit, you will always be able to see the actor’s face and their expressions. Exploring the different venues is part of the charm of the Fringe and I’ll be going to see some plays this year in places I have never been before and some places I never expected to see a play eg., Honest Ed’s Loading Dock.

I am still surprised that many Torontonians have not been or even heard of the Fringe. They have been putting on shows in the city for 20 years now and I look forward to joining them every year.

I have had my new cell phone for a month now and I still think it is such a fabulous gadget. I had two hours to kill before the July 4^th dinner celebrations last night so I sat down in a cafe over looking Yonge St., which looks totally different than the Younge Street in Halifax, and caught up on the news on my cell phone. I was planning to go to the Fringe Festival on Saturday and couldn’t stop thinking about buying the tickets. You know how sometimes something you need to do just sticks in you head until you get it done? I realized I could look up the telephone number with my phone and just call them. I love the way you can just select a number from the search engine - there is no need to type in the numbers. So I called and bought my tickets. Once that was done, the thought was no longer nagging me and I could just concentrate on my book. Then, as I was deep into the book, my phone beeps. I think it is a text message but when I looked it was a reminder of my dinner date. How cool is that!

If you are foodie you might be wondering what I had for dinner. I had Alize’s Summerlicious menu — $25 for dinner:
Chilled carrot and Honey Bisque topped with mint sour cream
Alize Ravioli Famosi filled with spinach, ricotta, mascarpone in a tarragon rose sauce
Apple crumble cake

I should have taken photos to remember it by. It was very good.

I hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend. It is great to have Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate Canada Day AND to get paid to have fun!

My neighbours were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and asked me to join in on their celebrations. They had lots of food but since they didn’t speak a lot of English and I don’t speak any Portguese, I was glad to be called away to visit Port Hope and see The Buddy Holly Story at the Capitol Theatre. Buddy was such a great song writer and singer. It is just tragic that the world lost this star when he was only 22. I heard the song American Pie many times on the old 45 when I was young — and I think I still have it — I guess one of my older sisters was a fan. I didn’t know that the Don McLean song was in part about the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in a 1959 plane crash. It is quite interesting to learn about a song’s background: what was the motivation, the environment, the mood. It changes the way you feel about a song. I found American Pie engrossing before but many of the lyrics are open to interpretation and so it remains mysterious.

I spent Sunday and Monday floating around Toronto with friends taking in a bit of the Gay Pride Parade, watching movies, going to cafes, missing the jazz festival because of timing, and just walking and soaking up the sun.

Tuesday was a funny day. My friends decided to spend Canada Day shopping in the US. It is unpatriotic but it just happened to be a good day to do so. I missed my opportunity to go last year and so I really wanted to go since I have never been to Buffalo, mostly for the experience rather than needing to do any shopping, since my closet has more clothes than some of the boutiques I visited on Queen Street. And so, on my day off I wake up at 5 in the morning to get ready and go to my friend’s place because we wanted to have an early start to miss traffic. We exchanged cell phone numbers and discussed the route and did some general preparation. My friend still had my tupperware from Passover and really wanted to return it to me, so she put it in the car so that I can take it with me when she drops me off.

When we stopped at the gas station, my driver said that she forgot her registration papers, so we went back to her place and we told the others that we will meet them near the US Canada bridge. Along the way we decided that it would be better if we didn’t go to the US (I’m shortening the story here) and went shopping at Vaughan Mills instead. So while I was shopping in Vaughan my lucky tupperware was out in Buffalo. Does anyone else out there have tupperware that has a more exciting life than you do?

Truthfully, Tuesday was just fabulous. After the shortened shopping trip where I probably saved myself a tonne of money I went downtown and did some people watching. There were some folks doing some Celtic dancing and an artist drawing on the sidewalk. Then I got to do some of my own drawing. This is a first for me: I stopped at Tan Cafe for some refreshments. It is a really charming place and they use Fair Trade Coffee. I used their washroom for obvious reasons and there was writing and drawing all over the walls! The walls are blackboard and they provide patrons with chalk so that they can do whatever you want on the walls. It is interesting that you don’t see any of the typical graffitti that covers typical washroom stall walls here.

There is no need to bring a book when you visit this washroom. One of my favourite quotes is “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.”

When I finally emerge from the stall, I request something exotic from the very friendly cafe owner: a cappucino and avocado iced drink and a cashew cookie. She suggests I sit in the back patio and promises that if I fall asleep she can wake me up in a half hour if I need it. I smile and wonder how could I fall asleep, I had a Red Bull earlier (I found it medicinal tasting). When I opened the back door I understand how I could fall asleep. There were two hammocks hanging between posts and there was no one there! I lay in one just swinging around and totally chilling out with my avoccino (I think that is what she called it) and my book. I spent a couple of hours there enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, looking up at the dwarf statues and the clouds, and ordering more exotic drinks like steamed milk with almond flavouring. Those were the happiest hours of my weekend and I didn’t even miss my tupperware.