Saturday, May 9, 2009

450 km to the centre of the universe

A quick bunch of photos of our overnighter to Toronto last weekend for those who don't Facebook. James took Friday off and made a split-second decision to whisk me away for a date to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).* It was a 30-minute walk from our downtown hotel through the U of T/Queen's Park area.


Stopping to smell the pansies and gunpowder


T-Rex, meet James. James, T-Rex.


Repose

I would have liked to take Repose home with me. The quartz was so translucent, the gold lit it up from beneath. Exquisite.



Silver miniature tea set at ROM; silver man outside Eaton Centre

What can I say? I'm crazy about miniatures. The credit goes to Sesame Street's "Little Dollhouse." I'm even crazier about silver miniatures. Silver men--not so much. I do, however, admire his chutzpah to make like Silver Elvis. A few years ago, we saw a couple made up in white outside Nucci's or not-Nucci's (can't remember which) on Corydon; we supposed her to be a caryatid, and him to be the male counterpart. Has anyone else seen these types of street performers before? Has anyone performed as a living statue/freeze mime or know someone who has? Check out some photos of living statues at Amanda Palmer & Co.'s site ("When she's not standing still...." What a great tag line!) If anyone harbors a secret desire to perform as such, Palmer offers up "Living Statue 101 or How to Stand Still and Move People."



Parting shots of: (a) an Ontario franchise, and (b) #401. I think I'll stick to #416 and #417, thank you very much.

*I hadn't realized that the ROM plays a role in three of Atwood's novels. I did recall that she wrote the poem, "A Night in the Royal Ontario Museum." Note to self: read Atwood's prose.

Friday, May 8, 2009

two and a half months in two and a half hundred words

return from Texas/to work impromptu party for James falls flat ok more cake* for us two-week countdown begins Dave & Shirley come for Sunday dinner (i.e. lunch in cityspeak) they’re expecting, yay! new student two more classes (other student dropped two) purchase bedding stock groceries short gig for RCMP sis-in-law & family arrive a 10-day visit sights and sites seen Museum of Civ, Byward, Sparks, been there done that bye-bye mailing left-behinds Marcie departs amidst farewell sambuzas classes end summer work lands in my lap Easter Sunrise Service @ Peace Tower Summerhays brunch with Dave, Ci, Nicole transcribing obgyn lectures the whole bump pregnancy contraception infertility NICU menopause oh my tmi glued to Facebook friends & family posting flood water updates watching Better Off Ted in denial of House’s Kutner’s demise fruitless search of White House Office of Public Liaison for “Kalpen Suresh Modi” PCH conference grey is my new black Adrienne Clarkson at writers’ fest articulate feisty purple skirt paired with purple sequined runners (Ron White) the woman knows a thing about bling Tim Horton’s coffee with Dennis M. spring cleaning washing windows Norwex does the trick overnighter in “Hogtown” aka Toronto unlike Atwood persona would welcome a night in ROM she had no Repose light emanating throughout his nude sculpted quartz physique complete with 18-karat coverlet mmmm back to frantic laundry thornless rosebush not dead yet Seamus recommends new Star Trek movie on AM Madonna wearing retro ’80s find “Frankie Says Relax” T’s in neon at Wal-Mart

*a friend cleverly suggested the car represented Top Gear