they grow up so fast

My parents helped me plant two tomato plants this year. I'm so excited that they're actually growing (the plants, not my parents, in case that wasn't clear), because I can't really boast a green thumb. I mean, I once killed a cactus. My Big Boy plant on the left--I've named it Eileen--has a bunch of blossoms, and I quickly ran to Canadian Tire last night before closing to purchase a tomato cage to help it with its scoliosis.

Tomato plants, June 12 (left) and June 26 (right)

As I was getting Eileen straightened out, I noticed that the Early Girl plant on the right already has two tiny green tomotoes! I can hardly wait until they ripen. I'm so tired of bland, store-bought tomatoes.

A lot is actually resting on these plants: if they work out for me, I may consider making a tiny plot with a few more vegetables for next year.

Lilacs, June 12 and Dahlias, June 26

I've also been quite pleased with my other plants. Above is the lilac tree that Minto provided last year. The flowers were a pale purple--a pleasant surprise, seeing that we'd been told it was a white lilac. I hope I cut them back properly after they finished blooming. I consulted a few Websites and with a wing & a prayer, the blossoms will return next year. After a shaky start, my dahlias have burst forth in buds.

Marigolds

My three pots of marigolds are happy, happy, happy. And I just cut back my dear pansies in the hope that they might humor me with an encore a few weeks down the road or if the weather takes a turn for the cooler.

you're only as old as you feel

Yesterday's local Metro contained an article about Ottawa's "Senior of the Year," Mary Kathleen Dafoe, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday. This is one remarkable woman.

the tale of two icons

Two pop culture icons in one day: Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Gone.

It's hard for me to gauge exactly how much of an impact they had on me, personally; I'd guess slight, at best. Although both definitely figured in my peripheral vision.

Of Michael Jackson, I have not much more to say other than I found the 1980s Black version cool, he of the Thriller and Billie Jean music videos that aired on CBC's Video Hits in my formative high school years. Someone could have made a documentary: "Rosenort Collegiate: The Day Moonwalking gave Intramural Sports the Boot." Mockumentary, more like. That was the vintage Jackson. I didn't much care for Phantom of the Opera/Vampire Michael Jackson, who dangled babies over balconies, grabbed his crotch every other dance move, and was fond of pajama parties with young boys. Yep, the King of Pop turned into a mighty creepy spectre in his later years.

Farrah Fawcett, on the other hand. Is there anyone my age in North America who does not know who Farrah Fawcett is, she of the red swimsuit poster fame, the feathered blonde mane, the teeth? A classmate of mine once told me Farrah Fawcett had double the amount of teeth the average human being had--that would be twice 32, in case you're wondering (thank you, WikiAnswers). Google searches haven't confirmed or denied that rumor, although an archived People article from '92 confides that "Appearances notwithstanding, Donny Osmond had no more than the usual number of teeth." No word on the count in Farrah's mouth. Mind you, I did learn from sources that she sported an "affected smile" and breast implants. Well, who doesn't, right?

Like the author of this letter, I totally remember that when we girls played Charlie's Angels, everybody wanted to be Jill first. Kris next. Then Kelly. Last dibs: Sabrina. The Jills and Krises and Kellys consoled the Sabrinas of the world with the words, "You know, Sabrina's the brainiest one." Can you say "honorable mention"? We all knew that Charlie's Angels was not about brains. It was not about brawn. It was not about bikinis--well, OK, it was about bikinis. (It was the era of "jiggle TV," after all. Or one of the eras. Think Baywatch.) More importantly, however, it was about hair. Kate Jackson just didn't have it. And by it I mean the hair. (Side note: Sandra Bullock kind of reminds me of Kate Jackson.)

Two additional thoughts on FF. First, my parents' friends' daughter had a book in her personal library, via those highly revered Scholastic orders, which alleged that Lindsay Wagner had sparked Lee Majors's interest until Farrah Fawcett caught his eye. Again, I can't find online material to substantiate that. I suspect the author took great liberties, perhaps blurring the fictional Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman romantic narrative with the real-life Fawcett/Majors tale. Or maybe the book never said that at all. Or I misread it. I was a guest, after all, so I was expected to play, not read my hosts' books. The agony of childhood responsibilities. (By the way, Lindsay Wagner recently celebrated her 60th birthday.)

Second, before it was known as Valley Pharmacy or Morris Super Variety, the Morris Drug Store sold O-Pee-Chee trading cards with bubblegum. They had a series devoted to Charlie's Angels. You can still find collections on ebay; I must've had about five #122 cards at one point. Now this is truly scary: an original, unopened pack. (I don't know what's more horrifying, the price of US$179.99 or the idea that someone might purchase it, open it, and chew the gum after all these years.)

Anyway, here's an article that I thought put FF's career into perspective. And here's a link to the pilot episode's opening backstory and credits.

Two icons of Generation X, my generation, gone.

Father's Day & best wishes & summer

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, out there! James called his dad earlier this afternoon, and I called mine about an hour ago.

Also, belated Happy Anniversary to my parents, who celebrated 42 years of marriage on the 16th! And congratulations are in order to our nephew, Sean, on his graduation from high school last night!

I hope everyone's been out enjoying some of the awesome first-day-of summer weather that settled over the midsection of the country. Aside from watering my pansies and rosebush, I haven't stepped outside. Yet. It's all because I've been battling cherries. Fresh fruit is supposed to be good for you--if you get to it before it metamorphoses into penicillin. The displays in the store are always so appealing, and visions of how much healthier and happier it will make me crowd my better judgment, because after I get it home and sample the firstfruits, the rest generally camps out on my cupboard or in the fridge (it's very cunning; it camouflages itself well, holding perfectly still) until it turns a shade or shape it was never intended to become. Over the last month or two, I have pared, peeled, sliced, hacked, and mashed my way through apples, bananas, blueberries, nectarines, and now cherries. The spoils of this herbivorous slaughter include banana bread, apple crisp, mixed fruit crisp (the blueberries and nectarines mixed with some strawberries and blackberries strategically disguised as ice crystals in a corner of the freezer), and finally, today, cherry muffins. I still have traces of cherry blood behind my fingernails from butchering the darn things. For the moment, we are safe: there is no fresh fruit in the house. Hmm, I see the latest flyer has a deal on local strawberries, weather permitting...nothing says summer like strawberries.

things to see & do in & around Ottawa

A little over a month ago, my parents and brother flew in for a visit. They brought lots Pioneer farmer sausage with them, as well as a hunk of Bothwell cheese. (When did it drop the "New" from its name?) I accompanied James to work each morning so that I could use the car to get around. (He had to miss out on the daytime fun.) Here's how our week unfolded.

Sat., May 9: James & I picked them up at the airport, had Shawarma from Guava's, and then the women left the men behind and went shopping.

Brockville

Sun., May 10: I prepared brunch for Mother's Day. The 1000 Islands boat cruise I'd thought I'd booked didn't materialize (I'd reserved tickets online, even received a confirmation e-mail stating we had to be at the pier an hour in advance, but nobody showed up at the office), so we ended up just going on a drive to Brockville and back. We ate supper at Boston Pizza and spent the evening watching the Amazing Race finale.

Aviation Museum

Mon., May 11: We visited the Canada Aviation Museum (fees are reasonable; we didn't go on the tour, but I suspect we'd have gotten more out of the experience if we had), ate lunch at Zak's Diner (our server was tops) in the ByWard, then circled around & around & around trying to find parking so we could visit the Bank of Canada's Currency Museum. Admission to the Currency Museum is absolutely free, and while that alone will draw some people, it's also quite fascinating to see what's passed as currency over the years. I'd suggest people follow the museum brochure's recommendation to bring or buy a lunch to eat in the tropical garden court. Also, don't pass up the chance for a photo in front of the huge $20 bill. However, plan your parking in advance. The lot on Queen Street, for instance, charged me $17 for one hour, whereas it charges $18 for the entire day. Ouch. We had barbecued farmer sausage for supper and Beaver Tails, which we'd bought earlier in the Market, for dessert.

Currency Museum

Tue., May 12: We drove over to the Tulip Festival International Pavilion at Lansdowne Park. My family was not interested in testing any of the international dishes available there, so we headed for home and leftovers, driving past Dow's Lake and some of the tulip displays on the way. In the afternoon we made a quick trip to WalMart, Indigo, and Staples. The weather was still holding up, so we fired up the barbecue again.

at some point along the canal

Wed., May 13: We floated down the canal...with Paul's Boat Lines. A group of seniors was also cruising that morning, and one 88-year-old man sitting in front of me was feeling particularly garrulous. Apparently, he's an expert in growing orchids. One of his colleagues finally convinced him to pipe down so everyone else could hear the tour guide. We weren't all that hungry--relaxing will do that to you--but we enjoyed some appetizers at Hard Rock Café before heading for home and yet another BBQ supper.

Thu., May 14: I drove my parents downtown so they could submit their passport applications in-person. It rained, so we spent almost the entire day at home reading the books we bought on Tuesday. Mom and I squeezed in a quick trip to Bayshore.

Fri., May 15: Working holiday! We picked up "stuff" from Canadian Tire and Home Depot and my parents basically got our yard in order. The absolute best thing I purchased was a Fiskars weeder. The one I've got has a D-handle, unlike the two stick-handle ones pictured at the bottom of that linked page. (When James loaned it to the neighbors, I was filled with anxiety the whole week it was gone, fearing I might never see it again.) In the evening, we drove rather aimlessly around, stopping at Britannia Park/Beach, and following Carling out to Kanata.

Britannia

An historical photo of Britannia Park here reminds me of Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte."

Sat., May 16: We had a leisurely morning. I took Mom & Dad to the airport in the afternoon; Perry came along for the ride while James tinkered with his computer. I ended up going on my own to see the NAC's production of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, a play I'd studied three times over the course of my university education. Forty years ago, it was the first English language play put on by the NAC. I'm glad I finally saw it staged, although I had expected...I'm not sure what. I'm still mulling it over, so it'll have to wait for another post. (OK, I Googled the play's title, and it burns me up to read the synopsis here. "American," my eye!)

Sun., May 17: We didn't do much. Ventured over to Home Outfitters, M&M Meats, and Metro, and that's about it.

Mon., May 18, Victoria Day: Dave & Ci and James & I went to see Star Trek Zero or Star Trek XI or whatever title you want to ascribe to it. I'll just refer to it as the Star Trek with the two equally hot leading men. Oh, baby. Kirk or Spock? Spock or Kirk? Do not make me choose.

Tue., May 19: Perry and I spent some time driving around Kanata before picking James up from work. We drove past the Scotiabank Place (the Sens' arena) and made a stop at Chapters at the Centrum. The parking lot set-up at the Centrum is, like the majority of box-mall parking lots in Ottawa, poorly designed. I'm always amazed more accidents don't happen; maybe they do, and I just don't hear about them.

Wed., May 20: I drove Perry to the airport around 11am.

Don't know if I'm alone in this, but I always tend to go through a bit of withdrawal after company leaves. I consoled myself by listing potential items to explore next year: Muséoparc Vanier, Rideau Hall, Kingsmere, War Museum, and Steam Train, to name a few options.

Note: Tourist season in Ottawa begins during TulipFest, but officially picks up after Victoria Day. The upside of a pre-Victoria Day visit is that there are less crowds; on the other hand, certain activities may not yet be open for the season.

lost in transcription

The reason posts have been so sporadic here this spring is because I've been pecking away at a series of medical lectures for Access Service. The work began April 10, the day after university classes ended for the Winter term (i.e., Jan to Apr), and with the exception of a few weeks in-between, it's been a steady pace. Each half-day block of recordings took approximately 2 days to type. Normally, 1 hour of audio would take me about 2 hours to transcribe; due to the specialized terminology (chorioamnionitis, nulliparous, pessary, dystocia), the often rapid-fire clip of presenters' speech (although some paced themselves moderately), and technical difficulties (an incorrect format, a corrupt file, misplacement of a lapel mic), it took about 4 times as long. I'd begin between 8:30 and 9:00am, and work until midnight or 1:00am. Of course, I took an hour for lunch, the whole getting groceries/preparing & eating supper/clean-up thing took 2 or 3 hours, and I had to take short breaks after every hour or two as a precuation against RSI. I enjoyed working from home, but I'd rather not repeat the experience right away, at least not under such tight deadlines. I need some time to recuperate: my hands are still exhausted just thinking about it. Anyway, this is just to warn you all that since I finished the last transcription yesterday, you may be seeing a little more action around these parts. After all, I have stuff to share, like "things to see & do in Ottawa," "veggie tales," "urban chick lit," and possibly other items of interest. Stay tuned, my pretties.

doors open

~ neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor...roadkill?! ~

Had a rare reprieve today from work that, of late, never seems to end. After our COTR TV fix, we took advantage of Doors Open Ottawa to explore our adopted city. (Yep, we're still home church-less, but it's completely our own fault. Maybe I could make a half-new year's resolution to quit my shiftlessness. I know a friend whose family celebrates half-birthdays, after all, so I don't see why anyone should begrudge me a half-new year's. I won't even capitalize it, to keep it understated.) If you're looking for an inexpensive, edutaining activity for individuals who are possessed of excellent ambulatory and listening skills, you can't go wrong with Doors Open.

We've done two or three Doors Open Winnipeg, and found it's a neat way to get to appreciate a city's architecture and/or the corporations and organizations that contribute to making a ville what it is. While in Winnipeg, we've been to the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg/Former CPR Station; Pantages Theatre; the City of Winnipeg Archives, once better known as the Carnegie Library; the Vaughan Street Jail; and a few others. We've always enjoyed the experience.

Our first stop this overcast Sunday afternoon was Traffic Operations. Unbeknownst to us, it was actually just down the street from where The Mac Group used to have its office. The bad news is we left our camera in the car; the good news is someone else documented their tour earlier this year with photos that are probably every bit as good as the ones we would have taken. However, we didn't just see the traffic cams monitoring station and the sign shop; we also saw the computer switch room (they run on 386s...seriously), the room where they assemble and test traffic lights, and the truck that paints the highway lines. (This tidbit of trivia we acquired thanks to James, who should have won the "most unique question," had there been such a prize: if there's roadkill in the way, the painters have the dubious privilege of removing it. Unlike some painters elsewhere.) Traffic Ops was an extremely popular venue. Our particular tour group must have comprised at least 50 people, and the PR person I spoke to at the outset shared that they'd had 1100 visitors on Saturday alone.

Our second destination was The Gladstone, a theatre a mere 0.3 km from our first stop. Very cool to think it's a repurposed industrial garage. It's a very intimate setting, only 262 seats. There are no wings to the stage, strictly one room at the back of it that serves as change room, props storage, and a construction area. We arrived shortly after a woman had begun giving a group of about 10 the schpiel about the lobby, so I didn't catch her title/relationship to the theatre, although I did hear her remark that due to lack of storage, a lot of props and set pieces have found their way into her basement. We'll try to take in a show this season; I'm thinking The Andrews Brothers might fit the bill.

Since it was 2pm at this point, we decided to look for a nearby café or bistro. Preston Street might have been ideal, if not for the mess of the construction zone. (All those potholes my friends' vehicles sought out during the transit strike are in the process of repair, hurray!) So we ended up at the Bridgehead on Wellington. Its relaxed atmosphere--demonstrated by exposed ceiling pipes--is analogous to The Fyxx on Albert (either at 92½ or 93½, depending on whether you believe its Website or Canada411; my own memory pegs it at 93½), but granola rather than grunge. We consumed tomato & basil soup (reminiscent of Safeway's Tuscan Tomato, but with less attitude) & sandwiches (veggie & tuna), coffee (James) and lemonade (me). Bridgehead's all about organic, so the items came with a price tag heftier than a light lunch should warrant, but it was precisely what I wanted, and the soup portions were generous, so it was--to borrow a catchphrase from L--worth it. What made it doubly worth it was discovering, in writing this post, that Bridgehead was one of the sponsors of Doors Open. The cost of food in exchange for free tours of city buildings=I can live with that.

The final venue we chose to tour was the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC). Confidentially, I've always thought of it as the unattractive building on Wellington, sort of a deformed relative which the Parliament Buildings keep at arms' length, and from which even the street distances itself. I've learned that that façade is merely a front. The interior is all gorgeous marble and wood. Of course, after passing through security, our forays were limited to the Grand Entrance Hall, the Main Courtroom, and the Federal Court of Canada Courtroom. The SCC is open for in-person tours as well as virtual tours, and it lists scheduled hearings on its Website.

So if you have a chance to take part in a Doors Open, do it! The Winnipeg event usually takes place in May, the Ottawa one in June. As for other cities, you'll have to poke around the Internet on your own. There's a Doors Open Canada site, but I'm not convinced it's kept entirely up-to-date; it does have a page of links, though. I'll have to tell my in-laws; maybe they'll want to arrange something similar for The City of Sunshine. Happy trails, folks!