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!

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.

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

Winter Texan Report

This past Friday, it was a month ago since we left for Reading Week break in Texas. I managed to post an album on Facebook, which sounds pretentious--it was only a handful of pictures--except that my point is I didn't totally blow off reporting responsibilities.

Friday, Feb 13th

• We had breakfast at Ottawa Int'l Airport after clearing customs. We confirmed, once again, that airport restaurants serve food that is expensive and substandard in taste, accompanied by tableware and utensils that we're pretty certain is not recyclable. They should pursue the potato starch-based options, like the UofM.
  
• Flew Ottawa to Philadelphia. Our flight from Philly to Houston was to depart around 12:30pm; however, the plane coming from Houston suffered a setback, so our flight was delayed for 2 hours. Consequently, we had to reschedule our Houston to McAllen flight. We were confirmed for flights at 9:30pm, but put on standby for 7:30pm.
  
• Spent the extra hours in Philadelphia Airport having lunch, purchasing and working on a book of Sudoku puzzles, people-watching, and pretending to read.
  
• Flight finally left for Houston around 3pm. Fortunately for us, some people didn't make it to the gate, so we got on the earlier flight and were in McAllen by 8:45pm. From there it was only a half-hour drive to Weslaco.

home, home on the range...minus deer & antelope...plus Shih Tzu

Saturday, Feb 14th

• Dad C. prepared a gourmet breakfast on the outdoor grill. Then Mom C. took James and me to the outlet mall in Mercedes. Over a buffet lunch at Lin's, we decided to drive across the border to Nuevo Progresso.
  
• Progresso: Unlike Dec 2004, this time I wasn't battling a cold virus, so the smells of vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate mingling with those of refried beans and jalapeño peppers didn't overwhelm me; in fact, they made hardly an impression at all. Didn't see any mangy dog this time, either. The street vendors are very persuasive: "Dentist? Manicure? Pedicure? Botox?" Hmm, guess I am beginning to look my age. Not sure I'd feel comfortable undergoing medical procedures there, but that doesn't deter a number of individuals (presumably because they don't enjoy health care coverage in their own native land). It was still just as heart-breaking to hear the kids calling out for "pesos, pesos," and see their hands thrust through openings on the side of the bridge.
  

Sunday, Feb 15th

• I finally learned firsthand what IHOP stands for (International House of Pancakes). The pancakes there were even better than the frozen Eggo kind. In the afternoon, James and his dad played a round of 9-hole golf. I tagged along to enjoy the pleasant, if windy and overcast, outdoors. We returned for a delicious supper of chicken cacciatore, rice, veggies, and salad.

Monday, Feb 16th

• In the morning, the parents C. took us to old McAllen for some browsing. Lunch at the Olive Garden was splendid. We made a run to Wal-Mart in the afternoon. A leisurely paced day that ended out on the patio with fistfuls of popcorn in front of the chiminea.

Tuesday, Feb 17th

• Dad C. MC'd the opening ceremonies of the shuffle tournament. Then he and James humored me by stopping at the Weslaco Post Office to allow me to send off a few postcards and buy more U.S. stamps. Then the three of us trucked off to South Padre Island. This was the first of only two really sunny days that we experienced.
• Lunch at Dirty Al's was a one-of-a-kind experience. (The reviews on TripAdvisor run the gamut.) It's very popular with snowbirds; however, with the money he's theoretically pulling in, Dirty Al might want to consider upgrading his décor (the tables are the plastic kind you'd get from Superstore for extra seating at Christmas) and adding more washrooms (the line to use the women's facilities was longer than the line waiting to be seated in the mess hall).
• Bay fishing was next on the agenda. One couple in the party brought the youngest puppy in the county with them; it looked as though its eyes could have opened just that morning. I was so glad when they went to sit inside (what's the equivalent of an airplane's cockpit on a boat?); it was really windy, and I was beginning to think the little critter might die of hypothermia. The men fished; I observed. I sat on the top deck with two other wives of fishermen, and got some sun. I looked ridiculous in my EarthTech baseball cap, but it was a necessary evil, since pelicans and seagulls were hovering over us, making the most of every opportunity to swoop down and snatch shrimp out of the boat's bait trays. We caught glimpses of dolphins in the distance, but they eluded my itchy camera finger.

The Indiana Jones & Son of Dolphin Docks' Bay Fishing

Wednesday, Feb 18th

• Happy Birthday to my husband! On our second day of sunshine, the two of us returned to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. We toured the lighthouse and two museums at the Port, and then went to Blackbeard's for lunch. We spent a few hours on the beach at Isla Blanca Park on the south end, then drove up to where the highway ends on the north end. We returned to our home away from home to find that Mom C. had baked her "baby" a chocolate cake. Mmm, chocolate.

Port Isabel lighthouse

The Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, built in 1974. The "Memorial" part of the name was added after a barge hit the causeway in 2001, resulting in the loss of 8 lives due to the collapse of a section of the bridge.
(photo taken from top of lighthouse)

South Padre shoreline

Thursday, Feb 19th

• Slow day. James did a disappearing act. (Technically, he was playing the good son and restoring his parents laptop to functioning order.) Mom C. and I walked over to the shuffle courts to watch some of the action. Bought groceries at Wal-Mart (one of those huge, Texas super-sized Wal-Marts). Indulged in enchiladas and burritos for supper. (They were not authentic, but who cares? they were good.)

Friday, Feb 20th

• Mom C.'s birthday! James & I squeezed in a second breakfast at the IHOP before making a last-ditch effort to hunt down some souvenirs. Returned to Wal-Mart for more groceries for the BBQ party Mom C. had organized for about 40 people. The BBQ was a success; good food, good company.

Saturday, Feb 21st

• Back to the airport. We were supposed to fly McAllen → Houston → Washington → Ottawa. We got to McAllen by 7:45am, and made it to Houston just fine. However, in light of a delay in Houston, our plans changed. Thanks not to the woman behind the counter, but the man whose name I vowed I would remember to my dying day and promptly forgot, we--and our luggage, no less!--were re-routed to Chicago → Ottawa. The moving sidewalks in the O'Hare airport are the coolest things. We arrived in Ottawa a little after midnight.

Other than a few too many close encounters with airports, it was all good. Even if the sun didn't shine brightly, it was still a week of shorts weather.