Remembrance Day

This evening I spoke to two Winnipeg friends via telephone. Both found it strange that James and I had to work today. One went so far to say that it seemed "disrespectful." I myself have been quite puzzled that, of all places, Ottawa, with all its pomp and circumstance, would be the city where working/studying on Remembrance Day is the norm. Perhaps it's because otherwise the ceremonies would be flooded with locals, and then how would they accommodate us all? I guess not all offices were open, because OC Transpo service was reduced to "holiday schedule."

Sometimes I feel like a lone pacifist, surrounded by a sea of DND buildings. My longstanding inside joke with James has been "all roads lead to DND." That's because in our first two weeks here in 2000, as I was getting acquainted with downtown, it seemed that on every corner was a Dept. of National Defence office. Across from every other corner on which stood a Tim Horton's. I was probably just running around in circles.

Nevertheless, I did donate to the Legion and wear a poppy. The man volunteering at the table in the entrance of Loeb pinned it to my jacket, and did he ever do a great job, 'cause it's still there! Also, I did watch part of a documentary yesterday evening on the Vampire Dugout from World War I.

Aside from that, my thoughts turned briefly to literature I've read that addresses war. Three books that stick out in my mind:

• L.M. Montgomery, Rilla of Ingleside - depicts life during WWI primarily from the perspectives of females--mothers, sisters, and daughters--who are "keeping the faith" at home while their men go off to war (summary). One of my favorite characters died in this novel.
  
• Charles Yale Harrison, Generals Die in Bed - stark, simple sentences, naturalistic symbolism (if I correctly remember my litcrit terms; summary).
• Dalton Trumbo, Johnny Got His Gun - I read this novel for a first-year Psychology class (Prof. Marcuse believed in interdisciplinarity, I guess), and it haunts me still. The story of a soldier who is nothing but a shell, no arms, no legs, hardly a face, but his mind still works. He communicates in Morse code, but when hospital staff finally understand what he wants, they can't comply, and they resort to sedating him (plot summary).
  

beachcomber

I was rather hoping that L and Celina would chime in for my Winnipeg sightseeing list--both of them have perfected the art of being tourists in their own town. Maybe next time. As it turned out, Nicole and her co-worker were limited in what they could do after work. For example, shops at The Forks are only open until 6pm, although from what I gather, the visitors did get to the Christmas Traditions store a few minutes before closing. They also went out to dinner there at The Beachcomber. Apparently someone's resurrected this restaurant/lounge and relocated it to the former Branigan's, because I remember it from waaaayyyy back. Not that I've ever actually dined there: it was just that the #62 bus drove right by it on Carlton, and the Beachcomber sign was distinctive (as was the dim lighting visible). I think a former colleague, Kathy P. from KPMG, told me she'd waitressed there after high school and met her husband in the process. I always secretly wondered if perhaps the name was a tribute to the Beachcombers TV show. Yay, Bruno Gerussi! Anyway, from the sounds of this Winnipeg Sun review, the restaurant's not worth the trip. Neither was Branigan's. Maybe putting in a Salisbury House on the Esplanade Riel wasn't such a bad idea after all. Yay, Burton Cummings! By the by, for anyone interested in comparing the performers' mustaches, click on these links to images of Bruno and Burton.

Happy Halloween

C'est la fête de l'Halloween!

Seeing 1.) Logan in the adorable bumble bee costume that Tawny made for him, and 2.) Ellen's trio in their creative trick-or-treat garb put me in a much more receptive state this year, so I'm actually prepared to answer the doorbell and hand out candy--up until such a time as all my friendly neighborhood spiderkids have made their rounds. Or until the kids who need to start shaving come calling. I'm all for "cute Halloween"; I'm not a fan of "scary Halloween."

Here at our house, it's a bit of a last-minute, makeshift deal as far as decorating is concerned. Neighbors have had their pumpkins and fake spider webs up for weeks. I'm relying on the naturally occurring spider webs and spiders that congregate around our front door. Also, I just stuck a little stuffed cat in an orange flowerpot with a hand-lettered greeting taped to the back of an old picture frame on the doorstep.

In my defense, I did walk over to Loeb earlier to see if they had any pumpkins left, but they were all sold out. (I waited until today, because I thought I'd have the car to do errands--but that's another story.) I have a hard time believing that all the pumpkins we saw in the stores and even in the fields last weekend have found homes to take them in. Looking on the bright side, I don't have to worry about "doing something" with the pumpkin afterwards. It's difficult enough for me to keep up with reincarnating my elderly bananas as muffins.

The chocolate bars and twizzlers I bought this afternoon from Shoppers are the real deal, though. (I've learned once again that lack of willpower and buying Reese's peanut butter cups well in advance of Oct 31 do not make for a good combination.) I'm also handing out tiny boxes of Sun Maid raisins, because I know there are a few health-conscious parents on the street, and, more importantly, I find the miniature boxes irresistibly cute. (One of my own cherished childhood Halloween memories is of hating the raisins but loving the box.) Hey, if the kids don't want to eat raisins, they don't have to: they can add them to oatmeal cookies or mix them with other trail mix foodstuffs.

Just caught a glimpse of my eccentric neighbor-across-the-street's grandson in a Peter Pan costume--wait, maybe it's Robin Hood, 'cause there's a bow involved. His grandma looks like she's dressed as an A&W carhop. His dad's not dressed at all--I mean, not dressed up at all, but then again, he's the one who snowblows in shorts. Hmm, grandma just left with a backpack. Maybe she moonlights at A&W, since her day job involves administration at a school.

I do hope I haven't bought all these treats for naught. Fortunately, it's a bewitching 14 degrees right now, and a welcome change from the freaky snow (freakin' is more like it) we had Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.

Whether you're tricking or treating or hiding in the basement with all the lights turned out, keep safe and have fun!

Update
By my count, 61 gremlins turned up at our door this evening. There weren't as many little ones as I'd thought. The majority of the costumes were run-of-the-mill. The little kids stumbling to the door in their flashing runners are cute no matter what they wear. Noteworthy among the older kids was the doctor, making the rounds all by himself, and a young woman (no doubt old enough to shave her legs) who was wearing a sleeveless black shift with golden wings (a bee? a fairy? a dark angel?), in the middle of a ring of kids.

Peter Pan/Robin Hood was my first victim--I mean visitor. I had already put treats in his bucket when he stepped into my entrance and grabbed a second box of Sun Maid raisins, saying, "I really like these." I don't think he's old enough to have said that ironically. He told me he was the Green Arrow. Hmm, never heard of him before.

One little girl came to the door wearing a coat over most of her costume. I saw something tiara-like sitting on her head, so I asked her, "Are you a princess?" "No, a devil," says she, "you silly goose," she might as well have added. Come to think of it, princesses usually wear pink, not red.

I warned a group of 'tweens? teens? not to piss off the neighbors by cutting across the lawns. They seemed really surprised about that. No wonder, because the next trick-or-treater was accompanied by her dad, and it was the dad who led the way right*across*the*lawn (argggh!). Some of those baggies and pillowcases I saw were heavily weighed down by the time 8 o'clock rolled around and I switched off our light.

So that's that for at least another year.

guess who's coming for dinner?

Nope, it's not me. Not yet, anyway.
And it's not really dinner per se. It may be a few dinners, I don't know at this point.

Since I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than guess, I'll give you the lowdown straight up: An Ottawa friend of mine and a colleague of hers will be flying to Winnipeg for work for a few days sometime at the beginning of November. I'm compiling a list of venues that she might want to check out during her short stay, and I'm asking for input from my readers, please (if I still have any after my sporadic posting the last while).

What Winnipeg restaurants, attractions, or activities would you recommend to an out-of-towner? (She's vegetarian, will be staying at the Fairmont, and will be working during the day. I have no idea if she and her colleague will rent a car or rely on taxis.)

Here are some ideas so far:

Restaurants

• Mondragon
• Underground Café - is it open at night?
• Baked Expectations - mmm, I want cheesecake just thinking about it (I have yet to find an Ottawa equivalent)
  
• King's Head Pub - members of the Choi Kwang Do club I once went to used to hang out there, and the 2nd floor is a Fringe Festival venue
• The Royal Crown Revolving Restaurant - OK, I've only been once, and it was so long ago, I can't for the life of me remember whether or not the food was satisfying. I vaguely remember thinking that it was rather neat to gaze out over the city. I'm guessing it's overpriced.

Cultural

• Manitoba Museum & Planetarium
  
• The WAG (Winnipeg Art Gallery) - do they still waive admission fees on Wednesday evenings, or is that a thing of the past?
  
• MTC (Manitoba Theatre Centre) - I see Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice is playing until Nov 8
• The Forks - anybody know if the Christmas Traditions store is still there?
  
• Corydon Avenue (little Italy) - 'cause she's Italian and may want gelati - either Nucci's or not-Nucci's (the way a friend of mine refers to GG Gelati).
  I suppose I could have placed this under restaurants, too, although I'm not all that familiar with the ones that are there. I've eaten at Colosseo's once or twice, enjoyed it, and used to like the Roasting House, but that was long ago, before it become Roca Jack's Coffee Co-Roasting House.
• Manitoba Legislature and the Golden Boy - they may be limited to a quick drive-by, because unless things have changed, I would't expect the Leg (pronounced "ledge") after dark to be a safe place. Hey, when do the Christmas lights go up on Broadway?
• Western Canada Aviation Museum - I've never been; have you?
  

Feel free to post your suggestions as "comments," or, if you'd rather, send them via e-mail.

Please keep in mind that this friend of mine will be visiting in November and has already referred to Winnipeg as "Winterpeg" (bah!), so river tours on the Paddlewheel Queen or by water taxi are probably inadvisable (even should they be operating).

As a side note, I'll be directing her to the following links:

• Destination Winnipeg - Factoids
• The Office - upcoming episode

More Ideas:
Thanks to Tawny and Perry for their suggestions.

Restaurants

• Papa George's - according to a Yahoo! Travel review, this restaurant is "open really, really late."
• Applebee's - 3 Winnipeg locations: 0 in Ottawa. I'd recommend the Santa Fe chicken salad (bet one could order it without chicken) or meatless quesadillas. The milkshakes are fantastic.

Cultural

• MTS Centre - The "Upcoming Events" shows Bob Dylan for Nov 2, and the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards for Nov 7, not to mention the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Nov 3. (Has anyone heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra before? More importantly, does anyone really refer to the MTS Centre by its full name, i.e., MTS/True North Sports & Entertainment? Maybe the additional mouthful is a precaution, just in case it ever goes the way of the former Corel Centre, now Scotia Bank Place, i.e., switching sponsors.)
  

In a class all by itself:

• McNally Robinson (bookstore) and its Prairie Ink Restaurant - why just shop books when you can also indulge in carrot cake with cream cheese icing? I prefer the Grant Park location (who can argue with more space for more books?), but the Portage Place location is fine, too. A visit "home" without a stop at McNally is unthinkable.
  

Election Day

Just a quick reminder to go out and vote, if you haven't already done so. My mom is a poll registration clerk, so if you're voting in the metropolis of Rosenort/Riverside, make sure you bring your ID or bring someone who can vouch that you are who you say you are--which, in that case, could pretty much be anybody else that you meet in passing through the doors.

I haven't quite made up my mind yet re: my ballot, but I'm definitely going to vote, and I'm definitely swayed by the information on Michael Geist's blog concerning candidates who have supported the copyright pledge. While I'm sure there are lots of other pressing issues of concern, I've chosen to focus on copyright and postsecondary education.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ottawa had amazing weather yesterday, with a sunny high of 21°C: a perfect Lord's day/day of rest/Thanksgiving Sunday. We had invited friends over a few weeks ago, but their plans ended up changing in the meanwhile, so we took advantage of the time to ourselves. After attending the late service at The Met (because James was up way too late enjoying his sound system, etc.) we returned home, changed clothes, ate lunch quickly, and then headed off - like the other copycats - to see the Fall Rhapsody at Gatineau Park. (If you follow the link to the NCC site, you can watch an instructional video entitled "Why do leaves change colour?" - very informative if it's been a while since you studied photosynthesis, etc.).

great minds think alike...or maybe it's fools seldom differ

near the beginning of the trail, looking left and right

Walking through tree-lined paths is always delightful, and every now and then we experienced a confetti of leaves showering down on us. Very cool. We spent about an hour and a half on the trail. Lots of cyclists were out, as were people with progeny and pooches.

dryads

It's a shame that more of the red maples are not obvious in the photos, although there were plenty of red leaves all over the ground, and the color meter indicates it's peak season. There's nothing like an Ottawa autumn, and I doubt the bright reds will ever cease to thrill me. I'll note, though, that the EasyWorship image projected on the screens yesterday morning was of a farmhouse & field, very flat landscape, very prairie-ish, and it became difficult for me to sing, 'cause I got all choked up wishing I was back home. Won't be long now - I've already booked my December flight.

cityscape on our way back to the Info Centre/parking lot

Today has been more overcast, with occasional sunny breaks. James has cleaned out and reorganized the garage, while I've looked after the l's - laundry, litterbox, and lilac tree. Darth and Curli enjoyed a taste of the outdoors while I watered the lilac and heaped more dirt around it. I pulled a few weeds and discovered the tiniest black slug on a leaf. Contrary to my first impulse, I did not squish it, but rather returned it to the grass, where it can continue to do its little slug stuff. I also baked bran muffins and made apple crisp. With the exception of the one guy who decided to sand wood in his front yard, and the other guy who cut his lawn, the neighborhood has been relatively quiet all day, so I guess everybody's children must have been celebrating the holiday with their grandparents or at the family cottage. I'm just now hearing the sounds that usually signify Roman, Cedric, and sometimes Ferris are preparing to engage in swordplay (the plastic light-sabre variety). As far as I know, the only store open today was Shoppers Drug Mart, and it was extremely busy. (I know: I ran over for oil and raisins.)

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Here's to a short week ahead!

boobage

Remember when crack was hailed as the new cleavage? Seemed like yesterday, so I was surprised to find the notion had surfaced as early as 2002--although iterations on the same theme have persisted into 2004 and 2008. Shannon Rupp, author of the 2004 article, entitled "Plumbing the History of the New Cleavage: Low-slung trousers are hot but I see a bad moon rising," relates that one of her colleagues blames Madonna for the sorry state of society's fashion; an unfair charge, according to Rupp, although she does credit the Material Girl with popularizing underwear as outerwear.

If that's the case, should we hold Janet Jackson accountable for this summer's outbreak of boobage? I know it's been over 4 years since the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" (I only know that because I discovered it via Wikipedia), but like everything else pop culture, fashion cycles stretch out a few years, don't they?

Meredith Blake seems to think that fashion is pursuing a new demureness. I'm not convinced. Everywhere I look--and I don't mean to stare, but there they are, I'm surrounded--we're not talking mere cleavage anymore; no, this has progressed beyond cleavage to boobage. It's no longer a hint, it's a full frontal onslaught--full being the operative word here. If the current décolletage were a skirt, the slit would sit above the hip. Ha, if the current trend continues, Cretan corsetry will be next.

It's downright embarrassing, but I'm now more deft at noticing boobage than my husband. Mind you, it requires no keen observational skills these days. It makes me want to sew dickeys into the tops of all these meagrely clad women. Never before have I considered myself a prude; decorous, OK, but not prudish. After all, whom did Raechelle (of all people!) warn against leaning over the reception desk when wearing a certain deep blue blouse?

Maybe I'm just jealous, in my advanced 39-forever state, of all those pretty young women with their flawless creamy white or milk chocolatey bosoms.

Whew. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.