home-hunting

Jeff and I are going to start looking for a place to live in today. We plan on driving through and checking out Richmond Hill on our way to Aurora to visit with Elizabeth and Bryan, will check out Aurora, then drive home by way of Uxbridge and Markham. We're not looking for houses yet, just a general area before narrowing our search.

Our current plan is to rent a house in the area in which we plan to buy first. Meanwhile, we'll sell our condo and start researching real estate, the rental helping us decide if we've chosen the right area as well as whether we really want a house (as opposed to a condo). It's going to be a pretty radical change for Jeff and me.

We're open to suggestions, by the way! Here's a list of the things I'm looking for during research (Jeff's list probably varies slightly):

- A quieter and cleaner-air area than the one we're in now.

- Detached home.

- More interior space and light. More window area.

- High speed Internet access.

- Within an hour's drive of my sister's place in North Toronto (Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton).

- Ideally, near a park or area good for running.

- Within walking distance of at least one coffee shop, one bookstore, one grocery store where I can buy staples like milk and bread.

*** Relatively easy access to buses and/or trains to Toronto throughout the day AND evening (up to midnight). I've noticed that the buses and trains stop running around 6:30 pm for some of the potential places we were going to check out! I want to be able to get to Toronto whenever I want to on my own, without a car, and still go to Urban Tapestry practices, visit with friends and family. For me, this is one of the most important factors, no matter how otherwise perfect the location or house. When we lived out in Hockley Valley, this was a real problem, and I started to go a bit crazy with cabin fever, especially when Jeff had to spend more and more time in the city because of work.

Yesterday, I picked up a copy of David Dunkelman's book, Your Guide To Toronto Neighbourhoods, 2002 edition, to check out potential neighbourhoods within Toronto itself. So far it looks pretty good, with two pages devoted to each neighbourhood along information about the general feel of the neighbourhood, price range, types of homes, shopping, recreation, schools, transportation, and a pencil sketch of a typical home in that neighbourhood.

I looked up the overview of the area in which we're currently living:

"Downtown West is Toronto's most lively neighbourhood. This neighbourhood's vitality is due to the fact that Toronto's Entertainment, Fashion and Financial Districts are all located here."

Jeff went gaming with the guys last night again. I tagged along with my laptop and spent the evening with Cumulus, continuing to cull and organize my digital photos. I'm working backwards by month and have reached May of this year so far. I fell asleep on the couch near the end of the evening; I think Jeff and the others were playing some head-chopping card game (something to do with the French Revolution).

One year ago, I was making friends in Japan.

Three years ago, I was work-stressed with no chocolate.

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Today's Blatherpics:

	The Toronto neighbourhood info book I picked up at Chapters yesterday.
	Jeff and Scott.

poll: moving

Added 1,200 words to my novel yesterday, sent out two magazine queries, started researching a few others.

I don't feel like throwing up when I run anymore, which is a good thing. I made attempts to keep running outdoors throughout the summer ("heat? what's a little heat?"), but it wasn't always pleasant. Eventually I gave in to the inevitable and worked out at Curzon's which, although not nearly as scenic as running along the lakeshore, is blissfully air-conditioned.

But it's the end of summer now. Most of the tourists have gone home, and the morning air is cool and fresh, the trail devoid of World Catholic Youth. Running along the waterfront yesterday, I watched the reflection of the sun on the water, thought about everything and nothing. My current running music: Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff, Aimee Mann, Soul Coughing. In case you missed my fangirl ravings about their new album, "Manhattan Sleeps", and haven't bought the CD yet, stop reading this Blathering and GO OUT AND BUY IT NOW! I told JeffB that I was too embarrassed to tell him how many times I've listened to my copy already.

Felt good to run outside again, though I find that I'm more aware of the fumes from passing traffic (especially while waiting for the lights at the Gardiner Expressway to change) and smokers. Yesterday, I actually felt nauseous after a particularly noxious-smelling truck rattled by, and I could almost feel the minute oily particles coating my skin, my hair, my lungs. *gag. On my run back, I ran through at least half a dozen clouds of cigarette smoke from frantically puffing office workers on break.

So though I was originally highly resistant to Jeff's suggestion that we move, I admit that I'm gradually softening to the idea.

It would be nice to run in a place where I didn't feel the need to wear a gas mask, and having more space in my home office would be nice. Yes, I know I'm lucky to even have a home office. I think I got spoiled a couple years ago when I moved into the Inkspot office on Mowat Avenue. Reason for move: lack of space at home! I'm back to being a fulltime freelancer, but can't help but feel somewhat claustrophobic sometimes.

Even nicer would be the ability to FINALLY UNPACK ALL MY BOOKS. I still have books packed away from when we moved from Orangeville, and that was nearly ten years ago. Every so often I'll remember one of my books that I'm craving to read again but is still buried in a box somewhere. We've never had enough room for them. Even now, I have a lot of my books double-shelved.

Jeff and I have been researching house prices in Toronto and have been discouraged, so are starting to investigate outside of the city, with a focus (at my request) on places along the GO train line. Though I have a driver's license, I hate driving and also have poor night vision; I haven't driven a car since we moved to the city years ago. One of the great things about Toronto is that I can go pretty much everywhere by subway and bus (or walk!).

Thus one of my goals is to find a place from which I can access Toronto relatively easily on my own whenever I want to; I'll go nuts otherwise.

We had lunch with our friends Elizabeth and Bryan yesterday at Fune. Elizabeth lives in Aurora, and Bryan's planning to move there soon. Jeff and I deluged her with Aurora-related questions since Aurora is one of the areas we're considering.

I still love downtown Toronto, and a part of me is heartsore at the thought of leaving this neighbourhood with its bustling activity, bookstores, theatres and coffee shops. Ever since we started discussing the possibility of moving, I've found myself rediscovering what I love most about this area, shoring up memories. Sure, I can always come back and visit, but it won't be the same.

But Jeff and I both agree: it's time for a change.

Poll: Moving

Do you rent or own? When's the last time you moved? How many times have you moved in your life? Do you consider your current dwelling the one you'd like to live in for the rest of your life? Do you consider yourself more a city or a country person?

Links/News:

Two years ago: I was taking harp lessons in Philadelphia.

I've added Jeff Bohnhoff's memories of Leonard Zubkoff to the Dandelion Report.

Reid's posted way too many photos of me in his Livejournal recently. :-)

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Today's Blatherpics:

	Amanda Foubister at lunch yesterday. She brought a Lord of the Rings poster for Sara and Annie.
	Coronation Park, during my run. No more mass confessionals, yay!

leonard zubkoff

Condolences to the family and friends of Leonard Zubkoff, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska on Monday. Leonard was the creator of Dandelion Digital, a small recording studio and producer of filk recordings on compact disc until 1999. He was also
a linux kernel developer and the maintainer of BusLogic and DAC960 projects.

More info:
- MSNBC story
- Slashdot

Lynn Gold and Jeff Bohnhoff have shared memories of their friend in the Dandelion Report. Please also see this memorial page for Leonard.

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Today's Blatherpics:

Cottage photo.

guelph visit

The Toronto-Guelph bus schedule changed yesterday. I found out when I arrived at the Elizabeth Street terminal yesterday morning a full half hour before my bus was supposed to depart, only to find that my bus was cancelled.

"If you run," said the ticket clerk, "You might be able to catch the 8:30 a.m. bus." I ran, and just barely made it. When I got to Guelph, I carefully checked the evening schedule to make sure that there was, indeed, an 8:30 p.m. bus.

Then Frebis arrived. We went to a coffee shop and caught up on each other's lives. Last time I had seen Frebis, I had just sold Inkspot, or was in the final stages of selling Inkspot. As some of you are well aware, quite a bit happened since then. A lot has been going on in Frebis's and Duane's lives as well, including an 8-month trip to Australia, New Zealand, and California.

We checked out a church at the top of the hill with beautiful stained glass windows and then browsed some shops in downtown Guelph, including a running store that had a 50% sale (I bought a pair of shorts and a top) and a great little Japanese-theme shop.





Back at the house, I looked through their trip photos, Nahanni trip scrapbook, and snooped through their impressive garden behind the house. In addition to letting me sample freshly-picked miniature tomatoes and green beans, Duane showed me their crop of corn (two types!), tomatilloes, coriander (I discovered that "cilantro" refers to the leaf stage, and "coriander" refers to the seed stage...didn't know that!), pumpkins, tomatoes, sunflowers, leeks, potatoes, different types of poppies, moonflowers, pear trees, apple trees, prune trees, other plants. Duane sells some of his produce to a restaurant in town.

Dinner was barbecued salmon, corn on the cob, and a wonderful saffron rice salad that Frebis made. We just had time for some homemade Mexican hot chocolate before my evening bus, yum.

Except that when I arrived at the Guelph bus station, it turned out that the posted schedule I had checked in the morning had changed! There was no longer an 8:30 pm bus. Fortunately, there was a bus there whose driver hadn't realized the schedule had changed, either, so he said he'd take me to Toronto anyway; I was his sole passenger (!).

It was a wonderful visit, and we're already making tentative plans to get together again.

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Today's Blatherpics:

	Frebis.
	Duane, out in the garden.
	Nicki (sp?), their dog.

sopranos

So I think I'm only a few chapters away from finishing the first draft of my book, yay!

I say "think" because although I have a very rough (2 pages) plot outline, I don't break up the text into chapters while I'm writing; I'll do that when I'm finished. I estimate another week or two, and then I'll start revising.

I'm a bit behind in schedule because of the distractions of the audit, and the fact that I didn't get as much writing done at the cottage as I had hoped. Believe it or not, I'm STILL planning on submitting two books to my agent by the end of the year. The second book will be an easy reader, much shorter.

ScottM brought over the third season of The Sopranos on DVD, and Parki came over to watch it as well. Holy cow, is this a great series. Jeff and I both loved the first two seasons, and are grateful to Scott for letting us see the DVDs since we don't get HBO.





It surprises some of my friends that I like The Sopranos so much, given my aversion to violence in movies. When Scott first told me about the series, I must admit that I watched the first few episodes with some trepidation, and wasn't that thrilled. But after a few, I got hooked. Utterly, completely hooked.

I still don't like the violence, but the writing is SO good. I also find myself drawn to some of the characters despite their violent nature. On first glance, for example, Tony Soprano is just a hood and a creep. As you watch the series, however, you start becoming aware that he is so much more, especially through the sessions with his psychotherapist. I love the psychotherapist. Heck, I love a lot of the characters.

Last night, we only planned to watch two episodes but ended up watching four in a row. I was pushing hard for a fifth, but Jeff and Parki were too tired. (HA! Usually I'm the first one to crash.)

Going to Guelph today to visit with my friend Frebis, a woman I met on our canoe trip on the Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories back in 1999. We've been planning to hang out for ages, but my summer was way too busy. Really looking forward to seeing Frebis and Duane again.

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Today's Blatherpics:

	Our Nahanni Trip group. I'm at the top, far left.
	Duane and Frebis.
	Frebis and me at the top of Sunblood mountain. I'm on the left.