living in Toronto

Sara fishing off the dock early yesterday morning,
while the mist was still on the lake.


Got back from the cottage this morning.

It's always a bit of a shock getting back to the city; the traffic and commotion, the crowds, all the metal and cement. And now's my cue for going on about how much I hate the city, how I wish Jeff and I could live in the wilderness in a little cabin, growing our own herbs and living off the land blablabla. I guess I do feel like that sometimes.

But I love the city of Toronto, in a way different from the way I love the cottage. I love the bookstores, the coffee shops, the hot dog vendors, the guy playing the guitar on our street corner with a paper bag over his head, the fact that I can buy weird-looking vegetables in Chinatown from someone who doesn't know how to speak English.

I love seeing the crowds of tourists in our area during the summer as they gawk at the CN tower and go on sightseeing buses. Some days I feel like going out and being one of them, seeing my city with a newcomer's eyes. Some days I try.

Yes, I know Toronto has problems. But I do so love this city.

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Merchant of Venice, Aurora Award nomination

My multitasking friend, Craig, at the Toronto Film
Festival, who saw FIVE MOVIES yesterday.


Saw "Merchant of Venice" yesterday at the Elgin with Craig and Jeff. Craig saw FIVE MOVIES yesterday. I love that crazy guy. Sadly, Al Pacino could not attend, but the pre-show talk cast included Ralph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons. Loved the movie! Today I see "Real Life" with Craig. Be sure to check Craig's Toronto FilmFest News and Reviews.

Thanks to Kristen for identifying the woman in yesterday's Blathering:

"Lovely pictures. The unidentified woman is Sonja Smits, who is a Canadian actress. She was in 'The Eleventh Hour,' 'Traders,' and 'TekWar,' and had a small but good part in Owning Mahowney with Philip Seymour Hoffman.

At my first film of the festival, Clean, the director was there with star Maggie Cheung! I'm still thrilled about being in the same room as her. Yes, I'm a fan girl."

Hey, Urban Tapestry has been nominated for an Aurora Award this year in the category of "Fan Achievement (Other)". An Aurora is an award given out by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association to acknowledge achievement in Canadian SF and Fantasy. You can see the full list of nominations here (PDF file). Many thanks to those who nominated us!

Last weekend, I asked if anyone knew what kind of spider this was:







My biologist friend, Peter Kotanen, answered the following: "Your spider is a female Garden Spider (Araneus sp.) (like a lot of spiders, they have dwarf males). It's likely Araneus diadematus, introduced from Europe. It's also called a 'Cross Spider'; apparently a reference to its markings, rather than its disposition. It's a large Orb Web Weaver (Family Araneidae).This is one of the families that produces really sophisticated webs. Each night it eats its web and spins a new one. See this page for some images of this genus."

I visited the 2nd Annual Taste of the Toronto Entertainment District on Friday night. Listened to some live flamenco music, sampled the offerings of various restaurants in the area.







My faves so far: Grilled Thai Chicken with Sweet & Spicy Noodle Salad from the Whistling Oyster, Cedar Smoked Salmon Brushed with a Lemon Butter Sauce on Roasted Potato Wedge from Canadian Bar & Grill, crabcakes with Sweet & Spicy Peach Sauce from Alice Fazooli's, East Coast Fishcakes and Green Tomato Chow-Chow from the Duke of Argyle. Each dish ranged from $1-5. Yummm......







Yesterday's Film Festival galas across the street included Five Children and It (Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, Freddie Highmore, Tara Fitzgerald, Zoe Wanamaker, Alexander Pownall, Jonathan Bailey), Beyond The Sea (Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, John Goodman, Bob Hoskins, Brenda Blethyn, Greta Scacchi), House Of Flying Daggers (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Song Dandan). Today: Shark Tale (Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese, Michael Imperioli, Ziggy Marley, Doug E. Doug, Peter Falk, Vincent Pastore, Katie Couric), Kinsey (Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Dylan Baker), and Ray (ie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Dashon Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, Curtis Armstrong, Regina King).

No, I haven't done anymore starwatching. It was fun for one evening, but there are too many other interesting things to do this weekend. :-)

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Tasting Toronto

Took this photo at brunch with Parki and Jeff, at a
GREAT restaurant called 3's Company Cafe.
I had the raspberry cream cheese French toast. :-)


My MovableType woes are nearly sorted out, though I'm still tweaking templates and also need to start implementing some of the useful features available in the new version. Finished restoring the bulk of Inkygirl yesterday.

Yesterday I also dropped by the Goethe Institut for language practice material, including a German movie called Das Versprechen ("The Promise"), with English subtitles. Love this library! Also borrowed a video about Vienna in preparation for our trip in a few weeks, when we're renting a small castle near the city with a group of friends. Looks like we won't be going to Berlin after all, by the way; we're postponing that trip for another time.

The Annual Taste of Toronto Entertainment District starts tomorrow, woohoo! Samplings ($1-$5) from restaurants in the area plus live entertainment, all within a few minutes' walk away from our building. I love this sort of thing.

Also, the Toronto Film Festival starts tonight! Being Julia premieres across the street this evening. These galas are usually attended by some of the film cast, especially the main stars. Cast of tonight's movie: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood, Shaun Evans, Lucy Punch, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson, Tom Sturridge, Maury Chaykin, Sheila McCarthy, Rosemary Harris, Michael Gambon.

No Sean Bean or Kevin Spacey, sadly, so I don't have huge incentive to join the crowd outside for a glimpse, but I might poke my head out the window for a look.

Hey, my friend Craig has been featured in an amusing cartoon for a Toronto Star article that appears today, about the Toronto Filmfest! Check out Section C, A&E. You can see a small version on this page. And be sure to check out Craig's Toronto FilmFest News/Reviews.



Inside 3's Company Cafe.

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