September 25: Moon

1. Over the moon: one beautiful letter from one beautiful boy.
2. Under the moon: rain drizzling down, smiling all the way home.
3. By the glow of the fridge light: late-night leftover lasagne.

September 24: Life

I have just learned of certain recent deaths. In honour of these souls, I'd like to share what made me smile about them today.

1. Anita Roddick, Founder, Body Shop, who believed that businesses have the power to do good. ‘The most exciting part of my life is now – I believe the older you get, the more radical you become.’

2. Luciano Pavarotti, Tenor. ‘Learning music from a score, he once said, was ‘like making love by mail.’’

3. Ken Danby, Artist. Best-known in Canada for his iconic 1972 hockey painting ‘At the Crease.’

‘We do not see with our eyes, but through them. The mind does the actual seeing, and it can only evaluate a visual experience according to its degree of visual awareness. Every person who is capable of sight deserves to have this faculty expanded, as part of the process of enlightenment, just as much as being taught to speak, hear, read or reason. Art is a necessity.’

September 23: Not Jogging

1. Recovery: A long, deep slumber in my jogging pants.
2. Sunset: Tea on the front porch in my jogging pants.
3. Catch-up: Coursework, blogging in my jogging pants.

September 22: Norwegians

I should have reflected on the good things in September instead of being sad today. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to leave the house. So the first twelve hours were awful. Then, flip it! The next twelve hours were much better.

1. Musicians: Sunset backdrop for live music in a city park.
2. Hosts: Unlimited free drinks and food at a hostel party.
3. Dancefloor: As self-appointed Official Government Party Closers, my ‘colleagues’ and I ensured that the living room dancefloor stayed rocking to a respectable 7am. We inspected the site for frauds and terrorists, and are happy to file in our reports that hostel parties should receive government funding and that Norwegians deserve tax breaks for dancing with us in Canada. We did not get paid overtime, did not take any union breaks and dutifully submitted our paperwork early.

Please support Save Our Rinks.

September 21: Selena

I want to dedicate today to Selena, someone I leaned on recently.

1. We relaxed downtown while the world went rush hour.
2. We went for a walk along Jarvis Street and talked ideas.
3. We attended a social, its joy magnified by her presence.

September 20: Vitamin D

1. J emailed me a job I might be interested in.
2. A emailed me from England, newly settled.
3. G emailed me from Madrid, newly re-settled.

And I got to read all those emails in the sunshine, in my bathing suit. Don't go, Summer!

September 19: Childhood

1. Julia and her nephew ride in the back of a convertible, holding hands and moving to the music, in beautiful sunny September.

2. Julia walks by her childhood home for the first time in years.

3. Julia walks by the old neighbours' homes and sees the young boy she used to babysit. He's not six anymore - he is a handsome young man!

Bonus: Ernest

Somebody needs to catch up on her blog!

Ernest Hemingway knew. ‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.’

September 18: Moments

1. Breakfast moment: Warm sunshine in the backyard.
2. Academic moment: Enrolment in my first online course.
3. Ferris Bueller moment: Scooped up from work in a fiery red Ford Mustang convertible.

September 17: Tidy

1. Time to tidy up my cluttered, chaotic space.
2. Emails from very nice people I met at TIFF.
3. A long, quiet and productive evening alone.

September 16: Mercy

Mercy #1: The guy at the submarine sandwich shop let me sit there and flatten my Coke in an attempt to feel bettter. The truck drivers know what they are taking about: Coke flattening and sipping works!

Mercy #2: Based solely on the kindness of others, I was admitted to a strictly invite-only party without my invite.

Mercy #3: An overnight lift halfway home, saving me cab fare.

September 6-15: TIFF

In what turned out to be the only exception this year: 10 days of Blog on Hiatus while I attended the Toronto International Film Festival. It was an all-consuming affair... I'm disappointed it didn't work out, but it seems it wasn't meant to. Here's to trying it again next year.

September 5: Slingbacks

I remember this day:

1. Wearing pretty multi-coloured Marc Jacobs slingbacks with my pretty multi-coloured summer dress.
2. Greeting the two very special men who have had a significantly positive influence on my life this year.
3. Meeting new and old faces as colleagues in a fun, inspiring company staff meeting environment.

September 4: Spoken

1. To relieve screaming children whilst trying to pay taxes at City Hall, enlightenment: ‘time to push chairs!’

2. ‘I had a doctor who gave me B12 shots because he thought it would make me lose weight. All it made me lose was my lunch hour.’

3. A voicemail from two friends in the States thinking about me.

Plus, cabbies, hair stylists, receptionists and strangers everywhere lent me their cell phones after mine died (again).

September 3: Family

1. Waking up to a smiling little boy's big brown eyes.
2. Enjoying prepared black English tea with breakfast.
3. Sipping German red wine from grandma's glasses.

September 2: Looking

1. A woman on the subway moved from her seat so my nephew Matthew and I could look out of the last subway car window into the tunnel.

2. Even though no children are allowed, a host at a downtown establishment let me bring Matthew in, so we could look out at the city from the 51st floor terrace.

3. A woman at a multiplex theatre let Matthew and me onto the premises, so we could go have a long look at the massive fish tank (where we found two Nemos).

September 1: ‘G’

1. The ‘G’ for ‘group’: many hands made light work.
2. A woman caught up to me crossing the street to return a piece of paper that had fallen from my pocket. ‘Gee, thanks!’
3. Gelato with R; Guinness with I.

August 31: Hearsay

Giggles, snorts, guffaws.

1. Direct Google: ‘The other day I was riding the L when I saw a woman charging her phone using an electrical outlet beneath the sea.’ Which led to my blog.

2. Direct Speech: ‘You like her folding bike, son? She uses it to travel around, going from circus to circus all summer.’ Gee, thanks.

3. Direct Hearsay: A guy my friend is meeting for a date suggests, ‘Forget the boardwalk on the waterfront. Why don't we meet at the shoe section in The Bay instead?’