1. Holiday downtime, at last, to start reflecting on the year.
2. Christmas dinner with friends whose families are far away.
3. Beautiful gift of letterpress typography, patterns and haiku.
‘The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.’ - Albert Einstein
This was a special three-part day.
1. Matthew: My nephew and I explored Kensington Market's art galleries, butcher shops and free cheese samples.
2. Keesh: Cabs to the 'burbs and back for dinner in a place known as Ajax (and what a fabulous dinner it was).
3. Julija: Post-Eastern European pub, dining at the 24hr McDonald's (for a McSober combo, thank you very much).
1. A day wandering Kensington Market:
Market. Touch-ing exhibit. Helvetica film documentary DVD.
2. An evening at a houseparty:
Wine. Chopping vegetables. Turquoise ski pant advice.
3. A late night journey home:
Snow. Hailing taxi. Complimentary corporate cab chit.
1. Guest Surprise – Meeting up once again with the talented women of Frames and Pictures.
2. ‘Guest Straw’ – Sipping on Kat’s strawberry banana milkshake.
3. Guest Beds – A, Sneaking a little afternoon nap. B, Sneaking into a little sister’s crib.
1. Queen Street West: Doing the gallery walk, warm lights glowing from storefront galleries at twilight.
2. Queen Street West West: Gingerly picking up salad with folded bread between fingers; eating an entire meal without utensils at Addis Ababa Ethiopian restaurant. Ridiculously delicious!
3. Hollywood Boulevard: A night of raspberry sorbet and the boys of Entourage. Ouch! Hot! Jeremy Piven. Sigh...
1. Incredible feedback from my U of T professor and classmates.
2. Linner (lunch + dinner) with my brother and his friend David.
3. Terrific Humber performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
‘Things growing are not ripe until their season.’
‘Tocar’ is my favourite Spanish word. It means both ‘to touch’ and ‘to play’ (as in, an instrument). It's beautiful.
1. Small moments: Connecting with a colleague - and a free lift.
2. Happy moments: Connecting with my bro - and free movies.
3. Misty moments: An invisible connection with my friend Owl, who designed a very special xylophone bench. It sits on the Northeast corner of Liberty St. and Fraser Ave. in Liberty Village in Toronto. At 1am, it said, ‘tocarme’... so I did.
1. Smiled at an exhibit. I really liked the photograph of children playing hockey under the ‘passion’ section.
2. Cried in Parkdale. I was invited to watch some site-specific theatre. Very moving. lullaby is being staged by Dark Horse Theatre until November 18.
3. Laughed at home. I watched I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Sophomoric? Yes. Laugh out Loud? Yes!
1. Arthur: tried Arthur's new Acai rainforest berry smoothie.
2. Evalyn: watched a lineup of incredible performers at Hysteria, including Evalyn Parry.
3. Julija: met the beautiful, motherly Eastern European vendor at Church and Wellesley. Halloween in the streets: enjoyed sausages in boxes.
Oy vey, October!
I haven't fallen off the wagon. November will be a time of reflection. Didn't Ernest Hemingway say that in order to write about life, first you must live it? I've been going the way of Heming, but my blog will soon again go the way of me.
Without further ado, this mild Monday:
1. Artists: Friendly peeps, served with delicious crackers and baby carrots alongside spicy and non-spicy hummus at a kitchen roundtable.
2. Creatives: Dinner with a friendly stranger sharing his unique hyphenated name story, a free film pass and other nuggets of imagination.
3. Farmers: On the subway, conversation all the way to the west end with two sweetie-pies from St. Catherines. Who really were farmers. Who were adorable young men. Who thought I was in college. Which I'm not. Which was flattering.
1. Two free drinks, one graphic designer, one reception.
2. Two colleagues, one standing bar, one new confidant.
3. Two friends, one cab, one Queen West West gallery.
1. The voice of darkness: gory guest list beckons.
2. The voice of improvisation: performance art calls.
3. The voice of an angel: Tori Amos touches down.
1. Creating solutions, like how to affix stubborn lanyard clips to badges (damn it), with Neil, my Friend in Frustration and Small Pleasures.
2. Creating new friends (Hello, Ian) at a party I was lucky enough to be invited to.
3. Creating (not I): new media art on the way home at the Spin Gallery. Not spun sound; spun images!
1. Being introduced to members of a local creative organization.
2. Having conversations with them about the creative journey.
3. Taking the journey to the office, with me renewed optimism.
I want to mention it was a great hair day. I don't give it enough credit sometimes.
HAMILTON, Ontario
I'd like to dedicate this post to another Julia, who lent me her eyes. Thanks, Jules!
1. James Street North Art Crawl. We meandered into galleries and studios, experiencing this type of vibe, meeting local artists like Melanie and discovering hidden spaces and treasures such as this beauty.
2. Fisherman's pier pub. Even though we decided not to stay, the waitress brought out Sour Apple shots, on the house.
3. My dream of ending a late night with live music in a Hamilton honky-tonk bar came true. Only my cowboy boots were missing.
There is no doubt about it. People in Hamilton are very nice.
The next art crawl is August 10, for all you Torontonians looking for something different.
Wow! Did you see this Blog of Note? It is so beautifully Bent (and so is his really bent second blog). Kudos!
These:
1. Thoughtful - A guy at work got me this point it book in New York. Pictures include a grapefruit.
2. Helpful - I got the ok to arrive late for work tomorrow.
3. Surprising - A great piece of direct mail full of samples. Cream, shampoo, conditioner, gel, chewing gum, even bobbypins.
And especially this:
4. Inspiring - After a rejection of sorts, I am more inspired than ever to work hard to make my dreams come true, damn it!
1. Time to enjoy Merlin's Lists of 5ives.
2. Time to post photos to 365 Degree View.
3. Time to catch up on email newsletters.
1. I scored free tickets to a Luminato event and was able to offer three friends a complimentary night out.
2. I finished my shift early, just as they exited the show, so we went for a nightcap (cherry beer, along with a complimentary sample of coffee beer).
3. I got a lift home. Completely mesmerized by the GPS system, I almost forgot that the vehicle was talking to me. First waste receptacles, now automobiles. All in such complimentary fashion, of course.
1. Izzy helped me babysit the nephews: ‘Un, deux, trois...’
2. ‘This is Julia. Do you copy?’ I succeeded in my first-ever walkie-talkie-equipped job.
3. I met a really nice girl from Japan. Her company has sent her to Canada on a cultural expedition. ‘For nine months, I have to stay busy, have fun and send them an email once a week.’ Nice!
I worked that gig at Luminato, Toronto's newest Festival of Arts & Creativity (June 1-10). If you're nearby, come check it out!
