December 30: Aujourd'hui

... more Tudors (Season One DVD).

1. More help hauling bags to Goodwill (thanks, Mama).
2. More uncovering long-missing items whilst cleaning.
3. More demolition opportunities for yours tired, truly.

December 28: Butterfly

The Best of Ordinary Days, Errands Edition.

1. Fixed soles on my Marc Jacobs shoes (for cheap).
2. Soon-to-be-fixed Argentine rabbit coat (for free).
3. No day of repairs, mending, etc. would be complete without an extraordinary film at an art house cinema to end the day.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby. After suffering a massive stroke that left him paralyzed from head to toe, his mind intact (‘locked-in syndrome’), blinking his left eyelid was his only means of communication. The film is based on his best-selling memoir, Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, published just days before he died.

December 19: Escalator

1. Table, Restaurant: Looong lunch with Ms. Heather.
2. Escalator, Subway: Chris ascended as I descended.
3. Sofabed, Apartment: Late-night Ocean's Thirteen.

December 15: Chit

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.

December 10: Super

1. Superstuffed: two slices of orange carrot cake.
2. Superbad: two high school kids in a riotous flick.
3. Superbeer: two reds resting in the fridge, waiting.

December 8: Calories

1. Feeling the love: film directors and learning the art of.
2. Feeling the love: grandmothers and beaming smiles from.
3. Feeling the calories: Izzy and sharing free birthday cake with.

December 1: Ethiopian

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...

November 11: Tocar

‘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.

November 10: Passion

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!

November 2: Eyeballs

(Way beefore the film. Free brownie muffins and drinks at a local bank. Could these be the city's best-kept complimentary breakfast secrets?)

A. During the film. ‘I lost my cousin to Italian Vogue.’

BEE. After the film. Making shadow puppets on the stage. ‘Look! The little dots on the movie screen make up a big speaker!’

C. Way after the film. Shop clerk to my nephew: ‘If you look too much with your fingers, you will grow eyeballs on your fingertips.’

October 30: Minutes

Minutes well-spent:

1. Josh Rachlis's Terry Cloth (11 minutes)
2. Anita Renfroe's William Tell Overture for moms (3 minutes of Momsense)
3. Josh Rachlis's Marriage Proposal (3 minutes)

Three Things: Movies

1. In the Valley of Elah by Paul Haggis
2. Eastern Promises by David Cronenberg
3. The Unforeseen by Laura Dunn

October 28: Priorities

1. Pastry. I'm at this thing. I meet this nice guy from Kent, Ohio. He'd like to share his Belgian beer; I'd like to share my gnocchi. We picnic on Greek Orthodox church-steps. He is half-Greek, half-Lithuanian. My nephews are half-Greek, half-Lithuanian. We toast from plastic cups labelled ‘Baltika’. We pour Forêt beer from its wine-shaped bottle. The foam is thick and creamy like a pastry.

I've always liked people from Ohio.

2. Film. I'm at this thing. I see this Robert Redford feature titled The Unforeseen. I learn about Barton Springs and the aquifer in Austin, Texas. Inspired by the perseverance and the conviction of its people, I decide I must make an appointment with Barton Springs for a swim. ‘If the people lead, the leaders will follow.’

I've always wanted to visit Austin.

3. Wine. I'm at this thing. I re-meet this nice guy from Toronto. We drink red wine and talk about ... well, we talk about all kinds of things. He is a writer and artist who keeps on keeping on ... and even though we should both call it a night, we don't. Priorities? These are coffee-spoon moments.

I've always liked kindred creative spirits.

October 27: Insiders

1. People in media: Sharing time with journalists.
2. People in media: Sharing time with publicists.
3. People in media: Sharing time with totally charming, intelligent and engaging adult film industry insiders!

October 26: Skip

1. Privileged: to observe a film pitch session.
2. Surprised: to meet a fellow Baltic Canadian.
3. Delighted: to skip off work and catch a film.

October 21: Recovery

Beware the after-effects of galas...

1. Hooded à la Unabomber, tracked down some Coca-Cola to begin my recovery.
2. Recovered (miraculously) in time for the closing film at ImagineNative.
3. Enjoyed, unhooded, the vivacious company of a German film producer, whose energy and effervescent charm completed my full recovery.

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.

August 24: Unknown

1. Philip, Duncan, Dave. Meeting friendly new printers.
2. Oscar. I watched a Ryan Gosling film. Mmm, watch out!
3. Unknown. Hot-t-t retail shop guy offering assistance.

August 15: Afternoon

1. Seeing my brother made me very happy.
2. Seeing Bourne Identity for free: bonus.
3. Seeing two friends at the shopping mall.

How come Bourne always has cash at the ready?

Bonus: Long Weekend

Snacking on cream cheese, popsicles and gummies, my dad and I watched three classic films together this long weekend.

1. The Getaway
2. Scarface
3. Heat

‘All you are is what you're going after,’ or ‘All you are is _____________’ (37,000 Google results).