June 19: Recipient

1. Oodles of string from dad, for cereal necklaces.
2. 10 minutes from my hairstylist to trim the ‘fringe’.
3. Spicy seafood wrap from one of my higher-ups.

June 18: Cannonball

Three great ways to wake up at mom and dad's house:

1. A powerful cup of tea, nearly 100-proof strong.
2. Creamy and chocolatey ‘exquisite Swiss biscuits.’
3. Cannonball into the pool, to show them you love it.

Bonus: e.e. cummings

I have cracked open the selected poems of e.e. cummings. Was there ever a sexier poet? When I join the afterlife, I will search out every corner of heaven to touch him.

--

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
-the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

--

June 17: Matters

1. Lazy day poolside, discussing the pros and cons of sunscreen.
2. Viewing some great shorts at the Worldwide Short Film Fest.
3. Stirring. Happy that someone moved me on the inside. It doesn't matter if we never meet again. What matters is that even for the broken and the jaded, there is always hope in matters of the heart.

Bonus: Tėtė

1. Patient: teaching his grandchildren the differences between squares and rectangles.
2. Thoughtful: installing an air purifier in my room so I can breathe just a little bit easier.
3. Helpful: offering lots of money-saving tips - unsolicited, but undeniably useful, advice.

Just three reasons (of three to the power of n) why we love Tėtė. Happy Father's Day to you and your daddy-units.

June 16: Wonderful

1. My nephew, my brother and I reworked the lyrics to ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ in all kinds of strange and wonderful ways.

2. I learned about the strange and wonderful ways of squids and that even though they may look angry, they are sad - and beautiful.

3. A neighbour at the grocery store directed me to some strange and wonderful frozen soy desserts (in lieu of ice cream).

June 15: Nature

1. My mom gave me a lift, bright and early, to the subway at 8:00 a.m. It almost helped transform my night-owl nature.

2. Double-whammy: I met a wonderful woman who is willing to meet with me to explain the nature of her business. Then I got educated in a high-end boutique. I appreciate great design and I really appreciate staff who are willing to tell me about the nature of their handbags.

3. Kevin good-naturedly told me a hilarious massage story set in a bath house in Turkey. ‘His naked was touching my naked.’

June 14: Lessons

1. If you tell a national airline that they are a national embarassment, you may be marked for extra security checks. Wear nice underwear!

2. After I was felt up by a rather jolly woman who told good jokes, I watched my rubber thong sandals get molested. It is official: my Havaianas are harmless.

3. It is never a good idea to wear a skirt while riding a bicycle. (Duh.) But if you do, wear nice underwear!

June 13: Beaches

1. Daiva took me on a full-day city bike tour. We biked it all, bottom to top. It was fabulous.

2. There is South Beach - and there is North Beach! And then some. And they are clean! Chicago is one of the world's most beautiful lakefront cities.

3. We rested at a Lincoln Park lookout point. Ice cream, ice cones, sunshine, text messaging and camera phones.

Funny, I wore a t-shirt all day that read ‘C-L-E-V-E-L-A-N-D’ . . .

June 12: Cyndi

1. Fashion: I met several local boutique owners. One sized me up perfectly and sent me home with a great French t-shirt.

1a. Reason: I had to pass on a silver handbag I fell in love with. A beautiful discovery. But also beautiful was the discovery that I possess the voice of reason (telling me to pay my bills instead).

2. 80s: A party of three old camp friends reunited and hit up the True Colors Tour at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre.

2a. Cassette: The cab driver shared our enthusiasm: he popped in an 80s music mix on tape so we could all sing to Men at Work's ‘Land Down Under.’

3. Cyndi Lauper: What a great performer! After a lineup of incredible musical acts and special guests, a perfect finish.

June 11: Milwaukee

1. Dodo: I love these restaurant names. I had been describing okonomi pancakes on the way there. Well, lo and behold! Okonomi pancakes.

2. South Side: Dinner and cheap champagne with friends and family at Grand Duke's Restaurant. Mmm, cepelinai!

3. Oasis: We didn't feel like heading to bed, so we headed to Milwaukee. Daiva was a much better negotiator, scoring us a $189 room for $109. Despite her highly effective skills, we decided to return to Chicago overnight, pausing at a rest stop over the freeway to dine on the world's hottest, freshest Filet-o-Fish and fries. We *will* return to Milwaukee!

June 10: Ferris

Did you think I meant Ferris Bueller?

1. Actually, I meant the ferris wheel on Navy Pier. Along with jazz music, onion rings, fried shrimp and sunshine.

2. Walking, walking, walking. And a saleslady at Macy's running, running, running to fulfill my special request.

3. More walking. Photo shoots. Hookah bar. Baba ghanouj!

June 9: Chicago

Good afternoon, Chicago!

1. A pleasurable flight shared with a sparkling, spirited gentleman. Do you ever notice that special, mysterious Him or Her pacing or lulling near the airport gate? I did. And that someone was my seatmate and inspiration all the way to the Windy City.

2. Daiva picked me up at the airport and took me for a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Earwax.

3. Cycling through the city streets, all marked with bike lanes. Painting white lines can't be that hard! Those bikes took us to the Wells Street Art Festival, followed by a night out in Wicker Park in very good company.

Good night, Chicago!

When: 3:30 a.m. Who: An otherwise nice guy. Where: On my stomach. What: Bouncing. This was a first. Funny and flabbergasting. Oddly charming. I still chuckle at the memory. It was nothing compared to the dogs snoring.

Bonus: Anaïs Nin

‘And the time came when the pain to remain tight in the bud became greater than the risk it took to blossom.’

June 8: ‘Off with her hair!’

1. Izzy met me at lunch, and agreed to deliver a CD to a friend of ours.
2. Alligators! Aardvarks! I spent time at the ROM with my nephews.
3. ‘Off with her hair!’ Another successful haircut, after waiting too long.

I am taking off to the States for a few days and will not be posting again until mid-week next week. Adventures from the Midwest coming soon.

P-Units, I: Environment

Staying with my parents is foreign, but Good:

1. My urban fear has always been that of getting bike tires caught in streetcar tracks. Much worse is my suburban fear of getting lost in cul-de-sacs. This isn't the area I grew up in - it is foreign. The Good: I'm getting over it.

2. I wake up every morning in a hot pink, psychedelic bedroom. It's very B-52s-meets-Paris Hilton. This isn't the house I grew up in - it is foreign. The Good: It is cozy and inviting. It even delivers a warm pink reflection in my laptop.

3. My parents are environmental drill sergeants. That definitely isn't foreign! The Good: I am recycling and composting everything. Soon, I may even be carrying a water jug on my head. You know, to appreciate the value of water.

June 7: Service

1. Apple: provided me wireless support for Windows.
2. Kaner's: delivered another better-than-new shoe repair.
3. Parents: served me a scrumptious, barbequed pork chop.

They rock, they rule!

June 6: Motivation

1. This didn't happen to me, but I am thrilled it happened to someone else: Word Imperfect, a blog I love, has become a Blog of Note.

2. My nephew taught me that there are 35 ‘dots’ (found in small case letters, plus one ellipsis) in Each Peach Pear Plum. 38 if you count the back cover.

3. The gift of motivation was bestowed upon me, unbeknownst to its providers.

June 5: L

L1: ‘Labas rytas’ - ‘good morning’ from tėtė (Lithuanian).
L2: lowercase L, a recent Blog of Note (English).
L3: I arrived to a free Lunch at the bureau (French).

Speaking of L: In language learning theory, the first language acquired is referred to as L1, the second language learned is known as L2, etc. As a sometime teacher, I must remember to refrain from discouraging people in public from using their L1 (if they wish to improve their English, that is). Yee called this an occupational hazard.

Until today, I was completely unaware of the lowercase L error. To now, I have only been irritatingly aware of illegal apostrophe's.

Today has brought to you by the letter L (and the number 3, of course).

June 4: Help

1. Help! Sister's husband returned my forgotten laptop cord.
2. Help! Partner sent my info to an associate on my behalf.
3. Help! Cleaning lady at work vaccuumed all the ick away.

June 3: Complimentary

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.

June 2: ‘Copy that’

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!

June 1: Habibis

Saliva is upon me!

1. Nephews: The darlings have arrived from Vancouver. Auntie Julia swings into action.

2. Pottery: Lukas (the one who likes to play with his chocolate cookie dough) giggles when we ask him repeatedly if he's going to make pottery when he grows up.

3. Language: Matthew, in his Brooklyn accent, shows me the new frogs. ‘Zibbit!’

Speaking of language, now that children are around: ‘Oh, shiiTAKE MUSHROOMS!’

May 31: Dad

I am moving! I am a little freaked (and so are my parents, who haven't had me home in *many* years). It's temporary. Not ‘temporary’ - really, just temporary. Yea... so we're all a bit nervous about the arrangement.

1. My dad helped me unclog the sink at my place.
2. My dad helped me re-assemble furniture at his place.
3. My dad offered me a hard-boiled egg for brekkie.

Summer adventures with the Parental Units on the way...

Bonus: Baby Crawling Competition

Click here to view Baby's First Race (1:05) from Vilnius, Lithuania (wait five seconds for video to begin).

May 30: Fresh

1. The smell of fresh lilacs, everywhere.
2. Timeslot for fresh pedicure and manicure.
3. Bro met me and brought fresh new music.

I can't get enough of Rihanna's ‘Umbrella’...

Bonus: Kris Holm

Kris Holm from Victoria, Canada is the Tony Hawk of unicycling. Check out his amazing photo gallery. I'll be thinking of him when the going gets tough on my two wheels.

May 29: Hot Date

I locked up my laptop in my cabinet at work after hours. Then I lost the key.

I do believe that something good comes out of everything:

1. A hot date with my colleagues, who got down on their hands and knees to help me look for my runaway key. My dad even coached me, over the phone, how to pick a lock. Thanks, James Bond! I was unsuccessful, but it was a kind-hearted effort.

2. A hot date with a caramel sundae, following my fit of frustration.

3. A hot date with my newly-purchased phone. I couldn't avoid it any longer. I now own a dusty pink mobile whose keys play colourful xylophone music notes. It's really very beautiful and soothing.

Bonus: Special Thanks to Special K

- A typo on last night's letter (bad - no, very bad).
- But my friend re-faxed it for me this morning (good).
- That mistake will probably cost me a job (bad).
- But there is always hope (good).

May 28: Manners

1. A promising phone call from my dear partner.
2. A conversation with someone I don't usually chat with.
3. Just when I was feeling invisible, the youth on the elevator wished me a good night. Not too thuggish - beautiful manners!