I have plans of making Eggs Benedict for myself for the first time tonight. It's a favourite in breakfast spots, but I've never made it at home before and I want to try. But before I go off to the kitchen to do that...
I had an amazing weekend ripping it in Toronto with my newest best buddy; let's call her K.E.S.P. Today is the final day before I head back to work after a glorious holiday, so it was a delight to spend the weekend having fun with a friend and indulging in a number of pleasures. I got back to Waterloo around 1:30 ish and immediately cuddled with my kitty Spoon (I didn't take off my jacket or boots for at least 5 minutes... Spoonie deserved the attention). Then I felt like I needed a nap, so I climbed in bed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I tried to turn something on to watch that I'd hopefully fall asleep to, but it didn't happen. So, I figured I'd just lounge in bed, snuggling with Spoon, and watch something I actually want to watch. That's what brings me to the reason I wanted to post right now...
I Am.
K.E.S.P. watched this documentary recently and highly recommended it, so I was happy to take the time to watch it. It was fantastic!!! I won't bother summarizing it for you, I suggest you watch it yourself. There were so many amazing takeaways, but here's the fact that resonated most with me.
We are all connected. Everything we do has an impact.
I tend to get overwhelmed watching documentaries with big ideas like this one had. I get so wrapped up in the good ideas and want so desperately to implement them in my own life, but being overwhelmed, I often end up implementing nothing at all. So I'm going to take a "small" part of this idea and work to consider it as regularly as possible.
Consider the energy I'm putting out into the universe.
I know the feeling of walking into a room and feeling an existing tension that you may not have the context for, but you can actually feel. My cat Spoon knows that feeling, too. When my GF K. and I have a big talk (also known as a fight) and we're sitting next to each other on the bed, crying, maybe speaking in loud voices, feeling intense emotions, etc., Spoon jumps up and sits in between us (an example of another message in the movie: that all living things are the same).
The energy that I put out there matters. Big changes happen because of individuals' consciousness spreading enough to translate into critical mass and action. But even if big change isn't my goal, everything I do has an impact, great or small. Do I put enough thought into what I do? Do I consider the impact of my words, actions, and even thoughts and emotions? I think I could stand to be more conscious of those things. And it's not about being hard on myself, or critical, or changing everything I do and everything I am. Increased consciousness is small but mighty, and I'm conscious that I could be more conscious.
Now... onto Eggs Benedict!
Showing posts with label girlfriend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label girlfriend. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Energy
Once again I'm having an absolutely lovely Saturday. I woke up at 9:00, took my sweet time getting out of bed, and then requested over an hour of silence in the apartment so that I could drink my coffee and read my book club book in peace. My beautiful girlfriend obliged, and it was honestly like a gift. I feel like a million bucks having had that precious time this morning... and I finished my book: Annabel by Kathleen Winter. It's for a new book club I joined and it was incredible.
My inspiration for this post isn't another lovely weekend day though, it's energy. Deep, I know.
I think of a lot of things in terms of energy... "God", for example. When I feel most spiritual and connected to some higher power, it's because I feel the energies of the universe colliding and leading me towards something that - if I open myself up to it - I'm destined to be part of. It's like that feeling of all the stars aligning for something special; those energies working together for something bigger is what I see as God.
I also think of energy and where we get it or lose it. As an introvert, I see myself as gaining energy from peaceful, quiet, and calm time; usually alone, with my girlfriend K., or a close friend. I expend my energy in the opposite situations, where life is busy, full of people and activity. I can handle both kinds of situations, but it just changes my energy; whether I emerge fuelled or exhausted.
Yesterday I was talking to a friend about situations in which you can be a doormat or more aggressive; receiving bad customer service, for example. She was saying that her boyfriend will always speak up in those types of situations; make sure he is heard and that the situation is addressed in some way. Some might see him as an asshole, but she always feels like she is never taken advantage of, and I so appreciate that notion. I hate bad customer service, but will rarely speak up, and if I do, it's not in a very aggressive way. I don't like to think of myself as a doormat though. I see it as where you're willing to spend your energy and where you aren't. There are limits, sure, and there are times where you must speak up... and perhaps situations where you really shouldn't. For me, speaking up - in these situations - often means expending my energy in a way that makes me feel really unsatisfied when it's all over. I don't feel better. So if expending my energy makes me feel worse, then why would I be motivated to act? In my friend's boyfriend's case, he can't not speak up in those situations. He would feel unsatisfied if he didn't, so it makes sense for him and not for me.
Like I said, there are limits, but it helps to consider that we don't have to be separated into doormats and aggressors. If we know ourselves, we just act according to what makes us feel best and that our energy is used wisely.
My inspiration for this post isn't another lovely weekend day though, it's energy. Deep, I know.
I think of a lot of things in terms of energy... "God", for example. When I feel most spiritual and connected to some higher power, it's because I feel the energies of the universe colliding and leading me towards something that - if I open myself up to it - I'm destined to be part of. It's like that feeling of all the stars aligning for something special; those energies working together for something bigger is what I see as God.
I also think of energy and where we get it or lose it. As an introvert, I see myself as gaining energy from peaceful, quiet, and calm time; usually alone, with my girlfriend K., or a close friend. I expend my energy in the opposite situations, where life is busy, full of people and activity. I can handle both kinds of situations, but it just changes my energy; whether I emerge fuelled or exhausted.
Yesterday I was talking to a friend about situations in which you can be a doormat or more aggressive; receiving bad customer service, for example. She was saying that her boyfriend will always speak up in those types of situations; make sure he is heard and that the situation is addressed in some way. Some might see him as an asshole, but she always feels like she is never taken advantage of, and I so appreciate that notion. I hate bad customer service, but will rarely speak up, and if I do, it's not in a very aggressive way. I don't like to think of myself as a doormat though. I see it as where you're willing to spend your energy and where you aren't. There are limits, sure, and there are times where you must speak up... and perhaps situations where you really shouldn't. For me, speaking up - in these situations - often means expending my energy in a way that makes me feel really unsatisfied when it's all over. I don't feel better. So if expending my energy makes me feel worse, then why would I be motivated to act? In my friend's boyfriend's case, he can't not speak up in those situations. He would feel unsatisfied if he didn't, so it makes sense for him and not for me.
Like I said, there are limits, but it helps to consider that we don't have to be separated into doormats and aggressors. If we know ourselves, we just act according to what makes us feel best and that our energy is used wisely.
Monday, June 24, 2013
My trip to Newfoundland
I recently spent 10 days (June 7-16) in the only province I hadn't yet been (through/) to: Newfoundland! I haven't visited Labrador, but I gather neither has most of Newfoundland, so I feel okay about that. (To be clear, I haven't been to any of the territories, and I haven't spent great amounts of time in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, but I've stayed a night in Brandon, Manitoba, and I've driven through Saskatchewan).
But I digress.....
As per usual, I feel it's most useful to break this post up into 10 categories, rather than share every detailed moment. It won't be short, but hopefully it's still a good read!
Without further ado.....
My trip to Newfoundand
#1: The Conference
This was why I was in St. John's in the first place. A professional organization I belong to holds an annual national conference and I applied to present at it this year. My proposal was approved in January, and so began hours of work over the course of many months in order to prepare my 90-minute presentation.
It was one of the most academic things I've done in recent memory. I convocated from my undergrad nearly 3 years ago, and I can't remember working so diligently on something indirectly related to my job since then. It was a great thing to sink my teeth into, I prepared extensively, and on Friday June 7, off I went to St. John's, Newfoundland.
The conference began on June 8 and it was excellent! The concurrent/professional development sessions they offered were so-so, but the keynote speakers were phenomenal; not always relevant to my work, per se, but fascinating and inspiring. One of the coolest things about the speakers was the ease with which they moved from English to French. The professional org. is bilingual, and I felt the speakers were so wonderful and graceful about accommodating for this. As always, it made me wish I could speak French. Maybe one day...
My presentation was on the final day, Monday June 10. It could not have gone better! The room was full, people were engaged and asked meaningful questions, I felt really good about my "performance", if you will, and the feedback I've received since has been very positive. I'm really proud, and it was a great experience, personally and professionally.
#2: Rally in the Alley
Another great part of the conference was how well-organized it was. This fact culminated on the final night (June 10) with the "Rally in the Alley".
There were a few social events on the other two evenings of the conference, which I attended, but I didn't go all out being that my presentation was on the last day. On top of that, an old colleague of mine - T. - was at the conference and we spent a lot of time 1-on-1 together, which I preferred anyway. Imagine that! (For the record, I still made lots of great connections with people.)
Anyway, the last night I had the freedom to go all out, and I'm glad I saved it until then. The Rally in the Alley was basically a concentrated St. John's experience. The delegates at the conference were split into 3 groups with associated colours (mine was red!), and with a different musician leading each group (snare drum, bagpipes, and ours - bass drum).
All of us were first led to Club One where we were treated to fish and chips (a.k.a. "fi' n' chi'") and live music. I gather Club One doesn't usually serve food, but it was rented out for this purpose.
Next we went off with our groups to one of three locations. Our group started at a pub - can't remember what it was called - where we watched three young women do traditional Irish line dancing. They were great!
Next we followed the bass drum to a place called Rob Roy to get screeched in. From my understanding there are only two places to get screeched in in St. John's, and I don't think Rob Roy is usually one of them, but again, for our group some special arrangements were made.
Anyway, for those who don't know, getting screeched in makes you an honorary Newfoundlander. To do so, you have to repeat a phrase ("Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw!"), kiss a frozen cod, and then take a shot of screech (sort of a rum-like liquor). I was determined to do this during my trip, and it was a hoot!
After getting screeched in, it was on to the last destination: another pub I don't remember the name of where we got to sing traditional Newfoundland songs. I think that was my favourite of the three. I love Newfoundland/east coast/Irish music, and it was a blast!
From there it was back to Club One where the tables were out of the way, a band was on stage, and the dancing began. What a great night!
#3: Sightseeing in St. John's
I spent 5 full days and 4 half-days in St. John's, 3 full days of which were the conference. Not a tonne of time and there's so much to see, but I made a concerted effort to see as much as I could, and I think I did pretty well. For the record, it's beautiful!
On my first full-day there, Saturday June 8, I went to the St. John's farmers' market with my girlfriend K., our friend Lauren who I stayed with for part of my trip, and K's fabulous new friend, Erin. The farmers' market was delightful and charming; it was basically a crowded portable, full of food, artisans, and other vendors. We browsed, and then I got some delicious food, which I enjoyed with K. and friends outside in the sunshine, with a drum circle playing nearby. A fantastic start to the trip!
That same evening was the opening reception for the conference, held at The Rooms, a museum in St. John's I had heard so much about. The exhibits were open, though I wasn't able to check all of them out, but I did take the view in, which was excellent! It's definitely worth checking out; a gorgeous view of downtown, the harbour, and St. John's in general.
On Tuesday June 11, my first day in St. John's after the conference was over, I was lucky enough to have my buddy T. with me for the day, and we set out to see the two things you really can't miss when in St. John's.
We struck a deal via the Delta Hotel with a cab driver who would drive us to Cape Spear, wait for 20 minutes while we looked around and took photos, and then drive us to the top of Signal Hill; all for a reasonable cost, we were assured by the staff at the Delta.
So off we went with Rick to Cape Spear, learning history along the way. Cape Spear is the eastern most point in all of North America, which I think is really cool. The weather wasn't bad, and we were dressed appropriately, so we enjoyed ourselves, taking photos and spending some time absorbing the fact of where we were in the world.
From there, Rick drove us to the top of Signal Hill. We climbed up Cabot Tower, learning about Marconi (who sent the first transatlantic wireless signal from Cabot Tower), and then taking in the fantastic view of the city. It was really nice climbing back down the hill, too; a good (downhill!) walk with great views, and finishing with Mile Zero, where Canadian hero Terry Fox began his run across Canada. That was quite touching actually, and amazing to think he dipped his foot in the water right there.
The last St. John's sightseeing highlight was on my last full day in the city - Saturday June 15 - when I went on a fantastic 90-minute walk with my friend Josh, Lauren's husband. Josh and Lauren have been living in St. John's for a few years now, and they own a beautiful house on Garrison Hill. Josh knows so much about the city and its history and I really loved seeing the beautiful houses outside of the downtown area, and learning about how they came to be designed as they were, etc.
Here's something I haven't yet mentioned about St. J's assuming you don't know this already: it's got some hills (understatement of the year). If you're spending time downtown, you're gonna have to climb a hill to get home. If you're staying with friends on Garrison Hill, that's a pretty intense hill to climb at least once daily. And if you go on a walk with Josh, you may just turn red in the face while climbing some intense stairs followed by some intense hills.
Honestly though, it was amazing. Beautiful sights, amazing insights and history from Josh, and a lovely time spent with him!
#4: Food!!!
More sightseeing and cultural experiences - and my favourite part of travel - happened by eating the food of St. John's and Newfoundland.
The first place I grabbed a bite was at Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food, which T. had seen on "You Gotta Eat Here" and K. had already been frequenting herself. I ended up going there three times throughout the trip. It's an excellent spot for coffee, a bite (I recommend the sausage roll), or some yummy baked goods.
On July 11 before we hit up Cape Spear and Signal Hill, T. and I had breakfast at the Bagel Cafe. A perfect and delicious way to start the day. I had the Cape Spear touton, which is a traditional Newfoundland dish, and is basically a deep-fried pancake. The Cape Spear touton came topped with a fish cake and a fried egg. Yum!
The same day, after our journey down Signal Hill, we ended up at the Duke of Duckworth for a late lunch. We had tried to eat at the D of D on our first night, but learned the tough lesson that restaurants and pubs don't serve food very late in St. J's. As one of my new friends from the conference put it: "If you're in a pub past 8 o'clock in St. John's and you're not drinking, you have no business being there. On my first night in town this realization resulted in a bout of hanger, a.k.a. anger as a result of being hungry.
But we got our second shot at the Duke of Duckworth on June 11, which I was glad for because I was told they had the best fish and chips (a.k.a. fi' n' chi') in town. I felt I could probably tell since I'd already had fi' n' chi' twice at that point, and the Duke of Duckworth's fish and chips were by far the best I had in St. J's... and maybe ever (though nothing beats Penrose). In Newfoundland, you can have your fi' n' chi' with d' n' g', a.k.a. dressing and gravy. Delicious, and I highly recommend it.
I should also mention Quidi Vidi beer, made in the Quidi Vidi brewery in St. J's. I tried three of their brews but my favourite was Iceberg, made from the water of 25,000 year old icebergs. Seriously. It's excellent: cold, crisp, and refreshing. Great for those who enjoy beers like Corona or Mill Street Organic; light and smooth.
That day was full of yummy food. We capped it off with a big treat to ourselves of dinner at Bacalao; fancy, expensive, and totally worth it. It's nouvelle Newfoundland food, with great service and atmosphere. I had two glasses of wine, an outrageously delicious seafood chowder (huge chunks of mussels, scallops, and more!), moose bolognese, and a little cookie sampler for dessert with coffee. It was decadent, rich, indulgent, and worth every penny. Thank you to our server Tracy for making it extra special.
**This meal was too special to take photos.
On one of my days away I went to the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, about 40 minutes away from Port Rexton (more on that shortly). It had come very highly recommended by a lot of people, so I made the special trip to visit. It was charming; in the middle of nowhere, with a fenced in area for their goats right outside the restaurant. It also had a great view of the water! They had a wood-burning oven and it was so cozy and lovely inside. I had a pizza, preceded by an incredible parsnip soup. Yum! Well worth the trip!
On my last full day (June 15) I ate with K. at The Sprout, St. J's vegan/vegetarian restaurant. I had the pad Thai and it was pretty darn good. Definitely good value.
Aside from Rocket's delicious coffee, I also visited two other awesome cafes: Fixed and Post. I spent a couple hours at Fixed in the morning before my 48-hour solo trip, and the coffee and service was delicious. I visited Post twice and they have the most excellent espresso. It's owned by a guy in his early twenties and is so cute and simplistic and - for lack of a better word - hipstery. I loved it!
My final favourite meal was on the morning of my last day - Sunday June 16. K. and I got up early and walked to the nearby Sobey's to get some things for brunch. We ran into our friends (Erin & Naomi) who were joining us for brunch, so we shopped together, grabbed some coffees to go at Post, and then went back to Garrison Hill to cook. I made eggs, K. made guacamole, and Naomi made the most outstanding maple bacon. It was a glorious sunny day out, so the four of us plus Josh and Lauren dined out on their front porch. It was the perfect final meal for my trip.
#5: Fishers' Loft Inn
The Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton was recommended to me by a few people, but especially my parents who had stayed there when they visited Newfoundland. Also, they didn't recommend it to me personally, but I know for a fact that Dame Judi Dench and Kevin Spacey stayed there when they were filming The Shipping News. If it's good enough for Dame Judi, it's good enough for me.
My plan was to spend 48 hours away from St. J's on a little solo trip, and the first night of that was spent at the Fishers' Loft Inn. I rented a little car in St. John's and took off midday on June 12. It was a 3-hour drive and very enjoyable. I arrived at the Inn around 3:30 pm. It was a beautiful day out, but I was tired from driving and excited for rest, so I decided to lay low and enjoy the Inn.
I was so happy when the first thing that happened was I got upgraded. I don't know what my original room would've been like - lovely, I'm sure - but my new room was spacious with a stunning view. The first thing I did was take a long bath while I read. (I was reading The perks of being a wallflower at that point... I finished two books during this trip). After my bath I climbed under the covers and napped for an hour. Heaven! Then I woke up, showered, got ready, and then went over to the building with the dining room in it and bought a bottle of wine to go with dinner. But, I had a glass poured before so that I could drink it while sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, reading and staring at the ocean.
Then dinner. I chose to include dinner at the Inn with this category instead of with "Food", but this meal tied with Bacalao for the best meals of the trip. It was a $55 set menu (not including wine), and I was lucky enough to be there for my favourite meal - and likely the best value one - LOBSTER!!! There was soup to start, then salad, then scrumptious steamed lobster with melted butter, then cheesecake and coffee to finish. I finished a book during the meal and moved on to another (The Great Gatsby), and just totally treated myself... yet again.
The next day I got up earlyish, and then had a simple breakfast at the Inn, and then packed up and checked out in order to go to the...
#6: Skerwink Trail
This is what brings many people to Port Rexton, and was another big recommendations from my parents and friends. The Skerwink Trail is a moderate to difficult 5.3 km hike along the coast on high cliffs in many places. Full of a good breakfast and energized from a great sleep, I was so ready for it.
I hit the trail at about 9:20 am and took my sweet time with it, finishing in about 2 hours. I might say it was the best part of the whole trip. The views were spectacular; I took tonnes of photos and soaked it all in myself, too. I only once saw other people on the trail, and they were way behind me. The whole time it was majorly quiet; just me, my breath, and my footsteps. I loved it.
#7: Outside St. John's
So I already mentioned the Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton, and the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, but I did some other travelling outside St. John's.
After lunch at the Bonavista Social Club, I drove from Upper Amherst Cove to Placentia - a 3-hour drive. My drive from St. John's to Port Rexton had been novel and exciting; the weather was incredible and I was amped up about it all. My drive to Placentia, on the other hand, was rainy almost the whole way, and I was tired after a long hike, and just anxious to get there. Driving is not always that much fun... especially alone.
But I got to Placentia around 4:30 and arrived at the Rosedale Manor, a relatively last-minute decision as I hadn't always planned to stay away two nights. It was no Fishers' Loft, but it was full of charm. When I arrived, no one was there, but there was a note to call the owner when I arrived, which I did, and she checked me in over the phone; telling me where to find my room and keys and what all the amenities were. Very relaxed and a seemingly Newfoundland-esque approach.
I hadn't planned on going out to eat because I'd brought my leftover pizza with me from the Bonavista Social Club, but after a bath (third one!) and some downtime, I felt stir crazy and needed some fresh air and to see a bit of Placentia. So I walked down the road to the Three Sisters Pub (hilarious! Their website has music!) for a drink and snack. The service was subpar, but the atmosphere was authentic, and I enjoyed a cold glass of Iceberg there. I also gave cod tongues a try; they were fine on principle, but despite only trying them for the first time, I don't think Three Sisters prepared them all that well. Then it was back to the Manor for bed.
After a good night's sleep, I had breakfast at the charming Philip's Cafe; Philip is the husband of Linda, the owner of the Rosedale Manor, and they serve breakfast to guests out of his restaurant. It was simple, fresh, and clearly homemade. I was able to check out of the Manor there, too.
And then I was on my way to the...
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. Yet again, this was highly recommended by friends, so I drove the 45 minutes or so from Placentia to Cape St. Mary's to see the birds. The Ecological Reserve is home to literally thousands of birds, the likes of which you've never seen. The most obvious - and the ones at the top of the hierarchy - were the Northern Gannets, and they were perched on Bird Rock, flying through the air, and making tonnes of noise. I was totally transfixed; it was so hard to leave. It was pretty spectacular!
I headed straight back to St. John's after my visit in Cape St. Mary's, and the next morning - my last full day (Saturday June 15) - I went on a whale and bird-watching boat tour with O'Briens. This was the one item on my itinerary that I hemmed and hawed about, but the prospect of seeing a whale made me go, and I did see a whale so it was worth it. But, it was the one let-down of my trip. For what I paid, it just didn't seem to have much value; we did see whales and puffins, but... it just wasn't all that much fun. I have to blame that mostly on my queasiness on the boat, as well as the obnoxious fellow passengers, and the fact that it was my last day and I would've rather been with K. BUT I don't regret doing it, and as I said, seeing a whale was pretty darn cool.
#8: Josh & Lauren's
In my blog post about my trip to France, I regret that I didn't dedicate enough attention to the hospitality of my host in Paris: Karen. When I look back on the trip, that's one of the things I reflect on most: how at home Karen made me feel, how she never made me feel like I was putting her out, how much I enjoyed her company, and how she inspires to be as gracious and as hospitable a host whenever I get the chance to have someone in my home.
In St. John's, I had much the same experience. As you can tell by now, I stayed with two friends named Josh and Lauren. I had the pleasure of attending Josh & Lauren's wedding, and the two of them are just so warm and loving and giving, it's palpable. Staying with them in their home in St. John's was yet another example of that. They made me feel totally at home, had a fire going and tea brewing when I first arrived, made me feel comfortable, and most importantly, shared their space with K. and I, for which I will always be grateful. They also cooked for me one night - moose stew, which was incredibly delicious! And, they were great to spend time with and get to know better. It was a really wonderful experience.
Thank you, Josh & Lauren!!!
#9: Kate
Aside from travelling in order to attend the conference, I was also incredibly lucky because my time in Newfoundland was about in the middle of my girlfriend K's 6 weeks there for an opera program. So, without a doubt, reuniting with her and any time spent with her were highlights of the trip. We vegged out together, went to restaurants and cafes together, laughed and caught up... it was so nice to be with her.
Thanks to K., I also got to see an opera that her program was putting on: La Traviata. I'd heard of this opera but knew nothing about it or its story. It was wonderful! The production was fantastic, the leads were amazing singers, and the story was so intense and sad. I love opera, and need to learn more about it. Thankfully I have the best teacher in K.
#10: Home is where the heart is
And that leads us back to where it always does: home. My journey home wasn't exactly smooth, but the moment you walk back into your home - especially if you have a cat greeting you there - is always wonderful. I always say that the best trips are the ones where when they're over, you suddenly feel so ready for home. I was! I missed my routine and my bed and my coffee and my cat!!! But, I have the greatest memories of Newfoundland, and that's what travel is all about.
But I digress.....
As per usual, I feel it's most useful to break this post up into 10 categories, rather than share every detailed moment. It won't be short, but hopefully it's still a good read!
Without further ado.....
My trip to Newfoundand
#1: The Conference
This was why I was in St. John's in the first place. A professional organization I belong to holds an annual national conference and I applied to present at it this year. My proposal was approved in January, and so began hours of work over the course of many months in order to prepare my 90-minute presentation.
It was one of the most academic things I've done in recent memory. I convocated from my undergrad nearly 3 years ago, and I can't remember working so diligently on something indirectly related to my job since then. It was a great thing to sink my teeth into, I prepared extensively, and on Friday June 7, off I went to St. John's, Newfoundland.
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| Bags are packed and ready to go. |
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| Our first view of "The Rock" from the plane. |
My presentation was on the final day, Monday June 10. It could not have gone better! The room was full, people were engaged and asked meaningful questions, I felt really good about my "performance", if you will, and the feedback I've received since has been very positive. I'm really proud, and it was a great experience, personally and professionally.
#2: Rally in the Alley
Another great part of the conference was how well-organized it was. This fact culminated on the final night (June 10) with the "Rally in the Alley".
There were a few social events on the other two evenings of the conference, which I attended, but I didn't go all out being that my presentation was on the last day. On top of that, an old colleague of mine - T. - was at the conference and we spent a lot of time 1-on-1 together, which I preferred anyway. Imagine that! (For the record, I still made lots of great connections with people.)
Anyway, the last night I had the freedom to go all out, and I'm glad I saved it until then. The Rally in the Alley was basically a concentrated St. John's experience. The delegates at the conference were split into 3 groups with associated colours (mine was red!), and with a different musician leading each group (snare drum, bagpipes, and ours - bass drum).
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| Some of the "Rally in the Alley" musicians. |
Next we went off with our groups to one of three locations. Our group started at a pub - can't remember what it was called - where we watched three young women do traditional Irish line dancing. They were great!
Next we followed the bass drum to a place called Rob Roy to get screeched in. From my understanding there are only two places to get screeched in in St. John's, and I don't think Rob Roy is usually one of them, but again, for our group some special arrangements were made.
Anyway, for those who don't know, getting screeched in makes you an honorary Newfoundlander. To do so, you have to repeat a phrase ("Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw!"), kiss a frozen cod, and then take a shot of screech (sort of a rum-like liquor). I was determined to do this during my trip, and it was a hoot!
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| Me kissing the cod! |
From there it was back to Club One where the tables were out of the way, a band was on stage, and the dancing began. What a great night!
#3: Sightseeing in St. John's
I spent 5 full days and 4 half-days in St. John's, 3 full days of which were the conference. Not a tonne of time and there's so much to see, but I made a concerted effort to see as much as I could, and I think I did pretty well. For the record, it's beautiful!
On my first full-day there, Saturday June 8, I went to the St. John's farmers' market with my girlfriend K., our friend Lauren who I stayed with for part of my trip, and K's fabulous new friend, Erin. The farmers' market was delightful and charming; it was basically a crowded portable, full of food, artisans, and other vendors. We browsed, and then I got some delicious food, which I enjoyed with K. and friends outside in the sunshine, with a drum circle playing nearby. A fantastic start to the trip!
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| Inside the "portable". |
That same evening was the opening reception for the conference, held at The Rooms, a museum in St. John's I had heard so much about. The exhibits were open, though I wasn't able to check all of them out, but I did take the view in, which was excellent! It's definitely worth checking out; a gorgeous view of downtown, the harbour, and St. John's in general.
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| View of St. John's harbour from The Rooms. |
We struck a deal via the Delta Hotel with a cab driver who would drive us to Cape Spear, wait for 20 minutes while we looked around and took photos, and then drive us to the top of Signal Hill; all for a reasonable cost, we were assured by the staff at the Delta.
So off we went with Rick to Cape Spear, learning history along the way. Cape Spear is the eastern most point in all of North America, which I think is really cool. The weather wasn't bad, and we were dressed appropriately, so we enjoyed ourselves, taking photos and spending some time absorbing the fact of where we were in the world.
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| Me at North America's most eastern point. |
From there, Rick drove us to the top of Signal Hill. We climbed up Cabot Tower, learning about Marconi (who sent the first transatlantic wireless signal from Cabot Tower), and then taking in the fantastic view of the city. It was really nice climbing back down the hill, too; a good (downhill!) walk with great views, and finishing with Mile Zero, where Canadian hero Terry Fox began his run across Canada. That was quite touching actually, and amazing to think he dipped his foot in the water right there.
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| Cabot Tower. |
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| View of St. John's from Signal Hill. |
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| Terry Fox Memorial. |
Here's something I haven't yet mentioned about St. J's assuming you don't know this already: it's got some hills (understatement of the year). If you're spending time downtown, you're gonna have to climb a hill to get home. If you're staying with friends on Garrison Hill, that's a pretty intense hill to climb at least once daily. And if you go on a walk with Josh, you may just turn red in the face while climbing some intense stairs followed by some intense hills.
Honestly though, it was amazing. Beautiful sights, amazing insights and history from Josh, and a lovely time spent with him!
#4: Food!!!
More sightseeing and cultural experiences - and my favourite part of travel - happened by eating the food of St. John's and Newfoundland.
The first place I grabbed a bite was at Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food, which T. had seen on "You Gotta Eat Here" and K. had already been frequenting herself. I ended up going there three times throughout the trip. It's an excellent spot for coffee, a bite (I recommend the sausage roll), or some yummy baked goods.
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| Rocket Bakery. |
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| Toutons: mine is the one on the bottom, the Cape Spear. |
But we got our second shot at the Duke of Duckworth on June 11, which I was glad for because I was told they had the best fish and chips (a.k.a. fi' n' chi') in town. I felt I could probably tell since I'd already had fi' n' chi' twice at that point, and the Duke of Duckworth's fish and chips were by far the best I had in St. J's... and maybe ever (though nothing beats Penrose). In Newfoundland, you can have your fi' n' chi' with d' n' g', a.k.a. dressing and gravy. Delicious, and I highly recommend it.
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| St. John's best fi' n' chi'. |
That day was full of yummy food. We capped it off with a big treat to ourselves of dinner at Bacalao; fancy, expensive, and totally worth it. It's nouvelle Newfoundland food, with great service and atmosphere. I had two glasses of wine, an outrageously delicious seafood chowder (huge chunks of mussels, scallops, and more!), moose bolognese, and a little cookie sampler for dessert with coffee. It was decadent, rich, indulgent, and worth every penny. Thank you to our server Tracy for making it extra special.
**This meal was too special to take photos.
On one of my days away I went to the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, about 40 minutes away from Port Rexton (more on that shortly). It had come very highly recommended by a lot of people, so I made the special trip to visit. It was charming; in the middle of nowhere, with a fenced in area for their goats right outside the restaurant. It also had a great view of the water! They had a wood-burning oven and it was so cozy and lovely inside. I had a pizza, preceded by an incredible parsnip soup. Yum! Well worth the trip!
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| If you look closely you can see goats in a fenced-in area. |
On my last full day (June 15) I ate with K. at The Sprout, St. J's vegan/vegetarian restaurant. I had the pad Thai and it was pretty darn good. Definitely good value.
Aside from Rocket's delicious coffee, I also visited two other awesome cafes: Fixed and Post. I spent a couple hours at Fixed in the morning before my 48-hour solo trip, and the coffee and service was delicious. I visited Post twice and they have the most excellent espresso. It's owned by a guy in his early twenties and is so cute and simplistic and - for lack of a better word - hipstery. I loved it!
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| Coffee and a bagel with cream cheese and jam at Fixed. |
#5: Fishers' Loft Inn
The Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton was recommended to me by a few people, but especially my parents who had stayed there when they visited Newfoundland. Also, they didn't recommend it to me personally, but I know for a fact that Dame Judi Dench and Kevin Spacey stayed there when they were filming The Shipping News. If it's good enough for Dame Judi, it's good enough for me.
My plan was to spend 48 hours away from St. J's on a little solo trip, and the first night of that was spent at the Fishers' Loft Inn. I rented a little car in St. John's and took off midday on June 12. It was a 3-hour drive and very enjoyable. I arrived at the Inn around 3:30 pm. It was a beautiful day out, but I was tired from driving and excited for rest, so I decided to lay low and enjoy the Inn.
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| Along the drive to Port Rexton - blue skies and open road. |
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| The view from my room at the Fishers' Loft Inn. |
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| The quaint porch at the Fishers' Loft. |
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| View from the porch. |
The next day I got up earlyish, and then had a simple breakfast at the Inn, and then packed up and checked out in order to go to the...
#6: Skerwink Trail
This is what brings many people to Port Rexton, and was another big recommendations from my parents and friends. The Skerwink Trail is a moderate to difficult 5.3 km hike along the coast on high cliffs in many places. Full of a good breakfast and energized from a great sleep, I was so ready for it.
I hit the trail at about 9:20 am and took my sweet time with it, finishing in about 2 hours. I might say it was the best part of the whole trip. The views were spectacular; I took tonnes of photos and soaked it all in myself, too. I only once saw other people on the trail, and they were way behind me. The whole time it was majorly quiet; just me, my breath, and my footsteps. I loved it.
#7: Outside St. John's
So I already mentioned the Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton, and the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, but I did some other travelling outside St. John's.
After lunch at the Bonavista Social Club, I drove from Upper Amherst Cove to Placentia - a 3-hour drive. My drive from St. John's to Port Rexton had been novel and exciting; the weather was incredible and I was amped up about it all. My drive to Placentia, on the other hand, was rainy almost the whole way, and I was tired after a long hike, and just anxious to get there. Driving is not always that much fun... especially alone.
But I got to Placentia around 4:30 and arrived at the Rosedale Manor, a relatively last-minute decision as I hadn't always planned to stay away two nights. It was no Fishers' Loft, but it was full of charm. When I arrived, no one was there, but there was a note to call the owner when I arrived, which I did, and she checked me in over the phone; telling me where to find my room and keys and what all the amenities were. Very relaxed and a seemingly Newfoundland-esque approach.
I hadn't planned on going out to eat because I'd brought my leftover pizza with me from the Bonavista Social Club, but after a bath (third one!) and some downtime, I felt stir crazy and needed some fresh air and to see a bit of Placentia. So I walked down the road to the Three Sisters Pub (hilarious! Their website has music!) for a drink and snack. The service was subpar, but the atmosphere was authentic, and I enjoyed a cold glass of Iceberg there. I also gave cod tongues a try; they were fine on principle, but despite only trying them for the first time, I don't think Three Sisters prepared them all that well. Then it was back to the Manor for bed.
After a good night's sleep, I had breakfast at the charming Philip's Cafe; Philip is the husband of Linda, the owner of the Rosedale Manor, and they serve breakfast to guests out of his restaurant. It was simple, fresh, and clearly homemade. I was able to check out of the Manor there, too.
And then I was on my way to the...
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. Yet again, this was highly recommended by friends, so I drove the 45 minutes or so from Placentia to Cape St. Mary's to see the birds. The Ecological Reserve is home to literally thousands of birds, the likes of which you've never seen. The most obvious - and the ones at the top of the hierarchy - were the Northern Gannets, and they were perched on Bird Rock, flying through the air, and making tonnes of noise. I was totally transfixed; it was so hard to leave. It was pretty spectacular!
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| To be clear, those white specks on the rocks and in the sky are BIRDS!!! Thousands! |
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| Same with those! That's called Bird Rock and is covered with birds. |
#8: Josh & Lauren's
In my blog post about my trip to France, I regret that I didn't dedicate enough attention to the hospitality of my host in Paris: Karen. When I look back on the trip, that's one of the things I reflect on most: how at home Karen made me feel, how she never made me feel like I was putting her out, how much I enjoyed her company, and how she inspires to be as gracious and as hospitable a host whenever I get the chance to have someone in my home.
In St. John's, I had much the same experience. As you can tell by now, I stayed with two friends named Josh and Lauren. I had the pleasure of attending Josh & Lauren's wedding, and the two of them are just so warm and loving and giving, it's palpable. Staying with them in their home in St. John's was yet another example of that. They made me feel totally at home, had a fire going and tea brewing when I first arrived, made me feel comfortable, and most importantly, shared their space with K. and I, for which I will always be grateful. They also cooked for me one night - moose stew, which was incredibly delicious! And, they were great to spend time with and get to know better. It was a really wonderful experience.
Thank you, Josh & Lauren!!!
#9: Kate
Aside from travelling in order to attend the conference, I was also incredibly lucky because my time in Newfoundland was about in the middle of my girlfriend K's 6 weeks there for an opera program. So, without a doubt, reuniting with her and any time spent with her were highlights of the trip. We vegged out together, went to restaurants and cafes together, laughed and caught up... it was so nice to be with her.
Thanks to K., I also got to see an opera that her program was putting on: La Traviata. I'd heard of this opera but knew nothing about it or its story. It was wonderful! The production was fantastic, the leads were amazing singers, and the story was so intense and sad. I love opera, and need to learn more about it. Thankfully I have the best teacher in K.
#10: Home is where the heart is
And that leads us back to where it always does: home. My journey home wasn't exactly smooth, but the moment you walk back into your home - especially if you have a cat greeting you there - is always wonderful. I always say that the best trips are the ones where when they're over, you suddenly feel so ready for home. I was! I missed my routine and my bed and my coffee and my cat!!! But, I have the greatest memories of Newfoundland, and that's what travel is all about.
Friday, February 1, 2013
#Swoon4Spoon
I have a cat.
I've never had a real pet before in my life. By "real pet" I'm referring to anything that lives outside of a cage or a bowl. My mom is nervous around cats and dogs, and so we never had them... and truthfully, I was pretty nervous around cats and dogs, too. Maybe I imagined having a pet in the future, but not really... I can maybe remember dreaming that I'd one day have a dog, but as I moved into my twenties it wasn't part of my future plans. Pets just seemed like too much work, and they represented permanence. In the past 8 years I've had 6 different homes... permanence isn't something I've felt for a while.
But the more serious I got with my girlfriend, the more I realized that I'd likely have a cat one day. My GF has had cats for her whole life, and so I accepted that a cat would be in my future... I just didn't expect to have a cat so soon. That's how life goes though... here's how it went down...
Our friend L. fosters cats through the Annex Cat Rescue, so she'll take care of a cat for a few months and help find it a "forever home", even involved in the screening process of the potential new owner. Back in November, L. started fostering a cat named Spoon. My GF went to visit the l'il guy and fell in love. She gushed about Spoon when she came home that day, but that's where the story could've stopped.
Two months later, L. posts a photo of Spoon on Facebook and says she'd love to find him a forever home, and would prefer that he go to a friend. K. (my GF) was so hoping our home could be Spoon's forever home, but I needed some time to consider this. I wasn't at all opposed to having a cat... I wasn't even concerned or nervous... just apprehensive, perhaps. I needed to ask a lot of questions - weird ones! "Will I be surprised a lot, i.e. will the cat jump onto random places, frightening me?" "How much will it cost?" "Are cats inherently evil?" And so on, and so forth... After a lot of discussion, and a lot of patience on K's part, we decided the next step was to meet the cat.
When I met Spoon, I had to hold him. He's just got such a great demeanor: cuddly, mellow, sweet, friendly, etc. We cuddled with him, asked L. lots of questions, and then afterwards, when we got into the car, I told K. we should go for it.
That evening, K. called the Annex Cat Rescue and had a screening, wherein she answered some questions, and then was approved on the spot for adoption! The next day we went to Petsmart and bought everything we could possibly need to care for a cat (including a few special things to enhance Spoon's life). A week after our initial meeting with Spoon, we came back to L's place, armed with our new collapsible cat carrier, allowed L. to say her goodbyes, and then brought Spoon into the car to take him to his forever home.
We've now had Spoon for almost two full weeks. It seems like he's been here forever... in a good way. I thought I'd need to sleep with the bedroom door closed for a few weeks before I was comfortable with him having the run of the apartment... turns out it only took one night! I love having Spoon around. He's so funny and cuddly and sweet and I couldn't believe how quickly I fell in love with him. I frequently find myself lying on the floor petting him... I've brushed him for 10 minutes before (he loves it!)... I love knowing that he sleeps near me (or on me)... and I love how happy K. is to have a cat.
So... I'm a pet owner, and there's no going back now.
I've never had a real pet before in my life. By "real pet" I'm referring to anything that lives outside of a cage or a bowl. My mom is nervous around cats and dogs, and so we never had them... and truthfully, I was pretty nervous around cats and dogs, too. Maybe I imagined having a pet in the future, but not really... I can maybe remember dreaming that I'd one day have a dog, but as I moved into my twenties it wasn't part of my future plans. Pets just seemed like too much work, and they represented permanence. In the past 8 years I've had 6 different homes... permanence isn't something I've felt for a while.
But the more serious I got with my girlfriend, the more I realized that I'd likely have a cat one day. My GF has had cats for her whole life, and so I accepted that a cat would be in my future... I just didn't expect to have a cat so soon. That's how life goes though... here's how it went down...
Two months later, L. posts a photo of Spoon on Facebook and says she'd love to find him a forever home, and would prefer that he go to a friend. K. (my GF) was so hoping our home could be Spoon's forever home, but I needed some time to consider this. I wasn't at all opposed to having a cat... I wasn't even concerned or nervous... just apprehensive, perhaps. I needed to ask a lot of questions - weird ones! "Will I be surprised a lot, i.e. will the cat jump onto random places, frightening me?" "How much will it cost?" "Are cats inherently evil?" And so on, and so forth... After a lot of discussion, and a lot of patience on K's part, we decided the next step was to meet the cat.
When I met Spoon, I had to hold him. He's just got such a great demeanor: cuddly, mellow, sweet, friendly, etc. We cuddled with him, asked L. lots of questions, and then afterwards, when we got into the car, I told K. we should go for it.
That evening, K. called the Annex Cat Rescue and had a screening, wherein she answered some questions, and then was approved on the spot for adoption! The next day we went to Petsmart and bought everything we could possibly need to care for a cat (including a few special things to enhance Spoon's life). A week after our initial meeting with Spoon, we came back to L's place, armed with our new collapsible cat carrier, allowed L. to say her goodbyes, and then brought Spoon into the car to take him to his forever home.
So... I'm a pet owner, and there's no going back now.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Validation
Last weekend I was in my bedroom folding laundry that was hot out of the dryer. I picked up a pair of fuzzy, purple socks that belong to my girlfriend K, who I live with. I went out into the main room where she was sitting on the couch on her computer. I saw that she wasn't wearing socks, so I went over to her and, seeing the socks, she stuck out her feet and I put the socks on her feet. As she realized that they were still warm, her face completely lit up and she was so excited. I'm not kidding, she looked like a kid on Christmas day.
It filled my heart with joy. I'm so lucky to live with and love a woman who finds joy in and doesn't take for granted the simple things in life. Socks right out of the dryer are only one example; when I make her tea, bring home a random treat, make dinner, etc., etc., she always reacts like it's the most special thing, and so I feel that it's special, too... and that I'm special.
Or, the other morning, I came in to wake her up and her eyes opened and she immediately smiled at me with this incredibly loving smile.
I saw something on one of Oprah's shows once... I can't remember who was talking; it might've been Toni Morrison. Anyway, the show was about validation, I think. Whoever it was that was talking said that she made a special effort to always have her face light up when her kids walked into the room. Rather than briefly look up from whatever she was doing, or - worse! - not look at all, she would look at them, and smile! Oprah spoke about how amazing these children were and how much of an effect this special gesture made.
That's how I feel about K; that she regularly validates me, makes me feel loved and special.
It's simple, but maybe that's what makes it so great. Simple or not, it has a significant effect, and I feel grateful to experience that.
It filled my heart with joy. I'm so lucky to live with and love a woman who finds joy in and doesn't take for granted the simple things in life. Socks right out of the dryer are only one example; when I make her tea, bring home a random treat, make dinner, etc., etc., she always reacts like it's the most special thing, and so I feel that it's special, too... and that I'm special.
Or, the other morning, I came in to wake her up and her eyes opened and she immediately smiled at me with this incredibly loving smile.
I saw something on one of Oprah's shows once... I can't remember who was talking; it might've been Toni Morrison. Anyway, the show was about validation, I think. Whoever it was that was talking said that she made a special effort to always have her face light up when her kids walked into the room. Rather than briefly look up from whatever she was doing, or - worse! - not look at all, she would look at them, and smile! Oprah spoke about how amazing these children were and how much of an effect this special gesture made.
That's how I feel about K; that she regularly validates me, makes me feel loved and special.
It's simple, but maybe that's what makes it so great. Simple or not, it has a significant effect, and I feel grateful to experience that.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Giving Thanks
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
The first thing that I am thankful for today is my girlfriend. She brings light to my day - every day - from the moment I get up, and that is something to be thankful for.
The second thing that I am thankful for is John Irving, his book In One Person, and good books everywhere. After dropping my GF off this morning where she needed to be, I came back home and spent a quiet thirty minutes or so with my coffee and the last 25 pages of In One Person. There was a lot of warmth in those thirty minutes, and like I always do with a good book, when it came to the end I got shivers, gently closed it, and spent 60 seconds or so digesting it. I never expected my favourite author to write such an LGBTQ community-focused novel, but he did, and with an angle I've never seen, and I loved it.
I'm also thankful that once I'm done this quiet morning time and get myself showered and ready, that I'll be walking over to my parents' place - a twenty minute walk away - to enjoy a day of more warmth, loved ones around, delicious food, and a lot of blessings.
I feel lucky and I feel blessed and I feel thankful.
I hope you feel these things today, too!
~~~
rc-4 update:
The first thing that I am thankful for today is my girlfriend. She brings light to my day - every day - from the moment I get up, and that is something to be thankful for.
The second thing that I am thankful for is John Irving, his book In One Person, and good books everywhere. After dropping my GF off this morning where she needed to be, I came back home and spent a quiet thirty minutes or so with my coffee and the last 25 pages of In One Person. There was a lot of warmth in those thirty minutes, and like I always do with a good book, when it came to the end I got shivers, gently closed it, and spent 60 seconds or so digesting it. I never expected my favourite author to write such an LGBTQ community-focused novel, but he did, and with an angle I've never seen, and I loved it.
I'm also thankful that once I'm done this quiet morning time and get myself showered and ready, that I'll be walking over to my parents' place - a twenty minute walk away - to enjoy a day of more warmth, loved ones around, delicious food, and a lot of blessings.
I feel lucky and I feel blessed and I feel thankful.
I hope you feel these things today, too!
~~~
rc-4 update:
- What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
- Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
- Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
- In One Person by John Irving
5 non-fiction, 6 fiction, 9 authors represented, a variety of subject matter. Perhaps hitting the goal of 20 books read in 2012 is unlikely to happen, but who cares?! I'm reading!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Discovering TO #9: Yours Truly
Friday, July 27th was my 3-year anniversary with my girlfriend. Being that we both love trying out new restaurants, we decided that our gift for each other would be to treat ourselves to a special meal at Toronto Life's #1 rated restaurant of 2012: Yours Truly. I'd been dying to try out YT, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I booked well in advance, and on the big day, I picked up K from work and off we went to Dundas/Ossington to celebrate!
We had a relatively early reservation, but we still arrived in the neighbourhood with over an hour to go, so we started by walking up and down Ossington a bit to see what was going on. That's when we spotted Bellwoods Brewery, an awesome bar/restaurant/microbrewery. The spot had such a relaxed, community feel. There were picnic tables scattered around their patio, and if you were in a group of two, you might just end up sitting with another pair and even get to chatting with them. K and I kept to ourselves, but I loved the vibe and it having a beer outside was the perfect way to start the evening.
Around 6:00 (I told you it was early), we walked up to Yours Truly for the main event.
The restaurant itself was nice - dim, simple, stylish. We were seated at a table somewhat cramped in the corner, but it was good enough.
The draw of YT is that they do things so differently. It's my understanding that they have two dining experiences available - they have two or so seatings of their Yours Truly experience, which is what we took part in. It's a $45 4-course prix fixe. The second experience is the Carte Blanche, which is something like 10 courses around $100 all-in. It was a celebratory day, sure, but we've gotta be fiscally responsible. So our prix fixe worked like this: you got a menu with a matrix - 4 rows and 3 columns. Each row represented a course, and each item in the columns was the main ingredient of that course option (all unique and seasonal). So basically you pick four ingredients, and those are your four courses. I'm an adventurous diner because I've basically never met a food that I didn't like (except I don't really like cold cuts), so this was a fun and easy experience for me. I chose lox, bream, chicken, and cheese. I won't go into detail describing each course, but I will say that each was extremely delicious. Each course was also extremely creative, consisting of some ingredients that I'd never heard of, and also combinations of ingredients I could've never imagined. It was the kind of meal where you almost had to close your eyes when you took your first bite of each course, to experience every flavour and let it all roll over your tongue. It wasn't just about nourishment; it was about a total dining experience, trying new things, and treating ourselves!
One other thing - as if four courses weren't enough, we also enjoyed a signature YT cocktail each (I had the "John Candy" and K had the "Cibelle"), as well as three amuse bouche, which were delicious!
I also want to add that one of my favourite parts of the Yours Truly experience was the service; it was top-notch! All the servers had clearly bought into the mission of YT in its entirety, fully knowledgeable on every course option, flavour combination, and even the strangest of ingredients. They were friendly, attentive, and not at all overbearing: my favourite qualities in serving staff.
And that wraps up my 8th edition of "Discovering T.O.". Let me know if you ever check out Yours Truly and tell me what you think!
Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... full rc-4 update!
We had a relatively early reservation, but we still arrived in the neighbourhood with over an hour to go, so we started by walking up and down Ossington a bit to see what was going on. That's when we spotted Bellwoods Brewery, an awesome bar/restaurant/microbrewery. The spot had such a relaxed, community feel. There were picnic tables scattered around their patio, and if you were in a group of two, you might just end up sitting with another pair and even get to chatting with them. K and I kept to ourselves, but I loved the vibe and it having a beer outside was the perfect way to start the evening.
Around 6:00 (I told you it was early), we walked up to Yours Truly for the main event.
The restaurant itself was nice - dim, simple, stylish. We were seated at a table somewhat cramped in the corner, but it was good enough.
The draw of YT is that they do things so differently. It's my understanding that they have two dining experiences available - they have two or so seatings of their Yours Truly experience, which is what we took part in. It's a $45 4-course prix fixe. The second experience is the Carte Blanche, which is something like 10 courses around $100 all-in. It was a celebratory day, sure, but we've gotta be fiscally responsible. So our prix fixe worked like this: you got a menu with a matrix - 4 rows and 3 columns. Each row represented a course, and each item in the columns was the main ingredient of that course option (all unique and seasonal). So basically you pick four ingredients, and those are your four courses. I'm an adventurous diner because I've basically never met a food that I didn't like (except I don't really like cold cuts), so this was a fun and easy experience for me. I chose lox, bream, chicken, and cheese. I won't go into detail describing each course, but I will say that each was extremely delicious. Each course was also extremely creative, consisting of some ingredients that I'd never heard of, and also combinations of ingredients I could've never imagined. It was the kind of meal where you almost had to close your eyes when you took your first bite of each course, to experience every flavour and let it all roll over your tongue. It wasn't just about nourishment; it was about a total dining experience, trying new things, and treating ourselves!
One other thing - as if four courses weren't enough, we also enjoyed a signature YT cocktail each (I had the "John Candy" and K had the "Cibelle"), as well as three amuse bouche, which were delicious!
I also want to add that one of my favourite parts of the Yours Truly experience was the service; it was top-notch! All the servers had clearly bought into the mission of YT in its entirety, fully knowledgeable on every course option, flavour combination, and even the strangest of ingredients. They were friendly, attentive, and not at all overbearing: my favourite qualities in serving staff.
And that wraps up my 8th edition of "Discovering T.O.". Let me know if you ever check out Yours Truly and tell me what you think!
Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... full rc-4 update!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Muskokes
Summer in Ontario doesn't quite feel like summer until I get to spend some time at a cottage. I got my 24 hours in Sarnia, but it's not quite the same. I just got back from 48 hours on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka and now I really feel like I've had that summer experience. (Lucky for me I'll also get 48 hours in Southampton on Lake Huron next weekend!)
My 3 days in Muskoka were incredible!!! My GF and I arrived there on Sunday around 1:00pm after the oh-so-necessary stop at Weber's on Highway 11. My dad met us at the marina and off we drove to the cottage which is on an island I can't remember the name of. My parents rented this cottage for about two weeks and I'm so glad I was able to spend some time there. It's newly built and is that perfect combination of creature comforts and real cottage living. Everything's very clean and new but also comfy and cozy. There are tonnes of different spots to cuddle up and read, sit down and play cards, or lounge and get some sun.
During my 48 hours there I had 4 swims, 2 periods of lounging in the sun, 2 sleeps averaging 9 hours each, I finished 1 book (Mockingjay... which I've been reading for what feels like 2 years... more on that another time), played Gin Rummy twice, Boggle once, Dominion (new favourite game!) 3 times, ate 2 delicious dinners... the list goes on.
Needless to say, I enjoyed every moment, and was glad to have my first real cottage moment of the Summer of 2012. More to come!!!
Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... my thoughts on The Hunger Games trilogy / an update on rc-4 + my 3-year anniversary dinner at Yours Truly (Dundas & Ossington)
My 3 days in Muskoka were incredible!!! My GF and I arrived there on Sunday around 1:00pm after the oh-so-necessary stop at Weber's on Highway 11. My dad met us at the marina and off we drove to the cottage which is on an island I can't remember the name of. My parents rented this cottage for about two weeks and I'm so glad I was able to spend some time there. It's newly built and is that perfect combination of creature comforts and real cottage living. Everything's very clean and new but also comfy and cozy. There are tonnes of different spots to cuddle up and read, sit down and play cards, or lounge and get some sun.
During my 48 hours there I had 4 swims, 2 periods of lounging in the sun, 2 sleeps averaging 9 hours each, I finished 1 book (Mockingjay... which I've been reading for what feels like 2 years... more on that another time), played Gin Rummy twice, Boggle once, Dominion (new favourite game!) 3 times, ate 2 delicious dinners... the list goes on.
Needless to say, I enjoyed every moment, and was glad to have my first real cottage moment of the Summer of 2012. More to come!!!
Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... my thoughts on The Hunger Games trilogy / an update on rc-4 + my 3-year anniversary dinner at Yours Truly (Dundas & Ossington)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Birthday Week!!!!! / Discovering T.O. #7 / Port Hope Showcase
Last Monday, May 28, I turned twenty-five years old. Quite a milestone, really. I keep wishing I had some sort of letter from my younger self to my 25 year old self to see what I was expecting / hoping for. The truth is though that it doesn't matter. I couldn't be prouder of who I am and where I'm at in life, so letter or no letter, I'm one happy 25 year old...
...made happier by the fact that I had the most wonderful series of mini-celebrations of the day of my birth. I'd like to tell you about them.
1) The Beamish House: locally just called "The Beamish", unfortunately this great pub and restaurant doesn't have a website. Once a year the school that I work for throws a huge reunion weekend for its alumni celebrating 5, 10, 15, and so on reunions. The weekend peaks with a dinner on the Saturday night on campus followed by an evening of debauchery, traditionally at The Beamish. This small, quaint pub is taken over, and although its interior doesn't have much space, its patio is sprawling. It's a great night, and two of my besties ventured out to Port Hope to enjoy the evening with me. This was on May 26, but it kick-started birthday celebrations in just the right way. Before they headed back to the city the next day, we indulged in the classic greasy spoon breakfast at Dimitri's in Port Hope. I had the Grand Slam breakfast. It may not have dill-infused hollandaise sauce drizzled all over it, but it did the job.
2) Jim's Pizza & Pasta: this is another classic Port Hope establishment that I highly recommend. The truth is that this wasn't particularly the highlight of birthday celebrations, but I find that restaurants are a good anchor in this blog for other stories. The real highlight was having my girlfriend come to PH on May 27 to have dinner, chill times, and then be there with me first-thing on my special day. That said, grabbing dinner at Jim's Pizza is ALWAYS a delight. This is my GF's favourite spot in Port Hope, and we always each get the pizza & salad combo. With this combo, you get a small, 4-slice personal pizza with any 3 toppings you'd like PLUS a huge serving of delicious Caesar salad (Greek is also a choice, but I mean, really). After our delicious dinner we bought some snacks and went home for a viewing of "Best In Show".
3) My Special Day itself: the authentic birthday day was no exception to the fun already had. I woke up with the GF and opened a gift from her and from other family members who had sent theirs in advance. Then I made us breakfast (she would've made it, but she likes the way I make eggs best!) and we lazily enjoyed the morning (I took it off from work), and then I drove her to Oshawa where she took the GO train back to Toronto.
I had a great day at work, complete with cheesecake shared with my colleagues!
When the work day was done, my Mom and sister came to Port Hope to take me to dinner. And what a dinner it was! We ate at Trattoria Gusto (finally a PH resto with a website). I've eaten here 3-5 times before and it's very delicious. I find that's a bit of an anomaly about Port Hope - not a lot to do, but 3-4 incredible restaurants! We went all out, sharing a beet salad, calimari, and carpaccio to start, and then for my main I had the chicken parmesan, which was succulent. We finished it off by sharing a decadent, rich brownie with a candle on top. It was fantastic!!!
4) Old school gay village celebration: Even though I'd had my fair share of celebrations, I wanted to do it up right with a night out in Toronto, which went down this past Saturday, June 2. I hemmed and hawed over how I wanted to celebrate, and it dawned on me - when was the last time I had a night out in the Church & Wellesley neighbourhood a.k.a. the gay village in Toronto?!?! I came of age in that neighbourhood and came into my proud, gay self, and I have great memories (nostalgic already?) of drag queens and dance parties, so I thought - it's about time I go back.
This evening started with appetizers and drinks at Smith on Church St. I'll be very honest with you -- I didn't really do my due diligence on Smith. I basically looked for a restaurant in the village that had a few classy-looking/sounding appetizers and said, why not? Full disclosure: all it took was seeing that Smith had a charcuterie board. Charcuterie = class. Thankfully my lack of research didn't result in 11 friends and I dining at a dive. Smith had us seated at a long table set for 12 upstairs at the restaurant, with a big window, a fireplace (too hot for that though), and a view of the goings-on of Church St. It had a great vibe and the drinks and food were great! For the record, I did order the charcuterie board and I loved it. I didn't look to see what was on it, but I did eat cow tongue and I enjoyed it!
After 3 lazy hours eating and drinking at Smith we head off to Zelda's new location on Yonge St. for a drink. I ordered the "Proud Mary" (for its name only) and we left shortly after that.
Where did we go? Where else does one go when they want an old school gay village celebration? Buddies in Bad Times. Buddies has such great music and so much sweaty and fun dancing on Saturday nights, and this past Saturday was no exception. We danced and drank and had ourselves a great time until about 2:30 when last call was made and it was time to catch the late-night Yonge bus home.
Being 25 is off to a fabulous start, and many thanks to the friends, family members, and Port Hope/Toronto establishments that made my birthday celebrations so special!!!
...made happier by the fact that I had the most wonderful series of mini-celebrations of the day of my birth. I'd like to tell you about them.
1) The Beamish House: locally just called "The Beamish", unfortunately this great pub and restaurant doesn't have a website. Once a year the school that I work for throws a huge reunion weekend for its alumni celebrating 5, 10, 15, and so on reunions. The weekend peaks with a dinner on the Saturday night on campus followed by an evening of debauchery, traditionally at The Beamish. This small, quaint pub is taken over, and although its interior doesn't have much space, its patio is sprawling. It's a great night, and two of my besties ventured out to Port Hope to enjoy the evening with me. This was on May 26, but it kick-started birthday celebrations in just the right way. Before they headed back to the city the next day, we indulged in the classic greasy spoon breakfast at Dimitri's in Port Hope. I had the Grand Slam breakfast. It may not have dill-infused hollandaise sauce drizzled all over it, but it did the job.
2) Jim's Pizza & Pasta: this is another classic Port Hope establishment that I highly recommend. The truth is that this wasn't particularly the highlight of birthday celebrations, but I find that restaurants are a good anchor in this blog for other stories. The real highlight was having my girlfriend come to PH on May 27 to have dinner, chill times, and then be there with me first-thing on my special day. That said, grabbing dinner at Jim's Pizza is ALWAYS a delight. This is my GF's favourite spot in Port Hope, and we always each get the pizza & salad combo. With this combo, you get a small, 4-slice personal pizza with any 3 toppings you'd like PLUS a huge serving of delicious Caesar salad (Greek is also a choice, but I mean, really). After our delicious dinner we bought some snacks and went home for a viewing of "Best In Show".
3) My Special Day itself: the authentic birthday day was no exception to the fun already had. I woke up with the GF and opened a gift from her and from other family members who had sent theirs in advance. Then I made us breakfast (she would've made it, but she likes the way I make eggs best!) and we lazily enjoyed the morning (I took it off from work), and then I drove her to Oshawa where she took the GO train back to Toronto.
I had a great day at work, complete with cheesecake shared with my colleagues!
When the work day was done, my Mom and sister came to Port Hope to take me to dinner. And what a dinner it was! We ate at Trattoria Gusto (finally a PH resto with a website). I've eaten here 3-5 times before and it's very delicious. I find that's a bit of an anomaly about Port Hope - not a lot to do, but 3-4 incredible restaurants! We went all out, sharing a beet salad, calimari, and carpaccio to start, and then for my main I had the chicken parmesan, which was succulent. We finished it off by sharing a decadent, rich brownie with a candle on top. It was fantastic!!!
4) Old school gay village celebration: Even though I'd had my fair share of celebrations, I wanted to do it up right with a night out in Toronto, which went down this past Saturday, June 2. I hemmed and hawed over how I wanted to celebrate, and it dawned on me - when was the last time I had a night out in the Church & Wellesley neighbourhood a.k.a. the gay village in Toronto?!?! I came of age in that neighbourhood and came into my proud, gay self, and I have great memories (nostalgic already?) of drag queens and dance parties, so I thought - it's about time I go back.
This evening started with appetizers and drinks at Smith on Church St. I'll be very honest with you -- I didn't really do my due diligence on Smith. I basically looked for a restaurant in the village that had a few classy-looking/sounding appetizers and said, why not? Full disclosure: all it took was seeing that Smith had a charcuterie board. Charcuterie = class. Thankfully my lack of research didn't result in 11 friends and I dining at a dive. Smith had us seated at a long table set for 12 upstairs at the restaurant, with a big window, a fireplace (too hot for that though), and a view of the goings-on of Church St. It had a great vibe and the drinks and food were great! For the record, I did order the charcuterie board and I loved it. I didn't look to see what was on it, but I did eat cow tongue and I enjoyed it!
After 3 lazy hours eating and drinking at Smith we head off to Zelda's new location on Yonge St. for a drink. I ordered the "Proud Mary" (for its name only) and we left shortly after that.
Where did we go? Where else does one go when they want an old school gay village celebration? Buddies in Bad Times. Buddies has such great music and so much sweaty and fun dancing on Saturday nights, and this past Saturday was no exception. We danced and drank and had ourselves a great time until about 2:30 when last call was made and it was time to catch the late-night Yonge bus home.
Being 25 is off to a fabulous start, and many thanks to the friends, family members, and Port Hope/Toronto establishments that made my birthday celebrations so special!!!
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