Sunday, July 31, 2005
Carabana Time!
I'm back in Toronto, and will hopefully be here for the next 2 weeks+. New York was fun, and I definitely wouldn't mind doing short trips down there again...but its really very very nice to be back in Toronto!
I got in Friday night, and Saturday was moving day for Laura. She's moving up the street to the condominium(The Polo Club) I was supposed to live in the term I ended up staying in the hotel.
The plan was laid out, and everything was falling nicely into place. She had the elevators booked from 10-12 at her old place, and from 1-3 at the new place, and she had a cube truck rented from 9:30-3:30. She had her parents, and me to help move and Dave(her roomie) had his folks, his brother and a guy from the lab to help him move. Perfect. Well...almost.
Laura and I were up at 7 so that we could head to the St Lawrence Market to grab some bagels and assorted goodies for lunch. We went out into the hallway to grab the elevator down - Laura is on the 19th floor - but strangely the lights on the elevator call buttons weren't working. Weird. We waited a minute or two, and no elevator. So we decided to jump ship and we walked down the 19 floor.
When we got down to the main floor, we asked to concierge what the deal was with the elevators. No shockingly his answer was "they're broken. We think a fuse blew. But we called the repairman at 6 and we think he should be here soon." "You know that we're moving today right?" "Yah, but there're some people that have to move at TEN, so you should be okay!" "Umm...that's US." "Oh."
When we got back from the market at 9 the elevators were still out of commission, but details were coming in about the repairman/contractor...he was a good hour away by car.
By 12 the repairman had shown up, but apparently had forgotten to bring the appropriate fuse with him, so had to drive to etobicoke to get it....and by 2pm the elevators were finally fixed.
Laura gets MAJOR props for not just totally breaking down and panicking when he hadn't even STARTED moving by the time she was supposed to be FINISHED moving. Especially given that the truck company closed at four pm(and locked the gates around the parking lot), so the truck needed to be back by then or else she'd be charged for another day...
Long story short though we were able to move like madmen, and got the truck loaded up by 3, and unloaded at the other place by 3:40, the truck back by 4, and everything up to the new unit by 4:40.
SImon's in town tonight and we're heading out for dinner! Gotta go meet him at the subway.
I got in Friday night, and Saturday was moving day for Laura. She's moving up the street to the condominium(The Polo Club) I was supposed to live in the term I ended up staying in the hotel.
The plan was laid out, and everything was falling nicely into place. She had the elevators booked from 10-12 at her old place, and from 1-3 at the new place, and she had a cube truck rented from 9:30-3:30. She had her parents, and me to help move and Dave(her roomie) had his folks, his brother and a guy from the lab to help him move. Perfect. Well...almost.
Laura and I were up at 7 so that we could head to the St Lawrence Market to grab some bagels and assorted goodies for lunch. We went out into the hallway to grab the elevator down - Laura is on the 19th floor - but strangely the lights on the elevator call buttons weren't working. Weird. We waited a minute or two, and no elevator. So we decided to jump ship and we walked down the 19 floor.
When we got down to the main floor, we asked to concierge what the deal was with the elevators. No shockingly his answer was "they're broken. We think a fuse blew. But we called the repairman at 6 and we think he should be here soon." "You know that we're moving today right?" "Yah, but there're some people that have to move at TEN, so you should be okay!" "Umm...that's US." "Oh."
When we got back from the market at 9 the elevators were still out of commission, but details were coming in about the repairman/contractor...he was a good hour away by car.
By 12 the repairman had shown up, but apparently had forgotten to bring the appropriate fuse with him, so had to drive to etobicoke to get it....and by 2pm the elevators were finally fixed.
Laura gets MAJOR props for not just totally breaking down and panicking when he hadn't even STARTED moving by the time she was supposed to be FINISHED moving. Especially given that the truck company closed at four pm(and locked the gates around the parking lot), so the truck needed to be back by then or else she'd be charged for another day...
Long story short though we were able to move like madmen, and got the truck loaded up by 3, and unloaded at the other place by 3:40, the truck back by 4, and everything up to the new unit by 4:40.
SImon's in town tonight and we're heading out for dinner! Gotta go meet him at the subway.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Almost home
I fly back to toronto tonight, and will HOPEFULLY be back home for a few weeks atleast.
This whole New York trip has been more fun than expected - the project I'm working on is pretty cool, and the client we're working with has some really fun/cool managers. Also, the fact that I've been eating out at seriously nice and hip restaurants every night doesn't hurt. Oh yah, and the 62" tv.
Speaking of crazy restaurants...I have a friend that works down here for Lehman Brothers. We went out for dinner last week to this little place called Hell's Kitchen (menu here). The food was stellar, but we ended up spending $100 for the 2 of us!!
I've also explored a lot in terms of food...I tried Peruvian Ceviche (picture and description here) which had red snapped, scalllops and shrimps as well as avacado, red onion, cancha(dried corn) and a bunch of other fun yummy stuff. Oh yah, did I mention that the whole thing is basically raw, and is "cooked" over ni ght in lime juice?
The next night I went out to this other place called Blue Star that I'd been eyeing for a while...I had a wasabi salmon burger that was quite yummy, but the real highlight were the 'appetizers'. I had 3 oysters and 2 crabs. And 2 beers. The crabs were "blue crabs" (here) The crabs weren't huge. but they were big enough and meaty enough....and cost not $10 each...not $5 each...heck they didn't even cost $3 each. I paid $1 for a nicely cooked, spiced and presented crab. ONE DOLLAR. Oh yah, the oysters(which I didn't like all that much but figured I should try anyways) and the beers were $1 each too. So, so sweet.
I think that's really all to report : ) I watched "I robot" last night on the big tv in high definition...and actually thought it was a pretty good movie! I think it got terrible reviews though, so I guess nobody else liked it.
What are people up to for the long weekend?? Anyone going to be in Toronto???
p.s. a moment of silence for Gregory Alexander R II, who is currently missing.
This whole New York trip has been more fun than expected - the project I'm working on is pretty cool, and the client we're working with has some really fun/cool managers. Also, the fact that I've been eating out at seriously nice and hip restaurants every night doesn't hurt. Oh yah, and the 62" tv.
Speaking of crazy restaurants...I have a friend that works down here for Lehman Brothers. We went out for dinner last week to this little place called Hell's Kitchen (menu here). The food was stellar, but we ended up spending $100 for the 2 of us!!
I've also explored a lot in terms of food...I tried Peruvian Ceviche (picture and description here) which had red snapped, scalllops and shrimps as well as avacado, red onion, cancha(dried corn) and a bunch of other fun yummy stuff. Oh yah, did I mention that the whole thing is basically raw, and is "cooked" over ni ght in lime juice?
The next night I went out to this other place called Blue Star that I'd been eyeing for a while...I had a wasabi salmon burger that was quite yummy, but the real highlight were the 'appetizers'. I had 3 oysters and 2 crabs. And 2 beers. The crabs were "blue crabs" (here) The crabs weren't huge. but they were big enough and meaty enough....and cost not $10 each...not $5 each...heck they didn't even cost $3 each. I paid $1 for a nicely cooked, spiced and presented crab. ONE DOLLAR. Oh yah, the oysters(which I didn't like all that much but figured I should try anyways) and the beers were $1 each too. So, so sweet.
I think that's really all to report : ) I watched "I robot" last night on the big tv in high definition...and actually thought it was a pretty good movie! I think it got terrible reviews though, so I guess nobody else liked it.
What are people up to for the long weekend?? Anyone going to be in Toronto???
p.s. a moment of silence for Gregory Alexander R II, who is currently missing.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Big Apple!
Sorry for the lack of posts...I don't really have internet access here in NY - long story. Hopefully next week I'll have a bit more connectivity.
So far I've mostly been pretty tame...I'm staying in Brooklyn, and working in Manhatten and Queens(which is a FULL hour away by subway). I haven't ventured out much from the neighborhood I'm staying in...
I went adventuring a bit yesterday trying to find somewhere for lunch. The weather was nice, so I ventured outside of my usual comfort zone(about a one block radius around where I'm staying). I ended up going further than planned and got a little disoriented. I eventually found my way back home no problem though, and stayed in until dinner....I checked out a sushi place, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as Asahi, the place that Dave and I go to in Toronto. It was really expensive(like $8-$12 for ONE roll!), and only "reasonably tasty".
I've been playing a lot of SSX3, this snowboarding game on xBox. For any one that doesn't know, I'm staying in basically my boss' apartment. He happens to have a HUGE tv(
Today I went exploring. I saw the World Trade Centre, which really is just a big hole in the ground. But it was still really quite moving. I've noticed lately that I'm much more effected emotionally by death/tragedy/sacrifice and this was no exception.
Then I went to see the statue of liberty, which was nice but nothing overly impressive. I just saw it from shore though, so maybe its more imposing if you're actually right up next to it. I was more impressed by a lot of the old building in new york itself...huge old buildings like city hall etc. I think old fashioned construction/architecture had such attention for detail...new buildings pale in comparison.
So far I've mostly been pretty tame...I'm staying in Brooklyn, and working in Manhatten and Queens(which is a FULL hour away by subway). I haven't ventured out much from the neighborhood I'm staying in...
I went adventuring a bit yesterday trying to find somewhere for lunch. The weather was nice, so I ventured outside of my usual comfort zone(about a one block radius around where I'm staying). I ended up going further than planned and got a little disoriented. I eventually found my way back home no problem though, and stayed in until dinner....I checked out a sushi place, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as Asahi, the place that Dave and I go to in Toronto. It was really expensive(like $8-$12 for ONE roll!), and only "reasonably tasty".
I've been playing a lot of SSX3, this snowboarding game on xBox. For any one that doesn't know, I'm staying in basically my boss' apartment. He happens to have a HUGE tv(
Today I went exploring. I saw the World Trade Centre, which really is just a big hole in the ground. But it was still really quite moving. I've noticed lately that I'm much more effected emotionally by death/tragedy/sacrifice and this was no exception.
Then I went to see the statue of liberty, which was nice but nothing overly impressive. I just saw it from shore though, so maybe its more imposing if you're actually right up next to it. I was more impressed by a lot of the old building in new york itself...huge old buildings like city hall etc. I think old fashioned construction/architecture had such attention for detail...new buildings pale in comparison.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Globetrotter
I've become a veritable globetrotter! I think I've travelled more in the past 2 months than I have ever, even during my swimming haydays!
For those of you that haven't heard, I'm off to New York City for 3 weeks. I'm going to be staying in Brooklyn, and working mostly out of a client's office in Queens. I'm also probably going to do some work atleast out of the Infusion offices on Broadway.
This presents an excellent opportunity to further test some hypothesii I've developed.
i)Things in the US cost as much as they do in Canada, but in US dollars. i.e. a McHappy meal in Canada costs $3.99-$5.99...and in the states seems to cost just about the exact same, but in US dollars. Books, groceries, dinner at a restaurant, muffins, taxi fares, you name it.
ii)The bigger the city, the bigger the shades. Even just being here in Toronto, people where the HUGEST sunglasses. I'm talking about 5+ inchest high...like these things occupy most of the cheek and forehead regions...they're practically visors! If my hypothesis is correct, I'm expecting people in New York to basically be wearing full facial shields.
Only time will tell!
For those of you that haven't heard, I'm off to New York City for 3 weeks. I'm going to be staying in Brooklyn, and working mostly out of a client's office in Queens. I'm also probably going to do some work atleast out of the Infusion offices on Broadway.
This presents an excellent opportunity to further test some hypothesii I've developed.
i)Things in the US cost as much as they do in Canada, but in US dollars. i.e. a McHappy meal in Canada costs $3.99-$5.99...and in the states seems to cost just about the exact same, but in US dollars. Books, groceries, dinner at a restaurant, muffins, taxi fares, you name it.
ii)The bigger the city, the bigger the shades. Even just being here in Toronto, people where the HUGEST sunglasses. I'm talking about 5+ inchest high...like these things occupy most of the cheek and forehead regions...they're practically visors! If my hypothesis is correct, I'm expecting people in New York to basically be wearing full facial shields.
Only time will tell!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Chumped
I've just made a royal fool of myself.
It all started when I downloaded "Hitch"(with Will Smith). I should have known that this would lead to nothing other than trouble.
I watched the first 2 minutes of it on my computer, then decided that maybe it'd be a good movie to watch with Laura....and that's when the trouble really notched up a level. I had this BRILLIANT idea...I'd burn the movie to DVD, then I could take it over to Laura's and we could watch it in her DVD player on her tv!! Masterful!!
I grabbed some dvd burning software, and headed off to Future Shop to buy myself some blank DVDs. I was having a hard time deciding between getting a 10 pack in jewel cases for $15 or buying a 100-spindle of them for $40....given that this is the first time i've ever tried something like this, I thought I'd play it safe and just get the 10 pack.
When I got home I was all excited and ready to get burning! It was then...and only then...that I realized I don't actually have a DVD burner, but rather just a DVD-reader...sigh. What an embarassing oversight!
It all started when I downloaded "Hitch"(with Will Smith). I should have known that this would lead to nothing other than trouble.
I watched the first 2 minutes of it on my computer, then decided that maybe it'd be a good movie to watch with Laura....and that's when the trouble really notched up a level. I had this BRILLIANT idea...I'd burn the movie to DVD, then I could take it over to Laura's and we could watch it in her DVD player on her tv!! Masterful!!
I grabbed some dvd burning software, and headed off to Future Shop to buy myself some blank DVDs. I was having a hard time deciding between getting a 10 pack in jewel cases for $15 or buying a 100-spindle of them for $40....given that this is the first time i've ever tried something like this, I thought I'd play it safe and just get the 10 pack.
When I got home I was all excited and ready to get burning! It was then...and only then...that I realized I don't actually have a DVD burner, but rather just a DVD-reader...sigh. What an embarassing oversight!
Saturday, July 09, 2005
IntraWEB!
I now have the intraweb all set up at home...I managed to snag a tiny 15" CRT monitor from my roomie, which should last me until i buy an LCD sometime later this month. I also got my telephone hooked up today, but I'm still not entirely sure about my phone number. More on that to come later!
I was surprised and saddened to read that Chuck Cadman died today. He's one of the independent MPs that sided with the liberals to stave off the conservative non-confidence motion back in May, helping us to avoid the wasted time and effort of another election.
On a different note, it's so nice to be here in Toronto with Laura again. She's so much fun to hang out with, and its just swell to actually be able to see her on a somewhat regular basis...its been almost 6 months since i've seen her for more than an occasional weekend at a time. The whole thing is made SO much sweeter though, by the BBQ on the roof of her condo. Yes, that's right, her building has a bahbiquizzah. Last night we did up this MONSTER steak...I mean, this thing was the size of a dinner plate. *sigh*, ahh sweet BBQ. Speaking of which...last week we were doing some kebobs(kebabs?) up on the BBQ and these other guys were doing up steaks that I kid you not were 4+ inches thick. Without hesitation the thickest slabs of meat I have ever seen on a grill.
Today Laura and I went down to the St Lawrence Market. I really love that place on a Saturday morning in the summer - they open up a second building as a farmer's market, in addition to the regular building which is more butchers and cheese stores. Best of all though is this place that sells fancy sausages for $1 each. I picked up 6 for myself and had 2 for dinner...I think they were honey garlic and honey&herb. SO yummy. I've got my maple, spicy italian, and sundried tomato ones left to go!
After that I went biking for about 4 hours, out past The Beaches..which I think is Scarborough? There was a big volleyball tournament going on out there kind of like the one they do in ottawa...47 courts I think! So I watched a bit of that which was fun...there were a lot of surprisingly good 2-on-2 teams! I tried to follow the bike ride up with a swim in the pool here, but was disappointed to find it FULL up with little kids. We share the pool with the Days Inn, so I won't be surprised if its always too busy to actually swim in. Ah well!
That's all for now! I'll probably post a big one again tomorrow!
I was surprised and saddened to read that Chuck Cadman died today. He's one of the independent MPs that sided with the liberals to stave off the conservative non-confidence motion back in May, helping us to avoid the wasted time and effort of another election.
On a different note, it's so nice to be here in Toronto with Laura again. She's so much fun to hang out with, and its just swell to actually be able to see her on a somewhat regular basis...its been almost 6 months since i've seen her for more than an occasional weekend at a time. The whole thing is made SO much sweeter though, by the BBQ on the roof of her condo. Yes, that's right, her building has a bahbiquizzah. Last night we did up this MONSTER steak...I mean, this thing was the size of a dinner plate. *sigh*, ahh sweet BBQ. Speaking of which...last week we were doing some kebobs(kebabs?) up on the BBQ and these other guys were doing up steaks that I kid you not were 4+ inches thick. Without hesitation the thickest slabs of meat I have ever seen on a grill.
Today Laura and I went down to the St Lawrence Market. I really love that place on a Saturday morning in the summer - they open up a second building as a farmer's market, in addition to the regular building which is more butchers and cheese stores. Best of all though is this place that sells fancy sausages for $1 each. I picked up 6 for myself and had 2 for dinner...I think they were honey garlic and honey&herb. SO yummy. I've got my maple, spicy italian, and sundried tomato ones left to go!
After that I went biking for about 4 hours, out past The Beaches..which I think is Scarborough? There was a big volleyball tournament going on out there kind of like the one they do in ottawa...47 courts I think! So I watched a bit of that which was fun...there were a lot of surprisingly good 2-on-2 teams! I tried to follow the bike ride up with a swim in the pool here, but was disappointed to find it FULL up with little kids. We share the pool with the Days Inn, so I won't be surprised if its always too busy to actually swim in. Ah well!
That's all for now! I'll probably post a big one again tomorrow!
Friday, July 08, 2005
Wow
I can't believe I now hold the power of the world in my hands.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, fellow bloggers, that's right. I can now write and publish blogs via email. I tell you, technology is a wild and dangerous thing..but once tamed? YEEHAW!
I still don't have a computer/internet going at home yet. The real hold up is that I don't have a monitor...so if anyone knows where I can get a nice 17 or 19 inch LCD on the down low, let me know. These details aside, I have nonetheless managed to (hopefully) fix the problems with layout and with comments the site has been experiencing lately.
Look for a more pleasant user experience going forward!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, fellow bloggers, that's right. I can now write and publish blogs via email. I tell you, technology is a wild and dangerous thing..but once tamed? YEEHAW!
I still don't have a computer/internet going at home yet. The real hold up is that I don't have a monitor...so if anyone knows where I can get a nice 17 or 19 inch LCD on the down low, let me know. These details aside, I have nonetheless managed to (hopefully) fix the problems with layout and with comments the site has been experiencing lately.
Look for a more pleasant user experience going forward!
Friday, July 01, 2005
Isn't It a Shame?
Well, colour me surprised.
I was speaking with my big boss in New York today, and it looks like when I start work on Monday, I'm stepping into a whirlwind of activity.
(move to Toronto on Saturday)
i)start work on monday
ii)fly to philadelphia on monday
iii)meet with client on tuesday.
Should be interesting, especially because I don't have a passport/visa yet since I've nottravelled out of the country since 9/11. So who knows...
But long story, I probably won't really be online much for the next week because I don't have a monitor for my computer, so will be monitorless in Toronto for the first while. Email is the best way to be in touch.
I was speaking with my big boss in New York today, and it looks like when I start work on Monday, I'm stepping into a whirlwind of activity.
(move to Toronto on Saturday)
i)start work on monday
ii)fly to philadelphia on monday
iii)meet with client on tuesday.
Should be interesting, especially because I don't have a passport/visa yet since I've nottravelled out of the country since 9/11. So who knows...
But long story, I probably won't really be online much for the next week because I don't have a monitor for my computer, so will be monitorless in Toronto for the first while. Email is the best way to be in touch.
