The Moody Blues

Nights in white satin,
Never reaching the end,
Letters I've written,
Never meaning to send.
- The Moody Blues -

Yesterday, our stay-cation found us at Ontario Place. The tickets we had for an 8 o'clock performance of The Moody Blues granted us free admission to the grounds of Ontario Place. We decided to make a day of it and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather at the lake. An unpredicted afternoon shower caught us a bit off-guard but when the sun came out, it was hot and delicious.

What wasn't delicious, however, was Ontario Place. We could find only one sit-down restaurant with okay food. We sat on the patio among the peeling paint and the tall weeds in the patio cracks and garden. Cinesphere was the only attraction we could find that offered anything for guests over twelve-years-old. The movie "Hurricane on the Bayou" was good, if somewhat depressing. The $15.50 price tag for our two admissions to Cinesphere bought us forty-five minutes of entertainment. We were at a loss as to what we would do for the next three-and-a-half hours. So, we walked, found a bar and sat down to people watch.

The Ontario Place crowd is pretty interesting. The daytime crowd is mostly young families. About a third of the women (and some of the girls as young as seven) wore Islamic head coverings. Some sported coats to their ankles. One was draped in full cover, with only a small slit for her eyes. The men and boys accompanying these women and girls mostly wore shorts and t-shirts. I saw one orthodox Jewish family - men with yarmulkes and prayer shawls tied at their waists, women in long sleeves, skirts to their ankles and bad wigs. No matter which faith these people are practicing, it's got to be awfully hot to be a woman.

Once the evening hours came, the geezers began arriving to see The Moody Blues. Lots of them sported t-shirts from previous concerts. I suspect some of them were purchased in the 60s. The vast majority of the crowd was pushing sixty. I don't think I've ever seen so many grey ponytails on men in one place. Merv was convinced we were younger than most of the crowd but I think it's all in the eyes of the beholder. Those people were probably looking at us and thinking we are much older than they are.

The Moody Blues played a great concert to a well behaved and appreciative crowd. At one point during the first half, someone lit a funny smelling cigarette (apparently thinking this is still 1969) but security and the police intervened quickly and the smell disappeared after only a few minutes. The band played all of their classics. When they played "Knights in White Satin" they brought the house down. The concert ended and we were home and in bed by 11. A perfect evening for geriatric hippies.

Fun in the City

"If a movie is described as a romantic comedy you can usually find me next door playing pinball." - George Carlin

Merv and I went to see a movie last night called The Ugly Truth. The film stars Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. It's very funny - a romantic comedy sentimental enough to appeal to women with a bit of a crude edge to appeal to men. We both enjoyed it which is a bit of a rare occurrence for us. Merv and I have very different taste in movies. A few weeks ago we joined some friends at Johnny Depp's latest film, Public Enemies. Merv thought it was great. I didn't sleep all night. While he was away in July, I spent an afternoon with Harry, Ron and Hermione at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I loved it. I'll definitely be adding that one to my DVD collection.

I really like going to the movies. I like watching the film on the big screen, eating popcorn and watching the trailers. I don't like the price of drinks and snacks - I always feel like I'm being robbed. Last night Merv wanted a combo of nachos and a drink. There was a special to add on a hot dog for $2, so I ordered the dog and a small drink. First the kid behind the counter argued with me that I couldn't have the hot dog for $2 because it could only be added to a combo at that price and as he knew Merv wasn't going to eat the hot dog, he couldn't add it to the combo for me to eat. A few terse words from me helped him to change his mind. But a few minutes later he told me the hot dogs wouldn't be ready for another twenty minutes so I was out of luck. A few corn chips with salsa and cheese, a small popcorn (for which I could not get any salt) and two small drinks came to $20. Absolute robbery.

Today we entertained ourselves with lunch in the Distrillery District. We enjoyed some great micro-brewery beers and walked around the galleries. Another wonderful way to spend a vacation day without leaving the city.

Vacationing at Home

"The alternative to a vacation is to stay home and tip every third person you see." ~Author Unknown

Merv and I are vacationing this week - at home. I cannot remember the last time we did this. It surely hasn't happened in the last ten years. It has been our tradition since Jacob was small to take a March break vacation at a southern destination and a summer vacation somewhere in Canada. Last summer we broke with that tradition slightly and vacationed in Ireland. We spent ten days in Hawaii last March and left our summer vacation plans loose. Merv and Jacob spent a boys week in Havelock in July and Jacob planned a two-week trip to North Bay with his friend's family. He left on Saturday. It turned out that the only other week Merv could take this summer was this week. So there will be no family vacation this summer.

Nonetheless, Merv and I are having a holiday. We spent the weekend with friends in Collingwood. Today and tomorrow, Merv is dabbling in the post window replacement work in the house. We're dining out and planning to catch a movie. Wednesday we will head down to Ontario Place to enjoy the sunshine and then to see the Moody Blues in concert. Thursday will take us to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake for an afternoon matinee and then to Niagara Falls for dinner, a visit to the casino and a night at the Marriott. Saturday we will attend a Bat Mitzva and Sunday we will visit friends at their cottage north of Peterborough. I'm really enjoying this time. There is very little packing to do; no long hours spent at the airport and the price is right. The bed is really comfortable and the coffee tastes great.

Pehaps when Claudia (our cleaning lady) comes on Wednesday, I'll slip her a few extra bucks and ask her to leave some mints on the pillows.

It's Party Time (Again)

"Drink, and dance and laugh and lie, love the reeling midnight through, for tomorrow we shall die! (But, alas, we never do.)" - Dorothy Parker

I'm about to start preparing dinner for party number three in four days. A small dinner party on holiday Monday became a gathering of ten, last night was Jacob and Jonathon's birthday party and tonight I'm hosting my sister Cathy's birthday party. Leos abound in my life. So far, the party hosting is going well. The kids had a good time last night. Save one sticky mess from an exploding Coke can, the house is more or less intact. I do have an abundance of leftovers however. So much so that for one brief moment, I considered reheating them and serving them tonight. Alas, I went to the supermarket and started fresh.

Tonight's menu is a main course of rosemary rubbed lamb chops served with salad, asparagus, brussel sprouts and potatoes. Appetizers will include shrimp cocktail, sushi and a cheese plate with fresh apricots. Nancy has baked a walnut cake for dessert.

I'm really pleased to host Cathy's party. No one enjoys her birthday more than Cathy. She starts celebrating on August 1 and doesn't consider the celebration closed until August 31. The truth is, there have been years when she started celebrating in July. Good for her. I called her at about 9:30 this morning. She regaled me with the list of all the birthday wishes she had already received. It's fun to see the pleasure she takes in the day.

If you are reading this Cat, Happy, Happy Birthday! I'm so glad to have you as my much older sister.

An Intent Realignment

"Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die." - Malachy McCourt

I'm trying to be a better person - not just in my deeds but in my intent. It's not that I think I'm unkind or miserly - quite the opposite. It is just that lately I've been struggling to make my intent match my deeds. I sit on a couple of pro-bono boards at not-for-profit agencies. I'm really happy to do so because they both serve constituents who really need their services. They also need the skills I provide and I'm happy I can contribute more than just money. I'm not seeking thanks or recognition - I didn't take on the roles for personal gain or glory. At the moment, I'm struggling with my role on one of the boards. I'm doing a lot of heavy lifting right now, and that's okay. But some individuals peripheral to our agency are casting shadows on my motives. As a result, I'm feeling some resentment about the amount of work I'm performing for the agency.

I want to find a way to realign my intent with my actions. I will continue to do the work. I made a commitment and I will see it through. I know how important this agency is to so many people who have no place else to turn. What I don't want, is to do the work with resentment. I need to find a way to again do the work from a spirit of generosity and kindness in spite of the nay sayers. I've been thinking a lot about how to get back there and I really hope I can find my way.

I feel bad about feeling resentful. It's not a part of my normal nature and so I don't have much experience with it. I'm usually better at convincing myself everybody is doing the best they can and just letting things go. I don't know why it is so hard this time. Maybe I'm just tired. A few days off with my husband next week might be just the tonic to help me turn my head around.

Eighteen Candles

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

Tomorrow, for the eighteenth time, I will throw a birthday party for Jacob. As he did last year, he will once again share his birthday party with one of his best friends, Jonathon. They are five days apart in age. Jonathon will turn eighteen on August 12, Jacob on August 17. But Jacob will leave this weekend to spend two weeks with a friend at a cottage in North Bay. He won't be here to celebrate either of their two actual birthdays so we will celebrate early. Last year, the birthday party cake read "Happy 17th Birthday J2" (with the little two at the top like a squared sign). This year it will read "Happy 18th Birthday Jacob and Jono". The boys are too old now for the cute slogan of last year.

There will be ribs and fries, crudite and rolls, lots of junk food and of course a great huge chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate butter cream icing. Jacob picked the cake and the menu. I remember the birthday cake from his very first birthday. It was an adorable "Barney" cake with purple dinosaur candles. There have been lots of great cakes over the years - Lion King, Star Wars, golf, trucks, jungles, dinosaurs - essentially whatever Jacob's passion was that year. We had parties at Chuckie Cheese, climbing centres, bowling alleys and glow in the dark indoor golf centres. We've done Medival Times and Dave and Busters. This year, the kids will come here. They will hang out downstairs doing whatever it is they do these days. They will have fun.

It will probably be the last time Jacob lets me throw him a birthday party. It makes me a bit sad. Maybe he'll let me do it again next year but maybe not. We'll see. I'm planning to enjoy this one just in case it's the last.

And as he will be in North Bay for his birthday this year, as he was last year, I have decided to ease my pain at being away from him on his special day and make the long drive north so I can share a birthday dinner with him. He will be eighteen - an adult. My baby has grown up.

Old Friends, New Friends

"The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've been thinking about someone I haven't seen for a long time. She is a woman I shared a close relationship with at one time, but hectic lives and distance got in the way and we somehow drifted apart. I really didn't know how to even get in touch again, but last night I looked her up on LinkedIn and lo and behold, I found her. She accepted my invitation to link in. I learned that my friend Sheila has been living and working in Tokyo. Beyond that I don't know much but I'm so happy to be in touch with her again. We have about ten years worth to catch up on. There was a time Sheila lived in Toronto as an ex-patriot American transplanted from Connecticut. We both worked at The Hartford. She didn't know anyone here so she spent a lot of time at our house. Once more technology gives me the gift of connecting with a friend.

Closer to home, our new neighbours took possession of their house on Friday. We managed a brief introduction in the driveway. They seem like a lovely young couple. While entertaining some friends on our balcony this afternoon, we spotted them washing the windows at the back of their house. I called over to Jeremy, the young man, and invited him and his wife Joyce to come and join us for a glass of wine. I was so happy they accepted our invitation. A glass of wine transitioned into them staying for dinner. Jacob invited one of his friends to join us and my sister Cathy dropped in with her young neighbor too. Suddenly, our small dinner party became a gathering of ten. What a perfect way to spend a beautiful summer evening.

We are such lucky people.