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March 16th, 2006

  1. Food World Tour

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    Krisanne and I went from Korean BBQ last week to Persian cuisine this week. I went to the online edition of Now Toronto, the free current events paper for the city, to get some flavour inspiration and see if there were any recommended spots. The first two I found sounded marvellous, but the Persian restaurant Tempus won out:

    Iranian style hits Yonge strip

    It was easily accessible for both of us, and the prices looked very reasonable. When I arrived, I was salivating over the menu. EVERYTHING looked good. The interior is obscured by the narrow frontage, so if you go, don’t let the exterior put you off. It’s a long room and the decor is much more pleasing to the eye once you’re inside.

    It occurred to me while I was at Tempus that for all the Persian restaurants in North Vancouver, I’ve not been to a single one of them. Shame on me!

    If you have more conservative tastes when it comes to food I would definitely recommend Persian, because it’s flavourful but mild. The emphasis appears to be on herbs rather than spices, so it’s not going to be a jarring gastronomic experience for the person with a delicate constitution.

    Tempus
    508 Yonge Street
    (a couple of blocks north of College)

    Category Food + Drink, Friends | Tags: | 3 Comments

  2. Itinerary Updated

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    I now have all rail connections sorted as well as flights. I’m also making a stop in Eindhoven, in the south of Holland, to visit David’s friends before heading on to Cologne on Saturday, April 1.

    Fri, Mar 17: Lufthansa Toronto–>Hamburg
    Sun, Mar 26: Lufthansa Hamburg–>London Heathrow
    Virgin Trains     London–>Wolverhampton
    Wed, Mar 29: BMI Baby Birmingham–>Amsterdam
    Dutch Rail Amsterdam–>Rotterdam
    Fri, Mar 31: Dutch Rail Rotterdam–>Eindhoven
    Sat, Apr 1: Dutch/German Rail Eindhoven–>Cologne
    Sun, Apr 2: Ryanair Dusseldorf–>London Stansted
    Mon, Apr 3: Air Canada London–>Toronto

    I received the invitation to Vinny’s memorial in the mail yesterday. It’s a beautiful card, with a photo of him smiling on the front.

    Category Travel | Tags: | 2 Comments

  3. Toronto Flickr Meetup @ Gypsy Co-op

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    on fire

    I was starting to exhibit recluse behaviour this past week, so I made a point of attending the March meetup for the local Flickr group last night.

    My inclination to socialise has waxed and waned, with no real predictability. The day after I arrived in Toronto I bowed out from both my friend’s cocktail party and cosmic bowling later that night with another group of people. Rather unlike me, but “putting myself out there” usually means fielding questions that I still find awkward to answer. It’ll get easier with time.

    Anyway, I took this opportunity to drive the car and get myself oriented to the grid of the city. Vancouver doesn’t have much of a grid, owing to its waterways, so in this way getting around Toronto is easier.

    When I arrived at Gypsy Co-op I didn’t recognise a single face. The first person to approach me was Tracer99, then Mawz (also from BC), and later basslinegfx, dzgnboy, and b-real. Conversation flowed, with only a few pauses from me (“Why am I here? Umm… long story…”), and I did get to check out other people’s equipment. (That sounded salacious, didn’t it?) The lighting was a challenge, but I managed to get a couple of photos from the few available light sources:

    Gypsy Co-op wall of libations

    I figure one or two more Flickr meetups, and I’ll be able to deflect the questions with ease. Or, we’ll be in a venue with better lighting and I’ll just take more photos…

    Category Flickr Toronto | Tags: | 1 Comment

  4. New York photos, Feb 24-26

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    bestowing blessings

    downtown facing west

    Finished uploading most of the photos from the weekend in New York (Feb 24-26).

    Check out the weekend photoset here.

    To filter out just the MoMA photos, click here.

    trussed up (2)

    MoMA, NYC

    Category Photography, Travel | Tags: | 2 Comments

  5. Hey!

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    that's the first time I've ever seen my birthplace on a sign

    That’s the first time I’ve ever seen my birthplace on a sign. (Zamboanga, that is, not Alaska.)

    As seen at a Money Mart on Queen Street West, Toronto.

    Category Randomage | Tags: | 5 Comments

  6. Mister Hugh Letting It All Hang Out (and flow out)

    March 16, 2006 by Gail

    letting it all hang out

    Hugh, upon reaching a heightened state of meditative relaxation, has no sense of decorum. If he were human, he’d scratch his armpit and walk around in his underwear. Instead, he lolls about with his limbs akimbo, as if his nether regions were gasping for air.

    Mister Hugh’s still transitioning to his new home, he’d like you all to know. I’ve deliberately moved as little as possible in the past week, which seemed to help as he found a routine and there were no obstacles in the path to the litterbox and food/water dishes. He’s had a tough time of it lately, what with all the moving and strangers traipsing through his house, so I spoil him rotten. I spent lots of Quality Time with him, constantly petting and scratching him under the chin until he nearly passes out with bliss, rewarding his trips to the litterbox with regular rounds of treats and a resounding “G’boy!” — just like David did. Aside from one high-volume puke, the past week has been generally not bad.

    Then there was Monday. (more…)

    Category Fave, Hugh | Tags: | 10 Comments