Refrigerator Madness

To keep up Suejoy's fun idea of fridge photographs, here is a shot of mine.


Postcards:

• St. Petersburg, Russia & Paris France

Photo:
Annecy, France: One of my photos from the time I lived in this beautiful Haute Savoie town, nestled against a large lake with a canal system running through it.

Magnets:

• grocery list, real estate agent, three cat depictions, alaskan showshoe, muir woods, penguins, ottawa, iceland, ladybugs galore and an imp from England

I also have a star in my honour from a hollywood themed party .... and the largest item is:

Canada's latest version of its Food Guide - which provides recommended daily food intakes for people of all ages.

OK OK

Not being one to normally complain - I have to make a new post to begin to bury my last post.

Phew ... that last week is over and yes, I survived. The older I get, the more I get to dislike birthdays. And, having my birthday at this time of year when Canada witnesses some of its most dramatic season changes - just magnifies my reflection of things.

For example .... Two weeks ago we had snow ... while last week we had temperatures reaching 21 C or 70 F melting all the snow away.

During the last snowfall (on St. Patrick's day), I took some photos. (including my tiny balcony, which is part of this 'inner-city' condo complex situated only a couple of blocks away from Toronto's famous Maple Leaf Gardens). The last one is of my favourite building in Toronto. I love its relation to the two tall banking buildings behind it (which are actually about six or seven blocks away).

Ho Humm.....

Ho hum, Spring has sprung and I'm saying "so what".

Yes, I admit I'm on a bit of a let down after singing a great solo which received a huge applause yesterday - but it's more than that.

I only seem to be living for the week-end while trying to figure out my "greater purpose in life". I'm way into a career that I'm not sure is best suited to me, now that I know who I am much better, and I'm wondering how it all happened. I can't afford to change careers - I feel I'm stuck. It's also hard to juggle work/life balance and live stress free because of competing priorities all around. Friends and family often think that because I'm currently single that it should be easier. It isn't easier - it's just different. The only shoulders I can truly lean on are my own; the only serious intimate dialogue I have is with myself and the only ones who often see me after a long depressing day at work are my two cats.... who really only use me as a petting machine, a feeding machine or pillow.

Aah yes, as I approach these final days of March, I believe I'm experiencing some sort of mid-life reflection, if not a crisis.

Ho hum

Welcome to Spring!

The first day of spring is one thing,
and the first spring day is another.
The difference between them is
sometimes as great as a month.

Henry Van Dyke
(1852 - 1933)
Fisherman's Luck (1899)

- - - - -

March 20, 2007, is a date that most of us recognize as symbolic of changing seasons. As we welcome spring, people south of the equator are actually gearing up for the cooler temperatures of autumn.

Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early peoples celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism.

A Morning Jaunt to the Market

skiing anyone?

These strange structures are actually the "encasement" for a middle-east ski resort in the Dubai. It's only a couple of years old, but has enjoyed great popularity with it's residents who are usually exposed to "desert like" weather 365 days a year.


It is an indoor complex, and only one of the bizarre architectural structures that Dubai has to offer.


Perhaps with global warming and the ski resorts having difficulty staying afloat, they can learn from this technology !

I learned about this strange building when a friend sent me a wonderful powerpoint presentation on Dubai, which highlighted many of its architectural feats. Perhaps I'll stay there sometime, some of the hotels highlighted in the presentation only cost about $8,000 a night!

I nabbed these items off google images. There are a lot more of them to see.

Another strange structure. A building with rotating floors. Every floor rotates at a different time. They also have a hotel in the shape of a sailboat and a man-made residential development in the ocean with artificial penninsulas that looks like a palm tree from above. (Yes, I know that sounds peculiar - and yes - difficult to describe..... but it's true!)

Afternoon Tea

On a cold Saturday afternoon in the city of Toronto, four young (well young at heart) derelict woman decided to jump out of the box and see how the "other half" live.

So we put on some fine attire (by our standards) and shuffled off to The Kind Edward, one of the city's finest hotels for afternoon tea.


When we arrived, the staff looked at us and decided to sit us outside the tearoom along some tables bordering their grand lobby that was two stories high with intricate architectural touches. We were the first ones seated in this section. After a short while, a waiter with a crisp white starched ironed uniform approached us and handed a two page menu of food and tea selections. We all chose the "King's Tea" which came with an array of finely made scones with clotted cream, very dainty sandwiches (e.g. cucumber), wonderful sweets and your choice of Twinings tea. Three of us chose Lady Grey tea, while the fourth had Prince of Wales. I chuckled to myself and had to explain that I would be drinking "horse tea" because the first horse I ever rode was called Lady Grey - a wonderful beast that had all the patience in the world for a young derelict madwoman like me.

We didn't think there was enough food to fill us up because of its total snobby refinement, but we were wrong ... it was filling and it was good! While we were munching and giggling over such things as the starched white table cloths, the attire of staff and the serving etiquette, the tables around us got filled. Apparently it was a very busy afternoon for the tearoom. Some were dressed like us (outside the tea room of course) while others were a little more ... how shall I say ... used to this type of stuff. It cost a bundle, but it was a cool experience.

On the way home (by foot of course - cause we didn't have enough money for subway fare) we stopped at the Grocers and bought Lady Grey tea on sale! (Lady Grey tea is a milder form of Earl Grey).