It's a good life

[da]

Friday I took a vacation day, but I spent half of it at work, because my time was flexible for the morning and I wanted to release a project for people to test on Monday. At noon I zipped home, mowed the lawn, turned in my first homework for my Peace and Conflict Studies class, and drove to Yorkdale to catch the subway to Toronto.

All of that was an exercise in "what do I *need* to do now?" which I managed well, except for the failed bit of spending so much time at work- when I didn't absolutely need to- which meant I got caught in 3pm traffic on the 401. Ah well.

Around 5 I met up with melted_snowball at our hotel, we had a yummy dinner at Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar, and then off to the first of two percussion concerts. We shared an elevator with Adrienne Clarkson. She's so elegant. She read well in the concert. But my concert review is to follow when I have my program handy. I will say: it was too long. We fell into bed some time after 11. Yes, we are old; but neither of us had gotten enough sleep the night before.

Saturday included St. Lawrence Market, art-browsing at the Distillery district, discovering they had Doors Open Toronto exhibits in the Distillery, which was sort of neat, browsing two of the huge brick buildings that used to house spirits and now just have ghosts. We ate brunch at Fran's, and caught the second percussion concert; then a subway and drive home, getting home well before dark.

We spent a while trying to figure out why we don't live in Toronto. So sure, there are fine reasons: our jobs aren't there; rents are quite a bit more expensive; but... Yeah. I wonder if there are any U of T profs who need someone to watch their St. Lawrence-area condo on weekends while they're off at the cottage?... (A guy can dream, no?)

Sunday morning, I was off to Lucknow with a carload of Quakers. The day included some thoughtful conversation, a committee meeting, and an on-site meeting to help plan for a wedding which is to be held in three weeks. It's a beautiful setting- a farm at the top of a hill, with rolling countryside surrounding. And I got home around 5, which was too late to go to catbear's open-house or Home Hardware.

Then I did laundry and looked forward to work. (Which is a bit of a hazard for me right now. Those of you who are at all obsessive, and are excited about your job: how do you manage to not obsess about it? Perhaps I'll become blasé soon enough, but right now, thinking about what I'm going to do next at work's sort of keeping me from getting enough sleep at night. Have I mentioned that this feels like my dream job? Hm, I did, didn't I...)

Comments

[thingo.livejournal.com]

Lucknow's great. I hope you were welcome in their sepoy town.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

The shocking, embarrassing truth is... it wasn't actually Lucknow; it was almost Lucknow, but in truth it was Wingham. Which, I think, is slightly less storied.

(Alice Munro doesn't count).

(Whose relevance, of course, I didn't know before I wikipedia'd; but I was there to look up that sepoy thing anyhoo)..

And now I've wound up on Victor Hugo's page, via Sir Peregrine Maitland and the Maitland River... *sigh*

[c0d3-m0nk3y.livejournal.com]

I was so sure I was done with Toronto when I move to KW. Now, I'm not so sure. Certainly, if C snags the much-wanted tenure-track position at the U of T I would consider moving out there. I might even get to keep my job here, and take my turn at commuting in a few times a month.

But I do find myself missing the old town now and again.