What a weekend! Friday I went out with some girls for drinks on a rooftop patio. We got our first round at the bar, then found a table. Over an hour later, a waiter finally came by and took the next round. When he returned, he told the girls it'd be $20 (for 1 glass of wine and I cuppa tea). They asked for their checks. They checks said $8.50 and $3.50. They handed him a $5 and a $10 and he wandered off. They had to grab him for their change - he was not going to give any. (Lenley, sound like Miyo's?) So, we called the manager over, who apologized and have us a free round of drinks.
The restaurant turned into a dance club, so we stayed and danced. I, of course, was not wearing the right shoes for dancing. I had stubbed my right toe so bad earlier, that I almost ripped the toenail off. So, I was compensating by staying mostly on my left. Which, of course, gave me a nice blister on my left. I left early (midnight) because my feet hurt too bad. Walking home was miserable!
Saturday I did my usual rounds of Home Dept, Wal-Mart and Ikea. Then I had my circus night. From the description, I thought it was going to be flying trapeze. You swing, guy catches you, you fall into big net. (Others thought so as well.) Nope. The trapeze was a mere 4 feet off the floor. But we still had fun. I tumbled, jumped on the trampoline (yes, I did a back flip), swung and hung on the trapeze, hoop, and climbed the fabric from the ceiling. Which was where I got a lovely rope burn on top of my blister.
Then I got dressed and went to the ballroom dance. My poor feet! But I still danced. I stayed until they shut it down.
Sunday was the Gay Pride Parade. Toronto has the 2nd largest Gay Pride festival in N Amer (SF is #1). People of all ages were there to watch - young, old, and quite a few children. It was a very festive atmosphere. People were not gawking or shocked, but truly enjoying diversity and even proud that their city accepts this. Most big businesses had a float or entourage at the parade, including Trojan, IBM and the police department (90% females marching with the police department). There were fabulous drag queens, bad drag queens, topless women and bottomless men, a little bit of leather, and even a juggling, stilt-walking trannie. Every float had someone with a SuperSoaker. So, we all got blasted with the SuperSoakers. It was 87 so it felt good and I am glad I did not wear white. But the most un-South Carolina moment was the Mayor of Toronto walking - not riding in a car, but enthusiastically walking - in the parade.
Everyone was milling around after the parade. I only got 1 free condom. I then walked all the way down to front street (close to a mile) to go the to St Lawrence Market, which I found out is closed on Sundays. I took the streetcar home and just crashed with the realization that my body is getting older and cannot do everything it used to. I was absolutely exhausted. I went to the pub on the corner, had a cider and wings and then crawled into bed.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Curtains, mirrors and yogurt
Well, they installed my new curtains on Tuesday and so far they really work. It's about 10 degrees co
oler in here than it has been. Yesterday morning was the first time I'd sat in 
that room and did not sweat. While they look life fabric, they are not, and the smell of plastic has been overwhelming, but it will fade. I can still see through them, but it is like through fog.
I saw the super yesterday and he finally helped me install the mirror in the bathroom. He had trouble getting the hangars (the kind he asked me to get) to work, and put a few extra holes in my wall (covered by the mirror), so he only charged me $10. It looks great!! I love it! Now I just need to install the glass shelves and my bathroom will be done. That will just leave my room and the guest room. Not too bad.
I had a pleasant unexpected surprise yesterday. I bought this chocolate cherry yogurt - fat free and sugar free. I've had chocolate Yoplait yogurt back in The States and did not have high expectations of it (I've thrown the others away they were so gross). OH MY GOD - this was heaven! I never need to buy chocolate ice cream again. Does anyone know what happens if you put yogurt into the freezer? Do you get frozen yogurt, or is it differen?t
oler in here than it has been. Yesterday morning was the first time I'd sat in 
that room and did not sweat. While they look life fabric, they are not, and the smell of plastic has been overwhelming, but it will fade. I can still see through them, but it is like through fog.
I saw the super yesterday and he finally helped me install the mirror in the bathroom. He had trouble getting the hangars (the kind he asked me to get) to work, and put a few extra holes in my wall (covered by the mirror), so he only charged me $10. It looks great!! I love it! Now I just need to install the glass shelves and my bathroom will be done. That will just leave my room and the guest room. Not too bad.
I had a pleasant unexpected surprise yesterday. I bought this chocolate cherry yogurt - fat free and sugar free. I've had chocolate Yoplait yogurt back in The States and did not have high expectations of it (I've thrown the others away they were so gross). OH MY GOD - this was heaven! I never need to buy chocolate ice cream again. Does anyone know what happens if you put yogurt into the freezer? Do you get frozen yogurt, or is it differen?t
Monday, June 18, 2007
A/C update
The guy finally came by to look at my A/C. I keep it set at 78 and it just can't keep up. He said the unit is just old. Air coming out is about 10 degrees warmer than it should be. I have 2 options: 1) replace the unit (that's around $4500) 2) empty everything out of the storage closet and have him take the unit away for 3-4 days to see if there's a pinhole leak of freon. He will fix the leak and add freon. This option is free, but I will have no A/C for 3-4 days.
I will see if my new blinds help and make a decision later this week.
I will see if my new blinds help and make a decision later this week.
I miss Guy
Thursday was an interesting day. I got a nice ego boost the night before when the Branch Manager of our Boston branch called me to ask about doing business with a Canadian company. Apparently they had asked our VP weeks ago and he had not gotten back them, so they called me. Thursday I went to a happy hour with a local single's group. It was ok, but people there were looking for husbands, not friends. But I did meet one guy who was a recruiter, so I had a great contact and got loads of inf0. (Looks like it's too complicated - have to form a Canadian company, pay payroll taxes, sales tax....)
I had to run out of there to get to my dance class. I was late, but I did not see the ROUS raccoon this week.
Friday night I met up with a few girls and we walked around midtown then went back to Michelle's place and relaxed on her huge balcony. Nice, relaxing evening.
Saturday, I got up early to go on a hike with Mosaic. I check who was leading the hike to make sure it wasn't the obnoxious guy (it wasn't). But when I got there, guess who was leading it? Yup. He wasn't as bad this time, but it seems he leads all the hikes, so I guess I'll go to Mosaic sparingly. Nice hike, reminded me of Crowder's Mountain, without that nasty climb. There's lots of places for mountain climbers and some pretty sheer drop offs. We hiked 12.5km. I am glad I didn't know the conversion until I got home - 7.5 miles! I kept thinking about Guy. It was tough doing that hike without him. He really would have liked it.
Sunday I painted the living room. Anyone want to guess what color? That's right. It's actually a nice shade that ties everything together. I also changed all the outlets in the living room (and found out that 1 of them is on a different circuit) and added an outlet box in the stoage closet.
Then I met with the planning group for the camping and hiking group. They have a 3 day weekend every month in Canada and they want to go backpacking each one. I told them to have fun. They are minimalists. Even car camping they can fit 5 people AND all their stuff into a regular car! One cooler for 9 people. Boy am I going to be a surprise. I have been tasked with planning a camping trip mid-July.
I had to run out of there to get to my dance class. I was late, but I did not see the ROUS raccoon this week.
Friday night I met up with a few girls and we walked around midtown then went back to Michelle's place and relaxed on her huge balcony. Nice, relaxing evening.
Saturday, I got up early to go on a hike with Mosaic. I check who was leading the hike to make sure it wasn't the obnoxious guy (it wasn't). But when I got there, guess who was leading it? Yup. He wasn't as bad this time, but it seems he leads all the hikes, so I guess I'll go to Mosaic sparingly. Nice hike, reminded me of Crowder's Mountain, without that nasty climb. There's lots of places for mountain climbers and some pretty sheer drop offs. We hiked 12.5km. I am glad I didn't know the conversion until I got home - 7.5 miles! I kept thinking about Guy. It was tough doing that hike without him. He really would have liked it.
Sunday I painted the living room. Anyone want to guess what color? That's right. It's actually a nice shade that ties everything together. I also changed all the outlets in the living room (and found out that 1 of them is on a different circuit) and added an outlet box in the stoage closet.
Then I met with the planning group for the camping and hiking group. They have a 3 day weekend every month in Canada and they want to go backpacking each one. I told them to have fun. They are minimalists. Even car camping they can fit 5 people AND all their stuff into a regular car! One cooler for 9 people. Boy am I going to be a surprise. I have been tasked with planning a camping trip mid-July.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
1st Condo Meeting
Well, I went to my first condo meeting last night. It was fun. People were bitching about big things and small things. I found it entertaining. Turns out we have a great, knowledgeable, active Board with the best cash flow of the 6 buildings in our complex. Our roof will be replaced this year, but that was expected and they have to replace the ramp into the garage, which should be very interesting, but all 6 buildings are paying for that.
I found out it really is ok for me to cut as many holes in my walls as I like, provided I do it between 9 and 5 Monday through Friday, which is a good thing, since I already have a cut a big hole in my call. Only to find out my walls are only and inch and a half thick, so the wall is now patched.
I had the Super come up so I could ask some questions. Yes, my ceilings are concrete, which is great for sound (I never hear people stomping overhead), bad for hanging things like lights or ceiling fans. It's about $150 just for installation for each fan. Yikes! The mystery transformer that's in my closet is to a security system I am supposed to have that the previous owners apparently took out. But I'm not concerned as it's been over 2 years since they've had a break-in in our building (safest one of the six). The building has a maintenance contract for our A/C, so I can just fill out a work order, but it most likely have to be replaced in the next few years and it's about $4000, so let's hope it's later.
Well, I'm off to go order my blinds. They should be installed next week.
I found out it really is ok for me to cut as many holes in my walls as I like, provided I do it between 9 and 5 Monday through Friday, which is a good thing, since I already have a cut a big hole in my call. Only to find out my walls are only and inch and a half thick, so the wall is now patched.
I had the Super come up so I could ask some questions. Yes, my ceilings are concrete, which is great for sound (I never hear people stomping overhead), bad for hanging things like lights or ceiling fans. It's about $150 just for installation for each fan. Yikes! The mystery transformer that's in my closet is to a security system I am supposed to have that the previous owners apparently took out. But I'm not concerned as it's been over 2 years since they've had a break-in in our building (safest one of the six). The building has a maintenance contract for our A/C, so I can just fill out a work order, but it most likely have to be replaced in the next few years and it's about $4000, so let's hope it's later.
Well, I'm off to go order my blinds. They should be installed next week.
Monday, June 11, 2007
I have the dishwasher part!!
I only only got lost TWICE - once getting there, and once trying to leave the building. I drove straight from there to AAA to get a Missasauga map. The lady and everyone else in the shop laughed in agreement when I told them I get lost there every time.
My ColaClub friends told me about a website www.meetup.com where you have mini-ColaClubs. So, I joined several. Friday night I went out with a group of single ladies to a trendy bar and we had a great time. Now, Mapquest told me it was 2 big blocks east of me, so I walked. Could not find it. Turns out it's about 5 big blocks West of me (and people wonder why I HATE internet maps). But this is one if the things I love about this city - I just hoped on a streetcar and was there in 10 minutes.
I learned my lesson from last week and was out of the house before 10 am Saturday to run my errands. Home Depot, Linens and Things, 2 blind stores, pet store, Whirlpool, AAA. As I am sitting here sweating from the sun, I am reminded to call the blinds guy to measure the windows. When I got home Saturday I cleared away 11 more boxes. At night I went to the swing dance by the Lindy group, which is much younger, but nowhere near as friendly as the Swing Group on Fridays. Lindy is an 8 count dance, so it took me a bit to get used to, but I did dance. I just don't like the way it looks. There were some really, really good dancers there and it's just not an attractive dance. I think I'll stick with the Friday night group.
Sunday I cut a hole in my wall, then patched the hole in my wall and cleaned more boxes. Once I get the mirror up, the guestroom will be mostly cleared and ready for a bed and company.
Oh, the hole was for a medicine cabinet. It was an elaborate plan to cut the hole, then use the rotozip to cut the metal studs (since they are closer than 16"), but the wall is only 2" deep, and that includes the sheetrock! So, the hole is being closed up and I guess I'll have to get an outside mounted medicine cabinet. Glad I tested it in the guest bathroom before doing it in mine.
My first condo meeting is tomorrow, so that should be interesting.
Last night Koshka decided to explore. She wined at the door and roamed all up and down the hallway. Quite impressed. But then ran back inside. I bought her a scratching post so she won't use my furniture. I asked the guy how to train her to use it (she is a cat, not a dog), and he said catnip. So, I put it together and she was not interested. I put the catnip on it and she just rubs all over it now. I have yet to see her sharpen her claws on it yet, but she rubs it, this is progress.
And yes, I ran the dishwasher.
My ColaClub friends told me about a website www.meetup.com where you have mini-ColaClubs. So, I joined several. Friday night I went out with a group of single ladies to a trendy bar and we had a great time. Now, Mapquest told me it was 2 big blocks east of me, so I walked. Could not find it. Turns out it's about 5 big blocks West of me (and people wonder why I HATE internet maps). But this is one if the things I love about this city - I just hoped on a streetcar and was there in 10 minutes.
I learned my lesson from last week and was out of the house before 10 am Saturday to run my errands. Home Depot, Linens and Things, 2 blind stores, pet store, Whirlpool, AAA. As I am sitting here sweating from the sun, I am reminded to call the blinds guy to measure the windows. When I got home Saturday I cleared away 11 more boxes. At night I went to the swing dance by the Lindy group, which is much younger, but nowhere near as friendly as the Swing Group on Fridays. Lindy is an 8 count dance, so it took me a bit to get used to, but I did dance. I just don't like the way it looks. There were some really, really good dancers there and it's just not an attractive dance. I think I'll stick with the Friday night group.
Sunday I cut a hole in my wall, then patched the hole in my wall and cleaned more boxes. Once I get the mirror up, the guestroom will be mostly cleared and ready for a bed and company.
Oh, the hole was for a medicine cabinet. It was an elaborate plan to cut the hole, then use the rotozip to cut the metal studs (since they are closer than 16"), but the wall is only 2" deep, and that includes the sheetrock! So, the hole is being closed up and I guess I'll have to get an outside mounted medicine cabinet. Glad I tested it in the guest bathroom before doing it in mine.
My first condo meeting is tomorrow, so that should be interesting.
Last night Koshka decided to explore. She wined at the door and roamed all up and down the hallway. Quite impressed. But then ran back inside. I bought her a scratching post so she won't use my furniture. I asked the guy how to train her to use it (she is a cat, not a dog), and he said catnip. So, I put it together and she was not interested. I put the catnip on it and she just rubs all over it now. I have yet to see her sharpen her claws on it yet, but she rubs it, this is progress.
And yes, I ran the dishwasher.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Customer Service in this country......
First the good news, I finally got a massage yesterday. I went to the big massage school here and for $35, I got a pretty good massage. They have to ask before they do anything, so he was constantly asking, can I move over here? Is it ok if I massage you here? But I do feel better today.
I replaced my thermostat with one that can be either F or C (I have it set on F). And it's programmable. But it was 12 degrees yesterday, so I didn't need it yet.
At the advise of several friends, I went on a site called meetup.com where they have all sorts of groups. I joined several of them and hopefully my social life here will improve. There's a psychic reading social tonight which sounds like fun, and it's less than 2 blocks from here, but I'd have to miss Pilates, so I haven't decided yet.
So, the saga of my dishwasher. I need a small $6.50 part for my dishwasher. SO FAR I have made 11 calls to Whirlpool, and no part yet. Here's a summary: Was given the part number and told I had to order it on the internet. My part's not on the internet. Call back, told I need to call a local dealer. Call the dealer, 6-8 weeks. Call back, can order over the phone (they have no idea why I was told I could not), but shipping is $7, I'm better off calling the local guy. Call local guy back, he asks how I'm going to pay - in cash when I walk into your store tomorrow. Nope, I have to pay Visa or Mastercard over the phone right now. Well, I only have Amex. Call Whirlpool again (since I know I've paid them with Amex before) and told no, they do not accept Amex. Call Whirlpool USA who does take Amex (so at least I'm not crazy). Strangely, the part is $8.75 there, shipping only $4, but they can't ship to Canada. Call Whirlpool again, they say there's a big parts warehouse in Missisauga where I can walk in and pick it up (they have it in stock). Gave me the address, but refused to give me the phone number. Ya'll remember, Missisauga is where I got miserably lost in trying to find customs. Figuring he's just being a jerk, I call back and again am told they cannot give me a number. If I get lost, they advise me to simply call them. 2 problems with that 1) there's always 10 minutes waiting until you reach someone 2) They are in a call center god knows where, I can't really say I'm at the corner of Main and Finch, how to I get there? Her answer was maybe I'll get lucky and speak with someone who knows the area!
So, my 1 phone call get a $6 part the next day has been over a week and over 2 hours of my time, and no part. Just like my dealings with Rogers and other companies, people are courteous, but not really interested in helping. Guess I'll just need to get used to it.
I replaced my thermostat with one that can be either F or C (I have it set on F). And it's programmable. But it was 12 degrees yesterday, so I didn't need it yet.
At the advise of several friends, I went on a site called meetup.com where they have all sorts of groups. I joined several of them and hopefully my social life here will improve. There's a psychic reading social tonight which sounds like fun, and it's less than 2 blocks from here, but I'd have to miss Pilates, so I haven't decided yet.
So, the saga of my dishwasher. I need a small $6.50 part for my dishwasher. SO FAR I have made 11 calls to Whirlpool, and no part yet. Here's a summary: Was given the part number and told I had to order it on the internet. My part's not on the internet. Call back, told I need to call a local dealer. Call the dealer, 6-8 weeks. Call back, can order over the phone (they have no idea why I was told I could not), but shipping is $7, I'm better off calling the local guy. Call local guy back, he asks how I'm going to pay - in cash when I walk into your store tomorrow. Nope, I have to pay Visa or Mastercard over the phone right now. Well, I only have Amex. Call Whirlpool again (since I know I've paid them with Amex before) and told no, they do not accept Amex. Call Whirlpool USA who does take Amex (so at least I'm not crazy). Strangely, the part is $8.75 there, shipping only $4, but they can't ship to Canada. Call Whirlpool again, they say there's a big parts warehouse in Missisauga where I can walk in and pick it up (they have it in stock). Gave me the address, but refused to give me the phone number. Ya'll remember, Missisauga is where I got miserably lost in trying to find customs. Figuring he's just being a jerk, I call back and again am told they cannot give me a number. If I get lost, they advise me to simply call them. 2 problems with that 1) there's always 10 minutes waiting until you reach someone 2) They are in a call center god knows where, I can't really say I'm at the corner of Main and Finch, how to I get there? Her answer was maybe I'll get lucky and speak with someone who knows the area!
So, my 1 phone call get a $6 part the next day has been over a week and over 2 hours of my time, and no part. Just like my dealings with Rogers and other companies, people are courteous, but not really interested in helping. Guess I'll just need to get used to it.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Culture Shock
So, yesterday morning I relax - it's a lazy Saturday morning. I sleep in, do some more rearranging of the house, set out to run my errands around 3:00. Unbeknownst to me, EVERYTHING closes at 6:00 on Saturday. I mean everything - all the stores, even the mall! The mall! 6:00 on Saturday. It closes at 9 during the week. So, I had to go home, my errands half done. I did finish the hall shelves and clear out 3 more big boxes. I put up the knife magnet and towel racks in the bathroom. Will put in the medicine cabinet today and see if I can get someone to help me with the mirror. I did not go dancing as planned and I got busy going the stuff around the house. Need to go to the hottub again. I miss Gary
Friday, June 1, 2007
Mom, decorating, money
Mom was here Sunday through Tuesday. We had a great time. I tried to strike a balance between working and seeing Toronto, but we definitely did more working than sightseeing. Although we did 2 long walks and ate dinner in Chinatown. Does staring out my window count as sightseeing?
We organized, rearranged the living room, painted the bathroom (thanks Mom!), installed my spice racks, put pictures up on the walls, and did more sorting and putting away. The place looks great!
We also went shopping for window coverings. I found the PERFECT shades. I LOVE them! Imagine 2 sheers with fabric blinds in between them. Open they're sheers, closed blinds. Awesome. Well, there's $500 a window. Yikes! I have 16 windows. I expected expensive, but not that expensive. I think I'm going blind shopping this weekend to see what else I can find.
I did the ballroom dance class last night. 2 1/2 hours of class and open dancing, and there were single guys there to dance with. Ok, 2 guys, 1 shorter than me, the other 70. But I had fun. I need to decide if I'm going swing dancing tonight, ballroom party tomorrow, swing tomorrow. It's nice to have such dilemmas.
I found the best place to change money. Well, Zanne actually found it for me. It's called Custom House and they're at http://www.customhouse.com/ They are the NICEST, FRIENDLIEST, MOST HELPFUL people I have met in Canada. I had problems transferring money into my account this week and they went out of their way to get it in there by today, when my first mortgage payment comes out. Everyone in the company knew me and my situation and worked to solve it. I cannot say enough good things about them.
The heat index was 96 here yesterday, so I'm not worried about freezing quite yet.
We organized, rearranged the living room, painted the bathroom (thanks Mom!), installed my spice racks, put pictures up on the walls, and did more sorting and putting away. The place looks great!
We also went shopping for window coverings. I found the PERFECT shades. I LOVE them! Imagine 2 sheers with fabric blinds in between them. Open they're sheers, closed blinds. Awesome. Well, there's $500 a window. Yikes! I have 16 windows. I expected expensive, but not that expensive. I think I'm going blind shopping this weekend to see what else I can find.
I did the ballroom dance class last night. 2 1/2 hours of class and open dancing, and there were single guys there to dance with. Ok, 2 guys, 1 shorter than me, the other 70. But I had fun. I need to decide if I'm going swing dancing tonight, ballroom party tomorrow, swing tomorrow. It's nice to have such dilemmas.
I found the best place to change money. Well, Zanne actually found it for me. It's called Custom House and they're at http://www.customhouse.com/ They are the NICEST, FRIENDLIEST, MOST HELPFUL people I have met in Canada. I had problems transferring money into my account this week and they went out of their way to get it in there by today, when my first mortgage payment comes out. Everyone in the company knew me and my situation and worked to solve it. I cannot say enough good things about them.
The heat index was 96 here yesterday, so I'm not worried about freezing quite yet.
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