Perfection In A Pint

Oh, St. Patrick's Day -- I marvel at the crazies you draw out from across the city. The lure of green-tinted beer, potato-based meals, and emerald-clad twenty-somethings is too overwhelming for the questionable quarter of the populace.

(Wow, enough dashes used in that last sentence, huh?)

Now, before I sound all removed from the festivities, I admit -- I was in the centre of the madness. Or, rather, our crew dodged the mad core and discovered our own bit of Irish-themed fun. I was decked out in the vibrant green button-up that tends to draw compliments from friends and strangers alike and had a sweet excursion to Toronto overall.

I wasn't a reveler the whole time, of course. I was downtown for 6 PM on account of a volunteer orientation meeting at the Harbourfront Centre. It's one of the cultural and artistic hubs of Toronto and, well -- I want to get in on that. Local bookworms will know the Centre for its epic International Festival of Authors event in the fall, featuring Canada's finest writers in addition to fantastic authors from around the world. As I said, I want to get in on that. Even if it means clearing plates for Margaret Atwood, I want to get in on that.

Alas, the meeting went far longer than expected. I was set to meet The Advocate for 7 PM and ended up arriving an hour later. Horrific. The meeting was informative and cleared up a number of questions I harboured. And, heck, we even got a tour of the area. Still, I felt like a cad for keeping The Advocate waiting. I know she ~steeped~ herself in three cups worth of tea at her old tea haunt, but I was cad nonetheless.

After we joined forces, we attempted to gain entrance to The James Joyce Pub. Note to Readers: Entrance to an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day is going to be impossible. And expensive. We learned this the hard way.

The Advocate scored a free t-shirt from the pub while we waited in line. Then we discovered it was a Bud Light shirt. *Shudder* I suggested she throw it into a cab window as one drove past, but she found an unsuspecting bicycle basket to "donate" it to. Oh, word.

Quote of the Night: Miz Moffatt: BOOMER! OMG! ..... You're a Cylon.

(I recently got sucked into the world of Battlestar Galactica, so, prepare for future posts as I delve further into it. I give you ample warning.)

We waited in the line for.... one and a half hours? It was an entertaining wait, for sure. I find I have the most fun while waiting for the scheduled fun to occur. Weird. Anyhow, the bouncer was letting all these random people pass through the door who hadn't been waiting in line. Then, as The Advocate and I were about to go in, we discovered there was a cover charge.... OF 10 DOLLARS. WHAT?! Are you for serious, James Joyce Pub? More like... LAMES Joyce Pub. *Smug at her horrible insult*

We ditched that scene.

New Plan: Red Room. (Alas, there's no website to link to.) It was an excellent location with a delicious array of food, all for decent, student-friendly prices. We met up with The Advocate's Boy as he was exiting a streetcar. We had time on our side from that point on, it seemed. (P.S. -- Advocate, if you are reading this, we are in need of a nickname for your gent. I need an Advocate-approved name, methinks).

We scored our green beer at the Red Room -- in actuality, it was beer with blue food colouring added to it. It didn't quite blend with the beer, but heck -- it was green enough. Beer is beer, which means it is good in all forms. The Advocate and I dove into some premium breakfast plates (since beer and breakfast are flawless partners). The Advocate's Boy went global with a Pad Thai dish. Get this: three meals, one pitcher of beer, and two additional pints = $45. Serious, it's awesome pricing there.

We were all quite silly for the night. The Advocate's Boy performed a few of James Joyce's smut-filled letters with a genuine Irish accent. I find it impressive that what was once a disturbing collection of letters is rendered impish once read with an Irish accent. I know, it's a powerful accent. I'm still curious to know Nora Barnacle's responses to this... literature. Ah, lost letters -- the curse of all historians. We brainstormed theatre ideas for these letters, too. Oh, ho, the potential therein.

We headed back earlier this time around (1 AM!) and The Advocate and I meandered through another late-night, tea-induced conversation about whatever we could think of. Those are the greatest conversations, I would argue. People become more honest past midnight and tea tends to loosen those hidden concerns. So, there -- tea confidantes include O'Neill and The Advocate. Soon, all friends I know shall be converted.

So yes, all in all, a splendid night. It was one of those gems we should all strive for. And if green beer is involved, then all the better.

***

PARALYMPIC UPDATE:

Wowwowwow -- Team Canada has doubled the medal count since I last updated this blog. We are up to 12 medals now and the excitement keeps right on building in Vancouver:

• Viviane Forest, Alpine-Skiing - Women's Giant Slalom, Visually Impaired (Bronze, March 16)
• Lauren Woolstencroft, Alpine-Skiing - Women's Giant Slalom, Standing (Gold, March 17)
• Brian McKeever, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 10KM Classic, Visually Impaired (Gold, March 18)
• Colette Bourgonje, Cross-Country Skiing - Women's 5KM, Sitting (Bronze, March 18)
• Lauren Woolstencroft, Alpine-Skiing - Women's Downhill, Standing (Gold, March 18)
• Viviane Forest, Alpine-Skiing - Women's Downhill, Visually Impaired (Gold, March 18)

Check it out, Canadian athletes are taking multiple medals at the 2010 Games. And again, I return to the same question: Why are we not seeing coverage of these events? I've gotten updates on medal scores via the local evening news (to a degree) and through the Vancouver 2010 website. But, what about clips, people? We've had stunning performances that should be seen and celebrated, especially considering we've got key athletes owning that elusive medals podium. Methinks some athlete profiles are needed for the ol' blog. More to come!

Thanksgivin'

And a Happy Thanksgivin' to all the Canadian kids out there. Mmm, long weekend -- sadly, mine was disrupted by a rather nasty cold. In fact, I had to miss the official Thanksgiving dinner due to intense sinus pain. 

*Sob* 

I guess I can't be too upset, though -- as a vegetarian, dinners like these are lost on me. Especially since I also don't like pie. I'm just an anti-Thanksgiving dinner kind of gal, I suppose. 

Regardless, covering yourself in Vicks vapo-rub and sitting down to fried eggs and hours of Torchwood all alone is not the best way to spend the long weekend. Alas.

On a lighter note, I spent Friday evening in the company of my closest companions for our pre-Oktoberfest celebration. 

OH LORD. 

Note to all readers: Never allow me, The Advocate, and The Aussie into the LCBO when we are on a mission for beer. I have the feeling that, between the three of us, we spent about $50 on individual cans of that sweet, golden brew. Our goal was to cover as many nations as possible with a particular emphasis on Germanic labels. I picked up some Carlsberg (Denmark), Sapporo (Japan), Newcastle (Scotland), and a German beer whose name eludes me at the moment. The Aussie more or less cleaned out the rest of the cans in the LCBO. (Alright, maybe that's an exaggeration -- The Advocate and I got our silly selves in there, too).

Ship Sharp had to leave us for a clubbin' night she had agreed to earlier in the week. It was raining all day on Friday and the thought of heading to the T.dot for dancing was definitely not high on her list. But, she bought some Yellow Tail sparkling wine, so I think the pre-drink helped her out a bit.

Napoleon dropped by later for some drunken amusement combined with some excellent film choices on our part. I tell you, I love Labyrinth and David Bowie's role as the Goblin King, Jareth, but drunkness seems to enhance the overall awesomeness of said film. My Advocate and I sang/shouted a number of the songs throughout the viewing and I managed to quote large sections of the script despite my inebriation. AND, I finally got to see Shaun of the Dead which I thoroughly loved (even if the beer was causing me to nod off during the last twenty minutes).

The cold started settling in on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday, I felt as though someone had been punching me in the face all weekend. At the moment, I'm improving somewhat and am breathing a little easier. It's been a quiet day overall which is always good for the soul.

Hope you Canadian kids had a great long weekend, and I hope all the American kids are still enjoying the afterglow of the National Equality March this weekend. I LOVE the fact that an ACTUAL rainbow appeared over the Washington, D.C. skies on the day of the march -- I mean, if that's not a sign from the Universe, then I obviously don't get out nearly enough.