Tomes to Travel Through with Miz Moffatt

Lo, the crush of recent experience leads to an epic collection of stories from the city and stories from the suburbs to divulge. I chose the image of archaic tomes for a reason -- the narrative for the past week can only be measured against the thick, dense ramblings of weighted texts.

In a nutshell: OH dear goodness, I have crammed a whole lot of life into a meagre span of time.

Hence, point form updates will be called upon to breeze through these stories for posterity's sake:

Thursday, June 17/10

• Booked it into Toronto post-work to catch Ship Sharp's latest directorial project. She took the helm of the Fly By Night (FBN) Theatre Company's performance of Dog Sees God at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (165 Front Street). The verdict: AMAZING (as per usual). Perfect casting, compelling performances from all cast members, and clever choices made by Ship Sharp herself. The Advocate and I shared a giggle over the mannerisms this cast adopted from Ship Sharp -- also amused over the random "Bad Romance" outbreak that shared eerie similarities to our own group's tendencies....
• Fell in love with city life all over again, even in the presence of the infamous G8/G20 fence marring the front steps of Union Station. Dazzled with street lights, pulsing with the lives around me -- I belong there. I decree it now.

Friday, June 18/10

• First off: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, O'NEILL! Cheers to another brilliant year for a brooding gentleman.
• Accompanied The Advocate to the graduation party of her close friend/fellow Pilgrim. Headed out to Moxie's for a night of carousing and catching-up. Broke out into songs from the Simpsons more than once, discussed manga and/or violent anime more than once, too. Devoured a massive, knee-weakening, and delicious plate of nachos with The Advocate. Alas, no beer and breakfast, though cheese-smothered chips are a close favourite as well. Called it an early evening to prepare for a Toronto-based adventure to RULE THEM ALL.

Saturday, June 19/10

• Started with two plans in mind: Visit the Toronto Small Press Book Fair at The Great Hall (1087 Queen St. West) and find a black dress for The Advocate in time for next week's alumni chamber choir performance. All other activities and adventures were ours to choose.
• First off: The Advocate and I + Gorgeous, old building + Ample selections of zines, chapbooks, and other indie lit = COMBO FOR EXCESSIVE, EXCITABLE COMBUSTION. We talked with each vendor, poured over their work, and made the difficult decision to limit our purchases (as best as possible, of course). Imagine it: local writers and small presses selling their work for an average of $10 or less. Hot discoveries include: a how-to guide for zine-making, a first collection of poetry by an author who has all but fallen off the face of the Earth (according to her press), and an alternative version of Toronto where a housing market crash creates a city ruled by warring factions of artists. INTENSE.
• With the sun splitting the clouds and a warm afternoon in front of us, The Advocate and I decided to walk the entire stretch of Queen St. West to Younge St. Yes. We were that giddy on Saturday. And oh, what adventures we found.
• Surprised a high school friend at his current job. "Excuse me, would you happen to have Labyrinth in?" Ah, it was such a perfect and genuine reaction of surprise. I love that our high school created such long-lasting bonds between us all. Also: Need to get our grade 11 flick, Sickle Hand, up on YouTube. Serious. I would link to it from here.
• Stumbled across Nadege Patisserie (780 Queen St. W.) for lunch. Our noses led us to a gorgeous selection of gourmet treats, colourful macaroons, and lavish sandwiches to pine after. I opted for a grilled veggie sandwich with brie and pesto while The Advocate selected a delicate, posh ham sandwich. Nadege has a cool, Parisian atmosphere with an attentive and relaxed staff. With their treats lit under glass cases, it felt like gazing in on jewelry. We ate al fresco at Trinity-Bellwoods Park and pondered over the contestants of an Amazing Race-style activity (partners were helping one another cross a tight-rope...?)

• It was a crush of images all after that: Sanko Japanese Market (730 Queen St. West) with the delicious, Kirin iced tea I first had while visiting a friend in Japan; discovering the Red Tea Box (696 Queen St. West) with a Mad Hatter's selection of treats (all poised for a future trek into the city); a random storefront with half-naked women dancing in the windows (though I believe I know what the "store" was about); accidentally stumbled through a crowd in front of Much Music, all awaiting the presence of *Shudder* Justin Bieber *Shudder, shudder*; Laughed over the oddities found in stores catering to the antiques crowd (so many mannequins, so many gaudy and matching lamps); Popped into the Silver Snail (367 Queen St. W.) to take a quick spin through the manga section.
• We trekked through stand-alone stores and through the Eaton's Centre to find a black dress to fit the strict guidelines of The Advocate's chamber choir ensemble. Esprit holds the key, it appears. Also caught sight of the Silver Elvis doing his thing in front of the mall's entrance.

• Once at Younge Street, we parted ways for the evening. I made it to Union station with moments to spare before the GO Train doors slid closed on another Toronto trek. Ah, that city. I need to roam its streets more often. I know I've missed out on detailing all these moments from Saturday, but, seriously, we took in a LOT of the scene. We covered a 4 KM stretch of the downtown core and managed to find material for, oh.... at least four future trips to Toronto. Case and point: we need to move downtown. Ah, I felt so sparkly and amazing all night. This is definitely something we will need to do again.

Sunday, June 20/10

• More celebrations to be had: Lil' brother turned 21 (staggering -- I feel so ancient by proxy, now) and also high-fived Dad for Father's Day. Spent the morning running a few small trips to get food-based gifts for the menfolk and reveling in the gorgeous weather.
• Went to the local, suburban mall to find a new tea store opened just on Saturday. As a self-professed tea loon, I was thrilled with the new proximity to premium loose leaf. But, the kicker? Apparently you must be an incredibly attractive woman to work there. I am so returning to this store as soon as possible. Readers: If I know you personally, I am stating now that I will drag you to this location once you are in my grasp. Serious, mark the calendar.
• Spent the afternoon in full relaxation mode, revolving the idea of a zine or a more professional, self-published work through my mind. I think the world needs more confessional sci fi, don't you?

Monday, June 21/10

• Work = Tedious, maddening, exhausting. Dreamt of writing and publishing for the entire shift, imagined what a future surrounded by the arts and with other writers would look like. Yes, I had a head full of dreams with me.
• Instant uplift: O'Neill called. Launched into another of our epic, catch-up phone conversations. I find it amusing how blunt we can be, especially when it comes to queer topics. Or, perhaps "candid" is the more posh-sounding term. In either case, I think we were both able to give voice to the stresses of our current situations and we even got some gossip in about idealized crushes and all the fun stuff. Fingers crossed that the kid can come visit this weekend -- there needs to be a personal summit with O'Neill, The Advocate, Ship Sharp and I. It'll be edgier and cooler than the hype surrounding the G8/G20 combined, just you wait.

Tuesday, June 22/10

• Met up with Ladies in Writing for another rousing night of self-penned stories, book reviews, political discussion, and goal-setting. I know, all that in two hours. Since our regular note-taker was absent, the group voted I take the minutes and send out the e-mail to the rest of the ladies who could not attend. Louise told me my writing is "outrageous," in the best possible way. More that I come out with twisted, amusing plots as opposed to offensive, disturbing content. Ha, I was over the moon with that one considering Louise is a brilliant writer herself.
• MUST. WRITE. MORE.

***

So, as I said, it's been a week where I out-hustled the bustle. I've hit the right stride in seven days and I want to hold on to it. With summer bursting down the doors, it is about time I get out there and explore with those nearest and dearest to me.

I can sense the adventure out there -- let's see how much I can capture in the next few weeks, shall we?

Housewarming with an Accent of Drama

Remember a few months ago how I had that awkward Facebook run-in with a friend of a friend? Where she thought I was hitting on her when I was just looking to meet other ladies to hit the lady-lovin' scene with? Remember how I learned clarification = being an adult?

Well. Said friend had a housewarming get-together last night.

I met this girl.

... And the awkwardness of the moment was so stunning it almost circled back to being refreshing.

But the kicker? ...... I was the non-awkward one. Yeah. Despite her initial misinterpretation of me and my intentions, I was calm. I mean, I didn't waltz up to her and introduce myself -- Kyle C. was clever and lured her into the kitchen with the promise of a fresh drink while Ship Sharp and I happened to be chatting there. When I shook hands with her, I was almost tempted to say I was "that creeper from Facebook," but the look pulsing in her eyes let me know she knew exactly who I was.

It's unfortunate to see a potential friendship fizzle out before it even has the chance to grow, though. Under different circumstances, I bet we would have hit it off and impressed quite a few foxy femmes across Toronto's queer scene. Alas, such is the fickleness of online introductions.

And Ship Sharp can vouch for me that I handled the situation in a cool, adult sort of way. A+, Moffatt girl.

As for the housewarming, it was delightful. The Kyles have a gorgeous new condo just on the fringes of the downtown core. Pure posh, those lads are. The gents were flooded with a whole new wine collection from their guests, Ship Sharp and I included. I have to note: it's such a welcome change to talk queer with Kyle S. We went to high school together and he was one of the first people I hung out with in grade nine. We were both so heavily closeted as young'uns, though he came out years before I did. But yeah, just getting the chance to make the jokes about our younger selves and to understand where each other is now coming from is a great place to be with someone.

Ship Sharp and I left at around 10 PM and carried on our own after-party chez Ship (RE: Tea-infused discussions about writing/writers we admire, books-to-film, and other intellectual endeavors). I realized this morning how much I miss talking shop like that. I mean, I know I'm a member of Ladies in Writing, but we don't discuss professional writers with the kind of detail Ship Sharp and I did last night. I tell you, tea brings out the absolute best in people and inspires the greatest conversation. I would argue it's a better social lubricant than alcohol, even. Yes, you just read that. And yes, I am a nerd.

On that note, I'm off for another evening with Ship Sharp and The Advocate before a work-intensive week starts anew.

Tea Parties with the Cuz

Right -- this update is another week late. I've had a number of post ideas buzzing about my brain during the past seven days, so I'll be playing a touch of catch-up as a result.

On Sunday, August 16, I had my Cousin over for an epic tea party/film fest/fan fiction memory tour that turned out to be a brilliant afternoon/evening.

She spent the week here in our hometown, a brief break from the translation world of Ottawa, ON. As I referenced in an earlier post, I decided to throw all my energy into the menu I prepared for our tea party.

Thought I should share the items with you all, just in case you're planning a quiet get together and brewing a pot of delicious tea with a friend.

Epic, Tea Deluxe Menu

• Rosemary Butter Cucumber Sandwiches
• Dill-Basil Cream Cheese Cucumber Sandwiches
• Avocado and Black Bean Hummus Rolls
• Shish Kabobs with an Asian-Inspired Orange Sauce
• Bruschetta
• Maple/Oatmeal/Red Currant Scones
• Caesar Salad (with some homemade croutons)
• Graham Cracker Dessert Squares: One of them was a little strawberry cheesecake square and the other was a rocky road square)

Am I awesome, or what? It was entirely too much food for two people to eat, but my family sampled quite a few of the items and folks seemed to agree that it was a success. I'm always nervous to cook for people. I mean, I cook for myself all the time (it comes with the territory of being the only vegetarian in the house), but for others...? I'm always nervous of negative responses, especially from the meat enthusiasts of the world. But yeah, I got favorable reactions from the lot of 'em. 

My Cousin told me she thinks I found my calling in life -- a caterer for large-scale events. I think I've got the enthusiasm for food, for sure. But I certainly do not have the draw to go through culinary school or anything of that ilk. As for entertaining friends, I'm thrilled to start exploring this area. And heck, who can turn down a tea party?

Had an excellent time with my Cousin overall. We watched Help! starring the Beatles, our favorite episode of M*A*S*H* ("The Smell of Music"), a selection of Monty Python episodes, and a handful of Harvey Birdman clips. 

And OH, the fan fiction. When we were thirteen-years-old, we actually wrote M*A*S*H* fan fiction. I mean, I know I've always been a nerd, it's just amazing to see how far back it actually spanned. We even wrote M*A*S*H*-themed dialogues for our grade school French classes. 

Mmm hmm.

We had another evening full of writing and tea on Friday, August 21, while the boys of our family had their band practice. (Oh, yeah, FYI -- my Dad, my brother, my uncle, and my other cousin are all in a band together and play at charity events across the GTA. Hey, I wasn't joking when I said music is in my genetic code.)

It was refreshing and inspired me (yet again) to pick up a pen or take to my laptop with a new writing fury. I think that might explain the two entries from this very day.

***

P.S. -- I re-branded my blog. I found "Queer in Canada" was a little... broad, perhaps. I'm still open to trying new titles, not quite sure what will fit best. I like the sound of "Cute, Queer, Canadian," though. We shall see.