Friday, August 17, 2007
Another Elbows ?!?
An 8 year girl in my art class told me today (in a kid style helium voice) - "I was at a birthday party and there was a Mad Scientist who looked just like you and he had the same name as you." She was deadly serious. She didn't think we were the same person. In her world I bet there are loads of Elbowses who entertain children for a living.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Some pics of Ottawa
The bookstore that was open at 10 at night.
The Zen Meditation Centre on Brad's street.Thursday, August 02, 2007
My visit to Ottawa
My barely planned trip to Ottawa was better than I had expected.
It took a little planning to ensure my numerous employers all could do without me at the same time. The Mansion House is easy enough to clean in the summer, as most people go to Port Dalhousie to drink in the summer. However, after I'd scheduled time off at the Mansion, the S. C. E. N. E. Music Festival switched its schedule to coincide with my time off. The owners said "No problem" as I'd given them lots of notice. Good thing too, what with their new sponsor M-frikkin-TV!
My art camps and Mad Science were easy enough to schedule, so all I had to do was decide where to go. I chose to get round-trip VIA tickets to Ottawa.
I left the day after my birthday. There was a bit of tension the week before I left because the C. A. W. proposed a strike for the week I would be away, but they all came to some sort of agreement.
Kim had made macaroni and cheese for my birthday dinner, and she packed some leftovers for the trip. Major points scored there. I also brought my single cup drip coffee maker and a bag of coffee, as well as a thermos of cold mint tea, and a hot thermos of green tea with honey. I also packed fresh vegetables in wee plastic containers. My plan was to keep costs down. Some folks asked me if it wouldn't have been cheaper to drive - but you can't snack and read Harry Potter while driving on the 401. I drive all the time for Mad Science anyway.
I brought 4 bottles of vegan wine for my host as well. Brad is an old roommate, who now owns a mobile vegan cookie bakery in Ottawa. He paid for 2 bottles as an anniversary present for his girtlfriend. I got 2 varities they couldn't get in the liquor store. That's a bonus of living in the Wine Country.
Kim drove me in the morning after taking her daughter to rowing practice. The train ride was so smooth. I was shown how to operate the emergency exits in case of an emergency. You may now consider me an expert on the matter. Three quarters of the people on the train were also reading, but only 2 others were reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The train arrived in Ottawa after stopping for an hour in Union Station. (I was shown how to operate the emergency exits a second time.) Brad was waiting at the station and took me for a ride in the van! He lives at the end of Daly near the river, so after taking the wine and luggage up to his apartment, we walked to Downtown ottawa.
One of the first things I noticed was a Zen Meditation Centre on the way. That boded well.
Brad walked me through the Market and the Arts Centres. He raises money for Arts Centres with an organization he created called World Beats and Eats. Everywhere was "Hey Brad". After a little walking tour he and I met up with Mike, another old roommie and after a beer, Brad had to bail. Something about getting up in the morning to bake cookies. Mike walked me to his apartment to meet Kayla, his lady, and then I walked back to Brad's. On the way, I found a bookstore on Rideau that was still open at 10 in the evening. I picked up 2 books, one on Basho and Zen, the other on Zen sesshin. I was totally impressed.
Thursday was all about walking to the Rideau locks under the Parliament Buildings, and the National Gallery. I bought a disposable camera at the Canal, so hopefully some of the pics turn out. The Gallery took hours as well. I have to go back. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant, and soooo good.
Friday I shopped the market for souvenirs, and then walked over the bridge to Gatineau and the Museum of Civilization. This time I had a vegetarian pizza and saw a display of slow motion martial arts called Dendo. The group clapped hands and chanted while the leader played a single string bow guitar thingy. Pairs of students would spar in the centre, doing rolling handstands, attempting to occupy their partners space. They passed the bowl around once while I was there.
I got some great stuff at the market - one stall was selling homemade funny fridge magnets, another was selling little sakyamuni statues, and another had fair trade goods from the Himalayas. I spent a good three hours there.
The trip home will be memorable if only for the other people on the trains. The seats in front of me were filled with a family from Northern Alberta. A young girl, nine-ish, was playing cat's cradle and decided that another young girl, nine-ish, and down the aisle also needed to learn. That family seemed to be Lebanese. The Lebanese mother seemed so thrilled to have this to do with her daughter. Even the father got involved. When we had the stopover at Union Station, the Alberta Family had continued on their journey, but the Lebanese family stayed in my line. The Lebanese daughter was working on teaching her 6-7 year old brother to play.
It took a little planning to ensure my numerous employers all could do without me at the same time. The Mansion House is easy enough to clean in the summer, as most people go to Port Dalhousie to drink in the summer. However, after I'd scheduled time off at the Mansion, the S. C. E. N. E. Music Festival switched its schedule to coincide with my time off. The owners said "No problem" as I'd given them lots of notice. Good thing too, what with their new sponsor M-frikkin-TV!
My art camps and Mad Science were easy enough to schedule, so all I had to do was decide where to go. I chose to get round-trip VIA tickets to Ottawa.
I left the day after my birthday. There was a bit of tension the week before I left because the C. A. W. proposed a strike for the week I would be away, but they all came to some sort of agreement.
Kim had made macaroni and cheese for my birthday dinner, and she packed some leftovers for the trip. Major points scored there. I also brought my single cup drip coffee maker and a bag of coffee, as well as a thermos of cold mint tea, and a hot thermos of green tea with honey. I also packed fresh vegetables in wee plastic containers. My plan was to keep costs down. Some folks asked me if it wouldn't have been cheaper to drive - but you can't snack and read Harry Potter while driving on the 401. I drive all the time for Mad Science anyway.
I brought 4 bottles of vegan wine for my host as well. Brad is an old roommate, who now owns a mobile vegan cookie bakery in Ottawa. He paid for 2 bottles as an anniversary present for his girtlfriend. I got 2 varities they couldn't get in the liquor store. That's a bonus of living in the Wine Country.
Kim drove me in the morning after taking her daughter to rowing practice. The train ride was so smooth. I was shown how to operate the emergency exits in case of an emergency. You may now consider me an expert on the matter. Three quarters of the people on the train were also reading, but only 2 others were reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The train arrived in Ottawa after stopping for an hour in Union Station. (I was shown how to operate the emergency exits a second time.) Brad was waiting at the station and took me for a ride in the van! He lives at the end of Daly near the river, so after taking the wine and luggage up to his apartment, we walked to Downtown ottawa.
One of the first things I noticed was a Zen Meditation Centre on the way. That boded well.
Brad walked me through the Market and the Arts Centres. He raises money for Arts Centres with an organization he created called World Beats and Eats. Everywhere was "Hey Brad". After a little walking tour he and I met up with Mike, another old roommie and after a beer, Brad had to bail. Something about getting up in the morning to bake cookies. Mike walked me to his apartment to meet Kayla, his lady, and then I walked back to Brad's. On the way, I found a bookstore on Rideau that was still open at 10 in the evening. I picked up 2 books, one on Basho and Zen, the other on Zen sesshin. I was totally impressed.
Thursday was all about walking to the Rideau locks under the Parliament Buildings, and the National Gallery. I bought a disposable camera at the Canal, so hopefully some of the pics turn out. The Gallery took hours as well. I have to go back. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant, and soooo good.
Friday I shopped the market for souvenirs, and then walked over the bridge to Gatineau and the Museum of Civilization. This time I had a vegetarian pizza and saw a display of slow motion martial arts called Dendo. The group clapped hands and chanted while the leader played a single string bow guitar thingy. Pairs of students would spar in the centre, doing rolling handstands, attempting to occupy their partners space. They passed the bowl around once while I was there.
I got some great stuff at the market - one stall was selling homemade funny fridge magnets, another was selling little sakyamuni statues, and another had fair trade goods from the Himalayas. I spent a good three hours there.
The trip home will be memorable if only for the other people on the trains. The seats in front of me were filled with a family from Northern Alberta. A young girl, nine-ish, was playing cat's cradle and decided that another young girl, nine-ish, and down the aisle also needed to learn. That family seemed to be Lebanese. The Lebanese mother seemed so thrilled to have this to do with her daughter. Even the father got involved. When we had the stopover at Union Station, the Alberta Family had continued on their journey, but the Lebanese family stayed in my line. The Lebanese daughter was working on teaching her 6-7 year old brother to play.
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