Winter fun!

A January trip to New York City meant meeting a few friends, some online connections, some not...To the right is Bettina.  We'd had lunch at The Spotted Pig in Greenwich Village, where this picture was taken....a massive burger that neither of us could finish.  Bettina graciously took Monday off to visit, after a weekend of skiing in Vermont with the New York Swiss Ski Club. We tried to make a ski weekend work for both of us but we could never quite get in sync. Next year!  After a long walk through the Meatpacking District and along the new High Line Park she patiently waited for me while I sorted out my return ticket fiasco.  Thanks again girl, and I hope all visa issues are soon sorted out; Dumbo just wouldn't be the same without you

Although, I didn't get a pic with her, I met up with Heather from the Break-Up Cookbook.  We had coffee at Tazza on Henry St, in Brooklyn Heights, and did what women do the first time they meet: shared the pain of lost love! I came home and cooked my favourite Thai meatballs, picture and all, and have yet to submit it to her site because the sauce in the pic is a pukey orange colour.  See.....

The other major cool event of the weekend, where people are concerned involved a double date, set up by Mr Claude.  He and his wife Martha, introduced me to Rex.  I won't bore you with all the gory details, suffice it to say that once again the food and company were wonderful!  Rex is a regular at a place called the Noodle Pudding and they treated us like royalty.  We waddled out of there and over to Jack the Horse Tavern for a drink and great conversation.

Throughout the weekend, I went to see Placido Domingo in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at The Metropolitan Opera.....wow, just wow....that's as deep as I can get.  Saw an Off-Broadway production of Our Town 3.5/5 and Earnest in Love 5/5, ate or had a drink at One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Cafe Loup, and bought more used books on Atlantic Ave.  The rest of my time was spent walking across the Brooklyn Bridge between Dumbo and Greenwich, and pretending like I lived there!

Before and after NYC, were visits to Rhode Island to see my sister and her family.  Rachel and I got to have fries at McDonald's, go to Chuck E Cheese and I was asked to be Matthew's Godmother. We had great chats and it was nice to spend time with my sis and her babies!

Early in March, Cantabile Choirs had the privilege of hosting, Mr Bob Chilcott for our 2010 concert series. After a beer at The Pilot House, it was decided that I should indulge Bob's appetite the next day, for sushi. So we did just that, and I had the pleasure of getting to know Bob, and of hearing his many experiences conducting choirs around the world, primarily with youth singers. The boys also got to spend time with him, and to get to know him on a level that cannot happen during rehearsals. It was indeed a special honour for all of us, and I hope, the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

During the March Break this year, we went skiing in Mont Tremblant.  Good time was had by all!  It was great weather 5-11C the highs every day, and morning skiing was awesome.  You will see from the picture that Ben broke his clavicle on his first day out.  As I visited the medical centre and drove by Quintessence, it was hard not to remember the tragic accident of Natasha Richardson there one year ago. 

Coasting into September

I’ve decided to be a brunette for a while: whatdya think?

Labour Day weekend here in Canada…and oh, what a lovely one it is. How could you ask for better weather than this: 23-26C, not a cloud in the sky, and a slight breeze.

The students are back in town!! I live on a busy street and I would guess that about 200 students walked by today, some are frosh on their escapades, others are just moving in today. Parents try in vain to park as well as get in and out of driveways on a busy street, many people stop to ask where the LCBO and grocery store are located. There’s a bustle in the air that hasn’t been here since this time last year. My new tenant has moved in now, and set the alarm off twice cooking toast, so she is going to run the fan on the stove when she uses the toaster. Because it’s hard-wired into the alarm system and offers carbon monoxide detection, we cannot disable it. She is here doing a Master’s in Science but that’s all I really know. We met today for the first time because my assistant signed the lease with her when I was in Ireland in May, so we’d only ever gone back and forth by email and texting.

Franklin, the pup is lying beside me as a chicken is roasting in the oven for dinner. It’s just Ben and I for dinner. Graham is up at the Malcolm’s cottage until tomorrow evening, having fun with his buds and fishing til his heart’s content! He is finding our transition difficult. The prospects of having to move away from his friends and leave his home and all the changes have now sunk in; it’s making life a bit sad for him right now. He let it all out on Friday, which is how I know all of this. I said many things but will share that I told him we have to hug each other every day!

Ben has worked around the two properties downtown as part of working off his debt to me. Last weekend, he organized a band concert that was not well attended. He didn’t break even, so his mom bailed him out for the amount he owed the sound equipment folks, and now he is working off his debt. Hopefully, he learned a lesson about timing of the event and who his target audience is for future events.

Shelley and I are off to NYC on Friday morning for a four day getaway to celebrate my birthday. Not much is planned but we are getting together on Tuesday evening to get a few things finalized and a reservation or two booked in for nice places to eat. I will take some time after this post to do theatre research. I have had a few recommendations from colleagues, and we are both trying to be fiscally responsible since they are looking to move and I have to adjust my travelling habits. Hopefully, I will find time in a Brooklyn Heights café, near where we are staying, to write a note or two while I’m there and post it for you.

Hugs, Steph