March 06, 2007

Cheerleader! So-and-so! Whatsherface! THE UGLY ONE!

Ok, here’s the post I’ve been meaning to write. This weekend was AMAZING. It felt soooo good to be back in Toronto. A couple people asked me if it was weird to be back at U of T and Vic, but honestly it felt completely natural. Really its only been 6 months since I lived there and it felt like being at home, especially since I was staying with Pyweon at Stevie Ho. I’m sure when my parent’s read this (since they’re not taking the hint that I don’t want them to read my blog, or rather my mom doesn’t care) they might be a little disappointed to find that Toronto feels like home to me, but that’s how it goes. I still have friends living in the T dot and not so much in the Sound.

My train from our nation’s capital to our province’s was a little brutal because it was delayed over 2 and a half hours. We had to pull over and let CN freight trains go by a bunch of times, which I find really irritating because the point of the train is that you don’t have to deal with traffic, but now I see the error in my view. Also there was a big freight train derailment between Oshawa and Toronto which they told us would mean a bus ride from Oshawa onwards, but we were so delayed before that that they had cleaned up the track enough to let us go through. Poor Dinah was waiting for me at Union the whole time, she’s such a good friend.

A food recap of the week: Friday night sushi, including bento box and extra sushi – we were really stuffed and, as a result, ditched Pyweon. Saturday brunch was breakfast tacos at this place called Aunties and Uncles near College and Bathurst with my favourite journalist. Then sunch, or lupper at Spring Rolls with Tofu Eggplant Schezwan (sp), who, disappointingly, did not have the irresistibly addictive shanghai noodles that day. Saturday night was nachos and Sunday lunch was veggie Pad Thai from the Friendly Thai on Younge. All very good, all sufficiently cheap.

Ottawa is officially boring, and I know people will be tempted to tell me that I just need to get over Toronto and appreciate the more small town feeling of Ottawa, but if you’re one of those people I’m going to tell you you’re full of it. Toronto is sparkly, and fun, and has way more cheap food and better places to go to and down town even looks more exciting, even if you’re not doing anything. I also know TO a lot better and have more friends there, but even campus is cooler with better ivy covered buildings and that large institutional look. But I’ll deal with Ottawa for now, since I’m moving to Montreal in August…..

And yes, Dinah and I did watch Centre Stage – which was my choice – and we had a fantastic time making fun of the plot holes while loving every second. I have a theory that you will love the awful teen movies from your own teen era and think that all other teen movies (such as current ones, since I am no longer a teenager – shocking, I know) are totally crappy. But really they’re all the same and its just perspective. However I will maintain that 10 Things I Hate About You is a timeless classic that everyone should see.

The best part of the weekend was Saturday night when a bunch of my friends came to O’Grady’s and we ate our bar food and spread the good cheer around. I tried Strongbow for the first time, I’m not a beer person but now we’re actively working on it. Thanks to everyone who came. I love you all.

I think the weekend was particularly awesome because it was all about me. You know, people wanting to see me while I was there and making special plans so that they could hang out with me. It made me think why I ever left Toronto, but then I remembered that if I were still there it wouldn’t be all about me since it wouldn’t be a special occasion to see me. So coming back to visit once in a while has its perks. Not that I need everything to be about me but I can’t say I didn’t appreciate it. (I can’t say that I didn’t not appreciate it?)

Well, for now that is enough about me. Bye.

PS This is my momentous 100th post.

8 comments:

Dinah said...

Wave of babies!

I can't stop watching Teen Girl Squad. sigh.

I think the weekend was particularly awesome because it was all about me.

That was my favourite part of the post - you're exactly right!

I'm glad you had a good time.

Congrats on 100 posts!

blackcrag said...

Congrats on the 100th post...

Weekends spent with good friends you haven't seen for a long time are great, aren't they? We all need "all about me" time... not constantly, but occasionally, as so much of life just isn't about us. But we are still important.

I would like to inform you of two things though:
1)"I will maintain that 10 Things I Hate About You is a timeless classic..."; it is. Not because it is a cinematic wonder, but because it is based upon Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, which has proved itself as a a timeless classic amongst all his other work. There were a slew of Shakespeare-inspired teen movies around then including an Othello-based basketball teen movie, O (I think).

2) You aren't actively working on an appreciation for beer if you're drinking Strongbow. Strognbow is cider.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with cider (I find it a refreshing palette-cleansing change myself) but it isn't beer.

sue said...

i love aunties and uncles!!!

it was really great to see you this weekend -- come again soon. i posted all the pics on my flickr -- photos.

sue said...

actually this is a more precise link:

photos

alison said...

Two shouts outs for being you.

1st shout out - for including TEEN GIRL SQUAD in your blog. (favorite quote: I can count to G.)

2nd shout out - for giving props to "10 things I hate about you"!!!

wurd.

i miss you. you're wonderful. and even though i only saw you briefly - it was a blessed time. Have fun back in the O-dot.

R said...

Ok, Mr blackrag know-it-all, just we're all perfectly clear. I knew that 10 things I hate about you was based off the taming of the shrew, thus their delightful phonetic similarity. And Strongbow, which I was told previously was a cider, is in fact the first step in my beer appreciation process. You can't go from zero to Guiness, that's just not safe.

Thanks for the shout-outs, my favourite quote from TGS is, "When you fall in a bottomless pit you die of starvation."

Woot

Dinah said...

Fruit cup!

I cannot stop saying wave o babies. I need help. I can count backwards from purple!

blackcrag said...

Sorry Bethany, I just wanted to make sure. And I don't know everything (but thanks for thinking I do), just the things I claim to know.

And I agree completely: Guiness is an acquired taste. Unless you're born Irish.

If we were on the otherside of the country, I'd suggest some good microbrews to develop your appreciation of beer.

As it is, I suggest you find some local small batch breweries (and let me know what they are too, please) as they invariably turn out better beer than the mass marketed labels.

Happy drinking!