Starring: Toronto!

There have been countless tv shows and movies filmed in this city over the years. Most of the time, Toronto is standing in for Chicago, or New York, or some other unnamed American city, like in the Nike ad below. I'm not a fan of Nike, but it's fun to watch and identify the familiar spots.



Recently, a movie that was not only shot in Toronto, but set in Toronto (and based on a series of graphic novels by a Toronto author) was released to reasonable acclaim, and put Toronto at centre stage. This movie, of course, is Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.



This movie was full of awesome, and not just because it's thoroughly Toronto. I can't wait to see it again!

Photo taken at Wilson subway station, August 2010.

On Priorities and Saying No

I know I said I wouldn't be writing much in this blog, but this seems like as good an outlet as any (it's too long for a facebook status!), and this has been on my mind a lot lately.

I don't like to say no. I typically have a pretty positive outlook on life; saying yes feels good (and makes others feel good), while saying no doesn't feel so hot. But I've been saying no a lot more lately: to requests from the kids ("Can we get ice cream/dinner out/this toy/that whatever?"), to invitations from friends (pubs, bars, movies, karaoke), you get the picture.

Image source unknown.

The reason for all this no-ing? That's right, people. Money. Moulah. Dough. The almighty dollar. Or the lack thereof. My nos usually begin with "Sorry, I/we can't afford that." But that's not really true, or at least it's not the whole truth. It's not that we can't afford these things, full stop. We've just had to prioritize our spending. We're a family of five living on a single (not enormous) income, so we need to make conscious choices about where we spend our money.

We could go out to bars and spend money on drinks. We could have meals out more often. We could get ice cream cones every time we passed Baskin-Robbins or the ice cream truck. But we are choosing not to; we're prioritizing.

Image source unknown.

We save money by not: drinking at bars, eating out all the time, going to movies with all the associated snacks, etc. Remember the old saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned?" We've earned a lot of pennies lately by forgoing expensive outings, by eating at home nearly all the time, by taking food with us when we go out with the kids for the day, by borrowing books and movies from the library rather than renting or buying them, by buying in bulk when stuff is on sale (our fridge is currently rammed FULL of yogurt and cheese, and we have a tonne of chicken in the freezer).

But by saying no to some things, it gives us the freedom to say yes to other things. Like sending one of the kids on a trip to Greece (that one did require additional help from generous family members), like taking a one-week, kid-free holiday to London in October (free child-care courtesy of the grandparents, free accommodation courtesy of the parents-in-law!), like going to the occasional movie (cheap night, no snacks!) or concert or roller derby game, or like just buying local, organic (i.e. more expensive) food a little more often.

I don't like saying no as much as I do. But saying no when I need to also allows me to say yes sometimes when I want to. I feel very fortunate about that. And those yeses are what makes life worth living.

YES, blueberry pie, Tucker Nichols with Jon Nichols, 2005

A Bit of Toronto Through My Eyes (or my iPhone)

It's been suggested recently that I need to bring my camera with me wherever I go. I constantly see things I want to photograph, but all I usually have is my iPhone, which takes decent pictures for a camera phone, but my trusty Canon would surely produce better results. The thing is, carrying that camera, as well as an extra lens maybe, seems like an awkward additional liability when I'm already carrying snacks and other accoutrements related to travelling around the city with 3 children. Maybe I need one of these? Until then, please excuse the lower technical quality of some of my photos.

Anyway, here are some photos of things I've seen in Toronto over the last couple of weeks.....

Canadian National Exhibition: the view from beneath my parasol.

Shadows at the ROM, part 1.

Shadows at the ROM, part 2.

Building near Bloor and Spadina.

In the science arcade at the Ontario Science Centre.

Metal palm trees outside the OSC.

Tegan and Sara in Toronto

Not my hand. And don't even get me started on the Ticketmaster fees, whereby a $42.50 ticket ends up being $56.75.

Matthew and I rode our bikes down to the Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario Place last weekend to see Tegan and Sara. Also on the evening's bill were openers Ra Ra Riot (who reminded us both a little of Hey Rosetta!) and Wintersleep (who have a fantastic song, Weighty Ghost, which I first heard in the equally fantastic Canadian movie, One Week; check out the trailer below, and go get it on dvd if you can).



Closing out the show that night was City and Colour, whose music I can only take in small doses, so mellow and melancholy is it.

However, the main attraction for us was definitely Tegan and Sara! They played for just an hour, but it was an hour lost in the bliss of their music:



and their funny stories about things like, um, stalking people:



We had great seats, though I lament the fact that the crowd was mainly a touch too apathetic to get up and dance; I would've done so myself, but my innate Canadian politeness prevented me from doing so, as that would've meant blocking the views of the people seated behind me. A couple of drinks though, and I totally would have done it anyway.

Tegan on the big screen.

On a related note, Tegan and Sara are on the short-list for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize for their latest album, Sainthood, with the winners to be announced September 20. Go T&S!

I [heart] Public Radio

When discussing public radio, as a Canadian one must start with our national broadcaster, CBC. I'm a huge proponent of the CBC. Relevant news, interesting music, fascinating programs.

Retro CBC logo.

 Listen to CBC Radio online here.

Some of the shows I like to listen to:
-Q
-Definitely Not The Opera
-The Main Ingredient (all about food!)
-Vinyl Café
-As It Happens




Also, for the last couple of years I've been listening to The Current, which is the music station broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio. I don't remember how I first heard about this station, I think perhaps I read about it in a magazine, possibly Utne Reader? The source is neither here nor there; the fact is, I LOVE this station. They play a fabulous selection of eclectic, appealing, non-mainstream music that you rarely hear elsewhere. You can listen online here.

I know there are public radio gems elsewhere out there. I haven't delved much into any NPR stations/programs as of yet, for instance. Any suggestions?

Ontario Place, Today and Tomorrow

Did you know that Ontario Place will be undergoing a complete makeover in the coming years? And that the fates of the landmark Cinesphere and the spectacular over-water "pods" are not guaranteed? I'm all for some sprucing up of the site, but the loss of those two elements would be tragic.

Here are a few pictures I took there this week. As with many of my pictures, they were taken with my phone, so please excuse the lack of technical perfection.

The Cinesphere, taken from a pedal boat in the water beside it.

View of the city from inside one of the bridges connecting the pods.

Sunset view of the Exhibition wind turbine.

Preparing to ride the Free Fall.

Boy # 1 in a WOW (walk on water) Ball.

Boy # 2 in a WOW Ball.

Sharing a bit of my backlog of cool photos

My kids coloured with chalk on the brick wall of our house. Pretty!

White daisies are one of my favourites! Taken on Logan Avenue, north of Queen Street East.

Taken in front of Sweet Tooth Bakery, 508 Danforth Ave. I can't vouch for their cupcake claim because, sadly, I can't eat them.