Going home

This entry skips around in time a bit, and I will go back to chronological order later. I will try to keep this from sounding maudlin. This entry was supposed to be about my return home for Thanksgiving. I’d been so busy with grad school that it was stressful to come down for the weekend, but I was so glad to get the chance to see everyone, especially my Grandparents. Grandpa hasn’t been doing very well so I made sure to see him twice while I was down. I was so glad I had a chance to see him one more time.

Last week my Grandpa died.

Thanksgiving was really nice. I had come down on Thursday night, and my family’s Thanksgiving dinner was on Saturday. My cousins showed up, Colin came, and there was lots of food. He wasn’t able to sit up for dinner, so he stayed in bed and everyone visited with him Having Grandpa being in a different room worked out well, his voice has been going, and hearing him over a large crowd of people is almost impossible.

I’ll be returning home for the memorial service in another week or so.

Last of the Stratford Plays

Stratford at dusk

My last Stratford play was King Lear. Fantastic show, clearly one of the strongest plays this season. I was also amused to find out what happened to one of my favourite Bard on the Beach actors that disappeared a few years ago… apparently he went to Stratford. Dion Johnston has been out there for a few years.

The actor playing Lear was really good. He raged and his madness was a dead ringer for dementia. Interesting interpretation. I’m glad I didn’t miss it. It felt a little busy trying to fit one more play into that week after Victoria’s visit, but it was worth it.

The Airport: Part 4 of Victoria's Weekend

The next day we caught Merchant of Venice in the afternoon. We went down early enough to check out all the great stores. Lots of idea's for Christmas. The play was pretty uneven. Though the last 15 minutes were probably the best of any Merchant I've ever seen.

Then there was dropping Victoria off at the airport. As we walked away from the car is said to her “we better remember what space I parked in, or I’ll still be here looking for my car when by the time you get to Montreal”. I just shouldn’t say things like that.

Cause wouldn’t you know it… two hours later, her flight has touched down, and I call to ask if she could think of any clues as to where we parked the car, does she perhaps remember going uphill at any point? Needless to say I’m still in the Toronto airport.

I spent two hours looking for my car. Did I mention I hate having a grey car? After walking around on my own for about 45 minutes a security van pulls up and offers me some help. Too bad they weren’t actually helpful. All they did was drive me around and question my description of the car. For example, I told them it was a grey/beige Toyota Corrolla. They pointed out white cars, and dark green cars, and Lincolns and asked if it was my car. Then there was their wonderful and reassuring demeanour (this is said with dripping sarcasm). They pointed out that my car might have been stolen, and when I asked what I should do if that had happened, they laughed and said, “buy a new car of course”. I started asking to go back out and look on foot.

When they finally let me go, the last guys remark was “I’m sure your car is here… I just don’t think you know what it looks like”.

I went into the airport and found a different security team helping out. By that time Victoria had landed and I was able to call her and ask what she remembered about our space, which was pretty vague. Armed with new information, and new security guard, we found the car in about 15 minutes.

The Stratford Penguin: Part 3 of Victoria's Weekend

(note: Victoria and I collaborated on the Play review, so much of our two blogs sound the same)

Much as I hate to admit it, Colin is right. The penguins are taking over the world. It’s the only thing that explains the production of “Comedy of Errors” the Victoria and I saw at Stratford.

It was the strangest play I have ever seen. And for those of you who know how many plays I see… well, that really is saying something. It included:

- A guy wearing a tie-dyed toga smoking drug paraphernalia and looking like a certain elf from Lord of the Rings
- Quotes from Gone with the Wind
- A borrowed camel
- A live golden retriever chasing a toy cat across the stage
- A soft shoe shuffle.
- A prostitute whose head lit up every time she had an idea
- Impromptu song numbers
- A panic sign
- The soundtrack to a roadrunner cartoon
- A masked Greek chorus – with a baby (also wearing a mask)
- A witch doctor that comes out of a rolling closet that has a giant eye painted in neon colours.
- Product placement for the other shows (you can imagine that with a play like this the season’s not selling out)

And in the ultimate bit of strangeness, a giant penguin walks on stage – for no reason whatsoever. Or only clue to his purpose was a sign reading “Just for the Critics”. Victoria and I nearly died.

It was one of the most – uh – interesting – plays I’ve ever seen. Actually Victoria and I had a blast, but it’s questionable whether we were laughing with them or laughing at them. I just wish Colin had been with us to see the guy in the penguin suit walk across the stage.

Victoria in Nature: Part 2 of Victoria's Weekend

Cause they don't have too much of this in Montreal...

Also, we had to walk Molly anyway.

It was a great day. We woke up really late, took Molly for a quick walk. Then we went to a great breakfast place that Rachel and I discovered. I love it cause it's not a chain, it's one of those local dinners. Then we went to St. Jacobs and did some very early Christmas shopping for the afternoon. Then we went to the Conservation Park for another walk before we headed out to Stratford.

The Only Time to Drive: Part 1 of Victoria's Weekend

I have decided that after midnight is the only reasonable time to drive Toronto. By point most of the loonies have gone to bed. The roads contain great deal of large trucks but very few crazy people.

Victoria's flight was delayed an hour, luckily she called me before I left home so I didn't have to wait around at the airport. By the time she arrived we were pretty dead tired. I think we managed to throw sheets on the spare bed before we collapsed.

And of course, Victoria and Molly were re-united.

Poor Colin (Victoria's one) - he didn't know he had competition.

I've decided to do the weekend in a couple of shorter posts, Victoria's version is posted on her blog: http://bilingualfaucets.blogspot.com/

This seems rather true...

I read this in a book recently, and it sounds about right to me. Just ask Colin & Victoria.

"It is a small world. You'd have to live in a particularly long to learn that for yourself. There is a theory that, in the whole world, there are only 500 real people (the cast, as it were; all the rest of the people in the world, the theory suggests, are extras) and what is more, they all know each other. And it's true, or true as far as it goes. In reality the world is made of thousands upon thousands of groups of about 500 people, all of whom will spend their lives bumping into each other, trying to avoid each other, and discovering each other in the same unlikely tea shop in Vancouver.”

- Neil Gaiman’s “Anansi Boys”