I managed to take photos of some wonderful outfits at the Dare to Wear Love exhibit at the Textile Museum of Canada last week. They were simply gorgeous as you can see here. Simple and elegant styles with unique textile pairings made the exhibit all the more beautiful.
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All 98 branches of the Toronto Public Library are closed until further notice due to a strike which means the many services that are dear and true to many Torontonians have been suspended.
For a lot of people, this doesn’t matter but to some who rely on public libraries to do research, this is a travesty. Students will undoubtedly suffer and those without internet access will feel the sting as libraries have computer terminals for surfing, wordprocessing and reserving books. Not to mention that there is free wi-fi for patrons.
Musicians who rent piano rooms to practice arpeggios and difficult arias, or sift through musical scores and even sign-up to use electronic piano keyboards won’t have the opportunity anymore until the problem is solved.
What a bummer. The library is a great place to just hang out with friends of the inanimate variety — to bury your thoughts and become engrossed in lives both fictional and real. I suppose the only good thing to come of the strike is that all book drops are closed. Essentially, you can hold on to all of your library material until things are resolved and not receive a fine.
So I went to check the Toronto Fashion Week happenings in and around town last week and I was surprised. There were so many strange styles and some really great ones too. At the Textile Museum of Canada, pieces from the Dare to Wear collection were on display. Admission was free which made things even better. Dare to Wear showcased pieces of top Canadian fashion designers to raise awareness and funds for grassroots organizations who are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The gowns were stunning as you will see by pics I will soon upload. Such unbelievable talent for such a great cause.
The North American premiere of Twilight Breaking Dawn has come and gone but it still has me wondering what the hooplah is all about and if it is too late for me to catch up on the whirlwind trend.
I mean Bella and Edward have been a hot topic/hot item for a few years now and I did manage to see the first (albeit only) part to this multi-million dollar empire. I just want to know if it is too late for me to watch and invest my time in the Twilight sensation? It is almost like the latest technology, if you don’t have it you lose out on the whole experience and the whole aspect of being current and on top of the latest trends. And it is not just about movies it also includes books too. I have yet to pick up a copy of Eat, Pray, Love or The Help which everyone is raving about. I feel like I am so behind the times right now that I have to play catch up. So what should I do? Should I let it pass or just bite the bullet and enjoy it like it is the latest trend and it is hot off the press? Maybe along my way to the library check out counter, I can make my own discoveries of what the next big trend might be instead of settling for one that has been analyzed and “loved to death” or “decimized” by critics and the public. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do … right after I read about how/if Bella and Edward end up together.
So in a few minutes it will be the official launch of Black Friday and it is not just happening south of the boarder either. Yes folks, right here in the big T.O. there are supposedly some excellent deals at some major department stores and even on-line.
I dare not ventu
re into the domain of serious shoppingdom though where shoppers line up days in advance armed with a tent, warm blanket and a thermos of hot chocolate. No sir-ree. While they are lined up, planning their strategy I will be counting sheep and dreaming up much simpler ways to cross off gifts from Santa’s list. Mind you, I still wish that I was south of the border to witness the shopping frenzy for myself and benefit from some of the crazy good deals.
Today was a stormy rainy day that made me want to hide under the covers. I absolutely hate driving during a storm, especially when hail appears from nowhere and starts pummelling the heck out of the vehicule I happen to be in. Luckily it wasn’t golf-sized hail like weather reporters zone in on during the weather forecast. In fact, these were tiny. I wish I had my camera to snap the clouds but there are enough distractions on the road as it is and me pulling out my point-and-shoot would only make matters worse.
The so called “calm before the storm” was looming overhead quite ominously. A black cloud over top with grey splotches against a murky yellow background. The sky looked like the result of a fight that got physical. Artists say that there is beauty in the ugliest of things but I can’t imagine reflecting this as a thing of beauty on canvas. It was definitely not pretty.
The clouds opened up shortly after the maddened sky made its appearance and bam it got scary. Windshield wipers were on full blast and visibility was at a minimal. I kept going though — slowly. The stormy weather cleared up thankfully, just in time too as I reached my destination. I was thankful I survived it.
So it is now September 28th and it still feels like August 28th outside. Should one be happy, sad or alarmed? Hard to say but since last week ushered in the Fall season, I couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of the month has in store for us Torontonians. Apart from Thanksgiving being around the corner and autumn leaves changing every color of the rainbow, I look forward to pulling out earth tone hues and cozying up to the weather.
As I mentioned in previous posts, the weather up here can get a little steamy around July and August and this summer was no exception to that rule. It is the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with a great book and read ’til the sound of crickets isn’t so loud in your ear.
I looked out in the garden today at the remnants of summer and observed the ‘harvest’. One and half pumpkins are my only reward from gnarly vines that smothered hydrangeas and spent peonies that I could not tame. Celery stalks appear stunted — yellow at the tips while okras’ brilliant buds wimper. All the tomatoes are gone. All 6 of them are memories which mingled in salads dressed with fresh thyme and rosemary vinaigrettes.
While there was little in this harvest, I am proud of the efforts spent trying to get it to a place I wanted it to be. I have plans for next year already … big plans for a field full of cucumbers and eggplants that hopefully will grow and a field that exhibits signs of my whole-hearted well-intentioned efforts.
