On high rotation

I can't stop listening to Tanlines.

Is there a song you can't get out of your head? 

Eating food: The Toronto Underground Market edition

The last month and a half has been a whirlwind adventure. No complaints here, just a realization that I needed a solid weekend of sleep to kick the mediocre feeling I've had for a bit. Enter, this weekend.

This weekend has been one of my favourite weekends in a while. Nothing planned, nothing that I had to do (with the exception of work) just a weekend of doing whatever comes my way. Friday night consisted of watching The League (!) at the neighbours and then making my home around midnight. That was exactly the Friday night I was overly excited to have.

Saturday started late with a sushi lunch (and some work) at a new sushi place I came across on King St. W one night when I was walking home. It totally trumps my go-to; it will now be known as my new go-to (it's also cheaper, and the people are super friendly). The morning then took a turn and I ended up at Shanghai Cowgirl-- a great resto on Queen W-- with BG for breakfast (him) and a beverage (me). Lots of travel talks and a keen realization that I want to travel. Right now.  Las Vegas next month?

Then the night hit and I had been invited by KF to the Toronto Underground Market. A foodie's heaven (haven?) with 42 vendors serving every type of food you can imagine. Lobster, Elk, Chicken, street eats, meringues with passion fruit in the middle (drool)-- sold.

I've also had a big pull towards Australia lately. Maybe it's the winter season looming? Maybe it's that when we first walked in, this was the first stand? Meat pies!

I was too focused on shoveling food in to take photos (damn). But my top favourites were (in no order):

Rock Lobster lobster roll
Jack & Lil's Passionfruit Meringues
Hot Bunzz (all 3 flavours: beef, elk, curried duck)

With that, we have: 1. A terrible blurry photo 2. me waiting ever so patiently for Lobster (by far the longest line we waited in) and 3. the "artsy" photo on the street car home.

Happy October 19th. 

That night in Toronto

I’ve wanted to see The Tragically Hip for years. I got this close to seeing them on Canada Day, but a series of events lead me to spend the day beachside at the family cottage. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Somehow I missed the mention in the Metro, all over Twitter and surely in The Globe and Mail: The Hip were playing intimate pop-up shows at Supermarket (the bar) in Kensignton Market. 3pm, 6pm, 7pm, 9pm for 3 days. I jumped at the opportunity to go to the 7pm show—just enough time to finish up work, eat and get to the venue. E and I rocked up to the door (well, the line at the door) around 6:40, thinking the show, like the previous day would be outside. It wasn’t. After about an hour wait, we made it to the front of the line. 150 initial wrist bands and we got 145 & 146. Lucky.

The 7pm show was cancelled. Postponed. Whatever you want to call it to allow the band to eat dinner. I guess no one initially factored that into their appearance schedule, but no one cared. The fans were die hard. I’m pretty sure they would have waited all night.

Around 9pm they took the stage. Gord appeared with a hat on; the man is always stylish. They played for about 35 minutes, a few new songs and a few old hits. The crowd went wild for Bobcaygeon and My music at work. I was singing along, too. Years and years of hearing these songs played on the radio and by every mediocre singer at bars across the world, I finally heard it live. And you know, it was pretty amazing. 

It doesn't get much more Canadian than this.