There was a summer sale at Chapter's on maps. I'd been meaning to buy a map of the area since the day I arrived. The two combined led me to purchase a 2006 Perly's Toronto and Area Map Book -- my comprehensive guide to this bohemoth of a city. Hundreds of non-glossy pages awaiting my perusal. I flip the hundreds of pages under my nose. It smells like the beginning of a road trip -- all new and crisp, the scent of manufactured preparation.

I've only briefly glimpse at its dry page after page of grid. Meanwhile, my other guide to the metropolis -- Toronto Life's 2006 Shopping edition -- is already crinkled and dotted with pink highlighter. Big surprise. As if I needed a magazine to discover the millions of unique little shops that pour out of every corner of this city. Though, I have been told some require winding down back alleys, and other hidden urban nooks

The two guides were part of a pack I bought to try to sustain myself without television. I also bout the Walrus and David Bergen's The Time in Between. I couldn't resist the Mennonite name in bold black ink over the photograph of a girl wearing flowing white Vietnamese Ao Dai.

But instead of poring over words, I ended up napping, cleaning, and finally settling into my place a little more. And then heading over to the grounds of Queen's Park (where the Ontario legislature stands) to wind my way through Afrofest.

Vendors were peddling their wares at stands throughout the park -- big chunky necklaces, Rastafarian hats, leather sandals, lotions, hair products, candles. A few Tibetan set up shop, too, though I couldn't help but wonder what they had to do with Afrofest...

In the middle of it all was a statue of Edward VII riding a horse with children chasing each other around it, clinging to the horse and swinging off the legs. Others played frisbee or soccer as a free concert continued to entertain crowds.

I headed to the festival alone. While I have no complaints about my big move to the big city, it's a bit of an adjustment not having fall-back buddies and insta-plans -- the kind you can rely on when you know people really well. You just know if you're bored, you can give them a ring and see if they're up for something.

It's hard to break friends in. And that is what it comes down to. Sometimes you know immediately you like someone and you click, but most of the time friendships develop in waves. There are certain milestones you can reach before you can, for example, call without a reason or make last-minute plans. Adults can become fast-friends like children, instantly clinging to each other and giggling and making future plans. But I find that rare, and far more likely to happen in instances where all parties are in the same boat -- like when I moved to Japan. We were all alone. But try breaking into an established group as the sole outsider. It takes concentration, like breaking a habit.

So, until I've managed to tear a hole in some of these Torontonians' thick armour, perhaps I'll look a little more into buying that television... and maybe making my apartment more friend friendly.

ode to corona


topped and popped with a lime wedge
I flip it, hand clasped firmly on the lid
letting it fizz and spit in rage
a foamy oasis spouting water in a dusty desert

I gulp it
lifting my face to the sun
it slips easily down my throat

light dew of the summer
leaves me heavy in its wake

Pride Parade: the Quintessential Toronto Experience




The sticker on his ass says "No Queen Left Behind." And yes, I zoomed in on it.



Bride-to-be... on stilts... falling



Rainbow brite queen



Unfortunately my batteries died, and therefore did not get pictures of the elderly naked men with cockrings (and balls); the RCMP newlyweds (with the sign 'Mounties always get their men' on their backs); the dozen men in shorts pretending to foam up a car... and the list goes on.

You will just have to go see the pride parade yourself to see all those.

It's been a long time since my cheeks (on my face) have hurt so much from laughing and grinning.

the inaugural barbeque

i went to jeff's new house tonite. it involved travelling to a new part of the city of Toronto... my new home. funny that this blog, as few posts as it has, has included posts from four different homes: kuriyama, japan, manitoba, ottawa and finally toronto.

so, as with any outing in toronto, tonite was an adventure. it was one of many firsts. i travelled east on the subway, then walked down the quiet street where his townhouse is nestled. the house, to be quite honest, is one big repair waiting to happen.

but with such exciting possibilities. there is a compact (small) backyard and frontyard. i'm hoping jeff will let me dig my fingers into the earth and fill it with some plants. i wish i had a backyard to play with.

tonite jeff fired up his new bbq for a few friends. we sat around and watched the flames jump and twist around the hamburgers and sausage. then enjoyed a lovely end to the long weekend.

tomorrow it's back to work, but then there are only four days to the next weekend!

indulgences

i can't even describe it. i tried. but all i could think of was every cliche, every metaphor you've heard a million times.

"it" being the taste of strawberries. three pints of them. three pints of miniature balls of taste explosions. andrea, jeff and i spent one hour saturday crouched in a field in the bright noon-time sun, on a treasure hunt for strawberries. plucking them from the plants, filling carton after carton, and, of course, gulping them down from time to time. at the end of the hour, i had strawberry-juice stained fingers, knees and drip marks on my toes. i'm sure my grin was studded with strawberry seeds. but i didn't care.

that was one of several highlights of a relaxing weekend at andrea's cottage in the Township of Blue Mountains, along Georgian Bay. we left saturday. it was a long winding journey to the cottage, but we made it there by 6 p.m., our stomachs empty and ready for the bacon-wrapped steaks. it was the first of four meals focusing on meat. just my kind of people. me, being a meat-lover and all.

after we gorged ourself on meat and salad and garlic bread, we spent the evening reading the newspaper, playing poker, and competing at scrabble while sipping on caesars. then we slept... and slept. the next morning we awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs drifting down the stairs. we ate, we read, we picked strawberries, we ate strawberries, we went home, we ate lunch, we played cards, we read. we waited til the suns rays faded at 3 p.m., then we swam. then back to the cottage for supper.

after we'd satiated ourselves on sausages, strawberries, sun and swimming, we drove off, the sun setting in a purple haze behind us... fireworks exploding in the distance in front of us.