Vacation 2010 - recharging

Let's see now, where are we re. Vacation 2010...

Monday:
Realized the Toronto to Van flights were all cray-zie. Decided to go through Ottawa instead. 11 Pm flight to Ottawa, no problem. 12-something flight to Vancouver fuller, but I got a seat. Yay! Watched Knight and Day, and Sex and the City 2, and next thing I knew we'd touched down. There was a flight leaving for Nanaimo in 5 mins, but didn't know that I could catch it (plus my bags) so I instead went for some Food & Drink and settled in to catch up on blogs and chat with Swiss Girl and took the flight 2 hours later.

There's our plane pulling up.

A little fresh air for the exhausted travelers...

...and then back in the bag.

Ahhh made it to Nanaimo at last.

And the boys finally relax before mountains and the Straight of Georgia.

Let's see... hm... someone's erased the rest of Monday from my memory! I know I went to bed at 11 PM and slept until 10 AM. That's all I thought I needed to get back on my feet, an 11 hour sleep.

But right after eating breakfast I felt like going back to bed. I didn't. It was super sunny beautiful, so I went out shopping with the pater. Then we made a picnic lunch and took the RV out for a spin to the beach.

(Stage right: Step-mommy helping Porthos pose.)

Relaxing as the sun sets.

We got home around 7 PM and I crawwwwled back up to my bed and fell asleep fully dressed. Woke up at 1 AM. Had a snack, read my book. Back to sleep at 2:30 AM, woke around 8 AM. So it turns out I needed a 22.5 hour sleep. My bad.

We spent the day reading Juliet. Oh, and took another nap somewhere in there.

Under a perfect blue sky.

With hummingbirds.

And in the evening watched The Mission. (Not really to Oscar Doll's taste, but the Shakespearian side of Porthos enjoyed it.)

So I'm feeling Myself again.

Laughter and Violence in Cinque Terre

I think I've said before that I cope with life through laughter, which is why the best person to be around me in a crisis is my brother cause he does the same.

Just now I was reading the vacation updates of Swiss Girl, who's back from her latest globetrot (Italy) and fell and busted her knee for the third time. (Not three times in one trip, but one per trip.) She's describing how bad the wound is, and how deep, and then--she is laughing her head off.

Watch the short video at the bottom of the entry. Laughing her head off. It made me realize one of the big reasons why we've been close friends since 12 years old. :-) I have super duper friends.

Farewell to Gilmabelfest!

And a lovely time was had by all. Tomorrow I'm off to wrestle with the flights again. They look even worse than Friday's, so I've decided to try going through Ottawa. At least I don't have a deadline, but wish me luck that I don't get stuck in the nation's capitol overnight!

Gilmabelfest Day 3 - I am always having heavy-deep thoughts, except of course when I am not having heavy-deep thoughts.

I may have mentioned before that I've historically tended to use my summer trip out west as a time to assess my life, look at where I'm going, where I want to go, etc.

It's only just started, so I've come to no conclusions yet, I can only look at the couple things that have struck me...

Oscar Wilde's style of writing in epigrams is easy to make fun of like in this Monty Python skit. "There is only one thing worse than doing X, and that is not doing X."

I can resist everything except temptation.
I love talking about nothing, father. It is the only thing I know anything about.
Women have a wonderful instinct about things. They can discover everything except the obvious.

And so on. But there's a lot of truth in many of his lines. Like the famous one about "not being talked about." And I liked this one in the play last night: "in England a man who can’t talk morality twice a week to a large, popular, immoral audience is quite over as a serious politician." The context in the play is that the protagonist can't come out and admit to something dishonest he did in his youth, because it would end his political career. And politicians have to act like their perfectly moral, for an audience full of immoral people. It's crazy.

And this line by Lord Goring struck me for the first time:

"Never mind what I say, Robert!  I am always saying what I shouldn’t say.  In fact, I usually say what I really think.  A great mistake nowadays.  It makes one so liable to be misunderstood."

No wonder Goring is my favourite character--that's the story of my life. Not that I believe in just spouting out everything that comes into my mind, and I don't. But there's something true in there, that the more real you are, the more likely you are to be misunderstood. I guess because you're not cleaning up and organizing the phrase for mass consumption first.

And I've always loved "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it." I take life very seriously, but that's not how I deal or interact with it. And the more serious I'm expected to be, the less I feel like myself.

Anyway, I'm just blathering. I'm not sure what I took away from An Ideal Husband, except that I know I took away something. At the very least it reinforced my love of all things Oscar.

What I got from [title of show] was a little simpler. It touches on all the usual themes in art, about being yourself, creating what you love, having confidence in your own vision, not editing yourself for mass consumption. One of the songs on that theme is Die, Vampire Die! And the other is Nine People's Favourite Thing: "I'd rather be nine people's favourite thing than a hundred peoples' ninth favourite thing." Nothing new or heavy deep, but I'm glad they included it in the show, because these things are definitely part of the creative process.

Anyway, that's it.

Gilmabelfest Day 3 - [title of show]

Heading out to [title of show].

We drove a good ways down the length of Yonge Street, so I was checking out the sights. Like the revelation that MTV is run by the Masons.

This store put spikes all over their letters, presumably to prevent pigeons from nesting. But the pigeons still found a spot!

Our play today was a small production of a not well known show called [title of show]. It's autobiographical, about two guys trying to write a musical about writing a musical, starring themselves and two friends. In real life (as in the play) they did this for a festival, and then got picked up off-Broadway, and in 2008 made it to Broadway.


I believe these are the two original guys:



It was really clever and funny, and the production we saw was so well done. So much so that I have trouble watching the original guys, because I feel like my actors were The Guys. If you have a chance to see it, I'd recommend it (though I can't vouch for the quality of other productions.) I see (on their list) one Canadian showing, in Montreal.

Oscar-D and Porthos-S pose before the theatah.

Return to Maison CG.

Pretty street whereupon is situated Maison CG.

And so Gilmabelfest nears its end. In an hour we're heading out for suppa with Midnightstreet & Vidal, and tomorrow morning I fly out. We've agreed this year was an even bigger success than last year--all three productions were top notch. Yays!

Gilmabelfest Day 2 - part 2 Oscar's Moment

Today I went for sushi with Gilby and his girlfriend; then G and I headed out on the road with Oscar Doll and Porthos, to see Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.




Here we are stuck in traffic, which has been the theme of this visit. We even had traffic at 11:30 PM coming back into town last night. (Gives time to photograph the sights.)


Gilby was feeling sleepy on the road, so we pulled off the highway to look for a Provider of Coffee.

Mabel: Maybe the Petro-Canada there.
Gilby: There's a MacDonald's.
[heading towards McD.]
Mabel: What kind of Canada is this if there's no Tim Horton's when you need one?!!
Gilby: [points to the mall by McD.] There's one there.

Wow. Tim Horton's really is the spirit of Canada. We were like something straight out of one of their ads.


I wonder if the Shaw Festival has a more secure financial future than the Stratford, just because there's so much more to offer tourists in this area. Stratford is kinda cute in the center of town, but otherwise not all that eye-rocking; whereas NOTL is gorgeous, it's wine country, and near the Falls.


The city must have money because they've planted copious amounts of flowers all up and down the main road, and all the buildings are well kept. There's lots of gatronomie type restaurants, mostly attached the many vineyards. We passed plenty of mansions as well.

The city center is *precious.* Like a Hummel figurine.

We ran into some horsies. Horsies-girl showed Gilby how to introduce himself safely to Ebony, and then showed us how much he loves a good belly scratch. Precious.

We weren't sure what this building was, cause there was no store sign; and then saw two maids stop and offer house keeping. So it's part of a nearby hotel! Precious, I tell you.

Now, last year at Stratford we got laughed out of town when we stopped at our hotel's restaurant and asked for a table, because it was a good restaurant and people reserve even months in advance. So I'd learned my lesson, and called ahead to a couple restaurants. The one considered best in town didn't have room at 6 PM (half the people in town are there for the 8 PM play), but my second choice did--here's the Angel Inn, rebuilt in 1812.

(Tried to make the pic bigger so you can see the boys.) (And my souvenir bag.)

Here Oscar Doll waits with baited breath to witness his own genius.

As last year with Earnest, we loved the play. I enjoyed the interpretations of Miss Chevely and Lord Goring as much here as in the movie version. Rupert Everett plays Goring languidly, which I lurv, but I enjoyed this more energetic performance too. I liked Miss Mabel, but I may have to conclude that Minnie Drive is the definitive Miss Mabel--I don't think I would have fallen in the love with the character just based on this performance, as I did after seeing the movie.

I also didn't care for a couple of the costume choices and set pieces--they distracted me. (Have you ever seen a waistcoat that the front goes all the way to the knees? Very odd.) But I loved the music, and overall it was funny and dramatic and grreat!

Our drive home, traffic-jam-free. Look how the CN tower is lit up like a disco ball at night.

Gilmabelfest Day 2 - part 1 More of Maison CG

While Porthos and Oscar read their kobo in the breakfast nook, I'll show you a little of Maison Chez Gilbs...
Maison CG was purchased by him and his (now ex)wife. It feels like living in a Regency London home, because the houses here are very skinny but taaaall row houses, with little London-type back yards. You better understand the sense of "he led her up to the drawing room." You enter on the main, you go up to the kitchen-dining room-living room, then up to the office and guest bedroom, and then up to the master suite.

The house was also decorated by the previous owner, A Personage of Exceedingly Flamboyant Taste (which is why Gilby and Laurel's housewarming theme was "70s porno.") You can't throw a stick in this house without hitting (a) a mirror, or (b) a cheesy light fixture.

Here's the dining room. It has mirrors on two sides, and even a light sticking out from one of the mirrors.

Do inspect the close-up. Note the faux-melted wax.

Here is the guest bathroom, which again contains both key decorating elements, plus a wealth of marble (or fake marble, I wouldn't know.)

It's truly awesome. If I bought a house like this, I can't imagine redecorating, but rather running out to Village des Valeurs to find appropriate furnishings.

Gilmabelfest Day 1 - Part 3 Chez Maison Gilby (the only non-gay in the vill-age) (if you don't watch Little Britain, never mind)

Oscar looks worn out from all the running around.

I picked up William tonight at intermission... thought I should add him to my menagerie of traveling companions. But he looks unhappy to have to be sharing a bed. (We're right in the gay nabe, so maybe he's as at home as Oscar.) (He looks more like a musketeer than William Shakespeare, doesn't he. Maybe I'll rename his Porthos.)

Gilmabelfest Day 1 - Part 2 The Performance

So we came in at this song, were Evita's arrived in Buenos Aires. I love the song, so that was disappointing, but I expected to miss it.

At least we didn't miss "Goodnight and thank-you." And "Peron's Latest Flame" was perfect. (That song always makes me think of my friend Banana, because we saw the movie together and she died laughing at the scene of showering men singing.)

We had a great view from the back, but without my glasses I couldn't see facial expressions. So it was still nice after intermission to go down to row K. We were right in the middle, so my view of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was exactly like this:

When Evita came out on the stage in her glowing white dress, it was one of those Great Moments in Theater, when you experience that whole "oooh zee magique of theatah!" And Chilina Kennedy blew me away throughout. I only know the Madonna version, which is very good, but the director of that film brought out a more tender, vulnerable side of Evita.

In this version, she's one tough broad. Still vulnerable, but really hiding it. The force of her personality sort of pinned you to the back of your seat. The other actors were great, but on par with the film version. Kennedy, on the other hand, was just a totally different version than the Madonna/Alan Parker version. Really electric.

Here's her "Don't Cry for Me". Her acting in this scene was riveting.


And here's Madonna in the Alan Parker film--the end of this scene is played as really heartbreaking; whereas in the Stratford version, Evita is singing faster and almost yelling at God. Two really great ways to do it, and shows how much a director's vision brings you something new. In a good production, anyway. Well worth The Race to Stratford.


Sitting next to us was a nice couple from Michigan who've been going to Strat for 40 years. Unfortunately they told us that the first 20 minutes we missed was really powerful.

So then, I hated them.

Gilmabelfest Day 1 - Part 1 Trying to get to Stratford

Well, I haven't had a standby suspense day like that in years! For years now when I've flown standby I would check in advance to see free seats vs. people registered as standby, and if there's more of the former than the latter, no problem getting on.

But I think I usually avoided traveling on a Friday! There seemed to be a lot of employees who kept showing up (every time I saw a set of brass wings I cursed!) and my dad said a lot of business travelers will show up, hoping to fly standby back home for the weekend.

Normally I really wouldn't mind--provided there's still a lot of possible flights to get on, it means a lot of sitting around in the airport, but eventually you get on and I get to my destination. My destination was usually My Mom's House, so no deadline. When I came out to Gilmabelfest last year I think I bought a ticket, though, and when I went to London of course.

But this year I thought, nah, I'll save the money and just go early enough to get through several flights. Meeps! I missed two before making it on the third. And they were at opposite ends of the concourse, which made it funnier. The first flight was at gate 1. Then gate 51. Then gate 5. And there's no moving ramp in the Montreal airport.

When I finally got my ticket, the nice employee at the gate said: Sorry we only have middle seats.

!!

(It's a one hour flight, not to mention this is a great privilege to travel for only the cost of the taxes. I don't take that for granted.)

I said: I'm just glad to get on, I'm going to a show!!

But then we left 15 minutes late because there was some connecting passenger who they weren't sure made the flight, and weren't sure if his baggage did. Damn you Passenger Jones!!!

On the plus side, they must have sent our luggage on the previous flight (though they're not supposed to for security reasons) because mine was just sitting there waiting for me on the ground by the wheel. Yay!

But Gilby hadn't put together the fact that if he'd left his nearby work early enough to be waiting for my flight, we could have left right away. (He's in charge of a huuuuge job right now, so all his brain cellulage is taken up by that. Plus I'm the planner. His enjoyment of Gilmabelfest is that he does 0 planning.)

There was traffic like a mozefoze, so he got to me by 6:35, and traffic like a mozefoze getting out of town. But we made it to the theater by 8:20, which is better than we initially hoped for. (His onstar navigation actually gave us an updated ETA as we drove, which was fun.)

It was in the smaller theater, which turned out well, because what they do is seat you secretly in the back, and you can go to your seat at intermission. Well the theater is so small they were great seats anyway! (It's where we saw Earnest last year, next to our old hotel.)

So all's well that ends well.

bla bla bla packing

Alright, the clothes are packed, except I haven't decided on the shoes yet. Now I have to pack the rest of my crap, and decide what combination of purse/briefcase/carry-on I want to use.

Stripes is on tv. Good packing entertainment--one can leave the room and still know what's going on.

My friend Swiss Girl is an expert at hotel & sight seeing globetrotting packing. But I do believe I am an expert at Visiting Close Family packing. For this kind of packing...

* You don't have to worry about too many suitcases and such, cause even if you go running around seeing things, you have a safe home base where you can leave your other crap.

* You don't have to worry about forgetting nail clipper type accessories, cause you can just use your relative's.

* You have to leave extra space because relatives give you prezzies, or you might be running around shopping rather than sight seeing. My method these days is to pack as much as possible into a smaller suitcase; then put it into a bigger suitcase; toss a few things, shoes etc into the gaps around the smaller one. Then when it's time to come home I've got almost a complete extra suitcase I can pack.

My step-mommy is still learning this. She always comes to visit with one perfectly packed suitcase. Then she runs around buying dolls (she collects) and has to play puzzle with her suitcase, and goes home with some big extra plastic bag etc. Tsk tsk. I keep trying to tell her -- pack with lots of room to spare!

Can you handle the shiny?!!

Friend Maewitch's online store is now up and running. She loves beautiful handcrafted soaps and perfumes and jewelery and shiny nail polishi, but it can be expensive for Canadians to import. Now we can use her store instead! Check it out, if only because the site is preeeeetty. (Oh and I believe most of it is vegan or cruelty free.)

"Pahhhck meeee"

I'm not in the mood to pack. I haven't had that First Day of Vacation 12 Hour Sleep yet, so I'm not feeling very energetic. But I don't want to go to bed too late either, because I don't want to fall asleep during Evita, or get a cold or something. Sigh. So I should get off my caboose and PACK. Sigh.

I am Le Sigh.

Maybe if I could pack here in the living room, with some TV. Not very practical, though.

Mowwwz mowwwz mowwwz.

In other news, I got my sick-kitty earrings. I'm going to bring them with me.

Oh, and Haley also finally admitted to poisoning Minion. She wasn't trying to kill her, she just wanted a break from the whole running around, jumping on her back, stealing mother's lap, stealing her food, acting like top cat routine.

Scaredy-cat

Minny-nin-nin gave me a scare today. Last night around 2 AM she was just sitting around on her cushion, which does occasionally happen when she's sleepy, but still a bit unusual. When I got up to feed the cats at 4, and go to bed, she didn't move! This is a cat who lives to eat, but she didn't stir when I took out the can and gave Haley some food.

Around 6 AM Fernando saw her throw up, and when I woke up at 10 she was still sitting in the same spot, and still not interested in food.

I've mentioned before that since hitting my 30s I've turned into a watering pot, and after putting down two cats in one year, I haven't gotten any better! Her symptoms reminded me too much of Sherry.

I had to meet Fernando at his work, and since our phones were down (as part of a cable upgrade) I called and made a vet appointment from there.

When I got home, about an hour later, I thought just before opening the door--If she greets me at the door, I won't be quite as worried. And - ta da! - there she was, bouncing around, running and leaping and asking me to feed her. She's been completely normal since then, so I canceled the appointment.

Phew! There's only one thing worse than returning from vacation to a sick cat, and that's being about to leave on vacation and there's a sick cat.

Hopefully there won't be a recurrence of her symptoms. ...And don't think I'm not watching Haley very, very carefully. She's the only cat who never seems to get sick around here. Hm!

New York's full of gay people, just FYI

Hey my cable's not down yet!

I decided this fall to not bother trying to resist Survivor, and I don't regret. Still so good. [There's an episode 2 spoiler now.] I'm watching the second episode, the part where one of the tribes has to gather and vote someone out. There's one guy who earlier showed himself to be sexist and the cliché of a redneck, and now... he's outed himself as severely homophobic! Don't ever remember seeing that on this show!

They were having all this arguing and wrangling, and then out of the BLUE he turns and asks another player: "Are you gay?"
[shocked expressions on all faces]
Accused Guy: I bet I've had more beautiful girlfriends than you.
Redneck: You have not!
[bicker bicker]
Accused: I'd like to see you try to work your magic in New York.
Redneck: New York's full of a bunch of gay people, ya.
Host: New York is full of gay people?
Redneck: They got a lot of them, Jeff, more than they do in Louisiana.
Dumb Blonde Guy Who's In Redneck's Alliance: Be quiet dude! We're all on the same team for the next 2-3 weeks!!

Wow. Vair vair entertaining. I love that Accused Guy not only brings up that he dates women, but that they're beautiful. Like... if you've had a lot of plain women, you just might be a little further along the spectrum towards gay. Alright, good to know.

fyi

Our cable, including phone internet tv, will be down from 3 AM to 5 PM. So you won't be able to contact me, except by carrier pigeon.

But I'm also now on vacation! Yippy!!

Feeeeed meeeeeee

Ahhh! The beast demanded payment! In the form of a book about Georgette Heyer's Regency, and five books from the $9.99 table! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

The Regency book I bought has a different cover. Looking at this cover now... I suspect I already own it! May need to return.



Alright, I give up. I'll read the damn Kite Runner.



Wasn't originally drawn to this one, but I'd never looked at the plot before. Looks interesting.

I have another Waters book I haven't read yet; but someone at work said his wife raves about this one.

Possibly a too-white-perspective book judging by some reviews. But I still nurse a secret fantasy that one day I will teach a post-colonial humanities class, and get to use all books.