Let's Go To The Ex!

I went to The Canadian National Exhibition ("The Ex") last Sunday. I didn't go last year because I wasn't home at the end of August so I was really looking forward to continuing my annual tradition. Unfortunately, all my girlfriends have grown up and none of them really likes going to The Ex so I was reconciled to going alone. Sometimes that works out better for me because then I can go wherever I want.

I arrived around 1PM via streetcar, which takes you right into the exhibition grounds. I had already bought my reduced price pass for $7 at work so I was able to walk right in after they scanned my pass. I headed straight to the Food Building and after a quick look around, I came out the other side and walked right into one of the women from work! What a small world ... she was there with her family. After a quick hello, I headed over to The Better Living Building. Only it isn't there anymore! They're tearing it down or renovating it so I settled on the Arts & Crafts building. Lots of cool stuff in there: jewellery, decorative pillows and lamps, spices, jams, jellies, wood carvings, purses, hats, clothing, candy, etc. etc. etc. I bought some expensive jam. (Get it? JAM bought jam! LOL)

Next I headed over to the Sports and Leisure building. Other than the usual huge bikini retailer (with no change rooms to try on anything!), there were a couple of cheesy sports displays, some massage therapists and one great OBUS forme backpack sales kiosk. I almost bought a HEYS brand mini knapsack for $25. I'm always thinking in advance of my trip to Europe next spring as I've heard the pickpockets in Barcelona are quite prolific! So I need something other than a regular purse to guard my valuables. But I don't want to look like a tourist so the search is on for something chic yet versatile. After a quick browse through an area selling books (4 for $10), a made my way back to the Food Building.

The same people are there every year, selling the same grubb, almost in exactly the same spot! The only difference I noticed over two years ago was that the Tiny Tom Donuts stand was inside instead of outside. There is Greek food, Italian food, Jamaican food, German food, Chinese food, fish & chips, pizza, BBQ ribs and burgers, hot fried waffles served with ice cream and, of course, french fries. I have these so rarely that I always treat myself at The Ex with a small serving. If I bought a large, there is no doubt that I would eat them all. I absolutely love french fries over any other food, including chocolate. Shocking, isn't it?

Finally, I was ready for my favourite part of The Ex: The Direct Energy Centre. It used to be called the National Trade Centre but I simply remember it as the newest (and biggest) building on the Exhibition grounds with four or five separate salons filled people hawking their wares from all over the world. It's like a huge international marketplace with goodies from Brazil, Canada (!), China, Egypt, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, and many others I can't remember right now. I bought a set of hand towels and matching face cloths for $7, a funky necklace for $15 and a pair of earrings for $3. I also saw 50 million other things I wanted to buy but I was getting pretty tired by this point so I called it a day.

I climbed aboard a streetcar to take me home sometime after 6PM, after spending approximately FIVE HOURS walking around The Ex. My feet were sore and my back was aching. I can't wait to go back again on Labour Day Monday!!! *grin*

Commenting on My Blog

The beauty of it being MY blog, is that I get to moderate all comments.

So, in response to the weak and spiteful individual who tried to post an inflamatory comment this morning: Na na na na na!

LOL

Mexico Comes To Toronto - Part 2

Last Friday (was it really over a week ago?), Dave and Isabel Manore hosted a Mexican Fiesta at the Madison. The Mad is a well-known and very popular pub in downtown Toronto. Dave and Isabel also own a boutique hotel in Puerto Vallarta called, appropriately enough, Casa Isabel. Every year they have this big party. We pay admission and that includes all our food and at least one drink. There is a silent auction and live music. It was a beautiful summer night. Isabel subsequently told me they raised $6,000 CDN to benefit the Becas Foundation, a PV charity which raises funds for children's education. Anyway, here's a few pics of the festivities. The Goddesses, of course, were there (we can't resist a party!) as well as some friends from two borders south. Enjoy!



















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Cell Phone Stupidity

Those of you who know me well, know my feelings about cell phones. I hate them. I think they were invented by Dr. Evil. The REAL Dr. Evil, not Mike Myers' baby finger sucking, coyly bald Dr. Evil. I owned a cell phone, once. I owned it for a year. Or should I say, it owned me. I didn't have a land line where I was living and my work needed to reach me so I was required to get a cell phone. *sigh* It was the worse year of my life, communicatively speaking. Don't get me wrong. I love talking on the phone. I can (and do) spend hours talking on the phone. It is right up there with shopping for shoes and dinner with the Goddesses.

Still, the cell phone was always THERE. Always ON. I had to take it with me EVERYWHERE. When I didn't, people would call me and give me shit for not answering the phone WHEN THEY CALLED. They hated leaving a message because it gave me the control as to when I called them back, not the other way around. And I was constantly feeding cards into the damn thing. Then I would get these text messages in Spanish, which I could never understand. And if I ever had to recall a message, I had to go through the menu in Spanish. I didn't know what the hell she was saying but I got to know which numbers to press to bypass her. I hated that bitch! LOL

Recently, I've witnessed some pretty stupid cell phone behaviour. For example, at work (I work in law office), we all have phones on our desk. Mine is a regular office phone with my number, my boss' number, a hold button, flashing lights, etc. I use it to make calls to other people and people can call me on it. What an invention! Anyway, I work with people who own cell phones which, by the way, are not allowed in the office. Regardless of this rule (and numerous other rules which have apparently been made for the sole purpose of being broken), cell phones ring in my office all the time. And they don't ring ring. They play stupid little songs. Or buzz. Or beep. Every time a different one goes off, I think it is the fire alarm.

A couple of weeks ago, the Goddesses and I met for dinner at a local steakhouse in the Village, recently renovated. OK, it was The Keg Mansion on Jarvis. We had drinks in the bar at 7PM and were showed to our table around 8PM. About an hour later, a young family came into the restaurant. Mother, father and a young daughter who was approximately 7 years old. They were a beautiful family and seemed relatively normal until the cell phones were placed on the table. Then all semblance of the "happy family" disappeared. First the wife's cell phone rang and she answered it. The caller must have asked, "What are you doing?" because her response was "Not much. What's new with you?" NOT MUCH??? She's out for dinner with HER FAMILY and she takes a personal call. Since when do cell phones replace human beings? GRRR!!! She hung up and then the husband's cell phone rang. Same scenario. It was pathetic. I wonder if they call each other from opposite sides of the bed to say goodnight.

I've also seen this happen in the dog park. Picture this scene. It's a beautiful, warm, sunny morning. You are going crazy, waiting for your master to take you for your "morning constitution". It is the highlight of your day! Your owner grabs his keys, your ball, affixes your leash and heads out the door. But he can't forget the cell phone! Just in case someone needs to call him at 8AM and ask him for his opinion about the state of the economy. So there you are, in the park, your most favourite place in the whole world, with the person you love the most. And he's got the ball, which you're dying to chase and slobber all over. Trouble is, Master Dearest is too busy on his cell phone to pay much attention to you and your needs. So you bark and jump up and down, trying to get his attention for just two seconds. Just long enough for him to throw the ball. It's a very sad thing to see. Even sadder when you substitute a SMALL CHILD for the dog. I've seen it. Disgusting behaviour by people who are more attached to a small electronic device than to their own family, friends or other human beings.

I used to date a really nice guy, and his cell phone. We fought about it constantly. I wanted it off. He wanted it on. I won. The woman always wins in arguments like this. We have the ultimate trump card. Hehe! I recently talked to a guy from a dating website who had a similar experience but with a business associate. These two bachelors met through business and decided to hit a patio and do some serious girl-watching. Bachelor #1 (my friend) was looking forward to enjoying a drink and some good old-fashioned "guy talk". Bachelor #2 took a call on his cell phone five minutes after they sat down and proceeded to talk for longer than 20 minutes to someone not even there. Bachelor #1 was pissed but did nothing. I couldn't sit for longer than TWO minutes without saying something! I don't know where he found the restraint.

So many people in Canada have cell phones now that they are starting to take out the phone booths. This really ticks me off because I don't have a cell phone. I don't want a cell phone. I have no intention of EVER BUYING A CELL PHONE. I somehow need to communicate this need to the phone company. I figure I'll have to make a trip out to the airport to call them. *sigh* I have to stop now before I really get worked up. I need to go to bed and I won't be able to sleep if I carry on with this rant much longer.

End Breast Cancer

Here is an awesome way to help continue the fight against Breast Cancer. Frito-Lay of Canada is donating $1 to End Breast Cancer for every person that signs onto their site this weekend.

They are committed to raising up to $100,000 through this site. I just signed on myself and they are presently at $17,235+. There is a long way to hitting $100,000 and we need your help.

There are no other obligations by signing on, and you won't receive any other emails or offers from them, unless you check off the box to get them. So please, just take a minute, and click onto their website, and please forward it to your friends.

Click Here

Thanks for reading!

Mexico Comes To Toronto - Part 1

Earlier this month, I received an email from Carmen, the owner of El Arrayan, one my favourite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. She and her partner, Claudia, were coming to Canada on vacation and I made her promise to contact me with their itinerary. The email came with a request for help. Could I find them a hotel for one night and also help them get tickets for the train between Toronto to Montreal? No problema! I booked the hotel for their late arrival and met them for lunch the next day with train tickets in hand.

A week later, they returned to Toronto and we arranged to meet for dinner. As they were staying with friends in the Beaches, I took a streetcar out there one night last week and we had a marvelous dinner! I think I ate the BEST guacamole I've ever had in MY LIFE -- it was chunky, not pureed. (I hate that mushy stuff!) The conversation was in English and Spanish and I'm happy to say, I've retained a lot of my second language since April.

Anyway, I can't resist another plug for Carmen's absolutely AMAZING restaurant in Vallarta. There's a reason they were voted #1! Her filet mignon with mole sauce is one of the few things I miss about living there. Here's a pic of Carmen and me enjoying a local brew:

Get Involved!

I am posting this as a favour for a friend:

Hi Juliana, I have a petition online to request Wasaga Beach Council make changes to the burning by-law. With our denser population, hundreds of fires can burn here at any time. The air is so bad (worse than any bad day in Toronto) and tourists are actually complaining about the air quality. I don't know if you've been here lately, but it's absolutely unacceptable. I have a petition and a video showing what I'm talking about on my website.

First Article on the Page

I'd appreciate if you could sign the petition and send it along to anyone else who cares about the environment.

Please take a moment to sign her petition. I did.

A Worthy Cause

I don't usually ask people for money but this is a very worthy cause. I sponsored myself for $20 and I encourage you to match that amount, if possible. However, please feel free to donate as little as $5 or $10. Every little bit helps! And thank you very much for your pledge.

Juliana

The Ride for Diabetes Research is a highly successful fundraising event for diabetes research in Canada thanks to people like you who are supporting our participants by making a pledge donation. By pledging me, your money will be going towards finding a cure for this disease by funding some of the most progressive research in the world, with some of the biggest breakthroughs coming from Canada.

You can pledge quickly and safely through our secure on-line pledge option. An electronic tax receipt will be e-mailed directly to you. Click on the following link to use your VISA, MasterCard or American Express.

Sponsor Me Here

For more information about the Ride for Diabetes Research and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, please visit www.jdrf.ca. Again, thank you for your support.

Hot, Hot, HOT!!!

I remember last summer in Mexico and living in hot temps with high humidity for months on end. I also remember thinking that the summers in Canada were much more pleasant and I couldn't wait to get home to one. Well ... today we reached 35C in Toronto and, with the humidex (an odious Canadian invention, by the way), it felt like 47C on the skin. For all my American readers, that's 116.6F or HOT!!!

Last night apparently was the hottest night on record in Toronto. I slept with the window open, the fan OFF, wore pjs and slept under a sheet and comforter. I guess I'm still acclimated to down south. I wouldn't mind my blood thickening a bit before the fall and winter get here. Thank the Goddess I still have all my cold weather clothing.

The AC is a mixed blessing. I have it on now (5:45PM) because this is, in my opinion, the hottest part of the day, but I will turn it off before bed and open my window once again. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it at work and am constantly complaining about the cold. I seem to have a constant scratchy throat from it. The weather will break soon, I hope.

We have another long weekend coming up and, other than Caribana, which I have no intention of attending, there isn't a lot going on around town. I might take a couple of day trips to outlying areas for a change of scenery or try to catch a movie. What do you have planned for this weekend? Whatever you do, stay cool and well hydrated. Dehydration is a very serious condition and it kind of sneaks up on you without warning. Take care and be careful.