I don’t like dishwashers. I don’t trust them to get my dishes clean. I’ve owned my condo for almost 8 years and I think I’ve used the dishwasher once. Maybe. I can’t really remember. We never had a dishwasher growing up so my brother and I were assigned dishwashing duty every night after dinner. We would play, fight, and then report transgressions to my parents, who were seriously trying to ignore our petty squabbles while drinking tea and reading the newspaper in the living room.
Rob owns a dishwasher and uses it for everything. I swear, if he could wash his clothes in there, he would! Not really but he is as obsessed with his dishwasher as I am inclined to avoid it. He doesn’t run it every night, especially when he’s there alone during the week. Sometimes, we will run it once or twice on the weekend when I am visiting but I refuse to load it. The thought of opening a contraption, half filled with dirty dishes, to put in more dirty dishes, does not appeal to me.
I love it when I go to set the table and I find schmeek (unidentified food stuff) on his “clean” dishes. It gives me great pleasure to show these dirty dishes to him and then wash them by hand. It is only then that I feel they are really clean. I know I’m weird. Don’t even get me started on dirty sinks. My mother thinks that obsession started at a very young age when she used to ask me to clean the bathroom. I would do the sink but not the toilet or the bathtub. They were just too ‘icky’ for me. Dishwasher = icky.
I also don’t like cell phones. They are the bane of 21st century civilization. I know I’ve ranted about this before but lack of cell phone etiquette bears repeating. Don’t you just hate it when you’re in a conversation with someone, face-to-face, and they interrupt you so that they can check their Blackberry or answer their cell phone? Most of my friends who are handicapped with cell phones know that I do not tolerate this behaviour and think twice about answering anything, except maybe the doorbell, when they’re sharing my personal space. I sometimes catch Rob taking surreptitious glances at his Blackberry when he thinks I’m still sleeping. I feel sorry for him, standing there, bathed in the synthetic blue glow of his little addictive, electronic friend. *sigh*
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Going Off The Grid
As many of you know, we are leaving Thursday evening for our European Tour. Not exactly a tour in the true sense of the word since we are only visiting two countries (England and France) but I am excited nevertheless. Packing has been a bit challenging because of the unpredictable weather so I settled on taking a fleece jacket, a jean jacket, a leather jacket and a short trench coat. Rob says if we’re overweight at check in, we will simply pay the extra charges.
I know I will personally be overweight when we get home because of all the food and drink I plan to consume. I’m a little worried about the food in England and am thinking that I will probably eat fish & chips every day. And Paris will be the opposite, with too many wonderful treats to savour. I want to have chocolate croissants for breakfast every morning. Good thing our apartment is situated right above a boulangerie so My Beloved won’t have far to go to search out this delicacy for me.
And because my friends think I know everyone in the world (which I don’t – yet), I am of course meeting familiar people in Europe while I’m there. My best girlfriend from Vallarta, Scott, will be arriving with his new partner, Noel, and we’re meeting for drinks on Saturday night at The Audley. I’m also meeting an internet friend, Jackie, there for the first time. I can’t remember how we met online so we’ll have to figure that out over many drinks.
Other friends, who winter in Puerto Vallarta, will be arriving in Paris on October 4th and we are meeting them for drinks as well. That way, Mike and I can celebrate our birthdays together (his is the day after mine). Before they arrive, we are planning a trip to Vimy on October 3rd to see the Canadian National War Memorial. Some people think that visiting such things is depressing but I see it as an important part of our history, especially given current affairs.
We decided not to take a laptop with us because of the aforementioned weight restrictions but also because we won’t have a lot of time to be sitting around the keyboard. I look forward to hearing from all of you when we get back. I’m sure we’ll have tons of stories and even more photos. My digital camera holds over 700 pictures and Rob’s holds 1000. So be prepared to be inundated with all kinds of good stuff, including English toffee, when we return.
Love, Me xo
I know I will personally be overweight when we get home because of all the food and drink I plan to consume. I’m a little worried about the food in England and am thinking that I will probably eat fish & chips every day. And Paris will be the opposite, with too many wonderful treats to savour. I want to have chocolate croissants for breakfast every morning. Good thing our apartment is situated right above a boulangerie so My Beloved won’t have far to go to search out this delicacy for me.
And because my friends think I know everyone in the world (which I don’t – yet), I am of course meeting familiar people in Europe while I’m there. My best girlfriend from Vallarta, Scott, will be arriving with his new partner, Noel, and we’re meeting for drinks on Saturday night at The Audley. I’m also meeting an internet friend, Jackie, there for the first time. I can’t remember how we met online so we’ll have to figure that out over many drinks.
Other friends, who winter in Puerto Vallarta, will be arriving in Paris on October 4th and we are meeting them for drinks as well. That way, Mike and I can celebrate our birthdays together (his is the day after mine). Before they arrive, we are planning a trip to Vimy on October 3rd to see the Canadian National War Memorial. Some people think that visiting such things is depressing but I see it as an important part of our history, especially given current affairs.
We decided not to take a laptop with us because of the aforementioned weight restrictions but also because we won’t have a lot of time to be sitting around the keyboard. I look forward to hearing from all of you when we get back. I’m sure we’ll have tons of stories and even more photos. My digital camera holds over 700 pictures and Rob’s holds 1000. So be prepared to be inundated with all kinds of good stuff, including English toffee, when we return.
Love, Me xo
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My Birthday In Paris
I'm going to Paris for my birthday (I never get tired of saying that). Here's where My Beloved is taking me for dinner (after lunch at the Eiffel Tower and a day of shopping along Blvd. St-Germain) ... can you say YUM???
Le Train Bleu
Le Train Bleu
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
To Whom It May Concern
I am an original owner at Parliament Square. I was a first-time homeowner when I bought my condominium. I was very impressed with the building and the possibilities for the development of the neighbourhood as well as our community. While the view from my unit isn’t one of the Lake, I quickly learned the advantages of living on the north-facing side of the building. It is much cooler in the summertime and the sunsets are amazing! I also enjoy the City view at night, with all the lights of downtown lighting up the sky. I bought some patio furniture and a lounge chair to make the balcony a comfortable living space during the warmer months.
Since the construction started last year, I have not used my balcony. I did not use it last summer and I have not used it this summer. It is impossible to keep clean. The dirt is incredible. In fact, I rarely open my windows other than a few inches for a few hours at a time because of the dirt that accumulates on the curtains and the carpet. In addition, the noise during the day makes it impossible to open the windows while watching TV, listening to music, talking on the phone or reading quietly.
I like a lot of light in my living space so my curtains do not reach the top of the window frame. There is space above all my curtain rods in both the living room and the bedroom to allow the light to enter my suite at all times of the day. The windows in the bedroom are floor to ceiling and wrap around to the side of the balcony. I chose to put sheer curtains here to get maximum light exposure.
During the initial phase of the tower construction, there was a very large, brilliant spotlight affixed to the crane and it shone into my bedroom every night, for weeks at a time, lighting up my room like an airport runway. I made repeated complaints to Comsec and eventually, had to involve the help of Pat McConnell’s office to get this light turned off at night. Lewis Builds would turn it off for a night or two, and then it would come back on again. The entire process had to be repeated again and again and again. Finally, the tower advanced upward to the point where the light no longer impacted on my unit but rather, the people who lived above me. No explanation about the purpose for this light was ever given, even though I repeatedly asked for one.
During the construction process of the lower portion of the building, my privacy has been an issue, especially now that the workers are working directly opposite my unit. They are less than 100 yards away from me and my living space. Eventually, I will have to deal with my neighbours having the same perspective. I literally have to sneak out of bed in the morning, on the “wrong” side of the bed, so they won’t see me. The crane operator on this part of the building had a bird’s eye view of my bed for weeks, through the upper part of my windows not covered by curtains. I have to make sure I am appropriately attired at all times when I am near a window and covered up while I am in bed.
Since buying my property in 1999, the value has increased steadily each year due to the completion of the third condo building at 80 Mill Street and the continued development of The Distillery District. I now believe the proximity of the new building on the north side of Parliament Square will have a detrimental effect on the value of the units in my building, especially those on the north side between the second and seventh floors, whose views are partially or completely blocked by this monstrosity. Considering how the building was first “pitched” to us (i.e. the western most edge of the tower will start at the eastern most edge of our building, the lower portion will only be six stories, etc.), I am adamant that any further development on the site be scrutinized with the utmost concern for the overall affect on current and future residents. The current project was a total “white-wash” and we were given false information so that the developers could get approval to push ahead with their plan.
It makes me sad to think of how the original dream for The Distillery District has become so distorted by the greed and manipulation of Cityscape, not to mention the gross and continued lack of consideration shown by Lewis Builds to the occupants of Parliament Square. This 32 storey tower hardly embodies the spirit intended by the original developers of The District and it does absolutely nothing to maintain the integrity of this extremely important historical site.
Since the construction started last year, I have not used my balcony. I did not use it last summer and I have not used it this summer. It is impossible to keep clean. The dirt is incredible. In fact, I rarely open my windows other than a few inches for a few hours at a time because of the dirt that accumulates on the curtains and the carpet. In addition, the noise during the day makes it impossible to open the windows while watching TV, listening to music, talking on the phone or reading quietly.
I like a lot of light in my living space so my curtains do not reach the top of the window frame. There is space above all my curtain rods in both the living room and the bedroom to allow the light to enter my suite at all times of the day. The windows in the bedroom are floor to ceiling and wrap around to the side of the balcony. I chose to put sheer curtains here to get maximum light exposure.
During the initial phase of the tower construction, there was a very large, brilliant spotlight affixed to the crane and it shone into my bedroom every night, for weeks at a time, lighting up my room like an airport runway. I made repeated complaints to Comsec and eventually, had to involve the help of Pat McConnell’s office to get this light turned off at night. Lewis Builds would turn it off for a night or two, and then it would come back on again. The entire process had to be repeated again and again and again. Finally, the tower advanced upward to the point where the light no longer impacted on my unit but rather, the people who lived above me. No explanation about the purpose for this light was ever given, even though I repeatedly asked for one.
During the construction process of the lower portion of the building, my privacy has been an issue, especially now that the workers are working directly opposite my unit. They are less than 100 yards away from me and my living space. Eventually, I will have to deal with my neighbours having the same perspective. I literally have to sneak out of bed in the morning, on the “wrong” side of the bed, so they won’t see me. The crane operator on this part of the building had a bird’s eye view of my bed for weeks, through the upper part of my windows not covered by curtains. I have to make sure I am appropriately attired at all times when I am near a window and covered up while I am in bed.
Since buying my property in 1999, the value has increased steadily each year due to the completion of the third condo building at 80 Mill Street and the continued development of The Distillery District. I now believe the proximity of the new building on the north side of Parliament Square will have a detrimental effect on the value of the units in my building, especially those on the north side between the second and seventh floors, whose views are partially or completely blocked by this monstrosity. Considering how the building was first “pitched” to us (i.e. the western most edge of the tower will start at the eastern most edge of our building, the lower portion will only be six stories, etc.), I am adamant that any further development on the site be scrutinized with the utmost concern for the overall affect on current and future residents. The current project was a total “white-wash” and we were given false information so that the developers could get approval to push ahead with their plan.
It makes me sad to think of how the original dream for The Distillery District has become so distorted by the greed and manipulation of Cityscape, not to mention the gross and continued lack of consideration shown by Lewis Builds to the occupants of Parliament Square. This 32 storey tower hardly embodies the spirit intended by the original developers of The District and it does absolutely nothing to maintain the integrity of this extremely important historical site.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Eagle Eyes
I’ve never thought that my eyesight was particularly good or outstanding. I actually have to wear glasses to see into the distance and my night vision sucks. One thing I’m good at, however, is finding things. The smaller, and the more inconvenient the spot, the better I am at locating it.
A few years ago, I remember sitting at an outdoor bar in Puerto Vallarta, about six feet from the beach, when the guy I was sitting beside yelped because he had lost one of his contacts. Apparently it popped right out of his eye. (I don’t wear contacts so I’m not sure how these things can happen …). We were sitting with a large group of drunken tourists and the floor was comprised of large, uneven tiles, cemented together.
Within seconds, everyone was scrambling around on their hands and knees under the table. After they all gave up, I found his contact lens and handed it to him. He was very thankful as he had just started his vacation and was imagining trying to buy contact lenses in Mexico.
Last month, I attended a girls’ weekend up at a friend’s cottage. We were all sitting outside, when our hostess gasped and grabbed her ear lob. She had been fiddling with one of her gold earrings and it fell off, through the slats in the wooden deck and onto the ground below us. We all headed down to see if we could find it. At this point, I was somewhat sure of my skills so I told everyone not to worry, that I would find it.
The underside of the deck was some 15 feet above the spot where her earring landed and the space was covered with dirt, dried pine needles and small rocks. We all started looking but eventually they all gave up, except for me. I sent her back up to the deck with some small stones and asked her to drop them through the slats in the deck so that I could see their trajectory. Sure enough, I found her earring, which was about ½ inch in diameter.
My latest “find” involves one of the articling students with whom I work and another earring. This time, it was a 1 mm. pearl stud. Fortunately, she hadn’t travelled far since she arrived that morning -- she had been to my desk, went into the copy room and was sitting in her office. I assured her I would find it and relayed the contact lens story.
We checked around my desk space, through the copy room and I finally followed her into her office where I advised her to check the inside of her clothes. It was at this point that I came around her desk and looked underneath. The earring was lying in one of her loafers, under her desk. As you can see, my recovery record is pretty impressive and my confidence is growing.
It’s a gift. LOL
A few years ago, I remember sitting at an outdoor bar in Puerto Vallarta, about six feet from the beach, when the guy I was sitting beside yelped because he had lost one of his contacts. Apparently it popped right out of his eye. (I don’t wear contacts so I’m not sure how these things can happen …). We were sitting with a large group of drunken tourists and the floor was comprised of large, uneven tiles, cemented together.
Within seconds, everyone was scrambling around on their hands and knees under the table. After they all gave up, I found his contact lens and handed it to him. He was very thankful as he had just started his vacation and was imagining trying to buy contact lenses in Mexico.
Last month, I attended a girls’ weekend up at a friend’s cottage. We were all sitting outside, when our hostess gasped and grabbed her ear lob. She had been fiddling with one of her gold earrings and it fell off, through the slats in the wooden deck and onto the ground below us. We all headed down to see if we could find it. At this point, I was somewhat sure of my skills so I told everyone not to worry, that I would find it.
The underside of the deck was some 15 feet above the spot where her earring landed and the space was covered with dirt, dried pine needles and small rocks. We all started looking but eventually they all gave up, except for me. I sent her back up to the deck with some small stones and asked her to drop them through the slats in the deck so that I could see their trajectory. Sure enough, I found her earring, which was about ½ inch in diameter.
My latest “find” involves one of the articling students with whom I work and another earring. This time, it was a 1 mm. pearl stud. Fortunately, she hadn’t travelled far since she arrived that morning -- she had been to my desk, went into the copy room and was sitting in her office. I assured her I would find it and relayed the contact lens story.
We checked around my desk space, through the copy room and I finally followed her into her office where I advised her to check the inside of her clothes. It was at this point that I came around her desk and looked underneath. The earring was lying in one of her loafers, under her desk. As you can see, my recovery record is pretty impressive and my confidence is growing.
It’s a gift. LOL
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