Life In The Big Smoke

With one week of work under my belt, I am feeling like I am one of the downtown crowd again. The fact is, although I am going through the motions, I do not feel like the same woman who left this life over two years ago. I am not stressed out (yet). I do not have to be the first one off the curb when the light changes. I do not get angry when people bump into me (OK, just a little bit). I offer gum to harried store clerks. I refuse to talk local politics with my bus driver.

I dress the part and I walk the walk but I'm a big, fat fake. I love being here! I jump out of bed every morning with a smile on my face, especially when I look in my closest and have to decide which of my new pieces to wear. I love riding on the streetcar. I love shopping at my neighbourhood dollar store and am now on a first name basis with Helen, the owner. I am reconnecting with old girlfriends and making new ones. Life is good. The weather is changeable and I love it!

My first shock came last week on Tuesday night, traditionally a cheap movie night. Remember Two Dollar Tuesdays? Well the tickets are no longer $2 but they are usually half price, or so I thought. I was meeting friends at the Varisty, uptown, to see Kinky Boots. There is VIP seating in this theatre but we were going into the regular theatre. When I attempted to buy my ticket, the cashier said, "That will be $11.95 please." I nearly fell over!!! I couldn't believe it.

Dinner at my friend Rose's place on Wednesday night brought me back to centre. We met shortly before we bought our condos, within a month of each other, in 1999. Rose still lives in her condo and mine has been rented for over 3 years now. Rose's place is a haven within the busy hustle of downtown. Located just off the subway, I got to experience the rush hour again. Thank goodness I can walk to work!

I seem to be bleeding money these days. I tend to take cash out of the ATM $100 at a time but I am going through it faster than chocolate during PMS. Last night, I met friends for drinks. Three glasses of wine cost me $35. So with the tip, I forked out $40! I could have bought two decent bottles with that amount. Serves me right for drinking in a hotel bar. They're very beautiful, but always expensive.

Today I went to The Clothing Show at the CNE. There seemed to be a lot of t-shirts for sale, with catchy sayings on them. "My Girlfriend Can Beat Up Your Girlfriend" was one of my favs. I was one of the most conservatively dressed people there. The choices were endless: beaded shoes from Nepal; silver and turquoise pendants from Bali; glorious silk scarves from India; Canadian-crafted jewellery, clothing, handbags and belts.

I was recognized by one designer I knew from the St. Lawrence Market. Good thing she approached me because I never would have recognized her with her new short, dark red 'do. Last time I saw her, she had long blonde hair. You can see Nicole's work at Precious Pink Designs. Another wonderful, young, Canadian designer is Racz, at the show with her Mom. Check out her work at Whitelotus Design. BTW, both of these designers are carried by Scott Magee, at his marvelous boutique, the Pink Poppie. Give it a look sometime soon!

That's it for me for now. Remember that I love to hear from you, my readers. Please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for your feedback!