Last night I went to a mystery reading at Casa Loma sponsored by the Crime Writers of Canada. I like a good mystery novel and enjoy book readings, and the craft-focused Q&A sessions that accompany them, but I have to confess that the main draw of this event was the location. Casa Loma, for non-Torontonians, is a 19th century castle started by ( Read more... )

Six weeks since my last update...I'm turning into a bad LJer. I'm going to blame my lack of presence on running up against program deadlines. I hit the summer and suddenly realized that I had four months to study for and write my second comprehensive exam, and prepare my proposal. My own fault, for dithering and delaying on a topic (which in turn ( Read more... )

I had a nice entry written up on my trip last Friday to the free concert hosted by the ROM in honour of the opening of the Lee-Chin Crystal wing, but I lost it when LiveJournal wouldn't let me post for two days. (Probably more, but that's how long I know I couldn't post for.) It looks like I'm finally able to post again, but the opening wasn't ( Read more... )

The Art Gallery of Ontario currently has an Emily Carr exhibit on display. I've been meaning to go for a while, having heard from my roommate that it's fabulous, but kept putting it off for later. Yesterday, however, I realized that it closes on Sunday, and so tonight B and I finally made the time to go. My roommate was right--it is indeed fabulous ( Read more... )

As I sit here, reading posts from my friends in Ottawa and Toronto about how very, very hot it is, I'm really coming to appreciate the air conditioning in my apartment. It is, of course, a terrible drain on our resources and generally bad for the environment, but since I have no control over it and no way to turn it off, I'm just going to enjoy it ( Read more... )

It's summer in Toronto, and the film crews are out and about. Last year, it was Take the Lead, for which they transformed the building where my department is located into a New York high school, complete with New York police cars, New York cabs, New York street signs, and a partial facade. (I have no idea what, if anything, they did to the inside. ( Read more... )

It's reading week at the university, and so B and I decided to take yesterday off and wander the city. We had originally planned to go out for lunch, and then stroll along Queen St., coffee in hand, and do a bit of window shopping. The sudden rise of a brisk wind as we left the restaurant changed our minds and drove us underground into PATH. As we ( Read more... )

B and I went out for supper last night along College Street. The restaurant we went to was heartbreakingly empty; we were literally the only customers there, and probably wouldn't have gone in ourselves if we hadn't been there before and knew the food was decent. (And the food was decent, though sadly, they'd changed their menu and the French onion ( Read more... )

B and I went out for Summerlicious at Canoe on Tuesday night. The restaurant is on the 54th floor of the TD Bank building, so it offers a fabulous view, even at 9:45, which was the only reservation we could get. (It was almost 10:00 before we were seated, in part, I suspect, because people were enjoying the view too much to leave their seats.) The ( Read more... )