Click!

 I got a new camera last week, a green Casio EXILIM and apart from Small Sins' NXNE show in Dundas Square last Saturday, I haven't really had a chance to use it much. It was a beautiful day today and after a lovely Sunday afternoon, coffee catch-up with a friend of mine I didn't feel like heading straight home. So I decided to play shutterbug tourist in my own neighbourhood and take some shots of some of the random, crazy, beautiful things that I enjoy on my regular comings and goings...

One of the weird headlight-head guys. No idea what these are about, but at one point they were everywhere. Could be some kind of art, probably is some ad for a Vespa company or something=p. either way I find them mildly intriguing. 

The roses in the Queen Elizabeth Rose Garden in Grange Park are in full bloom. So pretty!!

The view up John St. on a Sunday afternoon--. Starbucks, CityTV and the CN Tower. I just thought it was very Toronto. 

My favourite circuit box and one of my fave pieces of Toronto street art/"graffitti"=). I have a piece by this artist in my kitchen and several buttons that sport some of his other little monster guys. Unfortunately I don't know his name but he's local and can sometimes be found selling his stuff around Queen and Spadina. 

This statue(s) is on Peter St. in front of the M5V condo presentation centre. My dad has christened it "I'm going to touch you."=p. They're slightly grim, but there's something friendly about them just the same. I wonder where they'll go when all the condos are sold?

Yes, I'll admit that taking pictures of FIDO ads is kind of lame, but these guys are just so silly and cute that I couldn't not include them in the things that make me happy in my neighbourhood right now=). 

P.S: I have to apologize for the photos that are horizontal that obviously shouldn't be. I have no idea why the won't turn so you'll just have to crane your neck ever so slightly. The formatting is a little off too, but that's Blogger's fault, boo!

Canada Needs You Volume 2

  A while ago I promised to talk about a show that I went to last month (May 31st to be exact) and I'm embarrassed to admit that it's taken me so long to get to it. Since it's been so long there's not much point in going into too much detail except to say Mike Ford + Hugh's Room + a fabulous new CD = AWESOME!! This will only mean something to a select few, but even Dusty Fosterboard made an appearance with a little Admiral  Trafalgar *hehe*. 

 Bottom line. Check this out! 

 I'm particularly partial to tracks: In Winnipeg, Tea Party, Maurice Richard and of course, Expo '67...

A bit of a Face-Lift

  I decided this blog needed an update. I normally go for more of a sleek, modern look, but I've been on a major green kick lately so I figured why not extend it onto here=). I did a major revamp of my links and I have to say I'm really loving Blogger's new Blog List feature.--Be sure to check out my Blog picks! 

 Also...

 I started working at the Access Centre on Tuesday as the second Student Networking Ambassador (a bit of an absurd title I know) and things are going alright. Slightly slower than I'd like I must admit. I'm a bit afraid that it doesn't take two people to do the job and having come in after my coworker has already been doing the job for a month or more, I'm a bit of the odd one out. However, I know as well as anyone that you need to make things your own. So apart from helping out with our several upcoming events, I'm starting to try and think of various additional projects that I might be able to take on. My supervisor pointed out to me that the Access Centre brochure is sadly in need of a redo, so I'm excited about possibly taking that on. 

It's very different from RyeACCESS and just as I suspected the transition s already turning out to be hard. But, I'll get to make sure that the bond between the two groups continues to strengthen, which is good... 

The Latest...

  Wow, so much to tell. This is going to be a bit of a jumble....

  

   Today was a bit bittersweet. I got to skip another transfusion because my platelets were 24, YES!!! So instead of laying around in a hospital bed and staring at the wall for a good chunk of the day I was out by noon and spent the day in the salon getting my hair highlighted and my eyebrows cleaned up for summer=). However, today my fellow j-skoolers dawned the Ryerson colours for the last time and graduated on to bigger and better things. As this was supposed to be my grad day too, I can't help but feel a little bit bitter, but my time will come, just not soon enough=p. Either way it brought some of my best friends back from far away (if only for a short time) and it was really great to get to catch up with them a bit.  

  

In more exciting news, I FINALLY managed to get a job for the summer, woo-hoo! With a little help from my friends I was able to find out that the Work Study fund isn't the *only* one that exists to pay summer students for doing on-campus jobs. So, I've been hired at the Ryerson Access Centre as one of the "Student Networking Ambassadors" (I think that's what my title is=p. I can never remember it completely) and I sign my life away on Thursday=). It's still within the field that I wanted, which is GREAT, but it'll be different from what I've been doing for the last four years so it's going to take some getting used to. That said it will be nice to have a change too.  

Also, somewhat connected to that, it looks like I might be getting more involved with a disability advocacy group called Citizen's with Disabilities Ontario I guess I won't have to worry about not having enough disability-related activities to put on my resume when I reapply for Disability Studies next year afterall.  I was reading the disability chapter in the textbook for my Feminism and Society class last night and finding out about all of the amazing organizations around the world. It really made me realize how anxious I am to get back in the game=). 

 Teddy Thompson was in town at the Horseshoe last Thursday so after MUCH too long I finally got a real taste of his music, and boy is it GREAT! Years ago he opened for Rufus Wainwright at Convocation Hall here in Toronto, but being a lot younger then and not knowing yet that some of my favourite musicians would come from seeing opening acts, my friend and I opted to go buy T-shirts instead=(. But as my fandom (or as some might put it obsession=p) with Rufus Wainwright has progressed over time I've gotten little snippets of Teddy here and there, most recently from their duet of King of the Road that appeared on the Brokeback Mountain Soundtrack. I've been wanting to really see him live for a while now so I was really excited when I heard he was coming. BUT, when the night came I was really dumb and got lazy and opted to hang out with a friend of mine instead. Luckily I came to my senses and decided to stop by the venue on my way home to try and catch he last bit though. And luckily the doorman made me go in when I was waffling because it was almost over when I got there=).  I only caught about three or four songs, plus the encore but wow, So good! He has a style very similar to Rufus', which is likely why I like him so much=p and to my relief, the strong country sound that he claims to have is much more of a contemporary folk sound. I picked up his album Separate Ways  as well as his new acoustic EP Blunderbuss, which are both fantastic and haven't left my CD player in a week=p, and I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of his first, self-titled album as well as the more recent Upfront and Down Low from Amazon. New album on the 17th too, yay! I love discovering new music. 

He's also really nice and signed my CDs for me. Though he didn't seem very impressed when I told him I'd missed most of his set. Oops! 

 I went to another AWESOME show last week but that one deserves a post all its own so I'll try and get to that soon. 

 And finally, I just went to the Apple.ca site and the official news has arrived: iPhone in Canada July 11!!!!! I'm going to miss my little green PEBL but iPhone, yay!!!!! They've been selling them out of the little independent computer store in my building for the better part of a month now, but for over $600. Sorry, no can do! Gotta wait for the cheap-o price that comes with signing my soul over to FIDO for another three years=p.