On the walk there, I could see the kids looking with wonder at the stores, the crowds and all of the interesting things that were happening between people. Usually I would just see these people as obstacles to where I was going, so it was fun to see it through there eyes – those Italian bike-shop guys, the dollar store, the dogs, the other kids – yeah, I guess it is pretty fun.

So – my sister was downstairs getting some hot chocolate, while my
niece and nephews (between ages 6-10) were all sitting, unsuccessfully trying to look
casual. Within a few minutes my nephews were bouncing on the seat, just like they weren’t supposed to bounce on the couch at home. The oldest one, a budding poet, who can be charming and adult-like, obviously wanted to be more like his 6-year-old brother then. "Shhhh" I said, and tried to get my little niece, the curly-haired chess champion, to join my little initiative to make her brothers look a little bit cooler.

So – I gave them a tip. I told them that when I don’t know what to do in a social situation, I look around at someone else, and I imitate exactly what they are doing. "Do you see anyone bouncing on their chairs?" I asked the youngest, the funny hockey star with bright eyes. "Just him!" he said pointing at his brother.

Soon after, the two boys were imitating a woman who was reading a magazine with her tongue stuck out. They were loud, and gesturing at her. They then took the poses of different people all around the coffee shop – a guy with his newspaper astride his legs, a woman with her nose buried in a book. Suddenly all of the people in the shop looked like interesting characters.

I then took the subway and hung out with a friend who now lives outside of Toronto and took a walk around Queen St. West. I remember coming to Toronto from Ottawa (a much smaller city) and being so amazed at it – but somehow I forgot that feeling until yesterday. I then rushed to my Earth-hour get-together, up Roncensvalles and realized that although it is just a 20 minute walk from my place – I hadn’t walked on the street in three years or so. It was suddenly interesting to see the people, hear the conversations and visit the shops which I had driven past a million times. Something about driving makes you not give things a chance.

Anyway, seeing the city through my nieces, nephew’s and friend’s eyes really helped me love the city more. And I think that is going to stick with me for a while.

I have been taking the TTC to work since August or so and I find that it is busier now than it has been in the seven or so years I have lived in the city. My boyfriend who has been here for 25 years says he has never seen it worse. He now stands and watches several trains go by in the morning before being able to get on.

Meanwhile, being an entrepreneur able to set my own hours, I am gaming the system, trying to come and go on less busy times. It is okay in the morning – if I leave at 9:00 the Bloor-line subway is usually free enough, and I can usually get a spot on the Spadina streetcar.

But… the problem is the evening. If I leave at 6:30, 7:30 and even beyond 8:00… it is always having a sardine-like atmosphere in the streetcar with the bodies of Toronto squished together and it is standing-room only on the subway. The Toronto automotive rush-hour does not last that long, so why should the public transit one be so extended? There is obviously a problem here.

The province is now stepping in to try to take the heat off of the city with a facelift to the GTA transit agency calling it Metrolinx. The chair Rob MacIsaac said the following recently:

"Be bold. Look around the world to see what other cities are doing," said MacIsaac. "In a couple of decades, we’ll be as big as London is today. We should be thinking in those terms."

He says London… but lately the line-ups for the streetcars look more like Communist Moscow.

It is a shame that even people who live in Toronto don’t know that we are the 5th largest city on this continent – in order it is: Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, TORONTO! Yet, Torontonians only start loving their celebrities when they are accepted in LA, or the latest hotel restaurant when it is loved by Film Festival starlets.

The usual pattern of Marketing for tourism is first to make it popular locally, then regionally, then nationally, then internationally. But, unfortunately for Toronto – things first have to be accepted internationally before we will accept it ourselves. Like a low-self-esteem person, Toronto is looking for approval from the outside before finding it on the inside. Let’s raise our self-esteem and enjoy our beautiful city!

Gerry was a realist – admitting that he worried about the risks that took and about the mistakes that he made. He also mentioned that when assessing a risk, he spent much more of his time weighing the potential pitfalls in the risk, rather than the potential upside, which I found to be very good advice for an entrepreneur.

Perhaps since Heather and Gerry are married, a questioner at the end of the interview said something to the effect that "behind every great man is a great woman", to which Gerry replied:

I don’t think that is true. Some entrepreneurs are single. Some are homosexual. Some are women themselves. But, I will tell you about how great it is to have a partner.

I thought this was a wonderful response, because Gerry as an older, straight man could have taken the traditional route and waxed poetic about his wife and her supporting role in his life. Although his statement did not reflect the reality and questioning the fairness that a woman is ‘behind’ a man, I thought that his answer was a great step in the right direction.

I then saw this article about a house that went 605k above the asking price! There were 10 bidders on this property – one agent apparently brought in family pics in an attempt to sway the seller. It seems like people are really losing it!

But really, this hot market will not last forever, so losing this battle is not really losing the war. I read about a similar situation in California where people were paying 100k over the asking price, then selling for significantly less over five years later.

Plus the day after I lost the bidding battle (not war) an arsonist set a bunch of garbage cans on fire right in front of the house. Hah.

Right now, most parking lots have little machines, where you buy a ticket and put it on your dashboard. Immediately, once it goes overtime, a parking attendant springs out of nowhere and gives you a yellow ticket. I have gone running towards my car at least half-a-dozen times after the parking attendant after they started writing the ticket and only once have they ever let it go (this was in the suburb of Oakville, where the parking people are a bit more laid back.)

Tonight I cheated the system in the only way that I know how… I was getting into my car after having a great dinner with my friend on Bloor Street, when I saw a bunch of stylish looking 20-year-olds in the parking lot, getting ready for a night on the town. The driver was just putting his credit-card into the machine when I interrupted him to give him the ticket that I bought but didn’t need anymore, since it went until 7:00 am anyway. He smiled and said thanks, then wished me a great night. But I didn’t need thanks… I felt happy that the annoying City of Toronto Parking Authority would not get any more fees or fines from either of us. 

It’s still really cold out in Toronto – I found this moody picture that depicts how it is when you are so bundled up and walking into the snowy darkness as an anonymous figure. The thick coat covers the form of this woman’s body with the dark and snow to further obstruct recognizability. I’ve been thinking a lot about dipping into the pool of anonymity and how people can pretty much restart their lives in a new form – erasing their past and becoming a new person in the eyes of others. Or – how people, many people I know, can live double or triple lives – showing different faces to everyone.

But… just like this morose scene does not last forever, neither does the cloak of anonymity. The season will change to summer. The winter duds will come off and the days will be longer. Who will she be? vibrant? thougthful? happy? shy? is she a dancer? is she an office worker? Who knows… but eventually the truth comes out – or she’d look rather conspicuous, wearing a thick winter coat and carrying an umbrella in the middle of summer. I believe it is the same with people who try to live double lives – they show their true selves… or their winter coats trying to hide who they really are stand out and look obvious.

We are got our first snow today in Toronto after record-breaking warm weather so far this winter. With global warming, it is interesting how many elevator conversations, telephone small talk and professional lunch-time chats are turning into big debates about world pollution, what we can do as a society, if the science behind global warming is sound and whether or not the warming of the earth is "God’s will" (this actually happened in my friend’s elevator).  Talk about the weather is no longer a good refuge for those who want to keep the conversation "lite."

These recent warm days have taken on a sinister feel. Being in Canada with a warm January is like the unnatural feeling of being at a night-time baseball diamond when all of the lights are on. It feels like it is day… which is cool, but it is night – so the effectiveness of the unnatural light doing the work of the sun is eerie.

Welcome to the snow! I hope you stay a while!

Santa Clause Parade for Sick Kids

How Discovered: Found out about this while cruising the Sick Kids Foundation Website.
What it was: Job was selling Sick Kids pendants, hats and DVDs to people attending the Santa Clause parade in downtown Toronto.
With whom: Volunteered with my friend Sylvia who is an incredible sales person.
Experience: In just two hours we raised over $600, far more than any other of the volunteers. It felt great because we could have slept in and done nothing but instead we used our sales and marketing expertise to help raise money to help sick children. The event was well-organized and the organizers sent a nice card at the end.
Do it Again?:  Definitely!

International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront

How Discovered: My friend heard about it on the radio.
What it Was: Selling books at the International Festival of Authors.
With Whom: I did this one on my own.
Experience: Since I was on my own, I got to know the other volunteers and we shared our love of reading between book-buying crowds. It felt good to support the authors and to meet people who are passionate about reading – but I wasn’t helping the world as directly as I was when I was raising money for sick children. The organizers seemed a bit stressed and there was a lack of information-flow, which resulted in some egg on our faces, but in general it was pretty smooth. As a bonus I got to meet Harper’s editor Lewis Lapham.
Do it Again?: Probably.

Nuit Blanche for the French Consulate 

How Discovered: Found it through an ad in Craig’s List.
What it Was: Greeting people who sponsored the event at the Mars center and giving people information.
With Whom: My friend Nadia who has family from France.
Experience: From the beginning, the night did not feel right. My friend and I got some great shirts from Lacoste since they wanted us to work at the door (this honor was bestowed partly because we are fashionable and partly because we speak French.) We did not know the price we would pay for those shirts – we were not allowed to move away from the door for one minute, or else the Lacoste sponsors would get aggravated. Also, the organizers did not trust us with the money or the giveaways, so each of us always had to be with these awful, socially-inept women who treated us as if we were janitors. Although I thought the event was supporting art, my function was so sponsor-driven, it felt much more like work than like play. Plus we were not treated with respect. The only redeeming thing about the night is that I got the shirt and I got to stand next to Mayor David Miller.
Do it Again?: Never! Not if they paid me!