Thursday, August 31, 2006

The Gents are at .it again..

Try chickenegg.org to solve nature's most pressing dilemma: chicken vs egg.

Or willidie.org to answer the scariest question of them all: Will I die?

crawlies storm the château!









Candy-moths love basmati.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Happy Simcoe Day!

Things I never knew and was never particularly curious about:

When was the August civic holiday first held?
The first civic holiday was held on September 12, 1861. At the time, the mayor had the authority to proclaim holidays. After complaints that September was too busy a time of year, the holiday was moved to August. It has been held on the first Monday in August since 1899. In 1968, acting on a request from the Ontario Minister of Tourism and Information, Council named the August holiday Simcoe Day. ~ city of t.o. website

and

Each province of Canada has its own provincial holiday or holidays. They include St. Jean Baptiste Day in Quebec, Natal Day in PEI and Nova Scotia and Discovery Day in Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan have civic holidays on the first Monday in August. In British Columbia it is called B.C. Day, similar in New Brunswick with New Brunswick Day, while in Ontario it is generally referred to as Civic Holiday but is named differently in some cities. In Toronto it is Simcoe Day while in Ottawa it is Colonel By Day, for instance. Alberta celebrates Family Day on the third Monday of February. ~ wikipedia

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Saturday morning at Dufferin Grove Park

It's 8 am in the park. There's a lone man in the playground, doing his squats and lunges. A toddler attempts tetherball for the first time, squealing with delight. Three Labs (two black, one chocolate) chase each other in the field, tongues flapping, eyes smiling. Rays of sun manage to poke through the leafy canvas. A young boy is teaching his mother how to ride her bicycle. Somebody left their toy bulldozer on a bench last night. A tight, lean, smooth-skinned man, glistens as he practices on the skateboard ramp by the rink -- I try not to stare for too long.

The air is cool in the shady grove as I step into each pocket of sun, pausing long enough to feel the skin on my arms warm up, then moving onto the next one. Cicadas, everywhere. Blissy. ^_^

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

heat wave

Now I know what a candle feels like.