Last night I went to a perogie dinner with some friends (L, D and M). It was quite delicious and I (and probably everyone else) ate way too much--but that's what happens at all you can eat dinners and sometimes you have to accept it. We left the church where it was held around 8:30 p.m. with no definite plans for what to do with the rest of the night. One friend (D) needed to be home by 10:00 p.m. as her mother was in town for a visit. Earlier in the evening there had been some discussion around bubble tea, and where were good places to get it in Edmonton. This conversation sparked a craving for said refreshment and lead to a search after dinner for a place to pick some up. We stopped at the T & T Grocery store on our way back downtown in the hopes they might supply us with the needed fix, but alas, they did not. Once we were back in the car the four of us mused what might happen on our search for bubble tea if we were in a movie. Our adventure concluded rather uneventfully (but satisfactorily), which doesn't make for a very interesting blog post, so I thought I'd write the movie version instead.
T & T Grocery store
Disappointed by the lack of bubble tea at T & T, we inquire with the cashier to see if she knows of any good places to get the drink. After a few seconds of silence she responds that she'd been to this place...once...a long time ago. It had been the best bubble tea she'd ever tasted...but she wasn't sure if it was there anymore. The store had been in "that" part of town and it was hard to spot. It blended in with the rest of the buildings, you had to know where you were going to find it. The cashier gave us a vague set of directions and a description of the sign then wished us luck on our quest. We pile back into L's car and drive off into the night.
[cut scene]
Outside D's apartment
D's mother arrives and buzzes up to her daughter's apartment. She checks her watch, wondering where her daughter is, she digs her cell phone out from her purse.
[cut scene]
In L's car, "that" part of town
D's tells her mother that she's on her way, we're just going to pick up some bubble tea, and she'll be home in a couple of minutes. L slows the car and locks the doors; this part of town is not one of the more savoury areas. All of us press our faces to the car windows keeping our eyes peeled for the mystical bubble tea restaurant, but don't notice any lights on in any of the stores we pass. After a couple of minutes one of us shouts that she thinks she can see it. L pulls the car over at the indicated spot and we all stare out of the front windshield. There's a sign in the window, but none of us can read it from the car. I volunteer to get out and see what it says, then I grab my mittens and slip out of the car. The store has moved. The message gives the address for the new location in a much nicer part of town. I move to return to the car, but as I do, I notice four guys wearing huge parkas approach.
[cut scene]
Outside D's apartment
D's mother is still waiting. She checks her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. People pass by her on the sidewalk, but none of them are her daughter. Apparently the bubble tea is taking a little longer than expected.
[cut scene]
In "that" part of town, where the bubble tea restaurant used to be
I'm stuck outside the car, as the guys approach me. "Are you David's substitute?" one of the guys says. David? I peer into the car and wonder what I should do. I have no idea. I'm a library student, I don't sub for David in the sketchy parts of town. All four guys tower over me, and there's no way I could make it to the car, and have L speed off before these guys pulled out the guns I was pretty sure they’re packing. A second, maybe two pass without me saying anything. "Here," says the guy closest to me. He shoves a brown paper package into my hands and the four guys disappear as quickly as they appeared. The package doesn't weigh much. I run the five steps to the car and jump in. Everyone is silent.
[cut scene]
Outside D's apartment
D's mother sips on her coffee bought from the shop down the street. It's not very good, but it's hot, which helps since the night is cold. She wraps both hands around the paper cup to help absorb the heat. Where on earth is her daughter?
[cut scene]
In L's car, driving out of "that" part of town
The package is still sitting on my lap, and there is now a great deal being said about it. We quickly agree that it would be better not to look and see what’s inside--in this case, ignorance seems the safest option. We also agree we shouldn't keep the package. What causes a great deal of consternation is what to do with it. L doesn't want to return to "that" part of town, while M thinks we should turn it into the police, and D wants to chuck the thing out the window as we drive through town. As we’re stopped at a light D takes matters into her own hands. She grabs the package off my lap opens her door and tosses it out onto the street. The light changes and L drives on.
[cut scene]
Outside D’s apartment
D’s mother grips her coffee cup extra hard as a man, who by look and smell appears to be homeless approaches her. D’s going to get a severe talking to when she finally returns home.
[cut scene]
In L’s car, in a better part of town, approaching the new bubble tea restaurant
We’re all silent again, but it’s safe to say that we’re still thinking about what was in the package. I am both relieved we don’t have it any more and terrified that someone will come looking for it. We turn down the street heading to where the new bubble tea establishment is supposed to be. It is far less scary than the other part of town. Some of the stores are still open and there’s no sign of four large men in parkas. I cross my fingers hoping we’ll be able to pick up our drinks without incident then get D home to her mother who must be wondering where we are. L slows and parks in front of the restaurant. We sigh in perfect synchronization.
[cut scene]
Outside D’s apartment
D’s mother smiles politely at the homeless man in front of her. He is explaining to her the importance of proper oral hygiene. He carries both a toothbrush and a roll of dental floss where ever he goes. She keeps an eye on the people that pass, trying to spot her daughter.
[cut scene]
Inside the bubble tea restaurant, waiting for their orders
We’re all smiling. We’re home free and we’re about to enjoy the treat we risked our lives to get, when four different guys wearing parkas walk in the restaurant. I look at the others. We all have the same, scared bug-eyed expression: what are we going to do now? The tallest of the guys scans the restaurant then walks over to us and says, “You subbing for David?” Suddenly I really don’t want bubble tea any more—more than anything in the world I want to get back into L’s car and get out of here. M manages to speak first, “David? We don’t know a David,” then she walks out the restaurant. I look at the remaining of my two friends, without a word or a nod we do the same. My heart is pounding.
[cut scene]
Outside D’s apartment
Somehow D’s mother finds herself lecturing the homeless man on proper nutrition. Sure, he takes care of his teeth and that’s important, but what about the rest of his body? He needs to get more fresh produce, something she realizes is probably difficult considering he is homeless.
[cut scene]
Back in L’s car, driving (fast) away from the bubble tea restaurant
Panic fills the car. L is weaving around traffic while D and I keep a watch out of the back window. It’s dark and we have no idea what kind of car the four men might be driving. We don’t think we’re being followed, but we don’t feel comfortable enough to sit back and relax the rest of the way home. After a little while, L turns on the radio to cut the silence. I can’t pay attention enough to understand what we’re listening too, it doesn’t matter, as long as we’re not being followed. We cross the bridge heading back to the downtown. We should reach D’s apartment soon. Her mother’s been waiting a while.
[cut scene]
Outside D’s apartment
The homeless man, Jack, thanks D’s mother for the pleasant talk and says goodnight. D’s mother looks at her watch, it’s almost 11:00 p.m. Where is her daughter? A car pulls up in front of her and her daughter pops out. She seems a little out of breath for having been riding around in a car. “So where’s the bubble tea?” D’s mother asks.
Ciao,
Andrea
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sing-a-long at the symphony
Okay, so it wasn't actually an audience sing-a-long at the ESO on Friday night, but the Richard Eaton Singers (a prestigious choir in Edmonton) appeared along side (or above, actually, in the choir loft) the symphony. The first half of the evening was a piece titled The Houses Stand Not Far Apart, and after the intermission was Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
The Houses Stand Not Far Apart was written by a Canadian composer, John Estacio and was first performed in the spring of 2008. The piece was commissioned jointly by four Canadian choirs (Vancouver Bach Choir, Richard Eaton Singers, Grand Philharmonic Choir of Kitchener, and Chorus Niagara). The program notes for the performance tell me that this piece was written during a particularly violent period in the summer of 2006 when Israel was bombing Lebanon, along with other ongoing global conflicts. The events of the time inspired the composer and John Murrell (a Canadian poet) to put together this cantata.
Four movements made up The Houses Stand Not Far Apart, each with their own distinct moods. The first started with a somewhat ethereal quality, while the lyrics set the stage: "Nothing is shared, Though both worlds are the same, The river holds them apart..." I particularly enjoyed the second movement, They Are Dancing, as it was light and joyous with a syncopated beat. Given the theme of the piece, the happy air was destroyed as the third movement began with heavy, war-like drums. Many of the harmonies in this section were slightly dissonant. Both Andrew and I grieved the introduction of two soloist in this section. That's not to say that the soloists weren't good, we just felt that members of the choir could have done just as good a job. The final movement opened with a serene duo of harp and flute and was the final plead for peace: "Forgive what is so much the same and so strange, Let fear, Suspicion, And weeping cease, And you may find yourselves, At last, At peace."
Beethoven's 9th Symphony took up the whole of the second half of the show (the run-time is approximately 65 minutes). I was a little surprised that the collection of gathered instruments was slightly smaller than for the cantata. The harp was removed, as was the tuba, and some of the percussion pieces were not used either. It was still a glorious sound overall. I think I liked the second movement best with the way the theme was bounced around the sections of the orchestra. Unfortunately, by the end of the third I was suffering from a serious case of "stiff-bum." This perhaps sounds trifling, but it really affected my experience during the final movement. Instead of reveling in the glory of a 150 person choir, and a rich orchestra, I just couldn't wait for it to be over. I spent much of the forth movement trying to find my place in the linear notes for the choir so I could try to gauge how much more I had to sit through. I love going to the orchestra, but I can't remember the last time I needed to stand so badly. Both Andrew and I stood to applaud pretty quickly after the final chord.
The moral of the story: always give your legs (and bum) a stretch at intermission, especially if Beethoven's 9th is on the concert bill.
We don't go to the ESO again until March. I don't recall what's playing then, but I hope Bill Eddin's will be back at the conductor's post. He hasn't been there for the last couple of performances, which I find a little disappointing. I like to watch him dance around the podium during the performances and he's always got a good story to tell during the after thoughts portion of the evening.
Ciao,
Andrea
The Houses Stand Not Far Apart was written by a Canadian composer, John Estacio and was first performed in the spring of 2008. The piece was commissioned jointly by four Canadian choirs (Vancouver Bach Choir, Richard Eaton Singers, Grand Philharmonic Choir of Kitchener, and Chorus Niagara). The program notes for the performance tell me that this piece was written during a particularly violent period in the summer of 2006 when Israel was bombing Lebanon, along with other ongoing global conflicts. The events of the time inspired the composer and John Murrell (a Canadian poet) to put together this cantata.
Four movements made up The Houses Stand Not Far Apart, each with their own distinct moods. The first started with a somewhat ethereal quality, while the lyrics set the stage: "Nothing is shared, Though both worlds are the same, The river holds them apart..." I particularly enjoyed the second movement, They Are Dancing, as it was light and joyous with a syncopated beat. Given the theme of the piece, the happy air was destroyed as the third movement began with heavy, war-like drums. Many of the harmonies in this section were slightly dissonant. Both Andrew and I grieved the introduction of two soloist in this section. That's not to say that the soloists weren't good, we just felt that members of the choir could have done just as good a job. The final movement opened with a serene duo of harp and flute and was the final plead for peace: "Forgive what is so much the same and so strange, Let fear, Suspicion, And weeping cease, And you may find yourselves, At last, At peace."
Beethoven's 9th Symphony took up the whole of the second half of the show (the run-time is approximately 65 minutes). I was a little surprised that the collection of gathered instruments was slightly smaller than for the cantata. The harp was removed, as was the tuba, and some of the percussion pieces were not used either. It was still a glorious sound overall. I think I liked the second movement best with the way the theme was bounced around the sections of the orchestra. Unfortunately, by the end of the third I was suffering from a serious case of "stiff-bum." This perhaps sounds trifling, but it really affected my experience during the final movement. Instead of reveling in the glory of a 150 person choir, and a rich orchestra, I just couldn't wait for it to be over. I spent much of the forth movement trying to find my place in the linear notes for the choir so I could try to gauge how much more I had to sit through. I love going to the orchestra, but I can't remember the last time I needed to stand so badly. Both Andrew and I stood to applaud pretty quickly after the final chord.
The moral of the story: always give your legs (and bum) a stretch at intermission, especially if Beethoven's 9th is on the concert bill.
We don't go to the ESO again until March. I don't recall what's playing then, but I hope Bill Eddin's will be back at the conductor's post. He hasn't been there for the last couple of performances, which I find a little disappointing. I like to watch him dance around the podium during the performances and he's always got a good story to tell during the after thoughts portion of the evening.
Ciao,
Andrea
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The time of the year I love best of all: Canadian nationals
If I had more time or energy to blog I would devote this space to one of two things: figure skating or writing. Figure skating I have loved since a young age and could write (and talk) about it ad nauseum. I could write reviews for up coming Grand Prix competitions, make my predictions, report on the actual outcomes, and scour the Internet for news in the off season, but I find even with the folks I skate with on Wednesdays, no one has quite the same level of enthusiasm for such details as I do. In my blurry memory of childhood, I would guess that my love for writing started up around the same time as figure skating (no coincidence, as I very rarely, if ever wrote about skating). I'm sure I could come up with things to say about the weekly progress of my manuscripts, etc. but I suspect until I actually see any success in the publishing world that few people would be interested.
Since the Canadian national figure skating championship are this week (novice/juniors are currently underway, and happily footage can be viewed at skatebuzz.com) I thought I might make some comments/predictions for who I think might secure themselves Olympic berths amongst the senior competitors. I don't think there will be much surprise in who I expect to win each division, but I'm going to put my two cents out all the same. How handily (or not) each competitor will win the national titles will be of greater interest.
Ladies
Joannie Rochette is anticipated to capture her sixth Canadian title this year. I don't think any Canadian figure skating fan would doubt this conclusion; however, Joannie has had a rough season so far. Her short program performance at the Cup of China landed her in 6th (or was it 7th) place and she had to fight back in the long for a bronze medal. Skate Canada saw something of the reverse. Joannie was rewarded for her skate in the short with a whopping 70.00 score. Only one other female figure skater has reached that level and that's Yu-Na Kim. Then she struggled during the long. The Grand Prix final was tough all over, finishing 4th in the short and dropping to 5th (out of 6) in the long. The big question is who will earn the 2nd trip to the Olympics. I'm hesitant to bet on Cynthia Phaneuf. Although she was the silver medalist at Canadian's last year (and champion in 2004), she often struggles with consistency. There's also Amalie Lacost, Marianne Samson and Diane Szmiett, all talented skaters who have seen international competition. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Diane Szmiett might nab the spot. Why? She has the best international result of the Canadian ladies (other than Joannie) and finished 4th at the Cup of China.
Men
Patrick Chan should have no difficulty retaining his Canadian title, and from the reports I've been reading, it sounds as though he is completely recovered from his earlier calf muscle injury. He sat out of his first Grand Prix assignment (Cup of Russia) due to this injury and only placed 6th at Skate Canada. Just as Joannie, Patrick is in the enviable position that even if he doesn't skate his best, there are currently no other male skater's in Canada that can really challenge him. Off the top of my head I can name 4 skaters who will be vying for the second spot on the Olympic team (there may be others I don't know of): Vaughn Chipier, who's probably got the biggest triple axel in the world, but did not skate well at either of his Grand Prix assignments; Jeremy Ten, third place at nationals last year, who also did not skate well on the Grand Prix; Kevin Reynolds, who can land both a quadruple toe-loop and a quadruple shalchow, but also had poor showings this season; and finally my bet, Shawn Sawyer. Shawn went to the Olympics in 2006 and has completed on the Grand Prix circuit for the last 4 years. He's crazy flexible and is a fairly consistent jumper, for the exception of his triple axel. He's also the only Canadian man to medalled on the Grand Prix in 2009, a silver at Skate America.
Pairs
The pairs competition will be the closest. Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson are 2-time champions (and world bronze medalists); however returning after a year off due to injury are Angela Langois and Cody Haye who have a Canadian title to their names as well, AND Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, the latter who is also a Canadian champion. Despite their somewhat mediocre Grand Prix season, I would still give this title to Jessica and Bryce. They have the best overall package (and from what I've seen in the past tend to get the best marks at home of all the pairs). Second place...that's a tough one. I might go with Angela and Cody. They finished just behind Jessica and Bryce at Skate Canada (in 4th). Ultimately, I think it will be whomever of these teams skates the cleanest programs, it could go to anyone one of them.
Ice Dance
There's no questions here. The winners without a doubt will be Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I had to double check the stat earlier to make sure this was correct, but they will only be going for their third senior title. They've been so good since the moment the arrived on the senior ranks that I thought they'd won more...but then again they are only in 20 and 22 years in age, so they've got time to rack up the championships. Second place will be a fight between two couples: Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, and Venessa Crone and Paul Poirier. They both had similar results on the Grand Prix so it will be close. I have to might go with Venessa and Paul here. They are the younger of the teams, but I think they've seen greater success in the past, and I rather like their Bohemian Rhapsody free dance.
I'm looking forward to this weekend of skating. It will be broadcast on both the CBC Website, and on television.
Ciao,
Andrea
Since the Canadian national figure skating championship are this week (novice/juniors are currently underway, and happily footage can be viewed at skatebuzz.com) I thought I might make some comments/predictions for who I think might secure themselves Olympic berths amongst the senior competitors. I don't think there will be much surprise in who I expect to win each division, but I'm going to put my two cents out all the same. How handily (or not) each competitor will win the national titles will be of greater interest.
Ladies
Joannie Rochette is anticipated to capture her sixth Canadian title this year. I don't think any Canadian figure skating fan would doubt this conclusion; however, Joannie has had a rough season so far. Her short program performance at the Cup of China landed her in 6th (or was it 7th) place and she had to fight back in the long for a bronze medal. Skate Canada saw something of the reverse. Joannie was rewarded for her skate in the short with a whopping 70.00 score. Only one other female figure skater has reached that level and that's Yu-Na Kim. Then she struggled during the long. The Grand Prix final was tough all over, finishing 4th in the short and dropping to 5th (out of 6) in the long. The big question is who will earn the 2nd trip to the Olympics. I'm hesitant to bet on Cynthia Phaneuf. Although she was the silver medalist at Canadian's last year (and champion in 2004), she often struggles with consistency. There's also Amalie Lacost, Marianne Samson and Diane Szmiett, all talented skaters who have seen international competition. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Diane Szmiett might nab the spot. Why? She has the best international result of the Canadian ladies (other than Joannie) and finished 4th at the Cup of China.
Men
Patrick Chan should have no difficulty retaining his Canadian title, and from the reports I've been reading, it sounds as though he is completely recovered from his earlier calf muscle injury. He sat out of his first Grand Prix assignment (Cup of Russia) due to this injury and only placed 6th at Skate Canada. Just as Joannie, Patrick is in the enviable position that even if he doesn't skate his best, there are currently no other male skater's in Canada that can really challenge him. Off the top of my head I can name 4 skaters who will be vying for the second spot on the Olympic team (there may be others I don't know of): Vaughn Chipier, who's probably got the biggest triple axel in the world, but did not skate well at either of his Grand Prix assignments; Jeremy Ten, third place at nationals last year, who also did not skate well on the Grand Prix; Kevin Reynolds, who can land both a quadruple toe-loop and a quadruple shalchow, but also had poor showings this season; and finally my bet, Shawn Sawyer. Shawn went to the Olympics in 2006 and has completed on the Grand Prix circuit for the last 4 years. He's crazy flexible and is a fairly consistent jumper, for the exception of his triple axel. He's also the only Canadian man to medalled on the Grand Prix in 2009, a silver at Skate America.
Pairs
The pairs competition will be the closest. Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson are 2-time champions (and world bronze medalists); however returning after a year off due to injury are Angela Langois and Cody Haye who have a Canadian title to their names as well, AND Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, the latter who is also a Canadian champion. Despite their somewhat mediocre Grand Prix season, I would still give this title to Jessica and Bryce. They have the best overall package (and from what I've seen in the past tend to get the best marks at home of all the pairs). Second place...that's a tough one. I might go with Angela and Cody. They finished just behind Jessica and Bryce at Skate Canada (in 4th). Ultimately, I think it will be whomever of these teams skates the cleanest programs, it could go to anyone one of them.
Ice Dance
There's no questions here. The winners without a doubt will be Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I had to double check the stat earlier to make sure this was correct, but they will only be going for their third senior title. They've been so good since the moment the arrived on the senior ranks that I thought they'd won more...but then again they are only in 20 and 22 years in age, so they've got time to rack up the championships. Second place will be a fight between two couples: Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, and Venessa Crone and Paul Poirier. They both had similar results on the Grand Prix so it will be close. I have to might go with Venessa and Paul here. They are the younger of the teams, but I think they've seen greater success in the past, and I rather like their Bohemian Rhapsody free dance.
I'm looking forward to this weekend of skating. It will be broadcast on both the CBC Website, and on television.
Ciao,
Andrea
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The library school goes curling
I used to curl regularly when I was younger. I took up the sport (after my father and brother) when I was in grade six (approximately 12 years of age) and curled weekly from then until I switched from the University of Waterloo to Ryerson University (approximately nineteen years of age). I curled on the ladies junior team from Woodstock, Ontario for a couple years, once as the spare and once as the lead. Unfortunately we didn't make it out of zones (i.e. zones, regionals, provincials, nationals) either time. I also curled for the mix bantam team from Woodstock for one year. We were all just barely young enough to qualify for bantam (16 years of age as of June 1st the year before, I think) and so handily made it through zones, but failed to win any games at the regional level. When at UW I played a year with the recreational league. I recall having a nicely balanced team that year, all of us with a similar experience level for the sport (and all in our first year of university). After that I got an occasional game in over the holidays, filling in on my dad's team and haven't curled at all since moving to Edmonton.
The streak of winters without curling was finally broken this weekend. My friend Lisa (and hypothetically me, but all I did was provide encouragement and collected one person's payment) put together a Funspiel for SLIS (School of Library and Information Studies) students this past Saturday. It was held at the Saville Centre, which is a big-time training centre in Edmonton. This is where Kevin Martin curls (he was there, working in the Pro-Shop, which also bears his name). We had a great turn out, 33 people in all, and I think for the most part people had fun. No major spills occurred, although a few slips, but no one hurt themselves and I think a few people gained a new found love for the sport. I skipped (being one of the few with actual curling experience) although I played like garbage (hey, I haven't been on pebbled ice for at least 4 years). On the upside, I get to spare for Lisa's team in a couple of weeks and I'm seriously considering signing up with a club next fall when I'm no longer in school.
That's all for now, although there'll probably be another sporty-post later this week on my favourite past time: figure skating.
Ciao,
Andrea
The streak of winters without curling was finally broken this weekend. My friend Lisa (and hypothetically me, but all I did was provide encouragement and collected one person's payment) put together a Funspiel for SLIS (School of Library and Information Studies) students this past Saturday. It was held at the Saville Centre, which is a big-time training centre in Edmonton. This is where Kevin Martin curls (he was there, working in the Pro-Shop, which also bears his name). We had a great turn out, 33 people in all, and I think for the most part people had fun. No major spills occurred, although a few slips, but no one hurt themselves and I think a few people gained a new found love for the sport. I skipped (being one of the few with actual curling experience) although I played like garbage (hey, I haven't been on pebbled ice for at least 4 years). On the upside, I get to spare for Lisa's team in a couple of weeks and I'm seriously considering signing up with a club next fall when I'm no longer in school.
That's all for now, although there'll probably be another sporty-post later this week on my favourite past time: figure skating.
Ciao,
Andrea
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