Good thing winter is almost here

...Because I have a lot to read...

One of the advantages of living so close to campus, is the annual booksale at Victoria College. It's madness and it's everywoman for herself (or man for himself). Everyone is looking for discounts - students especially - which means a lot of pushing and shoving. In the end, I got a bunch of good books (and I'm not finished yet - I plan to go back!).

So what did I pick up? Here's my list:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - a classic I've had my eye on for awhile, but never felt like I wanted to spend the money to tackle it.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling - a book I've always wanted to read.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - two of my friends say this is their favourite Bronte book, and I'm inspired to read it after watching the theatre production in London
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - this is my favourite Bronte book (okay, well it's the only Bronte book I've read....so far)
Toronto: A Literary Guide by Greg Gatenby - who knew I wasn't the first person from the Valley to live on my street
A Brief History of British Kings & Queens by Mike Ashley - This might be the solution to my constant confusion around the kings and queens.
Archives: Mirror of Canada's Past- a hardcover book highlighting some of the archival materials from the Library and Archives of Canada. I have the 2003 Archives of Ontario book - this new addition seems to fit nicely with that.

The first five books were on my Chapters wishlist. So I can scratch those off and feel pleased with myself for saving a lot of $$. Most of the books are brand new; the spine hasn't even been cracked! And all books were a steal!

I think I'll go back. My trip today only covered one room - the Canadiana, Literary Classics, Poetry, Drama and History room. I wouldn't mind checking out the fiction room, the religion books and see what else is out there.

The Devil Wears ...Frenchy's?

Ah yes, see if Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) wears Prada, she could very well have found it at Frenchy's. One thing I'm really looking forward to doing on my next trip to NS is taking advantage of a day or two of Frenchy shopping.

Frenchy's is a maritime thing. It's a chain of used clothing stores that offers more than just used clothing. You'll find name-brand clothes from Gap to London Fog to Prada if you look for it. The concept is simple - they divide the clothes by type (shirts, pants, skirts, sweaters, etc.) into bins, and you simply have to dig. Shopping at Frenchy's often involves time and imagination. The clothes are wrinkly and sometimes have flaws that require a tiny bit of touching up. But usually when you shop at Frenchy's you can come away with some really great clothes.

My best finds have been some great knit sweaters, a fabulous pink Kenneth Cole skirt, a Banana Republic top and a really pretty skirt which met an untimely end when I mistakenly tried to iron it. Ho hum.

And apparently I'm not the only one who things Frenchy's is great. There was an article published in the New Yorker recently from a freelancer who loves Frenchy's just as much. Read it here: RAG TIME: What I bought last summer (by Calvin Trillin).

A lament for Bloor & Bedford

As of the end of this month, Bloor & Bedford will be a very different corner from what many of us know it as today.

I've lived near this corner for a good 6 years and have enjoyed the many amenities it has offered : flowers from Sunny; the quick run to Becker's (now Mac's) for whatever it was I needed, or wanted + a quick chat with Gus when he was still there; drycleaning services from Platis; the occasional quater chicken dinner from Swiss Chalet; not to mention the various times I've eaten at Mr. Sub, Crepes A' GoGo, Pita Factory and Harvey's.
Did you know?
The first Swiss Chalet opened on the Bloor & Bedford corner in 1954 and has operated in the same location until it closed on September 10th, 2006.
Here's the full story: http://www.swisschalet.com/aboutus/swiss_story.html.

All that will be gone by the end of the month as businesses close, and the buildings are prepared for demolition. The corner will be completely taken over by One Bedford, 30+ storey, condo development.
I took lots of pictures of Bloor & Bedford before everything is gone and posted them in an online album here.

Another TIFF come and gone

For the third year in a row I purchased a festival pass for the Toronto International Film Festival. In my opinion this is really the best way to do the festival. You purchase the pass in July and when, at the beginning of September, the festival organizers announce the line-up you simply go to the box office to exchange the pass for 3 tickets to films picked by the organizers. You don't know what films you'll be seeing when you buy the passes in July; that's part of the fun (and the ease) of doing the Festival this way. The organizers pick the films for you so there's no guessing what movies will be good and waiting in lines wondering if you'll get a ticket for those films. It's all very easy and (so far) their choices really haven't let me down.

Over the last 3 years I've started to see a bit of a pattern. Each year 2 of the 3 films have been foreign language films; 1 of the 3 films has been shown in the Visa Screening Room (Canon Theatre); and 1 of the 3 films has been shown in the Ryerson Theatre. For most of the films, there's been an Introduction or Q&A with the director and/or actors.

My first year, we saw the the The Sea Inside, with the lead actor and director watching the film with us from one of the boxes in the Canon Theatre. This film won the Oscar for Foreign Film for 2004.

Our line-up for this year wasn't too bad: Le Voyage en Armenie (French/Armenian); Jindabyne (Australian), and I Am the Other Woman (German).

Of the 3, my favourite was the first, simply because I thought the storyline was interesting, heartwarming, and well played out though at times a little absurd. I always enjoy stories about people on a journey of self-discovery, though the director spoke about the theme of identity and didn't want the story to be about going back to what was, but to embrace what is - the new Armenia; and the lead character whose ethnically Armenian, but grew up in France and knew nothing of the country or the culture.

I should also mention that while we were waiting to get into the theatre to see Le Voyage, we saw Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean leaving the theatre. It's the first time I've actually seen a/the Governor General, though I live less than 5 minutes away from Adrienne Clarkson.

Other celebrities I've seen during the Film Festival : Christina Ricci, Dustin Hoffman (both seen at the Friday night Holt Renfrew party), and Laura Linney. The latter was sitting about 5 rows ahead of me at Jindabyne, a film she was staring in. Afterwards she and her co-star answered questions.

Jindabyne was enjoyable as well. Slightly depressing storyline, and I found Laura Linney's character iritating (but I think this is what the director was going for), but overall it was well-played and a good pick.

My very first post

I decided to join the masses and keep my own blog.

I find it fascinating when I read entries my blogging friends have written...even the mundane posts. I'll be the first to admit my life isn't terribly eventful; I don't seek out adventure, and I'm not eloquent, but I still think have a few things to share.

Deciding on an address and title was tricky, but I quite like "Inspired by Hope and Surprised by Joy". Inspired by Hope comes from 1 Thessalonians 1:3, and Surprised by Joy is the title of a book by C.S. Lewis (a favourite author of mine).