An Off Week

I've taken this week off. Mostly a get-away-from-work-and-chill week, but also a get-stuff-done-that-I-can't-seem-to-get-done-during-a-normal-week/weekend week. Yeah, one of those. Plus, my schedule at work was showing a very unusual and obvious Responsibility Hole. It was like my desk calendar was screaming at me, "Get out of here! Get away! Save yourself! I got ya covered!" And work has been a very frustrating place over the past few months, so I really needed to escape. Besides, if there's one thing I've learned in my years of employment, it's that when my desk calendar screams at me, I listen.

I was tempted to go back east and visit friends and family, but for that I'd really need two weeks, and I want to reserve two weeks for later in the summer when I may get a chance to visit friends in England.

So I'm just chillin'. I have a mental list of things I want to do while I'm off, but when I started stressing over the fact that I might not get to everything on the list, I revised it. Now the first item is, "Don't be a slave to The List."

But I've been pretty good in as far as balancing the three main elements--chillin', activity and accomplishing tasks. Last weekend started things off with the Celebrate Toronto street fest. Caught a very enjoyable set from the Silver Hearts and later an outstanding performance at Yonge & Eglinton from Hawksley Workman.

Next on the evening's agenda was my friend Chris's annual "Chillin' 'n' Grillin' " party in Kensington Market, which was a low-key but enjoyable gathering. I stayed there till about 3:30 or 4 a.m. or so. Hopped on the Queen streetcar for the ride home, and by the time it got to The Beaches, the sun was coming up. So I strolled down to the boardwalk, took my socks and shoes off and walked along the lake's edge in the sand. It was so quiet and peaceful. Only a few other people around. A girl sitting on a group of rocks jutting out into the lake, writing something. The lake was so calm, you could barely tell where the horizon separated water from sky. The sun was up, barely, but it was still around the bend, so everything was painted in a light golden hue, as if shot through a filter; a purer, clearer place.

I sat on some rocks on the edge of the lake and communed with a group of Canada geese floating just a few feet away. The leader eyed me warily, but soon determined I was neither a threat nor a bringer of food, so they went about their business. I sat there for some time, drinking in the peacefulness.

Enjoying the still of the dawn is a fine thing to do. Going to bed past dawn usually means the following day (well, the present day, actually) is more or less a write-off. Such was my Sunday. But it was pleasantly relaxing.

Monday brought more chillin', but I did do a few things around the apartment. I thought about what to do for the remainder of the week, and seeing that the weather forecast was calling for rain from Wednesday onward, I decided that Tuesday would be the day I spend time over on the Toronto Islands. On Tuesday, I dilly-dallied most of the day, then finally got my ass in gear and out the door by 4 p.m. It was also the first day this summer that I took my bike out, so it was good to finally do that. The day was a beautiful, sunny 28 degrees. My goal was to start off with some heavy pedaling and really get a good work-out, then relax when I get over to the islands.

I took the path through Woodbine park, just south of me, a short jaunt to the beach, where I hooked up with the Martin Goodman trail, a paved pathway that runs along the city's lakefront. It was a good ride. Felt good to get on the bike and really push it. The path follows Lakeshore Drive, then dips south down toward the filtration plant, runs through some heavily vegetated park land, past Cherry Beach, then up through some dockyards, over a bridge and on toward downtown and Harbourfront. I arrived at the ferry docks around five o'clock.

I had been over to the islands a couple of times before, but only to Centre Island and Ward's Island. This was the first chance I had to explore the entire area by bike. I spent a little time in the children's amusement park in Centreville. Great place for kids. Lots of rides, including an antique carousel and ferris wheel, a little farm with animals to look at. Wonderful little place. Then I continued on to explore the other islands. The homes and neighbourhoods on Algonquin and Ward's islands are so beautiful and quaint. It's like a little cottage community five minutes from downtown.

However, the view of downtown (normally something like this) was completely obscured when this very strange mist descended to envelope the entire Islands (and, I later learned, the entire downtown of the city. I was told it was more or less like a cloud came down to earth). I couldn't see a hint of downtown at all. You couldn't see more than maybe 100 feet off shore. It made for some very interesting sights. I cycled across a little wooden bridge to Shark's Island, ostensibly unpopulated, and stopped at a little beachy alcove and peered out into the cloud vapour. I wasn't even sure which direction I was facing, with no horizon, but I assumed I was facing north, toward the city. Then, emerging from the mist, almost indiscernable at first, then slowly taking shape -- a huge, white swan. It floats by, regally, then disappears back into the mist. After that, I half-expected to see King Arthur's funeral barge go drifting by.

No such luck. So I continued on in my quest, passed back over the little wooden bridge (didn't have to submit to any questions), and cycled around Ward's Island, then along the south side, down the Centre Island boardwalk west toward Hanlon's Point. I didn't visit the clothing-optional beach. Too damn cold in that mist. I ended up at the Hanlon's Point ferry dock and waited there about 15 minutes for the ferry back to the city. It was about 7:15, the mist had driven out the warmth of the day, and there I was sitting in my little lycra cycling shorts and yellow cycling jersey, freezing my ass off. It was a bit warmer downtown, thankfully, so I was able to warm up on the ride home.

All in all, a very good day. A bit of exercise, a bit of sight-seeing, going places I'd never been before, and even some weirdness.

Note to self: spend more of the summer on the Toronto Islands!

(I think the descending cloud must have been part of the weather system that brought some pretty intense lightening later that night, and saw a tornado touch down near London.)

Today I went shopping for a flatbed scanner, and began to narrow down my choices. I think I may go for this one. But I found it at another store for a cheaper price.

I've also been shopping around for a solution to my CD storage problem. I have about 800 CDs, some VHS tapes and some DVDs. The problem is, I have nothing to store them in. But this might do nicely. Lots of capacity for a constantly growing collection, and it would look very nice along the now-blank wall where I need it to go, completing the room. Attractive and functional!