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Gibson pocket sled


Gibson pocket sled
Originally uploaded by bluesterror

Continuing with the dumb projects, here is my latest kite, a pocket sled (so called because you can fold it up into your pocket) with a Gibson guitar logo appliquéd onto the front. Mostly I was just practicing some complicated sewing here rather than shooting for the end product, but it came out well enough. I might tackle a large kite bag next, and then perhaps the big rokkaku I have been planning for a while. Or maybe another practice kite.

Oh, I’m going to hotlanta this weekend to make up some BBQ with the relatives. I think this is my favorite new family tradition. Pork!

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Toronto

I’m killing time in the Toronto airport after having spent the last couple of days visiting with Angeline’s family while she and her sister and brother-in-law are here for an endocrinology conference. All in all it was a great trip if too short — I had a nice time playing with Angeline’s nephews, drinking beers with Sameer, and wandering the city on my own whenever I had unscheduled free time.

Rather than bore with details, here are some of my general ugly-american impressions of the city from my fourth visit:

  • Toronto wants to be NYC it seems, but I have to say that I find TO more enjoyable than its stateside counterpart. Perhaps it’s the general lack of rudeness.
  • Every Canadian knows every famous Canadian. This is because every time Alex Trebek, say, is mentioned on Canadian TV, they say, “oh by the way, Alex Trebek is from Canada!”
  • In Toronto, the movie “13th Floor” was called “2nd Floor,” because in some buildings only non-prime numbers that start with ‘S’ are considered lucky. Okay that’s a lie, but the elevator in Angeline’s brother’s condo really takes number skipping to an extreme.
  • There’s a store called ‘Bowring Canadiana’ which I pronounce “boring” in my head and I giggle to myself
  • Lots of US brands here have different names than in Canada. I saw a commercial that said, “It’s not delivery, it’s Delissio!” And it makes me wonder if DiGiorno is the name of a Canadian serial killer or something. You know, it’s the little things, le big mac, and so on.
  • Meals:
    • best: eggs, bacon, potatoes, crepes, cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberry and
      two pieces of toast at Cora’s which I found serendipitously a few blocks
      from the hotel
    • worst: Ritz Caribbean, which had jerk chicken for $3.99 CDN. Cheap and
      edible, but the pointyness of the jerk-flavored chicken bones was somehow
      off-putting.
    • trendiest: SushiTrain on Yonge, where Angeline and I split four maki rolls
      and a pair of nigiri. The Japanese-modern decor blended well with the
      dance music overhead and the tasty fusion style offerings. Place was
      dead on a Saturday night though.
    • best deal: danish and (harsh) OJ for $2.68 at the airport Tim Horton’s.
      Same would cost $8 at Charbucks.


I am looking forward to a nice nap when I touchdown in DC in a few hours.