playdate

Good 'n' Plenty

Have you ever been reading a fairy tale, and noticed that the story seemed... familiar?

I have been noticing a few of these themes among folk and fairy tales, as you might imagine - they are, after all, rife with archetype and deeply rooted cultural lore. One that I've been finding attractive in many forms lately is one that seems to speak to the idea of magical freedom from want. Certainly, at any time in history, the idea of bounty without burden has been a dream for many, and these tales, along with such symbols as the cornucopia bear that out. Along with this, though, comes a distrust of such luxury, of not paying the way, and in fairy tales, it comes out as a cautionary moral about the dangers of misusing magic. Each of these stories follows this up-and-down path, but each comes, too, to its own satisfactory conclusion. Eat up, me hearties.

Cover Me

by niloc

When a band releases a cover song it can mean many things. It can break an unknown act wide open. It can be a simple tribute to the original artist. In many cases it can be the theme of the summer blockbuster or something a band adds to their encore after a great live performance.

A Helping Hand

guest post by Jason Graham

My masturbation history goes back to hidden stashes of Vaseline smeared on the side rails of my bed when I was 12 or 13.  I remember it then being such a taboo - the chairs against the door - the waiting at least an hour to ensure everyone else was asleep before sliding my hand down to my waiting boner.

Spice up your life with Tarragon

OK, so this post was supposed to be a review of Sweeney Todd that just opened up at the Princess of Wales theatre last weekend.  The husband and I got tickets for the first Saturday available as my due date was November 22nd, and we wanted to make sure that we saw the show before I gave birth.  The little guy had other plans, though.  So, alas, we didn't get to the theatre last weekend.  Luckily, my parents had tickets for December 8th, so we switched with them.  We hope that the baby will be going long enough between feeds at that point that we can squeeze in a performance.  More on that later.

Falling for Joe

I have to confess: I have a new boyfriend and I'm crazy about him.

At first I wasn't so sure he was deserving of my passion. He's pretty cheap. Okay, really cheap. And he doesn't exactly hang with the cool crowd. Truthfully, I was a little embarrassed to be seen with him at first. I'm a diva - for gawd's sake!

But over the last few months I've really come to appreciate all of his wonderful qualities: he's stylish, accessible, unpretentious and, I must say, solidly built.

His name is Joe Fresh.

Fall in Love With Stories

Crisp, clear days. Crunchy leaves underfoot. The tisk tisk tisk of skipping ropes hitting pavement. Wind blowing leaves, rakes scraping sidewalks. Kids talking and laughing as they jump in piles of leaves or head down the block to school. The first smells of smoky fireplaces and warm cocoa. Fall has a great many delights, and has, it's no surprise, inspired a few picture books of its own.

An African-Centric School?

When I first heard the idea, I thought I had mistakenly gone back in time and to a different part of the continent. An African-centric school, where the students and staff would all (ideally) be black? Isn't this something another generation struggled against forty years ago? They had a word for it (segregation) and another word for the abolition of it (integration). Haven't we moved past this as a society? Didn't we make a clear enough statement in our last election on the subject of segregating schools (admittedly that was on religious instead of racial grounds, but segregation is segregation).

Apparently not.

Remember Them Too

Today, in many places across the country, life will be put on hold for a moment at 11am. The shoppers in malls will stop and fall silent, pedestrians will pause wherever they are, and churches will be filled with people bowing their heads, but not to God. It is the time we, as a country, pause to reflect upon the good fortune we have as Canadians living in a free and democratic society; courtesy of the men and women in the armed forces who have given their lives in war. Poems will be read, hymns will be sung. Tears will be shed, and bells will be rung.

And somewhere, a child will be missing a parent they hardly knew, but can never forget.

Ticket Monopoly

by niloc

It is pretty hard to beat a great band in a small venue when it comes to concerts. The sound beats any arena. You can actually see the band members perform and usually there is a much greater interaction between the stage and the crowd.

dumplin'

There's something about rainy weekends and dumplings for me.
I'm always on the hunt for a new Dim Sum place that might just have something a little bit different than all the rest.
A few months ago we found ourselves in Markham.
why you ask?
well I needed to make a pit stop at Michael's Craft store and it was either this location or Mississauga.
six of one......