A-Wandering We Went
Nov. 19th, 2003 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojHere's some highlights from our trip. I won't go into the whole purpose of it, the mandatory ADR mediation, because that part was, as we expected it to be, a huge steaming pile. But the rest of the trip was quite nice, so in the end it was well worth it.
Ottawa to Toronto
Although starting the trip with a six-hour drive in the pouring rain, plus windstorm? Setting out at 8:00pm, because Daniel was "swimming up" in Beavers so he couldn't miss Wednesday's Beaver meeting? Not good. Getting into Toronto in one of the worst windstorms they've had in years (140kph winds - that's 87mph)? Also not good. We blew into our friend Mark's building, checked into the guest suite he'd arranged for us, and tried to get the kids to settle in. Not so easy when the wind was shrieking like it was gonna blow the whole city down.
However, it spawned a beautiful parenting moment: Justin was quite freaked, and at one point Chris told him he'd feel much better when he got into his bed, where the howling couldn't reach him, and once he was in bed, the wind would stop trying to scare him. "And when the giants realize, that no-one's scared of their disguise..." he said, quoting Dennis Lee, and Justin's face lit up with a smile. Daniel supplied the next line, "They're glad their beds are warm." And Justin settled right down as we tried to remember some of the rest of the poem, but couldn't quite manage it.
Here it is, for those interested, Like a Giant in a Towel, by Dennis Lee:
When the wind is blowing hard
Like a giant in the yard,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
When the rain begins to rain
Like a giant with a pain,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
When the snowstorm starts to howl
Like a giant in a towel,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
And when the giants realize
That no one's scared of their disguise,
They go to bed and close their eyes-
They're glad their beds are warm;
They're glad their beds are warm.
The wind whistled all through the night (and other Welsh hymns). And oh, my, didn't we feel fresh and ready to take on a bunch of lawyers after driving through a storm for almost six hours, then sleeping in a strange place for four hours with the wind screaming at us. Just marvelous.
ADR
Yuck.
This is my brother Chris, and this is my other brother Chris
Chris' brother Chris (not kidding, he's really called Chris - their parents weren't terribly creative) and his wife Lois took care of the kids while we were experiencing the Joy of ADR. Believe me, the kids had a lot more fun than we did. They were thrilled to be there, and none to happy to be told we had to leave. We did get to visit with Chris and Lois for a while, and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives in the last few years. We haven't been able to spend much time together in the last few years - I think the last time we saw them was when we visited Toronto during Gay Pride 2001. Time flies.
Old Friends
Then we spent some time with Mark and Carmen. One of them had the brilliant idea of going to IKEA for dinner - they have pretty good food and, more importantly, a PLAYROOM. You know, for a couple of couples with no kids, Chris and Lois and Mark and Carmen came up with some incredibly cool kid-friendly ideas.
So we caught up with Mark and Carmen, and the kids had a ball.
It's so bizarre, where you end up during your grownup years. When we met, Mark and I were frosh at Queen's University - he in Commerce, I in Psychology. Over the next 14 years (Christ! I can't believe we've known each other that long) I switched to Computers and History, then did a B.Ed, went through three boyfriends and married the last one, had two kids, then went back to school to do law. Mark cycled through Commerce, Geophysics, something else I can't remember, finally dropped out without ever completing a degree, had several businesses, a couple of girlfriends, lived in Vail, Colorado for years, and he is now a financial planner for Clarica, living with Carmen, an interior decorator who is a bit older than him. Nowhere close to where I thought either of us would be.
And yet we're where we're supposed to be, you know? If Mark is anywhere near as happy as he seems to be, he's doing pretty damn good. Beautiful home, work he loves, wonderful partner... it's so great to see someone you care about seeming really happy and in the right place in his life.
Incidentally, I mentioned to Chris that you could tell the difference in our lifestyles just by glancing around the guest suite of Mark's building. First off, his building has guest suites. And a pool, sauna, valet parking, gorgeous grounds, interior driving range, concierge, conference rooms... just walking into the place makes you feel expensive. Second, the guest suites have walk-in closets. Damn.
Tallest Building in the World
Friday, we spent going to the pool (which the kids loved), the Toronto Fair with Mark and Carmen (where we got to see a 1,020 lb pumpkin, touch a llama, watch a bull-judging competition (did you know they look at the hang of testicles when judging them?), and eat cotton candy. Yummy.
Then we went to the CN Tower. And I really, really, really wish we'd been able to get pictures of what happened there, but unfortunately, our camera actually wasn't loaded. *^%$
So, the CN Tower:
World's tallest building, 1,815'5" (roughly .55km). We went up (and it's bloody expensive - $54 Cdn, about $42 US). Kids were fine in the elevator. Thought it was cool, because it was very very fast. What is it about boys and speed, I wonder? Went to the first observation deck (1,136', .41km), they both looked out at Toronto stretching out before them (on a clear day you can see all the way to Niagara Falls, apparently. It wasn't a clear day, but the view was still impressive.)
So we're admiring the view, and then we go to the Glass Floor. 1,122' (.34km) above ground level. Glass so thick it could hold up to 14 elephants. You're supposed to walk on it and look down at the ground beneath your feet. Sound simple?
It's not. As Chris put it, the experience was a real triumph of evolution. Your logical forebrain is telling you there's nothing to it, it's perfectly safe, in fact it's rather scuffed from the million+ visitors that walk on it every year, it can hold 14 elephants, yadda yadda yadda... while your hindbrain screams ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR *%#@ING GOURD??!!! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO WALK OUT INTO THIN AIR, 1,122' ABOVE GROUND??!!!
It was really amazingly difficult to screw up our courage to get on there. Chris did it and ended up walking around, mouthing "I'm scared shitless" at me so the kids wouldn't hear. I went on, then backed right off, and felt squeamish as Chris stood there in empty air. Daniel went on and off a few times, but Justin just flat-out refused, and didn't want the rest of us to go on either.
We comforted him, explained that it was perfectly safe, told him it was OK to feel scared and that we were a little scared too, explained that the thinking part of our brains knew it was safe but the feeling part of our brains didn't trust the thinking parts, and then backed off. Let him stay on solid floor and didn't even try to coax him on.
Walked around a bit more (on the solid floor) and even went outside. The wind was unreal, and Justin scuttled back in post-haste. Daniel, OTOH, was thrilled, and Chris and I took turns accompanying him while he ran and ran and ran around the Tower.
Back inside. Chris wanted to take a picture of the glass floor, and walked out onto it. Then I walked on. Then Daniel walked on. And then, without anybody noticing him doing it, Justin stepped on, and looked down.
Man, he was so proud of himself. And we all made a big deal out of it, because it's a hell of an accomplishment for a three-year old to logic himself into doing something that feels deadly dangerous, especially when there's nobody pushing him to do it.
Chris took pictures of all of us on the glass floor, Justin beaming wide and yelling, "I DEFEATED MINE FEAR!!" which I really, really, really wish had turned out. Unfortunately, like I said, camera had no film.
Toronto to Kingston
Down the elevator again. Into the car. 5:30pm. Rush hour in Toronto.
There are two types of Canadians: those who live in Toronto, and those who can't fathom why anyone would want to live in Toronto.
By the time we were finally free, it was about 7:00pm. And we ran headlong into a huge accident just outside of Bowmanville, which backed up the 401 as far as Oshawa, about 20km (10 miles) away.
Dinner at a greasy spoon dedicated to Elvis. The kids learned all about him - although they already knew a little bit, from Lilo and Stitch ;) They also heard a bit about Marylin Monroe and James Dean. Teachable moments are everywhere.
Back on the highway. We decided to take the #2 instead of the 401. Followed it for a while, then tried to go back to the 401 past Bowmanville. Motored along quite well until we hit another accident. By which point it was just so ridiculous we had to laugh. The trip from Toronto to Kingston is supposed to take 2.5 hours; we'd already been on the road 4 hours, and still had 200 km to go.
Pulled into our motel in Kingston around midnight, 6.5 hours. A record... I hope.
So tired. Will write about our Kingston visit in another entry. Must godrug Justin put Justin down for his nap now.
Ottawa to Toronto
Although starting the trip with a six-hour drive in the pouring rain, plus windstorm? Setting out at 8:00pm, because Daniel was "swimming up" in Beavers so he couldn't miss Wednesday's Beaver meeting? Not good. Getting into Toronto in one of the worst windstorms they've had in years (140kph winds - that's 87mph)? Also not good. We blew into our friend Mark's building, checked into the guest suite he'd arranged for us, and tried to get the kids to settle in. Not so easy when the wind was shrieking like it was gonna blow the whole city down.
However, it spawned a beautiful parenting moment: Justin was quite freaked, and at one point Chris told him he'd feel much better when he got into his bed, where the howling couldn't reach him, and once he was in bed, the wind would stop trying to scare him. "And when the giants realize, that no-one's scared of their disguise..." he said, quoting Dennis Lee, and Justin's face lit up with a smile. Daniel supplied the next line, "They're glad their beds are warm." And Justin settled right down as we tried to remember some of the rest of the poem, but couldn't quite manage it.
Here it is, for those interested, Like a Giant in a Towel, by Dennis Lee:
When the wind is blowing hard
Like a giant in the yard,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
When the rain begins to rain
Like a giant with a pain,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
When the snowstorm starts to howl
Like a giant in a towel,
I'm glad my bed is warm;
I'm glad my bed is warm.
And when the giants realize
That no one's scared of their disguise,
They go to bed and close their eyes-
They're glad their beds are warm;
They're glad their beds are warm.
The wind whistled all through the night (and other Welsh hymns). And oh, my, didn't we feel fresh and ready to take on a bunch of lawyers after driving through a storm for almost six hours, then sleeping in a strange place for four hours with the wind screaming at us. Just marvelous.
ADR
Yuck.
This is my brother Chris, and this is my other brother Chris
Chris' brother Chris (not kidding, he's really called Chris - their parents weren't terribly creative) and his wife Lois took care of the kids while we were experiencing the Joy of ADR. Believe me, the kids had a lot more fun than we did. They were thrilled to be there, and none to happy to be told we had to leave. We did get to visit with Chris and Lois for a while, and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives in the last few years. We haven't been able to spend much time together in the last few years - I think the last time we saw them was when we visited Toronto during Gay Pride 2001. Time flies.
Old Friends
Then we spent some time with Mark and Carmen. One of them had the brilliant idea of going to IKEA for dinner - they have pretty good food and, more importantly, a PLAYROOM. You know, for a couple of couples with no kids, Chris and Lois and Mark and Carmen came up with some incredibly cool kid-friendly ideas.
So we caught up with Mark and Carmen, and the kids had a ball.
It's so bizarre, where you end up during your grownup years. When we met, Mark and I were frosh at Queen's University - he in Commerce, I in Psychology. Over the next 14 years (Christ! I can't believe we've known each other that long) I switched to Computers and History, then did a B.Ed, went through three boyfriends and married the last one, had two kids, then went back to school to do law. Mark cycled through Commerce, Geophysics, something else I can't remember, finally dropped out without ever completing a degree, had several businesses, a couple of girlfriends, lived in Vail, Colorado for years, and he is now a financial planner for Clarica, living with Carmen, an interior decorator who is a bit older than him. Nowhere close to where I thought either of us would be.
And yet we're where we're supposed to be, you know? If Mark is anywhere near as happy as he seems to be, he's doing pretty damn good. Beautiful home, work he loves, wonderful partner... it's so great to see someone you care about seeming really happy and in the right place in his life.
Incidentally, I mentioned to Chris that you could tell the difference in our lifestyles just by glancing around the guest suite of Mark's building. First off, his building has guest suites. And a pool, sauna, valet parking, gorgeous grounds, interior driving range, concierge, conference rooms... just walking into the place makes you feel expensive. Second, the guest suites have walk-in closets. Damn.
Tallest Building in the World
Friday, we spent going to the pool (which the kids loved), the Toronto Fair with Mark and Carmen (where we got to see a 1,020 lb pumpkin, touch a llama, watch a bull-judging competition (did you know they look at the hang of testicles when judging them?), and eat cotton candy. Yummy.
Then we went to the CN Tower. And I really, really, really wish we'd been able to get pictures of what happened there, but unfortunately, our camera actually wasn't loaded. *^%$
So, the CN Tower:
World's tallest building, 1,815'5" (roughly .55km). We went up (and it's bloody expensive - $54 Cdn, about $42 US). Kids were fine in the elevator. Thought it was cool, because it was very very fast. What is it about boys and speed, I wonder? Went to the first observation deck (1,136', .41km), they both looked out at Toronto stretching out before them (on a clear day you can see all the way to Niagara Falls, apparently. It wasn't a clear day, but the view was still impressive.)
So we're admiring the view, and then we go to the Glass Floor. 1,122' (.34km) above ground level. Glass so thick it could hold up to 14 elephants. You're supposed to walk on it and look down at the ground beneath your feet. Sound simple?
It's not. As Chris put it, the experience was a real triumph of evolution. Your logical forebrain is telling you there's nothing to it, it's perfectly safe, in fact it's rather scuffed from the million+ visitors that walk on it every year, it can hold 14 elephants, yadda yadda yadda... while your hindbrain screams ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR *%#@ING GOURD??!!! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO WALK OUT INTO THIN AIR, 1,122' ABOVE GROUND??!!!
It was really amazingly difficult to screw up our courage to get on there. Chris did it and ended up walking around, mouthing "I'm scared shitless" at me so the kids wouldn't hear. I went on, then backed right off, and felt squeamish as Chris stood there in empty air. Daniel went on and off a few times, but Justin just flat-out refused, and didn't want the rest of us to go on either.
We comforted him, explained that it was perfectly safe, told him it was OK to feel scared and that we were a little scared too, explained that the thinking part of our brains knew it was safe but the feeling part of our brains didn't trust the thinking parts, and then backed off. Let him stay on solid floor and didn't even try to coax him on.
Walked around a bit more (on the solid floor) and even went outside. The wind was unreal, and Justin scuttled back in post-haste. Daniel, OTOH, was thrilled, and Chris and I took turns accompanying him while he ran and ran and ran around the Tower.
Back inside. Chris wanted to take a picture of the glass floor, and walked out onto it. Then I walked on. Then Daniel walked on. And then, without anybody noticing him doing it, Justin stepped on, and looked down.
Man, he was so proud of himself. And we all made a big deal out of it, because it's a hell of an accomplishment for a three-year old to logic himself into doing something that feels deadly dangerous, especially when there's nobody pushing him to do it.
Chris took pictures of all of us on the glass floor, Justin beaming wide and yelling, "I DEFEATED MINE FEAR!!" which I really, really, really wish had turned out. Unfortunately, like I said, camera had no film.
Toronto to Kingston
Down the elevator again. Into the car. 5:30pm. Rush hour in Toronto.
There are two types of Canadians: those who live in Toronto, and those who can't fathom why anyone would want to live in Toronto.
By the time we were finally free, it was about 7:00pm. And we ran headlong into a huge accident just outside of Bowmanville, which backed up the 401 as far as Oshawa, about 20km (10 miles) away.
Dinner at a greasy spoon dedicated to Elvis. The kids learned all about him - although they already knew a little bit, from Lilo and Stitch ;) They also heard a bit about Marylin Monroe and James Dean. Teachable moments are everywhere.
Back on the highway. We decided to take the #2 instead of the 401. Followed it for a while, then tried to go back to the 401 past Bowmanville. Motored along quite well until we hit another accident. By which point it was just so ridiculous we had to laugh. The trip from Toronto to Kingston is supposed to take 2.5 hours; we'd already been on the road 4 hours, and still had 200 km to go.
Pulled into our motel in Kingston around midnight, 6.5 hours. A record... I hope.
So tired. Will write about our Kingston visit in another entry. Must go
