2001-10-12 - 1:21

Those fat cats in the penthouse have it pretty sweet

Well, I did sleep off the sickness . . . it just took two days. Tuesday was blah, as I mentioned. Wednesday night, I took a nap around 8:30, got up after a few hours just long enough to get cleaned up for bed, and slept for another eight hours. Today . . . much, much better.

So, I still have the Toronto trip to recap. Before leaving on Saturday, I was back at the office for a few hours, finishing some tests. I got everything wrapped up in time, but I was still fairly busy from the time that I got up until I made it to the airport. I didn't encounter the delays of which the airlines had been warning, but I was definitely zonked by the time I got to Toronto, mainly because of how busy work has been. Fortunately, Richard picked me up at the airport and I was promptly asleep on his couch.

Sunday, we decided to hit the Toronto Islands. Of course, it's the offseason, so there was no major excitement. Still, I was quite happy to get outside for a few hours and relax. Actually, relaxation was very much what I had in mind for the trip, so I was content to let the rest of the day pass at the apartment.

Before the concert on Monday, we checked out the Royal Ontario Museum, which is rather massive. The Asian cultures exhibit was probably my favourite part. Then again, that came first, so by the time I was on the third floor, I had surpassed my threshold for being impressed by pots. Chinese pots, Egyptian pots, Roman pots . . . you see what I mean?

Actually, I enjoyed most of the museum. The animals section wasn't so impressive, but the cultural displays were cool. Artwork and military equipment, which I find more interesting than everyday items, were well represented. Overall, there was a lot to see and the attractions, including a Rodin exhibit, were arranged well.

After that, we headed for home for pre-concert Columbo and supper. I'm still going to delay analyzing the concert itself. I think that I spoiled any real review that I would have had by waiting too long and reading too many other reviews of the Toronto show on Bj�rk.com. Actually, though, it was one of the few concerts that I've walked out of recently without knowing what to say. (My Tool review was mentally prepared before we had covered half the distance back to Ottawa.) It was definitely a great performance, though, so I'll come back with something to say in the near future.

Tuesday morning, I got up early enough to time everything perfectly: I caught the airport bus just as it was pulling up to the curb and I made it to the gate just as my plane was boarding. All in all, a very good trip. Having Richard living in Toronto certainly improves my concert jaunts.

Oh, I also added a few trip pictures to my home page. (Nothing too exciting this time, though.)

On the subject of concerts, things are shaking down for the future. Since I've been sick, the thoughts of seeing The Dears in Montreal tomorrow night became iffy. As it turns out, though, they're opening for Sloan's tour, which, amazingly enough, includes two dates in Ottawa next week. I'd rather see The Dears as headliners; but I'm definitely happy with this turn.

I also found out that Slayer is playing a Saturday club show in Montreal in November, so that should be a done deal. I've been wanting to see them live for a long time. (My metal roots are showing.)

And, for long term plans, the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds tour has been rescheduled . . . for April. Fortunately, it still works out to be Toronto on a Sunday and Montreal on a Monday, so I should still be able to double dip. Hopefully, everyone who was going to catch the September concerts with me is still good to go in April. Thanks to someone's notification, I managed to catch the 3-song Nick Cave appearance on a BBC webcast tonight, which is a start towards filling a six-month delay.

(See . . . pass music news to me that I don't know and I'll be appreciative. Imagine how much of a hero someone would have been to stop me from missing Yo La Tengo earlier this year.)

Whew. That's my catch-up entry and my mismatched musical plans entry rolled into one. I'll try to be succinct next time.

J.