Saturday turned out to be one of my most enjoyable days of the summer. After an unexpected awesome concert discovery, I was able to spend the afternoon hanging out with my university crowd of friends. I love my university crowd of friends. There always seems to be a rotation of who's in Toronto, and who is not, and now there are a bunch of kids in the mix, but it's always a great time.
Becca T and I actually ended up being the first to leave the party (that never happens) so that we could catch Sloan at the Ex. It had been raining, actually pouring, for most of the day, but it all cleared up just in time for Sloan. It had actually cooled down too, which lead to Ms. It-will-never-get-cold-enough-to-require-a-sweater (aka me) getting a bit chilled, but once Sloan was on, I forgot about my goosebumps. They are such a great live band. I love seeing them for free (OK - I had to pay $14 admission to the Ex, but it was totally worth it). They played a lot of my favourites, and they were stellar as usual. Did you know that they are my second favourite band? Best song was a super-fast version of HFXNSHC.
After the encore, we decided that we wanted to go on a couple of rides. We spent $10 each on tickets, or credits as they are now called, and that will buy you 2 rides. I tell ya, when I was a kid and went to the fair, you got a heck of a lot more than 2 rides for $10... Anyway, we decided on the Ferris Wheel and the Scrambler, or the Sizzler as it is now called. Lucky for us, the guys at the Sizzler let us on for free, so we got a bonus ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Man, I forgot how much that thing whirled.
After that really good day, I've been kicking around in Toronto working on my back-to-school wardrobe. I think I've got it completed now. Let the madness begin!
I am also sadly aware that my stellar wardrobe isn't really going to teach the kids about atoms, ions, and how to balance a chemical equation. That meant that I had to drag myself into the school today. I got some photocopying done, so I feel much better about the whole having to teach next Tuesday thing. Photocopies are my security blanket. I kid you not, but each summer I do have a nightmare about going back to school and standing in front of the class completely unprepared with no photocopies. This year I had it in July. Anyhow, at least I don't have to worry about that becoming reality.
I typically get a little anxious before a new school year. I think it is partially because I worry that my classes will be bunches of hellions, and that I kind of forget how to teach over the summer. I still am not sure how I am able to fill three 75-minute classes a day with learning. Amazingly, I seem to figure it out each year, and I'm sure this year will be no different.
Even though I've been slowly accepting the inevitability of fall, I was able to rebel a bit today. When I went to Starbucks for a well-deserved frappucino, I resisted the new Pumpkin Spice Frappucino and went with my summer Orange Mocha deliciousness. It's so not time for fall frappucinos yet!
3 comments:
Holy shit that new Weakerthans song is amazing!!
reject the fall! block out the sound of crickets, and the desire for sweaters! I'm sure its not difficult on days like today though. Saw it was almost 34 without humidex in the GTA today.
I think the last time I was at the Ex was before the last Blue Jays game at Exhibition Place (so I'm told, I don't remember being at that game, but I do remember being on a mini-boat ride beforehand). Was that $10 for the safe rides, or the ones like the one they had to close down a year or two ago?
I drove by the fair here last weekend. I saw the ferris wheel and all of that, and had no desire to stop. At the Ex in toon town, they would always have free concerts with admission, I saw some great bands there, like Tom Cochrane, Wide Mouth Mason, and some others I can't remember. :)
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