Hillside and holidays

Guess what I didn't do today? Something that most of you suckers had to do on Friday, that I got to skip... That's right, long weekend for me this week!
The event that inspired the day off is a music festival called Hillside which is on an island on a lake about an hour from toronto. Today was just the evening but I already saw a few great acts including one I would highly recommend - a singer called Maylee Todd. Very hip, very fun, reminded me a bit of Pink Martini.
Two more full days to go, plus fun stuff like workshops, drum circles and really good food.
Out was a quiet week for me, although work was busy and promises to be the same next week, too. Without it being entirely intentional I managed to line up three long weekends in a row so it's looking like a nice way to end the summer.
Now I really need to sleep or I won't make it through tomorrow's line up!

On Pulitzer Prize winners and Baseball

Well, another week, another missed deadline – story of my life. Maybe it’s because I have too many deadlines in my job! (Good excuse, I’ll keep using it.)

This week I read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which was fantastic.  I only realised after finishing it that it won a Pulitzer prize (well deserved). I’ve read quite a few Pulitzer prize winners and I think I’m going to hunt down some more because I’ve really loved all the ones I’ve read. They seem to pick stories that are unusual, told in a creative way and are on a topic that’s a bit off the beaten path.

Recommendations from the Pulitzer Prize list:

2001: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

2003: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

2006: March by Geraldine Brooks

2007: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2008: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

2011: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Also, The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen, was a runner up.

I went to the baseball yesterday and now I have an interesting and important debate for you all to think about. This morning I said to my colleague “I went to the baseball yesterday.” And he said unless I went to a baseball, I had to specify that I went to the baseball game. I’m 100% certain that in NZ we would say “I’m going to the rugby” (or cricket). Now, just because rugby and cricket don’t include the word “ball” in their name doesn’t, to me, make them different to the rest of the sports. The name of the sport is baseball. You would say “I play baseball”, “I like baseball”, “Baseball is a waste of time and money.”

So that’s my rant/query. What’s the difference between the word rugby and the word baseball that I can’t use them in the same way?

Birthdays that never end

Happy weekend! This weekend I'm in Hamilton to visit some fam damily, hence the slight lateness of this post.

Last weekend was a busy one. I had birthday drinks on Saturday - very low key and fun. Almost all my favourite people made it :)

Sunday was the Pride Parade. Toronto's Pride fest is one of the biggest in the world and it went for almost 3 hours! It was great to see do many people able to wear their private face in public with total acceptance. Our mayor didn't make it (shock) and there wasn't a float or even a rep from the conservative party but it was great to see groups such as churches and the armed forces out.

That night we tried to go see the Canada Day fireworks but managed to miss them, BUT lots of people were at the beach setting off their own so we still got a show. Went to Cherry Beach on Monday, which is not nearly so nice as the island but is loads better than no beach.

Thursday was my birthday so we got cake at work and I had drinks with some friends that night. Call from NZ, package from China... Not a bad time I guess. Of course I'm skipping right over the fact that my birthday gift from NZ got sent back and I had to make three calls before the China one got me...

Be the donut, not the hole, my friends.

Written on my phone so feel free to mock any bizarre errors.