Home

Home Again (Well Toronto anyway, which feels like home). I flew back in to Toronto today. Spent my last morning in Halifax trying not to get too annoyed at the eldery woman sharing my hostel dorm. She was obviously not there as a traveller, but becuase of the (relatively) cheap rent and lack of affordable housing alternatives. I totally understand, but its still really annoying to be kept up half the night cos she refuses to stop talking and turn the light off, and then woken up at 8:30am by her turning on her radio to 'Halifax's Golden Oldies'. Sigh. Once up I went back to my favourite bookstore in Halifax. Its called Venus envy and is described as 'a bookstore for women and the people that love them'. But really its more like the local 'everything alternative store'. I has fun there browsing (and buying a little). Then the flight back. It was a bit bumpy but I handled it fine without chemical enhancement. Very proud of me I am. Its nice being back in Toronto. I was thinking that it feels like home but I couldn't work out the strange not-quite-the-same feeling I was getting. Then I realised, it's Toronto with good weather. Its 18 degrees here today, and it feels odd to be able to stroll around the streets, luxuriating outside instead of rushing from one heated indoor location to another. All the resturants and cafes have sprouted sidewalk patios full of beautiful young things, and everyone is looking relaxed. Well relaxed for Toronto anyway. I like it. T.O. might not have the culture of Montreal or the history and architecture of Quebec or the Alterna-yoof vibe of Halifax but it feels real. Like a place you'd actually live in rather than a tourist destination. Went back to the same hostel I stayed in when I first got to Toronto and was a bit disconcerted (but not really surprised) to find irritating Suzy still there (and still irritating). I am so over the Bob Marley/Rasta girl dreadlock 'jokes'. Went out wandering again to avoid the crowds at the hostel and stumbled into the studio audience for a Toronto talk show called 'Because I said so.' Had fun watching that. I've seen it on TV but hadn't realised the host was a dyke (or at least queer). Nice to see though. Also nice to see that pretty much all the production staff (except the camera operators) were women (some who were also dykey-looking - cool). At the end they gave all the audience a fridge magnet, but I also got given a baseball cap 'cos your from a long way away'. Don't know what I'm ever going to do with it but hey.