I am so pleased with the results of The Greatest Canadian. I am really happy that Tommy Douglas was voted to be the greatest of them all. The only thing that I don’t get is how Don Cherry could have been nominated in the first place, come on, he’s all right, but The Greatest Canadian? No wonder he didn’t win. Also, too bad that Alexander Graham Bell came behind Wayne Gretzky, I think there is more to Canada than hockey players, way more than that.

I just came back from Lewiscraft (I had to walk all the way to the TD Centre because that’s the only crafts store in the whole PATH and downtown area) where I bought some kits to make Christmas decorations. I’m making a felt stocking with a snowman, and a latch hook Santa wreath. I still don’t know if I can hang the wreath on the door to my apartment. This is the first time since 1998 that I feel a bit of Christmas spirit and the desire to decorate my place. I don’t know what’s the deal is, this is so not-me. Anyway, this year I feel enthusiastic about it.

I also went to The Bay and checked out the Christmas trees, but the small ones are really cheesy and expensive, I really don’t want something big because, seriously, where am I going to put it the rest of the year? So maybe this weekend I’ll go to WalMart, though I have to go all the way to the Dufferin Mall, but I’ll see if they have nicer trees. After the tree I’ll think of the ornaments. But for now, I’ll be busy making the stocking and the wreath.

UPDATE: I got home and realized that the actual latch hook is not included in the kit, so I’ll have to go back all the way to Lewiscraft to get it. I thought it was included and that’s why I didn’t buy it in the first place. Argh!

Last night Riri invited me over for dinner and a fun time. I got to meet her two beautiful children and her handsome husband. It is cool to hear people speaking French, even if I wasn’t brave enough to attempt to speak it myself I understood almost everything they were saying.

I have to say sometimes when I go to a house and they have children I behave myself but I might not be very fond of them (like my cousin’s two bratty children). This time it was completely different. I absolutely fell in love with them. They are so nice and sweet I can’t even describe it. We had a great time playing with a Hot Wheels toy and they were quite disappointed when they realized it was too late and they had to go to bed instead of being able to play more with me, this time in their bedroom (yeah, the older boy wanted me to go and play “dans ma chambre”, is that modern or what? hah hah).

Thank you Riri, you have a beautiful family.

My favourite restaurants in the whole wide world are (in no particular order, I would go right now to any of these):

Great American Fish Co., Morro Bay, California

Morton’s of Chicago (OK, I’ve never been to Chicago, but there’s one in Toronto)

Botafumeiro, in Barcelona

Legal Sea Foods, in Boston

Joe’s Stone Crab, in Miami

Do you see a pattern here?

OK, so I love eating, it’s a family thing. I remember when I was little that my grandparents took me and my sister in a special trip to Veracruz just to eat. We took a plane from Mexico City and stayed for one night, only activity we did was going out to eat (seafood, by the way). (UPDATE: My mom just told me that they actually went to a wedding, and my grandparents took care of us while they were at the wedding, and that’s why it appeared that we had just gone to eat). I went to Veracruz on vacation this year too but not just to eat, though I did eat really good fish and other seafood. By the way, I love seafood but I’m not very fond of shrimp, I think they are over-rated and there’s so much more to seafood than just shrimp.

When my grandfather died some years ago, it was a Monday, he had already planned all his meals for the week. He had planned where he was going to eat, with whom, and what he was eating. We had to cancel it because the man had died. So yep, I got the love for food in my blood.

So last night I had my first Christmas (holiday?) party this year. It was for all the residents of my building at the party room, and again, even though there are 500 apartments or so in my building, only about 45 people went to the party. I have to say that I was disappointed that there was no real food, only a couple of cheeses and some carrots and celery with dip, and I didn’t have dinner before the party because I thought there would be more stuff. Anyway, the good thing is that there was a lot of booze. At the party I saw Glenn, Grant, Kamla from next door, and some new women neigbours that I met. Mark came up later to say hi and since he hadn’t eaten either we left to have some food (we ate some Swiss Chalet). It was a nice all right party, the first one of the season.

This is how Queen and York looked after the Santa Claus parade on Sunday. I can’t help but think that people are really filthy, why didn’t they pick up their garbage?

Yesterday I was walking in the PATH from Commerce Court to Eaton Centre when I thought of this person that I know from the Flatiron, I thought “wouldn’t it be neat to run into him today?” Ten minutes later, I saw him! he was there walking with the crowd close to the Richmond Adelaide Centre. I said hi and we talked about the upcoming Christmas party at the Flatiron and Firkin, just normal conversation. But I couldn’t help wondering, am I a little bit psychic, do I have ESP? Spooky!

Well, well, well. Amazingly enough, Mexicana Airlines just sent me a cheque for $86 for the taxi expenses that I incurred on when they changed my flight without telling me back in September. I wouldn’t think I was going to say this, but they are true to their word and their customer service is not at all bad. I wonder if Air Canada would have done the same thing. OK, off to the bank now!

We’re not even on that imaginary threshold, American Thanksgiving, and I already have 10 Chrismtas/Holiday parties, one Bat Mitzvah and one wedding. By December 15 I am going to be so exhausted I’ll probably want to forget all about Christmas and the New Year and all those holiday celebrations.

My brother is arriving to TO on December 19, and my mother is doing so on December 27. I hope I’m in good shape by then.

Today, about one million people gathered in downtown Toronto to welcome Santa Claus. All the children of Toronto were really happy and we had great weather, nothing like two years ago when there was a huge snowstorm during the parade.

Welcome to Toronto, Santa Claus!

[IF YOU WANT TO SEE ANY OF THE PICTURES BETTER, CLICK ON THEM. THE QUALITY IS NOT VERY GOOD ON THIS PAGE BUT THEY LOOK BETTER ON THEIR OWN]