toronto stories

looking ahead but behind the times

I've been packing for a month for a 3 day trip. People look at me like I'm crazy until I explain patiently that I am looking to move back home and that I need to start planning as I don't know when it will happen and I don't want to be moving a million pieces of things all at once. So I even bought a scale so I could weigh my luggage (how crazy is that?). I started by bringing home stuff... like my rice cooker, which I haven't been using.

Gotta love the security in airports. I placed my rice cooker on the conveyor belt. The guy pulled it into the xray machine. And stopped. Then he asked what I had. A rice cooker, I told him plainly. He waves his partner over to laugh over it. He asks where the cooked rice is. I tell him I didn't bring any. His friend pulls it out for inspection and lets me go. The guy yells out to me, "Next time, bring the rice." I smile in return.

There are some things to be said for being so far behind in movies... like when I flew home for the long weekend. First off, I was flying Air Canada and forgot that they show movies (being used to WestJet, which charges and therefore goes unwatched by me.) With the red-eye, I was also hoping to catch some shut-eye, but alas. I got tempted as they were showing The Break-Up, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. So I had to watch even though it was on tiny screens and I was unfortunately sitting in one of the rows where I was practically underneath the screen. In any event, the movie sucked and I lost what could have been a good few hours of sleep. Only because I couldn't let myself see only half, no matter how terribly it was playing out!

My ride was waiting at the airport to pick me up. I phoned and asked where he was. His response: at international. My reply: Since when is Toronto considered international?! Ok, so I was a little tired and cranky. It was now past midnight PST and I'd been up since 6am EST. Not only that, but I was picked up in a rally car as his regular car broke down that night, of all nights.

The trip itself was rejuvenating and much needed. The weather? I almost had to keep telling myself that I was really in Vancouver. And then I wondered why I ever left as it was just stunningly beautiful. I surprised my grandparents with my visit back and the trip reminded me how much I missed the mountains.

The flight back wasn't much better except that I actually ran into my naturopath. We ended up in the same row although we both had window seats. The movie this time was the Lake House, with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Being on a larger plane, the screen was just the one up front. So while the movie was a little strange with some time warp thing going on, I kept missing bits and pieces because of old slow people walking up and down the aisles to the washroom. And of course, the drink cart. Air Canada is also so skimpy these days they don't even hand out snacks. It's 2 bucks if you want a pack of almonds.

10 weeks and counting til Christmas and my next trip back.

posted by toronto girl @ 11:46 PM