Snow Day

Groundhog Day might be early this year as Toronto was hit with another snowstorm. I stayed at home through most of Saturday doing some cleaning and relaxing. I ventured out in the late afternoon to the library near Dufferin and Bloor. Afterwards, I debated whether to give the sushi replacement for COO (a Japanese-style "western" food or Yoshoku store) a try but its interior looked bare-bones. So it was off to Szechuan Noodle Bowl, this time for their dan-dan noodles. The chicken was once again quite tasty, and showed it was hard but possible to elevate cheaper cut of meat. Two slight disappointments: it wasn't as peanut-y as I hoped and though I chose spicy this time, it had no heat. Passing by my friend's restaurant, I was surprised that it was closed for Saturday night. The lights were on earlier in the week since their return from vacation.

I thought about checking out new venue Sound Garage (by Blood Brothers Brewing) where the band Burs was having their album release show. But I passed for two reasons: the $20 ticket was $28 online (almost 50 percent in additional service fees!), and I wasn't sure if there would be tickets at the door for $25. Also, kind of pricey for a small band and their openers. So I stayed home to watch for the first time the cult classic movie Primer. Not to spoil a 20-year-old film, but the protagonists invented time-travel and as usual of this premise, found themselves in a time loop (of their own making).

Speaking of time loop, my neighbour might have experienced one on Sunday. The snow came down fast and furious (it ended up being the most single-day snowfall in Toronto). He was clearing our shared front entrances all through the day, maybe 5 or 6 times, from lunch until dinner. From our brief conversation last week, I knew he didn't live in the building. Was he coming by every few hours? There were times I noticed that he was making several rounds past my door within a 15-minute span.

I myself was relaxing inside because my shovel, stored in the backyard, was buried in the snow. I also skipped my Yoga inversion practice again because of infirmities. First, my shoulders were still tender. They were good enough for regular sessions and 30 seconds of "fun" poses like handstands at the end. But I didn't think they would hold up for a full practice. Second, I was developing tender calluses on my feet from supination and unbalanced walking. Finally, I had about two weeks of healthy digestion that I attributed to a less oily diet than at my Mom's. But my intestinal problems have returned. So in general, I did not feel up for any vigorous activities.

Who Controls The British Sound

This week I have been mostly ensconced at home due to the weather. On Friday, I ventured out in the afternoon to get a slice from 241 Pizza. The coldest weather in a decade, according to the news, was going to grip Ontario for 3 days. Despite the relatively milder cold, I could feel my face freezing up when the wind picked up. They weren't lying and I decided I wasn't going to trek to Bsmt 254 to see new bands Anastasia Coope and Autobahn from NYC. The previous day, with a lull in inclement weather, I also went out around lunchtime to do groceries and eat a veggie lunch ($9.99) from Pam's. I may only go there for the chicken roti from now on. They first wanted to charge me extra for the potatoes when it has always been rice with potatoes and a choice of two veggie ingredients. It wasn't so much the cost but rather some workers there didn't seem to know their own menu.

It wasn't the cold on Wednesday that kept me in but the snow. It came down Tuesday night and continued all through that day. I stepped outside for some cod patties ($4.85) from Progress Bakery across the street. But one look at the dirty snow, piled up and churned over by cars, at the intersection dissuaded me from going to see a free show with AloneKitty at Houndstooth. I would have to walk through several such crossings to get to the venue.

But I did brave the freezing temperature on Tuesday to visit a newly re-opened venue. The Concert Hall at 888 Yonge St. once hosted many acts from 60s icons, early rap legends, and 90s bands. I never saw any shows there because during my time in Toronto it was a TV studio. Under new ownership, it re-opened as a music venue in the late 2010s but its 1200-capacity made it expensive to rent. But post-pandemic, it seemed to have booked more artists.

Both the outside and the inside of this former Masonic Temple was quite impressive. Perhaps less awe-spiring was the round reception kiosk out of some 50s corporate headquarter. I appreciated that security was chill and did not involve aggressive bag-check and gate scanners. Though it filled up later, both on the ground and up in the wrap-around balcony, it was mostly empty when I arrived. So I grabbed a spot right at the front by the barrier, something I don't do anymore at larger venues. Frances Chang opened the night with her (synth) piano, and a collection of backing tracks controlled via foot pedals and a small mixing board. I didn't like the ADHD music in that each song would veer in many directions. I did enjoy Chang spreading the rhythm and beat across multiple instruments instead of just percussion.

It's always interesting to speculate when a larger crowd go see an artist. I didn't see Cate Le Bon at her earliest at The Rivoli or Drake Underground. But a few months after Drake, I saw her open for Warpaint at the larger Danforth Music Hall. As a head-liner, she still played at small clubs such as The Horseshoe (2016) and Velvet Underground (2017). I guessed she got more attention with the accessible Reward (2019) and Pompeii (2022) and a show at the larger Great Hall that I missed.

This concert, relocated here after a greater demand than The Great Hall, was in support of the new album Michelangelo Dying. As a heartbreak album (she toured with her ex at that Velvet show), it was a simple topic to hook people. Refrains like "I love you" (Daylight Matters) and "Is it worth it?" (Is It Worth It) were easy to sing or sway too. But the rest of Le Bon's lyrics remained elliptical and poetic, much different from straightforward pop songs. The best part was that with a bigger budget, she got a bigger band. With 3 multi-instrumentalists (sax, synth, guitar, tom-toms, even marimba) and a drummer and a bassist who sang back-up vocals, Le Bon's layered art-pop came to life. Then there was her singing which had both range and sensitivity. I listened to Michelangelo afterwards and the studio versions felt anemic in comparison.

Crossing The Line

I have enjoyed walking through the old neighbourhood and visiting the Dufferin Mall. But I haven't really gone south of Bloor Street. There is a "natural" East-West divide (approximately at Yonge) and also a North-South one at Bloor. The joke was that downtown folks thought that Thunder Bay was north of Bloor. When I stepped outside on Monday afternoon, the frigid wind almost drove me right back inside. I kept repeating that I will turn back at the next intersection such that by the time I found myself south of Bloor, decided to finish my chores.

I was heading to the Metro grocery store at College and Shaw. It carried a peanut-only peanut butter brand that had a good price to taste ratio. But first, I stepped inside a branch of the Toronto Library. I often came to this location to scan the Saturday crossword in pre-pandemic times: 10 cents was cheaper than buying a copy for $5. Now that the newspaper was $10, it was an even better deal. But they had upgraded the printer and switched to a different management system so my old photocopy-print card with a few bucks on it was invalid. I'm sure it's against consumer law for a business to cancel accounts with cash balances. With millions of residents, the aggregate amount was at least some thousands of dollars. In any case, I was able to top up directly using my library card.

On the way back, with a less gusty wind, the distance didn't seem so far; it was less than 10 major intersections. I passed my old attic apartment and saw that the lights were on. I wondered if the new landlord (the daughter of my old one) ever renovated the 15-year-old bathroom, fixed the electrical outlets, or did the other repairs that she promised me but kept delaying. When I left, she had rented it out to 2 separate boarders (and a total of 8 for the entire house).

Achy Breaky Parts

Sunday was my first rest day at my sublet where I did not venture outside at all. My bone-chilling trip back home from the Saturday show left me reluctant to go outdoors, even though there were periods of sunshine. In the early afternoon, I thought about going to a PWYC show but I opted out for two reasons. First, music recitals at The Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst can be phenomenal or a bit outre and this one (a sample-heavy set by Heraclitus Akimbo) seemed the latter sort. Second, if I was sticking to my budget then I had already spent today's allotment when I subscribed to TSN so my Mom can watch the Australian Open.

My other choice was to continue my Yoga inversion practice. But I didn't feel 100 percent in the best shape. Thursday morning, I woke up with some soreness in my left side. That improved with my daily morning session. During my Friday practice, it returned as I was moving into a headstand. I unwisely tried to push through, ignoring a core teaching to always listen to your body. The soreness became a sharp ache, perhaps a pulled rib muscle, when I went into the full inversion. So a full practice today focusing on these poses didn't seem prudent.

But the safer choice of scrolling on social media didn't prevent more aches. As I was fidgeting in bed, I realized there was a problem with my left shoulder. I couldn't complete some (less common) rotation and movement without feel pain and impingement. This was rather dispiriting since the point of regular Yoga practices was to have mobility, especially in your joints, not doing crazy poses. So I spent some time doing slow adjustments on that shoulder, trying to release the joint and creating greater range of motion. It also got me thinking that another downside of this unit (or specifically parts like the loft, the washroom, and the backyard) was its' inaccessibility for children, the elderly, people with health issues or disabilities.

Dinner was Mandarin fried shrimp ($13) from South Pacific. There were quite a few orders tonight since mine took 20 minutes to fill. A grandma was volubly greeting some regulars. She looked too old to be the "new" owner so maybe she was the OG from the 70s. I also noticed that there were no Asian customers. Because as far as unfussy food went, Pacific wasn't quite vibing with me like the old China Ocean.