A Strange Reflection

I headed to the West end to visit a 93-year-old relative on Saturday. It was an adventure by transit because the LRT did not run all the way downtown from the East End this week-end and there were also bus detours throughout the city core due to the demonstrations for "freedom". It wasn't just out-of-town people occupying Ottawa though. On the way I saw entire families with kids in tow, parking their cars at Gloucester Centre and St. Laurent Mall, to take the train and wave their signs, flags, and jerry cans. So I felt some satisfaction that they will be inconvenienced.

We had a nice lunch of stir-fried shrimp and veggies. As usual, they told me stories (though some of them were repeats) of their childhood in the old country. Afterward, I received a big bag of food to take with me. Instead of taking the zig-zagging bus I decided to take the train to the Ottawa University stop and walked about 15 minutes to get to my connection home.

I haven't been on campus in decades. With limited acreage on which to grow, the university has sprouted new buildings everywhere. When I got to King Edward and Laurier, I took a right turn on it to see if a certain building was still around. The walk-up still existed though it was now owned by a property management company. My crush lived there during our collegiate days so for every happy hour I spent inside, sadness greeted me when I left. I had a "twilight zone" thought as I passed by yesterday.

Ever since my family moved to Ottawa, I have lived in a series of rentals. So the closest to a childhood home was a modest town-house condominium in former Gloucester. I have joked with relatives that I will buy it to retire in my old age. We all agreed that such a decision would be rather odd.

So if I move into that exact apartment on Laurier, we would be in Stephen King territory. On the surface, it was ideal. It was close to several streets with amenities like the Bytowne Cinema. There were now stores on that block. Finally, I do love small buildings in an urban setting. But even for someone with aphantasia, living there would stir up too many memories.

I Know King Food

In previous years, Groundhog Day was a day for nostalgia. There was no such dinner plans in 2021 but there were "I've seen this script before" situations. First, my company had an all-hands meeting. Various C-level execs were promising yet again bright futures despite a rough period including 50% with-held salary in 2019 (finally paid the next year), a 4-day work-week (i.e., 20% paycut) in 2020 and 2021 (though I was one of the few that went back to 5 days in 2021), and a mass exodus of people. I noticed that no mention was made of the revolving door of execs. Last year, there was a continuation of breathless announcements when new execs came in with "laudatory" experiences and big goals, only for them to quietly leave a few months later amid company silence. For me, it was the departure of yet another long-time colleague just before Christmas that was a downer.

To clear my head, I went to see an afternoon matinee since movie theatres had re-opened on Monday. Appropriately enough, it was Matrix Resurrections, a film steeped in nostalgia and callbacks, many of which was acknowledged within the movie itself in numerous meta ways. This has been a box-office bomb because probably audiences wanted more whiz-bang fight scenes and CGI. I actually enjoyed everything but the derivative and muddled fighting and the post-apocalyptic scenes. I wished they had leaned more into all the "talky" bits inside The Matrix and made it a straight-up drama. It would be even more box-office poison but at least this would be chutzpah.

Afterward, I remembered from my lunch at the restaurant La Bonita nearby that its next-door neighbour was a Chinese take-out joint called Lucky King. I stopped by and ordered for dinner some Szechuan Spicy Beef ($16.20) and Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables ($16.80). Lucky King may not look like much, and honestly its food was what you'd expect from these places, but it did brisk business. During my 20-minute wait, close to 10 customers came for their orders. Toronto don't have these once ubiquitous eateries anymore, but I suppose Ottawa is always behind Toronto in all aspects, even gentrification.

TGIFs

As I get older, I don't have the gusto to face the cold of January as I used to do. This is doubly true in Ottawa where the temperature falls precipitously. Today, I realized with a minor shock that I have only left my place 3 times in the last 3 weeks. My slothful phase since last November has resulted in a slow but relentless weight gain.

3 Fridays ago, I finally got an appointment for my Covid booster. But unlike my vaccination in Toronto, this wasn't free. As it was at an exhibition centre far away, this would have required several bus transfers. The final bus came only every 30 minutes, despite being an important route connecting the airport to the downtown core. So I paid almost $100 for a taxi ride to and from the location.

My mood worsened as we waited outside because they were running 20 minutes late. There was another lineup inside so it was 50 minutes past my scheduled slot before I got my shot. In Toronto, it was a convenient downtown location accessible by subway and a quick entry without delay. While in line, I overheard a young couple unfavourably compared Ottawa with visits to Toronto and New York City. I was the dearth of literary-related events like author readings and book festivals that riled them. I wasn't sure if they hoped to fix this (they were young enough to make a go of it in the big city) or simply belly-aching to friends.

I wanted a mood-booster so I made a detour afterwards to Montreal Rd and St. Laurent Blvd. I had previously spotted a Haitian diner called Boukannen Bar & Grill in a small strip mall on Center St. They were open for take-out so I got a small veggie combo ($12). It was a filling lunch of rice, beans, plantain, and a fragrant stew. I wasn't sure if this was their regular veggie offering or they just ladled together a bunch of other dishes. Because one part tasted like a veggie stew but the section "next" to it had crab claws and tasted of salted fish, and adjacent to that I found bits of beef. So if you were strictly vegan, Boukannen would not be a good choice.

The following week was bone-deep cold when I ventured out again on Friday to refill my pantry and fridge. Then a major snowstorm blanketed most of Ontario earlier this week. On social media, I saw the folks of Toronto deep in it: from the bad (being stuck for hours on the highway, long lines of stuck buses and street-cars) to the good (tobogganing at Christie Pits or Riverdale, skiing down snow-covered streets). I didn't see any scenes from Ottawa but maybe I'm not following enough locals.

Yesterday, I returned to Laheeb for a mixed plate of grilled skewers. I thought they might not survive  being a restaurant located in a sleepy neighbourhood. But two years in, they looked busy with takeout and has even opened a second location on Somerset near Chinatown.

Golden Slumber

With Omicron restrictions and also being in Ottawa, I didn't have any New Year Eve plans. To be fair, with the rare exception, this has always been true. But I decided that I should at least get something instead of looking inside my fridge. So I ordered a large Habanera ($23.95) with extra green olives ($2.50) from Golden Crust Pizza for lunch. This business was on my To-Try list when I saw it next to Mia's Indian and Idriss. But the owner had just moved from St. Laurent to Montreal Road into the old location of Kukulkan (and short-lived Quick Break).

Their pie was better than both Milano's and Gabriel Pizza. I've almost despaired of finding good pizza here. This won't win any prizes outside of Ottawa but the crust had a nice blistered edge. Interestingly, the shop's name wasn't just some random moniker because the crust was actually an egg-coloured yellow. The rest of the ingredients was typical but you do get plenty of gooey cheese, chicken, hot peppers, and mushrooms. It was a filling lunch and I took a short nap afterwards (for staying up past my usual bedtime later that night).

In the evening, I watched a livestream from cover band supergroup Dwayne Gretzky. They were supposed to have their 10th annual NYE show at new venue History (owned by Drake) in Toronto's East End. But with rising infection, concert venues have shuttered again. So they decided to do a live broadcast on Youtube from their rehearsal studio in The Junction area for a second time.

Unlike last year, I didn't stay up until past 3 a.m. as the band played for all 5 time zones in Canada. I caught their show for 2 sets (2.5 time zones) with around 4500 other watchers. The viewership was smaller and less international than their previous go-round. But some who randomly stumbled upon their stream last year, such as Sergio from Brazil, re-appeared. I guess Dwayne has made some non-Canadian fans.

Similar to their Ottawa show, they book-ended their first set with Fleetwood Mac (Don't Stop, The Chain). Dwayne has settled into a dad-rock vibe (Solsbury Hill, Mr. Blue Sky, Once In A Lifetime) but their fans have also aged. At the start of the second set, they were "simulcast" on the official City of Toronto livestream for 2 songs. It was also 80s heavy and more danceable (Like A Prayer, Dance With Somebody, Dancing Queen). Dwayne played a perfect song (Final Countdown) as the clock came up on 12 am for EST time zone.

There was some last-minute hiccups for tonight. A handful of band-members/production crew couldn't make it including Gord Hyland (sax) and Lydia Persaud (vocals). Dwayne was vague  about their absences during the show but from social media posts I knew that, unfortunately, several people had just tested positive for Covid. They were missed by the audience especially with Persaud.

Carleigh Aikins was an excellent substitute for harmony and lead vocals on songs that played to her strength (Joplin's Piece of My Heart). But I have noticed recently that Lydia Persaud has taken a star-turn with this group. Her versatility and emotive delivery make her a magnetic presence. So whenever the production spliced in her performances (Patsy Cline's Crazy, Queen's Somebody To Love) from previous shows, the chat went crazy for her singing. But we were lucky with the return of Michael Brushey, the other drummer/percussionist for Dwayne. He has spent the last two pandemic years back in his native Newfoundland. Brushey was more "technically proficient" so we got some drum-crazy numbers that have been missing from Dwayne's sets lately including Tom Sawyer.

It was a great night but I sensed a slight dip in the energy level compared to past shows. Probably the letdown of not playing at History as well as the last-minute positive tests weighed on their minds. Hopefully in 2022 things will look up for Dwayne Gretzky and everyone else, too. I already have tickets for their October show at the iconic Massey Hall.