Dark Side of the Moon

I was in Toronto for the total solar eclipse of 2024 happening on Monday. I knew that 99% coverage was not enough so I needed to get to a place in the path of totality. Luckily, the inter-city Go Transit rail line would allow me to reach several such spots easily. I opted for Burlington, a place I haven't visited in a decade. I was also meeting up with the same friend who had settled there back then. The two of us haven't met or spoken to each other since 2019 when we met up for some ice cream near Queen and Ossington during my 4 weeks yoga training intensive.

They picked me up at the Appleby train station and we decided to try for the Waterfront. After we parked just up the street in a No Frills strip mall, they worryingly inquired if I was up to walking the 700m along Brant Street. It was a truly suburban attitude as I had walked several kilometres on Sunday. Brant was a pleasant avenue with numerous small businesses but I wondered how many locals actually come "downtown" regularly. We stopped off at Lena's Roti and Doubles for lunch. Apparently, this suburban chain had several stores all over the GTA. Not sure how the other locations fared but the food here, a small chicken roti ($8.99) and a regular channa doubles ($3.25), was average at best.

Since morning, the sky was thick with clouds. We were unlikely to see the eclipse except for secondary effects (temperature drop, twilight) so we ditched the crowd down by the water and headed for a quieter scene at Central Park. But miraculously, by 2 pm, the clouds were mostly gone. Our eclipse glasses showed us a crescent orb that slowly ate up the sun. Past 3 o'clock and 90% coverage, the shadows became sharp, colours took on an odd vividness while the daylight had a hazy, looking-glass quality. When the sun went behind a major cloud formation 5 minutes from totality, we thought for sure we would miss the climatic moment. But incredibly there was a clear patch, day became night, and after a burst of light at the solar rim, the moon fully covered the sun. With the corona sparkling around the orb, it looked like a hole had been cut out of the sky; it was somehow blacker than the night firmament. Totality was spectacular and otherworldly.

Over the several hours that we spent together, we caught up with our lives. Mine was relatively uneventful as both my mom and 95-year-old grandma were in good health. I related my financial plans from insurance to investing, all with the aim for retirement. Theirs was a bit more up-and-down. They briefly separated from their spouse and moved to Hamilton. But their company in nearby Dundas had a major lay-off last year. It was a blessing in disguise since the racial micro-aggression was stressful. Then they reconciled with the partner and decided to move back to Burlington.

Looking for work in the last 8 months has been challenging. There were several stressors. First, their perfectionist nature meant they worked for weeks on each application. Second, there were usually several rounds of interviews in competition with hundreds of other people. Finally, they were ambivalent about continuing as an E-learning author since they wanted to transition to a different career.

They had turned down a 7-month consulting gig but I gently suggested that they might want to inquire after a different contract opportunity that was in the works. For one thing, there was less emotional attachment to a temporary job. They could also be earning better than government unemployment benefits, relieving any money worries, while figuring out what the next steps could be for a career change.

Time To Feel Good

I have been more diligent with my exercise regime ever since I got a digital scale back in March. It turned out the decades-old spring scale in the bathroom was off by 10 lbs. Yikes! I knew I was no spring chicken but I thought I was in better shape. So it was Yoga every morning and then a 45-minute walk around the neighbourhood in the afternoon.

The weight slowly came off and that had a second benefit. The insurance company called to arrange a medical check-up because whole-life insurance had stricter requirements. Despite my friend's skepticism of permanent insurance, I decided to at least go through with the exam. Since there was 3 vials worth of blood-work, I didn't want a personal nurse visit. I guess applicants didn't usually make a fuss about this because they struggled to find a clinic as an alternative.

The one they finally found cost a pretty penny according to my phone contact. But I supposed the prospect of getting those huge, yearly premiums was too tempting to pass up. I wasn't sure why it was more expensive until I stepped inside La Vie Health two weeks ago. Apparently when people can afford a private "executive health" clinic, they get access to half a dozen doctors as well as a plethora of nurses and other specialists. This couldn't be more different than my mom's experience over the last few years at walk-in clinics ever since her family doctor retired.

On Saturday, after printing tickets for my upcoming trip to Toronto at the library, I passed by Frys Guy. This chip wagon closed for the winter but I didn't realized that they re-open this early. So I grabbed a small poutine ($7) for lunch. After all, nobody will be measuring my waist anytime soon.

The next day, I was back in Toronto. This was my 3rd stay at this East End AirBnB. Like last time, I walked to Little India and then to Gerrard Square. After a bit of shopping, I went to see if any of the new shops had opened. But Montreal Smoked Meat and Nutmento (Caribbean Grill) was still under renovation. I made my way back up to Danforth Avenue via Logan. Despite my 2-month sublet in 2022 and walking everywhere, there were still pockets of the East End that I missed. This road was a mix of modest homes, modest homes modernized with trendy construction, and larger houses. The latter dominated the street across from Withrow Park. Even a decade ago, a friend couldn't afford a house in this neighbourhood and settled for Donlands. They have since upgraded to the rarified airs of Cedarvale.

Walking along Danforth back to my rental near Coxwell, I passed by many businesses. I haven't visited enough to tell if they were new or long-time shops except the ones that had "established in 1989" or "opened since 1985". For younger folks, that must seem ancient. But how could they be considered old if I was already alive back then? I was surprised that the basement restaurant Le Plato was still around.

Famished after my long walk in the sunshine, I stepped inside the modest Ethiopian restaurant Abugida. I had a wonderful veggie combo ($17) last time and this time round the beet, lentils, berbere sauce, and collard greens were just as tasty. I did switch to genuine Ethiopian injera for an extra $3.25. As it is made from teff and not wheat, sometimes a restaurant will advertised them as gluten-free. I wouldn't recommend teff injera to first-timers because the fermentation makes the flatbread a bit sour. This can be off-putting if you aren't used to the flavour. Wheat-based "Canadian injera" would be an easier entry point.

Cover Me

On Friday, I saw an old friend at Algerian restaurant Idriss near St. Laurent and Beechwood. It has only been a few weeks since we had a group meal after years apart. But this time it was just the two of us without their partner. Having just returned from a skiing holiday in Banff, they were heading off on Sunday to Europe for a work conference.

The big news was that they decided to re-up with the Canadian Armed Forces for another 5 years. This would bump their pension up to 50%. Combined with government benefits like CPP and OAS (available for everyone), I calculated that this would exceed my own projected retirement income. Also, these were indexed to inflation and not dependent on any market growth like my own savings. This sum didn't even include their own personal investments. As their partner was in a similar situation, they were set for a very comfortable retirement.

We also talked about me considering whole-life insurance as part of my recent effort to get my "financial" house in order. They thought it was mostly a scam while I preferred the permanent aspect. I never liked term insurance because the idea that you could pay premiums for decades but it could still expire seemed "wrong". My 95-year-old grandmother, who left everything behind in the old country, was comforted by the fact that her life insurance meant that she had something for her descendants. Given that companies don't renew policies for term insurance past 85, I suspect that piece of paper on her desk may not hold any value. In any case, my friend gave me some questions to ask the agent.

I was at this restaurant back in 2021. I forgot that I enjoyed the food here as every restaurant in Ottawa has been disappointing since I moved back. Our order of chicken bourak ($7.49), eggplant gratin ($18.99), and Kafta Tajine ($19.99) was tasty and fragrant. I don't know if Idriss has changed owners (both visits have been to a mostly empty restaurant) but they have redecorated. Some of the dishes have doubled in price and the spongy, traditional bread (Khobz El Dar) has been replaced with generic bakery rolls. But the food here was still worth return visits.

15/03/2023: My grandma has whole-life insurance. She has done more for the family than leaving behind a little bit of money. But given our capitalistic society, if it makes her happy that she has something "tangible" to pass on, then I'm glad she bought it.

Future Nostalgia

Retrocity finally had their 25th anniversary concert on Saturday at the Redwood Theatre. It was postponed from December due to illness but the delay gave them a chance to sell out the venue. I had passed by this building several times during my sublet but they had no shows in winter of 2022. So I was curious to finally see the inside.

This former movie venue was larger than The Paradise but not as large as the old Royal on College. The seating was supper-club style similar to Lula Lounge in the West end. The roomy space allowed for many more seats and though you could get snacks, you weren't obliged to order dinner like at Lula. There were also some antique paraphernalia including a large film projector from the 60s sitting in the lobby. Aerial silks hung from the rafters as this was also home to an acrobatic and circus studio. All in all, the Redwood had a great vibe.

Most of audience (friends, coworkers, acquaintances) knew this 7-member a capella band and their 80s covers. The newbies were introduced to fun arrangements like Mr. Roboto and Maniac. But the energy sagged through the middle part of the 1st set from obscure songs (Phil Collins' I Don't Care Anymore) and jazzy covers of Tears For Fears and Frank Sinatra. Ostensibly this was to show us that we were as far from the 80s as that decade was from Porgy and Bess and big-band Jazz of the 1930s. Luckily, the set ended on a high-energy medley of New Wave songs. This new arrangement got huge cheers.

The 2nd set opened with a photo montage while the singers covered Without Us (Family Ties Theme). 25 years ago, they were baby-faced grads. But since they were also dressed in 80s garb for shows, the photos seemed to be from an even older era. The songs were recognizably "big hits" including The Right Stuff; Retrocity's first ever cover of NKOTB went over like gangbusters. Cancon was represented with Love Is Fire (Lorraine Segato), Black Stations/White Stations (Martha Johnson), and Something To Talk About (Shirley Eikhard). The set closed with Toto's Africa, a crowd favourite and fun singalong. For the encore, Retrocity sang their sublime arrangement of Cohen's Hallelujah.

I was in an odd mood for the show. As one of the singer pointed out, it has been 35-40 years for folks who were adults and teens in the 80s. Even children and babies when Retrocity originally started their journey as a one or two show lark were now grown. Similar to my feelings about Dwayne Gretzky shows, the audience vibe was starting to feel backward-looking.

The East End wasn't connected to Toronto's music scene. Its mid-sized venues (Opera House, Danforth Music Hall, History) hosted more established (and usually touring) acts. But there were no smaller stages for local up-and-comers. Early in the evening, I felt that The Redwood could be that anchor. But then I read the mission statement of its' booker and promoter. Tribute bands, jazz crooners, oldie genre was how they planned to bring "fun" to this area. There was nothing here for new music and the current generation.