Winterlude.

I've been keeping busy these last few weeks. The events and days blur into one another in my mind so do not pay attention to my horrible chronology.

I have never skated on the Rideau Canal which was my main motive for signing up for a day trip to Ottawa's Winterlude Festival with the local single's event organizer. There's also something epic about a road trip like a feeling anything can happen. In any case a day trip, 48 singles, and a yellow school bus made its way to Ottawa. The city was in a festive mood upon reaching the downtown. Hundreds of people could be seen on the canal in almost perfect zero degree weather. I made the unfortunate mistake of not bringing my own skates. So a lunch, a 30 minute line up, and a $50 deposit later I was making my way up the canal. I did 2K of the 8K stretch on my own since the group had been scattered over line ups and trips to seasonal concessions on the Rideau. Made my way back at around 2 in the afternoon. There had been a group of us by this time tired of all the reminders of winter looking for more indoors activities. I followed a small group of us but lost them and ended up window shopping till the planned evening get together at a popular Irish pub. The dinner was somewhat memorable with happy conversations only shared with perfect strangers, a shared journey and raised glasses.

The memorable day in Ottawa was shortly followed by an (anti) valentines day party a few days after. The room was full and it was nice to be amongst faces I recognize from previously attended events. I danced most of the night and shared a slow with a beautiful kindred spirit. For once a nice way to end a day I have many times ended in disappointment.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Valentine.

I don't think I've ever celebrated the day. Either been single looking into the ritual or not single and had a denouncer of the poor saint as a partner. My previous long term girlfriend actually was often preoccupied with making sure her father's birthday was well taken care of on his special day. Think I've imagined what it would be like. Be often along the lines of some outing specifically picked to relive the emotion of a first date. The food, fun and excitement with of course an almost definite twist of some wanton uninhibited activity of passion behind bedroom doors (or perhaps not) at the evening's end. I caught a twitter from Veronica Belmont yesterday commenting about how it sucked that people wait for this day to do something extrordinary for their partner. Though I do want to agree and not fall into a marketing conspiracy to buy cards, trinkets, and boxes of chocolate I twitted in response that if we did that special something everyday it would eventually become ordinary and we would have to come up with something else special to take its place... Have a wonderful Valentines day.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Social.

It's been a few weeks. Work has been busy but I managed to do my social rounds of Meet-Ups and single events most of which are quite notable.

I signed up for a Martini lesson somewhere up on the Plateau area which the local singles event coordinator had organized at a bartending institute. The instructor was fun and lively as was the turn out for the event. To keep it brief I'll say the mix of happy people all taking their turn at tending to their selection of a Martini was well worth signing up.

Friday that same week was sort of a marathon of events. Well, OK, it was two events but the trip between the two was a little discouraging. My evening started off at the end of a long day at a Cheap Ethnic Eatz meet-up. This event was at the St.-Ambroise Restaurant in Place St.-Henri - a wonderful French restaurant with an amazing yet affordable menu done up in "post-modern-faux-medieval" and tucked away in a converted industrial building behind a maze of business lofts. I had a sea food stew which sold itself to me when the waiter mentioned it was the chef's grandmother's recipe and later did not disappoint. The service staff itself was not at all of your typical snotty classiness though the food could have been easily served with such and was surprisingly fun and proud of their establishment. It well deserves a revisit someday in the summer over a date or group event.

Oh ya, the second event... I promised to meet a friend who had been dying to go dancing for a month at the dancing club called the "Rouge" where a "Nitelife" meet-up group was having an event. I don't usually enjoy dance clubs but for some reason I was enjoying just being in the middle of a sea of "nitelifers" in various stages of their chosen euphoria. As for meeting anyone, I wrote that thought off. I don't charm the ladies well on just my looks and having to shout over music doesn't help my situation. I made the best of my night though and enjoyed what ever I could from dancing and observing.

Saturday brought me to the Cinema du Parc for a watch of "The Wrestler" featuring a reborn Mickey Rourke in the lead role. The movie was all Rourke as he made the character and the pain very believable. The movie was sort of done in the style of a documentary which added to the raw feeling you got from the film. It's definitely worth a watch at the theatre.

Finished the week off at another singles event. At the suggestion of a friend I was going to try my had at drumming much like the folks at the Tam-Tam on Mont-Royal park. Crowd was small but the music enthusiast who lead the event made the event worth a try despite my lack of rhythm.

With Valentines on the horizon there's definitely more to follow...