AGA.

I've been having a bout of writer's block. I have photos. I have stories. But every time I sit down to write nothing really happens so I haven't been pushing it. Tonight I was inspired to blog. We went to an opening party for the newly renovated Art Gallery of Alberta. We took the train. It was fabulous!

A local philanthropic family, the Pooles, donated early on in the project with the caveat that the gallery be accessible and connected to the train. One short walk up the street and we were on the train sheltered from the cold. Once we got to our stop we came up the stairs and saw this wonderful entrance to the gallery. Up some more stairs and the party was in full swing.

I generally love a party. Those that are convenient to get to are even better. Having a few glasses of bubbly and a martini isn't a problem when you don't have to drive or pay for a cab! I was very impressed with the scale of the party. The space is great, spirits were high, and there was just a seriously good vibe.

There were beautiful floral arrangements.




And delicious food was served on this biodegradable party ware. And not just your regular cheese and crackers (though, those were good too). We're talking mac n' cheese topped with pulled pork and truffled mushrooms.




Lots of wine and blush bubbly.






People checking out the party from the stairs.




Architecture!




Me and Shafraaz test out the seating up in the members lounge.




View of the stairs from upstairs.




An illuminated wall.




There was a bar outside where you could get snow cones! Let's just say it was ironic. The patio was beyond freezing, but we still popped out to get icy treats. Strawberry and kiwi. Yum.




Even the bathrooms are shiny and new!




I didn't realize we would be out so long. I wore sparkly black Shellys for the walk to the train and stair climbing, but I brought my real shoes for the party. Luckily my flats are small enough to fit in my coat pockets. After several hours of standing, walking, chatting, eating, whatever... these babies needed a rest.



The first thing I said when I got to the party was that I actually felt like I was in a big city. Nice looking people, great conversations, tasty food, new friends, a fantastic new building and Karsh, Goya, and Degas. What a killer night. It's nights like this that make me feel proud and excited to live in Edmonton.

Book Bag.

Took Kona out to the music store to pick up some new books for the kids. Decided to wear the Freitag even though though I usually prefer a real purse. Freitag is better for stacks of book-like things. Everything fit!




And underneath the Bern helmet and winter coat and gloves... was a black and white wool gingham skirt and a long sleeved T. I had a wicked cardigan too, but it makes me sweaty when I ride so that stayed at home. Click!

Bus Date.

Here I am bundled up and patiently waiting for the bus.

I went to go see A Single Man the other night at the Princess Theatre. Even though the temperature was only supposed to be around -7C/19F it felt way colder. Damp and windy. I'm also nursing a flu/cold so I opted to take the chariot over to Leanne's where she could care for me by making me pasta before the show.

Sometimes this mommy likes to have somebody else doing the mommying. Yes, please!




Fortune would have it that Don also came home just before I left, so he tagged along too. I think we're a cute couple, but here we look sort of tired and plastic.




The Princess theatre is such a quaint place. Old and supposedly haunted, spooky if you're into that sort of thing.






The movie is a good looking movie. Mid-century modern design to boot! If you've seen it, know that I covet that house and Colin Firth's bathrobe. Definitely drool-worthy.

Even when I'm oscillating between chills and sweats, it's still nice to steal a night with my lady. Luckily the chariot that goes directly from my house to Leanne's apartment facilitates such outings even when I don't feel like pedaling myself.

Brompton at Sunday Brunch.

I was supposed to go brunch with some ladies, but one of the girls was intending to paint her apartment. We rescheduled for supper instead. Then another offer for brunch came up. Dexter and I were free so off to the New York Bagel it was.




It's a small-ish place and they don't take reservations so I went fully prepared for a bit of a wait. What I wasn't prepared for was how I was treated like a leper upon arrival. Knowing it was likely going to be busy, I poked my head in the door to see what the crowd situation was like near the door. I politely said, "Hey guys! Just seeing where there might be some room, I've got a baby out here." Man, you should have seen the look this one guy gave me. It was undeniably "WTF, I have to eat at the same restaurant as that person and her kid?" Jeez.




Dexter and I had taken the bus. I mean, I could have just shoved the door open without checking first and forced my stroller into the little vestibule but I figured I'd do some recon like any sensible person. Anyway, there was plenty of room. I folded up the base of Dexter's bugaboo and left it outside. Detached the top and took Dexter in and put him on the bench that nobody was sitting on. Stuck his diaper bag under bench. Also sat on bench myself... waiting was all good! That angry dude needed to chill out. Dexter didn't cry or break anything. He even fell asleep for a nap without a fight. Rad.

When he woke up he obviously had to see what was going on.




Oh yeah, and let's not forget Marilyn and her Brompton! What a fine foldy bike.










And afterwards we walked over to the Ice of Whyte festival. Dexter liked all the ice statues!




There were all sorts of sculptures, but I thought this ice bridge was awesome.




An afternoon with baby and a Brompton. Yes, please.

Operation Redefinition.

I could write a whole other post about my feelings, but nothing has spontaneously changed since a few days ago. Suffice to say it's great to know that I'm not the only person who oftentimes feels stuck in-between roles and phases in life. To make a long story short I'm going to start dealing with being out of sync by identifying the things that I enjoy and bring me happiness, and I'll be investing heavily. It's a start.

I'm also going to continue making life choices that are informed and reasonable. And hopefully that ends up being inspiring instead of insulting to the general public.

I got a bundle of emails, texts, and heartfelt comments after my last post. Thank you so much for the love. It's good to know I'm not the only person who doesn't like wallowing in literal darkness (SADS) and I'm also not the only person who feels displaced on occasion. I consider myself really fortunate to be surrounded by genuine friends (both online and offline) and family. Hopefully you will all bear with me as I'm transitioning and redefining.

Shall we talk about yesterday? There is a CUP conference in town and a few old friends are visiting.

Did you guys know that Don and I met at the campus newspaper? He was my managing editor in my 2nd year and once saved me one of the three baby doll XS t-shirts from a similar conference many years ago. How thoughtful! He used to also grab the frame of the door in the offices and hang from them like a monkey.

And no, we didn't date back then. We were both with other people. Ran into him at a random party years later where I was wing woman for a girlfriend and who did I see in the kitchen? None other than Mr. Don himself. The rest is history.

We had dinner plans with one of the delegates, and upon reading my post about feeling out of whack, Don and Leanne arranged for the get-together to be a little bigger on my behalf. The conference is being held at a hotel that isn't all that transit friendly, so Don went to go pick up the dudes in the car and I biked. There wasn't enough room in the vehicle with Dexter included, and winter Bern needed an inaugural ride.

First things first. Wore a chevron-y striped dress.






And winter biking friendly boots (meaning, ordinary boots).




I thought residential roads would be less busy. There WERE less busy. Brown snow is the reason why.

UGH.




I stuck to the sidewalk and dismounted to walk across intersections. On the way home I just rode on the main street and it was infinitely more fun.




Despite his teething we decided to throw caution to the wind and continue doing what we've been doing since his birth. We just took him with us, argyle cotton arm socks and all (all the other hand coverings were in the wash, so I improvised).




Dexter hadn't seen uncle Matt (scroll to bottom) since last May.




And Dexter is always game for lap time with his dad.




Who doesn't love DaCapo pizza? Too bad he can't eat these kinds of solids yet.






It's such a great place. Perfect location. Loud enough so your baby can cry and nobody will really notice. Killer gelato.






Clean plates mean delicious food.




The helmet.




Then outside.




Tons of ambulances were going by.




It was a fun night with Kona, baby, and friends.