Uninhabited Spaces

If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air Quaint little villages here and there (You're sure)You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod (Cape Cod, that old Cape Cod) If you spend an evening you'll want to stay Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod I am so excited to share that we have just booked a beautiful apartment in a 162 year-old classic shingled Cape Cod house in fabulous Provincetown for a week of serious chilling out. P'town is located at the tip of Cape Cod (check out this awesome aerial shot ) and it was where the Pilgrims first landed the Mayflower in 1620 before ending up at Plymouth. P'town has been the premiere U.S. gay resort town since the 1970s (although gay and lesbian folks starting flocking to P'town in the 1920s). As gay author Reed Woodhouse has written, “To such an extent that Provincetown is, for anything, known for us, known for being one of the two or three places on...

While we had originally thought we would run away for the Victoria Day long weekend we decided to stay in the city, to relax and spend some more time exploring the wonderful neighbourhoods of Toronto . Besides, we are planning a proper getaway over the summer so it made sense to stay put and just enjoy our new home. Friday I gave myself an extra day off, so we could start our long weekend on Friday. We walked up Queen Street West in search of some new shoes, with a quick stop at Nadege Patisserie for some pastries and a drink. Mmmm...We kept up our walk eastward on Queen Street into the Entertainment District , ending up at a lovely pub called Town Crier , just a block away from my office. The great thing about the pub is that they have a sort of hidden second floor that is like a hideaway. It was so cozy and welcoming, so we stayed for a refreshing pint. Saturday We went for brunch with Toni at favourite spot Cafe Bernate and then hit the galleries in the Ossington Avenue ...

Last night we attended an alumni social hosted by the Toronto Branch of the Queen's Alumni Association. The alumni gathering was held at P.J. O'Brien Pub in the St. Lawrence Market district. Located on the tiny, charming and historic Colborne Street, the pub was very friendly and the service was also quite good. It was nice to meet some other Queen's alumni of varied ages and backgrounds, including from engineering, political studies, physical therapy, and business. We were joined midway through the event by our dear friend Edward, up from Kingston for a conference. He ended up running into some fellow chemical engineering alumni so he was quite delighted. The three of us eventually decided to take our leave and we had an awesome dinner at nearby Osteria 55 , a brand new Italian eatery. Both Mark and Edward had the Tongue ’n’ cheek (beer-braised veal cheek ravioli, sweet and sour cipolini onions and crispy calf’s tongue) while I opted for the duck confit pasta. Th...

On Saturday we continued our exploration of Toronto's neighbourhoods, taking in three distinctive areas. We started by walking from our condo north up to Little Italy . With the temperature hovering around 25 degrees Celsius, it felt like a warm summer day, and people were out and about taking in the beautiful day. We stumbled across Creme , a new bakery, and indulged in some very tasty gelato. Mark had a scoop each of pistachio and chocolate, while I had a small cup of mango.I was taken aback by the soaring clock tower of the fire hall (pictured at left) that dominates the neighbourhood and made it feel like we were in a small town. Continuing eastward, we ended up in the adjacent neighbourhood of Kensington Market . The contrast was quite hilarious, as Kensington is-- like all bazaars-- a mess of sounds, bodies, and general chaos. We checked in two of our favourite vintage stores, Bungalow and Exile . We then hopped on the Dundas St. streetcar and headed west over to Churc...

In an interview on ABC news earlier today, Barack Obama expressed his support of marriage for same-sex couples, the first sitting President of the United States of America to proclaim equality for gays and lesbians. "I’ve stood on the side of broader side of equality for the LGBT community. I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that that was something that would give people hospital vistitations, elements that we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that, for a lot of people, the word marriage was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth. But I have to say, over the course of several years, as I talked to friends and family and neighbors. When I think about members of my own staff, who are in incredibly committed monogamous same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there ...