Full Body Scan

It was bound to happen at some point. Though I thought it more likely to be on my recent trips to New York City or Boston - big American cities with reason and interest in high security. But no, it was in Ottawa.

I know Ottawa is the Nation's Capital and all that but seriously, it's like a toy airport. Anyway, it was in Ottawa when returning to Toronto where first there was the hand scan for trace of explosives (this would potentially be a problem for my prop maker friends) and then being funneled into the body scan line. I was offered the full pat down but frankly that seems way more invasive to me than standing in a circular booth and having them take a digital picture of me. If someone really gets their jollies from that well, more power to them! Plus I'm not in as good shape as I was in 15 years ago or so when maybe there would have been something more interesting to look at!

Harold-ed

So I won this award tonight. It's called a Harold - named after this amazing/crazy old guy who used to attend all the plays in Toronto and heckle the performers (I, in fact, once was heckled by him in one of my very few on stage appearances back in the early 90s).

These awards are given by your peers and are sort of general achievement awards for members of the Toronto theatre community and reflect on your overall career rather than for any one thing. Typically I'm very skeptical of them since friends tend to give them to their friends but I suppose that doesn't mean those people aren't worthy. In fact, many very worthy people have won them.

One neat thing about them is that the award itself is always handmade and designed by a local artist. Mine is a tiara! (this was in keeping with the Royal Wedding theme...)

Anyway, my friend Katherine "Harolded" me. We met when we were both at Canadian Stage during a tumultuous time in that company's history. She said some very lovely things and I was really touched. More than I would have thought I would be under the circumstances.

As an arts administrator, we tend to just get the job done, you know? But it is nice to have a tiara to show for it...

Oh that walk down the aisle got me choked up. The music is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

I honestly don't remember the selections from the past ceremonies but this seems so much fuller somehow.

And I do have to say I love the little comments they are making to each other - I wish I could read lips, but I'm pretty sure William said "you look beautiful" when she first arrived at his side. They have to do all this, but it seems they are also trying to have private, special moments as well. And they are both glowing.

Bravo!

Also, love how she smiles when the crowd cheers. Cute cute cute!

(and hey, look at those crowds - the monarchy is doing just fine...)

Weddings Royal!

I feel I should live-blog this event! Up at 4:30 this morning, just missing the arrival of Posh and Becks to the Abbey. Pot of tea made. Fresh scones. All set.

It never even occurred to me not to get up for this. Of course it will be re-shown once or twice but that's just not the same. I've gotten up for every other Royal event my whole life and will likely continue to do so.

I do think it would be quite good to be either a member of a European Royal Family or a minor British Royal. You still get to wear nice frocks but without all the hassle. Perhaps for Denmark? They are very casual about their Royals...

First thing I saw this morning was the most amazing hat - turquoise blue in the shape of a rhino horn. Quite something! Not sure the person wearing it really had what it takes to pull something like that off, but well, good on her for trying.

The Queen is looking pretty darn good for 85. And I like the yellow!! Though she does somewhat match the Archbishop....it must be odd to have trumpets announce you everywhere you go.

OH! and first glimpses of Kate...Lovely! The dress is very much what I thought it might be - lots of lace and form fitting. Though she needs to practice her wave - she's a bit fast!

I wonder how many cars the Royal Family has?

The bridesmaids are super cute of course. Similar dresses to the ones from Charles and Di's wedding, but I suppose there isn't a lot of flexibility in appropriate dresses for little girls in such a ceremony.

London looks so beautiful and festive this morning. The flags lining the streets, the trees in the Abbey. Even with grey skies it is breathtakingly beautiful.

It's interesting that her sister is also in white. Beautiful Kate! Beautiful dress..lovely.

And now she is in the church, I will leave you for the time being...

The nice thing about living in the suburbs (now my Toronto friends will say that St Clair is not the suburbs, but it feels like it many days) on a quiet, deadend street is that there are birds.

This week alone I've seen a big fat robin hopping along the ground - is it our robins or the British ones that hop? - anyway it was on the grass, not at all disturbed by the war zone of children's toys left by my neighbours' children - and a very large blue jay. Maybe they stood out being so colourful in what is still a very dark and grey "spring", but anyway it was a treat for me in this city to see them.

There is also another bird of some sort that I hear every morning that sounds something like a car alarm going off. I've not been able to identify this bird, but I have determined that it is in fact a bird and not a car alarm - but it's that loud and consistent in its song. Wakes me up for sure...

So many things to rant about...

It seems like a ranty kind of day...

I could rant on Canada Post delivering a piece of mail to me OPENED that had gone to my old address - which I still have a change of address on by the way - with Not at this Address written on it so I guess they delivered it there first. God knows at what point in time it was opened.

I could rant about the TTC who had a line of SIX streetcars and about a million passengers tonight at St Clair W because, and I quote, "they couldn't find an operator" so the first streetcar was blocking all the others. How did it get there in the first place without a driver?

Oh and this wasn't information that they were sharing with the million passengers waiting (in very orderly lines). No, it was only when some guy in a relatively official looking EMS uniform asked that they said what was going on.

Maybe it was the constant concrete drilling outside my office all day that has lead me to feeling slightly cranky. But I don't know - TTC and Canada Post, the bar isn't set very high...

My lovely friend and blogger:

http://misstraceynolan.blogspot.com/

awarded moi a Stylish Blogger award! You can see the link if you go to her page.

Guess that means I have to post more...(I've been very lazy). I think that really my Stylish-ness applies to my posts from DC. Lately, I just post about soup. Not so stylish. I used to be somebody. Sigh.

This past Sunday in DC was the annual Spring Gala (Gail-a). When I saw friends posting about it on Facebook I thought "it's too early to be the Gala!". But nope. It's the prime cherry blossom viewing week. It's 20C in DC. It's just when I was there, it had been 20C for so long already that you forget that the somewhat northern climes do not get such spring weather. Yeah that's right. What did it do here on Sunday? Snow. Something about these turn of events seem unfair...