So I fell on the train today. Not in my own driveway, not outside in the slippery snow-covered parking lot, no. Instead I fell inside the reasonable full train. And not just a stumble either -- a full out flat on your face, nose within inches of the floor, wipeout.
And I've got the skinned palm, scratched hand, bruised knuckles and dust-and-salt-covered clothes to prove it. I think my hip is out of joint. I actually heard people go “ooooo” as I careened forward.
And I have a full day of meetings to get through today! Hurrah!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
George Coleman -- where the hell are you?
I'm really getting stressed out about the essay I'm writing for my history class. I'm researching a baker/confectionery business from the latter quarter of 19th century Toronto (Proprietor: Mr. George Coleman), but every time I think I'm coming to the end of the actual research, I run into another damn question.
Maybe that's the reality of history -- you never run out of questions.
Last night, I was in the stacks on the fourth floor of the York University Library after 10 p.m., crossing my legs together because I REFUSED to find a washroom until I determined when his business actually shut down. I worked by way through the 1880s, and all the through the 1890's versions of "Might's Toronto Directories" until I hit a wall at 1899. He was STILL in business and the next directory was 1913, at which point he'd likely be dead. Goddamit! I'm going to have to get to the Toronto Reference Library to see if they have the missing years.
What I know so far:
George Coleman's confectionary and bakery business was established in 1859 at 69 King Street West, south side, between Bay and York Streets in Toronto. The business moved to 99 King St., 111 King St., and eventually to 113 King Street in 1890. Mr. Coleman emigrated from England, was of Baptist faith and probably lived on Simcoe Street. He may have been a Mason! Fascinating eh?
This is all interesting stuff, but I'm under deadline here. Last night I hardly got any sleep and what sleep I did get was spent dreaming about slowly turning pages in the 1860s directory of Toronto businesses...ALL NIGHT. This does NOT a good night's sleep make.
Maybe that's the reality of history -- you never run out of questions.
Last night, I was in the stacks on the fourth floor of the York University Library after 10 p.m., crossing my legs together because I REFUSED to find a washroom until I determined when his business actually shut down. I worked by way through the 1880s, and all the through the 1890's versions of "Might's Toronto Directories" until I hit a wall at 1899. He was STILL in business and the next directory was 1913, at which point he'd likely be dead. Goddamit! I'm going to have to get to the Toronto Reference Library to see if they have the missing years.
What I know so far:
George Coleman's confectionary and bakery business was established in 1859 at 69 King Street West, south side, between Bay and York Streets in Toronto. The business moved to 99 King St., 111 King St., and eventually to 113 King Street in 1890. Mr. Coleman emigrated from England, was of Baptist faith and probably lived on Simcoe Street. He may have been a Mason! Fascinating eh?
This is all interesting stuff, but I'm under deadline here. Last night I hardly got any sleep and what sleep I did get was spent dreaming about slowly turning pages in the 1860s directory of Toronto businesses...ALL NIGHT. This does NOT a good night's sleep make.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Attention Nerdlings
I was writing in my journal last Friday and thought I would record my current "hobbies" for all posterity. Here's the list:
-- knitting
-- scrapbooking (just started this one)
-- reading
-- cooking
-- gardening (in summer)
Good lord! It sounds like the afternoon activities list at the local senior citizen's home, for Christ's sake!
I'm consoling myself through reminders that I'm going shopping for yarn made out of recycled sari silk on Queen West (that's got to count for something), that the scrapbooking project is a gift for someone, that the books I'm reading aren't Agatha Christie or whatever, and the cooking is kick ass, but is it really all for naught? Could I have become an old, boring domestic without my knowing it?
I have a knitting pattern for condom covers. Maybe that'll up the cool factor.
-- knitting
-- scrapbooking (just started this one)
-- reading
-- cooking
-- gardening (in summer)
Good lord! It sounds like the afternoon activities list at the local senior citizen's home, for Christ's sake!
I'm consoling myself through reminders that I'm going shopping for yarn made out of recycled sari silk on Queen West (that's got to count for something), that the scrapbooking project is a gift for someone, that the books I'm reading aren't Agatha Christie or whatever, and the cooking is kick ass, but is it really all for naught? Could I have become an old, boring domestic without my knowing it?
I have a knitting pattern for condom covers. Maybe that'll up the cool factor.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Toronto -- the Bush Forest
I'm taking a course at York University to learn about the historical methods used to learn about history; in this case the history of 19th century Toronto (i.e. the 1800s). The required text for this course is Eric Arthur's "No Mean City" and I'm two chapters into it.
The descriptions of the Toronto shoreline during the 1780s to the turn of the century are really mindboggling. There's an entry by Governor Simcoe's wife describing her first look at the shoreline of Toronto from their boat on Lake Ontario. She describes seeing the dense bush forest, with some hardwood and poplar trees along with some evergreens. She noticed the beaver meadows! I couldn't believe it when I read her description of looking out her window from the summer house they eventually built (called Castle Frank) to see the native's spearing salmon by firelight in the DON RIVER. Freaky.
Anyway, Toronto (or York as it was known at this time) was fairly isolated from other communities (Kingston, Niagara) and one of the notable accomplishments of the then administrator Peter Russell was the contracting with Asa Danforth on a road that would lead was far as the Bay of Quinte. Check out this link for an artist's depiction of "the Danforth Road" as it may have looked during the early part of the 1800s.
The descriptions of the Toronto shoreline during the 1780s to the turn of the century are really mindboggling. There's an entry by Governor Simcoe's wife describing her first look at the shoreline of Toronto from their boat on Lake Ontario. She describes seeing the dense bush forest, with some hardwood and poplar trees along with some evergreens. She noticed the beaver meadows! I couldn't believe it when I read her description of looking out her window from the summer house they eventually built (called Castle Frank) to see the native's spearing salmon by firelight in the DON RIVER. Freaky.
Anyway, Toronto (or York as it was known at this time) was fairly isolated from other communities (Kingston, Niagara) and one of the notable accomplishments of the then administrator Peter Russell was the contracting with Asa Danforth on a road that would lead was far as the Bay of Quinte. Check out this link for an artist's depiction of "the Danforth Road" as it may have looked during the early part of the 1800s.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Toast and Tea is served!
So I've finally joined the masses and I've got my own blog. The boy helped me set it up and I plan to write a bit of this and a bit of that, freshly toasted.
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