running around and waiting.

Okay today is May 26, 2009 and while some would say it's a Tuesday I would also say it's the birthday of George Formby, Jr., John Wayne, Miles Davis, and Pam Grier while also the anniversary of the death of Waldo Semon the inventor of Vinyl.

So my weekend was spent running around and waiting. To begin on Saturday morning I got up early had breakfast and was out of the house to be tenth in line for the Opening of the new Hot Oven Bakery at Royal York on Bloor Street. Oh there is nothing like the smell of a fresh bakery in the morning in just makes the mouth drool savouring the taste in the air. Even better on a Saturday morning if you are there at 7am there is no meter run on the parking till 9am so that's a relief on the cost there. I was there to buy three or more croissants and some empire cookies and of course get the free baguette & free reusable shopping bag. Well they gave me the baguette right away and served me my over priced but very delicious croissants and the over priced empire cookies and then they asked if I needed a bag for it and waving the advert from the newspaper I said "what about the free reusable shopping bag, I see some over there and there." Well the gal behind the counter went and asked the manager and then came back and said they were saving that for later since they only got one box of them. So if I purchased one it would cost how much? to which she replied 99 cents to which I replied but won't that cut into your supply and the girl behind the counter says "I would guess so." Hmmm. Pay money for something that is susposed to be free or let it go. I replied I would be back later and left with my goodies in a plastic bag. They were nice and friendly and most of the goodies were very tasty except the baguette was tough, dry, and overdone with butter and flour. I wonder if that was why the baguette was free? They won't get much repeat business from me in the future that's for sure.
So onwards I get back home by 720am so I can take Mum out to Walmart & SDM so she can shop for some personal hygene products (toothbrush, toothpaste, toothbrush holder, deoderant) and a couple of new alarm clocks. I get back and Mum has no get up and go. She has cancelled her plans and wants to know if I have time for the groceries. No Mum I have time for you then groceries later in the day. So while she spends and hour pulling apart and devouring a croissant Dad flakes out on one couch and I on the other while I wait for 9am to go get brother Paul.
Paul and I are going all the way across the top of Toronto to the CTV Open House to Save Local TV by getting a cut of the Cable and Satellite Carrier fees. This was something that was introduced in the initial compilation of satelite services in the end of the 1980's and early 1990's and had been addressed by the CRTC as unwarranted because the Local TV broudcasts over the antennas. Who ever foresaw the end of antenna broadcasting? Well actually Ted Rogers once did in the end of the 1990's when he was worried about Bell moving into carry signals on the phone lines and move into a susposedly deregulated cable industry. His was a foreshadowing seen more than a decade earlier by the wonderful head of McLean-Hunter Cableservices when they saw people getting VCR's with their own cable converter boxes. Well i guess the bigwigs knew enough to cut the Local guys out before they could get in on the ground floor and just automatically get paid for what is basically free. Enough of the history of TV service providers and the way they rip off the consumers. So I pick Paul up from his home and we no sooner pull out than I have to get gas. I pull into the Sunnocco on Martin Grove and Burnahamthorpe. A great place to pull out of and horrible to pull into. Anyways I fill up with $40.05 worth of 89 Petrol and the bro plays dumb the entire time. We ride olong the 427 to eastbound 401 all the way to McCowan. I switch radio stations a few times and have the windows down so the drive passes by relatively uneventful. He is amazed at how quick it was there about 40 minute drive and that there is relatively no security. A cop at the lights and another at the gate and a volunteers almost everywhere. We park in back next to the satelite dishes and read the names on the parking spaces all over the lot. The first pseudo celeb we saw was at the meeting table signing here autgraph on every card she could Miss Paula Todd. Yes I barely recall her either. Anyways we get a lanyard and a piece of paper that is suposed to be an autograph card. Paul and I proceed in to the campus and he decides to go to the portojohnny while I get a free temp tattoo that reads "I Heart CTV" Well of course I do after they gutted City TV and hogged great shows like the CSI's and the Law & Order's and the Monday comedy nighters. The only other choices are Global and the Yankees or the interNet. Half of City TV is now reality schlock as is Global and CHCH sorry E Channel! Back to the event. The tattoo started to deteriate the moment I put my hand in my pocket to get a change of batteries. Next up while we stood in line I had my picture taken with the Grey Cup and inside their news helicopter. The people were as pushy as me but as slow in their decision making as George Bush Jr over his two terms. Back in the line-up for the studio tour me and Paul met Tom Brown the weatherman then 15 minutes later we got the studio tour from the assistant news producer. Too bad I can't remember her name and she seemed camera shy. Anyways we got to see the Discovery Channel set with Jay Ingram and his co-host of the moment. Then it was onto the massive TSN set which is 15 years old and actually 7 to 15 sets. The studio space used to host such shows as the Uncle Bobby Show, Bizarre with John Byner, The Dini Petty Show, and of course the Canadian version of the Labour Day Muscular Distrophy Telethon for Jerry Lewis Kids. There I met Chris Sprouse (and four years with the Dallas Cowboys and four years with the Argos) one of the nicest celebs around and Vic who was very knowledgeable about the history (the only one on the tour BTW). From there it was to the Canada AM Soundstage where the music acts perform in the morning and across from them the CTV Local News and weather (Now in HD). Oddly the teleprompters called viewers autoscripter changed from dead air to news of the CAW and GM / Chrysler deal. All those new desks and stair cases lead to no where. The old plexiglass wall from Dave Duvall's days was retired when he left. That explains why I thought the seven day weather graphics looked familiar they took them from CITY TV. We saw the signs and doors that say "Do not enter when RED LIGHT is FLASHING" and the actual Red Light which was not flashing and then we saw a corridor with import roving reporter Brad Giffen who pent years at City, Global, Utah, and the last six years here in CTV at the corner of Studios 2 & 35. Most places like make up were sealed off and we had to wait for one tour to leave before we saw Lloyd Robertsons dest only the previous group got to see Lloyd from the National News. The area from the Newsdesk is real in the background. Unfortunately we could not go beyond or sit at the actual Newsdesk. from there down another hall along a ramp and the Canada AM Kitchen then Canada AM Set which is really seven sets in one. I got my picture taken with Marci from Canada Am who was gripped by little old lady who would not let go of her hand and would not stop about Marci's wardrobe which is partially from Joe Fresh from Loblaw. The little old lady did not know Joe Fresh from Loblaw which made me think this was a group outing from the old age home. From there it was out the door for the end of the tour. Me and Paul waited half an hour to go into one of their transmission trucks only to leave a minute later to escape the speil about how the Cable and Satellite companies are ripping off the Local TV companies. After getting past Tom Brown's weather Forecaster mini-van we started towards the stage and the deluge of news celebs like Austin Delaney, Carribana dancers, after a forty minute wait Adam Grove in the Cash Cab (free T-Shirt), Traci Melchor who has bloomed since the Electric Circus days, Lloyd Robertson who seemed to sign only for the ladies, then three of the lesser characters from Flashpoint, and Karen from Corner Gas, Daina Levinson, Anwar Knight, Bill Hutchinson, Lisa LaFlamme, Paul Bliss, David Duvall in his kilt, Daren Jones of MTV Canada, Dan Levy and his co-host from the After Show, and an end of the day when they started to bring out Degrassi Kids like Todd. I was starting to look like security to some people with my large pressence, black shirt, and booming voice that allowed the pseudo celebs to get through the crowd by saying "Okay people make a hole here let the people through!" When Paul got tired and said let's go now I went because Iwas a) tired too, b) winding down, and c) told people we had to go because Paul was my ride which was a lie. Paul had four hotdogs all free and everytime I went for some of the free pizza slices they had run out. It was a long day and I was starting to get sleepy on the drive home. Well first to Blockbuster at Six Points so Paul could rent Paul Blart Mall Cop for him and Mary Anne. he was actually asleep on the way home too. From there I got him home then I got home.
After a quick bite to eat, an hour nap, I was out of the house again to get the groceries. First No- Frills, then Basics, then Metro and Home Sweet Home. Makes me tired just thinking about it.
Mark calls from the hotel and asks for one time to pick up and then another later. A quick check of the news to see if anyone I know like myself was on it and instead it was right off to Slumberland. That was Saturday.
Sunday was up early again, do a little cooking for Dad, surfing the net for myself, and out the door to get Mark out of the Hotel. Well after a few wrong turns and told I should go to his hotel roomI go there right when I should while he was finishing his breakfast from room service. While he tidied up and finished eating and packing he watch Spider-man on the TV. We took everything down to the van then checked out and made one final rounds around the hotel before I took him over to the Toronto Congress Centre for the convention. While we gaped at all the cosplay and waited for the multiple ice cream trucks, I went along over to Harveys for their free original Hamburger Day. Half an hour in line I had a $3.98 spent on a Veggie Burger and a free lettuce and tomatoe original burger for mum. When I unpacked it at home Mum started towards hers when Dad asked where was his. He had said earlier he didn't want one now he did so Mum gave him hers. No one wanted my Veggie Burger which lasted like they grilled it with packets of Pepper rubbed in. From there I tried my fifth time to send my photos to Facebook of the days events. To date it still hasn't worked. Anyways after another little nap and more surfing the net I went to pick Mark up from the hotel and bring him home for the night. Wait after seeing more cosplay vandals we went past the RCMP to get on the highway to take Mark not directly Home but to Loblaw so he could get some pictures printed. After that we did get home where I had to make a nice burger for him and while he finished his salad, I went to talk with Joanne the neighbour which wandered aimlessly for a couple of hours. After that I was tired of trying to get Dad's e-mail to accept a document for Camp Goodyear map directions for some cub parents. Tonight I found they are thinking of merging with the 333rd's camp instead so that was useless.
Yesterday I did the laundry as I had three days previous and tried to proof some more of Dad's files to send out. That and pick-up and drop offs for Mark at work and just catching up with Mum. Oh and another dinner for Mark.
Now I am getting tired of my day so far where I searched for Mum's jar of Kraft Real Mayo that took me from Loblaw, to Fortino's, to Price Chopper, to No-Frills, to Metro. Towards the end I got to the Mailbox and the P.O.Box and saw the people at Metro tearing down the old Dominion Clock Tower. The security Guard could not tell me if it was all coming down or if they were just replacing the D for dominion. I said it was an Etobicoke Icon over 40 years old; it would be a shame to disappear forever.
Well that tires me out just thinking about it so good night everyone see you another time.