Thursday, September 27, 2007

TTC = Toronto Troubling Commuters

My daily subway rides have been occuring for not quite a month yet. Those first couple days, I felt a little timid, paying attention to everything around me. The people, the signs, the stops. I soaked in public transit, and thought to myself, hey...this ain't so bad. I love to people-watch, and now I get to do it everyday.

During that past week, however, my opinion seems to be changing. Perhaps now that I am more relaxed with my commute, my senses have levelled out; it's not just my eyes that are alert. No....my sniffer seems to be set on high lately. Smells and odours of my travelling counterparts waft to my nose. Poor hygiene, stale cigarettes, greasy morning breakfast, stinky feet. Those scents that cling incessantly to the inside of my nose, that last long after we have parted ways I am sitting at my desk at work. Makes me wonder if it's me that smells....

(Picture it....Sitting alone at my desk, taking a quick look around to make sure no is coming, and do the sniff test. Hair--nope, smells like the lavendar shampoo, arms--nope, smells like fading soap, underarms--not today, remembered deodorant, and finally shirt--again nope, smells like a regular silk shirt [woot! who knew this shirt was silk? I thought it was polyester!])

Perhaps what I need to do here is to be alert once again. Not to focus on the smells, but on everything. Let the waft waft right by me. Stop being another faceless entity on the subway, avoid eyecontact and staring only in space, with an expressionless look. Just sit up and enjoy the ride.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Welcome to the city

Call me naive. Call me sweet. Call me ignorant. Call me whatever you want. Last weekend was my soon-to-be-sister-in-law's bachelorette party. And it was a giant welcome to the big life.

Saturday night was one of those rare occasions that I let down my guard. Out at the bar with Jen and her friends, most of whom I'd only met in passing. I was afraid of how the night was going to go. When it comes to strangers, or near strangers, I often feel like an odd ball, and keep to myself. Maybe it was all the wine and gin I drank, but Chatty MacTalksALot was the girl at the bar, not regular Melissa.

I took advantage of my jovial attitude and flashed my pearly whites, made saucy comments to guys who eyed me up, and actually got into conversations with some. Usually with one of the other party girls with me, but sometimes by myself.

So there I am. There he is. And he's working hard to chat me up. Point scored for him, because he's hysterical. Then he decides it is time to list off what he wants in a woman. (Cause really, why wouldn't you tell a girl you just met this??) As he rattles on about this and that, he throws in there that she can't do drugs. He emphasized on it. I think to myself what a weirdo, how did the convo turn to this? And then I think that's nice, he doesn't want a girl who does drugs. Standards. Everyone needs standards.

Bachelorette party girl #3 wobbles over to the table. In a dramatic moment, she announces that her drunkeness just isn't doing it for her. The guy asks what she wants. Party girl says she wants a line.

AND THEN HE PULLS A LITTLE BAG OF COKE FROM HIS SOCK. Who does that????

Romeo and Juliette ready themselves for a line, and I walk away. I'm not that kind of kid. Is this regular practise in such a metropolis? Is that the big city glamour? I'd rather hole myself away in my apartment than hangout with a strungout junky who thinks it's ok to do a line, but not okay for their lady love to.

No thanks, Toronto. You better show me something more to win me over.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Sing it with me...Dah, daaah dah daaaaaaaaah!!

The time has arrived. My new website (for my business, not a blah-blah-blah-blog) is finished!!! Check it out, www.ml-ideas.com. You can get the gist from there.

And in more exciting news, I've just started taking a certified power coaching course from CLI, so I can be a life and a business coach along side my momma. Woot!!!

And in less exciting news....the apartment is still a mess. In the plans for this weekend to organize it all. Jen is going home, so I can make a bigger mess in the process of cleaning of the mess, and not have to worry about being in her way. Oh the fun times I'll have.

On an unrelated note.....how about those comedic actors in Oz who posed as a Canadian motorcade transporting bin Laden in the security restricted zone in the Sydney CBD and made it nearly to Bush's hotel??? All I can say is.......AH HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good post is brewing....most likely going to be about the subway. We'll see. Could be about the weekend, when I was at the bar, talking to some guy who randomly pulled a little bag of coke out of his sock. It's a toss up.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Life and Times of Me

1. The new apartment is great.

2. The new job is growing on me. Haven't really done too much yet to decide if I'm going to like it, but hey, it's paying my bills now.

3. Feeling like the successful small-town kid in the big city. My first venture on the subway all by myself~which included transferring to a different line~got me to work safe and early!! Woo-hoo for me. I'm like a city slicker or something now.

4. Decided to change my phone service to Roger's from Bell. Right now I am cursing that because there is a connection issue with the phone, which means it's not working. Yet the internet and the cable are working. WTF. If you can imagine my pissed off face....it's happening every now and then.

5. Had to stop on my trek from the subway station to my office building yesterday because a movie was being filmed. Didn't see anyone I recognized getting out of the cars, but that's still pretty cool.

6. And last but not least, hot damn there are some fine looking fellows all suited up for work in these parts!!!!!!

And now this busy bee must flee.....