Dude. That Light Is Red

Slowly but surely the temperature is going up and along with it, my spirits. This past weekend was blazing sunshine for two days, the first really nice weekend of the year. Saturday, I found myself in just a terrible terrible mood, a very bad case of the grumps if I do say so myself. Having spent the previous weekend doing a lot of chores around the house, I suggested a drive to which the Marine readily agreed.

We usually just follow our noses on these drives and decided to go west. This worked out alright until we hit Hwy 6, then west then north again, landing us smack dab in the middle of countrified surburbia. But despite the lack of pastoral scenes, I did encounter one nice event. I hadn't been in Cambridge for ages. The last time I was there was for an auction. As you head north to the 401, there is a huge hotel, one of those "grande dames" of the age when the railroads were King. I had always loved this building and never missed an opportunity to decry it's decrepit state.

Well, it has been restored! It was repaired and freshly painted and looked absolutely glorious. It is, no doubt, being turned into condos but I don't care. I'm just glad to see such a great building survive.

The rest of the day we meandered over to St. Jacob's and other areas. We stopped at a new place in Shelburne called CHAMP Burger where I had what is quite conceivably the best chicken sandwich of my life. We then got home, only to find out that the worst mass murder in Ontario history had occurred in the western part of the Province, the very area we'd be driving in. Something to do with bikers apparently. I confess I have not read much about it. Ragdoll lent me her copy of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which is quite truthfully, one of the most enthralling, yet utterly terrifying books I have ever read.

So needless to say, I had no desire to freak myself out anymore than I already was.

Sunday, I awoke a new woman. I think I'm finally through Daylight Savings Hell as I had gotten what felt like the first normal night's sleep in about a week. I spent Sunday morning reading and then headed out to run some errands.

I had mailed a present to a friend and then had to go to the east side of town. I didn't listen to my gut which said "go south and take the Gardiner." No instead, I listened to my willful inner child who said "Nooooooooo. I wanna see College Street!!" Which was all fine and good until three, yes three people in three separate instances, walked in front of my car on a red light. The coup de grap came at Spadina where a guy just full on walked in front of us all when the light actually turned red. I honked my horn because he looked dazed. He starts heading towards me and of course, I'm ready to regulate because I figure he's upset I honked. Instead he asks me for change. Then everyone behind me started honking. Sigh.

My nerves were a little shot to be honest. But I practiced some of my Pilates breathing and it really helped calm me down. But honestly, it felt like a dodge 'em course on Toronto's roads, as if the first serious blast of springtime sun had collectively melted everyone's brains.

As for this week, the Easter weekend can't come soon enough. I'm enjoying my work, but managing production and a redevelopment is a lot on my plate right now. I'll be glad when we're out of planning mode that's for sure.

But it was nice to start the week feeling I'd had a weekend well spent. It's nice to feel like I can do more with my days off than just catch up on my sleep.