I found a website today that I feel compelled to share. I was Googling Battlestar Galactica when I stumbled across an adorable BSG as Simpsons illustration. It’s part of the portfolio of a very talented artist, Dylan Meconis. Her work is mostly comic based, although she also focuses on ancient myths. The colours are striking and I wish she sold prints. Check it out!
Margaret Trudeau’s speech was amazing; more than half the room was in tears by the end of it. She spoke of her experience as the Prime Minister’s wife and struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness. She’s bipolar, and a lot of her manic episodes turned into media nightmares when she was First Lady. Once, during a particularly bad manic episode, she partied with the Rolling Stones and caused a huge scandal. She also struggled with the ups and downs through 3 hospitalizations and the death of her son. After her speech, we had the chance to talk with her and get a few pictures. She was so nice and accommodating… Now I want to buy her book!
Today was so incredibly busy; it feels like we’ve been here a week! This morning we took a tour of Parliament and I took tons of pictures. I absolutely fell in love with the library. It’s the only original part of the building that survived the 1916 fire and it’s all hand carved wood. I want a library like that in my house! We had lunch at this great little Italian restaurant (with a very cute waiter) and decided to see the War Museum. That was a bit of a nightmare. We were walking and following a tourist map, but we took a wrong turn and ended up in Quebec! By the time we figured it out and got to the museum, a 20-minute walk turned into an hour. At least I got a tan out of it. The museum itself was amazing; we didn’t get to see all of it because it was so big. There was a section on 9/11 and Afghanistan; it had recordings of people who phoned their loved ones while trapped in the WTC and pieces of the airplanes that hit them. That section hit hardest for all of us.
We ended the night with the awards gala and desserts in the penthouse. At the dinner, G and I sat with the president and board members of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), which was great. They were so enthusiastic to talk to the next generation of nurses. The penthouse was beautiful; full-length windows overlooking a light filled city, a jazz band playing… I could have stayed there all night. But, Margaret Trudeau is speaking early tomorrow morning. Time to get some sleep!
So… day one in Ottawa. This trip is feeling a bit cursed, but we’re still having a great time. The drive was pretty uneventful – the five hours went by fast. The trouble started when we arrived at the hotel. First of all, the damn thing is surrounded by one-way streets, and we had a heck of a time finding a way to pull into the front drive. And then, the reservation was screwed up. My confirmation letter said two double beds, 5 people, $139 a night. Their computer said 1 person with a single queen bed. I told the concierge it was wrong and she fixed it, but then informed me that the price was now $169 a night. What?!? I nearly had a fit. She adjusted the price, but wouldn’t give me a straight answer as to whether the price would be honoured when we check out. Ugh, what a mess. On top of that, the A/C is busted (the room is sweltering) and we’re on the 14th (actually 13th) floor and in the 14th (actually 13th) room. It’s a good thing we’re having so much fun. We did the tourist thing after checking in and took tons of pictures. I’m looking forward to tomorrow!
I have a new goal – I want to buy property once I have a full time job. Hopefully within the next year. I crunched some numbers and it looks like I could get a decent mortgage for a condo. I’m excited about it – A place of my own.
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