Geeky Cat Miusings

The Toronto Freedom Festival took place yesterday at City Hall. It is an idea which has been developed in the hope of allowing for groups to expose themselves to thousands of forward thinking individuals. I did not go because 1) I don’t care to see people get intoxicated, and 2) there were more interesting things to do.

Today is No Homework Day. Well I have homework to do so I think I will cash in my Freedom coupon that I did not use yesterday and use it today to be free not to do no homework.

Maybe one day there will be a Freedom from Demands Day. What would your freedom day be like?

We did it! My team climbed the 1,776 stairs up the CN Tower to raise over $1,100 for WWF-Canada (that’s World Wildlife Fund, not World Wrestling Federation) and to show how fit we are (we all scored above average climb times).

It was a long wait in line because they had 1,794 people climbing - some 400 more than last year - so the event is becoming more popular each year. The wait itself was entertaining with some teams performing acrobatic acts and chanting their team mantras. It was a hands free climb so we could not bring our iPod’s to entertain and motivate ourselves but they posted children’s drawings on the stairwell walls - so it was much like a vertical gallery tour - and quite touching and thought provoking. One child wrote on her picture “don’t pollute -save our wildlife!”, with a drawing of what looked to me like a dinousaur ;-).

Here we are all geared up for the climb in our Seneca T-shirts:

I didn’t know what I wore would be such an issue - my team member and some other climber commented on my wearing jeans for the climb. I still don’t know what the issue is - they were roomy and was a cool day. I did see one female with some heels on though.

The hardest part for me was the beginning of the climb - since you start climbing right away, without a warm-up - you can feel the strain on your lungs and heart. The second hardest moment of the event was when I reached the top (it took 21 minutes) and I was refreshing myself with a drink of water …. and then I looked down …. ohhhhh my….I was standing on the glass floor…gulp….and I could see the tiny cars way way below me….oh my…. my fear of heights kicked in and I felt light-headed. We were high-fiving other teams so I forgot about my predicament.

At the top of the climb we received a much needed bottle of water and had some time to enjoy the view of Toronto before heading back down (using the elevators - I now realize what a fabulous invention they are) and picking up our WWF T-shirts that read hotter than I should be on the front (I don’t think I will be wearing the T-shirt in public) and our climb time on the back.

Afterwards we were treated to a nice dinner at Joe Badali’s. I was so hungry I could eat a garden shed but at least they had pasta and salads to choose from. I crashed into bed after midnight and then I woke up at 5 a.m. and started to eat my way through the fridge.

So, climbing the CN Tower is a good way to raise money for charity, but if you were hoping to do it to save yourself the entry fee, think again because you might have to compensate with a higher food bill to replenish your energy.

On April 26 I will climb 1,776 steps of the CN Tower with my Seneca College team. I climbed the stairs in 19 minutes is support of the WWF in my youth and I am interested in revisiting the challenge.

I will be raising funds for WWF Canada to support their efforts in:

• Fighting global warming on every scale
• Building a network of marine protected areas for Canada by 2010
• Working to protect, manage and restore our forests and freshwater
• Assisting in the recovery and protection of endangered Canadian wildlife and their natural habitats.

Please sponser me online here http://wwfcentral.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=385&srcid=386&frsid=10594.

Supporters will help protect our oceans and coasts, our freshwater and forests, and wildlife everywhere.

What is it like to have cataracts? Here is a lovely bunch of flowers:

Now that my mom has the cataract removed from her right eye she can see all three colours: yellow, pink, and violet. With the other eye (the one that still has a cataract) she can only see two colours: pink and yellow.

The purpose of cataract surgery is to remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial lens, and thus restoring clear vision and colour vibrancy. Wonderful!

Mum’s cataract surgery went well. She spent most of the day recuperating with what she calls a turtle shell over her eye. I administer 4 different eye drops to her operated eye four times a day. She is not to have alcohol for 24 hours, she must not bend down, lift heavy objects, or shear the dog (really). Just hours after her surgery she says her vision has already improved - as cataracts cause a cloudy vision — their removal makes everything clearer. That is very promising. Hopefully she will be able to see very well after she has surgery on her left eye. Many people are questioning the doctor’s preference to perform two separate operations for each eye, but it seems most beneficial to the patient to have some vision in one eye as the other eye is healing. The major challenge we face right now is trying to get all the drops into the eye rather than dripping down the face.

My mother, Mirella, is going for cataract eye surgery tomorrow morning on her right eye. She needs to apply eyedrops, an antinflammatory and an antibiotic, 4 times a day and finds it hard to do. Fortunately Milene will be with her and can apply the drops for her as well as take care of her as she should not do anything strenuous after the surgery. I researched cataract surgery on the web and one site said that the patient should not bend down after the surgery. However, the documentation provided by her doctor says bending is fine, just avoid lifting heavy objects. Well, we want to be as safe as possible so we will avoid anything that could be harmful. Hopefully the doctor will provide further guidance.

Good luck mother, we love you!

1,000 Places To See Before You Die takes a look at sacred ruins, hidden islands and all sort of awe-inspiring places that persuade people to leave their comfy couches and get moving across the globe to see some of the world’s wonders. The book suggests taking a balloon trip over the Masai Mara in May which must be “the most spectacular wildlife pageant on earth” when thousands of wildebeests, zebra, antelope, and gazelle go on a search for greener pastures after the rains.

Don’t have the funds to go anywhere? The book lists two places in Toronto to see: The Art Gallery of Ontario, with its fabulous international art collection and The Four Seasons Hotel for being right in the middle of the high-end retail district.

After seeing these local treasures of the world a few times, the eye craves something new. Check out http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist/ for their interesting collection of photos of the city I love. Anyone know where this brick wall is?

Here are some photos I took last year from near the Necropolis:

more…

You don’t have to go far to see worthwhile sights, sometimes the most beautiful and touching vistas are just around an unexpected turn in the road. Remember to always take your camera along to record your journey.

If you are going to a party and don’t know what to talk about, try some of last night’s topics: alcoholism (apparently one is a novice if one has 3 drinks per day); using matches to cover up smelly farts and creating blue angels; the advent of the beltless pad; the rise and fall and the rise again of the menstrual rag; the rise and fall of smoking chic on a global scale; the superiority of the Italian lifestyle (based on wine consumption); how parents are clueless as to what is really going on in boarding school; relationships and what makes people right for one another and what makes some run away screaming; and how to write BOOBLESS on your calculator (it doesn’t work so well on my Windows calculator).

I think there were more interesting topics but I need a calming cup of catnip right now. We’ll chat later >^..^<

Geeky cat loves to learn about all sort of things and when the learning involves chocolate in any way, her excitment escalates. Tonight the Royal Ontario Museum hosts a talk about the use of food, perfume, and chocolate in creating the mood for love. Now thinking about chocolate certainly puts me in a mood…but is it a mood of love? I think the lure of chocolate can banish the thought of love right out of my mind. Luckily that lasts only as long as the chocolate lasts - which can last me a long, long time as I let it melt in my mouth without haste - 20 minutes per square. The use of aphrodisiacs in different cultures and time periods will be discussed by my favourite ROM personality, Gayle Gibson. I am wondering if they will provide chocolate since a chef from George Brown College will also be there. If you are interested in attending you can still sign up for the romantic tour.

If anyone knows who has the world record for taking the longest amount of time to eat chocolate, please let me know.  I am also looking for any interesting chocolate facts.

Thanks to all the researchers who are finding that chocolate has great anti-oxidant properties that protect against heart disease and cancer: Now I can justify my consumption of this luscious fruit.

I hope you have a chocolatey day.