I'd really like to swap the ending, though: Utilitaire-12 #9

Utilitaire-12 task #9: Bike to a community meeting = Spring Cleaning Fashion Swap

My first ever swap was at the Barter Babes wrap party (the swap was organized by Swapsity). I wasn't expecting to take anything home, but I wound up picking up some cute things. So when a friend posted a link to this clothing swap last night, I figured I'd give it a go. If I didn't find anything I liked, at least I might give some of my stuff to someone else (and the leftover clothes go to Dress for Success, with the entry fee going to Nellie's Women's Shelter).

PhysicsGirl vs. the Wall of Cheese: Utilitaire-12 #8

Utilitaire-12 task #8: Bike to the grocery store = Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens

Note: I fixed the video from my commute so you can watch it without tilting your monitor. Also, true confession time: I've been dying for an excuse to film my commute ever since I got the new camera. I've also fixed and re-uploaded the damn thing about four times so far. I am now officially sick of it. If there's another mistake in it, it'll just have to stay unfixed.

My local No Frills is only 850 m from my apartment. Although MG is allowing two pedestrian swaps, it would not be in the spirit of the challenge for me to use one for this, and I didn't want to ride around before going grocery shopping just to make it count. So I decided that yesterday, I would visit the new Loblaws at what used to be Maple Leaf Gardens. It's a destination! There's a Wall of Cheese! It's also on my way home from work, and therefore quasi-convenient.

Google says it's not the most efficient route, but at least there were pancakes: Utilitaire-12 #7

Utilitaire-12 task #7: Bike to work = my usual day. With a twist.

[Having finally caught up with my write-ups and tweeted about them, MG of chasing mailboxes gave me extra credit for going to the museum in the snow. Other people are doing very cool things. And riding very long distances. And I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one not getting her hair cut. I have big plans to finish those pictures, though, let me tell you!]

On to the commute.

Dinosaurs and tea sets and bats! Oh my: Utilitaire-12 #6

Utilitaire-12 task #6: bike to a museum = ROM!

I had already planned to visit the ROM on Saturday before I heard about the Utilitaire-12 challenge. I hadn't planned to bike there, because I don't plan to bike, just as many people don't plan to drive. They do it as a matter of course. However, if the weather proved to be inclement, I would have TTC'd it without a second thought. The Utilitaire-12 made me resolve to bike come hell or high water. Given the winter we've been having, both of those seemed more likely than what we did get.

In which PhysicsGirl celebrates someone else's birthday, for a change: Utilitaire-12 #5

Utilitaire-12 task #5: Bike to dinner = Friar & Firkin pre-skating & improv.

Having used the wayback machine to blog about the first four Utilitaire-12 tasks, I'm back in the present day. You can read about the previous challenges here: #1, #2, #3, & #4. While you're at it, you can read about my Birthday Nonad, which sounds kinda rude but really wasn't.

All the cool kids have their birthdays in February, and Friday was no exception. I had two birthdays to celebrate in Toronto alone. T was having a skating party and D was in the Black Swan improv semi-finals. I planned to meet M for dinner before the skating and we settled on the Friar & Firkin at Queen W and John.

This is still not a biking blog, but... Utilitaire-12!

A few days ago, one of my favourite cycling blogs, Biking in Heels, told us about chasing mailboxes d.c.'s Winter Cycling Challenge: The Utilitaire-12. The rules are a tad more restrictive than the LGRAB Summer Games in that I'm not allowed to complete more than two each week. What with that and having found out about the Utilitaire somewhat late, I was concerned I wouldn't be able to finish all the tasks within the time available. No fear. Birthday Nonad to the rescue! I've actually done a bunch of this stuff already and even have photographic evidence. So I will be blogging about them retroactively and in timey-wimey fashion.

The rules, in brief: complete 12 items in at least 7 categories by March 16. No more than 2 per week. You can do each category twice, max. Each ride must be at least 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip. 2 rides must take place at night. Document the utilitaire with a picture and something you noticed during the ride. One substitution allowed. Read the 15 rules at the original post (and the Q&A for additional clarification.)

Seeing the "Get a hair cut" category reminds me that I still need to finish up my #$%* New York pictures. Added incentive! Although I will say my hair dresser is a genius, because my hair has been growing out since last July and the hair still looks fairly decent.

What do you get if you finish? Er. Good question. Internet glory, certainly.

All your nonads are belong to us...

nonad (no-næd'): n. a group of nine things -- me

(Title shamelessly and gleefully stolen from @karamelicious's birthday tweet, which made me giggle for pretty much the rest of the day.)

This is a big birthday. One of those birthdays that puts you into a new age classification in the surveys -- and I answer a lot of surveys^*, so I should know. To properly mark the occasion, I decided to go whole hog and celebrate for nine, count 'em, nine days straight. Hence the nonad. Nine events to pull me out of my hermit-like existence.

It is such a big birthday that, were I to write this in a letter, four sides of paper would be insufficient to contain all my delight. In other words, I ramble a bit more than usual. You have been warned.

On Tuesdays we go shopping and have buttered scones for tea: Utilitaire-12 #4

Utilitaire-12 task #4: Bike to dinner = Cream tea at MoRoCo Chocolat.

I finished my England pictures at the end of October last year, but I am only just now treating myself to my reward: cream tea.

Before I got to England, if you'd asked me what a cream tea was, I would have said tea with cream in it (and then made a face, because cream is too heavy for tea). My second day in London, however, I learned to my delight and my waistline's regret that the cream in cream tea refers to the clotted cream you put on the scones that come with it. I had cream tea almost every day that I was in England. And then again on the Queen Mary. When I wasn't having Afternoon Tea, which usually comes with scones and clotted cream anyway.

It's a fine, fine thing, is what I'm saying, and I was really happy to see that MoRoCo serves cream tea. Cream tea! In Toronto!

Naturally, it's a bit expensive at $18. And it comes with lemon curd instead of the jam I'd prefer. But the lounge is very elegant; it's worth it for a trip to the bathroom alone. You can choose your tea (I had something with a soupçon of chocolate) and it comes in a silver pot with a tea strainer that you sometimes forget to use. The sugar is rock sugar, which looks lovely but is not practical because it takes forever to dissolve. The scones are light, the clotted cream tastes good, and all is right with the world.

I had invited all and sundry to have tea, and I was joined by my friend L who is on maternity leave. She jumped at the opportunity to wear her faux-fur stole. We gossiped about work and boys and other stuff just like ladies who lunch drink tea, then afterwards we went to the boutique. I bought macarons, naturally, and L bought Big Boyfriend Treats for her husband -- chocolate in the shape of dog bones. I walked her back to her house and then rode the rest of the way home. A lovely evening.

Mileage: From Jarvis & Wellesley to Yorkville, then from there home (with about a km of walking in the middle): 7.1 km/4.4 miles.

I'm supposed to say something about the actual biking part for the Utilitaire-12. I came from work, and like yesterday I biked, slightly painfully, up Bay street because I thought it would be easier than trying to make a left turn from Yonge. Yes, well, it turns out that Yorkville Ave^* is a one-way street in the wrong direction to come from Bay. I wound up biking (very slowly) on the bricked-over strip beside the sidewalk which kept me away from the pedestrian traffic.

Yorkville Ave. has lots of bike parking but not enough bikes to use it. People should leave their bikes here! There is room for bikes! Other parts of the neighbourhood have stylish yet impractical bike parking, but these are the good old ring and posts. I will say that I am pleased that I had a pretty bike to leave on the pretty street. I confess to a no-doubt shallow feeling of embarrassment when I would park the Tank on Yorkville because it stuck out like an extremely sore thumb. Yorkville is kind of swank and the Tank... let's just say it has not aged well.

I'm counting this as dinner for Utilitaire purposes because a) it was in the evening, b) I didn't have anything else to eat when I got home, and c) in this crazy mixed-up world where people eat pizza for breakfast, I can certainly have tea and scones for dinner. DON'T JUDGE ME!

^*Why is it called an avenue? It's not wide enough to be an avenue!

In which PhysicsGirl gets the silent treatment: Utilitaire-12 #3

Utilitaire-12 task #3: Bike to a movie = The Artist

I don't go to movies all that often. I've watched a lot of them, but mostly on TV. I realize that this can be a problem because "the following film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit this screen, to run in the time allotted and edited for content." Now, I can handle the obvious dubbing in Office Space^*, but I'm still recovering from watching The Sting on TV where they cut two of the best lines.^** So I've been trying to see more movies in an actual theatre, and I think I've seen more theatrical releases in the past few years than I did as a teenager.

The original plan was to have tea today and see the movie tomorrow to take advantage of cheap movie night, but MoRoCo, the place where I'm having cream tea, isn't open Mondays. So I did the movie tonight instead. I wound up going alone, since all of my friends had either seen the movie already, had a class, or were stuck at work.

The movie is terrific and you should go see it if you haven't already. It's amazing how much the actors managed to convey with just body language and expression. Jean Dujardin channels Gene Kelly with a dash of Clark Gable. Bérénice Bejo is just charming. I want it to win all the awards.

I biked to the Varsity directly from work. It's a less-than-10-minute trip, so it should be really easy. And yet. There is a gentle, yet never-ending upward slope on Bay St. that always tires my legs more than I think it should when I go here. On the plus side, there always seems to be enough bike parking.

It is a silent movie, although there's quite a lot of music, so I couldn't help but remember nearly a year ago. I was sitting in this same theatre, watching another quiet movie, trying to convince myself that no one was going to come along and steal my beautiful new bike. Now? I didn't even bother taking the lights off.

Mileage: Jarvis & Wellesley to the Varsity (Bay & Bloor), and from there home = 7.1 km/4.4 miles.

I'm using this as my second night trip; even though I do a lot of biking at night and I know I could use a future utilitaire, it's best to get it out of the way. The lighting is the same as always, but my pannier has a super reflector which ups the visual factor. I followed my usual return commute route, but the difference a few hours makes is amazing. I'm not dodging nearly as many pedestrians in the park, and Harbord is almost empty after rush hour. Sadly, the timing on the traffic lights doesn't seem to change. I always feel a bit ridiculous at Hoskin coming out of the park waiting for the light when there are no. cars. coming from the opposite direction. And yet I do, because I want the cars that are waiting with me to see a cyclist "obeying the law." They probably don't, but I know they'd definitely notice me if I broke it. Damn you, moral compass!

So there's another one for the control card:

^*I'm no lip-reader, but I'm fairly certain he is not saying "heck."

^**"He's not as tough as he thinks." "Neither are we."

A Combo that is quite Royale: Utilitaire-12 #2

Utilitaire-12 task #2: Bike to a concert = Combo Royale at the Imperial.

I first heard Combo Royale because my friend M is friends with the guitarist. I thought at the time that their bluegrass/swing/ska selves would be really good to swing dance to. The singers are terrific. The horns are jazzy. In lieu of a drummer, they have a tap-dancing lady. What more could you want? Apparently my thoughts have power, because they've started showing up more and more at swing dances and cabarets and so forth.

Case in point: the adorable couple C & S were celebrating their combined 70th birthday at the monthly Imperial Swing & Blues night, and Combo Royale were playing! I was already planning on making the Imperial the second day of my birthday nonad, but this made it even better.

And then I nearly didn't go. I was futzing about, doing some marking and planning for the week, when I realized it was nearly 10 pm and I was still at home. On an ordinary evening, I would have said "Oh well; what's on Mystery?" but I was determined to not let the nonad down.

Due to the warmish winter we've been having, it was a nice night for biking. Sunday nights the traffic is not as horrible; even the traffic horror that is Dundas near Spadina seemed like a piece of cake. I was making great time, even cycling easily in 7th gear. That should have been a clue that I was being helped along, but all I thought on my way over was that I was really in the cycling zone. Of course, when I was ready to come home, the wind was no longer at my back and it was third gear kind of ride all the way home. I was a wee bit tired when I finally got home.

But that's for later. I arrived during the first band break, but they played two more sets and were excellent as always. Someone brought a pinata for C & S. There aren't enough pinatas in my social life.

Unfortunately all the pictures I took of the evening are lost due to a faulty SD card, so my photographic evidence is not a picture of the band but a picture of the pinata, with me taking pictures in the background, as shown by the arrow.

Photo credit: Dean Villafuerte. The arrow is mine.

Updated: Dean found a picture of me and the band! Sweet!

Photo credit: Dean Villafuerte.

Mileage: from my apartment to Dundas & Yonge and back: 9.3 km/5.8 miles.

This ride is counting as one of my night entries. My lighting system should consist of a Planet Bike Beamer headlight, but many months ago I put it In A Safe Place and naturally I can't find it. I'm using a MEC Turbo Turtle white LED for the front light. It's bright enough to be noticed by oncoming traffic, but I really need to find the other light, which has more oomph. My rear light is a Planet Bike Superflash which I have mounted on the Opus's rear rack. It has plenty of oomph. I cannot be a ninja cyclist with that thing. I like that I can remove the lights in dicier neighbourhoods. Not that Yonge & Dundas is that dicey, but let's say the people in the area are possibly more inebriated and therefore more prone to "liberating" things off bikes.

So here is how my control card looks now.

Swan Song: Utilitaire-12 #1

If you are reading this blog in chronological order, for some reason, then you may not be aware that I am reaching back in time and retroactively blogging my first few utilitaire rides as part of the Utilitaire-12 challenge. You may also be regretting that run-on sentence. No fear; there will be many more. At any rate, go forward in time and read about it. I'll wait.

Ready? Utilitaire-12 task #1: Bike to breakfast/lunch = Brunch at Swan Diner!

My friend D is heading back to Paris soon and we met up for brunch on west Queen W outside her morning class. Along with her friend K, we walked west to Swan Diner where, despite the late hour, we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a booth. It was a booth right at the back near the kitchen, but that turned out to be not a problem. Especially when it meant that our food came right to the table when it was ready. The place was very busy, but the service was quick. We talked of shoes and ships over lattes and the Hangtown Fry (smoked oysters and pancetta scrambled with eggs). D explained how some Parisian restaurants are trying to do brunch as an exotic thing, but they're getting it wrong; the food is mediocre and expensive. We shook our heads and ate our yummy, cheap food.

Because it was the first day of my birthday nonad, and because we happened to be passing by on the way back to my bike (and because I look for any excuse to buy cupcakes), we stopped at Dlish. I bought a salted caramel and chocolate coconut, their February flavour. They pack them into a box with holes for the cupcakes, but my ride home through Trinity-Bellwoods is a trifle bumpy and the cakes were upside down when I opened the box. Fortunately, only a little icing was lost in transit. And a slightly smushed cupcake is still a very tasty cupcake.

Mileage: From my apartment to Queen W & nearly Bathurst and back: 5.2 km/3.2 miles.

When I bike anywhere that takes me along Queen St or places further south, I almost always head through Trinity-Bellwoods Park. It makes me happy. It's a lovely park. It's full of trees and there are elegant gates at the southern end. More importantly, it reminds me of Paris in that people really use it. Not only are the paths filled with dog-walkers and joggers, but also people out for a stroll. They all, or almost all, heed the ding of my resonant bell and get out of the way when I pass them. The lawns are filled with people hanging out, even now in the cold. The playground and tennis courts and off-leash areas are almost always in use. It's a living, breathing park. It's public space at its best.

As with all things, sadly, it has its problems. The paths aren't particularly well-maintained. There is a good wide stretch running north-south on the western edge that is in mostly good shape, and it even has a running path and a sidewalk to help the multi-use traffic flow. Unfortunately, before you get to that bit, the path is so narrow that only one bike can pass at a time. The path winds around bushes so you can't see what's coming in the opposite direction, and roots have push their way under the path so that it has buckled. The city spent a goodly amount of time a year or two ago creating a path along Crawford to Dundas and I don't see why they couldn't have fixed this path at the same time. The southern end of the path is so cracked and full of potholes that it's no wonder my macarons and cupcakes rarely survive unscathed. No road would be allowed to last in that condition.

I spent the afternoon cleaning the apartment (rewarding myself with a cupcake for good behaviour) before I biked off to dinner and a play. I could have used that and the trop to Dlish as my second and third utilitaires, but rules are rules and I'm only allowed to a) count two utilitaires per week and b) count two utilitaires in one day once. These rules are forcing me to be strategic about the events I write up as utilitaires.

So here is the first entry on my control card. I'm looking forward to the next six weeks!

Whither winter?

Yesterday was Groundhog Day and Wiarton Willy did not see his shadow, which in rodent-forecasterese means that we will have an early Spring.

Did he mean now? Because otherwise I think Old Man Winter is going through menopause... how else to explain the hot flashes?

In other news, my birthday is next Friday, and it's a big one. I'm planning a full 9-day celebratory extravaganza. It will be epic. There will be pancakes.

Bring it.