What a Difference a Day Makes

I woke up this morning thinking about how different days can be when placed one beside the other. It has been so rainy this week and today I woke up to sunshine streaming through my window. One day grey, the next bright and cheery.

Moods are like that too. While I can with all honesty say I am not a moody person, for all of us, moods change. Some days we feel hopeful, the next we feel, well, maybe not so much.


This week, mostly, I have felt energized and busy and productive, although I have many weeks where I am not as happy with any of those aspects of my life. Having said that, the evenings have found me to be a bit uncertain about the path that I am traveling and a yearning for what I am thinking I will not have.


I don't follow astrology but do sometimes check the horoscopes. I think there is more to things than meet the eye, and I do not discount anything as a possibility. So I peak at them more to see if they confirm something happening or contradict it.

Interestingly, I happened to look on Friday and found this (Thanks to the Toronto Star):


Friday May 29th:
Thought for the Day: If you are feeling depressed, tearful and nostalgic, you are undoubtedly being afflicted by Neptune's power in a very vulnerable area of your birth chart. This is a hard cycle, but it is one that will start easing in the coming days, weeks and months.


My specific (Leo) forecast:
If you live to be a 100, you will have spent more than 30 years asleep. Sleep is important to us all. So too is happiness, though it is harder to quantify. Grab some today because, despite your fears and your concerns, happiness is now available.

I wasn't sure if it was sleep I was to grab or the happiness. I decided to go for a bit of early evening happiness by visiting my daughter at the bar that she works at but also to head home in time to hit the sack a bit early.



I thought I might as well check the previous day as this mood has been with me all week.

Thursday May 28th:
The stormy events of the past few weeks have left you wondering whether the sky is going to fall on your head. Your high sensitivity picks up the slightest cosmic vibrations, but the celestial firmament looks secure.
Interestingly enough, the stars are a good enough excuse for my apprehensive nature this week!



Saturday May 30th:
Thought for the Day: This is the final day of Mercury's retrograde cycle. Hold off from making any final decisions for a few days if at all possible, unless you really feel lucky. Glitches in transportation, communications and technology are highly probable.

My specific (Leo) forecast:
Be careful whose opinions you listen to. And watch whose gloomy comments you take seriously. In your heart, a little voice keeps saying, "Everything will be all right." And, indeed, it will. Mars will deliver power in an area where you need it most.

So I guess I should just hunker down, stay home today and wait until tomorrow, when apparently the fog will lift and my mood will again be optimistic very soon.

Hmm, another thought, I have an appointment to see my accountant this afternoon (Saturday). Should I or should I not listen to her advice? I have decided not to worry about a tax audit, as undoubtably my accountant will advise that I risk if I claim so many restaurant expenses over the year - happiness has it's price!

If you want to check out your horoscope and see if this "final day of Mercury's retrograde cycle" has affected your outlook this week go here to see the Toronto Star Horoscope by Phil Booth.

The song "What a Difference a Day Makes" is a great song to accompany this blog theme:

The Toronto Criterium

Last night after work I decided to check out the Toronto Criterium. According to Wiki, a criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets. This one was held in the downtown Toronto core in the St. Lawrence Market area, which is just about 15 minutes east by foot from my office building. It was the 2nd of recent years, having returned last year after a 17 year hiatus.

On the way over there I passed the Metro Convention Hall which coincidentally was hosting Bill Clinton and George Bush in a speaking engagement. As a consequence, there was a protest going on and the road was blocked off and the police were keeping the protesters at bay on the other side of the street. Always something interesting going on in the city for sure.

I found the race circuit and claimed a spot with a clear view straight in front of the starting line. There was excitement in the air and a great crowd had gathered to see the action. Two races were being held, not counting the children's race which was just finishing as I arrived. The first race was for all except the elite cyclists. In other words it was for the masses and there must have been a hundred cyclists. The course itself, I don't believe, would have been more than 3 KM but it is a duration event - 1 hour plus 5 laps, so it was a fast race for a cycling event. Normally they are much longer than that. In races like these there is always a danger of crashes when the riders are all jambed up in close quarters. There are a lot of bikes out on the course, as you can tell from the pictures.


Rare Tricycle
Before the race started, we were privileged to view a "promotional" lap by Shelley Gautier, 40, who wants to be the first Canadian woman to compete in paracycling on a trike at the 2012 Paralympics in London, England. She rides a specially constructed three-wheeled bike approved for international racing competitions, the only one of its kind in Ontario. Shelley was a competitive racing cyclist when some years ago she was involved in a mishap during a race - her helmet was put to the test and did not help her as much as one would think it should and she ended up with a brain injury and paralysis on her left side.

See here for more info about Shelley




After that the race got started it was very intense. The racers took not much over 1 mnute to do 1 circuit, so there would be about 66-65 turns around the course for those that finished. I was in a good position to get a lot of great photos which I will finish this blog with. I must admit, after I watched 3-4 laps I decided to head on home by way of the Dogs Balls Bar, where my daughter works, so I could visit with her and catch up with the new of the week.

The Toronto Criterium

Last night after work I decided to check out the Toronto Criterium. According to Wiki, a criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets. This one was held in the downtown Toronto core in the St. Lawrence Market area, which is just about 15 minutes east by foot from my office building. It was the 2nd of recent years, having returned last year after a 17 year hiatus.

On the way over there I passed the Metro Convention Hall which coincidentally was hosting Bill Clinton and George Bush in a speaking engagement. As a consequence, there was a protest going on and the road was blocked off and the police were keeping the protesters at bay on the other side of the street. Always something interesting going on in the city for sure.

I found the race circuit and claimed a spot with a clear view straight in front of the starting line. There was excitement in the air and a great crowd had gathered to see the action. Two races were being held, not counting the children's race which was just finishing as I arrived. The first race was for all except the elite cyclists. In other words it was for the masses and there must have been a hundred cyclists. The course itself, I don't believe, would have been more than 3 KM but it is a duration event - 1 hour plus 5 laps, so it was a fast race for a cycling event. Normally they are much longer than that. In races like these there is always a danger of crashes when the riders are all jambed up in close quarters. There are a lot of bikes out on the course, as you can tell from the pictures.


Rare Tricycle
Before the race started, we were privileged to view a "promotional" lap by Shelley Gautier, 40, who wants to be the first Canadian woman to compete in paracycling on a trike at the 2012 Paralympics in London, England. She rides a specially constructed three-wheeled bike approved for international racing competitions, the only one of its kind in Ontario. Shelley was a competitive racing cyclist when some years ago she was involved in a mishap during a race - her helmet was put to the test and did not help her as much as one would think it should and she ended up with a brain injury and paralysis on her left side.

See here for more info about Shelley




After that the race got started it was very intense. The racers took not much over 1 mnute to do 1 circuit, so there would be about 66-65 turns around the course for those that finished. I was in a good position to get a lot of great photos which I will finish this blog with. I must admit, after I watched 3-4 laps I decided to head on home by way of the Dogs Balls Bar, where my daughter works, so I could visit with her and catch up with the new of the week.

More Doors Open Toronto

From yesterday's blog, you will recall that I left off my Toronto Tour at the Holy Trinity Church. Once I finished there, I headed over to City Hall to see what was


happening there. Lots! I went on a tour through the building and had a refresher on the art and displays there.
I have toured City Hall before, but the art work has been updated and they also had some wonderful floral displays in the main part of the building, so it really wasn't "same old, same old". Go here and here for more details about our wonderful City Hall.

Outside in the courtyard I discovered something new and I guess it has been there a while. A little Peace Garden along with a water feature with an "eternal flame" and I snapped a couple of pictures here.



Next I headed along Queen Street to Osgoode Hall. This is one of the oldest government buildings in Toronto. It houses the Court of Appeal of Justice and the Law Society of Upper Canada, the governing body for lawyers and legal services in Ontario.

It is an amazing building with distinctive architectural features. It was constructed over 180 years and so has resulted in a maze of hallways and rooms. According to Wiki, it has the largest law library in all of the Commonwealth Countries.

From the Osgoode Hall Heritage Building site,

The heritage courtrooms are from the late
1800's. Convocation Hall boasts ten gorgeous stained glass
heraldic windows covering 4,000 years of law. The Great
Library touted as the most beautiful room in Canada has
an intricate ceiling, cork floors and triple cube design. The
rotunda is spectacular from the original tiling on the floor
to the elegant arched pillars surrounded by elaborate oil
paintings of former Chief Justices of the Province.

It is certainly a beautiful and distinctive building.

The Sign says "The furniture is old, treat it with care."

There were a few more places I poked around in and some places I will blog about in future blogs. However that is all for today and for the Doors Open tour. Of the 175 buildings which were open, I spent time in 5 of them. I guess I have lots to look forward to next year and in the years following.


The last bit to tell you about Open Doors Toronto, is that it is part of Open Doors Ontario! I picked up a magazine on my trek which provides the dates of 49 Cities in Ontario (and Northern New York State) which are having an Open Doors "day". Most of these events are in the late May through September time frame, so lots of time to plan any day trips to these towns to coincide with the Open Door event.

More Doors Open Toronto

From yesterday's blog, you will recall that I left off my Toronto Tour at the Holy Trinity Church. Once I finished there, I headed over to City Hall to see what was


happening there. Lots! I went on a tour through the building and had a refresher on the art and displays there.
I have toured City Hall before, but the art work has been updated and they also had some wonderful floral displays in the main part of the building, so it really wasn't "same old, same old". Go here and here for more details about our wonderful City Hall.

Outside in the courtyard I discovered something new and I guess it has been there a while. A little Peace Garden along with a water feature with an "eternal flame" and I snapped a couple of pictures here.



Next I headed along Queen Street to Osgoode Hall. This is one of the oldest government buildings in Toronto. It houses the Court of Appeal of Justice and the Law Society of Upper Canada, the governing body for lawyers and legal services in Ontario.

It is an amazing building with distinctive architectural features. It was constructed over 180 years and so has resulted in a maze of hallways and rooms. According to Wiki, it has the largest law library in all of the Commonwealth Countries.

From the Osgoode Hall Heritage Building site,

The heritage courtrooms are from the late
1800's. Convocation Hall boasts ten gorgeous stained glass
heraldic windows covering 4,000 years of law. The Great
Library touted as the most beautiful room in Canada has
an intricate ceiling, cork floors and triple cube design. The
rotunda is spectacular from the original tiling on the floor
to the elegant arched pillars surrounded by elaborate oil
paintings of former Chief Justices of the Province.

It is certainly a beautiful and distinctive building.

The Sign says "The furniture is old, treat it with care."

There were a few more places I poked around in and some places I will blog about in future blogs. However that is all for today and for the Doors Open tour. Of the 175 buildings which were open, I spent time in 5 of them. I guess I have lots to look forward to next year and in the years following.


The last bit to tell you about Open Doors Toronto, is that it is part of Open Doors Ontario! I picked up a magazine on my trek which provides the dates of 49 Cities in Ontario (and Northern New York State) which are having an Open Doors "day". Most of these events are in the late May through September time frame, so lots of time to plan any day trips to these towns to coincide with the Open Door event.