Hello from my new home, Toronto Canada! I’m devoting my blog to share my experiences with the world as an American coming to live in Canada! I wanted to try and keep this blog as a fun way to further explore my surroundings and to talk about what I encounter here. I have learned many new things and look forward to many Spring events!
In celebration of my
Permanent Residency in Canada, I received the most beautiful Miansai anchor
bracelet! I was just thrilled to learn more about the creator/founder of these magnificent Miansai pieces Michael Saiger.
According to his website, he is a
New York bred, self taught designer, that incorporates nautical designs that
stems from his childhood memories of the beaches of New England. I was born in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, so his innovation and nostalgia really rang true with
me. Each bracelet is handcrafted from military grade custom rope and some
metals are used from salvaged machinery. This anchor bracelet is the perfect piece in
honor my “landing” here in Canada!
For all space exploration and NASA fans out there- today was a bitter-sweet welcome home for Space Shuttle Discovery as it took it’s final fly-bys on the back of a NASA Boeing 747 around Washington, DC- three times before it’s final landing at Dulles International Airport. It will spend its retirement at an annex to the Smithsonian National Air & Space museum in Chantilly, Virginia.
As stated by CNN above, “…As it left Florida at first light, the shuttle made a pass over launch pad 39A - the site of all the manned Apollo launches as well as the first 24 shuttle launches. The symbolic salute to the nation's space program was followed by a flight down the beach and over the space center's visitor complex before heading north”.
Per CNN, I found some interesting facts about this historic craft:
- Discovery is the oldest of the three remaining orbiters from a shuttle era that officially began on April 12, 1981, with the launch of the shuttle Columbia.
- Discovery - named after one of the ships used by British explorer James Cook when he traveled to Hawaii, Alaska and Canada in the 1770s - carried 252 people and the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit during its career.
- It was also the first to return to space flight following the loss of the shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
- NASA retired Discovery after it traveled 148 million miles.
So what is next for space exploration? They state, “In some ways, the past is meeting the future. Just a few miles to the south at Cape Canaveral, Space X is in its final preparations to launch its Dragon spacecraft. It is a hugely crucial test scheduled for the end of April. Space X hopes to be the first commercial company to rendezvous and then berth with the International Space Station. Next year, Space X plans to start ferrying cargo to the station and in four years, U.S. astronauts”.
Yesterday, the Toronto Marlies held a school assembly that focused on anti-bullying in conjunction with the Safe Schools Network. The students in attendance had an opportunity to hear stories and advice about how to help themselves and other friends if they see or hear bullying around them.
Toronto Marlies goalie Chris Noonan took the stage and talked about his career coming from Niagara University to sign with the AHL affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The students were excited to hear about his favorite food and tv show which were “House” and “pizza with olives”. He also had a chance to talk about his experiences dealing with bullies in school and how he handles this issue on and off the ice.
With a little help from Toronto Marlies mascot, Duke the Dog, this pup got the students chanting and cheering as they separated into teams and held a game with Chris Noonan about things they learned about bullying and how to help stop it.
It was quite a fun afternoon for all in attendance- and I was happy to see the Toronto Marlies organization tackle this issue and help talk to students about it. For more information about the Toronto Marlies click here.
It is with much love that I say- this is a must watch video! I am honored to say that this is my brother Doug, speaking and inspiring at TedxFlint! If you have never heard of this, "TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown". My brother is in good company- Wow! I am beaming and in awe watching this- so very proud of you DK! :)
Last week I was delighted to attend an assembly that featured some amazing musicians. The group is called Infinitus and features Alex Cheung, Anthony Cheung, and John “Adidam” Littlejohn who play cello, viola, and violin respectively. This string trio has the background of highly successful trained musicians but incorporate a style that is free to showcase their extreme raw talent. They can blend classical works with modern day pieces (such as Harry Potter, Mario Brothers, The Simpsons theme song, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, etc). When I saw them, they not only captured the attention of a room filled with young students, they featured a platform for musical education (which may inspire many blossoming musicians in the process).
Their high-energy performance showcased Classical works such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ but with true Infinitus style infused it with some beatboxing that truly fascinated all in attendance. If you are an educator and want a fun interactive way to showcase string instruments and music appreciation, I would definitely check out their clip above for more information. If you’re the type of person that appreciates all music from classical to hip-hop (like me) these musicians really take it to the next level. Great job and I hope to see them sometime in the future!
If you are in the Toronto area this week you may just want to attend a special fundraising event that supports Fred Victor’s women shelters and services. The event is called the ‘Women Strut for Women’ and it's almost here! What is it you may ask?
'Women Strut for Women' is a food and fashion show that will be held Thursday, March 8 at the Glenn Gould Studio from 6:00-9:30pm. This event will feature Toronto designers from Frou Frou Vintage, Fresh Collective and more! The host of the event is Hilary Farr, most famous for being the strong minded and talented designer for “Love it or List it” on the “W” network. Per the website they also state that food is catered by Chef Fawzi of Veloute and wine provided by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly. All of the proceeds from the event and major silent auction go towards supporting Fred Victor Women’s Services- a “40-bed emergency shelter and day program which are safe havens, sources of information and referral, and access points for health services for women who are homeless or living below the poverty line in downtown Toronto”.
The event will be held on International Women’s Day- so it a great opportunity for all to get out there and show support toward a great cause!
I just found out about an event that takes place tomorrow that sounds fun for all! I'm talking about the “Winter Wilderness”Bloor-Yorkville IceFest in the village of Yorkville Park! I just found out about this event and read that it will feature ice sculpture displays, events (such as competing against a northern Lumberjack) and ice carving demonstrations (and competitions) throughout the neighborhood. Per the website they state that they will be serving, “…hot drinks, soups, crepes, mac n’cheese and more hearty goodness for all visitors... These restaurants include: Carens Wine and Cheese, Crêpes à GoGo, Sassafraz, Jacques Bistro du Parc. There will also be desserts offered from Baker Street”. They even mention that they will have skating performances by “Glisse on Ice”!
I actually find ice sculpting a unique art and have never actually seen it done in person before- sounds fun! If interested make sure to go to the Bloor-Yorkville IceFest website for additional details.
