all in an afternoon
14.5.10Here's your summary of what took place this afternoon.
and the longer version:
I had plans to meet up with Wade for lunch at the university since I was going to be on campus following another video shoot (my seventh for the week), but early in the morning I got an email from my interview subject asking to reschedule. The temporary cancellation proved fortuitous since I ended up using the time to finish editing another video I had shot the day before. But, as my luck would have it, I ended up missing lunch with Wade and didn't get a chance to leave the office until much later that afternoon.
I was going to retire to the quiet of the home office, but Sarah was heading out of the house to get some work done on her master's thesis, so we arranged to meet at the newly opened second location of Transcend Coffee on the south side of the river on 109th street. Sarah made her way there by bike while I trekked across the High Level Bridge on foot. Usually I love the walk, but between carrying my computer and camera I was really lamenting my lack of a bicycle. The trip to Transcend would have taken mere minutes and I would have spared my shoulders the digging in of canvas straps from my various bags.
I really like the big picture windows and corner location of Transcend, but I'm a bit put off by the limitations of the coffee boutique. Considering the location of the shop (so close to the university and right next door to the Garneau theatre) the owners would probably be wise to expand their menu offerings. Right now they serve some baked goods and waffles, but the place needs more food. Perhaps they think that will complicate their business model. I get that their priority is coffee, but even with the free wi-fi and comfortable chairs, we ended up leaving Transcend to go by nearby DaCapo to get some pizza.
And such delicious 'za it was. Alessandra had joined us by this time... like the almost-twins that we are, we both ordered a margherita pizza (simple, but always the most delicious). When Famoso first opened downtown I used to prefer their pizza, but my opinion of their pizza has gone down with each subsequent time I've visited there. On the contrary, DaCapo pizza has improved each time.
We sat outside on the mini patio, which although not the most scenic as it overlooks the parking lot and the always busy 109th street, we were able to get in plenty of people watching. Alberto passed by with his lady friend, and as older sisters always do, Alessandra and I harassed him about his new chin-strap while Sarah tried to concentrate on her studies. Luckily we didn't bother her since she understands the dynamics of of sibling love.
When winter disappears I hardly remember that the sun once set at four o'clock in the afternoon. It seems almost impossible when you're sitting in the park at six o'clock and you know there are still several hours left before sundown.
I like that I have learned to work outside of the office. I like that I have good friends in the city who don't need to spend lots of money in order to have a good time. I like that I can chance upon my siblings on a sunny afternoon. I like the way the city becomes more livable with the return of spring. I hope there are many more afternoons like this.
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