the King streetcar miracle

Went across town at rush hour yesterday on the King streetcar, which whizzed along like a miracle. Amazing - an enlightened new policy in this town, to make it illegal to drive for more than one block on King Street between Jarvis and Bathurst. Imagine, inconveniencing cars to prioritize streetcars. In Toronto, where our last idiot mayor trumpeted "The war on the car is over!"

I was so happy with my ride, both there and back, that I wrote to congratulate the mayor this morning, telling him I'm warming to him. Not too much, but some.

I was on my way to Eli's school in Parkdale; it's parent-teacher interview time, so I was to keep Eli busy while Anna talked to his teacher. It's a most wonderful school with a huge percentage of immigrant children particularly from Tibet, a warm, warm feeling, and the most gorgeous school library I've ever seen. Just fabulous. There was a book fair going on, so before my family got there, I bought some books, including "Tell me about sex, Grandma." Yes. It's a wonderful book which isn't about the birds and the bees but about feeling good about being who you are and not allowing anyone to do anything you don't want. Very important to have lying around for a discussion one day. Not quite yet.

Anyway, I loved the school and with the teacher's permission, copied down the names of Eli's classmates. Here they are:

Andraya, Amara, Akkeim, Adam, Arianna, Abdulrahman, Dasel, Drugmo, Keira, Ethan, Emily, Jigme, Julian, Karma Tashi, Karma Rapten, Matthew, Marloes, Principe, Stacy, Serwoe, Phensem, Dolkar, Choezin, Veronica, Zaira, Zahra.

How's that for multicultural?

And then at Anna's, I played hide and go seek with the boys. Now that's pleasure, standing behind a door waiting, and then they fling it back and I roar and they shriek and we all laugh and Ben says, "Again, Glamma, again." 

Had a crisis in the night - besides back pain, I realized I can't go on living in this vast house forever. Am starting again to think about alternatives. The problem is that I want to live forever in Cabbagetown, but there just aren't many houses in Cabbagetown. I will check out what's happening in Regent Park, which may be crowded and noisy. Or I could renovate this house to make another apartment upstairs. Suggestions welcome.