gift of the gab.

in ireland, the locals are known for the ability to talk with exuberance - readily and convincingly. in irish, the gift of the gab is called 'solabharthact', not that i have any idea how to pronounce it. i spent this past weekend in toronto, and i certainly got my fill of conversation. aside from the cumulative twelve hours i spent sleeping, i think talking/chatting/gossiping/catching-up is all that i did!

not that i am complaining. i was a veritable socialite in toronto this weekend! i brought absolutely no work, and did not even think about the faculty of education for more than 2.5 seconds. i got swept up in great conversations with both old and new friends. i socialized, ate out, shopped and dedicated the weekend to reconnecting with toronto folks. why is it that we don't speak with friends for months at a time, but when we finally do, we don't skip a beat? this is the sign of true friends, i think.

on friday night i had dinner with cayleigh at a delicious thai place on queen street west and then hit the town. she took me to meet some friends at the bovine sex club. no joke. i didn't notice a lot of cows, or a lot of sex for that matter, so i think the name must be purely for shock value. or perhaps it has some meaning that is beyond me. regardless, it was a stellar night with loads of familiar faces from queen's and around. the band was really quite good, and i managed to score a free ride home from them at the end of the night -- door to door service is a sure fire way to collect fans! in fact, i should give them a shoutout: thanks for the ride, caledonia.

saturday i lounged around the titus household with alyssa doing typical cottage-y type activties. sleeping, making a late breakfast, looking at pictures, lying around. we didn't get out of our pyjamas until almost 4! at five i met up with risa, my favourite jewish hippie vegan, whom i hadn't seen in almost TWO years. first of all, it was two years toooo long between visits. after we had tea and caught up, and i could barely believe how long it had been. she offers such a positive calming presence in my life. i adore her. i will have to make absolute sure it is not two years before i run into her again!

saturday night was sushi with a friend from my travels at a hidden gem. this place was called sushi on bloor (maybe i shouldn't be telling anyone else... keep the restaurant a secret) and it was quite possibly the best price-for-quality-food that i have had in eons. for less than 20 bucks, two people can get stuffed! the thirty minute lineup is worth it when you get free unlimited tea, soup and ice cream. i honestly felt like we were cheating them in some way when we got the bill.

sunday i had brunch with kally (another date that was way overdue) and got seriously distracted by the stores in yorkville and the the eaton centre. i kept trying to be practical and deciding to leave toronto, but then the titus' convinced me to stay for dinner.... and then tea... i just didn't want my weekend of conversation, gastronomy and socializing to end. plus i am easily convinced.

i am really not far from toronto, and with some good music or a book on tape, the trip absolutely flies by. i may not be like the irish, who possess a fluency of utterance unlike no other, but if i learned anything from my mother, i sure learned how to appreciate a good conversation.