General update and concert info

It's that time of year, busy, shopping, travel, and I've got another cold.  I spent the last weekend of November in Ottawa, visiting with some friends from my Bell/Stentor days, and hanging with my mom for her birthday weekend.  My sister and I took her out for dinner at Allium, a lovely restaurant in the Westboro area.  I had my first gourmet poutine experience (hand cut fries, le riopelle cheese, smoked chicken, creamy lemon gravy, greens) as an appetizer and the fat content just shot up as the meal progressed.  The red wine we enjoyed was a meal in itself (Kingston Estate Shiraz, 2006).  

Middle of last week I caught a cold that Alex brought home.  He wasn't all that sick, but it has completely sidelined me.  This is the second cold I've had this fall, which is wierd because I am rarely sick.  Actually, none of us get sick much.  I can't remember the boys ever missing a day of school due to illness.  Z also caught it, although not a severely, and Michael is hacking and sniffing although claims to feel completely fine.  I'm still fighting nasal congestion and I'm not sleeping well due to my cough.  

We had a relaxing weekend of lazing around, reading, playing Scattergories, and generally trying to be low stress and promote a healing environment. And a studying environment as the boys start Christmas exams this week.  I've gotta kick this thing because this Sunday I'm singing in the chorus in a concert by the Aradia Ensemble.  They are a period instrument baroque chamber orchestra, and they needed some singers for Vivaldi's Gloria. Our parish music director who plays with them volunteered as many as could make it from the choir.  I've sung the music before, so the fact that I missed the note-bashing sessions for the chorus is not a disaster.  Dress rehearsal is on Saturday afternoon and I MUST be well before that.  So I'm taking it easy, making simple meals, and drinking lots of tea and orange juice.

The concert is this Sunday, December 14 at 3:00 pm, at Blessed Sacrament Church, west side of Yonge St just south of Lawrence Ave, steps from the Lawrence subway station.  Tickets are (I think) $25.