Author: cpgrisold

Yes, that’s right, it’s time for Round Two of “What’s On My Book Shelf”! Woo!! I know you have been waiting in suspense since the first installment. Today’s shelf includes mainly Philosophy and Psychology tomes. As you may or may not already know, my undergraduate degree is in English Language & Literature with a Philosophy minor. My favourite subject in PHIL was Metaphysics, but they didn’t offer many courses in it at Glendon. So unfortunately (or fortunately?) my minor is in Ethics. Which I guess makes sense since I am a HUGE advocate of appropriateness and equality (i.e. don’t make rules you don’t intend to obide by as well). Oh, and I also majored in Psychology for a semester as I changed my core subject a total of 11 times – three times before I was even accepted at York University. I originally applied for Political Science, which is not really fitting a co’bo comme moi, except that one of my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions includes joining the Liberal Party.

So anyway, some of these books are from my uni days, but quite a few are from earlier when I was in a mail-order book club in highschool. I miss those. So many books delivered to your door! Like Christmas in July. (Assuming, of course, that you ordered them around that time.) My favourite book on this list? Hegel’s “Reason in History” (since he is my fav philosopher). What girl doesn’t love the philosophy of time? It’s passing is so bitter-sweet.

Shelf #2: Philosophy / Psychology

Dyzenhaus, David and Ripstein, Arthur. Law and Morality: Readings in Legal Philosophy.
Kant, Immanuel. Perpetual Peace and Other Essays.
de Beauvoir, Simone. Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter.
More, Thomas. Utopia.
Camus, Albert. The Outsider.
Camus, Albert. The Rebel.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince.
Kierkegaard, Soren. The Seducer’s Diary.
Heidegger, Martin. An Introduction to Metaphysics.
Benardete, Jose A. Metaphysics.
Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature.
Roberts, Henry C. The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus.
Brill, A. A. The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud.
Gendron, Bernard. Technology and the Human Condition.
Durkheim, Emile. Suicide: A Study in Sociology.
Ritchie, Marian. The Long Way Home: A Journey Through Alzheimer’s.
Mills, Patricia Jagentowicz. Feminist Interpretations of G. W. F. Hegel.
Hegel, G. W. F. Reason in History.
Dunn, L. C. and Dobzhansky, Th. Heredity, Race and Society.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness.
Murray, Charles. What It Means To Be A Libertarian.
Marx, Karl. The German Ideology.
Bloom, Allan. The Republic of Plato.
Apostle, Hippocrates G. and Gerson, Lloyd P. Aristotle: Selected Works.
Sulloway, Frank J. Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives.
Nin, Anais. In Favor of the Sensitive Man and Other Essays.
Hazlitt, William. Selected Writings.

and, Om at Home: a Yoga Journal (but not sure why that’s on my Phil/Psych shelf – should be on New Age)

Well, there you go. A glimpse into the psyche of the ‘bo.

Toods,

x

It’s Boxing Day. I am not shopping. Not that I don’t want anything (i.e. humidifier, cast iron pan, new Uggs, long warm winter coat, second cat), I am just “saving my money” for Boxing Day 2011. Yeah, that’s it. Sigh.

ANYHOO, I decided to make some quiches with my Momsies that I can take back to Toronto and freeze, so that when I have guests over for din din or brunch, I can just whip one out and warm it up, add some bitter greens tossed in balsamic & oil, et voila! Un dejeuner rapidement! :-D

I made two flavours: mini bellas with fresh oregano & aged cheddar; and, shrimp with herbed goat’s cheese (I despise the word “chevre”). My mom made one with ham, mushroom & onion, but since I am giving up pork for New Year’s, I declined to add any delicious sauteed ham to mine. For those who know me, you must be flabergasted at reading that I’m giving up pork. But then you will quickly recall that my love of self-denial is greater than my love of all things cochon.

Mushroom Quiche with Mini Bellas, Fresh Oregano and Aged White Cheddar

Seafood Quiche with Shrimp, Herbed Goat’s Cheese and Dill Weed

Recipe:

for the mushroom quiche
3/4 packet sliced mini bellas, sauteed until golden brown (as Julia Child said, “Don’t crowd your mushrooms!”)
*I put some Club House vegetable seasoning on the shrooms
1 sprig of fresh oregano (leaves only)
3/4 cup grated aged white cheddar

for the seafood quiche
14 small-to-medium shrimp, lightly fried
1/2 small packet of herbed goat’s cheese
1/4 tsp dried dill weed (fresh would overpower the dried herbs on the cheese)

for both
4 farm eggs from my Aunt’s neighbour in Speyside (I don’t use factory eggs because they make my stomach hurt)
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
2 ready-made pie crusts
S&P

to cook
Pre-bake the crusts, piercing them with a fork so they don’t bubble up
Mix the eggs and cream, add S&P
After letting the baked crusts cool, layer your toppings nicely into them
Pour over the egg mixture
Bake on a cookie sheet for 25mins at 425 degrees
Let stand (they will firm up)

Then either consume greedily, or let cool and freeze (wrap in cellophane and then foil or Ziplock baggie to fend off freezer burn). I always like to eat my quiche with salad because the bitter greens and vinegar cut the richness of the eggs, cream and cheese. But that’s up to you. I also top mine with hot sauce, which I know my friend SP in London will greatly approve of! Oh, and always serve your quiche alongside a nice sparkling wine.

Enjoy,

x

A few snapshots from Christmas Day with the fam in Milton…

Woke up to reminents of last week’s snow. Jealous of white Christmases in the U.K.

Bailey begs for the milk in my tea.

Over at my brother J and sister-in-law M’s house for prezzies. Funny how the year of “no gifts” results in a nicely stocked tree.

First snack to be destroyed: MEXICAN DIP!!! Yay!

Everyone else had egg nog. I had Rickard’s White.

Hungry, hungry dachshund.

Who could say no to this face?

What about now?

Since we watch it every year, and since our last name is Grisold, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation holds a special place in our hearts. This hilarious gift to my Dad was courtesy of my sister L, brother J, and sister-in-law M.

What’s this? A little blue box under the tree pour moi!?

Yay! My key!

Later, after watching Christmas Vacation and Elf, pigging out on M&M’s assorted puff pastry hors d’oeuvres (we opted for no turkey today), and a few more drinkipoos, we all headed our separate ways: L back to Rockwood, J & M to the in-laws in Acton, me and the rents to their house. Time for some acidophillus and a tea. Oh, and Bailey finally got his bone.

…And to all a good night!

x

Just anticipating the arrival of Santa by consuming a 1991 vintage port that my Momsies bought in Heathrow (hence the “duty free” label LOL), with an endless spread of cheese and pate and crackers and fruit…

…watching The Muppets Christmas Carol with my parents (family tradition)…

…and of course one greedy dachshund!

Nothing says “The Holidays” quite like over-indulgence.

Merry Merry!

x

Most hobos prefer the exhaust grates outside of a museum to the exhibits indoors. But not a Coco Hobo.

Tee hee hee

We live for the dinos, the Emily Carr’s, the minerals from outerspace, the stuffed albatrosses (albatri?). But due to the nature of the ‘bo, we can’t always afford the $20+ entrance fee into these hallowed halls of higher learning. In England museums and national galleries are free. This makes sense. Why prevent the masses from educating themselves or acquiring just a touch of culturalism? We all know the masses would rather spend their $20 at the movies watching some lame CGI film with no character development or actual story. Or maybe spend it at the bar. (Which, in that case, we would understand and agree, hence another reason why museums and galleries should have free admission. Even hobos get thirsty!)

Speaking of delicious beer, me and J have been meeting with our designer lately to finalize The Beave’s logo! These are exciting times, these are. It should be ready for public viewing by the end of the month. Can’t. Wait. Yay, beer! Yay, resourcefulness! Yay, dinos! Oh yah, dinos. Back to my original blog topic: Cultural things to do on a shoestring.

Or, a list of which cultural centres offer free or reduced admission on which days, and other ways to enrich your lives and not reduce your savings:

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Half-Price Fridays 4:30-8:30pm (adults therefore pay $12 each)
Sneaky Wednesdays – admission is FREE but only between 4:30-5:30pm

Address: Bloor & Avenue – 100 Queen’s Park
TTC: Museum Subway Station
Web: www.rom.on.ca

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)

FREE Wednesdays 6:00-8:30pm (permanent collection only – full adult price is $19.50!)
FREE every day for Ontario teachers with proper I.D. (something for them to do with all that time off I suppose…)
FREE after 3pm Tuesdays to Fridays for Ontario highschool students with valid I.D. (although I doubt any of them are reading my blog)

Address: Dundas & Duncan (just west of University) – 317 Dundas West
TTC: St. Patrick Subway Station or 505 Dundas streetcar to Duncan
Web: www.ago.net

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery

FREE Wednesdays 5:00-8:00pm (adult admission is otherwise $6)

NOTE! The Power Plant is closed for renovations until March 2011.

Address: Harbourfront Centre – 231 Queen’s Quay West
TTC: 509 Exhibition or 510 Spadina streetcar to Lower Simcoe
Web: www.thepowerplant.org

Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO)

The TSO often has specials, but no standard reduced rate time/day.

However, if you are aged between 15-35yrs, I recommend joining TSOundcheck. It is free to join, and members get access to AMAZING ticket deals. I once picked up two front row mezzanine tickets to Rachmaninoff, over $100 value, for $12 each. (Yes, I did sleep through the second half, but only because of the Port I had at intermission, and also because classical music makes me so happy that all I can do when surrounded by it is pass out in a state of climatic joy. But I digress.)

Address: Roy Thompson Hall – King & Simcoe (just west of University) – 60 Simcoe Street
TTC: St. Andrew Subway Station or 507 King streetcar to Simcoe
Web: www.tso.on.ca

The Canadian Opera Company (COC)

The COC (no comment) regularly offers FREE concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, and some Wednesdays at noon and 5:30pm. Admission is on first-come, first-served basis, and seating is limited. For a PDF of the concert listings, click here.

Again, like with the TSO, your other option is to join their free Opera for a New Age group. Except the COC only grants this favour to those UNDER 30yrs – therefore 29 or less. (The TSO used to cut off at 30, but luckily the year I became too old, they bumped it up to 35! Yay!) Oh, and unlike the TSO, from my experience the cheap COC tickets are usually shoved into the top back corners – sections 3D, 4C, and 5B. Whereas the TSO treats its TSOundcheck patrons like equals, the COC seems to be embarrassed by them, and hides them away. This is not the way to win future patronage, people! But if you don’t mind the heights, you can get opera tickets for $22.

Address: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – Queen & University – 145 Queen West
TTC: Osgoode Subway Station
Web: www.coc.ca

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir

I love Baroque music! It is always so happy and toe-tapping and makes you want to sip afternoon tea on the grass along the River Thames on the grounds of The Oakley Court in Windsor, UK. Or maybe that’s just me. I miss that place!

Tafelmusik often has FREE concerts at the ROM around 1-3pm. Check their website for updates. What could be better than dinos and Baroque!? I knowst naught!

Now, if you are 30 AND under, you should join Face the Musik where you can get concert tickets for $16, $22, $25 or $26.

Or, there’s Pay-What-You-Can-Fridays at Trinity-St. Paul’s. For a list of less-hyphenated concerts, click here.

(Have you noticed everyone is always discriminating against us thirty-and-over-somethings? I suppose it’s because by now we’re supposed to have real jobs and obviously afford full-priced tickets. Ha. What about the late bloomers? No culture for you!)

NOTE! I just noticed on the PWYC Friday schedule that on March 4th 2011 at 8:00pm, they are holding another performance of The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres! YAY! I missed it last year. Here’s what their website says about it:

“Back by popular demand – Tafelmusik’s “out of this world” (Toronto Star) multi-disciplinary stellar concert experience, conceived and programmed by our own Alison Mackay as an homage to Galileo. Gorgeous, celestially-inspired baroque music, stunning visuals, and seamlessly woven literary and historical excerpts narrated by Shaun Smyth. Don’t miss it!”

Hello! Toronto Annex date night! They should link that to Plenty of Fish.

Address: Trinity-St. Paul’s – Bloor & Major (just west of Spadina) – 427 Bloor West
TTC: Spadina Subway Station
Web: www.tafelmusik.org

The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA)

Admission to MOCCA is Pay-What-You-Can every day. How very!

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00am-6:00pm, and located in a strange parking lot at the corner of Queen and Shaw. I have never been to MOCCA because until last week when my friend M and I were strolling along Queen West delivering Christmas baked goods to the homeless (I mean, my friends) I never knew it existed. We actually paused to look in the window of the crepe shop next door and then were like “OMG, MOCCA, PWYC!” (We speak in acronyms, it is fun and annoying. Actually we don’t. But wasn’t believing that both fun and annoying?)

Oh, and MOCCA also hosts exhibits from The National Gallery of Canada (NGC@MOCCA, acronyms 4EVA!), which is a great way to see some of their works without the trek to Ottawa.

(Which reminds me, I need to book a trip to Ottawa soon. For great savings on VIA Rail tickets, click here! Coco Hobo loves her some last minute specials.)

Address: Queen & Shaw – 952 Queen West
TTC: 501 Queen streetcar to Shaw, or Ossington bus to Shaw/Queen
Web: www.mocca.ca

Now go get your culture on! And spend that $20 on a beer.

Enjoy,
x