Toronto
Ok so how was my Canada trip?(7/13 - 7/17) Well it was an adventure. Jon met, No exceeded my expectations for being an offensive, thoughtless, self centered, creepy schitzo.
Despite him I still had some enjoyable moments with Rob. The RUSH Convention was rather lame and boring for me since I am not a RUSH fanatic and barley know anything about them, even Rob was a little disappointed he said the 2004 convention he attended was a whole lot better.
We did some site seeing. We all went up in the CN tower Friday afternoon. We got to look out over the city & take a few pics. Was kind of cool but rather anticlimactic to pay $23 a person and spend 90% of the time in line for the elevator. We had dinner at the Hard rock café overlooking the Rogers Center where the Toronto Blue Jays play.
Saturday we went to Eaton Center a huge mega mall and a few shops along that street. We had dinner at the Food court I got Sushi, Rob had Sbarros’s Pizza and Jon had a Harvey’s cheeseburger. I was amazed how huge food court was and it had food from almost every ethnicity.
Sunday Rob and I went to Casa Loma, a Castle which was part of the former estate of Sir Henry Pellatt, a prominent Toronto financier, industrialist and military man. We had planned on visiting one more site that day but there was some kind of accident on the subway so we were lucky to just make it back to the Hotel before they shut down all the trains for a while. But I was happy I really was exhausted and in pain and didn’t want to do anymore. I felt bad because Rob wanted to see a lot more and I did to but my body just gives out so quickly. We ordered in Pizza for dinner.
Monday morning we checked out of the Marriot and rode with Jon to other side of Toronto to the hotel holding his conference. Then Jon let Rob and I borrow the car for half a day to visit the Pacific Mall-North America’s largest indoor Asian mall.4:30 we headed out of Toronto back toward Michigan. Around 6:30 we stopped in London, Ontario again because Jon had left his soap dish at the Howard Johnson and wanted to see if they still had it. We also needed to get gas and some dinner. Then back on the road and back in Michigan by 9pm, picked up Robs car from Jon’s apartment and loaded our stuff in went to Rob’s home
For more nitty gritty details you can read on otherwise the above summary gives the jist of the adventure.
We left Thursday around 5:30, Jon would not even attempt to try and fit my wheel chair into his trunk. 
But I was told the Days Inn hotel where the convention was being held was only 2 blocks away from our Marriott hotel. So I figured OK, I can just use my cane and handle it. Around 9pm we got off highway 401 in London, Ontario and spent the night at a Howard Johnson in separate room from Jon. Early in the morn Jon called our room with the wake up call message “stop fucking and get dressed” not pleasant. 
But We had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant around 8 am. Where I learned in Canada, Canadian bacon is called peameal bacon. Then back on the road to Toronto.
Friday checked into our hotel, found subway underneath and took it to the stop nearest the CN Tower. It was a couple blocks walk and very hot but we kept popping into air conditioned shops and looking around on the way. It was hard to believe for an elevator ride up a tower it cost $23. The wait to get in the elevator was a lot longer than actually walking all the way around the observation deck taking pictures, but it was a nice clear day and a magnificent view. Less than a block from the tower was a Hard Rock café connected to the baseball stadium. One side of the restaurant was windows that overlooked the Rogers Center where the Toronto Blue Jays play. We watched the team warm up for a game as we ate our dinner. Then Jon went off to see the hockey hall of fame, while Rob and I took the subway and went back to the hotel to rest a little while before the night’s event.
The Friday night meet and greet had a projector that ran video clips and music of the band, a table with finger foods, a pay bar, some games where you could win dollar store prizes, a raffle for moderately better prices and a kimono contest that was a bunch of bullshit. It was said prize would be awarded on best RUSH themed kimono and best “runway strut” of the 5 contestants only 2 had RUSH themed ones the others just had ordinary robes. Instead of the organizers voting according to there posted rules they had the crowd vote. So the youngest cute girl who had flirted the most all night won, even though she had an ordinary robe.
So yeh the meet and greet was a let down and getting there was a pain, literally. I was led to believe that the convention was 2 blocks from our hotel and was not made aware that subway transportation was available to me. The Conference was in a hotel ½ a mile away I don’t think Rob realized how bad this walk was going to hurt me and I don’t think Jon cared, he was just annoyed at how slow I was. The walk was amusing and “colorful” because the street we went down was the homosexual district; Rainbow flags flew from most every building, gay clubs, gay stag shop…
We finally got to the Days Inn. I was in a lot of pain, bored and angry. 
I actually lost my temper and swore at Jon as he stumbled by after a few drinks to make conversation by insulting me. The walk home was worse. My body had already surpassed its limit, every few blocks I had to stop and sit a few minutes. At least Rob wasn’t trying to push me. We were about 2-4 blocks from hotel when we came upon a McDonalds, Jon said lets go inside, I just wanted to keep going and get back to $#%$%& hotel. But I was so exhausted and in pain I didn’t care to argue. While he ate his junk food he asked me a question that shocked me. 
He asked something like “Why don’t you kill yourself? How can you be joking/laughing about this when you have so many problems?” He continued to repeatedly ask me variations of this question for the rest of the trip as I continued to laugh and make jokes while I took my large quantity of pills/vitamins and as I struggled to walk. I told him suicide is against my religion and I do get depressed or angry and cry but I try not to let it dominate my life. I don’t know if he was looking for some great philosophical or religious answer to make his life have meaning, because he is a miserable, angry, depressed man.
We Got back to the the hotel and got a bucket of Ice, dumped it in the tub and filled it with enough water to soak my feet & legs, to try and stop the buring, throbbing pain.
Saturday 11:00am -1:00 & 2:30-3:30 was the movie matinee. More clips of RUSH in concert, in the news, etc. Jon left early to have him McDonald breakfast and get there when matinee started. Rob and I slept in and had some personal time. We then took the subway which happened to have a stop that was less than a block from the Days Inn. (Why $#@? Didn’t Jon tell us that the night before, probably because he didn’t want to walk alone at night and didn’t want to pay the $2.75 each way for subway fee?) 3:30-5:00 was the charity auction; the money raised goes to a food bank, all rather boring. 6-8:30pm was private party at a club co-owned by the drummer (?) of Rush. At an additional cost of only $60 but that includes a bus tour on Sunday. 9-12pm was the Tribute band concert this I thought would be cool and make up for what I thought was a waste of $55 per person so far. But I didn’t get to see it! 
Jon would not drive his car because he didn’t want to pay parking costs and would not let us borrow it. The theatre the concert was being held in was beyond the subway system, the Convention people were only providing bus transportation to people who went to the Orbit party and a cab would cost too much.
So we went to the Eaton Center Mall a Huge multilevel building. But it closes at 6pm on weekends and we got there after 5pm. So after quick look around in one corner we went to one of the food courts for dinner. I got sushi! They have huge Asian population in Toronto there’s all kinds Asians restraints on every street we went. And because sushi is something that can only be served fresh and they mall was soon to close I got mine 30% off. So my meal was $7 something. Rob bought 2 slices of Sbarros’s stuffed pizza and a large pop. It cost almost $15. Did I mention everything in Toronto cost about twice as much as in Michigan? Then we went out to street level to visit some more shops I only made it a few blocks, Shoe store, a Stag shop and another Hard Rock Gift shop and I was in agony. Lucky there was a “square” with benches, fountains, performers and some vendors. I told Rob, Go with Jon and I will wait here. He was afraid to leave me. I said its still light out I’m surrounded by people and if anyone bothers me I can beat them with my cane. So they went off down the street to Sam the Record Man-biggest independent record store in Canada or something. I watched the performers and children running through the fountains until they got back and we took subway back to the hotel. Where I iced My feet and Legs again.
Sunday Rob and I went to Casa Loma, a Castle built in the early 1900’s which was part of the former estate of Sir Henry Pellatt, a prominent Toronto financier, industrialist and military man. The subway stopped only 2 blocks from the estate but it was 2 blocks uphill and once you got to the foot of the estate there was literally a mountain of strains to climb. So many stairs that they actually had 3 sitting areas to rest as you went up and to the entrance of the castle. We had made it that far and paid for our tickets so I wasn’t going to give up, it took me a while to get there but we made it to the castle and Rob took quite a few pictures once we wee inside. We got to watch a short film on the history of the castle (which gave me time to rest and build up energy to tour the 3 floors). The castle was equipped with the original elevator because of its age and small size and no ventilation if was not open for public use, but was made available for the use of people with disability. So every time we needed to change floors we had to find one of the staff to operate the elevator. It was a very lovely castle and museum.
We had planned on visiting one more site that day but there was some kind of accident on the subway so we were lucky to just make it back to the Hotel before they shut down all the trains for a while. But I was happy I really was exhausted, hot and in pain and didn’t want to do anymore. I actucally sat in the tub of icewater this day to cool down my whoel body and ease the pain in my legs and feet. I felt bad because Rob wanted to see a lot more and I did to but my body just gives out so quickly. We waited for Jon to return from some conference on staring own business, working stock market or something. Rob wanted Pizza so we decided to order in Pizza for dinner. Jon said he didn’t want to order in pizza, he would go with us to Pizza, Pizza (like a little Caesars). I didn’t want that cheep greasy stuff it makes me sick and didn’t want to go out walking around in the heat. So Jon went to Harvey’s again.
He got back before our food had arrived and was visibly annoyed that his 2 cheeseburger meal cost $15 that was more per person that our 2 medium pizza with 3 topping, cinnamon sticks and 4 cans of coke at $26. The whole time we were eating he was hawking over us and hinting he wanted some. Even though I had more than half left of mine I wouldn’t share it that night because he so annoyed me.
Monday morning he was letting us borrow the car for half a day, and said come back to get me for lunch I said the Pacific Mall we are visiting opens at 11am we will not be back in time. So I offered my pizza to him to have as lunch while he was at his conference thing but he complained about not wanting to carry it or having a place to nuke it. 
Monday 6:30 we rode with him to the other side of Toronto, then nearly pissed myself (was over hour ride and I had taken my diuretic pill which kicks in after an hour) as he tried to find the ONLY MCDONALD’S near the hotel holding the conference. He claimed he had to have his McDonald’s breakfast or he can’t function. So he gets his breakfast and let him off at the hotel, the then keys are handed over to me. Rob and I chill at a café with smoothie and fruit and fiber muffin for a bit then head off to the Pacific Mall-North America’s largest indoor Asian mall. Rob and I thought it would be so cool.
When we got there the mall was not quite open yet but there was an Asian market next door so we and checked that out. I bought some Adzuki beans and snacking seaweed; low in carbs, calories, fat and a good source of iodine.
The upper level of the Pacific Mall was pretty much the only part that opened by 11am, and it was all Asian food court. Around noon half the actual lower level shops were open and it was not all the fascinating. I had thought there would be more stores that sold Asian import wares, but it was just a lot of stores that had cloths, shoes and such targeting petite Asian size and quite a lot of bootleg video/DVD/CD booths. The few stores that sold import items I was interested in were very expensive actually most the stores were very expensive. Only one vendor was reasonably priced. I saw an adorable purse but they only took cash and I only had $20 in USD left, we had used up all our Canadian money. Oh well I didn’t NEED it.
It was after 1 and we decided to find some lunch Rob isn’t into trying ethnic foods so we drove to another mall nearby and had a problem because the 2 local café/deli we went into were also run by Asians and would not accept credit card, but we saw a Starbucks connected to Canadian version of Borders. Rob wanted to check out the book store so we grabbed a smoothie and a sandwich there. Then was back was a nightmare. 
They don’t clearly mark how to get onto the highways and they merge and separate so much it seems you have to be familiar with the area to figure out were you are going. 2nd the map we had only showed major roads and Rob is TOTALLY “directionally impaired.” 
So I am driving and trying to look at the map because twice he sent us in the wrong direction. We defiantly acted like a married couple bitching and bickering at each other because we were both stressed over getting lost. But we found out way back.
4:30 we headed out of Toronto back toward Michigan. Around 6:30 we stopped in London, Ontario again because Jon had left his soap dish at the Howard Johnson and wanted to see if they still had it. It was a dollar store soap dish and had been tossed but he was all pissed over it. 
We were pissed when we found out he could have stopped at the exit previous to this where gas was 10 cents cheaper per liter, almost 4 liters per gallon because we agreed to pay the gas. But instead of splitting the total he claims he said I filled it once you fill it on way back. He claims he filled the tank Sunday but failed to come up with a receipt to prove it. When I looked at his gas gage when it was handed over to me on Monday it was around half. From all driving Rob and I did barely used an 8th of a tank. Anyway…
We had Pizza Pizza for Dinner, even after previously telling him it made me sick, and there was Wendy’s, Arby’s & other restaurants all along on the same street Jon didn’t’ give a shit so that’s were he stopped. So Rob and I had kind of pizza wrap sandwiches. There was big Dollar store next door, so Rob and I went to check it out while Jon ate his Pizza. This place was big and had some pretty cool stuff we hadn’t seen in Michigan dollar stores. Jon bought a new soap dish for 50 cents.
Then back on the road and back in Michigan by 9pm, picked up Robs car from Jon’s apartment and loaded our stuff in went to Rob’s home.
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