Vickie and Nicole came for a visit
Thursday after work two of my sisters came over for a visit. This was the first time Vickie saw my new condo. I took them to a restaurant called Arriba in the SkyDome/Rogers Center (baseball stadium). We sat by a window overlooking the field. They had never been in the SkyDome before and really enjoyed it, even though there wasn't a game on. Next we walked down to the Music Gardens on the waterfront to listen to an instrumental orchestra. Unfortunately the show was canceled because of uncertain weather. We took a street car over to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and spent the rest of the night there. I realized that I'm not as gutsy as I used to be and was actually concerned about going on some of the rides! They dragged me onto some of them and it was fun. When we got back to my condo we went for a swim in the pool and a dip in the hot tub. I think they enjoyed their stay and want to move to Toronto now :) Before they arrived they spent the day at the Yorkdale shopping mall, and before they left they went to the Eaton Center (another big shopping mall). Nicole left her acne cream in my bathroom and Vickie left her glasses :)
Skipper Ryan
Sunday I passed my CYA Basic Cruising Skills paper test and the Pleasure Craft Operators Certificate (PCOC) test. Tuesday I passed my on-water test so I can now rent sailboats and join the yacht club! My instructor said that I have potential to be a good sailor given enough experience and she wanted to see me on the boat one more time this week. I went with her, her boyfriend, and a few of her friends the other night. We took the biggest boat at the club and went out past Toronto Island. We literally sailed off into the sunset (technically away from). Views of the city skyline from the water at night are absolutely breathtaking and I now know that sailing is something I will enjoy. The club I went to for my classes is just a 10 minute walk from my condo. It is primarily a training club, and nobody owns the boats there. You either rent the boats or get unlimited usage as a member. Membership for my level will cost around $1300 - $1500/year. I'll probably just rent the boat until the end of this season (one more month) then wait to buy the membership in May. Once a member I'll probably go sailing every Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Working from his home office in Toronto,
Ryan de Laplante can be found developing software in
Java by day, and obsessing with technology by night.
Ryan has been designing and writing software for
IJW since 1998 and is very passionate about his work.
