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Seeing dawn
Jun. 14th, 2004 03:40 pmI arrived in Toronto last evening to find the streets smelling of roses. That hasn't hit Guelph yet; it's surprising how much a few kilometres distance from the lake can make. It's a refreshing difference, too, considering the aroma I often notice in the big city is a background hint of sewage.
Skipping back to yesterday afternoon, the concert was a success for our chorus, drawing encouraging comments from many other choristers. The program was redeemed for me when Guelph Chamber Choir performed a series of songs (for band and chorus) based on poems of Walt Whitman, balancing the conservative religious content. The three church choirs were undeniably accomplished. Guelph has a strong tradition of outstanding choral ensembles.
After the concert Jon drove me to Toronto. It was his birthday, so after stopping at Bill and Danny's for dinner, I met him again at Zipperz for a couple drinks at the piano bar and then some dancing.
At piano bars I always request one of my favourite old songs, Jerome Kern's "All the things you are," and I'm amazed that nobody every knows it. To my delight Greg, the guy at the keyboard last night, did.
Then Jon and I danced for a couple hours at The Cellblock's retro night. I was amazed: I haven't had the energy to dance non-stop like that for several years. It was another indicator of how the anti-depressant has affected me. Here I thought I was just getting too old for that. Dancing like that is something I used to love doing, and now I have it back.
Around 1 p.m. I left Jon at Zipperz, but while running through pouring rain and lightning I decided to duck into the Black Eagle. It was a quiet Sunday night, but I ran into a group of acquaintances and a couple LJ friends. Someone treated me to a couple drinks and I hooked up with a hot French-Canadian bear I've know for a couple years.
Later, walking up Yonge Street to catch the Bloor Street bus, I saw dawn painting the sky. At this latitude and time of year, the sky is already blue by 5 a.m. I haven't experienced that in a long time, except from my own apartment window after an occasional sleepless night. I felt both exhausted and invigorated. A slender moon was riding low.
I haven't stayed out all night for several years. Admittedly, I'm paying for it today, not as much as might be expected. I shouldn't do it very often, knowing how it throws throws the system out of balance. But considering how much I enjoyed myself, I'm happy to discover that I still can.
Skipping back to yesterday afternoon, the concert was a success for our chorus, drawing encouraging comments from many other choristers. The program was redeemed for me when Guelph Chamber Choir performed a series of songs (for band and chorus) based on poems of Walt Whitman, balancing the conservative religious content. The three church choirs were undeniably accomplished. Guelph has a strong tradition of outstanding choral ensembles.
After the concert Jon drove me to Toronto. It was his birthday, so after stopping at Bill and Danny's for dinner, I met him again at Zipperz for a couple drinks at the piano bar and then some dancing.
At piano bars I always request one of my favourite old songs, Jerome Kern's "All the things you are," and I'm amazed that nobody every knows it. To my delight Greg, the guy at the keyboard last night, did.
Then Jon and I danced for a couple hours at The Cellblock's retro night. I was amazed: I haven't had the energy to dance non-stop like that for several years. It was another indicator of how the anti-depressant has affected me. Here I thought I was just getting too old for that. Dancing like that is something I used to love doing, and now I have it back.
Around 1 p.m. I left Jon at Zipperz, but while running through pouring rain and lightning I decided to duck into the Black Eagle. It was a quiet Sunday night, but I ran into a group of acquaintances and a couple LJ friends. Someone treated me to a couple drinks and I hooked up with a hot French-Canadian bear I've know for a couple years.
Later, walking up Yonge Street to catch the Bloor Street bus, I saw dawn painting the sky. At this latitude and time of year, the sky is already blue by 5 a.m. I haven't experienced that in a long time, except from my own apartment window after an occasional sleepless night. I felt both exhausted and invigorated. A slender moon was riding low.
I haven't stayed out all night for several years. Admittedly, I'm paying for it today, not as much as might be expected. I shouldn't do it very often, knowing how it throws throws the system out of balance. But considering how much I enjoyed myself, I'm happy to discover that I still can.
