Diamonds in Dundas Square

Which building above is the most interesting in Dundas Square?

Cool eh; so inconspicuous and un-assuming.

Fact: diamond guys always want their windows to face north. North provides the best light for inspecting diamonds.

This was filmed inside the above building:

That’s Berge waving at the end, one of Canada’s premiere diamond setters.

This was back in 2009, when I was really into diamonds.

Remember Keith? He was the

“Official Gemologist to ‘The Canadian Explorer'”

Episode # 32/80 – Exploring Diamonds

30 carats of diamonds

Hi Keith!  Welcome back to my blog.

(click here and here and here for the original posts)

And there is your Toronto fact of the day!

Except I will never do a “Toronto Fact of the Day” collection, that sounds horribly boring.

 

 

Hope Your May 24 Was Excellent Too

Kicked off the weekend Friday night with a beer up on high.

Look at the guy in blue behind me, ha.

Now look down.

I love the holidays in town, you have the city all to yourself.

Switched cars again, look for an orange blur around TO this week.

It’s easy to drive, the Focus.  This is the one that parks itself, too.  All. By. Itself.  Watch my video of that here.

I put a few hundred kilometres on Sunday driving to Pelham, Ontario to cheer on my cycling team, who performed great, go team!

I took a break from the internet all weekend.

Can you leave your phone alone, or one further, at home when you go out? If you can’t, that’s not good.

I cleaned a lot this weekend. I do every year around this time.

Look at that smog water; that’s the price of living downtown.

Ahhhh better. I was surprised when the floor turned out to be white.

Like my snow tires ottomans? Driver at Heart.

Spring cleaning done, and this is a very happy me.

I can’t concentrate when things aren’t in order. I’m completely moved in now.

Girls night!

Lots of long city walks.

That’s Yonge and Wellsley.

I saw $3 million in cars go by in as many minutes.

A guy tapped me on the shoulder yesterday, “hi, I’ve been following you for several blocks, you have a really great walk, and I had to tell you”.

Notice anything about my outfits in this post? I’m not wearing all black :O

You must’ve been tired of seeing me always in black, I know I was tired of blogging the photos. But one suitcase for four months means everything must match, which means everything black.

I unpacked all my clothes that had been in storage since last fall.  Colour ahoy.

Have a great week! 

 

The Pepsi Taste Challenge is Back

This is Pinewood: Canada’s largest movie studio.  

I’ve always wanted to go, ever since Canadian Explorer days, click here and here.

For the first time since 2004, the Pepsi Taste Challenge is back this summer.

It started over the long weekend and continues until Labour Day. Here’s their Facebook page and here’s their Twitter to find out when they’ll be in your city.

You want to go, because not only will you meet “Poptimus Prime”…

… but you’ll get to interact with a Microsoft Surface!

See how the table knew my name and where I was standing, all from that paper business card? So slick. Pretty sure they’re doing it with RFIDs (that’s a whole topic for Smarten Up, Internet).

(sidenote: I used my first Surface at the Olympics two years ago, click here and fast forward to 0:24)

Pepsi has been doing Taste Challenges since 1976, and they’ve found Canadians prefer the taste of Pepsi.  This Canadian does.

 

 

 

I'm Homeless in 2 Weeks

No dramatics, I literally am.

I gave up my place January 1 when I embarked on my ‘Avoiding Winter 2012 Tour‘.

Guess I should get on finding a place to live, huh. I’m good the week I get back, but only that one week.

The requirements:

  • right downtown
  • no roommates
  • parking a MUST (I’ve got some sweet Fords and Lincolns lined up for my return!)

  • and NEVER a basement apartment.  They’re bad for your head

This was my view for 3 years.

Now that is good for the head.

I could see so much when I’d wake up, and it’d make me go, “work harder, Keri.  Look at all the competition“.

That was in CityPlace. I had a really great place for a really great price, until my landlord sold it last fall. That’s when I gave away everything I own and became a gypsy.

It’s dismal out there, guys.

And the roommates are “charming” and “professional”. Uh-huh.  $800/month sub-terranean room in you’ll share with 3 noisy pigs.

And then the bed bug factor: try to save a couple hundred a month, end up burning your belongings.

If you are ever looking to start a business, rent out furnished apartments for $1,200/month; they don’t exist.

Here’s a couple of my dream places.

Another old bank. As if it’s been empty for so long.

Imagine I popped out of there when you were walking by, hi hi! Nice day isn’t it!

Dream big I say.

Last fall I looked into ‘One King West‘. Beautiful. That’s going to be a setting in my movie one day.

It’s also an old bank. Wouldn’t be my first time living in an old bank.

Oddly, I had the appointment in the morning, and that evening went there to a Stella party.

(if ever you are invited to a Stella party, go; they’re always amazing)

Thought about Etobicoke aka “New Toronto”. That place is really booming. Predicted that in 2010, ha.

Wish I could live in my beloved Cherry Beach.

I’d also like to be a house sitter for rich people. I’d be so good at that. I’m probably cleaner than them, and I won’t use your appliances.

I’ll figure it out, I don’t mind the stress. But this isn’t really stress.

Stress is living in war-torn Rwanda, looking for a bug for dinner.

If you have any ideas or links, please advise.  TTYL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Miss My View

This was my view for 3 years.

That’s the cutest airport, Porter.

 

The shortest ferry ride in the world.

Different filers on my Olympus PEN.

There’s CBC, my first job when moving here.

I ended up becoming their inaugural made-for-web-show.

TheCanadianExplorer.com

Can you picture me standing at the bottom of the Rogers sign the night I guarded ACDC? Ha.

Woah this winter weather this is outstanding!

Thanks for a great visit home, Toronto, see you in the spring!!

 

 

 

 

 

PS – Gah, just realized: how can I not have a ‘Toronto’ blog category? Now I do.