The learning NEVER stops!

Perhaps my problem is I am too curious about the world in general? I just feel that I need to be looking at NEW things, learning NEW things, discovering NEW things. So what if I can't retain those new things!!!!   I am having fun. Hey - I still remember the word AUTODIDACT and I remember what it means!!!

Anyway - having a "great" time learning this new phone. Even though they transferred the data - there is still lots to set up. Most adults (well me anyway) never seem to have time to sit down and play with the darn thing. That is why teenagers know all about this stuff - they don't have much else to do and literally must go through each menu on the phone and play with it and figure it out. My biggest issue is getting connected to everything. All the account usernames and passwords. God - there are so many variations it is hard to keep track of them all (YES - I can hear someone say that I need a GREEN BINDER) - well I have a little notebook, but that doesn't help when you aren't close to the little notebook or the green binder. Anyway - with the exception that I haven't yet figured out how to get it to work in the car (it is paired but not connected) everything else seems to be working just fine. Ahhhhhhhh - it's a wonderful life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Our play date revolved around learning as well. M is interested in fashion design/marketing, etc. and I thought it would be a great idea for us to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). They had a couple of displays that sounded like "fun".

The entrance to the ROM

 The first one was called Fresh Flowers by David Hockney (Drawings on the iPhone and iPad). Yes - how cool is that and they were all displayed on iPhones or iPads!!!!   The artist (an OLD guy) used a drawing program (not sure which one) and proceeded to draw LOTS of paintings on the iPhone and later moved to the iPad. It was amazing and I kept saying "I want that drawing program". You were NOT supposed to take pictures, but I snuck one in. The iPads cycled through several paintings on each one. The iPhones just had one image each.

As you went into the gallery, there was a QR scan where you could download one of the paintings to your phone. Of course - I DID NOT have the QR scan app on my phone, but I managed to download it while we were there (thank goodness for 3G connections) and then got my drawing. Of course - now the new phone does not have the app nor the drawing!!!!

Fresh Flowers exhibit on iPad and iPhone

One of the drawings from the exhibit literature

M at the Fresh Flowers exhibit

Hey - do you ever read those brochures????   Interesting concept for an "old" guy. But think about this - not only can you make your drawings on the iPad, but you can distribute them on the iPad. And if you want to travel and paint - no brushes, no paints, no mess - easy to start, easy to stop. Anybody can do it. Wow - the world is changing FAST!!!!!!   Anyway - the OLD me would keep that brochure. The NEW me is going to read it one more time and then recycle it!!!!


Don't rush down to see this exhibit - we got lucky. It was supposed to close on January 1, but was still available for viewing on the day we were there.



Something funny about the ROM - when we arrived in the front door - there was a line-up (kids are out of school), it is noisy, it is crowded. Then we go upstairs via the elevators to the 4th floor where BOTH of our exhibits happen to be. There is NO ONE!!!!    The place was deserted except for the security guard. A few people wondered in while we were there, but it was dead!!!!   Both exhibits were in the pyramid structure which is weird and I will touch on in a second.

This was the second exhibit and the main reason why we went there. Shoot - I didn't take a picture of the exhibit title. Here is the title

Riotous Colour, Daring Patterns: Fashions + Textiles 18th to 21st Centuries

Here are a few things that we saw................................

Dresses printed on Tyvek - obviously from a PREVIOUS era. I mean who would walk around with JAWS on your chest or the Twin Towers. That was pretty weird. 

Paper dresses - predates the Tyvek dresses

Disposable UNDERWEAR!!!!

Are you dressed right?????  

Gorgeous quilt - nicely pieced too. 

More quilts

This was gorgeous - black velvet used as the dark

These were TEENY TINY - VERY TEENY TINY

Pineapple block

The EVERYDAY dresses - imagine working in that!!!!!!

A tad more modern design - and how about that yardage behind the suit!!!!

Novelty fabric from another age!!!!!

Anyway - you get the idea. A VERY ECLECTIC mix of fabrics and styles. There was a LOT LOT more to this exhibit. How fabric is created - styles of designing/printing/blocking etc. It was a very good exhibit and one of the fabrics on display (along with the garment it was created for) was designed by a graduate of Ryerson Univeristy which is where M would like to go. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one!!!!!


Then after taking in the two exhibits that we came for we decided to take the stairs down. These are called The Stairs of Wonder and there are some amazing exhibits on display. Wonderfully shaped display cases....

Looking down the stair case at the catwalks on lower levels

Display cases

That is a LONG way down (this is looking DOWN the staircase)

More display cases

On our way down - we stopped in briefly at this exhibit

I believe this was done by an African artist - the "solid" part is made from flattened bottle caps. The rest is twisted metal. Its' sheer size is impressive. I couldn't get the entire thing in the frame

Then we stopped at this exhibit. When M was about two, she had a book about dinosaurs that went with us everywhere. She knew the names of almost all of them even though she couldn't "read" the names - she had them all memorized. Well let's see how she does......................

The angle of this is weird - I was trying to get the entire thing in. 

Scary!!!!!!

Stegosaurus (I think) 

Things that swim

Triceratops

Things that fly

And do I even need to tell you - the T-REX!!!!!!!!!   Scary devil!!!!!

Prior to arriving at the ROM - we decided to take a drive around the Ryerson U campus. Well mostly you can drive around the city block. So we did - then took a turn (hey - I do not bad in downtown Toronto despite not really knowing the city that well) and then BANG - we were right in front of a MAJOR Toronto legend. We HAD to stop. Do you know where we stopped?????


Take a look - this may give you a clue.................

A major grocery store took over the location and converted it to a grocery store 

Do you know now????   This is the MAPLE LEAF GARDENS where the Maple Leafs played hockey for MANY years. The store is AMAZING. We walked around with the camera and didn't buy a thing. One of the people we spoke to said that happened a LOT!!!!!!


I love being a tourist in my own town!!!!!

Here are more pictures for you to enjoy!!!!

A HUGE maple leaf - do you know what is made of????

(From level two) - hard to see - but those are the seats from the Gardens - they shaped them into the maple leaf. I LOVE IT!!!!!

The deli area - lots or room for sitting and having your lunch - brilliant idea  given the location of this store. 

The salad bar

An endless aisle of groceries!!!!!

Note - they had important dates highlighted on the pillars - Grand Opening (of the original) - November 12, 1931 

Cool art behind the check outs

Notice the dot on the floor - any idea of the significance of that dot????   Remember this was a HOCKEY ARENA

The TWO STORY BAKERY and that impressive wall of cheese

The tops of the tables for public seating are covered with articles and pictures of events that took place at the Gardens

The make over is BRILLIANT. If you are in the neighbourhood - then you need to visit this store. We want to go and do groceries there ONCE - why not?????


Oh and they also have this area which we thought would be perfect for Marian!!!!

A one stop grocery store!!!!

Wait - there is more!!!!   We did all the above BEFORE lunch. Now you know why M had to nap on the way home!!!!!


We had lunch at Subway (of course) right across from the ROM. Then we had to browse the shops on Bloor. You know - Hermes, Michael Kors, - all the ones that we "LOVE". We didn't go into many of them, but had fun window shopping. We did go into Michael Kors - I know - I HATE name brands and I HATE purses, but I saw this and fell in love.

Sorry - I did NOT take a picture in the store - I thought that was too tacky. Check out the web page.......


Michael Kors PURSE

No - I did NOT buy it, but I was tempted and DH would have been PLEASED since he is such a FOP. Well that isn't quite the word that fits here, but he is very brand conscious and very careful about his dress. He would LOVE to have me carry this purse. I may still go back. I really really like it - but did you check out the price. Ye gods - that could buy a LOT of fabric.

Well one of the reasons I did NOT buy it was that I was hoping to buy this...............


Down Sweater      (to get the full impact - click on the LAST colour to get the colour I want)

But when we got to the Patagonia store - they did NOT have the colour I wanted and it was too far to go back to Bloor Street.


We stopped to take this picture......

A giant measuring tape and thimble!!!!!

And we thought Ruti's was crowded - this store was filled with dead ends everywhere. Can you find M in the picture?????/

Here are a couple of other pictures from the day that are blog worthy..................

A book we found (did not buy). If ever you want to get to know someone - this is a great book. I think I mentioned that we used some of these questions (that Marian pulled from the internet) for our Christmas dinner discussion!!!!   Very enlightening to say the least. 

A VERY cool sign that we saw at the Patagonia store

The ONLY thing I purchased - some sparky beads that I might use with the clay beads I made. There were pretty inexpensive (I thought)

M in the Spirit Room at the ROM. Very SLIPPERY chairs. 

Got more to share, but time is UP!!!!!!    And I have a LONG LONG to do list today.



Have a great day!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!