AGO - Renaissance and Patti Smith

Dropped in on the members night to see the Early Renaissance Show (Secrets in Florentine Art) and Patti Smith's photographs (Camera Solo).

While not keen on the crowds in the Renanaissance gallary, I was nonetheless pleased to see so many members. The detail in the pieces was incredible and definitely compelling to study - I strongly recommend you see this show. But hurry - its only around for a few more weeks.

Of course, there are lots of other interesting exhibits to visit, but we enjoyed the Patty Smith show and were typically non plussed by the Cardiff and Miller show (Lost in Memory Place). I have just never understood modern art - its pretty much the emperor with no clothes to me ..............

TSO POPS - West Side Story

What an amazing show. I have never seen this movie and brought my two teens with me to enjoy watching it on the big screen at Roy Thomson Hall, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra playing the entire score. What can I say – you really should get a POPS subscription. The conduction is charming, the shows are always innovative and the TSO is awesome! It doesn’t get much better than this ……….

Factory Theatre - Stopheart

Coming of age in South Porcupine.

Very intense, dealing with death and disappointment, but balanced with some periods of comic relief. For me, this piece was too long and contained several seemingly improperly placed monologues by characters that I would not expect to be so literate. Not quite sure where it was going sometimes.

Notwithstanding, I found myself still thinking about this play in the morning, wishing that Eli could somehow have found a different path.

Disney - Day 7 - Epcot, Magic Kingdom

A sleep in day, arriving at Epcot Future World around 9:30. Another run on Test Track (I love speed!), tried the tame space shuttle (a breeze) and sent electronic post cards from Space and Storm Chaser.

Then off to the World Showcase, taking the ferry across the lake, to take up from where I had left off a few days ago. Suggest you book a meal in the lovely candlelit Mexican restaurant. More movies and rides on this side of the lake (U.S., Italy, Germany, Mexico, Norway) so wasn't finished until 4. Highlights in the World Showcase include the 360 degree film presenting Canada's breathtaking views, narrated by the hilarious Martin Short, England's excellent fish and chips at the kiosk and Cadbury chocolate bars in the tea shop, pastries in France....

Dropped into Downtown Disney for a little shopping (I just love the Design-a-T shop), then back to the hotel for that yummy fish sandwich!

Since the Contemporary is less than a 10 min walk from Magic Kingdom, I decided to spend the evening there. Took another turn at Pirates of the Caribbean (my fav here) and dropped in on the Presidents (great history lesson) and a few other rides, while I waited for the electric Light Parade (beautiful) and fireworks (awesome).

Disney - Day 6 - Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios

Definitely worth hitting Animal Kingdom early. Nominal line-ups at the attractions I was interested in and headed back to my hotel by 11. I didn't do any of the shows though - too lazy to time my visit and didn't fortuitously hit anything. You should pick up the time of shows as you enter the park so you can be at the right place at the right time. I love the shopping here too - lots of great animal shirts, beach towels, etc.

Nice swim and relaxing lunch at the hotel - loved the cajun mahi-mahi sandwich.

Spent the late afternoon and evening at Hollywood Studios - my favourite attraction here is the Star Wars ride. I get a fast pass, then do something else until my time slot comes up, then get another fast pass, and so on until I'm ready to leave the park. Note the Toy Story arcade game style ride is so popular that fast passes run out early in the day and stand-by line-ups can get up to 2 hours. I can't imagine who would want to wait that long ...

Disney - Day 5 - Leadership Day 4, Hollywood Studios

Great closing to the course, with an effective reinforcement of the Disney principles for leadership excellence and a guest speaker - the general manager of the water parks. I have come to realize that Disney culture includes a penchant for corny jokes. Everyone we meet makes them all the time, from the staff at Disney Institute to the ride operators in the parks, to the hotel front desk staff ... these people love their jobs.

Finishing after lunch gave me a good eight hours for the parks so I headed to Hollywood Studios with some friends. It was great having a park alumni with me, as I could totally relax and just follow along, without having to consult a map. Made it through about half of the attractions I was interested in, including finally getting the nerve for the Tower of Terror - what was I waiting for! I also finally got into the Toy Story game - lots of fun, although my score was embarassing ...

Disney - Day 4 - Leadership Day 3, Magic Kingdom

Another great on-site tour, this time of the laundry facilities. At peak time, this crew processes 2.1 million pounds of towels, linens and costumes a day. Incredible!

On Thursdays Magic Kingdom is open until 11 so I had enough time to do the things I most enjoy in this park, including watching the fireworks. Adventureland and Tomorrowland are my favoirites. Also Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain.

Another magical day !

Disney - Day 3 - Leadership Day 2, Epcot World Showcase

Bright and early for breakfast at 8 - its going to be a full day ...

Got a great backstage tour of Magic Kingdom and Disney's workforce management technology. Pretty impressive. Love how they use the terms backstage and on stage so all cast members know when they are on.

Finished early enough to head to Epcot and taste the #1 CoCa Cola drink in 6 countries. Also toured France, Morocco and Japan. Picked up some great anime T-shirts and accessories you cannot get back home - the kids wil be thrilled !

Finished off the day with an excellent meal in France and the fireworks.

Disney - Day 2 - Epcot Future World, Leadership Day 1

Took advantage of the early park access at Epcot (its a different park each day) to start my day off soarin' (as good as any IMax show at the Ontario Science Centre!). Other highlights and old favourites  included Ellen (energy), Spaceship Earth and Captain EO - a fun show featuring Michael Jackson and his awesome dance moves, from back in the eighties. My absolute favourite is Test Track and here's a great tip - There is a 10 minute wait for individual riders vs fast pass or 40 min if you are a single rider. Consider splitting up your group, if the kids are old enough to go on their own. I love this ride!

Back late afternoon for the start of the Disney Leadership Exellence course. Excellent meal and great intro about Walt Disney - the leader that left a huge legacy, that is still going strong - over 40 years after his death.

Disney - Day 1 - Arrival, Downtown Disney

Pretty uneventful flight. Left at a decent time and arrived mid day - plenty of time to head to Downtown Disney to eat (Earl of Sandwich is amazing and reasonably priced), shop and browse.  I highly recommend the "design your own character T-shirt" shop. Any Disney character you can imagine, your choice of 10 colours, in long vs short sleeve, adult vs child, good Hanes quality, 4 lines of custom text. My daughter is going to be thrilled with her awesome, personalized Phineas and Ferb T.

Conference guests are staying at the Contemporary Resort. It is very modern and a little boring, feels like I could be anywhere. When at Disney, I prefer one of the themed hotels. The amenities are great though, including a small market with wine, beer, staples and snacks. The monorail passes right through this hotel though, which is pretty cool.

There is free wifi throughout the resort and parks, which is great for cell phone users who didn't purchase a roaming plan (me ...).

YPT - La Fugue

This play tackled a difficult topic in a very creative and multi layered way, integrated with music and brimming with symbolism generated lots of issues to talk about after.

This story tells about the fate of a runaway, from the viewpoint of his father, trying to figure out where he has gone and where he might be. It does not handle lightly the consequences of falling in with a gang, from a brutal initiation to an equally brutal treatment of the young man's girlfriend. Definitely a good play for the pre-teen, who may think that the rules at home can be abandoned for something better on the street.

Provoked a lot of conversation and has been making the rounds for the last 6 years, bringing its powerful message to teens of all walks of life. Definitely recommended.

Canstage - The Golden Mean (Live)

Once again, I have the opportunity to confirm I am not a fan of dance. Despite some impressive choreography and skill, and some fascinating work with masks, I struggled to stay awake - perhaps the music and pacing was too soothing for me.

The pace of modern dance is too slow and the message often eludes me. The audience however, seemed to be very impressed, with resounding applause, random standing ovations and exuberant cat calls (friends, maybe...).

Definitely erotic, sometimes primordial, very creative - perhaps you can lose yourself in this piece.

RSGC - Showcase Concert

What a talented bunch of kids. And I'm not just saying that because my son is in one of the bands that played tonight. All of the bands were good, a testament to the quality of teaching and the commitment to music at this school. The Palais Royale was a wonderful venue for this event - the service was great and the view from the patio was most enjoyable on what turned out to be a nice mild evening. Gorgeous start to the warmer weather !

Mirvish - The Book of Mormon

Very smart and creative script. The voices were amazing. The leads were all very strong. A little bit irreverant and quite crude, in a fun kind of way. If you have tickets, good for you - you will love it. If you don't already have tickets - too bad, it has been sold out for a while.

Canstage - Race

A very well written play, with some very challenging dialogue to deliver, expertly mastered by the cast. A little bit of a who-dunit, as we tried to figure out where it was going and who was manipulating whom - or maybe they all were ..........