Awesome Christmas Holiday Awesomeness, Days 2 and 3

We took a day off from awesomeness on Tuesday, but on Wednesday we were back at it with a visit to the Science Centre. (We're members there, so the day only cost us about $45 for food and transit.) We saw an exhibit about the Aga Khan Ismaili Museum, which is under construction just up the road from the Science Centre, we saw a demonstration about fire and explosions, we visited the rainforest (Delphine's favourite) and that hallway with all the soundproofing that's really quiet and makes you feel like your head is full of cotton wool — that's my favourite. We also went through a terrific exhibit about mythical creatures and the real-life phenomena which might have inspired them. Did you know there used to be a giant prehistoric ape in China? Delphine's favourite part of that exhibit was a poster about a boy who loves Pokémon. That seems like a weird thing to have in a show about mythical creatures, but I think their points were that some Pokémon monsters are inspired by mythical creatures, and that Pokémon are kind of their own mythology.

On Thursday we went down to the ROM, where we also have a membership. We saw the special exhibit on the Terracotta Warriors, which was nicely done. I'm sure I would have learned something if the show hadn't been crowded with everyone else in Ontario who decided to put off visiting it until the last week. Even so, it was impressive and well-organized.

We accidentally saw an exhibit of art by an African artist who uses found objects to make beautiful flowing sculptures. (Accidentally because we took the elevator up to the upstairs (fancy) restaurant to see what was up there, and then came down the stairs which deposited us into the exhibit.) The girls weren't really interested, except they thought it was neat that the sculptures were made of bottle caps and things. From there we stopped into the Textiles area, which I think is fascinating but the girls were bored by. Some of the little clothes held their interest for a while, especially the little yellow boy's dress. But there weren't any garments in their sizes: everything on display was either toddler size or adult size. I pointed out that Delphine was almost big enough to wear the adult dresses — people really were tiny back then.

We also spent our usual time in the Bat Cave, and in the hands-on kids' area. (My favourite thing is the super microscope hooked up to a TV — I like to use it to magnify my flaking, cracked cuticles and gross myself and the girls out.)

We had lunch at the ROM, in the basement cafe, and as usual it was cheap and delicious. We got a pizza, a burger, chili, poutine, and a smoked pork burrito, plus a brownie and a nanaimo bar, for $32. I would go there for lunch all the time if I worked nearby; they have more grown-up food than pizza and burgers, and it's all locally sourced and freshly made.

Thursday night we had our neighbours over for a drink — I had invited them to our Christmas Carol Jam but they were too sick, so this was their make-up drink. We chatted about New Year's Eve plans, and they said they were having some people for dinner and to play a karaoke game on their Nintendo. When I expressed my unholy love for karaoke they invited me over, so that's how I ended up going to my neighbours' at 12:10 am on January 1st (leaving Blake at home with the girls because he's so not into karaoke). They and their friends were friendly and welcoming, and I had a terrific time. I might have kicked some karaoke ass, too, even though the game is weird and picks the songs for you. I was out until 3:30, which is unheard of, and didn't fall asleep until 4:00. I might have been a teeny bit drunk, too. Not as drunk as my neighbours, though; it was like a university party!

Today, thankfully, was an easy day. In between catching up on sleep I did laundry and moved things around. Tomorrow we'll move things around some more, and go skating, and then out for Sunday Family Dinner, and then they holiday is over and everything goes back to normal. I'm not quite ready for this holiday to be over, but I'm excited about 2011 and the new things it will bring. Happy New Year!