I went to bed earlier this morning at about 03:15 and woke up six hours later. Call me insane. It's the weekend, for crying out loud!

I decided to clean up a bit around the place. I then had to back the car out of the driveway so that my dad could run some errands. I spent some time talking to my mom before I helped my dad haul in the groceries he had purchased. I put them all away and then headed out.

I had to visit the advance poll to vote for the municipal election. The poll is fairly close to where I live. It probably took me no more than five minutes to drive over there. It happened to be in a community centre. There's a library, an ice hockey arena, a swimming pool, and rooms where you can have meetings.

So, I found the voting place. The folks ahead of me went to the wrong poll. Strange. I actually met my trainer, who said that she recognized me. She told me to visit one of the two deputy returning officers (DROs) for my ballot. I guess that I'll be using a computer. The DRO there had one.

It was a good experience. I filled in the circles, indicating the candidates for which I was voting. I then saw my ballot get counted in the automated counter. It was painless.

Since I was right next door to the library, I decided to get a library card. It's about time. I've been meaning to do this for quite some time. I felt good. Too bad I didn't have time to look around.

After that, I fetched my car and then called the president's son (PS), indicating that I was coming to pick him up. Twenty-five minutes later, I was talking to a security guy at PS's condo. I told him that I was visiting PS and specified his unit number. So, the security guy called him.

"Hello, ma'am. Are you expecting Watty?"

I was trying not to laugh. PS does have a girlie voice.

I'd say approximately twenty minutes later, he came downstairs. We drove to the local Winners. He had to get a gift card for his stepmother. We then had lunch at a restaurant that used to be Nickels. The food was great. We split the chicken wings. PS tends to go with the drumsticks, for I suspect that they are easier to eat. We had initially ordered barbeque ones, but we got the honey garlic ones instead. He still ate them. It wasn't until I had pointed them out that he figured it out. I think he says that he doesn't like the honey garlic variety because he hasn't had them before. He had the lasagna (again, he has had that before, he is Italian, and he can pronounce it). I had the chicken fettuccine alfredo. The food there was great. If my throat wasn't a bit raw, I would have tried the jerk chicken.

After our late lunch, we went to Old Navy. I bought a green silk blouse that I think is appropriate for the Christmas party. I also got a lovely pair of chocolate brown corduroy pants. They feel great. We then visited Future Shop, where I ended up purchasing a couple of CDs.

Next, we visited the new Best Buy across the street. I bought more CDs. DJ purchased two DVDs there. There was a HomeSense next door. I found the cutest M&M's ceramic cookie jar. I just had to get it! I also got two chocolate bars with mint in them and a stuffed blue M&M's guy plush toy. All were chocolate-related items.

We then went downtown. I parked in my regular parking lot, but there wasn't an attendant. The machine would not accept credit cards, no matter how many times we tried to swipe any card through the card reader. So, I scrounged around for some change in my car and managed to scrape up six dollars. We met a couple of Brits who were experiencing the same problem. Luckily, they got change, too.

We proceeded to grab a bite before the show. We both visited the Shopsy's deli on Front Street. It was our first time there. We both had the hot dog platter, which was lovely. We were watching a woman behind the counter build a chocolate sundae. There was so much whipped cream that everything she put on top of it (that is, chopped walnuts, cherry, and fudge) sank into it. It was all white.

Thankfully, we were early getting into the Air Canada Centre. There was quite the lineup to get in and to get merchandise. We both got t-shirts. I was tempted to get the front-zip hoodie, but it wasn't worth $110. The woman in front was really taking her time. Well, first, she had body odour, which was highly unpleasant. At one stage, she was picking her nose with her right pinkie. Eww! I told PS not to use the same pen she had used to sign the receipt. She had spent a good fifteen minutes at the counter. I got so tired of waiting for her that I jumped into the cash-only line. Too bad PS couldn't do the same.

Anyway, we found our seats and waited patiently for Elton John to get on stage. He was worth the wait. Just like the previous show of his that I had seen, he was the act. He certainly earned his money by playing for nearly three hours straight.

The following is the concert review from the Toronto Sun:

Rocket Man is a blast
By Jane Stevenson -- Toronto Sun

TORONTO - Captain Fantastic earned his nickname last night.

That would be British singer-songwriter-pianist Elton John, whose latest tour stop at the Air Canada Centre proved to be a triumphant homecoming for the 59-year-old pop star.

You may recall that John wed Toronto native and filmmaker David Furnish (Tantrums and Tiaras) last December in a civil union ceremony in John's native England after 12 years as a couple.

"I'm half-Canadian, as you know, and I'm very happy about that," John said early in the show to big cheers.

When John later introduced the love song Believe, he added that it was also about "bigotry, hatred and intolerance.

"And having just come from the United States of America, I can tell you there's a lot of that going around there."

Still, he did voice concerns about Stephen Harper's government.

"The Conservatives might try and overturn the gay marriage thing, which would be such a shame," John said. "Canada is such a leader in the world, of tolerance. This is a great country. I just hope they don't do that."

Politics aside, it's work that brought John to T.O.

He's got a new album in stores, The Captain & The Kid, the sequel to 1975's Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy. The latter, by the way, was represented last night by the joyous Philadelphia Freedom and the equally evocative Someone Saved My Life Tonight, which was dedicated to Toronto singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith.

But John delayed playing material from The Captain & The Kid until the middle of his two-hour, 40-minute set -- which slowed down the proceedings except for the gorgeous, harmony-heavy The Bridge.

John choose instead to kick off the concert with such dramatic crowd-pleasers as Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding and Bennie And The Jets, both from his seminal 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The title track from GYBR was also played in what was a rare occurrence.

Dressed in a striking blue shirt and black beaded-adorned suit, John displayed thundering piano moves on a black grand alongside his five-piece band that included longtime drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone, who had "fantastic" emblazoned on is instrument.

For a guy who used to dress up in platform shoes, chicken outfits and even dresses in his spectacle-prone '70s heyday, it was all about the music last night with the bells and whistle kept to a minimum via flashy video backdrop.

Tiny Dancer, which was given new life in the Cameron Crowe movie Almost Famous, was another highlight along with I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Take Me To The Pilot (preceded by a long, beautiful introduction that got the crowd clapping), Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Rocket Man, Daniel, Levon, Crocodile Rock, The Bitch Is Back, Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, and Your Song.

Let's face it, John's 35-year-plus catalogue is astonishing and in the hits department, he didn't disappoint.

And even if he doesn't move around his piano and the stage like he used to -- right before The Bitch Is Back, he stood with one leg on top of his piano and the other on his stool before he kicked out both legs to sit down again -- John makes every effort to connect with fans.

About an hour into the show, he did a lap along the front of the stage to hi-five ecstatic audience members, and before the first encore he even signed autographs.

The only disappointment was hearing three immature girls talk incessantly towards the end of the show. I have to thank a woman close by who actually told them to shut up. Coincidentally, a guy about two rows in front of me had to tell the two guys in my row, but to the right of me, to shut up.

I had a terrific time. I was amazed by his musicianship. It was nice seeing him lay across his black Yamaha piano when he was singing, "The bitch is back." He is truly a great performer.

It seemed like the temperature had risen outside after the show. We walked to the car. I waved to the two Brits when had met in the same lot earlier. We then parked in my other favourite lot downtown and headed into the HMV store. Yes, I bought some more CDs. We then got a couple of bottles of pop at the pizza place across the street, watched a helicopter land on top of a building in front of us, and then drove off. I dropped him off at 00:25 and got home just before 01:00.

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Song that's stuck in my head: Elton John's "Crocodile rock"
Yummy food eaten today: Hot dog platter
What I crave: Strawberry milkshake

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01