I'm not exactly sure what is going on but I have been slipping a lot on Sundays and not getting to the gym when I originally plan to go. The good news is that I almost always force myself to go, and then it isn't so bad, but then I am running late for everything else I have planned later in the day. So two Sundays ago, I made it over to the gym, finished packing for my various trips, then took the TTC to Hart House. Of course, the TTC was quite unreliable as ever, including a bus that then picked up the pace while I was walking between stops. This is so frustrating. In the end, I would say the TTC cost me 10 minutes, and I just strolled up to Hart House at 2:35, when I had really planned to get there at 2:15 or so, though as I said I was running just a bit late and didn't set out in time. Had I made it at 2:25 (a more reasonable target based on when I left), I probably would have gotten tickets to the Hart House Orchestra concert without too much difficulty. But I was at the very front of the "no ticket" line, and they were trying to convince people to go upstairs to watch a closed circuit version of the concert. That seemed pretty stupid to me, and I decided I might as well try to get inside. Had I been much further back, I would have just left and probably tried to work for a couple of hours before my train left. However, I just waited out and was rewarded with one of the very last wrist bands to get in. They did Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Always great to hear these live. I actually briefly talked to my friend David who plays bass with the orchestra, though the musicians themselves (sadly) don't have access to extra tickets.
After this, I took the subway to Queen St. and picked up some Vietnamese food to go from Ginger. I dropped in at work and grabbed a huge stack of business cards and printed out a couple of things, including a card for my son, who I was planning on meeting in Ottawa. Sadly, the train was about 45 minutes late, and it was a bit hard for me to concentrate on my reading while standing (uncomfortably) in line to board. Not surprisingly, we got to Ottawa close to an hour late. As it happens, the LRT would have been closed anyway (had we been on time), as it closes at 11 on Sunday evening. So I took a cab to the Ottawa Hostel. The driver was reasonably pleasant but he just put the pedal to the metal, trying to get back to the train station for a more lucrative fare. The hostel was fine, though I really had to get ready for bed in near complete silence, as several people were already sleeping. (I certainly ran into several people who couldn't believe I would share a room in a hostel, even at such a low, low rate -- $40.)
As it turns out, the hostel was only a block away from the CTRF conference, which was great. I pretty much rolled out of bed, dressed in a better set of clothes, threw everything in a locker (I had remembered to bring my own lock) and walked over to the conference. I have to agree, it really does feel a lot like the old TRB (i.e. quite academic) but considerably smaller and still fairly freight and logistics-oriented. But I enjoyed going, and I'll see if I can go next year when it is in Halifax. I was able to meet a couple of people from Alto (the agency that will be trying to develop a high speed rail system between Toronto and Quebec City), so that was a big mission accomplished. My presentation (on ride-sharing systems during and after the pandemic) was in the late afternoon; I think it went well, and I was asked several questions. Then I went over to the reception, but I had to leave early to meet my son. We went to an Indian place in Byward Market.
Tues. was pretty much the same thing, though I didn't have as much pressure, since my presentation was over. I actually left my bag at the hostel, then ducked out from the presentation after lunch and ran over to the Ottawa Art Gallery. (I didn't even know such a thing existed. It had a pretty decent exhibit on the 3rd floor of some Group of Seven paintings and some abstract expressionist works. As it happens, this too is right around the corner from the hostel, so I grabbed my bag and went back to the conference for the workshops after lunch. I had to skip out just a bit early (only about 15 minutes) and this time I was able to catch the LRT over to Tremblay to catch the VIA train back to Toronto. Between VIA and TTC, I got home around midnight.
I downloaded the Lyft app on my phone and figured I might as well use it once to get a record of actually using the app, which would help me get rides in LA. I quickly swapped out my clothes for a new set for my next trip. I guess I got about 3 hours of sleep, then it was time to get up for my Lyft ride to Pearson. I ended up sitting next to my boss on the flight, so we talked over some work issues. I read a bit, but not a lot and did try to get a bit of sleep. LAX was a bit of a mess per usual, though they were giving out free waffles and iced coffee for some unknown reason.
We then went over to the LA offices and met a few people and talked about some upcoming projects. I was able to meet up with someone I used to work with in Chicago while at Cambridge Systematics. We had a good chat, and then I hoofed it back to the office to meet up with a group that was going out for dinner and drinks. They found a place that had lots of different food vendors under one roof. While the Mexican was tempting, I ended up at a Thai place that was quite tasty.
Thurs. was mostly an overview of company strategy, though we did take a field trip on the E line out to the site of the Lucas Museum (the one that Chicago and later San Francisco turned down). We had dinner and drinks on the top floor of the hotel, which was super convenient for those of us staying at the hotel. Some of the juniors ended up going out to a bar, but I declined.
Friday was only a half day talking about our transportation equity practice, which was interesting and depressing in equal measure (as Trump is trying to squelch anything that even remotely looks progressive or would promote equity). Then after lunch (which was indeed a sort of Mexican salad), I took a Lyft over to LACMA. I'll have to circle back and post some photos of the art later. It turns out that Lyft wouldn't work at all unless I had data roaming turned on, which is pretty annoying. One strange thing was that they are holding off on producing a new guide to LACMA until the new wing opens (supposedly in April 2026), so I went kind of wild taking photos of almost everything on the 3rd floor. They even had a room that was completely Picasso paintings (and a few sculptures). I was worried that the huge David Hockney painting would be off view until the Geffen Wing opened, but it was there on the 3rd floor.
One thing that was a bit worrying was that, after I had taken hundreds of photos at LACMA, my phone battery was dangerously low, and I wasn't sure I would even be able to book (and pay!) the next Lyft driver. I had to put it on extreme battery saver, but I just managed to make it to a restaurant in Culver City. The maitre d' was willing to charge it up while we had dinner, which was very accommodating of him. I was meeting a friend who lives in L.A. with her husband. We hadn't seen each other since about 2014, when I came down to see Kronos Quartet at UCLA. The food was fine, though the portions were too small. I didn't ask, but they did offer to drive me to the airport, and I didn't need a lot of convincing. I made it through security in plenty of time. We were all taking the same red eye flight back to Toronto that evening, though this time I didn't sit near my boss.
I got a bit more reading done but mostly tried to sleep. In the end, over both trips I only read 300 pages of Dombey and Son (though I did get to one major plot twist, which I thought happened a bit too early in the book). I didn't actually expect to finish the book, though I had wanted to get to 400 pages or so. I'm going to have to quickly read Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which is a fast read so far, though of course it is pretty depressing. Then I may sort of alternate chapters of Dombey and Son and The Book of Lamentations.
I guess between a bit of a delay, customs and then UP-Express and the TTC, I didn't actually get home until just a bit before 8 am. I had my alarm set for 10:30, as I wanted to see the Bach's Keyboard concert, which was part of this year's Bach Fest. At least the concert was just up on Danforth. So I saw that, hit No Frills on the way over to the library to pick up a book, and then dropped off some dry cleaning. I actually biked over to 401 Richmond and looked at a few exhibits there, then came home. I was actually able to swim a full set of laps, and then I went back out to see the TSO doing a fine version of Beethoven's Symphony 3. So it was a pretty busy day. Sunday was not nearly as busy, though I still didn't just stay home and rest, as I surely should have done, but I will write about this week (and some upcoming events) a bit later.
Ciao.
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