After discovering the wonders of DVD Shrink, thanks to Sven, I had to pass along the knowledge to Ryan. When he first got his DVD burner in the summer, I found some convoluted instructions involving multiple applications in order to copy a disc … I wasn’t up to speed on the process myself, and had something of a time crunch to get things working. With that process now streamlined, I took the opportunity to get some copies from their collection while I was there: season one of Corner Gas, and the final three volumes of Futurama.
Not having any blank media with me, Billie and I took a trip over to Future Shop. How great is it having that place in your backyard? Yeah, they’re often a ripoff if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but it can still be handy to be that close. So I got a pack of discs, and we also came across a bunch of DVDs selling at 4 for $25. There were only a couple of titles that interested me. But there were a couple Billie was interested in as well. We’re pretty smart, so it didn’t take us long to combine our efforts and get some cheap movies: Spaceballs and UHF for me, Spaceballs and 12 Angry Men for her. I thought my DVD load would be lighter coming back (as I had brought Billie copies of the first three seasons of Sex and the City as a belated birthday present), but that didn’t exactly turn out to be the case.
That afternoon we caught a showing of The Incredibles, another trip we were able to make and still be within sight of their home. The movie was great, another top notch product from Pixar. What most impressed me was that the trailers for this movie were effective in making me want to see it, but in no way gave away anything concerning the plot of the movie. Other studios could learn from this.
Speaking of trailers, we got to see the teaser for Episode III on the big screen (which I had already downloaded a couple of days earlier). Man, I hope this doesn’t suck.
After the movie, we stopped off at St. Laurent mall so that Billie & Ryan could look for puzzles. See, more evidence that they’re getting old – they want to stay at home and work on puzzles. I can’t fault their choice, though: a Simpsons puzzle, a take on A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Seurat.
We made our way to the Glebe for dinner at an Indian restaurant recommended by Billie’s boss. As it turned out, this place is in the same group of buildings as the Home Hardware Dean works at, and we were able to catch him before his shift ended. We actually made him earn his pay, as Billie picked up some wire mesh stuff for use in paper making (something about wedding invitations for a friend … sounded crafty, so I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention).
Dean had a get together with his ultimate team afterwards so wasn’t able to join us for dinner. Too bad for him, because that might have been one of the best meals I’ve ever gone out for. I splurged on this combination platter, but totally didn’t expect to get as much food as I did. It easily could feed two people with big appetites, and so splitting on the cost makes it an extremely good deal (less than $10 each). I split with no one, but it made for an excellent lunch of leftovers the next day. If I remember correctly, the place is called the Light of India. Will definitely have to make a return visit at some point.
After such a delicious and filling meal, some lounging back home was in order and that’s just what we did.
That carried over nicely to a lazy Sunday. I watched the Raptors get their improbable third win to open the season. I counseled Billie on what to look for in a digital camera, and then we made a trip over to Future Shop to buy one she was satisfied with after doing some online research.
There were tentative plans to get together with a friend of Ryan’s for dinner, but we never heard from her. Apparently she’s not the most reliable when it comes to making plans. Hmmm, reminds me of a few people I know. So later on while Ryan was at a volleyball game, Billie and I went to that huge ass Loblaws and bought some groceries, pet supplies, and bed sheets. Yeah, something just doesn’t seem right about that. The groceries were the important part, and I was treated to a great steak dinner. Mmm, steak and season premieres of Simpsons (Treehouse of Horror XV) and Arrested Development.
Around 10:30ish, I headed out for the bus station; I’m pretty good at getting around the city myself now, I love the whole Transitway system they’ve got going on. At the bus station and for the first little bit of the trip, I read the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of the latest crazes amongst kiddie readers and coming soon to a theater near you. It’s aimed at an even younger audience than the Harry Potter books, but it’s still very good and entertaining. It has a very fairy-tale-like feel to it. Billie only has the first volume, so I’ve now obtained a local library membership so I can read the others. No damn way I’m spending $17 each on the eleven hardcover-only books (so far) in the series that take only a couple of hours to read. But just what I need, another series to get hooked on.
Anyway, the ride home was pretty uneventful. Didn’t get a seat to myself for the Ottawa-Toronto leg, but I zoned out quickly enough to not notice whether the dude beside me was annoying or not.
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