Had a very good 36 hours:

• For the first time I spoke on privacy law to a group (about 400 senior provincial and MUSH officials) who actually got it.  At the MacDonald block of Queen's Park down the hall from the Mines and Mineral Information Centre.  I got to publicly disagree with new Federal Privacy Commissioner on the scope of his powers (I was right but 4 hours later) and was asked to speak again to a couple of Canadian Bar Association and provincial government working groups. I hope they actually work. Sounds like they do. ["Working groups" can mean people who do not want the "pointlessness" stigma of "committee" or, on the other hand, it can mean the people involved don't want to imply they are going to produce what a committee might be exected to produce.]
• Tories whumped. In our riding about 3000 voted Green so I was not alone. If, say, 60,000 of the 78,000 or so who could vote did vote, that is 5% for the good.
• Got bumped at the hotel. Book by web but the fine print was smoking. Always protest being given smoking. We got the Royal suite at the Fredericton Sheraton once. Literally the Royal suite. Two basketball courts large, dining table for 12 and a kitchen.
• Got to walk up and down Yonge Street. There are some incredibly beautiful old buildings still among the towers, especially north of Queen Street. One empty stone bank, which only as as a sign Queen and Yonge branch, has a foot print of maybe 40 by 80 feet but has elegant columns and a dome. It faces the Eaton Centre.
• Got to go to Sams. Sams on Yonge must be the last big record shop in Canada. I walk down one aisle and pick up handfuls. Bought an XTC singles CD 1977 to 1992 for Ian as well as best of Yaz, a Waif's album, two third-gen ska records and one by The Henrys called Puerto Angel from 1996. Ellen is now immediately in love with The Waifs, aussie folk, and I with the Henrys which I'd call Toronto folk-jazz. Mary Margaret O'Hara, today's greatest singer in the history of time, flits around a tune or two.
• Had a Guiness at the Irish Embassy pub at 4 pm with TO guys in suits - ivory wall arched ceilings and dark oak wood panelling. Go. A block from Union Sation at Yonge and Front. The bartender was from Winnipeg and homebrewed. He said he visited PEI and went to the crappiest bar - the Gahan House ("the beer all sucked" - but we agreed the cholocate stout was acceptable) but his hopes were was entirely redeemed by visiting a hole in the wall called The Harp and Thistle for curry and Guiness. Had to laugh.
• Best of all, I chose to VIA 1 it back home to get somehing to eat and drink and sat next to a guy who turned out to be in grade 9 with me at West Kings in the Annapolis Valley.