non sequitur

while i was putting seven to bed earlier tonight, she asked if she could read a book to herself for a few minutes. pollyanna i think. she said that it helps her fall asleep. i said why not. after all, i am supposed to be encouraging literacy development amongst my offspring, ain't i? and early bedtimes. two hours later, when i re-entered her bedroom to check on her, seven was still wide awake and still reading that same book. i was even more surprised when i asked her how much she had read that evening and she replied that she was in the middle of chapter nine. chapter nine? i haven't willingly read nine chapters of a book since... well, since i was nine.

which reminds me. on friday while i was invigilating (uh, supervising) an exam at school, i couldn't help but notice the selection of books the kids are required to read in their senior english classes. the novels and plays, mostly classics, were strewn across the ledge of the classroom where i was perched for most of the exam. what amazed me though was that the titles haven't changed at all in the more than 20 years since i was required to read them as a high school student myself. titles like macbeth, catcher in the rye, great expectations, animal farm, 1984, lord of the flies, clockwork orange, the great gatsby, slaughterhouse five et al. now don't get me wrong. some of those titles represent the highest achievements in modern and traditional literature. (ok, so maybe one title stands out from the others, but the rest ain't exactly chopped liver.) but that got me thinking about what else has and hasn't changed since i was a freshman at t.s.s. in thornhill, ontario. and then it happened. when the exam had ended, and in the midst of my reminiscing about the good ol' days, i overheard one of the kids say to another, "hey, you wanna hang at dufferin mall?"

um, i used to hang out at the mall when i wore a younger man's clothes, as well. no, really. i did. and i was pretty good at it, too. after all, i had a lot of experience in terms of hangin' out at the mall. and not just at one mall, either. because i moved from house to house quite a bit as a kid, i got to experience just about every major shopping centre within both the north york and thornhill city limits.

first there was towne & country mall (since renamed centrepoint mall) at the corner of yonge and steeles. i remember that i used to take the steeles east 53 bus to the mall every saturday with my best bud at the time. we were maybe 10 or 11 back then. we would hang out in the food court, pretend to shop for clothes and maybe try to sneak into the movies every now and again.

later i would choose to hang at the more upscale bayview village near bayview and sheppard. i would take the bayview 11 bus, usually with a group of friends, and spend the entire day doing whatever it was that 13 or 14-year-old dudes would do back in those days. as far as i can recall, we would hang out at the food court, pretend to shop for clothes and maybe try to sneak into the movies every now and again. hmmm.

then there was thornhill square near bayview and john. i could actually hoof it there from either home or school as the mall was only a few minutes walking distance from each. the now-deceased mall was recently featured in the modern horror remake of dawn of the dead with sarah polley and mr. e from school. but most notably, i would acquire my first job at thornhill square, namely at the fruit and vegetable stand, which might explain why even to this day i can still tell the difference between a spartan apple and a gala apple. i also broke up with a girl at that mall, got into a fight at that mall, and was fired for the first time at that mall (from the aforementioned fruit and vegetable stand, no less.)

and finally, the shopping centre that stands out as the place which best defines the person i am today: i speak of none other than the promenade mall located just north of toronto proper. it was at the promenade mall where i often sought refuge after a trying day at university or law school. at 17 i left my old man's home and moved into my mom's condo set just across the parking lot from the new mall. my first year at york and my last year at osgoode were not the best years of my life, so having a place like the promenade within arm's reach provided a much-needed sanctuary where i could unwind, usually alone, and collect my thoughts in relative peace and air-conditioned comfort. not to mention the fact that the mall featured a gap clothing store which, of course, introduced me to a whole new way of looking at the universe. but that's another story.

"a good friend is someone we can count on, as well as being so much more. a friend is someone with whom we can relax and just hang out, have fun and share our innermost thoughts--deep dark secrets, lofty and noble goals, or our hopes, joys, and fears. a good friend allows you a safe space to share your deepest thoughts and needs--without worry of being judged, criticized or made to feel silly for feeling the way you do. friends cheer each other on, laugh and cry together, and just plain commiserate and listen to each other. that's why friends are friends..." - bettie and jennifer leigh youngs

song title is the most oft-quoted response to the ubiquitous mall cop's query, "so what are you kids hangin' around here for?": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0NYKWLMgx0

p.s. yorkdale is part of my present, not part of my past