Good ol' regular update

I'm feeling old-fashioned tonight, so here's just a classic regular update as to my doings. And yes, there are only three categories ;)

WORK
I am in the middle of my Interview study, which means that I am successfully hunting down people who work in different Ontario-based production industries (Automotive, Consumer Foods, Autoparts, Nuclear, another Autoparts and hopefully Furniture) to ask them how they work with getting Human Aspects (ergonomics, human factors, worker satisfaction, productivity etc) into their future work systems. I have to say that as W I D E as the research area is, my interviewees are very good at giving me plenty of details while at the same time sticking to the subject. I'm enjoying the conversations immensely and learning a lot about the challenges in different sectors with getting ergonomics & co. on the table early. Plus, from my vantage point, I'm getting to experience the corporate culture of several very different companies, which is actually not just useful, but titillating :)

DANCE
Oh MAN how I love and adore the little but thriving community of AMAZING and talented tap dancers I have stumbled upon here in TO. They are all AWESOME beyond belief (and then there's little me. ;)
Two of them, Allison Toffan and Travis Knights, are going to be on the Olympic tap dance team opening the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Yea, they're THAT badass. :) I feel extremely blessed to be jamming among these people, they give me so much inspiration, motivation and encouragement. (I've lauded them in a previous post, too...) 
To celebrate yesterday night - after a regular jam in Shawn's studio - we all headed to a bar here in Parkdale called The Cadillac Lounge, where we joined some very talented jazz musicians and had an exuberant tap / jazz jam. some talent hiding among the audience joined us on stage to sing, play the saxophone and bass... And our 'tap family' sat nearest the stage, applauding, hooting and cheering and occasionally tap-jamming alongside them on the stage.

Here are some pictures from that night.




...Oh yeah, I did eventually dare to venture out on stage. Once. Sharing the spotlights & footmikes with the lovely and generous Miss Toffan. The link below takes you to a film snippet of me tapping.

From 6 dec Toffan's last jam @ the Caddy

LIFE IN GEN.
Gaah. Two weeks till Christmas! My roommates are leaving the nest one by one to be with families in Jamaica, New Orleans and Nova Scotia. As for me, I'm spending the holidays in LA with my lovely and boisterous family + extended family who I ALWAYS love catching up with.
In the meantime, I'm counting what's left of my stay on this side of the Atlantic (6½ weeks!!) with mixed feelings. I can say that Toronto is now without doubt one of my favourite cities in the world - a lot thanks to the wonderful people I've met. I've loved every minute, explored the city as much and as avidly as I could, but there is still so much I have left to discover.
But there are many things, places and lovely people beckoning me homeward too, and I'm looking forward to experiencing all of them with fresh eyes and the fondness that I've felt whenever I've thought of home. I'm coming home.
But I will always hope, aspire and actively strive to add many more generous dollops of Toronto to the rest of my life. :)