meansoybean

Did you even realize I went away?

I took a blitz trip to dreaded Toronto (that’s right, I said it…) to learn how to silk screen, fulfilling my quest for a new hobby. I booked a day-long workshop session at Peach Berserk. I wanted to attend this many years ago but had given up on the idea for various reasons. However, my buddy at CJCustomz recently got my brain-hamster going about silk screening again… so off I went.

Now, I had been learning a bit about the silk screening process lately — mostly reading experiences and watching videos online — and I even picked up a copy of Print Liberation from the library, which I’m told is a pretty solid read for a beginner. So it’s not like I was clueless, but I mainly went to this workshop for the hands-on experience. In retrospect, spending $180 CAD in order to practice making a few prints was a bit much, to put it nicely. I also forked over $30 for my screen, just because I didn’t feel comfortable leaving it behind for someone to steal my work. Yeah, I’m paranoid. But I guess you could also call it a souvenir…

So I’m back in Montreal and, after spending 9 hours in a chilly workshop learning the do’s and, most importantly, the do not do’s of silk screening, I’m now looking forward to the next steps. I’ll be developing a solid set of designs, getting supplies together and eventually setting up shop. How exciting is that?

And the food while I was there? I went to the omnivorous eatery, Shanghai Cowgirl, for a Vegan Delight sammich that consisted of alfalfa sprouts, sliced avocado, hummus, lettuce, tomato and cucumbers on brown toast. It was alright, but the fries that came with were amazing! They were hand-cut and fried to yummy perfection. Honestly, I wish I was eating them right now…

I reluctantly stopped in at Fresh and I really shouldn’t have gone because, historically speaking, their track record sucks. Instead of ordering brunch, I opted for a shot of wheatgrass juice, the leek & potato soup with a side of tofu scramble. The shot was the best part of the meal. The soup was gross, like watery gravy, and the scramble was soggy. If I should find myself in TO again, they will never, ever get another penny from me. That’s it, I’ve had it so fuck em!

Just before leaving, I popped into Bo De Duyen and picked up their famous beef brisket, curry chicken and chow mein. I brought it home and had it for dinner that night — because after 6 hours of driving, who feels like cooking? All was satisfactory, though a bit on the sweet side, but very affordable at $14 for the whole lot. Just add rice.

So that’s the basic trip in a nutshell. I hope to have something off the ground by the end of 2010. Yup, that’s a goal, people. Wow, it’s gonna be twenty-ten (not two thousand-ten). Makes me think of this shirt.