When we travel, we move away from what is familiar and known and the uncertainty creates a fertile environment for synchronicity. During our weekend visit to Toronto, we experienced so many synchronicites that Rob made a list of them and we talked about who would write what.
At one point in the weekend, I remember opening my eyes, orienting myself to daily life, and thinking, OK, Rob is sitting over there in that chair reading Stephen King’s most recent novel, 11/22/63, time travel, JFK, I get it. But suppose I am time traveling too?
When two writers are married to each other, weird environments surface. Some are great, others are blind spots. This story is about a blind spot.
Our first morning at the Pantages, we went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast and discover it’s $12.99 – let’s call it 13 bucks, higher if you’re paying with America dollars – for a rather sad buffet of cereal, yogurt, toast. Or, as Rob put it – the sort of continental breakfast that is often free of charge at business hotels. We’re already annoyed because the production company hasn’t paid for the $12 daily charge for internet for our room or for any of our meals. Yes, we’re also at fault here, we did not negotiate beforehand.
Rob is really irritated by the price; right then, I’m frankly too hungry to care. He orders scrambled eggs, and that’s what he gets – eggs, nothing more. I go for whatever is in sight, the cereal, the toast, the yogurt. We bite the bullet and vow to find a less expensive place for breakfast the next day.
After the interview for Weird or What? the director, Stephen Grant, asked us where we were staying. When we told him, he said, “Oh, you’re very close to Fran’s, a local hangout that’s open 24 hours and serves breakfast day and night. You should go there.”
The next morning, in fact, we asked the woman at the front desk for directions to Fran’s. She looked at us sort of oddly and pointed to double doors on the far side of the expensive bar/restaurant. “Right through there,” she said.
So, about 30 feet where we had sat the morning before, griping about the price of the buffet breakfast, lay the alternate universe called Fran’s. It was as if time at Fran’s had stopped around 1950. The menu offered a lot more food than the hotel’s buffet and at half the price.
We had seen those double doors the morning before and I thought they led into the hotel kitchen or some other employees only place, even though there was no sign to that effect. So our lack of curiosity about where those doors led, our limited perception, had kept us out of Fran’s until it was recommended by the director at Weird or What?
For me, it was an important lesson about exploration, something we usually do well when we’re traveling. But for some reason, with those double doors, we wore blinders that blocked our peripheral vision, our doors to perception, as Aldous Huxley put it.
So after we ate our fantastic, inexpensive breakfast, we left through Fran’s front doors and snapped some pics. That’s Rob, peeking around the edge of the building like some time traveler from the 1950s who has dropped in for a peek at 21st century Toronto.
Rob,
Trish,
Situational awareness, target fixation, cognitive dissonance, Due diligence , focus focii , any term that can be used when you are just excited to be there. I remember being in Montreal with my then fiancee’ ordering wine or glass of beer with outrageous prices while just across the street the bar/ cafe was hopping. Finally asked after paying the-bill what was going on, was told the cafe across the way, their prices are 1/3rd of the place we just had drinks.
Strange to see that Toronto had no snow on sidewalks. That is not right being this time of year…
I would advise any one travelling to any place in the USA / north of the border to check for online alternative newspapers. You can get great eatery reviews. Or get ” YELP” for your smartphone / tablet device.
Be well
Laurence
Good advice, Laurence! Next time, I’ll def check online alternative papers!
As my mother often said to me, “You don’t see for looking.” Never fully understood at the time what she meant.
It’s funny you wrote about Fran’s, perception and books above,because I’ve been in two minds about tracking down and watching a film called “Faith Like Potatoes”.
It’s a South African film based off the book of the same name
(which I have not read) produced by Frans Cronje,the brother of Hansie Cronje
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansie_Cronje
,the infamous South African cricket player who was banned from the game because of his involvement in a betting scandal,and later was killed in a plane crash.
I’ve heard that this was a big film in South Africa,but I’ve never seen a copy of this film in Australia.I Googled around and found this interview with Frans Cronje about his life and how he came to make the film;
https://www.dove.org/news.asp?ArticleID=172
That article intrigued me more,but then I realized this was a church site I had stumbled onto,which kind of put me off.Then I looked at what their reviewers said about the film,and that put me off again.
https://www.dove.org/reviewpopup.asp?Unique_ID=7673
” Dove Worldview:
This is a very touching and moving story of one man’s trials and tribulations which try his faith. Angus is a very intense man who fights his own inner demons with his farm in Africa and family until he makes a life changing discovery. He turns his life around when he gives it to God. With new found faith that is challenged by many different circumstances he must believe that the Lord has a plan for him.
We all face challenges in our lives and sometimes question our own faith. This movie may make everyone take a hard look at their own lives and see that changes can be made. This story will have you looking at your own spiritual life in a new light.
Dove awards the “Family-Approved” Seal to this film. Due to some intense scenes we recommend it for ages 12 and over. ”
And I couldn’t stop smirking over the “Content Description” —-
”
Content Description:
Sex: Married couple kiss.
Language: Bloody-8; All uses of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ are in reverence; Dang it-1; Use of stupid and idiot each once; Hell used as a place.
Violence: Discussions of war and fighting; man punches another; man yelling at other men; discussions of farmers tied up and murdered; woman pushes man; man shoots gun, man with anger issues; runaway fire; woman struck by lightning; farming accident.
Drugs: Talk regarding taking tranquilizers; men drinking beer; man intoxicated.
Nudity: Men with open shirts; man in boxer shorts; woman in tank top.
Other: Faith in God; miracles; death of child. ”
I would love to see what they would write about “Eyes Wide Shut” .-)
Then I watched the trailer for the film;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb1YPVdpsTE
and still thought it looked worth a viewing.
So maybe you’re right? Our perceptions can stop us looking into things that just might be of benefit to us,if we just put them aside for a while.
What’s the worst thing that could happen…that I could come out of it a brain-washed Jesus loving fundamentalist fanatic ???
Well,that was my first perception,anyway .-)
But Dang it! apart from the language in the film,it looks like it might just be a bloody good movie after all. I would have to be a stupid idiot to let my perceptions stop me from viewing this film.Besides,it says above that there is a woman in a tank top and
men drinking beer.My kind of movie .-)
Funny! Have you ever seen the documentary the jesus camp??
No,but I did view the trailer and it definitely looks like it’s worth a watch.
As long as they don’t use harsh words like Dang it!,and stupid idiot in it,that is .-)
Maybe I should go back to the Christian site above and see if they have reviewed it ?-)
I’ve just had a look at their review of “The Grey”.
It is quite amusing.
https://www.dove.org/reviewmasterframe.asp?SearchType=Source&Keyword=Theater&Unique_ID=9200
Apparently any movie listed in red on the left-hand sidebar is not recommended viewing by this site.
Only the green ones pass.Which puts a new meaning on getting a green light on a Hollywood movie.-)
That link I gave you above only will take you to their homepage.You have to find “The Grey” by scrolling through the sidebar and clicking on the “red” link “Grey,The”.
Sorry about that.
Thanks for the clarification, Daz.
toooo funny! but does go to show exactly what you say about our sometimes limited vision – and our choosing not to go that one step – that one vision – further – glad you enjoyed your 50s diner breakfast for less! and neat shot of the TT!
Sssshhhh…he doesn’t know yet that he’s a time traveler!
I read 11/22/63 and enjoyed it. I’ll be curious to know what Rob thinks of it. It is so interesting what we miss when we don’t see something right in front of our face like that. Happens to me all the time.
I can’t wait to read it!
Djan, I’m a slow reader, just halfway through 11/22/63. Kind of bogged down by the middle of the book when he’s a school teacher in ’61-’62. The conflict is subdued. I keep waiting for something to happen. At least, there’s a love interest finally involved. It took more than 300 pages before Sadie enters the story – a 27-year-old divorced virgin. Go figure. Looking forward to Oswald finally arriving on the scene.
This is so true. At times you have to push yourself to look beyond.
I am sometimes surprised at myself when I doubt my feelings and don’t check something out. We are still learning!
Also, when you are tired and starving not everything ” works right”! 🙂
Especially the starving part!
Love the picture of Rob! 🙂
Rob, time traveler!