Some of you may remember that the inaugural Canadian YLF gathering took place, albeit on a small scale, last summer when the marvellous Mac and I met up for dinner. We had a fantastic time and both agreed it should be repeated soon, but life gets in the way, as it tends to do, and we couldn't arrange anything until recently. Last night Mac insisted on taking me out in honour of my recent birthday, and so we finally got together in midtown Toronto.

The evening started out as a comedy of errors. The favourite neighbourhood bistro that Mac had chosen, which apparently is reliably open seven days a week, was booked for a private function last night and closed to the public. She had to venture out and scout out a new restaurant, and fortunately found a promising option just a block away. She then had to cool her heels and wait for me, since a number of subway breakdowns left me stranded at my workplace with nary a cab in sight! Once I finally arrived, however, all was well. We ended up at a mediterranean restaurant that was busy without being overpoweringly loud, and which featured a delectable menu of seafood, pasta and risotto dishes (right up our alley). The conversation never flagged as we worked through the delicious offerings, and we had a great time catching up on the past few months.

Mac also spoiled me further by giving me a birthday present -- a gorgeous swarovski crystal pendant that will provide the perfect finishing touch for many outfits. We didn't get a picture of it, but it's just about the only thing we didn't photograph. Mac brought her heavy-duty camera, since we didn't have any pictures to show for our last gathering. She proceeded to take pictures of every individual component of our various outfits, including a shot of our bracelets complete with mood lighting! Our constant posing provoked many stares and a few giggles, but also some assistance from friendly, helpful volunteers who offered to take the group shots. Some of the photos were taken against the backdrop of a howling windstorm that sprang up out of nowhere while we were eating (some people were tweeting that The Rapture was at hand), so forgive the less-than-ideal street views. Mac has promised to post the pictures on this thread asap.

We had both had a long day and wrapped things up reasonably early, and Mac drove me home in the aforementioned gale. It was a fabulous way to start a long weekend, and I'm certain we'll do it again soon. We're also hoping some of the other Ontario YLFers can join us another time (we're the only ones who live right in Toronto, but several other forum members live within a two-hour drive of us).

Thank you for everything, Mac! For those who are wondering, she's even more fun, articulate and thought-provoking than she is on the forum!

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