Random Notes

• The fabulous Frankenstein will be staged in Calgary early next year at Alberta Theatre Projects, in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit. I am happy to see the play getting even more exposure in Canada!
• The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra released their schedule for 2008/2009. For those outside the Pulse8 Club age range, perhaps you might want to consider convincing a few friends to purchase a 2-for-1 season sampler pass, a great way to dabble in their musical offerings.
• I just heard that NBC is doing its best to reunite the original cast of ER for its final season next year. I haven't followed the show in a while, but that would definitely make me tune in.
• Mack introduced me to TripIt, an online travel planning tool, while we were organizing our New York trip, and though I did use it for our Calgary outing, but I still prefer a good old-fashioned paper and pencil schedule. TripIt just doesn't fit in my purse the same.
• Here is an interesting article from Alberta Venture that uncovers how difficult it really is to bring in a high-profile speaker for an event.
• An article in this week's New York Times talks about the movement towards intimate restaurants where chefs are close enough to conveniently serve the food directly to the diner. An interesting fact from the piece, which may explain the phenomenon: "Cooks and other restaurant employees who do not interact with the customers cannot legally earn tips or share in the tips earned by the waiters. For the purposes of the New York State Department of Labor, cooks and and dishwashers have the same status: they are paid an hourly wage, with overtime, but they are not paid more for a busy Saturday night with 300 covers than for a slow Tuesday lunch with 30."
• There's a new food blog in town: Edmonton Eats. It's still in the beginning stages, and there's no information about the authors of the website, but it's always exciting when new voices join the discussion about the city's restaurant scene.
• Expressionz Cafe is a new community-oriented coffee house, seemingly modeled after The Carrot. Dare I say this will be a trend in Edmonton?