Cuban Cigars @ ModProm II

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BME has acquired a (human) Cuban cigar roller through Correnti Cigars for ModProm II.

In the Brunswick room of The Academy will be a (human) Cuban cigar roller to hand-roll cigars in the native Cuban tradition. This demonstration is meant to showcase the dedication, preparation, passion and skill that goes into the creation of each individual masterpiece.

If you’d like to pick up a souvenir cigar for you (or your date) you can purchase one from the Correnti table for just $15. There will be many different styles to choose from and if you are travelling into the US after ModProm II these cigars are not subject to Cuban trade embargoes as they are made in Canada by defected Cuban cigar rollers. Huzzah!

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You too can look this cool, with a BME cigar!

Themed Martinis!

The Academy of Spherical arts has a very well stocked bar! We are taking full advantage of this with some special BME themed Martinis made especially for ModProm. My team of mixologists (or just friends that like to pretend they are) helped me come up with this list.

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MODPROM THEMED MARTINIS!

The Christina: Vodka, Triple Sec and Lime Juice – Garnished with a maraschino cherry and a splash of cranberry juice.

The Gelding: A Vodka Lychee Martini with a dripped grenadine garnish and two full lychees, floated not stirred.

The Prince Albert: Vodka, Crème de Cacao and Baileys, garnished with a gummy worm.

The C.B.Tini: Traditional Dry Martini with two large pimento olives, pierced, of course.

The Irizumi: Sake, a small chunk of fresh lemon grass and vodka, garnished with pickled ginger. I think I’m turning Japanese!

The Falkner: Dry Vermouth, Gin and Jagermeister garnished with a candy cane to resemble a hook.

The Sub-tini: Vodka, Crème de Cacao, Banana Liqueur and Grenadine with a sliced mini-banana garnish.

Gauge Queen: Gin, Dry Vermouth and olive brine (one teaspoon) with Spanish blue-cheese stuffed olives as a garnish.

The Piercers Arm: Black Zambuca, Sweet Vermouth and Tequila Rose layered at the bottom, garnished with a pierced liquorice baby!

The Industrial: Gin, Vodka and Dry Vermouth, garnished with a pearl onion at both ends of a toothpick.

BMEfest and the TTC

Everyone travelling to Toronto and taking the TTC:

If you are planning on doing a lot of travelling within one day, are travelling in groups or are only here for our (Canadian) long weekend it might be a good idea to pick up a day pass for the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission).

A day pass costs $8.50, is from start of service (which I believe is 6am) to 5:30am the next morning.

On Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays (i.e. Monday, July the 2nd) you can have two adults travel with one pass (two adults and up to four people under 19 yrs of age, or one adult and up to five people under 19). This is only on the days mentioned in this paragraph, don’t forget!

So, if anyone plans on acting like pack animals, this is probably your safest and cheapest bet for travel within the city over the weekend.

A full list of schedules, subway and streetcar maps can be found here in PDF format.

MODPROM II Menu – Start Salivating!

Gastronomic delights selected by your hosts & presented by The Academy:

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Appetizers:
TBA!
Grazing:
Fresh Crudities: A Colorful Assortment Of Fresh Cut Vegetables Served With A Variety Of Savory Dips.*
Cheese Platter: A Selection of Imported & Domestic Cheeses Served With Grapes & Assorted Crackers.
Salads:
Caesar Salad With Crisp Leaves Of Romaine, Herb Croûtons, Parmesan Cheese & the Academy’s Own Caesar Dressing.
Baby Spinach & Chick Pea Salad With Diced Tomatoes Served With A Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Vinaigrette.
Thai Mango Salad With Red Peppers & Cucumber Tossed In The Academy’s Own Sweet & Spicy Thai Dressing.*
Mesclun Of Baby Greens Paired With A Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette*
Main Courses:
Fresh Phad Thai, A Pastiche Of Thin Rice Noodles Tossed Together With Your Choice Of Shrimp, Chicken, Tofu, Green Onions, & Garlic In The Academy’s Own House Sauce, Finished With Bean Sprouts, Peanuts**& Coriander. Prepared How You Like It Right In Front Of Your Own Eyes*
A Juicy New York Striploin Slow Oven Roasted Until Tender With A Pommery Mustard Sauce, Horseradish, Mustard, & Onion Buns. The New York Striploin Is Carved To Your request In Front Of You By An Academy House Chef.
Baked Salmon Fillets With a Spicy Mango Salsa.
Red Skin Garlic Mashed Potatoes*
Baby Bok Choi*
Desserts, Coffee & Tea:
TBA!

All the items above are Active Food Stations encouraging you to get your food at your own leisure. There is no assigned seating at the event; thus allowing you to mingle, appreciate and explore the decadence of the room and event. Active Food Stations allow you to have as little or as much as you want while having the experience of witnessing your meal being prepared or presented right in front of you.

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*This item is Vegan or can be prepared Vegan especially at your request.

**If you have a peanut allergy please alert The Host or The Chef.

Thursday Update.

IMPORTANT INFO YOU SHOULD READ!

Great news! Event planning is steamrolling along and I guarantee this will be a week you will all remember! We just launched www.BMEfest.com as the main hub for updates regarding the week of events. Event updates are expected daily or as anything new develops and will have information about the city of Toronto and things to do outside of the planned events. If you have questions or ideas please email me ([email protected]).

Here are some short details you should take note of..

My Art Opening: Shameless self promotion! I have an art opening of my fine art suspension portraits. The show originally debuted at the 2005 contact photography festival in Toronto and has been in hibernation since, so we brought it back for you all to see. The opening party is on June 22/07 at BlackLine studios on King Street West and the show will remain up until the end of July so please go check it out. Just look for a huge canvas print of Allen Falkner on hooks in the window of the shop. Also check out www.philipbarbosa.com for a preview of the show.

BMEfest in the park: Those of you who remember last years BMEfest day at the park may remember where it was, High Park. Last year the event proved to be a nice low-key family oriented day and a successful warm up to the after party. We chose to host the early party there again this year because its a lovely location and with the subway so close, the convenience can’t be beat! I will hit the park this week to take some photos of the area and work out a map from the parks front entrance. If you can I would leave your car at the hotel since there’s parking there, though there is tons it’s usually packed from about 10am onwards.

You should bring sunscreen, bottled water, some cash to buy food and a BMEfest t-shirt. BME will be buying a quantity of fresh fruit and bottled water for all the guests to partake in. We do ask that you not litter the park!

Although this is all free to you there will be an honor system bucket you can toss the change from your pockets in to help cover the costs of catering the event.

ModProm II: This is gonna be one killer party! Taking place at the Academy of Spherical Arts in Toronto. The Academy is accessible by streetcar (trolley off king street) or likely a $10 cab ride from most hotels in the city. The venue is nestled in the heart of Liberty Village and if you can’t tell by the name it’s a Snooker Club. We have a great evening planned of dinner, dancing and unique entertainment as well as some awesome door prizes and a parting gift from your friends at BME. Hurry up and get your tickets before the event sells out! For those of you who have received your shirts, your E-tickets will be emailed to you in a few days.

Suspension School: The class is full and we have a great group of people! Now we need suspendees who want to be test subjects for the students. The cost of your participation is $25 CAD, this covers all the catering and supplies we use for you as well as a little aftercare kit you will leave with. If you think you want to suspend while you are in Toronto, June 30th is it! If you are interested email/send me a message over IAM and I will reply with the application information. There are no guarantees you will be selected since time will definitely not be on our side and we are looking for people with different levels of suspension experience.

Scene Points Scavenger Hunt: Some of you have expressed mild offense to this event. Allow me to make it clear that this is not meant to be a hazing ritual just a humorous social experiment born out of an IAM-wide joke. Taking place at BMEfest in the park the game gets people to socialize and recognize those that have given gallons of their own blood sweat and tears to make this community a better place for us all. The winner gets a big bag of prizes from a great group of sponsors.

Naked Wars Invades Hanlan’s Point: Naked Wars recently gained widespread popularity at the APP conference in Las Vegas. This event gets attendees to visit the lovely Toronto Islands, lose their inhibitions and challenge each others creativity covering their unmentionables with unique props all in the name of the fine art of the one-up. The Event will start at the Weston Harbor Castle Hotel and move as a group to the Toronto Ferry Docks and finally to the picturesque Hanlan’s Point – Clothing Optional Beach. The goal is to get as many not so naked IAMers to have their photo taken with the Toronto skyline in the background (that includes the worlds tallest phallic structure the CN Tower). It is also meant to be a nice warm up and a few hours to spend unwinding while working on a full body tan.

The IAM Hungover Brunch and Wrap Party: This is still in the planning stages and will happen on Monday (the day after ModProm II). So far I am considering hosting this event at the Golden Griddle (think waffle house or TGI Friday’s) on Front Street since it has a huge seating capacity and a brunch buffet. I will post this as an event as soon as I can research the logistics a little more.

For more details about all these events you can check here (obviously) or the BME Events page.

ModCon V

ModCon is taking place the week before BMEfest. Procedures are being done at various locations, and on the final day (June 29th) is the main get-together which is a combination of social day, presentations, and reviewing procedures both in person and on video to discuss how they went, what they are, issues involved, and so on.

ModCon attendees are encouraged to come to BMEfest and ModProm and the other events that week as well!

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