From Hanlan’s Point. Don’t get your jollies in a knot, I’ve blanked out the bums.
Category Archives: Toronto
Blue Angels? Seriously?
Yep. That’s their name.
SharkBoy and I went to Hanlan’s Point to see the air show from a more “open” perspective: the nude beach. The Blue Angels were amazing. They managed to scare the pants off (ha!) everyone on the beach by doing an extremely low level fly-over (I swear I could read the bumper sticker on the jet, it was so low).
I’ll preface all these photos by saying “All images go big when clicked, my head dissipates on the nudes. Not work safe”. You’ve been warned.
Trails in the sky
This guy looked exactly like Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm from F4!)
Someone Wants To Distract the Blue Angels
Close Enough To Smell AquaVelva
We All Can Be Taught
Rosedale, Friday, 4:45pm. I’m on my bike, coming to a stop at a three way intersection. There’s a cyclist headed north and a car beside me turning left (east). The cyclist being the first to get to the stop sign, has the right of way and has started across the intersection when the left-turning car shoots into his path. The woman in the car genuinely didn’t see the bike, I think.
Cyclist: HEY!
Woman in car: Oh god! Sorry!
Cyclist: (Jovial) No problem!
Woman: (Waves)
Nice to see we can still be civil.
Bikey!
A horrid incident between a bike courier and the ex-Attorney General Monday evening which led to one man dead, the other disgraced. This whole story is sounding like two strong willed people, “colliding” as it were, by chance and as usual, the car “won” (if you can call a man dying in the streets a win).
I find it weird that comes within 24 hours of my decision to start biking to work. Don’t worry: I’m not riding on major streets; keeping my distance from cars, parked or otherwise; and wearing a helmet so chances are I’ll be ok if I keep my head up and eyes on the road.
When I say I’m biking to work it’s not entirely what it seems. Between home and office there is a massive ravine and a monster hill that would render me drenched in sweat if I were to attempt it. So I bike 2/3rds the way, about 30 min tops, to a secluded station and subway ride the rest of the way. The ride home is virtually all down hill so it’s not such a struggle to get home, post-work.
“Epic Fail,” I hear you shout.
At least I’m out there, I respond. I think 30 min of bike riding is a lot better than the 25 min walk to the subway every morning.
I’m still trying to find a good “stride” to the whole commuting thing – like strapping my helmet jauntily to my hip when I ride the subway or how to juggle that bike seat with my Starbucks morning tea. Who knows? If I get energetic enough, I may wind up conquering that hill in the next month or two.
Fan Expo 2009
What an orgy of geek. This year the event seemed to have doubled in size, made evident by the crush between vendors in the main room. Too many sweaty nerds out there need to learn about Axe Deodorant spray. I think it’s time for the organizers to bite the bullet and increase the room size. I wonder if more “serious” attendees would show up if they did (like they do for Seattle – I’d pay to see 25 min of Avatar then dis it on my blog afterwords!) Don’t get me wrong – the Expo is my Xmas. I can only imagine how “inappropriate” my dwelling would look if I were allowed to shop, untethered to reality. How “single” I’d be with display cases of “action figures” littering all my wall spaces if I were to go consumer crazy in there. Not saying geeks are alone and lonely, but you don’t hear of a lot of them in successful marriages, do you? Knock wood.
To be fair, SharkBoy went movie poster mad this time around. We got posters for Rob Zombie’s new cartoon El Superbeasto (not listed in IMDB?) and AstroBoy. And somehow New Moon tainted that pile. Ew. Feh. Regardless of all that, it was fun.
We started out with breakfast with JTree and Sean and wandered over to the convention centre (their first expo, to which JTree joked being “excited and ashamed”). After the shock of the snakey line up to get in, we said adieu to the boys as they were going off to have personal and intimate time with Leonard Nimoy JTree looked nervous.
The loot was incredible but in some cases, the prices were inflated. I guess the tables aren’t that cheap any more. Many a trinket was (not so) secretly coveted by me and we did our best to try to avoid the independent horror film hard-sellers. Alas, SharkBoy failed and was suckered into a 3 movie deal that rendered us unconscious on the couch 15 minutes into the first movie. Bye bye $20!
The costumes were great this year. So many more I couldn’t identify, making me feel old and out of touch, but intrigued none the less. My whole Flickr set is here.
Buddies In Bad Blurbs
Walking by Buddies In Bad Times Theatre the other night, SharkBoy and I pause by their season calendar of new works to take a look at what’s coming. There are some interesting things on deck, like Nina Arsenault’s The Silicone Diaries. I followed her stories when I use to read “fab” magazine (the only interesting columnist they every had) and this seems like a logical extension of her life.
Scanning more, I came across this blurb for Sky Gilbert’s next play:
I guess you’ve arrived if theatre promoters are dropping your play name like gushing fanboys standing in front of Leonard Nimoy (without paying the $50 autograph fee).*
* Yeah you know where I’ll be tomorrow.
Dear CTV News
So over tornado news from last week. Please give me news, not boring pap crap.
Oh and that pot hole story is sooooo accurate! Do you get your info from multi-edited Wikipedia articles?
In The Background
So some of you might recall my pics from this year’s EX. A lovely day out of wandering and money spending.
I made one of the images my desktop at work. The one with the cool fish sculpture outside the Food Pavilion:
While booting up my computer this morning, I noticed the couple in the background. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!
I don’t know if I inadvertently captured a tender moment (see the hand on her shoulder, their common dejected look) or a start of some porno. Just what is she doing with her hand?
Winchester Hotel On Fire!
We were about to go to bed when the room filled with wood burning smoke. Looking outside we see the roof of the old Winchester Hotel shooting flames about 20ft into the air. But no other flames from the rest of the building. I think someone’s Canadian Tire back yard fireplace got out of hand…
And video too!
The CNE
4 years between each CNE visit is about enough. Wandering through the “bargain” sellers made me realize that as a whole, mankind produces a lot of unnecessary crap. But I do love the incredibly glizty, odd, copyright-stolen art the midway has to offer:
Cute? Or wrong?
Booby-gras!
Barbarella-psycedella!
How many copyright infringements do you see, kids!?
All in (expensive) fun, right?
But this year SharkBoy and I had a great time watching traditional song and dance from the Maori troupe “Te Ngai Tuahuriri”. It’s the best thing I’ve seen at the CNE in my entire lifetime of visits.
I’ve made a little video of our day. Enjoy!