I'm busting my buttons with pride over a certain crew called Route 68. We had a Bake Sale last week and the Jr. Highs at King Street church baked their way to almost $300 dollars to help other people have a better Christmas. It was controlled chaos in our kitchen and an adjacent room, with enough icing to completely cover a small child. Thankfully, the multi-colored icing ended up covering cupcakes, well ... most of it, anyway. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible generosity of the good people of King Street – which makes the whole experience a testament to a very sweet (toothed) community.
The funds will join other donations raised to feed, clothe, and buy gifts for people who need such things in Durham Region and in a village we've adopted in Bwacha, Zambia.
Apparently this economic slowdown has had a negative effect on Food Banks and charitable organizations in general. Let me take this chance to encourage you to keep on giving as you have been, or even start giving like never before. To feel the economic squeeze is to know that people need our help now more than ever.
Peace, love, and cookies!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
An Ordinary, Lanoish, Quantumy kind-of Night
The night began for me at the Bloor St. Cinema. High Fives for some dear friends before the film started, and I was off – walking, jogging, then walking again across Bloor and down Yonge to meet my ticket-holding brohim. I really wanted to see Ordinary Radicals, but I figure I made the right decision, since I can always see the film another time, whereas Daniel Lanois! ... well ...
The show was sweetly engaging. Lanois was like a shy person inviting new friends to enter his most favorite room in his home. He was charming, and somewhat awkward as he thanked specific people, including his mother, for being present. Not that it's awkward to thank your mother, it's just that he was awkward ... and he also thanked his mother.
The only other time he had been in the venue was when he was front row for Miles Davis in 1969, and he spoke more than once to honor the 'ghosts' of the great musicians that had played there before him. Brian Blade finessed those drums like a thunderstorm and I could feel the bass in my chest all the way up in the balcony. Bassist Marcus Blake and guitarist Jim Wilson from Mother Superior really added to the rock of the show singing gritty, yet clearly grand harmonies.
Apres le show we took a short trip to the basement to check out the merch, (along with all the balding, middle-aged men and their post-hippie wives) then Chuck and I stalked north, hunting for any restaurant with free refills. THEN! I am resorting to point form for the rest of this post because it's already too long.
– Meet up with Margaret (Who came straight from her own show)
– Decide to see Quantum of Solace – it's a Bond flick alright.
– Wendy's! – three Jr. bacon cheeseburgers and a water
– Call out some losers who were making fun of brohim (I don't CARE if he looks 'disoriented' when he eats potatoes, he's my brother and if you don't like that, well there's some good ol' fashioned Irish beatings for you ... metaphorically speaking, of course)
– TTC – I really do enjoy me a good transit ride home when there's good company to be had.
Goooooood night!
The show was sweetly engaging. Lanois was like a shy person inviting new friends to enter his most favorite room in his home. He was charming, and somewhat awkward as he thanked specific people, including his mother, for being present. Not that it's awkward to thank your mother, it's just that he was awkward ... and he also thanked his mother.
The only other time he had been in the venue was when he was front row for Miles Davis in 1969, and he spoke more than once to honor the 'ghosts' of the great musicians that had played there before him. Brian Blade finessed those drums like a thunderstorm and I could feel the bass in my chest all the way up in the balcony. Bassist Marcus Blake and guitarist Jim Wilson from Mother Superior really added to the rock of the show singing gritty, yet clearly grand harmonies.
Apres le show we took a short trip to the basement to check out the merch, (along with all the balding, middle-aged men and their post-hippie wives) then Chuck and I stalked north, hunting for any restaurant with free refills. THEN! I am resorting to point form for the rest of this post because it's already too long.
– Meet up with Margaret (Who came straight from her own show)
– Decide to see Quantum of Solace – it's a Bond flick alright.
– Wendy's! – three Jr. bacon cheeseburgers and a water
– Call out some losers who were making fun of brohim (I don't CARE if he looks 'disoriented' when he eats potatoes, he's my brother and if you don't like that, well there's some good ol' fashioned Irish beatings for you ... metaphorically speaking, of course)
– TTC – I really do enjoy me a good transit ride home when there's good company to be had.
Goooooood night!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Poster-Sized Inspiration
I'm looking to prettify a huge blank wall in my office. I've actually been half-heartedly searching for over a year, but I have yet to discover any art that, first, is really great, and second, I can actually afford. Perhaps a healthy triptych of some sort would serve my needs (Mikee, this one's for you. You've been coming up with this stuff since you were in grade school.) ...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Refresh
I've been blogging on a dark template since I first started this thing in 2006. The green/white on black suddenly felt tired today, very much past its expiry date. So, now I have the same template ... except lighter, yeeeah. Does that scream "I don't like change!" ... ? That fear didn't inform my decision as far as I know – I just don't like the other templates. I'm over-thinking this. Last time I checked, my hits didn't warrant fretting over color-selection. (Yeah, that's right; 'color'. After years of including the superfluous U's that distinguish our cumbersome Canadian spellings, I'm done. Expediency and efficiency have won ... and if I write any more about this, it might as well be considered a redundant change.)
Moving on – Chuck and I are considering doing some triathlons when that season starts up again. I have no idea when that is, which may or may not be a fair indication of how prepared we are for such an undertaking. Either way, we did a little workout today which I'm sure was good. I'm guessing though. I think it was good mostly because I felt like vomiting when we were doing the last half of the run. Man, if each workout progresses to that point every time, I'm sure we'll be winners by next year. At the very least I'll be able to explain away my rake-like body type by pointing to a faded number written in permanent marker on my arm.
It was like this:
Bike: 7k
Swim: 3/4k
Bike: 7k
Run: 1k
For a reference point, the entry point for triathlons (Try-a-Tri) looks like:
Swim: 375m
Bike: 10k
Run: 2.5k
Okaybye,
Moving on – Chuck and I are considering doing some triathlons when that season starts up again. I have no idea when that is, which may or may not be a fair indication of how prepared we are for such an undertaking. Either way, we did a little workout today which I'm sure was good. I'm guessing though. I think it was good mostly because I felt like vomiting when we were doing the last half of the run. Man, if each workout progresses to that point every time, I'm sure we'll be winners by next year. At the very least I'll be able to explain away my rake-like body type by pointing to a faded number written in permanent marker on my arm.
It was like this:
Bike: 7k
Swim: 3/4k
Bike: 7k
Run: 1k
For a reference point, the entry point for triathlons (Try-a-Tri) looks like:
Swim: 375m
Bike: 10k
Run: 2.5k
Okaybye,
Thursday, August 14, 2008
CN Tower Dwarfed
It's old news now I guess, but as of mid-June the Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) is over 100 m taller than our cute, little CN tower. What was once the tallest freestanding structure in the world is now ... not.
So, what's your claim to fame now Toronto? ... Multiculturalism? Unfortunately, that doesn't make for a very impressive skyline. That said, 'Most Multicultural' definitely has a nice ring to it ... a polyphonous ring ... a not-a-major-tourist-attraction kind of ring.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Story Time with Uncle Dave
My neighbours were getting into their car when I complimented them on their clothes.
"Looking good!" I said.
"Why thank you!" She sounded pleased.
She really did look good in her high-collared, white summer dress with black flowers on it. Her husband was equally bold in his freshly-pressed black golf shirt and black pants.
It was such a good start to the conversation, I just rolled with it ...
"I guess you're headed somewhere fancy tonight!"
Her response was emotionless, "We're going to a funeral."
...
So, above is a picture of the beautiful job I did paring the overgrown lawn back to reveal the never-before-seen edge of our driveway. I'm not going to say my efforts were an attempt to appease karmic law, but I was definitely at least partially motivated by the lesser cousin of guilt ... What's his name? ... Regret?
"Looking good!" I said.
"Why thank you!" She sounded pleased.
She really did look good in her high-collared, white summer dress with black flowers on it. Her husband was equally bold in his freshly-pressed black golf shirt and black pants.
It was such a good start to the conversation, I just rolled with it ...
"I guess you're headed somewhere fancy tonight!"
Her response was emotionless, "We're going to a funeral."
...
So, above is a picture of the beautiful job I did paring the overgrown lawn back to reveal the never-before-seen edge of our driveway. I'm not going to say my efforts were an attempt to appease karmic law, but I was definitely at least partially motivated by the lesser cousin of guilt ... What's his name? ... Regret?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
fodTunes smashes Tapes
Hey friends and e-friends alike,
You may not believe me, but I wanted to be among the first to tell you ... there is this new thing called iTunes that plays music and videos. I really believe in technology, so I am hoping to bring them fame by allowing them to sell digital copies of my songs.
If you believe in technology too, don't buy tapes any longer. They are the way of the past. Help out this fledgling company by clicking on their cool logo below...
If you are still old school like stale biscuits, you can click the album below and receive the opportunity to buy a piece of history that matches your attitude.
Thanks a bunch to my wonderful friends Jeff Muir, for recording my voice and guitar at the same time, and Margaret Lim, for covering everything with a bark-like paper.
You may not believe me, but I wanted to be among the first to tell you ... there is this new thing called iTunes that plays music and videos. I really believe in technology, so I am hoping to bring them fame by allowing them to sell digital copies of my songs.
If you believe in technology too, don't buy tapes any longer. They are the way of the past. Help out this fledgling company by clicking on their cool logo below...
If you are still old school like stale biscuits, you can click the album below and receive the opportunity to buy a piece of history that matches your attitude.
Thanks a bunch to my wonderful friends Jeff Muir, for recording my voice and guitar at the same time, and Margaret Lim, for covering everything with a bark-like paper.
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