Last Weekend

Dave contemplating his return to Tokyo, having another beer, suicide and the latest issue of Hustler all at the same moment.


John and his daughter Chloe


The couple I met at Lee's Palace and then again the next day at the Distillery and yet again later on in the day. She is from Kanata originally. His name is Peter. They invited me for a drink and that's all I know.


John and his daughter Chloe in reflection and upside-down.

Do I Hate Bell Canada?

Yes. For more information please contact your local "I Hate Bell Canada" chapter.

The Best of Globalization

The 21st century is bound to be full of headlines like this:
"Russian 'ninja' arrested in Italy" from the BBC >>

How about "Moroccan Dog Sled Racer Crashes in Cambodia" or "Melanesian Moose Hunter Injured in Albania"

From Dinosaur Jr to John Doe

After a very pricey dinner Dave and I heded to the Phoenix to see Dinosaur Jr. I wasn't to sure if I wanted to see them because they have a reputation for bing enormously loud. As it turned out they were only letting 100 NXNEerners in. Even with his "all access" pass we were turned away. We then hopped on the College St car and went west getting off in Little Italy. We walked south to Queen and went to some hole that had a band from Tokyo playing. It was a three piece with a really tiny female bass player in a groovy kimino.Nothing special musically.

The strangest thing was that Dave met a guy at this show that he had met at the Fujifest in Tokyo last year. Even stranger the guy lives in his building in TO.

We stayed for the next band "Vulcan Dub Grip". They were very young. The band itself was entertaining but the singer was supermelodramatic and had a weak voice. In fact he was annoying.

We then walked up to Lee's Palace on Bloor to see John Doe (of X fame) and the Sadies. That brought back a lot of memories for me. They still have the same cartoon mural on the outside. We had to wait in line but the doorman saw Dave had his All Access pass and told us to come on in. John Gomeshi of Moxy Fruvious /CBC noteriety was in our way at the bar buying shots of some dark liquid.

John Doe played acoustic, then electric, then with the Sadies and then added Kathleen Edwards. He did a nice version of Poor Little Girl and More Fun in the New World, a critique of the Reagan era that sadly rang as true today as back then.

So that was last night

Today we went for Brunch, saw Wooffest ( a dog fair in the St. Lawrence Market) and had a drink on a patio. John and Karen are coming tonight and maybe Kirk and I wish Leslie was here to join in the fun.

NXNE

I'm in Toronto for the NXNE music festival thanks to Dave H. I have no idea who any of the bands ae but it shuld be fun. Dave is covering events for the media.

I left a sunny Ottawa and arrived in TO just in time for a huge downpour with some wicked wind. There was a sad scene on the bus this morning. There was one seat left without a struggle next to an Asian gentleman. A black woman came on the bus and asked to sit there. He refused to remove his bag from the seat next to him. She was very polite but firm. Still he would not budge. The bus driver asked him and he refused. Another terminal employee also a black woman asked him to move the bag or get off the bus. He moved the bag but he sat in the aisle seat and refused to let the black woman get past him without a struggle.

No one got off until Scarborough and as soon as there was a free seat the man moved. Sad but true.

Now I am off to get some wine for Maria and beer for the rest.

Departing

A day of sadness and relief. This week I was given my own office. One year ago this week I was working in a corporate environment with my supervisor literally looking over my shoulder for the entire day...day after day, as his work station (ugh what a mugly term) was right behind me. Now I work a few blocks away on the same street and I have my own damned office. No one looks over my freaking shoulder...they knock or say hello. And they all are friendly. Imagine.

Last summer was a combination of humiliation, degradation and money. It was only worth it as a point of reference and to pay some bills. It allowed my honey to come visit of course so there was refuge in the dissonance. However it stripped me raw. Raw like a bleached femur in a Jackal pit. Yep, just like that.

But autumn took its turn and in that rusty dance I found some wonder. Thank you for that trip John and Sharon. I have so many strong images from that drive from Ottawa to Algonquin, the cottage in Parry Sound and on to Owen Sound.

Sitting by the water with the autumn sun shining on the water, my dear friend made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Thank you for that moment and that idea.

Not long after a barely employed James made his way to Colorado and the cogs of the galaxy started to grind and churn. then I found my place in this world. With my love and with my city and with that unnamed thing that winds it's way through evrything.

It was along time coming and there are things to tend to always, but I feel like I am finally out of the mire.

if I am wrong that's ok too, but I don't think that I am.

My First and Only Lolcat Post

Party Pooper?

I guess that I'm really not a sports fan. I hope Ottawa loses tonight so i can get some sleep. People are too freaking loud. They have a stereo outside in the backyard and, yes I was a party pooper and called the "by-law" in. I was trying to apply a javaScript to a clients Web site and the damned neighbours are so loud the stereo actually sounds like it's in the room. Anyway it only hit 49 decibels when the "By-law" ( as they called them on the phone) came by to do a sound reading. They needed 50. They said to call back at 11 on the dot. So I will. last time this went on until 1 am. Payback for a mispent youth I guess if you like, but I know my rights and I'm using them.

I don't usually follow much hockey but this year my home town team is vying for the Stanley Cup. It's the Ottawa Senators vs the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. There are many reasons we need to win: A Canadian team hasn't won the cup since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens beat Los Angeles. The other team is called "the Ducks" and is named after a Disney movie. Ottawa fans are deeply devoted to their team so a win would be the ultimate party for the city. I had just moved to Montreal the last year they won the cup so it would also be nice to be in another cup winning city. That was the 100th year of the Stanley Cup and also the year the Senators were reborn into the NHL. I don't really watch much hockey but I am enjoying the spectacle. So far it's 2:1 Anaheim:Ottawa in the play-offs.

The five tastes

We all know about sweet, bitter, salty and sour, but what about umami? Umami is one of five receptor families we have for taste. Umami is Japanese and means something akin to "savoury". It is a sensation we recieve when we detect glutumate and ribonucleotides in food. It can be sensed in "ripe tomatoes, parmesan cheese, cured ham, mushrooms, meat and fish".

More Info

"Who's umami? Human taste now comes in five flavours" CBC >>

Umami Information Center >>

A tutorial on the sense of taste Compiled by Tim Jacob Cardiff University, UK >>

Red Meet Blue

Homeless Wino Look

Nick Cave's latest look.