are transit shelter advertisements for programs to help the illiterate hilarious, or cruel?
i have yet to decide on the matter.
Jul 24, 2007
Jul 23, 2007
new york run by the swiss
Toronto sucks.
now, i'm not saying i don't love it here. i do. i absolutely adore all that our city has to offer, and i wish upon wishes that we can continue to improve towards being a truly international city that the world can view as a leader culturally, economically, socially as well as architecturally.
that said, we as citizens just don't care enough.
you know the reason New York is such a successful city? because people love it. it even says so on their tshirts.
the general feeling amongst Torontonians i find, is not so much love, as it is a general fondness. and man, that just isn't enough.
it would be awesome if we had a waterfront. if we had better mass transit. if we have beautification and leading edge design as part of our civic mandate.
but these things don't just happen on the will of a few politicos and a general public that nods and says "yea, that would be nice", then goes back to pimping their facebook pages.
and i say this not so much as a call to arms, but merely as an observation. Toronto will probably not achieve the status of New York, or even a Chicago, because in Canada, we're alright with being mediocre.
in business, in sports, in life -- if we're ok, we're good enough. Canadians don't seek to be the best. to be able to gloat from the top of the mountain.
all this potential in this country, and this city. seemingly squandered.
now, i'm not saying i don't love it here. i do. i absolutely adore all that our city has to offer, and i wish upon wishes that we can continue to improve towards being a truly international city that the world can view as a leader culturally, economically, socially as well as architecturally.
that said, we as citizens just don't care enough.
you know the reason New York is such a successful city? because people love it. it even says so on their tshirts.
the general feeling amongst Torontonians i find, is not so much love, as it is a general fondness. and man, that just isn't enough.
it would be awesome if we had a waterfront. if we had better mass transit. if we have beautification and leading edge design as part of our civic mandate.
but these things don't just happen on the will of a few politicos and a general public that nods and says "yea, that would be nice", then goes back to pimping their facebook pages.
and i say this not so much as a call to arms, but merely as an observation. Toronto will probably not achieve the status of New York, or even a Chicago, because in Canada, we're alright with being mediocre.
in business, in sports, in life -- if we're ok, we're good enough. Canadians don't seek to be the best. to be able to gloat from the top of the mountain.
all this potential in this country, and this city. seemingly squandered.
Jul 18, 2007
the more things change...
forty-two days later.
why is it that whenever you're in school, the summer months always seems so formative and life changing, whereas when you're an unemployed hobo, it's the winter months that really get you thinking?
curious.
anyways, people probably knew i'd be back, so here it is if anyone bothers to come 'round these parts anymore. blog readers are of but two catagories: the fickle, and the bored.
i suspect the fickle won't find this for a while, while the bored will be here ... by morning.
what i've realized in my short time as a honda prelude owner: there are a lot of us out there.
back when i drove a VW, i felt like i was part of a subculture that was just slightly askew of the mainstream, despite the fact that....well....there are a crapload of VW's out there.
but there aren't NEARLY as many '98 passat's out there as there are '98 preludes. i mean, goodness. i see my exact car driving beside me at least once a day. it's kind of like buying a tshirt, then going to school and realizing everybody is rocking the same shirt as you. uncool dude. uncool.
when i get a real job, i am so buying a motorcycle.
with streamers on the handlebars.
why is it that whenever you're in school, the summer months always seems so formative and life changing, whereas when you're an unemployed hobo, it's the winter months that really get you thinking?
curious.
anyways, people probably knew i'd be back, so here it is if anyone bothers to come 'round these parts anymore. blog readers are of but two catagories: the fickle, and the bored.
i suspect the fickle won't find this for a while, while the bored will be here ... by morning.
what i've realized in my short time as a honda prelude owner: there are a lot of us out there.
back when i drove a VW, i felt like i was part of a subculture that was just slightly askew of the mainstream, despite the fact that....well....there are a crapload of VW's out there.
but there aren't NEARLY as many '98 passat's out there as there are '98 preludes. i mean, goodness. i see my exact car driving beside me at least once a day. it's kind of like buying a tshirt, then going to school and realizing everybody is rocking the same shirt as you. uncool dude. uncool.
when i get a real job, i am so buying a motorcycle.
with streamers on the handlebars.
Jun 7, 2007
false media
fine. i will allow you to read my archives if you are truly that bored at work.
i know *I* find them amusing.
i know *I* find them amusing.
Jun 4, 2007
struck dumb
i would say....
saturday looks good to me
+
camera obscura
+
the triangles
+
the oneders (yes, those oneders)
= Lucky Soul.
i feel like i should be wearing a cardigan sharing a malt in a diner with my high school sweetheart while listening to this song.
either that, or breaking out into cool post-grease musical dance moves or something.
saturday looks good to me
+
camera obscura
+
the triangles
+
the oneders (yes, those oneders)
= Lucky Soul.
i feel like i should be wearing a cardigan sharing a malt in a diner with my high school sweetheart while listening to this song.
either that, or breaking out into cool post-grease musical dance moves or something.
May 30, 2007
May 29, 2007
let it die
if the yankees are supposedly mired in a hopeless talespin, what does that say about the jays?
we're only 1 game ahead of them.
if the yankees are terrible this year, the jays are just quietly trying to avoid being noticed....
we're only 1 game ahead of them.
if the yankees are terrible this year, the jays are just quietly trying to avoid being noticed....
May 28, 2007
no one needs to know
a well deserved sleeping in.
feist was incredible on saturday, she put on one of the better shows i've ever seen at massey hall. she's powered by personality, and her music is definitely just an extension of that at her show. it's pretty crazy to see. all around an amazingly talented girl.
feist was incredible on saturday, she put on one of the better shows i've ever seen at massey hall. she's powered by personality, and her music is definitely just an extension of that at her show. it's pretty crazy to see. all around an amazingly talented girl.
May 24, 2007
falling slowly
you know what makes me feel old?
realizing that we are no longer the young, cool generation of softball kids at church, hahaha
we are officially the old team.
we also do not have a kickass websites that has stats, profiles, a blog, and....RSS feeds? what? justin's a nerd, hahahaha
check out the david's mighty men site. i am in awe.
realizing that we are no longer the young, cool generation of softball kids at church, hahaha
we are officially the old team.
we also do not have a kickass websites that has stats, profiles, a blog, and....RSS feeds? what? justin's a nerd, hahahaha
check out the david's mighty men site. i am in awe.
May 23, 2007
people get ready
portland and seattle 1 and 2? so who's willing to bet against Nike signing both oden and durant before the month is over? nobody? yea, i wouldn't either.
why is it everybody thinks that taking the best player available is the same thing as saying take kevin durant first overall? has it occurred to anybody that oden might actually be the best player in the draft? just a thought.
finally, can people please stop making the michael joran draft analogy? please? everybody says that it's ridiculous to pass on the next MJ, and that we all should have learned our lesson in '84
what i personally have learned since '84 (a tumultuous terrible twos for me, i remember it fondly) is that a dominant center ALWAYS pans out.
i don't care how many big man busts there have been, if you roll the dice on a talented dominant big and win, that equals championships. rolling the dice on talented wings is just as, if not more risky these days (name someone who's done what MJ did. what? nobody? curious....) plus even when they do pan out, it never guarantees rings (see tmac, vc, dirk, kg even, etc etc...)
in other words, greg oden is going to portland. no question about it, barring some sort of unforeseen deal breaker. at this point, i could make a cliched jailblazer joke. but i'm better than that, so you should be too.
.....
and for those of you who remember my NBA draft = dating analogy, i'm going to break this year's crop down into laywomans terms for the ladies.
greg oden is the professional student who is relatively well balanced in everything and is certainly going to be a rich ass dude who makes the world a better place, as well a dedicated family man. he might even end AIDS somehow, through either doing research or ridiculously generous philanthropy. hell, perhaps through both.
kevin durant is a performing artist who's about to make it huge. he's enourmously talented, and is capable of both winning a grammy and an oscar without people rolling their eyes. just enormous potential for greatness. and he's not even fake about it, he just happens to be really good at stuff in a way that seems almost unfair.
see, the difference between real life and the NBA now, is that even if kevin durant DOES end up winning a grammy, an oscar, a VIBE lifetime achievement award, and the nobel peace prize, he might still not necessary win a championship if he's on a crappy team, or surrounded by incompetent organizations. (see kevin garnett).
however, i just realized after typing out that comparison that most people would choose durant in a heartbeat.
i guess my analogy is somewhat flawed. dammit. back to the drawing board.
why is it everybody thinks that taking the best player available is the same thing as saying take kevin durant first overall? has it occurred to anybody that oden might actually be the best player in the draft? just a thought.
finally, can people please stop making the michael joran draft analogy? please? everybody says that it's ridiculous to pass on the next MJ, and that we all should have learned our lesson in '84
what i personally have learned since '84 (a tumultuous terrible twos for me, i remember it fondly) is that a dominant center ALWAYS pans out.
i don't care how many big man busts there have been, if you roll the dice on a talented dominant big and win, that equals championships. rolling the dice on talented wings is just as, if not more risky these days (name someone who's done what MJ did. what? nobody? curious....) plus even when they do pan out, it never guarantees rings (see tmac, vc, dirk, kg even, etc etc...)
in other words, greg oden is going to portland. no question about it, barring some sort of unforeseen deal breaker. at this point, i could make a cliched jailblazer joke. but i'm better than that, so you should be too.
.....
and for those of you who remember my NBA draft = dating analogy, i'm going to break this year's crop down into laywomans terms for the ladies.
greg oden is the professional student who is relatively well balanced in everything and is certainly going to be a rich ass dude who makes the world a better place, as well a dedicated family man. he might even end AIDS somehow, through either doing research or ridiculously generous philanthropy. hell, perhaps through both.
kevin durant is a performing artist who's about to make it huge. he's enourmously talented, and is capable of both winning a grammy and an oscar without people rolling their eyes. just enormous potential for greatness. and he's not even fake about it, he just happens to be really good at stuff in a way that seems almost unfair.
see, the difference between real life and the NBA now, is that even if kevin durant DOES end up winning a grammy, an oscar, a VIBE lifetime achievement award, and the nobel peace prize, he might still not necessary win a championship if he's on a crappy team, or surrounded by incompetent organizations. (see kevin garnett).
however, i just realized after typing out that comparison that most people would choose durant in a heartbeat.
i guess my analogy is somewhat flawed. dammit. back to the drawing board.
May 20, 2007
dull flame of desire
June 25 - The Fiery Furnaces
July 1st - Harbourfront festival
July 14 - Mirah
Sept 8 - Vfest
July 1st - Harbourfront festival
July 14 - Mirah
Sept 8 - Vfest
May 17, 2007
jazz crabs
fox renews 24 for two more season.
am i the only one who is already jaded by jack bauer's endless string of day-to-end-all-days?
someone please put this poor man out his misery.
no one deserves to have this many bad days in one lifetime.
can you imagine the stress of knowing that every year, you're guaranteed to have to save the world at some point? how could you ever garner the courage to get out of bed? I'd be debilitated by fear every morning I woke up. even the day's you don't have to save the world, i doubt he enjoys. all he probably can think about is "one day down. 364 more to days to worry about...."
poor guy.
am i the only one who is already jaded by jack bauer's endless string of day-to-end-all-days?
someone please put this poor man out his misery.
no one deserves to have this many bad days in one lifetime.
can you imagine the stress of knowing that every year, you're guaranteed to have to save the world at some point? how could you ever garner the courage to get out of bed? I'd be debilitated by fear every morning I woke up. even the day's you don't have to save the world, i doubt he enjoys. all he probably can think about is "one day down. 364 more to days to worry about...."
poor guy.
May 16, 2007
the resurrection
thoughts:
- stephen jackson must be a schizo or something. how can someone be so crazy one minute, and seem so genuinely sane the next? it's mind boggling. he essentially clotheslines dee brown, goes nuts for a technical foul complaining, and then the second the game ends he runs up to jerry sloan and hugs him. what? the real-life equivalent would be if someone beating the snot out of you for insulting his shoes, then taking you to the hospital and waiting until you're stitched up before taking you out for a drink as if nothing ever happened. just completely nuts.
- the suspensions to amare and diaw are probably the most controversial i can remember in recent memory. it's hard to swallow, really. by the letter of the law there is little doubt they made their call. but there should always be exceptions.
the frustrating part of the decision is not merely that it was unbelievably draconian, but the decision favours the team that committed the crime! truehoop points out the warped logical end of this decision.
then again, if it's must see TV the NBA wanted, they certainly have it now (debately, they had it before anyways with the intensity we've seen so far). let it be known though, if the suns manage to win game 5, they will win this year's championship. it's undeniable; as certain as paris hilton complaining to her prison guards about unstylish bedsheets.
- wearing a steve nash jersey actually produces a noticeable increase in pressure while playing basketball. as if i have to justify why i'm wearing it to a bunch of random dudes.
also, i keep forgetting to yell hibachi when i hit game winners.....i can't wait until gil's healthy
- i think i need to hang out with guys more. all my life i've pretty much been socially surrounded by a gaggle of girls. which to some may be a pimps life.
but at this stage, i think i need some guy love.
come find me fellas. i want a hug.
- stephen jackson must be a schizo or something. how can someone be so crazy one minute, and seem so genuinely sane the next? it's mind boggling. he essentially clotheslines dee brown, goes nuts for a technical foul complaining, and then the second the game ends he runs up to jerry sloan and hugs him. what? the real-life equivalent would be if someone beating the snot out of you for insulting his shoes, then taking you to the hospital and waiting until you're stitched up before taking you out for a drink as if nothing ever happened. just completely nuts.
- the suspensions to amare and diaw are probably the most controversial i can remember in recent memory. it's hard to swallow, really. by the letter of the law there is little doubt they made their call. but there should always be exceptions.
the frustrating part of the decision is not merely that it was unbelievably draconian, but the decision favours the team that committed the crime! truehoop points out the warped logical end of this decision.
A TrueHoop reader emailed a great point -- by this logic, if James Jones had noticed that Duncan and Bowen had wandered on the court in the second quarter, he should have immediately decked Francisco Elson. There's your altercation. Mr. Commissioner! Presumably Jones, Duncan, and Bowen would have all been suspended for Game 5 -- a big win for Phoenix.i wonder if the assistant coaches for phoenix are in trouble for this one -- it's their responsibility to keep their players on the bench in situations just like these. a travesty really.
then again, if it's must see TV the NBA wanted, they certainly have it now (debately, they had it before anyways with the intensity we've seen so far). let it be known though, if the suns manage to win game 5, they will win this year's championship. it's undeniable; as certain as paris hilton complaining to her prison guards about unstylish bedsheets.
- wearing a steve nash jersey actually produces a noticeable increase in pressure while playing basketball. as if i have to justify why i'm wearing it to a bunch of random dudes.
also, i keep forgetting to yell hibachi when i hit game winners.....i can't wait until gil's healthy
- i think i need to hang out with guys more. all my life i've pretty much been socially surrounded by a gaggle of girls. which to some may be a pimps life.
but at this stage, i think i need some guy love.
come find me fellas. i want a hug.
May 15, 2007
no such thing
for those who know me well, they can only imagine my elation today.
and a big thank you to Winners, without whom none of this could have been made possible. security database breach be damned, i still love you.
behold, perhaps the only material object in the world that i have consistantly longed to own over the past decade or so:
and a big thank you to Winners, without whom none of this could have been made possible. security database breach be damned, i still love you.
behold, perhaps the only material object in the world that i have consistantly longed to own over the past decade or so:
May 14, 2007
she don't have to know
does anyone have spare bookends that they don't need anymore? i'll gladly take them off your hands.
and milk crates?
and spray paint?
yea, i'll take those too. shoot me an email.
and milk crates?
and spray paint?
yea, i'll take those too. shoot me an email.
May 10, 2007
May 9, 2007
Phrases like "rare talent" are thrown around all the time these days, but this compilation makes painfully clear just how unique and valuable this music is. Smith's visionary qualities were not terribly flashy or transgressive, and his great musical gifts were not those of innovation. Instead, he steadily and quietly wrote, honed, and recorded a body of beautifully executed, deeply moving records not quite like any others. Consider him the patron saint of hobbyists, a talented and dedicated craftsman with a tireless love of the creative process.i normally hate pitchfork. but this summation by matt lemay in his review of 'new moon' is as succinctly as anyone could have put it, so good on him.
we miss ya elliott.
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