Blossoms at Old City Hall

The four trees along the east side of Toronto's old City Hall are full of bright pink blossoms - it's like a mini High Park in the heart of the City.

I even had a chance to take a picture of a pretty girl in front of the blooms.

Classic card of the week

Cal Ripken, Jr -- Champagne, 1993 Milkbone Superstars

Here we have the Milkbone “Superstars” series of trading cards, in which popular Major League Baseball players posed happily with their dogs. It’s uncertain here who is the actual superstar. Cal Ripen, Jr. –- shortstop –- has the inset going for him, while Champagne -– dog -– has the “don’t eff with me or I’ll bite your friggin’ head off” look of a true superstar. Both have amazing sweaters. Let us declare them both superstars!

Because I already know the vital statistics of Cal Ripken, Jr, let’s discover more about Champagne, shall we? Indeed:



Champagne was presented to Cal’s wife as a gift along with a bottle of champagne, hence her name.

That is a fabulous story, one that I am sure is recounted in detail at lavish mid-winter dinner parties at the Ripken’s lovely suburban Maryland home. Nevertheless, I don’t get it.

Cal Ripken: Hey babe. Happy birthday. I got you a bottle of champagne. And this dog. The dog’s name is Champagne. Get it? Also, the dog is mine. We have a photo shoot in two hours, so be a doll and grab my good sweater and my baseball top hat.

Cal Ripken Jr’s wife (also named Champagne): My birthday is next month. This streak is tearing us apart!

It should also be noted that this baseball card is a “1993 Limited Edition.” This means that, amazingly, they did not produce an infinite supply of cards featuring Cal Ripken, Jr. and his wife’s dog, Champagne. So if you have this card, consider yourself one of the fortunate ones. I, for one, am saddened to say that this card is not my own, but was instead mailed to me –- in the hard plastic sleeve –- by my buddy Sean (avid O’s fan) with the note:

What Cal lacks in his all-white jersey (inset), he makes up for in his seizure-inducing sweatshirt.
P.S. This is in a sleeve. In case it’s worth something, I want it back. If not, enjoy Cal & Champagne.

Ha, ha, Sean. I looked it up on Beckett and this card is worth four Milkbone bacon treats, which equals $2,800 in American human currency. I will mail this back to you…nevah!!!

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I am drunk off Champagne. Both the dog, and the drink. Mostly the drink.

Did you know?
When Ripken and Eddie Murray were teammates, the Baltimore Orioles were arguably the most dog-food-endorsing team in Major League Baseball.

Keeping family in the loop, and occasionally tossing them out

Note: This column appears in the 4/29 issue of The Glendale Star and the 4/30 issue of the Peoria Times

There has been a running joke in our family for years involving videos from Idaho. My uncle –- then stationed in Idaho for the Air Force -– and my aunt had just given birth to their first kids, twin girls. Armed with a camcorder and the anxiety that everyone back east was missing everything, my uncle countered by recording everything. When my aunt and uncle eventually returned east for good, our entire family was subsequently treated to hours-long, sound-free, grainy footage of my cousins doing mundane things amidst the appealing aesthetic of the flat and empty Idaho landscape. Having to watch those videos again is now a threat at family functions aimed at anyone who gets out of hand, which usually ends up being, ironically, one of the co-stars of those famous movies. They drink wine now.

I was so young when those videos surfaced, but even I have a faint memory of their monotony. Now, years later, I can sympathize with my uncle totally. Here we are, my wife and I, new parents and the rest of our family is across the country. How is everyone supposed to know how our little one is doing without aggressive and frequent documentation?

The medium has changed, of course. The process is less intrusive in that we won’t need to gather the entire family around in one place to observe footage of our little one’s progress. But it’s also much broader. Between online picture albums, texts, instant videos and iChats, there are plenty of ways to make our family back east aware that our hopefully-soon-to-be-daughter can army crawl.

Thing is, both my wife and I are cognizant of this. We’re both, I think, self-aware to a fault, in that we often choose not to overstep our bounds at the risk of depriving those who really desire to see these things. The result has been this constant struggle for my wife regarding whom to bombard this footage with.

Our respective parents? Forget it. We could have a camera on our little one Truman Show-style and my mother-in-law wouldn’t leave the house. After that it gets dicey. We get so much positive feedback about sending pictures, etc, but we’re always trying to interpret that as genuine versus being nice. Also, my wife is the type of person who responds to every email, text, forward, and wall post, so when someone doesn’t respond to her she interprets that as either a) I need to slow down, or b) that person is making fun of me right now.

A few weeks ago, after sending out another picture text, my brother-in-law responded with an innocuous joke about the amount of pics he was receiving. My wife took him off the list, didn’t tell him, and then reveled in the fact that he later lamented about not receiving any more pictures. She doesn’t mess around, my wife.

Last week we took our hopefully-soon-to-be daughter to the park for the first time. We put her on one of the infant swings and she loved it. She was smiling and laughing the whole time. We took a video of course, and we’ve both watched it at least twenty times since. “Who wouldn’t want to watch this?” I say to myself. And I think of Idaho. But ya’ know what? I don’t care. Something tells me, when the jokes come up, my uncle doesn’t care either.

The Urban Jungle

Toronto has so many neighbourhoods and flavours that it is hard to believe that so much is contained within such a relatively small footprint. In the highly concentrated downtown urban core we see a few of our antique buildings standing proud beside tall, glass towers. Land is too valuable for many plants but some grass, trees and gardens do add some nice colour - like at the Toronto Dominion Tower, pictured above.

Old City Hall sits right beside the Eaton Centre and one of those glass towers. There was a lot of work going on in the front yard of the Hall over the last couple of weeks and the construction fences have just come down. I think they were putting in the power feeds to the new batman spotlight on top of the roof, ready for when the Commissioner needs to get in contact with the caped crusader. They also straightened the sign while they were at it.



There was also a few boats along Bay Street in case someone had a few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pockets. All you would have to do is point the trailer downhill and you could roll right down to Lake Ontario.



PS the fountain in Nathan Phillips Square is back in action for the season.

ROM Dinosaurs - feel like prey

Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has a few dinosaurs roaming the vast halls, eating people.

You can find plenty of dinos at the ROM: "Imagine life when dinos roamed the earth in the James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs and explore one of the world’s best dinosaur collections. Hundreds of specimens await visitors in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, ranging from insects and fossilized plants, to Canada’s largest dinosaur on permanent display, Gordo the Barosaurus, who clocks in at an impressive 27 metres (90 feet). Visitors may also recognize the Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Deinonychus, and the popular Hadrosaur specimens, Parasaurolophus and Maiasaura. Many of the species on display are real fossil skeletons!"

Do you see that little raptor above following his mommy, the large, sharp claw ready to shred their prey? These guys aren't at all like that big, purple dinosaur named Barney. I think some of those raptors did survive, now they wear suits and work in some of our office towers.

Streetcar Named Desire

You don't often see the TTC streetcar driver hanging out the window, chillaxin, waiting for the light to turn green, but spring makes people crazy.

Toronto Torture Garden

I find some street posters just grab my attention. Toronto Torture Garden? I have heard of the Toronto Music Garden but I have not come across the Toronto Torture Garden yet, I don't know why not. So I decide to do some educational surfing on the internets, yeah, educational.

Turns out that it is a fetish thing. They have a whole weekend planned in May, who knew? I would go but there is no photography allowed. Remember to whip it, whip it good.

Hamilton Fireworks

Just down the road from Toronto lies Hamilton, otherwise known as Steeltown, the Canadian Fireworks Association 2010 conference had a spectacular Friday night of Fireworks. The setting was Bayfront Park just beside Hamilton Harbour and the fireworks started at quarter to nine and went until 10:30pm. For upcoming fireworks in Hamilton check out the city's special events webpage. For Toronto fireworks see the information below.



We set up our cameras on the platform lookout and waited for the excitement to begin and we weren't disappointed. It was an East versus West battle and the night featured both consumer and professional fireworks.




In Toronto you can always catch fireworks during Victoria Day and Canada Day celebrations. On Victoria Day you can watch fireworks at Ashbridges Bay (The place to watch the fireworks, on a wide expanse of beach!
Monday, May 24, 2010 after 9:30 p.m. but come MUCH earlier!!) or Ontario Place on May 16, 2010.

On Canada Day 2010 the party will be at Mel Lastman Square and also back at Ashbridges Bay. Ontario Place will also play host to the Toronto Festival of Fire from July 1 to the 3rd.

At the end of the year you can also see fireworks at Nathans Phillips Square during the New Years Eve celebrations.

You know you can change that, right?

Trust me that this post is not in retrospect, considering Round 1 of the NFL Draft is finished. I just never got around to mentioning this yesterday.

Besides, I would never hold anyone to any sort of accuracy standards when it comes to mock drafting. They are silly, but apparently required if you are a sports writer. But I just cannot let this doozy from Peter King slide.

Keep in mind that a mock draft is, for those unaware, a made-up scenario regarding how a particular person thinks the draft will pan out. With that in mind, here is what Peter King has to say regarding the 29th pick in his mock draft:

29. New York Jets
Jahvid Best, RB, Cal

This pick makes no sense -- unless you think Leon Washington and LaDainian Tomlinson are short-timers.

This pick. Makes no sense. Indeed it does not, especially considering that it is your own pretend pick. I mean, who are you talking to, Peter King? Because it seems as though you are harshly criticizing the New York Jets for making a pick that they did not, and most likely will not, make. Because you made it up.

I think -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- that a mock draft is an attempt to outline a draft that makes sense. So to do a mock draft, and openly admit that at least some of it doesn't make sense, just...doesn't make sense.

It should also be mentioned that the Jets have three running backs, lest we forget about their projected starter, Shonn Greene. So this whole thing makes no sense on a number of levels.

Classic card of the week

Ken Griffey Jr., 2000 Upper Deck

Sometime around the year 2000, there was a top-secret Superstar Summit, which was held at an undisclosed location (Bennigans), was organized by Upper Deck and the baseball branch of the C.I.A., and included the superest superstars of Major League Baseball.

What you see here has never been disclosed to the general public before, and it seems to be the identification card for Ken Griffey Jr. to enter the Superstar Summit. How and why do I have it? I am not at liberty to disclose that information. Not now. Not ever. I will not be putting my family or this country at risk for a fleeting moment of self-glorification!

That said, here is what I know:

Name of All-Star
Ken Griffey Jr.

Fact No. 1: You had to be an All-Star to attend this Summit. Not too surprising that a summit of superstars would require at least some star experience. Think Joe Johnson is gaining entry into the Superstar Summit? Think again. Fact No. 2: The man pictured here is named “Ken Griffey Jr.”

We also discover that this man plays for the Cincinnati Reds, has 12 years of star experience, wears Jersey No. 30, and plays the outfield. He is 6’3” tall, weighs 205 lbs and was born on 11/21/69. If this is not an authentic Ken Griffey Jr. identification card, it is indeed a clever forgery.

In fact, the only way to be sure this is not a forgery is through the Superstar Summit seal, which is present here, and which can only be duplicated through a complicated process that includes reflected translucent gamma rays, a ball point pen, and cardboard only found in the French Alps. Another indication of this ID card’s authenticity is the signature, which was required, and which was stamped with the validation of approval on the 33rd month and fifth day of the year 2000.

This card however, is not without its secrets. The code contained on the bottom of this man’s picture -- “KG-CIN-30” -- has not been cracked by even the superest of mathematicians. Were I to have attempted to gain entry into the Summit – which I did -- using this card, I would be denied – which I was -- as a result of not being able to crack the code. The only people who know what this code means are Ken Griffey Jr. himself and Richard Nixon, who bravely and stubbornly took it to his grave.

Let’s see what information we can draw from the back of this card:



In 2000, Griffey surpassed the 40-homer mark for the seventh time in his career. He also eclipsed 100 RBI for the eighth time.

No wonder this man was invited to the Superstar Summit. However, it is indeed odd that the information contained on this man’s ID card would be presented in the third person. But the truth is, not even the Superstars themselves could be fully trusted.

For example, Ken Griffey Jr. – hypothetically of course – would arrive at the entrance of the Superstar Summit and attempt to gain entry. He would hand this very ID card to the guard, who would then swipe the bar code in order to confirm that the real Ken Griffey Jr. was not already inside. Then the guard would look up and down at Ken Griffey Jr. to confirm that the listed personal data corroborated. Then he would ask Ken Griffey Jr. to sign something random – in this case a non-C.I.A.-issued-Ken-Griffey-Jr. baseball card that he just happened to have – to confirm that the signature matched. Then the guard would say something like, “Question: Who, in the year 2000, surpassed the 40-homer mark for the seventh time in his career, and also eclipsed 100 RBI for the eighth time?” Ken Griffey Jr., if he were smart and truly desired entry, would reply, “Me.” Then he would have to crack the code.

What actually happened inside the Superstar Summit is a secret akin to who shot JFK. Who was there? It’s impossible to say. Vinny Castilla? I don’t know, maybe. What did they discuss? Who knows. They probably talked about how awesome they were, which umps should get whacked, where to get the best steroids, and how hot J-Lo is. Was J-Lo herself there? Probably. I don’t know. This is all speculation. Man, I miss Bennigans.

Did you know?
Due to bar coding issues stemming from the 2000 Superstar Summit, invitations for the 2010 Superstar Summit were sent out via Evite.

Bricks on Gould - Impact on Yonge Street

Wow, the falling bricks on Gould at Yonge Street continue to impact traffic on Yonge Street as the two northbound lanes are closed and all traffic is squeezed into the two southbound lanes. The pile of bricks remain piled on the ground, partially covered in a tarp. I think they will need a bigger trash bin.



The Ryerson University neighbourhood, which already has ongoing demolition as the old Sam the Record Man complex gets taken down, is joined by the building on the south side of Gould Street which rained bricks on Friday, April 16, 2010. This area is always full of students, residents and office workers so it is quite amazing that no one was seriously hurt in this accident.



It looks like the part of the building above the brick facade failure has been removed while the part with the failure and the fallen bricks in the street remain in place. I think the debris could have been left as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident.

Gift of Life - Living Green Ribbon Event

There was a lot of green today in Yonge-Dundas Square, just one day after reported gunfire during the 4-20 pro-weed gathering, for a Living Green Ribbon Event. The Trillium Gift of Life Network handed out boxes of green, plastic rain ponchos for people to wear as they gathered together in the shape of a giant ribbon. Mayor David Miller, pictured above, joined the large crowd along with a large heart to draw attention as part of National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week.

The bright green ponchos covered many business suits as those bankers and business people lent their support.



Their website says "Trillium Gift of Life Network, The Kidney Foundation of Canada, and The Canadian Liver Foundation, working in partnership with local volunteers, are holding a Living Green Ribbon Event in Toronto's Yonge/Dundas Square on Wednesday, April 21st from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Torontonians are invited to the square to demonstrate their support for the need for organ and tissue donors, learn more about the donation consent registration process, enjoy some entertainment and join the volunteers, wearing green ponchos or carrying YES placards, as we come together to form a Living Green Ribbon in the middle of Yonge/Dundas Square!"

Seeing scorpions? There are specialists for that

Note: This column appears in the 4/22 issue of The Glendale Star and the 4/23 issue of the Peoria Times

The last time I discussed scorpions here I mentioned how my wife and I had resorted to hunting for them outside with a black light at night, collecting them in a jar, and then releasing them on the concrete at which point I would kill them in the most panicked and effeminate way you can imagine –- with my flip-flop, while screaming.

Believe me this was not the ideal way we wanted to go about ridding ourselves of scorpions. The dread of reinitiating that summer night routine had remained in the back of my mind, as was the reality of scorpions in general and the fact that we have, though not yet officially, a family now. But one day a few weeks ago while walking back from the mailbox, I noticed a truck parked in front of our neighbor’s house that read, “Scorpion Specialists.”

So I talked to the guy, Chris. He said the Scorpion Specialists seal your home, inside and out and completely, to the point where, along with regular spraying and being aware of what you bring into the house, the chances of seeing a scorpion in your home will be reduced to virtually zilch. I said, “Let’s do this.”

It was an investment no doubt, but considering that I would pay a million dollars to never see a scorpion again –- or, better yet, to hire an arsonist/hitman to set fire to every scorpion in the universe –- it was a bargain. (I want them to die by fire, fyi.)

They sealed the foundation and screened off and caulked every exterior vent, including those on the roof. They sealed the garage, easements, and put new sweeps on every exterior door. They foamed and/or caulked every outlet, light fixture, crack, sprinkler head…everything. They sealed things I didn’t even know we had. We’d be doing a walk-through around the house, and Chris would be like, “You got a high-compressor air chamber vent in this closet?” and I’d be like, “What? I don’t know. No. What?” And he’d open the door and there it was. This happened like a dozen times. I barely know where our hot water heater is.

I told Chris afterwards that had I known specifically about all of the nooks and crannies that allow scorpions to get inside, I never would have been able to sleep at night. As it was I was having bizarre scorpion-related dreams at least weekly. (I didn’t tell him that part.) So I was glad I found them, to say the least.

Which brings me to another point. Part of our lament regarding scorpions is that it seems to us that everyone here dismisses them or is just indifferent. The omnipresence of scorpions is like the elephant in the room of Arizona. But you would think that, with all of my documented frustration with scorpions that someone –- anyone! –- would have been like, “Hey, you know there are desert-proofing services like ‘The Scorpion Specialists,’ right?”

But no. I found out about this because I walked to the mailbox. So thanks, everyone. For nothing.

Still, I write this for anyone as concerned about scorpions in there home as we are. Do what I did. Drop the flip-flop and black light, and pick up the phone.

Icelandair - the ironic advertisement

So I was on the subway today, enjoying the close proximity of other city dwellers on the TTC, when I noticed that one of the overhead ads was for Icelandair - the airway of Iceland. It features a guy mostly submerged in a large, outdoor hot spring, his face caked in healing mud while in the backgroud the hot spring shoots hot steam into the air. It's like having an ad in the subway saying that the TTC Chairman is a loyal, one woman man. Even better, underneath the Iceland poster is a TTC sign saying save transit.



Unfortunately that totally unpronounceable volcano in Iceland (Eyjafjallajökull - like what is that name?) seems to have erupted and over the last couple of days has shut down most flights in Europe due to the volcanic ash. And if the Big E starts to shut down they worry about it's big brother - the volcano Katla, which tends to blow shortly after Big E. Icelandair currently has a sign on their webpage - Notice: Flight disruptions due to volcanic activity in Iceland, it might get a lot worse if Katla blows.

Much Music Video Awards commercial shoot

The film crews set up in Yonge-Dundas Square filming a television commercial for the 2010 Much Music Video Awards.




They built a raised platform and the model climbed onto the stage and swung a pickaxe at the ground. A jet of debris explodes from the ground where she strikes .... and cut. Here is my small Youtube video of some of the action.



I hope I see Lady Gaga back at the awards, I just love the Gaga.

Unicycle in bike stand

Now that's not something that you see everyday - seen on Bay Street in Toronto. Is it a unicycle in a Toronto bike stand or did the thieves get most of the bike and leave one wheel and a seat?

Star Wars: Young Jedi Force

With a cold and wet weekend forecast I decided to visit the St Catherines Toys R Us where there was to be a gathering of Star Wars Characters on Saturday, April 18, 2010. At least 15 members (and an android) of the Young Jedi Force got into costume to help support their community and raise money for charity.



It is very impressive to see so many of the characters in one place. They certainly put a lot of work into the costumes.



There was even an Ewok at the event.




There are many Star Wars fan groups in Ontario.

501st Canadian Garrison
London Rogues
Rebel Legion: Canadian Base

For fans of science fiction, costumes and cosplay don't forget these upcoming Toronto events.

Polaris
July 16 - 18, 2010
Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel
Toronto, Ontario
Look for the The Polaris Masquerade which "is an amateur costume competition for costumes relating to categories of Anime/Manga, Media (e.g. Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, computer games, etc.), Fantasy, Science Fiction, and any other related topics. The Masquerade will take place on Saturday evening after the Constellation Awards."

Toronto Comicon
Fan Appreciation Event 2010
June 5-6, 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building Hall G
222 Bremner Blvd.

Fan Expo Canada
August 27-29, 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building Hall
222 Bremner Blvd.

Cherry Blossoms

Don't forget to get out and about and check the pretty blossoms that are reminding us to stop and smell the flowers. You can find out about the famous High Park Cherry Blossoms on this blog.

There are also apple blossoms and the large magnolia blossoms sprinkled throughout the city so keep an eye out for the beautiful signs of spring.

Toronto Runs, Walks and Rides for Charity

Toronto is generous in it's support of charities and hosts quite a few run, walk or ride events to raise money to find the cure for so many things or to help others. Not only do the purse or wallets come out but so do the caring people that actually have to do all the running, walking or biking. The pictures here show the crowds at the 2006 CIBC Run for the Cure filling Nathan Phillips Square.




Some of the events are wickedly unusual and require a lot of courage just to take part in - like the Underwear Affair and the Walk and Mile In Her Shoes.

Toronto, get ready for:

Run for the Ride - Cancer (April)
Father's Day Walk/Run - Prostate Cancer(June)
Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart (June)
Ride to Conquer Cancer - (June)
Heel 'n' Wheel-a-thon - Crohn's and Colitis (June)
Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes - Juvenile Diabetes (June)
Rick Hanson: Wheels in Motion - Spinal Cord Injury (June)
Walk Now for Autism (June)
Underwear Affair - Cancer below the waist (August)
Terry Fox Run - Cancer (September)
Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women's Cancer (September)
CIBC Run for the Cure - Breast Cancer (October)

There is also Polo for Heart - Heart and Stroke (June) and many golf tournaments around the city for charity so there are plenty of ways to get active or help others financially.

Photo Vault - Don Valley Brickworks

I visited the wastelands that were the Don Valley Brickworks a few times over the years. The longtime maker of bricks shut down and the site gradually fell into ruin which made for exciting visits. I can see why quite a few people make it a hobby to explore abandoned places - just remember to be safe.

Climbing in through the fences and openings in the buildings you walked through a massive complex of buildings full of steel stairs, colourful graffiti and old kilns. The large cavernous buildings were full of remnants of the past where sunbeams cut through holes in the ceilings and highlighted small sections of the interior. You could even find rooms full of bricks scattered on the floors.






The Brickworks lasted a long time starting in 1889 and finally closing in 1984. Then in 2002 they decided to try to make something of the historic site and have been fixing it up. It is now called the Evergreen Brick Works and they will celebrate their grand opening in September 2010.

Classic card of the week

Andres Galarraga, 1991 Score

Andres Galarraga. Good ballplayer. I want to know more:




Dubbed the “Cat” by his teammates because of his graceful moves around first,

Wrong. Galarraga’s nickname, as specified by Wikipedia and anyone who followed baseball in the 90’s was “The Big Cat.” And while that may sound like nitpicking, I mean, that was his nickname. Not “Cat.” That would be like saying that Frank Thomas’ nickname was “Hurt.” I would even venture to say that the fact that Andres Galarraga’s nickname was “The Big Cat” is probably the most commonly recognized thing about Andres Galarraga, as evidenced by this very card opting to mention it first and foremost. So the fact that this card, in doing so, got it wrong is very weird to me. But that’s not the weirdest thing about this little tidbit.

Not by a long shot:

In ’89 Andres was awarded his first Gold Glove. “He’s very classy around the bag,” said scout Joe Klein. “And he has tremendous hands.”

I would first like to mention that I never knew that “being classy” and having “tremendous hands” were mutually exclusive. I also enjoy how the statement “He’s very classy around the bag,” taken out of context, makes it sound as though Andres Galarraga consistently maintains his refined persona around a certain old prostitute. More importantly though, I do have to question how one manages to play first base in a classy manner. I can only assume that Andres Galarraga played first base wearing a three-piece suit, and would offer any opposing player that managed to reach first base a glass of brandy. Whatever the case, I’m sure we can all agree that Andres Galarraga played his position with more class than that white trash Todd Helton.

And then there’s this:

When Andres is on his feed, the ball jumps off his bat.

When Andres is on his feed, the ball jumps off his bat. Hmmm. At first I thought they were attempting to bring this back around to his nickname, as in “When Andres, who is a cat –- remember? –- is ready to eat, he hits well.” But that doesn’t make a lick of sense. (Pun intended, because cats lick themselves.) Furthermore, is “on his feed” even a feline-related phrase? I’m not up-to-date on cat terminology, so I honestly don’t know. Does anyone out there who has a cat ever say that he’s on his feed again? Like, “Uh oh, looks like Professor Giggles is on his feed again. Better get the Fancy Feast* ready.” Again:

When Andres is on his feed, the ball jumps off his bat.

Then I thought that maybe it was a straight typo, and is supposed to read “on his feet.” But, in the context of the rest of this tidbit, that would imply that Andres Galarraga plays first base sitting down, which is not only impossible, but also not classy.

I don’t know. I am lost. You are an elusive cat, Andres Galarraga!

*the classiest of cat foods

Did you know?
An updated version of Galarraga's nickname was used for a recurring character on the HBO hit comedy, The Sopranos.

Massey Hall - red light

The big neon sign at Massey Hall fills the surrounding Victoria street with a bright red glow. The big old box which opened in 1894 is a perfect venue for watching concerts and I remember watching the crowd throw boxes of Craft Dinner at a Barenaked Ladies concert.

Both Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall are run by a not for profit charitable corporation and "Massey Hall was a gift from the Massey family to the city of Toronto in 1894. For over 115 years, its famous red doors have welcomed audiences to a stunning array of events, personalities and artists. It has earned a unique place in Canadian music history."

TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens

TVtropolis’ host of TV with TV’s Jonathan Torrens was out in Toronto doing some interviews with his crew when I broke in between filming and asked for a photo – he was happy to oblige.  He even asked me to do an interview but I had to decline.

 

I remember watching him when he was the young co-host of Street Cents – which was a great show. It was funny and a little off beat which made for good entertainment. Born in PEI, Jonathon has moved on from Street Cents and did quite a few acting jobs including his own show Jonovision, appearances as J-Roc on the series Trailer Park Boys and now with his own series again. Even his commercials are funny so I was happy to run into him today. He said we don’t have too many celebrities in Canada but I think he is one.

 

That red flashing stop sign on school buses means ‘stop,’ say police

Note: This column appears in the 4/15 issue of The Glendale Star and the 4/16 issue of the Peoria Times

Last week I mentioned how writing about bad driving is a stale, clichéd, and predictable endeavor. As a result, this will be my second consecutive column about bad driving.

This is however, out of my control. My hand was forced as a result of the news that both Glendale and Peoria will begin –- like, now –- cracking down on motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses.

One of the first things that I noticed upon moving here almost three years ago was how the local motorists react when an ambulance or fire truck is on the road with its siren blaring. Drivers in the Valley, rather than simply slow down and drive in a manner that will allow the ambulance or fire truck to pass –- which is what east coast drivers do –- instead come to a complete stop on the road, wherever they are. Even if the emergency vehicle is on the other side of a road that is separated by a median, drivers will stop as if they are doing their just duty as citizens, because emergency vehicles are notorious for spontaneously crossing five lanes of traffic and hopping medians at any given moment.

Now obviously I am all for adjusting our driving to allow emergency vehicles a clear path, but the manner in which drivers here abruptly stop –- often unnecessarily -– is a little much and, in my opinion, often dangerous in itself. Still though, the concept is an admirable one.

Which is why it came as a surprise to discover that Glendale and Peoria are now making a more concerted effort to stop motorists who pass stopped school buses. The implication being, of course, that there are motorists who pass stopped school buses.

As a functioning society there should exist rules that go unspoken, even if those rules are, technically, outlined in legal terms anyway. (In this case, the fine for passing a stopped school bus is $646.) That both Glendale and Peoria have taken the initiative to say, “Hey, everyone, let’s try and not run over little children with our motor vehicles, okay?” is a sad testament to society in general, and our local driving culture specifically.

But what really amazes me is the paradox between how drivers react to ambulances and this most recent revelation. In theory, your typical bad Valley driver would run through a school bus stop sign and risk hitting a child, but would alternately do whatever it takes to allow the ambulance that is carrying that child to the hospital to pass.

The program to stop these drivers started last week and includes police officers actually riding school buses and alerting road officers to the passing culprits. Again, this is a program –- a concerted effort –- to stop drivers who pass stopped school buses. Because that is what it has come to. That it is a program means that is has a beginning and an end, and this one ends at the conclusion of this school year. So, schoolchildren entering and exiting school buses in the year 2011 do so at their own risk.

Personally? I would ask my mom for a ride.


Or, ya know...go.

Toronto Islands Ferry

Now that the Toronto Islands are no longer big chunks of ice it's almost time to visit the chain of former Scarborough Bluffs erosion debris and which is now a great destination for sports and entertainment. Here are the Bluffs just waiting for their turn to swim west and join the fun of the islands.



Although you have to take a ferry boat to get to the islands (routes to Hanlan's, Centre and Ward's Islands) you can also bring your bikes or roller blades to get around on the extensive bike paths.



Enjoy the many beaches (swim buck naked at Hanlan's Point clothing optional beach), picnic areas or spend some time in the island world Centreville Amusement Park on Centre Island or the small and free Far Enough Farm petting zoo.

Don't forget to turn around and look back at the City and it's fabulous skyline.