David Miller, Transit Mayor

I came across these short interviews with David Miller on My City Lives. In light of recent victories at City Hall, it seemed like an ideal time to reflect on some of the things that Toronto has done right, particularly under the leadership of great Mayors of our past. Watch this series for Miller's inspiring thoughts on rapid transit, priority neighbourhoods, civic engagement, public services, the Creative economy, etc. He rides the TTC and wanders through neighbourhoods like St. Jamestown and even has drink at the Communist's Daughter. It's a heart-warming series.  


Oh and for those of you who are unfamiliar with My City Lives, you should check it out. It's a great platform to  share ideas, events and happenings in Toronto, all through video. Anyone can post!  


S.

Toronto, when the light hits.

Untitled from butgooddifferent on Vimeo.

I took all these shots with my iPhone. I wasn't sure what to do with them, so now they're in a  slideshow on this blog. This collection was created by wandering around and meandering through various neighbourhoods in Toronto's West end, but you'll find some East end shots in there, interspersed with pics from the CNE and waterfront.  Somehow the iPhone camera captures light really well. 

I definitely want an upgrade though. 

The Spontaneous Prose Store

You might have caught the tail end of her interview on CBC one morning, like I did. She takes her typewriter to the streets of Toronto, setting up shop in different neighbourhoods. The products she sells are type-written poetry and prose, inspired by passerbys like you and I.

You can give her a theme, first line or title and she will rapidly do the rest, producing a piece of written work for you on sticker paper. We came by her in Kensington Market and were quite delighted. We gave her the title "The Methodology of Baking" (long story). Check out the poem she wrote for us:

Makes for pretty neat collaborative work between strangers. You can follow Kaile's wordpress for more!

- S.

butgooddifferent visits Red Hook, Brooklyn

This is what Toronto's Port Lands could be like if the Fords weren't in charge. Feels small- town-in-the-big-city like Leslieville (but much less developed). Looks like parts of the Distillery District if it extended further South East. Is being redeveloped in a similar vein to Montreal's St. Henri. Oh and Torontonians would have to make do with our scenic view of Leslie Spitt instead of the Statue of Liberty across the water...






















































(And throw in a couple of these guys for fun and we'd be set.)


Sold.
S.


PS. Did you read the letter?

Toronto Portlands Letter

Name that patio

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

S.

Location:Roncesvalles

Anser's back

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Grab your coat and get your hat

It's CNE time again!

As you may have heard, this year's features include:

the donut cheeseburger
patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato sandwiched between 2 Krispy Kreme Donuts! and we thought deep fried butter was a bad slash good idea

deep fried coke
funnel cake batter made with coke, deep fried, then drizzled with concentrated coke syrup and then hit with whipped cream. Apparently the fried bits themselves aren't bad, but the syrup is nauseatingly sweet.

And if that isn't enough to get you barrelling for the gates, check out blogTO's photos of the CNE from days gone by. People went in droves and apparently they were fancy back then - boater hats and long skirts were de rigueur for a day at the fair.

On until Sept 5, $16 admission ($12 if you're over 60 or under 13, but then you're not really our reader demographic).

e

PS. blogTO's been posting a series on old photos of Toronto, including the aforementioned CNE photos, the building of the Gardiner, and Yonge St in the 70s. Looks like fashion's come back around. Now if only the mullet could make an unironic resurgence.

bon homme

Dear Jack,


You inspired us, you fought for us, you gave us a reason to hope.


We will miss you and your mustache


Love, 
S&e

For urban enthusiasts and documentary lovers everywhere

By the banks of the LaChine canal, against a backdrop of industrial red brick and iron, 12 film-makers document a 'day in the life' of 12 residents of St. Henri, Montreal. And it literally is a day, one day of filming; the 26th of August. That's quite the feat right? Beautiful, desaturated images of St. Henri and heart-warming characters flicker across the screen to an original score by Patrick Watson-- a perfect way to end a weekend of Hot Docs. 

(And an easy post after a 3-month hiatus! Did e & I run out of content, inspiration or time? Or all of the above?)

S.


Official trailer: St-Henri, the 26th of August from Parabola Films on Vimeo.



PS. Blackpower Mixtape 1967-1975

...

Kids skating at Dufferin Grove Park...

...on my way home from work (in December...). I couldn't resist. How pretty is the sky? The rink is so full! Walking through the park is the best part of my day.

w

Publish Post

S.

Egon Schiele meets Modigliani on stage?

I decided to treat myself to the theatre the other night at Harbourfront's Fleck Dance Theatre. While taking advantage of art and culture in Toronto might be a New Year's resolution, this last minute decision was inspired by the following image in the Toronto Star: 

Taken from the Toronto Star- article 929182

Stylistically and emotionally, it resonated with me - Egon Schiele meets Modigliani on stage?  I had to see it.

Questo buio Feroce, The Wild Darkness, is a contemporary performance by an Italian theatre company that draws inspiration from the lives of the socially excluded, to the extent that  "non professional" actors are included in the company. "Non professional" actors meaning street-involved persons and political prisoners with no formal training. The theatre piece was adapted from essays and memoirs of American writer, Harold Brodkey, capturing his journey towards death while fighting a long battle with AIDS. 

I had an idea that it might be dark and artsy, but wasn't quite prepared. Questo buio Feroce was an hour and a half of very disjointed dream-like sequences, interspersed with comedic acts, dances, a karaoke performance and eerie theatrics. It was minimalistic in that it was just a white box, with few props, but way out there with costumes and make-up. Think Venician carnival meets 80's drag show. Despite not being able to understand the entire performance, themes somehow came across and were beautifully illustrated, from lust and longing, the war on mens' bodies by the medical world, to death and dying. Although the more carnival-esque aspects were out of my comfort zone, and the drawn out scenes made me squirm in my seat, the play inspired me enough to want to share the trailer with you. (And the music was great, especially the use of the theme music from In the Mood for Love! I'm a big fan.)



Plus you never know what you're going to find at Harbourfront...we stumbled across a few vernissages to top of our night. More art we didn't quite "get". Who knew that Harbourfront in the winter could be this much fun? 

S.  

Did the Raptors score another goal?

The Raptors beat the Wizards!

But more importantly, we got to eat really fancy and expensive french fries.

Have you heard about them? Famous Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy (not the comedian, I made the same mistake) decided the ACC needed something a bit more gourmet, so he opened up a fancy fry shop. There was a big sign at the ACC entrance, but for some reason, no one working on the 3rd floor knew anything about a fry stand. So I guess the $8 cone of fried potato sticks is still not the working person's food.

It literally is almost $8, and you get either chili or cider mayo squirted on top (the chili looks like cheez whiz). Were they delicious? YES, they were. Slightly herby, perfectly fried, and really tasty. And that chili mayo was scrumptious. I'd like to say that I wouldn't spend that much money on fries again, but to be honest, if I found myself at the ACC, I just might splurge again.

mmm. I want some now.

Oh ya, and the Raptors won! And Drake was sitting court side.

e

"Sorry for the inconvenience"

You know what happened to me the other day? My car got towed by the Chief of Police, he didn't tell me where he put it, and then he apologized for moving it!

I had stayed over at R's new place last Saturday and you can park for free on Bloor from 9pm Saturday night until 1pm on Sunday. Noon the next day, we walk down to fetch the car and it's DISAPPEARED! Then we see a sign on a lamp post saying "NO PARKING SPECIAL EVENT". The Santa Claus parade! We didn't remember seeing the sign the night before but we figure the car must have gotten towed, and I'd have to pay the $200-300 fee to get it back from Etobicoke.

Then R recalled a friend's car got towed by the police to a nearby side street. So we walk further west, look around, and see a Corolla up on the next street. And it's her, jutting out slightly, but stuffed elephant and rubber snake firmly sitting on the dash.

On the windshield is this charming note.

Dear Chief of Police,
Thanks for not impounding my car. But please, next time, leave the note where the car was originally parked, with an indication of where it can be found, rather than towing it in the cloak of night to an undisclosed location with the note on the car that has already been found.
Love,
e

You're not a Cotton-headed Ninny-Muggins!

Happy Holiday Season!

I think I like the holiday season almost more than I like actual Christmas. Christmas Day often disappoints cuz you expect it to be so much more than it can deliver. But the season, with the cookies, lights, spicy hot drinks, and cheesy music, always make me smile. I hope it is making you smile too!

There was an optional but mandatory in-house gingerbread house competition at the bakery, and this is my submission. Houses will be silent auctioned until Dec 23, with all proceeds going to Sick Kids. If you're in Oakville, come by and bid on mine!!!

you know, if you want to...

thanks!
e

Classic Horror Flicks on Sundays

 ...What more could you ask for?


We thought we were just taking ourselves to a matinee viewing of The Shining at one of Toronto’s repertory cinemas on Roncesvalles, which in and of itself is a real treat (cute and cozy theatre meets suspense masterpiece).

But we got a whole lot more. After two hours of witnessing Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness on scratchy red-toned 35mm film print, we were treated to a Skype-facilitated Q & A with retired steadicam inventor and operator, Garrett Brown. Incredibly personable and humble, Garrett took the time to speak at length, to these lucky audience members in this small Toronto theatre, about camera work during the making of The Shining, Kubrick, and thoughts on what you need to do in order get ahead in life. 

According to Garrett...  
If you want to go into film, you need no formal education. Everything that Garrett learned about film was by spending countless hours at the Public library in Philadelphia. 

The steadicam shot that took the longest to complete in The Shining was Jack chasing Danny in the maze. Apparently the crew were in the maze shooting this for months. The snow- not real. The maze- actually indoors. 

The use of the steadicam in the following well-known shot involved Garrett kneeling over a wheelchair with a microphone attached to the end of the camera.The crewman pushing the wheelchair, according to Garrett, wasn't too fit, but had to run really fast to keep up with Danny on the big-wheel bike: 

Keep an eye on The Revue's schedule. Movies are only $10 and $8 with a membership. Last month we attended their Silent Sundays' screening of Buster Keaton’s The General, accompanied by live piano, which was a total delight. It’s perfect Sunday activity...Especially since the Drive-in in Oakville is closed for the winter.

S.

why i decided to love yonge & dundas square.

I remember being skeptical when Yonge and Dundas square was being built. Why was Toronto trying so hard to compete with New York? And why did I need to be subjected to so many advertisements and flashing lights- enough to give someone an aneurysm? But with free wifi, outdoor concerts, street artists, musicians and breakdancers...how could you not learn to love this intersection? It was really these three kids that did it for me; blasting their beats through their iPod speakers in front of H&M: 

They're so little!

S.

my favourite i phone apps.

Ok, the love affair between myself and my iPhone 3G is about to reach its sixth month and it's still going strong  (thanks to T.H. who assisted me in my decision to commit to this smart-phone when my heart was weaker and wavering-BB? I don't think so). Best part yet, there's still so much to discover! In my 6 month relationship, I've only acquired 64 apps. I probably use 1/3 of them regularly and I refuse to pay more than $1.99 per app (with one exception below). But I thought that perhaps it was time to share the love! Here is a run-down of my top favourite apps these days.

Most useful news: CBC radio. (free!) After my alarm goes off I spend the first hour of my day with Matt Galloway's Metro Morning. 

Best game:  You know it- Angry Birds. (free!) I met this guy at a party recently who tried to convince me that there was no iPhone game better than Bejeweled. Yeah. right. 

Best Yoga App: Yoga Hour. I'm pretty sure I was one of the first to purchase it in August when it came out and used it everyday while I was on vacation and continued to use it in September in the park. Mind you, I'm a bit of a yoga geek. It's $2.99 but totally worth it especially if you can't afford to go to a yoga studio. Now that winter's upon us, do it at home. I like it  better than both Yoga Stretch ($0.99) and Pocket Yoga ($2.99). For one, you follow actual pictures of Darren Rhodes in the most advanced version of the posture as opposed to illustrated pictorials. It's a one hour, simple, vinyasa- flow sequence that can be tailored to any level. The music is great. While Pocket Yoga offers varied sequences for (30, 45 to 60 minute intervals) to me it feels a lot like pilates. And Yoga Stretch is unique in that you can pick from a bunch of poses to guide your own practice session, but folks who are advanced would benefit the most from this. 

Best interactive game: Words with Friends! It's Scrabble against other iPhone users- they have to get the app as well, sign on with a user name and presto...let the games begin. Waiting for the sweet notification that one of my opponents has played their move might just be one of the high lights of my days. Plus it's free. I have 6 games going on right now! 

Photo-editing:  I take A LOT of photos with my iPhone. I think I have 600. I upload a lot of them onto this blog. The following two apps used in tandem greatly enhance your i phone photography experience. First off is PS Express which does basic edits like cropping, contract, brightness etc. but in two seconds you can fix the exposure on all your underexposed photos (and you know that the iPhone is bad for that) and send them off via email, post to fb, save them in your library etc. We also know that there's no flash on the iPhone (what was APPLE thinking??)...so for dimly lit scenes, you should try Night Camera and you likely won't even have to edit the exposure afterwords. 

Next App Purchase: I just learned (thanks to birthday boy F.M.) that my weekly Friday highlight, Settlers of Catan (thanks R.), is available on the I phone! ($ 4.99)  You play against other players and if they're not available you play against the computer. I better start practicing so I can beat those kids next week.

Final note, be a smart smart-phone user. If you go abroad turn off your data roaming. Or keep your phone on airplane mode. Whatever you do, do not access data. You could rack up an ginormous phone bill...and few of us are lucky enough to have friends pretend to be us and use their mad acting skills to get FIDO to erase all charges...(thanks e).

S.

Myanmar Cuisine in Bloordale Village

Ever wondered what Burmese food tastes like??  Check out Motherhome Myanmar Cuisine in Bloordale village, 1194 Bloor Street West. I was a newbie and can only describe the food are a hybrid of Indian meets East Asian, (makes sense given its geographical region!) The menu includes: Teryaki fish, tofu and vegetables, lamb curry, jasmine rice, fried rice, mutton rolls, etc...and it's good! It tastes like home cooking. It's not heavy nor greasy and the veggies are super green and fresh. They do catering as well, but you should stop by for their lunch special- a large plate with rice or noodles for only $5!!! That's a steal in Toronto for a healthy, fresh meal. Plus if you work in a basement office with fluorescent lights, this brightly lit place with yellow and fuschia walls and courteous service will add a sparkle to your otherwise mundane 9 to 5 day. The owner is a sweet man who calls everyone his friend.

S.

Post a Letter Social Activity......Mondays 7-11

The art of pen and paper is certainly making a comeback... and it is sure is widely supported on this blog! My latest letter writing venture was on Monday, October 25th. After casting my vote for the mayoral candidate of my choice, I went to NACO Gallery Cafe (Map: 1665 Dundas W.) to write some letters in the company of friends. Pretty stationary and stamps provided at no cost!

You know what a treat it is to receive letters in the mail, so why not make someone's day??


Join for the following Mondays, 7-11pm:

Nov 8.
Nov 22.
Nov 29.
Dec 13.

Plus NACO cafe in Brockton Village is adorable! 


S.