Streetcar platform (top photo) Aside from a brief stint above highway 401 in most-curious Lastman-land (North York, pre-amalgamation – growing hyper fast), I have always lived in downtown Toronto. I’m a walking guy – no use for a private vehicle – hands-off,
I’ve got an amalgam of fairs in my head, exotic and local. The ‘Ex’ (Canadian National Exhibition) looms especially large – but Centreville on the Island (an old-time town, full of antique-themed rides) was always cheaper and ran a far longer season
Fear not – I just took this photo today, the old place has not being demolished. Better still, though presently an events venue (and a spiffy central one at that) they still have a fabulous screen and could again be a theatre.
Spectacular weather today – a bit chilly for the time of year, but clear and fresh and sunny. Had a nice walk and my legs (for the first time in three years or so) reported (hopefully not over-confidently) – “yeah, we can
Hi folks – so happy to announce that “Stymie and Toffel” my first book for younger and especially enchanted folks is on its way to the printer – the final proof copies should be here soon. Very excited to finally put a
Loring, by Wyle (top photo) One of the biggest problems with so many oversimplifying explanations of how society ‘really’ works is that these theories always seem to leave out one of the most interesting and important parts of any society – its
Simple sigh, man. Are you done yet, dad? Can we go now, dad? (top photo) Had a nice Six K jaunt today – and though I turned my ankle twice (not at all normal), my main distance-walking muscles felt absolutely delighted to
Why do we so often say “here’s what I think” – when we know that we all have several kinds of thinking going on inside us, and are therefore capable of a whole range of different responses to any one particular idea
Dragon at Croydon – For a story from youth, a picture by the youth at the time I’m working on putting together two books at once right now, and this feels like a very cheering and natural publisher growth process. I have
Eternal proof – one person’s mind can change the world Here’s one for my pal David Spencer – a fellow fan of longstanding. It also serves as a funny sidebar to my lovely Vale of Avoca walk a few days ago. For
The Quarry and the Years of Growth (as always, click top pic for high-res gallery) Yellow Creek may be mediated by stone – but nature works with what it finds Like many of my photographically inclined friends around the world, I’ve been
Apologies for my absence – not ’cause I don’t love ya, I promise! More essays, podcasts, photography, poetry and my usual general craziness are definitely on their way. Managed to get some creative energy going – weirdly difficult nowadays – especially since
King meets de Gaulle (top photo) Black and white photos from an exhibition of American press images of Canada – at the fantastic Ryerson Image Centre – Mount Pleasant cemetery contains the graves of many Canadian notables, but few who are more
I decided to take this week off from podcasting (back next week, fear not) so that I could put together a silly little video for my true love (and wife) Catherine. The video is for a song I wrote for her and
Toronto has a lot of streets with their own particular flavour, I’ve mentioned Yonge St and Queen St many times, as their cultural significance and wonky charisma warrant, but you can’t even begin to understand Toronto at all without considering the character
Hi Folks – firstly, I’d like to wish everyone a funky solstice. Seems like a perfect time for a solstice book sale (special pricing for the chill months of Winter). If you’re curious about the books, and what sort of themes I
Scavenger (top photo) As always – click the top photo to see them all in high-resolution Vokunji – show statement Some artist’s statements are hilarious, some are infuriatingly complex and filled with pompous referents, and yet prove utterly insubstantial when deciphered. And
“Paint the town green” (from a story by the author, age 8) Hello friends, grab a coffee – it’s story time! Today I have a full early chapter from my newest book – “The Kind of Friend You Need” – which is
As always – click the top photo, to see the whole series in high-resolution I have posted a few mournful things about the speed of change in the city – and also in fairness observed that while disquieting (and outright frightening, economically)
Here’s something that I’ve been intending for awhile – a reading of “Magic Days” which is the introduction to my book, “Structural Happiness.” It tells the story of the night I wrote my first love song for Catherine, and I even managed
The kid’s got charm (top photo – original image UPC Chris Swartz (from the excellent Ryerson Image gallery exhibition of American press images of Canada) Canada is having a federal election soon, and it seems the left is determined to shoot itself
Hey folks – thanks for stopping by again – here’s part two of my getting over my shyness project, entitled “Three Books” in which the publisher discusses his various splendid offerings. Not exactly industrial light and magic (four bucks worth of green