JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Adventurous start to the holidays... After battling everyone else who left the city early, I drove to Guelph to meet up with old university chum Dayna to exchange gifts. We made a quick trip out to Conestogo to grab some goodies at a Mennonite bakery. We were almost back at her place when another driver decided it would be a great idea to run a red light and shave off my front bumper. Results: a night in Guelph enjoying the goodies from Conestogo, a call to the insurance company, my first stop at the Guelph Farmers Market in years (where I found Mennonite cookies for Mom that the other bakery had run out of) and a drive home in a 2005 Toyota Corolla. Before anyone asks, physically I am OK. My car should be OK too, as it appears the only damage was in the bumper area. The only side effect will be a few more trips to Guelph than I intended this season...which isn't a bad thing. - JB

Christmas, Christmas time is here, time for toys and time to jeer... But seriously, we've reached the holiday lull. Not much news, as everyone gears up for the January dash. Yer humble newsdesk editor admits to having barely touched a paper the past few days. Call this episode the equivalent of TV talking heads nattering about nothing. Humble readers can discuss the merits of whether Jack Layton will shave his 'stache for charity. Meanwhile, there are areas where parties are attempting to monopolize public corners with their signs. Case in point: drive into Guelph, Ontario along any of the main roads leading into the city and you will face an onslaught of Christian Heritage Party signs. The CHP had the only visible sign on the grounds of the University of Guelph, unless the NE corner of Stone and Gordon is considered city property. One imagines how well this will go down with students on campus (except maybe the Campus Crusade for Christ). Surfing The Seas of Small Pa...

Second entry of the week, second flashback to childhood. A recent post over at the Spacing Wire shows a kid gliding on a makeshift sled pieced together from an Olivia Chow sign. Neat new idea? Nah. I grew up on Fryer St in Amherstburg, across the road from a field and quarry. By the side of the road was a giant ditch, which occasionally provided fun for the lunati...er...upstanding leaders of tomorrow at my school bus stop. After the 1988 federal election, a large number of signs for the losing Liberal candidate, Ray Robinet, found their way into the ditch (our riding was going through an NDP interval between members of the Whelan family). The election was in November, so it wasn't long before the first snowfall hit. A lightbulb went off in someone's head, so for a few days, kids attempted to fly down the side of the ditch. I don't think I took a trip - I was in grade 8 and would have either looked down upon the "sleds" as childish or worried about gettin...

Christmas shoppers scurry as the week-before-Christmas blitz begins. Ontario is digging itself out from a blizzard. Workers rush to finish projects before taking a rest for the holidays. Oh yeah, there's an election going on. Little evidence so far in the Warehouse's neighbourhood. Signs are few, flyers and candidate telemarketing fewer. The imcumbent is recycling signs from the last campaign. It's best if all parties make their gaffes now, while most of the country carries on with more pressing issues, like that Xbox 360 for Billy or how not to avoid playing the fool at the office party. Question: in light of Liberal communications director Scott Reid's loose lips earlier this week, how many viewers of tonight's debate will fortify themselves with beer and popcorn? While on the subject of beer and politics, check out Rick Mercer's petition . You may also want to throw back a shot of any spirit whenever Paul Martin says "let me be perfectly clea...

More and more, the gift card is emerging as a popular way of telling someone you care for them this season, by providing them with a license to shop. Some feel they're impersonal or lazy, but if you're drawing blanks in the idea department, or have someone who's difficult to buy for, they fill the void. For me, the trick is to also give something small, personal and/or homemade with the gift card - mix CDs, jewellery, etc. In the old days, you gave paper certificates in a plain envelope. Now, gift card presentations run the spectrum, from a cash register receipt straight from the till (Body Shop) to a debit card encased in a compact encased in a box encased in a satiny bag (Sephora). We're nearing the point where unwrapping a gift card will require more effort than the large present your loved one spent 20 minutes fussing over. As presentation grows fancier, a gaze into the Warehouse crystal ball shows many possibilities for retailers to pep up their gift cards......

Crush Pineapple Sobeys, Acton, ON Whenever I visit Guelph, I drive home via backroads, usually Highway 7. Except for the odd streetracer wannabe in Georgetown, it's far more relaxing than risking sleep or meeting up with south-of-the-airport traffic on 401. I'm amazed at how each time I drive along 7, Georgetown and Brampton inch that much closer together - when I owned my first vehicle in '98, Brampton sprawl began at Hurontario, now it's at broken-up Creditview Rd, with no signs of its westward march halting anytime soon. The occasional break along the way helps. One such stop, in Acton, produced today's find. This Sobeys had more drinks from the Maritimes than their Toronto locations - is there a greater concentration, per capita, of down easters in Acton? Crush Pineapple is definitely not something you see much around these parts. Package Notes: Typical Crush label, with curved logo, splash and fruit represented my artificial flavours inside the can. Wh...

The Warehouse election desk is officially open. Over the next few weeks, our distinguished correspondents will provide their own spin on the current campaign. Local fights, historical perspectives, commentary, criticism and advice...we don't claim to be fair and balanced, we just claim. This week: lots of links and the start of our time-warped coverage. The four men who will fight with Angelina, J. Lo and Jennifer for space on the front of your morning read: Paul Martin (Liberal), Stephen Harper (Conservative), Jack Layton (NDP) and Gilles Duceppe (BQ). Get To Know Your Parties Elections Canada has links to the 12 registered parties for the January showdown...but we're going to save you a few clicks by providing them below. Bloc Quebecois Canadian Action Party Christian Heritage Party Communist Party Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party Libertarian Party Marijuana Party Marxist-Leninist Party New Democratic Party Progressive Canadian Party El...

Quantum Crane, Yonge south of Eglinton, Dec 2/05 For over a year now, my department has alternately been entertained, fascinated and shaken as the Minto condo towers rise from the rubble of the old OHIP building. Controversy has surrounded this project, due to its size (up to 54 stories) and neighbourhood fears about traffic and blockage of the sun. Personally, with Eglinton station across the street and most residents likely working in the city, I think the area should be able to handle the influx. Here's a closeup of the crane working on the south tower. More pics soon here and on Flickr. - JB

Demolition of the former Second Cup/antique store/pizza parlour/high-end linen store/car rental office at Mt. Pleasant and Manor began Friday morning. Above is what was left the next day. Neighbourhood smokers that used to frequent the picnic table outside the Second Cup will have to find a new spot to puff. Billboards indicated construction was supposed to start in June, but scaffolding wasn't erected until late November. Based on the layout and wide windows of the old Au Lit showroom, and the parking lot next door, I suspected that the site might have once been a car dealership - a suspicion support by a city report from 2002 (PDF format - check page 2 for details). - JB

Continuing on in Kensington Market, the next stop is Kensington Place's twin to the south, Fitzroy Terrace. Before venturing on, care for a drink from this well-stocked, non-functioning fridge? The traditonal Toronto street sign marking the start of Fitzroy. Like Kensington Place, Fitzroy was built around 1888 to house English workers. Fitzroy shoots off of Kensington Ave north of Exile, a market vintage clothing fixture since 1975. Used clothing dominates the landscape south of Baldwin, sidewalks and stores crammed on weekends with shoppers thumbing through racks of t-shirts, costume materials, sport jerseys, ski vests, stylin' 70s threads and smart wear for the modern anarchist. Some streets are marked by arches, others statues. Here, it's a glittery piece of clothing. Wonder if this was snapped up by a last-minute Halloween shopper (all photo were taken on October 29th). Looking westward. Notice walls fully covered in murals and/or graffiti (it's up ...

As mentioned on several other sites, the Toronto Community Foundation has proposed sprucing up several University-Spadina line subway stations with art to reflect nearby landmarks. Museum will be the pilot next year, with mummified pillars to represent the ROM, while proposals for Osgoode (Four Seasons Centre) and St. Patrick (AGO) have been unveiled. This cranked up the wheels in the brains of the Warehouse design team. We submit our proposals for other stations: Davisville - Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Obelisks for pillars. Murals of famous residents of the cemetery, including Mackenzie King (at a seance), various Westons, Masseys and Eatons (and their businesses), etc. St. Clair - A big mouth, for CFRB. Hot air pumped onto the platform. Summerhill - Photographs of winos sitting against the platform walls, to salute the monster LCBO outlet. Yonge - Any number of themes could be used here, from literary scenes (Toronto Reference Library) to the HBC blanket colours...well...b...

 From the early days of home computing, when every company with the slightest foothold in the electronics industry jumped into the field. Few friends at the time who had computers - most had the plug-into-the-TV variety pictured here (most of which were Tandys). The height of technology for most kids in A'burg in '82 were arcade games at the bowling alley or Speak and Spell. Note the memory add-on - 16K of RAM for an extra $49.95! Power within your reach! From Obsolete Technology site, an overview of the Timex Sinclair 1000 (1982-83). It was the North American version of the British Sinclair ZX-81, evidently a better doorstop than computer . - JB

An indication of how much beer advertising has changed in the past 20 years. Don't think I've ever heard anyone wax poetic about the clean, clear outdoorsy feeling that comes over them while knocking back a Blue. Take a gander at that bottle...were stubbies still in production in '84, when this ad appeared? Or did Canadians keep them in the Great White North? Note that the importer was located in suburban Buffalo. Was Blue western New York's #1 imported beer? Many memories of the 1984 Tigers , the last edition of the team to go to the World Series. They stayed in first place all season long, driving the growing number of Blue Jays fans crazy (the Jays were less than a decade old). Watching Jack Morris throw a no-hitter on the NBC Game of the Week. Going to see my second baseball game at Tiger Stadium (forget the results). WDIV sportscaster Al Ackerman's catchphrase that stuck to the team: "Bless You Boys". My beloved Tigers jacket from Montgo...

While on a stroll downtown a few months ago, I picked up a cheap bound volume of Maclean's magazine, covering the first half of 1979. You'll see plenty of material from this tome when the federal election finally drops, as these issues cover the campaign that led to Joe Clark's minority government. (Yeah, I know the 1980 election is a closer parallel to one we're about to have, but I work with what I have!) Until then, and until the sun engulfs the earth, I'll dig into these magazines to highlight the ads, as they tell us as much about the time as the articles do. Full-size versions of these ads will also appear on my Flickr site. Let's begin with a CBC Radio teaser from the January 29, 1979 issue: If only Ed Grimley was pictured with the singing rats. That would have been comedy gold. Short would have been in his second season onstage with Second City when the show aired. We're sad to report that the all-rodent musical craze this show spaw...

Most weekends, I take a "Sunday Constitutional" walk downtown. The route rarely deviates - start at Osgoode station, head out Queen West, then backtrack through Kensington Market. Any health benefits are usually reversed by snacks along the way - try resisting a warm pupusa or empanada on Augusta or goodies from the bakeries along Baldwin. Vendors and pedestrians vie for space along the sidewalks. Crowded, but cozy. And full of short side streets to wander. The next few installments will explore the neighbourhood, starting with a hidden street that shares the area's name - Kensington Place (marked in green below). According to the Kensington Alive Virtual Tour , Kensington Place, along nearby streets Fitzroy Terrace and Glen Baillie Place, was built around 1888 to provide homes for English construction workers, the first of many immigrant waves in the neighbourhood. The gateway to Kensington Place, on Kensington Ave slightly south of St. Andrew. This marks the...

If you subscribe to a newspaper like I do, chances are you've received a flood of flyers for pricy gift baskets over the past few weeks. Usually inserted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, these catalogues offer "distinctive" arrays of nuts, chocolates, cookies, pasta sauces, smoked salmom, baby toys and other products, often from brands that only exist in the realm of gift baskets. Company names may be plain and simple (The Basket Company), personal (Peter & Paul's), brick and mortar stores (Pusateri's), punny (Nutcracker Sweet) or flat-out weird (Gift-O-Crat). Some of the crazier basket names discovered in this year's catalogues: Equity Shares (The Basket Company): I'm guessing a former bean-counter runs this outfit. Dividends from your $65 investment include nuts, chocolate truffles, camembert and a planter. Patient Pleasures (The Basket Company): Nothing says get well to a friend in the hospital than $55 worth of sugary snacks, playing cards and Rea...

A couple of graveyards have mysteriously popped up a few blocks west of my bunker, such as this one. Since I didn't feel like sticking around the house last night, I drove around the city to see what folks were wearing this year. I intended to snap some pics, but failed to get any decent shots. The best of the lot was this test shot while waiting for two lanes to merge into one on Queen West. There was one factor I hadn't accounted for. Last time I was downtown on a Halloween Saturday night, Church St (and other streets, for all I know) was closed so that everyone had more room to mull around. Not the case this year. I suspect the current police job action played a role. From the comfort of my car, these were the highlights. Church St - half-a-dozen drag queens in full Wagnerian regalia. Maybe they were off to audition for the Bugs Bunny part in a remake of What's Opera Doc? Also noticed the two styles of costumes that reigned across the core: ancient Egyptians ...

Pathmark Fruit Punch Soda Pathmark, Newark, NJ Package Notes : Dark pink can promises "tropical taste". Drawings of pineapples and cherries in the background. Drink itself is light red in colour. What's It Like? : In the battle between the natural and artificial flavours noted on the front of the can, the latter wins. Overly sweet, tasting closer to bubble gum than tropical fruit. Dumped it down the drain after a few sips. Stains tongue but good. Would You Buy It Again? : Doubt it. It was like going to a bad luau where everything is made out of sub-dollar-store plastic. - JB

Dad was right about most things, right up to the end. While on his deathbed nearly five years ago, one of our last conversations came around to a new guy Amy was dating. I admit, I wasn't always the most supportive brother when it came to earlier relationships, mostly because they tended to be short-lived (or were guys she eventually mocked too). I hadn't met Gavin yet - they'd only been together about a month and I hadn't heard too much about him. Dad told me to be kind, as he sensed she might have found the right guy. He was right. Again. Gavin fit into the family quickly. At Dad's funeral, several people thought he was a relative, as some of his facial features vaguely resembled ours. As time passed, everyone figured it was a matter of time before Amy and Gavin tied the knot. Except for their first photographer going bankrupt and a change in best men, the preparations for the wedding went fine. Amy avoided going bridezilla and one could notice her smile w...

( Part One | Part Two ) Before heading off to the final two segments of Croft St, we duck onto Harbord to look at one of the remaining colonies of Val Kilmer heads in the city. Looking north at the entire length of segment #2 of Croft St, running from Lenox to a short alley that leads to Borden St. Lenox St's most noteworthy feature was the Bathurst subway station-themed mural at the NW corner of Bathurst, recently painted over. No more concerned female commuter or old guy leafing through a copy of Fantastic Four #1. The mural had been deteriorating, so it wasn't a surprise to discover its days were numbered. The rear of various businesses along Bloor. Note the obsession with arrows. This alleyway starts around Robert St, then turns into Croft. Looks like there's plenty of parking. A devilish figure welcomes you to the last segment of Croft. Looking north on the final, short segment of Croft, barely half-a-block in length. Hello Bloor Street! We've rea...