JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

A small sampling of the tombstones listing the fates of famous writers in the window of Type, across the street from Trinity-Bellwoods Park. Of the authors selected, I almost saw Kerouac's final resting spot in Lowell, Massachusetts on a roadtrip a couple of years ago. Almost, but not quite . Why am I picturing Berryman's demise as a Warner Brothers cartoon? Photo taken October 28, 2007 - JB

An interesting invitation? or Beware red stuffed creatures bearing free beverages? Stouffville Market, October 13, 2007 

On Sunday, along with two intrepid explorers, I headed down to Buffalo to check out Doors Open Niagara. A full post is coming ( Squiddity has a nifty take on the day ), but here's one of the weirdest moments of the trip. While walking towards Buffalo City Hall, we noticed an odd combination of items on the sidewalk: One empty bottle of booze, one partly-squeezed lime, one dead bird. Coincidence or connected? If the latter, the line of tragic events is easy to follow: 1) The bird had a rough day and finds solace in a flask left behind on the sidewalk. 2) The bird notices a barely-used lime slice and decides it would add a nice twist. 3) Either the bird realizes too late that booze, lime and birds don't mix, or decides in his alcoholic haze to end it all by slamming into the Statler building at MACH 3. The fatal wedge of lime? I apologize to Leonard Cohen for the last words on this tragedy... Like a bird on a bender Like a butterfly in a fender He felt pain On h...

Once a year, Amy and I splurge at Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor. Thanksgiving weekend's summer-like weather provided a good excuse to devour high-quality sandwiches on their patio. Downtown Ann Arbor was awash in maize and blue. Almost all university-age people we passed were decked out in yellow and blue t-shirts, as the Wolverines battled their next door neighbours, Eastern Michigan. We drove into downtown via Geddes, a scenic route which conveniently dodged game traffic. A display of salads, which we were given free samples of. Our faves were the smoked trout salad and the chicken paprikash. I chose the #67, Jon & Amy's Double Dip: "Zingerman’s corned beef & Niman Ranch pastrami, Switzerland Swiss & Wisconsin muenster cheeses, hot & regular mustards on pumpernickel & rye breads." Basically two sandwiches merged into one, without extra bread in the middle. Heavenly. Amy went for the #76, Thad's "Yes I Can...

A few pictures of signs from the other parties hoping for votes tomorrow. Note that all of these parties lean towards the right - I never came across any minor left parties during my travels over the past month. Clockwise from the top left: * Family Coalition Party (near the Markham Fairgrounds) * Freedom Party (Hwy 8, on the edge of Sebringville) * Libertarian Party (near River Canard) * Reform Party of Ontario (Hwy 21, near Forest)

Nine-and-a-half hours on my feet - my key statistic for this year's Nuit Blanche. I missed last year's inagural edition, so I don't have the same sense of letdown that marks many accounts of the evening. My overall impression was that even if the art was a mixed bag, it was still a good opportunity to wander around the city in a nighttime party atmosphere and observe the reactions of others, at least until a combination of sore legs and non-existent streetcar service kicked in. One thing's for sure: crowds were definitely interested in checking out what was on view. Survival kit : * Notepad, to mark down where I was, in case I didn't get around to writing this post unitl Christmas * Official Program, to provide rough ideas of where to go * Multi-pocketed corduroy jacket, to hold the first two items * TTC day pass * Camera 9:15 PM: Hopped off the subway at Bloor and began my evening in Yorkville. My jaw dropped at the sea of humanity covering Cumberland...