JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Ferric, chrome or metal: which style of tape will you pick up from the chemist shop? Except for the Boots tape, I used all of these brands during my mix-tape/ Nightlines -recording days. I learned the quirks of which brands my recorders liked and which were problematic—certain styles of Memorex tapes were to be avoided, unless I enjoyed excessive squealing or shifting speeds. Some brands carry associations—Scotch was tapped for school presentations, Acme or Mastercraft for childhood experimental improvisations, BASF for the mass quantities Dad bought to record half of CBC Stereo/Radio 2's lineup. While I left nearly all of my pre-recorded cassettes by the curb before my last move, most of the mix tapes I made in high school and early university still exist, though it's been eons since I've listened to any of them. Though now that I'm about to undertake heavy-duty housecleaning... Flipping through an unfinished attempt to index the mix tapes, here's a good exa...

Before reading this post, check out the related installment of Historicist . The first full-page ad to announce the arrival of Sayvette at Thorncliffe Market Place (now East York Town Centre), from the August 30, 1961 edition of the Toronto Star . When the store was built, it was determined that all of the space in the basement would not be required by Sayvette. The unnecessary space was converted to a bowling alley, which still operates underneath the present-day Zellers store (and has been seen a few times on this site...). A typical example of the chain's advertising from the mid-70s ( Toronto Star , April 9, 1974), after a new logo and slogan were introduced. Loblaws introduced its current logo and font in 1973, with its divisions following suit over the next year. The Windsor location had a short run, operating from the opening of Tecumseh Mall in 1973 until it was included in the chain's second round of closures in 1975. The location was a Zellers during my ch...

Once across the Golden Gate Bridge, I had a decision to make: head west to return to the Pacific Coast, or head inland and take a leisurely drive through Sonoma County? Figuring I had enough time to dawdle before spending the night in Ukiah, I took the wine country option, via the Valley of the Moon scenic route. The town hall in Sonoma. One of the most postcard-worthy shots from the entire trip. I decided to limit myself to one round of wine tasting, so that I could continue to operate a boat-sized motor vehicle the rest of the day. Having done little background reading, and faced with no shortage of choices, I decided I would stop at the first winery with a significant number of cars in its parking lot. The winner: B.R. Cohn . Sampling was straightforward—$10 for any four wines, with the price waived if you bought a bottle. After trying both ends of the price scale, I settled upon a chardonnay. Since there were as many olive oils, vinegars, and other food prod...

Pictures of birthday nanaimo bars (before and after candle-blowing) taken July 15, 2009 - JB

I usually post vendor-derived recipes and food advertisements where one wonders if the people in the test kitchen had their taste buds surgically removed. Today's dish is far more appealing, with its only drawback being your prejudices towards Kraft dressings (though note that no dressing has touched the salad yet, unless there's an imperceptible coating of oil and vinegar). These are the Kraft bottle designs I remember from childhood, especially the gondolier used for Italian—mamma mia! Of the others pictured, Catalina, Golden Caesar and Thousand Island appeared most frequently on the table. I dimly recall cameo appearances by French and Roka (blue cheese), unless I'm simply remembering seeing the bottles in store. My favourite childhood salad dressing wasn't Kraft—mix a Catalina-style dressing and bacon bits and you had Henri's Bacon and Tomato, which we stocked up on during runs across the border. Toss this with my preferred salad of iceberg and celery and y...

Before reading this post, check out the related installment of Historicist . Sydney Newman, 1963. BBC Archive Some weeks I scramble to come up with enough material to fill out a topic I've chosen for Historicist, others I compile enough to write a book. The Sydney Newman post falls into the latter category, as I left a lot on the cutting room floor. *** One person who wasn't a fan of Newman's powers as CBC's supervising producer of drama during the mid-1950s was Toronto Star television columnist Gordon Sinclair , who, in a January 13, 1955 column, attacked Newman for not producing enough Canadian-written dramas. "Could it be that supervising producer Sydney Newman has too much authority and too little Canadianism? Is this man, nice guy as he is, a Caesar who can accept or reject without argument?” Sinclair noted that Newman had originally been hired by CBC to produce remote broadcasts and wasn't sure how he qualified for his current position. “He i...

Growing up, the only professional sporting events I went to were major league baseball games. The closest I ever came to seeing an NHL match was the occasional oldtimers game that passed through Amherstburg, where Dad was happy to see the odd player he remembered watching as a kid and roll off the story of how he wound up using a pair of Alex Delvecchio's skates while playing rec games in Leaside in the late 1960s (another player snatched them from a practice, the skates made the rounds of whoever had the same size feet as the Red Wings hall-of-famer). These stories amused me, since the only evidence I ever had of Dad on skates was a faded photograph or two—I don't remember him strapping on a pair during my lifetime. Factors that prevented us from ever going to a Red Wings game? My guesses would be cost, quality of the team (the franchise underwent the transition from the "Dead Things" to contender during my childhood) and possibly my never making a fuss about...

Two more reviews from me as part of Torontoist's Fringe coverage : Tim Buck 2 and A Singularity of Being . The latter review also appears to be the first post I've written that I've noticed a link for on the Globe and Mail's Toronto page (pictured left). The review link shares space with three CUPE strike related pieces: a Marcus Gee column arguing city councillors deserve more pay , a list of reasons why most Torontonians haven't blown a gasket yet over the strike , and random strike survival tips . *** Spending several days in a row attending Fringe shows has provided an opportunity to slip in chances to try out dining spots within walking distance of the venues that I've been meaning to get around to. Case in point: while walking from the Tarragon to Factory on Saturday, I detoured through Little Italy to grab a bite at Caplansky's Delicatessen . I ordered the special ($12), consisting of slaw, fries, pickle and a small smoked meat sandwich. I love...

I left the Mission via Valencia Street, stopping into book stores with comfy couches to rest my feet. The blinding facade of the thrift store shown above drew me in...and I walked out with 1960s issues of The Atlantic , Harper's and Ramparts . It was inevitable I'd wind up taking a trip on a cable car. Since my feet were aching, I sat on the inside, which reduced the number of photo ops. C'est la vie. *** Day three took me to Berkeley, where I arrived in the midst of graduation ceremonies. The campus and downtown were filled with students wandering around in gowns and mortarboards. One set of scholars made repeated attempts to capture their joy mid-air —I couldn't tell if the photographer wanted a pile of shots to work with or if the perfect ledge jump was proving elusive. Outside the Free Speech Movement Cafe, I was able to check out what was happening back home. The Globe and Mail was among that day's front pages on display. Until that mom...