JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

After missing it for a couple of years, took advantage of the first non-miserable weekend of the spring to take in the annual Doors Open event. Day 1 -Commerce Court/King Edward Hotel/St. James Church/Canadian Opera Company (Tanenbaum Centre) Started off above King station, at Commerce Court North , once the tallest building in the British Commonwealth and currently home to CIBC private banking services (and a handy ATM). Stayed around for a brief description of the ornate ceiling and expensive floor, then headed to the Crystal Ballroom at the King Edward Hotel, the closest equivalent Toronto has to Detroit-style ruins (not the hotel, just the ballroom). Enough was left that it wasn't difficult to imagine what the room looked like in its heyday. Faded glory Great views of the city from the ballroom, including this one of the next stop - St. James Anglican Church . Slowly circled around the church, staring at the stained glass and pipe organ (pictures taken of both for...

It wasn't an auspicious start. Hello There - John Cale Playing the first track on the first of my summer run of radio shows went OK. No vocal fumbling when I switched on the mike. Announced the next track as The Who's I Can't Reach You . Went to start the CD player... No sound. The player decided it didn't like my copy of The Who Sell Out . Panic, as nothing else is going right. See, the station has new CD players, but they're sensitive beasts and not user-friendly in their operation. Next time, I taking a tape of the old TV signoff classic, Syncopated Clock, to play in such a situation. Never Had A Dream Come True - Stevie Wonder Sun Watcher - Albert Ayler My Cherie Amour - Roland Kirk Compared To What - Roberta Flack Grabbed the nearest disc I had, which was Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered and lauched into a soul/jazz set. One mishap along the way - my Manu Dibango disc refused to play, otherwise Hot Chicken would have followed t...

We at the Warehouse regularly check with our competitors to see which innovative, exciting products are being showcased in their stores to gain margin, create excitement and bring customers into their shopping environment (Eds Note: This is the type of retail jargon I have to clean up on a daily basis. Now you know why we're crazy) . We've purchased some of these items, and will present some of interesting finds. There will be parameters. If it's a food product, it must be something we're convinced could be edible. You won't be seeing items like Diet Moxie, any Atkins baked goods, fermented mustard pickles or any pasta made with Papa Smurf's Special Sauce. This week, we visited an Asian grocery store in Scarborough and checked out the wide variety of ramen noodles. The Kashin company has tied their products in with everyone's love for pop music. May we present to you MUSIC UP ! Music Up Pork Ribs Flavour Note emphasis on word "flavour...

As mentioned in previous entries, a group of us entered the Moc Docs contest earlier this year. It was first time I'd ever fully-written a script - any previous attempts to write one never went far (other than a bizarro-world piece written in grade 2, which I'll post when I find it again). Here it is, a mocumentary look at the person who created Hinterland Who's Who...or is about the person filming it? It's not much more than a comedy skit, but it's something. Lots of thanks to the rest of the Robot Dog crew, who pitched in their five cents (especially Stevie D...his script should have received some consideration). Read and laugh or groan... Film begins with familiar strains of Hinterland Who’s Who, opening on a shot of empty parkland or forest, maybe a squirrel or dog running by. Title card - "HINTERLAND WHO’S WHO" A middle-aged man shuffles onto the screen, looking around at nothing in particular, like an animal popping its head out of a ...

Tugboat Bill wants to move you. He really does. The latest chapter in the shifty movers phone message saga (last chapter ws on January 6th - see the archive) found our intrepid moving with a new name and "new" spokesperson. Best Price Movers is now Athletic Movers, and Janos/Jimmy/Boris/Reggie is now Tugboat Bill. He has also lost any trace of an accent and even appears to be taking lessons in concise diction (not as many "ummmm...s" tonight). I saved it, and will dig for the tape recorder that's buried somewhere in the bunker to tape it. One of these has to be immortalized. It's Day 134 of 2004, according to the TTC transfer. A busy one, as far as 134th days go. Pushed loads of paper of work, with one-page documents flying fast and furious. I keep praying none are lost in the shuffle (there have been close calls, but none would have been earth-shattering). Saw off Andrew (our team's coordinator), who's off to relax in Greece for three...

Spring's here, time to get the legs into shape. City-length walk! Started at Yonge and Dundas, to look for a quick bite to eat. Passed on a pamphlet being passed out at the corner, though its name should have led me to give it a glance - Personal Hygiene in Islam . Next time I'm down there, I should take one and see what other works in that series I can come up ( Changing Kitty Litter in Buddhism? Tracing Salmonella in Mormon? Taking Out The Garbage in Shinto? ). Fueled up on shrimp and BBQ pork udon noodles at Lantern (Elm & Yonge), then a quick skim through the newly expanded BMV on Edward. It has taken over the space next door for an increased video section, including lots of public domain cheapies. Passed on those, but did put up some old issues of Mojo and Q, along with a cheap 1959 photography annual for future clipart use. Wandered through the Eaton Centre down to Queen, then headed west. East of Bathurst, my backpack filled up, thanks to cheap 60s Mad m...

For the first time in ages, went out to Guelph Friday night to spin some tunes on CFRU. New equipment caused slight technical snafus, but the night went well. Had proof someone was listening - got a phone call from one of my old co-workers who still has a show on the station (good to hear from ya, Big John!). The playlist 11PM Apr 30-1:05AM May 1 The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash Thought this would make a good opener, after seeing Dawn of the Dead. Tear Stained Letter - Richard Thompson In The Cold, Cold Ground - The White Stripes Belleville Rendez-Vous (English) - Ben Charest Desculpe, Baby - Os Mutantes No connection between any of these tunes. Make It Easy On Yourself - Jerry Butler I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself - Tommy Hunt (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me - Lou Johnson Nikki - Burt Bacharach Do You Know The Way To San Jose? - Dionne Warwick A set of Burt Bacharach tunes, including two obscure original versions of well-known son...

There are times whenever I'm driving between Amherstburg and Ontario where I've gone through all the CDs I brought along for the trip or the other drivers are too insane to take your hand off the wheel for more than a second to change the CD. Unfortunately, the radio landscape is bleak. Lots of signals come in at night, but most provide entertainment for all the wrong reasons. Usually I can get away with CBC, but when the odd program sends my ears screaming, it's time to wander the dial. FM usually proves hopeless, one cookie-cutter, tightly-playlisted station after another. Over to the AM dial, where many a strong signal is wasted on nationally-syndicated talk shows. All these stations from far-flung locales like St. Louis, Philadelphia, Nashville, etc, which could provide interesting windows on what's going on in those locales. Still, I may stay on a station for a few minutes to see how much lower the pole has fallen. Things you notice after checking out a few...

A little Big Apple housecleaning before plunging forward... I sent the titles of the episodes of Hasta En Las Mejores Familias over to Kiersten for translation. These shows make a little more sense now, though still bizarre: Show #1 - Mi pareja me hablo tanto de su amigo, me enamoré de él. My partner talks so much about their friend that I've fallen in love with them (the friend). Show #2 - Mi madre ama a su pareja y a mi me hizo a un lapo. My mother loves her partner and she puts me aside. Show #3 - Me gano la vida como payaso, pero mi hijo no me accepta. I enjoy life as a clown but my child won't accept me. Moving on... Day 3 Me - Greenwich Village/Soho/Union Square Amy - Soho/Upper West Side Together - Curry Hill/Little Italy/Chinatown/City Hall The split day, where we wandered off to do our own thing. Both of us avoided the St. Patrick's Day parade, but saw enough people decked out for it to get a feel for it. Lots of big green hats, makeup, butto...

Note: Still tracking down the images that originally appeared in this post. Day 2 - Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harlem/American Museum of Natural History/32nd & 2nd area All early indications pointed towards decent weather for our trip. As Monday night rolled around, all of the local stations suddenly predicted a monster storm, going into the full-panic mode American TV stations love to go into when more a dusting of snow occurs. We figured there wasn't anything to worry about. Wrong. At least our plans could handle a storm. If it had been an episode of Polka Dot Door, it would have been "get ready, get set for Museum Day." By the time we hit the Met , the storm had started in earnest, with strong winds making it hard to walk from the subway station to the museum. The day soon became an exercise in seeing how long Amy's feet would hold up. The Met is not a puny museum - unless you spent a few days there or had Flash-like powers, it's impossible to...

Spent all day Friday in bed. Throat felt worse than it did the day before, body was numb. No way would I be able to sit in front of a computer all day. Didn't get any additional sleep - I had intended to do some work from home if I felt up to it, but I forgot the reference book I needed. I spent 12 hours throwing movies into the VCR (note it was videotape, not DVD - I was too lethargic to bend down and switch the plugs. For some reason, the plug for my printer won't fit into any power bar and my workspace has a lack of outlets. So, I have to switch between a power bar containing the DVD plug and the printer). Was in too much misery to enjoy most of them. My throat was so raw that any liquid burned. Felt a bit better yesterday, well enough to escape the house. A day-and-a-half of being shut in is enough to give me a king-size dose of cabin fever. Hadn't been for a stroll downtown since returning from New York. Monster lineup running out of Sunrise Records - lat...

Note: Still tracking down the images that originally appeared in this post. Every three years, like clockwork, I head down to the Big Apple for a few days of stretching the limits to which my feet can walk. Last trip was in '01, which stands out in my mind for being one of the last times I talked to my father on the phone and a wonderful walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (I should get my partner in crime on that trip to jot down her memories sometime). I tried to recruit anyone I could think of to come along, but time, finances and maladies got in the way. Looked like I was on my own until Amy decided to come along. I booked the hotel online, then decided we'd go by train. Flying is faster, but I hate going through the whole security/waiting rigamaroll at the airport. Hadn't been on a train in ages and I didn't want to risk driving into any sudden winter storms. The trip down took a long time, but didn't feel worse than a flight across the Atlantic. One fa...

One of the things I love about used items is finding traces of a previous owner. It gives a sense of history to the item. If you're lucky, you'll find out what that person was thinking while they used the item. Take my copy of Stevie Wonder's classic 1973 album, Innervisions , the one with Higher Ground and Living For The City . Picked it up in a $1 record bin in Detroit a few years ago. There are two spots on the jacket where an earlier owner wrote information on when they purchased it, each spot with the same information (symbols noted in square brackets): Jag 5. LP #440. [circle with a dot in the middle] in [Omega symbol] (30th of Omega; 21st of August, 1975). [crescent moon] in [one wavy line on top of another] (just minutes past full). [an "I" with an arrow pointing right through the middle] rising (when purchased, appox. 17:15 E.D.T.) What do the symbols mean? Was the owner heavily into astronomy, astrology or a faith? What were the 439 other ...

At first, I didn't think much of reports that a major storm was going to hit SW Ontario yesterday. There had already been a few "Chicken Little" storms that had passed through. I took a day off work to leisurely make my way back to Toronto after spending the weekend in A'burg for my aunt's 70th birthday. If it snowed, I had time to play with. Driving wasn't too bad going through Essex County. The back roads were drivable, despite some drifting snow around Woodslee. Got onto 401 at Comber, with an immediate taste of things to come - at Tilbury, the westbound lanes were backed up due to a jacknifed truck blocking the road. Drifting snow dominated Chatham-Kent, with the odd vehicle in the ditch. I was carefully, rarely going the posted speed. Most drivers were equally cautious. Figured I'd reach London around 1-1:30 and grab a late lunch. Crossing into Elgin County, the drifting stopped and the road appeared fine. Remained cautious, stayed at or...

Finally got around to watching Bowling For Columbine today. I enjoyed it for the way it took on the insanity of guns in the US. Sure, odd bits seemed forced or took jumps of logic, but overall I agreed with Moore's barbs at his country. Having grown up surrounded by the Detroit media, all we ever heard on the news was the latest shooting of the day, the coverage of which grew more sensationalistic over the years. Whenever I head home, I catch a local newcast just to see how much further down the toilet its gone. It never fails to meet the lowest expectations, as shown in the film by the behaviour of the reporter when the cameras weren't rolling (here he is covering the shooting of a child, and he's worried about his hair. Looks triumph over substance again). Lots of the local groups and events covered in the film were the butt of jokes while growing up...Gibraltar Trade Centre gun shows (advertised enthusiastically on billboards and TV), the Michigan Militia, the g...

Even though there were a couple of cancellations from others intending to come along, I ended up shufflin' down to Buffalo on Saturday. All signs pointed toward a good day. First good sign - no lineup at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. Sign #2 - the first border guard I've ever encounter there who didn't have their humanity surgically removed (made jokes after he asked where I was going and I rambled off all potential destinations). Sign #3 - immediately finding what I was looking for (a new backpack). Then came the comedy. After spending an hour at the outlet mall, I headed back to the car. No sign of it. I wander the parking lot for 10 minutes, frantically looking but finding no sign of the car. My pulse quickened, my mind raced and a steady stream of obscenities flew out of ny mouth. I flagged down a security vehicle, who then did a search of the entire lot. He assured me that usually people had forgotten which entrance they came in and wound up miles away fro...

1) Give 'Em Hell, Batboy! It's 99-cent week at Loblaws, which means lots of time spent in grocery checkout lines. Looking for reading material while my imitation crab flakes and lunch meat creep up to room temperature, I've been browsing through a paragon of journalistic integrity, The Weekly World News . Seems their mascot, Batboy, was there when Saddam Hussein was captured. Other enlightening stories included the musical genius of Britney Spears, a couple banned from all buffets in North America and the discovery that the Earth is shrivelling up like a prune. Worth a few laughs, especially the "Ed Anger" column parodying frothing-at-the-mouth conversative radio commentators. 2) Now It's Sal Came back from dropping off some of my mom's famous nanaimo bars at Mark and Jess's, decided to check if anybody had called. More junk phone mail, from our friends at Best Price Movers (in no way a division of the Warehouse). New twist - the pitchman is...

Being from a family with strong culinary genes, there are a ton of cookbooks lying around the family homestead. Most have eye-catching, mouth-watering looking recipes. The further back you go in the collection, the more the eyes pop out at some of the dishes that passed the publisher's test kitchen. One of the larger series we have is various versions of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. Volumes from the 60s are telling in how much opinions about tasty, economical foods have changed through the years. Key findings: 1) Every other dish was a "bake", "strata" or "hodgepodge". 2) Spam (and its knockoffs) was the monarch of the kitchen. This wonder of science could be used in every way imaginable. 3) Other kitchen basics: creamed corn, lima beans, sherry, the number of the nearest heart surgeon. 4) Anything was fair game to be an exotic dish. 5) Velveeta is the king of cheeses. 6) Frankfurters are as diverse in their uses as Spam. L...

A few pix from the Kensington Festival of Lights... The procession moves along Baldwin St. The crowds around European never cease. Note the masks and number of people moving along. Anyone could join in, most with lanterns in tow. All this to celebrate the longest night of the year. A mermaid and fisherman above a falafel shop. Across the street was a rooftop of native-inspired birds (the shots didn't turn out so well), then rooftop drummers at Baldwin and Augusta. More masks near the end of the procession route on Kensington Avenue.

Let's say that since I moved down to Toronto, the items I've used for sleeping have driven others up the wall. From the last days of scanty student income, I used a cheap guest bed from Ikea with an orthopaedic pad. Surprisingly comfortable, it lasted until one part fell off (plus a basement flood was a good excuse to ditch it). Next I used a futon, which was good as long as I stayed on one half without rolling over the top of the trench in the middle. Finally, after recent repairs to my place were finished, I started the hunt for my first bed. Amazing how the suggestions of others linger in one's mind. From the prodding of coworkers, I got it into my head that I needed a queen-size bed. Spent a couple of weeks going to stores, bouncing up and down on beds. In the end, it was a toss-up between Sears and Sleep Country. The latter won, and I happily walked out with a nicely-priced queen. Got home, reassessed space, concluded I'd goofed. Called the next morning...