JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

 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...

Sitting outside of Guelph London House shortly before returning to Canada, April 1997. - JB

Tennis has never been a sport I followed closely. For my football/basketball/baseball-fan father, it ranked down there with golf and bowling as sports to watch on the boob tube. I didn't pick up a raquet until high school gym class and proved spectacularly inept. Matches were over in 30 seconds. When Jess offered up tickets to a Davis Cup doubles match up at York, it was hard to resist. Another new experience, an afternoon with friends, etc. Truelove, Janine and I landed good seats, close to the court. They were also directly in the sun. By the start of the fourth set, our faces had started to turn a nice shade of red. We fled to a shady section of the stands for the nail-biting final set. Canada, anchored by Daniel Nestor and Frederic Niemeyer, went down to the wire to beat Belarus in four sets. You could feel the tension in the stands as the teams went into the tennis equivalent of sudden-death overtime. The stands were livelier than I expected, with patriotic cheers all ...

Is this where west end girls hang out in Toronto? Sorauren, just north of Queen, Sep 17/05 - JB

Photo taken September 2005 - JB

With all the furor about the city's new garbage recepticles, I haven't seen much outcry about the new infomaps popping up in local parks. Their supposed raison d'etre, a neighbourhood map, is hidden by the ads on the outward panels. You'd think the maps would face the street... UPDATE SEP 26TH - Spacing magazine nicely sums up how crappy these are. Note the appropriate advertiser. *** It's official: the National Post reunion is being held at Macleans magazine. All you have to do is check any site following Canadian media. New editor Kenneth Whyte is piling on former Post writers as the magazine takes a more sensational right-wing tack to rebuild its sales. My department has a subscription and my jaw drops further with each issue...though it was funny to see the word "pecker" on this week's cover (the Brian Mulroney bio). Still, with each issue, the urge to take a match to it increases, especially after the friendly look at Wal-Mart. The othe...

Carrying on with our tour... Looking north at the first cross-street, Vankoughnet. Like most one-ways in the Annex, Croft switches directions here. This method of traffic calming confused me when I was little, especially on Brunswick Ave. Because I only ever saw Brunny from Bloor or Harbord, which provide no access onto it, how did cars find their way onto that street? The reversing one-ways may be confusing, and are hellish if looking for a park forces you onto Bloor on a busy night, but they beat the speed bumps favoured elsewhere. UPDATE: While passing Croft on the College streetcar on Saturday, I noticed the traffic direction had changed, so that it flowed southbound instead of northbound. I'll check later if the direction has changed for the rest of Croft. Modern architecture at #54. More car barn graffiti, near Ulster St. Mind-blowin'! The main stretch of Croft comes to a halt at Harbord St, as Central Tech blocks its path. Originally located at St. Lawr...

This white box came in a bag of coupons and storage containers given away by Sunrise Tofu at an Asian-themed food show at Exhibition Place. What surprises does it hold? The suspence mounts. What lurks beneath the wrapping? It's a pig! A glittery, gold piggy bank! A side view of Goldpig, with a word from its sponsor. Isn't it larve-ly? - JB

This post is the first of a series looking at some of Toronto's interesting sidestreets, roads waiting to be explored by bicycle or foot. If you have any suggestions for future installments, send them along. First up: Croft Street. Croft runs through an "in-between" area. The northern stumps fit in with the Annex, while the southern stretch doesn't feel like any neighbourhood in particular - you are within a 5-10 minute walk of Kensington Market (SE), U of T (E) and Little Italy (W). The sign greeting you at College. At first glance, it looks like a glorified alley that may have earned a name due to its length. Even as a one-way street, Croft can be a hair-raising trip, with little room for cars and pedestrians to share. Looking north from College. Our walk starts at the south end, with new murals at College commemorating the great Toronto fire of 1904 (also check the Ontario government site here ). The murals illustrate the origins of the street's ...