JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Packing for a move inevitably causes glimpses of your past to resurface, especially when you have packrat tendencies. Sifting through a pile of papers atop my record shelf, I found a golden yellow folder cover in newsprint-smudged fingerprints. Inside were multiple copies of several stories I wrote for the University of Guelph's newspaper, the Ontarion , during my final year in academia. I suspect the articles in the folder were intended to be attached to job applications, which I sent plenty of as I tried to sort out my future and avoid a forced return to the Windsor area. Among the clips was this piece, my first feature-length foray into urban issues, published during the summer semester after I graduated. My work for the Ontarion had been almost exclusively arts-related or the weekly archival roundup, though I had started to slip in the odd news story (such as covering hearings for a student occupation which occurred while I had been abroad). When this article was publishe...

This post provides supplementary material for an article in The Grid regarding the time the army was called in to help Toronto cope with a major snowstorm in 1999 , which you should read before diving into the following text. Front page, Toronto Sun , January 15, 1999. Confession time: I’m drawing a blank as to what I did during the Snowmageddon of January 1999. I definitely experienced it—at the time I was living in Guelph, working at the campus paper. Given the regular dumpings Guelph received, the storm likely didn’t seem unusual. It was probably just another snowy day, albeit one with greater accumulation. My guess is that either I curled up with a pile of library books or headed over to the Ontarion office to work, surf the net, or play endless games of Civilization II . It was around this time that staff relations within the office settled into a permanent deep-freeze, sparked by deep disagreements about the cover of that week’s issue. The only story about the st...

In honour of today being the 12 th day of the 12 th month of 2012, here’s a roundup of front-page headlines from a carefully selected batch (as in those I could get my hands earlier this morning) of Toronto newspapers the last time the calendar read 12/12/12: The Toronto Daily Star The only paper to acknowledge the significance of the date, which it called “a gala day for puzzle fiends and people of the class of who travel one hundred miles to see a century plant boom.” The Star also wins the best headline of the day: “THE KING AND YONGE CORNER HAS BECOME A GUSTY SPOT.” Recent gale-force winds added to the problems of crossing King and Yonge in the shadow of one of the city’s first skyscrapers, the Canadian Pacific Building . “Ladies making the crossing looked in some particulars like the pictures of fishermen’s daughters down on the stormy strand, when they have lost hope for their loved ones in the fishing boats out on the raging seas.” The wind tunnel effect ...

Before reading this post, check out the related article on Torontoist. And now, for your eager eyes, the seafood platter at Danakas Palace that Pierre Trudeau (pictured on the left) liked so much the owners renamed it in honour of his position. Whether the story is true or not, it's not surprising a seafood platter would receive such an honour, as restaurants in the vicinity of Danakas Palace loved showing off their ensembles of lobster, shrimp and other sea creatures in full-colour ads targeted to business executives and tourists—a show of hands from anyone who's ever actually eaten the "award winning" seafood platter showcased in every Toronto visitors guide by Fisherman's Wharf since the dawn of man? It often seems like a seafood platter is designed to look attractive and draw as much money out of a customer as possible. I won't deny having succumbed to the allure of a broad sampling of delights from the deep. During my university days at Guelph, t...

6:30 p.m. last night. Dithering time. I had indicated that I would show up for a pickup soccer game over in Riverdale friends had organized, as long as it wasn't pouring rain out. I listened to the number of drops hitting the air conditioner. After contemplation, What would it hurt to drive down to the game site in Riverdale and see if anyone was there? At worst, what would be a week's delay for the first time I would kick a soccer ball in a decade? *** After discovering I was hopeless at baseball, my parents signed me up for soccer when I was 9. The teams I played for varied in ability - the only incident I remember was a game where I was on defence and wound up being the only one to chase after an opponent on a breakaway, while my fellow defenders carried on a conversation. The game lost its appeal when Dad forgot that he was supposed to sit on the sidelines, not attempt to coach me in the middle of the action. It may have come unconsciously, since he coached basketba...

Given the variety of farms surrounding Guelph and the presence of Ontario Agricultural College , it's not surprising to find animal sanctuaries. When Alison and Nadia discovered the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada , we had to go on a roadtrip. We couldn't have chosen a nicer day or destination. Blue skies, pleasant temperatures, a serene setting of rolling hills, pastures and a pond stock with large, colourful fish. Strolling around the grounds, we weren't 100% sure if we wanted to return to the city. My previous exposure to donkeys was limited to a book I had as a kid, Donkey Donkey , notable for drawings of a farmer's fall that looked painful. We were surprised to find how docile most at the sanctuary were, several taking an afternoon siesta. The animals at the sanctuary were there from various reasons, including pets that outgrew the "cute" stage, mistreatment or work animals in retirement. Left: Brushes were provided to let visitors give the donkeys m...

I first stumbled upon the Elora Festival's book sale last year , after having brunch in Guelph with my friend Dayna. It was a sale Dad would have loved, as it combined three of his key qualifications for going crazy at such events: large selection, low prices and geriatric volunteers. Two sales Dad and I regularly attended during my childhood stick out in my mind: * Essex County Library sales. Besides the regular sales at each branch, there was at least one or two mass sales held every year in one of the loading docks at the Essex Civic Centre. We'd arrive early and wait in line until the hordes poured into the tight space. I tended to stock up on young adult lit or 1970s NHL guides. * Brandeis book sales. Held annually at Tel-Twelve Mall in suburban Detroit as part of a national series of fundraisers for Brandeis University, these were notable for seeing how fast Mom's eyes would roll as Dad quickly filled up K-Mart shopping carts full of ludicrously cheap books. W...

While passing through Guelph on the weekend, this caught my eye. Had the dumpiest theatre from my university days finally met its end? While I only saw one movie at the 3 Star, it was the constant butt of jokes for years for its less-than-optimal state (for the record, a group drove out to catch Goldeneye during second year). Remote-for-students-without-vehicles location, small auditoriums and decaying conditions were among the complaints. When a Galaxy opened up down the road, one had to figure that 3 Star, despite low prices, would bite the dust . The place had various identity crises. I didn't know the name had changed to Woodlawn; nobody took the effort to replace all of the signs. Called the 3 Star, had 6 screens, with plans for 9. Call it a thing for multiples of 3... A few shots of the interior. Don't remember, but I'd guess the concession stand signs were there back in '95. The general appearance gave me 80s teen movie vibes. The 3 Star/Wood...

More fun with the BloggerBot. Dancing around fireworks in suburban Guelph on Canada Day, 1997.