Kind of sad that the leader of the free world chose a Bud. Next time, try a Unibroue.
Long weekend podcast! Enjoy your final day at the office/sweat shop/wheelhouse. There’s lots of commentary on this week’s playlist, so head on over to Silent Talkie and give it a listen!
Is this an old Toronto Transit Commission token bag?
As part of our spring/summer projects around the apartment here, we decided to redecorate our bedroom to make it a little more comfortable, and seem a little more “designed.” We always found a lot of really great stuff while we’re out browsing the shops and finally had a chance to pick up something for once… usually for us we’ll see something interesting, but because of our tiny apartment, we don’t have any room for it!
So one of the things we found, and the first I want to share with you, is this old TTC token collectors bag… at least, that’s what we think it is.
We grabbed this from Smash in the Junction while we took our first visit to the west end hood, picking up something else that we already had on hold. Besides my regular browsing spots in Leslieville, Smash is now one of my favourite antique/vintage furniture spots in the city… you can’t tell by its website, but it’s a huge space, with a nice hi/lo price range and mainly focuses on awesome industrial goodies. And it has lots of great photos online, which is also a plus. They were super helpful, and I’ve heard that they just got a load of new stuff from a recent warehouse closing.
Anyways, one of the things we spotted in the store was this canvas bag, which appeared to be vintage, and had the following printed on it: “Toronto Transit Commission, 1900 Yonge St., Toronto.” Now I figured it was just a cool screen-printing project someone had done, but according to the owner, it was a real-deal object, likely a token collecting bag, and remarked that it would make for a good future screen design. (Here’s a link to a bigger image of the bag)
So internet, I turn to you to see if you can shed some light on this token bag… I tried researching it, but didn’t find much about this piece of TTC operations. I’m curious if any TTC historians know anything.
As for the bag, we’ve mounted it in a basic Ikea frame and hung it in the bedroom, as part of a little “sitting area” we’ve put together, and brings a nice little bit of rustic-industrial charm to the room. Stay tuned for more interesting finds!
Warning: there’s some explicit language in one of the tracks, otherwise, enjoy!
I was heartbroken.
All spring and summer long, I had searched for my beloved blu blockers. Well, knockoff blu blockers that I bought at Honest Ed’s last year for a dollar… I can’t seem to find anywhere in Toronto which stocks the real thing.
But last night, as I grabbed my baby blue micro-suede Members Only jacket before taking a trip to Carter’s Ice Cream, I felt something in my pocket — my blu blockers! (Kind of strange, inside a blue jacket to boot).
Finally, my blue-tinged world would come to an end… when I put on the glasses, BAM, the world explodes into a spectrum of brilliant orange and yellow. The sun is going down? Not in my world bud.
The thing is, you would think having yellow-tinted vision in the summer would be the most uncomfortable thing in the world, but that’s just not the case. I find the amber tinge relaxing, and just like waking up from a splendid dream, the worst part of my blueblocker experience is when I return to the drab world of regular vision.
Did you know that wearing blublockers are actually good for your vision?
Now that I think about it, I would love to get a pair of the real deal… I think these official Black Nylon Aviator style might just be the ticket.
Oh yes, and mandatory hilarious YouTube link is here. This guy loves his blus more that me!
This week’s podcast is now up at Silent Talkie… it’s a more rockin’ affair overall, but I think you’ll like it.
This Walmart, in a very desolate sub-urban stretch of Eglington and Pharmacy, is a massive compound complete with grocery, furnishings and automotive repair, and dwells in the shadow of an impossibly tall cellphone tower, one that looms ominously over the bustling parking lot.
When I was standing underneath, dark clouds began to cluster like low hanging fruit in the sky, blocking out the afternoon sun that was previously turning the asphalt into one expansive frying pan, littered with cars and shopping carts.
What if those clouds proclaimed the way for a terrifying storm of violent winds and rain? I wonder just how sturdy of a construction was bestowed upon this tower, and if toppled, would anyone still be able to whisper out a call for help inside its brutal, tangled mess of steel and wire?
I went inside and bought two king size pillows for my queen size bed.
Is there a work day no sweeter than the one after some time off, like the one after a long weekend, or a month off to travel to somewhere exotic, say Thailand or Paris? (Actually, I wouldn’t know the latter, but I digress).
There’s nothing like those first few minutes, back at your desk, piping hot coffee in hand, eagerly logging into Outlook and loading up a heaping pile of email, some urgent, some miraculously solved before you’re needed?
People will say, “You look refreshed,” or “Hey, you got some sun,” and you’ll regale your office-bound buddies with stories of the exciting and not-so-exciting adventures you had, with that bright and perky enthusiasm that accompanies a totally clear-headed worker bee.
Sure, you could say that the time right before a vacation is perhaps more sweet — but I would disagree, for those days are often stressed, packed with piling up instructions to less enthused coworkers, all the while the clock seems to tick more slowly, as if trapped in a warped fourth dimension of time.
No, I’ll always enjoy those mornings back on the job… even if it only lasts about 15 minutes or so.
…and yes, next time you are craving a summer evening ice cream, go there instead.
During my “staycation” this week (which has been mostly dedicated to checking out the “live” version of “Jurassic Park” at Fringe and reorganizing the entire apartment), one of my to-dos has been to check out the new “Pie Shack” in the Beaches here in Toronto.
Finally, I’ve done it, and it was worth the wait.
The shop is located just a few streets west of Victoria Park Ave and Queen Street, and it’s one of those shops that’s hard to miss. The sign is bright green, with a big ole pie sticking out the front, precariously perched on the end of a massive faux windowsill. There’s also a “Pie Shack” branded beach cruiser (what else?) and a massive dog house on the sidewalk, as well as a giant grey shaggy dog to match.
The owner Tim was a very friendly guy and very proud to show off his new pie shop, which I’ve read before described as “funky cottage,” and I feel is apt. My wife loved the tables, which were old doors repurposed as tables with a sheet of glass laid on top. I spied a Galiano Pendant Light that I’ve seen before at MADE, so I know that Tim has good taste (and trend spotters, the long tables means that Tim is continuing the “communal dining” trend, maybe unintentionally).
When my slice of strawberry-rhubarb came, it was warm and delicious, served up with a side of (store bought) ice cream. I loved the crust, and the flavour of the pie was very rich and delicious. I would go back. The store is open late, till 10 during the week and till midnight on Thurs/Fri/Sat, which is perfect for dessert when the sun goes down.
As for suggestions for the “Pie Shack,” I’d like to see better ice cream selection… there’s an “Ed’s Real Scoop” in the beaches, and I wonder if they’d be into bartering for pies in exchange for a special pie-flavoured ice cream. If the Leslieville location can set up a deal like that with Mercury and their espresso beans, why not pie in the beaches?
Find out more about the Pie Shack:
This week’s podcast is back to the usual mix of songs, some new, some old, some local, some from scattered lands throughout the earth. Enjoy!
William Petersen in "To Live and Die in LA"
I’m taking a cue from the “14 Movies” list that Adam McKay and Will Ferell proposed (which I saw via EW.com), and put together a list of my most recommended flicks, outside of the ones you probably have seen by now. These are my picks, outside of imdb’s top 250, in no particular order, that you must watch.
