Tag Archives: queen street west

Explaining tattoos

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Overall, I’m a pretty private/introverted kind of guy, so I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with showing, talking about, and explaining my tattoos. I get the irony that I’m fine with getting “statement” body modification filled with symbolism and text, but uneasy about verbalizing “WHAT IT MEANS.” I think it’s because I usually feel caught off guard when people ask, and when I’m unprepared, I’m not ready to make that super cool, super deep explanation which I think is the kind of answer people are looking for.

In some ways, explaining tattoos is kind of like analyzing song lyrics when they are examined on their own, away from the music: it sounds dumb, or cliched, unmoving and trite. Of course, add melody to lyrics, and the meanings grow and deepen…

So with that said, here goes.

Tattoo #4: The circle drawings by Matt Durant

The newest tattoo is located on my right fore-arm, underneath my early Tattoo #2, “By the Grace of God I am what I am.” It was designed by local Toronto painter Matt Durant, whose work I’ve seen exhibited in a few east end hangouts, and I’ve grown to really love. I reached out to Matt, asking if he would design something for me, and he graciously agreed, and provided me with the artwork. I’ve been “living with” the artwork for a while, and finally the right time opened up to do it. I returned to Adrenaline on Queen Street West in Toronto, after making a few modifications to the design at their request, in order to make it more “tattoo” friendly. I also had to go to one of the best guys in the shop, as most of the artists seemed to be intimidated by doing circles. However, I was expertly drawn on by “Pido” from Bogata, and the work turned out great.

So what does it mean? Simply, I find myself identifying with the artwork: It’s simple, unique, messy and vibrant. As I continue my own self discovery, I found identity in the artwork, and it serves as a reflective reminder of who I think I am, and the kind of person I want to continue to be. It also goes with the quote from scripture, in that it reminds me that whatever my identity is, it is a purposeful identity, even if I’m not exactly sure why.

Feeling right at home at Oddfellows

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"Tee Te Te" by Charlyn W

Thanks to somebody’s wonderful organizational skills, the other night we finally were able to get a crowd together and have a belated birthday dinner for myself at Oddfellows in the Ossington/Queen neighborhood on Queen West. It’s been a fairly difficult year all around, and we want to take every chance to have a celebration when we can.

Oddfellows, a relatively new restaurant out near Queen and Shaw is a place I’ve been meaning to go for a while now, and it seems like it’s become Toronto’s go-to birthday party spot.

(I took a few photos on my iPhone, but they didn’t turn out so great in the low light).

Despite being a little drafty, the small restaurant was a great spot for a get-together: the food was like slightly fancy comfort food, served in tabletop pressure cookers and home-dinner style plates. I had their juicy Pork Belly as an appetizer, and was jealous of the table’s many selections of “Buffaloaf.” Because the space is so small, it felt more like eating at a friend’s house with a great record collection (ie someone who loves krautrock), and immediately instigated a party atmosphere.

If you go to CastorDesign.ca, you can see the designs that appear inside Oddfellows, including the massive “Invisible Chandelier” above the bar, “Table 2″ (I sat at the end in the photo), the “not a” Droog Light, Antler Headphones, and of course, the Recycled Tube Light that runs the length of the communal table.

So if you’re thinking about planning a birthday outing to Oddfellows, I recommend booking well in advance: they only do 2 seatings a night at 7 & 9, and I’ve been warned to not book at 9 because large parties often go long (guilty!) and so if there’s no room, you’ll have to stand around near the bar or go wait somewhere else on Queen.

I wouldn’t say it’s become my favourite restaurant in the city (mine’s still the Black Hoof), but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back… especially on PIROGI NIGHT!

Update: Got to find a reason to rent the Oddfellows/Castor Winnebago!

Abraham’s Antiques expands… enjoy the room, for now!

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550_ABRAHAMWith my Christmas shopping underway, I began scouring Queen Street West for gifts, and as I headed east, I wandered to Bathurst. There, I spotted what looked to be a brand new antique store… but inside I realized I had been there before.

Unlike many of my favourite spots at Queen and Bathurst that have long since disappeared (Zap Records, Travel Cafe, Suspect Video), Abraham is still going strong with his amazing collection of totally random techniques.

300_abrahamNow, he’s renovated his shop, and it appears to be over three to four times the size it previously was… and I suspect that it won’t stay that way for long. The main thing I like about the reno is that the space looks far more composed than it ever has before… you have always been able to tell he arranges his shop like a giant living art installation, but with the revamp, you can take in the giant canvas far more easily.

While I’ve only ever bought vintage art pieces from his shop, I’ve always been tempted to find out what he charges for his music equipment: there’s walls and walls and walls of guitars, guitar bodies, guitar necks, and a massive shelf of vintage microphones available for rent.

Abraham himself is a stand-up guy himself, with extensive knowledge about his stuff, and is more than willing to work out a good, fair price for it. I know that some people find him intimidating to approach, but once you get him talking, you can tell that he takes a lot of pride in what he does.

I love Leslieville and it’s quaint little mid-century modern stores like GUFF and Ethel, I wish the east side had a shop like Abraham’s, the kind of place you can get lost in (and not think that everything is junk).

(Read more about Abraham in this City News piece from last year… some great photos there too)