When I recently headed out to Montreal, one of my plans included getting a Siphon coffee from Myriade Cafe (more on that later) and to take a spin on the popular bike sharing service, Bixi, across town (more on that now).

The system itself is pretty simple, you swipe your credit card and you get a ticket with a code on in. You punch that code into one of the keypads where a bike is attached to a rack, and after unlocking it, you ride around. When you are done, you take the bike back to any station, and lock it in. It’s not too expensive (5 bucks for 24 hours of access, with a 250 dollar hold on your credit card).

Because of the system’s success in Montreal (seriously, there’s Bixi locations everywhere), they’re trying to launch it here in Toronto. Sounds great right? Get people out of their cars, off the over-packed TTC streetcars and onto Bixis to get around Toronto.

Except Bixi has a number of drawbacks, that in Montreal are relatively forgivable, but absolutely won’t fly in Toronto Besides the fact that two out of four stations I visited in Montreal were “out of service” at the time, the main issue I have with the Bixi program is that lack of safety measures.

Strike one: When you rent a Bixi, you don’t rent a helmet, which is the biggest must any bicyclist should have on the roads. Strike two: No bells/horns. Strike three: The brakes are total crap. Of the Bixis that I rented, all of them seriously lacked in stopping power, and if I wasn’t cruising lightly, I could imagine myself getting into hairy situations pretty fast.

Now in Montreal, you’re likely to overlook most of these safety faults because of the wonderful efforts their city has made in terms of constructing a bicycle network downtown, highlighted by generous bike-only lanes that are totally separated from traffic. So even though you don’t have a helmet or other things you need to ride safe, the separated bike lanes more than compensate for those problems.

But compared to Montreal, I wouldn’t advise anyone to jump on a bicycle without a helmet or any other safety measures in Toronto… we don’t have anything like Montreal’s separate bike lanes downtown, so bikers here always battle with traffic, people cutting too close, parked cars with opening doors and vehicles swerving into the bike lanes when they do exist. Even the existing bike lanes tend to be in such decrepit shape (I’m looking at you in particular Sherbourne bike lane), that it’s hazardous just riding on some of these bike lanes by yourself.

Regardless, I doubt that we’ll see much traction from Toronto’s city hall even if the Bixi is moderately successful here: I don’t know why people think that a city so unwilling to give up space for bike lanes will give up parking spaces for Bixi lots.

Here’s a better idea: take all of those bikes that Igor Kenk stockpiled, take them out of storage, melt them down, and build some bike-only lane barricades. Let’s protect our existing population of riders before finding new ways to get casual bikers on the street.

I’ve never been to PRIDE before in Toronto, and while I skipped out on the parade, I took a quick walk down Church before checking out Diamond Rings and Katie Stelmanis (with her new band) at the “Alterna-Queer” stage. I felt too voyeuristic to take any photos, and considering that I don’t drink or enjoy house music and overall dislike hot summer weather, I didn’t get a whole lot out of it personally. But the primary reason I went down there, two see these two performers, was well worth it. Diamond Rings had a great set of his moody electro rock… and finished his set without doing “All Yr Songs.” As if! He relented and looked a little bored doing it to close out his set. Katie Stelmanis and her awesome band were up next, and they were so awesome. Katie has made leaps and strides in terms of on stage confidence, and is growing into being a consummate performance, and the trio of musicians backing her up must give her that boost — including her drummer, which hands down is one of the best drummers I’ve heard in a while. Her new material is fairly dark and gothic, but is still pretty uptempo… I’m really curious to hear what the new record is like. P.S. Did you see her on the cover of Xtra? I couldn’t believe it was her it the glittery bodysuit.

On the last Sunday of every summer month, Toronto’s Kensington Market has it’s “Pedestrian Sunday” mini festivals, where the streets are closed to cars (and bikes) and people congregate on the roadways for street performers, musicians and loads of amazing food. I ventured to the first one of 2010 and took a handful of photos… I was spending too much of my time enjoying the sun and the atmosphere!

The photo of this next guy, Alex, is from the band “The Haret,” and he was playing a modified stand-up bass that he was playing with his feet.

They played 2 old songs (“Lover’s Spit” and “Looks Just Like the Sun”) and 3 new ones. I was first in line and sat right at Kevin Drew’s feet. It was amazing!

And with one question from the audience during the Q&A following the world premiere of “Our House” at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival, someone popped the bubble.

The question in particular explicitly revealed that the anarchist Christians running their own illegal homeless shelter in Williamsburg had complicit permission in using their building from the owner: not exactly the definition of “squatting” like the description of “Our House” promised, and not very “anarchistic” either. Christian? Sure.

But I’m getting ahead of myself: “Our House” is a short documentary about a few young men who decide to operate their own homeless outreach community in an abandoned Williamsburg warehouse. They’re vegan, Christians, dread-locked punk rockers with plugs in their ears and pray inside a heated “love tent.” (I’m sure they are inspired by Shane Claiborne’s “The Irresistible Revolution,” but that’s never expressed in the film).

For non-religious types, they probably saw this film as a sad period piece about (barely) pre-gentrification W-burg, and the relationship communities have with their physical homes. As a Christian, I found the film to be extremely inspiring, watching these guys attempt to live alongside the suffering street people stuck in endless cycles of anger, drugs and crime. They prayed openly and intimately inside their “love tent,” often embracing afterwards: I wish I had that kind of spiritual connection to others when I finished praying alongside them. Maybe Grace Toronto should erect it’s own “love tent” for prayer meetings.

I don’t know if anybody is shocked by the dread-locked punk rocker aspect of the Christians in the movies: Christian punk is fairly mainstream, and while these guys looked pretty edgy on screen, they really don’t look much different than the kids who come home from Christian wakeboarding camps at the end of the summer.

I could also be desensitized to the image of weirdo hardcore Christians: I’ll admit to being one myself (both a Christian and a weirdo), as I have attended late night punk shows at the Bohemian Penguin in Belleville shouting along to a hardcore version of “Our God is an Awesome God” and have paid witness to Belleville’s own dreadlocked baptist rastafarian, Jah Pickney.

As for the Christian Anarchy angle of the movie, I’m afraid that it’s under-represented in the documentary as well. I was disappointed with that because I do have a few “Christian Anarchy” books on my shelf, and was looking for an interesting portrayal of this fringe denomination on screen. Maybe I’ll save it for my own documentary someday.

Click here to watch a trailer for “Our House”

As I’ve started taking more and more trips over to Grinder at Main and Gerrard (or “Grinder 1″ now that a second store is opening), I’ve finally had a chance to take a look inside “Ric’s Collectibles,” the used record store with the semi-melted vinyl and faded posters out front.

Let me begin by saying it’s not the prettiest record store I’ve been to, but the selection is great, and there’s an extensive “cheap” section with lots of great finds. Beyond vinyl (which the more “recognizable” records will cost you a little more), the shop also stocks comics, posters, old magazine and lots of other weird paraphernalia.

I’ve found the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly, and love talking music: always a bonus when record shopping. As other reviews online have noted, it’s not the busiest record store, so turnover is nowhere near as high as a place like Sonic Boom in the Annex, nor does it have new/local releases like Rotate This, but if you’re looking to browse, you’ll likely be rewarded with some great finds here.

After months (years?) of anticipation, I’ve finally made my way up to St. Clair and Bathurst to try out the BBQ place that the west side has been raving about: The Stockyards. A smoke house & larder joint that specializes in pulled pork, brisket, and buttermilk marinated fried chicken. (My mouth is watering again already). Apparently the best dish on the menu is their ribs, which they only serve on specific days, so check their website and twitter for exact details.

Because pulled pork is my comfort food of choice (give it to me in a burrito, sandwich, what have you), I had to go with the classic, and I was not disappointed. Unlike cheaper pulled pork, which sometimes can appear to be shredded mush, this pork actually looked like meat that came out of an animal, that was actually prepared earlier in the day. As for taste, it was perfectly sweet and spicy, and nicely complimented by the toasted “Store-bought bun.”

My biggest revelation though? Their own ice tea brew, made with a healthy dose of ginger. I ordered a 2 liter jug, and even though I ended up bringing part of it home with me, I wish I had brought another with me all the way to Danforth East.

So to put it simply, if you like BBQ, and you were a fan of Phil’s, you’re going to love Stockyards. Be warned though: the place is tiny, with basically no seats, to be prepared to do takeout if you are claustrophobic. Also, if you are planning on getting the fried chicken, call ahead, because it takes 20 minutes to prepare.

I’m not a fan of “going out to brunch.” It’s way too busy, overpriced and frankly, not very good food. But this isn’t a rant against going out for brunch (if you want a good take on my feelings, check out this Toronto Star story by Corey Mintz, who feels the same way I do about these things).

But this isn’t a diatribe about going out for brunch, because like any good urban dweller, I still go out for the occasional morning nosh, just usually not on the weekends — and only on strategically appropriate times. When I feel like going out for breakfast, the places I regularly turn to include Disgraceland at Bloor and Ossington, Starving Artist at Bloor and Landsdowne, The Java House at Queen and Augusta, La Hacienda at Queen and Markham and Leslieville’s Lady Marmalade at Queen East and Logan. (Unlike most Leslievillers, I’m not a fan of Bonjour Brioche).

Now I’ve got one more “must” place to add to the list: The Hoof Cafe.

The Hoof Cafe is a new “extension” of sorts of the infamous Black Hoof Cafe, the city’s chief proponent of Charcuterie, Sweet Breads, and if you’re lucky, Pig Brains. If you love meat and you’re adventurous, you must go to the Black Hoof.

Originally intended as a waiting room/holding area for the restaurant, The Hoof Cafe across the street ended up being a breakfast place, taking on brunch with their typical flair in the mornings, with specialty drinks and apps in the evening. Because I’ve loved every visit to the Black Hoof, I couldn’t wait to try the cafe, and what has become one of it’s most popular dishes: The Sucking Pig Benny. (If you’re daring enough to go on Saturday and Sunday, you can order Bone Marrow donuts!)

Overall the breakfast was outstanding, and in terms of quality/price, the Hoof Cafe is a great deal — a main might be a little more expensive than the combo platter you’d normally order somewhere else, but you’re easily getting the same quality breakfast as you’d get as an evening entree.

One word of advice: Go early. This place is tiny! From my predictions, there’s only about 20 to 25 seats in the whole joint, with about half of those seats being at the bar. Weekdays it’s not too bad, but if you’re thinking of a weekend run, go for 9:45 and hope there’s not a line already!

During my last visit to “Twice Found,” one of my favourite modern/antique stores for browsing in the Annex, I was chatting with the owner who was extolling the virtues of Canadian pottery, and how she thinks we’re on the verge of a renewed interest in home-grown art.

Her particular interest was in Beauce, a company located in Quebec, and had many interesting pieces in her shop. One of the things I like about “Twice Found” is that they always have a wide range of pieces, I’ve previously found a vintage Arabia planter there, and I know someone picked up a set of Arabia mugs as a Christmas gift there too. However, as anybody trying to find decent Scandinavian pottery can attest: it’s hard to find, and usually when you do find it, it’s expensive and overpriced (thankfully at Twice Found they are a bit more reasonable).

That’s one of the big reasons why people are now getting into Canadian pottery: the work is just as beautiful as any other in the world (usually with a prominent Canadian twist), way more plentiful in this part of the world, and much, much cheaper!

So even though we left Twice Found with our first small German pot, I had a desire to discover and learn about Canadian pottery. I got my first chance the day after, during a routine rummage through Value Village, where I found these green mugs. They stood out amongst the usual crap in there, but when I spied the “Canada” imprint on the bottom, I thought it should at least give me a chance to do a little research.

After taking the mugs home, giving them a solid wash and removing the price tag, I found above the “CANADA” stamp a logo that looked like a crude mug drawing and a number. Apparently the style of the glaze is called “volcanic lava,” where something is applied to the glaze to make it bubble up and look like a coarse piece of rock. Very cool.

After a little search engineering, I found out that the mugs are made by a French company called Poterie Laurentienne or Laurentian Art Pottery (or just LP as the logo suggests). The company was based in St. Jerome, Quebec and was founded in 1939 by a Mr. Kominick. Apparently they changed their logo to a set of three trees later on.

From what I’ve seen online, they’ve made pottery of everything you can think of, from plates to cups to sculptures of snowmobiles and trains. Even if you can’t speak French, take a browse through this forum, where LP fans have posted up photos (and numbers) of the company’s designs.

"Bored"

So if you haven’t heard, we are probably going to be getting a puppy sometime in the new year. It’s been suggested to my S.O. that doing so would have therapeutic value in her recovery of a long-lasting chronic illness, and something we could take care of as we prepare for having kids someday.

We’ve been offered a puppy from my parents, who are hobby breeders of purebred English Bulldogs, and need some help looking after one of the dogs… and we’ve decided we want to say yes.

However, our biggest obstacle has been the whole “dog in the apartment” issue. When we signed our lease several years ago, one of the details specified was that there would be no pets in our home. Now that the situation is about to change, we now have to weigh our options. After doing some research about Ontario Tenant Rights, it seems the situation on pets-in-apartments is simple.

You can have them.

Maybe.

Here’s the facts:

1. “No pets” clauses, even if you agree to them, are invalid by law.
2. However, the pet has to not “be a problem for anybody,” otherwise the landlord can enforce this rule. The landlord can evict you if the “presence, control or behaviour” of the pet interferes with the “enjoyment” of the apartment complex for all tenants and the landlord, if the pet causes the landlord or other tenants to have an allergic reaction, and if the pet is “inherently dangerous” to the safety of other tenants and the landlord.

So from a legal standpoint, if your dog isn’t bugging anyone else, you can have one… though if your landlord isn’t happy about it, then he can evict you. The truth is, if you’re renting, you probably can’t afford to take this one to court, so unless you decide to start hunting for a pet-friendly apartment, then you probably can’t have one.

In my current situation, I’m hoping that our landlord will at least let us have the dog on a trial basis, to ensure that the pet isn’t a problem for anybody. I’ve been in my apartment for nearly five years, and I like it. The rent is good, and we have a decent relationship with our landlord. We could have simply brought the dog into our house, hoping that he doesn’t notice, and then try to throw the legal argument in his face after the fact — but we didn’t want to be dishonest about the pet’s presence either.

So now we wait to hear our landlord’s verdict in the matter… it’s going to be a hard decision either way, especially after looking at my options on Craigslist and ViewIt.

UPDATE: Our landlord is cool with a trial basis… I’m pleased. Dog, ho!