Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Political outrage or kids' fun ?
Via Flickr:
There's been quite a lot of controversy in Toronto leading up to the federal election on May 2nd. There were reports of tires being slashed and then just yesterday a Liberal party canvasser was caught in our riding removing Green Party literature from mail boxes and replacing it with Liberal Party material. Some saying dirty politics, others saying over aggressive tactics. Our MP fired the canvasser the same day. The plot thickens.
There's been quite a lot of controversy in Toronto leading up to the federal election on May 2nd. There were reports of tires being slashed and then just yesterday a Liberal party canvasser was caught in our riding removing Green Party literature from mail boxes and replacing it with Liberal Party material. Some saying dirty politics, others saying over aggressive tactics. Our MP fired the canvasser the same day. The plot thickens.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Margarita
I was looking for a B&W street shot after work and wasn't having a lot of luck. I took a Metro Play paper from Margarita and shot a few shots of her as she was handing out the after-work paper to people passing by. I usually take the paper and enjoy the Sudoko and Kakuro puzzles for the ride home, but I was surprised to see there weren't a lot of people taking the paper or many even being polite enough to say "no thank you". It would be a tough job for many people, but it didn't seem to bother Margarita and even in the rain, she kept her smile. We talked a little about photography and she told me she has done some Photoshop editing work in the past - we've already connected as contacts here on Flickr. It was very easy to ask her for a shot and found she was very photogenic.
Margarita is #89 in my 100 strangers project.
Margarita is #89 in my 100 strangers project.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
We Are Augustines at The Horseshoe
First time seeing this tight New Yorker group - heartfelt lyrics and energized rock 'n roll. They opened for The Boxer Rebellion to a full and excited crowd house at The Horseshoe.
Gorilla thoughts
We visited the Toronto Zoo for the first time this year. The gorilla exhibit is always rather bittersweet for me as I love seeing these beautiful animals up close, but I'm often saddened by their captivity. Last summer, the older female Samanda died and reports said that the family definitely showed their sadness and perhaps that was what was on this gorilla's mind on Friday. I think this may be Charles, the older male, but I'm not certain.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Blue Jays celebrating 6-5 win over the Yankees
We took our guest exchange student to his first professional sports event and got lucky with a thriller come back and a win for the Jays in the 10th inning.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and North 44
Via Flickr:
2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder parked outside North 44.
2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder parked outside North 44.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Concert updates - Spring 2011
I haven't posted upcoming concerts in a while and now we're past winter hibernation, the number and quality of visiting artists is on the rise.
Bigger gigs
Tempted to go
Retro Alley
Friend and lovers love 'em
Full listing can be found on Now and Torontowide.com.
Bigger gigs
- Peter Gabriel - June 22nd Molson Amphitheatre - heard rave reviews from my friend in NYC who saw him last year with same orchestral setup
- Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs - May30th Massey Hall - love his sound and my bro says he's brilliant live
- Paul Simon - May 7th Sound Academy - yes, you read that right, smallish venue
- U2 July 11th Rogers Centre - forgot they were coming back, if it's anything close to 2009 show it will be a knockout
- Adele - May 18 Air Canada Centre - recently moved from Kool Haus to accommodate ticket demand
Tempted to go
- Black Keys and Cage the Elephant - July 7th Molson Amphitheatre - should be a humdinger of a show - mosh pit action
- Dirty Vegas - April 24th Mod Club - easy-on-the-ear driving dance melodies
- Supertramp - June 12th Molson Amphitheatre - perfect lawn show
Retro Alley
- Journey and Foreigner - Aug 9th Molson Amphitheatre
- Echo & The Bunnymen - May 16th Phoenix
- The Cars - May 20th Phoenix or Sound Academy
- Bob Seger - April 12th - one of my old favourites from the motor city
- Duran Duran - April 25th Phoenix
Highly acclaimed
- TV on the Radio - April 18th Sound Academy - new album is supposed to be very good, which is saying a lot for following up their brilliant 2008 release
- Tinie Tempah - May 2nd Wrongbar - massive Brit hip hop star plays small TO club
- My Morning Jacket - July 11th Kool Haus
What I'm going to
- Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines - May 21st Kool Haus - seen the Monkeys twice and want more, seen hot Brits The Vaccines at the Horseshoe this past winter - sure to get the crowd going and give the Monkeys a run for their money
- The Boxer Rebellion - April 18th Horseshoe - they put on a fab show here last time around and looking forward to a repeat show now the new tracks have sunk in more
- Beady Eye June 20th Sound Academy - what mood will Liam be in ?
Friend and lovers love 'em
- James Blunt - April 26th Massey Hall
- Death Cab for Cutie - May 18th Phoenix
Full listing can be found on Now and Torontowide.com.
Where I find new (old) music: Part 8 - the used record store
I met an out-of-town friend today for lunch who was visiting Toronto for the first time. We met at the Queen Mother Cafe on Queen West and he had walked past Kops Records on the way there and made a comment about stopping in after lunch. I hadn't been in Kops for a long time and quickly felt comfy surrounded by very famliar album covers. I do have a turntable set up at home, but only really use it for nostalgia trips now and again, so I no longer buy vinyl. However, slipping through the bins I quickly found one of my old favourites that I'd forgotten about. No I didn't buy the album, but I did just buy it online.
Tracy, warm up #1.
Via Flickr:
As I was doing a few test lighting shots for my shoot with Tracy, I caught this shot. I really like the relaxed, thoughtful pose. Having her face slightly out-of-focus somehow works and I feel creates a nice dreamy look.
As I was doing a few test lighting shots for my shoot with Tracy, I caught this shot. I really like the relaxed, thoughtful pose. Having her face slightly out-of-focus somehow works and I feel creates a nice dreamy look.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Louis Temporale bas-relief
Elizabeth WynWood, Louis Temporale bas-relief - #96/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.
Designed by Elizabeth Wyn Wood, carved by Louis Temporale, circa 1958.
In the book Creating Memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto By John Warkentin
, it describes the piece - "a male nude with scrolls floats languorously...Above the man stars and vertical lines are sketched, in the way the aurora borealis used to be illustrated in nineteenth century Arctic explorers' narratives. This is one of a few communication themed bas-reliefs on the the old Maclean-Hunter Publishing office building at University and Dundas".
I've been at this corner many times and never noticed this beautiful piece of art before. Having my camera with me and taking shots every day does open my eyes to the finer elements of urban life.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Synapses
I just saw the movie Limitless tonight. My modest review on Facebook was:
Oh, and the coincidence ? Limitless is based on the plot premise that what if there was a pill you could take that would allow you to use more/all of your available brain capacity. And, if there's anyone who can quickly get your synapses firing and expanding your brain around new ideas, it's Malcolm Gladwell. I'd highly recommend all his books, my favourite being Blink.
I really liked it, lots of fun, action and an interesting premise. Plot could have taken a little more load, but all together, very entertaining. Gotta go and connect a few new synapses.I then checked my Yahoo email and found an email from Luminato regarding the addition of the New Yorker series, which includes one my favourite authors and big thinkers - Malcolm Gladwell. I'm really excited about the opportunity to see him and hopefully hear about his new ideas.
Oh, and the coincidence ? Limitless is based on the plot premise that what if there was a pill you could take that would allow you to use more/all of your available brain capacity. And, if there's anyone who can quickly get your synapses firing and expanding your brain around new ideas, it's Malcolm Gladwell. I'd highly recommend all his books, my favourite being Blink.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Vintage bikes in violation
There were quite a few bikes along Dundas Street outside Ryerson University that I noticed were tagged by the city in violation of some by-law about abandoned bikes and right of way management. The tags were dated about a week ago. I found it Interesting that these two vintage bikes looked in operating condition, except for the rust.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Friday, April 01, 2011
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