Make Up Your Mind.....

Somebody is trying to keep the heritage faith.

While someone else is content to paint over the past.

Too bad they couldn't have discussed their reno plans first.

[This post is in parallel to a similar one further up north up the dial.]

If It Really Is Anonymous......

...why is the first you say is "Hi, my name is Bob"?

Holy Crap! Here's Another One!

The story is not that this murderer was killed in prison (thanks, whoever, you saved us all a lot of grief and money) but that after

"He killed his wife and cult member Solange Boislard by disemboweling her, and chopped off the right arm of another commune wife, Gabrielle Lavallee with a chainsaw"

he was.....

"was sentenced to life in prison and was put in...[wait for it]...a medium security prison southeast of Moncton."

Can just anybody be a judge in Canada? At least this was a medium security place.

Now, if only he could have gotten one of those unescorted days passes, he may still be alive today.

....to go back to "where he lived with eight...uhhhh...seven women, and his 26 children."

Sheesh.....

Look What I Found

I am reluctant to post a photo of this heritage building - lest it meet a fate similar to the one below.

This building, as faithful readers will remember, was torched a few months ago.

See "Couldn't Resist" for a refresher.

The building above looks remarkably similar to the one that recently burnt down. Hope this doesn't give some crazies any ideas of where to go for their next fire fix.

But I won't tell where on Yonge St. this is.

This Place Just Sounds Snooty

"OMG! The girls from Whitney Hall have invited us to their mid-season formal!"

Man, there is a whole world out there that's foreign to me.

And I think the world's very happy just to keep it that way.

"Ewww....what is he doing here?"


Okay, based on the tidal way of comments, here is a link to the upcoming "Women of Whitney Hall Luncheon"

So it is a student residence, and a women's one to boot.

Snooty? You can be the judge.

Who knew? Lucky guess.....

Who Wouldn't Want.....

...to have a beer at this cute, little spot.

Especially with St. Paddy's Day around the corner.

Well, too bad.....I beat you to it!

Gotta Love It!

The Canadian justice system, that is.

This fellow is a convicted murderer. Sentenced to life but recently escaped from prison.

Justice officials are scratching their heads over this one.

Of course, this murderer was in a minimum security facility.

Out on a day pass. An unescorted day pass. And didn't return.

Canadian officials are mystified. They said they made him promise to come back. And he did promise!

What more could we do?, they pleaded.

So the message here is, if you are going to murder someone, don't do it in the States, or any other country for that matter. Come to Canada!

What was that? Did you say something bad about this guy? Whoa, whoa, whoa, do you know what that does to his self esteem?

Let's not go on about 'ou killed 'ou (to paraphrase Monty Python) but how do we help him be the best he can be!

I guess an unescorted day pass is a good start...

[Okay, found this clip to attempt make sense of the shaky 'ou killed 'ou reference.]

I Don't Want What They're Saving

Super or not.....

"Lasts up to three months!"

"Never run out again!"

Where Are The Big Mac Warnings?

When recently taking a pause that refreshes, I thought this was a Health Canada promotion.

But no, it's actually an ad for Player's cigarettes, taken over by our nanny state.

Recently a newspaper columnist (from the Toronto Star, no less! - a smoker though) railed against increased attempts at social engineering by the Ontario Government in that they (...we) will now fund smoking cessation products.

Their message: Smokers are addicted - and generally bad people - and must be made to quit.

She said, essentially, just give me the cash and enough already with virtually criminalizing smokers. If smokes are that bad, then make them illegal.

Ahh....but that's where the government is addicted. And extremely hypocritical.

The Ontario government, she says, is even worse than the Roman Catholic Church; "the...Church, on the subject of homosexuality, always says condemn the sin, love the sinner. The reverse is true for us: Condemn the smoker but don’t criminalize the smokes."

To show the absurdity of our attempts to further demonize smokers, she says the government "can charge an adult for smoking in the car with minors present but can’t charge the minor for smoking in the same car." The minimum age only concerns the purchase of tobacco, not use. Ha.

One more from her. She said if she'd been smart, rather than a smoker, she would have become a dope fiend or an alcoholic. "The nanny state loves drunkards and smackheads. Their addictions support throngs of intervenors — doctors, nurses, social workers, cops, judges, lawyers and posh detox facility staff." You go, girl!

She ends with a flourish; "The argument that smokers put undue strain on our health system has no traction with me, not until universal medical care is denied to piehole-stuffing fat people, the promiscuous, the bareback riders, the booze-hounds, the drug addicts and anyone else whose lifestyle choices put them at risk. Do you really want to go down that road?"

Right on.

So when do I see gory warnings on Big Macs?

And Ladies....It Ain't Much

So get down with your bad self.

Now....that could be considered the pot calling the kettle black.

But not if I'm rocking out to that 80's music..... Yeah, baby!

Told Ya - All Gone!

Yup, that didn't take long. Another one bites the dust.

See "Heritage In Downtown" for the eerie prediction.....

Okay, maybe not so eerie when the "doomed" sign was right on their front fence.

So sue me.

It's still kind of a shame to see it wiped out so completely.

[Just noticed the One Way sign that was in front of the former home. How fitting, because for most of these old beauties, there is only one way to go....]

The Venerable......

...come on.

It wasn't that long ago.

The street signs should give it away.

That's right. The venerable Maple Leaf Gardens. Or The Cashbox on Carlton. The former home of the formerly glorious Toronto Maples Leafs.

Who now call Air Canada Centre home.

Notice I said Air Canada Centre, not The Air Canada Centre. You would never call it The Maple Leaf Gardens. Or The Yankee Stadium.

[I suspect as a kid, saying that in New York would earn you to the biggest wedgie you ever had.]

So it is Air Canada Centre. And Rogers Centre.

There, I'm glad that's settled.

But I did get a shock walking by the aforementioned venerable shrine, when I saw construction workers and hoarding everywhere.

What the......? (I should get an emoticon for that expression).

And then I saw that they are installing a huge 70,000 square foot Loblaws in Leafs Land. Oh oh.....

And indignity of indignities, I think that hoarding is covering the entrance to The Hot Stove Lounge! Where Big Joe used to try and sneak me in.

Big Joe, who when not impersonating David Wells would try - sometimes successfully...and sometimes not - to pass himself off as Pat Burns.

Although a Loblaws does not seem like a natural fit, according to the new owner, Bob - Bob Loblaws - they "will maintain the existing facades and rooflines". So I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. For now.

But I'm watching you. I'm watching. You.

I Don't Believe It!

I bought this excellent 80's CD at a shop a while back. Got a real deal, too.

Or so I thought.

Listed at $26.99, it was on sale for $9.99! Whoo hoo.

Then yesterday I was at the local Dollarama. Same CD; two bucks! What the....?

Now maybe I should have complained about no truth in advertizing, that it should have been only a buck.

But I'm cutting Dollarama some slack because I got that good deal on the Boogie Wipes, which, I just recently found out (thanks to the eagle eyed Northern Dreamer) contain real boogies!

Now some may be saying, Urban, what are you doing buying an 80's CD? Extremely cool guy like you, is that your kind of music?

Well, a while back, I was playing co-ed softball on a team of new hires. I was the oldest guy by 25 years. At the year end banquet, one of the gals asked if I wanted to dance. I think it was Duran Duran, Girls On Film.

As I was working it out - most finely, I may add - she leaned in and said, "You kinda like the 80's music, don't you." I thought, what am I, on a day pass from a nursing home? So I said slowly, "Uhhh....yeah, yeah."

Then she said, "But I bet you're more of a 70's guy."

So I punched her. Well, if I hadn't missed, I would have.

Just kidding. But what's wrong with 80's music?

Even though it's 30 years old, it's great stuff. I know in the 70's, I sure wasn't listening to music from the 40's.

Now I forgot where I was going with this, oh well.... Oh yeah, real boogies!

Too Much Truth In Advertizing!

One - of the many, many, many - reasons why I don't have any germ factories kids.

It Wouldn't Be A Delivery Truck.....

...without a stinkin' parking ticket on it.

Just the cost of doing business, I guess.

But does that cost take into account the cost to everyone tied up in traffic because of these jack a$$e$?

Here is Yonge just north of Bloor. Down to a single lane because of two of these guys.

The Shred It truck even has his orange pylons out so you know he's going to be a while! Inside shredding stuff.

So it's not bikes that cause the problems (relax, I'm not turning into some spandex butted, tree hugger - Note 1) it's these frickers!

They even park in the designated bike lanes.

Parking tickets aren't the solution - tow trucks are. Get the Meter Maids on their cells phones!

But incredibly, the Toronto Parking Enforcement Agency is our worst enemy.

Last year they were forced to finally release their "Parking Ticket Cancellation Guidelines"

As reported in the daily papers "The 18-page report details exemptions for fast-food delivery, taxicabs, disabled drivers and delivery vehicles, nursing agencies, tour buses, among others."

I say these are the guys causing the vast majority of the traffic tie ups on city streets. Except for maybe the disabled drivers and nursing agencies, get them out of here!

Laughably, one of the bureaucrats in the department was quoted as saying that the guidelines “were drafted in a manner that makes them perhaps not quite understandable to average members of the public." No poop, Poirot.

I hope the release of these guidelines might finally spur on a few changes.

This concludes my scheduled rant. You may resume what you were doing.

[Note 1: A women said that there is a certain age after which a man should not wear a Speedo. And that age is twelve.]

Unlike The Rest Of The Crap We Sell

This reminds me of when a buddy recently went in to a fast food restaurant and ordered a chocolate milkshake.

The cashier said; "We just call them shakes now. There's not really any milk in them."

Buddy: "Okay, I'll have a chocolate shake and some chicken nuggets.

Cashier: "We just call them nuggets now...."

Oh please, as if you've never told a bad joke before.

Havin' Some Fun Now!

Out in Alberta, looks like you just can't pack enough fun in one day. Dang!

And based on this guy's smile, may be an opening for a retired guy coming up.

Toot, toot!

What The.......?

Let's see.....

Toronto Star...
Editorial...
Privatization Makes Sense...

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Ha ha, try that again.....

Toronto Star....yeah...
Editorial....yeah....
Privatization Makes Sense...what the?....

No, must be Toronto Sun!

No, no...Toronto Star.

What's next? "Ford On The Right Track"

Be still, my beating heart......

Sign Of The Times...Lately

Global Warming?

....or just on vacation?

Big Sky Country

They shore grow 'em big out there in Western Canada.

Kananaskis Country, to be specific.

These ain't no Blue Mountains.

Of course, picked a good time to head west, with sunny skies all around when the East side of the country was getting walloped with snow and then more snow.

There was snow out west, of course, as evidenced by this outdoor hot tub.

But since we were in bear country, I felt this might have looked too much like a giant fondue pot to some of the locals, so didn't linger long out there as the sun went down.....