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#Rocktober30

I’m looking to make October the best month, ever. Seeing as I turn 30 that month, I plan to do something awesome every day of the month. Whether it’s a concert, like WILD-MOTHERFUCKIN’-FLAG! Or just hangouts with friends watching a DVD. I’ve been compiling a list of things I will be doing. There’s still too many TBDs. 1: Montreal Roadtrip! 2: Montreal Roadtrip! 3: Dinner at The Nick with Watcom! 4: Hangouts with Emily. 5: Jonathan Richman 6: Entire Cities 7: TBD (Kol Nidre. EARLY DISMISSAL!) 8: The Cheap Speakers 9: TBD 10: TBD (Thanksgiving. NO WORK!) 11: Wild-fucking-Flag 12: TBD 13: TBD (Sukot. NO WORK!) 14: Different Skeletons & TekSavvy Install (Sukot. NO WORK!) 15: TBD 16: Condo Party & Dum… Read More »#Rocktober30

Politics – City and Province

Today was a productive day. Councillors Mary Fragedakis and Paul Fletcher of wards 29 & 30 respectively held an information meeting today in Eastminster United Church. During this event they had speakers from many organizations, including the Toronto Library, Animal Services, and many other fantastic Toronto services speak about the KPMG report’s recommendations for service cuts. This event was simply the left preaching to the left. It was good to hear from these organizations, and give faces to the proposed cuts. Sadly all they talked about was “SAY NO TO CUTS!” It wasn’t anything to motivate those already against the cuts, it did nothing to move the masses. So I asked… Read More »Politics – City and Province

Goodbye Bell

Dear Bell, I’ve been debating parting ways with your service for a while now, as is evidence by my last blog post. I decided to call and ask you straight up. What are you willing to do to keep me as a customer? I called. Contact #1 (10:28am): I spoke with a support agent in the billing department. This woman was nice and polite, and said that there was nothing she could do for me, but transfer me to the Loyalty Department. I was okay with this, and sat on hold for half an hour as I waited for my call to be transferred. Eventually I put through to the… Read More »Goodbye Bell

Internet

Currently I’m using Bell Canada for my internet. We all know that Bell is pure evil. However, I’m grandfathered into their unlimited internet package. Sadly, they keep on upping the price of the package, without increasing any speed. Current TekSavvy 5 TekSavvy Cable Bell FIBE 25 TekSavvy 25 Downspeed 3Mbps 5Mbps 15Mbps 25Mbps 25Mbps Bandwidth Unlimited 300GB 300GB 75GB 300GB Base price $64.90 $31.95 $42.95 $76.95 $67.97 Band rate $0.00 $9.10 $0.00 $0.00 $9.10 Total, with HST $73.34 $46.39 $48.53 $86.95 $87.09 My bandwidth averages at 130GB per month. With that in mind, the Bell FIBE, beyond being stupidly priced in comparison to TekSavvy, it’s out. My peak bandwidth usage… Read More »Internet

Jack Layton

Today’s a sad day for Canada, the left-wing, and Toronto-Danforth, the riding where Mr. Layton represented my neighbours and myself. I never found myself in full agreement with Layton, or his party, but I had respect for what he did. I always found him a better leader of the NDP than as an MP. While I might have disagreed with him at times, or get infuriated by canned replies to my letters, I always felt he was a good voice for Canada’s left, especially when the Liberals failed, leader after leader. Unfortunately, in Layton’s battle with cancer, the latter won. He’s missed by many. My riding has no voice in… Read More »Jack Layton

Weather Station, Daniel Romano, & Eons

Last night was the album release for Weather Station’s All Of It Was Mine at CSI Annex, a beautiful basement space on Bathurst, south of Bloor. It had been some time since I last saw The Weather Station, and even longer since I last wrote about Tamara Lindeman’s work; I had interviewed Lindeman, along with Ruhee Dewji and Simon Borer, as part of my final piece for Being There. Back then, Lindeman was part of the group Entire Cities, and they had just released their record Deep River. She’s since left Entire Cities, but that doesn’t mean she’s been sitting idle. In addition to this new record, she’s also been performing… Read More »Weather Station, Daniel Romano, & Eons

Blog!

Did you know that the word “blog” sounds like the sound one makes when they puke? Well, it does. I haven’t posted here in quite some time. Why? Well, I’m a slacker. I also have a real life, and those things get in the way. So why blog now1? Well, my sister is blogging somewhat frequently… Hi Shira! In addition, my brother has now started a blog… Hi Moti!2 So this blog post will be a life update… Rock and Roll Adam I have tickets to a number of upcoming shows: The Weather Station w/ Dan Romano (Tomorrow)3 Arizona Lily are playing at Rancho on August 274. Wild Flag5 are… Read More »Blog!

Criminal Records

Dear Criminal Records, When you first opened, there wasn’t any gap in the Toronto record store scene. We had Rotate This, Soundscapes, Sonic Boom, we might have even had Sam’s still. Toronto’s music nerds were happy. Then you opened, I remember seeing your sign on Queen Street and being excited for this new record store, even though I had no use for ANOTHER one. Then one day, I went in, I was greeted with incredible prices, fantastic selection, wonderful staff/owners, and a lot of vinyl. Though we didn’t need another record store, we learned we needed a great record store, and you showed Toronto how amazing one can be. It’s… Read More »Criminal Records

Nation-states

The history of the modern Western nation-state is built on three founding monolithic mythologies; race and language and mythology itself. After the murderous disasters of the twentieth century, the race element has been happily downplayed, but it is still there as an unspoken assumption. In this model a real nation-state comprises these three elements and must have a singular face. The very idea of a nation-state intentionally built on ideas and a multiplicity of races, languages and myths doesn’t fit into the historic Western framework and therefore cannot be real. And yet what began to emerge in April 1839 was exactly that alternative model. – John Ralston Saul on the reform movement of the newly united Canadas