Picturing: Mariachi at the TTC's Finch West Station

As I approached the escalator in order to drop down to the station's second level, I heard a full and hearty "Ay, ay, ay, ay". I knew it to be a Mariachi singing the Mexican song "Cielito Lindo". After completing my journey down to that floor, the one above the subway platform, I proceeded to barrel on by before realizing I was humming along. Out came my trusty Canon mirrorless. The gent was cheerful, and he played to my captures.

The TTC, the Toronto Transit Commission, employs some fine musicians.

My Canon EOS R100 camera data:

ISO speed: 2500

F-stop: f/3.2

Exposure time: 1/160

An Honour: Lunch Date With a New Canadian

U.S. president Donald J. Trump is under the illusion, and delusion, that Canadians want to be Americans; more specifically, that Canadians want their great country to be a state of the Union. On August 1st of last year I posted a piece of certain interest....

A Lunch Date with a New Canadian in Toronto

This afternoon I popped downtown to meet a friend of mine for one of our lunch catch-ups. The Thai food was great, as was the conversation. My buddy is from the US state of Wyoming, but after getting his PhD in New Mexico, he and his wife decided to move to this great city.

Will told me today that he's been living in Toronto for ten years. Time flies. I met him in 2016 when we worked on a contract together. His big news today for me, over and above that one-decade milestone: In June he and his wife became Canadian citizens. His parents flew up from the States to attend the ceremony, then decided to hang out here for a few days. Everyone had a lot of fun. Of course, we're talking about Toronto, Canada.

An Honour: John Irving Now Has Canadian Citizenship

U.S. president Donald J. Trump is under the illusion, and delusion, that Canadians want to be Americans; more specifically, that Canadians want their great country to be a state of the Union. On December 15, 2019, I posted a piece of certain interest....

John Irving in Toronto, Canada

On Thursday afternoon the American writer John Irving became a Canadian citizen. The author of the best-sellers "The World According to Garp" and "The Ciderhouse Rules" has long loved this country, and Toronto, where he now lives with his Canadian love and maintains his downtown office. Irving's not given up his U.S. passport, but his move here is very special to him: during the citizenship swearing-in he was misty-eyed and sang "O Canada" with pride.

I should read one of his books....

From Friday's edition of the Toronto Star: "Ending up here is a love story."

Sunday Fun: Donald Trump Proclaimed Himself King?

President of the United States Donald Trump thinks of himself as King of the United States of America. After his administration moved to kill New York City’s congestion pricing program this past week, the self-crowned clown yelled on his social media platform Truth Social: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

That bold proclamation reminded me immediately of a certain piece I wrote. On the 30th of December, 2020, I posted The Kings Depths:

 

Introduction: The following piece I wrote on October 6th [2020], but after completing it, and just before pressing the "upload" button, it struck me as being in bad taste given what little we knew of the U.S. president's overall condition at that time....

U.S. President Donald J. Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Medical Center on Friday, not after already being tested and confirmed as COVID-19 positive, but after feeling unwell throughout the night. He was advised to seek serious medical treatment, immediately. The president has long downplayed the severity of the virus, and has ignored the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans. Deaths but a little inconvenient: for him, and for the people who've died. Yesterday he exited Walter Reed and took a joy ride in his armoured vehicle to show his faithful, who stood outside with their banners of support and reaffirmation, that the king had beaten the unseen and not-real plague.

Later in the day Trump went home triumphantly to the White House and waved with laboured breath to the crowd. All was good again in the Great Kingdom.

If this was a Brothers Grimm story, how might it end? Most of us would not wish something like this on Mr Trump, but, given his mean nature toward his fellow man and woman, one can have fun with a fanciful tale....

"King Trump, while dining late one night on food fit for kings, felt a great disturbance in his belly and breast, a rumbling of which he recalled from days and nights before. He sweated all over, and he gasped for life. His minions rushed him to the town's physicians, who, with armour and tools, battled for him through the night, only to lose the king of kings in the darkness.

His faithful villagers did not fret for long at the sight of their immobile once-proud King. They ate him all up."

Postscript: I understand this tale is even darker in the original German.

Picturing: Do Directors Dream With Hockey Hair?

Well, I did play ice hockey, and for a time, I dressed as a goaltender. I'm pretty sure that wasn't an ill-fitting wig, but if it was, it's quite possible I was just wearing it backwards. (A mullet hairpiece would have no need for labels indicating "front" and "back".)

This film shoot took place at Toronto's Dock Lands. It was a coolish October morning, but the day turned out to be beautifully warm, with bright and cutting sunlight. Those shadows say "early".

An Oddity: Former Canadian PM in Historical Film?

I've seen Leni Riefenstahl's feature-length Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will a few times, but it was my most recent viewing that brought me a 'Zelig' moment: One brief shot reveals a Nazi Party official who bears a somewhat striking resemblance to former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper. Could this explain a few things?

Picturing: TTC Spadina Exit Snow Sign

As I exited my local TTC station today I took wind to the face, and an image, that of blowing snow. Twisting and twirling snowflakes played before the exit's sign. It's a sign that winter this year is actually a winter, and not just a title.

(Soon enough, Toronto's disgusting heat and humidity will be upon us.)

My Canon EOS R100 camera data:

ISO speed: 800

F-stop: f/4.0

Exposure time: 1/200

Athot for the Day: Sign Away!

Donald Trump and His Braindead Battalion thinks that running a country, certainly one as large and complex as the USA, is merely a matter of issuing a deck of Executive Orders.

May the United States of America, and other nations, survive this unfortunate blight.

Picturing: Bloor Street at Spadina Snow Scene

Toronto is getting a winter this season. There was a good dumping of snow overnight, although it hardly rated as one of the "snowed-under" variety.

During my errands early this afternoon I popped off a few photographs. As I exited my local Metro supermarket I took in a scene: looking west down Bloor Street, just west of Spadina Avenue.

My Canon EOS R100 camera data:

ISO speed: ISO-250

F-stop: f/4.5

Exposure time: 1/1600

Sunday Fun: Getting Deflated Game Day

I just learned that the Super Bowl is today; and I just remembered that I don't watch the Super Bowl.

Athot for the Day: An Important Difference

I love dogs. But, through no fault of their own, they're not cats.

Picturing: Toronto Has Snow That's Sticking

Toronto has gotten a few dustings of snow this winter, but it seemed that as soon as the white stuff settled it quickly melted.

However, when I went for my coffee-fetch this morning, I observed a snowfall that appeared to want to stick around for a few days.

Toronto's "Annex" neighbourhood is beautiful in the winter... and soon enough, it will be beautiful in the spring.

Postscript: With my back to Spadina Road, I aimed my Canon DSLR down Kendal Avenue.

Athot for the Day: Rancid

On BBC Radio 2 today there was a discussion on Donald Trump and his obsession with tariffs... and getting even with other nations: Canada, Mexico, and China. Trump soundbite: "The EU is next!"

The Odiferous Corpulent Orange speaks an onomatopoeic dialect: "Goo-goo Gaa-gaa."

A Forever Question: Time Pieces

“Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question."

Do cats run on Bulova time?

Mark Carney Will Get My Vote for New LPC Leader

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement on January 6th that he will be stepping down as Liberal Party of Canada leader, a search is underway for someone to replace him. A leadership vote will take place, with the winner to be announced on March 9th.

Chrystia Freeland, my MP, was my pick for this great country's next prime minister, especially so given a personal desire for Canada to have a woman PM, but certain feelings changed after the way she handled her own resignation as Finance Minister. (Read: her letter.)

This member of the Liberal Party of Canada picks Mark Carney as its new leader.

There you have it, folks. Sorry, I do try not to get 'political' on this site. "What are you talking about, Simon? You're always slagging the [Toronto Maple] Leafs!"

Donate I will. Since I joined the LPC last September, I've donated to them many times... now it's time to donate to Mr Carney's campaign. It's time for me to click that red button....