1. I went to my favourite bohemian grocery store, the Big Carrot. 
2. I noticed a sign I don’t see at the other grocery stores, “Shoes Required”. I can only imagine what happened that they were compelled to state their shoe policies clearly at the door.
Last week, I ran into a bit of an obstacle on my way home, the bus completely parked. There had been a deadly accident. The road was completely closed.
I got out of the bus figuring that it was faster to walk to the subway, but I stopped to observe the scene. Shards of glass everywhere, a disfigured car on an angle with it’s fully blown up air bags, and blood splattered around. The story was clear. I’m reminded why I would never buy a car. I took a picture to make sure I would remember.
A little girl behind me asked her mom why I took a picture.
It reminded me of one class I took in Communication Ethics. Our teacher showed us a documentary on foreign reporters. A woman who lost her son in a bombing totally lost it on the camera man who was filming her while she was loudly grieving. It’s intrusive, invasive and inconsiderate to the victims. But in the grand scheme of things, these intimate recordings can really drive the point home.
I can present statistics and argue that this car accident among many car accidents are part of a growing reality we face in car culture, suburban sprawl, and grid lock, and you can disagree. Or I can show you this picture and something else is told.
What is it to be mature exactly? I get the impression from others that being mature = boring and not necessarily = wise and civilized.
Why does my mom think its a ridiculous idea to install a slide on our stairs? I argue that it’s a speedier and efficient way of getting downstairs. But no! We are adults- we are not allowed to add fun into our lives, even when its practical.
Why are children clothes designed to have vibrant, bright and deep colours while adults can only choose from dull shades? Luckily for me, I have a petite frame and I still shop at the children’s section from time to time.
Why are things like swings exclusively for kids? Does that imply when I’m 18 somehow the pleasure of soaring up and down suddenly disappears? Once in a while I like a good swing, there is a bit of an adrenaline rush I get from feeling like I’m being catapulted into the sky.
Why are children books and ‘adult’ books in the library mainly categorized by having images to having no images at all. Does that imply that as I get older I have less appreciation for illustration? Photography?
I like to indulge in pictures, and do all these other ‘childish’ things yet I can still fulfill my adult responsibilities, and always have been.
I don’t think these worlds should be mutually exclusive. I think having some colour in your life makes you human after all, don’t you?
Dear Readers,
Spacing magazine has launched their latest issue today and can be found on news stands at Book City or the University of Toronto Bookstore.
And guess what? My article on BookCrossing was published. So for all you folks who are interested in good ol’ me and issues concerning public space and culture, get your hands on a copy. This issue’s theme focuses on rules from jaywalking, panhandling, bike helmets, to smoking and other fuzzy areas. You’ll find other local peculiarities that Spacing doesn’t seem to run out of writing. Did you know that Toronto has a look out point? And who are those people who camp out at the Don River and call it home? That and a whole lot more- 78 pages of in depth articles for $8 can’t go wrong! Or better yet $29 for 6 issues!
(A facebook note that I wrote)
So I get a facebook “friend” request from a random dude who is in the network of T.dot musicians I have been tangled into lately. Not the type to start burning bridges before making them, I begrudgingly ‘accepted’ this request and wrote a funny little message to him about making his acquaintance in the real world some day (messaged through e-mail, not on his wall).
I thought nothing of it, and continued on with my life. But then the facebook invites began flooding into my account. I can appreciate getting updated with the happening’s of the local music scene, but I don’t like when friendship starts off with shameless self-promotion. It makes me feel kinda… used.
Not the type to crack under life’s small blows, I moved on. Then the other day I get a request to…. HIS FAN PAGE! What… The … Kazoo?!
I spared no second into rejecting it. The audacity of some people! “FAN!”?! I don’t even know the freakin’ guy!
So if you are that guy, just apologize and I will forgive you and perhaps our friendship will be saved.
Oh and since it is so trendy to self-promote, I will not limit this tale to my facbeook friends, I will broadcast it on the WORLD WIDE WEB! That’s right. You can read this story and more on my blog, http://www.vansooz.wordpress.com .