Shirin Delsooz

My Life Adventures and Thoughts

Who is this shameless clown?

(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 .

The Cleanest Public Washroom in the World.

The new public washroom in the newly renovated Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto

The other day I stumbled across the public washroom in the newly renovated Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and my! what a pleasant surprise it was! Just look at how clean it is, just ready to be used.

If only this picture could convey how pristine and clean it was!

A conversation with a stranger

Today I was walking along the Annex, from a block away all I could hear was a wayyyy OUT OF TUNE guitar. OH my. I had to step in.

“Excuse me, can I tune your guitar?”

“Sure!” exclaimed the poofy blonde haired relic from the 60’s.

As I was tuning it up she felt compelled to tell her life story.

“I used to play a lot of shows back in the day and my boyfriend would tune up the guitar. I just got this guitar not too long ago. My son bought it for me,”

“Oh that was nice of him.” (maybe it might make the story more vivid if I mention it was a pretty cheap guitar, which would explain why it would keep falling out of tune.)

She continued, “yea and he bought it for me and said, ‘Mom, now you can go busking’ and here I am,”

“That’s awfully nice,”

And so she began strumming away at the guitar again. I peeked into her case and saw a toonie and a few quarters.

I thought nothing of it and went into Sobey’s. When I came out she was gone. I then saw her walking around with her boyfriend. No guitar playing. It was tuned for nothing. Or maybe she was taking a break.

Something that made me laugh

I went to McGradie’s, a bar way up in Scarborough, for an Open Mic my friend Jeff was hosting. It was a bit dismal, but one t-shirt totally lit up the room (at least for me). I had to take a picture of it. So HERE it is!

“Stupid Raisins, Stay out of my Cookies!” It says. So true. Aren’t you sick of cookies that are trying to be healthy? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of of desert, candy, or any other recreational food? Nothing tastes good when its healthy, especially when there’s raisins in it!

Fighting the war to perserve the independant book industry. Catch the thieves!

Wanted: Thieves at Book City

I was at Book City the other day (my favourite bohemian book store franchise) to purchase the latest issue of Spacing magazine (my favourite bohemian independent magazine). It’s the small contribution I make to support this under appreciated industry that is constantly threatened by corporations and mainstream culture. At the counter, I realized another enemy is at hand… thieves.

The poster reveals two guys from surveillance footage, and reads, “We are Thieves! Do NOT let us in!”. To think its written as if they actually said it is absolutely hilarious, especially if you imagine it being played out. Like… who says that? I laughed for about 20 min, and I still laugh each time I think about it- even now as I write this. I suppose the clerks are as creative as the work they store!

I had to take a picture, and I’m glad I did so my readers can laugh and register the faces of the guys who are robbing us of our books and culture!