Maybe It's Me...

But I just don't get it. I don't for the love of everything sane in this world understand the whole fascination with the Olympic games. I mean, I might have enjoyed them in the past. Back before multi million dollar corporations took over. I mean, the games now are simply all about making money. "Let's get the games and our city will be flowing with cash!" Ridiculous. Oh, and by the way, who are some of these guys carrying the torch? People who paid pretty penny to get their name chosen? Well, the whole thing really got me thinking late this evening. I went out to get some fresh air and take a bit of a break from work only to notice Yonge street lined with people all the way to Queen street waiting for the Olympic torch pass through. I could only stand there and shake my head. I wonder if these individuals realize it's a piece of metal with fire coming out of it. Metal and Fire! What on earth is the big deal? Is it just me? I don't know, but if it was up to me I'd prefer to go home and cuddle up by television set with my girlfriend and watch a good movie instead of standing in minus some odd temperature waiting for a guy to come running down the street with fire in his hand.

It kind of questions what we really stand for. We as a city have been blasted with tax after tax after tax, garbage strikes, wreckless spending, oh I can go on and on and still for some odd reason we never stand up to say enough is enough. However, when the Olympic torch comes to town we all unify under one umbrella. Silly if you really think about it. If we put half the effort into things that are really important instead of the Olympics, the Leafs, and Team Canada we would be one hell of a city. Unfortunately, that will never happen...and that's a shame. The Pan Am games are coming to Toronto very soon. Another ridiculous venture the City of Toronto went out on a limb to get. Now, when our city is having a hard enough time keeping swimming pools open for children to swim in because we have no money, we're going to build new swimming pools for a games nobody is going to come to. Hmmm, I wonder what happens when the Pan Am games are over? You see, common sense tells me we won't have enough money to keep those pools open either. Maybe common sense is something that's lacking in our leaders.

In Need Of Release

Wow, it's been over 4 months since I last posted on here...how the time flies. It was summer and now it's autumn turning winter. Gosh, soon we'll have snow on the ground. I sat and thought today, hell you know what...I gotta blog. People probably have been wondering what I've been up to. Well not a whole lot. Got a new job and I'm moving into a new place (although I'm not sure as of yet when that is) Anyways, I'm babbling on and on about stuff. I was thinking the other day how much I missed the summer. I don't know, something about the summer makes you think everything the world is going to be ok. No matter what comes your way, as long as there's summer you'll always be safe. It's weird. I mean, I was born in the summer so that might have something to do with it or maybe it's the warmth and happiness of children playing in the sprinkler or eating ice cream cones. I started to feel a bit of sadness with the upcoming cold weather until I started thinking back to a summer not too long ago.

School was ending soon and I was in my graduating class at high school. My teacher decided that he was going to get rid of his CD collection - distribute it to the class. I thought that was kinda odd but maybe he was just at a point in his life where he didn't need CDs. We'd always talk music and I was fascinated with the California sound and Brian Wilson back then. Heck I even did a project in his class on Brian and the Beach Boys. To tell you the truth I don't think the kids in the class understood what I was going on and on about...but Mr. Lloyd did. He knew about Brian inside and out and even gave me some tips on my presentation. Anyways, he started giving out his CDs and the one I ended up getting was Bruce Cockburn. Now, I was too familiar with Bruce's work although I did like a song here and there. One of the girls in the class however got an album with a guy coming out of the water on it. It looked so awesome. Like a new life almost. She didn't want it and I ended up getting it off of her. The album was Jackson Browne's I'm Alive. I remember that summer listening to it in my backyard while I put suntan lotion on and tanned in the backyard. The CD case still has fingerprints from the lotion I put on. Those fingerprints are a memory I'll never forget. The good times, the easier times. When life wasn't so stressful and all you needed on a summer's day was a great tune and some sun.

My teacher ended up dying. I don't know if he knew he was going to or not or if he wanted us to hear some great music and make an impact on our lives. He did leave me one thing though, one thing I'll never forget and that's the music of Jackson Browne. Even the video makes me feel happy. In a world where people are looking for money and power, isn't it nice to think of times when all you needed was a song?

Unknown Legend...Out!

Well You Knew This Was Coming...

You gotta give the old boy credit, he sure knows how to celebrate Canada Day. Mandarin co-founder James Chiu is getting all my props today. He decided to give free meals to any Canadian citizen that brought in proof of citizenship to his Mandarin food chains on Canada Day. He has a reason to celebrate. In his own words this country has given him so much he would simply like to give back. What a guy! Of course, what's a day in Toronto without controversy though, am I right? The promotion was for Canadian citizens in order for Mr. Chiu to celebrate all this country has done for him. So, when I heard that some people were turned away because they couldn't provide citizenship was I surprised? Not really. I mean, people will always try. However, was I surprised that people were claiming they were being disciminated against? I was but should I have been??? Probably not.

In this day and age people feel it's their God given right to get whatever it is they want. They will not go quietly into the night but simply fight until their last dying breath. This is another example of "I don't get what I want, well hell you'll hear from my lawyer. The promotion was the promotion simple as that. Citizens and only citizens. You don't like it, next year go get your citizenship so you can eat free at the Mandarin on Canada Day. This is simply absurd. I will not be surprised if they call on Barbara Hall and the Human Rights tribunal in regards to this. Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you. Have we sunk so far as a society that we will fight everything that's not in our favour and label it as discrimination?

This man has worked hard all his life and decides to give away free meals yet people still complain. Now if this isn't the downfall of the society we live in as we know it...well...you tell me.

Unknown Legend

This One Hits Home

I'm sitting here thinking this morning...how did it all come to this? How did we as a society let it get this far? I'm speaking of course of the recent (I'm assuming gang) shootings in the west end of Toronto (formerly known as York) There are a number of reasons why I'm taking this to heart. For one, I grew up on the tough streets of Keele and Eglinton, the area that has been hit with this wave of shootings. However, back when I was growing up it wasn't so bad. As I entered my teen years that is when the neighbourhood started to fall apart. Bad news was entering the area. Hell, I even remember having a baseball bat swung at me which missed my head by probably about an inch. I wouldn't be here today to tell you that story if that inch had been any closer. It was getting so bad that my parents figured it best that we move out of that area before it got even worse. Unfortunately, my friend is still out there and I worry for his safety every day.

I spoke with him briefly after a shooting in an area just down the street from where we grew up. He told me he usually runs out that way but decided on taking a day off that night, only to find out a guy was shot in a car where my friend would have been running at that very moment.

The second reason I'm taking this so hard is that these guys aren't going out at night and shooting each other up, they're doing it during the day. At times when children play, people are waiting at bus stops, or simply just walking home from work. Enough is enough, and we as a society shouldn't have to stand idly by and watch this happen. Do we need another Vivi Leimonis or Jane Creba incident to stop this? Maybe when the son or daughter of a politician are shot then we'll see some action. The unfortunate thing is, until we elect a leader in this city who will stand up and take some sort of action, anything frankly (not simply blame guns but blame the people) this will continue to escalate. Hate him for his policies or whatever, but do you remember Rudy Giuliani and his cleanup of New York City? Exactly! Frankly, I don't even think our mayor's name is worthy of mention in this blog. You do the rest Toronto.

Unknown Legend

Superficial World...It's Your Move!

It's been a while since I've posted a blog. To be honest with you I've been very busy lately. Sometimes life gets the better of you and you really don't know where the time goes. I felt it was time for me to post a new blog. Sure, I have a lot of things I'd love to talk about. A lot of things that are bothering me but I figure I'll have enough time to do that in the next little while. Anyways, the reason for my post today is because of something I've witness in the past few hours. I get a lot of grief from people in the "real world" according to them for being what they would call pessimistic but what I would call being a realist. You see, everyday we go about our business doing what we do but in all we are always judged no matter what we do. We are judged by the way we comb our hair, by the kind of shoes we wear and by even whether we shave or we don't. Well, today I've been following the news and heard about an older woman in England who had the chance to appear on Britain's Got Talent. Now, I'm sure she's faced the cruel hard superficial world her whole life. She looks beaten up by society and hurt many a number of times. I don't think it was by chance that she picked "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables. The words are words she can relate to I'm sure all her life. She even gave up the chance to pursue a singing career to take care of her dying mother. However, she got her chance the other day to show the shallow superficial world who she was. Yes they snickered, yeah they chuckled, hell they laughed and didn't give her a chance in hell...but Susan Boyle showed them. Copy and paste the following link to be amazed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Bring Your Mugs!!!

Well the city's finally lost it's mind. For the past 48 hours or so there have been a few worried people running around the city. There were reports that the city of Toronto was trying to ban coffee cups. Which had me thinking, how the hell are we going to be drinking coffee when we go to the store? Am I supposed to bring a thermos with me everywhere I go just in case I need a coffee? Well, I have been reassured (somewhat) There will not be a ban on coffee cups in Toronto but they have discussed banning lids. So how are we supposed to drink that coffee without a lid? Don't ask me. There's also been a proposition by Miller and his goons to tax us around 25 cents for each coffee cup we get with our coffee (they call it a deposit but you can't return the cup) It means we will be in that way encouraged to bring our own mugs or thermoses. So there you go folks, as if we haven't been taxed to death as it is the greenies at City Hall apparently don't have enough money from us poor working stiffs. For all you Miller fans I hope this is finally the straw that breaks the camels back. Unfortunately, it may be too late.

Unknown Legend out!

Best Man Speech

About a month ago I had to do my first ever best man speech. Tell me how you think it went.