Smoking

I understand that smokers feel put out. We've pushed them out of our restaurants and bars, out of theatres and stadiums, out of offices and airplanes. (well maybe not literally out of planes, but it sounds like we could) And for the most part, as a non-smoker, it seems we've been winning.

We've managed to coral smokers. Keeping them confined to little glass boxes in airports and alleyways outside of office towers. Typically, they have been left either hotboxing themselves or shivering outdoors in forgotten, unwanted spaces.

Well except for the patio. With the summer having been drowned away by a few pineapple expresses, it isn't front of mind, but we non-smokers have been losing the war on the last remaining front: the Patio.

Sure, you might think, on a cold November day with wind and rain driving against the glass, as you sit toasty and warm in your smoke free restaurant, "Give them the Patio. Let them have it. Let them shiver and drown for their addiction." And I'd agree, except that I know summer will come again and the sun will come out and I will want to sit out there on the patio enjoying a cold beer.

Victory may be at hand. Vancouver is considering expanding its ban on smoking to include patios. I for one truly hope it succeeds. I'm just not happy winning nine months of the year.

Big Things in Small Places

We are a nation strangely obsessed with giant statues. Not monuments like Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. For the serious statues, we stand aside for our American friends. No we like craziness, we like inane. I don't know the intentions of the creators of Sudbury's Big Nickel or the Wawa Goose or the giant Muskie in Kenora. Who needs a big nickel looming over their town. Or for that matter a giant fish or bird or lobster or wheel of cheese? At which planning meeting did the they pass that intention? Was it to increase tourism?
"Listen Frank, I'm sure that people would drive to Wawa to see a big goose. Where else would they go to see a big goose?"
As inane as the goose and nickel are, I have two favourites in inanity. One I've seen and one I've not.
The first I have yet to see: The Giant Pierogi. I guess my main question is simply, 'How does one recognize a Pierogi, giant or otherwise?' It really doesn't have much of a shape to it and the colour couldn't be more bland. Certainly it isn't a food that appears in a great deal of still life and so I find it remarkable that someone would make a giant version of it.
The second I saw recently: The Giant Gnome. An oxymoron of enormous proportions. A gnome is a gnome because it isn't giant.
Got to love that Canadian identity.

Remembering My Grandfather

Craig's List

I am suddenly a huge fan of Craig's List. Now that we've bought a place, we have furniture that will fit and some that won't. "Won't" ranges of course to include the armoire for which there is no room and the corner stand which will not do, not in the new place.
Since putting our things on Craig's List, we've sold our patio set, heat lamp, bedroom suite, wine rack/side table, two lamps, and corner stand. All of which is fueling our missing furniture fund. While I strongly suspect we won't come out ahead, we haven't lost nearly as much money as I thought we would.
I'm not surprised at the interest we had in the patio set and the bedroom suite. What amazed me was the fervor for the lamps. Who would have thought that anyone would give us money for those old Ikea lamps. Even crazier to me was the notion that someone would drive in from Richmond to buy our corner stand.
Anyway, if you know anyone that is looking for an armoire or an area rug, send 'em to Craig's List for us, would ya.

Knife Thrower

I can't say that I took a lot of pictures this halloween. A little video of Claudio Lopez of course and a couple of shots with my phone at Michelle's place. Once I was in costume (a blindfolded knife thrower) it was hard to see.
I could get around, but I had thought that it would be very annoying for me to wear a blindfold all night. The truth is I loved it, if only because it made others uncomfortable, which is sort of the point on Halloween. Isn't it?

MimeTime with SB-1

More Halloween Pictures