Monthly Archive for August, 2007

Tell Larry Craig not to resign

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying the hallaballoo about yet another closeted Republican in a sex controversy. This is better than watching Jerry Springer, as these smug bastards have been forcing their fake “morality” on the country and now they are facing the consequences.

So I say “Don’t Resign Larry Craig!” Stay in and let us watch you squirm like the millions of people that have had to deal with the legislation you and your cronies have enacted over the years. Don’t resign until your prostitute loving Louisianna compadre does it with you. Let’s make this the Springer trash-fest to end all trash-fests.

If you agree with me, send Larry Craig an email that says “Don’t resign! You’re doing one heckuva job there!”

Leaving Toronto

All good things must come to end, or so they say. I’m in the airport now and waiting for the big birdie to arrive and take me to San Francisco. I walked around the city today remembering some of the more choice experiences in Toronto.

a vision in pinkMore Drag Queen Lovin’

There’s a gay bar in the village, I think it is called Bubble’s Show or something equally glamorous. This is the hub of drag queens in the city. They hover around this place like moths on a stop light. I never went inside the bar as it was much more enjoyable from a distance.

The bar has a small stage visible from the street and random “shows” by the ladies for the clientèle. I swear I saw Celine Dion doing a pole dance while I was eating some spicy Indian food across the street.

Later, I sat next door in a coffee shop drinking some mint tea to cool down my tastebuds from the aforementioned Indian food. Abba’s “Dancing Queen” began pulsating from the bar and I could only imagine a drag queen in white taffeta spinning around like a whirling dirvish. My vision was shattered as two bitchy queens and a fag hag walked by, one of them joked “Dancing Queen?!?!? More like Semi-Vegetative Queen.”The village at night

Veggie hot dogs and hockey pucks

I walked down to the big CN Tower, the tallest man made structure for the rest of the month. I’m just too cheap to spend 30 bucks on an elevator trip, so I passed up the opportunity to see the sights from the current tallest tower.

mmmm... veggie hot dogI did take a detour and walked through an enormous Blue Jays crowd. It’s always a bit more fun to walk against the flow than with it. I hadn’t had anything to eat and gasp, no coffee either. It seemed like everyone I walked past was eating a freshly grilled hot dog smothered with goodies or just finished one. The corners of their mouths were either full, yellow, or had green relish specks.

Hot dogs were the only thing I missed about eating meat. So, imagine my surprise when I found out these roadside hotdog joints sold veggie dogs! MMMMM….. Veggie dog with mustard, ketchup, relish, sourkraut, and more for breakfast. Move over wheaties, I’ve found a new champion.

I then visited the Hockey Hall of Fame. Yes, that was me with the clueless look in the shrine of Gretzky. I ended up watching the people more than the exhibits as their eyes lit up when they came across someones old jockstrap covering a hockey puck in a glass case.

watch for that flying puckThey had this great game where you walk into a small arena and act like a goalie. There’s a huge screen in front with hockey players coming at you. Eventually someone on the screen smacks the puck and one of the little round fuckers comes flying out of the wall and hits you in the chest! That was worth the price of admission!

A missed bargain

weeeeWhile walking around town, I stopped into a delightful little clothes shop. Now, I’m cheap. I mean really cheap. It’s my Mom’s fault. She always taught us that the best clothes were the ones in the back of the store under the clearance rack.

Well, I found a treasure trove in the back of one store; a wonderful pair of leopard-print satin underwear for only $9.97. What a bargain … and oh so sexy in a Jackie Stallone kind of way. For even less, I could have gotten a pair of pink satin skivvies that consisted of a pouch hanging from an elastic band. Oh so practical!

Luckily, my mom also told us to avoid leopard prints and satin pouch panties.

Oh, I also played the Canuck Lotto and won 10 bucks (approx. $9.67 US) I am rich beyond belief.

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Now playing: Nomeansno - The Hawk Killed the Punk
via FoxyTunes

Toronto Time

I’m in Toronto this week working with the Canadian folks. We’re trying to work oot some bugs on a new Yahoo! property.

toronto nightToronto is a big city, and when I say big, I mean big stuff. Things are spread out, a city block is probably two city blocks in San Francisco. There are big trashcans on the street (that separate recyclables and trash), a big phallic symbol, big signs in the subway, very big drag queen hair, and the list goes on.

There’s one thing here that’s no longer big: the American dollar. That damn bush has even killed our dollar against the Canadians! I have visited Canada several times over the past 20 years and it’s always been a shopper’s paradise. But noooooo, now the stuff costs the same as the US. What’s the fun in that.

Joe ClarkI haven’t taken very many photos of Toronto. It’s not very photographic for me. That’s not to say there aren’t interesting things, the interesting things happen too quickly and you’d miss them with a camera in your face. The people are interesting, especially in the Village. It’s much more fun to sit back with a coffee, tea, or something and enjoy the atmosphere.

I visited with everyone’s favorite gay vegan Cannuck accessibility guru: Joe Clark. I’ve experienced the city via his photos on flickr and his many blog posts about the trials and tribulations of a Toronto life. I always enjoy seeing a new city with a local friend when I travel. Joe’s CN Tower at nightjourney was quite the jaunt.

We talked about homosexualist web developers and the lack thereof, politics local and global, cars, music, and other butch things. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to see the storied Leslieville or the infamous street-trashcan-furniture pieces. We did see some great examples of signage gone bad in the subway.

There’s a great farmer’s market in Toronto. It’s been around longer than California. Well, at least the Americanized California. I’ve tromped my ass through those stalls looking for some delights. The food was unfortunately only mediocre and the coffee even worse. However, I did find a European/Ukranian stall that made an amazing roasted eggplant with mayonaise, tomatoe, and cheese. I know, it sounds like a train wreck but it was delish!

farmer's market in TorontoI’d love to buy some of the local cheeses, berries, and such. But they won’t make it through customs without me throwing a hissy fit, and I’m just not in the mood to ruin my makeup.

Today’s my last day here. It’s time to pack up the old suitcase and head off to the airport soon. Don’t worry Toronto, I’ll be back again. I missed Niagara Falls this time, so save some water for me.

Suggestions for Moving to France


Living and Working in France,  8th Edition: A Survival Handbook (Living and Working in France)

I’ve been chatting with another person in the process of moving to Paris. I passed on these suggestions:

  1. Get a relocation agency, such as Acta Int’l Service.
  2. Put as much money as you can afford into an international bank, such as HSBC, before going to Paris.
  3. Read: Living and Working in France, a guide book that explains the idiosyncrasies of French life.

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Now playing: Brigitte Bardot - Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas -
via FoxyTunes