Things have been slow around here lately, but they haven’t been slow by any means in the rest of my world.

Last week Maria and I made the big move from our lovely apartment—a former corner store—in Kitchener to a quaint six-plex by the lake in Toronto. With all of the friends and family we could muster up to help, we loaded up the rental truck and then unloaded in the sweltering high heat of the summer. Before that, we’d spent the previous two weeks clearing all the books off of our shelves, packing up our dishes and pots and pans, and putting everything into Rubbermaid bins and cardboard boxes. Amidst all the packing the animals went crazy and, sensing something was up, had to stick their noses into every box we opened up. It was a lot of work, but we made it.

It’s about a week later and we’re starting to seriously settle in the Big Smoke. We’re about half-way unpacked, only one room is left to paint, with a few things remaining to hang up on the walls and some various boxes—mostly my office—patiently waiting for some attention. After some initial figuring out Penny and Lewis have realized that we’re here to stay, and although Penny was a real boundary-pusher when we first got here, I think she’s finally realized that despite the new digs, we’re still in charge.

If you don’t know, we moved down here so that Maria could go to school. It’s her second, B.A., as it turns out, but instead of English this time it’s in Film Production. The program is at Humber College which is just a short walk away, through a beautiful public park space, on the grounds of what used to be the Mimico Lunatic Asylum. So far, we love where we’re living. There loads of green space, we’re right on the lake, and when we walk the dog in the morning and at night we get an incredible view of the cityscape across the Humber Bay.

I’m still teaching, making the daily commute to Kitchener which is about an hour each way. After applying and reapplying to all of the school boards in the G.T.A. I’ve realized that it’s a competitive world out there for teachers. A couple of days ago figures came out saying that 3/4 of all new teachers can’t find regular work their first year after graduating. There are lots of people that I know who still aren’t teaching, three years later. And switching boards seems tough. With no experience in any of the G.T.A. boards and no one to advocate for me I’m just another name on a list. Sure, if you look at my resume or open my application you’ll see I have lots of good experience but it counts for nothing if I don’t get passed that initial phase. But, commuting for two hours a day isn’t so bad when it means having a job. I love the school I’m at and I love my class, so that helps too.

As we continue to get settled in, unpacked, and figure out what life in the big city means updates around here might be a little slow, but they’ll come. With the Toronto International Film Festival kicking off today and the Oscar season beginning to take shape there’s a lot to write about. Nevermind a federal election potentially looming on the horizon and the Toronto mayoral election in high gear. I wouldn’t miss out on writing about this stuff.

For now, thanks for stopping by and come back soon.

Tony Dekker, aka Great Lake Swimmers, has that kind of rare talent—the talent that can turn one voice and one guitar into something incredible, something beautiful. It’s absolutely compelling.

Moving Pictures, Silent Films

1995 was a pretty good year. Still reeling from the death of Kurt Cobain we found some sweet solace in the likes of Hayden, a Canadian musician who hasn’t only survived the 90′s but did pretty well then too. With his debut album, Hayden introduced us to his super-slowed-down folk style and his super-low-down voice. We liked it, and continue to. Since then Hayden has gone on to record a whole bunch of really good music; his song-writing has steadily improved. I especially like his the story-telling style of his music and the fact that, as demonstrated on his famous live album, he can really do a lot with just a guitar and his voice.

Bad as it Seems (1995)

If you ever watched wrestling in the mid-to-late 90′s then you might have heard of Dwayne Johnson, The Rock. He was a bit of a dink, kind of full of himself, but a really good wrestler. He has this catch phrase, an insult really, he’d use the term “jambroni”. If you’re a moron, according to The Rock, you’re a “jambroni”—and who better to tell you you’re a moron than a professional wrestler.

That said, whenever the name “Adam Giambrone” came up in the news, the first thing I thought of was The Rock. And the name came up often: as the head of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) that tends to happen. But this week Giambrone’s been in the news for another reason, for being a “jambroni,” as The Rock would say.

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If you’ve been following the stories surrounding the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) then maybe you’ve heard about today’s little press scrum. If not, let me fill you in on the events of the past few weeks to bring you up to speed.

Criticism of Toronto’s transit authority began when a picture, and then another picture, of a sleeping TTC employee surfaced online. The picture showed a TTC ticket-taker asleep in his booth, feet kicked back, having a grand old nap. Following that, videos, pictures, and anecdotal reports began appearing online depicting TTC employees engaging in all manner of bad behaviour. Some were sleeping, some were rude, and some were taking ten to twenty minute coffee breaks with a bus load of passengers.

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