Twenty Ten
Posted on
December 31st, 2009by Patrick – 8 great comments. Room for one more!
There is is, the big oh-one. I’ll just dispense with the gushy anniversary right off the top. One year seems like a rite of passage, like a fraternity paddling or violent hazing. After this, I’ll have a little street cred; a little. But I like to think of this not as an end to a year so much as the beginning of the end to the next year.
(This picture is very big!)
There was much I’d planned to do in 2009 and hope to get around doing this year. Some of it I’d foolishly planned in older blog posts. So be it. Brutal, in-your-facedness, delayed plans ‘n all. As Sam Spade so profoundly put it, “when you’re slapped you’ll take it and like it!” He meant with the truth, of course.
But at least there’s always 2010. And 2011 after that. I’ll probably, eventually, sometime get around to doing everything on my list. In between I’ll stumble onto random stuff or maybe get all Prince-like and do something brooding and moody, the purple drain, when Dove makes me cry, so on. Bathroom commentary. And all still under the umbrella of life in the city of Toronto. Haha! So’s that growth in my fridge. Still can’t believe no one had registered torontocitylife.com – totally blew my mind.
But nothing stands still. Unfortunately, the Flickr group has been quiet for a while and I only have so many photos to go around, so I’ve mothballed it. Not dead, just sleeping. Possibly terminally, who knows. I’ll try to keep it accessible until the end of days. Or until Flickr shuts it down. Whichever comes first.
In its stead I considered some ads from Google. Just … didn’t feel right. Icky. Plus, that’s no way to earn a living. So I’m back to the drawing board or the corporate sponsors really need get their asses in gear (respectfully looking your way, tasty beverage company Second Cup!)
For now though, I think I’ll just stick with the program. More photos, more writing, more stuff – and switch it up a bit in between. I’ve really been meaning to visit with my old undercover friend again; there are still plenty of locations to eat at / shoot up downtown. And I don’t remember restricting our clandestine meeting locations to breakfast joints. Though I do love a good greasy spoon :)
I also like the older bits of the city because they allow me to hearken back to earlier days, which I find amusing. Plus they look so antiquey, which I like.
Aside from these two subjects, I really will need to revisit the Toronto Blog All-Stars again. The “s” on the end implies that there’s more than one, so I kinda have to. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person with a blog in Toronto; just need find out where the others hang out and infiltrate their society. Secretly record our conversations. Then post them online in the form of an “interview”. All mostly not in many ways libelous.
Happily, as I look back through the archives, I seem to have a good bed of stuff to draw from. I somehow keep screwing up the pictures of Casa Loma and, although I have some photos from Honest Ed’s, I feel like that place deserves a more thorough going-through. But I managed to hit most of the major spots I’d wanted to hit — “be a tourist” was my mission when it came to locations, and I feel like I mostly achieved that.
I’m not sure sure I’ll be going to all the big events again in 2010. If TCL finally starts to pull its own weight around here, maybe I’ll hire a lackey to go cover each one. Then beat them mercilessly until they can turn in a flawless piece. Well, I’ll have standards to uphold, won’t I?
Yup, high hopes. To become a fat, industrialist newspaper tycoon with suspenders and a cigar, or to wield pitiful minions about with mere thoughts as Oprah does. Perhaps both. Have my minions bring me my cigars and send them out to wash my suspenders. Plus steak. The good life.
In the meantime, though, I still get to go outside and pull out my impressive-looking camera in front of anyone taking a photo. To men, it says danger. Full manual override danger. To women, also danger. Fully extended telescopic danger. To children, a toy to grab at and destroy immediately. But if I keep it out of their grubby little hands, it’s good. Interesting subject matter often isn’t a problem.
Ultimately, however, TCL would just be some dusty corner of the interweb without you, dear reader. It’s you who inspire me to keep moving forward and to take a shower before I leave the flat. Perhaps we’ll meet on the streets one day?
So, of all the things I’m hoping to do in 2010, the one that stands at the forefront is simply to continue to share my Toronto experience in a way that, with any luck, won’t bore you to tears. I figure you’ve got a few spare minutes so I shouldn’t waste them. I pride myself on running an expedient blog, if nothing else. And if you’re here just for the pictures, that’s okay too. I’m hoping to take the blog up a couple of interesting streets this year, and it’d be great to have you come with. Somewhere in Toronto, that’s all I can tell you right now :)
Happy New Year!
... with pictures
... with sounds
... with videos
... with opinions
... that's shorter
... that's longer
January 1st, 2010 1:52 am
I live here, and you make it interesting for me!
Thank you to YOU for that!
Happy New Smear!
January 4th, 2010 9:12 am
And thank you for reading, Kato. Two-way street here, for sure :)
January 2nd, 2010 9:39 am
Happy New Year, and all that – look forward to reading your posts in 2010. And as for promises made in older posts – been there, done that,usually I say 'oh I will write a LOT about this or that in future posts' and then I forget all about it.
I just hope that no one goes back to check…
January 4th, 2010 9:14 am
Thanks, Lidian. I promised myself not to make any promises on the blog. Technically, I guess, I've kept that promise although even mentioning stuff implies that I intend to write those topics. In any event, there's a good chance I'll get around to those topics at some point anyway so all's not lost yet.
January 2nd, 2010 7:19 pm
happy new year! happy 2010!
visiting u here… nice blog… i hope u can visit my blogs too..
January 4th, 2010 9:14 am
To you too, Reyapot.
January 3rd, 2010 9:33 am
Happy New Year. I stayed in here for New Year's Eve. Was nice not to be cold. I saw them setting up for it in Barrie but didn't stop to take photos. It was getting groceries and trying to catch the bus. :)
January 4th, 2010 9:16 am
You did the wise thing, Laura. I stayed inside too, making my plans for world domination, assuring Ollie he would be my evil lap cat once the organization started to acquire nuclear missiles (through convoluted underwater plans including lots of disposable henchmen, of course), and so on. Very satisfying :)