That was the reigning search on TCL for quite a while. Search number two was “city sweats”, followed closely by “Perspirex in Toronto”.

Strange how these things come about.

Sweats and Perspirex, especially as relate to Toronto, are apparently a niche that only this blog can fill. Both searches lead to a post about a trio of miniature commercials I saw one night that seemed to target women with simultaneous dermatological problems, odour issues, and bikini zone chafing. Perspirex, an industrial-strength antiperspirant, was one of the products in the commercials; mentioned in the post more-or-less in passing. TCL subsequently became one of Toronto’s best web resources for sweaty crotches and a panoply of related variants.

The weed search usually returns a link to a post I’d written last May about the topic. Not exactly the Yellow Pages for Toronto’s ganja dealers, but better than a guidebook. My point wasn’t to discuss marijuana anyway, more the attitude towards it in this city. As I’d mentioned, I thought that cops were generally cool with pot smokers. It’s the people dealing the stuff that tend to cause the problems, and I think this is broadly recognized. Most of the people I spoke to at the 420 rally yesterday agreed with me. Then again, they probably would, wouldn’t they? :)

I just discovered this myself, but apparently April 20th is traditionally the day to drag your ass to some hastily-arranged public location (I got the tweet that morning), and at the stroke of 4:20, toke like you’ve never toked before. All in the hope that marijuana will be fully decriminalized.

I’m all in favour of decriminalization myself, for personal reasons too :) , but in a more pragmatic way. For example, what sort of portable, reliable, minimally invasive roadside test would we have for people suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana? I may not do it, you may not do it, but that doesn’t mean someone wouldn’t. I think it’s considerably less than groovy to operate a vehicle under the influence of anything.

There are also broader policy issues to consider. For example, how would marijuana be sold and controlled? What about the health risks associated with smoking? And what about the effects on society in the broader context?

If you ask me, the sale of marijuana should be restricted in the same way as tobacco or alcohol are; I just don’t see how it’s any worse than either of these substances, physiologically or otherwise. Smoking anything is generally not good for you but there are newer techniques for getting the good stuff out of weed that don’t involve combustion (fire and smoke) – proven to be healthier than cigarettes.

However, let’s say that even this this has potentially unforeseeable health effects, only to be discovered at some time in the future. To address this, a  tax levied on all marijuana sales would go into a common coffer to provide healthcare to all those stoners who just can’t put the bong down. In other words, they pay for their own lung transplant, not you.

And how would marijuana affect our social fabric? Would it rend from end to end, would it remain much the same way, or what?

Pretty valid questions considering what happened on Tuesday. The guy in handcuffs above (I chose the most apt photo), got into an argument with someone (one of the guys being questioned at the back there), and pulled a gun halfway through. In the blink of an eye, a couple of people pounced on him and took him down, holding him still until the cops arrived. A CTV camera guy was on scene when it happened and the overhead cameras on the square showed the crowd rushing away from the fight as soon as someone screamed “gun!”

No shots were fired and the only blood left behind was from the fisticuffs. But still – shows that drugs and violence / crime are inextricably linked, doesn’t it?

Nope. There’s no evidence that the guy with the gun was high or trying to sell / buy anything. He was just a jerk with a weapon and happened to see someone he didn’t like in the rally. And the people I spoke to would much rather buy certified ganja from the government than from street rats like that dick – if they only had a choice.

I experienced a couple of harrowing moments when the batteries in my camera died while standing on a table in the middle of the demonstration. Just at the moment when every one of my appendages was occupied, the organizers decided to begin dispensing free joints to the crowd who made a mad scramble for the stage. They made greater haste towards the joints than away from the gun. If it wasn’t for my spacious feet and decent sense of balance … well, I don’t like to think about it.

As you can see, most of the afternoon was smiles and thick, billowing smoke. I’m afraid I completely forgot the names of the upstanding young gentlemen above (sorry, fellas, it was that kind of afternoon), but I invited them to drop by TCL to introduce themselves. Local talent is always welcome. :)

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Speaking of local talent, and ending an entirely different topic, here’s a friend holding the next instalment of the TCL postcard series.

I left one on the street on Monday (insert), and I gave one to Casie. She works in the building, I was already on my second pint at that point – it just seemed like the right thing to do. I usually tweet my location whenever I’m off somewhere drowning my sorrows, so if I happen to have another postcard with me, and you’re asking, I’d be pleased to exchange it for a beverage. :)

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That’s right, I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss why I looked like I would be involved in a Bourne-like plot, but I could see how my behaviour could be construed as such.

I stood at the each location, gazing across the street to check the sightlines. Then I’d go to that location and gaze back from there. Suspicious. And, being the proud papa of a short new cut, along with my daunting shades, I probably looked the part of someone who might use those sightlines for nefarious purposes.

And I was on a mission.

Determined to hit as many of my ten destinations as I could. I managed six. Well, seven if you count the bendy CN Tower. I’m not sure if I’m counting it just yet; we’ll see which way I’m leaning later on. But I trekked the hell out of those streets. Up to the steps of Casa Loma…

…down to the most prominent building on Queen Street…

…onward to the CBC where I had a shouting match with Glenn Gould…

…then to Ireland Park, as far south as I could go without dropping into the waters of the lake. Still kinda chilly in the shade, you know…

…followed by a dash to beat the setting sun to Union Station…

…and, well, Union Station again…

…then home. Sun was too low and I was too hungry.

Six hours of pavement and I can’t even tell you why. And it’s not as if I haven’t been to these places before.

But I can tell you this: if you happen to be passing by any of these locations on some nice sunny day, keep your eyes open. These pictures were taken from these perspectives for a specific reason. And if everything goes according to plan (I really hope it goes according to plan!), it should all lead to some good old-fashioned blogging goodness.

Wow. That really is all I can mention.

Well, see you next time!

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After all, the word “novem” means new. Or nine, but that doesn’t make much sense so Newvember it is! I realize that it’s not exactly the month of visible renewal. It’s a month in which the last of the leaves reluctantly leave their perch in the branches to join their departed brethren below. It’s a time of year when I switch to the “Sentimental” category of my MP3 collection and consider taking up drinking hard liquor to match the ambiance. Yeah, it’s solo-sax-on-the-street time.

That leads me to the first change for which my friend Casie Stewart is responsible. She’s managed to land herself a gig with the social media people at MuchMusic/MTV/CTV.

So congratulations, Casie!

According to the words I put in her mouth, I will never have to stand outside another CTV-run event like a common schmuck. Imagine, backstage passes to the MMVAs! No more standing around naked in the bushes outside of parties anymore.

And that leads me to the second change around here; I’ve decided to try writing in the morning rather than at night. I’m hoping this will give the posts a bit more clarity, less of that slobbering grunting quality. Also, I was recently invited to participate in a Whisky tasting by a local ad firm, and that’s happening tonight. Even if I manage to soberly comport myself (I don’t see those chances being high), I’ll still be getting home too late to think of anything interesting to say about it. And being able to pull strings with Ms. Stewart will probably mean more evening events like this.

We’ll see how it goes. This is my first morning post and I haven’t passed out yet, so we’re in strange new territory. This might yet work out, but as I’m getting light-headed, I won’t push too hard. How do people get up in the mornings?!

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