breakfast
Posted on February 26th, 2026 – Comments Off on breakfast
A Cooper’s hawk perched outside the living room window and finishing off his meal (another bird). Personally, I prefer to start my day off with a coffee.
Archive for the ‘ Pictures ’ Category
Sunday on Saturday (spring in winter edition)
Posted on February 14th, 2026 – Comments Off on Sunday on Saturday (spring in winter edition)We seem to be approaching the 6-month mark since the previous installment so, ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu I bring you a bespoke version of the most elegant:
Toronto Sunday World, 21st of May, 1922
Despite its obvious advances in everything from fashion to medicine, one may perhaps be tempted to dismiss the Toronto of over a hundred years ago as an inconsequential anachronism in the context of the modern metropolis. For example, one may point to the seemingly ubiquitous springtime intestinal troubles experienced by locals, as evidenced by the apparent popularity of certain products that appeared in advertisements of the period.
Pish posh, I say! Can one honestly claim that we don’t have to deal with different types of shit in Toronto every season?
Besides, perhaps their physical ailments were related to the introduction of inferior arsenic and strychnine into various products, or perhaps the complete absence of such healthifying ingredients in fake products (shame on the flim-flammers!), but I’m certainly no doctor so we can just go ahead and file that under “speculation”. Moreover, such an analysis fails to take into consideration the countering health benefits provided by certain yeasty tablets which, along with vitamins A, B, C, and calcium, contained only the finest and most refined naturally occurring strychnine.
There are, it must be said, many traditional concepts that we should like to dispense with but that have held through to the modern era due to their enduring aptness. Is it for me to say that they’re wrong?
Why, even non-scientific, which is to say artistic, endeavours from bygone years have stood the test of time. Should I claim that my tastes in decorative motifs are the sole and correct ones?
It’s precisely for these reasons that one should occasionally glance to the past and say, “Gee whiz, that sure was something.”
/sectionb: c’est fait
Posted on February 13th, 2026 – Comments Off on /sectionb: c’est fait
tl;dr — the story’s far from over.
Long version — yup, it’s done.
Let me explain.
Technically, /sectionb was done well over a month ago but I wanted to give it one more thorough read/edit before officially calling it a day. I suspect that an error or incongruence or two snuck in regardless but, at this point, I’ll just have to live with it or them.
That being said, I welcome you to read the first /sectionb novel online but as someone who spends time ingesting content on an ageing offline tablet, I though it might be useful to produce a few offline versions as well. You can download them, in full and for free, here:
https://www.torontocitylife.com/sectionb/download
With my bona fides in place, I wish to assure you that the dedicated /sectionb website will continue to be a place to catch up on updates and to get extra content. I make no promises but as work on the second part continues, you may find some other there stuff too.
/sectionb: SANITIZED
Posted on December 12th, 2025 – Comments Off on /sectionb: SANITIZED… in which the mercenaries are subdued, Section B et al. set out for a fateful rendezvous, and the first part of the story is concluded.
a night stroll through a shifty public park
Posted on November 21st, 2025 – Comments Off on a night stroll through a shifty public parkLittle Norway Park isn’t specifically what I had in mind when I was writing “Brush Pass” but it has a similar feel: damp, deserted, and seemingly benign — until it isn’t.
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navždy v mém srdci a vzpomínkách
Posted on October 11th, 2025 – Comments Off on navždy v mém srdci a vzpomínkách
In loving memory of my dad.
west block
Posted on October 11th, 2025 – Comments Off on west block
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As of this post, Google Street View’s only capture of Housey Street at approximately this spot is from 2018. One step in the opposite direction and you’re back in 2009. Besides the interesting visual contrasts I’m curious about why the Street View car appears to be avoiding this street. Consider that there are more recent captures at each of the roads that connect to Housey yet the small avenue itself hasn’t been fully traversed by Google since 2009 (and even that “traversal” is arguable).
Sunday on Sunday (summer in summer edition)
Posted on August 3rd, 2025 – Comments Off on Sunday on Sunday (summer in summer edition)In keeping with recent trends, it’s been a while. As a refresher, remember this?
Now that we’re about in the middle of the season I’d like to take a moment to reflect on how one would have stayed cool in the heat of a Toronto summer without our modern accoutrements.
A dip in the lake might’ve been an option but I suspect that it would have been about as clean as it is today. You can more fully appreciate the meaning of that comparison if you hang out by the water during low tide on hot, humid days. Yum.
Cool drinks, paper fans, and refreshing mist might’ve been helpful but if we’re being honest there’s nothing that compares to a classy ride through Toronto in a horse-drawn carriage, amirite?
If you’re feeling the heat then let’s get our rides on, bitchez!
Pages from the Dominion Livery pamphlet, “Hand Book of Toronto”, 1907.
To the best of my knowledge these images are copyright-free.
mission countdown
Posted on July 25th, 2025 – Comments Off on mission countdown
Looks like it’s getting close to The Ex time again. We managed to infiltrate the fair via alternative means two years in a row but last year was a bust. It’s a bit too early for any tactical planning but we’re looking to try again this August. Fingers crossed!
... with pictures
... with sounds
... with videos
... with opinions
... that's shorter
... that's longer
