Dirty, Dirty Building

Oh, you are a dirty little building, a little musty, a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. You can lease some offices along Yonge Street here - what will it take to get you into this beauty? It looks tired, so maybe it should get a massage from a nearby RMT.

Softcore Pawn Stars of Toronto

TV series ‘Pawn Stars’ in Las Vegas and ‘Hardcore Pawn’ from Detroit have shined the spotlight on the pawn business (buy, sell or use almost anything as collateral for a loan) in the States. From what I see they need margins of 40 to 60% to stay profitable and will only keep away from large items that would take up space for too long, otherwise anything seems to go. In Toronto we have a large group of pawn stores downtown in the Church Street/Queen Street East area. The few stores that I have been in are extremely crowded, dusty and, for some reason, nothing like what I see on television. They aren’t very busy either. As a photographer I check out the camera equipment and see that most of the stuff is old film cameras. Another time I checked for guitar cases but the few I found were not much cheaper than going out and buying something new.

One of the big stores is James McTamney & Company with their large green name on the Church Street building. McTamney’s say they are one of Canada’s oldest businesses and one of the world’s largest pawnbrokers. Next door is the H. Williams & Co with the large red, vertical Pawnbroker sign.

With the advent of online resellers like eBay, kijiji and Craigslist this probably isn’t the best market for selling used goods in a retail store front operation anymore. A lot of the loan business also would have gone to the abundant populations of payday loan outfits scattered everywhere. I think that they need to get Chumley on board and maybe the business north of the border may improve.

All that talk of hardcore and softcore reminds me of someone that long ago jokingly told me he was in the p*rn business. When I asked him what he did, he said he was a stunt dick. Now that was funny, when the action was too dangerous maybe a stunt dick would have to be called in to keep the star safe.

I see my Peeps

Easter Peeps stop and smell the early spring flowers like the Hyacinth, above, which are rising from the soil and helping to make this a more colourful time than the just passed dull grey winter. The bright yellow marshmallow Peeps candy are a favourite of the Easter Bunny.

Spadina Avenue Chinatown sign

Motorcycle helmet Royal Flush.

Long lashes at the Fan Appreciation ComicCon

Bricks and other Art

Not all art is intentional, sometimes it just happens. This large wall has been painted pink, its covering of mortar falls away from some of the bricks. The wall slowly strips away its' facade. Maybe a mural or large advertisement will fill the empty space one day.

The Paint Your Faith mural at the side of the Metropolitan United Church.

Chinese Restaurant mural and sign (Fantino hearts me).

Cleopatra

Elizabeth Taylor had a long and full life bursting with excitement and she left a legacy of films when she recently passed away. She was a movie star of the past and like many old memories, some people do not know who she is or even what movies she acted in. It's like when we tried to find the original True Grit movie starring John Wayne - when we asked if Wal-Mart carried the old movie, the sales associate did not even know who John Wayne was.

A poster is pasted to a pole on Queen Street West advertising a showing of the movie 'Cleopatra' which was one of the bold spectacles that made headlines in it's day for the extravagance that went into making the movie.

Barbie and Ken still together

Barbie and Ken have been back together since Valentines Day, their plastic love seems to burn bright - can a prenup be far behind? Speaking of plastic, I think Barbie is rich so Ken might be going for some of that other plastic - called American Express.

The original split and Ken's impassioned plea to get back together again broke my heart. Then joy in toysville as their lips sought each others. I also heard Barbie might be kinky - look out for the latex outfit.

Grad rate increase - time to party

The Province has announced that high school graduation rates have increased over the years from 68% in 2003 to 79% last year which means an increase of more than 50,000 graduates. I think it is because  everyone wants to get into college and university so that they can really take their partying to the professional level. I know my son has been tempted to upgrade from his amateur status.

This poster for the Annex Wreck Room was near Ryerson University and states "What OSAP was meant for!! $3 drinks all night long." OSAP of course being the Ontario Student Assistance Program designed to help people afford to go to school, or in this case drink. PS this blog now has a drinking surcharge as well. No, I'm just kidding about this one, but it has been reported that the tasty ingredients of beer are going up in price and the price of beer will have to follow. Those students might actually have to study more to make up the lost drinking time if this happens.

The four year high school year hasn't been the best decision, in my opinion, because so many either require five years to finish, or they go into post secondary learning at the tender age of 17.

Reality Show: PRINCE$$

Frantic Films is looking for demanding divas and dudes for a new reality show they are now casting called PRINCE$$. Host Gail Vaz-Oxlade will show some tough love - but you can't handle the love, you sniveling diva.

Barbie, I want you back! Ken

Don't you just love romance. Ken wants Barbie back, I guess that whole alternative lifestyle rumour was just a rumour. Should Barbie even take that Ken back? You can vote on it at Ken and Barbie's Love-O-Meter website.

Can they possibly get back together in time for Valentines Day on February 14? Get your Ken or Barbie something that represents your love or you could be fighting hard to win them back, just like poor Ken here.

Update: Ken gives Barbie some tongue action as they come together on Valentines Day 2011. See my post and pictures here.

Massey Hall

It's not often I look at Massey Hall during the day and I was surprised to see that they cut doors into the existing wall and right through the name inscribed in the blocks. I think it used to say "Massey Music Hall" and now it says "Assey sic Ha".  It also looks like fire trucks should be coming out of the Hall, not music. I have seen a number of events at the Hall including the Bare Naked Ladies and also some of the Just for Laughs Festival.

Number 5, Number 5, Number 5.....

Chanel No 5 Fragrance advertisement on the side of the Queen Street West Bay.

I also found a sign war going on a Ryerson University Campus stop sign. Someone had placed a sticker that read "Eating Animals" - when read with the sign it said "stop eating animals". Someone else had scratched out the "ing" part and added "and" to make "stop and eat animals". Pure genius; those crazy university students. Now I have to go to dinner, I am having a veggie burger but instead of buns I am using sirloin steaks.

Name him Milkman

"We can't exactly name the kid "Milkman"". I found another sign up on the streets of Toronto, similar to the Dick's Parents sign, and I finally read the small print. FabFindbaby was set up to name a baby from Facebook submissions. The winning name is Melania followed by Aria and finally in third place; Willow. Sounds like Disney  was sending in a few names.

The people behind FabFindbaby run FabFind - it some kind of deal a day thing, but on the website you have to sign up to find more information, so I bailed.

And I found a few other signs.

Dick's Parents

It's not like Dick's Parents did any better. Damn Dick's Parents, why couldn't you do any better?

Posters and Graffiti

The Toronto Dominion Centre construction site is protected by large sheets of plywood advertising the Cadillac Fairview 77 King Street revitalization project. Someone has added a stencilled image of a man drinking, his shirt says "section 8", as the advertising caricatures stare in his direction. That's just crazy.

Down the road I come upon some posters plastered to newspaper boxes. Rather ironically someone has covered over the poster which states "we got balls". 

This was of course related to the cross, slash and turkey posters which were plastered over the downtown core earlier this year. There was no writing on the old posters to say what they were about, besides the bowling references. Now the trashy advertising has been covered up and you can't tell what it is promoting. Because the advertisements are annoying I won't mention the name either.

Another poster was for a local superhero: Captain Euchre, from Tights and Fights dotcom. You can also check out Fantabulous Gal on the entertainment website.

Conrad to Push

…Innovation in Canada. It’s about time I say. We have to be innovative about innovation if we want to stay in the game. Thank goodness for Conrad. I immediately thought it was Conrad Black because of the website name: www.WantedACountry.com and since his lovely wife Barbara Amiel was in Toronto recently for the Gillers. But it is not the Lord Black of Crossharbour that is championing innovation, it is some other dude who wants to nationalize innovation and is looking for a country willing to give it a try, to run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes. Nationalized government innovation – a sure recipe for success.

Kill Nuisance - Clast SPVM

A cartoon character gets ready to spray poison to kill some nuisance, seen on a construction barrier on Yonge Street. He could be a giant because he is eating someone and their head is sticking out of his teeth.

X marks the spot

Update: As some readers have told me the symbols are bowling related and in fact they are promoting a new bowling alley called the Ballroom. There entertainment will include not only bowling lanes but also ping pong tables.

X marks the spot and X marks the turkey. Sometimes strange things happen in Toronto, sometimes you figure out why, other times you scratch your head and go on with life. Large white posters featuring X's and slashes are appearing on poles and boxes along Bay Street and other streets.

Toronto might finally be getting it's rating; parental guidance may be required. Two other X's and everyone can walk around naked having sex in the streets.

U Can't Touch This

It's Hammer Time on a stop sign. And that sign has seen better times, it looks like a zombie pulled it down and ripped out it's little sign brains, then the City sewed it back together and glued it back up on the pole. What, they don't have any spare Stop signs lying around?

No Love for Banksy

Banksy's graffiti has taken quite the abuse since he first painted his works on the walls of Toronto. Many have been totally destroyed or defaced. It is both sad and ironic that his street art/graffiti gets painted over. But I do love Banksy.

On Wild West Queen Street West I find more art. It's like CityTV; everywhere. A beautiful girl looks down onto Queen Street pedestrians passing by (pictured above) from Omy Gallery. There website says "Pabst is the best beer for shows & you better have good art or nobody will show up".

At Trinity Bellwoods Park I see a "Where's Omar" poster stuck in the entrance gate. I also find some posters stuck on a pole, the posters have multiplied and are thick on the pole and have started to peel off.

Kawagama 2010 - it's cottage time

No, it's not the Olympics, it's vacation time up in cottage country. It was time for the Civic Holiday weekend up at the Band Cottage on Kawagama Lake which is a couple hours north of Toronto, near the town of Dorset in Haliburton Highlands (which is just beside the boundary with Muskoka). Dorset is a fantastic place to know because when you run out of booze and other goodies you can get it all in the small community with the famous Robinson's General Store. Waterfront property provides recreation and stunning beauty while the ducks provide some of the wildlife and a lot of the poop.

The Band Cottage is a little touch of heaven and we enjoy getting away and partying with family during the annual get together (If you are in the market for your own slice of heaven in the area you can always check out the area Real Estate Directory).  Days are spent enjoying swimming, tubing, games, campfires and sing-alongs. With tubing the participants sit in various styles and sizes of tubes pulled behind boats and depending on the rider's age one of the goals maybe to get them airborne and bounce them out of the tube.

We had some huge marshmallows which tasted great when lightly toasted over the fire. Our fire was spectacular as a dead birch tree was recently cut down and used as firewood. The birch bark is highly flammable and creates a firestorm until the bark is burned away until only the wood remains.

The Civic Holiday weekend also features fireworks put on by the Lake's marinas including the Old Mill Marina.

See more pictures after the jump.


The Kawagama Lake Cottagers' Association also holds a Regatta during the long weekend. The Regatta had many events that reflect vacation activities up in cottage country such as swimming, building sand castles and canoeing. This year they supplied all the canoes for the race events.

Here are some of the Band Clan in the 2010 group photo.

In Dorset we find a street sign advertising the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) which has a CPO designation which stands for Community Policing Officer. Someone has changed this sign to read C3PO which is a reference to a golden protocol robot in Star Wars.