We all have guilty pleasures, right? There's something you know you're not supposed to dig but you end up liking it anyway. "American Idol" is a common guilty pleasure, and one I've confessed to in the past. I wrote my brothers about the amazing lineup for the Bonnaroo Music &
I'm not losing my mind. Way back in 2004 I wrote about "Toronto Rocks" and seeing J.D. Roberts host the video show that aired on City-TV. Then, when John Majhor passed away, I read an article about "Toronto Rocks" that convinced me I was wrong. Yesterday a comment on
At some point about 15 years ago, we started getting Chicago's WGN as part of our cable package. WGN would broadcast Chicago Cubs games called by Harry Caray and Harry Caray made things fun. I remember one game the Cubs batter came to the plate with runners at 2nd and
When I found the bridge pic last night, I found a few other nuggets from the mid-90s. The picture below is my home entertainment system in my very first apartment in 1996. Here's a little more I wrote about 30 Charles Street West, University of Toronto family housing. The rent
The first computer I ever enjoyed was the Commodore PET. My dad would bring it home from work on weekends in the late 70s and very early 80s. My three favourite games were horse racing, where I'd essentially bet against simulated racetrack odds, lemonade stand, where I'd manage a virtual
Today, I listen to all my music as MP3s. It's usually on the computer or in one of my two personal MP3 players. In my three decades of life, this is my fourth format. In the beginning, all my music was either on vinyl or cassette tapes. At some point
I've had several favourite songs these past few decades. At one point I remember a Duran Duran single being my favourite, then there was Billy Idol, then Guns N' Roses, Public Enemy and Nirvana. My first favourite song, however, as memory serves, was sung by Bobby Day. In 1958, Bobby
In 1995, during the brief period I dated my wife, Taryn bought a Packard Bell computer from the University of Toronto computer store. She paid for it monthly, so I believe it cost us about $400,000 by the time it was all said and done. I say us because
Somebody scanned 657 pages from a 1982 Sears Christmas Catalogue. I was six years old at the time, and that was precisely the kind of catalogue I'd be handed and asked to circle things I wanted for Christmas. I would have headed straight to this Dukes of Hazard page. I'm
As this year's Santa Claus Parade got rolling, I was happy to see Elmer the Safety Elephant leading the way. Along with Blinky the Police Car, Elmer the Safety Elephant was a character I remember well from my primary school days. He'd pay us a visit and teach us not
I loved "The Friendly Giant". It was a childhood staple, along with "Polka Dot Door", "The Electric Company", "Jeremy", "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Dressup". Rusty and Jerome were like childhood friends. Rusty and Jerome appeared in a satirical skit last month during the Gemini Awards broadcast from Regina on October
Are you sitting down? I'm about to drop a factoid on your ass that could shake the very foundation of your being. "Cum on Feel the Noize" was not a Quiet Riot original. It was originally released by Slade in 1973 a full decade before Quiet Riot released their cover
All this talk about the Nintendo Wii has me hearkening back to the prime of my gaming console life. It was the good 'ol 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System and one of my favourite games was Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. That second exclamation point is key. First you took on Glass Joe
With Music World closing, there will be no more Canadian-owned national music chains. CQ just left a comment on that entry in which he dropped the name Sunrise Records. Sunrise Records is still around, but it's not a national chain as all their stores are in Ontario. Sunrise Records is
My jacket dilemma has me thinking about my '86 Taurus. You see, when I like something, I really like it and I don't want to swap it out for a better model or a newer model. I once wrote that I like progress, I just don't like change. That about
I used to do this little feature about shows I used to watch. One show I used to watch is "The Wonder Years". Here's the closing scene from the series finale. The music you hear is from The Natural, and it never fails to get me all emotional. What man
I don't know Lori, but she seems to have me all figured out. She likes it when I delve into the dusty corners of my 33 year old mind to come up with old shows I remember. That stuff really appeals to Ontarians born in the mid-70s, I've noticed. Lori
I can't believe it's been fifteen years. I also can't believe I've written 6678 entries but I've never written about that October 24, 1992 night... until now. I prayed at the alter of Blue Jays baseball. I watched or listened to every game, I celebrated the first pennant in 1985
I used to bowl a lot. In high school, we would visit O'Connor Bowl on Islington Avenue during lunch. That's long gone, if you're looking for it, but it used to be between Bloor and Norseman. I think they built townhouses there. The primary bowling spot, however, was Bowlerama on
Watching NBC on Saturday mornings in the 80s, I often caught the "One To Grow On" PSAs. Stars of NBC shows would basically tell us what we should and shouldn't do. These PSAs taught me a great deal, such as... Don't SmokeDon't Have a Crap AttitudeDon't Answer The DoorDon't Trust
I've been helping Buffalo Boy start up his own blog. I just popped over to see how he's doing and I was delighted to find this entry in which he shares The Rheostatics' "The Ballad of Wendel Clark, Part 1&2". If you remember Etobicoke in the mid-80s, watching
As a young reader I would read books from the Choose Your Own Adventure series. In a Choose Your Own Adventure book you make choices that determine the main character's actions and effect the plot and outcome. For example, you'll meet a dragon in a dead-end with a single door
I remember in grade five a nerd in gifted offering to copy some of his Commodore 64 games for me to take home. I couldn't believe he could copy the video game onto a floppy disc for me and I'd have the game for free. My first brush with piracy
I heard someone mention The Barracuda on CFNY this morning. In the mid-90s I used to frequent The Barracuda at 21 Scollard Street near Yonge and Bloor, usually on Thursday nights. As I recall, Monday nights were Phoenix nights and Thursday nights were Barracuda nights. The allure was the fact
At The Taste of the Kingsway Festival this weekend, the kids got helium filled balloons. I was sure to tie these balloons down as there's nothing sadder than a kid watching his or her balloon float up to the heavens. There was one exception to this rule and that was
