Shared without comment, this is The Layover with Anthony Bourdain visiting Toronto.
April 02, 2026
Monday is Christmas Eve, in case you were unaware. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you have some time off to enjoy with friends and family. You know what to do with this Almost Christmas Open Mike.
Our mega-consumer society has hit my last nerve. The stuff we accumulate, particularly at this time of year, is enough to make me physically ill. For a few years now, I've had a "no-buy, no-receive" policy that I adhere to. My friends and loved ones know not to buy me
Toronto Mike reader Jason wrote this guest blog entry. Greetings all Toronto Mike Readers!On August 22nd 2011 my mother’s 7 year battle with ovarian cancer came to an end. She fought a very long and hard battle through those 7 years.In honour of the hard battle my
I'm watching the world junior hockey exhibition game between Canada and Finland and they just aired a Nike ad on TSN. Live sports is the only time I see ads because it's the only time I watch live TV. This "Hockey Is Ours" ad from Nike, however, nails it. Hockey
I just got home after seeing Lowest of the Low perform at the Horseshoe Tavern. The Horseshoe is turning 65 years and Lowest of the Low rocked the house as part of the celebration. We got just about all the amazing tunes from Shakespeare My Butt and more during two
I attended my daughter's Primary Holiday Concert this afternoon and enjoyed her performances of: La neige sous mes pasJolly Old Saint NicholasHanukkah LightsCount On MeSanta Claus is Comin' to TownDonne-moi la mainMy youngest child's final Primary Holiday Concert is now complete. Great job, Michelle! The Lowest of the Low tonight
Here's the 20th episode of my podcast, Toronto Mike'd. In this episode, Rosie and I are joined by my two kids and we chat about the Distillery District, my trip to Ottawa, the Newtown tragedy, Bill Carroll, R.A. Dickey and our favourite cereals. This episode is exactly 1:05:
Instagram users are a little ticked off after learning they're changing their terms and conditions so they can now use and sell your photos without your permission or paying you. Eek. I take lots of pictures. As a natural born archivist, I always feel like capturing the moment with a
Daniel Inouye passed away today at the age of 88. Daniel Inouye, a long-time United States senator, was a real hero. The following is from his Wikipedia page. Inouye was at the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 as a medical volunteer.In 1943, when the U.S. Army dropped its
I've already used the title "Blue Jays Going For Broke" when they signed Melky, but I could have used it again here. The Blue Jays are clearly going for it in 2013 and that's all good with me. The Blue Jays and New York Mets have agreed on a seven-player
The Newtown tragedy of Friday breaks my heart. We've become somewhat desensitized to such killing sprees, but the idea of a young man spraying bullets into a frightened huddle of six and seven years olds feels different. Every time I see a picture of one of the young victims I
I wasn't even going to write about this, because I've never listened to Bill Carroll on AM radio. I faintly remember him appearing on Test Pattern with Dan Gallagher and I heard him host Barometer on Q107 back in the day, but I completely missed his body of work with
Do you remember Deat Aunt Agnes? I used to watch Dear Aunt Agnes on TVOntario in the mid-80s but had never seen the series finale in 1989, a Christmas special entitled Christmast At Loon Lake. Thanks to Retrontario, I finally have closure. Enjoy. Christmas At Loon Lake Part One Christmas
I was invited to participate in the Chevrolet Trax Canadian Winter: Urban to Rural program. I'll write in more detail about what this amazing event entailed later. This entry is about the 2013 Chevrolet Trax we drove from Ottawa to Montebello and Kenauk and back. Size, I suppose, is relative.
That's right, there are only 11 days until Christmas. Step up to the Open Mike and tell it like it is. Options include, but are not limited to: ranting, raving, asking a question, sharing an story, posting an observation, bitching about n and crying over spilt or spilled milk. Both
On Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of meeting the passionate people who work at the Britannia Woods Community House in Ottawa. I was helping the good people at Chevrolet and the United Way deliver much needed food and other supplies to the Britannia Woods Community House, which in turns
Here's the 19th episode of my podcast, Toronto Mike'd. In this episode, Rosie and I chat about coffee, Bookie, the Ikea monkey, the Aussie prank callers, Tom Cheek and I play my Christmas gift to all listeners (that makes Rosie weep). This episode is exactly 1:07:59. You can
Ravi Shankar was 92. He was India’s most famous interpreter and innovator of Indian classical music in general and sitar music in particular.
My appetite for Maple Leafs news is minimal these days, but Johnny "The China Wall" Bower is the great exception to that rule. Johnny Bower - Honky the Christmas Goose Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Johnny Bower's "Honky the Christmas Goose" was released in 1965 and enjoyed a significant amount of
In 2012, good employees are fired every day. I'm not talking about getting fired for cause, like incompetence or stealing or something untoward like that, I'm talking about good, reliable employees being let go for a variety of reasons ranging from: corporate restructuringthe fact they can replace you for half
It was July when I decided I'd try hosting a podcast of my own. With access to the Humble and Fred studio and a thorough knowledge of the back-end of XML and iTunes, I just needed a theme song and an awesome co-host. The theme song, "Toronto Mike'd (City Love)
I was tipped off to this list by Alan Cross. It's from NME.com and it's 25 Things You Didn't Know About Fairytale of New York. 1Despite the wintery subject matter, the song was actually recorded in July, in sweltering heat. 2The song started life as a bet. Pogues producer
I'm listening to a Monkey playlist consisting of these ten Monkey songs in honour of Toronto's Ikea monkey. Brass Monkey - Beastie BoysMonkey Gone to Heaven - PixiesShock the Monkey - Peter GabrielMonkey Wrench - Foo FightersEverybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - The BeatlesHalf Ass
