Cottaging with Rob Ford

The internet was all abuzz yesterday with reports that Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford would not be attending this year’s Gay Pride Parade in order to fulfill long-standing family commitments to go to a cottage. His family trip to Muskoka is a yearly event held on the same weekend every year – and who are we plebes to argue that the Mayor of Toronto could re-schedule such an important tradition?

According to an article in the Globe and Mail:

Mayors of Toronto have been marching in the parade since Barbara Hall wore the chain of office. Police Chief Bill Blair makes a point of being there to build bridges to the gay community. So do provincial and federal cabinet ministers of all political stripes. Brian Burke, general manager of the Leafs, is marching.

(image courtesy of the Globe and Mail)

Initial reactions to Ford’s announcement were negative. In fact, the article referenced above is titled “Mayor misses out on opportunity to celebrate diversity”. The Toronto mayor’s first commitment should be to support Toronto’s gay community by attending a parade that is historically linked to improving gay rights in our progressive city. Some argue events like the Pride parade led to increased rights and acceptance of the gay community in Toronto, and even Canada.

@corecorina’s thoughts shared on Twitter echoed the sentiment of many:

Others argued that Ford should support something that, if for nothing else, feeds a lot of money ($MILLIONS$) into Toronto and garners positive attention to the city on a national scale, which is especially important after last year’s G20 disaster.

It wasn’t long before the other side spoke up. He has commitments! Family commitments! Shouldn’t we respect the fact that he has put his family before his job?! Isn’t that what we would all do? This is a long-standing tradition!

Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am also entitled to think that opinion is, well…stupid.
Rob Ford’s job as mayor is TEMPORARY. It relies on the fact that Torontonian’s are happy with him as mayor, and happy with his choices. Unfortunately, sometimes that includes his personal choices and the community’s judgment of his priorities.

He is the mayor of the largest cities in Canada. Toronto just so happens to have a large gay population. Assuming Rob Ford is enjoying his new position as MAYOR of the damn city, he may want to keep said position. This means he should probably try to appeal to every segment of the population that he can to ensure his position is a little less temporary.

More importantly, in my opinion, is the fact that this even became an issue. Where are this man’s handlers? His media people? Maybe even a publicity rep? ANYONE?! Surely he has been coached on how to speak to the media.

All Ford needed to say to make this a non-issue is that: No, he regrets that previous obligations to his family would prevent him from attending the parade itself, but he would be attending ___________ event or hosting ________ event to kickoff the Pride festivities in Toronto, because he understands the important of this event in Toronto and he fully supports it. (Assuming he does support it – am I going too far here?)

(image courtesy of Slap Upside the Head)

Now let’s see what other commitments Rob Ford has to keep him away from Caribana Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival…

This is what I tweeted today about the Ford Pride Parade controversy:

 

 

And seriously, before you judge Rob Ford you should really google “cottaging”. Because maybe he’s a much bigger gay pride supporter than we thought…

Weekend Wrap Up

Our tickets to fun, knowledge and certain liver failure for the week.

Carly found this in the bathroom at the Elmo Wednesday night and sent it to me. Elissa’s writing, and Elissa’s initial. We lived together on Cecil Street with 3 other amazing girls for 2 years in university. Elissa doesn’t remember ever writing this.

I learned so much at NXNEi – so glad I took the time off work to attend the daytime panels. I’m going to dedicate a full blog post to both the music and interactive portions of the festival. I’m loving my iPhone>Blackberry for mirror shots.
Was glad to be busy doing all this stuff during the day so I couldn’t pay attention to the people destroying and looting Vancouver.

On Friday night we cruised venues like the El Mocambo and then Sneaky D’s but everything was too damn hot so we cooled off in a park for a bit and danced to music played off our phones. Poor Tim was stuck with 4 girls and we made him play on the slides with us.

Isn’t she gorgeous? I miss this girl more than I miss McDonalds pizza and Veronica Mars on TV. She moved to New Orleans this winter and I’m positive she’s to blame for the stellar weather all weekend. I wish we took more pictures together this weekend! Was so sad to see her go.

We hung out with some of our other fave girls and danced at the Gentlemen Husbands show at the Elmo. I swear, the Gentlemen Husbands have the coolest guitars, the nicest cowboy boots and the cutest girls dancing at their shows.

Like I tweeted from the show, I’m a sucker for any band that covers Tom Petty. Earlier in the day we saw the band at Yonge Dundas square and they played “American Girl”. At the Elmo they played “Won’t Back Down” (video and pictures by Carly).

Moe and I decided to chill on Sunday after 4 straight days of madness and we cuddled with some movies & delish ice cream from Black Dog on Queen West. This is our new fave spot in the ‘hood for chill Sundays. I like places that don’t treat my dog like a monster (and even have treats for him!)

Almost nice to be back at work so I can relax after a long, enjoyable NXNE festival. How many days until next year’s?

Look Who Finally Decided to Show Up…

I’ve been waiting anxiously ever since I bought a frame for my diploma and wrote the exam for my last PR course (yes, in that order). I even called U of T to make sure this pretty young thang wouldn’t get lost in the mail with the rolling Canada Post strikes. And here. it. is. Kind of of anti-climatic, so I’m making it more exciting!

It’s another piece of paper to put on my wall!

Here is it in its frame!

Here it is with it’s bigger cousin, Mr. Hons Bach Arts.

Now what next? I’m considering either taking writing or French courses next winter because I enjoy doing both but definitely need more practice. I’m all CONSUME CONSUME CONSUME knowledge sometimes and not enough CREATE CREATE CREATE.

On Friday I went by M for Mendocino where my friend Carly works. Carly is an awesome firecracker of a girl who gets fashion, knows my style, and is a great stylist. She picked me out 30+ things to try on and I ended up with these (although I’m still seriously considering going back for that romper):

Okay, noticed when I was paying that they are all stripes. I don’t mind! Carly kept my NXNE Fashion post in mind and picked me out some cute shirts for the festival.

If you need someone to help you refresh your wardrobe for summer – holler at Carly or visit her at Mendocino on Queen West. I love that she isn’t afraid to tell you when something doesn’t look good, and she’s always quick to suggest something that may be better for your body type. I always struggle to remember that it isn’t worth wearing something trendy if it just isn’t meant for you.

The other girls that work there were really nice too, and very patient as I took up a fitting room while Carly shopped for me.

Was a bit bummed over the weekend because the forecast called for rain at the end of the week, which is especially a bummer because it’s NXNE. When I woke up this morning I found that the weather gods (or lack thereof) have decided to temporarily appease me and offer me this for the 7 day forecast:

For the past 5 years that I’ve attended NXNE, it’s rained every year! I’m looking forward to dry lineups, squeek-less shoes and non-frizzy hair. Hell, maybe even some of that S-word. Starts with “suh”, ends in “unshine”.

Finally, I know my pictures are crap. Such crap. In February I bought a brand new Nikon. I’m normally a Canon girl, but wanted to give the Nikon a try. When I brought it on vacation in February I realized it was broken – the lens is jammed so it doesn’t open all the way. Ruined all my vacation pictures because now they all have some silly black frame on them. Finally got the receipt from my parents house and tried to exchange it at Future Shop but they have to send it back to Nikon and I have to wait 6-8 weeks before they let me know if they’re going to give me a new camera or not. SUCKS. So now I’m camera-less and busy. I have been attending so many fun events and want to take pictures at NXNE this weekend and my trip to Montreal next weekend. Wish cameras worked like cell phones and you could have a loaner while they tinkered with yours.

Weekend Wrap Up

This past weekend in pictures…

Moe and I got our espresso on at one of the Starbucks on Queen West.
To everyone who tried to guess my order: it was an Iced tall non-fat sugar-free caramel latte. I did a brief stint at Starbs as an undergrad so I know how I like my drinks.

Then Amy, Jordan and I got all fancy to go to Sean and Steve’s housewarming at their brand new condo. We had serious wine and cheese-in going down. Best thing about gay men is they don’t eat all the cheese you brought so you can stuff your face first.

CN Tower before the Jays game on Sunday against Boston. Jordan and I talked about having a total tourist day and doing things we would never normally do. He wants to go up the Tower and I want to go on one of those tour buses, or a walking tour of a neighbourhood of the city.

Jays got creaaamed by Boston. We went for my friend Lindsay’s birthday celebrations. We got slurries so life was okay, and the sun peeked in and out a bit. I’m still waiting for them to call Snider back up. Mustache, mullet n’ all – let’s go!

After the game we stopped by Lou Dawgs. LOVE this place. We met Darryl and did some shots of Fireball with him. Had the slider sampler because we were only snacky. Service was amazing and everyone was so friendly! Hope we can go back soon. I really want to try the loutine, the smoked turkey breast wrap and the pulled pork sammie! Wanted to get one po-boy style when we were there because po-boys remind me of Nola 🙂

My NXNE 2011 Fashion Picks

With NXNE only 7 days away and my tentative schedule already figured out, it’s time to get down to business: what to wear. If you’re like me, you’d rather buy new clothes than wash most of your old ones. And if you’re like me, you’re also on a budget because your love for clothes must share wallet space with your love for partying every weekend, going out for brunch and pho. So here’s one for the girls (or the fashionably-curious men – rawr).

Dressing for NXNE relies on a very volatile formula:

With all of these variables constantly changing, it’s important to get your first outfit right and be able to fit a light jacket and umbrella in your purse just in case.

Here’s a set of looks I’ve created that showcase what you can find me wearing during NXNE.

 

 

Now I’m not very daring when it comes to dressing myself. I prefer darker colours (sometimes paired with bold coloured or patterned shoes or accessories) and minimal prints, so my looks are based on those preferences. To me, NXNE is one part music, one part style, and 8 parts practicality. Wearing heels just doesn’t make sense if you are going to be out from noon until 4a.m. and may have to run for cabs, or to grab poutine and make it to the next venue in time. I’ve picked out some shoes with both style and practicality in mind to go with any outfit.

These quick, simple and basic looks paired with an eye-catching ring or cute vintage pocketwatch and some bright red tint for your lips is the perfect way to pull off a put-together look while still looking like you didn’t spend 2+ hours getting ready. And trust me, guys (and chicks) dig that.

Finally, I hate being under-dressed when the night cools down (let’s face it, shivering and complaining is not cute) so I’ve paired the shirts and tanks I’ve chosen with vests or jackets, depending on what the forecast calls for next week. I tend to carry a suitcase larger purse so I always have the essentials tucked away in there should I need them.

With outfits this easy and inexpensive to put together, you’ll have more money for band merch and shots at the bar!

 

😉

 

My NXNE & NXNEi 2011 Picks

The music portion of NXNE music festival kicks off next Wednesday with shows across the city. This will be my 5th year attending the festival and I’ve finally smartened up and booked Thursday and Friday off work so that I can see as many shows as possible and not suffer through my usual 6am wakeup the next morning.

Also very exciting is that in 10 short days my BFF/old roommate/former coworker/heterosexual-lifemate Elissa will be in town for a few days! We got hooked up with Priority Passes from the good folks at NXNE so we’ll be venue-hopping and band-groping from Thursday to Sunday together. You can follow what we’re up to on my Twitter and I’ll recap here when I have time.

One of my fave parts about NXNE last year was the huge (unofficial) role social media played throughout the festival.  While NXNE’s twitter account was very helpful last year, so was following the festival’s hashtags and people on my timeline to figure out what was going on at the venues they were at. You can find out who surprise performers are in time to get to the venue, or decide whether or not it’s worth leaving the venue you are currently at to head to another one. People were constantly updating about the length of lines at venues, whether shows were running on time (which is great if you’re debating waiting to see another band at the venue you are at before dashing out to the next one) or if shows were at capacity. I’m looking forward to see how NXNE embraces social media this year and hoping to use it to help me efficiently navigate (or drunkenly stumble) my way through this year’s festival.

I did a brief scan of the festival’s Schedulizer and picked out some conferences I’d like to check out, as well as selected some bands I’ve seen before and know I can’t miss this year. I still have so many bands to listen to and figure out who else I can fit in. This is my schedule so far:

	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
9:30 A.M.				The New Volunteers: Social Media and Emergencies or Influencing the Influencers
NOON		Brand Loyalty 3.0 or The Black Hole of Facebook	How to Grow Your User Base	The Changing Experience of Music
2:15 P.M.		Wheel Of Fortune/Misfortune: Conversations About Music & Stuff	Profitable Social Media for Non-Profits	Beyond MySpace: Musicians Connecting in New Ways
3:00 P.M.				Gentlemen Husbands @ Y-D
3:30 P.M.		Hootsuite – Building a Brand	Music Marketing 2011	How to Create More, Better, Different
7:00 P.M.			Junior Battles @ Phoenix
8:00 P.M.		Fucked Up @ Y-D		Mockingbird Wish Me Luck @ Opera House
9:00 P.M.		Blackie Jackett Jr @ Y-D		Sheezer @ Sneaks
10:00 P.M.			Stars @ Y-D or Jadea Kelly @ Dakota or Black Lungs @ Horseshoe	Hot Water Music @ Opera House
11:00 P.M.		Gavin Gardiner at 918 Bathurst	C’Mon @ Horseshoe or Dum Dum Girls @ Lees	Gentlemen Husbands @ Elmo
12:00 A.M.	Chuck Ragan & Dave Hause @ Elmo	Parlovr @ Horseshoe	Cunter @ Bovine or Fast Romantics @ Elmo	Coppertone @ Elmo
1:00 A.M.		Fucked Up @ Wrongbar	Saint Alvia @ Elmo
2:00 A.M.				Sheezer @ Sneaks

Who are YOU going to see?

Seriously, tell me because I need your suggestions. Leave in the comments because my telepathy has been experiencing connection problems lately. Exceeded bandwidth or something.

I’ve also entered to win exclusive passes for me and 9 friends to the Exclaim! and Jägermeister Annual BBQ bash at the Cadillac Lounge on June 17th. Crossing my fingers and toes I win because that would be an awesome party to attend! I would post pictures of nachos and jager sno-cones all night to make you super jealous. Just kidding, I’d totally bring you with and we could dance to some Monster Truck and Young Rival together!

Look Ma, I’m Famous!

Remember the studly adventurer/musician Simon that I blogged about last week? I was just looking through my copy of his new album and found this on the inside of the CD cover:

Weeee! It’s my first liner note mention! Rock For Humanity has been thanked a couple times and so has the founder Jordan, but this is my VERY. FIRST. TIME. Thank you Simon for making me smile for the next few months! You know what they say…a girl will always remember her first!

In other news…

Anita and I attended the #pepsithrowback party at Revival on Tuesday night. It was tons of fun and everyone was dressed up like the 80’s. Unfortunately my J-O-B would not have appreciated 80’s gear so I came dressed like a party pooper straight from work. Everyone else looked glam!

The party was hosted by Casie and Keshia Chante who danced like pros to M.J.’s Thriller, led by Shawn Hawaii and Scott.

Also: major cred goes to Photo Junkie for his pictures!! My cam is STILL in the shop @NikonCanada so I’m having to rely on everyone else for fotos lately. Good thing he takes awesome ones!

P.S. Yo-yo’s rule.
P.P.S. Can we please keep our fingers crossed for no rain tomorrow? I’m going to my cousin’s housewarming BBQ. Moe is tagging along too!