Wrestling is So Gay!

So yesterday I was at the Pride parade. I got to eat funnel cake, I made a stop at the Proud Voices spoken word tent and had a couple of beers at the Alternaqueer stage, which I love. Something occurred to me when I turned on the TV tonight. The TV was tuned to WWE Raw. I'm amazed by how much pro wrestlers look like participants in a gay pride parade. They're out there being all macho, etc. but they're wearing speedos and really short pink shorts. They get waxed and shave their legs. They're wrestling covered in baby oil. Wrestling is so gay.

It's been a month

I've had a rough month. It started with my parents being involved in a serious car crash and moved along to me finding out I would be laid off to getting laid off unexpectedly early. I am unemployed and looking for work. This is not meant to be a case of 'poor me.' I've been unemployed before and know I will make it through all of this, one way or another. I know I am good enough to do plenty of things for some lucky future employer. But the perils of unemployment are a lot to bear. Not having money isn't even the worst part. The feeling that sometimes comes over us of "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!" when we can't find a job is worse. We sometimes sit there praying the phone will ring for an interview or offer.

The most important thing is to never give up faith or hope because the second you do this, it's like being trapped in a whirlpool while hanging on to a bar and then letting go. Once you let go, you've let go. Always stay strong and believe you'll be able to get by. This is how you hang on and not let go, no matter how tired your arms are feeling.

Rochdale Rhymes and Readings

So on Sunday the latest edition of Rochdale Rhymes and Readings took place. The room was quite ful and a big hand goes out to the open micers, the crowd and features Jeff Cottrill and David Silverberg. They were incredible. I especially did get a kick out of Jeff Cottrill's tongue-in-cheek piece about writing a slam poem. I was especially glad to have David Silverberg there as the guy hosts a lot, but you don't hear him read enough.

Next month's RDRR will feature Jogindra Siewattran (Yogi) and Carey Toane. It will happen June 22 at the Regal Beagle, beside the Bata Shoe Museum.

I am excited about the slam this weekend. It's the Anything Goes Slam. My first piece will be more comedic parody satire than poetry, but it is the Anything Goes Slam.

Yonge and Dundas 24

So I went to the latest and greatest theatre in town tonight, the Yonge and Dundas 24. Getting in was a big enough challenge for someone willing to pay $13 for a movie ticket. I saw a ticket office, but thought I'd explore the Toronto Life Centre, or whatever it's called. I ended up on the third floor, through a series of escalators and wanted to know how to get down. I was told by a security guard to go up to the fourth floor and take an elevator down as they had no escalators that went down. I got there and found out the cinema was on the fourth floor I tried to get in but was told I needed to go all the way to the first floor to get a ticket and needed to take an elevator. I laughed and tried to get on an elevator but was told I couldn't get on that elevator. That was for patrons only. I needed to walk to another elevator and go down to buy a ticket. I did feel like walking up the street to the Carlton (where a ticket to a more "independent" movie would've been cheaper) but instead bought my ticket to see Iron Man.

Being suddenly hungry, I did buy popcorn and a drink. They were regularly priced for a movie theatre (which is astronomical) but were puny in size.

The cinema itself was pretty good. The seats have a lot of legroom, which is good for a tall guy like myself. Often small theatres are very uncomfortable for me. The movie itself was pretty good. It is as advertised, an action movie based on a comic book. It won't win film of the year honours, but for a comic book action movie, it's good. But if Iron Man could use his advanced technology to win the war in Afghanistan singlehandedly, why do I have so much trouble getting in to see it?

Apocalyptica

I know it's been a couple of days, but I cannot get out of my head just how good the Apocalyptica show at The Phoenix was on Wednesday night. I found out afterward, Perttu Kivilaakso played cello with a finger broken the night before. I cannot imagine how much pain he must have been in.

But highlights of the show were the crowd singing along to the instrumental cover of Seek and Destroy as well as members of the audience stopping to slow dance to the very mellow cover of Nothing Else Matters. Overall the band just rocked. They were swinging the hair and were not up there to just sit and play. They came to rock.

There were guest appearances by Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace and Toryn Green of Fuel. I'm not putting them down, but I felt as if their appearances took away from the show and the impact of Apocalyptica. I understand Apocalyptica has a new record to sell and that includes non-operatic or heavy metal vocals and more of a mainstream sound. I'm not a fan of the new record, but won't write them off as sell-outs the way I did with Metallica many years ago. I see Apocalyptica as just trying something different and respect it even if I don't like it as they are true artists.

One other slightly disappointing thing with the show was a lack of material from Apocalyptica's all-original and sublime 2003 album Reflections. I guess they had a new album to sell, fans know them for their covers and stuff in the middle had to get cut.

Social parasites

I realize my anger will sound like nothing short of a rant, especially to those bleeding heart imbeciles who actually sympathize with the Toronto Transit Commission employees.

But thanks guys for making me miss my lunch date with my Grandmother. I realize you have a hard life when you're making roughly twice what I am or more and trying to get by. I realize how hard it is to sit on your ass all day trying to collect tickets. $26 an hour just isn't right. It must be so hard dealing with angry customers all day face-to-face. I mean you have to deal with unruly customers, unlike all those losers who work for minimum wage! You should get a raise! Wait, you did but turned it down. Ah, shucks. Out of the blue, people can't rely on you. Now they have to drive home on a Friday night. Yeah one or two people might die in drunk driving accidents, but that's beside the point isn't it? I mean, the economy's bad, how's anyone supposed to live off a TTC salary? I'd write more supporting you guys, but I have to get up early and call my Grandmother and tell her I won't be around tomorrow afternoon. Scumbags.

Bob Snider

Last night I saw Bob Snider at the Free Times Cafe here in Toronto. He doesn't get credit for being the songwriting genius he is. He's definitely the most underrated songwriter I know of. His words are genius. I'll even go out on a really big limb and say there's a possibility he's the best songwriter Canada has. But I wrote a poem about last night.

Bob Snider
The ink bleeds blue
all the way through
this book with a 30 cent pen
found on a shelf at Honest Ed's.
And there's a bookstore with the family name.
Tonight I saw a genius among men.
His body and face would give other ideas.
One may see him and say,
"sorry no change,"
though the book displaying his genius
is available in the store with the Mirvish namesake.
I saw the man in a Jewish cafe tonight.
Bob Snider was his folksy self.
Thrilled he could share his genius with those who cared.
I hadn't enough money for his book.
A beautiful woman wearing a tattooed sleeve,
a beautiful woman, seemingly in and out
told me to go to the point of the books purchase,
which is across the street
from where the point of this pen began.
She offered to share her fortune cookie.
She loved fortunes and hated cookies.
I had my own fortune,
but I can't find it right now.