For lease: Queen Street W

Different generatios check out the same things.

Kentmere 400 in HC110 (1+31) 5min & 30sec. Olympus 35RC

Condom Shack on Queen Street W

One of the biggest criticisms that I have against Canadian stores is the lack of bite in their names. The same comment applies to most advertising. But once awhile, you get this one that screams out loud.

But alas, it still ain't very original...

Kentmere 400 in HC110 (1+31) 5min & 30sec, Olympus 35RC

Weekend without cheese = Kiss without squeeze

Kentmere 400 in HC110 (1+31) 5min & 30sec, Olympus 35RC

TIFF: 2010/09/13, Bloor Street

My new toy has arrived. The Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm 1.4. It's a beauty. I took it out for a spin on Bloor Street and ran into the circus that is the Toronto International Film Festival.

Outside Indigo Bookstore on Bloor.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Outside the Intercontinental on Bloor. A circus of people crowding around the hotel entrance hoping to get a glance of some douche(ss).

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Outside the Intercontinental on Bloor. Some normal people who are not amused with the circus.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Outside the Intercontinental on Bloor. The ride of the douche(ss).

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

The type of people who would scream and yell and cry when they see the douche(ss) exiting the hotel. And then there are the all-important bodyguards and security of the douche(ss) in the background.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Opposite the Intercontinental on Bloor. The circus watching the circus. I guess I was the circus watching the circus that's watching the circus...

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

I didn't hang around to see who the douche(ss) was and walked. Then I saw this other dude who was being interviewed on his walk. Anyone else know who he is? Not that I care though.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Then I saw another circus at the Windsor Hotel in a side street. I overheard some guy on his phone, saying that Rosamond Pike was staying in the hotel. Rosamond is one of the few actresses whom I semi-respect, but not enough for me to hang around long enough to get a photo of her.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

A closer view of the circus.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

The more laid back wolves of the pack: they wait from across a distance, ready to pounce and scavenge when their preys emerge from their hiding place.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A with Nokton 40mm f1.4. Expired Agfa Silvertone ISO100 in HC110 (7min)

Resident Evil Afterlife: Queen Street W

Can't wait to see it. In 3D!

Kentmere 400 in HC110 - 5 min & 30 sec. Olympus 35RC Rangefinder

2 Degrees of Separation

"People want to move too fast. Get stuff done and get on to the next thing. Do you remember the last time you had an hour long conversation with someone? Did they glance at their phone every so often, reminding you of the split nature of their attention?" - Kirk Tuck, reminiscing on human contact before the information age.

Ironic. This reminiscence for human contact of the pre-information era, on the worldwide web. The 2 degrees of separation: me to computer to everyone else.

I remember the last time I had an hour long conversation with someone. It happened just today in fact. It has been happening quite a lot lately. Almost without fail, an hour or so each day on the subway and in the subway station: we'd talk for half an hour on the subway, and then linger for another hour or so at the final stop, sharing our days' stories.

And then the days' pace would eventually catch up with us and the dimming lights would remind us to part.We'd say our goodbyes and go our separate ways.

Lately, that one hour of each working day would represent the best hour of that day - the only hour when I feel totally at ease, unpressured and timeless, as we watch the other commuters brush past us, their pace pulpable and sickening. For that one hour of each day, we can literally slow down and watch the world rush by.

Wouldn't it be great if there were more moments like these?

Perhaps it is time for me to take a break from this daily rush I call life and reflect on what really is important to me. A retreat of sorts. No phone, no computer, no internet. Just me, my camera and a few canisters of film. And just watch the world go by.

Kentmere 400 in HC110 (1+31) 5min30sec