Assessment.

I am having an excellent summer.

That's my only excuse for not writing for the last, er, 8 months. Either way, here's WHY things are pretty rad right about now.



I'm getting married in less than 5 weeks. The project of the wedding is unlike anything I've undertaken in my life, ever. I know that in the end it'll be rewarding, but in the meantime, balancing the needs of family, friends, florists and rabbis is an intense challenge. It goes without saying (but I'll do it anyways) that I'm immensely excited about the prospect of spending my life with a certain Ms Leah Rajesky. We have plans. Lots of them. Big ones that will dwarf the effort of getting married...but for now, eye on the prize. The day(s) (because there's never just ONE), the party, the crying my eyes out in front of everyone I love for hours and hours. I'm a sensitive type.


Photo by News46.

This summer has also reminded me how much I love my new(est) home. Toronto never ceases to impress upon me how diverse and open minded and beautiful it can be. It's fast and crazy and up all night and doesn't stop all day. I plow through traffic on my bike every day, weaving in and out, sucking in smog and exhaust and I don't wish I was anywhere else. I've spent afternoons on islands, nights on beaches, early mornings in misty ravines - and I'm never more than 30 minutes from my front door.

My feet have led the way, literally. Little did you (or I, before 6 months ago) know that in me lies a sleepy athlete. It's slowly awakening, and I've started to love exercise. It's insane. I bike to work every single day, rain or shine. I've been running upwards of 20km a week for the last 3 months. For a while before it got nice out, the gym was the place I'd go first thing in the morning and love watching the collective effort of feeling just as good as I did about sweating my ass off. The last of my teenage baggage (the physical, that is. The emotional took flight a while back, thank god.) is falling off of me. I feel amazing.

My job is also ruling. It's like getting to hang out with all your friends and talk music all day, and then you get to go hang with them, at gigs or parties or whatever...five days a week. The festival season has brought good times too...Edgefest was the same it was when I was 17. Full of sweaty teenagers and 90s rock. An admittedly fun timewarp. The Picnic at Fort York (aka) was a massive step up and forward from last year. Mega kudos for great shows in shite weather. Hillside was as it was last year, mellow vibes and full of stunning performances.

Speaking of...Toronto also keeps bringing the jams. I've seen some amazing shows this summer...10 shows that stood out, in no order:

-Nomo @ The Elmo: WTF is post-afrobeat? Nomo knows. I learned. You should too.
-The Bug @ The Drake: Heaviest dub/reggae throwdown in recent memory. The walls were sweating.
-Bon Iver @ Lee's: I've never seen a crowd hang on every note like that night. It was moving.
-Arkells @ NXNE/Horseshoe: This band will force itself into your ears in 2009 if not sooner.
-Leonard Cohen @ Hummingbird Centre: Still reeling, 3 months later. The legend did not disappoint.
-Propagandhi @ The Phoenix: 15 years of being a fanboy and they kill me every single time.
-Danton Eeprom @ MUTEK: I'd never heard of him and his techno tore my mind in half.
-Municipal Waste @ Opera House: Thrash is reborn, and it's about bloody time.
-Lee "Scratch" Perry @ Harbourfront: Another legend who did no wrong. People lost their shit.
-Gonzales @ St. Lawrence Centre: Weird dude puts on a weird (brilliant, eclectic, bizzare) show. Immense enjoyment ensues.

That's my summer in a nutshell. Wedding. Running. Rocking. It's been the best in years. Travel to see friends in Vancouver and Montreal, cottage weekends, rooftop tall cans, lazy beach Sundays...I'll do my best to try to write more, but I can't help the delays. I'm drowning in how good life is.