Spoon Loves Robots

I was looking at this photoset when I had the idea to look up places right here at home.

I found an interesting site, mostly telling me that a lot of really cool places are out there! Or… Were, lots of demolition going on. I asked a friend about some places downtown, and was led to the King Edward hotel. Apparently there are a few abandoned sections in there? Including a ballroom. I found a couple of these signs, and I got scared off. Next time I’m bringing somebody with more balls. (“I suggest a male.”)

Unsure of where to go next, I decided to walk in the general direction of the CN tower, trying to stay off the main streets. While I was there I was surprised at how many tourists will face rain to take an expensive elevator to the top of the tower. What else surprised me was paying $2 for the worst ice cream cone I’ve ever had.

Decided to wander towards the lake shore. It was raining just a bit, but the walking was keeping me warm. Walked around on the harbor, and wanted to get on the other piers, but it seemed to be protected? I didn’t investigate further, maybe next time I will, pretend one of those boats is mine. Just had my little photo shoot with this big sailboat I found.

Walked over to what seems to be the abandoned Canada Malts Co. building. Completely covered in fencing, barbed wire, and motion sensing lights. This would be a dream to sneak into though. After walking all the way around, and taking tons of pictures, I continued down the harbor. I wanted to walk farther down, all the way to Harbor front. But then it started coming down like crazy. I was completely soaked very quickly and there was no shelter around, just the new house built. I decided to get away from the lake as fast as possible.

What followed was a lot of walking. The good thing is I noted a lot of places for future exploring, as my will to sneak around buildings was diminishing. I decided to cut through an alley, and found a short ladder onto a roof, which I decided to check out. What I found was some really cute graffiti, lots of connecting roofs, and essentially a giant puddle. My shoes were already completely soaked through, so I didn’t care anymore. I climbed up to a bit of a higher roof, and found some cool skylights. I’m not a complete weakling after all! Wanted to search around more, but the buildings around were actually being used. Actually, what would they have done? Next time I’ll search around longer.

I was tired, and walked back towards the subway station I came from. Took lots of side trips down alleys to take pictures of future spots to explore, and eventually gave up and grabbed a bus. (With a very wet bus ticket, I add.) Soaking wet, I went home. It was a great day though, and I look forward to exploring more on a nicer day.

All links lead to my flickr photostream.

Things change, and I have to recognise that. So here are a few edits to my previous blog posts.

Starting with the TTC rant:

I haven’t been taking the bus for about a week, so I just found this wonderful new design on the buses. It’s not completely new, but they made the seats in the back of the bus, on the raised section much, much better. I was simply… Happy, when I saw them. More leg room, and they moved the seats around so now people CAN stand back there. It’s delicious, thank you TTC. I’m a happy rider.

Spoonifur.com blocked:

Now, I don’t know why… But spoonifur.com is no longer blocked at my school. Maybe somebody finally decided to check up on that? I had an email prepared to send out and everything, but I guess they got to it first. My pornographic deeds will once more be spread across my school network. Very, very nice.

A look into the future:

The last two weeks, and this current week have been increasingly taken up by the school show. When I’m not dead from all day rehearsals, and this week of actual shows, and the saturday giant clean up… I’ll write a post to remember the hor- amazing time I’ve been having.

Lastly, just enjoy the photoshop sketches. Any comic ideas I’ve had dissapear too quickly. Man, I hope this posts this time. Spoonifur.com has been acting weird.

The Toronto Transit Commission has done nothing to me personally, but their stupid decisions weigh down on me daily. Introducing, the brand new Toronto Hybrid-electric public bus. When I first saw it I thought it was quite stunning. And it is! The old buses needed some cleaning, and needed some redesigning. Of course there are many versions floating around of the new and old buses. (Some weird half-breeds, which are actually my favourite, but that is a different story.)

Already this “rant” is sounding too nice. Let me get real here, I hate these buses. If you look at my helpful diagram, you can see that those are stairs in the back of the bus. There are odly placed seats on these stairs. These seats have NO leg room. Especially the second last row. They must have used the smallest people in all of Toronto to build these. Do you know who takes the bus? Students. We take it a lot. We all have backpacks. Big, stupid, homework filled backpacks. So you sit on the bus with your bag, right? Do you put it on your lap, squishing yourself because of these stupid seats? Or maybe just sit with it on, that will work…No, no it won’t. Your knees will be pushed into hard molded plastic, or if you’re lucky the metal air conditioning vent. So the only way to sit properly is to lounge sideways, it’s very comfortable.

Until the ever lovely TTC promises you more buses! More drivers! More routes! And then they steal your bus. They stole my bus. It’s not a very long route to my house, we have 2 buses that come every 15 minutes. Sitting 15 minutes in the freezing cold bus depot can be annoying, but since it comes so often, you are guaranteed a double seat to lounge on. When they steal one of your buses, you have to wait half an hour in the cold, have your knees squished into the molded plastic, while the creepiest guy on the entire bus decides to sit beside you. All while the bus driver yells “MOVE BACK!”

Dear Bus Driver,

Standing on steps while a bus moves is very dangerous. There is a time and place for crowd surfing. A bus isn’t it. Though that would be really cool, it will probably never happen, in reality you will have a pile of angry bus riders in the back of your bus.

Suck it,

Bus Rider.

As a closing note, I would like to say something about etiquette.

If there is a huge line of people waiting half an hour for the bus, and you think you can walk to the front of the line as the bus is boarding and walk right on ahead of the rest of us, you are a douchebag.

If the subway is crowded, and you leave your bag on the seat while we stand, you are a douchebag. (Unless you’re that little old lady with a lot of groceries, you’re forgiven and I’m sorry.)

If that little old lady with groceries wants to sit, she gets to sit. It’s the rules, douchebag.

When the train stops, and the doors open, the people on the outside will part, letting the people inside out. If you and your 3 friends barge right in, you’re all douchebags.

So TTC, I hate you. (sometimes) (Especially those new metal benches. Canada is a cold place, metal benches mean a cold ass.)