A day full of firsts! I don't recall ever locking keys inside a vehicle or domicile. I have—mostly 2+ decades ago—run out of gas (multiple times), crashed cars, etc. Currently waiting on a CAA truck with an estimated arrival time of 5:15pm, ie 19 minutes from now. Hypothesis: CAA better than AAA…

👋🏻 from Guelph; my 1st visit. Here for a 2nd-hand Nintendo Alarmo—a gift for my kid; gifts this year tailored to help her deal w/ an inherited aversion to school & waking for it in the AM. I'm now free to do whatever until tonight; a Beijing friend living in Winnipeg is playing a gig in Toronto.

Scored an unexpected walk-up ticket to see Die Spitz at The Horseshoe Tavern on Queen Street West; they're on at 10pm & I'm now out maybe picking up some discount earplugs from a nearby drug store… and also a snack & a weird milk tea 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's my kid's 8th bday next week. I'll be returning to California on Monday as planned. I'm concerned about my airline baggage allowance, as I've acquired winter wear, gifts for the kid, Canadian catering for her birthday party & future school snacks… and my 3rd Toronto-sourced vintage folding bike:

Peak fancy breakfast achieved for this trip. I'm one of the few men at a very high-tea feeling brunch bistro—that also serves dinner, actually—called Tiarré's, at 1980 Queen Street East in The (chic/evolving) Beaches 'hood of Toronto. I got the pseudo-poutine farmhouse fry, w/ an egg over-medium. 👩🏽‍🍳💋

"A 58-acre ostrich farm in rural Canada becomes an unexpected battleground when bird flu triggers a clash between government agents, "Big Pharma", local farmers, and public health "skeptics." [RFK Jr] www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...

It's my kid's 8th bday next week. I'll be returning to California on Monday as planned. I'm concerned about my airline baggage allowance, as I've acquired winter wear, gifts for the kid, Canadian catering for her birthday party & future school snacks… and my 3rd Toronto-sourced vintage folding bike:

I'm c. 70% thru the most recent episode of @500songspodcast.bsky.social on PROUD MARY by Creedence Clearwater Revival, past where Andrew Hickey directs listeners to a definitive history of Bobbie Gentry's ODE TO BILLIE JOE—from COCAINE & RHINESTONES by @tylermahancoe.bsky.social—so got that queued:

A key reason to see a film on its opening night is to be able to arrive at opinions not influenced by word heard elsewhere about a film. So I typed out a reaction to THE RUNNING MAN (2025) on Letterboxd, & rightly labeled it as containing spoilers. If you see the film or def won't see it, alley oop:

I had, last Tues. night, serendipitously caught a test run of the #EatonCentre tree lighting ceremony—which was scheduled for unveiling at 6pm today. Better than the Rockefeller Center tree, IMHO, but the Fox News tree on fire in 2021 may have had it beat. shops.cadillacfairview.com/property/cf-...

“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein

《"I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is trump," Epstein wrote in a typo-riddled message to Maxwell in April 2011. "[Victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned." "I have been thinking about that ... " Maxwell replied.》 #GangOfPedophiles #Epstein

"Nobody knows what magnets are." -DJT, 11/11/25 "Water, fire, air, and dirt… fuckin' magnets, how do they work?" -Violent J of ICP, 2010 (This Colbert #ColdOpen was aired on January 8th, 2024, because the Insane Clown President has long been passionate about this topic.)

British-Hungarian author David Szalay's Flesh wins 2025 Booker Prize - live updates - BBC News share.google/h9nAJ95i0Q4u...

Makes the most sense if you read Musk’s response to a Daleks voice.

The Canadian tour of Mongolian maestros #Hanggai now officially underway. Their performance last night in Toronto validated the decision of many to go out into the Sunday evening snow to catch it. If you're in Montreal or Ottawa, they're coming your way soon. Go see 'em; wouldn't steer you wrong!

Neat cover I've never before heard of the Bobby Gimby Centennial Expo 67 CA-NA-DA song, w/ a video full of #Canadiana as well. Recording quality better than any upload I've ever heard of the original, it also merits mentioning. #CanCon

On 11/18/2016, Edgar Wright quote-posted this image in a thread about what film he'd want to remake. It's since been deleted, but his caption read 《Quiz: Future CNN headline or opening crawl from "The Running Man'? (via @micmehmet)》 I just booked Thurs. 11/13 tix for a Cineplex 4D theater <1km away

Viola Desmond's story was forgotten for years until her sister Wanda Robson brought it back to light with Graham Reynolds. Today, Desmond's civil rights fight is known nationwide, and she is on our $10 bill. This is her story. 🧵 1/12

Viola Desmond has been on the (vertical) $10 bill in Canada since 2018. www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/ba...

Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall Announce $30 Fall Ticket Sale

Which is something, considering what prices no doubt were in Chicago, what they'll be in Brooklyn, etc. A musician friend & I will walk literal blocks to attend this tonight, in the long sold-out GA section, so there early to jockey for position, I guess. A photo of the venue from this morning:

The Uyghur restaurant closest to my home in SoCal is ~100 miles (from Santa Barbara.) Now dining solo at a nice place within 5 minutes walk of my hosting friend's apartment here in the downtown of my longtime favorite city, Toronto. Leftovers assured, though, so will be taking these back to the host

Believing that Full J. Diaper swung all seven swing states after seeing last night’s results in NYC, Virginia, California, New Jersey, fucking Mississippi (!!) and beyond is like believing he’s into Teen Vogue for the articles

I'm in Canada at present, and coming across this image on Instagram just now was in fact how I learned of Dick Cheney's passing. So yeah, having a fine time up here, and happy for word of welcome / overdue developments in the homeland!

Quote post with your favorite reaction gif of all time *I can't find my fave old MSN gif on here, & my all-time fave has yet to be made. It would involve a simple animation of a modified Gadsen flag by @jesseduquette.bsky.social —ideally a red-hatted snake just wordlessly licking a boot. Useful!

Still plenty of availability, but the multi-room Good Night, Moon suite at the Sheraton Boston Hotel will cost $569/night minimum—any night btwn Jan. 4-8, specifically—and as much as $919 (the peak price thru the end of Feb. at this writing, for 1 week from now—Wednesday, the 12th…which is strange.)

STFU, RFK JR. www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

Thank you, New York City. Together we made history. Now let’s get to work. transition2025.com

Looking forward to learning all about how the right should move left to win elections tomorrow. They should maybe dye their hair pink, learn to love pronouns.

Good anecdotes from the US/Canada border? I've got a few, both 1st-person and involving friends. I figure others will have them too—stories involving circumstances and/or agents on either side (or both sides) welcome! Note that your answer may be reviewed by me/others as I cross into Canada today.

Just booked a newly-opened (sold-out until this AM) spot to join a friend who also has a spot at this #UrbanPlanning doc screening & panel discussion at U of T tomorrow evening: www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-social...

Hello from SBA; I showed up earlier than planned (and slept less—possibly related.) First time flying internationally since relaxation of various TSA rules, so aside from taking off my 4-pocketed shirt (in same blue worn by agents) not much going. Kept shoes & belt & glasses on; left laptop in bag.

If I don't reunite w/ either of the 2 pairs of specs I've ever been prescribed before my AM flight, I hope I don't get taken for too much on trying to get a 3rd w/ prescription in hand? Surely there's an established protocol for people who need glasses fast? In Toronto; should get for night driving…

Bell Arts Factory in Northern Ventura will host another evening of Día de los Muertos activities for the community this evening, from 4-8pm. My kid's school is having their big festival from 11-4, near Santa Barbara's Eastside Library. Both are free to attend; a bouncy castle wristband last year: $5

Last night I got to downtown Ventura too late to catch the #DiaDeLosMuertos festival (a daytime thing; I caught the Dodgers tying the WS game & putting crowd in a good mood, tho.) Visiting a 7-Eleven before driving home, I stumbled across the celebration at #BellArtsFactory & this band #CrystalTears

《Sesame Street moves to Netflix for Season 56, debuting with new episodes on November 10th. YouTube will launch a large Sesame Street episode library in January 2026 featuring full episodes.》 Will full episodes from early seasons be available on either platform? Hoping that is a "yes"… #WaitAndSee

Flying to Toronto early Mon. Bringing no winter clothes, despite planned travel onward to Montreal. Once there, will borrow/buy as possible/needed. Making shopping list for there, & things to bring—suggestions welcome. Also films geo-blocked in the US to watch, eg PAYING FOR IT, and GODDESS OF SLIDE

Pretty good timing on this new edition

Happy (51st?) Birthday, #HelloKitty! On deck: #CookieMonster, whose (59th?) birthday is November 2nd, and who has also been known by the names Wheel Stealer, Tiny, Arnold, Harry, and—most recently, & supposedly officially, but in a ret-con way—Sid.

In remembrance of Yoon-ha Noh, who presumably died while filming this #Caturday -appropriate video. #🪦 #🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #😸

H/T to he QP'd, also to @laughingsquid.com for having curated this Mighty Marvel Calendar in 2014 [the prev. year it synced; the pattern for the year jumps is 11-6-5-6… =28], & then curated the 1981 calendar—which will work again next year—in 2015. Now with comprehensive alt-text! Art still #GilKane

Still dark outside in SoCal, so it's still Halloween night. But also, the lessons here apply year-round—not least among them that Max Fleischer's genius wasn't entirely dependent on the Rotoscope; Betty Boop was his creation, & syncing animation w/ music one of his innovations: youtu.be/M3_KbMd-xQU

Hey, the Milk & Cheese sticker stretch goal has been reached on the A1 DEADLINE Kickstarter! Deadline was the UK home-away-from-home for M&C, I also did some original Hectic Planet stories for the magazine. The Deadline years were gold for M&C and me and it's good to see the revival funded.

Happy make your own shrunken head day to all those that celebrate

Here with your Halloween / Samhain #TOTP content; #RubyFlipper had two male dancers, and was the immediate predecessor of the all-female #LegsAndCo, which took over in 1976. #TubularBells by The Champ's Boys Orchestra:

I started to rewatch HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH last night for the 1st time since my HBO childhood, & fell asleep as I tend to do. When I relocated to a bed, I cued up a RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR HORROR PODCAST NO. 9 ep about it, & fell asleep again. Podcast great, so I must have been tired!

If I hear another "Where's Thing 2?" before noon, I'm gonna… need a better answer to this obvious question, I guess. With that said, I have this morning already run into Thing 6 & Thing 7, & it took me a minute to connect the idea there to the primary school mileu—@my kid's school's Halloween parade

R.I.P., #KitKat. I took this photo of him last year. #SanFrancisco #Waymo

The New York Times with a rare win