Tag: Toronto

Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

Tonight is the end of an era, albeit one that many Toronto sports fans (particularly CFL fans) have struggled with over the last 27 years. Tonight the Toronto Argonauts play their last game at the Rogers Centre (formerly – and forever to me – known as SkyDome). I was at the first game at SkyDome on July 12, 1989, and I will be there tonight at the last game. In between those dates I’ve seen around 70% of the Canadian football games played there (including Vanier Cups and Metro Bowl finals but not including the Bills in Toronto series or the NCAA games). I’ve been feeling nostalgic today and reading some of the articles about the best memories at SkyDome including this one by the very talented Andrew Bucholtz, Mike Hogan’s trip down memory lane, and this one from the Toronto Star that focuses on Michael “Pinball” Clemons’ memories of the stadium where he played his entire CFL career and still calls home as Vice Chairman of the Argos.

I’d like to start by addressing the elephant in the room, the notion that Sky Dome / Rogers Centre is not a good place for football. While it’s not one of my favourite places to have watched a game, it’s not at the bottom of the list either. Multi-purpose stadiums (especially ones that convert between baseball and football) are never going to have the same great sight-lines as somewhere like Ford Field that was built for football and football alone. I agree that in the first few seasons, before the team got their act together, there were some truly awful seats available for football. I would know, my family’s seasons’ tickets were moved from being really amazing at Exhibition Stadium to being horrible at SkyDome. The first 10 rows in the 100 level don’t have enough of a slope and left fans staring at the back of players on the sidelines instead of the action on the field. The team eventually realized this and covered up those seats with banners. Apart from that, the SkyDome is not a horrible place to watch football. Sure there have been times when it is agonizingly empty, but that has less to do with the stadium itself and more to do with the people running the organization / marketing and a bad on field product. Toronto football fans are fickle and when the team is crap, they make their opinions known.

That said, some of the most passionate CFL fans I know are Toronto Argonauts fans. People who, like myself, have been there through thick and thin, and have felt the highs of winning a Grey Cup at home in 2012, and the lows of 3-15 seasons (1993 and 2009 are the two I remember as being horrible – though nobody really cared too much about 1993 since the Jays won the World Series that year). Don’t believe anyone who tells you that Torontonians don’t like football. They do, but in recent years scheduling woes have made figuring out when the team plays a challenge. The team had a playoff game re-scheduled for a Wiggles Concert in 2004, were forced to have games on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the past 5 seasons (hardly a typical night for a football game), and this season were forced to play home games away from home by both the PanAm Games and the Blue Jays’ playoff run. With Rogers Communications buying the Blue Jays in 2000 and the SkyDome in 2004 (renaming it the Rogers Centre in 2005), the Argos have been given the short end of the stick many times. In 2009, the Argos had to play a game without the availability of Alcohol (and that was the season where fans really needed a drink) because of Rogers Centre infractions. What made it worse was that there were 2 Blue Jay games affected by the suspended liquor license but baseball fans were allowed to trade their tickets in for another game while Argo fans were not.

Even with the frustrations of the past decade, the SkyDome has been a good home to the team for the past 27 seasons. The 2012 Grey Cup, won by the hometown Toronto Argonauts had an electric atmosphere and the fans who packed the stadium were loud and proud.

For the past 18 years, I have been attending Argos home games as a member of Argonotes, the official band of the Toronto Argonauts. For someone like me, who adores football and music, the band has been an amazing part of my life. It allows me to combine two of my passions and the people in the band are some of the most fantastic people I know. Skydome has been Argonotes’ home since the band came into being in 1995. Over the years, we’ve played in different locations from section 124, to the stage in the end zone (my favourite location ever), to our current “not real seats but amazing view of the game” seats. Not that the pleasure of listening to us is restricted to those with seats within earshot. Nope, we’re an equal opportunity band and wander the stadium (usually during the 3rd quarter of the game) and entertain the fans [except the 200 level where we haven’t played in a couple of years because some people complained that we were annoying them]. The band has been a big part of the game day experience in some years, and almost forgotten in other years but the fans always get a show at gate 2 after the game. Win (Argos Rule!) or lose (Heartbreak Hotel), the band plays a post-game concert after every home game. I’m going to miss our gate 2 concerts almost as much as our beloved pregame ritual of playing in bars and restaurants along Front Street on our way to the SkyDome from our meeting point at Front and Simcoe Streets. Most of the bars love us, some forget to tell their weekend managers that this happens (which is always fun – the look of shock on the hostess’ face at Lonestar one Sunday afternoon was priceless), and some demand we not play on the stairs close to their restaurant located at the base of the CN tower.

Argonotes outside gate 2 – our traditional post game concert location

Starting next season, the Argos will have new ownership and a new home at BMO Field. I’m excited for an open-air stadium experience, thrilled to be getting away from the scheduling nightmare that has been part of the Argos’ season of late, but also sad that all of my familiar landmarks (and favourite stadium food) won’t be part of my game day experience anymore. The memories, and there are so very many of them, will continue to live on though. Whether it was Pinball’s Last Run in September of 2000, Rickey Foggie’s amazing game in 1990 (7 touchdowns and 100 yards – and he was the BACKUP quarterback), the hometown heroics of the 2012 Grey Cup, Rocket Ismail’s 87 yard kickoff return int he 1991 East Final, or watching Doug Flutie and Pinball Clemons join forces in the 1997 Eastern Final to lead the Argos to the Grey Cup, the SkyDome will always have a place in my heart. Next season, marks a new era for the Toronto Argonauts, one that will hopefully return the excitement the city used to feel about the oldest professional sports team in North America still playing under its original name (and the oldest professional football team in North America). BMO field will be the Argos’ 5th home in the team’s 143 year history and I’m hopeful that the team will re-capture some of the magic I remember from Exhibition Stadium.

Tonight, however, I’m heading into Toronto, making the familiar turns towards the SkyDome, meeting up with the band at Front and Simcoe, doing a little bar crashing on the way into SkyDome, playing during breaks in the game (and watching the game when it’s on), and heading outside for one last Gate 2 post game concert, trying to pack a few more SkyDome memories into my heart. ARRRRRGOOOOOOSSSSSS!

Photo (I think) by Wayne Dawe – from Argonotes.com. Our pre-game warmup spot in warmer weather circa 2002. That parking lot is now a condo building.

November 6, 2015
A great night out with Art Tonite

A great night out with Art Tonite

When I was invited to check out Art Tonite by my friend Hollie, I was excited but also somewhat trepidatious. I’m not an artist, not by a longshot. I prefer to do my painting with words. My grandmother, now she was an artist. We have some of her paintings hanging in the house and they’re stunning. People routinely ask who painted them, expecting a famous artist’s name and I love telling them that it was my grandmother who painted them. The artistic gene seems to have been passed down to one of my cousins, but it missed me completely. I had a miserable time in art classes in school. They usually required copying a drawing or technique which was all but impossible with my learning disability. The only way I copied anything was by memorizing it (it is still the only way for me to copy information reliably) and while I was very adept at memorizing words, and to a lesser extent numbers, but paintings? Not so much. I remember being in tears trying to follow a “Learn to draw Archie” page in a comic book when I was 10 or 11. I was trying my best, but it looked nothing like America’s favourite red-headed teen. I recruited a friend to come with me to the event, and she conveniently lived just down the street from the venue. I had a nice dinner with her and 2 of her kids before heading out to Art Tonite. We entered the venue and followed the signs downstairs to where the basement of Pappas Grill had been transformed. There were easels, paints, and blank canvasses on all of the available table space. There was also an exemplar on display. My heart sunk. There was no way I was going to be able to copy it.

This was what we were supposed to paint.

The event included food and drink, so I grabbed a glass of white wine to stop me from turning and running out. I said hello to some people I knew from different social media events (mostly BlissDom Canada), and got caught up and tried to convince myself it didn’t matter if my painting sucked. Except it did. After about 40 minutes of socializing, the announcement was made to make our way to a canvas and get ready to paint. I started to panic on the inside. I felt like I was about to commit a crime against art. Then the lead artist took the microphone. I was expecting everyone to paint the same thing at the same time, with the instructors helping as needed. I was half right. The first thing our lead artist did was introduce the team of artists who would be wandering between the tables helping us create our ‘masterpieces’ . There were more of them than I thought, which was good. Then we were told we could either re-create our own version of the painting on display or, if the muse struck us, paint something else. I was saved. Well, sort of . I knew I couldn’t copy the painting, but I also didn’t have a clue what I wanted to paint. I love nature scenes, and have taken some really nice photos up at our cottage in Haliburton, so I reached for my BlackBerry and started scanning through photos until I found one I wanted to base my painting off of. I know the landscape around the lake very well as I’ve been there for part of almost every summer since I was born. I figured if any location had ingrained itself in my memory, it would be a lake / cottage picture. Having chosen the image upon which I wanted to base my artwork, I sat and stared at the blank canvas for a good five minutes. It was *so* white, and blank, and ohmygoodness what if I made a mistake? Luckily one of the assistants came by and asked if she could help. I explained that I’d chosen a different route than what most of the room was doing, still not quite believing that this was kosher, and she was very enthusiastic about it. She helped me figure out where to start and assured me that there was very little that I could do that would completely ruin the canvas, or that couldn’t be corrected. I painted, nibbled, sipped, and chatted for the next hour and a half. There were a few points where I got stuck – like how to do the water properly and how to make the clouds look like clouds instead of white blobs – but one of the instructors or assistants were always quick to come over and offer advice or demonstrate a technique and help me out. I got frustrated a few times, but that was more with my own artistic limitations and the fact that I couldn’t get an aspect of my painting to look the way I wanted it to, but didn’t know how to describe it to the instructors for help. At the end of the night, this is what I ended up with.

My finished painting. It has a tree, like the exemplar, and some clouds, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Once I was done, I got up to move around and check out everyone else’s paintings. I was one of 5 or 6 people (most sitting in my row) who had gone against the grain and painted something completely different. Many people had their own take on the exemplar though, such as the ultra talented Christella whose lovely additions really brought the painting to life.

I love how Christella added flowers to the tree and swapped the colours around to make it feel softer. The motion in the swing makes me feel like a child has just jumped off and out of the picture.

Everyone had made the painting their own somehow. We’d all had a great night, had some drinks, some amazing food, and created something with our own hands. I wish my art classes in school had been more like Art Tonite; if they had been, I might have taken some art classes in high school. If you’re in the Toronto area and are looking for a fun night out with friends, go to their website and check out the dates (and art) for the next public event, or book a private event as a celebration.

May 24, 2015
The Book Lover’s Ball – After Dark

The Book Lover’s Ball – After Dark

I’m a classic introvert – I love to spend an evening curled up with a good book and with my BlackBerry at my side. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy going out but it’s not something I *have* to do. Still, when my awesome friend Wanda Lynne Young posted a contest for the Book Lover’s Ball After Dark party on the Bookalicious blog on the Yummy Mummy Club website I had to enter. I’ve spent many a day at the Toronto Reference Library and the chance to spend an evening there was too good to pass up!

I didn’t win the tickets, but then the winner couldn’t make it and suddenly I could go! I had less than 6 hours’ notice to get ball ready but rushing around made for an even more exciting evening.

Book Lover’s Ball Programme

I arrived just as the party was starting, in fact those who had attended the dinner before hand were still eating so I took the opportunity to wander around and check out the main floor. The first ‘character’ I met was Harry Potter – appropriately doing some magic tricks. I chatted with him for a bit and went to sample some of the food and drink on offer.

The signature cocktail for the evening was the Book Lover’s Ball 10th Anniversary Old-Fashioned. It was sophisticated and very tasty. The sliders were excellent, the mini pulled pork divine, and the desserts were sumptuous and small enough that I could sample more than one.

I checked out the Adopt a branch library and pop up store where there were some seriously cute book totes and other merchandise available with a donation to the Toronto Public Library . I went to the Digital Innovation Hub and talked to some very knowledgeable people about the 3D printers and learned about 3D printing at the Toronto Public Library. I watched a few people have a 3D scan of themselves done too – it is really cool technology. I wandered through the TD Gallery’s Freedom City exhibit – while I was waiting for Wanda to be finished with dinner and my friend who was arriving separately to arrive.

Then I met up with Wanda and we had our picture taken in the photo booth. (I’d like to state for the record that the photo was not my idea, You all know I’m not a fan of having my picture taken but I couldn’t say no to Wanda). We refreshed our drinks and watched the dancing on the dance floor for a few minutes while deciding where to go next. After finding a few more people for our group, including Wanda’s lovely sister Kara, we went up to the 5th floor for the Library Mystery tour. What a surprise to find Doctor Watson in the Arthur Conan Doyle Room. The room is a vision of Sherlock Holmes’ study at 221 B Baker street and it is furnished to look like it is 1895. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. I have read every one of his adventures multiple times, have seen most of the TV / Movie incarnations of the famous detective and have been to the Arthur Conan Doyle Room a few times while on scholarly visits to the Baldwin Room (Where the Canadiana is held). The Arthur Conan Doyle room never fails to impress me with the sheer magnitude of the collection. There are thousands of items in a relatively small space. Doctor Watson was ever so helpful to everyone, explaining the 4 special items on display.

The 4 items on display in the Arthur Conan Doyle Room: Clockwise from top Left: Beeton’s Christmas Annual 1887 – Sherlock’s first appearance in print, Angels of Darkness – a handwritten manuscript of a play written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (immaculate handwriting!), Hound of the Baskervilles Mini Dog Shaped book, First edition of the Hound of the Baskervilles (The most famous of the Sherlock stories)

These items were on the table with a Toronto Reference Library staff member on hand to answer questions and tell us some details about the collection. With some exceptions, books are not expensive collectables – most can be found for under a thousand dollars, but the sheer number of books in the Arthur Conan Doyle room – different editions of the beloved stories from around the world – is staggering. Sherlock finally made an appearance and posed for some pictures with his adoring public.

Sherlock poses with a fan

I reluctantly left the Arthur Conan Doyle Room (I could spend a month in there!) and went and looked at the other rare books on display, before heading back down to the second floor to try out the Celebrity Author Speed Scrabble. After a quick stop for some popcorn in the TD Library Lounge, we explored the Book Pod Gallery. There were 5 Pods, each depicting a piece of Canadian Literature. They were stunningly lit up for the event (I must admit that The Handmaid’s Tale one was a little spooky!) and I’m proud to say that I’ve read all the books depicted in them.

The Handmaid’s Tale Pod

Life of Pi

The Orenda

You Are Here

The Hockey Sweater

Having woven our way through the book pods, we found ourselves at the Celebrity Author Speed Scrabble. Our opponent was Andrew Pyper – and as we sat down to our 5 minute battle, he told us that he was win-less that evening. I felt bad for him, but not bad enough to throw a game of Scrabble! We started off with an 80 point bingo and the game went downhill from there. He was very gracious in defeat. I have since read one of his books and feel a bit worse about beating him so soundly.

Wanda, Andrew Pyper and I before the match began. Photo credit to Kara from karabana.blogspot.com

I was hoping to meet Jennifer Robson since I adored her books Somewhere in France and After the War is Over or Marissa Stapley, whose book Mating For Life, I had read for a Bookalicious Book club chat, but in hindsight it would have been harder to destroy them at Scrabble.

After our 5 minute game of scrabble (that lasted a few extra minutes since it was the final one of the night), I went over to the Prose Store. I got a custom piece of poetry from the Spontaneous Prose Store. I love the idea of this. Kaile H. Glick (the spontaneous prose writer) was sitting at a table with her typewriter, some carbon paper, and some sticky labels. I went up to her, chatted a bit, and then she asked what I’d like my prose to be about. At a loss, I tossed out Doctor Who. (It’s my general fall back and a good test of a person’s geek credentials). She smiled and started typing. I adore the sound of words being written on a typewriter, past experience has taught me that I should not use a typewriter as I like to rearrange words and not have to rewrite the whole piece, but I appreciate the sound of others typing. Two minutes later, this is what she came up with:

The spontaneous prose on Doctor Who

The fact that there are smudges from the carbon paper makes it even more excellent. If you want some spontaneous prose of your own, Kaile has a website where you can order her books and even book her for your own event!

My next stop in the prose store was the Type Face Literary portrait. There was a good half hour wait for this, so my friend Heidi and I got to catch up which is always awesome. The time flew by and it was my turn to be interviewed by Matthew J. Trafford. We talked for a few minutes about what I liked to do, and I was the first one all night to have a pet which excited him to no end. Then I went back and talked with my friends for a few more minutes. Then I was handed an envelope. Which I opened immediately, because I was curious. (Heidi was doing her interview while I was opening my envelope). Matthew has a way with words that I seldom see in a quick write, he only had time for one draft and then he copied it out on the good paper ready for framing. This is what he came up with:

My Literary Portrait. I think it fits me well.

By this time it was after midnight and so, like Cinderella, I had to leave the ball. After getting my winter gear at coat check, I stopped off at the Bedtime Stories booth for a warm cup of hot chocolate before heading back into the cold, and got a new book to read courtesy of Harlequin. My only regret on the night was that it wasn’t long enough. I hope the Toronto Public Library Foundation hosts another After Dark party next year. If you’re a bibliophile like me, this is a can’t miss event.

March 3, 2015
Science really does Rock!

Science really does Rock!

As a kid, one of my favourite places to go in Toronto was the Ontario Science Centre. Between the bouncy bridge, the electrostatic ball that made my hair stand up (mine went straight up and out to both sides), making paper, and the machine that said “coffee” in different pitches, it was a great place to spend a day. I went with school, with my parents, and with Girl Guides – usually at least a couple of times every year. Then when I was a teenager, I didn’t go as often – and when I did go I was helping out with younger cousins or my Brownie unit. As an adult, my experience with the Science Centre has been as a leader with Girl Guides (which includes 2 “Sleepovers” with my Brownie unit which mainly consisted of me chasing down 7 year olds who didn’t want to sleep at 3 am and trying / failing to convince them to go back to their sleeping bags) and taking my friends’ kids around the exhibits. While I won’t do another sleepover soon (my Pathfinders prefer to camp and are too old for the official “Sleepover at the Science Centre” program), I have quite enjoyed taking my friends’ kids to the Science Centre. The one problem I’ve had is that the while the Ontario Science Centre has a lot of exhibits that are of interest to adults, it can be hard to see them and almost impossible to interact with them when there are kids around. I mean I’m not going to push a little kid out of the way so that I can play with a fun exhibit – that’s a jerk move if ever there was one. Besides, it’s hard to enjoy the exhibit when you’re also watching to make sure that little Janey doesn’t disappear again or that little Johnny isn’t punching the kid behind him in line. [Please tell me I’m not the only one this happens to out in public]

All of this is why, whenI heard about ScienceRocks! at the Ontario Science Centre I knew I had to go check it out. ScienceRocks! is a chance for adults (19 + as there is alcohol available for sale) to explore the amazing Science of Rock and Roll exhibit without any children present. I got a couple of girlfriends together and we met up at the Science Centre not sure what to expect but hoping for a fun girls night out at the very least. We were clearly not the only ones with this idea, and a number of couples seemed to have chosen the event as a great place for date night. If you have only been to the Science Centre with kids in tow, you need to come and see it after dark. There is something about walking through the Science Centre sipping on a gin and tonic that makes you feel like a rebel.

The Keytar is from the 1980s time capsule.

There were so many things to do that I stayed for the whole event (which runs from 7pm-midnight). I didn’t get a chance to see the IMAX movie about the Rolling Stones (but am aiming for it this time). I did, get a rock and roll makeover courtesy of The Beauty Team. It was amazing. I sat in the audience and listened to League of Rock do a few numbers (though if you’re more ambitious than I am, you can actually play with them). I watched and participated in a presentation on neuroscience and music where we had to clap out different rhythms at different tempos. I ate some of the Fleetwood Mac n’ Cheese (topped with pulled pork – it was amazing). Then, after taking in all of the various attractions, I headed into the main exhibit. The Science of Rock and Roll exhibit has something for everyone! I loved the history exhibits with artifacts from different decades in rock history. The reactables were a lot of fun to play with and distort all the music and see what effect changing the balance or the instrumentation has on a piece of music. The hands on demo with the different instruments that make up a typical rock band was a ton of fun – I especially enjoyed the left handed bass guitar. All the adults lined up nicely to take turns and nobody felt bad about trying things out because we weren’t taking time away from a kid who wanted a turn.

All in all it was one of the most fun nights out I’ve had in a long time. Sorry you missed it? Don’t be – there is still one more ScienceRocks! Adults Only night left – Thursday September 18th! The event on the 18th features all of the fun of the earlier dates plus a ukulele choir (I have to admit, this intrigues me). There is a hands on session where you can make your own cigar box guitar to take home which looks pretty awesome. The headliners for the evening are Steve Cropper and Jonny Rosch. I’m looking forward to finding out what Johann Sebastian Joust is all about. It sounds fun.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door for non members and $12 in advance or $14.40 at the door for members. Parking is free.

For more information and to purchase tickets, head to the Ontario Science Centre website.

September 10, 2014
Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been blogging over at my other blog Adventures with my BlackBerry for the last few months. I’m going to have another wrap up there but from the technological side of things – how my BlackBerry helped me make connections and made my conference experience more enjoyable. This is more about the experience I had at She’s Connected (or SCCTO which was the twitter hashtag for the event), what I learned, and the great people I met.

Overall, I had a great time at She’s Connected. The getting up at the crack of dawn wasn’t something I was looking forward to but I had great carpool with Courtney and Jacki and not only did we get to the hotel an hour before the conference breakfast was supposed to start, the fabulous people at the Renaissance Hotel were able to check us into our room super early (at 7am) so that we didn’t have to come back later and check in or try to do it after the conference when we were tired etc. I have to say that the Renaissance is a fabulous hotel, and I wish I’d spent more than just one night there! I’d go back for Grey Cup in the blink of an eye but it’s definitely out of my price range!

I learned a lot about myself at the conference. I learned I can be funny and witty in real life even with strangers and when I’m scared to death that I’ll say something stupid and they will write me off as a moron. I learned that mink eyelashes are pretty cool and very dramatic but take a long time to get used to. I learned that having a professional do a blow out on my hair leads to the same result as me doing one – flat hair in less than an hour! Not that the stylist from Blo wasn’t really good, but my hair is stupid that way. It looked fabulous for the hour, but then it was just messy and full of product. I learned that I really get a kick out of people complementing me on my business cards (which were super fabulous thanks to Lindsay from Grace Announcements).

The sessions were amazing. It’s impossible to pick just one to single out as the best. One of the best part of the sessions was that the panelists and speakers were more than willing to meet and speak with the attendees after the panels. There were 2 time slots in which I couldn’t find a session that I really wanted to attend, one on Friday and one on Saturday. This worked out pretty well because it gave me a chance to hang out in the McCafe lounge and get my nails painted and enjoy a chair massage. On Friday I got to hang out in the Molson 67 lounge and learn about pairing Beer and Cheese. This was really awesome and I’m never going back to wine and cheese again.

Beer and cheese = nature’s perfect pairing.

I learned a lot about trying to find a niche in the overcrowded world of online writing, editing and social media. I got some awesome advice from awesome people. I got to meet people with whom I’ve been tweeting and BBMing for over a year. I learned that if I love blogging (and I do) I should keep doing it. That getting a chance at a community manager position isn’t as impossible a dream as I thought it would be and that some brands and agencies are okay with paying bloggers.

I missed the Friday ’80s Party because I wanted to go watch the ~~Argos Lose~~ Argo game and play with Argonotes. I love playing with the best band in the CFL. Even when the team loses, we get to go out and entertain thousands of people. I did, however, stick around for the Shades of Grey party on Saturday night. There’s not a lot to say about that Party other than wow. I got gel nail polish put on – it’s supposed to last 2 weeks and so far it’s lasted through me digging in sand and typing so I’m impressed. The food was delicious! It’s A Cake Thing made some of the best cookies and cupcakes that I’ve ever had! They looked as good as they tasted.

The Shades of Grey Cupcakes

All in all it was a great 2 days. I’m glad it was only 2 days because I was exhausted at the end of the party. I know I’ve missed some wonderful people and things in this wrap up but the point is, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go again next year.

October 24, 2012
The Camera Question Part II – PlayBook Edition

The Camera Question Part II – PlayBook Edition

One of the best features of my BlackBerry PlayBook is its portability. I didn’t want a tablet I’d need a separate bag to lug around. I wanted something truly portable. With its 7 inch display, the PlayBook fits in my purse, meaning I can take it pretty much anywhere I go. Case in Point – I went to the Honda Indy Toronto on July 6th. The Toronto area Honda dealers all get together and sponsor the Friday at the Indy so that fans get onto the grounds and into the grandstands for free. It’s an awesome promotion and a great way for people who wouldn’t be able to afford to go otherwise. I was going primarily to watch a driver I’ve known for most of his life, James Hinchcliffe, race in the GoDaddy car. The Indy Cars go in excess of 100 miles per hour so catching them on film isn’t easy. I decided that instead of using a digital camera, I would try to take pictures on my BlackBerry Bold 9900 and my PlayBook.

%{include image.html url=“/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/img_00000037.jpg” alt=“a bright green Indycar turns around a corner on the racetrack at the Honda Indy Toronto with the red Honda bridge visible in the background of the shot” description=“James Hinchcliffe on Track”}

That would be James on track at full speed. I was surprised at just how good the camera on the playbook was at taking pictures of objects moving quickly! The quality of the ones on my bold were just as good. I love me a good camera.

August 28, 2012
Sponsorship Questions

Sponsorship Questions

I’ve been invited to attend the She’s Connected Conference in Toronto in September. I’m really excited to go because I want to learn how to make my blog and Twitter and Facebook accounts more relevant. In the last few days the excitement has started to be co-mingled with trepidation (yes it’s a $20 word but I love it so I’m using it). I’ve seen a lot of the other attendees actively seek wardrobe, travel, or shoe sponsors for the event. Lord knows I’d love to have someone pay for the hotel room for #SCCTO – Money isn’t a luxury I have a lot of right now, but I’m wary because I’m not sure I want to sell myself to do it. Right now, whenever I endorse something on Twitter, Facebook, or here, it’s because i use it and genuinely like it. I won a new Blackberry Bold 9900 on Twitter in July. I entered the #BB7FanNight Contest and won. I got to go to a really fancy launch party and play with all of the new devices that use the BB7 OS and choose one. I received it on Friday an tweeted that I love it. I really do love it. It has a touch screen and a keyboard and it’s really easy to use.   There were no terms in the contract that said I had to tweet about how much I loved it – I gave Blackberry PR the right to use the tweets I entered the contest with in their advertising campaign, they liked one of the entries, I won a new Blackberry.   If I hated the device I would say that, but I don’t.

Incidentally I also won a pair of Skullcandy ROCNATION headphones at the BB7FanNight event and I love them too. I’ve been looking for a new pair of headphones for awhile, and the ROCNATIONs in addition to looking really cool (they came with a cloth to make sure the outside stayed shiny!) are incredibly comfortable too.   The only problem may be that they’re TOO good – when I tried to do some transcription off of a cassette tape they conveyed every hiss and crackle of the tape! I had heard of Skullcandy headphones before but figured they were too ‘hip’ for me – now I don’t care – I just love them.

I have an iphone that I got from my best friend. I like it a lot too – but there are some things about it that drives me nuts. I’m sure after I use the new Bold9900 for a year, there will be things that drive me nuts about them too. If I were to be offered a sponsorship by Blackberry, would I be free to voice any concerns I had about my device?

I’m afraid that if I enter into a relationship with a brand to get sponsorship for a conference, it will force me to not be honest about my opinions of products. I like to support local companies and failing that, Canadian companies. but I’m not willing to support a company that has crap products. I want my friends to know that when I recommend something (like I did with the Adult Essentials vitamins this week to a group of friends) that I actually use and enjoy the product.   I’m still pretty new to the whole brands and blogs thing, but I’m not sure I’m willing to sell my soul for the price of a hotel room.

August 28, 2011
Venturing into Enemy Territory

Venturing into Enemy Territory

Every fan of a CFL team needs to go on a road trip with their team at least once in their lifetime. It may not be feasible to go and see your team in every CFL city but hopefully you can go to the one closest to you. It truly is an unforgettable experience.

For starters, just getting to Hamilton is an adventure in one way streets, streets that suddenly end, and road closures. So much fun. It’s almost like they don’t want opposing fans to find the stadium.

There is no real, designated parking lot near the stadium, instead you get to drive up and down all the streets around Ivor Wynne and (in my case) settle on a street in a not too bad in daylight but sketchy as all get out neighbourhood and walk for 15 minutes to the stadium. At least it was free.

The game day experience is truly awesome though. Granted I didn’t wear my Argo blues until I was safely in the stadium and sitting with other Argo fans. As a female walking on my own, it just wasn’t worth the hassle.

95% of Hamilton fans are great people out for fun at a game. The other 5% are drunken jerks who are not really football fans so much as they are drinking fans. These are the ones who have already put back 4 or 5 beers before they get to the stadium, consume another 4 during the game (what happened to not being served if you were intoxicated?) and then resume drinking when they are either ejected from the stadium or after the game. I like to actually watch a football game and remember that I was there, so I don’t get the whole “how much can I drink before, during and after the game” philosophy.

About 5 minutes into the game, the heavens opened up a bit. It rained fairly steadily for about 15 minutes. That’s the beauty of outdoor football people! I brought a rain poncho for myself and at the last-minute had stuck in a package of the disposable ponchos – which came in handy. The amusing thing was that all the Ti-cat fans around us ran for the exits to get out of the rain while the Toronto fans stuck it out. Shouldn’t it have been the other way around since the Argo fans are used to the comfort of the ~~Rogers Centre~~ Skydome? I love football outside – although I would think twice about bringing my piccolo out to play in the band when it would get rained on.

Halftime included an awesome tribute to Bernie Custis, a true football pioneer. Custis was the first African-American quarterback to play in the CFL. After an outstanding collegiate career with the Syracuse Orangemen, Custis was told that he could not play the position he had excelled at. The Cleveland Browns, one of the more progressive teams in the NFL, told Custis that if he wanted to play, he would have to convert to be a running back. Custis declined, and instead headed north to Canada. As he said last night, in Canada he had the freedom that he had lacked in the US. Freedom to play the position he excelled at regardless of the colour of his skin. Custis earned the starting position in his first year in the CFL and went on to play 8 more seasons with the Tiger Cats. As the first African-American quarterback in professional football, Custis blazed a path that many have followed. Without Custis there would be no Damon Allen, no Henry Burris, no Warren Moon. If Bernie Custis had simply accepted the position change to running back, who knows when the next opportunity for an African-American quarterback would have arrived. A truly remarkable man with a great story. There is a documentary film coming out in the new year and I can’t wait to watch the story of this hall-of-fame quarterback!

The PA announcer at Ivor Wynne does a great job of getting the fans into the game. Toronto could learn a lot from the Ti-cats in this regard. Even the amusing scoreboard animation when there was a video review got the fans geared up and making noise. I was glad I brought earplugs, and not just because I was sitting between two Argo fans with very loud noisemakers. There weren’t a lot of Argo fans in the stands at Ivor Wynne – but the ones who made the trip down the QEW made sure the team knew they were there!

The atmosphere in Ivor Wynne Stadium is a lot more electric than at the Rogers Centre. The fans may be chanting “Argos Suck” or some other equally inventive cheer but they’re loud and they’re proud. Toronto fans could take a lesson from their Hamilton counterparts – on Thursday, be loud and brash (but please skip being drunk and obnoxious) and come cheer on your Argonaut football team. I know it’s being called the “bottom bowl” and that both teams are 1-6. Even more reason to come out and support the Double Blue – it’s easy to be a fan when the team is winning. It’s much harder to stick by them when they’re frustrating to watch and losing games you think they should win.

All in all it was a great experience. Yes there were a few drunken idiots who hassled me as i tried to get to my car. Better alcohol control in the stadium would improve things immensely in that regard. That said, I will still go back to Hamilton the next time the Argos play there and cheer loudly and proudly for the Double Blue.

August 14, 2011
Why I love the CFL

Why I love the CFL

I am a football fan. I like pretty much any football – Canadian, American, college, junior, heck even midget and pee-wee. I love the strategy and tactics of the game. Football is a giant chess match played with rather large pieces and at a full contact pace. To anyone who says that football players aren’t intelligent, I dare you to read and understand a playbook. Even once you know the playbook you have to constantly adapt and make split-second decisions. Football is truly an intellectual sport. I love the challenge of sitting in the stands or standing on the sidelines and predicting (with decent accuracy too) what play is going to come next or what the defensive response is going to be.

But there’s another reason I love the CFL. The players. You’d be hard pressed to find another group of professional athletes as devoted to their communities as the CFL players are. Players on any given team make hundreds (yes hundreds) of community appearances each year. Most of these are done quietly and with very little fanfare. For example, Taylor Robertson of the Toronto Argonauts set up his own foundation last year – the Life on the Line foundation – dedicated to raising money for Breast Cancer research. Taylor makes dozens of appearances for his charity over and above what he already does as a member of the Argonauts. These are on his down time. After a long day of practicing or on a rare day off, he chooses to go out and make a difference. It’s not an Argo thing either – I can cite examples on every single CFL team of a player who goes above and beyond.

Like Marwan Hage of the Hamilton Tiger Cats. (Why does it seem like the biggest guys on the team are the softest touches?) Not satisfied with simply bringing a minor football team to every game to watch from the “Hage’s Heroes” seats (which in itself is pretty awesome), Hage also gets involved in the Hamilton food bank and with kids at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Let’s not forget the Ticats QB Kevin Glenn who, in partnership with local Tim Hortons owners in Hamilton is bringing 250 kids from the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation to the game on Saturday. Wow.

I’m not going to list every single CFL player who has a charitable organization – the list would be too long. But even if a player hasn’t founded or partnered with an organization, it doesn’t mean that they’re still not active in the community. I have been going to CFL games for 30 years now (yep since I was an infant!). I have yet to see a player refuse a fan an autograph. I have more often than not seen players who were hot and tired after a hard-fought game wanting nothing more than to jump in a hot tub or a cool shower stay and sign autographs for waiting fans. That, more than any other reason is why I love the CFL. This Is our league.

August 12, 2011