All about my old pal Steve

Intended to make Steve homesick...

2006-08-10T12:26:00.000-04:00

2006-04-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

What does this video have to do with Steve, you ask? Well, nothing, unless you count Steve's three long-standing passions: gun safety, Jason Priestley, and the NRA.

Super Bowl XL: A West Coast Perspective

2006-02-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

I asked Steve to keep a detailed and accurate account of his Super Bowl experience on the west coast. It made me feel closer to him for three long, long, long hours of dropped balls, questionable officiating, and uninvolved fans. Here it is, for your analysis and dissemination. (Note: all times are Pacific Standard, whatever that is.)1 p.m. Check in on Superbowl -- pre-game show still on.2 p.m.

12th Man Goes Down

2006-02-05T22:58:00.000-05:00

Steve, you owe me five bucks.

Seahawk fever?

2006-02-01T10:17:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I'm posting this, but I just got an e-mail from Steve, who claims to have Seahawk fever. I explained in a firm but polite tone that no one gets Seahawk fever. The symptoms, however, are easily mistaken for Steeler delirium, which has been going around lately.Go Bettis! You can't stop The Bus!

The road to Detroit.

2006-01-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

Steve owes me $5 if the Steelers win the Super Bowl XL.He doesn't know this yet.

2005-12-19T10:09:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks, Steve has sent me several e-mails and one Christmas card. Some of his e-mails have included photographs (for instance, one message included a photo of his daughter watching Teletubbies). It's always enjoyable hearing from Steve.

Steve Visits London Day

2005-12-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally managed to get my ass in gear and download the photos I took of Steve. Good ol' Steve. This is what it looked like when he visited London.

2005-12-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

This is what Steve looks like when he drinks beer at the Runt Club.

2005-12-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Steve points out his new home.

Steve Visits London day

2005-10-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Forget Rosh Hashanah, forget Thanksgiving, forget Halloween. October 22 is Steve Visits London day. It's the most wonderful time of the year! We can all dress up as traditional Steve Visits London clowns and festoon our homes with festive pickled-carp garlands and miniature sperm-whale carcasses. I can't wait! Why can't it be October 22 today?

East coast versus west coast

2005-08-27T20:45:00.000-04:00

It's taken me a while to work up the heart to say this, but Steve and I don't live in the same city anymore. We don't even live on the same coast. Steve is enjoying the ebb and flow of the vast and exotic Pacific, while I'm catching a whiff of the Lake Ontario sewer run-off. I always knew it would turn out this way. Whenever we were boozing at the Duke of Gloucester, Steve would start sobbing

2005-06-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

On this day, forty years ago, this picture was taken.

As they say in the London Free Press classifieds: lordy, lordy, look who's forty!

2005-06-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

Devoted readers of this blog will be pleased to note that Steve, my friend of many years, has turned forty. I can't believe it, myself. Forty years of age! When we met, I was fifteen, and I never thought this day would come. But here it is. Steve is forty. Forty years old.What the fuck?

Aluminum shafts

2005-06-18T11:01:00.000-04:00

Met Steve at the Duke of Gloucester last night. We were originally planning to meet at 8:00 p.m., but Steve just sold his car, and the guy who bought it didn't have a licence for it yet, so he had to drive it up to Jane and Finch. He then had to go back home to collect his Canadian-flag darts. So we met at 8:30 instead, except that Steve was a little late, but who cares? It's not a race. It's not

2005-05-31T11:38:00.000-04:00

Steve has discovered the saddest place in the world.

Duke of Gloucester

2005-05-28T18:35:00.000-04:00

Steve and I went to the Duke of Gloucester (pronounced Gloster) yesterday to drink and throw darts. We met around nine o'clock in the evening, which we both agreed was late for our current lifestyles and energy levels. Steve was there when I arrived, and we immediately repaired to the back and uncorked his Canadian-flag darts. We played three sets of the one where you go from 301 to 0. I won two

2005-03-23T15:56:00.000-05:00

Life for Steve is a continuous journey of evolution and self-discovery. As the pictures below illustrate, he has traveled many roads, tried on many different personas. Vaguely intimidating tradesman, good-natured welfare oaf, or low-level corporate toady? Will the real Steve please stand up?

2005-03-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

I just read a fascinating article in this month's Canadian Tax Law.

2005-03-23T15:44:00.000-05:00

Guess who's partying at the Radisson tonight!

2005-03-23T15:40:00.000-05:00

Looks like your rotor's pooched.

2005-03-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

Our first poll!Do you like this site?Yes.No.I like it, but not as much as I like www.dougflutie7.com.

Darts and Debauchery

2005-03-19T17:24:00.000-05:00

Steve and I went to the Duke of Gloucester yesterday for some jars and some chit-chat. We talked for a while about recent goings-on, about our opinions of the movie Sideways, about the Office Christmas Special, which I'd lent to Steve a few weeks before, and a bunch of other stuff. I was pretty tired, but Steve was his usual energetic, humorous self. After an hour or two we moved into the back

2005-03-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

So long, Steve's beard.

2005-02-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

Sad news for readers of this blog. Steve shaved off his beard today. We'll never know what he looks like as a Creepy Recluse.

2005-02-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

Steve has grown a beard! It is now at High School Math Teacher size, or possibly Lumberjack. You be the judge.Here are the offical sizes.1) Lazy boy2) Fishing Trip3) Bohemia4) High School Math Teacher5) Lumberjack6) Taliban7) Das Capital8) ZZ Top9) Confederate General10)Creepy Recluse

2005-02-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Steve's beard!

2005-01-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Steve got up, fed Ava, burped her, and walked around with her until she fell back asleep. The dog shit on the floor, because he doesn't like to go out in the cold. Steve, Sonya, and Ava all bundled up and went to the local police station to have their baby car seat checked out. It turned out that they were strapping Ava in too loosely, and the seat wasn't positioned right. They went

2005-01-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

Steve called a few minutes ago. He had a nice Christmas and New Year's Eve. Sonya and Ava are doing well. They went out to a restaurant in the Annex a few days ago, and brought Ava along. At one point during the meal, Ava got a little restless, and they were afraid she might start to cry, but she didn't. Steve and Sonya take turns looking after Ava in the middle of the night. It sounds like she's

2004-12-25T10:05:00.000-05:00

Peace on earth.

2004-12-23T21:50:00.000-05:00

This is Steve's broken tooth.

2004-12-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

On December 19th, Steve broke his upper-right front molar while eating a panzerotti. The tooth had been cracked for years and he tended to avoid eating on that side of his mouth. Although the break appeared nasty, it only hurt when he drank cold liquids. Steve went to see Dr. Carron, his dentist, the next day. (Several years ago, my wife, Brenda, recommended Dr. Carron to Steve. Brenda is

2004-12-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

This is an X-Ray of Steve's broken tooth.

2004-12-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

This is the world the Asian Taoists called "Ten Thousand Things."

2004-12-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

Ava will never know a world in which The English Beat have not been reunited on VH1.

2004-12-13T22:47:00.000-05:00

Big news for today's posting. Steve and Sonya had a baby girl! Her name is Ava. She was born at approximately 3:45 this morning, weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Sonya and Ava are both doing well. Steve is pleased and tired. The news hasn't quite sunk in that he is now a father. Congratulations to Steve from everyone here at "All about my old pal Steve"!

2004-11-26T22:02:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Steve enjoying a pint of beer.

2004-11-26T21:30:00.000-05:00

Steve and I went to the Blue Meaney for a drink tonight. We met at 5:00 p.m., although Steve was a bit late. Usually I'm the one who's late, so it was a refreshing change. We drank a couple pints of Black Oak Ale and shared a plate of nachos. We had a good chat. Steve gave me a hard time when he first came in about not knowing a song that was playing on the Galaxie music station. It was by The

2004-11-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

Steve and I are going out for a drink next week.

2004-11-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

Steve came home today a little tired. He took a nap on the couch and awoke to the sounds of urban warfare on TV. After taking his dog Wally for a walk, he and Sonya went to Blockbuster and rented Fahrenheit 9/11 and Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke was excellent. It helped lift his spirits as he was grumpy about having to work on Saturday.

2004-11-06T09:54:00.000-05:00

From Steve's journal. Entry dated June 11, 1988. "Again it has been awhile since I wrote in here. I haven't found a permanent job yet, though I've been doing a lot of casual work at the Forest City Gallery and at the LRAG. I am writing this up in the Forest City Gallery. Last night I went out to a couple of bars with Dave, Margie, and the two Joels who were on acid. We were going to as a joke

2004-11-03T18:42:00.000-05:00

While I admittedly have not talked to Steve about this particular subject, I'm confident in saying that he strongly opposes the policies of the Bush Administration. I'm sure he would agree that the world is in for four more years of lies, hypocrisy, deflection, homophobia, freaky anti-science zealotry, and wacko bible-thumping.

2004-10-20T01:22:00.000-04:00

On the weekend Steve went to his Uncle Ralph's 80th Birthday Party. They ate at the Mandarin in Rexdale. It was fun.

2004-10-20T01:19:00.000-04:00

Happy 80th, Uncle Ralph!

2004-10-20T01:17:00.000-04:00

This is the Mandarin restaurant in Rexdale.

2004-10-20T01:16:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of an isolated shower that Steve took shortly after the party. Please note Woodbine racetrack on the left side of the photo.

2004-10-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

Well, it looks like Steve and I will soon be collaborating on an art project. It will be our first collaboration: a Flash version of his photostory, The Inspiring Tale of the Bug Man. It was first unveiled at a Queen Street art gallery this spring, and now it will find a new, digital life. Steve is a very creative guy. He's a talented photographer who's not tied down by his form -- he also

2004-10-11T13:45:00.000-04:00

This is the picture Steve sent with his e-mail

2004-10-11T13:40:00.000-04:00

Steve sent me an e-mail yesterday, which reads as follows: "Please find enclosed a visual documentation of failure. This is a record of my pathetic attempt to grow butternut squash and zucchini in my garden. After months of devotion and care my garden produced no bounty. I fertilized, watered, fought off powdery mildew, all for naught. I am left with only a dusty barren wasteland. Where did I go

2004-10-08T17:25:00.000-04:00

Steve and I went out for beer last night. We had a really pleasant time. We sat on the back patio at the Duke of York, and drank and chatted and just generally caught up. Because it was potentially one of the last really warm days of the autumn, the patio was packed. Luckily, Steve got us a table. We talked about a lot of things. We talked about Gangs of New York, the book Steve had borrowed

2004-09-25T13:47:00.000-04:00

I'm writing this from Steve's hometown, which I'm visiting this weekend. Why am I visiting Steve's hometown this weekend? Because it's also my hometown, and my parents live here. Steve's parents live here, too. Steve grew up on the east side of town, and I grew up on the west side. We met in the middle. There are lots of trees in this city, and strip plazas, and track pants. Still, it's a nice

2004-09-23T10:57:00.000-04:00

Memories of Steve, Part One I remember sometime around 1982 or 1983, we were at a party on a Saturday afternoon. I was sitting in an armchair with a girl on my lap. A bunch of us were in the living room , listening to music (probably T-Rex or Spandau Ballet or David Bowie), goofing around, and watching Star Wars on TV (the guy whose house it was had one of those crazy new pay-TV channels). Steve

2004-09-21T11:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, okay. Because of overwhelming demand, I'm posting a picture of the abandoned 1960s-era apartment complex at Guildwood.

2004-09-19T23:04:00.000-04:00

Steve is still getting over this cold/flu thing but he was thinking of going out with me for beers sometime this week. Maybe Thursday or Friday. I'll keep everyone posted.

2004-09-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

All right. I got an e-mail from Steve at 10:09. He's drinking lots of liquids, then going to bed. He still feels crappy.

2004-09-14T21:24:00.000-04:00

Steve's still sick. I got an e-mail from him at 9:18 p.m. He had some homemade chicken soup, lemon tea and he took two tylenol. He's feeling a little better.

2004-09-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

I got another e-mail from Steve, at 8:00 p.m. Apparently he's feeling a little sick. Scratchy dry throat, little woozy ... he could have a cold, or maybe the flu. He'll keep me posted.

2004-09-14T09:43:00.000-04:00

I got an e-mail from Steve last night, but I haven't talked to him in several days. This is nothing unusual. Lots of people have friendships like this.

2004-09-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't spoken to Steve in a while, but I did get an e-mail from him yesterday. He wrote to tell me he liked my posting about our trip to Guildwood Inn. He apologized for making me take the picture of the caterpillar, but there was no need to apologize! He also apologized for making us go to the bluffs and having our food go cold, but you know what? It didn't go cold! It was perfectly warm. So

2004-09-09T11:09:00.000-04:00

This is the picture Steve made me take.

2004-09-08T21:18:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of Steve enjoying the sights in Scarborough.

2004-09-07T23:11:00.000-04:00

I wonder what Steve did today. He's a nice guy.

2004-09-06T23:32:00.000-04:00

Steve called this morning, just after ten. We chatted for a while, and eventually decided what we were going to do today, and where we were going to meet. Steve and Sonya thought they might like to go to the Guildwood Inn, a couple kms east of the Scarborough Bluffs. There's a disused (and reportedly haunted) inn there, attached to a creepy (and disused) 1960s-era apartment complex. We agreed to

2004-09-05T21:52:00.000-04:00

This is the menu for Simon's Wok. Steve liked the food.

2004-09-05T21:41:00.000-04:00

Today Steve slept in until 9:30 am. This is late for him. He went for a jog around High Park, then had breakfast, which consisted of a scrambled-egg-and-salsa sandwich, banana, peach yogurt and coffee. He spent the morning jumping between the computer and Coronation Street, which Sonya had taped. (The character, Sarah Lou, is preggers again.) He had a bowl of Shreddies for lunch. He read a bit of

2004-09-05T13:28:00.000-04:00

I got an e-mail from Steve last night.

2004-09-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

I just talked to Steve again. He hasn't gone to the store yet (he was waiting until after he talked to me), but when he does, he'll buy clementines, bananas, nectarines, and apples. I told him I don't feel like going to the movies today, but we're going out for a beer next week. Probably we'll meet at the Duke of York.

2004-09-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

Steve called a little while ago. He has to run out and buy some fruit. On my next posting I'll tell you what kind he got. The other notable thing about Steve's phone call today is that he invited me to go see the movie, "Hero," at the Cumberland Theatre. (His wife, Sonya, called it the "Bumberland" once.) I'm not feeling all that well this afternoon, though, so I'm not sure if I'll go. More to