Toronto a Day in the Life 16

By Kris Scheuer

Here are my observations, reflections and comments on life in the big city-Toronto this past 10 days.
On Saturday May 19, I was on the Carlton streetcar riding along College Street when I saw a young family with a baby in a stroller. Their young boy (under two) had the most infectious laugh. It sounded like a mechanical toy. His laugh was almost unnatural as it sounded like a hahahaaaaaaaaaaa in one long continuous laugh. Kind of like as if you stepped on a baby toy by mistake and didn’t let your foot up so the sound just stayed stuck in one long string of sounds hahahahahahahaha. I started laughing so much at the sound of this young boy’s laughter that it brought tears to my eyes and the twenty-somethings (young men and women) sitting behind and across the aisle from this family and baby were also laughing along side this young toddler. It was just great.
Just the week before, I went to see the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel a comedy about a group of mostly strangers, all British retires, who head to India to live out their golden years. It had me laughing out loud many times. One of the best lines is from actor Dev Patel’s (lead in Slumdog Millionaire) character Sonny Kapoor who says, “Everything will be alright in the end. And if it’s not alright, it’s not yet the end.”
Life is not all laughter of course. But these small moments caught me in this city and made me smile.
What has made you laugh or smile lately?  

Toronto a day in the life 10

Politics, drunks sums up big city life
What I learned about Toronto this week
By Kris Scheuer

First let’s start with POLITICS.
The city’s election campaign begin Jan. 4 and in the first week where candidates can register so far: 14 have signed up for the mayoralty race, 43 candidates for councillor in 44 wards, eight people registered for public school board.
DRUNKS
On an unrelated matter, I was riding the 506 Carlton streetcar last night around 9 pm when a Brit came aboard and started up a conversation. He asked about the book I was reading, The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre. He was reading Raising Kanye by Dr. Donda West about singer Kanye West. This stranger on the streetcar went on to ask me to go for a beer, wine or tea on three separate occasions.
I was not interested, but as he asked if I had a PhD, Masters and seemed interested in intelligent conversation, I did not mind chatting with this him on the TTC as I passed the time.

Toronto a day in the life 8

What I learned, saw, heard about the city in the last 24 hours
By Kris Scheuer

Missionaries, zombies and mentally ill
Toronto is a diverse and quirky city. Want proof?
In the course of 15 minutes last night around 8:15 pm I met and saw the following people:
While waiting for the Bathurst 511 streetcar, I was approached by two missionaries one visiting from Vancouver and another originally from Utah. They were nice enough lads and we spoke about Toronto and other cities on the ride up towards Bloor.
At Yonge and Bloor I saw a group of teens standing on the northwest corner dressed as zombies for the seventh annual Toronto Zombie Walk.
As I walked  towards Bathurst subway I saw a man standing in a boxer’s pose with his arms bent and fists by his face taking punches at a mailbox. I wanted to approach the man, who must have been in distress as he repeatedly punched the red Canada Post mailbox with his bare hands, but I have to assume he was mentally ill. And thus perhaps picturing an imaginary enemy that he was doing battle with.