There are people who listen to CBC Radio and there are 'people who don't. Growing up, I never listened; CBC wasn't on in my house when I woke up, or when I was picked up from school. My parents didn't listen, so I didn't listen. I have to admit, I didn't even know the station's frequency until just a few years ago. I do remember what caught my ear though. Flipping through the dial, I happened upon the distinctive chimes of the subway doors closing, mixed with a quick rhythm and a voice with an accent introducing a show called Here & Now. I've been listening ever since.

When I've caught wind of some news story, or heard something about some festival, or I am confused by a complicated new city proposition, Here & Now straightens it out. It goes directly to the sources, interviewing key players in the days events. Quarterbacking it all is host Matt Galloway whose knowledge and passion for Toronto is unrivaled. I caught up with him to talk about the show, the city and his varied media background.

I've been listening to 102.1 the Edge since I was a teenager and remain a relatively loyal follower, happy that the station continues to devote some of it's airtime to deserving Canadian talent. But music isn't the only determinant when listening to a station. Radio personalities make a major contribution to a broadcast, and for this reason, at certain times I entirely avoid listening to the Edge.

I feel the exactly the opposite when it comes to Barry Taylor. Monotone and laid-back, his delivery is pretty much the antithesis of the most annoying of DJs. At 30, the Hamilton native has already been on an on-air presenter at the Edge for five years. As the host of regular lister-interactive segments such as "The Barry Interesting Survey," "The 4:20 Thought," and Megaphone man, Barry entertains in the vein of Stephen Wright - with deadpanned coolness. His sometimes awkward, casually opinionated, always friendly delivery is a breath of fresh air. I caught up with Barry Taylor to talk about radio, music and his adventures behind the mic, both on radio and in stand-up comedy.

For as long as I've been driving, Jazz FM has been a preset station on my car radio: for background music while chatting with a passenger, to avoid the endless commercials on other stations, or simply because a rhythm catches my ear. I often find 91.1 the best option among the dozens of other stations in the city. I like jazz, but I wouldn't call myself a serious fan. Mainly though, I love the station because I can count on it to give me something completely different.

Part of my enjoyment of the station over the years has been the knowledge of the presenters. Larry Green has been the afternoon host of Jazz FM for eight years and brings to the air a lifetime experience in the industry and beyond. Green has been a mail-boy at CBC; writer, creative director and host at CHUM; sportscaster; voice and acting agent; and national promotions manager for Warner Music Canada for 16 years. I met with him at the Jazz FM studios in Liberty Village to talk about his years in radio and Jazz in the city.

It took an entire day, but the Great Sorauren Pumpkin Patch is no more. Starting at 7:30 this morning, seven men loaded five trucks with pumpkins left in the park on Saturday night. The combined weight, equivalent to about eight tonnes, will be taken to a City of Toronto compost facility tomorrow morning. Pumpkins are heavy, slimy, and after at least a week left out in the air, kinda smelly, so I didn't envy the men as they threw jack-o'-lantern after jack-o'-lantern into the truck. And though it may be faint, I thank you for the long day of lifting and throwing... after all, those pumpkins made for one spectacular evening.

Last night I discovered where pumpkins go to retire. A gathering of hundreds of carved Halloween pumpkins lined the paths of Sorauren Park in Roncesvalles. The sheer volume and diversity or pumpkins was incredible and throngs of pedestrians slowly strolled through the glowing orange spheres.

Today, almost all of the pumpkins remain - which is amazing, because with them all lined-up like that, it's a smashing-pumpkins fan's dream. I can't tell if they will all be lit up again tonight, but I think I'll return to the park with a few tea lights to revive a few.

It may only be a day before Halloween, but Christmas lights are already going up. A small crew of men are covering every inch of tree after tree on a long stretch of King Street West just West of Spadina. The decorations are sponsored by the property managers along the road and began about two weeks ago. With so many trees to cover and so many lights to go, the crew said they might need another couple weeks to get them all up. Why now? It's a lot easier to hang lights twenty feet up in the air when it's not absolutely freezing.