It seems that the Blue Jays have returned into the social consciousness of this beleaguered baseball city. The stadium formerly known as SkyDome held a near-capacity crowd of 42,162 last night on a cloudy but reasonably warm Tuesday evening. Was it BoSox starter Dice-K's much-hyped Canadian debut, the masses of New Englanders here to support their team, the allure of Toonie Tuesday tickets, or is this city really excited for their MLB team again?

A buddy of mine asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted a bike that he no longer wanted. I've never biked in the city, and the last time I rode a bike was back in the 'burbs when I was a kid. So, it was with some apprehension (mixed with raw enthusiasm) that I accepted the bike and prepared to take the plunge.

My first mission: to visit some bike stores and procure the necessary gear at the most reasonable prices.

Looks like Christmas is coming a little early for Annex denizens, especially when it's time to run a desperate grocery re-supply mission. For as long as I can remember, it's been a matter of life, death, and patience to jaywalk between Shoppers and Dominion at Bloor/Walmer. As the equidistant spot on Bloor between two traffic lights (Spadina, Brunswick), this was the place where cars actually picked up enough speed to make me think twice about running across with a multitude of heavy groceries.

When I heard the Eaton Centre was turning 30 and there would be 'thousands' of cupcakes up for grabs, I knew it would be another chance for me to confirm how crazy some people are willing to go when free things are available. Arriving 10 minutes early, I observed an eager crowd of shoppers had already surrounded the cupcake distribution centre on all sides--straight out of a zombie flick.

I knew we were all in for something special when 2 sound guys carried out the most ridiculous array of guitar pedals I have ever seen (about the size of a fridge door). The Besnard Lakes were in Toronto last month, opening for Apostle of Hustle at the tiny Rivoli back room. This time around, they were headlining a CMW show for a capacity crowd at Lee's Palace. I knew that the time and place were both right for a proper treatment of their material--I wasn't disappointed.

CMW live shows began last night, and I had a dandy time down at Spadina and College, hopping between the Silver Dollar and the ElMo. It was a night of extremes: loud, quiet, jam-packed and sparse at times.