Photo by Victor Shum in the blogTO Flickr pool

Meet Jan. He's here to teach us that a gentleman never drinks to get drunk and that a good Tequila shouldn't be poured in a shot glass and tossed back. It can be sipped and savoured like any good bourbon or scotch. A bit off the cuff, I found Jan to be an honest, laid-back guy with no airs about him. Hailing from Vancouver, this relatively new transplant has a passion for any distilled liquor from the agave plant — just don't ask him for a lime and salt while screaming: SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! — like in your salad days.

Valentine's Day 2012 is almost upon Toronto, which means a few particular conditions are poised to set in place. Many women, attached or otherwise, are getting their hopes up while watching YouTube videos of proposals on repeat; many men, attached or otherwise, haven't yet realized it's almost Valentine's Day; and singles of all creeds are starting to band together in callous, cliché rebuff of a day they deem "too commercial." Aren't holidays fun!?

There are many arguments to be made in favour of the Transit City plan, mainly focusing on capital expenditures, the viability of light rail, and the size of the transit network that can be built. Those arguments have been made and continue to be made very capably by others, most recently at last Wednesday's council debate. What no one seems to be talking about though, is the practicality and long-term upkeep costs of buried stations vs. surface level stops, and how that will affect the TTC's operating costs. To me, these are questions that anyone hoping for a revival of the Fords' "vision" should ask, because ultimately a line that costs significantly more to run, is going to cost more to ride as well.

Thursday night at Wrongbar, newly minted local heroes BADBADNOTGOOD brought their hip-hop influenced jazz (or is it jazz influenced hip-hop? Does it even matter?) to an event honouring the late James Dewitt Yancy, better known as J Dilla. Generally regarded as one of the greatest and most versatile hip-hop producers of all-time, J Dilla's solo material and frequent collaborations with other artists has only gained in renown since his unfortunate premature death six years ago today. A packed, seemingly sold-out venue was ready to pay their respects to the legend, and one of the most talked about bands to emerge from Toronto in the past year was ready to start the party.

Did you notice that last night felt like the February we all knew and hated? That's because the city issued an extreme cold weather alert last night in advance of the northerly winds and cold winds that risked a flash freeze happening in some areas. Temperatures apparently dropped to -25 degrees Celsius (if you factor in the whole windchill thing) overnight making it finally feel like winter again.