atypical coffee
blue-eyed, young pup, friendly-chatting barista on Barrington: You absolutely made my morning last Thursday when I stumbled in wearing a three-day old striped t-shirt and bed-head. The night before had been composed of questionable lifestyle choices and my heart was feeling a little smushed up. Your questions and banter (and latte) shined up Thursday henceforth.…
Loser!
So you went out of your way to steal my girlfriend from me a few months ago. Not the best experience, getting dumped. On top of that, you and my ex go out west and at first I was thinking, “Great, he’s going to be making more money than me as well.” How fucking wrong…
North Park Construction
The construction on North Park is making biking in the area so much better! Not having to worry about cars while going through the crosswalk at Cornwallis makes biking to and from the Common totally dreamy! More construction that makes biking wonderful, please! —Construction lover
A new kind of Chinese water torture
Landlord recently replaced all the plumbing fixtures—faucets, shower head, toilet—with the low-flow type. I’m all for conservation, and even though I can now piss harder than my shower sprays and sometimes have to flush the toilet six times after a night of donairs and hot wings, I’m happy to do my part. But why the kitchen…
Long hair, nose piercing, skateboard
To the lovely guy who works at a downtown grocery store: You were not in your uniform, but I recognized you at the crosswalk. You had a skateboard under your arm and we smiled at each other and I blushed and looked away. Let’s say hello sometime (also nice board!). —Blue-haired girl
“Dude, I thought YOU brought the books!”
The new Halifax Central Library has a funding of $57.6 MILLION and yet now they’re posting ads ASKING FOR DONATIONS so that they can BUY BOOKS? FOR THEIR NEW LIBRARY? Like, what the fuck—did they spend 57.6 MILLION DOLLARS building a giant new library and then realize, “OH FUCK, we forgot that we need books.”…
Beautiful Acadian
Manly and rough around the edges. And I’m tidy and neat. You smile and love so openly, you authentic human being. Only the Maritimes could breed a man like you. —yours
Health Happiness
Shout out to the Halifax Sexual Health Clinic on Quinpool. You guys are doing an amazing thing and creating such a safe and positive space. Every one I talked to was so nice and actually listened to what I had to say, which is more than can be said for any walk-in clinic in the…
Tourist Trap on the Waterfront
Almost everything is frozen, pretty much nothing actually comes from Nova Scotia (despite saying that it is on the menu), and yeah, some of that “Nova Scotian” seafood comes from a can. Some corners being cut is sadly expected, but charging top dollar for “local” seafood brought in from overseas is just an asshole move.…
Off leash parks are great…..maybe try one
My dog is a rescue with a horrible past and because of that, she hates other dogs. We are aware of that, that is why she is walked on-leash through on-leash parks. Your off-leash dog in said on-leash park charged at us. Had your dog been on a leash, I would have gone out of…
Liberals remove VLT tracking system
[Image-1] In a rare move, the provincial government has admitted shit’s not working. The Liberals announced today they’re removing the My-Play system from video lottery terminals after finding the program to reduce problem gambling wasn’t meeting objectives. “It did not reduce play by people with gambling addictions, and in fact, the vast majority of play…
hard to be around you
when i like you so much —but i’ll live
Baby, please come back.
It wasn’t you, baby, it was me. Maybe our relationship isn’t as crazy as it seems. Maybe that’s what happens when a tornado meets a volcano. All I know is I love you too much to walk away though. Come inside, pick up your bags off the sidewalk. Don’t you hear sincerity in my voice…
Even a trivial act makes a difference
To the girl crossing Spring Garden Road who made a comment as I was stopped on my bike waiting for the light to change: as trivial as it was, a compliment from a stranger brightened an otherwise shitty day. I just wanted to let you know because I didn’t really say anything at the time.…
From one kitten to another
You’re the best in every way. Luv u 4eva. —Merow
What is going on in the heads of Nova Scotians
It blows my mind – how unaware people in Nova Scotia are of their surroundings. You can be in a grocery store and two people will literally bang in to you because they are so absorbed in their conversation that they don’t notice you in front of them. You can be walking down the road…
whats it with the healthcare in Canada
I am from India.. where we get healthcare in a jiffy. Its just impossible to see how doctors treat patients… I go to a doctor regarding a abscess. I do this after being treated like shit by doctors here who are ignorant and don’t give a damn about patients. So.. the first walkin clinic I…
Consul General Richard Riley won’t meet with protesters
[Image-1] American consul general Richard Riley won’t be joining today’s Halifax solidarity march, organized in response to the ongoing crisis in Ferguson, MO. “Probably not,” says a media contact at the U.S. consulate when I ask if Riley will take part in the peaceful gathering, noting that he hasn’t been invited to anyway. The solidarity…
patient yet stern bus driver
“whoever is swearing on the bus there is no swearing on the bus”. made my day as I was not listening to their conversation but hard to ignore the explicit pops every 4 seconds. It was a bit sickening to whitness how some of us get on without grammar but your comment as you were…
Fed Up
Washington and Colorado – where, even with a Republican controlled house, senate, and governor – the people got together, created a ballot measure on legalizing Marijuana, and voted for it. The governor had to pass it by law – and the measure is now law. That’s democracy, and that’s how a democracy works. Can you…
Missing Links
There used to be something I looked forward to every week. Every Thursday I would eagerly grab the paper, read the horoscopes, and then swiftly turn to the events pages. Everything was listed! It was glorious! Lectures, Musical Events, Art shows! It was so lovely to not have to refer to facebook or to the…
A Moment Of Remembrance – 1:30 pm 14/08/14
As I was anxiously stalled behind a bus in the intersection of North and Robie my attention was taken by an older, visually impaired gentleman attempting to navigate his way south toward the crosswalk in front of Shell. In this moment I froze as I watched the gentleman zig and zag, likely trying to use…
Patricia Arab serves hot dogs to Muslims, says it’s halal
A Liberal MLA mistakenly thought she could make hot dogs halal, misleading Muslim guests at this past weekend’s Fairview Community Barbecue to chow down on the forbidden foodstuffs. Patricia Arab, Liberal MLA for Fairview-Clayton Park, reportedly told Muslim attendees at Titus Park on Saturday that the chicken hot dogs being served to them were halal.…
Tattooed turtle lover at hip hop show last night
You were educating me on endangered species and i didn’t believe you about the size of leatherback turtles. Well I looked it up and my mind was blown. You are also maybe the most attractive person? I wish I got your number you are serious! —Enamoured ignoramus
Remembering Raymond
[Image-1] A permanent, likely colourful tribute to Raymond Taavel will be coming to Gottingen Street. Last week, a small group of community members gathered at the Halifax North Memorial Branch Public Library to brainstorm ideas for a permanent memorial to replace the current Raymond Taavel Healing Garden. “People liked generally including rainbows as part of…
Brown at the Movies
What a cute little thing you were…in line for concessions at Park Lane Theatre…long brown hair…brown dress…tan skin. Chatting it up a bit with a stranger. Loved that you just put yourself out there and were we not both on our way to catch a movie with friends we could have talked more. Perhaps we…
Lady Luck had you buy a Reuben
I meant to tell you that you are stunning, but got flustered when you told me you liked how happy I was. Instantly I felt like I could talk to you, and if you’re looking for a friend I would love to get coffee sometime. Hope you show up in the Hydrostone again soon. Happy…
Ebola
It should have started in Halifax; not Liberia; those are decent people; they’ve gone through enough bullshit; in the name of the United Nation’s interests. Halifax is nothing BUT bullshit. —Diabolus
Holla, holla, holla boy
Would have loved to take you home. —Girl in black, dancing like a maniac
Unaware Fucktarded City
You could slip a mountain past you dumb fucks. Ex-mayor Peter Kelly starts new career in pest control http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ex-mayor-peter-kelly-starts-new-career-in-pest-control-1.2694493 “Halifax considers repealing “redundant” pesticide bylaw” http://halifax.mediacoop.ca/story/halifax-considers-repealing-redundant-pesticide-by/22351 —See you all in Hell
Someone pimped your ride?
They are multiplying again at 200 Ilsley Ave. If your bike was stolen it may be at MT. Thieves may forget they have stolen it and left it on the bike rack or you are a forgetful bicyclist. —Describe your ride and get it back
Say hi to Octopi
“My first real job was as a computer tech at 19, it’s been a long time in the industry for me,” says Kris McCann. “Seeing a lot of businesses open in the area, cool bars and little stores, I’ve just been envious of those guys and thought…what’s stopping me?” Today he welcomed his own addition…
Behold! Atlantic Fringe Festival’s 2014 program
Get your scrolling finger ready, the list is a doozy! Advance tickets are now available online at atlanticfringe.ca. All tickets are $10 or less. Catch a sampler show on August 28 at Neptune Studio Theatre, one minute from about every show. Whirlwind! The 24th Atlantic Fringe program is: The Adversary by Andrew Bailey. Drama •…
Live Art Dance’s 2014-2015 season announced
Here’s your year of goosebump-raising contemporary dance planned, Live Art Dance’s 2014-2015 season, season number 32, has been announced. Here it is at a glance: Peter Trosztmer’s (Montréal) Eesti: Myths and Machines is a solo performance with a moving sound sculpture. Sept 25-27, 2014 8pm at the Sir James Dunn Theatre. He says: “I’m exploring…
Cluess anti-choicers
Hey anti-choice protestors, you know what? It’s going to take a lot more than some gratuitously violent signs on a street corner to make me change my values. You don’t live in this community, and so you’re obviously unaware of the fact that most of us respect women and their choice to make decisions that…
weirdo’s wasting their time
anti-abortion protesters… terrible. the mere thought of you vile slugs makes me sick. —almost everybody
NOT delicious…
Do NOT buy from a certain burger joint. We told them a few months back about how their delivery company had tried to falsely inflate the bill on us on a few occasions, and how they had put a meat patty on the veggie burger on two separate occasions, etc… etc… We went a long…
Letters to the editor, August 14, 2014
Redesign reaction I really like your new format for The Coast. Please keep up the great articles that give great background on some of the political issues and other things that the local government seems to want to hide. The other daily paper in this area just doesn’t give much depth to any of those…
“Not everyone is familiar with my CV, I guess”
After two weeks of intense public meetings, the final report on fracking in Nova Scotia will be released by the province’s advisory panel later this month. The head of that panel, and president of Cape Breton University, Dr. David Wheeler took time away from his print deadline to speak with The Coast about what he’s…
Half-heard, chapter 1
Past the endless acres of trees topped with iridescent red Honeycrisp, Cortland and Northern Spy rattling beneath bellies of blue skylines littered with low-hanging clouds along the banks of the Cornwallis River lies kms and kms of invasive weed: black campion, creeping buttercups, coltsfoot, lady’s thumb, wormseed, ragweed, toadflax, purslane, ox-eye daisy—expanses of unwanteds province-wide.…
Back in the Cellar
There is an odd sense of walking through the 1990s when you hit that part of Clyde Street where it intersects Brenton. Le Bistro and the Cellar sit across from one another, seemingly built on a foundation of nostalgia; in the wake of all of the changes in the neighbourhood over the years—gelato and second-hand…
Feeler of the pack
Q I’m a 25-year-old gay male into puppy play. About a year ago, I joined a pack with one Sir and several puppies. I became very close to one of my “pup bros” and became his alpha—meaning between the two of us, I’m more Dom but still sub to our Sir. Fast-forward nine months, and…
Voice of the City
“An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.” After Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager was shot six times by Ferguson police, the town was turned into a war zone by law enforcement. The most striking images in Ferguson are not of the black protestors, but are of the State. The kevlar vests, SWAT teams, tear…
The oyster champions of the world
2002 Year a French team set the Guinness World Record for oyster shucking, when 10 people opened 8,472 oysters in an hour. If that team was serving Colin Shirlow, who holds the record for eating 233 oysters in three minutes, Shirlow would have to nearly double his pace to keep up. 1964 Year the PEI…
Free Will Astrology
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Leo (July 23-August 22) When we are launching any big project, our minds hide from us the full truth about how difficult it will be. If we knew beforehand all of the tests we would eventually face, we might never attempt it. Economist Albert O. Hirschman called this the principle of the “hiding…
Four thousand tickets and no answers
Updated In the three months since Independent Security Services Atlantic took over the city’s parking enforcement, they’ve issued over 4,000 more tickets than former contractor Securitas during the same period last year. With an increase of that scale, you would expect a few more complaints to be filed. After becoming conscious of public grumblings regarding…
Fantastic Prismatic
Since its first season in 2008, the overriding vision of the Prismatic Arts Festival hasn’t changed. “We present different art forms and artists from different cultural traditions, and we look for opportunities for audiences and artists to engage,” explains Maggie Stewart, co-founder and managing director of Onelight Theatre, the company behind Prismatic. That vision is…
Picture perfect
Meags Fitzgerald loves photobooths. In fact, she loves them so much she wrote and illustrated a 277-page graphic novel dedicated entirely to chemical photobooths. Photobooth: A Biography exposes the history and cultural significance of those unassuming huts that fade into the background of public places like shopping malls and bus stations. In the mid-20th century,…
Various Artists
Young but mighty, Montreal label Plastic Factory Records has staked its claim in the east coast weirdo-pop scene with this double LP collection of goodness. Featuring new songs from some of your favourite local bands—Monomyth, Each Other, Museum Pieces and Nap Eyes, whose Whine of the Mystic was Plastic Factory’s inaugural release earlier this year—as…
A pause for Reflections
The most memorable events at Reflections Cabaret probably can’t be remembered at all. The nightclub’s dance floor has been the backdrop for the kind of stories that lead prominent politicians to turn down interview requests. While Reflections will soon move from its 18-year home at 5184 Sackville Street, it’ll be hard to say goodbye to…
One hundred days to make a change
[Image-1] Student group Divest Dalhousie is launching their “100 Days of Action” campaign to pressure the south end university to divest its endowment from fossil fuel companies. In June, Dal’s board of governors’ investment committee announced they’d be looking at the specifics of fossil fuel divestment based on research presented by student group Divest Dalhousie.…
A look into the mind of Rich Aucoin
1. “FOUR MORE YEARS” IN FRENCH: I’m currently translating [Ephemeral’s] “Four More Years” into as many languages as possible with the hope to release the song and video on a Tumblr where the song is in up to 20 languages. I’ve sung the song so far live in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and…
Voice of the City
Despite the fact that police officers are more educated than they have ever been, with many members of the forces holding undergraduate degrees in social sciences, the core of their training is still and must always be about the fundamentals of enforcing public safety. The skilled and professional use of force in order to restore public…
The missing, the mourned
My name is Annie Margaret Clair. I was born and raised on the reserve in Elsipogtog, New Brunswick. My first language is Mik’maq, so English is a difficult language for me to grasp. I only started speaking English when I went to school, around age five or six. English was not spoken in my home.…
Quantum Frontier’s leap across the street
Robie Street’s source for adventures, comic book and otherwise, Quantum Frontier (3087 Robie Street) is moving an incredibly short distance in the name of a larger space. After one last Saturday in its current location (that’s this Saturday, August 16) Quantum will set up shop across the street at 3132 Robie Street, with hopes to…
