Top 12 plays of 2012
Choosing my favourite plays every year is both a challenging and pleasurable task. Challenging because Nova Scotia’s theatre community produces so many outstanding shows that it’s impossible to give all their due. Pleasurable because it’s an opportunity to take a walk down memory lane and recognize at least some of the fabulous plays I’ve seen…
When the Star Ships align…
You probably put off buying a 2013 calendar until you were 100 percent sure we weren’t all going to be leveled by the Mayan apocalypse. Smart move, but now you’re faced with a harsh reality: you have to get back to planning things in the future. Luckily, the quirky crew behind Star Ships Start Here…
Hot off the Press Gang
Options for ringing in the new year are endless, but no matter how you’ve chosen to spend the last moments of the year, you’ll have to eat at some point, right? Many of the city’s hottest restos have prepared killer menus that’ll make your stomach grumble upon reading. The Press Gang (5128 Prince Street, 423-8816)…
You don’t know what I’m thinking
OK, I realize my moving away was a bombshell, and I get it. You have regrets and don’t want me to leave. Yes it’s very far away, but it’s a great job. I’ve never been there, and I’m going for some adventure, a change of scenery. It’s not my fault that you never told me…
Puking and doing drugs is awesome, really?
To the kids who came into two nice girls’ apartment with one of their friends (which this girl was a friend of ours and we trusted) for a few hours, I have to say, congratulations! You make me want to take double the pill’s prescription to make sure I don’t end up with kids that…
Wine with Piatto
Piatto Pizzaria + Enoteca ( 5144 Morris Street) already knows that Italians do it better, hence its thin crusted true-to-Napoli pies. But what’s pizza without wine? In Italy, an incomplete meal. Echoing this sentiment, Piatto is holding a post-holiday wine tasting session, which is an incredibly great deal. On Wednesday, January 9 a small group…
I would have loved to have a 30 percent wage increase!
All cab drivers just got a nice increase in their rates before Christmas. Damn they are lucky! I had to take a cab to get to work because I was injured and couldn’t walk. I was surprised by the almost $4 jump in what it cost me the last few times. Normally it would cost…
Reality TV
Ninety-nine percent of it is just shit TV. Mostly scripted and/or boring. Cheap to produce but it’s just damn ridiculous. Bring on some escapism. —Want a Show with a Plot
Which scares you more: guns or people?
I can’t begin to imagine how the people of Newton feel. I can’t begin to imagine how the parents, friends, relatives, fellow community members, of those massacred in Newton feel. I believe the passion that they will now speak against guns with, will serve as a very useful counterpoint to the richest most potent gun…
Titanic
Your place had character, I’d like to party sometime and see some more art in a less professional setting. —James
Halifax radio stations
OK so, someone’s gotta mention this so I’m gonna. HALIFAX RADIO STATIONS SUCK BALLS. You all play the same fucking five songs all fucking day. You talk about the same celebs all fucking day. Who gives a flyin fuck about Lindsay Lohan? Who cares who Taylor Swift is dating? Who cares about Rhianna and Chris…
I’m not happy I’m just existing
It didn’t look like love to me. Out of self-preservation I turned you away, you should’ve known that. Instead of leaving the door open for me, you slammed it shut and locked it,leaving me out in the cold. I’m a very empathic person but, after I tried to explain the reason for my actions you…
It’s called communicate
I’ll start by saying I love the bitch column, and totally get a lot of them. I get why it’s good to be able to gripe about that guy who cut you off, or who’s driving actually can put us all at risk. Or that ignorant server in the green dress, working Friday night downtown…yada…
OJ slug
No, it wasn’t enough to roll your eyes and slop around at a snail’s pace as you made my OJ, you didn’t speak a word to me or my friend, didn’t say thank you and basically scowled the whole time. When we finally rang up our order, you gave us the nastiest look your pig-face…
Fearless in love
“To fearlessly express what you feel, may subject you to risk and ridicule but won’t usually leave you with lifelong regrets.” I know I gave everything I had willingly; love, commitment, understanding, support and passion. Ohhhh, how I was ridiculed, mocked and dismissed at the end. But at least I know that I can give…
Welcome Home Grown
The new year brings new digs for Home Grown Organic Foods (492-1412) , which’ll move its way popular fruit and vegetable delivery service and general store over the holidays, leaving its longtime home on Allan Street for 2310 Gottingen Street. “We’ve grown out of this barn,” says Geordie Ouchterlony, who bought the century-and-a-half old Gottingen…
Let your heart be light
Let go of the pain of the past year. This is a time of love of our close ones. And for those who’ve hurt us—forgiveness—if only to put our own hearts at peace. And if there’s someone with whom you’ve lost touch or maybe hurt or just want to reach out to—reach out with a…
Delivery people who LIE
Sitting on the couch all day (doing work as a matter of fact), next to the front window which is next to the front door. Doorbell works. Doorbell never rings. Nobody knocks. But apparently at 5:30pm somebody tried oh so fucking hard to deliver a parcel. Yep, even wrote a note to prove it, you…
Love you Sugarpie!
Don’t leave for a land down under! We’ve been through so much, I’m sorry for the tears and thankful for your love. I’d miss you. —Your Asian Elvis
Drunk
Just love it how you get black out drunk almost every time you drink and lose your phone regularly… —How Old are We?
Thanks for being an asshat
Seriously, I have a wonderful woman and I have you to thank for being a dick to her. —Happy to Buy the Complicated Coffee
Stealing a wreath…seriously?
To the person who stole the wreath off of our front door—thank you so much for teaching my children and me about the true spirit of giving this Christmas. I do not know if you are the same person who has taken our wreath for the past three years—but we really hope that you enjoy…
TALK show
Last spring, a study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology showed that people who talk to themselves while looking for familiar objects have an easier time of it. I’m going to make a scientific leap of faith and say if you mutter away while doing most tasks it’s just going to be generally…
Freeing
You’ve kicked me while I’m down, when I have been at my most vulnerable. You’ve forgotten that when you were at your lowest, I lifted you up until you could stand on your own. But every time you kick me, I get back up and continue along my path. You will only be a distant,…
Beauty
To the brunette in the well worn Doc Martens, with the cool, square white headphones walking down Agricola Street on Friday evening. I just wanted to tell you that you’re gorgeous. Best smile ever. —Out of My League
There’s plenty of us to go around!
I have lived here for almost two years now and I have come across an incessant amount of complaints from single women that there are no good single men around here. What are you talking about, ladies? There is an abundance of amazing, nice, intelligent single men in this city. I personally know at least…
Snot rockets
Early morning. I’m talking 6am early. Standing at a bus stop, minding my business, and trying not to fall asleep standing up. Up walks a “gentlemen” who is also waiting for the bus. He looks just as exhausted as I am. He starts with the always annoying sniffles. I think “great, I’ve got to listen…
The #51 Hottie
What a good way to start a Friday morning. You were so cute, with your pinned up bun, blue fingernails and white scarf. We locked eyes a couple times, but you kept looking away. I should’ve asked you for your number. —Guy with the Red Scarf
Childless…worthless?
So, once again I am being forced to work a holiday at my low class job. This is the fourth time in two years. I understand that I’m the lowest on the totem pole but also using the excuse that I “don’t have kids so it shouldn’t be a big deal that I work Christmas.”…
IBM deal details emerge
The eight-year agreement giving provincial payroll rebates to IBM started on November 1, 2012, a week before premier Darrell Dexter made the deal public. The Coast acquired that agreement through Freedom of Information legislation. But citing provisions in the legislation that protects “information that would reveal the substance of deliberations of the Executive Council or…
Big pot bust: 28 arrested, including prominent citizens
Two US states are decriminalizing marijuana in response to ballot initiatives, and there’s a significant move to decriminalize pot in British Columbia. But here in Nova Scotia, the justice system is still prosecuting pot crimes as if it were Nancy Reagan’s America. It doesn’t matter that the vast majority of people—some polls place it as…
Will Halifax lose shipbuilding work?
There has been much local anticipation for the federal shipbuilding contract, which earmarks $25 billion in new ship construction to the Irving Shipyard in Halifax. Everyone, from the premier down to real estate speculators, has celebrated the contract as the foundation for the success of the local economy. But now a prominent military analyst is…
Thank you
“Remember those who were there for you, and forget those who weren’t.” For those many people who reach out and give love and acceptance when someone needs it, you are cherished, even if you never hear it. For those people who don’t, do better. —Surviving and Smiling
Trash talkin’
To the people that are religious recyclers. The people that shill out money for bags and get nothing in return. Well heads up, you’re maybe stopping landfill waste, but, not the economical pollution to remake and reuse recycled goods. The transport and shipping industry is still filled pollution that is unending. And to top things…
The Heist Before Christmas
The Alderney Landing Theatre has been transformed into a little slice of Sin City (complete with casino games for the pre-and-post-show entertainment) for this year’s dinner theatre offering The Heist Before Christmas. It’s the story of a couple of pairs of star-crossed lovers who reunite to do a holiday show in Las Vegas. It has…
Mailbag December 20, 2012
Be less PC Freedom of religious expression is guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” The “establishment clause” is merely a guarantee that no state religion (or its accompanying…
Big Scoop
At the end of our interview, Ben Manuel asks, “How many times have I said ‘grimy’ and ‘gritty’ so far?” I reply that I’ve lost count, which elicits a big laugh from the Scoop Outs’ bass player. “Yeah, that sounds about right!” You can’t use “gritty” or “grimy” too much when you’re talking about Scoop…
Bass in your face
Every band, whether they like it or not, needs a gimmick. So when bassist/vocalist Kyle McDonald started his new project, a melodic doom-metal outfit known as Shevil, he knew he wanted it to have a sound like no other. Originally fronted by McDonald, bassist Shaun Crawford and drummer Errol Girvan, their initial demos caught the…
Don’t hate, appreciate!
If you ignore the crowded malls and empty bank accounts, there’s always something magical about the season that makes you want to give a little something special to the people you love. For Gus’ Pub & Grill, those loved ones are its customers—the varied bunch you always see congregating outside late at night while the…
Light it up
If there’s something so familiar about Paul Hannon’s new oil paintings, it’s that most of the urban locations he chooses to depict are corner stores and small businesses that you might otherwise pass without really noticing. Buildings that, through Hannon’s brush, transform into snapshots of everyday beauty grounded by our city’s neighbourhoods and how we…
From ABC to VHS
If you were worried that Hobo with a Shotgun director Jason Eisener was in danger of losing his edge any time soon, please consider this unused first idea for his contribution to the alphabet-inspired anthology horror film The ABCs Of Death: “We originally picked the letter N because we wanted to do something with nunchucks,”…
Doomed’s day
Three years ago, it felt like the end of the world for drummer Scott Tiller. His band hadn’t practiced in weeks, his appendix had burst, and on top of all that, he still couldn’t find a name for his new group. “We just wanted to get things going and it seemed like nothing was going…
A history of violence
Q I am a 17-year-old girl growing up in an adoptive family in Australia. I was sexually abused by my birth family, and I think it really fucked up my sexuality. The only thing that gets me off is the idea of people absolutely destroying their lives for an orgasm. I started with mild S&M…
Camp songs
Molly Thomason has been blowing up this year, with recognition at Nova Scotia Music Week, the ECMAs and the Canadian Folk Music Awards just to name a few and it’s safe to say that it has a lot to do with the beautifully crafted songs that shine on all her albums. It takes work to…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22-JANURARY 19) When he was 21, the Capricorn writer Jack London set off to prospect for gold in the 1897 Klondike gold rush. He had a rough time there. Malnourished, he suffered from scurvy and leg pain. To make matters worse, he didn’t find much gold, and returned home broke. On…
Glory be
Fresh off a tour that had the band criss-crossing the country with The Stanfields and kicking Halloween drug-snorting dinos off their amps, Halifax’s sweat-rockers Gloryhound are back in town and ready to party. “Be prepared to have a lot of fun,” says lead guitarist Dave Casey. “We try to treat every show like a celebration—it’s…
The Hive
Charles Burns, best known for covers of The Believer magazine and for his creepy, teen-horror epic Black Hole, has a singular, recognizable drawing style that makes you want to stare endlessly at the page, despite being repulsed by what you see. In The Hive, (the second book of a trilogy, following X’ed Out), Doug is…
Bloomfield re-deployment
Nothing is ever perfect, or done quite how we’d envisioned—especially when government is involved—but after nine years pushing the city to restore the Bloomfield Centre’s former glory, the mountain has moved. On December 11, council approved a Bloomfield redevelopment plan by the highest bidder, Nova Scotia Housing Development Corporation, the provincial government’s affordable housing agency.…
My Friend Dahmer
Back in the 1970s Jeffrey Dahmer and Derf Backderf were friends and high school classmates in rural Bath, Ohio. While Backderf went on to become a successful cartoonist, Dahmer went on to kill 17 people before getting caught and dying in prison. It would be easy for a book like My Friend Dahmer to be…
Little Shop Of Horrors
Making its debut on Blu-Ray in an extras-packed special edition, 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors has never looked, or sounded, better. The goofy, grisly musical comedy about a boy (Rick Moranis), a girl (Ellen Greene) and a hungry, homicidal houseplant is filled with hilarious cameos (like Bill Murray’s masochistic nutjob) and memorable musical numbers (Steve…
Selected revelations
Revelation I All I want: a fresh head of teeth and sinew, some maggots held at bay, a $50 bottle of wine, and some socks not yet holed. When the guy comes down with his flash-cards and tests me, I want the answers written on my wrists, for referral, instruction, and a quick way out…
Air Patriots
With a different take on the tower defense genre, Amazon’s first foray into making games is fun, if you’re playing on a tablet and not a phone. The goal of the game is to fight back waves of enemies attempting to reach your base on a set path. But instead of building towers strategically in…
Hali-pocalypse!
The supposed Mayan doomsday prediction is complete nonsense. The Mayans used at least three calendars, only one of which ends on December 21, 2012. And that calendar “ends” this week in exactly the same way that our calendar ends on December 31—true, the 2012 calendars become worthless, but you simply start a 2013 calendar. Moreover,…
Recipe remix
“I love to cook,” says Lana Grant. “And I’ve always wanted to do a cookbook.” That simple sentence, a breezy thought that has run through many a mind, led to an involved year-long project for Grant, who is best known for her 20 year career as a singer-songwriter. With help from a wide range of…
Then and Then
April 6, 1534 we have taken them all out they cry asking elsewhere young yet for the Otherworld each newborn voice inclines toward the city days beyond here last night dreamed of Münster four lions circled a stake three stopped to look up while the other continued round there was something he avoided leaving new…
Black Friday
I came down to Wally World because I heard there was a sale. A door buster. A barn burner. End of Days kind of thing. Everything 40 percent off, with an asterisk. The place smells like hot plastic. The aisles are choked with shoppers. Most of the shelves have already been ransacked. “Jingle Bells” plays…
Got organic milk?
The arrival of East Coast Organic Milk is a reason to celebrate, really. Years of hard work came to fruition for a small co-op of farmers this fall when three varieties (whole, one and two percent) made their way onto shelves province-wide. Frazer Hunter, of certified organic Knoydart Farm, David van Zutphen, of Dellside Farm,…
It’s the end of the world as we know it…
If the Mayan calendar is correct, we’re done for as of this Friday, December 21. And if you’re going down, you probably want to take some original art with you, right? Seriously though, Argyle Fine Art (1559 Barrington Street) knows we’ll all still be kicking it on the 22nd, hence why it’s selling beautiful, limited…
The best willy in town
To the super cute queer tattooed boy with the spacers behind the counter serving up some of the best grub in town. You have the prettiest willy that I have ever had the pleasure of getting intimate with. —Willy Lover
You drain the life out of me
I knew when we first met that we didn’t have much in common, but you were more social, happy and liked trying new things. Here we are six years later with a kid (which you never interect with), still no ring, and spending every night gaming on your computer while I’m in my room feeling…
