NSMW: Third Time’s the Yarm
let’s throw some furniture in that shit, mess it up a little Today Music Nova Scotia announced today that Nova Scotia Music Week will once again be happening in Yarmouth. This is the third time the town has hosted the awards week. In a release, executive director Scott Long said “Of the bids received for…
Business as usual: Subsidizing suburban sprawl
[image-1] As the city wrangles with the question of whether it should subsidize the cost of operating the Common skating oval at an annual estimated cost of between $110,000 and $250,000, Halifax council is poised to blithely, unthinkingly, OK the expenditure of $2.8 million to subsidize suburban sprawl in Bedford, and an as-yet untold millions…
Just one decent shower, please
To a certain very tall apartment building… fix your friggin water! I have been here for over a year and have not had one good shower. It starts off well, then it cold and then out of nowhere, a huge blast of hot water. Sometimes to the point where I have to scream out loud…
In-Flight Safety sign with Conehead, head to SXSW
beldar say: EXCELLENT NEWS In-Flight Safety have joined Cousins, Duzheknew and Long Long Long as part of the Halifax contingent headed to SXSW in mid-March. They’ve folded the Austin dates into a mega-tour through Europe that ends April 15 back in Charlottetown. As the cherry on the fun-cake, the band has signed with the UK…
My amazing chef
I really do love you beyond anything. Hearing your voice, seeing your eyes light up, and feeling your touch sends me places beyond this world. Watching you chop an onion makes me go crazy, and no one can emulsify a vinaigrette like you. I’ll be your friend as long as you need me, and when…
You Are Forever My Dr.Who
Ever since we’ve met, I am pretty sure I fell in love right away. Your deep brown eyes melt me as you stare into mine. It has been 8 months since our love started, and it has only felt like a short while. You mean the world to me my love, and there are not…
Please Forgive Me
To the guy and girl couple who were parked in their car at Citadel Hill on January 15th. I had a lot to drink that night and said some really brutal and nasty things to you when all you wanted was something that was perfectly okay and normal. Who the hell do I think I…
Curly-haired boy
I see you at school and sometimes we smile. You are very cute and you ride a bike all the way up that gigantic hill. We spoke once during exam week but I was so full of anxiety that it was brief. I wish that I knew your name and that you would say hi…
Bully
The truth is as much as I’m angry at you… I’m more scared. Damn, I hate myself for feeling this way. And a big fuck you to those who know and are in a position to help but don’t in ways that would make my days better. —Worn and Tired
During the Storm
We have met many years ago, you’re a free spirit and I am a free spirit, we kissed one New Years Eve many years ago and you asked me out for drinks, dumb me did not give you my phone number. I saw you on the 72 bus during the storm and we only had…
Anxiety
I hate anxiety. It’s not a case of butterflies, or throwing up in the john before you do something nerve racking. I’m talking about the condition that you can’t sleep, can’t work, and yes having seizures because of it. There are medications out there that help but don’t cure. I wish that I could be…
Hitch Hiker Salute
Thanks to the man who picked me up and dropped me off in front of my apartment building! It was my first day at work and the ride was much appreciated. —Hitch Hiker Mike
Terminal Debates
I know everyone’s bitching about the Dartmouth terminal right now, and needing a bathroom for drivers, etc… But what the hell happened to the Mumford terminal? Who is responsible for its upkeep? They can build all the terminals they want, but if they fall into disrepair and uselessness what’s the friggin’ point? The concession is…
Wintersleep’s Letterman Performance
If you missed Wintersleep on David Letterman this past Friday, here is the performance, Youtubed for your convenience.
Baby Cop-Out
To the teen mom on the 1-Spring Garden yesterday. Let me remind you that a) your stroller was big enough to accommodate a full grown adult, and b) it’s COURTESY seating for those who NEED it. Don’t give me gull because I had no where to move on an already crammed bus, and claim that…
Life saver
To the person or persons who called an ambulance for me when I had a seizure in the parking lot of the Victoria General Hospital. Thanks, I know you had better things to be doing and that I’ll never know who you are. —Saved Life
Rules of the road
Is everyone in this city stupid? How hard is it to walk on the right side of the sidewalk? HELLO MCFLY! Oh yeah, if you are jogging with friends, you don’t deserve the whole thing either! —Dumb as nails
Superheroes suffer first
Well my love, we are stumbling along through personal struggles and life changes which are tiring. It’s not always easy to be excited about the difficult and the uncomfortable, but we can be excited about growing up, because one day we might even enjoy the ‘adult’ freedom we’ve each dreamt of since we were young,…
I hate bikers
Why should bikers be able to bike on the sidewalk? It is called a sideWALK! Why should I be walking and be scared for my life. Have you ever walked down Quinpool going toward the rotary? Bikers are going faster than the cars, and sharing the sidewalks with walkers! What a joke! This should be…
Last Words I Never Said
To my temporary neighbour in first year, I know I’m likely never going to see you again, and that you’re likely not going to read this, but I need to say this: You were my neighbour, my teammate, my confidant and my crush, but I got scared and ran away. You knew me as I…
Put Tricky-Woo in the back seat!
Can someone explain to me why it’s illegal to drive with a cell phone but perfectly okay to drive with your dog sitting in your lap? I just got back to the office after watching a lady almost hit someone at a crosswalk because she was driving with 2 small dogs on her lap and…
Cervical worries
I’m not intervening on you for lack of good deeds. But jesus, fucking christ. You NEED to get another phone line. When you are waiting to receive news on your health, getting that answering machine fifteen times in a row is enough to make someone vomit. —Worrier
Super Trooper sweeps girl swiftly off her feet
The time we were sitting on tall rocks, looking out at the water, talking about nothing, and everything, I knew you were awesome. The time we were sitting on my bed, touching toes just a little, laughing in hysterics over Cameron and Mitchell, I knew we could be the best of friends. But now, any…
For my sweetpea
There is not a day that goes by where I do not fall deeper and deeper in love with you. I just want to shout it out to the world… but it is 4:50am and I don’t think my neighbours and roommate would appreciate it too much. So minus the clickity clack of my keyboard…
Recently Engaged: Cecilia & James
James and I began our relationship five years ago. We met through friends and started casually dating soon after. We have had an amazing ride throughout the years and can’t wait to continue to share our lives together. At the time of our engagement, James and I were living in separate provinces. He was in…
Ocean vs. Economical: Harsh words fly as 1st trial ends
May Ocean’s first lawsuit against Economical Mutual ends with harsh words. The trial featured conflicting stories about who was to blame for the December 2000 collision
The Halifax Parking Ban Stand
Like many in this city, Seahorse booking manager Troy Arsenault is sick to death of the winter parking ban. Although he says he hasn’t been affected by the ban directly, his bar’s customers are: “Customers having to pack up and leave with designated drivers really hurts business and the vibe downtown,” he says. “I feel…
Post office closed again
To a certain Post Office in a downtown office building, seriously? Closed because staff can’t take scheduled breaks? Boo hoo… did someone in management improperly schedule things for y’all? Today you are closed for a sewage problem… how appropriate. One other day you were closed because of the aforementioned scheduling issue and on at least…
Bayer’s Hell
This one has been in the works for years. Bayer’s Lake is undoubtedly the least friendly place for pedestrians that I have seen in HRM. First off, there’s a lack of sidewalks. They are only on one side of the street, the other side has corners at the lights and the rest is pavement and…
Ubu Enchained at King’s
Ubu Enchained is not theatre for the faint-hearted. As staged by director Iain Soder, the audience is required to move around the cavernous Pit in order to take in all the action. It’s fun, stimulating and a little nerve-wracking as actors herd patrons and canon balls fly. The play itself is weird and wonderful. Written…
Mixtape Apparel’s cool
Mixtape Apparel is a new company founded in Halifax by Chris Pike and Jason Duong, a 20-year-old Dalhousie commerce student. Along with offering belts and t-shirts, they repurpose old audio cassettes into belt buckles, saving them from the landfill and allowing for a fashion statement sure to make your skinny-jeaned hipster pals choke with covetous…
Recently Engaged: Vikki & Kevin
[image-1] Vikki and I met in University. We didn’t actually attend the same school; Vikki attended Saint Mary’s University while I studied at Dalhousie. By chance a class I needed for my degree was full so I took an opportunity to take the class at Saint Mary’s in order to finish my degree on schedule.…
Dockyard Douchebag
Snowstorms put the entire city in gridlock, what else is new? The bus was way beyond capacity, with people practically standing on the steps to enter the bus. As a courtesy he stopped to let you know he was full, as you can plainly see. You had shelter to stand in and you resort to…
It’s a rainy night in Georgia… er, Halifax
There once was a girl from Fredericton. We met, we dated, we had tons of fun. I saved her life on our second date and she took care of mine a little down the line. The makings of a long future, I was sure we had and with a beauty like her that wouldn’t be…
Do you know of a great place that caters to finger foods for a cocktail style reception?
Our wedding is going to be in the evening so we won’t be having a sit down dinner. Does anyone know of a mom and pop (small business) type of caterer who could do this? Also, do you have any ideas of what the food could be? —Lyndsay
Get out of my life
To the manipulative jerk that I can’t seem to rid myself of: I deserve better than your self-centered attitude and bullshit excuses. Where did all the good fellows go? —A girl led astray
Resolution Solution
Oh, New Year, thank you for giving me a “second chance” each and every year… especially since I continuously break my promises year after year after year. Almost two weeks in and I am standing by my promises and feeling so much better about everything. I do believe that 2011 will be the year I…
Thanks to a special girl
Ever since we first met for tea, I’ve just been feeling more and more content with life. You rock my world every time we meet. Thank you for being patient, and making me feel like a man. It’s just getting a lot harder not to say ‘I love you’… But I hope you know that…
Blind Lacewooder
You were making a left turn at a red light, while I was crossing with my Green light, while the walking symbol was definitely up. You were frigging trecking along, and would have hit me if I didn’t stop right then, though you did heavily graze my coat. I know I, as a pedestrian, have…
Shining in the snow
It would be far too easy to post a bitch about the bus system in this city but on this stormy, snowy evening one bus driver (doing an ‘Out of Service’ run) offered to shuttle us across the bridge so we wouldn’t be left standing around waiting for the next active bus to roll through.…
In need of liquid courage
To the bartender last night, you’re way too gorgeous to be working at a dive bar. I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to ask you out, and you’re not the type of girl to appreciate come ons while you’re working anyway. But jesus, you’ve got it going on. See you next Tuesday. —CC…
Sardines in a Can
To the whining woman who refused to get off the already packed to capacity bus: Somehow, I fail to see how the fact that you’ve “had a bad day” or that you’re “only going to the next stop” entitles you, yes, lucky you, to be that one extra person over the yellow line at the…
Good People at Gym
A big thank you goes to the lovely lady who recently turned my iPod into the lost and found at a local gym!! That thing is my best friend… it has been there through all of the good times and all of the really difficult times. Thank you so much! Karma will be good to…
The City Streets Hold It Down
A friend with good taste recently pointed me towards The City Streets, who are three guys from Edmonton who now live in Montreal and are playing here tonight at Gus’ with the Fat Stupids, Young River and the Scoop Outs (10pm, $5.) They’ve been described in a few places as the successors to the Hold…
Feds still silent on convention centre funding
Update, Thursday 8am: The Chronicle-Herald is reporting that Saturday’s deadline has been extended for three months: http://bit.ly/hQ9JFq Developer Joe Ramia says that this Saturday, January 15, is the deadline for the three levels of government to agree to finance the convention centre he proposes to build in downtown Halifax. Weeks ago, Halifax city council and…
My body of work
Here are a few things you may notice about Meghan Clarkston when you first meet her. A swath of fiery-red hair and short, chopped bangs framing a pretty, heart-shaped face. The tunnels in her earlobes. An engaging, honest laugh that reveals teeth. Clarkston carries around a large sketchbook. Today, it’s open to a page taken…
Kestrels swoop in with The Solipsist
While some of us prefer to hibernate the winter away, Kestrels are gearing up for a mighty productive one. After holding it captive for a little while, they’re ready to share their new seven-inch EP. “The intent of The Solipsist is that it’ll be sort of like a single leading up to our full-length album,”…
In Goodwin’s hands
Emeren Garcia pictures Betty Goodwin at a defining moment. “She had this very grand studio and she would create her own installations there,” says the head of touring exhibitions for the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Goodwin, the multidisciplinary Montreal artist who passed away in 2008 at 85, worked with many different materials and in…
Go big or go home
To the people I saw destroying the signboard of the church across from my house, come on! I happened to be watching you as you worked out your plan to slyly change around the wording. I was amused up to the point where you proceeded to break the glass and bulb of the sign, whereupon…
Thanks Girl on the Street!
You stopped me on Barrington street this morning to tell me that you noticed me pick up some garbage and you THANKED me! It was so awesome! You totally made my day! So thank YOU for going out of your way to say something nice to a stranger. I love my city and the awesome…
Mixed bag from Ray Bear
It was in fine dining that Ray Bear made his reputation—one he has spent a lot of time cultivating since his Gio days in 2006. After the closure of Bear in 2009 there was a lot of curiosity about his movements, which got interesting last summer when he announced the opening of MIX Fresh Kitchen…
Dartmouthians duped via Bridge Terminal bait-and-switch
In a multi-million dollar exercise in bait-and-switch, renewed plans for an expanded Bridge Terminal lack all the design aspects that won over community support last year. In early 2010, Metro Transit announced it wanted to expand the terminal by paving over six acres of land on the Dartmouth Common designated as the Wilderness Park. That…
Ask your inner Dan Savage
Q Any time I have relationship questions, I always ask my inner Dan Savage, and he never leads me astray! My boyfriend and I have had a wonderful relationship for six years. We have had “girlfriends” in the past who were involved with both of us simultaneously. But he recently met a girl and they…
Free Will Astrology
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) “Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past,” said comedian Lily Tomlin. I recommend that you make this a keynote during the next six months. According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you will have the best opportunity you’ve had in a long time to put some of your…
Dance without borders
Kinetic Studio wants you to think outside the tutu this weekend. “People sometimes have only one understanding of dance, like ballet. We’re trying to help people see that this is a whole other kettle of fish,” says Christopher Majka. The Studio Series will highlight both local and visiting dancers and choregraphers and their original pieces.…
Kung fu filming
About three dozen people are crowded around the boxing ring in Lower Sackville’s Clinch Martial Arts & Wrestling Academy, cheering as two fighters face off. But a glance around the room shows that this isn’t your usual kickboxing match. The ring is lit up by several tall floodlights while two cameras record the action. Off…
A foul wind
Father Robert McNeil drew chuckles at a Pictou County funeral last week when he recited a Depression-era verse: “Life is mysterious/Don’t take it too serious/You work, you save/You worry so/But you can’t take it with you/When you go, go, go.” The Roman Catholic priest was speaking during a funeral mass for June MacDonald, 65, a…
Pier 21 takes centre ice
The skating bug has bitten Haligonians and Canada Games fever is certainly brewing, so the timing for this exhibit couldn’t be better. Pier 21 welcomes a historical tribute to figure skating, speed skating and hockey, a travelling exhibit from the Canadian Museum of Civilization. In addition, Canada’s Immigration Museum has put together their own display.…
Barney’s Version doesn’t travel well
A string of stellar performances can’t save Barney’s Version from the fact that it fails to distill Mordecai Richler’s final novel into something cinematically digestible. Paul Giamatti fully inhabits the character of Barney Panofsky, a prickly television producer with a taste for scotch and cigars and a knack for seducing beautiful women through sheer determination.…
Stomping good
Going on right now at Fashionably Dead (5239 Blowers Street, 406-7050) is an inventory clear-out sale on footwear, where you’ll find all shoes and boots at 50 percent off the stickered price until the stock is gone. “Everything from high-tops to these boots,” explains owner Kate Rankin. This impressive and slightly intimidating footwear, which Rankin…
Getting Evin
Mike Evin’s got the whole world in his album. Do You Feel the World?, his fifth record, is a collection of “songs about travelling, songs about staying put.” Evin, a pianist and one-time Haligonian, returned to his hometown of Montreal at the end of 2008 (his last record Good Watermelon came out in the summer…
Giant Hand-crafted
A standard drum kit isn’t built from wicker baskets and loose change, but a non-drummer learns to improvise. “You think of some crazy stuff when you’re by yourself for a week,” says Kirk Ramsay, AKA Giant Hand. He’s talking about the instrumentation for his first album, recorded in 2009 by himself at home. “I didn’t…
Songs for Sudan
Fundraiser Wadeng Wings of Hope Benefit Ghettosocks, Something Good, The Belle Comedians, Kuato, The Light Brights, Dance Movie and Kelly Sloan. With a line-up as heavy as this one, you know the cause has to be a worthy one. Stephanie Gill first heard of the Wadeng Wings of Hope in an ethics class at Saint…
Golden opportunity
Atlantic Canadian companies Galloping Cows, Glass Harp Gallery, Michique, LouLouBell and Turbine will have swag available at the awards’ gifting suites. Beyond the exotic trips and hybrid cars, VIP types will be offered homegrown marmalade, jewellery, handbags, clothing and other accessories from this region. The companies came to the attention of Dubois, Pelin & Associates,…
The Onion’s AV Club Disses Buck 65?
travelpod.com The Onion’s AV Club put out an article today titled “Diggety diggety iggety dead end: Das Efx and 15 Hip-Hop Revolutions That Weren’t.” Along with Digable Planets, Panjabi MC and the Disposable Heroes of HipHopricy, the post’s writers list Buck 65 as a rapper whose career “didn’t blow up as much as fade away.”…
