Coffee Crazy

Toronto is a crazy city for coffee shops. There are countless independent cafés in the inner city, and some people must surely wonder how they all can stay in business. On top of that, one can’t miss the Starbucks on every block and Tim Horton’s around every corner.

Personally, I love to hike around the city and support the small independent coffee shops to see all the subtleties they have to offer. While magazines such as Eye Weekly have published their top 10 cafés in the city (with Bulldog Coffee taking top prize), I’m more for exploring them all and trying to enjoy them equally as opposed to ranking them. Thanks to promotional items, such as the Toronto Coffee Conspiracy disloyalty card, people are more encouraged to support the little guy and experience the city in a new light.

While I have been to many cafés, I have not taken any opportunities to photograph them. Thankfully, my sister has been to a good number of these places and has posted them on her blog.

So, please enjoy a taste of every coffee shop her posts have offered over the past, as well as new cafés that are springing up all the time.

Song of the Week - Bahamas

Bahamas - Already Yours
Album: Pink Strat

The album Pink Strat does give a bit of insight into the Bahamas lead singer. Afie Jurvanen's height, weight, and birthdate appear right on the cover. What the cover doesn't mention is that this Barrie, Ontario born singer was nominated for a Juno for 'Best Roots and Traditional Album - Solo' in 2010. His soft voice and acoustic playing in reminscant of Jack Johnson, though his costume choice during a live performance at MTV shows there's a lot more silly theatrics behind the microphone.

What's Next for the Dunk?

After watching Blake Griffin soar over a car to win this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the common question was: what can we expect for an encore? In order to increase the grandeur of Griffin’s final throwdown, he not only needed his teammate to pass him the ball from the sunroof below as Griffin flew overhead, but also needed a massive choir at centre court singing “I Believe I Can Fly.” It does make for great highlight reel material, and the fans do go home with something to talk about, but other people are questioning whether the use of props cheapens the event by making it about but the dunk.

Song of the Week - Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
Album: The Suburbs

On a night that is typically dominated by the American music scene, this past Sunday’s Grammys were supposed to be the introduction of several Canadians to major music award shows. Both Justin Bieber and Drake need little introduction to music audiences, as they both will sell out shows across North America with ease, but neither of them managed to win any awards on a night when they both performed. Instead, Arcade Fire took the world by storm when the Montreal band overcame massive odds to win the most prestigious award of the evening, Best Album of the Year, with their 3^rd album The Suburbs. Despite facing giant competition with the likes Eminem (the biggest name in rap), Lady Gaga and Katy Perry (both massive pop stars) and Lady Antebellum (this year’s country favorites), the alternative music style of Arcade Fire shocked us all with their inspiring win.

After they accepted the award, Arcade Fire took to the stage once more to perform “Ready To Start” as the credits rolled. Congratulations on a massive win for music’s biggest underdog of the night.

Song of the Week - Old Man Luedecke

Old Man Luedecke - I Quit My Job

Album: My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs

Name a current banjo singer if you can. If you can manage that test, try to name young one. There aren’t too many people picking up the once beloved banjo anymore, but Old Man Luedecke is on the verge of a promising career doing just that. Chris Luedecke is far from old, but his roots sure are as he composes new age folk songs for his dying instrument of choice.

Born in the big city of Toronto, Old Man Luedecke was musically raised out east in Nova Scotia. So far his short career has had three albums released, the most recent in March of 2010 entitled My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs. This album followed his Juno (Canadian Grammy equivalent) winning album Proof of Love which garnered the award in 2009 for Best Roots Solo Album. With this success, surely he can quit whatever job he had and focus on his promising future in music.

Super Bowl XLV Song of the Week - Steamin' Willie Beaman

Willie Beamen - My Name is Willie

Willie Beamen, played by Jamie Foxx

It’s Super Bowl Sunday in just two days, so what would be more fitting than music from one of the best football movies. Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday (1999) is the movie about the behind the scenes life of football players, vying for on-field victories, bonuses and fame. This song is from once 3^rd string Quarterback, “Steamin’” Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx), who after injuries to the regular starting Quarterbacks finds himself the new star of the team. His focus on winning games as an individual leads to victories, but also anger in the locker rooms, thanks to Beamen’s insatiable thirst for fame and recognition.

This song is a Willie Beamen original, promoting himself as the new brand of football. This year's halftime performance may include the Black Eyed Peas, but no one can get's you more excited for the 2nd half of football than Steamin' Willie Beamen.

XLV

This Sunday is a day for celebration for everyone. Super Bowl XLV is upon us after an agonizing two weeks where the only football seen was the consistently lackluster Pro Bowl. The Media Day is now of the past and everyone can rejoice. Wives and girlfriends await the return of their men after the hypnotic spell of football will lose its grasp come Monday morning. Advertisers await to see which commercials will be enshrined in Super Bowl history, a topic I spoke of this past Monday. Teachers across North America are finally seeing the only remaining use of roman numerals (it’s Super Bowl 45). Fans of neither competing teams realize that come Monday, everyone is undefeated again. And one of the historic franchises, either the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers, will add yet another Super Bowl title to their trophy cabinet, while the other will quickly be forgotten amongst other mere Super Bowl finalists (and their Quarterbacks). Does anybody remember these Super Bowl attendees? Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers (2004); Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks (2006); Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears (2007). History only looks kindly upon winners it would seem.

This Sunday is the only day where every major network dedicates full day pre- and post-game coverage. It is the only sport where amid the major news events in Egypt, Sudan, and Tunisia, it will still earn its place on the front page of almost every newspaper. It is a larger than life event.

After the Super Bowl, there is a sporting void that neither hockey nor basketball combined can make up for. Even the addition of baseball’s opening week is not enough for fans to feel the void in while waiting for next September. So ladies, enjoy the next three months of a productive husband/boyfriend. Draft Day is less than three months away.