all hail. (Toronto day 2)

The view out the front door of Balfour Books on College Street. Hailstorm in progress.

This was originally going to be a post about how much I enjoyed just strolling around Toronto today, checking out the Apple Store, Rotate This, Pages, Balfour Books, Moog Music, the Cloak and Dagger pub... all my faves, basically.

Instead, I really just have one thing to say. Those were the biggest motherfreaking hailstones I have ever seen in my motherfreaking life. June 29th. JUNE. Toronto, you are weird.

John Zorn, Acoustic Masada live (Toronto day 1)

I timed my arrival in Toronto so that I could check out crazed saxophonist John Zorn's Acoustic Masada at the Downtown Jazz Festival, and last night I was repeatedly thanking myself.

(Toronto Life has a good brief explanation of what the project, and this most recent appearance, is about.)

Franciska and I both agreed—listening to John Zorn records would probably drive both of us crazy, but watching him live is better than watching just about any rock band that we can think of. It's all about surprising musicality, wit, and intensity. It's enough to make me wish I lived in New York so I could take in this sort of gig on a regular basis.

From where we were sitting ("orchestra left") we had a better view of trumpeter Dave Douglas than we did of Zorn, but that was just fine... he was amazing, as were Greg Cohen and Joey Baron on stand-up bass and drums.

Zorn!

the most exciting minute of my week.

me and my cracked ribs

I'm able to suck in 730 cubic centimetres of air on the end of that thing, and hold for three seconds. I guess my lung is on the mend.

It's four weeks, today, since my cycling accident, and I'm still not back at work. With any luck I'll be able to get my splint off tomorrow and get back on Wednesday though.

It turns out that I have two cracked ribs. I only found this out on Friday, from the 6th chest xray I've had since the accident. I guess when a rib isn't displaced when it cracks, it's sometimes only visible later, when the process of healing creates a visible calcium line. At least my ongoing chest pain isn't due to any kind of worrisome lung ailment.

Every time I hear this song now, it's like I laugh and grimace at the same time.

I wasn't there I guess
I wrote down the wrong address
I wish I was I confess
I was in the way I guess

I was standing outside too long
Coming on way too strong
You needed an alibi
But I was inside and high

So breathe for me now
Because I can't find the air
And every time I look around
It's like I wasn't there
You know I can't breathe
And I suppose it's a fool who tries to share
It's never what you want to be somehow

This was the pill the place
And I wanted smiles your face I
In trying to keep good time
I wasn't what I tried

So breathe for me now
Because I can't find the air
And every time I look around
It's like I wasn't there
You know I can't breathe
And I suppose it's a fool who tries to share
It's never what you want to be somehow
So breathe for me now

[Wheat "Breathe"]