Word Substance Spatula Team

A shot of the Word Substance Spatula Team. (Producer Christina, Ed the tech man, and myself) Many months of research, author egos, plane fares, car rentals, whining and dining, sleep depletion, reorganization, inappropriate snowfalls and even more inappropriate times to stage Academy Award Shows - the Motion Picture Academy failed to check in with our team to make sure that our events would not conflict. Um, they did marginally better, but it was close. During the second installment of our interactive, innovative literary might, I emerge from the basement of the Drake Hotel to see what was going on at the Anti-Award party, and what do I see on a gargantuanly huge television was my friend Chris Landreth in Los Angeles accepting an award for Best Animated Short! Sitting beside him my very good friend and his partner in a life of love and crime, the lovely and wicked smart Jody Terio. It totally made my night...well, almost...actually, an audience of more than 3 would have REALLY made my night, but, hey, your life can't be all hand jobs and ice cream. I can't remember who said that, it was either Milton Berle or Winston Churchill.

Oh yes, one last thing: someone sent a letter to the Timber Media offices and I've discovered that Nostradamus and I have the same birthday. Weird, eh? Also Morey Amsterdam, the short frisky hack writer on that old TV show, that guy, from The Dick Van Dyke Show. Now that's comedy.

Cat Walking

My Cat walking business hasn't taken off the way I'd hoped. Cats, as is turns out, are not the speediest of creatures, it's a loud and frantic outing, but they get their exercise. Also, Animal Husbandry isn't at all what I thought it was, so right away, I can pretty much check off those two categories right there as far as hot financial opportunities. I think I'd be a pretty good Horse Whisperer, maybe a Cat whisperer, really, the deal there is just coming up with what's most suitable to say, so nobody ends up feeling funny.

I'm really pleased about The National Post article on Kensington Market that came out last week. A nicely-placed full page spread. Ideally, I'd like to do a lot more of that participatory investigative journalism stuff, kind of like George Peppard was famous for... I mean Plimpton, but much less gay...I mean gray.

Found this picture of David Rakoff and me at The Writer's Festival here in Toronto last year.