quickie-'Ronto

On a lark, here I am at the Cycle Messenger World Championships in Toronto. I'm not a messenger, I don't 'messenge', but I do spectate on occasion.

So I put a bike, a change of clothes, and the laptop in the car yesterday, and hit the road. Why? Well, Toronto is only 4.5 hours away, and this is the closest the CMWC is gonna get to Michigan (I really doubt I'd go to spectate if it were in San Francisco or Philly or Dublin or Sydney). Oh yeah, there's a large format bike polo tournament (64 teams), and I not only am curious to see how other people do it, but want to see how big and bad the big shots are. Maybe learn something too. Impressions of the warmup Saturday, you ask? OK...
- lt looks like knee high socks are the new thing for all the cool people. Too bad my wardrobe lacks them. 'Cause I want to be a unique individual, just like everyone else.
- I'm unlikely to ever adopt "messenger culture". Sure, I saw Quicksilver, and messengers are the nouveau urban cowboy, but I'm not much of a joiner when it comes down to it.
- I continue to not understand what fascinates people so much about riding their bikes in backwards circles. I get it, it's a trick. Congratulations. But once you've learned it, doesn't it just get boring after the 20th time?
- From watching East Vancouver and Ottawa play (the guy organizing it predicted they'll play the finals), their movement is so different. Keep moving, move the ball quickly, dynamically, not by 'carrying it'. Maybe you get intercepted, but let it go. Then take it back. Oh yeah, and play both sides of the bike with the mallet in the same hand.

I found a hostel downtown Toronto after some wandering, and after checking in and stashing my car went for a walk to find a beer. Seems that Toronto has been non-smoking for a while, but they neglected to pass a no-cologne ordinance along the way. I swear, walking by open doors or the rope line outside some club, my eyes were tearing. Found an Irish-ish pub, plunked down my $7 for a Guiness, read my book for a little while, and then decided I don't need to buy any more over-priced beer and headed back to the hostel. Seeing some of the folks all dressed up in their 6" heels and super-fishnets and patent leather corsets , I thought "hmm, must be a fetish club around here somewhere" Yup - Goodhandy's is right next to the Irish pub. Again, not being dressed for the occasion, I was content just to walk around and wander back to bed and sleep.