a day in the life of piano monkey

The Scream shows Indigenous children being taken away from their families by the Catholic church. (Courtesy of Kent Monkman) qiksaaktuq  (grief) was premiered last night in toronto, as first concert closer of the toronto symphony new music festival. as part of the whole 150 years anniversary of canada, there are some real fun celebrations planned across the country, and i was happy to receive my parks canada pass, and to attend various projects, including this series of new commissions. and while we cut the cheery white and red coloured cake, and me, who will be travelling with the brand new passport this summer, i am aware of what canada is made out of- which is more than what we bargain for. always. when tagaq won polaris prize in 2014, i did overhear some dudes attributing her heritage for 'making the list' in kensington market hipster bar. i poured my beer on their shoes and left. i wasnt surprised, as, well, kensington market, as we all love it for what it ...

i live in a student-heavy tall apartment building. my neighbours come and go and i dont really know any of them. the walls are concrete thick from 1970s build and we live in quiet isolation. but the air vent, that's how i know of my neighbours. for about a year, there's that young couple who like rave music blaring during day time. for about three years, there's that journalism student, who is beautiful. she has an itty bitty puppy, which used to have a good temperament till she started her co-op. long abandoned hours, the puppy now yelps through the door whenever there's someone by the elevator. for about six months now, there's that dude who smokes pots, then orders pizza. if i see a pizza dude getting onto elevator and press 'my' floor after 10pm, i know where s/he's bringing that pizza. for about two years now, i have a neighbour who eats lots and lots of fried eggs in veggie oil. usually in the morning. but sometimes in late evenings as well...